William McKinley (January 29, 1843 – September 14, 1901)

On January 29, 1843, William McKinley, who will become the
25th American president and the first to ride in an automobile, 
was born in Niles, Ohio. McKinley served in the White House
from 1897 to 1901, a time when the American automotive
industry was in its  infancy. During his presidency, McKinley
(who died from an assassin’s bullet in September 1901) took
a drive in a Stanley Steamer (below), a steam-engine-powered
auto built in the late 1890s by Francis and Freelan Stanley. The
Stanley Motor Carriage brothers Company produced a number
of steam-powered vehicles before going out of business in the
early 1920s, after being unable to compete with the rise of less
expensive gas-powered cars.

The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer
of steam cars; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although
several different models were produced.

 
Twins Francis E. Stanley  
(1849–1918)

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Don Wilson, co-founder and rhythm
guitarist of the instrumental guitar band The Ventures, has died
at 88.

Wilson died Saturday in Tacoma of natural causes, surrounded
by his four children,

The band’s hits included “Walk, Don’t Run,” and the theme song
for “Hawaii Five-O.” They were inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame in 2008. Wilson was the last of the original members
of the local band.

ROSS SIMPSON

The F. W. Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth’s or Woolworth) was a retail company and one of the original pioneers
of the five-and-dime store. It was among the most successful
American and international five-and-dime businesses, setting
trends and creating the modern retail model that stores follow
worldwide today.

The first Woolworth store was opened by Frank Winfield Woolworth
on February 22, 1879, as “Woolworth’s Great Five Cent Store” in
Utica, New York. Though it initially appeared to be successful, the
store soon failed. When Woolworth searched for a new location,
a friend suggested Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Using the sign from
the Utica store, Woolworth opened his first successful “Woolworth’s Great Five Cent Store” on July 18, 1879, in Lancaster. He brought
his brother, Charles Sumner Woolworth, into the business.

The two brothers pioneered and developed merchandising, direct purchasing, sales, and customer service practices commonly
used today.

Frank Winfield Woolworth
(April 13, 1852 – April 8, 1919)

Stetson is a brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson
Company.

Stetson‘s inspiration for his most famous hats was gained when
headed west from his native New Jersey for health reasons. On
his return east in 1865 he founded the John B. Stetson Company
in Philadelphia and created a hat that has become symbolic of
the pioneering American West, the “Boss of the Plains”. This
Western hat would become the cornerstone of Stetson’s hat
business and is still in production today.

John Batterson Stetson
(May 5, 1830 – February 18, 1906)