Sasha Kellogg vs. The World

Instead of comparing my own life with world events, the “timeline” assignment provided an excellent opportunity to further develop my character Sasha Kellogg. It is easy to announce that a character has lived from 1927 to 1952, but this timeline shows in greater detail what she would have lived through and (with simple addition) how old she would have been. Therefore, this project brings Sasha off the page and into the real world. The events that are unique to Sasha are in bold, and world events are regular. While there are important events in the Kellogg company timeline, they are only in bold during the time Sasha takes control of the company.

• Jan 26, 1927: Sasha Kellogg born
• Oct 6, 1927: first full length talking movie The Jazz Singer released
• Sept 28, 1928: penicillin discovered
• 1928: Kellogg’s Rice Krispies first come to market (it’s Sasha’s favorite food)
• 1928: Kellogg Company expands Battle Creek plant and offers economical meal to those in great depression
• Mar 4, 1929: Herbert Hoover takes office
• Oct 28-29 1929: Stock Market Crash
• Feb 18, 1930: Pluto discovered
• 1930: the W. K. Kellogg foundation is founded
• 1930: John Leonard Jr. named Vice President of Kellogg Company
• Feb 14, 1933: Sasha’s sister Amy born
• Mar 4, 1933: Franklin D. Roosevelt takes office
• July 3, 1934: Amy learns to say “Sasha” (instead of “sasa”)
• July 27, 1934: Sasha fell and broke her forearm
• Sept 15, 1935: Nuremberg Laws passed in Germany
• May 6, 1937: Hindenburg disaster
• June 12, 1937: Sasha’s parents and sister killed
• July 2, 1937: Amelia Earhart reported missing
• May 1938: Kellogg plant opened in Manchester
• Sept 1, 1939: Germany invades Poland (start of World War II)
• October 1939: W. H. Vanderploeg became president of Kellogg company
• 1940: Auschwitz/ Warsaw ghetto created
• July 1940-May 1941: Battle of Britain
• Sept 1, 1941: Sasha takes control of Kellogg company
• Dec 7, 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor
• 1942: Kellogg’s helped develop “food for victory” rationing program
• 1942: Kellogg’s broke ground at new power plant in Battle Creek (completed late March)
• 1942: Manhattan project begins
• 1943: Italy joins allies
• Dec 10, 1943: Sasha’s first date with boyfriend Erik
• June 6, 1944: D-day
• Apr 12, 1945: Harry S. Truman takes office
• Apr 30, 1945: Hitler commits suicide
• July 4, 1945: Erik tells of his plans to blackmail and kill Sasha. She decides to leave company and go into hiding
• Aug 6, 1945: US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima
• Aug 9, 1945: US drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki
• June 21, 1946: becomes part-time secretary at PI office in Los Angeles and gets a gun at the advice of one of the employees there
• Aug 15, 1947: India’s independence
• Oct 14, 1947: Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier
• Nov 17, 1947: Sasha decides to leave LA for San Francisco
• Jan 2, 1947: Sasha gets job as secretary for the San Francisco Chronicle
• May 4, 1948: Israel created
• Jan 30, 1948: Gandhi assassinated
• June 25, 1950: Korean War begins
• Sept 8, 1951: Peace treaty with Japan signed, World War II officially ends
• Oct 6, 1951: Sasha’s grandfather W. K. Kellogg dies (age 91)
• 1952: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes debuts
• 1952: present day

Sasha Kellogg is a fictional character, but in my opinion the accuracy of the history and events surrounding a character determine the believability of that character. Additionally, more believable characters make better stories. For instance, if Kellogg’s took a hit during the great depression, there would be less motivation for someone to kill Sasha’s family. Luckily, cereals and grains are staple crops, so Kellogg’s continued to thrive during the depression, giving motivation behind the murderer’s actions. Most of the world events wouldn’t affect Sasha’s daily life (beyond what she reads in the newspapers), but things like the great depression and World War II affected everyone in one way or another. Some dates were hard to find, especially those attached to the Kellogg company timeline, but I have tried to be as specific as possible in my research. At 25, Sasha seems to have lived through a whole lot more than my 21-year-old self (but I suppose that’s a good thing considering what she lived through). Hopefully this timeline makes Sasha more believable in your eyes, because it certainly does in mine.