Earnhardt dies in crash, U.S. hockey beats Soviets: News Journal archives, week of Feb. 19

"Pages of history" features excerpts from The News Journal archives including the Wilmington Morning News, The Morning News and the Evening Journal.

Feb. 19, 2001, The News Journal

Tragedy at Daytona: Earnhardt killed in last-lap crash

Dale Earnhardt Sr., one of the greatest stars in auto racing history, died Sunday of injuries from a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500.

The seven-time Winston Cup champion known as “The Intimidator” for his aggressive driving had to be cut out of his car after slamming into the wall while fighting for position on the final turn of the race….

“This is undoubtedly one of the toughest announcements I have ever personally had to make. We’ve lost Dale Earnhardt,” NASCAR president Mike Helton said.

Earnhardt, 49, died instantly of head injuries, said Steve Bohannon, a doctor at Halifax Medical Center….

Feb. 20, 1962, Evening Journal

Glenn lands after 3 orbits

Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. was plucked safely from the Atlantic Ocean at 3:01 p.m. today by a destroyer, USS Noa, after he flew three times around the world in his space ship….

The 40-year-old Marine rose into space atop a flame-spewing Atlas rocket at 9:47 a.m.

At 2:28 p.m., 4 hours and 41 minutes later, he had completed the three orbits of his mission. Ten minutes later his spacecraft’s 63-foot main parachute opened at 21,000 feet and dropped the craft and its pilot into the sea….

Glenn had successfully completed an epochal space mission which made him the first American in orbit….

He ecstatically reported he was seeing “tremendous” and “beautiful” views from his capsule as he rode alternately through periods of light and dark. He also reported “some minor difficulties” with his spacecraft’s controls, but he said weightlessness disturbed him not a bit and he felt “fine.”

More recent space travel news:This Middletown High School alum set his sights on the stars. Now he works for NASA.

Feb. 22, 1973, The Morning News

Nixon vows food-price dip in latter part of year

President Nixon yesterday strongly defended his budget cuts and predicted a relief from rising food prices in the second half of the year.

He claimed that his Phase III anti-inflation campaign, while based on voluntary restraints, will be “as mandatory as necessary.”

Phase III will focus on those areas “where inflation has been most troublesome – construction, health care and food prices,” Nixon emphasized. “We are allowing more meat and dried milk to come in from abroad…we have ended subsidies for agricultural exports,” and “we are reducing the government’s agricultural stockpiles.”

More recent news on inflation:Does homeownership seem out of reach? Help is available for low-income Delaware residents.

Feb. 23, 1980, The News Journal

Almost golden: USA hockey team humbles Soviets 4-3; Finland stands in way

Lake Placid, N.Y. – Skating to a continuous roaring chant of “USA! USA! USA!” the young American hockey team scored a spectacular comeback 4-3 upset victory over the Soviet Union in the Winter Olympics last night.

The triumph, secured on a pair of third-period goals scored one minute, 21 seconds apart, touched off a wild series of celebrations in this mountain village and prompted a telephone call from President Jimmy Carter….

The call came to the team’s dressing room to congratulate Coach Herb Brooks and his players on the stunning triumph that kept alive U.S. hopes for its first Olympic hockey gold since 1960….

Third-period goals by Mark Johnson and Mike Eruzione sparked the comeback, the key to which, Brooks said, was “staying with the tactics that had gotten us here.” Those tactics were to try and keep possession of the puck and to fore-check the Soviet defensemen into mistakes….

The victory before a crowd of 8,500 moved the United States into first place in the medals round.

The loss, the Soviets’ first since a 5-4 defeat by Czechoslovakia in 1968, did not ruin their chances for gold. But it also left them in danger of missing a medal completely if Finland wins twice….

Catch up on history:News Journal archives, week of Dec. 26

Feb. 24, 1954, Wilmington Morning News

Communist books banned in Delaware schools

Public school officials have cleared their shelves of publications written by “self-avowed” communists whenever any such writings have been found in the schools, it was revealed yesterday by Dr. Ward I. Miller, superintendent of Delaware public schools.

He told press and radio reports this in answer to a question during a conference in the Administration Building in Wilmington.

Miller said, however, that groups of public school children are free to discuss communism during social study periods where teachers are present to guide the discussion into the overall and broad picture of the communist philosophy and what it means. In this manner, he said, the students are able to absorb a picture of what communism is all about without reading the “slanted” views of some authors who appear to lean toward communism.

He did not identify the authors but said that removal of their books from the school libraries here is the same practice that has been underway in libraries throughout the country.

Objections to certain publications have been made to the Board of Education by civic and patriotic organizations without publicity…

Local education officials, Dr. Miller explained, believe that school children should be given an opportunity to learn about communism – and all forms of government for that matter – but without receiving only a one-sided picture of these philosophies….

Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Earnhardt dies, USA hockey beats USSR: News Journal archives, Feb. 19