1899
As the 19th century drew to a close, future grandparents born that year would grow up in a country and a world that would have been unrecognizable to those raising the future grandparents who were born in 1860. The slaves were freed, but not really free, and any remaining Native American had been confined to reservations. The West was won. Nearly 200,000 miles of railroad track crisscrossed the country. Titans of industry had created corporate empires, inventors had changed the world with fantastic new technologies, and America was a global force to be reckoned with. However, with the 20th century on the horizon, all of that would soon feel like ancient history.