Category: Open Lines

We pretty much take for granted that the municipal water that comes out of the faucets in our homes is safe to drink. But it wasn’t always that way. A dramatic example is the nation’s first water filtration system in Lawrence, Massachusetts, which began operating on this date in 1893. The system was a sand filter of nearly three acres, designed by Hiram Francis Mills, which trapped typhoid fever-causing bacteria from water piped from the polluted Merrimack River. In the …

This is National Singles Week, often called “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 103 million unmarried adult Americans, more than 44 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older. Seventeen million of them are seniors over the age of 65. The number of …

We are at the midpoint of the weeklong National Rehabilitation Awareness celebration. One of its goals is to salute the determination of the nation’s 57 million residents who confront their disabilities as they go about their daily lives. Another is to say thanks to the thousands of rehabilitation professionals, such as the nation’s nearly 200,000 physical therapists, who help those in need adapt to and overcome their disabilities. About 19 percent of the population is living with some form of …

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 105 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. Besides Oldsmobile, GM has made several …

When Henry Bliss stepped off a streetcar at Central Park West and 74th Street in New York, on this date in 1899, automobiles were a novelty. Thus, he didn’t look, and was run over by an almost silent electric taxi. The accident was the first fatality in the U.S. involving an automobile. At the time, there were fewer than 8,000 motor vehicles in the whole country. As the number of registered automobiles climbed rapidly, so did the number of deaths. …

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 …

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 more than doubled their annual consumption of rice from 1980, from 9½ to 21 pounds each. Rice has been grown in America since the late 17th century, and is currently a $3 billion a year crop. While …

The first coast-to-coast paved roadway in the United States opened on this date a century ago. Known as the Lincoln Highway, the road originally ran for nearly 3,400 miles through 13 states, connecting New York City with San Francisco. As a young army officer, Dwight Eisenhower drove in an army convoy on the Lincoln Highway — an experience which lay behind his later support as president for the Interstate Highway System that we enjoy today. And the Lincoln Highway, with …

The nation’s oldest institution of higher learning opened on this week in 1636 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Called the “New College,” it opened with a student body of nine. It was founded by Puritans, who hoped to duplicate the educational standards of Oxford and Cambridge for their sons. In 1639, the school 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 …

Thousands of fungus aficionados will be descending on Kennett Square, Pennsylvania this weekend for the 28th annual Mushroom Festival. This is appropriate, because September is National Mushroom Month, and Kennett Square bills itself as the mushroom capital of the world. Activities include a culinary tent, cooking demonstrations, a fried mushroom eating contest, farm tours, as well as entertainment. All swirling around festival mascot Fun Gus. Mushrooms are an important salad ingredient and add interest to many other meals. They are …

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 232nd anniversary of the founding of Los Angeles by Felipe de Neve, 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 650 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 …

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 …

Few of us have the opportunity to actually change the shape of people’s lives and help them to live more happily. Such a man was Dr. Claire Straith of Southfield, Michigan, whose birthday in 1891 is noted today. Treating soldiers wounded in World War I, he pioneered many techniques in plastic and cosmetic surgery that are still in use today. Later, noting that he was performing a lot of reconstructive surgery on crash victims, Straith successfully urged automakers to use …

A perpetually hot topic, in summer and other seasons, is the fluctuating cost of gasoline and diesel fuel, and the resultant impact on the nation’s economy and living habits of Americans. Some discussion centers on the amount of taxes paid at the pump, as state taxes on fuels vary widely. The highest tax on gasoline is 39.5 cents per gallon, levied in California, while Connecticut imposes an almost 55 cent tax on diesel. Nationally, the lowest tax on both is …

“This program is brought to you by…” Those words, or ones close to them, were heard on this date 91 years ago as what is believed to be the first commercial broadcast on the new medium of radio. Station WEAF in New York City carried that first ad — not for soap or automobiles — but for a group of apartment buildings in Queens. The cost was $100 for 10 minutes of programming. At the time, there were just 30 …

Everyday weather reports often feature stories of droughts, wildfires, flooding and mudslides. The planet enjoys an abundance of water, but the weather disasters are problems of timing and distribution. Societies since the ancient Mesopotamians have addressed this challenge with engineering. Each day in the U.S., about 410 billion gallons of water are pumped or diverted from the nation’s rivers, lakes and underground supplies; mostly the latter. Steam-powered electric generating plants use nearly half of it, 128 billion gallons are used …

It is said that “every dog has its day,” and according to an animal welfare organization in Oregon, today is it. Now in its 10th observance, every August 26 is National Dog Day. The occasion has two goals. One is to honor dogs, which serve humanity as companions, watchdogs, herders, and Seeing Eye dogs. They also aid in search and rescue, and in sniffing out explosives and drugs. The second goal is to rescue 10,000 dogs a year from neglect …

It’s still summer break for many kids, but under way is one of the nation’s largest seasonal events that exchanges leisure for classroom study. It’s back to school time. From nursery school to college, 79 million students are headed to the classroom — that’s more than one-out-of-four of the total U.S. population aged 3 and over. Of Americans between the ages of 18 to 24 years, 42 percent are enrolled in college. Nursery school or kindergarten enrollment is over 9 …