Cyril Johson (1849 - 1976)

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

In 1849, in the year that Cyril Johson was born, on January 23rd, British-born Elizabeth Blackwell became a doctor in the U.S. She earned a medical degree at the Geneva Medical College in New York. Blackwell was the first female doctor with a degree in the U.S.

In 1868, at the age of 19 years old, Cyril was alive when on January 9th, Great Britain ended the practice of transporting its prisoners to Australia. It ended with the arrival of the convict ship Hougoumont in Western Australia. The trip took 89 days and there were 62 Fenians - people fighting for a free Ireland - among the transportees.

In 1922, Cyril was 73 years old when on June 22, coal miners in Herrin Illinois, were on strike (coal miners had been on strike nationally since April 1). The striking miners were outraged at the strikebreakers (scabs) that the company had brought in and laid siege to the mine. Three union workers were killed when gunfire was exchanged. The next day, union miners killed 23 strikebreakers and mine guards. No one, on either side, ever faced jail time.

In 1942, he was 93 years old when due to World War II, automobile production in the United States was stopped on February 1st. A tire rationing program had begun the month before. Detroit - the main hub of car manufacturing - was ordered to free up assembly lines for military production. The president of the Automobile Manufacturers Association said “The automotive industry is in this war all the way". Some dealerships had to close and others expanded their repair shops. The used car market boomed (as did a black market in used cars).

In 1976, in the year of Cyril Johson's passing, on August 4th, a mysterious illness struck an American Legion convention in Philadelphia. Within a week, 25 people had died and 130 people had been hospitalized. It was the first known instance of what came to be called "Legionnaires Disease."