DATE=09-25-03

TYPE=English Feature

NUMBER=7-37882

TYPE=English Programs Feature

TITLE=American Moments 10-01-03 - 10-15-03

EDITOR=Ted Landphair

TELEPHONE=619-3515

DATELINE=Washington

CONTENT=

(For Use 10/1)

EVERYMAN'S CAR 1908

NARR: Ninety-five years ago today, on October first, 1908, automobile manufacturer Henry Ford introduced his Model "T" sedan. It was the first automobile built using Ford's newly designed assembly-line process. The assembly line permitted workers to be much more productive than before, and made it possible to produce relatively inexpensive but well-made cars at a lower cost than competitors. Ford's Model "T" became the first gasoline-powered auto to be offered at a price that many Americans could afford. The Ford Motor Company also initiated a plan whereby purchasers could make small, monthly installment payments for the automobile. The Model "T" made Americans more mobile than ever.

(BEGIN OPT) In the 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man, actors playing salesmen in Henry Ford's time commented on the changes brought by Ford's car:

INSERT: MUSIC -- "ROCK ISLAND" (FROM THE MUSIC MAN) (RUNS :28), IN FULL TO :14, THEN FADE UNDER TEXT

(END OPT)

NARR: More than ten-thousand Model "T's were sold in the first year. By the time production of the Model "T" ended in 1925, the Ford Motor Company had produced fifteen million of the cars that changed life in America forever.

PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE 1940

NARR: On October first, 1940, officials of the state of Pennsylvania met south of the state capital of Harrisburg to mark the opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It was the first modern superhighway in the United States. The Pennsylvania Highway Department said the goal of building the four-lane roadway was to provide a fast, safe way for vehicles to move through the Appalachian Mountains that bisect the state.

(BEGIN OPT) At the time Pennsylvania was building its turnpike, there was no organized system of superhighways in the United States. Instead there were roads that meandered from town to town and were joined at intersections with other streets, stoplights and railroad crossings. There was also no unified system of road maintenance to keep the roads in good condition. (END OPT)

The original section of the turnpike ran along an old railroad right-of-way between Pittsburgh, in western Pennsylvania, to the vicinity of Harrisburg in the center of the state.

The 256-kilometer concrete roadway had features that are now standard on the nation's interstate highway system: wide lanes in each direction; rest stops offering food, gasoline and bathrooms; and limited, carefully controlled access via entrance and exit ramps. By 1951 the toll road extended through Pennsylvania from its eastern border with the state of New Jersey to the state of Ohio in the west.

(For Use 10/2)

FIRST PAN-AMERICAN CONFERENCE 1889

NARR: On October second, 1889, representatives of eighteen Western Hemisphere nations met in Washington, D-C. The main goal of the first Pan-American Conference was to open trade and commercial relations within the hemisphere. The conference went on for seven months, and although little was accomplished at the time, the foundation was laid for the creation of the Pan-American Union.

(BEGIN OPT) The meeting of the Western Hemisphere nations was the dream of South American liberator Simon [SEE-moan] Bolivar, who sixty years earlier had called for the creation of a union of all the nations of the hemisphere. (END OPT)

When the conference concluded in April 1890, it had created a precedent in cooperation as a normal way of conducting international relations, instead of as a desperate effort to address a crisis.

WOODROW WILSON STRICKEN 1919

NARR: On October second, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke that caused serious brain damage and paralyzed his left side. The president had been recovering in the White House from a milder stroke he suffered one week earlier in Denver, Colorado. The first episode occurred while Wilson was campaigning to secure U-S Senate ratification of the Treaty of Versailles and its covenant for the League of Nations. President Wilson had made thirty pro-treaty speeches in thirty days to raise public support for the League.

After he was stricken, the president returned by train to Washington, where rooms in the White House were turned into a hospital for his care. On instructions from his wife, Edith, only medical staff and President Wilson's top advisers were allowed to visit him. The second stroke and Wilson's subsequent absence from the political scene doomed any hope that the Senate would ratify the Versailles treaty or that the United States would join the League of Nations.

(For Use 10/3)

FIRST WOMAN UNITED STATES SENATOR 1922

NARR: On October third, 1922, Rebecca Latimer Felton was appointed as the first woman to serve in the United States Senate. The governor of Georgia named the eighty-seven-year-old political activist and wife of a U-S congressman to fill a vacancy that had been left by the death of one of the state's two U-S senators. The governor's action was intended as a token gesture. Mrs. Felton, an outspoken advocate for women's voting rights, believed women should also be given responsible jobs in government. The governor had opposed the right of women to vote and hold office, but with the ratification of the Nineteenth amendment granting suffrage, he hoped that his appointment of Mrs. Felton would attract women voters in his forthcoming re-election campaign. Rebecca Felton was aware of the nature of her appointment and knew that her stay in the Senate would be brief.

(BEGIN OPT) In her one speech in the Senate, Rebecca Felton talked about the significance of her appointment to the chamber:

INSERT: STUDIO VOICE (:14)

"It means, as far as I can see, there are now no limitations upon the ambitions of women. They can be elected or appointed to any office in the land. The word 'sex' has been obliterated entirely from the Constitution."

NARR: The 1922 prediction of Rebecca Felton, the first woman to serve in the U-S Senate. (END OPT)

XEROX DEVELOPED 1938

NARR: Sixty-five years ago today, on October third, 1938, Chester Carlson, a physicist and lawyer, produced the first Xerox print. Carlson, who had worked as a patent attorney, noted there were never enough duplicates of official patent documents. Carbon-paper reproductions were too blurry, and photographic copies were too slow and expensive. He invented a dry-copying process while working for an electronics company. He called the process "xerography," from the Greek word xerox, which means "dry."

(BEGIN OPT) In what now must be considered shortsighted decisions, twenty companies turned down Carlson's offers to develop the process for government and commercial use. In 1947, however, a New York company now known as the Xerox Corporation made an agreement with Chester Carlson to develop his invention. Photocopiers by the Xerox Corporation and other companies are now found in almost every American office. (END OPT)

(For Use 10/4)

RUTHERFORD B. HAYES BORN 1822

NARR: Rutherford B. Hayes, thought by some historians to be one of America's more effective -- if least known -- presidents, was born on October fourth, 1822. After studying law at Harvard, Hayes returned to his home state of Ohio, where he opened a legal practice. Later, during the American Civil War, he won several medals for bravery and attained the rank of major-general. He returned to Ohio after the war and was elected governor three times. He was elected president in 1876 and served one term.

(BEGIN OPT) This was the only time in American history before George W. Bush's victory over Al Gore in 2000 that a president was elected, even though he received fewer popular votes than his opponent. Samuel Tilden of New York received more than 250-thousand more votes than Rutherford Hayes, but Hayes won more votes among electors chosen by the states, and thus won the presidency.

Historian Roger Bridges, director of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library, cites one of the main accomplishments of the Hayes presidency:

INSERT: ROGER BRIDGES (:16)

"Probably his most lasting legacy as president was the role he played in trying to normalize relationships between the North and the South; and to try to restore real political discussion.

NARR: Professor Bridges says that another achievement of the Hayes presidency was civil-service reform in the federal government. (END OPT)

JANIS JOPLIN DIES 1970

NARR: Janis Joplin, a singer who had been an unhappy and unpopular teenager in her native Texas but become one of the greatest pop music stars of the 1960s, died on October fourth, 1970, of a drug and alcohol overdose.

INSERT: MUSIC - JANIS JOPLIN - "ME AND BOBBY MCGEE" (2:30) FADE UP FOR :05 THEN ESTABLISH AT ***** AND FADE UNDER [CDP-794]

NARR: Joplin's last album, "Pearl", which included her biggest hit, "Me and Bobby McGee," was released after her death.***** It became the number-one song from an album in the United States.

MUSIC - SWELLS AND FADES UNDER AND OUT AS DESIRED (MUSIC ENDS ABRUPTLY) --sneak in at ***** above, up here

NARR: Many critics compare Joplin's soulful artistry to the best female vocalists in American cultural history, including Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith.

(For Use 10/5)

AMERICAN FOOD FOR EUROPE 1947

NARR: On October fifth, 1947, President Harry Truman appealed to Americans to conserve food to help the people of Western Europe. European nations were still suffering from the economic devastation of World War Two and quirks of nature that had ruined farm crops. The president said the goal was to send more American food and farm products, especially grains, to prevent winter starvation on the continent. In the first-ever television broadcast from the White House, President Truman urged Americans to observe meatless Tuesdays, to abstain from poultry on Thursdays, and to consume only one slice of bread a day. He said if each American made a small sacrifice, Europe could be fed.

(BEGIN OPT)

INSERT: PRES. HARRY TRUMAN (:17)

"I know every American feels in his heart that we must help to prevent starvation and distress among our fellow men in other countries. But more than this, the food saving program announced tonight offers an opportunity to each of you to make a contribution to the peace."

(END OPT)

NARR: By June 1948, the United States had shipped nearly eleven-million tons of grain to Europe as well as nearly nineteen-million tons of other food, including meats and canned goods.

CHIEF JOSEPH "I WILL FIGHT NO MORE FOREVER" 1877

NARR: On October fifth, 1877, Chief Joseph, leader of the Nez Perce [pron: NEZZ-purse] American Indians of the Pacific Northwest, surrendered to the United States Army. The tribe's name means pierced nose in French. The Army had chased Chief Joseph and his followers over twenty-four-hundred kilometers across the Rocky Mountains after Chief Joseph refused to sign a treaty that would give away his tribe's ancestral lands. He had intended to seek refuge in Canada for his followers, who included four hundred braves and many hundreds of women, children and old people. However, less than sixty-four kilometers from the Canadian border, the hungry and sick Indians were attacked by U-S soldiers. After several days of fighting, Chief Joseph finally surrendered. In a now-famous speech he told his tribe: "I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."

(For Use 10/6)

THE JAZZ SINGER 1927

NARR: On October sixth, 1927, a theater in New York City presented "The Jazz Singer," one of the first motion pictures with the synchronized sound of dialogue and music. The Warner Brothers studio production, with the Broadway stage star Al Jolson, thrilled audiences and included Jolson's famous rendition of "Mammy," which is southern U-S slang for mother.

INSERT: MUSIC - AL JOLSON SINGS "MAMMY" (RUNS 1:02), FADE UP TO ESTABLISH (BY :04) AND FADE UNDER [CDP-6213]

NARR: Some critics said the acting in "The Jazz Singer" was mechanical and that the sound was scratchy and tinny, about the same quality as a 1927 telephone. It was not, in fact, the first movie to experiment with sound. Nevertheless, "The Jazz Singer" set off a revolution in the motion picture industry. Fifteen months after the death of Rudolph Valentino, one of silent films' greatest stars, the success of a sound film showed that technical advances could provide increased entertainment value, and thus increase the size of audiences -- and studio profits.

MUSIC - SWELLS AND FADES UNDER AND OUT AS DESIRED

NARR: (BEGIN OPT) The plot of "The Jazz Singer" reflected parts of Al Jolson's own life. Like his character in the film, Jolson came from a religious Jewish family that frowned on his desire to become an entertainer. His success in show business and his alienation from his conservative parents provided the dramatic tensions that moved the film's plot. [END OPT] "The Jazz Singer" proved to be a popular formula for moviemakers. It was remade in 1953, with Danny Thomas in the title role, and again in 1980 with pop music star Neil Diamond.

MORMONS BAN POLYGAMY 1890

NARR: On October sixth, 1890, the top leadership council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as Mormons, unanimously ended their religion's official acceptance of polygamy, or the taking of multiple wives. The Mormons' ban brought them into compliance with anti-polygamy laws passed by Congress. Among the penalties for violating the law was the confiscation of valuable church holdings, including real estate, buildings and other property. The council's vote to ban polygamy confirmed a manifesto issued earlier by the president of the church, Wilford Woodruff, declaring the intent of the church to submit to the law of the land.

(BEGIN OPT) Glen Leonard, the director of the Mormon Museum of History and Art in Salt Lake City, Utah, explains that Wilford Woodruff's manifesto sought a way to save the church, and also to eliminate objections to Mormon life in Utah:

INSERT: GLEN LEONARD (:21)

"Because the church was losing control over its property, Wilford Woodruff could see that there would be an end to church programs. So he said he made it a matter of prayer and that the Lord told him that to save the church it would be necessary to abandon this social program. The church also abandoned its political program and its economic program." (END OPT)

NARR: The approval of the Woodruff manifesto forbidding men to marry multiple wives, and the church's decisions to end involvement in politics, cleared the way for Utah statehood in 1896.

(For Use 10/7)

STAMP ACT CONGRESS 1765

NARR: On October seventh, 1765, tensions between Britain and its American colonies increased, and the prospect of a Revolutionary War came a little closer to reality, with the convening of a meeting on the Stamp Act.

Representatives of nine of the thirteen British colonies in America met in New York City to discuss the Stamp Act, which was a British tax on a wide range of public documents. Britain's Parliament said the tax was needed to help pay for the upkeep of British troops in America. Parliament believed British citizens in the colonies would not object, because the army had kept the French at bay in Canada and had halted most Indian plundering on the colonial frontier. But the representatives at the Stamp Act Congress echoed the cry of spreading street protests: that the colonies had made their own, costly contributions during the war. The protesters, and the convention, also asserted that the Stamp Act violated the colonists' rights as British citizens because the colonists were not represented in Parliament. The Stamp Act Congress asserted that only colonial legislatures had the right to impose taxes. It condemned the Stamp Tax in a petition to the king and Parliament. (BEGIN OPT) The Stamp Act Congress endorsed a call for a colonial boycott of British goods. The boycott was successful, and English merchants pleaded with the King to step in and end the tax. He did so in March 1766. (END OPT)

NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY 1963

NARR: Forty years ago today, on October seventh, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed a document ratifying the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The pact with England and the Soviet Union prohibited testing nuclear weapons in oceans, the atmosphere or outer space. President Kennedy said the scope of the treaty was limited, but its message of hope had been heard and understood, not only by the people of the three treaty nations, but also by the people and governments of the world.

INSERT: PRES. JOHN F. KENNEDY (RUNS :15)

"In its first two decades, the age of nuclear energy has been full of fear, yet never empty of hope. Today, the fear is a little less and the hope a little greater. For the first time we have been able to reach an agreement which can limit the dangers of this age."

NARR: By the end of 1963, more than one hundred nations had signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. (BEGIN OPT) The treaty led to a continuing series of complex international agreements to limit the number, type and power of nuclear weapons and weapon delivery systems. [END OPT]

(For Use 10/8)

FIRST ENCLOSED SHOPPING MALL 1956

NARR: On October eighth, 1956, the first successful indoor shopping mall in the United States opened near Minneapolis, Minnesota. The developer of the Southgate shopping center decided to enclose the two-level structure for the comfort of shoppers during Minnesota's long, frigid winters and hot, humid summers. The structure contained sixty-four stores and restaurants and was air-cooled in summer and heated in winter. It also had large parking lots for shoppers' cars. The success of the Southgate facility spawned thousands of imitations around the United States and changed the shopping habits of Americans. Enclosed shopping malls with retail stores, movie theaters and restaurants now frequently serve as social, entertainment and community centers.

(BEGIN OPT) Minneapolis is also home to the nation's LARGEST shopping mall. The "Mall of America, which opened in 1992, has more than 391-thousand square meters of floor space and has room in its parking areas for about thirteen-thousand vehicles. It contains 350 stores and has a three-hectare amusement park under its roof. (END OPT)

SERGEANT YORK: WORLD WAR ONE HERO OF THE ARGONNE 1918

NARR: Eighty-five years ago today, on October eighth, 1918, American Army Sergeant Alvin York performed what French Marshal Ferdinand Foch [pron: FOHsh] called "the greatest thing accomplished by any ... soldier of all the armies of Europe." Sergeant York, who had learned rifle marksmanship in the mountains of the frontier state of Tennessee, was commanding a patrol in the Argonne forest when it came under fire from a heavily fortified German position. Eyewitnesses reported that York shot twenty-eight German soldiers in the encounter. Then, with the seven survivors of his patrol, he took 132 other Germans prisoner. They were said to be astounded that only one man leading seven others could have done so much.

(BEGIN OPT) It is said that Alvin York was a deeply religious man who had almost refused to serve in the Army during World War One because he knew he would have to kill people. (END OPT) His story was made into a Hollywood movie, starring Gary Cooper as Sergeant York.

(For Use 10/9)

THE CALLIOPE 1855

NARR: On October ninth, 1855, Joshua Stoddard of Worcester [PRON: "WOOS-ter"], Massachusetts, received a patent for the calliope (PRON: ka LIE oh pee), a musical instrument similar to an organ.

INSERT: SFX - CALLIOPE - "THUNDER AND BLAZES" (RUNS 1:29) SNEAK IN UNDER [S-2583A]

NARR: The powerful, steam-powered calliope issues piercing tones that can be heard at a distance of up to sixteen kilometers.

CALLIOPE - SWELLS AND FADES UNDER

NARR: Stoddard had hoped to sell calliopes to churches for use in bell towers as a novel way to call people to worship. The calliope failed as a musical instrument for churches, but it was taken up enthusiastically by river steamboats, carnivals and circuses.

CALLIOPE - ESTABLISH AND FADE UNDER AND OUT AS DESIRED

WASHINGTON MONUMENT OPENED TO THE PUBLIC 1888

NARR: One hundred-fifteen years ago today, on October ninth, 1888, the Washington Monument -- honoring George Washington, the nation's first president -- was opened to the public. The white, Egyptian-style obelisk, which rises 169 meters above the National Mall in Washington, D-C, is the tallest free-standing masonry structure in the world. The exterior of the monument was completed in 1880, but it was not until 1888 that an interior elevator was installed for visitors. Visitors once were allowed to climb the 897 interior stairs to the observation level, but that was banned some years ago because of vandalism to the interior stone. (BEGIN OPT) The Washington Monument challenges the dome of the United States Capitol for dominance of the Washington skyline. (END OPT)

(For Use 10/10)

OVERLAND MAIL FROM SAN FRANCISCO 1858

NARR: One hundred forty-five years ago today, on October tenth, 1858, a horse-drawn overland stagecoach arrived in Saint Louis, Missouri, carrying mail from San Francisco, California. It was the first time mail had been carried overland across the country. The stage was loaded with several hundred kilograms of letters and small packages picked up during its twenty-three-day journey through the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Arkansas. Using the first government-approved overland mail route between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Coast, the stagecoach company helped strengthen the ties between the states and territories of the west and the east. Previously, mail from the West Coast was transported on ships around the tip of South America. This meant letters and packages could take months to reach their destinations. The overland stage made it possible for them to arrive within weeks. The transcontinental railroad, completed a decade later, would eventually put most long-distance stage lines out of business.

SPIRO AGNEW RESIGNS 1973

NARR: Thirty years ago today, on October tenth, 1973, the vice president of the United States, Spiro (PRN: SPEAR oh) Agnew, resigned in disgrace. Agnew had been the Nixon Administration's advocate of many conservative positions. He did not contest charges that he had taken about eighty-five-thousand-dollars in bribes from highway construction companies in his home state of Maryland. Justice Department legal documents said that Agnew began receiving the payments when he was a county official and, later, the state's governor. The Justice Department said he continued to receive the bribes even after he was elected vice president of the United States. The Justice Department also charged that Agnew had not paid income taxes on the bribe money he had received.

(BEGIN OPT) While not denying that he took the money, Vice President Agnew did deny that he used his influence to obtain any state contracts for the companies that paid him. (END OPT) At first, Agnew said he planned to fight the charges and not resign from office. But when he appeared in federal court to enter his plea, he used a legal term -- "nolo contendre" [PRON: "NOH-loh kun-TEN-dray"] -- which meant he would not contest the charges. The judge said that he would interpret Agnew's plea as an admission of guilt. The vice president also agreed to resign rather than face trial and the possibility of prison time. (BEGIN OPT) A combative Spiro Agnew spoke with reporters after the court session about why he changed his decision to contest the charges:

INSERT: SPIRO AGNEW (RUNS :18)

"The reason that I have changed my decision to fight this matter is [because] I believe it would be against the national interest and would have a brutalizing effect on my family to go through a long, two-year struggle concerning this matter."

NARR: Under normal circumstances, the vice president could have been imprisoned for up to five months. The judge said an agreement between Agnew and the Justice Department in which he agreed to resign was acceptable. The judge also imposed a ten-thousand-dollar fine and three years' probation. After his resignation, Agnew became an international business consultant, living in Southern California and his native Maryland. He died in 1996 at age 77.

(For Use 10/11)

PULASKI DAY 1946

NARR: On October eleventh, 1946, President Harry Truman proclaimed October eleventh Pulaski Day in the United States. Truman said the nation would honor the contribution to the American Revolution of Polish nobleman Casimir Pulaski. Count Pulaski died in October 1779 while leading a cavalry unit that called itself "Pulaski's Legion" during the siege of Savannah, Georgia. Count Pulaski had been exiled from his native Poland because of his role in a nationalist uprising against Imperial Russia. Like some other young European noblemen of the age, he came to America to help the colonies fight for their independence from Britain.

(BEGIN OPT) In addition to the official national recognition, the Polish nobleman is honored in many places and in many ways in the United States. Illinois, the midwestern state that is home to more Poles than any place outside of Poland, celebrates Pulaski Day as a state holiday. A fort on the Savannah River in Georgia is named for him. Counties in seven American states bear his name. And dozens of towns, villages, bridges, highways and schools in the United States honor the name of Casimir Pulaski, the Polish nobleman who was a hero of the American war for independence. (END OPT)

(For Use 10/12)

NIXON NOMINATES FORD 1973

NARR: On October twelfth, 1973, President Richard Nixon named Gerald Ford as his choice for vice president of the United States. Ford would replace Vice President Spiro Agnew, who had resigned after admitting he accepted bribes and failed to pay taxes on that additional income. Ford was the veteran Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives. President Nixon listed the assets he considered when he chose to nominate Gerald Ford: first, the vice president must be qualified to become president; second, the individual must share the views of the president on foreign and domestic policies. President Nixon included Ford's popularity in Congress as another reason.

INSERT: PRES. RICHARD NIXON (RUNS :15)

"And third, at this particular time when we have the executive in the hands of one party and the Congress controlled by another party, it is vital that the vice president of the United States be an individual who can work with members of both parties in the Congress."

NARR: Congress approved the nomination, and Gerald Ford became vice president. (BEGIN OPT) On August eighth, 1974, Gerald Ford rose to the position of president, after Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment on charges of abuse of power and leading a criminal cover-up in the so-called Watergate scandals. (END OPT)

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 1892

NARR: On October twelfth, 1892, the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States was recited publicly for the first time. It was at a ceremony to commemorate the four-hundredth anniversary of explorer Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World. The pledge was written by Francis Bellamy and originally appeared in Youth's Companion magazine. It is often recited before patriotic events. Also, many American school children recite the pledge each day:

INSERT: SCHOOL CHILDREN RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE (RUNS :16)

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

NARR: In June of last year [2002], a three-judge panel of the Ninth U-S Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, two to one, that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional and an endorsement of religion because of the phrase, under God, which was added by Congress in 1954. But the next day, the judge who wrote the ruling indefinitely postponed his own order. U-S Attorney General John Ashcroft had said the Justice Department would fight any attempt to prohibit the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools or other public places.

(For Use 10/13)

White House Cornerstone 1792

NARR: Two-hundred-ten years ago, on October thirteenth, 1792, President George Washington placed the ceremonial cornerstone of the building that was to become the official residence of U-S presidents. Designed by Irish immigrant James Hoban with assistance from Benjamin Latrobe of Pennsylvania, the "President's Palace" was modeled after the mansion of the Duke of Leinster in Ireland. John Adams, the second president of the United States, was the first resident of the president's house in 1800. Every president since has lived there. The original building was burned by British troops in the War of 1812. After it was rebuilt and painted white, it got its present name, "the White House." It is the oldest public building in the nation's capital. It serves not only as the president's home and office, but also as a museum of the presidency. (BEGIN OPT) About one-and-one-half-million people toured the public areas of the White House every year until restrictions were imposed following the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York of September eleventh, 2001. (END OPT)

Atom Smasher 1985

NARR: On October thirteenth, 1985, scientists at the Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois activated what was at the time the largest atom smasher in the world. The circular device is nearly six kilometers in diameter. It uses powerful magnets to accelerate particles of atoms -- called protons -- to nearly the speed of light. The collisions of protons yielded one-point-six trillion electron volts. This was about three times higher than previous devices had generated. The accelerator was designed to permit physicists to study the basic building blocks of matter in unprecedented detail. The Illinois facility was later eclipsed by an even larger atom smasher in Switzerland.

(For Use 10/14)

Ethel Merman 1930

NARR: On October fourteenth, 1930, twenty-one-year-old Ethel Merman, who would become a top musical-comedy star, performed on Broadway for the first time. She had a small role in the George Gershwin musical "Girl Crazy." Her lusty voice captivated the audience when she sang "I Got Rhythm," a song with which she would be associated for the rest of her career.

TAPE: CUT ONE - MUSIC - ETHEL MERMAN - "I GOT RHYTHM" (RUNS 1:25), IN FULL FOR :09 THEN FADE UNDER [LP-1092]

NARR: Other songs identified with Ethel Merman's brassy delivery and distinctive New York accent included "Anything Goes," part of a show with the same name, and "There's No Business Like Show Business" from "Annie Get Your Gun." Critics said Ethel Merman conveyed toughness and worldliness. She went on to change the nature of the musical comedy heroine from charming and shy to assertive and occasionally bawdy.

MUSIC -- SWELLS AND FADES UNDER

NARR: Ethel Merman performed as a leading star on Broadway for nearly forty years.

MUSIC - UP FULL AND FADE OUT WHEN DESIRED

NARR: She remained active in show business until her death in 1984 at age seventy-five.

Breaking the Sound Barrier 1947

NARR: On October fourteenth, 1947, a U-S aircraft became the first to fly faster than sound. It was the X-One, an experimental rocket-powered plane specially designed to prevent the expected turbulence of air flowing across the plane's surface at the speed of sound. Air Force test pilot Charles "Chuck" Yeager was at the controls of the stubby-winged, bullet-shaped aircraft as it was carried aloft under the belly of a converted World War Two bomber and then released. Captain Yeager ignited all four rocket motors on the X-One and flew through the sound barrier at ten thousand-five hundred meters with a top speed of 1056 kilometers an hour. (BEGIN OPT) The speed of sound is 1227 kilometers an hour at sea level, but it decreases as altitude increases. (END OPT) The aircraft carried enough fuel for just two and one-half minutes of flight, and when that was exhausted, Captain Yeager guided it to a landing on a dry lakebed in California's Mohave Desert. (BEGIN OPT) It is the same landing site that was used by the first missions of the American space shuttle in the 1980s. Chuck Yeager's orange rocket-plane is on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D-C. (END OPT)

(For Use 10/15)

Pres. Truman and Gen. MacArthur Meet at Wake Island 1950

NARR: On October fifteenth, 1950, President Harry Truman met with General Douglas MacArthur at Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean. They were there to discuss U-S policies in the Korean conflict. The president had called the meeting after General MacArthur, the commander of United Nations forces in Korea, persisted in issuing statements about the conduct of the Korean War that contradicted Truman's stated policies. The general wanted to carry the war into Manchuria or China, which supported the North Korean Communists. He also wanted authority to use atomic bombs in the Korean arena. President Truman's policy was to limit the conflict to the Korean Peninsula. The president also told MacArthur that there would be no use of atomic weapons in the war. As the constitutional commander-in-chief, the president believed he had to re-establish his authority over General MacArthur, a proud, ambitious man. Truman and the general said they left Wake Island in agreement. However, General MacArthur continued to publicly differ with Truman's policies. Six months later, President Truman removed General MacArthur from command in Korea.

Mechanical Voting Machines 1892

NARR: On October fifteenth, 1892, mechanical voting machines were used for the first time in an election in the United States, in the town of Lockport, New York. Mechanical voting machines had been developed to eliminate, as much as possible, fraud, error and carelessness on the part of voters and election officials. They also sped the process of counting votes. By 1910, nearly every ballot in New York -- and in many other states -- was cast with the flick of a switch. Today, nearly all Americans cast their votes on punch-card machines or computer screens. However, some small towns still maintain the tradition of the paper ballot filled out by voters.