August 23, 1939: The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

Left to right: Joachim von Ribbentrop,

Joseph Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov

August 23, 1939: Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov and Nazi Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop sign a Non-Aggression Pact between their nations, in Moscow.

This was pretty much the last blockade for the Nazis launching World War II with their invasion of Poland, and for the Soviets invading the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) and Finland.

Their countries agree to not attack each other, and to partition Poland between them. In other words, they’re gonna party like it’s 1795. The invasion of Poland begins 8 days later.

It was also, essentially, the end of Communism as a viable party in America. Horrified that Premier Joseph Stalin would accept a compromise with Fascists, and that half the membership of the CPUSA did as well, the Party lost the other half of its membership. Feeling betrayed, this half of America's "Old Left" began to evolve into a "New Left" that would concentrate on societal ills at home rather than on right-wing aggression abroad.

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August 23, 1939 was a Thursday. These 3 baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Detroit Tigers, 7-6 at Briggs Stadium (later Tiger Stadium) in Detroit. The Yankees scored 5 runs in the top of the 9th to tie it, including a 3-run home run by Joe DiMaggio. But in the bottom of the 9th, Charlie Gehringer doubled, Rudy York drew a walk, and Michael "Pinky" Higgins doubled Gehringer home with the winning run. Gehringer had homered earlier.

* The Boston Bees beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1 at National League Park in Boston. After a disastrous 1935 season, the Boston Braves decided on what would now be called a "re-branding," and renamed themselves the Bees, and Braves Field "National League Park." They even promoted it as "The Bee Hive." It never caught on, and in 1941, they switched both the name of the team and the name of the stadium back.

* And the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 7-4 at League Park in Cleveland. Jimmie Foxx went 0-for-4 with a walk, but rookie Ted Williams have 5 RBIs, including a grand slam, the 1st of 17 he would hit in his career.