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John Walker

1945–2024

Born
30 Dec 1945, Douglas County
Country of birth
United States
Died
23 Jan 2024, Hermiston
facts
6
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth30 Dec 1945, Douglas CountyProbable1 source
  • Death23 Jan 2024, HermistonProbable1 source
  • UnionPrincess Irina of RomaniaConfirmed1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Douglas County

    Birth, Douglas County

  2. Died · Hermiston

    Death, Hermiston

What was it like?

The world around Douglas County, 1945: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

John was born the same year as Helen Mirren, Eric Clapton, and Bob Marley.

Who ruled

  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt

    President of the United States, 1933–1945 · United States

  • Harry S. Truman

    President of the United States, 1945–1953 · United States

  • Dwight D. Eisenhower

    President of the United States, 1953–1961 · United States

Born the same year

  • Helen Mirren

    British actress (born 1945)

  • Eric Clapton

    British musician

  • Bob Marley

    Jamaican reggae musician (1945–1981)

  • Franz Beckenbauer

    German sports official and association football player (1945–2024)

  • Huell Howser

    American television personality (1945-2013)

  • Gerd Müller

    German footballer (1945–2021)

Fashion
Around 1950–1959

Poodle Haircut Routine

Women's poodle haircuts required 125 curlers per washing to achieve their styled look.

Around 1950–1959

The Gray Flannel Suit

Men frequently wore gray flannel suits for work, which became a symbol of mid-century conformity.

Music
Around 1942–1942

Admission Price for a Dance

In 1942, a wedding dance at the Burke Auditorium in South Dakota charged admission of ten to twenty cents.

Around 1950–1959

Cost of Snacks at Dances

At the Buffalo Pavilion in South Dakota, patrons could purchase coffee and sandwiches for twenty-five or thirty-five cents.

Getting around

Cars offered safety for Black travelers

During the 1930s, Black Americans frequently used cars to travel to avoid the discrimination and humiliation encountered on public transportation. To help plan these trips, they used the Negro Motorist Green Book, starting in 1936, to find safe places to stop for food and lodging.

Around 1938–1942

Railway travel times in the 1930s-40s

In 1938, a train journey from Brattleboro, Vermont, to New York City on the Washingtonian took less than five hours. In 1942, the Montreal Limited traveled from New York to Montreal in just over nine hours.

Daily life
Around 1946–1960

Mass-produced suburban housing developments

Post-war developers built mass-produced suburban houses, such as those in Levittown, which were assembled quickly from prefabricated parts. These homes were priced to be affordable for the majority of American families.

Around 1950–1956

Rapid growth of television in American homes

Between 1950 and 1956, American farm families purchased between 1.5 and 2 million television sets, rapidly changing home life. By 1956, over half of all farm families owned a television set.

Food

Sugar and coffee rationing during wartime

During World War II, sugar rationing began in 1942, and by 1945, the individual ration was as low as 4.5 ounces per week. People also used coffee ration stamps to obtain one pound of coffee every five or six weeks.

Around 1929–1944

Staple foods and their prices

Buttermilk was a staple beverage for many families; creameries often gave it away for free, and families sometimes used it for everything from drinking to baking. By 1932, a bag of flour cost 16 cents and a loaf of bread sold for 5 to 10 cents.

Prices and wages
Around 1940–1940

Factory worker wages and hours in 1940

In 1940, factory wage earners in the United States earned an average of 67 cents per hour, while average weekly earnings were $26.11. By 1940, average weekly hours had settled at 38.1 per week for factory employees.

Around 1952–1952

1952 worker wages and food prices

In 1952, a factory worker earned $1.25 an hour, while a loaf of bread cost 15 cents and bacon was 55 cents per pound.

Work

Common jobs for ordinary Americans

Common jobs included work in farming, factories, clerical and sales positions, and domestic service. Millions of people also worked as laborers in unskilled roles such as farm hands or servants.

Long and varying working hours

Some delivery boys worked 12 hours a day for 6 days a week, plus Sunday mornings, totaling over 75 hours weekly. By contrast, production workers in manufacturing often saw their average workweek fluctuate between roughly 35 and 50 hours throughout this period.

During their lifetime

  1. 1954

    Supreme Court Ends School Segregation

    In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that state-sponsored segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

  2. 1955

    Polio Vaccine Developed

    The polio vaccine, developed by Jonas Salk in 1955, helped eliminate the frequent epidemics that once paralyzed thousands of children each year.

  3. 1956

    Interstate Highway System Created

    In 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act, which authorized the construction of 41,000 miles of highway over 20 years.

  4. 1964

    Civil Rights Act Passed

    The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed to outlaw discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

  5. 1981

    AIDS Epidemic Identified

    In 1981, the AIDS epidemic was first observed in the United States, deeply affecting public health and social life.

  6. 2010

    Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster

    The Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in 2010, killing 11 workers and causing the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Family

Spouses