Flick Fact: Bloomington-Normal's oldest business celebrating a birthday today? - The Pantagraph

Posted by parceline on

Saturday, January 15, 2022

Question: Can you name the oldest business in all of Bloomington-Normal, today celebrating its 185th birthday?

Answer: That would be this newspaper, founded back on Jan. 14, 1837, a full 10 years before even the Chicago Tribune was conceived.

Brrr! All-time snowfall records

February 23, 1914

13 inches of snow fell on February 23, 1914. This is the highest snowfall in February in Central Illinois, and the most snow to fall in a calendar day or a 24-hour period. See the newspaper clipping.

Big snow, big news

The January 13, 1927 snowfall was big news for the Decatur Herald.

January 13, 1927

11 inches of snow fell on January 13, 1927. See the newspaper clipping from the The Pantagraph.

October 23, 1929

2.7 inches of snow fell on October 23, 1929. The photo caption from The Pantagraph reads, "Winter cast its first blanket of snow this year over the city Wednesday, and The Pantagraph cameraman, perched on the top floor of the Peoples bank building, caught a view of the white-topped business houses. The above picture is a view of the southeast section of the downtown district. It was the earliest snowfall here in 13 years."

A rare second photograph

The photo caption from The Pantagraph reads, "And snow visited Illinois Wesleyan university, too. Miss Marilla McCoy, I. W. U. student, and Miss Bessie Louise Smith of the music school faculty were commenting on it when the photographer noticed them beside the snow covered entrance of the university at Main Street."

Traces of snow in May

May holds several records for traces of snow: May 3 and 4, 1917; May 2, 1929; May 1, 1940; May 11, 1952. See a newspaper clipping from the Decatur Herald.

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Labels: Star is born today

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