100 Years

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This New Year’s Day is a very special one; it’s the 100th birthday of The Bungalow. The original owners, Sidney and Thelma Stubbs, took possession on this day in 1922.

Since I can’t be in Galveston today to celebrate this momentous occasion, I”ll not be blowing up balloons or hanging party streamers. Instead, I’ll be doing some online research. I want to find out what life was like back in 1922 and inside my whimsical little place.

I want to learn of the big news of the year and the music and movies most popular back then. I also want to know about the fashions, the prices of food on the table and the gasoline put in those trendy Model T Fords. Fortunately, all of this was very easy to find out.

In 1922, Warren G. Harding was the president of the United States and, from the White House, it was he who introduced the radio to his fellow Americans. Soon, listeners all over the country were swaying to the sounds of Al Jolson, Frannie Brice, Ray Miller and his Orchestra and Paul Whitman.

In 1922, theater-goers were watching Douglas Fairbanks, Gloria Swanson, Lon Chaney, Marion Davies Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish and Rudolph Valentino in silent films like Robin Hood, Oliver Twist, Blood and Sand, Manslaughter and Grandma’s Boy.

In 1922, the annual income for Americans was $3,143. A first-class U.S. stamp cost 2 cents; a gallon of gasoline was 25 cents. A dozen eggs was 39 cents, and a loaf of bread was a mere nickel.

In 1922, in Canada, insulin was isolated and used, for the first time, to treat diabetes. Amelia Earhart was flying around, setting the altitude record for female pilots. Wimbledon Center Court was completed and the Wimbledon Championships began. The Tomb of Tutankhamen was discovered in Egypt. The BBC (British Broadcasting Company) was formed, and the first issue of the Reader’s Digest came off the press.

In 1922, Prohibition laws in the U.S. were strengthened. The Lincoln Memorial was completed and dedicated by former President William Howard Taft.

In 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was formed, and Mussolini and the Fascist party came to power in Italy.

In 1922, fashion-conscious women were wearing Art Deco style, felt hats and bonnets, chemise dresses, high heel shoes and fur coats. Their hair was bobbed! Dapper men were wearing custom-tailored suits, wingbacks, fedoras and newsboy hats. Their hair was shiny and slicked back.

In 1922, many now-famous individuals were born, including actresses Judy Garland, Betty White, Doris Day, Bea Arthur, Yvonne De Carlo. Veronica Lake and Ava Gardner. Also born in 1922 were a number of actors who enjoyed long and notable careers, including Telly Savalas, Carl Reiner, Darren McGavin, Jack Klugman, Jason Robards, Jackie Cooper, Sid Caesar and Redd Foxx.

But, most notably, those born in 1922 - like my own father - would earn the distinction of being part of the Greatest Generation. They lived through the Great Depression and never forgot it. Many fought in World War II. They made possible the freedom and affluence we enjoy today. They taught us about patriotism, answering the call to duty and risking all for the greater good.

Knowing The Bungalow was built for and lived in by men and women like that made me purchase the property. Daily, I am reminded of them; that knowledge continues to make me proud.