Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The Hillyard city council authorized a “three-minute jitney” service between Hillyard and downtown Spokane.

This would consist of a fleet of taxis that would run every three minutes on the new arterial highway between the two cities. The trip would take a little less than 20 minutes.

“This is considerably less than the time taken by the Washington Water Power street cars, and we will also be able to give service earlier Sunday mornings than the street cars,” said the president of the jitney company.

From the entertainment beat: A show called “Dancing Around” was scheduled for the next week at the Auditorium Theater. It featured Miss Wanda Lyon, a “prima donna from Salt Lake City.”

However, her co-star was the one destined to become the biggest name: Al Jolson.

Also from the entertainment beat: “The Birth of a Nation” officially broke all long-engagement records for Spokane. It had sold out the Clemmer Theater for weeks but was due to end its run in a few more days.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1587: Virginia Dare became the first child of English parents to be born in present-day America, on what is now Roanoke Island in North Carolina. (However, the Roanoke colony ended up mysteriously disappearing.)