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January 2…A Historical Review

By David G. Firestone

So, I was going to post this on Friday, January 2, my 44th Birthday. But, I got sidetracked, and never got around to it. So, I present, a series of historical events that took place on January 2, a few days later…

First, we start with January 2, 1982-My birthday:

Events:

1982-New York Islanders beat Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to start 23 NHL game undefeated home streak (21-0-2), 14 straight wins

1982-The “Epic in Miami,” played in 85°F heat, sees the San Diego Chargers defeat the Miami Dolphins 41-38 in overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff, setting numerous playoff scoring records

1983-In a 35-27 win over the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson completes 20 consecutive passes and finishes the season winning his second consecutive passing title with an NFL record 70.55% completion percentage

Births:

1982-Athanasia Tsoumeleka-Greek race walker (Olympic gold 20k 2004), born in Preveza, Greece

Now we move on to other January 2 events:

1776-Austria ends the use of interrogation by torture

1776-George Washington’s army hoists the Grand Union Flag at Prospect Hill, Charlestown

1788-Georgia is the fourth state to ratify the US Constitution

1791-Big Bottom Massacre in the Ohio Country begins the Northwest Indian War

1800-Free African American community of Philadelphia petitions US Congress to abolish the slave trade

1811-Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts becomes the first US Senator censured by the body for revealing confidential documents of President Thomas Jefferson

1815-Leading Romantic poet Lord Byron (27) marries Anne Isabella Milbanke (22) by special licence, at Seaham Hall in County Durham

1839-First photo of the Moon, taken by French photographer Louis Daguerre

1842-First US wire suspension bridge for general traffic opens in Pennsylvania

1845-Explorer and medical missionary David Livingstone (31) weds Mary Moffat

1865-Welterweight Con Orem & heavyweight Hugh O’Neill brawl for 185 rounds before darkness ends legendary bare knuckle boxing match in Virginia City, Montana

1879-British battleship HMS Thunderer gun turret explodes during gunnery practice in Gulf of Izmit, near Turkey; 11 sailors killed and 35 injured

1882-Because of anti-monopoly laws, Standard Oil is organized as a trust

1890-Alice Sanger becomes the first female White House staffer

1893-World’s Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago

1900-Émile Berliner begins manufacturing 7-inch single-sided records in Montreal

1903-US President Theodore Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola, Mississippi, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black

1906-Willis Carrier receives a US patent for an “Apparatus for Treating Air,” the world’s first modern air conditioner

1910-1st junior high schools in US opens (Berkeley California)

1912-Brookyln Superbas Baseball Club President Charles Ebbets

announces purchase of 4.5 acres of land to build a new concrete-and-steel stadium to seat 23,000; Ebbets Field opens in 1913

1918-After repeated clashes over pay with the Brooklyn Robins owner Charlie Ebbets, star right fielder and future Baseball Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel is traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates

1920-Responding to global fear of communism caused by the Russian Revolution, US Attorney General Palmer authorizes raids across the country on unionists and socialists

1921-First religious service radio broadcast in the US over KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1924-Book publisher Simon & Schuster is founded in New York by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster

1928-American landscape photographer Ansel Adams (25) weds artist Virginia Best (24) in Yosemite Valley, California, until his death in 1984

1934-First state liquor stores open in Pennsylvania

1935-Bruno Hauptmann trial begins for kidnap-murder of Charles Lindbergh’s baby

1936-First electron tube to enable night vision is described in St Louis, Missouri

1943-University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team begins 129 home game winning streak that only ends in 1955; incorporates NCAA titles in 1948, 1949 and 1951

1953-NBA Baltimore Bullets begin a record 32 game road losing streak (12 games in 1952-53; 20 games in 1953-54) with a 73-66 defeat at the Indianapolis Olympians

1960-Senator John F. Kennedy, announces his candidacy for the US Presidency

1965-New York Jets sign future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath to a $427,000 contract over three years

1965-Obverse design of all Canadian coins is changed to depict present-day

1974-Speed limit of 55 mph is imposed by President Nixon

1977-MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner for one year due to tampering charges in Gary Matthews free-agency signing

1979-British punk rocker Sid Vicious’ trial for murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen begins in New York City

1986-NHL New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy scores his 499th and 500th career goals in the final 2:22 to lift the New York to a 7-5 victory over the Boston Bruins; 11th player in NHL history to score 500 goals

1987-Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 116-106 to give coach Jack Ramsay his 800th NBA victory; at the time Ramsey is one of only 2 coaches (with Red Auerbach) to reach milestone

1988-Ashland Oil storage tank spills 3.8 million gallons in Pennsylvania

1998-Autopsy of Chris Farley shows he overdosed of opiates and cocaine

2006-Sago Mine Disaster: 12 miners are killed in a coal mine explosion in West Virginia

2010-Actor Vince Vaughn (39) weds realtor Kyla Weber in Lake Forest, Illinois

2023-Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapses in cardiac arrest and is revived by CPR on the field in televised NFL game against the Bengals in Cincinnati

January 2 births:

1727-James Wolfe (d. 1759)-British Army officer who defeated the French in Canada and captured Quebec, born in Westerham, England

1752-Philip Freneau-American poet of the American Revolution (The American Village), born in New York City (d. 1832)

1913-Gardner Read-American composer (Quiet Music for Strings; Dance of the Locomotives), and pedagogue (Boston University, 1948-78), born in Evanston, Illinois (d. 2005)

1920-Isaac Asimov-Russian-American scientist and sci-fi writer (I Robot; Foundation Trilogy), born in Petrovichi, Russia (d. 1992)

1936-Roger Miller-American Grammy and Tony Award-winning country singer-songwriter (“King of the Road”; “Dang Me”), fiddler, and guitarist, born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 1992)

1938-Ian Brady [Ian Duncan Stewart]-British serial killer (Moors Murders), born in Glasgow (d. 2017)

1939-Jim Bakker American-televangelist (Assemblies of God, The PTL Club) and convicted fraud, born in Muskegon, Michigan

1961 Gabrielle Carteris-American actress (Andrea in Beverly Hills 90210), born in Scottsdale, Arizona

1963-David Cone-American baseball pitcher (perfect game 1999; AL Cy Young Award 1994; 5 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1992 Toronto Blue Jays; 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 NY Yankees), born in Kansas City, Missouri

1967-Tia Carrere [Althea Janairo]-American actress (Wayne’s World, True Lies), born in Honolulu, Hawaii

1968-Cuba Gooding Jr. American actor (Boyz n the Hood: Gladiator; As Good As It Gets: Jerry Maquire), born in The Bronx, New York

1977-Brian Boucher-American NHL hockey goaltender, 1999-2013 (Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, and 5 other teams; NHL modern record for longest shutout streak 332:01, 2003-04) and broadcaster, born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island

January 2 deaths:

1904-James Longstreet-American Confederate general (1st Corps, ANV), dies at 82

1933-William “Kid” Gleason-American baseball utility (St. Louis Browns, NY Giants, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (Chicago White Sox, during “Black Sox” scandal), dies from a heart condition at 66

1953-Guccio Gucci, Italian founder of Gucci fashion house, dies at 71

1977-Erroll Garner-American jazz pianist (Misty), dies at 53

1986-Bill Veeck-American Baseball HOF executive (owner Chicago WS, Cleveland Indians [World Series 1948], St. Louis Browns), dies of lung cancer at 71

1990-Alan Hale Jr.-American actor (Skipper-Gilligan’s Island), dies of cancer at 68

1994-Dixy Lee Ray-American politician (17th Governor of Washington) and chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), dies at 79

2009-Jett Travolta-son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston, dies of a seizure at 16]

2019-“Mean” Gene Okerlund-American pro wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host (WWF, WCW), dies of kidney failure at 76

2020-Sam Wyche-American NFL coach (Cincinnati Bengals 1984-91; Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1992-95; introduced no-huddle offense), dies from melanoma at 74

2021-Don Salls-American football linebacker (Alabama) and coach (Jacksonville State University 1946-52, 1954-64), dies at 101

2021-Paul Westphal-American Basketball Hall of Fame guard (NBA Championship 1974; NBA All-Star 1977–81; Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns) and coach (NBA: Phoenix, Seattle, Sacramento), dies from glioblastoma at 70

2022-Bob Halloran-American sportscaster (CBS Sports NY) and event organiser (MGM Mirage), dies at 87

2022-Larry Biitner-American MLB baseball outfielder, 1970-83 (Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, and 2 other teams), dies of cancer at 75

2023-Cliff Gustafson-American College Baseball HOF coach (College World Series 1975, 83; Collegiate Coach of the Year 1983; University of Texas, Austin), dies at 91

2023-Fred White-American drummer (Earth Wind & Fire, 1974-84 – “Shining Star”; “September”), dies at 67

2023-Ken Block-American rally driver (Hoonigan Racing Division) and co-founder of DC Shoes, dies in a snowmobile accident at 55

Next week, back to racing news stories.

Sources:

By David G. Firestone

This will be my last column before my annual summer vacation, where I take the month of July off, to spend the summer with friends, and enjoying myself. Before I do, I’ve been wanting to discuss the recent news that the United States Mint will cease production of the penny. It needs to be clarified for some people that the penny will continue to circulate and is still legal tender.

The cited reason for eliminating the penny is the costs involved in producin the penny, specifically the fact that each individual penny costs. In the words of Chris Isidore and Matt Egan of CNN:

“A Treasury spokesperson said the government made its final order of penny blanks this month, and the United States Mint will continue to manufacture pennies only as long as an inventory of penny blanks exists. Consumers with pennies will still be able to use them for purchases. But without new pennies moving into circulation, businesses that complete cash transactions will have to start rounding up or down to the nearest nickel.

Each penny costs 3.7 cents to produce and distribute. While production costs have risen for each of the coins below, pennies and nickels are the only two that cost more to make than they’re worth. In 2024, it cost four times more to make a penny and three times more to make a nickel than it did 20 years ago.

But the cost of a penny might be a smaller problem than the alternative. That’s because the Mint actually loses even more money on each nickel it produces. Each nickel costs 13.8 cents, with 11 cents of production costs and 2.8 cents of administrative and distribution costs. These figures are for the government’s most recent fiscal year, which ended in September.”

First off, lets discuss this idea that pennies will vanish sooner than later. According to estimates, there are as many as 114 billion pennies currently in circulation. Since the US population is 340 million, this means that there are 325 pennies per citizen in the US. Second, unlike a dollar bill, which has a useful life of 2 years, pennies have a lifespan that lasts for decades. It’s going to take on hell of a long time for pennies to be few and far between.

The most crucial aspect to why people shouldn’t really be worried is that we are closer and closer to being a cashless society. Seriously, cash only businesses are fewer, and cashless stores are more common. Are we going to see some stores roll up to the nearest nickel for cash purchases, but it’s not an immediate threat.

Also, who is to say that this decision can’t be reversed. My thinking here is that if copper is too expensive, then another metal can be used. Same thing with nickels. If costs are too much, why not change the metal? We saw this back in 1965, when silver was taken out nickels and quarters. Who is to say that a more cost-effective metal can’t be used? Time will tell, of course.

But this got me to thinking…when was the last time the US Mint officially canceled a denomination of coin? With the help of Wikipedia, I was able to find a list of obsolete us coins. They are, in order of denomination:

-Half cent ½¢ (1793–1857)

-Fugio cent 1¢ (1787)

-Large cent 1¢ (1793–1857)

-Two-cent piece 2¢ (1864–1873)

-Three-cent silver 3¢ (1851–1873)

-Three-cent nickel 3¢ (1865–1889)

-Trime 3¢ 1865–1889

-Half disme 5¢ (1792)

-Half dime 5¢ (1792–1873)

-Twenty-cent piece 20¢ (1875–1878)

-Gold dollar $1 (1849–1889)

-Quarter eagle $2.50 (1796–1929)

-Three-dollar piece $3 (1854–1889)

-Half eagle $5 (1795–1929)

-Eagle $10 (1795–1933)

-Double eagle $20 (1850–1933)

So the last time the US eliminated a denomination of coin was 1933. However, the Eagle and Double Eagle were eliminated due to the Gold Reserve Act of January 30, 1934. Outside of that, there haven’t really been many coins that have ceased production since the late 1800’s. Again, with the number of pennies in circulation, and the fact that we are closer and closer to being a cashless society, it won’t be a big issue for some time, and a lot can happen.

With that, I’m going fishing, see you in August!

Sources Cited:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Reserve_Act

Sources Cited:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/22/business/us-discontinue-penny
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsolete_denominations_of_United_States_currency
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Reserve_Act

By David G. Firestone

So the big story coming from the Charlotte Roval is that Alex Bowman got disqualified following post-race inspection. After the disqualification, Bowman was eliminated from the round of 8, and replaced by Joey Logano. According to Brad Moran, managing director of the NASCAR Cup Series”

“Unfortunately, the 48 had an issue (and) did not meet minimum weight. We put the car to the side. We continued on. We … gave them the opportunity to fuel the car as well as purge the water system and add water. So we gave them every opportunity to make minimum weight. We ran them back through. Unfortunately, they were light again. They are allowed a 0.5% weight break, which is for usage of fluids and so on. That’s about 17 pounds. We backed the car back off the scales, ran it back on and then, unfortunately, it was the same weight. So the car had a weight issue. All the other cars cleared inspection. The 48 didn’t, and that ends up in a disqualification.”

Earlier in the race, Bowman hit one of the curbs, which sent his car airborne, and pieces clearly came off his car. He managed an 18th place finish prior to the inspection. Fans on Twitter have been discussing the series of events, and most are of the opinion that Bowman shouldn’t have been disqualified, given the circumstances, and I agree. NASCAR set up these curbs, and almost instantly they were causing issues. This was really a problem waiting to happen, and Alex Bowman was the unlucky victim.

NASCAR’s primary focus should be safety, and over 17 pounds of parts flying off a car after hitting a curb isn’t a safe thing at all. Other drivers, pit crew members, or officials could have been hurt. The risk to other drivers and fans was everpresent as well with that incident.

In a move that really doesn’t surprise me, Hendrick Motorsports decided not to appeal. In their official statement:

“Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal the disqualification of the No. 48 car following Sunday’s race at the Charlotte ROVAL. NASCAR allows a clear margin to account for the difference in pre- and post-race weight. After a thorough review by our team and the sanctioning body, we simply did not give ourselves enough margin to meet the post-race requirement. Although unintentional, the infraction was avoidable. We are extremely disappointed to lose a playoff spot under these circumstances and apologize to our fans and partners.”

It sucks that Bowman’s championship hopes ended this way, but it is what it is. Sometimes life just spits in your face, and you can’t wipe it off. We’ve got four more races, so lets see how this plays out.

Sources Cited:

Thank you for your support, good bye and good luck.