On this day 7 July

Deutschland über alles

The Germans reign supreme today in 1974...

 

Today in 1974 saw the fastest goal ever scored in a World Cup Final, when Holland's Johan Neeskens converted a second minute penalty to get his side off to the perfect start against West Germany. English referee Jack Taylor was the brave man who had little hesitation in awarding the early spot kick when Johan Cruyff was brought down by Uli Hoeness, but the early blow would not deter the hosts in front of 75,000 people at the Munich Olympiastadion. Taylor awarded another penalty, this time scored by the hilariously-coiffured Paul Breitner to level the scores, and, to no one's surprise, the Germans went on to win it thanks to a 43rd minute goal from Gerd Muller.

Out in the murky world of unions on this day in 1961, Jimmy Hoffa was elected president of International Brotherhood of Temasters, the largest labour union in the US. With huge links to the Mafia, Hoffa served six years in prison for fraud and trying to tribe a Grand Juror, before having his sentence quashed by Richard Nixon in 1971. In 1975, when attempting to regain the presidency, he disappeared from outside a restaurant in Michigan where he was meant to meet two members of the Genovese crime family and, despite several confessions from assorted hitmen, his body has ever been found.

So warm up a sake and yell Otanjou-bi Omedetou Gozaimasu! as they do in Japan to living legend Ringo Starr (68), voyeuristic daytime host Jeremy Kyle (43), and bird-fancier Bill Oddie (67).