20th Century Tribute

Al Koch
July 2026

Preface

Time goes by at the speed of life.  The 20th Century snippets presented for review are an invitation and appetizers to more fully enjoy the diverse menu prepared and served throughout the past one hundred years.  As each cognitive morsel of life on earth is visited, sampled, and savored, remembrance of each day’s treasure reminds us to value and appreciate the gift of each day.  

                “Remember back in high school how plentiful and cheap days were when we were young. Like penny candy we always had a pocketful—and spent them casually. Now our supply is diminished, and their value has soared. Each one becomes worth its weight in the gold of dawn. Suddenly we live in unaccustomed thrift, cherishing hours the way lovers prize moments. Even at that, when the week is ended, it seems we’ve gone through another fortune. A day doesn’t go as far as it used to.”      --Leo Rosten

                Take a moment and read about us.  Life turns the pages and goes by so fast. This “tribute” is but a slight pause, a welcomed respite along the way to celebrate, appreciate, and congratulate one another for the times of our life.

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Twenty-six years ago, we welcomed a new century, number 21, another opportunity to do better. There were end-of-century parties, celebrations, prognostications, predictions, and both pro and con viewpoints as to what the arrival of the 21st Century’s coming years has in store for inhabitants on planet earth.  Unfortunately, we are captured by the here-and-now, the Present.  We cannot predict the Future with any certainty but are able to look back and review what occurred the previous century.    That’s what the following is about.   

Hopefully, when reading the litany and lists of notable individuals, events, innovations, technological achievements, and milestones, of a particular decade from the 20th Century, one will recall feelings, moments, and remembrances from the past that shaped, affected, and touched their life.

Many of the 20th Century’s notable individuals, events, and developments took place before we were born and have no first-hand knowledge of what occurred.    So many of us learned 20th Century history from family, teachers, radio and television broadcasts, newspapers, magazines, or hearsay from neighbors and townspeople.

Note that the herein names, places, events, innovations, inventions, and happenings represent a miniscule random sample of the international, national, and local occurrences that filled the past 100 years, 36,524 days, 876,576 hours, 52,594,560 minutes of the 20th Century.  (This includes the 24 additional Leap Year days of the previous century. (see Appendix A for Listing of Leap Years.)  

1900-1910

The 20th Century arrived at midnight, Monday, January 1, 1900.  America was on the verge of an industrial, technological, transportation, economic, social, and financial, revolution.  Accelerating their importance initiated in the closing years of the 1800s, they enriched the first decade of the new century. An individual sampling: giants of industry--Vanderbilt… Gould…Sanford, Pullman… John D, Rockefeller—Standard Oil…Andrew Carnegie – Steel/Philanthropy…J.P. Morgan-Banking/Steel…Henry Ford…George Westinghouse… Harvey Firestone…Nikole Tesla… Siemens…Gilette…Carrier…Thomas Edison…Orville and Wilbur Wright...President “Teddy” Roosevelt...Pope Leo XIII…was succeeded by Pius X in 1903…all took to the public stage and individually and collectively, changed the world.  

Innovations: Brownie Camera…escalator…ice cream cone…vacuum cleaners…neon signs…cellophane… crayons…Mother’s Day…paper clips…Teddy Bear…color photography…motion pictures…1901, Guglielmo Marconi invents AM (Amplitude Modulation) Radio…windshield wipers…Kellogg’s Corn Flakes…phonograph… Major events: first airplane flight…San Francisco Earthquake…President McKinley assassinated…Edison invents nickel alkaline battery…The  Cornerstone for Whiting Indiana’s Carnegie Library was set in place in 1905…and…opened on July 31, 1906—(see Appendix B)…the birth of my father and mother in 1903 and 1908 respectively…16th Amendment – July 1909—Income Tax…and…

1911 – 1929

Titanic disaster…Fenway Park  opens…Panama Canal opens…Ty Cobb Detroit Tigers…President Taft…Margaret Sanger…First crossword puzzle…Babe Ruth—Red Sox/Yankees…Indianapolis 500 race 1911…Woodrow Wilson President 1913-1921—World War I…Doughboys…George M. Cohan—“Grand ‘Ol Flag,” “Over There”, “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy”…Knute Rockne/Notre Dame…Penicillin—Alexander Fleming-1928…Stock Market Crash-1929…The Great Depression…Charles Lindbergh-The Spirit of St. Louis, -solo across the Atlantic to Paris…The Roaring Twenties…Einstein Relativity…Scopes trial-1924…skyscraper age begins, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building…Helen Keller...Prohibition Amendment…Pope Benedict XV reigns from 1914-1922…his successor, Pius XI is Pope until 1939…Construction on Route 66 begins…78 rpm, 10” records begin production…Reel to Reel recording tape invented in the early 1920s…General John Pershing...League of Nations—1920…17th Amendment-May 1912--Election of Senators…18th Amendment – Prohibition –December 1917…19th Amendment, June 1919-Prohibits denial of right to vote based on sex,  (Women’s Right to Vote.)…and…

1930-1949       (see Notation – Appendix B)

Hollywood heyday: Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse debuts 1930…Wizard of Oz, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, Gone With The Wind…Hoover Dam constructed—1931-36…San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge—constructed 1933-37…aviator Amelia Earehart ‘s disappearance…Prohibition repealed via the 21st Amendment…Big Band era thrives-Dorsey Brother, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman…etc…gangster Al Capone…The Untouchables…Superman debuts in 1939 Action Comics…FDRs New Deal… Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected President in 1933—only 4-term president…1939 War begins in Europe…Adolph Hitler/NAZIs…Attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, United States enters World War II, fighting both the Japanese in the Pacific and  Germany throughout Europe…Generals Eisenhower…Patten…Bradley…Macarthur…Geroge Marshall…Admirals  Nimitz…Halsey…Britian’s Winston Churchill…Russia’s Josef Stalin…Italy’s Benito Mussolini…Neighborhood air-raid wardens…Blackout drills…Eugenio Pacelli becomes Pope in 1939 until his passing in 1958…Radar…AM Radio connects America border to border, shore to shore.  IWar time reports…information, news, and entertainment unite the country: FDRs Fireside chats…Jack Benny… Red Skeleton… Phil Harris… Edward R. Morrow… Gabriel Heatter…Walter Winchell…The Shadow…Suspense…Gunsmoke… Superman…Tom Mix… Jack Armstrong… The Lone Ranger…Sgt. Preston…Little Orphan Annie…soap operas—Portia Faces Life…Our Gal Sunday…The Romance of Helen Trent.  Men, women, and children of all ages—faithful listeners purchase sponsors advertised products, and premiums acquired for box tops and a few coins…General Mills debuts CHEERIOS in 1941…Shirley Temple…Joe Louis…Eleanor Roosevelt…Grocho Marx…Olympian Jesse Owens…D-Day, June 6, 1944…The Death of President Roosevelt-April 12, 1945…Vice-President Harry S. Truman becomes President…V-E Day, May 8, 1945…Enola Gay drop atomic bombs—August 6, 1945--Hiroshima, Japan and August 9, 1945—Nagasaki, Japan… V-J Day, August 14 ,1945…WWII aftermath—from 1939 to 1945, over 80 million military and civilians died…The Marshall Plan…Casablanca…Louis Armstrong…Citizen Kane…George Orwell nineteen-eighty-four…Slinky toy--1949…Television pioneers: Valdmir Zworykin, and Philo Farnsworth invents first cathode ray tube to disseminate electronic images…David Sarnoff forms RCA and leads the national development of television—First televised image:  Felix the Cat…Edward Howard Armstrong invented FM  (Frequency Modulation) Radio—1930…Polaroid Land Camera—1948… Transistors invented in Bell Telephone Laboratory—December 1947, William Shouckley…John Bardeen…Walter Brattain—awarded Nobel Prize for physics…Route 66 is completed—1938…45 RPM, 7-inch record produced by RCA 1948…Columbia produces first 331/3 RPM long-playing 12”records…B.F. Goodrich invents tubeless automotive tire—1947…Max Steiner…Irving Belin—(1888-1989) wrote over 1250 songs. Two of his finest: God Bless America and White Christmas became most popular…Monopoly—Invented by Elizabth “Lizzy” Magie and Charles Darrow 1933—Sold to Parker Brothers in 1935…United Nations 01-24-1945…Milton Berle “Mr. Television” – 1948…first Dairy Queen—Joliet IL, 1948…WPA…Ration Stamps…Victory Gardens…CCC camps…Empire State Building – 1931…Golden Gate Bridge-1937…US Social Security  (SSA) – 1935…20th Amendment defines dates of terms of office, March 1932…21st Amendment—Repeals Prohibition, 1933…War Bonds…”Kilroy was here!”{…G.I. Joe…”Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition”…and…

1950-1959

The Federal-Aid-Highway Act also known as the National Interstate Defense Highways Act t gave birth to the interstate highway system was signed into law by President Eisenhower on June 29, 1956—North/South highways odd numbers—East/West highways even numbers…The Korean War…First televised explosion of the atomic bomb—February 1951…School children in major metropolitan areas receive blood type tattoo and metal dog tags--1951…Atomic Bomb survival drills…The Cold War w/ Communist Soviet Union…H-Bomb atmospheric test–Atoll Bikini of the Marshall  Islands…Catcher In the Rye, J.D. Salinger…Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, RCA 9” Television sets w/magnifying glass to improve viewing…Elvis Presley Sun/RCA 45s top charts…Russia’s Sputnik, 1957…Disneyland Opens, 1955…Ed Sullivan’s Toast of The Town...Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis…Dick Clark’s American Bandstand…Annette Funicello-The Mickey Mouse club, Spin & Marty…TV Guide Magazine…Jonas Salk Polio Vaccine…Brown v. Board of Education, 1954 – racial segregation…President Truman fires General Douglas MacArthur—April 1951…Jack Webb, Dragnet…James Arness, Gunsmoke...The Honeymooner, Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audry Meadows, Joyce Randolph…Drive-In outdoor Movie Theaters…Drive-In Restaurants—“burger, fries & a Coke”0…Hot Rods…Blackboard Jungle…Rock Around the Clock…Ducktail Haircuts…Bobby Socks…Saddle shoes… Blue Suede Shoes…smoking cigarettes…Korean War Armistice Agreement—July 1953…Marilyn Monroe…Marlon Brando--The Wild One…John Wayne…Frank Sinatra...Gary Cooper…Althea Gibson...J. Edgar Hoover…Ozzie & Harriet…Ricky Nelson…Pam American –The Clipper—Airways…TWA…Eastern…United...American…Delta…Stewardesses…Bobby Darin…Arthur Godfrey...Hula Hoop...Route 66 iconic road signs… Burma Shave signs…Charlie Brown and Snoopy…Ford Thunderbird…Chevrolet’s Corvette…Doris Day…”I Love Lucy”…Presidents Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower…Fabric softener... first Color Television’s broadcast on WNBQ, NBC Chicago, 1954…East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, Giant-- James Dean…’57 Chevrolet Bel Air…Cadillac’s 1957 Coupe De Ville…Mercury’s 1957 Turnpike cruiser… Pontiac’s Bonneville convertible…Ford’s Edsel….1957 Plymouth Fury…Chrysler’s 300 C Hemi…Hoosier Theater’s Air-conditioned, CinemaScope screen, and Stereophonic sound—The Robe, 1954…Dinah Shore…Alfred Hitchcock…3D movies w/glasses…American Bandstand couples: Ken Rossi and Arline Sullivan…Bob Clayton, Justine Corelli…Sam Snead…Singin’ In The Rain…Joseph Stalin…Lawrence Welk…Sam Cooke…Frankie Avalon…Bobby Rydell…Fabian…Duane Eddy…Santo and Johnny…A Summerplace…Troy Donahue… Sandra Dee…silly Putty…Nikita Krushchev…Jukebox…TV dinners…Roy rogers…Leave It To Beaver…Tinkertoys…Angelo Roncalli is elected Pope of the Roman Catholic church in 1958 and takes the name of John XXIII…Alaska becomes the 49th State, 1959…Brylcream-- “A little dab will do ya”…Charles Antell’s Formula #9 Hair Cream…Hamm’s Beer...Brooklyn wins the World Series—1955…Kukla, Fran, and Ollie…Howdy Doody…women’s capri pants, Jantzen sweaters, circle skirt, crinoline petticoats…NBC Today show—Dave Garroway, 1952…Steve Allen’s NBC’s Tonight show…Bobby Thompson baseball card--:The Giants Win the Pennant!”…McDonalds Restaurant – 1955…White Castle “belly bombers” 12 cents each…Diner table top jukebox…Jack Paar—The Tonight Show…Maverik…Four Lads—Moments to Remember…national magazines: Life…Look…Reader’s Digest…Argosy…Radio & TV Mirror…Teen…Dig…Popular Mechanics…Field and Stream…Hot Rod…Time…Newsweek…Transistors and printed circuit boards revolutionize electronics and replace vacuum tubes –1957…Pay Phone Booths with coin and dial…The Everly Brothers…Johnny Mathis...and the One Hit Wonders on TOP 40 radio…Chicagoland and Region Radio stations and on-air voices: WJOB…WWCA… WIND…WCFL…WJJD…WGN…WLS…Steve King…Gerry Gerard…Livin’ with Vivian Carter…Dizzy Dixon…Howard Miller…Wally Phillips…Clark Weber…Dick Biondi...Don Phillips…Art Roberts...Ron Riley…Fisher Price little people…Barbie Doll…Chunky Chocolate bar…Frisbee—by Wham-O…Play-Doh…Adali Stevenson—two-time unsuccessful challenger to “Ike” Eisenhower for president…Coca-Coke & Pepsi—The Cola wars…Forbidden Planet’s Robby the Robot…George Gobel…Dick & Jane books…McCarthy Congressional hearings…NASA—becomes national agency 1958…Explorer 1 – First US satellite…Carl “Doc” Severinsen…Tubeless automotive tires become standard on all new cars beginning 1955…Roof top and chimney mounted Television Antennas become suburban status symbols—1952…Automobiles battery upgrade from 6 volts to 12 volts in early 50s…Tony Bennett…Albert Schweitzer—1952 Nobel Prize, Mission doctor, equatorial Africa…Dag Hammarskjold—Secretary General of the United Nations 1953-1961…Dick Tracy…Cold War…I Love Lucy 1951—Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, William Frawley, Vivian Vance…Sid Caesar—Your Show of Shows  1950-54,,,Whiting High School Class of 1958 commencement—06-04-58,,,22nd Amendment—term limits for Presidents, February 1951…Deployed ICBMs: Russia 1958, United States1959…and…

1960-1969

WLS—from Prairie Farmer to TOP 40—May 2, 1960...First song played: Alley Oop by the Hollywood Argyles…DJs: Mort Crowley…Sam Holman…Jim Dunbar & others…Rachel Carson—Silent
Spring…John F. Kennedy elected President…JFK’s inaugural speech…Maris & Mantle…Gateway Arch – St. Louis…Telstar Satellite…Simon and Garfunkl...Martin Luther King—“I have a Dream”…JFK assassinated—11-23-63…Lee Harvey Oswald…Lyndon Johnson becomes President…Great Society…Vietnam War escalation 1965…Pope Paul VI succeeds John XXIII, in 1963…Chicago Democratic convention 1968…Beatles come to America…VW bus…A.J Foyt wins Indianapolis 500…Integration…Richard Nixon wins election for President—November 1968…Vietnam War protests…Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points…Steve McQueen—Bullitt…Peggy Fleming…1962 Oldsmobile Starfire…Pontiac GTO…Rowan & Martin—Laugh-In…Beach Boys…U@ Spy Plane…Man on the Moon—1969…Neil Armstrong…Buzz aldrin…Michael Collins…Peace Sign…The Ford Mustang…Mister Rogers…Birth Control Pills…Fallout Shelters…MLK Assassinated…Robert F. Kennedy Assassination…Malcom X assassination…Fred Flintstone…Walter Cronkite…Bob Hope NBC USO Specials…Jack Nicklaus…Arnie Palmer…Woodstock…Playboy Bunny & Magazine…Sandy Koufax…Ann-Margaret…Raquel Welch…Lava Lamp…first 7 astronauts: Alan Shepard...Gus Grissom...John Glenn...Deke Slayton...Wally Schiara…Gordon Cooper…Scott Carpenter—Mercury, Gemini, Apollo…Johnny Carson takes over the Tonight Show 1962…Mini-skirt…chemise dress…Yuri Gagarin—Russian, First man in Space...Chubby Checker—The Twist…Henry Aaron…Berlin Wall…Thurgood Marshall—US Supreme Court…Apolo I tragedy—Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee, Ed White die in capsule fire, 01-27-67…The Mamas and The Papas…Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali…Boston Celtics…Rolling Stone magazine—debut…Kodak 100 Instamatic…Flash bulbs…Joe Namath…Mexico City Olympics…Gale Sayers…IBM Selectric typewriters…1960 Oldsmobile 98 convertible…automobile screens for drive-in movie night…A&W Root beer…Drive-in Restaurants: Art’s, Kelley’s, Fat Boy, Serenade, Son’s, Hoppe’s, Green Lantern, Pow-Wow, Patio, Blue Top…UCLA basketball NCAA champs…WLS Silver Dollar weekly Survey of record sales Chicago Democratic Convention riots-1968…Levis…Hootenanny…Folk music…Smother Brothers…Anti-Vietnam War Civil disobedience, protests, draft card burning…draft dodgers…Oldsmobile Toronado…Clint Eastwood…James Bond…Ben Casey…Diana Ross and the Supremes…Pittsburgh Pirates—World Series winner—1960…Inland Steel…Youngstown sheet & Tube…Republic…Wisconsin…U.S. Steel…Standard Oil/AMOCO’s Torch & Ov al…December 24, 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts Franki Borman, James Lovell, and Bill Anders read from the Bible’s Book of Genesis as they circle the moon, and wished everyone on the “Good Earth”  Merry Christmas…Rodney Dangerfield first appearance Ed Sullivan Show 1963—1969 opens Rodney Dangerfield’s Comedy Club…Dean Martin…Andy Williams…Carol Burnett…Goldie Hawn…Laugh Ins “Sock It To Me!”…Bill Lear invents 8-Track tapes—1964…Lou Ottens of Belgium invents cassette cartridges for tape recording—1962…Permanent Press for clothing—early 60s…VHF/UHF --Beginning April 30, 1964, all new televisions sold in the US have capability to access VHS channels (2-13) and UHF channels (14-83)…Henry Mancini…Jonathon Winters…Flip Wilson…John Wooden—UCLA 10 NCAA basketball Championships…ATM…Kevlar…LED (Light Emitting Diode)…Bubble Wrap…Weather Satellite…Lava Lamp…Computer Mouse…Valium…Aspartame…911 Call…Smiley Face Logo…First AFL-NFL Super Bowl—01-25-67…Civil Rights Act—1964…Stonewall Riots—New York City …Voting Rights Act 1965…Medicare/Medicaid – 1965…23rd Amendment – Electoral College delegates—March 1961…24th Amendment – Bans Poll Tax to Vote, January 1964…25th Amendment—VP succession, February 1967… and…

1970-1979

Munich Olympics—1972…Kent State…Skylab…Rocky…Watergate Scandal…Patty Hearst…Boston Bruins—Stanley Cup Winners…The Exorcist…Nixon visits China…Jaws…Ali v. Frazier…Last evacuation of Saigon—April 29, 1975...Platform Shoes...Leisure Suits…HBO…Ford Pinto…Roots…Chevrolet Corvette Stingray…Mood Ring…Star Wars…Apple Computer Company…Disco…Gasoline Shortage…Mad Magazine…Happy Days—The Fonz…The Bee Gee…Space Shuttle…John Paul I becomes pontiff following Pope Paul VI passing—8-78…Elvis Presley dies…Camp David Accords…Watergate Hearings…Mary Tyler Moore…Shah of Iran…$10,000 Pyramid—Dick Clark…Shaft…Superman…Pet Rock…All in the Family...Roberto Clemente…Taxi…Chris Evert…Jack Nicklaus…The Village People…Nixon Resigns—Ford becomes President…Secretariat—Triple Crown winner…the Pittsburgh Steelers—The Immaculate Reception…John Paul II becomes Pope after John Paul I dies suddenly a month after becoming Pope—10-78…NOW Washington DC march…Iran hostage crisis…Pele…Evel Knievel—Snake River stunt…Jim Jones—cult…Jimmy Carter/Mondale ticket  elected, becomes 39th President of the United States—1977…Billy Beer…Farrah Fawcett poster…Soul Train…Ford and Brezhnev—1974…Three Mile Island…The Muppets…Disco Ball…Henry Kisssinger…Margaret Thatcher…The Jeffersons…NIKE footwear…Mother Teresa…Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine”—Sparky Anderson…Dorothy Hamill…John Lennon & Yoko Ono…Maude…The Godfather…Atari Pong—first video game…Dick Cavett…Super Tramp—"Take The Long Way Home”…Barry Manilow…Wang/Texas/Instruments Calculators…Federal law mandate automobile seatbelts—January 1, 1968…Betamax(Sony)  and VHS (JVC-Matsushita) video recording systems begin marketing—1975/1976…All cigarette advertising on  U.S.  television banned January 2, 1971…Robin Williams…Larry Bird…Magic Johnson…Floppy Disk…Email…Post-it-Notes…MRI Scanner…Genetic Engineering…ink-jet Printing…Ethernet…26th Amendment -18-year-old right to vote, July 1971…and…

1980-1989

Beatle, John Lennon shot…Hinckley shoots President Reagan…Rubik’s Cube…Olympic Boycott…Rambo…Mount St. Helens…VHS tape…Halley’s Comet…CNN Ted Turner…Sony Walkman…Iran/Iraq War…Boom Box…Mark David Chapman…USA Hockey wins Olympic Gold…Space Shuttle Challenger explodes at liftoff, 01-28-86…Reagan and Gorbachev…Berlin Wall comes down…Dirty Dancing…DeLorean Automobile…California Raisins…Chernobyl…Apple/Macintosh 128K…Ronald Reagan elected President…Swatch Watch…Live Aid…Pope John Paul II…Bartel & James…E.T….The Blues Brothers…African Famine…PAC MAN…Donald Trump – “The Art of the Deal”…Princess Lea…Hill Street Blues…Pete Rose surpasses Ty Cobb hit record…Exxon Valdez…Alf…Tiananmen Square…Magic Johnson…IBM 5150…Nelson Mandela…Wayne Gretzky…Indira Gandhi…Cabbage Patch Kids…Princess Diana…Oprah Winfrey…SNL…Joe Montana—4-time Super Bowl champion…Madonna…Michael Jackson—“Thriller”…Family Ties—Michael J. Fox...Prince…Tom Clruise…Compact Disc/CD…Sandra Day O’Conner—first woman on the US Supreme Court…Falkland War…AIDS…Internet created…Geraldine Ferrao—Mondale’s  VP candidate…Titanic located 13,000 feet below ocean surface…Personal Computers…Microsoft-Windows debuts…Platoon…Mike Tyson…Ghostbusters…Max Headroom…Greg Louganis…Risky Business—Tom Cruise…Footloose…Pee Wee Herman…Disposable Camera…Emergence of 3D Printing…Nicotine Patch…Prozac…HDTV…debut of LCD Technology…DNA Fingerprinting…Mobile Phone…Video Game Consoles...Camcorders…TCP/IP…DNA sequencing…growth of Cable and MTV…Speak and Spell…Tom Selleck…Wall Street…Gary Coleman…Cyndi Lauper…Adidas sneakers…Brooke Shields…L.A. Gear shoes…Brooke Shields/Calvin Klein Jeans…Florence Griffith…Sally Ride…Ayatollah Khomeini…Eddie Murphy…Debbie Gibson…Boy George…Indiana Jones…Whitney Huston…REO Speed wagon…Survivor…Foreigner…Bob Seeger…Captain & Tennile…Billy Joel…Flip Wilson…Chicago Bears—Walter Payton, et al, wins Super Bowl XX  1985—46-10…First Earth Day—1970…Apollo 13—“Houston, we have a problem”--Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, Fred Haise…US withdraws from Viet Nam—1975…Roe v. Wade—1973…Beatles break-up…and…

1990-1999    (Note: see Patrons -- Appendix C)

Friends…Johnny Carson retires from hosting the Tonight Show 1992…David Letterman begins his tenure hosting Late Night with David Letterman 1993…Jennifer Lopez…George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States –1988-93…Vice-President Dan Quayle…Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States 1993-2001…Vice-President Al Gore…World Trade Center bombing—1993…David Koresh—Branch Davidians--1993…John Paul II – Pontiff…the World Wide Web…John F. Kennedy, Jr.—George Magazine, dies 1999…The Lion King…Beanie Babies…Janet Reno…Ross Perot…Hubble Space Telescope…Cell phone…O.J. Simpson trial…Jurassic Park…Digital photography…Forrest Gump…Amazon.com debut 1994…Timothy McVeigh—Oklahoma City bombing—1995…Atlanta Olympics…Where’s Waldo…Mariah Carey…Seinfield…Clarence Thomas…Persian Gulf War—Operation Desert Storm…General Norman Schwarzkopf…Sony Discman D-50…Kenneth Starr…Ted Kaczynski—Unabomber…Ruth Bader Ginsburg…Hootie and the Blowfish…Nelson Mandela…First Harry Potter Book—1997…Anita Hill…Kerri Strug…Everybody Loves Raymond…GPS satellite…Tickle Me Elmo…Hillary Clinton…Dolly the sheep—first cloning…The Simpsons…iMAC…Columbine…Princess Diana dies in vehicle accident—1997…Honda…Toyota…pager…Y2K…World Cup Soccer—USA hosts 1994…Fargo…eBay debut—1995…Yahoo debut—1994…Green Day…Los Angeles riots…Steve Urkel, Family Matters—“Did I do that?”...Carl Ripken Jr. breaks Lou Gehrig’s MLB longevity record…Barney & Friends…Chicago Bulls… Michael Jordan—6 time NBA Champion, retires 1999…Toy Story…GOOGLE debut—1998…The Rwandan Genocide—1994…Mia Hamm—Women’s World Cup champion 1991…Toni Morrison—first American woman of color to win Nobel Prize for Literature 1993…China—Construction begins on the 3-Gorges Dam 1994…Tiger Woods….wind-up radio…DVD…Bluetooth…World-Wide Web…Texting…Smartphone…Web Cam…Nintendo 64…Adobe Photoshop…Nokla 1011…27th Amendment -Payment of salaries of elected Representatives. May 1992…And-- much more to come…

Closing Thoughts

A tip of the hat and heartfelt salute to the 20th Century. The list of inventions, innovations, achievements, individuals, and improvements to our lives is mind-boggling.  The struggle to improve humanity and the quality of life continues.  Each day there are problems awaiting resolution and challenges that tax and test mind, body, and spirit. Regardless of their magnitude and impact, all require a full measure of resolve, perseverance, and faith.   There are always new lessons to learn and room for improvement in what history has taught.  The new century is well underway.  New generations of individuals are already involved in making a more positive constructive difference in daily living.  Readers are encouraged to recall important  milestones, of their life as they review particular portions of this review. So many moments. So many memories.  Savor the moments. Treasure the memories.

APPENDIX

Appendix A

20th Century Leap Years:  ( 24) 1904, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996.

Factoid: Every 4 years, but years divisible by 100 are NOT Leap Years unless they are also divisible by 400.

Appendix B

Notation 1930-1949: These 19 years of the Twentieth Century encompass The Great Depression, The Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, World War II, and the Birth of the Atomic Age.  In addition, the tsunami-like magnitude and rapidity of technological developments accelerated economic, political, military, social, and domestic change.  Because so much of what occurred was mixed and blended into the 30s and 40s, those decades are presented as a separate mosaic for readers to review.

Appendix C

Patrons: For a more detailed and in-depth chronology of events specifically of Whiting Indiana’s Founding,  Industry, Businesses, Buildings, Churches, Schools, City Administration, Neighborhoods, Citizenry, and Events, please access The Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society Website.

THE WHITING-ROBERTSDALE HISTORICAL SOCIETY WEBSITE

ACCESS: GOOGLE: Whiting-Robertsdale Historical society

Or,

https://wrhistoricalsociety.com

(see home page)

THEN,    CLICK:    COLLECTIONS

                                    FEATURED

                                     PEOPLE

                                     PLACES

                                     EVENTS

                                     MEMORIES

                                     OBJECTS

                                     BOOKSHELF

                                     INDEX

                                     NEW EVENTS

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