Portrait of Harry R. Truman

Birthday profile

Harry R. Truman

Harry R. Truman, American soldier and inn keeper on Mount St. Helens, killed in the eruption (died 1980)

Born
October 30, 1896
Died
May 18, 1980
Zodiac sign
Scorpio
Birth year
1896

About Harry R. Truman

Harry R. Truman was an American businessman, bootlegger, and prospector. He lived near Mount St. Helens, a dormant volcano in the Cascade Range in the state of Washington, and was the owner and caretaker of Mount St. Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake near the base of the mountain. After Mount St. Helens awoke from dormancy in March 1980, Truman became a folk hero in the weeks leading to the volcano's May eruption, after refusing to evacuate his home despite repeated orders from authorities. On May 18, 1980, Truman was killed in the cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens by a pyroclastic flow that overtook his lodge and buried the site under 46 m (150 ft) of volcanic debris. Truman divorced his first wife sometime in the early 1930s; he remarried in 1935. The record also states that he had a disability rating of zero at the time of his discharge. However, according to Washington State Archives, Truman served overseas from January 24, 1918, until February 1, 1919, but this record states he was not wounded or injured in action and did not participate in any engagements.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Harry R. Truman timeline

  1. However, according to Washington State Archives, Truman served overseas from January 24, 1918, until February 1, 1919, but this record states he was not wounded or injured in action and did not participate in any engagements.
  2. Truman divorced his first wife sometime in the early 1930s; he remarried in 1935.
  3. Helens awoke from dormancy in March 1980, Truman became a folk hero in the weeks leading to the volcano's May eruption, after refusing to evacuate his home despite repeated orders from authorities.
  4. After Mount St. Helens awoke from dormancy in March 1980, Truman became a folk hero in the weeks leading to the volcano's May eruption, after refusing to evacuate his home despite repeated orders from authorities.

The world when Harry R. Truman was born

Harry R. Truman was born in 1896. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentFirst modern Olympic Games held in Athens
  • Top headlinePlessy v. Ferguson — "separate but equal" upheld
  • Technology milestoneGuglielmo Marconi patents wireless telegraph (radio)
  • World population~1.56B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderGrover Cleveland
  • U.S. population69.0M

1896 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Harry R. Truman's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure18962026
Population69.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

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