Local history

50 years ago: About 150 Altoona residents held Town Meeting ’76 to discuss problems facing the city like economics, too much political power in the hands of few, lack of communication and other issues. Establishment of a youth corps was discussed.

25 years ago: A group called Citizens Action, which favored the legalization of industrial hemp, sponsored a visit by a Solution to Pollution hemp-powered Mercedes Benz at the K-Mart parking lot. An Industrial Hemp Festival was being held at the Sinking Valley Fairgrounds.

10 years ago: A statue of Johnny Robertson, an Altoona native who founded the Altoona Boxing Club, was to be unveiled at Johnny Robertson Park. His former boxers and the L.S. Fiore Co. funded the project.

— Compiled by Tim Doyle

World history

Today is Monday, July 6, the 187th day of 2026. There are 178 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson became the first Black tennis player to win a Wimbledon singles title as she defeated fellow American Darlene Hard 6-3, 6-2.

On this date:

– In 1777, during the American Revolution, British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga.

– In 1885, French scientist Louis Pasteur tested an anti-rabies vaccine on 9-year-old Joseph Meister, who had been bitten by an infected dog; the boy did not develop rabies.

– In 1945, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order establishing the Medal of Freedom.