William Osterheldt (1889 - 1969)

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

In 1889, in the year that William Osterheldt 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 1897, when he was just 8 years old, on July 17th, the Klondike Gold Rush began when the first successful prospectors returned to Seattle after mining in the Yukon. They arrived on the ships Excelsior and Portland, bringing vast quantities of gold - over $32,000,000 in today's money - and everyone rushed to become rich in the Yukon.

In 1917, by the time he was 28 years old, the U.S. Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in January. While they are U.S. citizens, Virgin Islanders are ineligible to vote for the President of the United States.

In 1935, by the time he was 46 years old, 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 1969, in the year of William Osterheldt's passing, one hundred countries, along with the United States and the Soviet Union signed the nuclear nonproliferation treaty (NPT). It called for stopping the spread of nuclear weapons, the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and the goal of nuclear disarmament.