Trending in history

Part of my interest in blogging is to talk about stuff going on in my life. How I feel about things? What do I think of things happening in the world today? It's a personal record of what is trending right now.

Besides newspapers, was there a personal record like this 100 years ago? I love to read fictional history for this reason. We know events that happened in 1911, but how many people are around that would remember what was going on, what was trending, 100 years ago. What is the rest of the story? What did everyday people think? It's interesting to go back and imagine what it was like.

February 1911.

My grandfather on my dad's side was not quite 10 years old and my grandmother was not quite 9 years old. Both grew up in the same small town in Central Utah. The area was know for coal mining and both of their parents had moved to the area in the late 1800's. This area in Utah was known for it's diversity, there were as many Greek Orthodox people as there were Mormons.

William Taft, "Big Billy" was the President of the United States. From what I read now, he wasn't a popular president, we know he wasn't well liked because he was only a one term president. Did people talk of him and what they didn't like about him? He was the largest president, 6'2" and they say he weighed over 350 pounds. He was the last president to have any facial hair. Kind of woofy looking, if you like the big bear types.

Arizona and New Mexico were not even states, only territories. Even though African Americans had been given the right to vote in the 15th Amendment their rights were not supported or enforced by President Taft. And women in 1911 did not have the right to vote!

A bolt of lightening hit the capitol building in Jefferson City, Missouri and burned the building to the ground on February 5th. People could have been talking about that. And a new baby born in Illinois would later become the 40th President (Ronald Reagan, born: 2/6/1911). The Rider-Waite tarot cards were first published in 1909, they could have been very popular by 1911. People were probably doing readings in all the popular circles.

Politics and big business. Culture and diversity. People not allowed basic rights. Local news and gossip. It doesn't sound much different than what is trending today I guess....