James Shalders (1888 - 1949)

James's immediate relatives including parents, siblings, partnerships and children in the Shalders family tree.

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James's Family

Shalders Henry Horace Shalders

Catherine Anne Kirkland Parker Shalders

James Shalders

Parents:

Shalders Henry Horace Shalders

Unknown - Unknown

Catherine Anne Kirkland Parker Shalders

Unknown - Unknown

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In 1888, in the year that James Shalders was born, on January 12th, the 'Schoolhouse Blizzard' blanketed Dakota Territory. Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas were hit, leaving 235 dead. Many of those who perished were children on their way home from school. The day was relatively warm when it began and the blizzard hit unexpectedly, catching most by surprise.

In 1894, he was just 6 years old when large reserves of oil were discovered on the Osage Indian reservation in Oklahoma. Previously thought to be "useless" land - not even good for farming - the tribe had bought the land themselves. The discovery of oil made the Osage the "richest group of people in the world" at the time.

In 1914, at the age of 26 years old, James was alive when in August, the Panama Canal opened to traffic. Begun by the French in the 1880's and abandoned, the United States undertook further construction in 1904. After 10 years, and the elimination of malaria carrying mosquitoes (which caused immense delays for the French and the Americans), the 48 mile long artificial waterway - a series of locks - created a shortcut for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

In 1926, by the time he was 38 years old, on November 15th, NBC was founded. It was the U.S.'s first major broadcast network. Ownership of the network was split between RCA (a majority partner at 50%), its founding corporate parent General Electric (which owned 30%), and Westinghouse (which owned the remaining 20%).

In 1949, in the year of James Shalders's passing, comedian Milton Berle hosted the first telethon show. It raised $1,100,000 for cancer research and lasted 16 hours. The next day, newspapers, in writing about the event, first used the word "telethon."