July 16, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Campbell Milton!

500 years ago
1509

Died on this date
Joao da Nova, 48 or 49. Galician-born Portuguese explorer. Mr. Nova led two Portuguese expeditions to India, and was credited with the discovery of the islands of Ascension and Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. He died in India.

280 years ago
1729

Died on this date
Johann David Heinichen, 46. German composer. Mr. Heinichen was a lawyer who composed orchestral, instrumental, and chamber works, but was best known for his choral works, and especially his liturgical works. He died after a long battle with tuberculosis.

240 years ago
1769

Americana
Father Junípero Serra founded California's first mission, Mission San Diego de Alcalá; over the following decades, it evolved into the city of San Diego, California.

230 years ago
1779

War
American Light Infantry under Brigadier General Anthony Wayne, a veteran of Québec, made a successful midnight surprise assault against British fortifications at Stony Point, New York. British commander Colonel Henry Johnson lost 63 killed, 70 wounded, and 500 captured to 15 killed and 80 wounded on the American side. Col. Johnson abandoned the fort two days later.

South Americana
The city of La Paz, in what is today Bolivia, declared its independence from the Spanish Crown during the La Paz revolution and formed the Junta Tuitiva, the first independent government in Spanish America, led by Pedro Domingo Murillo.

160 years ago
1849

Died on this date
Sarah Allen, 84 or 85. U.S. missionary. Mrs. Allen, born a Negro slave in Virginia, was the wife of African Methodist Episcopal Church founder Richard Allen, and became the church's leading missionary, known as "The Funding Mother."

Politics and government
Richard Blanshard was appointed Governor of Vancouver Island; he served until August 1851.

Religion
Antonio María Claret y Clará founded the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, popularly known as the Claretians, in Vic, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

120 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Larry Semon. U.S. movie actor, director, and producer. Mr. Semon was one of the major figures of silent film comedy from 1915-1928. His best-known film was probably The Wizard of Oz (1925). Mr. Semon ran up big budgets on his films, which eventually led to his bankruptcy. He suffered a nervous breakdown and reportedly died in a sanatorium of pneumonia and tuberculosis on October 8, 1928 at the age of 39.

100 years ago
1909

World events
Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar was forced out as Shah of Persia and was replaced by his son Ahmad Shah Qajar.

Baseball
The Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals played to a 0-0 tie in 18 innings before 3,078 fans at Bennett Park in Detroit in the longest scoreless game in American League history. Ed Summers pitched all 18 innings for the Tigers, giving up just 7 hits and 2 bases on balls, while striking out 10. Washington starter Dolly Gray gave up just 1 hit in 8 innings before leaving with an injury; Bob Groom relieved him.

60 years ago
1949

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Pussy Cat Song (Nyow! Nyot Nyow!)--Patty Andrews and Bob Crosby (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (10th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (7th week at #1)
2 Some Enchanted Evening--Perry Como
--Bing Crosby
3 Again--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
--Mel Torme
--Vic Damone
--Doris Day and the Mellomen
4 Baby, it's Cold Outside--Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer
--Dinah Shore and Buddy Clark
--Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
--Don Cornell and Laura Leslie
5 Forever and Ever--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
--Perry Como
6 Bali Ha'i--Perry Como
--Bing Crosby
7 A Wonderful Guy--Margaret Whiting
8 I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore--The Stardusters with Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
--Perry Como
9 Merry-Go-Round Waltz--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
10 Careless Hands--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Bing Crosby
--Mel Torme

The only single entering the chart was Yes, Yes in Your Eyes by Eddy Howard and his Orchestra (#36).

On the radio
Tales of Fatima, starring Basil Rathbone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: Cargo of Death

Died on this date
Mahmoud Hassan Pasha, 78. Egyptian politician. Mr. Hassan was Egypt's Minister of State.

Alexander Whitney, 76. U.S. labour leader. Mr. Whitney joined the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen in 1898, and served as its president from 1928 until his death from a heart attack. He led the union in a two-day strike in 1946 that paralyzed rail transport across the United States. Mr. Whitney was succeeded as union president by William Parker Kennedy.

War
The Chinese Nationalist government in Canton established a Supreme War Council led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, who effectively resumed control over the war effort.

Diplomacy
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency advised a Senate Judiciary subcommittee that at least 29 United Nations representatives of foreign nations were "high-ranking Communist Party officials" working against American interests.

Defense
Defense ministers of Western European Union states, meeting in Luxembourg, announced an agreement to unify their arms production and military supply services.

Scandal
U.S. Army Secretary Gordon Gray suspended two generals, Quartermaster General Herman Feldman and Chemical Corps chief Alden Waitt, pending investigation of alleged influence peddling in the award of Army contracts. The charges resulted from a recent expose of "five percenter" James Hunt.

Politics and government
A U.S. Bill of Rights Congress, called to protest Federal Bureau of Investigation investigating methods, opened in New York. The meeting was sponsored by former U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace, singer Paul Robeson, and National Lawyers Guild President Clifford Durr.

Religion
The Czechoslovakian Communist Party issued a statement calling the Roman Catholic Church "our greatest enemy," but denying any intention of prohibiting religious observance.

Journalism
The Inter-American Press Congress concluded a six-day meeting in Quito after reporting that 16 American republics practiced some form of censorship.

50 years ago
1959

On television tonight
The Lawless Years, starring James Gregory, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Framed



Died on this date
Bob Coleman, 68. U.S. baseball player, coach, and manager. Mr. Coleman was a catcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1913-1914) and Cleveland Indians (1916), batting .241 with 1 home run and 27 runs batted in in 116 games. He played at least 1,374 games in 16 seasons in the minor leagues from 1910-1927. Mr. Coleman coached with the Boston Red Sox (1926); Detroit Tigers (1932); and Boston Braves (1943), and managed the Braves on an interim basis in 1943 and full-time in 1944-1945, compiling a record of 128-165. He managed for 35 seasons in the minor leagues from 1919-1957, compiling a record of 2,496-2,103. Mr. Coleman managed the Evansville Hubs of the Class B Three-I League for 20 years, leading them to 8 pennants, including one in his final season. Mr. Coleman died of cancer.

Jimmy Ripple, 49. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Ripple was an outfielder with the New York Giants (1936-1939); Brooklyn Dodgers (1939-1940); Cincinnati Reds (1940-1941); and Philadelphia Athletics (1943), batting .282 with 28 home runs and 251 runs batted in in 554 games. He helped the Giants win National League pennants in 1936 and 1937 and the Reds win the World Series in 1940, batting .320 with 2 homers and 9 RBIs in 17 World Series games. Mr. Ripple played at least 1,391 games in 12 seasons in the minor leagues from 1929-1944, including 10 seasons in the International League. He was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 1956, and died of acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis.

Space
A 120-inch reflector telescope, the world's second-largest after the 200-inch Mout Palomar telescope, went into operation at the University of California's Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, California.

Terrorism
French security forces arrested 93 Cameroonese accused of responsibility for recent terrorist attacks in the Yaounde and Douala regions of the French Cameroons.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey (Minnesota) said that he approved of the joint announcement two days earlier by Sen. Eugene McCarthy (Democrat--Minnesota) and Minnesota Governor Orville Freeman of Sen. Humphrey's candidacy for the 1960 Democratic Party U.S. presidential nomination, but did not consider it his formal entry into the presidential race.

Baseball
The New York Yankees trailed the Cleveland Indians 5-4 going into the bottom of the 9th inning of the first game of a doubleheader before 38,674 fans at Yankee Stadium, but Yogi Berra led off with a home run to tie the score, and Mickey Mantle hit a 2-run homer with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th to give the Yankees a 7-5 win. Bobby Shantz pitched a 5-hitter and Enos Slaughter hit a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning to provide the necessary scoring as the Yankees won the second game 4-0 to complete the sweep.

Dick Donovan and Gerry Staley combined to pitch a 4-hitter for the Chicago White Sox edged the Boston Red Sox 4-3 in the first game of a doubleheader before 17,285 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Marty Keough led off the bottom of the 7th inning with a double and Vic Wertz followe with a single to drive him home to break a 4-4 tie as the Red Sox won the second game 5-4. The split left the White Sox 1 game ahead of the Indians in the American League pennant race.

Wally Post batted 3 for 4 with a triple, 2 runs, and 2 runs batted in to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4 in the first game of a doubleheader before 22,159 fans at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Robin Roberts pitched a 10-hit complete game victory. In the second game, pinch hitter Dusty Rhodes singled home Jackie Brandt with 1 out in the top of the 9th inning for the game's only run as the Giants won 1-0. Johnny Antonelli pitched a 3-hitter to improve his 1959 record to 14-4, winning the pitchers' duel over Gene Conley, who pitched an 8-hitter.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Something in the Air--Thunderclap Newman (3rd week at #1)

Space
A Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 11 crew of Neil Armstrong (Commander), Buzz Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot), and Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot) lifted off from launch pad 39A at Cape Kennedy, Florida at 9:32 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, bound for a manned landing on the moon.











To follow the Apollo 11 mission in real time, go to Apollo 11 in Real Time. For more on this date, see The Days of Apollo 11.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Pop Muzik--M (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kimi no Asa--Satoshi Kishida (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Estoy Bailando--Hermanas Goggi

Politics and government
Iraqi President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr resigned, and was replaced by Saddam Hussein.

Energy
In speeches delivered in Kansas City, Missouri and Detroit, U.S. President Jimmy Carter said that his energy program would cost $140 billion over the next 10 years, and that the entire cost would be covered by the windfall profits tax on the oil companies currently before Congress. He also stressed the indispensable role of nuclear power in the nation’s future. A New York Times/CBS News poll showed an increase from 26% to 37% in Mr. Carter’s performance approval rating, and 77% of those polled agreed that there was a "crisis of confidence" in the country.

Protest
Formerly classified documents revealed that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency had used intelligence satellites in the late 1960s to spy on American students engaged in antiwar demonstrations. The papers said that the spying was an attempt to check "possible foreign connections with the U.S. antiwar movement." The CIA admitted that the spying failed to find any connections. The documents were obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request by the Center for National Security Studies.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Wake Me Up Before You Go Go--Wham!

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Lobo-Hombre en París--La Unión (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Ed Short, 64. U.S. baseball executive. Mr. Short was a journalist with the Chicago Tribune and radio station WJJD before joining the Chicago White Sox in 1950 as publicity director, later serving as travelling secretary. He served as the White Sox' general manager (1961-1970), presiding over teams that had winning records and contended for the American League pennant through 1967, but declined in performance on the field and at the gate in his last three seasons. Shortly after ownership of the White Sox was transferred from Arthur Allyn, Jr. to his brother John, Mr. Short was fired on September 1, 1970, and was replaced by Stu Holcomb. Mr. Short was named general manager of the Chicago Cougars of the new World Hockey Association in April 1972, but was fired in January 1973, midway through the WHA's first season. He died 11 days before his 65th birthday.

Politics and government
In San Francisco, the Democratic National Convention opened with New York Governor Mario Cuomo delivering a whining speech about "the family of America" and saying that the nation, often called "a shining city on a hill" by President Ronald Reagan, should instead be seen as "a tale of two cities," rich and poor, with the latter being excluded by Mr. Reagan’s policies.

In Nicaragua, the Social Democratic Party said that its presidential candidate in the election would be its party leader, Adan Fletes.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Batdance--Prince

#1 single in Switzerland: The Look--Roxette (8th week at #1)

Died on this date
Herbert von Karajan, 81. Austrian orchestra conductor. Mr. Karajan was one of the 20th century's most famous conductors, and was music director of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 1955 until his death.

Diplomacy
The leaders of the world’s seven largest industrial nations, at their annual summit in Paris, issued a statement that focused far more on the environment than in the past, calling for more effort to eliminate the emission of gases that threatened to alter the world’s climate. They also endorsed debt restructuring as a means of encouraging backward countries to protect their natural resources.

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
John F. Kennedy, Jr., 38. U.S. publisher. Mr. Kennedy, the son of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy was killed along with his wife Carolyn Bessette and her sister Lauren when the Piper Saratoga II HP piloted by Mr. Kennedy crashed near Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Mr. Kennedy had recently founded George magazine.

Football
CFL
Montreal (2-0) 22 @ Hamilton (1-1) 16
Saskatchewan (0-2) 6 @ Edmonton (1-1) 39

Edmonton quarterback Nealon Greene completed 17 of 24 passes for 206 yards and 4 touchdowns, and set a CFL record for yards rushing by a quarterback in a single game with 180 yards on 14 carries (with 1 touchdown). Bobby Phillips, in his first CFL game, added 90 yards on 20 carries for the Eskimos. Terry Vaughn caught 10 passes for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Ed Hervey caught his first CFL touchdown pass. Rookie Eskimo kicker Matt Kellett was suffering from a groin injury and was unable to perform kickoff duties; receiver Rick Walters took over the role for the first time in his career. Mr. Kellett also missed two consecutive converts, becoming the first player since Larry Robinson of Calgary in 1974 to miss 2 converts in a game. 32,113 were in attendance at Commonwealth Stadium.