“Pages of history” features excerpts from the News Journal archives, including the Wilmington Morning News, the Morning News, the Every Evening and the Evening Journal.
October 3, 1985, evening newspaper
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant restart underway
Middletown, Pennsylvania – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today gave final approval for the restart of the Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor, paving the way for operators to create an autonomous nuclear chain reaction for the first time in 6 and a half years….
Plant staff worked all morning, preparing to start the chain reaction between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. today, said Philip R. Clark, president and CEO of GPU Nuclear Corp., the operator of the power plant.
“The plant is running very well,†Clark said. ” We are pleased. “
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling yesterday paved the way for an end to a dormant period that began in 1979 when fuel melted in adjacent Unit 2 in the nation’s worst commercial nuclear accident. Unit 1 was not affected by the accident of March 1979, when Unit 2 lost its water cooling screen and nuclear fuel melted, releasing radiation into the environment.
Sixteen people were arrested yesterday when 45 anti-nuclear activists responded to the Supreme Court’s action with a demonstration at the main gate of the factory….
October 4, 1995, The News Journal
Not Guilty: OJ Simpson Acquitted on Murder Charges
OJ Simpson returned home as a free man yesterday, spared an unpredictable jury to choose a life of privilege over life in prison. Acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and his friend, he is committed to tracking down the real killers who are “out there somewhere”.
In a courtroom about to explode with emotion, silence fell as Judge Lance Ito’s clerk, Dierdre Robertson, read the two words: “Not guilty.”
Simpson smiled, said the words “Thank you” to the jury, then put his hands together. Senior lawyer Johnnie Cochran Jr., standing behind Simpson, slapped him on the back and rested his forehead on his shoulder. Lawyer Shawn Chapman cried and shook hands with jury consultant Jo-Ellan Dimitrius.
Tears of anguish and cries of joy flowed from the three families whose lives were torn apart by the bloody murders on June 12, 1994, of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
“Oh my God!” exclaimed Simpson’s grown daughter, Arnelle, kissing her brother, Jason.
“We did it!” a member of the family was exulting in front of Cochran….
The cheerfulness contrasted sharply with the solemn ambience of the prosecutor’s offices.
“June 13, 1994 [the day he learned of his son’s death], was the worst nightmare of my life. It’s the second, â€Goldman’s father Fred said at a prosecution press conference. “This pursuit team did not lose today. I deeply believe that this country has lost today. Justice has not been served.
Time has stood still while waiting for the verdict
At 1 p.m. Tuesday, they waited with beating hearts, their eyes riveted on the televisions, their ears strained towards the radios. They drummed their fingers and rubbed their eyebrows. Some prayed.
All over Delaware – in living rooms, offices, dining rooms, bars, seniors’ centers, shopping malls, student lounges, classrooms, lounges, jury rooms, train station and Wilmington Town Hall – people were buzzing in anticipation of “The Verdictâ€.
As Judge Lance Ito spoke, silence fell. The phones have stopped ringing. And when court clerk Dierdre Robertson said the words “not guilty,†emotions sank.
Well done, hugs and jubilation from some. The taunts, shock and disgust of others. And there was also a stoic acceptance.
OJ Simpson had been acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and a friend of his. As the trial of the century was over, the Delawaren remained divided along racial lines over Simpson’s guilt or innocence….
October 5, 1957, Wilmington Morning News
The Russians launch their first artificial moon
The Soviet Union announced today that it has the world’s first artificial moon circling the globe 560 miles in space.
A multistage rocket launched the Earth satellite yesterday, the Russians said, pulling it upwards at about five miles per second. They said the satellite, a globe described as 23 inches in diameter and weighing 185 pounds, can be seen in its orbit with glasses and tracked by radio using the instruments it carries.
Radio signals on the wavelength of the Soviet moon – sounding like a deep “beep, beep, beep” – were picked up by RCA engineers, and the satellite was first sighted by a Moonwatch team. from Terre Haute, Indiana.
By thus announcing the launch of the first terrestrial satellite ever put into orbit around the globe under human control, the Soviet Union claimed victory over the United States….
RECALL THE STORY:News Journal Archives, week of September 5
October 9, 1956, Wilmington Morning News
Don Larsen kicks off first perfect match in World Series history
Don Larsen, a tall and temperamental New York Yankees right-hander, pitched the perfect first game in World Series history yesterday and beat Brooklyn’s Sal Maglie 2-0. The triumph gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead after five games.
Pulling out 27 successive Dodgers while 64,519 fans bit his fingernails, Larsen, 27, received a breathtaking standing ovation as he whipped a third called-in against pinch hitter Dale Mitchell for the final outing….
Since Charley Robertson of the Chicago White Sox mowed down Detroit for a perfect game on April 30, 1922 in a regular season game, a major league pitcher hasn’t played nine full innings without allowing a batsman to reach first base….
Contact reporter Ben Mace at [email protected]