MID-SOUTH MEMORIES
25 years ago — 1996
PHILADELPHIA – H. J. Heinz Co., which stakes its pride on selling thick, heavy ketchup that comes out of the bottle slowly, is in trouble for selling underweight products. The nation’s leading ketchup maker isn’t pouring enough of it into its oversized plastic bottles, the federal government said Friday. Fifteen states, including Arkansas and Tennessee, have returned to Heinz 168,987 bottles that were below their advertised weight. Heinz offered Friday to replace any unopened, underweight bottles with fresh ones. The company also said it had begun putting more ketchup than normal into the bottles. “The average amount of underweight ketchup is approximately half a teaspoon per bottle,” spokesperson Deb Magness said.
50 years ago — 1971
NEW YORK – The challenger went to the hospital, and the champion went to straighten up his face before heading to a victory party. Cassius Clay, failing in his attempt to dethrone heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, was taken to a New York hospital immediately after the fight, and Budini Brown, one of his handlers, said Clay had a broken jaw. It was not certain in what round it happened. “I don’t think he wants a rematch — not now, anyway,” Frazier said. “Who’s the champ? Who’s the champ?” he kept repeating.
75 years ago — 1946
KNOXVILLE – A gift of $13,000 for a heated swimming pool at Kennedy General Hospital in Memphis was announced Friday by Mrs. Walter M. Berry of Memphis, honorary state regent of the Tennessee Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The pool, a D.A.R. war project, will be used for the treatment of sick patients, and will be built to government specifications, Mrs. Berry, state war projects chairman, said.
100 years ago — 1921
CHICAGO – Women ushers in theaters lack judgment in times of emergency and consequently are not conducive to public safety, according to 85 percent of the city fire marshals of the country, who have replied to a questionnaire sent out by Alderman J.O. Kostner, chairman of the city council buildings committee. While 85 percent of the answers opposed women as ushers in theaters, not one of them favored women, the other 15 percent decided the question with indirect answers.