August 14, 2008

410 years ago
1598

War
Irish forces under Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, defeated an English expeditionary force under Henry Bagenal in the Battle of the Yellow Ford.

320 years ago
1688

Born on this date
Friedrich Wilhelm I. King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg, 1713-1740. Friedrich Wilhelm (Frederick William) was preceded by his father Friedrich I. He died on May 31, 1740 at the age of 51 and was succeeded by his son Friedrich II, better known as Frederick the Great.

270 years ago
1738

Born on this date
Leopold Hofmann. Austrian composer. Mr. Hofmann wrote 66 symphonies and dozens of concertos. He died on March 17, 1793 at the age of 54.

160 years ago
1848

Politics and government
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada repealed a clause in the Act of Union, making English Canada's official language.

Americana
Congress created the Oregon Territory, an area encompassing present-day Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and parts of western Montana and Wyoming.

150 years ago
1858

Crime
Gold rush miners killed seven Salish Indians in the "Battle of Boston Bar" near Fort Hope, British Columbia.

120 years ago
1888

Music
An audio recording of English composer Arthur Sullivan's The Lost Chord, one of the first recordings of music ever made, was played during a press conference introducing Thomas Edison's phonograph in London.

100 years ago
1908

Politics and government
Premier Walter Scott led his Liberal Party to second consecutive majority government in the Saskatchewan provincial election, winning 27 of 41 seats in the Legislative Assembly, with the other 14 seats going to the Provincial Rights Party, led by Francis Haultain. The number of seats in the Legislative Assembly had been increased from 25 in the first provincial election in 1905, when the Liberals had won 16 and the Provincial Rights Party 9.

80 years ago
1928

Diplomacy
The Yugoslavian Parliament, by a 1-vote margin, voted to ratify the Nettuno treaty with Italy.

The U.S.A. extended de jure recognition to Ecuador.

Swimming
John Bowron of Princeton university swam the Hellespont from Europe to Asia and back again--54 minutes 30 seconds across, 58 minutes back.

60 years ago
1948

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): You Call Everybody Darlin'--Al Trace and the Revelers

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Woody Wood-Pecker--The Sportsmen and Mel Blanc (4th week at #1)
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
--Danny Kaye and the Andrews Sisters
2 My Happiness--Jon and Sondra Steele
--The Pied Pipers
--Ella Fitzgerald
3 You Can't Be True, Dear--Ken Griffin
--Dick Haymes with the Song Spinners
--The Sportsmen
4 Twelfth Street Rag--Pee Wee Hunt and his Orchestra
5 William Tell Overture--Spike Jones and his City Slickers
6 You Call Everybody Darlin'--Al Trace and the Revelers
--Anne Vincent
7 Love Somebody--Doris Day and Buddy Clark
8 It's Magic--Doris Day
--Dick Haymes and Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
--Tony Martin
--Gordon MacRae
9 Little White Lies--Dick Haymes
10 Nature Boy--King Cole

Singles entering the chart were Every Day I Love You (Just a Little Bit More) (#21)/Hankerin' (#35) by Dick Haymes; Turkish Delight by Arthur Godfrey (#24); Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue, with versions by Gordon MacRae and the Starlighters; Jerry Murad's Harmonicats; and Jack Emerson (#31); Hankerin' by Gordon MacRae (#35, charting with the version by Dick Haymes); and Just for Now by Frank Sinatra (#38).

War
In a message to United Nations mediator Folke Bernadotte, Egypt reiterated its refusal to negotiate directly with Israel on a Palestine settlement. Israel demanded immediate UN action to stop alleged Arab violations of the Palestine truce.

World events
Burmese government forces reported the suppression of a four-day mutiny of Burmese rifle units in the Irrawaddy delta region. The government charged the mutinous troops with attempting to establish a military dictatorship.

Politics and government
The Argentine Chamber of Deputies called a national assembly to consider government requests for revision of the constitution. The proposed changes would give the government greater power over the economy and allow President Juan Peron to succeed himself at the end of his six-year term. The opposition Radical Party called for the impeachment of President Peron on charges of attempting to establish a totalitarian state.

Former U.S. Price Administrator Chester Bowles won the Democratic Party gubernatorial nomination for Connecticut at the party's state convention in Hartford.

Labour
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board found the American Federation of Labor International Typographical Union to be in violation of the Taft-Hartley Act for insisting on closed-shop conditions in unionized plants.

Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games closed in London. The U.S.A. led in gold medals with 38, followed by Sweden and France. Canadian athletes took home no gold medals, and only one silver medal (Canoeing - C-1 1,000 metres: Douglas Bennett) and two bronze (Canoeing- C-1 10,000 metres: Norman Lane; and Track and Field 4 x 100-metre relay: Dianne Foster, Patricia Jones, Nancy MacKay, Viola Myers).

Football
WIFU-ORFU
Pre-season
Toronto (1-0) 12 @ Winnipeg (0-1) 9

Joe Kane and Jake Edmiston scored touchdowns for the Beaches Indians as they beat the Blue Bombers at Osborne Stadium. Don Hiney scored a touchdown, convert, and field goal for all the Winnipeg points.

50 years ago
1958

At the movies
Mujeres encantadoras, directed by Rafael Portillo, and starring Kitty de Hoyos, Emilia Guiú, and Luz María Aguilar, opened in theatres in Mexico.

Died on this date
Frédéric Joliot-Curie, 58. French physicist and chemist. Dr. Joiliot-Curie, born Jean Frédéric Joliot, was the husband of physicist Irène Curie, the daughter of Pierre and Marie Curie. Frédéric and Irène were jointly awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "[for] their synthesis of new radioactive elements." Frédéric was a devoted Communist who served in the French Resistance during World War II and was president of the Communist-front World Peace Council in the 1950s, becoming the first recipient of the Stalin Peace Prize in 1951.

Red Sanders, 53. U.S. football coach. Henry Russell Sanders played quarterback for the Vanderbilt University Commodores from 1924-1926 and served as he team's head coach from 1940-1942 and 1946-1948. He then went to the University of California at Los Angeles, serving as head coach of the Bruins until his death. Mr. Sanders compiled a college coaching record of 102-41-3, and led UCLA to the national championship in 1954. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Mr. Sanders was known for his colourful quotes, and has been credited with originating the saying "Winning isn't everything--it's the only thing." He was still coaching the Bruins when he died under embarrassing circumstances, suffering a heart attack in a Los Angeles hotel room registered to his friend W.T. Grimes, an ex-convict with a lengthy criminal record for pandering. Mr. Sanders was in the room with a convicted prostitute named Ernestine Drake; he complained of the heat, asked her to get some soft drinks, and then collapsed and died on the floor. His last reported words were, "Football is a great game. You should come out this fall and see a few games." Contemporary reports mentioned that Mr. Sanders had an enlarged heart, but tended to leave out the more "colourful" aspects of his death. He was succeeded as head coach of the Bruins by assistant coach George Dickerson, who resigned after just three games, suffering from nervous exhaustion.

War
The Republic of China's Defense Minister Yu Tawei said that the Taiwan government would exercise "great restraint" in dealing with the new Communist attacks, but would "fight like hell" to retain their offshore islands.

Defense
The U.S.A. and U.K. agreed to meet Tunisian requests for additional arms.

Politics and government
General Alfredo Stroessner was inaugurated into his second five-year term as President of Paraguay.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board authorized San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank to increase its discount rate from 1 3/4% to 2% in a shift to an anti-inflationary tight money policy.

Disasters
A New York-bound Dutch KLM Super Constellation crashed into the North Atlantic Ocean about 130 miles west of Ireland during an electrical storm, killing 99 passengers and crew members. The crash was the worst to date involving a single commercial plane.

Football
CFL
IRFU
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats traded rookie halfback Ron Stewart to the Ottawa Rough Riders for halfback Johnny Fedosoff and cash. Mr. Stewart had starred in university with the Queen's Golden Gaels before being drafted by the Montreal Alouettes and subsequently dealt to the Tiger-Cats.

WIFU
Edmonton (0-1) 21 @ Winnipeg (1-0) 29

In the first regular season game since the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and Western Interprovincial Football Union had united to form the Canadian Football League, Gerry James scored 2 touchdowns and 2 converts and Leo Lewis added 2 touchdowns to help the Blue Bombers defeat the Eskimos before 18,200 fans at Winnipeg Stadium, ruining Sam Lyle's regular season debut as Edmonton's head coach. Jackie Parker scored 2 touchdowns for the Eskimos, with Joe-Bob Smith, playing his first CFL game, scoring the other Edmonton TD. Joe Mobra added 2 converts, and Bill Walker punted for a single.

Baseball
Birdie Tebbetts, who had managed the Cincinnati Redlegs since 1954, resigned and was replaced by coach Jimmy Dykes. The Redlegs were in seventh place in the National League with a record of 52-61.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Fire--The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Angel of the Morning--Merrilee Rush (2nd week at #1)
2 The Orange and the Green/(The Puppet Song) Whiskey on a Sunday--The Irish Rovers
3 Lady Willpower--Gary Puckett and the Union Gap
4 Indian Lake--The Cowsills
5 This Guy's in Love with You--Herb Alpert
6 MacArthur Park--Richard Harris
7 Jumpin' Jack Flash--The Rolling Stones
8 Yummy Yummy Yummy--Ohio Express
9 Hurdy Gurdy Man--Donovan
10 Hush...Not a Word to Mary--John Rowles

Singles entering the chart were It's a Sunny Day by Johnny Young (#32); The Impossible Dream by Jim Nabors (#36); and Soul-Limbo by Booker T. & the M.G.'s (#38).

Disasters
Reports from Bombay claimed that more than 1,000 peole had been killed in seven days of flooding in GurGujarat and Rajasthan, India.

An overflowing dam flooded three villages in northeastern Nicaragua, leaving 19 people missing and 2,000 homeless.

All 21 people aboard a Los Angeles Airways helicopter were killed when it crashed on its way from Compton to Disneyland.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (2-1-1) 23 @ Ottawa (3-0) 37

Baseball
Montréal was awarded a National League baseball franchise, becoming the first city outside the United States to have a major league team.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Monster--Pink Lady (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler

Politics and government
The Indian Brotherhood of the Northwest Territories voted to change its name to the Dene Nation, during the 8th Dene National Assembly at Fort Norman.

Crime
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Assassinations began five days of public hearings on the April 4, 1968 assassination of Negro civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Oil
Texaco announced that it had struck natural gas in an offshore test well 100 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The find was the first discovery of oil or gas since the beginning of drilling in the offshore Baltimore Canyon area in April. Texaco said that the find was "very encouraging," but that it would take 8-12 months to determine whether the discovery was commercially exploitable.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Moonlight Shadow--Mike Oldfield (2nd week at #1)

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald arrived in Mexico to discuss Mexico's economic problems and U.S. Central American policy. Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado warned Mr. Reagan that U.S. "shows of force" threatened to "touch off a conflagration" in the region.

Football
CFL
Calgary (3-2) 36 @ Saskatchewan (1-5) 28

A 74-yard punt return for a touchdown by rookie defensive back Richie Hall helped to make the difference as the Stampeders defeated the Roughriders at Taylor Field in Regina. Craig Ellis, in his first game as a Stampeder, rushed for over 100 yards, as did running back mate Ray Crouse. The loss was the fifth straight for the Roughriders and their last under head coach Joe Faragalli, who was fired six days later.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Sweet Lovers--Holidaymakers (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: The Twist (Yo, Twist!)--The Fat Boys with Stupid Def Vocals by Chubby Checker (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Enzo Ferrari, 90. Italian race car driver and businessman. Mr. Ferrari drove in races in the 1920s and early 1930s. In 1947 he founded the company that bears his name.

Roy Buchanan, 48. U.S. musician. Mr. Buchanan was a blues guitarist who also played as a sideman in various rock bands. He was found hanging by his shirt in his cell in a jail in Fairfax County, Virginia after being arrested for public drunkenness.

Golf
Jeff Sluman won the PGA Championship at Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma with a 12-under-par total of 272, 3 strokes ahead of Paul Azinger. First prize money was $160,000.

10 years ago
1998

Football
CFL
British Columbia (3-4) 24 @ Winnipeg (0-7) 22