Cultural Glimpse

You wouldn’t think it by looking at him, but Thomas the Tank Engine is 50 years old. We celebrated his birthday (though we did not know it was his birthday) by going on one of his rides at Greenfield Village.

Thomas was born when Anglican clergyman, the Reverend Wilbert Awdry created him in order to entertain his young son Christopher, who was recovering from scarlet fever. Christopher, like all children, wanted the stories of the train engine to be repeated repeatedly. His father obliged. Mrs. Awdry believed so much in these stories that she encouraged her husband to publish them, and in 1945 the first of the Railway Series of books appeared.

After twenty six books, the Reverend called it quits and his son decided to continue to write stories for his son, creating ten more books. Sometimes less effort and more love create gigantic results.