Day in history for March 22, 2005

1855 -- 150 years ago

The street gas lamps have not been lighted for a few nights past, because the gas company has been putting in a meter to measure the gas used by the city. The lights will come on again tonight.

1880 -- 125 years ago

J.W. Simonson, our representative in the legislature, is circulating among his friends in Rock Island today.

1905 -- 100 years ago

Representatives of the Anti-Saloon League will occupy Protestant pulpits in Rock Island Sunday.

1930 -- 75 years ago

Robert W. McGimpsey, 42, cigar store manager and former deputy sheriff, died of blood poisoning.

1955 -- 50 years ago

The Quad-City area today is digging out after an unexpected blinding snow storm which dumped 8 inches of snow on the region during the night and caused one death. The snow storm, one of the worst of the season, started about 11 hours after the official arrival of spring.

1980 -- 25 years ago

Plans are in the works to add a two-story, 6,000-square-foot wing to Rock Island's 79-year-old public library. A ''preliminary building plan'' has been discussed by the library's nine-member board, and the architectural firm of Appier, Marolf and Assoc., of Rock Island, has been retained, with $4,200 set aside in the library's budget, for preliminary design work.

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