I’ve always had a passion for reading newspapers. Whether they’re local or from another city, from the present or from years ago, I thoroughly go through them.

I looked at the archives of some national newspapers out of curiosity about local stories which got national attention. Obviously the change of the name of the town from Mauch Chunk to Jim Thorpe and the end of the Switchback railroad were mentioned in The New York Times, Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, etc.

I thought I’d share with you a few other articles from the past that I found to be personally interesting.

• June 7, 1862 - The town of Weissport was destroyed. A dam near Mauch Chunk broke. A railroad trestle was washed away. Canal navigation was stopped for the season. The entire town of Weissport was washed away. There are but three houses left out of about 200. The loss of life has been terrible.

• Dec. 17, 1942 - Lieutenant John Jean De Angelis, navigator of Captain Eddie Richenbacker’s plane on its Pacific flight, came home tonight to Nesquehoning. Nearly everyone in this town of 4,000 people turned out to greet him. Seated with his bride of a few months, and his parents in an open car, Lieutenant De Angelis rode through the streets in a parade that included every civic group in the community.

Then a welcoming ceremony was held in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, where the pastor revealed that the air navigator and Miss Mary Yuskanish of Nesquehoning were married in Hollywood, California on Sept. 28, just before he started on the flight that ended up in a crash at sea and a 22-day ordeal on a life-raft. A testimonial dinner is scheduled tonight.

• July 13, 1947 - Lieutenant John W. Heller, 23-year-old Army Air Force Reserve pilot, was killed today in the burning wreckage of his training plane which crashed within 100 yards of his nearby Weissport home. Army officials said Lt. Heller had taken off from the Reading, Pa. air base 40 minutes before the crash. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Heller, were watching from the porch of their home when the crash occurred.

• Nov. 26, 1936 - More than 50 children were injured in a stampede for exits when frantic parents stormed the Ritz Theatre here today after a false report that fire had broken out in the theatre. The panic came shortly after the management had succeeded in quelling a previous near panic among the 200 children in which a cry of “fire” had sent them rushing for safety. Seven of the children, all of whom were attending a free Thanksgiving Day performance as guests of a Lansford store, were taken to the Coaldale State Hospital. The cry of “fire” was raised when steam rushed from a radiator after a boy loosened a valve. Parents, hearing of a “fire,” rushed to the theatre and tried to fight their way in. The children, hearing their cries, became panic stricken and made for the exit.

• Dec. 22, 1950 - The town of Lansford, which had no television reception because it was in a valley, is now receiving programs regularly after erecting what is believed to be the first “community aerial.” According to Mayor Evan H. Whildin, the aerial might serve 50,000 valley residents. The Lansford aerial is operated by the Panther Valley Television Company, which was set up by four radio and appliance retailers - George Bright, William McDonald, Robert J. Tarlton and Rudolph Dubosky - and State Assemblyman William S. Scott. The cable is strung on power line poles and individual lines are run from the street into houses and stores.

Finally, election tampering isn’t something that’s new. It’s been in the news a lot, recently.

But back in 1928, Postmaster R.H. Strickler and his assistant, Miss Bessie Burns Stickler, who is his sister-in-law, were removed following an investigation of charges they had connived to mail circulars from the post office attacking Herbert Hoover. The circulars were mailed without postmarks or identification slips on the mail bags. Postal regulators said they violated postal rules. It was indicated by the Post Office Department that the chauffeur of Representative Kenneth Kent, Democratic candidate for re-election to Congress, had brought the mail to the post office. Kent denied having anything mailed.

Kent said he was told by Postmaster Strickler that Strickler must contribute one year’s salary to the Republican campaign fund or “they would get him” within three months.

Strickler refused to comment.

And there you have some interesting history, discovered just by reading newspapers.

Ron Gower is a retired Times News reporter and a correspondent for the news and sports departments.