Day in history for December 4, 2007

1857 -- 150 years ago

This evening the peoples' comedian, John Weaver, will perform. Weaver is truly deserving of a bumping house.

1882 -- 125 years ago

The Pat Rooney combination, which includes the great comedian and Hattie Gillette dancer, played to a large audience last night at the Harper Opera House.

1907 -- 100 years ago

The Rock Island County grand jury reported to the board of supervisors today that the county jail is an unfit place to house prisoners and recommended that they be kept in some other county.

1932 -- 75 years ago

If the Mississippi River remains open, the ferry steamer W.J. Quinlan, which plies between Rock Island and Davenport, will be operated until Christmas Eve and then taken out of service for about two months for general overhauling.

1957 -- 50 years ago

A record-setting season total of 8,078,557 tons passed through the Rock Island Locks as of No. 30, the U.S. army Engineers revealed today. This marks the first time in the history of the nine-foot channelizatin project that commercial tonnage has topped the 8-million mark.

1982 -- 25 years ago

Thirty-four-year-old Jack Carey (real name Edwin Brintnall, of Elroy, Wis.) was a fixture in the Quad-Cities for 22 months back in 1977 and 1978, when he could be heard mornings on WQUA Radio.

Back: Available days in December 2007