It's My Birthday! - - Birthday Giveaway #20

 

No, it really is my birthday. Finally! Many (many, many) years ago on this date, a baby girl entered the world. Me! 😊 She was the first child born to her parents and, as it turned out, their only daughter. She would grow up loving animals, sports, water, travel, photography, music, and, of course, books. As I celebrate my birthday today, I thought it would be fun to take a stroll back in time to look at what was happening in the world the year I burst onto the scene. 

Soon after I was born, the first live sporting event seen coast-to-coast (a college football game) was televised on NBC. Hmmm...could football have been imprinted on me at only 9 days old? 

The first episode of I Love Lucy aired on CBS. Did I mention we only had four, fuzzy, black and white television stations at that time? And that they all went off the air at 11:00 PM? Other popular shows of my childhood that debuted the same year I did were Dragnet, Sky King (a Saturday morning favorite), The Roy Rogers Show, The Dinah Shore Show, and What's My Line.

Direct-dial, coast-to-coast telephone service began in the United States. In our small town, calls were still made through a switchboard.

An experimental nuclear power plant in Idaho became the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity. It powered four light bulbs.

Some popular movies released the month I was born were An American in Paris (still a favorite), The Red Badge of Courage (which I would have to read when I reached high school), A Streetcar Named Desire (young Brando was hot!), The Day the Earth Stood Still (a sci-fi classic), and Wild Women (kind of sorry this one didn't stand the test of time). 

S&H Green Stamps were introduced. I pretty much furnished my first apartment with Green Stamps. 

Popular songs were Because of You by Tony Bennett (that man has staying power!), Come On-a My House by Rosemary Clooney, and Unforgettable by Nat King Cole (such a beautiful voice).

The King and I opened on Broadway and won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Actress (Gertrude Lawrence), and Best Featured Actor (Yul Brynner).  

 

Some of the bestselling books the week I was born were The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk, From Here to Eternity by James Jones, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and Return to Paradise by James A. Michener. In a list of 147 Harlequin romance novels published the year I was born, I found only one woman author, or at least only one who was writing under a woman's name: Jean Plaidy. Plaidy would also go on to publish gothic romance novels as Victoria Holt. Holt was my gateway to romance in my early teens. 

That's a bit of what was going on in the world the year I made my entrance. What was happening the year you were born?

Birthday Giveaway #20:

All giveaways end at 11:00 PM, September 22. 

*U.S. only unless otherwise indicated

*Must be 18

*Void where prohibited

Two randomly chosen people will each receive two books from my home collection.

One randomly chosen person will receive a $10 Amazon US e-gift card. (open to anyone with Amazon US access)

Because I share my birthday with the lovely and amazingly talented Julie Anne Long and because she is one of my favorite authors... One randomly chosen person will receive their choice of a print or e-book copy of I'm Only Wicked With You by Julie Anne Long. 

(If U.S., the book will be sent from Amazon. If international, the book will be sent from bookdepository.com)