2026 Tri-Cities Regional, Day One: Monday, October 26

What’s My Name?

This Day in History - October 26 Birthdays

The five self-describing historical figures below were all born on October 26. Can you name them and place their birth years in chronological order? (Hint: the five people are in alphabetical order by surname.) Answers below.

• “I was originally drated by the Phillies but was acquired in the expansion draft in 1967 by the Washington Senators and played shortstop for them in 1971, just before they relocated and became the Texas Rangers. I was active from 1969 to 1986 and played briefly in Cleveland and for the Yankees before returning to Texas, retiring, and returning as the manager in 1992 when Bobby Valentine was fired by future president George W. Bush! I was the last active major leaguer to have played for the Washington Senators, and the last Senator batter to see a pitch, as their final game before moving to Texas ended with a runner caught stealing while I was at the plate.”
• “I was born in Chicago and had a bright political future in Washington as a young lawyer during the Watergate scandal, but I left all that to marry the man who had proposed several times and followed him to his home state. Three years later, he was governor, and fourteen years after that he was president, for two terms in which I played an active role as First Lady. We got through the scandals and after his term ended I was elected a senator, served two terms and then ran for president twice. I like the guy that knocked me out the first time a lot better.”
• “I am the only player with a major league career spanning a decade or more to have played all of my games for the Montreal Expos. I was the Expos first round pick, fourth overall, in the 1971 draft, and made my first appearance in 1973. The low point was our 55-107 season in 1976, but just a few years later we were ready for a possible championship, when the baseball strike of 1981 hit. I won two games in our opening round series against the Phillies, another against the Dodgers in game three of the NLCS, and was sent in as a reliever in the ninth inning of game five, the series decider, with the score tied, on only two days rest. Rick Monday hit a home run, the Dodgers took the lead, and we were unable to get a run in the bottom half, and the next time the franchise made the postseason was as the Washington Nationals, 31 years later.”
• “I worked in local radio and TV before landing the gig that made me famous. In 1969, I accidently cut off the feed near the end of President Nixon's Christmas broadcast to the troops, but somehow this didn’t disqualify me from getting other jobs! After hosting two game show pilots that never got picked up, it was third-time lucky for me when I got a call from Merv Griffin asking if I would take over as host of Wheel of Fortune. 25 years later I surpassed Bob Barker as the longest-running host of any game show!”
• “I was the Angel who stayed. I began acting professionally in the mid-1960s and by the mid-1970s had several TV guest appearances on my resume. I became a spokesmodel for a shampoo company with one of my future co-stars on Charlie's Angels, and when that became a hit, I was the only one who stayed for the entire five-year run. Since that time I have contined to work in movies and TV, and I pioneered the concept of celebrities developing their own line of products rather than promoting others.”

In 2024 (Ocean Shores), there were 15 tables to this point.
In 2019 (Pasco), there were 23 tables to this point.
For full details, check out the Table Counts page!

Bridge clubs and tournaments throughout the ACBL are still struggling with returning to live play after the pandemic, so comparing this tournament's attendance to one before the pandemic is not really fair. We'll hope to get a similar number to Ocean Shores in 2024, around two-thirds of the 2019 pre-pandemic attendance, making the target number 280 tables this time — but perhaps we will be pleasantly surprised!

Masterpoints for all players are updated nightly here first, with everyone’s current red and gold point total listed alphabetically below the leaders, before a shorter leaderboard is added to this page.

(The clues are above). First set ever in this feature to be born in five consecutive years!

• Jaclyn Smith ( born 1945 ) — American actress and producer who was the only female lead in Charlie's Angels to remain on the show for its five-year run.
• Pat Sajak ( born 1946 ) — American game show host who took over Wheel Of Fortune in 1981 and remained in that job until 2024.
• Hillary Rodham Clinton ( born 1947 ) — American lawyer and politician who was First Lady and later Secretary of State.
• Toby Harrah ( born 1948 ) — American baseball shortstop who was the last active player to have played for the Washington Senators, and was at bat when their final game ended with a caught stealing.
• Steve Rogers ( born 1949 ) — American baseball starting pitcher who played an entire season for the Montreal Expos but is remembered sadly for a relief appearance on limited rest in the 1981 NLCS deciding game on what Montreal fans refer to as ‘Blue Monday.’