The "Freedom To Secure The Blessings Of Liberty: Part III" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Finishing my story I started two days ago that tells of the display at Lancaster Historical Society titled "Not Too Rash, Yet Not Fearful: 225 Years of Journalism in Lancaster County."  On display at LancasterHistory.org's Stoudt Gallery are the front pages of some of the most memorable events that have happened since the newspaper was first printed on Wednesday, July 15, 1795.  A few are related to events in our locale while others are national events that drew the attention of most everyone living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania as well as the entire United States.  Follow along as I present the final few front pages.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

On July 21, 1969, less than a day after two Americans landed a lunar module on the  moon for the first time, Lancaster County residents knew they had witnessed history. Some stayed up all night watching TV while others were greeted with the headline above on the front page of the paper.  Those who saw it live witnessed asrtronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take their first steps onto the moon's surface at 10:56 p.m., July 20.  From 4 p.m. Sunday evening until 4 a.m. Monday police reported no arrests since everyone was inside watching their TV.  City and state employees were given the day off on Monday to celebrate the fantastic accomplishment of the United States.

On March 28, 1979, Three Mile Island on the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County became a flashpoint in the battle over nuclear power, and the world would remember that island's name forever.  The Intelligencer Journal described the event as an accident with the cooling system which was discovered to be a partial core meltdown.  The top headline read, "Worst Leak on Record; Public Not in Danger," but the public read the story with mixed reactions.  Today the accident is still the worst accident in the history of nuclear power in the United States.  Thousands fled the area in a voluntary evacuation.  To this day, the question of whether anyone was harmed remains up for debate.  About the only good thing that came form the incident was a rise in the sale of t-shirts that read "I survived TMI."

On January 28, 1986 across the top of the morning Intelligencer Journal read 6 Astronauts, Teacher Perish in Fiery Explosion of Shuttle.  I'm sure it wasn't the only newspaper in the country that read something similar, but it was still explosive news!  Astronaut John Glenn said, "We come to a time where something happens, and we have a tragedy that goes along with our triumphs.  I guess that's the story of mankind."  The rocket's failure was said to be mostly avoidable.  The outside temperature and the use of O-rings were said to be the problems.  Engineers wanted to delay the launch, but didn't get their wish.  The cabin of the spaceship hit the surface of the Atlantic Ocean at more than 200 miles per hour.  Were the astronauts still alive at that point?  No one will ever know.  Three years later Discovery made a successful lift off to bring renewed confidence in the future of space travel.

Princess Diana of Wales was one of the most notable public figures in the world when her car crashed  at the entrance to the  Pont de 'Alma tunnel and smashed into a wall and a pillar.  Close behind the car were photographers on motorcycles, some of whom helped with the wreckage, while others continued taking photographs.  Much of the blame was placed on the paparazzi, but a drug test showed that Henri Paul, driver and head of security, who lost control of the vehicle, had drugs in his system.  The Sunday News showed a photo of the Princess as well as photographs of the automobile in which she died.    More than three million people gathered to see Diana's funeral at Westminster Abby while another 2.5 billion watched on TV.

On a sunny, fall Tuesday, September 11th the United States was brought to a standstill.  All eyes were glued to the TV after four airplanes were commandeered by 19 hijackers from the terrorist group al-Qaeda.  Three of the planes hit their targets of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Almost 3,000 people lost their lives that day as reported in the Lancaster New Era which detailed the tragedy and turmoil.  Flags were flown at half-mast to honor the dead.  Local reactions to the event ranged from sorrowful to angry, confused to hopeless.  Dozen of area churches opened their doors to grievers.  Even the sports section of the newspaper added: "Attacks bring sports world to standstill"  

Lancaster New Era/Intelligencer Journal found its way into national news stories in 2014.  The Evangelical Christian owner of crafts store Hobby Lobby took issue with the Affordable Care Act's mandate that businesses must provide certain forms of contraception for female employees.  The Supreme Court sided with Hobby Lobby and against the Department of Health and Human Services.  The 5-4 ruling argued that providing contraception to employees could be against the religious ideals of business owners.  In Lancaster many were happy while others vowed to never set foot in the store again.