July 11, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Lois Morrow!

220 years ago
1789

Politics and government
King Louis XVI of France, acting under the influence of the conservative nobles of his privy council, dismissed and banished his finance minister, Jacques Necker, who had been sympathetic to the Third Estate, and completely reconstructed the ministry.

150 years ago
1859

Britannica
Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time.

130 years ago
1879

Born on this date
Lawrence Feuerbach. U.S. athlete. Mr. Feuerbach won a bronze medal in the men's shot put competition and was a member of the team that finished fourth in tug-of-war at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. He died from tuberculosis on November 16, 1911 at the age of 32.

120 years ago
1889

Mexicana
The city of Tijuana was founded.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
E.B. White. U.S. writer. Mr. White contributed to The New Yorker for about 60 years, and was co-author of The Elements of Style (1959) and author of the children's novels Stuart Little (1945) and Charlotte's Web (1952). He died on October 1, 1985 at the age of 86.

Business
The Italian automobile firm Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino (FIAT) was founded in Turin by Giovanni Agnelli and others.

100 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Irene Hervey. U.S. actress. Miss Hervey, born Irene Herwick, appeared in plays, films, and television programs in a career spanning more than 40 years. Her movies included Destry Rides Again (1939) and Cactus Flower (1969). Miss Hervey was married to actor Allan Jones from 1936-1957, and was the mother of singer Jack Jones. She died on December 20, 1998 at the age of 89.

Died on this date
Simon Newcomb, 74. Canadian-born U.S. astronomer and mathematician. Mr. Newcomb, a native of Wallace, Nova Scotia, was a self-taught polymath who served as astronomer and professor of mathematics at the U.S. Naval Observatory during the American Civil War, and later served as director of the Nautical Almanac Office. His recalculations of astronomical constants became standard. Mr. Newcomb famously predicted the impossibility of a flying machine in October 1903, two months before the Wright brothers made their first flight. Mr. Newcomb died of bladder cancer.

90 years ago
1919

Labour
The eight-hour day and free Sunday became law for workers in the Netherlands.

80 years ago
1929

Baseball
In a Pacific Coast League game at Oaks Park in Oakland, Roy Carlisle of the Oakland Oaks hit a home run off Curt Davis of the San Francisco Seals that landed on top of a house 618 feet away.

70 years ago
1939

Baseball
Major League All-Star Game @ Yankee Stadium, New York
National League 1 @ American League 3

Joe DiMaggio’s home run in the 5th inning helped the AL defeat the NL before 62,892 fans. Cincinnati Reds’ outfielder Ival Goodman fractured his shoulder diving after a ball.





In the Arizona-Texas League, Archie Templeton of the Albuquerque Cardinals struck out 19 El Paso batters, but was lifted in the 8th inning before getting a decision. Mel Berman of El Paso stole home in the 9th to tie the game 3-3, and when an argument ensued, umpire Jack Rice ejected three Cardinals and called in the police to restore order. Albuquerque won 8-5 in 10 innings.

60 years ago
1949

On the radio
Murder By Experts, hosted and narrated by John Dickson Carr, on MBS
Tonight's episode: Prescription for Murder

Theatre
The Donaldson Awards for excellence on Broadway for 1948-49 were presented in New York. Death of a Salesman won six awards, including Best Play. South Pacific won eight awards, including Best Musical.

Died on this date
Beauford Jester, 56. U.S. politician. Mr. Jester, a Democrat, was Governor of Texas from 1947 until his death from a heart attack while on a train. He was known for his educational and prison reforms, and remains the only Texas Governor to die in office. Mr. Jester was succeeded as Governor by Lieutenant Governor Allan Shivers.

Diplomacy
Nationalist Chinese President Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek concluded a two-day visit to the Philippines after obtaining agreement on Philippine participation in a proposed anti-Communist union of Pacific states. South Korea also indicated interest in the organization.

Academia
An American Association of University Professors investigating committee recommended that teachers be allowed to belong to the Communist Party, as long as they did not use their classes or contacts among students to promote Communism.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Harry Truman issued his mid-year economic report to Congress, abandoning his earlier demand for a $4-billion tax increase, and urging greater federal spending to reverse the nation's deflationary trend.

Boxing
Sugar Ray Robinson (96-1-2) retained his world welterweight title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Kid Gavilan (53-7-2) before 27,805 fans at Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Personality--Lloyd Price (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Notte lunga notte--Domenico Modugno

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Die Gitarre und das Meer--Freddy Quinn (12th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Dream Lover--Bobby Darin (3rd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Battle of New Orleans--Johnny Horton (7th week at #1)
2 Personality--Lloyd Price
3 Lonely Boy--Paul Anka
4 Lipstick on Your Collar--Connie Francis
5 Waterloo--Stonewall Jackson
6 Dream Lover--Bobby Darin
7 Tallahassee Lassie--Freddy Cannon
8 Bobby Sox to Stockings--Frankie Avalon
9 Tiger--Fabian
10 Frankie--Connie Francis

Singles entering the chart were A Big Hunk o' Love by Elvis Presley (#34); What is Love? by the Playmates (#64); Rockin' in the Jungle by the Eternals (#84); Katy Too by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two (#94); Martinique by Martin Denny (#96); Baby Talk by Jan & Dean (#98); Furry Murray by the Tradewinds (#99); Soft Summer Breeze by Eddie Heywood and his Orchestra (#100); and Alimony by Frankie Ford (also #100).

Died on this date
Frank Gilhooley, 67. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Gilhooley was a right fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals (1911-1912); New York Yankees (1913-1918); and Boston Red Sox (1919), batting .271 with 2 home runs and 58 runs batted in in 312 games. His only season as a starter in the major leagues was 1918, when he hit .276 with 1 homer and 23 RBIs in 112 games. Mr. Gilhooley played 1,921 games in 16 seasons in the minor leagues from 1910-1929, hitting 17 home runs. His son Frank, Jr. became a sportscaster in Toledo, Ohio, and was the voice of the Toledo Mud Hens of the International League. Mr. Gilhooley, Sr. was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 2008.

War
West Germany and Luxembourg signed a treaty settling outstanding World War II problems.

Defense
The U.S.A. rejected U.S.S.R. Premier Nikita Khrushchev's proposal for a Balkan peace zone free of nuclear and rocket weapons.

Oddities
Pilots of planes flying from California to Hawaii reported sighting a group of fast-flying "bright lights" in the early morning.

Baseball
Shortstop Don Buddin hit a grand slam off Bob Turley with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Boston Red Sox an 8-4 win over the New York Yankees before 24,232 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

The Cleveland Indians took advantage of 2 errors to score 2 unearned runs in the bottom of the 8th inning and defeat the Detroit Tigers 8-7 before 29,895 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. Rocky Colavito drove in 3 Cleveland runs with a pair of home runs, while Charlie Maxwell drove in 4 Detroit runs with a home run and a single.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Hair--The Cowsills (4th week at #1)

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 The Ballad of John and Yoko/Old Brown Shoe--The Beatles (4th week at #1)
2 In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)--Zager and Evans
3 Crystal Blue Persuasion--Tommy James and the Shondells
4 Let Me--Paul Revere and the Raiders
5 Good Morning Starshine--Oliver
6 Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town--Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
7 Medicine Man (Part I)--Buchanan Brothers
8 Baby, I Love You--Andy Kim
9 My Pledge of Love--The Joe Jeffrey Group
10 Along Came Jones--Ray Stevens

Singles entering the chart were Put a Little Love in Your Heart by Jackie DeShannon (#24); Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good) by Neil Diamond (#26); Don't Tell Your Mama (Where You've Been) by Eddie Floyd (#27); Abergavenny by Shannon (#28); Wait a Million Years by the Grass Roots (#29); and Muddy River by Johnny Rivers (#30).

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 The Ballad of John and Yoko--The Beatles (4th week at #1)
2 In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)--Zager and Evans
3 Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet--Henry Mancini, his Orchestra and Chorus
4 Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town--Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
5 Medicine Man (Part I)--Buchanan Brothers
6 Get Back--The Beatles with Billy Preston
7 Israelites--Desmond Dekker and the Aces
8 Let Me--Paul Revere and the Raiders
9 Spinning Wheel--Blood, Sweat & Tears
10 Bad Moon Rising--Creedence Clearwater Revival

War
U.S. President Richard Nixon said that South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu’s proposal the previous day for a joint commission to organize free elections opened the way for a rapid settlement of the Vietnam War. Mr. Nixon sought to prod North Vietnam and the Viet Cong by saying that the allies had put forth an "eminently fair proposal." In Paris, the proposal was branded a farce and "perfidious trickery" by the Viet Cong’s provisional revolutionary government.

Law
In the U.S.A., the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston overturned the 1968 conviction of Dr. Benjamin Spock for conspiring to counsel evasion of the military draft on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence for a case against the New York pediatrician and author. The conviction of Harvard University graduate student Michael Ferber, who was tried with Dr. Spock, was also reversed. The court ruled, however, that the cases of Yale University chaplain William Sloane Coffin and New York teacher Mitchell Goodman be returned to a lower court for a retrial.

Personal
This blogger celebrated his 8th birthday with a party at his home in Yellowknife, and then went with the guests to Hot Millions, playing at the Capitol Theatre.

Disasters
A collapsing canal wall in Andhra Pradesh, India killed 18 and injured 16.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Calgary (2-0) 24 @ Toronto (0-1) 10
Hamilton (2-0) 32 @ Saskatchewan (0-1) 31

Baseball
The Boston Red Sox swept a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles 7-4 and 12-3 before 30,844 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Boston center fielder Reggie Smith batted 7 for 9, stretching his hitting streak to 19 games. Carl Yastrzemski hit a home run for Boston in each game, and Red Sox’ second baseman Mike Andrews had 5 hits in the second game.

Johnny Briggs and Ron Stone hit home runs for the first 2 runs of a 4-run 9th inning for the Philadelphia Phillies as they came from a 5-3 deficit to defeat the Chicago Cubs 7-5 before 24,509 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Winning pitcher Mike Wegener batted 3 for 4 with a double, run, and 4 runs batted in to lead the Montreal Expos over the New York Mets 11-4 before 26,585 fans in the first game of a weekend series at Shea Stadium in New York.

Bobby Bonds singled home Hal Lanier and Dick Dietz with 2 out in the top of the 10th inning to break a 4-4 tie as the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 before 35,359 fans at Dodger Stadium. Mr. Bonds had led off the 9th with a double and scored the first of 2 Giant runs to tie the score 4-4.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Are 'Friends' Electric?--Tubeway Army (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Claude Wagner, 54. Canadian politician and judge. Mr. Wagner, a native of Shawinigan, Quebec, was a Sessions Court judge before beginning his political career with the Quebec Liberal Party, representing Montréal-Verdun (1964-1966) and Verdun (1966-1970) in the Quebec Legislative/National Assembly, holding three cabinet posts in the government of Premier Jean Lesage from 1964-1966. After losing the contest for the Quebec Liberal leadership to Robert Bourassa in 1970, Mr. Wagner returned to the bench, and then entered federal politics as a Progressive Conservative. He represented the Quebec riding of Saint-Hyacinthe from 1972-1978, and was best known for finishing second in the contest for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 1976, leading after each of the first three ballots before losing to Joe Clark on the fourth ballot. Mr. Wagner was appointed to the Senate in April 1978, sitting as a Progressive Conservative until his death from cancer.

Space
Skylab, the unmanned U.S. space station that had been orbiting the earth since May 1973, entered the atmosphere, disintegrated, and fell along a path extending from the Indian Ocean across the desert of western Australia (see also here). There were no reports of damage or casualties in the sparsely-populated area. The burning debris was described by one witness as "a bright pink and red fireworks display." Six hours prior to Skylab’s re-entry, NASA sent a command to the space station that put it into a wobble in order to extend its re-entry track by about 5,000 miles and 30 minutes, guaranteeing that no debris would hit Canada or the northern United States, as had been feared at the time. It had been expected that Skylab would remain in orbit long enough for a space shuttle mission to carry rockets up to it to boost it into a higher orbit or guide its controlled descent into an ocean, but the shuttle wasn’t yet ready to fly, and unforeseen sunspot activity had increased the atmosphere’s drag on Skylab.





Diplomacy
Malaysia proposed the establishment, under United Nations auspices of holding centres in southeast Asia for all Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees.

Defense
The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff endorsed the SALT-II arms limitation treaty with the U.S.S.R., but warned that it might be a "net loss" unless the U.S.A. embarked on greater spending to modernize its nuclear arsenal.

Politics and government
The United States House of Representatives voted 210-206 to create a Cabinet-level department of education. The Senate had passed a similar bill on April 30. The new department was President Jimmy Carter’s major government reorganization effort of the year, and would have an initial budget of about $14.1 billion and about 17,400 employees. In reality, it was Mr. Carter’s sop to the teachers’ unions in return for political support.

U.S. President Jimmy Carter ended a domestic summit with top advisers and other national political leaders at Camp David, Maryland.

Disasters
Hurricane Bob killed 1 and forced 80,000 coastal residents inland in southeastern Louisiana.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (0-1) 19 @ Ottawa (1-0) 30
British Columbia (1-0) 28 @ Saskatchewan (0-1) 4

The Lions ruined Ron Lancaster’s debut as a Canadian Football League head coach with their win over the Roughriders at Taylor Field in Regina.

25 years ago
1984

Diplomacy
Pope John Paul II called on the government of Nicaragua not to expel the 10 foreign priests who had participated in a march in Managua two days earlier in support of Rev. Luis Abado Pena, who had been arrested in June on charges of plotting against the Sandanista government.

Transportation
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole announced that air bags or automatic seat belts would be mandatory equipment on all automobiles made in the United States by 1989. She said the requirement would be nullified if states representing 2/3 of the United States population voted to make the use of seat belts compulsory. The percentage of vehicles required to have air bags or belts would be increased until 1989. The auto industry approved of the new regulation, but consumer and insurance groups said that the seat belt law provision was a potential "escape route" for the auto industry.

Disasters
An Amtrak train struck a diesel truck at an unmarked crossing near McBee, South Carolina, killing both the engineer and the truck driver.

20 years ago
1989

Died on this date
Laurence Olivier, 82. U.K. actor. Lord Olivier was considered the most outstanding classical stage actor of his time, if not of the 20th Century. He also appeared in many movies, including Wuthering Heights (1939); Rebecca (1940); Henry V (1945)--which he also directed; Hamlet (1948)--which he directed, and for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor; Richard III (1955)--which he also directed; Sleuth (1972); and The Jazz Singer (1980).

Scandal
United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp acknowledged that scandals in the department were "a discredit to the previous administration," and he estimated that $2 billion had been lost because of fraud and mismanagement during the tenure of his predecessor, Samuel Pierce. Mr. Kemp said he thought HUD had been run in a "slipshod manner."

Baseball
Bo Jackson of the Kansas City Royals and Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox led off the bottom of the first inning with consecutive home runs off Rick Reuschel to lead the American League past the National League 5-3 in the major league All-Star game at Anaheim Stadium. Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who had broadcast Chicago Cubs’ games in his younger days, returned to the booth briefly on the television broadcast, providing colour commentary and anecdotes.

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Helen Forrest, 82. U.S. singer. Miss Forrest, born Helen Fogel, was a vocalist with the big bands of Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Harry James in the late 1930s and early '40s before embarking on a solo career.

Diplomacy
Newly-installed Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met with Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat at the Israel-Gaza border.

At another border meeting, Indian and Pakistani military commanders agreed to a settlement of the dispute over Kashmir, with a full withdrawal of Islamic militants set for no later than July 16.