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Section 179 at a Glance for 2021
CrestCapital.com

Don't forget the companies doing very well during COVID-19.

• Bonus Depreciation 100% in effect for 2021 (new & used qualifying equipment)
• 2021 Spending Cap on Equipment Purchases: $2,620,000
• 2021 Deduction Limit: 2021

The dollar amount is capped the deduction is aimed for small businesses.  It has enhanced the marketplace for capital leases and equipment finance agreements (business loans), and permits the write-off of the entire purchase of qualifying equipment and software for the current year.

For basic guidelines on what property is covered under the Section 179 tax code, please refer to this list of qualifying equipment. Also, to qualify for the Section 179 Deduction, the equipment and/or software purchased or financed must be placed into service between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021.

There are limits applying to equipment, vehicles and software, including 50% of the time and qualifying use of business use.

CrestCapital.com has the Tax Deduction Calculator (TM), as well as links to Deduction Limits, Qualify Property, and Prior Year Calculators: https://www.crestcapital.com/tax_deduction_calculator

More information is available here (including the sections below by clicking on the topic at the bottom): https://www.section179.org/nonqualifying_section_179_property/

Home | Section 179 Deduction | Impact of Stimulus Acts | Property that Qualifies | Non Qualifying Property | Vehicles & Section 179 | Software & Section 179 | Section 179 Calculator | Leases & Section 179 | Simplifying Section 179 | Special Deduction Zones | Electing the Deduction | Section 179 FAQ's | Equipment Vendors & Section 179 | Previous Years | Op Ed | Disclaimer | Contact Section 179

IRS Website:
https://www.irs.gov/businesses

Qualifying Equipment:
https://www.section179.org/property_that_qualifies_for_section_179/

It is also recommended that you consult your Certified Public Accountant and/or Tax Attorney for particulars that fit your specific business. - Editor.

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FDIC Quarterly Report 2021
Fourth Quarter, 2020

Note year-end bank increase and
institution report of yearly net income

FDIC-insured institutions reported aggregate net income of $59.9 billion in fourth quarter 2020, an increase of $5 billion (9.1 percent) from a year earlier. The primary driver of higher net income was the reduction in provision expenses. More than half of all institutions (57.4 percent) reported year-over-year increases in quarterly net income.

The share of unprofitable institutions remained relatively stable from a year ago at 7.3 percent. The average return on assets ratio was 1.11 percent for the quarter, down 8 basis points from a year earlier.

Community Bank Performance
Community banks—which represent 91 percent of insured institutions—reported year-over-year net income growth of $1.3 billion (21.2 percent) in fourth quarter 2020, despite an increase in provisions for loan and lease losses and a narrower net interest margin.

 More than half of all community banks (57 percent) reported higher net income from the year-ago quarter. Increased income from loan sales drove the improvement in quarterly net income and offset the increase in provisions year over year.

Insurance Fund Indicators
The Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) balance totaled $117.9 billion at the end of fourth quarter, an increase of $1.5 billion from the previous quarter. Assessment income, interest earned on investments, and negative provisions for insurance losses were the largest sources of the increase, offset partially by operating expenses, unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities, and other unrealized losses. The DIF reserve ratio was 1.29 percent on December 31, 2020, down 1 basis point from September 30, 2020, and down 12 basis points from December 31, 2019.

The Summary of Deposits survey collects office and deposit data from FDIC-insured institutions as of June 30 of each year. The 2020 Summary of Deposits survey showed a 21.7 percent increase in domestic deposits of FDIC-insured institutions, the largest percentage increase in 77 years, according to a new FDIC report, “2020 Summary of Deposits Highlights,” published in the FDIC Quarterly.
 

Specifically, the FDIC reports that:

• Deposit growth from June 30, 2019 to June 30, 2020 was driven by policies and programs implemented by U.S. fiscal and monetary authorities to alleviate financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and by an increase in savings as a percentage of income among U.S. households.
• Noncommunity banks and bank offices located in metropolitan counties reported the highest rates of deposit growth in the year ending June 30, 2020.
• The number of offices of FDIC-insured institutions declined for the 11th consecutive year, although the rate of decline in the number of offices was lower in 2020 than in the three previous years.
• The relatively low rate of decline in the number of offices was influenced by the fact that the number of new offices opened was the highest since 2014, and that the number of offices closed was the lowest since 2015.
• The percentage of offices acquired in mergers that were closed by the acquiring institution was lower in 2020 than in any of the previous ten years.
• The rate of decline in the number of offices was higher in metropolitan counties than in metropolitan and rural counties.

Full Deposit Report (13 pages):
https://www.fdic.gov/bank/analytical/quarterly/2021-vol15-1/article2.pdf

Farm Banks: Resilience Through Changing Conditions
The U.S. agricultural sector has experienced large swings over the past decade and a half, from a lengthy period of prosperity in agriculture that ended in 2013 to subsequent years that presented a slow, weak recovery. Most farmers and farm banks were cautious with farm real estate lending during the strong years. As a result, farm banks have held up well despite the agricultural industry’s challenges since 2014. The COVID-19 pandemic initially looked to be harmful for U.S. agriculture, but record government payments helped forecasted 2020 farm income reach the highest level since 2013.

Full Farm Report (19 pages):
https://www.fdic.gov/bank/analytical/quarterly/2021-vol15-1/article2.pdf

 

Leasing Industry Help Wanted

 

 

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The Thrill of Competition

Sales Makes it Happen by Scott Wheeler, CLFP

The commercial equipment leasing and finance industry is fiercely competitive. Originators need to flaunt their competitive advantage to win their fair share of transactions and to maximize their incomes. Competition confirms the overall robustness of activity in the commercial equipment sector. Competition confirms the quality of commercial equipment assets within the financial sector. As originators, we should appreciate and respect our competitors; they force us to be our best and to grow as originators.

Many years ago, I received a letter from a competitor congratulating me for winning a transaction for which the two of us competed. The letter explained how he, a veteran in the business, had let down his guard and let me, a less experienced originator, outperform him. He respected my tenacity but he vowed to fight on and to win his fair share of business in the future. His letter of congratulations was a challenge to become fierce, respectful competitors. Over the years, we often competed against one another on transactions and vendor relationships. I always gave more when I knew that I was competing against this individual or his company. I was thrilled when I won a relationship and disappointed when I lost. We became professional friends and rivals in the best context, often calling to congratulate one another on a job well done.

A client once asked what my opinion was of this competitor. The answer was immediate, "He is one of best in the industry - my most fierce competitor. He is the professional that I aspire to be and a competitor that I have the ability to outperform every day."

Often, we forget that competition enhances the thrill of origination. Competition is a key factor in motivating originators to go the extra mile and to offer superior services every day. Competition is good. Embrace your competition and vow to outperform them to win more than your fair share of business.

Order via Amazon: https://www.createspace.com/5355516  

Scott A. Wheeler, CLFP
Wheeler Business Consulting
1314 Marquis Ct.
Fallston, Maryland 21047
Phone: 410 877 0428
Fax: 410 877 8161
Email: scott@wheelerbusinessconsulting.com
Web: www.wheelerbusinessconsulting.com

Sales Makes it Happen articles: http://www.leasingnews.org/Legacy/index.htm

 

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Hawaii Senate Passes Bill to Legalize Cannabis,
Bill to Broaden Decriminalization Laws

The Hawaii Senate recently passed legislation that would legalize cannabis in the state and that would considerably broaden the current decriminalization laws in the state. Under the first bill, adults would be permitted to grow the plant for personal use as well as possess up to an ounce of marijuana. The proposal got a 20 to 5 vote in the chamber.

The second proposal would add onto the existing decriminalization law in the state, which states that the possession of three grams or less of cannabis is punishable by a $130 fine. The Senate approved the proposal to increase this limit to 30 grams, or just over an ounce, in a 24 to 1 vote.

Both legislations have now been advanced to the House, with some concerned about how Governor David Ige will approach these legislations.

In an interview earlier this month, the governor declined to comment on whether he would veto the legalization proposal or approve it. He did, however, state that the ongoing federal prohibition on cannabis created obstacles that he’d have to factor into his decision.

Ige explained that he had concerns, seeing as cannabis was still classified as a Schedule 1 substance and is therefore highly regulated by the federal government. He continued, stating that until this classification was changed, it would be confusing for the public to think that marijuana was legalized in the state.

In spite of this, the state of Hawaii already has in place a medical marijuana market place. The adult-use legalization measure would maintain this medical program and allow registered patients to possess up to four ounces of marijuana. The measure would also require that the Department of Health in the state develop and establish regulations that will govern retail sales and business licensing by July 1 this year. However, it has not been made clear when stores would be launched.

The Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii board president Nikos Leverenz stated that it was a historic day for marijuana reform in the state, adding that it was now up to House leadership to make sure that the bill progressed. Leverenz noted that adult-use legalization of marijuana would help create quality jobs in retail, agriculture and other businesses that would be influenced by marijuana’s production and distribution.

Source: cannabisnewswire.com

 

The Top 20 Countries for Ultra High Net Worth Individuals
Data from "the Wealth Report 2021" by Knight Frank

Despite the global hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s ultra-high net worth (UHNW) population increased by 2.4% in 2020, reaching an all-time high of 521,653.  80% of the world's wealthiest individuals live in just 20 countries.

Source: Visualcapitalist.com

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Single Women Homeowners Outpace Males
1.6 million more homes than single men

 

LendingTree has found that when it comes to gender and homeownership, single women are more likely than single men to own a home in each of the nation’s 50 largest metros.

In the nation’s 50 largest metros, single women own nearly 1.6 million more homes than single men, as nationwide, single women own about 5.2 million homes, while single men own approximately 3.6 million homes. According to LendingTree, there isn’t a single metro among the largest 50 in the U.S. where single men own more homes than single women. The average difference between the share of homes owned by single women compared to single men is 3.7%.

“It’s difficult to pin down what’s behind the gender gap in homeownership rates,” said the LendingTree report. “There is some evidence to suggest that single women prioritize owning a home more than single men do, which could help explain why they’re more likely to buy houses. That being said, the studies and surveys conducted on this topic are far from conclusive and other factors could be at play.”

Tampa, Fla. was the metro with the largest share of single-women homeowners, with 787,384 owner-occupied households, 16.83% of those were owned and occupied by single women and 11.63% by single men, a difference of 5.2%.

In the Cleveland metro area, among the listed 559,157 owner-occupied households, 16.2% were owned and occupied by single women, with single men comprising a share of 11.66%, a gender gap difference of 4.54%.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Buffalo, N.Y. market saw the largest share of homes owned by single men. Of 314,126 owner-occupied households in Buffalo, N.Y., 12.2% were owned and occupied by men, while 15.93% were owned and occupied by women, a difference of 3.73%.

The metro Boston region had the largest gap in homeownership rates among single women and men at 5.87%. Of Boston’s 1,130,182 owner-occupied homes, 13.54% of that share was for single women and 7.68% by single men, a difference of approximately 66,300 homes or 5.86%.

The Las Vegas metro has the smallest gap in homeownership rates among single women and men of just 0.45%. Single women still led the charge with a 12.36% share of the region’s 421,252 owner-occupied households, while single men accounted for an 11.91% share, a difference of approximately 1,900 homes total.

Eric Peck, Author
themreport.com

 

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

Free Weekly Credit Reports during COVID-19
Extended until April 2022

by Cathlin Tully
Attorney, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection
Federal Trade Commission

If you’re feeling anxious about your financial health during these uncertain times, you’re not alone. That’s why the three national credit reporting agencies, which last year gave people weekly access to monitor their credit report for free, are extending that benefit until April 20, 2022.

This is some helpful news, because staying on top of your credit report is one important tool to help manage your financial data. Your credit report has information about your credit history and payment history — information that lenders, creditors, and other businesses use when giving you loans or credit.

Now it’s easier than ever to check your credit more often. That’s because everyone is eligible to get free weekly credit reports until April 20, 2022 from the three national credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. To get your free reports, go to WWW.AnnualCreditReport.com.

If you’re one of the many Americans struggling to pay your bills right now because of the Coronavirus crisis, here’s what you can do:

Contact the companies you owe money to. Ask if they can postpone your payment, put you on a payment plan, or give you a temporary forbearance.

Check your credit report regularly to make sure it’s correct — especially any new payment arrangements or temporary forbearance. The CARES Act generally requires your creditors to report these accounts as current.

Fix any errors or mistakes that you spot on your credit report. Notify the credit reporting agencies directly. You can find out more by reading Disputing Errors on Credit Reports.

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

German Shepherd Dog (short coat)
Mankato, Minnesota  Adopt-a-Dog

Argan

Male
Nine Months old
43 lbs.
Dog Friendly: yes
Cat Friendly: yes
Child friendly: yes
House Trained (in progress, puppy
Crate Trained: Yes
Energy Level: Puppy
Up-to Date with vaccines

To adopt, go to:   www.mendingspirits.org/apply-to-adopt.html

From the Foster Family: Argan is very intelligent and will need an equally intelligent owner! This puppy has the potential to do amazing things! This breed can be taught to search and rescue, drug and other detection, service dog, agility, frisbee, and more! Will need firm but gentle training! Could be the smartest dog you ever have, but if bored, unstimulated, or ignored this dog will cause mischief.

About Me: Hi my name is Argan and I love to play with my brother and foster family dogs! I am very sweet and extremely smart! I learned to sit in only 3 tries! I have not been taught manners yet so we are working on that. Shouldn’t take too long though because I am a fast learner! I would love to have a fenced yard to run in and a family that wants to teach me a lot of tricks and spend time everyday training and exercising with me! I will be the most loyal and best watchdog! If anyone is looking for a dog for their older dog-savvy kid to train and show in 4H I can guarantee you a lot of big purple!

Organization Contact Info:
Mending Spirits Animal Rescue
PO Box 475
Mankato, MN 56002
mendingspirits@gmail.com
http://www.mendingspirits.org

News Briefs---

Can’t Wait to Become a Bank? Buy One
    By Kevin Travers. debanked.com
https://debanked.com/2021/03/cant-wait-to-become-a-bank-buy-one/

Foxconn weighs Wisconsin or Mexico for
      maiden electric-vehicle plant
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/manufacturing/foxconn-weighs-wisconsin-or-mexico-maiden-electric-vehicle-plant

Five Willis Towers worth of office space is empty
     in downtown Chicago, and it’s going to get worse
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/ryan-ori/ct-biz-downtown-chicago-record-office-space-availability-ryan-ori-20210312-r4zxqbfpurb6vjrolaoqrt2ikq-story.html

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You May Have Missed---

Meet Harry and Meghan’s Stanford collaborator
    on the world-changing power of compassion
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/03/12/meet-harry-and-meghans-stanford-collaborator-on-the-world-changing-power-of-compassion/

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Sports Briefs---

Major U.S. Sports Leagues Lost over
    $14 Billion in 2020
https://www-breitbart-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.breitbart.com/sports/2021/03/09/major-us-sports-leagues-lost-over-14-billion-2020/amp/

Chicago Bears agree to one-year deal with QB Andy Dalton
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bears/2021/03/16/andy-dalton-chicago-bears-contract-mitchell-trubisky/4724091001/

Popular broadcaster Amy Gutierrez hired
    by Giants after NBC Sports laid her off
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/annkillion/article/San-Francisco-Giants-officially-make-Amy-16029684.php

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California Nuts Briefs---

Sacramento’s offices are empty
    Will the struggling neighborhoods around them survive?
https://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article249831043.html?ac_cid=DM406060&ac_bid=-257039668

California Gov. Newsom on recall vote:
    Of course, I’m worried about it’
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/03/16/newsom-recall-vote-appears-likely-ahead-of-key-signature-deadline/

Anthony Mata selected as San Jose’s next police chief
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/03/16/anthony-mata-selected-as-san-joses-next-police-chief/

California salmon season delayed and shortened,
    angering North Bay fishermen
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/industrynews/california-salmon-season-delayed-and-shortened-angering-north-bay-fisherme/

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Wine cellar worker training is focus
     of new Santa Rosa Junior college program
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/industrynews/wine-cellar-worker-training-is-focus-of-new-santa-rosa-junior-college-progr/

What is the Sweet Spot for Low Alcohol Wines?
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=242841

Booker Winery Announces New-State-of-the-Art
     Visitor Center in Paso Robles, Calif.
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=242825

Vins Alsace/Wines of Alsace Launches Millésimes Alsace DigiTasting®
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=242818

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

 March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the patron saint of Ireland.  It was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, (especially the Church of Ireland), Eastern Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general in general.  Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, celebrations, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians also attend church and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking are lifted for the day. 

    1734 - Forty-two families of German Protestant refugees landed in the American colonies. Sponsored by the British Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK), the 78 religious pilgrims soon founded the town of Ebenezer, 30 miles from Savannah, Georgia.
http://historicaltextarchive.com/salzburger/ebenezer.html
http://www.sip.armstrong.edu/Transportation/FullView/Trans_Img6.html
http://www.loc.gov/rr/european/imde/ebenezer.html
http://www.gasalzburgers.org/
http://www.holtzendorff.com/gavacation/ebenezer/ebenezer.html
    1755 - Transylvania Land Co buys Kentucky for $50,000 from a Cherokee chief
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/H/HendersoR1.asp
http://www.bartelby.com/65/tr/TransylCo.html
http://wolves.dsc.k12.ar.us/cyberace/sbgone
/gen/fam1/history/ky/transylvania.htm
    1756 – First St. Patrick’s Day celebration in New York City at Crown and Thistle Tavern.
    1762 – First St. Patrick’s Day Parade in NYC.
    1776 - Having seized Dorchester Heights, George Washington forced the British under William Howe to evacuate Boston. On a tour of the Boston area, I saw where the cannon were poised around the British. It was amazing that they were able to be put into place over such rough land, poor weather, and an under-strength crew. The British did not know that they had little dry powder to fire the cannon, and many lacked the cannon ball, but Washington surrounded them and bluffed them into leaving Boston. I would highly recommend a visit to Boston and the surrounding area for the history, great restaurants, and people. It is best is to hire a personal tour by one of the professional history storytellers who will take you to the sites, including the famous cemetery with a fabulous view of the city. I would recommend Robert of Exciting Tours of Boston, 69 Prescott Avenue, Boston, MA. 02150, Phone 617-699-6140 Fax: 617-889-3011 e-mail:exciting.tours@verizon.net Four Hour Maximum is a lot. Plan it so he can drop you off to one of his favorite Italian restaurants. You will not be disappointed.
http://patriotresource.com/events/bostonevac.html
http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/
Our_Country_vol_2/britishev_he.html
http://www.mountalverniahs.org/mahs/hist-lit10/Dorchester/Battle.htm
http://www.artunframed.com/images/artmis63/stuart42.jpg
    1777 - Roger B. Taney (d. 1864) birthday, Calvert County, MD.  He became the first presidential nominee to be rejected by the Senate and later became Supreme Court Justice who ruled on the Dred Scott decision. Taney served as Attorney General under President Andrew Jackson. Nominated as Secretary of the Treasury, his rejection by the Senate centered on his strong stance against the Bank of the United States as a central bank and his role in urging President Jackson to veto the congressional bill extending its charter. The states wanted to control banking, and not allow the federal government to do so. In reality, the first federal bank failed during a terrible recession and bad decisions by its then president, which ended the contest between federal and state control. A year after being rejected later as Secretary of the Treasury, he was nominated to the Supreme Court as an associate justice by Jackson, but his nomination was stalled until the death of Chief Justice John Marshall on July 6, 1835.  Taney was nominated to fill Marshall's place on the bench and after much resistance, he was sworn in as Chief Justice in March, 1836. His tenure on the Supreme Court is most remembered for the Dred Scott decision that decided a Black man would not be recognized as a “free man” in U.S. territories.
    1780 - George Washington granted the Continental Army a holiday "as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence."
    1804 - Frontiersman Jim Bridger (d. 1881) was born at Richmond VA.   American fur trader and scout, believed to be the first white man to visit (in 1824) the Great Salt Lake, he also established Fort Bridger in southwestern Wyoming as a fur-trading post and a way station for pioneers heading west on the Oregon Trail. Bridger National Forest in western Wyoming is named for him. The son of a surveyor and an innkeeper, Bridger moved with his family to St. Louis in 1818. There, Bridger apprenticed to a blacksmith, learned to handle boats, and became a good shot and skilled woodsman. When the Ashley-Henry Fur Trading Company advertised for "enterprising young men" to travel the Missouri River to trade with the Indians, Bridger was among the first to respond, and he was hired in 1822.  Though he lacked much formal education, Bridger demonstrated a brilliant ability for finding his way and surviving in the wilderness. As part of the Ashley-Henry team, he helped construct the first fur trading post on the Yellowstone River. At the age of 21, Bridger became the first Anglo known to have seen the Great Salt Lake, though he mistakenly thought it was the Pacific Ocean at the time. He was adept at learning Indian dialects and culture, and he had a tremendous memory for geographical detail. For several years, Bridger worked as an independent trapper and, in 1830, he joined with three partners to gain control of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Bridger never really enjoyed the life of the businessman, though, and he sold out in 1834. That same year, he married Cora, the daughter of a Flathead Indian chief, and she accompanied him on his fur trapping expeditions. Yet by 1840, Bridger had grown tired of the nomadic trapper life. He was convinced that the emigrant traffic through the West had become heavy enough to support a trading post. He founded Fort Bridger along the Green River section of the Oregon Trail, in present-day southern Wyoming. Fort Bridger quickly became a regular stopping place for overland emigrants, and Bridger happily settled down with Cora, with whom he had three children. Bridger's idyllic life did not last, though. Cora died, Indians killed one of his daughters, and a second wife died in childbirth. Bridger retreated to the mountains to trap and hunt after each of these tragedies, often living for a time with Indians. In 1850, he married the daughter of a Shoshoni chief, and thereafter he and his bride, whom he called Mary, divided their time between summers at Fort Bridger and winters with the Shoshoni. In 1853, Mormons, resenting the competition from Bridger's fort, tried to arrest him as an outlaw. He escaped into the mountains with Mary and his children but a band of Mormons burnt and gutted the fort, destroying all his supplies. Concerned for his family's safety, Bridger bought a farm near Westport, Missouri, where he left Mary and the children during all of his subsequent western journeys. He sold Fort Bridger in 1858 and spent the next decade working as a guide and an army scout in the early Indian wars. By 1868, Bridger's eyesight was failing and he increasingly suffered from rheumatism. He retired to his Westport farm, where he cared for his apple trees and no doubt fondly recalled the rugged western mountains he had known so well.
    1811 - The first Ohio River steamboat leaves Pittsburgh for New Orleans; it arrived three months later.
http://www.dobyns.com/dobyns.genealogy/nrpreble.htm
http://www.perrycountyindiana.org/attract/fultonhill.html
http://www.cincinnati.com/tallstacks/history_2centuries.html
    1836 – Texas abolished slavery.
    1841 - Birth of James R. Murray (d. 1905), Andover, MA.  American sacred music editor. A veteran of the American Civil War, Murray is better remembered today as composer of the hymn tune MUELLER, to which we sing the Christmas carol, "Away in a Manger."
    1842 - Female Relief Society of Nauvoo Organized. Twenty Mormon women formally initiated this organization at Nauvoo, IL, which is now known as the Relief Society and has grown to almost four million members. Information furnished by Church of Latter-Day Saints, Public Affairs Department.
http://www.nauvoohistorical.org/about.htm
    1854 – The first park land purchased by a U.S. city, Worcester, MA.
    1862 - Martha Platt Falconer (d. 1941) was born in Delaware, OH.  She was one the greatest of all pioneers in changing the holding area of delinquent or homeless girls from virtual jails to homes for rehabilitation, education, and social adjustments. She pioneered her work at Sleighton Farm in Pennsylvania and the idea was gradually accepted throughout the nation.
http://search.eb.com/women/articles/Falconer_Martha_Platt.html
    1863 - Battle of Kelly's Ford, Virginia. Union cavalry attack Confederate cavalry. Although the Yankees were pushed back and failed to take any ground, the engagement proved that the Federal troopers could hold their own against their Rebel counterparts. In the war's first two years, Union cavalry fared poorly in combat. This was especially true in the eastern theater, where Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart boasted an outstanding force comprised of excellent horsemen. On several occasions, Stuart embarrassed the Union cavalry with his daring exploits. During the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, Stuart rode around the entire 100,000-man Union army in four days. Later that year, he made a daring raid to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and returned unmolested to Virginia after inflicting significant damage and capturing tons of supplies. In February, 1863, a raid by General Fitzhugh Lee (son of Confederate commander Robert E. Lee) left the Federals running in circles in search of the enemy force. Now, General Joseph Hooker assumed command of the Federal Army of the Potomac. He sought to bring an end to the Confederate raids by stopping Stuart's cavalry. Hooker assigned General William Averell to attack the Rebel cavalry near Culpeper Court House. Averall assembled 3,000 men for the mission, but he left 900 behind to protect against a rumored Confederate presence near Catlett's Station. Averell led the rest of his men towards Kelly's Ford, a crossing of the Rappahannock River east of Culpeper Court House. Fitzhugh Lee learned of the advance and positioned his cavalry brigade, which was part of Stuart's corps, to block the ford and dig rifle pits above the river. On the morning of March 17, Averell's men reached Kelly's Ford and were welcomed by fire from 60 Confederate sharpshooters. It took four attacks for Averell's men to capture the rifle pits and, by noon, the entire force was across the Rappahannock. Now, Fitzhugh Lee arrived with 800 troopers and two pieces of artillery. As the Confederates approached, the cautious Averell ordered his men to form a defensive line, thus giving the initiative to the Confederates. Lee arrived and ordered his men to attack, but Yankee fire drove them back. He attacked again and was again repulsed. Averell had a chance to score a major rout with a counterattack, but he instead withdrew across the Rappahannock River. He later said that the arrival of Stuart on the battlefield signaled the possible approach of additional Confederate cavalry. Averell lost 78 men killed, wounded, and captured during the day's fighting. The Confederates lost a total of 133 men. Among the Rebel dead was Major John Pelham, perhaps the best artillery officer in the Confederate army. He happened to be visiting Stuart when the battle began, and he rode forward to see the action. Pelham was mortally wounded by a shell splinter as he observed the Confederate attacks in the afternoon. Although Kelly's Ford was a Union defeat, it signaled a new phase of the cavalry war in the east. The Yankees were closing the gap with the Confederate horsemen. In the next four months, the Union cavalry fought their Confederate counterparts to a standstill at Brandy Station, and then scored a major victory at the Battle of Gettysburg.
    1870 - Massachusetts legislature authorizes incorporation of Wellesley Female Seminary
http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Media/facts.html
    1871 - The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was founded, setting the stage for the future National League in 1876. The entry fee for a National Association franchise was $10.
    1876 - BRYAN, WILLIAM C., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Hospital Steward, U.S. Army. Place and date: At Powder River, Wyo., 17 March 1876. Entered service at: St. Louis, Mo. Born: 9 September 1850, Zanesville, Ohio. Date of issue: 15 June 1899. Citation: Accompanied a detachment of cavalry in a charge on a village of hostile Indians and fought through the engagements, having his horse killed under him. He continued to fight on foot, and under severe fire and without assistance conveyed 2 wounded comrades to places of safety, saving them from capture.
    1884 – Birthday of Frank Hamer (d. 1955), Fairview, TX.  He was a law enforcement officer and Texas Ranger who led the 1934 posse that tracked down and killed criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.  Hamer also led the fight in Texas against the KuKluxKlan, starting in 1922, as senior captain of the Texas Rangers, and he is believed to have saved at least 15 people from lynch mobs.  He was inducted into the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame. His professional record and reputation are not without controversy, particularly regarding his willingness to use deadly force even in an increasingly modernized society.  Because of his sustained excellence and numerous exploits in a career that spanned more than 40 years, Hamer has been described by experts on criminal justice in the United States as "one of the greatest American lawmen of the twentieth century."  Kevin Costner portrays Hamer in the 2019 Netflix original film, “The Highwaymen,” with Woody Harrelson playing Maney Gault.
    1886 - The first issue of “The Sporting News” was published in St. Louis at a price of two cents per copy. It was published by Alfred H. Spink, a director of the St. Louis Browns and former writer for the Missouri Republican daily newspaper. The Sporting News, long known as “The Bible of Baseball” and a multi-sport magazine since 1942, is the oldest continuously published sports publication in the country.  After 122 years as a weekly publication, the magazine switched to a biweekly publishing schedule in 2008, and to a monthly schedule in 2011. In December 2012, the magazine announced it would go digital-only starting in 2013.
http://www.sportingnews.com/
    1892 - A winter storm in southwestern and central Tennessee produced 26 inches of snow at Riddleton, and 18.5 inches at Memphis. It was the deepest snow of record for those areas.
    1894 - Novelist and playwright Paul Green (d. 1981) was born in Lillington, NC. He won the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for his play “In Abraham's Bosom.” Although Green was white, his work examined the problems of blacks in the South, based on his observations of his native state, North Carolina. He studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and began writing plays for the theater group Carolina Playmakers in 1919, drawing on Southern folklore for his themes. During the Depression, his work took on a tone of social protest and included plays like “Hymn to the Rising Sun” (1936), about a chain gang. In 1941, he worked with novelist Richard Wright to dramatize Wright's book “Native Son.” Interested in the interplay of words and music, he wrote a series of symphonic dramas, including “The Stephen Foster Story” (1959) and “The Lone Star” (1977).
http://www.ncwriters.org/pgreen.htm
http://www.qbsaul.demon.co.uk/    
    1894 - U.S. and China signed a treaty preventing Chinese laborers from entering U.S.  
    1897 - For the first time, motion pictures were shot of a championship prize fight, as ‘Sunny' Bob Fitzsimmons knocked out ‘Gentleman' Jim Corbett to win the world heavyweight title. Many of these films are available online from the Library of Congress for free. With fast connections today, they are fascinating to view.
    1897 - Emilie Grace Briggs became the first woman in America to graduate from a Presbyterian theological school, when she received her Bachelor of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, in New York City.
http://www.uts.columbia.edu/projects/AWTS/exhibit/briggs1.html
http://www.uts.columbia.edu/projects/AWTS/exhibit/briggs5.html
    1898 – The first practical submarine submerged for 1 hour, 40 minutes. The Irish inventor, John Philip Holland built a model submarine in 1876 and a full scale one in 1878, followed by a number of unsuccessful ones. In 1896, he designed the Holland Type VI submarine. This vessel made use of internal combustion engine power on the surface and electric battery power for submerged operations. Launched on 17 May 1897 at Elizabeth, NJ, the Holland VI was purchased by the US Navy on 11 April 1900, becoming the United States Navy's first commissioned submarine and renamed USS Holland.  The Holland Tunnel is named for him.
    1902 - Golfer Bobby Jones was born Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., (d. 1971) at Atlanta, GA.  He is the only golfer (pre-Masters) to win the Grand Slam: the British Amateur, British Open, US Open and US Amateur tournaments in the same year.  Jones founded and helped design the Augusta National Golf Club and co-founded the Masters Tournament.  Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level. During his peak as a golfer from 1923 to 1930, he dominated top-level amateur competition and competed very successfully against the world's best professional golfers. Jones often beat such top pros as Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen. Jones earned his living mainly as a lawyer and competed in golf only as an amateur, primarily on a part-time basis, and chose to retire from competition at age 28.
http://www.bobbyjones.com/
    1903 - Radie Britain (d. 1994) was born near Amarillo, TX.  Composer, writer, teacher won more than 50 national and international awards for her more than 150 classical compositions.  She trained at the American Conservatory in piano, organ, and composition, with advanced work and master classes in Germany. She taught at the Chicago Conservatory. Her daughter Lerae taught anthropology in Hawaii.
http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2001/June01/Radie.htm
http://www.music.indiana.edu/collections/britain/symph.html
http://orion-1.library.ucla.edu/web2/tramp2.exe/do_ccl_search/guest?SETTING_KEY=
Englishandservers=1uclaandquery=07-ARE-3971andindex=dbcn
http://findaid.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/ft5d5nb0k4
    1905 – Franklin D. Roosevelt married his distant cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt, in NYC. 
    1906 - In a speech given to the Gridiron Club in Washington, DC, President Theodore Roosevelt coined the word ‘muckrake'.
http://staff.killingly.k12.ct.us/~cmarcotte/CP%
20US%20documents/progressive%20era/
progressivism_and_the_republican.htm
    1906 - The temperature at Snake River, Wyoming dipped to 50 degrees below zero -- a record for the US for the month of March.
    1910 - Luther and Charlotte Gulick founded the Camp Fire Girls organization at Lake Sebago, Maine. The group's catch phrase is “Wohelo,” an acronym of the words: WOrk, Health and LOve. It continues today, though the name has been changed to Camp Fire Boys and Girls, when boys began being accepted into the organization. 
http://www.campfire.org/start.asp
    1911 - Plumbers at work on the drain pipes at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC started a fire that burned down the grandstand. Since the water had been shut off, firemen could do nothing. Stands will be rebuilt to play the home opener on schedule.
    1914 – Slingin’ Sammy Baugh (d. 2008) was born in Temple, TX.  After a two-time All-American career at Texas Christian University, he played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins from 1937-52. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the 17-member charter class of 1963. He is credited as the first QB to use the forward pass an integral part of offensive play in the NFL rather than as a desperation.  During his rookie season in 1937, Baugh played QB, defensive back and punter, set an NFL record for completions with 91 in 218 attempts and threw for a league-high 1,127 yards.  He led the Redskins to the NFL Championship game against the Chicago Bears, where he finished 17 of 33 for 335 yards and his second-half touchdown passes of 55, 78 and 33 yards gave Washington a 28–21 victory.  His 335 passing yards remained the most ever in a playoff game by any rookie QB in NFL history until Russell Wilson broke the record in 2012.  Baugh had what many consider to be the greatest single season performance by a pro football player in 1943.  He led the league in passing, punting (45.9-yard average) and interceptions (11).  One of his more memorable single game performances during the season was when he threw four touchdown passes and intercepted four passes in a 42–20 victory over Detroit.  By the time he retired, Baugh set 13 NFL records in three player positions: quarterback, punter, and defensive back. He is considered one of the all-time great football players.
    1917 - In St. Louis, Missouri, America's first bowling tournament for women began with almost 100 women participating in the event.
    1919 - Pianist Leroy Lovett (d. 2013) was born in Philadelphia.
    1919 - Nat “King” Cole (d. 1965) birthday, Montgomery, AL.  Cole was one of the first African Americans to host a national television variety show, “The Nat King Cole Show,” (1956-7) and has maintained worldwide popularity since his death.  Cole's first mainstream vocal hit was his 1943 recording of one of his compositions, "Straighten Up and Fly Right," based on a black folk tale that his father had used as a theme for a sermon.  He began recording and performing pop-oriented material for mainstream audiences, in which he was often accompanied by a string orchestra. His stature as a popular icon was cemented during this period by hits such as "The Christmas Song," "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” (1946), "Nature Boy" (1948), "Mona Lisa" (1950), "Too Young" (the No. 1 song in 1951), and his signature tune, "Unforgettable" (1951). Cole had one of his last major hits in 1963, two years before his death, with "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer," which reached No. 6 on the Pop chart. "Unforgettable" was made famous again in 1991 by Cole's daughter Natalie when modern recording technology was used to reunite her father’s voice and daughter in a duet. The duet version rose to the top of the pop charts, almost forty years after its original popularity.  
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."
— from the song "Nature Boy"
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/3168/nkcbio.html
http://www.nat-king-cole.org/
http://www.tip.net.au/~bnoble/natkcole/nat_cole.htm
    1926 - In New York City, the Rodgers and Hart musical "The Girl Friend" opened for a run of 409 performances.
http://home.istar.ca/~townsend/early_years/blue_room.htm
    1930 - Composer/flutist Paul Horn (d. 2014) was born, New York, New York.
http://www.harmonies.com/biographies/horn.htm
http://www.canyonrecords.com/arthorn.htm
    1930 - Trombone player Grover Mitchell (d. 2003) was born Whatley AL.  He directed the Count Basie Band from 1995 until his death and played all the old charts with enthusiasm.  In that capacity he won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble twice.
http://www.trombone.org/articles/library/grovermitchell-int.asp
http://members.tripod.com/~isaziz/mitch.htm
http://www.mamajazz.org/pages/biobasie.html
    1936 – It was the Major League debut of Joe DiMaggio, albeit spring training. He had four hits including a triple in an 8-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.  In those days the Yanks and Cards shared facilities at St. Petersburg, FL.
    1938 - Guitarist Eddie Giles (d. 2019) was born Elbert Giles in Minnesota before moving to Shreveport, LA
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/stax.site/egiles.htm
    1939 - Dean Mathis of the 1960's rock group the Newbeats, was born Louis Aldine Mathis in Hahira, Georgia. Dean and his brother, Mark, along with Larry Henley, formed the trio in 1964. The Newbeats first record, "Bread and Butter," went to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964 and was the biggest of their half dozen hits.
http://www.bartsnel.nl/music/newbeats.htm 
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/n1/newbeats_this_distinctive_pop_tr.htm
http://donnymason.tripod.com/hayridesunshineshow/
    1941 - In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art was officially opened by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
http://www.nga.gov/
    1941 - Paul Kantner (d. 2016) was born in San Francisco.  He was a guitarist, singer and songwriter known for co-founding Jefferson Airplane and its more commercial spin-off band Jefferson Starship. “Somebody to Love,” “White Rabbit,”  LP: “Crown,” “Wooden Ships,” “Starship,” “Dragonfly,” “Red Octopus,” “Spitfire,” “Earth,” “Blows Against the Empire,” “Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra.”  They entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
http://www.warr.org/jefferson.html
http://www.airplane.freeserve.co.uk/paul.htm
http://www.geocities.com/dan_paolino/JSTpaul.html 
http://www.chesapeake.net/~paolino/trionic/chaos.html
    1944 - Singer and songwriter John Sebastian, founder of the Lovin' Spoonful, was born in Greenwich Village, New York. Sebastian formed the Spoonful in 1964 and they had seven successive top-ten singles in 1965 and '66. The Lovin' Spoonful hit number one with "Summer in the City." After the group broke up at the end of the '60s, Sebastian began a moderately successful solo career in 1970 with an appearance at Woodstock. In 1976, he had a number-one record with "Welcome Back," the theme from the TV show "Welcome Back, Kotter."  As an original member of The Lovin' Spoonful, Sebastian was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008.
http://www.johnbsebastian.com/bio.html
http://johnbsebastian.com/
    1946 - In Daytona Beach, the Brooklyn Dodgers took the field against their minor league affiliate, Montreal Royals.  This was the debut of Jackie Robinson with Montreal and marked the first appearance of an integrated team in organized baseball in this century. A crowd of 3,100 attended at City Island Park which was renamed "Jackie Robinson Stadium" in 1990. 
    1948 - Top Hits
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - The Art Moonie Orchestra
Beg Your Pardon - Francis Craig
I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
    1948 - Science Fiction author William Gibson was born, Conway, South Carolina. He is credited with having coined the term 'Cyberspace', and with having envisioned both the Internet and virtual reality before most people had even heard of them. An early notable book by Gibson is “Count Zero,” whose characters are a mixture of eccentric low-lifes and nonconformists who find themselves confronting representatives of vast egomaniacal individuals whose wealth and power result directly from their ability to control information.
    1953 – Bill Veeck said he will accept an offer of $2.475 million for his 80 percent of the St. Louis Browns stock. Baltimore Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro (father of Nancy Pelosi) sought a syndicate that eventually purchased 206,250 shares at $12 per share.
    1956 - "St. Patrick's big snow" fell at Boston, Massachusetts. Nearby Blue Hill observatory recorded 12.6 inches.
    1956 - Top Hits
“Lisbon Antigua” - Nelson Riddle
“Why Do Fools Fall in Love” - Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers
“Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)” - Perry Como
“Heartbreak Hotel” - Elvis Presley
    1958 - The United States launched the Vanguard I satellite.
    1960 – President Eisenhower signed the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
    1962 - The Shirelles' "Soldier Boy" is released on Sceptor Records. The tune became the girl group's biggest hit, climbing to Number One, selling over a million copies and earning a gold record
    1963 - The Boston Celtics' Bob Cousy played his last regular season basketball game after spending 13 years in the National Basketball Association.  Except for a final year with Cincinnati, he played with the Celtics on six championship teams, was voted into 13 All-Star Games and 12 All-NBA First and Second Teams and won the MVP Award in 1957.  He was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971, and in his honor, the Celtics retired his #14 jersey and hung it in the rafters of Boston Garden. Cousy was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary team in 1971, the 35th Anniversary Team in 1981, and the 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, making him one of only four players that were selected to each of those teams. He was also the first president of NBA Players Association.
http://www.webcom.com/collectr/bk/couseyb.html
    1964 - Top Hits
“I Want to Hold Your Hand” - The Beatles
“She Loves You” - The Beatles
“Please Please Me” - The Beatles
“Saginaw, Michigan” - Lefty Frizzell
    1965 - 1,600 demonstrate at Montgomery, Alabama courthouse.
    1966 - César Chávez and the National Farm Workers Association march from Delano to Sacramento, California, from March 17 to April 11, arriving on Easter Sunday.
    1966 - Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the DSV Alvin submarine found a missing American 1.45-megaton hydrogen bomb lost in a US Air Force midair accident. The bomb, found resting nearly 2,990 ft. deep, was raised intact on 7 April.
    1967 - "Peanuts" comic strip characters, Snoopy and Charlie Brown, were on the cover of "LIFE" magazine.
http://www.life.com/Life/covers/1967/cv031767.html
    1967 - Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumkins was born, Elk Grove Village, IL.
    1968 - DEVORE, EDWARD A., Jr., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Saigon, Republic of Vietnam, 17 March 1968. Entered service at: Harbor City, Calif. Born: 15 June 1947, Torrance, Calif. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. DeVore, distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on the afternoon of 17 March 1968, while serving as a machine gunner with Company B, on a reconnaissance-in-force mission approximately 5 kilometers south of Saigon. Sp4c. DeVore's platoon, the company's lead element, abruptly came under intense fire from automatic weapons, Claymore mines, rockets and grenades from well-concealed bunkers in a nipa palm swamp. One man was killed and 3 wounded about 20 meters from the bunker complex. Sp4c. DeVore raced through a hail of fire to provide a base of fire with his machine gun, enabling the point element to move the wounded back to friendly lines. After supporting artillery, gunships and air strikes had been employed on the enemy positions, a squad was sent forward to retrieve their fallen comrades. Intense enemy frontal and enfilading automatic weapons fire pinned down this element in the kill zone. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Sp4c. DeVore assaulted the enemy positions. Hit in the shoulder and knocked down about 35 meters short of his objectives, Sp4c. DeVore, ignoring his pain and the warnings of his fellow soldiers, jumped to his feet and continued his assault under intense hostile fire. Although mortally wounded during this advance, he continued to place highly accurate suppressive fire upon the entrenched insurgents. By drawing the enemy fire upon himself, Sp4c. DeVore enabled the trapped squad to rejoin the platoon in safety. Sp4c. DeVore's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty in close combat were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 39th Infantry, and the U.S. Army.
    1968 - The Bee Gees make their U.S. television debut on the "Ed Sullivan Show." They perform "To Love Somebody" and "Words."
    1969 - Cardinal first baseman Orlando Cepeda is traded to the Braves for catcher/first baseman Joe Torre.  Cepeda helped the Braves make the playoffs and Torre won the NL MVP Award in 1971.
    1970 - Eddie Holman was awarded a gold record for the single, "Hey There Lonely Girl", which was originally a hit for Ruby and the Romantics titled, "Hey There Lonely Boy" in the 1960s. While singing this song, dedicated to his daughter, Holman died on stage at a New Jersey performance in the mid-1970s.
http://discomuseum.com/EddieHolman.html
http://www.allbutforgottenoldies.net/eddie-holman.html
    1970 - The Army charged 14 officers with suppressing information related to the My Lai incident.
    1972 - Top Hits
“Without You” - Nilsson
“Heart of Gold” - Neil Young
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” - Robert John
“My Hang-Up is You” - Freddie Hart 
   1980 - Top Hits
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” - Queen
“Longer” - Dan Fogelberg
“Another Brick in the Wall” - Pink Floyd
“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” - Willie Nelson
    1984 – Ferguson Jenkins announced his retirement. The 1971 NL Cy Young Award winner, Jenkins posted a record of 284-226 with 3192 Ks and a 3.34 ERA in 4500 innings pitched in a 19-season major career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991.
    1985 - A strong (F3) tornado tore through Venice, Florida during the early morning hours. 55 homes were destroyed and 220 were damaged. 2 people were killed and 45 were injured.
    1985 – Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", committed the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree.
    1988 - Top Hits
“Never Gonna Give You Up” - Rick Astley
“I Get Weak” - Belinda Carlisle
“Man in the Mirror” - Michael Jackson
“Too Gone Too Long” - Randy Travis
    1989 - Strong northerly winds ushered snow and arctic cold into the north central U.S. Winds gusted to 58 mph at Sydney, NE and Scottsbluff, NE, Cadillac, MI received 12 inches of snow, and International Falls, MN reported a record low of 22 degrees below zero.
    1990 - Showers and thunderstorms associated with a slow moving cold front produced torrential rains across parts of the southeastern U.S. over a two day period. Flooding claimed the lives of at least 22 persons, including thirteen in Alabama. Up to 16 inches of rain deluged southern Alabama, with 10.63 inches reported at Mobile, AL in 24 hours. The town of Elba, AL was flooded with 6 to 12 feet of water causing more than 25 million dollars damage, and total flood damage across Alabama exceeded 100 million dollars. Twenty-six counties in the state were declared disaster areas.
    1990 - Carly Simon, Whitney Houston, Air Supply, Dionne Warwick and Milli Vanilli were among those who turned out in New York for a benefit billed as the single largest fund-raising event for AIDS. About two million dollars was raised. The concert was sponsored by Arista Records, which was celebrating its 15th anniversary.
    1995 - Chicken Pox vaccine was approved for public use. Marketed by Merck and Company, Whitehouse Station, NJ, under the trade name Variva, the vaccine was believed to be 70 to 90 percent effective.
    1995 - Madonna holds the "world's biggest pajama party" as 1500 guests gather with pj's and teddy bears. This was all for the premiere of her new "Bedtime Stories" video.
    1997 - The US Supreme Court declined to hear the San Francisco's argument that the cross on Mt. Davidson is a cultural landmark. In 1991, the ACLU, American Jewish Congress, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued the city over its ownership of the cross. After the loss at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in 1997 the City auctioned 0.38 acres of land, including the cross, to the highest bidder.  The cross was purchased for $26,000 by The Council of Armenian American Organizations of Northern California which installed a bronze plaque at the base memorializing the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide. On Armenian Independence Day, September 23, 2007, it was discovered that the 160-pound (73 kg) plaque was missing. The original plaque was never found, and a replacement plaque was dedicated at a ceremony on April 20, 2008.
    1997 - The Recording Industry Association of America announced that the Eagles "Greatest Hits" album had tied Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the all-time best-selling album in the US. Each had sold more than 24 million copies. "Thriller" was still the top-seller worldwide, with estimated sales of 46 million copies.
http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=96
    1998 - USA Women's Hockey Team beats Canada for 1st Olympics Gold medal
http://www.jwen.com/hock/whock/whock.html
    1998 - Van Halen releases their latest album, "Van Halen 3," which is their first album with new lead singer Gary Cherone. That night they hold a record signing for fans at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square.
    2005 - During more than 11 hours of hearings by the Committee on Government Reform concerning Major League players' use of steroids, Mark McGwire refused to talk about the past and does not deny taking PEDs. Other players testifying include Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and former big leaguer Jose Canseco, whose recent book, “Juiced,” prompted the congressional hearing. Palmeiro was found guilty of steroid usage later this year.
    2008 – New York Governor Elliot Spitzer resigned after a scandal involving a high-end prostitute (February 13, 2008, Spitzer paid her $4,300 in cash.[13] The payment included $1,100 as a deposit with the agency toward future services). David Paterson becomes acting governor.
    2020 – Responding to the WHO declaration of the COVID pandemic, several countries implement travel bans in attempts to reduce the spread.