Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Historical Perspective

The Koalid was born in 2014, which means that she will have a very different perspective of history than I do. I was thinking a bit about what will seem like ancient history to her.

So, to make you and me both feel old, lets consider some relative historical perspective.

I was 11 when the Gulf War was fought.
The Gulf War was 23 years before she was born.
27 years before I was born, the Korean War ended.

Reagan was sworn in the year I was born, 34 years before she was born.
That means that to her, Reagan will be like Truman was to me.

The Vietnam War ended 39 years before she was born.
World War II ended 35 years before I was born.
Vietnam will be as distant to her as WWII was to me.

To her, both the Kennedy and Lincoln assassinations will be events that happened in previous centuries before her parents were born.

The rotary phone and the phone booth will be to her like the telegraph is to me.

She will grow up in a world where legal gay marriage is as well established as interracial marriage was when I grew up.

The last episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation aired 20 years before she was born, meaning that to her, shows like Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Buffy will be like The Twilight Zone and Batman were to me.

My first car was from 1986, 18 years before she was born. 18 years before I was born, cars looked like this:

You may now feel old.

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