Items of Interest in Philadelphia History

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Items of Interest

in Philadelphia History

Historical facts and data as collected by Rick Vinson.

November 25

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia's History for Thursday, November 25th, 2010 (Thanksgiving Day - 329th day of 2010/36 days remaining):

Events:

- Tuesday, November 25, 1755/255 years ago . . . . The Pennsylvania Assembly passed the Militia Act which provided for the defense of the colony. Benjamin Franklin wrote and sponsored the legislation.

- Thursday, November 25, 1880/130 years ago . . . . Thanksgiving Day. Opening of the Washington Institution for the Reformation of Drunkards, located on Pine St. east of 8th St. (Historian's Note: The establishment of this organization in Philadelphia was a part of the Washingtonian branch of the temperance movement in the United States during the 1800's).

- Monday, November 25, 1895/115 years ago . . . . W. H. Jaggers became the 18th fatality at the Public Buildings (City Hall) construction site when he fell from the fifth floor to the cellar down through the elevator shaft in the northwest corner of the building. He died on the way to the hospital.

- Saturday, November 25, 1905/105 years ago . . . . Herbert Welsh, known to Philadelphia Police as “King of the Porch Climbers,” was caught by officers in the city's Germantown section.

- Thursday, November 25, 1915/Thanksgiving Day, 95 years ago . . . . A big welcome home presented for the Liberty Bell’s return from San Francisco with a crowd estimated at 15,000 in attendance. The Bell reportedly stopped at 57 cities and towns enroute and was cheered by at least 2 million persons between Philadelphia and San Francisco. An estimated 16,100,000 greeted the historic relic during the tour, 50,000 of them kissed it.

- Thursday, November 25, 1920/90 years ago . . . . The city of Philadelphia staged its first annual Thanksgiving Day Parade.

- Tuesday, November 25, 1930/80 years ago . . . . The Philadelphia Quakers hockey team defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs for their first victory since arriving from Pittsburgh.

- Monday, November 25, 1935/75 years ago . . . . Officers and members of the Philadelphia Branch of the Needlework Guild celebrated the organization's 50th anniversary.

- Monday, November 25, 1940/70 years ago . . . . The first Municipal Court employees moved into the unfinished building at 18th and Vine Sts. on this date . . . . . The Philadelphia area’s first 48 U.S. Army trainees marched into Independence Hall, surrounded the Liberty Bell and took the oath that turned them into soldiers. The ceremony took the 48 selectees into conscription service for the first time in the peace-time history of the United States.

- Sunday, November 25, 1945/65 years ago . . . . The priest and congregation of St. Gregory's Roman Catholic Church, located at 52nd and Warren Sts., celebrated their 50th anniversary.

- Wednesday, November 25, 1970/40 years ago . . . . The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts trustees fired William B. Stevens, Jr., age 39, in office since July 1969, because he was “too fiery.” Stevens called them insular.

- Tuesday, November 25, 1980/30 years ago . . . . Gulf Oil Co. paid $2.6-million to the city of Philadelphia as part of the company's agreement to aid the city in balancing its budget. This action came after City Council agreed to rescind a 10-cent-a-barrel refinery tax it had passed . . . . . The Philadelphia 76ers made their first time ever appearance in Dallas, Texas to play the expansion Dallas Mavericks. Forward Julius “Dr. J” Erving scored 31 points and pulled down12 rebounds to lead the Sixers to a 108 to 92 victory. Former Sixer Jim Spanarkel led the Mavericks with 20 points.

Philadelphia 76ers 24 24 48 33 27 - 108

Dallas Mavericks 17 22 39 30 23 - 92

Attendance: 13,527 Time: 1 hour, 48 minutes.

November 25th - Date of Birth for:

- Bob “The Hound” Kelly, Philadelphia Flyers left winger at Oakville, Ontario, Canada (Saturday, November 25, 1950).

- Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, in Chicago, Illinois (Thursday, November 25, 1976).

November 25th - Date of Death for:

- David M. Lyle, Chief Engineer of the Fire Department, found dead in his office (Monday, November 25, 1867).

- Dr. George H. Horn, Secretary and Librarian of the “American Philosophical Society,” at age 58 (Wednesday, November 25, 1897).

- Mrs. Maria B. Wilkes, actress, widow of Ben Wilkes, and an old-time favorite at the Walnut and Arch Street Theaters. Mrs. Wilkes, a supporter of actors Forrest, Cushman, McCready, Junius Brutus Booth and Joe Jefferson, was 88 (Friday, November 25, 1904).

- Charles Hallahan, Philadelphia-born actor in television, film and theater best known for is role as Capt. Charlie Devane in the television series “Hunter,” died of an apparent heart attack suffered during an automobile crash in Los Angeles, California. Hallahan, a Los Angeles resident since 1977, was 54 (Tuesday, November 25, 1997).

Weather/Almanac for November 25th:

Average High Temperature: 51 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 37 degrees

Record High Temperature: 73 degrees, day, November 25, 1979

Record Low Temperature: 21 degrees, day, November 25, 1965

Record Precipitation: 3.46 inches, day, November 25, 1950

Record Snow: 4.4 inches, day, November 25, 1938

Twilight: 6:26am

Sunrise: 6:56am Sunset: 4:38pm

Twilight: 5:08pm

Moonrise: 8:33pm Moonset: 10:26am

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

November 5

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Friday, November 5, 2010 (309th day of 2010/56 days remaining):

Monday, November 5, 1860/150 years ago . . . . The annual statement compiled by Philadelphia State [later Philadelphia National] Bank employees showed $2,736,550 in deposits; loans of $4,036,258; and capital of $1,800,000 (Historian's Note: One week after the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency, the bank's assets shrank to $2,128,000 in deposits and loans shrank to $3,483,000).

Saturday, November 5, 1910/100 years ago . . . . Philadelphia Police officials ordered all of the special policemen from the city’s 38 police districts to report to the detective force at City Hall. The reserves were called to augment as a precaution against any trouble which could occur because of strike activity . . . . Thousands of area residents came out for the victory parade in honor of the 1910 World Series champion Philadelphia Athletics. The procession from Broad St. and Montgomery Ave. to Wolf St. included floats from various organizations and featured the Southwark A.C. White Elephant.

Friday, November 5, 1920/90 years ago . . . . The editor and staff of the Public Ledger informed readers of the recent start of what was believed the first building and loan association organized and operated by women in the United States. The organization, under the title “The First Women’s Building and Loan Association of Pennsylvania” had begun meetings on the second Monday of each month in the Liberty Building. The officers were: President - Lena Brody; Vice President - Mollie Silver; Treasurer - Regina P. Gross; Secretary - Mae M. Douglass; Conveyancer - Ida Goldberg.

Tuesday, November 5, 1935/75 years ago . . . . City Controller Samuel Davis Wilson, Republican nominee, defeated John B. Kelly, the Democratic Party candidate, by a 47,600 vote margin to win the 1935 Philadelphia Mayoral Election. Wilson won thirty-nine out of the city's fifty wards enroute to victory. All 22 City Council seats went to Republican candidates. The final vote count for the 1935 mayor's election, which was interpreted as a rebuff of the New Deal by political experts of the day, totaled: S. Davis Wilson (R) - 379,339; John B. Kelly (D) - 332,125 . . . . . City residents also voted to repeal the "ancient" Blue Laws which prohibited the showing of motion pictures on Sunday. The 3 to 1 vote margin for this measure totaled 352,832 For Repeal, 143,896 Against Repeal.

Tuesday, November 5, 1940/70 years ago . . . . President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D., 19,117,311 popular votes - 54.5%, 449 electoral votes) won reelection in the 1940 Presidential campaign over challenger Wendell L. Willkie (R., 15,911,047 popular votes - 45.5%, 82 electoral votes). He won the State of Pennsylvania and its 36 electoral votes by nearly 300,000 popular votes (Roosevelt - 2,168,104; Willkie - 1,887,982) votes while minor party candidates received 9,209 votes. Mr. Roosevelt took 41 of the 51 wards in Philadelphia with a winning margin of 175,000 over Wendell Willkie in the election. The final vote total for Philadelphia: Franklin Roosevelt (D) - 528,371, Wendell Willkie (R) - 352,799

Saturday, November 5, 1955/55 years ago . . . . Admiral, the Earl Mountbatten, British First Sea Lord, inspected the world's first guided missile cruiser, the “USS Boston” (CAG1), at the Philadelphia Navy Yard (Historian's Note: USS Boston [originally laid and launched as a Baltimore-class heavy gun cruiser from Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts on August 26, 1942] was recommissioned as a guided missile cruiser from New York Shipbuilding at Camden, New Jersey on Tuesday, November 1, 1955. She was the 6th U. S. Navy vessel to bear the name of that Massachusetts city. Boston was the world's first fighting ship which combined heavy gunnery with missiles. She would proceed to participate in the 1958 campaign to rescue U. S. citizens from Beirut, Lebanon and the 1961 Cuban Bay of Pigs operation. USS Boston completed three tours of duty to Vietnam in support of Operation SeaDragon. She earned an additional five battle stars in her guided missile configuration. The U. S. Navy redesignated Boston to CA69 during May of 1968. She was decommissioned on Tuesday, May 5, 1970, struck from the Navy vessel listing on Friday, January 4, 1974 and later scrapped on Friday, March 28, 1975).

Friday, November 5, 1965/45 years ago . . . . The Pennsylvania Highway Department approved the plans for the multimillion dollar double deck bridge to carry the Delaware Expressway over the Schuylkill River near the Philadelphia Naval Base at Girard Point.

Thursday, November 5, 1970/40 years ago . . . . The Rev. Henry S. McNulty, age 59, pastor of St. Columbia’s Church, located at 24th St. and Lehigh Ave., was stabbed and robbed by two teenagers on 30th St. between Huntingdon St. and Lehigh Ave. Several persons looked on without trying to help him.

Wednesday, November 5, 1975/35 years ago . . . . Gunmen shot admitted drug pusher Hershell "The Jolly Green Giant" Williams to death outside his Mount Airy home in front of his two children. Police later arrested and charged William Roy Hoskins and Lonnie Dawson with Williams’ murder (Historian's Note: The convictions of both Hoskins and Dawson were later overturned on technicalities on Thursday, July 5, 1979).

Wednesday, November 5, 1980/30 years ago . . . . Volume in stock options contract trading on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange rose to nearly 45,000 compared to the all-time high of 52,000. Officials attributed the volume, which occurred along with high stock market trading levels nationwide, to the election of Ronald Reagan to the Presidency . . . . . The new Philadelphia Kings of the Continental Basketball Association staged their first of two tryout sessions for the team’s nine positions. Head coach Hal Greer conducted this first session which began around 7:00p.m.

Monday, November 5, 1990/20 years ago . . . . Wojciech Wojtysiak, the newly elected Mayor of Warsaw, Poland, visited the Polish American Cultural Center at 308 Walnut St. Mayor Wojtysiak, after his introduction by City Councilwoman Joan L. Krajewski, spoke about the changing conditions in Poland.

Saturday, November 5, 2005/5 years ago . . . . Day Six of the SEPTA transit strike . . . . . Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid announced the indefinite suspension of wide receiver Terrell Owens for conduct detrimental to the team . . . . . Allen Iverson scored 29 points, had 12 assists and Chris Webber scored 25 points and pulled nine rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers held on after taking a 20-point lead into the third quarter to defeat the Indiana Pacers by a score of 111 to 109 at Indianapolis, Indiana. This contest, the Pacers home opener before a sellout crowd of 18,345, was also the first 76ers victory for new head coach Maurice Cheeks

Philadelphia 76ers 30 31 61 31 19 - 111

Indiana Pacers 28 24 52 28 29 - 109

Attendance: 18,345 Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Monday, November 5, 2007/3 years ago . . . . Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell urged City Controller Alan Butkowvitz to immediately begin a comprehensive audit of the Philadelphia Parking Authority. The Governor was responding to reports in the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News of “unprecedented growth” in the authority’s staff while funding to Philadelphia’s schools and the city’s budget remained static . . . . . Philadelphia Police raided the home of Hakim Glover in support of the investigation of the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Charles "Chuck" Cassidy. The investigators recovered two handguns linked to his death. One of the firearms was Officer Cassidy’s service revolver.

November 5th - Date of Birth for:

- Isaac H. Clothier, philanthropist and merchant [as in Strawbridge & Clothier] (Sunday, November 5, 1837).

- William Perrine, newspaperman, at 402 Spruce St. to Penrose and Mary Perrine (Friday, November 5, 1858).

- Earle “Greasy” Neale, Philadelphia Eagles head coach (1941 - 1957) at Parkersburg, West Virginia (Thursday, November 5, 1891).

- Ralph Joseph “Putsy” Caballero, 1950 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies utility infielder, at New Orleans, Louisiana(Saturday, November 5, 1927).

- Larry Brackins, 2008 Arena Football League champion Philadelphia Soul wide receiver (Friday, November 5, 1982).

November 5th - Date of Death for:

- Rhoda Patterson, a resident of Pine St. above 6th St., at 106 (Thursday, November 5, 1868).

- Thomas Sully, artist, historical and portrait painter, at 91 (Tuesday, November 5, 1872).

- William R. Leeds, veteran Republican leader, former Collector of Internal Revenue, former Sheriff of Philadelphia and former United States Marshal, in his home at 56 (Monday, November 5, 1894).

- Rev. Burchard Villiger, S.J., founder of St. Joseph’s College (Wednesday, November 5, 1902).

- Andre Constant Vauclain, a musician who eschewed the family business - Baldwin Locomotive - for teaching and composing music, at Mercy Suburban Hospital in East Norriton. Vauclain, a Wynnewood native, was 95 (Wednesday, November 5, 2003).

Weather/Almanac for November 5th:

Average High Temperature: 58 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 42 degrees

Record High Temperature: 80 degrees, Wednesday, November 5, 1975

Record Low Temperature: 26 degrees, Wednesday, November 5, 1879

Record Precipitation: 1.48 inches, Monday, November 5, 1877

Record Snow: Trace, Thursday, November 5, 1908

Twilight: 7:05am

Sunrise: 7:33am Sunset: 5:54pm

Twilight: 6:23pm

Moonrise: 6:56am Moonset: 5:15pm

New Moon: 11:52pm

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

September 13, 2010

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Monday, September 13, 2010 (256th day of 2010/109 days remaining):

Wednesday, September 13, 1775/235 years ago . . . . The Georgia delegation to the Second Continental Congress arrived in the city of Philadelphia.

Tuesday, Septmeber 13, 1785/225 years ago . . . . The Pennsylvania Assembly annulled the charter of the Bank of North America. The annulment came as a result of the conservative Republicans refusal to accept the bank's paper money produced by the Constitutionalists.

Monday, September 13, 1880/130 years ago . . . . The management of Cooper and Bailey's Circus staged their opening night at Broad St. and Montgomery Ave. Despite a heavy rain a large crowd attended the first of many Great London Shows.

Friday, September 13, 1895/115 years ago . . . . The management of The Evening Bulletin announced in the edition distributed on this day that the periodical would be hereafter distributed from its new offices located at 612 Chestnut St.

Wednesday, September 13, 1905/105 years ago . . . . The Phillies lost a close 10-inning contest in Bost, on erratic fielding and poor throws, to Cy Young and the Boston Beaneaters by a score of 3 to 2. This loss, the Phillies 59th of the 1905 season against 69 wins, ended a six-game winning streak and was also the 1,500th defeat in the franchise's history.

Philadelphia Phillies 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 3

Boston Beaneaters 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 3 8 1

Cy Young (W), Togie Pittinger (L); A: 1,469; Time: 1 hour., 43 minutes.

Monday, September 13, 1915/95 years ago . . . . James D. Dorney, the first contractor for construction of the Frankford Elevated Railway, began work to supply 964 concrete piers and their foundations for the columns in Front St., Kensington and Frankford Aves. and from Callowhill St. to Unity St.

Wednesday, September 13, 1950/60 years ago . . . . A special Federal Grand Jury opened an inquiry into crime and rackets in Philadelphia and adjoining Pennsylvania and New Jersey counties.

Tuesday, September 13, 1960/50 years ago . . . . Service on the Pennsylvania Railroad system resumed on this date after the end of a strike which lasted 13 days; Hurricane Donna brought terrific winds and 6.56 inchhes of rain on the Philadelphia area.

Saturday, September 13, 1980/30 years ago . . . . WCAU-TV's (Channel 10) new television magazine show "10 Around Town," produced by Dan Sitarski, premiered at 7:00pm with the team of Larry Kane and Cherie Bank.

Wednesday, September 13, 2000/10 years ago . . . . The City Controller's Office, headed by Jonathan A. Saidel, released a 51-page audit which concluded that the Philadelphia police failed to report between 13,000 and 37,000 major crimes during 1998. The Controller based the report on 1,000 randomly selected police reports dn interviews with 300 citizens who filed reports with police officers. The audit took two years to complete. Commissioner John F. Timoney criticized the review as overblown, statistically flawed and "of no help to the department"

Wednesday, September 13, 2006/4 years ago . . . . The display of the three dimensional models of the President's House concluded in the Grand Hall Lobby of the National Constitution Center at 525 Arch St. on Independence Mall.

Sunday, September 13, 2009/Last year . . . . The Philadelphia Eagles opened their 2009 season, the franchise's 77th National Football League campaign, with a contest against the Carolina Penthers at Charlotte, North Carolina. Two of the four second quaraters touchdowns, defensive lineman Victor Abiamiri's two yard run after a fumble at 14:52 and DeSean Jackson's 85 yard punt return at 10:57 proved to be the decisive scores as the Eagles went on to defeat the Panthers by a score of 38 to 10.

Philadelphia Eagles 3 28 31 7 0 38

Carolina Panthers 7 3 10 0 0 10

Attenndance: 73,559; Time: 3 hours, 14 minutes.

September 13th - Birth date of:

- Oliver Evans, high pressure steam engine inventor, at Newport, Delaware (Saturday, September 13, 1755).

- Anthony Joseph Drexel, banker, philanthropist and founder of the Drexel Intitute [later University] of Technology, at Philadelphia (Wednesday, September 13, 1826).

- Cyrus Adler, scholar, educator, editor and first president of Dropsie College, at Van Buren, Arkansas (Sunday, Sepember 13, 1863).

- Alain Leroy Locke, philosopher, educator and the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, at Philadelphia (Sunday, September 13, 1885).

- Richard "Rick" Wise, Philadelphia Phillies righthanded pitcher and owner of one Phillies no-hitter (June 23, 1970 at Cincinnati vs. Reds), at Jackson, Michigan (Thursday, September 13, 1945).

September 13th - Death date of:

- Commodore John Barry, "Father of the American Navy," in Philadelphia at age 58 (Tuesday, September 13, 1803).

- Joseph J. Scanlon, State Senator and Democratic City Chairman, at Philadelphia (Thursday, September 13, 1970).

Weather/Almanac for September 13th:

Average High Temperature: 77 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 61 degrees

Record High Temperature: 95 degrees, Saturday, September 13, 1952

Record Low Temperature: 44 degrees, Saturday, September 13, 1958

Record Precipitation: 2.80 inches, Wednesday, September 13, 1944

Twilight: 6:12am

Sunrise: 6:39am Sunset: 7:14pm

Twilight: 7:41pm

Moonrise: 12:55pm Moonset: 12:20pm

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome yourinput. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

June 11, 2010

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Friday, June 11, 2010 (162nd day of 2010/203 days remaining):

Thursday, June 11, 1840/170 years ago . . . . Manayunk became a borough just outside of Philadelphia. The name was adopted from the river which coursed through the settlement. This Indian name means - “the place where we drink.”

Wednesday, June 11, 1845/165 years ago . . . . The Philadelphia Academy of the Fine Arts damaged by fire. The blaze destroyed many valuable paintings and statues.

Thursday, June 11, 1885/125 years ago . . . . City Council voted that all electric wires between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers and between Vine and South Sts. should be placed underground before Friday, January 1, 1886 (Historian's Note: Councils had previously voted on Thursday, September 4, 1884 to notify all telegraph, telephone and electrical light companies to remove overhead wires and place them underground) . . . . . The cornerstone was laid for the P. E. Church of the Evangelists located on Catherine St. above 7th St. . . . . . New grounds of the Belmont Cricket Club, Elmwood Ave., 58th St. and Darby Rd., opened.

Wednesday, June 11, 1890/120 years ago . . . . A “Pieta,” alleged to have been painted by Rubens, formerly the property of John A. Johann, presented to the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul by Francis C. Yarnall, as a memorial of the late Archbishop Wood (Historian's Note: Peter Paul Rubens [b. June 28, 1577, Siegen, Westphalia, Germany; d. May 30, 1640, Antwerp, Spanish Netherlands], was a 17th century Flemish painter of the Baroque period. "He is considered one of the greats in Western art history." - answers.com/topic/peter-paul-rubens; "Pieta," a painting or sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding and mourning over the dead body of Jesus Christ).

Tuesday, June 11, 1895/115 years ago . . . . One hundred and thirty-ninth commencement of the University of Pennsylvania in the Academy of Music. Provost Harrison was inducted into office by Governor Hastings.

Saturday, June 11, 1910/100 years ago . . . . Construction of the John Wanamaker department store bounded by 13th St., Market St., Chestnut St. and Juniper St., was completed on this date after nearly seven years. Architect Daniel H. Burnham designed the 12-story Roman Ionic facility which covered an area of 250' x 480' with a floor space of nearly 45 acres (Historian's Note: The first section of the new department store opened prior to 1910 on Monday, March 12, 1906. The cornerstone on the Chestnut St. side of the building was laid on Saturday, June 12, 1909. The building's Chestnut St. storefront opened for business on Monday, November 14, 1910).

Friday, June 11, 1915/95 years ago . . . . An ordinance passed by City Councils on this date required the possession and use of “a suitable non-absorbent, non-leakable, covered” waste receptacle by all homeowners, apartment landlords and shopkeepers throughout the city.

Thursday, June 11, 1925/85 years ago . . . . An estimated 10,000 persons enjoyed the first mass dance staged on the Parkway.

Monday, June 11, 1945/65 years ago . . . . A U. S. Army airplane fell from the sky at School House Lane, near Morris St., in the city's Germantown section. It hit several homes after the officers parachuted to safety.

Sunday, June 11, 1950/60 years ago . . . . Mrs. Hadassah Shafritz, a 20-year-old bride and resident of 1754 N. Peach St., won the $10,000 first prize in the “Sunday Bulletin” Tangle Towns contest.

Friday, June 11, 1965/45 years ago . . . . Upper Merion Township officials approved and issued a building permit to Gimbel Brothers, Inc. for construction of a $2,350,000, three-story department store in the King of Prussia Plaza at Routes 202 and 23. Joseph R. Farrell, of West Conshohocken, became the general contractor.

Wednesday, June 11, 1980/30 years ago . . . . The staff of the Philadelphia Daily News informed readers of the vandalism which occurred on the Fairmount Dam fishladder. Person or persons had cut the wire fence, broke the tops off two access ladders and jammed boards into the ladder’s outfall sometime during the night earlier in the week. A vandal had also pulled out cribbing to support the sidewalk before leaving the scene. Police had no suspects for the crime (Historian's Note: City Councils purchased, for $150,000, and authorized construction of the Fairmount Dam on Wednesday, April 7, 1819. Workmen closed the Fairmount Dam on Monday, June 25, 1821 with the sinking of the last crib).

Tuesday, June 11, 1985/25 years ago . . . . The City Controller's Office, a recipient of Bernard B. Eiss' audit, notified Philadelphia Housing Director Julia O. Robinson that it would not authorize any more payments to the Inner City Organizing Network (Historian's Note: The results of an audit conducted by a private firm, released on Monday, January 7, 1985, revealed "serious accounting problems" for the ICON. Assistant District Attorney Hugh Colihan later revealed on Monday, July 29, 1985 that city housing money from the financially troubled agency was probably passed on to Gerald Ford Africa during the period in which the house/bunker at 6221 Osage Ave. was being prepared by MOVE for a siege).

Sunday, June 11, 2006/4 years ago . . . . The 22nd annual Commerce Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship staged from Eakins Oval on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway through Manayunk on the 14.5-mile course. A total of 165 cyclists rode the route ten times, a total of 156 miles starting at 9:00a.m. Six hours later New Zealander Greg Henderson won the men’s title with a time of 6 hours, 13 minutes and 53 seconds. Regina Schleicher won the women’s title by traversing the 57-mile course in a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes and 4 seconds. Philadelphia Police estimated the number of spectators along the route at 75,000.

June 11th - Birthdate of:

- Dave “Action Dog” Cash, Philadelphia Phillies second baseman ("Yes We Can," 1974 - 1976), in Utica, New York (Friday, June 11, 1948).

Weather/Almanac for June 11th:

Average High Temperature: 79 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 63 degrees

Record High Temperature: 95 degrees, Wednesday, June 11, 1986

Record Low Temperature: 44 degrees, Sunday, June 11, 1972

Record Precipitation: 2.04 inches, Wednesday, June 11, 1958

Twilight: 4:58a.m.

Sunrise: 5:31a.m. Sunset: 8:29p.m.

Twilight: 9:01p.m.

Moonrise: 4:27a.m. Moonset: 8:04p.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Wednesday, June 9, 2010 (160th day of 2010/205 days remaining):

Monday, June 9, 1670/340 years ago . . . . William Penn met with the Chancellor, Lord Arran and the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and then with the Lord Lieutenant who promised to release the imprisoned Friends in Ireland. by order of Council the Friends were released from prison during the afternoon . . . . In his journal William Penn noted his completion of the handling of Sir William Penn’s land affairs in Ireland (Historian's Note: Admiral Penn had become ill and unable to govern his own affairs. He was within three months of his death at age 49 as William completed his visit to Ireland).

Saturday, June 9, 1860/150 years ago . . . . Members of the first Japanese Embassy to the United States arrived and began their tour of the city of Philadelphia. They were escorted from the Baltimore depot to the new Continental Hotel by civic and military organizations. During their stay the most popular of the visitors became Tateish Onogero, nicknamed “Japanese Tommy,” who provided interpreter services for the delegation.

Tuesday, June 9, 1885/125 years ago . . . . Fourth annual convention of the Operative Journeymen Plasterers’ Union staged at 505 Chestnut St.

Friday, June 9, 1905/105 years ago . . . . Mayor John Weaver named 14 Philadelphia-area businessmen as permanent advisers.

Tuesday, June 9, 1925/85 years ago . . . . The Board of Education commemorated William Dick's 50th anniversary in service to the Philadelphia school system (Historian's Note: William Dick Elementary School is located at 2498 W. Diamond St. in North Philadelphia).

Sunday, June 9, 1940/70 years ago . . . . A severe electrical storm caused damage in the Philadelphia area . . . . Pennsylvania Railroad train derailed by washout near Farmingdale, New Jersey. Two individuals, both engine crew members, died. Nineteen passengers were injured.

Thursday, June 9, 1955/55 years ago . . . . W. Thatcher Longstreth announced that he would run for mayor of Philadelphia as an “Independent” and “he wanted no part” of G.O.P. leaders (Historian's Note: Longstreth's decision came in the wake of the city's Republican ward leaders selection of Register of Wills Robert H. Duffy as the new city chairman by a 30 to 17 vote over John H. Pomeroy, Jr. Longstreth had previously announced he would accept the party's nomination as candidate only with Pomeroy's [who was his primary campaign manager], election) . . . . Inoculation of an estimated 26,000 first and second grade pupils in public schools got under way as parents of about 17,000 others, or 40 percent of enrollment, withdrew permission to have their children given anti-polio vaccine.

Thursday, June 9, 1960/50 years ago: Pennsylvania Federation of Labor & State Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) merged into new Pennsylvania American Federation of Labor (AFL) -CIO representing more than 1-million workers.

Wednesday, June 9, 1965/45 years ago . . . . Marilyn Kavanaugh, age 19, filed rape charges against Robert Beatty (Historian's Note: Judge D. Donald Jamieson would later sentence Ms. Kavanaugh to 30 days in the House of Correction for her failure to appear for trial on eleven dates. Ms. Kavanaugh had moved so frequently that court officers could not locate her for the eleven trial dates scheduled between Thursday, January 14, 1965 to Tuesday, November 23, 1965. Her failure to appear resulted in the nol-prossed status of the separate rape charges/cases against Robert Beatty and James Hardy).

Tuesday, June 9, 1970/40 years ago . . . . Pan-Am ran a test helicopter passenger flight from Society Hill to downtown New York in 33 minutes . . . . Five trumpeter swans were born at the Philadelphia Zoo. This was only the second time in the nation’s history that the almost-extinct breed was hatched in captivity.

Monday, June 9, 1975/35 years ago . . . . Accused terrorist Susan S. Saxe pled guilty to three charges - possession of a Molotov cocktail, conspiracy and aiding and abetting a bank robbery. The agreement released Saxe, one of the FBI's Most Wanted, from testifying. Her sentencing here in Philadelphia was delayed until after the completion of her bank robbery trial in Massachusetts.

Thursday, June 9, 2005/5 years ago . . . . Sgt. David Joseph Murray, a Philadelphia native, died when a bomb exploded under his armored personnel carrier in Baghdad, Iraq. Sergeant Murray, a member of B Company, 1088th Engineering Battalion, 256th Brigade Combat Team, was 23.

Monday, June 9, 2008/Last year . . . . “Petal,” the Philadelphia Zoo’s beloved African elephant, died at 9:15a.m. in her enclosure. “Petal,” at age 52, was the oldest African elephant in an American zoo at the time of her death.

June 9th - Birthdate of:

- Meta Vaux Warrick, renowned black sculptress, in Philadelphia. She is recognized as the first American black artist to reflect African themes in her work (Saturday, June 9, 1877).

Weather/Almanac for June 9th:

Average High Temperature: 78 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 62 degrees

Record High Temperature: 98 degrees, Friday, June 9, 1933

Record Low Temperature: 44 degrees, Sunday, June 9, 1957

Record Precipitation: 2.03 inches, Thursday, June 9, 1910

Twilight: 4:59a.m.

Sunrise: 5:31a.m. Sunset: 8:28p.m.

Twilight: 9:00p.m.

Moonrise: 3:02a.m. Moonset: 5:52p.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Thursday, May 13, 2010 (133rd day of 2010/232 days remaining):

Saturday, May 13, 1775/235 years ago . . . . Dr. Lyman Hall appeared in Philadelphia to attend the Second Continental Congress. Dr. Hall, selected as a representative of the parish of St. John’s, became the only delegate from the colony of Georgia(Historian's Note: Lyman Hall [b. Apr 12, 1724, Wallingford, CT; d. Oct 19, 1790, Burke County, GA] later became one of three Georgians [Button Gwinnett and George Walton were the others] to sign the Declaration of Independence. He did not represent the entire colony of Georgia during his appearance for the Second Continental Congress. Today he is the namesake of Georgia's Hall County).

Friday, May 13, 1870/140 years ago . . . . Alexander Benson, banker, died, and left an estate of over $2-million.

Thursday, May 13, 1880/130 years ago . . . . Lutheran Home for the Aged, located in Germantown, dedicated.

Tuesday, May 13, 1890/120 years ago . . . . Dedication of the House of Rest for Aged and Infirm People, the gift of H. H. Houston

(Historian's Note: Henry Howard Houston [b. Oct 1820, Philadelphia, PA; d. Jun 21, 1895, Philadelphia, PA] was a major Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist. He was a major property developer in the Germantown and Chestnut Hill sections of the city. He was also a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Houston and his family presented the grounds for the facility to the Home's officials on Thursday, February 7, 1890. He is the namesake of the Henry H. Houston Elementary School in the city's Mount Airy section. Houston Hall, a student's hall which opened on the campus on Thursday, January 2, 1896 was dedicated in the memory of his son Howard who died while attending the university).

Monday, May 13, 1935/75 years ago . . . . Strike at New York Shipyard in Camden began (Historian's Note: The previous strike of New York Shipyard workers took place on Tuesday, March 27, 1934. Over 3,000 workers participated in this labor action. The result was a receipt of a ten percent raise when they returned on Monday, May 14, 1934).

Friday, May 13, 1960/50 years ago . . . . About 6,500 workers at Westinghouse Electric plant at Lester, Pa., went on strike because 3 men were fired for alleged acts of violence. Other work grievances were also cited (Historian's Note: This strike mercifully ended on Friday, May 27, 1960. The previous major labor action which took place between Saturday, October 15, 1955 and Wednesday, August 8, 1956 [officially 299 days, at that time the longest strike action in Delaware Valley history]. The courts initially ruled the activity a management lockout and that ruling later changed to a strike. That ruling cost the strikers their unemployment compensation ) . . . . . The Philadelphia Phillies traded first baseman Ed Bouchee and pitcher Don Cardwell to the Chicago Cubs for second baseman Tony Taylor and catcher Gus Neeman (Historian's Note: Tony Taylor [Antonio Nemesio Taylor] played for the Phillies from 1960 to 1971 and 1974 to 1976. He became a great favorite of the fans during his time with the team. His final appearance occurred on September 29, 1976. He finished with a career batting average of .261 with 75 homers and 598 runs batted in. He also held the record for most games played by a Phillie at second base, 1,003, at the time of his retirement. Mr. Taylor will celebrate his 75th birthday on Sunday, December 19, 2010).

Tuesday, May 13, 1975/35 years ago . . . . The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Islanders by a score of 4 to 1 in Game 7 of the semi-finals contest played on this date to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second straight season. For this occasion Kate Smith performed “God Bless America” in person at the Spectrum (Historian's Note: Kate Smith's first appearance at the Spectrum to sing "God Bless America" occurred on Thursday, October 11, 1973 before the Flyers - Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers won the game by a score of 2 to 0 via the goaltending of Doug Favell. Her renditions of "God Bless America" prior to 41 Flyers contests resulted in a combined record of 37 victories, 3 losses and one tie).

Monday, May 13, 1985/25 years ago . . . . A police helicopter swooped low over the fortified MOVE compound at 6221 Osage Ave in West Philadelphia at 5:30p.m. Lt. Frank Powell dropped a satchel bag which contained a bomb constructed by Officer William Klein. The resulting fire destroyed sixty other homes on Osage and Pine streets and killed eleven people, including five children in the MOVE house. Damage later estimated at $5-million (Historian's Note: In his book, "In Goode Faith," former Mayor W. Wilson Goode expressed his belief that a plot to assassinate him would have taken place had he responded to the location in the city's Cobbs Creek section of West Philadelphia. By the Grace of God he, now Rev. W. Wilson Goode, lives with that tragedy) . . . . . Developer Willard G. Rouse 3d and several hundred government, business, civic and cultural leaders assembled for the groundbreaking for One Liberty Place, a 60-story, $230-million office tower to be constructed at 17th and Market Sts. When completed the building’s roof would be 825 feet above Market St. and 277 feet above the top of William Penn’s hatatop City Hall.

Friday, May 13, 2005/5 years ago . . . . Micaela Lara Jimenez Woodley, a registered nurse who loved margaritas, soap operas and travel, died at Montgomery Hospital Medical Center in Norristown. Woodley, a native of Cartagena, Colombia who arrived in Philadelphia during 1925 to study nursing at the former Mercy Douglas Hospital, was 104 .

Wednesday, May 13, 2009/Last year . . . . Performances of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus began on this day at the Wachovia Spectrum. This date would start the 41st and final run of Ringling’s performances at the Spectrum which first started in 1968. Gunther Gabel-Williams, an animal trainer with Ringling Brothers, held the Spectrum’s top honors having made 221 performances, more than any other entertainer in the Spectrum’s 42-year history . . . . . The sports staff of the Philadelphia Daily News informed readers of the May 2009 edition of magazine Sports Illustrated rankings of the top five and bottom five franchise owners in each sport. Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was ranked as the fourth best owner in the National Football League. Lurie was the only Philadelphia professional sports franchise owner to appear in the rankings.

May 13th - Birthdate of:

- John McArthur, Jr., architect, designer of Philadelphia’s City Hall (Tuesday, May 13, 1823).

- John Albert “Bert” Niehoff, starting second baseman for the 1915 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies, at Louisville, Colorado (Tuesday, May 13, 1884).

- Guy Morriss, starting offensive center for the 1980 National Football Conference Champion Philadelphia Eagles, at Colorado City, Texas

(Sunday, May 13, 1951)

Weather/Almanac for May 13th:

Average High Temperature: 71 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 54 degrees

Record High Temperature: 92 degrees, Friday, May 13, 1881

Record Low Temperature: 37 degrees, Saturday, May 13, 1967

Record Precipitation: 1.40 inches, Thursday, May 13, 1948

Twilight: 5:17a.m.

Sunrise: 5:47a.m. Sunset: 8:06p.m.

Twilight: 8:36p.m.

Moonrise: 5:06a.m. Moonset: 8:11p.m.

New Moon: 8:05p.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are).

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Wednesday, May 5, 2010 (125th day of 2010/240 days remaining):

Friday, May 5, 1775/235 years ago . . . . Benjamin Franklin returned from England to Philadelphia aboard the Pennsylvania packet “Captain Osborne” after a voyage of 45 days and was elected by the assembly as a delegate to the Continental Congress (Historian's Note: Mr. Franklin departed London on Monday, March 20, 1775 after his unsuccessful negotiation effort to avert war between England and her American colonies).

Thursday, May 5, 1825/185 years ago . . . . The Franklin Institute’s Board of Managers approved a proposal to construct a new hall for the organization (Historian's Note: This building, a forbearer to the Institute's present building located at 21st St. and the Ben Franklin Parkway, was located on the east side of 7th St. between Market and Chestnut Sts. It replaced the Institute's first location on the first floor inside Carpenter's Hall. On Thursday, November 23, 1933, Institute officials assembled for their final meeting at this 7th St. location before moving to the new Parkway building).

Thursday, May 5, 1870/140 years ago . . . . The final meeting of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society convened and the organization disbanded after 95 years.

Wednesday, May 5, 1880/130 years ago . . . . George B. Roberts elected as new president of the Pennsylvania Railroad. He succeeded Col. Thomas A. Scott who resigned.

Monday, May 5, 1890/120 years ago . . . . Ferdinand Dreer presented his collection of autographs to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Saturday, May 5, 1900/110 years ago . . . . The Pennsylvania Railroad bought $6,030,000 worth of Long Island Railroad Company stock, capital $12-million and thus secured control

Wednesday, May 5, 1915/95 years ago . . . . City Council met in special committee on the Liberty Bell’s trip to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California. In the session Council decided on the final route which the Bell would be shipped.

Tuesday, May 5, 1925/85 years ago . . . . All work on the central span of the Delaware River Bridge was halted on this date when engineers discovered that the Camden tower was leaning 13 inches toward the middle of the river.

Sunday, May 5, 1935/75 years ago . . . . Philadelphia Police Officer William McCloskey died after his patrol car in which he was riding collided with another automobile at Wissahickon Ave. and Queen Lane during a stolen car chase. The impact from ramming a nearby utility pole caused Officer McCloskey to be thrown from his cruiser. Officer McCloskey, a five-year veteran who left behind a wife and four children, was 37 .

Sunday, May 5, 1940/70 years ago . . . . The pastor and congregation of Overbrook Presbyterian Church celebrated their 50th anniversary.

Thursday, May 5, 1955/55 years ago . . . . New Thankful Baptist Church, located at 18th and Columbia Ave., wrecked by fire.

Thursday, May 5, 1960/50 years ago . . . . Two 13-year-old boys admitted on this date throwing stones at the train near Washington Lane on Wednesday, May 4, 1960. One of the stones shattered a window and a glass fragment punctured an artery in the neck of 60-year-old widow Bridget Lydon of Germantown. She died enroute to the hospital. Authorities later released the boys.

Monday, May 5, 1975/35 years ago . . . . Juan Marrera, age 26, was convicted of the drowning murder of Kevin Wolf, age 18, in a pool at the Philadelphia Museum of Art during 1973. Marrera was the sixth and last defendant to be convicted in the fatal attack which was also linked to the rape of Wolf's girl friend.

Monday, May 5, 2008/2 years ago . . . . A Fox29 news helicopter videotaped Philadelphia Police officers beating three shoot out suspects (Dwayne Dyches, age 24, Brian Hall, age 23, and Peter Hopkins, age 19) near 2nd and Pike Sts. after a 2 ½ mile car chase.

May 5th - Birthdate of:

- John Batterson Stetson, Philadelphia based hat manufacturer, in Orange, New Jersey (Wednesday, May 5, 1830).

- Charles Albert “Chief” Bender, Philadelphia Athletics/Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame pitcher, in Crow Wing County, Minnesota (Monday, May 5, 1884).

Weather/Almanac for May 5th:

Average High Temperature: 69 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 51 degrees

Record High Temperature: 90 degrees, Saturday, May 5, 1928

Record Low Temperature: 33 degrees, Thursday, May 5, 1966

Record Precipitation: 1.81 inches, Wednesday, May 5, 1948

Twilight: 5:26a.m.

Sunrise: 5:56a.m. Sunset: 7:58p.m.

Twilight: 8:28p.m.

Moonrise: 1:35a.m. Moonset: 11:57a.m.

Last Qtr: 11:15p.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are).

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Thursday, April 22, 2010 (112th day of 2010/253 days remaining):

Friday, April 22, 1785/225 years ago . . . . Pennsylvania Gov. John Dickinson forwarded a letter, on this date, expressing the appreciation of the Council for the gift of the trees planted on the grounds of the State House.

Thursday, April 22, 1790/220 years ago . . . . The United States of House of Representatives, with a measure introduced by James Madison, resolved to wear the badge of mourning for a 30-day period in honor of inventor/statesman Benjamin Franklin. The United States Senate neither resolved or took any measures in memorial. President George Washington refused to allow the Executive Branch to mourn Franklin’s death.

Saturday, April 22, 1865/145 years ago . . . . An estimated thirty-thousand mourners assembled around the Baltimore Depot at Broad and Prime Sts. to honor the memory of President Abraham Lincoln upon the arrival of his body at Philadelphia . . . . . The First Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry, escorted the remains of slain President Abraham Lincoln to Independence Hall.

Wednesday, April 22, 1885/125 years ago . . . . The repair shops of the Pullman Palace Car Company, located at 41st St. and Pennsylvania Railroad, ravaged by a fire which caused $150,000 in damage.

Tuesday, April 22, 1890/120 years ago . . . . Contracts signed for the Drexel Institute.

Saturday, April 22, 1905/105 years ago . . . . A fire which caused an estimated $500,000 loss destroyed the drying kilns of the Sikes Furniture Company located at 23rd St. and Passyunk Ave.

Wednesday, April 22, 1925/85 years ago . . . . Broad Street Subway construction contract (for the area from Filbert to Stiles St.) awarded to the Keystone State Construction Company.

Tuesday, April 22, 1930/80 years ago . . . . Members of the Municipal Committee of the United Business Men’s Association inspected the old Glenwood Cemetery at 25th St. and Ridge Ave. The committee later adopted a resolution for presentation to the Board of Health, Mayor Harry A. Mackey and City Council asking the Board of Health to demand the removal of the remaining bodies to the cemetery company’s new burial ground in Broomall, Delaware County and that the streets on the City Plan be cut through the tract of land.

Sunday, April 22, 1945/65 years ago . . . . The USS Galveston was launched from Cramp’s Shipyard on this date. With its launch the cruiser “Galveston” became the last ship constructed and completed at Cramp’s Shipyard.

Thursday, April 22, 1965/45 years ago . . . . Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro visited Philadelphia. He was greeted by Mayor James Tate and made an honorary citizen of Philadelphia.

Monday, April 22, 1985/25 years ago . . . . The high temperature of 90 degrees on this date set a new record for April 22nd in Philadelphia.

Friday, April 22, 2005/5 years ago . . . . A team from the Academy of Natural Sciences went electrofishing. The team caught a 4.5-inch Northern Snakehead which academy senior biologist Richard Horwitz said indicated the breed had successfully reproduced.

Saturday, April 22, 2006/4 years ago . . . . Convicted City Councilman Rick Mariano announced he would resign from Council effective Monday, May 1, 2006. Mariano’s announcement came on the WPEN-AM (960) radio show hosted by City Councilman Frank Rizzo and former State Sen. Bob Rovner.

April 22nd - Birthdate of:

- Michael Hillegas, first Treasurer of the United States (1775 to 1789) in Philadelphia (Saturday, April 22, 1729)

Weather/Almanac for April 22nd:

Average High Temperature: 64 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 47 degrees

Record High Temperature: 90 degrees, Monday, April 22, 1985

Record Low Temperature: 30 degrees, Thursday, April 22, 1875

Record Precipitation: 0.57 inches, Thursday, April 22, 1976

Record Snow: Trace, Thursday, April 22, 1993

Twilight: 5:44a.m.

Sunrise: 6:13a.m. Sunset: 7:45p.m.

Twilight: 8:13p.m.

Moonrise: 1:19p.m. Moonset: 2:37a.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Tuesday, April 20, 2010 (110th day of 2010/255 days remaining):

Monday, April 20, 1880/130 years ago . . . . Peter Herdic, a lumberman and former mayor of Williamsport, Pa., received his patent for the Herdic Coach which he designed and brought to Philadelphia to construct and operate for the Herdic Personal Transportation Company(Historian's Note: Peter Herdic [b. Dec 14, 1824, Ft. Plain, N.Y.; d. Feb 2, 1888, Huntingdon, PA] was a lumber baron, entrepreneur, inventor, philanthropist and politician. He was the youngest of seven children born to Henry and Elizabeth Herdic. His bright yellow Herdic Coaches, the predecessor of today's taxi cab, were originally scheduled to appear on the streets of Philadelphia not later than Wednesday, September 1, 1880. Their appearance was delayed when Mr. Herdic discovered his need to fight the local transportation companies and Highway Commissioner Baldwin who refused to grant his request for a license to operate. Philadelphia's Court of Common Pleas No. 1 later granted a mandamus on Tuesday, November 16, 1880 against Commissioner Baldwin to grant the license. The coaches began operating on the streets the following day, Wednesday, November 17, 1880 [from Front & Market Sts. to Broad St., north on Broad St. to Oxford St., west on Oxford St. to the coach barns on 23rd St.).

Monday, April 20, 1885/125 years ago . . . . Greenwood & Bault’s Dye Works dry house, located at Oxford and North Sts., damaged by a fire which cost $30,000.

Saturday, April 20, 1895/115 years ago . . . . Franklin Field, with a seating capacity of 20,000, formally opened (Historian's Note: The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania purchased the land on which Franklin Field stands by City Council ordinance on Saturday, March 30, 1889 for $149,800. The 9.4-acre parcel would also include four other school buildings [Hayden Hall, Weightman Hall, White Training House and Vagelos Laboratories]. This purchase raised the total size of the University of Pennsylvania's West Philadelphia campus to 40.797 acres. The original building of Franklin Field was constructed at a cost of $100,000. Franklin Field has the distinction of being the first collegiate stadium to host a Army - Navy football game [the 1899 contest - which also featured the first time ever on-field appearance of the service mascots - the Army Mule & the Navy Goat] on a site other than at West Point or Annapolis. Franklin Field is also noteworthy as being the first collegiate football stadium to host a National Football League (NFL) franchise and contest when the Philadelphia Eagles played their first game there during their 1958 campaign. It was the first NFL stadium to use artificial turf. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Franklin Field is the oldest stadium continuing to operate for college football)

Thursday, April 20, 1905/105 years ago . . . . City Councils passed a law on this date which prohibited the throwing of “waste paper, sweepings, ashes, household wastes, nails or rubbish of any kind into any street.” A $20.00 fine constituted the penalty for a violation of this law.

Sunday, April 20, 1930/80 years ago . . . . The South Street extension of the Broad Street Subway (from City Hall to South St.) went into operation on this date (Historian's Note: Work began on the South Broad Street subway on Wednesday, August 31, 1927. In one of the few humorous incidents to occur in the tunnel, a playful dog leaped unto the tracks at the Allegheny Ave. Station [the North Broad Street subway] on Sunday, November 28, 1937 just as a southbound train arrived. The train slowly trailed the frisky pooch the entire 4 1/2 miles down the tracks. The slow, and for the train operator, torturous chase ended at the South Street station [at that time the end of the line]).

Saturday, April 20, 1935/75 years ago . . . . The Philadelphia Phillies equaled a major league baseball record by turning six double plays during their 11-inning 4 to 4 tie with the New York Giants. The umpire called off further play on account of the Sunday Curfew Law.

Saturday, April 20, 1940/70 years ago . . . . U.S.S. “Curtiss,” seaplane tender, launched from Camden's New York Shipbuilding Corporation yard

(Historian's Note: The USS Curtiss [AV-4] received her commission on November 15, 1940 with Commander S. P. Ginder in command. The Curtiss was present on Sunday, December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese Air Force's attack. She sustained damage to her No. 1 crane and lost 19 crewmembers. The USS Curtiss survived that "day of infamy" and went on to serve and receive seven battle stars for her World War II service. She later provided support services during the atomic and hydrogen bomb tests in the South Pacific during the early and mid-1950s. Curtiss was placed out of commission in reserve on September 24, 1957 and later struck from the Naval Vessel Register on July 1, 1963. She was sold for scrap during February 1972).

Thursday, April 20, 1950/60 years ago . . . . Andrew J. Kaelin, president of the Philadelphia Transportation Company union, declared men will oppose company plan to use one-man cars on fourteen lines on Satrudays during the summer.

Wednesday, April 20, 1960/50 years ago . . . . Three policemen, attached to the 26th and York Sts. station, arrested on charge of taking protection money from a man called numbers writer. Eight other officers were suspended. Six officers were fired and five others cleared of charges on Friday, April 29, 1960 . . . . . Theresa Hayes, a 17-year-old blind girl, received the city’s first Medal of Honor for bravery in remaining at the telephone switchboard during the fire at the Overbrook School for the Blind.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005/5 years ago . . . . Public television station WHYY’s Wider Horizons and Caring Community coalition staged an all-day forum on end of life ethical dilemmas. The forum convened at WHYY’s Technology Center at 150 N. 6th St. in Center City.

Thursday, April 20, 2006/4 years ago . . . . Oscar B. Goodman, Esq., a native of Philadelphia, announced he would not run for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate against Presidential son Jack Carter but would instead run for his third term as Mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada.

April 20th - Birthdate of:

- John Gibbon, Philadelphia native and Civil War general (Friday, April 20, 1827).

- David James “Beauty” Bancroft, starting shortstop for the 1915 National League champion Philadelphia Phillies and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, at Sioux City, Iowa (Monday, April 20, 1891).

Weather/Almanac for April 20th:

Average High Temperature: 63 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 45 degrees

Record High Temperature: 92 degrees, Sunday, April 20, 1941

Record Low Temperature: 27 degrees, Tuesday, April 20, 1897

Record Precipitation: 1.71 inches, Monday, April 20, 1874

Record Snow: 0.6 inches, Wednesday, April 20, 1983

Twilight: 5:47a.m.

Sunrise: 6:16a.m. Sunset: 7:43p.m.

Twilight: 8:11p.m.

Moonrise: 10:54a.m. Moonset: 1:17a.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Friday, April 16, 2010 (106th day of 2010/259 days remaining):

Wednesday, April 16, 1845/165 years ago . . . . The Pennsylvania Legislature gave corporate powers to the Philadelphia School District’s Board of Controllers under a law entitled “The Controllers of the public schools of the first school district of Pennsylvania”

Sunday, April 16, 1865/145 years ago . . . . Services in all Philadelphia churches in reference and related to the death of President Abraham Lincoln.

Thursday, April 16, 1885/Arbor Day - 125 years ago . . . . Trees planted by boys and girls from various schools in various public squares . . . . . Professor King and W. H. Hammond, of the Signal Service, performed the fourth scientific balloon ascension from the Girard College grounds. They descended at Williamstown, New Jersey . . . . . Letter carriers made a return of the number of dwelling houses in Philadelphia. The count was 166,093.

Friday, April 16, 1915/95 years ago . . . . Automobile bandits robbed William Tutelman of $3,500 at Germantown Ave. and Jefferson St.

Thursday, April 16, 1925/85 years ago . . . . Dr. Charles Custis Harrison, Samuel S. Fleisher, Dr. Russell H. Conwell and Leopold Stokowski, winners of the Edward W. Bok Philadelphia Award, assembled before the City Club to express how the $10,000 award affected their lives. Dr. Russell H. Conwell, during his address before the club, in effect stated, “never again.” He informed that “Hundreds of letters poured in from all over the world...and after I had given away the $10,000 and was $1,900 in debt from relieving cases of distress, still they came.” Dr. Conwell owed the federal government $1,900 in taxes on the award. His experience and resultant sentiment toward the money was similar to that of the other recipients . . . . . Dry law repeal demanded by the 1,500 attendees at a Prohibition “Enlightenment” dinner.

Tuesday, April 16, 1935/75 years ago . . . . Photostat equipment replaced penmen in the Recorder of Deeds office . . . . . President Franklin D. Roosevelt watched from the stands as the Washington Senators defeated the Philadelphia Athletics by a score of 4 to 2 at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Tuesday, April 16, 1940/70 years ago . . . . The Philadelphia Transit Company (PTC) ordered 130 streamlined trolleys and 152 buses

(Historian's Note: Only the trolleys remain and they can be seen on Route 15 [operating from Kensington to West Philadelphia via Girard Ave. I spoke to some of the operators and they informed of their preference of these trolleys because they are faster than the newer models which operate on SEPTA Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36]).

Sunday, April 16, 1950/60 years ago . . . . Cardinal Dougherty flew to Rome for a Holy Year visit with the Pope . . . . . The first annual Easter Promenade staged in the downtown area.

Friday, April 16, 1965/55 years ago . . . . A law regulating the acquisition of firearms by individuals took effect. Passed on Thursday, March 11, 1965 by City Council, and signed on Monday, March 15, 1965 by Mayor James Tate, the law required a $1 license and applicant's photo and fingerprints. The bill met opposition from sportsman and rifle clubs.

Thursday, April 16, 1970/40 years ago . . . . Catcher Randy Hundley grounded a single to left with one out and the bases loaded in he 10th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 6 to 5 victory at Wrigley Field. During the final three innings the Phillies stranded seven base runners. The loss, the fifth straight after winning the first three games of the 1970 campaign, was also the 7,000th regular season defeat in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies franchise Philadelphia Phillies 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 5 16 1

Chicago Cubs 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 16 1

Aguirre (W, 2 - 0), Hoerner (L, 0 - 1); T - 3 hours, 4 minutes; A: 5,341

Sunday, April 16, 2000/10 years ago . . . . The Philadelphia Eagles completed their selections for the 2000 National Football League draft. Their choices included: 1. Corey Simon, dt, Florida State (6th overall selection); 2. Todd Pinkston, wr, Southern Mississippi (36); 2. Bobby Williams, g, Arkansas (61); 4. Gari Scott, wr, Michigan State (99); 6. Thomas Hamner, rb, Minnesota (171); 6. John Frank, de, Utah (178); 6. John Romero, c, California (192).

Saturday, April 16, 2005/5 years ago . . . . Robert Wanenchak, a 55-year-old native of South Philadelphia, caught the first Northern Snakehead, a non-native fish considered a threat to local species, of the 2005 local fishing season while trying to catch crappies in Meadow Lakes. Wanenchak also reportedly caught the first ever snakehead in the Philadelphia area on Labor Day of 2003.

Monday, April 16, 2007/3 years ago . . . . Former New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bill Bradley discussed nuances of his new book, “The New American Story,” during an event staged at the National Constitution Center at 6:30p.m.

April 16th - Birthdate of:

- Thomas Lawrence, Mayor of Philadelphia (Tuesday, April 16, 1720)

Weather/Almanac for April 16th:

Average High Temperature: 62 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 44 degrees

Record High Temperature: 88 degrees, Friday, April 16, 1976

Record Low Temperature: 27 degrees, Friday, April 16, 1943

Record Precipitation: 2.43 inches, Wednesday, April 16, 1986

Record Snow: 0.5 inches, Monday, April 16, 1888

Twilight: 5:54a.m.

Sunrise: 6:22a.m. Sunset: 7:39pm

Twilight: 8:07p.m.

Moonrise: 7:09a.m. Moonset: 10:24p.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Wednesday, April 14, 2010 (104th day of 2010/261 days remaining):

Friday, April 14, 1740/270 years ago . . . . War with Spain is announced in the city and volunteers for raids against the Spanish West Indies requested. However, the Quakers resisted this effort, and the assembly refused appropriations for the support of the levies.

Friday, April 14, 1775/235 years ago . . . . A group of local Quakers and other religious individuals which included Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, and the Marquis de Lafayette, founded the Pennsylvania Abolition Society (also known as the “Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage”).

Tuesday, April 14, 1835/175 years ago . . . . An Act of the Pennsylvania Assembly, along with previous Acts of 1821, 1828, 1829 and 1831, provided for the establishment of the Eastern State Penitentiary in the Cherry Hill area of Philadelphia County and the removal to it of all state prisoners under the Inspectors control and for the construction of a new county prison in Moyamensing to replace the two older facilities . . . . . The “Imp” and the “Blue Devil” boat clubs began racing on the Schuylkill River against each other on this date.

Friday, April 14, 1865/145 years ago . . . . Flags displayed around the city to commemorate the recapture of Fort Sumter.

Wednesday, April 14, 1880/130 years ago . . . . Cornerstone laid for the Home for Incurables at 48th St. and Woodland Ave.

Tuesday, April 14, 1885/125 years ago . . . . Sixteen officials of the Cricketers' Association of the United States staged their 8th annual meeting in the Penn Club located at 720 Locust St. The assembly, chaired by president D. S. Newhall, started its activities at 8:00a.m. and the delegates dealt with such issues a lack of money for the United States team's trip to Canada (solution: the players would pay their own expenses and the association would reimburse later) and the passing of a rule amendment that a week's notice in advance would be given for those unable to meet an engagement. The association set the assembly for its 9th annual meeting for New York.

Monday, April 14, 1890/120 years ago . . . . No. 10 school at Girard College opened.

Wednesday, April 14, 1920/90 years ago . . . . William F. Rorke, lawyer, acquitted two months before of fraud, died.

Saturday, April 14, 1945/65 years ago . . . . Many stores closed because of Roosevelt funeral services. During the night of this date thousands of Philadelphians lined the railways through Thirtieth Street Station and West Philadelphia to see the funeral train as it went north from Washington, D.C. to Hyde Park, New York.

Thursday, April 14, 1960/50 years ago . . . . Eddie Sawyer resigned as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies after the first game of the 1960 season and was replaced by Gene Mauch, manager of Minneapolis of the American Association (Historian's Note: Edwin Milby Sawyer [b. Sep 10, 1910, Westerly, Rhode Island; d. Sep 22, 1997, Phoenixville, PA., managed 817 Phillies games and compiled a record of 390 wins, 423 losses in eight seasons [1948 - 1952, 1958 - 1960]).

Wednesday, April 14, 1965/45 years ago . . . . A sixty-inch water main broke at Torresdale and Frankford Avenues and a four-foot wall of water inundated six manufacturing plants, rose to the roof lines of fifteen cars and created wide traffic jams.

Tuesday, April 14, 1970/40 years ago . . . . The last prisoners of Eastern State Correctional Institution (Cherry Hill), 21st St. and Fairmount Ave. were transferred to Graterford Prison. The prison had been in use since Monday, October 5, 1829.

Monday, April 14, 1980/30 years ago . . . . The Philadelphia Orchestra taped its first of a series of concerts, for later broadcast on public television, at the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul at Logan Square . . . . Sanitation workers of the Streets Department began collecting garbage and trash from the same location, the front of each residence. Previous collections were taken from two different locations of local residences, either front or back for trash or garbage. Streets Commissioner Howard K. Mintzer directed the change to add conformity to refuse collection in the city and streamline the entire operation. Garbage would be picked up twice a week and trash once a week

Friday, April 14, 2000/10 years ago . . . . A red tailed hawk, apparently guarding its nest high above the Christ Church Burial Ground at the southeast corner of 5th and Arch Sts., attacked 64-year old Ray Thomes, a Dayton, Ohio stockbroker in the upper level of a six-story parking garage just south of the Holiday Inn at 4th and Arch Sts. Officials later closed the sixth and part of the fifth level of the garage.

Thursday, April 14, 2005/5 years ago . . . . The lawsuit filed by Harry Harrison against the African-American Museum and its 28-member board of directors was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Harrison, the former president and chief executive officer of the museum, filed the suit in January against the museum and had originally sought damages and lost wages in “excess of $50,000."

April 14th - Birthdate of:

- Peter Edward “Charlie Hustle” Rose, Philadelphia Phillies 1980 starting first baseman, in Cincinnati, Ohio (Monday, April 14, 1941)

Weather/Almanac for April 14th:

Average High Temperature: 61 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 43 degrees

Record High Temperature: 91 degrees, Monday, April 14, 1941

Record Low Temperature: 24 degrees, Friday, April 14, 1950

Record Precipitation: 2.28 inches, Tuesday, April 14, 1970

Record Snow: 1.8 inches, Saturday, April 14, 1923

Twilight: 5:57a.m.

Sunrise: 6:25a.m. Sunset: 7:37p.m.

Twilight: 8:05p.m.

Moonrise: 6:02a.m. Moonset: 8:12p.m.

New Moon: 7:30a.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Friday, April 9, 2010 (99th day of 2010/266 days remaining):

Sunday, April 9, 1865/145 years ago . . . . News of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia reached the city of Philadelphia. Illumination, blowing of steam-whistles, ringing of fire-bells and the firing of cannon occurred throughout the city.

Saturday, April 9, 1870/140 years ago . . . . The Philadelphia Academy of Music hosted the Second Annual Reunion of the Army of the Potomac. Maj Gen. Phillip Sheridan presided over the gathering (Historian's Note: The Society of the Army of the Potomac staged annual reunions as late as 1911 when they assembled at Providence, Rhode Island for their 40th. The Engineer Brigade of the Army of the Potomac staged its 56th annual reunion at Geneva, New York on Thursday, August 26, 1926).

Wednesday, April 9, 1930/80 years ago . . . . William Rowen, president of the Board of Education, announced that votes on the proposed merger of Girls’ High School, located at 17th and Spring Garden Sts., with William Penn High School, located at 15th and Mt. Vernon Sts., would not occur for at least a month and perhaps longer . . . . . Meanwhile, an estimated 1,500 pupils, teachers and alumnae of the Girls’ High School staged a mass rally at 8:00p.m. in the school’s auditorium at 17th and Spring Garden Sts. against the merger with William Penn High School. Mayor Harry A. Mackey attended the rally and expressed his view that the merger should not occur. Meanwhile, protests from all parts of the nation arrived in Philadelphia against the merger of the two schools (Historian's Note: This proposal arose as the result of a recommendation in a study by Superintendent of Public Schools Dr. Edward C. Broome which he presented on Wednesday, April 2, 1930 to the Schools Committee of the Board of Education. Dr. Broome later withdrew his Girls' High/Penn High school merger proposal on Friday, May 16, 1930).

Saturday, April 9, 1960/50 years ago . . . . Mayor Richardson Dilworth announced the completion of an agreement between the City of Philadelphia and a private corporation (Philadelphia Aquarium Inc.) headed by Isaac D. Levy to construct a new $2-million aquarium on four acres in West Fairmount Park not far from Memorial Hall and near 40th St. and Parkside Ave. north of Girard Ave. Title to the building would go immediately to the City of Philadelphia and the corporation would pay the city $30,000 a year rent for 40 years with an option to renew.

Friday, April 9, 1965/45 years go . . . . Mayor James Tate voiced his disfavor of the proposal reached and agreed upon on Thursday, April 8, 1965 by the Pennsylvania House appropriations subcommittee and the City's Department of Welfare and Philadelphia County Court to convert part of Moyamensing Prison into a facility for juvenile delinquents. Mayor James Tate instead suggested the use of city-owned Fort Mifflin . . . . . The Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, chief aide to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reported on his experiences in Selma, Alabama, during a meeting sponsored by North Philadelphia United, a new civic group. The assembly convened at Bright Hope Baptist Church, located at 12th and Columbia Ave., at 8:30p.m. (Historian's Note: Rev. Abernathy's Philadelphia visit occurred exactly three years to the day before Rev. Dr. King's assassination in Memphis, Tennessee).

Wednesday, April 9, 1975/35 years ago . . . . Unemployment in the Philadelphia area (8 counties) rose to 10.2% in March, the highest since the Depression . . . . . The Pennsylvania Senate voted 28 to 22 against the confirmation of Herbert Dennenberg to the Pennsylvania Utilities Commission.

Wednesday, April 9, 1980/30 years ago . . . . Philadelphia Police found explosive devices on a Route 54 SEPTA bus and a Market-Frankford Elevated train after receiving information from an anonymous caller at 8:40 p.m. SEPTA supervisor Ray Roberts found a package on the Route 54 bus number 6663 at 23rd St. and Lehigh Ave. in North Philadelphia shortly after 9:00 p.m. in the rear of the vehicle. Detectives later found another device on car number 864 of the Market-Frankford Elevated line at the Bridge St. terminus.

Monday, April 9, 1990/20 years ago . . . . Federal regulators announced the Budd Company’s agreement to pay $1.5-million in fines and improve noise protection for workers at all 13 of its United States plants as part of a settlement of 846 alleged health and safety violations at the company’s Hunting Park plant . . . . . Grover Washington Jr., backed by a seven-man band “The Fifth Amendment,” staged a 90-minute concert which began at 9:30a.m. inside the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center gymnasium before 200 inmates.

April 9th: Birthdate of:

- William Russell Birch, engraver, enamel painter, publisher and father of artist Thomas Birch, in Warwickshire, England

(Wednesday, April 9, 1755).

- Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker, lawyer, judge, historian and Governor of Pennsylvania in Phoenixville, Montgomery County, the son of Dr. Isaac Anderson and Anna M. (Whitaker) Pennypacker (Sunday, April 9, 1843).

- Paul Arizin, Villanova Wildcat/Philadelphia Warrior star and Professional Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (Monday, April 9, 1928).

Weather/Almanac for April 9th:

Average High Temperature: 60 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 42 degrees

Record High Temperature: 84 degrees, Tuesday, April 9, 1991

Record Low Temperature: 26 degrees, Saturday, April 9, 1977

Record Precipitation: 2.07 inches, Monday, April 9, 1906

Record Snow: 7.0 inches, Monday, April 9, 1917

Twilight: 6:05a.m.

Sunrise: 6:32a.m. Sunset: 7:32p.m.

Twilight: 7:59p.m.

Moonrise: 4:01a.m. Moonset: 3:07p.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Wednesday, April 7, 2010 (97th day of 2010/268 days remaining):

Friday, April 7, 1740/270 years ago . . . . The Library Company of Philadelphia completed the transfer of its holdings to the upper room on the west end of the State House.

Tuesday, April 7, 1840/170 years ago . . . . The Western Engine, Steam, Volunteer Fire Company, located in the city’s 5th District, organized on this date (Historian's Note: Western Engine was the last volunteer company organized before the May 1840 passage of City Council's ordinance which placed the $8,700 yearly appropriation to all of the companies [with $300 to each company] under the new Committee on Legacies and Trusts. This new committee served as the City of Philadelphia's earliest attempt toward regulating the operation [and conduct] of the volunteer fire companies).

Saturday, April 7, 1860/150 years ago . . . . Mrs. Edward Shippen Burd died. She left a large estate much of which she willed to charity.

Wednesday, April 7, 1875/135 years ago . . . . First Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard., Col. R. Dale Benson in command, ordered to Pottsville, Pennsylvania, to prevent riots among the striking coal miners.

Tuesday, April 7, 1885/125 years ago . . . . City Councils passed Mayor Smith’s request for the appropriation of funds to inaugurate a life-saving service for the Philadelphia Police Department. His request came in the wake of the February 1885 Blockley Almshouse fire and the February 1885 fire at the 1539 Pine St. residence of John A. King (Historian's Note: The fire at Blockley's Insane Department on Thursday, February 12, 1885 resulted when one of the chief attendants, Joseph Schroeder, incited inmate Joseph Nadine to start a fire. The blaze resulted in the deaths of 20 residents and $50,000 damage assessed to the completely destroyed Insane Department. During the firefighting effort at the King residence on Saturday, February 21, 1885, Mrs. King, one of her daughters and a servant leaped from the fourth floor windows of 1539 Pine St. to escape the flames. Although each of them received injuries from the fall none were fatal. Mr. King perished in the fire. February 1885 was noted as a particularly bad month for fires in the city of Philadelphia with four significant events occurring on February 21st alone. The two fires noted above especially prompted Mayor Smith's request for the life saving service.).

Tuesday, April 7, 1925/85 years ago . . . . The first radio broadcast of a ship launching took place when several stations gave a firsthand account of the christening of the aircraft carrier “Saratoga” at the New York Shipbuilding Company in Camden, New Jersey (Historian's Note: The USS Saratoga [CV-3] was the first aircraft carrier built and launched on the Delaware River. She was the second aircraft carrier of the U. S. Navy [after the USS "Langley"] and the fifth Navy ship to bear her name. Saratoga was originally ordered during 1917 as a Lexington-class battlecruiser. The Navy changed the order during July 1922 for an aircraft carrier. She received her commission on November 16, 1927 with Capt Harry E. Yarnell in command. She received the nickname "Stripe Stacked Sara" for the vertical stripe painted on the stack to help pilots identify her from sister ship USS "Lexington." USS Saratoga served in the American and Pacific Campaigns earning 8 battle stars. She became surplus after the war because of the introduction of many Essex-class carriers to the fleet. Saratoga was assigned to Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll to test the effect of the atomic bomb on naval vessels. She was damaged beyond repair during the second test [Test Baker] on July 25, 1946 and sank beneath the lagoon's surface. The U. S. Navy later struck her from the vessel register on August 15, 1946. She remains at Bikini Atoll to this day, a popular destination for recreational scuba divers).

Monday, April 7, 1930/80 years ago . . . . Philadelphia Police discovered the bodies of two babies in packing cases in the old abandoned Glenwood Cemetery. Officers believed the bodies were those of infants accepted from poor parents for cheap burial by undertakers who placed them in packing cases and dumped them on the cemetery without intent to complete burial.

Sunday, April 7, 1935/75 years ago . . . . Rev. Dr. M. Joseph Twomey resigned as pastor of Grace Baptist Temple.

Sunday, April 7, 1940/70 years ago . . . . Dr. Cyrus Adler, scholar, educator, and first president of Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning, died in Philadelphia at age 76 (Historian's Note: Dr. Adler served as Dropsie's president from 1908 to 1940).

Saturday, April 7, 1945/65 years ago . . . . Military officials notified Mrs. Ellen Dobmeir, of 2624 N. Colorado St., that two of her sons died in Germany 13 days apart. Her third and last son was missing at sea.

Thursday, April 7, 1955/55 years ago . . . . The $4-million “M. V. Hannover,” the first German-built passenger ship to come to the Port of Philadelphia since the end of the Second World War, docked at Pier 82 South on her maiden voyage. Thomas C. Brown, Chief of the Bureau of Port Operations, presented a print of Independence Hall on behalf of the City of Philadelphia to Capt. Walter Pabst the ship’s 50-year-old commanding officer.

Wednesday, April 7, 1965/45 years ago . . . . The Board of Education rejected a plan to build a junior high school at 46th and Market Sts. This decision ended eight years of controversy. Community groups contended that the site was bound to produce a segregated Negro school.

Tuesday, April 7, 1970/40 years ago . . . . During a White House ceremony on this date the family of U. S. Army Cpl. Michael Joseph Crescenz, age 19, of 7443 Thouron Ave., a Cardinal Dougherty High School graduate, received his posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism

(Historian's Note: President Richard M. Nixon presented the award for Corporal Crescenz' actions taken in Hiep Duc Valley, Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam on Wednesday, November 20, 1968. Corporal Crescenz is the only Philadelphian to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War).

Monday, April 7, 1975/35 years ago . . . . Workers from SEPTA's Red Arrow suburban division returned to work after the court issued an injunction in Delaware County (Historian's Note: SEPTA had acquired the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company five years earlier on Friday, January 30, 1970).

Monday, April 7, 1980/30 years ago . . . . A bulldozer began clearing out the underbrush from what was once a terraced formal garden on the site of Wyndmoor's Whitemarsh Hall to begin the demolition of what was previously one of the most opulent mansions of the pre-Depression era in Philadelphia (Historian's Note: The site of the former neo-Georgian Horace Trumbauer designed mansion is now occupied by a development of townhouses known as Stotesbury Estates).

Saturday, April 7, 2007/3 years ago . . . . Glenn Dodson, principal trombonist for the Philadelphia Orchestra for 27 years, died of myocardian infarction at his Edgmont Delaware County home. Dodson came to the Philadelphia Orchestra as first trombonist during 1968. He was also a trombone soloist for the Marine Corps Band before joining the New Orleans Symphony during 1956. Dodson, a 1953 graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, was 76.

April 7th: Birthdate of:

- Francis Martin Drexel, founder of the Drexel family in America, at Dornbirn in the Austrian Tyrol. (Saturday, April 7, 1792).

- Rafael (Ralph) Rizzo, father of Philadelphia Mayor Frank Lazarro Rizzo and grandfather of Councilman Frank Rizzo, in Chiaravalle Centrale, Italy (Saturday, April 7, 1894)

- Eleanora Fagan (a.k.a. singer “Billie Holiday”), to Sadie Fagan and Clarence Holiday, in Philadelphia (Wednesday, April 7, 1915).

- John Oates, singer with Daryl Hall (of Hall and Oates) in New York City. (Thursday, April 7, 1949).

Weather/Almanac for April 7th:

Average High Temperature: 59 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 41 degrees

Record High Temperature: 90 degrees, Sunday, April 7, 1929

Record Low Temperature: 19 degrees, Wednesday, April 7, 1982

Record Precipitation: 1.16 inches, Saturday, April 7, 1962

Record Snow: 2.4 inches, Saturday, April 7, 1990

Twilight: 6:08a.m.

Sunrise: 6:36a.m. Sunset: 7:30p.m.

Twilight: 7:57p.m.

Moonrise: 3:05a.m. Moonset: 1:08p.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Monday, April 5, 2010 (95th day of 2010/270 days remaining):

Wednesday, April 5, 1775/235 years ago . . . . The colony of North Carolina selected its delegates for the second Continental Congress which later assembled at the State House in Philadelphia.

Wednesday, April 5, 1815/195 years ago . . . . The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania granted a charter of incorporation to the Athenaeum of Philadelphia (Historian's Note: The Athenaeum of Philadelphia is an independent research library specializing in American architectural history and design. The building which houses the collection, located at 219 S. 6th St. [(215) 925-2688], is also a U. S. Historic Landmark [designated on December 8, 1976]).

Wednesday, April 5, 1865/145 years ago . . . . Jubilee meeting staged at the Academy of Music on occasion of the conclusion of the Civil War.

Sunday, April 5, 1885/125 years ago . . . . The new building for St. Andrew’s P. E. Church, located at 36th and Baring Sts., formally opened for worship.

Thursday, April 5, 1900/110 years ago . . . . The Philadelphia Symphony Society staged the second “Philippine Concert.” Admiral Dewey, Secretary Root and their wives gathered at the Academy of Music where orchestral entertainment was given for the benefit of widows and orphans of soldiers in the Philippines. The two benefits, for which tickets were obtained by an auction, netted $10,000.

Tuesday, April 5, 1910/100 years ago . . . . The Transit Strike of 1910 ended on this date. Labor strife on the streets of Philadelphia during the period of the strike resulted in the deaths of twenty-nine persons.

Monday, April 5, 1915/95 years ago . . . . William Disston, saw manufacturer, died.

Thursday, April 5, 1945/65 years ago . . . . The Commission for Economic Development announced Philadelphia industrial firms planned to spend $98-million for post-war construction and equipment.

Wednesday, April 5, 1950/60 years ago . . . . Gertrude C. Nauman, 19-year old Bryn Mawr student, who disappeared Friday, March 24, 1950, found in a Miami Beach, Florida hotel.

Tuesday, April 5, 1955/55 years ago . . . . Robert McLean, president of “The Bulletin” and of the Associated Press, presented with the 1955 Edward Powell Award for outstanding efforts in behalf of commercial and manufacturing life of Philadelphia. The award was presented by Mayor Joseph S. Clark . . . . . Construction workers lowered the first steel work for the Philadelphia tower of the new Packer Ave. - Gloucester bridge into place on this date. The Bethelehem Steel Company ore would go into the 370 foot (above water level) tower and act as a “giant clothesprop” for the suspension cables. (Historian's Note: This bridge would later become the first to be named after a poet, the "Good Gray Poet," - the Walt Whitman Bridge. Delaware River Port Authorities officials announced the naming on Wednesday, July 20, 1955 along with the renaming for the "Delaware River Bridge" to the "Benjamin Franklin Bridge").

Monday, April 5, 1965/45 years ago . . . . Demolition of the 2-level steel Spring Garden Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River began. The bridge, built during 1876, would be replaced by two new bridges.

Sunday, April 5, 1970/40 years ago . . . . A record-shattering 406,058 persons attended a month-long exhibit of Vincent Van Gogh paintings at the Philadelphia Art Museum. About 30,000 jammed the museum on the last day and hundreds were turned away . . . . . John Cardinal Krol, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia, held a church service in the White House which was attended by President Richard M. Nixon and former President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Saturday, April 5, 1980/30 years ago . . . . The week-long public sale of memorabilia and trinkets from the Fox Theater at 16th and Market Sts. ended on this day before the start of demolition. A 39-story office building was planned for the site on which the theater was located.

Tuesday, April 5, 2005/5 years ago . . . . The Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, located at 18th St. and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, hosted the first of four daily masses for the Repose of the Soul for the late-Pope John Paul II. The Mass began at 12:05p.m. with Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Cistone as the celebrant.

April 5th: Birthdate of:

- Glenn S. “Pop” Warner, Temple University football coach (1933 to 1938) and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, in Springville, New York (Wednesday, April 5, 1871).

- Doug Favell , former Philadelphia Flyers goalie, at St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada (Thursday, April 5, 1945).

Weather/Almanac for April 5th:

Average High Temperature: 58 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 41 degrees

Record High Temperature: 81 degrees, Sunday, April 5, 1942

Record Low Temperature: 22 degrees, Tuesday, April 5, 1881

Record Precipitation: 1.23 inches, Thursday, April 5, 1923

Record Snow: 3.0 inches, Tuesday, April 5, 1898

Twilight: 6:11a.m.

Sunrise: 6:39a.m. Sunset: 7:28p.m.

Twilight: 7:55p.m.

Moonrise: 1:49a.m. Moonset: 11:08a.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Tuesday, March 30, 2010 (89th day of 2010/276 days remaining):

Thursday, March 30, 1865/145 years ago . . . . Union Army Maj. Charles Izard Maceuen, a member of the Union League (198th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment/6th Union League Regiment), died in the Battle of Lewis’ Farm, nine days before the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia (Historian's Note: Lewis' Farm was the opening battle of Lieutenant General Grant's Appomattox Campaign. Major Maceuen was one of an estimated 380 Union casualties of this battle fought in Dinwiddie County, Virginia [which resulted in a victory for the Union Army]. The Union League of Philadelphia had a Civil War Roundtable [CWRT] website named in Major Maceuen's honor [I am not certain if the site/roundtable is presently active]).

Wednesday, March 30, 1870/140 years ago . . . . The 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, having been ratified by 29 states, is declared in effect by the U.S. Congress. It assured that the right of citizens of the United States to vote "shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.” The black community of Philadelphia openly celebrated the adoption of the amendment throughout the city . . . . . Because of the public outcry at the proposed demolition of some historic buildings at Independence Square for the new public buildings, the state legislature ordered a special election during October 1870 during which Philadelphians would decide between Washington Square and Penn (Center) Square for the new city hall site.

Saturday, March 30, 1895/115 years ago . . . . The new home for nurses at the Philadelphia Hospital was turned over to the City of Philadelphia.

Friday, March 30, 1900/110 years ago . . . . In the case of John Doerwechter, a paralytic, a Coroner’s jury found that his death was hastened by the breaking of his arm by an attendant. The jury found that the institution should be held responsible for detailing patients with attendants.

Tuesday, March 30, 1920/90 years ago . . . . Architect Horace Trumbauer reduced the design and size of the proposed central library from seven to six million cubic feet (Historian's Note: Mayor J. Hampton Moore, on Thursday, February 25, 1920, requested a redesign of the proposed library in an effort to reduce the facility's cost. Another of the changes, directed by city officials, was the provision of steel frame in place of the masonry load bearing walls directed in Mr. Trumbauer's original design. After Mr. Trumbauer's completion of redrawings the P. H. Kelly Construction Co. started building the main library on Monday, April 10, 1922).

Wednesday, March 30, 1930/80 years ago . . . . A five alarm blaze struck the Girard Point plant of the Gulf Oil Refining Company in South Philadelphia. The fire spread to the oil tanker “S. S. Hagen” which had over 70,000 gallons of crude oil in its hold. There were no injuries during the blaze which ruined a 2,000-foot-long pier and warehouse while leaving the Hagen badly damaged at the bottom of the Schuylkill River. Authorities estimated the fire caused $3-million in damage (Historian's Note: The top five major oil spill releases on Delaware River involving tankers include: The most recent major spill, "Athos I" and her release of 265,000 gallons on Fri., Nov 26, 2005; the striking of the river bottom by the tanker "Viking Osprey" and her subsequent release of 295,000 gallons on Mon., Sept 8, 1986; the Fri., Jan 31, 1975 event with the Greek tanker "S. S. Corinthos" which was struck by another ship causing 300,000 gallons to burn on the Delaware River; the "Presidente Rivera" with her grounding and release of 307,000 gallons of heavy no. 6 crude on Sat., Jun 24, 1989 and the Sat., Sept 28, 1985 grounding of the "Grand Eagle," with the release of over 435,000 gallons which is to date the largest release ever upon the Delaware River).

Wednesday, March 30, 1945/65 years ago . . . . . Levy Anderson, acting director of the War Manpower Commission, announced a call to Philadelphia’s 11 area breweries to send 259 employees to critical war plants. The brewery transfers would begin Tuesday, April 3, 1945.

Wednesday, March 30, 1955/55 years ago . . . . Governor Leader signed a bill which made it illegal to discard ice boxes or refrigerators with attached doors or lids (Historian's Note: Prior to Governor Leader's signature on this legislation, City Councilwoman Constance H. Dallas introduced an ordinance on Thursday, October 8, 1953 which prohibited the placement of an abandoned ice box, refrigerator or any air tight container outside of a building in the city of Philadelphia. City Council later passed the ordinance on Thursday, November 5, 1953. Although I have not yet found the incident[s] I am sure the death of a child or children in one of these boxes prompted Councilwoman Dallas' introduction of this legislation).

Thursday, March 30, 1995/15 years ago . . . . The Fraternal Order of Police launched the first in a series of legal challenges to the Police Advisory Commission's probe into the death of Moises DeJesus (Historian's Note: Moises DeJesus, age 30, was arrested in front of his home in the 3600 block of north 3rd St. on Sunday, August 21, 1994. Relatives and neighbors reported that DeJesus was beaten by the arresting officers and "dragged away naked in handcuffs" before taken to Temple University Hospital where he lapsed into a coma. DeJesus died three days later on Wednesday, August 24, 1994).

Wednesday, March 30, 2005/5 years ago . . . . U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson ruled, without explanation, that the defense would not be permitted to call Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell to testify in the City Hall pay-to-play trial as a defense witness for former City Treasurer Corey Kemp . . . . . Acting Licenses and Inspections Commissioner Robert D. Solvibile announced that his department had sent violation notices to the owners of 895 6-foot-by-12-foot wall-mounted billboards (known as “eight-sheets”) mounted on the sides of buildings throughout the city. Solvibile advised that building owners would be assessed a fine of $75 per day that the billboards remained in place

March 30th: Birthdate of:

- Al Wright, the third manager of the Philadelphia Phillies (Wednesday, March 30, 1842).

Weather/Almanac for March 30th:

Average High Temperature: 56 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 39 degrees

Record High Temperature: 86 degrees, Monday, March 30, 1998

Record Low Temperature: 18 degrees, Wednesday, March 30, 1887

Record Precipitation: 1.61 inches, Friday, March 30, 2001

Record Snow: 0.6 inches, Monday, March 30, 1942

Twilight: 6:21a.m.

Sunrise: 6:48a.m. Sunset: 7:22p.m.

Twilight: 7:49p.m.

Moonrise: 8:31p.m. Moonset: 6:38a.m.

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Tuesday, March 16, 2010 (75th day of 2010/290 days remaining):

Thursday, March 16, 1775/235 years ago . . . . . The lower Pennsylvania counties of Delaware (New Castle, Kent and Sussex - which later became the State of Delaware) by resolution of its assembly on this date appointed its delegates to the second Continental Congress which later met at the State House in Philadelphia.

Monday, March 16, 1840/170 years ago . . . . . At a general meeting of the “Friends of the Seminary,” a Constitution was enacted for the “Philadelphia Auxiliary Society of St. Charles Borromeo.” (Historian's Note: St. Charles was the Archbishop of Milan from the late 1560s until his death at age 46 during 1584. He was born into an aristocratic family and used his wealth during a 1570 famine and 1575 plague to ease the suffering of the citizens of Milan).

Friday, March 16, 1855/155 years ago . . . . . An Act of the Pennsylvania Assembly on this date designated the Board of Health as a normal branch of the city government of Philadelphia. The Act was passed to eliminate confusion concerning the City’s authority over the Board.

Thursday, March 16, 1865/145 years ago . . . . . Orphans’ Home, located at 23rd St. above Brown St., dedicated.

Friday, March 16, 1900/110 years ago . . . . . A fire caused $50,000 loss at the Joyce Electrotype Company establishment located at 908 - 910 Cuthbert St. Four firemen were injured during this event.

Thursday, March 16, 1905/105 years ago . . . . . David Heston, a 78-year old Friend, was buried. He published the Tract Repository in the interest of Negro betterment.

Friday, March 16, 1945/65 years ago . . . . The two-day strike of an estimated 3,700 SKF plant workers, over the dismissal of 14 sit-downers and the pay schedule, ended.

Wednesday, March 16, 1955/55 years ago . . . . . Joey Giardello, boxer, found guilty on charges of assault and riot in the Friday, October 29, 1954 beating of a gasoline station attendant (Historian's Note: Carmine Orlando Tilelli, alias - "Joey Giardello," [b. Jul 16, 1930, Brooklyn, NY; d. Sep 4, 2008, Cherry Hill, NJ, age 78], reigned as middleweight boxing champion of the world from Dec 7, 1963 to Oct 21, 1965. The highlight of Giardello's career was his June 24, 1963 upset of boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson. The career record for Giardello, a 1993 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, totaled 101 victories, 25 losses and seven draws in 134 total fights. He is also a 2009 inductee into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame).

Wednesday, March 16, 1960/50 years ago . . . . . The USS “Pratt” and the USS “Dahlgren,” both missile ships, were launched from the Philadelphia Naval Base. These were the first Navy ships launched from the installation since 1945 (Historian's Note: The last ship I have mentioned as launching from the Navy Yard during 1945 was the aircraft carrier "USS Princeton" [CV-37], a 27,000-ton vessel which launched from the yard on Sunday, July 8, 1945).

Monday, March 16, 1970/40 years ago . . . . . This was the original projected completion date for construction of the multipurpose Philadelphia Veterans Stadium on the northeast corner of Broad St. and Pattison Ave. The date came and, because of delays, went as construction continued.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005/5 years ago . . . . . The Atwater Kent Museum at 15 S. 7th St. opened its exhibit of 196 hats and headgear which reflected 200 years of Philadelphia hat fashions in a display entitled “Love That Hat.”

Thursday, March 16, 2006/4 years ago . . . . . Common Pleas Court Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan found Kareem Johnson, age 22 and Kennell Spady, age 21, guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 10-year-old Faheem Thomas-Childs.

March 16th: Birthdate of:

- Peter Penn-Gaskell Hall (Tuesday, March 16, 1830), Union Army Colonel and a sixth generation descendant of William Penn. 1-31-1905

Weather/Almanac for March 16th:

Average High Temperature: 51 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 35 degrees

Record High Temperature: 82 degrees, Friday, March 16, 1945

Record Low Temperature: 16 degrees, Thursday, March 16, 1916

Record Precipitation: 1.08 inches, Friday, March 16, 1923

Record Snow: 4.1 inches, Thursday, March 16, 1978

Twilight: 6:44am

Sunrise: 7:11am Sunset: 7:07pm

Twilight: 7:34pm

Moonrise: 7:08am Moonset: 8:15pm

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

Philadelphia History for Thursday, March 18, 2010

The following are forwarded as items of interest in Philadelphia History for Thursday, March 18, 2010 (77th day of 2010/288 days remaining):

Saturday, March 18, 1775/235 years ago . . . . The Pennsylvania Assembly received a proposal from architect Robert Smith to remove the wooden and brick part of the State House steeple down to the eaves of the building and erect a cupola on the roof. The proposal did not receive any action from the Assembly.

Saturday, March 18, 1780/230 years ago . . . . Philadelphia city authorities passed Chapter 889, an Act which directed the apportioning of taxes to be laid for the watch, streets, and other government necessities in conformity with state taxes.

Thursday, March 18, 1875/135 years ago . . . . An Act of the Pennsylvania Assembly on this date extended the term of the Mayor of Philadelphia to April 1878 (Historian's Note: This change by the State Legislature was the last involving the three year term in office for the Mayor of Philadelphia. The change which followed, known as the "Bullitt Bill," [for John Christian Bullitt whose statue graces the northeast side of the apron of City Hall] was passed on June 1, 1885. This legislation, a great reorganization of Philadelphia's government, went into effect on January 1, 1887 and changed the Mayor's term in office to the present four years) . . . . The pastor and congregation of the Second Baptist Church dedicated their new building located at 7th St. and Girard Ave. . . . . The Penn Club organized on this date (Historian's Note: The Penn Club later received its incorporation from the State of Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 16, 1889).

Monday, March 18, 1895/115 years ago . . . . The Board of Surveyors struck the Park Boulevard from the city plan (Historian's Note: The Board of Surveyors previously confirmed the plan for the boulevard on Sunday, May 1, 1892. The proposed roadway met significant opposition from Center City west residents and officials from the Catholic Home for Destitute Children located at 17th and Race Sts. The proposal, after many hearings and further review, later received a negative recommendation from the Board of Surveyors on Thursday, April 19, 1894. The estimated cost of construction ($6-million by the Works Department/$15 - $25-million by project opponents) also proved a deterrent to accomplishment. Common Council [on Nov 22, 1894] and Select Council [on Dec 6, 1894] passed ordinances to strike the proposed boulevard from the city plan before the Board's March 1895 action. Today, this $30-million roadway, which took 47 years from its first conception in writing during 1871 until its Sunday, October 27, 1918 opening, is known as the Benjamin Franklin Parkway).

Sunday, March 18, 1900/110 years ago . . . . . Daniel W. Bussinger elected to succeed the late Michael J. Cassidy as Warden of the Eastern Penitentiary . . . . . John W. Hill, of Cincinnati, appointed consulting engineer to the officials in charge of improving Philadelphia's water supply.

Saturday, March 18, 1905/105 years ago . . . . . Armored cruiser “Washington” launched from the Camden yards of the New York Shipbuilding Company (Historian's Note: This Tennessee class armored cruiser [ACR-11], the eighth of ten vessels by that name, was named for the State of Washington. It was later renamed the "USS Seattle" during 1916. She served until 1946 when the U. S. Navy struck her from its list of vessels) . . . . . . Rear Admiral J. E. Craig succeeded Rear Admiral Francis Dickins as commandant at League Island.

Wednesday, March 18, 1925 (5-077/288): Officials of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company deeded 20 acres of the Burd Home property at 63rd and Market Sts., costing $500,000, to the City of Philadelphia for use as an extension of Cobbs Creek Park.

Monday, March 18, 1935/75 years ago . . . . Alfred Byrne, Lord Mayor of London, visited Philadelphia.

Monday, March 18, 1940/70 years ago . . . . Evening Bulletin staff writer John Quinn informed readers of the dormant transit tunnels located 26' under the Schuylkill River over a six-block area from 24th to 30th Sts. on the line of Market St. (the Market St. subway extension); and the tunnel under Locust St. between 8th and 18th Sts. Quinn noted the under-river construction from 24th to 30th Sts. was Philadelphia’s first attempt at river tunneling and engineers noting the job as not having been done better anywhere.

Saturday, March 18, 1950/60 years ago . . . . Mayor Bernard Samuel officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony for the first “planned” community in Philadelphia, a long-range project which would encompass 2,000 acres at Grakyn Ln. and Old Line Rd. in the city’s upper Roxborough area. Construction began immediately after the ceremony on the first 200 units to be known as Andorra Homes, Inc. Part of the planning for the 2,000-acre area, left by the late-railroad executive/industrialist Henry H. Houston, included the construction of a new bridge which would link the Roxborough and Chestnut Hill sections of Philadelphia. The area, at the time of this groundbreaking, was one of the largest undeveloped holdings in the city.

Friday, March 18, 1955/55 years ago . . . . Roy F. Larson, architect, awarded the Philadelphia Art Alliance 1955 Medal of Achievement for his work on the Independence Mall area development . . . . Capt. Edward J. O’Donnell assumed command of the battleship "USS New Jersey" vice Capt. John C. Atkeson to become the ship’s eleventh commanding officer.

Tuesday, March 18, 1980/30 years ago . . . . The City of Philadelphia filed the first 100 lawsuits of more than 50,000, against tax delinquent property owners who owed less than $1,000 each in back real estate taxes. This represented part of an effort by the city solicitor's office to collect a total of $138-million in back taxes.

Friday, March 18, 2005/5 years ago . . . . . The Catholic Church suspended former St. Patrick’s parish pastor Msgr. Philip J. Dowling, age 75, after receiving information from The Philadelphia Inquirer of his admitted sexual abuse of a teenage girl which occurred decades ago.

Saturday, March 18, 2006/4 years ago . . . . The Dallas Cowboys announced the signing of former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens to a three-year, $25-million contract which guaranteed him $10-million for the 2006 season.

Weather/Almanac for March 18th:

Average High Temperature: 52 degrees

Average Low Temperature: 36 degrees

Record High Temperature: 78 degrees, Saturday, March 18, 1989

Record Low Temperature: 10 degrees, Saturday, March 18, 1916

Record Precipitation: 1.13 inches, Monday, March 18, 1968

Record Snow: 5.4 inches, Sunday, March 18, 1956

Twilight: 6:41am

Sunrise: 7:08am Sunset: 7:09pm

Twilight: 7:36pm

Moonrise: 7:59am Moonset: 10:22pm

Please note - if in your travels you discover dates of historical interest for people, places and things related to the city of Philadelphia please send it to me with a citation of the source. I welcome your input. Your feedback (via correction or additional comment) is also welcome. Meanwhile, I am wishing you a positively historical day in Philadelphia (or wherever you are),

Rick Vinson

TSgt, USAF - Ret.

Items of interest in Philadelphia History for Tuesday, March 16, 2010: