July 16, 2008

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Campbell Milton!

150 years ago
1858

Born on this date
Eugène Ysaÿe. Belgian musician, composer, and conductor. Mr. Ysaÿe was a violinist with the orchestra that became the Berlin Philharmonic, and had a long career as a professor at the Brussels Conservatoire. He wrote concertante and chamber works, as well as works for violin and piano, and died on May 12, 1931 at the age of 72.

130 years ago
1878

Politics and government
The Honourable Edward Barron Chandler was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick.

120 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Percy Kilbride. U.S. actor. Mr. Kilbride played Pa Kettle in a series of eight Ma and Pa Kettle films from 1947-1955. He died on December 11, 1964 at the age of 76, three months after being hit by a car while walking.

Frits Zernike. Dutch physicist. Professor Zernike was awarded the 1953 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his demonstration of the phase contrast method, especially for his invention of the phase contrast microscope." He died on March 10, 1966 at the age of 77.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Virginia Drew, 24. U.S. artist. Miss Drew, an artist with unsatisfied literary ambitions, disappeared in New York City on this date; her body was found in the Hudson River three days later.

World events
In Louvain, Belgian workmen's foreman Edmond Morren smashed 160 small stone pillars on the new university library, given by the U.S.A. to Belgium. His explanation was, "It looked too much as though we had forgotten."

Disasters
Hot weather was reported to be responsible for the deaths of 23 people in Austria, 11 in Hungary, 19 in Poland, and 3 in Czechoslovakia. 30 bathers drowned in Germany--the total was later increased to 60.

80 years ago
1938

Golf
Paul Runyan defeated Sam Snead 8 & 7 to win the PGA Championship at Shawnee Country Club in Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania. First prize money was $1,100.

60 years ago
1948

At the movies
Key Largo, directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, and Claire Trevor, opened in theatres.

Died on this date
Lau Yew. Malayan guerrilla leader. Lau Yew, alleged leader of Malayan Communist insurgents, was claimed to have been killed by British police in Kuala Lumpur.

War
Following token resistance, the city of Nazareth capitulated to Israeli troops during Operation Dekel in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The Arab League and Israel agreed to a renewed truce in Jerusalem, to go into effect the next day.

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. representative to the United Nations Andrei Gromyko left his position, returning to the Soviet Union to assume full-time duties as Deputy Foreign Minister. He was replaced at the UN by Jacob Malik.

Terrorism
The storming of the cockpit of the Miss Macao passenger seaplane, operated by a subsidiary of the Cathay Pacific Airways, marked the first hijacking of a commercial plane.

Politics and government
A U.S. federal district court in Charleston, South Carolina ordered the state's Democratic Party to keep its enrollment books open two weeks longer than usual in order to facilitate the registration of Negroes.

Protest
Italy's General Confederation of Labour called off the general strike protesting the July 14 attempted assassination of Italian Communist Party leader Palmiro Togliatti; three days of demonstrations and riots in major Italian cities ended after causing 21 deaths and 200 injuries.

Labour
The Chilean Congress passed a bill guaranteeing workers a full week's wages regardless of days absent.

U.S. Steel and the United Steel Workers of America signed a contract giving 170,000 workers wage increases averaging 9%.

Baseball
Leo Durocher replaced Mel Ott as manager of the New York Giants, while Burt Shotton took over as manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Giants were 37-38 under Mr. Ott, while the Dodgers were 35-37 under Mr. Durocher and 1-0 under interim manager Ray Blades. Mr. Shotton had managed the Dodgers to the National League pennant in 1947 while Mr. Durocher was under suspension by Commissioner Happy Chandler.

50 years ago
1958

Theatre
The Manitoba Theatre Centre, Canada's first regional theatre, staged its first production, in the Dominion Theatre, an old vaudeville house near the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street in Winnipeg.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered Deputy State Undersecretary Robert Murphy to visit the Middle East as his special political representative in efforts to aid settlement of the Lebanese crisis.

Defense
U.K. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan reported the transfer of British forces to Jordan to prevent a coup against Jordan's King Hussein.

Politics and government
Duff Roblin took office as Premier of Manitoba.

The East German Communist Party Congress dismissed four leading party officials from Central Committee posts, consolidating the power of First Secretary Walter Ulbricht.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): A Man Without Love (Quando M'innamoro)--Engelbert Humperdinck (5th week at #1)

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (2nd week at #1)

War
Fighting between Syrian peacekeepers and Christian militiamen in the Beirut area ceased, the day after Lebanese President Elias Sarkis had withdrawn his threat to resign.

Baseball
Joe Wallis hit a 3-run home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th inning to break a 5-5 tie as the Oakland Athletics beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5 before 3,753 fans, including this blogger and his parents, at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Larry Gura allowed 5 hits and 1 earned run in 6 1/3 innings and Amos Otis provided the necessary scoring with a 2-run home run with 2 out in the top of the 1st inning as the Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Yankees 3-1 before 45,089 fans at Yankee Stadium.

Pinch hitter Terry Crowley singled home pinch runner Kiko Garcia with 2 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Baltimore Orioles a 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers before 11,839 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.



Rusty Staub's 3-run home run in the 3rd inning provided the necessary scoring to support Jack Billingham's 10-hit shutout pitching as the Detroit Tigers blanked the California Angels 4-0 before 21,447 fans at Anaheim Stadium.



The Montreal Expos scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning to turn a 1-run lead into a 5-run lead as they beat the Houston Astros 6-1 before 21,440 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Dan Schatzeder pitched a 7-hit complete game victory, while batting 2 for 4 with a double, run, run batted in, and stolen base. Dave Cash led the Expos' 17-hit attack with 2 doubles, 2 singles, 2 runs, and an RBI.

The Cincinnati Reds scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning and coasted to a 9-2 win over the New York Mets before 33,519 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Dave Concepcion drove in 4 Cincinnati runs with a home run, 2 doubles, and a single, while Ken Henderson added 3 RBIs with a a double and 2 singles. Tom Hume pitched a 6-hit complete game victory.



Pinch hitter Ed Ott led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a double and scored on a bases-loaded single by John Milner with none out to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres in the first game of a doubleheader before 16,303 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Pirates scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 7th to win the second game 10-6 to complete the sweep. Gene Tenace drove in 5 runs for the Padres in the second game with a pair of home runs and a single.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Tell Me--Nick Kamen (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Dirty Diana--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Fast Car--Tracy Chapman (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Nuit de folie--Début de Soirée

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Flame--Cheap Trick (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Flame--Cheap Trick (2nd week at #1)
2 Pour Some Sugar on Me--Def Leppard
3 New Sensation--INXS
4 Mercedes Boy--Pebbles
5 Dirty Diana--Michael Jackson
6 Roll With It--Steve Winwood
7 Hold on to the Nights--Richard Marx
8 Nite and Day--Al B. Sure!
9 Foolish Beat--Debbie Gibson
10 Hands to Heaven--Breathe

Singles entering the chart were Perfect World by Huey Lewis and the News (#54); It Would Take a Strong Strong Man by Rick Astley (#82); Heart Turns to Stone by Foreigner (#84); Coming to America (Part 1) by the System (#86); and Spring Love (Come Back to Me) by Stevie B (#88).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Together Forever--Rick Astley (4th week at #1)
2 Foolish Beat--Debbie Gibson
3 New Sensation--INXS
4 The Flame--Cheap Trick
5 The Valley Road--Bruce Hornsby and the Range
6 Dirty Diana--Michael Jackson
7 One More Try--George Michael
8 Roll With It--Steve Winwood
9 Beds are Burning--Midnight Oil
10 Make it Real--The Jets

Singles entering the chart were Rag Doll by Aerosmith (#72); All Fired Up by Pat Benatar (#74); When You Walk in the Room by Paul Carrack (#77); People Have the Power by Patti Smith (#83); Perfect World by Huey Lewis and the News (#86); Easy by Timbuk 3 (#93); I Should Be So Lucky by Kylie Minogue (#95); and Love is a Bridge by Little River Band (#97).

Married on this date
Happy Anniversary, Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones!
Hockey's biggest star married the relatively unkown actress at St. Joseph's Basilica in Edmonton.

Track and field
Florence Griffith Joyner set a world record of 10.49 seconds for women in the 100-metre dash at the United States Olympic trials in Indianapolis.

Football
CFL
Toronto (0-1) 24 @ Hamilton (1-0) 29

10 years ago
1998

Football
CFL
Edmonton (2-1) 14 @ Saskatchewan (2-1) 28
Montreal (3-0) 29 @ Calgary (2-1) 26
Toronto (1-2) 30 @ British Columbia (0-3) 15