Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

My Grandparents and Stevie and I a long time ago
(I think I was 12...Stevie, 10; Grandpa, 76; and grandma, 79)

Yesterday was my Grandpa's 91st birthday! Wow! I am so lucky that both he and my grandma (both on my dad's side) are still alive and healthy. Since Grandpa lives in New Jersey, I couldn't help him celebrate by eating some cheesecake. A phone call had to suffice. 91 years is a quite a lifetime to have lived...and hopefully he has several more left! Anyway last year (2007), I posted a list of stuff the happened the year my Grandma was born. I thought I'd do the same for my Grandpa....so let's take a look at what happened in 1918.

• Woodrow Wilson was President
• Russia switches from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar; the date skips from February 1 to February 14.
• World War I: Germany, Austria and Bolshevist Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending Russia's involvement in the war.
• Czechoslovakia declares its independence from Austria-Hungary.
• A new Polish government is declared in Western Galicia (Central Europe). Poland declares its independence from Russia.
• The Hungarian government terminates the personal union with Austria, officially dissolving the Austro-Hungarian empire.
• World War I: Austria-Hungary surrenders to Italy.
• Austria becomes a republic. Hungary becomes a republic.
  
• The German Revolution
• World War I ends: Germany signs an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside of Compiègne in France.
• Czechoslovakia becomes a republic.
• Iceland becomes a self-governing kingdom, yet remains in personal union with the King of Denmark who also becomes King of Iceland.
• U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails for the Paris Peace Conference, becoming the first U.S. president to travel to Europe while in office.
• The British occupy Palestine.
• By order of the Bolshevik Party and carried out by the Cheka, Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, his immediate family, and retainers are murdered at the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg, Russia....and the Russian Revolution
• The U.S. Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time
• General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
• The United States Post Office Department (later renamed the United States Postal Service) begins the first regular airmail service in the world (between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC).
• The Spanish Flu (influenza) becomes pandemic; over 25 million people die in the following 6 months (almost twice as many as died during the war).
• The Boston Red Sox defeat the Chicago Cubs for the 1918 World Series championship, their last World Series win until 2004.
• The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment is founded to promote repeal of prohibition in the U.S.

It appears that there was a lot of political unrest and chaos in 1918? While reading Wikipedia (my source..lol), almost every entry had to do with a war and countries declaring independence over one another. For the first time in a while, it made me feel like our world's state of affairs is somewhat calm and orderly...even though I know there are too many places in our world where wars are currently occurring. Coincidentally, I keep hearing people talk about the show that was on the History Channel this week about the world ending in 2012? They point to the anarchy and financial recession as evidence that it could really happen. Hmmm...I wonder what people thought in 1918 during The Great War or later during The Great Depression or during World War II...if those events were Armageddon? Life and hope has always prevailed!

That's a little off topic...so back to the point of this post.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa! Hope you have a fantastic 91st year!