June 1970
Route 29 almost here
"William Jabine of the State Roads Commission said this week that route 29 will be operating as a completed dual lane highway facility by early 1971.
"Three sections are currently under construction. The northernmost is a 2.32 mile stretch from Route 108 south to Owen Brown Rd. This section under contract to the Regal Construction Company, is on schedule and is set for opening sometime this summer or early this fall, said Mr. Jabine. The State paid $2,620,466 for this section."
Howard social notes: "Mr. and Mrs. Fred Volkman were recent guests of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Boardman of Columbia Pike at their summer home in Rehoboth.
"Travelers who have returned from Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma where they visited relatives, are Mr. and Mrs. Earl Heckman and son, Jimmy.
"Mr. and Mrs. James Hill and family of Cross Country blvd. will leave soon for Charlotte, N.C., where Mr. Hill will assume his new position with Westinghouse.
"Recently returned from a cruise to Bermuda are Mr. and Mrs. Laurie Gillespie of Brookmeade Road."
June 1940
Time to fortify Alaska
"Proposes National Guard for Alaska; Defense Need Explained by Army Chief of Staff
"Washington — Enlistment of a National Guard in Alaska is planned by the army as part of the new defense program for that area. Gen George C. Marshall, chief of staff told senators about this when he won a $12,000,000 appropriation for defense in that area. The testimony has just been made public.
" 'We are anxious to create a National Guard in Alaska,' the general said, adding that the federal government probably would provide armories and other equipment usually provided by the states. He said that guard units probably would be established at Seward, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Ketchikan, and Nome with an R.O.T.C. unit of the University of Alaska at air banks.
" 'It is very important to us to have a unit in Alaska,' he explained.
"Marshall also told senators about fortified areas, air bases and submarine bases being established by Russian the coast opposite Alaska, adding that 'our navy is now establishing certain naval air and submarine bases in Alaska.' "
Marshall was Chief of Staff of the Army during World War II, and Winston Churchill called him "the organizer of victory." He's also known for his role in the post-war recovery of a devastated Western Europe via the Marshall Plan, for which he received the Nobel Prize. Approximately 16 countries received aid. The Soviet Union prohibited its republics from receiving aid from the Marshall Plan.
June 1915
All hail breaks loose
"Fierce Hailstorm Sweeps Howard: Ellicott City And Surrounding Vicinity Bombarded For Half An Hour With Hail Stones And chunks Of Ice Big As Base Balls. Hundreds Of Window Panes Smashed; Absence of wind prevents loss of crops from being heavy.
"What's more rare than a day in June? Visions of an air raid by German Zeppelins stirred Ellicott City and the surrounding countryside out of its summer calm last Tuesday about two o'clock when things began to fall from the sky.
"About then minutes to two big black clouds began to close in on the community shutting out the sun and causing a darkness seldom seen in the middle of the day at this time of the year. About a minute before the rain began practically every store and dwelling on Main street was lighted up as though it were ten o'clock at night.
"One minute after the rain started the streets were clear of man and beast. The hail first appeared about the size of moth balls and came down in great density, so that the streets quickly had the appearance of being in the grasp of a winter blizzard in its first furry. Soon the size of the pellets increased."