December 14, 2008

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Wendy Welt!

Married on this date
Happy Anniversary, Eileen and Leo Sasakamoose!

1,390 years ago
618

Died on this date
Xue Rengao. Emperor of Qin, 618. Xue Rengao succeeded his father Xue Ju (Emperor Wu) as Emperor of the short-lived state of Qin on September 3, 618. Xue Rengao was regarded as a fierce but cruel general; he was forced to surrender to Tang Dynasty General Li Shimin (the later Emperor Taizong), and was executed, ending the state of Qin.

300 years ago
1708

War
Philippe Costebelle, French Governor of Placentia, Newfoundland led a company of 170 men to attack St. John's, with Joseph de Brouillan.

220 years ago
1788

Died on this date
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, 74. German composer. Mr. Bach was the fifth child and second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He wrote many pieces for harpsichord and clavichord, as well as choral music.

Carlos III, 72. King of Spain, 1759-1788; King of Naples and Sicily, 1734-1759. Carlos III, the fifth son of King Philip V of Spain, ruled Naples as Carlos VII and Sicily as Carlos V before succeeding his half-brother Ferdinand VI on the Spanish throne. Shortly thereafter, Carlos relinquished the throne of Naples and Sicily to his brother Ferdinand IV (Naples) and III (Sicily). Carlos III believed in an enlightened but absolute monarchy, and made educational, commercial, and agricultural reforms that made him a successful and respected ruler. King Carlos III was succeeded by his son Carlos IV.

130 years ago
1878

Died on this date
Alice, Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, 35. U.K. Royal Family member. Princess Alice, the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, married Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse, in 1862. She became a nurse and supervised field hospitals during the Austro-Prussian War (1866), and took care of her children during a diphtheria epidemic before dying from it herself, 17 years to the day since the death of her father.

100 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Morey Amsterdam. U.S. comedian and actor. Mr. Amsterdam had a long career in vaudeville, radio and television, hosting The Morey Amsterdam Show on radio (1948-1949) and television (1948-1950). He was best known for playing comedy writer Buddy Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966). Mr. Amsterdam died of a heart attack on October 27, 1996 at the age of 87.

90 years ago
1918

Died on this date
Sidónio Pais, 46. Prime Minister of Portugal, 1917-1918; 4th President of Portugal, 1917-1918. Major Pais was a professor of mathematics before entering politics, holding various cabinet posts before leading a military coup that seized power in December 1917. In violation of the Portuguese constitution, he institute a more presidential form of government, earning the nickname of "President-King." Social conflict increased in Portugal toward the end of 1918, and Mr. Pais became increasingly unpopular. He was assassinated by left-wing activist José Júlio da Costa while preparing to board a train at the Lisboa-Rossio Railway Station in Lisbon. Mr. Pais' guards fatally shot four civilian bystanders in the resulting chaos. Mr. Pais was succeeded as Prime Minister and President by Foreign Affairs and Navy Minister João do Canto e Castro.

Europeana
Friedrich Karl von Hessen, a German prince elected by the Parliament of Finland to become King Väinö I, renounced the Finnish throne. He was a nephew of recently-deposed German Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Politics and government
A coalition of Liberals led by Prime Minister David Lloyd George and Conservatives led by Andrew Bonar Law achieved a landslide victory in the British general election. The Conservatives took 382 seats--an increase of 111 from before the election--with the coalition Liberals winning 127 of 707 seats in the House of Commons. The Irish radical nationalist party Sinn Féin, led by Éamon de Valera, took 73 seats in their first election with Labour, led by William Adamson, next with 57. Liberals led by former Prime Minister H.H. Asquith, who weren't part of the coalition, were reduced from 236 seats to 36, with the National Democratic Party, led by George Barnes, next with 9. It was the first U.K. general election in which women were eligible to vote; Sinn Féin candidate Constance Markievicz, who was in Holloway prison after being convicted of anti-conscription activities, was elected in Dublin St Patrick's with 66% of the vote to become the first woman to be elected to the British House of Commons, but declined to take her seat because of Sinn Féin's abstentionist policy.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Theodore Roberts, 67. U.S. actor. Mr. Roberts appeared in plays and movies, and was often associated with films produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille. He played Moses in The Ten Commandments (1923).

Thomas "Red" Moran. U.S. criminal. Mr. Moran was executed at Sing Sing Prison in New York for the murder of a Brooklyn policeman.

60 years ago
1948

World events
A military coup in El Salvador deposed President Salvador Castaneda Castro, who had hoped to revise the country's constitution to allow himself a second four-year term.

Politics and government
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities claimed that Soviet agents in the United States government had had access to military secrets at the Army's Aberdeen, Maryland testing ground, including the famed Norden bomb sight, during the late 1930s.

Technology
American physicists Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann were awarded a patent for their cathode-ray tube amusement device, the first interactive electronic game.

Economics and finance
The Supreme Court of Canada lifted the ban on margarine.

Boxing
World lightweight champion Ike Williams was named the winner of the Edward J. Neil Memorial Plaque as the outstanding boxer of 1948.

Football
WIFU
The day after a meeting of enthusiasts had elected a board of directors and set a budget of $50,000, Edmonton was re-admitted to the Western Interprovincial Football Union. The Edmonton Eskimos had disbanded on October 27, 1939, the day before their last scheduled game, and hadn't played since, with an abortive revival in 1941 failing to result in any games.

50 years ago
1958

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Tea Time, starring Margaret Leighton, Marsha Hunt, and Murray Matheson

Defense
The China Lake (California) Naval Ordnance test station announced the development of a camera that could detect and track any new satellite that may appear.

Politics and government
The U.S.A., U.K., and France issued a formal rejection of U.S.S.R. demands that they withdraw their troops from West Berlin, and agreed to liquidation of the four-power Berlin occupation.

Exploration
The Third Soviet Antarctic Expedition became the first to reach the southern pole of inaccessibility.

Religion
Pope John XXIII formally designated 23 new members of the College of Cardinals, increasing membership to 74, the highest in history.

Labour
Eastern Airlines and the International Association of Machinists settled a strike of 5,000 mechanics in Miami by agreeing on a new contract providing raises of 26c-49c per hour over a three-year period.

Football
NFL
Cleveland (9-3) 10 @ New York (9-3) 13
Philadelphia (2-9-1) 0 @ Washington (4-7-1) 20
Detroit (4-7-1) 16 @ Chicago Bears (8-4) 21
Baltimore (9-3) 12 @ San Francisco (6-6) 21
Green Bay (1-10-1) 20 @ Los Angeles (8-4) 34

Pat Summerall's 49-yard field goal--the league's longest of the season--with 1:59 remaining in the game enabled the Giants to defeat the Browns on a snow-covered field at Yankee Stadium, putting the teams into a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference at the end of the regular season, necessitating a playoff in New York a week hence for the conference championship. Mr. Summerall had missed a 33-yard field goal attempt less than 4 minutes before his winning kick. Cleveland's Jim Brown rushed for 148 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown, converted by Lou Groza, to open the scoring in the 1st quarter. Mr. Summerall kicked a 46-yard field goal early in the 2nd quarter, while Mr. Groza kicked a 22-yard FG later in the quarter to give the Browns a 10-3 halftime lead. Mr. Groza was short on a 55-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the game.



40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Hey Jude/Revolution--The Beatles (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Little Arrows--Leapy Lee (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Le Temps des Fleurs--Ivan Rebroff (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Applausi--I Camaleonti (7th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Heidschi Bumbeidschi--Heintje (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Lily the Pink--The Scaffold

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Heard it Through the Grapevine--Marvin Gaye

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Eloise--Barry Ryan (2nd week at #1)
2 Lea--The Cats
3 Battle Hymn of the Republic--Andy Williams
4 Just a Little Bit of Peace in My Heart--Golden Earrings
5 Jerushala'im Shel Zahav--Rika Zarai
6 Red Red Wine--Peter Tetteroo
7 My Little Lady--The Tremeloes
8 Jezamine--The Casuals
9 White Room--Cream
10 Heidschi Bumbeidschi--Heintje

Singles entering the chart were Going Up the Country by Canned Heat (#24); Ome Sjakie/Het Hele Zakie Loopt in Z'n Nakie by De Praatpalen (#31); See Saw by Aretha Franklin (#38); and Send Me a Postcard by Shocking Blue (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 For Once in My Life--Stevie Wonder
2 Love Child--Diana Ross and the Supremes
3 Abraham, Martin and John--Dion
4 Stormy--Classics IV
5 I Heard it Through the Grapevine--Marvin Gaye
6 Who's Making Love--Johnnie Taylor
7 Wichita Lineman--Glen Campbell
8 Chewy Chewy--Ohio Express
9 I Love How You Love Me--Bobby Vinton
10 Both Sides Now--Judy Collins

Singles entering the chart were I Started a Joke by the Bee Gees (#66); (There’s Gonna Be A) Showdown by Archie Bell & the Drells (#69); Electric Stories by the 4 Seasons (#71); My Favorite Things by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#77); Are You Happy by Jerry Butler (#81); Malinda by Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers (#83); Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells (#86); A Minute of Your Time by Tom Jones (#88); She's a Lady by John Sebastian (#91); Tragedy by Brian Hyland (#92); The Beginning of My End by the Unifics (#93); Honey Do by the Strangeloves (#94); Take a Heart by Don Fardon (#95); Husbands and Wives by Wayne Newton (#97); and This Magic Moment by Jay and the Americans (#99).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Little Arrows--Leapy Lee (2nd week at #1)
2 Abraham, Martin and John--Dion
3 Hey Jude--The Beatles
4 Revolution--The Beatles
5 Chewy Chewy--Ohio Express
6 Beyond the Clouds--The Poppy Family
7 White Houses--Eric Burdon and the Animals
8 Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run)--Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus
9 Wichita Lineman--Glen Campbell
10 Bang-Shang-A-Lang--The Archies
Pick hit of the week: Of a Dropping Pin--The Guess Who?

Diplomacy
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan met with U.S. President-elect Richard Nixon in Washington, and told the press that he was not worried about the possibility of Mr. Nixon reducing support for Israel, despite recommendations by adviser William Scranton calling for a "more even-handed" U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Terrorism
FLQ terrorists planted three bombs in Montréal; two were disarmed, one exploded.

Disasters
A train crash near Minsk left 13 people dead and 36 injured.

30 years ago
1978

Died on this date
Salvador de Madariaga, 92. Spanish historian, diplomat, and politician. Professor Madariaga wrote books about the history of Latin America and other topics, but was best known as a pacifist, serving as chief of the Disarmament Section of the League of Nations. He was Spanish Ambassador to the U.S.A. (1931-1932) and France (1932-1934), and was a permanent delegate to the League of Nations (1931-1936). Prof. Madariaga was Spain's Minister of both Justice and Education from 1933-1936, but fled to England when the Spanish Civil War began. He co-founded the College of Europe in 1949, and returned to Spain in 1976, several months after the death of dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco.

25 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Roy Hamey, 81. U.S. baseball executive. Mr. Hamey had a career in organized baseball spanning four decades, mostly with the New York Yankees' organization. He was president of the American Association (1946); general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates (1946-1950) and Philadelphia Phillies (1954-1959), and assistant general manager of the Yankees (1951-1954, 1959-1960). Mr. Hamey replaced George Weiss as general manager of the Yankees shortly after the 1960 season, and presided over teams that won three straight American League pennants (1961-1963), winning the World Series in his first two years as GM. He retired after the 1963 season, but came out of retirement briefly to serve as chief executive of the Seattle Pilots after the 1969 season, while AL President Joe Cronin was searching for someone to buy the club. Mr. Hamey returned to retirement after Bud Selig bought the Pilots in 1970 and moved them to Milwaukee to become the Brewers. Mr. Hamey died of a heart attack.

Johnny Bright, 53. U.S.-born Canadian football player. Mr. Bright was a star fullback at Drake University, and became famous in 1951 when his jaw was broken in a game by an opposing player named Wilbanks Smith in a racially-motivated attack (Mr. Bright was a Negro). Mr. Bright came to Canada in 1952, joining the Calgary Stampeders of the Western Interprovincial Football Union. Despite missing several games because of a mid-season appendectomy, Mr. Bright led the WIFU with 815 yards rushing. Shoulder injuries kept him on the injured list for most of the 1953 season, and he was let go after playing just one game for the Stampeders early in the 1954 season. He was promptly picked up by the Stampeders' provincial rivals, the Edmonton Eskimos, and became a major ingredient in an offense that produced three straight Grey Cup championships and team rushing records that still stand. Mr. Bright scored two touchdowns in the 1955 Grey Cup, and two more in the 1956 Grey Cup. On one of his touchdown runs in the 1955 game, J.C. Caroline of the Montreal Alouettes attempted to tackle him, and Mr. Bright flattened him on his way over the goal line, finishing Mr. Caroline for the day. Mr. Bright recorded five straight seasons of more than 1,000 yards rushing (1957-1961), and his 1,722 yards in 1958 was a WIFU record at the time (and remains the Eskimos' single-season record). Despite a decline to 1,340 yards in 1959, Mr. Bright won the Schenley Award as Canada's Most Outstanding Player. Injuries began slowing down Mr. Bright's productivity in 1962, and he was reduced to a backup role by the time his career ended after the 1964 season. His career rushing total of 10,909 yards stood as the CFL record until broken by George Reed in 1971. Mr. Bright scored 71 regular season touchdowns, 69 with the Eskimos (5th best in Eskimo history). His 17 playoff touchdowns remain the Eskimo team record. On November 26, 1970, Johnny Bright became the first former Eskimo player to be elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Johnny Bright remained in Edmonton after his playing career ended, and achieved success as a teacher, especially at Bonnie Doon High School. He also coached amateur football, and served as a colour commentator (when he could get a word in with Bryan Hall) on Eskimos' radio broadcasts in the 1960s. On October 29, 1983, Johnny Bright, along with former backfield mates Jackie Parker, Rollie Miles, and Normie Kwong, was added to the Eskimos' Wall of Honour at a halftime ceremony at Commonwealth Stadium. He died on the operating table at University Hospital while undergoing apparently routine minor knee surgery. An autopsy revealed a seriously enlarged heart.

War
After U.S. Navy F-14 reconnaissance jets had been fired upon by Syrian batteries, the U.S. battleship New Jersey fired on Syrian positions east of Beirut. U.S. President Ronald Reagan said at a news conference that U.S. Marines might be withdrawn from Lebanon as a result of two circumstances: the resolution of the Lebanese political crisis; or a "collapse of order" signalling that no solution could be found.

Economics and finance
The Argentine government froze prices in an attempt to lower the inflation rate of 400%.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Sarah--Mauro Scocco (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Christmas

At the movies
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, directed by Frank Oz, and starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Stuart Symington, 87. U.S. politician. Mr. Symington, a Democrat, was president of Emerson Electric before entering politics. He served as the first United States Secretary of the Air Force (1947-1950), and held several other positions in the administration of President and fellow Missourian Harry Truman. Mr. Symington represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate (1953-1976), and was a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees. He was known for his opposition to Senator Joseph McCarthy's attempts to expose Communists in government in the 1950s. When the Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland after the 1967 season, Sen. Symington threatened to revoke Major League Baseball's anti-trust exemption; as a result, the American League expanded in 1969 to include the Kansas City Royals. Sen. Symington unsuccessfully campaigned for the Democratic Party U.S. presidential nomination in 1960, but lost to John F. Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy wanted to invite Sen. Symington to be his vice presidential running mate, but offered the position to Sen. Lyndon Johnson (Texas)--also a candidate for the presidential nomination--as a courtesy, and was surprised when Sen. Johnson accepted.

Television
The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) entertainment network ET3 was launched in Thessaloniki.

Diplomacy
Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, responding to U.S. criticism that he hadn't gone far enough in his statement to the United Nations General Assembly in Geneva the previous day in promoting a peace agreement in the Middle East and denouncing terrorism, affirmed "the right of all parties," including Israel, "to exist in peace and security." U.S. President Ronald Reagan then announced that the PLO had met all U.S. conditions and authorized the U.S. State Department to enter a dialogue with the PLO. While worldwide response to the U.S. decision was mostly favourable, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir called the decision a "grave mistake."

Politics and government
U.S. Vice-President and President-elect George Bush named Clayton Yeutter, currently the trade representative in the administration of President Ronald Reagan, to be Secretary of Agriculture in the new administration.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the U.S. merchandise trade deficit had shrunken slightly to $10.35 million in October.

The Quebec National Assembly voted in favour of a law amending the province's income security policy, providing more benefits to people who were unable to work, while encouraging other recipients to work.

Business
CBS won an auction to televise major league baseball with a bid that paid the 26 teams nearly $1.1 billion through 1993.

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Annette Strauss, 74. U.S. philanthropist and politician. Mrs. Strauss was a well-known philanthropist in Dallas, and was elected to City Council in 1984, serving as the city's Mayor from 1987-1991. She died of cancer.

Norman Fell, 74. U.S. actor. Mr. Fell, born Norman Feld, was a character actor in movies and television programs in a career spanning more than 40 years. He was best known for playing landlord Stanley Roper in the television comedy series Three's Company (1977-1979) and its spinoff, The Ropers (1979-1980). Mr. Fell died after a brief bout with cancer.

A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., 70. U.S. judge. Judge Higginbotham served on various courts from 1964-1993. He was on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1977-1993, serving as the Court's Chief Judge from 1990-1991 and as Senior Judge from 1991-1993. Judge Higginbotham was a Negro who was a civil rights activist before becoming a judge, and issued a judicial opinion in 1974 that a judge should not be forced to recuse himself from a case solely because of his membership in a minority group. Judge Higginbotham died after a series of strokes.

War
The Yugoslav Army ambushed a group of Kosovo Liberation Army fighters attempting to smuggle weapons from Albania into Kosovo, killing 36.

Business
Canadian Minister of Finance Paul Martin prohibited Canada's banks from merging.