Time Marches On

                        Time Marches On





    When growing up I would often hear adults talk about the " good ol' days ". They talked about the way things were and how things have changed. During my own life time there have been a plethora of inventions and events take place and I wondered about the experiences and events that occurred during my grandparents lifetime and later those of my parents.
     Think about how much time passes in a persons life then think about all of the happenings that can occur in that time frame.

                                                                 1800's


     Grandpa Riggan was born in 1886, the same year " Avon " and  "Coca Cola " hit the market.
     The horse and buggy mode of transportation saw the beginning of it's demise with the invention of the automobile in 1889.
     Granny Riggan was born in 1890 , there were 43 states in the union and Benjamin Harrison was President . The most noteable event occured December 29 when the Army tried to disarm a camp of Lakota Sioux Indians which resulted in the Massacre at Wounded Knee , 153 men , women and children were killed .
     The cure for what ails you was marketed as " aspirin " in 1897, it was probably better if you swallowed it with  "Jello " which was invented the same year.
      In 1899 Granny Wade made her debut in this world just as the Spanish American War ended, we won.

                                                                     1900's

    The turn of the century brought with it more inventions, discoveries and events. The promise of prosperity and personal well being hung heavy in the minds of the people.
    1900 was the year of the "Hershey Bar " made in where else but Hershey, Penn. by a man named Hershey. Radio was also invented but there were no broadcast stations so you couldn't hear it.
    1901 was the year that U.S. President Mc Kinley was assassinated, he wasn't the first U.S.President killed in office nor would he be the last.
    For the lighter side, in 1902 the  "Teddy Bear " was intrduced and found it's way into baby cribs and little kids arms by the thousands. Grandpa Wade was born that year, wonder if he had a Teddy Bear ?
    People must have thought the Wright brothers were nuts when they unveiled a contraption called an airplane and actually flew it in 1903.
     I can't imagine many people of the time understanding Einstein's " Theory Of Relativity " which was published in 1905 but it did turn heads.
    The earth shook and California came close to sliding into the ocean in 1906 but when the dust settled only San Fransisco was a pile of rubble having endured a powerful magnitude 8 earthquake.
    Henry Ford advanced the world into a new era in 1908 when he introduced the " Model T " automobile. The poor man's car.
    By far the major events of the early 20th century had to be the arrival of " Halley's Comet " in 1910 and the sinking of the unsinkable " H.M.S.Titanic " on her maiden voyage in 1912. Here we are 100 years later and the Titanic still mystifies people. First discovered in 1705, Halley's Comet reappears every 75 -76 years and has already been around again on schedule, by my calculation my grand daughter will get to see it about 50 years from now.
    Henry Ford again headlined the news when he revolutionized productivity in 1913 with his moving assembly line for producing his cars. The man had some great ideas to build his cars faster, one idea was in painting, you could have any color car you wanted as long as it was " black ". Think of the time saved mixing paint. Another time saving device in 1913 was the advent of the " zipper ", no more fooling around with trying to slip a button into a tiny hole.
    All of time saved meant more work which meant more money in your pocket. It was not long before the government decided they had better use of that excess money so in 1913 they came up with the most hated government agency to date the " IRS " .
    In 1914 the " Big Ditch " was completed thus the " Panama Canal " was open for business. This was a boom for shipping as they no longer had to round the tip of South America.
    1914 also brought forth a scourge of history with beginning of World War I, Europe was once again involved in conflict. The US tried to stay neutral but in 1917 the country entered the war under the command of General " Black Jack " Pershing. This was the war to end all wars.
    As the war lingered an even worse scourge reared it's ugly head in 1918, the " Spanish Flu " quickly spread world wide and killed an estimated 21 plus million people before fading away.
    After almost 5 years of trench warfare, WWI came to an end in 1919. The death toll totaled 16 million with another 20 million wounded - combatants and civilians.

                                                                    1920's

     1920, the " Roaring Twenties ", started out with the first commercial radio broadcast, people were sitting around a little wooden box listening to news, sports, music and mysteries. It was like TV only there was no picture. Also in 1920 the League of Nations or NATO was founded and women were given the right to vote much to the dismay of a lot of men.
     But the worse thing to happen to the men folk of 1920 was " Prohibition ". For the next 13 years you could not " legally " buy booze in the US. This opened up a whole new industry " bootlegging ".
    Now that people couldn't drink their attentions often turned to other venues of entertainment. Although motion pictures had been around for some time and were very popular, the advent of talking motion pictures came into being in 1923. Also an event of note : William Luther Riggan was born ( my Dad ).
    One of the highlights of the movie theater was the news reel. Highlights of news and current affairs from around the world would be shown every week and the 1920's were full of news.
              1926 - the first liquid fueled rocket was fired ( the space race was on ), Floye Jean Wade ( my Mom ) made her appearance in this world
              1927 - television was invented though it would be another 20 years before appearing in the nations households
              1927 - Charles Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic
              1928 - Penicillin, the best thing since sliced bread was discovered and oh! someone figured out how to commercially slice bread
              1929 - prosperity ended in the US with the crash of the stock market, greed from all walks of life sent the nation into the despairs of the " Great Depression ", repercussions spread world wide.

                                                                   1930's


    Despite the soup kitchens and unemployment lines time marched forward to the next decade, the 1930's.
    In 1932 science split the atom, the importance of this feat would not be realized for another 10 years. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic ocean. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the man who would lead the nation thru some of the worst years in history, was elected as the 32nd President of the United States. Happy days were here again.
    1933 found FDR taking office, Prohibition ends and Flier Wiley Post flies around the world in 8 1/2 days. Though aviation is still in it's infancy events are about to happen that will quickly push it into the future.
    The worst possible news of 1933 was that Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany.
    On a lighter note, Monopoly hit the market in 1934 families now had something to do besides listen to the radio at night.
    In 1935 FDR was successful in passing the " Social Security Act "allowing millions of Americans the ability to slip into old age with some dignity.
    Not to be out done, aviatrix Amelia Earhart attempts to fly solo around the world in 1937, she was last heard from somewhere over the Pacific. Mystery still clouds her memory.
    In 1938, radio actor and later movie star, Orson Wells presented a radio play of H.G.Wells novel War of the Worlds. Even though the station announced that the broadcast was a play many people panicked and ran amok in the belief that Martians were invading the nation. People do seem to hear only what they want to hear.
     The computer age started in 1939, the first one had miles of wiring, vacuum tubes, flashing lights and required enormous amounts of space, it was not pocket compatible but boy could it add.
     1939 finds the advancement of aviation in full swing when the first commercial flight crosses the Atlantic. The excitement was short lived when Hitler invaded Poland marking the beginning of WWII. Again America chose to be neutral even though we manufactured and shipped weapons and material to the allied powers.

                                                                  1940's

    1940 found Americans on the move to prosperity, the light at the end of the tunnel was a little brighter. The female population rejoiced with the invention of " Nylon Stockings ",now every woman had smooth beautiful youthful legs. The problem was that the hem line for skirts was still below the knee.
    While the country was involved with helping England, Russia and France with war materials, the Japanese, who were conquering most of Asia, kept insisting they were peace loving and wanted nothing to do with war. Then on December 7th, 1941, the Japanese Naval Fleet attacked, without warning, our Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Some 3,000 people died, mostly Naval personnel many of whom died while trapped in sinking ships such as the battle ship USS Arizona.
    After the bombing of Pearl Harbor America naturally declared war on Japan but because Japan was a member of the Axis powers Germany and Italy declared war on America. The world was truly at war. America was not as prepared for war as they needed to be, it took time to build up the needed equipment, material,supplies, train the men and get everything to where it was needed. In the mean time US personnel fought battles in the Pacific, North Africa and Italy to name a few.
    In 1942 a substance called "Duct Tape " was invented for the war effort, today there is a roll in every tool box, home and business, new uses pop up every day.
    Finally " D - Day ", June 6, 1944 Allied forces started to take back the European Continent from the Axis powers, meanwhile the island hopping campaign in the Pacific continued.
    1945 found us still fighting on two fronts but we were winning, then the news came that Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the man who had lead our nation  since 1933, had died suddenly in Georgia, April 12. German forces surrendered May 8, 1945.
     Japanese forces being more fanatical took more convincing, America had been secretly working on an "Atomic Bomb " and in August of 1945 we dropped one on Hiroshima, Japan. The death and destruction was unbelievable but it took the destruction of Nagasaki, Japan to convince the Japanese to surrender in August 1945. American deaths from the war totalled more that 418,500, world wide deaths ran into the tens of millions.
    The world is at peace again, the machinery used to build weapons are now turning out more practical things such as the " Bikini " bathing suit and " disposable diapers " they hit the market place in 1946. You have to wonder about the relationship of these two inventions as they coincided with the post war " baby boom ".
    1947 was a significant year, pilot Chuck Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier and I came kicking and screaming into this life on May 5th, little brother Pat followed me fifteen months later
    The decade ended nicely in 1949 with the first non stop flight around the world, ah progress.

                                                                   1950's


     The new decade brought forth new inventions and new happenings, in 1950 the first credit card was created and a new war was started when Communist forces of North Korea invaded South Korea.
     In 1952 a vaccine for Polio was discovered and a world wide disease was on the verge of eradication.
     1953 gave us another discovery which is more in use today than it was then, DNA. Everybody has it and everybody is different. 1953 also brought Howard Clinton Riggan into the family on September 12th, like I needed another brother.

     The most significant event of 1955 was the birth of my little sister Vickie Lynn Riggan, dad finally got the girl he always wanted.
     The instigator of many family fights was invented in 1956, the " TV remote " it also created a new type of human - " couch potato ".
     The big news came in 1957 when the Russians put a satellite in earth orbit, " Sputnik " circled the earth emitting a beeping sound and the space race was on.

     For the Riggan family, the decade ended with the birth of little brother Ronnie Ray Riggan on July 31, 1958, this was the point at which mom and dad figured out that enough is enough.

                                                                       1960's


    The 1960's started off with the roar of rocket engines sending men into space. Russia beat us into orbit when they sent Yuri Gagarin into the atmosphere as the first man in space April 12, 1961. The US followed by sending Alan Sheppard as the first free man into space May 5, 1961.
     Also in 1961 the Berlin Wall was built and divided Communist Europe from free Europe and John F Kennedy took office as the 35th president of the United States. He was the first Catholic to hold the office.
    Russia decided to install ICBM missiles in Cuba in 1962 and for a short time the world sat on the edge of it's seat as the new president forced the removal of the missiles. WWIII was averted.
    In November 1962 John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Tx.
    Grandpa Riggan died in 1963, his was the first funeral I attended and I still miss him.
    The smiley face first appeared in 1964. President Lyndon Johnson got the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964 and in 1965 he sent US troops in force to stem the tide of Communism in a far away place called Vietnam. America was at war again. In 1965 a 2nd generation of the Riggan family  ( yours truly ) entered military service for the next four years, GO NAVY.
     1966 gave us the first hand held calculator, all it would do was math problems but it was better than trying to work them in your head.
    1967 saw the worlds first heart transplant and the first super bowl football game.
     The decade ended on a high note in 1969 when Neil Armstrong full filled President Kennedy's promise and walked on the moon, " one small step for man - one giant leap for mankind ".


                                                                      1970's

     The 1970's found the space race still in full swing only it was no longer a race, the Russians never made it to the moon but we kept going back. The general public was not as excited any more , space was no longer news worthy but some people just couldn't give up on the possibilities yet to be found in space.
     1972 found us laying Granny Riggan to rest, she was 82
     The Internet was developed in 1973, this was probably the most significant event of the 70's.
     For those of us who were there the biggest event was the end of the Vietnam war in 1973. Vietnam was never a war, it was a conflict, I never understood the difference as people died either way. Just over 58,000 names of Americans killed in the conflict are engraved on the wall of the Vietnam Memorial.
     In 1974 a marvel of the office was introduced, the " post it note ". They stuck to paper, paint, metal, plastic and glass, they came in various sizes and eventually in colors. They were stuck all over the place with written reminders to do or not do things.
     Also in 1974, Congress was in the process of impeaching President Richard Nixon when he stepped down and was later pardoned by President Gerald Ford who took over as president.
     Women the world over mourned the death of rock and roll star Elvis Presley in 1977, more than 30 yrs later fans still gather at Graceland in Memphis ,Tn for the anniversary of his death.
     The first test tube baby was born in 1978.


                                             1980's

     The 1980's seemed to be the age of technology, the personal computer invented in 1976 was now finding it's way into homes around the world. My first born Michael Daniel Riggan was born July 10, I was a proud Papa. 1982 was a good year, my youngest son Clay Kenneth was born August 24, before he could settle down we were on the move again, by 1990 we would move cross country five or six times.
     The first mobile phone hit the market in 1983, you had to wear a shoulder strap to carry it around and monthly bills exceeding $1000.00 were not unheard of.
     Space capsules gave way to the space shuttle which would carry personnel and cargo in to space and return safely to earth and sent back into space  quickly. We lived in Titusville, Fla in April of 1981 , With Danny on my shoulder, I watched the first space shuttle Columbia rise above the tree line behind my house April 4th , it was loud and the ground shook but it was amazing . In 1983 Sally Ride would be the first woman in space.
     1985 was a painful year for the Riggan family, in August Dad and Grandpa Wade passed away within days of each other. Granny Wade lived another 2 years and died in 1987 at the age of 88, the last of an era. Mom lived on until 2005, now it was up to the baby boomer generation to carry on. 

     

     I am still experiencing the events and inventions of my time, technology changes our lives almost overnight and the nation is still involved in conflicts around the world, people are still dying for a cause. Seems as though people learn about history but no one seems to learn from it.

     I started this to show the changes through out a persons lifetime and I have concluded that time will continue on, people or no people. Time never slows down and never changes.
     I was watching a science program the other day and scientist have determined that our sun will die in 5 billion years but before that the Galaxy Andromeda will collide with our Milky Way in 4 billion years. Either way the earth and life as we know it will cease to exist in 4 or 5 billion years that allows for a lot of generations of mankind and I can't help but wonder what will become of the Riggan clan. I know where we come from but where we are going.