September 17, 2008

350 years ago
1658

War
Spanish forces commanded by the Marquis of Viana defeated Portuguese forces led by the Count of Castelo Melhor in the Battle of Vila Nova, during the Portuguese Restoration War.

230 years ago
1778

Diplomacy
The Treaty of Fort Pitt was signed between the U.S. government and the Delaware Indians. It was the first formal treaty between the United States and a Native American tribe.

200 years ago
1808

Died on this date
Benjamin Bourne, 53. U.S. politician and judge. Mr. Bourne, a Federalist, represented Rhode Island in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1790-1796 before sitting on the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island from 1796-1801 and on the U.S. Circuit Court for the First Circuit from 1801-1802. He died eight days after his 53rd birthday.

140 years ago
1868

Died on this date
Roman Nose, aka Hook Nose, 45 (?). U.S. Indian warrior. Roman Nose was a leading Northern Cheyenne warrior during the Plains Indian wars of the 1860s. He was killed on the first day of the Battle of Beecher Island.

War
The Battle of Beecher Island between U.S. Army forces and those of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Sioux nations began in Colorado.

Disasters
The town of Barkerville, British Columbia burned to the ground after a miner tried to kiss a dance hall girl; in their struggle, they dislodged a stovepipe and set the canvas ceiling of the saloon on fire. Residents were forced to take refuge in Williams Creek.

130 years ago
1878

Politics and government
Former Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald led his Conservative/Liberal-Conservative coalition back to power in the Canadian federal election, defeating the governing Liberals of Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie. The Conservatives (85) and Liberal-Conservatives (49) combined to win 134 of 206 seats in the House of Commons, to 63 Liberals and 9 seats for others. The Liberals had won 126 of 197 seats in the most recent election in 1874. Mr. Macdonald, who had served as Prime Minister from 1867-1873, had campaigned on his "National Policy" of protective tariffs.

The Conservative Party, led by Simon Holmes, defeated the ruling Liberal Party, led by Premier Philip Hill, in the Nova Scotia provincial election. The Conservatives won 32 of 38 seats in the House of Assembly, with the Liberals winning the remaining 6 seats. The most recent election in 1874 had resulted in the Liberals leading 22-12, with 4 independents.

125 years ago
1883

Born on this date
Leo Hafford. U.S. baseball pitcher and football coach. Mr. Hafford played with the Cincinnati Reds (1906), posting a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 0.95 in 3 games. He played at least 5 seasons in the minor leagues (1907-1911). Mr. Hafford became football coach at the University of Connecticut in 1911, but died of typhoid fever three weeks later at the age of 28 on October 1, 1911, two weeks after his 28th birthday, after a season-opening loss. He was still credited as head coach for the whole season, with the Aggies finishing 0-5.

100 years ago
1908

Died on this date
Henri Julien, 56. Canadian cartoonist. Mr. Julien, a native of Quebec City, was Canada's first full-time editorial cartoonist, known for his work in Canadian Illustrated News and the Montreal Daily Star. He died of a stroke.

Thomas Selfridge, 26. U.S. military aviator. First Lieutenant Selfridge was with the United States Army, and in May 1908 became the first U.S. military officer to pilot a modern aircraft. He was a passenger in the 1908 Wright Military Flyer, which Orville Wright was demonstrating for the Army Signal Corps at Fort Myer, Virginia. On the fifth circuit, the right propeller broke, leading to further complications, and the plane crashed. Mr. Wright suffered severe injuries and was hospitalized, while Lt. Selfridge suffered a fractured skull and died three hours later, becoming the first person to die in the crash of a powered airplane.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Richard Pelky. U.S. suspected criminal. Mr. Pelky was shot to death by Malone, New York by two Federal Immigration officers who said that he had tried to escape when they halted his automobile in a search for liquor.

Religion
The Mexican government issued orders to the governors of all states to open to the public all churches that were closed.

70 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Bruno Jasieński, 37. Polish poet. Mr. Jasieński, born Wiktor Zysman, was one of the founders of the Polish Futurist movement. He joined the Communist Party and moved to the U.S.S.R. in 1929, but was caught up in the purges of the late 1930s, and was executed at Butyrka prison in Moscow.

Football
WIFU
Edmonton (0-3) 3 @ Calgary (1-2) 16

Paul Rowe, Johnny Sullivan, and Buzz Buzzard scored touchdowns for the Bronks as they defeated the Eskimos at Mewata Stadium.

60 years ago
1948

Died on this date
Emil Ludwig, 67. German-born Swiss writer. Mr. Ludwig, born Emil Cohn, was a journalist and also wrote fiction, but was best known for his popular biographies of noted historical figures.

Ruth Benedict, 61. U.S. anthropologist and folklorist. Dr. Benedict was best known for her book Patterns of Culture (1934), in which she proposed that "A culture, like an individual, is a more or less consistent pattern of thought and action," and that a culture chooses only a few characteristics that then become the traits of the people in that culture. She also wrote The Chrysanthemum and the Sword (1946), a study of the culture of Japan. Dr. Benedict was President of the American Anthropological Association, and was a prominent member of the American Folklore Society until her death from a heart attack.

Folke Bernadotte, 53. Swedish diplomat. Count Bernadotte negotiated the release of 31,000 prisoners--including at least 450 Jews--from German concentration camps during World War II. He was unanimously chosen as the United Nations Security Council mediator in the Middle East during the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1947-1948. The day after leaving Rhodes to return to Jerusalem to preserve the city's cease-fire, Count Bernadotte and French Army Colonel André Sérot were shot to death in their car by members of the Jewish terrorist organization Lehi, better known as the Stern Gang.

André Sérot, 52. French military officer. Colonel Sérot served with the French Army during both World Wars, and was commanding French troops as part of the United Nations peacekeeping effort in the Middle East when he and Folke Bernadotte were on their way to Jerusalem when they were shot to death in their car by members of the Stern Gang.

War
Indian forces completed their invasion of Hyderabad as Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad, surrendered sovereignty over the Hyderabad State and joined the Indian Union, promising not to press his case in the United Nations.

Chinese Communist forces captured Suichung in southern Manchuria, severing Nationalist connections to the rich Hulatao agricultural area.

Diplomacy
Czechoslovakia demanded the recall of five members of the Yugoslavian embassy in Prague for "disturbing public order."

Labour
The Catholic Association of Italian Workers was formed in Rome as a rival to the Communist-led General Confederation of Labour.

50 years ago
1958

Literature
Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr. was published in New York by Harper.

War
Cuban guerrillas announced the start of an offensive from the Oriente Mountains into Camaguey Province.

Education
Little Rock Private School Corporation was chartered in an attempt to reopen the city's four high schools on the basis of racial segregation.

Labour
94,000 members of the United Auto Workers of America struck 86 Ford Motor Company plants in 24 states for six hours before union and company negotiators in Detroit reached agreement on a three-year contract providing benefits estimated at 30c per hour.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Hey Jude--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Elmer Pence, 68. Mr. Pence was a right fielder who played 1 game with the Chicago White Sox on August 23, 1922, with no plate appearances, and 1 putout in the field.

War
2,000 U.S. Marines were airlifted to the southern half of the demilitarized zone of Vietnam to prevent an expected drive south by two North Vietnamese divisions, and to neutralize enemy pressure on Allied outposts along the 40-mile stretch.

Disasters
11 people were killed and 19 injured when their truck plunged into a ravine near Bursa, Turkey.

Boxing
George Chuvalo (51-14-2) scored a technical knockout of Vic Brown (15-14) at 1:37 of the 3rd round of their heavyweight bout at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. On the same card, Al Sparks (19-9-1) regained the Canadian light heavyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Rene Durelle (10-4), who had taken the title from Mr. Sparks with a decision two months earlier. World middleweight champion Nino Benvenuti (77-2) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Art Hernandez (35-11-2) in a non-title bout, and Clyde Gray (5-0) scored a technical knockout over Jason Smith (0-1) in a middleweight bout.

Baseball
Gaylord Perry pitched a no-hitter for the San Francisco Giants as they edged the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 before 9,546 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Losing pitcher Bob Gibson, who dropped to 21-8 for the season, pitched a complete game and allowed only 4 hits, including a home run by Ron Hunt, the second batter of the game, for the only run.

Jim McAndrew pitched a 2-hitter for the New York Mets as they edged the Chicago Cubs 3-2 before 9,117 fans at Shea Stadium in New York.

The Los Angeles Dodgers scored 4 runs in the 3rd inning and 2 in the 4th to take a 6-0 lead, and held on to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 7-5 before 10,106 fans at Dodger Stadium. The Reds rallied for 4 runs in the 8th and Leo Cardenas hit a home run to lead off the 9th, but Jim Brewer struck out Chico Ruiz, Pete Rose, and Vada Pinson to end the game.

Ray Culp pitched a 5-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Dave McNally as the Boston Red Sox shut out the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 before 17,523 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. The Orioles' loss clinched the American League pennant for the Detroit Tigers, whose game against the New York Yankees was still in progress.

Don Wert singled home Al Kaline with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 2-1 win over the New York Yankees before 46,512 fans at Tiger Stadium. Joe Sparma, a last-minute starter in place of injured Earl Wilson, pitched a 5-hit complete game victory, and singled home Bill Freehan in the 5th inning with the game's first run. The Tigers had already clinched their first American League pennant in 23 years when the Baltimore Orioles lost to the Boston Red Sox.



30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (11th week at #1)

Diplomacy
The Middle East peace summit at Camp David, Maryland concluded with the signing of a framework for peace by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, with U.S. President Jimmy Carter as a witness.

Golf
Ron Streck won the Texas Open in San Antonio with a total score of 265. First prize money was $40,000.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (2-7-1) 4 @ Montreal (6-4) 14
Edmonton (8-1-1) 25 @ Saskatchewan (2-8) 20
British Columbia (3-5-2) 4 @ Calgary (4-3-2) 14

Gerry Dattilio started at quarterback for the Alouettes in their win over the Tiger-Cats at Olympic Stadium, but was relieved by Tom Shuman, who had recently been cut by the Tiger-Cats.

James Sykes rushed 2 yards for the game's only touchdown early in the 4th quarter as the Stampeders beat the Lions at McMahon Stadium. The Lions lost star receiver and kick returner Leon Bright early in the first quarter, when he was thrown into the Stampeders' bench by Calgary defensive back Terry Irvin at the end of a play. Mr. Irvin received a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness; Mr. Bright was knocked woozy and was unable to return.

With the Roughriders leading the Eskimos 11-7 with 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter at Taylor Field in Regina, Freeman Johns lost a fumble at the Eskimo 20, which was recovered by Eskimo linebacker Dale Potter. It took rookie quarterback Warren Moon just four plays to march the Eskimos for a touchdown: Larry Washington rushed for 25 yards to the Eskimo 45; Moon completed a pass to Stu Lang for a 15-yard gain to the Roughrider 50; Moon threw long for Tom Scott, complete at the Roughrider 4 for a 46-yard gain; and Mr. Washington ran 4 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter, Eskimo defensive back Joe Hollimon intercepted a Ron Lancaster pass and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown; it was Mr. Hollimon's 4th such touchdown of the season, a CFL record that stood for 26 years. For the Roughriders, Mr. Johns, playing his first game in the CFL, caught 12 passes for 191 yards; both totals were season highs for the league for 1978. The Roughrider wide receiver also scored a touchdown, making a spectacular catch in the end zone after Mr. Hollimon had deflected a pass from Mr. Lancaster. Another highlight for the Roughriders, who dropped to 2-8, was an 82-yard punt by Bob Macoritti against a wind that was very strong even by the usual standards of Taylor Field.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Codo--DÖF

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Red Red Wine--UB40 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Red Red Wine--UB40 (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Maniac--Michael Sembello (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Puttin' on the Ritz--Taco
2 Every Breath You Take--The Police
3 The Safety Dance--Men Without Hats
4 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics
5 Maniac--Michael Sembello
6 Tell Her About It--Billy Joel
7 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler
8 She Works Hard for the Money--Donna Summer
9 Don't Cry--Asia
10 (She’s) Sexy + 17--Stray Cats

Singles entering the chart were All Night Long (All Night) by Lionel Richie (#50); Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive by Men at Work (#63); Modern Love by David Bowie (#70); Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder (#80); Trouble in Paradise by Jarreau (#81); Fight Fire with Fire by Kansas (#83); Queen of the Broken Hearts by Loverboy (#84); and Cum on Feel the Noize by Quiet Riot (#89).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics (2nd week at #1)
2 Maniac--Michael Sembello
3 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler
4 She Works Hard for the Money--Donna Summer
5 Every Breath You Take--The Police
6 Rock 'N' Roll is King--Electric Light Orchestra
7 Our House--Madness
8 I'll Tumble 4 Ya--Culture Club
9 (She’s) Sexy + 17--Stray Cats
10 Don't Cry--Asia

Singles entering the chart were Islands in the Stream by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (#44); Can't Shake Loose by Agnetha Faltskog (#46); Twenty Questions by TICTOC (#48); and What am I Gonna Do by Rod Stewart (#50).

War
Syria, whose forces occupying part of Lebanon had been bombarded from U.S. ships the day before, said that it would attack anyone who attacked Syria.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. announced that Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko would not attend the session of the United Nations General Assembly and that the United States had violated its obligations as host of the UN by allowing New York Governor Mario Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean to bar Soviet diplomats from landing at John F. Kennedy or Newark airports in reprisal for the September 1 downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 over Soviet air space with the loss of all 269 people aboard.

Americana
Vanessa Williams was chosen Miss America 1984, becoming the first Negro woman to win the tiara.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (7-3) 42 @ Montreal (2-8) 26

Roy Dewalt completed 22 of 30 passes for 404 yards and 3 touchdowns to Merv Fernandez as the Lions beat the Concordes before 17,161 fans at Olympic Stadium. Mr. Fernandez caught 4 passes for 188 yards, and his touchdowns, covering 41, 70, and 74 yards, came in the 1st half, as the Lions rolled up a 32-3 lead before a Don Sweet single with 57 seconds remaining and a 28-yard touchdown pass from Johnny Evans to Todd Brown reduced the halftime deficit to 32-10. B.C. defensive back Jo Jo Heath scored 2 touchdowns, the first on a 34-yard interception return in the 2nd quarter, and a 30-yard fumble return with 1 second remaining in the game. Mr. Heath was awarded his second touchdown by the referee when a Montreal player on the sidelines reached into the field of play and interfered with Mr. Heath. Mr. Evans, who completed 35 of 43 passes for 304 yards but surrendered 4 interceptions, rushed for two 1-yard touchdowns. Mr. Brown led Montreal receivers with 171 yards on 12 receptions.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Gimme Five 2--Jovanotti (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Stop--Sam Brown

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Stop--Sam Brown (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Un Roman d'amitié (Friend You Give Me Reason)--Elsa and Glenn Medeiros

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): A Groovy Kind of Love--Phil Collins (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): A Groovy Kind of Love--Phil Collins (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Sweet Child o' Mine--Guns 'N' Roses (2nd week at #1)

Weather
Hurricane Gilbert, which had reached 179 miles per hour three days earlier, was now reduced to 35 miles per hour as it passed over the mainland of Mexico.

Politics and government
Henri Namphy was ousted as President of Haiti after three months in office when he was arrested by noncommissioned military officers at the presidential palace.

Football
CFL
Calgary (4-7) 20 @ Winnipeg (5-6) 14

10 years ago
1998

At the movies
Rushmore, directed by Wes Anderson, and starring Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, and Bill Murray, received its premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.