August 10, 2008

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Grant Devitt!

380 years ago
1628

Disasters
The Swedish warship Vasa sank in the Stockholm harbour only about 20 minutes into her maiden voyage, killing 30 crew members.

90 years ago
1918

Died on this date
Erich Löwenhardt, 21. German military aviator. Oberleutnant Löwenhardt was the third-ranking German air ace of World War I behind Manfred von Richthofen and Ernst Udet. He had 54 victories, with his last coming minutes before his death; he collided with the plane of fellow German Leutnant Alfred Wenz and both pilots bailed out, but Oberleutnant Löwenhardt's parachute failed to open, and he fell to his death.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Rex Cherryman, 31. U.S. actor. Mr. Cherryman appeared in plays and films from the late 1910s through the 1920s; his best-known film was Camille (1921), in which he co-starred with Alla Nazimova and Rudolph Valentino. Mr. Cherryman appeared on Broadway in plays such as The Noose (1926-1927), in which he co-starred with Barbara Stanwyck. He was sailing to France to read for a play when he contracted septic poisoning, and died in Le Havre.

Canadiana
Prince Albert National Park officially opened in Saskatchewan.

Disasters
14 members of the crew of the steamer William A. MacKenney were swept overboard and lost in a cyclone off Baja California.

A hurricane in Haiti killed 42 people and made 70,000 temporarily destitute.

A tropical storm that had swept through Florida two days earlier killed four people in the Carolinas.

Olympics
Johnny Weissmuller of the United States set a world record in the semi-finals of the 100-metre men's freestyle swimming competition at the Summer Olympic Games in Amsterdam, covering the distance in 58 3/5 seconds. He won the gold medal in the event the next day.

60 years ago
1948

On television tonight
Candid Microphone, hosted by Allen Funt, on ABC

This was the first broadcast of the long-running program, which had begun as a radio program on ABC a year earlier. The television program's title was changed to Candid Camera when it moved to NBC in 1949.

Politics and government
Christian Socialist leader Gaston Eyskens formed, with Liberal support, a coalition cabinet in Belgium.

Bolivian President Enrique Hertzog appointed a new cabinet to replace one that had resigned the previous week.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities subpoenaed U.S.S.R. consular employee Mikhail Samarin, giving him immunity from a search warrant issued by New York police at the request of the Soviet consulate. Mr. Samarin had contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation the previous day, denouncing "the party, police and government machinery of the Soviet Union."

Society
U.S. President Harry Truman signed the congressional housing bill, but denounced it as "emasculated" for ignoring the needs of Americans living in "disgraceful urban and rural slums."

50 years ago
1958

Defense
Wartime security forces were activated in Taiwan, and civilian evacuation plans were issued in the wake of reports of increasing Communist military activity in the Formosa Strait area.

Israel again halted the airlift of supplies to British forces in Jordan.

Health
The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation issued a report concluding that "even the smallest amounts of radiation are liable to cause deleterious genetic or perhaps also somatic effects" on the human being.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Orange and the Green/(The Puppet Song) Whiskey on a Sunday--The Irish Rovers (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Rain and Tears--Aphrodite's Child (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): La nostra favola--Jimmy Fontana (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Du sollst nicht weinen--Heintje

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Pretend--Des O'Connor (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Mony Mony--Tommy James and the Shondells (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Hello, I Love You--The Doors (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Ich Bau' Dir Ein Schloss--Heintje (7th week at #1)
2 Times were When--The Cats
3 Callow-La-Vita--Raymond Froggatt
4 Angel of the Morning--Merrilee Rush
5 Sunny Girl--The Hep Stars
6 Camp--Sir Henry and his Butlers
7 Day's--The Kinks
8 Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Gi-Dong--Golden Earrings
9 Abergavenny--Marty Wilde
10 You Don't Know What You Mean to Me--Sam & Dave

Singles entering the chart were Hello, I Love You, Won't You Tell Me Your Name? by the Doors (#32); Oh, Lola! by Johnny Blenco (#34); Amen/Hard to Handle by Otis Redding (#37); and Fire by the Crazy World of Arthur Brown (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Classical Gas--Mason Williams
2 Hello, I Love You--The Doors
3 Hurdy Gurdy Man--Donovan
4 People Got to Be Free--The Rascals
5 Turn Around, Look at Me--The Vogues
6 Stoned Soul Picnic--The 5th Dimension
7 Born to Be Wild--Steppenwolf
8 Lady Willpower--Gary Puckett and the Union Gap
9 Grazing in the Grass--Hugh Masakela
10 Sunshine of Your Love--Cream

Singles entering the chart were The House that Jack Built by Aretha Franklin (#63); Magic Bus by the Who (#65); I've Gotta Get a Message to You by the Bee Gees (#70); The Fool on the Hill by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (#71); Special Occasion by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (#73); Everybody's Talkin' by Nilsson (#80); Give a Damn by Spanky and Our Gang (#82); Hip City - Pt. 2 by Jr. Walker & the All Stars (#83); I Can't Dance to that Music You're Playin' by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas (#86); Hush by Deep Purple (#87); Keep the One You Got by Joe Tex (#88); April Again by Dean Martin (#89); Sunshine Girl by Herman's Hermits (#92); All's Quiet on West 23rd by Julie Budd (#93); Singles Game by Jay and the Techniques (#98); Love is Here to Stay by Chris Montez (#99); and Barefoot in Baltimore by Strawberry Alarm Clock (#100). Hip City - Pt. 2 was the B-side of Hip City - Pt. 1.

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Lady Willpower--Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (4th week at #1)
2 Hello, I Love You--The Doors
3 You Keep Me Hangin' On--The Vanilla Fudge
4 Indian Lake--The Cowsills
5 Hurdy Gurdy Man--Donovan
6 Mr. Bojangles--Jerry Jeff Walker
7 Jumpin' Jack Flash--The Rolling Stones
8 Sky Pilot--Eric Burdon and the Animals
9 Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)--The Moody Blues
10 The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
Pick hit of the week: Girl from the North Country--Tom Northcott

Space
The United States launched the communications satellite Applications Technology Satellite (ATS)-4 from Cape Kennedy, Florida.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator George McGovern (South Dakota) announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States, asserting that he was committed to the "twin goals for which Robert Kennedy gave his life--an end to the war in Vietnam and a passionate commitment to heal the divisions in our lives here at home."

Disasters
A Piedmont Airlines plane crashed short of the airport at Charleston, West Virginia, killing 35 of 37 people aboard.

A series of earthquakes and tidal waves began in the Celebes Islands of Indonesia.

Football
CFL
Montreal (0-2) 25 @ Hamilton (1-1) 31

30 years ago
1978

At the movies
Midnight Express, directed by Alan Parker, and starring Brad Davis and Randy Quaid, opened in theatres.





Economics and finance
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 362-49 to pass a $16.3-billion tax cut, reducing taxes primarily for those with annual incomes from $15,000-$100,000.

Disasters
Three members of the Ulrich family, all teenage girls, were killed in an accident in Osceola, Indiana, when the 1973 Ford Pinto they were riding in was rear-ended. The incident led to a grand jury indicting Ford Motor Company for reckless homicide.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Superstitious--Europe

Died on this date
Arnulfo Arias Madrid, 86. President of Panamá, 1940-1941, 1949-1951, 1968. Dr. Arias was an American-trained physician who opposed excessive U.S. influence in Panama. He led a coup in 1931 that deposed President Florencio Harmodio Arosemena and installed Dr. Arias' brother Harmodio as President, with Arnulfo holding cabinet and diplomatic posts. Dr. Arias was twice elected President in the 1940s, but was twice deposed by coups, going into exile and eventually returning. He was elected President again in 1968 as the head of a five-party coalition; he took office on October 1, but was deposed by another coup on October 11, after just ten days in office. Dr. Arias ran for President again in 1984 at the age of 83, and exit polls showed him with a substantial lead, but Nicolás Ardito Barletta, the favoured candidate of military leader Manuel Noriega, was declared a close winner, beginning General Noriega's dictatorship. Dr. Arias fled into exile in Florida, where he died of a heart attack, five days before his 87th birthday.

Society
U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, providing $20,000 payments to Japanese Americans who were either interned in or relocated by the United States during World War II.

Environment
British scientists expressed fear that a disease--later named phocine distemper virus (PDV)--which had killed more than 6,000 seals in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea had now reached British waters.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (3-2) 10 @ Calgary (2-3) 48

10 years ago
1998

Asiatica
His Royal Highness Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah was proclaimed Crown Prince of Brunei.