Nebraska Newspapers

    DISASTERS
January
1—Five killed when DC-3
transport crashes near
Charleston, a. c.
1— Transport plane falls near Carmel,
N. J., killing 3, injuring 20.
12— Airliner crashes near Galax, Va.,
killing 18 of 19 aboard.
13— Fifteen miners die in gas explosion
in coal mine in Nottingham, Pa.
30—Tornado sweeping through Alabama,
Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri
kills 20
February
18—Twenty-one killed, 128 injured when
train plunges over 150-foot embark
ment in Allegheny mountains near
Altoona, Pa.
20—Explosion of tank in electroplating
factory in central Los Angeles kills
15, injures 158, demolishes area half
mile square.
March
25—Worst mine disaster since 1928
takes toll of 111 lives in Centralia,
111., explosion.
April
2— Explosion in fireworks plant in Clin
ton, Mo., kills 10.
9—Tornadoes rip through Texas Pan
handle and Oklahoma, killing 138,
injuring 1,000. Woodward, Okla.,
hardest hit. with 84 dead.
16—Most of Texas City, Tex., destroyed
by enormous explosion when freight
er, loaded with nitrate fertilizer, ex
plodes in harbor and sets fire to
docks, oil tanks and factories. Fire
rages for three days. Toll; 400 kill
ed, 3,500 injured.
29—Tornado destroys Worth, Mo., kill
ing 14. Another twister kills 9 in
rural northwest Arkansas.
May
6—Outbreak of infant diarrhea in Phila
delphia area causes deaths of 27
babies
29— Forty-two killed when DC-4 airliner
crashes after take-off at La Guardia
field. New York. Seven survive.
30— DC-4 airliner crashes near Ft. De
posit, Md., killing all 53 on board.
Two crashes rank as worst air dis
asters in U. S. history.
31— Tornado strikes Leedy, Okla., wreck
ing town, killing 6.
June
1—Tornado kills 35 in farming section
near Pine Bluff. Ark.
9—Mississippi river floods lowlands in
northern Missouri, southern Iowa
and Illinois, forcing 22.000 to aban
don homes. Seven drowned at Ot
tumwa, Iowa.
13—All 50 on board DC-4 airliner killed
when it strikes mountain near Lees
burg, Va.
22—Flash flood drowns 11 in Cambridge,
Neb.
July
3—Tornado kills 11 near Grand Forks,
N. D.
13—Chartered DC-3 transport plane
crashes in swamp near Melbourne,
Fla., killing 21, injuring 15.
29—Explosion wrecks beauty shop in
Harrisonburg, Va- Ten women killed,
30 persons injurAl.
August
8— Four die when chartered plane dives
into chimney of gas plant in Ever
ett, Mass.
September
3—Labor day weekend takes death toll
of 456, compared with 457 in 1946.
11—Twenty killed when excusion boat
blows up at Pittsburgh dock.
20— Hurricane sweeps in over southern
Florida, crosses Gulf of Mexico,
strikes Louisiana. Mississippi and
Arkansas. Toll: 100 killed, many in
jured, property loss of 25 to 30 mil
lion dollars.
21— Flood following hurricane drowns
37 in New Orleans area.
29—Fire on New York City pier results
in injuries to 144 firemen, five mil
lion dollar loss.
October
24— Fifty-two killed when transport plane
crashes in Bryce Canyon, Utah.
25— Forest fires in Maine kill 17, destroy
many homes. Fires rage throughout
northeastern states.
26— Transport hits mountain In Alaska,
killing 18.
November
13—Array plane hits Mt. Spokane, Wash.,
killing five men.
21—Nine naval personnel killed, two
saved in crash of bomber in Pacific,
100 miles southwest of San Diego,
Calif.
December
9— Army plane crashes near Goose
Bay, Labrador; 23 die, six rescued.
11— Two passenger trains collide head
on near New Braunfels, Tex., killing
two. Injuring nine.
12— Army plane burns and crashes near
Memphis, Teun.. killing 20.
15—CAB tabulation shows 1947 toll of
274 fatalities in mishaps involving
scheduled airlines.
rec—vn-jn-—
1
> 1 HEATHS
—
fej January
5—Ovington E. Weller.
84, former U. S. sena
tor from Maryland.
7—Charles S. Woolworth, 90, one of
founders of store chain.
11— Eva Tanguay, 68, famous vaudeville
actress.
20—Andrew J. Volstead, 87. former Min
nesota congressman who introduced
1919 prohibition act.
26— Grace Moore, 45, opera, radio ana
screen star, in air crash.
27— Haul P. Harris, 78, founder of Rotary
International.
February
3—Adm Marc A. Mitscher, 60, hero of
both World Wars.
6—O. Max Gardner. 64, U. S. ambassa
dor to England.
12— Sidney Toler (Charlie Chan), 50, film
star
15—Harry K. Thaw, 76. wealthy playboy
who shot Stanford White.
March
9—Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, 88. wom
an suffrage leader.
17—William C. Durant, 85. founder of
General Motors corporation.
+ + ±
April
7—Henry Ford. 83, auto manufacturer.
18—Benny Leonard, 51, former world
lightweight boxing champion.
20— King Christian X of Denmark, 76.
24—Willa Cather, 70, famous novelist.
May
4—Martin J. Insull, 78, brother of Sam
uel and himself a utilities magnate.
16— Sir Frederick G. Hopkins, .86, bio
chemist who discovered vitamins.
27—Brig. Gen. Evans F. Carlson, 51, ma
rine hero, leader of "Carlson’s raid
ers."
31—Adrienne Ames, 39, actress and radio
commentator.
June
11— David I. Walsh, 74, former U. S. sen
ator and governor of Massachusetts.
22—Jim Tully, 56, novelist and screen
writer.
July
12— Rep. Joseph J. Mansfield, 86, Texas
congressman since 1916 and oldest
member of house.
26—Mrs. Martha E. Truman, 94, Presi
dent Truman's mother.
August
4—Gipsy R. Smith, 87, noted evangelist.
21— Sen. Theodore G. Bilbo. 69, U. S.
senator from Mississippi, 1935-47.
September
20—Fiorello H. La Guardia, 64, former
congressman from New York state,
mayor of New York City and direc
tor general of UNRRA.
October
17— Arthur Hyde, 70, former secretary
of agriculture, former governor of
Missouri.
30—Gov. Earl Snell of Oregon, 52.
November
4—John G. Winant, 58, former ambas
sador to England.
22— James J. Davis, 74, secretary of
labor. 1921-30.
December
7—Dr. Nicholas M. Butler, 85, president
emeritus of Columbia U.
Joseph T. Ryerson, 67, steel mag
nate.
SPORTS
January
^ 1—Bowl football scores:
w Rose Bowl, Illinois
45, u. C. L. A. 14;
Sugar Bowl, Georgia 20. North Caro
lina 10; Cotton Bowl, Arkansas 0,
Louisiana State, 0; Orange Bowl,
Rice 8, Tennessee 0. Shrine game.
West All Stars. 13. East 9.
21—Bob Feller, Cleveland Indians pitch
er, signs contract calling for $80,000
plus bonus for 1947 season.
25—Gil Dodds runs Knights of Columbus
mile in Boston in record 4:09.1.
February
2—National Collegiate Athletic associa
tion bans running shift among foot
ball rule changes.
12—Charles Trlppi, pro football star,
signs to play baseball with Atlanta
club.
21— Hank Greenberg signs with Pitts
burgh Pirates for $60,000.
28— Gus Lesnevich, light heavyweight
champion, knocks out Billy Fox in
title bout in New York.
March
12—Martin Ortiz takes bantamweight
title from Harold Dade in Los An
geles.
15—Willie Hoppe retains world three
cushion billiards championship.
Ted Edwards and William Lingel
bach win U. S. court tennis doubles.
22— Joseph Verdeur sets new record for
220 • yard breaststroke, 2:16.4 in
Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming
league.
25— Utah defeats Kentucky, 49 to 45, to
win National Collegiate basketball
title.
29— Gil Dodds runs fastest Indoor mile,
4:06.8 in Chicago.
April
9—Commissioner Happy Chandler sus
pends Leo Durocher, Brooklyn base
ball club manager, for 1947 season.
15—Joe Baski, American heavyweight
fighter, defeats Bruce Woodcock,
British champion, in London.
Baseball season opens, Brooklyn is
managed by Burton Shotton.
26— Texas U. take top honors in Drake
relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Illinois
leads in Penn relays in Philadelphia.
27— "Babe Ruth Day" observed at all
ball parks in U. S. and Japan.
May
3— Jet Pilot wins Kentucky Derby In
2:06 4/5; Phlanx second. Faultless,
third.
4— National women’s senior A. A. U.
championship swimming meet In
Seattle won by Crystal Plunge club
of San Francisco. Ann Curtis takes
individual honors.
17— U. S. golf team regains Walker cup
at St. Andrews, Scotland.
30—Mauri Rose wins annual 500 mile
auto race at Indianapolis with aver
age speed of 116.3 miles.
June
3— Honeymoon sets new world record
for seven furlong race of 1:21 4/5
minutes at Hollywood Park, Calif.
Lloyd Marshall of Cleveland knocks
out British light heavyweight champ
ion in London.
15— Lew Worsham wins national open
golf title by one stroke at St. Louis.
18— Harvard rowing crew defeats Yale
in historic race at New London,
Conn.
Ewell Blackwell of Cincinnati Reds
pitches first no-hit game of season
against Boston Braves in Cincinnati.
21—U of Illinois retains National Col
legiate Athletic association champ
ionship in meet at Salt Lake City.
29—Betty Jameson wins U. S. women’s
open golf tiUe in Greensboro, N. C.
July
8—American League wins All-Star base
ball game in Chicago. 2-1.
16— Rocky Graziano defeats Tony Zale
to win world’s middleweight boxing
title.
21—Schooner Dolphin n wins California
to-Hawaii yacht race in 11 days,
1:04 minutes. Sloop Cara Mia cap
tures Chicago-to-Mackinac race in
39 hours, 5:46 minutes.
29—Gus Lesnevich, light heavyweight
boxing champion, outpoints Tami
Mauriello, heavyweight, in non-title
bout in New York.
August
4— lice Williams knocks out Bob Mont
gomery in Philadelphia to become
lightweight champion of world.
13—Victory Song sets new world record
for trotters by running mile in
1:57 3/5 minutes, in Springfield. Ill
21— D. Lee Braun of Dallas, Tex., wins
professional North American clay
target championship in Vandalia.
Ohio.
22— Willie Pep retains featherweight title
by defeating Jock Leslie in Flint.
Mich.
College AU-Stars oest Chicago Bears
pro football squad in Chicago, 16-0.
-X
Top Ten Spot News
Stories of 1947
(As selected by nation’s weekly edi
tors in Publishers’ Auxiliary poll.)
Taft-Hartley act keynotes turbulent
labor picture.
Marshall plan, including 22l/2 bil
lion dollar outlay, marks U. S.
effort to rehabilitate stricken Eu
rope.
Tanker explosion and fire wreak
havoc in Texas City, Tex., with
death toll of 400.
17. S.-Russian disputes hold spot
light in United Nations’ quest for
world peace.
Britain grants India long-sought
freedom; rioting and bloodshed
prevail.
Governorship dispute flares in Geor
gia, with M. E. Thompson as ul
timate victor.
Telephone strike ties up communi
cations over widespread area.
Price inflation staggers domestic
economy.
Marriage of Britain’s Princess Eliz
abeth brings royalty into lime
light.
Truman Doctrine and Greco-Turk
ish aid mark revised concept in
foreign relations.
» " II II — ■ I
September
1—American Davis cup team defeats
Australia to retain cup.
3—N. Y. Giants pro football teams
beats Eastern College all-stars. 21-0.
in New York City.
7— Minor league baseball season ends.
Jersey City leads International
league. Kansas City, the American
association.
22—Brooklyn Dodgers clinch National
league pennant, New York Yankees
win American league flag.
27— Armed beats Assault as nation's top
race horse. Compete in $100,000 two
horse race at Belmont Park, N. Y.
28— Ben Hogan wins International golf
tourney in Chicago.
October
6—New York Yankees win World series.
18—Army’s record of 32 football games
without defeat broken by Columbia.
November
8— Notre Dame defeats Army, 27 to 7.
14—Billy Fox defeats Jake LaMotta by
technical knockout in New York.
20—Brooklyn Dodgers buy St. Paul club
of American Association.
December
5— Joe Louis retains heavyweight title
in split decision over Joe Walcott.
6— Notre Dame beats Southern Califor
nia. 38 to 7.
13—College of Pacific defeats Utah State
35 to 21 in Grape Bowl grid game.
-,
IMUMESTir
. January
6—President Truman
emphasizes five maj
or prooiems—sirmes,
business monopolies, housing, taxes
and agricultural prosperity—in an
nual "state of the union” message.
10—President submits budget totaling
37>,i billion dollars.
21—Gen. George Marshall succeeds
James Byrnes as secretary of state.
February
10—U. S. signs peace treaties ending war
with Italy, Bulgaria. Hungary, Fin
land and Romania.
12—U. S. and Canada agree to continue
wartime collaboration for "peace
time joint security purposes.”
28—U. S. cooperates with Mexico in cam
paign to control hoof-and-mouth dis
ease outbreak.
March
6—U. S. Supreme court finds John L.
Lewis and# United Mine Workers
guilty of civil and criminal contempt
in coal strike of November. 1946.
12—President outlines “Truman Doc
trine” on Europe and blasts Russian
aggression.
18— Cash wheat hits 30-year high of $3.05
a bushel in Chicago.
19— Georgia supreme court rules Mel
vin E. Thompson is legal governor
of state.
31—Many war power acts expire auto
matically, including selective serv
ice, CPA controls on steel, resins,
textiles, solid fuels administration,
transportation restrictions of ODT,
and others.
April
7—Telephone workers launch nationwide
strike as 340,000 employees of Bell
system leave jobs.
9—David Lilienthal confirmed as head
of Atomic Energy commission after
heated senate wrangle.
21—President warns of inflation dangers
and pleads for voluntary price cuts.
May
1—Round of threatened strikes in steel
and heavy manufacturing Industries
settled by raises of 10 to 15 cents per
hour.
14—President signs bill to eliminate most
portal-to-portal pay suits.
20—Last major telephone workers’ strike
ends.
Newburyport, Mass., merchants
abandon voluntary price cut cam
paign.
24— Navy accepts new jet-propelled fight
er plane, carrier-based XF2D-1, with
speed of 600 mph.
June
1—Commission on universal military
training issues stem warning on dan
gers of swift annihilation in atomic
war without a huge army, extensive
defensive organization.
11—President reasserts doctrine of main
taining world peace by helping weak
nations.
17— House fails by two votes to override
presidential veto of income tax re
duction bill.
23—Taft-Hartley bill becomes law as con
gress overrides presidential veto.
30—President signs rent control bill con
tinuing modified controls until March
1, 1948.
July
18— Senate sustains presidential veto of
income tax reduction bill. -
President signs presidential succes
sion bill placing speaker of the house
first in line.
25— Sixty wartime emergency powers
ended and termination dates set for
124 others.
26— Bill approved to unify armed forces.
27— James Forrestal appointed to newly
created post, secretary of national
defense
Eightieth congress ends first session.
August
10— William Odom of Roslyn, N. Y., flies
around world in record 73 hours.cov
ering 19,645 miles.
11— Sensational Hughes investigation by
senate committee probing army air
plane contracts suddenly adjourned.
September
1— President and Mrs. Truman visit
Brazil on 20-day goodwill mission.
14—Army imposes complete ban on
news of biological warfare develop
ments.
28—Farm income soars 11 per cent in
past year while operating costs jump
16 per cent, department of agricul
ture report discloses.
October
2— Food conservation drive launched
by President.
10— First war dead arrive at San Fran
cisco.
23— President calls congress for emer
gency session on November 17.
24— Distillers begin 60-day shutdown to
save grain.
30—U. S. justice department files anti
trust suit against 17 Investment
banking companies.
November
4— Democrats regain state control in
Kentucky by electing Earle C. Clem
ents governor.
8—President's advisory committee says
U. S. must give Europe five and
three quarter billion dollars in aid
in 1948
13—Gov. Earl Warren of California en
ters Republican presidential race.
17—Congress convenes on President's
call to deal with European aid. in
flation.
20—Charles Luckman resigns as chair
man of citizen’s food committee.
25— Robert E. Hannegan’s resigns as
postmaster general; succeeded by
James A. Donaldson, former first
assistant.
December
5— Ten movie writers, producers and
directors indicted for contempt of
congress in Red probe.
11— Secretary Marshall denounces Rus
sian slurs on U. S. in London.
12— Open congressional investigation of
grain speculation of Edwin Pauley,
army department official.
I '' "-.v '.'"1-"
rwonxMA
January
15—Ford Motor company
reduces prices on pas
senger cars $15 to $50
In effort "to halt insane spiral of
mounting costs and rising prices.”
23— Potato growers authorized to dump
20 million bushels of low-grade pota
toes stored under government price
support plan.
February
4— Largest narcotic seizure In nine years
made in New York when federal
agents find $250,000 worth of heroin
in possession of U. S. seaman re
turning from France.
7—Coldest temperature ever recorded
on North American continent, 81 de
grees below zero, registered at Snag
airport in Canadian Yukon.
16—Survey shows average teacher’s sal
ary in U. S. is $37 weekly, and 350,
000 teachers have left schools since
1940.
March
16— Margaret Truman, the President's
daughter, sings on radio in debut
with Detroit symphony.
April
6— Tuberculosis death rate In U. S. hits
lowest level in history at 40.1 per
100,000.
12—Two die of smallpox in New York
City. Mayor O’Dwyer asks all New
Yorkers to be vaccinated.
15—Reynolds Bombshell, converted
army bomber, sets unofficial around
the world flight record by covering
20,000 miles in 78 hours, 55 minutes.
May
7— Oklahoma State Sen. Thomas Anglin
shot in hip by State Rep. James
Scott in senate chamber. Scott is
adjudged insane.
17— Stock market prices slump to lowest
point since January, 1945, on reports
of buyer resistance and slowing busi
ness activity.
June
11—New "secret weapon," called as ef
fective as atom bomb but cheaper to
make, announced by Prof. T. D. J.
Leech of New Zealand. It reputedly
is some kind of electrical "death
ray.”
24— Freak snowstorm in Montana-Wyo
ming border region piles up 15-foot
drifts. Three workmen smothered in
snow-buried truck.
28—General Eisenhower declares U. S.
army is now "a poor second” to
Russia's.
July
5— "Flying discs” reported by airlines
crew over Emmett, Ida., leads to
frenzy of similar stories of discs
over other states.
11—Employment in U. S. passes 60 mil
lion, figure set as ideal by Henry
Wallace.
27—Gallup poll reports 51 per cent of
voters would vote for Truman for
President, 49 per cent for Dewey.
August
19—More than a third (35 per cent) of
veterans who entered college under
G.I. bill of rights have dropped out
of school, VA reports.
23—New minor planet discovered by Uni
versity of California. It is 10 miles in
diameter. 156 million miles from sun.
30—Radio tube "almost as small as a
grain of rice” developed.
aepremDer
#—Cyclotron at University of California
S reduces non-explosive fission of tan
ilum, thallium, platinum, lead and
bismuth. Scientists also discover dia
monds are radio-sensitive and make
excellent counters of radio-activity.
18—Department of agriculture reports
that 70 cents of every consumer dol
lar spent on meat now goes to farm
er, compared with 51 cents in 1939.
27—"Radac” (rapid digital automatic
computation) may be basis of de
fense for rocket weapons, reports
Presidential Scientific Research
board.
October
5—Beulah Overell and George •‘Bud"
Gollum acquitted on charge of mur
dering Beulah’s parents in yacht
explosion.
30—Plot to obtain atomic bomb secrets
revealed in senate inquiry into Holly
wood communism.
November
3—Dealers blame rumors of nylon
stocking shortage on radio commen
tators and newspaper columnists
11—Russia reported to have exploded
atomic bomb in tests; U. S. scient
ists doubt possibility.
19—Decommissioned battleship New
Mexico reaches junkyard in New
ark. N. J., for scrapping, after week
of ludicrous •’battling” with fireboats
and writs.
i i ■
FOBKIC^
January
10—U. N. security council
guarantees indecend
ence ol * ree Territory
of Trieste, ceded to Italy after
World War I.
II—Chinese civil warfare continues to
rage.
15—Truce becomes effective between
French troops and native rebel forces
in French Indo-China.
19— Poland holds first election for parlia
mentary offices since 1935.
21—Paul Ramadier chosen new premier
of France. New cabinet leans to left,
but not Communism.
February
2—Premier Alcide de Gasperi forms
new Italian cabinet composed of
coalition of Christian Democrats and
Leftists.
4—Anglo-Arab conference on Palestine
adjourns in failure, as Arabs reject
partition plan.
7— British military government of Ger
many announces plan to free 1,000,000
of the 1,500,000 Nazi suspects in zone.
First legal Polish cabinet since war
formed by Josef Cyrankiewicz. Ten
key positions held by Communists
or Socialists.
20— British announce withdrawal from
India before June, 1948.
25— Foreign ministers end London con
ference, with little headway on
peace treaties for Austria and Ger
many. *
March
1— Chinese Communist troops open large
scale offensive against Changchun.
4— Greek government appeals to U. S.
for immediate aid.
8— Jewish underground forces battle
British soldiers in Palestine.
14—U. S. and Philippines sign treaty
granting U. S. 99-year leases for
naval bases.
24—Dutch and Indonesians sign treaty
recognizing Indonesian Republic,
with sovereignty by January 1, 1949.
April
2— U. N. grants U. S. strategic trustee
ship over former Japanese-mandated
islands, the Caroline, Marshall and
Mariana groups.
5— Chinese Communist troops kill 5
U. S. marines, wound 16 in raid on
-marine munition dump.
24—Moscow conference ends after 46
days, after reaching agreement on
only a few points for Austrian and
German treaties.
26— Peace negotiations begin between
Indo-Chinese rebels and French
forces.
May
9—Communists ousted from French cab
inet.
16—Congress passes foreign relief bill,
providing 350 million dollars for Aus
tria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland,
Trieste and China.
20—First Japanese premier under new
consitution is Tetsu Katayama, 59,
lawyer and a Christian.
31—Russia seizes control of Hungarian
government through Hungarian Com
munist party coup.
Premier de Gasperi of Italy forms
new cabinet, minus Communists or
Socialists.
June
5— Secretary Marshall reveals "Mar
shall Plan” for European aid.
U. S. senate ratifies peace treaties
with Italy, Hungary. Romania and
Bulgaria.
27— Austria and U. S. reach settlement
on occupation costs.
President of Chile Gabriel Videla
proposes inter - American army to
guard the continent.
30—UNRRA, largest relief effort in his
tory. ends after spending three bil
lion dollars in four years, 72 per
cent of funds coming from the U. S.
July
15—Paris economic conference estab
lishes 16-nation organization for Eu
ropean economic cooperation under
Marshall plan.
20— Dutch forces, with air support, at
tack Indonesian Republic installa
tions on Java and Sumatra, claim
ing breach of truce.
28— Protests on undeclared war in Neth
erlands East Indies pour into U. N.
August
1— U. N. atomic energy commission re
leases six papers on atomic control
plans. Russia rejects proposals.
15—India becomes free of foreign rule
as British relinquish powers. Two
sovereign states. Dominion of India
and Pakistan, govern most of huge
land.
21— Russian vetoes keep Italy, Austria,
Transjordania, Eire. Portugal from
U. N. membership.
23—Government of Ecuador seized in
bloodless coup by defense minister
Col. Carlos Mancheno.
September
2— Inter-American treaty of reciprocal
assistance signed by delegates of 19
North and South American nations
at Rio de Janeiro.
6— Rioting sweeps India, with thousands
of fatalities.
22— European nations ask 2214 billion
dollars in aid under Marshall plan.
29— Arab Higher Committee of Palestine
tells U. N. commission Arabs will
fight to keep Palestine an Arab-con
trolled state.
30— Greek government reports 45,214
Greek civilians and 4,000 soldiers and
policemen killed by rebels since
October, 1944.
October
5— Communist parties of nine European
nations form "Cominform,” revived
Comintern.
19— F r e n c h anti-Communist party.
Charles deGaulle's RPF, replaces
Communists as largest French party.
21—U. N. establishes permanent Balkan
"border-watch” committee to cover
Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and
Albania
30—New French cabinet gets vote of
confidence in assembly, averting new
crisis.
November
3—British and Scotch elections turn to
conservative side as Labor and Com
munist parties lose ground.
8— Britain forced to ration potatoes.
13—U. N. creates "Little Assembly” to
act during recess of main body.
15—Communist-inspired riots and strikes
sweep France and Italy.
17—U. N. accept Geneva trade agree
ment, signed by 23 nations.
20— Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and
Lt. Philip Mountbatten in London
draws world-wide interest.
24—Strikes in France and Italy fail, as
workers return to Jobs
29—U. N. partitions Palestine into Jew
ish and Arab states.
December
6— U. S. forbids shipment of arms to
Palestine.
9— Russia breaks off trade pact dis
cussion with France.
12—General strike grips Rome; Com
munists march on city.
15— Soviet government revalues Russia's
currency.
16— London Big Four foreign ministers’ ;
parley ends in failure; Secy, of State *
Marshall blames Russia for collapse.
SAVE WHEAT! SAVE MEAT! SAVE THE PEACE!
From the Swiss Alps to the Sahara desert, the world will be looking
8 forward to a happier, more complete, and friendlier New Year.
j --
| HP HE New Year, the turning of
-*■ another page in the book ot our
j lives. Before us appears a new clean
white page, a slab of snow-white
j marble, whereon we must record
the events of the coming year as
I they apply to us, to our country and
to the world. What shall we record
thereon? As Longfellow said: “Life
is real, life is earnest. Let us then
be up and doing with a heart for
any fate; still achieving, still pur
suing, learn to labor and to wait."
On the new page we might place
our first entry: “Smile, save, serve.”
We can be thankful for another
morning of life. We can be thank
ful for this day; for its failures
which we must acknowledge as les
sons. We must check our faults and
failures. We must scatter seeds of
smiles and service, so that they may
grow to maturity, so that the reap
ing will not be shame and sorrow.
We will smile, save and serve.
| DAY'S MIXUP |
The whole world celebrates New
Year’s Day, but not always on the
same date.
The biggest mixup occurred from
1552 to 1772 when Europe and Eng
land observed the New Year on the
same day but at different times! In
1552, Pope Gregory III eliminated
10 days from the Julian calendar
previously in use because it was 11
minutes longer each year than thp
astronomical year. England did not
adopt the new Gregorian calendar
until 1772, however, thus observing
the same holiday at a later day.
When translated into the Grego
rian calendar, the Jewish New
Year’s varies from September 6 to
October 4. The Mohammedans not
only celebrate at a different date
but their calendar is dated almost
600 years behind the Gregorian
since it begins with the Prophet’s
Bight from Mecca in A. D. 622.
A T THE beginning of each New
Year two pathways open. One
slants downward, slow deterioration
clouding and finally blotting out all
mental excellence, spiritual appre
ciation and even physical strength,
i The other leads to the finer things
of existence, ascending gradually to
lofty heights of mind and spirit. At
the entrance Life stands with cheery
greeting and forward impetus for
j all who heed. Choose well your way!
’ He who lives fully in the year at
hand will create grandly for the
year that follows. Regardless of any
past, he who is his best self today
will find much beauty in tomorrow.
—L. D. Stearns.
Start of She Ifear
First community in the world to
celebrate New Year’s Day every
year is the little colony on Chatham
island. This British islet in the
South Pacific is the nearest land
area west of the International Date
Line on the 180th meridian. The
people are mostly Polynesian fisher
men. but the few British residents
hail the New Year in proper style.
Chatham is 40 miles east of New
Zealand.
Marks Feast Day
New Year’s Day marks the cir
cumcision of Jesus in accordance
with old Jewish custom. It was after
the date of Christmas had been
fixed for December 25 that the
Christian church began to observe
January 1, anniversary of the cir
cumcision, as a feast day.
St. Luke writes: "And when eight
days were accomplished for the cir
cumcising of the child, his name
was called Jesus, which was so
named of the angel before he was
conceived."
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A gala occasion in the lives of the
American belles was New Year’s
Day of former years. Each expected
her men friends to accept her hos
pitality on New Year’s Day. On that
day barriers were lowered a bit and
the strict social form was relaxed
to the extent that the men did not
need special Invitations or formal
introductions, and the young ladies
could talk more openly and act more
natural than on formal occasions.
Fond mammas told their unwed
daughters that among so many
charming and eligible young men
they surely must find one on whom
they could bestow their affections.
It must be noted, however, that &
the young ladies had to be fast work
ers. No matter how informal these
New Year’s Day calls were, it was
a gross breach of propriety for a
young man to stay more than 10,
minutes.
Wmrs .iQY
The theme of New Year’s Day al- ^
ways has been one of joy. Regard
less of the country or the people,
or of the date on which it was cele
brated, joy marked the spirit in
which it was observed.
New Year’s Day of the Moham
medans is given as October 17; of
the Hebrews as September, and of
the Chinese as early February.
The ancient Egyptians, Phoeni
cians and Persians began their year
at the autumnal equinox, Septem
ber 21, and the Greeks until the
fifth century B. C. at the winter sol
stice, December 21. In 432 B. C. the
latter altered the New Year’s Day
to June 21.
The ancient Romans celebrated
December 21, but this was altered
to January 1 by Caesar in adopting
the Julian calendar. i
March 25 was the date observed
among most Christian peoples in
medieval days. In Anglo-Saxon Eng
land, however December 25 was
New Year’s Day until it was
changed to January 1 at the Nor
man conquest, but later it was
changed to March 25 and so re
mained until the English adopted
the Gregorian calendar.
I
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“I am done with the yea 's that were,
I am quits.
I am done with the dead ana the
old,
They are mines worked out, I
delved in their pits,
I have savqd the grains of gold_
Now I turn to the future for wine
and bread—
I have bidden the past adieu—
I laugh, and lift hands to the year
ahead.
Come on! I am ready for you!”
—Edwin Markham.
Progress Continues
On New Year 's Day
It was on New Year’s Day, 1852,
that the first practical fire engine
was tested.
The cable across the Pacific
ocean was completed, January 1
1903.
Social Security administration in
augurated, 1937.
Amerigo Vespucci discovered the
Bay of Rio de Janeiro, 1502.
Bank guaranty and federal de
posit insurance corporation acts be
came effective, 1934.
Initial flight of first American
commercial airline operating on
regular schedule. Tampa to St.
Petersburg, Fla., 1914. «,
U. S. inaugurated the parcel post
n 1913.
M. Piazzi discovered the planet
2eres, 1801.
George Washington at Cambridge
raised for the first time the flag of
lie United Colonies, 1776.
Martino Alfonze de Sousa discov
ered Rio de Janeiro, 1531.
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