Trivia People

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis commemorates the westward expansion of the United States, which included the Louisiana Purchase in 1804. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

On this date in 1804, France officially turned over the Louisiana territory to the United States during a ceremony in St. Louis.

Here are some things you may not have known about the Louisiana Purchase.

The Louisiana Purchase consisted of 828,000 square miles, including parts of 15 current states and parts of two Canadian provinces. The territory was named for King Louis XIV by French explorer Robert de La Salle.

France controlled the territory until ceding it to Spain following the French and Indian War. Spain held it until 1800 when they gave it back to France. The two nations kept the transaction a secret and Spain kept control of the region until France could take the reins.

The United States initially was interested in purchasing New Orleans and some coastal areas from France. The French offered the entire Louisiana Territory after Napoleon’s plan to rebuild an empire in North America fell apart.

The Americans purchased the land for $15 million, or about 3 cents an acre.

The Spanish turned over control to the French and Americans in December 1803, however, word didn’t travel up the Mississippi River, which was closed to navigation for the winter.

On March 9, 1804, an American delegation including Meriwether Lewis arrived in St. Louis to assume control of the territory from the Spanish. That night, the Spanish flag was lowered and the French flag was raised and flown all night. The next day the American flag was hoisted.

Our question: Parts of which two Canadian provinces were included in the Louisiana Purchase?

Today is World Kidney Day, Nametag Day and International Day of Awesomeness.

It’s the birthday of New Zealand women’s rights activist Kate Sheppard, actor Chuck Norris and singer Carrie Underwood.

This week in 1965, the top song in the U.S. was “My Girl” by The Temptations.

The No. 1 movie was “The Sound of Music,” while the novel “Herzog” by Saul Bellow topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Links

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website.

Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com

Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here.

Sources

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_(New_France)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Treaty_of_San_Ildefonso

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Flags_Day

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fontainebleau_(1762)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/René-Robert_Cavelier,_Sieur_de_La_Salle

https://www.checkiday.com

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-march-10

CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow.

On this date in 1954, CBS television broadcast an episode of “See it Now” with Edward R. Murrow called “A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy.”

Here are some things you may not have known about Murrow, McCarthy and “See It Now.”

Edward R. Murrow was born in North Carolina in 1908. At the age of six, his family moved to Washington state, where went on to major in speech at what is now Washington State University. Five years after graduating from Washington State, Murrow was hired by CBS as director of talks and education. In 1937, he moved to London to become CBS’s director of European operations. A year later, Murrow reported live from Vienna shortly after the Nazi occupation of Austria. Murrow reported from London during the early years of World War II, when he developed his signature opening, “This … is London,” and his sign off “Good Night and Good Luck.” Following the American entry into the war, Murrow would continue reporting on the conflict, including flying on 25 combat missions.

Joseph McCarthy was also born in 1908, but in Wisconsin. He dropped out of school in junior high to help his parents on their farm. He returned to high school at the age of 20 and graduated a year later. He earned a law degree from Marquette University and was elected as a state circuit court judge at the age of 31. He joined the Marines during World War II and flew 12 combat missions and was nick-named “Tail-Gunner Joe.“ He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1946, where he earned a reputation as a moderate Republican. However, his colleagues in the Senate found him “quick-tempered,” “impatient,” and “prone to rage.”In 1950, he gave a speech in which he said he had a list of known communists working for the State Department. In the next seven years, he continued to use anti-communist sentiment to increase his standing. His tactics came to be known as McCarthyism.

On March 9, 1954, CBS’s “See it Now” broadcast its episode on McCarthy. In the show, Murrow and his producer Fred Friendly, used film clips of McCarthy interrogating witnesses and contradicting himself. The show started a backlash against McCarthy that saw his approval ratings plummet. CBS received thousands of comments on the show, running 15 to 1 against McCarthy. McCarthy appeared on a later episode to respond to the original report and to make accusations against Murrow. In McCarthy’s rebuttal, Murrow said the senator “made no reference to any statements of fact that we made.” The attack against Murrow further reduced his popularity.

Later in 1954, McCarthy was censured by the Senate for failing to cooperate with the Subcommittee on Rules and Administration and for acting contrary to senatorial ethics. Following the censure, President Dwight Eisenhower, a fellow Republican, is said to have told his cabinet, “McCarthyism is now McCarthywasm.”

McCarthy remained in the Senate. He was hospitalized frequently for alcoholism. A likely case of cirrhosis of the liver reduced his tolerance for alcohol and he was found to be drunk in the Senate. He died in 1957, likely of alcoholism, at the age of 48.

Murrow left CBS in 1961 to head the U.S. Information Agency, which oversaw Voice of America. A heavy smoker throughout his life, Murrow died of lung cancer in 1965. He was 57.

Our question: What was the name of Murrow’s celebrity interview show?

Today is Teachers’ Day in Lebanon. It’s False Teeth Day, National Crabmeat Day and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day.

It’s the birthday of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, author Mickey Spillane, and chess player Bobby Fischer.

This week in 1961, the top song in the U.S. was “Pony Time” by Chubby Checker.

The No. 1 movie was “101 Dalmatians,” while the novel “Hawaii” by our favorite, James Michener,

The Star-Spangled Banner that inspired Francis Scott Key to write what has become the United States national anthem. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

On this date in 1931, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was officially made the national anthem of the United States.

Here are some things you may not have known about the song and its history.

The War of 1812 between the Americans and the British actually lasted until 1815. It was on Sept. 7, 1814, that Francis Scott Key and John Stuart Skinner boarded the British flagship HMS Tonnant off of Baltimore to negotiate an exchange of prisoners. While aboard, Key and Skinner were privy to British attack plans against Baltimore and were held captive until the conclusion of the battle. On September 13, 19 British warships began pounding Fort McHenry with rockets and mortar shells. The bombardment continued for 27 hours, but inflicted little damage because of recent fortifications.

Key, who was watching the battle from the HMS Minden, saw a small American flag flying above the fort during the battle, but after the barrage had stopped, he was unable to see whether the flag was still flying. By morning the small flag had been lowered and in its place an enormous 30-foot by 42-foot flag had been raised. Early on it was said that the large flag was used to taunt the British. However, this was later disproved, as the flag was used every morning for reveille. Onboard the ship, Key wrote the beginning of his poem and finished it the next day after he was released in Baltimore. The British fleet left Chesapeake Bay and set sail for New Orleans.

The song tells the tale of the battle from Key’s perspective and is set to the tune of The Anacreontic Song, a British drinking song written in 1780. By the end of the month, the song, originally titled “Defence of Fort M’Henry” had been published in 17 newspapers up and down the country. Thomas Carr, a music store owner in Baltimore is credited with giving the song its current name. The song has four verses, but the first one is the only one commonly played.

Until 1931 the United States didn’t have an official national anthem. Between 1831 and 1931, “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” was the de facto national anthem. That song, with lyrics written by Samuel Francis Smith, was set to the tune of the United Kingdom’s “God Save the Queen.” In 1889, the secretary of the Navy signed an order making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official song to be played when raising the flag. In 1931, composer John Philip Sousa said he was in favor of making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official national anthem. On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover made it official by signing it into law.

The song was first played at a sporting event in 1897 on opening day of baseball season in Philadelphia. The practice of performing the national anthem before every game didn’t start until World War II. The song, with a range of more than an octave and a half, is notoriously difficult to sing, as Carl Lewis and Roseanne Barr will tell you.

Link: Carl Lewis tries to sing the national anthem

Link: Roseanne Barr sings national anthem 

Our question: How many stars and stripes were on the flag that flew over Fort McHenry?

Today is Girls Day in Japan, Liberation Day in Bulgaria and Teachers’ Day in Lebanon.

It’s National Cold Cuts Day, National Mulled Wine Day and What if Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day.

It’s the birthday of telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell,

A compact disc (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

On this date in 1983, compact discs and their players were released in the United States.

Here are some things you may not have known about CDs.

They trace their roots to the LaserDisc player, which was a video format using a disc that looked like a vinyl record-sized CD. It was invented in the early 1970s and released to the public in 1978.

Two companies, Sony and Philips, were independently working on creating a smaller audio-only format with sound quality better than vinyl records. Sony demonstrated the first optical digital audio disc in 1976, however the disc was roughly the same size as a vinyl LP. Two and a half years later, Philips demonstrated a prototype that was a bit smaller than today’s standard CD. From this point, Sony and Philips collaborated in an effort to avoid a format war such as VHS vs. Betamax videotapes or, later, HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray.

A CD player works by using a laser to read a string of tiny indentations etched in the plastic disc in a spiral pattern. CDs have six parts. From the center, they are: the spindle hole, the clamping ring, the clamping area, the mirror band, the data area and the rim.

As opposed to vinyl records, CDs play from the center out. When the laser is reading data from the center, the disc spins at around 500 revolutions per minute, which decreases to about 200 rpm at the outside edge. Because they play from the center, CDs can be of various sizes. The standard CD is 12 centimeters in diameter and holds up to 80 minutes of audio. Mini-CDs, at 8 centimeters hold up to 24 minutes, while business-card sized discs hold about six minutes of audio.

Almost every disc format that has followed has also been 12 centimeters in diameter, including DVDs, HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs.

The first test pressing of a compact disc was a recording of the Berlin Philharmonic playing a symphony by Strauss. The first popular music disc produced was “The Visitors” by ABBA.

The technology was launched to the public in Japan in October 1982. Five months later, CDs and CD players were released in Europe and North America.

Upon release, a CD player could cost as much as $1,000. The high cost didn’t slow sales, however, as more than 400,000 were sold in the United States in the first two years of production.

In 1988, the CD-ROM was made available to the public, making it the first non-audio application of the format. It allowed any type of digital data to be stored on optical discs.

Eventually, the CD player replaced the audio cassette player in automobiles. The last new car with a cassette player included was sold in 2010.  However CD players are now being phased out in new cars in favor of jacks that allow people to access audio stored on their mobile devices.

Our question: What was the first album to sell more than 1 million copies on compact disc?

Today is Texas Independence Day, Peasants’ Day in Burma and Read Across America Day.

It’s National Banana Cream Pie Day, National Old Stuff Day and World Math Day.

It’s the birthday of authors Dr. Seuss, Tom Wolfe and John Irving, and musician Lou Reed.

This week in 1983, the top song in the U.S. was “Baby, Come to Me” by Patti Austin with James Ingram.

The No. 1 movie was “Tootsie,” while “Space” by James Michener topped the New York Times Best Sellers list.

Links

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website.

Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com

On this date in 1932, Charles Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, was kidnapped from the family’s home in East Amwell, New Jersey.

Here are some things you may not have known about the kidnapping.

Charles Lindbergh became a national hero in 1927 when he was the first person to fly nonstop between New York and Paris. For this feat, the U.S. Congress bent its own rules and awarded Lindbergh the Medal of Honor. He also won the Orteig Prize, which came with a reward of $25,000, or roughly $350,000 today. Lindbergh was named Time magazine’s first Man of the Year.

Five years after his historic flight, the Lindbergh family was at home in New Jersey, when Charles Jr. was found to be missing from his crib. Lindbergh told investigators he found a note in an envelope on the window sill. During the initial investigation, police found a single tire track in the mud and three pieces of a ladder in a bush.

The ransom note, which was filled with spelling and grammatical mistakes, demanded $50,000 for the safe return of the child. The case drew the top law enforcement officials of the day, including the superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, H. Norman Schwarzkopf Sr., the father of the general who led U.S. forces in the first Gulf War. The Lindbergh family and officials offered a $75,000 reward. A second ransom note upped the kidnappers’ demand to $70,000 because of the involvement of the police.

A retired teacher in the Bronx named John Condon offered a $1,000 reward of his own, which resulted in him receiving a letter written by the kidnappers, asking him to act as a go-between for the kidnappers and Lindbergh. Condon met with a person who claimed to be affiliated with the kidnappers and demanded proof that they had the child. The group sent him the pajamas the toddler was wearing the night of the kidnapping. On April 1, Condon made arrangements to hand over the ransom money to the kidnappers. In return, the kidnappers handed him a note which said the child was being held on a boat off Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Searchers were unable to find the boat.

More than a month later, on May 12, the body of Charles Lindbergh Jr. was found less than five miles from the family’s home. Lindbergh Sr. identified the body and the child was cremated the same day. A coroner determined the toddler had died of a blow to the head about two months prior.

The ransom money paid to the kidnappers was made up of gold certificates, a type of paper money that was set to be withdrawn from circulation. Law enforcement hoped this would draw attention to anyone passing large numbers of the bills. The serial number of each bill was also recorded.

More than two years later, one of the gold certificates was discovered by a bank teller in Manhattan. It had a license plate number written on it, which belonged to a Dodge sedan owned by Richard Hauptmann of the Bronx. Hauptmann was found to have more than $14,000 of the random money. He said a friend and former business partner had left the money with him before he died. He denied any knowledge of the crime or ransom scheme.

During a search of Hauptmann’s home, police found a notebook containing a sketch of a ladder similar to the one found at the Lindbergh home on the night of the kidnapping. They also found John Condon’s telephone number written on a closet wall. They also found that a piece of wood in the attic of the house matched the wood used in the ladder.

Hauptmann was arrested and charged with kidnapping, extortion and murder. He was convicted on all charges and sentenced to death. He continued to proclaim his innocence, until he was executed by electrocution on April 3, 1936.

The Lindberghs moved to Europe for three years following the trial, returning to the U.S.

Today is not March 1st, in case you’re just waking up, It’s still February, at least according to the Gregorian calendar.

Every four years, with some exceptions, February has an extra day to help account for the difference between a calendar year and the time it actually takes the Earth to orbit the sun or what’s known as a tropical year.

Without the leap year, the seasons would get out of sync with the calendar. If the leap year was never put in place, the calendar today would say July 15, 2017, and you’d still be having your current end-of-February weather.

In Western culture, the Julian calendar was the first to include a leap year in the year 8 AD. Every fourth year was 366 days long.

However, this didn’t solve the problem entirely. You see, the tropical year is slightly less than 365 and a quarter days, meaning that after 400 years, the calendars would be out of sync by three days. To remedy this situation, most century years, like 1800 and 1900 are common, or non-leap, years. However, once every 400 years, the century year remains a leap year to keep the calendar on track. The last century year that was a leap year was 2000. The next will be 2400.

A person born on February 29 is known as a leapling, a leaper or, rather boringly, a leap-year baby. Such people have the option of celebrating their birthday on February 28 or March 1 in common years. Legally speaking, laws around the world differ as to when the birthday is recognized. New Zealand uses February 28 for drivers licenses, while the United Kingdom uses March 1. Laws in the United States differ on the subject.

Famous people born on February 29 include artist Augusta Savage, musician Jimmy Dorsey, actor Dennis Farina and rapper Ja Rule.

Our question: Which Gilbert and Sullivan opera has a character’s February 29th birthday as a major plot point?

Today is Rare Disease Day, and National Surf and Turf Day.

This week in 1992, another leap year, the top song in the U.S. was “To Be With You” by Mr. Big.

The No. 1 movie was “Wayne’s World,” while the novel “Hideaway” by Dean Koontz topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Before the break we asked: Which Gilbert and Sullivan opera has a character’s February 29th birthday as a major plot point?

Links

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website.

Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com

Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_29

http://graphics.latimes.com/leap-year-2016/

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-february-29

https://www.checkiday.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1992_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

http://www.hawes.com/1992/1992-02-23.pdf

http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1992/hot-100

The tag from a pair of Levi’s 501s. (Image from denim inc.)

187 years ago today, Levi Strauss was born in what is now Germany.

Here are a few things you may not have known about the man whose name has become synonymous with blue jeans.

At the age of 18, Strauss moved to the United States with his mother and two sisters. They joined his brothers who had begun a dry goods business in New York City.

In 1853, Strauss moved to San Francisco to start a West Coast outlet for the family business.

Strauss was not the inventor of blue jeans, however. They were first created by a tailor named Jacob W. Davis in Reno, Nevada.

In 1870, a customer asked him to make a pair of working pants for her husband who was a lumberjack.

The pants were initially made from cotton duck cloth, which is similar to canvas. He later began making them from denim.

The pants proved so popular that he couldn’t keep up with demand. In 1872, he decided to patent his idea and went to Strauss for financial backing. The patent for “Improvements in fastening pocket openings” was issued in 1873 to Davis and Strauss.

In 1890, the original jeans were given the lot number 501.

Davis oversaw production for Levi Strauss & Company for the rest of his life.

Levi Strauss died in 1906 at the age of 73.

The original 501s have remained largely unchanged, although modern jeans have fewer copper rivets. In 1941, the company removed the rivets on the watch pocket along with one at the bottom of the button fly to conserve metal during World War II. They were never added back.

Our question: What were Levi’s 501 jeans originally known as?’

Today is International Repetitive Strain Injury Awareness Day, National Pistachio Day and Thermos Bottle Day.

It’s the birthday of writer Victor Hugo, actor Jackie Gleason, and musicians Fats Domino and Johnny Cash.

This week in 1984, the top song in the U.S. was “Jump” by Van Halen.

The No. 1 movie was “Footloose,” while the novel “Pet Sematary” by Stephen King topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Links

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website.

Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com

Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_W._Davis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss_%26_Co

http://www.levi.com/us/en_US/about/history-heritage

https://www.checkiday.com

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-february-26

http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1984/hot-100

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1984_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

http://www.hawes.com/1984/1984-02-26.pdf

A bowl of New England clam chowder (Photo by Jon Sullivan via Wikimedia Commons)

Today is National Clam Chowder Day in the United States.

Here are a few facts about clam chowder that you may not have known.

First, chowder is a soup, but not all soups are chowders. Chowder is a type of soup made with dairy products and is usually thickened. Most chowders are seafood based, although potato chowder and corn chowder are common varieties.

The most popular variety of clam chowder is New England style. It contains milk or cream, potatoes, onion, sometimes celery, and clams. It’s also known as Boston Clam Chowder in some regions.

The second-most widely-known variety isn’t even technically a chowder. Manhattan clam chowder has a tomato-based broth and a bright red color. Its roots are traced to Portuguese immigrants, who adapted traditional recipes to available ingredients.

The rivalry between Manhattan and New England style chowders has reached as far as state legislatures. In 1939, a bill was introduced in Maine’s legislature making it illegal to include tomatoes in clam chowder. The bill never became law, but the rivalry remains to this day.

For those who can’t choose between those two, there is a middle ground, almost literally, between Manhattan and New England.

Rhode Island clam chowder has a clear broth and usually contains clams, potatoes, onions and bacon. Despite being the smallest state in the union, Rhode Island has regional differences in its clam chowders. Some parts of the state have a tomato-based variety that is similar to Manhattan style but doesn’t include chunks of tomato.

Other areas that stake a claim to regional styles of clam chowder are New Jersey, Delaware, North Carolina’s Outer Banks and St. Augustine, Florida.

Some related dishes from elsewhere in the world include bisque from France and Cullen skink from Scotland.

My favorite type is the New England style from Ivar’s restaurant in Seattle, preferably the seafood bar near the ferry dock.

Did we forget your favorite? Let us know on Twitter @triviapodcast.

Our question, what type of bowl for serving chowder was made famous in San Francisco?

Today is People Power Day in the Philippines, Day of the Revolution in Suriname and National Day in Kuwait.

In addition to National Clam Chowder Day, It’s unofficially National Chili Day, National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day and Let’s Eat Right Day, which doesn’t seem to understand the apparent theme of the day.

It’s the birthday of actor Jim Backus, musician George Harrison, and actress Rashida Jones.

38  years ago in 1978, the top song in the U.S. was “Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees.

The No. 1 movie was “Coming Home,” while “The Silmarillion” by JRR Tolkien topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Links

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website.

Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com

Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clam_chowder#cite_note-2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_25

https://www.checkiday.com

http://www.biography.

On this date in 1980, the United States ice hockey team won the gold medal during the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

Here are some things you may not have known about the “Miracle on Ice.”

The 1980  Olympics were the second winter games held in Lake Placid. The 1932 Winter Olympics, the first held outside of Europe, took place there as well. Lake Placid earned the right to host the 1980 games after they were the only city to submit a bid. The only other city in the running was Vancouver, Canada, which withdrew from final consideration. Vancouver would go on to host the Winter Olympics thirty years later.

Heading into the 1980 Olympics, the Soviet Union had won the previous four hockey gold medals. The last time the Soviets didn’t win the gold was in 1960, when the Americans went 7-0, including a win over the Soviets, to win the title. After the 1960 tournament, the Soviets went 27-1-1 in the next four Olympics, including four wins over the United States by a cumulative score of 28-7. In 1979, the Soviet team defeated a team of National Hockey League all-stars 6-0.

The Soviet team was made up of world-class players, some of whom were active military, which allowed them to be paid at a time when the Olympics had rules requiring participants to be amateurs. The American team was made up of college players, mostly from the University of Minnesota and Boston University. The coach of the American team was Herb Brooks, who was also coach at Minnesota, and had played on the 1964 and 1968 U.S. Olympic teams. The average age of the American team was 21 years old.

The Americans played 61 exhibition games in the five months before the Olympics. Brooks wanted his team to have a wide-open, physical style of play. The final game of the exhibition schedule was a 10-3 loss to the Soviets at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In addition to the inherent drama of the two Cold War rivals facing off, there was added intrigue as U.S. President Jimmy Carter was considering having the United States boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics, which were scheduled to be held in Moscow. The boycott was in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

The Americans began Olympic play with a 2-all draw against Sweden and a 7-3 victory over Czechoslovakia, which was a pre-tournament favorite to win the silver medal. The U.S. went on to beat Norway, Romania and West Germany to go 4-0-1 in group play. The Soviets won their five games by a combined score of 51-11, including a 6-4 win over Canada. The Soviets and Americans qualified for the final round, along with second-place group finishers Sweden and Finland.

Contrary to popular belief, the game between the Americans and Soviets was not a gold-medal final. The final round was a round-robin tournament, meaning that the Americans had to play the Soviet Union and Finland, and their game against Sweden from group play would be carried over into the medal round. The gold medal would be determined by the standings after each team had played two medal-round games. The game between the Soviets and Americans was actually the first game of the medal round.

The game was played at 5 p.m. local time on a Friday. ABC television chose to show the game on tape-delay with Al Michaels on play-by-play. Michaels was chosen to call the game because he was the only ABC announcer who had previously called a hockey game. It was available live in Canada.

After the first period, the game was tied 2-2 on Soviet goals by Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov, and American goals by Buzz Schneider and Mark Johnson. During the first intermission, the Soviet coach replaced his starting goalkeeper Vladislav Tretiak, the best goalie in the world, with Vladimir Myshkin. The Soviets scored once in the second period to take a 3-2 lead heading into the ...

United States Marine Corps War Memorial by Felix de Weldon at night. (Photo by Catie Drew via Wikimedia Commons)

On this date in 1945, five United States Marines and a Navy hospital corpsman raised the American flag atop Mount Suribachi in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

Here are some things you may not have known about the battle, the moment and the iconic photograph.

Iwo Jima is located halfway between Japan and the Mariana Islands. It served as an early-warning station to let the Japanese know if American bombers were on the way.

On Feb. 19, 1945, at 8:59 a.m., one minute ahead of schedule, American forces invaded the island.

The Marines found conditions that didn’t match what they were told to expect. What were described as “excellent” beaches, turned out to be 15-foot high hills of volcanic ash. The equipment weighed down the Marines, making it even more difficult to cross the beach. The American forces continued to pile onto the beach, unable to make much headway and creating a huge human traffic jam. The Japanese gradually reduced their response, lulling the Americans into thinking that the defenses had been beaten. All the while, more Marines arrived on the beach.

About an hour after the first Marines hit the beach, the Japanese opened fire with everything they had; machine guns, mortars and heavy artillery rained down on the crowded beach.

Eventually, the Naval Construction Battalions, better known as Seabees, were able to create passages for men and equipment to get off the beaches.

After three more days filled with extensive casualties, the Americans made their way to the highest point on the island, called Mount Suribachi, capturing it on the morning of February 23.

Lieutenant Colonel Chandler Johnson of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division, ordered a platoon to take the mountain and raise a flag if they made it to the top. The platoon, led by 1st Lieutenant Harold Schrier made it to the top and raised a relatively small American flag. The Secretary of the Navy, who was present at the time, decided he wanted that flag as a souvenir. Johnson ordered that flag removed and returned to him, and not the Secretary of the Navy. Johnson sent another Marine up the mountain with a different, larger flag.

The new flag arrived at the summit and was raised by Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, Michael Strank, Rene Gagnon, Harlon Block and John Bradley. The moment was photographed by Joe Rosenthal of The Associated Press.

Rosenthal had arrived on the summit just as the group was getting ready to raise the flag. He was busy trying to set up for the shot, when he noticed that the men were lifting the flag into place. He grabbed his camera and took the photo without using the viewfinder. Long before instant photography, Rosenthal couldn’t be sure what, if anything, he had captured.

The film was sent to Guam for processing. The Associated Press photo editor sent it on to AP headquarters in New York, which sent the photo out to its member newspapers less than 18 hours after the event.

Of the six men who raised the flag, only three of them survived the battle. Strank and Block were killed six days after the raising, while Sousley was killed on March 21.

The battle continued until the island was declared secure on March 26. Of the more than 18,000 Japanese fighters stationed on the island, only 216 were taken prisoner, the rest were killed in combat. 19,217 Americans were wounded and 6,821 were killed. 27 U.S. servicemen were awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the battle. Hershel Williams, is the only one of those Medal of Honor winners alive today. He is 92 years old.