October 23 in San Antonio history…

1914
San Antonio receives 4.62 inches of rain in four hours, causing the San Antonio River, the San Pedro and Alazan creeks to overflow their banks.  The newly-purchased motorized police patrol-ambulances work transporting the injured to local hospitals.

1940
San Antonio’s first drive-in theater opens at 3602 Fredericksburg Road.

1962
One week after the Cuban Missile Crisis began, President Kennedy addresses the nation and the headlines announce the news of the Cuban blockade, officially called an “embargo.”

October 5 in San Antonio history…

1857
The mail from San Antonio arrives in San Diego in 26 and a half days via the Overland Mail Line owned by James Birch, breaking the previous record of 30 days.

1946
The first of a fleet of 50 air-conditioned buses was received today and will go into service on some of’ the heavier traffic routes this week, according to Laurence Wingerter, vice-president and general manager of the Transit company.

1954
Jazz impresario Norman Granz brings his “Jazz at the Philharmonic” tour to the Municipal Auditorium.  Performers include:  Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, The Oscar Peterson Trio (Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown), Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Flip Phillips, Buddy DeFranco, Illinois Jacquet, Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge and Bill Harris.

September 20 in San Antonio history…

1940
Alamo Stadium is completed and dedicated.

1956
A $50,000 remodeling will convert the Broadway Theater to the new curved wide-screen Todd-AO process. A spokesman for Interstate Theaters said the first Todd-AO production would be “Oklahoma!” on Oct. 26.  The Broadway will become the city’s only reserved seat house under the new set-up. There will be one show a night on weeknights at 8:30 and matinees on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. There will be three shows daily on Saturday, Sunday and ‘on holidays.  Admission will range from $1.25 to $2 with all seats reserved.

1995
The legendary B. B. King performs at Sunken Garden Theater.

September 18 in San Antonio history…

1940
The old cornerstone of the Texas Hotel, built as St. Mary’s Hall in 1866, is removed as the building is razed.

1986
Joint public TV stations KLRN-TV of San Antonio and KLRU-TV of Austin vote to split up and work toward operating independently.  Starting in October, each station will begin keeping its own books.

1994
Alamo Heights Methodist Church conducts the first Sunday services in its new location at 825 E. Basse Road after moving from its longtime location at 5101 Broadway.

August 29 in San Antonio history…

1940
City commissioners adopt a resolution renaming Riverside Theater for the late Edwin P. Arneson.

1955
The first black students in San Antonio’s history to be accepted for classes in public high schools with white students have been enrolled in Edgewood High School.

1990
A hearing on the Edwards Aquifer is held in the Convention Center regarding a catfish farm, slated to go into operation in September, that will use 11,000 acre-feet of water per year.

May 13 in San Antonio history…

1940
Complete to the last blade of grass,  San Antonio’s newly constructed open-air theater on the San Antonio River behind the public library, has been pronounced ready for service today by officials of the river beautification project.

1946
All San Antonio schools, public and parochial, as well as day classes of colleges and universities are closed in an effort to halt the spread of polio.  Classes were also suspended at Trinity University, Texas Military Institute, St. Mary’s University, Our Lady of the Lake College, Incarnate Word College and Peacock Military Academy.

1952
More than 500 Trinity University stalwarts packed up everything but their Bunsen burners today and headed from the old campus at 3115 W. Ashby Place, where the university had been located since 1912, eastward to the new campus on Stadium Drive.

April 16 in San Antonio history…

1940
Bob Wills records a new version of “San Antonio Rose” at Burrus Mill Studio in Saginaw, Texas.  This new version includes lyrics and is entitled “New San Antonio Rose.”  It earns a gold record and becomes a country music classic.

1968
La Posada Motor Hotel (now La Mansion del Rio) was “eternally opened” today at a 2:30 p.m. ceremony.  Father Louis Blume, S.M., president of St. Mary’s University, Rabbi David Jacobson and Espiscopal Bishop R. Earl Dicus joined in the ecumenical blessing of the new hotel.  Mayor W. W. McAllister then tossed a key off the balcony and into the San Antonio River to officially open the hotel.  “The doors of La Posada will never again be locked,” said Tom Herring, president of the hotel company.  The building previously housed the St. Mary’s School of Law before its conversion into a hotel.

1990
Officials from Opryland USA and USAA officially announce that the name of the planned $100 million, 201-acre musical theme park to be located in northwest San Antonio will be called Fiesta Texas.

January 22 in San Antonio history…

1933
Only in chasing criminals or in answering emergency calls will radio patrol cars be allowed to exceed a speed limit of 25 miles per hour in the future, according to an order issued today by Chief of Police Owen Kilday.

1940
San Antonio awakened today to see its first snowfall in 10 years.  At noon today, the snow measured three inches.  San Antonio received its last heavy snowfall – 2.9 inches – Dec. 21, 1929.

1972
The San Antonio Convention Center hosts a roller derby battle between the local Southwest Red Devils and the world champion San Francisco Bay Bombers.

January 3 in San Antonio history…

1940
Alamo Field was selected today as the first choice of the committee appointed to recommend a name for the new school stadium.  Chili Bowl, the favorite name of the majority of citizens who signified a preference by writing in to the school board was not included on the list. Some names recommended after a two-hour meeting included : Alamo Field, Alta Vista Stadium, Bexar Bowl, Blue Bonnet Field, Cactus Field, Fiesta Bowl, Huisache Bowl, Laurel Field, Mission Stadium, San Antonio Stadium and Hollers Field, the latter in honor of Dr. James P. Hollers, president of the school board, whose efforts brought about the stadium’s construction.  It was also suggested that if such a name as Alamo Field be selected, that the sections be named after Texas heroes instead of being numbered.  [The stadium would be officially named, and is still, Alamo Stadium.  The sections are numbered. – Ed.]

1980
Jeannette Alvarado, the 1980 national Easter Seals poster child, is released from intensive care with a superficial wound to her neck after she was struck by a bullet just after midnight New Year’s day while watching a firework display with her grandmother at 256 N. San Gabriel Street.

1985
San Antonio begins cleaning up after yesterday’s snowfall that surprised even the weather forecasters.  Today’s high of 40 will finish off the melting snow but tonight’s low will be an icy 18 degrees.

December 26 in San Antonio history…

1928
The Lockwood National Bank, having consolidated with the Frost National Bank under the name of the latter bank, notice is hereby given by the Lockwood National Bank, its officers and employees, that all our business is now being transacted at our new banking home in the Frost National Bank on Main Plaza, instead of our former location at 113 Broadway.

1940
A messenger for the W. T. Grant store was held up by a lone gunman in the heart of the downtown district this morning and robbed of $3500 in Christmas receipts he was taking to the Frost National Bank. The robbery occurred on the St. Mary’s street bridge across from the Public Service building.

1978
The J.C. Penney Company opens their sixth San Antonio store today at Ingram Park Mall.  The new store is the company’s 149th store in Texas and 2,090th in the J. C. Penney chain.  It has almost 180,000 square feet of floor space, 42 merchandise departments and 325 employees.