MARY BRASWELL: Looking back at 1917, 1942, 1967 and 1992

Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or [email protected]. Follow @ABH_MBraswell on Twitter.

As has become a tradition with this column, the first Sunday of the new year is a chance to look back 100, 75, 50 and 25 years.

1917

— The Great Fire of Atlanta, which burned for nearly 10 hours, destroyed 300 acres and 1,900 structures displacing over 10,000 people. There were, amazingly, no fatalities.

— Marshmallow creme was invented by Archibald Query of Somerville, Mass.

— Gideon Sundback patented the modern zipper. It was not the the first zipper, but the one most like the ones used today.

— On April 6, the U.S. declared war on Germany. President Woodrow Wilson said, “This war is a battle to save democracy.”

— U.S. Rubber introduced Keds, the first mass-marketed, rubber-soled sneaker.

— Clarence Saunders, founder of the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain, the first true self-service grocery store, received U.S. Patent No. 1,242,872 for a “Self Serving Store.”

— The first Del Monte brand national advertisement appeared in the Saturday Evening Post on April 17.

— The Chattanooga Bakery in Tennessee introduced the MoonPie, marshmallow between two chocolate covered graham crackers. They were supposedly developed to sell to Appalachian coal miners as a snack.

— The Jones-Shafroth Act granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans, a status they still hold today.

At home…

— Albany Horseshoers gave notice that new prices for their services would be as follows: Four shoes were $1.50, two shoes were 75 cents, and single shoes were 40 cents.

— Albany police officers issued four speeding tickets over a period of two weeks. Those paying fines each forked over $5.75.

1942

— The bazooka, a shoulder-fired, man-portable recoilless rocket anti-tank weapon, was co-invented by Edward Uhl, then a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and Col. Leslie Skinner.

— The Stars & Stripes newspaper began publication for the armed forces of the United States.

— Corn dogs were invented by Neil Fletcher and introduced at the Texas State Fair.

— The Johnson and Johnson Permacel Division created duct tape. Originally called duck tape by the troops because water ran off it, the tape was designed to wrap around ammunition cases in order to keep water out. The tape was Army green to disguise it more easily against the cases.

— The Archie comic book made its debut.

— The first T-shirts were manufactured. The now everyday piece of apparel was designed and first made for sailors serving in the U.S. Navy.

— Executive Order 9066 was signed into law authorizing the physical removal of all Japanese Americans into internment camps.

—The publishing firm Simon & Schuster, the Artists and Writers Guild, and the Western Printing and Lithographing Company joined forces to create a new series of children’s books especially suited to beginning readers between the ages of 3 and 8. Inexpensive (25 cents each), sturdy and child-centered, Little Golden Books were first published.

At home…

— Albany residents began registering for Ration Book One as sugar rationing took effect. While each person would receive a book, one per per household was asked to register for each member. Necessary information of each household member was full name. height, weight, color of eyes, color of hair, age and, for the household, the amount of white and brown sugar on hand.

— Albanians were encouraged to burn wood rather than coal to help with the war effort. City Wood Company of Albany had a cash and haul price of $4.50 for a 1.5-ton truck of hardwood blocks.

1967

— The hand-held calculator was invented by Jack Kilby.

— Gatorade, the original sports drink, was developed by the University of Florida for their football team.

— Tennessee repealed its 1925 law making it illegal to teach evolution in public schools.

— Gladys Knight and the Pips released “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”

— Plastic milk bottles were introduced. A gallon of milk cost $1.03.

— The movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” premiered, starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn.

— Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the United States Senate confirmed Thurgood Marshall as the first African-American Supreme Court Justice with a 69 to 11 vote.

At home …

— Albany was looking to hire bus drivers for the inter-city transit system. Qualifications for the job were very specific. Applicants were to be: Men of good character; ages 25-35; high school graduates; height of 5 feet 8 to 6 feet 1; weight of 150 to 200 pounds; no military obligation, and in good physical condition.

— A Cuban refugee was arrested as he tried to load two suitcases aboard a small plane at the Tifton Airport. U.S. Customs agents apprehended the man shortly before takeoff and found four 5-pound incendiary bombs, anti-Castro leaflets, a Georgia map marking Macon and Tifton, and an enlarged map of Cuba.

1992

— Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) launched Cartoon Network, the first all-animation television channel.

— The first McDonald’s in Beijing, China, opened. It was the world’s largest, with 28,000 square feet, seating for 700 and 1,000 employees.

— “Barney and Friends” was first televised on PBS.

— Rioting broke out in Los Angeles after the acquittal of four white policemen accused of beating black motorist Rodney King. The riots lasted six days and resulted in 53 deaths and more than a $1 billion in damages before order was restored.

— The Supreme Court of the United States upheld the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, allowing women to have an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 5-4 decision.

— The first nicotine patch was introduced to help stop smoking.

— In terms of units sold, compact discs (CDs) outsold audio-cassettes for the first time in the United States.

— “Law & Order” was among the most popular shows on television.

At home …

— Lemuel Edwards, assistant general manager of Albany’s Water, Gas & Light Commission, was elevated to the utility’s top position. Mayor Tommy Coleman broke a tie vote with his support of Edwards, making him the first African-American director of WG&L.

— Ground was broken for Gortatowsky Park in front of the Albany-Dougherty Government Building. On hand to turn the first shovels of dirt were Mayor Tommy Coleman, Dougherty County Commission Chairman Gil Barrett and Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authoring Chairman Dr. Carl Gordon.

QUIK QUIZ answer: (a) “To Sir With Love” by Lulu. “Ode to Billie Joe” was No. 3, “Light My Fire” was No. 6 and “Happy Together” was No. 8.