October 29, 2004
100 YEARS AGO
• When Harlem resident Morris Stein walked into his apartment after work, he found two men stealing his belongings. When they saw him, the two men jumped out the window. Stein gave chase, yelling for the police along the way. A policeman managed to catch one of the thieves. When they arrived at the station, Stein saw that the thief was wearing his pants and informed the sergeant. The police told the thief to remove the pants, which he did, revealing another pair. Stein said that this second pair was also his. The thief turned out to be wearing four pair of Stein’s pants. When it came to the fifth pair, the burglar said: “These are mine! I’m not going to court naked.”
75 YEARS AGO
Wall Street was in chaos this week after the stock market crashed a number of times. Investors and speculators, especially those who buy “on margin,” lost billions of dollars in the crash, which is even worse than the one that occurred in 1907, although experts are saying that things will improve. After the panicked sell-off began, the largest banks held a meeting to determine what could be done to avoid further chaos. After a decision was made to hold down rates, the market bounced back briefly. However, by Tuesday the market was in a freefall in what experts are saying is the worst stock market crash in history. Small investors have been the hardest hit, and a number of suicides have occurred already.
50 YEARS AGO
• Coming out of the ghettoes of Morocco and Tunisia, there is no prouder people than the thousands of Jews who are waiting to immigrate to Israel. They are glad to leave the oppression of the Arab lands, and full of hope to live among their own kind in the Land of Israel. Six years ago, when Israel’s independence was first declared, a flood of immigrants from North Africa arrived. However, life was difficult in the new country, in addition to an unpleasant attitude toward Jews of North Africa. But because of nationalist and Islamic terror in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, Jews from those countries have begun to reconsider their decisions to remain and have packed their bags for Israel.
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