100 years ago in Spokane: Kaiser Wilhelm renounces throne

The headline could not have been bigger: “Kaiser Quits!”

Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II decided to “renounce the throne,” under increasing pressure from most of Germany’s political parties.

Germany’s troops were in retreat across Europe. Prince Maximilian, the German imperial chancellor, was preparing to meet with Reichstag leaders to authorize an armistice.

Meanwhile, the war continued to cause heartache. Word arrived that Clarence Sylvester of Wallace, Idaho, had been killed in action.

From the flu beat: The local flu situation took another turn for the worse with 10 more deaths reported in one day.

City health officer Dr. J.B. Anderson issued this heartfelt plea:

“Stay home all you can. Order your merchandise over the telephone. Don’t forget to keep your windows open both night and day and keep in the fresh air as much as possible and comply with all rules and regulations.”

He was optimistic about a new “flu serum” that he was administering in a number of local cases. It had been given a trial run in Chicago with somewhat promising results.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1938: Nazis looted and burned synagogues as well as Jewish-owned stores and houses in Germany and Austria in a pogrom or deliberate persecution that became known as “Kristallnacht.”

1620: The passengers and crew of the Mayflower sighted Cape Cod.