November 17, 2008

450 years ago
1558

Died on this date
Reginald Pole, 58. English clergyman. H.E. Pole was Archbishop of Canterbury (1556-1558), holding the office under Queen Mary I during the Counter Reformation; he was the last Roman Catholic to hold the office. H.E. Pole died during an influenza epidemic, 12 hours after the death of Queen Mary; he was succeeded as Archbishop of Canterbury by Matthew Parker.

Mary I, 42. Queen of England and Ireland, 1553-1558. Mary I, the daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, succeeded her half-brother Edward VI on the throne. Unlike Edward, Queen Mary was a Roman Catholic who attempted to reverse the Protestant Reformation in England. A reported total of 288 Protestants were executed for their faith during Queen Mary I's reign, leading to her nickname of "Bloody Mary." She died during an influenza epidemic after an illness of several months--perhaps ovarian cysts or uterine cancer--and was succeeded on the throne by her half-sister Elizabeth I.

240 years ago
1768

Died on this date
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, 75. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1754-1756, 1757-1762. The Duke of Newcastle, a Whig, was known for his ability to control patronage and win elections. He held several other posts, including Secretary of State, but was regarded as a poor diplomat and administrator, and was removed from office in 1762 by King George III.

190 years ago
1818

Died on this date
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, 74. Queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland, 1761-1818. Charlotte was the wife of King George III from 1761 until her death. The couple had 15 children, including Kings George IV and William IV. Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands were named in her honour.

150 years ago
1858

Space
This date was introduced as a Modified Julian Date in 1957 in order to record the orbit of U.S.S.R. satellite Sputnik 1.

130 years ago
1878

World events
The first assassination attempt against King Umberto I of Italy took place by anarchist Giovanni Passannante, who was armed with a dagger. The King survived with a slight wound in an arm. Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli blocked the aggressor, receiving a leg injury.

110 years ago
1898

Opera
Fedora by Umberto Giordano received its premiere performance at Teatro Lirico in Milan.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Lala Lajpat Rai, 63. Indian political activist. Mr. Rai was a Hindu and a member of the Indian National Congress Party from Punjab, who advocated Indian independence from British rule, with partition into separate Hindu and Muslim states. He died of a heart attack, 18 days after being beaten by British police while leading a peaceful protest in Lahore against a British commission--which contained no Indian representation--led by Sir John Simon--investigating India's political situation.

Politics and government
The incumbent Nationalist–Country coalition, led by Prime Minister Stanley Bruce, won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate in the Australian general election. The Nationalist (29) and Country (13) Parties won 42 of 75 seats in the House, a loss of 8 for the Nationalists from before the election. The Labour Party, led by James Scullin, won 31 seats, an increase of 8. The Nationalists (10) and Country Party (2) won 12 of 19 seats up for election in the Senate, with Labour taking the remaining 7.

Crime
The discovery of $50,000 in unset diamonds in a steward's cabin on the steamship Bengaria at New York City was followed by arrests, and revealed, U.S. Customs agents said, an extensive smuggling plot.

Religion
The Board of Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the World, at Atlantic City, announced that under the decision of the General Conference of the Church the previous May, ministers could marry couples, one or both of whom had been legally divorced, but only when "convinced that the grounds upon which the divorce had been granted was the full moral equivalent of adultery." Drunkenness, abuse, lack of support or similar offenses would constitute such a full moral equivalent, it was explained. The Board declared that while the Church recognized the legality of divorces granted by the several States, it did not approve the grounds upon which divorces were granted by many States.

Disasters
Storms along the Kansas-Missouri border killed 20 people after Mississippi River levees broke near Quincy and Lima, Illinois, flooding 15,000 acres of farmland.

A two-day gale in western Europe killed 39 people on sea and land.

Football
ORFU
Final
Sarnia 0 @ University of Toronto II 6

Jack Sinclair scored all the points for the "Orfuns" as they shut out the Imperials at Varsity Stadium.

70 years ago
1938

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Gordon Lightfoot!
Canada's greatest singer-songwriter was born in Orillia, Ontario.

Economics and finance
Canada, the U.S.A., and U.K. signed a trilateral trade agreement in Washington, making further tariff concessions to ease the Depression.

60 years ago
1948

Politics and government
U.S.S.R. authorities ordered East Berlin residents to obtain new police identity cards, a move to reduce contacts between the two sectors of the city.

Economics and finance
The U.K. House of Commons passed the Labour government's steel industry nationalization bill over strong Conservative opposition.

Agriculture
The U.S. Agriculture Department announced a one-third reduction in potato price supports and a 200,000-acre cut in potato acreage for the coming year, following a $100-million loss in the 1948 potato support program.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Tom Dooley--The Kingston Trio

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Tom Dooley--The Kingston Trio (4th week at #1)
2 I Got Stung/One Night--Elvis Presley
3 Queen of the Hop--Bobby Darin
4 Topsy II--Cozy Cole
5 To Know Him is to Love Him--The Teddy Bears
6 I Got a Feeling/Lonesome Town--Ricky Nelson
7 It's All in the Game--Tommy Edwards
8 The End--Earl Grant
9 Beep Beep--The Playmates
10 Poor Boy--The Royaltones

Singles entering the chart were I Want to Be Happy Cha Cha by Enoch Light and his Orchestra (#44, charting with the version by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra starring Warren Covington); Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by the Platters (#52); Sweet Little Rock and Roller/Jo Jo Gunne by Chuck Berry (#59); and Go Chase a Moonbeam by Jerry Vale (#60).

Died on this date
Mort Cooper, 45. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Cooper played with the St. Louis Cardinals (1938-1945); Boston Braves (1945-1947); New York Giants (1947-1948); and Chicago Cubs (1949), compiling a record of 128-75 with an earned run average of 2.97 in 295 games in a career that was shortened by elbow problems. He led the National League with 22 wins in 1942 and tied for the lead in wins with 21 in 1943, followed by a 22-win season in 1944. The Cardinals won the National League pennant in all three seasons, and the World Series in 1942 and 1944. Mr. Cooper's younger brother Walker, a catcher, was his batterymate with the Cardinals and Giants. Mort Cooper died of cirrhosis of the liver and a lung condition.

War
Nationalist Chinese Premier Chen Cheng confirmed that his government had recently received Communist peace offers via letter and radio, but dismissed them as a "Communist trick."

World events
In the wake of increasing tension over the projected diversion of Nile River waters by Egypt's Aswan High Dam, Sudanese Army commander-in-chief General Ibrahim Abboud seized power in a bloodless coup.

Economics and finance
U.K. Paymaster General Reginald Maudling, chairman of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation's free trade negotiating committee, indefinitely suspended talks on the establishment of a 17-nation European free trade zone.

Labour
The New York Urban League accused the city's major orchestras, radio and television networks, and Broadway theatres of discriminating against Negro musicians.

40 years ago
1968

On television tonight
Heidi, starring Jennifer Edwards, on NBC

This made-for-television movie is best remembered for the controversy surrounding its broadcast in the eastern United States, when NBC cut away from the end of the football game between the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets in order to begin the broadcast of Heidi on time.

Space
The U.S.S.R. lunar probe Zond 6 crashed in Kazakhstan, a week after launch, and three days after circling the Moon.

Transportation
British European Airways introduced the BAC One-Eleven into commercial service.

Golf
Al Balding and George Knudson of Canada won the World Cup Golf Tournament in Rome, defeating 41 other national teams. It was the first victory for the Canadian team since Canada had donated the Cup.

Football
CFL
Eastern Finals (First game of 2-game total points series)
Ottawa 11 @ Toronto 13

Jim Dillard rushed for 100 yards on 19 carries and Bill Symons added 95 yards on 19 carries to help the Argonauts edge the Rough Riders before 32,304 fans at CNE Stadium. Bo Scott led the Ottawa rushing attack with 160 yards on 15 carries. Each team scored a defensive touchdown.

AFL
New York (7-3) 32 @ Oakland (8-2) 43

The Raiders scored 2 touchdowns in a 9-second span in the last minute to defeat the Jets at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. With New York seemingly safely ahead 32-29 with 1:05 to play, NBC-TV cut away from the game to broadcast the movie Heidi. Viewers of the game in the eastern United States were denied the opportunity to watch its exciting finish, prompting changes to sports broadcasting in the United States.







30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): You're the Greatest Lover--Luv' (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (10th week at #1)

World events
U.S. Representative Leo Ryan (Democrat--California), accompanied by 17 staff members and several newsmen, arrived in Guyana to visit Jonestown, a compound led by Rev. Jim Jones, formerly of the People's Temple in San Francisco, and former director of the San Francisco Housing Authority. Mr. Ryan had gone to Guyana in response to concerns of constituents that relatives at the compound were being mistreated. Rep. Ryan met with Rev. Jones, who denounced reports of abuses as lies.

25 years ago
1983

War
French jets bombed Iranian-occupied barracks near Baalbek, Lebanon.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Stand Up for Your Love Rights--Yazz & the Plastic Population

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher met with U.S. Vice President and President-elect George Bush in Washington. In an interview, Mrs. Thatcher praised the policies of U.S.S.R. leader Mikhail Gorbachev and said, "We're not in a Cold War now."

Law
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet said that the previous day's assertion by the Estonian Supreme Soviet that it had the right to veto national laws affecting Estonia was "inconsistent" with the U.S.S.R.'s national constitution.

Politics and government
The day after leading the Pakistani People's Party to a plurality of seats in elections for the National Assembly, Benazir Bhutto called on acting Pakistani President Ghulam Ishaq Khan to allow her to form a new government.

U.S. Vice President and President-elect George Bush named campaign strategist Lee Atwater as his choice to serve as chairman of the Republican Party.

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Esther Rolle, 78. U.S. actress. Miss Rolle was best known for playing Florida Evans as a supporting character in the television comedy series Maude (1972-1974) and as the lead character in the spinoff series Good Times (1974-1977, 1978-1979). She won an Emmy Award for her supporting performance in the made-for-television movie Summer of My German Soldier (1979). Miss Rolle died of complications from diabetes, nine days after her 78th birthday.