Tidbits, Feb. 14

The fog has lifted! Has anyone been getting outside a bit more with the recent sunshine and melting snow? Milder weather is good news for those who like to go out and about to celebrate their Valentine's Day.

A Quad City Herald drop box for articles, suggestions, subscription renewals and any other submissions is now available at the Brewster-Bridgeport Pateros Senior Center, located at 109 Bridge St. You'll find the drop box just to the left by the front doors. Our reporter will arrive every Monday to collect whatever is in the box.

If you prefer to submit things via e-mail, Jennifer can be reached at reporter2@qcherald.com or qchreporter@gmail.com, and Audrey can be reached for circulation and classifieds at (509) 689-2507, circulation@qcherald.com and heraldads@qcherald.com.

This day in history - Feb. 14

1778: The Stars and Stripes was carried to a foreign port, in France, for the first time. It was aboard the American ship Ranger.

1849: The first photograph of a U.S. president, while in office, was taken by Matthew Brady in New York City. President James Polk was the subject of the picture.

1859: Oregon became the 33rd state in the United States.

1876: Alexander Graham Bell filed an application for a patent for the telephone. It was officially issued on March 7, 1876.

1899: The U.S. Congress approved voting machines for use in federal elections.

1903: The U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor was established.

1912: Arizona became the 48th state in the United States.

1920: The League of Women Voters was founded.

1929: The "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" took place in Chicago, Ill. Seven gangsters who were rivals of Al Capone were killed.

1932: The U.S. won the first bobsled competition at the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, NY.

2001: The Kansas Board of Education reversed its 1999 ruling and restored evolution to the state's science curriculum.

2003: Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, was euthanized because of incurable lung cancer.