August 13, 2008

1,100 years ago
908

Died on this date
al-Muktafi, 30 (?). Abbasid Caliph, 902-908. al-Muktafi succeeded his father al-Mu'tadid, and was considered more liberal, although continuing his father's policies. al-Muktafi suffered from poor health, and his death led to a period of power struggles and the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate.

190 years ago
1818

Died on this date
Agostino Accorimboni, 78. Italian composer. Mr. Accorimboni wrote 13 operas between 1768-1785, and composed other choral works. He died 15 days before his 79th birthday.

140 years ago
1868

Disasters
The 8.5–9.0 Mw Arica earthquake struck southern Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing 25,000+ deaths and a destructive basin wide tsunami that affected Hawaii and New Zealand.

120 years ago
1888

Born on this date
John Logie Baird. U.K. engineer. Mr. Baird was one of the inventors of mechanical television, invented the colour television picture tube, and achieved the first transatlantic television transmission. He died on June 14, 1946 at the age of 57, four months after suffering a stroke.

110 years ago
1898

Born on this date
Regis Toomey. U.S. actor. Mr. Toomey appeared in more than 270 movies and television programs in a career spanning more than 50 years. He was a good friend of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, and died on October 12, 1991 at the age of 93.

Space
Carl Gustav Witt discovered 433 Eros, the first near-Earth asteroid to be found.

War
Spanish and American forces engaged in a mock battle for Manila, after which the Spanish commander surrendered in order to keep the city out of Filipino rebel hands.

90 years ago
1918

Defense
Women enlisted in the United States Marine Corps for the first time; Opha May Johnson was the first woman to enlist.

80 years ago
1928

Aviation
An airplane left Ile de France and flew 450 miles west to New York City, delivering mail there ahead of the steamer.

Crime
Alleged New York bootlegger "Big Bill" Dwyer was paroled from Atlanta Federal Prison for reasons of health.

60 years ago
1948

Politics and government
The U.S.S.R. formally quit the four-power Allied Berlin command. The Danube Conference in Belgrade rejected a U.S. proposal to give the U.S.A., U.K., and France places on a new international commission to control navigation on the river.

The Indian government issued a White Paper attacking the government of Hyderabad as feudal, and demanding the territory's absorption into the Indian federation.

Five former U.S. government officials, including former presidential aide Lauchlin Currie and former Assistant Treasury Secretary Harry Dexter White, appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities to deny charges of participating in a Communist spy ring during World War II.

Maurice Tobin took office as U.S. Secretary of Labor, replacing the late Lewis Schwellenbach.

50 years ago
1958

At the movies
God's Little Acre, directed by Anthony Mann, and starring Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Buddy Hackett, and Tina Louise, opened in theatres.

Economics and finance
Argentina fixed price controls on its 13 most important foods at July 15 levels.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Hamilton (1-3) 22 @ Toronto (1-2) 21

Cam Fraser punted for a single in the last minute of the game to give the Tiger-Cats their win over the Argonauts at Varsity Stadium.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Heavenly Club--Les Sauterelles (3rd week at #1)

Crime
Alexandros Panagoulis attempted to assassinate Greek dictator Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos in Varkiza, Athens.

Boxing
Al Jones (25-1-1) scored a technical knockout of Jim Howard (9-2) in the 6th round of a heavyweight bout at Miami Beach Auditorium.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Lonnie Mayne, 33. U.S. wrestler. Mr. Mayne was an All-American football player at the University of Southern Utah before becoming a professional wrestler. He won the National Wrestling Alliance U.S. Heavyweight title (San Francisco version) three times, and was the reigning champion at the time of his death in a car accident at San Bernardino, California.

Terrorism
150 Palestinians in Beirut were killed in a terrorist attack during the second phase of the Lebanese Civil War.

Politics and government
Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich, 31, won by 236 votes in a recall election in which more than 120,000 votes were cast. Mr. Kucinich, the youngest mayor of a major American city, had feuded with City Council, 20 of whose 33 members had supported his recall.

Golf
A week after winning the PGA Championship, John Mahaffey won the Pleasant Valley Classic in Massachusetts with a total score of 270. First prize money was $45,000.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: L'Italiano--Toto Cutugno (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Rondo Russo--Berdien Stenberg

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Wrapped Around Your Finger--The Police (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Give it Up--K.C. and the Sunshine Band

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Every Breath You Take--The Police (6th week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Every Breath You Take--The Police (5th week at #1)
2 Electric Avenue--Eddy Grant
3 She Works Hard for the Money--Donna Summer
4 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics
5 Maniac--Michael Sembello
6 Flashdance...What a Feeling--Irene Cara
7 Is There Something I Should Know--Duran Duran
8 Never Gonna Let You Go--Sergio Mendes
9 Our House--Madness
10 Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'--Michael Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Tell Her No by Juice Newton (#74); Big Log by Robert Plant (#83); I Don't Wanna Dance by Eddy Grant (#84); Freak-A-Zoid by Midnight Star (#85); Miracles by Stacy Lattisaw (#89); and Change by Tears for Fears (#90).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler
2 Every Breath You Take--The Police
3 Is There Something I Should Know--Duran Duran
4 Electric Avenue--Eddy Grant
5 White Wedding--Billy Idol
6 Come Dancing--The Kinks
7 Our House--Madness
8 China Girl--David Bowie
9 Hot Girls in Love--Loverboy
10 Flashdance...What a Feeling--Irene Cara

Singles entering the chart were Through the Years by Tim Finn (#45) and Far from Over by Frank Stallone (#47).

Football
CFL
Ottawa (1-4) 22 @ Hamilton (3-3) 24
Toronto (4-2) 16 @ Winnipeg (4-1) 32

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Tell Me--Nick Kamen (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Push It--Salt-N-Pepa

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Tribute (Right On)--The Pasadenas

#1 single in France (SNEP): Nuit de folie--Début de Soirée (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Locomotion--Kylie Minogue

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): The Only Way is Up--Yazz and the Plastic Population (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Roll With It--Steve Winwood (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Roll With It--Steve Winwood (2nd week at #1)
2 Hands to Heaven--Breathe
3 Sign Your Name--Terence Trent D'Arby
4 Make Me Lose Control--Eric Carmen
5 1-2-3--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
6 I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That--Elton John
7 I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love--Chicago
8 Monkey--George Michael
9 Pour Some Sugar on Me--Def Leppard
10 Sweet Child o' Mine--Guns 'N' Roses

Singles entering the chart were Love Bites by Def Leppard (#66); Never Tear Us Apart by INXS (#76); Superstitious by Europe (#88); and Jackie by Blue Zone U.K. (#89).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That--Elton John
2 Roll With It--Steve Winwood
3 Make Me Lose Control--Eric Carmen
4 In Your Soul--Corey Hart
5 Fast Car--Tracy Chapman
6 The Flame--Cheap Trick
7 Simply Irresistible--Robert Palmer
8 Sign Your Name--Terence Trent D'Arby
9 Diamond Sun--Glass Tiger
10 Hold On to the Nights--Richard Marx

Singles entering the chart were Forever Young by Rod Stewart (#78); Nobody's Fool by Kenny Loggins (#80); Round and Round by Frozen Ghost (#84); This Note's for You by Neil Young and the Bluenotes (#86); Don't Be Cruel by Cheap Trick (#90); Voodoo Thing by Colin James (#92); Between the Lines by David Wilcox (#94); and Hole in My Heart by Cyndi Lauper (#98).

Died on this date
Mel Almada, 75. Mexican baseball player. Mr. Almada, a native of Mexico who grew up in Los Angeles, was the first Mexican-born major league player, as an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox (1933-1937); Washington Nationals (1937-1938); St. Louis Browns (1938-1939); and Brooklyn Dodgers (1939), batting .284 with 15 home runs and 363 runs batted in in 646 games. He was inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
Mr. Almada died of a heart ailment.

Cycling
Ronald J. Dossenbach set a record for pedalling across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax in 13 days, 15 hours, 4 minutes.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (1-4) 28 @ Winnipeg (2-3) 13

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Frank Roberts. Canadian businessman. Mr. Roberts, the inventor of the Obus Forme backrest, was shot dead outside his factory in Toronto; the murder remains unsolved.

Rafael Robles, 50. Dominican-born U.S. baseball player. Mr. Robles was a shortstop with the San Diego Padres (1969-1970, 1972), batting .188 with no home runs and 3 runs batted in in 47 games. He had the distinction of being the first Padre to come to bat in the major leagues, reaching first base on an error by Houston Astros' second baseman Joe Morgan and then stealing second base on April 8, 1969. Mr. Robles played 7 seasons in the minor leagues from 1967-1973, batting .262 with 12 homers and 208 RBIs in 679 games.

Football
CFL
Toronto (3-4) 20 @ Montreal (5-2) 24
Edmonton (4-3) 23 @ Hamilton (6-1) 48
Saskatchewan (2-5) 24 @ Calgary (5-2) 47

The Tiger-Cats scored 21 points in the 3rd quarter and 17 in the 4th to overcome a 16-10 halftime deficit and rout the Eskimos at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Troy Mills rushed 7 yards for the first Edmonton touchdown, and backup quarterback Marcus Crandell connected with Henry "Gizmo" Williams for a 65-yard TD in the 4th quarter for the other Eskimo TD.