Prequalification Referral Program Held
to Require a California License, Pays $50,000 Fine

By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal Editor

This is the second in a series informing readers that the California Department of Business Oversight (DBO) has gotten aggressive, including reaching out of state transactions and fining unlicensed brokers heavily.  - Editor

The California DBO and Broker Enter Into Stipulation That Prequalification Brokerage Services Requires a License.  Referral Services That Collect Credit Information Are Brokers

In re Nerd Wallet DBO December 7, 2018. 

I have written about California Financial Lenders who pay commissions to unlicensed brokers are violating the law. Today’s case is the other half of that article, where the DBO took on the unlicensed referral source. (1) The facts follow.

Nerd Wallet is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in San Francisco, California.  It is not licensed with the Department of Business Oversight as a broker, but made two unsuccessful applications to become a licensed lender.

Nerd Wallet offered a pre-qualification service to participating lenders, including those licensed by the California Department of Business Oversight. Prospective borrowers opted to receive pre-qualified offers from the pre-qualification lenders by voluntarily submitting certain confidential information to Nerd Wallet. Then Nerd Wallet transmitted a prospective borrower’s confidential information and authorization to the pre-qualification lenders. If the borrower’s application was approved, the loan was consummated in two ways.

First, Nerd Wallet displayed on its website to the prospective borrower the various offers from the pre-qualified lenders. Second, the prospective borrower could click on a link that directed the prospective borrower to the website of the lender. The lender would compensate Nerd Wallet with a commission. 

Based on the DBO’s findings, the DBO held that Nerd Wallet was operating as a broker, which requires a license, and Nerd Wallet did not have one. The DBO issued a cease and refrain order against Nerd Wallet. Nerd Wallet subsequently cooperated with the DBO and paid a $50,000 fine. Its application status is uncertain. 

The takeaway here should be obvious—any entity receiving loan applications for prospective loans made to California borrowers is a broker. Whether the program is called pre-qualification or a ping program, the entity is a broker. Get licensed as a broker or a lender, or both.

New Wallet Stipulation  (7 Pages)
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/NerdWalletStipulation2019.pdf

1. California Tags Lender for Paying Commissions to  Unlicensed Brokers
   By Tom McCurnin, Leasing News Legal Editor
   http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2019/02_25.htm# 

Tom McCurnin is a partner at Barton, Klugman & Oetting in Los Angeles, California.

Tom McCurnin
Barton, Klugman & Oetting
350 South Grand Ave.
Suite 2200
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Direct Phone: (213) 617-6129
Cell (213) 268-8291
Email: tmccurnin@bkolaw.com
Visit our web site at www.bkolaw.com
Previous Tom McCurnin Articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org

Previous Tom McCurnin Articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/leasing_cases.html

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Updated to Three Lists

Name In Business Since  Contact Website Leasing Association	Employees	Geo  Area	Dollar Amount		A	B	C	D	E
Timepayment Corp Burlington, Massachusetts  1989 Cory Damm Vice President 603-630-7427  cory.damm@timepayment.com www.timepayment.com/lease-brokers AACFB, ELFA, NEFA (Footnote)	175	National	$500 to  $1 million		Y	N	N	Y	Y

 

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

About TimePayment
TimePayment, is a Boston-based FinTech company owned by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group, a leading, highly diversified global investment manager.  Fortress is owned by SoftBank Group Corp. (TOKYO: 9984), a global technology investor focused on advancing the Information Revolution by forming long-term partnerships with the most superior companies in the information industry. TimePayment leads the industry with technology tools and capital that enables equipment sellers and financial intermediaries to offer fast, paperless equipment lease financing to their customers. The company’s proprietary credit scoring and risk-based transaction model delivers competitive lease financing solutions across the credit spectrum; from Fortune 500 companies to small business start-ups. TimePayment proudly serves more than 100,000 active accounts with transaction sizes ranging from $500 to over $500,000. Learn more at www.TimePayment.com.

Full Lists:

Funders Taking “New” Broker Business List
http://leasingnews.org/Pages/new_brokers2014.html

Funders Looking for Broker Business List
http://leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/New_Broker.htm

Funder List “A” List
http://leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm

 

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Credit Analyst Norwalk, Ct. Remote Location Considered 2 Years Min. Experience Collateral knowledge of over-the-road trucking assets, construction equipment, material handling, vocational units and machine tools is desired Call Maria Borges-Lopez: (203) 354-6090 or e-mail your resume to HumanResources@nmef.com Please click nmef.com/careers/ for more information www.nmef.com Providing small-ticket equipment financing for businesses across the country through our dedicated referral source network

 

 

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Finance and Leasing Industry Recruiters

These companies have experience in the finance and leasing industry

Second Column: YCS - Year Company Started | YELB - Years in equipment Leasing Business

Name  City, State  Contact  Website  Leasing Association	YCS  YELB  (see above for meaning)	Geographic Area	Specialty
Executive Solutions for Leasing & Finance, Inc. Atlanta GA 30308 Jon Gerson, President jongerson@exsolutions.com  678.528.8996 LinkedIn www.exsolutions.com	1990  (1990)	Nationwide	Search firm specializing in leasing industry. Services include retained and contingent search, strategic consultation, compensation analysis, sales & management training, & customizable consulting products.
Recruiters  International, Inc.  (RII)  Pembroke Pines, FL 33025  Emily Fitzpatrick  Sr. Recruiter info@rirecruit.com Phone: 954-885-9241 www.riicareer.com LinkedIn Also follow us on Twitter @RIIINFO	2000	North America	Explanation:  Boutique Executive Search Firm Specializing in the Finance & Equipment Leasing Industries. Our goal is to build long term relationships with our Clients & Candidates, keeping both sides abreast of current and future changes that effect supply & demand of Top Talent.  Excellent References & Testimonials
ZRG Partners 69 Milk St Third Floor Westborough, MA 01581 Contact: Ken Lubin,  klubin@zrgpartners.com Gerry Ricco, gricco@zrgpartners.com www.zrgpartners.com	1999 (32)	Global (Completed search in 33 countries   in leasing and lending)	Senior Level retained Search firm doing C-Suite searches, board searches and VP level positions, We work on a client focused, project basis

 

 

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ELFA Reports January, 2019 to January, 2018 up 4%
Petta says "Off to a Strong Start!"

(Chart: Leasing News)

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association reports their Monthly Leasing and Finance Index was up to $7.2 Billion in January, 2019 from $6.9 Billion January, 2018.

click to make larger
(Chart: ELFA)

Separately, the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s Monthly Confidence Index (MCI-EFI) in February is 56.7, up from the January index of 53.4.     

ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta said, “2019 gets off to a strong start in the equipment finance industry, with new business volume increasing 4 percent over the same period last year. Credit quality is stable. Business owners continue to expand their operations and acquire productive assets, even as interest rates edge up ever so slightly, with the Fed signaling a cautious wait-and-see posture for additional interest rate hikes this year.”

Dave B. Fate, President and CEO, Stonebriar Commercial Finance, said, “The equipment finance industry remains robust with steady to improving metrics as we start the new year. Multiple factors contributed to an overall positive impact in the markets, including continued strong reported corporate earnings, record low unemployment, strong retail sales, trade talks moving forward in a positive fashion and the Federal Reserve’s significant change in tone.

“Stonebriar Commercial Finance had its fourth consecutive year since inception of record earnings, originations and no delinquency or credit losses. We enter 2019 with over $1 billion of new business volume in various stages in our pipeline. We remain bullish about the prospects in our industry for 2019.”

Receivables over 30 days were 1.70 % unchanged from the previous month and down from 1.90 % the same period in 2018. Charge-offs were 0.35 %, down from 0.55 % the previous month, and virtually unchanged from the year-earlier period.

Credit approvals totaled 76.1 % in January, down from 77.9 % in December. Total headcount for equipment finance companies was flat year over year.

click to make larger

click image to make larger

click image to make larger

click image to make larger

(Charts: ELFA)

Tom McCurnin to Retire
Leasing News Advisor & Legal Editor

A formal announcement will be issued by Tom McCurnin the first week of March that he will be retiring as an attorney after 44 years, effective March 31, 2019. He has notified his partners and staff. He will be sending an announcement to his clients and friends March 3 – March 5, and it will be posted in a Leasing News Edition.

I am proud to confirm Tom will remain on the Leasing News Advisory Board as well as remain as Legal News Editor, both of which are voluntary positions, or in his language, pro bono. He does not accept clients from stories or complaints, but, when appropriate, refers them to other attorneys. His main clients have been banks and leasing companies.

As of February 27, 2019, Tom has written 791 columns for Leasing News since March 16, 2007. He has contributed to other media, including major newspapers as well as bank and law publications. He also has represented and appeared for Leasing News as pro bono attorney. He is the number one legal consultant for news stories and general business matters serving as our Richard Boone, better known as "Paladin," his favorite TV character in "Have Gun, Will Travel."
    - Editor

Tom McCurnin
Barton, Klugman & Oetting
350 South Grand Ave.
Suite 2200
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Direct Phone: (213) 617-6129
Cell (213) 268-8291
Fax: (213) 625-1832
Email: tmccurnin@bkolaw.com

Before becoming a principal partner with Barton, Klugman & Oetting, Tom worked as an inside attorney for Rockford Industries and American Express Business Finance.

He is a member of the State Bar of California; Federal Bar Association; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Financial Lawyers Conference-Los Angeles; Independent Bankers Association; California Bankers Association; Los Angeles Commercial Law Committee

Law School: Drake University (J.D., 1975) 
College: University of Iowa (B.A., 1972)

He is an accomplished musician and a world traveler. Tom is also active in animal rescue, particularly Labrador Retrievers. His main hobbies are Class V White Water River Rafting, Wilderness Canoeing and Camping, Woodworking and Home Building, Historic Home Renovation, Muscle Car Restoration, Labrador Retriever Rescue Foundation.

Leasing Cases by Tom McCurnin
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/leasing_cases.html

 

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

John Kuett Joins LeaseAccelerator
as Vice President for Lease Accounting

Senior IFRS specialist to lead IFRS
16 accounting implementations in EMEA

LONDON – Reston, Virginia – LeaseAccelerator, the pioneer in Enterprise Lease Accounting solutions, announced today that IFRS 16 lease accounting expert John Kuett has joined the company as its new Vice President, Lease Accounting EMEA.  Kuett brings over 20 years of experience leading financial reporting, accounting and compliance for multinationals.

Based in Switzerland, John Kuett was most recently the Reporting Specialist at Nestlé, a $100 billion international consumer products manufacturer, where he was responsible for the implementation and application of changes in the International Financial Reporting at Group level. At Nestlé, Kuett established and updated the company’s internal and external financial reporting guidelines, as well as provided vital advice and support on how the guidelines applied to specific issues and transactions across the global businesses.

Most recently, John led Nestlé’s early adoption of IFRS 16 on the company’s SAP platform using a full retrospective transition approach and then set up a leasing global centre of excellence in the firm’s shared services organization.  Prior to that, John led the project team for IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. He also directed training of the global Nestlé Finance & Control community. John Kuett’s previous roles include Controller and Assistant Treasurer at Jenny Craig, Inc. and Vice President and Controller at Frederick’s of Hollywood.

Kuett is a leading industry IFRS expert, specializing in topics such as IFRS 15 Revenue, IAS 16 Property, Plant & Equipment, IFRS 16 Leases, IAS 36 Impairment of Assets, IAS 37 Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets, and IAS 38 Intangible Assets.

Michael Keeler, CEO of LeaseAccelerator, said, “John’s extensive experience will be invaluable in helping our clients succeed with their IFRS 16 compliance projects,” said. “He understands the interrelationships and dependencies among all of the IFRS standards – not just IFRS 16. As a former corporate controller, he can brainstorm and collaborate with our customers at all levels and at every stage of their implementation project and long-term operations.”

John Kuett, added, “To adopt IFRS 16 without breaking the bank, companies need to substantially change how they manage, control and account for leases by automating the processes as much as possible.

 “I joined LeaseAccelerator because its mission is to take costs, risks and time out of the global close process through automation. This is what controllers need right now. In my new role, I’ll help customers and partners with all aspects of their LeaseAccelerator IFRS 16 implementation projects.”

John will be speaking at the IFRS 16 – Application in Practice conference on 5 March in Amsterdam.  His presentation, IFRS 16 Leases – Beyond Day 1, will explore the challenges and best practices associated with maintaining the integrity of the lease database, capturing ROU activity for reporting and disclosure, and achieving efficiencies and cost savings.

About LeaseAccelerator:
LeaseAccelerator offers the market-leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution for Enterprise Lease Accounting, enabling compliance with the current and new FASB and IFRS standards. Using LeaseAccelerator’s proprietary Global Lease Accounting Engine, customers can apply the new standards to all types of leases including real estate, fleet, IT, and other equipment at an asset-level as required by FASB and IASB. On average, LeaseAccelerator’s Sourcing and Management applications generate savings of 17 percent with smarter procurement and end-of-term management. Learn more at http://www.leaseaccelerator.com/.

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

Labrador Retriever Mix
San Bernardino, California  Adopt-a-Dog

ID#A711115

I am a female, tan and white Retriever mix.

The shelter staff thinks I am about 1 year old.

I have been at the shelter since Feb 20, 2019.

For more information about this animal, call:
San Bernardino County - Devore Shelter at (909) 386-9820
Ask for information about animal ID number A711115

Adoption Fee: $104

Devore Animal Shelter
19777 Shelter Way
San Bernardino, CA 92407
Ph: (909) 386-9820

Hours of Operation:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10:00am - 6:30pm
Wednesday: 10:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Adopt a Pet
http://www.adoptapet.com/

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Update Funding Sources

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association Largest gathering of major Funding Sources is updated. This will be the top opportunities for professionals to gain two days insight on new programs, directions, and attract the top producers in the leasing and finance industry. The top veterans will be here as well as those new to the industry.

Leasing News Advisor, Hugh Swandel, The Alta Group, will be covering the conference for Leasing News readers.

All suites have been reserved. Meeting rooms and booths are still available for Funding Sources. Register today to reserve your meeting room or booth Funding Sources!

2019 Funding Sources as of 02/21/2019

36th Street Capital
ATEL Capital Group
AvTech Capital, LLC
Baystone Government Finance/KS State Bank
BB&T Commercial Equipment Capital Corp.
BB&T Equipment Finance
BMO Harris Equipment Finance
Boston Financial & Equity Corporation
Brean Capital, LLC
Bridge Funding Group, Inc.
Capital Guidance
CapitalSource, Inc.
CapX Partners
Channel Partners Capital
CIT
Citizens Asset Finance, Inc.
Crestmark Vendor Finance, A division of MetaBank
Customers Commercial Finance, LLC
ECS Financial Services, Inc.
ENGS Commercial Finance Co.
Equipment Leasing Group of America, LLC
First American Equipment Finance, an RBC / City National Company
First Bank of Highland Park
First Eagle Bank
First Midwest Equipment Finance Co.
Flagstar Bank
Flushing Bank
GE Capital Markets Group
Fuyo General Lease (USA) Inc.
Hanmi Bank
Hitachi Capital America Corp.
Huntington Equipment Finance
IBERIA Corporate Asset Finance, Inc.
Innovation Finance USA LLC
J.P. Morgan Equipment Finance
LEAF Commercial Capital Inc.
Key Equipment Finance
MB Equipment Finance
MB Financial Bank
MB Financial Bank - Paying Agent
Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance (U.S.A.) Inc.
Moody's Analytics
Nations Equipment Finance, LLC
NFS Leasing, Inc.
Odessa
Peapack Capital Corporation
People's Capital and Leasing Corp.
PNC Equipment Finance, LLC
Prime Alliance Bank
Santander Bank Equipment Finance
SCG Capital Corporation
Securcor Financial Group
Signature Financial
Societe Generale Equipment Finance
Sterling National Bank Equipment Finance Division
Stonebriar Commercial Finance
Sumitomo Mitsui Finance & Leasing Co., Ltd.
SunTrust Equipment Finance & Leasing Corp.
TCF Equipment Finance, a division of TCF National Bank
TIAA Commercial Finance, Inc.
Tokyo Century (USA) Inc.
U.S. Bank Equipment Finance
Verdant Commercial Capital LLC
VFI Corporate Finance
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance
Wintrust Commercial Finance
Wintrust Specialty Finance

March 18, 2019 Hotel Cutoff for Room Reservations
(After this date, based on availability)

Full Event Brochure:
https://www.elfaonline.org/cvweb_elfa/cgi-bin/documentdll.dll/view?DOCUMENTNUM=2239

News Briefs----

New Attacks Show Signed PDF Documents Cannot Be Trusted
without invalidating their signature, researchers have warned
https://www.securityweek.com/new-attacks-show-signed-pdf-documents-cannot-be-trusted
https://www.zdnet.com/article/researchers-break-digital-signatures-for-most-desktop-pdf-viewers/

Fiat Plans $4.5 Billion Investment Jeep and Ram's U.S. Plants
 expected to create  6,000+ new jobs at FCA plants in Michigan
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/business/fiat-chrysler-jeep-plant.html

US housing starts plummeted 11.2 percent in December
Could be Weather for slowest pace of construction since Sept. ‘16
https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-housing-starts-plummeted-11-2-percent-in-december 

Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos gave away $2 billion in 2018
   the most in U.S.
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/jeff-and-mackenzie-bezos-gave-away-2-billion-in-2018-the-most-in-u-s/

Wynn Resorts Fined $20 Million Over Handling
   of Steve Wynn Misconduct Claims
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/business/wynn-vegas-nevada-gaming-commission.html

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You May Have Missed---

True Story: I Cold Called a Merchant
  By Todd Stone  deBanked.com
https://debanked.com/2019/02/true-story-i-cold-called-a-merchant/

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Poem

-- This Is Just to Say
By William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

 

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Sports Briefs---

Cowboys' Gregory suspended indefinitely by NFL
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/26086362/cowboys-gregory-suspended-indefinitely-nfl

49ers place franchise tag on Gould
https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-place-franchise-tag-gould-190258932.html

Michael Crabtree released by Ravens;
   could 49ers, Raiders be interested?
https://sports.yahoo.com/michael-crabtree-released-ravens-could-235519653.html

Raiders will return to Coliseum
  — and everybody ends up looking bad
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/02/26/raiders-will-return-to-coliseum-and-everybody-ends-up-looking-bad/

A Tom Brady rookie football card sold for $400,100
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2019/02/26/tom-brady-rookie-football-card-sold-for/pjNU9f9E0liGDXK7FBdBTM/story.html

Cowboys want to pay Dak Prescott now and not wait until next year
http://www.theredzone.org/Blog-Description/EntryId/75285/Cowboys-want-to-pay-Dak-Prescott-now-and-not-wait-until-next-year

Ndamukong Suh unsure of future with Rams, 'We'll See'
http://www.theredzone.org/Blog-Description/EntryId/75283/Ndamukong-Suh-unsure-of-future-with-Rams---We-ll-See-

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California Nuts Briefs---

Gov. Newsom Declares State Of Emergency From Winter Storms
https://patch.com/california/saratoga/s/gmv73/gov-newsom-declares-state-of-emergency-from-winter-storms?utm_source=alert-breakingnews&utm_medium=email&utm_term=weather&utm_campaign=alert

Sonoma County officials order mandatory Russian River evacuations
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9324929-181/4-rural-school-districts-close

Looking for a home in San Francisco Silicon Valley?
   Better make $255,000
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/02/26/looking-for-a-home-in-silicon-valley-better-make-255k/

Major California DMV account heading toward collapse,
   analyst says
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article226811474.html

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

The 52 California wineries you need to visit in 2019
https://thepress.sfchronicle.com/review/52-california-wineries-2019/

Berger on wine: Wine business growing more difficult
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/9276793-181/berger-on-wine-wine-business

Central Coast Insights Dives Deep
  into Regional Trends and Challenges
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=210169

Downtown California Wine Country tasting rooms
  help rural vintners get noticed
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/9308070-181/wine-tasting-rooms-small-business-marketing

North Coast Brewing Co. resumes making Thelonious beer
    after trademark settlement
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/mendocinocounty/9326454-181/north-coast-brewing-beer-trademark-mendocino?ref=tsm

Why These Wines Took Flight in 2018
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkapon/2019/02/25/why-these-wines-took-flight-in-2018/#6ed993ec13b7

The history behind Napa Valley's first black-owned estate winery
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/the-history-behind-napa-valley-s-first-black-owned-estate-winery/1808823672

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

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

US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/

Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm

This Day in History

      1717 - Perhaps the greatest snow in New England history commenced on this date. During a ten-day period, a series of four snowstorms dumped three feet of snow upon Boston, and the city was snowbound for two weeks. Up to six feet of snow was reported farther to the north, and drifts covered many one story homes….well, maybe not as much as the Blizzards of 2015!!
   1728 - Importation of rum in the colonies for this year amounted to 2,124,500 gallons of liquor. Drinking was extremely heavy. This printed doggerel gave one reason why people did not drink:
            There’s but one Reason I can Think
            Why People ever cease to drink,
            Sobriety the Cause is not,
            Nor Fear of being deam’d a Sot,
            But if Liquor can’t be got.
    1773 - Christ Church in Alexandria, VA was completed after six years of construction and a total cost of approximately $4070. George Washington purchased a pew for himself and his family at a cost of about $100. He also donated a handsome brass chandelier to the church.
http://www.historicchristchurch.org/History/history1.htm
    1776 - A colonial force of North Carolina patriots resoundingly defeats a detachment of Scottish Loyalists at Moore’s Creek Bridge near Wilmington. The battle ended Royal Governor Josiah Martin's hopes of regaining control of the colony for the British crown. In addition, this first decisive Patriot victory of the Revolutionary War raised morale for Patriots throughout the colonies. 
    1782 - In England, the House of Commons votes against waging any further war in America. On 5 March, Parliament enacts legislation empowering the English Crown to negotiate peace with the United States.
    1792 - A heavy snowfall at Charleston, South Carolina caused the Ashley River Bridge to collapse.
http://www.ashleyriver.org/origins%207.html
http://www.wilbursmith.com/services/Bridges/bridgeAshley.htm
    1801 – Pursuant to the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Washington, DC was placed under federal jurisdiction.
    1807 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (d. 1882), American poet and writer, was born at Portland, ME. He is best remembered for his classic narrative poems, such as “The Song of Hiawatha,” “Paul Revere's Ride,” and “The Wreck of the Hesperus.” He was the most popular 19th century American poet and first to earn a living solely from writing verse. His best-known narrative poem, ‘The Song of Hiawatha” (1855) adapted its meter from the Finnish national epic “Kalevala.”
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/long.htm
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb27.html
    1813 - Congress authorized the use of steamboats to transport mail 
    1813 – The first federal legislation dealing with vaccinations was passed.
    1827 - The first Mardi-Gras celebration is held in New Orleans.
    1827 - The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Co. was incorporated.
    1850 - Charlotte Ray (d. 1911), first African-American female lawyer, born New York City. She became the first woman to be accepted by the District of Columbia Bar Association. Ray opened a law office in Washington, D.C., but racial prejudices proved too strong, and she could not obtain enough legal business to maintain an active practice. In 1879 she returned to New York City unable to establish and maintain a successful law practice on her own. There she became active with the National Association of Colored Women and the National Women's Suffrage Association. She was employed by the Brooklyn School System. Around 1886 she married a man with the last name Fraim and moved to Woodside on Long Island. She died on January 4, 1911 from bronchitis at the age of 60. She was a person that stood up for what she believed in. She did much to help women black and white to gain equal rights to vote and to hold the same occupations at men.
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_ray_charlotte.htm
http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/24/Attorney
    1854 - About 50 slavery opponents met in Ripon, Wis., to call for creation of a new political group that became the Republican Party.
    1860 – Abraham Lincoln spoke at Cooper Union in NYC, a speech that is widely credited for his election. 
    1863 - Confederate raider William Quantrill and his bushwhackers attacked Hickman, Kentucky, shooting women and children.
    1864 - As chronicled in the book “Andersonville,” the first Union prisoners begin arriving at the Andersonville prison, even though it was still under construction in southern Georgia. Andersonville became synonymous with death as nearly a quarter of its inmates died in captivity. Henry Wirz, commandant at Andersonville, was executed after the war for the brutality and mistreatment committed under his command. Originally designed for 10,000 men, it soon housed over 33,000 in quite deplorable conditions. The creek banks eroded, creating a swamp, which became part of the compound. Food was scarce, and guards were encouraged to “lessen the population” and were quite brutal and violent to the prisoners.
http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/anderson.htm
http://www.libs.uga.edu/hargrett/selections/confed/aville2.html
http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/andecon.htm
List of Union soldiers who died and their cause of death:
http://www.civilwarindiana.com/andersonville/andersonville.php3
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov10.html
http://www.nps.gov/ande/
    1869 - American pathologist Alice Hamilton (d. 1970) was born at New York, NY. She contributed to the workmen's compensation laws by reporting on the dangers to workers of industrial toxic substances. She taught at Harvard Medical School from 1919 until 1935.
    1869 - John Willis Menard spoke to Congress in defense of his claim to a contested seat representing Louisiana's Second Congressional District, thus becoming the first black to speak to Congress. Congress decided against his claim, as well as the claim of the other contestant. Congressman James A. Garfield said, "It was too early to admit a Negro to the U.S. Congress." So, Menard was actually the first black elected to Congress, in 1868, but he was not permitted to serve his term. He was reportedly paid by Congress a monthly salary for the term of office he was to fulfill. He was not only an active civil rights advocate, but a published poet.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~crackerbarrel/Menard.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879852748/avsearch-df1-2-20
    1872 - Charlotte Ray, first African-American woman lawyer, graduated Harvard University. She was employed by the Brooklyn School System.
http://www.loogootee.k12.in.us/east/ray.htm
http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/24/
Attorney_Charlotte_Ray_was_forced_to_teach
    1877 – Birthday of Walter Briggs (d. 1952), Jr. in Ypsilanti, MI.  He was an entrepreneur and part-owner of the Detroit Tigers (1919-35), and then sole owner (1935-52), when he died. Briggs also helped found the Detroit Zoo in 1928, and personally paid for many of its first exhibits.  He was also a patron of Eastern Michigan University and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
    1879 - Sugar substitute Saccharine was discovered by Constantine Fahlberg, who was working under the direction of Professor Ira Remsen at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Fahlberg described the discovery in an article entitle “On the Liquid Touensulphochloride,” which he submitted to the American Chemical Journal on this day. Saccharine is an edible substance 550 times sweeter than table sugar, but not absorbed by the body.
    1882 - Geraldine Farrar (d. 1967), American operatic soprano and actress, was born in Melrose, MA.   
    1883 - Oscar Hammerstein of New York City, grandfather of the famous composer, received a patent for the first practical cigar-rolling machine.
    1888 – Historian Arthur Schlesinger (d. 1965) was born in Xenia, OH.  He pioneered social history and urban history. He was a Progressive Era intellectual who stressed material causes such as economic profit and conflict between businessmen and farmers, and downplayed ideology and values as motivations for historical actors. He was highly influential as a director of PhD dissertations at Harvard for three decades, especially in the fields of social, women's and immigration history. 
    1890 - Cornet player Freddie Keppard (d. 1933) born New Orleans, LA.
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/k1/freddie_keppard_b.htm
http://www.redhotjazz.com/keppard.html
http://artisttv.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio
/0,,452708,00.html?artist=Freddie+Keppard
http://atj.8k.com/noartist/atjkeppard.html
http://www.musikrunterladen.com/stars/31837-freddie-keppard--the-legend.html
    1891 - David Sarnoff (d. 1971), broadcasting pioneer, was born in Minsk, present-day Belarus.  Sarnoff moved to New York at age nine, and at seventeen, he took a job as a telegraph messenger boy. He used his first paycheck to buy a telegraph and taught himself Morse code. Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company hired him as a telegraph operator. In 1912, Sarnoff was the first telegraph operator to pick up the Titanic's distress call; he remained at his post for seventy-two hours, monitoring the call and passing on information. Sarnoff rose rapidly through the ranks of the company in various capacities from shortly after its founding in 1919 until his retirement in 1970.  He proposed that Marconi market a "radio music box" and, in 1921, became general manager of RCA. Sarnoff also set up the NBC radio network and established the first U.S. television service in 1939.  He ruled over an ever-growing telecommunications and consumer electronics empire that included both RCA and NBC, and became one of the largest companies in the world.  
http://www.stfrancis.edu/ba/ghkickul/stuwebs/bbios/biograph/sarnoff.htm
http://www.mercurians.org/may99/d.sarnoff.library.html
    1892 – Actor William Demarest (d. 1983) was born in St. Paul, MN.  He is best known as Uncle Charley in the TV series, “My Three Sons.”  A veteran of World War I, Demarest became a prolific film and TV actor, working on over 140 films, beginning in 1926 and ending in the 1970s. He frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles. 
    1897 - Marian Anderson (d. 1993) born at Philadelphia (some sources say in 1899 or 1902). Anderson's talent was evident at an early age. Her career stonewalled by the prejudice she encountered in the US, she moved to Europe where the magnificence of her voice and her versatility as a performer began to establish her as one of the world's finest contraltos. Preventing Anderson's performance at Washington's Constitution Hall in 1939 on the basis of her color, the Daughters of the American Revolution secured for her the publicity that would lay the foundation for her success in the States. Her performance was rescheduled, and on Apr 9 (Easter Sunday), 75,000 people showed up to hear her sing from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and the performance was simultaneously broadcast by radio. In 1957, Anderson became the first African-American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera. The following year, President Eisenhower named her a delegate to the United Nations. She performed at President Kennedy's inauguration and in 1963, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Some historians cite the Lincoln Memorial performance as the first strategic victory of the modern civil rights movement. http://www.afrovoices.com/anderson.html
http://oldsite.library.upenn.edu/special/gallery/anderson/index.html
    1900 - A massive snowstorm set records from Kansas to New York. 18.7 inches of snow was measured at Topeka, Kansas in 24 hours -- the city's greatest 24-hour snowfall on record. 17.5 inches fell at Springfield, Illinois, 43 inches at Rochester, New York, 60 inches in the Adirondacks, and 31 inches at Northfield, Vermont.
    1901 - Linus Pauling (d. 1994), the American Nobel Prize-winning chemist, was born in Portland, OR.  Also a biochemist, peace activist, author, educator, and husband of American human rights activist Ava Helen Pauling, he published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics.  New Scientists called him one of the 20 greatest scientists of all time, and as of 2000, he was rated the 16th most important scientist in history. 
    1902 – Birthday of John (Ernst) Steinbeck (d. 1968), one of American’s best writers: “The Grapes of Wrath,” “Cannery Row.”  He was known also for his many short stories and “Travels with Charlie,” which generated several television programs. He lived a few blocks away from where I live now, and in the 1940’s and 1950’s wrote many of his books here.
http://www.steinbeck100.org/
http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/steinbec/chron.html
http://www2.tcu.edu/depts/prs/amwest/pdf/wl0424.pdf
    1902 - Gene Sarazen, golfer, was born Eugenio Saraceni (d. 1999) at Harrison, NY. Sarazen was one of the game's greatest players and in his later years, one of its greatest goodwill ambassadors. The inventor of the sand wedge, Sarazen was also the first to win the modern grand slam (the Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA), although not in the same year. During the 1935 Masters, he hit one of golf's most famous shots, a four-wood for a double eagle on the par-5 fifteenth hole of the final round. The shot enabled him to tie Craig Wood for the lead and defeat him in a playoff. Sarazen's last shot was the traditional ceremonial tee shot to open the 1999 Masters. 
    1904 - James Ferrell (d. 1979), American author, novelist and short story writer, best known for his Studs Lonigan trilogy, at Chicago, IL.
    1906 – Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (d. 1947) was born in Brooklyn.  The American gangster who started Las Vegas gambling was known as one of the most "infamous and feared gangsters of his day."  Described as handsome and charismatic, he became one of the first front-page celebrity gangsters. After he took over the construction of the Flamingo Hotel there, he was heavily into mob money for the finances.  After two weeks, the Flamingo's gaming tables were in the red and the entire operation shut down in late January, 1947.  After being granted a second chance, Siegel cracked down and did everything possible to turn the Flamingo into a success by making renovations and obtaining good press. The hotel reopened on March 1, 1947 and began turning a profit.  However, by the time profits began improving, the mob bosses above Siegel were tired of waiting. Although time was running out, at age 41, Siegel had carved out a name for himself in the annals of organized crime and in Las Vegas history.  On the night of June 20, 1947, as Siegel sat with his associate Allen Smiley in girlfriend Virginia Hill’s Beverly Hills home reading the newspaper, an unknown assailant fired at him through the window, hitting him many times, including twice in the head.  No one was charged with killing Siegel and the crime remains officially unsolved. The day after Siegel's murder, David Berman and his Las Vegas mob associates walked into the Flamingo and took over operation of the hotel and casino.
    1907 - Birthday of singer Mildred Bailey (d. 1951), Tekoa, WA. Tagged Mr. and Mrs. Swing she led a band with her husband Red Norvo, did solo vocals, and had her own radio show. 
http://www.parabrisas.com/d_baileym.html http://www.mrlucky.com/songbirds/html/oct99/9910_bailey.html
http://www.amazon.com/absolutsearch05/102-1682336-8966565
    1909 - Guitarist Harrison Verrett (d. 1965) born Napoleonville, LA
http://tec.uno.edu/george/Papers/HIST4991/fatsDomino.html
    1912 - Hilton Lee Smith (d. 1983), baseball player, born at Giddings, TX. Smith was a dominant pitcher in the Negro Leagues. He possessed a superb curve ball and was often considered the equal or better of Satchel Page.
    1913 – American playwright, author, screenwriter, Irwin Shaw, born Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff (d. 1984) in The Bronx. He was best known for his book “The Young Lions.”
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/ishaw.htm
http://www.ibgm.com/stinson/st-prod.htm
    1917 – Former Texas Governor and Secretary of the Treasury John Connally (d. 1993) was born in Floresville, TX.  He was a passenger and was wounded on November 22, 1963 with President Kennedy, the latter falling to the assassins’ bullets. 
    1922 - A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment, allowing women the right to vote, is rebuffed by the Supreme Court in Leser v. Garnett.
    1923 - Guitarist Chuck Wayne (d. 1997) born New York City.
    1923 - Tenor sax player Dexter Gordon (d. 1996), Los Angeles, CA (saw him play many times, often at the jazz house in Half Moon Bay --I believe.)
http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/dex.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0306803615/inktomi-bkasin-20/102-1682336-8966565
http://www.greatmodernpictures.com/pjazz11.htm
http://www.jazzreview.com/articledetails.cfm?ID=143
http://members.aol.com/jaz206/profiles/gordon.html/
    1926 - First jazz concert held at Chicago’s Coliseum, sponsored by Okey Records.
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/cja/mapkey.html
    1928 - Guitarist Roy Montrell born Raymond Eustis Montrell (d. 1979), New Orleans, LA.
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/m4/roy_montrell_b.htm
http://www.theiceberg.com/artist.html?artist_id=20395
    1929 - The first movie by a major company for an African-American audience was shown at the Gaiety Theatre, New York City. It was the William Fox Movietone feature “Heats in Dixie,” a musical comedy drama of the South featuring 200 entertainers. It was a Paul Sloane production, written and directed by Eugene Walter, with story dialogue by Walter Weems. The featured actor was Stephen “Stepin” Fetchit. The entire cast, with one exception, was African-American.
http://www.cwpost.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/african/movies.htm
    1930 - Birthday of actress Joanne Woodward in Thomasville, GA. Won Academy award for Best Actress, “The Three Faces of Eve” (1957) and nominated for several others. Won several Emmys for her TV work. Perhaps most remembered as the widow of Paul Newman (Newman's Own).
    1932 - Birthday of actress Elizabeth Taylor (d. 2011) in London, England. A complex and headline-grabbing private life and her violet eyes in an exquisite face, often eclipse the fact that she won two Academy Awards for Best Actress: “Butterfield 8” (1960) and “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf” (1966). She had been nominated three other times. She received the Presidential Citizens Medal, the Legion of Honor, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and a Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute, who named her seventh on their list of the “Greatest American Screen Legends”. Helped form pioneer AIDS-fighting organization Am-Far and was a cosmetic executive. Her mother was actress Sara Sothern.
    1933 – Baltimore Colts Hall of Fame receiver and one of Johnny Unitas’ favorite targets, Raymond Berry, was born in Corpus Christi, TX.
    1934 - Consumer advocate Ralph Nader born in Winsted, Connecticut. His claim to fame was his 1965 book, “Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile.” Today he is an active political candidate for change.
http://www.nader.org/
    1935 - The 7th Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel for the films of 1934. Actor/writer Irvin S. Cobb hosted the big show. "It Happened One Night" swept the awards, capturing Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Actor (Clark Gable) and Best Actress (Claudette Colbert). A miniature version of Oscar was presented to child star, Shirley Temple “...in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934.” 
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0147992.html 
    1939 – The Supreme Court ruled that sit-down strikes violate property owners' rights and are therefore illegal.
    1940 - College basketball was televised for the first time as station W2XBS aired the Pittsburgh-Fordham and Georgetown-NYU games from Madison Square Garden in New York.
    1945 - WATSON, WILSON DOUGLAS, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division. Place and date: Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 26 and 27 February 1945. Entered service at: Arkansas. Born: 18 February 1921, Tuscumbia, Ala. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as automatic rifleman serving with the 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 26 and 27 February 1945. With his squad abruptly halted by intense fire from enemy fortifications in the high rocky ridges and crags commanding the line of advance, Pvt. Watson boldly rushed 1 pillbox and fired into the embrasure with his weapon, keeping the enemy pinned down single-handedly until he was in a position to hurl in a grenade, and then running to the rear of the emplacement to destroy the retreating Japanese and enable his platoon to take its objective. Again pinned down at the foot of a small hill, he dauntlessly scaled the jagged incline under fierce mortar and machinegun barrages and, with his assistant BAR man, charged the crest of the hill, firing from his hip. Fighting furiously against Japanese troops attacking with grenades and knee mortars from the reverse slope, he stood fearlessly erect in his exposed position to cover the hostile entrenchments and held the hill under savage fire for 15 minutes, killing 60 Japanese before his ammunition was exhausted and his platoon was able to join him. His courageous initiative and valiant fighting spirit against devastating odds were directly responsible for the continued advance of his platoon, and his inspiring leadership throughout this bitterly fought action reflects the highest credit upon Pvt. Watson and the U.S. Naval Service.
    1946 - Top Hits
“Let It Snow” - Vaughn Monroe
“Symphony” - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
“I Can’t Begin to Tell You” - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
“Guitar Polka” - Al Dexter
    1946 - The fourth of the “Road” films, "Road to Utopia," starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour and Robert Benchley, opened in New York City. Bing and Bob wound up in Alaska posing as escaped killers in order to locate a lost gold mine. Tunes from the flick: "Put It There, Pal," "Welcome to My Dreams," "Would You?" "Personality," "Sunday, Monday, or Always," "Goodtime Charlie" and "It’s Anybody’s Spring.”
   1948 - The Jeep was to be made by Bantam Motor Company for the US Army.  Bantam owed the patent rights, but they were sued by Willys-Overland for the right of production. Willys-Overland wound up producing the Army vehicle that would come to be known as the Jeep (they actually subbed it out to Ford, who built the most as Willys could not keep up with the demand), but for the record, the patent was owned by the Bantam Motor Company.  The origin of the word “Jeep” has been difficult to verify. The most widely held theory is that the military designation GP (for Government Purposes or General Purpose) was slurred into the word Jeep. The company has had a string of owners in the interim as Willys was sold to Kaiser Motors which was acquired by American Motors which was acquired by Chrysler in 1987, which was acquired by Daimler-Benz, then spun off to Chrysler LLC, now part of Fiat.  http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Jeep_Man/bantam.htm
http://www.film.queensu.ca/CJ3B/UniversalJeeps.html
    1950 - The twenty-second amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, limiting the presidential term of office to two terms.
    1951 - Singer/politician Lee Atwater (d. 1991) born Atlanta, GA 
http://www.soul-patrol.com/funk/lee_at.htm
    1953 - Scientists James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick announced they had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule that contains the human genes, at Cambridge University.
    1954 - Top Hits
“Oh! My Pa-Pa” - Eddie Fisher
“Make Love to Me!” - Jo Stafford
“Cross Over the Bridge” - Patti Page
“Wake Up, Irene” - Hank Thompson
    1954 - Doris Day's "Secret Love" hits #1
    1955 - For the first time, the 45 rpm vinyl single begins outselling the previous industry standard 78 rpm record.
    1955 - Neal Schon, vocalist and guitarist with the hard-pop band Journey, was born in Tinker AFB, OK. The group's fourth LP, "Infinity," sold a million copies in 1978. Three years later, "Escape" became Journey's first number-one LP. A single from it, "Open Arms," hit number two on the Billboard chart. Journey is said to be the first rock band to inspire a video game - "Journey - Escape" was in the arcades in late 1982.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/schon_neal/bio.jhtml
http://nealschon.com/no-flash/index.html
http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/neal_schon.htm
    1956 - Elvis Presley released "Heartbreak Hotel"
    1956 - Little Richard's first Number One R&B hit, "Slippin' and Slidin'," backed with "Long Tall Sally," is released on Specialty.
    1960 - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles make their first ever TV appearance, singing "Shop Around" on ABC's American Bandstand. 
    1961 - Five months after topping the US charts with "The Twist," Chubby Checker does it again with "Pony Time."
    1962 - Gene Chandler's "Duke of Earl" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The record, released only ten days after Chandler signed with Vee-Jay records in Chicago, remained in the top spot for three weeks.  [true story:  at one of our high school dances, we kept playing “Duke” over and over and over, (no DJs then, just record players!!), everyone dancing and having a great time.  Our principal, tired of hearing the same record, pulled it.  Dance ended about 15 minutes later, maybe 10 pm.]
    1962 - Top Hits
“Duke of Earl” - Gene Chandler
“The Wanderer” - Dion
“Norman” - Sue Thompson
“Walk on By” - Leroy Van Dyke
    1963 - The New York Yankees' Mickey Mantle signed a baseball contract worth $100,000, a far cry from his 1949 contract which Mantle had signed for $1,100. With this, he became the highest-paid player of his time.  Mantle has hit some of the longest HRs in Major League history.  In April of 1953, Mantle, batting right-handed in Griffith Stadium, in Washington, DC, hit a long home run off Chuck Stobbs of the Senators, over the 460-foot sign, out of the stadium, with the ball flying an estimated 565 feet. On September 10, 1960, he hit a ball left-handed that cleared the right-field roof at Tiger Stadium in Detroit and, based on where it was found, was estimated years later by historian Mark Gallagher to have traveled 643 feet.  In 1962, Mantle appeared in the movie "That Touch of Mink." In 1995, Mickey Mantle died in Dallas, Texas.
    1966 - Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Davos won by Peggy Fleming of US. She now lives in Los Gatos, California, and she and her husband produce and sell wine.
http://sportsmed.starwave.com/i/classic/bkgd2.gif
    1967 - San Francisco Police raided two Digger houses: 848 Clayton and 1775 Haight. The next day, a demonstration takes place at Park Station protesting the raids and police harassment, especially directed toward Patrolman Arthur Gerrans. Lt. John Curran estimated that 40 people stayed at each apartment on a nightly basis. 
http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/the-diggers-premium-vintage-print/GAP0073-VP.html
    1969 - A record snowstorm in Maine came to an end. Two to four feet of snow buried southern and central Maine, with a state record of 57 inches reported at West Forks. Drifts covered many single-story homes, and the weight of the snow collapsed many roofs. Two to four feet of snow also buried northeastern Vermont and northeastern Massachusetts. In New Hampshire, Mount Washington reported 97.8 inches of snow, a record storm total for New England.
    1970 - Top Hits
“Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody is a Star” - Sly & The Family Stone
“Hey There Lonely Girl” - Eddie Holman
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” - Simon & Garfunkel
“It’s Just a Matter of Time” - Sonny James
    1970 - Simon and Garfunkel received a gold record for the single, "Bridge Over Troubled Water." The duo was so impressed with their deserved achievement that they played the gold disc on their stereo. But they heard Mitch Miller’s "Bridge on the River Kwai" instead, and on the same Columbia label they recorded for! Amazing but weird, huh?  The song became their biggest hit single and it is often considered their signature. It was a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and it also topped the charts in the UK, Canada, France and New Zealand. It was a top five hit in eight other countries as well, eventually selling over six million copies worldwide, making it among the best-selling singles. It became one of the most performed songs of the twentieth century, with over 50 artists covering the song. It was ranked number 48 on Rolling Stones’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. 
    1971 - Five months after her death, Janis Joplin began a nine-week stay at the top of the Billboard Hot 200 album chart with "Pearl." 
    1972 - Unseasonably mild weather prevailed throughout the central US. Temperatures soared to 83 degrees in Kansas City, Missouri, setting an all-time high record for the month of February.
    1972 - President Richard M. Nixon and Chinese Premier Chou En-lai issued the Shanghai Communique at the conclusion of Nixon's historic visit to China, a step toward the eventual normalization of relations between the two countries.
    1973 - Baseball star Dick ‘Don’t Call Me Richie’ Allen signed a three-year pact with the Chicago White Sox for a reported $675,000 after leaving the Philadelphia Phillies.
    1973 - 200 members of the American Indian Movement, led by Russell Means and Dennis Banks, occupied Wounded Knee, SD, a town on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Their demands included a review of treaties between the federal government and indigenous peoples, a Senate investigation into the treatment of Native Americans, and free elections of tribal leaders. The occupation ended on May 8 when the group surrendered to federal marshals. Gunfights during the siege killed one marshal and two protesters. Wounded Knee was the site of a massacre in December, 1890 when Army troops machine-gunned 200 Sioux men, women, and children.
    1977 - Center Stan Mikita of the Chicago Blackhawks, scored the 500th goal of his career in Chicago’s 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Mikita finished his career with 541 goals and entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.
    1978 - Top Hits
“Stayin’ Alive” - Bee Gees
“(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” - Andy Gibb
“Just the Way You Are” - Billy Joel
“Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You” - Margo Smith.
    1980 - The 22nd Annual Grammy Award winners for 1979 are announced. The Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes" wins both Record and Song of the Year. Billy Joel's "52nd Street" wins both Album of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
    1981 - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder recorded "Ebony and Ivory", which will top both the Billboard Pop chart and the Adult Contemporary chart during a 15-week run.
    1982 - Earl “Square Eyes” Anthony becomes first pro bowler to win more than $1 million. Anthony, voted "Bowler of the Millennium" later falls down stairs in his retirement and dies August 14, 2001 as a result.
http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/anthonye.shtml
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bowling/2001-08-14-anthony-obit.htm
    1984 - A severe winter storm, which began on the 26th, spread blizzard conditions across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. 24 inches of snow fell in the Vichy-Rolla area in Missouri. 22 inches was reported in southern Illinois. Winds frequently gusted to 40 and 50 mph. Interstate 65, which connects Indianapolis with Chicago, was impassable for several days due to extensive drifting of the snow. Thunderstorms were reported which added to the heavy snow amounts.
    1986 - Van Halen released "Why Can't This Be Love," their first single since Sammy Hagar replaced David Lee Roth as lead singer. It would rise to number three on the Billboard chart.
    1986 - Top Hits
“How Will I Know” - Whitney Houston
“Kyrie” - Mr. Mister
“Sara” - Starship
“There’s No Stopping Your Heart” - Marie Osmond
    1986 – The Senate allowed its debates to be televised on a trial basis.
    1987 - Former White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan resigns after the Tower Commission report gives him responsibility for the Iran-Contra affair to trade guns for hostages with money going to the Nicaraguan Contras.
    1988 - Debi Thomas, figure skater, becomes first African-American to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. After her Olympic career, she toured for several years then returned to school. Thomas completed her education to become a physician, and today is a practicing orthopedic surgeon.  
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_debi_thomas.htm
http://www.thegrandstandinc.com/pages/9675.htm
http://espn.go.com/skating/news/2000/0209/345701.html
    1988 - George Michael reaches number one in the US for the second time in his solo career with "Father Figure." He would go on to have a total of six after scoring three chart toppers with Andrew Ridgeley in Wham!    1991 - James Brown was paroled in Columbia, South Carolina after serving 15 months of a six-year-term for leading police on a chase through South Carolina and Georgia. He performed at the Oakland Coliseum at age 71 and got rave reviews from all the newspapers. 
    1992 - Tiger Woods, 16, becomes youngest PGA golfer in 35 years.
http://www.tigerwoods.com/images/1.gif
http://ps1.sportsline.com/u/golf/open97/tiger/images/tilematch.jpg
http://world.std.com/~rgu/tigerwoods/tigerwoods.faq
    1993 - Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" replaces Boyz II Men's 1992 hit "End Of The Road" as the longest running Billboard chart topper when it stays #1 for its 14th consecutive week. 
    1993 - A gun battle erupted near Waco, Texas, when Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents tried to serve warrants on the Branch Davidians; four agents and six Davidians were killed as a 51-day standoff began.
    1995 - Canadian singer Celine Dion made British chart history by becoming the first artist in more than 30 years to have both the number-one album and single for five straight weeks. Dion topped the singles chart with "Think Twice" and the album chart with "The Color of My Love." The last time that happened for five consecutive weeks was in 1964 with "I Feel Fine" and "Beatles for Sale."
http://www.celineonline.com/
    2004 - The initial version of the John Jay Report is released with details about the sexual abuse in the American Catholic Church.
    2006 - African Burial Ground National Monument Established by President George W. Bush, who signed a proclamation declaring a seven-acre plot at the corners of Duane and Elk Streets in Lower Manhattan, New York, to be a national monument. From the 1690s to the 1790s, this land served as a cemetery for both free and enslaved Africans and is believed to be the resting place of more than 15,000 people. 
    2011 - Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre. Best Picture, "The King's Speech;" Best Animated Film, "Toy Story 3;" Best Actor in a Leading Role, Colin Firth, "The King's Speech;" Best Actress in a Leading Role, Natalie Portman,” Black Swan; Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Christian Bale,” The Fighter;" Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Melissa Leo, "The Fighter; Best Director, Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech;” Best Writer, Original Screenplay, David Seidler, "The King's Speech;" Adapted Screenplay, Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network;" Cinematography, Wally Pfister, "Inception;" Music, "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3: Music and Lyric by Randy Newman. 
    2011 - Resolution 1970 is adopted by the U.N. Security Council.  The resolution imposes sanctions on the regime of Muammar al-Gaddafi.
    2013 – A neuroscientist at Duke University announced that he has successfully connected the brains of two rats in such a way they now share information.
    2014 - Food and Drug Administration proposed to revise food labels by providing realistic serving sizes, emphasizing calories and sugar amounts, and breaking down fat listings into 'good' and 'bad' fats.
    2014 - GE is focusing on development of wind power in Japan, seeing an opportunity for the nation to expand its renewable energy portfolio after Fukushima.  GE has designed a wind turbine capable of weathering the country's distinct weather challenges