January 14 in A.A. History

1923: The U.S. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce published “The Swiss dyestuffs industry: production, export, and import statistics” [near right] authored by Dr. Frederick B. [far right], the American trade commissioner to Germany.
    In December 1934, he would become Bill W.’s first real alcoholic prospect.

1941: Ruth Hock [left] sent out A.A. Bulletin #2 noting that A.A. was starting in five more cities—St. Louis, Missouri already had ten members—and that there was some activity in Vancouver, British Columbia. The bulletin included a “Flash!!!” lead item that The Saturday Evening Post would be publishing an article on Alcoholics Anonymous by Jack Alexander and that there would likely be many inquiries in response to the article. Members and groups were warned to “stand by for active duty.”

1941: The Waterbury (Connecticut) Democrat published an item [right] about Alcoholics Anonymous in the eponymous syndicated gossip column “Walter Winchell On Broadway” [left: Winchell, c. 1939]:

    There is a group called “Alcoholics Anonymous” in New York, the moving spirit being a well known transatlantic flyer … The group’s aim is to “straighten out any fellow who will even admit he drinks too much” … They meet at an illustrator’s place and have big “rallies”. These “rallies” are attended sometimes by hundreds of lushes many of whom have been in institutions for alcoholics etc. …They’ve succeeded where doctors and psychiatrists have failed, working on the theory that only a drunk know [sic] hohw [sic] to talk to a drunk.