Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

A 3-year-old waded into a pile of street tar left over from some construction, which workers had accidentally dumped into the street.

The tar hardened around him and he was stuck fast by the feet.

His mother went to the rescue, but she got stuck, too. She extricated herself with difficulty, ran to get a hatchet and chopped the boy free from the cake of tar.

From the fire beat: A Spokane woman got too close to the gas-flame cigar lighter at a cigar store – and set her stylish hat on fire.

It immediately became a mass of flames. Her husband tore it from her head and threw it into the street. Her hair was badly burned, and the hat was a total loss.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1942: During World War II, U.S. 8th Air Force bombers attacked German forces in Rouen, France. U.S. Marines raided a Japanese seaplane base on Makin Island.

1961: The United States and 19 Latin American countries signed the Charter of Punta del Este in Uruguay, creating the Alliance for Progress aimed at promoting economic growth and social justice.

1969: Hurricane Camille slammed into the Mississippi coast as a Category 5 storm that was blamed for 256 U.S. deaths and three in Cuba.