In the news1915
Ersatz bread introduced, 1915
In early 1915, the government forced citizens to eat bread made with ersatz ingredients like sawdust because food supplies were severely depleted.
Vienna, 31 May 1916 – Mexico City, 6 Sep 2011
8 facts2 sources
31 May 1916
Born in Vienna
1953–1961
7 children are born
6 Sep 2011
Dies in Mexico City, aged 95
He lived through 11 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Vienna.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1915
In early 1915, the government forced citizens to eat bread made with ersatz ingredients like sawdust because food supplies were severely depleted.
What people wore
Strict social dress codes in Vienna
Prosperous women in Vienna followed strict rules for social success, requiring different outfits for specific daily activities like morning errands, afternoon tea, or exhibition openings.
Getting around
State control of Austrian railways in 1914
By 1914, the Imperial-Royal State Railways held a near monopoly, with 82 percent of the 22,981 kilometers of railway tracks in Austria being state-owned.
Around the world · 1918–1920The Spanish flu. A flu pandemic infected a third of humanity and killed some 50 million people, more than the war that had just ended.
In the news1914–1918
Just after war broke out in 1914, the government began using the printing press to fund military costs, causing the money supply to expand by 977 percent by 1918.
Music
Instruments and foot-tapping dance customs
In the Ziller Valley, traditional wedding music was performed by ensembles consisting of two fiddles, a diatonic accordion, a Tyrolean folk harp, and a string bass. Dancers at these events frequently tapped their toes in time with the music, using specific patterns for two-four and three-four time signatures.
Daily life
Housing for the poor in Vienna
In 1909, around 66,000 people in Vienna were bed-renters who did not have their own home and paid to use a bed for only a few hours. Many tenement buildings lacked running water, toilets, and electricity, requiring residents to collect water from a corridor tap called a Bassena.