245th day of 2009 - 120 remaining
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
PHIDIPPIDES DAY
If you’re a glutton for punishment by running the marathon ... or if you just wonder why folks put themselves through such a grueling activity, this day is for you.
Legend has it that, on this day in the year 490 B.C., a trained runner by the name of Phidippides of Athens, completed his mission to seek help against the invading Persian army. Phidippides had run for two days and two nights to the city of Sparta, about 140 miles away. Under religious law, he could not get the needed help until after the next full moon. And so, he ran the 140 miles again, returning to Athens without Spartan troops.
The Athenians had no time to wait for the Spartan troops; however, they were still able to win the battle against the Persians at Marathon. Wounded, Phidippides took to the road again, running the 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to carry the news of the victory. His last words before he collapsed and died, “Rejoice, we are victorious.”
In honor of Phidippides, the 26-mile marathon became part of the Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896. A year later, the Boston Marathon was held for the first time, making it the oldest marathon race in the United States.
At the Olympic games in London in 1908, 385 yards were added to the 26-mile marathon in order for the runners to pass King Edward VII’s royal box in White City Stadium. This 26.2 mile distance was made the official Olympic marathon distance in 1924 at the Paris Olympics.
Events
September 2
1666 - This was the first day of the Great Fire of London. More than 13,000 houses burned and six people died in a three-day fire that started in a wooden house on Pudding Lane near the Tower of London. The house belonged to a baker named Farryner. It was this fire that prompted the first fire insurance policy.
1789 - The United States Treasury Department, the third presidential cabinet department, was organized by an act of Congress. It got the U.S. out of the ‘wampum’ trading business...
1858 - The first special cigar bands were distributed at a dinner in New York City. The bands paid homage to Cyrus W. Field for his work in the laying of the Atlantic telegraph cable.
1897 - The first issue of McCall’s magazine was published. The magazine had previously been called The Queen—Illustrated Magazine of Fashion and McCall’s Magazine, the Queen of Fashion.
1924 - Theatregoers heard the song Indian Love Call for the first time in the operetta Rose Marie, which opened in New York City.
1927 - Sophie Tucker recorded her signature song, Some of These Days, for Columbia Records.
1931 - The radio show 15 Minutes with Bing Crosby debuted on CBS. The singer became a super-hot property after the debut.
1938 - The first railroad car to be equipped with fluorescent lighting was placed in operation on the New York Central railroad. Coach #1472 began its initial run with the modern lighting on this day.
1945 - U.S. President Harry S Truman proclaimed this day as Victory-over-Japan Day (V-J Day or Victory Day). It was so named because the official ratification of the Japanese surrender to the Allies was made aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on this day (Far Eastern Time). The informal agreement of surrender had been made on August 14.
1949 - Alben W. Barkley, the Vice President of the United States under President Harry S Truman, wrote a letter that made reference to his office as the Veep. The name stuck. Alben W. Barkley was forevermore referred to as the Veep. And ever since, it has been used as the common expression for vice presidents, whether in government or business. Barkley, born in Kentucky, was Veep from 1949 until 1953.
1962 - Ken Hubbs of the Chicago Cubs set a major-league baseball fielding record. ‘Hubbs of the Cubs’ played errorless ball for his 74th consecutive game.
1972 - Milt Pappas of the Chicago Cubs pitched 9-2/3 innings of perfect baseball, before giving up a walk to Larry Stahl of the Philadelphia Phillies. Pappas got the no-hitter and an 8-0 win at Wrigley Field, Chicago.
1973 - Billy Martin was fired as manager of the Detroit Tigers. Martin was relieved of his duties three days after ordering his pitching staff to toss spitballs against Cleveland Indians batters. The Tigers lost anyway, 3-0.
1984 - Jockey Larry Snyder rode Tennessee Rite to a nine-length win in the the Prelude Stakes for $50,000 at Louisiana Downs. It was Snyder’s 5,000th career victory and came 24 years -- to the day -- after his first win in 1960.
1986 - Pitcher Steve Carlton earned career win #322. ‘Lefty’ gave up seven hits in leading the Chicago White Sox to a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals. Former Heisman Trophy winner, Bo Jackson, making his first major-league at-bats, got one of the hits. Bo knows...
1995 - The soundtrack album from the Michelle Pfeiffer movie, Dangerous Minds, hit number one on Billboard. Tracks like Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio, Gin & Juice by DeVante and True O.G. by Mr. Dalvin + Static kept the Dangerous Minds album at the top for three weeks.
1995 - The Concert for the Hall of Fame was presented at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. It was the grand-opening celebration for the $92-million, I.M. Pei-designed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Appearing at the concert were such Rock and Roll notables as Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Martha and the Vandellas, John Mellencamp, etc. etc. etc. The museum’s official public dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony had been held the previous day.
1998 - Swissair Flight 111 went down about five miles off the Nova Scotia hamlet of Peggy’s Cove. The Boeing MD-11, enroute to Geneva, Switzerland, from New York, plunged into the water off Canada while attempting an emergency landing at Halifax International Airport. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board has collected over a million pieces of wreckage from the Atlantic Ocean for its ongoing investigation. An in-flight entertainment system is suspected as one possible cause of the crash. Swissair and Boeing have offered compensatory damages to relatives of all 229 people who perished in the crash.
1999 - Cal Ripken, Jr. hit his 400th home run as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore.
Birthdays
September 2
1917 - Laurindo Almeida
Grammy Award-winning composer, musician: guitar: Guitar from Ipanema [1964]; Viva Bossa Nova; underscore: Viva Zapata; died July 26, 1995
1917 - Cleveland Amory
writer: The Cat and the Curmudgeon, The Cat Who Came for Christmas, TV Guide columnist; died Oct 14, 1998
1918 - Allen Drury
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist: Advise and Consent [1960]; died Sep 2, 1998
1918 - Martha Mitchell (Beall)
socialite: wife of U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell of the Nixon administration; died May 31, 1976
1919 - Marge Champion (Marjorie Belcher)
dancer, actress: Give a Girl a Break, Jupiter’s Darling, Lovely to Look At, Mr. Music, The Party, The Swimmer; choreographer [w/Gower Champion]; model for animated Snow White
1925 - Eddie Price
football: NY Giants
1937 - Peter Ueberroth
businessperson, promoter: 1984 Summer Olympics in LA; Baseball Commissioner [1984-1989]
1939 - Sam Gooden
singer: group: Roosters; The Impressions: It’s All Right, For Your Precious Love
1940 - Jimmy Clanton
singer, songwriter: Just A Dream, Venus in Blue Jeans, Another Sleepless Night; toured w/**** Clark’s Caravan of Stars; actor: Go, Johnny, Go!
1942 - Tom Keating
football: Oakland Raiders defensive tackle: Super Bowl II
1943 - Rosalind Ashford
singer: group: Martha and the Vandellas: Heat Wave, Quick Sand, Dancing in the Street
1943 - (James) Luke Walker
baseball: pitcher: Pittsburgh Pirates [World Series: 1971], Detroit Tigers
1946 - Marty Grebb
musician: keyboards: group: The Buckinghams: Don’t You Care, Kind of a Drag, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Susan
1946 - Billy Preston
musician, songwriter, singer: Will It Go Round in Circles, Nothing from Nothing, Outa-Space, Get Back [w/The Beatles], With You I’m Born Again [w/Syreeta]; appeared in film: St. Louis Blues; played w/Little Richard’s Band; died June 6, 2006
1948 - Nate (Nathaniel) ‘Tiny’ Archibald
Basketball Hall of Famer: Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City-Omaha Kings, New York Nets, Buffalo Braves, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks; NBA stats [over 14 years]: 16,481 points, 6,476 assists, six NBA All-Star games; elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame [1991]
1948 - Terry Bradshaw
Pro Football Hall of Famer: Pittsburgh Steelers QB: Super Bowl IX, X, XIII, XIV; football sportscaster/analyst: CBS-TV, FOX-TV; actor: Cannonball Run; singer: I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
1948 - Christa McAuliffe (Sharon Christa Corrigan)
teacher, astronaut: Challenger space shuttle; killed in Challenger explosion Jan 28, 1986
1950 - Lamar Johnson
baseball: Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers
1951 - Lenvil Elliott
football: San Francisco 49ers running back: Super Bowl XVI
1951 - Mark Harmon
actor: Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Wyatt Earp, Till There Was You, Reasonable Doubts, Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years, St. Elsewhere, Centennial, Flamingo Road, Moonlighting, Sam, 240-Robert; People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive [1986]
1952 - Jimmy Connors
tennis champion: Australian Open [1974], Wimbledon [1974, 1982], U.S. Open [1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983]
1954 - Rick (Richard Eugene) Manning
baseball: Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers
1955 - Linda Purl
actress: Happy Days, Matlock, Beacon Hill, Robin’s Hoods, Under Cover
1957 - Steve Porcaro
musician: keyboards, singer: group: Toto: Hold the Line, 99, Make Believe, Rosanna, Africa
1958 - Fritz McIntyre
musician: keyboards: group: Simply Red: Money’s Too Tight to Mention, Holding Back the Years, The Right Thing
1960 - Eric ****erson
Pro Football Hall of Famer: NFL individual record for yards gained in a season: LA Rams [1984]: Rookie of Year [1983]; Indianapolis Colts; LA Raiders, Atlanta Falcons
1964 - Keanu Reeves
actor: Chain Reaction, A Walk in the Clouds, Johnny Mnemonic, Speed, Little Buddha, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, My Own Private Idaho, Parenthood, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Dangerous Liaisons, River’s Edge , Youngblood, Brotherhood of Justice, Babes in Toyland, Act of Vengeance, Dream to Believe
Chart Toppers
September 2
1944I’ll Be Seeing You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Frank Sinatra)
Swinging on a Star - Bing Crosby
It Could Happen to You - Jo Stafford
Soldier’s Last Letter - Ernest Tubb
1952Auf Wiedersehn, Sweetheart - Vera Lynn
Walkin’ My Baby Back Home - Johnnie Ray
Half as Much - Rosemary Clooney
It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels - Kitty Wells
1960It’s Now or Never - Elvis Presley
Walk--Don’t Run - The Ventures
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Alabam - Cowboy Copas
1968People Got to Be Free - The Rascals
Born to Be Wild - Steppenwolf
Light My Fire - Jose Feliciano
Mama Tried - Merle Haggard
1976Don’t Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John & Kiki Dee
You Should Be Dancing - Bee Gees
Let ’Em In - Wings
(I’m A) Stand by My Woman Man - Ronnie Milsap
1984What’s Love Got to Do with It - Tina Turner
Missing You - John Waite
Stuck on You - Lionel Richie
Let’s Fall to Pieces Together - George Strait
Chart Topper September 2nd, 1976...Don't Go Breaking My Heart-Elton John & Kiki Dee
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