I was reflecting today as I am going to a 100th birthday party for a friend of the family. Can you imagine 100 years walking this earth. I am only 1/2 way there and I find it hard to imagine. The changes he saw in the world in his lifetime.
He saw presidents elected from the 27th to the 45th President of the United States. He was 6 years old when the World War 1 started, and 10 when it ended. He saw the Panama canal open when he was 6. He was 7 when the first long distance phone service was offered. At ten he saw the world wide flu epidemic that killed nearly 20 million people world wide and some 500,000 United States citizens. At 19 he saw Lindbergh make his historic flight. At 23 the Star Spangled Banner is adopted as our National Anthem. At 24 he saw Amelia Earhart make her transatlantic flight. At 27 the FBI is formed from the Bureau of Investigation. AT 31 he saw the start of World War II, and at 33 the Us enters the war. At 42 the US entered the Korean War. He saw several amendments to the Constitution pass.
At 51 he saw the US get more deeply involved in Vietnam at 56 the Gulf of Tonkin incident that escalated the war. At 50 the first satellite is launched into space.
At 51 he saw two stars added to the flag with the addition of Alaska and Hawaii as states. At 54 he watched John Glenn launch into outer space as the first American in space. He was 60 when Martin Luther King was assassinated. When he was 62 the Kent State incident happened. At 72 he saw the US boycott the Moscow Olympics.
At 78 he saw the Challenger explode. He was 82 when Iraq invaded Kuwait. At 87 Oklahoma City Bombings happen. At 93 the Trade Towers are attacked by hijacked airplanes. 95 years after his birth the shuttle Columbia burnt up on reentry.
He saw the rise of airlines during his lifetime. The growth of automotive traffic, the development of the Interstate Highway system. He was around when Television was invented. There was no such thing as a microwave oven when he was born, and many homes still had outhouses. Computers were just a dream, and space travel was only science fiction. Wars were still fought in the trenches, and planes had propellers. Helicopters were not even really a dreamt when Wendall was born. He probably saw more changes in the world and society than any other generation.
1 comment:
One of the goals for my life is to be open to change when it means progress. I see those who fight change every step of the way, and it's a losing battle! Certainly the gentleman you describe here is of a different breed. Still at the speed of technology today, can you image what changes we'll see during our lifetimes in comparison to what you describe here? In contrast I wonder what will remain the same ... but only time will tell!
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