Fascinating Ohio

July 21, 1934 – State record temperature of 131 set near Gallipolis, and in 2001, Fremont’s James S. Williams decides to go fishing on the Sandusky River, which runs right through town. He catches a 23.5 pound Drum, also known as a Sheepshead, that is 37 1/8 inches long and brings Williams a state record.
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Grandma’s cuckoo clock

It was once the world’s largest cuckoo clock but no more. Still, it’s something to behold. Built atop a restaurant/tourist stop called Grandma’s Alpine Homestead at 1504 Us Route 62, Wilmot, the clock has little plaster people who used to move in and out of their cuckoo-house.
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The battle of Buffington Island

July 19, 1863: The only major battle of the Civil War fought in Ohio occurs on Buffington Island in Meigs County. Confederate Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan had crossed the Ohio River 11 days earlier with 2,000 mounted men and then moved east across the southern end of the state, terrorizing most everybody. Nearly 150 men were wounded or killed in the battle, with 800 to 1,200 Rebels taken prisoner.
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John Glenn

July 18, 1921 – God speed, John Glenn. Born in on this day in Cambridge, Glenn would "pilot" the Mercury-Atlas 6 "Friendship 7" spacecraft on the first U.S. manned orbital mission.

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Santa Maria

Columbus is the home of the Santa Maria replica, a museum-quality ship moored on the Scioto River at Battelle Riverfront Park (614-645-8760). Now you’ll know how bad the crew had it back in those days when Christopher Columbus sailed the deep blue sea (or was it the ocean blue?).
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John Glenn

July 16, 1957 – Pilot John Glenn sets coast-to-coast record of 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8.4 seconds in a Vought F8U-1 Crusader. While passing over New Concord, he dipped low enough to rattle and break windows all over town from the resulting sonic boom - a gesture that Glenn would later regret because having to replace all those windows really annoyed the town. But it did make the local hardware store owner very, very happy.
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Satchel Paige

July 15, 1948 – Satchel Paige becomes the first African-American pitcher in the Major Leagues to get a win – 8-5 against the Philadelphia Athletics. Paige ended the year with 21 appearances and a 6-1 record with a 2.48 ERA, 2 shutouts, 43 strikeouts, 22 walks and 61 base hits allowed in 72 2/3 innings. The Indians win the World Series in 1948.
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