October 6 in San Antonio history..

1968
HemisFair ’68 comes to a close with a final total of 6,384,482 attendees.

1978
The Majestic Theater re-opens as the Majestic Music Hall with performances from Arthur Godfrey, Henny Youngman, Alvino Rey and the King Family.

1992
The Hearst Corp. announces it will purchase the Express-News for $185 million in cash and the Light will be sold.

September 21 in San Antonio history…

1885
City authorities declared they would strictly enforce the six-shooter ordinance, which required even law officers to obtain a permit from the mayor to carry a pistol.

1942
Col. William C. Ocker, known as “The Father of Blind Flying” for his pioneering work and writings on instrument flying, is buried with full military honors at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery.

2001
Texas Attorney General John Cornyn announces his candidacy for U. S. Senate.  He was scheduled to make the announcement here in San Antonio on Sept. 12 but the events of the day before cancelled those plans. Former Texas Supreme Court Justice, Greg Abbott, announces plans to run for Cornyn’s Attorney General seat.

July 31 in San Antonio history…

1944
Weatherman J. Henry Jarboe reported this was the first July in San Antonio weather history without a measureable drop of rain.

1978
Tropical Storm Amelia stalls over South Texas, beginning three days of continuous rain over the Guadalupe River basin leading to widespread flooding and evacuations. Medina receives 48″ of rain, a record not only for Texas but any tropical cyclone impacting the continental United States.

1982
A “We Want Pro Ball” rally, the brainchild of KSAT sportscaster Joe Fowler, is held before a San Antonio Bulls football game at Alamo Stadium.  Shreveport beats the Bulls anyway, 32-23.

July 4 in San Antonio history…

1976
San Antonio’s plans for a Bicentennial parade are drenched by 1.5 inches of rain that falls just before the parade is due to start.  Bill Roth, parade chairman, said that 40 to 50 of the expected 300 entrants did not show up for the parade, predicted to be the largest in San Antonio history.

1978
The Express and the News newspapers are combined for the day.

2007
The structure at 13445 Blanco Road that was once known as one of the biggest casinos east of Reno and was most recently known as Larry Herman’s Roaring 20s is destroyed by fire. In its heyday, between 1926 and the early 1960’s, it operated as the Shadowland Night Club.

June 18 in San Antonio history…

1856
A caravan of camels went down Main Street on their way to Camp Verde.

1939
On the anniversary of his famed flight to Ireland, Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan took as his bride yesterday afternoon, his childhood sweetheart, Miss Elizabeth Marvin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.M. Marvin,  507 Terrell Rd.  The wedding was in the chapel of the First Baptist Church.

Travis Club logo from Finck Cigar Company (http://www.finckcigarcompany.com/about/interview_with_henry_william_finck_ii/)

1978
The 66-year-old Elks Building at Navarro and Pecan streets becomes the first building to be imploded in San Antonio. The building was the former home of the Travis Club and was immortalized on the boxes for Travis Club cigars.

June 16 in San Antonio history…

1919
The city creed, written by L. N. Lyon, 717 E. Euclid, is selected by a committee of three judges to win the $50 prize offered by the San Antonio Light for the best expression of faith in San Antonio written in 100 words.

1982
A report compiled by the San Antonio Public Library shows that a startling 91,967 books costing $1,122,992 were not returned last year.

2001
The San Antonio Express-News reports that the Brackenridge Eagle miniature train was back in service yesterday for the first time in a year after a series of derailments in the Spring of 2000 put it out of commission.

April 12 in San Antonio history…

1793
Mission San Antonio de Valero (today known as “The Alamo”) is secularized by decree.

1968
“Concentration,” a nationally-televised quiz show, offers a trip to Hemisfair ’68 as a prize to contestants.

1978
Rejecting a staff recommendation that the city go out for bids, City Council voted today to negotiate with a single firm – UA-Columbia – to bring cable television to San Antonio.  Councilman Henry Cisneros, who made the motion to deal with UA-Columbia, said that it would not be practical to deal with a competitor and “wire” the city twice for cable TV.

April 9 in San Antonio history…

1970
First Mate, a San Antonio-based seafood restaurant chain (right), opens first location at Buena Vista and Zarzamora.

1976
President Gerald Ford visitsSan Antonio during his re-election campaign and bites into a tamale without removing the husk.   This is later humorously referred to as “The Great Tamale Incident.”

1978
George Gervin wins the NBA scoring title over David Thompson with a 63-point performance over the New Orleans Jazz.  “The Iceman” knew he had to score 58 points to win the title and, despite being double- and triple-teamed, managed to set a new franchise record.  He also set an NBA record for most points in a quarter with 33 in the second period.

 

March 6 in San Antonio history…

1836
The final assault on the Alamo begins at approximately 5:30 a.m. Mexican forces take huge losses but capture the compound, killing the last of the 187 defenders who had held out within the walls of the fortified mission for thirteen days.

1894
Fireman Edward W. Hargrove was on the second floor at the Sunset Hose Company when the alarm sounded. He dashed to slide down the pole to the fire wagon, missed and fell to the first floor, breaking his ankle.

1978 
The new VIA Metropolitan Transit, successor to the San Antonio Transit System, officially takes over operation of local public transportation, although the transition from SATS to VIA has been going on for several months.

December 27 in San Antonio history…

1952
A mechanized version of the old west’s pony express was inaugurated this morning to provide hourly mail service to a southwest Texas route extending over 2,500 miles – a fleet of four multi-ton “portable bus postoffices” – 35 feet long with 12-cylinder engines.  Many San Antonians braved rainy weather to attend a pre-inaugural ceremony held locally at Alamo Plaza.

1978
The home of Jose Antonio Navarro is receiving a new coat of white stucco.

1985
Radio stations KONO and KITY are sold by Mission Broadcasting Co. to Dallas-based Duffy Broadcasting Co., ending 60 years of continuous ownership by the Roth family.