What in the World Was Going on During the Life of ...

M. William Sheehan, 1839 -1912.
His birth was a point where all of the past met all of the future.

I'll note some happenings and goings on in the year of his birth, 1939.

There were Indian uprising in California. Men from the "States" were plotting to take the Spanish Southwest from Mexico. Stephen W. Kearny, the future Military Governor of California was about 45 that year. The "Rancho Era" of California was in full swing.

The Oregon Trail was opening to Emigrants. Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, son of Sacagawea was traveling the West. He was probably 34 that year. Do you remember a song about Sacagawea? Seems I remember words like "flower of Shoshones race."

Twain's family moved to Hannibal, Missouri and "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Poe was published.

Uruguay declared war against Argentina and the First Opium War between Britain and China broke out.

Goodyear made possible the commercial use of rubber by his development of the process of 'vulcanization.' Live long and Prosper. Carl Gustav Mosander discovered the metallic element lanthanum to add to the Russian's Periodic Table. The Swiss-German chemist, Christian R. Schonbein discovered and named ozone.

Doubleday is said to have started baseball that year. Seems he did popularise the name. The Scott inventor, Kirkpatrick Macmillan probably constructed the first bicycle. The French political leader, Louis Blanc, popularised the phrase and idea. "to each according to his needs, from each according to his abilities" Prussia restricted juvenile labor to a maximum of 10 hours a day.

The American marathon walker, E. P. Weston, completed a 3895 mile walk from New York to California at the age of 70.

Would you like me to say a few words about the world happenings in each or the 73 years of his life?