Corrie ten Boom
A Dutch watchmaker who turned her home into a secret refuge for Jews during the Nazi occupation, surviving a concentration camp to preach forgiveness.
1892–1983 (age 91)·Dutch resistance hero and writer·Birthday: April 15·The Lost Generation
Biography
Corrie ten Boom lived above her family's watch shop in Haarlem, a life of quiet faith that was shattered by World War II. In 1942, she and her family began building a secret room behind a false wall in her bedroom, creating a hiding place for Jewish neighbors and resistance workers. Their operation, known as "the Beje," saved an estimated 800 people before a betrayal led to their arrest in 1944. Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where Betsie died. After the war, Corrie established a rehabilitation center for survivors and traveled to over 60 countries, sharing her story and her conviction that God's love could overcome the deepest hatred. Her book, *The Hiding Place*, became an international bestseller, transforming her personal trauma into a global message of hope.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Corrie was born in 1892, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Corrie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1892
Corrie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1892Born
President: Benjamin Harrison
1897Started school
President: William McKinley
1905Became a teenager
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could drive
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Could vote
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Turned 21
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Turned 30
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1932Turned 40
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1942Turned 50
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1952Turned 60
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1962Turned 70
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1972Turned 80
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1983Died at 91
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
Key Achievements
- Helped save approximately 800 Jewish people and Dutch resistance members from the Nazis by hiding them in her home.
- Authored the bestselling autobiography *The Hiding Place*, which was later adapted into a major film.
- Established post-war rehabilitation homes for survivors of the Holocaust and for those who had collaborated with the Nazis.
- Became a globally recognized speaker, sharing her message of forgiveness in more than 60 countries.
Did You Know?
The ten Boom family had been watchmakers for over 100 years, and the shop is now a museum.
The secret room in her house was only about 30 inches deep, just enough for people to stand in.
She was released from Ravensbrück due to a clerical error, just one week before all women her age were executed.
After the war, she met one of her former Ravensbrück guards and publicly forgave him.
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”
