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| Natrone Means |
Natrone MeansNatrone Means (born April 26, 1972 in Harrisburg, North Carolina) is a former American Football running back who played for the San Diego Chargers the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Carolina Panthers of the NFL.Means was drafted in the second round of the 1993 draft, picked 41st overall.
Means played from 1993 to the 1995 for the Chargers. Means was a pro-bowler after the 1994 season. He was waived in the 1996 season and signed by the Jaguars. Means returned to San Diego as an unrestricted free agent in 1998, but moved as a free agent to the Panthers in 2000. Means retired after the 2000 season.
Natrone Means is happily married to his college sweetheart. They have 3 beautiful daughters. He currently coaches at the college level in North Carolina.
High School Career
Natrone Means attended Central Cabbarus High School in Concord,North carolina,where,as a senior, he was named the Conference Player of the Year,the County player of the Year,and was a Parade All-America selection,after posting 2023 rushing yards,and 33 touchdowns.
College Career
At the University of North Carolina,Natrone Means rushed 605 times for 3,074 yards(5.1 yards per car. avg.),and 34 touchdowns,and caught 61 passes for 500 yards(8.19 yards per rec. avg.).He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as both,a sophomore,and a junior.
Means, Natrone
Means, Natrone
Means, Natrone
Means, Natrone
April 26
April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). There are 249 days remaining.
Events
- 1478 - The Pazzi attack Lorenzo de' Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in the Florence Cathedral.
- 1607 - English colonists of the Jamestown settlement make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.
- 1865 - American Civil War: Confederate General Joseph Johnston surrenders his army to General William Tecumseh Sherman at the Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina.
- 1865 - Union cavalry troopers corner John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln's assassin, in a barn in Virginia. Booth is shot dead by cavalryman Boston Corbett.
- 1925 - Paul von Hindenburg defeats Wilhelm Marx in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected Reichspräsident, the head of state of the Weimar Republic.
- 1933 - The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.
- 1937 - Spanish Civil War: Guernica, Spain is bombed by German Luftwaffe.
- 1942 - The worst-ever mining accident in history kills 1,549 miners in an explosion at the Honkeiko Colliery, Manchuria.
- 1946 - Father Divine, a controversial religious leader who claims to be God, marries the much-younger Edna Rose Ritchings, a celebrated anniversary in the International Peace Mission movement.
- 1954 - The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins.
- 1962 - NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.
- 1964 - Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.
- 1986 - In Ukraine, a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant explodes, creating the world's worst nuclear disaster.
- 1989 - Amanda Eshleman is born, and propels Manheim Central to the national stage with her fantastic ball-handling skills. She is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 15, and sees the Seven Wonders of the World by her 16th birthday.
- 1991 - Seventy tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before its end, Andover, Kansas, would record the year's only F5 tornado (see The Andover, Kansas Tornado).
- 1994 - South Africa holds its first multiracial elections.
- 1994 - A China Airlines Airbus A-300-600R crashes at Nagoya Airport, Japan killing 264.
- 2002 - 19-year-old Robert Steinhäuser shoots and kills 17 people at his school in Erfurt, Germany.
- 2005 - Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country.
Births
- 121 - Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor (d. 180)
- 1538 - Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter (d. 1600)
- 1573 - Marie de' Medici, queen of Henry IV of France (d. 1642)
- 1564 (baptized) - William Shakespeare, English writer (d. 1616)
- 1648 - King Peter II of Portugal (d. 1706)
- 1710 - Thomas Reid, Scottish philosopher (d. 1796)
- 1711 - David Hume, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1776)
- 1718 - Esek Hopkins, American Revolutionary War admiral (d. 1802)
- 1765 - Emma, Lady Hamilton, English mistress of Horatio Nelson (d. 1815)
- 1785 - John James Audubon, French-American naturalist and illustrator (d. 1851)
- 1787 - Ludwig Uhland, German poet (d. 1862)
- 1798 - James Beckwourth, American explorer (d. 1867)
- 1798 - Eugène Delacroix, French painter (d. 1863)
- 1812 - Alfred Krupp, German industrialist (d. 1887)
- 1822 - Frederick Law Olmsted, American landscape architect (d. 1903)
- 1826 - George Hull Ward, American general (d. 1863)
- 1879 - Owen Willans Richardson, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
- 1886 - Ma Rainey, American singer (d. 1939)
- 1888 - Anita Loos, American writer (d. 1981)
- 1889 - Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-born philosopher (d. 1951)
- 1894 - Rudolf Hess, Nazi official (d. 1987)
- 1896 - Ernst Udet, German World War II pilot (d. 1941)
- 1897 - Eddie Eagan, American sportsman (d. 1967)
- 1897 - Douglas Sirk, German-born film director (d. 1987)
- 1898 - Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
- 1898 - John Grierson, Scottish filmmaker (d. 1972)
- 1900 - Charles Richter, American geophysicist and inventor (d. 1985)
- 1911 - Marianne Hoppe, German actress (d. 2002)
- 1912 - A. E. van Vogt, Canadian writer (d. 2000)
- 1914 - Bernard Malamud, American author (d. 1986)
- 1914 - James W. Rouse, American real estate investor, activist, and philanthropist (d. 1996)
- 1916 - Morris West, Australian writer (d. 1999)
- 1917 - I.M. Pei, Chinese-born architect
- 1918 - Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch athlete (d. 2004)
- 1918 - Stafford Repp American actor (d. 1974)
- 1925 - Jørgen Ingmann, Danish musician (d. 1990)
- 1926 - Michael Mathias Prechtl, German illustrator (d. 2003)
- 1932 - Michael Smith, English-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
- 1933 - Carol Burnett, American singer, actress, and comedian
- 1933 - Arno Allan Penzias, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1934 - Alan Arkin, American actor
- 1936 - Lane Smith, American actor
- 1938 - Duane Eddy, American musician
- 1940 - Giorgio Moroder, German composer
- 1942 - Claudine Auger, French actress
- 1942 - Michael Kergin, Canadian diplomat
- 1942 - Bobby Rydell, American singer
- 1943 - Gary Wright, American singer
- 1943 - Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect
- 1946 - Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian politician
- 1949 - Carlos Bianchi, Argetinian football coach and player
- 1956 - Koo Stark, American actress
- 1958 - Jeffrey Guterman, American mental health counselor
- 1960 - Roger Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran)
- 1961 - Joan Chen, Chinese-born actress
- 1963 - Jet Li, Chinese martial artist and actor
- 1965 - Kevin James, American comedian and actor
- 1967 - Glen Jacobs, American professional wrestler
- 1970 - Tionne Watkins, American singer (TLC)
- 1973 - Chris Perry, English footballer
- 1975 - Joey Jordison, American musician (Slipknot)
- 1976 - Jose Pasillas, American musician (Incubus)
- 1977 - Tom Welling, American actor
- 1980 - Jordana Brewster, American actress
- 1982 - Joanne Gobure, Nauruan poet
- 1983 - Jessica Lynch, American P.O.W. captured and rescued in Iraq in 2003
- 1984 - Mija Martina, Bosnian singer
Deaths
- 1192 - Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan (b. 1127)
- 1444 - Robert Campin, Flemish painter (b. 1378)
- 1478 - Giuliano di Piero de' Medici, ruler of Florence (assassinated) (b. 1453)
- 1489 - Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shogun (b. 1465)
- 1716 - John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1651)
- 1784 - Nano Nagle, Irish convent founder (b. 1718)
- 1789 - Count Petr Ivanovich Panin, Russian soldier (b. 1721)
- 1865 - John Wilkes Booth, American actor and assassin (shot) (b. 1838)
- 1892 - Sir Provo Wallis, British Admiral and naval hero (b. 1791)
- 1910 - Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1832)
- 1920 - Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (b. 1887)
- 1932 - Hart Crane, American poet (suicide) (b. 1899)
- 1932 - William Lockwood, English cricketer (b. 1868)
- 1938 - Edmund Husserl, Austrian philosopher (b. 1859)
- 1940 - Carl Bosch, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
- 1951 - Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist (b. 1868)
- 1956 - Edward Arnold, American actor (b. 1890)
- 1969 - Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist (b. 1883)
- 1970 - Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress (b. 1911)
- 1973 - Irene Ryan, American actress (b. 1902)
- 1976 - Sid James, British comedian (b. 1913)
- 1981 - Jim Davis, American actor (b. 1909)
- 1984 - Count Basie, American musician and composer (b. 1904)
- 1986 - Broderick Crawford, American actor (stroke) (b. 1911)
- 1986 - Dechko Uzunov, Bulgarian painter (b. 1899)
- 1988 - James McCracken, American tenor (b. 1926)
- 1989 - Lucille Ball, American actress and comedian (b. 1911)
- 1991 - Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (b. 1910)
- 1991 - Emily McLaughlin, American actress (b. 1930)
- 1996 - Stirling Silliphant, American writer and producer (b. 1918)
- 1999 - Jill Dando, British television presenter (b. 1961)
- 2002 - Lisa Lopes, American singer (b. 1971)
- 2003 - Rosemary Brown, Canadian politician (b. 1930)
- 2003 - Max Nicholson, Irish environmentalist (b. 1904)
- 2003 - Peter Stone, American writer (b. 1930)
- 2004 - Hubert Selby Jr., American author (b. 1928)
- 2005 - Mason Adams, American actor (b. 1919)
- 2005 - Blade Icewood, American rapper (b. 1977)
- 2005 - Maria Schell, Austrian-born actress (b. 1926)
Holidays and observances
- Feast day of the following saints in the Roman Catholic Church:
- Saint Alda (d. 1309)
- Richarius or Riquier (d. 643)
- Paschasius (d. 865)
- Saint Cletus (Pope Anacletus) and Marcellinus (Popes and martyrs)
- Lucidius (4th century)
- Trudpert (Irish monk martyred in Germany in 607).
- Tanzania - Union Day
- Shi'a Islam - Mawlid, Muhammad's birthday (2005)
- Georgia, USA - Confederate Memorial Day
- Intellectual property - World Intellectual Property Day (since 2001)
External links
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/26 BBC: On This Day]
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April 25 - April 27 - March 26 - May 26 – listing of all days
ko:4월 26일
ms:26 April
ja:4月26日
simple:April 26
th:26 เมษายน
1972
1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday.
Events
- International year of the book
January
- January 2 - The Pierre Hotel Heist - Six men rob the safety deposit boxes of the Pierre Hotel in New York City. Loot is at least $4 million.
- January 4 - Rose Heilbron becomes the first woman judge at the Old Bailey in London.
- January 5 - President of the United States Richard Nixon orders the development of a space shuttle program.
- January 4 - Kurt Waldheim becomes the Secretary General of the United Nations.
- January 7 - Iberian Airlines passenger planes crashes into an 800' peak on island of Ibiza - 104 dead.
- January 9 - Howard Hughes speaks by telephone to denounce Clifford Irving's supposed biography about him.
- January 9 - RMS Queen Elizabeth is destroyed by fire (Hong Kong harbor).
- January 11 - East Pakistan becomes independent with the name Bangladesh.
- January 14 - King Frederick IX of Denmark dies - his daughter Queen Margaret II of Denmark ascends to the throne at January 16.
- January 19 - Libertarian enclave Minerva on a platform in the South Pacific, sponsored by the Phoenix Foundation, declares independence. Soon neighboring Tonga annexes the area and dismantles the platform
- January 22 - Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom join the EEC.
- January 23 - New Delhi bootlegger sells wood alcohol to a wedding party - 100 dead
- January 24 - Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi is discovered in Guam. He had spent 28 years in the jungle.
- January 25 - Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to US Congress, announces her candidacy for US president.
- January 26 - Yugoslavian air stewardress Vesna Vulovic is the only survivor when her plane crashes in Czechoslovakia. She survives after falling about 30,000' in the tail section of the aircraft.
- January 28 - Richard Chanfray claims he is Count of St Germain on French television.
- January 30 - Bloody Sunday - the British Army kills 13 unarmed Roman Catholic civil rights marchers in Derry, Ireland.
- January 30 - Pakistan withdraws from the British Commonwealth.
- January 31 - King Mahendra of Nepal dies, becoming the second king to die that month, and is succeeded by his son, Birendra.
February
- February 1 - First scientific hand-held calculator (HP-35) introduced (price $395).
- February 2 - A bomb explodes in British Yacht Club in West Berlin. Only casualty is Irwin Beelitz, a German boat builder. Movement 2 June announces it is in support of Irish Republican Army.
- February 2 - Anti-British riots throughout Ireland take place. The British Embassy in Dublin is burned to the ground as are several British owned businesses.
- February 3 - The Winter Olympics begin in Sapporo, Japan.
- February 4 - Mariner 9 sends pictures from Mars.
- February 5 - US airlines begin mandatory inspection of passengers and baggage.
- February 5 - Bob Douglas becomes the first African American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
- February 9 - The British government declares a state of emergency over a miners' strike.
- February 15 - President of Ecuador José María Velasco Ibarra is deposed for the fourth time.
- February 15 - Phonorecords granted U.S. Federal copyright protection for the first time.
- February 17 - Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle model exceed those of Ford Model-T (15 million).
- February 18 - The California Supreme Court invalidates the state's death penalty and commutes the sentences of all death row inmates to life in prison.
- February 21-February 27 - President Richard M. Nixon makes an unprecedented eight-day visit to the People's Republic of China and meets with Mao Zedong.
- February 21 - The Soviet unmanned spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon.
- February 22 - IRA bomb in Aldershot - 7 dead.
- February 23 - Angela Davis is released from jail.
- February 23 - A Lufthansa plane is hijacked and taken to Aden. Passengers are released after a ransom of 16 million D-marks is agreed.
- February 24 - North Vietnamese negotiators walk out of the peace talks in Paris to protest US air raids.
- February 26 - A coal sludge spill kills 125 in Buffalo Creek.
- February 26 - Luna 20 comes back to Earth with a cargo of moon rocks.
March
- March 1 - Thai province Yasothon created after being split off from the Ubon Ratchathani Province.
- March 1 - British 14-year-old schoolboy Timothy Davey is sentenced in Turkey for "conspiring to sell cannabis."
- March 1 - The Club of Rome publishes report "Boundaries on the Growth."
- March 2 - Launch of the Pioneer 10 spacecraft.
- March 2 - Jean-Bedel Bokassa becomes the president of the Central African Republic.
- March 3 - Sculpted figures of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson are completed at Stone Mountain, Georgia.
- March 4 - Libya and the Soviet Union sign a cooperation treaty.
- March 5 - Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis leaves the Greek Communist Party.
- March 13 - The United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China elevate diplomatic exchanges to the ambassadorial level after 22 years.
- March 13 - Clifford Irving admits to a New York court that he had fabricated Howard Hughes "autobiography."
- March 16 - The first building of the Pruitt-Igoe housing development is destroyed.
- March 19 - India and Bangladesh sign a friendship treaty.
- March 24 - To prevent further unionist misrule, Britain takes over direct rule of Northern Ireland.
- March 26 - 19 climbers on Mount Fuji die in an avalanche.
- March 30 - Vietnam War: The Eastertide Offensive begins after North Vietnamese forces cross into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of South Vietnam.
April
- April 3 - First call was made with a cell phone (cellular phone) in New York.
- April 7 - US Mafioso Joe Gallo shot in Umberto's Clam House in Little Italy.
- April 10 - The USA and the Soviet Union join some 70 nations in signing an agreement to ban biological warfare.
- April 10 - A 7.0 Richter scale earthquake kills 1/5 of the population of Iranian province of Fars.
- April 13 - The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
- April 16 - Apollo 16 launched.
- April 16 - Vietnam War: Nguyen Hue Offensive – Prompted by the North Vietnamese offensive, the United States resumes bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong.
- April 18 - The Roland Corporation is founded in Osaka.
- April 22 - Sylvia Cook and John Fairfax have rowed across the Pacific.
- April 27 - Constructive Vote of No Confidence against German Chancellor Willy Brandt fails under obscure circumstances.
- April 29 - The fourth anniversary of the Broadway musical Hair is celebrated with a free concert at a Central Park bandshell, followed by dinner at the Four Seasons. There, thirteen Black Panther protesters and the show's co-author, Jim Rado, are arrested for disturbing the peace and marijuana use.
May
- May 5 - An Alitalia DC-8 crashes west of Palermo, Sicily – 115 dead.
- May 13 - Fire in a nightclub atop the Sennichi department store in Osaka, Japan – 115 dead.
- May 15 - Governor George Wallace of Alabama is shot by Arthur Herman Bremer at a Laurel, Maryland political rally.
- May 17 - The closing notice is posted for the Broadway musical Hair.
- May 18 - Four troopers of both SAS and SBS are parachuted onto the HMS Queen Elizabeth II, 1000 miles off Britain in the Atlantic, after a bomb threat and demand for ransom. It turns out to be bogus.
- May 19 - Three out of six bombs explode in the Springer Press building in Hamburg, Germany - 17 injured. The Red Army Faction claims responsibility.
- May 21 - In Rome, Laszlo Toth attacks Michelangelo's Pieta statue with a sledgehammer shouting that he is Jesus Christ
- May 22 - Earthquake lasting 20 seconds destroys most of Bingol, Turkey - more than 1000 dead, 10.000 made homeless
- May 22 - Ceylon becomes the republic of Sri Lanka under prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike when its new constitution is ratified.
- May 24 - A RAF bomb explodes in the Campbell Barracks of the US Army Supreme European Command in Heidelberg. Two US soldiers dead.
- May 26 - Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev sign SALT I treaty in Moscow (including Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty; also other agreements were made).
- May 26 - Willandra National Park is established in Australia.
- May 30 - The Angry Brigade goes on trial.
- May 30 – 3 members of Japanese Red Army kill 24 and injure 100 in Lod Airport, Israel.
June
- June - Iraq nationalizes the Iraq Petroleum Company.
- June 2 - Andreas Baader, Jan-Carl Raspe, Holger Meins and some other members of Red Army Faction are arrested in Frankfurt am Main after a shootout.
- June 3 - Sally Priesand becomes the first female US rabbi.
- June 4 - Angela Davis found not guilty of murder.
- June 14 - June 23 - Hurricane Agnes kills 117 in US east coast.
- June 15 - Ulrike Meinhof and Gerhard Müller of Red Army Faction are arrested in a teacher's apartment in Langenhagen, West Germany.
- June 17 - Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burglarizing the offices of the Democratic National Committee.
- June 17 - Return of Okinawa from United States' control to Japan.
- June 17 - Chilean president Salvador Allende forms a new government.
- June 18 - West Germany beat the Soviet Union 3-0 to win Euro 72.
- June 23 - Watergate Scandal: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon and White House chief of staff H. R. Haldeman are taped talking about using the Central Intelligence Agency to obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation's investigation into the Watergate break-ins.
- June 25 - Juan Peron is elected president of Argentina.
- June 26 - Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney found Atari.
- June 28 - US president Nixon announces that no new draftees will be sent to Vietnam.
- June 29 - Supreme Court of the United States rules that the death penalty is unconstitutional.
July
- July 1 - The Broadway production of the musical Hair closes after 1,752 performances.
- July 2 - Following Pakistan's surrender to India in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, both nations sign the historic Simla Agreement agreeing to settle their disputes bilaterally.
- July 4 - The first Rainbow Gathering held in Colorado.
- July 8 - The USA sells grain to the Soviet Union for $750 million.
- July 10 - A stampede of elephants kills 24 in the Chandka Forest in India.
- July 15 - The Pruitt-Igoe housing development is demolished.
- July 18 - Anwar Sadat expels 20.000 soviet advisors from Egypt
- July 21 - Bloody Friday — 22 bombs explode in Belfast, Ireland. 9 people were killed and a further 130 seriously injured.
- July 23 - The United States launches LANDSAT 1, first Earth-resources satellite.
- July 25 - US Health officials admit that blacks were used as guinea pigs in a syphilis experiment.
- July 29 - National dock strike begins in Britain.
August
- August 4 - Arthur Bremer jailed for 63 years for shooting George Wallace.
- August 4 - Dictator Idi Amin declares that Uganda will expel 50,000 Asians with British passports to Britain within three months.
- August 11-August 12 - Last US ground troops withdrawn from Vietnam.
- August 16 - The Royal Moroccan Air Force mistakenly fires upon, but fails to bring down, Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he was traveling back to Rabat.
- August 23 - R.J (Dick) Hamer replaces Henry Boltie As Victorian Premier.
- August 28 - Prince William of Gloucester dies in an air crash.
September
- September 1 - Bobby Fischer defeats Boris Spassky in a chess match at Reykjavik, Iceland, and becomes the first American chess champion (see Match of the Century).
- September 5-September 6 - Munich Massacre: Eleven Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympic Games in Munich are killed after eight members of the Arab terrorist group Black September invade the Olympic Village; five guerillas and one policeman are also killed in a failed hostage rescue.
- September 14 - West Germany and Poland renew diplomatic relations.
- September 17 - Uganda announces that there are Tanzanian troops in its territory.
- September 17 - M - A - S - H debuts on CBS.
- September 19 - Parcel bomb sent to Israeli Embassy in London kills one diplomat.
- September 21 - Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation No. 1081 placing the entire country under martial law.
- September 25 - Norwegian EC referendum, 1972 - the people of Norway reject membership into the European Economic Commission.
- September 27 - Joint Communique of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China.
- September 28 - The goal heard round the world. Canada wins the summit series with a goal by Paul Henderson.
- September 29 - Sino-Japanese relations: Japan normalized diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China after breaking official ties with the Republic of China.
October
- October 1 - First publication reporting the production of a recombinant DNA molecule, marking the birth of modern molecular biology methodology.
:: Jackson, David A.; Symons, Robert H.; and Berg, Paul. (1972). [http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/69/10/2904 Biochemical Method for Inserting New Genetic Information into DNA of Simian Virus 40: Circular SV40 DNA Molecules Containing Lambda Phage Genes and the Galactose Operon of Escherichia coli]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 69(10), 2904-2909.
- October 2 - Denmark joins the EEC. The Faroe Islands stay out.
- October 5 - The United Reformed Church is founded out of the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches.
- October 6 - Train crash in Saltillo, Mexico – 208 dead.
- October 12 - En route to her station in the Gulf of Tonkin, a racial brawl involving more than 100 sailors breaks out aboard the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. Nearly 50 sailors are injured.
- October 13 - A Fairchild passenger plane transporting a rugby union team crashes at about 14,000' in the Andes mountain range, near the Argentina/Chile border. Sixteen of the survivors are found alive December 20 but they have had to resort to cannibalism to survive (see Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571).
- October 16 - A plane carrying US congressman Hale Boggs of Louisiana and three other men vanishes in Alaska. The wreckage has never been found, despite a massive search at the time.
- October 16 - Rainbow, a British television programme for children, debuts.
- October 16 - Rioting inmates of the Maze prison cause a fire that destroys most of the camp
- October 17 - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visits Yugoslavia.
- October 25 - First female FBI agents hired.
- October 25 - Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx sets a new world hour record in Mexico City.
- October 29 - The Black September group hijacks a Lufthansa Boeing 727 over Turkey and demands the release of three of their comrades still held for the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Olympic games
- October 30 - US President Richard Nixon approves legislation to increase Social Security spending by US$5.3 billion.
November
- November ? - At a scientific meeting in Honolulu, over [http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/projects/biosci/symposium/cohen/text.html corned beef sandwiches], Herbert Boyer and Stanley N. Cohen conceived the concept of recombinant DNA. They published their results in November 1973 in PNAS. Separately in 1972, Paul Berg also recombined DNA in a test tube. Recombinant DNA technology has dramatically changed the field of biological sciences, especially biotechnology, and opened the door to genetically modified organisms.
- November 5 - Group of Amerindians occupies the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
- November 7 - U.S. presidential election, 1972: Republican incumbent Richard Nixon defeats Democratic Senator George McGovern (the election had the lowest voter turnout since 1948 with only 55 percent of the electorate voting).
- November 11 - Vietnam War: Vietnamization - The United States Army turns over the massive Long Binh military base to South Vietnam.
- November 14 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 1,000 (1,003.16) for the first time.
- November 16 - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization adopts the [http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=182 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage].
- November 17 - Juan Perón returns to Argentina.
- November 22 - Vietnam War: The United States loses its first B-52 Stratofortress of the war.
- November 30 - Vietnam War: White House Press Secretary Ron Ziegler tells the press that there will be no more public announcements concerning American troop withdrawals from Vietnam due to the fact that troop levels are now down to 27,000.
December
- December 2 - Gough Whitlam becomes the first Labour Party Prime Minister of Australia for 23 years. He is famously sworn in on the election night and his first action using executive power is to withdraw all Australian personnel from the Vietnam War.
- December 7 - PIRA kidnaps Jean McConville in Belfast.
- December 7 - Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the moon, is launched.
- December 7 - Imelda Marcos is stabbed and seriously wounded by an assailant; her bodyguards shoot him.
- December 15 - The Commonwealth of Australia ordains equal pay to women.
- December 21 - East Germany and West Germany recognize each other.
- December 21 - ZANLA troopers attack Altera Farm in north-east Rhodesia
- December 22 - 6.25 Richter scale earthquake in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua – over 12,000 dead. President Somoza is later accused of pocketing millions of dollars worth of foreign aid.
- December 22 - Australia establishes diplomatic relations with China and West Germany.
- December 23 - Earthquake in Nicaragua kills 5000-10.000 in the capital Managua
- December 28 - The bones of Martin Bormann identified in Berlin.
- December 29 - An Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 crashes into the Everglades in Florida, killing 99 of 163 onboard.
Unknown dates
- Prime minister of Sweden, Olof Palme compares the American bombings of North Vietnam to Nazi massacres. The US breaks diplomatic contact with Sweden.
- The last major epidemic of smallpox in Europe breaks out in Yugoslavia.
- The United Kingdom begin to train Special Air Service for anti-terrorist duties.
- Steve Jobs graduates from Homestead High School and enrolls in Reed College in Portland, Oregon but drops out after one semester.
- Kim Sung-il becomes president of North Korea.
- The Japanese government begins building a railway tunnel between Honshu and Hokkaido.
- Stephen Hawking is confined to a wheelchair due to motor neuron disease.
- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms becomes independent from IRS.
- The "tea house" Mellow Yellow opens on the Amstel River in Amsterdam, pioneering the legal sale of marijuana in the Netherlands.
- The Aboriginal Tent Embassy founded on the lawn of Parliament House in Canberra.
- First women admitted to Dartmouth College.
- Colombian looters find Ciudad Perdida but keep it a secret until government reveals it 1975.
- Frank Serpico exposes corruption in New York City police.
- Vietnam War veteran Richard McCoy hijacks a United Airlines jet and extorts $500,000 – he is later captured.
- The Yellow River dries up for the first time in known history.
- Somalian language gets a written form.
- Assassination of Zanzibar's leader Sheik Abeid Karume.
- Tamil United Front, pro-Tamil organization, founded.
- Worship of Norse gods officially approved in Iceland.
- Women are allowed to compete in the Boston Marathon for the first time.
- The Second Cod War between UK and Iceland.
- First use of the term Hadean.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation established.
- The first Ruby Tuesday(resturant) founded.
Births
January-March
- January 2 - Taye Diggs, American actor
- January 12 - Espen Knutsen, Norwegian hockey player
- January 17 - Ken Hirai, Japanese singer and songwriter
- January 18 - Mike Lieberthal, baseball player
- January 23 - Marcel Wouda, Dutch swimmer
- February 1 - Yoshi DeHerrera, American television personality
- February 2 - Klára Dobrev, wife of Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány
- February 4 - Giovanni Silva De Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
- February 14 - Drew Bledsoe, American football player
- February 15 - Jaromir Jagr, Czech hockey player
- February 16 - Jerome Bettis, American football player
- February 17 - Billie Joe Armstrong, American musician (Green Day)
- February 17 - Philippe Candeloro, French figure skater
- February 21 - Seo Taiji, Korean musician
- February 24 - Richard Chelimo, Kenyan athlete (d. 2001)
- February 29 - Antonio Sabato Jr., Italian actor
- March 6 - Shaquille O'Neal, American basketball player
- March 10 - Takashi Fujii (Matthew Minami), Japanese television performer
- March 10 - Matt Kenseth, American race car driver
- March 10 - Eugene Roshal, Russian-born computer programmer
- March 15 - Mark Hoppus, American musician (Blink 182)
- March 17 - Mia Hamm, American soccer player
- March 20 - Alexander Kapranos, English singer and guitarist (Franz Ferdinand (band))
- March 22 - Shawn Bradley, American basketball player
- March 22 - Elvis Stojko, Canadian figure skater
- March 23 - Judith Godrèche, French actress
- March 27 - Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Dutch footballer
April-June
- April 3 - Jennie Garth, American actress
- April 4 - Adam Clayton Powell Jr., American politician
- April 11 - Jason Varitek, baseball player
- April 13 - Fiona McSwein, Founder of Juice Associates
- April 17 - Tony Boselli, American football player
- April 17 - Jennifer Garner, American actress
- April 17 - Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer
- April 19 - Rivaldo, Brazilian footballer
- April 24 - Chipper Jones, baseball player
- May 2 - The Rock, American professional wrestler and actor
- May 4 - Mike Dirnt, American musician (Green Day)
- May 10 - Radosław Majdan, Polish goalkeeper
- May 20 - Busta Rhymes, American musician and actor
- May 21 - The Notorious B.I.G., American musician (d. 1997)
- May 28 - Michael Boogerd, Dutch cyclist
- May 30 - Manny Ramirez, baseball player
- June 4 - Derian Hatcher, American hockey player
- June 5 - Justin Smith, American drummer, The Seeds
- June 7 - Karl Urban, New Zealand actor
- June 15 - Andy Pettitte, baseball player
- June 19 - Brian McBride, American soccer player
- June 21 - Irene van Dyk, South African-born netball player
- June 23 - Zinédine Zidane, French footballer
- June 25 - Carlos Delgado, baseball player
- June 29 - Samantha Smith, American activist (d. 1985)
July-September
- July 3 - Asha Gill, English-born television host
- July 8 - Saurav Ganguly, Indian cricketer
- July 2 - Wayne Brady, American actor and comedian
- July 7 - Lisa Leslie, American Basketball player
- July 27 - Jill Arrington, American football reporter
- July 28 - Elizabeth Berkley, American actress
- August 6 - Geri Halliwell, English musician (Spice Girls)
- August 11 - Jonathon Prandi, American model and actor
- August 14 - Ed O'Bannon, American basketball player
- August 15 - Ben Affleck, American actor
- August 23 - Dave Chappelle, American actor and comedian
- August 25 - Marvin Harrison, American football player
- August 30 - Cameron Diaz, American actress
- August 30 - Pavel Nedved, Czech footballer
- September 2 - Sergei Zholtok, Russian hockey player (d. 2004)
- September 8 - Lisa Kennedy, American disc jockey and political satirist
- September 10 - Ghada Shouaa, Syrian athlete
- September 12 - Jason Statham, English actor
- September 17 - Bobby Lee, American comedian
- September 21 - Liam Gallagher, British singer (
American football
American football rules shape, and usually has a large set of stitches along one side.]]
American football, known in North America simply as football, is a competitive team sport. The object of the game is to advance the football towards the opposing team's end zone and score points. The ball can be advanced by carrying the ball, or by throwing or handing it from one teammate to the other. Points can be scored in a variety of ways, including carrying the ball over the goal line, throwing the ball to another player past the goal line or kicking it through the goal posts. The winner is the team with the most points when the time expires.
Outside of the United States, Canada, and a few other countries such as American Samoa, the sport is usually referred to as American football (or sometimes as gridiron) to differentiate it from other football games, especially association football and rugby football. American football evolved as a separate sport from rugby football in the late 19th century. Arena football is a variant of American football.
Popularity
Since the 1960s, football has surpassed baseball as the most popular spectator sport in the United States. The 32-team National Football League (NFL) is the most popular and only major professional American football league. Its championship game, the Super Bowl, is watched by nearly half of US television households, and is also televised in over 150 other countries. Super Bowl Sunday has become an annual ritual in late January or early February. It is also the most watched sport on television in the US.
The NFL also operates a developmental league, NFL Europe, with 6 teams based in European cities.
NFL Europe player tries to thwart his progress.]]
College football is also extremely popular throughout the U.S., especially in markets not served by an NFL team. Several college football stadiums seat more than 100,000 fans -- which regularly sell out. Even high school football games can attract five-figure crowds, especially in hotbeds like Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Texas and Georgia. The weekly autumn ritual of college and high-school football -- which includes marching bands, cheerleaders and parties -- is an important part of the culture in much of smalltown America.
Football is also played recreationally by amateur club and youth teams (e.g., the Pop Warner little-league programs). There are also many "semi-pro" teams in leagues where the players are paid to play, but at a small enough salary that they generally must also hold a full-time job.
Organized football is played almost exclusively by men and boys.
The rules of American football
Objective: Like most other games of football, the object of American football is to advance the ball towards the opponent's end of the field and score more points than the opposing team within a set time limit.
Field and players
football
The American football field is often called the gridiron because the markings on the field resemble that type of grill that can be used to cook food over a fire. The game is played on a rectangular field 120 yards (110 metres) long by 53 1/3 yards (49 metres) wide. The longer boundary lines are sidelines, while the shorter boundary lines are end lines. Near each end of the field is a goal line; they are 100 yards apart. A scoring area called an end zone extends 10 yards beyond each goal line to each end line.
Yard lines cross the field every 5 yards, and are numbered from each goal line to the 50-yard line, or midfield (similar to a typical rugby league field). Two rows of lines, known as hash marks parallel the side lines near the middle of the field. All plays start with the ball on or between the hash marks.
At the back of each end zone are two goal posts (also called uprights) that are 18.5 feet apart. The posts are connected by a crossbar 10 feet from the ground. Successful kicks must go above the crossbar and between the uprights. (At many fields the uprights and crossbar are attached by a curved bar to a post outside the field of play, to reduce the chance of players running into the supports.)
Each team has 11 players on the field at a time. However, teams may substitute for any or all of their players between plays. As a result, players have very specialized roles, and almost all of the 53 players on an NFL team will play in any given game. Thus, teams are divided into three separate units: the offense, the defense and the special teams (see below).
Game duration
A standard football game consists of four 15-minute (typically 12 minutes in high school football) periods (called quarters), with an intermission (called halftime) after the second quarter. The clock stops after certain plays; therefore, a game can last considerably longer (often more than three hours in real time). If an NFL game is tied after four quarters, the teams play up to another 15 minutes. The first team that scores wins; if neither team scores, the game is a tie. College overtime rules are more complicated and are described at Overtime (sport).
Advancing the ball
Advancing the ball in American football resembles the six-tackle rule and the play-the-ball in rugby league football. The team that takes possession of the ball (the offense) has four attempts, called downs, to advance the ball 10 yards towards their opponent's (the defense's) end zone. When the offense gains 10 yards, it gets a first down, or another set of four downs to gain 10 yards. If the offense fails to gain a first down, it loses possession of the ball.
Except at the beginning of halves and after scores (see Kickoffs and free kicks below), the ball is always put into play by a snap. All players line up facing each other at the line of scrimmage (the position on the field where the play begins). One offensive player, the center, then passes (or "snaps") the ball between his legs to a teammate, usually the quarterback.
Players can then advance the ball in two ways:
- By running with the ball, also known as rushing.
- By throwing the ball to a teammate, known as passing. The forward pass is a key factor distinguishing American and Canadian football from other football sports. The offense can throw the ball forward only once on a play and only from behind the line of scrimmage. The ball can be thrown sideways or backwards at any time. This type of pass is known as a lateral and is much rarer in American football than in rugby league or rugby union.
A play or down ends, and the ball becomes dead, after any of the following:
- The player with the ball is tackled to the ground by a member of the opposing team, or has his forward progress stopped (as determined by an official).
- A forward pass flies out of bounds or touches the ground before it is caught. This is known as an incomplete pass. The ball is returned to the original line of scrimmage for the next down.
- The ball or the player with the ball goes beyond the dimensions of the field (out of bounds).
- A team scores.
Often an official will blow a whistle to notify all players that the play is over.
The ball may also change position as a result of penalties. These penalties may be incurred by either the offensive or defensive team. Generally, penalties involve a loss of yardage for the penalized team, and sometimes an automatic first down. Field officials signal that a penalty has been incurred by throwing a yellow flag onto the field near the site of the penalty, while the play continues. When the play ends, the referee names the penalty and the consequences thereof.
Changes of possession
The offense maintains possession of the ball unless one of the following things happens:
- The team fails to get a first down, that is, move the ball forward at least 10 yards in four downs. The defensive team takes over the ball at the spot where the play ends.
- The offense scores a touchdown or field goal. The team that scored then kicks off the ball to the other team. (See Scoring and Kickoffs below.)
- The offense punts the ball to the defense. A punt is a kick in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground. Punts are nearly always made on fourth down, when the offensive team does not want to risk giving up the ball to the other team at its current spot on the field (through a failed attempt to make a first down) and feels it is too far from the other team's goal posts to kick a field goal.
- A defensive player catches a forward pass. This is called an interception, and the player who makes the interception can run with the ball until tackled, forced out of bounds, or scores.
- An offensive player drops the ball (a fumble), and a defensive player picks it up. As with interceptions, a player recovering a fumble can run with the ball until tackled or forced out of bounds. Lost fumbles and interceptions are together known as turnovers.
- The offensive team misses a field goal attempt. The defensive team gets the ball at the spot where the previous play began (or, in the NFL, at the spot of the kick). If the unsuccessful kick was attempted from very close to the end zone, the other team gets the ball at its own 20-yard line (that is, 20 yards from the end zone).
- An offensive player is tackled or forced out of bounds in his own end zone. This rare occurrence is called a safety. (See Scoring below.)
Scoring
A team scores points by the following plays:
- A touchdown (TD) is worth 6 points. A touchdown is scored when a player runs the ball into or catches a pass in his opponent's end zone.
- After a touchdown, the scoring team attempts a conversion. The ball is placed at the other team's 3-yard-line (the 2-yard-line in the NFL). The team can attempt to kick it over the crossbar and through the goal posts for 1 point (an extra point), or run or pass it into the end zone for 2 points (a two-point conversion). The extra point is usually attempted because it is significantly easier to achieve.
- A field goal (FG) is worth 3 points, and it is scored by kicking the ball over the crossbar and through the goal posts. Field goals must be placekicked, that is, kicked when the ball is held vertically against the ground by a teammate. A field goal is usually attempted on fourth down instead of a punt when the ball is close to the goal line.
- A safety is worth 2 points. A safety is scored by the defense when the offensive player in possession of the ball is forced back into his own end zone and is tackled there, or fumbles the ball out of the end zone. Certain penalties by the offense occurring in the end zone also result in a safety.
Kickoffs and free kicks
Each half begins with a kickoff. Teams also kick off after scoring touchdowns and field goals. The ball is kicked from a kicking tee, which is made from one's own 30-yard line in the NFL and from the 35-yard line in college football. The other team's kick returner tries to catch the ball and advance it as far as possible. Where he is stopped is the point where the offense will begin its drive, or series of offensive plays. If the kick returner catches the ball in his own end zone, he can either run with the ball, or elect for a touchback by kneeling in the end zone. The receiving team can then start its offensive drive from its own 20-yard line. A touchback can also occur when the kick goes out of the end zone. Punts and turnovers in the end zone can also end in touchbacks. If a kickoff goes out of bounds over the sidelines without being interfered by the recieving team, the ball will be placed 30 yards from the spot of the kickoff (traditionally at the receiving team's 40-yard line in the NFL or the 35-yard line in college football).
After safeties, there is a free kick instead of a kickoff. A free kick is made from a team's own 20-yard-line and can be punted or placekicked.
The players
As noted above, most football players have highly specialized roles. At the college and NFL levels, most play only offense or only defense.
Offense
- The offensive line (OL) consists of five players (two offensive tackles (OT), two guards (G), and a center (C)) whose job is to protect the passer and clear the way for runners by blocking members of the defense. All plays begin with the center handing the ball backwards between his legs, or snapping it, to a teammate, usually the quarterback.
- The quarterback (QB) receives the ball on most plays. He then hands or tosses it to a running back, throws it to a receiver or runs with it himself.
- Running backs (RB) line up behind or beside the QB and specialize in rushing with the ball. They also block, catch passes and, on rare occasions, pass the ball to others. There are two main kinds of running backs: fullbacks (FB), who usually block, and halfbacks or tailbacks, who are more likely to carry the ball.
- Wide receivers (WR) line up near the sidelines. They specialize in catching passes.
- Tight ends (TE) line up outside the offensive line. They can either play like wide receivers (try to catch passes) or like offensive linemen (protect the QB or create spaces for runners).
Not all of these types of players will be in on every offensive play. Teams can vary the number of wide receivers, tight ends and running backs on the field at one time.
Defense
- The defensive line (DL) consists of three to five players (two defensive ends, one or two defensive tackles (DT), and possibly one nose guard (DT)) who line up across from the offensive line. They try to tackle the running backs before they can gain yardage or the quarterback before he can throw a pass.
- At least four players line up as defensive backs (DB). They may be cornerbacks (CB), free safeties (FS), or strong safeties (SS). They cover the receivers and try to stop pass completions. They occasionally rush the quarterback. However, in high school, it is not uncommon to see a team go without the addition of a strong safety, due to the inexperience of high school quarterbacks and wide receivers.
- The other players on the defense are known as linebackers (LB). They line up between the defensive line and backs and may either rush the quarterback or cover receivers and/or running backs. However, they are more proficient at stopping rushing plays. They are split up into two different types, middle linebackers and outside linebackers. A middle linebacker/s is committed to runs up the middle (dives, powers). The outside linebackers are committed to runs to the outside (sweeps) or misdirection runs (counters).
Special teams
The units of players who handle kicking plays are known as special teams. Special-teams players include the punter (P), who handles punts, and the placekicker or kicker (PK or K), who kicks off and attempts field goals and extra points. Field goal and extra point attempts also require a holder who receives the ball from the center and holds it in a position that allows the kicker to easily kick the ball. The holder is usually a backup quarterback, as the field goal formation is very occasionally used for a pass or run play instead in a last-ditch effort to get a first down or touchdown, called a fake field goal. Kickers have also (very rarely) been known to take the snap and run a fake field goal play themselves.
Basic football strategy
To many fans, the chief draw of football is the chess game that goes on between the two coaching staffs. Each team has a playbook of dozens to hundreds of plays. Plays are the directions for what the players should do on a down. Some plays are very safe; they are very likely to get a few yards, but not much more than that. Other plays have the potential for long gains but a greater risk of a loss of yardage or a turnover.
Generally speaking, rushing plays are less risky than passing plays. However, there are relatively safe passing plays and risky running plays. To fool the other team, there are passing plays designed to look like running plays and vice versa. There are many trick or gadget plays, such as when a team lines up like it is going to kick and then tries to run or pass for a first down. Such high-risk plays are a great thrill to the fans when they work. However, they can spell disaster if the opposing team realizes the deception and acts accordingly.
It has been said that football is the closest sport that strategically resembles real war, which may explain why it is by far the most popular sport in the American military. In fact, the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy, and the United States Air Force Academy each field football teams that participate in the collegiate leagues. The Army and Navy have a particularly historic rivalry.
Development of the game
Both American football and soccer have their origins in varieties of football played in the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century, and American football is directly descended from rugby football.
Rugby was first introduced to North America in Canada, brought by the British Army garrison in Montreal which played a series of games with McGill University. Both Canadian and American football evolved from this point. For an in-depth overview of the differences and similarities of Canadian football and American football see: Comparison of Canadian and American football
American colleges spearheaded the growth of football. The [http://www.scarletknights.com/football/history/first_game.htm first inter-collegiate football game] was played between Rutgers and Princeton Universities on November 6, 1869. The game was won by Rutgers (6-4) although "The game, which bore little resemblance to its modern-day counterpart, was played with two teams of 25 men each under rugby-like rules, but like modern football, it was “replete with surprise, strategy, prodigies of determination, and physical prowess,” to use the words of one of the Rutgers players." - [http://www.scarletknights.com/football/history/first_game.htm Rutgers Football]
American football in its current form grew out of a series of three games between Harvard University and McGill University of Montreal in 1874. McGill played rugby football while Harvard played the Boston Game, which was closer to soccer. As often happened in those days of far from universal rules, the teams alternated rules so that both would have a fair chance. The Harvard players liked having the opportunity to run with the ball, and in 1875 persuaded Yale University to adopt rugby rules for their annual game. In 1876 Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, which used the rugby code, except for a slight difference in scoring.
In 1880 Walter Camp introduced the scrimmage in place of the rugby scrum. In 1882 the system of downs was introduced to thwart Princeton's and Yale's strategy of controlling the ball without trying to score. In 1883 the number of players was reduced, at Camp's urging, to eleven, and Camp introduced the soon standard arrangement of a seven-man offensive line with a quarterback, two halfbacks, and a fullback.
On September 3, 1895 the first professional football game was played, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, between the Latrobe YMCA and the Jeannette Athletic Club. (Latrobe won the contest 12-0.).
By the 1890s interlocking offensive formations such as the flying wedge and the practice of teammates physically dragging ball-carrying players forward had made the game extremely dangerous. Despite restrictions on the flying wedge and other precautions, in 1905 eighteen players were killed in games. President Theodore Roosevelt informed the universities that the game must be made safer. To force them to respond to his concerns, he threatened to pressure Congress to make playing football a federal crime.
In 1906, two rival organizing bodies, the Intercollegiate Rules Committee and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association, met in New York; eventually they agreed on several new rules intended to make the game safer, among them the addition of a neutral zone between the scrimmage lines and a requirement that at least six players from each team line up on them. The most far-reaching innovation they considered, though, was the legalization of the forward pass. This was very controversial at the time, much derided by purists. As an alternative means of opening out the play, Walter Camp would have preferred widening the field; but representatives from Harvard pointed to recently constructed Harvard Stadium, which could not be widened, and the forward pass was adopted; it has come to shape the whole history of American football, as opposed to its cousins around the world.
In 1910, after further deaths, interlocking formations were finally outlawed; and in 1912 the field was changed to its current size, the value of a touchdown increased to 6 points, and a fourth down added to each possession. The game had achieved its modern form.
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