Out of the past 10/20/07

25 years ago: Oct. 20, 1982

Fire last night destroyed the building and contents of Speed Equipment World, an auto supply business at 2126 Broadway in Cape Girardeau; about 20 off-duty firefighters were called in during the height of the blaze, at which time more than 30 firefighters from all three fire stations were at the scene.

The St. Louis Cardinals capture the World Series with a come-from-behind 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh game of the fall classic; they win with speed and defense, custom-made by manager Whitey Herzog.

50 years ago: Oct. 20, 1957

In the evening, the Rev. Alfred M. Rehwinkel of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis speaks on his recent world tour in the auditorium of Trinity Lutheran School.

Thomas J. Juden, 91, former postmaster and longtime leader in Democratic politics, died yesterday; prior and subsequent to serving as postmaster from 1915 to 1921, Juden was the prime mover in the former Knights and Ladies of Security Lodge, which later became the Security Benefit Association.

75 years ago: Oct. 20, 1932

Richard Hirsch, after six years of work, has completed the first airplane ever built in Cape Girardeau; on a trial hop, Cape Girardeau pilot William Kraft several days ago took the ship aloft for 20 minutes on a flight over the city; it performed perfectly; the diminutive plane weighs 370 pounds and has a top speed of 90 mph.

The annual convention of the Southeast Missouri Association of Colored Teachers opens its two-day session at the John S. Cobb School; around 100 teachers are expected to attend the meeting.

100 years ago: Oct. 20, 1907

The Rev. W.H. Whitnell, pastor of the Methodist church in Cape Girardeau, lectures in the evening at the Common Pleas Courthouse, where the congregation is worshiping while its new edifice is being constructed; the subject of his talk is "Parasites."

The Normal School's football team got into the right side of the ledger yesterday, when for the first time this season they were victorious on the gridiron; the Normals defeated the Oxford, Miss., team 12-6.

-- Sharon K. Sanders