Did you know that we have been serving the Genealogy community since 1961? The collection started with 1,000 genealogical books on the shelves. This article, published in the Fort Wayne News Sentinel in 1970 discusses the growing Genealogy department at the Allen County Public Library, headed by Dorothy Lower at the time. By 1970, the collection contained some 40,000 volumes.
Today, our collection contains more than 1.3 million items!
On February 28, 1970, Purdue University's Rick Mount scored 61 points in a 108-107 loss to Iowa. The Lebanon native scored those points without the aid of the three-point shot. As of 2018, his scoring feat remains the Big Ten Conference’s single-game record.
Nicknamed “The Rocket,” Mount finished his senior year with a 39.4 average in Big Ten play. He left the school as the Boilermaker's all-time leading scorer, and with a career average of 32.2. He received his second consensus All-American honor at the season’s end.
#OTDin 1970, Indianapolis housewives and college students united to protest the use of laundry detergents high in phosphate. They encouraged the use of soaps with lower levels because of phosphate-polluted lakes and streams. The Indianapolis Star reported that they “stood at the entrances to numerous grocery stores around the city yesterday to convey their message to shoppers. They distributed handbills listing laundry products in order of phosphate content.”
Historian Annette M. Scherber noted that their “actions encouraged Indiana legislators to enact the nation’s first statewide ban in 1971 on the sale and use of phosphate detergents to improve the quality of North American lakes, thus requiring all consumers to use non-phosphate detergents instead.” Scherber cited the movement as an example of how women of the period “carved out ways to influence environmental regulation and participate in larger discussions regarding science, technology, and health.”
1970, April 22 - Twenty million people nationwide participated in the first Earth Day. Its roots go back to the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson's landmark book exposing the effects of pesticides and other chemical pollution on the environment. Troubled by the lack of attention pollution was receiving on the national stage, Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson began going on speaking tours, trying to educate people and politicians about environmental issues. During the late 1960s, Senator Nelson had the idea to harness the energy and methods of the student protests against the Vietnam War to organize a grassroots conservation movement. At a press conference in 1969, he announced plans for a nationwide demonstration, to take place the following spring in April 1970. Eventually the government took notice, forming the Environmental Protection Agency and passing the Clean Air, the Clean Water, and the Endangered Species Acts. From History Center April 22, 2013 post from Writers Almanac on Facebook. See The History of Earth Day on earthday.org.
President Richard Nixon in Fort Wayne, Indiana 1970 posted July 15, 2019 from Video MVP on Vimeo stated: President Richard Nixon flew into Baer Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on the rainy evening of October 20, 1970. He was greeted by Gov. Edgar Whitcomb, Congressman Richard Roudebush, Congressman Ross Adair, and others. This video was converted from 8mm film.
1971, June 30 - the Twenty-sixth Amendment (Amendment XXVI) to the United States Constitution is ratified barring the states or federal government from setting a voting age higher than eighteen adding approximately 11 million new voters for the 1972 presidential election. Until the 26th amendment, a person had to be 21 years of age in order to vote. Indiana was the 18th state to ratify the 26th Amendment on April 8, 1971. See Wikipedia discussion and Punch Card Democracy on Smithsonian National Museum of American History blog.
1971, July 1
On this day in 1971, the 26th Amendment became part of the United States Constitution, lowering the voting age to 18...
Today, Indiana has lost Birch Bayh, shown here in 1966 with Robert F. Kennedy at a fundraiser for Rep. Winfield Denton of Evansville. Bayh served in the Senate from 1963 to 1981. He started his political career as a state representative in 1954 and was the youngest Speaker of the House in Indiana history. As chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments, he authored the 25th and 26th amendments. We also have him to thank for Title IX. Rest in peace.
Bayh authored the failed Equal Rights Amendment and was considered the Father of Title IX.Birch Bayh, former Indiana senator, Title IX author, dies at 91 John Tuohy, Maureen Groppe, Shari Rudavsky and Vic Ryckaert, March 14, 2019 Indianapolis Star newspaper.
1971, August 26 - Women's Equality Day joint resolution passed the U.S. Congress promoted by Rep. Bella Abzug (D-NY). See What is Women's Equality Day? at National Women's History Project.
1971 September 29 - New York fashion designer, Fort Wayne native Bill Blass returned to his hometown for the first time in 25 years ahead of a local fashion show that included his latest looks.
1972 - President Richard Nixon made Father's Day a permanent national holiday.
1972, February 28 - Indiana U.S. Senator Birch Bayh introduced amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ban gender discrimination among higher education institutions that received federal aid. President Richard Nixon signed Title IX, co-sponsored by Bayh and Representative Edith Green, into law on June 23, 1972, affording women and girls at public educational institutions more scholarship and sports opportunities. Copied from a post with a photo of Senator Bayh exercising with Title IX athletes at Purdue and a link to Equal Access to Education: Forty Years of Title IX in a February 28, 2018 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook.
1972, March 22
Martha Griffiths (D-MI), standing second from the left in this photo, was a member of the House of Representatives from...
Martha Griffiths (D-MI), standing second from the left in this photo, was a member of the House of Representatives from 1955-1974. She wrangled the stalled Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) through the House and Senate, and finally, on March 22, 1972, the amendment was sent to the states. But by 1982, only 35 states had ratified the document, 3 states short of the three-fourths required. What do you think--will ERA ever become the 28th constitutional amendment?
The Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. Senate on this day in 1972. It prohibited...
1972, June 12 - Elvis Presley rocked the Memorial Coliseum. Check out some of the footage from that event below. Discussed June 12, 2018 on 21AliveNews.comon Facebook.
1972, June 21 - President Richard Nixon signs the Higher Education Act, including the Title IX gender discrimination ban which requires equal access to sports for women in schools comparable to men sports programs. This lead to a media frenzy when Billie Jean King played former men's champion Bobby Riggs at the Houston Astrodome on September 20, 1973. See More Than Champions on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History blog.
1972, June 23 - President Richard Nixon signed Title IX, an amendment to the Higher Education Act prohibiting gender discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funds.
Though some may have questioned the need for Title IX or worried about the impact it would have on sports programs for boys and men, records of the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) in the decades preceding its passage highlight the disparities girls and women faced in athletics and, thus, the importance of the legislation. According to excerpts of IHSAA board meeting minutes, by 1927, "the board went on record as being opposed to inter-state tourneys and sectional, regional, and state basketball tourneys for girls." Girls could play in intramural games within the school, but higher competition was generally frowned upon if not outright denied.
IHSAA records from 1955 reiterate some of these sentiments, noting "They [IHSAA] do not recommend a highly organized interschool athletic program for girls, but do encourage a Girls' Playday Program." Further, rules governing these "Playdays" included one noting that girls could only play basketball between November 1st and the date in which the boys' school team was eliminated from tournament play.
Read more about the IHSAA's rules governing girls and women in sport in Indiana prior to Title IX with these documents from the Indiana State Library Rare Books and Manuscripts collections.
#OTD in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Title IX, an amendment to the Higher Education Act prohibiting gender discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funds. U.S. Senator Birch Bayh from Indiana co-sponsored the amendment that became Title IX and, along with Representative Edith Green, “laid the legal foundation for a revolution in the lives of American women.” Senator Bayh credited his wife, Marvella Hern Bayh, with inspiring his strong commitment to women’s rights. In 2004, he reflected on her influence: “We both knew we wanted to get involved in some way in public policy to help people, to make the world a better place . . . As we went through life together, from time to time she would remind me what it was like to be a woman in a man’s world. If it hadn’t been for her, I would not have been in a leadership role that I was in Title IX of the Higher Education Act, equal rights in education, equal rights for women.” Learn more about Senator Bayh’s role in the passage of Title IX from Indiana University’s Modern Political Papers Collection: https://bit.ly/33mIBqj
Image of Birch and Marvella Bayh courtesy Elkhart Public Library.
1972, August 11 - US ground troops leave South Vietnam.
1972, September - the Magnavox Odyssey went on sale, a milestone in video game history. The Odyssey was the first console that could be played at home with your television.
1973 - OPEC oil embargo marked the end of America's energy dominance as Texas oil well production declined and Middle East oil production stopped demanding higher prices.
1973, January 22 - the U.S. Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion by handing down their decision in the case of Roe v. Wade.
1973, January 27 - Paris Peace Accord signing ends the Vietnam War.
1973, March 29 - two months after signing the Vietnam peace treaty, the last U.S. combat troops leave South Vietnam as Hanoi frees the remaining American prisoners of war held in Viet Nam. For more information see U.S. withdraws from Vietnam on History.com.
1973, May 10 - Four funnel clouds were seen in the skies over Fort Wayne on May 10, 1973, with at least one hanging stationary several minutes near downtown before it moved away. At least two tornadoes touched down, and one New Haven family bore the brunt of the damage in the area about 3 p.m. Clifford A. Wirick told The Journal Gazette that day that he had just come in from the fields and was standing on his front porch when he saw a tornado coming. He had just enough time to run into the basement and hide under a stack of insulation before his home was ripped apart and his barn was shattered into pieces. His pickup, which had been in the garage, was blown into the backyard. Wirick was not injured and his wife was not home, but their 14-year-old Beagle, Peanuts, was crushed by a falling beam. Copied from Tornado destroys New Haven home Throwback Thursday May 10, 1973 by Corey McMaken published November 29, 2018 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
1973, May 14 - America’s first space station-Skylab was successfully launched into orbit around the earth.
1973, July 10 - a fire swept throught the top floor of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri where military records are stored. The fire burned uncontrolled for more than 22 hours, and took five days to finally be put out. At its peak, 42 fire districts were fighting it. About 73 to 80 percent of the approximately 22 million individual Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) stored in the building were destroyed. The records lost were those of former members of the Army, the Army Air Force, and the Air Force who served between 1912 and 1963. Today, National Archives staff are still working to reconstruct these records. Learn more about the fire and ongoing efforts at Burnt in memory: Looking back at the 1973 St. Louis fireand to see the chronology of events at One fire, 5 days, and 381 men on The National Archives Prologue: Pieces of History blog. The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center last reviewed September 8, 2016 at the National Archives at St. Louis.
Exactly 50 years ago today, on July 20, 1973 the calm afternoon was interrupted at 3:40 pm by a train derailment on the Penn Central Line near Thomas Road. 13 of the 110 cars were derailed and a chemical fire ensued. Upon learning that water would be of no use against the chemicals, local firefighters kept watch as the fire was allowed to resolve itself. At 7:20 pm, a red ball of fire brightened the skyline as one of the tankers carrying vinyl chloride exploded. Since vinyl chloride is a toxic substance, nearly 3,000 people were evacuated in a two-mile radius from the site. The following morning most of the residents were allowed to return to their homes. The few that were not allowed lived in the still cordoned off area around the vinyl chloride tanker that was still burning. While most of the damage was confined to broken windows, there was a place of major destruction. The home of Hamer Mann on Lagro Drive was destroyed when a portion of the exploded vinyl chloride tanker hit the dwelling. Today we remember the worst train derailment and explosion to happen in Allen County. #sociallyhistory
1973, September 20 - a highly publicized “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, top women’s player Billie Jean King, 29, beats Bobby Riggs, 55, a former No. 1 ranked men’s player. witnessed by over 30,000 spectators at the Houston Astrodome and another 50 million TV viewers worldwide. For more see King triumphs in Battle of Sexes on History.com.
1973, September 27 - Freimann Square was dedicated on Sept. 27, 1973, when several hundred people turned out in downtown Fort Wayne to see the fountains in action. The park was funded by the Freimann Charitable Trust, which was created by the late Frank Freimann who was president and chief executive officer of Magnavox Co. . Copied from 1973: Construction and opening of Freimann Square by Corey McMaken Jun 6, 2019 in the
History Journal archives of the Journal Gazette newspaper.
1974, January 2 - 55-MPH SPEED LIMIT: ANNIVERSARY. President Richard Nixon signed a bill requiring states to limit highway speeds to a maximum of 55 mph. This measure was meant to conserve energy during the crisis precipitated by the embargo imposed by the Arab oil-producing countries. A plan, used by some states, limited sale of gasoline to odd-numbered days for cars whose plates ended in odd numbers and even-numbered days for even-numbered plates. Some states limited purchases to $2–$3 per auto, and lines as long as six miles resulted in some locations. National Maximum Speed Law on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. FEDERAL SPEED LIMIT, SET IN 1974, REPEALED by Don Phillips November 29, 1995 on The Washington Post.
Year-round daylight saving time, signed into law by President Richard Nixon in January 1974, sought to maximize evening sunlight and, in doing so, help mitigate an ongoing national gas crisis.
November 6, 2023 post: Experts have historically claimed that the practice, which has roots in late 19th century and was widely instituted in 1966, benefits society by extending our sunlit hours and saving energy costs, although many others have called those benefits into question.
November 6, 2023 post: The creation of DST is usually credited to George Vernon Hudson, who first proposed the idea in an 1895 paper, but 100 years earlier, Benjamin Franklin, inventor of all things useful, pondered a similar question.
Did Benjamin Franklin Invent Daylight Savings Time? The creation of DST is usually credited to George Vernon Hudson, but 100 years earlier, Benjamin Franklin pondered a similar question, Angela Serratore, March 8, 2013
Governor Otis R. Bowen approved Public Law No. 60, which repealed all laws concerning sterilization of the mentally ill in Indiana. In the late 1800s, Indiana legislators enacted laws based on the belief that criminality, mental problems, and pauperism were hereditary. In 1907, Governor J. Frank Hanly approved the first state eugenics law, which made sterilization mandatory for certain individuals in state custody. Governor Thomas R. Marshall halted sterilizations in 1909 and the Indiana Supreme Court ruled the 1907 law unconstitutional in 1921. A 1927 law reinstated sterilization and added court appeals. Approximately 2,500 in state custody were sterilized under state law. Learn more about Eugenics Laws in Indiana with the Indiana state historical marker: 1907 INDIANA EUGENICS LAW.
A similar February 13, 2018 post showed a photo of Governor Otis R. Bowen.
1974, March 23- Fort Wayne Northrup High School, only 3 years old, wins its first state basketball tournament. See team photo and infomation at the IHSAA Indiana High School Athletic Association page on ihigh.com. Walter Jordan is likely the best known member of this team.
1974, April 3rd - Super Tornado Outbreak - the 2nd largest tornado outbreak, second to the April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak. None in Allen County, Indiana. Thirty F4/F5 tornadoes reported, the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded. 148 tornadoes from April 3 to April 4, 1974. Paraphrased from Anniversary of the April 3rd, 1974 Super Outbreak with maps April 3rd, 2013 by Jonathan Conder. April 3, 1974 Super Outbreak at the National Weather Service.
April 3rd, 1974 - 247 pm EDT. A deadly supercell develops over eastern Illinois and goes on to produce 8 tornadoes over...
April 3rd, 1974 - 247 pm EDT. A deadly supercell develops over eastern Illinois and goes on to produce 8 tornadoes over the next 4 hours and 12 minuts across Illinois and Indiana. These become known as the Monticello tornado family.
On April 3, 1974, the largest tornado outbreak of the 20th century hit 13 states, including Indiana, and became known as...
On April 3, 1974, the largest tornado outbreak of the 20th century hit 13 states, including Indiana, and became known as the 1974 Super Outbreak. Today marks the 50th anniversary of these devastating storms, and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security has commemorated the widespread disaster with an interactive story map telling the stories of the tornadoes and those who lived through them. Experience this piece of Indiana history here: Remembering the Stories of '74The Hoosier Experience of the 1974 Tornado Super Outbreak Indiana Department of Homeland Security - Public Affairs
ON THIS DAY // The Super Tornado Outbreak on April 3 and 4, 1974 is recorded as the worst tornado outbreak in Indiana history. On its 2,500 mile path across the Midwest, 21 tornadoes swept through 46 counties. The tornadoes ranged from F1 to F5 and were reportedly traveling at a mile a minute. The damage was devastating and several Hoosiers were killed or injured. To learn more visit the National Weather Service website: Super Tornado Outbreak April 3, 1974.
April 3 marks 50 years since the 1974 Super Outbreak. IDHS shares the stories of Hoosiers who experienced the tornadoes and details each Indiana tornado with a mix of photos, videos, maps and articles. Explore the stories at Remembering the Stories of '74 The Hoosier Experience of the 1974 Tornado Super Outbreak Indiana Department of Homeland Security - Public Affairs.
How many of you remember this? Check out Walter Cronkite detailing the event in the video contained in the story.
It has been 50 years since the 1974 Super Outbreak of Tornadoes impacted our area. Take a look back at the twisters that moved through, including the violent one that lasted over 100 miles, and what caused such a severe outbreak by clicking below. Tune in to our special coverage this evening on WANE 15 News #15Fury
An explanation of UPC barcodes from 1974, when they were first introduced 50 years ago!
The first product scanned with a UPC barcode was a pack of Wrigley's gum in an Ohio supermarket on June 26, 1974, marking the beginning of widespread barcode adoption.
Do you remember when UPC barcodes were rolled out? Let us know in the comments!
See this clipping in the Akron Beacon Journal on our site: Explanation of UPC barcodes (1974) The Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio, Thu,sday July 11, 1974, Page 5
1974, August 8 - President Richard Nixon resigns
1974, September 8 - President Gerald Ford officially pardoned Richard Nixon, a decision that would define his presidency. See The Pardonby Barry Werth published February 2007 in the Smithsonian Magazine.
1974, September 9 - Mayor Ivan Lebamoff Fort Wayne application to the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration
1974, October - The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), known as Title VII of the Consumer Credit Protection Act, was passed at a time when women were commonly discriminated against when applying for financial products like loans. With the passage of this Act, women were able to apply for credit cards in their own name, regardless of marital status. History Of Women And Credit Cards: 1970s To Present, Robin Saks Frankel, Robin Saks Frankel on Forbes.com.
YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY! If your school picture is similar to this one then you were a teenager in the 1960s....
If your school picture is similar to this one then you were a teenager in the 1960s. Remember penny loafers, chains made out of chewing gum wrappers, SWAK, LYLAS, cherry vanilla cream cokes, hair curlers 1 inch round, mini or maxi dresses, scrapbooks with movie ticket stubs, the Beatles???? Well here are some changes you may remember as well.
The following list is of NINE things a woman couldn’t do in 1971.
1. Get a Credit Card in her own name – it wasn’t until 1974 that a law forced credit card companies to issue cards to women without their husband’s signature.
2. Be guaranteed that they wouldn’t be unceremoniously fired for the offense of getting pregnant – that changed with the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of *1978*!
3. Serve on a jury - It varied by state (Utah deemed women fit for jury duty way back in 1879), but the main reason women were kept out of jury pools was that they were considered the center of the home, which was their primary responsibility as caregivers. They were also thought to be too fragile to hear the grisly details of crimes and too sympathetic by nature to be able to remain objective about those accused of offenses. In 1961, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld a Florida law that exempted women from serving on juries. It wasn't until 1973 that women could serve on juries in all 50 states.
4. Fight on the front lines – admitted into military academies in 1976 it wasn’t until 2013 that the military ban on women in combat was lifted. (See Combat Exclusion Police of Jan 24, 2013.)Prior to 1973 women were only allowed in the military as nurses or support staff. However, there were exceptions Vicki Wallace Harris says “my daughter was a combat medic in Afghanistan in 2004/05 with the 25th ID, she was going to Forward Operating Bases(FOB’s) back then. She was outside Bagram Airfield quite a few times and carried weapons to help protect herself and her fellow soldiers if need be.”
5. Get an Ivy League education, with the exceptions of Penn and Cornell, who began admitting women in 1870. Penn and Cornell are large universities and have always accepted hundreds of women in their entering classes. Yale and Princeton didn't accept female students until 1969. Harvard didn't admit women until 1977 (when it merged with the all-female Radcliffe College). Brown (which merged with women's college Pembroke), Dartmouth and Columbia did not offer admission to women until 1971, 1972 and 1981, respectively.
Other case-specific instances allowed some women to take certain classes at Ivy League institutions (such as Barnard women taking classes at Columbia), but so many women in the '60s who harbored Ivy League dreams had to put them on hold. Some of you may remember when college dorms had curfew for women and having to sign out and in when going out of the dorm.
6. Take legal action against workplace sexual harassment. Indeed the first time a court recognized office sexual harassment as grounds for any legal action was in 1977!
7. Decide not to have sex if their husband wanted to – spousal rape wasn’t criminalized in all 50 states until 1993.
8. Obtain health insurance at the same monetary rate as a man. Sex discrimination wasn’t outlawed in health insurance until 2010 and today many, including sitting elected officials at the Federal level, feel women don’t mind paying a little more.
9.The birth control pill: Issues like reproductive freedom and a woman's right to decide when and whether to have children were only just beginning to be openly discussed in the 1960s. In 1957, the FDA approved of the birth control pill but only for "severe menstrual distress." In 1960, the pill was approved for use as a contraceptive. Even so, the pill was illegal in some states and could be prescribed only to married women for purposes of family planning.
Jeanie McCarty shares “When dad died the electric company refused to place a security light on the backyard pole because the bill was in his name and mom, as a woman, wasn't considered credit worthy. This despite the fact that she worked at a manufacturing job. Also, girls on the high school basketball team only played half court. We were deemed too delicate to play full court.” Joy Wert says “We lived through archaic times.”
1975 - George Rogers Clark Day, February 25 was adopted by the 1975 Indiana General Assembly (IC 1-1-13) to celebrate the accomplishments of Clark in the American Revolution. George Rogers Clark captured Fort Sackville at Vincennes, Indiana, when the British surrendered at Vincennes, Indiana, marking the beginning of the end of British influence in America's western frontier. See Special Days of Celebration by the Indiana Historical Bureau.
1975, February 3 - The Rosemarie Hotel, one of the last "grand hotels" on Columbia Avenue, The Landing, in downtown Fort Wayne burned. Second of three fires from arson including Protective Electrical Supply, Old Fort Draperies and Third Presbyterian Church on Harrison. The Diehm Memorial Museum of National History at Franke Park was also destroyed by arson less that 2 weeks later. See February 3, 2017 photo and discussion on Allen County Public LibraryFacebook page, and February 5, 1975 newspaper clippingat Allen County Public Library.
Did you learn to type on a typewriter? Was it manual or electric? The first commercially successful typewriter hit the market 150 years ago in July 1874. Known as the Remington No. 1, it was originally called the Sholes and Glidden Type-Writer.
Over the decades, typewriters evolved with advancements such as daisy wheel printing and electric models. They remained an essential tool until the rise of personal computers in the 1980s and '90s.
This typewriter ad comes from a 1975 newspaper. See it in Newsday on our site: Typewriter ad, 1975 Newsday (Suffolk Edition), Melville, New York, Thursday, September 4, 1975, Page 62
1975, September 5 - Lynette Fromme tried to shoot President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California.
1975, December 23 - President Gerald Ford signed the Metric Conversion Act of 1975. The Metric Conversion Act of 1975 (later amended by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, the Savings in Construction Act of 1996, and the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004) designated the metric system as the preferred system of weights and measures for US trade and commerce, and directed federal agencies to convert to the metric system, to the extent feasible, including the use of metric in construction of federal facilities. Copied from Metric Conversion Act of 1975 , USMA US Metric Association.
Takaoka, Japan is Fort Wayne, Indiana's first sister city, established in 1976. Our mothers visited as part of a Fort Wayne delegation in 1981. Aunt Mary met Miki 43 years ago and kept a lifelong friendship with her. Miki and husband Yasuhito were wonderful hosts to us.
At Takaoka City Hall we saw Tim Doyle's Helitec II, a gift from Ft Wayne in 1981. Helitec I is installed at the Ft Wayne Science Center and his prototype, Little Helitec, is at Star Quest Observatory in Jefferson Township Park east of his hometown New Haven, IN.
Takaoka City Hall also has a wonderful display with information and artifacts from all their sister cities (Mirandopolis City, Brazil; Jinzou, China; Beverly, England; and Ft. Wayne).
1976, July 7 - For the first time in history, women enrolled into the United States Military Academy at West Point. On May 28, 1980, 62 of these female cadets graduated and were commissioned as second lieutenants. Copied from a July 7, 2022 post by HISTORY on Facebook. Female cadets enrolled at West Point
Remember how happy we were when we got our new machine and could finally work from home? Remember? How fun it would be to bring our office work home! Why, we could use the breakfast nook as a home office.
This happy fella is enjoying the TRS-80, introduced by Radio Shack in 1977. The TRS-80 had a full-stroke QWERTY keyboard, the Zilog Z80 processor, 4 KB dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) standard memory, small size and desk area, floating-point Level I BASIC language interpreter in read-only memory (ROM), 64-character per line video monitor, and a starting price of US$600 (equivalent to US$2,700 in 2021). A cassette tape drive for program storage was included in the original package.
The Radio Shack records were one of a dozen collections at the Computer History Museum processed through a grant from the NHPRC. From business plans, patent notebooks, and rare market studies to publicity photographs, CHM's collections are as diverse as the history of computing. Whether you're interested in the vast history of Digital Equipment Corporation or the branding of Silicon Valley's tech companies, CHM has something to explore.
#OTD in 1977, the Indiana General Assembly ratified the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), making Indiana the 35th state to do so. The U.S. constitutional amendment, introduced in 1923 by suffragist Alice Paul, would make it illegal to deny equal rights on account of sex and would end “the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, employment, and other matters.”
On January 18, the Indiana Statehouse was packed with supporters and opponents of the amendment, which was ratified by the House of Representatives (53-45) and the Senate (26-24). However, Indiana was the last state to ratify the ERA, and the amendment ultimately failed to get ratification from three-fourths of the states, or 38 total, by the deadline set by Congress. In 2020, Virginia became the requisite 38th state to ratify the amendment.
In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to remove the 7-year deadline which Congress set for ratification. As of 2022, the U.S. Senate has not voted on the measure.
The image below shows activists packing the gallery of the Indiana Statehouse, courtesy of IndyStar (Photo credit: William Oates).
1977, January 21 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter grants an unconditional pardon to hundreds of thousands of men who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War.
On May 4, 1977, Governor Otis R. Bowen approved Public Law 303, which amended the Indiana Code, eliminating the clause that forbade the issuance of marriage licenses to "imbeciles." This followed a series of repeals in the 1970s of laws related to the sterilization and marriage restrictions on individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental illnesses, all of which originated with the Eugenics Movement of the early 1900s. Learn more about eugenics in Indiana with the Indiana state historical marker: 1907 INDIANA EUGENICS LAW. post that included the logo from the Second International Eugenics Convention, held in 1921.
The image below is courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society.
1978
Winter 1978 Fort Wayne postcard - snowfall was 59.8 inches compared to normal 31 inches and seven low temperature records were set.
1978, January 1 - more than 60 people joined the Polar Bear Club's 39th annual New Year's Day dip in the St. Joseph River near the Tennessee Avenue Bridge on Jan. 1, 1978. Temperatures were in the upper 20s and the river was full of ice that had to be broken up. About 200 people gathered to cheer them on. Copied from Looking Back: Polar Bear Club's 1978 New Year's Day swim by Corey McMaken published December 31, 2018 in The Journal Gazette newspaper
1978, January 25 - the Blizzard of '78 was followed by a 1978 Flood in March as the record amount of snowfall melted.
40th Anniversary of the "White Hurricane of 1978", Matthew Leach, Jan 24, 2018 on YouTube. Feature story on the Blizzard of 1978 (Jan 24-27) from the perspective of one Fort Wayne, IN, resident who remembers the event like it was yesterday. Aired on ABC21, Fort Wayne, January 24th, 2018 during the 5 pm newscast.
Beginning Wednesday January 25, 1978, Indiana was paralyzed by a snow storm that came to be known as the Blizzard of 78, the worst blizzard on record for the Hoosier state. according to the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office of Indianapolis, IN. More than ten inches of snow fell the first day and seven more followed over the next two days. ... Snow fell at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour with sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph. Visibilities were brought down to one sixteenth of a mile.Northern Indiana Blizzard of 1978, 40th Anniversary of the Blizzard of '78 at Northern Indiana Weather Forecast Office at the National Weather Sevice.
39 years ago, 1-2 FEET of snow fell in less than 24 hours with sustained wind speeds between 35-45 mph. Below is the total snowfall accumulations from the 25th to the 26th.
Can you imagine if I released a snowfall prediction map like this today?!
Who remembers this event? I'd love to hear your story!
THE BLIZZARD OF '78 | It's been 40 years since the historic Blizzard of '78, which dumped 1-2 inches of snow per hour and 55 mph wind gusts blew it around on Jan. 25, 1978. What do you remember about that storm?
TOTAL SNOW FROM THE BLIZZARD OF '78 | Can you imagine a snowfall map like this today, especially on top of snow pack that already exceeded half a foot?
Of course, we can't forget about the wind-whipped 6-10' snow drifts all across Northern Indiana, either. Just an amazing event!
And for those asking if we could see something similar in the future: Yes. If it can happen once, it can happen again!
On January 25, 1978, Indiana was hit with a blizzard lasting until the 27th. The "Great Blizzard of 1978" left National Weather Service (NWS) employees stranded for days and prompted the NWS to issue its first statewide Blizzard Warning.
Conditions were so extreme that the National Guard dispatched utility vehicles to help stranded travelers. Governor Otis Bowen declared a snow emergency and Indiana University closed for the first time in the campus's history.
The image below is courtesy of the St. Joseph County Public Library.
Anyone else disappointed with the small amount of snow Indy got yesterday? Enjoy these #ThrowBack photos of the historic blizzard of 1978. These photos are of the Fort Wayne Developmental Center.
January 26, 2023 post by US National Weather Service Northern Indiana on Facebook: It was a snowy day at the Fort Wayne International Airport yesterday! ❄️ In fact, for January 25th, FWA set a new record daily maximum snowfall! A total of 6.2" of snow fell yesterday! This breaks the old record of 5.4" which was set back in 1978, during the start of the Blizzard of '78! ❄
1978, March 25 - #5 Worst Fort Wayne Flood: Estimated $55 Million in damages, 25 miles of streets closed, FW declared a disaster as area rivers crested at 23.76 feet from Chronological Flood History at City of Fort Wayne.
In 1978, Snider graduate Andy Replogle makes his Major League pitching debut.
Replogle was called in to pitch in relief by the Milwaukee Brewers against the New York Yankees at County Stadium in Milwaukee. Replogle faced one batter and giving up a hit. The Brewers beat the Yankees that day, 9-6, and Replogle went on to pitch in 32 games that season.
Replogle pitched for two seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers, compiling a 9-5 record with a 3.92 ERA in 1978. Replogle, a 6-5, 205-pound right hander, started 18 games that season with three complete games and two shutouts. He struck out 41 batters in 149 1/3 innings.
His athletic career actually started in South Bend where he came to prominence during his sophomore year when he pitched Clay High School of South Bend to the state championship in 1970. After one more season at Clay, he and his family moved to Fort Wayne where he attended Snider and graduated in 1972. He was an all-city performer in basketball and on the mound for the Panthers.
After graduating from Snider he was selected by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 1972 amateur draft. Replogle did not sign, however, choosing to attend Kansas State University where he continued his baseball career.
Replogle was drafted again in the 1975 amateur draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and played in their minor league system for three seasons. In December 1977, Replogle was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles from St. Louis in the Rule 5 draft. He was waived by the Orioles in 1978 and picked up by the Brewers.
His final game in the majors was September 30, 1979, when the Brewers lost to Minnesota 5-0. Replogle pitched 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing two hits. He was released by Milwaukee in 1982 and signed as a free agent by the Cincinnati Reds. He was released in spring training by the Reds after tearing a rotator cuff. He retired from baseball shortly thereafter.
Also, in 1997, Tiffany Gooden was named the Naismith Award winner for being the nation's top girls prep player.
Andrew David Replogle, Born: 10/07/1953 in South Bend, IN, Draft: 1975, St. Louis Cardinals, Round: 9, Overall Pick: 208, College: Kansas State, Debut: 4/11/1978, Died: 4/10/2012. Andy Replogle #27 on MLB.com.
#OnThisDayOctober 5, 1978, the “72-Year Rule" became law.
This law restricts access to decennial census records to everyone except the individual named on the record or their legal heir for 72 years from the date of the census.
The US National Archives released the 1950 Census records on April 1, 2022, and the 1960 Census will become available in 2032.
1978, November 18 - Jonestown Massacre in Guyana when Jim Jones self-proclaimed messiah of the Peoples Temple cult led more than 900 men, women and children to their deaths in a mass suicide via cyanide-laced punch (spawning the metaphor "Don't Drink the Kool-Aid"). Jim Jones was born May 13, 1931, in Crete, Randolph County, Indiana 3 counties south of Allen County near the Ohio line. From Jim Jones Biography (1931–1978) on biography.com.
1979
1979/1980 Wolf & Dessauer Santa Claus with reindeers and Christmas Wreath restored for annual lighting ceremonies. Need to confrim with newspaper articles.
1979, March 28 - Three Mile Island nuclear accident near meltdown of uranium core on Susquehanna River about 10 miles southeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania forces reevaluation of the safety of nuclear power industry. See 1979 Nuclear accident at Three Mile Island on History.com.
1979, June 11 - Hollywood legend John Wayne dies. Originally a little known actor named Marion Robert Morrison. He was given the stage name Anthony Wayne, but Fox Studios change it to John Wayne and he became a leading man in 142 of his 153 movies a Hollywood record.
1979, December 9 - World Health Organization declares eradication of smallpox.
