20-40-100 Years Ago -- Dec. 27

Susan Guynn, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·3 min read

Dec. 27—100 Years Ago

Dec. 27, 1922

While plans are being worked on by local organizations to provide for two or more public health nurses in Frederick county, during the coming year, the executive committee of the Frederick county chapter of the American Red Cross has received a communication from the Central Committee of the Red Cross, authorizing aid in general work of public health, provided other activities of the Red Cross are not neglected, and certain conditions are complied with.

In spite of the fact that the work of the State Roads Commission was seriously interfered with by the strike of the railroad shopmen, which delayed the delivery of much construction material, 1922 was a banner year for road building in Maryland. The commission completed 151 miles of road — including 100 of concrete, 17 macadam and 25 gravel — at a total cost of $3,500,000.

Men injured during the World War and undergoing treatment at the State Sanatorium at Sabillasville will soon be presented with some 32 scrap books prepared by the girls of the Frederick high school and contributed to the Francis Scott Key Auxiliary of the American Legion. These books, containing jokes, stories, and pictures painted in water colors, will be sent to the hospital with the next ten days.

40 Years Ago

Dec. 27, 1982

Maryland got a Christmas bonanza when Congress passed the federal nickel-a-gallon motor fuel tax hike. It will bring about $100 million a year to Maryland, according to Lowell K. Bridwell, the state's secretary of transportation. Probably one of the more pleasant effects of the gas tax legislation to finance major overhauls of the nation's highways and bridges will allow Maryland to divert as much as $40 million from the state highway fund back into the general fund. That will help plug holes in the state's financial dike where Gov. Harry R. Hughes' top financial advisors predict a $125 million shortfall in the fiscal 1984.

Pity the local children who found sleds or ice skates under the Christmas tree on Saturday morning. The temperatures in Frederick hit 63 degrees Christmas Day. That reading was the fourth highest on record, said News-Post meteorologist David Lesher. The normal high temperature is 43 degrees, according to Lesher.

20 Years Ago

Dec. 27, 2002

A 55-year-old contractor won the $314.9 million Christmas Day jackpot — the biggest undivided lottery prize in history — and said the first thing he will do is turn over 10 percent to his church. "I just want to thank God for letting me pick the right numbers — or letting the machine pick the right numbers," said Powerball winner Andrew "Jack" Whittaker Jr., dressed in black with a big cowboy hat. The Charleston, W.Va., man said he plans to lavish money on his family, expand his contracting business, maybe buy a helicopter and give to his church.

Newsman Ted Koppel is sparring with his neighbors over the size of their homes. The anchor of ABC's "Nightline" and his wife contend in a lawsuit that their neighbors in the posh Washington suburb of Potomac have disregarded an agreement limiting the size of homes to 10,000 square feet. Firing back, the developers of nearby properties filed a countersuit claiming the only house exceeding the limit will belong to the Koppels, according to The Washington Post. The Koppels bought a 16-acre plot overlooking the Potomac River for $2.7 million in 1993.