50 years ago in Expo history: With an ongoing gas crisis, Spokane was due for an extra shipment of fuel to help get people to the fair

Fears of a summer gasoline shortage were easing, and that was good news for Expo ’74.

Federal officials said they foresaw no problems in supplying 8 to 16 million gallons of gasoline to Pacific Northwest service stations for Expo tourists.

That didn’t mean that the gas crisis was over. It just meant that plans were being made to funnel extra gallons to Spokane.

“Gasoline for Expo will be a problem, somewhat, but it won’t be a catastrophic one,” a Federal Energy Office official said.

From 100 years ago: Another political battle was looming in Hillyard. The newly elected town justice said the current justice refused to turn over the court’s “books, papers, police court dockets” and everything else connected with the business of the court.

The incoming justice threatened to file a complaint with the prosecuting attorney.

The current justice said he planned to eventually turn over the books, but not until the next meeting of the new city council.

An exasperated then-Mayor Brown said, “We’ve had enough of this petty bickering among city officials.”

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1910: First seaplane to take off from water under its own power is piloted by Henri Fabre in Martigues, France.

1930: Turkish cities Constantinople and Angora change their names to Istanbul and Ankara.

1939: Spanish Civil War ends as Madrid falls to the Nationalists headed by Francisco Franco.