Saving Nome

Profile America, Wednesday, February 2nd.

It sounds like a movie script, but some brave sled dogs and their drivers saved many lives in Nome, Alaska, on this day 80 years ago. A diphtheria epidemic had broken out in the town, and the weather was too bad to fly in the needed serum. So, a relay of sled teams made the almost 700-mile journey in 50-below temperatures, in just 127 hours. When the serum arrived and was thawed, no more deaths occurred. The two lead dogs, Togo and Balto, became national heroes, and a statue of Balto was erected in New York City's Central Park. In 1925, there were some 1,500 people living in Nome -- today, the population of Nome and the surrounding area is just over 9,000. Find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://www.census.gov.

Source: U.S. Newswire : Releases : "Census Bureau Daily Feature for Feb. 2 Saving Nome"

Also, check out the 1995 animated feature in which Kevin Bacon voices Balto.

Speaking of Balto, Dayton Daily News columnist Leigh Allan is searching for some Johnny Carson jokes that have "Balto, the Wonder Dog" in the punch line: read "Seeking the rest of the jokes"