Jim Kershner’s This day in history

From our archives, 75 years ago

Authorities were warning about a new peril in the region’s mountains: “coyote bombs.”

Some trappers around Libby, Mont., had apparently been setting hidden bombs in the woods to kill coyotes.

A woodchopper near Libby discovered this the hard way when his ax struck a hidden stick of dynamite. The explosion blew his hand off and destroyed one of his eyes. The woodchopper was still in the hospital.

A local trapper was arrested and charged with illegal trapping. He apparently had set other such bombs in the woods and authorities urged people to use every precaution until all of the bombs were found and cleared.

From the nature beat: About 400 local children were busy making new homes for local birds. The Works Progress Administration was conducting nature classes, in which every student was making a birdhouse.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1827: Composer Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna. … 1937: A 6-foot-tall statue of the cartoon character Popeye was unveiled during the second annual Spinach Festival in Crystal City, Texas. … 1958: The U.S. Army launched America’s third successful satellite, Explorer 3. … 1962: The U.S. Supreme Court, in Baker v. Carr, gave federal courts the power to order reapportionment of states’ legislative districts, a 6-2 decision that eventually led to the doctrine of “one man, one vote.”