“Ulysses S. Grant is born” “Rocky Marciano” and “Little Peggy March” - This Day in History – Apr 27th

Future President Ulysses S. Grant is born

Back in 1822, the future 18^th President of the U.S., Ulysses S. Grant (first name is Harim) was born on this day in the town of Point Pleasant, OH. 

History.com stated that, “If it were not for the Civil War, Grant might have slipped quickly into obscurity. Instead, he re-enlisted in the army in 1861 and embarked on a stellar military career, although his tendency to binge-drink re-emerged and he developed another unhealthy habit: chain cigar-smoking. He struggled throughout the Civil War to control the addictions. In 1862, he led troops in the captures of Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee, and forced the Confederate Army to retreat back into Mississippi after the Battle of Shiloh. (After the Donelson campaign, Grant received over 10,000 boxes of congratulatory cigars from a grateful citizenry.)” 

Mr. Grant’s victories caught President Lincoln’s attention so much that he was upgraded to rank of lieutenant general – a title that a previous president had owned – George Washington.  Mr. Grant was the Union forces’ Supreme Commander and would beat Confederate Robert E. Lee’s soldiers.  Mr. Grant’s success in this war would later help him to serve two terms as President of the U.S. from 1869 to 1877. 

According to History.com, “Grant's talent as a political leader paled woefully in comparison to his military prowess. He was unable to stem the rampant corruption of his administration and failed to combat a severe economic depression in 1873. There were bright spots in Grant's tenure, however, including the passage of the Enforcement Act in 1870, which temporarily curtailed the political influence of the Ku Klux Klan in the post-Civil War South, and the 1875 Civil Rights Act, which attempted to desegregate public places such as restrooms, inns, public conveyances on land or water, theaters, and other places of public amusement. In addition, Grant helped heal U.S. and British diplomatic relations, despite the fact that Britain had offered to supply the Confederate Army with the tools to break the Union naval blockade during the Civil War. He also managed to stay sober during his two terms in office.” 

“Upon leaving office, Grant's fortunes again declined. He and his wife Julia traveled to Europe between 1877 and 1879 amid great fanfare, but the couple came home to bankruptcy caused by Grant's unwise investment in a scandal-prone banking firm. Grant spent the last few years of his life writing a detailed account of the Civil War and, after he died of throat cancer in 1885, Julia managed to scrape by on the royalties earned from his memoirs.”

Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Rocky Marciano retires at age 31

Back in 1956, the world heavyweight-boxing champion, Rocco Francis Marchegiano known to the world as, “Rocky Marciano,” shocked fans with announcement of his retirement at the age of 31.  Mr. Marciano made this decision in order to spend more time with his family and stated that he would not seek a comeback to boxing. 

At the time of his retirement, Mr. Marciano had a perfect record of 49 wins in 49 professional bouts and 43 knockouts – the only heavyweight champion fighter to do so. 

According to history.com, “On October 26, 1951, Marciano signaled to the boxing world that he was a contender when he faced former heavyweight champ Joe Louis and knocked him out in the eighth round. Marciano captured the heavyweight crown in Philadelphia on September 23, 1952, when he scored a knockout against defending champ Jersey Joe Walcott in the 13th round. Marciano faced Walcott again in Chicago on May 15, 1953, and defeated him in a first-round knockout. Marciano, nicknamed the “Brockton Blockbuster,” would successfully defend his title five more times, with his last professional bout, against Archie Moore in New York on September 21, 1955, ending in a ninth-round KO.” 

Sadly, 14 years after his retirement, Rocky Marciano died in a small-plane crash in Iowa at the age of 45 on August 31, 1969. 

Two movies would be created based on Mr. Marciano.  Actor Tony Lo Bianco played him in 1979 TV movies and actor Jon Favreau portrayed him in a big screen adaption in 1999.

Little Peggy March scores a #1 hit at age 15

Back in 1963, a 15 year-old high school freshman, Margaret Annemarie Battavio's known to the music world as,  “Little Peggy March,” became the youngest person to score a #1 Billboard hit for her single, “I Will Follow Him.” 

Ms. Battavio never made a #1 hit again due to a shady, financial exploitation by her manager and a string of bad song choices.  Ms. Battavio took her singing abilities abroad and scored big and became a superstar in this land of Europop. 

According to histoy.com, “Little Peggy March went on to score hits in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Japan, but the place that really made her career was Germany. Maybe it was because she learned their language, or maybe it was because "I Will Follow Him" pushed some kind of button in their national psyche, but whatever the reason, the Germans went bonkers for Peggy March. Songs like "I Wish I Were A Princess," "My Teenage Castle (Is Crumbling Down)" and "Johnny Cool" fell flat commercially in America. But over in Germany, where the magician David Copperfield is revered as a Sex Gott and David Hasselhoff was the first human invited to sing on the toppled Berlin Wall, little Margaret Battavio from Lansdale,Pennsylvania, spent the 1960s and 70s scoring hits like "Telegram aus Tennessee," winning the Baden-Baden Shlagerfestspiele and raking in the deutsche marks with albums like Hey, Das Ist Musik Für Mich. And if those accomplishments alone do not impress, consider this: In the 1980s, Peggy March also wrote songs that got Europeans to spend money on records by Audrey Landers (of Landers Sisters fame) and by the duo of Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora.” 

“After spending the better part of two decades living in Germany, Peggy March eventually returned to the United States where she continues to perform regularly and where she still holds the record for youthful chart achievement that she set on this day in 1963.”

All History facts provided from the link below:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rocky-marciano-retires-as-world-heavyweight-champion?catId=10