25 Years Ago

It's January 1974.

A Siberian cold front sweeps across the country causing record-breaking low temperatures. The mercury dips to 45 below zero in Minnesota. Las Vegas gets four inches of snow.

Ohio State wins the Rose Bowl, 42-41 over Southern California. The Orange Bowl sees Penn State victorious over Louisiana State, 16-9. In the 38th Cotton Bowl, the Nebraska Cornhuskers beat the Texas Longhorns 19-3 and become the first team in college history to win five consecutive bowl games.

In Britain, a royal source denies that Queen Elizabeth is considering abdicating in favor of Prince Charles. The Duke of Wellington denies that his daughter, Lady Jane Wellesley, and Prince Charles are planning to wed.

Cowboy actor and country singer Tex Ritter, 68, dies of a heart attack.

To save fuel, speed limits on nearly all four-lane highways are posted at 55 mph and the country returns to Daylight Saving Time.

A barely visible Comet Kohoutek fails to live up to its billing as the "Comet of the Century."

Nixon celebrates his 61st birthday.

The Miami Dolphins beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 in the Super Bowl.

Skylab 3 astronauts set a record with a space flight of 84 days.

Experts determine that the 18-minute gap in the Watergate tape is due to erasures.

Space Mountain opens at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World.

The public is pressuring Congress to act one way or the other on impeachment. House Democratic leader Thomas O'Neil says, "It would be in the best interest of the nation if the President would resign."

The Supreme Court rules that pregnant teachers cannot be forced to take long leaves.

The Chinese New Year of the Tiger 4672 begins. It is a year to be cautious.

Congress receives demands to end Daylight Saving Time because it is a hazard to children who have to travel to school in darkness. In the three weeks that DST has been in effect, 14 children have been killed in traffic mishaps on the way to school. Locally, there have been no mishaps.

During the State of the Union address, Nixon says, "I have no intention whatever of walking away from the job that the people elected me to do."

Edward Hubbard, 49, is re-elected chairman of the Tioga County Legislature.

The State Supreme Court's Appellate Division ends an attempt by two local men to block the demolition of the First City National Bank at the corner of Front and Lake Streets in Owego.

The State Department of Transportation installs high-intensity overhead lights along the Court Street Bridge in Owego.

Tioga County's first snowmobile patrol begins.

Johnny Cash appears at the Broome County Veterans' Memorial Arena. TV cameras film the audience's reaction to the concert. The footage will be included in an upcoming episode of "Columbo" in which Cash plays an evangelist/gospel singer who commits murder.

The Owego-Apalachin School Districts reorganizes. (Follow closely, there'll be a quiz.) Jerry Lockwood is appointed vice-principal of Owego Free Academy, succeeding Robert Macy who becomes the principal of the Apalachin Middle School, succeeding Lewis E. Bradley who is named principal of Owego Free Academy, succeeding George Stimik who is appointed the first director of secondary education for the district.

The Tioga County Chamber of Commerce announces the name for the new bridge in Owego. Commonly referred to as the "New Bridge" or the "IBM Bridge," it's now the "Hiawatha Bridge."

Sunday night TV shows include Walt Disney, The FBI, Mannix, Barnaby Jones, and The New Adventures of Perry Mason.

Top tunes include Show and Tell by Al Wilson, Smokin' in the Boys' Room by Brownsville Station, You're Sixteen by Ringo Starr and The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand.

Movies playing at local theaters include "The Paper Chase," "Ash Wednesday" starring Elizabeth Taylor and Henry Fonda, "Sleeper," "Magnum Force," "Papillon," and "The Sting."


©1999 APALACHIN COMMUNITY PRESS