On this date in ...

1918: Visitors at the office building of the New York Telephone Company in Albany on this day found all of the building’s six elevators “manned” by female lift operators, all of whom had recently finished extensive training for the job. It was the first large office building in the city to employ women in this capacity.

1968: Acow,acalfanda chase provided some excitement in Albany. A cow and a calf escaped from Carr Packing Co. on South Pearl St. The calf headed for the Hudson River, swam halfway across, turned back when a yacht tried to head it off in mid-channel, turned again and arrived, exhausted, on the opposite shore, where it was captured by two Rensselaer patrolmen. Meanwhile, back in Albany, two patrolmen pursued the cow with the assistance of James Sauntry, who brought her to a halt with a well-aimed lasso. “I used to be a farm boy,” he explained.

1993: The state launched its promised but delayed television campaign aimed at educating parents about what they should expect from people they paid to take care of their kids. The first phase featured a recycled, 30-second video spot in which very cute preschoolers told viewers what they should find in a home-based child care operation. That included adequate supervision, safe play areas, policies that permitted parents to visit any time and simple encouragement. With arrangements made by Wolkcas Advertising Inc. of Colonie, the state paid commercial television stations statewide to air the spots several times a day for two weeks.

Want to read more about the Capital Region’s past? Have any memories or thoughts about how our history relates to today’s events? See http://blog. timesunion.com/history/