December 24, 1966: The 1st "Yule Log" Special

December 24, 1966: At 9:30 PM, New York television station WPIX, Channel 11, begins airing a six-minute loop of a Yule log burning in a fireplace. The program, titled simply Yule Log, was in color, and aired all through Christmas Day, December 25. In the years to come, other TV stations -- usually "independent" stations, not aligned with a major network -- would also run it.

The original footage was filmed on 16-millimeter film, at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the Mayor of New York. (At the time, John Lindsay.) It was replaced in 1970, with a seven-minute loop, on 35-millimeter film.

In recent years, WPIX usually runs a marathon of 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners on Christmas Day. But it usually takes 5 hours out of the day to run Yule Log. (On both the 4th of July and New Year's Eve, they run a marathon of The Twilight Zone.)

The Yule log was originally one of the traditions that Christmas borrowed from the Winter Solstice. It was believed that burning one fended off evil spirits. Eventually, it became a symbol of Christmas cheer.

*

December 24, 1966 was a Saturday. Actor Diedrich Bader was born.

There was only one college football game played on this Christmas Eve, the Sun Bowl, at the stadium of the same name, in El Paso, Texas. The University of Wyoming beat Florida State, 28-20.

Baseball was out of season. The NFL and the AFL were between their regular seasons and their Championship Games. And no games were played in the NBA.

There were 2 games played in the NHL. The New York Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3 at the Montreal Forum. And the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins, 3-0 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The Chicago Black Hawks and the Detroit Red Wings were not scheduled.

October 17, 1969: Wyoming's "Black 14"

October 17, 1969: Lloyd Eaton, head football coach at the University of Wyoming, kicks 14 black players off the team, for their plan to wear black armbands during tomorrow's game against Brigham Young University at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming.

The players, who became known as The Black 14, were Co-Captain Joe Williams, Earl Lee, John Griffin, Willie Hysaw, Don Meadows, Ivie Moore, Tony Gibson, Jerry Berry, Mel Hamilton, Jim Isaac, Tony McGee, Lionel Grimes, Ron Hill, and a man with a name that was already legend in sports, if not through his own efforts: Ted Williams. (No relation to the baseball legend, or to the aforementioned Joe.)

The year before, during the Cowboys' win over the BYU Cougars in Provo, Utah, the BYU players had used racial epithets. It got worse when the Black 14 were told by the head of UW's black student advocacy group that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, usually known as the Mormons and the operator of BYU, excluded black men from their priesthood. Like Epicsopalians but unlike Roman Catholics, they allow married men to serve as priests. But, at the time, they did not allow black men to do so.

This was the end of the 1960s, and men in positions of power were tired of being told that they had to loosen their standards. It's not clear that Eaton acted out of racial prejudice. But there can be no question that he did not like having his authority challenged, and he took it personally. He later testified under oath that he had listened to them for 10 minutes.

All 14 players testified that he had lied. According to Joe Williams, "He came in, sneered at us, and yelled that we were off the squad. He said our very presence defied him. He said he has had some 'good Neeegro boys. Just like that." (That's how it was spelled when it was published, with 3 E's.)

Tony McGee said that Eaton cited historically black schools, and "said we could go to Grambling State or Morgan State... We could go back to 'colored relief.' If anyone said anything, he told us to shut up. We were really protesting policies we thought were racist. Maybe we should've been protesting there."

At the time of the incident, Wyoming was undefeated, 4-0, ranked 12th in the nation, and 3-time defending WAC Champions. Even though the Cowboys beat BYU 40-7 and San Jose State (the next game) without the Black 14, it lost its last 4 games of 1969, and went 1-9 the next year.

Apparently, being definitely authoritarian, and possibly racist, was okay for white Wyomingans. It is, after all, the home State of later Vice President Dick Cheney. But losing wasn't: Eaton was fired after the 1970 season.

Black players began to stay away from Wyoming. Following the San Jose State win, the Cowboys lost 26 of their next 38 games. Fred Akers came in and rebuilt the program, getting them to the WAC title in 1976, leading to his being hired by one of the great college football programs, the University of Texas. The Wyoming football team has usually been respectable since -- coach Craig Bohl has them off to a 4-1 start this season -- and has had no further racial incidents.

Eaton died in 2007, and in the last 37 years of his life, he never got another coaching job, and gave only 1 interview -- and was unrepentant. On September 13, 2019, 7 of the surviving 11 were on hand at the Wildcatter Club inside War Memorial Stadium, and received a formal apology, read to them by athletic director Tom Burman, and signed by him and by former University President Laurie Nichols. A plaque honoring them was unveiled outside the stadium's southeast entrance. The next day, they were honored at halftime of their 21-16 win over the University of Idaho.

*

October 17, 1969 was a Friday. Football was in midweek. The baseball had ended the day before, when the New York Mets completed their "Miracle" by winning the World Series over the Baltimore Orioles in 5 games. There were 3 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks beat the Chicago Bulls, 116-87 at the Chicago Stadium. The Knicks went on to win their 1st NBA Championship that season.

* The Cincinnati Royals beat the Boston Celtics, 110-108 at the Boston Garden.

* And the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-126 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. Hal Greer of the Sixers led all scorers with 40 points. Which was not easy, since Jerry West scored 39 for the Lakers, and ex-Sixer Wilt Chamberlain had 35 points and 24 rebounds.

There were also 3 games played in the American Basketball Association:

* The New York Nets lost to the Los Angeles Stars, 109-95 at the Island Garden in West Hempstead, Long Island, New York.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Floridians, 126-116 at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum (now the Corteva Coliseum) in Indianapolis.

* And the Dallas Chaparrals beat the New Orleans Buccaneers, 117-109 at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas.

And 1 game was played in the NHL: The Oakland Seals beat the Los Angeles Kings, 5-1 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

Wyclef Jean of The Fugees and South African golfer Ernie Els were born on this day.

October 12, 1998: The Murder of Matthew Shepard

October 12, 1998: Matthew Shepard, an openly gay student at the University of Wyoming, dies 5 days after being beaten and tied to a wooden fence post -- a filthy twist on the Crucifixion -- in the University's town of Laramie. He was a few weeks short of his 22nd birthday. His killers were convicted, and sentenced to life in prison, where they remain.

As it happened, after he was found, he was taken to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Fort Collins is the home of Colorado State University -- which the University of Wyoming considers their arch-rival in sports. (And likewise. The University of Colorado is each's secondary rival, but considers its own biggest rival to be the University of Nebraska.)

Matthew Shepard effectively became to the gay rights movement what Emmett Till was to the original Civil Rights Movement. His murder helped to create a new generation of gay rights activists, one not old enough to remember the depth of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1980s, much less the Stonewall Riot in 1969 or the assassination of Harvey Milk and its aftermatch in 1978 and '79. It also inspired hate-crime legislation.

On May 6, 2013, basketball player Jason Collins became the 1st major league athlete to come out while still active. He had already dropped a hint at the start of that season, when, having been signed by the Boston Celtics, he switched his uniform number from the 34 he had worn with previous teams to 98, in Matthew's memory.

*

October 12, 1998 was a Monday. Game 5 of the National League Championship Series was played at Qualcomm Stadium, formerly named San Diego Stadium and Jack Murphy Stadium. After 7 innings, the San Diego Padres led the Atlanta Braves, 4-2. The Braves scored 5 runs in the top of the 8th, to take the lead. The Padres tried to come back in the bottom of the 9th, and fell just short, 7-6.

The Padres had led the series 3 games to none. Now, the Braves had closed to within 3-2. To that point, no team, in either League's Championship Series history, had come back from being down 3-0 to force a Game 7. This was the 1st time a Game 6 had even been forced. But the Padres won Game 6 in Atlanta to take the Pennant.

The American League Championship Series was on a travel day. The New York Yankees led the Cleveland Indians, 3 games to 2. The next night, the Yankees won Game 6 to take the Pennant.

And on ABC Monday Night Football, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Miami Dolphins, 28-21 at Alltel Stadium (now TIAA Bank Field) in Jacksonville, Florida.

July 10, 1890: Wyoming Is Admitted As the 44th State

July 10, 1890: Wyoming is admitted to the Union as the 44th State. It is known as the Equality State, because it was the 1st State, and before that the 1st Territory, in the Union to grant women the right to vote.

This concluded a run that started on November 2, 1889, where, in 8 months, 6 new States were added to the Union.

Wyoming is in the Rocky Mountains. It had been acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. It has become known for cattle ranches, mining, and Yellowstone National Park, the nation's 1st National Park.

Politically, Idaho has been Western conservative, with a libertarian bent: Pro-gun, pro-landowner. Its highest-ranking politician is Dick Cheney, who served as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford, Wyoming's only Congressman from 1979 to 1989, as Secretary of State under George Bush the father, and as Vice President to George Bush the son.

Among the 50 States, Wyoming is last in alphabetical order, and last in population, with 576,851 people according to the 2020 Census. The State is huge and sparsely-populated: While Cheyenne, the State Capitol and the largest city, with 65,000 people, is only 100 miles from the major league city of Denver, and Laramie, seat of the University of Wyoming, the only major sports-playing college in the State, is just 130 miles away, Yellowstone, at the opposite corner of the State, is over 530 miles away, and nearly 800 miles from Seattle.

*

July 10, 1890 was a Thursday. Baseball was the only professional team sport in America, and it was the year of the Players' League, so there were 3 major leagues.

In the National League:

* The New York Giants beat the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, 14-3 at Manhattan Field in Upper Manhattan. The NL Giants built that, while the Players' League team that stole the name built the 1890-1911 version of the Polo Grounds next-door. After the PL folded, the Giants moved into that Polo Grounds.

* The Brooklyn Bridegrooms beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-3 at the original Washington Park in Brooklyn.

* The Boston Beaneaters beat the Chicago Colts, 5-3 at the 1888-94 version of the South End Grounds in Boston. The Beaneaters eventually became the Braves, and the Colts became the Cubs.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cleveland Spiders, 14-9 at the Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds. It burned down in 1894, and the ballpark that became Baker Bowl was built on the site. The Spiders went out of business after the 1899 season.

In the American Association:

* The Brooklyn Gladiators beat the Toledo Maumees, 9-6 at Speranza Park in Toledo, Ohio. The Gladiators finished a distant last in the AA, and folded after the season. The Maumees folded with the AA after the 1891 season.

* The Rochester Broncos beat the Columbus Solons, 11-9 at Recreation Park in Columbus, Ohio. This would be the only season in MLB for Rochester. The Solons finished 2nd in the AA, albeit 10 games behind the Colonels, but still lost money, and folded with the league after the 1891 season.

* The Louisville Colonels beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 12-3 at Eclipse Park in Louisville, Kentucky. This version of the A's folded with the AA after the 1891 season. At that point, the Colonels joined the NL.

* The Syracuse Stars beat the St. Louis Browns, 5-3 at the 1881-98 version of Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The Stars were among the losers in the "Players' League War," and folded after the season. Syracuse previously had a team called the Stars in the NL in 1879. These are, to date, the only 2 seasons in MLB for the city. The Browns joined the NL in 1892, and became the Cardinals.

In the Players' League:

* The PL's version of the New York Giants beat the PL's version of the Chicago White Stockings, 9-5 at the 1890-1911 version of the Polo Grounds.

* The Brooklyn Ward's Wonders beat the Buffalo Bisons, 8-5 at Eastern Park in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn team was named after their star shortstop, the PL's founder, John Montgomery Ward. Although the Buffalo Bisons name would be applied to later teams in multiple sports, this team died with the PL.

* The Boston Reds beat the Pittsburgh Burghers, 12-6 at the Congress Street Grounds in Boston.

* And the Philadelphia Athletics beat the Cleveland Infants, 17-11 at Forepaugh Park in Philadelphia.