Don’t Miss
Free Webinar, Today, Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 3:00pm EST
David C. Lee, "Funding Assets from A to Z"

David C. Lee, Chairman, CEO, North Mill Equipment Finance

Directly responsible for the growth are the hundreds of independent originators with whom the firm partners.

“Learn how our array of acceptable assets, range of customer credits, competitive commissions and stellar service can help your brokerage grow in 2021.”

please click here to register:
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3497329195431512588

 

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Helping a New Broker from Being Sued

This is from a time earlier when Michael J. Witt, Esq. was new in business for himself in Des Moines, Iowa. Michael Witt was Managing Counsel at Wells Fargo & Co and Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Advanta Leasing Corporation. He is now retired. Editor

I didn’t expect it. I felt sorry for this person new to the leasing broker business. I identified with him because I went out on my own after working for two large concerns. Here is a guy who cut his teeth in equipment leasing in a large national bank. He finally gets the courage to strike out on his own and start an equipment leasing brokerage business.

The market is tough. You work hard, set up your business, incorporate to protect your personal assets. You’re hungry for business and the economy is down, so you consider any applicant who dials your phone number. A small business 1300 miles away is looking for $5,000-10,000 in financing, and the owner “goggles” the internet and finds you. You appreciate the call but the only problem is the owner has a sub-500 FICO score. You accept the project, because again, you’re hungry.

You contact three, then five more funding sources, and they all shoot you down. But you keep trying. You keep thinking, “This client chose me out of the pack. Me.” Finally, after twelve tries, you find a funding source who knows another source that is willing to extend $3,500 to this poor soul with the sub-500 FICO score. The funding source issues a contract, which is signed by your client. You think now you are simply a go-between between the applicant and the funding source. You are happy it came together.

You are really looking forward to the deal closing as it is your first one. You stand to make a commission of maybe $150, which, after 20 hours of work (and more to come), spells something close to the federal minimum wage. But you’re happy. You’ve done a deal.

It turns out that the funding source was a little too sloppy in its initial due diligence. After issuing the original credit agreement, the funding source discovers other facts about your client that aren’t exactly pristine. The funding source decides that it must change the original terms. A new credit agreement is issued. And – who could have guessed otherwise? – the client is now angry and feels betrayed.

So the client sues you in a state court 1300 miles from your home. The client alleges “bait and switch,” which is fraud. Since it’s a claim of fraud, the client’s attorney sues you personally too, claiming that fraud allows an injured party to pierce the corporate veil and go after the corporation’s owner personally. You contact a litigation attorney in the state in which you were sued and his rates are $250 per hour and he wants a $2500 retainer to take the case.

Now you are the one who feels angry and betrayed. From you’re perspective, all you did was try to help a person with a terrible credit score obtain a little financing.

You’re now in post-mortem analysis. What should you have done differently? For starters, you should have had a very simple, short, easy-to-understand agreement with your client that should have provided for something like the following:

- You, the broker, are not related to any funding source that you find on the client’s behalf, and any such funding source is not your agent, and vice-versa;

- The terms and conditions of any credit agreement will be established by the funding source, not you;

- It is your (the client’s) decision alone as to whether to accept the terms and conditions of a funding source, and you (the client) will not hold us (the broker) liable for any changes to, or any withdrawal of, such terms and conditions offered by any funding source.

- If you have any dispute regarding any such terms or conditions, you will assert any complaint against the fund source and not us (the broker).

Readers who have not had this happen to them should review their agreements with clients, check with your counsel before deciding on the final form and content of your form of agreement with your clients.

This not only includes a clause regarding “advance rentals” but also will not be liable for any changes in terms and conditions by a funder.

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Commitment to Lease or Make Loan Agreements
Often Have Full Disclosure

In small and medium size leases, the actual lease payment is often given and calls for the first and last payment as well as the documentation fee. Often a clause contains a "documentation" fee is noted, along with a clause that it is non-refundable if the lease is not approved. Often the wording is different and seems to be buried. Sometimes it is quite obvious and is spelled out as a processing fee.

This form was developed by Attorney Ken Greene, who is also a longtime advisor to Leasing News. It is aimed at keeping fees for working on an application.He is currently General Counsel for the American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (formerly the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers) and has spoken at conference panels.

Greene Agreement to Keep Expenses
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/GreeneAgreementExpenses2016.pdf

In larger ticket size leases, a form as this is often used, which specifically charges a fee to process the application:

Charges a Fee Form
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/ChargesFeeForm2016.pdf

Business Loans or "Working Capital" loan commitment letters are explicit.  This is a form most often used by California License Finance Lenders:

Authorization to Find Lender
pdf

The dollar size of the lease proposal often dictates the details and length of the commitment letter.

This form is one of the most widely used in the leasing industry for leases $50,000 and above and covers most of the bases. Note: Last sentences about the signatures makes this more a “proposal,” than commitment. If required, these sentences may be removed.

Lease Commitment Agreement
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/LeaseCommittmentAgreement2016.pdf

It is a good idea to have the form you use reviewed by an attorney with equipment leasing experience. This does not mean your college friend who became a lawyer. You wouldn't take your children to an Endodontist to get braces on their teeth, although the practitioner is a "dentist." The same with going to an attorney. You go to a specialist who has experience in the leasing and finance industry.

Some things to consider in your form.

#1: ACH---If you are going to require it or may require it, you should have this spelled out in the agreement. If not in the contract and becomes a requirement of the lease, the proposal is invalid.

#2 Date---It is a good idea to have a time period involved. This can be  based on completion of all the documents and/or lease contracts. The time factor may be important, particularly if the matter goes to small claims court, or a higher court, depending on the money involved.
(Attorneys most likely will have different opinions on this, but it is important to let the applicant know there is a time frame involved in conducting credit or having to re-do credit and even ask for more current financial information, due to the time involved in collecting what you originally required.)

#3 Personal guarantees---of all officers who own 10% or more of a privately held corporation. (This will protect if the final approval comes in with terms and conditions but requires other guarantors who are not named on the application or in the proposal.)

Ken Greene
Law Offices of Kenneth Charles Greene
5743 Corsa Avenue Suite 208
Westlake Village, California 91362
Tel: 818.575.9095
Fax: 805.435.7464
Skype: 424.235.1658
ken@kengreenelaw.com
kenlaw100@gmail.com

 

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

 

Your Greatest Strengths

Career Crossroads---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

One of the top questions asked by interviewers will be “What are your greatest strengths*” and how they will assist in your new role. The objective will be to demonstrate that your skills will be a good match for the position and company.

In answering this line of questioning, you will want to be specific. Describe how your strengths will help you accomplish the tasks and responsibilities required by tying them to the job description. This will establish your candidacy. Knowing that this questioning will be a part of the interview process, you must take the time to prepare and consider your answers.  

When you are responding to these questions, use examples from past positions to demonstrate your strengths as they relate to the job for which you are applying.

Examples
“One of my greatest strengths is my ability to work effectively with many different people. My strong communication skills have made me an effective project manager on dozens of projects over the years. Because this job involves many team projects, I know that my communication and interpersonal skills and make me an ideal fit for the position.

My organizational skills are my greatest strength. I am capable of keeping many projects on track at the same time. At my last job, I was typically the project manager on any team assignments, due to my ability to stick to deadlines and keep track of our team’s progress. These organizational skills would allow me to juggle all the day-to-day operations of the office as office manager.”

*Be prepared by making a list of the qualifications mentioned in the job requisition. Then, make a list of your skills that match. This list can include education or training, soft skills, or past work experience. Narrow your list of skills down to three to five of your strongest. 

Emily Fitzpatrick
Sr. Recruiter
Recruiters International, Inc.
Phone:  954-885-9241
Cell:  954-612-0567
emily@riirecruit.com
Invite me to connect on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/pub/emily-fitzpatrick/4/671/76
Also follow us on Twitter #RIIINFO

Career Crossroads Previous Columns
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/crossroad.html

 

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Academy for Certified Lease & Finance Professionals
Three Sessions, All Virtual Online

A screen shot from the first day of the first online Academy for Leasing and Finance Professionals by U.S. Bank Equipment Leasing

The Academy for Lease and Finance Professionals (ALFP) is a three-day event designed to fully prepare an individual to sit for the CLFP exam assuming the attendee has already self-studied. During the first two days, all of the required sections of the CLFP exam are covered in-depth and on the third day, the exam is offered, but not mandatory.

Students are strongly advised to have read and studied The Certified Lease & Finance Professionals' Handbook prior to attending the class in order to ensure success.

CoreTech Leasing
Online Public ALFP
December 17 -19, 2020
https://clfpfoundation.org/academy-for-lease-and-finance-professionals/2020-coretech-leasing-online-alfp/ (map)

Ascentium Capital - Private
Online ALFP
Jan 7 – 9, 2021
4141 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(Keyser Conference Room)

KEY Equipment Finance
Online Public ALFP
February 22 – 25, 2021
9:00am – 5:00pm. Central.
If you are interested in attending, please contact Reid Raykovich, Executive Director: Reid@clfpfoundation.org

About Academy
https://clfpfoundation.org/academy-for-lease-and-finance-professionals/

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Is The Restaurant of the Future Already Here?
By Danny Klein, QSRmagazine.com

For countless consumers in a COVID-19 world,
dining out no longer means dining in.

The first Taco Bell Go Mobile restaurant is still a few months away from opening. It features two drive-thru lanes, curbside pick-up, and smart kitchen technology.

We’re all scrambling to materialize the so-called “restaurant of the future.” What COVID-19 trends are fleeting? Which aren’t? Will customers clamor for the same safety essentials months from now? Have protocols and tech dehumanized the experience? Does it even matter?

Picture this environment, outlined by consulting giant Deloitte: A customer strolls into a restaurant with few tables but two large counters with separate assembly lines behind them. One is labeled “Dine-in/Takeout.” The other, “Delivery Drivers.” The kitchen is busy, but the dining room is quiet. There’s a queue of drivers watching screens for customers’ orders. The restaurant detects a guest when they drive into the parking lot. A notification confirms they’re dining in, and an app shows them to a table. The app then asks if they’d like their usual order. Based on the prediction, the kitchen already began initial preparations the moment they walked in. As the customer exits, they notice one of the drivers with an unusually large bundle. The driver is headed to a “delivery hub,” or a central spot where warmed lockers hold food until people arrive with codes to pick up their meals.

Does this sound outlandish? All of it is taking place in some form today, in one place or another. It’s what customers are telling restaurants they want—either subtly or directly—through their pandemic behavior. It’s the collision of experience and a new standard for technology and convenience. Or simply, proof the “restaurant of the future” is ahead of schedule.

COVID’s crater into the restaurant space shoved brands into unknown territory within days. Just compare March 6 to March 12. Once dining rooms went dark and guests stopped leaving the house, everything changed. Those were dynamics businesses across the globe were not, understandably, prepared for.

Full Article:
https://www.qsrmagazine.com/consumer-trends/restaurant-future-already-here

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21% of Small Business Owners
Anticipate Full Recovery in Less than a Year
By Caity Roach, Contributing Editor, Coleman Report

The inaugural release of American Express’s entrepreneurial spirit index confirms the resiliency of small business owners during the pandemic. Here are some of the key findings from American Express’s survey of over 1,000 entrepreneurial small business owners:

• 75% of small business owners report being optimistic about their business’s ability to recover from the pandemic.

• 21% expect it to take less than a year for them to fully recover, while 46% say one to three years and 25% report expecting three or more years.

• 82% of small business owners say that they now feel better prepared to handle a future crisis.

• About three-quarters (76%) of business owners said they have pivoted or are in the process of pivoting their business model to maintain revenue. Among those that have already pivoted, (73%) expect to pivot again in the next year.

• In order to navigate these unprecedented times, 47% of small business owners have attended a virtual business conference and 44% have attended a virtual networking event.

• 86% say obtaining new customers is their highest priority, followed by maintaining and growing their current business and sources of revenue (84%) and managing cash flow issues (81%).

• Despite the ongoing pandemic, 81% of small business owner respondents still believe the benefits of owning their own business outweigh the challenges.

“2020 has been full of challenges, from a health crisis to a small business crisis and more, leaving businesses with more obstacles, questions and uncertainty than ever before,” says the EVP of Global B2B Marketing at American Express. “As they always do, many of these businesses found new ways to survive and even some thrive.”

Originally appeared in "Main Street Monday"
Coleman Report, 28081 Marguerite Pkwy.
#4525, Mission Viejo, CA 92690
bob@colemanreport.com

 

 

Don't Fear the Unsubscribe
FinTech #102 by Alex Vasilakos

Don’t waste time and energy on people who aren’t open to receiving your content. It’s not personal. Beside, wouldn’t you rather focus on people who will actually read the message? Make sure the unsubscribe button in clear and functional at the bottom of the email. Failure to do so is frustrating at best and illegal at worst.

Of course, you can simply ask readers what types of messages they really want to receive. Create a preferences center so they can fine-tune what they want and what they don’t. Everyone will be happier with this approach, and you might see better conversion rates in the long term.

For a true housecleaning, how about a re-engagement questionnaire? Just contact the people who haven’t opened an email in a while and ask them if they still want to hear from you. If not, no harm done. But if they do, it could refresh their interest in your messages and lead to more revenue. Plus, it helps ensure the subscriber metrics are more accurate.

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
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%20Stories/fintech.html

 

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New Zoom Features Tackle Meeting Disruptions
By Ionut Arghire, Security Week

The video conferencing platform has seen a lot of backlash in 2020, after numerous security issues were identified amid worldwide adoption during the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, federal regulators are saying that the company misleads users regarding the security of meetings.

Over the past year, Zoom has significantly intensified its efforts to improve the security of video meetings, and the newly rolled-out features represent the latest step in this direction.

Courtesy of these new additions, Zoom is making it easy to remove and report disruptive meeting participants, and is also aiming to prevent meeting disruptions even before they actually happen.

While in a meeting on Zoom, hosts and co-hosts can now pause meetings to remove disruptive participants. A new “Suspend Participant Activities” option is available under the Security icon, allowing for all “video, audio, in-meeting chat, annotation, screen sharing, and recording” to stop and for the Breakout Rooms to end.

The hosts or co-hosts will have the option to report any user from the meeting and share any details, accompanied by an optional screenshot, which will result in the reported user being automatically removed from the meeting.

The host/co-host will then be able to resume the meeting by individually re-enabling the features they want to use. Zoom will email them for additional information on the incident.

Zoom also announced that it will enable the new Suspend Participant Activities feature by default for all free and paid Zoom users.

Courtesy of the new features, meeting participants too can now report disruptive users, straight from the Zoom client, from the top-left Security badge.

Account owners and administrators now have the option to enable the reporting capabilities for non-hosts, from the web settings.

The new features are available in the Zoom desktop clients for Windows, Mac, and Linux, as well as in the Zoom mobile apps. Support for the web client and VDI are planned for later this year.

Zoom also reveals that a new tool deployed this fall is helping it identify Zoom Meeting links that might have been publicly shared. The At-Risk Meeting Notifier is meant to discover meetings that might be at risk of disruption and alerts the account owner via email.

Recommended action steps include deleting the meeting and creating another one with a new ID, adjusting security settings, or switching to another Zoom solution, such as Zoom Video Webinars or OnZoom.

“If you do get an email, it’s critical to take action or risk having your meeting disrupted. As a reminder – one of the best ways to keep your Zoom meeting secure is to never share your meeting ID or passcode on any public forum, including social media,” Zoom says.

 

Shepherd, Australian
Houston, Texas   Adopt-a-Dog

Honey Bear

HPA-A-7927
Female
55 lbs.
6 years, 7 months
Location: Foster Home
Adoption Fee: $150

Dog Friendly
Cat Friendly (unknown)
Kid Friendly (unknown)

Honey Bear is perfectly house trained and potty trained and very polite and respectful of everything around the house and of everyone in the house. She loves other dogs but has not been observed with kids or cats. She is calm and would be fine in a house with moderate activity. She does seem to love going on walks and going outside. She loves the dog park too. Honey Bear is very well behaved and seems to know basic commands. She walks well on a leash and is kennel-trained. Apply to meet her today!

To meet/adopt a dog during the week,
please complete an application below
and we will schedule a meet and greet

Application:
https://www.shelterluv.com/matchme/adopt/HPA/Dog

Houston Pets Alive!
2800 Antoine Drive, Suite 2854
Houston, TX 77092
832-786-9310
For the fastest response,
please email us using the addresses below.
adopt@houstonpetsalive.org

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Correction:
Bermese Mountain Dog
Austin, Texas  Adopt-a-Dog

The title in the headline was correct.
But the story headline was incorrect.

Dog is Bernese Mountain Dog
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2020/11_16.htm#adopt

News Briefs---

Nearly 300 US businesses that got COVID-19 aid
    through PPP have reportedly closed
https://nypost.com/2020/11/17/nearly-300-firms-that-got-covid-19-loans-have-folded-report/

Americans' mortgage debt soars to a record $10 trillion
    Americans are out buying houses
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/17/economy/third-quarter-household-debt/index.html

Airbnb Reveals Falling Revenue,
    With Travel Hit by Pandemic
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/technology/airbnb-revenue-prospectus-ipo.html

Disney+ forecast to add 112 million subscribers
    over five years to reach 194 million
https://www.rapidtvnews.com/2020111659403/disney-forecast-to-add-112-million-subscribers-over-five-years.html

Amazon is now selling prescription drugs and Prime members
     can get massive discounts if they pay without insurance
https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-starts-selling-prescription-medication-in-us-2020-11

 

 

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You May Have Missed---

America's 25 Disappearing Jobs
     Make sure your kids aren't in one of these fields.
https://247wallst.com/special-report/2020/11/15/americas-disappearing-jobs-5/2/

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Sports Briefs---

Theo Epstein Leaving Cubs with "Third Chapter" plan
  Mets Intrigue?
https://nypost.com/2020/11/17/theo-epstein-leaving-the-cubs-with-third-chapter-plan-mets-intrigue/

Cam Newton sums up Bill Belichick's coaching style
     with one perfectly hilarious quote
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/cam-newton-sums-up-bill-belichicks-coaching-style-with-one-perfectly-hilarious-quote/

Raiders place two more defensive starters on COVID reserve list
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2020/11/17/raiders-place-two-more-defensive-starters-on-covid-reserve-list/

49ers’ Shanahan ‘expects’ Garoppolo to start in 2021,
     hopes he returns ‘for a reason’ this year
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2020/11/17/49ers-shanahan-expects-garoppolo-to-start-in-2021-hope-he-returns-for-a-reason-this-year/

Bears optimistic Nick Foles can play after bye
http://www.theredzone.org/Blog-Description/EntryId/84646/Bears-optimistic-Nick-Foles-can-play-after-bye

Kansas City Chiefs sign Andy Reid,
     GM Brett Veach to contract extensions
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30331135/las-vegas-raiders-buses-victory-lap-irritated-kansas-city-chiefs-andy-reid

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California Nuts Briefs---

Here's how California's COVID-19 risk level
    compares to other states
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-s-COVID-19-risk-level-other-states-15732473.php

Indoor dining is closed again.
 Some San Francisco Bay Area restaurant workers are relieved.
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Indoor-dining-is-closed-restaurant-workers-quit-15731972.php?IPID=SFGate-HP-CP-Spotlight

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Stags’ Leap Winery Blends History
     and Wine into the Estate Club
https://blog.sfgate.com/storystudio/stags-leap-winery-blends-history-and-wine-into-the-estate-club/

New Grape Varieties, New Wine Program for Arkansas
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=238479

MacLeod family sell its Sonoma Valley vineyard
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/macleod-family-sell-its-sonoma-valley-vineyard/

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

     1493 - Columbus first sighted the island now known as Puerto Rico.
    1797 - Birthday of Sojourner Truth (d. 1883), abolitionist and orator, born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree at Swartekill, NY.  She escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son, in 1828, she became the first black woman to win such a case against a white man.  She gave herself the name Sojourner Truth in 1843. Her best-known speech was delivered extemporaneously, in 1851, at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron. The speech became widely known during the Civil War by the title, "Ain’t I a Woman," a variation of the original speech re-written by someone else. During the Civil War, Truth helped recruit black troops for the Union Army.  After the war, she tried unsuccessfully to secure land grants from the federal government for former slaves.  In 2014, Truth was included in Smithsonian Magazine's list of the "100 Most Significant Americans of All Time."
http://myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=sojournerTruth
    1803 - Battle of Vertieres, in which Haitians defeat French. In the battle for independence, a fierce fight took place in the town of Vertieres, where the French army led by Napoleon, was defeated by Haitians. This huge defeat of Napoleon's army led to the end of the war and to Haiti's eventual march towards independence on 1st January, 45 days later. American Black slaves escape to Haiti for freedom. Southern states introduce legislation for "runaway slaves."
http://www.windowsonhaiti.com/windowsonhaiti/heroes.shtml
    1805 - Female Charitable Society, first woman's club in America, was formed in Newburyport, MA.
    1820 - American Captain Nathaniel Brown Palmer in the "Hero,” a sloop of 44 tons, with a crew of six including the captain and the mate, discovered Antarctica. His discovery is now called Palmer's Peninsula. The first American to set foot on Antarctica was probably John Davis, a seal hunter, who went ashore at Hughes Bay on February 7, 1821. Antarctica had already been seen from a distance by the English explorer James Cook and the crew of his ship, The Endeavor, which circumnavigated the continent between 1773 and 1775.
    1825 - Birthday of Susan Lincoln Tolman Mills (d. 1912), Enosburgh, VT.  Educated at Mount Holyoke College, she used the training methods in a school in Hawaii where she taught with her husband. Back in California, the couple opened a school that became Mills College, again using the Mount Holyoke philosophy as well as several of its teachers. At her husband's death in 1884, she was principal and, for a time, acting president. She was finally named president (after two male presidents) in 1890. Mills was the first woman's college on the west coast and under her guidance it became one of the major colleges of the nation. In 1991, an effort to convert it to admit men was defeated by the students and it continues to be an all-woman college.
    1848 - Edward Cleveland Kemble resumed publishing the combined "California Star" and the "Californian" in San Francisco as the "Star and Californian;" both closed when employees quit to rush to the gold fields.
    1849 - John and Amanda Pelton open first tuition-free public school in San Francisco.
    1850 - Col. Charles L. Wilson was granted a concession to build a planked toll road from San Francisco to Mission Dolores.
    1857 - Birthday of Rose M. Knox (d. 1950), Mansfield, OH.  Within seven years of taking over the management of the Knox Gelatin Company, she developed it into a multi-million-dollar firm. On the first day of her management following her husband's death, she locked the back door and ordered everyone from president to janitor to use the front door. She managed the business for more than 40 years, changed its emphasis to nutrition, and made it a thriving business. Her management style was pro- worker and layoffs were unheard of with a five-day work week with vacations and sick pay. She stepped aside as the company's president only when she reached her 90th birthday, retaining her position as chairperson. She was recognized as one of the nation's outstanding businesswomen.
    1863 - President Lincoln boards a train for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to deliver a short speech at the dedication for the cemetery of soldiers killed during the battle there on July 1-3, 1863. While he did not know it at time, the battle was the turning point of the Civil War. He also was not aware that the address he was about to give became perhaps the most famous speech in American history. Lincoln had thought about what he wanted to say, but he nearly missed his chance to say it. On November 18, Lincoln's son, Tad, became ill with a fever. Abraham and Mary Lincoln were, sadly, no strangers to juvenile illness: they had already lost two sons. Prone to fits of hysteria, Mary Lincoln panicked when the President prepared to leave for Pennsylvania. Lincoln felt that the opportunity to speak at Gettysburg and present his defense of the war was too important to miss, though. He had a great sense that there was a turning point in the long, deadly war about to be made. He was accompanied by an entourage that included Secretary of State William Seward, Postmaster General Montgomery Blair, Interior Secretary John Usher, Lincoln's personal secretaries John Hay and John Nicolay, several members of the diplomat corps, some foreign visitors, a Marine band, and a military escort. A reporter wrote that during one stop, a young girl lifted a bouquet of flowers to his window. Lincoln kissed her and said, "You're a sweet little rose-bud yourself. I hope your life will open into perpetual beauty and goodness." When Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg, he was handed a telegram that lifted his spirits: Tad was feeling much better. Lincoln enjoyed an evening dinner and a serenade by Fifth New York Artillery Band before he retired to finalize his famous Gettysburg Address.
    1865 - Mark Twain has instant success with his first fictional piece, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (New York Saturday Press).
    1883 - Charles Ferdinand Dowd, a Connecticut school teacher, and one of the early advocates of uniform time, proposed a time zone plan of the US.  It included four zones of 15 degrees which he and others persuaded the railroads to adopt and place in operation. It did not become law until March 19, 1918, when Congress passed the Standard Time Act, authorizing the Interstate Commerce Commission to establish time zones. It also established "Daylight Savings Time" to save fuel.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov18.html
    1887 - The National League adopted a new contract that spells out reserve provisions for the first time. The NL refused to accept the players' demand that the salary be written out on all contracts, however.
    1888 - The great baseball promoter Albert G. Spalding began his world tour to introduce baseball to the world. He, the Chicago White Stockings and a group of all-star players set sail from San Francisco for Honolulu, the first stop on their round-the-world tour.
    1888 - Birthday of Frances Marion (d. 1973), San Francisco.  Screenwriter, novelist, director who at her peak earned $17,000 a week as a Hollywood screen writer, writing the original “Stella Dallas” and winning academy awards for “The Big House” (1930) and “The Champ” (1931). In all she wrote more than a hundred film scripts.
    1901 – Pollster George Gallup (d. 1984) was born in Jefferson, IA.  He was a statistician and a pioneer of survey sampling techniques.  He invented of the Gallup poll, a successful statistical method of survey sampling for measuring public opinion.
    1908 – One of early television’s biggest stars and one of the first female TV stars, comic actress Imogene Coca (d. 2001) was born in Philadelphia.  She is best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on “Your Show of Shows” which was immensely popular from 1950 to 1954, winning the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series in 1952 and 1953. The 90-minute show was aired live on NBC every Saturday night in prime time. She won the second-ever Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1951 and was nominated for four other Emmys for her work in the show. She was also singled out to win a 1953 Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting.
    1909 - Birthday of John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer (d. 1976), Savannah, GA.  American songwriter, singer, radio performer and actor, Mercer wrote lyrics (and often the music ) for some of the great American popular music from the 1930's through the 1960's, including "Autumn Leaves,” "One for My Baby,” "Satin Doll,” "On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe,” "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” "Come Rain or Come Shine," “Hooray for Hollywood," "Jeepers Creepers" and countless more.
    1916 - Birthday of the late Jimmy Lyons (d. 1994), born Peking, China; jazz disc jockey, founder of the Monterey Jazz Festival, who I worked with at KFRC in the early 1970's.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0893950068/inktomi-bkasin-20/
104-6368463-9838304China
    1923 - Fifty-four inches of snow and sleet blocked the Columbia River Highway in The Dalles, Oregon. Railroads were stopped for days in both Washington and Oregon
    1923 - Birthday of Alan Shepard (d. 1998), East Derry, NY. Former astronaut and the first American in space (in 1961), he was one of the only 12 Americans who have walked on the moon and was America's only lunar golfer, practicing his drive in space with a six iron. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1979.
    1927 - Bix Biederbecke cuts first date with Paul Whiteman Orchestra, "Washboard Blues," with Hoagy Carmichael, vocal. Victor.
    1928 - The comical activity of squeaky-voiced Mickey Mouse first appeared on the screen of Colony Theater at New York City. The film, Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie," directed by Disney and Ub Iwerks, featuring the third appearances of cartoon characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse, was the first animated cartoon and fully synchronized talking picture.   This is considered by the Disney organization to be Mickey's birthday.
    1928 - Birthday of singer Sheila Jordan, born Sheila Jeanette Dawson, Detroit, MI.
http://www.npr.org/programs/btaylor/pastprograms/sheilajordan.html
    1932 - For the first time, a tie occurred for the Best Actor Academy Award. Wallace Beery and Fredric March were only one vote apart so the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ruled it a tie. Both received an Oscar at the Fifth Annual Academy Awards, March for his performance in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and Beery for his role in "The Champ." March thought it rather funny that the two were honored for "best male performance of the year" when they each had adopted a child that year. "The Champ" also was honored when Frances Marion received the Writing/Original Story Academy Award for the film. There was only one Best Actress Award and it was presented to Helen Hayes for her performance in "The Sin of Madelon Claudet." Host Lionel Barrymore greeted the film industry in the Fiesta Room at LA's grand hotel, The Ambassador. The movie, "Grand Hotel" (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), earned the top honors as Outstanding Production. It was also a grand night for the film, "Bad Girl". Its director, Frank Borzage, and its writer (adaptation), Edwin Burke, were both presented with Academy Awards. Walt Disney also received two awards: an honorary award for the creation of Mickey Mouse and for the cartoon short subject "Flowers and Trees." Short Subject awards were presented to two other well-known Hollywood talents on this evening. Hal Roach won his prize for the comedy, "The Music Box" and Mack Sennett for the novelty short, "Wrestling Swordfish." Both were first-time Academy Award winners as were Gordon Wiles for Art Direction ("Transatlantic") and Lee Garmes for Cinematography ("Shanghai Express").
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0147959.html
    1936 - Ella Fitzgerald, 18, cuts first disc, "My Last Affair.” Decca.
    1936 - Birthday of Trumpet Player Don Cherry (d. 1995), Oklahoma City.
http://www.wnur.org/jazz/artists/cherry.don/
    1938 – Union members elected John L. Lewis as the first president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the CIO.
    1939 - Artie Shaw, at the peak of his success, splits for Mexico.  Shaw throughout the autumn and winter of 1938 was often heard from the Blue Room of New York's Hotel Lincoln. Following tours throughout the spring and summer of 1939, Shaw and his band were resident at the Cafe Rouge of the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York. That same period of the fall of 1938 into much of 1939, was the period of his only regular radio series as headliner. Shaw broadcast on CBS from November 20, 1938, until November 14, 1939. It was at the Cafe Rouge where Shaw literally "quit" his own band and "escaped" to Mexico. The band carried on without Shaw into January but ultimately broke up without him.  Described often as intense, competitive and emotionally abusive, those close to him were not surprised at this abrupt behavior.  He returned in 1940, got steady work but was never the big star he had been.
    1942 - Thornton Wilder's play, "The Skin of Our Teeth," opened in New York City. The play was Wilder's sequel to "Our Town." "The Skin of Our Teeth" starred Tallulah Bankhead, Fredric March, Montgomery Clift and E.G. Marshall. One critic wrote, "As of last evening, the theatre was looking up."
    1943 - Two days after the American raid on the power station in Vermork, Norway, 440 British bombers swooped down on Berlin at night. The raid was not overly successful. Though 131 Berliners were killed, the Royal Air Force struck very few of the industrial areas they intended to hit. Even worse, nine British bombers were shot down, and fifty-three aircrew members killed. One of the victims was Wing Commander John White, who had played a significant role in the successful bombing of Peenemunde.
    1946 - Birthday of sax player Bennie Wallace, Chattanooga, TN,
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000AEC2/avsearch-musicasin-20/
104-6368463-9838304
    1949 - Jackie Robinson became the first African-American baseball player to win the "Most Valuable Player Award" in the Majors, as second baseman of the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers. He won the Kenesaw Mountain Landis Memorial plaque from the Baseball Writers Association. The first African-American player in the American League to win the award was Elston Howard, catcher for the New York Yankees, on November 7, 1963.
    1949 - Top Hits
“That Lucky Old Sun” - Frankie Laine
“Don't Cry, Joe” - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Betty Brewer)
“I Can Dream, Can't I?” - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Jack Leonard)
“Slipping Around” - Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely
    1950 - "Harbor Lights" by Sammy Kaye topped the charts and stayed there for 4 weeks.
    1950 - Marine Corp jet Captain Major John F. Bolt of Sanford, Florida, became a double ace. He led a four-plane Saber flight in an attack on four enemy fighters east of Sinuiju, Korea, on his 37th mission, and downed his fifth and six MIG-15s. He first qualified as an ace in World War II, when he shot down six Zekers between September 23, 1943 and January 4, 1944, while serving with Boyington's Black Sheep Squadron. John Bolt was the only Marine to become an ace in World War II and Korea. In World War II, he flew with 'The Black Sheep,' VMF-214, best known for its CO, Pappy Boyington.
http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_bolt.html
    1951 - The television show "See It Now" premiered, doing unrehearsed interviews, covering relevant and newsworthy stories of its time, including desecration, lung cancer and anti-Communist fervor. The show was hosted by Edward R. Murrow, who also produced it jointly with Fred W. Friendly. Its premiere was the first live commercial coast-to-coast broadcast.  It ran through 1958, won four Emmy Awards and was nominated three other times. It also won a 1952 Peabody Award.  In the control room was Don Hewitt who, years later, drove the success of “60 Minutes”, still running today.  One of the most notable shows focused on Senator Joseph McCarthy, leading to McCarthy's appearance on the show which damaged his creditability. The broadcast provoked tens of thousands of letters, telegrams and phone calls to CBS headquarters, running 15 to 1 in favor of Murrow. McCarthy’s demise soon followed.  The show's probe of the McCarthy-led anti-Communist era is the focus of the 2005 film “Good Night and Good Luck,” Murrow’s sign-off line for each show.
    1951 - Wanting to stay in California, PCL Los Angeles Angels first baseman Chuck Connors becomes the first player to refuse to participate in the Major League draft. The former Cub first baseman’s, and future star of the TV series “The Rifleman”, refusal allows the minor leagues to ask for more money for big league talent.
    1952 – Rock ‘n’ Roller Bill Haley marries his pregnant girlfriend just four days after he divorces his first wife. In all, Bill would marry three times and have ten children.
    1954 - ABC Radio stations ban Rosemary Clooney's "Mambo Italiano" due to what it considers "offensive lyrics," more than likely the exaggerated Italian patois and words "goombah" and "gidrool."
    1954 – In one of the biggest trades in MLB history, begun on Nov. 14, the Yankees and Orioles completed an exchange of 17 players. Included are first baseman Dick Kryhoski, pitchers Bob Turley and Don Larsen (both of whom would later produce big-time in the World Series), catcher Darrell Johnson and shortstop Billy Hunter, from Baltimore. To the Orioles went outfielder Gene Woodling, shortstop Willie Miranda, pitchers Harry Byrd and Jim McDonald, and catchers Gus Triandos and Hal Smith.
    1955 - An early season cold snap finally came to an end. Helena, MT, experienced 138 consecutive hours of subzero temperatures, including a reading of 29 below zero, which surpassed by seven degrees their previous record for the month of November. Missoula, MT broke their November record by 12 degrees with a reading of 23 below zero, and Salt Lake City, UT smashed their previous November record of zero with a reading of 14 below. Heavy snow in the Great Basin closed Donner Pass, CA, and total crop damage from the cold wave amounted to eleven million dollars
    1955 - Carl Perkins recorded "Blue Suede Shoes" at Sun Studios in Memphis. It became his biggest Pop hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard chart. Elvis Presley's version, which gets more air-play these days, only managed to get to #20.
    1956 - Birthday of football player Harold Warren Moon, born Los Angeles, CA.  He was the first African American quarterback inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After his college career at the University of Washington, Moon went undrafted and played with Edmonton in the Canadian Football League, 1978-83.  After a bidding war got him to the Houston Oilers in 1984, he began the career that would lead him the Hall.  When Moon retired, he held several all-time professional passing records, including most pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and touchdowns, all of which have since been broken. 
    1956 - Fats Domino appears on the Ed Sullivan show singing his hit "Blueberry Hill."
    1957 - Top Hits
“Jailhouse Rock” - Elvis Presley
“You Send Me” - Sam Cooke
“Little Bitty Pretty One” - Thurston Harris
“Wake Up Little Susie” - The Everly Brothers
    1957 - Ricky Nelson records "Stood Up," which will reach #2 early the following year.
    1957 - A tornado, 100 yards in width, travelled a nearly straight as an arrow 27-mile path from near Rosa, AL to near Albertville, AL, killing three persons. A home in the Susan Moore community in Blount County was picked up and dropped 500 feet away killing one person.
    1958 - DALLAS, Texas - Former city councilwoman Laura Miller easily won the hotly contested race for mayor of the nation's ninth largest city Saturday night.
    1963 - Push-button telephones went into service as alternatives to rotary-dial phones.  Touch-tone service was available as an option at an extra charge.  This option was only available in two Pennsylvania cities.
    1963 - Beatles manager Brian Epstein asks the group's fans to please refrain from pelting the group with "jellybabies" (jellybeans) at their concerts. (The Beatles had made the mistake of remarking how much they liked them.) On the same day, the newspapers reveal that the head of the Church of England has requested that the group write a Christmas song.
    1963 – Len Bias (d. 1985) was born in Landover, MD.  A first-team All-American forward at the University of Maryland, he was selected by the Boston Celtics as the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft and died two days later from cardiac arrhythmia induced by a cocaine overdose.
    1964 - J Edgar Hoover describes Martin Luther King as "most notorious liar"
    1964 - The Supremes appear on "Shindig!" singing "Baby Love" and "Come See About Me." The Righteous Brothers are also on the show and perform "Little Latin Lupe Lu."
    1965 - Top Hits
“Get Off of My Cloud” - The Rolling Stones
“1-2-3” - Len Barry
“You're the One” - The Vogues
“Hello Vietnam” - Johnny Wright
    1966 - This was the last required meatless Friday for American Roman Catholics, in accordance with a decree made by Pope Paul VI earlier this year.  Regardless, my grandmother still only cooked fish on Fridays until she died in 1971.
    1966 – Arguably one of the game’s greatest pitchers, Sandy Koufax announced his retirement, at age 30.  In his 1966 season, he pitched 323 innings to a 27–9 record and a 1.73 ERA. Since then, no left-hander has had more wins, nor a lower ERA, in a season. In the final game of the regular season, the Dodgers had to beat the Phillies to win the pennant. In the second game of a doubleheader, Koufax, on two days’ rest, pitched a complete game, 6–3 victory to clinch the pennant.  He started 41 games for the second year in a row.  The Dodgers’ ace peaked with a run of six outstanding years from 1961-6 before arthritis in his left elbow, aggravated by years of abuse on short rest, ended his career prematurely.  He was an All-Star for six seasons and was the NL’s MVP in 1963. He won three Cy Young awards in 1963, 1965, and 1966, by unanimous votes, making him the first three-time Cy Young winner in baseball history.  He is the only one to win three times when one overall award was given for all of Major League Baseball instead of one award for each league. Koufax also won the NL Triple Crown for pitchers those same three years by leading the NL in wins, strikeouts, and ERA.  Koufax was the first Major League pitcher to pitch four no-hitters and the eighth pitcher to pitch a perfect game in baseball history. Despite his comparatively short career, Koufax's 2,396 career strikeouts ranked 7th in history as of his retirement, trailing only Warren Spahn (2,583) among left-handers. Koufax, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and Nolan Ryan are the only four pitchers elected to the Hall of Fame who had more strikeouts than innings pitched.  His World Series ERA is 0.95.
    1967 - DAVIS, SAMMY L., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Artillery, 9th Infantry Division. Place and date: West of Cai Lay, Republic of Vietnam, 18 November 1967. Entered service at: Indianapolis, Ind. Born: 1 November 1946, Dayton, Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Davis (then Pfc.) distinguished himself during the early morning hours while serving as a cannoneer with Battery C, at a remote fire support base. At approximately 0200 hours, the fire support base was under heavy enemy mortar attack. Simultaneously, an estimated reinforced Viet Cong battalion launched a fierce ground assault upon the fire support base. The attacking enemy drove to within 25 meters of the friendly positions. Only a river separated the Viet Cong from the fire support base. Detecting a nearby enemy position, Sgt. Davis seized a machine gun and provided covering fire for his gun crew, as they attempted to bring direct artillery fire on the enemy. Despite his efforts, an enemy recoilless rifle round scored a direct hit upon the artillery piece. The resultant blast hurled the gun crew from their weapon and blew Sgt. Davis into a foxhole. He struggled to his feet and returned to the howitzer, which was burning furiously. Ignoring repeated warnings to seek cover, Sgt. Davis rammed a shell into the gun. Disregarding a withering hail of enemy fire directed against his position, he aimed and fired the howitzer, which rolled backward, knocking Sgt. Davis violently to the ground. Undaunted, he returned to the weapon to fire again when an enemy mortar round exploded within 20 meters of his position, injuring him painfully. Nevertheless, Sgt. Davis loaded the artillery piece, aimed and fired. Again he was knocked down by the recoil. In complete disregard for his safety, Sgt. Davis loaded and fired 3 more shells into the enemy. Disregarding his extensive injuries and his inability to swim, Sgt. Davis picked up an air mattress and struck out across the deep river to rescue 3 wounded comrades on the far side. Upon reaching the 3 wounded men, he stood upright and fired into the dense vegetation to prevent the Viet Cong from advancing. While the most seriously wounded soldier was helped across the river, Sgt. Davis protected the 2 remaining casualties until he could pull them across the river to the fire support base. Though suffering from painful wounds, he refused medical attention, joining another howitzer crew, which fired at the large Viet Cong force until it broke contact and fled. Sgt. Davis' extraordinary heroism, at the risk of his life, is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
    1968 - Glen Campbell, a former session musician for Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole and the Beach Boys, receives two gold records - one for "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and one for "Gentle On My Mind."
    1968 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience's third album, "Electric Ladyland," earns the group its third gold LP. "Crosstown Traffic," a version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and "Voodoo Chile" are the two-record set's highlights.
    1968 - The Spiral Staircase record "More Today than Yesterday," which will reach #12 in the US the following spring.
    1968 - Randy Meisner, Jim Messina, Richie Furay, George Grantham, and Rusty Young, folk-rock vets of the Los Angeles scene, debut at the Troubadour under the name Pogo, in honor of Walt Kelly's famous comic strip character. When Kelly files suit later, however, the group is forced to change to the similar-sounding Poco. The members would later go on to even greater success as members of The Eagles, Loggins and Messina, and the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band.
    1973 - Top Hits
Keep on Truckin' - Eddie Kendricks
Heartbeat - It's a Lovebeat - The DeFranco Family
Photograph - Ringo Starr
Paper Roses - Marie Osmond
    1974 - Frank Sinatra emerged from retirement to do a TV special with dancer Gene Kelly. The show was a smash hit and revived Sinatra's career.
    1975 - John Denver received a gold record for "I'm Sorry."
    1975 – David Ortiz, the Red Sox’ Big Papi, was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  Ortiz is a nine-time All-Star, a three-time World Series champion and he holds the Red Sox single-season record for home runs with 54, set during the 2006 season.  Ortiz has hit 503 career home runs, which ranks 27th on the MLB all-time home run list. He is the all-time leader in MLB history for home runs (447), RBIs (1,442), and hits (2,023) by a DH.  He is widely regarded as a first ballot Hall of Famer and would follow Edgar Martinez as a DH in the Hall.
    1978 - Congressman Leo J Ryan of Burlingame, California was killed along with four others in his group in Jonestown, Guyana by members of Peoples’ Temple, followed by ritual mass suicide of 913 members. (I served as his first state assembly administrative assistant and legislative aide in the late 1960's. His personal secretary of many years was murdered in her house during a robbery of the family's coin collection). People’s Temple leader Jim Jones led hundreds of his followers in a mass murder-suicide at their agricultural commune in remote northwestern Guyana. The few cult members who refused to take the cyanide-laced fruit-flavored concoction were either forced to do so at gunpoint or shot as they fled. The final death toll was 913, including 276 children. Jim Jones was a charismatic churchman who founded the Peoples’ Temple, a Christian sect, in Indianapolis in the 1950s. He preached against racism, and his integrated congregation attracted mostly African Americans. In 1965, he moved the group to northern California, settling in Ukiah and, after 1971, in San Francisco. In the 1970s, his church was accused by the press of financial fraud, physical abuse of its members, and mistreatment of children. In response to the mounting criticism, Jones led several hundred of his followers to South America in 1977 and set up a utopian agricultural settlement called Jonestown in the jungle of Guyana. A year later, a group of ex-members convinced U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan, a Democrat of California, to travel to Jonestown and investigate the commune. On November 17, 1978, Ryan arrived in Jonestown with a group of journalists and other observers. At first the visit went well, but the next day, as Ryan's group was about to leave, several People's Church members approached members of the group and asked them for passage out of Guyana. Jones became distressed at the defection of his members, and one of Jones' lieutenants attacked Ryan with a knife. Ryan escaped from the incident unharmed, but Jones then ordered Ryan and his companions ambushed and killed at the airstrip as they attempted to leave. The congressman and four others were murdered as they attempted to board their charter planes. Back in Jonestown, Jones directed his followers in a mass suicide in a clearing in the town. With Jones exhorting the "beauty of dying" over a loudspeaker, hundreds drank a lethal cyanide and Kool-Aid drink. Jones died of a gunshot wound in the head, probably self-inflicted. Guyanese troops, alerted by a cult member who escaped, reached Jonestown the next day. Only a dozen or so followers survived, hidden in the jungle. Most of the 913 dead were lying side by side in the clearing where Jones had preached to them for the last time.
http://www.lermanet.com/house/destructive.htm
    1978 - Billy Joel topped the Billboard Hot 200 album chart with "52nd Street," his first US #1 LP. In 1982, it would become the first commercial album to be released on compact disc (by Sony Music Entertainment).
    1979 - Paul McCartney releases "Wonderful Christmastime," a tune on which he plays all the instruments himself.
    1981 – Phillies’ 3B Mike Schmidt won his second consecutive MVP award, joining Ernie Banks and Joe Morgan as the only National Leaguers to do so.  He hit .316 and led the league in home runs (31), RBI (91), runs (78), walks (73), on-base percentage (.435) and slugging percentage (.644).
    1981 - Top Hits
“Private Eyes” - Daryl Hall & John Oates
“Start Me Up” - The Rolling Stones
“Physical” - Olivia Newton-John
“My Baby Thinks He's a Train” - Rosanne Cash
    1986 - The Roseland Ballroom reopened in New York City. The 67-year-old home for those wanting to dance cheek to cheek featured America's dean of society music, Lester Lanin. He played for patrons who wanted to cut a rug on the 112-by-55-foot, maple wood dance floor.
    1986 - For the first time since his departure from his own late-night TV show, Jack Paar was a guest of Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show". One of TV's great lines came from the show, when Carson quipped (after one of Paar's long, long spiels), "Why is it that I feel I'm guesting on your show?"
    1986 - The first of two successive snowstorms struck the northeastern U.S. The storm produced up to 20 inches of snow in southern New Hampshire. Two days later a second storm produced up to 30 inches of snow in northern Maine.
    1986 - Roger Clemens was named the American League's Most Valuable Player. He was the first American League starter to be so named in 15 years. The Boston Red Sox hurler won the honor one week after earning the Cy Young Award. 
    1986 - "Amanda" by Boston topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.
    1987 - Cub outfielder Andre Dawson (.287, 49 HR, 137 RBI) becomes the first player to win the MVP award as a member of a last place club.
    1987 - After nearly a year of hearings into the Iran-Contra scandal, the joint Congressional investigating committee issues its final report. It concluded that the scandal, involving a complicated plan whereby some of the funds from secret weapons sales to Iran were used to finance the Contra war against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, was one in which the administration of Ronald Reagan exhibited "secrecy, deception, and disdain for the law." Naming several members of the Reagan administration as having been directly involved in the scheme (including National Security Advisor John Poindexter and deceased CIA Director William Casey), the report stated that Reagan must bear "ultimate responsibility." A number of government officials were charged and convicted of various crimes associated with the scandal.
    1988 - An Anti-Drug bill of large scope was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. It called for the death penalty for drug-related murders, a $10,000 fine for the possession of even small amounts of controlled substances and provided for the expansion of treat facilities. A cabinet-level office was established for a drug "czar" to oversee the nation's fight on drugs.
    1989 - Top Hits
“When I See You Smile” - Bad English
“Blame It on the Rain” - Milli Vanilli
“Love Shack” - The B-52's
“Bayou Boys” - Eddy Raven
    1989 - A second surge of arctic air brought record cold to parts of the north central U.S. Eleven cities in the Upper Midwest reported record low temperatures for the date, including Rochester, MN with a reading of 4 degrees below zero. Strong winds ushering the arctic air into the north central U.S. produced squalls in the Lower Great Lakes Region. Snowfall totals in northern Ohio ranged up to twenty inches in Ashtabula and Geauga Counties.
    1990 - The Righteous Brothers saw their popularity surge when the movie, “Ghost,” (starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore) featured their 1965 hit, "Unchained Melody." Their original version and a re-recorded cut both made it into the US top 20, while three Greatest Hits albums made the Billboard chart.
    1990 - Art Monk becomes only the third player in NFL history to amass 700 career receptions when he makes four catches against the Saints.
    1993 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is approved by the House of Representatives.
    1995 - The Rolling Stones become the first act to broadcast a concert on the Internet.
    1995 - "Goldeneye" the latest James Bond movie, opens, featuring a title song by Tina Turner.
    1996 - Four hardware makers unveiled hand-held computers at an electronics show. The computers were all designed to run Microsoft Windows CE, an operating system introduced at the show the previous day. The machines offered remote and wireless connections for checking e-mail and surfing the Web and allowed users to synchronize data with Windows programs. By 1999, the market for hand-held computers had grown to an estimated 5.7 million units, nearly fifty percent greater than 1998 sales, according to the research firm Dataquest. Today, they are incorporated into wireless telephones the size of a pack of cigarettes that also include the ability to take pictures, surf the Net, operate home appliances remotely, and text.
    1997 - John Denver's last recordings are released as “The Unplugged Collection,” a selection of stripped-down acoustic performances of his hits.
    1997 – In an expansion draft for the new teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays began player selections.  Two pitchers who appeared in the World Series a month earlier, Tony Saunders of the Florida Marlins and Brian Anderson of the Cleveland Indians were selected by the Rays and D’backs respectively.
    2003 - The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled 4–3, in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and gave the state legislature 180 days to change the law, making Massachusetts the first state in the United States to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples.
    2003 - Acting on the sexual abuse allegations of a 12-year-old boy who had visited the home, approximately 70 members of California's Santa Barbara County sheriff's and district attorney's offices raided Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The singer was in Vegas filming a video at the time.
    2008 - Joining Cal Ripken Jr. (Orioles-1983) and Ryan Howard, (Phillies-2006), Dustin Pedroia (.326, 17 HR, 83 RBI) becomes the third player in Major League history to win the Most Valuable Player award a season after being selected as the Rookie of the Year. The scrappy Gold Glove second baseman, the 10th Red Sox player to earn the American League honor, received 16 of the 28 first-place votes to easily outdistance heavy-hitting Twins first baseman Justin Morneau (.300, 23, 129).
    2008 - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice introduces Ken Griffey, Jr. as an American Public Diplomacy Envoy, a position in which the future Hall of Famer will represent the "values of the United States, not the government of the United States." The free-agent outfielder, who played for the Reds and White Sox last season, joins Cal Ripken Jr. as a Major Leaguer serving his country in the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
    2013 - NASA launched the MAVEN to study the Mars atmosphere in depth.  The data from the MAVEN will help researchers construct a history of the climate on Mars and help them understand how the water on Mars disappeared.