Category: Open Lines

Three important dates in American newspaper history occurred in September. These anniversaries span more than three centuries. On September 15, 1982, USA Today began publishing. Critics at the time said the idea of a national newspaper was doomed to failure — now, USA Today is one of the country’s largest-selling dailies. On September 18, 1851, the New York Times issued its first edition. And, on this date in 1690, the first newspaper in America was published for one day in …

We are halfway through “Unmarried and Single Americans Week,” noting that many who are unmarried do not identify with the world “single,” since they may be parents, have partners, or are widowed or divorced. The idea for the observance started in Ohio in the 1980s. There are 105 million unmarried adult Americans, more than 44 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older. Eighteen million of them are seniors over the age of 65. The number of people who live …

The nation’s oldest institution of higher learning conferred its first nine college degrees on this date in 1642, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Called the “New College,” the school was founded by Puritans in 1636 and began teaching in 1638. The following year, it was renamed in honor of John Harvard, a young minister who bequeathed his library and half his estate to the institution. Harvard stood alone in the American colonies for a long time — until 1693, when …

The average age of the American population is on a steady climb, and the national median is nearly 37. As people grow older, many tend to become a little vague about their exact age. After about 85, though, they tend to become proud of their longevity. Not too many years ago, someone who had lived to be 100 was a true rarity. Even today, those reaching 100 are contacted by the White House and often the national and local media. …

One of our favorite foods is being celebrated — it’s National Chicken Month, nicely complementing September’s Mushroom and Rice Month. The versatility of chicken — served in numerous ways ranging from Southern fried style to sandwiches to salads — drives a demand that has reached over 8.6 billion birds a year in the U.S. alone. This is almost a 50 percent increase from the broiler production in 1990. Americans eat nearly 39 pounds of chicken per capita annually, over 25 …

One century ago this month, the last known remaining member of a bird species some thought to have been the most abundant on Earth passed away. The death of the 29-year-old female passenger pigeon, named Martha, marked the extinction of the species that once covered North America with enormous flocks. Deforestation and extensive hunting reduced the flocks greatly by the second half of the 19th Century, and the decline could not be reversed. Martha died in captivity at the Cincinnati …

On this date in 1787, the Constitutional Convention wrapped up in Philadelphia with the delegates accepting the document and sending it on to the states for ratification. Less than two years later, the new U.S. government had to take out a loan. This week in 1789, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton was in negotiations to borrow nearly $192,000 from the Bank of New York and the Bank of North America. The money was needed to pay the salaries of President Washington …

One of the nation’s largest corporations is 106 years old today, although in common with other centenarians, it has its ailments. General Motors was conceived by William Durant of Flint, Michigan. Durant co-founded Chevrolet — named after noted racing car drivers Louis and Gaston Chevrolet, originally from Switzerland — and Durant promoted Buick to prominence on early racetracks. Over the years, Durant headed, and then lost control of General Motors not once, but twice. In 1908, when GM was founded, …

Today marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month — a time to recognize the contributions and cultures of the nation’s fastest-growing population group. The idea started as a special week in 1968 and was expanded to a full month 20 years later. There are 52 million Hispanics in the U.S., 17 percent of the total population, forming the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority. Over half of that population resides in California, Texas or Florida, and nearly two-thirds are …

This was a day that didn’t exist in Colonial America in 1752, as the familiar calendar underwent what is called the “Gregorian correction,” switching from the ancient Julian calendar to adjust for errors accumulated over centuries. After September 2nd, the next day was September 14th, and there was rioting by those who felt cheated and demanded the 11 days back. The British parliament’s Calendar Act of 1750 had also changed New Year’s Day from March 25th to January 1st. As …

Through the centuries of coffee’s popularity, if someone ordered the beverage, there was no question about what kind. Today, many Americans prefer their coffee decaffeinated. That option dates to early in the last century, when Ludwig Roselius, a coffee merchant in Bremen, Germany, succeeded in removing caffeine from coffee beans. He moved to the U.S. before World War I, and his decaffeinated coffee became available in stores in 1923. Roselius sold his process and trade name to General Mills in …

To highlight its importance, both as a crop and as part of the changing U.S. diet, this is National Rice Month. Globally, rice is the world’s most important cereal grain. Reflecting both our increasing cultural diversity and awareness of good nutrition, Americans have increased their annual consumption of rice from 1980’s 9½ pounds to today’s 31 pounds each. Rice has been grown in America since the late 17th century, and is currently a $3 billion a year crop. While not …

The first instance of debugging a computer was recorded on this date in 1947. The early Mark II computer being developed at Harvard University was balky, and a programming team– which included Navy Lieutenant Grace Hopper, a pioneer in computer history–found and fixed the problem. A moth had wedged into a relay board, causing a short circuit. The deceased moth was extracted and preserved. The log card containing notes on the de-bugging, and the appended remains of the moth, was …

Of the millions of students going to class in the new school year, many are attending junior high schools or middle schools. The first such school in the U.S. opened its doors this week in 1909 — the Indianola Junction Junior High School in Columbus, Ohio, with seventh, eighth and ninth grades. Ninth grade students were offered courses in English, German, algebra, science and geography, as well as manual training, domestic science, history, and the government of Ohio. Today, most …

A device that many of us line up to use every few days or weeks was first unveiled on this date in 1885 — the gas pump. Sylvanus Bowser of Fort Wayne, Indiana made the pump for a customer to dispense fuel for lamps and stoves. As one might expect, the advent of automobiles spurred the development, popularity and distribution of the gas pump. Eventually, the inventor’s name became a generic term for a fuel dispenser, and gas pumps in …

Today is the 233nd anniversary of the founding of Los Angeles by the Spanish governor of California. It was a small village of just 12 families, but was given the name “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels.” The town had grown to some 6500 residents when the Mexican Revolution overthrew Spanish colonial rule in 1821. California was among the territories ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican-American War, and became a state in1850, …

Football season is soon to be in full swing again. Colleges have already begun playing, and the National Football League season starts on Thursday. For many years, it was believed the first professional game took place on this date in 1895 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. It was considered professional because one player was paid the sum of $10. However, recent research determined that the first professional game took place in 1892 in Pittsburgh. There, a Yale All-American named Pudge Heffelfinger received …

“News is coming up next.” Such words are familiar to many of us, as Americans catch up on what’s happening around the world by listening to radio newscasts at home, at work, on their computers and in the car. One of the first daily news programs on the young medium launched at the start of this month in 1922. It was called “The Radio Digest,” and was hosted by George Thompson over WBAY in New York City. At the time, …

This is Labor Day — a time to honor the nation’s working men and women, and traditionally, the end of the summer season. The observance has added meaning this year because of the persistently cloudy employment picture. The first Labor Day was celebrated in September 1882 in New York City. By 1894, more than half the states were observing the occasion, and noting the first Monday in September as a national holiday became federal law in 1894. In the U.S., …

A perpetually hot topic, in summer and other seasons, is the fluctuating cost of gasoline and diesel fuel. Some discussion centers on the amount of taxes paid at the pump, as state taxes on fuels vary widely. The highest state tax plus fees on gasoline is 50.5 cents per gallon, levied in New York, while Connecticut imposes a 54.5 cent tax on diesel. Nationally, the lowest state taxes and fees on both is around 4.5 cents per gallon, the rate …