Voice Of Post

Roots of the Well Known.President Obama retraced some of his lesser-known ancestral roots to a village in Ireland .. One of the president's maternal great-great-great-grandfathers was a shoemaker who immigrated to the United States during the height of a crisis in his homeland. Crowds packed the streets to hear Obama speak as he kicked off a four-nation tour of Europe


Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler had some interesting finds in his family tree, according to DNA research. The revelation underscores the surprises many people often uncover when researching their genealogy. See what you can dig up about your own family.


Lionel Richie
When Lionel Richie retraced his roots, he had a little help from a certain TV show. The legendary musician  has ties to an old civil rights organization dating back to 1897 through his great-grandfather. Learn interesting facts about other famous family trees.


Vanessa Williams
The award-winning actress and former beauty queen has roots in the Tennessee legislature, where her great-great-grandfather served. Read her biography.


Tim McGraw
This country star found out in his teens that his biological father was this professional baseball player. He's also got ties to this former president, since an ancestor was actually mentioned in one of the former president's journals.


Emmitt Smith
Football great Emmitt Smith, who also happened to win this show, was able to trace his roots all the way to this West African country, whence his ancestors were brought to America as slaves.


Alex Haley
His 1976 historical novel "Roots" and subsequent miniseries ignited genealogical interest, especially among African-Americans. Haley's research revealed that his ancestors were slaves from this country. They landed in this Maryland town, which has a statue in honor of Haley telling the story of his family tree.


Sarah Palin
The Rev. John Lothrop, who came from England in 1634 and founded a New England town, is an ancestor of both Palin and the former president who expanded social services. The ex-Alaska governor is also a distant cousin of this late English princess.


President Barack Obama
Born in Hawaii, the commander in chief is the son of Barack Obama Sr. a Kenyan, and Ann Dunham a Kansan. On his maternal side, President Obama is related to his predecessor, a British prime minister and a handsome A-list actor.


Tom Hanks
Hank's family tree's maternal branch includes 1800s immigrants from a southwestern European country; the paternal branch includes a great American president. Via his stepmom, the California-born actor (clips) has Chinese-American siblings. Read Hanks' biography.


Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker originally thought her ancestors were German. But she got a surprise in the family tree.  Parker's people are English, and her 10th great-grandmother was accused of wicked deeds.


Eva Longoria 
"He's Mexican?" jokes the Tejana actress on learning that she and this Chinese-American cellist share an ancestor. Longoria made the discovery on Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s genealogy series.


Robert Pattinson
London native Pattinson,star of a certain vampire movie franchise, is a distant relative of the real-life count who inspired an influential Bram Stoker novel. On a less-gothic note, the actor is also a distant cousin of two British princes.


Tina Turner
On "African American Lives," Turner explores her multiracial heritage. Her great-great-grandfather was an African-American sharecropper and minister; she also has European DNA and blood from these tribes.


Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
Although not born in Hawaii, the wrestler-turned-actor  is of Pacific islander ancestry, specifically here, on his mother's side. Johnson's African-Canadian father, also a wrestling champ, is from a province with a rich black heritage.


Soledad O'Brien
The CNN reporter's full name, María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien, offers clues to her heritage. She was born in New York to an African-American mom from this island. Her dad? He's of Irish descent and an emigrant from Toowoomba in this country.


Hillary Rodham Clinton
The secretary of state has an exciting family tree, including:

* Madonna
* an Oscar-winning actress
* a Canadian diva
* the author of "On the Road"
* the singer of "Ironic"

Moms to moguls Before they were millionaires ,these women were working moms trying to put food on the table. From a makeup mogul to a former file clerk to a home design icon, each one has her own rags-to-riches story.


J.K. Rowling
She's the author of some of the best-selling books in history who used to be on welfare and worked on her first books in cafes with her young daughter in tow.


Paula Deen
The Food Network star, famous for her deep-fried cooking, started her catering business as a divorced mom of two sons and eventually opened her own restaurant.


Sarah Palin
The mother of five began her political career as a small-town city council member before becoming a governor and vice presidential candidate. Now she's written a second book and has a multi-year contract with a cable network.


Mary Kay Ash
The woman whose name is synonymous with the color pink started with one store and fostered her business into a makeup empire before her death in 2001.


Bette Graham
The single mom was a secretary when she invented this helpful substance still used in offices today. She left quite a fortune when she died in 1980.


Linda McMahon
She and her husband once filed for bankruptcy, but they went on to run a successful sports entertainment company. She took a shot at political office.


Susan Powter
She lost a lot of weight as a single mom and became a fitness guru with a popular catchphrase in the '90s.


Rosie Herman
The former manicurist was the new mom of premature twins when she mixed up a batch of nail product in her kitchen. Today she's a millionaire.


Lisa Lloyd
She was a 23-year-old single mom when she invented a popular hairstyling tool. Now she runs her own marketing company.


Erin Brockovich
She was a law firm file clerk and divorced mother of three when she helped win one of the biggest civil lawsuits in U.S. history. Her story inspired an Oscar-winning performance.


Irene Rosenfeld
The widow and mother of two worked her way up to the top spot at this food company and now earns millions each year.


Martha Stewart
She was a wife and mom with a catering company when she published the book that started her entertaining empire.


Jeanne Bice
The happy host went from being a home crafter to making millions each year by selling her own line of clothing on QVC.


Rachel Ashwell
The English-born mom designed her first kid- and pet-friendly slipcovers in the '80s and now heads a hugely successful home goods business.


Cheryl Womack
She started her company selling insurance to independent truckers around the same time she had her two kids; she later sold the lucrative business for millions.

How old were these first-time moms?
They may have more kids now, but have you ever wondered how old some celebrities and public figures were when they had their first baby? Let's wish all these moms a happy Mother's Day!
Kate Hudson
She's expecting hersecond child with this rock band's frontman, to whom she just became engaged after dating for a year. She had her first child, Ryder, now 7, with another rock star, to whom she was married for seven years.

How old was she?
Her famous mom
See photos of Ryder
See photos of Hudson
Her latest movie
Her Oscar-nominated role
Lisa Leslie
This WNBA superstar and four-time Olympic gold medalist took a break from her career when she had her first child, Lauren, now 3, with husband Michael Lockwood.She had her second child, Michael, in 2010.

How old was she?
See photos of Lauren
See photos of Leslie
Lisa Leslie
This WNBA superstar and four-time Olympic gold medalist took a break from her career when she had her first child, Lauren, now 3, with husband Michael Lockwood.She had her second child, Michael, in 2010.

How old was she?
See photos of Lauren
See photos of Leslie
Beverly D'Angelo
She was this surprising age when she had twins Olivia and Anton, now 10, with a well-known actor, to whom she was married for six years.

See photos of her twins
See photos of D'Angelo
Her recurring TV role
Her early career hit
Solange Knowles
When your sister is a superstar, the world notices when you have a baby at this age. Solange had her son, Juelz, now 6, with then-husband Daniel Smith, whom she married at age 17. They divorced after three years of marriage.

See photos of Juelz
See photos of Knowles
Listen to her music
Her famous brother-in-law
Mia Hamm
A two-time Olympic gold medalist in soccer, this superstar athlete became a first-time mom to twin girls Grace and Ava with her major-league husband, to whom she's been married for seven years. The girls are now 4 years old.

See photos of the twins
See photos of Hamm
Watch her in action
Keisha Castle-Hughes
This youngest-ever Academy Award nominee for Best Actress had her daughter, Felicity-Amore, now 4, with her boyfriend of eight years, Bradley Hull.

Her Oscar-nominated role
See photos of Felicity-Amore
See photos of Castle-Hughes
Watch clips of the actress
Celine Dion
This diva had her son Rene-Charles, now 10, with her husband and partner of 24 years, Rene Angelil, when she was 33.She gave birth to twins Eddy and Nelson in 2010.

See photos of Rene-Charles
Her new twins
Photos of Dion
Listen to her music
Watch interview clips
Halle Berry
She had her daughter, Nahla ,with former flame Gabriel Aubry, whom she dated for five years. They broke up in 2010. Nahla is now 3.

See photos of Nahla
See photos of Berry
See photos of Aubry
Her latest movie
Her Oscar-winning role
Sarah Palin
A mother of five, she had her first child, Track, when she was 25.She and husband Todd have been married for 22 years, and everyone is wondering if she'll run for president in 2012.

See photos of Track
See photos of Palin
See family photos
Watch video of Palin
Michelle Obama
The first lady had her first daughter, Malia, when she was 34. (What year was that?) Now 12, Malia and sister Sasha, age 9, are part of the first family. Michelle and Barack Obama have been married for 18 years.

See photos of Malia
See photos of Obama
See family photos
The school the girls attend
Watch Obama in action
Jamie Lynn Spears
Her famous sister was the headline-grabber in the family before Jamie Lynn had her daughter, Maddie, at this age with boyfriend Casey Aldridge. They were together for four years before breaking up in 2010. Maddie is now 2.

See photos of Maddie
See photos of Spears
Her popular Disney show
Watch video of Spears

April quotables
From birth certificates, to soap operas, to natural disasters — see which sound bites and snippets made big headlines this month.
Barack Obama
The president signaled his intent to run for re-election in 2012, explaining to supporters:

"We've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily."
Gwyneth Paltrow
Paltrow has exposed herself as quite the music lover lately (watch her channel her inner pop star). In an interview on Jay-Z’s blog, she explained that she even has a penchant for gangsta rap:

"It was an accident that I learned every word of 'Straight Outta Compton.' "
Raul Castro
Cuba’s 79-year-old president — now replacing his older brother — addressed the country’s past woes and spoke of the need for future reforms:

"Two plus two is four. Never five, much less six or seven – as we have sometimes pretended."
Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State Clinton was in Seoul speaking with South Korea’s foreign minister about future trade opportunities:

"…The truth is: We know we can do more if we can lower the barriers to trade between our countries."
Susan Lucci
When news broke that her long-running soap opera was being canceled, Lucci handled press inquiries with aplomb:

"I'm looking forward to all kinds of new and exciting opportunities."
Sarah Palin
Former Alaska Gov. Palin defended Wisconsin’s governor and his controversial new bill at a rally riddled with hecklers:

"Hey, folks! He's trying to save your jobs and your pensions!"
Jan Brewer
The governor of Arizona vetoed the so-called ‘birther’ bill:

"This is a bridge too far."
Kobe Bryant
Angry with a referee during a game the Lakers guard spat out a gay slur in his direction. He later said:

"What I said last night should not be taken literally."
Mayor Nicholas Valentine
Valentine’s city was the site of a grizzly scene, wherein a 25-year-old mother intentionally drove herself and her four children into the Hudson River.

"We are talking about a tragedy in this city that is probably second to none."
Madonna
Recent rumors emerged that the FBI was investigating the singer’s African children’s charity. She had her agent quickly refute the budding scandal:

"As we have said previously, Raising Malawi is currently undergoing a series of positive changes in an effort to serve more children."

John Boehner
The Republican House speaker helped come up with a last-minute spending bill that would avert a governmental crisis.

"This bill is not perfect. It is no cause for celebration. It is just one step."
Glenn Beck
FOX News Channel announced that Beck’s talk show  would come to an end this year.

"I will continue to tell the story and I will be showing other ways for us to connect."
Jamie Foxx
During a late-night appearance  the comedian joked that President Obama needs to work on his dancing skills:

"He's got to be able to represent America in any dance-related diplomatic situations that may arise."
Tina Fey
Fey announced that she and her husband are expecting their second child, but they’re in no rush to find out the child’s gender:

"We're going to find out ... never. Not even after it's born. I'm just going to see what it chooses to wear to prom."
Donald Trump
During a morning-show interview Trump brought up the question of the president’s citizenship.

"Maybe I'm going to do the tax returns when Obama does his birth certificate."
Bev Perdue
The governor of North Carolina was shocked when she surveyed the damage left by the storm system that recently blew through the state:

"I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like paper doll houses that were collapsed."
Nicolas Cage
Cage is said to have taunted police officers here, shortly before he was detained.

"Why don't you just arrest me?"
Jennifer Aniston
Aniston joked in a UK magazine that she could solve all of the romance rumors with just one phone call:

"I could call up George, say, 'Hon, let's just get hitched and have kids ...'"
Jarneshia Broussard
Broussard, a 5-year-old Texas kindergartener  heard the sound of gunfire in her school’s cafeteria:

"I knew it was a gun because a gun goes 'pow.’"