WRAL Rewind History

Duke diving chamber sets world record back in 1981

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:54:28 -0500

Check out how divers were cut off from the outside world for weeks in this story from February 2nd, 1981. Duke University experimented with their hyperbaric chamber by bringing divers to a depth 2,250 feet and decompressing them for 31 days, setting world record.

Gas Prices in 1986 Expected to Drop to 95 Cents

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:54:22 -0500

Gas prices were at the high price of $1.35 in Raleigh back on January 26th 1986. With the increase of supply, prices were expected to drop below a dollar and stay there through the summer.

Neighbors deal with the Northern Wake Landfill in 2001

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:34:03 -0500

It finally closed in 2008, but you can see how neighbors dealt with the Northern Wake Landfill off of Durant Road back in 2001. Residents used to have a view of trash in their backyards, but today they look at a park. Scott Mason reported on this story back on January 18th 2001 before he was the Tar Heel Traveler.

Downtown living starts to take off in 2004

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:08:06 -0500

High end condos were just starting to take off, but city leaders were pushing for lower prices options. This story first aired on January 13th, 2004.

Electric Cars in 1995? Students make building them look easy!

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:42:55 -0500

These students may make it look easy to build electric cars, however it's taken years to make them practical until recently. Electric cars may have been around since the invention of the automobile, but you could only find them in places like this. Where do they get their motivation? This story first aired on January 10th, 1995.

Remember the big snow storm of 2002?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:46:31 -0500

It may be warm now, but go back 10 years and our viewing area got slammed with a huge snow storm. After finding this story, I asked Nate Johnson in the Weather Center about how much snow accumulation there was in our viewing area.

Kids make Y2K Disaster Predictions: what will the year 2000 bring?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:46:24 -0500

Kids predict worst case scenarios for Y2K. Will the computers crash? They don't know. It's been 12 years since the end of the last millennium and look how far we have come.

Post Office 1997: Sending gifts used to be hard before internet shopping

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:46:22 -0500

Internet shopping may have just started in the 1990's but people were still buying their gifts at the store and shipping them themselves. Look at how much has changed since this story aired back on December 15th 1997.

1978: A year dominated by the PCB dumping controversy

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:46:14 -0500

The illegal dumping of PCB's along the sides of 240 miles of North Carolina highways in 1978 resulted in another controversy: where to put the contaminated soil. In this story, the debate is over whether the contaminated soil should be buried in Chatham County.

Big plans for schools in 1986

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:37:38 -0500

Big plans for schools! Overcrowded schools were becoming a problem in the 1980s. The Raleigh Durham area was starting to grow fast. It is possible one of your kids goes to one of these planned schools today.

1984: Remember the old tobacco farms?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:45:41 -0500

Tobacco farms give way to progress and development. A farmer quits farming and sells his land for development in what is today the Briar Creek area. Fred Taylor reported on this story on December 8th 1984.

Decorating the State Capitol Breaks Tradition in 1984

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:45:34 -0500

Decorating goes non-traditional with Tobacco, soybeans, popcorn, cotton, and peanuts. The Raleigh Garden Club also breaks tradition by including two men this year. This story aired on December 7th 1984.

Credit Cards in 1978? How did you pay back in the 70's?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:44:44 -0500

In 1978, most still payed with cash, and MasterCard was called MasterCharge. The fees are still high for local businesses and shoppers, but shopping wouldn't be convenient without them. Loretta Harris reports on this story on Dec. 5, 1978.

Computers in 1997: Time for an Upgrade!

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:55:16 -0500

No more waiting in line at the DMV to get your license and registration! The DMV upgrades its computer systems in 1997 after the old system was prone to frequent crashes.

Construction of new airport relieves RDU in 1998

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:56:38 -0500

Was the construction of a $13.6 million general aviation airport reliever airport for RDU worth it? RDU was rapidly growing in the 1990s and becoming overcrowded for general aviation. Former reporter and current FOX news anchor Brett Baier covered this story in 1998 on the construction of the Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport. This story aired on Dec. 2, 1998.

Holiday Gas Shortages in 1978

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:46:27 -0500

Will there be enough gas to get to Grandma's this year for the Holidays? Former WRAL reporter and anchor Fred Taylor tells us if we are going to make it there in this story from 1978.