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On July 22, 1969, my 5 month old son was propped up in front of a TV as
Neil & Buzz stepped onto the moon's surface. I recall that thoughts of
his great-great-grandfather passed briefly through my mind as I watched
him peering at the gritty images without comprehending them. Granddad had
passed away nearly eight years earlier but, before he went, he had seen
the world go from men on horseback to men in orbit. The United States went
from less that 50 million people in 37 states to over 180 million and 50
states. What would this kid, who would never really know a world without
space travel and instant communication between continents, see during his
life time?
The Florida trip occurred near the mid point of my great-grandparents
lives. The telephone and electric light had already appeared; television
and the atom bomb were yet to come. A world war and a stock market crash
were behind them and another of each lay ahead. When Granny left Ohio, she
was allowed to vote but not to drink "intoxicating liquors".
This list of events may help place the trip in time:
| Jan 27, 1875 |
Frank Robbins born. |
| May 16, 1876 |
Gertrude Fifer born. |
| Jun 25, 1876 |
Battle of Little Big Horn (Custer's Last Stand). |
| Aug 1, 1876 |
Colorado becomes 38th state. |
| Jan 27, 1880 |
Edison patents incandescent lamp. |
| Oct 6, 1881 |
Gunfight at the OK Corral. Billy the Kid was gunned down on July
14th. Jesse James is shot from behind on April 3, 1882.
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| Jun 5, 1893 |
Lizzie Borden trial opens. |
| Jun 27, 1893 |
Stock Market Crash. |
| Apr 14, 1898 |
Spain declares war on United States. Teddy Roosevelt & Rough
Riders at San Juan Hill on July 1st.
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| Dec 17, 1903 |
Wright brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk. |
| Apr 18, 1906 |
San Francisco earthquake. |
| Oct 1, 1908 |
First production Model T Ford assembled. |
| Jun 22, 1914 |
Archduke Ferdinand assassinated and a world war becomes a reality.
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| Nov 6, 1917 |
Start of Socialist Revolution in Russian. |
| Nov 11, 1918 |
The Great War (WWI) ends. |
| Jan 17, 1920 |
Prohibition goes into effect one year after ratification of the
18th amendment (Jan 16, 1919). It is repealed on December 5, 1933
with the 21st amendment.
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| Aug 18, 1920 |
19th amendment gives women the right to vote |
| Nov 2, 1920 |
Warren G. Harding elected President of the US. A first for both
women and radio. Results broadcast by KDKA in Pittsburgh.
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| Nov 4, 1920 |
Frank & Gertrude depart from Woodington.
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| Mar 4, 1921 |
Harding is first president to ride to his inauguration in an
automobile. Frank & Gertrude arrive home.
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| Jul 14, 1921 |
Sacco & Vanzetti trial ends. |
| Jul 18, 1921 |
Black Sox trial starts. |
| Nov 16, 1922 |
Door to the tomb of Tutankamen (King Tut) pierced. |
| Jul 10, 1925 |
Trial of John T. Scopes, on charges of teaching evolution, begins.
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| May 20, 1927 |
Lindbergh begins transatlantic flight. |
| Oct 24, 1929 |
Black Thursday. The great stock market crash. |
| Feb 18, 1930 |
The planet Pluto discovered. |
| Jul 2, 1937 |
Amelia Earhart vanishes. |
| Dec 7, 1941 |
Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor |
| Jun 6, 1944 |
Normandy invasion; D-Day |
| Aug 6, 1945 |
A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima |
| Oct 4, 1957 |
Sputnik launched |
| Sep 26, 1960 |
Gertrude Fifer Robbins dies |
| Apr 12, 1961 |
Yuri Gagarin in space for 1 orbit. Two Americans were also in
space during Frank's lifetime; Alan Shepard on May 5, 1961 and Gus
Grissom on July 21, 1961
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| Aug 15, 1961 |
Frank Robbins dies |
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