December 31 in San Antonio history…

1917
Responding to a call, Fire Chief William P. Bishop is killed instantly when a pumping engine from Company No. 7 collides with his Locomobile auto, hurling it into Joske’s.  Lieut. Robert Koppelin is also killed.

1993
The Cal Golden Bears defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes, 37-3, in the first Builder’s Square Alamo Bowl.

2010
The Segovia Candy Company, located at Guadalupe and S. Sabinas streets, closes its doors after 62 years in business.
(Photo by John Davenport/San Antonio Express-News)

December 24 in San Antonio history…

1987
A 30-year-old man with a history of mental issues ignites a Christmas wreath hung on the doors of the Alamo, causing $3,000 in damage to the doors.  He is arrested on charges of arson and resisting arrest.

December 22 in San Antonio history…

1836
On December 22, 1836, the new Texas government form the county government of Bexar, with San Antonio as its County Seat.

1946
The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo performs at the Municipal Auditorium.

1985
Ceremonies mark the return of the Hertzberg Clock to its rightful place at St. Mary’s and Houston streets after a three-year refurbishing and repainting project.

December 17 in San Antonio history…

1926
The Texas Theater holds its formal grand opening.  The theater will be opened to the public on December 18.

1929
Workmen begin conversion of the Princess Theater on Houston Street into Blum’s Department Store.  It was later purchased in 1931 by Frost Brothers.  The building still stands at 217 E. Houston Street.

1980
The newly reconstructed Olmos Dam is dedicated after completion of a $10 renovation.

December 15 in San Antonio history…

1917
Johnny Reynolds, “The Human Fly,” a steeplejack and building climber of nationwide reputation, held a great throng breathless today as he scaled the Wolff and Marx Building.  On reaching the roof, he took a chair and sat on the edge.  He then climbed the flagpole and balanced himself across the knob surmounting the pole.  Johnny, now a soldier at Kelly Field, was advertising the minstrel show which the men of the aviation section will present at the Empire Theater January 9.

1938
“America’s Sweetheart” and “America’s Boyfriend,” Mary Pickford and Buddy Rogers, make a brief stop at Stinson Field on a trip from Mexico to New Orleans.  Rogers was the star of “Wings” filmed in and around San Antonio and the winner of the first “Best Picture” Academy Award in 1927.

1999
The Wolff family sells the Sun Harvest grocery chain for $21.5 million.

December 14 in San Antonio history…

1950
Services for Dr. Max Reiter, founder and conductor of the San Antonio Symphony, will be held tomorrow at Temple Beth-El. Reiter arrived in San Antonio in 1939, just a year after he fled his native Italy as a political refugee.  He died yesterday at the age of 45.

1996
J. Michael Heyman, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, speaks at the Alameda Theater.  He leads a delegation exploring options for a long-term presence in the “cultural zone” that long-term leaders envision for downtown between the Alameda Theater and El Mercado.

2002
Judson scores on a 76-yard pass with two seconds left to defeat Midland in the state championship game, 33-32.

December 5 in San Antonio history…

1949
More than 41,000 people attend the new open house at Frost Bros. to see the new four floor Travis Street addition, which doubles the store’s floor space.  Mayor White cuts the ribbon with sequin-covered scissors.

1983
U. S. Represenative Tom Loeffler and Hunter Harrison, special counsel to the Secretary of Education, come to San Antonio for ceremonies recognizing Winston Churchill High School as an exemplary school.

1990
Ground is broken on the Alamodome, located on the former Alamo Iron Works site and adjacent property, on the east side of Interstate 37 and across from the HemisFair Park area.

December 4 in San Antonio history…

1899 
The city is given the gift of present-day Brackenridge Park by George W. Brackenridge.

1961
A mention in the San Antonio Light that the new Randolph High School was looking to schedule football games for fall brought a flurry of calls to Principal Earl Hall.  Six games have been scheduled already, said Hall, and he is looking for one more on either November 2 or November 9.  All the games will be played on the road, as the playing field probably will not be ready in time for the fall season.

1979
City Manager Tom Huebner denies a parade permit to the Iranian students in San Antonio who wished to protest the presence of the Shah in San Antonio.  The Ku Klux Klan, who vowed to hold a parade if the Iranian students were allowed a protest parade, are also denied a permit.

December 2 in San Antonio history…

1994
All San Antonio Sound Warehouse locations are now rebranded as Blockbuster Music.

December 2 in San Antonio history…

1927
At 10 a.m. sharp, the doors to Municipal Auditorium are opened and San Antonians rush in to see “the new Ford” – the Model A – first new Ford model in 15 years.  By noon, five-thousand have seen the new phaeton and the two-door sedan, with 5,000 more predicted to see the cars before the doors close late tonight.

1950
Ceremonies are held in the Alamo Garden to dedicate the new library on the grounds.  The new building is a gift of Mrs. John King Beretta and is donated to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

1994
All San Antonio Sound Warehouse locations are now rebranded as Blockbuster Music.