2016
represents a year with many anniversaries, as all years do. Something significant always happened 25, 50
or 100 years ago. With these
anniversaries come books to honor or investigate them. The news media naturally makes note of
historical events or socially moving moments.
It’s always easier to look back and reflect on what was than to have a
complete understanding of current events or an accurate prognostication of the
future.
So what does the new year bring us as we look back in time?
So what does the new year bring us as we look back in time?
75
years ago represents the onset of World War II for the United States. In 1941 the world shook when Pearl Harbor was
destroyed, forcing America into what would be the deadliest global conflict
ever. In that same year the Jeep was
invented and it was the last time someone hit .400 (Ted Williams) in baseball,
a significant milestone. Joe DiMaggio
hit safely in a record 56 straight games, a feat that still stands today.
A
century ago, back in 1916, the first self-serve grocery store opened in our
country. During that year, Rasputin was
murdered.
60
years ago was the Suez Canal Crisis, the Hungarian Revolution, and the first
appearance of Elvis on television.
A
half-century ago, in 1966, Star Trek debuted on TV. That year also witnessed the launch of the
Chinese Cultural Revolution.
2016
is an Olympic year and four decades ago were the Montreal Olympics. America elected a peanut farmer, Jimmy
Carter, that same year -- 1976.
Thirty
years ago we had two huge disasters, the Russian nuclear power plant meltdown
(Chernobyl) and the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
In
1996, just 20 years ago, Mad Cow disease struck in Britain and the Unabomber
was arrested.
Only
a decade ago, in 2006, Pluto was downgraded to being classified as a dwarf
planet, and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was convicted and hung.
Five
years ago was the Arab Spring, the killing of Osama bin Laden, and the 9.0
earthquake in Japan that lead to a tsunami and nuclear power plant accident.
If
you go back three score and 10 years ago, in 1946, the bikini was
launched. The Nuremberg Trials began
that year as well.
In
1936, 80 years ago, the Spanish Civil War began and the Summer Olympics were
played in Berlin with Jesse Owens, a black man, winning races in a nation where
race was a deadly issue.
1926
saw Robert Goddard fire his first liquid-fueled rocket, a significant event 90
years ago.
Authors
should explore what else happened 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 – or more – years
ago and see if there’s a historical, cultural, political, financial,
scientific, or athletic tie-in to something they write about. The media loves to write about anniversaries
and gladly uses books as sources.
The
year 2016 marks some milestones in book publishing as well. It is the anniversary of the birth or death
of successful writers, the publication of a significant book, or the year an
author reached a milestone in sales or awards.
Look it up. Who won a Pulitzer in
1966 for books? Which book topped the
bestseller charts in 1991? Who was born
a famous writer a hundred years ago? Who
died a great writer two centuries ago?
Celebrate
2016 and especially honor history. It
may just be your ticket to generation some publicity for you and your book.
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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog
are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more
important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2015
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