MAGA senate candidate Bernie Moreno outdid himself yesterday, being caught on tape saytay, saying Ohio women are “a little crazy” for supporting abortion rights.
This newsletter explains brilliantly why they (you know who they are) will come for our votes, if they get their way. I'd rather have my vote than a dam gun any day. While I'm on a roll here I'm going to also express my very great displeasure at idiots assuming that because I'm retired and over 65 I have no interest or stake in abortion rights, or good public schools, or the welfare of other people's kids.
AMEN, sister! I am over 70, more interested, more invested, and more willing than EVER to discuss, sacrifice as needed, and pull my weight to make sure my granddaughters and their needs, their RIGHTS, are not trampled on like ours were for so many years.
I am kicking sand in the face of 84 (December 23 - they hanged Hideki Tojo on my 8th birthday) and like most of us geezers, I KNOW what a good education is and what it can do for the youngsters. The Republicans are leading this country down a road that has no good end - ignorance is slavery. As Mark Twain once said, 'The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.' We care about this experiment in representative democracy and the people in it. We care about how our kids and grandkids do in the future. Our nation, to paraphrase a Native American saying, was not inherited from our ancestors - it is borrowed from our children.....and we have an obligation to leave it in good condition for them.
I could not agree more as I do remember that I could not sell a house in my name without my husband's consent, get a credit card in my name, or serve on a jury. What women with any dignity or self consciousness wants to return to those indignities. What aware politician would take away rights of more than half the population or refer as the ex-president did yesterday to "our women". So insulting.
I remember after a divorce - I had NO credit whatsoever - My ex-husband co-signed a loan for me to buy a lawn tractor - that was a start at my own credit! I got a job in a small hardware store (owned & run by a woman) & never looked back. Every job after that one was a step up. I did not want EVER to be that dependent upon someone else again and I havent been.
Same here. I was LIABLE on our card from the 60s but my SSN was not attached to the account, hence no history. After 1972 I was able to have a University Book Store card on my own because it was secured by my grad-school transcripts and ability to get my degrees, and they didn't need a hubby. THAT I was able to parley into some low limit cards till I established my own rating.
I got my first credit card in 1975 when I started college. I still have it and I have never missed a payment. At the time, I didn't realize what a great big deal that was. A couple of years later, I took out a small student loan ($4000) that fueled me through the remaining two years of college. My dad didn't have to sign or give me permission. That also was a big deal.
I remember my mom’s department store credit card was in the name Mrs. my dad’s name. They divorced @1972 and she made the transition to mortgage holder, credit in her own name and business owner. She gave me the courage to file an harassment suit in the ‘80’s.
I guess I'm an outlier in this discussion. I'm closer to 92 than 91. I've been a political animal since age 6 and for more than 85 years I've been a liberal progressive. I've never missed an election when I am eligible to vote. Which in America has been since 1967. Both my husbands were Republicans when I married them and both re-registered Democrat before the next election after marriage (probably to shut me up)
My concern with abortion is more because the !@#$%^&* government has NO business meddling with medical procedures, The largest number of physicians in Congress (both Houses) was 21 (out of 535) 0.04%. The majority occupation is business persons - who know diddly squat about medical procedures. Second most common occupation are lawyers. To become a lawyer (today) requires a bachelor degree followed by 3 years of law school and passing the State Bar Exam. Becoming a physician requires a bachelor degree, 3 to 4 years of medical school. One year of Internship ( 60 to 80 hour weeks) followed by 3 to 7 (or more) years of Residency in their field of expertise. Now tell me how logical is it for business persons and lawyers to tell a physician what they may or may not do?
The Congress should stick to the job given to them by the Constitution - write legislation for the common good of all Americans and keep your fatuous noses out of medicine (unless you all go back to school and become physicians yourselves.
And yes I am voting for Harris/Walz and yes I always vote all the way down ballot [even though I object to voting for District Attorneys, judges and sheriffs - how do I know what makes a 'good' DA, judge, or law enforcement sheriff? I do know how I want my Country to be governed - for the common good of every citizen - from the homeless drug addict sleeping under the Interstate bridge to even Elon Musk, selfish brat that he is.
You fuckin’ preach it, Fay! Im 65 and fertility is far in my rearview mirror but I’ll be damned if I'm going to let some tiny dicked MAGA make laws that affect my nieces, friends, neighbors, and future generations. And fuck Bernie Morano and his misogynistic tripe. It matters more than just me. And he has just made me more determined to stand up and speak out and do whatever I can to keep him out of office. F U Morano!!!
This was lovely, TC. I'm 76. Recently some male writer referred to a woman of 70 as elderly. What an asshole. I've been through alot. I've seen alot. Overturning Roe v Wade was an earthquake still being felt. And, by God, I will fight like hell for a Democrat landslide. It did surprise me so many Gen Z males were for Trump. It tells me they are insecure wimps afraid of strong women.
So many are indeed afraid of strong women. I was blessed with men in my life who recognized and celebrated my strengths. My mama would have expected no less of me. She had no power and independence but she was strong and chafed under the odious restrictions that affected every aspect of her life. I roar for her since she no longer can…
The 68-year-old woman proudly cast a vote for Kamala and Tim last Friday in Virginia, our first day of early voting. I am not alone, first day voting in Virginia broke all kinds of records compared to 2020.
Not only am I voting for myself, my daughters, my granddaughters, my nieces, my great nieces, my grandsons and nephews; the men who love my daughters are likewise voting Blue.
We believe in private family planning. In a dignified retirement. We want the world to remain habitable for humans and others on this beautiful Earth. We want guns regulated. We value our allies. We believe in the right of every citizen to vote.
One thing you didn't mention TC, is that Trump killed a hell off of a lot of his voters during the pandemic. Surely that is making a difference.
Yesah, as a doctor I know said at the outset, a pandemic is evolution's IQ test - are you smart enough to take this information and act on it to promote your survival? Sometimes I think not enough of the Trumpers flunked.
Some are still trying to flunk. Anti-vax, even for infant vaccinations. And these are people with law degrees and graduate school. Smdh. There's no lack of intelligence or capability or exposure to the big wide world. Just gulping from the trough of anti-knowledge. As an aside, I found out their adult children all got Covid vaxes.
Thank you TC for such a clear understanding of the votes of the age croup. This 84 yr. old Cat Woman can't wait for my ballot to arrive so she can vote for Madame President!
Yes we are! 💥💥💥72 and right there with you . Like you said, I remember all of it. And so do my sisters, my kick ass book group ( the night we all went around the table and told the abortion secrets by candlelight and wine) and a couple had never told their husbands ( in one case their wife) their secret). We women are fierce and we are foot soldiers. And we are moms of millennials, grandmothers of beautiful boys and girls, teachers, activists, donors, leaders and makers of Kamala Madam Prez swifty bracelets at our town Dems bake sales. Still PSTD from 2016 and— WE ARE NOT GOING BACK. Glad you like our comments..I think tonight I upgrade to paid 😊
I want to say that I was moved by your comment. You expressed how many women I know feel, but haven't found their voice. And you reminded me of the strong women who helped me in my career, where male mangers were useless. And most importantly, of the women who's advice was always right - even if I didn't know it at the time - and deserve listening to and learning from.
That is the crux of it Kate. Women get together and TALK. Speak WITH each other. I am impressed daily by the thread of interaction between all the women here that is a real converstion.
I'm 81, and it chills my blood to think we might go even farther back into those Bad Old Days than we've already come since the Dobbs decision. We are NOT GOING BACK, and we'll do what we can, and must, to protect our rights and everyone's rights.
Thanks TC for the reality check. Throughout the years the women in my cohort (75) were smarter and savvier. I just hope a few more of us duffers stand up and get counted on the right side of history.
Did you ever notice that when you listened to and took the advice of the woman in your life, that things worked out as desired? I do what I do, successfully, for having listened to two important women at different points in my life.
Us duffers that survive can thank a few women who might at least have had the patiense to point some out something that we surely had missed or assumed we knew, but had no clue.
I keep hearing that older voters go for 45 and thinking "no - not so for any of the older voters I know" and again, I hear that older voters do this or that (usually something very backward and unenlightened) and think "wait a minute; those older voters you're stereotyping are continually moving on and new folk are coming up the conveyor belt of life". I like that you note this, and that today's older voter has had a very different young adult experience than some have previously had.
And that different life experience is what will make the difference in the future. People growing up are influenced by their environment - as an example, I am nearly 84. TV advertising was ALL white people, with the picket fences and all that. Kids today see TV commercials with gay couples, interracial couples, blended families, disabled people - even if they have no personal experience with that, they have been exposed and to a certain extent habituated to accept that that is how some other people live - it has been normalized (and isn't "scary"). So kids today will not often react to propaganda the way people used to.....
I grew up in a very small, very white, very isolated community where driving 4-5 hours got you to an actual city. I marveled at seeing Star Treks's Uhura in a leadership role, as well as others of different race--Sulu for instance. In my community and era, the role models for women were teachers, nurses, retail, moms and grandmas. And I did not realize it until much later, but the Enterprise's encounters (though fictitious) with alien beings, some benign and some not, opened my young mind to acceptance of differences among beings.
Let me tell you something about living for 73 years - it's been one hell of a ride, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I've had a front-row seat to history and what a show it's been. I watched Neil Armstrong take that giant leap for mankind, felt the world hold its breath during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and saw the Berlin Wall crumble. I've made a list of events I've witnessed, and let me tell you, it reads like a blockbuster movie script.
Now, don't get me wrong - it hasn't all been starry-eyed wonder. I still feel the ache of 9/11, and Hillary's loss in 2016 was a gut punch I'm still recovering from. But you know what? Those moments showed me what we're made of. Resilience isn't just a buzzword for me - it's how I've lived my life.
I cast my first presidential vote in '72, and I haven't missed an election since. I've seen enough political circus to know the difference between empty promises and real change. And just when I thought I'd seen it all, I watched a president step aside to let his female VP take the lead in a race. History in the making, right before my eyes.
You think 73 is old? Buttercups, I'm just hitting my stride. I've gone from partyline rotary phones to AI chatbots, and I'm still adapting. This 'old dog' doesn't just learn new tricks, she invents them.
I'm married to a wonderful woman, proud mother to a menagerie of pets, and I've probably been fighting for LGBTQ+ rights since before you were born. Try keeping up with my schedule and tell me I'm not active and vibrant.
My age isn't a weakness, it's my secret weapon. I've got a lifetime of experiences, a wealth of knowledge, and the wisdom to use it all. I'm not just keeping up with the world - I'm helping to shape it.
So yeah, maybe you “young under-50s” should be a little jealous. Not in a mean way, but in a 'wow, what a life' kind of way. I've lived through some of the most transcendent moments in history, and I'm still here, still learning, still growing.
So here's my challenge to you: What are you doing to make history? Because I'm not done yet. I've got battles to fight, causes to champion, and a whole lot more living to do.
So, for all you “Overs” (that’s over 50) and “Unders”, here's a list of events I’ve witnessed during my lifetime, spanning from my birth in 1951 to 2024. If I missed an important event, let me know. I’ll add it to our history!
• Launch of Sputnik 1, first artificial satellite (1957)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
• Assassination of President John F. Kennedy (1963)
• Civil Rights Act passed (1964)
• Voting Rights Act passed (1965)
• Apollo 11 moon landing (1969)
• Woodstock Music Festival (1969)
• Kent State shootings (1970)
• Watergate scandal and Nixon's resignation (1972-1974)
• Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision (1973)
• Fall of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War (1975)
• U.S. Bicentennial celebrations (1976)
• Three Mile Island nuclear accident (1979)
• Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981)
• Mount St. Helens eruption (1980)
• Assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan (1981)
• Launch of MTV (1981)
• Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (1986)
• Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)
• Operation Desert Storm (Gulf War) (1991)
• World Trade Center bombing (1993)
• Oklahoma City bombing (1995)
• O.J. Simpson trial verdict (1995)
• Columbine High School shooting (1999)
• Y2K and the turn of the millennium (1999-2000)
• September 11 terrorist attacks (2001)
• Hurricane Katrina (2005)
• Election of Barack Obama as the first Black president (2008)
• Same-sex marriage legalized nationwide (2015)
• COVID-19 pandemic (2020-ongoing)
• January 6 Capitol attack (2021)
• End of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan (August 2021)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine (February 2022 - ongoing)
• Overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court (June 2022)
• Passing of Queen Elizabeth II (September 2022)
• AI advancements and debates (ChatGPT release, December 2022)
• Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (March 2023)
• Record-breaking heat waves and climate-related disasters (2021-2023)
• Inflation surge and economic challenges (2022-2023)
• Appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court (2022)
• Former President Trump's indictments (2023)
• President Biden withdraws from the 2024 presidential race, choosing Vice President Harris to replace him (July 2024)
Well said, TC. As the estimable Heather Cox Richardson has pointed out, we older women are not only planning to vote for Harris, we are doing our part to get others to do it.
This newsletter explains brilliantly why they (you know who they are) will come for our votes, if they get their way. I'd rather have my vote than a dam gun any day. While I'm on a roll here I'm going to also express my very great displeasure at idiots assuming that because I'm retired and over 65 I have no interest or stake in abortion rights, or good public schools, or the welfare of other people's kids.
AMEN, sister! I am over 70, more interested, more invested, and more willing than EVER to discuss, sacrifice as needed, and pull my weight to make sure my granddaughters and their needs, their RIGHTS, are not trampled on like ours were for so many years.
I am kicking sand in the face of 84 (December 23 - they hanged Hideki Tojo on my 8th birthday) and like most of us geezers, I KNOW what a good education is and what it can do for the youngsters. The Republicans are leading this country down a road that has no good end - ignorance is slavery. As Mark Twain once said, 'The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.' We care about this experiment in representative democracy and the people in it. We care about how our kids and grandkids do in the future. Our nation, to paraphrase a Native American saying, was not inherited from our ancestors - it is borrowed from our children.....and we have an obligation to leave it in good condition for them.
I could not agree more as I do remember that I could not sell a house in my name without my husband's consent, get a credit card in my name, or serve on a jury. What women with any dignity or self consciousness wants to return to those indignities. What aware politician would take away rights of more than half the population or refer as the ex-president did yesterday to "our women". So insulting.
I remember after a divorce - I had NO credit whatsoever - My ex-husband co-signed a loan for me to buy a lawn tractor - that was a start at my own credit! I got a job in a small hardware store (owned & run by a woman) & never looked back. Every job after that one was a step up. I did not want EVER to be that dependent upon someone else again and I havent been.
Same here. I was LIABLE on our card from the 60s but my SSN was not attached to the account, hence no history. After 1972 I was able to have a University Book Store card on my own because it was secured by my grad-school transcripts and ability to get my degrees, and they didn't need a hubby. THAT I was able to parley into some low limit cards till I established my own rating.
I got my first credit card in 1975 when I started college. I still have it and I have never missed a payment. At the time, I didn't realize what a great big deal that was. A couple of years later, I took out a small student loan ($4000) that fueled me through the remaining two years of college. My dad didn't have to sign or give me permission. That also was a big deal.
I remember my mom’s department store credit card was in the name Mrs. my dad’s name. They divorced @1972 and she made the transition to mortgage holder, credit in her own name and business owner. She gave me the courage to file an harassment suit in the ‘80’s.
Yup - that was about 2 years after my issues. Things sure were different back then in many ways.
I guess I'm an outlier in this discussion. I'm closer to 92 than 91. I've been a political animal since age 6 and for more than 85 years I've been a liberal progressive. I've never missed an election when I am eligible to vote. Which in America has been since 1967. Both my husbands were Republicans when I married them and both re-registered Democrat before the next election after marriage (probably to shut me up)
My concern with abortion is more because the !@#$%^&* government has NO business meddling with medical procedures, The largest number of physicians in Congress (both Houses) was 21 (out of 535) 0.04%. The majority occupation is business persons - who know diddly squat about medical procedures. Second most common occupation are lawyers. To become a lawyer (today) requires a bachelor degree followed by 3 years of law school and passing the State Bar Exam. Becoming a physician requires a bachelor degree, 3 to 4 years of medical school. One year of Internship ( 60 to 80 hour weeks) followed by 3 to 7 (or more) years of Residency in their field of expertise. Now tell me how logical is it for business persons and lawyers to tell a physician what they may or may not do?
The Congress should stick to the job given to them by the Constitution - write legislation for the common good of all Americans and keep your fatuous noses out of medicine (unless you all go back to school and become physicians yourselves.
And yes I am voting for Harris/Walz and yes I always vote all the way down ballot [even though I object to voting for District Attorneys, judges and sheriffs - how do I know what makes a 'good' DA, judge, or law enforcement sheriff? I do know how I want my Country to be governed - for the common good of every citizen - from the homeless drug addict sleeping under the Interstate bridge to even Elon Musk, selfish brat that he is.
You fuckin’ preach it, Fay! Im 65 and fertility is far in my rearview mirror but I’ll be damned if I'm going to let some tiny dicked MAGA make laws that affect my nieces, friends, neighbors, and future generations. And fuck Bernie Morano and his misogynistic tripe. It matters more than just me. And he has just made me more determined to stand up and speak out and do whatever I can to keep him out of office. F U Morano!!!
❤️
Whoa, don’t make this woman have to come and get you, republicans. She has plenty of company…
This was lovely, TC. I'm 76. Recently some male writer referred to a woman of 70 as elderly. What an asshole. I've been through alot. I've seen alot. Overturning Roe v Wade was an earthquake still being felt. And, by God, I will fight like hell for a Democrat landslide. It did surprise me so many Gen Z males were for Trump. It tells me they are insecure wimps afraid of strong women.
So many are indeed afraid of strong women. I was blessed with men in my life who recognized and celebrated my strengths. My mama would have expected no less of me. She had no power and independence but she was strong and chafed under the odious restrictions that affected every aspect of her life. I roar for her since she no longer can…
Beautifully said.
You bet your sweet ass we
women 65 and older have
been on the front lines and
through the quagmire to
obtain the rights we have.
Not just for ourselves, but for
our daughters,
granddaughters and
eventually their female
children.
We are NOT going back!
Chef's kiss Thomas! A great
post!
The 68-year-old woman proudly cast a vote for Kamala and Tim last Friday in Virginia, our first day of early voting. I am not alone, first day voting in Virginia broke all kinds of records compared to 2020.
Not only am I voting for myself, my daughters, my granddaughters, my nieces, my great nieces, my grandsons and nephews; the men who love my daughters are likewise voting Blue.
We believe in private family planning. In a dignified retirement. We want the world to remain habitable for humans and others on this beautiful Earth. We want guns regulated. We value our allies. We believe in the right of every citizen to vote.
One thing you didn't mention TC, is that Trump killed a hell off of a lot of his voters during the pandemic. Surely that is making a difference.
Yesah, as a doctor I know said at the outset, a pandemic is evolution's IQ test - are you smart enough to take this information and act on it to promote your survival? Sometimes I think not enough of the Trumpers flunked.
Then maybe not enough will vote.
Some are still trying to flunk. Anti-vax, even for infant vaccinations. And these are people with law degrees and graduate school. Smdh. There's no lack of intelligence or capability or exposure to the big wide world. Just gulping from the trough of anti-knowledge. As an aside, I found out their adult children all got Covid vaxes.
Thank you TC for such a clear understanding of the votes of the age croup. This 84 yr. old Cat Woman can't wait for my ballot to arrive so she can vote for Madame President!
Yes we are! 💥💥💥72 and right there with you . Like you said, I remember all of it. And so do my sisters, my kick ass book group ( the night we all went around the table and told the abortion secrets by candlelight and wine) and a couple had never told their husbands ( in one case their wife) their secret). We women are fierce and we are foot soldiers. And we are moms of millennials, grandmothers of beautiful boys and girls, teachers, activists, donors, leaders and makers of Kamala Madam Prez swifty bracelets at our town Dems bake sales. Still PSTD from 2016 and— WE ARE NOT GOING BACK. Glad you like our comments..I think tonight I upgrade to paid 😊
Hi Kate,
I want to say that I was moved by your comment. You expressed how many women I know feel, but haven't found their voice. And you reminded me of the strong women who helped me in my career, where male mangers were useless. And most importantly, of the women who's advice was always right - even if I didn't know it at the time - and deserve listening to and learning from.
Hear! Hear!
Yes, for sure. Those issues are part of what I am dealing with in therapy. And yes, Tom, I was referred to a great one, spurred on by you.
Thank you, Kate.
That is the crux of it Kate. Women get together and TALK. Speak WITH each other. I am impressed daily by the thread of interaction between all the women here that is a real converstion.
Thanks, Tom. Your words provide a welcome haven after reading the somewhat depressing script from "the Big Picture". heartening, indeed!
You've got it right, Tim. I, and my sisterhood of a certain age, are NOT GOING BACK!! Thanks for the good analysis tonight.
I’m an 87 year old pediatrician and you can bet your boots I’m concerned First and Foremost about health care for my female patients!
I'm 81, and it chills my blood to think we might go even farther back into those Bad Old Days than we've already come since the Dobbs decision. We are NOT GOING BACK, and we'll do what we can, and must, to protect our rights and everyone's rights.
Thanks TC for the reality check. Throughout the years the women in my cohort (75) were smarter and savvier. I just hope a few more of us duffers stand up and get counted on the right side of history.
Did you ever notice that when you listened to and took the advice of the woman in your life, that things worked out as desired? I do what I do, successfully, for having listened to two important women at different points in my life.
I am going to copy and past this to a note to someone in my life in hopes that it might spur a possitive response.
Right on!
Us duffers that survive can thank a few women who might at least have had the patiense to point some out something that we surely had missed or assumed we knew, but had no clue.
I keep hearing that older voters go for 45 and thinking "no - not so for any of the older voters I know" and again, I hear that older voters do this or that (usually something very backward and unenlightened) and think "wait a minute; those older voters you're stereotyping are continually moving on and new folk are coming up the conveyor belt of life". I like that you note this, and that today's older voter has had a very different young adult experience than some have previously had.
And that different life experience is what will make the difference in the future. People growing up are influenced by their environment - as an example, I am nearly 84. TV advertising was ALL white people, with the picket fences and all that. Kids today see TV commercials with gay couples, interracial couples, blended families, disabled people - even if they have no personal experience with that, they have been exposed and to a certain extent habituated to accept that that is how some other people live - it has been normalized (and isn't "scary"). So kids today will not often react to propaganda the way people used to.....
I grew up in a very small, very white, very isolated community where driving 4-5 hours got you to an actual city. I marveled at seeing Star Treks's Uhura in a leadership role, as well as others of different race--Sulu for instance. In my community and era, the role models for women were teachers, nurses, retail, moms and grandmas. And I did not realize it until much later, but the Enterprise's encounters (though fictitious) with alien beings, some benign and some not, opened my young mind to acceptance of differences among beings.
Let me tell you something about living for 73 years - it's been one hell of a ride, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I've had a front-row seat to history and what a show it's been. I watched Neil Armstrong take that giant leap for mankind, felt the world hold its breath during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and saw the Berlin Wall crumble. I've made a list of events I've witnessed, and let me tell you, it reads like a blockbuster movie script.
Now, don't get me wrong - it hasn't all been starry-eyed wonder. I still feel the ache of 9/11, and Hillary's loss in 2016 was a gut punch I'm still recovering from. But you know what? Those moments showed me what we're made of. Resilience isn't just a buzzword for me - it's how I've lived my life.
I cast my first presidential vote in '72, and I haven't missed an election since. I've seen enough political circus to know the difference between empty promises and real change. And just when I thought I'd seen it all, I watched a president step aside to let his female VP take the lead in a race. History in the making, right before my eyes.
You think 73 is old? Buttercups, I'm just hitting my stride. I've gone from partyline rotary phones to AI chatbots, and I'm still adapting. This 'old dog' doesn't just learn new tricks, she invents them.
I'm married to a wonderful woman, proud mother to a menagerie of pets, and I've probably been fighting for LGBTQ+ rights since before you were born. Try keeping up with my schedule and tell me I'm not active and vibrant.
My age isn't a weakness, it's my secret weapon. I've got a lifetime of experiences, a wealth of knowledge, and the wisdom to use it all. I'm not just keeping up with the world - I'm helping to shape it.
So yeah, maybe you “young under-50s” should be a little jealous. Not in a mean way, but in a 'wow, what a life' kind of way. I've lived through some of the most transcendent moments in history, and I'm still here, still learning, still growing.
So here's my challenge to you: What are you doing to make history? Because I'm not done yet. I've got battles to fight, causes to champion, and a whole lot more living to do.
So, for all you “Overs” (that’s over 50) and “Unders”, here's a list of events I’ve witnessed during my lifetime, spanning from my birth in 1951 to 2024. If I missed an important event, let me know. I’ll add it to our history!
• Launch of Sputnik 1, first artificial satellite (1957)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
• Assassination of President John F. Kennedy (1963)
• Civil Rights Act passed (1964)
• Voting Rights Act passed (1965)
• Apollo 11 moon landing (1969)
• Woodstock Music Festival (1969)
• Kent State shootings (1970)
• Watergate scandal and Nixon's resignation (1972-1974)
• Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision (1973)
• Fall of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War (1975)
• U.S. Bicentennial celebrations (1976)
• Three Mile Island nuclear accident (1979)
• Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981)
• Mount St. Helens eruption (1980)
• Assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan (1981)
• Launch of MTV (1981)
• Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (1986)
• Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)
• Operation Desert Storm (Gulf War) (1991)
• World Trade Center bombing (1993)
• Oklahoma City bombing (1995)
• O.J. Simpson trial verdict (1995)
• Columbine High School shooting (1999)
• Y2K and the turn of the millennium (1999-2000)
• September 11 terrorist attacks (2001)
• Hurricane Katrina (2005)
• Election of Barack Obama as the first Black president (2008)
• Same-sex marriage legalized nationwide (2015)
• COVID-19 pandemic (2020-ongoing)
• January 6 Capitol attack (2021)
• End of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan (August 2021)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine (February 2022 - ongoing)
• Overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court (June 2022)
• Passing of Queen Elizabeth II (September 2022)
• AI advancements and debates (ChatGPT release, December 2022)
• Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (March 2023)
• Record-breaking heat waves and climate-related disasters (2021-2023)
• Inflation surge and economic challenges (2022-2023)
• Appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court (2022)
• Former President Trump's indictments (2023)
• President Biden withdraws from the 2024 presidential race, choosing Vice President Harris to replace him (July 2024)
You continue to amaze me, Gloria.
A great list Gloria. There are a few blank spots that jump out and more that I missed, but
Robert Kennedy (1968)
MLK (1968)
Iran-Contra and holding the hostages so Jimmy Carter would lose in the 1980 election
A lot more (Morton Thyocol engineers screaming) in regard to the Challenger disaster (1986)
Chicano Moritorium (1969)
I think those are important enough to include, but whamo, do you have an impressive recall.
Thanks for that, list especially. Been there, done that.
Well said, TC. As the estimable Heather Cox Richardson has pointed out, we older women are not only planning to vote for Harris, we are doing our part to get others to do it.