The headline on the front page of the Aug. 18, 1920, Tacoma News Tribune proclaimed: “SUFFRAGE PASSES.”
However, if that evening’s paper was any indication, women already were making a huge impact on the Tacoma area even before they had the right to vote in national elections.
For instance, in DuPont, mothers successfully lobbied the Town Council to open the local swimming hole to women. It had previously been open only to men. And Tacoma’s Overton Ellis was elected councilor of the state association of Minute Women.
The movies headlining at the Tacoma Theater starred the famous Talmadge sisters. Norma Talmadge starred in “The Forbidden City” and Constance Talmadge was starring in “Sauce for the Goose.” The Rialto was showing “Everywoman,” and the Colonial was showing “Mrs. Temple’s Telegram.”
And the magazine page was clearly geared for women with a fictional story called “Revelations of a wife,” the “Polly and Her Pals” comic strip and the news that the movie “What Women Love” starring Annette Kellerman was a huge hit in New York.
While women dominated the pages of The Tribune, this isn’t to say they were getting equal treatment.
A photo depicting saxophone player Dolly Richards, who was performing at the Pantages, was accompanied with this caption: “Dolly Richards is easy to look upon and as easy to hear.”
Thirty-six years later caption writing still hadn’t reached its modern level of political correctness. A society page feature on female pilots referred to one as “pretty Miss Beatrice Sundquist” and called her a “chic checker.”
And the “Plane Janes” package included a drawing of a woman parachuting – in a skirt.
Also happening this week in News Tribune history:
Aug. 17, 1907: Pike Place Market opened in Seattle.
Aug. 22, 1909: Mel Hein, perhaps the best football player in state history, was born. Hein, a center, led Washington State College to the 1931 Rose Bowl and was part of the inaugural classes of the college football and NFL halls of fame.
August 1915: This was bargain month at the Tacoma Ledger and Daily News. Those who subscribed by the end of the month got a one-year subscription for $6 or $4, respectively. That was a savings of $1.80 per year on the Ledger and $1.20 on the Daily News.
Aug. 19, 1915: Point Defiance Park officials announced it would host the Northwest’s first bait and fly casting competition. Contestants came from as far away as California.
Aug. 20, 1915: The Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club started hosting the city tennis championships.
Aug. 21, 1936: Booth Gardner was born in Tacoma. The Democrat was Washington’s governor from 1985 to 1993.
Aug. 17, 1960: Johnny “Bump City” Bumphus was born. Bumphus, one of four world champion boxers born in Tacoma, won the world light welterweight championship in 1984. He made the 1980 Olympic team, but the United States boycotted the games. Bumphus finished his career 29-2 with 20 knockouts.
Aug. 18, 1969: Northwest guitar hero Jimi Hendrix headlined the final day of Woodstock, the legendary rock music festival.
Craig Hill: 253-597-8497
This is one of a series of stories appearing during The News Tribune’s 125th year. Every Sunday we look at what happened during the same week sometime in the past 125 years. To suggest a week or an event for an upcoming story, e-mail your idea and any details to randy.mccarthy@thenewstribune.com.