The 'Test of Champions'...
There's little drama, no, make that no drama, involved in The Belmont Stakes tomorrow which has gone from being the final leg of the Triple Crown to a single crown race. For those of you who don't follow the 'Sport of Kings' , neither the Kentucky Derby or Preakness winners will be in the race. This leaves us with a wide-open race and separate winners in each race. Such was not the case on this date in 1973...
The greatest of all Belmont Stakes races was dominated by the horse they called "Big Red", the great Secretariat who would win the race by 31 lengths. To give you an idea of how much he won by, owner Penny Chenery estimated that Secretariat's full stride to be between 25 and 30 feet. Let's take the smaller 25' length and multiply it by 31, the number of lengths Big Red won by. That gives us a total of 775'. Secretariat won the 1973 Belmont Stakes by more than 2 football fields or 2 football fields (600 ft.) and 175 feet (roughly 2 1/2 football fields and change). Now (providing my math, my worst subject in school is correct) you have a measuring stick to gauge the greatness of the best thoroughbred that ever lived (in my lifetime, anyway since I never saw Man 'o War race). In that Belmont, Secretariat broke the world record for a mile and a half (still in effect) as he did in the Kentucky Derby (still standing)...
Secretariat lived to the ripe old age of 19 before dying in 1989. Jockey Ron Turcotte was paralyzed from the waist down during a racing spill in 1978. Penny (formerly Tweedy) Chenery still owns a couple of race horses but never came close to owning another Secretariat. Who could ? ...
More June 9 Memories...
1822] Charles Graham gets tired of gumming his food and patents false teeth...
1860] "Maleska, the Indian Wife of the White Hunter" by Mrs. Ann Stevens becomes the 1st "dime" novel (Fabio is dressed like a squaw on the cover)...
1902] The 1st automat opens in Philadelphia (at 818 Chesnut St.)...
1934] Donald Duck makes his debut in the Silly Symphonies cartoon "The Wise Little Hen"...
1943] Withholding tax starts to be deducted from paychecks...
1946] Ted Williams hits the longest homer ever hit at Fenway. It's estimated at 502 feet and to this day there's a red seat to commemorate his blast in row 37 of section 42 in the bleachers...
1948] WBZ-TV (channel 4) in Boston, begins broadcasting...
1953] A tornado touches down in Worchester, Mass. killing about 100 and displacing hundreds more from their homes (George Capalbo remembers that one)...
1954] Army counsel Joseph N. Welch confronts Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy during the Senate-Army Hearings over the senator's attack on Welch's law firm, saying: "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?". McCarthy replies, "um, er, ah" and clears his throat several times before turning blue...
1958] "Johnny Mathis' Greatest Hits" reaches #1 on the album charts and stays in the top 100 for 10 years...
1958] Sheb Wooley's "Purple People Eater" hits #1 on the singles chart...
1962] Tony Bennett makes his debut at Carnegie Hall...
1963] "Cleopatra" starring Liz Taylor debuts in New York...
1972] Bruce Springsteen signs with Columbia Records...
1973] Secretariat runs away with the Belmont Stakes, winning the Triple Crown (feature story)...
1977] George and Patti Harrison agree to disagree. They divorce...
1980] Comedian Richard Pryor suffers near-fatal burns at his home when a mixture of "free-base" cocaine explodes...
1985] Thomas Sutherland, an American educator, is kidnapped in Lebanon (he won't be released until November of 1991)...
1986] The Rogers Commission criticizes NASA and rocket-builder Morton Thiokol for management problems leading to the explosion that claimed the lives of 7 astronauts...
1990] 25 years to the day Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys were #1 with "Help Me Rhonda", Brian's daughters Carnie and Wendy Wilson's trio Wilson Phillips have the #1 song, "Hold On"...
1992] Ben Vereen is nearly killed when struck by a car driven by record producer David Foster...
1998] The Ronettes sue producer Phil Spector on charges that Spector and his label Philles breached the group's contract by not paying royalties...
2004] The FCC agrees to a record $1.75 million settlement with Clear Channel to resolve indecency complaints against Howard Stern and other radio personalities (chump change!)...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...
1915] Les Paul...
1916] Former defense secretary Robert S. McNamara (love that slicked-back hair, now all gray)...
1940] The slightly excitable Dick Vitale...
1961] Michael J. Fox...
1963] Johnny Depp...
1973] Tedy Bruschi...
1981] Natalie Portman...
[Today is the 160th day of 2006 with 205 days remaining in the year and 25 days until July 4th]
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Saturday, June 10, 2006...
June 10 Memories...
1760] New York passes the 1st effective law regulating the practice of medicine...
1776] The Continental Congress appoints a committee to write a Declaration of Independence...
1854] The U.S. Naval Academy holds its 1st graduation...
1902] The "outlook" or "see-through" envelope is patented by Americus F. Callahan (named by nationality challenged parents)...
1935] Alcoholic Anonymous is founded by William G. Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith...
1944] Cincinnatti pitcher Joe Nuxhall becomes the youngest major leaguer, at 15...
1957] Cleveland's Rocky Colavito becomes only the 3rd American League player to hit 4 home runs in one game (against Baltimore)...
1966] The Mamas and Papas go gold with "Monday, Monday"...
1966] Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, debuts at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco...
1967] Motown releases Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made To Love Her"...
1972] Elvis Presley makes his long awaited New York City debut at Madison Square Garden (one of the biggest events I've been lucky enough to witness)...
1978] Joe Walsh releases "Life's Been Good"...
1978] Affirmed with jockey phenom Steve Cauthen wraps up the Triple Crown (the last Triple Crown winner) with a win over rival Alydar in the Belmont Stakes...
1984] The Celtics do it again, beating the L.A. Lakers to take another NBA title (as New England turns green)...
1991] Desert Storm troups get a hero's welcome home with a ticker tape parade down Broadway...
1991] Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin sing at the burial of Temptations lead singer David Ruffin. Michael Jackson pays for the funeral...
2002] Godfather John Gotti dies in prison of throat cancer. Gotti was 61...
2004] Ray Charles plays his final note at 73, a victim of liver disease. Ray dies at home in Beverly Hills...
2005] Babe Ruth's original Yankee contract is auctioned off at Sotheby's in Manhattan for $996,000 (just a tad more than what the contract was for). Yankee fan Pete Siegel wins the contract. All proceeds of the sale go to America's Second Harvest, a hunger-relief organization...
[to ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...
1921] Britain's Prince Philip...
1933] Famed attorney F. Lee Bailey...
1941] The Shirelles' Shirley Owens...
1943] Media maven Jeff Greenfield...
1965] Elizabeth Hurley...
[Today is the 161st day of 2006 with 204 days remaining in the year and 24 days until July 4th]
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Sunday, June 11, 2006...
June 11 Memories...
1905] The Pennsylvania Railroad debuts the "fastest train in the world" between New York in Chicago (you might ask how long the "world's fastest train" took between those 2 cities in 1905 ? And I will tell you, 18 hours)...
1953] "Amos and Andy" ends its 2-year run on television (and its 24 year run on radio) because of racial sensitivity. In my opinion this was one of the great comedy shows ever...EVER. It's time to bring it back...
1963] Alabama Governor George Wallace tries to prevent black students from registering at the University of Alabama (he will lose his battle and rightfully so)...
1964] Manfred Mann record "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" (P. Diddy or whatever he calls himself now, should record this)...
1969] David Bowie releases his "Space Oddity" single to coincide with the 1st lunar landing...
1976] Epic Records (yeah !) releases Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)"...
1977] Seattle Slew wins the triple crown by taking the Belmont Stakes...
1977] KC and the Sunshine Band are #1 with "I'm Your Boogie Man"...
1978] "Grease" starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John premieres...
1982] "ET" opens and sets record breaking box-office numbers (it's the biggest movie of the summer)...
1982] Heavyweight champ Larry Holmes defends his title with a 13-round TKO of Long Island challenger Gerry Cooney...
1985] Karen Ann Quinlan in a lengthy coma (her case prompted a right-to-die court decision) dies at 31. She no longer was on life-support at the time of her death...
1987] Margaret Thatcher becomes the 1st British prime minister in 160 years to win a 3rd consecutive term of office...
1990] Nolan Ryan pitches his 6th no-hitter, beating Oakland (in the 9th inning he retires 3 ex-Yankees: Ken Phelps, Rickey Henderson and Willie Randolph). Ryan would pitch one more no-hitter before he retired following the 1993 season...
2001] Timothy McVeigh is executed for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing...
2002] Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are married on this day (some things were just not meant to last)...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...
1933] Gene Wilder...
1940] Joey ("Peppermint Twist" dude) Dee...
1956] Joe Montana...
1959] Hugh ("House") Laurie...
1982] WNBA star Diana Taurasi...
[Today is the 162nd day of 2006 with 203 days remaining in the year and 23 days until July 4th]
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