Sophie Skerstonas (1897 - 1987)

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

In 1897, in the year that Sophie Skerstonas was born, on March 4th, William McKinley became the 25th President of the United States. He had beaten William Jennings Bryan in the 1896 election by 51% to 46.7% in the popular vote. Six months into his second term as President, McKinley was assassinated.

In 1937, she was 40 years old when on May 28th, the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge opened to cars. Taking 5 years to build, the 4,200-foot-long suspension bridge was an engineering marvel of its time - 11 men died during construction. The "international orange" color was chosen because it resisted rust and fading. To the present, it is the symbol of the City that is known throughout the world.

In 1948, at the age of 51 years old, Sophie was alive when on May 14th, the State of Israel was proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion, who became Israel's first Premier, and the U.S. officially recognized Israel. That evening, Egypt launched an air assault on Israel.

In 1957, when she was 60 years old, on October 4th, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first man made earth-orbiting satellite - and triggered the Space Race. Sputnik I was only 23 inches in diameter and had no tracking equipment, only 4 antennas, but it had a big impact.

In 1987, in the year of Sophie Skerstonas's passing, on October 19th, stock exchanges around the world crashed. Beginning in Hong Kong then spreading to Europe, the crash then hit the United States. It was called Black Monday. The Dow Jones fell 508 points to 1,738.74 (22.61%).