Day in history for December 26, 2003

1853 -- 150 years ago

Christmas, coming on Sunday, was appropriately observed by church services. Such observance is more fitting than the balls, dances, horse races and drunken revels usually seen on Christmas. Except for the firing of firecrackers and shouting by boys on Christmas eve, our city was very quiet.

1878 -- 125 years ago

Lewis Wilson brought in a lot of fine turkeys yesterday for John Warner, who presented each of his street-car horse drivers with a Christmas fowl.

1903 -- 100 years ago

Illinois University, with 3,661 students, is the sixth largest college in the nation.

1928 -- 75 years ago

T.L. Zauskey of Rock Island, using a sewing machine, has embroidered over 3,000 initials on 1,068 handkerchiefs in four days. His feat is regarded by his friends as a world record.

1953 -- 50 years ago

John H. Schlueter, Davenport, enjoys sitting beside the Christmas tree in his home reading the Christmas sermon in a 377-year-old book. Schlueter found the old book in a barn near Maquoketa and regards the old German volume of the sermon as one of his most valuable possessions.

1978 -- 25 years ago

A thank you note was all that covered a bed at the Regal 8 Motel on Airport Road when employees came to clean up the room. The black and gold bedspread was missing. An employee said a young woman and an unknown man signed into the motel Christmas night and left before daylight.

Back: Available days in December 2003