The First Time News Was Fit To Print, XXIV

In case you missed our first twenty-three volumes or the greatest hits edition, let me explain. Every Monday, we head into the archives of The New York Times to find first mentions worth mentioning. If you have a suggestion for next week, leave us a comment.

"I Have A Dream" Speech

August 29, 1963

Peroration by Dr. King Sums Up a Day the Capital Will Remember Dr. King brought them alive in the late afternoon with a peroration that was an anguished echo from all the old American reformers. Roger Williams calling for religious liberty, Sam Adams calling for political liberty, old man Thoreau denouncing coercion, William Lloyd Garrison demanding emancipation, and Eugene V. Debs crying for economic equality "“ Dr. King echoed them all. "I have a dream," he cried again and again. And each time the dream was a promise out of our ancient articles of faith: phrases from the Constitution, lines from the great anthem of the nation, guarantees from the Bill of Rights, all ending with a vision that they might one day all come true. Dr. King touched all the themes of the day, only better than anybody else. He was full of the symbolism of Lincoln and Gandhi, and the cadences of the Bible. He was both militant and sad, and he sent the crowd away feeling that the long journey had been worthwhile.

Michael Strahan

April 25, 1993

Giants Eye Defenders a Cut Below the Best If the Giants still had the ninth choice in today's National Football League draft, they might have been able to take a premier defensive end like Eric Curry of Alabama or Dan Williams of Toledo or a quick outside linebacker like Wayne Simmons of Clemson. Instead, they may have to settle for linebacker Chris Slade of Virginia or defensive end Michael Strahan of Texas Southern, who are good but a cut below the best. But the Giants gave up their first-round choice in this draft when they chose quarterback Dave Brown of Duke last July in the first round of a supplemental draft. They seem to have no regrets because they might have picked Brown anyway with the ninth pick of this draft. Besides, he now has a year of pro experience. The Giants won't pick now until the middle of the second round, where they will have the 40th choice over all. They believe they can have a winning team this year with their present offense, but acknowledge they need help for a slow and aging defense. * * * * * Strahan is a hard worker but raw and not yet strong enough. [The Giants did end up drafting Strahan in the 2nd round. It worked out.]

Keep reading for Mitt Romney, Exxon, Game Boy, Mount Rushmore and Bobby Fischer.

Mitt Romney

February 28, 1960

A Maverick Starts a New 'Crusade': George Romney feels that he has pat across the compact car. Now he is turning his missionary fervor to a campaign to reshape American political institutions The man who made the compact car big competition for Detroit's land yachts is crusading against bigness on an even bigger scale these days. George Romney, the almost terrifyingly earnest head of the American Motors Corporation, has moved from his conquest of the gas-guzzling dinosaur into a battle to break up the concentration of economic power embodied in giant companies and giant unions. * * * * * He speaks with equal disrespect of the ranking politicians of both major parties when it comes to their readiness to face up to what he considers the make-or-break issues in America's survival. * * * * * George Romney considers talking his wife out of a movie career his greatest sales achievement. They are shown* with their children, Mitt, Jane and Scott. [Well, not here. This picture is from two years later, when George announced he was running for President. To see the picture referenced here, you'll have to check out the original article.]

Mount Rushmore

July 10, 1927

Making a Monument out of a Black Hills Mountain Out of the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota within the next five years will appear in heroic proportions the features of four of our illustrious Presidents "“ Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. This memorial will be to the founding, extending and preserving the Union and to the completion of the dream of Columbus by the cutting of the Panama Canal, and the four Presidents represent these epochs in our history. The work is authorized by an act of Congress and is being planned by the State of South Dakota. Actual carvings of the figures will begin this Summer.

Exxon

September 21, 1971

McCann to Promote Humble's Exxon Gas in 6 CitiesMcCann-Erickson will soon be promoting Exxon gasoline in six cities. Exxon? Exxon? Exxon is a new brand name that will be tested by the Humble Oil and Refining Company to find out how it is accepted by consumers. This is an important move for Humble, the major domestic arm of Standard Oil (New Jersey), because it has long been legally prevented from using Esso, its best known brand name, in 29 of the 47 states it markets in. So it uses Humble in one state and Enco in 28.

Game Boy

June 5, 1989

Now, Video Game Players Can Take Show on the Road The two products introduced over the weekend are Nintendos's Game Boy and Atari's Portable Entertainment System. In both name and appearance, Nintendo's Game Boy resembles a Walkman (a pure coincidence, Nintendo says). The small, paperback book-size unit has a 2 1/2-inch diagonal screen, and headphones for stereo sound. Credit card-size cartridges slip in the back, allowing the unit to play potentially limitless numbers and types of games. It will sell for $89.95, including one game cartridge. Additional cartridges will cost about $20. * * * * * For the first time, Nintendo finds itself somewhat on the defensive as a competitor brings a product that is admittedly in many ways technologically superior to the Game Boy. "It's like using the Ferrari to get to the corner grocery store," says Bill White, Nintendo's director of advertising, of the Atari product. "We think it's really a bit more than players want and need."

Bobby Fischer

October 3, 1955

Eastman Wins at Washington Square "“ Boy, 12, Near TopCharles Eastman won first prize of a $100 savings bond yesterday afternoon in the final chess tournament of the season at Washington Square Park. But he had to share the limelight with 12-year-old Bobby Fischer, who had weathered the month-long contest and thirty-two eliminations before being beaten. * * * * * But many in the crowd of 400 onlookers seemed to think the best show was given by Bobby Fischer. Despite competition from his more mature and experienced adversaries, he was unbeaten until yesterday, when he came within fifteen players of the championship. He lives at 560 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn.

Our Archives

"¢ Volume I: Barack Obama, Jon Stewart, iPod
"¢ Volume II: Hillary Clinton, Starbucks, Donald Trump
"¢ Volume III: JFK, Microwave Oven, the Internet
"¢ Volume IV: Larry David, Drudge Report, Digital Camera
"¢ Volume V: Walkman, Osama bin Laden, Iowa Caucuses
"¢ Volume VI: Times Square, Marijuana, Googling
"¢ Volume VII: Lance Armstrong, Aerosmith, Gatorade
"¢ Volume VIII: Bob Dylan, New York Jets, War on Terror
"¢ Volume IX: Hedge Fund, White Collar Crime, John Updike
"¢ Volume X: E-mail, Bruce Springsteen, George Steinbrenner
"¢ Volume XI: RFK, the Olsen Twins, Digg
"¢ Volume XII: Jerry Seinfeld, Lee Harvey Oswald, Don Mattingly
"¢ Volume XIII: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Taxicab, Hippies
"¢ Volume XIV: Digital Watch, Prozac, David Hasselhoff
"¢ Volume XV: George Clooney, Golden Gate Bridge, Toyota Prius
"¢ Volume XVI: Woody Allen, The Titanic, The Beastie Boys
"¢ Volume XVII: New York Edition
"¢ Volume XVIII: Sports Edition
"¢ Volume XIX: TV Edition
"¢ Volume XX: Wrestlemania, Phil Knight, My Two Dads
"¢ Volume XXI: Books on Tape, Condoleezza Rice, Tina Fey
"¢ End of 2007: Greatest Hits
"¢ Volume XXII: John McCain, American Gladiators, Dianetics
"¢ Volume XXIII: Barbara Bush, Sports Illustrated, The Daily Show
"¢ November 3, 2007: Appearance on NPR Weekend Edition Saturday

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