August 12, 2009

910 years ago
1099

War
The First Crusade concluded with a decisive victory for Crusader forces in the Battle of Ascalon in North Africa, and Fatimid forces under Al-Afdal Shahanshah retreating to Egypt.

320 years ago
1689

Died on this date
Innocent XI, 78. Roman Catholic Pope, 1676-1689. Born Benedetto Odescalchi, Innocent XI succeeded Clement X as Pope, and was himself succeeded by Alexander VIII.

150 years ago
1859

Born on this date
Katharine Lee Bates. U.S. writer. Miss Bates wrote poetry and non-fiction, and taught at Wellesley College for more than 30 years. She's best known for writing the poem that became the lyrics to the song America the Beautiful. Miss Bates died on March 28, 1929 at the age of 69.

120 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Zerna Sharp. U.S. teacher and authoress. Miss Sharp was an elementary school teacher and principal who created the Dick and Jane series of readers for children that were published, with various revisions, from 1930-1965. She died on June 17, 1981 at the age of 91.

A.R.M. Lower. Canadian historian. Arthur Reginald Marsden Lower, a native of Barrie, Ontario, taught at United College in Winnipeg (1927-1947) and Queen's University (1947-1959), and was best known for his textbook Canada: Colony to Nation (1946). He died in Kingston, Ontario on January 7, 1988 at the age of 98.

Canadiana
An Imperial Statute passed in London defined the boundaries of Ontario and Manitoba.

110 years ago
1899

Baseball
The grandstand at Eclipse Park in Louisville burnt down; the Colonels then tried using a temporary stand.

100 years ago
1909

Labour
A gun battle erupted in Fort William, Ontario between Canadian Pacific Railway police and non-unionized striking freight-handlers, mostly from Greece and Italy. The riot act was read and the militia called out; the Royal Canadian Mounted Rifles were also brought in from Winnipeg to quell the disturbance.

Business
The Marcus Daly estate sold the Nickel Plate operation at Hedley, British Columbia to U.S. Steel's subsidiary, Exploration Syndicate of New York.

Baseball
The American League fired umpire Tim Hurst following an investigation into the August 3 spitting incident with Eddie Collins of the Philadelphia Athletics. Mr. Hurst’s replacement was Mike Thompson, a former Georgetown University football player and well-known football referee.

90 years ago
1919

Canadiana
The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII, arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland to begin an official visit.

80 years ago
1929

Baseball
Third baseman Footsie Blair made a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt by Lance Richbourg, allowing Ben Cantwell to score from second base in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Boston Braves a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Braves Field. Mr. Cantwell, who singled immediately prior to Mr. Blair's error, pitched a 6-hit complete game victory to improve to 4-9 for 1929, while Guy Bush, who pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief, fell to 16-2.

Wally Gilbert singed with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th inning and Johnny Frederick followed with a home run to give the Brooklyn Robins a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

Jack Rothrock tripled home 2 runs and then stole home plate as the Boston Red Sox scored all their runs in the top of the 1st inning and shut out the Chicago White Sox 3-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Danny MacFayden (6-14) pitched a 3-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Ted Lyons (9-15), who allowed 4 hits and 7 bases on balls in 8 innings.

Earl Averill had 2 doubles and 2 singles, Lou Fonseca had 2 triples, a single, and 4 runs, and Bibb Falk drove in 5 runs to help the Cleveland Indians beat the New York Yankees 11-7 before 10,000 fans at League Park in Cleveland. Babe Ruth drove in 4 runs for New York with a 3-run home run and a ground out. The Yankees made 4 errors.

Rube Walberg (16-7) pitched a 5-hitter and batted 2 for 4 with a run and a run batted in to lead the Philadelphia Athletics over the Detroit Tigers 6-0 at Navin Field in Detroit. George Uhle (11-10) pitched an 8-hit complete game loss.

With 2 out and none on base in the top of the 9th inning, Joe Judge doubled, and Sam Rice doubled him home to break a 2-2 tie as the Washington Nationals edged the St. Louis Browns 3-2 before 5,000 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Garland Braxton (10-8) pitched a 5-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over General Crowder (11-11), who allowed 9 hits.

75 years ago
1934

Baseball
46,766 were in attendance, and an estimated 20,000 were turned away from Fenway Park in Boston as Babe Ruth made his final American League appearance in Boston, where he had begun his major league career 20 years earlier. The Red Sox won the first game of a doubleheader 6-4, despite a single and double by Mr. Ruth. The Yankees won the second game 7-1; the Babe had just one official at bat because the Red Sox pitchers kept walking him.

The Chicago Cubs swept a doubleheader from the St. Louis Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. Jim Weaver won the first game 7-2, as Paul Dean took the loss. The Cubs won the second game 6-4, as Pat Malone took the decision over Dizzy Dean.

70 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Eulalio Gutiérrez Ortiz, 58. President of Mexico, 1914-1915. Mr. Gutiérrez was a general from Coahuila in the Mexican Revolution, and was elected President by the Aguascalientes Convention after the ouster of President Victoriano Huerta. President Gutiérrez moved the capital from Mexico City to San Luis Potosi, but he was unsuccessful in attempting to control the two main generals of the revolution, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. Mr. Gutiérrez resigned as President and made peace with the revolution's "Primer Jefe" ("First Chief"), Venustiano Carranza. Mr. Gutiérrez went into exile in the United States, but returned to Mexico in 1920, and was elected Senator and Governor of Coahuila in 1928. He supported the rebellion of José Gonzalo Escobar in 1929, but was forced into exile in San Antonio, Texas when the rebellion failed. Mr. Gutiérrez returned to Mexico again in 1935, and died in Saltillo.

Baseball
Steve Sundra improved his record for the season to 6-0 as the New York Yankees hammered the Philadelphia Athletics 18-4 before 8,000 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Babe Dahlgren had 4 hits and 6 RBIs for the Yankees, including a solo home run in the 6th inning, and a grand slam an inning later. Joe Gordon added his 18th home run of the season for the Yankees.

60 years ago
1949

On the radio
A Book at Bedtime, read by Laidman Browne, on BBC Light Programme
Tonight's episode: The Speckled Band, Part 5

Defense
The U.S. Senate passed and sent to the House of Representatives a bill providing $311 million for expanded guided missile and supersonic aircraft research. The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee concluded a four-day session in Washington on charges of "mass dishonesty" in the B-36 bomber program after hearing Air Force Secretary Stuart Symington and other officials defend the service's procurement policies.

Politics and government
Argentina's pro-U.S. Foreign Minister Juan Bramuglia resigned and was replaced by Hippolito Jesus Paz.

Indianica
The Constituent Assembly adopted a measure conferring citizenship on Indians living abroad if they, their parents or grandparents were born in India.

Scandal
Mildred Ortmeyer, secretary of accused "five percenter" James Hunt, testified before the U.S. Senate subcommittee investigating influence-peddling in Washington that Army Chemical Corps chief Alden Waitt had written anonymous derogatory memos about his subordinates in an effort to prevent them from getting his job. Subcommittee member Karl Mundt (Republican--South Dakota) called the tactic part of an "ingenious plot" by Messrs. Hunt, Waitt, and presidential military aide Harry Vaughan to preserve their patronage arrangements. The U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution establishing a seven-member committee to investigate lobbying.

Medicine
Despite a request from the American Medical Association to oppose U.S. President Harry Truman's national health care plan, the Negro-dominated U.S. National Medical Association refused to take a position on the issue of national health insurance at its convention in Detroit.

Business
A U.S. federal court in New York ruled that the U.S. Alkali Export Association and 15 manufacturers, including Dow Chemical and Pittsburgh Plate Glass, had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by participating in a world-class alkali cartel.

Baseball
The Boston Red Sox swept a doubleheader from the Washington Nationals 15-7 and 13-11 before 32,359 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. The second game took 3 hours and 54 minutes to play, then a record for a 9-inning game. Chuck Stobbs went the distance for the Red Sox in winning the first game, as Vern Stephens batted in 5 runs. Roberto Ortiz drove in 5 for the Nationals. Joe Dobson won the second game for the Red Sox in relief, as the Red Sox scored 8 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning to overcome a 4-1 deficit.

Herb Adams singled home Bud Souchock and Billy Pierce with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning to break a 4-4 tie as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians 6-5 before 31,424 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. Bob Kennedy singled home Joe Gordon with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, but Ken Keltner flied out to center field to end the game.

50 years ago
1959

Died on this date
Mike O'Neill, 81. U.K.-born U.S. baseball player. Mr. O'Neill, one of four brothers who played in the major leagues, was a pitcher and left fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals (1901-1904) and Cincinnati Reds (1907), compiling a record of 32-44 with an earned run average of 2.73 and 2 saves in 85 games, and batting .255 with 2 home runs and 41 runs batted in in 137 games. He played under the name Mike Joyce in 1901. Mr. O'Neill played at least 1,401 games in at least 15 seasons in the minor leagues from 1899-1918, and coached at Rice University in the 1920s.

War
Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro flew to Las Villas Province to direct operations against an 80-man counterinsurgency force battling government troops near Cienfuegos.

The Communist Chinese Foreign Ministry, charging that the current Laotian strife was "engineered from first to last by the U.S.," demanded the withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel and the abolition of all military bases in Laos.

World events
A Southern Rhodesian tribunal charged that African National Congress branches in Northern and Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland had plotted "the coordinated use of violence" to overthrown the three states' governments.

Politics and government
Greek Cypriot sources revealed the formation of a new secret organization, the Cyprus Enosi Front, which sought the union of Cyprus with Greece.

Education
Four Little Rock, Arkansas public high schools, closed since 1958 to avoid integration, reopened with five Negro students.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Senate failed to override President Dwight D. Eisenhower's veto of omnibus housing legislation.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Saskatchewan (0-3) 13 @ Toronto (1-1) 53

About 9,000 were in attendance at CNE Stadium, one-third the attendance of the previous week’s game, so the traffic congestion that had prompted many complaints was absent.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Honky Tonk Women--The Rolling Stones (3rd week at #1)

Space
The U.S.A. launched ATS-5. The fifth Applications Technology Satellite carried a variety of experiments to try out new ideas for satellites of the future. It reached its synchronous orbit, but with an improper spin that hindered tests of a new, simplified stabilization system.

World events
The Royal Ulster Constabulary used tear gas for the first time in its history after nine hours of rioting in the mainly-Catholic Bogside area of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. There had been numerous outbreaks of violence between Catholics and Protestants since the start of the summer marching season.

Politics and government
King Hussein of Jordan recalled former Prime Minister Bahjat Talhouni to replace Abdel Monem Rifai and directed him to form a new cabinet, setting his country on a new political course. The king’s disillusionment with efforts to bring about a political settlement with Israel appeared to have led him to seek a meeting of Arab heads of state to decide on necessary military steps if efforts for a political settlement were abandoned.

Baseball
Steve Renko pitched a 7-hitter and hit his first major league home run to lead the Montreal Expos over the Cincinnati Reds 8-3 in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader before 26,210 fans at Jarry Park in Montreal. Coco Laboy and Bobby Wine each drove in 2 runs for the Expos as they won 5-2 in the second game to complete the sweep, as Bill Stoneman won with relief help from Roy Face.

The New York Mets scored 5 runs in the top of the 4th inning to take a 5-1 lead, but the Houston Astros rallied for a run in the 4th and 4 in the 6th, and went on to edge the Mets 8-7 before 22,283 fans at the Astrodome. Curt Blefary hit a 3-run home run for the Astros to climax their 6th-inning rally, while Tommie Agee drove in 4 New York runs with a pair of singles. Don Wilson (15-7) was the winning pitcher over Jerry Koosman (9-8).

Gaylord Perry pitched a 10-hitter and had 2 hits of his own to improve his 1969 record to 15-8, helping the San Francisco Giants defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 before 5,496 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Jose Pagan came to bat as a pinch hitter for the Pirates in the 9th inning and hit a 2-run home run, tying the major league record with home runs in 2 consecutive plate appearances as a pinch hitter.

Jim Lefebvre's 3-run home run climaxed a 4-run 8th inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2 before 26,650 fans at Dodger Stadium.

Ferguson Jenkins pitched a 6-hitter and struck out 10 batters to improve his record for the season to 16-10, leading the Chicago Cubs over the San Diego Padres 4-0 before 9,794 fans at San Diego Stadium. The Cubs now led the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals by 8½ games in the National League East Division pennant race.

Paul Blair singled home Curt Motton with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Baltimore Orioles a 4-3 win over the Oakland Athletics before 19,106 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

The New York Yankees erupted for 8 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to erase a 3-2 deficit and defeat the Minnesota Twins 10-3 before 17,016 fans at Yankee Stadium. Bill Robinson grounded out as a pinch hitter to lead off the 7th inning, and came up again and singled home 2 runs later in the inning. Jim Kaat allowed 7 hits and 5 runs--4 earned--in 6 1/3 innings to take the loss, but had a good game at the plate, batting 2 for 3 with a double and a 2-run home run. Bill Zepp, the fourth and last Minnesota pitcher, retired all 4 hitters he faced, with 1 strikeout in his major league debut.

The Chicago White Sox took advantage of 3 errors and a passed ball to score 5 unearned runs as they defeated the Boston Red Sox 10-5 before 6,453 fans at White Sox Park.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Some Girls--Racey (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Gloria--Umberto Tozzi (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Ernst Chain, 73. German-born Irish biochemist. Sir Ernst, who fled to England in 1933 and spent his last years in Ireland, shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sir Alexander Fleming and Howard Florey "for the discovery of penicillin and its curative effect in various infectious diseases."

Terrorism
Islamic thugs in Iran attacked leftists protesting recent press restrictions by the government of Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan, and later ransacked offices of left-wing parties and newspapers.

Society
164 members of the Ku Klux Klan were arrested outside Montgomery, Alabama for marching without a parade permit.

Auto racing
USAC Championship Car
Roger McCluskey won the Tony Bettenhausen 200 at the Milwaukee Mile; it was his fifth career Indy car win, and was his last race.

Baseball
This blogger was among the 14,500 in attendance on a dreary Sunday afternoon at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota who saw the Minnesota Twins edge the Oakland Athletics 1-0. Jerry Koosman scattered 10 hits, but didn’t allow any bases on balls in picking up his 14th win against 10 losses. Baserunning mistakes didn’t help the Oakland cause: third baseman Jim Essian was picked off first base by Twins’ catcher Butch Wynegar in the 4th inning, and when Mr. Essian singled to lead off the 9th, Larry Murray went in to run for him--and was picked off first base by Mr. Koosman. Minnesota third baseman Mike Cubbage went 3 for 3, and scored the game’s only run when he led off the 7th with a single, and promptly scored on designated hitter Danny Goodwin’s double. Rick Langford gave up just 5 hits and 2 walks in 8 innings in going the distance for the Athletics, and saw his 1979 record drop to 7-13. The game was over in just 1 hour and 43 minutes. It turned out to be the last major league game I ever attended (so far), and occurred five years to the day after I went to my first major league game.

Ross Baumgarten pitched a 2-hitter for the Chicago White Sox as they shut out the Toronto Blue Jays 7-0 in the first game of a doubleheader before 14,712 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Joe Cannon hit a single, double, and triple for the Blue Jays as they won the second game 7-5.

Rod Carew singled home Rick Miller and Brian Downing with 1 out to conclude a 4-run 9th-inning rally, giving the California Angels a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners before 27,345 fans at Anaheim Stadium.

25 years ago
1984

Abominations
Zimbabwe’s ruling African National Union-Patriotic Front concluded a party congress by adopting a draft charter calling for one-party Marxist rule. The draft charter provided that the socialist state would be achieved "in the fullness of time" under the "vanguard leadership" of the Union and Front. The party approved expanded power for Prime Minister Robert Mugabe through the creation of an executive presidency that would permit Mr. Mugabe to become head of state. The party delegates also approved a strict moral code for party officials.

Politics and government
U.S. President Ronald Reagan said that raising taxes would be a last resort for him, but a first resort for Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale.

Olympics
Greg Louganis of the United States won his second gold medal of the games, taking the men's 10-meter platform competition with a world-record score of 710.91 points. The United States topped the final medal total with 174 (83 gold); West Germany was second with 59 (17 gold). Romania followed with 53 (20 gold), and Canada fourth with 44 (10 gold). The closing ceremonies featured a large fireworks display and included Hollywood-style entertainment.

Football
CFL
Toronto (5-2) 30 @ Hamilton (1-4-1) 22
Edmonton (3-3) 37 @ Saskatchewan (1-4-1) 21

Larry Cowan rushed for 143 yards for the Eskimos, including one run of 65 yards, as the Eskimos came back from an early 16-1 deficit to defeat the Roughriders at Taylor Field in Regina. With less than 2 minutes remaining and the Eskimos leading 23-21, Roughrider punter Paul Hickie came up short when he ran the ball on a fake punt. Matt Dunigan ran 3 yards for a touchdown with 45 seconds left to make it 30-21 after the convert. Two plays later, Eskimo linebacker Danny Bass hit Roughrider quarterback Nickie Hall in the end zone and forced a fumble. Saskatchewan guard Gerry Hornett attempted to kick the loose ball, but only succeeded in kicking it into the hands of Edmonton defensive end Tom Tuinei for an easy touchdown.

Baseball
Harmon Killebrew‚ Rick Ferrell‚ Don Drysdale‚ Pee Wee Reese‚ and Luis Aparicio were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown‚ New York.

In a game that featured two bench-clearing brawls and 19 ejections (including both managers and both replacement managers), the Atlanta Braves defeated the San Diego Padres 5-3 before 23,912 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Braves’ starting pitcher Pascual Perez hit Padres’ leadoff hitter Alan Wiggins in the back with the first pitch of the game to get things started.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Viva la mamma--Edoardo Bennato (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): No More Boleros--Gerard Joling (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): We are Growing (Shaka Zulu)--Margaret Singana

#1 single in France (SNEP): Lambada--Kaoma (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Swing the Mood--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Right Here Waiting--Richard Marx
2 On Our Own--Bobby Brown
3 Batdance--Prince
4 So Alive--Love and Rockets
5 Once Bitten Twice Shy--Great White
6 Cold Hearted--Paula Abdul
7 I Like It--Dino
8 Lay Your Hands on Me--Bon Jovi
9 Don't Wanna Lose You--Gloria Estefan
10 Toy Soldiers--Martika

Singles entering the chart were Love Song by the Cure (#58); Don't Look Back by Fine Young Cannibals (#76); It's No Crime by Babyface (#84); What I Like About You by Michael Morales (#88); Need a Little Taste of Love by the Doobie Brothers (#92); What About Me by Moving Pictures (#93); Lay All Your Love on Me by Information Society (#94); Lay Down Your Arms by the Graces (#95); When the Radio is On by Paul Shaffer (#97); On the Line by Tangier (#99); and Walkin' Shoes by Tora Tora (#100).

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Batdance--Prince (3rd week at #1)
2 On Our Own--Bobby Brown
3 Right Here Waiting--Richard Marx
4 So Alive--Love and Rockets
5 Lay Your Hands on Me--Bon Jovi
6 I Like It--Dino
7 Once Bitten Twice Shy--Great White
8 Cold Hearted--Paula Abdul
9 If You Don't Know Me by Now--Simply Red
10 The End of the Innocence--Don Henley

Singles entering the chart were Lay All Your Love on Me by Information Society (#70); Pride and Passion by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band (#73); Nature of Love by Waterfront (#75); Don't Look Back by Fine Young Cannibals (#77); Need a Little Taste of Love by the Doobie Brothers (#80); Closer to Fine by Indigo Girls (#83); Runnin' Down a Dream by Tom Petty (#85); And the Night Stood Still by Dion (#90); Oh Daddy by Adrian Belew (#92); You're My One and Only (True Love) by Seduction (#94); and Love Cries by the Stage Dolls (#96).

Died on this date
William Shockley, 79. U.K.-born U.S. physicist. Dr. Shockley shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain for co-inventing the transistor; his work helped to inspire the creation of "Silicon Valley" in California. In his later years, Dr. Shockley attracted controversy and criticism for his advocacy of eugenics.

Samuel Okwaraji, 25. Nigerian soccer player. Mr. Okwaraji, a midfielder with Nigeria's national team, collapsed and died of congestive heart failure in the 77th minute of a World Cup qualification match against Angola at Lagos National Stadium.

Politics and government
F.W. de Klerk, the newly-chosen leader of South Africa’s ruling National Party and also the country’s education minister, met with most of the cabinet members but not with President P.W. Botha.

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Jean Drapeau, 83. Canadian politician. Mr. Drapeau, leader of the Partie Civique, Mayor of Montreal from 1954-1957 and 1960-1986. During his reign Montreal hosted the Expo 67 world's fair and the 1976 Summer Olympic Games; the Metro rapid transit system was constructed; and the Montreal Expos became the first major league baseball team located outside the United States.

Ross Elliott, 82. U.S. actor. Mr. Elliott, born Elliott Blum, was a character actor in plays, movies, radio, and television. He began his career as part of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre, and performed in the legendary Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcast of The War of the Worlds on October 30, 1938. Mr. Elliott appeared in movies such as Woman on the Run (1950) and The Towering Inferno (1974), but was busiest in television. He played recurring roles in series such as The Blue Angels (1960-1961) and The Virginian (1962-1971). Mr. Elliott played Fred, the director, in The Jack Benny Program (1961-1964); his casting in the role may have been inspired by his most memorable role, as the television director in the I Love Lucy episode Lucy Does a TV Commercial (1952). Mr. Elliott died of cancer.

Baseball
The Milwaukee Brewers fired manager Phil Garner and replaced him with batting coach Jim Lefebvre. Mr. Garner had managed the Brewers since 1992, and after a 92-70 record in his first season, had produced seven straight losing seasons. They were 52-60 in 1999 when the change was made.