100 years ago today
Aug. 4, 1923
• American citizens gather from all corners of the nation to honor President Harding.
75 years ago today
• Aug. 4, 1948
• Ford announced they would be increasing the price of their vehicles by 5% this year due to higher material and labor costs.
• 336 young high school musicians comprising 11 bands total gathered together to play music for the city of Poplar Bluff. A massive music festival was held at the Poplar Bluff High School stadium. The director, R. I. Morris, said the bands representing the western division have been preparing for the festival all year long.
__Editor’s note: This is part of a regular series looking at today in Poplar Bluff’s history through the pages of the Daily American Republic and its early predecessors.__
50 years ago today
Aug. 4, 1973
• People storm through the meat section of local grocery stores as a beef shortage continues to widen through the nation. Grocers are forced to start rationing their product or turning toward the black market to keep their shelves stocked.
It was reported over 9,000 workers had been laid off at various beef plants. Many of the beef plants were forced to stop production after farmers began holding onto their livestock for their own personal use.