50 years ago in Expo history: One reader thought the fair idea was ‘real dumb’ at first, but she eventually changed her tune

A Spokesman-Review reader from Fairfield wrote a letter to the editor to say that when she first heard about Expo ’74, she thought “it was real dumb.”

She wasn’t alone. There was widespread skepticism of the idea when it was first broached.

But now, the reader said, she had changed her tune.

“Spokane wasn’t a very popular city until Expo ’74 came about,” Rhonda K. Hein wrote. “Now Spokane is the Expo city and everyone is really excited. … I think it will really turn out good. Our family has season tickets so that just makes me more excited.”

From 100 years ago: The arrest of William Coonfare, alleged liquor runner, meant that the airborne rum-running trade might finally have been broken.

At least, that was the hope of the Spokane police dry squad. They believed Coonfare owned a plane that had been used for running liquor over the Canadian border for more than a year.

“Many times they have seen the plane rising from the ground, but they have never been able to capture it,” said the Spokane Daily Chronicle.

It’s worth noting that, even though Coonfare was in custody, police still did not have their hands on this alleged plane.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1513: Spaniard Juan Ponce de León and his expedition first sight Florida.

1958: Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier as well as First Secretary of the Communist Party.