Christiana Maria (Geldenhuys) Holmes (1858 - 1932)

Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Christiana's lifetime.

In 1858, in the year that Christiana Maria (Geldenhuys) Holmes was born, in July, the "Fifty-Niners" began the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Lasting until about 1861, gold fever hit western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory.

In 1880, she was 22 years old when on February 4th, five members of one family in Ontario, Canada were killed and their farm was burned by a mob. Called the Black Donnelly Massacre, the Irish family had been feuding with other citizens of the town. No one was ever convicted.

In 1898, she was 40 years old when magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company controlled 84% of the oil and pipelines in the United States. Rockefeller grew Standard Oil through the merger of several other small oil companies throughout the U.S., creating a monopoly.

In 1928, Christiana was 70 years old when Mickie Mouse was born! He first appeared in Disney's Steamboat Willie, along with Minnie. Although they were in two previous shorts, this was the first to be distributed. Steamboat Willie took advantage of the new technology and was a "talkie" - music was coordinated with the animation. It became the most popular cartoon of its day.

In 1932, in the year of Christiana Maria (Geldenhuys) Holmes's passing, five years to the day after Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart flew solo from Newfoundland to Ireland, the first woman to cross the Atlantic solo and the first to replicate Lindbergh's feat. She flew over 2,000 miles in just under 15 hours.