I was born in the summer of 1955, the middle of the 20th century.
As I was growing up, and learning about the world around me, I thought that everything was normal and had been that way for a long time.
But as I learned more and more history, I realized that many things, big things, happened in the five decades before I was born.
And big things happened during my lifetime.
The little dog is named Itzl.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at, to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off Daily Kos. If you're not here, or anywhere else on Daily Kos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
This is our current schedule of regular IAN diary writers:
Monday: Youffraita
Tuesday: bigjacbigjacbigjac
Wednesday: Tippy and Dad
Thursday: art ah zen
Friday: FloridaSNMOM
Saturday: FloridaSNDad
Sunday: loggersbrat
en.wikipedia.org/…
The 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash and the 1908 Ford Model T, both American cars, are widely considered the first mass-produced[3][4] and mass-affordable[5][6][7] cars, respectively. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced horse-drawn carriages.[8] In Europe and other parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not increase until after World War II.
There were other cars made earlier but not mass-produced and not affordable.
en.wikipedia.org/…
That link will tell you about oil wells drilled long before the 20th century.
However:
20th century
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A World War II poster promoting carpooling as a way to ration vital gasoline during the war
In the 1930s, Alfred Treibs determined the biological origin of petroleum, which was previously controversial.[45][46]
Access to oil was and still is a major factor in several military conflicts of the 20th century, including World War II, during which oil facilities were a major strategic asset and were extensively bombed.[47] The German invasion of the Soviet Union included the goal to capture the Baku oilfields, as it would provide much-needed oil supplies for the German military which was suffering from blockades.[48]
Oil exploration in North America during the early 20th century led to the U.S. becoming the leading producer by mid-century. As petroleum production in the U.S. peaked during the 1960s, the United States was surpassed by Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union in total output.[49][50][51]
en.wikipedia.org/…
The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution prohibits the United States and its states from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex, in effect recognizing the right of women to vote. The amendment was the culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage in the United States, at both the state and national levels, and was part of the worldwide movement towards women's suffrage and part of the wider women's rights movement. The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878. However, a suffrage amendment did not pass the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919, which was quickly followed by the Senate, on June 4, 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the requisite 36 ratifications to secure adoption, and thereby went into effect, on August 18, 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment's adoption was certified on August 26, 1920.
en.wikipedia.org/…
The Prohibition era was the period from 1920 to 1933 when the United States prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages.[1] The alcohol industry was curtailed by a succession of state legislatures, and Prohibition was formally introduced nationwide under the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on January 16, 1919. Prohibition ended with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment on December 5, 1933.
en.wikipedia.org/…
World War I,[d] or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Major areas of conflict included Europe and the Middle East, as well as parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific. The war saw important developments in weaponry including tanks, aircraft, artillery, machine guns, and chemical weapons. One of the deadliest conflicts in history, it resulted in an estimated 30 million military casualties, and 8 million civilian deaths from war-related causes and genocide. The movement of large numbers of people was a major factor in the deadly Spanish flu pandemic.
en.wikipedia.org/…
World War II[b] or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II is the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.
en.wikipedia.org/…
The first jet-propelled aircraft to gain public attention was the Italian Caproni Campini N.1 motorjet prototype, which flew on August 27, 1940.[7] Secondo Campini began development of the motorjet in 1932. This design differed from a true turbojet in that the turbine was driven by a piston engine, rather than combustion of the turbine gases.[citation needed]
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Boeing 707
The British experimental Gloster E.28/39 took its first flight on May 15, 1941, powered by Sir Frank Whittle's turbojet,[8] and the United States Bell XP-59A flew on October 1, 1942, using of a version of the Whittle engine built by General Electric. [citation needed]
The Gloster Meteor was the first production jet. The prototype for this jet was first flown on March 5, 1943, and the first produced aircraft on January 12, 1944.
en.wikipedia.org/…
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union, while South Korea was supported by the United Nations Command (UNC) led by the United States. The war, which ended in stalemate, was the first great clash of arms of the Cold War and was one of, if not its deadliest proxy war.
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955[A 1] – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina wars and a proxy war of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and US. The Vietnam War was one of the postcolonial wars of national liberation, a theater in the Cold War, and a civil war, with civil warfare a defining feature from the outset.[47] Direct US military involvement escalated from 1965 until US forces were withdrawn in 1973. The fighting spilled into the Laotian and Cambodian Civil Wars, which ended with all three countries becoming communist in 1975.
www.worldometers.info/…
- During the 20th century alone, the population in the world has grown from 1.65 billion to 6 billion.
Wow.
The population more than tripled in the 20th century.
A tremendous change occurred with the industrial revolution: whereas it had taken all of human history until around 1800 for world population to reach one billion, the second billion was achieved in only 130 years (1930), the third billion in 30 years (1960), the fourth billion in 15 years (1974), and the fifth billion in only 13 years (1987).
Wow.
- The Civil Rights Movement
en.wikipedia.org/…
The civil rights movement[b] was a social movement in the United States from 1954 to 1968 which aimed to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the country, which most commonly affected African Americans. The movement had origins in the Reconstruction era in the late 19th century, and modern roots in the 1940s.[1] After years of nonviolent protests and civil disobedience campaigns, the civil rights movement achieved many of its legislative goals in the 1960s, during which it secured new protections in federal law for the civil rights of all Americans, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
I have been reading the book, The 1619 Project.
That book tells me that civil rights efforts started long before 1954, and are going strong now, in 2026.
But that Wiki entry gives a slice that folks often think about.
Well, I hope you can learn something from all that.
America and the world were so different in the year 1900.
Big changes before I was born, and we still have big changes going on.
Tell me in the comments which of the changes was most surprising to you.
Anyway.
Have a great Tuesday.
Hugs!
Wait!
Big news!
When my wife, Tonia died, she left behind 4 brothers, Terrell, Michael, Isaac, and Travis.
Terrell divorced his first wife, and married Ratana while Tonia was alive.
Tonia and I attended their wedding.
We helped take care of their first two children, then Tonia died, 4 years ago.
So, Terrell and Ratana have 3 little girls, ages 9, 5, and 2.
In recent months, Ratana has been pregnant with a baby boy.
They said the due date was the 5th of March.
A few hours before typing this, on the 9th of March, at 6:30 AM, she quickly gave birth in their bedroom, while her husband stepped out to move his truck out of the way for the midwife!
Well, she has done this before, so she knows how to do it!
They are thinking of naming the boy Mark Michael, or Michael Mark.
Mark is the name of Ratana’s father, so that naming choice is not just about me.
Anyway, I am on a baby boy birth high!
Hugs!
