Day in history for December 4, 2004

1854 -- 150 years ago

A likely theory has been advanced that fever-causing vapors persists in old wallpaper. Instead of pasting new paper over old, paperhangers should be required to remove the many layers of foul old wallpapers before placing the new.

1879 -- 125 years ago

The new Catholic church at Hampton will be dedicated Dec. 9.

1904 -- 100 years ago

The retail clerks' union of the Tri-Cities elected Otto Priester president.

1929 -- 75 years ago

A note from Soviet Russia astonished the United States. Russia charges that ''unfriendly motives'' are behind the U.S. efforts to prevent war between Soviet Russia and China.

1954 -- 50 years ago

A hefty set of twins was born to Mr. and Mrs. Russell Merten in Davenport Osteopathic Hospital this morning. Additions to the Merten family include a boy, 8 pounds, 13 ounces, and a girl, 6 pounds, 12 ounces.

1979 -- 25 years ago

Florence Aldridge, 87, never let her age stand in the way of her dream of seeing a community center in the East Moline Watertown area. Now that that dream has become a real yellow-brick structure, it seemed only fitting to name it after her. The East Moline City Council formally changed the name of the building, known as the East Moline Community Center, to the Florence Aldridge Center.

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