Willie Alston (1889 - 1964)

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

In 1889, in the year that Willie Alston was born, on March 4th, Benjamin Harrison became the 23rd President of the United States. His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, was the 9th President of the United States. His father, John Scott Harrison - son of William Henry - was in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1890, he was just 1 year old when on January 2nd, Alice Sanger became the first female staffer to work in the White House. She was hired as a stenographer and, as such, took dictation.

In 1934, by the time he was 45 years old, on July 22nd, gangster John Dillinger was killed in Chicago. His gang had robbed banks and police stations, among other charges, and he was being hunted by J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI - although many in the public saw him as a "Robin Hood". A madam from a brothel in which he was hiding became an informer for the FBI and, after a shootout with FBI agents, Dillinger was shot and died.

In 1946, by the time he was 57 years old, pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock's book "The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care" was published. It sold half a million copies in the first six months. Aside from the Bible, it became the best selling book of the 20th century. A generation of Baby Boomers were raised by the advice of Dr. Spock.

In 1964, in the year of Willie Alston's passing, on June 11th, activist Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment in South Africa for conspiring to overthrow the state (because of his numerous anti-apartheid activities). He served 27 years in prison.