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Here are the temperature extremes for October 29, 2004

88/60

The low temperature was observed late in the evening (11:00pm) as opposed to the typical morning low. The record high for this date is 92

This Date in History

October 30 1963

The First Lamborghini

Sports car maker Ferruccio Lamborghini was born in Renazzo di Cento, Italy, on April 28, 1916. After studying mechanical engineering in Bologna, Lamborghini served as a mechanic for the Italian Army's Central Vehicle Division in Rhodes during World War II. Upon his return to Italy, he worked on converting military vehicles into agricultural machines, and, in 1948, began building and designing his own tractors. His well-designed agricultural machinery proved a success, and with this prosperity Lamborghini developed an addiction for luxury sports cars. In the early 1960s, he purchased a Ferrari 250 GT, made just a few miles away in Enzo Ferrari's factory. After encountering problems with the car, Ferruccio reportedly paid Enzo a visit, complaining to him about his new Ferrari's noisy gearbox. Legend has it that the great racing car manufacturer Ferrari responded in a patronizing manner to the tractor-maker Lamborghini, inspiring the latter to begin development of his own line of luxury sports cars--automobiles that could out perform any mass-produced Ferrari. On this day in 1963, the Lamborghini 350GTV debuted at the Turin auto show. But Lamborghini had not completed the prototype in time for the deadline, and the 350GTV was presented with a crate of ceramic tiles in place of an engine. With or without the engine, Lamborghini's first car was not particularly well received, and only one GTV was ever completed. But the former tractor-maker was not discouraged, and in 1964 the drastically redesigned 350GT went into production, and Lamborghini managed to sell over 100 of the expensive cars. The GT was a quiet and sophisticated high-performance vehicle, capable of achieving 155mph with a maximum 320hp. The elegant Lamborghini 350GT indeed provided a smoother ride than most of its Ferrari counterparts, and Ferruccio's old tractor factory, located just a few miles from the Ferrari factory, began constructing some of the most exotic cars the world had ever seen, such as the Miura, the Espada, and the legendary Countach.



The History Channel

hi/lo

Here are the temperature extremes for October 27th & 28th, 2004

Wednesday
81/65

Thursday
84/67

The normal hi/lo for his week in October is 72/47

Born on this Day

Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates was born on this day in 1955

Also:
Dr. Jonas Salk(1914-1995)
Julia Roberts (b.1967)
Charlie Daniels(b.1936)

This Date in History

October 28

Congress enforces prohibition
1919

Congress passes the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's veto. The Volstead Act provided for the enforcement of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, also known as the Prohibition Amendment.

The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for national liquor abstinence. In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes," was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. In January 1919, the 18th amendment achieved the necessary two-thirds majority of state ratification, and prohibition became the law of the land.

The Volstead Act, passed nine months later, provided for the enforcement of prohibition, including the creation of a special unit of the Treasury Department. Despite a vigorous effort by law-enforcement agencies, the Volstead Act failed to prevent the large-scale distribution of alcoholic beverages, and organized crime flourished in America. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and ratified, repealing prohibition.


Gateway Arch completed
1965

The Gateway Arch, a spectacular 630-foot-tall parabolic arch made of steel, is completed as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the waterfront of St. Louis, Missouri. The arch, designed by Finnish-born U.S. architect Eero Saarinen, was erected to commemorate President Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and to celebrate St. Louis' central role in the subsequent westward expansion of America.

The Gateway Arch has foundations sunken 60 feet into the ground and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds. An internal tram system takes visitors up to the top. Saarinen, who died in 1961, did not live to see the completion of his architectural masterpiece, but in 1967 his widow attended the formal dedication of the monument.

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 26th, 2004

78/68

The normal low for this date is 48
the record low is 27

Forecast

I'm not a big fan of 10 day forecasts. They are a scientific dart toss in my view. But, there are some early signs that our first cold punch of the fall may be on the way late next week. It looks as if some cold Canadian air will surge down the front range of the Rockies. Can't rule out morning temperatures in the 30s if this forecast holds. You're supposed to use your coat in November, right?

This Date in History

Tough Times in Detroit
October 26,1980

The early 1980s were tough times for American automakers. Sales had hit the skids and companies were quickly losing money. The situation took a turn for the worse on this day, when General Motors announced that it had lost an incredible $567 million during the previous quarter. While this was the biggest quarterly drop ever posted by an American company, the magnitude of the loss was somewhat blunted by GM's tax credits. According to the Wall Street Journal, the auto giant's pre-tax losses for the quarter topped out at a whopping $953 million. With the economy and the auto industry both mired in protracted slumps, GM executives were hard-pressed to see an end to the crisis. Perhaps they took some comfort from predictions that arch rival Ford was about to announce even larger losses for the quarter.



The History Channel

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 25th, 2004

Monday
79/61

normals for this date are
73/49

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 23rd & 24th, 2004

Saturday
77/53

Sunday
86/48

the average hi/lo for this weekend in October is 74/50

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 22nd, 2004

75/66

Our rainfall total so far in October is 2.38". Looks like next week will offer quite a few rain chances, so we may finish October with a rainfall total well above normal.

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Here are the temperatures extremes for October 21st, 2004

93/57

the record high for this date is 93 set in 2003

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 20th, 2004

78/49

10 days have passed since more than 1/10th of an inch of rain has been reported in Wichita Falls.

This Date in History

100,000 war protesters march on the Pentagon
1967

Demonstrators including radicals, liberals, black nationalists, hippies, professors, women's groups, and war veterans march on the Pentagon.

The rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial started peacefully, though Dr. Benjamin Spock--baby specialist, author, and outspoken critic of the war--did call President Johnson "the enemy." After the rally, the demonnstrators, many waving the red, blue, and gold flag of the Viet Cong, began marching toward the Pentagon. Violence erupted when the more radical element of the demonstrators clashed with the soldiers and U.S. Marshals protecting the Pentagon.

The protesters surrounded and besieged the military nerve center until the early hours of October 23. By the time order was restored, 683 people, including novelist Norman Mailer and two United Press International reporters, had been arrested. This protest was paralleled by demonstrations in Japan and Western Europe, the most violent of which occurred outside the U.S. Embassy in London when 3,000 demonstrators attempted to storm the building.

historychannel.com

journal

I recently began reading a 500 page biography of Benjamin Franklin; a man whom has become an interest of mine since I became aware of his many accomplishments and how those accomplishments resonate in this modern world (as we approach what will be his 300th birthday in 2006). Not only was Ben a fascinating man (I've only made it to page 75), but he has said many things that ring true to me. So, for the next several days, if not weeks, I will be posting some quotes from Ben Franklin. I hope you find them as meaningful as I do.

Lets start with a quote that really doesn't need much set-up. Ben said this when, as a newspaper printer, he thought as to why people mind their manners. He was in his late 20s, and being fairly cynical at the time.

"...most people act virtuously not because of an inner goodness, but because they are afriad of public censure."

hi/lo

Here are the temperature extremes for October 19th, 2004

86/59

the records for this date are
95/30

Journal

Some of us are doing more noble work these days. If you can spare a moment, visit the website of a friend of mine at dandickens.com . Read his journal. Send him a note if you're so moved.

Thanks

Just a thought

"Fish and guests stink after 3 days"

-Benjamin Franklin

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Here are the temperatures extremes for October 17th & 18th, 2004

Sunday
85/48

October 17th is the lastest date in which the temperature reached or exceeded 100 degrees. The next date in which the record high reaches 100 is March 27th

Monday
88/64

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 15th & 16th, 2004

Friday
86/49

Saturday
70/44

The normal high temperature for this weekend in October is 78

This Date in History

I Love Lucy debuts
1951

TV's first long-running sitcom hit, I Love Lucy, debuts on this day. The show starred comedian Lucille Ball and her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz.

Ball was born in 1911 near Jamestown, New York, to an electrician and a concert pianist. Her father died when Ball was two. By age 15, Ball had decided to become an actress and she attended drama school. However, the shy, skinny teenager received little encouragement and was rejected at least four times from Broadway chorus lines, although she eventually joined one in 1926. In 1933, she was hired as the Chesterfield cigarette girl and was featured in all the company's advertisements. Attracting attention with her Chesterfield ads, she finally began playing bit parts in Hollywood movies in 1933. By the late 1930s, the starlet had graduated to comic supporting roles. In 1940, she met Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz while shooting Too Many Girls. The couple married the following year.

Ball continued to land movie roles that didn't fully showcase her talents. Frustrated, she turned to radio and starred as a ditzy wife in My Favorite Husband from 1948 to 1951. CBS decided to launch the popular series on the relatively new medium of TV. Lucy insisted Desi be cast as her husband in the TV version, though the network executives said no one would believe the couple were married. Desi and Lucy performed before live audiences and filmed a pilot, convincing network executives that audiences responded well to their act, and CBS cast Desi for the show.

I Love Lucy became one of the most popular TV situation comedies in history, ranking in the top three shows for six years and turning the couple's production company, Desilu, into a multimillion-dollar business. Ball became president of the company in 1960, after she and Desi divorced. She also starred in several other "Lucy" shows, including The Lucy Show, which debuted in 1962 and ran for six seasons, and Here's Lucy, in which she starred with her two children until the show was cancelled in 1974. A later show, Life with Lucy, featuring Lucy as a grandmother, was cancelled after only eight episodes. Ball worked little in the last years of her life. She died of congestive heart failure following open-heart surgery in 1989.

www.historychannel.com

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 13th & 14th, 2004

Wednesday
77/52

Thursday
70/44

the record low for the 14th is 35 set in 1969

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Here are the temperatures extremes for October 12th, 2004

75/52

The record high for this date is 98 set in 1979

journal

Lately, during car trips through town, my daughter has noticed the large gatherings of birds commonly seen this time of year on utility lines and by the roadside. One comment that made me giggle was: "Look at all the birds! Hmmmm.... they must be havin' a meetin'!"

hi/lo

Here are the temperature extremes for October 10th & 11th, 2004

Sunday
66/59

Monday
68/59

The record high for October 11th is 97 set in 1979

Just a Thought

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

Mark Twain
(1835-1910)

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 8th & 9th , 2004

Friday
85/61

The record high for this date is 100 set in 1979

Saturday
74/59

.o8" if rain was reported at the airport

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Here are the temperature extremes for
October 7th, 2004

80/66

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 6th, 2004.

80/63

.22" of rain was reported at Sheppard AFB

Just a Thought....

That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.

William Wordsworth
(1770 - 1850)

This Date in History

Kennedy urges Americans to build bomb shelters
1961

President John F. Kennedy, speaking on civil defense, advises American families to build bomb shelters to protect them from atomic fallout in the event of a nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union. Kennedy also assured the public that the U.S. civil defense program would soon begin providing such protection for every American. Only one year later, true to Kennedy's fears, the world hovered on the brink of full-scale nuclear war when the Cuban Missile Crisis erupted over the USSR's placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba. During the tense 13-day crisis, some Americans prepared for nuclear war by buying up canned goods and completing last-minute work on their backyard bomb shelters.


www.historychannel.com

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 5th, 2004

76/59

As of Wednesday morning, we've registered 1.71" of rain since October 1st!

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Here are the temperature extremes for October 3rd & 4th, 2004

Sunday
71/51

Monday
74/61 (.92" of rain)

The record high temperature for october 3rd is 102 set in 2000

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Here are the temperatures extremes for October 1 & 2, 2004


Friday
86/61

Saturday
72/51

now that's what I'm talking about!

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Here are the temperature extremes for September 29 & 30, 2004

Wednesday
85/56

Thursday
83/59

The record high for September 30 is 108 set in 1977