This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Editor's note • Every Saturday, Salt Lake Tribune columnist Robert Kirby pulls out long-forgotten pieces of history to give readers a glimpse of life, crime and misadventure in Utah this week in 1916, 1941, 1966 and 1991 — showing just how much we've changed, and how much we haven't. Recognize a relative or have a story to share? Visit Facebook.com/ DisturbingHistory or email rkirby@sltrib.com.

Dec. 3-9

1916

Dec. 3 • James Poulas, Stephen Lojiz and Gus Helias are arrested at 518 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City, and charged with playing stud poker. Stakes of $1.25 were on the table at the time.

Dec. 4 • In Ogden, Fire Chief George A. Graves says the reason the Smith Bedding & Mattress Co. burned down is because the motor pump in the fire engine was broken after being jolted when driven over frozen roads.

Dec. 5 • John McKendry, 46, 114 E. 200 South, is badly burned while cleaning his best suit with gasoline in preparation for a date.

Dec. 5 • Salt Lake City Chief of Police J. Parley White instructs his patrolmen to arrest all moochers, musicians, pencil peddlers and "other mendicants" who cannot show that they are physically unable to work.

Dec. 6 • Utah Secretary of State David Mattson denies in court that he hugged and repeatedly kissed Mrs. Irene P. Quinting against her will on New Year's Eve.

Dec. 7 • The Salt Lake City council passes an ordinance requiring all schools to have either a fire alarm box or a telephone.

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1941

Dec. 3 • Dr. L.H. Greer, head of the University of Utah department of history and political science, tells a class that Japan will attack the U.S. no later than Dec. 12.

Dec. 4 • The frozen body of 16-year-old Philemon Eva, of Eureka, is discovered 22 miles south of Delta, under a county rock crusher where he'd apparently crouched for shelter. Eva had left home in search of work without notifying his parents.

Dec. 4 • Provo City accepts a Chicago firm's bid to manufacture parking meters for trial use.

Dec. 4 • While driving home from his job in Coalville, 18-year-old Don Hagberg, 921 W. 1400 North, Salt Lake City, accidentally shoots himself in the leg with a handgun.

Dec. 5 • The Coconut Grove ballroom, 462 S. Main, holds a "Thumbs Up for Victory" event, the proceeds of which go to British mothers and children left homeless by Nazi bombing.

Dec. 7 • One of the first Utah casualties of Pearl Harbor is 49-year-old W.A. Henderson, of Beaver Dam in Box Elder County. He suffers a fatal heart attack when he hears the news on the radio. Henderson's two sons, Robert and Verne, are stationed at Pearl Harbor. Neither was killed.

Dec. 8 • Utah prison inmates petition for their right to serve in the military.

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1966

Dec. 3 • Salt Lake attorney Craddock M. Gilmour Sr. meets with his son Sandy in Moscow for the first time in two years. The younger Gilmour and a companion are facing trial on Soviet currency violations.

Dec. 3 • Utah Public Safety Commissioner James L. Barker is involved in an auto crash at 1500 East and Laird Avenue, when his car collides with that of Karen M. Blair. No injuries are reported.

Dec. 4 • For the second time, the home of Jack Dean, 4624 Creek View Circle, is involved in a head-on crash with a driverless vehicle. The cars rolled down the hill and into the house.

Dec. 5 • FBI statistics for the first nine months of this year show a 33 percent increase in Salt Lake crime.

Dec. 5 • Heavy rain in southern Utah causes millions of dollars in damage. In places where the Virgin River is normally 100 feet wide and 2 feet deep, it is now 30 feet deep and a mile wide.

Dec. 6 • Salt Lake police announce a crackdown on teenage gangs in the Rose Park area. For the past three years, gangs of "young toughs" have been beating up on other youngsters, forcing them to pay to avoid future beatings.

• "Green Green Grass of Home" by Tom Jones reaches the top of the charts.

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1991

Dec. 3 • Adam Smolenski, 18, Sandy, falls down a mine shaft while hiking in the hills near 3000 East. For nearly seven hours he yells for help until his voice is heard by other hikers. He is finally rescued by the Sandy Fire Department.

Dec. 4 • During a Boy Scout tour in the U.S. Federal Courthouse, the 15-year-old son of a Secret Service agent shoots himself through the hand while playing with his father's .357-magnum handgun.

Dec. 6 • Opposition to the use of photo radar for traffic enforcement continues to rise in Utah. Currently, only West Valley, Garland, Wellington and Huntington use the device.

• "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by George Michael and Elton John tops the charts.