Willa M Benning 1926 - 2006
Willa Benning's Biography
Introduction
Name & aliases
Last residence
Share Story or Memory
Share Photo
Birth details
Ethnicity & Family History
Nationality & Locations
Education
Religion
Baptism date & location
Professions
Personal Life
Military Service
Death details
Gravesite & burial
Obituary
Average Age & Life Expectancy
Memories: Stories & Photos
Through sharing we discover more together.
Share Story or Memory
Share Photo
Story
Photo
Family Tree & Friends
Willa's Family Tree
Willa M Benning
Partner
Child
Partner
Child
|
Sibling
|
Friends
Friends can be as close as family. Add Willa's family friends, and her friends from childhood through adulthood.
1926 - 2006 World Events
Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Willa's lifetime.
In 1926, in the year that Willa M Benning was born, on October 31st, Harry Houdini died in Michigan. Houdini was the most famed magician of his time and perhaps of all time, especially for his acts involving escapes - from handcuffs, straitjackets, chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, and more. He was president of the Society of American Magicians and stringently upheld professional ethics. He died of complications from a ruptured appendix. Although he had received a blow to the area a couple of days previously, the connection between the blow and his appendicitis is disputed.
In 1941, by the time she was merely 15 years old, on June 25th, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, prohibiting racial discrimination in the defense industry. EO 8802 was the first federal action to prohibit employment discrimination - without prejudice as to "race, creed, color, or national origin" - in the U.S. Civil Rights groups had planned a march on Washington D.C. to protest for equal rights but with the signing of the Order, they canceled the March.
In 1956, at the age of 30 years old, Willa was alive 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 1983, when she was 57 years old, "crack" cocaine was developed in the Bahamas and spread to the United States. Previously, cocaine had been cut with other substances, diluting it. Crack was 80% pure and therefore was more addictive. It was also cheaper, making it more easily available to low income neighborhoods.
In 1999, when she was 73 years old, the fear that Y2K (year 2000) would cause the failure of computers worldwide when clocks didn't properly update to January 1st, 2000 became near panic. While some computer systems and software did have problems, the panic was unfounded and computer life went on.
Other Biographies
Other Benning Family Biographies
