November 14, 1910: The 1st Aircraft Carrier

November 14, 1910: Eugene Burton Ely takes off in a Curtiss Pusher airplane, from the deck of the U.S. Navy cruiser USS Birmingham, off Norfolk Navy Base in Virginia. Thus was born the aircraft carrier.

On January 18, 1911, Ely landed his Pusher on a platform on the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania, anchored in San Francisco Bay, proving that a ship could be safely used as a landing point as well as a takeoff point. On May 9, 1912, Commander Charles Samson of Britain's Royal Naval Air Service made the 1st takeoff from a ship already in motion, off the HMS Hibernia.

On September 6, 1914, the Imperial Japanese Navy ship Wakamiya conducted the 1st successful ship-launched air raid, against the German gunboat Jaguar and the Austrian cruiser SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth. Perhaps "successful" is too strong a word: Although the attack was launched, and the planes returned safely, they did no damage to the enemy vessels. (We hear so much about how Japan was part of Nazi Germany's "Axis" during World War II that we often forget that, in World War I, they were on the same side as Britain, France, Russia, and, eventually, America.)

On August 2, 1917, Squadron Commander Edwin H. Dunning became the 1st pilot to land on a moving ship, the HMS Furious, in his Sopwith Pup, at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. Landing on the forward flight deck required the pilot to approach round the ship's superstructure, a difficult and dangerous maneuver. Just 5 days later, Dunning was later killed when his airplane was thrown overboard while attempting another landing on Furious. He was 25.

On March 20, 1922, the USS Langley was commissioned, as America’s 1st ship specifically designed as an aircraft carrier. It was named for Samuel Langley (1834-1906), astronomer and aviation pioneer. It was sunk by the Japanese during World War II. A 2nd carrier named Langley was launched in 1943, but only remained in service until 1947.

Eugene Burton Ely died in a crash in 1911. He was just short of turning 25. Charles Samson was a little luckier: Heart trouble forced him into early retirement, and he lived to be 47.

The USS Birmingham was in service from 1907 to 1923, and scrapped in 1930.

Carriers such as the original Enterprise, the Lexington, the Ranger, the Yorktown, the Hornet and the Essex were vital in winning World War II. In the post-Vietnam era, the U.S. Navy has tended to name carriers after Presidents, or people involved with the Navy in some capacity (or, in some cases, both). Carriers have been named after Presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. A 3rd carrier named USS Enterprise is now under construction.

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November 14, 1910 was a Monday. Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. Professional basketball barely existed. And hockey season hadn't yet started. So there were no scores on this historic day.

April 19, 1989: The USS Iowa Explosion

April 19, 1989: An explosion onboard the USS Iowa kills 47 crewmen, during a fleet exercise in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla. This hastened the ship's retirement, and that of the other remaining World War II-Korean War era battleships.

The NIS (Naval Investigative Service), the precursor to the NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service), determined that it was caused by a sailor's suicide attempt.

Battleships BB-65, USS Illinois, and BB-66, USS Kentucky, were still under construction when World War II ended, were never completed, and were ultimately scrapped, never joining the Iowa-class battleships that actually did sail. Those 4 have all become "museum ships":

* BB-61, USS Iowa, "The Grey Ghost." Decommissioned October 26, 1990. It is berthed at the Pacific Battleship Center, Port of Los Angeles.

* BB-62, USS New Jersey, "The Big J" or "The Black Dragon," it saw more battles than the other 3 combined. Decommissioned February 8, 1991. It is berthed at the Home Port Alliance in Camden, New Jersey, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.

* BB-63, USS Missouri, "The Mighty Mo," the ship on which the Empire of Japan formally surrendered to the Allies. Decommissioned March 31, 1992, making it America's last battleship. It is berthed at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. The place where, for America, World War II began seems an appropriate place for the ship where it formally ended.

* BB-64, USS Wisconsin, "The Big Wisky." Decommissioned September 30, 1991. It is berthed at Nauticus, a museum at the Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia.

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April 19, 1989 was a Wednesday. Actor Simu Liu was born. This was also the day the "Central Park Jogger" case began. I have a separate entry for that event.

These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-2 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. John Candelaria outpitched future Yankee Jimmy Key. Steve Sax, Bob Brower and Álvaro Espinoza each had 2 hits for the Yankees. Don Mattingly and Rickey Henderson each went 1-for-5.

* The New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-2 at Shea Stadium. Lee Mazzilli hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning, to make Randy Myers a winning pitcher in relief of David Cone. Mike Schmidt, entering his final season, went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals, 6-5 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Cal Ripken went 1-for-4. George Brett and Bo Jackson hit home runs for the Royals.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros, 4-3 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-4 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* The California Angels beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-2 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins, 3-2 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Barry Bonds went 2-for-5.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Robin Yount went 0-for-3 with a walk. Paul Molitor went 2-for-4.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. How many Dodgers does it take to pitch a 5-hit shutout? On this night, 4: Mike Morgan, 4 over 5 2/3rds innings; Tim Crews, 1 before getting the last out in the 6th; Ray Searage, a perfect 7th; and Jay Howell, a perfect 8th and 9th.

* The San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-3 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Tony Gwynn went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* And the Oakland Athletics beat the Seattle Mariners, 7-5 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-4.

Football was out of season. There were 4 games played in the NBA:

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Miami Heat, 117-91 at the Miami Arena.

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Indiana Pacers, 115-105 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 100-92 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

* And the Houston Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs, 99-84 at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio.

There were 2 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, both in Game 2 of the Prince of Wales Conference Finals. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins, 3-2 at the Montreal Forum, in Game 2 of their series. Bobby Smith scored the winner, at 12:24 of the 1st overtime. And the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-2 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

April 15, 1964: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Opens

April 15, 1964: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel opens, carrying U.S. Route 13 over, and under, the Chesapeake Bay, connecting Cape Charles, on the Delmarva Peninsula ("Del-mar-va": Delaware, Maryland and Virginia), with the resort city of Virginia Beach.

It is 17.6 miles long, and replaced a ferry service that had been operating since the 1930s. The company sold their ferry boats to the Delaware Bay Authority, which introduced the Cape May-Lewes Ferry service between New Jersey and Delaware.

Theoretically, the span saves people trying to get from the Northeast to the Hampton Roads area, including Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia's 2 largest cities, 95 miles and an hour and a half of driving.

But this is misleading: For most of its run, from Falls Township, Pennsylvania between Trenton and Philadelphia, and Fayetteville, North Carolina, Route 13 is only 2 lanes, 1 in each direction. From 1964 to 1999, this included the Bridge-Tunnel. A 2nd span, carrying southbound traffic over 2 lanes, opened in 1999, leaving the original span to carry northbound traffic over 2 lanes.

In 1987, the span, often abbreviated to the CBBT, was officially named the Lucius J. Kellam Jr. Tunnel. Kellam (1911-1995) was the first Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission, who got it built.

As of April 15, 2022, there have been 3 incidents involving ships crashing into the bridge, forcing temporary closures for repairs, in 1967, 1970 and 1972; and 16 incidents involving cars going off the bridge and into the water, including 1 death in 2017 and another in 2020.

There is a plan to build an additional span, to make it 4 lanes in each direction. This plan states that it is not expected to be completed before 2040.

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April 15, 1964 was a Wednesday. This was still early in the baseball season. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox wouldn't open until the next day, against each other. Five games were played:

* The New York Mets lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. The game was tied 1-1 going to the bottom of the 8th, when Tony González hit a 3-run home run, making Jim Bunning a winner over Tracy Stallard.

Two days later, the Mets opened Shea Stadium. They went on to a horrible season. The Phillies went on to a great season, until the end, when a 10-game losing streak cost them the Pennant. In other words, the Phillies went 92-70, and their fans ended up feeling worse than those of the Mets, who finished 53-109.

* The Washington Senators beat the Los Angeles Angels, 6-4 at District of Columbia Stadium in Washington. It was renamed Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in 1969.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Bill Virdon drew a bases-loaded walk to win it in the bottom of the 12th inning. Roberto Clement and Willie Stargell each went 2-for-6. Ernie Banks went 2-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Bob Gibson outpitched Don Drysdale.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Milwaukee Braves, 10-8 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The Giants scored all 10 runs in the 3rd inning, including a home run by Willie Mays. The Braves got home runs by Eddie Mathews and Bob Bailey, while Hank Aaron went 2-for-3 with 2 walks.

The NBA Playoffs were between the Division Finals and the Finals. The Boston Celtics would beat the San Francisco Warriors in 5 games. The Stanley Cup Finals were underway, between Games 2 and 3, tied 1-1. The Toronto Maple Leafs would beat the Detroit Red Wings in 7 games.

January 14, 1969: The USS Enterprise Fire

The USS Enterprise, CVN-65

January 14, 1969: An explosion kills 28 people aboard the USS Enterprise. No, this wasn't an episode of Star Trek -- or an accident on the set of said show. This was a real fire, aboard the real-life aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, off the coast of Hawaii.

After a Zuni rocket detonated under a plane's wing, the ensuing fire touched off more munitions, blowing holes in the flight deck that allowed burning jet fuel to enter the ship. The blaze killed 28 sailors, injured 314, and destroyed 15 aircraft. Even graver damage was likely prevented by improvements made after the similar fire aboard the carrier USS Forrestal in 1967.

At 1,123 feet, Enterprise, service number CVN-65, known as the Big E, was the longest naval vessel ever built when it was commissioned on November 25, 1961, and still holds that distinction. She was based at Alameda Naval Air Station on San Francisco Bay, but was away at sea when Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Top Gun were filmed in 1986, so, both times, the carrier USS Ranger (CV-61) stood in for America's most famous "nuclear wessel."

Its predecessor, CV-6, was launched in 1936, and was key to the American victory in the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II. After initially wanting to name it the Yorktown, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry named the show's starship the Enterprise after the World War II carrier. Having that ship's replacement in place by the time of the show's premiere in 1966 helped.

CV-6 was taken out of service in 1947, and scrapped in 1958. CVN-65 had a better fate: She was decommissioned in 2017 at her "birthplace," Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, and some of her steel was recycled for the next aircraft carrier named Enterprise (CVN-80), scheduled for launch in 2025.

UPDATE: That idea was, itself, recycled in the TV series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in 2023: Every succeeding starship named Enterprise includes a piece of the NX-01, the 1st starship with the name, from the 2001-05 TV show Star Trek: Enterprise.

Construction delays, partly due to the COVID pandemic of 2020-21, have meant that CVN-80 is now scheduled to be commissioned in 2030.

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January 14, 1969 was a Tuesday. Actor Jason Bateman and rock drummer Dave Grohl were born on this day.

Baseball was out of season. Football season had ended 2 days earlier, with the New York Jets' stunning upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. No games were played in the NBA, but there were 3 in the American Basketball Association:

* The Dallas Chaparrals beat the Minnesota Pipers, 102-101 at the Metropolitan Sports Center in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Connie Hawkins scored 43 points for the Pipers.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Houston Mavericks, 116-113 at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston.

* And the Oakland Oaks beat the Los Angeles Stars, 132-106 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

There was 1 game played in the NHL: The Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Rangers, 3-1 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.