Post Here a Free Ad for Seeking a New Career
100 Words Reach the Banking, Finance, Leasing Industries

Categories to post:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Please send email to kitmenkin@leasingnews.org to post your ad.

 

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Top Stories:  July 3
(Opened Most by Readers)

Final Approval of Multi-Million Dollar Class Action Settlement
Ascentium, Balboa, Univest, et al
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2018/07_03.htm#final

More Changes at Bank of the West Leasing
Moving to Tempe, Arizona
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2018/07_03.htm#morer

 

 

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Funders Looking for Good Broker Business
Updated

Companies on the list who want to update their employee count, change information, including association membership, or this list:

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

 please contact kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

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

To qualify for this list, the company must be a funder (as qualified by Leasing News) and on the “Funder List,” or appear on the Commercial Alternative Finance Company List. It addition, the company is required to have an acceptable Better Business Bureau Rating, plus not appearing in the Leasing News "Complaints Bulletin Board," including  the list utilizing Evergreen for Extra Lease Payments.

Leasing News reserves the right to not list a company who does not meet these qualifications.

Alphabetical list - click on company name to view more details

1st Enterprise Bank Leasing Allegheny Valley Bank Leasing  Allstate Leasing American Leasefund, Inc. Bankers Capital  Barrett Capital Corporation Black Rock Capital Boston Financial & Equity Corp. BSB Leasing, Inc. Calfund, LLC Celtic Bank Chesapeake Industrial Leasing Co., Inc.

Cobra Capital LLC Dakota Financial  Exchange Bank Leasing (formerly Dumac Leasing) FirstLease, Inc. First Federal Leasing First Foundation Bank First Midwest Equipment Finance Financial Pacific Leasing Forum Financial Services, Inc. Gonor Funding Lease Corporation of America Madison Capital

Mesa Leasing National Equipment Finance NexTier Leasing NFS Leasing, Inc Northwest Leasing Company, Inc P&L Capital Corporation Padco Financial Services Pawnee Leasing Corporation RLC Funding SLIM Capital, LLC  Standard Professional Services, LLC TEAM Funding Solutions TimePayment Your Leasing Solution, LLC

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

Commercial Alternative Finance Company List

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

This list will appear on the website as well as in the News Edition, from time to time, particularly when updated, as well as utilized when Leasing News is asked for a referral or has a good reputation.

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

Leasing News reserves the right to not list a company who does not meet these qualifications.

This is for commercial business only, no consumer transactions, and products offered to list include, Bridge Loans, Business Loans Factoring, Capital Leasing, Lines of Credit, Merchant Advance, Trade/PO Financing, Working Capital.

Name In Business Since Contact Website Leasing Association	Employees	Geo Area	Dollar Amount	Products Offered	A	B	C	D
OnDeck  2007 Chris Sandoval 929.279.8102 newpartner@ondeck.com    www.ondeck.com	500+	US, Canada and Australia	$5,000 to $500,000	Term Loans, Buiness Lines of Credit	Y	Y	N	Y
Rapid Advance 2005 Jeff Schubert 204-203-9224 jschubert@rapidadvance.com www.rapidadvance.com      NAELB/NEFA	250	Nationwide	$5,000 to $1,000,000	Bridge Loans, Factor, Leasing, Lines of Credit, Merchant Advance, Trade/PO Financing/Working Capital	Y	Y	N	N
Channel Partners Capital  2009 Adam Peterson adam@channelpartnersllc.com www.channelpartnersllc.com   AACFB/NEFA/ELFA	30	Nationwide	$10,000 to $250,000	Working Capital Loans	Y	Y	N	Y

A -Accepts Broker Business | B -Requires Broker be Licensed
| C -Sub-Broker Program| D - Also "in house" salesmen
To join the list, email: kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

 

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Solar Financing Firms
Working with Third Party Originators 

Thomas Cadle, CLFP, LeaseSource Financial Services. Voice:  800-991-0099   Fax: 800 - 988 -3921
  email: tcadle@leasource.com

Michael Kountze, Regents Capital.,  Voice: 512-222-5539  Fax: 512-222-5539
 email: michaelk@regentscapital.com

John Meredith, CG Commercial Finance.   Voice:  949.720.9511    fax:  949.720.9611 
 email: john.meredith@cgcommercial.com

Jim Recker, Crestmark Equipment Finance.  Voice: 248.593.3919  Mobile: 248.705.5704   Toll Free: 888.800.3705
   email: jrecker@crestmark.com

Any additions or corrections, please contact: kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

 

 

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Help Wanted

Sales Makes it Happen by Steve Chriest

Don't Shoot the Dog

 (Originally appeared in Leasing News August 21, 2013)

Valuable insights for managers can sometimes be found in the most unlikely places. For example, Karen Pryor has written a book, “Don't Shoot the Dog!”---which a revised edition will be available at Amazon starting tomorrow, August 22, 2013 (still available, 452 reviews, 4.7 out of 5 stars for training. Editor) . Although the book is loaded with information about training animals, with the latest using a clicker, it's really about training anyone, whether human or animal, to do anything that can and should be done. This little book contains some of the most valuable information and insights I've ever read about managing people.

Ms. Pryor talks a great deal about the principles of reinforcement training. Here is the pearl for managers: Using positive and negative reinforcers is the best way to change behavior. What managers may find most surprising is her contention that positive reinforcers are better at changing behavior than are rewards.

A reinforcer is something that, when occurring in conjunction with an act tends to increase the probability that the act will occur again. There are positive and negative reinforcers. Sincere praise is a positive reinforcer and is something most humans seek. A disapproving look from a manager is a negative reinforcer and most employees will seek ways to change whatever behavior caused the disapproving glance from the manager.

When managers aren't getting the results they want, they often resort to punishment as their favorite behavior modification tool. Many may not have learned firsthand that spanking the dog, yelling at an employee, levying a fine or docking a paycheck as punishment is not only a clumsy way of modifying behavior, but that it doesn't often work!

The author tells us that the major problem with punishment is the fact that when it doesn't work, we tend to escalate the punishment in hopes of better results. For example, let's say that your sales team members aren't making enough cold calls. As a manager, you could demand that they report to the office every Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. and write on the whiteboard five hundred times, “I promise to make more cold calls.” If that doesn't work, you could escalate the punishment by lowering their commission payouts. Still no results? You could again escalate the punishment by suspending them for a week, without pay. When none of this works, the question managers should ask is, “where will the escalation of punishment end?”

If you want an introduction to the most up-to-date principles underlying all training, and tips on how to apply these principles in your business, I highly recommend “Don't Shoot the Dog.” It may forever change your views on modifying behavior in the workplace

.

$9.23 Paperback

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Shoot-Dog-Teaching-Training/dp/1860542387/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Steve Chriest is the CEO of Open Advance and author of “Selling to the E-Suite, The Proven System for Reaching and Selling Senior Executives and Business Acumen 101.”  He recently re-named his company from Selling-Up.  He produces video and radio blogs, as well as continuing as a columnist for Leasing News since 2005.
www.openadvance.com/contact/
925-263-2702
www.openadvance.com/ 

 

 

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The 1 networking rule 99% of people are afraid to follow,
but should!
by Nicolas Cole, theladder.com

How many times have you found yourself at a networking event, only to feel like you’re at a networking event?

I’ll let you in on a little secret: These aren’t the events where real networking is taking place.

I don’t go to networking events. I don’t attend things that require me to put on a “Hello, My Name Is” nametag. I rarely attend big conferences with keynote speakers that spend 45 minutes talking about how you “just have to hustle” and “marketing is all about great content,” with absurd ticket prices that promise you will rub shoulders with “all the right people.”

I’ve tried these avenues, and they are always one-way streets toward the same disappointing destination.

Real networking happens here instead

It happens in backyards and exclusive dinners. Private meet-ups and friends getting together for drinks.

Real networking happens when a friend introduces you to a friend. And then that friend introduces you to a new group of people. And then in that new group of people, you make a new friend.

And on and on and on…

99% of people don’t approach networking this way. Here’s why

People lack patience.

They wear their desperation on their sleeves, and approach networking in a way that immediately reveals their true intentions. They don’t want to get to know you, or learn about what it is you do and how they can truly help.

What they want is to pitch their business. What they want is you to give them something.
This is such a short-sighted approach to building your network.

The reason big networking events fail is because everyone who attends tends to operate from the same script. Meaningful conversations aren’t taking place — just two people with business cards in their hands, giving their pitches back and forth. And then what happens? Both parties nod, smile, say, “Well, it was great connecting with you. I’ll shoot you an email and let’s go from there.”

And then nothing happens.

Because people like to do business with people they like, people they trust, and people they know through other friends and shared connections.

This is the 1 rule you should follow instead, if you want to build a powerful network for yourself

Make friends, not connections.

At the end of the day, I would rather work with someone I genuinely connect with over working with someone who treats me like a vendor.

And so would everybody else.

When you’re building your network, look for the situations that are going to allow you to make friends — even if they’re business friends. Small settings do well. Friends of friends and e-mail introductions go a long way. Whatever you do, just keep the focus on making meaningful connections, instead of throwing your business cards all over the floor and hoping someone with a name tag picks one up.

It might seem like a slower process, but what you’ll end up with is a strong circle of people you trust — instead of a rolodex with a bunch of people who don’t return your calls.

Cole is a writer, speaker and founder of Digital Press.

 

 

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When the defending champion Roger Federer stepped on the Center Court at Wimbledon for his first round match on Monday, many spectators had to look twice before realizing it was indeed the 36-year-old Swiss stepping onto the court. It wasn’t a new haircut or a beard that threw them off, but Federer’s unfamiliar outfit: for the first time in his professional career, the Swiss maestro wasn’t dressed in Nike. Instead Federer wore gear made by the Japanese brand Uniqlo.

To insiders the switch to Uniqlo didn’t come as a total surprise, because it was well-known that Federer’s Nike contract had expired in March. However, he still wore his Nike gear in the Wimbledon warm-up tournaments of Halle and Stuttgart as well as in training in London, so many had assumed that a deal had been reached after all. Apparently it hasn’t and Uniqlo decided to reveal its surprise coup at Tennis’ biggest stage: Wimbledon.

According to industry chatter, the 10-year Uniqlo deal is worth $30 million a year to Federer, which is probably unprecedented for an athlete at Federer’s age so late in his career. However, thanks to his sustained success and his flawless demeanor off and (mostly) on the tennis court, Federer is almost universally beloved, which is probably why Uniqlo (and many other companies) decided to sign him regardless of his age. As the following chart illustrates, no other athlete made more money with endorsement deals over the past year than Federer did. According to Forbes, his partnerships with companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, Moet & Chandon, Jura, Wilson and others netted him $65 million in the 12 months ending June 1, 2018, dwarfing his prize money earnings of $12.2 million over the same period.

By Felix Richter, Statista.com
https://www.statista.com/chart/14571/athlete-endorsement-earnings/

German Shepherd Dog Mix
Walnut Creek, California  Adopt-a-Dog

Capri
Male
Five Months Old
33 lbs.

Five-month-old Capri a young vibrant pup with an energy that truly radiates. He enjoys going for walks outside in the sunlight, although he tends to adorably lean into people as he moves along. He just loves being right by your side for all life's adventures. His enthusiasm is contagious and he is sure to bring his new family happiness with his bubbly nature. Capri has a positive history with other dogs. He currently weighs 33 pounds.

All dogs benefit from training! ARF was named 'Best in the East Bay for Dog Training' in 2016, 2017 and 2018 by Diablo Magazine. All adopters receive a $50 discount off their first class.

Capri's adopter must be at least 18 years old with valid state-issued identification. ARF encourages family members to participate in the adoption process, especially children and family dogs.

$300 Puppy Fee
Dog and puppy fees include a discount on the first six week session of manners classes.

Tony La Russa’s ARF
2890 Mitchell Drive
Walnut Creek, CA

Adoption Inquiry
http://arf.convio.net/site/PageNavigator/Inquiry/adoption_inquiry_lk14.html

Matchmaker Profile
https://www.arflife.org/files/pdf/arf-matchmaker.pdf

Adoption Hours
Wednesday & Thursday
Noon - 6 pm
Friday
Noon - 7 pm
Saturday & Sunday
Noon - 6 pm

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

 

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Tom and Jodi McCurnin Wagah Border, Lahore
Daily Sunset Lowering of the Flag at the Pakistan/India Border

We were in Lahore yesterday and saw this very old 16th Century Mosque.

This is pretty cool a 14th century Buddha in the fasting pose. This is the high point of the Lahore museum.

The border transfer to India was nearly three hours in 90 degree heat, 80% humidity, and no fans. We had to haul all our stuff from place to place.

Off to the Wagha border ceremony later today which is a hoot.

This is a photo of the Wagha-Lahore nightly border ceremony.

Crappy Internet here in Amristar, India prevents me from sending video, so I'll have to describe it.

Every day at sundown Pakistan and India close the gate between them and lower their flags.

About 10,000 Indians pack into a sold out amphitheater every night to see this.

For 30 minutes a MC whips the crowd up with shouts of India Forever! People paint themselves up and carry flags.

For another 30 minutes, the oldest, ugliest, and fattest women they could find wave giant Indian flags to the screams of the crowd.

Then these really tall guards with wires head dresses march to and fro the border gate kicking their legs up really high and making aggressive power gestures like flexing their muscles. The crowd goes crazy.

The flags are taken down while this is going on and the gates closed.

It takes 45m to get out of the stadium.

On the other side of the border, Pakistan is doing the same thing although a third as large.

All this in 96 degree heat with 80% humidity. Every night. Sold out every night. 10,000 people.

Go figure.

The Golden Temple in Amritsar, India.

This is a Sikh temple and the holy shrine of that religion. It's real gold.

They are neither Hindu nor Moslem. They do not worship idols or symbols. They do not have a god by name. There is no holy prophet. They are vegetarian. All life is sacred and peace and tranquility are the two concepts of their belief.

Punjab where we are is 85% Sikh. This is vegetarian heaven.

The temple holds their golden holy book and is on display for worship during the day. There is a two hour line to do so.

At night there is a popular ceremony when the book is removed and placed in a secure location.

Tens of thousands of people attend this ceremony.

It is replaced back in the temple at sunrise.

It's really hot here. 86-96 with 80% humidity and not much of a breeze.

Off to Kashmir today.

News Briefs----

Square Pulls Banking Application
The firm had applied for an “industrial loan company (ILC)” license
https://www.pymnts.com/news/banking/2018/square-bank-application-ilc-fdic/

Fed: Letting inflation run too hot could lead
  to 'a significant economic downturn'
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/05/fed-meeting-minutes-from-june.html 

 

 

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You May Have Missed---

Warehouse automation: the best in trends and innovations
https://blog.bankofthewest.com/2018/07/05/warehouse-automation-best-trends-innovations/

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Catfish
Song written and performed by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy

Lazy stadium night
Catfish on the mound.
"Strike three," the umpire said,
Batter have to go back and sit down.

Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Used to work on Mr. Finley's farm
But the old man wouldn't pay
So he packed his glove and took his arm
An' one day he just ran away.

Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Come up where the Yankees are,
Dress up in a pinstripe suit,
Smoke a custom-made cigar,
Wear an alligator boot.

Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Carolina born and bred,
Love to hunt the little quail.
Got a hundred-acre spread,
Got some huntin' dogs for sale.

Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Reggie Jackson at the plate
Seein' nothin' but the curve,
Swing too early or too late
Got to eat what Catfish serve.

Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Even Billy Martin grins
When the Fish is in the game.
Every season twenty wins
Gonna make the Hall of Fame.

Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Copyright © 1975 Ram's Horn Music

        
Catfish Hunter was diagnosed in September 1998 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, a neurological disease that interferes with the signals the brain sends to the muscles. Over time, the muscles degenerate. The cause is unknown, and there is no cure.

Did you know that Catfish Hunter was the first free agent in modern times? The legal precedent set during this game-changing time are described below:

At the end of the 1974 season, Hunter (with help from the Major League Baseball Players' Association) discovered a breach of his contract. Hunter wanted long-term financial stability and his contract stipulated half of his 1974 salary was to be set aside in an annuity (an insurance trust). (Oakland Athletics Owner Charles O.) Finley failed to make the appropriate payments. Why? Because the stingy owner discovered that the deferred payment was not tax-deductible as a normal salary would be. Finley was willing to give Hunter a check for the amount, but Hunter, feeling aggrieved, claimed a breach of contract and sought free agency. The matter went to arbitration.

The arbitrator, Peter Seitz was a professional labor arbitrator. Trained as a lawyer, he decided  a number of labor - management disputes over his career. Well-read and well versed, he had a keen legal mind and a sense of fairness. (He would be the arbitrator who one year later would abolish baseball's "reserve" system once and for all).

Seitz found that the contract was breached and declared Hunter a free agent. As one of the top pitchers of the game, he was free to sign with any team he wished. When informed of the ruling, he said to his wife, "we don't belong to anybody." Over 20 teams sought his services and ultimately Hunter signed the baseball's first multi-million dollar contract. His five-year $3.25 million deal with the New York Yankees included a $1 million signing bonus, life insurance and deferred compensation and a $150,000 annual salary. A long way from his one-year $100,000 contract with Oakland.

Catfish Hunter discovered a dirty little secret: in a free market, certain owners will pay top dollar for top players. Charlie Finley discovered that a breach of contract could open up the floodgates.

Source: Mark's Sportslaw News.

Five World Series rings, five consecutive twenty-victory seasons, a Cy Young Award and a perfect game — which he commented on after the game saying, "I wasn't worried about a perfect game going into the ninth. It was like a dream. I never thought about it the whole time. If I'd thought about it I wouldn't have thrown a perfect game."

 

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Sports Briefs---

Clark’s Ashes Laid To Rest Next To Goal Post from ‘The Catch’
https://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/dwight-clark-gravesite-montana-eddie-debartolo-13057847.php#photo-15670263

Colin Kaepernick is definitely staying in shape
  in case the NFL comes calling
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/colin-kaepernick-definitely-staying-shape-case-nfl-comes-calling-205905165.html  

LeBron James sold nemesis on Lakers with these three words
https://nypost.com/2018/07/06/lebron-james-sold-nemesis-on-lakers-with-these-three-words/

Are the Los Angeles Rams the team to beat in the NFC West?
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/m/1ca2f5ca-6961-378c-af76-457f3f929cef/ss_are-the-los-angeles-rams-the.html

When Cousins made his move
https://www.sfgate.com/sports/ostler/article/When-Cousins-made-his-move-13055916.php?t=39910cd033

Panthers training camp questions:
     What can Norv Turner do for Cam Newton?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/panthers/2018/07/06/panthers-training-camp-questions-cam-newton-christian-mccaffrey/763260002/

Malik Hooker believes Colts are "capable of winning now"
http://www.theredzone.org/Blog-Description/EntryId/70926/Malik-Hooker-believes-Colts-are--capable-of-winning-now-

 

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California Nuts Briefs---

San Francisco has highest rent in world, study says
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/san-francisco-has-highest-rent-in-world-study-says/1290172715

Heat wave sparks major power outages around Los Angeles,
   officials say
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ladwp-heat-outage-20180707-story.html

JetBlue flight attendants save French bulldog's life
  by providing oxygen mask
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/ny-news-jetblue-flight-attendants-save-dog-20180708-story.html

Marin native’s foster kids books spur ‘Ellen’ show, new nonprofit
http://www.marinij.com/general-news/20180706/marin-natives-foster-kids-books-spur-ellen-show-new-nonprofit

Housing construction accelerates in Sonoma County
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/8504287-181/housing-construction-accelerates-in-sonoma

 

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

California’s Vineyard Workers Already Faced Long Hours,
 Low Pay, Harsh Conditions. Then Came Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
https://www.motherjones.com/food/2018/07/californias-vineyard-workers-wine-labor-shortage-guestworker-visas-immigration-crackdown/

Art fuels a reopening at fire-scarred Paradise Ridge Winery
   in Santa Rosa
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8507913-181/art-fuels-a-reopening-at

Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards
https://restaurants.winespectator.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Private-Guide-to-Dining-Consumer-07-05-18&utm_campaign=PG2D070518

Seasonal Sherry -- The Extreme "Natural" Wine
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=200723

Understanding Wine Tasting through “Brain Searchery”
    The Tale from Two Books
https://www.americanwinesociety.org/blogpost/1167644/302555/Understanding-Wine-Tasting-through-Brain-Searchery-The-Tale-from-Two-Books

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants  Announces Second Wine Collaboration with Celebrity Chef and Winemaker Tyler Florence
https://www.winebusiness.com/newReleases/?go=getArticle&dataid=200762

Top 100 largest spirits brands revealed in the IWSR Real 100
http://corecommunique.com/top-100-largest-spirits-brands-revealed-in-the-iwsr-real-100/

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

     1755 - General Edward Braddock was mortally wounded when French and Indian troops ambushed his force of British regulars and colonial militia, which was on its way to attack France's Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh). Gen. Braddock's troops were decimated at Fort Duquesne, where he refused to accept Washington's advice on frontier style fighting. Braddock gave his bloody sash to George Washington at Fort Necessity just before he died on July 13.
    1776 – Gen. George Washington ordered the Declaration of Independence to be read to members of the Continental Army in Manhattan, while thousands of British troops on Staten Island prepared for the Battle of Long Island.  This is also the same day New York became the 13th colony to ratify the Declaration.
    1793 - Vermont is the first state to complete the revision of its constitution.
(lower half of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul09.html )
    1802 – Birthday of Thomas Davenport (d. 1851), Williamstown, VT.  American inventor who is credited with developing the first successful electric motor.
    1809 - Samuel Parker of Billerica, MA received his first patent for a leather-splitting machine, which split leather to any thickness. This invention doubled the use of leather.
    1811 - Sara Payson Willis Parton (d. 1872) born Portland, Maine.  Better known as Fanny Fern, whose first collection of witticisms sold 80,000 copies, she was one of the first woman newspaper columnists in the world.
http://www.search.eb.com/women/articles/Parton_Sara_Payson_Willis.html
http://www.awomanaweek.com/parton.html
http://college.hmco.com/english/lauter/heath/4e/students/author_pages/early_nineteenth/
fernsarawillisparton_fa.html
    1819 - Birthday of Elias Howe (d. 1867) at Spencer, MA. American inventor of the lockstitch sewing machine. All inventions were slow to catch on as people were afraid to try new things, or change, or invest. His invention made him very little money.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul09.html
    1838 - Birthday of Philip P. Bliss (d. 1876) in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. American gospel singer and songwriter. His best-remembered hymns include 'Wonderful Words of Life,' 'It is Well with My Soul' and 'Let the Lower Lights Be Burning.'
http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biorpbliss.html
    1846 - An American naval captain occupies the small settlement of Yerba Buena, a site that will later be renamed San Francisco. Surprisingly, Europeans did not discover the spectacular San Francisco Bay until 1769, although several explorers had sailed by it in earlier centuries. When Spanish explorers finally found the bay in that year, they immediately recognized its strategic value. In 1776, the Spanish built a military post on the tip of the San Francisco peninsula and founded the mission of San Francisco de Asis (the Spanish name for Saint Francis of Assisi) nearby. The most northern outpost of the Spanish, and later Mexican, empire in America, the tiny settlement remained relatively insignificant for several decades. However, the potential of the magnificent harbor did not escape the attention of other nations. In 1835, the British Captain William Richardson established a private settlement on the shore of Yerba Buena Cove, several miles to the east of the Mexican mission. That same year, the U.S. government offered to purchase the bay, but the Mexicans declined to sell. In retrospect, the Mexicans should have sold while they still had the chance. A little more than a decade later, a dispute between the U.S. and Mexico over western Texas led to war. Shortly after the Mexican War began, U.S. Captain John Montgomery sailed his warship into San Francisco Bay, anchoring just off the settlement of Yerba Buena. On this day in 1846, Montgomery led a party of marines and sailors ashore. They met no resistance and claimed the settlement for the United States, raising the American flag in the central plaza. The following year, the Americans renamed the village San Francisco. When the Mexicans formally ceded California to the United States in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe, San Francisco was still a small town with perhaps 900 occupants. Gold was discovered at the nearby Sutter's Fort. San Francisco became the gateway for a massive gold rush, and by 1852, the town was home to more than 36,000.
    1846 - The U.S. Treaty with Great Britain set the Oregon boundary at the 49th parallel. Expansionists in Congress disagreed, and used the slogan “54-40 or Fight.” In June, Col. Castro’s forces from Monterey, under the command of Joaquín de la Torre, fought the Battle of Olompali north of San Rafael with Fremont’s troops from Sonoma. Two Americans and five or six Californians were killed. John Frémont, along with my namesake Christopher “Kit” Carson, his guide, crossed to the Presidio with his Republic of California forces and spiked 10 Spanish guns. He also gave the name “Chrysoplylae” or “Golden Gate” to the entrance of the Bay. Meanwhile, on July 2, Commodore Sloat anchored at Monterey aboard the “Savannah.” He hesitated to follow his secret orders lest he commit the same grave error as Commodore Jones in 1842. Thomas Larkin advised the Commodore to move cautiously. On July 5, Frémont returned to Sonoma and organized the “California Battalion” to carry on the revolution. Marine Lt. Archibald H. Gillespie was appointed adjutant. On July 7, American flag rose at Monterey by Commodore John Drake Sloat, U.S.N. Sloat decided to take possession of California because he feared the British might occupy Monterey and he was concerned about the reported revolution in Sonoma. The Commodore told the people of Monterey that he came to bring greater political freedom and stability, and henceforth California would be a part of the United States.
Population the pueblo of Yerba Buena estimated at about 1000 non-natives. There were about 50 buildings in the pueblo. On July 8, Capt. Montgomery took formal possession of Yerba Buena and appointed Lt. Washington Allen Bartlett the first American Alcalde (mayor) because he spoke fluent Spanish. This appointment was later ratified by a vote of the people. And this day, Captain James B. Montgomery of the U.S.S. Portsmouth and 70 marines and sailors marched to the Plaza at Yerba Buena (San Francisco), hauled down the Mexican flag and raised the Stars and Stripes. Capt. Montgomery claims Yerba Buena (San Francisco) for United States. He later made Indian slavery against the law by proclamation.
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist6/indian.html
As a side note, it would not be until January 24, 1848 that James W. Marshall, an employee of John Sutter, accidentally discovers gold while building a sawmill near Coloma City. Efforts to keep the discovery secret failed, and the gold rush of 1849 was under way, bringing thousands of men to California.
    1847 - The twelve-hour and longer workday was common. The first law to try and change the workday to ten hours a day was by a new law in New Hampshire, although because of the “bargaining position,” it was ineffective. It stated that “in all contracts relating to labor, ten hours actual labor shall be taken to be a day’s work unless otherwise agreed by the parties.”
    1850 - Zachary Taylor, war hero, 12th president of the United States, after serving only 16 months, dies of “acute gastrointestinal illness,” believed to be caused by his ingestion of raw fruit and iced milk, also thought to be cholera, at the age of 55. Vice-President Millard Fillmore was sworn in as the 13th president of the United States on July 10. Some historians suggested that Taylor may have been poisoned. To test this theory, his remains were exhumed from a cemetery in Louisville, KY, on June 17, 1991. A coroner’s report dated June 26 found no evidence of foul play.
    1852 - American Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow visits Jewish cemetery of Newport, RI. Shortly thereafter he writes his poem "The Jewish Cemetery at Newport."
    1853 - Admiral Perry and US Navy visit Japan in what is historically recognized as the ‘Opening of Japan’ to the western world.  As he arrived, Perry ordered his ships to steam past Japanese lines towards the capital of Edo, refusing Japanese demands to leave. He then demanded permission to present a letter from President Millard Fillmore and threatened to use force if the Japanese boats around the American squadron did not disperse.  Perry attempted to intimidate the Japanese by presenting them a white flag and a letter which told them that in case they chose to fight, the Americans would destroy them.  After the Japanese agreed to receive the letter from the American President, Perry landed on July 14, 1853, presented the letter to attending delegates, and left for the Chinese coast, promising to return for a reply.  After Perry's departure, fortifications were built on Tokyo Bay in order to protect Edo from possible future American naval incursion.  Perry returned in February, 1854 with twice as many ships to find that the Japanese had prepared a treaty accepting virtually all the demands in Fillmore's letter. Perry signed at the Convention of Kanagawa on March 31, 1854 and departed, mistakenly believing the agreement had been made with imperial representatives. The agreement was made with the Shogun, the de facto ruler of Japan. 
http://www.brunias.com/perry.html
http://www.baxleystamps.com/litho/ry_litho_narrative.shtml
    1863 - At the battle of Port Hudson, Miss., Confederate Major General Franklin Gardner surrendered his garrison of 5500 men to General Nathaniel P. Banks after a siege of six weeks. The army this day fully controlled this crucial spot on the Mississippi.
http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/la010.htm
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~genworld/porthdsn.html
    1864 - Confederate General Jubal Early brushes a Union force out of his way as he heads for Washington. Early's expedition towards the Union capital was designed to take pressure off Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia around Petersburg. Beginning in early May, Ulysses S. Grant's Union army had continually attacked Lee and drove the Confederates into trenches around the Richmond-Petersburg area. In 1862, the Confederates faced a similar situation around Richmond, and they responded by sending General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson to the Shenandoah Valley to occupy Federal forces. The ploy worked well and Jackson kept three separate Union forces away from the Confederate capital. Now, Lee sent Early on a similar mission. Early and his force of 14,000 marched down the Shenandoah Valley, crossed the Potomac into Maryland, and then veered southeast toward Washington. Union General Lew Wallace, commander of the Middle Department and stationed in Baltimore, patched together a force of 6,000 local militiamen and soldiers from various regiments to stall the Confederates while a division from Grant's army around Petersburg arrived to protect Washington. Wallace placed his makeshift force along the Monocacy River near Frederick. Early in the morning of July 9, Early's troops easily pushed a small Federal guard from Frederick before encountering the bulk of Wallace's force along the river. Wallace protected three bridges over the river. One led to Baltimore, the other to Washington, and the third carried the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Early's first attack was unsuccessful. A second assault, however, scattered the Yankees. The Union force retreated toward Baltimore and the road to Washington was now open to Early and his army. Union losses for the day stood at 1,800, and Early lost 700 of his men. However, the battle delayed Early's advance to Washington and allowed time for the Union to bring reinforcements from Grant's army. On July 11th, he actually entered the District of Columbia, breaking through inadequate Union forces southeast of Frederick, MD. He withdrew on July 12th as reserves were reported on their way. He continued to harass Union forces from the Shenandoah Valley until the Battle of Cedar Creek in October. He again missed his opportunity and allowed the Union troops to regroup. The poem “Sheridan’s Ride” by Thomas Buchanan Read dramatized the general’s return to the field and the turn of the battle.
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/union-generals/sheridan/poem-sheridans-ride.htm
        1868 - The 14th Amendment defined US citizenship and provided that no State shall have the right to abridge the rights of any citizen without due process and equal protection under the law. Coming three years after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment also included provisions for barring individuals who assisted in any rebellion or insurrection against the US from holding public office, and releasing federal and state governments from any financial liability incurred in the assistance of rebellion or insurrection against the US.
    1872 - John F. Blondel of Thomaston, ME, obtained a patent for a doughnut cutter. A spring pushed the dough out of a center tube to make a hole. His invention helped to increase efficiency for bakers to increase their quantities of this tasty treat that originated in the 16th century Holland, where it was known as an "Olykoek." Blondel, however, was not the one who gave this pastry its famous ring shape. According to legend, a Maine sea captain gave the doughnut its hole by thrusting a piece of fried dough on the spoke of his ship’s wheel so he could steer with both hands. On the books, however, it was in 1847 when a young American named Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory first put the hole in the doughnut. Hanson's mother was a cake maker who, because the cakes were difficult to fry all the way through, began placing walnuts and hazelnuts in the center to mask their gooey texture. Her son disliked this part of the otherwise delicious cake and removed it altogether, giving it the look we all know and love. Today Americans eat an estimated 10 billion of these deep-fried pastries annually.
    1887 - American biographer and historian Samuel Eliot Morison (d. 1976), was born in Boston.  Noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular, he received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1912 and taught history at the university for 40 years. He won Pulitzer Prizes for “Admiral of the Ocean Sea” (1942), a biography of Columbus, and “John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography” (1959). In 1942, he was commissioned to write a history of US naval operations in World War II, which was published in 15 volumes between 1947 and 1962. Morison wrote the popular “Oxford History of the American People” (1965), and co-authored the classic textbook “The Growth of the American Republic” (1930) with Henry S. Commager. 
    1893 - In Provident Hospital on Chicago’s south side, African-American surgeon Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful open-heart surgery. The patient was James Cornish whose internal mammary artery had been damaged by a knife wound. The operation was witnessed by six doctors and described in the March 27, 1897 Medical Record.
    1894 - Dorothy Thompson (d. 1961) birthday, New York City.  Influential U.S. newspaper columnist, expelled from Germany for her virulent anti-Nazi stand when she was a U.S. reporter, she lectured widely against Hitler on her return to the U.S. She headed her paper's Berlin office 1925-1934. Her newspaper column “On the Record” was one of the most popular in the nation (1936-1958).
http://www.britannica.com/women/articles/Thompson_Dorothy.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0826206468/avsearch-bkasin-20/
103-5362656-4423850
http://www.ksu.edu/dthompson/
    1896 - William Jennings Bryan caused a sensation at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with his "cross of gold" speech denouncing supporters of the gold standard. Bryan went on to win the party's nomination.
    1896 - Birth of William Cameron Townsend (d. 1982), Eastvale, CA.  American missionary and linguist. In 1942, he established what has become the largest evangelical missionary agency in the world, Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT).
http://www.wycliffe.ca/resource/HTML/history_cameron.html
    1907 - Birthday of Eddie Dean, born Edward Dean Glosup, (d. 1999) in Posey, Texas. He appeared in scores of low-budget westerns, including his own series of 20 films from 1946-48. Dean and his wife Loreen co-wrote the country music classics "One Has My Name, the Other Has My Heart" and "I Dreamed of a Hillybilly Heaven.”
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Dean,+Eddie
    1908 – American photographer Minor White (d. 1976) birthday, Minneapolis.
http://photography.about.com/library/weekly/aa121701a.htm
http://www.profotos.com/education/referencedesk/masters/masters/minorwhite/
minorwhite.shtml
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/white_minor.html
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/W/white/white.html
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/W/white/white_devils_slide_full.html
http://masters-of-photography.com/W/white/white_windowsill_full.html
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/white_minor.html
    1910 - Jimmy Dale was born Harold C. Fox (d. 1996), Chicago.  Bandleader-clothier, he first coined “zoot suit” (with a reet pleat in 1942.
    1914 - The first auction duplicate bridge championship was held at the Lake Placid Club, Lake Placid, NY. The four-man team of the New York Bridge Whist Club defeated the team of the Knickerbocker Whist Club of New York City by seven tricks on 48 boards to win the American Whist League’s Hamilton Trophy, symbolic of the whist championship of the United States and Canada.
    1915 - Birthday of American composer David Diamond (d. 2005), at Rochester, NY.  Diamond studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, because of his great hero, Maurice Ravel. He had a close friendship with Leonard Bernstein who premiered a lot of his works. Diamond was still active as a composer in his mid-80’s, and had been mostly known for the work "Rounds" for string orchestra.
    1918 – Worst rail accident in U.S. history occurs with head-on collision of two trains at Nashville, Tennessee, taking the lives of 101 and injuring another 171.
    1921 - Birthday of Canadian country singer Stu Davis, born David Stewart (d. 2007) in Boggy Creek, Saskatchewan. He and his brother Fred teamed up in 1939 to perform as the Harmony Boys on Regina radio station CKCK. Stu Davis later became known as "Canada's Cowboy Troubadour," and made appearances in the late 1940's on NBC radio's "National Barn Dance" from Chicago and the "Grand Ole Opry." Davis signed with London Records in 1956, making 15 LP's for the label.
    1925 - Birthday of tenor sax player Frank Wright (d. 1990), Grenada, MS.
http://www.centrohd.com/music/allmusic/art1.htm
    1926 - Mathilde Krim (d. 2018) birthday, Como, Italy.  Founder in 1980 of AmFar, the preeminent AIDS organization that has raised more than $50 million for AIDS research and education. She was one of the first to recognize the dangers of AIDS worldwide in 1980, when most health authorities were unaware of anything called AIDS, she had the courage to do something about it, using $100,000 of her own funds. She served as head of a lab at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and was a noted medical researcher and health educator.
http://www.70up.org/krim.htm
http://www.thebody.com/amfar/krim.html
    1927 – Birthday of actor, singer Ed Ames, born Edmund Dantes Urick, Malden, MA.  While still in high school, he and his brothers formed a quartet and often won competitions around Boston. The Ames Brothers were first signed on with Decca in 1947, but because of the Musician Union's ban in 1948, Decca only released three singles. As the ban was ending, they signed on with another label, Coral Records, a subsidiary of Decca. They had their first major hit in the 1950s with the double-sided "Rag Mop" and "Sentimental Me." They joined RCA Victor records and continued to have success throughout the 1950s with many hits like "It Only Hurts For a Little While", "You, You, You", and "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane." In the early 1960s, they disbanded and Ed, pursuing a career in acting, landed the role of Native American Mingo on the NBC television series, “Daniel Boone” with Fess Parker.  One of the most memorable moments of his career and in TV history occurred on April 29, 1965, when he appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” Ames and Carson were discussing Ames' tomahawk throwing abilities. When Ames claimed that he could hit a target from across the room, Carson asked Ames if he could demonstrate this skill. Ames agreed, and a wood panel with a chalk outline of a cowboy was brought on to the stage. Ames proceeded to throw the tomahawk, which hit the "cowboy" square in the groin with the handle pointing upward. This led to a very long burst of laughter from the audience, which has been called the longest sustained laugh by a live audience in television history.
    1928 - Vince Edwards (d. 1996) birthday, Brooklyn. As Dr. Ben Casey on the 1961 television show “Ben Casey,” Edwards’s muscular, brooding charm made him an overnight sex symbol. Medical school enrollment increased while he was on the air. After conquering a gambling addiction, he became a real-life hero.
    1930 - Arranger/bandleader Buddy Bregman born Louis Isidore Bregman (d. 2017), Chicago, IL.
http://www.bobbydarin.net/bdbuddy.html
http://www.buddybregman.com
    1932 – Birthday of Donald Rumsfeld, Chicago.  13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to have served as Secretary of Defense. Additionally, Rumsfeld was a four-term US Congressman from Illinois (1962–1969), Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity (1969–1970), Counsellor to the President (1969–1973), the US Permanent Representative to NATO (1973–1974), and White House Chief of Staff (1974–1975).
    1932 – The Yankees Ben Chapman hit three HRs, two inside-the-park, at Yankee Stadium.
    1936 - The temperature hit an all-time record high of 106 degrees at the Central Park Observatory in New York City, a record which lasted until LaGuardia Airport hit 107 degrees on July 3, 1966.
    1941 - Crack British cryptologists break the secret code used by the German army to direct ground-to-air operations on the Eastern front. British experts had already broken many of the Enigma codes for the Western front. Enigma was the Germans' most sophisticated coding machine, necessary to secretly transmit information. The Enigma machine, invented in 1919 by Hugo Koch, a Dutchman, looked like a typewriter and was originally employed for business purposes. The Germany army adapted the machine for wartime use and considered its encoding system unbreakable.
    1942 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit:  “Sleepy Lagoon,'' Harry James Orchestra.
    1942 - Birthday of Richard Roundtree, actor (“Shaft,” “Q”, “Roots.”),
New Rochelle, NY.
    1944 - German Army Group Center was taken by surprise when the Soviets began an offensive between the Baltic Sea and the Carpathian Mountains. The Germans had expected an attack farther south, where the Red Army had already penetrated deep into Poland. When Hitler refused to allow a German retreat, the Soviets easily broke through the German lines, and the Reich’s forces were isolated in the Baltic States. Within a week Army Group Center was virtually annihilated, with a loss of 200,000 men.
    1944 - PUCKET, DONALD D. (Air Mission), Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 98th Bombardment Group. Place and date: Ploesti Raid, Rumania, 9 July 1944. Entered service at: Boulder, Colo. Birth: Longmont, Colo. G.O. No.: 48, 23 June 1945. Citation: He took part in a highly effective attack against vital oil installation in Ploesti, Rumania, on 9 July 1944. Just after "bombs away," the plane received heavy and direct hits from antiaircraft fire. One crewmember was instantly killed and 6 others severely wounded. The airplane was badly damaged, 2 were knocked out, the control cables cut, the oxygen system on fire, and the bomb bay flooded with gas and hydraulic fluid. Regaining control of his crippled plane, 1st Lt. Pucket turned its direction over to the copilot. He calmed the crew, administered first aid, and surveyed the damage. Finding the bomb bay doors jammed, he used the hand crank to open them to allow the gas to escape. He jettisoned all guns and equipment but the plane continued to lose altitude rapidly. Realizing that it would be impossible to reach friendly territory he ordered the crew to abandon ship. Three of the crew, uncontrollable from fright or shock, would not leave. 1st Lt. Pucket urged the others to jump. Ignoring their entreaties to follow, he refused to abandon the 3 hysterical men and was last seen fighting to regain control of the plane. A few moments later the flaming bomber crashed on a mountainside. 1st Lt. Pucket, unhesitatingly and with supreme sacrifice, gave his life in his courageous attempt to save the lives of 3 others.
    1946 - Birthday of Bon Scott, born Ronald Belford Scott (d. 1980), Forfar, Scotland.  Singer for AC/DC. I saw him in Campbell, California, when there was a rock 'n' roll club early on and at one time had a signed poster by all members of the band.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Scott
http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/3196/01/MPRA_paper_3196.pdf
    1947 - The first female army officer, Florence Aby Blanchfield, appointed lieutenant colonel with a ceremony held at the Pentagon.  General Dwight David Eisenhower, Chief of Staff, presenting her with her commission. On June 1, 1943, she had been appointed superintendent of army nurses.
http://www.military.com/Content/MoreContent?file=ML_blanchfield_bkp.
    1947 – Birthday of Orenthal James “OJ” Simpson, San Francisco.  Nicknamed “The Juice,” Heisman Trophy winner, USC All-American, NFL Hall of Fame running back who was the first man to rush for over 2000 yards in a season. Simpson was the first professional football player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, a mark he set in 1973. While six other players have passed the 2,000-rush yard mark, he stands alone as the only player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a 14-game season (professional football changed to a 16-game season in 1978). He holds the record for the single season yards-per-game average, which stands at 143.1 ypg. Simpson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. After retiring from professional football, Simpson had a career as an actor, pitchman, and football broadcaster. In 1995, he was acquitted of the 1994 murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman after a lengthy and internationally publicized criminal trial, the People v. Simpson. In 1997, a civil court awarded a judgment against Simpson for their wrongful deaths; to date he has paid little of the $33.5 million judgment. In September 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with numerous felonies, including armed robbery and kidnapping. In 2008, he was found guilty and was sentenced to 33 years' imprisonment, with a minimum of nine years without parole. He served his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nevada, from where he was paroled on Oct 1, 2017. (http://www.doc.nv.gov/?q=node/26.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OJ_Simpson
    1949 - NBC radio broadcast "Dangerous Assignment" for the first time. The show starred Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell.
http://www.rusc.com/old-time-radio-series/old-time-radio-Dangerous%20Assignment.html
http://www.radiomemories.com/radiomemories/dangerousassignment.html
    1950 - Top Hits
“Bewitched” - The Bill Snyder Orchestra
“My Foolish Heart” - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
“I Wanna Be Loved” - The Andrews Sisters
“Why Don’t You Love Me” - Hank Williams
    1951 - American "hard-boiled" novelist Dashiell Hammett was sentenced, choosing six months' imprisonment rather than co-operate with the US House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities' inquiries into domestic "subversion", refusing to kow-tow to the anti-communist witch hunters. My son Dashiell is named after him, my favorite detective writer. Hammett was President of the League of American Writers in 1942, and of the Civil Rights Congress of New York, 1946-47.
http://mysterynet.com/hammett/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/hammett_d.html
http://www.thrillingdetective.com/hammet.html
    1952 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit:  “Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart,'' Vera Lynn.
    1953 - At Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium, reliever Bob Miller replaced Robin Roberts, ending the starter's consecutive complete game streak at 28. In today’s game, the best starters rarely have that many in their entire careers.
    1954 - Debbie Sledge of Sister Sledge is born in Philadelphia. Sisters Debbie, Joan, Kim and Kathie Sledge of North Philadelphia begin recording as Sister Sledge in1971. The group's biggest hit is the million-selling No. 2 song, “We Are Family'' in 1979.
    1955 - Pat Boone released his version of "Ain't That a Shame" which became his first #1 hit, covering the original by Fats Domino, a common occurrence in rock ‘n’ roll’s early days.
    1955 - A landmark in music history is established when Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" reaches number one on the Billboard chart. Many music historians will eventually acknowledge the song as a dividing line, separating Rock ‘n’ Roll from everything that preceded it.
    1955 - Les Paul and Mary Ford enter the Billboard charts with "Hummingbird," which will reach #7 and become the first of their five Pop chart entries.
    1955 – Birthday of Jimmy Smits, Brooklyn.  Actor “LA Law,” “NYPD Blue.”
    1956 - Dick Clark made his debut as host of "Bandstand" on Philadelphia TV station WFIL. He took over from Bob Horn, who had been charged with driving while intoxicated during a highly publicized police crackdown.  "Bandstand" featured top pop and rock stars lip-synching their latest hits and a group of local teens dancing in the studio to recorded music. The ABC network expressed interest, and in 1957, the program was re-titled "American Bandstand" and shown across the US and Canada. At the height of its popularity, the daily show was reported to have generated one million fan letters a week. Through their exposure on "American Bandstand," such non-singers as Fabian and Frankie Avalon became teen idols and the show was a launching pad for many other singing acts and rock ‘n’ roll itself.  Millions of teens across the US ran home from school to watch the show at 4 pm as must-see TV.  Clark relinquished his "Bandstand" hosting duties in 1989 to 26-year-old David Hirsch. The program died within a matter of months. Still, it had been on the air for 37 years - a record for a television variety show.
http://www.history-of-rock.com/clark.htm
http://www.fiftiesweb.com/bandstnd.htm
http://www.dickclarkproductions.com/html/restaurants.html
    1956 - Actor Tom Hanks born Concord, California. After his parents divorced when he was a toddler, Hanks lived with his father, a cook. He began studying acting in high school, played with a Shakespeare festival for three years, and launched his television career in 1980 with “Bosom Buddies,” an offbeat sitcom about two men forced to disguise themselves as women. He made a splash with “Splash” in 1984, followed by a huge success with “Big” in 1988, for which he received an Oscar nomination. After several quiet years, his career took off again with “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993).  He is now considered one of the biggest box office draws alive. He won the Best Actor Oscar twice, for “Philadelphia” in 1993 and “Forrest Gump” in 1994. In 1995, Hanks became one of only two actors who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in consecutive years, with Spencer Tracy being the other. 
He was also nominated for his role in “Saving Private Ryan” in 1998. He began directing in 1996 with “That Thing You Do” and co-produced “Cast Away” (2000), for which he received another Best Actor Oscar nomination.  Hanks' films have grossed more than $4.5 billion at U.S. and Canadian box offices and more than $9.0 billion worldwide, making him the third highest-grossing actor in North America.  Hanks has been nominated for numerous awards.  
    1957 - Bobby Helms "My Special Angel" is released.  It peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent four weeks at number one on the US Country Music chart.  The single made the R&B chart as well peaking at number eight, and it became a gold record.   
    1958 - Top Hits
“Hard Headed Woman” - Elvis Presley
“Splish Splash” - Bobby Darin
“Poor Little Fool” - Ricky Nelson
“Guess Things Happen that Way” - Johnny Cash
    1958 - Johnny Cash, following in the footsteps of ex-Sun Records artist Carl Perkins, signs with Columbia Records.
    1958 - On Capitol Hill, Casey Stengel and Mickey Mantle appear in front of the Senate Anti-Trust and Monopoly Subcommittee which is investigating baseball as a monopoly in regards to sport's antitrust exemption. After 'The Old Perfessor' gives 45 minutes of rambling and confusing testimony, Senator Estes Kefauver laughs when Mickey Mantle answers his inquiry about the topic with, "My views are just about the same as Casey's."
    1959 - The Drifters "Dance with Me" is released.
    1962 - Bob Dylan records “Blowin in the Wind.”    
    1962 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit:  “Roses Are Red (My Love),'' Bobby Vinton.
    1964 - "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals hits #1 on the U.K. singles chart.
    1965 - Patricia Roberts Harris was sworn in as the ambassador to Luxembourg, the first African-American Ambassador. She was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson.  http://www.usps.com/images/stamps/2000/harris.htm
    1966 - United Farm Workers benefit at the Fillmore with Quicksilver Messenger Service & the San Andreas Fault Finders.
http://www.penncen.com/quicksilver/
    1966 - Top Hits
“Paperback Writer” - The Beatles
“Red Rubber Ball” - The Cyrkle
“Hanky Panky” - Tommy James & The Shondells
“Think of Me” - Buck Owens
    1966 - Jack Nicklaus shot 282 at Muirfield in Scotland to win his first British Open Championship. With this victory, Nicklaus joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Gary Player as the only golfers to have won all four events comprising golf’s modern Grand Slam: the Masters, the US Open, The British Open and the PGA Championship. Nicklaus won two other British Opens, in 1970 and 1978.  For his career, Nicklaus won 18 major championships, still the record.
http://www.nicklaus.com/
    1968 - The Beatles "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is released.
    1969 - A funeral was held in Cheltenham Spa, England, for Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones, who had been found dead in the swimming pool of his home six days earlier. The coroner's report cited "death by misadventure."
http://home.earthlink.net/~hobhead/
    1969 - Courtney Love is born in San Francisco.
    1974 - Top Hits
“Rock the Boat” - The Hues Corporation
“Rock Your Baby” - George McCrae
“Hollywood Swinging” - Kool & The Gang
“He Thinks I Still Care” - Anne Murray
    1977 - KISS' "Love Gun" LP enters the chart.
    1977 - Bob Marley and the Wailers' "Exodus" LP enters the chart.
    1978 - Steve Miller's "Jet Airliner" peaks at #8 on the pop chart.
    1978 - After crashing legendary bluesman Willie Dixon's house in Chicago, Dixon takes the Rolling Stones to the local Quiet Night Club to join Muddy Waters and his band onstage and jam with them on several of their favorite Muddy songs, including "Mannish Boy."
    1982 - Top Hits
“Don’t You Want Me” - The Human League
“Rosanna” - Toto
“Hurts So Good” - John Cougar
“Any Day Now” - Ronnie Milsap
    1983 - The Police's "Every Breath You Take" peaks at #1 on the pop chart -- a position it will hold for 9 weeks.
    1983 - Stevie Nicks' album "The Wild Heart" enters the chart. It features the smash hit, "Stand Back."
    1983 - Elton John's hit "I'm Still Standing" hits #12 on the singles chart.
    1984 - The Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, IN was packed to the rafters. 67,596 spectators, the largest crowd to watch a basketball game in the United States, saw the U.S. men’s Olympic team defeat a team of players from the NBA, 97-82. The largest crowd in the world to see a basketball game was in 1951. 75,000 spectators saw the Harlem Globetrotters play in Olympic Stadium in West Berlin, Germany.
    1985 - Football great Joe Namath signed a five-year pact with ABC-TV to provide commentary for "Monday Night Football." The former New York Jets quarterback reportedly earned one million dollars a year for the job. Namath replaced ‘Dandy’ Don Meredith. Broadway Joe had previous experience with "Monday Night Football" as a player, when he and the Jets were the first team to play on the popular TV series on September 21, 1970. 1985 was the only season he appeared on MNF.
    1987 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in Michigan. A tornado near Munising, MI, destroyed part of a commercial dog kennel, and one of the missing dogs was later found unharmed in a tree top half a mile away.
    1988 - Twenty-three cities in the eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Alpena, MI, and Buffalo, NY, suffered through their sixth straight day of record heat. The percentage of total area in the country in the grips of severe to extreme drought reached 43 percent, the fourth highest total of record. The record of 61 percent occurred during the summer of 1934.
    1988 - At Candlestick Park, Chris Speier hits for the cycle as the Giants maul the Cardinals, 21-2. The 21 runs scored established a San Francisco record.
    1988 - Elton John's "Reg Strikes Back" LP enters the chart. It will stay for 19 weeks and features the hit, "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That."
    1988 - Steve Winwood's "Roll With It" LP enters the chart. It will stay on the chart for 31 weeks eventually hitting #1. The LP features the #1 hit, "Roll with It."
    1989 – For the first time, Wimbledon has both men’s and women's final on same day, Boris Becker beats Stefan Edberg while Steffi Graf beats Martina Navratilova
    1990 - Top Hits
“Step By Step” - New Kids on the Block
“She Ain’t Worth It” - Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown
“Hold On” - En Vogue
    1991 - Prodigy began testing a service allowing customers to pay bills electronically. The service, which cost about $9.95 a month on top of Prodigy's monthly online service fee, allowed members to pay up to 20 bills electronically. About a quarter of a million subscribers participated in the test.
    1992 - Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton tapped Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee to be his running mate.
    1994 - John Mellencamp's "Dance Naked" LP enters the chart. The album features the hit "Wild Night", a duet with Me’Shell NdegeOcello.
    1994 - The Kiss tribute album, "Kiss My Ass, Classic Kiss Regrooved" enters the chart. The LP features Kiss songs done by artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Stevie Wonder and Garth Brooks.
    1995 - The Grateful Dead played what proved to be their last concert, at Soldier Field in Chicago. The show began with their only Top-10 hit, "Touch of Grey," and ended with an encore of "Black Muddy River" and "Box of Rain." One month later, leader Jerry Garcia entered a drug rehabilitation program in Forest Knoll, known as Forest Farm in Marin County, CA.  Garcia died early Wednesday, August 9, in his sleep at the drug rehabilitation clinic in Forest Knolls, Marin County, where he had gone to kick a heroin habit. He had snuck out after curfew and made a connection. The Marin County coroner said preliminary tests indicated Garcia - overweight and diabetic - had died of a heart attack.
http://www.dead.net/
    1995 - The Rolling Stones played their first concert in their homeland in five years, opening the British leg of their "Voodoo Lounge" tour in Sheffield, England. During the tour, the Stones played before more than 6.5 million people in 135 venues around the world. Ticket sales topped $300-million Canadian, with more than $430-million in merchandise sales. They are still on a roll; every concert I have seen them, they get better and better. Several recent ones I have sat in the second or third up-front row.
http://www.rollingstones.com/
    1997 - Apple Computer chairman and CEO Gilbert Amelio was ousted. His unexpected departure came less than a year and a half after he was named chairman in February, 1996. Amelio became the third Apple chief forced out in four years, including John Sculley in 1993 and Michael Spindler in 1996. Amelio had a very fancy wine cellar entrance and trappings. He liked it there better than anywhere else.
    1997 - Boxer Mike Tyson was banned from the ring and fined $3 million for biting opponent Evander Holyfield's ear.
    1998 - Milwaukee Brewer owner Bud Selig, who served as acting commissioner for nearly the last six years, is named by the owners to be baseball's ninth commissioner. To avoid conflicts of interest, his ownership of the Milwaukee's franchise will be placed in trust.  Selig was Commissioner through 2014 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.  Selig oversaw baseball through the 1994 strike, the introduction of the wild card playoff format, interleague play, and the merging of the National and American Leagues into the Office of the Commissioner. He was instrumental in organizing the World Baseball Classic in 2006.  Selig also introduced revenue sharing and is credited for the financial turnaround of baseball during his tenure with a 400 percent increase in the revenue of MLB and annual record breaking attendance.  During Selig's term of service, the use of steroids and other PEDs became a public issue. The Mitchell Report, commissioned by Selig, concluded that the MLB commissioners, club officials, the Players Association, and the players all share "to some extent in the responsibility for the steroid era."  Selig had pledged on numerous occasions to rid baseball of performance-enhancing drugs, and instituted many rule changes and penalties to that end.
    2002 - Despite chants of 'Let them play!' from the sellout crowd of 41,871 at Milwaukee's Miller Park, Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig declares the 73rd All-Star Game a 7-7 tie after 11 innings because both teams had run out of players. No player is selected to receive the first Ted Williams Most Valuable Player award, named in honor of the late Red Sox legend who died five days prior.
    2004 - A Senate Intelligence Committee report concluded the CIA had provided unfounded assessments of the threat posed by Iraq that the Bush administration relied on to justify going to war.
    2005 - Daredevil skateboarder Danny Way jumps the Great Wall of China, rolling down a massive ramp at nearly 50 mph.  Way botched the landing on his first attempt but then successfully completed the jump across the 61-foot gap four times, adding 360-degree spins on his last three tries.
http://dannyway.com/
    2011 – Major League Baseball history was made when Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter joined the 3000 hit club with a 5-for-5 day that included a home run as the 3000th hit and the game-winning single in the 8th.  Jeter is the only Yankee to have reached the 3000-hit mark and he finished his career with 3630, good for sixth all-time and best among shortstops.
    2013 - Jon Bon Jovi returned to his home town of Sayreville, New Jersey to donate $1 million to the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund. Presenting a check to Governor Chris Christie, the singer told a crowd in front of the town hall, "One thought came to me. What can I do? One of the residents responded, saying, 'Use your voice.'"