September 10, 2008

700 years ago
1308

Died on this date
Go-Nijō, 23. Emperor of Japan, 1301-1308. Go-Nijō, born Kuniharu-shinnō, the eldest son of Emperor Go-Uda, succeeded his second cousin Go-Fushimi on the throne. Go-Nijō died of an illness and was succeded by his second cousin Hanazono.

400 years ago
1608

Politics and government
Captain John Smith became the leader of the Jamestown settlement in what is now Virginia when he assumed the presidency of its governing council.

210 years ago
1798

War
British Honduran forces defeated Spanish forces in the Battle of St. George's Caye.

150 years ago
1858

Space
George Mary Searle discovered the asteroid 55 Pandora.

110 years ago
1898

Died on this date
Elisabeth, 60. Empress consort of Austria, 1854-1898. Empress Elisabeth married Emperor Franz Josef I in 1854. She suffered from frequent ailments, and never recovered from the murder-suicide of her son Rudolf and his lover in 1889. Empress Elisabeth was fatally stabbed by Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni in Geneva as she was on her way to board a steamship for Montreux.

Disasters
Fire broke out at 11:00 pm in several tons of hay stored on the B & K wharf on Front Street wharf, near the New Westminster, British Columbia city market. Fanned by high winds, the fire spread along the waterfront, and by the following afternoon, much of the town had been destroyed.

100 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Raymond Scott. U.S. composer and bandleader. Mr. Scott, born Harry Warnow, was a pioneer of electronic music and wrote pieces that have been used in countless cartoons. His compositions included The Toy Trumpet and In an Eighteenth-Century Drawing Room. Mr. Scott died on February 8, 1994 at the age of 85.

Angus Bethune. Australian politician. Sir Angus, a member of the Liberal Party of Australia, was first elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly in 1946, and was Premier of Tasmania from 1969-1972. He died on August 22, 2004 at the age of 95.

90 years ago
1918

Died on this date
Carl Peters, 61. German colonial official and explorer. Mr. Peters founded the Gesellschaft für Deutsche Kolonisation (Society for German Colonization) in 1884; it was a pressure group for the acquisition of colonies by Germany. He led expeditions and succeeded in negotiating treaties with various East African rulers, extending German influence in areas such as Uganda, Equatoria, and Tanganyika. Mr. Peters returned briefly to Germany in 1890 after a rebellion in Zanzibar, but returned in 1891 as Reichskommissar (Imperial High Commissioner) for the Kilimanjaro Region. His brutal treatment, including executions, of the native population resulted in his recall to Germany, where he was employed by the Imperial Colonial Office (1893-1895). After three investigations, Mr. Peters was dishonourably deprived of his commission in 1897 for misuse of official power. He evaded further punishment by fleeing to London, and led several expeditions over the next few years in East Africa on behalf of a gold mining company that he founded. Mr. Peters discovered ruins of cities and deserted gold mines of the medieval Kingdom of Mutapa in 1899. He was able to return to Germany in 1914, with his title Imperial Commissioner restored by Kaiser Wilhelm II. Mr. Peters died 17 days before his 62nd birthday; he was personally rehabilitated by Fuehrer Adolf Hitler in 1938.

War
Red Army forces captured Kazan in the Russian Civil War.

Labour
The Saint John Federal Police Protective Association, the first police union in Canada, was chartered in Saint John, New Brunswick. Two days later, the Police Commission dismissed a number of the officers, but they were later reinstated.

The players with both teams in baseball's World Series threatened not to play because low attendance was producing a low share for the players of the gate receipts. The dispute was solved, but not before the start of the game as delayed for an hour.

Baseball
World Series
Chicago Cubs 3 @ Boston Red Sox 0 (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Hippo Vaughn pitched a 5-hitter and Dode Paskert doubled home 2 runs in the 8th inning to clinch the victory for the Cubs before 24,694 fans at Fenway Park.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
J.J. Williams. U.S. military aviator. Lieutenant Williams, a U.S. Army stunt flier, was killed in a crash at Mines Field, Los Angeles.

Aviation
Earl Rowland's airplane was the first to land at Long Beach, California in the five-day air derby race from Roosevelt Field at Mineola, New York.

The airplane Southern Cross, piloted by Captain Kingsford-Smith and Charles P. Ulm, who had recently flown from California to Australia, landed at Wellington, New Zealand after a flight from Sydney.

Politics and government
Republican Party candidate W.T. Gardiner was elected Governor of Maine by the unprecedented margin of 82,000 votes.

Disasters
A switchman's false signal caused the De Luxe Express train from Paris and Berlin to Vienna and Budapest to dash head-on into a freight train at Zajecci, killing 18 people and injuring 40.

75 years ago
1933

Died on this date
Giuseppe Campari, 34. Italian auto racing driver; Baconin Borzacchini, 34. Italian auto racing driver; Stanislaw Czaykowski, 34. Polish auto racing driver. Messrs. Campari, Borzacchini, and Czaykowski were all killed in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Mr. Campari was leading the race when his car skidded on leaked oil during a sharp turn and crashed, killing him instantly. Mr. Borzacchini was right behind him in second place and was killed when he veered off the track while trying to avoid Mr. Campari's car. When the race was restarted, Count Czaykowski's car crashed and caught fire, and he burned to death.

70 years ago
1938

Americana
Marilyn Meseke, representing Ohio, was named Miss America 1938 at the annual pageant at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey.



60 years ago
1948

Died on this date
Ferdinand I, 87. Czar of Bulgaria, 1908-1918; Knyaz of Bulgaria, 1887-1908. Ferdinand I, a German prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, was elected Knyaz (ruling prince) of Bulgaria by the Grand National Assembly. He proclaimed Bulgaria's de jure independence from the Ottoman Empire on October 5, 1908, and assumed the title of Czar. Bulgaria sided with the Central Powers in World War I, and in an effort to save the monarchy, Ferdinand abdicated in favour of his son Boris III on October 3, just two days short of 10 years as Czar. Ferdinand I lived the rest of his life in exile in Coburg, Germany.

Walther Mayer, 61. Austro-Hungarian born U.S. mathematician. Dr. Mayer was known for the Mayer–Vietoris sequence in topology. He became an assistant to Albert Einstein in 1929, and worked with Professor Einstein on relativity from 1931-1936, becoming known as "Einstein's calculator." Dr. Mayer followed Professor Einstein to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey in the 1930s, and remained there for the rest of his life.

War
American-born Mildred Gillars, better known as "Axis Sally," was indicted in Washington, D.C. by a U.S. federal grand jury on 10 counts of treason for making radio propaganda broadcasts from and in support of Germany during World War II.

Defense
Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru demanded that Indian troops be admitted to Hyderabad as a "peace-keeping force," following the outbreak of disorders in the princely state.

Politics and government
Lester Pearson was appointed Secretary of State for External Affairs in the Canadian government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King, succeeding Louis St. Laurent, who had recently been elected Liberal Party leader, soon to succeed Mr. King.

The French National Assembly confirmed Henri Queuille as Prime Minister, heading a cabinet composed of Radicals, Socialists, Republican Liberals, and Popular Republicans. Former Prime Minister Robert Schuman remained as Foreign Minister.

The Argentine government issued a general organization law giving President Juan Peron sweeping emergency powers.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities held a secret session to question wartime atomic research director Leslie Groves on possible security leaks in the Manhattan Project.

A court in Indianapolis permanently banned the States' Rights Party ticket from the Indiana ballot because of a suit charging that the party's platform "seeks to discriminate against minority groups." The Louisiana Democratic Party Central Committee voted to support States' Rights candidates in coming elections, denying U.S. President Harry Truman a place on the state ballot.

Law
U.S. authorities established a military court of appeal as the highest tribunal in the American zone of Germany.

Labour
The Aeronautical Mechanics Union ended a 140-day strike by 14,800 Boeing Aircraft workers in Seattle after failing to gain satisfaction of demands for a 30c hourly wage increase.

50 years ago
1958

At the movies
A double feature of The Blob, directed by Irvin Yeaworth and starring Steven McQueen and Aneta Corsaut, and I Married a Monster from Outer Space, produced and directed by Gene Fowler, Jr., and starring Tom Tryon and Gloria Talbott, opened in theatres in Los Angeles.







War
U.S. customs agents near Fort Lauderdale, Florida arrested 31 Cubans en route to join Fidel Castro's guerrilla forces.

Defense
Morocco demanded that the U.S.A. close its remaining Moroccan military bases.

Argentine Air Commodore Roberto Huerta resigned as Air Minister because of widespread opposition among Air Force officers to the spread of Peronist influence in the service.

Politics and government
Georgia Lieutenant Governor Ernest Vandiver won a landslide victory in the state's Democratic Party gubernatorial primary.

Religion
Top officials of the 3-million-member United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. declared that racial desegregation in the southern states should be enforced "with troops and tanks if necessary."

Football
ORFU
Kitchener-Waterloo (2-1) 28 @ Sarnia (3-0) 63

J.B. Smith rushed for touchdowns of 62, 29, and 56 yards, and Ernie White returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to help the Golden Bears rout the Dutchmen before 4,000 fans at Norm Perry Park. Frank Macey, Eric McKeever, Mr. Sturm, Tom Dwinnell, and Tex Robinson scored the other Sarnia TDs. Gino Cappelletti added 6 converts and a field goal. Bernie Custis, Ed Mitchell, Dave West, and Doug Trevor-Wilson scored K-W touchdowns, all converted by Mike Norcia.

Baseball
The Seattle Rainiers of the AAA Pacific Coast League fired manager Connie Ryan, who was in his first season with the team. The Rainiers, the top farm team of the Cincinnati Redlegs, had finished eighth and last in the PCL in 1958 with a record of 68-86, 21 games behind the pennant-winning Phoenix Giants.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Hey Jude--The Beatles

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (10th week at #1)

Died on this date
Edries "Brother" Fataar, 33. S.A. musician. Mr. Fataar was bass player and vocalist for The Flames, a popular South African band in the 1960s. While performing in London, they were discovered by Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys, who signed them to the Beach Boys' Brother Records label. Recording on Brother as The Flame, they released an album in 1970, and recorded another that wasn't released, although Brother Records is planning to release both albums on a CD. The Flame lineup on Brother included Mr. Fataar's brothers Steve and Ricky, as well as guitarist Blondie Chaplin. Ricky Fataar and Mr. Chaplin joined the Beach Boys in late 1971-early 1972; Mr. Chaplin left in late 1973, Mr. Ricky Fataar a year later. The cause of Brother Fataar's death is unknown, at least to this blogger. He was buried in Amsterdam, although the location of his grave is unknown. For more information on The Flames, go to www.the-flames.com .

Auto racing
Niki Lauda of Austria won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, which was shortened because of a crash at the start which resulted in severe injuries to drivers Vittorio Brambilla and Ronnie Peterson; Mr. Peterson died the next day. Mario Andretti, who was moved back from first place to sixth after being penalized for jumping a restart, clinched the world driving championship, with Mr. Peterson, his teammate, finishing second overall.

Football
CFL
Montreal (5-4) 27 @ Toronto (3-6) 2
Hamilton (2-6-1) 16 @ Edmonton (7-1-1) 56

The Argonauts' loss to the Alouettes at Exhibition Stadium was their fifth straight, and head coach Leo Cahill was fired after the game, ending his coaching career. He was replaced as head coach of the Argonauts by assistant coach Bud Riley, who had been head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1974-1977.



Waddell Smith caught 3 touchdown passes, Joe Hollimon returned an interception for a touchdown, and Larry Washington, playing his first game in almost a year, rushed for 84 yards and his first CFL touchdown to help the Eskimos rout the Tiger-Cats at Commonwealth Stadium. It was the greatest number of points scored by the Eskimos in a game since a 72-2 win over the Calgary Tigers on October 1, 1921, and the highest single-game point total in the league since August 28, 1964, when the Saskatchewan Roughriders routed the Eskimos 56-8 at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton. Mr. Hollimon's touchdown was his third of the season on an interception return, tying the league record set by Dick Thornton of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1963. Mr. Washington had suffered a pelvic injury during the 1977 season, and was playing his first game since September 17, 1977. Jimmy Edwards caught 2 touchdown passes for the Tiger-Cats.

NFL
Oakland (1-1) 21 @ San Diego (1-1) 20

On what became known as the "Holy Roller" play, the Chargers were leading the Raiders 20-14 with 10 seconds remaining, with Oakland in possession of the ball on the San Diego 14-yard line. Quarterback Ken Stabler was under pressure and threw the ball forward. Running back Pete Banaszak batted the ball further forward, and tight end Dave Casper batted the ball into the San Diego end zone and fell on it for a touchdown, with Errol Mann's convert giving the Raiders the win. Referee Jerry Markbreit ruled the ball a fumble rather than a forward pass, but Mr. Stabler said after the game that he had deliberately fumbled (see video). The league backed up Mr. Markbreit's call, but changed the rule after the season to prevent such an event from recurring.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Dolce Vita--Ryan Paris (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Red Red Wine--UB40

#1 single in the U.K.: Red Red Wine--UB40 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Maniac--Michael Sembello

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics (2nd week at #1)
2 Every Breath You Take--The Police
3 Maniac--Michael Sembello
4 Puttin' on the Ritz--Taco
5 The Safety Dance--Men Without Hats
6 She Works Hard for the Money--Donna Summer
7 Tell Her About It--Billy Joel
8 I'll Tumble 4 Ya--Culture Club
9 China Girl--David Bowie
10 Don't Cry--Asia

Singles entering the chart were If Anyone Falls by Stevie Nicks (#77); Foolin' by Def Leppard (#85); Heart and Soul by Huey Lewis and the News (#86); Everyday People by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (#88); and Spice of Life by the Manhattan Transfer (#89).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics
2 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler
3 Maniac--Michael Sembello
4 Every Breath You Take--The Police
5 Our House--Madness
6 She Works Hard for the Money--Donna Summer
7 Never Gonna Let You Go--Sergio Mendes
8 Rock 'N' Roll is King--Electric Light Orchestra
9 China Girl--David Bowie
10 1999--Prince

Singles entering the chart were Sitting at the Wheel by the Moody Blues (#45); Making Love (Out of Nothing at All) by Air Supply (#46); Pale Shelter (You Don't Give Me Love) by Tears for Fears (#48); Modern Love by David Bowie (#49); and Everyday I Write the Book by Elvis Costello (#50).

Died on this date
Felix Bloch, 77. Swiss-born U.S. physicist. Dr. Bloch shared the 1952 Nobel Prize for Physics with Edward Mills Purcell "for their development of new ways and methods for nuclear magnetic precision measurements."

John Vorster, 65. Prime Minister of South Africa, 1966-1978; 4th State President of South Africa, 1978-1979. Mr. Vorster, leader of the National Party, succeeded the assassinated Hendrik Verwoerd as Prime Minister. He was a staunch advocate of the racial policy of apartheid, but pursued a pragmatic foreign policy. Mr. Vorster was succeeded as Prime Minister by P.W. Botha and took the ceremonial office of State President.

Jon Brower Minnoch, 41. U.S. fat man. Mr. Minnoch, at his peak, weighed approximately 1,400 pounds, making him the heaviest person ever recorded. He went on a medically-supervised diet and lost approximately 924 pounds--down to 476--but the weight, mainly consisting of excess fluid, increased, and he weighed 798 pounds when he died.

Diplomacy
Finnish pilots announced a two-month boycott of flights to Moscow in reaction to the September 1 downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 over Soviet air space with the loss of all 269 people on board.

Football
CFL
Montreal (2-7) 30 @ Winnipeg (5-4) 18
Toronto (7-2) 32 @ British Columbia (6-3) 14

Johnny Evans rushed for a touchdown and threw touchdown passes to Nick Arakgi and Jeff Patterson as the Concordes ended a 6-game losing streak by beating the Blue Bombers before 27,189 fans at Winnipeg Stadium. One of the Montreal touchdowns was set up by an 85-yard punt return by Preston Young. Nickie Hall started at quarterback for Winipeg in place of the suspended Dieter Brock, and connected with Jeff Boyd for a 41-yard touchdown to open the scoring at 6:03 of the 1st quarter. James Reed played middle linebacker for the Blue Bombers; he had suffered a serious injury in training camp in 1982, and it was his first game since November 8, 1981. It turned out to be Mr. Reed's last game as a Blue Bomber.

Condredge Holloway rushed 17 yards for a touchdown 2:03 into the game and threw touchdown passes of 37 and 52 yards to Terry Greer as the Argonauts became the first visiting team to ever win at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver. The crowd of 52,656 saw Larry Jones score the only B.C. touchdown on a 14-yard pass from Joe Paopao in the 3rd quarter. Toronto defensive back Donovan Rose scored the last touchdown on a 61-yard interception return with 1:37 remaining in the game.



CIAU
Queen's (1-0) 36 Carleton (0-1) 4
Bishop's (1-0) 22 McGill (0-1) 8
Concordia (1-0) 33 Ottawa (0-1) 10
Toronto (1-0) 35 Windsor (0-1) 7
McMaster (1-0) 28 Guelph (0-1) 10
Western Ontario (1-0) 24 York (0-1) 6
Saskatchewan (2-0) 27 @ Alberta (1-1) 22
Manitoba (1-1) 12 British Columbia (0-1) 9

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Gimme Five 2--Jovanotti (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Tribute (Right On)--The Pasadenas (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Stop--Sam Brown

#1 single in France (SNEP): Nuit de folie--Début de Soirée (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): A Groovy Kind of Love--Phil Collins

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): A Groovy Kind of Love--Phil Collins

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Sweet Child o' Mine--Guns 'N' Roses

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Sweet Child o' Mine--Guns 'N' Roses
2 Monkey--George Michael
3 Simply Irresistible--Robert Palmer
4 Perfect World--Huey Lewis and the News
5 I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That--Elton John
6 Fast Car--Tracy Chapman
7 If it Isn't Love--New Edition
8 When it's love--Van Halen
9 I'll Always Love You--Taylor Dayne
10 Nobody's Fool--Kenny Loggins

Singles entering the chart were One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston (#56); The Promise by When in Rome (#78); Dance Little Sister (Part 1) by Terence Trent D'Arby (#80); Strangelove by Depeche Mode (#82); How Can I Fall? by Breathe (#85); Kokomo by the Beach Boys (#86); Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley (Free Baby) by Will to Power (#88); and You Came by Kim Wilde (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Perfect World--Huey Lewis and the News
2 Simply Irresistible--Robert Palmer
3 Fast Car--Tracy Chapman
4 Monkey--George Michael
5 Hands to Heaven--Breathe
6 Diamond Sun--Glass Tiger
7 I Don't Wanna Live Without Love--Chicago
8 Love Will Save the Day--Whitney Houston
9 It Would Take a Strong Man--Rick Astley
10 Sweet Child o' Mine--Guns 'N' Roses

Singles entering the chart were Indestructible by the Four Tops (#78); The Loco-Motion by Kylie Minogue (#83); Nothing Can Come Between Us by Sade (#86); Ya Ya by the Steve Miller Band (#90); Chains of Love by Erasure (#91); Breakfast in Bed by UB40 with Chrissie Hynde (#92); Come Back to Me by Barney Bentall (#94); Wild Wild West by Escape Club (#96); Living for You by Joan Armatrading (#97); and Nightmare on My Street by D.J. Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince (#98).

Americana
Gretchen Carlson, representing Minnesota, was named Miss America 1989 at the annual pageant at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.



Television
CTV switched from ground to satellite transmission.

Politics and government
Burma's ruling Socialist Program Party announced that elections would be held that would end 26 years of one-party rule.

Tennis
19-year-old Steffi Graf of West Germany defeated Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina in three sets to win the women's singles title at the U.S. Open championships, becoming the first woman to win the grand slam since Margaret Court in 1970.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (1-9) 16 @ Calgary (3-7) 17 (OT)

CIAU
Manitoba (1-1) 21 @ Alberta (0-2) 17

10 years ago
1998

Labour
Air Canada and its pilots reached an agreement to end a 9-day strike.