November 15, 2008

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Ken Powless!

120 years ago
1888

Football
Canadian Dominion Final
Montreal 0 @ Ottawa College 0

The result was ruled a draw.

100 years ago
1908

Died on this date
Cixi, 82. Empress Dowager of China, 1861-1908. Cixi was a concubine of Emperor Xianfeng and gave birth to a sun, Zaichun in 1856, who acceded to the throne in 1861 as Emperor Tongzhi, with Cixi becoming Empress Dowager and co-regent with Empress Dowager Ci'an until Ci'an's death from a brain hemorrhage in 1881. Cixi mained effective control even while other emperors sat on the throne, and historical opinion on her rule is divided, with some regarding her as a ruthless despot, and others regarding her as an effective reformer in her later years. She suffered from ill health and died the day after the death of her nephew Emperor Guangxu, who died of arsenic poisoning after 10 years of house arrest. Cixi succeeded the day before her death in installing 2-year-old Puyi as Guangxu's successor, as Emperor Xuantong.

80 years ago
1928

Politics and government
The Italian Senate voted 181-19, with 2 abstentions, in favour of a government bill giving the Grand Council of the National Fascist Party constitutional status as an integral part of the Italian government. The bill provided that the Grand Council should be consulted on all questions of a constitutional character, such as laws concerning succession to the throne; relations between church and state; international treaties; and changes in the territory of the nation. The head of the government was to be the President of the Grand Council; other members were the Presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies; cabinet ministers; the commander of the militia; and government functionaries of similar importance.

Disasters
The U.K. RNLI lifeboat Mary Stanford capsized in Rye Harbour, England, with the loss of the entire 17-man crew.

60 years ago
1948

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis, on MBS

War
Israel rejected a United Nations Security Council call for demilitarization of the Negev desert. Speaking before the General Assembly's Political Committee, Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Shertok listed his government's peace terms, including a corridor linking the Jewish-controlled section of Jerusalem to the rest of Israel and no readmission of Arab refugees to Palestine until the conclusion of a general peace.

Politics and government
Three months after winning the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, Louis St.Laurent took office as Prime Minister, succeeding Mackenzie King, who retired after serving more than 21 years in the office, a record for the British Empire.



Scandal
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities Chairman J. Parnell Thomas pled not guilty when he was arraigned before a U.S. federal court in Washington on charges of payroll padding.

60 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare)--Domenico Modugno; Dean Martin (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ich bin bald wieder hier--Freddy Quinn (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): When--The Kalin Twins (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Bird Dog--The Everly Brothers (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 It's Only Make Believe--Conway Twitty
2 Tom Dooley--The Kingston Trio
3 Topsy II--Cozy Cole
4 It's All in the Game--Tommy Edwards
5 To Know Him, is to Love Him--The Teddy Bears
6 Chantilly Lace--The Big Bopper
7 I Got Stung--Elvis Presley
8 Tea for Two Cha Cha--The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra starring Warren Covington
9 Lonesome Town--Ricky Nelson
10 Beep Beep--The Playmates

Singles entering the chart were Problems by the Everly Brothers (#42); The World Outside by Roger Williams (#48, charting with the versions by the Four Coins, and the Four Aces); Bimbombey by Jimmie Rodgers (#50); I Want to Be Happy Cha Cha by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra starring Warren Covington (#51, charting with the version by Enoch Light and the Light Brigade); Come Prima, with versions by Tony Dalardo; Polly Bergen; and Domenico Modugno (#71); Jealous Heart by Les Paul and Mary Ford (#73, charting with the versions by Tab Hunter, and the Fontane Sisters); Whole Lotta Loving by Fats Domino (#79); Sweet Little Rock and Roller (#85)/Jo Jo Gunne (#88) by Chuck Berry; Wicked Ruby by Danny Zella and the Zell Rocks (#94); Trumpet Cha-Cha-Cha by the Danny Davis Orchestra (#96); and C'mon Everybody by Eddie Cochran (#98).

Died on this date
Russ Baker, 49. Canadian aviator and executive. Mr. Baker, a native of St. James, Manitoba, was a bush pilot who founded Central British Columbia Airlines in 1945 and served as its first president. The company changed its name to Pacific Western Airlines in 1953. Mr. Baker died of a heart attack.

Tyrone Power, Jr., 44. U.S. actor. Mr. Power, the son of an actor, was one of the most popular stars of the late 1930s and 1940s, particularly in romantic films and swashbucklers. His movies included Lloyd's of London (1936); In Old Chicago (1937); The Rains Came (1939); The Mark of Zorro (1940); Blood and Sand (1941); This Above All (1942); The Black Swan (1942); The Razor's Edge (1946); Nightmare Alley (1947); The Sun Also Rises (1957); and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). Mr. Power died of a heart attack in Madrid at the conclusion of a sword duel with George Sanders during the filming of Solomon and Sheba (1959).

Defense
The U.S. State Department rejected U.S.S.R. treaty proposals presented at Geneva on grounds that they were aimed at "an agreement on permanent cessation of nuclear weapons tests without agreement being reached on a control system necessary to verify the paper pledge." U.S. Atomic Energy Commission consultant Thomas Murray appealed for continued U.S. nuclear testing to develop small nuclear weapons suitable for use in limited wars.

Football
CFL
IRFU
Finals
Hamilton 35 @ Ottawa 7 (First game of 2-game total points series)

WIFU
Finals
Winnipeg 30 @ Edmonton 7 (Winnipeg led best-of-three series 1-0)

Bernie Faloney completed 14 of 24 passes for 303 yards and touchdowns of 69 yards to Milt Campbell, 55 yards to Ron Howell, and 11 yards to Harry Lampman to lead the Tiger-Cats over the Rough Riders at Lansdowne Park. Gerry McDougall rushed for the other 2 Hamilton TDs.

Jim Van Pelt threw 2 touchdown passes and kicked 4 converts and a single to lead the Blue Bombers over the Eskimos before 17,000 fans at Clarke Stadium. Mr. Van Pelt completed touchdown passes of 25 yards to Ernie Pitts and 72 yards to Leo Lewis, while John Varone rushed 11 times for 58 yards and a pair of 1-yard TDs. Winnipeg scored 15 points in the last 5:40 of the 2nd quarter to take a 16-0 halftime lead. The Eskimos' only scoring came on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Don Getty to Jackie Parker, converted by Joe Mobra, with 45 seconds remaining in the game.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Little Arrows--Leapy Lee

#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Revolution--The Beatles

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Those were the Days--Mary Hopkin (3rd week at #1)
2 Beyond the Clouds--The Poppy Family
3 Abraham, Martin and John--Dion
4 Slip Away--Clarence Carter
5 Little Arrows--Leapy Lee
6 Piece of My Heart--Big Brother and the Holding Company
7 White Room--Cream
8 Love Child--Diana Ross and the Supremes
9 Hey Jude/Revolution--The Beatles
10 1432 Franklin Pike Circle Hero--Bobby Russell

Singles entering the chart were With a Little Help from My Friends by Joe Cocker (#25); I Put a Spell on You by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#26); Stormy by Classics IV (#29); and Both Sides Now by the Johnstons (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Hey Jude/Revolution--The Beatles (10th week at #1)
2 Little Arrows--Leapy Lee
3 White Room--Cream
4 Those were the Days--Mary Hopkin
5 Fire--Arthur Brown
6 Love Child--Diana Ross and the Supremes
7 Piece of My Heart--Big Brother and the Holding Company
8 All Along the Watchtower--The Jimi Hendrix Experience
9 The Straight Life--Bobby Goldsboro
10 Wichita Lineman--Glen Campbell

Died on this date
Tuffy Griffiths, 61. U.S. boxer. Gerald Griffiths fought in various divisions as he gained weight, eventually fighting as a heavyweight. He compiled a record of 71-12-4 in a professional career from 1922-1933, losing to future world heavyweight champions Jim Braddock in 1928 and Max Baer in 1932. Mr. Griffiths spent his last years at a Veterans Administration hospital in Sheridan, Wyoming.

Terrorism
An FLQ bomb exploded on Rue d'Iberville in Montréal.

Agriculture
Canada announced the sale of 58.5 million bushels of wheat to Communist China, bringing the amount purchased under a three-year contract between the countries ending July 31, 1969 to 235 million bushels.

Transportation
The Cleveland Transit System became the first transit system in the western hemisphere to provide direct rapid transit service from a city's downtown to its major airport.

Economics and finance
Canadian aid to Biafra ended after 11 air relief trips; Canadian families and institutions were allowed to return.

Boxing
At Madison Square Garden in New York, former world lightweight champion Ismael Laguna (56-5-1) won a 10-round majority decision over Romano Blanco (22-5), while former world welterweight champion Luis Rodriguez (90-7), fighting as a middleweight, won a 10-round unanimous decision over Joe Shaw (30-5-3).

40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Rat Trap--The Boomtown Rats (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Margaret Mead, 76. U.S. anthropologist. Dr. Mead influenced the sexual revolution and feminist movement through books such as Coming of Age in Samoa (1928) and Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies (1935), popularizing the ideas that sexual morality and sex roles were largely influenced by culture. She was a pioneer among anthropologists in living with native peoples in order to study them.

Disasters
A chartered Douglas DC-8 crashed just short of the Colombo, Sri Lanka airport, killing 183 people, mostly Muslim pilgrims returning to Indonesia from Mecca.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 2 @ Buffalo 2

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Bring Me Edelweiss--Edelweiss

Died on this date
Ieronymos I, 83. Greek clergyman. Ieronymos I, born Ieronymos Kotsonis, was Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece Archbishop of Athens and All Greece from 1967-1973. He led the church during the years that Greece was governed by a military junta, and was widely regarded as representing the junta. Archbishop Ieronymos I resigned on December 15, 1973, and was succeeded by Seraphim.

Space
The unmanned Soviet space shuttle Buran made its only flight. It launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, made two Earth orbits, and landed just a few metres from its target.

World events
The Palestine National Council, meeting in Algiers, proclaimed the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The PNC, the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization, also voted to accept United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 as the basis for a peace conference to resolve the Palestinian question. Resolution 242 (1967) called on Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territories and recognized the right of all states in the region "to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Resolution 338 called for negotiations to implement Resolution 242. The PLO had previously resisted accepting Resolution 242 because it would imply recognition of Israel. The PNC plan ultimately envisioned a confederation between the states of Jordan and Palestine. The PNC also rejected "terrorism in all its forms."

Diplomacy
Meeting in Geneva, negotiators from the U.S.A., Cuba, South Africa, and Angola agreed on a timetable for the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola and independence for Namibia, which was under the control of South Africa. It was reported that under the plan Cuba would withdraw its 50,000 troops over a period of 27 months. However, no cease-fire was agreed to between the Angolan government and rebels led by Jonas Savimbi, who were backed by South Africa and the United States.

Business
The first Fairtrade label, Max Havelaar, was launched in the Netherlands.

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Stokely Carmichael, 57. Trinidadian-born U.S. activist. Mr. Carmichael, who moved to New York at the age of 11, became one of the leading Negro civil rights activists in the United States in the 1960s. He participated in the freedom rides in Mississippi, and was arrested several dozen times. Mr. Carmichael served as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee from 1966-1967, after which he increasingly advocated "Black Power," a phrase and principle he helped to popularize. Mr. Carmichael became associated with the Black Panther criminal organization, which attracted the enmity of moderate activists as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He married South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba in 1968, and the couple moved to Guinea in 1969. Mr. Carmichael adopted the name Kwame Ture in honour of former Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah and Guinean President Ahmed Sékou Touré, and spent his later years promoting pan-Africanism. Mr. Carmichael died after a two-year battle with prostate cancer.

Defense
The U.K. and U.S.A. called back their bombers after Iraq agreed to allow United Nations weapons inspectors back into the country.

Football
CFL
Eastern Final
Montreal 20 @ Hamilton 22

The Alouettes trailed 19-1, but rallied to take the lead on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Tracy Ham to Mac Cody, converted by Terry Baker, with 24 seconds remaining in regulation time. Hamilton quarterback Danny McManus drove the Tiger-Cats to the Montreal 47-yard line, and Paul Osbaldiston kicked a 54-yard field goal on the final play to win the game before 25,731 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium.



Western Final
Edmonton 10 @ Calgary 33

Jeff Garcia passed for 448 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Stampeders over the Eskimos before 31,121 fans at McMahon Stadium. David Archer, in his final game, played the entire game at quarterback for the Eskimos, but failed to produce a touchdown. It was also the final game for Kay Stephenson as Edmonton's head coach.



CIAU
Dunsmore Cup
Laval 12 @ Concordia 17 (OT)

Jason Casey returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown to provide the winning margin for the Stingers as they defeated the Rouge et Or at Concordia Stadium in Montreal in a game that was played over two days. The game had begun the previous day and was tied 10-10 after 2 overtime periods, but Concordia Stadium lacked lights, and it was too dark for further play. Head coaches Jacques Chapdelaine of Laval and Pat Sheahan of Concordia agreed to finish the game the following day by playing two 10-minute halves.