Trivia by Leann Harris

Most authors are walking trivia experts. If you're setting a book in 1927, you better know what happened that year. My first book was set in Colorado in 1886. It's call the centennial state, since it joined the union 100 years after US declared it's independence. I've set a book in 1066. It was a bad week for Harold Godwinson, the Saxon king. He defeated the Vikings invaders, then turned around and fought the Norman invaders and lost. I know all sorts of trivia about Scotland in 1692. The Glencoe massacre occurred when the Campbells rose up one night and killed their MacDonald hosts at the king's order.

Of course with my modern stories, I've varied the years they happen and given my heroes and heroines various occupations. I had a boot-maker as a hero, lots of professional cowboys, and military men and women. The book I'm working on happens in 1972. "Hey Mikey! He likes it!" was the famous line from the Life cereal commercial. Miss Hawaii, Tanya Wilson, was Miss America that year. The Summer Olympics in Berlin was when the Israeli athletes were murdered by terrorist. Cell phones looked more like walkies-talkies and weren't in wide use. Leisure suits and polyester were popular. And it was my first year to teach. What do you remember about the year you graduated high school/college or am I the only person that needs to look it up on the internet?