September 8, 2009

800 years ago
1209

Born on this date
Sancho II. King of Portugal, 1223-1248. Sancho II "the Pious" succeeded his father Afonso II on the throne. He was a capable military commander, but was less capable at dealing with internal political disputes. After a civil war from 1245-1247, he fled into exile in Toledo, Spain, where he died on January 4, 1248 at the age of 38, and was succeeded as King by his brother Afonso III.

230 years ago
1779

Born on this date
Mustafa IV. Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, 1807-1808. Mustafa IV, the son of Sultan Abdul Hamid I, participated in the overthrow of his cousin Selim III. Sultan Mustafa ordered the murders of both his younger brother Mahmud and his cousin Selim at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul in order to eliminate rivals. When, upon his orders, guards displayed the dead body of Sultan Selim III, Mustafa IV assumed that Mahmud had also been murdered; however, the prince had been hiding, and when he revealed himself, Mustafa was deposed on July 28, 1808, with his brother taking the throne as Sultan Mahmud II. Mustafa IV was killed on November 16, 1808 at the age of 29, the orders of his younger brother.

140 years ago
1869

Born on this date
José María Pino Suárez. Vice President of Mexico, 1911-1913. Mr. Pino, a member of the Progressive Constitutionalist Party, held various offices before serving as Vice President under President Francisco Madero. Mr. Pino was assassinated at the age of 43, along with President Madero, on Febraury 22, 1913, in a military coup led by Army Commander-in-Chief Victoriano Huerta.

Canadiana
In honor of the visit of Prince Arthur, a levee and Firemen’s Torchlight Procession was held at Old Government House in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Departing the next day by horse and carriage for Woodstock, the Prince travels over-land by relays of horse to Rivière du Loup.

120 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Robert Taft. U.S. politician. Mr. Taft, a Republican and eldest son of former U.S. President William Howard Taft, represented Ohio in the United States Senate from 1939-1953 and was Senate Majority Leader from January 3, 1953 until his death from cancer. He was known for advocating a foreign policy of non-interventionism and for the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, which remains basic labour law in the U.S.A. Mr. Taft unsuccessfully campaigned for the Republican party U.S. presidential nomination in 1940, 1948, and 1952. He died on July 31, 1953 at the age of 63.

Baseball
Claiming they could not count on their personal safety‚ the St. Louis Browns of the American Association failed to show up for the scheduled Sunday game against the Brooklyn Bridegrooms at Ridgewood. The forfeit pushed the Browns 4½ games behind the Bridegrooms.

100 years ago
1909

Died on this date
Vere St. Leger Goold, 55. U.K. tennis player. Mr. Goold, a native of Ireland, won six titles, and reached the men's singles final at Wimbledon in 1879, losing in straight sets to John Hartley. Mr. Goold was finished as a major tennis player by 1883, as his life spiralled downwards as the result of drink and drugs. He and his wife Marie were convicted of the 1907 murder of Emma Levin, a wealthy widow whom they had met in Monte Carlo. Mrs. Goold was sentenced to death, but her sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment, and she died of typhoid fever in prison in 1914. Mr. Goold was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island, but he committed suicide less than a year after his arrival.

90 years ago
1919

Died on this date
Jack Kerins, 61. U.S. baseball player and umpire. Mr. Kerins was a first baseman, catcher, and outfielder with the Indianapolis Hoosiers (1884); Louisville Colonels (1885-1889); Baltimore Orioles (1889); and St. Louis Browns (1890), batting .252 with 20 home runs and 217 runs batted in in 557 games. He led the American Association with 19 triples in 1887. Mr. Kerins managed the Colonels briefly in 1889 and the Browns briefly in 1890, compiling a 12-12 record. Mr. Kerins umpired 1 game in the National League in 1888, 243 in the AA from 1889-1891, and 2 in the American League in 1903.

Baseball
Harry Hooper's 3rd home run of 1919 in the 7th inning broke a 1-1 tie and Babe Ruth's 26th home of the season added an insurance run as the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 3-1 in the first game of a doubleheader before 12,000 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. Sad Sam Jones pitched a 7-hitter to improve his 1919 record to 11-18, while losing pitcher Herb Thormahlen fell to 11-7. In the second game, Mr. Ruth doubled home Braggo Roth and scored on a single by Stuffy McInnis in the 4th inning as the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead and won 3-0, as Waite Hoyt (4-3) pitched a 3-hitter to outduel George Mogridge (6-9).

70 years ago
1939

Football
CRU
WIFU
Edmonton (1-2) 1 @ Calgary (1-2) 18

Baseball
20-year-old Bob Feller became the youngest pitcher in the 20th Century to win 20 games in a season as he pitched the Cleveland Indians to a 12-1 win over the St. Louis Browns before just 598 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

60 years ago
1949

Died on this date
Richard Strauss, 85. German composer. Mr. Strauss was a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He wrote two symphonies, and numerous orchestral and choral works, but was best known for operas and tone poems. Mr. Strauss is perhaps best known for the tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra (1896). He lived in Germany throughout the Nazi era, and had an uneasy relationship with the regime, doing what he could to protect his Jewish daughter-in-law and Jewish grandchildren. Mr. Strauss was still active as a composer until his death, after a brief period of ill health.

Gustavo Jiménez Jiménez, 30. Colombian politician. Mr. Jiménez, the leader of the Liberal Party, was shot to death in the chamber of the House of Representatives, and three others were wounded. Mr. Jiménez received the posthumous title "Martyr of Parliament."

Literature
The novel The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren was published in New York by Doubleday.

The Vital Center by historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., an analysis of American political movements, was published in New York by Houghton Mifflin.

Diplomacy
Poland denounced the 1946 Polish-Yugoslavian mutual assistance treaty, accusing Yugoslavia of operating an espionage ring in Poland.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Export-Import Bank approved a $20-million loan to Yugoslavia for mining development and other projects.

Labour
Hawaiian shippers and striking Congress of Industrial Organizations longshoremen began separate conferences with Federal Mediation Service director Cyrys Ching in an effort to end the 131-day dock strike.

50 years ago
1959

War
The United Nations Security Council approved a Western resolution establishing a Laotian investigative subcommittee. The U.S.A. delivered 10 planeloads of military equipment to Laos under an accelerated military aid program.

Society
The U.S. Federal Civil Rights Commission released a report in which it proposed more than a dozen specific legislative measures to assure Negroes their full voting, educational, and housing rights.

Environment
The U.S. National Academy of Sciences announced at the International Oceanographic Congress in New York that it planned to bore a hole five miles into the ocean floor to obtain Earth crust samples that may shed light on the Earth's origin and inner makeup.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Congress passed a $1.185-billion public works appropriations bill containing many features that had caused President Dwight D. Eisenhower to veto an earlier version.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ikebukuro no Yoru--Mina Aoe

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): María Isabel--Los Payos (6th week at #1)

On the radio
The Challenge of Space, on Springbok Radio
Tonight’s episode: Climb Up to Safety

Died on this date
Alexandra David-Néel, 100. French-born explorer and philosopher. Mrs. David-Néel, whose father was a Republican activist in the revolution of 1848 and whose mother was an anarchist, reportedly became a Buddhist at the age of 21. She travelled around the world, and visited Lhasa in 1924, at a time when it was closed to foreigners. Mrs. David-Néel wrote over 30 books about her travels and promoting Eastern religion and philosophy, influencing people such as Beat writers Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, and New Age publicist Benjamin Creme.

Bud Collyer, 61. U.S. television host and actor. Mr. Collyer, born Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr., was best known for hosting game and quiz shows such as Beat the Clock (1950-1961) and To Tell the Truth (1956-1968), and for providing the voice of Clark Kent/Superman in radio programs and cartoons. He died of a circulatory ailment after a period of declining health; ironically, he died the day that a new version of To Tell the Truth began running in daytime syndication.

Politics and government
It was reported that 200 or 300 senior armed forces officers and senior civil servants had been arrested in Saudi Arabia since June, and at least as many had been dismissed from their posts, in a move to head off an attempt at a coup d’etat. The plot was reported to have centred in the air force.

Terrorism
Israeli offices in three western European capitals were targets of bombs thrown by Arab teenagers. The Israeli embassies in Bonn and The Hague were only slightly damaged, but the office of El-Al Airlines in Brussels suffered heavy damage, and four people were injured.

Disasters
An Artvin-to-Samsun bus in Turkey plunged into a ravine, killing 13 and injuring 50.

Baseball
Jerry Koosman struck out 13 batters to improve his 1969 record to 13-9 and Tommie Agee hit a 2-run home run to lead the New York Mets to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs before 43,274 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. Bill Hands fell to 16-13 in taking the loss for the Cubs, whose losing streak extended to 5, reducing their lead over the Mets in the National League East Division to 1½ games.

Jose Martinez's grand slam off Claude Raymond climaxed a 5-run 9th inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Montreal Expos 6-2 before 9,526 fans at Jarry Park in Montreal.

Winning pitcher Jim Maloney (9-4) singled in a run to help his own cause as the Cincinnati Reds edged the San Francisco Giants 5-4 in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader before 16,929 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The Giants scored a run in the 9th and had runners on first and third bases with none out, but Wayne Granger relieved Mr. Maloney and retired Ken Henderson on a fly ball to left field and induced Ron Hunt to ground into a double play to end the game. Juan Marichal (17-10) pitched a 10-hit complete game, allowing 3 earned runs in taking the loss. Pinch hitter Ted Savage led off the bottom of the 15th inning with a single and scored on a 1-out single by Bobby Tolan to give the Reds a 5-4 win in the second game, completing the sweep and moving the Reds into the lead in the National League West Division, ½ game ahead of the Giants, 1½ games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves, and 3½ games ahead of the Houston Astros.

With 2 out and nobody on base in the top of the 3rd inning, Maury Wills singled and Ted Sizemore followed with a home run to provide all the scoring as the Los Angeles Dodgers shut out the Atlanta Braves 2-0 before 10,814 fans at Atlanta Stadium. Bill Singer (18-9) allowed 11 hits in 8+ innings to outduel George Stone (11-9), who allowed 6 hits and 2 earned runs in 6 innings. The Braves left 12 runners on base.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Zimbabwe Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Well All Right--Santana (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Tu Sei l'Unica Donna Per Me--Alan Sorrenti (12th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: We Don't Talk Anymore--Cliff Richard (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): We Don't Talk Anymore--Cliff Richard (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Quiereme Mucho--Julio Iglesias (2nd week at #1)
2 El Lute/Gotta Go Home--Boney M.
3 I was Made for Lovin' You--Kiss
4 I Don't Like Mondays--The Boomtown Rats
5 Don't Bring Me Down--The Electric Light Orchestra
6 We Don't Talk Anymore--Cliff Richard
7 You Can't Change That--Raydio
8 Give Up Your Guns--The Buoys
9 This is My Life (La Vita)--Shirley Bassey
10 Can't Stand Losing You--The Police

Singles entering the chart were Marching On by BZN (#25); Ik Zoek Een Meisje by Jan & Zwaan (#31); Black Jack by Champagne (#32); Oh Magdalena by George Baker (#36); A Brand New Day by the Wiz Stars featuring Diana Ross & Michael Jackson (#37); Under Fire by Clout (#39); and Hit and Miss Judy by Wreckless Eric (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 My Sharona--The Knack (3rd week at #1)
2 Good Times--Chic
3 After the Love Has Gone--Earth, Wind & Fire
4 Don't Bring Me Down--Electric Light Orchestra
5 The Devil Went Down to Georgia--The Charlie Daniels Band
6 Lead Me On--Maxine Nightingale
7 Sad Eyes--Robert John
8 The Main Event/Fight--Barbra Streisand
9 I'll Never Love this Way Again--Dionne Warwick
10 Lonesome Loser--Little River Band

Singles entering the chart were Dirty White Boy by Foreigner (#65); You Decorated My Life by Kenny Rogers (#70); I've Never Been in Love by Suzi Quatro (#72); Reason to Be by Kansas (#81); Fins by Jimmy Buffett (#82); Killer Cut by Charlie (#84); Stillsane by Carolyn Mas (#85); You're Only Lonely by J.D. Souther (#86); In Thee by Blue Oyster Cult (#87); For Love by the Pousette-Dart Band (#89); and Gotta Serve Somebody by Bob Dylan (#90).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 My Sharona--The Knack (4th week at #1)
2 Good Times--Chic
3 After the Love Has Gone--Earth, Wind & Fire
4 The Devil Went Down to Georgia--The Charlie Daniels Band
5 Lead Me On--Maxine Nightingale
6 Sad Eyes--Robert John
7 The Main Event/Fight--Barbra Streisand
8 Don't Bring Me Down--Electric Light Orchestra
9 Bad Girls--Donna Summer
10 Lonesome Loser--Little River Band

Singles entering the chart were Good Girls Don't by the Knack (#66); Dirty White Boy by Foreigner (#72); I've Never Been in Love by Suzi Quatro (#83); Angeleyes by ABBA (#85, charting with its other side, Voulez-Vous); You Decorated My Life by Kenny Rogers (#86); Stillsane by Carolyn Mas (#89); Hello, Hello, Hello by New England (#90); Crank it Up (Funk Town) (Part 1) by Peter Brown (#93); (Not Just) Knee Deep (Part 1) by Funkadelic (#96); and You Stepped Into My Life by Wayne Newton (#97).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 My Sharona--The Knack
2 Good Times--Chic
3 Born to Be Alive--Patrick Hernandez
4 Gold--John Stewart
5 When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman--Dr. Hook
6 Bad Girls--Donna Summer
7 The Main Event/Fight--Barbra Streisand
8 I was Made for Lovin' You--Kiss
9 I Want You to Want Me--Cheap Trick
10 Mama Can't Buy You Love--Elton John

Singles entering the chart were Arrow Through Me by Wings (#80); Midnight Music by Martin Stevens (#85); Found a Cure by Ashford & Simpson (#88); Come and Get Your Love by Long John Baldry (#93); Spooky by Atlanta Rhythm Section (#95); Dependin' on You by the Doobie Brothers (#98); Cuba by the Gibson Brothers (#99); and Undercover Lover by Debbie Jacobs (#100).

Died on this date
Rick Joseph, 40. Dominican baseball player. Mr. Joseph was a third baseman and first baseman with the Kansas City Athletics (1964) and Philadelphia Phillies (1967-1970), batting .243 with 13 home runs and 65 runs batted in in 270 games. He played at least 1,348 games in the minor leagues from 1959-1972, and finished his career with 113 games in the Mexican League in 1973. Mr. Joseph was named the Pacific Coast League's Most Valuable Player in 1967, when he batted .300 with 24 homers and 96 RBIs in 140 games with the San Diego Padres. He died of diabetes, 15 days after his 40th birthday.

Americana
Cheryl Prewitt, representing Mississippi, was crowned Miss America 1980 at the annual pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.





Defense
U.S. President Jimmy Carter said that the United States Senate should approve the SALT-II arms limitation treaty with the U.S.S.R. "on its own merits," and not link it with Soviet activity in Cuba.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (2-7) 4 @ Ottawa (4-4-1) 44

CIAU
Manitoba (0-2) 14 @ Alberta (2-0) 26

Alberta running back Sean Kehoe's 102-yard touchdown rush in the 4th quarter was the most exciting play as the Golden Bears defeated the Bisons at Varsity Stadium in Edmonton.

Baseball
Graig Nettles’ 8th inning home run was the deciding blow as the New York Yankees edged the Detroit Tigers 5-4 at Tiger Stadium, giving Ron Guidry his 10th straight win.

25 years ago
1984

Died on this date
Johnnie Parsons, 66. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Parsons finished second in the 1949 Indianapolis 500, and then won the race in 1950.

Football
CFL
Toronto (7-3) 33 @ Edmonton (6-4) 34

Trailing 34-21, the Eskimos rallied for 2 touchdowns in the last 3 minutes to end the defending Grey Cup champion Argonauts’ 6-game winning streak. Eskimo quarterback Matt Dunigan completed a touchdown pass to Milson Jones, which, after Dave Cutler's convert, reduced Toronto's lead to 33-28. The Argonauts failed to move the ball, and the Eskimos took possession near midfield, but a draw play to Larry Cowan on third down fell just short of the required yardage, apparently ending the Eskimos' hopes. However, Toronto quarterback Joe Barnes promptly gave up an interception to linebacker Tony Anglin, and Mr. Dunigan moved the Eskimos to the Argonaut 25-yard line, from where he completed a touchdown pass to Chris Woods with exactly 1 minute remaining. A 2-point convert attempt was unsuccessful, but the Argonauts were unable to move the ball into position for a field goal attempt.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Swing the Mood--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
Sneak Previews Goes Video, hosted by Jeffrey Lyons and Michael Medved, on PBS

This was the first broadcast of Sneak Previews under a new title and format, reviewing new video releases instead of current theatrical movies.



Disasters
Partnair Flight 394, a chartered plane carrying Norwegian shipping company employees, crashed into the North Sea, killing 55 people. The investigation showed that the tail of the plane vibrated loose in flight due to sub-standard connecting bolts that had been fraudulently sold as aircraft-grade.

Football
CFL
Calgary (5-5) 27 @ Edmonton (9-1) 38

Trailing 27-17 in the fourth quarter, the Eskimos scored 3 touchdowns to win their seventh straight game and complete a sweep of the season’s 3 games against the Stampeders. Blake Marshall scored 3 touchdowns for the Eskimos. This game marked the beginning of the tradition of the Eskimos hosting a Friday night rematch with the Stampeders, after the Labour Day game in Calgary.



Baseball
George Brett singled for his 2,500th career major league hit as the Kansas City Royals blanked the Minnesota Twins 6-0 before 28,435 fans at Royals Stadium. Paul Sorrento made his major league debut for the Twins, drawing a base on balls as a pinch hitter with 1 out in the 9th inning off Jeff Montgomery. Winning pitcher Mark Gubicza pitched 7 innings.

10 years ago
1999

Diplomacy
The Israeli Knesset approved the latest peace agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat by a vote of 54-23.

Politics and government
Former basketball star Bill Bradley, who had been a United States Senator from New Jersey from 1979-1997, announced that he would seek the Democratic party nomination for President of the United States in 2000.

Baseball
Mark Kotsay singled home Dave Berg with 1 out in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Florida Marlins a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers before 9,615 fans at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. Michael Tejera made his major league debut as the Marlins' starting pitcher, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs--both earned--in 2 innings, walking 2 batters and striking out 1.

An error by second baseman Warren Morris with 2 out in the top of the 10th inning led to 3 unearned runs as the San Diego Padres broke a 4-4 tie and defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4 before 10,133 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Steve Finley hit 3 home runs and batted in 6 runs to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 9-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers before 14,393 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

With 2 out and nobody on base in the bottom of the 10th inning, pinch hitter Matt Walbeck singled and Jeff Huson doubled him home to give the Anaheim Angels a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox before 17,246 fans at Edison International Field of Anaheim.

Carlos Delgado hit a 2-run home run off Jose Mesa with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 3-2 lead over the Seattle Mariners, but Jay Buhner drew a base on balls to lead off the bottom of the 9th and Tom Lampkin followed with a home run off Billy Koch to give the Mariners a 4-3 win before 36,971 fans at Safeco Field in Seattle. Jamie Moyer started on the mound for Seattle and allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run in 8 innings before being relieved by Mr. Mesa, who was credited with the win despite allowing Mr. Delgado's homer. Toronto starter Roy Halladay allowed 4 hits and no runs in 7 innings.