Balboa Capital File Against Dismissal
of Ascentium Capital in MHT Case in Texas

By Christopher Menkin

The claim against Ascentium Capital as a defendant in the Balboa Capital, Costa Mesa, California Case Medical Home Team (MHT) alleged Ponzi scheme appeal for dismissal was answered in a 32- page response, including 24 pages of pleading.

It does not answer the original claims by Ascentium Capital attorneys involving the "due diligence" of Balboa Capital to check the background, credit, and inspection, but again relies on the conversation between Balboa Capital and Ascentium officers and friends, too, and Cliff McKenzie, who was the senior salesman and handling the MHT account at Ascentium.

Leasing News has written "While claims that Balboa was solely talked into taking the deals by a top executive at Ascentium is really preposterous,” outlined was what was not done to investigate the transaction (1)
,
There was a 32- page response, including 24 pages of pleading, from Balboa Capital attorneys.  A full copy is attached from Pacer. Here are Highlights, in my opinion:

“In August 2016, Cliff McKenzie, Ascentium’s Senior Vice President, approached Patrick Ontal, Balboa’s Sales Director, with a business opportunity.2 According to McKenzie, Ascentium had for several years been financing the sale of licenses by America’s Medical Home Team, Inc.
(“MHT”) to individual doctors. McKenzie stated that although the program was successful, Ascentium had reached its portfolio limit of $40 million and it wanted to refer Balboa to the MHT program as it would need a new financier since Ascentium was no longer funding the program.3

“McKenzie was ‘effusive in his praise for MHT’ and explained the program in detail.4

“Then, on October 19, 2016, Phil Silva, Balboa’s President, contacted Hernan Traversone, Ascentium’s Chief Credit Officer, to inquire into Ascentium’s experience with the MHT program.5

“Mr. Traversone stated that MHT was an excellent vendor and that it had not experienced any defaults on any of the more than $40 million in financing it provided to the program.6

“Based on the representations made by Ascentium’s McKenzie and Traversone, Balboa funded prospective doctors entering the MHT program. As Balboa later discovered, however, while Ascentium was praising the MHT program to Balboa, it knew that the structure was a Ponzi scheme—as far back as early 2016—as it knew the monthly payments being made by MHT were exclusively from the sale of new MHT licenses and
 
page 3165

“not from the successful operation of the businesses.7
 Importantly, while it was making its glowing recommendations and material misrepresentations of the MHT program to Balboa, behind the scenes Ascentium was demanding that MHT immediately pay a number of its loans in full.8

“After Ascentium discovered that the MHT program was a Ponzi scheme, it understood that MHT would need an additional funding source to continue making payments on the outstanding
Ascentium loans. And as Balboa would later discover, Ascentium’s reason for its abrupt refusal to continue funding the MHT program for the purported reason of “routine portfolio risk management” was a blatant misrepresentation.9 Rather, Ascentium needed Balboa to take its place at the “bottom” of the pyramid scheme.

page 3166

“The Complaint alleges numerous facts establishing the existence of a duty to disclose under this settled law. For example, Balboa alleged that both McKenzie and Traversone voluntarily stated that Ascentium was ending its participation in the MHT program due to routine portfolio risk management. This statement was false on its own, but even if it were true in part, it would nonetheless trigger the obligation to disclose that the real reason for Ascentium’s conduct was its realization that it had been funding a Ponzi scheme, and needed a new source of funding to attempt to recoup its losses. Moreover, both McKenzie and Traversone stated there had been “no hard defaults.” Again, that statement was false on its own, but even if technically true it created the false impression that the doctor/borrowers were generating sufficient revenue to cover the loan payments. In fact, both McKenzie and Traversone knew that vast majority of doctor/borrowers had not established a practice at all, and that the only payments being made on the loans were funded by additional license sales, not operating revenue. Having made such voluntary statements with the deliberate intent to create a false impression of MHT’s bona fides as a business, Ascentium cannot escape liability for failing to disclose the true facts of its own experience with MHT.”    
page 15 of 24

“In sum, Balboa specifically alleges that Ascentium made false statements to induce Balboa to fund the MHT Ponzi scheme. While Ascentium was under no duty to disclose any information
of the MHT scheme to Balboa, once it voluntarily did so, thereby creating a false impression as tithe validity of the MHT program, a duty arose by operation of law, and Ascentium was required
to correct its false statements. Since Balboa specifically alleged the facts that trigger Ascentium’s duty-to-disclose, it has satisfied its pleading requirements under the federal rules.”

pages 16 & 17 of 24

V. CONCLUSION

“Ascentium – having discovered that it was involved in a massive Ponzi scheme – made
false statements and failed to disclose material facts in an effort to enlist Balboa to unwittingly perpetuate the Ponzi scheme for Ascentium’s benefit. As a result of its false statements and
nondisclosures, Balboa loaned millions of dollars that Ascentium knew – based on its own experience – would most likely never be repaid. Ascentium’s attempt to avoid liability for its conduct is at best disingenuous. At worst, it is shameful. Balboa’s complaint fully satisfies the pleading standards set forth in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; accordingly, Ascentium’s motion to dismiss should be denied. In the alternative, the Court should grant Balboa leave to amend its Complaint against Ascentium to address any
pleading issues identified by the Court. “

Page 3185

Pacer Filing:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/balboa_response2020.pdf

(1) Balboa Capital to File Tuesday Against Dismissal
     of Ascentium Capital in MHT Case, Reliable Source Reports
            By Christopher Menkin
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2020/02_07.htm#balboa

 

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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Dale Eisbrenner was promoted to Senior Director, Account Executive, Dell Financial Services Canada Ltd/Services Financiers Dell Canada Limited, Winnipeg, Canada.  He joined the firm October, 2017, as Account Executive. Previously, he was Regional Sales Manager, National Leasing (May, 2014 - May, 2017). He joined St Jude Medical October, 2001 as Territory Manager; promoted May, 2010, Western Regional Director; Territory Manager, Johnson & Johnson (1999 - 2001).  Education: University of Manitoba. Commerce, Finance (1988 - 1994). https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-eisbrenner-0026201/?originalSubdomain=ca

John Enyart was promoted to Board Member, Vervent, Portland, Oregon.  He joined the firm May, 2007, President & Head of Commercial Operations (May, 2007). Previously, he was President, Portfolio Financial Servicing Company (May 2007 - January, 2020); Division President, Textron Financial Corporation (October, 2000 - May, 2003); Vice President, Operations, UniCaptial (June, 1998 - October, 2000); Vice President, Credit & Operations, FirstCorp (June, 1995 - June, 1998); Senior Auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers (November, 1992 - June, 1995); Assistant Vice President, Corporate Banking, Wells Fargo Bank (July, 1988 - November, 1992).  Education: Portland State University.  Post-Baccalaureate Accounting Program, Account (1991 - 1992). University of Oregon, BS, Business (1984 -1998). https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-enyart-069754a/

Gary Hanson was hired as Vice President of Sales, Lease Corporation of America, Troy, Michigan.  Previously, he was Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Sterling National Bank (May, 2019 - December. 2019); Vice President, Huntington Equipment Finance (f.k.a.) First Merit Equipment Finance) (February, 2013 - August, 2017); Vice President, PNC Equipment Finance (March, 2004 - February, 2013); VP, Business Development, Hitachi Capital America (2000 - March, 2004); Director, Business Development, Mellon US Leasing (1999 - 2000); National Sales Manager,  B of A Leasing (fka Fleeting Leasing and Sanwa Leasing) (1997 - 1999); Senior Account Manager, Verizon Credit (fka GTE Leasing) (1994 - October, 1997); RSM, Wells Fargo Financial fka Norwest Financial (1988 - 1994); Vice President, Operations (United Community Bank Leasing (1986 - 1988).  Volunteer: Kennel Care Assistant, Leader Dogs for the Blind (January, 2012 - Present). Education:  California Lutheran University, B.S. Business Administration (1978 - 1983).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-hanson-71ba316/

Brian C. Kemp, CLFP, was promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales, Lease Corporation of America, Troy, Michigan. He joined the firm August, 1992.  Education: University of Michigan, BA, History (1988 - 1992). Activities and Societies: Chi Phi. https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-c-kemp-clfp-19087910/

Anthony Lafata was promoted to Sales Manager, National Accounts & Working Capital, Lease Corporation of America, Troy, Michigan.  He joined the firm January, 2012, as Senior Account Executive.  Education: Western Michigan University.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-lafata-a73b1a43/

Robert Munz was hired as Vice President, Relationship Manager Midwest/Equipment Finance, TriState Capital Bank, Cleveland/Akron Ohio Area. Previously, he was Vice President, Capital Equipment Group, U.S. Bank, Equipment Finance (July 2017 - July, 2018); Vice President, Fifth Third Equipment Finance (July, 2017 - July, 2018); Vice President, Commercial Lending, Home Savings & Loan Company, VP, Equipment Finance, First Niagara Bank (August, 2015 - February, 2016); Vice President, Key Equipment Finance (January, 2008 - October, 2014); VP, Maxus Capital Group, LLC (2006 - 2007). Education: Ohio University, Bachelor's Degree, Chagrin Falls High School. Leadership Geauga (2016 - 2017).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-munz-05102168/

Daniel Rodrique was hired as Director of Sales and Business Development, Paragon Financial Group, Inc., Richmond, Virginia. He is located in the Greater Atlanta, Georgia Area. Previously, he was President, Business Capital Solutions.  He joined Bibby Financial Services March, 2017, SVP, Head of Factoring and Transportation Sales; promoted August, 2017, EVP, Head of Sales; National Sales Manager, TAB Bank (January 2015 - March, 2017); National Sales Manager, First Capital (April, 2013 - January, 2015); Head of Sales, Bibby Financial Services (April, 2012 - April, 2013); C)=OO, Onyx Ventures (September, 2010 - April, 2012); COO/CMO, United Credit (May, 2005 - September, 2010).  Education: Southwestern Assemblies of Good University (1997 - 2000). https://www.linkedin.com/in/bizfundsdan/

German Ruiz was promoted to Sales Manager, Balboa Capital, Costa Mesa, California. He joined the firm April, 2018 as Account Executive; promoted August, 2018, Account Executive 2; promoted April, 2019, Account Manager.  Previously, he was NSR, SBGA Merchant Services (January, 2018 - March, 2018); Operations Manager, Better Life Organics (2012 - May, 2017). Licensing: Marketing, Orange Coast College (Issued December, 2015. Expired, December, 2015).  Education: Concordia University Irvine, Bachelor's degree, Finance, General (2013 - 2015).  Orange Coast College, Certification, Marketing (2015).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/german-ruiz-506a31149/

Abigail Scott was hired as Consultant, Libra Leasing, United Kingdom.  Previously, she was Consultant, Eden Grail Ltd (November, 2019 - February, 2020); UK Sales and Marketing Manager/Business development, ExWorks Capital (December, 2017 - September, 2019); Finance Manager, TFP Trading Co. Ltd. (January, 2017 - December, 2017); Business Development Manager, Academy Leasing (April, 2015 - June, 2016); Senior Sales Advisor, ClearDebt Group PLC (April, 2012 - September, 2013). https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-scott-357062b7/

Kyle Steel was hired as Senior Account Manager, Amur Equipment Finance, Grand Rapids, Nebraska.  He is located in their Cedar Rapids, Iowa office. Previously he was Director of Marketing, Home Services of Iowa (July, 2019 - January, 2020); President, SEO Expert (September, 2017 - Present); The Host with the Toast" - Kyle Steel Show (November, 2017 - January, 2020); Founder and President, YetiNova LLC (January, 2017 - January, 2020). Prior, he was at GreatAmerica Financial Services, starting July, 2004, Senior Account Support Advisor; promoted July, 2007, Team Leader the Pacific Southwest Team Office Equipment Group; promoted, May, 2012, Director: Large Accounts West); Contract Administrator, Intermec by Honeywell (January, 2003 - July, 2004); Customer Service Sales Representative, MCI WorldCom (February, 2000 - December, 2002).
Volunteer Experience: Volunteer Elementary Spanish Teacher, Grant Elementary & Wilson Middle School (March, 2013 - Present).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kcsteele/

 

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2019 Leasing/Finance Association Membership
American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers

The total of all ran in Wednesday's edition and is noted below. (1) The purpose of this is to show the membership, meaning if you want to join, you see the personality and influence.

This starts with the association that gained the most members last year. In fact, Executive Director Monica Harper says they are over 500 members, at this time, and growing.  Since she has come back on board, the board of directors have changed, the volunteers are numerous and active, publicity is top rated, and conferences
are well attended.

You can see from the numbers the broker membership has increased, as well as the funding source. (1)

What you don't see is the members are now also into business loans, factoring, MCA, and even SBA Loans. They also are allowing non-members into their Webinars on a more regular basis, introducing funders and topics for originators.  They also continue their "member only" blog for sharing information, asking questions, recommending sources, or talking about who not to do business with and why.

 

Monica Harper was named Leasing News Person of the Year 2019
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jan2020/01_08.htm#poy

It should be noted that Leasing News Vice Chair Shari Lipski, CLFP, will be presenting her with the Leasing News’ Crystal Award at the 2020 AACFB Annual Conference, Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, early May, 2020.

FREE WEBINAR - Attracting & Retaining Great Talent
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 3:00pm ET
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2020/02_12.htm#webinar

1. 2019 Leasing/Finance Association Membership Grows
   Preliminary Report
   http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2020/02_12.htm#membership

 

 

Leasing Industry Ads---Help Wanted
Opportunities for 2020

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On Deck Capital, Inc. (NYSE:ONDK) Q4 2019

 

Kenneth Brause, Chief Financial Officer

“Fourth quarter net income was $9 million or $0.13 per diluted share, which brought full year 2019 net income to $28 million or $0.36 per diluted share. Excluding stock-based compensation and discrete tax benefits, our adjusted net income was $3 million or $0.05 per diluted share in the fourth quarter and $26 million or $0.34 per diluted share for the full year.

“While our fourth quarter net income was above our guidance due to the tax benefits, our adjusted net income was below guidance, largely due to some noteworthy items that elevated operating and income tax expenses.”

page 4

Noah Breslow, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

“We have a lot to be proud of in 2019. We grew the portfolio. We originated $2.5 billion of loans and finance receivables and grew the portfolio 8% to $1.3 billion. Since our inception, we have now originated over $13 billion of loans, solidifying our position as the leading online lender to small businesses. We improved our funding profile.

“We executed nearly $900 million of financings in 2019 and significantly lowered our borrowing costs. Our annual cost of funds rate improved over 100 basis points from 2018 and was 4.8% in the fourth quarter. We also continued to improve the terms and structures of our credit facilities, while enhancing the breadth and composition of our funding providers, and we strengthened the core.

page 1

“With respect to our fourth quarter financial performance, we generated $112 million of gross revenue, $9 million of net income, and $3 million of adjusted net income. Overall, the quarter was solid with good asset growth, generally stable credit and improved capital efficiency. However, we did have a few noteworthy items that impacted expenses and caused our adjusted net income to fall short of our guidance.”

page 2

Kenneth Brause, Chief Financial Officer

“Turning to the balance sheet. Liquidity remains strong as we had over $350 million of available borrowing capacity within our $1.3 billion of committed debt facilities and $56 million of cash equivalents at year end.

“We have made considerable progress optimizing our capital structure. We repurchased 7.5 million shares in the fourth quarter bringing total 2019 repurchases to 10.7 million shares at a cost of approximately $44 million or $4.11 per share. And we repurchased another million shares in January for roughly $4 million, which essentially completed our $50 million buyback authorization.”

Page 5

Noah Breslow, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 “So, I think we see a lot of growth this year coming from our strategic partners, both kind of existing partners that were deepening relationships with as well as new partners we have in the pipeline. We see a lot of growth this year coming from line of credit. So as line of credit comes of age, you have sort of a natural growth rate as customers get more time with us and prove their creditworthiness.

“We offer them slightly better credit lines or slightly better terms and that in turns increases draw volumes, instant funding also increases draw volumes. So we are seeking lots of, like what I would call natural and very highly efficient growth I would say in that product right now. And then, finally, international and equipment finance also have growth rates.

“They are going to be much higher than the core U.S. business. So, really those things coming together more so than any particular industry or geography.”

page 9

“And I should mention you that term loan book we expect to grow as well, because of the maturity lengthening that we did in 2019. So really, the core three products has – have a lot growth in front of them.

“We have said in the past that over the long-term, there is a number of other products that small business owners use whether it’s small business administration loans, invoice factorings, small business credit cards, those are some of the ones that we think about in the longer term. But for this year, we are focused on those three offerings.”

page 10

On Deck Capital, Inc. (NYSE:ONDK) Q4 2019
  Earnings Conference Call - Seeking Alpha   10 pages
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4323155-on-deck-capital-inc-ondk-ceo-noah-breslow-on-q4-2019-results-earnings-call-transcript

 

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Leasing News Advisor
Ed Castagna

Edward Castagna, CEO
InPlace Auction
68 South Service Road, Suite 100
Melville, New York 11747
Tel.  (516) 229-1968
Cell (516) 297-7775
Fax.  (516) 882-7924
ecastagna@inplaceauction.com
www.inplaceauction.com

Ed joined the Leasing News Advisory Board on February 4, 2004. His contributions have been centered not only on his knowledge of leasing companies or their “assets,” but his design, understanding, and use of the internet as a global sales tool.

Over 25 years ago, used equipment dealers and mechanics taught him what to look for and which questions to ask when evaluating machinery and equipment for resale. Since then, he's honed his appraisal skills through hands on experience and continuing education. InPlace Auction's appraisals contain insightful and common sense values delivered professionally. He has been an expert witness with a 100% rate of success in courtroom defense of challenged value. He has been retained as the face-to-face contact with defaulting business owners by a variety of Fortune 100 creditors, relying on his tact, expertise, and determination to resolve uncomfortable financial default situations.

Ed has liquidated assets of thousands of companies in industries as varied as television, manufacturing, transportation, medical, municipal, financial, textile, automotive and commercial real estate just to name a few. "It's my responsibility to treat everyone with respect, regardless of their circumstances. That's how I've been able to successfully and peacefully defuse even the most precarious of situations.

An early adopter of web based technology in 1988, he was the first in the industry to create a high volume internet enhanced recovery, remarketing and reporting web based service. He is now applying this experience in conjunction with the latest technology to the auction business and currently holds live and on line auctions. His latest auctions sold Intellectual Property, Real Estate, Machinery, & Building materials.

Edward is an active member of the following associations: Turnaround Management Association (TMA.org), National Auctioneers Association (NAA), Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL), Machinery Dealers National Association (MDNA), American Society of Appraisers (ASA) and Association of Machinery and Equipment Appraisers (AMEA).

He earned a B.A. from Syracuse University, and is a graduate of the Mendenhall School of Auctioneering. Ed served on the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) Board of Directors from 2006-2009 representing its service provider members; is on the service providers business council of the ELFA; is a member of the fair Business Practices Committee.

He is one of the founding members, and serves as the current President, of the Tender Loving Care Foundation (www.tenderlc.com); is an advisory board member to South Bronx Education Foundation (www.sbef.org) and the board of directors of the Stewart Fund. His favorite place to be is anywhere with his wife Jeanine and their two boys.

Ed, Jack Castagna, Jeanine Castagna, Sam Castagna

The number of farm bankruptcies in the United States grew by 20 percent in 2019, according to data released by the U.S. courts. The data refers to Chapter 12 bankruptcies which are part of the federal bankruptcy code that's designed to allow family farmers and fishermen to restructure their finances and avoid liquidation or foreclosure. 595 such bankruptcies were filed in 2019, an increase on the 498 filed in 2018.

The number of Chapter 12 bankruptcies has now hit an eight-year high. The increase was expected despite the government providing farmers with a $28 billion bailout, twice as much as the 2009 bailout of Detroit's Big Three automobile producers. While the aid package has provided relief, many farmers are continuing to struggle due to the trade war with China which has cut them off from one of their biggest markets.

The agricultural sector is also experiencing higher levels of farm debt, low commodity prices and increasingly volatile weather conditions. The Department of Agriculture has stated that close to a third of projected net farm income in 2019 came from government aid and taxpayer subsidized insurance payments. Wisconsin was the state with the most farm bankruptcies in 2019 - 57 - its highest total in more than a decade.

By Naill McCarthy, Statista

https://www.statista.com/chart/20779/chapter-12-bankruptcies-filed-in-the-us

 

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

CIT upgrades award-winning B2B
point-of-sale lending platform

• -Equipment and technology vendors can be live in minutes offering real-time point-of-sale lending, with little to no integration typically required
• -New features enable business borrowers to digitally select payment options and e-sign contracts after receiving credit approval
• -API capabilities enable integration into e-commerce, CRMs, ERPs and other platforms

PORTSMOUTH, N.H., -- CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) announced its Small Business Solutions group has released a new version of its award-winning platform that enables real-time lending at the point of sale for business purchases. 

CIT's point-of-sale platform simplifies and accelerates financing for small business purchases of $2,500 or more. Business customers can shop for products, be approved for credit, select terms and receive electronic documents to secure their purchase via a seamless electronic experience, typically in a matter of minutes1. The platform is available online and on mobile devices, making it a truly anytime-anywhere, self-serve B2B lending solution.

For equipment and technology vendors, the platform transforms the process of selling products with financing to business customers. They are now empowered to provide real-time monthly payment quotes, get customers approved instantly, digitally design and select finance terms (generally 12 to 60 months), and automatically send electronic documents to the customers for review and e-signature. The approval and contracts process can be completed in minutes.

The platform upgrade also includes next-generation API-driven technology that helps vendors quickly integrate the POS lending platform into virtually any sales channel, including their B2B online e-commerce store. Other enhanced features integrate monthly payments on any product, digital credit application and digital terms selection.

In 2018, CIT's point-of-sale platform was recognized with a FinTech Breakthrough award for "Best Small Business Lending Solution."

Denise Menelly, CIT' Executive Vice President and Head of Technology and Operations, said, "As digitally-enabled sales continue to grow, businesses and their customers expect the same technology experience and service that they are accustomed to in other aspects of their life.".

"We understand that businesses have unique needs, and CIT is among the first to offer a B2B online lending product that provides self-service features and real-time financing at the point of sale, so buyers can get the products and payment flexibility that meet their needs," Menelly continued.

Ken Martin, Managing Director of CIT's Small Business Solutions Group. commented, “Speed is critical to our clients when they are trying to sell equipment or technology to a business customer. That's why we are focused on delivering solutions that make real-time lending and payment as easy as possible.

 "Our clients are asking for better interfaces to support their direct to business sales cycle, and our point-of-sale platform delivers a seamless lending experience."

CIT's Small Business Solutions group focuses on empowering businesses via technology-enabled solutions and market-leading structuring expertise. Small Business Solutions is part of CIT's Business Capital division, which provides equipment financing and vendor finance programs for small and midsized clients and their customers.

Learn more about CIT's point-of-sale platform.
About CIT

CIT is a leading national bank focused on empowering businesses and personal savers with the financial agility to navigate their goals. CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) is a financial holding company with over a century of experience and operates a principal bank subsidiary, CIT Bank, N.A. (Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender). The company's commercial banking segment includes commercial financing, community association banking, middle market banking, equipment and vendor financing, factoring, railcar financing, treasury and payments services, and capital markets and asset management. CIT's consumer banking segment includes a national direct bank and regional branch network. Discover more at www.cit.com/about.

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

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

Maxus Capital Group Upgrades
 to ASPIRE from LeasePlus

OMAHA, Neb., – LTi Technology Solutions (LTi) is excited to announce the completion of Maxus Capital Group’s implementation to LTi’s ASPIRE platform. Maxus Capital Group is an alternative source of funding to corporate companies outside of the traditional bank financing products.

Maxus Capital Group has been a customer of LTi’s since the day they opened its doors 28 years ago. Maxus was driven to move forward with the ASPIRE solution based on the simplicity to implement given their familiarity with LTi products and methodologies. The convenience of working with one partner for all solutions was a major driver as well. By upgrading to ASPIRE, they are now on one system that has the flexibility, updated functionality, and automation to help make their day-to-day processes run more efficiently. Maxus and LTi worked seamlessly to have a smooth transition. Everyone was available which made for an effortless transition for the account managers, implementation, and IT.

Chris A. Di Lillo, Owner, and CEO of Maxus Capital Group expressed, “I have enjoyed working with both Randy and Russ from Day 1 to implement an end-to-end solution continuously improving Maxus’s efficiency and ability to meet our ever-changing client requirements. Our team has been very pleased with LTI’s support through this important transition.”

Randy Haug, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of LTi, said, “Weare proud to continue our long-time partnership with Maxus Capital to ensure the technology they utilize to run their business provides the most value possible.

“Maxus is a well-respected leader in the industry. We are proud to have them as a long-time partner and are very pleased with the outcome of this implementation.”

About Maxus Capital Group
Maxus Capital Group, LLC is a commercial finance company headquartered in Cleveland, OH. In 1993, Maxus was founded by entrepreneurs with a vision to offer an alternative source of funding to corporate clients outside of the traditional bank financing products. Over the years, Maxus has refined its capital offerings around the Maxus philosophy, “consultative lending.” We collaborate with our clients to understand their business, their industry, where they are in their life cycle, and the current business environment they are facing to design the best solution for their capital needs. Since inception, Maxus has originated, serviced, and financed more than $2 billion of transactions and partnered with hundreds of corporate clients in various industries. For more information, visit www.maxuscapital.com.

About LTi Technology Solutions
LTi Technology Solutions (formerly LeaseTeam, Inc.) delivers cutting-edge software and services to equipment finance companies throughout North America and the UK from our Omaha, NE, headquarters. Backed by three decades of experience and expertise, we harness the collective intellect of our diverse team to solve critical business problems for customers every day. Our highly-configurable platform, ASPIRE, empowers users to effectively scale their business by streamlining the lease and loan transaction lifecycle.

For more information, call (800) 531-5086 or visit www.ltisolutions.com.

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

Valentine's Day Special
By Fernando Croce

From “Gone With the Wind” to “Titanic,” romance has long played a key role in the magic of movies. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, check out our recommendations for Netflix’s collection of romantic favorites, and settle down with a movie to go with the flowers and heart-shaped chocolates.

Love Affair (Leo McCarey, 1939): Fans of romantic classics cherish “An Affair to Remember,” but the original story, filmed by the same director nearly two decades earlier, deserves just as much attention. The eponymous affair is between ladies’ man Michel Marnet (Charles Boyer) and singer Terry McKay (Irene Dunne), who fall in love over the course of a transatlantic voyage despite being engaged to other people. They make a promise to meet again in six months at the top of the Empire State Building, but tragedy strikes at the last minute. Are their emotions strong enough to survive the setbacks of fate? Modulating from a bubbly first half into a more intense second half, director Leo McCarey (“Make Way for Tomorrow”) beautifully sustains a mood of yearning and lyricism.

Lola (Jacques Demy, 1961): The most charming of the movie-mad directors to emerge out of the French New Wave, Jacques Demy (“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”) made his feature debut with this enchanting drama set in the port town of Nantes. Lola (Anouk Aimee) is a generous, perpetually optimistic cabaret singer who flirts with American sailors but remains a believer in the return of her true love, who disappeared years ago. She finds a fellow dreamer in Roland (Marc Michel), an aspiring young musician who feels frustrated by his earthbound job. With a new job waiting just around the corner, will they stay together or will fate send them separate ways? Demy’s gorgeous film keeps the characters on the verge of a choreographed lilt, displaying the bittersweet wistfulness that would become his trademark.

Say Anything (Cameron Crowe, 1989): After beginning as a screenwriter, Cameron Crowe ("Almost Famous") tried his hand at directing with this 1989 comedy-drama, which still remains his best film. Easily the finest of the decade's high school-set romances, it chronicles the relationship that blooms between Lloyd (John Cusack), a good-natured but unambitious young man, and Diane (Ione Skye), the beautiful class valedictorian who's on her way to England. Despite their differences, and despite pressure from friends and family, the two are connected after graduation by a strong love. But can they remain together as summer inevitably comes to an end? Showcasing a lovely cast (including John Mahoney, Lily Taylor and Joan Cusack) and Crowe's blend of humor and longing, this is one of the 1980s' most beloved love stories.

Wild at Heart (David Lynch, 1990): Not a name usually associated with romance, surrealist master David Lynch (“Blue Velvet”) is the perfect filmmaker to capture the delirium of the protagonists in love in this wicked road trip. Adapted from John Eldredge’s book, the story follows the downright bizarre adventures of ex-felon Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage) and his girlfriend Lula (Laura Dern). When Lula’s mother Marietta (Diane Ladd) hires a private detective (Harry Dean Stanton) to keep them apart, the couple takes off to California on a journey studded with violence and passion. Full of perverse humor and deranged eccentrics portrayed by Willem Dafoe, Isabella Rossellini and Grace Zabriskie, Lynch’s film remains nevertheless a full-bodied fairytale, even if one set in an inferno. Definitely not for all tastes, but an unforgettable ride.

Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance, 2010): Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams deliver superb performances in this frank, affecting drama dealing with scenes from a marriage. Gosling and Williams play Dean and Cindy, a young married couple who, after years together, are starting to show signs of anxiety and tension in their daily lives. As they remember their earlier encounters and happier times with family and friends, the two come face to face with the painful realization that their emotions for each other may have turned sour. Will they be able to rekindle their feelings, or has their love stagnated beyond repair? Taking a revealing and painfully honest look at relationships, director Derek Cianfrance’s small-scaled yet poignant film combines its emotionally brutal side with a touch of achingly genuine romance.

Labrador Retriever Mix
Lihue, Kawai, Hawaii  Adopt-a-Dog

Breck

Animal ID   43758776
Species      Dog
Breed Retriever, Labrador/Mix
Age   2 years 6 months 7 days
Gender      Male
Size   64 lbs.
Color Beige/White
Neutered
Declawed    No
Housetrained       Unknown
Location     Dog Adoption
Intake Date 2/4/2020
Adoption Fee: $135

"I'm Looking For: A loving and affectionate family who can help me build my confidence! I can be a little shy when first meeting, but don't let that scare you off... once I get to know you a little bit I will give you all the kisses and affection you could hope for! I love to play with my people and my dog friends and am very polite in communicating! Take me home and I promise I'll be the best cuddle buddy you could ask for!"

TO ADOPT: Please download our adoption questionnaire (http://kauaihumane.org/adopting-from-khs/) and send a completed copy to support@kauaihumane.org.

Kauai Humane Society
3-825 Kaumualii Hwy,
Lihue, HI 96766
PO BOX 3330,
Lihue, Hi, 96766
p 808.632.0610
808.442.1102
Tax ID 99-0089250

www.kauaihumane.org

Our adoption center is open:
Monday - Friday 11am-6pm
Saturday & Sunday 10am-4pm
CLOSED on Holidays.

[headlines]
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The American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers'
2020 Annual Conference
IS GOING TO ROCK!

Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, May 6th – 8th for this must-attend event packed with education, networking and (let's face it) a lot of fun!

AACFB was founded by brokers and we know every dollar counts, which is why we pride ourselves on keeping registration fees very affordable for brokerages of all sizes and funders alike.

AACFB attendees can take advantage of a special rate of $170 per night, plus a $39 resort fee but we encourage you to book early. The cut-off for this rate is April 13, 2020 or until the block is full.

2020 ANNUAL CONFERENCE EXHIBITORS
As of 2/7/2020

1st Commercial Credit, LLC
4 Hour Funding
360 Equipment Finance
American Lease Insurance Agency
Amur Equipment Finance
Ascentium Capital, LLC
AvTech Capital LLC
Bankers Capital
Banleaco
Baystone Government Finance/KS StateBank
Bryn Mawr Funding
C.H. Brown Co., LLC
Celtic Bank
Channel Partners Capital
CLFP Foundation
Commercial Funding Partners LLC
ConnectedFi
Dedicated Funding, LLC
Equipment Leasing Group of America, LLC (ELGA)
Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc.
First Federal Leasing
Fora Financial LLC
Fundation Group, LLC
Global Financial & Leasing Services
Gulf Coast Business Credit
instaCOVER
LenderKiosk by Tamarack
Maxim Commercial Capital LLC
Navitas Credit Corp
NewLane Finance
NCMIC/Professional Solutions
North Mill Equipment Finance, LLC
North Star Leasing
Northwind Financial
Orange Commercial Credit
Pawnee Leasing Corporation
Providence Equipment Finance, a Division of Providence Bank & Trust
Q2 Business Capital
Quality Leasing Co., Inc.
SLIM Capital LLC
Stenn International Ltd.
Sterling National Bank - Transportation Finance
TBS Capital Funding
TEAM Funding Solutions
VFI Corporate Finance

Program and Sign in to Register
https://annualconference.aacfb.org/general-info-tab/general-info

News Briefs----

McClatchy files for bankruptcy, likely ending 162 years
  of family control and setting up more consolidation in local news
https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article240139933.html?

1,500 Amazon jobs?
   No thanks, says Bolingbrook mayor
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/commercial-real-estate/1500-amazon-jobs-no-thanks-says-bolingbrook-mayor

Airbus Sold More Planes and Posted
   a Larger Loss Than Boeing
https://247wallst.com/aerospace-defense/2020/02/13/airbus-sold-more-planes-and-posted-a-larger-loss-than-boeing/

Miami Single-Family Homes Post Third Biggest Sales Year
  in History; Total Home Sales Finish with Fifth-Most Annual Sales
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/miami-single-family-homes-post-third-biggest-sales-year-in-history-total-home-sales-finish-with-fifth-most-annual-sales-1028900680

Less Than One Month Until U.S. Households
  Receive 2020 Census Invitations
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/one-month-2020-invitations.html

On the Edge of Glory: 6 Cars That
   Come This Close to Greatness
https://www.cars.com/articles/on-the-edge-of-glory-6-cars-that-come-this-close-to-greatness-1420700442737/

Judge Halts Work on Microsoft’s JEDI Contract,
   a Victory for Amazon
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/technology/amazon-jedi-pentagon-contract-microsoft.html

 

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

You May Have Missed---

Huawei Hit with New US Charges of Trade Secrets Theft
  The new charges including a federal racketeering allegation
https://www.securityweek.com/huawei-hit-new-us-charges-trade-secrets-theft

[headlines]
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The Call of the Brook

Whene'er a gentle shower falls
And lures the red worms from the soil
A still, small voice from somewhere calls
And bids me quit insipid toil.

I want to take a line and hook,
A can of wiggly, squirming bait,
And mope off to the burbling brook
Where hungry bullheads stand and wait.

The green upon the gracefu1 elm,
The red-bird singing in the tree,
The tadpole as he ports his helm
Are all of interest to me.

This angling is a sport for kings,
It beats baseball and mumbly pegs;
It makes dull care sprout eagle wings
And knocks the spavin from my legs.

And as I hit the homeward route
'Tis sweet to think, at eventide,
When I have yanked their innards out
How nice those fish will be when fried.

I like their flavor, it is true
But if I do not get a bite,
I feel most any way but blue
As I go tramping home at night.

For narrow is the soul of him
Whose only concept of success
Hangs on the proposition, slim,
Of whether he can catch a mess.

Verdigris Valley Verse
Albert Stroud
(Coffeyville, Kansas: The Journal Press. 1917

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

Raiders will pursue Tom Brady
   if he doesn’t re-sign with Patriots, per ESPN
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/02/raiders-will-pursue-tom-brady-if-he-doesnt-re-sign-with-patriots-per-espn/

The Astros’ Apology Tour Is Off to a Comically Disastrous Start
https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2020/2/13/21136476/jim-crane-houston-astros-sign-stealing-apology

Ironman to drop full-distance Santa Rosa triathlon after this year
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10698397-181/ironman-to-drop-full-distance-santa

Jameis Winston undergoes LASIK eye surgery ahead
  of crucial offseason for free agent-to-be
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/buccaneers/2020/02/12/jameis-winston-had-lasik-eye-treatment-nearsightedness/4743150002/

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

California Nuts Briefs---

Neighbors Install License Plate Reader in Los Gatos
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/south-bay/neighbors-install-license-plate-reader-in-los-gatos/2233057/

Drought conditions returning to California, new report shows
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/13/drought-conditions-returning-to-california-new-report-shows/

PG&E resists judge’s tree-trimming, executive bonus proposals
https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/PG-E-resists-judge-s-

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

“Gimme that Wine”

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

Oregon Wine Industry Emphasizes Unity in Tough Times
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=226068

Dick Bush, an El Dorado Wine Region Founding Father, Passes Away
https://www.winebusiness.com/people/?go=getPeopleArticle&dataId=226054

Mendocino Wine Growers Report on the
    2019 Mendocino Grape Crush Report
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=226062

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

      1760 - Birthday of Richard Allen (d. 1831), born in slavery in Philadelphia.  The first black ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church (1799) and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in 1816. http://www.brightmoments.com/blackhistory/nrallen.html
http://earlyamerica.com/review/spring97/allen.html
    1779 - A monument in Waimea, Kauai notes the spot of the death of Captain James Cook. Not the chamber of commerce statue in the middle of town but by the actual landing spot where the river meets the ocean. It was quite defamed and the islanders to this day obviously still have no respect for him. The Kauai islanders in Wampei evidently still hold a grudge about the way they were treated. Investigating the alleged theft of a boat that had landed from his ship, he was stabbed to death by natives this date. There were many explorers of the new world who did not make it home. He was one of them.
http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95oct/jcook.html
    1784 - James Davenport received a patent for a carding and spinning machine, the first textile machinery patent. He later established the Globe Mills, Philadelphia, PA. 
    1797 - Battle of Cape St Vincent, known as Nelson’s Forgotten Battle. It was a great and welcome victory for the Royal Navy - 15 British ships had defeated a Spanish fleet of 27, and the Spanish ships had a greater number of guns and men. Admiral Jervis had trained a highly disciplined force and this was pitted against a Spanish navy under Don José Cordoba that was little more than a panic stricken mob. Of 600-900 men on board his ships, only some 60 to 80 were trained seamen, the others being soldiers or inexperienced landsmen. The Spanish men fought courageously but without direction. After the San Josef was captured it was found that some of her of guns still had their tompions in the muzzles. The confusion amongst the Spanish fleet was so great that they were unable to use their guns without causing more damage to their own ships than to the British. This was a turning point that affected the colonies as Britain began her dominance over the seas and fight for real estate in the new world from the Spanish and French, who would rather see the United States obtain the land than the British.
http://www.stvincent.ac.uk/Heritage/1797/battle/index.html
    1801 (possibly 1800) - Birthday of Mary Ann Prout (d. 1884), also known as Aunt Mary Prout, believed to have been born free at Baltimore, MD.  Social activist, humanitarian, and educator, Prout became a teacher and, in 1830, founded a day school. Actively involved in her church, she founded a secret society that became the Independent Order of St. Luke to help with the cost of medical care and burial services for needy blacks, an organization that grew to have 1,500 chapters across the nation by 1900.
    1805 - Colonial American theologian Henry Ware, 41, was confirmed as the first Unitarian professor to teach at Harvard University. Soon after, the Trinitarian Congregationalist teachers began withdrawing from the school, and, in 1808, established Andover Theological Seminary. 
    1818 - Believed to be the birthday of Frederick Douglass, born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey (d. 1895), Cordova, MD.   After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, gaining note for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. In his time, he was described by abolitionists as a living counter-example to slaveholders' arguments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens.  Northerners at the time found it hard to believe that such a great orator had once been a slave. He was a confidante of President Abraham Lincoln.
http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/douglass/home.html 
http://www.frederickdouglass.org/douglass_bio.html 
http://www.americancivilwar.com/colored/frederick_douglass.html
http://www.nps.gov/frdo/freddoug.html
http://www.baltimoremd.com/monuments/douglass1.html
http://www.cr.nps.gov/muse
http://www.nps.gov/frdo/um/exhibits/douglass/overview.htm
    1819 - Birthday of Christopher Sholes (d. 1890), Mooresburg, PA.  A printer and newspaper editor by trade, he developed a page numbering machine in the mid-1800s. A friend suggested he modify the machine into a letter-printing device. Sholes patented the typewriter in 1868 and sold the rights to Remington in 1873. The typewriter served as the basis for the modern computer keyboard.
    1824 - Birthday of Winfield Scott Hancock (d. 1886), born at Montgomery, PA.  After serving as Union general in the Civil War, his command of the military division of Texas and Louisiana won him much favor form the Democratic Party because he allowed local civil authorities to retain their power. He pleased the Democrats so well they made him their presidential candidate in 1880. The presidential nominations of 1880 were wide open. The tariff was the only major issue and Hancock was inept at discussing it. The candidates for the most part stayed home and, for the first time, interested supporters came in large numbers to visit them at their homes. James A. Garfield especially received gifts and poems composed for the occasion, watching silently as supporters trampled his flowers and shrubs. Garfield was elected president and Chester A. Arthur was elected vice president. The electoral vote was Garfield, 214; Winfield S. Hancock, 155. The popular vote was Garfield 4,449,053; Hancock, 4,443,035, a very narrow victory. Less than six months in his office, President Garfield would be shot July 2, 1881 at the Washington, DC railroad station. Chester A. Arthur would be acting president until Garfield’s death on September 19, 1881.
    1838 - Birthday of Margaret E. Knight (d. 1914), York, ME.  She held 27 patents including the machinery that makes flat-bottomed paper bags (rather than the envelope type). The basic machinery concept which she patented in 1870 is still in use today. A remarkable inventor, she failed to realize great financial profit from her inventions which included a safety valve for power looms (invented when she was 12) to six patents for shoe manufacturing machinery, plus valves, rotors, even engines.
    1842 - Fans of Charles Dickens organize the Boz Ball, an elite party for the celebrated writer who had arrived in the United States in January for a five-month tour. (Dickens' earliest works had been published under the pseudonym Boz.) Only members of New York's aristocracy were invited to the ball, with each guest's background and pedigree thoroughly inspected. Tickets were priced at the outrageous sum of $10. The event, held at the Park Theater in New York, sold out, and event organizers later held two more sold-out balls, open to the general public.
    1849 - President James Polk became the first US president to be photographed while in office. The photographer was Mathew B. Brady, who would become famous for his photography during the American Civil War. 
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3g00000
/3g06000/3g06700/3g06742v.jpg
http://www.whitehousehistory.org/08/subs/08_b.html
    1859 - Oregon became the 33rd state in the Union. Oregon’s many national parks and recreational areas are home to the state animal, the beaver, which also provides the state with its nickname, the Beaver State. Oregon’s agricultural industry raises more hazelnuts than any other state, hence the state nut is the hazelnut. The fishing industry is also very large in this northwestern state, making the Chinook salmon the official fish. The Douglas fir, a popular Christmas tree in many American households, comes from the forests of Oregon and is the state tree. Other official Oregon state symbols are state bird: western meadowlark; state flower: Oregon grape; state insect: swallowtail butterfly. “She flies with her own wings” (Alis volat Propriis) is Oregon’s state motto. The state gemstone: sunstone; state rock: thunder egg; state song: "Oregon, my Oregon;" and state dance: square dance. Contrary to popular belief, Portland is not the capital; it is Salem.
    1859 - Birthday of George Washington Gale Ferris (d. 1896), American engineer and inventor, at Galesburg, IL. Among his many accomplishments as a civil engineer, Ferris is best remembered as the inventor of the Ferris wheel, which he developed for the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago, IL, in 1893. Built on the Midway Plaisance, the 250-feet-in-diameter Ferris wheel (with 36 coaches, each capable of carrying 40 passengers), proved one of the greatest attractions of the fair. It was America's answer to the Eiffel Tower of the Paris International Exposition of 1889.
    1864 - Union General William T. Sherman enters Meridian, Mississippi, during a winter campaign that served as a precursor to his "March to the Sea." This often-overlooked campaign was the first attempt by the Union at total warfare, a strike aimed not just at military objectives but also at the will of the Rebel population.  Sherman launched the campaign from Vicksburg, Mississippi, with the goal of destroying the rail center at Meridian and clearing central Mississippi of Confederate resistance. Sherman believed this would free additional Federal troops that he hoped to use on his planned campaign against Atlanta, Georgia, in the following months. 
Sherman led 25,000 soldiers east from Vicksburg and ordered another 7000 under General William Sooy Smith to march southeast from Memphis, Tennessee. They planned to meet at Meridian in eastern Mississippi. The Confederates had few troops with which to stop Sherman. General Leonidas Polk had less than 10,000 men to defend the state. Polk retreated from the capital at Jackson as Sherman approached and some scattered cavalry units could not impede the Yankees' progress. Polk tried to block the roads to Meridian so the Confederates could move as many supplies as possible from the city's warehouses, but Sherman pushed into the city on 14 February under a torrential rain.  After capturing Meridian, Sherman began to destroy the railroad and storage facilities while he waited for the arrival of Smith. Sherman later wrote: "For five days, 10,000 men worked hard and with a will in that work of destruction...Meridian, with its depots, storehouses, arsenals, hospitals, offices, hotels, and cantonments no longer exists." Sherman waited until 20 February for Smith to arrive, but Smith never reached Meridian. On 21 February, Confederate troops under General Nathan Bedford Forrest waylaid Smith at West Point, Mississippi, and dealt the Federals a resounding defeat. Smith returned to Memphis, and Sherman turned back towards Vicksburg.  Ultimately, Sherman failed to clear Mississippi of Rebels and the Confederates repaired the rail lines within a month. Sherman did learn how to live off the land, however, and took notes on how to strike a blow against the civilian population of the South. He used that knowledge with devastating results in Georgia later that year.
    1867 - Less than two years after the Civil War ended, Morehouse College was founded as Augusta Institute in Augusta, Georgia. The college was relocated to Atlanta in 1879 and received its present name in 1913. Morehouse is the nation's only historically black, all-male, four-year liberal arts college. Prominent alumni include Martin Luther King Jr., JET magazine publisher Robert Johnson, two-time Olympic gold medal hurdler Edwin Moses, former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, filmmaker Spike Lee, and actor Samuel L. Jackson.
http://www.morehouse.edu/
    1867 – Japan’s Thomas Edison, Sakichi Toyoda (d. 1930), was born at Kosai, Japan.  He invented an automatic loom that stopped immediately if a thread broke, assuring defect-free fabric.  His son, Kiichiro, moved the family business into automotive manufacturing with the creation of Toyota Motor Company in 1933. 
    1870 - Esther Morris becomes the nation's first woman justice of the peace.  Morris is credited with winning women's suffrage in Wyoming territory last year. She arm-twisted two Democratic lawmakers into sponsoring legislation giving women the vote after giving a dinner for twenty ( one of those who did not attend, opposed the legislation, some feel because he was not invited to the dinner; or perhaps he knew what was the purpose of the dinner and did not want to attend). Most Wyoming lawmakers treated the measure lightheartedly, hoping their bold step would attract more women to the territory. Democrats, for their part, were counting on a veto by Governor John Campbell. After the bill passed, however, Campbell promptly signed the bill, making Wyoming the first state or territory to enact women's suffrage. In 1872, the Democrats try to repeal the bill, offering Campbell $2,000 to cooperate. The governor firmly refused. 
http://www.womenofthewest.org/exhibits/suffrage/justice_full.html
http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/photos9.html
http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/morris.htm
    1886 - Destined to become one of the state's major exports, the first trainload of oranges grown by southern California farmers left Los Angeles via the transcontinental railroad.  In 1880, just before the first trainload of oranges departed, Los Angeles had 11,183 inhabitants.  A decade later, the population had ballooned to 102,479. By 1920, there would be more than half a million residents. Los Angeles was already well on its way to becoming the largest urban center in the American West. The Spanish had established Los Angeles, one of the oldest cities in the Far West, in 1781 to help colonize the region. For several decades, the city was the largest center of population in Mexican California. Mexican settlement and development of California, however, proceeded very slowly and Los Angeles developed little real economic or political power during this period. By the time the U.S. took control of California in 1848, Los Angeles still only had just over 1,610 inhabitants. As Anglo-Americans began to assert their control over California, they gradually broke up the large Hispanic ranches and replaced them with a more diversified farming economy. With irrigation, southern California proved an ideal environment for growing many crops, particularly valuable fruits like oranges. During the 1870s and 1880s, state railroad lines linking Los Angeles into the new system of transcontinental railways created additional moneymaking opportunities. Settlers, tourists, and health seekers all boarded trains to travel to the Pacific, where the sunny climate and beautiful scenery promised a new and better life. The healthful new California lifestyle became closely associated in the public mind with the sweet fruits that grew so abundantly in the orchards around Los Angeles. Taking advantage of the rapid transportation capabilities of the transcontinental lines, Los Angeles area orchard owners began shipping their oranges to the East in 1886. As the city grew, it subdivided many nearby orchards and pushed the orange growers out into regions like Orange County. There the orange growers steadily increased the size of their orchards to the point where local supplies of water for irrigation were inadequate. Determined to sustain their agricultural and real estate booms, Los Angeles residents undertook a massive program of hydraulic engineering in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Engineers took water from the distant mountains to transform the arid southern California ecosystem into a green agricultural and residential paradise. The resulting growth was astonishing. 
    1893 - Birthday of singer/pianist/songwriter Perry Bradford (d. 1970), Montgomery, AL.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/bradford.html
http://www.theiceberg.com/artist/25838/perry_bradford/
http://www.jass.com/lonesome.html
http://64.33.34.112/.WWW/b8.html
    1894 - Jack Benny was born Benjamin Kubelsky (d. 1974), Chicago.  Jack Benny entered vaudeville at Waukegan, IL, at age 17, using the violin as a comic stage prop. His radio show first aired in 1932 and continued for 20 years with little change in format. Recognized as a leading 20th-century American entertainer, Benny often portrayed his character as a miser, who obliviously played his violin badly, and ridiculously claimed to be 39 years of age, regardless of his actual age.  In 1960, Benny was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with three stars…for television, motion pictures and radio. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1988 and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1989.  He was also inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.      
    1899 - A great blizzard struck the eastern U.S. Washington D.C. received 20.5 inches of snow to bring their total snow depth to nearly three feet. The storm produced 36 inches of snow at Cape May NJ
    1912 – Arizona (Indian for ‘little or young spring’) became the 48th state. From its beautiful deserts comes the state bird: the cactus wren; the state flower: the saguaro cactus flower, the state reptile: Arizona ridge nose rattlesnake; state fossil: petrified wood; state gem: turquoise; the oasis, the capital city of Phoenix. More American Indians live in Arizona than any other state, representing over 14 different tribes. But the Spanish influence is everywhere, including the official state neckwear: the bolo tie. State motto: Ditat Deus (God enriches). 
    1913 – Birthday of Baseball Hall of Fame announcer Mel Allen, born Melvin Allen Israel (d. 1996) in Birmingham, AL.  Allen began his career with CBS in 1936 broadcasting baseball and other sporting events.  He became the lead announcer for the New York Yankees after World War II, continuing through their dynasties of the 40s, 50s and early 60s before being fired in 1964.  Hall of Famer Red Barber joined him as Yankees announcer in 1954, forming the game’s premiere duo of all-time.  He started a second career in 1997 as the voice of “This Week in Baseball,” serving as host until his death.  “How ‘bout that!”, “That ball is going, going, gone…a Ballentine Blast!”
    1913 – Birthday of American labor leader (gangster) Jimmy Hoffa (disappeared July 30, 1975, declared dead July 30, 1982), Brazil, Indiana.  He served as the President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from 1957 until 1971 following a lifetime in the American labor movement.  Hoffa became involved with organized crime from the early years of his Teamsters work; this connection continued until his disappearance in 1975. He was convicted of jury tampering, attempted bribery, conspiracy, and mail and wire fraud in 1964, in two separate trials. He was imprisoned in 1967 and sentenced to 13 years. In mid-1971, he resigned as president of the union as part of a commutation agreement with President Richard Nixon, and he was released later that year, although he was barred from union activities until 1980. Hoffa, hoping to regain support and to return to IBT leadership, unsuccessfully attempted to overturn the order.  Hoffa disappeared after going out to a meeting with known mobsters Anthony Provenzano and Anthony Giacalone.  The meeting was arranged to take place at 2 p.m. at the Machus Red Fox restaurant in a suburb of Detroit. The Machus Red Fox was known to Hoffa; it had been the site of his son James' wedding reception.  Speculation is rampant as to what happened but the facts are still unclear and the disappearance remains unsolved.
http://boozers.fortunecity.com/brewerytap/586/hoffa.html
http://www.hoffa.com/
http://www.who2.com/jimmyhoffa.html
    1914 - Birth of Ira F. Stanphill (d. 1993), Bellview, NM.  Assemblies of God clergyman and song evangelist. He is best known today for the hymn, "Room at the Cross," which he penned in 1946.
    1918 - The film, "Tarzan of the Apes," was released. It was based on stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The movie centered on 10-year-old Gordon Griffith who played the young Tarzan, the older Tarzan was played by Elmo Lincoln. Famous baseball player, Lou Gehrig, turned down an offer to play Tarzan. Four Tarzan actors have won Olympic medals: Johnny Weissmuller, Herman Brix, Buster Crabbe and Glen Morris. Johnny Weissmuller made the Tarzan yell famous.
    1920 - Leaders of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) approved the formation of a new organization-the League of Women Voters. With the vote for women just a few months away, the new organization was created to help American women exercise their new political rights and responsibilities. www.lwv.org
    1921 - In New York, Jane Heap and Margaret Anderson face obscenity charges for publishing a portion of James Joyce's “Ulysses” in the “Little Review.” They were fined $50. Here is a picture of the "Little Review" reunion:  Jane Heap, Mina Loy, and Ezra Pound, Paris, c. 1923
http://jacket.zip.com.au/jacket05/pix05/mina_pound.jpg
    1922 – Birthday of disc jockey Murray “The K” Kauffman (d. 1982), NYC.  He was an influential New York City rock and roll impressario and DJ of the 1950s, '60s and '70s. During the early days of Beatlemania, he was frequently referred to as the Fifth Beatle.  Kaufman's big break came in 1958 after he moved to New York’s WINS/1010 to do the all-night show, which he titled “The Swingin' Soiree.” Shortly after his arrival, WINS's high energy star disk jockey, Alan Freed, was indicted for tax evasion and forced off the air. Murray was soon moved into the 7–11 pm time period and remained there for the next seven years, always opening his show with Sinatra and making radio history with his innovative segues, jingles, sound effects, antics, and frenetic, creative programming.  Murray the K reached his peak of popularity in the mid-1960s when, as the top-rated radio host in New York City, he became an early and ardent supporter and friend of The Beatles. When the Beatles came to New York in 1964, Murray was the first DJ they welcomed into their circle, having heard about him and his Brooklyn Fox shows from American groups.  Kaufman was also one of the first along with Freed to promote interracial rock and roll concerts, at venues like the Brooklyn Fox and Brooklyn Paramount.  Later, he led the transition to FM radio as the preferred medium of radio for popular music.    
    1925 - A close-up of a lottery list shows the winning numbers drawn in the Mexican National Lottery, dated February 14, 1925. The camera pulls back to the hands of a man holding a lottery ticket. The scraggly-looking bum, a dirty, ragged scrounger [later identified as Fred C. Dobbs "Dobbsie" (Humphrey Bogart)], tears his losing ticket to pieces. 
--- From John Huston's film script of the anarchist B. Traven's book, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” 
http://www.riverart.com/books/traven.htm
    1925 - Birthday of bandleader Elliot Lawrence (Broza), Philadelphia.
http://www.theiceberg.com/artist.html?artist_id=27416
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/catalog/lawrence_e_cat.html
http://www.jazzmanrecords.com/ellawbigban.html
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?PID=1020872
    1928 - The Dorsey Brothers record their first record, Okeh Label.
    1929 - In the gangland struggle for control of the Chicago trade in bootleg liquor, gunmen in the employ of mobster Al Capone machine-gunned seven members of the George “Bugs” Moran gang in a garage on North Clark Street. It made national headlines as the “the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.”
    1930 – “The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett is published. Ex-Pinkerton agent turned author Dashiell Hammett’s crime novel introducing Sam Spade was published by Alfred A. Knopf in New York, NY. (The novel has been serialized in Black Mask magazine in the fall of 1929, but Hammett revised the text.) The novel was a milestone in American literature, offering the model by which all “hard-boiled” crime fiction would follow. In terse tough guy San Spade (who “looked rather pleasantly like a blood satan”), the world found a new pop icon. The notably dark haired Humphrey Bogart played Spade in the 1941 film version directed by John Huston.
    1930 - Birthday of trumpet player Dwike Mitchell, born Ivory Mitchell Jr. (d. 2013), Dunedin, FL
http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/linernotes/zinsser.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966491343/inktomi-bkasin-20/
002-5861649-1425657
    1931 - Ted Lewis' "Just A Gigolo" hits #1 on the pop singles chart. Over a half century later, "Diamond" David Lee Roth scores a major hit with the same song
    1932 - The U.S. won its first Olympic bobsled competition (both the two-man and four-man races) at the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, NY. Twelve other teams competed in the event. This was also the first bobsledding competition in the United States. The four-man team included Edward Eagan, who was also the 1920 Olympic light heavyweight boxing champion. Eagan's winter gold medal made him the first person to take home gold in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. 
    1935 - Birthday of trombonist Rob McConnell (d. 2010), London, Ontario
http://www.concordrecords.com/bios/mcconnell.html
http://www.jazzfest.markham.on.ca/McConnell.htm 
    1933 – Chicago Mayor Anton J. Cermak of Chicago is fatally wounded in Miami, Florida, by an assassin's bullet intended for President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. 
http://cermak.com/mayor/
http://www.iarelative.com/cz1933/cermak.htm
    1940 - The first porpoise born in captivity arrived at Marineland in Florida. 
    1940 - A "Saint Valentine's Day Blizzard" hit the northeastern U.S. Up to a foot and a half of snow blanketed southern New England, and whole gales accompanied the heavy snow stranding many in downtown Boston
    1941 - Frank Leahy was named head football coach at the University of Notre Dame. 
    1941 - Anita O’Day joins Gene Krupa’s Band (as I compile this, I am listening to “Anita O'Day swings Cole Porter with Billy May”). I think I like Ella singing the songs better, but the arrangements here are the best Billy May---Lean, Baby, Lean.)
    1945 - Allied fire-bombing of Dresden, killing more than 135,000 German citizens, enters into its second day. Many die of suffocation as firestorms, purposely created by dropping incendiary bombs in the raids, consume all the oxygen over large areas of the city. Hitler’s days are numbered as he believes the V-3 will soon be dropping over the United States.
    1945 - BIGELOW, ELMER CHARLES, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Watertender First Class, U.S. Naval Reserve. Born: 12 July 1920, Hebron, 111. Accredited to. Illinois. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving on board the U.S.S. Fletcher during action against enemy Japanese forces off Corregidor Island in the Philippines, 14 February 1945. Standing topside when an enemy shell struck the Fletcher, Bigelow, acting instantly as the deadly projectile exploded into fragments which penetrated the No. 1 gun magazine and set fire to several powder cases, picked up a pair of fire extinguishers and rushed below in a resolute attempt to quell the raging flames. Refusing to waste the precious time required to don rescue-breathing apparatus, he plunged through the blinding smoke billowing out of the magazine hatch and dropped into the blazing compartment. Despite the acrid, burning powder smoke which seared his lungs with every agonizing breath, he worked rapidly and with instinctive sureness and succeeded in quickly extinguishing the fires and in cooling the cases and bulkheads, thereby preventing further damage to the stricken ship. Although he succumbed to his injuries on the following day, Bigelow, by his dauntless valor, unfaltering skill and prompt action in the critical emergency, had averted a magazine explosion which undoubtedly would have left his ship wallowing at the mercy of the furiously pounding Japanese guns on Corregidor, and his heroic spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of almost certain death enhanced and sustained the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.
   1946 - Edith Houghton signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as the first woman to scout for a Major League baseball team.
    1946 - J. Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly demonstrated the Electronic Numerical integrator and Computer (ENIAC) for the first time at the University of Pennsylvania. This was the first electronic digital computer. It occupied a room the size of a gymnasium and contained nearly 18,000 vacuum tubes. The Army commissioned the computer to speed the calculation of firing tables for artillery. By the time the computer was ready, World War II was over. However, ENIAC prepared the way for future generations of computers.
    1949 - Top Hits
“A Little Bird Told Me” - Evelyn Knight
“Powder Your Face with Sunshine” - Evelyn Knight
“Far Away Places” - Margaret Whiting
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
    1951 - Sugar Ray Robinson, often regarded as the greatest boxer of all time, won the world middleweight championship by knocking out Jake LaMotta in the 15th round of a fight in Chicago.
    1953 - Teresa Brewer's "Till I Waltz Again with You" hits #1.
   1956- Birthday of Dave Dravecky, former baseball player, Youngstown, OH.
    1957 - Lionel Hampton’s only major musical work, "King David," debuted at New York’s Town Hall. Dimitri Mitropoulos conducted the four-part symphony jazz suite.
    1957 - Georgia Senate unanimously approves Senator Leon Butts' bill barring blacks from playing baseball with whites.
    1957 - Top Hits
“Too Much” - Elvis Presley
“Young Love” - Tab Hunter
“You Don’t Owe Me a Thing” - Johnnie Ray
“Young Love” - Sonny James
    1962 - A televised tour of the White House, led by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and hosted by Charles Collingwood, was broadcast simultaneously by CBS and NBC. The tour was watched by an estimated 46,500,000 viewers, offering them their first opportunity to see many of the rooms of the President's home. The First Lady was praised on her astute knowledge of the antique furniture in the White House, as she explained the history of many of the pieces during the tour. 
    1962 - President John F. Kennedy authorizes U.S. military advisors in Vietnam to return fire if fired upon. At a news conference, he said, "The training missions we have [in South Vietnam] have been instructed that if they are fired upon, they are of course to fire back, but we have not sent combat troops in [the] generally understood sense of the word." In effect, Kennedy was acknowledging that U.S. forces were involved in the fighting, but he wished to downplay any appearance of increased American involvement in the war. The next day former Vice President Nixon expressed hopes that President Kennedy would "step up the build-up and under no circumstances curtail it because of possible criticism." Contrary to popular belief, it was not President Kennedy who authorized the first military assistance to the government of Viet Nam. It was President Harry S. Truman in 1946. Each president since then inherited this decision to halt communism and increased participation in the South East.
    1965 - Top Hits
“You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” - The Righteous Brothers
“This Diamond Ring” - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
“All Day and All of the Night” - The Kinks
“You’re the Only World I Know” - Sonny James
    1966 - Simon and Garfunkel receive their first gold record for "Sounds of Silence," which had hit Number One on the pop charts on the first day of this year.
    1966 - Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers set a National Basketball Association record when, after 7 seasons of pro basketball, he hit a career high of 20,884 points. 
    1967 - Jim Morrison and The Doors performed at Whisky A-Go-Go, 568 Sacramento St., San Francisco, California. 
http://www.thedoors.com/
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/2914/
http://doors.iscool.com/
    1967 - Aretha Franklin records her signature song "Respect" at New York's Atlantic Studios
    1968 – Tired of traveling, The Jefferson Airplane opens at the Carousel Ballroom, Van Ness Avenue and Market Street, Frisco, California. 
http://www.starship.pp.se/history/part1.html
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/id_10021/bio.jhtml
http://grove.ufl.edu/~number6/Jefferson.Airplane/airplane.html
http://www.starship.pp.se/
    1968 - Frank Zappa releases “We’re Only in it for the Money” album.
http://www.science.uva.nl/~robbert/zappa/
    1968 - The Airplane opens at the Carousel Ballroom at Van Ness Ave. and Market Street, San Francisco.
    1970 - 45% favor or “have no opinion” regarding the war in Viet Nam. Despite an increasingly active antiwar movement, a Gallup Poll shows that a majority of those polled (55 percent) oppose an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam. Those that favored American withdrawal had risen from 21 percent, in a November poll, to 35 percent. President Nixon had taken office in January 1969 promising to bring the war to an end, but a year later the fighting continued and support for the president's handling of the war had begun to slip significantly.
    1970 - The Jaggerz, a six piece group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, entered the Billboard chart with a song called "The Rapper." Although the tune would rise to #2 during an eleven-week run, it would be the band's only chart appearance. 
    1970 - The Chicago Seven Trial, case goes to the jury.
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Chicago7/chicago7.html
http://lists.village.virginia.edu/sixties/
HTML_docs/Exhibits/Track16.html#Poster
http://theaction.com/Abbie/
http://lists.village.virginia.edu/sixties/Graphics/Track16/chicago_8.gif
    1970 - In US, 55% oppose immediate withdrawal from Vietnam. Despite an increasingly active antiwar movement, a Gallup Poll shows that a majority of those polled (55%) oppose an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam. Those that favored American withdrawal had risen from 21 percent, in a November poll, to 35 percent. President Nixon had taken office in January 1969 promising to bring the war to an end, but a year later the fighting continued and support for the president's handling of the war had begun to slip significantly. 
    1970 - Sly and the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" hits #1.
    1971 – President Richard Nixon orders secret taping system in the white House. Instructs Bob Haldeman to install it also in the Nixon’s White House office. The purpose was to obtain historic information for his autobiography and the idea of a Nixon Library. There are those who say it was also a device to spy on his staff, which Nixon avertedly did, not trusting anyone, including his own Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (as the tapes eventually revealed). 
    1972 - The musical, "Grease," opened at New York's Eden Theater, a musical with a 1950's rock score by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, opened off-Broadway. The play later moved to Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre Among the original cast members were Barry Bostwick and Adrienne Barbeau. The show moved to Broadway later in 1972 and, when it closed in 1980, it was one of the longest running musicals in history with 3,388 performances. A hit movie based on the play starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John produced the hit song: "Grease." The movie included several additional songs. Among them were Barry Gibb's title tune, which became a hit for Frankie Valli, and John Farrar's "You're the One That I Want," a million-seller for the film's stars, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, and "Summer Nights." 
    1972 - Birthday of former QB Drew Bledsoe, Ellensburg, WA.  The first overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, Bledsoe helped improve the fortunes of the New England Patriots, who had fallen on hard times.  During his tenure as starting quarterback, the Patriots ended a seven-season postseason drought, qualified for the playoffs four times, and appeared in Super Bowl XXXI under Bill Parcells. He was also named to three Pro Bowls and became the youngest quarterback to play in the NFL's all-star game at the time with his 1995 appearance.  Bledsoe suffered a near-fatal injury early in the 2001 season and was replaced as starter by backup Tom Brady, a 6th round, 199th overall pick in the 2000 draft. After he was medically cleared to play, Bledsoe was unable to regain his starting position due to Brady's success during the season, which led to the Patriots winning their first Super Bowl in XXXVI, beginning the dynasty that would appear in 9 additional Super Bowls and winning 6 of them since the 2001 season. Bledsoe subsequently retired in 2007 after stints with the Buffalo Bills, where he made a fourth Pro Bowl appearance, and the Dallas Cowboys, where he was reunited with former Patriots head coach Parcells.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=2359
http://www.shopthedotcoms.com/drew_bledso_jersey.htm
    1973 - Birthday of former Titans QB Steve McNair (d. 2009), Mount Olive, MS. He spent most of his career with the Houston/Tennesee Oilers/Titans. McNair led the Titans to the playoffs four times, and the Ravens once, and played in Super Bowl XXXIV with the Titans. McNair was selected to the Pro Bowl three times, and was an All-Pro and Co-MVP in 2003. McNair was the first African-American quarterback to win AP NFL MVP.  On July 4, 2009, McNair was fatally shot by his mistress in a murder–suicide.
http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1069
    1973 - Top Hits
“Crocodile Rock” - Elton John
“Why Can’t We Live Together” - Timmy Thomas
“Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?” - Hurricane Smith
“She Needs Someone to Hold Her” (“When She Cries”) - Conway Twitty
    1974 - Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille - the Captain and Tennille - were married in California.  Tennille filed for divorce from Dragon, suffering from Parkinson ’s disease, in 2014 after 39 years of marriage. Dragon was unaware of the termination of his marriage until he was served with the divorce papers.
http://www.captainandtennille.net/
http://www.tonitennille.net
    1974 - "Americans," a spoken word record by Byron McGregor, hit number one on the Cash Box Best Sellers Chart. McGregor was a newsman at Windsor Ontario's CKLW radio and recorded an editorial that was written by Canadian journalist Gordon Sinclair. The record described how Americans donate food, medicine and millions of dollars to those in trouble around the world and are rewarded with protests and flag burnings in other nations. 
    1977 - Clifford Alexander, Jr. first Black Secretary of Army State, confirmed.  Retired October 1, 2003 as Chairman of Moody’s Investment Firm.
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/sw-sa/Alexander.htm
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0EIN/2003_ August_1/106171152/p1/article.jhtml
    1978 - First 'microcomputer on a chip' patented by Texas Instruments
http://www.ti.com/corp/docs/company/history/tihistory.htm
    1980 - As Walter Cronkite announced his retirement from the "CBS Evening News," Dan Rather was chosen to replace television’s most trusted journalist. Cronkite announced Rather would take over the anchor desk in 1981. 
    1981 - Top Hits
“Celebration” - Kool & The Gang
“9 to 5” - Dolly Parton
“I Love a Rainy Night” - Eddie Rabbitt
“Who’s Cheatin’ Who” - Charly McClain
    1984 - The publicly bisexual Elton John married sound engineer Renate Blauel in an Anglican church in a suburb of Sydney, Australia. Their engagement was a mere five days. The pair seldom lived together and they divorced in 1988. Blauel was reported to have received a $45 million divorce settlement.
    1985 - The U.S. Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism announced their decision to begin accepting women as rabbis. 
    1986 - Frank Zappa appeared on "Miami Vice" as a crime boss named "Mr. Frankie."
    1987 - Singer Paul Simon performed before 20,000 people in the first of two shows at a soccer stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe. Sharing the stage with Simon were the black South African artists who helped him record his best-selling "Graceland" LP. Simon performed for free, and proceeds from the concerts went to charity. 
    1987 - George Strait became the first artist to debut an album at number one on Billboard's country chart when "Ocean Front Property" went to the top spot in its first week.
    1987 - The largest crowd to see an NBA game was at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, as 57,745 people watched the Detroit Pistons beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 125-107. 
    1987 - A powerful storm spawned severe thunderstorms in Texas and Oklahoma and produced heavy snow in the Rocky Mountain Region. Snowfall totals in Colorado ranged up to 27 inches at Telluride. Straight line winds gusting to 104 mph howled through Guadalupe Pass in West Texas.
    1987 - Dick Baldwin beat Adolph Rupp’s record for the most college career coaching wins as his Broome County Community College won game number 876. Baldwin was with the Upstate New York college for 40 years before moving to SUNY Binghamton until 1996.
    1987 - Bon Jovi hit #1 with their tune "Livin' On A Prayer." It was from their album "Slippery When Wet" which went to #1 for 8 weeks and sold over 9 million copies!!!
    1988 - Bobby Allison became the first 50-year old driver to win the Daytona 500 when he out dueled his 26-year-old son Davey.
    1989 - Top Hits
“Straight Up” - Paula Abdul
“Wild Thing” - Tone Loc
“Born to Be My Baby” - Bon Jovi
“Song of the South” – Alabama
    1990 - Valentine's Day was a snowy one for many parts of the western and central U.S. Five to ten inches of snow fell across Iowa, and 6 to 12 inches of snow blanketed northern Illinois, and strong northeasterly winds accompanied the heavy snow. Air traffic came to a halt during the evening at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, where 9.7 inches of snow was reported. More than 250 traffic accidents were reported around Des Moines IA during the evening rush hour. An ice storm glazed east central sections of Illinois, causing twelve million dollars damage in Champaign County alone.
    1994 - Michael Jackson sang a cappella passages from his songs "Billie Jean" and "Dangerous" in a Denver, Colorado, courtroom while testifying in a copyright infringement case. Crystal Cartier had claimed Jackson stole one of her songs but the case was dismissed. The court later began selling audio transcripts of Jackson's testimony, including his singing, at $15 a tape.
    1996 - The artist formerly known as Prince, age 37, returned to his hometown of Minneapolis and, under his given name Prince Rogers Nelson, married his backup dancer Mayte Jannell Garcia, age 22. Church workers were not allowed to watch the 40-minute candlelight service in the sanctuary, which was decorated with pink and white roses. It was the first marriage for both. The eccentric artist had announced a few years earlier that he would no longer use the name "Prince", and would be known by an unpronounceable sign that merges the symbols for male and female. 
    1998 - Eric Rudolph was declared the suspect in the bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama abortion clinic. A $100,000 reward was offered for his arrest and conviction. As of early 2002, Rudolph was still at large, among the top ten most wanted.
    1999 - Elton John plays himself in animated from for a Valentine's Day episode of "The Simpsons."
    1999 - Matt Drudge reports:  “BILL GIVES HILLARY LOVE PIN, VOWS NEVER TO CHEAT AGAIN.”  On Sunday evening in Mexico, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was spotted wearing a heart-shaped gold pin on her dark suit — a pin, sources say, that was given to her by her husband with a vow that he would never cheat on her again!  "It was a Valentine's Day gift," says a well-placed White House source traveling with the president. "He promised her that he will not hurt her anymore. The pin was a gift from his heart that came with a promise that he would remain faithful."  En route to Mexico, Mrs. Clinton walked through the press cabin aboard Air Force One and showed off the pin. But one reporter who witnessed Mrs. Clinton's walk through the cabin felt that the First Lady was deliberately displaying the pin to show that all is now well between her and her husband. "I think they were spinning us with all the fuss surrounding the pin," a network reporter e-mailed the DRUDGE REPORT from Mexico. "Monica's book is about to come out, and then the TV interview. I think they are trying hard to diffuse all of that." Also on the plane ride down to Mexico the president shared a huge box of candy with reporters. "Happy Valentine's Day," the president smiled.
    2001 - The two astronauts from the space shuttle Atlantis took the 100th spacewalk; the first had been taken by American Edward White in 1965. On their excursion Thomas Jones and Robert Curbeam Jr. put the finishing touches on the International Space Station's new science lab Destiny.
    2012 – Love letters between Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning were published online by Wellesley College and Baylor University.
    2013 – Senate Republicans filibustered the nomination of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense, demanding answers to questions about President Obama and Benghazi.
    2013 – Bankrupt airline American Airlines and US Airways merged, creating the world’s largest carrier and retaining the American Airlines name.
    2015 – GM recalled over 81,000 vehicles due to potential power steering problems in the 2006 and 2007 models of Pontiac G6, Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx.
    2018 – A former student entered Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL and opened fire with an AK-15 assault rifle.  14 students and 3 staff were murdered.  Warnings about the shooter to the FBI and Broward County went unheeded.