100 years ago, 1917
Rev. Father Gill of the Dominican monastery of Lewiston, is making rapid progress with his new motor and he has already been organized in Canada to manufacture it and place it upon the market. Father Gill has not merely invented a new style of gasoline engine, rather he is the inventor of a new type, involving radically new principles never before applied to gasoline engine construction. This design permits entire elimination of crankcase, connecting rods, half time or any other gears, valve cams, half time shafts, valve tappets, push rods, crank shaft, poppet valves and springs.

50 years ago, 1967
Lewiston-Auburn area residents have an opportunity this evening to hear one of the nation’s top bands, the much-acclaimed United States Army Field Band, which will perform a program in front of Coram Library at Bates College, beginning at 7 o’clock. There’s no admission, and those who attend should bring blankets to assure comfortable seating under the campus elms.

25 years ago, 1992
Former Sen. Edmund S. Muskie fielded questions Thursday on the presidential race, Rodney King, the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the CIA’s involvement in Iran in 1953, as well as questions on Roe v. Wade, the environment, and more. There’s nothing unusual about a politician taking questions on these issues — except, perhaps, when they come from teen-agers. The group pressing Muskie for facts and opinions in this instance were high school students attending the Summer Scholars Program at Bates College. Since June 21, they had poured over his memorabilia housed on campus in the Edmund S. Muskie Archives. Reading Muskie’s correspondence turned out to be a surprisingly personal experience for a Sanford High School student. “I found a letter from one of my neighbors —that was real neat,” said Patrick McGinnis, 16.

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be edited.