1918 Influenza in Butler Co., Pa.-- Part 4: Working Together and the "Foreign Population"

Butler County's Red Cross chapter contributed money and resources to combat the epidemic.   They published articles in the Butler Eagle with information on prevention and treatment as well as advertisements requesting volunteer nurses.  Two local women, Clara Beach and Helen Campbell,  worked with the city's health board to recruit volunteers through a county-wide telephone campaign, calling over 400 Butler County residents and recruiting 31 volunteers by the end of the first week.

On October 21, the New Castle News in neighboring Lawrence County reported conditions in Butler County were worse among the "foreign population."  Among them were many immigrants coming in from Eastern Europe with no family members to care for them.  (See my earlier posts about the mass burial site for the immigrant dead in the county.  Click on the Butler County Pa label below to see them.)

Their employers, local industries from the Saxonburg area, buried the dead in a mass grave in Winfield Township.  Father O'Callahan, from the St. John Parish in Coylesville, administered the Catholic burial rites for them and commissioned a wooden cross made of railroad ties

1918 Influenza in Butler Co., Pa.,-- Part 3: Medical Help Arrives, Hotels and Tents

Already shorthanded by the war in Europe, the 1918 influenza outbreak in Butler County further depleted medical personnel, sickening nine nurses and a number of staff, and hampering their efforts to combat the disease effectively.  The Pennsylvania Department of Health sent a doctor and three nurses to help.

Meanwhile, the hospital neared full capacity and the city health board considered  requisitioning a hotel in the city as a temporary hospital.  Tents were sent to Butler so patients could receive open air treatment which seemed to improve their health.

By mid-October, however, the Butler City Health Board reported 3,000 cases since the crisis had begun, just a few weeks earlier.

I don't know about you, but this sounds all to familiar.

--Cooter

A 100-Year-Old WW II Veteran Philip Kahn Dies of COVID-19, His Twin Brother Died in the 1919 Influenza Pandemic

From the April 23, 2020, CNN  by Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio, CNN.

Philip Kahn, 100, died April 17 of the COVID-19 flu.    He lost a twin brother in the 1918 epidemic a century earlier.He was the oldest WW II veteran in Nassau County, New York, and had been fearful of another pandemic striking during his lifetime.

His grandson Warren Zysman said:  "It was something he brought up quite frequently.  I would have conversations with him, he would say to me, 'I told you history repeats itself, 100 years is not that long of a period of time.' "

Kahn and his twin bother , Samuel, were born on December 5, 1919.  His brother died weeks later

The 1918 influenza pandemic , also called the Spanish Flu, killed an estimated 50 million people globally and 675,000 in the United States.  As of April 22, there were over 46,000 deaths in the United States and an estimated 19,000 in New York alone.

Mr. Kahn was a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Force  during the war and acted as an engineer and co-pilot and received two Bronze Battle Stars.

After the war, he worked as an electric foreman and helped build the World Trade Center.

Before becoming ill, he lived on his own in Long Island and walked two miles a day.  he was aware of the coronavirus as he watched the news every day and in the last few days before his death, he started having the symptoms.  He took a test for it, but the results were not given until after his death.

Luigi Pierpaoli. Andrea Doria Survivor Dies of Coranavirus-- Part 2

Mr. Pierpaoli was jolted awake by the sound of the crash.  It was dark, and he was wearing just his undergarments, but was able to scramble out of bed to help other passengers  get into the lifeboats.

The wreck was 45 miles south of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts and is considered one of our nation's most dramatic maritime events since the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

His older brother, Rino, was waiting for him when a rescue ship brought him to the harbor.  All his luggage was lost.

Meanwhile, back in Italy, his wife didn't know what had happened to him and lived through some terrifying time before finding out he was alright.  Fortunately, the Andrea Doria was near port when it happened.  Had it been further out to sea it could have been much worse.

Luigi sent for his wife and two young children in May 1958.  They arrived by ship at New York and took a train to Chicago.

Lived In Two Historic Events.

Luigi Pierpaoli, 1956 Andrea Doria Disaster Survivor, Dies from COVID-19-- Part 1

From the April 24, 2020, Chicago Tribune "Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus."

The Tribune is running a full page featuring these most deaths every day now.  It honors them and others who have died.

LUIGI PIERPAOLI, 96

Died April 6 of complications of the virus.

Survived one of the nation's most famous maritime disasters as passenger on the doomed Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria in 1956.  Afterwards, he rarely spoke of it.  His son, Maurizio said, "You had to pry it out of him.  He never went on a large boat again and has been scared of water ever since."

In 1956, he followed his older brother and came to the United States leaving his family behind until he could get established.  He booked passage on the ill-fated Andrea Doria in the summer of 1956.  As it approached New York, it collided with the passenger ship Stockholm and sank with 51 casualties between the two ships.

(The Stockholm is still afloat and taking on passengers, although this is supposed to be the last year of its operation.)

--Cooter

1918 Influenza in Butler County, Pa.,-- Part 2: The "Grippe" Spread Quickly, Very, Very Quickly

On September 23, 1918, Dr. Phillip E. Marks, director of  the Bureau of Infectious Diseases in Pittsburgh, seemed to shrug off the seriousness of this new epidemic, saying it was nothing more than an attack by  the "old fashioned Grippe" (the common name for influenza at the time)

He said, "If persons will take care to sneeze into their handkerchiefs, there will be no danger of the germs spreading."   That danger, however was becoming quite clear by the beginning of October, some seven days later as the influenza had enveloped Pennsylvania, that's how fast it was spreading.

By October 5,  Dr. W.L. Steen, Pennsylvania State Commissioner of Health,  ordered all public places of entertainment closed and prohibited all public gatherings.  Two days later, the Butler Eagle reported 139 new cases, bringing the total number of cases there to over 1,100.

Sounds Familiar, Doesn't It?  --Cooter

Influenza Epidemic of 1918 in Butler County, Pa.-- Part 1: In U.S. Started at Fort Riley in Kansas and Spread

From the Butler County Historical Society  "Influenza epidemic of 1918' by P. Schultz.

While thousands of men were being maimed and killed in Europe during WW I, even more so  were being killed world wide by an unseen foe.  The influenza epidemic of 1918.  It did not confine to Europe, but spread all over the world, infecting 20 to 40% of the earth's population and killing over 20 million.  Some 500,000 of those deaths took place in the United States.

The exact origin of it is not known, though first cases of it in the United States were reported from Fort Riley in Kansas in arch 1918.  It took six months to spread to Pennsylvania where it started in Philadelphia and spread from there to the rest of the state, reaching the western part of the state by September.

--Cooter

To Prevent Influenza! in 1918

From the Illustrated Current News Vol. 1, No 788, October 18, 1918.

A picture of a nurse wearing a face mask is included.

These sure sound like what we hear today.

*****************************************

**  Do not take any person's breath.

**  Keep the mouth and teeth clean.

**  Avoid those that cough and sneeze.

**  Don't visit poorly ventilated places.

**  Keep warm, get fresh air and sunshine.

**  Don't use common drinking cups, towels, etc..

** Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

**  Avoid Worry, Fear and Fatigue.

**  Stay at home if you have a cold.

**   Walk to your work or office.

**  In sick rooms wear a gauze mask like in illustration.

Sounds Somewhat Familiar.  --Cooter

Influenza Epidemic Victims, Butler Co., Pa.-- Part 2: Immigrants

Just north of the West Winfield Township in Butler County, Pennsylvania,  is a silent, sobering place known as the Wooden Cross (or Black Cross) Cemetery.  In the early 1900s, many Polish and Slovak immigrants moved to this area in western Pa. to work in the expanding  limestone mine, sand plant, brick yards and tile works in the area.

However, in 1918, many of these men were exposed to  the influenza virus which turned into the worst pandemic ever in terms of those affected and those who died.

Many of these men died without a church, organization or family that would make sure they received a proper burial.  Like many immigrants of the time, these men had left their families behind and come to the new country to establish themselves.

At the same time, local, state and federal  governments refused to fund burials for them.  So, these men were buried here.

The First Earth Day, April 22, 1970, at NIU

From the April 22, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1970. 50 Years Ago.

"A science class at the NIU Lab School in observation of 'Earth Day,'  buried pollution and other evils of the world this morning.

"The group had a funeral march through NIU's campus and later buried the coffin near the lab school."

Wonder whatever happened to it?

Here's to the Earth.  The Only One We "Got."  --CootEarth

Influenza Epidemic Victims in Butler County, Pa-- Part 1.: The Black Cross

I came across this while researching for my Saw the Elephant Blog:  Civil War and felt it appropriate for these days of the "V".

From the HMdb, Near Cabot in Butler County, Pennsylvania.  This is in the western part of the state.

From a marker.

"Here are buried an unknown number of local victims of the worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 -- one of history's worst  epidemics in terms of death.  In Butler County, the worst period was early October to early November 1918, with some 260 deaths in the county seat alone.

"Immigrant workers in the limestone and other industries are buried in this cemetery with one to five bodies buried in each grave.  A large wooden cross  long marked the site."

Otherwise, there was nothing to denote this as a cemetery.

--Cooter

Pandemics in Chicago-- Part 2: Graceland Cemetery, Lincoln Park Cemtery and Cholera

Adam Selzer is a local historian who earns a living taking people on small tours/walks around Chicago pointing.  Obviously, right now, die to the "V" those are not underway.  You can go to his Mysterious Chicago Facebook page to take one of his tours ala virtual.

Strangely, he was working on a new presentation "Health Scares Through History" tour through Graceland Cemetery in Chicago when all this "V" hit.

Graceland Cemetery opened in 1860, but you will find gravestones that predate that as many graves were relocated here from smaller cemeteries, family cemeteries and the city cemetery that used to be at Lincoln Park.  This one was closed because people were afraid the bodies buried there were affecting the drinking water.  (They didn't realize it, but these decaying bodies were causing the deadly cholera.

Cholera was major killer throughout the 19th century in Chicago and around the world.

--Cooter

The History of Pandemics in Chicago-- Part 1: Some Ignored the Stay-At-Home Order in 1918

From the April 9, 2020, Chicago Tribune by Nina Metz.

Despite all the urging from city and state officials to stay-at-home this has not been universally followed.  But this also happened during the 1918 influenza pandemic.  It was flouted as well.

Back then, the city had banned large gatherings because of health concerns, but Chicago's upper crust continued to have large parties.  One of these was hosted by Joan Pinkerton Chalmers, daughter of Allan Pinkerton, founder of Pinkerton National Detective Agency.

The Chicago Tribune went so far as to name names of those who attended.

It took place at the expensive and elegant Casino Club on East Delaware Place.  The tone of the article was very neutral, considering, and opens with,  "Fear of the flu" doesn't seem to be affecting gatherings at the Casino.

Joan Chalmers was fortunate enough to survive the pandemic and died in 1940 at the age of 84.

--Cooter

Get Paid More If You Can Milk Cows in 1920

From the March 4, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  Looking Back."

1920, 100 Years Ago.

"WANTED--  Housekeeper in country.  Will pay better wages to one who can help with milking.

"Charles Freeby, R. 5, Sterling, Illinois."

--CootMaid

The Spanish Flu Hits Illinois in 1918-- Part 2: Horror Stories from Great Lakes Naval Hospital

Chicago ran out of hearses.  Signs were posted banning public funerals, and limiting funerals to no more than ten attendees, in addition to the pastor, undertaker and necessary drivers.  No bodies were allowed in churches.

A U.S. Public Health Service Officer named Jo Cobb working at the city's Marine Hospital wrote a friend,  "Our beds were filled as fast as emptied."

Navy nurse Josie Brown, who served at the Naval Hospital at Great Lakes (in nearby North Chicago) wrote:  "The morgues were packed almost to the ceiling with bodies stacked one on top of another.  The morticians worked day and night.  You could never turn around  without seeing a big red truck loaded with caskets for the train station so bodies could be sent home.

"We didn't have the time to treat them.  We didn't take temperatures;  we didn't even have time to take blood pressure.  We would give them a little hot whisky toddy; that's all we had time to do.  They would have terrific nose bleeds with it.  Sometimes the blood would just shoot across the room.  You had to get out of the way or someone's nose would bleed all over you."

When it comes to pandemics, there is no rational basis to believe that the early years of the 21st century will be different from the past.    If a pandemic strikes, it will come to Illinois.

As of April 13, 2020, the cases and deaths in Illinois due to the coronavirus are 22,025 cases and 794 deaths.

--Cooter

The Spanish Flu Hits Illinois in 1918-- Part 1: Railroad Hub Contributes in Chicago

From the February 12, 2006, Flu Tackers"The Great Pandemic of 1918:  State By State."

The Great Pandemic of 1918 also touched Illinois.

Chicago was then the country's second largest city and the country's largest rail hub.  As a consequence, the disease hit the city quickly.  Before it hit, overconfident health department people proclaimed:  "We have the Spanish influenza  situation well in hand now."

Then the disease came.

Influenza was reported in Chicago on September 27th.  Within two weeks, it was epidemic throughout the state.  Cities like Kankakee and Rockford were also hard hit as were rural areas and coal-mining spots throughout the state.

But, Chicago saw the worst impacts.  While the pandemic raged to its peak, the city saw an average of 12,000 new cases each week.  More than 2,100 Chicagoans died during the second week of October.  More than 2,300 died in the third week.

--Cooter

The Spanish Flu Hits Delaware in 1918-- Part 2: A Family's Tragedy

The order remained in effect for more than three weeks.  Yet, even with these precautions, it did not stop the virus.

As the situation in Delaware worsened,  the state became so overwhelmed that the Health Department tried to divert influenza patients to Philadelphia hospitals.  The flu, however, knew no state borders.  Philadelphia was unable to come to Delaware's rescue, as they too were completely overwhelmed by the disease.

Nearby, at Memorial Hospital in New Jersey, Mr. John Kingsman, 36, died on Monday afternoon.  Days earlier, his 17-year-old daughter died in the same spot, though he never knew it.    Those who were taking care of him couldn't bring  themselves to tell him that.  Making it worse, just a week after his mother and step-brother had died in Dover, his teen-aged daughter was also dead.

"When it comes to pandemics, there is no rational  basis to believe that the 21st century will be much different from the past.  If a pandemic strikes, it will come to Delaware."

Coronavirus cases and deaths in Delaware as of April 13, 2020: 1,761 cases and 41 deaths.

--Cooter

The Spanish Flu Hits Delaware in 1918-- Part 1: "Shutting It All Down"

I was researching about Alicia Rhett who played India Wilkes in the movie "Gone With the Wind" in my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog and found out her father, Edmund Moore Rhett, had died in 1918 in Wilmington, Delaware, because of the Spanish flu.

Pandemics are the big thing these days, so did a bit more research on its impact in Delaware over a hundred years ago.

From From the November 17, 2006, Flu Trackers.com  "The Great Pandemic  of 1918:  State By State."

In 1918, Delaware had the 4th smallest population with about 250,000 and was the second smallest state.  Yet, despite all that smallness, it reported thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths.  Exact numbers are not known and never will be, but, even so, the state took steps to contain the outbreak just as other states at the time did.

October 3, 1919, the Delaware State Board of Health met in an emergency session to stem the death toll and, essentially shut down the state.

"Whereas, a very serious epidemic of influenza is now raging within the  state of Delaware... to protect the entire  citizenship of Delaware...all schools, all theaters, all churches, all motion picture houses, all dance halls, all carnivals, fairs and bazaars, all billiard room and pool rooms, all bowling alleys in the entire state of Delaware shall be kept closed until further notice."

Sure Sounds Similar to Today.  --Cooter

The History of Kraft Food Co.-- Part 2: Name Changes

**  1924--  J.L. Kraft & bros. & Co. changes its name to Kraft Cheese Co.

J.L. takes his company public and the first shares are traded on the Chicago Stock Exchange.

**  1930--  National Dairy Products Corp. acquires Kraft-Phenix Cheese.

**  1969--  National Dairy Products changes name to Kraftco Corp..

**  1986--  The new Kraft Inc. includes Kraft food and Duracell battery business.  Kraft Inc. acquires Tombstone Pizza Corporation.

**  1988  The Duracell batteries business is sold to Duracell Holdings Corp.,  and Kraft returns to being "all food" for the first time in more than 30 years.

**  1989--  Phillip Morris combines Kraft Inc. and general Foods, to form Kraft General Foods Inc..

--Cooter

Exploring the Past: The History of Kraft Cheese Co. --Part 1: A Stockton, Illinois, Connection

From the Galenian.

1903--  James Lewis Kraft rents a horse and wagon, purchases wholesale cheese and begins selling the cheese to small stores in Chicago.

1909--  J.L. Kraft & Bros. Co. is incorporated with three of his brothers:  Charles, Norman and John.

1910--  Business increases 125% over the year before.

1914--  J.L. Kraft and his brothers decide to manufacture and sell their own cheese.  The company buys its first cheese plant in Stockton, Illinois.

1915--  J.L. Kraft & Bros. begins selling processed cheese in cans.

--CootCheese

Five Things About the Movie "The Ten Commandments"-- Part 2: About Michelangelo, Charlton's Baby Son and the Matterhorn

2.  Charlton Heston landed the Moses role after Cecil DeMille saw Michelangelo's statue of Moses which he thought resembled the actor.

Heston also voiced God in the burning bush scene.

3.  Fraser Heston (Charlton's then 3-month-old son) played baby Moses.

4.  For the movie's opening credits, Paramount's signature mountain. the Matterhorn, was recolorized red to represent Mount Sinai.

5.  Jewelry worn by Anna Baxter (Queen Nefretiri), among others, was based on authentic designs from the time of Ramses I.

Thou Shalt Not....  --CootBurn

Five Things You Might Not Have Known About the Movie "The Ten Commandments"-- Part 1: Parting the Red Sea

From the March 8, 2020, Parade magazine.

I saw part of this movie this past Sunday on ABC.  This 1956 movie showed how Moses (Charlton Heston) turned his back on a life of privilege in the land of the Pharaoh (Yul Brynner) to set his Hebrew people free.

It was filmed in Egypt, Mt. Sinai and the Sinai Peninsula and was one of the most financially rewarding movies ever, grossing around $122.7 million in its run (equivalent to $1.15 billion in 2019).

Here are some facts about this Bible-based blockbuster which received an Oscar for its jaw-dropping special effects.

1.  The illusion of the Red Sea Parting was achieved by filming large tanks flooded with 350,000 gallons of water (with gelatin added to thicken it) and wind machines, then showing the footage in reverse.

--Cooter

About That Last Really Bad Pandemic: The Spanish Flu 1918-1920

From Wikipedia.

Between 1918 and 1920, the world had the really bad Spanish Flu pandemic, in which an estimated 500 million people (about one fourth of the population at the time) were infected and anywhere between 17 to 50 million people died.

This made it the worst pandemic of all time other than Black Death.

Hopefully, all the measures being taken across the United States and the world will stop the current one from being as bad.

I have written a lot about the Spanish Flu pandemic in this blog.  When I did, I never expected that I would be living through one, but here we are.

Two of my favorite performers have died from the "V":  Joe Diffie and John Prine.

You can read about my previous posts on Spanish Flu by hitting the Spanish Flu or 1918 Flu Epidemic labels below this.  Some of that seems real familiar.

Strange Days Indeed.  --Cooter

Some of Harrison Ford's Greatest Movies- Part 3: Fugitive-- Force-- Beneath-- Pets

**  THE FUGITIVE (1993)

Ford's Richard Kimble is a Chicago surgeon who is wrongly accused and convicted of murdering his wife.  He escapes and goes on the run in a desperate attempt to find that one-armed man.

**  AIR FORCE ONE  (1997)

Terrorists hijack the U.S. president's plane.  then its a chess game between the bad guys and President James Marshall.  Who do you think wins?

**  WHAT LIES BENEATH  (2000)

In this Hitchcockian drama, a researcher (Ford) and his wife believe their lake house is haunted.

**  THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2  (2019)

He voices a quirky canine named Rooster in this adorable sequel to the 2016 animated family film about adventuresome animals.

ALSO:

K-9 THE WIDOWMAKER  (2002)

COWBOYS & ALIENS  (2011)

--Cooter

Some of Harrison Ford's Greatest Movies-- Part 2: Blade--Witness-- Working-- Patriot

Again, watching lots of movies these days.  Saturday, I saw :

Mad Max:  Beyond Thunderdome
The Outsiders
Road House

Sunday, I saw:

Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters II
Deadpool

Like I said, I'm seeing a lot of movies on TV these days.

Anyway, here are some more Harrison Ford movies:

**  BLADE RUNNER--  (1982)  Plays a bounty hunter (blade runner) in a dystopian sci-fi thriller, set in the then future 2019.  Also on a 2017 sequel.

**  WITNESS  (1985)  Nominated for Best Actor Academy award.  Police detective who goes into hiding in an Amish community to protect a young boy who was sole witness to a murder.

**  WORKING GIRL  (1988)  In New York City.  he plays a lawyer who falls in love with his secretary who is trying to make it big in the city.

**   PATRIOT GAMES  (1992)   Action-packed conspiracy thriller made Harrison the second actor to play novelist Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan character.  The first was Alec Baldwin.

You Watching a Lot of Movies These Days?  --Cooter

Some of Harrison Ford's Best Roles-- Part 1: Graffiti-- Star-- Now-- Raiders

See if you can guess the movies from the one word titles above.

From the March 8, 2020, Parade Magazine "Role Play" by Maggie Hedera.

For some reason, I have been watching lots and lots and lots of movies these last several weeks.  There was an article about Harrison Ford in this magazine which comes along with the Chicago Tribune on Sundays.

**  AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)

This is the pre-"Star Wars" vehicle that really launched his career, where he was the trash-talking motorhead.

**  STAR WARS  (1977)

Hello Han Solo as he has reappeared in four more of the movies until killed by his son.

**  APOCALYPSE NOW  (1979)

A minor role as Colonel Lucas, but what a great movie.  Getting deep into the Vietnam War.

**  RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK"  (1981)

Introduced as the swashbuckling archaeologist Indiana Jones, fights Nazis and tries to avoid snakes.  In three sequels.

--CootFord

(N)opening Day-- Part 7: Japan and a World Series Year

MARCH 29, 2000

In the first Major League game played outside of North America, the Cubs rode Jon Lieber's arm and Shane Andrews' bat to a 5-3 victory over the Mets in front of 55,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

Lieber allowed one run on five hits  in seven innings and Andrews belted a two run homer in the seventh and Mark Grace had a solo shot in the eighth to give Don Baylor the victory in his managerial debut.

2016

Jake Arrieta, coming off his Cy Young Award-winning season, pitched seven innings of two-hit baseball in 1 9-0 victory over the Angels  in Anaheim.  He held Albert Pujols and Mike Trout to a combined 0-6 with three strikeouts.

This was the first of the 103 regular season wins the Cubs had  that year on their way to winning their first NL Central title since 2008.

Then as you know, they went on to win their first World Series since 1908.

That Sure Was Some Fun Year.  --Cooter

(N)opening Day-- Part 6: From Cactus Worst to NL East Best and Then the Maddux Comes Back

1984--   They had a Cactus League worst 7-20 record and had released franchise legend Fergie Jenkins, so things didn't look promising, but come opening day, Dick Ruthven pitched 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball and then Keith Moreland hit a tie-breaking home run in the sixth inning as the Cubs won 5-3 over the Giants at Candlestick Park

The Cubs went on to finish the year 96-65 for their first National League East title  and first playoff appearance since 1945.  Then they lost to Steve Garvey and the Padres 3 games to 2 in the best-of-five NL Championship Series.

***************************************

APRIL 5, 1993--  In his first game with the Braves, former Cub Greg Maddux beat his former team 1-0 on a cold, blustery day at Wrigley.

From 1986 to 1992, he had won 95 games, including his Cy Young Award-winning 1992 when he won 20.

He won the Cy Young again in 1993, plus in the next two seasons.  During his 11 seasons with the Braves, they won ten division titles.

The Cubs Trading Better Is Like the Bears Trading or Drafting a Good Quarterback.  Ain't Gonna Happen.  --RoadDog

(N)opening Day-- Part 5: Some Famous Names like Gibson, Jenkins, Williams, Banks Santo and LaRussa, a Walk-Off Home Run and a Walk Off-Walk Off

Some More Cub Openers

APRIL 6, 1971

Billy Williams hit a walk-off home run off Bob Gibson with one out in the 10th inning to give the Cubs a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

Fergie Jenkins outdueled Gibson in a matchup of future Hall of Famers. Joe Torre's seventh inning homer accounted for the Card run.  This was the first time Ernie Banks wasn't in the starting lineup since 1953.

How about those names?

****************************

APRIL 6, 1973

Trailing 2-1 in the ninth the Cubs scored twice on bases loaded walks and beat the Expos 3-2 at Wrigley Field.  Rick Monday drew the game with two outs to score Tony LaRussa -- pinch running for Ron Santo -- for the winning run.  It was LaRussa's only appearance for the Cubs and his last in the majors as a player.

Some More Names.  --CootCub

Al Spalding-- Part 2 Baseball Hall of Fame and Dem Stats

He was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 by the Veterans Committee.

And here are some unbelievable stats for him:

He played with the Boston Red Stockings from 1871 to 1875 and with the Chicago White Stockings (Cubs)in 1876 and 1877.  In 7 years, his pitching stats (Record and ERA):

1871---      19-10    3.36
1872 ---     38-8      1.85
1873---      41-14    2.99

1874---      52-16    1.92
1875---      54-5      1.59
1876---      47-12    1.75

1877---         1-0      3.27

Overall      252-65    2.13

*******************************

BATTING:

1871          .271
1872          .354
1873          . 328

1874          .329
1875          .312
1876          .312
1877          .256

Pretty Impressive Stats.  --Cooter

Al Spalding-- Part 1: Mighty Big Name in Early MLB

On March 30, I wrote about the Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) winning their season opener in 1876 behind the pitching of their manager-pitcher Al Spalding.  Well, this name sounded familiar in sporting goods so I did some further research and what a baseball player this guy was.

From Wikipedia.

ALBERT GOODWILL SPALDING  (September 2, 1850-September9, 1915)

Baseball pitcher, player, manager and executive and co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company.  Born and raised in Byron, Illinois, and graduated high school in Rockford, Illinois.    Played Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1878.  He started a trend when he started wearing a baseball glove.

After his retirement as a player, he became active as an executive and owner of the Chicago White Stockings (who are today's Chicago Cubs).With William Hulburt, he organized the National League and later called for a commission which determined that baseball had been invented by Abner Doubleday (second in command at Fort Sumter when it surrendered to the Confederates and later Union general).  He also wrote the first set of baseball rules.

--CootBall