“Science has made amazing strides in the past decade, but the latest use to which the phonograph has been put is the greatest thing I have seen for years,” declared Adam Marks of Pittsburgh, at the St. Charles Hotel, Milwaukee, to a representative of the Milwaukee Sentinel.

“The use of the machine for the dictation of correspondence has become familiar to all, but it remained for a New York genius to install a machine as an office boy. Last week I was in New York and called up a friend of mine over the telephone. I was startled at hearing a squeaky voice answer the telephone with these words: ‘I am the phonograph. Mr. Burton will not be back until 4 o’clock. Give me your message.’ “

50 Years Ago, 1955

Omaha – Twelve Republic F84F Thunderstreak jets today flew nonstop from England to Austin, Tex., a distance of 5,118 miles, for a Strategic Air Command record. The time for the flight, SAC headquarters said, was 10 hours and 48 minutes.

The jets, attached to the 27th Fighter Wing, landed at Bergstrom Air Force Base in time for lunch, after having taken off from Sturgate AFB near London at 8 a.m., London Time.

The longest previous distance covered by jet fighters nonstop was 4,840 miles from Tokyo to Australia last May in 12 hours, 2 minutes.

25 Years Ago, 1980

More and more Maine banks are selling mortgages to national institutions as a defense against changing interest rates. Consumer Protection Superintendent Barbara Reid Alexander said Monday.

“There’s a good reason, ” she said, “They’ve transferred their risk. They don’t have a 30-year obligation at 13 percent.” The banks are “frightened about what’s happened in the last six months.” she said, with widely fluctuating interest rates.

The problem, she said, is that consumers find they are making monthly payments to an impersonal, out-of-state institution.