August 6, 2009

200 years ago
1809

Born on this date
Alfred, Lord Tennyson. U.K. poet. Lord Tennyson was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1850 until his death on October 6, 1892 at the age of 83.

190 years ago
1819

Academia
Norwich University was founded in Vermont as the first private military school in the United States.

130 years ago
1879

Canadiana
Governor-General of Canada the Marquis of Lorne and Princess Louise commenced their Royal Tour of New Brunswick, stopping by train in Moncton, Sussex, and Hampton. In Saint John, “Reed’s Castle” on Mount Pleasant Avenue became their temporary home.

125 years ago
1884

Baseball
Cap Anson hit 3 home runs, giving him 5 in 2 games, as the Chicago White Stockings beat the Cleveland Blues 13-4 in a National League game at Lakefront Park in Chicago.

120 years ago
1889

Born on this date
George Kenney. Canadian-born U.S. military officer. General Kenney, a native of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, and was commander of the Allied Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) from 1942-1945. Gen. Kenney died on August 9, 1977, three days after his 88th birthday.

90 years ago
1919

Born on this date
Pauline Betz. U.S. tennis player. Miss Betz was one of the best players in the world in the 1940s, winning five Grand Slam singles titles and reaching the final in three others. She turned professional and played into the 1950s. Miss Betz died on May 31, 2011 at the age of 91.

Baseball
Ray Keating of the Boston Braves gave up just 3 hits and hit his only career major league home run--a fly ball that bounced through a hole in the center field fence in the 3rd inning--to defeat Grover Cleveland Alexander and the Chicago Cubs 2-0 at Cubs Park.

80 years ago
1929

Died on this date
Andy Cusick, 71. U.S. baseball player and umpire. Mr. Cusick was a catcher with the Wilmington Quicksteps (1884) and Philadelphia Quakers (1884-1887), batting .193 with no home runs and 15 runs batted in in 95 games. He umpired games in the Western Association in 1889 and 1890, and then became a policeman.

Baseball
The Washington Nationals and New York Yankees split a doubleheader before 20,000 fans at Yankee Stadium. The Nationals won the first game 13-9, as Buddy Myer hit 3 doubles and a single, scoring 3 runs and driving in 3. Babe Ruth hit his 26th and 27th home runs of the season, driving in 7 runs to lead the Yankees to an 8-0 win in the second game, with Fred Heimach pitching a 3-hit shutout. Mr. Ruth’s first home run in the game was a grand slam. Losing pitcher Bobby Burke allowed 7 hits and 8 earned runs in 7 innings and was relieved by Don Savidge, who pitched a perfect 8th inning in his first major league game.

70 years ago
1939

Communications
Regular air mail service began between Canada and the United Kingdom.

60 years ago
1949

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart--The Ink Spots; The Joe Loss Orchestra

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Some Enchanted Evening--Perry Como (2nd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Some Enchanted Evening--Perry Como (2nd week at #1)
--Bing Crosby
2 Baby, it's Cold Outside--Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer
--Dinah Shore and Buddy Clark
--Don Cornell and Laura Leslie
--Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
3 Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
4 Again--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
--Mel Torme
--Doris Day and the Mellomen
--Vic Damone
5 A Wonderful Guy--Margaret Whiting
6 You're Breaking My Heart--Vic Damone
7 I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore--The Stardusters with Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
--Perry Como
8 Bali Ha'i--Perry Como
9 The Huckle-Buck--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
--Frank Sinatra
9 The Four Winds and the Seven Seas--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra

No new singles entered the chart.

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

War
The Chinese Nationalist government ordered the arrest of all generals suspected of planning to join the Communists, following reports of the defection of 90,000 Nationalist troops in the Changsha area.

Diplomacy
Nationalist Chinese President Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek visited South Korea for discussions with South Korean President Syngman Rhee on the formation of an anti-Communist Pacific Union.

Crime
A South Korean military court sentenced Lieutenant An Du Hi to life imprisonment for assassinating conservative political leader Kim Koo.

Religion
The Polish government issued a law providing prison sentences of up to five years for Roman Catholic priests who carried out Pope Pius XII's sentence of excommunication against Communist Party members.

Labour
The Hawaiian legislature passed a bill giving Governor Ingram Stainback power to seize and operate docks during the strike of Congress of Industrial Organizations longshoremen.

50 years ago
1959

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

Died on this date
Preston Sturges, 60. U.S. movie director, screenwriter, and playwright. Mr. Sturges, born Edmund Preston Biden, had some success on Broadway before moving to Hollywood, where he achieved success as a screenwriter in the 1930s. In 1940, Mr. Sturges began directing his own films, becoming perhaps the first person to establish himself as a screenwriter before becoming a director. He was a master of the screwball comedy, winning an Academy Award for his screenplay for The Great McGinty (1940), and receiving Oscar nominations for The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944) and Hail the Conquering Hero (1944). Mr. Sturges' style of comedy was out of step with post-World War II sensibilities, and he went into a professional decline from which he never recovered. He died of a heart attack at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City, 23 days before his 61st birthday, while working on his autobiography.

World events
The Nicaraguan National Guard announced the suppression of an invasion attempt from Honduras and Costa Rica.

Diplomacy
Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru charged that Communist China had violated an agreement to promote Indian-Tibetan trade, cultural relations, and pilgrimage traffic.

Defense
The Moroccan Foreign Ministry issued a communique denying that U.S. air bases in the country had been granted any legal status by the signing of an agreement governing Moroccan labour employed on the bases.

Labour
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower appealed in a nationwide broadcast for a reform law "to protect the American people from gangsters, racketeers and other corrupt elements" who had invaded the labour management field.

Football
CFL
Pre-Season
Ottawa (2-1) 35 @ British Columbia (2-2) 14
Hamilton (1-1) 8 @ Winnipeg (1-1) 5

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Honky Tonk Women--The Rolling Stones (3rd week at #1)

Defense
After long debate in the United States Senate and throughout the country on the desirability of deploying the proposed Safeguard anti-ballistic missile system, two Senate amendments that would have prohibited spending on its construction were defeated by narrow margins. A proposal by Senator Margaret Chase Smith to amend a military authorization bill to deny all finds for ABM development lost 51-50, with Vice-President Spiro Agnew casting the deciding vote. A second proposal to allow spending for ABM research but not construction was defeated 51-49, with Sen. Smith joining ABM supporters in voting against it.

Politics and government
In the keynote speech at the opening session of the 10th congress of the Romanian Communist party, President Nicolae Ceaucescu set forth a doctrine for independence of the individual Communist parties. He opposed the U.S.S.R.-backed ideas of a "commonwealth."

Disasters
At least 14 died, 2 were missing, and 40 injured in a series of tornadoes that hit northern Minnesota.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (2-0) 35 @ Calgary (1-1) 29

The Rough Riders' biggest play in their win at McMahon Stadium was a 107-yard kickoff return by Vic Washington for a touchdown. Stampeder quarterback Jerry Keeling performed heroically in defeat, completing 27 passes.

Baseball
Jim Perry pitched a 3-hitter to improve his 1969 record to 13-4, winning the pitchers' duel over Mickey Lolich as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Detroit Tigers 3-1 before 21,996 fans at Tiger Stadium. At a Detroit bar that night, Twins’ manager Billy Martin told pitcher Dave Boswell that he wanted to talk to him the next day concerning pitching coach Art Fowler’s observation the day before that Mr. Boswell had run only 2 of 20 required wind sprints. Mr. Boswell left the bar, vowing to "get that squealer, Fowler." Outfielder Bob Allison tried to dissuade Mr. Boswell, and invited the pitcher to hit him instead. Mr. Boswell obliged, and knocked out Mr. Allison with one punch. When Mr. Martin arrived, Mr. Boswell went after him and landed a few punches, before Mr. Martin replied with a great number of hard and fast punches of his own. Mr. Boswell was hospitalized with chipped teeth, a black eye, and 20 stitches.

Pinch hitter Curt Motton hit a 2-run home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th inning to propel the Baltimore Orioles over the Kansas City Royals 2-1 before 9,927 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Mr. Motton was batting for Mike Cuellar, who allowed 4 hits and 1 earned run in 8 innings and was credited with the win, improving his 1969 record to 14-9. Jim Rooker pitched a 5-hit complete game in taking the loss.

Jerry McNertney doubled home Wayne Comer with 1 out in the top of the 10th inning to break a 5-5 tie as the Seattle Pilots edged the Boston Red Sox 6-5 before 22,186 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

Pinch hitter Paul Casanova led off the 9th inning with a home run to break a 3-3 tie as the Washington Senators beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 before 25,520 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Johnny Bench led off the bottom of the 7th inning with a home run to break a 2-2 tie as the Cincinnati Reds edged the New York Mets 3-2 before 17,452 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Jim Merritt (11-5) pitched a 10-hit complete game to win the pitchers' duel over Jim McAndrew (3-4), who allowed 7 hits while going the distance.

Ed Spiezio led off the bottom of the 9th inning with a home run to give the San Diego Padres a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals before 8,054 fans at San Diego Stadium. Billy McCool pitched a perfect 9th inning in relief of Clay Kirby to get the win over Steve Carlton, who pitched a 5-hit complete game loss, falling to 13-6 for the year.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Some Girls--Racey (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kanpaku Sengen--Masashi Sada (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Súper, Superman--Miguel Bosé (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Feodor Lynen, 68. German biochemist. Professor Lynen and Konrad Bloch were awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the mechanism and regulation of the cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism." Prof. Lynen died six weeks after an operation for an aneurysm.

War
Zimbabwe Rhodesian Prime Minister Abel Muzorewa said that he welcomed the Commonwealth proposal for peace with the Patriotic Front guerrillas, but that the call for a new election was "totally unfair and, in fact, an insult" to the electorate that had given his party a huge victory in the April vote. The agreement by Great Britain to supervise the new elections marked the first time that Britain had taken a major role in Rhodesian affairs since the unilateral declaration of independence in 1965.

Politics and government
Bolivia’s Congress elected Walter Guevara Arze interim President after a month-long electoral deadlock. He was to serve until new elections were to be held in May 1980.

Oil
The AFL-CIO Executive Council called for nationalization of American oil companies unless they improved current practices to better serve the public.

Disasters
An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale hit San Francisco and a large area of northern California. It caused only minor damage despite being the strongest earthquake in the area in 68 years. The earthquake occurred along the Calaveras fault, which merges with the San Andreas fault near Hollister, California.

Baseball
A record 9 home runs were hit as the Texas Rangers defeated the San Diego Padres 12-5 in the Hall of Fame game at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, New York.

On the ABC Monday Night Baseball telecast, the New York Yankees recorded an emotional 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles before 36,314 fans at Yankee Stadium. The game took place a few hours after the funeral of Yankees’ catcher Thurman Munson. Bobby Murcer hit a 3-run home run--his first since being reacquired from the Chicago Cubs on June 26--and drove in the tying and winning runs with a single with none out in the bottom of the 9th inning.



The Kansas City Royals, trailing 5-3 after 6 innings, erupted for 11 runs in the 7th inning and held on for a 16-12 win over the Toronto Blue Jays before 15,108 fans at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Freddie Patek drove in 5 runs for the Royals with 3 singles. The Blue Jays rallied for 3 runs in the 8th and 4 in the 9th, and had runners on second and third bases when Roy Howell grounded out to first base to end the game.

25 years ago
1984

Politics and government
After meeting with President Ronald Reagan, U.S. Vice President George Bush refused to rule out a tax increase for 1985. Former Vice President and current Democratic party presidential candidate Walter Mondale denounced the federal budget deficits as "obscene."

Baseball
The Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers split a doubleheader. The Tigers won the opener 9-7, and the Red Sox won the second game 10-2. Aurelio Lopez improved his record to 8-0 when he won the first game in relief. Roger Clemens picked up his 6th win of the season in the second game.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Batdance--Prince (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Batdance--Prince (2nd week at #1)

Baseball
Jeff King’s leadoff home run off Scott Sanderson in the 18th inning gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Mr. Sanderson had pitched 8 innings of shutout relief. The game took 5 hours and 49 minutes to play.

The Boston Red Sox came from behind to beat the Cleveland Indians 6-4 at Fenway Park in Boston on Carl Yastrzemski Day. Boston starting pitcher Roger Clemens gave up 3 runs in the first inning, and left after retiring just one batter.

10 years ago
1999

Environment
Canada ratified a deal, known as UNFA, for international co-operation on fisheries management on the high seas.

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (2-3) 7 @ Toronto (2-3) 40
Montreal (4-1) 20 @ Edmonton (1-4) 13

Jay Barker completed 16 of 19 passes for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Argonauts to victory over the Blue Bombers before 21,308 fans at SkyDome.

Mike Pringle rushed 27 times for 128 yards for the Alouettes, but it was his 10-yard touchdown on a pass from Tracy Ham--his only catch of the game--at 8:15 of the fourth quarter that gave the Alouettes the win over the Eskimos. It was the first win for a Montreal team at Commonwealth Stadium and the first in Edmonton for a Montreal team since 1977. Mr. Ham completed 15 of 21 passes for 279 passes, while Edmonton quarterback Nealon Greene was 17 for 23 for just 137 yards. Sean Millington, in his first game as an Eskimo since being acquired from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, carried 10 times for 55 yards. Mr. Greene rushed 9 times for 75 yards. 33,154 were in attendance.

Baseball
Tony Gwynn batted 4 for 5, with his single in the 1st inning being the 3,000th hit of his major league career, as the San Diego Padres defeated the Montreal Expos 12-10 before 13,540 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.



Kevin Sefcik singled with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning and Domingo Cedeno followed with a home run to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks before 27,742 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

The Minnesota Twins rallied from a 7-1 deficit with 3 runs in the 6th inning, 2 in the 7th, and 3 in the 8th to defeat the Kansas City Royals 9-8 before 23,471 fans at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. The Royals loaded the bases with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, but Carlos Beltran struck out to end the game.