October 20, 2008

440 years ago
1568

War
Forces of the Spanish Duke of Alba defeated a Dutch rebel force under William the Silent in the Battle of Jodoigne in what is now Belgium.

190 years ago
1818

Diplomacy
The United Kingdom and the United States signed the Convention of 1818, aka the Treaty of Joint Occupation of Oregon, aka the Treaty of London, to improve relations in the wake of the War of 1812. They agreed that their mutual boundary should run westward from the Lake of Woods (in Minnesota), along the 49th parallel of north latitude to the Rocky Mountains. They also signed a North American Fishing Convention which restored U.S. fishing and curing rights around the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Article 3 provided for joint control of the Oregon country.

125 years ago
1883

Football
ORFU
Round 2
Ottawa 17 @ Queen's College 0

120 years ago
1888

Baseball
World Series
St. Louis Browns 4 @ New York Giants 6 (8 innings) (New York led best-of-ten series 4-1)

The Giants trailed 6-3 after 7 1/2 innings but rallied for 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th, after which the game was called because of darkness. Tim Keefe pitched his third complete game victory of the series, while Silver King pitched his third complete game loss. 9,124 fans were in attendance at the Polo Grounds.

80 years ago
1928

Americana
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon visited inventor Thomas Edison at his laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey and presented him with a gold medal which Congress had awarded him. President Calvin Coolidge said to Mr. Edison over the radio: "Noble, kindly servant of the United States and benefactor of mankind, may you long be spared to continue your work and to inspire those who will carry forward your torch." The Charge d'Affaires of the British Embassy was on hand to return the first phonograph--a box with a horn and wax cylinder--which Mr. Edison had made 45 years earlier and then lent to the South Kensington Museum in London.

Protest
Charles Smith of New York, President of the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism, went on a hunger strike in the Little Rock, Arkansas City Jail, protesting the "injustice of refusing an American the right to testify in his own behalf." He went there to campaign against a proposed anti-evolution amendment, and refused to pay when fined for allegedly distributing circulars which proclaimed "The Bible is a lie" and "God is a ghost." Article 19:1 of the Arkansas Constitution reads: "No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court." Mr. Smith ended his hunger strike on November 1 after his fine was paid by an admirer.

Football
ARU
Calgary (1-1) 1 @ University of Alberta (1-2) 18

Freddy Hess scored 11 points on a touchdown, field goal, and 3 singles to lead the U of A over the Tigers at Varsity Stadium in Edmonton. Gus Runge scored the game's first touchdown for the U of A in the 1st quarter.

WCIRU
Saskatchewan (1-2) 9 @ Manitoba (1-1) 14

60 years ago
1948

Theatre
Life with Mother by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, and co-starring Mr. Lindsay, opened at the Empire Theatre on Broadway in New York.

Literature
Roosevelt and Hopkins by Robert Sherwood, a history of the World War II years reconstructed from the private notes of U.S. presidential aide Harry Hopkins, was published in New York by Harper.

Died on this date
W. Marvin Smith, 53. U.S. lawyer. Mr. Smith was an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice who worked with accused Soviet spy Alger Hiss in the Justice Dept. in the mid-1930s, and notarized the sale of Mr. Hiss's car to William Rosen in 1936. Mr. Rosen, in testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities on August 26 and September 9, 1948, denied that the signature on the transfer of the car's title was his, contrary to Mr. Smith's earlier brief testimony; Mr. Smith had kept no formal record of the transaction. Mr. Smith reportedly became "unusually depressed" before being found dead at the bottom of a staircase in the Justice Building in Washington after a five-storey fall. His widow expressed the opinion that Mr. Smith's death had been an accident.

War
Communist forces in China took the Manchurian capital of Changchun after a year-long siege.

World events
Communist soldiers and civilians staged a revolt in the South Korean port of Yosu and nearby Sunchon, gaining control over the surrounding area.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): It's All in the Game--Tommy Edwards (4th week at #1)

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Topsy II--Cozy Cole (2nd week at #1)
2 It's All in the Game--Tommy Edwards
3 Tom Dooley--The Kingston Trio
4 Bird Dog--The Everly Brothers
5 It's Only Make Believe--Conway Twitty
6 The Day the Rains Came--Jane Morgan
--Raymond Lefevre and his Orchestra
7 Chantilly Lace--The Big Bopper
8 The End--Earl Grant
9 For My Good Fortune/Gee, But it's Lonely--Pat Boone
10 Rockin' Robin--Bobby Day

Singles entering the chart were Gee, But it's Lonely; I'll Remember Tonight by Pat Boone (#51); Leave Me Alone by Dicky Do and the Dont's (#56); Mr. Success by Frank Sinatra (#57); Letter to an Angel/A Part of Me by Jimmy Clanton (#58); and I'll Wait for You by Frankie Avalon (#60).

World events
Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat reassumed power in Thailand in a bloodless coup carried out with the consent of Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn's cabinet.

Cuban guerrillas kidnapped two U.S. and seven Cuban employees of the Texas Oil Company refinery near Santiago de Cuba.

Defense
The first British troops to withdraw from Jordan left the Red Sea port of Aqaba.

Politics and government
S.A. Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd announced the formation of an enlarged Nationalist cabinet.

Protest
13 Negroes were arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for defying a week-old city ordinance giving bus drivers the right to assign passengers to seats.

Economics and finance
Six European Common Market nations proposed the establishment of a free trade zone by the end of 1958 to conform with the first tariff cuts scheduled by the Common Market treaty.

Football
CFL
WIFU
Saskatchewan (6-7-1) 15 @ Winnipeg (11-3) 21

Charlie Shepard rushed 1 yard for a touchdown--his second of the 2nd half--on a third-down gamble with 50 seconds remaining in the game to give the Blue Bombers their win over the Roughriders at Winnipeg Stadium, clinching first place for Winnipeg. Saskatchewan led 14-0 at halftime on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Frank Tripucka to Jack Hill and a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown by Mike Hagler after taking a lateral from Harry Lunn, both converted by Mr. Hill. Ron Latourelle rushed 7 yards for the first Winnipeg TD in the 3rd quarter. Winnipeg quarterback Jim Van Pelt completed 15 of 24 passes for 200 yards and converted all 3 touchdowns. The Blue Bombers rushed for 222 yards.

Baseball
Nippon Series
Nishitetsu Lions 2 @ Yomiuri Giants 0 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

40 years ago
1968

Married on this date
Former U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, 39, married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, 62, in a Greek Orthodox ceremony on his private island of Skorpios off the Greek coast.

Olympics
In one of the grand showdowns of Olympic history, Kip Keino of Kenya defeated world record-holder Jim Ryun of the United States in the men's 1,500-metre final run at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City. Running at an altitude where he was comfortable, Mr. Keino blazed to an Olympic mark of 3:34.9, almost two seconds behind Mr. Ryun's record, but finished 20 metres ahead of him.



Dick Fosbury of the United States won the gold medal in the men's high jump competition with an Olympic record jump of 7 feet 4 1/4 inches in Mexico City.



Football
CFL
Montreal (3-9) 25 @ Toronto (8-4) 29
Calgary (9-5) 13 @ Edmonton (7-6-1) 14

Wally Gabler completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Al Irwin with 2 seconds remaining in the game to give the Argonauts their win over the Alouettes before 21,142 fans at CNE Stadium. Mr. Gabler, Mel Profit, and Bill Symons scored the other Toronto touchdowns. It was the Argonauts' seventh straight win, and eliminated the Alouettes from playoff contention.

Larry Robinson missed a convert on Bob McCarthy's touchdown with 4:29 remaining in the game, allowing the Eskimos to defeat the Stampeders before 19,231 fans at Clarke Stadium. The touchdown, on a 14-yard pass from Peter Liske, was Mr. McCarthy's second of the game; his first came on a 16-yard pass from Mr. Liske with 2:44 remaining in the 2nd quarter, with Mr. Robinson converting to give Calgary a 7-4 halftime lead. Jim Thomas scored the only Edmonton touchdown on a 59-yard rush at 4:35 of the 3rd quarter; Peter Kempf converted and kicked a 33-yard field goal in the 1st quarter and a 46-yard FG with 11:23 remaining in the game. Randy Kerbow punted 47 yards for a single on the last play of the 1st quarter for the other Edmonton point. Mr. Thomas rushed 9 times for 106 yards and caught 3 passes for 8 yards, while backfield mate Charlie Fulton added 71 yards on 7 carries and Thermus Butler rushed 12 times for 52 yards and caught 4 passes for 39 yards.

Baseball
Nippon Series
Hankyu Braves 5 @ Yomiuri Giants 7 (Yomiuri won best-of-seven series 4-2)

30 years ago
1978

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

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Substitute--Clout

#1 single in France (IFOP): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Gunnar Nilsson, 29. Swedish auto racing driver. Mr. Nilsson entered 32 Formula One races from 1976-1977, winning the 1977 Belgian Grand Prix. He died after a year-long battle with cancer.

War
Soldiers from Saudi Arabia replaced Syrian soldiers at two key positions in Christian East Beirut. Through control of gun emplacements on hills surrounding Beirut, Syria retained the ability to shell Christian neighbourhoods if new fighting were to erupt. The replacement had been arranged at a meeting in Beirut of the foreign ministers of six Arab nations that provided men and money for the peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

Economics and government
The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 838.01, a drop of 59.08 for the week.

A Japanese trade organization reported that China's foreign trade had increased 44% during the first six months of 1978 compared to the first six months of 1977.

Business
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company agreed to replace 10 million of its "500" steel-belted radial tires; it was estimated that the recall would cost the company between $100 million-$200 million.

Hockey
WHA
Birmingham (1-2) 2 @ Cincinnati (2-1-1) 5
Edmonton (2-1) 4 @ Indianapolis (2-1-1) 3

Indianapolis centre Wayne Gretzky scored his first 2 professional goals, 34 seconds apart in the 2nd period, against Edmonton goalie Dave Dryden as the Oilers edged the Racers before 6,386 fans at Market Square Arena. Clare Alexander, Dennis Sobchuk, and Al Hamilton scored for the Oilers in the last 12 minutes of the 3rd period as they came back from a 3-1 deficit. Edmonton's Bill Goldsworthy opened the scoring in the 1st period, and Rich Leduc tied it for Indianapolis later in the period. The Oilers outshot the Racers 47-17, as Indianapolis goalie Eddie Mio made 43 saves.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
Canada's top 30 (Weekly Music Magazine)
1 King of Pain--The Police
2 I Don't Wanna Dance--Eddy Grant
3 True--Spandau Ballet
4 Making Love out of Nothing at All--Air Supply
5 Promises, Promises--Naked Eyes
6 One Thing Leads to Another--The Fixx
7 Islands in the Stream--Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton
8 Lawyers in Love--Jackson Browne
9 Delirious--Prince
10 Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)--Sheena Easton
11 All Night Long (All Night)--Lionel Richie
12 What am I Gonna Do?--Rod Stewart
13 How am I Supposed to Live Without You?--Laura Branigan
14 Modern Love--David Bowie
15 Tell Her About It--Billy Joel
16 Kiss the Bride--Elton John
17 If Anyone Falls--Stevie Nicks
18 I Never Said I Loved You--Payola$ with Carole Pope
19 Queen of the Broken Hearts--Loverboy
20 Sitting at the Wheel--The Moody Blues
21 All I Need--Toronto
22 Suddenly Last Summer--The Motels
23 It Must Be Love--Madness
24 Don't Forget to Dance--The Kinks
25 Uptown Girl--Billy Joel
26 Heart and Soul--Huey Lewis and the News
27 Can't Shake Loose--Agnetha Faltskog
28 Love is a Stranger--Eurythmics
29 Love is a Battlefield--Pat Benatar
30 Say, Say, Say--Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Domino Dancing--Pet Shop Boys (3rd week at #1)

Law
The British government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced plans to change the law regarding a suspect's right to remain silent, allowing the prosecution to draw a jury's attention to the suspect's silence and inviting the jury to draw inferences from it.

Protest
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police ended the Lubicon Lake Indian blockade at Little Buffalo Reserve in Alberta, which had been set up to protest unresolved land claims.

Baseball
World Series
Los Angeles Dodgers 5 @ Oakland Athletics 2 (Los Angeles won best-of-seven series 4-1)

Mickey Hatcher hit a 2-run home run in the 1st inning, Mike Davis added a 2-run homer in the 4th, and Orel Hershiser pitched a 4-hit complete game, recording 9 strikeouts, as the Dodgers completed their upset of the Athletics before 49,317 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mr. Hershiser, who recorded his second win of the series, was named the series' Most Valuable Player. Storm Davis started on the mound for Oakland and gave up 6 hits and 4 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in absorbing his second loss of the series.





10 years ago
1998

Baseball
World Series
New York Yankees 5 @ San Diego Padres 4 (New York led best-of-seven series 3-0)
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10200SDN1998.htm

Scott Brosius hit a solo home run to begin a 2-run rally in the 7th inning and a 3-run homer in the 8th to lead the Yankees in a comeback from a 3-0 deficit to edge the Padres before 64,667 fans at Qualcomm Stadium.