Mike Dobray (1886 - 1976)

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

In 1886, in the year that Mike Dobray was born, on February 14th, the first train left Los Angeles for the East -by the way of the transcontinental railroad - with a cargo of oranges. Due to irrigation and the import of water, Los Angeles was the ideal place to grow oranges - which became a popular addition to Christmas stockings.

In 1898, he was merely 12 years old when on February 15th, the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor. The reason for the explosion has never been found, but it killed 266 men. "Remember the Maine" became a rallying cry and precipitated the United States' declaration of war on Spain two months later - the beginning of the Spanish-American War. On December 10th, the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The Treaty gave the U.S. Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam - for $20 million - and, temporarily, Cuba.

In 1956, Mike was 70 years old when on May 20th, the U.S. tested the first hydrogen bomb dropped from a plane over Bikini Atoll. Previously, hydrogen bombs had only been tested on the ground. The Atomic Age moved forward.

In 1967, he was 81 years old when on October 2nd, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first black US Supreme Court justice. Marshall was the great-grandson of a slave and graduated first in his class at Howard University Law School. His nomination to the Supreme Court was approved by the Senate, 69 to 11.

In 1976, in the year of Mike Dobray's passing, The United States celebrated the Bicentennial of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It was a year long celebration, with the biggest events taking place on July 4th.