July 29, 1967: A fire breaks out on board the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal, which was engaged in combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin, off Vietnam.
An electrical anomaly had caused the discharge of a Zuni rocket on the flight deck, triggering a chain-reaction of explosions that killed 134 sailors and injured 161 others.
Among the sailors on board was a 30-year-old pilot, Lieutenant John S. McCain III, the son and grandson of U.S. Navy Admirals. I read one source that he'd actually caused it. Official records show that he didn't. This was about 3 months before he was shot down and taken prisoner. After his release, he moved to Arizona, was elected to both houses of Congress, was nominated for President by the Republican Party in 2008, and became America's best-known living military veteran until his death in 2018.
Named for James Forrestal, the 1st U.S. Secretary of Defense, the Forrestal, CVA-59, was launched in 1954. Nicknamed "The Forrest Fire" after the incident, it was repaired, remained in service until 1993, and was scrapped in 2014.
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July 29, 1967 was a Saturday. These baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Kansas City Athletics, 6-2 at Yankee Stadium. Fritz Peterson pitched 6 strong innings, but Steve Hamilton blew the save, as the A's scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th. Mickey Mantle went 1-for-3 with a walk. Reggie Jackson, who had made his major league debut on June 9, did not play in this game.
* The New York Mets lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Al Ferrara hit a home run off Bob Hendley in the bottom of the 9th inning, making a winning pitcher of Bill Singer.
* A doubleheader was split at Fenway Park in Boston. The Boston Red Sox won the opener, 6-3. The Minnesota Twins won the nightcap, 10-3.On the last day of the season, these same 2 teams would battle it out for the American League Pennant.
Carl Yastrzemski, in the middle of what turned out to be a Triple Crown season, had maybe his worst day, going 1-for-8. Tony Conigliaro wasn't much better, going 1-for-7. Harmon Killebrew went 3-for-8, with a home run, a walk, and 2 RBIs. Tony Oliva went 3-for-9 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Bob Allison went 0-for-4 in the 1st game, but 3-for-5 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs in the 2nd game. Rod Carew, on his way to being named the AL's Rookie of the Year, did not play in either game.
* The Washington Senators beat the California Angels, 3-2 at District of Columbia Stadium (later Robert F. Kennedy Stadium) in Washington.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-0 at Atlanta Stadium (later Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). Steve Carlton outpitched Tony Cloninger. Orlando Cepeda, Tim McCarver and Roger Maris hit home runs. Lou Brock went 1-for-4. Hank Aaron went 0-for-4.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-3 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Brooks Robinson went 1-for-5. Frank Robinson went 1-for-4 with a walk. Luis Aparicio, known for his speed and his defense, but not for his power, went 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-2 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Vada Pinson won it with a home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Pete Rose went 2-for-4. Johnny Bench made his major league debut a month later, on August 28. Ernie Banks did not play for the Cubs in this game.
* The Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-3 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. These 2 teams would also battle the Red Sox and Twins for the Pennant, the ChiSox to the last weekend, and the Tigers to the last day. Al Kaline went 3-for-5.
* The Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-5 at the Astrodome in Houston. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-5 with an RBI. Willie Stargell did not play.
* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Gaylord Perry outpitched Jim Bunning. Willie Mays went 2-for-4. Willie McCovey went 1-for-3 with a walk. Cookie Rojas went 3-for-5, but the rest of the Phillies combined only got 3 hits.
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