December 2, 1971: The United Arab Emirates Is Formed

December 2, 1971: The United Arab Emirates are granted independence from Britain. The UAE is one of the richest countries on Earth. But is also one of the worst.

In the 19th Century, with pearling becoming a major economic activity, piracy became rampant in the Persian Gulf. Local sheikhdoms formed a pact with the United Kingdom to create the Trucial States, a British protectorate. Effectively, they chose to become a satellite state of Britain rather than a satellite state of their neighbors, Saudi Arabia and Oman. The Trucial States remained under British influence until full independence as the United Arab Emirates in 1971.

They are an absolute monarchy/dictatorship of 10 million people. They are governed by a Federal Supreme Council, made up of the ruling Sheikhs of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Umm Al Quwain. The FSC is led by a President. As of May 14, 2022, that President is Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi has about 3 million, and the Emirate of Dubai has about 4 million.

The City of Dubai serves as an international hub of finance, tourism, and commerce. Only 11 percent of the population are native Emiratis. The vast majority of inhabitants are expatriates and migrant workers, most of whom are from South Asia. Dubai is home to the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa; and what may be the world's largest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall. (The Iran Mall in Tehran disputes this.)

As with the former World Trade Center in New York, and the CN Tower in Toronto, the Burj Khalifa messes with the perspective of the skyline, making very tall buildings look considerably shorter. 

The UAE has the most diversified economy among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), having become less reliant on natural resources in the 21st Century, and increasingly focusing on tourism and business. But the companies running those tall buildings are finding it difficult to rent. And many of those expatriates live in what are essentially suburbs of the city.

One American urbanist has called Dubai a parody of the worst aspects of American cities and their suburbs. He also essentially called Dubai what a newspaper reporter around 2000 called the Houston Astrodome and the remaining buildings of the 1964-65 New York World's Fair: Relics of a future that never happened.

The UAE is a member of the United Nations, the Arab League, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and BRICS (named for its 5 original member nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa; and also including Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran).

The country treats those migrant workers very badly, and pays them badly. It has been suggested that some are not paid at all: Slave labor. Human rights organizations have suggested that the government is guilty of forced disappearances and torture. The country does not have freedom of speech, freedom of the press, or freedom of assembly; and the only concessions this Muslim nation makes to freedom of religion are due to the need for the revenue provided by the expatriates.

It infuriates me to no end that the Emirates airline’s name is on Arsenal F.C.'s stadium and shirts. The son of the Emir of Dubai owns another English Premier League team, Manchester City, and named it after his Emirate's airline, Etihad -- which, ironically, given the name of the bigger team in Manchester, is translated as "United."

*

December 2, 1971 was a Thursday. This was also the day the New York Yankees made one of the worst trades in their history, sending Stan Bahnsen to the Chicago White Sox for Rich McKinney. I have a separate entry for that event.

Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. There were no games played in the American Basketball Association. There was 1 game played in the NBA: The Buffalo Braves beat the Baltimore Bullets, 109-105, a "home game" for the Braves at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

There were 2 games played in the NHL. The Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings played to a tie, 1-1 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. And the Buffalo Sabres beat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-0 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Which doesn't explain why it was the Braves who had to move, since they and the Sabres both began play in the Autumn of 1970. Although the Braves could play "home games" at the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, while the Sabres couldn't, seeing the Leafs as a geographical rival.

October 25, 2022: Britain's 1st Nonwhite, 1st Non-Christian Prime Minister

October 25, 2022: Rishi Sunak becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He is the 1st nonwhite person, and the 1st non-Christian person, to hold the office.

Rishi Sunak (his professional name is also his entire birth name) was born on May 12, 1980, making him 42 years old when he moved into 10 Downing Street. Britain is one of those nations, Canada (24 Sussex Drive) being another, where the official residence of the head of government does not have a fancy name.

He was born in Southampton, Hampshire, on the south coast of England, a major port city. His parents were born in African countries that were then British colonies: His father, a physician, in Kenya; and his mother, a pharmacist, in Tanzania. He has a brother and a sister, both accomplished in their fields as well. His grandparents were from the Punjab province of India.

The family is Hindu, which is the dominant religion of India. Given that Britain is about 60 percent Christian, 33 percent without a stated religion, 4.4 percent Muslim, 1.3 percent Hindu, and 0.4 percent Jewish, it shouldn't be surprising that the country had a Hindu Prime Minister before it had a Jewish one. Given that the country is about 86 percent white, 4.9 percent South Asian, 3 percent black and 2.1 percent East Asian, it also shouldn't be surprising that the country had an Asian Prime Minister before it had a black one.

Sunak went to what Americans would call high school at Winchester College in Winchester, Hampshire; and graduated from Lincoln College, Oxford University in 2001. He went to America as a Fulbright Scholar, and earned an MBA from Stanford University outside San Francisco in 2006. It was at Stanford that he met Akshata Murty, the daughter of an Indian billionaire. She is a month older than he is. They married in 2009, and have 2 daughters, Anoushka and Krishna. Through his wife's stock in her father's company, Sunak is one of the few Prime Ministers whose wealth exceeds that of the monarch, although the monarchy has access to far more money.

Sunak worked in the British office of Goldman Sachs, and in 2015 was elected to the House of Commons for Richmond in North Yorkshire. His rise from backbencher to 10 Downing in just 7 years is unusual, but not a record. He supported "Brexit," Britain's break from the European Union, in the 2016 referendum. For this, he was rewarded with a place in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Theresa May.

May couldn't make Brexit work, so she was forced out of the job in 2019, in favor of Boris Johnson. In 2020, Johnson appointed Sunak to be Chancellor of the Exchequer, equivalent to the Secretary of the Treasury in America or Minister of Finance in most countries with a parliamentary system of government.

In July 2022, with Britain hopelessly stuck in recession due to 12 years of the Conservative Party's governance having reduced the value of the pound and raised unemployment, and Johnson himself mired in personal scandals, his government collapsed, with the resignation of several Cabinet members, including Sunak. Johnson resigned, and Sunak stood for Conservative Party Leader.

He finished 2nd to Liz Truss, who had been Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. Accepting her as the new Prime Minister was the last official act as head of state of Queen Elizabeth II, who died 2 days later.

Little did anyone know that the last act of the longest-reigning English or British monarch would be to appoint the shortest-lasting Prime Minister. Truss' proposed budget gained no support, not even from other Conservatives (a.k.a. "Tories"), and she had to resign the office after just 45 days.

With Johnson hinting at running for Party Leader in an "I told you so" campaign, the Party rallied around Sunak, thinking his business expertise made him the right man for the job, in spite of his race and his religion, which do not exactly appeal to Tories. But, being conservative, and not of the American stripe, they are about money first and other concerns second, and they chose him.

On October 25, he visited Buckingham Palace, and gave the monarch, King Charles III, the magic words: "I can form a government." The King, who probably hoped he would receive his Coronation (currently scheduled for May 6, 2023) before he had to receive his 1st new Prime Minister, gave his assent.

Beyond the novelty of his race and his religion, Sunak is the youngest Prime Minister since Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, took office at a few months younger in 1812, and held the office for 15 years, including the defeat of Napoleon. William Pitt the Younger, whose father William Pitt the Elder had also been Prime Minister, remains the youngest Prime Minister in the country's history, only 24 when he first took office in 1783. Sunak is the 1st Prime Minister to represent a district in Yorkshire since Harold Wilson retired in 1974.

Since the Conservatives last took power from the Labour Party through election, he is their 5th different Prime Minister in 12 years. David Cameron (2010-16), May (2016-19), Johnson and Truss all had to give up the job due mainly to their mishandling of the national economy.

And yet, the Tories have won general elections in 2015, 2017 and 2019, by painting the Labour Party, with help from the defamations and outright lies printed by conservative-controlled national newspapers, as out-of-touch elitists, extreme leftists, and anti-Semites (due to some ill-advised positions by their former leader, Jeremy Corbyn). The Tories currently hold a 357-196 lead over Labour in the House of Commons. By law, the next election must come no later than January 23, 2025.

There are 7 former Prime Ministers currently living: Truss, Johnson, May, Cameron, Gordon Brown (2007-10, currently the last Leader of the Labour Party to hold the office), Tony Blair (1997-2007) and John Major (1990-97).

UPDATE: Sunak called an election for July 4, 2024, and the Labour Party won it, making Sir Keir Starmer, who in 2020 replaced Corbyn as Party Leader, the new Prime Minister. The Conservative Party replaced him as Leader, and thus Leader of the Opposition, with Olukemi "Kemi" Badenoch, a Londoner whose parents were Nigerian, making her the 1st black person to be Leader of a major party in Britain. She had served in the Cabinet under Sunak and Truss.

*

October 25, 2022 was a Tuesday. Baseball was between its League Championship Series and its World Series, with the Houston Astros set to play the Philadelphia Phillies. Football was in midweek. There were 4 games played in the NBA:

* The Washington Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons, 120-99 at the Capital One Center in Washington.

* The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Dallas Mavericks, 113-111 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Luka Dončić led all scorers on the night with 37 points.

* The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-94 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

* And the Phoenix Suns beat the Golden State Warriors, 134-105 at the Footprint Center (now the Mortgage Matchup Center) in Phoenix.

And there were 10 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers lost to the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2 in a shootout at Madison Square Garden.

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Detroit Red Wings, 6-2 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Devils got goals from 6 different players.

* The Minnesota Wild beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Dallas Stars, 3-1 at the TD Garden in Boston.

* The Arizona Coyotes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 6-3 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Florida Panthers, 4-2 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Calgary Flames beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-1 at the Saddledome in Calgary.

* The Los Angeles Kings beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

* The Vegas Golden Knights beat the San Jose Sharks, 4-2 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

* And the Seattle Kraken beat the Buffalo Sabres, 5-1 at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

September 14, 1926: The King-Byng Affair

William Lyon Mackenzie King

September 14, 1926: Canada holds a general election. It is won by the Liberal Party, which means that its Leader, former Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, will be returned to the job. And that means that the people of Canada were sending a message to their "mother country," Great Britain: We may still be a part of your Empire, but we will decide our own fate.

Since "Confederation" gave Canada a partial independence in 1867, the nation's head of state had been the British monarch, represented in-country by a Governor-General; and the head of government had been the Prime Minister, the Leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons.

In 1921, Julian Byng, 1st Baron Byng of Vimy, was named Governor-General of Canada by King George V. Lord Byng had been the commanding officer of the Canadian Corps at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in Vimy, France during World War I. As a result, he was called Canada's greatest military hero, and he replaced the Duke of Devonshire as Governor-General.

Julian Byng

The titles of the outgoing and incoming Governors-General was not unusual: From 1867 to 1952, the Governors-General included 2 Dukes, 6 Earls, 2 Lords who went on to become Earls after their fathers died, 3 Marquesses, 2 Viscounts, and 2 Barons.

Among them were the donors of the trophies for the championships of ice hockey and Canadian football, respectively: Frederick Stanley, who had to resign as Governor-General because his father had died, and passed to him the title of Earl of Derby; and Albert Grey, the 4th Earl Grey, grandson of Charles Grey, for whom Earl Grey tea was named.

In 1920, Robert Borden, who had been Prime Minister through World War I, retired, and handed the office off to Arthur Meighen. But in the next election, in 1921, his Conservative Party lost to the Liberal Party, and Mackenzie King -- usually referred to by his 3rd and 4th names, not by all 4 -- became the new Prime Minister. On October 29, 1925, Meighen returned to power with a coalition government, as he took the Tories to a lead in the Commons, but not a majority.

Arthur Meighen

King, however, thought he could retake the government by peeling off some members of the coalition. He combined the Liberal and Progressive caucuses to gain a plurality, and hung on to power. But the following year, due to a scandal that didn't involve King himself, the coalition fell apart.

King turned to Lord Byng, and asked him to exercise his power and dissolve Parliament, so that a new election could be called. Byng refused, citing the will of the people that had given Meighen the lead in the most recent election, and the right to form his coalition. On June 29, 1926, Byng asked Meighen to form a government, and he did.

Because of the possibility of losing a vote in the Commons, Meighen advised Byng to appoint the ministers of the Crown in an "acting" capacity only, to avoid triggering the automatic by-elections Ministers faced when accepting their appointments at the time. King used the technique to mock the government, and to further his accusation that Meighen had acted irresponsibly by accepting Byng's appointment, attracting Progressive support to take down the fledgling government. The government lost a motion regarding the "acting" Ministers by one vote, only 3 days after Meighen's appointment. With no other parliamentary leader to call upon, Byng called a new election for September 14.

King effectively campaigned against Byng, instead of against Meighen, and won the most seats in the House of Commons, although his party won a smaller proportion of the popular vote than the Conservatives. However, this was largely because the Liberals did not run candidates in all ridings, and had an informal electoral pact with the Progressives and Liberal-Progressives. In particular, the election results in the Province of Manitoba had the Conservatives capture almost 40 percent of the vote, twice the vote share of any other party, but not finishing 1st in a single riding, so they won no seats. Thus, King's Liberals were able to govern.

It became known as "The King-Byng Affair," and Byng returned to Britain at the end of the year. He was raised to the rank of Viscount. Meighen resigned as Conservative Leader. He ended up being knighted for his service to the British Empire. He was the last Prime Minister of Canada who saw himself as being a member of the British Empire, and so he was the last Prime Minister of Canada to be knighted as a result. He became Sir Arthur Meighen, despite the fact that his 1st government lasted 527 days, and his 2nd government lasted 89 days.

The incoming Prime Minister had not only defeated his predecessor: He had, for all intents and purposes, forced the Governor-General to resign, showing the Crown that Canada was its own nation, with its own government, speaking for its own people. Since 1926, no Governor-General of Canada, and no monarch of Great Britain, has tried to impose his or her will on the Prime Minister. All of which makes it weirder that the Prime Minister would be named "King."

With the Great Depression having started, Mackenzie King would lose the 1930 election, to a Conservative Party now led by Richard B. Bennett. But Bennett could not get Canada out of the Depression, and held off calling a new election for as long as he constitutionally could, finally standing for one in 1935. King and the Liberals won it.

Canada entered World War II along with Britain in 1939. Despite this, an election was held on time in 1940, and the Liberals slightly increased their majority. Another was held on time in 1945 -- between V-E Day and V-J Day, as it turned out, just as Britain's was -- and the Liberals lost seats, but hung on to enough seats to keep their majority. King retired in 1948, as Canada's longest-serving Prime Minister.

Julian Byng died in 1935, Mackenzie King in 1950, Arthur Meighen in 1960. Today, when Lord Byng is remembered, it is mainly as the husband of Evelyn Byng. During her time in Canada, she became a fan of the sport of ice hockey, and the Byngs attended Ottawa Senators games together in the nation's capital.

Evelyn Byng

In 1925, Evelyn donated the Lady Byng Trophy, to be awarded to "the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." After her death in 1949, the NHL changed the trophy's name to the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

The process of Canada becoming self-governing was further affirmed in 1982, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Queen Elizabeth II signed the Constitution Act, "repatriating" Canada's Constitution, meaning that Canada can amend the document as it sees fit, without getting the permission of Britain's Parliament. The British monarch remains Canada's head of state, but has little say over Canada's governance.

In 1952, right after becoming Queen of the United Kingdom, and thus also the Queen of Canada, Elizabeth II had to appoint a new Governor-General of Canada. She chose Vincent Massey. He had the diplomatic credentials, but he was not of noble birth, the 1st Governor-General for whom this was true. Indeed, from Massey onward, no Governor-General of Canada has even received a knighthood.

In 1959, upon Massey's retirement, Queen Elizabeth appointed Georges Vanier, the 1st Francophone Governor-General. The Vanier Cup, the championship of Canadian college football, is named for him. In 1984, the Queen appointed Jeanne Sauvé, who became not only the 1st female Governor-General, but also the 1st lifelong civilian.

In 1999, the Queen appointed Adrienne Clarkson, who is of Chinese descent, making her the 1st nonwhite Governor-General. Given the strong Asian presence in Canada, especially in the West, it is not surprising that the country had an Asian head of state before it had a black one. It is also not surprising that the 1st black head of state was a Francophone: In 2005, following Clarkson's retirement, the Queen appointed Michaëlle Jean, who was born in Haiti.

In 2021, the Queen appointed Mary Simon, who is Inuk on her mother's side, making her the 1st Governor-General of Indigenous descent. She was the last of the 13 appointed by Queen Elizabeth. All previous British monarchs had appointed 17.

As of September 14, 2022, 4 of the last 5 Governors-General have been women, including the incumbent, Mrs. Simon.

*

September 14, 1926 was a Tuesday. Dick Dale, the lefthanded guitarist whose instrumentals helped launch "surf rock," was born on this day.

Only 3 baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-0 at the Polo Grounds. Ray Kremer pitched a 4-hit shutout, backed by a home run from Paul Waner.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known from 1914 to 1931, when Wilbert Robinson managed them) lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 5-1 at Ebbets Field.

* And the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.

July 9, 1877: The 1st Wimbledon Championships

Spencer Gore

July 9, 1877: The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club holds its 1st tennis tournament. Spencer Gore wins "gentlemen's singles" at what will eventually be called "The Wimbledon Championships," for its neighborhood in South London.

Spencer Gore was born on March 10, 1850 in Wimbledon. The 1877 win was his only title, as he never competed again. He ran a property advisory firm, and died in 1906.

Norman Brookes, of Australia, was the 1st non-British native to win, in 1907. Bill Tilden was the 1st American to win, in 1920. The most wins have been by Roger Federer of Switzerland, 8.

"Ladies' singles" were first competed in 1884. Maud Watson won the 1st title. Born in 1864 in Harrow, North-West London, she won again in 1885, and lost the Final in 1886. She received an OBE for her work as a nurse during World War I, and lived until 1946. In 1976, having been named Sportswoman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine, Chris Evert appeared on the cover, in a copy of Watson's 1884 Wimbledon outfit.

Maud Watson

In 1907, American May Sutton became the 1st non-British citizen to win ladies' singles at Wimbledon. Martina Navratilova, the Czech defector to America, has won the tournament the most, 9 times.

The tournament was not held from 1915 to 1918, due to World War I; from 1940 to 1945, due to World War II; and in 2020, due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Other than that, it's been held every year. The main stadium, Centre Court, opened in 1922. Tired of rain delays pushing matches back, the All England Club added a retractable roof in 2009.

Centre Court

*

July 9, 1877 was a Monday. The only professional sports league in North America at that point was baseball's National League. But no games were played that day.

July 7, 2005: The London Bombings

Tavistock Square

July 7, 2005: Islamist terrorists carry out 4 suicide bombings during the morning rush hour in London. They targeted Underground (what the British call their subway system) stations at Aldgate, Edgeware Road and Russell Square, and on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square.

The bombs went off at 8:49 AM, 3:49 AM U.S. Eastern Time. Not counting the bombers themselves, 52 people were killed, and over 700 were injured.

It was the deadliest terrorist attack in London's history, in spite of the "best" efforts of the Irish Republican Army, its various offshoots, and their Unionist opponents. And no enemy force had killed so many people in London since the last airborne bombing by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe during World War II, over 60 years before.

A police investigation determined that what became known as "the 7/7 Bombings" were planned in Leeds, in Yorkshire, and raids arrested members of the terror cells involved. Like their American counterparts, the FBI, Britain's MI5 do not mess around.

Every year since, in commemoration, just before 11:30 AM -- 6:30 AM, U.S. Eastern Standard Time -- every train in the United Kingdom pulls to a stop, and its crews and passengers observe a minute's silence, the traditional British tribute for a solemn commemoration.

*

July 7, 2005 was a Thursday. For English football (what Americans would call soccer), it was the off-season. Cricket is their Summer sport, and there was an "Ashes" series between England and Australia coming up, to begin on July 21, 2 weeks later. England went on to win that series.

In America, it was the off-season for the NFL, the NBA and the NHL. A moment of silence for the London victims held before the day's Major League Baseball games:

* The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians, 7-2 at the original Yankee Stadium. Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi and Derek Jeter hit home runs in support of Mike Mussina.

* The New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals, 3-2 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. Mike Piazza singled home Carlos Beltran with the winning run in the top of the 11th inning.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-1 at Camden Yards in Baltimore, in a game that was stopped due to rain after 6 innings.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland Athletics, 4-2 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

* The Atlanta Braves swept a doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs at Turner Field in Atlanta. The Braves won the opener 6-0, and the nightcap 9-4.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 6-4 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

* The Florida Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 11-3 at what is now named Hard Rock Stadium in the Miami suburb of Miami Gardens.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros, 7-5 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins, 8-5 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-5 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels, 10-2 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-1 at what is now named Oracle Park in San Francisco.

* And the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers were not scheduled. 

July 5, 1948: Britain's National Health Service Goes Into Operation

July 5, 1948: The United Kingdom's National Health Service goes into operation. It comprises the NHS in England, NHS Scotland and NHS Wales. Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland was created separately, and is often locally referred to as "the NHS."

It was instituted by the Labour Party government, led by Prime Minister Clement Attlee, as a reward for Britain having survived World War II and participated on the winning side. President Harry Truman tried to do the same thing for America at the same time. In both countries, the insurance business tried to stop it. The difference is, in America, they were able to combine with racists to torpedo the idea, because white Southern hospitals didn't want to admit black patients. That was not an issue in Britain, whose NHS is considered "socialized medicine" by American conservatives.

Clement Attlee

The true founder of the NHS was Attlee's Minister of Health, Aneurin Bevan. The last in a long line of coal miners in his family, he was elected to Parliament from a district in southern Wales in 1929, he was inspired by the Tredegar Medical Aid Society in his hometown. He should not be confused with the older politician Ernest Bevin, who served as Minister of Labour under Winston Churchill during World War II, and Foreign Secretary under Attlee.

Despite resistance from opposition parties and the British Medical Association, the National Health Service Act 1946 was passed on November 6, 1946, and came into effect on July 5, 1948, nationalizing more than 2,500 hospitals within the U.K.

The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery; a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, provided without charge for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, apart from dental treatment and optical care. In England, NHS patients have to pay prescription charges. Some, such as those aged over 60, or those on certain state benefits, are exempt.

"Nye" Bevan held his seat in Parliament until his death in 1960. NHS proved so popular that his death was deeply mourned throughout Great Britain. In 2004, a vote for a TV program called 100 Welsh Heroes ranked him 1st, ahead of such personalities as medieval leader Owain Glyndŵr, World War I Prime Minister David Lloyd George, World War I hero T.E. Lawrence (a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia), writer Dylan Thomas, actor Richard Burton and singer Tom Jones.

Britain loves its NHS so much that, despite the Conservative Party winning elections in 1951 (with Churchill returning to power and dethroning Attlee), 1955, 1959, 1970, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992, 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019, no Prime Minister of that Party has ever tried to repeal it. Not the Socialism-hating Churchill, not the patrician Alec Douglas-Home, not the pure evil Margaret Thatcher, not the insane Boris Johnson. The NHS, which goes much farther than America's Social Security System, is to Britain what Social Security is to America: The "third rail of politics." Touch it, and you die.

*

July 5, 1948 was a Monday. Because the previous day, the 4th of July, was a Sunday, the Monday was a federal holiday, meaning many people had the day off. So, for the 2nd day in a row, there were doubleheaders in baseball:

* The New York Yankees were swept by the Boston Red Sox, 6-5 and 8-7 at Fenway Park in Boston. In the opener, Jack Kramer (no relation to his contemporary, the tennis champion of the same name) outpitched Vic Raschi. In the nightcap, both starters, Spec Shea and Mickey Harris, were mediocre. The Red Sox led 5-4 after 5 innings. The Yankees took a 7-5 lead in the top of the 8th, but the Sox tied it in the bottom of the 8th, and Dom DiMaggio, Joe's brother, singled Wally Moses home off Joe Page to win it in the bottom of the 9th.

Over the 2 games, Joe DiMaggio went 3-for-8 with a walk, and Ted Williams went 0-for-7, but in the 2nd game, drew a walk, and had RBIs from 2 sacrifice flies. Bobby Doerr hit a home run in the opener, and 2 in the nightcap.

* There was a split at the Polo Grounds. The New York Giants won the 1st game, 6-5. Bobby Thomson singled Les Layton home with the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning. The Boston Braves won the 2nd game, 4-1.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers swept the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 and 10-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Gene Hermanski doubled Jackie Robinson home in the top of the 10th inning to win the 1st game. Robinson went 2-for-9 with a walk over the 2 games.

* There was a split at Griffith Stadium in Washington. The Washington Senators won the 1st game, 3-1. The Philadelphia Athletics won the 2nd game, 12-5.

* There was a split at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the 1st game, 10-3. The Cincinnati Reds won the 2nd game, 6-4.

* There was a split at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Cleveland Indians won the 1st game, 6-3. Bob Lemon outpitched Art Houetteman. The Detroit Tigers won the 2nd game, 7-5. Fred Hutchinson outpitched Bob Feller.

* The Chicago White Sox swept the St. Louis Browns, 3-2 and 5-4 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Cass Michaels singled Jack Wallaesa home with the winning run in the 13th inning of the 2nd game.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals swept their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 6-3 and 5-2 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The 2nd game was called due to rain after 6 innings. Stan Musial went 4-for-7 with 2 RBIs on the day.

July 5, 1945: The Order of the Boot

Winston Churchill (left) and Clement Attlee

July 5, 1945: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland holds its 1st general election since the start of World War II. And their message to the incumbent head of government was, "Thank you for saving our arses, now, cheerio."

The war wasn't over yet -- V-J Day was still 40 days away -- but the Nazis had been defeated, and Britain's part in that, as Prime Minister Winston Churchill predicted it would be, was "their finest hour." In spite of his policy that had led to the deaths of 3 million people in British India, Churchill was arguably the most popular person on Earth. After all, the other contenders for that title were Franklin Roosevelt, who was already dead; and Joseph Stalin, who was probably the most hated living person, following the death of Adolf Hitler.

But the people of Britain had long memories. They knew that Churchill, while a great war leader, hadn't previously been good for them in peacetime. And so, they handed his Conservative Party a tremendous defeat, and elected to the Labour Party, led by Clement Attlee. Before the election, the Conservatives, or "Tories," had 386 seats in the House of Commons, while Labour had 154. Afterward, Labour had 393, the Tories 197.

Not that it mattered, any more than it matters over the Electoral College in elections for President of the United States, but, in this election, Labour won 47.7 percent of the popular vote, the Tories 36.2, the Liberal Party 9.0 (12 seats), the National Liberal Party 2.9 (11 seats), and all other parties 4.0 (29 seats).

Attlee thus became only the 2nd Prime Minister from the Labour Party, after James Ramsay MacDonald, who had last held the office 10 years earlier. His postwar program for rebuilding Britain included the National Health Service and educational reforms, which made Britain a less class-stratified country. The Conservatives called it "socialism." The British people decided they liked it.

Despite having been "booted from office," Churchill remained personally popular. After King George VI offered him the Order of the Garter, he accepted, saying, "I had just gotten the Order of the Boot." When his wife, Clementine, told him the defeat was "a blessing in disguise," he told her, "It was very well disguised."

Turnabout is fair play: By the early 1950s, the people of Britain decided that Labour wasn't doing enough, and in the 1950 election, the Tories gained a lot of seats, although not enough to take control. Attlee hung on for another year and a half, but miscalculated, calling for a snap election for October 25, 1951. The Tories won, 321-295, and Churchill served 3 more years as Prime Minister. Attlee never regained the job. Both men resigned as their parties' respective leaders in 1955, Churchill after 15 years, Attlee after 20.

*

July 5, 1945 was a Thursday. Michael Blake, author of Dances With Wolves, was born. This was also the day that Prime Minister John Curtin of Australia died in office. I have a separate entry for that event.

These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Cleveland Indians, 3-2 at League Park in Cleveland. Jeff Heath hit a home run leading off the bottom of the 11th inning to win it. Ed Klieman went the distance for the Indians, Ernie "Tiny" Bonham for the Yankees.

* The New York Giants lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-5 at the Polo Grounds.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 8-4 at Ebbets Field.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Boston Braves, 5-4 at Braves Field in Boston.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-8 at Briggs Stadium (later renamed Tiger Stadium) in Detroit.

* The Washington Senators beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-2 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The St. Louis Browns beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-3 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The A's tied the game in the top of the 9th inning, but the Browns won it in the bottom of the 11th, on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Frank Mancuso.

* And the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates were rained out at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. It was made up as part of a doubleheader on August 8. The Pirates won the opener, 4-0. Elwin "Preacher" Roe, later to star with the Brooklyn Dodgers, allowed 8 hits, but kept the shutout. The Phillies won the nightcap, 5-0. Dick Mauney also pitched an 8-hit shutout.

June 23, 2016: The Brexit Referendum

June 23, 2016: Voters in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland vote to leave the European Union in a national referendum. It was called "Brexit," short for "British Exit," in the leadup to the vote.

This was the dumbest thing anybody in Britain had done since 1422, when King Henry V drank some unsanitary water in France, and died of dysentery at the age of 35, leaving his 9-month-old son as Henry VI, and causing England to lose the Hundred Years' War when they were so close to final victory.

Britain had been a member of the European Communities since 1973, and of its successor, the European Union, since 1993. But many of its citizens were angry about the E.U. dictating economic policy, especially trade policy. And many (with considerable overlap with the previous group) were angry about the E.U.'s immigration laws, making Europe as a whole, and Britain in particular, more black, brown, and Muslim -- and less white and Christian.

Some voters admitted that they didn't really want to separate from the European Union, they just wanted to "send a message" to them. The message they intended to send was, "Respect us more." The message the EU received was, "We don't want you, so we're fucking off." It was a bigoted message, spread by people like UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, London Mayor Boris Johnson, and the country's conservative national newspapers. The final vote was 17,410,742 for "Leave," and 16,141,241 for "Remain." Percentage-wise, that's 51.9 to 48.1.

As with American national elections, the city vote and the country vote were very different. In England, the vote was 53.4 Leave, 46.6 Remain. Most of the cities, including London, Liverpool and Manchester, voted to Remain. But the suburbs and the countryside vote to Leave. Wales was 52.5 Leave, 47.5 Remain. But Scotland was 62.0 to 38.0 Remain. Northern Ireland was 55.8 to 44.2 Remain, with the Catholic precincts being largely Remain, but its Protestant precincts were largely Leave. (The Republic of Ireland is an E.U. member, and has no desire to change that.)

The result? Within hours, Britain's financial markets crashed. In 48 hours, the pound lost 1/5th of its value, although, within the week, it recovered to the point where the loss was "only" 1/8th of its value. Prime Minister David Cameron, Leader of the Conservative Party, was forced to resign. His successor, Theresa May, didn't complete the Leave process fast enough for the "Brexit Means Brexit" crowd, and she was forced out of office in 2019, giving the job to Johnson, who became Britain's 1st openly bigoted Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher was forced out in 1990.

Soon, the people behind a recent failed referendum on Scottish independence began talking about a new referendum, on whether Scotland should leave the U.K. and rejoin the E.U.

It may just be that, by the time the Duke of Cambridge becomes King William V, he will reign over "The United Kingdom of England-but-not-London-or-Merseyside and East Belfast," a stagnant country, while London, Liverpool, Wales, Scotland and a united Ireland are in a thriving European Union. And those left behind will have not buyer's remorse, but seller's remorse.

We may yet see Wales and Scotland -- "Cymru" and "Alba," in their respective native languages -- hold new referenda on independence, to be followed by "Cymreturn" and "Alba Be Back."

UPDATE: On June 3, 2026, nearly 10 years after the referendum, there had not yet been new independence referenda by Wales or Scotland. But a poll by Statista Research Department showed that 57 percent of British citizens thought Leave was a mistake, while only 30 percent thought it was right -- a net shift of 13 points. Statista called it "Bregret."

A YouGov poll showed that thinking Leave was a mistake was an opinion held by 56 percent of people in England, 61 percent in Wales, and 75 percent in Scotland.

*

June 23, 2016 was a Thursday. Football was out of season. Basketball season haded ended 4 days earlier, when the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship, defeating the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the Finals. Hockey season had ended 11 days earlier, when the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup, defeating the San Jose Sharks in Game 6 of the Finals.

These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Minnesota Twins, 7-1 at Yankee Stadium. The Twins hit 6 home runs, while the Yankees got 1 from Mark Teixeira.

* The New York Mets lost to the Atlanta Braves, 5-2 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 12-5 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

* The Miami Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-1 at Marlins Park (now LoanDepot Park) in Miami.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-3 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres, 3-0 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Anthony DeSclafani pitched 8 innings of shutout ball, before Tony Cingrani finished the 5-hitter.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-3 at Comerica Park in Detroit.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-2 at U.S. Cellular Field (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-2 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Houston Astros, 6-1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-2 at Globe Life Park (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-7 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics, 7-6 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-7 at AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco. Conor Gillaspie won it with a double in the bottom of the 9th.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Seattle Mariners, 11-6 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle.

June 5, 1963: The Profumo Affair

June 5, 1963: John Profumo resigns as Britain's Secretary of State for War. The equivalent position in America would be the Secretary of Defense.

The issue wasn't that he had been exposed as having an affair with model Christine Keeler. It wasn't even that she was also having an affair with Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, a naval attaché at the Soviet Embassy in London, who had been exposed as a Soviet spy. Powerful men in the British government had been getting away with naughty behavior since the Romans invaded 2,000 years earlier.

No, the issue was that Profumo had stood before the House of Commons, and had lied about it. That was the true unforgivable sin in British politics.

Keeler was just 17 when she met Stephen Ward, an osteopath with several prominent clients, including Profumo, who served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Keeler and Ward lived together, but she later said there was no sex involved. She had already had a baby that did not survive, with a U.S. Air Force officer stationed in London. Keeler and Ward had been introduced by Mandy Rice-Davies, an ex-girlfriend of a friend of Ward's -- and she was only 15 at the time.

She was 19 when Ward introduced her to Profumo, who was 46, on July 8, 1961, at a pool party at a Buckinghamshire mansion. Ward also introduced her to Ivanov, who was 35. She soon began affairs with both men, neither of which lasted long -- but lasted long enough to ruin the lives of everyone involved.

The infamous photo of Keeler, taken by Lewis Morley.

She later said she wasn't totally nude, and was wearing underwear.

In 1962, she had simultaneous affairs with jazz singer Lucky Gordon and promoter Johnny Edgecombe. The jealousy between the men boiled over, and Edgecombe slashed Gordon's face with a knife. A few weeks later, she broke up with Edgecombe, and, following her to Ward's house, he fired gunshots into it, hitting no one. He was arrested, and, as the investigation grew, one revelation led to another, until, finally, Profumo could deny it no longer, and had to resign.

Ward went on trial -- not for espionage, but for "living on the earnings of prostitution." One thing led to another, and it was revealed that Rice-Davies had also had an affair with William Waldorf Astor, the 3rd Viscount Astor. He denied this, and when Rice-Davies was asked about it, she told the media, "Well, he would, wouldn't he?" This phrase became famous, and would be abbreviated to "MRDA," for "Mandy Rice-Davies Applies."

Ward was convicted, but committed suicide via pills before sentence could be pronounced. Ivanov was recalled by his country, and resumed his naval career. Keeler was convicted of perjury, was sentenced to 9 months in prison, and served 6. She later married twice, with a child from each marriage. Having lost her money in legal fees, she got by over the years with paid TV appearances, talking about the scandal. Rice-Davies was never prosecuted, and became a singer and a novelist.

The government appointed Tom Denning, Baron Denning, the Master of the Rolls, to investigate the various rumors that had emanated from and around the Profumo affair. His report, published on September 26, 1963, concluded that there had been no security leaks, nor evidence to link members of the government with associated scandals. In other words, there was no evidence that any state secrets were leaked to the Soviet Union as a result of the affair(s). Denning laid most of the blame for the affair on Ward, an "utterly immoral" man whose diplomatic activities were "misconceived and misdirected."

Nevertheless, Macmillan resigned as Prime Minister on October 18, 1963, citing his health, replaced by Foreign Minister Alec Douglas-Home. While the Conservative Party government might have been doomed in the 1964 election anyway, the Profumo affair didn't help, as Labour won 317 seats to the Tories' 304, and Harold Wilson became Prime Minister.

Profumo's wife, actress Valerie Hobson, forgave him, and they retreated into charity work, rebuilding his reputation. By the time he died, he had long been back in British society's good graces.

In 1989, the story gained back some traction for 2 reasons: The film Scandal retold the story, with Ian McKellen as Profumo, Deborah Grant as Hobson, Joanne Whalley as Keeler, Bridget Fonda as Rice-Davies, John Hurt as Ward, Leslie Phillips as Astor, Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbé as Ivanov, Leon Herbert as Gordon, Fine Young Cannibals lead singer Roland Gift as Edgecombe. And it was mentioned in Billy Joel's rapid-fire history song "We Didn't Start the Fire," leading a generation not old enough to remember 1963 what the line "British politician sex" was about.

Astor died in 1966, Macmillan in 1986, Ivanov in 1994, Hobson in 1998, Denning in 1999, Profumo in 2006, Edgecombe in 2010, Rice-Davies in 2014, Keeler and Gordon in 2017.

*

June 5, 1963 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3 in Baltimore, but it was costly for them. At the time, Memorial Stadium had a chain-link fence in the outfield, making for easier removal for football games. After already going 2-for-2, Mickey Mantle went deep into center field to try to catch a ball hit by Brooks Robinson. It was no use, as it went over that fence for a home run. But it making the attempt, Mantle got his foot caught in the fence, and broke it. He was out for 2 months, the longest of his many in-season injuries. At any rate, Whitey Ford outpitched Milt Pappas, and Roger Maris hit a home run.

* The New York Mets lost to the Milwaukee Braves, 11-9 at the Polo Grounds. The Mets scored 7 runs in the 6th inning, and forced extra innings. But Bubba Morton singled home 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning to win it for the Braves. Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews each went 3-for-5, and Mathews added 2 RBIs.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-0 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Ray Culp pitched a 3-hit shutout. Stan Musial, in his last season, when 0-for-4.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates swept a doubleheader from the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4 and 4-3 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Over the 2 games, Roberto Clemente went 2-for-8, Bill Mazeroski went 5-for-8 with a home run and 4 RBIs; Frank Robinson went 4-for-7 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs, and rookie Pete Rose went 0-for-5 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-4 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Jim Bunning outpitched Jim "Mudcat" Grant. Al Kaline went 1-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The Chicago Cubs swept a doubleheader from the San Francisco Giants, 9-5 and 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Willie Mays went 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk and 2 RBIs in the 1st game, and appeared as a pinch-hitter without reaching base in the 2nd game. Over the 2 games, Ernie Banks went 4-for-7 with 2 home runs, a walk, and 3 RBIs.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Athletics, 4-0 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. Jim Roland (7 innings) and Bill Dailey combined on a 5-hit shutout. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Colt .45s, 5-1 at Colt Stadium in Houston. Sandy Koufax went the distance for the win. The Colts became the Houston Astros in 1965.

* A doubleheader was split at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Angels groundshared with the Dodgers until their stadium in Anaheim was built. The Chicago White Sox won the opener, 3-0. John Buzhardt allowed 9 hits, but kept the shutout. The Angels won the nightcap, 8-2.

And the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators were rained out at District of Columbia Stadium in Washington. (And yet, just 42 miles away, Baltimore got its entire game in.) The game was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on August 2. The Red Sox won the 1st game, 5-0. Earl Wilson pitched a 6-hit shutout, and helped his own cause with a home run. The Senators won the 2nd game, 4-3. Over the 2 games, Carl Yastrzemski went 3-for-8 with a walk and an RBI.

May 3, 1921: The Partition of Ireland

Map showing "Ireland's Four Courts"

May 3, 1921: The United Kingdom passes the Government of Ireland Act, creating the province of Northern Ireland, separate from what is then called the Irish Free State.

Of the traditional "Ireland's Four Courts," Ulster, with its 6 Counties of Antrim (including the capital of Belfast), Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Derry, became Northern Ireland. The other three remained part of Ireland proper:

* Leinster: Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois (pronounced "Leesh"), Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.

* Munster: Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. And:

* Connaught: Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo.

This partition of Ireland intended both territories to remain within the UK, and contained provisions for their eventual reunification. The smaller Northern Ireland was duly created with a devolved government (Home Rule), and remained part of the UK. The larger Southern Ireland was not recognized by most of its citizens, who instead recognized the self-declared 32-county Irish Republic.

Sent to London to negotiate peace terms, Michael Collins was offered a treaty that would establish the Irish Free State -- with an Oath of Allegiance to the Crown. The British Crown, held by King George V. In other words, this "Free State" would have another nation's head of state as its own -- just like Canada, Australia, and a few other "independent nations."

Collins accepted this compromise, calling it "the freedom to achieve freedom." Some in the Provisional Government did not, and the end of the Irish War of Independence led to the beginning of the Irish Civil War. This led to Collins' assassination on August 22, 1922.

On January 7, 1922, Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratified the Anglo-Irish Treaty by a vote of 64–57 at Leinster House in Dublin.

On December 6, 1922, the Partition was complete. At that time, the territory of Southern Ireland left the UK,  and became the Irish Free State, now known as the Republic of Ireland.

Up until that moment, the British Empire had been at its greatest extent, ruling over one-quarter of the world's land, and over one-quarter of the world's people. That would never be the case again: Over the next 60 years, while some of the Empire would become part of the British Commonwealth, most of it would carry out its own "Brexit," and the old saying, "The Sun never sets on the British Empire," would no longer be true.

Today, the population of Northern Ireland is a little under 2 million, slightly more Protestant than Catholic; while that of the vast-majority-Catholic Republic is just under 5 million. The UK's recent "Brexit" deal has essentially reestablished a border between them.

*

May 3, 1921 was a Tuesday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 2-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. Babe Ruth went 0-for-4, but catcher Wally Schang went 4-for-4. Bill Percy allowed 10 hits, but kept the shutout, outpitching future Yankee Herb Pennock.

* The New York Giants beat the Boston Braves, 7-2 at the Polo Grounds.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known while Wilbert Robinson managed them from 1914 to 1931) beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 at Ebbets Field. Brooklyn trailed 3-2 going to the bottom of the 9th, but a single by Zack Wheat and a triple by Ed Konetchy won the game.

* The Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-2 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Joe Judge tripled home 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning.

* And the the Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 13-1 at Navin Field (later Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium) in Detroit. Ty Cobb went 1-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs. Luzerne "Lu" Blue went 2-for-4 with 5 RBIs. For the White Sox, Eddie Collins went 1-for-4.