EDITORIAL Sunday, August 24, 2008 MOMENTS IN TIME The History Channel * On Aug. 25, 1875, Matthew Webb, a 27-year-old merchant navy captain, becomes the first known person to successfully swim the English Channel. Webb accomplished the grueling 2I-mile crossing, which acutally entailed 39 miles of swimming because of tidal cur- rents, in 21 hours and 45 minutes. ® On Aug. 27,1904, Newport, R.l., imposes the first jail sentence for a speeding violation. Early traffic regulations varied drastically from state to state, some having no speed limits at all. e On Aug. 26,1939, the first televised Major League Baseball game, between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers, is broadcast. There were only two stationary camera angles: The first was placed down the third base line to pick up infield throws to first, and the second was placed high above home plate to get a view of the field. e On Aug. 30, 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur lands in Japan to oversee the formal surrender ceremony and drives himself to Yoko- hama. Tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers lined the roads, their . bayonets fixed on him in one last act of defiance. * On Aug. 29,1958, pop sensation Michael Jackson is born in Gary, Ind. Jackson began performing with his four brothers in the pop group the Jackson 5 when he was a child. The group scored its first No. 1single in 1969 with “| Want You Back.” * On Aug. 28,1968, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters battle police in the streets. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley deployed 12,000 police officers, who severely beat and gassed the demonstrators, as well as journalists and doctors who had come to help. e On Aug. 31,1985, Richard Ramirez, the notorious “Night Stalker” serial killer, is captured and nearly killed by a mob in East Los An- geles, Calif., after being recognized. At his trial after the judge im- posed a death sentence, Ramirez said, “Big deal. Death always went with the territory. See you in Disneyland.” THE ‘FORCE’ IS AT BACK MOUNTAIN LIBRARY The “Force” is at the Back Mountain Memorial Library as the August display at the library is a collection of Star Wars figures and toys. The collection is owned by 8-year-old Zachary Hill, of Franklin Township who became interested in collecting items af- ter his cousin Brandon introduced him to these heroes. There are 79 pieces currently on display. Zachary received some of the items as gifts, but many of them are from the Burger King collec- tion. His favorite piece is the “Darth Tater” because he's funny looking and because of his name. The son of Harold and Carol Hill, Zachary has two sisters, Kaitlyn and Isabella. STRANGE BUT TRUE By Samantha Weaver * Do you remember those commercials that asked, “How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” When | was a kid, | could never find out - | always bit the candy first. Well, some engineering students at Purdue University in Indiana decided to find out in @ more scientific manner: They invented a licking machine. As it turns out, it takes an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. e |t was Sir Arthur C. Clarke, British inventor, futurist and science- fiction author of such novels as "2001: A Space Odyssey,” who made the following observation: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” ® The first U.S. president to ride in an automobile was William McKinley, and the ride was in an ambulance after he was shot in 1901. Another interesting McKinley tidbit: He was the last Civil War veteran to be elected to the presidency. ¢ Think you're a movie lover? Consider the man who was desper- ate to be one of the first people to see the film "Star Wars: Episode lI." He actually camped out in front of the box office for 139 days in order to get tickets. He didn't slack off work, though: He used his laptop computer and cell phone to stay in touch with the office. * Those who study such things say that cats have 32 muscles in each ear. * Have you ever known anyone who engages in grammatolatry? Probably not. “Grammatolatry” refers to the worship of words -- unlikely in this day and age of 24-hour must-see TV and on-demand video. % kk - Thought for the Day: “People like to imagine that because all our mechanical equipment moves so much faster, that we are thinking faster, too.” -- Christopher Morley The Dallas Post www.mydallaspost.com Community Newspaper Group THE TIMES LEADER 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18711 ® 570-675-521 news@mydallaspost.com Richard L. Connor Dotty Martin PUBLISHER EDITOR 829-7202 970-7440 rconnor@timesleader.com dmartin@mydallaspost.com Christie Delicati ADVERTISING 970-7111 cdelicati@timesleader.com ARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE DALLAS POST Man & Beast Ruth Zimmerman Loder, a former resident of Harveys Lake now living in Carlisle, and her dog, ‘Mandy,’ are the best of pals. The two were at a recent reunion of Laketon and Noxen High School graduates. SHARE YOUR PET PICTURES WITH OUR READERS Who's your best friend? If your ve- ry best friend in the whole wide world is your pet, we want to know about it. Send us a picture of your pet - whether it be a lovable puppy, a slimy iguana or a parrot with an extensive vocabulary - and we'll share it with readers of The Dallas Post. Tell us your name and address, your pet's name, his or her age, his or her breed and anything else you'd like everyone to know about your pet. Be sure to include your tele- phone number in the event we have guestions. Send everything to "Man and Beast," c/o The Dallas Post, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 1871 or e- mail the picture to us at news@my- dallaspost.com. If you send a picture and would like to have it returned, be sure to in- clude a self-addressed/stamped en- velope. We'll publish the pictures in the or- der in which we receive them. Slightly Read Bookshop at library to reopen Sept. 3 t’s that time of year when schools are reo- he and children are counting down the remaining days of summer. We are pleased to let you know that the Back Mountain Me- morial Library is ready to help you prepare for another school year. Our Slightly Read Bookshop will reopen with its regular scheduled hours on Wednes- day, Sept. 3. It is celebrating its re-opening with a special half-price sale on all fiction books....great time to stock up on books for those required reading lists. Regular hours of operation will be from 1 to 7 p.m. on Mon- days, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Another way that we are can assist your children with school and the upcoming land- slide of homework is through our website, www.backmountainlibrary.org. By clicking on the icon for Live Home- work Help (bottom left hand corner) your child can receive help from tutors at home via the Internet. Students will need to use an active Luzerne County Library System li- brary card and enter the patron account number (above the barcode) on the appro- priate screen. Next, they will enter their grade level and the homework subject. They will be instant- ly connected to an expert tutor to help them with either math, science, English or Social Studies. Spanish speaking tutors are also available. The tutors will not give your child the an- swers to homework, but will work alongside them to find the solutions on their own. This free service is available every day from 3 to 10 p.m. Anyone from snes © age to adult learners, including students college introductory classes, may find this service beneficial. The library will be closed on Monday, Sept. 1, to celebrate Labor Day and will re- open with its regular hours at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2. A final reminder for any children who have participated in our summer “Catch the Reading Bug” program: If you were not able to attend the final summer reading program party at Frances Slocum, you may stop by the Children’s Room of the library to collect your bug jars and other related items. 1938 = 70 YEARS AGO Winning prizes is getting tobe a common-place matter with Mrs. G.S. Sawyer, one of Dallas’ most prominent florists, whose Church Street gardens have produced so many prize-winning flower exhib- its that she could probably finish all her furni- ture with the blue ribbons. Mrs. Saw- _ yer’s most re- cent tri- umph came at a recent flower show of the Wyoming Valley Flower Club when she walked away with thirty- five prizes, far more than any other contestant in the field. A well-attended weiner roast was held by the Young People’s So- ciety of Hunstville Christian Church in the church yard Friday evening. Among those who at- tended were: Alfred Davis, Carl Roberts, Elwood Ide, Royal Culp, Ruth Culp, Nancy Lloyd, Esther Culp, Jean Elston, Marion Elston, Phyllis Elston, Doris Roberts, Mildred Major, Carlton Hadsall, Emma Major, Lewis Culp, Wilson Garinger, Muriel Lewn, Janet Gar- inger and Hannah Culp. YESTERDAY 1948 - 60 YEARS AGO Judges of the Luzerne County Green Pasture ‘Contest announce that pasture of “Goodleigh Farm’ Dallas, Dorrance Reynolds, owner and Miss Mary Weir, manager, is the county winner. The winner will be presented with a certificate of award and a 2 ton of superphos- phate by the county committee of Luzerne County Agricultural Con- servation Association. The Court of Our Lady of Fati- ma of Saint Theresa’s Church, Sha- vertown, held its first lawn social on Thursday evening. Mrs. Mary McGarry was chairman of the af- fair. 1958 - 50 YEARS AGO Peggy Williams, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Williams, Wyoming Street, Dallas, was cho- sen Miss Irem Temple at the Shrin- er’sannual picnic held at the Coun- try Club last week. There were more than fifty entries. There is a bustle of activity at Back Mountain Shopping Center where employees of Edward Eye- rman Construction Company are putting finishing touches on the new Acme Market, first of nine units to be completed. 1968 —- 40 YEARS AGO Back Mountain police forces were on the alert this weekend for trouble overflowing into our vicin- ity, with the threatened ven- geance-return of a New York mo- torcycle gang, “TheVulcans,” to Luzerne area. Forty-six = windows... were smashed out of the two Dallas Bor- ough School buildings over the weekend. The vandals used rocks from the playground, many of which were found in the buildings. 1978 — 30 YEARS AGO Girl Scouts from Junior and Ca- dette Troop 712 of Carverton Methodist Church recently visited Hershey Park. The troop camped at the Hershey High Meadows where they enjoyed beautiful tents and cabins and great swimming fa- cilities. Participants include Mary Jo Derhammer, Brenda Young, Joan Hilstolsky, Marcus Grimm, Karen Wells, Susan Wells, Karen Wall, Cheryl Harding, Karen Kray- nak, Julie Yakowski, Susan Toung, Patty Allen, Kim Roberts, Lisa Kundrat, Kim Ward, Judy Luke, Polly Lunkle, Donita Grimm, Mar- gie Luke and Heidi Yakowski. Saturday, August 19 marked the beginning of a new era on the sports scene in the Back Moun- tain. The Back Mountain Soccer Association opened its inaugural season at the Dallas Township School field. 1988 — 20 YEARS AGO A former volunteer with the Trucksville Fire Department has ‘been charged with arson in the re- cent Back Mountain arson:barn fire, but police say the investiga- tion continues. on the string of j more than 20 arson fires which | have plagued the areas since May 1987. John Tibus was arrested on charges of arson. Tibus admitted to setting the August 14 fire that caused $100,000 in damages to his neigh- bor Robert Steiner’s barn on Mt. Olivet Road in Kingston Town- ship, according to police. The storm that hit the Back Mountain area last Wedne wreaked havoc in some { while it passed by other towns. [ From Beaumont to the far lines of Evans Falls, the winds uprooted huge trees, picking them up and tossing them around like match- sticks. The Kingston Township Board of Supervisors, at their regular monthly meeting, honored the Dallas Senior High School Girls Softball Team for capturing the District II, PI.A.A. Championship. Given special credit for contribut- ing to the team’s successful season were co-captains Joyce Tinner, Jill Urbanus, Tracey Hunter and Judy Harvey. Information for “Only Yester- day” is taken from past issues of The Dallas Post, which is 119 years old. The wnformation is printed here exactly as it appeared in the newspaper years ago. “Having the igh “Having no “I'ma junior kids home heating bills, at Northwest. from school. the warm I'll miss my We go to the weather and job working park, get the long with kids at books from days.” the learning the library and Eric supey | Center and they like read- Palas | walking with ing them at them and trav- night.” eling around Brenda ation Dallas.” Caleb Van Horn Benton WHAT ARE YOU GOING 10 MISS MOST ABOUT SUMMER? ‘The perfect “The nice “Doing some non-global weather, being | things with warmed night | with the kids, | the kids, goin | air. It's going | bike riding, to the park EE to get cold swimming in and vaca- | again this win- | our pool and tions.” ter.” the scooters.” Brenda Chapple Shavertown Dennis Sherman Dallas Kristen Stallard Shavertown
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers