Friday, February 18, 2005
Today is Friday, Feb. 18, the 49th day of 2005. There are 316 days left in the year. On this date in 1885, Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is published in the United States for the first time.
In 1546, Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation in Germany, dies. In 1564, artist Michelangelo dies in Rome. In 1861, Jefferson Davis is sworn in as president of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Ala. In 1930, the ninth planet of our solar system, Pluto, is discovered. In 1960, the 8th Winter Olympic Games are formally opened in Squaw Valley, Calif., by Vice President Nixon. In 1970, the "Chicago Seven" defendants are found innocent of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic national convention. In 1972, the California Supreme Court strikes down the state's death penalty. In 1977, the space shuttle Enterprise, sitting atop a Boeing 747, goes on its maiden "flight" above the Mojave Desert. In 1988, Anthony M. Kennedy is sworn in as the 104th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2001, auto racing star Dale Earnhardt Sr. dies from injuries suffered in a crash at the Daytona 500; he was 49.
February 18, 1980: Some employees at the General Motors truck assembly plant at Lordstown, unhappy with periodic layoffs, are planning a demonstration at the UAW union hall.
Mrs. W.J. Timmins of Warren is installed as regent of the Mary Chesney Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Driving his No. 28 Oldsmobile, Buddy Baker wins the Daytona 500 with a record-setting average speed of 177.6 mph. It was his 20th run in the Daytona race.
February 18, 1965: After a two day hearing at the Voyager Motel in downtown Youngstown, officials of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare announce that the Mahoning River is being polluted by Ohio industries and the pollution endangers the health of Pennsylvania residents.
An Ursuline nun, Sister Mary Richard, principal of Immaculate Conception School, is one of 1,000 statesmen and scholars at an international conference on peace at the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions in New York.
February 18, 1955: The Eastgate section of the Ohio turnpike, which opened Dec. 1, has its 500,000th customer. Traffic has averaged more than 6,700 vehicles a day, producing $2,600 per day in revenue.
Three Youngstown men, two of them convicted racket operators, are arrested in connection with an armed robbery at the Isaly Dairy store at 1526 Belmont Ave.
Brig. Gen. Julius C. Holmes, President Eisenhower's nominee for ambassador to Iran, testifies that he made $270,000 profit on a $10,000 investment in surplus tankers bought from the government after World War II. Holmes said it was a legitimate profit and he could just as easily have lost the $10,000. Walter F. George, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he expects Holmes to be confirmed.
February 18, 1930: The Youngstown Board of Education postpones action on a curtailment to allow time for consideration of a plan that would involve dismissing as many as 75 teachers. About 30 persons attended the meeting, and when the board asked for suggestions, no one spoke.
Reacting to the shooting death of Silas Crummey, 27, during what police said was an attempt to escape, Mayor Joseph Heffernan promises a thorough investigation. "The police must realize there are certain legal limitations they must respect," Heffernan said, " and there is no justification for killing a man unless an officer finds him in the commission of a criminal act."
One of the largest liquor traps ever found in Youngstown is unearthed when officers Hinman and Byerly find a 1,000 gallon container under the stairway at 348 E. Federal St. in the downtown district.