Years Ago

Today is Friday, March 4, the 63rd day of 2011. There are 302 days left in the year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

On this date in:

1811: The first Bank of the United States ceases operations as its charter expires.

1858: Sen. James Henry Hammond of South Carolina declares “Cotton is king” in a speech to the U.S. Senate.

1861: Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th president of the United States.

The U.S. Government Printing Office begins operation.

1908: A fire at Lake View School in Collinwood, Ohio, claims the lives of 172 children and three adults.

1930: Coolidge Dam in Arizona is dedicated by its namesake, former President Calvin Coolidge.

VINDICATOR FILES

1986: Lordstown Village Council tables a controversial proposal to create a Community Reinvestment Area that would provide tax abatements to companies in the area, including the General Motors plant. Critics say tax abatements are unnecessary.

Youngstown Councilman George M. McKelvey withdraws as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Mahoning County auditor.

1971: The Youngstown Fire Fighters Local 312 votes to reopen negotiations with the city despite the failure of the Fraternal Order of Police to come to terms with the administration.

The number of cases of Aid to Dependent Children continues to rise sharply in Mahoning County and the Welfare Department shows a 7,172 cases (15,710 people), compared to 5,943 (12,738) a year earlier.

Four Mahoning County Selective Service boards and boards from Columbiana, Geauga and Ashtabula will be consolidated into a Northeast Ohio regional board headquartered in Warren.

1961: The Fire Department’s No. 1 Rescue Squad frees a 10-year old South Side girl trapped in hip-deep mud at Orange Street and Rockview Avenue.

Two South Side boys, 9 and 10 years old, are locked in the downtown McCrory store, 9 W. Federal Street after employees left for the day. After a couple of hours of amusing themselves, the boys knocked on the windows to attract the attention of passersby, who called police. An assistant manager came downtown to unlock the store

1936:John McKenna breaks down a door and crawls on his belly through the smoke to save two unconscious children, Jackie Watkins, 4, and Ralph Watkins, 3, from their burning home at 348 W. Marion St.

W.J. Hitchcock, prominent industrialist and son of one of the Youngstown pioneer families, dies in Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.