August 11, 2008

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Audrianna (Huszti) De Souza!

150 years ago
1858

Adventure
The Eiger in the Bernese Alps was ascended for the first time, by Charles Barrington accompanied by Christian Almer and Peter Bohren.

140 years ago
1868

Died on this date
Halfdan Kjerulf, 52. Norwegian composer. Mr. Kjerulf was known for his choral works.

110 years ago
1898

War
American troops entered the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War.

100 years ago
1908

Died on this date
Khudiram Bose, 18. Indian terrorist. Mr. Bose was associated with the Jugantar group of revolutionaries in Bengal who carried out assassinations against British colonial officials in an attempt to secure Indian independence. On April 30, 1908, he and Prafulla Chaki attempted to assassinate District Judge Kingsford by throwing a bomb into his carriage. Judge Kingsford wasn't there, and the bomb killed two innocent women. Mr. Chaki fatally shot himself two days later as he was about to be arrested, but Mr. Bose, who had taken a different escape route, was captured, convicted of murder, and hanged.

80 years ago
1928

World events
A revolt occurred in the Brazilian state of Matto Grosso, while another revolt took place in Cayenne, French Guiana.

Aviation
Major Robert Fierro made a goodwill flight from Mexico City to Havana in 12 hours 40 minutes.

Olympics
Ethel Catherwood, the "Saskatoon Lily," representing Canada, won the gold medal in the women's running high jump event at the Summer Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

Johnny Weissmuller of the United States edged Istvan Bárány of Hungary to win the gold medal in the men's 100-metre freestyle swimming event in Amsterdam.

75 years ago
1933

Boxing
World heavyweight champion Primo Carnera (76-6) won a 4-round unanimous decision over Harold Mays (30-13) in a non-title bout before 5,000 fans at the Syracuse Arena in Syracuse, New York.

60 years ago
1948

At the movies
Pitfall, directed by André de Toth, and starring Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt, and Raymond Burr, received its premiere screening in Atlantic City, New Jersey.





War
Greek government forces reported capturing a major guerrilla stronghold on Mount Alevista, near the Albanian border.

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov accused the United States of "kidnapping" Soviet consular employees in New York, and demanded their return to Soviet custody.

Politics and government
South Carolina Governor Strom Thurmond formally accepted the States' Rights Party's 1948 U.S. presidential nomination at the party's convention in Houston, and attacked Presidnt Harry Truman's civil rights program as a call for "a police state in this country."

Transportation
Bethlehem Steel signed the biggest passenger ship contract ever negotiated in the United States, guaranteeing to build two 20,000-ton luxury liners at a cost of $46,830,000 for American Export Lines' Mediterranean service.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Poor Little Fool--Ricky Nelson (Best Seller--2nd week at #1; Hot 100--2nd week at #1)

War
People's Republic of China artillery bombarded Quemoy, but failed to damage Chinese Nationalist installations.

U.K. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan concluded three days of talks in Athens with Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and Foreign Minister Fatin Rustu Zorlin, reportedly winning Turkish support for extension of the Cyprus truce.

Diplomacy
The Chilean government protested to Argentina against the landing of Argentine marines on Snipe Island on the southern frontier of the two countries and the destruction there of a Chilean lighthouse by an Argentine cruiser.

Economics and finance
The U.S.S.R. reported an agreement for Soviet aid in the construction of 47 Chinese industrial projects.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Saskatchewan (2-1) 49 @ Montreal (1-2) 34
Edmonton (2-1) 6 @ Ottawa (3-0) 26

Ken Carpenter scored 2 touchdowns and Mike Hagler, Bob Mulgado, Bob McKeiver, Larry Isbell, and Ed Simms each scored 1 for the Roughriders as they beat the Alouettes before 20,273 fans at Molson Stadium. Pat Abbruzzi, Thurlow Cooper, Tex Robinson, Bill Bewley, and Red O'Quinn scored the Montreal touchdowns.

George Brancato scored 2 touchdowns and Gerry Nesbitt and Frank Fraser each scored a TD as the Rough Riders beat the Eskimos before 9,000 fans at Lansdowne Park. Johnny Bright scored the Edmonton touchdown in the 4th quarter.

40 years ago
1968

Golf
Jack Nicklaus won his second straight tournament, winning the American Golf Classic in Akron, Ohio in a playoff. First prize money was $25,000.

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (0-3) 8 @ Calgary (2-1) 43

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John

#1 single in France (IFOP): En chantant--Michel Sardou (4th week at #1)

War
A two-day truce ended as fighitng resumd in Beirut between Syrian troops and Lebanese Christian militiamen.

Sport
The Commonwealth Games closed in Edmonton, with Canada winning 109 medals--45 gold, 31 silver, 33 bronze.

Football
CFL
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, fourth and last in the Eastern Football Conference with a record of 1-3-1, fired head coach Tom Dimitroff and replaced him with former Saskatchewan Roughriders' head coach John Payne. Mr. Dimitroff, a quarterback with the Ottawa Rough Riders in the 1950s, had been an assistant coach with the Rough Riders before being hired by the Tiger-Cats to succeed Bob Shaw, who had relinquished his head coaching duties to remain exclusively as the team's general manager. Mr. Dimitroff was fired two days after the Tiger-Cats lost at home 29-7 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
Canada's top 30
1 Never Gonna Let You Go--Sergio Mendes
2 1999--Prince
3 Maniac--Michael Sembello
4 Every Breath You Take--The Police
5 Is There Something I Should Know--Duran Duran
6 China Girl--David Bowie
7 Baby Jane--Rod Stewart
8 It's a Mistake--Men at Work
9 Rock and Roll is Kning--Electric Light Orchestra
10 Hot Girls in Love--Loverboy
11 Video Kids--Prototype
12 Human Touch--Rick Springfield
13 Change--Tears for Fears
14 All This Love--Debarge
15 She Works Hard for the Money--Donna Summer
16 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics
17 Tell Her About It--Billy Joel
18 Wanna Be Starting Something--Michael Jackson
19 Stop in the Name of Love--The Hollies
20 Human Nature--Michael Jackson
21 Stand Back--Stevie Nicks
22 Mistake--Michael Sembello
23 Take Me to Heart--Quarterflash
24 Come Dancing--The Kinks
25 Rise Up--Parachute Club
26 Wishing--A Flock of Seagulls
27 Through the Years--Tim Finn
28 I'm Still Standing--Elton John
29 20 Questions--Tic Toc
30 Best Years of Our lives--Mens Room

Through the Years was the only notable solo hit for Tim Finn, former member of Split Enz and future member of Crowded House.

War
Chadian insurgents, with the help of Libyan soldiers and weaponry, captured the key Chadian outpost of Faya-Largeau. U.S. President Ronald Reagan seemed to rule out further U.S. involvement in Chad, noting that the country was in France's sphere of influence.

Technology
The Milwaukee Sentinel reported that a group of young men aged 15-22 had hacked into computer systems such as those operated by the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, whose administrative records were left in disarray. The hackers had also gained access to a system at the U.S. government nuclear research centre in New Mexico, but no classified information was uncovered.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Gimme Hope Jo’anna--Eddy Grant (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Yé ké yé ké--Mory Kanté (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Anne Ramsey, 59. U.S. actress. Miss Ramsey was nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting performance in Throw Momma from the Train (1987).

Agriculture
U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed a bill providing relief of up to $100,000 to farmers who had lost 35% or more of their crops in the recent drought. The law, overwhelmingly approved by both houses of Congress, also raised milk price supports. The United States Agriculture Department predicted that corn production would drop 31% because of the drought and foresaw other sharp declines in production of soybeans, barley, sorghum, and oats.

Politics and government
The United States Senate voted 85-0 in favour of the confirmation of former Pennsyvania Governor Dick Thornburgh as the next U.S. Attorney General, replacing the departing Edwin Meese.

Economics and finance
Leading U.S. banks increased their prime lending rate from 9.5% to 10%, the highest level in three years.

Football
CFL
Toronto (4-1) 24 @ British Columbia (2-3) 12

10 years ago
1998

Business
British Petroleum purchased Amoco for $49 billion.

Disasters
8,000 people were evacuated as forest fires threatened Salmon Arm, British Columbia.