You may remember George Burns. The cigar-gumming circular-bespectacled comedian. He was known for many things from his acting parts in Oh, God and The Sunshine Boys from his earlier vaudeville fame to the fact that he lived to be 100.

You may not know that he was born Nathan Birnbaum. He was one of 12 children born in New York City. He had a brother who ended up in Akron Ohio in the “schmata” business. In the 1950’s he opened a high end women’s dress store named Birnbaum’s. The store remained open until the early 1980’s.