Category: Open Lines

If you feel a special, hair-raising electricity in the air today, well that’s no wonder — it’s National Static Electricity Day. Static electricity is the result of an imbalance between negative and positive charges in an object. These charges build up on the surface until they are discharged. This commonly happens when you shuffle about when the humidity is very low and then touch a conductor, such as a door handle or your pet’s wet nose. Static electricity has uses …

The nation’s telephone service options changed forever on this date 31 years ago when AT&T complied with a Justice Department mandate to give up its local Bell System companies. The action came as the result of what has been termed the most significant antitrust suit since the breakup of Standard Oil in 1911. From the late 19th century, the virtual monopoly of what had come to be known as “Ma Bell” controlled America’s telephone equipment and lines. After the breakup, …

During the Revolutionary War, the rebelling colonies and the Continental Congress were anything but too big to fail. To the contrary, finances were very spotty and precarious. To help put affairs in order and make credit available, the first commercial bank in the U.S. opened this day in 1782, just a week after being chartered by the Congress. Called the Bank of North America, it was capitalized at $400,000. The names of founding stockholders read like a list of our …

This week in 1790, President George Washington addressed a joint session of Congress to deliver the first State of the Union report, as called for the in the still young Constitution. The requirement didn’t demand a speech, and after delivering just one, President Thomas Jefferson began reporting in writing, feeling a speech was too magisterial. The spoken presentation was revived by Woodrow Wilson. Washington’s address has echoes to this day, as he stated “the terms on which foreigners may be …

In order to tackle the 19th century’s version of “shovel ready jobs,” the nation’s first engineering college opened on this date in 1825 in Troy, New York, now known as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. At the time, engineering primarily concerned great structures, applying math and physical sciences to bridges, canals, ship-building, fortifications and large buildings. In the years since, engineering has come to be applied to many other fields, such as chemical, electrical, petroleum, and, of course, computers. As a force …

On this day in 1900, President William McKinley’s Secretary of State, John Hay, announced the so-called “open door” policy to stimulate trade with China, free of exclusion by imperial European powers scrambling for control of Chinese markets in the era before the income tax. This was significant because a very large portion of federal revenue came from tariffs or customs on imports. in 1900, federal receipts were around $567 million of which 41 percent were from customs duties. As of …

For Americans in 1863, this day was not one especially suited to a greeting of “Happy New Year.” But in a nation riven by Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln used the occasion of the new year to inject a moral component into the crisis by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. While this document was a half-measure, it buttressed the Union cause and led — at the war’s end — to slavery’s elimination. The 1860 Census found the U.S. population to number …

On this New Year’s Eve, some 315 million Americans of all ages are ready to greet the year 2013. A hundred years ago, the U.S. population was just over 97 million. Fifty years ago, it was just over 186 million. To show how the nation is growing, by this time tomorrow there will be 10,800 new babies on hand to welcome the new year. Tonight’s celebration will see many of the 182,000 musicians and singers in the U.S. entertaining crowds …

One of the states that figured prominently in the recent presidential election — Iowa — became the 29th state to join the Union on this date in 1846. The name “Iowa” is derived from an American Indian word meaning “the beautiful land,” and it’s thought that the nickname “the Hawkeye State” is in honor of the famous Indian chief, Black Hawk. Iowa has long been an agricultural powerhouse and is the nation’s leading producer of corn and soybeans, as well …

The holidays are mostly a time of bustling good cheer — but they are also a time for winter’s most frequent misery — the common cold, and the cough that often goes along with it. More than a century ago, a restaurant owner in Poughkeepsie, New York, did something to make life a little easier for cold sufferers. James Smith cooked up the first batch of cough drops in 1847, in two flavors still popular today — cherry and licorice. …

Many avid skiers are headed to the slopes these days, anxious to try out the new equipment and colorful hats, gloves, and jackets they received for Christmas. It’s the height of the skiing season, and the lodges and ski lifts at resorts are getting crowded. Skiing was introduced to America in the 1840s and ’50s by Norwegians and Swedes, who came to the U.S. as part of the Gold Rush. The first winter Olympics were held in 1924. Today, snow …

Winter arrived this morning at 6:12 a.m., Eastern Standard Time. While some parts of the country already have a blanket of snow, others anxiously hope for a white Christmas. Still others have unhappy memories of recent winters and hope this one turns out to be milder. In the continental U.S., Rogers Pass, Montana holds the record low winter temperature at 70 below zero, followed by Peter’s Sink, Utah, just one degree warmer. The absolute lowest temperature ever recorded in the …

One of the world’s most popular word games appeared for the first time this week in 1913, in the Sunday edition of the New York World. That’s when the first crossword puzzle, created by journalist Arthur Wynne, was printed. His puzzle was diamond shaped and had no black squares. During the 1920s, other newspapers picked up the new pastime, and within a decade, crossword puzzles were a feature of almost every U.S. newspaper and began to assume their now familiar …

Many of the holiday cards we receive picture either Santa Claus or families gathered around the hearth to enjoy the warmth and color of a fireplace. For much of the nation’s history, every home was heated by multiple fireplaces, and all households had to cut and stack wood for cooking and to keep the house warm. Now, fireplaces are primarily a source of charm and ambiance. Many open wood burning fireplaces have been altered to accept a metal insert, which …

Counting today, there are just seven more shopping days until Christmas. This coming weekend promises to be the busiest time of the season, as bustling crowds of shoppers descend on malls and shopping centers across the country. Faced with the hassle of getting to and then finding a parking place at these facilities, a growing number of people have turned to mail-order catalogs and ordering gifts online. These businesses sell more than $234.5 billion worth of goods each year. Close …

A dream of the ages became reality 109 years ago today, on a windswept sand dune at North Carolina’s Outer Banks, as the Wright brothers made the world’s first powered flight. With Orville and Wilbur alternating as pilot, the plane made four flights that day. The longest distance covered was 852 feet in 59 seconds — an average speed of 31 miles an hour. In only a few years, the airplane became an important part of America’s economy and defense, …

With Christmas just 11 days away, the nation’s retail stores certainly will be jammed this weekend, as shoppers get into high gear to check off the names on their gift list. It’s a time for goodwill and patience on the part of all concerned. In our rush, we may overlook the good work of the salespeople who staff the country’s 1.1 million retail businesses, ranging from furniture to auto parts to sporting goods, and without whom shopping would be impossible. …

It’s the height of the shopping season, and people jamming the malls with their gift lists in hand are rediscovering one of the lesser aspects of the season — finding a place to park. When the mall lots and garages end up being full, many shoppers will turn to nearby commercial lots and garages. The first city parking garage in the U.S. opened on December 5, 1941, in Welch, West Virginia. It could handle 232 cars and showed a profit …

Poinsettias, with their contrast of brilliant red against green, are an established part of the color and tradition of the holidays. But many may be unaware that they are named for a real person — Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, honored on this day, the anniversary of his death. He was a U.S. diplomat who developed his lasting legacy and symbol of Christmas from a flower he found while stationed in Mexico in the early 19th century. Poinsett also represented South …

All across the country, the winter darkness is ablaze with colorful lights — from small towns to big cities, along streets and in storefronts, as well as private homes. Some neighborhoods have such massive annual displays they draw people from miles away. While the exact time and place of the first outdoor holiday lights is not known, one of the first occurred in Denver in 1914 when an electrician named David Sturgeon dipped light bulbs in colored paint to light …