Time Capsule Tuesday, 1928

 

My father's only surviving first cousin, Jaqueline "Jackie" Tapley Snell, turned 94 years old yesterday.  She was born February 14, 1928.  Let's see what was happening in America at that time.

1928 was a leap year.  February 14, 1928 was a Tuesday.  It was Valentine's Day.  

In the United States, the most popular baby name for girls is Mary.  This name was given to 66,869 baby girls.  For the boys, it is Robert. This name was recorded 60,696 times in the year 1928. 

The generation born between 1928 and 1945 is called the Silent Generation.  This generation was comparatively small because the Great Depression and World War II caused people to have fewer children. The generation was so named because it was mostly silent; it did not issue manifestoes, make speeches or carry posters.  They tended to be thrifty and even miserly.  They were about "working within the system." They kept their heads down and worked hard. They preferred to play it safe. 

The President of the United States was Calvin Coolidge.  The Vice President was Charles Gates Dawes. 

The decade of the 1920s, also known as the Jazz Age and "The Roaring Twenties," featured economic prosperity and carefree living for many.  The decade began with a roar and ended with a crash.  It was a decade of change, when many Americans owned cars, radios, and telephones for the first time. The cars brought the need for good roads.  The radio brought the world closer to home. The telephone connected families and friends. Prosperity was on the rise in cities and towns.  Women shortened, or "bobbed," their hair, flappers danced and wore short fancy dresses, and men shaved off their beards. 

The 1920s also represented an era of change and growth. America had become a world power and was no longer considered just another former British colony. American culture, such as books, movies, and Broadway theater, was now being exported to the rest of the world.  World War I had left Europe on the decline and America on the rise. This decade helped to establish America's position in respect to the rest of the world through its industry, inventions, and creativity.

1928 Prices

Bread:  $0.09/loaf

Milk: $0.57/gal

Eggs: $0.47/dozen

Car: $475

House: $7,333

Stamp: $0.02/each

Average Income: $1,515/year

Songs from 1928:

Golden Gate by Al Jolson

How About Me? by Irving Berlin

One Kiss by Oscar Hammerstein

Top Movies of 1928

Stand and Deliver        

Four Sons

Bare Knees

People Born on February 14:

1882 - John Barrymore, American actor and singer

1894 - Jack Benny, American actor, singer, and producer

1921 - Hugh Downs, American journalist, game show host, and producer 

Historical Events on February 14, 1928

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company clashed with city and state authorities in New York over the proposed raising of the subway fair from 5 cents to 7 cents.  

The silent drama film, Four Sons, (mentioned above) premiered at the Gaiety Theatre in New York City.

The II Olympic Winter Games were in full swing in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

And... the hot new toy in 1928 was Chinese Checkers.

Sources:  dmarie Time Capsule  TAKEMEBACK.TO, 1920s: A Decade of Change, onthisday.com, and Wikipedia, February 1928.  Video courtesty of YouTube.com.  

Time Capsule Tuesday - Let's visit 1970

 

My niece, Missi, has a birthday next week.  She was born January 13, 1970.  Let's see what was going in the United States when she was born.

January 13, 1970 was a Tuesday.  The star sign for this date is Capricorn.  

In the United States, the most popular baby name is Jennifer.  This name was given to 46,157 baby girls.  For the boys, it is Michael. This name was recorded 85,303 times in the year 1970.  The estimated number of babies born on January 13, 1970 in the world is 332,888.  That's equivalent to 231 babies born every minute!  Imagine all of them crying at the same time!

Missi, like me, is part of Generation X, those born between 1961 and 1979.  This generation grew up right at the start of the technological revolution, are considered comfortable with technology, but not tethered to it as younger generations.  Generation Xers were born soon after the baby boomers and are associated with the hippie era.  They are often perceived as directionless and disaffected.  

The President of the United States was Richard Nixon.  The Vice President was Spiro Agnew.

News Events on January 13, 1970

*     A tower guard shot and killed three African-American prisoners at the California Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California, more commonly called "Soledad State Prison."  Three days later, after the local District Attorney announced that the deaths of the prisoners were "justifiable homicide," a prison guard at Soledad was beaten and thrown to his death from the 3rd floor of the cell block by inmates.

*    NASA announces further changes in the American manned space program because of a reduced budget, including the layoff of 50,000 NASA employees, and a halt in production of the Saturn V rocket needed to break Earth's orbit to make a trip to the Moon.  

 People Born on January 13:

*    Trace Adkins (1962), country music singer

*    Shonda Rhimes (1970), Film and TV writer, producer and director; creator of Grey's Anatomy 

*    Orlando Bloom (1977), actor

During that week in January in 1970, people in the U.S. were listening to Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head by B.J. Thomas.  M*A*S*H was one of the most viewed movies released that year while The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight by Jimmy Breslin was one of the best selling books.  

If you were to travel back to this day, famous people such Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Charles de Gaulle would all be still alive.  On TV, people are watching popular shows such as Columbo, Adam-12, Here's Lucy, and The Main Chance.  Children and teenagers are currently watching TV shows such as JOT the Dot, The Archie Show, Cattanooga Cats, and Sesame Street.  

Also, kids are playing with toys such as Etch-A-Sketch, Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots, Clackers, and Crissy (doll).  

People are using wallpaper to decorate their homes.  Lava lamps are all the rage.  Push-Button telephones started to replace the older rotary style.  While black-and-white television sets were still the  most-purchased, color TVs were rising in popularity.  

The Vietnam War is still ongoing.  By this stage, the conflict had become deeply unpopular with most Americans.  The number of troops in Vietnam started to be reduced.  

Patton won the Academy Aware for best Picture in 1970.  Other movies released in 1970 include Love Story, Airport, Woodstock, Ryan's Daughter, Chariots of the Gods, and A Man Called Horse.  

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel won a Grammy for Song of the Year. The Billboard Charts in 1970 were dominated by The Jackson 5, The Beatles, The Carpenters, The Partridge Family, Bread, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and George Harrison.  

Happy Birthday, Missi!  

(While she doesn't remember any of this, the rest of us can enjoy reminiscing about the good ole days.)

Sources:  Best of Date, TAKEMEBACK.TO, MyBirthday.Ninja, Birthday Answers, and Wikipedia, January 1970.  Video courtesty of YouTube.com.  

Time Capsule Tuesday, 1899

 

My father's oldest sister, Annie Jane Tapley Lampp, was born March 15, 1899.  Let's see what was happening in America at that time.

March 15, 1899 was a Wednesday.  

In the United States, the most popular baby name for girls is Anna.  This name was given to 5,115 baby girls.  For the boys, it is John. This name was recorded 6,990 times in the year 1899. 

The generation born between 1890 and 1905 is called The Lost Generation.  A large portion of the Lost Generation fought in World War I, and thus was named after those lost in the great war.  Actually, The Lost Generation lived through both world wars, the Great Depression, Korea, and the Vietnam War.  

The President of the United States was William McKinley.  The Vice President was Garrett A. Hobart. 

In the U.S., the 1890s were marked by a severe economic depression sparked by the Panic of 1893, as well as several strikes in the industrial workforce. The decade saw much of the development of the automobile. While most of the country was still rural, cities were growing at a fast pace.  

The period was sometimes referred to as the "Mauve Decade" - because William Henry Perkin's aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that color in fashion - and also as the "Gay Nineties," referring to the fact that it was full of merriment and optimism.  (However, the phase, "The Gay Nineties" was not coined until the 1920s.)  This decade was also part of the Gilded Age, a phrase coined by Mark Twain, alluding to the seemingly profitable era that was riddled with crime and poverty.   

1899 Prices

Bread:  $0.03/loaf

Milk: $0.28/gal

House: $4,200

Average Income: $635/year

(So there were [almost] no cars [on the road] nor a minimum wage in 1899!)

Top Songs for 1899:

She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain 

The Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee

Always

People Born on March 15:

1767 - Andrew Jackson, Carolinas, 7th President of the United States (1829-37)

1916 - Harry James, Albany, Georgia, Trumpeter (married to Betty Grable)

1935 - Judd Hirsch, Bronx, New York, Actor (Taxi, Dear John, Ordinary People)

Literature of 1899

Anton Chekhov published Uncle Vanya 

Kate Chopin published The Awakening

Joseph Conrad published Heart of Darkness

Historical Events

March 15, 1899 seems to have been a slow news day.  However, there were some interesting events that happened over the entire month of March that year:

2nd:  President McKinley signs bill creating Mt Rainer National Park (5th in the U.S.)

6th:  "Aspirin" (acetylsalicylic acid) patented by Felix Hoffmann at German company, Bayer

17th:  Windsor luxury hotel in New York City catches fire; 92 die

Time Capsule Tuesday, 1961

 

My beautiful and sweet cousin, Drina, has a birthday today!  We are 1st cousins (Our mothers are sisters.)  So Happy Birthday, Drina!  Let's see what was going on the year you were born!

February 16, 1961 was a Thursday.   

An estimated 109,557,830 babies were born throughout the world in the year 1961. The estimated number of babies born on February 16, 1961 is 300,158.  That's equivalent to 208 babies every minute!

In the United States, the most popular baby name for girls is Mary.  This name was given to 47,676 baby girls.  For the boys, it is Michael. This name was recorded 86,922 times in the year 1961. 

The President of the United States was John F. "Jack" Kennedy (JFK).  The Vice President was Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ).

In 1961, the United States and much of the world was in a state of change:  We were moving out of the post-World War II era and into both the Cold War and the Space Age, with broadening civil rights movements and anti-nuclear protests in the U.S.  JFK was inaugurated as the 35th president of the United States, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly in space, Freedom Riders took buses into the South to bravely challenge segregation, and East Germany began construction of the Berlin Wall.  That same year JFK gave the okay to the disastrous Bay of Pigs Invasion into Cuba and committed the U.S. to "landing a man on the Moon" with NASA's Apollo program.  JFK also oversaw the early buildup of a U.S. military presence in Vietnam. By the end of 1961, some 2,000 troops were deployed there.  

1961 Prices

Bread:  $0.21/loaf

Milk: $1.05/gal

Eggs: $0.92/dozen

Car: $2,275

Gas: $0.31/gal

House: $18,800

Stamp: $0.04/each

Average Income: $6,471/year

Minimum Wage: $1.15/hour

Top Songs for 1961:

Calcutta by Lawrence Welk was #1 the week of February 16th

Shop Around by The Miracles (featuring Bill "Smokey" Robinson)

Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean

People Born on February 16:

1920 - Patty Andrews, Minneapolis, Minnesota, singer (Andrews Sisters)

1935 - Sonny Bono, Detroit, Michigan, singer (Sonny & Cher; Mayor of Palm Springs, California)

1959 - John P. McEnroe, tennis player (U.S. Open 1979-81, 1984; Wimbledon 1981, 1983-84)

Academy Award Winners:

Best Picture: West Side Story, Directed by Robert Wise

Best Actor:  Maximillian Schell in Judgment at Nuremburg

Best Actress:  Sophia Loren in Two Women

On TV in 1961:

The Flintstones

Gunsmoke

I Love Lucy

Hot New Toys in 1961:

Slip 'N Slide

Lie Detector

Frosty the Sno-cone Machine

Top Books in 1961:

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

In the News on February 16, 1961:

- U.S. Satellite Explorer 9 is launched.

- First all-solid-propellant rocket put in orbit, Wallops Island, Virginia

Time Capsule Tuesday, 1895

 

My grandmother, Nealie Drake Tapley, was born on January 29, 1895.  Let's see what was going on the year she was born.

January 29, 1895 was a Tuesday.  It was 126 years ago.  

In the United States, the most popular baby name for girls is Mary.  For the boys, it is John. 

The generation born between 1883 and 1900 is called The Lost Generation.  These are the people who came of age during World War I.  "Lost" refers to the "disoriented, wandering, directionless" spirit of many of the war's survivors early after the war's end.  

The President of the United States was Grover Cleveland.  The Vice President was Adlai Stevenson I.

In 1895 Mintonette, later known as volleyball, is created.  Katharine Lee Bates' lyrics for "America the Beautiful" are first published. American frontier murderer and outlaw, John Wesley Hardin, is killed by an off-duty policeman in a saloon in El Paso, Texas. The first professional American football game is played in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. George B. Sheldon is granted the first U.S. patent for an automobile. Oscar Hammerstein opens the Olympia Theatre, the first theatre to be built in New York City's Times Square District. The first American automobile race in history is sponsored by the Chicago Times-Herald.  George Washington Vanderbilt II officially opens his Biltmore Estate on Christmas Eve, inviting his family and guests to celebrate his new home in Ashville, North Carolina.  W. E. B. Du Bois becomes the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University. The gold reserve of the U.S. Treasury is saved when J. P. Morgan and the Rothschilds loan $65 million worth of gold to the United States government.

The winning vehicle of the the very first automobile race in the U.S., a Duryea Motor Wagon Company vehicle driving by Frank Duryea.  The route was from Chicago to Evanston and back, 54 miles.  Duryea's car won the race, taking 7 hours and 53 minutes, having traveled an average of 7mph.

1895 Prices

Bread:  $0.03/loaf

Milk: $0.20/gal

House: $4,850

Average Income: $640/year

Top Songs for 1895:

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle

The Streets of Cairo

America, the Beautiful

People Born on January 29:

1737 - Thomas Paine, political essayist (Common Sense; Age of Reason)

1756 - Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee (Rep/Gov-VA)/General

1874 - John David Rockefeller Jr, Cleveland, Ohio, Philanthropist

1954 - Oprah Winfrey, Kosciusko, Michigan, Actress/TV Host (Color Purple, Oprah)

Time Capsule Tuesday

 

My sweet cousin, Sheri, had a birthday last Friday.  She was born January 22, 1975.  Let's see what was going on the year she was born.

January 22, 1975 was a Wednesday.  

In the United States, the most popular baby name is Amy.  This name was given to 32,252 baby girls.  For the boys, it is Michael. This name was recorded 68,454 times in the year 1975.

The generation born between 1961 and 1979 is called Generation X.  This generation grew up right at the start of the technological revolution, are considered comfortable with technology, but not tethered to it as younger generations.  Generation Xers were born soon after the baby boomers and are associated with the hippie era.  They are often perceived as directionless and disaffected.  

The President of the United States was Gerald Ford.  The Vice President was Nelson Rockefeller.

In 1975 the unemployment rate in the United States reached 9.2% and a recession is recognized by President Ford.  The first ever strike by doctors in the U.S. caused hospitals to reduce services.  The Vietnam war ended.  Jimmy Hoffa, the ex-Teamsters boss, disappears and is never seen again.  Saturday Night Live debuted on NBC. Bruce Springsteen released his third album, Born to Run, widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time.  Muhammad Ali beat Joe Fraser in the "Thriller in Manilla" match. Betamax and VHS tapes were introduced. Patty Hearst is arrested for armed robbery.  The blockbuster movie Jaws was released. Motorola obtains a patent for the first portable mobile phone. BIC launches the first disposable razor. Microsoft becomes a registered trademark and the personal computer was born.  

Historical Events on January 22, 1975

After 50 years, the U.S. ratified the Geneva Protocol of 1925, a treaty to ban the use of poison gases in wartime.

Landsat 2, the second in a series of American satellites designed to photograph images around the world, was launched.  

1975 Prices

Bread:  $0.28/loaf

Milk: $1.40/gal

Eggs:  $1.26/dozen

Car: $4,950

Gas: $0.57/gal

House: $42,600

Stamp: $0.10/each

Average Income: $15,546/year

Minimum Wage: $2.10/hour

Top Songs for 1975:

That's the Way (I Like It) by KC & the Sunshine Band

Love Will Keep Us Together by Captain & Tennille

Jive Talkin' by Bee Gees

and the #1 song on January 22:  Please Mr. Postman by the Carpenters

 Top Books in 1975:

The Great War and Modern Memory by Paul Fussell

A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell

M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton

Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow

Academy Award Winners of 1932:

Best Picture:  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, directed by Milos Forman

Best Actor: Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Best Actress: Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

People Born on January 22:

1931 - Sam Cooke, Clarksdale, MS, gospel and blues singer (You Send Me, Another Saturday night, Twisting the Night Away)

1934 - Bill Bixby, San Francisco, CA, actor (Incredible Hulk, My Favorite Martian)

1949 - Steve Perry, Hanford, CA, singer (Journey - Open Arms, Oh Sherry)

TV shows that ended in 1975:

The Odd Couple 

Adam-12

Gunsmoke

Hot New Toys in 1975:

Holly Hobbie Oven

Hello Kitty

Payday game

Evel Knieval Road and Trail Adventure Set

Time Capsule Tuesday

 

Today is my Aunt Evelyn's 89th birthday.  She was born January 12, 1932.  She is my mother's sister; the only aunt I have left.  So let's see what was going on the year she was born.

January 12, 1932 was a Tuesday (just like this year!).  Also, 1932 was a leap year.

In the United States, the most popular baby name is Betty.  This name was given to 34,411 baby girls.  For the boys, it is Robert. This name was recorded 59,259 times in the year 1932.

The generation born between 1928 and 1945 is called the Silent Generation.  This generation was comparatively small because the Great Depression and World War II caused people to have fewer children. The generation was so named because it was mostly silent; it did not issue manifestoes, make speeches or carry posters.  They tended to be thrifty and even miserly.  They were about "working within the system." They kept their heads down and worked hard. They preferred to play it safe.

The President of the United States was Herbert C. Hoover.  The Vice President was Charles Curtis.

In 1932 the economy continued to deteriorate and unemployment increased to 24.1%.  There were few jobs and many ordinary Americans were forced into living in the streets or in old cars. Toward the end of the year in November, the American voter used the power of Democracy to show Herbert Hoover what they thought of his term of presidency during these bad times and voted strongly in favor of Franklin D. Roosevelt by 472 electoral votes to 59. 

Also in 1932, Al Capone was convicted for income tax evasion.  Amelia Earhart becomes the first female aviator to successfully fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Mahatma Gandhi goes on a hunger strike. Sydney Harbor Bridge opens.

The 1930s as a whole saw dust storms, the growth of shanty towns caused by the Great Depression, and what many consider an upside down world were bank robbers were seen as heroes, not villains.  

Historical Events on January 12, 1932

Hattie W. Caraway was elected the first woman senator (D-Arkansas).

Phillip Barry's "Animal Kingdom" premieres in New York City.

1932 Prices

Bread:  $0.07/loaf

Milk: $0.43/gal

Eggs:  $0.51/dozen

Car: $540

Gas: $0.18/gal

House: $6,515

Stamp: $0.03/each

Average Income: $1,431/year

Top Songs for 1932:

Louisiana Hayride by Howard Dietz

April in Paris by E. G. Harburg

Three's a Crowd by Al Dubin

Willow Weep for Me by Irving Berlin

 Top Books in 1932:

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Selected Essays, 1917-1932 by T. S. Eliot

Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer

Light in August by William Faulkner

Academy Award Winners of 1932:

Best Picture:  Grand Hotel, produced by MGM

Best Actor: Fredric March in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Best Actress: Helen Hayes in Sin of Madelon Claudet 

People Born on January 12:

1737 - John Hancock, patriot (First to sign the Declaration of Independence)

1876 - Jack London, writer/socialist (Call of the Wild)

1906 - Tex Ritter, country singer (5 Start Jubilee, The Wayward Wind)

1951 - Kirstie Allen, actress (Star Trek II, Cheers)

Sources: 

 The People History, http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1930s.html 

Wikipedia: Silent Generation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Generation

Time Capsule Tuesday

 Since it's the end of a year, I thought I'd take a look back on what was going on in America at the end of 1920.  100 years ago.

December 29, 1920 was a Wednesday.

In the United States, the most popular baby name is Mary.  This name was given to 70,980 baby girls.  For the boys, it is John. This name was recorded 56,913 times in the year 1920.

The generation born between 1910-1925 is called the Greatest Generation.  People of this generation grew up in the midst of the Great Depression, then went on to fight in World War II.

The President of the United States was Woodrow Wilson.  The Vice President was Thomas R Marshall.

The decade of the 1920s is known as the Jazz Age and "The Roaring Twenties." It featured economic prosperity and carefree living for many.  The decade began with a roar.

The 1920s was a decade of change, when many Americans owned cars, radios, and telephones for the first time. The cars brought the need for good roads. The radio brought the world closer to home. The telephone connected family and friends. Some rural farmers were leaving their farms in order to receive a regular paycheck in the factories. Unions were on the rise. Women shortened, or "bobbed," their hair, flappers danced and wore short, fancy dresses, and men shaved off their beards.  

In 1920 the average life span in the U.S. was about 54 years, whereas today it's about 77.  In 1920 the average time a student spent in school each year was 75 days; today it's about 180 days.

The Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1920, creating the era of Prohibition. The amendment forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages.  Many people ignored the ban, however.

The 1920s began with the last American troops returning from Europe after World War I. They were coming back to their families, friends, and jobs. Most of the soldiers had never been far from home before the war, and their experiences had changed their perspective of life around them.  After seeing Europe, they wanted some of the finer things in life for themselves and their families. World War I had left Europe on the decline and America on the rise.

Two events in 1920 kicked off an era of change in America.  The Nineteenth Amendment was passed, giving women the right to vote. And the first commercially licensed radio broadcast was heard from KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  

1920 Prices

Bread:  $0.11/loaf

Milk: $0.58/gal

Eggs:  $0.39/dozen

Car: $345

Gas: $0.30/gal

House: $6,296

Stamp: $0.02/each

Average Income: $1,130/year

Top Songs for 1920:

The Love Boat by Gene Buck

Margie by Benny Davis

Whose Baby Are You? by Anne Caldwell

La Veeda by Nat Vincent

Avalon by Al Jolson       

 

Japanese Sandman by Raymond Egan

Mah Lindy Lou by Lily Strickland

Whispering by Malvin Schoenberger

Top Books in 1920:

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

The Frontier in American History by Frederick Jackson Turner

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

Top Movies of 1920:

Outside the Law directed by Tod Browning

The Mark of Zorro directed by Fred Niblo and starring Douglas Fairbanks

The Last of the Mohicans directed by Clarence Brown and Maurice Tourneur and starring Barbara Bedford.

People Born on December 29:

1800 - Charles Goodyear, Inventor

1808 - Andrew Johnson, Raleigh, North Carolina, 17th President (1865-69) (Unionist)

1936 or 1937 - Mary Tyler Moore, Brooklyn, New York, Actress (Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People)

Source:  Ncpedia.org, 1920: a Decade of Change, by Barrett A. Silverstein, ncpedia.org/history/20th-Century/1920s# 

Time Capsule Tuesday

 

My father passed away 12 years ago today.  Let's see what was going on in the U.S. in 2008 and on December 15.

It was a Monday.  2008 was a leap year.  2008 was designated as: International Year of Languages; International Year of Planet Earth; International Year of Sanitation; and International Year of the Potato.  

The U.S. economy faced the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The mortgage market collapsed, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 33.8% of its value.

The President of the United States was George W. Bush.  The Vice President was Dick Cheney.  By December 15, the United States Presidential Election has taken place with Barack Obama defeating John McCain.

2008 Prices

Milk: $3.99/gal

Eggs:  $2.29/dozen

Car: $27,958

Gas: $3.39/gal

House: $238,880

Stamp: $.42/each

Average Income: $40,523/year

Minimum Wage:  $6.55/hour

The Top Hit Songs on December 15, 2008:

Live Your Life by T.I. featuring Rihanna

Roll With Me by Montgomery Gentry

Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon

Sandcastle Disco by Solange

Top Books in 2008:

The Appeal by John Grisham

Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle:  A Novel by David Wroblewski

Twilight series:  New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Most Popular Feature Films of 2008:

The Dark Knight

Mamma Mia!

Twilight

Iron Man

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Most Popular TV Shows in 2008:

American Idol

Dancing with the Stars

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

NCIS

Happenings on December 15, 2008:

It was a slow news day.  

* The winner of the 74th Heisman Trophy Award was Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, Quarterback.

* Hundred of thousands of houses in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and New Hampshire are left without electricity after an ice storm.

Time Capsule Tuesday

 

Today is my first cousin's, Cherry, Birthday.  She was born in 1963.  Let's see what was going on in the United States on this date 57 years ago.

It was a Sunday.  1963 was the last year of the Baby Boomers generation.  This day was 20,820 days ago.

In the United States, the most popular baby name is Lisa.  This name was given to 56,037 baby girls. For the boys, it's Michael.  This name was recorded 83,789 times in 1963.  

The President of the United States is Lyndon B Johnson, who had become president only about two weeks earlier when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.  Because of this, there was no Vice President.  

1963 Prices

Bread:  $.21/loaf

Milk: $1.04/gal

Eggs:  $.96/dozen

Car: $2,300

Gas: $.30/gal

House: $19,300

Stamp: $.05/each

Average Income: $6,998/year

Minimum Wage:  $1.25/hour

The Top Hit Songs on December 8, 1963:

Dominique by The Singing Nun 

I'm Leaving It Up To You by Dale & Grace

Everybody by Tommy Roe

Top Books in 1963:

Six Easy Pieces by Richard P. Feynman

The Making of the English Working Class by E. P. Thompson

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Academy Award Winners of 1963:

Best Picture:  Tom Jones, Directed by Tony Richardson

Best Actor:  Sidney Poitier in Lilies of the Field

Best Actress: Patricia Neal in Hud

On TV in 1963:

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Perry Mason

Bonanza

The Beverly Hillbillies

The Flintstones

The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Twilight Zone

Gunsmoke

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Fugitive

The Andy Griffith Show

Hot New Toys in 1963:

Mouse Trap

Easy-Bake Oven

Bowl-A-Matic

People born on December 8:

1765 - Eli Whitney, inventor (Cotton Gin)

1925 - Sammy Davis Jr, New York, NY, singer/dancer/actor (Ocean's 11, Candy Man)

1943 - Jim Morrison, Melbourne, FL, singer (Doors)

1953 - Kim Basinger, Athens, GA, actress (9 1/2 Weeks, Batman)

Happenings on December 8, 1963:

* Pan Am Flight 214 was in a holding pattern at an altitude of 5,000 feet, awaiting clearance to land at Philadelphia, when it was struck by lightning at 8:58 p.m.  The bolt, which struck the left wing of the Boeing 707 jet, ignited the mixture of jet fuel and kerosene that was in the reserve fuel tank in the wing, triggering an explosion that ignited the center and right reserve tanks as well.  The left wing broke apart, and Flight 214 crashed near Elkton, Maryland, killing the 73 passengers and 8 crew members. As a result of the disaster, the FAA would require all passenger jets to install "static discharge wicks" to dissipate the effects of a lightening strike, and to cease further use of the inexpensive fuel mixture in favor of a safer jet fuel.

* Frank Sinatra Jr, the 19-year-old son of the famous singer, was kidnapped from his room at Harrah's Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada.  Three men entered the room at 9:30 p.m., half an hour before the younger Sinatra was to open a show with the Tommy Dorsey band, forced him into their car, drugged him, and then drove him to Canoga Park, California.  From there, they called the elder Sinatra and demanded $240,000 ransom.  An amount close to that figure was dropped off in a small suitcase, and the kidnap victim was released, unharmed, on the San Diego Freeway, in the early morning hours of December 11th.  

Cherry, if you're reading this, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!, and I miss hearing from you.  

Time Capsule Tuesday

 

My first cousin, Betty Jean Weaver (1946-2015) was born November 3, 1946.  Let's see what was going on in the United States on this date 74 years ago.

                         

It was a Sunday.  The generation was the Baby Boomers.  This day was 27,029 days ago.

In the United States, the most popular baby name is Mary.  This name was given to 67,468 baby girls. For the boys, it's James.  This name was recorded 87,431 times in 1946.  

The President of the United States was Harry S. Truman.  There was no Vice President.  

1946 Prices

Bread:  $.10/loaf

Milk: $.70/gal

Eggs:  $.65/dozen

Car: $1,400

Gas: $.21/gal

House: $12,638

Stamp: $.03/each

Average Income: $3,118/year

Minimum Wage:  $.40/hour

Top Songs for the week of November 3, 1946:

Put That Kiss Back Where You Found It by Sam Donahue & His Orchestra 

The Old Lamp-Lighter by Sammy Kaye & His Orchestra

This is Always by Harry James & His Orchestra

Ole Buttermilk Sky by Paul Weston & His Orchestra

Top Books in 1946:

Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski

Animal Farm by George Orwell

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

Academy Award Winners of 1946:

Best Picture:  The Best Years of our Lives, Directed by William Wyler

Best Actor:  Fredric March in The Best Years of our Lives

Best Actress: Olivia De Havilland in To Each His Own

People born on November 3:

1470 - Edward V, King of England (ruled April 9-June 25, 1483)

1922 - Charles Bronson, Pennsylvania, Actor (Death Wish, Dirty Dozen)

1924 - Shirley Chisholm (D-Rep-NY), 1st black congresswoman/presidential candidate

1946 - Tommy Dee, Rocker

Happenings on November 3, 1946:

It was a slow news day in the United States.

Time Capsule Tuesday

 

Since my great-niece (grand-niece??) Brittany celebrated her 26th birthday yesterday, let's see what was going on in the United States on Wednesday, October 26, 1994.  

Brittany celebrated her birthday in Greece!  

(stolen from her Facebook page)

In the U.S, the most popular baby names are Ashley and Michael.  30,279 baby girls were named Ashley and 44,467 boys were named Michael in the year 1994.

The President of the United States was Bill Clinton.  The Vice President was Al Gore.  

1994 Prices

Bread:  $.76/loaf

Milk: $2.29/gal

Eggs:  $1.17/dozen

Car: $18,657

Gas: $1.17/gal

House: $154,500

Stamp: $.29/each

Average Income: $49,340/year

Minimum Wage:  $4.25/hour

Top Songs for the week of October 26, 1994:

I'll Make Love to You by Boyz II Men 

All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow

Always by Bon Jovi

Endless Love by Luther Vandross

Secret by Madonna

When Can I See You by Babyface

Top Books in 1994:

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner

Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Academy Award Winners of 1994:

Best Picture:  Forrest Gump, Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Best Actor:  Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump

Best Actress: Jessica Lange in Blue Sky

On TV in 1994:

The X-Files                        Frasier                           Friends

Party of Five                     Babylon 5                       N.Y.P.D. Blue            

ER                        Homocide: Life on the Street        Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

                                Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine

Hot New Toys in 1994:

Sega 32X                                                    Pogs

People born on October 26:

1946 - Pat Sajak, Chicago, TV Host (Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak Show)

1947 - Jaclyn Smith, Houston, Texas, Actress (Charlie's Angels, Nightkill)

1938 - Ralph Bakshi, animator (Lord of Rings, Fritz the Cat, Mighty Mouse)

Happenings on October 26, 1994:

* Jordan and Israel sign peace accord.

* Walt Disney Home Video releases the animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on videotape.

I remember that my husband, Tracy, and I had just returned home from our epic two week adventure in Europe.  We were still trying to get over the jet lag.  My phone rang, and it was my niece, Missi, with the wonderful news that she was a mom to a beautiful baby girl, Brittany Michelle.  She stole my heart before I ever met her.  

Time Capsule Tuesday

 

My beloved nephew, Harry Jr, was born on Sunday, November 17, 1968.  Let's see what was going on in the United States on this date.

1968 was a Leap Year.

The estimated number of babies born in the world on November 17, 1968 is 328,338.  That's equivalent to 228 babies every minute!

In the U.S, the most popular baby names are Lisa and Michael.  42,532 baby girls were named Lisa and 82,006 boys were named Michael in the year 1968.

The President of the United States was Lyndon B. Johnson.  The Vice President was Hubert Humphrey.  This year was a presidential election year with Hubert Humphrey running against Richard Nixon.  Nixon won with 301 of the electoral vote.

1968 Prices

Bread:  $.22/loaf

Milk: $1.21/gal

Eggs:  $1.12/dozen

Car: $2,450

Gas: $.34/gal

House: $26,600

Stamp: $.06/each

Average Income: $9,670/year

Minimum Wage:  $1.60/hour

Top Songs for 1968:

Hey Jude by the Beatles (top of the charts on November 17)

Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel

The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding

Love Child by Diana Ross & the Supremes

I Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye

People Got to be Free by Rascals

Top Books in 1968:

The Double Helix by James D. Watson

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by E L. Konigsburg

Academy Award Winners of 1968:

Best Picture:  Oliver!, Directed by John Wolf 

Best Actor:  Cliff Robertson in Charly 

Best Actress: Katherine Hepburn in Lion in Winter and Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl

On TV in 1968:

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.                        Lost in Space                            Batman

The Monkees               The Andy Griffith Show                  Adam-12            Star Trek

Hot New Toys in 1968:

Spirograph                                                    Star Trek Astro-Walkie Talkies

Zillion Bubble Blower                                    The Outer Space Men Colorforms

People born on November 17:

1925 - Rock Hudson, Winnetka, Illinois, Actor (Pillow Talk, A Farewell to Arms)

1944 - Danny De Vito, Neptune, New Jersey, Actor (Taxi, Ruthless People, Twins)

1960 - RuPaul, Drag Queen/Model/Actor (RuPaul Show)

Happenings on November 17, 1968:

* The musical "Zorba" opens at Imperial Theater, New York City, for 305 performances.

* What would become known as "The Heidi Game" in professional football history took place when the NBC television network abruptly halted its broadcast of an American Football League game between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets in order to telecast its scheduled Sunday night movie, Heidi.  With 65 seconds left, Oakland had the ball and was trailing, 32 to 29, and television viewers nationwide were unable to see what happened next  (Oakland scored two touchdowns to win the game 43-32).  The NBC network telephone switchboards were tied up with calls from angry viewers, followed by universal criticism of the network in the press the next day.  Since then, American TV networks have delayed scheduling programming in order to show sporting events in their entirety.  

Time Capsule Tuesday

 

On December 3, 1939, my maternal grandparents, Charles Morgan Tapley (1907-1973) and Ethel Irene Ranney (1913-1973) were married in Redlands, California.  

                                                                        🠋

Let's see what was going on in the world at that time:

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was president and John N. Garner was vice president.  

The world was on the brink of war, but did not know it yet.

1939 Prices

Bread:  $.08/loaf

Milk: $.49/gal

Eggs:  $.58/dozen

Car: $750

Gas: $.19/gal

 House: $6,416

Stamp: $.03/each

Average Income: $1,837/year

Minimum Wage:  $.30/hour

Top Songs for 1939:

And the Angels Sing by Benny Goodman

Beer Barrel Polka by Will Glahe

Moon Love by Glenn Miller

Over the Rainbow by Glenn Miller with Judy Garland

Stairway to the Stars by Glenn Miller

Jeepers Creepers by Al Donohue

Wishing (Will Make It So) by Glenn Miller

Top Books in 1939:

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Finnegans Wake by James Joyce

The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West

Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright

Studies in Iconology by Erwin Panofsky

Academy Award Winners of 1939:

Best Picture:  Gone With the Wind, Directed by Victor Fleming 

Best Actor:  Robert Donat in Goodbye Mr. Chips 

Best Actress: Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind 

Hot New Toy in 1939:

View-Master

People born on December 3:

1895 - Anna Freud, Austrian/English psychoanalyst, daughter of Sigmund Freud

1930 - Andy Williams, Wall Lake, Iowa, Singer (Moon River, Andy Williams Show)

1937 - Bobby Allison, Auto Racer (3 time winner of the Daytona 500) 

Happenings on December 3, 1939:

* Finland appealed to the League of Nations for intervention during the The Russo-Finish Winter War of 1939-1940.

* 24 British bombers raided German Warships off the coast of Germany at Heligoland.  A German anti-aircraft battery was hit, probably the first British bomb of the war to land on German soil.

* Died:  Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, 91, sixth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Time Capsule Tuesday

 Mary Margaret Hesser Ranney, my 2nd great-grandmother, passed away on Wednesday, October 6, 1920, at the age of 78.  She passed less than a month after her husband of nearly 52 years, Comfort Ranney.

So let's take a look at what was happening in the United States in October of 1920 and during that entire year.

In 1920, Woodrow Wilson was President, and the Vice President was Thomas R. Marshall.  It was the 66th Congress that year.  

1920 was a Census year.  This census was the first to record a population exceeding 100 million.  Because there are so many mixed-race persons and because so many Americans with some black ancestry appear white, the Census Bureau stops counting mixed-race people and the one-drop rule becomes the national legal standard.  (The one-drop rule asserted that any person with even one ancestor of black ancestry - "one drop" of black blood - is considered black.)

In 1920, Prohibition in the United States begins with the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution coming into effect. 

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is founded.

The U.S. Post Office rules that children may not be sent via parcel post.  Was this even a thing?!  

The first commercial radio station in the U.S., 8MK (WWJ), owned by the Detroit News, begins operations in Detroit, Michigan.

The National Football League is founded.

The Nineteenth Amended to the United States Constitution is passed, guaranteeing women's suffrage.

The first domestic radio sets come to the stores - Westinghouse costs $10.

In the November presidential election, Warren G. Harding defeats James M Cox.  This is the first national election in which women have the right to vote.

 1920 Prices

Bread:  $.11/loaf

Milk: $.58/gal

Eggs:  $.39/dozen

Car: $345

Gas: $.30/gal

 House: $6,296

Stamp: $.02/each

Average Income: $1,130/year

Top Songs for 1920:

The Love Boat by Gene Buck

Margie by Benny Davis

Whose Baby Are You? by Anne Caldwell

Avalon by Al Jolson

Japanese Sandman by Raymond Egan

Mah Lindy Lou by Lily Strikland

Top Books in 1920:

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

The Frontier in American History by Frederick Jackson Turner

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

Top Films of 1920:

Way Down East starring Lillian Gish and Richard Barthelmess

Over the Hill to the Poorhouse (a silent film) starring Mary Carr

Passion (A German film released in the U.S.) starring Pola Negri and Emil Jannings 

The Mark of Zorro starring Douglas Fairbanks

Hot New Toys in 1920:

Raggedy Ann

Crayola Crayons

Tiddledy Winks

Parcheesi

Snakes and Ladders

Lionel Trains

Lincoln Logs

Ouija Boards

Pogo Stick

Teddy Bear

Also... 1920 was the beginning of the Roaring Twenties!

People born on October 6, 1920:

1846 - George Westinghouse, responsible for alternating current in the U.S.

1909 - Carol Lombard, actress (My Man Godfrey, In Name Only)

1925 - Shana Alexander, NYC journalist (60 Minutes)

Happenings on October 6, 1920:

* Since the invention of the airplane in 1903, flying after dusk had been too dangerous to attempt.  On this date, a demonstration was held at midnight on Long Island, New York, of an airplane equipped with powerful arc lamps bright enough for the pilot to illuminate a landing site while making an approach to an airport.  Because arc lighting was a fire hazard, the test also demonstrated that an aircraft could make a safe approach even while the metal was ablaze.  

* The U.S. Navy made its first public demonstration of the new magnetized Ambrose Channel pilot cable navigational aid.  This introduced the first technology that would allow ships to sail into New York using only instruments during heavy fog, rather than having to wait outside for the fog to clear.  

* For the first time in eight years, a passenger train from Mexico was allowed to cross into the United States, as President-Elect Alvaro Obregon traveled rom Ciudad Juarez to El Paso, Texas for a visit.

Time Capsule Tuesday

 

Tonight we are going to visit what was happening in the world on the wedding date of my 2nd great-grandparents.

William Robert Harrell (1838-1908) and Catherine M. Odom (1841-1875) were married in Johnson County, Georgia on Thursday, December 21, 1865.  

Of course, the biggest thing that happened in 1865 was the ending of the American Civil War with the surrender of the Confederate States, beginning the Reconstruction era of U.S. History.  The war mainly ended on April 9 when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.  By December, there was still a lot of clean up, so to speak, happening in the wake of the war ending.  

It was an eventful and dark year, kind of like 2020 has been.  Five days after Lee surrendered, President Abraham Linda was shot while attending a performance at the Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.  He died the next day.  On April 26, his assassin is cornered and fatally shot by a member of the Union cavalry.  In May, the first train robbery in the U.S. occurred in North Bend, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati).  In June, there are still more Confederate surrenders, and June 19, 1865 becomes the day officially celebrated in modern times each year as Juneteenth.  

On July 5, the U.S. Secret Service was founded.  On July 7, four of the conspirators in President Lincoln's assassination are hanged.  Also this month, Wild Bill Hickok is involved in a shootout in Springfield, Missouri, in what is regarded as the first true western "fast draw" showdown.  He shot and killed Little Dave Tutt over a poker debt.  

Meanwhile, there are two steamboats that sink, killing more than 1,800 people.  There is an earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area that is a high intensity.  The last significantly organized Confederate unit finally surrendered on November 6.  Captain Henry Wirz, Confederate superintendent of Andersonville Prison is hanged for war crimes arising from the treatment of prisoners of war and conditions at the prison.  

And that brings us to December 1865:

Top Headlines:

December 11 - The U.S. Congress creates the House Appropriations Committee.

December 18 - The 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime, is declared ratified by three-quarters of the states.

December 21 - The Kappa Alpha Order, a social fraternity, is founded at Washington and Lee University.

December 24 - The Ku Klux Klan is formed by six Confederate Army veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee, to resist Reconstruction and intimidate "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags", as well as to repress the freed slaves. 

December 26 - James H. Mason of Massachusetts patents the first U.S. coffee percolator.  

The U.S. president is Andrew Johnson.  He was the third president of that year.  There was no vice president in office at the end of 1865.

Famous people born on December 21:

1117:  Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury

1897:  Joseph Stalin, Russian dictator

1908:  Pat Weaver, Los Angeles, California, TV Executive, started the Today show

Hot New Toys in 1865:

Cap Guns

And in the midst of all that, two people fell in love and got married.  Catherine already had one child whose father (her husband) was killed in the War.  She and Robert had 3 children before she tragically died so young.  I am descended from their oldest child, Emma Vermell Harrell, my great-grandmother.