Day in history for January 4, 2005

1855 -- 150 years ago

The bill of fare at the banquet celebrating the lighting of Rock Island with gas included two kinds of soup, two of fish, seven kinds of wild game, ten boiled meats, eight kinds of roast meat, many cold cuts, numerous side dishes, eight vegetable dishes, pies and puddings.

1880 -- 125 years ago

Ben C. Hartz, for seven years head clerk for John Bengston, has entered partnership with Fred Bahnsen in the Fourth Avenue Drug Store.

1905 -- 100 years ago

The Musser Company of Muscatine, an old logging and lumber firm, will saw no more logs and will wind up its affairs.

1930 -- 75 years ago

Major C.L. Hull of the Army Engineers conferred with Major Gen. Lytle Brown on plans to control often-flooded Mill Creek at Milan.

1955 -- 50 years ago

Talk of a new, lighter, fully automatic rifle for United States doughboys and the addition of up to 200 employees were among the top subjects at a conference of the newly formed Ordnance Weapons Command today at the Rock Island Arsenal.

1980 -- 25 years ago

For the first time in its history, Deere And Co. has underwritten part of the cost for the production of a major television program. A documentary ``special'' based on Mark Twain's ``Life on the Mississippi,'' will be shown on the Public Broadcasting System network next fall.

Back: Available days in January 2005