Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 10/25/2007

10/25/1999:
Only weeks after leading the United States to victory at the Ryder Cup, two-time and current U.S. Open champion Payne Stewart dies at age 42 in a bizarre plane crash. After taking off from Orlando on the way to a tournament in Texas, Stewart's plane lost cabin pressure, and the resultant lack of oxygen incapacitated the pilot and everyone on board. The plane flew aimlessly for four hours before finally running out of fuel and crashing in a vacant field in South Dakota. Always colorfully attired in his old-style knickers and Tam o' Shanter cap, Stewart was one of golf's most engaging personalities, and his tragic death casts a noticeable pall over the sports world.

Birthdays:
Bobby Thomson b. 1923
Zelmo Beaty b. 1939
Bobby Knight b. 1940
Dave Cowens b. 1948
Dan Issel b. 1948

FOR ARGUMENT’S SAKE

You know the title, but do you know the book? Have you actually read it? Dale Carnegie’s masterpiece of self-help has been in print since 1936, and seventy years after its publication, it still crops up on bestseller lists. Why? Because Carnegie’s smart observations on human nature and success are evergreen. Written in a lively style and extremely useful, How to Win Friends & Influence People is a gem.

HOW TO WIN FRIENDS & INFLUENCE PEOPLE, by Dale Carnegie (1936; Pocket Books, 1990)