Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Oct. 12
1913: Toledo Probate Judge O’Donnel says the many chronic drug users lodged at the county jail need therapy, and he wants them sent to the state hospital in Lima, where they can get better care.
1933: Gangster John Dillinger escapes from the Allen County Jail in Lima. Sheriff Jeff Sarber tried to reach for his gun but was shot twice by Dillinger's gang members. One of the gang members was found and later convicted of murdering Sheriff Sarber. He was executed on Oct. 17, 1934.
1959: The first cargo of Volkswagens unloads in Toledo, which would become a major unloading port for the German cars imported into the U.S.
Oct. 13
1885: Crowds gather in East Toledo to watch as a small deposit of natural gas is drilled.
1898: The Gustavus Jaeger Hardware store in Elmore is promoting the sale of Round Oak stoves for homes. They are reputed to be the best for coal and wood.
1900: As many as 50,000 people crowd the streets of Toledo to welcome home Toledo champion trotting stallion, Cresceus. Along with his owner, George Ketchum, Cresceus is paraded through downtown Toledo to celebrate the trotter’s many victories in the past summer. The duo was accompanied by seven marching bands, two drum corps, a bugle corps, and two companies of the 6th Regiment.
1909: Jazz piano legend Art Tatum is born in Toledo. Nearly blind in early childhood, Tatum learned to play the piano at a young age and would later become a virtuoso, playing at lightning-fast speeds with precise accuracy.
1931: Toledo Police and dry agents raid a major distillery operation ran by the Licavoli gang at Cherry and Spielbusch. They later confiscated even more spirits on Canton Avenue.
Oct. 14
1844: Land at Upper Sandusky that once belonged to the Wyandot Native Americans before their forced removal to Kansas is being sold at $2.50 an acre.
1901: The new “Toledo Steam” automobile leaves Toledo for a cross-country trip to New York City for the first “auto-show.” The 1,500 pound auto arrives at Madison Square Garden 16 days later, and its journey is hailed as proof that the “Steam” is a reliable auto.
1925: The Walbridge Park Zoo is given a moose named Barney weighing 1,100 pounds. He was found trapped in the woods near New Brunswick, Canada and presented to the zoo by the local Moose Lodge. Barney is one of only three moose in captivity in the U.S.
1969: One of first female jockeys in the nation, Toledo's Mary Bacon, is abducted by an obsessed stalker after dawn at Pocono Downs racetrack in New York. She manages to free herself from his car and escapes.
1981: Toledo native Evan Galbraith is nominated by President Reagan as Ambassador to France.
Oct. 15
1906: A Toledo police officer named “Deaunee” was severely beaten by a gang of 15-20 men in Charlie Textor’s saloon on Fassett Street after he brought a suspect into the bar to have him identified by patrons.
1918: Waite High School is closed for one month because of the Spanish flu, and much of the city is now on alert that it is becoming a major health concern.
1925: Congressman and Civil War General Isaac Sherwood of Toledo dies at his home in the Old West End at the age of 90.
1927: A massive blaze strikes the 400 block of Superior in downtown Toledo, destroying several stores.
1947: Toledo city officials propose putting fluorine or flouride in the water supply to help prevent tooth decay in children. The idea gets a mixed reaction.
2005: A planned rally by Neo-Nazis and skinheads in a park near the Polish Village of Toledo erupts into riots. The presence of the Nazis in the area touched off clashes between counter protesters and police for hours. Cars are damaged, some buildings are torched, and a police car is turned over. The riot is carried on live TV by several national TV networks and Toledo gets a “black eye” for the behavior.
Oct. 16
1901: Bowling Green’s city council gets in a heated debate over whether to remove hitching rail posts for horses.
1918: The Spanish flu epidemic is getting worse in the area. Many businesses and movie theaters shut their doors, and St. Vincent Hospital is closed to all visitors.
1928: A plot to steal millions of dollars from the Ohio Savings Bank in Toledo is foiled when a newly dug tunnel is found directly under the bank’s vault. The passage led to the storeroom of an adjacent building. A local storeowner found the tunnel when he went down in the basement to investigate the unusual number of rats invading his store.
1930: A grain dust explosion destroys a downtown Fostoria grain elevator, causing some $75,000 in damages as nearby buildings downtown are threatened by the blaze.
1940: The possibility of war looms large. In Toledo it’s reported that 34,000 young Toledo men have now registered for the draft.
1957: Local hotels are featuring special entertainment in their lounges and restaurants. The Shalimar at the Commodore Perry has Larry Green and his orchestra; the Victorian Terrace at the Hillcrest has the Nocturnes “for your dancing pleasure,” and the Park Lane features the music of Eileen Moon on piano.
Oct. 17
1921: A large throng of men jam the third floor of Toledo City Hall to apply for 200 temporary jobs with the city. Two of the men collapse in line from hunger.
1932: Six men are injured in bloody riots at the Lucas County Courthouse when farmers and jobless workers demanding relief clash with police.
1937: Nationally known bank robber Joe Muzzio, leader of the "Cowboy Hill" gang, dies of cancer at the Lucas County hospital. The 50-year-old bandit was buried the next morning at Calvary Cemetery.
1958: A severe bout of Asian flu is hitting Toledo-area schools. Many teachers are out sick. To help keep schools in session, many senior students are now filling in for the sick teachers.
1962: The new $5 million Federal Building on Summit Street is opened. It is the first U.S. government building built in Toledo since 1932.
1976: Sunset Fireworks Company on State Route 2 is destroyed in an arson-set blaze, killing Jerusalem Township assistant fire chief, John Kennedy.
2007: Toledo-born pop singer Teresa Brewer dies at the age of 76 at her home in New York.
Oct. 18
1879: The first successful telephone call between Toledo and Detroit takes place between reporters at The Blade and Detroit News.
1905: The “Wonderful Horse Jim Key” is exhibited at the Valentine Theater in Toledo. Jim Key is a world-famous horse, whose ex-slave trainer has taught him to spell, do math, and use a telephone. He appears with Toledo’s famous trotter racehorse, Cresceus.
1909: An amateur hypnotist in North Baltimore puts a 16-year-old boy under his spell to settle a wager, but then couldn’t bring him out of the trance for over four hours. The boy needed a doctor after it was over.
1923: A groundbreaking is held for the new safety building on Erie Street, which would serve as Toledo police headquarters and city hall.
1925: Groundbreaking ceremonies are held for Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral on Collingwood Boulevard.
1947: Twenty-two-year-old Toledo exotic dancer Patricia Schmidt, also known as Satira, goes on trial in Cuba for the murder of her lover, John Mee, a Chicago attorney, on his yacht in Havana. The Devilbiss High School alum is eventually convicted and thrown into a Cuban prison, but released 18 months later. She returns briefly to Toledo and then vanishes into obscurity until her story is revealed decades later.
