Category: Open Lines

Beginning on this date in 1874, the largest swarm of Rocky Mountain locusts ever recorded blackened the skies from the Dakotas to Texas and stripped farm fields in minutes. The swarm is estimated to have been 1,800 miles long and 110 miles wide. The locusts not only ate crops but ate the wool off of living sheep and even brought trains to a halt. While not as large, similar swarms continued for several years. Then, in one of the greatest …

It’s time to pass the strained peaches or maybe the junior green beans. The 22nd annual National Baby Food Festival is under way today in Fremont, Michigan, and through Saturday some 100,000 people will enjoy top-ranked entertainment as well as baby food eating contests by adults and toddler races. Today in the U.S., there are more than 4 million babies being cradled or held in parents’ laps for their feedings. More than 12 million others aged 1 through 3 have …

This is the height of the U.S. golf season, with interest made high by international players taking part in major tournaments, and the return of Tiger Woods to the links, all covered by television. Even those who follow the sport may not know that the first 18-hole course in the country was the Chicago Golf Club, laid out in 1893 by Charles MacDonald, who was greatly influenced by courses in Scotland. The Chicago course was one of the original five …

On this date in 1984, President Reagan signed a bill known as the Minimum Legal Drinking Age law. Backed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the law standardized a patchwork of local laws across the country and made it illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase or publicly possesses alcohol. It has been estimated that a thousand lives a year are saved as a result. In the U.S., Americans annually drink an average of just under 22 gallons of beer, 2½ …

One of the joys of summer on the nation’s lakes, rivers, and coastlines is the boating regatta. These events give boat owners the chance to show off their pride and joy, along with their boat handling skills. The events range from one-design sailboat races to reviews of antique speedboats and even steam-powered launches. The first regatta in the U.S. occurred on this date in 1845 — sponsored by the New York Yacht Club. Each year 75 million Americans enjoy getting …

It’s clear that the folks who live in Wayne, Nebraska have a sense of humor, tending to the pun side of things. Their annual chicken show starts today and runs through Sunday. With all the usual trappings and family fun of such local events, plus the National Cluck-Off and a hard-boiled egg eating contest. The theme for this year’s edition of the award-winning festival is “Nightmare on Egg Street,” and souvenirs for sale are called “Clucktibles.” The residents of Wayne …

A romantic period of American history that still intrigues us officially ended on this date in 1893. That’s when Frederick Jackson Turner delivered an academic paper in Chicago that declared the American Frontier had closed. Based on 1890 Census data, Turner said that migration from the East, the building of railroads and hundreds of new towns had combined to forge a single nation from coast-to-coast. The most recent census showed that the West is still a magnet for growth. Between …

All over the country, wherever there’s water — at lakes, rivers, the seashore, and at public and private pools — people are swimming and learning to swim. The first swimming school in the U.S. opened this month in 1827. It was on the Charles River in Boston, and students were suspended in a harness from a long pole. Today, more than 50 million people enjoy swimming on a regular basis, making it one of our favorite sporting activities. Many swim …

Major league baseball takes a pause in its regular schedule today to play its 83rd all-star game. This year’s event is being held in Kansas City. The first midsummer all-star game was played on July 6,1933, at Comiskey Park in Chicago. A homer by Babe Ruth helped the American League defeat the National League, 4-to-2. Before 1933, all- star games were exhibition games, played either before or after the regular season. A few star players took part, and the rosters …

Key aviation officials from around the world are gathered in England for today’s opening of the Farnborough International Air Show, one of the world’s largest. Hundreds of aircraft will be on display, from historic planes to the most modern. The show is open to industry representatives for the first five days and to the general public for the last two days. The U.S. Aerospace Industry will be well represented at Farnborough with commercial, civil, and military aircraft, engines, electronic systems, …

This is a key week in postal history. The first stamps issued by the U.S. Post Office went on sale in 1847. A five-cent stamp pictured Benjamin Franklin, while one costing 10 cents honored George Washington. Before then, there were no uniform stamps –a haphazard system of private postal services around the country had issued their own. And in 1963, the Postal Service introduced the five-digit Zip Code to help speed mail to the proper destination. That year, Americans sent …

Hope everyone enjoyed their July 4th celebration yesterday! Newspapers across the country on this date in 1910 were full of stories of the heavyweight championship boxing match the day before in Reno, Nevada –billed as “the fight of the century.” The bout pitted champion Jack Johnson, an African-American, against former champ Jim Jeffries, called “the great white hope.” Jeffries was outclassed and his corner conceded the fight in the 15th round. The result sparked race riots in 50 cities in …

Today is that most American of holidays — Independence Day, celebrating the day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Across the country, from San Francisco to Savannah, there will be parades, concerts, barbecues, and, of course, fireworks. The World’s Greatest Lizard Race will be held in Lovington, New Mexico and in Lavallette, New Jersey, a band will play along with a huge fireworks display, enjoyed by thousands from their boats. Shortly after the U.S. …

Among the most heated topics being discussed in the current stage of the presidential election campaign is health reform, more properly the Affordable Health Care Act. Most recent figures, released last fall for the year 2010, show just under 50 million people without health insurance — that’s 16.3 percent of the total U.S. population. For children under 18, almost 10 percent were not covered by health insurance. The figures show a variation among regions of the country. The largest number …

Seventy-five years ago today, America’s most famous woman pilot disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. Amelia Earhart, who had captured the heart of the nation with her aviation exploits, was attempting to circle the Earth at the equator. She had completed 22,000 miles of the trip and was on a leg from New Guinea to tiny Howland Island when radio contact was lost. An extended, massive search failed to turn up any trace of her, her navigator or their twin-engine aircraft. …

The summer theater season is under way in Farmington, New Mexico, where performances are held in a natural sandstone amphitheater. This season, the main show is “Fiddler on the Roof.” Across the country, summer theaters will present a wide variety of musicals, comedy and dramatic productions under the stars, inside tents, and in converted barns and mills. Americans are increasingly enjoying going to live theater. The big Broadway shows draw more than 12 million people a year, while their road …

Fifteen years ago this week, the first of a series of books was published in the United Kingdom — “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” published in the U.S. with the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The books, written by J.K. Rowling, ended up breaking all known publishing records, selling 450 million copies and translated into more than 60 languages. Some critics have credited the series with sparking an increase in reading among juveniles. In addition, the seven …

It’s summer, and one of the perennial pests of the season is mosquitos. While most people think of them as inconvenient, there is a deadly side to these flying insects, in the form of West Nile virus and malaria. That’s why this is National Mosquito Control Awareness Week, to honor those whose profession is working to eradicate mosquitos. In the U.S. last year, there were 43 deaths from the West Nile virus. Worldwide, malaria has been historically one of the …

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 38 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 …

Most of the time, when we hop into our cars or trucks, we don’t think about our tires — we’ve become so accustomed to them performing for tens of thousands of miles with only checking the air pressure every now and then. This month in 1844 Charles Goodyear received a patent for his discovery that if he removed the sulfur from natural rubber and then heated it, it would remain elastic even when cold. More than 40 years later, Scottish …