The event was nationally televised by ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” and earned the highest rating in the show’s history.
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For this edition of Vintage Dayton, we went into the archives for the story of that day and the spectacle at Kings Island.
More on Kings Island history
• PHOTOS: Maps of Kings Island over the years
• Lion Country Safari: Former Kings Island attraction has wild history
• The retired roller coasters of Kings Island
• These celebrities worked at Kings Island before becoming famous
Did you know?
Here are a few great Dayton history facts we’ve learned from our stories:
• When the Erie Canal opened 200 years ago, on Oct. 26, 1825, the route was dotted with decaying trees left by construction that had cut through more than 360 miles of forests and fields, and life quickly sped up.
• In honor of the University of Dayton’s 175th anniversary year, three special exhibitions are currently on display at the school’s Roesch Library building.
• One could make a strong argument that Daytonian Charles Francis Jenkins deserves much of the credit for the invention of television.
• A crowd of 13,750 people “jammed into a frenzied state of spellbound anticipation” at the Oct. 26, 1976 concert that was Elvis Presley’s last in Dayton.
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Thank you for reading.