Jim Kershner’s This day in history

From our archives, 50 years ago

The head of the Spokane County sheriff’s juvenile division said he knew what was to blame for creating so many “punks” and “dropouts”: the automobile.

“It becomes a terrible problem, trying to keep car-crazy kids out of trouble after they have dropped out of school to take a job in order to buy or support an automobile,” the police captain said. “In six months or a year, they often find themselves out of a job. Then they may want to go back into school. Naturally, the schools are not too keen about taking them back after they have been involved in wild parties or other trouble.”

Then the typical troublemaker hangs around home and cruises around at night, and “becomes a bad influence on his companions, male or female.”

“This is often the background of the young men society has labeled as ‘punks,’ ” said the captain. “The sad part of it is, these people would actually like to be related to school activities of others their own age.”

Not that an auto obsession was all bad, if kept in perspective. It has “given the American boy the greatest mechanical know-how on earth,” which helped “defend this country in two world wars.”

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1962: Two members of the Flying Wallendas high-wire act were killed when their seven-person pyramid collapsed during a performance at the State Fair Coliseum in Detroit.