Acorn Woodpecker in Town of Los Gatos, California
Photos on Nextdoor.com by Griffin Kankel

Have you ever looked up at your telephone pole to find it stuffed with acorns? Here’s your culprit, the Acorn Woodpecker.

"They’re tolerant of humans and you can find them in towns where there are acorns and suitable places to store them."

Also according to "All About Birds," the one in the photo is a male. "Acorn Woodpeckers are medium-sized woodpeckers with straight, spike-like bills and stiff, wedge-shaped tails used for support as the birds cling to tree trunks. They are very unusual woodpeckers that live in large groups, hoard acorns, and breed cooperatively.

“Group members gather acorns by the hundreds and wedge them into holes they’ve made in a tree trunk or telephone pole. Acorn Woodpeckers also spend considerable time catching insects on the wing. They give raucous, scratchy waka-waka calls frequently."

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Doing Business in a Rising Rate Environment
By Ralph Mango, Associate Editor, Leasing News

As if we have not been buffeted enough by the pandemic, supply chain disruptions and its uncertain deliveries, for many originators in our industry, rising rates are something new. Moving back for perspective, it seems to be a logical extension of the rising prices delivered by inflationary trends over the past year. How does one attack the market given this reversal of years of stable rates against low costs of funds?

The challenge is to game plan for success in client retention and new client acquisition. Now is not the time to think that there is loyalty because someone has been doing business with you for X years. Now is the time to anticipate near and mid-terms trends toward formulating a tactical plan that will attract new business in an uncertain environment.

The good news is that this is nothing new because for anyone who has been in the industry since the 20th century, they will recall that this occurred before.

It was called consultative selling. The focus was engaging clients and prospects with valuable market and trend data that would aid them in planning and managing their execution of their business plans for that year. It also took their minds away from “what’s your best rate?”  Then, we had fewer resources, far less technology, and less awareness as to what the issues were that our clients had to confront.
Today, the technology pervasion provides us and them with endless data upon which to plan both strategically and tactically. Communication is instantaneous and via multiple means involving connected devices and social media. We then lacked the speed that is at our disposal today.

For existing clients, your relationship should provide access to their decision makers. Ask them for the opportunity to engage them about their plans:

• What do they see as their largest obstacles to success, what do they expect from you as their funding strategy partner? Figuratively, find a way to get on the same side of the desk, collaborating with them side-by-side.

• Deliver solid data that moves their thinking of you to one of a valued consultant, rather than just as a funding source.  Motivate them to want to work with you in this expanded capacity. 

• To do so, you must spend time online staying current with Federal Reserve data, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, and comparable sites that are focused on financial trends that impact rate and demand.  Your ability to introduce these resources provides third-party validation that the rate environment is indeed uncertain. Have a plan by which you can discuss your company’s role as their reliable funding source during these uncertain times, stating tangible deliverables that clients value. 

A similar approach with prospects should provide a competitive imperative to at least get them to listen to you once. Given that opportunity, you can counsel them as you have with your clients.

Don’t be afraid to enlist your clients’ support in acting as a reference to these prospects as a third-party validation of your reliability and the ability of your company to meet and exceed expectations.  Those attributes can, for those prospects, reduce the risk of the near-term rate and market uncertainties.  Executed with thought, this can be your competitive differentiation that solidifies your role as their go-to source.

Structuring is an important consideration to the transaction terms and conditions that will satisfy certain client needs. For example, we secured an upfront fee to protect the rate for a certain period before which the transaction must close.

With the today’s myriad online rate calculators, you can easily prove in real dollars the comparative impact of such a structure contrasted to allowing the rate to be determined at closing. If they view you as a partner/advisor, and you provide sufficient independent data, the notion of a rate-lock fee will hardly be an issue.  Back then, T-Value was relatively new, gaining traction, and about the only online program available to do so.

As originators, take the initiative with your leadership team to actively create new structures that can protect your spreads while providing clients and prospects with some degree of certainty as we move through 2022.

Rather than reacting, devote the time toward predicting possible trends that will impact your clients and your cost of funds. It will be added time well-spent and well-rewarded.

Help Wanted Ads

 

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Unemployed Due to FinTech
Career Crossroad --- By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

Question:
Emily, I am unemployed. The Financial Technology move cost me my job. I was in a lease administration role before I was laid off because of moving to #######. I am having a hard time finding a position in the Equipment Leasing Industry. What would you suggest?

Answer:
I am sorry to hear that you are having difficulty finding a new position … many are in the same predicament as Financial Technology is automating operations.

I am confident that you have skills that are transferable from industry to industry. Do some research in determining what other industries you may be interested in.

Additionally, you may want to develop your resume geared towards those industries; each version should focus on your transferable skills. This will lead to a few versions of your resume; that is okay.

In the meantime, brush up on your skills, e.g., take some classes, and sign up for designations (CLFP) within the industry. This will make you more marketable. Be open to consulting work or part-time opportunities which future employers will consider and admire.

Don’t forget to NETWORK with:

· Recruiters
· Staffing agencies (typically for consulting / temp work)
· Previous co-workers
· Previous managers

They may be aware of openings coming available …
I wish you luck and if you need more assistance, please feel free to contact me. 

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

 

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U.S. Sees Biggest Rent Jump in Two Years
MReport

Average monthly listed rents in the U.S. increased 14.1% year over year to $1,877 in December, according to a new report from Redfin. This was the largest annual jump since at least February 2019, the earliest month in Redfin’s rental data. 

Meanwhile, the national monthly mortgage payment for homebuyers climbed 21.6% year-over-year, also the biggest increase in Redfin’s records. 

Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather reported, “The growth in mortgage payments has been driven by both climbing prices and climbing mortgage rates.

“Those rising mortgage costs push more potential homebuyers into renting instead, which pushes up demand and prices for rentals. Mortgage rate increases are accelerating, which will cause both mortgage payments and rent to grow throughout 2022.” 

The 10 metro areas with the biggest increases in rent prices found themselves up 29% year-over-year or more, and they were almost exclusively on the East Coast. The only exceptions were Austin and Portland, Oregon. 

Top 10 metros with fastest-rising rents year-over-year were: 

• Austin, TX (40%) 
• Nassau County, NY (35%) 
• New York, NY (35%) 
• Newark, NJ (35%) 
• New Brunswick, NJ (35%) 
• Miami, FL (34%) 
• West Palm Beach, FL (34%) 
• Fort Lauderdale, FL (34%) 
• Jacksonville, FL (31%) 
• Portland, OR (29%) 

Rents are up over 30% in major metro areas, while rent price increases outpaced year-over-year mortgage payment increases for new homebuyers in just 16 of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas in December.

Only one metro area saw rents fall in December from the same month a year earlier. Rents declined 0.8% in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Introducing Leasing News Advisor
Ed Castagna

Edward Castagna, CEO
InPlace Auction
68 South Service Road, Suite 100
Melville, New York 11747
Tel.  (516) 229-1968
Cell (516) 297-7775
Fax.  (516) 882-7924
ecastagna@inplaceauction.com
www.inplaceauction.com

Edward Castagna is one of the commercial asset valuation and liquidation industry’s pioneers in developing e-commerce and online auction platforms and innovations.  He has been a member of the Leasing News Advisory Board for more than 15 years and he has spent his entire 30-plus year career at the forefront of new developments in asset management.

A Traditional Early Route
Ed learned the industry by listening closely to used equipment dealers and mechanics who showed him what to look for and what questions to ask in evaluating machinery and equipment for resale. 
He honed his appraisal skills over the years through hard-work, continuing education and hard-won knowledge on the ground, and then earned multiple Senior Appraiser certifications. He has been an expert witness with a 100% rate of success in courtroom defense of challenged value and commercially reasonable sale, he has been retained as the face-to-face contact with defaulting business owners by a variety of Fortune 100 creditors, and he has liquidated assets of thousands of companies in multiple industries.

In a tough business, Ed has maintained an attitude of service and professionalism: "It's my responsibility to treat everyone with respect, regardless of their circumstances. That's how I've been able to successfully and peacefully defuse even the most precarious of situations.”

Embracing Technology
He embraced technology right from the start of his career in 1988, researching and evaluating how to apply web-based technology in the industry.  He was the first in the industry to create a high-volume internet enhanced recovery, remarketing and reporting web-based service.

In 2011, he launched InPlaceAuction, a full-service appraisal, recovery, and auction company that assists financial institutions with all aspects of seamless asset management from appraisal, to recovery, and commercially reasonable liquidation.

Ed’s platform continues to evolve and innovate with developments that include private and public sales, orderly liquidations, live, and on-line auctions.  Assets being appraised or sold follow the trends of expanding or contracting sectors. 

Industry Associations, Personal News & Charities
Edward is an active member of the following associations: Turnaround Management Association (TMA.org), National Auctioneers Association (NAA), Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL), Machinery Dealers National Association (MDNA), American Society of Appraisers (ASA) and Association of Machinery and Equipment Appraisers (AMEA).

He earned a B.A. from Syracuse University and is a graduate of the Mendenhall School of Auctioneering. Ed served on the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) Board of Directors from 2006-2009 representing its service provider members, and he is a member of ELFA’s Service Providers Business Council and Fair Business Practices Committee.

He is one of the founding members and President of the Tender Loving Care Foundation (www.tenderlc.com), an advisory board member to South Bronx Education Foundation (www.sbef.org) and the board of directors of the Stewart Fund. His favorite place to be is anywhere with his wife Jeanine and their two boys.

Myself, Jeanine, Sam (20), and Jack (17).

The photo was taken at Sam’s graduation from Chaminade HS 2020. He’s currently attending The Culverhouse College of Business at The University of Alabama. Jack is a Junior at the same High School where he plays football, wrestling, and lacrosse. Jeanine and I celebrate our 22nd year wedding anniversary this year.

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

Maxim Commercial Capital Reports
Strong 2021 Results

Hard asset secured lender invested in infrastructure
and expanded programs during year 

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – Maxim Commercial Capital (“Maxim”) announced it fulfilled the financing needs of small and mid-sized businesses (“SMBs”) in 41 states during 2021, despite global disruptions in the equipment industry and the lingering pandemic.

Maxim lends from $10,000 to $3,000,000 secured by heavy equipment or real estate. Its creative solutions include leveraging borrowers’ real estate assets, up to 70% combined loan-to-value, to reduce the cash required to buy new equipment, to provide working capital and to restructure short-term debt.

Michael Kianmahd, Executive Vice President, said, “We began 2021 optimistic, both in terms of returning to normal business operations and continued improvements to our delivery model through investments in our operating infrastructure.

 “In retrospect, we are exceptionally pleased with our 2021 performance, having met or exceeded many KPIs thanks to our strong, dedicated team. We streamlined our application process, invested in technology, expanded our target market to higher quality borrowers, and continued to invest in marketing.”

• Creatively structured transactions during the year included 100% financing for a mobile food service company with challenged credit to purchase a new $117,000 food preparation trailer, secured by the trailer and a 2nd lien on the borrower’s home.

• A contractor with a history of late charges on revolving credit and past charge offs is fulfilling a strong municipal contract with his new, 2022 Bobcat T770 Track Loader purchased with a $55,300 loan from Maxim.

• And, a newer business owner with challenged credit in Northern California successfully purchased a 2010 Case 521E Wheel Loader with a $46,300 loan from Maxim.

A leader in transportation equipment financing, Maxim expanded its truck financing program during the year to fund higher amounts for better credits, including investors and startups.

Maxim provided financing for:

• a startup driver, who owns his home and has a 706 FICO, to buy a $80,000 2016 Freightliner Cascadia with 475K miles;

• two investors with 615 and 572 FICOs, both homeowners, bought their second truck, a $48,000 2017 International ProStar Day Cab;

• and, a non-homeowner driver with a 766 FICO and two years of experience purchased a $108,000 2018 Peterbilt 579 with 432K miles to replace his old truck.

Behzad Kianmahd, Chairman and CEO, comment, “We are grateful for every member of our team, each of whom remained committed to providing the highest level of customer service in spite of the year’s extraordinary circumstances.

“We are excited about launching some new programs soon and are well-capitalized and eager to continue supporting the nation’s entrepreneurs in 2022 and beyond.”

About Maxim Commercial Capital

Maxim Commercial Capital helps small and mid-sized business owners seize opportunity by providing financing in amounts from $10,000 to $3,000,000 secured by heavy equipment and real estate. Maxim facilitates equipment purchases, provides working capital, and refinances debt for companies across all industries located nationwide. Through Maxim’s creative financing structures, businesses unlock capital tied up in underleveraged assets, often replacing expensive short-term debt and daily repayment working capital loans with longer term capital. As a leading provider of transportation equipment finance, Maxim funds up to 75% of the acquisition cost of class 8 and class 6 trucks, trailers and reefers for owner-operators and small businesses. Learn more at www.maximcc.com or by calling 877-776-2946.

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

Terrier/Mixed
San Diego, California  Adopt-a-Dog

Freddy

Male
4 years old
16 lbs
Neutered
House Trained
Up-to-Date with Vaccines
Microchipped

Meet Freddy!  Freddy is a 16 pound, 4-year-old terrier mix- he has a low maintenance low shed coat.  Freddy is well trained and will politely take a treat from you when offered. He loves his toys and to play fetch.  Freddy walks well on a leash and is good in the car.  He is fully potty trained.  Freddy is currently the only dog in the home & he can be reactive to new dogs on leash. Freddy can be affectionate once he feels comfortable, but should be in a quiet adult only home and not interact with small children.  He is very toy & treat motivated and responds well to correction.  With some patience and love, Freddy will make someone a wonderful pet.  He is neutered, microchipped and up to date on his vaccinations.  His adoption fee is $300.

All dogs live in private foster homes until they are adopted.

Second Chance Dog Rescue
2801 B Street, #55
San Diego, CA 92102
(619) 721-3647
apps@secondchancedogrescue.org
http://www.SecondChanceDogRescue.org

Application:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYiN_zgAhNq_bHnLCF-OPwH9YMEinll7YKtkut9wfY2qiiiw/viewform     

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International Franchise Association’s Annual Convention is franchising's biggest event for business development and personal growth. Whether you're a franchising veteran or just starting out, there are sessions designed for everyone. This is your chance to network and chart the future of the industry.

Full Agenda
https://web.cvent.com/event/eb0286a1-85be-4c5b-b314-b67224024412/websitePage:c4a51c26-7040-4d16-b3ed-d892a8021f9d

Member & Non-Member Fees
https://web.cvent.com/event/eb0286a1-85be-4c5b-b314-b67224024412/websitePage:f5f1940b-980e-4398-96f6-3b681ef5e4a3

Hotels
https://web.cvent.com/event/eb0286a1-85be-4c5b-b314-b67224024412/websitePage:9641a918-aa91-498a-95ee-94f69fd9dca0

Become an IFA franchisor member today and receive a complimentary pass to IFA 2022! Click here for details
https://www.franchise.org/membership

https://www.franchise.org/convention

News Briefs---

 ELFA Reports U.S. business borrowing for equipment
    Fell 3% in December
https://wtvbam.com/2022/01/25/u-s-business-borrowing-for-equipment-fell-3-in-december-elfa/

5G phone service, fog cancels dozens
of Alaska Airlines flights at Paine Field
https://www.q13fox.com/news/5g-phone-service-weather-causing-several-canceled-alaska-airlines-flights-at-paine-field

GM Announces $7 Billion EV Investment in Michigan
"four Michigan manufacturing sites"
https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/gm-invest-historic-7-billion-160532142.html

‘Unprecedented’: Restaurant chains are booming
because of pandemic conditions
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/chain-restaurant-franchise-sf-bay-area-16770940.php

Microsoft beats expectations with $51.7B in revenue,
$18.8B in profits, stock down 5% after hours
https://www.geekwire.com/2022/microsoft-beats-expectations-with-51-7b-in-revenue-18-8b-in-profits-stock-down-5-after-hours/?mc_cid=f903b7a1a8&mc_eid=551deb6d8f

Rams-49ers tickets no longer restricted on
Ticketmaster, freeing Faithful to swarm SoFi
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/01/24/rams-49ers-tickets-no-longer-restricted-on-ticketmaster-freeing-faithful-to-swarm-sofi/

2021 Annual Fintech Almanac
Global Financing and M&A Statistics (154 pages)
https://ftpartners.docsend.com/view/n9m2cmjgayrju6rh

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You May Have Missed---

Here's how much you need to earn to be
    in the top 1% in your state and nationwide
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2022/01/25/top-1-percent-your-state/9210897002/

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Sports Briefs---

Aaron Rodgers claims “a lot” of people root against the
    Packers only because of his vaccination status
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/01/25/aaron-rodgers-claims-a-lot-of-people-root-against-the-packers-only-because-of-his-vaccination-status/

Barry Bonds falls off Hall of Fame ballot,
denied by writers for 10th time
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giants/article/Barry-Bonds-falls-off-Hall-of-Fame-ballot-denied-16804114.php

Fan turnout projection for 49ers-Rams NFC Championship
is overwhelming in favor of Niners
https://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/ticket-sales-for-Rams-game-favor-49ers-fans-16802999.php

Sean Payton steps down after coaching the Saints
for more than 15 years
https://www.wdsu.com/article/sean-payton-leaving-new-orleans-saints/38877354

Rafael Nadal advances to Australian Open
semifinals with 5-set win over Denis Shapovalov
https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/33143195/rafael-nadal-advances-australian-open-semifinals-5-set-win-denis-shapovalov

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California Nuts Briefs---

COVID-19 sick pay in California would return
    under deal between Newsom, lawmakers
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-01-25/covid-19-sick-pay-in-california-would-return-under-legislation

Free N95 Masks Available At CA CVS, Costco
And Walgreens Soon --Full List
https://patch.com/california/losgatos/s/i2t9f/free-n95-masks-available-at-ca-cvs-costco-and-walgreens-soon

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"Gimme that wine"

Winemakers Grapple with a Glass Crisis
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/A-bottle-of-wine-could-cost-5-more-this-year-as-16789090.php

New effort to eliminate the Pennsylvania Liquor Control
Board via constitutional amendment
https://www.inquirer.com/business/plcb-privatization-constitutional-amendment-20220124.html

Winegrape Prices Not Keeping Pace with
Rising Costs of Production
https://agnetwest.com/winegrape-prices-not-keeping-pace-with-rising-costs-of-production/

The New California Merlot Crisis
https://daily.sevenfifty.com/the-new-california-merlot-crisis/

“Gimme that Wine”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJnQoi8DSE8

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

 1654 - Jews flee to the New World: approximately 150 Jewish families of Portuguese background fled the city of Recife, in Pernambuco, Brazil. By September, a number of these refugees had established the first community of Jews in the future United States.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan26.html
    1695 - Considered the first Workers’ Compensation agreement, Captain William Kidd of New York City, commander of the “Adventure Galley” of 787 tons burden, promised to distribute to the crew one-fourth of all booty captured on privateering expeditions. According to the agreement, “If any man should Lose a Leg or Arm in the said service, he should have six hundred pieces of Eight, or six able slaves; if any man should lose a joynt on the said service, he should have a hundred pieces of eight.”
    1700 – According to Japanese records, a magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake took place off the west coast of the North America.
    1776 - The first Catholic US Army chaplain was the Reverend Louis Eustace Lotbiniere, appointed by General Benedict Arnold to act as chaplain to the regiment of Colonel James Livingston in the Continental Army.
    1784 - In a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin expressed his unhappiness over the choice of the eagle as the symbol of America. He wrote the bald eagle was "a Bird of bad moral character" who lived "by Sharping and Robbing," expressed regret it had been selected to be the U.S. national symbol. Franklin's choice: the turkey, "a much more respectable Bird and withal a true original Native of America."
    1788 - A shipload of convicts arrived briefly at Botany Bay, Australia, (which proved to be unsuitable) and then at Port Jackson (later the site of the city of Sydney). Establishment of an Australian prison colony was to relieve crowding of British prisons. A fleet of 11 ships lands in Port Jackson after sailing with the continent's first 1,030 English settlers, including 736 convicts. All told, England ships carried more than 160,000 men, women, & children in bondage to Australia in the largest forced exile of citizens by a European government in pre-modern history. Exiles landing today become known as the First Fleet. They are so unfit for survival in the new land that they live near starvation amid what is natural abundance to Aborigines. Most of the First Fleet convicts have never traveled more than 10 miles from their birth places. They saw the sea for the first time when they were clapped in irons and thrust onto the ships. All the convicts were transported for crimes against property. They include 70-year-old Elizabeth Beckford, who was exiled for stealing 12 pounds of Gloucester cheese. West-Indian Thomas Chaddick was sent to Australia after hunger drove him to steal cucumbers from a kitchen garden.  Australia Day, formerly known as Foundation Day or Anniversary Day, has been observed since about 1817 and has been a public holiday since 1838. Observed Jan 26 if a Monday, otherwise on the first Monday thereafter.
    1802 - Congress passes an act calling for a US Capitol library that would become known as The Library of Congress.
    1831 - Mary Mapes Dodge (d. 1905) was born in NYC.  She was an American writer and edited ‘St. Nicholas Magazine,’ one of the first periodicals for children. She is best known for her classic novel “Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates” (1865). 
http://wwwa.search.eb.com/women/articles/Dodge_Mary_Elizabeth_Mapes.html
    1837 - Michigan became the 26th state. Named Michigan after the American Indian word, Michigama, meaning great or large lake, Michigan borders four of the Great Lakes, and is divided into two peninsulas by the Straits of Mackinac that connect Lakes Michigan and Huron. The two peninsulas are recognized in the state motto: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice. Michigan is nicknamed the Wolverine State and/or the Great Lake State. The state bird is the robin; the state flower: apple blossom; state tree: white pine; state fish: trout; state gem: Isle Royal Greenstone aka Chlorastrolite. This gemstone is the Petoskey stone. The state flag, which is blue, charged with the arms of the state, waves over the state capital of Lansing.
(Lower portion of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan26.html )
    1838 - The first alcohol prohibition law enacted by a state was passed by Tennessee. The bill, an “act to repeal all laws licensing tippling houses,” provided that “all person convicted of the offense of retailing spirituous liquors shall be fined at the discretion of the court” and that the fines and forfeitures be used for the support of common good.” It appears the law did not apply to wine or beer.
    1855 - The Point No Point Treaty was signed on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula.  Under the terms of the treaty, the original inhabitants of northern Kitsap Peninsula and Olympic Peninsula, the S’Klallam, Chimakum and Skokomish tribes, were to cede ownership of their land in exchange for small reservations along Hood Canal and a payment of $60,000 from the federal government. The treaty required the natives to trade only with the United States, to free all their slaves, and it abjured them not to acquire any new slaves.
    1856 - Leschi, chief of the Nisqually and Yakama Indians, leads 1,000 warriors in an attack on the town of Seattle. The attack is repulsed by naval forces in the Puget Sound.  Marines from the USS Decatur drove off the attackers after all day battle with settlers.
http://www.historylink.org/output.CFM?file_ID=1960
    1861 - Louisiana becomes the sixth state to succeed from the union. One of the growing reasons for the secession was the admittance of Kansas to the Union, officially on January 29, 1861, which entered as a “free state.” On February 4th, the Confederate States of America was formed at Montgomery, Alabama with Jefferson Davis of Mississippi as President and Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia as Vice President. Both were chosen on February 9th. The Confederate constitution specifically stated the reason for succession was to continue slavery, and on February 9th, the Confederate Provisional Congress asserted that all laws under the U.S. Constitution that were not inconsistent with the constitution of the Confederate states would not be recognized. The main issue was the Confederate government wanted to continue the ownership of human beings (Blacks were not the only race that were slaves or owned by others---in fact, during this period, there were many free Blacks who owned large plantations of both Creole and Black slaves. In Mississippi itself, there were many wealthy Black plantation owners.)
    1863 – The 54th Regiment (Black) infantry was formed after Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew received permission from the Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
http://extlab1.entnem.ufl.edu/olustee/54th_MS_inf.html
http://www.afroammuseum.org/site1.htm
http://www.state.ma.us/statehouse/articles/54th_men.htm
http://www.54thmass.org/54hist.html
    1863 - General Joseph Hooker replaces Gen. Ambrose Burnside as head of Army of Potomac after the disaster at Fredericksburg.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/hookbio.htm
    1871 - US income tax repealed…dream on!!
    1875 - George F. Green, of Kalamazoo, MI, received a patent for “electro-magnetic dental tools” used for sawing, filing, dressing and polishing teeth. The patent was assigned to Samuel S. White of Philadelphia, PA. In practice, the engines were too heavy and the batteries too expensive for general use.
    1880 - Douglas MacArthur (d. 1964), General and Supreme Commander of Allied forces in Southwest Pacific during World War II, was born at Little Rock, AR.  He served as commander of the Rainbow Division's 84th Infantry Brigade in World War I, leading it in the St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne and Sedan offensives. Remembered for his "I shall return" prediction when forced out of the Philippines by the Japanese during World War II, a promise he fulfilled. He later became involved in politics and had set up a committee to run for president. He was relieved of Far Eastern command by President Harry Truman on Apr 11, 1951, during the Korean War, after an incident regarding the landing of aircraft and disrespect for the commander-in-chief. This was the final act of insubordination tolerated by President Truman of MacArthur, who openly defied other Truman orders previously.
    1893 - Bessie Coleman (d. 1926) was born at Atlanta, Texas.  She was America's first celebrated Black female pilot. Because of her race and gender, she was denied admission to aviation school programs in the US. In Paris, she received an international pilot's license in 1921. Upon return, "Queen Bess" took part in numerous acrobatic air exhibitions where her daring stunt-flying won her many admirers. She perished in a plane crash during a practice session at Jacksonville, Florida, April 30, 1926. Foul play was suspected due to both her race and gender.
    1907 - Congress passed a prohibition on corporations from contributing to candidates’ campaign funds in presidential and congressional races. An act passed on March 4, 1909 further prohibited national banks and corporations from making financial contributions to campaign funds in connection with any election to any political office.
    1893 - Birthday of violinist/Cajun music player Dennis McGee (d. 1989), Bayou Marron, LA. 
http://www.cajunculture.com/People/mcgeedennis.htm
http://www.cajunfrenchmusic.org/biographies/mcgee-d.htm
http://www.yazoorecords.com/2012.htm
    1905 – Maria von Trapp (d. 1987) was born in Vienna, Austria.  She was stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers.  Her story served as the inspiration for a 1956 German film that in turn inspired the Broadway musical “The Sound of Music” (1959) and the 1965 film of the same name that starred Julie Andrews. 
    1908 - Jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli (d. 1997) was born Paris, France.
http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,437799,00.html?artist=Stephane+Grappelli
http://www.cyberbites.com/marleys_ghost/grappelliobit.html
    1911 - Glenn Curtiss piloted the first successful seaplane in San Diego Harbor.
    1913 – Jimmy Van Heusen (d. 1990) was born Edward Chester Babcock at Syracuse, NY. He was a composer of many popular songs with his lyricist partners Johnny Burke and Sammy Cahn. One of his 76 songs that Frank Sinatra recorded was "My Kind of Town." Van Heusen won four Academy Awards for songs in movies such as “Going My Way” (1944). He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame when it was founded in 1971.
http://www.jimmyvanheusen.com/
    1913 - Jim Thorpe wrote the chairman of the Amateur Athletic Union revealing he had played professional baseball in 1909 and 1910. He voluntarily returned the two gold medals for the decathlon and pentathlon he won in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Sixty years later, twenty years after his death, the AAU restored Thorpe’s amateur standing and the Olympic medals.
    1915 - Rocky Mountain National Park was established. Under President Woodrow Wilson, the area covering more than 1,000 square miles in Colorado became a national park.
    1915 – Actor William Hopper was born DeWolf Hopper, Jr. (d. 1970) in NYC and was the only child of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.  Hopper is best remembered for playing private detective Paul Drake in more than 250 episodes of television's “Perry Mason” and for his role as the father of the Natalie Wood character in “Rebel Without a Cause.”
    1917 - Louis Silvie "Louie" Zamperini (d. 2014) was born in Olean, NY.  He was a POW survivor in World War II, a Christian inspirational speaker, and an Olympic distance runner. Zamperini is the subject of two biographies and the 2014 film “Unbroken.”  A 1936 Olympian, he is still the youngest American qualifier ever in the 5,000 meters. A POW for two-and-a half years, he was beaten and tortured with fellow prisoners at several POW camps held by the Japanese in the Pacific. 
    1918 - Birthday of science fiction writer Philip Jose Farmer (d. 2009) in Peoria, IL.
http://www.pjfarmer.com/
    1920 - Former Ford Motor Co. executive Henry Leland launched the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.
    1924 - Birthday of Calvin Ross (Cal) Abrams (d. 1997), baseball player, at Philadelphia, PA. Abrams played eight years in the Major and hit .269. He is most famous for this incident that I remember from when I was eight years old, for being thrown out at the plate by Richie Ashburn of the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning of the final game of the 1950 season, thereby depriving his team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, of a shot at the pennant.
    1925 - Birthday of Paul Newman (d. 2008) of “Newman’s Own,” in Shaker Heights, OH.  Actor:  (Oscar for “The Color of Money,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Hud,” “The Long, Hot Summer,” Exodus,” “Hustler,” “Slapshot,” “The Verdict,” “The Sting”); Director:  (“Rachel, Rachel,” “The Glass Menagerie”). 
http://www.newmansown.com/
    1926 – The first public demonstration of television was conducted by John Logie Baird in his laboratory in London.
    1929 - Jules Feiffer, cartoonist, writer, was born in The Bronx.  Feiffer's strips ran for 42 years in “The Village Voice,” first under the title “Sick Sick Sick,” briefly as “Feiffer's Fables” and finally as simply “Feiffer.”  After Mike Nichols adapted Feiffer's unproduced play “Carnal Knowledge” as a 1971 film, Feiffer scripted Robert Altman’s “Popeye,” Alain Resnais’ “I Want to Go Home,” and the film adaptation of “Little Murders.”
    1930 - Cleveland's 52 stories Terminal Tower opened.
    1931 - The Boston Braves released veteran pitcher Johnny Cooney. He had held out in 1930, insisting he could bat well enough to stay. After several years in the minors, Cooney returned to the National League as a Braves outfielder and finished 1940 as runner-up to batting champion Pete Reiser.  In the words of the eloquent Dizzy Dean, “It ain’t braggin’ if’n you do it!”
    1934 - The famous Apollo theatre in New York City's Harlem district opened as a showcase for black artists. The theatre had begun as an all-white music hall and burlesque house, and in the 1920's and early '30s, was famous as Hurtig and Seamon's Burlesque. The Apollo's opening-night show featured Harlem showman Ralph Cooper, Aida Ward, Benny Carter and his orchestra and 16 dancers billed as "Gorgeous Hot-Steppers." For more than 50 years, the Apollo has been a launching pad for some of the century's greatest talent, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick. The Apollo Theatre was declared a cultural landmark in 1983, and two years later reopened as the Apollo Theatre Television Centre. There are still live shows, but the primary purpose of the center is to produce these shows for TV.
    1934 - Jimmy Lunceford Band records, “WhiteHeat.”
    1934 - '50's rock 'n' roller Huey (Piano) Smith was born in New Orleans. His playing incorporated the earlier boogie style of such pianists as Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson with the New Orleans rhythm-and-blues of Fats Domino. He and his band, the Clowns, had two million-sellers in 1957 - "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" and "Don't You Just Know It."  His sound is generally regarded as influential in the development of rock and roll. 
    1935 – Birthday of former Major League catcher and Milwaukee Brewers announcer, since 1971, Bob Uecker, in Milwaukee.  Uecker also portrayed Harry Doyle, the broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians, in the “Major League” film trilogy (…Juuuuusst a bit outside…), as well as starring in the TV series, “Mr. Belvedere” and those Miller Lite commercials.  Facetiously dubbed "Mr. Baseball" by Johnny Carson, Uecker has served as a play-by-play announcer for Milwaukee Brewers radio broadcasts since 1971. He was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame with its 2003 Ford C. Frick Award in recognition of his broadcasting career and gave one of the more entertaining acceptance speeches ever. 
    1939 - Producer David O. Selznick began filming “Gone With the Wind.” Numerous problems with the script, several directors, and a soaring budget plagued the project. After he turned down the role of Rhett Butler, Gary Cooper remarked, "Gone with the Wind” is going to be the biggest flop in the history of Hollywood. I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling flat on his face and not Gary Cooper."  The film is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time; it has placed in the top ten of the American Film Institute's list of top 100 American films since the list's inception in 1988, and in 1989, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
    1940 - Frank Sinatra made his first public appearance with the Tommy Dorsey Band at the Coronado Theater, Rockford, IL.
    1942 - The first American expeditionary force to land in Europe in World War II arrived in Ireland and was greeted by Sir Archibald Sinclair, the British Air Minister. The first officer to land was Major General Russell Peter Hartle. The first enlisted man to land was Private Milburn Henke of Hutchinson, MN.
    1942 - West Coast Hearst newspapers engage in a vilifying attack on Japanese-Americans and begin the public outcry for mass exclusion.
    1944 – At Liberty Field, Camp Stewart, the Women of the Air Service Pilots (WASPS) who flew military aircraft during World War II, were ordered out on ground maneuvers with the regular male Army troops. Although the women were not military (without military benefits such as insurance, housing, free meals, health care, or uniforms, etc.), they were often ordered by misogynistic C.O.'s to perform as if they were military personnel. Out in the field without military equipment (the women often didn't even get shoe rations!) the men were busily showing the women up when the officers rang an alarm. The WASPs had no idea what the alarm meant until GI's whipped out gas masks and put them on. Not the WASPs. They had no gas masks! As the acrid smoke drifts over everyone, the women gag and cough while the men laughed and the officers smirked.
From Byrd Howell Granger's “On Final Approach, The Women Air Force Service Pilots of W.W.II.” Scottsdale, AZ.: Falconer Publishing Company, 1991. ISBN: 0-9626267-0-8.
    1944 - Esquire All-Stars (Armstrong, Eldridge, Teagarden, Hawkins) cut “Basin St. Blues,” “Mop Mop” for V-Disc.
    1944 – Activist Angela Davis was born in Birmingham, AL.  She was a prominent counterculture activist and radical in the 1960s as a leader of the Communist Party USA and had close relations with the Black Panther Party through her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, although she was never a party member.  She is a retired professor at UC, Santa Cruz and a former director of the university's Feminist Studies department.
    1944 – Birthday of former Penn State football coach and convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky in Washington, PA.  On June 22, 2012, Sandusky was found guilty on 45 of the 48 remaining charges.  Sandusky was sentenced on October 9, 2012 to 30 to 60 years in prison.
    1945 - MURPHY, AUDIE L., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 1 5th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945. Entered service at: Dallas, Tex. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Tex. G.O. No.. 65, 9 August 1945. Citation 2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in the woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machinegun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective. He later went on to become a major movie star.
    1945 - Soviet forces reached the Auschwitz concentration camp.
    1946 - Birthday of jazz author/researcher Lee Hildebrand, Williamsport, PA
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567996930/inktomi-bkasin-20/
ref%3Dnosim/104-4344982-0045565
http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/pazznjop/critic.php3?criticid=215
    1946 – Gene Siskel (d. 1999), American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune was born in Chicago. With colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of popular review shows on television from 1975 to 1999 when he died.
    1947 - On ABC radio, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" was first heard, making it the first radio series to portray Jesus Christ's voice.
    1948 - President Truman decides to end segregation in the armed forces and the civil service through administrative action (executive order) rather than through legislation.  He signs on July 26, 1948 Executive Order 9981 to end segregation in US Armed Forces.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/9981.htm
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/deseg1.htm
    1949 - The first tape-recording machine for mass production of tapes was announced by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M), St. Paul, MN. The machine tape 48 hours of recorded music in one hour.
    1949 - The Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory sees the first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope until BTA-6 is built in 1976.
    1951 - The first female Rabbi in the Reform movement was Paula Ackerman of Meridian, MS, who was appointed to serve in the place of her late husband as rabbi of Temple Beth Israel.
    1951 - Elizabeth Taylor divorced her first husband, Nicky Hilton, on the grounds of mental cruelty. It was less than a year after their highly publicized wedding.
    1951 – The Baseball Hall of Fame elected sluggers Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx. Ott hit .304 with 511 home runs and 1860 RBI.  Ott held the National League career record for HRs until it was broken by Willie Mays in 1966; he managed the New York Giants from 1942-8. Foxx was a .325 hitter with 534 home runs and 1922 RBI.  Foxx became the second player in MLB history to hit 500 HRs, after Babe Ruth. Attaining that plateau at age 32 years 336 days, he held the record for youngest to reach 500 for sixty-eight years, until 2007. His three career MVP awards are tied for second all-time.
    1953 - Film actress, dancer, and sex symbol Rita Hayworth divorced Prince Aly Khan in Reno, Nevada. Hayworth once said, "Every man I knew had fallen in love with Gilda and wakened with me," referring to her most successful film role in “Gilda” and her less-than-successful track record in marriage.
    1954 - Top Hits
“Stranger in Paradise” - Tony Bennett
“Oh! My Pa-Pa” - Eddie Fisher
“At the Darktown Strutters’ Ball” - Lou Monte
“Bimbo” - Jim Reeves
    1955 - Bill Haley's "Dim, Dim the Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere)" enters the R&B charts
    1956 - Martin Luther King, Jr. arrested for the first time for driving 30 mph in a 25 mph zone; his home will be bombed on January 30th.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/man/MLKtimeline.html
http://www.holidays.net/mlk/rosa.htm
    1956 - Buddy Holly had his first of three recording sessions in 1956 for Decca Records in Nashville, Tennessee with Owen Bradley as producer. Nothing much came out of those sessions. "Blue Days, Black Nights" was recorded and became his debut single. He formed the group, The Three Tunes (changed later to The Crickets) and went on to find fame and fortune when he hooked up with producer Norman Petty in New Mexico. Holly died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, IA, February 3, 1959 (“the day the music died”). He was 22. Holly was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
    1957 - Birthday of Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen) (d. 2020) in The Netherlands.
    1957 - Buddy Holly and the Crickets make their second appearance on CBS' Ed Sullivan Show. Before the show Sullivan, who considered Holly's hit "Oh, Boy!" too "raunchy," forbids him from singing it on tonight's show. Holly refuses, causing Sullivan to limit Buddy to one song instead of two, sabotage him with bad lighting and sound, and mispronounce his name. Holly is visibly upset on the stage.
    1958 - Ellen DeGeneres, comedienne, actress ("Ellen"), born Metairie, LA.
    1958 – Singer Anita Baker was born in Toledo.
    1959 - "Alcoa Presents" was first seen on ABC-TV. Later, the show was renamed "One Step Beyond". It was based on "true events that are strange, frightening and unexplainable in terms of normal human experience."
    1960 - Burnsville, West Virginia beat Widen, West Virginia in basketball, 173-43. Danny Heater starred by getting in 135 points.
    1960 - Pete Rozelle was elected commissioner of the National Football League, a position he would hold for over 25 years.
    1960 – “Dih Raydizz,” Oakland’s professional football team, joined the American Football League.  The Raiders, originally scheduled to play in Minnesota, was the last team of eight in the new league to select players, thus relegated to the remaining talent available.  They were outscored 99-0 in their first two games costing Coach Eddie Erdelatz his job.  Shortly thereafter, Al Davis took over and transformed them into an NFL champion powerhouse for over thirty years.  In 2017, the Raiders filed papers with the NFL to relocate to Las Vegas where they have played since the 2020 season.
    1961 - President John F. Kennedy chose Dr. Janet G. Travell to be the first woman to hold the position of ‘personal physician to the President’.
    1961 - Wayne Gretzy, NHL Hockey Hall of Famer, was born Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
    1961 - "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis peaks to #1.
    1962 - Top Hits
“The Twist” - Chubby Checker
“Peppermint Twist” - Joey Dee & The Starliters
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” - Elvis Presley
“Walk on By” - Leroy Van Dyke
    1962 - Bishop Burke of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, declared Chubby Checker's "Twist" is impure and bans it from all Catholic schools.
    1963 - The Rooftop Singers' "Walk Right In" hits #1
    1963 - Major League Rules Committee votes to expand strike zone.  The traditional strike zone had been the knees to the armpits of a batter in his normal stance.  This was changed to the shoulders to the bottom of the knee.
    1964 - The Four Seasons' "Walk Like a Man" enters the pop charts.
    1969 - California is declared a disaster area after two days of flooding and mud slides.
    1970 - NFL Commissioner, Pete Rozelle, and the three major television networks, NBC, CBS and ABC, agreed to a contract whereby the networks would pay a total of $124,000,000 over four years to broadcast National Football League games. CBS carried the NFC games and NBC the AFC. ABC had the idea to broadcast, "Monday Night Football."  Currently, in addition to “Monday Night Football,” there is “Thursday Night Football” and “Sunday Night Football in America.”
    1970 - Top Hits
Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas
Venus - The Shocking Blue
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Baby, Baby (I Know You’re a Lady) - David Houston
    1972 - Elvis Presley begins wearing one-piece jumpsuits during his gigs at the International Hotel, Las Vegas.
    1974 - Ringo Starr's "You're Sixteen" hits #1
    1977 - After removing the diamond from his famous "TCB" ring, Elvis Presley has it placed in an engagement ring for girlfriend Ginger Alden. Elvis proposes to her in the bathroom at Graceland.
    1977 - Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac's first lead guitar player, was committed to a mental hospital in England. He had fired a pistol in the general direction of a delivery boy. Green left the band in May of 1970.  
    1978 - Top Hits
“Baby Come Back” - Player
“Here You Come Again” - Dolly Parton
“You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)” - Rod Stewart
“What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life” - Ronnie Milsap
    1978 - A paralyzing blizzard struck the Midwest. One to three feet of snow fell in Michigan, and 20 to 40 inches was reported across Indiana. Winds reached 70 mph in Michigan and gusted above 100 mph in Ohio. The high winds produced snow drifts twenty feet high in Michigan and Indiana stranding thousands on the interstate highways. Temperatures in Ohio dropped from the 40s to near zero during the storm.  It was the lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the US until October, 2010.
    1979 - The guitar synthesizer was first demonstrated.
    1979 - “The Dukes of Hazzard” premiered on TV. This comedy/action show ran for seven seasons and featured car chases. Brothers Bo Duke (John Schneider) and Luke Duke (Tom Wopat) were the good guys, fighting crooked law enforcement in their rural southern community. Other characters included Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach), Uncle Jesse Duke (Denver Pyle), Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (James Best), Deputy Enos Strate (Sonny Shroyer) and Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke).  Daisy’s Dukes also became a fashion item.
    1980 - Mary Decker became the first woman to run a mile in under 4½ minutes
    1984 - "Mike Hammer" re-appeared on TV. Mike Hammer was a gritty, urban detective created by writer Mickey Spillane, very popular in both hard back and pocket book as a “hard-boiled dick” writer, considered still a classic, definitely ahead of his time. Originally a TV series in the 50s with Darren McGavin, CBS revived the series with Stacy Keach as Hammer. Production was stopped while Keach was briefly imprisoned for a drug charge in 1984 but the series returned in 1986. Darrin McGavin, who most likely is best remembered as "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," was the originally Mike Hammer on television and one of my favorite shows. As a teenager, I never missed it and consequently read all Spillane's books, along with Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Kenneth Millar aka Ross McDonald. Spillane is one of America's greatest authors and his works should be studied in colleges and universities as there are many levels and messages in his observations of good versus evil.
    1985 - With a 66-65 win, St. John’s University ended Georgetown’s 29-game winning streak. Chris Mullin, later an NBA star and Hall of Famer, and the current coach of St. John’s, scored 20 points for St. John’s. Patrick Ewing, also an NBA star and current Hoyas coach, led Georgetown with 9 points, in this Big East Conference basketball game.
    1986 - Chicago Wins Super Bowl XX: In their first Super Bowl outing, the Chicago Bears romped over the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XX, 46-10. Chicago spotted the Patriots a 3-0 lead but then scored the next 44 points while holding New England to seven yards rushing.  The game’s MVP was Bears’ DE Richard Dent, one of the few defensive players to ever win the award.  This Bears defense is generally regarding as the best defense in NFL history.  They were ranked first in the league and only allowed 198 total points (an average of 12.4 points per game).  In the playoffs and Super Bowl, they allowed only 10 points, having shut out the Giants and Rams in the first two games.
    1986 - Top Hits
“That’s What Friends Are For” - Dionne Warwick & Friends
“Burning Heart” - Survivor
“Talk to Me” - Stevie Nicks
“Never Be You” - Rosanne Cash
    1986 - Corey Hart's "Boy in the Box" album reached the million mark in sales in Canada. Hart was the second Canadian artist to reach the figure, which qualified him for a diamond award. The first Canadian artist to sell a million copies of an album was Bryan Adams, whose "Reckless" album reached that mark in December 1985.
    1987 - Coca-Cola was officially named the #1 soft drink in the United States. Pepsi- Cola was at #2.
    1988 - The incoming hit musical from London, Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “The Phantom of The Opera,” the longest-running show in Broadway history, set a Broadway record in advance sales of over $12 million before its grand opening on Broadway on this date. “Phantom” took in a record-setting amount of $920,272 in seventeen hours when tickets went on sale the previous November.
    1988 - A snowstorm in the northeastern U.S. produced 19 inches at Austerlitz, NY and Stillwater, NY. A storm in the Great Lakes Region left 16.5 inches at Marquette, MI, for a total of 43 inches in six days.
    1990 – The Boston Red Sox hired Elaine Weddington as Asst. GM, making her the highest-ranking African American female in a major-league front office.
    1991 – The Kansas City Chiefs’ Jan Stenerud became the first placekicker to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
    1992 - Super Bowl XXVI (at Minneapolis): Washington Redskins 37, Buffalo Bills 24. Washington led 37-10 before Buffalo scored a pair of TDs in the final six minutes. Bills’ QB Jim Kelly threw the football a record 58 times (with 4 interceptions) in the losing effort. MVP: Redskins’ QB Mark Rypien. Tickets: $150.00.  This was Coach Joe Gibbs’, now a Pro Football Hall of Famer, third Super Bowl victory, each with a different QB.  (Joe Theisman and Doug Williams preceded Rypien.)
http://images.nfl.com/history/images/0126.jpg
    1994 - Top Hits
“All For Love” - Bryan Adams/Rod Stewart/Sting
“Hero” - Mariah Carey
“Breathe Again” - Toni Braxton
“The Power Of Love” - Celine Dion
    1995 - For a price-tag of $1.7 billion, Cadbury Schweppes, whose arsenal of products already included A&W Root Beer, Canada Dry, and Crush and Sunkist fruit colas, bought the United States' third-biggest soft drink concern, the Dr. Pepper / Seven-Up Company. The acquisition left Cadbury Schweppes with 17% of America's $49 billion soda market, putting it just behind Coca-Cola and Pepsico in the field.
    1997 - Super Bowl XXXI (at New Orleans): ZZ Top, James Brown, and the "Blues Brothers" perform at the Super Bowl XXXI halftime show. Green Bay 35, New England 21. A classic team effort: QB Brett Favre passed for two TDs and Desmond Howard (MVP) returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score as the Packers won their 12th NFL championship and the first since Super Bowl II in 1968. Tickets: $275.00.
    1998 - Compaq Computer Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp. announced plans to merge. In the largest computer biz acquisition to that time, the deal was worth $9.6 billion. On March 20, 2002, the stock holders approved the company’s merger with Hewlett-Packard.
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/newsroom/pr/2002/pr2002032001.html
    1998 – President Bill Clinton in an evening press conference to the American public:  "I want to say one thing to the American people; I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
    1999 - The National Transportation Safety Board determines the cause of John Denver's fatal 1997 airplane crash: Denver neglected to fill his main tank with enough fuel, and in the process of switching over to his backup tank inadvertently put the plane into a deadly roll.
    1999 - Saddam Hussein vowed revenge against the US in response to air-strikes that reportedly killed civilians. The strikes were US planes defending themselves against anti-aircraft fire.
    2003 – Billy Joel was hospitalized for several hours after crashing his car into a tree in Sag Harbor, NY. He was released early the next morning.
    2003 – In Super Bowl XXXVII, Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders, 48-21. The game is sometimes referred to as the "Gruden Bowl" because the primary storyline surrounding the game revolved around Jon Gruden. Gruden was the Raiders' head coach from 1998-2001, and then became the Buccaneers coach in 2002.  Instead of paying a high salary for Gruden, Davis opted to trade the rights for Gruden to the Buccaneers in exchange for four draft picks. The Buccaneers ended up giving two first-round picks, two second-round picks and $8 million to the Raiders to get Gruden. Tampa Bay, Gruden's new team, made their only Super Bowl appearance in team history to that point.
    2005 - Condoleezza Rice is sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State, becoming the first African American woman to hold the post.
    2006 - Western Union discontinued its telegram service.
    2010 - James Cameron's movie "Avatar" became the highest-grossing film worldwide.
    2020 – LA Lakers basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others, died in a helicopter crash in foggy conditions in the hills above Calabasas, CA.

Super Bowl Champions:
    1986 - Chicago Bears
    1992 - Washington Redskins
    1997 - Green Bay Packers
    2003 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers