Olympia M Branco (1908 - 1998)

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

In 1908, in the year that Olympia M Branco was born, Henry Ford developed the first Model T automobile, often called the Tin Lizzy or flivver. Produced from 1908 through 1927, it first sold for $850 - which made it affordable for every middle class family. Previously, cars were the province of the upper class and the introduction of the Model T and its availability changed U.S. culture. Within days of its release, over 15,000 cars had been ordered.

In 1917, at the age of merely 9 years old, Olympia was alive when in April, the U.S. entered World War I, declaring war against Germany. President Wilson had previously declared neutrality in the war - a position supported by the majority of Americans - but after Germany declared that they would sink all ships trading with Great Britain and sunk U.S. ships, public opinion began to change. Then the Lusitania was sunk, killing 1,201 - including 128 Americans - and more U.S. ships were sunk. The U.S. could stand aside no longer.

In 1928, she was 20 years old when aviatrix Amelia Earhart, age 31, became the first woman to fly solo across North America and back in August. In June, she had been part of a 3 man crew that flew the Atlantic Ocean but since she had no instrument training, she couldn't fly the plane - she kept the flight log. The North American flight became one of her many "firsts" as a female pilot.

In 1984, at the age of 76 years old, Olympia was alive when on January 1, "Baby Bells" were created. AT&T had been the provider of telephone service (and equipment) in the United States. The company kept Western Electric, Bell Labs, and AT&T Long Distance. Seven new regional companies (the Baby Bells) covered local telephone service and were separately owned. AT&T lost 70% of its book value due to this move.

In 1998, in the year of Olympia M Branco's passing, on December 19th, the movie Titanic - based on the 1912 sinking of the ship and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet - was released. Winning 11 Oscars, it was the first film to gross over a billion dollars and eventually grossed over $2 billion.