25 YEARS AGO By Beverly BrownIt's August 1974. More than 40,000 people attend the annual memorial service in Hiroshima's Peace Park for the victims of the dropping of the atomic bomb.
We need rain. Many crops are lost in drought ridden Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, and Texas.
Impeachment proceedings against President Nixon are scheduled to begin on August 19.
On August 8, Richard M. Nixon resigns as President of the United States. In a 16-minute televised address, Nixon states, "I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President I must put the interest of America first.
"America needs a full time President and a full time Congress . . . To continue the fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great issue of peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at home."
Vice President Gerald Ford, 61, is sworn in as the 38th President. Ford praises Nixon for "one of the greatest personal sacrifices for the country."
President Ford declares that inflation is public enemy number one and supports conditional amnesty for those who refused to fight in Southeast Asia.
Gerald Ford nominates Nelson Rockefeller, 66, to be his Vice President.
Liza Minnelli, 28, announces plans to wed Jack Haley, Jr., son of the actor who played the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz.
Charles Lindbergh dies in Hawaii at the age of 72. Lindbergh gained fame in 1927 when he became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic. Ingersoll-Rand announces plans to begin construction of a $10,000,000 high-speed casting plant in Waverly.
Thousands attend the third Tri Cities Airport Day in Endicott.
The abandoned Pumpelly mansion on Southside Drive in Owego is destroyed by fire. Fire officials suspect arson.
The 115th Tioga County Fair is held at Marvin Park. Wendy Sue Tucker, 4, of Owego is chosen Little Miss Tioga. Donna Taylor of Tioga Center is crowned Miss Tioga Teenager.
The Miss New York State Teen-Ager Pageant is held in Norwich. Master of Ceremonies for the event is William Shatner, best known as Captain Kirk on Star Trek.
Registration begins at SUNY Binghamton. Classes will start on September 3.
This is the second driest August on record. Many local crops are damaged or reduced.
Franklin Resseguie pays off the mortgage on Hiawatha Island and plans to transfer ownership to a new corporation called Hiawatha Island Corp. He plans to develop the island into a major recreational area.
Top tunes include Feel Like Makin' Love by Roberta Flack, The Night Chicago Died by Paper Lace, Having My Baby by Paul Anka with Odia Coates, and Please Come to Boston by Dave Loggins.
Sunday TV shows include Apple's Way, The F.B.I., The Wonderful World of Disney, Mannix, Masterpiece Theatre, 60 Minutes (at 9:30 pm), McCloud, Columbo, and Evening at Pops.
Let's go to the movies. Now playing are Death Wish, Buster and Billie, That's Entertainment, Mame starring Lucille Ball, The Groove Tube, and Uptown Saturday Night.
The 1974 Spring/Summer Sears Catalog has Kenmore dual power microwave ovens (low power, high power, that's it!) for $439.95; electronic slide rules (pocket calculator) for $168.95; portable reel-to-reel stereo tape recorders for $187.95; auto zoom super 8 movie cameras (they use film); and TV sets in sizes of 9", 10", 11", 12", 13", 15", 16", 17", 18", 19", 22" and 25" - a 22-inch black-and-white TV costs $227.95 and a 25" color TV is $729.95!