Leasing News Funder List “A”
Updated

This list was created a number of years ago and when a business changes, merges, or goes out of business, it is deleted.

Leasing News relies primarily on the companies themselves to keep the list current of whom to contact, email, telephone numbers, and other information provided on the list, including:

A -Accepts Broker Business | B -Requires Broker be Licensed C -Sub-Broker Program |
D -"Private label Program" | E - Also "in house" salesmen

There is no advertising fee or charge for a listing. They are “free.” Leasing News makes no endorsement of any of the companies listed, except they have qualified to be on this specific list.

To qualify for this list, the company must be a "funder" and not a "Broker/Lessor" or "Super Broker/Lessor." The company may sell off its portfolio from time to time, but the definition is for a company or financial institution where 50% or more of its business is from actually "funding" transactions themselves, where they are on "recourse." Every non-public company's banker and/or investor(s) are contacted to verify this.

Leasing News reserves the right to not list a company who does not meet these qualifications.
We encourage companies who are listed to contact us for any change or addition they would like to make. Adding further information as an "attachment" or clarification of what they have to offer would be helpful to readers are very much encouraged.

(To apply to be listed, please fill in our Funder Form  and you may e-mail to: kitmenkin@leasingnews.org.)

List:
http://leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm

 

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Specific Examples

Sales Makes it Happen by Scott Wheeler, CLFP

Vendors and end-users want an originator in the commercial equipment leasing and finance industry to explain what exactly the originator will provide that will help them in 2020. Every client wants specific examples of how you have helped other similar companies (vendors or end-users) succeed in the last few months, during the pandemic. 

• What services are you providing NOW?
• How have you helped vendors (end-users) that are specifically like them?
• How do these services stack up to others in the market?
• What makes you unique? 
• Where is your expertise being utilized and why?

It is great that you have twenty years' experience and your company funded XX million dollars of equipment in 2019 and have a large portfolio. But the real questions are: What are your current capabilities? What is your current process? What is your current credit criteria?

Vendors and end-users want to know about the transactions you funded last month and last quarter. They want to know why your current customers are satisfied with your services. Decision makers want to deal with successful originators that know their business, their equipment needs, and the trends in the market that will directly affect them in the next 12 months. You must have specific examples and be prepared to demonstrate your expertise in developing a program, relationship, or transaction that satisfied a specific need similar to these current needs.

Successful originators are not afraid of the current market. Nor are they reluctant to flaunt their newly found expertise. They sell with confidence and are looking toward the future, rather than the past.

Scott A. Wheeler, CLFP
Wheeler Business Consulting
1314 Marquis Ct.
Fallston, Maryland 21047
Phone: 410 877 0428
Fax: 410 877 8161
Email: scott@wheelerbusinessconsulting.com
Web: www.wheelerbusinessconsulting.com 

Sales Makes it Happen articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Legacy/index.html

 

 

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

 

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Reportedly valued between $30 and $50 billion, TikTok could become Microsoft’s biggest acquisition to date. The software giant is no stranger to billion-dollar acquisitions, however, as the following chart shows. Over the past two decades, the company has made acquisitions in various fields ranging from hardware (Nokia) to video games (Minecraft-maker Mojang) and social media (LinkedIn).

Two days after the first rumors of Microsoft’s possible interest in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations had emerged, the Redmond-based company officially confirmed such reports on Sunday. “Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J. Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States,” the company wrote in an official statement, adding that the discussions with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance would be completed before September 15.
A possible deal would likely include TikTok’s operations in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and prevent a possible shutdown of the immensely popular social media app over national security concerns. The app’s meteoric rise over the past two years has been shrouded in controversy over data security and its alleged ties to the Chinese government. On Friday, President Trump had announced his plans to ban the app from the United States, only to put that plan on hold for 45 days following a conversation with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. In its statement, Microsoft vowed that it would “build on the experience TikTok users currently love, while adding world-class security, privacy, and digital safety protections.”

By Felix Richter, Statista

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##### Press Release ############################

Wintrust Specialty Finance achieves
Solid first half 2020 results

IRVINE, Calif.– Wintrust Specialty Finance (WSF), a division of Beverly Bank & Trust Company, N.A., completed a successful second quarter and first half of 2020 by gaining market share with equipment vendor partners and supporting independent lessors’ liquidity needs through portfolio purchases.

With strong support from their parent company, Wintrust Financial Corporation, WSF originated nearly $185 million of new leases and loans in the first half of 2020, a growth rate of more than 300% from the same period in 2019. Additionally, many new origination partners have been added as WSF continues to strongly invest in equipment financing opportunities for small businesses during these challenging times.

Throughout the second quarter, WSF worked closely with its current customers to provide payment relief plans catered to meet their specific needs based on COVID-19’s impact on their industry. WSF continued to invest in its people by adding team members to support portfolio growth during the quarter.

David Normandin, CLFP, president and CEO of WSF, said,  “The material origination volume growth our team has achieved in the first half of 2020 is the result of disciplined underwriting and consistent service levels that have allowed us to remain strong through the global pandemic we find ourselves in today.

 “I am proud of the incredible team we have built at Wintrust and the strong organizational values we exhibit in continuing to support our partners during this challenging time.”

About Wintrust
Wintrust is a financial holding company with assets of over $43 billion whose common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Built on the "HAVE IT ALL" model, Wintrust offers sophisticated technology and resources of a large bank while focusing on providing service-based community banking to each and every customer. Wintrust operates fifteen community bank subsidiaries, with over 180 banking locations located in the greater Chicago and southern Wisconsin market areas. Additionally, Wintrust operates various non-bank business units including business units which provide commercial and life insurance premium financing in the United States, a premium finance company operating in Canada, a company providing short-term accounts receivable financing and value-added out-sourced administrative services to the temporary staffing services industry, a business unit engaging primarily in the origination and purchase of residential mortgages for sale into the secondary market throughout the United States, and companies providing wealth management services and qualified intermediary services for tax-deferred exchanges.

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July Credit Managers’ Index Rebounds
to Pre-Pandemic Levels

 

(Note: Survey end July 17, 2020)

COLUMBIA, MD.
Every factor of the combined July Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) from NACM increased—some more than others—returning to pre-pandemic levels. This steady increase over the past few months has now arrived at data levels last seen in early 2020 and late 2019. The combined CMI increased 4.7 points in July to 55.6, roughly where it was in November 2019. The CMI has now climbed more than 15 points in the past three months.

NACM Economist Chris Kuehl, Ph.D., observed, “The recovery from the depths of the lockdown recession has been impressive, but now the primary question is whether it can be sustained.
 “There has been a slowing of the process when it comes to ending the lockdown, and some states have resumed these shutdowns. Will that drag these numbers back down? It is too early to tell at this juncture.”

Sales, once down in the dumps in April, climbed to its highest number (64.3) since August 2019. New credit applications and dollar collections were both above 62 in the same CMI for the first time since August 2018. Amount of credit extended improved about two points to 57.3 in July. The overall favorable factor score improved to 61.6, the same as it was in November 2019.

The unfavorables also saw a number of improvements—five of the six categories were above or at the expansion threshold of 50. “There was some expectation that there would be a decline in the unfavorable numbers by this point, but that has not yet been the case,” noted Kuehl. Rejections of credit applications inched upward two-tenths of a point to land at 50, while accounts placed for collection and disputes increased just below 51. Dollar amount beyond terms shot up roughly 13 points to 57.3 in July. One factor that usually sits in contraction territory, dollar amount of customer deductions, also improved to 52.4, the highest level since November 2013 and just slightly better than this past January. After four straight months of declines, filings for bankruptcies have now seen back-to-back increases to sit at 48.8 in July.

The manufacturing sector was led by another strong showing in the sales category, which is now more than three times higher (66.3) than it was in April (21.4). New credit applications and dollar collections each jumped back into the 60s, while amount of credit extended improved under two points. The overall favorables increased to 62.2 in July from 55.7. Only two of the unfavorables stepped over into expansion territory—dollar amount beyond terms (53.7) and dollar amount of customer deductions (52) in July. The other four are within striking distance, all under a point away.

Accounts placed for collection and disputes each improved more than two points, but filings for bankruptcies and rejections of credit applications had a slower pace forward. Overall, manufacturing hit just over 55, still with a little work to do to reach levels seen in early 2020.

The service sector reported vast improvement as well in July, notably in dollar amount beyond terms, which hit its second-highest score ever at 60.9. Also, within the unfavorables was accounts placed for collection improving to 52.2 from 46.4 as well as a noticeable improvement in filings for bankruptcies to 48.3 from 46.5. Rejections of credit applications, disputes and dollar amount of customer deductions each improved and stayed in expansion territory. In the favorables, sales saw a 12-point jump, and dollar collections improved by 8.5 points. New credit applications and amount of credit extended also increased slightly. Overall, the service sector improved five points to 56.1 in July.

“The service sector is immensely diverse, and that has been apparent as the pandemic crisis has unfolded,” said Kuehl. “The data that is collected for the CMI is heavily weighted toward the retail sector as opposed to some of those areas that sustained the biggest economic blows. The recovery in retail has been substantial and that has allowed the progress in the CMI numbers as well.”

For a complete breakdown of the manufacturing and service sector data and graphics, view the July 2020 report at http://web.nacm.org/CMI/PDF/CMIcurrent.pdf. CMI archives may also be viewed on NACM’s website at http://www.nacm.org/cmi/cmi-archive.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CREDIT MANAGEMENT
NACM, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, supports approximately 11,000 business credit and financial professionals worldwide with premier industry services, tools and information. NACM and its network of affiliated associations are the leading resource for credit and financial management information, education, products and services designed to improve the management of business credit and accounts receivable. NACM’s collective voice has influenced federal legislative policy results concerning commercial business and trade credit to our nation’s policy makers for more than 100 years and continues to play an active part in legislative issues pertaining to business credit and corporate bankruptcy. NACM's annual Credit Congress & Exposition conference is the largest gathering of credit professionals in the world.

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Registration Now Open for ELFA 2020 Business LIVE!
Virtual Conference Will Take Place Oct. 27-28

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Registration is now open for the equipment finance industry’s biggest event of the year: ELFA 2020 Business LIVE!This virtual learning and networking conference hosted by the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association will take place Oct. 27-28. ELFA is inviting all industry professionals—from emerging talent to senior executives—to participate by registering at www.elfaonline.org/2020buslive.

ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta, said “If you’re in the equipment finance community, you don’t want to miss this truly unique opportunity. Whether you’ve never attended an ELFA event or you’ve been participating in ELFA conferences for years, we believe you and your team will find great value in ELFA 2020 Business LIVE! These are extraordinary times as the health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip our nation. We’ve got a lot to talk about as an industry.

“This one-of-a-kind gathering will be a great chance for you to make new connections, exchange insights and prepare for what’s coming next.” 

At ELFA 2020 Business LIVE! the two-day agenda will feature educational sessions on industry hot topics, interactive networking opportunities, a multimedia virtual exhibit and more. Keynote speakers will include geopolitical analyst Peter Zeihan, renowned political strategist Donna Brazile and expert economic forecaster Marci Rossell. Participants will enjoy a range of benefits, including:

• Drastically discounted registration fees and expanded content will make it easier for industry members representing a wide range of job responsibilities and experience levels to attend. Member companies registering 10 or more employees will receive a discount and those registering 20 or more employees will save even more.
• Targeted educational sessions and interactive discussions with experts on industry hot topics.
• Formal and informal virtual networking opportunities.
• Access to recorded sessions for a full year following the event. Attendees can participate in real-time or watch sessions on-demand
• A multimedia exhibit hall featuring the latest business solutions.
• No plane tickets or hotel rooms required—attend from anywhere.

Learn More
More information about ELFA 2020 Business LIVE!, including registration details, frequently asked questions, the keynote speaker lineup and the preliminary schedule, is available at  www.elfaonline.org/2020buslive.

About ELFA
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) is the trade association that represents companies in the nearly $1 trillion equipment finance sector, which includes financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad. Its 580 members include independent and captive leasing and finance companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as manufacturers and service providers. For more information, please visit www.elfaonline.org.

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Beagle
Chicago, Illinois
Adopt-a-Dog

Louie

Male
Six Years old
31 lbs.
Located in Foster Home

Louie's Story

Are you looking for a dog to help you watch Netflix and chill in these uncertain times? Then Louie is your boy! In fact, the couch is his most favorite place in the world, with his head on your side or thigh. We think Louie may think he is a cat and in fact, lived in a foster home with cats. He is indifferent/neutral to dogs on a walk and is housebroken and crate trained.

The beagle in Louie comes out when there is food around! His foster reports that he climbed on her coffee table to try to grab pizza and has tried to steal other goodies. If you are eating near him, you can see his nose go to town to figure out if it is worth being brave to steal your food.

Louie is nervous, scared and timid and absolutely hates loud noises. He needs a person or family who will give him the time, patience and support to acclimate to his new surroundings. Louie would do best in a quiet, adults only home in a quiet neighborhood. Are you the person or family for this sweet boy?

Meet Louie

Louie would love to meet you! He is currently spending time in a foster home. For more information on how to adopt him, please e-mail adoptioninquiries@pawschicago.org. Please make sure you have also completed the following:

Fill out the Virtual Adoption Registration Form. (link: www.pawschicago.org/our-work/pet-adoption/adoption-process/virtual-adoption/)

Take the ComPETibility Quiz and complete the application form. (LINK: www.pawschicago.org/our-work/pet-adoption/adoption-process/) 

https://www.pawschicago.org/sitemap/

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Your Dog Advisor
How to Train A Stubborn Dog

https://yourdogadvisor.com/how-to-train-a-stubborn-dog/

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Registration is now OPEN for the 2020 AACFB Virtual Conference !

This redesigned event will provide all of the educational content scheduled for the in-person event - plus a virtual trade show - all at a reduced price.

AACFB broker members can attend for only $100 for the first attendee and just $50 for any additional attendees from the same company. This is a great opportunity to bring everyone in your office to the conference.

So, clear your calendar for September 21-25, 2020 and get ready for us to Rock the Industry!

Learn More
https://members.aacfb.org/AACFBMembers/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=ac20

News Briefs----

U.S. banks tightened lending standards,
     loan demand dropped in Q2, Fed says
https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-fed-credit/u-s-banks-tightened-lending-standards-loan-demand-dropped-in-q2-fed-says-idUSW1N2DS021

‘Hard’ shutdown can save economy, says
    Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank boss Neel Kashkari
https://nypost.com/2020/08/03/minneapolis-fed-chief-says-hard-shutdown-can-save-economy/

Disney revenue dropped more than $8 billion
     last quarter as pandemic took its toll
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/04/disney-earnings-highlights-mulan/

Tesla Gets Yet Another Electric Vehicle to Compete With Ahead
  Production on EV Pickups a Year Ahead of Tesla
https://247wallst.com/autos/2020/08/04/tesla-gets-yet-another-electric-vehicle-to-compete-with-ahead/

Boeing given long list of proposed fixes
     for 737 Max return
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/manufacturing/boeing-given-long-list-proposed-fixes-737-max-return

Radio City ‘Christmas Spectacular’ canceled,
    MSG parent to lay off 350 people
https://nypost.com/2020/08/04/radio-city-christmas-spectacular-canceled-for-first-time-ever/

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You May Have Missed---

How beloved is Trump in California?
    Biden beating him by 39 points, poll finds
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/08/04/how-beloved-is-trump-in-california-biden-beating-him-by-39-points-poll-finds/

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Sports Briefs---

Rafael Nadal won't play in US Open,
    cites coronavirus concerns
https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/29596152/defending-champion-rafael-nadal-cites-covid-19-concerns-announcing-play-us-open

With Raiders Barring Fans, the Most Valuable
     NFL Ticket Market Is Shut Down for 2020
https://247wallst.com/media/2020/08/04/with-raiders-barring-fans-the-most-valuable-nfl-ticket-market-is-shut-down-for-2020/

Explaining Matthew Stafford's COVID-19 false positive
    and the 'nightmare' it could create
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2020/08/04/matthew-stafford-coronavirus-covid-19-test-detroit-lions/3295303001/

Pelicans' Win over Grizzlies
     Further Clouds Western Conference Playoff Race
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2903012-pelicans-win-over-grizzlies-further-clouds-western-conference-playoff-race

Padecky: Baseball is full of habits
    that aren’t safe during the pandemic
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/sports/padecky-baseball-is-full-of-habits-that-arent-safe-during-the-pandemic/

Cardinals All-Stars Molina, DeJong and four other
     players reveal positive tests for COVID-19
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/birdland/cardinals-all-stars-molina-dejong-and-four-other-players-reveal-positive-tests-for-covid-19/article_02b07772-d613-5945-be54-6b506a0b3fac.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Dwayne ’The Rock’ Johnson acquires XFL
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/sports/dwayne-the-rock-johnson-acquires-xfl/?sba=AAS

49ers lose defensive back for the season
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/08/04/49erccckc.com>s-lose-defensive-back-for-the-season/

Who is the Youngest Quarterback to Win a Superbowl?
https://gamedayr.com/who-is-the-youngest-quarterback-to-win-a-superbowl/

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California Nuts Briefs---

California undercounting COVID-19 cases
    due to ‘serious’ technical issue, counties say
https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article244717192.html

El Dorado County restaurants defy closure orders
     after employees didn’t wear masks
https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article244690097.html

California's Great America Will Not Reopen In 2020: It's Official
https://patch.com/california/losgatos/s/h76cm/californias-great-america-will-not-reopen-in-2020-its-official

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“Gimme that Wine”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJnQoi8DSE8

Facing 60% hit to key sales channels, smaller wineries
     need to stash cash, cherish loyal consumers: analyst
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/industrynews/facing-60-hit-to-key-sales-channels-smaller-wineries-need-to-stash-cash/

Milla Handley, pioneering Anderson Valley winemaker,
    dies at 68 from complications due to COVID-19
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/milla-handley-pioneering-anderson-valley-winemaker-dies-at-68-from-compl/

California table grape season in full swing
http://www.fruitnet.com/asiafruit/article/182548/california-table-grape-season-in-full-swing

Canned Wine Sales Are Bursting at the Seams
https://www.winespectator.com/articles/canned-wine-sales-are-bursting-at-the-seams

As France’s wine industry contracts, an incalculable cultural loss
https://www.wine-business-international.com/wine/analysis/frances-wine-industry-contracts-incalculable-cultural-loss

Destination California: Boeger Winery
https://www.kron4.com/destination-california/destination-california-boeger-winery/

Free Wine App
https://www.nataliemaclean.com/mobileapp/

Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com
http://www.wine-searcher.com/

This Day in History

     1735 - Freedom of the press was established in the United States when John Peter Zenger, publisher of the New York Weekly Journal, won an acquittal of the libel charges placed by Gov. William Crosby. The royal governor had tried to censor Zenger's attacks on the British crown.
    1753 - George Washington became a Master Mason.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug04.html
    1790 - U.S. Coast Guard founded. 
    1830 - Plans for the city of Chicago laid out.
http://www.1upinfo.com/encyclopedia/C/Chicago-history.html
http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/chicagohistory.htm
    1838 - Emancipation of slaves in the Bahamas and Grenada by the British. A rumor started in the South that slaves would try to escape to the Bahama’s and fear of this lead to stricter attitudes and positions of slavery, especially by the many large slave owners who relied on the “free” labor at their farms, called plantations.
    1861 - In order to help pay for the Civil War effort, the US government levied the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861.  It taxed at 3% all income over $800.  The tax was rescinded in 1872.
    1867 – Jacob Ruppert (d. 1939) was born in NYC.  Known as Colonel Ruppert, he was already a well-known figure when he purchased the New York Yankees, then a perennially bad team, in January, 1915. Ruppert briefly served in the National Guard, earning the title Colonel. He also served in four terms in the United States Congress from 1899-1907.  Under his ownership, the Yankees became the first part of the greatest sports dynasty in history.  In 1920, the Yankees purchased Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox. Ruppert also oversaw the self-financed construction of Yankee Stadium in 1923. He owned the Yankees until his death in 1939, overseeing the franchise during one of its most glorious eras, during which the team won 9 pennants and 6 World Series titles. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013.  
    1873 - While protecting a railroad survey party in Montana, Custer and his 7th Cavalry clash for the first time with the Sioux Indians, who will defeat them three years later at Little Big Horn. During the previous two years, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry had not fought a single battle against the hostile Indians of the western Plains. Hungry for action, Custer was pleased when the 7th Cavalry was ordered to help protect a party of surveyors laying out the route for the proposed Northern Pacific Railroad. The new transcontinental railroad (the third in the United States) was to pass through territory controlled by hostile Sioux Indians. Custer was optimistic that the assignment would give him a chance to improve his reputation as an Indian fighter. Initially, the military escort saw little action. The hostile Indians seemed to be avoiding or ignoring the survey party. For Custer, the mission turned into something of a lark. He spent much of his time shooting buffalo, antelope, elk, and other animals. To find good hunting, he often led the 7th Cavalry far away from the survey party and the main body of the military escort.
On this day in 1873, Custer was far ahead of the rest of the force, camping along the Tongue River in southeastern Montana. Suddenly, a large band of Sioux warriors appeared on the horizon and attacked. The Indians were led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, but the young braves seemed to have attacked impetuously and with little planning. Custer, who had been taking an afternoon nap, reacted quickly and mounted an effective defense. After a brief skirmish, the Indians withdrew. Since only one soldier and one Indian were killed in the skirmish, Custer's short battle along the Tongue River seemed relatively insignificant at the time. However, Custer's easy escape in his first encounter with Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse may have given him a dangerously scornful view of their fighting abilities. It helped to confirm his belief that the Plains warriors tended to flee rather than fight. As a result, when Custer again encountered Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse at the Little Big Horn River three years later, his greatest fear was that they would withdraw before he could attack, and he rushed in without proper reconnaissance. That time, though, the Indians stood and fought, leaving Custer and more than 200 of his men dead.
    1874 - Methodist clergyman John H. Vincent (1832-1920) and Ohio manufacturer Lewis Miller established the Chautauqua Assembly in northwest New York state a summer retreat center combining recreational activities with the training of Sunday School teachers and other church workers.
    1875 - The first Convention of Colored Newspapermen was held in Cincinnati, Ohio. The convention's aim was to promote the establishment of United States newspapers that would focus on the African American community.
    1881 - 122ø F (50ø C), Seville, Spain (European record)
    1882 - A vivid aurora was visible from Oregon to Maine, down the east coast as far as Mayport, FL, and inland as far as Wellington KS. Observers at Louisville KY noted "merry dancers" across the sky, and observers at Saint Vincent, MN, noted it was probably the most brilliant ever seen at that location.
    1885 – Standard Oil of New Jersey was founded.  Established in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world of its time.  In 1885, Standard Oil of Ohio moved its headquarters from Cleveland to its permanent headquarters at 26 Broadway in NYC. Concurrently, the trustees of Standard Oil of Ohio chartered the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey (SOCNJ) to take advantages of New Jersey's more lenient corporate stock ownership laws. These are the forerunners of today’s Exxon-Mobil.
    1897 – African American Henry Rucker appointed Collector of Internal Revenue for Georgia
    1904 - Pianist/alto sax/trumpet player Kenneth Anderson born Pittsburgh, PA. (see the list: 
http://jazzinstituteofchicago.org/index.asp?
target=/jazzgram/bronzeville/union/part3.asp )
    1905 - Piano player Joseph Louis “Red” Cayou (d. 1994) born New Orleans, LA.  
    1906 – Actor writer, director and Hollywood giant, John Huston (d. 1987) was born at Nevada, MO.  His first film was “The Maltese Falcon” that catapulted Humphrey Bogart to stardom and began a historic collaboration that included “”The Treasure of Sierra Madre,” “Key Largo,” “The African Queen,” and “Beat the Devil.”  He was prolific in delivering other memorable films such as “Moby Dick,” “The Misfits,” “The Night of the Iguana,” “Chinatown,” “Two Jakes,” and “The Red Badge of Courage.”
    1909 - The Washington Nationals completed a marathon run of eight straight doubleheaders, a Major League record until the Boston Braves topped it in 1928. 
    1916 - Denmark agreed to cede the Danish West Indies, including the Virgin Islands, to the United States for $25 million. The deal took effect the following March 31. 
    1921 - Radio station KDKA provided its listeners with the first-ever broadcast of a Major League game. Harold Arlin was the first play-by-play announcer as he detailed the action of the Pittsburgh Pirates win over the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-5.  This trend grew slowly as owners feared drops in gate admissions to those listening on the radio.  The last holdouts were the New York teams - the Giants, Dodgers and Yankees - who combined to block radio broadcasts of their games until 1938.  The Golden Age of Radio is generally acknowledged as the 1920s into the 1950s, when television took hold as the broadcast medium.  Despite that, radio remains a favorite listening medium as every team has a radio network and several have multi-lingual stations as well.  During that period, many notable broadcasters, such as Mel Allen, Red Barber, Harry Caray, Russ Hodges, Ernie Harwell and Vin Scully, began their careers.
    1927 - The General Electric Station in Schenectady, New York, station 2XAG which was later named WGY, began experimenting with operations from a 100,000-watt transmitter. The FCC would later regulate the power of AM radio stations to not go over 50,000 watts on "clear channels" where few stations would interfere with each other. 
    1927 - For Victor Records in Bristol, Tennessee, singer Jimmie Rodgers recorded his first songs. On the record he sang "Sleep Baby Sleep" and "Soldier’s Sweetheart."   Not to be confused with rock ‘n’ roller of the same name.
    1930 - The temperature at Moorefield, WV, soared to 112 degrees to establish a state record, having reached 110 degrees the previous day. Widespread drought after April of that year caused some towns to haul water for domestic use, and many manufacturing plants were barely operational.
    1930 – Astronaut Neil Armstrong (d. 2012) was born at Wapakoneta, OH.  The first man to walk on the moon, he piloted the lunar module and on July 20, 1969, took the “giant leap for mankind.”
    1934 - Mel Ott became the first Major Leaguer to score 6 runs in one game.
    1936 - "Long" John Woodruff wins an Olympic gold medal in the 800-meter run.
http://www.fay-west.com/connellsville/historic/woodruff.php
http://www.greaterconnellsville.org/woodruff/commemorativeprintform.htm
    1940 - "Crime Doctor" introduced a new radio hero. CBS radio presented Dr. Benjamin Ordway, the show’s main character, as an amnesia victim. A former criminal, he got hit on the head, and began to work as a crime fighter.
    1944 - Nazi police found Anne Frank and her family, hiding in secret rooms above her father’s factory in Amsterdam, Holland. Anne was 15 years old at this time and had kept a diary during the two years of hiding from the Nazis. After the arrest, Anne and her sister were taken to a concentration camp. Anne Frank would die at Bergen-Belsen. Later Anne's diary was found and has since been translated into 30 languages, and adapted as both a play and a Hollywood film. 
    1944 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Swinging on a Star," Bing Crosby.
    1947 - Top Hits
“Peg o’ My Heart” - The Harmonicats
“That’s My Desire” - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Don Cornell)
“I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder” - Eddy Howard
“Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)” - Tex Williams
    1953 – Don Larsen of the St. Louis Browns, later of World Series perfect game fame, went 3 for 3 and established a record for consecutive hits by a pitcher with 7. The rookie hurler will hit .284 in 81 at bats this season. 
    1954 - In Saskatchewan, Canada, the uranium rush began. 
    1954 - Alfred Hitchcock's “Rear Window” had its world premiere at New York's Rivoli Theater. 
    1954 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Sh-Boom," The Crew-Cuts.
    1955 - Top Hits
“Rock Around the Clock” - Bill Haley & His Comets
“Ain’t That a Shame” - Fats Domino
“Learnin’ the Blues” - Frank Sinatra
“I Don’t Care” - Webb Pierce
    1955 – “To Catch a Thief,” starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, debuted in New York on this date. The film later received an Oscar for Best Color Cinematography. 
    1956 - At Wendover, Utah, Wilhelm Herz was clocked at 210 miles per hour, making him the first person to race a motorcycle over 200 miles-per-hour.
    1956 - Elvis Presley record "Hound Dog" b/w "Don't Be Cruel" is released.
    1956 - The Platters' "My Prayer" hits #1
    1957 - A world record was set by Florence Chadwick who swam the English Channel in 6 hours, 7 minutes. 
    1957 - Juan Fangio won his last car race, winning the world auto driving championship for the fifth consecutive year.
    1957 - The Everly Brothers make their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and introduce their upcoming single, "Wake Up Little Susie," a song which would go on to cause some major controversy and be banned from some radio stations.  
    1957 - The Brooklyn Sports Authority, seeking a way to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn, received an engineering report on a 50,000-seat stadium in the downtown area. It will cost an estimated $20.7 million, including the land site. Indications are that there will be trouble finding a market for the bond issue, particularly since the city was pushing for them to move to a new site in Flushing Meadows, Queens – the eventual site of Shea Stadium.  Dodgers’ owner Walter O’Malley responded, “we’re not the Queens Dodgers, we’re the Brooklyn Dodgers.”
    1957 – American Bandstand premiered nationally, on ABC.  A local Philadelphia show that began in the early 50s, Bandstand was hosted by Dick Clark and continued for over thirty years.  The format was simple:  teens dancing to rock and roll songs and listened to the top 10 each week.  Bandstand was the first show exclusive to rock and roll and was the first show that had integrated white and black teens on the set as dancers..
    1958 - Dumont TV Network crumbles. My father was a producer/writer/director for the Dumont network, creating among shows such as “Harlem Detective,” “Captain Video,” “Hands of Murder.” He met often with Dr. DuMont, who he once gave one of the exploding cigars I put in his pocket as a kid. Dumont was a scientist and not a “showman,” losing Jackie Gleason among others. My father worked right under Ted Bergman, who I remember my father respected.  Dr. DuMont is best known for improvements to the cathode ray tube in 1931 for use in television receivers. Seven years later, he manufactured and sold the first commercially practical television set to the public. In June 1938, his Model 180 television receiver was the first all-electronic television set ever sold to the public, a few months prior to RCA’s first set in April 1939. In 1946, DuMont founded the first television network to be licensed, the DuMont Television Network, initially by linking station WABD (named for DuMont) in New York City to station W3XWT, which later became WTTG, in Washington, DC (WTTG was named for Dr. Thomas G. Goldsmith, DuMont's Vice President of Research, and his best friend.) DuMont's successes in television picture tubes, TV sets and components and his involvement in commercial TV broadcasting made him the first millionaire in the business.
http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont2.htm
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/D/htmlD/DuMont/DuMont.htm
    1961 - 108ø F, Spokane, WA (record)
    1962 - Jamaica Independence Day. National holiday observing achievement of Jamaican independence from Britain. Annually the first Monday in August.
    1963 - The Beatles appear on the US record charts for the first time as "From Me to You" debuts at #116 in Billboard. Unfortunately, it stays there, due to problems with its American label (Vee Jay) and a cover version by Del Shannon that got the jump on it. It would take a massive promotional blitz by Capitol over the next five months to ensure a Beatles hit in America with the single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" b/w "I Saw Her Standing There" (Capitol 5112).
    1963 - Top Hits
“So Much in Love” - The Tymes
“Fingertips - Pt 2” - Little Stevie Wonder
“(You’re the) Devil in Disguise” - Elvis Presley
“Ring of Fire” - Johnny Cash
    1963 - In his first at-bat in two months after breaking his left foot, Mickey Mantle slams a pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning to beat the Orioles, 11-10.
    1964 - After disappearing on June 21, three civil rights workers were found murdered and buried in an earthen dam outside Philadelphia, MS. The three young men were workers on the Mississippi Summer Project organized by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to increase black voter registration. Prior to their disappearance, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were detained by Neshoba County police on charges of speeding. When their car was found, burned, on June 23, President Johnson ordered an FBI search for the men.
    1964 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "A Hard Day's Night," The Beatles.
    1966 - John Lennon's comment that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus Christ" was re-printed in an American teen magazine called Datebook and was widely reported in North America. The statement, made to London Evening Standard journalist Maureen Cleave several months earlier, caused a public outcry in the US and led to mass destruction of Beatle records. Thirty-five radio stations banned all Beatles songs and even the Ku Klux Klan made threats against the group. What Lennon actually said was "Christianity will go. It will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that, I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus Christ now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me."
    1968 - The Newport Pop Festival begins in Costa Mesa, California. 100,000 fans come out to hear Sonny & Cher, Tiny Tim, Jefferson Airplane, Steppenwolf, the Grateful Dead, the Byrds, Iron Butterfly and Eric Burdon and The Animals.
    1969 – The Pirates’ Willie Stargell became the first player to hit a home run completely out of Dodger Stadium. The 512-foot, 7th-inning, bases-empty blast breaks a 3-3 tie, on the way to the Pirates’ 11-3 win.  It was the last appearance of Don Drysdale's career, as in 6 days, he will make his retirement official.
    1971 - Top Hits
“You’ve Got a Friend” - James Taylor
“Mr. Big Stuff” - Jean Knight
“Draggin’ the Line” - Tommy James
“I’m Just Me” - Charley Pride
    1972 – “Superfly,” starring Ron O'Neal, opened in theaters. Directed by Gordon Parks, Jr., “Superfly's” success at the box office and unexpected acclaim prompted two sequels. The plot centers on a Harlem drug dealer who wants to retire. Curtis Mayfield's dynamic soundtrack set it apart from similar low-budget films. 
    1973 - Maureen McGovern's "The Morning After (The Song from the Poseidon Adventure)" hits #1 
    1974 - Paul Simon's "Love Me Like A Rock" is released.
    1974 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Feel Like Makin' Love," Roberta Flack.
    1979 - Top Hits
“Bad Girls” - Donna Summer
“Good Times” - Chic
“Ring My Bell” - Anita Ward
“You’re the Only One” - Dolly Parton
    1979 – The incomparable Willie Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Hack Wilson and Warren Giles.
    1980 - A record forty-two consecutive days of 100 degree heat finally came to an end at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. July, 1980 proved to be the hottest month of record with a mean temperature of 92 degrees. There was just one day of rain in July, and there was no measurable rain in August. There were 18 more days of 100-degree heat in August and four in September. Hot weather that summer contributed to the deaths of 1200 people nationally and losses from the heat across the country were estimated at $20 billion.
    1980 - After a five-year hiatus, John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin recording their album "Double Fantasy" at New York's Hit Factory Studio. The LP would go to number one in the US after its release in November, less than a month before Lennon was gunned down outside his New York apartment. "Double Fantasy" received the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. 
    1981 - A United States court ordered striking air traffic controllers back to work and fined their union $2.4 million a day for the duration of the strike.    
    1983 - During warm-ups, New York Yankee outfielder Dave Winfield threw a baseball and accidentally killed a seagull. When the game was over, Toronto police surrounded the batter and arrested him for "causing unnecessary suffering to an animal."
    1986 – Lefty Steve Carlton, nearing the end of his career and now pitching for the SF Giants, recorded his 4,000th strikeout, fanning Reds CF Eric Davis at Candlestick Park.  He finished his career with 4,136, second all-time to Nolan Ryan.
    1987 - Top Hits
“Shakedown” - Bob Seger
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” - U2
“I Want Your Sex” - George Michael
“Snap Your Fingers” - Ronnie Milsap
    1988 - Congress votes $20,000 to each Japanese-American interned in World War II.  President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the incarceration shortly after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.  He ordered the forced relocation and incarceration in camps in the interior of the country of between 110,000 and 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who had lived on the Pacific coast. Sixty-two percent of the internees were US citizens. 
    1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from eastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas to the Great Lakes Region, with 150 reports of large hail or damaging winds during the afternoon, evening, and nighttime hours. Thunderstorms produced tennis ball size hail at Claremont, MN, and wind gusts to 75 mph at Milwaukee, WI. Thunderstorms representing what once was Hurricane Chantal produced five inches of rain at Grant, MI, and deluged Chicago, IL, with more than three inches of rain in three hours
    1995 – Long-time coach Jimmie Reese, whose 23 years in an Angels uniform equals longest in club history, is inducted into the Angels' Hall of Fame. The former roommate of Babe Ruth began his career as a batboy for the Pacific Coast League's Los Angeles Angels in 1917.
    1995 – “Babe,” the charming sleeper hit about a pig who learns to be a sheep dog, debuted in United States movie theaters. The gentle film, with state-of-the-art computer technology, thrilled audiences young and old, and the film garnered many awards and nominations, including the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/ Musical, and it was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Veteran actor James Cromwell received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Farmer Hoggett, and director Chris Noonan received the New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best New Director. The National Society of Film Critics declared it Best Film of the Year. Christine Cavanaugh supplied the voice of the hero pig, and Roscoe Lee Browne was a moving narrator. Babe was based on the book "The Sheep-Pig" by Dick King- Smith. 
    1997 - The world's oldest person, Jeanne Calment, died aged 122 years and 164 days in Arles, France.
    1998 - Yankees' slugger Darryl Strawberry hits a game-tying pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth inning of New York's 10-5 win becoming the second Major Leaguer to hit two pinch-hit grand slams in one season.
    2000 - With 32 home games remaining, the Astros, who moved from the pitcher-friendly Astrodome to homer-haven Enron Field this season, set a franchise-record by already hitting 83 homers at home this season.
    2001 - Top Hits
“Bootylicious” - Destiny's Child 
“Loverboy” - Mariah Carey Featuring Cameo
“Let Me Blow Ya Mind” - Eve Featuring Gwen Stefani
“Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)” - Blu Cantrell
    2009 - A Federal jury ruled that a 25-year-old Boston University graduate student must pay $675,000 to four music companies for illegally downloading and distributing more than two dozen songs. The man said that he would file for bankruptcy protection. 
    2010 - The group led by Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg was confirmed as the winning bidder in the court-ordered auction of the Texas rangers, part of the bankruptcy proceedings for owner Tom Hicks’ sports properties group. The winning bid, valued at $385 million in cash, beat one from Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association; its total value reaches $593 million when the portion of Hicks's debts assumed by the new owners is taken into account.
    2013 – Major League Baseball handed out 13 suspensions in the Biogenesis scandal, in one of the largest disciplinary actions in history. Alex Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games - through the end of the 2014 season - but decided to appeal, the only one of the 13 to do so. Seven Major Leaguers were handed 50-game suspensions that effectively ended their seasons, while five minor leaguers were also disciplined. Ironically, Rodriguez played his first game of the season for the Yankees and was mercilessly booed at home.
    2013 - Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos purchased The Washington Post from the Graham estate.
    2015 – The US government polluted Colorado’s Animas River, accidentally releasing a million gallons of metal-laden mining wastewater while investigating a Superfund site.