Years Ago

Years Ago
This column, contributed by Skaneateles Honors English students from the class of 2022, is written to connect the past to the present by revisiting articles from years ago. The students would like to thank the Skaneateles Historical Society for providing the archives and Eagle Newspapers for publishing their words.
20 Years Ago
… an article was published highlighting the growing issue of hunger in the United States. At the time 30 million (1 in 9 or 10.6%) Americans struggled to find their next meal. Now, 20 years later, that number has increased to 41 million people (12.5%). With the growing unemployment rate, many families, even some with working parents, needed to choose between paying for food, rent, or doctor visits. The author of the article suggested an easy way readers could contribute and help combat the issue in the upcoming season of Lent. By eliminating meat or something else from your diet, you could use the money that would be spent to feed yourself, and donate it to a hunger organization such as the Food Bank of Central New York. A simple $45, through an extensive network of sources, could become $630 worth of food. The Food Bank of Central New York’s goal is to eliminate hunger through distribution of nutritious meals, education and cooperation with the community. They donate 33,276 meals each day to central and northern New York. To learn more about and help this organization you can donate at foodbankcny.org or call 315-437-1899.
40 Years Ago
… The Skaneateles Press featured an advertisement for the Holiday Sun, the first ever tanning salon in Syracuse. In the years running up to the opening of this salon, tanning had become a popular fashion trend worldwide. The first tanning oil was invented in 1928, but the first tanning bed wasn’t introduced until 1978. After that, the use of tanning beds increased tenfold. Today, 30 million people in the US use tanning salons every year. According to the FDA, 35% of adults have used a tanning bed at least once. Even teenagers go to the salons- 2.3 million every year. With prom approaching, many highschool students might be considering trying out tanning; however, most users are not aware of the serious health risks associated with doing so. One session in a tanning bed can increase the user’s chance of melanoma by 20%. Out of women ages 18 to 29, 76% of melanoma cases are caused by tanning salons. Tanning before the age of 25 can increase the risk of skin cancer by 40 to 100%. There are 419,000 cases of skin cancer caused by indoor tanning every year. These serious risks are the reason that in 2013, Australia banned the use of tanning beds entirely. Australia is one of eleven countries to ban the use of these salons. In the US, 16 states have outlawed tanning salons for minors- New York is not one of them. For decades, women have reported using tanning beds for mood enhancements, relaxation, and improved appearance; however, these results are not worth the risk of skin cancer.
60 Years Ago
…The Skaneateles Press published a section named “Teens in Town.” This was an especially interesting time to learn about teenage life as there was a monumental increase in the amount of teenagers. From 1946-1964 fathers returning from WWII had more children as family life became more prosperous. More families started living in suburbs with the increase of affordable cars. Many of the children born at the beginning of this era would be teenagers in the 1960s. There was a definite focus on teenage life in the paper and this was seen in the “teens in town” segment. Athletics were talked about extensively: the JV basketball team had won their game and was going to go to playoffs. The seventh and eighth grade basketball teams also had intense games, in which they came out on top. In 2020, the girls’ varsity basketball team played a week ago resulting in a loss against Syracuse Academy of Science, as well as the boys’ varsity basketball team playing Jordan-Elbridge resulting in a win. The boys hockey team has been advancing with ease through their regular season with a record of 16-1-0 qualifying them for sectionals. Another event of interest from 1960 included sophomores and freshman showing up to a Lion’s Club Hop, or dance, and danced to the top 50 tunes of the time spun by Jolly Rolly. Although there have obviously been many changes since the 1960s relating to teenage life, many of the same things have remained important. For example, just eight weeks ago there was a Blizzard Ball held at Skaneateles High School. From teens 60 years ago to present-day teenagers, we still share many of the same activities and interests.
80 Years Ago
… The Skaneateles Press wrote an article about the local potato school starting on March 8, 1940. Potato school was a convention for local potato farmers with speakers from the State College of Agriculture at Cornell. The speakers were presenting information concerning the cultural and marketing phases of potato businesses.Topics including diseases, varieties, insect control, and the potato market were planned to be addressed at this convention. Currently, Cornell doesn’t run a potato school, but they do have a large potato breeding program. They are attempting to isolate certain genes in the potatoes that can help improve a potato’s traits. For example, making the potato larger or grow faster. They are also developing a resistance to the golden nematode which is the most common disease affecting regional potato farms. Along with this program, Cornell still offers in person training, workshops, and online classes for aspiring small farmers. The programs they run are aimed to help farmers gain knowledge on specific aspects of farm business and production. One upcoming event takes place on March 10 at the Martin Auction Barn. This event includes a series of speakers discussing topics related to organic farming. For more information visit smallfarms.cornell.edu/events/
100 Years Ago
… … The Democrat published an article regarding the atrocities committed by the Turkish government against its Armenian subjects. This massacre was an extensification of the 1915-1917 Armenian genocide, which was a systematic mass murder of roughly 1.5 million Armenians within the Ottoman Empire. The Armenians were beaten, starved, and killed because suspicions of the Armenian subjugation to the Russian government surfaced within the Empire. Today, the Turkish government neglects to accept this part of history as a genocide and has officially banned the use of the term “Armenian Genocide” within the country, along with threatening American politicians against using the word “genocide.” Because of its alliance with Turkey due to military placement, the United States’ government also remains silent on this matter, even though, according to the 1920 article, 86 Armenian girls were murdered in an American mission house in Turkey. Other countries that are affiliated economically or militarily with Turkey, such as Pakistan, don’t recognize this event in history or Armenian self-determination either.