Category: Open Lines

Befitting the eve of the nation’s celebration of freedom, one of the most important pieces of legislation in our history became law on this date in 1964. The Civil Rights Act, signed by President Lyndon Johnson, swept away Jim Crow laws by prohibiting discrimination based on race in all accommodations and facilities open to the public, as well as employment, union membership, and voter registration. Shortly after the Civil Rights Act became law, nearly 42 percent of blacks lived in …

On this date in 1788 — 226 years ago — the Constitution of the United States was formally established, transforming the loose organization of the states under the Articles of Confederation into a more perfect union. Besides securing the rights of citizens and establishing the limits of government authority, the Constitution calls for a census every 10 years to ensure that seats in the House of Representatives reflect the distribution of the U.S. population. The 1790 Census found 3.9 million …

Income taxes first came to America 152 years ago today, when President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill levying a 3 percent tax on incomes between $600 and $10,000, and 5 percent for greater incomes. After helping finance the federal cause in the Civil War, the tax was rescinded in 1872. The income tax all of us know today dates to 1913, when the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving Congress the power to levy such taxes. About 146 …

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 …

Consumers’ options for managing their finances were greatly broadened on this date in 1934 after President Roosevelt signed the Federal Credit Union Act the day before, promoting the nationwide formation of credit unions. These differ from banks by being member owned and controlled. Credit unions are nonprofit institutions where groups of people can save, borrow, and obtain other financial services. There are nearly 18,000 credit unions in the U.S., employing about a quarter million people. These establishments range from a …

The person’s name is not known, but whoever bought a pack of chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio on this day 40 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 — much better known as the bar code. Realizing the significance of the event, the buyer returned the item — a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit — which is …

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. By the end of 1957, while nearly 39 million U.S. households had TV sets, only 150,000 were color units. Sales of color sets caught up with those …

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 year-round thirsts. Today, the drink of choice is often a soft drink, usually carbonated. As a result, fizzy soft drink manufacturing is a nearly $35 billion a …

The keyboard on your computer is descended from the invention of Christopher Sholes of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On this date in 1868, he patented the first practical typewriter, with the now familiar placement of keys. Its acceptance was slow, and for several decades, many people considered it slightly insulting to receive a typewritten letter. But as machines improved, the advantages of the typewriter became clear. The need for skilled typists allowed many women to first enter the world of business. Decades …

The first Chinese student to graduate from an American college was Yung Wing, a naturalized American who received his bachelor of arts degree from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut this month in 1854. That year, some 16,000 Chinese immigrants arrived in California, though ensuing restrictions greatly reduced the annual arrivals for decades thereafter. Today, there are about 3.7 million Americans of Chinese descent, and they are no longer a rarity on college campuses. Over 46 percent of school-age Chinese-Americans …

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 non-federal 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 FCC monitors are …

If there’s a musical equivalent of the late Rodney Dangerfield, who complained that he never got any respect, it would be the accordion. During June, fans of this neglected musical instrument have been celebrating National Accordion Awareness Month, with the idea of increasing its popularity beyond polka bands. The earliest ancestors of the accordion are traced to China of some 2,000 years ago, while the modern instrument had its beginnings in Vienna and Berlin in the 1820s. Older Americans might …

America’s first accident insurance company was chartered on this date in 1863 in Hartford, Connecticut. It was the Travelers Insurance Company — still with us today as the Travelers Companies — and its first policies insured against loss during periods of travel only. In 1864, the charter was amended to cover all manner of accidents. The first such rider, sealed with a handshake, was to insure James Bolter of Hartford for $5,000 against accidents on his walk between his home …

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, …

This date 63 years ago was a Wednesday, and it can be assumed that computer technicians and engineers at the Census Bureau were a bit nervous about the day to come. On June 14, 1951, the first commercial computer, UNIVAC I, began its 12 years and 73,000 hours of number crunching for the Bureau. The successful start-up was used to process data from the 1950 Census of Population and launched today’s digital revolution. Now, over three-quarters of America’s approximately 120 …

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 ABS 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 this is National Automotive Service Professionals Week. The goal is to recognize mechanics across the country for their role in keeping America’s millions …

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 over 78 million students at all levels of schooling — some 41 and a half million from nursery through elementary school, about 17 million in high school, and nearly 20 million in college. High school graduation rates have grown steadily through the years, …

A major pop culture phenomenon began this week in 1933. With the automobile increasingly reshaping Americans’ habits, Richard Hollingshead opened the nation’s first drive-in movie theater in Camden, New Jersey. Soon, drive-in movies became a fixture across the country and a popular place for teenage dating. Drive-ins reached their peak in the 1950s. There were nearly 21,000 movie theaters then and more than 4,000 of them were drive-ins. Now, there are nearly 4,600 movie theaters around the country — many, …

This is National Rose Month, celebrating America’s favorite flower, grown in all 50 states. One of the world’s biggest floral celebrations is going on now and will pack in its greatest activity through Jine — the Portland, Oregon Rose Festival, founded in 1907. Portland is called the City of Roses, and its many rose-themed celebrations began in late April, and continues into July. Among the numerous events making up the festival are best rose trials, an art show, drag races, …

On this date 70 years ago, while most of America slept, one of history’s most notable events unfolded, as heard at the time: “CBS World News; Bob Trout speaking. And again we bring you the available report — all of them from German sources — on what the Berlin radio calls the invasion. The Berlin radio opened its news program with a so-called invasion announcement, and I quote: ‘Here is a special bulletin. Early this morning, the long-awaited British and …