A Brother—at Last!

                                          

1951 – THE YEAR

The world was recovering from World War II. Many countries witnessed an economic boom during this decade. Unemployment was low, consumerism increased, mortgages were cheap, and governments started to invest in infrastructure such as highways. For many, this was the “golden age” of the economy.

The ideological clash between capitalism and communism heated up during the 1950s. It was during this period that a “Cold War” started between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the US, there were fears that Soviet spies had infiltrated all parts of society, including Hollywood.

Harry S. Truman is currently the President of the United States, and Clement Attlee is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.  In Asia, the Korean War is raging between South Korea and North Korea.  The United States is supporting and fighting with South Korean troops (ROK).  China and Russia provided assistance to the communist insurgency in North Korea.

In fashion, women are sporting “The New Look” by Christian Dior. This formal style includes rounded shoulders, a full-skirted silhouette and a tight waist. Meanwhile, men are beginning to follow a new “Teddy Boy” trend that involves greased-back hair, extremely narrow trousers and velvet-collared jackets.

It’s 1951, so radio stations and jukeboxes are playing songs from artists such as Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Les Paul, Rosemary Clooney, Mary Ford, Mario Lanza, The Weavers, Perry Como and Patti Page. Perry Como’s recording of “If” is the best-selling single.  On TV, people are watching “The Ed Sullivan Show”, “The Gene Autry Show”, “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” and “The Jack Benny Program”.  Children and teenagers are watching “Looney Tunes”, “Tom and Jerry”, “Jim and Judy in Teleland” and “Crusader Rabbit”. Popular toys include Tonka trucks, toy Guns, spinning tops and the Tiny Tears dolls.

The Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammad Mossadegh, was named as the Time Person of the Year in 1951. That year, Mossadegh expelled western oil companies from the country and started the Abadan Crisis.

The jukebox was at the height of its popularity. Teenagers and young adults would often hang out at local restaurants and diners and listen to the latest songs.

Cases of Polio were particularly high at this time and outbreaks were common. In the United States, the disease peaked in 1952, with nearly 60,000 cases and 3,145 deaths. It wasn’t until 1955 that a national immunization program started and cases began to drop.

People born in 1951 belong to the Baby Boomer generation.

APRIL 12 – THE DAY

April 12^th, 1951, was a Thursday. It was the 102^nd day of the year—as it is in every year except leap years.  April 12^th has been a momentous day for centuries.  For instance, the following events occurred on that date in the years listed.

467 A.D.	Anthemius is elevated to the status of Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
1606 A.D.	The Union Jack is adopted as the flag of English & Scottish ships.
1776 A.D.	The North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain in the Halifax Resolves.
1864 A.D.	The Fort Pillow Massacre occurs as Confederate forces kill most of the African-American soldiers who surrendered at Fort Pillow in Henning, Tennessee during the Civil War.
1927 A.D.	Rocksprings, Texas was hit by an F-5 tornado that destroyed 235 of the 247 buildings in the town, killing 72 townspeople and injuring 205.  It was the third deadliest tornado in Texas history.
1927 A.D.	General Chiang Kai-shek orders that members of the Communist Party of China be executed.  The event is known as the Shanghai massacre of 1927.
1935 A.D.	The first flight of the Bristol Blenheim, a British light bomber airplane which was used extensively in the early years of WWII.
1945 A.D.	President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, GA, at age 63.  He was succeeded by Vice President Harry S. Truman.

April, 1951, was a significant month in American history.  Ben Hogan won the Masters Golf Tournament on April 8.  President Harry S. Truman removed General Douglas MacArthur from the command of U.S. forces in the Far East and all other posts on April 11. 

Those momentous events shook the world in their day, but were no match for:

THE REMARKABLE DAY

The crack of dawn on April 12, 1951, in southwestern Minnesota revealed a full-blown blizzard in progress.  The Arthur Odens family was nestled in the parsonage of Jeffers Baptist Church, but not everything was peaceful.  The pastor and his wife had been anticipating the arrival of their fifth child.  Labor pangs indicated that this would be the fateful day.  Preparations were made for a trip to the hospital in Mountain Lake, MN, eighteen miles away.  One of the aunties on the Toews side of the family came to serve as the resident nanny. Expectant mother (Oma) and suitcase were loaded into the maroon Pontiac Chieftan for the trip to the hospital.

Travel to Mountain Lake was hindered by the blizzard that was raging.  At one point, Opa was able to pull behind a semi-trailer truck that was traveling toward Mountain Lake.  Though the wind-driven snow resulted in zero visibility at times, he was able to follow the tail lights on the truck and they arrived safely at the hospital.  Available records do not indicate what time of day the baby was born on this extraordinary occasion, but James Arthur Odens entered the world and the family.

If Uncle Jim were a Bedlington Terrier named Chuleo, he would be 339 dog years old today.  Thankfully, Uncle Jim is not a Bedlington Terrier and he is not named Chuleo.  A quick mathematical calculation, confirmed by a trusty calculator, indicates that he turned seventy-two human years of age today.

Uncle Jim’s birthday has been celebrated internationally in a variety of ways since 1951.  On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space on the first manned orbital flight of Vostok 1.  Yuri waved to wish Uncle Jim a happy birthday on his single circumnavigation of the planet.  After returning to earth, he indicated that he had looked around in space, but had not seen God.  Somehow, he recognized the Odens’ home in Ortonville, MN, on that day and saluted Uncle Jim.  On April 12, 1981, NASA launched the first Space Shuttle (Columbia) to recognize the 30^th anniversary of his birth.

Happy birthday, Uncle Jim!

(This post is the work of Uncle Don and the idea of Aunt Jeanne!)