August 31, 2009

Married on this date
Happy Anniversary, Lois & Lee Morrow!

130 years ago
1879

Born on this date
Taishō. Emperor of Japan, 1912-1926. Taishō, whose personal name was Yoshihito, succeeded his father Meiji. Emperor Taishō died of a heart attack on December 25, 1926 at the age of 47, and was succeeded as Emperor by his son Hirohito.

Alma Mahler,85. Austrian-born U.S. composer. Mrs. Mahler, born Alma Schindler in Vienna, was married to composer Gustav Mahler from 1902 until his death in 1911. She was married to novelist Franz Werfel from 1929 until his death 1945, and fled Austria after the Anschluss in 1938, eventually moving to the United States. Mrs. Mahler-Werfel composed piano and chamber works, and 17 of her songs survive. She died on December 11, 1964 at the age of 85.

100 years ago
1909

Baseball
The A. J. Reach Company was granted a patent for its cork-centred baseball‚ which would replace the hard rubber-cored one. This change would be particularly apparent in the National League in 1910 and 1911.

90 years ago
1919

Died on this date
William Nixon. Canadian policeman. Mr. Nixon died the day after being shot in the stomach in front of the Twin City Transfer shipping office in downtown Edmonton. A search immediately began for the only suspect, J.G. Larsen. Mr. Nixon was the second Edmonton policeman to be gunned down on duty, and the last until 1990.

Baseball
Jesse Barnes pitched an 11-hit complete game victory to improve his 1919 record to 22-6, and singled and scored the go-ahead run in a 3-run 7th inning, as the New York Giants defeated the Brooklyn Robins 4-3 before 15,000 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. After Mr. Barnes' 7th-inning single, home plate umpire Bill Klem, tired of verbal abuse, cleared the entire Brooklyn bench except for manager Wilbert Robinson and the batboy. Losing pitcher Burleigh Grimes (10-11) allowed 6 hits and 4 runs--3 earned--in 7 1/3 innings, and left the game after being spiked on a play at first base.

Fred Merkle singled home Buck Herzog with the game's only run in the bottom of the 1st inning as the Chicago Cubs edged the St.Louis Cardinals 1-0 before 10,000 fans at Cubs Park. Grover Cleveland Alexander (12-8) pitched a 3-hitter to win over Frank Woodward (8-12), who pitched an 8-hitter.

75 years ago
1934

Football
79,432 were in attendance at Soldier Field in Chicago to see the first College All-Star Game, pitting the best graduating college players against the defending National Football League champions. The All-Stars and Chicago Bears played to a 0-0 tie. The game was the creation of Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward, who had also conceived the major league baseball all-star game the previous year.

70 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Franciszek Honiok, 43. Polish farmer. Mr. Honiok was arrested by the SS on August 30 in the Polish village of Polomia, dressed in a Polish army uniform, shot through the head, and left on the steps of the entrance to the radio station in Gleiwitz (then in Germany, just inside the border with Poland--now Gliwice, in Poland) as part of a fabrication by the Nazis of Polish aggression in order to justify their impending invasion of Poland. Mr. Honiok may accurately be referred to as the first person killed in World War II.

Baseball
The Cincinnati Reds purchased Al Simmons from the Boston Bees. The 37-year old outfielder was hitting .282 in 93 games with the Bees in 1939.

60 years ago
1949

War
The retreat of the Democratic Army of Greece in Albania after its defeat on Gramos mountain marked the end of the Greek Civil War.

The Grand Army of the Republic concluded its 83rd and last meeting in Indianapolis, attended by six Union veterans of the American Civil War.

Scandal
U.S. presidential aide Harry Vaughan concluded two days of testimony before the U.S. Senate subcommittee investigating influence-peddling in Washington, admitting to numerous interventions with government procurement authorities on behalf of friends, but denied that any of his activities were illegal.

Economics and finance
Italy signed an economic pact with Greece, agreeing to pay $101 million in World War II reparations over the next five years.

Labour
The General Council of Britain's Trades Union Congress issued a special report urging workers to accept continuation of the government's wage freeze policy.

Disasters
A typhoon struck Tokyo and Yokohama, killing 111 people.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Luna De Miel--Gloria Lasso (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 The Three Bells--The Browns (2nd week at #1)
2 Sea of Love--Phil Phillips with the Twilights
3 Sleep Walk--Santo & Johnny
4 Lavender-Blue--Sammy Turner
5 I'm Gonna Get Married--Lloyd Price
6 What'd I Say (Parts I and II)--Ray Charles and his Orchestra
7 A Big Hunk o' Love--Elvis Presley
8 There Goes My Baby--The Drifters
9 Red River Rock--Johnny and the Hurricanes
10 I Want to Walk You Home--Fats Domino

Singles entering the chart were Just Ask Your Heart by Frankie Avalon (#65); Put Your Head on My Shoulder by Paul Anka (#67); Somethin' Else by Eddie Cochran (#68); You're Gonna Miss Me by Connie Francis (#69); The Three Bells (The Jimmy Brown Story) by Dick Flood (#84); Suzie Baby by Bobby Vee and the Shadows (#87); Betty My Angel by Jerry Fuller (#90); I Cried by Joe Damiano (#92); Sweet Bird of Youth by Nat "King" Cole (#96); and The Caterpillar Crawl by the Strangers (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 The Three Bells--The Browns (2nd week at #1)
2 Caribbean--Mitchell Torok
3 Mona Lisa--Conway Twitty
4 Robbin' the Cradle--Tony Bellus
5 Lonely Boy--Paul Anka
6 Broken-Hearted Melody--Sarah Vaughan
7 Here Comes Summer--Jerry Keller
8 Red River Rock--Johnny and the Hurricanes
9 Velvet Waters--The Megatrons
10 ('Til) I Kissed You--The Everly Brothers

Singles entering the chart were Poison Ivy by the Coasters (#34); Hey Little Girl by Dee Clark (#45); The Shape I'm In by Johnny Restivo (#47); Okefenokee by Freddy Cannon (#51); Just Ask Your Heart/Two Fools by Frankie Avalon (#52); True True Happiness by Johnny Tillotson (#53); Darling I Love You by Al Martino (#55); Twice as Nice by Clyde McPhatter (#56); and I Love You, Porgy by Nina Simone (#57).

On television tonight
U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, in London during a nine-day tour of Europe, visited British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, and the two leaders took part in a historic broadcast from 10 Downing Street.



Died on this date
Norodom Vakrivan. Cambodian government official. Prince Norodom Vakrivan was Cambodia's chief of protocol. A small packaged lacquer gift fitted with a parcel bomb was delivered to the royal palace in Phnom Penh, and he was killed instantly when he opened the package, which was intended for the head of state, Prince Norodom Sihanouk. The bomb had been sent by Ngô Đình Nhu, younger brother and chief adviser of South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm.

Diplomacy
Israel protested the United Arab Republic's detention of the Danish freighter Inge Toft as "piracy," but did not request specific United Nations action to prevent the stoppage of Israeli cargoes carried by neutral ships passing through the Suez Canal.

The Committee for Freedom of All Peoples issued a call for Americans to observe U.S.S.R. Premier Nikita Khrushchev's upcoming visit to the United States with a period of mourning for the victims of Communism.

Politics and government
A U.S. House of Representatives Elections subcommittee unanimously adopted a resolution stating that Rep. Dale Alford (Democrat--Arkansas) had been "duly elected" to the House in his November 1958 contest against former Rep. Brooks Hays. Mr. Alford, a member of the Little Rock school board, had launched a write-in campaign just a week before the election, and had defeated Mr. Hays by 1,200 votes.

Crime
75,000 shots of Salk polio vaccine were stolen from a laboratory in suburban Montreal.

Tennis
Davis Cup
Challenge Round @ West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, New York
Australia 3 U.S.A. 2

The Australian team of Rod Laver, Neale Fraser, and Roy Emerson defeated the American team of Alex Olmedo, Butch Buccholz, and Barry MacKay.

Football
CFL
WIFU
Saskatchewan (0-5) 10 @ Calgary (4-1) 28



Edmonton (2-2) 7 @ British Columbia (3-2) 8

Jackie Parker was missing from the Edmonton lineup because of injury, and the Eskimos missed him; Don Getty went the distance at quarterback. Johnny Bright scored the Eskimo touchdown. Tommy-Joe Coffey missed the convert and scored a single off a missed field goal attempt, and those misses affected the outcome of the game. The Lions welcomed the 1,000,000th fan to go through the Empire Stadium turnstiles since the beginning of the team in 1954.

Baseball
Sandy Koufax tied Bob Feller’s record of 18 strikeouts in a 9-inning game as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2 before 82,974 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mr. Koufax struck out 15 of the last 17 batters to face him. His total of 31 over two consecutive games was a major league record. The game ended with a 3-run home run in the 9th inning by Wally Moon, whose fly ball home runs over the short left field fence had become known as "Moon shots."

40 years ago
1969

Died on this date
Rocky Marciano, 45. U.S. boxer. World heavyweight champion from 1952-1956, Mr. Marciano retired after winning all 49 of his professional fights (with 43 knockouts). He was killed in a plane crash in Newton, Iowa, on the way to his 46th birthday party, scheduled for the next day. Born Rocco Marchegiano, the Brockton Blockbuster (he was from Brockton, Massachusetts) ended the career of Joe Louis with an 8-round knockout on October 26, 1951. On September 23, 1952 he fought Jersey Joe Walcott for the world heavyweight championship in Philadelphia. Mr. Walcott seemed to be winning on points, but Mr. Marciano knocked him out with a devastating right hand in the 13th round. Mr. Marciano’s first title defense was a rematch with Mr. Walcott in Chicago on May 15, 1953, which ended with a first-round knockout in favour of the champion. Five more successful defenses followed, the toughest of which was a 15-round decision over former champion Ezzard Charles at Yankee Stadium in New York on June 17, 1954. Mr. Marciano’s last fight was also at Yankee Stadium, a 9-round knockout of light heavyweight champion Archie Moore on September 21, 1955. Rocky Marciano announced his retirement from boxing on April 27, 1956.





Music
On the final day of the Isle of Wight Festival, an event attended by approximately 150,000 people over three days, Bob Dylan appeared in his first live performance since 1966.

Politics and government
Three of the top military commanders in Brazil--the ministers of the army, navy, and air force-- announced that they--and not the civilian vice-president, as mandated by the constitution--had assumed control of the country while President Arthur da Costa e Silva recovered from a stroke.

Disasters
37 were reported dead after a bus plunged into a mountain ravine east of Lima, Peru.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Born to Be Alive--Patrick Hernandez (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): El Lute--Boney M. (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Honesty--Billy Joel (8th week at #1)

Died on this date
Sally Rand, 75. Miss Rand, born Helen Beck, was a dancer who performed from the 1920s through the 1970s, and was mainly popular in the 1920s and '30s. Her fan dance, offering glimpses of her body and hints of nudity, made her famous, resulting in occasional arrests, but no serious consequences.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department disclosed that a brigade of 2,000-3,000 Soviet combat troops was currently stationed in Cuba. The State Department asserted that the troops did not pose any threat to the U.S., and violated no previous Soviet-American understanding banning offensive weapons from Cuba. The U.S. asked for an explanation from the U.S.S.R.

Politics and government
U.S. President Jimmy Carter designated Donald McHenry the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations, replacing the departed Andrew Young.

Football
CIAU
Alberta (1-0) 40 @ Calgary (0-1) 27

Forrest Kennerd, in his first university game, threw 4 touchdown passes to lead the Golden Bears to an upset win over the Dinosaurs at McMahon Stadium. Sean Kehoe, Dave Brown, Kerry O'Connor, and Rick Paulitsch were on the receiving end of Mr. Kennerd's touchdown passes, and Mr. Paulitsch added another touchdown on the ground. Forrest's twin brother Trevor converted all 5 touchdowns and added a 44-yard field goal and a 31-yard single. Paul Colborne and Greg Vavra split the Calgary quarterbacking, with Mr. Vavra, in his first university game, rushing 4 yards for the Dinosaurs' first touchdown in the third quarter. Darcy Krogh and Vic Stevenson caught touchdown passes for Calgary, while Tony Kuchera converted all 3 and added 35- and 45-yard field goals. Tim Petros led the Dinosaurs' rushing attack with 18 carries for 75 yards.

Baseball
The Philadelphia Phillies, mired in fourth place in the National League East Division, fired manager Danny Ozark and replaced him with Dallas Green. The Phillies had finished first under Mr. Ozark for the previous three years, but had a record of 65-67 in 1979 when the change was made.

Craig Kusick's solo home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Toronto Blue Jays a 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners before 11,254 fans at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Tom Buskey pitched 3 perfect innings of relief to get the win, improving his 1979 record to 6-5.

With 2 out and nobody on base in the top of the 9th inning, Don Baylor singled, Willie Aikens drew a base on balls, and Brian Downing singled home Mr. Baylor to break an 8-8 tie as the California Angels edged the Cleveland Indians 9-8 before 10,501 fans at Cleveland Stadium to regain first place in the American League East Division, ½ game ahead of the Kansas City Royals. The Angels had scored 5 runs in the 8th inning on 3 home runs, only to have the Indians rally with 4 to tie after blowing an early 4-0 lead.

Larry Parrish doubled to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning and scored from second base on a 1-out single by pinch hitter Rodney Scott to give the Montreal Expos an 8-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds before 34,820 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The Expos had scored 2 runs in the 9th to send the game into extra innings.

With 1 out and nobody on base in the top of the 15th inning, Jerry Mumphrey singled and Keith Hernandez followed with a double, scoring Mr. Mumphrey to break a 7-7 tie as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the San Diego Padres 8-7 before 11,414 fans at San Diego Stadium.

25 years ago
1984

Politics and government
It was reported that Israeli Labor Party leader Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, leader of the Likud bloc, had agreed on a national unity government in which first Mr. Peres and then Mr. Shamir would serve as Prime Minister for 25 months. Under the plan, Labor and Likud would have 12 ministers each in the 24-member cabinet.

Television
The Canadian cable network MuchMusic began broadcasting.

Disasters
The state of Montana, which was experiencing, dry, windy, and hot weather, was afflicted by more than a dozen large fires covering 250,000 acres during the last days of August. The flames claimed $10.5 million in damages, and U.S. President Ronald Reagan provided disaster relief. 1,000 volunteers from seven states fought a fire on Houghton Creek in the extreme northwestern corner of the state.

Football
CFL
Toronto (7-2) 23 @ Ottawa (3-6) 20

The teams were going in opposite directions: it was the sixth straight win for the Argonauts, and the fifth straight loss for the Rough Riders. Lester Brown scored 3 touchdowns for Toronto, while Tim McCray, playing his first CFL game, rushed for both Ottawa touchdowns; his second score covered 81 yards. Rough Rider quarterback J.C. Watts was sacked 8 times, while Argonaut quarterbacks Condredge Holloway and Joe Barnes were sacked a total of 6 times. 25,708 were in attendance at Lansdowne Park.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): London Nights--London Boys (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Lion in a Cage--Dolores Keane (2nd week at #1)

Personal
This blogger put in his final day as librarian at the University of Alberta School of Native Studies.

Britannica
Buckingham Palace confirmed that Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips were separating.

Labour
Arbitrator Thomas Roberts ordered the major league baseball owners to pay $10.5 million in damages as a result of their collusion against free agents after the 1985 season.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (3-5) 39 @ Ottawa (0-8) 30

The first defensive convert in Canadian Football League history proved to be the deciding play as the Lions won their third straight game. Rookie Tony Kimbrough’s third touchdown pass of the game, to Don Johnston, had pulled the Rough Riders into a 30-30 tie with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. On the convert attempt, holder Tom Schimmer fumbled the snap, B.C. defensive back Keith Gooch recovered, and lateralled to linebacker Alondra Johnson, who raced the length of the field to score 2 points for the Lions to give them a 32-30 lead. It was the first such score since a rule change in 1988 had made a fumbled or missed convert attempt a live ball. The Lions put the game away 4 minutes later with a 20-yard touchdown run by Anthony Parker, who finished with 124 yards on 12 carries. B.C. quarterback Matt Dunigan threw 3 touchdown passes, 2 of them to David Williams. Gerald Alphin caught 2 of Mr. Kimbrough’s scoring passes. 18,576 witnessed an entertaining game at Lansdowne Park.

10 years ago
1999

Protest
Pro-Indonesian militias inside East Timor resumed attacks against those in the province who desired autonomy or independence from Indonesia. The result of the previous day’s referendum on the subject hadn’t yet been announced.

Terrorism
An explosion in a Moscow shopping centre, the first in a series of bombings, killed one person and injured about 40.

Baseball
Down 12-4, the Cleveland Indians rallied for 10 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to defeat the Anaheim Angels 14-12 before 43,284 fans at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. First baseman Richie Sexson, who batted 4 for 5, hit a 3-run home run to climax Cleveland's big inning, which followed a 5-run inning by Anaheim in the top of the 8th. Sean DePaula made his major league debut as the fourth of six Cleveland pitchers, entering the game to begin the 8th inning with the Angels leading 7-4. He allowed 1 hit and 4 runs--all earned--in just 1/3 inning, with 3 bases on balls and no strikeouts.

The Minnesota Twins scored 7 runs in the top of the 4th inning to take a 12-0 lead as they amassed 20 hits and coasted to a 14-3 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays before 23,136 fans at SkyDome in Toronto.

John Jaha scored from second base on a single by pinch hitter Rich Becker with 2 out in the top of the 11th inning to break a 2-2 tie as the Oakland Athletics edged the New York Yankees 3-2 before 33,746 fans at Yankee Stadium.

Mike Benjamin singled home Keith Osik with 1 out in the top of the 10th inning to break an 8-8 tie as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-8 before 41,729 fans at Coors Field in Denver. The teams were tied 4-4 after 8 innings, but pinch hitter Kevin Young hit a grand slam in the top of the 9th to give Pittsburgh an 8-4 lead. Colorado rallied with 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th to send the game to extra innings.