50 years ago in Expo history: A new music superstar was booked for the fair, but the local symphony had one issue

The Los Angeles Philharmonic, under the direction of Zubin Mehta, was booked to play in the brand new Washington State Pavilion Spokane Opera House on May 3, the eve of Expo ’74’s opening day.

Mehta was a musical superstar at the time, and this was a coup for Expo.

However, the musicians of the Spokane Symphony were briefly chagrined that the L.A. Philharmonic was chosen for the opening concert. They were mollified when it was later announced that the Spokane Symphony would headline the Gala Opening Concert of the Opera House on May 1, three days before opening day.

From 100 years ago: Thomas Revelle, GOP candidate for governor, announced that “the American public might as well make up its mind to get along without alcoholic drinks, because the 18th Amendment will never be written out of the Constitution.”

He made this prediction on a Spokane campaign swing.

As it turned out, Prohibition was, in fact, written out of the Constitution, and Revelle never became governor. He finished seventh in the Republican primary.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1948: The World Health Organization was formed by the United Nations.

1954: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in news conference is the first to voice the fear of a “domino-effect” of communism in Indo-China.

1969: The internet’s symbolic birth date: publication of RFC 1.