November 24, 2008

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Brenda Heaps!

760 years ago
1248

Disasters
A mass on the north side of Mont Granier in France suddenly collapsed in the middle of the night, in one of the largest historical rockslope failures known in Europe.

650 years ago
1358

Europeana
Peter I acceded to the throne of Cyprus after the abdication of his father King Hugh IV

170 years ago
1838

Law
Lower Canada Governor John Colborne declared a new martial law, and 855 people were arrested in Lower Canada.

160 years ago
1848

Died on this date
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, 69. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1834, 1835-1841. Mr. Lamb, a Whig, sat in the House of Commons for most of the period of 1806-1828 before succeeding his father as Viscount Melbourne and moving to the House of Lords. He served as Chief Secretary for Ireland (1827-1828) and Home Secretary (1830-1834) before succeeding Earl Grey as Prime Minister. King William IV opposed Viscount Melbourne's reforming ways, and dismissed him, becoming the last British monarch to dismiss a Prime Minister. Viscount Melbourne returned to power after the Whigs won the 1835 general election; his time as Prime Minister wasn't characterized by various legal reforms, including reform of the Poor Laws. Viscount Melbourne's government fell after losing a non-confidence vote in August 1841, and he remained as Leader of the Opposition for 14 months, retiring after suffering a stroke. Viscount Melbourne was known for leading a scandalous private life, and being a close friend and adviser to Queen Victoria before her marriage to Prince Albert. The city of Melbourne, Australia was named in his honour.

125 years ago
1883

Born on this date
Izetta Jewel. U.S. actress and activist. Izetta Jewel Kenney acted on stage from 1899-1914 before retiring from acting and devoting herself to women's suffrage and similar worthless causes. She was one of the founding members of the National Women's Party in 1921; lost a close race for the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia in 1922; and became the first woman to deliver a seconding speech at a major national party convention in the United States, speaking on behalf of presidential nominee John W. Davis at the Democratic National Convention in 1924. Miss Taylor came out of retirement to star in The Queen's Messenger (1928), the first drama to be broadcast on television. She became a radio personality in San Diego after World War II, and died on November 14, 1978, 10 days before her 95th birthday.

80 years ago
1928

At the movies
West of Zanzibar, produced and directed by Tod Browning, and starring Lon Chaney, Lionel Barrymore, Mary Nolan, and Warner Baxter, opened in theatres.

Chinatica
The Chinese Nationalist government ordered that the calendar be changed from lunar (13 months in a year) to solar (12 months in a year).

Football
CRU
Eastern Final
University of Toronto II 5 @ Hamilton Tigers 28

Mr. Gibbs scored a touchdown in the 2nd quarter and Messrs. Denman, Baker, and Broadway scored touchdowns in the 4th quarter to help the Tigers defeat the "Orfuns" at the Hamilton Amateur Athletic Association Grounds. Pep Leadley kicked a field goal for Hamilton in the 2nd quarter, and Huck Welch added 5 singles. For the second straight game, Jack Sinclair scored all the U of T points, with a field goal and 2 singles.

Canadian university
Exhibition
Alberta 13 @ British Columbia 6 (Second game of 2-game series)

Cokey Shields took a lateral from Mr. Gittus and rushed 45 yards for a touchdown to give UBC a 6-2 lead in the 3rd quarter, but he lost 2 fumbles, both of which were returned for touchdowns, as U of A won their second straight game, before 3,000 fans at Athletic Park in Vancouver. Mr. Shields fumbled the kickoff after his touchdown (the team that allowed the touchdown then kicked off in those days), and fumbled into the arms of Bill Siebert, who returned it for a touchdown to give Alberta a 7-6 lead. In the 4th quarter, Mr. Shields fumbled again, and Mickey Timothy returned it 30 yards for a touchdown, ending the scoring. U of A outscored UBC 33-17 over the two games.

60 years ago
1948

Died on this date
Anna Jarvis, 84. U.S. social activist. Miss Jarvis worked at various jobs, but was known for her effort to establish a day in honour of mothers. She was successful, as the first Mother's Day observance was held at her church in Grafton, West Virginia in 1908. Miss Jarvis eventually became disenchanted with the commercialization of Mother's Day, and in 1943 began an effort to have the day rescinded. She never married or became a mother herself.

War
The United Nations truce mission in Palestine announced a provisional Arab-Jewish truce line for the Bethlehem area.

Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) in Japan General Douglas MacArthur upheld the sentences passed on all 25 defendants at the Tokyo trials of those convicted of war crimes during World War II.

World events
A military coup ousted liberal Venezuelan President Romulo Gallegos. He was replaced by a three-man military junta led by former Defense Minister Colonel Carlos Delgado Chelbaud.

Economics and finance
U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall sought to assuage French objections to U.S. and U.K. policy in the Ruhr by inviting France to participate in bizonal boards supervising German coal and steel production.

Business
Eastman Kodak, in a consent decree issued by a U.S. federal court in Los Angeles, agreed to refrain from monopolizing colour motion film picture production.

Labour
The French National Assembly gave the government of Prime Minister Henri Queuille a vote of confidence on its use of troops to protect non-striking coal miners and dock workers.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): It's Only Make Believe--Conway Twitty (2nd week at #1)

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

Singles entering the chart were Love of My Life by the Everly Brothers (#13, charting with its A-side, Problems); Philadelphia U.S.A. by the Nu Tornados (#48); Lonely Teardrops by Jackie Wilson (#51); Big Bopper's Wedding by the Big Bopper (#57); C'mon Everybody by Eddie Cochran (#58); Pledging My Love by Roy Hamilton (#59); and Seven Minutes in Heaven by the Poni-Tails (#60).

On television tonight
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Time Element, starring William Bendix, Martin Balsam, Darryl Hickman, Jesse White, and Carolyn Kearney

This program, written by Rod Serling, served as an unofficial pilot for The Twilight Zone.



Died on this date
Robert Cecil, 94. U.K. politician and diplomat. Lord Cecil, the son of British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury, was U.K. Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1915-1919, and helped to create the League of Nations. Lord Cecil's service to that body led to his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1937.

Georgi Zubin, 58. U.S.S.R. politician and diplomat. Mr. Zubin was Deputy Foreign Minister and former Soviet Ambassador to the United States.

War
110 Cuban guerrillas were reported killed in an attack on a guard post near Santiago.

Diplomacy
Cambodia temporarily suspended relations with Thailand, following charges that Cambodian border police had "kidnapped" 30 Thais.

Politics and government
French Sudan declared itself as the République Soudanaise (Sudanese Republic), with internal autonomy within the French Community.

Education
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an earlier federal court ruling that Alabama's pupil placement law was not unconstitutional "on its face," but eventually may be declared so in its applications.

Labour
The International Association of Machinists and the Flight Engineers International Association struck Eastern Air Lines--the largest U.S. passenger line--in a dispute over wage and qualification demands.

40 years ago
1968

Terrorism
FLQ terrorists set off two bombs in the Eaton store in downtown Montréal.

Football
CFL
Eastern Finals
Toronto 14 @ Ottawa 36 (Ottawa won 2-game total points series 47-27)

Russ Jackson threw touchdown passes to Margene Adkins, Bo Scott, and Whit Tucker, while rushing 7 yards for a touchdown of his own as the Rough Riders eliminated the Argonauts before 25,080 fans at Lansdowne Park. The Ottawa defense limited Toronto to 1 yard rushing, as Jim Dillard, in the final game of his 7-year CFL career, was held to 0 yards, while Bill Symons totalled -4.



30 years ago
1978

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

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): You're the Greatest Lover--Luv' (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (11th week at #1)

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
Edmonton's Top 30 (CHED)
1 In a Big Country--Big Country
2 P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)--Michael Jackson
3 Say, Say, Say--Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
4 Crumblin' Down--John Cougar Mellencamp
5 Church of the Poison Mind--Culture Club
6 Uptown Girl--Billy Joel
7 Love is a Battlefield--Pat Benatar
8 All Night Long (All Night)--Lionel Richie
9 Say it Isn't So--Daryl Hall John Oates
10 Lick it Up--Kiss
11 Under Cover of the Night--Rolling Stones
12 Heart and Soul--Huey Lewis and the News
13 Tonight I Celebrate My Love--Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack
14 In Dim Light--Darkroom
15 The Best was Yet to Come--Bryan Adams
16 Suddenly Last Summer--The Motels
17 Major Tom (Coming Home)--Peter Schilling
18 Union of the Snake--Duran Duran
19 Always Be Mine--Aldo Nova
20 Synchronicity--The Police
21 Owner of a Lonely Heart--Yes
22 Twist of Fate--Olivia Newton-John
23 Islands in the Stream--Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton
24 Love is a Stranger--Eurythmics
25 The Flyer--Saga
26 Delirious--Prince
27 I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues--Elton John
28 Ready to Make Up--Toronto
29 Why Me--Irene Cara
30 Send Her My Love--Journey

War
Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat exchanged 6 Israeli prisoners for 4,500 Palestinians and Lebanese guerrillas held captive by the Israelis.

Defense
U.S.S.R. President Yuri Andropov issued a statement announcing countermeasures that would follow the beginning of deployment of U.S. Cruise missiles in western Europe. He cancelled the moratorium on the deployment of Soviet medium-range nuclear weapons in the western U.S.S.R., accelerated the timetable for Soviet missile deployment in East Germany and Czechoslovakia, and said that Soviet missile systems would be deployed "in ocean areas and seas."

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Stand Up for Your Love Rights--Yazz & the Plastic Population (2nd week at #1)

Scandal
In Moscow, sports ministers and other officials from more than 100 countries approved by acclamation an anti-drug charter that established guidelines for governments to combat trafficking in and use of performance-enhancing drugs. They also recommended that the International Olympic Committee create a panel of experts to test athletes in any country at any time on short notice. The conference took place two months after Canada's Ben Johnson had been stripped of the gold medal in the men's 100-metre run at the Summer Olympic games in Seoul for testing positive for a banned substance.

10 years ago
1998

Politics and government
The U.K. government of Prime Minister Tony Blair unveiled its plans to abolish the rights of 700 hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.