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5/6/2005: Shortly after bombing Pearl Harbor, the Japanese invaded the Philippines. Allied forces put up a stiff resistance but slowly retreated to the Bataan Peninsula, where they had protection from the big guns on Corregidor. Corregidor, also known as “the rock,” is a small, rugged, island that was then serving as Allied headquarters and the seat of the Philippine government. In February 1942, General MacArthur left for Australia, leaving Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright in command.

5/11/2005: Architect Gilbert Horton moved from St. Paul to set up practice in Jamestown on this date in 1911. He liked it immediately. “The prairie appealed to me,” he said. “I can’t really say why... but I think it was the people. They were open and friendly. The further west you got, the more cordial people seemed to be. Somehow, and again I can’t say how exactly, the people I met here were different. They didn’t take a friend for granted... and here were those wide open spaces.”

5/13/2005: Yesterday we discussed the 1st ND Infantry’s participation in the Spanish American War in the Philippines. After swiftly liberating Filipinos from Spanish rule in August 1898, the troops expected to go home. But, the U.S. government suddenly decided to keep the Philippines, and demoralized North Dakotans were forced to fight angry Filipino insurgents. It was a situation that quickly went from bad to worse. Nebraska’s Sgt. Arthur Vickers said, “I am not afraid, and am always ready to do my duty, but I would like some one to tell me what we are fighting for.”

5/12/2005: After the Spanish sunk the American ship, The Maine, off the coast of Cuba in 1898, no North Dakota newspaper called for a retaliatory strike. Once the Spanish American War was actually launched, however, the papers responded with patriotic zeal. The First North Dakota Infantry assembled on May 8th and volunteered as a body to help fight Spain. By August 12th, they were in water-logged trenches south of Manila, and the following day, Spain surrendered their hold on the Philippines.

5/15/2005: It was exactly one hundred and fifteen years ago that the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station was established in Fargo.

5/26/2005: Seven years ago today, ND paleontologist John Hoganson received a telephone call from Kent Pelton, a teacher at Watford City High School. While fishing on Lake Sakakawea near New Town, Pelton had discovered what he thought were two mammoth tusks. Hoganson was excited, because very few remains of mammoths have ever been discovered here.

6/11/2005: The news out of Beulah during this week in 1949 included a story of a car owned by one Leo Miller.

7/21/2005: A violent explosion rocked Minot on this day in 1947. People were thrown to the ground as far as two blocks away, and windows were shattered throughout a four-block radius.

7/25/2005: Mollie Korbel was shot to death at 7:30 p.m. on this date in 1888 – killed while washing dishes in the home of the Richland County’s Sheriff Miller.

7/29/2005; Today’s story is about some folks who lived in Selz, Martha and Harry Thompson. Martha was German Russian and Harry was a Greek immigrant. Harry’s real last name was T-s-o-u-t-i-a-s – choo’-chus – but people couldn’t pronounce it. Since he worked for the railroad, people called them the “choo-choo family.” Finally, Harry just changed it to Thompson.