Random Historical Events You Didn't Realize Famous Figures Lived Through (12 items)

(#6) George Burns Lived Long Enough To Use AOL

Famous cigar-chomping comedian and actor George Burns (1896-1996) could have gone online, if he wanted to that is. America Online (AOL) began offering a user-friendly, Windows-compatible graphical browser in 1993, a few years before his death, which allowed even near-sighted nonagenarians to surf the web. He might've even been startled and annoyed by the "You've Got Mail!" sign-in announcement.
(#9) Bob Hope Lived To See The Fall Of Saddam Hussein

Comedian, actor, and famous United Service Organizations entertainer Bob Hope (1903-2003) was alive to see the U.S. military invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003. Hope was made an "honorary veteran" for his service to the USO in 1997, and it's totally imaginable that he was as proud of US troops at that moment as he was throughout his long and illustrious career as an entertainer.
(#12) Leni Riefenstahl Lived To See 9/11

German film director and infamous Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) lived long enough to direct, produce, and edit 1935's Triumph of the Will, a documentary chronicling Hitler's rise to power. Ironically, she also lived long enough to watch the World Trade Center crumble on September 11, 2001.
(#8) Wyatt Earp Lived Long Enough To Watch TV

There's no evidence that famous lawman Wyatt Earp (1848-1929) ever sat down to watch the boob tube, but he totally could have if he had a TV-owning friend in New York in September of 1928. Just a few months before Earp died, General Electric's WGY Television in Schenectady, NY broadcast a "teleplay" called The Queen's Messenger on September 11. It's considered the first-ever TV drama, and it's possible its viewership included one Wyatt Earp.
(#7) Irving Berlin Lived Long Enough To See A Discman

Composer and lyricist Irving Berlin (1888-1989), best known for "God Bless America" and "White Christmas," lived long enough, in theory, to get a Sony Discman portable CD player for Christmas. Sony introduced the popular device, later dubbed the CD Walkman, in 1984, five years before Berlin died at 101.
(#3) Buffalo Bill Cody Was Alive When Paris Was Bombed By German Zeppelins

Although on his last legs, Wild West showman William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917) was still alive during the majority of WWI. This means that the famous cowboy, soldier, and Pony Express rider likely heard about newfangled German Zeppelins bombing Paris in January of 1916, a year before his death. This is strange to imagine given Cody build his career in a Wild West removed from the fast-paced, industrial world of WWI.