It was nearly 100 years ago that the ocean liner Lusitania sunk in the Irish Sea, claiming nearly 1,200 lives. Among those lost was Elbert Hubbard, the East Aurora philosopher, writer and marketing genius.
With that landmark date approaching, it may be time to brush up on an event whose significance may have been forgotten at the end of tenth-grade history.
"A German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania and really led the United Stated becoming involved in the World War I," said Rob Goller, Aurora Town Historian.
"The ramifications of this event, in addition to some other events, led the United States into the war and people forget that."
Goller who says East Aurora will remember the Lusitania and some related issues during a series of events throughout the community during the month of May.
A man of many talents, Elbert Hubbard started the Roycroft community in East Aurora. He was also a publisher, writer, artist and philosopher.
“He was probably one of the most famous people in the United States, perhaps the world, at his time just because of his reach. A lot of quotes were attributed to him. Even if you didn’t know his name, you knew his work,” Goller said.
Hubbard’s reputation brought him fortune and, some trouble. A Hubbard magazine article joked about contraception, a violation of the federal Comstock Act. In an historical twist, the ensuing felony conviction prevented him from accessing a passport and would have prevented him from traveling aboard the Lusitania, if not for a special pardon provided by President Woodrow Wilson.
That Presidential pardon will be on display as part of a special Lusitania exhibit opening this Saturday at the Elbert Hubbard Roycroft Museum.
It’s the type of detail that is not surprising in a town with more than one historical society and three historical museums. That attention to detail provides part of the charm for an event that Goller says is enjoying strong ticket sales.
“On Thursday, May 7, which is the actual 100th anniversary of the sinking, we’re having ‘An Evening Aboard the Lusitania’ at the Roycroft Inn. The Inn has worked really hard with us. We’re going to replicate the dinner, the menu that was served in second class and we’re also bringing musicians in to play the music that was played aboard the Lusitania.”
It's one of series events scheduled for the month of May. A list of the events is here:
http://www.aurorahistoricalsociety.com/pages/roycroft-and-the-lusitania
Goller notes the series of events are meant to be a respectful recollection of the Lusitania and those lost during the tragedy. Nonetheless, Hubbard's legacy will play a major part.
"I think he would have loved that we are still talking about him 100 years later," Goller said.
"He was a self-promoter. But he was a genius. He was a genius at marketing. He was a genius at writing.”
