Years Ago

Today is Thursday, Nov. 3, the 307th day of 2011. There are 58 days left in the year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

On this date in:

1839: The first Opium War between China and Britain breaks out.

1900: The first major U.S. automobile show opens at New York’s Madison Square Garden under the auspices of the Automobile Club of America.

1903: Panama proclaims its independence from Colombia.

1911: The Chevrolet Motor Car Co. is founded in Detroit by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant. (The company is acquired by General Motors in 1918.)

1936: President Franklin D. Roosevelt wins a landslide election victory over Republican challenger Alfred M. “Alf” Landon.

1957: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2, the second manmade satellite, into orbit; on board is a dog named Laika who is sacrificed in the experiment.

1961: Burmese diplomat U Thant is appointed acting Secretary-General of the United Nations, following the death of Dag Hammarskjold.

President John F. Kennedy establishes the U.S. Agency for International Development.

1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson soundly defeats Republican Barry Goldwater to win a White House term in his own right.

1970: Salvador Allende is inaugurated as president of Chile.

VINDICATOR FILES

1986: Dr. David Robinson, associate professor of speech at YSU, says Gov. Richard F. Celeste clearly won a televised debate with his challenger, former Gov. James A. Rhodes. But Dr. William Binning, political science professor, says the debate, aired at 6 p.m. on a Sunday on public television, is likely to have little effect on voters.

Youngstown income tax records show that service industries have surpassed big steel among the top 10 employers in the city.

William Schollaert, superintendent of Mill Creek Park, says that even with renewal of a .9-mill levy, the park will only be able to maintain the status quo because revenues are down and expenses up

1971: Mayor Jack C. Hunter wins a second term, defeating former Mayor Frank R. Frank by 3,842 votes and his Republican Party captures four Youngstown City Council seats.

Youngstown voters reject nine proposed changes to the city charter

Dr. A.L. Pugsley, president of Youngstown State University, says a pre-election flier prepared by the Young Democrats at the university has used the university seal without authorization. Chuck Hettler, president of the organization, says he believes the organization followed university guidelines in using university letterhead for its flier.

Anthony R. Ross, national commander of the Italian American War Veterans, is named marshal of Youngstown’s Nov. 11 Veterans Day parade.

1961: Nineteen teenagers are in the Struthers and Mahoning County jails after police break up a 4 a.m. “rumble” that began after a 15-year-old youth spotted his older brother’s wife with another man in an all-night restaurant.

The Youngstown Board of Education will consider the question of using school funds to hire extra safety patrolmen after city council balks at continuing to carry the financial burden.

Four Youngstown City Council members refuse to approve extension of water lines to a 1,600-acre area south of Mellinger Road in Canfield Township as an emergency measure. They say they are not necessarily against the extension, but believe it merits further study.

1936: President Franklin D. Roosevelt carries Mahoning County by l40,000 votes over Alf Landon, carrying all local Democratic candidates in the county to victory on his coattails.

Youngstown Democrat Michael J. Kirwan defeats 22-year Republican Congressman John G. Cooper.

Gov. Martin Davey’s amendment initiative eliminating the state sales tax on food for home consumption in Ohio passes by a nearly 2-1 margin.

Youngstown police arrest five motorists for driving without a driver’s license after Chief Carol Olson orders a crackdown on unlicensed drivers.