Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Ohio Memory Madness Tournament begins TODAY!


McKinley Presidential Library & Museum to Participate in Second Annual Ohio Memory Madness

Does your favorite Ohio history object have what it takes to make it to the championship?

(Canton, OH) – In the spirit and fun of college basketball’s March Madness, the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum and the Ohio Historical Society invite you to participate in the Second Annual Ohio Memory Madness – a bracket of sixty-four historical objects from across the state all competing for the unique distinction of being named the 2014 Ohio Memory Madness Champion. Since the historical objects featured in the bracket are unable to play tournament style basketball, the winner of Ohio Memory Madness will be determined by public online voting at: http://www.ohiohistoryhost.org/madness/.

The Ohio Memory Madness bracket features images of iconic historical objects culled from Ohio Memory, the collaborative digital library project of the Ohio Historical Society and the State Library of Ohio, with digital collections from 360 cultural heritage institutions representing all of Ohio’s 88 counties. Voters can learn more about each object by scrolling over each image to view a description, or click on the image to visit the Ohio Memory image page with more information.

The McKinley Presidential Library & Museum is proud to have a 1918 Hoover vacuum cleaner represent Northeast Ohio in this exciting statewide competition. In1908, inventor J. Murray Spangler was working as a night janitor. While cleaning rugs, the dust aggravated his asthma. He modified some existing equipment to collect the dust and dirt into a pillowcase. Spangler asked Susan Hoover, a family friend, to try the equipment. Her husband, W. H. "Boss" Hoover, was impressed with the "suction sweeper." At the time, the Hoover family business produced mostly horse harnesses and equipment. As the automobile grew in popularity, the leather shop began to fail and they were seeking new business opportunities.

Hoover bought the patent from Spangler in 1908, retained him as a partner, and soon had six employees assembling six units a day in a corner of the leather goods shop. At the time, most homes had no electricity, and they had difficulty selling the sweepers. Once W.H. Hoover took out an ad in the Saturday Evening Post offering a 10 day free trial, they were inundated with requests. The Hoover Company went on to become a nationally-known manufacturer of vacuum cleaners.

Objects will go head to head beginning March 18, and the voting is scheduled as follows:



First round: March 18-21
Round of 32: March 22-26
Sweet 16: March 27-31
Elite 8: April 1-3
Final 4: April 4-5
Championship: April 6-7



Not only can the public vote throughout the tournament to ensure their favorite object makes it to the championship – they can also enter to win a prize pack from the Ohio Historical Society including tickets to the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, a Retro Ohio t-shirt, and an assortment of Ohio munchies to enjoy while watching that other sport.

Don’t miss your chance to vote for the Ohio Memory Madness Champion! Your vote can make one of Ohio’s historical objects go all the way this March.

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About the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum:  The McKinley Presidential Library includes the McKinley National Memorial, the McKinley Gallery, Street of Shops, The Stark County Story, Discover World, the Hoover-Price Planetarium, and the Keller Gallery for changing exhibitions.  We are located at 800 McKinley Monument Dr NW in Canton.

About the Ohio Historical Society: Founded in 1885, the non-profit Ohio Historical Society (ohiohistory.org) provides a wide array of statewide services and programs related to collecting, preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history, archaeology and natural history through its 58 sites and museums across Ohio, including its flagship museum, the Ohio History Center in Columbus. For information regarding OHS, contact Shannon Thomas, Communications Dept., Ohio Historical Society: 614.297.2317, sthomas@ohiohistory.org.

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