William Luke Foster
(1889 - 1965)
Heidelberg, Australia
Ethnicity & Lineage
Nationality & Locations
Religion
Personal Life
Military Service
Average Age
Life Expectancy
View other bios of people named William Foster
Friends:
There are no photos of William Luke Foster! Please share photos of William and the Foster family.
Photo
Share William's obituary or write your own to preserve his legacy.
Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during William's lifetime.
In 1889, in the year that William Luke Foster was born, on March 31st, the Eiffel Tower was inaugurated. Because the elevators were not yet in operation, officials had to climb to the top of the tower - it took an hour. On May 15th, the Tower opened to the public - still without working elevators - but around 30,000 visitors still made the climb. The elevators went into operation on the 26th. The Tower wasn't considered aesthetically pleasing at the time but is now one of the most iconic structures in the world.
In 1910, William was 21 years old when Thomas Edison introduced his kinetophone, which he hoped would make "talkies" a reality. But the sound wasn't synchronized to the pictures and only 45 Kinetophones were made.
In 1930, he was 41 years old when on August 6th, N.Y. Supreme Court Judge Joseph Crater went through papers in his office, destroyed some of them, withdrew all his money from the bank - $5,150, sold his stock, met friends at a restaurant for dinner and disappeared after getting into a taxi (or walking down the street - his friends' testimony later changed). His disappearance was reported to the police on September 3rd - almost a month later. His wife didn't know what happened, his fellow Justices had no idea, and his mistresses (he had several) said that they didn't know. While his disappearance was front page news, his fate was never discovered and after 40 years the case was closed, still without knowing if Crater was dead or alive.
In 1950, he was 61 years old when on October 2, Charlie Brown appeared in the first Peanuts comic strip - created by Charles Schultz - and he was the only character in that strip. That year, Schultz said that Charlie was 4 years old, but Charlie aged a bit through the years.
In 1965, in the year of William Luke Foster's passing, the television show "I Spy" premiered in the fall season on NBC. The stars were Bill Cosby and Robert Culp, making Cosby the first African American to headline a television show. Four stations - in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama - refused to air the show.
Other William Fosters
Other Fosters
Other Bios
These stories will warm your heart and inspire you to share your memories of the people important to you.