The above announcement was received from many Leasing News readers on Wednesday, then sent out to the Leasing News Edition mailing list on Constant Contact.  It is repeated here for those who did not receive it.
 

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Readers React to Pawnee Leasing Corporation
Temporary Suspension of Originations
By Christopher "Kit" Menkin, Editor

The actual problems were not divulged, although there appears to be a securitization problem. The last two quarters were not very good and it appears that there are Canadian company problems with vehicles.

A call to Chesswood Group CEO Barry Shafran was not returned.

There were many emails:
"Thanks for the news, Kit.  I arranged the sale of Pawnee to Chesswood in 2006, and I have, until now, been very pleased with how well the relationship has worked out. I am surprised that the lenders were not able to work out some accommodation that would have enabled Pawnee to continue to fund transactions that meet certain credit parameters."

Bruce Kropschot
Senior Managing Director
The Alta Group, LLC

"We received thhe same email from Pawnee. Fortunately, we have no transactions pending with Pawnee at this time. The email, however, is shocking. For a company like Pawnee to not only cancel all approvals but also not fund transactions currently in for funding is unprecedented. Legal commitments by brokers and delivery of equipment by vendors will result in potential problems and probable lawsuits. Obviously, Pawnee is in major trouble to stop funding deals that are currently in for funding.

"I’m sure there is a lot more to this story and you will be on top of the story as you always are."

Name Withheld

"A sign of Things to Come? I doubt that this will be the only one. What a disaster!"

Name Withheld

"Kit, thanks. I did get this earlier today. This whole situation seems to get more real every day and I think we are in for a rough ride for several months to come. Ed"

Edward J. Bourke, Jr.
Guardian Leasing Associates, LLC

There are several other companies who have not only withdrawn from funding in certain industries but really are not funding. One major company stopped funding deals in March. I promised the CEO we would not divulge as it was their decision. There are other reports of difficulties while other brokers and funders doing well or "surviving."

 

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Marlin Sends out Press Release Net Loss $11.8M 1st Quarter
   Credit Losses $52.1 Million, $30.4 million Increase from 12/31/2019

Marlin Press Release:
http://www.snl.com/Cache/IRCache/c51284ad7-cc29-97b6-b581-8c2918ed4393.html

OnDeck Reports Q1 Net Loss of $59M
By Sean Murray, deBanked.com

https://debanked.com/2020/04/ondeck-q1-earnings-to-be-released/

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Balboa Capital Opens Broker Division
Hires Viki Shamus to Run It (see New Hires)

A December 2, 2008 story in Leasing News Tells it All

Brokers were notified by email without other notice:

"Dear Broker:

“Please accept this as Balboa Capital Corporation's notice that we are ending our relationship with your company effective today, Friday, November 21, 2008. Thank you for your past business. And while this was a difficult decision, we wish you only the very best with your future endeavors.

“If you should have any questions, please contact Patrick Ontal or Phil Silva at (949) 553-3451."

These officers were not able to be reached by many, according to readers who contacted Leasing News. All approvals were void on November 21st, several at rates where the broker could earn a 20% commission, or worse yet, did not have another source for the type of credit and equipment. Some may have included working capital loans, something Balboa was also promoting to increase business.

-----

Here are some of the emails Leasing News received, and in hopes of not affecting their potential funding or receiving past commissions, their names are not included:

“I just spoke with Phil Silva who said they basically shut down their broker division and let go of most employees they have in that division while continuing their sales and vendor sides. They aren’t honoring deals I have in funding and obviously, outstanding approvals.”

“What’s most scary is the fact that they have a list of all these customers that we have financed through them who I’m sure they will call from their direct sales side.”

---

“I am an active broker with Balboa and I have two approvals with two purchase orders. I asked them if they were going to honor the purchase orders. They said e-mail the approvals and they would get back to me. Tell the brokers to beware of their approvals and their fundings.”

“I cannot get anybody at balboa to call me back to see if they will honor their commitments; what a sorry state of affairs. They are dodging calls as well. Just for your info.”

---

“Our chief credit guy just said he got an email stating they are not accepting any more business and they’re not honoring existing Approvals…”

---

“I am part of a company that is a Broker for Balboa Capital and thought I would share some news with you. On Friday, November 21st I received an e-mail stating that Balboa Capital would no longer be doing business with us. I assumed that since the new broker agreement was due on Friday, someone goofed up and didn't mark my company as one who had sent it in. I called immediately but could not get anyone on the phone to address the issue.”

---

“This morning I had a message stating that Balboa Capital will not be accepting ANY broker business. I am working to try to get a hold of someone to find out what happens to the deals we had in for funding on Friday since I had one which I wasn't able to confirm if the final step of the verbal had been completed.  Unfortunately it looks like the lights are on but no one is home.”

--

“It is hard to bring a deal in now with all the craziness going on in the economy so I wanted to e-mail you and let you know. Although I am sure you have received this information already I was wondering if anyone knew if Balboa would be honoring the fundings from Friday?”

Other who said they had been working with Balboa, but stopped, and wrote why:

“I had one deal approved and that I funded through this program and they started calling my customer within 5 business days. I had not sent any business sense then: they should have never been in the broker business. Also the deals they approved they made brokers sign their life away and take on all the risk. It was the worst program I had ever used.”

---

“I’d like to go off the record on this one. We received the email on Friday in regards to Balboa discounting the program. Additionally, I have personally had customers of mine who I had submitted to Balboa Capital; we’re declined by their credit department, and then they would receive a call at their business and even home a few days later from Balboa direct sales team inquiring about financing. There’s a very real possibility that it was “trigger lead,” however I find that to be one heck of a coincidence. As a precautionary note, I’m calling any of my customers who I have submitted there recently and been declined to ensure that they don’t jump ship if Balboa’s direct sales reps come knocking with a better deal.”

---

“We stopped doing business with Balboa when we caught them going through their direct side to our vendors and lessee's.“

---

“The final straw that broke the camel’s back was when their direct side invaded a deal in process. The broker side representative simply said, "Sorry, we cannot control what they do." It was a large transaction we spent many months developing. We presented a good rate and they came in and beat the rate (against their own broker rate). The question was, how did they know about an obscure transaction in Norfolk, Virginia? “

Many readers common reaction were:

“Is anyone really surprised?”
--

“Is this a surprise? Come on now we all know how Balboa works.”

---

“Doesn't surprise anyone.”

---

“Curt Lynse's hire was a bright spot but once burnt, shame on them, twice and shame on us. I'm not surprised that a person of Curt's caliber could not survive amongst the vipers.”

---

“I have a friend who works there and she told me they cancelled the Christmas party and the annual sales meeting…not very good signs of a viable organization.”

---

“You know the old saying, “what goes around comes around!.” I have no pity on them. But I know they will steal all those customers and vendors they got from brokers deals. They have no shame.”

Again, Leasing News has sought a comment or statement or interview with an officer of Balboa Capital and welcomes any communication from them on the latest news of the closing of the indirect business operation.

Full Story:
Balboa Capital Exits Broker Business Badly
http://leasingnews.org/archives/December%202008/12-01-08.htm#balboa

 

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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Quentin Cote was hired as Executive Vice President, Orion First, Gig Harbor, Washington. He remains President, Mintaka Finance since July, 2018; originally hired as Executive Vice President, August, 2016.  Previously, he was Advisor, RedCapLabs.com (September, 2013 - September, 2016); Special Advisor, LeaseQ, Woburn, Massachusetts; Director, Sherman Financial Group (October, 2012 - August, 2013), Principal, Colonnade Advisors, LLC (February, 2012 - October, 2012), Managing Director, Babson Capital Management (August, 2008 - August, 2011), Consultant, Scottish Re (February, 2008 - August, 2008), Head of Private Investments, Cambridge Place Investment Manager (March, 2005 - October, 2008), Vice President, State Street Bank (October, 1997 - March, 2005), Senior Manager, Renaissance Worldwide (August, 1994 - October, 1997): Summer Associate, McKinsey & Company (June, 1993 - August, 1993). Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Sloan School of Management SM Management (1992 – 1994), Dartmouth College, AB, Government (1984 – 1988), Tilton School (1982 – 1984), Princeton High School (1980 – 1982). https://www.linkedin.com/in/quentincote/

Zun Dang was hired as Credit Officer, Wintrust Specialty Finance, a division of Beverly Bank & Trust Company, N.A. Irvine, California. "(He)...is helping to expand WSF’s credit capacity to support the company’s significant growth. He joins a team led by Jake Nguyen, CLFP, WSF credit manager." Previously, he was Credit Analyst, Hana Finance, Inc. (February, 2019 - February, 2020); Finance Intern, Odyssey Capital (September, 2018 - December, 2018). Licenses and Certifications: Using Databases with Python, Coursera Course Certification. Issues: October, 2018.   Bloomberg Market Concept. Bloomberg LP.   CFA Level 1, DVA Institute. Education: University of California, Irvine.  The Paul Merage School of Business. Master’s Degree, finance, General. (2017 -2018).  Activities and Societies: Recipient of Fellowship Award Scholarship.  Indiana University. Kelley School of business. Bachelor's Degree, Finance, General. (2013 - 2017). Activities and Societies: IU District Scholar Recipient and Kelly Coin Holder. https://www.linkedin.com/in/zundang/

Chris Davis was hired as Vice President, Equipment Lending and Other, Trustmark National Bank, Jacksonville, Mississippi. He is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Previously, he was Regional Sales Manager, Evolve Commercial Finance (March, 2017 - April, 2020); Senior Vice President, Sales Manager, BancorpSouth Equipment Finance (February, 2001 - January, 2017); Territory Manager, BancorpSouth Equipment Finance (fka First Continental Leasing), September, 1997 - February, 2001); Fleet and Dealer Representative, Detroit Diesel Clarke Distributorship (August, 1994 - September, 1998). Education: Mississippi State University. Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Management. Mississippi State University. Bachelor’s Degree, Business Administration (1985 - 1989). https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-davis-039b7952/

Sallie Hardison was hired as Sales Support Coordinator, CU Direct, Ontario, California. Previously, she was Documentation Specialist (Temporary), East West Bank (July, 2019 - February, 2019); Closing Specialist, Crossroads Equipment Lease and Finance, LLC (January, 2013 - February, 2018); Loan Documentation Specialist II, Wells Fargo Dealer Services (July, 2011 - January, 2013).  Volunteer: Minister of Music, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church.  Donor, Red Cross Blood Services. Education: University of Phoenix. Bachelor of Science Business Management (2004 - 2006). https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallie-hardison/

Kevin Henze was hired as Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Los Angeles, California. Previously, he was Vice President, U.S. Bank Equipment Finance (May, 2007 - April, 2020); Senior Commercial Account Officer, First American Equipment Finance (May, 2001 - May, 2007).  Education: Washington State University (1996 - 2000).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-henze-a6358b14/

Alex McBride was promoted to Senior Account Executive, Regents Capital Corporation, Costa Mesa, California. He joined the firm June, 2019, as Account Executive. Previously, he was Sales and Marketing Assistant, AT&T (June, 2018 - October, 2019); Sales Associate, Bicycle Discovery (June, 2017 - March, 2018); League Coordinator Intern, National Junior Basketball League (June, 2015\6 - August, 2016). Education: San Diego State University. Bachelor of Applied Science. BASc, Fnance and Financial Management Services, GPA 3.31 (2015 - 2019). Activities and Societies: Finance and Investment Society, Real Estate Society, Sigma Alpha Epsilon. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-mcbride-24a318163/

Vicki Shimkus, CLFP, was hired as Broker Relations Manager of the Balboa Capital Broker Division, Costa Mesa, California. She is located in Bellevue, Washington. Previously, she was AVP, Business Development, BSB Leasing, Inc. (August, 2008 - January, 2020); Sr. Broker Relations Manager, Pinnacle Business Finance (2007 - 2008); Broker Relations, Colonial Pacific Leasing (1991 - 1998).  Certification: Certified Lease and Finance Professional. Member: American Association of Commercial
Finance Brokers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickishimkus/

Scott Underberg was promoted to Senior Vice President, Corporate Bank Integration Manager, Regions Bank, Birmingham, Alabama.  He joined the firm April, 2014, Senior Vice President, Credit Process Manager; promoted March, 2017, Senior Vice President, Debt Products Organization Executive; promoted October, 2018, Senior Vice President, Head of Regions Equipment Finance Credit Products. Previously, he was Senior Risk Officer and Programs Risk Manager, GE Capital (2001 - March, 2014); Division Credit Manager, SAFECO Credit Company, Inc. (May, 1987 - August, 2001); Credit Risk Analyst, Westinghouse Credit Corp. (May, 1985 - May, 1987). Education: University of North Texas, BBA, Finance (1983 - 1985). The University of Texas at Austin, Business (1981 - 1983). Activities and Societies: Alpha Epsilon Pi.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-underberg-98694bb/

When Will Things Return to Normal?
SmallBizDaily. com

There’s a lot of talk in the country about either “getting back to normal” or adjusting to the “new normal.” As small business owners we may need to face the reality that as my friend Laurie McCabe, partner at SMB Group, says, we may need to learn to deal with “the new abnormal.”

Already some governors are declaring their states are open for business. But, the big question is—are consumers ready? Recent polls from Morning Consult show it may be a while.

If your business is located in (or near) a mall, chances are you’ve been closed for well over a month. (The nation’s largest mall owner, Simon Property Group, closed all its malls on March 18.) However, 24% of the consumers who responded to the survey say they won’t be comfortable shopping at a mall for more than six months and 26% say they’re not sure when they would be comfortable (or had no opinion).

Own a restaurant? Only 18% of consumers say they’d be comfortable going out to eat in the next month or two; while 37% say they won’t be ready to go to a restaurant for three to six month; 20% say it’ll be more than six months before they’ll go. Plus, 22% don’t know when they’re ready or had no opinion.

Gym owners are in a similar position. 21% say they won’t be comfortable going to the gym or an exercise class for more than six months and 41% either had no opinion or didn’t know when they’d be ready to work out again.

If you’re in the conference business, 19% of consumers don’t think they’d be comfortable going to a work conference for more than six months and nearly half (49%) aren’t sure when they’d be ready at attend a conference or had no opinion.

The American economy is consumer-driven, so while business owners might be eager to open their doors, don’t expect American consumers to come flooding through them. Depending on the type of business you own, you’ll likely need to come up with alternate solutions. For example, offering curbside pickup for retail products as well as food, or boosting your online presence (e-commerce, exercise classes via video conferencing, etc.) before consumers are ready to return to their prior behaviors.

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Do It Now
By Brian Link

Last week, in a LinkedIn post from an Organizational Psychologist, it was suggested that if you can’t trust people to work from home, maybe you shouldn’t have hired them in the first place. This completely misses the point that working remotely, especially salespeople, requires a different set of skills. Not just sales skills but skills throughout the company, including management skills, systems and a better support structure.

As we get used to the new normal, the skills that got us here won’t be the ones that keep us here and certainly won’t be the ones to take us to the next level. 

By some estimates, only 41% of all salespeople are well-suited for working remotely from home. It requires the ability to work without supervision, to be a self-starter and to be able to work independently of physical proximity to the rest of the team. 

Managing such a team represents new challenges as well. Being able to coach, motivate and support a team takes a lot more than just looking at call counts. That was true before and it is critical in the brave new world we live in now.

Remember the CRM? Back in February (doesn’t that seem like a long time ago?) it was just annoying when you couldn’t get docs done because of a missing field and had to walk over to talk to the salesperson. It was just annoying when an important customer called the office and you didn’t know about the conversation they had with your salesperson the day before. It was just annoying when only 50% of the sales forecast came through. Now those things can be mission critical.  Setting expectations about using the system and holding people accountable matters now more than ever.

So, what do you do? My suggestion is to start with an honest inventory of your sale teams’ strengths and weaknesses. If you don’t know where you’re starting and what you have to work with, it’s hard to chart a path to get you where you need to go. 

By identifying the core competencies (we look at 21) in your sales teams, you can:

• Make sure you have the right people in the right roles. Do you have farmers out there hunting for new clients?  Are your hunters looking after your key accounts?
• Determine how Management impacts the sales force. Are they bringing the right combination of Coaching, Motivation, Recruiting and Accountability?
• Find out how to use your systems and processes to maximum value.  Maybe education and training can produce a change. Maybe better sales support is in order.

Whatever you decide to do, do it NOW. Everything changed back in March and it isn’t going back to the way it was any time soon. I was here in 1987 when the stock market crashed.  I lived through the dot-com bubble in the 1990s, 9/11, and the credit crisis of 2008+. This is different. We’re going to be living with this for a while.

So, it’s time to go on offense. Figure out how to use this new reality to your advantage. Find and use trusted advisors. Those who do will thrive and those who don’t…. well, listen, just be one of the ones who do. And keep washing your hands

Remember Yogi’s saying: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there.”

Brian Link
President/Founder
InSource Capital Service
brian@insourcecapital.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandlink/

Previous Article: Some Important Questions to Ask By Brian Link
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2020/04_22.htm#some

 

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Tips for Building Your Company's LinkedIn Presence
Part II

FinTech #102 by Alex Vasilakos

6. Write Engaging, Consistent Content
Getting creative with your LinkedIn updates can help you craft the most compelling content possible and stand out from your competition. Exciting content draws your readers in and gives them information that can't be replicated by any other page due to your unique angles. Your own professional experiences can be used to write new content, as every individual has different life perspectives that can be of value. Adding company videos, calls to action that promote engagement and responses to your audience can all improve your credibility and build your potential customer base. Remember that quality trumps quantity:  if you can only manage to post a few good updates each week, don't get discouraged. Stick to a schedule that keeps you from being overwhelmed. What's most important than adding a large amount of content to your page is showing your LinkedIn followers that you have an active presence and that you care about them as people and professionals.

7. Make Room for LinkedIn in Your Schedule
It can be hard to remember to keep your LinkedIn page up and running when you have what feels like one million to-dos on your list. Scheduling time to post each day or a few times every week can help you remember to keep the content flowing. Adding calendar reminders with notifications that remind you to work on your LinkedIn presence can help you stay on-track, whether you use your phone or your computer. Even if you can only log in to like a few posts from connections, make them time to do so in order to keep your page as active and engaging as possible week after week.

8. Utilize LinkedIn Groups
Did you know that there is a Groups feature for businesses and individuals on LinkedIn? Groups are great tools for networking within your industry and growing your company page in an organic way. Make sure you only join high-quality groups within your industry. That way, you have the ability to easily see what your competition has been up to, exchange ideas with like-minded professionals and network with prospective customers and colleagues. As you would with your company page, keep your interactions authentic and engaging. The more relevant your communication is to your target audience, the more likely people will be to visit your company page and consider your company a credible member of the B2B community. Groups also open you up to a world of ideas and possibilities made possible by your network and your competitors.

9. Implement Group Conversations
Now that you know how important it is for your employees to share your company updates on LinkedIn, it's time to learn how to take things one step further. You can encourage your employees to participate in various group conversations on LinkedIn. Doing so spreads your brand presence far and wide, which can help boost your visibility on LinkedIn over time. It also helps your business to look more credible and positions your employees as intelligent thought leaders who are valuable additions to your professional community. Boosting employee engagement, improving morale and giving your company the idea to create new ideas and initiatives are other benefits that can arise when you implement group conversations on LinkedIn.

10. Get Serious About Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, needs to be considered during every stage of development for your LinkedIn growth strategy. Utilizing SEO best practices can help boost growth by allowing you to rank more highly within LinkedIn's own search engine. You can optimize your company LinkedIn page in line with SEO best practices in a few ways. First, make sure that you keep your profile up-to-date with relevant, current company information. Next, do some research on the keywords that fit your industry and business so the individuals who stand to benefit the most from your content can easily find it. You may need to research your target LinkedIn audience and see what type of content they want and need. Include your keywords naturally throughout your page and updates to retain credibility and readability. Taking special care to optimize your description, specialties and company overviews can help you boost your overall visibility within LinkedIn's search results pages and enhance your reputation as a company. You may even get a boost within external search engines, such as Google and Bing.

When it comes to sharing information with your potential customers in the most efficient and powerful way possible, there is no better social media outlet than your company's LinkedIn page. Whether you want to connect with your existing audience, engage your employees or reach new eyes, LinkedIn has a way to help. Utilizing some or all of the ten important tips above as part of your overall social media communications strategy can help you boost your audience and your profits in a relatively simple way.

Part 1
Tips for Building Your Company's LinkedIn Presence
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2020/04_24.htm#tips

 

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

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

Watch at Home
By Fernando F. Croce

While some great directors take their time gaining confidence from one film to the next, others knock it out of the park in their very first effort. So here we recommend five of the boldest feature debuts from five brilliant filmmakers.

Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941): No list of cinematic debuts could possibly be complete without Orson Welles’ magnificent first feature, a landmark that’s stayed fresh and thrilling even eight decades after its release. Welles stars as Charles Foster Kane, an all-powerful newspaper tycoon whose sprawling, eventful life comes under scrutiny after he emits one mysterious word (“Rosebud”) upon his deathbed. What does the word mean? As we witness testimonies of his family members, friends and enemies, we savor a young filmmaker’s contagious delight in trying out every cinematic device—from long camera moves to shock cutting—to put his visions on the screen. A fountain of inspiration for countless other directors, Welles’ classic still exhilarates as a meditation on age and memory, made by a 25-year-old dynamo who was just getting started.

They Live by Night (Nicholas Ray, 1948): A poet of anguished expression, Nicholas Ray (“Rebel Without a Cause”) first burst on screens with this powerful drama, a moving precursor to “Bonnie and Clyde.” Set during the Depression, it follows Bowie (Farley Granger), a young criminal first seen escaping from jail with two older cohorts, Chickamaw (Howard da Silva) and T-Dub (Jay C. Flippen). While the other men plan on getting back on a life of crime, Bowie is more interested in settling down with T-Dub’s no-nonsense niece, Keechie (Cathy O’Donnell). The more the young couple hopes to start a new life, however, the more they feel the world closing in on them. Without resorting to easy sentimentality and greatly helped by the sensitive performances of his actors, Ray offers a crime story that pulses with romanticism.

Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973): Widely acclaimed as one of the world’s greatest directors, the reclusive Terrence Malick (“The Tree of Life”) got his start in the business with this haunting drama. Based on true-life events, the film follows the odd romance between Kit (Martin Sheen), a moody juvenile delinquent, and Holly (Sissy Spacek), an alienated teenager in the 1950s. After killing Holly’s strict father (Warren Oates), the two run off together and try to live in the woods before embarking on a crime spree. The story may sound right out of sordid headlines, but Malick’s detached approach results in a uniquely, disconcertingly poetic portrait of dislocated characters against an indifferent world. Check out this remarkable debut and see the beginnings of the genius behind “The Thin Red Line” and “The New World.”

The Sugarland Express (Steven Spielberg, 1974): Before conquering Hollywood with blockbusters like “Jaw” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” Steven Spielberg made his big-screen debut with this rollicking comedy-drama, which begins like a lighthearted caper and proceeds to darken fascinatingly. Based on a true story, it follows the strange path of Clovis (William Atherton) and Lou-Jean Poplin (Goldie Hawn), a young married couple determined to get their baby back after he’s been given up for adoption. To do that, Lou-Jean helps Clovis escape from jail and the two lead a wild chase through Texas, with a sympathetic police captain (Ben Johnson) on their trail. Already a master at staging scenes in kinetic movement, Spielberg offers a breathless, funny and ultimately sad look at lost souls posing as would-be rebels.

Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992): One of the defining cinematic voices of his generation, Quentin Tarantino from the very beginning mixed the old and the new in this brutal and stylish thriller, which launched a thousand imitators. Working with a fractured temporal structure reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Killing,” the film follows the preparations for a heist and the bloody aftermath, focusing on the group of criminals gathered for the job. There’s the veteran Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), the rookie Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) and the psychotic Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), among those trying to figure out who the police informant among them really is. The game-changing marvels of “Pulp Fiction” were still a couple of years away, though in his debut Tarantino was already changing the face of the medium.

Labrador Retriever Mix
Fort Collins, Colorado  Adopt a Dog

Kammi
ID 20200129-02
Female
Medium Size
Spayed
House Trained
Good with Dogs

Kammie is a shy 8 year old lab mix.

Kammie was found homeless with her 3 babies. All of Kammie's other pups did not survive the conditions they were in prior to arriving at the shelter. Poor Kammie has lost so much already, it's time she gains something. A home and loving family can help start making up for that. Because she has had so much trauma, this girl is timid, but has not shown any aggression when she is approached. She even gets along well with other dogs! Kammie is an older dog, so we want her last years to be filled with happiness. She should not leave this world having only known loss.

From her foster: She is so gentle and sweet. It definitely takes her a bit to get comfortable, but it makes the tail wags even more special when you get them! Kammie took a few days to get potty trained, but they all do as you know. She hasn't had an accident inside since the third day we had her. She has been great with the puppy and my dog, but she doesn't seem to like my cats. She growls and barks when she sees them and they're shy so they stay in our bedroom most of the time. We gave her a bath a few days after they settled in and she did really well! She's slow to walk on a leash, but she has improved so much in just one week. She takes treats very gently and doesn't make a peep when I put her in her kennel at night and when we're leaving for work.

She is such a gentle girl who just needs some TLC to know what love is- she deserves it!! She's not super active, but I've seen glimpses of her get excited with my dog and want to play a little. It breaks my heart to think of all the years of hard living she's endured and I know she will be a great addition to a family willing to show her how great life as a dog can be!

https://youtu.be/onmQPEXxHAQ

If you are interested in these pups, please submit an application through our website aaanimalrescue.org. Please feel free to email with any questions allaboardanimalrescue@gmail.com.
All Aboard Animal Rescue
Fort Collins, CO 80526
allaboardanimalrescue@gmail.com
http://www.aaanimalrescue.org

Step 1 – Fill Out An Adoption Application
Please fill out an application online, which can be found under the adoptions tab. Applications must be filled out in full and electronically signed or we will not review them. Please allow us 24-48 hours to process your application and get back to you. You will receive an email back from us letting us know if you are able to adopt or not. If you fill out an application less than 24 hours before one of our adoption events, do not expect to get a response back from us before the event.

Adoption Application
http://aaanimalrescue.org/adoption/start-here/

Adult Dogs (over 6 months)*
$300 – This price includes all age appropriate shots, the spay/neuter, a free vet exam and discounts at our partner vet clinic, and 30 days free of pet insurance.
*Adoption fees are subject to change at any time.         

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Just eight weeks after hitting 100 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the United States passed one million official cases on April 28. According to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University, confirmed cases climbed to 1,012,583 on Tuesday, 17 days after hitting half a million on April 11.

As the following chart shows, 838,292 of those cases are still considered “active” as of April 29, meaning the patients have neither officially recovered nor are deceased. It needs to be noted though, that according to Johns Hopkins University, recovered cases “are estimates based on local media reports, and state and local reporting when available, and therefore may be substantially lower than the true number.” Considering that patients typically recover after two to three weeks, it seems likely that the actual number of recovered patients is much higher than the number reported here.

As of April 28, 58,355 people in the U.S. have died after contracting the novel coronavirus, making the United States the country with the highest death toll by far.

By Felix Richter, Statista

News Briefs----

Is there a Las Vegas-Silicon Valley coronavirus connection
   from January tech trade show?
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/29/is-there-a-las-vegas-silicon-valley-coronavirus-connection-from-january-tech-trade-show/

Florida has overtaken California as the US jobless claims capital
  Hawaii, Kentucky, Georgia Hardest Hit
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/30/florida-jobless-claims-surpass-californias-as-unemployment-spreads.html

Salesforce is canceling all its events for the rest of 2020
  and moving them online
https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-dreamforce-cancelled-virtual-conference-2020-4

San Francisco Bay Area’s Lyft
     to cut nearly 1,000 jobs
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/29/coronavirus-layoffs-bay-areas-lyft-to-cut-nearly-1000-jobs/

Union leaders blast Parson for failing to do enough
   to protect Missouri’s front-line workers
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/union-leaders-blast-parson-for-failing-to-do-enough-to-protect-missouri-s-front-line/article_0024596d-3969-5f1e-a4d4-5daa14605fa5.html

 

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You May Have Missed---

Coronavirus: Why would anyone open a restaurant during a pandemic?
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2020/04/29/coronavirus-why-would-anyone-open-a-restaurant-during-a-pandemic/

[headlines]
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[headlines]
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Sports Briefs---

NASCAR to resume season May 17 with seven races in 10 days
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/10933581-181/nascar-to-resume-season-may

NFL Teams Headed in the Wrong Direction in 2020
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2888939-nfl-teams-headed-in-the-wrong-direction-in-2020

Joe Staley taken aback by tributes after retirement announcement
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/10928268-181/joe-staley-taken-aback-by

Trent Williams excited for fresh start with 49ers
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/niners/10934266-181/trent-williams-excited-for-fresh?sba=AAS

Former 49ers QB Alex Smith shares his trauma
   and recovery in ESPN documentary
https://www.sfchronicle.com/49ers/annkillion/article/Former-49er-Alex-Smith-shares-his-trauma-and-15238420.php

Opinion: Andy Dalton’s release adds
   further intrigue to NFL's unpredictable QB market
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/mike-jones/2020/04/30/andy-dalton-released-cincinnati-bengals-teams-new-england-patriots/3055918001/

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California Nuts Briefs---

71% of Bay Area business leaders want shelter in place lifted in next month
https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/71-of-Bay-Area-business-leaders-want-shelter-in-15232041.php

California surpasses 2,000 total deaths from virus
   Total cumulative cases statewide topped 50,000
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/30/coronavirus-more-than-2000-deaths-reported-in-california/

Newsom: Beaches to close, but only in Orange County
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/30/newsom-beaches-to-close-but-only-in-orange-county/

California releases detailed list of outdoor
    activities allowed during shutdown
https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks/article/California-outdoor-activities-allowed-stay-home-15238108.php

When can you get your hair cut at a salon in California?
  It could be months, Newsom’s plan says
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article242358891.html?

Loosened restrictions in the San Francisco Bay Area https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/29/breaking-bay-area-to-allow-construction-some-outdoor-activities-under-new-shelter-in-place-order/

Sonoma Media Investments secures
    $3.4 million federal coronavirus aid loan
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10931491-181/sonoma-media-investments-secures-34

Season’s last snowpack survey confirms dry winter.
  California inching toward statewide drought
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/water-and-drought/article242411941.html?

[headlines]
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“Gimme that Wine”

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

US wine sales in stores up 14% in 5th week
  of coronavirus lockdown but tripled via e-commerce
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/10930647-181/wine-sales-nielsen-commerce7-april-18-25

Wine Importers Battle an Increasingly Volatile Market
https://www.winemag.com/2020/04/30/wine-importers-adapt-crisis/

Gov. Abbott says Texas is allowed to keep alcohol
   to-go sales after May 1, possibly 'forever'
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Gov-Abbott-says-Texas-is-allowed-to-keep-alcohol-15234187.php

A Rare Trifecta for Vintage Port
https://www.winespectator.com/articles/a-rare-trifecta-for-vintage-port

Can California Zinfandel Get Its Groove Back?
https://www.winemag.com/2020/04/28/best-california-zinfandel-wine-guide/

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

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

US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/

Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm

This Day in History

     1594 – John Haynes (d. 1653/4), the first Governor of the Connecticut Colony, was born in Essex, England.  Haynes was influential in the drafting of laws and legal frameworks in both Massachusetts and Connecticut colonies. He was on the committee that drafted the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which has been called one of the first written constitutions. He also invested most of his fortune in Connecticut, "to the ruine of his famylye in Englande."
    1718 – Mission San Antonio De Valero was founded by Franciscans in the state of Coahuila and Texas in New Spain.  Later known as The Alamo, it and four later ones became the community that was San Antonio. 
    1764 – Architect Benjamin Latrobe (d. 1820), the designer of the US Capitol building, was born in Leeds, England.
    1795 – Kamehameha I, King of Hawai’i, defeated Kalanikupule and established the Kingdom of Hawai’i with the unification of the independent islands of Hawai’i, O’ahu, Maui, Moloka’i and Lana’i under one government.  The kingdom won recognition from major European powers. The US became its chief trading partner and the kingdom was watched jealously lest Britain, Japan, or another power threaten to seize control.
    1830 - Birthday of Mary Harris Jones (d. 1930) at Cork, Ireland.  Better known as “Mother Jones,” the American labor leader, after the death of her husband and four children (during the Memphis yellow fever epidemic of 1867) and loss of her belongings in the Chicago Fire in 1871, Jones devoted her energies and her life to organizing and advancing the cause of labor. It seemed she was present wherever there were labor troubles. She gave her last speech on her 100th birthday. In 1923, at the age of ninety-three, she was still working among striking coal miners in West Virginia. A passionate organizer, she counted among her more spectacular achievements the leading of a march of miners’ wives who routed strikebreakers with brooms and mops in the Pennsylvania coalfields in 1902, and the leading of a march of striking child textile workers from Kensington, Pennsylvania, to President Theodore Roosevelt’s Long Island home in 1903 to dramatize the case for abolition of child labor. In 1905, she helped found the Industrial Workers of the World. 
http://www.johnshepler.com/articles/mojo.html
http://www.mojones.com/info/maryharris.html
    1841 – The first emigrant wagon train left Independence, Missouri, for California.
    1850 - The "Panama" sailed from San Francisco with $1,500,156 in gold dust destined for the East.
    1850 – The first Mayor of San Francisco was John Geary.  Originally known as Yerba Buena, the city name was changed to San Francisco in 1847.
    1852 - Birthday of Martha Jane Canary (d. 1903) in Princeton, MO.  U.S. frontierswoman and stagecoach driver known as Calamity Jane.  She joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and has been romanticized in movies, fiction stories, and legends. She was reportedly rough mannered (with most people of the place and era) and, as was also common in those days for women without the protection of one man, was a prostitute of sorts. She frequented bars, was rumored (mostly disproved) to have driven stagecoaches, but she was a crack shot. It is believed that she began roaming the mining areas after she was orphaned at 15. She toured with several Wild West shows including Buffalo Bill's. She often dressed in men's clothing (also not a particularly unusual thing in the pioneer west for active and poor women). According to some legends (told mostly by herself), she scouted for the army including Col. George Custer. She went to the Black Hills of South Dakota with a geological expedition and stayed in Deadwood after the gold strike there. There she became a companion to Wild Bill Hickock although a rumored marriage probably never took place. The name "Calamity" has been variously explained as being derived from her care of patients during a smallpox epidemic or warnings to men who felt a single woman alone was a plaything to be used as they would. She eventually moved to El Paso and married (maybe). She had a habit of referring to her male companions as husbands. She exhibited herself in some shows following depictions of her as a romantic character in the dime novels of the day. Living in abject poverty for many years, she eventually traveled back to South Dakota where she died in 1903 and was buried next to Wild Bill Hickock.
http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/cana-mar.htm
http://www.cowgirls.com/dream/cowgals/calamity.htm
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_calamity_jane.htm
http://www.watermargin.com/graves/wildbill.html
    1855 - When nationally known public speaker and feminist Lucy Stone married Henry Blackwell, a marriage contract written by the bride and groom was read at the wedding that disavowed the gross inequity married women suffered under American law, and the word “obey” was omitted from their marriage vows. A year after the ceremony, the bride further shocked society by taking back her maiden name, which she kept for the rest of her life.
http://ads.addynamix.com/creative/2-2127570-1i?
http://www.lucystoneleague.org/
    1855 - Birthday of Cecilia Beaux (d. 1942) in Philadelphia.  As an artist, she is generally recognized as the leading U.S. portrait painter of her day. Her first paintings, those of her family, won prizes in the U.S. and Paris. She was elected to the Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts (Paris) and the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1933). Her paintings are in major museums throughout the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. An injury cut short her career. One historian wrote:  “In 1895 she became the first woman instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and in 1896, on the strength of her showing at the Paris Salon, she was elected to membership in the Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts.” Cecilia Beaux moved to New York City in 1900. Later major works included commissioned portraits of Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt and her daughter Ethel, Mary Adelaide Nutting (for the Johns Hopkins Hospital), Mrs. Andrew Carnegie, Richard Watson Gilder, and, for the National Art Committee's project on World War I leaders, Adm. Lord David Beatty, Georges Clemenceau, and Cardinal Mercier. "Her paintings were placed in such major collections as the National Collection of Fine Arts, the Metropolitan Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Luxembourg Museum of Paris, and the Uffizi Gallery of Florence. Her work, while it suggested at times the influence of some of her French Impressionist teachers, and at other times was compared to that of John Singer Sargent, was not imitative of any master." Some of her work is also exhibited at the Women's Museum of Art in Washington, D.C.
http://www.butlerart.com/pc_book/pages/cecilia_beaux_1855.htm
http://www.artrenewal.org/museum/b/Beaux_Cecilia/page1.html
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=731567&c=&search=Beaux
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/beaux_cecilia.html    
    1862 - Capt. David G. Farragut and Union forces took possession of New Orleans after running past Forts Jackson and St. Philip on the Mississippi River at night and then defeating a small Confederate flotilla. In its 19 months of service, the Hartford was hit 240 times by enemy fire. Farragut was promoted to Rear Admiral in July.
http://www.nps.gov/vick/visctr/sitebltn/farragut.htm
http://www.us-civilwar.com/farragut.htm
    1863 - At the battle of Chancellorsville, 50 miles southwest of Washington, DC., Gen. Robert E. Lee won his greatest victory over huge Union forces under Gen. Joseph Hooker. The battles lasted for four days. In the North, 17,275 were killed or wounded; in the South, 12,821. Here is a good piece of trivia, General Hooker allowed his troops to bring “ladies of the evening” into camp, and many also traveled with his troops. They were called “Hookers” and they are so known today.
http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/va032.htm
http://www.nps.gov/frsp/cville.htm
http://www.bergen.org/civilwar/defense/chnclee.html
http://www.war-art.com/chancellorsville.htm
http://www.civilwarhome.com/chancell.htm
http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/gettysburg/intro/chance.htm
http://www.collectorsnet.com/cwtimes/chancell.htm
    1864 - Birthday of Anna M. Jarvis (d. 1948) in Webster, WV.  She is the founder of Mother's Day.  After many women had attempted to have a special day set aside to honor mothers after the U.S. Civil War, Jarvis was successful in having the second Sunday of May set aside to do so. By 1913, every state in the Union established the observance and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a joint resolution of Congress to officially recognize the day.  She was unalterably opposed the commercialization of the observance, wanting to keep it a pure and simple remembrance. A number of other women, including Julia Ward Howe had suggested Mother's Day, but none were successful until Jarvis's campaign, which started in Philadelphia in May, 1908 with the pink carnation being worn if the mother was alive and white in memorial. The observance was originally to be a renunciation of war, militarism, and the patriarchy that cost women their husbands and sons in the Civil War. Jarvis spent most of her declining years in attempt to keep the holiday pure from the inroads of florists, jewelers, and the like who made it a marketing circus. Here is the original, pre-Hallmark, Mother's Day Proclamation, penned in Boston by Julia Ward Howe in 1870.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvtaylor/founder.htm
    1866 – Race riots began in Memphis.  In three days’ time, 46 African-Americans and two whites were killed. Reports of the atrocities influenced passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
    1867 – Howard University in Washington, DC was established.  Shortly after the end of the Civil War, members of The First Congregational Society of Washington considered establishing a theological seminary for the education of African-American clergymen. Within a few weeks, the project expanded to include a provision for establishing a university. Within two years, the University consisted of the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Medicine. The new institution was named for General Oliver O. Howard, a Civil War hero, who was both the founder of the University and, at the time, Commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Howard later served as President of the university from 1869–74.  Congress chartered Howard on March 2, 1867, and much of its early funding came from endowment, private benefaction, and tuition. An annual congressional appropriation administered by the Department of Education funds Howard University and Howard University Hospital.
    1873 - Birthday of William Morris, born Zelman Moses (d. 1932) in in Schwarzenau, Germany.  Founder of the William Morris Agency. http://www.wma.com/
    1873 - Congress enacted the one cent postal card. The first cards were made by the Morgan Envelope Company, Springfield, MA. Stamp collectors state the first cancellation was May 12, 1873.
    1874 - Birthday of Romaine Brooks (d. 1970) in Rome.  U.S. artist whose palette of primary black, grey and brown produced amazingly insightful portraits. The daughter of an unstable mother and brother who became dangerously paranoid, she was sent away to various schools. Following their deaths, she inherited a fortune. She married for form's sake but lived openly as a lesbian, maintaining an on\off liaison for 40-years with the wandering Natalie Clifford Barney, noted U.S. expatriate writer. She continued to paint until her late 80s. The largest collection of her works can be viewed at the National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC. http://www.satanic.org/~succubus/romaine.html
http://www.uwrf.edu/history/prints/women/brooks.html
http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/exhibits/brooks.html
http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa636.htm
http://www.queerstudies.com/histories/b/brooks_romaine.htm
http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/women2/images/brooks_big.jpg
http://www.queerculturalcenter.org/Pages/Brooks/BrooksChron.html
    1883 - "Buffalo Bill" Cody put on his first Wild West Show, an outdoor attraction that toured annually. The new show contained a lot of action including wild animals, trick performances, and theatrical reenactments. All sorts of characters from the frontier were incorporated into the show's program. Shooting exhibitions were also in the lineup with extensive shooting displays and trick shots. Rodeo events, involving rough and dangerous activities performed by cowboys with different animals, also featured. It was the first and prototypical Wild West show, lasting until 1915, and featured theatrical reenactments of battle scenes, characteristic western scenes, and hunts.
    1884 - Construction was begun on the Home Insurance Company building in Chicago, IL on what was to become the modern skyscraper. The 10-story building was completed in 1885. Designed by William Le Baron Jenney, it had a steel frame which carried the weight of the building. The walls provided no support but hung like curtains on the metal frame. This method of construction revolutionized American architecture and allowed architects to build taller and taller buildings. This building was constructed of marble and flanked by four columns of polished granite supporting a marble balcony. Two additional stories were added to it later. The steel frame supported the entire weight of the walls, instead of the walls themselves carrying the weight of the building.
http://www.skyscrapers.com/english/worldmap/building
/0.9/102645/index.html
    1884 – Moses Fleetwood Walker became the first African-American to play in a professional baseball game in the United States.  One of the first black men to play in Major League Baseball, he was native of Mt. Pleasant, OH, a star athlete at Oberlin College and the University of Michigan.  Walker played for semi-professional and minor league baseball clubs before joining the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association, then a Major League, for the 1884 season. He then played in the minor leagues until 1889, when professional baseball prohibited blacks from playing, a practice that stood for nearly 60 years until the Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson. After leaving baseball, Walker became a businessman and advocate of Black Nationalism.  On August 10, 1883, in an exhibition against the Chicago White Stockings, Chicago's manager, Cap Anson, refused to play if Walker was in the lineup. In response, Charlie Morton, who replaced William Voltz as Toledo's manager at mid-season, challenged Anson's ultimatum by not only warning him of the risk of forfeiting gate receipts, but also by starting Walker at right field.   Anson is alleged to have said “We’ll play this here game, but won’t play never no more with the nigger in.”  In 1884, the Chicago club made a successful threat months in advance of another exhibition game at Toledo, to have Walker sit out. In 1887, Anson made a successful threat by telegram before an exhibition game against the Newark Little Giants of the International League that it must not play its two black players, Walker and pitcher George Stovey.  The influence of players such as Anson and the general racism in society led to segregation efforts in professional baseball. On July 14, 1887, the minor International League voted to ban the signing of new contracts with black players. By a 6-to-4 vote, the league’s entirely white teams voted in favor and those with at least one black player voted in the negative. The Binghamton, N.Y., team, which had just released its two black players, voted with the majority. 
    1884 - Proclamation by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the demand for eight-hour workday in the United States. Labor movement publications called for an eight-hour day as early as 1836. Boston ship carpenters, although not unionized, achieved an eight-hour day in 1842.  In 1864, the eight-hour day quickly became a central demand of the Chicago labor movement. The Illinois legislature passed a law in early 1867 granting an eight-hour day but had so many loopholes that it was largely ineffective. A citywide strike that began on 1 May 1867 shut down the city's economy for a week before collapsing.  On 25 June 1868, Congress passed an eight-hour law for federal employees. On 19 May 1869, President Ulysses Grant issued a National Eight Hour Law Proclamation.  The eight-hour day might have been realized for many working people in the US in 1937, when what became the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S. Code Chapter 8) was first proposed under the New Deal. As enacted, the act applied to industries whose combined employment represented about twenty percent of the US labor force. In those industries, it set the maximum workweek at 40 hours, but provided that employees working beyond 40 hours a week would receive additional overtime bonus salaries.
    1885 – The original Chicago Board of Trade building opened.
    1886 - Rallies are held throughout the United States demanding the eight-hour work day, culminating in the Haymarket affair in Chicago, in commemoration of which May 1 is celebrated as International Workers’ Day in many countries.
    1889 – Bayer introduced aspirin in Germany in powder form.
    1891 – Cy Young pitched the first game in Cleveland’s new League Park, defeating the Cincinnati Redlegs, 12-3.
    1893 - The Columbian Exposition Opened at 12:08 PM at Chicago, IL, when President Grover Cleveland, in the presence of nearly a quarter of a million people, placed his finger on a golden key.   Amid the unfurling of thousands of flags, sounding of trumpets and booming of cannons, the key activated an electromagnetic valve, steam rushed into great cylinders and the immense pump began its enormous burden of pumping 15,000,000 gallons of water a day to supply the 685-acre fair and its visitors with an ample water supply.
http://columbus.gl.iit.edu/
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA96/WCE/title.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gc2224.html
http://www.caldwellnj.com/grover.htm
    1894 - The first significant American protest march arrived in Washington, D.C. Coxey's Army was a protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by Ohio businessman Jacob Coxey during the second year of a four-year economic depression that was the worst in US history to that time. The protest related to the unemployment caused by the Panic of 1893 and to lobby for the government to create jobs which would involve building roads and other public works improvements, with workers paid in paper currency which would expand the currency in circulation, consistent with populist ideology.
    1896 – Gen. Mark Clark (d. 1984) was born in Sacketts Harbor, NY.  A general during World War II and the Korean War, he was the youngest lieutenant general (three-star general) in the U.S. Army.  During World War I, he was seriously wounded by shrapnel. After the war, Clark’s abilities were noticed by future U.S. Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall. During World War II, he commanded the Allied Fifth Army and, later, the Fifteenth Army Group, in the Italian campaign. He is known for leading the Fifth Army in its capture of Rome in June, 1944.  General Eisenhower, a West Point classmate, considered him a brilliant staff officer and trainer.   Clark was awarded many medals, including the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. Army's second highest award.  In March 1945, Clark, at the age of 48, became the youngest American officer ever to be promoted to the rank of four star general.  A legacy of the "Clark task force" that he led in 1953–1955, which reviewed and made recommendations on all federal intelligence activities, is the term “Intelligence Community.”
    1900 – The Schofield Mining Disaster in Utah killed over 200 men in what is to date the fifth-worst mining accident in United States history.   
    1906 - The Night and Day Bank opened in New York City. It was open 24 hours a day. Oakleigh Thorne was the first president. The idea was originated by Thomas Benedict Clarke.
    1908 - Birthday of trombonist Henderson Chambers (d. 1967), Alexandria, LA
    1909 - Birthday of Kate Smith, born Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (d. 1986) at Greenville, VA.  One of America's most popular singers and she never took a formal music lesson.  She recorded more songs than any other performer (more than 3,000), made more than 15,000 radio broadcasts and received more than 25 million fan letters. Nineteen of her records sold over a million copies and she sold more war bonds during World War II than anyone else. On Nov 11, 1938, she introduced a new song during her regular radio broadcast, written especially for her by Irving Berlin: "God Bless America." It soon became the unofficial national anthem, and, since 9/11, is sung at the 7th inning of Major League baseball games. Her rendition is sung at Yankee Stadium.  She began her radio career May 1, 1931, with "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain," a song identified with her throughout her career.  
http://www.katesmith.org/
    1909 - Birthday of drummer Jesse Price (d. 1974), Memphis, TN.
http://www.umkc.edu/orgs/kcjazz/jazzfolk/pricj_00.htm
    1912 – The Beverly Hills Hotel opened.
    1915 - Birthday of Archie Williams (d. 1993) at Oakland, CA.  With Jesse Owens and others, he debunked Hitler's theory of the superiority of Aryan athletes at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. As a member of the US team, Williams won a gold medal by running the 400-meter in 46.5 seconds (0.4 second slower than his own record of earlier that year). Williams earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1939 but had to dig ditches for a time because they weren't hiring black engineers. He became an airplane pilot and for 22 years trained Tuskegee Institute pilots, including the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. When asked during a 1981 interview about his treatment by the Nazis during the 1936 Olympics, he replied, “Well, over there at least we didn't have to ride in the back of the bus.”
http://www.usatf.org/athletes/hof/williams.shtml
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu:2020/dynaweb/teiproj/oh/
blackalum/williams/@Generic__BookView
    1915 – RMS Lusitania departed from New York City on her two hundred and second, and final, crossing of the North Atlantic. Six days later, the ship is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives.
    1916 – Actor Glenn Ford was born Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (d. 2006) in Quebec.  Ford was best known for playing ordinary men in unusual circumstances. He was most prominent as one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Some of his most significant roles were in “Gilda” (1946) and “The Big Heat” (1953), both film noirs, and the high school angst film, “Blackboard Jungle” (1955). However, it was for comedies or westerns which he received acting laurels, including three Golden Globe Nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy movie, winning for “Pocketful of Miracles” (1961). He also played a supporting role as Clark Kent's adoptive father in “Superman” (1978).  Five of his films have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: “Gilda” (1946), “The Big Heat” (1953), “Blackboard Jungle” (1955), “3:10 to Yuma” (1957) and “Superman” (1978).

    1918 - Jack Paar’s (d. 2004) Birthday, in Canton, OH.  Paar, an early TV star, immediately preceded Johnny Carson as the host of “The Tonight Show,” from 1957-62.  Paar succeeded the show’s first host, Steve Allen, and proceeded to introduce such stars as Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Carol Burnett and the Smothers Brothers.  
http://www.jackpaar.com/
(I remember many nights staying up with my father watching the Jack Paar Show. He and I were both night owls.)
http://talkshows.about.com/cs/jackpaar/
    1920 - The Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves played the longest game in Major League Baseball history, but did not finish it. After 26 innings, the game was halted because of darkness with the score tied, 1-1. Each team used just one pitcher, Leon Cadore for the Dodgers and Jose Oescher for the Braves, who gave up 12 and 9 hits, respectively. Despite its 26 innings, the game took just 3 hours, 50 minutes as the game was not televised and there were no commercials!! The next day, the Dodgers lost to the Phillies in 13 innings. The day after that, the Braves returned to Boston and lost again in 19 innings.
    1920 – Babe Ruth, in his first season in pinstripes, hit the first HR of his Yankee career at the Polo Grounds.  “The House That Ruth Built,” also known as Yankee Stadium, would not open until 1923.
    1924 - Big Mabelle was born Mabel Louise Smith (d. 1972) in Jackson, TN.  In 1955 she recorded the song "Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” produced by up-and-coming producer Quincy Jones, a full two years before Jerry Lee Lewis's version. Lewis has credited Smith's version as being the inspiration to make his version much louder, raunchy and raucous, with a driving beat and a spoken section with a come-on that was considered very risqué for the time.
http://www.p-dub.com/thang/maybelle.htmlBirthday
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Big%20Maybelle.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000094N/
avsearch-df1-9-20/103-6620160-9563023
    1924 – “Jeopardy’s” original host, Art Fleming (d. 1995), was born Arthur Fleming Fazzin in NYC.  He attended Colgate and Cornell Universities, starring on the football and water polo teams at both colleges. Fleming was a World War II veteran who served in the US Navy for three and a half years as the pilot of a patrol bomber over the Atlantic.  Following a brief career as a radio announcer and actor, Fleming was tabbed to host the new game show “Jeopardy” by its creator, Merv Griffin.  He held the position from 1964-75 and again from 1978-9, winning two Emmy Award nominations.  Studio 25 of the NBC Burbank Studios is named in his honor.
    1925 – Pro Football Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik (d. 2015) was born in Bethlehem, PA.  Known as Concrete Charlie, Bednarik played his entire career as center and linebacker of the Philadelphia Eagles after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania.  His reputation preceded him as a devastating tackler and he was the last two-way player in the NFL.  He led the Eagles to the NFL championship win a 17-13 win over the Green Bay Packers, the only playoff loss of Vince Lombardi’s career.  Bednarik saved the day by tackling Jim Taylor on the Eagles’ 8-yard line as time expired.  In 1960 against the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium, he delivered one of the most famous and violent tackles in NFL history, knocking Frank Gifford out of football for over 18 months with a concussion.  As his teammates looked on at his prone and unconscious body, several said later they thought Gifford was dead.
    1925 – One of the original Mercury Astronauts, Scott Carpenter (d. 2013), was born in Boulder, CO.  Carpenter was the second American, after John Glenn, to orbit the Earth and the fourth American in space. 
    1926 – Satchel Paige made his pitching debut, in the Negro Southern League.
    1927 – The first cooked meals on a flight are introduced on an Imperial Airways flight from London to Paris.
    1929 – Birthday of James Loden (d. 2016) who became known as Sonny James, Hackleburg, AL.  Best known for his 1957 hit, 'Young Love' and dubbed the ‘Southern Gentleman,’ James has had 72 country and pop chart hits from 1953 to 1983, including a five-year streak of 16 straight among his 23 No.1 hits.  James was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1961 and co-hosted the first Country Music Association Awards Show in 1967.  He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. 
    1929 – The first observance of Lei Day in Hawai’i occurred.  Hawai’i’s version of May Day, leis are made, worn, given, displayed and entered into contests.  A Lei Day Queen is crowned amid Hawaiian music, hula and flowers galore.
    1930 - Blues harmonica player Little Walter was born Marion Walter Jacobs (d. 1968) in Marksville, Louisiana. He was a pioneer in the use of a microphone to amplify the mouth harp, and his techniques were widely copied, particularly by white blues musicians in England. Little Walter died in 1968 after being stabbed in a street fight in Chicago.
http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/harmlw.htm
http://www.island.net/~blues/little_w.html
http://www2.burstnet.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad3341a.cgi/2739/RETURN-CODE
    1930 - The planet Pluto was named
    1930 – Pro Football Hall of Famer (1972), Ollie Matson (d. 2013), was born in Trinity, TX.  After an All-American career at the University of San Francisco team that went undefeated in 1951, Matson played for the Chicago Cardinals who drafted him #3 in the first round.  Following the 1958 season, he was traded to the LA Rams for NINE players.  When Matson retired in 1966, his 12,799 career all-purpose yards were second only to Jim Brown. 
    1931 - The Empire State Building, 103 stories, more than 1,250 feet tall, was dedicated. The builder was Colonel William Aiken Starrett; the architect, William Frederick Lamb; the engineer, Homer Gage Balcom. In 1950, a 222-foot television sending-tower was constructed on the roof.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may01.html
http://www.esbnyc.com/
    1931 - On her 22nd birthday, singer Kate Smith began her long-running radio program on CBS. Smith's program appeared opposite "Amos 'n' Andy" on NBC and was so successful that NBC switched its comedy program to another evening.
    1933 - Birthday singer/song writer Titus Turner (d. 1984), Atlanta, GA
http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/t2/titus_turner_a_us.htm
    1936 – Boulder Dam was completed.  On the border between Nevada and Arizona and impounding Lake Mead, it was constructed between 1931 and 1936. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. The dam was later controversially named after President Herbert Hoover.  Since about 1900, the Black Canyon and nearby Boulder Canyon had been investigated for their potential to support a dam that would control floods, provide irrigation water and produce hydroelectric power. In 1928, Congress authorized the project. The winning bid to build the dam was submitted by a consortium called Six Companies, Inc.  Such a large concrete structure had never been built before, and some of the techniques were unproven. Nevertheless, Six Companies turned over the dam to the federal government on March 1, 1936, more than two years ahead of schedule.
    1936 – Alvin Karpis was arrested by the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover.
    1939 – Batman comic books hit the streets for the first time.  In this issue of “Detective Comics,” a new crime fighter, the Batman, debuted, created by Bob Kane. 
    1939 - Folk singer Judy Collins was born in Seattle, Washington. She gained widespread fame in 1961 with her debut album "Maid of Constant Sorrow." Collins is best known for her hits "Both Sides Now" - top ten in 1969 - and "Amazing Grace" from 1971. She also helped promote the careers of Randy Newman, and Canadians Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen.
http://www.judycollins.com/
http://www.elektra.com/elektra/judycollins/index.jhtml;jsessionid
=L0EFAZRD3J5GQQAMEEQSFEY?_requestid=546276
http://www.richardhess.com/judy/
    1941 - Orson Welles’ film "Citizen Kane" premiered in New York.
    1941 – General Mills introduced Cheerios as CheeriOats, but the name was shortened to Cheerios in 1945.
    1942 - The US government seized the nation's jukebox factories and puts them to work making war materiel.
    1945 - A German newsreader officially announced that Adolf Hitler has "fallen at his command post in the Reich Chancellery fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany." The Soviet flag is raised over the Reich Chancellery, by order of Stalin.  Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda commit suicide in the Reich Garden outside the Fuhrerbunker. Their children are also killed by having cyanide pills inserted into their mouths by their mother.
    1946 - Elliot Lawrence cuts first commercial session for Columbia.
(this is a great album: http://www.fantasyjazz.com/catalog/lawrence_e_cat.html )
http://www.52ndstreet.com/reviews/mainstream/
lawrenceplaysmulligan.mainstream.html
    1946 - Emma Clarissa Clement, mother of Atlanta University President Rufus E. Clement, was named "American Mother of the Year" by the Golden Rule Foundation. She was the first African-American woman to receive the award.
    1950 - Gwendolyn Brooks become the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her book, ”Annie Allen,” Harpers.
http://voices.cla.umn.edu/authors/GwendolynBrooks.html
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/brooks.htm
    1950 – Guam was organized as a US commonwealth.
    1951 – Mickey Mantle hit the first HR of his Major League career.  Batting leadoff and playing right field against the Chicago White Sox, Mantle drove a 450 foot blast off Randy Gumpert’s changeup to deep right center into the Yankees bullpen.
    1951 – Minnie Minoso became the first black player on the Chicago White Sox.
    1953 - Tops Hits
“Pretend” - Nat King Cole
“Till I Waltz Again with You” - Teresa Brewer
“I Believe” - Frankie Laine
“Mexican Joe” - Jim Reeves
    1955 - Leonard Chess signed a St. Louis guitarist named Chuck Berry to a recording contract after he came highly recommended by Muddy Waters.
    1955 - On tour with Hank Snow's All Star Jamboree, Elvis Presley played three shows at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sun Records had just released Elvis' fourth single, ‘Baby, Let’s Play House.’
    1956 - The polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk was made available to the public.   
    1957 - The Kingston Trio formed in Palo Alto, CA.  They started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds. They rose to international popularity, fueled by unprecedented sales of long-playing albums (LPs), and helped to alter the direction of popular music in the U.S.  The Kingston Trio was one of the most prominent groups of the era's pop-folk boom that started in 1958 with the release of their first album and its hit recording of “Tom Dooley,” which sold over three million copies as a single.  In 1961, the Trio was described as "the most envied, the most imitated, and the most successful singing group, folk or otherwise, in all show business" and "the undisputed kings of the folk-singing rage by every yardstick."  Among their hits:  “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” “Scotch and Soda,” “MTA,” “Greenback Dollar,” “Raspberries, Strawberries,” “The Tijuana Jail,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “A Worried Man.”
    1960 - The U2 Incident:  On the eve of a summit meeting between US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, a U-2 espionage plane flying at about 60,000 feet was shot down over Sverdlovsk, in central USSR. The pilot, CIA agent Francis Gary Powers, survived the crash, as did large parts of the aircraft, a suicide kit and sophisticated surveillance equipment. The sensational event, which US officials described as a weather reconnaissance flight gone astray, resulted in cancellation of the summit meeting. Powers was tried, convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Moscow court. In 1962, he was returned to the US in exchange for an imprisoned Soviet spy. Powers died in a helicopter crash in 1977.
    1961 - So-called “militant students” joined James Farmer of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to conduct “freedom rides” on public transportation from Washington, DC, across the deep South to New Orleans. The trips were intended to test Supreme Court decisions and Interstate Commerce Commission regulations prohibiting discrimination in interstate travel. In several places, riders were brutally beaten by local people and policemen. On May 14, members of the Ku Klux Klan attacked the Freedom Riders in Birmingham, AL, while local police watched. The rides were patterned after a similar challenge to segregation, the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation, which tested the US Supreme Court's June 3, 1948 ban against segregation in interstate bus travel.
    1961 - The first skyjacking of a commercial American airplane took place during the flight of a National Airlines twin-engine Convair CV 440 from Miami, FL, to Key West, FL. The plane left Marathon, FL, at 3:23 pm with eight passengers. A passenger name d’Antillo Ortiz, using the name of El Pirata Cofresi, threatened the crew and passengers with a pistol and knife. The plane landed in Havana. The string of airplane highjackings that followed were dubbed “skyjackings” by the press and led to the U.S.'s first air piracy law, passed in September, 1961.  Concurrently, Cuban leader Fidel Castro proclaimed Cuba a socialist nation and abolished elections.
    1961 - Tops Hits
“Runaway” - Del Shannon
“Mother-In-Law” - Ernie K-Doe
“I've Told Every Little Star” - Linda Scott
“Don't Worry” - Marty Robbins
    1962 - The Beatles started a month-long residency at The Star Club, Hamburg, Germany. American musicians including Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers, Bill Haley, Jimi Hendrix and Jerry Lee Lewis also all appeared here.
    1962 - The first Target discount store opened in Roseville, Minn.
    1963 - J. Walter Kennedy was named the second president of the NBA, succeeding Maurice Podoloff, who retired after the 1962-63 season.
    1963 - James W. Whittaker of Redmond, WA, the leading member of the first American Mount Everest Expedition, became the first American to ascend to the top, 10 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the ascent of the 29,028-foot peak.
    1963 - Lesley Gore performed her first big hit, "It's My Party," on ABC-TV's “American Bandstand.” It hit number one on the pop and rhythm and blues charts in the United States.   It was the first hit single for producer Quincy Jones.
    1965 - After just two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, Herman's Hermits reach #1 with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter."
    1965 - The Supremes release "Back in My Arms Again," which will become their fifth consecutive US number one hit.
    1966 - The Beatles played a 15-minute live set on stage for the last time in the UK when they appeared at the NME Poll Winners concert at Wembley Empire Pool. The Beatles set included five songs: 'I Feel Fine,' 'Nowhere Man,' 'Day Tripper,' 'If I Needed Someone' and 'I'm Down.' Also on the bill, The Spencer Davis Group, The Fortunes, Herman's Hermits, Roy Orbison, Cliff Richard, The Rolling Stones, The Seekers, The Small Faces, Dusty Springfield, The Walker Brothers, The Who and The Yardbirds.
    1967 – Priscilla Beaulieu, born Brooklyn, NY, marries Elvis Presley at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The wedding cake alone cost $3,500.  Priscilla was the teenaged daughter of a US Army officer whom Elvis had met in Germany. She had lived at Presley's Graceland Mansion since 1961, ostensibly under the supervision of Presley's father and stepmother with her parents’ permission. On February 1st, 1968, their only child, Lisa Marie, was born. Four years later, the couple separated and, in 1973, Elvis filed for divorce.
http://www.swinginchicks.com/priscilla_presley.htm
http://www.elvis.com/
    1967 - The F.B.I. arrested The Beach Boys' Carl Wilson on charges of avoiding the military draft and refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance. He was later released and joined the rest of the band in Ireland for a British tour.
    1967 – Country singer and actor Tim McGraw was born in Delhi, Louisiana. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US. McGraw had 11 consecutive albums debut at No.1 on the Billboard albums charts, as well as twenty-one singles hitting No.1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. He has also won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association (CMA) awards, 10 American Music Awards, and three People’s Choice Awards. His Soul2Soul II Tour is one of the highest-grossing tours in country music history, and one of the top 5 among all genres of music. He has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.  He is married to country singer Faith Hill and is the son of former baseball player Tug McGraw.   
    1969 - Top Hits
“Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In” - The 5th Dimension
“It's Your Thing” - The Isley Brothers
“Hair” - The Cowsills
“Galveston” - Glen Campbell
    1969 - Leonard Tose pays $16,155,000 to buy the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. It was the largest price paid to that date for a pro football franchise. It was over a decade [1981] before the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl which they lost to the Oakland Raiders, 27-10. In 1985, after a failed attempt to swap franchises with Ralph Wilson (whose Buffalo Bills were then under severe distress), Tose was forced to sell the Eagles for a reported $65 million to pay off his more than $25 million in gambling debts at Atlantic City casinos.
    1970 - Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin combined for the first time on Elton's first American album simply titled, "Elton John." The LP contained Elton's first hit, "Your Song," which made it to the top ten on in December.
http://www.eltonjohn.com/flash_index.asp
http://www.eltonography.com/
http://www.artistdesktopthemes.com/st/j/elton_john.dt.1.html
    1970 - Protests erupted in Seattle, following the announcement by President Nixon that US forces in Vietnam would pursue enemy troops into Cambodia, a neutral country.
    1971 - The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Amtrak, which combined the operations of 18 passenger railroads, went into service. Personal service, great food, full attention, and very comfortable rides were available to all who rode the national rails.  It provides medium and long-distance intercity service in the contiguous US and to nine Canadian cities.  Amtrak serves more than 500 destinations in 46 states and three Canadian provinces, operating more than 300 trains daily over 21,400 miles of track. Amtrak owns approximately 623 miles of this track and operates an additional 132 miles of track. Some track sections allow trains to run as fast as 150 mph.  In fiscal year 2018, Amtrak served 31.7 million passengers and had $3.4 billion in revenue, while employing more than 20,000 people. Nearly 87,000 passengers ride more than 300 Amtrak trains on a daily basis.[4] Nearly two-thirds of passengers come from the 10 largest metropolitan areas; 83% of passengers travel on routes shorter than 400 miles.
http://www.amtrak.com/
http://www.amtraktrains.com/
get an Amtrak ticket on line at:
http://reservations.amtrak.com/JBookIt?function=handlers.amtrak.
AmtrakMainSimple&storefront=1003&saveSession=no
    1971 - The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" is released. It would reach number one in the US and number two in the UK.
    1975 - Lila Cockrell defeated nine male opponents to become mayor of San Antonio, Texas, the nation's 10th largest city with a population of 750,000. According to “Women of Achievement and Her Story,“ she was empowered to run for the mayoralty post following Janet Gray Hayes's amazing victory in San Jose, California that in those pre-Silicon Valley days was far from the size of San Antonio.  Hayes’ victory convinced Cockrell that a woman could be elected to head a big city. (Janet Gray Hayes is a very good friend of mine, devoted to her physician husband, and in her day, quite a tennis player). Women had served as mayors of small towns since the late 19th century but none of a major metropolis. Mayor Cockrell was 53 years old when elected, married with two daughters. Her political life began with the League of Women Voters.
http://www.trilateraltechsummit.com/cockrellBio.htm
    1977 - Top Hits
“Southern Nights” - Glen Campbell
“Hotel California” - Eagles
“When I Need You” - Leo Sayer
“She's Pulling Me Back Again” - Mickey Gilley
    1981 - American Airlines began the first frequent flyer program on this date. Now most airlines offer a frequent flyer program but American is still the industry leader with 45 million members. Today 40 percent of all miles are earned on the ground with affiliated business that pay the airlines for the miles, such as hotels, car rental companies, credit card companies, phone companies and retailers.
    1981 - Tennis champion Billie Jean King acknowledged her lesbian relationship with Marilyn Barnett, becoming the first prominent sportswoman to come out.
    1981 – NJ Senator Harrison Williams was convicted on FBI Abscam charges.  The two-year FBI operation was coordinated with the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Strike Force that was originally investigating trafficking in stolen property and corruption of prestigious businessmen but was later converted to a public corruption investigation. The FBI, aided by the Justice Department and a convicted con-man, videotaped politicians accepting bribes from a fraudulent Arab company in return for various political favors.  More than 30 political figures were investigated and among those, a total of seven Congressmen — six members of the House plus Sen. Williams — were convicted. Additionally, one member of the NJ Senate, members of the Philadelphia City Council, the Mayor of Camden, NJ, and an inspector for the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service were convicted.   The Abscam operation is dramatized in the 2013 feature film “American Hustle.”
    1982 - "I Love Rock 'N’ Roll," by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, appeared at the top of the pop music charts for the seventh, and final, week. The rocker stayed on the charts for 16 weeks. Jett, from Philadelphia PA, played guitar and formed the all-female rock band, The Runaways, in the mid-'70s. The Blackhearts were founded in 1980. Jett starred in the film, "Light of Day," playing the role of leader of a rock band called The Barbusters. The movie also starred Michael J. Fox and Michael McKean. The title song, "Light of Day" was written by Jett and Bruce Springsteen. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts had nine hits on the charts into 1990, but "I Love Rock 'N’ Roll" was the group's only million-plus selling record.
http://www.joanjett.com/Lyrics/lyrics/ILRNR.htm
    1984 - Fleetwood Mac drummer and founder Mick Fleetwood filed for bankruptcy.
    1985 - Top Hits
“We are the World” - USA for Africa
“Crazy for You” - Madonna
“Rhythm of the Night” - DeBarge
“Girls Night Out” - The Judds
    1986 - Race car driver Bill Elliott set a stock car speed record with his Ford Thunderbird in Talladega, AL: 212.229 mph.
    1988 - Top Hits
Wishing Well - Terence Trent D Arby
Anything For You - Gloria Estefan
Angel - Aerosmith
Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Whitney Houston
Pink Cadillac - Natalie Cole
    1988 - Pink Floyd's, "Dark Side of the Moon" finally dropped off the US albums chart after a run of 725 weeks (almost 14 years).
    1989 - Police were called to a jewelry store in Simi Valley, California after employees reported a suspicious person. He turned out to be Michael Jackson, who had donned a wig, fake moustache, false teeth and eyelashes to go shopping. Officers had him remove his disguise and show his identification.
    1989 - Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in the southeastern U.S. Rainfall totals of 1.84 inches at Charlotte and 2.86 inches at Atlanta were records for the date. Strong thunderstorm winds uprooted trees in Twiggs County, GA.
    1989 – Walt Disney World opened outside Orlando, FL.
    1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from northern Alabama to North Carolina. There were sixty-three reports of large hail or damaging winds, with hail four inches in diameter reported near Cartersville, GA. Ten cities in the southeastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date as readings warmed into the 90s. Jacksonville, FL reported a record high of 96 degrees. Late night thunderstorms over central Texas produced up to ten inches of rain in southern Kimble County and northern Edwards County.
    1991 - Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers pitched the seventh no-hitter of his career, extending his own Major League record. Ryan struck out 16 as the Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0.
    1991 - Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics stole third base, the 939th steal of his career, to set a new major league record, surpassing Lou Brock. The A's beat the New York Yankees, 7-4.
    1992 - On the third day of the Los Angeles riots, Rodney King appeared in public to appeal for calm, asking "Can we all get along?"  The LA Dodgers postponed 3 games due to the riots.  History DOES have a way of repeating!
    1993 - Top Hits
“Freak M” - Silk
“Informer” - Snow
“Nuthin But A ‘G’ Thang” - Dr. Dre
“I Have Nothing (From ‘The Bodyguard’)” - Whitney Houston
    2002 - Tops Hits
“Foolish” - Ashanti
“What's Luv?” - Fat Joe Featuring Ashanti
“U Don't Have To Call” - Usher
“I Need A Girl (Part One)” - P. Diddy Featuring Usher & Loon
“Ain't It Funny” - Jennifer Lopez Featuring Ja Rule
    2003 - President George W. Bush landed in a jet on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast and, in a speech to the nation, declared major combat in Iraq over.
    2006 - The Puerto Rican government closed the Department of Education and 42 other government agencies due to significant shortages in cash flow.
    2007 – A May Day melee occurred when the LA Police Department responded to a pro-immigration rally, stirring yet another controversy.
    2011 - President Barack Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, was killed by United States forces in Pakistan.
    2013 - The U.N. Human Rights Office determined it is a violation of international law to force-feed hunger strikers at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison.
    2014 – Apple and Samsung achieved mixed victories in a patent suit settlement.  Samsung owes Apple about $120 million and Apple owes Samsung about $158,000 for infringing each other’s patents.

Stanley Cup Champions
    1965 - Montreal Canadiens