Nov. 22, 1963: New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller's schedule for a three-day campaign visit to New Hampshire is on the front page of the Monitor, but the trip will be canceled because of the lead story of the day: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Nov. 22, 1987: Jack Germond, syndicated columnist, visiting the Monitor on the day after a convention at St. Anselm's College during which the Democratic presidential candidates all spoke, is asked about Rep. Richard Gephardt. He praises Gephardt's speech and adds: “There may be a human being in there somewhere.”
Nov. 22, 2000: For the first time in recent memory, the tax rate in Penacook will be higher than in the rest of Concord, city officials announce.
Nov. 22, 2003: The 52nd annual Holiday Magic Christmas Parade in Concord goes to the dogs; the dogs on the Rolling Bones 4-H club parade float, that is. Joining the canines on the two-mile route up Loudon Road are high school marching bands, children on unicycles, Shriners in tiny Jeeps, horses, Hooters girls and fire engines.
Nov. 23, 1911: The New Hampshire Historical Society dedicates its building in Concord. The building was designed by Guy Lowell, also architect of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and financed by philanthropist Edward Tuck.
The society was previously housed on North Main Street in what are now the law offices of Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell.
Nov. 23, 2003: Six years after a landmark education lawsuit sought to level the playing field for struggling New Hampshire school districts, there remain vast differences in the salaries paid to teachers throughout the state, the Monitor reports.
Teacher salaries cover a wide spectrum and tend to reflect the relative affluence of a community. The minimum starting teacher's salary in Concord was $28,820 in the 2002-03 school year, according to the state Department of Education's most recent statistics. Teachers in Allenstown started at $23,909.
Nov. 24, 1812: The first inmate, John Drew of Meredith, is brought to Concord's first state prison. The prison was built near Washington Street after legislative approval in 1810. During a visit to the city, the Rev. Timothy Dwight, president of Yale, called it “a noble edifice in beautiful granite.” How Drew found it is not recorded. He was sentenced to four years for stealing a horse.
Nov. 24, 1989: The temperature in Concord falls to 5 below zero, making this the coldest November day of the 20th century.
Nov. 24, 2002: Manchester Central's football team ekes out a 3-0 win over Concord High for the Division I championship at Gill Stadium.
Nov. 25, 1817: A fire consumes a large three-story house on Main Street in Concord. It will eventually be replaced by the Phenix Hotel.
Nov. 25, 1875: Although the building is not quite completed, the fire department occupies its new central station on Warren Street between Green and State streets.
Nov. 25, 2000: Interviews in downtown Concord find the public tiring of the never-ending presidential election. Speaking for many of his fellow city dwellers, Jerry Slaughter tells the Monitor, “I think they should just decide so we can get on with our lives.”
Nov. 25, 2003: The Pembroke Planning Board unanimously approves a growth management ordinance which, among other measures, restricts inpidual developers to five building permits per year. The measure takes effect immediately.
Nov. 26, 1845: Five hundred twenty-five turkeys mysteriously pass through the streets of Concord, one day before Thanksgiving.
Nov. 26, 1898: A giant snowstorm hits New Hampshire. Concord records 18 inches, Manchester 2 feet. “Along the coast the loss of life was appalling. More than 200 lives were lost and 200 vessels destroyed,” one local history reports.
Nov. 26, 1994: Playing together for the first time for the University of New Hampshire basketball team, former high school rivals Scott Drapeau and Matt Alosa combine for 53 points in a win over Holy Cross.
Nov. 26, 2003: Congressman Dennis Kucinich may be a long-shot presidential candidate, but in the world of online dating, he's rising rapidly in the polls, the Monitor reports.
The Ohio Democrat put out a casual call for his ideal first lady at a candidate forum in New Hampshire, and now 80 women are vying on a Web site contest for a date with Kucinich.
Nov. 27, 1817: Between 20 and 30 pet dogs throughout Concord are bitten by a dog with rabies. The rabid dog will be killed the next day.
Nov. 27, 1884: It is Thanksgiving, but the trains are running in Concord and the mail will be delivered as usual, at 7 and 11 a.m. But in general, “the streets wore a Sunday-like still,” the Evening Monitor reports.
Nov. 27, 1999: In a game of word association, voters interviewed around Concord choose answers such as “likable” and “lightweight” for Texas Gov. George W. Bush. For Arizona Sen. John McCain, the answers include “stern” and “steadfast.” Al Gore prompts “Clinton” and “sincere.” Bill Bradley evokes “basketball” and “unknown.”
Nov. 27, 2000: About 300 people attend a Concord memorial service for longtime basketball coach Frank Monahan.
“I personally feel I've lost a second father,” says Steve McMahon, a former player, “and I'm sure others that played for him feel much the same way.”
Nov. 28, 2001: Former Concord High basketball star Matt Bonner returns to New Hampshire to play with his University of Florida team against UNH. Bonner scores 15 points in a Florida victory.
Nov. 28, 2002: New Hampshire is served a Thanksgiving Day appetizer of snowy, slushy weather. Temperatures drop to the mid-20s in Concord, with a high of 31 degrees. Light snow and mist falls across the region throughout the day.
