November 3, 2008

540 years ago
1468

War
Liège was sacked by Charles I of Burgundy's troops.

170 years ago
1838

War
Hunters Lodges (Frères Chasseurs), republican rebels backed by American sympathizers, who wanted to keep the Rebellion of 1837 alive, mobilized in towns around Montréal such as Ste-Martine, St-Mathias and St-Constant (where they disarmed a body of Loyalists). At Beauharnois they attacked the steamer Henry Brougham

Journalism
The Times of India, the world's largest circulated English language daily broadsheet newspaper, was founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.

160 years ago
1848

Politics and government
A greatly-revised Dutch constitution, drafted by Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, severely limiting the powers of the Dutch monarchy and strengthening the powers of parliament and ministers, was proclaimed.

150 years ago
1868

Politics and government
Republican Party candidate U.S. Grant was elected President of the United States, taking 214 electoral votes (52.7% of the popular vote) to 80 electoral votes (47.3% of the popular vote) for Democratic Party candidate Horatio Seymour, with Schuyler Colfax winning election as Vice President. John Willis Menard (Republican) became the first Negro elected to the United States Congress, winning a special election in Louisiana's 2nd District in the House of Representatives; because of an electoral challenge, he was never seated.

125 years ago
1883

Football
ORFU
Semi-Final
Ottawa 20 Hamilton 7 @ Toronto

120 years ago
1888

Football
ORFU
London declined in favour of Ottawa Rough Riders.

Final
Ottawa College 10 Ottawa Rough Riders 2

110 years ago
1898

Diplomacy
France withdrew its troops from Fashoda (now in Sudan), ending the Fashoda Incident, which threatened war between France and the United Kingdom.

100 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Bronko Nagurski. Canadian-born U.S. football player and wrestler. Mr. Nagurski, a native of Rainy River, Ontario, moved with his family to International Falls, Minnesota at the age of 5. He played fullback and defensive tackle with the University of Minnesota from 1927-1929 and the Chicago Bears from 1930-1937, helping the Bears win National Football League championships in 1932 and 1933. Mr. Nagurski wrestled professionally in his off-seasons, holding the National Wrstling Association world heavyweight title from 1939-1940. In 1943, Mr. Nagurski came out of retirement to play tackle with the Bears; in the last quarter of the last game of the season, he was moved to fullback, and rushed 16 times for 84 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for another touchdown a week later as the Bears beat the Washingotn Redskins 41-21 to win the NFL championship in his final game. Mr. Nagurski was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1963 as a charter member; his son Bronko, Jr. was an offensive tackle with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League from 1959-1966. Bronko Nagurski, Sr. died on January 7, 1990 at the age of 81.

Giovanni Leone. Prime Minister of Italy, 1963, 1968; 6th President of Italy, 1971-1978. Mr. Leone, a Christian Democrat, sat in the Chamber of Deputies from 1948-1963, and was President of the Chamber from 1955-1963, followed immediately by six months as Prime Minister from June-December 1963. He was made a Life Senator in 1967 and served as Prime Minister again from June-December 1968. Mr. Leone was elected President by the Parliament in 1971, and served until he was forced to resign in June 1978 over unproven allegations of involvement in bribery by Lockheed Aircraft of Italian politicians to purchase Hercules planes for the military. Mr. Leone died on November 9, 2001, six days after his 93rd birthday.

Politics and government
Republican Party candidate William Howard Taft was elected President of the United States, taking 321 electoral votes (51.2% of the popular vote) to 162 electoral votes (43.0% of the popular vote) for Democratic Party candidate William Jennings Bryan, who was his party's unsuccessful nominee for the third and last time. Socialist Party candidate Eugene V. Debs received 2.4% of the popular vote and Prohibition Party candidate Eugene Chafin received 1.7%, but neither received any electoral votes. Mr. Taft's vice presidential running mate was James S. Sherman. In congressional elections, the Republicans lost five seats to the Democrats in the House of Representatives, but maintained a 219-172 majority.

Religion
The Roman Catholic Church declared that it would no longer consider Canada as a country for missionary activities.

90 years ago
1918

War
Austria-Hungary entered into the Armistice of Villa Giusti with the Allies, and the Habsburg-ruled empire dissolved.

Protest
The German Revolution of 1918–19 began when 40,000 sailors took over the port in Kiel.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
C.D.B. Collyer; Harry Tucker. U.S. aviators. Captain Collyer and Mr. Tucker, who had flown from New York to Los Angeles just over a week earlier in a record 24 hours 51 minutes, attempted to set the record on the flight from Los Angeles to Mineola, New York in their monoplane Yankee Doodle. They were killed at dusk, in rain and fog, when the plane dashed against the side of Crook Canyon, south of Prescott, Arizona.

Football
IRFU
Hamilton (5-0) 8 @ Montreal (2-3) 6
Toronto (1-3-1) 1 @ Ottawa (1-3-1) 1

3,500 fans at the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association Grounds saw the Tigers beat the Winged Wheelers in mud and rain.

2,500 fans at Lansdowne Park saw the Senators tie the Argonauts.

ARU
University of Alberta (2-2) 19 @ Calgary (1-3) 12

Mr. Barnett scored 2 touchdowns and Freddie Hess added a touchdown and a field goal for the U of A as they beat the Tigers before 2,000 fans at Hillhurst Park.

70 years ago
1938

Politics and government
Carl Hayden (Democrat) was re-elected to a third term representing Arizona in the United States Senate, taking 76.5% of the vote to defeat Republican Party challenger Burt Clingan.

60 years ago
1948

Journalism
The Chicago Daily Tribune published the erroneous headline "Dewey Defeats Truman" in its early morning edition shortly after incumbent U.S. President Harry S. Truman officially upset the heavily-favoured Republican Party challenger Thomas Dewey in the presidential election.

Crime
Narayan Vinayak Godse, who had assassinated Indian Hindu nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi on January 30, 1948, claimed at his trial in New Delhi that he had killed Mr. Gandhi "for the benefit of humanity" to frustrate reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims.

Economics and finance
Prices on the New York Stock Exchange fell 1-6 points in heavy trading, with the decline attributed to the re-election of President Truman.

The U.S.S.R. and Hungary concluded a one year, $150-million trade agreement for exchange of Soviet raw materials for Hungarian industrial goods and food products.

Labour
The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission ordered General Electric to withdraw recognition from the United Electrical Workers as a bargaining agent for workers in restricted nuclear projects due to "alleged Communist affiliation" of some union officials.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): It's All in the Game--Tommy Edwards (6th week at #1)

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Tom Dooley--The Kingston Trio (2nd week at #1)
2 Topsy II--Cozy Cole
3 It's All in the Game--Tommy Edwards
4 The Day the Rains Came--Jane Morgan
--Raymond Lefevre and his Orchestra
5 The End--Earl Grant
6 Chantilly Lace--The Big Bopper
7 Queen of the Hop--Bobby Darin
8 Look Who's Blue--Don Gibson
9 Mexican Hat Rock--The Applejacks
10 Poor Boy--The Royaltones

Singles entering the chart were Beep Beep by the Playmates (#25); Love is All We Need by Tommy Edwards (#27); I Got Stung/One Night by Elvis Presley (#29); Cannonball by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#31); Fallin' by Connie Francis (#40); Cimarron by Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (#43); A Lover's Question by Clyde McPhatter (#50); That Old Black Magic by Louis Prima and Keely Smith (#52); The Mocking Bird by the Four Lads (#54); The World Outside, with versions by the Four Aces; and the Four Coins (#55); Jealous Heart by Tab Hunter (#57); Flamingo L'Amore by the Gaylords (#58); All Alone by Terri Stevens (#59); and White Bucks and Saddle Shoes by Bobby Pedrick, Jr. (#60).

Literature
U.K. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's Memoirs were published by World Press.

War
In the heaviest bombardment in two months, Communist Chinese shore batteries hurled 38,678 shells at Nationalist-held Quemoy and Matsu.

The United Nations General Assembly's Political Committee approved the continuation of UN Emergency Force operations on the Israeli-Egyptian Gaza border.

Defense
U.K. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan rejected the French proposal for a U.S.-U.K.-French political directorate to coordinate North Atlantic Treaty Organization policies.

Politics and government
Former Finance Minister Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez took office as President of Chile.

40 years ago
1968

Died on this date
Vern Stephens, 48. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Stephens, nicknamed "Junior," was a shortstop, and later, a third baseman, with the St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles (1941-1947, 1953-1955); Boston Red Sox (1948-1952); and Chicago White Sox (1953, 1955), batting .286 with 247 home runs and 1,174 runs batted in in 1,720 games, and displaying a strong throwing arm. He led the American League in home runs in 1945 and in runs batted in in 1944, tying for the AL lead in 1949 and 1950; his 159 RBIs in 1959 remains a single-season record for a shortstop. Mr. Stephens has acquired a reputation as a player whose drinking shortened his career, but that characterization has been disputed. Mr. Stephens had a fatal heart attack on a golf course.

Disasters
Three days of floods and landslides in northwestern Italy resulted in more than 100 deaths.

One person was killed and 10 injured when an earthquake struck southwestern Yugoslavia.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (9-3-2) 31 @ Toronto (9-5) 9
Calgary (10-6) 24 @ Winnipeg (3-13) 28

Russ Jackson handed off to Bo Scott for a 1-yard touchdown run, passed 21 yards to Whit Tucker for a touchdown, and rushed 1 yard for a TD of his own to lead the Rough Riders over the Argonauts before a sellout crowd of 33,135 at CNE Stadium, clinching first place in the Eastern Football Conference. Allan Ray Aldridge scored the only Toronto touchdown on a 99-yard fumble return, the second-longest fumble return in CFL history to that date.

Don Gilbert made an interception late in the game to help preserve the Blue Bombers' win over the Stampeders before 12,000 fans at Winnipeg Stadium on Kenny Ploen Appreciation Day. Ernie Pitts, who had broken into the CFL with the Blue Bombers with Mr. Ploen in 1957 and had caught many of the quarterback's passes before moving to defensive back, made his seventh interception of the season to help the Winnipeg cause. Recently-acquired quarterback Ron Vander Kelen, a former Minnesota Viking, played the entire game at quarterback for Calgary, completing 13 of 27 passes for 179 yards, with 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions, while rushing 5 times for 10 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ken Nielsen of the Blue Bombers finished the season with 1,031 yards receiving, second to he 1,306 of Calgary tight end Herman Harrison. Calgary flanker Terry Evanshen went over the magic mark with his last catch of the season, ending up with 1,002 yards. The Stampeders came within 41 yards of becoming the first CFL team to have three 1,000-yard receivers in one season as Bob McCarthy finished with 959 yards.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Substitute--Clout (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (8th week at #1)

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. and Vietnam signed in Moscow a 25-year pact of friendship and mutual aid. The treaty was seen as a warning to China, two days after a border incident between China and Vietnam.

Caribbeana
Dominica gained its independence from the United Kingdom.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 3 Vancouver 1

25 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Alfredo Antonini, 82. Italian-born U.S. conductor and composer. Mr. Antonini began his career as an organist and pianist in his native Italy before emigrating to the United States in 1929. He conducted various orchestras in radio broadcasts, recordings, and concerts from the 1940s through the '70s. His eight compositions included tone poems and chamber works. Mr. Antonini died during heart surgery.

War
Syrian-supported rebels, seeking to overthrow Yasser Arafat as leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, launched a tank and artillery attack on his strongholds on the outskirts of Tripoli, Lebanon.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald Reagan named former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as his new special envoy to the Middle East.

Politics and government
Rev. Jesse Jackson announced his candidacy for the 1984 Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States, becoming the first Negro male to make a serious bid for the presidential nomination of a major party.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Domino Dancing--Pet Shop Boys (5th week at #1)

World events
Sri Lankan Tamil mercenaries tried to overthrow the Maldivian government. At President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's request, the Indian military suppressed the coup attempt within 24 hours.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher began a visit to Poland. In meetings with Polish leaders she reportedly rejected a plea for British economic assistance. At a state dinner, Mrs. Thatcher called for more freedom in Poland and throughout eastern Europe.

Protest
20,000 students in South Korea took to the streets, calling for the arrest of former President Chun Doo Hwan for corruption.

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Bob Kane, 83. U.S. artist. Mr. Kane, born Robert Kahn, was a comic book artist who, with writer Bill Finger, co-created the character Batman in 1939 for Detective Comics.

Literature
Canadian authoress Alice Munro won the $25,000 Giller Prize for fiction.

Politics and government
United States Senate elections resulted in no change in the balance of power. Democrats won 19 of 34 seats up for election, leaving the Republicans with a 55-45 majority. In the House of Representatives, Democrats gained five seats, while the Republicans lost four and a seat held by an independent went to the Democrats, leaving the Republicans with a 223-211 majority, with one seat still held by an independent. Gubernatorial elections in 36 states and two territories resulted in a net loss of one for the Republicans, with the difference coming in Minnesota, where Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura was elected. Republicans still held a majority of 32-17 in state governorships, with an independent in addition to Mr. Ventura. One notable defeated incumbent was Fob James (Republican) in Alabama, an opponent of legalized gambling; he was defeated by Democratic opponent Don Siegelman, who had the backing of gambling interests.