Day in history for December 29, 2000

1875 -- 125 years ago

The Commercial Travelers Association will have its fourth annual reunion and ball at the Newcomb House, Davenport.

1900 -- 100 years ago

The plant of Swift And Co., Davenport, has received the first automobile in the Tri-Cities to be used as a delivery truck. It is propelled by storage batteries.

1925 -- 75 years ago

Fire destroyed the new $10,000 home of James Spargo in Coal Valley.

1950 -- 50 years ago

Marcus Lerch, 226 53rd St., Moline, received an honorable mention today from the Burlington Liar's Club, sponsor of the annual yarn-spinning contest. Lerch told this heat wave story: ``It got so hot down here last summer that the ground got just like concrete. In fact, the earth was baked so hard that people working in their gardens had to give the weeds a shot of oil down along the roots before they could pull them.''

1975 -- 25 years ago

About 200 senior citizens spent a frigid 20 minutes in the snow today when a telephone bomb threat forced evacuation of the Lend-A-Hand Building, Davenport. At 12:07 p.m. a young male caller said the bomb was going off at 12:10 p.m. in the kitchen. About 200 people were eating at the center and all were herded into the noonday snowstorm while police searched the building. No explosives were found and the senior citizens returned to finish a cold meal.

Back: Available days in December 2000