Wilbur Swift MENGES

Born

20 June, 1913 , Athens, Maine, USA

Died

11 January, 1969 , Chelsea, Massachusetts, USA

Age: 55
Cause of Death: Cancer

Parents & Family of Wilbur Swift MENGES

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Parents

Oliver Adelbert MENGES Ruth Crawford SWIFT

Grandparents

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Spouse & Children

View family relationships1 recorded relationship(s)

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Born: 20 June, 1913 in Athens, Maine, USA

Father: Oliver Adelbert MENGES

Mother: Ruth Crawford SWIFT

Wilbur Swift was a soldier in World War II.
Tracing Ancestors Through Military Service Records: Unveiling Family Heroes

Spouse(s)/Partner(s) and Child(ren):

Wilbur Swift married Nina Blanche WILCOX . The couple had (at least) 1 child.
Nina Blanche WILCOX was born 15 May 1917 in Pomfret, Connecticut, USA (Abington). Nina Blanche died 28 November 2008 in Dighton, Massachusetts, USA. Nina Blanche was the child of Harold O WOODWARD and Annie Blanche WILCOX.

Wilbur Swift MENGES died 11 January, 1969 in Chelsea, Massachusetts, USA .

Boatbuilder
Captain, U.S. Army - Guadalcanal, WWII
First full time Police Chief, Dighton, Massachusetts
Shipbuilder - Fairhaven Marine, Fairhaven, Mass.
Father of five (4 daughters, 1 son)
Married to Nina Blanche Wilcox June 18, 1938

Details of the family tree of Wilbur appear below.

Operation Underworld: How the Mafia and U.S. Government Teamed Up to Win World War II

World War II: The Definitive Visual History from Blitzkrieg to the Atom Bomb

Honoring WWII Heroes Ceramic Coffee Mug – World War II Veteran Tribute Gift

Crafted from durable ceramic, this mug is perfect for morning coffee, evening tea, or thoughtful reflection. The dignified 'Honoring WWII Heroes' caption makes it an especially meaningful gift for Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, or as a keepsake for those with a personal connection to World War II history.

WORK & OCCUPATION

Occupation

Recorded occupation: Master Shipbuilder

A Glimpse into the Everyday Life of the Average American Man in the Mid-1900s

Spouse & Children of Wilbur Swift MENGES

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Wilbur Swift MENGES married

Nina Blanche WILCOX
Marriage place:
Nina Blanche WILCOX was the child of Harold O WOODWARD and Annie Blanche WILCOX

Children of Wilbur Swift MENGES and Nina Blanche WILCOX

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Records about Wilbur Swift MENGES and family appear alongside historical events from the same years. Each item is labeled so you can quickly tell family records from historical context.

Birth — 1913
20 June, 1913
Athens, Maine, USA

1915 - January 25 - First United States coast-to-coast long-distance telephone call

1917 - March 2 – The enactment of the Jones Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.

1917 - April 6 – WWI: The United States declares war on Germany

1918 - March 19 – The United States Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time

1919 - June 4 – Women's rights: The United States Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would guarantee suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification

1920 - January 17 - Prohibition goes into effect on January 17, 1920, under the provisions of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution

1921 - Warren G. Harding becomes President of the United States

1921 - Charles Strite of Minnesota patents the pop-up toaster.

1923 to 1927 - Television is invented (Vladimir Kosma Zworykin (Russia), Philo Taylor Farnsworth (United States))

1923 - Calvin Coolidge becomes President of the United States

1927 - The aerosol can is invented (Erik Rotheim, Norway)

1927 - April 7 – Bell Telephone Co. transmits an image of Herbert Hoover (then the Secretary of Commerce), which becomes the first successful long distance demonstration of television

1928 - Sliced bread (bread slicing machine) is invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder (United States)

1929 - Herbert Hoover becomes President of the United States

1929 - October 29 - Black Tuesday - Stock market crash - The Great Depression Begins - It lasted until 1941 (WW2)

1930 - Scotch tape is invented (Richard Drew (3M), United States)

In 1930, on February 18, Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, marking a significant milestone in the study of our solar system.

1931 - The paper towel is invented (Arthur Scott, United States)

1931 - March 3 – The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the United States National anthem.

1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes President of the United States

1933 - December 5 – The 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution is passed, repealing Prohibition

1934 - The metal beverage can is invented (American Can Co., United States)

1935 - The snowmobile was invented by Joseph Bombardier (Quebec, Canada)

1935 - August 14 – United States President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law

1938 - The ballpoint pen is invented (Lazlo Biro, Hungary)

1938-1944 - Sunscreen is invented (Franz Greiter, Switzerland and Benjamin Green, United States)

1938 - October 27 - Du Pont announces a name for its new synthetic yarn: nylon.

1940 - April - 1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1941 - December 8 - (the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor) United States declares war on Japan (WW2)

1944 - D-Day, which occurred on June 6, 1944, was a pivotal World War II operation where Allied forces launched a massive invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. Known as Operation Overlord, it involved over 156,000 troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other Allied nations. The operation aimed to liberate Western Europe from Nazi German control. The landings marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany, leading to the eventual Allied victory in Europe.

1945 - The atomic bomb is invented (J. Robert Oppenheimer, et al., United States)

The microwave oven was invented accidentally in 1945 by Percy Spencer, a Raytheon engineer. While testing a magnetron, he noticed microwaves melted a candy bar in his pocket. Experimenting further, he discovered microwaves could cook food quickly. Raytheon patented the process, and by 1947, they built the first commercial microwave oven, called the 'Radarange.' Initially used in commercial settings, microwaves becomes affordable for home use by the 1960s and 1970s, revolutionizing cooking.

1945 - Harry S. Truman becomes President of the United States

1945 - On September 2, 1945, World War II officially ended with the formal surrender of Japan. The surrender ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, where Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender in the presence of Allied representatives, including General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz.

1948 - Velcro is invented (George de Mestral, Switzerland)

1950 - June 25 - Korean War begins when North Korean forces invade South Korea.

1953 - Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes President of the United States

1953 - On July 27, 1953, the Korean War ended with the signing of an armistice agreement at Panmunjom. This ceasefire halted the conflict between North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, backed by United Nations forces primarily from the United States. The agreement established the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) near the 38th parallel, effectively maintaining the pre-war boundary and creating a buffer zone between the two Koreas.

1961 - John F. Kennedy becomes President of the United States

1961 - Vietnam War officially begins with 900 military advisors landing in Saigon.

1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense 13-day standoff in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast. The crisis is considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war. It began when American spy planes discovered the missiles, leading to a U.S. naval blockade of Cuba and intense negotiations. The crisis ended when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba and secretly agreeing to remove American missiles from Turkey.

1963 - I Have a Dream Speech - Martin Luther King's Address at March on Washington August 28, 1963.

In 1963, on November 22, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza. The assassination shocked the nation and the world, leading to widespread mourning and a period of intense national introspection. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States shortly after Kennedy's death. The assassination sparked numerous conspiracy theories and investigations, with the Warren Commission ultimately concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination. Kennedy's death had a profound impact on American politics and society, marking the end of an era often referred to as 'Camelot.'

1968 - The ATM is invented (Don Wetzel, United States)