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Olimpia Torlonia

b. 1943

Born
30 Dec 1943, Lausanne
Country of birth
Switzerland

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

facts
7
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Lausanne

    Birth, Lausanne

  2. Child born: Beatrice Weiller

    Birth

  3. Child born: Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg

    Birth, Neuilly-sur-Seine

  4. Child born: Paul Weiller

    Birth

  5. Child born: Laura Weiller

    Birth

  6. Child born: Cosima Weiller

    Birth

  7. Child born: Domitilla Weiller

    Birth

What was it like?

The world around Lausanne, 1943: 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.

Olimpia was born around the same time as Duarte Pio of Braganza, John Lennon, and Pelé.

Born around the same time

  • Duarte Pio of Braganza

    1945 · Pretender to the throne of Portugal (born 1945)

  • John Lennon

    1940 · British musician (1940–1980)

  • Pelé

    1940 · Brazilian footballer (1940–2022)

  • Bruce Lee

    1940 · Hong Kong–American martial artist and actor (1940–1973)

  • Muhammad Ali

    1942 · American boxer (1942–2016)

  • Joe Biden

    1942 · 46th President of the United States (2021–2025)

Fashion

Women wearing trousers in the 1940s

In the 1940s, a woman in Wädenswil was nicknamed the Manewiib for being the only person seen in public wearing gray trousers instead of a skirt.

Embroidery time for costumes

Hand-embroidering the small design on the white collar of an Appenzell women's costume takes seven hours of meticulous manual work.

Music

Pressure to modernize folk bands

During the 1930s and 1940s, Ländler bands were frequently pressured by event organizers to incorporate modern instruments like saxophones and drums to satisfy dancers.

Around 1939–1939

Record-breaking song sales in 1939

In 1939, a specific yodel-fox song called Landidörfli was released and sold a remarkable 55,000 copies.

Getting around

Expansion of affordable rail and bus travel

During the interwar period, Swiss railways and postbuses expanded their ticket offers, including reduced prices for families and ski trips, to attract more travelers.

Around 1950–1950

Carriages were still used for travel in 1950

In 1950, reaching remote destinations like Our Chalet in Adelboden often required combining train travel with a local bus, followed by a horse-drawn carriage for the final leg.

Daily life

School routines involved four daily walks

Children typically walked 30 to 40 minutes to and from school four times a day, as there were no school lunches and they had to return home at noon.

Kitchens served as bathrooms for families

Families heated water for bathing in the kitchen using stoves or kettles, and weekly baths were often taken in a large galvanized tub placed on the kitchen floor.

Food

Food rationing required coupons and cash

During World War II, families required both money and ration coupons to purchase staple foods like bread, and some had to visit different bakeries to find one that would accept their available coupons.

No rationing for vegetables and fruit

Switzerland was the only country in Western Europe during the war that did not have to ration potatoes, vegetables, or apples.

Prices and wages

Restrictions on bread consumption

During the war, bakers were required to store bread for 24 to 48 hours after baking to discourage consumption, leading to the saying that old bread is not hard, but no bread is.

Around 1946–1946

Bread and meat prices in 1946

In March 1946, a rationed kilogram of bread cost 48 centimes, while a kilogram of meat ranged from 5 to 8.25 Swiss francs.

Work

Strict life of domestic servants

Domestic servants were expected to be available at any hour of the day or night and typically only had a few hours of free time every other Sunday.

Around 1950–1950

Long working hours in the 1950s

In 1950, the average working year was 2,400 hours, compared to 1,600 hours today, with the typical work week lasting nearly 50 hours.

News and letters

Military and prisoner mail services

During the world wars, postage-free field post for military personnel became vital, accounting for up to 25 percent of all domestic letters after mobilizations in 1914 and 1939. Additionally, Swiss Post acted as an intermediary to process millions of postage-free consignments for prisoners of war and internees.

Around 1940–1940

Restricted communication during wartime

During 1940, it became impossible to send regular mail, and the only way to communicate was via Red Cross messages limited to 25 words per month. These messages experienced significant delays and uncertainty, often taking several weeks to reach their destination.

During their lifetime

  1. 1953

    Television begins test operations

    In 1953, television began test operations in Switzerland, marking the start of a new era in home entertainment.

  2. 1959

    Magic formula government established

    In 1959, the four largest political parties adopted the magic formula to permanently divide the seven government seats among themselves.

  3. 1971

    Women gain voting rights

    Women were granted the right to vote in federal elections for the first time in 1971.

  4. 1980

    Zurich youth riots erupt

    In May 1980, youth riots erupted in Zurich against city funding for the opera house, triggering a wave of similar protests across Swiss cities.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.