Thirty-One Days of Italians
Celebrating Italian heritage by acknowledging the accomplishments
of Italians and Italian Americans in America
All the Italians and Italian Americans listed on Thirty-One Days of Italians have
made significant contributions to America, but some have made such major
contributions, that America would not be the same without them – the Italians
and what they accomplished. Their achievements are extraordinary and have
earned them a place of honor at Thirty-One Days of Italians.
For resources and links to more information about each Honorary Member, click
on the Category and scroll down for the name.
Honorary Members
The Italian Immigrant
This
day
is
set
aside
for
the
parents,
grandparents,
great-grandparents,
and
beyond
–
every
Italian
who
journeyed
to
America
from
Italy,
regardless
of
the
route.
It’s
to
honor
those
who
sought
to
make
a
better
life
for
themselves
and
their
families,
to
remember
them
for
the
sacrifices
they
endured,
and
to
thank
them
for
the
opportunities they provided us and for their contributions to America.
(In Alphabetical Order)
Father Pietro Bandini (1852-1917) Humanitarians
A
Jesuit
priest,
Father
Bandini
first
came
to
America
in
the
late
1880s
as
a
missionary
for
Native
Americans
in
the
northwest.
He
returned
to
Italy
for
a
short
time,
then
traveled
back
to
America
to
assist
Italian
immigrants
in
New
York
City.
His
previous
travels
through
Arkansas
brought
him
back
when
he
learned
of
a
group
of
immigrants
who
needed
help
in
settling
there.
Recalling
an
area
in
the
Ozarks
similar
to
Italy’s
environment,
he
assisted
in
purchasing
the
land
and
established
Tontitown
in
1898,
named
after
Enrico
de
Tonti,
the
Father
of
Arkansas.
By
1905,
Tontitown
was
considered
the
"perfect
example
of
colonization,"
and
in
1909
the
town
was
incorporated with Father Bandini as its first mayor.
Constantino [or Costantino] Brumidi (1805-1880) Art
Known as the "Michelangelo of the Capitol," Brumidi spent 25 years painting the
walls and ceilings of the United States Capitol. The rotunda of the Capitol, with the
Apotheosis of Washington, and the frescoes and murals on the first floor of the
Senate wing – the Brumidi Corridors – are among the most elaborately decorated
public places in America. In recognition of his contributions to America, in January
2007, U.S. Senate Bill S-254 was proposed to posthumously award a Congressional
Gold Medal to Constantino Brumidi. It became Public Law in 2008.
Mother Francis Cabrini (1850-1917) Humanitarians
With
a
desire
to
become
a
missionary
at
a
young
age,
Francis
Cabrini
devoted
her
life
to
helping
others.
After
taking
vows
and
adding
Xavier
to
her
name
in
honor
of
Jesuit
Francis
Xavier,
Mother
Cabrini
founded
the
Missionary
Sisters
of
the
Sacred
Heart
of
Jesus.
At
the
Bishop’s
request
–
and
upon
the
advice
of
Pope
Leo
XIII
–
in
1889
she
came
to
America
to
work
with
the
Italian
immigrants.
She
became
an
American citizen in 1909. In 1946, she was canonized a saint.
Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) Music
Recognized
by
many
as
the
world’s
most
acclaimed
tenor,
Caruso’s
recordings
launched
the
phonograph
industry
in
the
early
1900s
and
prompted
other
singers
to
start
recording
their
music
for
sale.
His
vocal
range
and
versatility
is
still
unmatched
and
it’s
noted
that
his
recordings
have
been
researched
and
studied
more
than
any
other
singer.
His
recording
of
"No
Pagliaccio
non
son"
was
the
first
record
to
sell
one
million
copies,
and
more
than
a
century
later,
his
records
continue
to
sell.
Caruso
first
sang
at
the
Metropolitan
Opera
House
in
New
York
in
1903
and
continued
his
association
with
the
Met
for
18
seasons.
He
was
awarded
the
Grammy
Lifetime
Achievement
Award
in
1987
for
his
significant
artistic
contributions
to
the
recording
industry.
Christopher Columbus [Cristoforo Colombo] (1451-1506) Exploration
Columbus
was
a
man
who
believed.
He
studied,
sought
the
answers,
heeded
advice,
and
secured
funding.
Many
people
may
have
influenced
and
supported
Columbus,
but
it
was
his
belief
in
his
capabilities
as
a
navigator
that
led
him
to
sail
an
uncharted sea and find a new land. Celebrate Columbus Day.
Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) Technology
Recognized
as
one
of
the
twentieth
century’s
great
scientists,
Fermi
received
the
Noble
Prize
in
physics
in
1938
for
discovering
new
radioactive
elements
and
the
nuclear
reactions
caused
by
slow
neutrons.
Fermi’s
work
heralded
the
age
of
nuclear
power
that
now
provides
energy,
and
used
in
medical
treatments,
and
agricultural
and
industrial
applications.
His
applications
in
experimentation
and
theoretical
physics led him to become the first to split an atom.
Amadeo Pietro Giannini (1870-1949) Business
At
14,
Giannini
left
school
to
help
his
stepfather
run
a
produce
business.
Five
years
later,
he
was
a
partner,
and
at
31,
he
sold
the
business
to
retire.
Three
years
later,
he
opened
the
Bank
of
Italy
–
based
on
the
concept
of
lending
money
to
the
working
class
–
offering
mortgage,
automobile,
and
installment
loans.
After
the
San
Francisco
earthquake
of
1906,
he
salvaged
the
bank’s
resources
and
loaned
money
to
help
rebuild
the
city.
Giannini
provided
financial
backing
to
start
United
Artists
and
the
California
wine
industry,
and
to
keep
Walt
Disney’s
Snow
White
from
going
over
budget.
In
1928,
he
purchased
Bank
of
America
with
plans
for
a
nationwide
banking
system,
and
when
he
died
in
1949,
Bank
of
America
was
the
largest
bank
in
the
United
States.
A.
P.
Giannini
revolutionized
banking,
establishing
the
foundation
for
the modern banking system.
Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) Technology
His
early
experiments
with
Hertzian
waves
led
him
to
conducting
experiments
at
the
family
villa
in
Italy
and
later
in
England
where
he
would
file
a
patent
for
wireless
telegraphy.
Although
Marconi
shares
the
1909
Nobel
Prize
in
physics,
he
was
acknowledged
for
his
ability
to
put
together
a
"practical,
usable
system"
for
wireless
transmission
of
radio
waves
over
long
distances.
Marconi
did
not
immigrate
to
America,
but
in
1903,
he
established
a
wireless
station
in
South
Wellfleet,
Massachusetts,
allowing
President
Theodore
Roosevelt
to
send
a
Morse
code
message
to
King
Edward
VII
of
England
–
the
first
transatlantic
message
from
a
U.
S.
President
to
a
European
ruler.
Marconi’s
wireless
communications
(known
as
Marconigrams)
were
essential
for
transmitting
messages
to
and
from
ships,
and
his
application expanded from cruise ships to battleships when World War I began.
Filippo Mazzei (1730-1816) Politics/Law
Befriended
by
Benjamin
Franklin
and
Thomas
Jefferson,
in
1773,
Mazzei
–
a
physician,
horticulturist,
and
merchant
in
Italy
–
came
to
America
to
establish
vineyards
in
Virginia.
Through
his
friendships
with
Franklin
and
Jefferson,
Mazzei
became
acquainted
with
George
Washington,
James
Monroe,
Thomas
Paine,
Patrick
Henry,
and
John
Adams,
and
Mazzei
also
became
a
supporter
of
American
freedom.
His
collaboration
with
Jefferson
led
to
the
inclusion
of
"all
men
are
created
equal"
into
the
Declaration
of
Independence,
a
paraphrase
of
Mazzei’s
"All
men
are
by
nature equally free and independent."
Antonio Meucci (1808-1889) Technology
Scientist,
mechanical
engineer,
stage
technician,
business-owner,
and
the
original
holder
of
the
patent
for
the
forerunner
of
today’s
telephone,
in
2002
Meucci
was
recognized
by
the
U.
S.
House
of
Representatives
declaring
"…
his
work
in
the
invention
of
the
telephone
should
be
acknowledged."
Meucci
traveled
from
Italy
to
Cuba,
where
he
began
working
on
his
teletrofono
in
1849.
A
year
later,
he
was
in
America,
supporting
his
experimentation
with
the
teletrofono
by
establishing
various
business,
among
them
the
first
paraffin
candle
factory
in
the
world
and
the
first
lager
beer
factory
in
America.
Meucci
befriended
Garibaldi,
who
stayed
with
him
in
Staten
Island,
while
Garibaldi
was
in
exile
from
Italy
and
before
he
returned
to
Italy
in 1854 to fight for unification.
Maria Montessori, MD (1870-1952) Education
A
medical
doctor
with
experience
in
psychiatry,
philosophy,
and
anthropology,
Dr.
Montessori
combined
her
fields
to
focus
on
educating
children.
She
developed
an
educational
method
based
on
her
belief
in
treating
a
child
with
respect
and
assisting,
rather
than
teaching,
which
allows
the
child
to
develop
fully
in
all
aspects
of
his
or
her life.
Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) Architecture
Considered
by
many
to
be
the
"Father
of
Architecture,"
Palladio’s
style
–
arches,
columns,
pediments,
porticos,
symmetry,
and
the
Palladian
window
–
traveled
throughout
Europe,
to
England,
and
then
to
America.
In
1570
he
wrote
I
Quattro
Libri
dell'
Architettura,
The
Four
Books
on
Architecture,
the
most
famous
and
influential
books
on
architecture
of
all
time,
and
still
in
print.
Thomas
Jefferson
cited
the
books
as
"the
Bible"
on
architecture
and
designed
Monticello
and
other
buildings
using Palladio’s concepts.
Antonio Pasin (1896-1990) Business
Arriving
in
America
in
1914
from
a
small
town
outside
of
Venice,
within
several
years
Pasin
was
able
to
save
enough
money
to
start
a
small
business
crafting
wood
wagons.
By
1923,
he
hired
his
first
employees
and
named
his
company
Liberty
Coaster
Company,
after
the
Statue
of
Liberty.
Inspired
by
the
automobile
industry,
he
started
using
metal
stamping
to
make
wagons,
and
named
the
first
steel
wagon
Radio
Flyer
in
honor
of
Marconi’s
invention
of
the
radio
and
Pasin’s
interest
in
flight.
Throughout
the
Depression,
his
company
was
one
of
the
few
that
ran
at
full
capacity
and
his
exhibit
at
the
1933
Chicago
World’s
Fair
brought
world
fame
to
the
red
wagon.
As
one
of
the
oldest
toy
companies
in
America,
it
is
still
family
owned
and
it’s
the
only
company
that
makes
steel,
wood,
and
plastic
wagons.
Pasin
was
inducted
into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 2003.
Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) Music
More
than
fifty
years
after
his
final
performance,
Toscanini
–
known
for
his
photographic
memory,
strong
beliefs
in
music
interpretation,
and
demand
for
perfection
–
reigns
supreme
as
one
of
the
world’s
greatest
conductors.
From
1908
to
1915,
he
conducted
at
the
Metropolitan
Opera
House.
In
1926
he
began
conducting
with
the
New
York
Philharmonic
Orchestra
and
led
a
European
tour
of
the
company
in
1930.
Seven
years
later,
with
plans
to
make
radio
educational
and
cultural,
the
NBC
Symphony
Orchestra
was
created
for
Toscanini.
Many
credit
him
today
for
bringing classical music to the masses.
Amerigo Vespucci (c.1451-1512) Exploration
Traveling
twice
to
explore
the
coastline
of
South
America,
Vespucci
was
the
first
to
realize
that
the
New
World
was
a
new
continent.
Letters
he
wrote
describing
his
journey
were
widely
distributed
in
Europe,
leading
German
cartographer
Martin
Waldseemuller to identify the land as America.
The purpose of this website is
to educate others about the
significant contributions that
those of Italian heritage have
made to America.
Biographies range from one to
several paragraphs providing
an overview, and links to a
collection of selected
resources are provided for
more in-depth research.
The information is intended to
be shared and distributed;
however, the work in this
website is a result of massive
hours of researching,
organizing, creating, and
writing. If you use any of the
information on this website,
please give proper credit by
citing Thirty-One Days of
Italians and adding a link
to this website. Thank you.
jtmancuso@earthlink.net
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission except when published with this credit:
Excerpt from Thirty-One Days of Italians, ©2023 Janice Therese Mancuso.
At publication, all links were active.
Copyright 2007-2024
Janice Therese Mancuso
NOTE
Thirty-One Days of Italians is a work in progress.
Resources continue to be updated.