On June 9, 1973, Secretariat makes horse racing history, winning the Belmont Stakes to complete horse racing's first Triple Crown in 25 years. Secretariat wins the Belmont by an astounding 31 lengths, and his 2:24:00 time is not only the race record, it is the fastest mile and a half on dirt ever recorded. Secretariat set race records in all 3 Triple Crown events; 48 years later, all 3 records still stand. On June 9, 1954, US Army Special Counsel Joseph Welch brings Senator Joseph McCarthy's Communist witch hunt to a screeching halt with one well-turned phrase. McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) had risen to fame with his 1950 claim that 'hundreds of known communists" were working for the State Department. Over the next 3 years, McCarty managed to convince millions of Americans that communism had infiltrated virtually every walk of American life, destroying many lives and careers in the process through his Senate Government Operations Committee hearings. In early 1954, McCarthy turned his attention to communism in the US Army. He spent weeks grilling Welch, who never flinched, driving McCarthy to greater and greater frustration. Finally, during questioning on June 9, McCarthy accused one of Welch's junior associates in his private law practice of being a "legal arm of the Communist Party." Welch was stunned. As he struggled to maintain his composure, he looked at McCarthy and declared, “Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness.” It was then McCarthy’s turn to be stunned into silence, as Welch asked, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” The audience of citizens and newspaper and television reporters burst into wild applause. Just a week later, the hearings came to a close, and McCarthy was officially condemned by the U.S. Senate for contempt against his colleagues in December 1954. During the next two-and-a-half years McCarthy spiraled into alcoholism. Still in office, he died in 1957. (Welch, left, during his testimony) On June 9, 1946, Bhumibol Adulyadej ascends to the throne of Siam (renamed Thailand 3 years later) on the death of his brother. He is 19 years old. Adulyadej, conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great by his people in 1987, will reign until his death in 2016 at age 88. At 70 years, his was the longest reign of any ruler who assumed power at adulthood.
Great story William Nack tells about Secretariat's Belmont (heard it on another video) and NFL Commissioner at the time Pete Rozelle. He was watching at a table in the track's Jockey Club and jumped up and started screaming as Secretariat came around the final turn. Suddenly he felt someone grabbing his ankle, and thought someone may have gotten so excited they had a heart attack. He looked down and saw he was being grabbed because in his excitement, he didn't realize he had jumped up on the table.
I saw all three Triple Crown races in 1973. His amazing 31 length victory at the Belmont ranks among the greatest athletic achievements I have witnessed.
Sports Illustrated published a list that they came up with for the 50 greatest athletes ever. Secretariat was number 31.
He still holds the track records at the three triple crown tracks almost 50 years later. In my mind that has him ranked a hell of a lot higher than #31.
