A Celebration of 100th Birthdays

A Celebration of 100th Birthdays

- Emily Goodman

1 THIS LITTLE magazine just celebrated a big birthday: Our February issue marked a century of circulation. We want to fete our fellow centenarians, such as the Newbery Medal, which honors outstanding children's literature. The first winner: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon.

2 IF YOU happen to drive a Jaguar with Belle Tires 2 and insure your car with State Farm, then your road trips are sponsored by 100-yearold companies. The United Services Automobile Association, or USAA, which serves   those in the military community, was also founded in 1922. The original members were 25 Army officers who all insured one another's vehicles.

3 A CENTURY ago, the New York City radio station WEAF aired the firstever radio commercial, a whopping 15-minutelong real estate ad for available properties in Queens. Later that year, the BBC was formed, and the popularity of this new medium of radio helped usher the word "broadcast" into the dictionary.

4 OTHER WORDS  that got official entries in 1922 include "by-pass" (as in the road), "sidecar" (as in the cocktail), "tracksuit," and "polyester." "Eye shadow" was also added that year, even though it's been worn since the time of ancient Egypt. (Egypt also formally gained its independence in 1922.)