25 Years Ago

 It's December 1981. A Yugoslav DC-9 crashes near Ajaccio, Corsica, killing all 178 people on board. 

 A blizzard hits southern England. Freezing temperatures cause the hands of Big Ben's clock to stop. 

 Time magazine names Polish labor leader Lech Walesa as the Man of the Year.

 Composer Hoagy Carmichael, 82, dies. His hit songs include Georgia on my Mind and Stardust.

 The first American test tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan, is born in Massachusetts.

 A Ronald McDonald statue that was stolen from a Vestal McDonald's Restaurant in October is found in the woods near Upper Bunn Hill Road. The statue, which is worth more than $1,000, was not damaged.

 The Ritz Theater, which is under new management, is running a first-run movie called Ghost Story. The film, which stars Fred Astaire, John Houseman, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Melvyn Douglas, is based on a novel set in eastern Broome County. 

 The Cider Mill Playhouse presents a third season of A Christmas Carol.

 The Vestal Planning Board approves IBM-Owego's plan to lease part of the vacant Britt's Department Store in the Vestal Plaza for use as a warehouse for equipment and furniture. The front portion of the store will be subdivided and leased to retailers.

 The Newark Valley Historical Society initiates what they hope will become an annual tradition when they put a community Christmas tree under a pavilion on the Village Green. The tree is trimmed by local residents and organizations.

 Three Owego-Apalachin schools are burglarized.

 Movies playing in local theaters include Rollover, Absence of Malice, Buddy Buddy, Tattoo, Reds, Sharkey's Machine, Neighbors, Walt Disney's Cinderella, Modern Problems, and Taps.

 James Garner reprises the role of Bret Maverick in a new TV series. Falcon Crest premieres on TV. The show stars President Reagan's first wife, Jane Wyman.
 Popular toys for Christmas include computer video games like Atari which costs $139, Barbie, Strawberry Shortcake, and toys related to Star Wars and The Dukes of Hazzard.

 The December 1981 issue of Popular Science features an article about the "Amazing New World of Electronic Photography" and the SONY Mavica, a video still camera which uses a magnetic disc instead of film to record images. The pictures, which are viewed on a TV set through a playback adapter, are about 169,000 pixels. The Mavica will not be available for another year or two, and could sell for about $600.

 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!