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Twitter warns of new violence to come, brewing again
on social media, as reason for Trump ban

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

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What Could You Do in One Year?

Imagine what you could do in one year!

If you focused on a passion, career, relationship, anything, what could you do if you gave it all you have for one year? Things can change in one second, one minute, one hour, one day, one week….you get it. Take the time to commit to being outside of your comfort zone and embark on your journey. We all have personal goals in the back of our minds that keep getting pushed back deeper and deeper. Take this time to write them down and bring them into your life. In one year, I believe that you will be where you want to be and then some.

Make a commitment and see what you can do. The clock is ticking! Tomorrow you only have 357 days left to achieve your goal.

Good Luck and be awesome!

klubin@zrgpartners.com

Ken Lubin
Managing Director
ZRG Partners, LLC
Americas I EMEA I Asia Pacific
C: 508-733-4789
https://www.linkedin.com/in/klubin/

Ken Lubin is a Managing Director with ZRG Partners, Founder of Executive Athletes, Founder of the Ultimate Hire, US Olympic Committee Career Advisor, and Death Race Winner. Ken is a master in getting people out of their comfort zone. He helps people achieve their dreams and companies achieve their goals by helping them realize the high performance life.

While he leads the global executive search initiative in several specialty finance niches; Ken is also the Founder of Executive Athletes LLC, an online community which consists of over 18k+ business professionals www.executiveathletes.com that compete globally in high level athletics and are leaders in the world of business. In addition to being an initial founder of The 431 Project, he is on the board of the Friends of Tuckerman Ravine.

The Ultimate Hire Collection:
http://leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/ultimate.html

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The Best Profession: Sales

Sales Make it Happen
By Steve Chriest

A vendor partner with whom we worked a few years ago provided us with some revealing research information about the sales profession. Among working professionals, it appears that salespeople, generally, are a well-balanced, stable group.

In their work as purveyors of sales excellence, this vendor maintains a database of over 300,000 sales candidates, 100,000 business decision-makers, and 1500 sales forces. Understanding salespeople and formulating actuarial tools that predict success in sales are core parts of their business. Here is some of the interesting information they have discovered:

Among doctors, lawyers, athletes and salespeople, which profession would you guess has the highest average return for their investment in education? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is salespeople, not doctors, lawyers or athletes, who enjoy the highest average return for their investment in education.

Who has the highest suicide rate among dentists, psychologists, business executives, laborers and salespeople? If you guessed dentists, you would be right. With all the rejection most salespeople endure on a daily basis, you might think salespeople rank high on this list. In reality, salespeople have the lowest rate of suicide among these groups.

When comparing politicians, TV personalities, building maintenance workers and salespeople, salespeople have the lowest rate of early heart or other stress related diseases. Maybe even onerous, unrealistic sales quotas aren't enough to overly stress most salespeople.

Which profession, among surgeons, entrepreneurs, writers and dentists has the highest divorce rate? For some reason, dentists again top this list. The sales profession is second lowest on the list and only Catholic Priests have a lower rate of divorce!

This should all be good news for sales managers and senior managers. It should be comforting to know that most salespeople enjoy a high average return for their investment in education, do themselves in much less often that other professionals, are less likely to succumb to stress and other stress related diseases than many other professionals, and stay married longer than many groups of top professionals.

It's no wonder salespeople successfully endure constant rejection from customers, uncomplimentary skits on Saturday Night Live, and the blame for lagging sales, even when their company's product or service offering are at fault. It seems that well-adjusted, optimistic, stable people

Steve Chriest
schriest@sbcglobal.net

Illinois Data Shows State Made $1 Billion
Last Year in Legal Cannabis Sales

New data reveals that the state of Illinois has attained a cannabis milestone after raking in more than $1 billion in legal marijuana sales last year. This comes a year after regulated recreational marijuana sales began in the state on Jan. 1, 2020.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the state recorded a significant growth in cannabis purchases last year. State officials report that over the course of 2020, total sales from both recreational and medical cannabis purchases reached roughly $1,000,308,800. These figures do not include data from medical marijuana sales made in December.

Data shows that adult-use cannabis purchases in December totaled $487 million. That’s approximately $10 million more than purchases made in the month of November. According to the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, since retail shops launched in January, the total recreational sales made every month have doubled.

Through the end of November 2020, medical cannabis dispensaries that are operating legally and are licensed sold more than $331 million in marijuana products. The total sales figures from both medical cannabis and recreational purchases will increase once medical cannabis sales figures from December are posted.

In December, roughly 1.9 million recreational marijuana products were sold, with more than a quarter of purchases being made by individuals who were not Illinois residents. With regard to sales of adult-use cannabis products, Illinois retailers sold almost 14,500,000 products last year.

Earlier in October, state officials reported that Illinois had collected more than $100 million in revenue from marijuana sales since the market was launched. Officials have emphasized that while the economic benefits of recreational cannabis legalization were appreciated, the policy must be combined with restorative justice for communities that were affected most by the war on drugs.

While other funds support mental health and substance misuse treatment, roughly 25% of the tax collected from cannabis sales is allotted to restorative justice grants. Illinois had announced in May that it was making social-equity grants worth nearly $31 million accessible to communities that had been identified as economically distressed.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently reported more than 500,000 pardons and expungements for individuals with low-level cannabis offenses on their records. The governor had earlier granted more than 11,000 pardons for marijuana-related convictions before the recreational marijuana market was implemented.

In addition to this, an initiative that will be funded by the state was recently set up to assist residents with cannabis convictions to acquire legal aid and access other services to assist in having their records expunged.

Away from Illinois and its record-breaking cannabis sales, CannAssist International Corp. (OTCQB: CNSC), headquartered in San Diego, California, has been causing a stir with its line of topical cannabis-based products that combat pain.

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Financial Partners GROUP (FPG) Reports
Record December at $31.8 Million

RED BANK, New Jersey - FPG announced fourth quarter funding volume of $77MM, including the largest month in company history with December volume exceeding $31MM.

CEO Jeff Lalima said “Q4 was our first full quarter under the expansion & rebrand of FPG and sets the pace to hit our company annual goal of $300MM in our first year under FPG.”

In September 2020 Financial Partners restructured and rebranded as Financial Partners GROUP (FPG). Announcing three Managing Members; Founder Jeff LaLima remained as CEO and president. Josh Mabee, who formerly served as Vice President at Ascentium Capital, stepped in as COO. Rob Noble was promoted to Executive Vice President from SVP of Business Development.

Josh Mabee, COO, said, “Seasoned additions to both Sales & Operations have allowed us to sustain the growth, along with several key strategic partnerships in both operations & marketing.

“2021 will be an exciting year as we navigate into credit facilities, additional verticals and retention, and continued hiring to support the development.”

In addition to the rebrand and expansion in September, FPG added the Hard Asset division led by industry veterans George Atkins & Casey Goodell. A new office was opened in Dover, NH to support with plans to enhance both sales and operational teams into 2021, along with the recently added corporate office in Red Bank, NJ.

EVP Rob Noble added “Diversification into additional markets has been a focal point for us the last year and has allowed for growth in our funding partnerships and capabilities, ultimately giving our valued vendor partners an even more attractive service offering. We have always been and will continue to be a vendor driver equipment finance company.”

About Financial Partners GROUP:

Established in 2004, FPG is an equipment finance company that delivers financial solutions for small-to-medium sized businesses and equipment manufacturers and distributors. Since its founding, FPG has provided more than $1.5 billion in equipment and vendor financing. The company is headquartered in Red Bank, NJ and operates offices in South Carolina, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Minnesota.

www.financialpc.com

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Asset Managers to Convene Online for First-Ever
ELFA Equipment Management LIVE!

ELFA Recognizes Members
of 2021 Equipment Management Committee

Washington, D.C. – The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association has announced that for the first time the ELFA Equipment Management Conference & Exhibition will be delivered as a virtual event with a whole new look, feel and experience. ELFA Equipment Management LIVE! on Feb. 23-24 will allow equipment managers, appraisers and remarketers from across the industry to connect, share knowledge and learn about the industry like never before.

Highlights of ELFA Equipment Management LIVE! will include:

Sector sessions offering an overview and outlook of market conditions for a variety of equipment segments, including trucks/trailers, alternative energy, IT/computers/tech, construction, copiers, rail, material handling and inland marine transportation.

Hot-topic sessions including:

How to Conduct a Virtual Evaluation of Equipment
Handling Distressed Accounts and Repossession During and After COVID
Data Analytics in Equipment Management
How to Choose, Manage and Work with Outside Appraisers
Return and Maintenance Agreements: Protect Your Asset Investments

Career-building sessions on the basics of equipment management and how to plan a career in asset management.
Networking receptions in an interactive virtual platform built to simulate a live venue.
Keynote address by leadership expert Mark Scharenbroich, author of Nice Bike.
Equipment Walk Around - Video tours and Q&As featuring truck tractor, medical and solar equipment.
A virtual exhibition of equipment appraisers, remarketers and others.

Planning Committee
ELFA recognized the subject matter experts on the 2021 Equipment Management Committee, who are involved in developing the program content for ELFA Equipment Management LIVE!

Committee Chair Thomas Monroe, said, “As we adjust to a world changed by the COVID-19 crisis, our planning committee has identified a number of critical issues to address at ELFA Equipment Management LIVE!.

“We look forward to learning and networking with as many industry colleagues and friends as possible on Feb. 23-24!”

The members of the 2021 Equipment Management Committee are:

Thomas Monroe, SVP, Asset Management, ATEL Capital Group (Committee Chair)
Carl Chrappa, Senior Managing Director, Independent Equipment Company an Alta Group LLC Co
Nicholas Coscia, Equipment Manager, Asset Management Americas CT&I, DLL
Anthony Gordon, Manager of Asset Management, Farm Credit Leasing
Thomas Harford, SVP - Equipment Management Group, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance
Robert Herb, Vice President, Global Asset Manager, Healthcare & Clean Technology, DLL
Philip Houser, Director, Asset Management, CIT
Elizabeth Jaramillo, Vice President - Asset Management/New Business Support, Key Equipment Finance
Kelly Lane, Vice President, Asset Management, Signature Financial
Robert Mercogliano, Strategic Account Manager - Financial Services, Bidadoo
James Merz, SVP - Head of Equipment Management, Fifth Third Bank
Christopher Nugent, Managing Director, Bluechip Asset Management LLC
Rick Pierman, SVP - Strategic Operations, Crestmark Equipment Finance, a division of MetaBank
Jane Rethmeier, CEO, Harbor Capital Leasing, Inc.
Joseph Santora, Managing Partner, Irontrax
Kevin Sensenbrenner, SVP/Senior Managing Director, Head of Asset Management, Stonebriar Commercial Finance
Micheal Smith, President & CEO, RTR Services, Inc.
Kevin Toye, Senior Vice President, Bank of America Global Leasing
Wade Whitenburg, Strategic Accounts: Finance & Insolvency Management, Ritchie Bros.

More Information: The full agenda and registration details for the Equipment Management Conference are available at https://www.elfaonline.org/events/2021/EMC/.

About ELFA
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) is the trade association that represents companies in the nearly $1 trillion equipment finance sector, which includes financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad. Its 575 members include independent and captive leasing and finance companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as manufacturers and service providers. For more information, please visit www.elfaonline.org. Follow ELFA on Twitter @ELFAonline.

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This Day in History

     1755 - Alexander Hamilton, American statesman, an author of “The Federalist Papers,” first Secretary of the Treasury, born at British West Indies. Engaged in a duel with Aaron Burr the morning of July 11, 1804, at Weehawken, NJ. Mortally wounded there and died July 12, 1804.
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/B/hamilton/hamilxx.htm
    1759 - American Life Insurance Company incorporated, Philadelphia.
    1770 - Rhubarb was shipped by Benjamin Franklin from London, England to John Bartram in Philadelphia, Pa. Rhubarb pie was a favorite in the United Colonies.
    1775 - Francis Salvador, the first Jew to be elected in the Americas, takes his seat on the South Carolina Provincial Congress. In June 1776, Salvador, a Patriot, became known as the "Southern Paul Revere" when he warned Charleston, South Carolina, of the approaching British naval fleet. Thanks to Salvador's intelligence information, Fort Sullivan in Charleston Harbor was able to prepare for the British attack and the half-completed fort successfully repelled an attack by a British fleet under Sir Peter Parker. On August 1 of the same year, while leading a militia group under the general command of Major Wilkinson, Salvador and his men were ambushed by a group of Cherokees and Loyalists near present-day Seneca, South Carolina. Salvador was wounded and then scalped by the Cherokees. He was the first recorded Jewish soldier killed in the American War for Independence.
    1791 - In Philadelphia, Episcopal Bishop William White, 43, founded the First Day Society. It became the forerunner of the American Missionary Fellowship, chartered in 1817 and headquartered today in Villanova, PA.
    1795 - Birthday of Barbara Heinemann or Heynemann (d. 1883), French-born U.S. spiritual leader of the Community of True Inspiration who supported Christian Metz in his moves from Europe to Iowa and organizing the network of the seven communities known as the Amana Society. As spiritual leader she held the society together after Metz's death.
    1801 - Birthday of Caroline Matilda Stansbury Kirkland (d. 1864), NYC. After her marriage, she lived as a frontier wife and authored “A New Home - Who'll Follow?” (1839). She wrote in a realistic style life that set a new standard for fiction. Her style was continued by her son Joseph Kirkland in his novels. She succeeded her husband as editor of a Unitarian weekly and later edited what became Sartain's Union Magazine. She was prominent in New York City literary circles.
    1807 – Ezra Cornell (d. 1874) was born in Westchester Landing, in what would become The Bronx. A businessman, politician, philanthropist and educational administrator, he was the founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University. He also served as President of the New York Agriculture Society and as a New York state Senator.
    1813 - First pineapples planted in Hawaii, brought from Spain.
http://www.royalty.nu/America/Hawaii.html
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pineapple.html
    1815 - Birthday of John A. MacDonald, (d. 1891), Canadian statesman, first prime minister of Canada, born at Glasgow, Scotland. His birthday is observed in Canada.
    1839 - Birthday of Eugenio Maria Hostos (d. 1903), Puerto Rican patriot, scholar and author of more than 50 books, born at Rio Canas, Puerto Rico. The anniversary of his birth is observed as a public holiday in Puerto Rico.
    1842 - Birthday of William James (d. 1910), New York City. American psychologist and philosopher of distinguished family that included his brother, novelist Henry James. “There is no worse lie,” he wrote in Varieties of Religious Experience (1902), “than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it.”
    1848 - The Town Council attempted to ban gambling in San Francisco.
    1861 - Alabama seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy.
    1870 - Birthday of Alice (Caldwell) Hegan Rice (d. 1942), Shelbyville, KY. American novelist and short-story writer best known for her 1901 novel Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch which has been translated into dozens of languages, made into plays and movies.
    1878 - In New York, Alexander Campbell made the first delivery of milk in glass bottles. Until then, milk had been ladled from a container by the milkman, into the customer's own container.
    1885 - Birthday of Alice Paul (d. 1977), Moorestown, NJ. Women's rights leader and founder of the National Woman's Party. Advocate of an equal rights amendment to the US Constitution.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?amtoday:1:./temp/~ammem_4bjr
    1892 - Paul Gauguin marries a 13-year-old Tahitian girl
    1897 - Birthday of Martha Maria "Mattie" Hughes Cannon (d. 1932), Wales, UK. She became the first woman state senator in America defeating her own husband, who was also on the ballot in Utah.
    1902 - "Popular Mechanics" magazine was first published. Initially, it had only five paying subscribers, and a few hundred readers who paid a nickel to buy it at newsstands. In September, 1903, the magazine became a monthly.
    1904 - Pianist/composer Clarence “Pinetop” Smith (d. 1929) was born Troy, AL. One of my favorites, I have all his records, best known for “Pinetop's Boogie Woogie.”
    1907 - The Church of God, headquartered today in Cleveland, Tennessee, and with roots going back to 1886, officially adopted its current name.
    1910 - Canadian singer and saxophonist Art Hallman (d. 1994) was born in Kitchener, Ontario. One of Canada's most popular tenors in the 1940's, Hallman was featured vocalist from 1939 to 1944 with Mart Kenney and his Western Gentlemen. He formed the Art Hallman Orchestra in 1945, and the band appeared in top hotels and dance halls in Toronto, as well as on CBC radio and station CFRB. Hallman's theme song was "Just a Moment More with You."
    1913 - Hudson Sedan, manufactured by the Hudson Motor Car Company, Detroit, MI, was shown at the 13th National Automobile Show. It was the first sedan car with all accessories as standard equipment.
    1918 - A tremendous blizzard completely immobilized the Midwest, stopping mail service for two weeks. The vast storm then moved through the Great Lakes Region and the Ohio Valley. Winds reached 60 mph at Toledo OH, and the temperature plunged from 28 above to 15 below zero during passage of the cold front.
    1922 - A 14-year-old-boy, Canadian Leonard Thompson, became the first person to have his diabetes successfully treated with insulin.
    1923 - Drummer James “Osie” Johnson (d. 1966) birthday, Washington, DC.
http://www.harlem.org/people/johnson.html#
    1924 - Louisiana blues singer Slim Harpo (d. 1970) was born James Isaac Moore in West Baton Rouge, LA. Heavily-influenced by Chicago boogie singer Jimmy Reed, Harpo scored on the pop charts in 1966 with "Baby, Scratch My Back." As well, he had a number-one rhythm-and-blues record in 1961 with "Rainin' in My Heart." By 1964, several of his tracks had been released on albums and singles in the UK, and British rock bands like The Rolling Stones, The Pretty Things, Yardbirds, Kinks, Pink Floyd and they began to feature versions of his songs in their early repertoires. The Moody Blues reportedly took their name from an instrumental track of Slim's called "Moody Blues."
    1926 - Canadian composer and trumpeter Johnny Cowell (d. 2018) was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario. Cowell became one of Canada's most successful songwriters in 1956 when his composition "Walk Hand in Hand" was recorded by such artists as Andy Williams and Tony Martin. The song was one of the major hits of the year. Cowell also wrote "Our Winter Love," a big hit in 1963 by Nashville pianist Bill Pursell.
    1927 - '50s pop singer Gisele MacKenzie (d. 2003), born Gisèle Marie Louise Marguerite LaFlèche in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA.
    1928 - Paul Whiteman recorded "Ol' Man River" on Victor Records. Bing Crosby sang as the featured vocalist on the song from the Broadway musical, "Showboat."
    1935 - Amelia Earhart Putnam became the first person to make a solo flight from Hawaii to California. Three years earlier, she became the first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
    1935 - Ronnie Hawkins, a pioneer of rock 'n' roll in Canada, was born in Huntsville, Arkansas.
Hawkins has been a father figure to many of Canada's leading rock musicians, and the graduates of his bands include the groups Crowbar and The Band, as well as Dom Troiano, King Biscuit Boy and David Clayton-Thomas. (Rompin') Ronnie Hawkins began touring the Ontario night club circuit in 1958 with his band the Hawks. In 1959, he scored on the US charts with "Mary Lou" and "40 Days."
Hawkins has remained in Canada since then, leaving his Ontario base only occasionally, as he did in 1976 to appear at The Band's farewell concert in San Francisco.
    1938 - The first woman bank president, Frances Moulton, assumed her duties in Limerick, Maine.
    1939 - First Metronome All-Star session (Berigan, James, Goodman) records “Blue Lou,” “The Blues.” Victor. These Metronome Jazz Magazine masters are fascinating to listen to as they are basically all-star jam sessions.
    1939 - Actor-singer Sal Mineo was born in The Bronx. Better known for his acting than his singing, he did manage a top-ten record in 1957, "Start Movin'." On February 12th, 1975, Mineo was found murdered in Los Angeles.
    1939 - Marlene Dietrich, "Falling in Love Again," released.
    1940 - Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., becomes the U.S. Army's first black general, his son would later become a general as well.
    1942 - Saxophonist Clarence “Big Man” Clemons (d. 2011) born Norfolk County, VA. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, playing tenor sax.
    1942 – Temperature of -23ºF (-31ºC), Kingston, RI is the state record.
    1943 - Singer Jim Croce (d. 1973) was born in Philadelphia. His narrative songs, such as "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" and "YouDon’t Mess around with Jim," were extremely popular in the early '70s. Like Otis Redding, Croce's greatest popularity came after his death. And like Redding, Croce was killed in a plane crash.
    1944 - Franz Kettner, a private in the German army and a prisoner of war at Camp Hearne in Texas, is killed by a Nazi kangaroo court. Internment camps for German prisoners of war were dominated by Nazi enforcers, who killed as many as 150 of their fellow prisoners during World War II.
    1944 - HOWARD, JAMES H., (Air Mission) Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps. Place and date: Over Oschersleben, Germany, 11 January 1944. Entered service at: St. Louis, Mo. Birth: Canton, China. G.O. No.: 45, 5 June 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy near Oschersleben, Germany, on 11 January 1944. On that day Col. Howard was the leader of a group of P51 aircraft providing support for a heavy bomber formation on a long-range mission deep in enemy territory. As Col. Howard's group met the bombers in the target area the bomber force was attacked by numerous enemy fighters. Col. Howard, with his group, and at once engaged the enemy and himself destroyed a German ME. 110. As a result of this attack Col. Howard lost contact with his group, and at once returned to the level of the bomber formation. He then saw that the bombers were being heavily attacked by enemy airplanes and that no other friendly fighters were at hand. While Col. Howard could have waited to attempt to assemble his group before engaging the enemy, he chose instead to attack single-handed a formation of more than 30 German airplanes. With utter disregard for his own safety he immediately pressed home determined attacks for some 30 minutes, during which time he destroyed 3 enemy airplanes and probably destroyed and damaged others. Toward the end of this engagement 3 of his guns went out of action and his fuel supply was becoming dangerously low. Despite these handicaps and the almost insuperable odds against him, Col. Howard continued his aggressive action in an attempt to protect the bombers from the numerous fighters. His skill, courage, and intrepidity on this occasion set an example of heroism which will be an inspiration to the U.S. Armed Forces.
    1945 - GAMMON, ARCHER T., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 9th Armored Infantry Battalion, 6th Armored Division. Place and date: Near Bastogne, Belgium, 11 January 1945. Entered service at: Roanoke, Va. Born: 11 September 1918, Chatham, Va. G.O. No.: 18, 13 February 1946. Citation: He charged 30 yards through hip-deep snow to knock out a machinegun and its 3-man crew with grenades, saving his platoon from being decimated and allowing it to continue its advance from an open field into some nearby woods. The platoon's advance through the woods had only begun when a machinegun supported by riflemen opened fire and a Tiger Royal tank sent 88mm. shells screaming at the unit from the left flank. S/Sgt. Gammon, disregarding all thoughts of personal safety, rushed forward, then cut to the left, crossing the width of the platoon's skirmish line in an attempt to get within grenade range of the tank and its protecting foot troops. Intense fire was concentrated on him by riflemen and the machinegun emplaced near the tank. He charged the automatic weapon, wiped out its crew of 4 with grenades, and, with supreme daring, advanced to within 25 yards of the armored vehicle, killing 2 hostile infantrymen with rifle fire as he moved forward. The tank had started to withdraw, backing a short distance, then firing, backing some more, and then stopping to blast out another round, when the man whose single-handed relentless attack had put the ponderous machine on the defensive was struck and instantly killed by a direct hit from the Tiger Royal's heavy gun. By his intrepidity and extreme devotion to the task of driving the enemy back no matter what the odds, S/Sgt. Gammon cleared the woods of German forces, for the tank continued to withdraw, leaving open the path for the gallant squad leader's platoon.
    1945 - Birthday of singer Naomi Judd, born Diana Ellen Judd, Ashland, KY. With her daughter, Wynonna, Naomi formed the highly successful singing duo known as "The Judds.” She is also the mother of actress Ashley Judd.
    1947 - Top Hits
“For Sentimental Reasons” - Nat King Cole
“Ole Buttermilk Sky” - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
“The Old Lamplighter” - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
“Divorce Me C.O.D.” - Merle Travis
    1948 - Future country superstar Loretta Lynn married Oliver (Mooney) Lynn. She was not quite 14 years old.
    1948 - President Harry S. Truman proposes free, two-year community colleges for all who want an education.
    1949 - Lee Konitz's cuts first record “Progression” on Prestige.
    1953 - Birthday of rock singer Pat Benatar, born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski in Brooklyn.
    1955 - Top Hits
“Mr. Sandman” - The Chordettes
“The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane” - The Ames Brothers
“Hearts of Stone” - The Fontane Sisters
“Loose Talk” - Carl Smith
    1956 - The Coasters record "Down in Mexico," "Turtle Dovin'"
    1956 - Elvis Presley began his first recording session in Nashville. Among the songs recorded were "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Was the One," which became Presley's first single for RCA Victor. Artists-and-repertoire chief Steve Sholes had bought his contract from Sun Records in Memphis for $35,000. The record became the first of Elvis's more than 50 million-sellers.
    1956 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Memories Are Made of This," Dean Martin. It remained at the top for five weeks while spending six weeks atop Billboard's chart of songs "Most Played by Jockeys", five weeks atop Billboard's chart of "Best Sellers in Stores", and four weeks atop Billboard's chart of songs "Most Played in Juke Boxes." It became a Gold Record and Martin's biggest hit.
    1957 - In one of the biggest scandals to ever hit rock music, Jerry Lee Lewis marries his 13-year-old cousin Myra Gale Brown, daughter of his cousin Jim. Lewis' first marriage is still valid; the divorce wouldn't be finalized for six months. Reports are that Myra still believes in Santa Claus. When the story breaks a few weeks later, Lewis' career would be seriously damaged.
    1958 - The Coasters, "Charlie Brown" was released. It went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, while "Venus" by Frankie Avalon was at #1. It was the first of three top-ten hits for the Coasters that year. It is best known for the phrase, "Why's everybody always pickin' on me?"
    1958 - On CBS-TV's "Seahunt," Lloyd Bridges starred as Mike Nelson, an ex-Navy frogman turned underwater trouble shooter. The show spent four years on the network. The underwater sequences were shot in Silver Springs, Florida. The out-of-water sequences were filmed at Marineland of the Pacific. My father Lawrence Menkin wrote several of the episodes.
    1958 - "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis became the number-one song in the US. Later in the year, many radio stations began banning his records because of his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin.
    1960 - Aretha Franklin makes her stage debut at New York's Village Vanguard.
    1961 - The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" hits #1
    1963 - Top Hits
“Telstar” - The Tornadoes
“Go Away Little Girl” - Steve Lawrence
“Hotel Happiness” - Brook Benton
“Ruby Ann” - Marty Robbins
    1963 - On Sunset Boulevard in California, Whiskey-A-Go-Go opened. Bright lights and mini-skirt clad dancers in cages were the main features of the United States’ first discotheque. In the next decade and beyond, the Whiskey will be a popular meeting place for the record industry and a good place to be seen if you want to get into the industry. The Doors, among others, got their start there.
    1963 - Tracy Caulkins, American swimmer, was born in Winona, MN. Winner of more titles than any other amateur athlete, she won 48 national titles, three Olympic gold medals (1984), set 66 world or U.S. records, and is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (1990).
    1964 - Roger Miller records "Dang Me," one of the most popular songs
of the year, along with his "Chug-A-Lug."
    1964 - U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued the first government report saying that smoking may be hazardous to one's health.
    1964 - "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash becomes the first country album to top the U.S. pop album chart.
    1964 - Famed singer Sam Cooke is shot and killed under mysterious circumstances at the Hacienda Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. The married singer picked up a young woman at a party, who claimed Cooke attempted to rape her. When she ran away, according to her testimony, Cooke followed and assaulted the hotel manager, demanding to know the girl's whereabouts. The manager shot Cooke three times.
    1965 - Ray Charles' "Crying Time" enters the pop charts
    1965 - The Beach Boys record "Do You Wanna Dance"
    1966 - British Invasion band Herman's Hermits receive a gold record for the album "The Best of Herman's Hermits."
    1967 - The great Jimi Hendrix records "Purple Haze"
    1968 - The Rolling Stones film their legendary “Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus” television special at Wembley television studios in Middlesex, England, featuring performances by John Lennon, Eric Clapton, the Who, Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithful -- and yes, circus people, all filmed in a circus tent. The show is never aired and only sees the light of day in 1996, supposedly because the Stones thought the Who upstaged them with their performance.
    1969 - FRITZ, HAROLD A., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Troop A, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Place and date: Binh Long Province, Republic of Vietnam, 11 January 1969. Entered service at: Milwaukee, Wis. Born: 21 February 1944, Chicago, 111. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. (then 1st Lt.) Fritz, Armor, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while serving as a platoon leader with Troop A, near Quan Loi. Capt. Fritz was leading his 7-vehicle armored column along Highway 13 to meet and escort a truck convoy when the column suddenly came under intense crossfire from a reinforced enemy company deployed in ambush positions. In the initial attack, Capt. Fritz' vehicle was hit and he was seriously wounded. Realizing that his platoon was completely surrounded vastly outnumbered, and in danger of being overrun, Capt. Fritz leaped to the top of his burning vehicle and directed the positioning of his remaining vehicles and men. With complete disregard for his wounds and safety, he ran from vehicle to vehicle in complete view of the enemy gunners in order to reposition his men, to improve the defenses, to assist the wounded, to distribute ammunition, to direct fire, and to provide encouragement to his men. When a strong enemy force assaulted the position and attempted to overrun the platoon, Capt. Fritz manned a machine gun and through his exemplary action inspired his men to deliver intense and deadly fire which broke the assault and routed the attackers. Moments later a second enemy force advanced to within 2 meters of the position and threatened to overwhelm the defenders. Capt. Fritz, armed only with a pistol and bayonet, led a small group of his men in a fierce and daring charge which routed the attackers and inflicted heavy casualties. When a relief force arrived, Capt. Fritz saw that it was not deploying effectively against the enemy positions, and he moved through the heavy enemy fire to direct its deployment against the hostile positions. This deployment forced the enemy to abandon the ambush site and withdraw. Despite his wounds, Capt. Fritz returned to his position, assisted his men, and refused medical attention until all of his wounded comrades had been treated and evacuated. The extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by Capt. Fritz, at the repeated risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect the greatest credit upon himself, his unit, and the Armed Forces.
    1970 - The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7, to win Super Bowl IV. The Chiefs, 14—point underdogs, evened the AFL's Super Bowl record at 2-2 with their triumph. Kansas City was led by quarterback Len Dawson, named the game's Most Valuable Player.
    1970 - Billy Casper became the second golfer in history to top the $1-million mark in career earnings, thanks to winning the Los Angeles Open golf tournament.
    1971 -Top Hits
“My Sweet Lord/Isn't It a Pity” - George Harrison
“Knock Three Times” - Dawn
“Black Magic Woman” - Santana
“Rose Garden” - Lynn Anderson
    1972 - Downslope winds hit the eastern slopes of the Rockies in northern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming. Boulder, CO reported wind gusts to 143 mph and twenty-five million dollars property damage.
    1973 - The American League changed its playing rules to allow for the use of a designated hitter, one player to bat for the pitcher throughout the game without being required to play in the field. The rule was intended to boost offensive production and to allow better starting pitchers to remain in the game longer. The designated hitter idea was raised by Connie Mack in 1906, though he was not the first to propose it. On April 6, 1973, Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees became the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history, facing Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher Luis Tiant. "Boomer" Blomberg was walked.

  1974 - Country storyteller Tom. T. Hall topped the country singles charts with "I Love." His other number-one songs that year included "That Song is Driving Me Crazy" and "Country Is."
    1976 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Dorothy Hamill.
    1976 - Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat" enters the pop charts
    1977 - AT&T approves dual listings in phone books for wife and husband without extra charge, ending a three-year battle by feminists.
    1979 - Top Hits
“Too Much Heaven” - Bee Gees
“My Life” - Billy Joel
“Sharing the Night Together” - Dr. Hook
“Tulsa Time” - Don Williams
    1980 - Composer John Williams succeeded the late Arthur Fiedler as the conductor of the Boston Pops.
    1984 - The album "Thriller" by Michael Jackson became the all-time bestselling LP. "Thriller," with ten-million copies sold, surpassed the previous best-seller, the soundtrack from "Saturday Night Fever." "Thriller" eventually sold more than 40 million copies. Also on January 11th, 1984, Michael Jackson was nominated for 12 Grammy Awards.
    1986 - L. Douglas Wilder was sworn in as lieutenant governor of Virginia. He was the first black elected to statewide office in the South since Reconstruction. He later served as governor.
    1987 - Madonna's video about a pregnant teenager, "Papa Don't Preach," won the top award on the first World Music Video Awards. The three-hour program was co-produced by Canada's MuchMusic Network and Europe's Sky Channel. It was telecast live via satellite to five continents.
    1987 - Top Hits
“Walk Like an Egyptian” - Bangles
“Notorious” - Duran Duran
“Shake You Down” - Gregory Abbott
“Give Me Wings” - Michael Johnson
    1987 - Denver quarterback John Elway engineers "The Drive." Trailing Cleveland 20-13 with 5:32 remaining in the AFC championship game, Elway marches the Broncos 98 yards on 15 plays to force overtime, then moves Denver 60 yards on nine plays on their first possession of overtime to set up Rich Karlis' game-winning 33-yard field goal in the Broncos' 23-20 victory.
http://images.nfl.com/history/images/0111.jpg
    1987 - A storm in the northeastern U.S. buried the mountains of central Vermont with up to 26 inches of snow, and snowfall totals in Maine ranged up to 27 inches at Telos Lake. Winds gusted to 45 mph at Newark, NJ and Albany, NY.
    1988 - Snow and high winds in Utah resulted in a fifty-car pile-up along Interstate 15. Winds in Wyoming gusted to 115 mph at Rendezvous Peak.
    1992 - Paul Simon becomes the first international star to perform in South Africa following the end of the UN cultural boycott. He began a concert tour in Johannesburg.
    1992 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Kristi Yamaguchi
    1998 - NFC Championship: Green Bay Packers beat San Francisco 49'ers 23-10
    1998 - AFC Championship: Denver Broncos beat Pitt Steelers 24-21
    1998 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Michelle Kwan
    1998 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Todd Eldredge
    1999 - NASA declared 1998 the warmest year on record. Global surface temperatures increased by 0.34 of a degree Fahrenheit. The average temperature of 58.496 degrees Fahrenheit eclipsed the previous record set in 1995. The 1998 warmth was associated partly with a strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean.
    1999 - At the American Music Awards, Billy Joel is given the Special Award of Merit for his "inspired songwriting skills" and "exciting showmanship." Also at the show, Blondie (with four of the original members: Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Jimmy Destri, and Clem Burke) perform on stage with rapper Coolio singing the band's "No Exit."
    2001 - The Federal Trade Commission approved the merger of AOL and Time Warner to form AOL Time Warner
    2003 - Illinois Gov. George Ryan commutes the death sentences of 167 prisoners on the state's death row in the wake of allegations that Chicago police detective and Commander Jon Burge tortured confessions from some 200 suspects over a 19 year period.

2010 - Mark McGwire admitted to The Associated Press that he used steroids and human growth hormone when he broke baseball's home run record in 1998.
Super Bowl Champions:
1970 - Kansas City Chiefs

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