So, I was going to post this on Friday, January 2, my 44th Birthday. But, I got sidetracked, and never got around to it. So, I present, a series of historical events that took place on January 2, a few days later…
First, we start with January 2, 1982-My birthday:
Events:
1982-New York Islanders beat Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to start 23 NHL game undefeated home streak (21-0-2), 14 straight wins
1982-The “Epic in Miami,” played in 85°F heat, sees the San Diego Chargers defeat the Miami Dolphins 41-38 in overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff, setting numerous playoff scoring records
1983-In a 35-27 win over the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson completes 20 consecutive passes and finishes the season winning his second consecutive passing title with an NFL record 70.55% completion percentage
Births:
1982-Athanasia Tsoumeleka-Greek race walker (Olympic gold 20k 2004), born in Preveza, Greece
Now we move on to other January 2 events:
1776-Austria ends the use of interrogation by torture
1776-George Washington’s army hoists the Grand Union Flag at Prospect Hill, Charlestown
1788-Georgia is the fourth state to ratify the US Constitution
1791-Big Bottom Massacre in the Ohio Country begins the Northwest Indian War
1800-Free African American community of Philadelphia petitions US Congress to abolish the slave trade
1811-Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts becomes the first US Senator censured by the body for revealing confidential documents of President Thomas Jefferson
1815-Leading Romantic poet Lord Byron (27) marries Anne Isabella Milbanke (22) by special licence, at Seaham Hall in County Durham
1839-First photo of the Moon, taken by French photographer Louis Daguerre
1842-First US wire suspension bridge for general traffic opens in Pennsylvania
1845-Explorer and medical missionary David Livingstone (31) weds Mary Moffat
1865-Welterweight Con Orem & heavyweight Hugh O’Neill brawl for 185 rounds before darkness ends legendary bare knuckle boxing match in Virginia City, Montana
1879-British battleship HMS Thunderer gun turret explodes during gunnery practice in Gulf of Izmit, near Turkey; 11 sailors killed and 35 injured
1882-Because of anti-monopoly laws, Standard Oil is organized as a trust
1890-Alice Sanger becomes the first female White House staffer
1893-World’s Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago
1900-Émile Berliner begins manufacturing 7-inch single-sided records in Montreal
1903-US President Theodore Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola, Mississippi, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black
1906-Willis Carrier receives a US patent for an “Apparatus for Treating Air,” the world’s first modern air conditioner
1910-1st junior high schools in US opens (Berkeley California)
1912-Brookyln Superbas Baseball Club President Charles Ebbets
announces purchase of 4.5 acres of land to build a new concrete-and-steel stadium to seat 23,000; Ebbets Field opens in 1913
1918-After repeated clashes over pay with the Brooklyn Robins owner Charlie Ebbets, star right fielder and future Baseball Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel is traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates
1920-Responding to global fear of communism caused by the Russian Revolution, US Attorney General Palmer authorizes raids across the country on unionists and socialists
1921-First religious service radio broadcast in the US over KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1924-Book publisher Simon & Schuster is founded in New York by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster
1928-American landscape photographer Ansel Adams (25) weds artist Virginia Best (24) in Yosemite Valley, California, until his death in 1984
1934-First state liquor stores open in Pennsylvania
1935-Bruno Hauptmann trial begins for kidnap-murder of Charles Lindbergh’s baby
1936-First electron tube to enable night vision is described in St Louis, Missouri
1943-University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team begins 129 home game winning streak that only ends in 1955; incorporates NCAA titles in 1948, 1949 and 1951
1953-NBA Baltimore Bullets begin a record 32 game road losing streak (12 games in 1952-53; 20 games in 1953-54) with a 73-66 defeat at the Indianapolis Olympians
1960-Senator John F. Kennedy, announces his candidacy for the US Presidency
1965-New York Jets sign future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath to a $427,000 contract over three years
1965-Obverse design of all Canadian coins is changed to depict present-day
1974-Speed limit of 55 mph is imposed by President Nixon
1977-MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner for one year due to tampering charges in Gary Matthews free-agency signing
1979-British punk rocker Sid Vicious’ trial for murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen begins in New York City
1986-NHL New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy scores his 499th and 500th career goals in the final 2:22 to lift the New York to a 7-5 victory over the Boston Bruins; 11th player in NHL history to score 500 goals
1987-Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 116-106 to give coach Jack Ramsay his 800th NBA victory; at the time Ramsey is one of only 2 coaches (with Red Auerbach) to reach milestone
1988-Ashland Oil storage tank spills 3.8 million gallons in Pennsylvania
1998-Autopsy of Chris Farley shows he overdosed of opiates and cocaine
2006-Sago Mine Disaster: 12 miners are killed in a coal mine explosion in West Virginia
2010-Actor Vince Vaughn (39) weds realtor Kyla Weber in Lake Forest, Illinois
2023-Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapses in cardiac arrest and is revived by CPR on the field in televised NFL game against the Bengals in Cincinnati
January 2 births:
1727-James Wolfe (d. 1759)-British Army officer who defeated the French in Canada and captured Quebec, born in Westerham, England
1752-Philip Freneau-American poet of the American Revolution (The American Village), born in New York City (d. 1832)
1913-Gardner Read-American composer (Quiet Music for Strings; Dance of the Locomotives), and pedagogue (Boston University, 1948-78), born in Evanston, Illinois (d. 2005)
1920-Isaac Asimov-Russian-American scientist and sci-fi writer (I Robot; Foundation Trilogy), born in Petrovichi, Russia (d. 1992)
1936-Roger Miller-American Grammy and Tony Award-winning country singer-songwriter (“King of the Road”; “Dang Me”), fiddler, and guitarist, born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 1992)
1938-Ian Brady [Ian Duncan Stewart]-British serial killer (Moors Murders), born in Glasgow (d. 2017)
1939-Jim Bakker American-televangelist (Assemblies of God, The PTL Club) and convicted fraud, born in Muskegon, Michigan
1961 Gabrielle Carteris-American actress (Andrea in Beverly Hills 90210), born in Scottsdale, Arizona
1963-David Cone-American baseball pitcher (perfect game 1999; AL Cy Young Award 1994; 5 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1992 Toronto Blue Jays; 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 NY Yankees), born in Kansas City, Missouri
1967-Tia Carrere [Althea Janairo]-American actress (Wayne’s World, True Lies), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
1968-Cuba Gooding Jr. American actor (Boyz n the Hood: Gladiator; As Good As It Gets: Jerry Maquire), born in The Bronx, New York
1977-Brian Boucher-American NHL hockey goaltender, 1999-2013 (Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, and 5 other teams; NHL modern record for longest shutout streak 332:01, 2003-04) and broadcaster, born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island
January 2 deaths:
1904-James Longstreet-American Confederate general (1st Corps, ANV), dies at 82
1933-William “Kid” Gleason-American baseball utility (St. Louis Browns, NY Giants, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (Chicago White Sox, during “Black Sox” scandal), dies from a heart condition at 66
1953-Guccio Gucci, Italian founder of Gucci fashion house, dies at 71
1977-Erroll Garner-American jazz pianist (Misty), dies at 53
1986-Bill Veeck-American Baseball HOF executive (owner Chicago WS, Cleveland Indians [World Series 1948], St. Louis Browns), dies of lung cancer at 71
1990-Alan Hale Jr.-American actor (Skipper-Gilligan’s Island), dies of cancer at 68
1994-Dixy Lee Ray-American politician (17th Governor of Washington) and chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), dies at 79
2009-Jett Travolta-son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston, dies of a seizure at 16]
2019-“Mean” Gene Okerlund-American pro wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host (WWF, WCW), dies of kidney failure at 76
2020-Sam Wyche-American NFL coach (Cincinnati Bengals 1984-91; Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1992-95; introduced no-huddle offense), dies from melanoma at 74
2021-Don Salls-American football linebacker (Alabama) and coach (Jacksonville State University 1946-52, 1954-64), dies at 101
2021-Paul Westphal-American Basketball Hall of Fame guard (NBA Championship 1974; NBA All-Star 1977–81; Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns) and coach (NBA: Phoenix, Seattle, Sacramento), dies from glioblastoma at 70
2022-Bob Halloran-American sportscaster (CBS Sports NY) and event organiser (MGM Mirage), dies at 87
2022-Larry Biitner-American MLB baseball outfielder, 1970-83 (Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, and 2 other teams), dies of cancer at 75
2023-Cliff Gustafson-American College Baseball HOF coach (College World Series 1975, 83; Collegiate Coach of the Year 1983; University of Texas, Austin), dies at 91
2023-Fred White-American drummer (Earth Wind & Fire, 1974-84 – “Shining Star”; “September”), dies at 67
2023-Ken Block-American rally driver (Hoonigan Racing Division) and co-founder of DC Shoes, dies in a snowmobile accident at 55
So this will be my last regular post before December Paint Scheme Leaderboard. I desperately need a break. I’m physically, mentally, and emotionally burned out. As much as I love doing this, I have to pull back at times, and this is one time. Working in the grocery industry during November is taxing and exhausting. That’s why I take a content break in December.
The Paint Scheme Leaderboard will return in December, but I’ve decided to cancel the Paint Scheme Awards. I’ve grown to hate the Awards, and haven’t been happy with it for some time. It’s officially dead. I’m also not bringing back Wheel Reviews, for the same reason.
Moving forward, Friday content won’t be up every Friday, as I have bitten off a lot more than I can chew with all my projects and work. When it comes to The Driver Suit Blog, I want quality, not quantity, so I will focus on better columns, not more. The Paint Scheme Tracker, and Paint Scheme Grades will not go anywhere.
With that, 2025 comes to an end, and I look forward to 2026.
I was about ready to call it a year on The Driver Suit Blog. I’d written what I thought was my final posts for the year. I was already to enjoy Chicago during the Christmas season. Then…it happened. The day drag racing fans thought would never arrive…arrived. 16 time Funny Car champion John Force announced his retirement on Thursday.
Love him or hate him, it’s impossible to underestimate the impact he has had on drag racing, or even the impact he had on auto racing. His dominance in the 1990’s and 2000’s will never be replicated. Hell, 1992 and 2003 were the only seasons he didn’t win the NHRA Funny Car Championship between 1990 and 2004! 13 Championships in 14 seasons. Then, he went on to win three more, 2006, 2010, and 2013.
He also has 157 NHRA National Event wins. To put that in perspective, you could take the next two drivers, Ron Capps and Robert Height, add their collective win totals, and only get 141 wins, and 6 championships between the two. No matter how you feel about him as a person and as a driver, he is the GOAT in the NHRA. Nobody in Formula 1, or IndyCar has as many wins, and only Richard Petty has more wins in NASCAR.
This news hit me hard. I’m an NHRA fan, and an amateur racing historian, and for me, this is the end of an era. Looking at auto racing across the board, John Force was the last of the old school, hard-nosed, tough as tungsten drivers. He fought through crashes and injuries that would have killed lesser men. The fact he came back after his 2005 wreck is amazing, but the fact he went on to win three more championships shows that he is tough as tungsten.
Sadly, Father Time waits for no man, and his wreck last year would be the final time he raced in the NHRA, or ever. He’s now focused on his family, and spending time with his grandchildren. With Britney Force’s retirement, there is no longer a full-time Force in John Force Racing, for the first time in…ever. Like many racing fans, I wish John the best in his retirement, and he is missed, and will be missed!
I had a short column on Formula 1 moving to Apple Tv+ scheduled for last week. I wish I had time to push it back, Last Friday, I woke up to devastating news. Uni-Watch, the sports uniform blog that was instrumental in creating The Driver Suit Blog announced that they would be shutting down as of November 1st.
The reasons given were primarily financial, with an internet wide loss of revenue from advertising. The webmaster was also dealing with health issues. Though selling the site was, at one point, an option, things changed, and it was not an option anymore.
This hit the Uni-Watch community very hard. We are a small but dedicated group of sports uniform enthusiasts. We supported Uni-Watch through thick and thin, and this news hits us hard, especially me.
If, in 2012, I hadn’t decided to write a column for Uni-Watch, I wouldn’t be where I am today. The Driver Suit Blog wouldn’t exist, and I wouldn’t have had some of the opportunities. I wish the best for all the staff, and the readers. Via con dios Uni-Watch.
The Driver Suit Blog 
