On this date in ...

1918: The influenza crisis continued to spread rapidly throughout Albany, with 125 new cases reported for the day and several deaths. That brought the overall total to 725 people in the city known to be infected. Health officer Dr. Arthur Sautter believed that the worst was over, but said drastic action should be taken if the increase continued over the following 24 hours. Mayor James R. Watt, however, was in favor of closing every theater, school and public hall.

1968: Republican Assemblyman Donald A. Campbell’s

104th District seat was being challenged by Democrat Mary Anne Krupsak, an associate counsel to the assembly speaker, who believed that at 36, the time had come for her to leap head first into politics. The holder of a doctor of laws degree from the University of Chicago who was bringing much experience in the technical side of government to her campaign, Krupsak insisted most of a lawmaker’s time should be spent in creative endeavors, not problem solving. She was from Amsterdam, which was also Campbell’s hometown.

1993: The Niskayuna Central School District wanted to offer Regents credit without the Regents exam for a 10th-grade social studies course. The district was seeking state Education Department permission, called a variance, to grade a portfolio summarizing the students’ work, including oral presentations and exhibits, instead of a traditional Regents examination, said Assistant Superintendent Michael Johnson. The district was seeking the variance for global studies, and the formal request was scheduled to go the state in December or January, Johnson said.

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/