Happy Birthday, Mom

On Saturday, July 7, 1923, my mom Dorothy was born.  Her 95th birthday is tomorrow.  I thought it would be fun to take a look back at what was happening in the world then.  Of course none of us will remember any of these things!  This is just for fun.

Some of the famous people born in 1923 were Alan Shepard, Bob Dole, Charlton Heston and Norman Mailer, and of course, Dorothy Gertz.

Mount Etna Erupted in Italy, leaving 60,000 people homeless.  The Great Kanto earthquake in Tokyo took place, with 100,000 fatalities.  In Florida, the Rosewood Florida Massacre, where the town of Rosewood was burned to the ground by the KKK, took place.

The following inventions occurred in 1923, changing lives forever.  Insulin was first introduced in Canada, then brought to market by Eli Lilly.  The first domestic refrigerator was sold in Sweden.  The first portable radio was developed in the U.S.  TV was invented in Scotland, but not developed until many years later.  The hearing aid was invented in England.

On the world stage, Warren Harding was president of the U.S. until August, then Calvin Coolidge became president.  Lenin ruled Russia, Mussolini ruled Italy.

In the area of pop culture, there was an explosion in recordings of African American musicians, including Louis Armstrong.  At the movies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the 10 Commandments were released.  Time magazine was launched.  Construction started on the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and the first baseball game was played at Yankee Stadium.

I personally think that the invention of insulin was the most dramatic scientific event of the year.  But wait, both the domestic refrigerator and portable radio have changed so many lives too.  It's hard to say.  Anyway, it was an eventful year, as they all are.  Happy birthday mom!