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Looking at the year President Nelson was born vs. the year he became prophet

President Russell M. Nelson the 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sits with his councilors President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor, (left) and President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor (right) at a press conference in Salt Lake City Utah on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. Credit: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
President Russell M. Nelson Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
20170307 The First Presidency of the LDS Church in April 1942. Left, J. Ruben Clark, President Heber J. Grant and David O. McKay. Credit: Deseret News Archives

The day President Russell M. Nelson was born on Sept. 9, 1924, the Deseret News ran a front-page headline about Maine’s gubernatorial election results. “As goes Maine, so goes the nation,” it read. It came six years after the end of World War I in 1918 and five years before the stock market crash of 1929.

The First Presidency of the Church in April 1942, from left, President J. Reuben Clark, first counselor in the First Presidency; Church President Heber J. Grant; and President David O. McKay, second counselor.
The First Presidency of the Church in April 1942. Left, President J. Ruben Clark, Church President Heber J. Grant and President David O. McKay. | Credit: Deseret News Archives

That year, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge became the first president to deliver a radio broadcast from the White House, and the Church broadcast general conference for the first time over the radio. Church President Heber J. Grant commented in his opening remarks, “To have the voice carried for thousands of miles seems almost beyond comprehension.”

Such details give a glimpse of how much the world has changed and the Church has grown within the life of the prophet.

The following statistics show the dramatic growth of the Church between the year the prophet was born and the year he became president of the Church.

Source: https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/blog/researching-the-year-president-nelson-was-born

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