Category: Quick hits

Oklahoma joined the Union as the 46th state on this date in 1907. Its name comes from the Choctaw words “okla,” meaning “people,” and “humma,” meaning “red.” And the state’s rich history is intertwined with that of the American Indian. As the nation grew westward, Oklahoma hosted a cattle boom, cowboys and Wild West shows, and then an oil boom. Famous Oklahomans include Will Rogers, Jim Thorpe, cowboys Gene Autry and Tom Mix, author Ralph Ellison, jazz pioneer Charlie Christian, …

This week in 1901, there was good news for the hard of hearing, as Miller Reese Hutchinson of New York patented the first portable electric hearing aid. Called the “acousticon,” the device was a smaller version of previous tabletop units. While portable, it still had three components and used batteries that only lasted for a few hours. But it was far superior to ungainly hearing trumpets or simply cupping a hand behind the ear. Now, tiny digital hearing aids that …

Today marks the birth in 1765 of one of the nation’s major inventors — Robert Fulton — who built the first steamboat in the U.S., which in 1807 went 150 miles from Albany to New York City, ushering in a new motive power to young America. The impact of the trip was not immediately clear, and some critics even called the effort “Fulton’s Folly.” But steamboats became the dominant form of power for America’s merchant marine. Now, steam and diesel …

The first underwater tunnel built in the U.S. — New York City’s Holland Tunnel, running beneath the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey — opened for traffic 85 years ago today. Despite its age, the tunnel remains a key traffic artery serving the New York City area, carrying more than 33 million cars and trucks every year. It is named for Clifford Holland, the project’s first chief engineer, who died of a heart attack at the age of …

It’s a time to celebrate one of life’s simple pleasures — it’s Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month. The stuff of America’s favorite sandwich, peanut butter was first offered to the public at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. But as we currently know it — with the peanuts roasted and the product churned like butter to be smooth and so the oil won’t separate — peanut butter didn’t appear on grocery shelves until 1922. While we each eat more than six …

Forty-seven years ago today, an eerie darkness spread over much of the northeastern United States from Canada, beginning at 5:16 p.m. A massive electrical blackout caused by human error eventually enveloped 80,000 square miles, putting the health and safety of 30 million people at risk for up to 12 long hours. Even though the blackout of August 2003 affected more people, the 1965 outage is still the best remembered major blackout, as it was the first to make people aware …

A simple device was patented this month in 1868 that helped change the course of history in the American West — barbed wire. Michael Kelly of Dekalb, Illinois invented the first practical such wire. He threaded little blade-shaped metal thorns onto one of two wires, then twisted them together. He called it “thorny fence,” based on Osage orange, a thorny plant from Texas. The double strand made the fence stand up to cattle, and livestock soon learned to steer clear …

Congratulations to re-elected President Obama.   You can see full results on WRAL’s site here:  http://www.wral.com/news/political/page/11679961/?group=top_races And specifically for Vance County here:  http://www.wral.com/news/political/page/11679961/?group=vance_county Congrats to all the candidates for a hard working political season. The Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship, the USS New York, was commissioned three years ago today. Some 6,000 spectators turned out for the ceremony held at the retired aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, now the Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York Harbor. The New York is …

With the 2012 presidential election here, officials in both parties are looking over results of the congressional elections two years ago for any guidance for today’s balloting. One notable finding is that 7 percent of Hispanics voted — the highest percentage since the Census Bureau started collecting this information in 1974. Maine and Washington had voter turnouts greater than 55 percent, while fewer than 40 percent of eligible Texans went to the polls. The most common reason given for not …

This year’s Nobel prizes were announced last month, and the award ceremonies will be held in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway next month. In 1952, the prize for medicine was awarded for the discovery of the first antibiotic produced in the U.S. — streptomycin. The breakthrough medicine was developed by a Ukrainian immigrant, Dr. Selman Waksman, and four of his students at Rutgers University in New Jersey in 1944. It went into production later that year and proved to be …

Even with all our electronic gadgets, many of us listen to radio every day when we wake up, eat breakfast, and when we drive to and from work. The wide variety of formats means we can choose our favorite type of music, and radio keeps us up to the minute on news and weather. Ninety-two years ago today was an election day, and the event saw the first scheduled radio broadcast. Station KDKA in Pittsburgh carried the results of the …

One of the great match races in horse racing history took place on this date in 1938 at Baltimore’s Pimlico track between War Admiral and Seabiscuit. The heavily favored War Admiral was larger, as well as the reigning triple crown winner and horse of the year. Seabiscuit’s regular jockey was injured and could not ride that day. Seabiscuit jumped to an early lead, but War Admiral caught up and the two horses raced side by side for almost a mile. …

Beware — it’s Halloween or more properly, All Hallow’s Eve, the day before the Feast of All Saints. According to Celtic tradition, it’s a time when witches, ghosts, and other unsavory characters walk the Earth for a day. For years, Halloween was eagerly awaited by youngsters, who would dress up in whatever was handy and make the rounds of the neighborhood, begging for candy with the empty threat “trick or treat!” Now, more formal parties are being held, and grownups …

Against the backdrop of rising concern about the cost of energy, most homeowners across the nation are anxiously watching the dropping temperatures as fall advances. Most homes in the U.S. have central heating, and six-out-of-10 have a warm-air furnace. By far the most popular heating fuel is gas — either piped in or bottled — which heats just over 60 percent of the nation’s homes. About one-third use electricity. Fuel oil, while still important in New England, is used to …

Can you imagine having to reach outside to clear your car windshield when it rains or snows? That’s just what people had to do in the early days of the automobile. A young woman from Alabama named Mary Anderson noticed this on a visit to New York City. She promptly drew up plans for the first hand-operated windshield wiper and was granted a patent in 1903. By 1916, such wipers were standard equipment on all automobiles and street cars. Checking …