Category: Open Lines

Today is the signature American holiday, celebrating the date in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Ours was the first successful colonial independence movement against a European power. Recognition of our nationhood came with the Peace Treaty of 1783. From sea to shining sea, there will be parades, concerts, barbecues, and, of course, fireworks. Among the famous celebrations is the Boston Pops fireworks spectacular, featuring Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” Right around 1812, the median age of …

Hmmm, they never posted the news item for Wednesday, and it’s not up there yet for Thursday… Maybe they’re on vacation?  In the meantime, what are your plans to celebrate July 4th in the area?  

Today’s usual news from the Census Bureau has not been posted as of this writing.  Will update this Wednesday when we get the info. 

The first electric power company in America, and perhaps the world, was formed on this date in 1879 in San Francisco. This was nearly four months before Thomas Edison successfully tested his practical incandescent light bulb, but there was no lack of customers, as the power supplied by the California Electric Light Company illuminated some three dozen arc lamps in downtown hotels and businesses. This electric supplier was the predecessor to the current Pacific Gas and Electric company. Today in …

On this date in 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill establishing the Interstate Highway System, originally of 41,000 miles. Today, that system is America’s main street — linking all 48 continental states along its nearly 47,000 miles, and making it the second largest highway system in the world. The original estimated cost of the interstate system was around $26 billion, while to date about $370 billion has been spent on the vast project and ongoing maintenance.  There are nearly …

Friday, June 26th. Whoever bought a pack of chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio on this date 41 years ago was making history. It was the first purchase of an item to be scanned into a cash register by using the Universal Product Code — better known as the bar code. Realizing the significance of the event, the buyer returned the item. The 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit is now on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, …

Today is the anniversary of the first color television broadcast. In 1951, CBS transmitted the appropriately named program “Premiere” from New York City, and through stations in Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. The program was seen in color only at a few select facilities because color sets for the home weren’t available until 1954.  Sales of color sets caught up with those of black and white sets around 1970. Shortly thereafter, American consumers began preferring foreign manufactured sets, and in 1995, …

In the past, hot summer days meant that some enterprising youngsters in the neighborhood would set up a lemonade stand or the family would share a pitcher of iced tea on the front porch to cool off. In recent times, we usually resort to something in a bottle or can to slake our thirst year-round. Today, the drink of choice is often a soft drink, usually carbonated. As a result, fizzy soft drink manufacturing is a $37 billion a year …

On this date in 1868, Christopher Sholes of Milwaukee, Wisconsin received a patent for the first practical typewriter. Produced in 1873, the Sholes machine even coined the term “type-writer.” It also featured today’s familiar but awkward placement of keys. The arrangement was specifically designed to slow down typing by widely spreading the most common letters, in the hope of preventing the keys from jamming. In the middle of the last century, about a quarter of all high school students were …

One man’s devotion to classical music led to a major advance in the music recording industry. Dr. Peter Goldmark of CBS Labs was fed up with the frequent record disc flips and swaps required to play a symphony in the then-current 78 rpm format, which held only three to five minutes per side. So he developed the 33 1/3 rpm long-playing record — first shown to the public this week in 1948, and the standard for decades to follow. A …

Friday, June 19th. As radio broadcasting matured and television was being birthed, the Federal Communications Commission was established on this date 70 years ago to regulate use of the airwaves in the public interest. The agency’s job has grown much larger and more complex in the years since, and includes all nonfederal government use of the frequency spectrum. Current issues include obscenity on the air and the blurring of distinctions between telephone companies and cable television. Among the outlets the …

Among the assorted observances in June is one that will be welcomed by a great part of the U.S. population — especially youngsters. It’s National Candy Month, although Americans consume about 22 pounds of candy year-round, much of it chocolate. There are about 1,200 firms in the U.S. making chocolate and cocoa products worth $14.5 billion a year. Another 420 locations make nonchocolate confections selling for $8 billion. Together, there are over 56,000 Americans employed in manufacturing sweets and treats. …

For centuries, the month of June has been the most popular choice for weddings. One of the purported reasons was that some hundreds of years ago, this time was just after May’s annual bath, so the happy couple and the guests were about as clean as could be hoped. With the ensuing advances in plumbing and overall hygiene, dressy weddings are readily staged year-round, from simple civil ceremonies and backyard or back-to-nature vows, to elaborate church functions. Each year, there …

For centuries, the month of June has been the most popular choice for weddings. One of the purported reasons was that some hundreds of years ago, this time was just after May’s annual bath, so the happy couple and the guests were about as clean as could be hoped. With the ensuing advances in plumbing and overall hygiene, dressy weddings are readily staged year-round, from simple civil ceremonies and backyard or back-to-nature vows, to elaborate church functions. Each year, there …

It’s time for gowns, carnations, diplomas, and lots of pictures. This is the season for graduations — with ceremonies being held all over the country for students from kindergarten to graduate school. In the U.S., there are nearly 78 million students at all levels of schooling — some 41.7 million from nursery through elementary school, almost 17 million in high school, and about 19 and a half million in college. High school graduation rates have grown steadily through the years, …

Friday, June 12th. This year’s Cereal City Festival kicks off this evening with a parade in downtown Battle Creek, Michigan. But the highlight of the festival, in the city that bills itself as the Cereal Capital of the World, is the world’s longest breakfast table. On Saturday morning, hundreds of volunteers will be serving breakfast in shifts to perhaps 70,000 people — greater than Battle Creek’s population of about 52,000. The festival will continue with concerts, a foot race, and …

This is National Dairy Month, observed since 1937, when it was called National Milk Month. The makers of butter, cheese and ice cream wanted some recognition, so it shortly changed to its current name and promotes the quality and nutritional benefits of refrigerated dairy products. Americans consume more dairy products than any other food group except fruits and vegetables, averaging 612 pounds each annually. This includes nearly 36 pounds of various cheeses, 21 pounds of ice cream, sherbet and other …

On this date in 1963, Congress enacted the Equal Pay Act to prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages for equal work by employers. Currently, women are paid 78 cents for every dollar of men’s wages, up from 61 cents in 1960. One factor in this disparity is the composition of civilian noninstitutional employment, where there are 79 million working men over 16 years old, as opposed to 69.3 million women. But women outnumber men in …

It used to be that cars were fairly simple to repair, but they often broke down. Modern automobiles have become very reliable. They’ve also gotten extremely complicated — with antilock brakes, traction control, navigation systems, and even self-parking systems. That means there are more things to go wrong and more knowledge needed to repair problems. That’s why June 8th through the 12th is National Automotive Service Professionals Week. The goal is to recognize mechanics across the country for their role …

One of the joys of summer and sins of consumption goes back to this date in 1786, when commercially made ice cream was first advertised in New York City. Until then, ice cream was a privately prepared treat, but the New York Post-Boy announcement stated that anyone “may be supplied with ice cream every day at the City tavern by their humble servant, Joseph Cowe.” However, the supply was as limited as the technology of the age, and ice cream …