I just finished reading the book One Summer: America, 1927 by my favorite author, Bill Bryson. I found this book particularly interesting because my mother was born in February, 1927, so it helped me put the scope of her life in context. A heck of a lot happened in the summer of 1927.
- Charles Lindbergh made the first successful transatlantic flight, and many others died in attempting to do so.
- A lot of amazing authors were being published, including T.S. Eliot, Ezra pound, E.E. Cummings, Sinclair Lewis, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Bertrand Russell.
- Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs.
- Al Capone was at his peak in Chicago.
- The Jazz Singer pretty much killed silent movies.
- Television was created and radio was in its heyday.
- Sacco and Vanzetti were executed.
- The famous title bout between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney took place in Chicago.
- They broke ground on Mount Rushmore.
- The seeds of the Great Depression were planted.
- Prohibition nearly destroyed the country.
I often think about the fact that my mother died just before the internet really took off, and she therefore missed a lot. But when you consider the scope of history that she experienced in her lifetime, from silent movies to the Cuban Missile Crisis and beyond, it’s quite remarkable.
Toward the end of her life, she flew to Europe to visit my sister, and as she was heading toward the gate she looked back at me with concern and said, “Will there be bathrooms on the plane?” I laughed and said, “No, Ma, you’ll have to hold it for 12 hours.” In retrospect, I shouldn’t have laughed. The woman was born before Charles Lindbergh flew to France in a tiny little canvas covered plane. We all have our frame of reference, and that was hers.
Read the book. It’s fascinating.
The View from a Drawbridge 
Nothing like a good book. Next on my list. Thanks!
Let me know what you think. 🙂
I always talk to people who have lived a lot of history.
So much to learn from them.
yup