Federal Holiday Honors Dr. King - November 1983

Pres. Reagan, November 2, signed a bill designating the third Monday in January as a national holiday in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. King who was born January 15, 1929, was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., April 4, 1968. In the last decade of his life, he had emerged as the unofficial leader and most articulate spokesman for the black civil-rights movement in the United States. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The House, in August, and the Senate, in October had approved the holiday. Reagan had agreed to sign the bill after blacks and their supporters in Congress conveyed the intensity of their desire for the holiday.

Cold Wave Breaks Records - December 1983

A severe cold wave swept across the United States for a 2-week period beginning December 17. More than 400 deaths were attributed to the severe weather. The National Severe Storms Forecast Center reported that temperature records in 60 cities in 21 states had been broken. In the northern Great Plains, wind-chill factor temperatures were as low as -100˚ Fahrenheit. Some 80 tugboats and 800 barges on the Mississippi River were frozen in place by 8-inch-thick ice. Citrus crops in Florida and Texas were severely damaged.