August 7, 2008

1,240 years ago
768

Religion
Stephen III was consecrated as Roman Catholic Pope, succeeding Paul I, and quickly sought Frankish protection against the Lombard threat, since the Byzantine Empire was no longer able to help.

150 years ago
1858

Politics and government
The day after Canadian Premier John A. Macdonald and Deputy Premier George-Étienne Cartier resumed their offices, they completed what the Opposition referred to as the "Double Shuffle" when they got all their ministers to resign and exchange portfolios for one day to get around the technicality that under the Independence of Parliament Act of 1857, a newly appointed minister was obliged to resign his seat and face a by-election. All ministers resumed the offices they held before July 28. Mr. Cartier adopted Confederation as the major plank of his Liberal-Conservative Party platform; another major plank was the adoption of Ottawa as the future capital of the Province of Canada.

Sport
The first Australian rules football match was played between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College.

140 years ago
1868

Born on this date
Huntley Wright. U.K. actor. Mr. Wright had a performing career of more than 50 years, but was primarily known for appearing in musical comedies in the early 20th century. He also appeared in several movies and radio programs, and even in an early television broadcast. Mr. Wright died of a heart attack on July 10, 1941, four weeks before his 73rd birthday.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Jennie Constance, 42. U.S. crime victim. Miss Constance, a teacher from Peoria, Illinois and a student at Northwestern University, was beaten to death near the campus in Evanston, Illinois.

70 years ago
1938

Abominations
Prisoners from Dachau concentration camp were sent to begin construction of Mauthausen, which would later be part of one of the largest labour camp complexes in German-occupied Europe.

60 years ago
1948

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Woody Wood-Pecker--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra (6th week at #1)

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

The only single entering the chart was Friendly Mountains by Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra (#35).

Died on this date
Sidney Brown, 75. U.K. inventor. Mr. Brown invented the drum cable relay and is best remembered for his pioneering work on the design of gyro compasses, radio equipment and loudspeakers.

Oley Speaks, 74. U.S. singer and songwriter. Mr. Speaks had a successful singing career as a soloist and wrote the music for over 250 songs, but is mainly known for one song: On the Road to Mandalay (1907), with the lyrics taken from Rudyard Kipling's poem Mandalay.

Charles Bryant, 69. U.K.-born U.S. actor and movie director. Mr. Bryant was a stage actor who directed and appeared in several silent films with his then-wife Alla Nazimova in the 1910s and early '20s.

World events
U.S. forces in Berlin opened the Spandau airport to augment the Berlin airlift.

Politics and government
Justice Minister and Attorney General Louis St. Laurent was elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada on the first ballot at the party's leadership convention at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, easily defeating Jimmy Gardiner and Chubby Power. He replaced the retiring Mackenzie King as Prime Minister on November 15, 1948.



The Panamanian national election board ruled that Domingo Diaz Arosemena of the ruling Liberal Party had defeated Arnulfo Arias of the Revolutionary Party in the disputed presidential election in May.

U.S. President Harry Truman nominated former Massachusetts Governor Maurice Tobin to succeed the late Lewis Schwellenbach as U.S. Secretary of Labor.

Protest
U.S. National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples Executive Secretary Walter White refused to support a civil disobedience campaign advocated by other civil rights leaders to protest armed forces segregation.

Economics and finance
The Polish-Czech Economic Cooperation Council announced plans to develop a new industrial centre in the Katowice area of southwestern Poland and the adjoining Ostrava area of Czechoslovakia.

Disasters
Chinese government officials estimated that more than three million Chinese were homeless and one million tons of rice had been destroyed as a result of severe flooding along the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers.

60 years ago
1958

Politics and government
Alberto Lleras Camargo took office as President of Colombia.

A U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. unanimously quashed playwright Arthur Miller's 1956 conviction for contempt of Congress after a two-year legal battle. Mr. Miller had, in testimony before the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, refused to name names of alleged Communist writers with whom he had attended five or six meetings in New York in 1947.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
British Columbia (2-2) 27 @ Ottawa (3-0) 33

Ted Smale, Russ Jackson, George Brancato, Bobby Judd, and Don Pinhey scored touchdowns for the Rough Riders as they beat the Lions before 7,000 fans at Lansdowne Park. Paul Cameron scored 2 B.C. touchdowns, while rookie quarterback Mike Davies and veteran running back By Bailey scored the others.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Mony Mony--Tommy James and the Shondells (2nd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Angel of the Morning--Merrilee Rush
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 Jumpin' Jack Flash--The Rolling Stones
5 This Guy's in Love with You--Herb Alpert
6 MacArthur Park--Richard Harris
7 Indian Lake--The Cowsills
8 Yummy Yummy Yummy--Ohio Express
9 Lazy Sunday--Small Faces
10 Hurdy Gurdy Man--Donovan

Singles entering the chart were Dream a Little Dream of Me by Mama Cass (#25); Here Comes the Judge by Shorty Long (#28); Abergavenny by Marty Wilde (#29); Walk On by Roy Orbison (#38); and Land of Make Believe/Good Times by the Easybeats (#40).

Business
U.S. Steel Corporation announced a 2½% price increase. Bethlehem Steel, which had announced a 5% across-the-board price increase a week earlier in response to a pay raise for workers, reduced its price increase to 2½%, as did other steel firms that had earlier announced larger increases.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (2-0-1) 10 @ Edmonton (1-1-1) 10

Bill Goods kicked a field goal on the last play of the game to give the Roughriders their tie against the Eskimos at Clarke Stadium in a game that the Eskimos reportedly dominated everywhere but the scoreboard. It was the third and last CFL game for Edmonton defensive back and punter John McKillop.

40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Monster--Pink Lady (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Anna--Miguel Bosé (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Eddie Calvert, 56. U.K. musician. Mr. Calvert was a trumpeter who was best known for his instrumental versions of Oh Mein Papa (1954) and Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White (1955), both of which reached #1 on the British singles chart. He moved to South Africa in 1968, and died of a heart attack.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Moonlight Shadow--Mike Oldfield

Football
CFL
Calgary (2-2) 16 @ British Columbia (3-1) 32

James Sykes, who had rushed for 153 yards on 17 carries against the Montreal Concordes a week earlier, was held by the B.C. defense to 13 yards on 6 carries in what turned out to be the last game of his 6-year career as a Stampeder as the Stampeders fell to the Lions at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver.



30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Sweet Lovers--Holidaymakers (4th week at #1)

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

Religion
U.S. Christian missionary Anis Shorrosh and South African Muslim apologist Ahmed Deedat met in Birmingham, England for a debate titled The Quran or the Bible: Which is God's Word? Including the question and answer session, the debate lasted four hours.

20 years ago
1998

Terrorism
Approximately 212 people were killed and many more injured when U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed within minutes of each other.

Football
CFL
Calgary (4-2) 46 @ Saskatchewan (2-4) 27 (OT)
Hamilton (5-1) 39 @ Edmonton (4-2) 10

Former Eskimo quarterback Danny McManus led the Tiger-Cats to a 28-3 halftime lead as they coasted to a rout of the Eskimos before 33,058 fans at Commonwealth Stadium. The only Edmonton touchdown was scored in the 3rd quarter by Don Blair on a 44-yard pass from Jimmy Kemp, who played the entire game in relief of injured starter David Archer, much to the displeasure of Edmonton fans, who wanted to see third-string quarterback Marcus Crandell play, especially once the outcome wasn't in doubt. It was the third time within six years that Mr. McManus had quarterbacked his team to victory at Commonwealth Stadium on August 7: in addition to the B.C. Lions' 39-23 win in 1993, he led the Eskimos to a 45-11 rout of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1997.