Homefront Timeline

 

This chronology of events that occurred before and during the setting of the series is based on dialogue, historical fact, background cues (e.g., Halloween décor in Brandstaetter’s), and best guesses.

 

 

Pre-1865

                    Grandmother Davis’s grandmother Bertha is a house slave.

Late 1800s

                    Al Kahn’s grandmother flees Russia for America.

1895

                    Rebecca Davis (Grandmother Davis) and husband marry.

1896

                    Abel Davis born. 

1897

Dec.             Mike Sloan born. 

1911

Mar. 25      Al’s mother dies in Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. 

1918

                    Tom Owen (Judy’s husband) born in Missouri. 

1919

                    Anne and Stephen Metcalf marry and move in with his parents.

1920

                    Hank Metcalf born.  Charlie Hailey born.  Mike Sloan Jr. born.

1921

                    The Davises begin working for the Sloans.  Robert born.  Purl Roadhouse opens.

1922

                    Linda Metcalf born.  Ginger Szabo born.

1924

                    Jeff Metcalf born.

1925

                    Al begins work as union organizer.

1926-29

                    Charlie earns “more demerits than any other boy in class” during grades 1-3.

1927

May 20      Mike witnesses Charles Lindbergh take off from Roosevelt Field in New York on his famous transatlantic flight.

1932

                    Ginger and Linda meet.

1934

                    Ginger begins working to help support her family.

1936

                    Stephen (wife to Anne and father to Hank, Linda, and Jeff) dies.

1937

                    The Sloans purchase land where Heritage Village will later be built.

1940

                    Mary Elizabeth Nystrom laughs at Ginger when she breaks her heel during graduation!

Sept.            Caroline and her family endure the London Blitz, which lasts until May 1941.

1941

                    Sarah Brewer moves to River Run and meets Hank.

Dec. 7         Pearl Harbor attacked – U.S. enters World War II.

1942

                    Grandma Davis’s husband (Abe’s father and Robert’s grandfather) dies.

1942-45

                    Hank serves in the 83rd Infantry, Charlie serves in the 4th Infantry, and Robert serves in the 761st Armored Division.  On the homefront, Anne and Linda support the war effort by working in the Sloan factory.

1943

                    The original Rupert’s goes out of business.

1944

                    Judy and Tom marry.  Tom dies over the Pacific near the Philippines sixteen weeks later.

June 6        Charlie participates in the Normandy Invasion (“D-Day”).

Dec.             Charlie and Robert fight in the Battle of the Bulge.

1945

Jan. 27       Gina Gianni freed from Auschwitz when it is liberated by the Russians.

Mar.            Gina and Mike Jr. conceive.

May 8         V-E day – defeat of Germany and end of hostilities in Europe.

May            Charlie and Caroline marry in England.

Sept. 2        V-J day – Japan’s surrender marks the end of World War II.

 

THE SERIES BEGINS        Sept.            Hank, Charlie, and Robert return home from World War II.  Caroline and Gina arrive in River Run.  Mike Jr. reported dead.  Linda and Anne fired from Sloan factory.  Hank, Charlie, and Robert begin working at the Sloan factory.  Mike Jr.’s funeral.  Gina reveals she is pregnant.  Anne begins working at Brandstaetter’s.  Gina moves in with the Haileys.

 

Oct.              Linda rehired by Sloan Industries as file clerk.  Hank and Sarah marry.  The Sloans fire the Davises.  Jeff and Ginger begin their romance.  Al Kahn arrives in River Run.  Jeff and Ginger reveal their relationship.

 

late Oct.      Robert poisoned by chlorine pipes in Sloan factory.

 

Oct. 31         First meeting of the union.

 

Nov.            Ginger’s pregnancy scare.  Caroline briefly runs off with salesman Ben Mahoney.  Hank promoted to safety foreman at Sloan Industries.  Gina moves into her own apartment.

 

Nov. 23       Dance contest at Purl Roadhouse, where Jeff and Ginger win trip to Hollywood and screen test.

 

early Dec. Sloan Industries hires more Black workers.  Anne and Al’s first kiss.

 

Dec. 14       Anne and Al’s first date.  The Davises begin planning to open their own business.  Jeff and Ginger’s Hollywood screen test.  Grandma Davis moves in with Abe and Gloria.

 

Dec. 15        Ginger remains in Hollywood in attempt to enter show business.

 

Dec. 24      Emma Sloan born.  Ruth learns Gina is Jewish.

 

Dec. 25       Jeff rushes off to Hollywood to retrieve Ginger, while Ginger leaves Hollywood to return to River Run.

 

1946

Jan.             Gina and baby move back in with the Sloans.  Linda offered position as office manager at Sloan factory.  The union is voted in at Sloan Industries, forming Local 311.  Ginger begins working as switchboard operator at WREQ.  Charlie elected president of the Local.  Jeff and Ginger get engaged.  Bill Caswell shows up looking for Mike Jr. and investors.  Anne and Al have sex.  Jeff invited to Spring Training. 

 

Feb.             Anne and Al’s Cleveland trip; Anne and Al conceive.  The Davises begin moonlighting to save money.  Jeff attends Spring Training in Clearwater, Florida.  The Sloans hire Caroline as union spy.  Bill and Linda get involved romantically.  Jeff tempted by Judy.  The Sloans lock workers out during contract negotiations.  Bill proposes to Linda, and Linda discovers Bill is a con man.  Al, Charlie, and Robert beaten by security guards.

 

early Mar.  Ginger visits Jeff at Spring Training.  Jeff makes the Cleveland Indians.  Gina moves out of the Sloan home and back into her apartment.

 

Mar. 5         Sarah is accidentally shot.

 

Mar. 6         Sarah dies.

 

Mar.            Anne reveals she’s pregnant.  Anne and Al get engaged.  Jeff’s first Cleveland Indians game.  Robert reveals romance with a Frenchwoman.

 

Apr.            Anne calls off engagement and leaves for Illinois to sit out her pregnancy.  Judy arrives in River Run after her bar in Florida burns down, first working for the Indians and then at Purl Roadhouse.  Charlie leads the union in strike at the Sloan factory and wins first contract.  Al reconciles with Anne and brings her back to River Run.  Hank announces he’s moving out.  Anne and Al marry.  Charlie leaves Caroline.  Robert leaves for France to find his wartime girlfriend.  The Davises reopen Rupert’s.

 

Summer      Hank moves out and takes job in Chicago.  Charlie moves in with the Metcalfs.  Robert arrives in France and marries Perrette.

 

Sept. 2        River Run residents are visited by Look magazine photographer covering a typical American town one year after V-J Day.  Charlie and Gina become romantically involved.  Bernie Pfarffenbarger beats out Jeff for endorsement contract with Trenton Cigarettes.

 

Sept.            Ginger hired by WREQ’s sponsor as the Lemo Tomato Juice Girl.  Robert returns to River Run with French wife Perrette.  Linda hired as proofreader by the newspaper.  The Sloans begin investing in new housing construction.  Jeff appears on a baseball card.  Mike and Judy meet at the baseball stadium and develop friendship.  Jeff and Ginger break up over conflicting career goals.  After threats by racists, Robert and Perrette leave River Run for Wilberforce University.  Ginger performs her first musical number on “The Lemo Tomato Juice Hour.”  Ginger begins dating Arthur Shillhab.  Caroline discovers Charlie and Gina’s romance.  Jeff kisses Caroline.

 

Sept. 29      Mike and Judy take the train to Detroit to see Bob Feller break the single-season strikeout record during the Indians’ season-ender.

 

Oct. 25        Charlie moves back in with Caroline to drive her to divorce.

 

Oct. 26        Jeff and Ginger’s original wedding date.  The Sloans and the Kahns both take vacations at Lake Ichiwanna.

 

Oct. 27        Anne and Al’s baby born.  Jeff joins an off-season barnstorming team tour.  Caroline leaves for Reno, Nevada, for a divorce.

 

early Nov.  Jeff and Ginger participate in Lemo-sponsored barnstorming tour.  The Sloans discover the Davises’s restaurant business.  Metcalf baby named Michael.  Caroline arrives in Reno for divorce.  Jeff injures his knee.

 

mid-Dec.     Caroline returns from Reno, divorced from Charlie.  Jeff learns his injury will keep him out of baseball permanently.  Charlie and Gina get engaged.  Jeff joins “The Lemo Tomato Juice Hour.”  Anne contracts polio.

 

1947

Jan.             Charlie takes second job as Fuller Brush salesman.  Mike and Judy kiss.  Caroline discovers Mike’s infidelity and blackmails him for a raise.  Anne begins physical therapy.  Jeff and Caroline have sex.  Ginger gets engaged to Arthur.  Gina suffers Holocaust flashbacks.  Grandmother Davis moves in with Abe and Gloria (again).  Television arrives in River Run.  Ginger loses job as Lemo Tomato Juice Girl and becomes TV hostess of WREQ’s “Fine Foods Family Hour.”  Jeff cut from Indians roster.  Judy hired as sports writer for River Run Courier.  Ruth discovers Mike’s relationship with Judy and moves out.

 

Feb.             The Sloans unveil plans for their new housing development, Heritage Village.  Linda gets her first newspaper story published and becomes romantically involved with her boss Phil Havel.  Newspaper reporter Donald Nadolski mysteriously dies.  Jeff begins applying Satchel Paige’s secret liniment to his injured knee.  Caroline discovers Nadolski’s research on the Sloans’ land value inflation scheme and blackmails them.  The Sloans offer Caroline stock in Heritage Village.  Linda uncovers the Sloans’ scheme and threatens to expose them in the newspaper.  To divert attention, the Sloans publicly accuse Al of being a Communist.

 

Apr.            Al refuses to respond to allegations that he is a Communist.  Anne stands on her own for the first time.  Federal agent Mr. Smith investigates Al.  Charlie moves out of Metcalf home.  Al and Anne celebrate first anniversary.  Al resigns from job as union organizer.  Al works unsuccessfully as Fuller Brush salesman.  Gina calls off engagement to Charlie.  Al works as short order cook at Purl Roadhouse.  The Davises quit working for the Sloans and open Rupert’s seven days a week.  The Sloans reconcile.  Jeff and Ginger get back together.  Jeff is rehired by the Indians and assigned to their farm team.  Anne and Al leave River Run to find work in New Jersey.  Jeff and Ginger marry.  Charlie reconciles with Gina and begins converting to Judaism.

THE SERIES CONCLUDES

Apr.            Charlie and Gina marry.

Sep.             The first 200 homes are opened for sale at Heritage Village.

 

 

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