Mary Elizabeth Ackland (1869 - 1949)

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

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Mary's Family

Smith Edwin Ackland

Jane Dawson Ackland

Mary Elizabeth Ackland

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Smith Edwin Ackland

Unknown - Unknown

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Jane Dawson Ackland

Unknown - Unknown

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In 1869, in the year that Mary Elizabeth Ackland was born, on May 10th, North America's first transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory, by driving a "golden spike" or the "last spike" of the line. The spike was driven by Leland Stanford and is now displayed at Stanford University.

In 1878, when she was just 9 years old, on June 15th, photographer Eadweard Muybridge - at the request of Leland Stanford - produced the first sequence of stop-motion still photographs. Stanford contended that a galloping horse had all four feet off the ground. Only photos of a horse at a gallop would settle the question and, using 12 cameras and a series of photos, Muybridge settled the question: Stanford was right. Muybridge's use of several cameras and stills led to motion pictures.

In 1922, Mary was 53 years old when the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. on May 30th. More than 35,000 people attended the dedication including Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, and many Union and Confederate veterans - although the audience was segregated. The Memorial took 10 years to complete.

In 1932, Mary was 63 years old when on February 27th, actress Elizabeth Taylor was born in London. Her parents were Americans living in London and when she was 7, the family moved to Los Angeles. Her first small part in a movie was in There's One Born Every Minute in 1942 but her first starring role was in National Velvet in 1944. She became as famous for her 8 marriages (to 7 people) as she was for her beauty and films.

In 1949, in the year of Mary Elizabeth Ackland'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."