The "Stories From The Past That Are Still Intesting Today" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Recently found a story in my May 14, 2023 Sunday News,  that was dated May 14, 1973 and was part of the "Lancaster That Was" column.  The 50 year old story told the story of "Skylab", America's first space station which was launched into orbit from Cape Kennedy in Florida.  Naturally had a Lancaster County connection!  Seems that Mr. Edgar Weber, one of NASA's lead project engineers on Skylab, grew up on a small farm near Denver, Pennsylvania and went to a one-room school where he had, according to Edgar, an education "second to none."  Edgar rode to school on a donkey named "Dolly" which was purchased for him at the New Holland Horse Sale.  While working on the Skylab project, Edgar's efforts were focused on the space station's airlock and docking mechanisms.  He was able to watch the launch while sitting in the mission control room!  Prior to the Skylab project, Mr. Weber worked as an engineer on the Apollo missions.  He was a graduate of the former Denver High School in Lancaster County as well as North Carolina State College where he eventually graduated with a degree in engineering.  Another part of the Sunday News story was dated May 1923 and told of a "gasoline vapor stove" that exploded in May and started a fire that destroyed eight cottages in the summer resort cottages that were located in Mount Gretna.  That type of stove was banned by the Chatauqua Association which oversaw the artistic retreat and vacation area.  Seems that resident Martha Snyder didn't pay attention to the rules and used her stove anyway.  She said she was preparing dinner in her cottage, which was newly purchased, when the stove exploded and severely burned her and set fire to the building.  Seven more nearby cottages were quickly engulfed before the fire could be put out.  My Sunday News has a section every week that lists stories from 25 years ago, 50 years ago, 75 years ago and 100 years ago.  I love to read the entire column to see what life was like as far back as 100 years ago.   It is one section of the Sunday News that draws many readers every Sunday.  Great stories to fill another section of Lancaster's great Sunday News.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.