*1903*
Pope:
St. Pius X
Reign: 4 August 1903 – 20 August 1914. “Encouraged and expanded reception of Holy Communion, and combatted Modernistic theology. Most recent pope to be canonized.”
Cricketer:
C. B. Fry
England, Hampshire, Sussex. 26 Tests, 1,223 Test Runs. Represented England in both football and cricket; made an FA Cup Final appearance with Southampton, and once equaled the world record for the long jump.
Song:
George Enescu premiered his Romanian Rhapsody in Bucharest; February 23rd, 1903.
*1914*
Pope:
Benedict XV
Reign: 3 September 1914– 22 January 1922. “Credited for intervening for peace during World War I. Remembered by Pope Benedict XVI as ‘prophet of peace’.”
Cricketer:
Jack Hobbs
England, Surrey. 61 Tests, 5,410 Test runs. “Known as ‘The Master’, Hobbs is regarded by critics as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century-maker in first-class cricket, with 61,760 runs and 199 centuries.”
Song:
*1922*
Pope:
Pius XI
Reign: 6 February 1922 – 10 February 1939. “Signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy, establishing the Vatican City as a sovereign state.”
Cricketer:
Jack Hobbs (see above)
Song:
“Three O’clock in the Morning” spent eight weeks at number one in 1922.
*1939*
Pope:
Pius XII
Reign: 2 March 1939 – 9 October 1958. “Invoked papal infallibility in encyclical Munificentissimus Deus.”
Cricketer:
Don Bradman
Australia, New South Wales, South Australia. 52 Tests, 6,996 Test runs. Career Test average: 99.94. The greatest Test batsman of all time.
Song:
Judy Garland’s Somewhere over the Rainbow: Written for the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz” and Judy Garland’s signature song. Won an Oscar.
*1958*
Pope:
Pope John XXIII
Reign: 28 October 1958 – 3 June 1963. “Opened Second Vatican Council; sometimes called ‘Good Pope John’.”
Cricketer:
Garry Sobers
West Indies, Barbados, South Australia, Nottinghamshire. 93 Test, 8032 Test runs, 235 Test wickets. One of the greatest all-rounders of all time. Once scored 365 not out.
Song:
The Kingston Trio recorded “Tom Dooley” in 1958 and hit #1 on the Billboard charts the same year.
*1963*
Pope:
Paul VI
Reign: 21 June 1963 – 6 August 1978. “The last pope to be crowned with the Papal Tiara. First pope to travel to the United States. Concluded Second Vatican Council.”
Cricketer:
Fred Trueman
England, Yorkshire, Derbyshire. 67 Tests, 307 Test wickets. Prime Minister Harold Wilson once described him as the “greatest living Yorkshireman.”
Song:
Bob Dylan released “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” in May of 1963.
*1978*
Pope:
John Paul I
Reign: 26 August 1978 – 28 September 1978. “First pope to use ‘the First’ in regnal name. First pope with two names, for his two immediate predecessors.”
Cricketer:
Sir Viv Richards
West Indies, Glamorgan, Queensland, Somerset, Leeward Islands, Combined, Islands. 121 Tests, 8,540 Test runs. 187 ODIs, 6,721 ODI runs. Widely considered the greatest ODI batsman of all time, and named one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the century in 2000.
Song:
Kraftwerk released “The Man-Machine” in May of 1978.
*1978*
Pope:
John Paul II
Reign: 16 October 1978 – 2 April 2005. “First Polish pope and first non-Italian pope in 455 years. Canonized more saints than all predecessors. Traveled extensively. Third longest known reign after Pius IX and St Peter. Recently beatified by Pope Benedict XVI.”
Cricketer:
See above
Song:
Bruce Springsteen released “Darkness on the Edge of Town” on June the 2nd, 1978.
*2005*
Pope:
Benedict XVI
Reign: 9 April 2005 – 28 February 2013. “Oldest to become pope since Pope Clement XII in 1730. Elevated the Tridentine Mass to a more prominent position. First pope to renounce the Papacy on his own initiative since Pope Celestine V in 1294,retaining regnal name with title of pope emeritus.” Also, best hat.
Cricketer:
Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff
England, Lancashire, Chennai Super Kings. 79 Tests, 3845 Test runs, 226 Test wickets. Set England alight, and promptly retired.
Song:
The National released “Alligator” on April the 12th, 2005.
*2013*
Pope:
Francis I
Reign: 13 March 2013 – Present. “First pope born outside Europe since St. Gregory III and first from the Americas. First Pope from the Southern Hemisphere. First Jesuit pope. First to use a new and non-composed regnal name since Lando (913–914).
Cricketer:
TBD. (But probably going to be a South African).
Song:
Cloud Cult released “1x1x1” on the 5th of March, 2013.
*
Sources:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_popes 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisden_Leading_Cricketer_in_the_WorldCricketers are those awarded the Wisden Leading Cricket in the World honor – announced retroactively in 2007 for the years 1900-2002.
Songs were my choice.
Papal bios are quoted from the link above.
***All images are from Wikipedia Commons and link back to original***
