September 8, 2008

810 years ago
1198

Europeana
Philip of Swabia, Prince of Hohenstaufen, was crowned King of Germany (King of the Romans).

125 years ago
1883

Transportation
The Northern Pacific Railway was completed in a ceremony at Gold Creek, Montana. Former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in an event attended by rail and political luminaries.

120 years ago
1888

Died on this date
Annie Chapman, 47. U.K. murder victim. Mrs. Chapman, a part-time prostitute working in the Whitechapel area of London, became the second victim of the killer known as Jack the Ripper.

Defense
The Peral Submarine, the world's first electric battery-powered submarine, was launched. It was designed and built by Isaac Peral for the Spanish Navy.

Soccer
In England, the first six matches were played in the Football League, the oldest professional league in the world.

80 years ago
1928

Law
The Council of the League of Nations voted unanimously, and the Assembly of the League voted 41-7, to elect former U.S. Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes as a member of the Permanent Court of International Justice, to fill the unexpired term of John Bassett Moore, the American who had resigned.

Religion
Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical Rerum Orientalium, urging all bishops to bring the Greek, Syrian, and other near Eastern churches back into the Roman fold.

75 years ago
1933

Died on this date
Faisal I, 48. King of Syria, 1920; King of Iraq, 1921-1933. Faisal bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi was a member of the Hashemite family who promoted unity between Sunni and Shiite Muslims and pan-Arabic unity. He was proclaimed King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria on March 7, 1920, but was expelled from the country on July 24 after Syrian forces were defeated by the French in the Battle of Maysalun. Great Britain, which held a mandate in Iraq, created a monarchy and ensured that Faisal became king, taking the throne on August 23, 1921. He died in Bern, Switzerland, where he was receiving his official medical checkup. Cause of death was listed as a heart attack, but there were suspicions that the king had been poisoned. Faisal I was succeeded as King of Iraq by Ġāzī I.

60 years ago
1948

War
Greek and Yugoslavian troops clashed briefly in the Kaimakchalan border area.

Diplomacy
Allied military governors suspended their Berlin negotiations as Soviet planes began holding maneuvers in Western air corridors to Berlin.

Politics and government
Radical Socialist Henri Queuille accepted a request from President Vincent Auriol to form a new French cabinet.

The Socialist Unity Party refused to recognize actions taken by the Berlin City Assembly in the British sector, effectively dividing the city government.

Herman Talmadge won the Georgia Democratic Party gubernatorial primary, defeating Governor Melvin Thompson in a campaign directed against U.S. President Harry Truman's civil rights program.

Medicine
Yale University medical school reported the development of a rubberized nylon respirator to replace the iron lung for polio victims.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board ordered member banks to increase reserves on demand deposits by 2% and on time deposits by 1 1/2%, an anti-inflationary move designed to take $2 billion out of the economy.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare)--Domenico Modugno (Best Seller--3rd week at #1; Hot 100--3rd week at #1)

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Bird Dog--The Everly Brothers (2nd week at #1)
2 Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare)--Domenico Modugno
3 Susie Darlin'--Robin Luke
4 King Creole (EP)--Elvis Presley
5 Little Star--The Elegants
6 My True Love--Jack Scott
7 Born Too Late--The Poni-Tails
8 The Wizard/Are You Really Mine--Jimmie Rodgers
9 Poor Little Fool--Ricky Nelson
10 It's All in the Game--Tommy Edwards

Singles entering the chart were It's Only Make Believe by Conway Twitty (#19); Topsy II by Cozy Cole (#44); Down the Aisle of Love by the Quin-Tones (#45); La Do Dada by Dale Hawkins (#52); Promise Me Love by Andy Williams (#55); The End by Earl Grant (#56); Blue Ribbon Baby by Tommy Sands (#58); and Win Your Love for Me by Sam Cooke (#59).

War
Communist Chinese forces resumed their bombardment of Quemoy from the mainland, sinking Nationalist supply vessels as they approached the island.

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. Premier Nikita Khrushchev, upholding Communist China's right to all Nationalist-held territory and to China's seat in the United Nations, warned in a letter to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower that "an attack on the People's Republic of China...is an attack on the Soviet Union."

Defense
The U.S.A. announced the conclusion of its current Pacific Ocean nuclear test series, following the explosion of 16 nuclear devices.

Politics and government
Pakistan assumed control of the 300-square-mile Gwadar peninsula on the Gulf of Oman, following cession of the area by Sultan Said bin Taimur of Muscat and Oman.

Maine Governor Edmund Muskie (Democrat) defeated incumbent Senator Frederick Payne (Republican), becoming the first Democratic candidate to win a U.S. Senate seat in Maine by popular election.

Academia
A U.S. district court in New Orleans ordered Louisiana State University to stop discriminating against Negroes.

Olympics
The International Olympic Committee barred the People's Republic of China from the 1960 Olympic Games.

Football
CFL
WIFU
Calgary (4-1) 28 @ Edmonton (3-3) 32

Normie Kwong rushed for 2 touchdowns, including one with 9:20 remaining in the 4th quarter, as the Eskimos outscored the Stampeders 15-0 in the 4th quarter at Clarke Stadium. Mr. Kwong's 4th quarter TD was set up by a 44-yard pass from Johnny Bright to Don Flynn. Mr. Bright and Jackie Parker scored the other Edmonton TDs. Calgary defensive back Harvey Wylie returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter.

40 years ago
1968

War
Israeli and Egyptian forces fought a four-hour artillery duel across the Suez Canal. Israel reported 10 soldiers killed and 17 wounded, while 5 Egyptian soldiers and 6 Egyptian civilians were killed, with 12 soldiers and 30 civilians wounded. Three Egyptian towns were reported heavily damaged.

Defense
France exploded its second hydrogen bomb over its Mururoa Atoll testing ground. The next day, France announced the end of the two-month test series, which had included three atomic and two thermonuclear explosions.

Canadiana
The renovated birthplace of Dr. John McCrae, author of In Flanders Fields, opened in Guelph, Ontario.

Society
The first of 10,000 refugees from the August 21, 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia arrived in Canada under a four-month program.

Golf
Gary Player won the World Series of Golf in a playoff in Akron, Ohio. First prize money was $50,000.

Billy Casper won the Greater Hartford Open with a total score of 266. First prize money was $20,000.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (3-3) 20 @ Toronto (3-3) 6
Montreal (3-2) 21 @ Winnipeg (1-6) 15
Edmonton (3-4-1) 10 @ Calgary (5-3) 8

Willie Bethea rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown to help the Tiger-Cats defeat the Argonauts before a capacity crowd of 33,135 at CNE Stadium. Toronto linebacker Dick Aldridge broke his leg on the first play of the game and missed the rest of the season, while Hamilton linebacker Roy Davis played his first CFL game.

Carroll Williams completed a touchdown pass to Andy Walton in the 2nd quarter and to Dennis Duncan and Donnie Davis in the 4th quarter to lead the Alouettes over the Blue Bombers before 21,500 fans at Winnipeg Stadium for their third straight win. It was the only CFL game for Montreal running back Johnny Brunson, who rushed 3 times for 4 yards and lost a fumble.

Ian MacLeod returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter to help the Eskimos come back from an 8-0 deficit to edge the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium. Rookie Charlie Fulton replaced Frank Cosentino at quarterback for the Eskimos, but produced only 105 yards net offense. Including this game, the Eskimos had scored just 23 points and one offensive touchdown in their past four games.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (9th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Dancing in the City--Marshall Hain

#1 single in France (IFOP): Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees (2nd week at #1)

At the movies
Almost Summer, directed by Martin Davidson and starring Bruno Kirby, Lee Purcell, Tim Matheson, and Didi Conn, opened in theatres.

Died on this date
Pancho Vladigerov, 79. Bulgarian musician and composer. Mr. Vladigerov was a pianist who became perhaps the most influential Bulgarian composer ever, although his works are largely unknown outside his own country. Mr. Vladigerov composed in various genres, with his best-known works being Vardar Rhapsody and his symphony Jewish Poem (1950).

World events
In response to the previous day's demonstrations demanding the return of exiled Islamic leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to Iran, martial law was declared in Iran, and soldiers opened fire on demonstrators protesting against martial law, resulting in 700–3000 deaths.

Disasters
Monsoon floods in India had killed a reported 1,000 people, and officials predicted that the situation would get worse.

Football
CIAU
British Columbia (1-1) 14 @ Calgary (2-0) 29

Darrell Moir and Grant Newell each scored 2 touchdowns for the Dinosaurs as they beat the Thunderbirds before 4,000-5,000 fans at McMahon Stadium. John MacKay rushed 1 yard for the first UBC touchdown in the 2nd quarter and Chris Davies scored the other UBC TD in the 4th quarter on a 9-yard pass from Dan Smith. Rookie Calgary running back Pat McCune carried 20 times for 91 yards.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
Canada's Top 30
1 Maniac--Michael Sembello
2 China Girl--David Bowie
3 She Works Hard for the Money--Donna Summer
4 Rock and Roll is King--Electric Light Orchestra
5 Human Nature--Michael Jackson
6 Tell Her About It--Billy Joel
7 I'll Tumble 4 Ya--Culture Club
8 Human Touch--Rick Springfield
9 Take Me to Heart--Quarterflash
10 Video Kids--Prototype
11 Fascination--The Human League
12 (She's) Sexy and Seventeen--The Stray Cats
13 Don't Cry--Asia
14 1999--Prince
15 It's a Mistake--Men at Work
16 Through the Years--Tim Finn
17 Mistake--Michael Sembello
18 Making Love Out of Nothing at All--Air Supply
19 Far From Over--Frank Stallone
20 Lawyers in Love--Jackson Browne
21 Kiss the Bride--Elton John
22 Never Gonna Let You Go--Sergio Mendes
23 I Don't Wanna Dance--Eddy Grant
24 King of Pain--The Police
25 Every Breath You Take--The Police
26 Islands in the Stream--Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
27 Never Said I Loved You--The Payolas and Carole Pope
28 Queen of the Broken Hearts--Loverboy
29 Promises, Promises--Naked Eyes
30 True--Spandau Ballet

War
After it appeared that shells had been aimed intentionally at the U.S. Marine compound in Beirut, a U.S. warship and onshore batteries shelled unidentified artillery positions in the Shouf Mountains, southeast of Beirut.

Diplomacy
At the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko had a chilly exchange. U.S. President Ronald Reagan ordered the Soviet airline Aeroflot to close both its U.S. offices. The move was in retaliation for the September 1 downing of the commercial airliner Korean Air Lines Flight 007, with the loss of all 269 aboard, after it had strayed into Soviet airspace.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Gimme Hope Jo’anna--Eddy Grant (14th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): The Loco-Motion--Kylie Minogue (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
Sylvia Fedoruk was sworn in as Saskatchewan's first woman Lieutenant-Governor.

Baseball
National League President Bart Giamatti was unanimously elected baseball's seventh Commissioner‚ to succeed Peter Ueberroth the following season.

10 years ago
1998

Terrorism
The dissident republican group Real IRA declared their "complete cessation" of violence.

Baseball
Mark McGwire hit his 62nd home run of the season, breaking Roger Maris's major league record for a single season, helping the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 before 43,688 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. J.D. Drew made his major league debut with the Cardinals, batting 0 for 2 and making 3 putouts in left field.



The Pittsburgh Pirates scored 4 runs in the 7th inning and 2 in the 8th to overcome a 7-2 deficit and defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-7 before 7,171 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Rico Brogna, Kevin Sefcik, and Bobby Estalella each hit 2 home runs to help the Philadelphia Phillies rout the New York Mets 16-4 before 18,661 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Marlon Anderson made his major league debut as a pinch hitter with the Phillies in the 7th inning, and hit a 2-run homer in his first major league plate appearance. Mike Kinkade made his major league debut at third base for the Mets, batting 0 for 2, with no fielding chances.

Vinny Castilla hit a 3-run home run in the 3rd inning and then singled home Larry Walker and Darryl Hamilton with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th to give the Colorado Rockies an 11-10 win over the Florida Marlins before 40,047 fans at Coors Field in Denver. Derrick Gibson made a spectacular major league debut in left field for the Rockies, batting 4 for 4 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 runs batted in, and making 1 putout.

Eric Karros drove in Matt Luke with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 11th inning to break a 5-5 tie as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 before 40,262 fans at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. Angel Pena made his major league debut with the Dodgers, singling as a pinch hitter in the 7th.