Here’s a look at some stories happening the week of Oct. 15-21.
Oct. 15, 1942: Dayton wartime scrap metal collection tops 3000-ton mark
During World War II, many cities collected scrap metal to be recycled for military use. Dayton was no exception.
All individuals were urged to search their properties and get their scrap to city salvage bins or call if they needed assistance or pick up.
During this several-day event, over 3,000 tons had been collected. Roughly twothirds came from city collections and the other third came from rural and suburban areas.
The most recent day’s haul was 275 tons brought in by 28 city trucks. Judge Robert Martin, chairman of the drive, said much more was waiting along curbs and in basements, waiting to be picked up.
The job ahead was to sort and classify the metal heaps at the city waterworks yard.
Oct. 15, 1956: Vice President Richard Nixon visits Dayton
Vice President Richard M. Nixon delivered “a political pep talk” to an overflow crowd of 2,000 in the Biltmore hotel ballroom in 1956. Officials said that if they had known the crowd would be so large, they would have booked Memorial Hall.
Nixon had actually arrived the night before and gave a press conference at Cox Municipal airport.
Dayton was one of five Ohio appearances Nixon and his wife, Pat, made on the day.
Nixon was campaigning not only for President Dwight D. Eisenhower and himself, but also for other Ohio Republicans, including Sen. George Bender, Rep. Paul Schenck and others.
During his morning speech, Nixon said said that more and more working families were supporting the Eisenhower administration because it has given them “jobs, security and peace to boot.”
Nixon went on to say, “Never has an administration kept the faith and kept its promises as has this administration. The Eisenhower years, for most Americans, have been the best four years of our lives.”
Oct. 17, 1964: 30,000 greet LBJ, hear major speech
President Lyndon Johnson was given a warm welcome and delivered a major campaign speech touching on several issues during an evening gathering at Courthouse Square.
“I am going to talk about the issues,” Johnson told the crowd, “And the only issue is responsivity versus irresponsibility. Peace or war, prosperity or recession? You hold that decision in your hands.”
The crowd of 30,000 was larger than those for either John Kennedy or Richard Nixon four years prior. One man was taken from the crowd by police and a woman who fainted was carried away, both before the president’s arrival.
Several times the crowd interrupted the 31-minute speech with chants of “LBJ, LBJ, LBJ...”
Johnson spent a lot of time describing his “great society,” saying, “I see America as a land where the poorest among us will have a fair chance to fulfill himself in life as the richest among us.”
Oct. 20, 1974: Computerized pinballs invading Dayton bistros
There was a new game in town and it was invading Dayton’s pubs, pizza parlors and bowling alleys. Some were even being placed at the University of Dayton.
It was described as “the computer game, a sort of second-generation, space-age pinball machine that was completely quiet, allowing them to go in places pinball machines couldn’t.”
For a quarter, players could choose between darts, basketball, baseball, hockey, Jai Alai, football and horseracing. Most popular was Jai Alai, a sport played like a combination of tennis and handball.
About 50 of the video screen games had been sold in the area and more were on the way. The company selling them was Performance Enterprises.
The machines could be bought for $1,500. The machines were bringing in between $100 and $750 a week.
Oct. 15, 1994: Vice President Al Gore gives speech at Dayton Convention Center
Setting the stage for the 1996 presidential election, Al Gore was in town to deliver a message that the Clinton/Gore presidency had been a success.
Gore was speaking at the $200-a-person private fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Tony Hall, a Dayton democrat seeking re-election. About 75 people paid $1,000 to have their photo taken with Gore.
During his 23-minute talk, Gore said, “We can continue going forward or we can take a radical right-wing turn back to trickle-down Reaganomics.”
Gore was walking on crutches during the event after tearing his Achilles tendon playing basketball.
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