August 12, 1985: The Worst Air Disaster Ever

August 12, 1985: Japan Air Lines Flight 123, intended to fly from Tokyo to Osaka, suffers a severe structural failure and explosive decompression 12 minutes after takeoff, crashing after 32 minutes.

It remains the worst air disaster in history, killing 524 people, with only 4 survivors.  An estimated 20 to 50 passengers survived the initial crash, but died from their injuries while awaiting rescue.

Among those who died was Kyu Sakamoto, the singer who hit Number 1 on the U.S. charts in 1963 with a song whose title, when translated into English, was "I Look Up as I Walk." One of those "I wish it would rain so people won't see a man cry" songs. But Capitol Records issued it under the title "Sukiyaki," which led someone to say it was like releasing "Moon River" in Japan and calling it "Beef Stew." Sakamoto remained beloved in his homeland, until his death at the age of 43.

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August 12, 1985 was a Monday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 12-4 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Phil Niekro, 46, outpitched former Yankee prospect Gene Nelson, 24. Ron Hassey went 3-for-5 with  2 home runs and 4 RBIs. Mike Pagliarulo also homered. Ken Griffey Sr. went 2-for-5 with 3 RBIs. Dave Winfield went 0-for-4 with a walk. Don Mattingly went 2-for-5. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and an RBI. For the South Siders, Ron Kittle hit 2 homers.

* The New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 at Shea Stadium. Sid Fernandez outpitched John Denny. Wally Backman went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Keith Hernandez went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs. Mike Schmid went 1-for-4.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. George Brett went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles, 8-5 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Eddie Murray went 1-for-1, a home run, and drew 3 walks. Cal Ripken went 0-for-4.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Montreal Expos, 8-7 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Robin Yount went 2-for-4. Paul Molitor went singled, and then left the game with an injury.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-1 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Minnesota Twins swept a doubleheader from the Oakland Athletics, 4-3 and 5-4 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds, 2-0 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Mark Thurmond pitched 6 1/3rd innings of 7-hit shutout ball, and Lance McCullers finished the 8-hit shutout. Tony Gwynn went 0-for-3 with a walk. Reds player-manager Pete Rose did not put himself into the game.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Rick Honeycutt pitched 6 innings of 2-hit shutout ball, and Tom Niedenfuer finished the 3-hit shutout.

* A doubleheader was split at the Kingdome in Seattle. The Seattle Mariners won the opener, 6-5. The California Angels won the nightcap, 4-3. Over the 2 games, Reggie Jackson went 3-for-6 with a home run, 3 walks and 2 RBIs; and Rod Carew went 4-for-7 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* And the Houston Astros and the San Francisco Giants were not scheduled.