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Top Ten Leasing News
July 20- July 24

(Stories most opened by readers)

(1) New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
    and Related Industries
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2020/07_24.htm#hires

(2) US Delinquency Rates by Property Type
    Month-over-month delinquency rates by major property type
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2020/07_20.htm#us

(3) American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers’  
    Tribute to Neil Roth, Leasing Veteran Who Passed Away
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2020/07_22.htm#roth

(4) Alexa Ranks Leasing Association Web Sites
    July 20, 2004
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2020/07_20.htm#alexa

(5) The Law to Change Financial Disclosure in California
    Under Construction, Perhaps Delayed
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2020/07_22.htm#law

(6) Fifty Ways to Beat the Virus
    Placard
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2020/07_22.htm#roth

(7) June, 2020 - The List
    "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2020/07_22.htm#list_june

(8) Business is a Mess
    Advice
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2020/07_24.htm#business

(9) Cash flow Placard
    #1
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2020/07_20.htm#placard

(10) Ascentium Capital LLC Reports Second Quarter Funding Volume and Exceeds $2.5 Billion in Managed Assets
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jul2020/07_24.htm#asc

 

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ELFA Reports June up 33% from May
Year-to-date was down 0.5% Compared to 2019

   (Leasing News Chart)

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index showed their overall new business volume for June was $8.9 billion, down 10 percent year-over-year from new business volume in June 2019. Volume was up 33 percent month-to-month from $6.7 billion in May. Year-to-date, cumulative new business volume was down 0.5 percent compared to 2019.

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(ELFA Chart)

ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta said, “The month of June’s pickup in new business volume is welcome news but it remains to be seen whether this trend continues as the summer progresses. The economy is soft, too many employees are out of work as a result, and many states are struggling with the decision to re-open their economies.  Depending on the specific sectors they support, some ELFA member companies report robust originations, while others are challenged putting new deals on their books.”

Justin Tabone, SVP Originations, Vendor Equipment Finance at TIAA Bank, said, “The month-to-month results provide some evidence that activity picked up but the pandemic is still creating significant uncertainty for the equipment finance market. As confirmed virus cases sharply rise, the economy is facing re-opening delays, increased social distancing disruptions, and possibly even more lockdown measures. There is still reason for optimism but these threaten to weigh heavily on the pace of recovery and may present additional challenges for the industry, including reduced capital expenditures and credit deterioration.”

Credit approvals totaled 71.5 percent, up from 71.0 percent in May. Total headcount for equipment finance companies was down 1.9 percent year-over-year.

Receivables over 30 days were 2.60 percent, down from 4.30 percent the previous month and up from 1.70 percent the same period in 2019. Charge-offs were 0.71 percent, up from 0.61 percent the previous month, and up from 0.33 percent in the year-earlier period.

 

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(ELFA Chat)

 

Full Listing of 35 MLFI Participants
Bank of America Global Leasing
Bank of the West
BB&T Bank
BMO Harris Equipment Finance
Canon Financial Services
Caterpillar Financial Services
CIT
Citizens Asset Finance
Dell Financial Services
DLL
Fifth Third Bank
First American Equipment Finance, a City National Bank Company
Frost Equipment Leasing and Finance
GreatAmerica Financial Services
Hitachi Capital America
HP, Inc.
HPE Financial Services Company
Huntington Equipment Finance
John Deere Financial
Key Equipment Finance
LEAF Commercial Capital Inc.
M&T Bank
Marlin Capital Solutions
Merchants Bank Equipment Finance
PNC Equipment Finance
Societe Generale Equipment Finance
Siemens Financial Services
Stearns Bank
Stonebriar Commercial Finance
TCF Capital Solutions, a division of TCF National Bank
TD Equipment Finance
TIAA Commercial Finance, Inc.
US Bancorp Business Equipment Finance
Volvo Financial Services
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance

 

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Story Credit Lessors and Lenders List for COVID-19
"C" & "D" Lessees, Business Loans, Working Capital

With the topsy-turvy of funders, as well as the changing of credit and industry requirements, story credit lessors and lenders are now more in need than ever.  Here are funders who also may take "A" and "B" rated applicants and more may be more interested not in "application only." Some may become more comfortable learning more, beyond reviewing financial statements and tax returns, additional collateral, learning more about the story behind the business as qualifiers.

To qualify for this list, the company must be a funder (as qualified by Leasing News and on the “Funder List” and not a "Broker/Lessor; notifies lessees in advance when the lease will end and what the residual will be, does not automatically extend the lease or insist that their discounter follow the same policy. We reserve the right to not list a company who does not meet these qualifications.

Alphabetical list - click on company name to view more details
American Leasefund, Inc. Balboa Capital Corp.  Bankers Capital Black Rock Capital Investment, LLC BSB Leasing, Inc Calfund, LLC Dakota Financial Financial Pacific Leasing	Forum Financial Services, Inc. Gonor Funding Mesa Leasing North Mill Equipment Finance Northwest Leasing Company, Inc. Maxim Commercial Capital, LLC	Pawnee Leasing Corporation P&L Capital Corporation Providence Equipment Finance SLIM Capital, LLC Standard Professional Services, LLC TEAM Funding Solutions

Funder List “A”
http://www.leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm
We encourage companies who are listed to contact us for any change or addition they would like to make. Adding further information as an "attachment" or clarification of what they have to offer would be helpful to readers is also very much encouraged."

Full List:
http://leasingnews.org/Story_Credit/Story_Credit.htm

 

 

Roughly 30 million Americans fear for their livelihood as Congress has yet to find a compromise on extending the weekly supplement to regular unemployment benefits due to expire this weekend. As part of the CARES Act, the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program (FPUC), which provides an additional $600 per week to individuals who are collecting regular jobless benefits, has proven highly effective in keeping affected households afloat during the past few months, and it is widely feared that millions of workers will no longer be able to pay their bills or serve their debt once that bonus is taken away.

According to data published by the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday, more than 30 million Americans currently receive unemployment benefits, 17 million through regular state programs and another 13 million through the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which is available to individuals who are self-employed or who otherwise would not qualify for regular unemployment compensation. As the majority of those 30+ million are said to qualify for the weekly $600 bonus, economists are warning that consumer spending could fall off a cliff in case the program expires without an adequate follow-up solution in place.

By Felix Richter, Statista

 

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Pay Attention to These Top
Search Engine Optimization Trends in 2020

FinTech #102 by Alex Vasilakos

Part 1

12 Search Engine Optimization Trends for 2020
That You Need to Know

Change is one of the few constants in our universe. That’s especially true in the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) realm. Every year, new technologies shape and define how we access and interact with content. Maybe you’ve used the same tried-and-true strategies that got results before but you want new approaches to keeping your site and content discoverable and relevant. Or perhaps you’re lost in a sea of larger competitors who draw traffic while you sit on the sidelines.

In either case, you must ask yourself an important question: Are your Search Engine Optimization  strategies up-to-date with 2020’s newest developments? Take a look at several important trends as you create and retool your SEO strategies in the coming months.

Outstanding User Experiences: A Top Priority
Users want fast-loading sites, simple navigation and easy-to-understand content. Perhaps this isn’t exactly headline news but it’s important to keep the end-user experience as your highest priority. Review your site and ask yourself a few questions:

1. What do your page load times look like?
2. Are your navigation menus intuitive and easy to access?
3. Is your content easy for most people to read?

If users on high-speed internet are stuck waiting for a page to load, imagine the frustration of people in areas with spotty internet access. They won’t get up and make a cup of coffee while your page loads – they may bail and visit a competitor instead. The same goes for hard-to-navigate sites and pages with super high-level language or jargon. The bottom line: Improve your page load speeds, design a logical page navigational structure and write your content at around a sixth- or seventh-grade level.

High-Quality Content: Helpful, Relevant and Timely

Ever been watching YouTube and skipped past or muted ads? Or scrolled past an ad on Twitter or Instagram? Then you probably aren’t surprised by this statistic from Newscred Insights: 91% of total ad spent is viewed for less than a second.

Maybe “ad fatigue” is a thing but high-value content remains a key part of SEO strategy. Your audience wants helpful, relevant and timely content, and surprise, surprise, Google loves it, too. When someone needs to change the oil on a Chrysler 200, that person doesn’t want an 800-word sales pitch for oil filters. That’s why educational and informational content tends to get higher search rankings: It provides users with real value.

So, what can you deliver to your audience? How-to guides, video tutorials, podcasts, infographics, answers to common questions, useful hacks and quick tips will draw them in. Salesy language is so 1990s. Leave it in the past.

Content Length: Shorter Isn’t Necessarily Better

It’s a common perception that shorter content is preferred over longer content but that’s not always true. In fact, webpages with longer high-quality content attract more views. That’s no surprise. Users looking for answers want to get everything they need from one place. Think of it as one-stop shopping, except for information.

Pages over 2,000 words attract more readers but length isn’t the only key. Your content must provide everything your audience is looking for; in other words, high-value and comprehensive. What typically fits this mold? Consider step-by-step tutorials with pictures or diagrams. You don’t have to hop from site to site to walk through cooking a lamb roast or replacing a car battery, provided the tutorial is well-written and covers every step. Glossaries and knowledge bases can work for specialized or in-depth topics; for instance, mortgages, investments or CNC machining equipment.

Those are just a few examples but you get the general idea. Offer detailed content with topics and formats that meet your audience’s needs.

Featured Snippets: Fast, Easy Search Results
You’ve probably noticed a really cool Google search feature in the last few months: Featured Snippets. They appear at the top of the results page, right above the first organic search result. If you’ve found the info you need or clicked on a snippet to learn more, then the snippet did its job.

Not only are they incredibly useful but they also now drive about half of Google’s search engine clicks. Around 55% of website clicks from its results pages come from these handy little snippets.

The bad news: You can’t choose page content as a Featured Snippet. Google’s automated algorithms choose snippets and elevate them to the top on results pages. The good news: You can create detailed informational content that’s easily read at a glance. That content may have a better chance of becoming a snippet.

So where do you start? Keep in mind that Google’s algorithms usually pick content that quickly and clearly answers specific questions. Consider searches like “How often should I replace my tires?” or “How much water should I drink every day?” Some search terms that generate snippets can be even shorter, like “measure for pants” or “bathe a dog.”

Videos: A Vital Source of Information
Would you rather read a tutorial or watch a tutorial video? If you picked the second option, you’ve proved how attractive and effective videos can be. Adults under 40 prefer getting information from videos for both education and entertainment. Recent Google studies also show that 6 out of 10 people would rather watch online videos than traditional TV.

So, all you have to do is make a video and post it, right? Not so fast. Your video must be engaging with helpful, relevant and timely content. The best part? You don’t need to have millions of subscribers to make a video SEO strategy work. Cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy is a great example. His YouTube channel has 697,000 subscribers, mostly cat lovers who watch his videos for tips, how-to's, answers to common questions or their daily dose of cute. Meanwhile, his online store offers supplies, toys, treats and apparel plus his best-selling cat care books and holistic remedies.

Once you create your content, you need to put the power of SEO behind it. Add relevant keywords to each video title and description to draw your audience. They’ll come for the content, then stay for what else you have to offer.

Influencers: Social Media Meets SEO
What comes to your mind when you think about social media influencers? Probably someone like Selena Gomez or Kim Kardashian-West. Or maybe you thought of someone like chef, restaurant owner and TV personality Gordon Ramsay, with 14.8 million YouTube subscribers and 9.2 million followers on Instagram.

That’s a good start, but big celebrities aren’t the only ones with substantial cred as influencers. You don’t even need to be a fulltime influencer to gain a large following. Consider BuzzFeed TV producer Kelsey Impicciche.  When she’s not creating content for the media giant, she’s posting popular videos on YouTube and streaming her gameplays on Twitch under her username kelseydangerous. With over 509,000 YouTube subscribers and 228,000 Instagram followers, Impicciche has a huge platform to leverage.

Remember the “ad fatigue” phenomenon mentioned earlier? That’s one huge reason why marketers and companies are teaming up with influencers. People are more likely to trust and engage with influencers, so it’s no surprise that businesses’ influencer marketing budgets have increased by almost 40%.

Working with an influencer gains you some great benefits: wider reach, better brand awareness and backlinks to your website. And those lead to more site traffic and improved rankings. Choose an influencer who’s relevant and respected in your industry, and make your goals and expectations clear when working with that person.

Secure Websites: Safety and Privacy Are Crucial
Protecting site visitors’ privacy and safety seems like a no-brainer, but it’s still an important part of the user experience. Site visitors will bail from a page if they don’t feel secure or if they see the words “Not Secure” as a warning or appearing in their browsers’ address bars.
This all may seem like common sense, but what does it have to do with SEO? If you’re seeing high bounce rates and your page rankings are lower than usual, it’s time to give your site’s security a once-over. Implement HTTPS protocol on your site to provide encrypted and authenticated secure connections. You not only keep malicious miscreants away from your visitors’ data, but you could also boost your site’s rankings.

Alex Vasilakos
Director of Marketing
The Finance Marketing Group
Alex@financemarketing.com 
Office: 518-591-4645x102 / Fax: 518-677-1071
90 State Street, Suite 1500, Albany, NY 12207
He entered advertising and marketing in 2003, right when the industry landscape shifted from traditional print to digital media. In that time, Alex has worked with numerous large accounts in both healthcare and financial services, and has helped small and medium-sized businesses grow and flourish in their respective digital markets. Alex has won countless awards for creative direction and strategy, and is certified by Google Partners in both AdWords and Analytics. Currently, Alex works exclusively with financial services companies, but his depth of knowledge and experience can help design and implement long-reaching strategies for businesses across all industries.

Previous Financial Technology Articles
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Storie

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Terrier
Chicago, Illinois  Adopt-Dog

Janet
Female
7 Years
42 lbs.

“Janet is an incredibly sweet girl who will love to cuddle up with her family and play with toys. She is bright and patient towards her loved ones!

“Janet is an older girl and she prefers to keep company closer to her age which means she wants an adults-only home! She doesn’t get along with other pets and would not be comfortable riding an elevator.”

Meet Janet

Janet would love to meet you! She is currently spending time in a foster home. If you match the needs of a dog after reviewing the dog's paw ratings and biography and are interested in adopting, please make sure you have also completed the following:

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

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

For more information, please e-mail adoption inquiries@pawschicago.org.

Adoption Process:
https://www.pawschicago.org/our-work/pet-adoption/adoption-process/

 

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Makians
joins Back Office Classified

Back Office Support (Nationwide): We can help you extend your back-office support for: 1) Data Entry 2) Billing and Payment 3) Customer Records. Take your first step towards a new level of productivity. Consult with one of our experts today. We are committed to provide excellence customer service and delivering results with speed and accuracy. Visit us at www.makians.com or contact us at (925)886-9885 or Kani@Makians.com

Classified Ads
http://leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing.htm

News Briefs----

New York State Legislature Passes Law That Requires
 APR Disclosure On Small Business Finance Contracts
 (Even If They’re Not Loans)
https://debanked.com/2020/07/new-york-state-legislature-passes-law-that-requires-apr-disclosure-on-small-business-finance-contracts-even-if-theyre-not-loans/

Elon Musk: Tesla to install power trunk for free
    after plea from wheelchair user
https://electrek.co/2020/07/25/tesla-power-trunk-model-3-free-elon-musk-wheelchair/

Armed protester shot dead was helping
     quadruple-amputee girlfriend, mom says
https://nypost.com/2020/07/26/armed-protester-shot-dead-was-helping-quadriplegic-girlfriend-mom-says/

Waitress Who Booted Disgraced Tech CEO
     Gains Hero Status
https://patch.com/california/losgatos/waitress-who-booted-disgraced-tech-ceo-gains-hero-status

Hurricane Douglas may be only
    the third hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii
https://www.cnn.com/videos/weather/2020/07/26/daily-weather-forecast-hurricane-douglas-landfall-hawaii-storm-surge-winds-flooding-rain.cnn

 

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You May Have Missed---

Rep. John Lewis Last Time over Pettus Bridge

The body of Mr. Lewis was taken across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where, in 1965, he helped guide hundreds of people marching for voting rights. They were attacked by state troopers wielding clubs and tear gas.

   - Timothy Ivy for The New York Times

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Sports Briefs---

Justin Verlander Shut Down by Astros
    Amid Report of Season-Ending Forearm Injury
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2881991-report-astros-justin-verlander-to-miss-rest-of-season-with-elbow-injury

49ers hire Matt Ploenzke to their analytics team
https://www.ninersnation.com/2020/7/26/21339293/49ers-hire-matt-ploenzke-to-their-analytics-team

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California Nuts Briefs---

Los Gatos: Rally to fight sexual assault 
     & harassment highlights slow change
Audrie Pott's death in 2012 illustrates how serious trauma can be
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2020/07/26/los-gatos-rally-to-fight-sexual-assault-harassment-highlights-slow-change/

Parklets to offer a seating boost
    to hard-hit downtown Napa restaurants
https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/parklets-to-offer-a-seating-boost-to-hard-hit-downtown-napa-restaurants/article_4e601fa1-d873-5a29-b481-7a7263fd68d5.html

400 Goats in Sonoma County for US Hwy 101 Fire Prevention Mission
https://patch.com/california/healdsburg/400-goats-sonoma-county-us-hwy-101-fire-prevention

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Reopening Tasting Room Status for all California Counties
https://wineinstitute.org/our-work/compliance/covid-19-updates/tasting-room-reopening-resources/

The World's Most Expensive Fortified Wines
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2020/07/the-worlds-most-expensive-fortified-wines

Chardonnay wins North Coast Wine Challenge
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/chardonnay-wins-north-coast-wine-challenge/

A la carte: Food and wine events
    to enjoy before summer’s end in No. California
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/a-la-carte-food-and-wine-events-to-enjoy-before-summers-end/

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

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

This Day in History

     1586 – Sir Walter Raleigh delivered tobacco for the first time to England from Virginia. It would soon be a major crop and source of money for the new country.
    1655 - Jews of New Amsterdam petition for a Jewish cemetery and it was located in lower Manhattan.
    1686 - Birthday of Mary Peck Butterworth (1686-1775) in Rehoboth, MA.  She was a colonial counterfeiter. In 1722, Mary Peck Butterworth's husband bought her a huge, fancy house that aroused the suspicion of authorities. (She couldn't buy the house herself because the law forbade married women owning anything on their own. It all belonged to the husband.) Even though the couple was investigated by the authorities - and two of their "gang" turned state's evidence - there were no convictions.   It seems that Mrs. Butterworth developed a currency-counterfeiting process that used cloth that was immediately burned instead using the usual counterfeiting tell-tale copper plates. The cloth "plate" evidence went up in flames after each use so the prosecution's evidence disappeared in smoke. According to the evidence given against her by her relatives who assisted her, she used a hot iron to press a piece of starched cotton over a bill to transfer the pattern. Using the same method, she transferred the pattern to paper from the cloth. Then with a series of quills, she inked the note by hand into an almost perfect note. She organized a true kitchen-cottage industry, using her family including her brother and his wife who turned state's evidence. She was said to be a tough task boss. She got so good at the business that she expanded her operation into wholesaling bogus bills at half price.  Members of the organization were arrested, but all were acquitted. It is said she gave up counterfeiting after that.
http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/13384.html
    1775 - Dr. Benjamin Church (1734-78) was named Surgeon General of the Continental Army. He was a traitor and spy who was caught passing information and jailed on November 7, 1775. He had passed on information regarding several battles, including the Battle of Lexington, and was privy to troop movement, strength, and strategy. On a second attempt of sending information to the enemy via a lady friend, his letter was intercepted and the decoded. General Washington conducted the court martial. Church was sentenced to a life term in prison. He began his incarceration, but ill health enabled him to return to Boston where he was paroled. Church received permission to immigrate to the West Indies; the ship that provided his passage was lost at sea. It was later learned with certainty that Church had been in the pay of General Gage and had furnished the British with a detailed description of colonial military plans and equipment several weeks before Lexington and Concord.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1245.html
http://members.aol.com/tjoschultz/baker.html beautiful Jane McCrea (1752-77) was murdered and scalped for her long blond hair supposedly by Indians allied with the British General Burgoyne. McCrea left her brother's home and was travelling to join her fiancé at Ticonderoga. She was staying at the home of Sara McNeil, another Loyalist, and an elderly cousin to the British General Simon Fraser. On that morning, a group of Native Americans, an advance party from Burgoyne's army led by a Wyandot known as Le Loup or Wyandot Panther, descended on the village of Fort Edward. They massacred a settler and his family, then killed Lieutenant Tobias Van Vechten and four others when they walked into an ambush.   What happened next is a subject of some dispute; what is known is that Jane McCrea and Sara McNeil were taken by the natives and separated. McNeil was eventually taken to the British camp, where either she or David Jones recognized McCrea's supposedly distinctive scalp being carried by a native. Subsequent investigation indicated she might have been killed by a stray shot
    1777 - The and not by Indians. The scalping horrified everyone and helped unite the colonies against British rule. A monument now marks the spot where she was originally buried.   The story of her life and death entered American folklore, and was used by James Fenimore Cooper in “The Last of the Mohicans” and Kenneth Lewis Roberts in “Rabble in Arms.”
http://www.4peaks.com/fkmcrea.htm
    1777 - The Marquis of Lafayette arrived in New England to help the rebellious colonists fight the British.
    1789 - Department of State founded. The first presidential cabinet department, called the Department of Foreign Affairs, was established by the Congress. In September, the name was changed to Department of State.  This original legislation remains the basic law of the State Department.
    1806 - Attempting to stop a band of young Blackfoot Indians from stealing his horses, Meriwether Lewis shoots an Indian in the stomach.  Lewis awoke to the shouts of one his men as the Indians were attempting to steal their rifles and horses. Lewis sped after two Indians who were running off with several of the horses, calling out for them to stop or he would shoot. One Indian, armed with an old British musket, turned toward Lewis. Apparently fearing that the Indian was about to shoot, Lewis fired first and hit him in the stomach. The Indians retreated, and the men quickly gathered their horses. Lewis then learned that one of his men had also fatally stabbed another of the Blackfoot. Fearing the survivors would soon return with reinforcements, Lewis and his men immediately broke camp. They rode south quickly and managed to escape any retribution from the Blackfoot. Lewis' diplomatic mission, however, had turned into a debacle. By killing at least one Indian, and probably two, Lewis had guaranteed that the already hostile Blackfoot would be unlikely to deal peacefully with Americans in the future.
    1816 - US troops destroyed the Seminole Fort Apalachicola to punish the Indians for harboring runaway slaves.
    1837 – US Mint opened in Charlotte, NC.  Only raw gold was processed and refined until March 28, 1838, when the first $5 gold half eagle was struck in Charlotte. Later that year, $2½ quarter eagles were minted and, 1849, production started on a small gold dollar. The Charlotte Mint issued over $5 million in gold coins.
    1841 - Linda Richards (1841-1930) birthday in W. Potsdam, NY.  U.S. nurse and educator. She received the first diploma from the first school of nursing opened in the U.S. This pioneering school was run by Dr. Susan Dimock at the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston. She went on to establish training schools for nurses as well as directing several hospitals.  She retired in 1911 at age 70 when she wrote her autobiography, “Reminiscences of Linda Richards.”
http://www.northnet.org/stlawrenceaauw/richards.htm
http://www.nurses.info/personalities_linda_richards.htm
http://www.aahn.org/gravesites/richards.html
    1853 - Birthday of Architect Cyrus Lazelle Warner Eidlitz (d. 1921), NYC.  He is best known for designing One Times Square, the former New York Times Building on Times Square. He is founder of the architecture firm presently known as HLW International, one of the oldest architecture firms in the United States.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul27.html
    1857 - Birthday of Jose Celso Barbosa (1857-1921) at Bayamon, Puerto Rico.  Puerto Rican physician and patriot, his birthday is a holiday in Puerto Rico.
    1861 - Union General George McClellan took command of the Army of the Potomac from McDowell.  A graduate of West Point, McClellan served with distinction during the Mexican-American War, and later left the Army to work in railroads until the outbreak of the Civil War.  Early in the war, McClellan was appointed to the rank of major general and played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army, which would become the Army of the Potomac; he served a brief period (November 1861 to March 1862) as general-in-chief of the Union Army.  After the defeat of the Union forces at Bull Run on July 21, 1861, Lincoln summoned McClellan and appointed him commander of the Military Division of the Potomac, the main Union force responsible for the defense of Washington.
    1868 - Uniforms for mail carriers were authorized by Congress. Before this date, mail carriers could dress in any manner.
    1878 - Birthday of Genevieve Rose Cline (1878-1959) in Warren, OH.  She was the first woman appointed a U.S. federal judge. She earned her law degree at 44. President Harding appointed her as an appraiser of merchandise shipped through customs in Cleveland, Ohio. In spite of strong objections because she was a woman, she won confirmation in the U.S. Senate as Judge in the Customs Court and served in that capacity 1928-1953.
    1898 - Marines from the USS Dixie were the first to raise the American flag over Puerto Rico.
    1904 – John McGraw and John Brush said they have no intention of playing a post-season series with the American League champions. "Ban Johnson [American League president] has not been on the level with me personally and the American League management has been crooked more than once." says McGraw. "When we clinch the National League pennant, we'll be champions of the only real Major League." Ban Johnson fires back: "No thoughtful patron of baseball can weigh seriously the wild vaporings of this discredited player who was canned from the American League." As the New York Highlanders battle for the AL pennant, local pressure mounts, but Brush, still angry over the inter-league peace treaty, and McGraw, who despises Ban Johnson, are adamant. Accordingly, there was no 1904 World Series.
    1905 - Birthday of Leo Durocher (1905-91) at West Springfield, MA. He began his Major League baseball career with the New York Yankees in 1925. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" and the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he first served as player-manager in 1939. It was during that season that he used the phrase "Nice guys finish last," which would become his trademark. As a manager, he guided the New York Giants into two World Series, winning in 1954. Following a five-year period away from baseball, he resurfaced as a coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1961. In 1966, he signed with the Chicago Cubs as manager.   After leaving the Cubs, he spent one season with the Houston Astros, and then retired from baseball in 1973.  Durocher was elected into the Baseball Hall of fame in 1994.
    1909 - The record for the longest airplane flight was set by Orville Wright (1871-1948) who was testing the United States Army’s first airplane. Wright kept the craft aloft for 1 hour, 12 minutes and 40 seconds over Fort Myer, Virginia.
    1919 - The Chicago race riot of 1919 began and ended on August 3.  During the riot, thirty-eight people died (23 African American and 15 white) and over five hundred were injured.  It is considered the worst of the approximately 25 riots during the Red Summer, so named because of the violence and fatalities across the nation.  The combination of prolonged arson, looting, and murder was the worst race rioting in Illinois history.
    1921 - Dr. Frederick Banting and his assistant at the University of Toronto Medical School, Charles Best, gave insulin to a dog whose pancreas had been removed. In 1922, insulin was first administered to a diabetic, a 14-year-old boy.
    1921 - Baseball fan Reuben Berman brought suit in New York County Supreme Court against the New York Giants, alleging that on May 16 the Giants had “wrongfully and unlawfully imprisoned and detained” him and threatened him with arrest. Berman further alleged that he was “greatly humiliated before a large crowd of people…and thereby was caused mental and bodily distress and was thereby greatly injured in his character and reputation and in his physical health” Berman’s crime? He refused to return a foul ball he had caught to a stadium attendant. Allowing fans to keep foul balls was not a general practice, but the court awarded Berman $100 and thus fans were allowed to keep a caught foul ball.
Thank you, Reuben Berman.
    1922 - Birthday of Julius “Papa Cairo” Lamperez (1922-99) in New Orleans. Louisiana Hall of Fame member played steel guitar with Cajun and Western swing bands for 64 years.  The New Orleans native sang on Chuck Guillory & His Rhythm Boys' 1949 hit, "Big Texas;" he later toured with Ernest Tubb and recorded with Harry Choates and Chuck Guillory.
    1922 – Norman Lear was born in New Haven, CT.  Lear is a prolific television writer and producer who produced such 1970s hit sitcoms as “All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son,” “One Day at a Time,” “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times,” and “Maude.”  Lear enlisted in September 1942, serving in the Mediterranean Theater as a radio operator/gunner on B-17 bombers.  He flew 52 combat missions, for which he was awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters.
    1927 – 18-year-old Mel Ott hit his first Major League homer, an inside-the-parker. It is the only inside-the-park homer the Hall of Famer hit of his 511 career homers.
    1928 - At Chicago's Comiskey Park, A’s outfielder Ty Cobb started for the last time in a regular-season game. The 41-year-old "Georgia Peach" singled and doubled before being hit in the chest with a pitch.  He left the game hitting .332 and he retired at season’s end at age 41.
    1929 – Harvey Fuqua (d. 2010), lead singer of The Moonglows, was born in Louisville, KY.  The group, billed as Harvey and the Moonglows, had immediate success with "Ten Commandments of Love" (number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100). Fuqua left the group in 1958.  The Moonglows reunited temporarily in 1972 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.  He is notable as one of the key figures in the development of the Motown label. His group gave Marvin Gaye a start in his music career. Fuqua and his wife at the time, Gwen Gordy, distributed the first Motown hit single, Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)," on their record label, Anna Records. Fuqua later sold Anna Records to Gwen's brother Berry Gordy and became a songwriter and executive at Motown.
    1933 - By the summer of 1933, the Great Depression had long since spread from the shores of the United States to vast chunks of Europe. Earlier in the decade, the US decision to raise revenues by adopting hefty tariffs had shattered Europe's fragile finances. Awash in red ink, Europe's leaders imposed their own stringent set of duties on US goods, causing international trade to grind to a halt and both the US and Europe to sink further into the depths of the Depression.
    1933 – Nick Reynolds (d. 2008), one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, was born in San Diego.  At Menlo College in 1954, he met Bob Shane, who introduced him to Dave Guard.  The Kingston Trio was largely inspired by The Weavers and carried the concept of a folk-group, especially one featuring a guitar/banjo combination, further into the mainstream of mid-to-late 50s popular music. They are generally credited with the immense popularity of the genre at that time and since.  In turn, the Trio became an early inspiration to countless groups, including The Beach Boys — whose striped shirts, on their first album cover, intentionally emulated what the Kingston Trio wore — and Peter, Paul, and Mary — who owe their fundamental concept as a mainstream, folk/pop group, to its originators, The Kingston Trio and The Weavers.
    1937 - Birthday of jazz vibraphonist Charlie Shoemake in Houston, TX.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/shoemake_charlie/bio.jhtml
http://talsanmusic.com/charlie/
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0703_060.htm
http://ubl.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/full/
0%2C%2C492644%2C00.html
http://ubl.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,1131096,00.html
    1940 - Bugs Bunny made his official debut in the Warner Bros. animated cartoon "A Wild Hare." Three years later, Bugs would be made an honorary Corporal of the US Marine Corps after the release of the short “Super Rabbit” in which he is portrayed a parody of Superman. Bugs abandons his colorful costume, faces the camera, and proclaims that "This looks like a job for a real Superman!" Then he reappears from the phone booth wearing a uniform of the United States Marine Corps. His former antagonists snap to attention and salute Bugs as he marches into the horizon singing the Marine Corps Hymn.
    1942 - In New York City, Peggy Lee (1920-2002) recorded her first hit record. With instrumentals provided by the Benny Goodman band, Peggy sang "Why Don’t You Do Right" for Columbia Records.
    1943 - *PETRARCA, FRANK J., Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 145th Infantry, 37th Infantry Division. Place and date: At Horseshoe Hill, New Georgia, Solomon Islands, 27 July 1943. Entered service at: Cleveland, Ohio. Birth: Cleveland, Ohio. G.O. No.: 86, 23 December 1943. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Petrarca advanced with the leading troop element to within 100 yards of the enemy fortifications where mortar and small-arms fire caused a number of casualties. Singling out the most seriously wounded, he worked his way to the aid of Pfc. Scott, lying within 75 yards of the enemy, whose wounds were so serious that he could not even be moved out of the direct line of fire Pfc Petrarca fearlessly administered first aid to Pfc. Scott and 2 other soldiers and shielded the former until his death. On 29 July 1943, Pfc. Petrarca. during an intense mortar barrage, went to the aid of his sergeant who had been partly buried in a foxhole under the debris of a shell explosion, dug him out, restored him to consciousness and caused his evacuation. On 31 July 1943 and against the warning of a fellow soldier, he went to the aid of a mortar fragment casualty where his path over the crest of a hill exposed him to enemy observation from only 20 yards distance. A target for intense knee mortar and automatic fire, he resolutely worked his way to within 2 yards of his objective where he was mortally wounded by hostile mortar fire. Even on the threshold of death he continued to display valor and contempt for the foe, raising himself to his knees, this intrepid soldier shouted defiance at the enemy, made a last attempt to reach his wounded comrade and fell in glorious death.
    1943 - On a whim, and flying a single engine AT-6, Lieutenant Ralph O'Hair and Colonel Duckworth were the first to fly into a hurricane. It started regular Air Force flights into hurricanes
    1943 - Birthday of soul and gospel singer Mary Love (d. 2013), born Mary Ann Varney, Sacramento, CA
http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/mlove.htm
http://www.musicstack.com/search/love,_mary.html
    1944 – Bobbie Gentry was born Roberta Lee Streeter in Chickasaw County, MS.  One of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material, she rose to international fame with her "Ode to Billy Joe" in 1967.  The track spent four weeks as the No. 1 pop song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, was fourth in the Billboard year-end chart of 1967, and earned her Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1968.
    1948 - Birthday of skater/television personality Peggy Fleming in San Jose, California. She won the national ice skating championships five straight years and won the 1968 Olympic singles title in the most spectacular performance of a woman on ice to that date. She included leaps and maneuvers that no woman had ever done before in competition. She'd spent nearly 20,000 hours in years before age 10 to age 20 to realize her dream, but the victory-memory will always be terribly bruised because her father died of a heart attack only minutes after her victory. Today she is TV commentator and a wine maker along with her husband in Los Gatos, California.
http://www.life.com/Life/covers/1968/cv022368.html
http://www.peggyfleming.net/
    1949 - Singer Maureen McGovern is born in Youngstown, Ohio. Her biggest hit is the million-selling No. 1 song “The Morning After.''
    1949 – The first jet-powered airliner, the deHaviland Comet, took off on its maiden flight from its UK headquarters.  A year after entering commercial service, the Comets began suffering problems, with three of them breaking up during mid-flight in well-publicized accidents. These were later found to be due to catastrophic metal fatigue that were not well understood at the time. The Comet was withdrawn from service and extensively tested to discover the cause. Design flaws, including dangerous stresses at the corners of the square windows and installation methods, were ultimately identified. As a result, the Comet was extensively redesigned with oval windows, structural reinforcement, and other changes. Rival manufacturers meanwhile heeded the lessons learned from the Comet while developing their own aircraft. 
    1953 - Air Force Captain Ralph S. Parr, 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, achieved the last air victory of the Korean War when he destroyed a Soviet Il-12 transport plane. In addition, the victory qualified him as the 11th and last double ace of the war, with a total of 10 kills.  He also flew in World War II and the Vietnam War, and is the only person to have been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the medal that replaced it, the Air Force Cross.
    1953 - The Armistice agreement ending war that had lasted three years and 32 days was signed at Panmunjom, Korea (July 26, US time), by US, China, and North Korean delegates. Both sides claimed victory at conclusion of two years, 17 days of truce negotiations.  South Korea President Syngman Rhee refused to sign but pledged to observe the armistice.
    1955 - Chuck Berry's “Maybellene,” entered the R & B charts.  It was Berry's first single and his first hit. "Maybellene" is considered one of the pioneering rock-and-roll songs: Rolling Stone magazine wrote, "Rock & roll guitar starts here."  The record is an early instance of the complete rock-and-roll package: youthful subject matter; a small, guitar-driven combo; clear diction; and an atmosphere of unrelenting excitement.
    1955 - Billboard claims that only two singing stars can be considered guaranteed hit makers these days: Nat King Cole and country star Webb Pierce. Throughout his long and illustrious career, one that extended into 1982, Webb Pierce charted 96 singles, 54 Top Ten songs and 13 No.1 singles. In 1955, three of his tunes topped the charts for an unprecedented 46 weeks... almost the entire year. Using a point scale that takes into account both chart positions and longevity, Joel Whitburn ranks Webb Pierce as the No.1 artist of the 50’s, leagues ahead of Jim Reeves (No.14), Eddy Arnold (No.2), Hank Williams (No.6), and Lefty Frizzell (No.16). It is estimated that his record sales to date total over 65 million copies and his influence can still be felt throughout the world at every age level and in every musical genre.
http://www.slipcue.com/music/country/webbsite/webbintro.html
http://www.webbpierce.net/
http://hammer.prohosting.com/~coollz/webbwords.htm
    1957 - The Bobbettes' first and only Top Forty single, "Mr. Lee," enters the pop charts. The tune is about the trio's high school principal.
    1959 - The brothers, Santo and Johnny Farina, of Brooklyn, New York released their one and only hit record, the instrumental "Sleepwalk." It reached Billboard magazine's No. 1 position for two weeks during September 1959 and earned Santo & Johnny a Gold Record. The follow-up single "Tear Drop" (spelled "Teardrop" on the album Encore).  “Sleep Walk" continues to be popular due to consistent radio airplay as well as its usage for commercials, television programs, and movies. Santo & Johnny were inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2002. 
    1962 - During the unsuccessful Albany, Georgia movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is arrested and jailed for the third time. During months of protests, Albany's police chief jailed hundreds of demonstrators without visible police violence. Eventually the protesters' energy, and the money to bail out protesters, ran out. The movement was lost, until the spring of 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama.
http://www.africana.com/research/encarta/mlk.asp
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/autobiography
/chp_16.ht     
    1964 - It is announced that the United States will send an additional 5,000 U.S. troops to Vietnam, bringing the total number of U.S. forces in Vietnam to 21,000. While some advisers, such as Undersecretary of State George Ball, recommended a negotiated settlement, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara urged the president to "expand promptly and substantially" the U.S. military presence in South Vietnam. Johnson, not wanting to "lose" Vietnam to the communists, ultimately accepted McNamara's recommendation. This decision led to a massive escalation of the war.
    1965 - The Beach Boys' "California Girls," written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, is released.  It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song is considered emblematic of the 1960s “California Sound.”   The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it as one of “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.”   In 2010, the Beach Boys' recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 72 on its list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time. "

    1966 - The Wisconsin Supreme Court overrules a lower court decision and holds that the state doesn't have the jurisdiction to keep the Braves from moving to Atlanta.
    1968 - The Rascals switched from light rock to making a political statement when they released "People Got to Be Free." The song entered the Hot 100 six weeks after Bobby Kennedy was assassinated and would go on to number one for five weeks, ending up the fifth most popular song of the year.
    1968 - Cass Elliot releases her first solo single following the breakup of The Mamas and Papas. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" had been around since 1931 and had been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Kate Smith, Frankie Laine and many others. Cass' version would be the most successful as it rose to number 12 on Billboard's Hot 100.
    1974 - The House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to recommend President Nixon's impeachment on a charge that he had personally engaged in a "course of conduct" designed to obstruct justice in the Watergate case.
    1974 - "Annie's Song," John Denver’s biggest hit song, written for his wife, reached the top of the "Billboard" singles charts. Denver enjoyed three other number 1 songs: "Sunshine on My Shoulders," "Thank God I’m a Country Boy" and "I’m Sorry."
    1974 - Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" is released.
    1975 – Former Major Leaguer Alex Rodriguez was born in NYC. 
    1976 - Former Beatle John Lennon won formal permission to remain in the United States as a permanent resident and would be eligible for United States citizenship in five years.
    1976 - Bruce Springsteen sued his manager Mike Appel in Manhattan’s U.S. District Court for fraud and breach of contract.  The legal battle kept Springsteen out of the studio for nearly a year, during which time he kept the E Street Band together through extensive touring across the US.  Despite the optimistic fervor with which he often performed, his new songs had taken a more somber tone than much of his previous work. Reaching settlement with Appel in 1977, Springsteen returned to the studio and the subsequent sessions produced “Darkness on the Edge of Town” (1978). Musically, this album was a turning point in Springsteen's career. Gone were the raw, rapid-fire lyrics, outsized characters and long, multi-part musical compositions of the first three albums; now the songs were leaner and more carefully drawn and began to reflect Springsteen's growing intellectual and political awareness.
    1979 - Little Richard, billed as the Reverend Richard Penniman, spoke to a revival meeting in San Francisco about the dangers of rock ‘n’ roll.
    1981 – Adam Walsh, 6-year-old son of John Walsh, was kidnapped near a Sears store in Hollywood, FL and was found murdered two weeks later.  This prompted John to begin a crusade on behalf of missing children and the TV show “America’s Most Wanted.”  Initially, Walsh was considered a prime suspect, later cleared when police concluded that Adam was abducted by a drifter named Ottis Toole, who eventually confessed.
    1984 - Prince's first movie, "Purple Rain" opens nationally.
    1984 – Birthday of Max Scherzer, Chesterfield, MO.  Currently the ace of the Washington Nationals, he has won 3 Cy Young Awards, the 10th in MLB history to do so.  He became the sixth pitcher in Major League Baseball history to win the award in both the American and the National Leagues, having won his first with the Detroit Tigers in 2013. He has also authored two no-hitters and has also tied the Major League single-game strikeout record with 20.  He, Steven Strasburg, Howie Kendricks and Anthony Rendon led the Nationals to the 2019 World Series Championship, the team’s first and the first by a Washington baseball team since 1924.
    1986 - Cyclist Greg Lemond became the first American to win the Tour de France, the most important bicycle race in the world.
    1987 - Freeway shooting incidents were all the news in Los Angeles, California. There had been nine incidents involving vehicles and guns since June 18, 1987. There were two motorists shot to death and four others injured.
    1988 - Hot weather prevailed in the north central U.S. Williston, ND reported a record high of 108 degrees. Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the eastern U.S., and in southeastern Texas. Richland County, SC, was soaked with up to 5.5 inches of rain.
    1988 - Boston's worst traffic jam in 30 years. “People in Boston either talk about how the Red Sox are doing or the traffic. But since the I-90 tunnel extension to South Boston opened in January and the I-93 northbound tunnel beneath downtown opened in March—two major elements of the now infamous "Big Dig" project—they only have one of the two to complain about. Rush hour, which used to span 10 to 12 hours, has been cut in half.”
http://www.keepmedia.com/ShowItemDetails.do?itemID=264504
    1988 - Radio Shack announces the Tandy 1000 SL computer.
    1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from Wisconsin and northern Illinois to New England, with 103 reports of large hail and damaging winds through the day. Thunderstorms in Wisconsin produced hail three inches in diameter near Oshkosh, and wind gusts to 65 mph at Germantown
    1995 – The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC.
    1996 - During the Olympic Games in Atlanta, a bomb exploded in an entertainment park killing two and wounding 110. A man was convicted in the newspapers, then let free, and no other suspect nor the person who set off the bomb has been found to this date.
    1996 - Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey won the 100 meters at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta in the world record time of 9.84 seconds. The previous mark, set on July 6, 1994 by Leroy Burrell, was 9.85 seconds.
    1998 - Sammy Sosa hits his first career grand slam, establishing the mark for most career homers before hitting a grand slam (247).  Sosa went to bat 4,428 times before drilling the sacks-full homer.    
    2000 - Toronto skipper Jim Fregosi wins his 1,000th game as a big league manager as the Blue Jays beat the Mariners, 7-2.
    2006 – Five-day San Francisco Bay Area heat wave comes to an
end. While it didn't set many all-time temperature records in the Bay Area, it did set records for the number of consecutive days with temperatures above 110." According to Pechner, who uses data from the National Weather Service and Bay Area Air Quality Management District, there were five consecutive days this month with temperatures above 110: July 21 (111 degrees, Vacaville); July 22 (114 degrees, Morgan Hill); and July 23-25 in Rio Vista (110 degrees, 113 degrees, and 111 degrees, respectively). ((Los Gatos/Saratoga had neighborhoods reporting 108 to 110. And in 2015,
Wednesday it is expected to hit 107 to 110.
    2014 - Real estate website company Zillow will buy rival Trulia for $3.5 billion in stock; the company will dominate the market for online searches of real estate.
    2016 - At a news conference, Presidential Candidate Donald Trump publicly appealed to Russia to find and release private emails from Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.  A Special Counsel investigation later alleged that Russian operatives began hacking into Democratic National Committee servers on that same day, leading to the July 13, 2018 indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers.