Watts' immediate relatives including parents, siblings, partnerships and children in the Thornton family tree.

Watts's Family

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My Great, Great Grandparents: Lonnie Monroe Thornton and Mary Ellen Barker Thornton.

Margie Thornton

Paul Elmer Thornton Jr Gravesite

Paul Elmer Thornton Jr

Earline Moore

Earline Moore

Earline Moore

Sharon Adkisson Brown, 1991

Sharon Adkisson Brown

Anna R Prince

Florence, William, and Robert Thornton

Robert Sturgess Thornton

Robert Sturgess Thornton

Austin Elias Thornton

Barry Weldon Thornton

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

In 1910, in the year that Watts Thornton was born, the Mexican revolution began. Dictator Porfirio Díaz had ruled for 35 years and was nationally unpopular. When elections were held in 1910 and a rigged election kept Diaz in office. The uprising began - and lasted for another 10 years.

In 1927, when this person was 17 years old, the first "talkie" (a movie with music, songs, and talking), The Jazz Singer, was released. Al Jolson starred as a cantor's son who instead of following in his father's footsteps as expected, becomes a singer of popular songs. Banished by his father, they reconcile on his father's deathbed. It was a tear-jerker and audiences went wild - especially when they heard the songs. Thus begun the demise of silent films and the rise of "talkies".

In 1935, this person was 25 years old when on August 14, the Social Security Act was signed into law. The purpose was to "provide federal assistance to those unable to work". The law established the Social Security Administration whose primary focus was to "provide aid for the elderly, the unemployed, and children". The Act survived many Supreme Court challenges and the Administration continues until today.

In 1944, at the age of 34 years old, Watts was alive when on June 6th, the largest amphibious invasion in history was launched - the Normandy landing (called D-Day). Soldiers from the United States, Britain, Canada, and the Free French landed on Normandy Beach and were later joined by Poland, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, and the Netherlands. Almost 5,000 landing and assault craft, 289 escort vessels, and 277 minesweepers were involved. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on D-Day - Allied casualties on the first day were at least 10,000. 4,414 were confirmed dead.

In 1983, in the year of Watts Thornton's passing, physicist Sally K. Ride, 32, became the first US woman astronaut in space as a crew member aboard space shuttle Challenger on June 18th. She was also the youngest (32) astronaut to go into space. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space in 1963.