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A page from the past - January
 Jan.
1, 1959
Rocket designer Wernher von Braun is transferred from the U.S.
Army to the National Aeronautics Board, marking the creation of
NASA.
Source: www.historychannel.com
Photo courtesy of Library
of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
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 Jan.
4, 1877
Cornelius Vanderbilt dies. Beyond his interest in shipping and
the rail industry, he also played a major role in the construction
of New York's Grand Central Terminal. When he died, he was considered
the wealthiest man in America with an estate reaching $100 million.
Source: www.historychannel.com
Photo courtesy of Library
of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
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 Jan.
10, 1980
AFL-CIO chief George Meany dies. After a career spent climbing
the ranks of New York's local and state labor chapters, Meany was
elected president of the American Federation of Labor in 1952. A
few years later, he brokered the merger between the AFL and the
Congress of Industrial Organizations.
Source: www.historychannel.com
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia
Foundation
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 Jan.
15, 1927
The Dumbarton Bridge opens in California and becomes the first
bridge to carry automobiles across the San Francisco Bay.
Source: www.historychannel.com
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia
Foundation
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 Jan.
22, 1932
President Herbert Hoover establishes the Reconstruction Finance
Corp. to fight the effects of the Depression. The RFC was an independent
agency charged with loaning money to institutions and projects (such
as the Fifth Street Viaduct in Richmond, Va., pictured here) to
kick-start the economy. The RFC was effectively shut down in 1953.
Source: www.historychannel.com
Photo courtesy of Library
of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
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Jan. 24, 1935
Canned beer debuts when the American Can Co. partners with Gottfried
Krueger Brewing Co. to deliver 2,000 cans of Krueger's Finest Beer
and Krueger's Cream Ale to beer drinkers in Richmond, Va.
Source: www.historychannel.com
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Jan. 26, 1907
Campaign finance reform makes its first appearance when Congress
passes a law banning America's corporations from contributing to
national campaigns. The law was passed in the days before political
action committees, when people and organizations blatantly used
their campaign contributions to influence politicians.
Source: www.historychannel.com
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 Jan.
29, 1834
Workers building the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal on the banks of
the Potomac River riot after their planned strike is extinguished.
Federal troops were sent in to quell the workers. Construction of
the canal was abandoned in 1850, and it was transformed into a national
historic park in 1971.
Source: www.historychannel.com
Photo courtesy of Library
of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
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 Jan.
29, 1922
The roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C., collapses
under the weight of accumulated snow after a blizzard, killing 108
people in the theater. An ensuing Army Corps of Engineers investigation
blames the collapse on poor construction material.
Source: www.historychannel.com
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia
Foundation
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A Page from the Past is always interested in your history. So send
your important historical dates and photos to Chris Thompson at chris.thompson@dailyreporter.com
or Wisconsin Builder at 133 S. Butler St., Suite 230, Madison, WI 53703.
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