The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Fleet Admiral William (Bull) Halsey, Jr. USN

Vice Admiral Halsey was at sea in his flagship, USS Enterprise, when Japan attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. During the first six months of the war, his carrier task force took part in raids on enemy-held islands and in the Doolittle raid on Japan. Beached by illness just before the June 1942 Battle of Midway, he took command in the South Pacific in mid-October 1942, at a critical stage of the Guadalcanal Campaign. After Guadalcanal was secured in February 1943, Admiral Halsey's forces spent the rest of the year battling up the Solomons Chain to Bougainville, then isolated the Japanese fortress at Rabaul by capturing positions in the Bismarcks and Admiralties.

Admiral Halsey left the South Pacific in May 1944, as the war surged toward the Philippines and Japan. During September 1944 - January 1945, he led the Third Fleet during campaigns to take the Palaus, Leyte and Luzon, on many raids on Japanese bases, and during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He returned to the combat zone in late May 1945 to command the Third Fleet through the end of the Pacific War and was present when Japan formally surrendered on the deck of his flagship, USS Missouri, on 2 September 1945. Promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral in December 1945, Halsey retired from active duty in March 1947.

"Kennedy [ John F. Kennedy - then (1943) a junior officer in the US Navy] ready to disembark after more than a month at sea, was standing at the rail off Tulagi, reflecting on a large billboard that Admiral Halsey had ordered to be erected on the commanding hillside. The message fairly screamed at Kennedy and other newcomers -

"KILL JAPS !KILL JAPS !KILL MORE JAPS !
You will help to kill the yellow bastards if you do your job well "

[From "PT 109 - The Wartime Adventures of President John F. Kennedy" by Robert J. Donovan]

. . our ships searched east of Samar for other stragglers and for our airmen who had ditched the day before. We found no Jap ships, but Japanese swimmers were as thick as water bugs.
I was having breakfast when Bill Kitchell burst in and cried, "My God Almighty, Admiral, the little bastards are all over the place! Are we going to stop and pick 'em up?"

I told him "Not until we've picked up our own boys."

. . . when we had recovered all the Americans, I ordered our destroyers
"Bring in cooperative Nip flotsam for an intelligence sample. Noncooperators would probably like to rejoin their ancestors and should be accommodated." (I didn't want to risk their getting ashore, where they could reinforce the garrison.) The destroyers brought in six.

[From 'Admiral Halsey's Story' by Halsey & Bryan]

"Halsey's bellicose slogan was 'Kill Japs, Kill Japs, Kill more Japs.' His 'bloodthirstiness' was not just a put-on to gain headlines. He strongly believed that by denigrating the enemy he was counteracting the myth of Japanese martial superiority . . . '
"Halsey's racial slurs made him a symbol of combative leadership, a vocal Japanese-hater . . . "

"Halsey was not an intellectual. His official reports were written in commonplace language. His speeches and private correspondence reveal that he often thought in cliches, that his vocabulary was narrow and that he had difficulty with syntax. His letters confirm his contempt for the Japanese in locker-room jargon . . . "

"Halsey had the knack of appointing extremely intelligent officers to his staff, on whom he relied for decision- making. On only rare occasions did he overrule them. 'Admiral Halsey's strongest point,' wrote a staff officer, 'was his superb leadership. While always the true professional and exacting professional performance from all subordinates, he had a charismatic effect on them which was like being touched by a a magic wand. Anyone so touched was determined to excel."

[From "Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey Jr" by James E. Merrill]

"The difference between the two commanders [Halsey and Admiral Spruance] amazed those who worked under them. One officer said that in working for Halsey 'you never knew what you were going to do in the next five minutes or how you were going to do it . . . ' 'I have never met a commander who did not prefer working under the methodical Spruance . . . '

'My feeling was one of confidence when Spruance was there and one of concern when Halsey was there.' "

[From "Admiral Raymond A. Spruance" by John F. Wukovits]

The Halsey Decision to leave San Bernadino unguarded

The following is quoted from the US Navy official history - "History of US Naval Operations in World War II" by Samuel Eliot Morison - Volume XII "Leyte," pages 193-7.

Admiral Halsey's Decision

Admiral Halsey's reaction to these sightings and to the information already received about the Central and Southern Forces can best be stated in his own dispatch to Admiral Nimitz and General Macarthur at about 2200 October 25, after the battle was over: -

Searches by my carrier planes revealed the presence of the Northern carrier force on the afternoon of 24 October, which completed the picture of all enemy naval forces. As it seemed childish to me to guard statically San Bernadino Strait, I concentrated TF 38 during the night and steamed north to attack the Northern Force at dawn. I believed that the Center Force had been so heavily damaged in the Sibuyan Sea that it could no longer be considered a serious menace to Seventh Fleet.

Accordingly, at 2022 October 24, Admiral Halsey ordered Bogan's Group 2 and Davison's Group 4 to steam north at 25 knots, join Sherman's Group 3 and attack Ozawa. McCain's Group 1, now returning northwesterly from the direction of Ulithi, was ordered to complete fueling and join the others.

By midnight 24-25 October fast carrier groups 2, 3 and 4, including Admiral Lee in Washington and Admiral Halsey in New Jersey and all their battleships and cruisers, were tearing north, just as the Japanese wanted them to do.

In the meantime, Kurita's Center Force, which Halsey had assumed to be no serious menace to Kinkaid, was debouching from San Bernadino Strait unopposed and even undetected.

Admiral Kinkaid assumed in his operation plan, "Any major enemy naval force approaching from the north will be intercepted and attacked by Third Fleet covering force." This was a natural interpretation of Halsey's orders from Nimitz to engage the enemy fleet if and when an opportunity occurred. But now that two major enemy forces were approaching from the north of Leyte Gulf, Halsey ignored the stronger and let it get between him and Seventh Fleet, Becuase he mistakenly assumed that it was the weaker, and "no serious menace." In other words, he made the same mistake that the Japanese higher command did about the air battle over Formosa, accepting aviators' reports of damage as actual damage.

It was not a case of either-or. Halsey had enough gun and air power to handle both Japanese forces. The alternative to rushing everything up north was not, as he said, "to guard statically San Bernadino Strait." Three groups of Task Force 34 (Battle Line, of which we shall hear more anon), had more than enough power to take care of Ozawa's 17 ships. Battle Line might have been detached to guard San Bernadino Strait, not statically but actively.

But Halsey wished to deal the Northern Force a really crushing blow. In every previous carrier action of the war - Coral Sea, Midway, Eastern Solomons, Santa Cruz and Philippine Sea - the Japanese, although badly mauled, had saved most of their ships. He was determined that this would not happen again. He expected that the Northern Force was planning to shuttle-bomb him by ferrying planes back and forth between carriers and airfields, as they had attempted to do in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

He felt it unwise to leave any considerable surface force to watch San Bernadino Strait without detaching one carrier group for air protection, which would weaken his striking power.

[Morison here has the following footnote - "Admiral Lee, however, said after the battle that he would have been only too glad to have been ordered to cover San Bernadino Strait without air cover."]

After all, the Northern Force was out in the Philippine Sea, "asking for it." The Center Force might never come out; and Halsey was no man to watch a rathole from which the rat might never emerge. He had just lost [the light carrier] Princeton to an air attack which he believed, erroneously, to have come from Ozawa. The quickened tempo of enemy air activity on the 24th seemed a presage of worse to come, and it was natural for Halsey to aim at annihilating the one sure source of Japanese air power, the carriers of the Northern Force. He did know, before ordering Task Force 38 north, that the Japanese Center Force had resumed course toward San Bernadino Strait; but still assumed that it was too "heavily damaged" to be a "serious menace" to Kinkaid.

At least three task force commanders were amazed and disturbed by Halsey's decision. Admiral Bogan even contemplated a protest.

After seeing aircraft reports to the effect that the Center Force had resumed an easterly course, he [Bogan] discussed the situation over TBS [voice radio] with Captain Ewen of Independence.Ewen not only confirmed the reports but mentioned the ominous fact that all navigation lights in San Bernadino Strait were brightly lit, after a long black-out. Bogan immediately drafted a message to Halsey incorporating this intelligence, then called him personally over TBS and read it. "A rather impatient voice" - of a staff officer, presumably - replied "Yes, yes, we have that information." Bogan was prepared to follow up with another message, recommending that Admiral Lee's Battle Line be formed with his TG38.2 [Bogan's own carrier group] as cover, letting Sherman's and Davison's groups handle Ozawa. But after that brush-off, he said no more.

Lee himself was an officer of alert mind and keen analytical sense, whose advice was often sought on strategy; but not now. Working on the mass of intelligence that reached [Washington's] flag plot, he had figured out that the Northern Force must be a decoy with little or no striking power, and that the earlier turn-around of the Center Force was temporary. Before sunset ended the opportunity of sending visual signals, Admiral Lee in Washington sent Admiral Halsey in New Jersey a message stating his views. No reply was made other than a perfunctory "Roger." After darkness descended and the Independence reports came in, Lee sent Halsey a message by TBS to the effect that he was certain Kurita was coming out. After that he kept silence.

CTF 39 [Commanding Officer Task Force 38 - the fast carrier force], Vice Admiral Mitscher in Lexington, by-passed for days by Admiral Halsey in issuing orders, had become little better than a passenger in his beloved Fast Carrier Forces Pacific Fleet. When, at 2029, he received Commander Third Fleet's [Halsey's] order to turn north, he inferred that Halsey intended to assume the tactical command in the following day's battle, and decided to turn in. As he left flag plot his chief of staff, Commodore Arleigh Burke, remarked "We'd better see where that [Japanese] fleet is." Mitscher assented.

A few minutes later, Burke received the Independence aircraft contact on Center Force "still very much afloat and still moving towards San Bernadino"; and at about 2305 a clarifying report came through. No doubt about it! Burke and Commander James Flatley, operations officer, thought it was imperative to detach Battle Line. The woke Mitscher up and urged him to "tell Halsey" to do so. "Does Admiral Halsey have that report?" said the task force commander. "Yes," said Flatley. "If he wants my advice he'll ask for it," said Mitscher. Then he rolled over and went back to sleep.

Thus three task groups of Third Fleet - 65 ships strong - went steaming north at 16 knots to engage the 17 ships of Ozawa's Northern Force, leaving nothing but empty air and ocean between the Seventh Fleet [the invasion fleet], in and around Leyte Gulf, and Kurita. His still powerful Center Force completed the transit of San Bernadino Strait at 0035 October 25, amazed to find nobody there to fight, and shaped a course for the rendezvous off Suluan with Nishimura [commanding the Japanese Southern Force].

The following is taken from Morison's summary of the outcome of the battle on pages 336-7 of the same volume -

The mighty gunfire of the Third Fleet's Battle Line, greater than that of the whole Japanese Navy, was never brought into action except to finish off one or two crippled light ships. That of the Seventh Fleet, although more fully utilised, engaged for only half an hour a minor part of the Japanese Fleet, of about one fifth its strength, and after that force had been crippled by two well-delivered torpedo attacks.

Despite this vast preponderance of power on the American side, the Japanese Center Force, comprising more than half the enemy's naval gunfire strength, and therefore a prize of the first importance, steamed undetected into gun range, caught Seventh Fleet by surprise and inflicted losses which fell short of a major catastrophe only by the resolute application of air power, aided by the self-sacrificing courage of a few destroyers and destroyer escorts.

The following is from Morison pages 289-294, under the heading "Responsibility and Reaction' -

Admiral Halsey's erroneous estimate that the Japanese Center Force had been too badly damaged to be a serious menace was the primary event in a chain of wrong assumptions . . .

At 0412 October 25, when sending Halsey news of the victory in Surigao Strait, Kinkaid added a query as to whether Task Force 34 was guarding San Bernadino Strait. Halsey did not receive this message until 0648, and at 0705 he sent the discouraging reply that TF 34 [Task Force 34] was with the fast carriers going north.

Six minutes earlier, the escort carriers had received a much more emphatic answer in the same sense from the muzzles of Kurita's guns.

That startling news was received by Captain Whitehead at 0700, and was referred imediately to Admiral Kinkaid, who says in his report -

"The first news of this enemy force was received on board the [Seventh Fleet] flagship about 0724 [sic] when CTU 77.4.3. [Clifton Sprague] reported he was under gunfire attack by four battleships, eight heavy cruisers and many destroyers, at a range of 30,000 yards. This was the first indication that the enemy's Central Force had succeeded in passing through San Bernadino Strait."

"Up to this time, from information available to Commander Seventh Fleet, it was assumed that Third Fleet forces were guarding the San Bernadino Strait position to intercept and destroy any enemy forces attempting to come through."

. . . Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague [afterwards] wrote with deep feeling on the failure of Admiral Halsey to guard the Strait; and his statement represents the reaction of most sailors in and around Leyte Gulf on 25 October:

"In the absence of any information that this exit was no longer blocked, it was logical to assume that our northern flank could not be exposed without ample warning ."

Too much confidence was placed by Seventh Fleet flag officers in what Halsey would do, and Halsey placed too much confidence in the preliminary assessments of his carrier pilots' flash reports of the Sibuyan Sea action on the 24th. Even the stationing of one destroyer off San Bernadino Strait to give warning would have helped the escort carrers;for if the Spragues [ T.L. Sprague and C.A.F. Sprague - the escort carrier group and unit commanders respectively ] had expected Kurita they would have tracked his force and stationed their units beyond his gunfire range.

And the following is from Morison, pages 329-331 -

If TF 34 (Task Force 34) had been detached a few hours earlier, after Kinkaid's first urgent request for help, and had left the destroyers behind, since their fueling caused a delay of over two hours and a half, a powerful battle line of six modern battleships under the command of Admiral Lee, the most experienced battle squadron commander in the Navy, would have arrived off San Bernadino Strait in time to have clashed with Kurita's Center Force . . .

. . . Apart from the accidents common in naval warfare, there is every reason to suppose that Lee would have crossed Kurita's T and completed the destruction of Center Force. As it was, Badger's TG34.5, consisting of only two battleships, three light cruisers and eight destroyers, was both too late and too weak for the work in hand. Supported by Bogan's carrier group it would doubtless have put up a good fight,but it would have been seriously outgunned by Kurita's four battleships. Halsey should have sent all Task Force 34 or nothing, and done it earlier. It is clear that his heart was with the carriers up north,although he himself gallantly sought action down south in New Jersey.

Additional Sources:

www.angelfire.com/fm/odyssey
www.history.navy.mil
www.brooksart.com
www.dmlef.demon.co.uk

'There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet.'

-- William F. Halsey

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To be removed from this list, please send me a blank private reply with "REMOVE" in the subject line! Thanks! Jen

Halsey had courage but impulsive. He ended up as a five star but was not in the decisive battle of the war, Midway, because of illness.

He did misjudge what was happening at Leyte. He wanted the Carriers, but they were shells of themselves after the Turkey Shoot, so left the surface group to fight the last classic crossing of the T, and defeat the Japanese. It is hard to link Halsey with a deciding battle. What he did do was win a lot of combined forces battles in support of the Marines, which won the war as decisively as some of the big ones. He did deserve all five stars.

Good morning. Thanks for the ping and history.

A tribute to Pfc. Lori Piesewa,Hopi Indian, mother,hero
Killed in action freeing the people of Iraq

Oh, if only tears we shed
could grant our wishes on demand
and resurrect the fallen dead
whose blood was drawn on foreign sand

Where tyrants ruled without a heart
suppressing every human right
their rightful freedom torn apart
and vanished in the desert night

Your youth you gave for freedom's song
your country called and you respond
and though your fathers saw much wrong
you forgave the past and went beyond

The call of duty with soldiers pride
to free oppressed you never knew
and with your brothers in battle died
your grieving children weep for you

Let it be known, though you are gone
you're not forgotten nor will ever be
in every sunset and rising dawn
you are branded in our memory

And now with pride we hold you dear
as tyrants in the desert fall
Lori, can you hear the millions cheer
where many gave much, and you gave all.

fish hawk, that is a beautiful tribute.

Good Morning. I'd like to wish everyone here a Blessed Easter.

Speaking of digging holes, today is the day I am putting my 6 year old computer out of its misery. Yippee.

I wanted to make sure to pass along Easter Greetings before I begin the task of salvaging what's left of this computer and transferring to a new one.

Hopefully I can complete this mission in time to read my history lesson by nightfall but just in case I don't I hope you all have a glorius weekend.

Many tears have been shed
many heads are bowed
one more is happy
to see the countenance of thee!

BTTT!!!!!!

Present!

It is hard to link Halsey with a deciding battle.

Halsey's finest hour was at Guadalcanal. He was a fighter when a fighter was needed.

present!

Good morning everyone. I'm going to the airport to pick up my DH now. Have a great day.

On this Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on April 19:
1320 Pedro I King of Portugal (1357-67)
1605 Orazio Benevoli composer
1660 Sebastian Duron composer
1700 Georg Abraham Schneider composer
1715 James Nares composer
1721 Roger Sherman signer (Declaration of Independence, Constitution)
1721 Thomas McKean attorney (signed Declaration of Independence) [or 3/19]
1728 Francisco Albergati Capacelli Italian playwright
1737 Geert Reinders Dutch cattle breeder/inoculation propagandist
1768 Adrian H Haworth English entomologist/botanist
1771 Giuseppe Cartufo composer
1772 David Ricardo economist
1785 Alexandre Pierre François Boely composer
1795 Christian Gottfried Ehrenburg German zoologist
1798 Franz Joseph Glaser composer
1798 Heinrich Maria von Hess historical painter
1801 Gustav T Fechner [Dr Mises] German philosopher/physicist
1805 Charles Edmond-Hénri de Coussemaker Belgian musicologist/historian
1817 John Philip painter
1821 Mortimer Dormer Leggett Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1896
1830 Rudolf Cornely German bible expert/jesuit
1832 José Echegaray y Eizaguirre mathematician/dramatist (Nobel 1904)
1832 Lucretia Rudolph Garfield US 1st lady (1881-1885)
1838 August[us] Allebé Dutch painter/lithographer
1840 Andrea Bezzola writer
1850 Edward John Gregory painter/engraver
1850 Theo Mann-Bouwmeester Dutch actress (Pink Bernd, Hedda Gabler)
1857 Lucien Levy-Bruhl philosopher
1858 May Robson [Mary J Robison] Melbourne Australia, actress (Apple Annie)
1858 Siegfried Ochs composer
1861 Warden Oncle [Edward Vermeulen] Flemish farmer/writer
1863 Felix Blumenfeld composer
1866 Henri Deterding Dutch oil magnate (Royal Oil, Shell)
1868 Max Von Schillings German composer/conductor (Der Pfeifertag)
1873 Sydney Barnes cricketer (probably England's greatest bowler)
1874 Firmin Baes Flemish painter
1876 Hendrik Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin/king of Netherlands
1877 Ole Evinrude inventor (outboard marine engine)
1879 Richard Scheibe German sculptor (Adler mit Hakenkreuz)
1883 Getúlio Vargas President of Brazil (1930-45, 1951-54), modernizer
1888 William L Axt composer
1890 Lou Bandy [Lodewijk F Dieben] revue-artist (Look for the Sun)
1891 Francoise Rosay Paris France, actress (Interlude, Women in Prison, Saraband)
1891 Ricardo Bacchelli Italian writer/poet (La Ronda)
1892 Germaine Tailleferre [Les Six] Pau-St-Maur France, composer
1897 Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney sculptor/art benefactor
1897 Vivienne Segal Philadelphia PA, Broadway actress (Pal Joey)
1898 Constance Talmadge Brooklyn NY, comedienne/actress (Intolerance)
1898 Sybil Andrews English/Canadian painter
19-- Robert Tyler [Barry Kaufman] Stockton CA, actor (Trucker McKenzie-Loving)
1900 Allen Jenkins New York NY, actor (Girl Habit, Fugitive from a Chain Gang)
1900 Richard Arthur Warren Hughes English writer (Fiction as Truth)
1903 Eliot Ness untouchable (Prohibition Agent for Department of Treasury-Chicago, Untouchables)
1905 John S "Jimmy" Thach US pilot/Admiral (WWII)
1905 Tommy Benford jazz drummer
1907 Alan Wheatley England, actor (Adventure of Robin Hood)
1907 Gino Contilli composer
1907 Lina Basquette San Mateo CA, actress (Paradise Park, Pleasure, Goldie)
1910 Andrew Gilchrist historian/diplomat
1911 Francesco Maria Saraceni composer
1912 Glenn T Seaborg head of Atomic Energy Commission/chemist/discovered Plutonium/Nobel 1951
1912 William Murray teacher/educationalist
1913 Cyril English British educator
1914 Andrew Wilkinson pediatrician
1915 Dorian Le Gallienne composer
1915 Harry Craft baseball manager
1917 Johnny Hoes Dutch musician/producer (Wished I'd stayed with my Mom)
1919 Gil Langley cricketer (Australian wicket-keeper 1951-56)
1920 Frank Fontaine Cambridge MA, comedian (Crazy Guggenheim)
1921 Glyn England CEO (CEGB, Windcluster Ltd)
1921 Will Ogdon composer
1922 Erich Hartmann German WWII pilot (downed 352 Russian aircrafts)
1922 Luigi Barbbarito reverend (Apostolic ProNuncio)
1925 Hugh O'Brian [Krampke] Rochester NY, actor (Wyatt Earp, Search)
1927 Don Barbour Greencastle IN, singer (4 Freshmen)
1928 Alexis Korner Paris France, musician (Blues Inc-Bootleg Him)
1928 John Horlock British vice-chancellor (Open College)
1929 Edward Crook Detroit MI, middleweight boxer (Olympics-gold-1960)
1931 Alex Webster football coach (New York Giants)
1931 Denis Henry British high court judge
1931 Garfield Morgan Brtish actor (Odessa File, To Catch a Spy)
1931 Hendrick J "Kobie" Coetsee South Africa minister of Defense/Justice
1932 Andrea Mead Lawrence Rutland VT, alpine slalom skier (Olympics-2 gold-52)
1933 Dick Sargent Carmel CA, actor (Darrin-Bewitched)
1933 Jayne Mansfield [Vera Jane Palmer] Bryn Mawr PA, actress (Guide for the Married Man, Girl Can't Help It, Too Hot to Handle)
1933 Harold "Dickie" Bird cricketer (noted England Test umpire)
1934 Dickie Goodman parody singer (Flying Saucer)
1934 Jan Helge Guttorm Bark composer
1934 John Roch high court judge
1935 Dudley Moore London England, actor (10, Arthur, Bedazzled, 6 Weeks)
1936 Csaba Szabo composer
1936 Ruby Johnson US singer (I'll Run Your Hurt Away)
1936 Wilfried Martens premier (Belgium, 1979-81, 1981-92)
1937 Elinor Donahue Tacoma WA, actress (Betty Anderson-Father Knows Best, Gladys Peterson-Get a Life)
1938 Jonathan Tunick composer
1939 Ellen Weston New York NY, actress (Betty-SWAT)
1939 E Clay Shaw Jr (Representative-Republican-FL, 1981- )
1939 Michael John Macaulay cricketer (Transvaal, Western Province, Orange Free State, North Eastern Transvaal, Eastern Province & South Africa)
1940 Algy Cluff CEO (Spectator, Cluff Resources)
1941 Alan Price Fatfield Durham England, rock keyboardist (Animals-House of the Rising Sun)
1941 Michel Roux chef de cuisine
1943 Mike Kelly rocker (Duprees)
1944 Mark "Flo" Volman rocker (Flo & Eddie, Turtles-Eleanor)/DJ (WKRK)
1944 Bernard Worrell US keyboardist (Funkadelic-Cosmic Slop)
1944 Margo MacDonald Scottish national broadcaster
1945 Nuria Ortiz México, skeet shooter (Olympics-13th-1968)
1946 Leon Wessels South Africa lawyer/underminister of Law & Order
1946 Tim Curry Cheshire England, actor (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
1946 Viktor Viktorovich Zabolotsky Russia, cosmonaut (BST-02)
1947 Frits Castricum journalist/Dutch MP (PvdA)
1947 Murray Perahia New York NY, pianist (Avery Fischer Prize-1975, Grammy 1988)
1947 Wilf Stevenson director (British Film Institute)
1949 Myra McCulloch teacher academic/administrator
1949 Paloma Picasso [Gilot] Paris France, artist/jewelry designer/actress (Immoral Tales)
1950 Jeff Hammond cricketer (Australian fast bowler on 1973 West Indies tour)
1950 Marc Demeyer Belgian bicyclist (Paris-Brussel '74)
1952 Adny Shernoff rocker
1953 Sara Simeoni Italy, high jumper (Olympics-gold-1980)
1954 Trevor Francis British soccer manager
1956 Lori West Denver CO, LPGA golfer (1994 State Farm-5th)
1956 Sue Barker England, tennis star
1957 [Boaz] Boo Watson keyboardist (Midnight Star-No Parking)
1957 Belinda Lipscomb vocalist (Midnight Star-No Parking)
1957 Rod Morgenstein rocker (Winger)
1960 Frank Viola Hempstead NY, pitcher (Minnesota Twins, New York Mets/Cy Young-1988)
1961 Richard Phelps British pentathlete
1962 Al Unser Jr Indy-car racer (over 10 wins)
1962 Christa Teno Tecumseh Ontario Canada, LPGA golfer (1989 Mitsubishi-44th)
1964 Harris Barton NFL tackle (San Francisco 49ers)
1964 Scott Kamienicki pitcher (New York Yankees)
1965 Melita Rühn Romania, horse vaulter (Olympics-bronze-1980)
1966 Paul Reiffel cricketer (Victorian & Australian pace bowler)
1966 Randolph Keys NBA forward (Milwaukee Bucks)
1968 Ashley Taylor Judd [Ciminella] Granada Hills CA, actress (Kuffs, Sisters)
1968 Brent Mayne Loma Linda CA, catcher (New York Mets)
1968 Keith McCants NFL defensive end (Arizona Cardinals)
1968 Roger Reinson CFL linebacker (Calgary Stampeders)
1968 Thomas Nock Zurich Switzerland, actor (Tartort, Gemini-Twin Stars)
1969 Carlos Reyes Miami FL, pitcher (Oakland A's)
1969 Danelle Marie Folta Hammond IN, playmate (April 1995)
1969 James Westphal Oak Park IL, 10k runner
1970 Luis Miguel Vera Cruz México, Spanish singer
1970 Michael Barrow NFL linebacker (Houston Oilers, Carolina Panthers)
1970 Rick Hamilton WLAF linebacker (Barcelona Dragons)
1971 Otis Scott Gainesville FL, 400 meter/800 meter runner
1972 Eric Jack NFL cornerback (Atlanta Falcons)
1972 Jeff Wilkins NFL kicker (San Francisco 49ers)
1974 Ante Moric Australian soccer midfielder (Olyroos, Olympics-96)
1975 Jason Gillespie cricketer (SA fast bowler, Australia 1996)
1975 Nazarena Almada Miss Argentina-Universe (1997)
1975 Temoc Suarez Greenwood SC, soccer forward (Olympics-gold-96)
1976 Vanessa Guzman Miss México-Universe (1996)
1978 Adrienne Parker Miss Tennessee Teen-USA (1996)
1978 Whitney Metzler 400 meter medley swimmer (Olympics-8th-96)
1979 Challen Sievers Downers Grove IL, rhythmic gymnast (Olympics-96)
1979 Mariah Billado Miss Vermont Teen-USA (1997)

Deaths which occurred on April 19:
0843 Judith French empress/2nd wife of Louis de Vrome, dies
1044 Gothelo duke of Netherlands-Lotharingen, dies
1054 Leo IX [Bruno von Egesheim und Dagsburg] Pope (1049-54), dies at 51
1390 Robert II King of Scotland, dies
1529 John Cuspinianus [Spiessheimer] German physician, dies at about 55
1560 Philipp Melanchton [Schwazerd] church reformer, dies at 63
1567 Michael Stifel German theologist/mathematician, dies at about 79
1588 Paolo Veronese [Cagliari] painter, dies
1608 Earl of Dorset poet/statesman, dies
1645 Anton van Diemen Governor-General (Netherlands East Indies), dies at about 51
1645 William Smith composer, dies at 42
1658 Robert Rich 2nd earl of Warwick English Lord High Admiral, dies at 70
1689 Christina Queen of Sweden (1644-54), dies
1706 Galenus Abrahamsz de Haen Dutch baptist leader, dies
1739 Nicholas Saunderson mathematician, dies
1768 Filippo della Valle Italian sculptor, dies at about 70
1770 Esprit Joseph Antoine Blanchard composer, dies at 74
1772 Johann Peter Kellner composer, dies at 66
1773 Florian Johann Deller composer, dies at 43
1776 Jacob Israel Emden [Jacob ben Tswi] German rabbi, dies at 78
1791 Richard Price nonconformist minister/writer (Alabi's World), dies
1799 Pieter Hellendaal violinist/organist/composer (Glees), dies at 78
1813 Benjamin Rush physician/abolotionist (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 67
1824 [George Gorden Noel] "Lord" Byron poet, dies at 36
1852 Vasili A Zjukovski Russian folk poet/translator (Homerus), dies at 69
1862 Simon Fraser Canadian explorer, dies
1862 Louis Powell Harvey US Governor of Wisconsin, drowns
1867 Robert Smirke British architect, dies
1870 Andreas Schelfhout painter/etcher/lithographer, dies at 83
1870 Camille Marie Stamaty composer, dies at 59
1870 William Henry Havergal composer, dies at 77
1874 Owen Jones architect, dies
1876 Samuel Sebastian Wesley composer, dies at 65
1881 Benjamin Disraeli 1st Earl (Beaconsfield)/novelist, dies
1881 Michel Abeloos Flemish sculptor, dies at 53
1882 Charles Robert Darwin evolutionist (Origin of Species), dies
1889 Warren De La Rue astronomer/chemist, dies
1893 John Addington Symonds critic/poet, dies
1895 George Scharf critic, dies
1895 Victor J van Hinsbergh South Netherlands engraver (PTT-stempels), dies at 70
1900 Ivan K Aïvazovski Russian painter (harbor scenes), dies at 82
1906 Pierre Curie French physicist/chemist (Nobel 1903), dies
1914 Charles Pierce philosopher/scientist, dies
1923 Thomas Paine Westendorf composer, dies at 75
1926 Squire Bancroft [Butterfield] actor/manager (Haymarket), dies at 84
1932 Wladyslaw Rzepko composer, dies at 77
1937 William M Conway English historian/explorer (Spitzbergen), dies at 81
1938 Henry John Newbolt poet/author (Studies Green & Gray), dies at 75
1938 Marie-Clémentine "Suzanne" Valadon French acrobat/model, dies at 72
1941 Johanna Muller-Hermann composer, dies at 63
1943 Alexander Schmorell German resistance fighter, beheaded
1943 Gustave Doret composer, dies at 76
1943 Kurt Huber German resistance fighter, beheaded
1943 Willy Graf German resistance fighter, beheaded
1944 Tommy Hitchcock polo player (Westchester Cup 1924, 27), dies at 44
1945 J P Heyboer resistance fighter, executed
1950 Tyrwhitt-Wilson 14th baron Berners/composer, dies at 66
1954 Joe Laurie Jr comedian (Can You Top This?), dies at 61
1956 Ernst R Curtius German literature historian, dies at 70
1956 Léon N H Jungschlaeger head military intelligence Netherlands-Indies, dies at 52
1956 Lionel K P "Buster" Crabb British diver (WWII), dies at 47
1957 Charles Funk Encylopediest (Funk & Wagnalls), dies at 76
1957 Johan W Albarda 1st Dutch SDAP minister (1939-45), dies at 79
1964 Cyril Merry cricketer (West Indies batsman in 2 Tests 1933), dies
1965 George Davis actor (Private Lives, Devil May Care), dies at 75
1966 Väinö A Tanner Finnish premier (1926-27)/minister, dies at 85
1967 Conrad Adenauer West Germany chancellor (1949-63), dies at 91
1968 Tommy Bridges US baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers), dies at 61
1969 Casper Höweler music critic, dies at 71
1972 Adolf Bach German philologist/sociologist, dies at 82
1978 Emile de Strijker Belgian philosopher, dies at 70
1980 Alfred [Joseph] Hitchcock dies in Los Angeles CA from renal failure at 80
1980 Ethel Wilson actress (Aunt Harriet-Aldrich Family), dies at 88
1980 Tony Beckley actor (Assault, When a Stranger Calls), dies at 51
1981 Ernst Levy composer, dies at 85
1983 Lorene Scott actress (Faraway Hill), dies at 74
1983 Jerzy Andrzejewski writer (Ashes & Diamonds), dies at 73
1986 Alvin Childress actor (Amos-Amos 'n' Andy), dies at 78
1986 Dag Ivar Wiren composer, dies at 80
1987 Maxwell D Taylor US commander 101st airborne (WWII), dies at 85
1987 Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum Actor (Mr Green Jeans), dies at 77
1989 Daphne Du Maurier English writer (Rebecca, Jamaica Inn), dies at 82
1990 Vladislav Ivanovich Gulyayev Russia, cosmonaut, dies at 52
1992 Alice Mary Riley entertainer, dies of cancer at 51
1992 Frankie [Francis Alex] Howerd actor (Mr Mustard-Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Carry on Doctor, Up the Front, That Was the Week That Was), dies from a heart attack at 70
1992 Pat Thompson actress (Strictly Ballroom), dies at 51
1992 Robert F Clayton drummer (Jody Grind), dies at 26 in a car crash
1992 Robert Paul Haynes bassist (Jody Grind), dies at 26 in a car crash
1993 David Koresh [Vernon Howell] cult leader (Davidians), suicide
1993 George Mickelson Governor of South Dakota, & 7 others, die in a plane crash
1994 Frederick Ferrari crazy Gang Member, dies at 81
1994 Larry Davis blues Singer/Guitarist, dies at 57
1994 Louis Simmonds bookseller, dies at 87
1994 Michael Carreras film Director, dies at 67
1994 Michel van Rooy Dutch actor (Doctor Vlimmen, The Attack), dies at 43
1995 "King" Herbert Whitaker tenor sax, dies at 66
1995 Igor Hajek translator/writer, dies at 64
1995 J[oseph] Peter Grace CEO (W R Grace), dies at 82
1995 Kenneth Burslam Gardner librarian/Orientalist, dies at 70
1996 Bernard Edwards bass player, dies at 44
1996 Norman Oldfield cricketer (scored 99 runs in Test for England), dies
1996 Peg Ridge peace campaigner, dies at 72

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1961 BAKER LEO AL
SHOT DOWN BAY OF PIGS 1961 - NATIONAL GUARD CAPTURED/SHOT BURIED WITH UNCLAIMED CUBAN INVADERS

1961 RAY "THOMAS ""PETE" BIRMINGHAM AL.
SHOT DOWN BAY OF PIGS 1961 - CAPTURED/SHOT 1979 - CASTRO FROZE REMAINS NATIONAL GUARD

1966 ADAMS LEE A. WILLITS CA.

1966 BROWN JOSEPH O. NORWALK CT.
"REMAINS RETURNED, IDENTIFIED 12/03/98"

1966 ROBBINS RICHARD J. CLEVELAND OH.
09/27/96 REMAINS RETURNED

1967 HAMILTON JOHN S. SILVER CITY NM.
NO CHUTE BEEP REMAINS RETURNED 10/97

1967 MADISON THOMAS M. TUSKEGEE AL.
03/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98

1967 STERLING THOMAS JAMES AUSTIN TX.
03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV ALIVE AND WELL 98

1968 BLODGETT DOUGLAS R. ALEXANDRIA VA.

1968 DENNIS WILLIAM R. PITTSBURGH PA.

1968 GONZALEZ JESUS A. PITTSBURGH PA.

1968 HOUSH ANTHONY F. NEWTON IL.

1968 LORD ARTHUR JAMES SAVANNAH GA.
"HELI CAUGHT FIRE, CRASHED"

1968 MILLARD CHARLES W. WILSON NC.
"HELI CAUGHT FIRE, CRASHED"

1968 SHAFER PHILIP R. GRAND JUNCTION CO
"HELI CAUGHT FIRE, CRASHED"

1968 WALLACE MICHAEL J. ANN ARBOR MI.

1968 WERDEHOFF MICHAEL M. TOLEDO OH.
"HELI CAUGHT FIRE, CRASHED"

1968 WILBURN JOHN E. LUTHER OK.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
0607 Comet 1P/607 H1 (Halley) approaches within 0.0898 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth
1451 Alam Shah of Delhi resigns throne
1524 Pope Clemens VII fires Netherlands inquisitor-General French Van de Holly
1529 2nd Parliament of Spiers bans Lutheranism
1539 Charles, protestant German monarch, signs Treaty of Frankrfurt
1552 Mauritius of Saksen captures Karel
1587 Sir Frances Drake sails into Cadiz Spain & sinks Spanish fleet
1591 Chartres surrenders to king Henri IV in France
1619 Theatrum Anatomicum opens in Amsterdam
1713 Emperor Karel VI ends Pragmatic Sanctions
1770 Amsterdam buys Van Aerssens family 1/3 part of Suriname
1770 Captain James Cook 1st sees Australia
1774 CW Glucks opera "Iphigenia in Aulis", premieres in Paris France
1775 Battle of Lexington & Concord-American Revolution
1775 Minutemen Captain John Parker orders not to fire unless fired upon
1782 Netherlands recognizes US
1825 33 patriotic exiles return to Uruguay
1836 Nikolai Gogol's "Revisor", premieres in St Petersburg
1837 Cheyney University forms as the Institute for Colored Youth
1839 Treaty of London constitutes Belgium an independent kingdom and Luxembourg a Grand Duchy
1852 California Historical Society forms
1853 Netherlands Van Hall government forms
1861 Baltimore riots - 4 soldiers, 9 civilians killed
1861 Lincoln orders blockade of Confederate ports (Civil War)
1863 Union troops/fleet occupy Fort Huger VA
1864 Naval Engagement at Cherbourg, FR USS Kearsage vs CSS Alabama
1874 Barracks on Alcatraz Island destroyed in fire
1877 The opera "Les Cloches de Corneville" is produced (Paris France)
1890 Henry Morton Stanley is inaugurated in Brussels
1894 Jules Massenet's opera "Werther", premieres in NYC
1896 Herzl's "The Jewish State" is published
1897 1st Boston Marathon won by John McDermott of New York in 2:55:10
1897 1st performance of Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande"
1898 2nd Boston Marathon won by Ron McDonald of Massachusetts in 2:42:00
1899 3rd Boston Marathon won by Lawrence Brignolia of Massachusetts in 2:54:38
1900 4th Boston Marathon won by Jim Caffrey of Canada in 2:39:44.4
1900 Highest scoring opening game, Phillies beat Braves 19-17 in 10
1901 5th Boston Marathon won by Jim Caffrey of Canada in 2:29:23.6
1902 6th Boston Marathon won by Sam Mellor of New York in 2:43:12
1904 8th Boston Marathon won by Michael Spring of New York in 2:38:04.4
1904 Much of Toronto destroyed by fire
1905 9th Boston Marathon won by Fred Lorz of New York in 2:38:25.4
1906 10th Boston Marathon won by Tim Ford of Massachusetts in 2:45:45
1906 Belgian naval education ship Comte The Stain de Naeyer sets sail
1907 11th Boston Marathon won by Tom Longboat of Canada in 2:24:24
1909 13th Boston Marathon won by Henri Renaud of New Hampshire in 2:53:36.8
1909 Joan of Arc, declared a saint
1910 14th Boston Marathon won by Fred Cameron of Canada in 2:28:52.4
1910 Halley's comet seen by naked eye 1st time this trip (Curacao)
1911 15th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Massachusetts in 2:21:39.6
1911 George Bernard Shaw's "Fanny's First Play", premieres in London
1912 16th Boston Marathon won by Mike Ryan of New York in 2:21:18.2
1913 17th Boston Marathon won by Fritz Carlson of Minnesota in 2:25:14.8
1915 19th Boston Marathon won by Edouard Fabre of Canada in 2:31:41.2
1916 "Bing Boys are Here" opens in London
1916 20th Boston Marathon won by Arthur Roth of Massachusetts in 2:27:16.4
1916 Italians troops conquer Colonel di Lana at Merano
1917 21st Boston Marathon won by Bill Kennedy of New York in 2:28:37.2
1919 23rd Boston Marathon won by Carl Linder of Massachusetts in 2:29:13.4
1919 André Messager 's opera "Monsieur Beaucaire" is produced (London)
1919 French assembly decides on 8 hour work day
1919 Leslie Irvin of US makes 1st parachute jump & free fall
1920 24th Boston Marathon won by Peter Trivoulidas of Greece in 2:29:31
1921 25th Boston Marathon won by Frank Zuna of New Jersey in 2:18:57.6
1921 Funeral of last German Emperoress, Augusta Victoria
1922 26th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Massachusetts in 2:18 10
1923 27th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Massachusetts in 2:23:37.4
1923 New Egyptian law allows suffrage for men, except soldiers
1924 "National Barn Dance" premieres on WLS Chicago
1924 28th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Massachusetts in 2:29:40.2
1926 30th Boston Marathon won by Johnny Miles of Canada in 2:25:40.4
1927 "Vagabond King" opens in London
1927 31st Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Massachusetts in 2:40:22.2
1928 32nd Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Massachusetts in 2:37:07.8
1928 Japanese troops occupies Sjantung-schiereiland
1928 New York Yankees are out of 1st place for 1st time since May 1926
1929 33rd Boston Marathon won by Johnny Miles of Canada in 2:33:08.6
1930 Clarence DeMar wins his 7th Boston Marathon
1930 34th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar of Massachusetts in 2:34:48.2
1932 36th Boston Marathon won by Paul de Bruyn of Germany in 2:33:36.4
1932 President Herbert Hoover suggests 5 day work week
1933 FDR announces US will leave the gold standard
1933 37th Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson of Rhode Island in 2:31:01.6
1934 Shirley Temple appears in her 1st movie, "Stand Up & Cheer"
1934 38th Boston Marathon won by Dave Komonen of Canada in 2:32:53.8
1935 39th Boston Marathon won by John A Kelley of Massachusetts in 2:32:07.4
1936 Anti-Jewish riots break out in Palestine
1937 41st Boston Marathon won by Walter Young of Canada in 2:33:20
1938 42nd Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson of Rhode Island in 2:35:34.8
1938 Phil Emmett Mueller & Dodger Ernie Koy both homer in their 1st at bat
1939 Connecticut finally approves Bill of Rights (148 years late)
1939 43rd Boston Marathon won by Ellison Brown of Rhode Island in 2:28:51.8
1940 "Lake Shore Ltd" derails, killing 34 near Little Falls NY
1940 44th Boston Marathon won by Gerard Coté of Canada in 2:28:28.6
1940 Dutch prime minister De Geer declares state of siege
1941 45th Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson of Rhode Island in 2:30:38
1941 Bertolt Brecht's "Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder", premieres in Zürich
1941 Bulgarian troops invade Macedonia
1941 Milk rationed in Holland
1942 46th Boston Marathon won by Joe Smith of Massachusetts in 2:26:51.2
1943 Jews attack Nazi occupation forces at Warsaw Ghetto under Mordechai Anielewicz
1943 47th Boston Marathon won by Gerard Coté of Canada in 2:28:25.8
1944 Gerard Cote wins his 2nd straight & 3rd career Boston Marathon
1944 Allied fleet attack Sabang Sumatra
1945 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical "Carousel" opens on Broadway
1945 49th Boston Marathon won by John A Kelley of Massachusetts in 2:30:40.2
1945 US aircraft carrier Franklin is heavily damaged in Japanese air raid
1946 Yankees switch from 3rd base to 1st base dug out
1947 AAU record for a 25' rope climb is set in 4.7 seconds
1947 51st Boston Marathon won by Yun Bok Soh of Korea in 2:25:39
1947 French ship explodes in Texas City harbor, kills about 522
1947 Stanley Cup Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montréal Canadiens, 4 games to 2
1948 52nd Boston Marathon won by Gerard Coté of Canada in 2:31:02
1948 ABC-TV network begins
1948 Chiang Kai-shek elected President of Nationalist China
1949 Yankees dedicate a plaque for Babe Ruth
1949 53rd Boston Marathon won by Gosta Leandersson of Sweden in 2:31:50.8
1950 54th Boston Marathon won by Kee Yong Ham of Korea in 2:32:39
1951 "Tree Grows in Brooklyn" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 267 performances
1951 55th Boston Marathon won by Shigeki Tanaka of Japan in 2:27:45
1951 General Douglas MacArthur ends his military career
1952 56th Boston Marathon won by Doroteo Flores of Guatemala in 2:31:53
1953 Louise Suggs wins LPGA San Diego Golf Open
1953 WAFB TV channel 9 in Baton Rouge LA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1954 7-time winner of the Boston Marathon, 65-year-old Clarence Demar, runs his last race at Boston finishing 78th
1954 58th Boston Marathon won by Veikko Karvonen of Finland in 2:20:39
1955 59th Boston Marathon won by Hideo Hamamura of Japan in 2:18:22
1956 US actress Grace Kelly marries Monaco's Prince Rainier III (civil ceremony)
1956 1st major league baseball game in New Jersey, Dodgers beat Phillies in Roosevelt Stadium
1956 60th Boston Marathon won by Antti Viskari of Finland in 2:14:14
1958 62nd Boston Marathon won by Franjo Mihalic of Yugoslavia in 2:25:54
1959 Louise Suggs wins LPGA Dallas Civitan Golf Open
1959 Uprising in La Paz Bolivia, fails
1960 Baseball uniforms begin displaying player's names on their backs
1960 Comiskey Park's famed "exploding" scoreboard begins operating
1960 64th Boston Marathon won by Paavo Kotila of Finland in 2:20:54
1961 65th Boston Marathon won by Eino Oksanen of Finland in 2:23:39
1962 NASA civilian pilot Joseph A Walker takes X-15 to an altitude of 6,900 meter
1962 66th Boston Marathon won by Eino Oksanen of Finland in 2:23:48
1963 "Hot Spot" opens at the Majestic Theater NYC for 43 performances
1963 67th Boston Marathon won by Aurele Vandendriessche of Belgium in 2:18:58
1964 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Peach Blossom Golf Invitational
1964 Rightist coup in Laos, Suvanna Phuma remains premier
1964 Roger Sessions' opera "Montezuma", premieres in West-Berlin
1965 T.A.M.I. Show premieres in London
1965 1st all news radio station (WINS 1010 AM in NYC) begins operating
1965 69th Boston Marathon won by Morio Shigematsu of Japan in 2:16:33
1965 At a cost of $20,000, the outer Astrodome ceiling is painted because of sun's glare, this causes the grass to die and eventually led to the installation of Astroturf
1966 Roberta Bignay becomes the 1st woman to run in the Boston Marathon
1966 70th Boston Marathon won by Kenji Kimihara of Japan in 2:17:11
1966 In 1st regular season game at Anaheim Stadium, Angels lose 3-1 to Chicago
1967 Beatles sign a contract to stay together for 10 years (they don't)
1967 US Surveyor III lands on Moon
1967 "Casino Royale" premieres
1967 71st Boston Marathon won by Dave McKenzie of New Zealand in 2:15:45
1967 Yugoslav author Mihaljo Mihaljov sentenced 4½ years
1968 72nd Boston Marathon won by Amby Burfoot (1st American to win since 1957) of Connecticut in 2:22:17
1968 Belgian construction workers strike
1968 National League owners approve expansion for 2 new teams
1969 "Oliver", Cliff Robertson & Katharine Hepburn win 51st Academy Awards
1970 "Look to the Lilies" closes at Lunt-Fontanne NYC after 25 performances
1970 24th Tony Awards Borstal Boy & Applause win
1970 Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Raleigh Ladies Golf Invitational
1971 Sierra Leone becomes a republic (National Day)
1971 USSR Salyut 1 launched; 1st manned lab in orbit
1971 75th Boston Marathon won by Alvaro Mejia of Colombia in 2:18:45
1971 Charles Manson sentenced to life (Sharon Tate murder)
1972 Bangladesh becomes a member of British Commonwealth
1972 Hungary revises constitution
1972 Micki Grant's musical "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope" opens at Playhouse NYC for 1,065 performances
1972 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1973 Barbra Streisand records "Between Yesterday & Tomorrow"
1973 George Steinbrenner replaces Mike Burke with Gabe Paul as Yankee president
1973 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1974 Baltimore Oriole Al Bumbry hits an inside-the-park homerun against the New York Yankees
1975 India launches 1st satellite with help of USSR
1976 5th Boston Women's Marathon won by Kim Merritt of Wisconsin in 2:47:10
1976 80th Boston Marathon won by Jack Fultz of Washington DC in 2:20:19
1978 Yitzhak Navron elected 5th President of Israel
1979 FCC raids & shuts down pirate radio station WFAT (Brooklyn NY)
1979 Following a 6-3 loss to the Orioles, Yankees Goose Gossage & Cliff Johnson brawl, Gossage sustains a sprained ligament in his left thumb
1981 Beth Daniel wins LPGA Florida Lady Citrus Golf
1981 Oakland A's runs record to 11-0
1981 Rochester Red Wings & Pawtucket Red Sox play to 2-2 tie in 32 innings, game suspended at 4:07 AM (Pawtucket later wins in 33rd)
1981 William Finn's musical "March of Falsettos", premieres in NYC
1982 Rosie Ruiz, marathon race cheater, arrested for forgery
1982 Sally Ride announced as 1st woman astronaut
1982 USSR Salyut 7 space station put into orbit
1982 11th Boston Women's Marathon won by Charlotte Teske of Germany in 2:29:33
1982 86th Boston Marathon won by Alberto Salazar of Oregon in 2:08:51
1982 Guinon Bluford announced as 1st black astronaut
1983 France performs nuclear test
1984 Nemesis, death star of dinosaurs 1st appears in print (Nature magazine)
1985 16th Space Shuttle Mission (51-D)-Discovery 4 returns to Earth
1985 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1986 Michael Spinks beats Larry Holmes in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
1987 Jacqueline Blanc, sets women's downhill ski speed record (124.902 mph)
1987 Los Angeles Clippers end season with a terrible 12-70 record
1987 Brendon Kuruppu scores 201 on Test Cricket debut (Sri Lanka vs New Zealand)
1987 Gregory Robertson does 200-mph free fall to save unconscious skydiver
1987 Jan Stephenson wins LPGA Santa Barbara Golf Open
1987 Last wild condor captured on California wildlife reserve
1987 Milwaukee Brewers score 5 runs in 9th to win 6-4 & record 12th straight American League win
1987 USSR performs underground nuclear test
1989 Kevin Elster (New York Mets), sets errorless shortstop mark at 73
1989 Republic Day in Sierra Leone
1989 Gun turret explodes on USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors
1990 Detroit Pistons & Philadelphia 76'ers get into a fight accruing $162,500 in fines (an NBA record)
1990 Marla Maples appears on ABC's Prime-Time
1990 Contra guerrillas, leftist Sandinistas & incoming government agree to truce in Nicaragua's civil war
1991 Battle of the Ages-Heavyweight champion Evander Hollyfield beats 42 year old George Foreman in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
1991 Greyhound Bus posts $195 million loss for 1990
1992 Balki & Mary Ann wed on "Perfect Strangers"
1992 "4 Baboons Adoring the Sun" closes at Beaumont NYC after 38 performances
1992 Dottie Mochrie wins LPGA Sega Women's Golf Championship
1993 22nd Boston Women's Marathon won by Olga Markova of Russia in 2:25:27
1993 97th Boston Marathon won by Cosmas N'deti of Kenya in 2:09:33
1993 Branch Dividians/FBI 51 day standoff in Waco TX ends with the deaths of 4 FBI Agents and numerous deaths from suicide of the cult members
1993 Fire in psychiatric institute in South Korea, kills 40
1994 15th Emmy Sports Award presentation
1994 Graeme Obree bicycles world record 10km (11:25.88)
1994 Inkatha ends boycott of South African multi-racial election
1994 Rodney King award $3,800,000 in compensation of police beating
1994 Supreme Court outlaws excluding people from juries because of gender
1995 Chopper 4 1st used on WNBC TV (NYC) news
1995 Truck bomb outside Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, kills 168 & injures 500
1996 Rangers scores 16 in 8th vs Orioles
1996 South Africa defeats Pakistan to win the Pepsi Cup in Sharjah
1997 Renee Slaughter, crowned 14th Miss Hawaiian Tropic International
1997 San Diego Padres & St Louis Cardinals play at Aloha Stadium Hawaii

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Cuba : Bay of Pigs Victory Day (1961)
England : Primrose Day
Sierra Leone : Republican Anniversary Day (1971)
Uruguay : Landing of the 33/Desembarco de los "Treinta y Tres" (1825)
US : John Parker Day (1775) honors minutemen
Venezuela : Declaration of Independence Day/Day of Indian
Massachusetts, Maine : Patriots Day-Boston Marathon run (1775) - - - - - ( Monday )

Religious Observances
Christian : Commemoration of James Duckett
Anglican : Commemoration of St Alphege, Archbp of Canterbury, martyr
Lutheran : Commemoration of Olavus Petri
Lutheran : Commemoration of Laurentius Petri

Religious History
1529 In Germany at the Diet of Spires (Speyer), a document signed by Lutheran leaders in fourteen cities lodged a "protest" which demanded a freedom of conscience and the right of minorities. Henceforth, the German Lutheran Reformers were known as "Protestants."
1823 Birth of Anna L. Waring, Welsh Anglican hymnwriter. "In Heavenly Love Abiding" is one of her best-known hymns, and is still sung today.
1887 The Catholic University of America was chartered in Washington, D.C.
1930 American pioneer linguist Frank C. Laubach, while serving as a missionary in the Philippines, wrote in a letter: 'Fellowship with God is like a delicate little plant, for a long nurturing is the price of having it, while it vanishes in a second of time, as soon as we try to seat some other unworthy affection beside Him.'
1941 Robert F. Wagner, Sr. introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate stating that U.S. policy should favor the "restoration of the Jews in Palestine." The resolution was supported by 68 Senators.

Thought for the day :
"Nobody talks so constantly about God as those who insist that there is no God."

Good Morning Jen