Paul Layendecker

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Monday, August 18, 2025  1872 Montgomery Ward issued his first catalog. It consisted of 163 items for sale and included a money-back guarantee. 1920 The 19th Amendment to the U.S. constitution granting

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Friday, August 15, 2025  1914 The Panama Canal was declared open to world commerce. The first ship to cross after the official opening was the cargo ship SS Ancon.   1946 Allen Dumont’s

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Thurs., August 14, 2025 1935 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, promising economic security for the elderly, the poor, and the sick. 1945 VJ Day. Japan surrendered ending

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Weds., August 13, 2025  1521, Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes captured what is now known as Mexico City from the Aztecs. 1914, genius Carl Wickman began using his beat-up gray car, which no one would

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Tuesday, August 12, 2025  1889 Hanson Goodrich patented the modern stove-top coffee pot. It had a broad base for boiling, an up flow central tube and a perforated basket hanging on

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Monday, August 11, 2025  1972 Priscilla Presley filed for divorce after five years, two months and 10 days of marriage to Elvis. 1984 President Reagan joked during a voice test for a paid political

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Friday, August 8, 2025 1876, Thomas Edison received a patent for his mimeograph. (We knew them as ‘dittos.’ The ones with the purple ink that you sometimes couldn’t read but always smelled great!)

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Thursday, August 7, 2025 1782 General George Washington created the National Badge of Merit, which later became known as the Purple Heart. 1978 The Love Canal area, near Niagara Falls, was

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Weds. 06, 2025 1926 Gertrude Ederle of New York completed a 21-mile swim across the English Channel in 14 hours and 34 minutes, almost two hours faster than the men’s record

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Tuesday, August 5, 2025  1861  The U.S. levies its first income tax. During the Civil War, the U.S. government instituted a 3% tax on incomes over $800 to fund the war

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Monday, August 4, 2025 1821 The first Issue of The Saturday Evening Post was published. 1916 The U.S. signed the treaty to purchase the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25,000,000 in gold. The

WAY BACK WHEN for Friday, August 1, 2025 1936, the Olympic Torch appeared for the first time, at the opening ceremonies in Berlin.  The ceremony was presided over by Adolph Hitler. 1971, “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Thurs., July 31, 2025 1961 The Baseball All Star game ended in a tie for the first time ever when it rained out in the ninth inning. 1971 The lunar rover

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Weds., July 30, 2025  1928 George Eastman (of Eastman Kodak) introduced color movies in the U.S. 1965 President Johnson signed Medicare in to law. 1975 Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa disappeared. He

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Tuesday, July 29, 2025  1953 The Interstate Highway System is born when the Federal Highway Act authorizes the building of more than 42-thousand miles of highway. 1981 The Royal Wedding as

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Monday, July 25, 2025  1868 Following its ratification by the necessary three-quarters of U.S. states, the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States—including formerly

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Thursday, July 24, 2025  1956 The legendary comedy duo of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed at the famous Copacabana together for the last time as a team. 1973 U.S. Supreme

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Weds., July 23, 2025  1827 The first recorded public swimming pool opened in Boston, Massachusetts. 1886 Steve Brodie jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge from a height of 135 feet. (That’s equal to

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Tuesday, July 22, 2025 1933 Pilot Wiley Post completed the first solo global airplane flight. 1934 Bank robber John Dillinger noted for his daring prison escapes, was reportedly killed outside a

Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Monday, July 21, 2025 1861 The Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the Civil War. More than 50,000 fought, costing some 3,000 Union casualties, 1,750 for the