After a 13-year struggle with the bottle, stockbroker Bill Wilson
took his last drink of the hard stuff on this day in 1934.
The following year, he along with Doctor Bob Smith, would
found Alcoholics Anonymous the groundbreaking program
that treated alcoholism not as a moral failing, but as a
disease.
On October 19, 1985, the first Blockbuster video-rental store
opened, in Dallas, Texas. At a time when most video stores
were small-scale operations featuring a limited selection of
titles, Blockbuster opened with some 8,000 tapes displayed
on shelves around the store and a computerized check-out
process.
The first store was a success and Blockbuster expanded
rapidly, eventually becoming one of the world’s largest
providers of in-home movies and game entertainment,
before eventually filing for bankruptcy in 2010.
Blockbuster was founded by David Cook, who had previously
owned a business that provided computer software services
to the oil and gas industry in Texas.
Cook saw the potential in the video-rental business and after
opening the first Blockbuster in 1985, he added three more
stores the following year.
In 1987, he sold part of the business to a group of investors
that included Wayne Huizenga, founder of Waste Management,
Inc., the world’s biggest garbage disposal company.
Founder David Cook.
As of August 2018, the last Blockbuster store is in Bend,
Oregon.
On August 21, 1980, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) was incorporated by animal rights advocates Ingrid
Newkirk and Alex Pacheco. Rising from humble beginnings,
PETA would soon become the world’s foremost and most
controversial animal rights organization.
Ingrid Newkirk
On August 21, 1897, Ransom Eli Olds of Lansing, Michigan,
founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company, which would later
become Olds Motor Werks and then Oldsmobile.
Born in Geneva, Ohio, in 1864, Olds went to work for his
family’s machine-repair and engine-building business in
1883.
In 1896, Olds completed his first gasoline-powered vehicle,
and the following year he founded Olds Motor Vehicle
Company with financial backing from Samuel L. Smith,
who had made his fortune in lumber.
Ransom Eli Olds (1864 – 1950)
https://portland.salvationarmy.org/portland2/ways-to-give/
In the East End of London on July 2, 1865, revivalist preacher
William Booth and his wife Catherine (above) establish the
Christian Mission, later known as the Salvation Army.
Determined to wage war against the evils of poverty and
religious indifference with military efficiency, Booth modeled
his Methodist sect after the British army, labeling uniformed
ministers as “officers” and new members as “recruits.”
Today, the Salvation Army, still based in London, is active in
more than 130 countries. The Army operates evangelical
centers, hospitals, emergency and disaster services, alcohol
and drug rehabilitation programs, community centers, social
work centers, secondhand stores, and recreation facilities.
Voluntary contributions and profits from the sale of its
publications fund the organization.
