On this day, two months to the day after its first broadcast, KDKA aired the
first religious service in the history of radio. It was undertaken by Westinghouse
to test its ability to do a remote broadcast far from a radio studio. Pittsburgh’s
Calvary Episcopal Church was chosen because one of the Westinghouse
engineers happened to be a member of the choir and made the arrangements.

The junior pastor, Rev. Lewis B. Whittemore, preached because the senior pastor
was leery of the new medium. The technicians (one a Jew, one Catholic) were
outfitted with choir robes in order to keep them from distracting the congregation.

First edition cover.

Joseph Curtin and Alice Frost  as Mr. and Mrs. North (1950)

Mr. and Mrs. North was a radio mystery series that aired on NBC and
CBS from 1942 to 1954. The fictional amateur detectives were created
by Frances and Richard Lockridge. They were featured in a series of
26 Mr. and Mrs. North novels, a Broadway play, a motion picture and
several radio and television series.

In 1946, Mr. and Mrs. North received the first Best Radio Drama Edgar
Award from the Mystery Writers of America (in a tie with CBS‘s The
Adventures of Ellery Queen). The Woodbury Soap company was the
programs initial sponsor.

Sandy Kozel

             
                                            Jefferson and Napoleon.

1946

The NBC-TV series Dragnet was based on the radio series of the same
name. The show starred Jack Webb reprising his role as Sgt. Joe Friday,
and his partners, including Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith. The
show originally aired until August 23, 1959. 

On the set with Jack Webb (left) and Ben Alexander (far right).

The first Susan B. Anthony dollars were struck at the Philadelphia Mint on
December 13, 1978. First strikes at the Denver and San Francisco Mints
followed on January 9, 1979 and January 29, respectively. Mint officials
feared that the coins would be hoarded upon release, so they ordered the 
creation of a stockpile consisting of 500 million coins prior to the release 
date in July 1979. They were minted until 1981, when the series was
halted due to poor public reception and again in 1999. 

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Susan Brownell Anthony
(February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906)

Susan B. Anthony was an American social reformer and women’s
rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage
movement.