September 9, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Malou Canopin and Lynne!

2,000 years ago
9

War
Arminius' alliance of six Germanic tribes ambushed and annihilated three Roman legions of Publius Quinctilius Varus in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in Lower Saxony.

630 years ago
1379

Europeana
The Treaty of Neuberg was signed, splitting the Austrian Habsburg lands between the Habsburg dukes Albert III and Leopold III. The treaty took effect on September 25, 1379.

440 years ago
1569

Died on this date
Pieter Breughel the Elder, 39-44. Dutch painter. Mr. Breughel was the most significant painter of the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance, known for painting landscapes and peasant scenes. His son Pieter the Younger also became a famous painter.

270 years ago
1739

Protest
60-100 Negro Carolinians participated in the Stono Rebellion, the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies prior to the American Revolution (see also here).

170 years ago
1839

Technology
John Herschel took the first glass plate photograph.

140 years ago
1869

Canadiana
Prince Arthur continued his tour of New Brunswick; departing Fredericton by horse and carriage for Woodstock, the he travelled overland by relays of horse to Rivière du Loup.

110 years ago
1899


Born on this date
Waite Hoyt. U.S. baseball pitcher. "The Brooklyn Schoolboy" won 237 major league games and lost 182 from 1918-1938, and entered the Baseball Hall of fame in 1969. With the legendary New York Yankees of 1927, he was 22-7, leading the American League in wins and winning percentage (.759). In 1928 he was 23-7 with the Yankees, and won 2 games in the World Series. After his playing career, Mr. Hoyt spent many years as a colour commentator on radio broadcasts of Cincinnati Reds' games. He died on August 25, 1984, 15 days befoere his 85th birthday.

Neil Hamilton. U.S. actor. One of this blogger’s favourite actors, Mr. Hamilton starred in silent films, including America (1923) and Isn’t Life Wonderful? (1924). Although he possessed a fine speaking voice, Mr. Hamilton’s popularity diminished during the era of sound movies. His scenes in Since You Went Away (1944) were left on the cutting room floor, and his appearance was reduced to a still photograph. Mr. Hamilton turned in memorable performances in two episodes of the television series The Outer Limits in 1964: The Invisibles and The Bellero Shield. His most famous role was as police commissioner Gordon in the television series Batman (1966-1968), where he delivered his lines as if they’d been written by Shakespeare ("Bonnie, I want you to put a call through to millionaire Bruce Wayne. He’ll probably be at Wayne Manor, his stately home."). Mr. Hamilton's last performance was in the made-for-television movie Vanished (1971). He died on September 25, 1984, 16 days after his 85th birthday. My favourite Neil Hamilton line is from The Bellero Shield: "Great men are forgiven their murderous wives!"

Baseball
Hugh Jennings of the Boston Beaneaters singled with 2 out in the 9th inning to break up a no-hit bid by Doc McJames of the Brooklyn Superbas, but the Superbas still won 4-0.

Emmett Heidrick had 4 singles and scored 3 runs as the St. Louis Perfectos beat the Cincinnati Reds 12-6. Jake Beckley of the Reds hit an inside-the-park grand slam.

100 years ago
1909

Died on this date
E. H. Harriman, 61. U.S. railroad executive. Edward Henry Harriman made a career of buying bankrupt railroads and rebuilding them. He became a director of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1897 and served as president of the railroad from 1903 until his death. He also controlled the Southern Pacific and three other railroads at the time of his death, as well as the Pacific Mail Steamship Company and the Wells Fargo Express Company. Mr. Harriman's children included politician and diplomat Averell Harriman.

Baseball
The St. Louis Browns released pitcher Bill Dinneen, ending his 12-year major league career with a record of 170-176. He became an American League umpire, and continued in that job until 1937.

90 years ago
1919

Transportation
A hydrofoil craft co-created by Alexander Graham Bell reached a speed of 114 kilometres per hour (70.84 miles per hour) in Nova Scotia, breaking the record for speed on water.

Labour
Boston police officers went on strike, seeking recognition for their trade union and improvements in wages and working conditions.

75 years ago
1934

Baseball
The Brooklyn Dodgers swept a doubleheader from the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 and 3-0, with Ray Benge and Van Lingle Mungo pitching shutouts.

In the Negro National League, the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Philadelphia Stars played to a 1-1 tie, called after 9 innings because of darkness. 30,000 were at Yankee Stadium to see a classic pitching duel between the Crawfords’ Satchel Paige, who struck out 12, and Slim Jones of the Stars, who struck out 9.

70 years ago
1939

Died on this date
U Ottama, 59. Burmese activist. U Ottama, born Paw Tun Aung, was a Buddhist monk and a leader in the movement for Burmese independence from British colonial rule. His activities frequently resulted in his imprisonment, and he died while on a hunger strike that the British government ignored.

War
The Battle of Hel began. It was the longest-defended pocket of Polish Army resistance during the German invasion of Poland.

Agriculture
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King established the Agricultural Supplies Committee for wartime distribution.

60 years ago
1949

Died on this date
E. Tappan Stannard; Arthur D. Storke; Russell J. Parker. U.S. businessmen. Messrs. Stannard, Storke, and Parker were president, president-designate, and a vice-president, respectively, of the Kennecott Copper Corporation. They were among the 19 passengers and 4 crew members killed aboard Canadian Pacific Flight 108, a DC-3 en route from Montreal to Sept-Iles, Quebec, via Quebec City and Forestville, when it was blown out of the air by a bomb placed on board.

Rita Guay. Canadian crime victim. Mrs. Guay was aboard Canadian Pacific Flight 108 and was the intended target of the dynamite bomb placed in one of two suitcases that she had picked up at the request of her husband Albert, 29, who had installed the bombs. Mr. Guay, watch repairman Généreux Ruest--who had built the timer for the dynamite--and Mr. Ruest's sister Marguerite Pitre--who had bought the dynamite--were executed for the crime, but there are allegations that Mrs. Pitre, the last woman executed in Canada, may have been innocent.

War
Bolivian government forces reported the capture of most rightist strongpoints, restricting rebel troops to a narrow strip of territory in east-central Bolivia.

Diplomacy
The U.S.A. ordered its consulate in Hankow closed, and reduced the staffs of the embassy in Nanking and consulate in Shanghai, accusing the Communist government of "unwillingness or inability" to maintain normal relations.

Defense
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees approved a $75-million military aid bill for anti-Communist forces in the Far East, including Nationalist China.

Politics and government
The U.S. National Urban League ended a five-day convention in Denver after condemning Communists for "exploiting the issue of race for their own selfish ends."

Religion
The Vatican authorized Roman Catholics to pledge allegiance to the Czechoslovakian Republic without endorsing the Communist regime.

Labour
A strike of 5,200 operating workers stopped all service on the Missouri Pacific Railroad, the ninth-largest line in the United States.

The U.K. Trades Union Congress ended a five-day conference in Bridlington, England after voting approval of the Labour Party government's wage freeze and the anti-Communist policy of the TUC leadership.

Baseball
The Boston Red Sox moved to within 1½ games of the New York Yankees in the American League pennant race with a 7-1 win over the Yankees before 53,548 fans at Yankee Stadium. Ellis Kinder pitched a 4-hitter for his ninth straight win to improve his 1949 record to 19-5. Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky hit home runs for the Red Sox off Ed Lopat, who fell to 13-8. Veteran relief pitcher Hugh Casey pitched 2 innings for the Yankees in his American League debut.

The New York Giants scored 6 runs in the 7th inning to break a 0-0 tie as they beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 10-1 before 11,331 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, ending the Dodgers’ 6-game winning streak. Bobby Thomson and Hank Thompson hit home runs for the Giants, while Dave Koslo (9-11) pitched a 9-hitter to win over Preacher Roe (12-5).

The Cincinnati Reds defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 before 15,522 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, as Johnny Vander Meer (5-9) picked up his last win as a member of the Reds. Al Brazle took the loss, dropping to 14-7. The Cardinals still led the Dodgers by 1 game in the National League pennant race.

The Chicago Cubs scored 7 runs in the 5th inning, 4 on Andy Pafko’s grand slam, to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1 before 7,905 fans at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The Pirates’ run came on Ralph Kiner’s 44th home run of the season. Monk Dubiel (5-8) pitched a 3-hitter.

50 years ago
1959

Space
In the first launch of Project Mercury, the United States launched Big Joe 1, an unmanned Mercury boilerplate capsule atop an Atlas 10-D rocket, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The capsule flew to an altitude of 90 miles and a distance of 1,424 miles in 13 minutes.





Diplomacy
Returning to London from talks with U.S.S.R. Premier Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow, British Labour Party leader Hugh Gaitskell said that Mr. Khrushchev had indicated that he "might be prepared" to accept a Labour formula for ending the Berlin crisis.

Politics and government
Fred Mitchell, an alderman for 19 years, was elected by City Council and sworn in as Mayor of Edmonton, following the resignation of William Hawrelak. Mr. Hawrelak was forced out of office over unethical land deals.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower again vetoed the public works appropriation bill.

Baseball
International League
Semi-Finals
Richmond 8 @ Buffalo 4 (Richmond led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Havana 5 @ Columbus 3 (Havana led best-of-seven series 1-0)

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Je t'aime...mon non plus--Jane Birkin avec Serge Gainsbourg (2nd week at #1)

War
Israel launched her biggest offensive against Egypt since the Six-Day War in 1967. Crossing the Gulf of Suez in the pre-dawn hours, an armoured force for 10 hours shot its way down a 30-mile stretch of the Egyptian coast, hitting missile bases, gun emplacements, army encampments, and personnel carriers, before recrossing to Israeli-occupied Sinai on amphibious craft. Israel claimed that the light resistance to the sweep indicated the "helplessness" of the Egyptian army, and reported 100 to 150 Egyptians killed as against one Israeli plane and pilot lost. Egypt claimed that three Israeli planes were shot down and two ships sunk, and that its forces had inflicted heavy enemy casualties in keeping tanks from landing.

World events
The world’s top Communist leaders were in Hanoi to attend the state funeral of North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh. Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin attended the ceremony with an official delegation, while Chinese Premier Chou En-lai cut short his visit and left before the Soviets arrived.

Crime
Nasashon Isaac Njenga Njoroge was convicted of the July 5 murder of Kenyan cabinet minister Tom Mboya and was sentenced by the Kenyan High Court to death by hanging. Mr. Njenga said calmly, "I know only that I did not commit this offense."

A member of the Ku Klux Klan was arrested in Fayette, Mississippi after he drove a weapons-laden car up to the parking lot of a store owned by mayor Charles Evers, a Negro, who earlier in the day had received telephone threats on his life.

Abominations
Two days after being passed by the House of Commons, the Official Languages Act went into effect, giving French and English equal status in the government of Canada. The practical effect of the Act was to restrict advancement in the federal civil service to residents of Quebec, especially those from Montreal.

Disasters
There were no survivors when an Allegheny Airlines jet with 82 aboard collided with a small plane carrying a student pilot on a solo flight over Shelbyville, Indiana, about 20 miles from Indianapolis. Witnesses said that the small plane flew into the jet’s tail section as the airline was preparing to land.

Baseball
Tom Seaver pitched a 5-hitter to improve his 1969 record to 21-7, leading the New York Mets to a 7-1 win over the Chicago Cubs before 51,448 fans at Shea Stadium in New York, handing the Cubs their 6th straight loss and moving the Mets to within ½ game of the National League East Division leaders. Ferguson Jenkins allowed 10 hits and 7 runs--5 earned--in 7 innings to fall to 19-13.

The San Francisco Giants scored 4 runs in the 8th inning to take a 7-1 lead and held on for a 7-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds before 14,268 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, moving ½ game ahead of the Reds into first place in the National League West Division pennant race. Gaylord Perry (17-12) pitched a 6-hitter to win over Jim Merritt (16-7). Cincinnati right fielder Pete Rose made an out to Mr. Perry to lead off the game, and was ejected by home plate umpire Andy Olsen after protesting that Mr. Perry was throwing spitballs. Mike de la Hoz struck out as a pinch hitter for the Reds in the 7th in the 494th and last game of his 9-year major league career.

Sonny Jackson was hit by a pitch from Pete Mikkelsen to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning, advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Bob Didier, and scored on a single by pinch hitter Ralph Garr to give the Atlanta Braves a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers before 14,679 fans at Atlanta Stadium, moving to within 1½ games of the Giants, ½ game ahead of the Dodgers. Phil Niekro (20-12) pitched a 6-hit complete game victory, while Los Angeles starter Jim Bunning allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run in 8 innings.

The Minnesota Twins, trailing 7-3 after 5 innings, scored 7 runs in the 6th inning and defeated the California Angels 11-7 before 6,512 fans at Anaheim Stadium. Tom Bradley, the second of four California pitchers, relieved starter Vern Geishert to begin the 6th, and allowed 4 hits and 5 runs--2 earned--in 2/3 inning, with 1 strikeout to take the loss in his first major league game. Teammate Marty Perez also made his major league debut, playing the 9th inning at shortstop and making 1 putout.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Some Girls--Racey (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Tu sei l'unica donna per me--Alan Sorrenti (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Mahmoud Taleghani, 68. Iranian religious leader. Ayatollah Taleghani, a Shi'a Muslim cleric, helped to organize the street demonstrations that led to the departure from office of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi early in 1979, but was regarded as an important voice of moderation in Iran’s Islamic republic, and was Tehran's first Friday prayer Imam after the revolution. Ayatollah Taleghani's sons said that he was murdered.

Norrie Paramor, 65. U.K. composer, arranger, and conductor. Mr. Paramor was perhaps best known for producing and arranging the recordings of Cliff Richard and the Shadows in the 1960s.

Diplomacy
The sixth summit of non-aligned nations ended in Havana. The 18-year-old organization of 95 nations that professed non-alignment with any power bloc had been pressured by Cuba to move closer to the U.S.S.R. Conflict between the pro-Soviet and moderate factions centred on two issues: whether Egypt should be suspended for its treaty with Israel; and which government in Cambodia should represent the country. Compromises were reached on both issues: Egypt was denounced for its Camp David accord with Israel, but was not suspended, and the Cambodian seat was held vacant until at least 1981.

U.S. Senator Frank Church demanded that the U.S.S.R. recall its troops that were in Cuba. The Soviets denied that they had any combat troops stationed in Cuba.

Politics and government
California Governor Jerry Brown began his New Hampshire primary campaign in an attempt to challenge President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States in 1980.

Football
CFL
Toronto (4-5) 11 @ Montreal (6-3) 31
British Columbia (7-1-1) 17 @ Winnipeg (3-6) 15
Saskatchewan (0-9) 0 @ Edmonton (7-0-2) 40

The Eskimos scored 39 points in the 1st half of their shutout of the Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium and then went out of their way to deprive their fans of entertainment in refusing to try to score points in the second half.

Baseball
The Baltimore Orioles whipped the Boston Red Sox 16-4 before 34,419 fans at Fenway Park in Boston, as Rick Dempsey hit a grand slam in the 6th inning and Al Bumbry homered in the same inning. Jim Rice hit a home run for the Red Sox, and Boston catcher Bob Montgomery, the last player to play without a batting helmet, went 1 for 2 in the 387th and last game of his 10-year major league career.

Bobby Bonds hit a grand slam with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to conclude a 5-run rally as the Cleveland Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays 14-10 before 9,166 fans at Cleveland Stadium. It was the third straight 9th-inning collapse for the Blue Jays against the Indians, with Tom Buskey the losing pitcher in two of the three games.

Barry Foote batted 4 for 5 with a grand slam and Larry Biittner batted 4 for 6 with 2 runs and 3 runs batted in to help the Chicago Cubs rout the Philadelphia Phillies 15-2 before 20,922 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Rick Reuschel pitched a 9-hit complete game victory to improve his 1979 record to 17-9.

Dave Parker tripled with 1 out and nobody on base in the top of the 9th inning and Willie Stargell followed with a run-scoring double to break a 5-5 tie as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the New York Mets 6-5 before 9,093 fans at Shea Stadium in New York to remain 1 game ahead of the Montreal Expos in the National League East Division pennant race.

Gary Carter batted 3 for 4 with a solo home run in the 2nd inning and scored the winning run in the 5th as the Montreal Expos beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 before 46,351 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Rudy May (9-2) allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run in 5 2/3 innings to win over Pete Vuckovich (13-10).

25 years ago
1984

Religion
Pope John Paul II arrived at Quebec International Airport to begin a 12-day tour of Canada; it was his first visit to the country. His day included mass at Universite Laval.

Diplomacy
Bulgarian President Todor Zhivkov announced that he was postponing a scheduled visit to West Germany. East German President Erich Honecker had made a similar announcement 5 days earlier.

Football
CFL
Calgary (4-6) 32 @ Saskatchewan (2-7-1) 18
Hamilton (2-7-1) 11 @ British Columbia (8-1) 46



20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Viva la mamma--Edoardo Bennato (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Lambada--Kaoma (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Swing the Mood--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers

#1 single in France (SNEP): Lambada--Kaoma (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Ride on Time--Black Box

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Hangin' Tough--New Kids on the Block
2 Cold Hearted--Paula Abdul
3 Don't Wanna Lose You--Gloria Estefan
4 Heaven--Warrant
5 Right Here Waiting--Richard Marx
6 Shower Me with Your Love--Surface
7 Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli
8 Angel Eyes--The Jeff Healey Band
9 If I Could Turn Back Time--Cher
10 18 and Life--Skid Row

Singles entering the chart were Congratulations by Vesta (#74); My Heart Skips a Beat by the Cover Girls (#75); Talk to Myself by Christopher Williams (#77); Sunshine by Dino (#84); Me So Horny by 2 Live Crew (#91); Don't Close Your Eyes by KIX (#93); This One by Paul McCartney (#95); and I Don't Want a Lover by Texas (#96).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Cold Hearted--Paula Abdul (2nd week at #1)
2 Don't Wanna Lose You--Gloria Estefan
3 Hangin' Tough--New Kids on the Block
4 Heaven--Warrant
5 The End of the Innocence--Don Henley
6 Angel Eyes--The Jeff Healey Band
7 Secret Rendezvous--Karyn White
8 Friends--Jody Watley with Eric B. & Rakim
9 Shower Me with Your Love--Surface
10 Keep on Movin'--Soul II Soul

Singles entering the chart were Puss N' Boots/These Boots (Are Made For Walkin’) by Kon Kan (#82); Poison by Alice Cooper (#85); and Talk to Myself by Christopher Williams (#90).

Politics and government
U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev, in a nationally-televised address, mentioned "threats of approaching chaos and talk of a threatened coup, and even civil war." He said that strikes and violence were not an answer to the country’s problems.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (5-5) 29 @ Toronto (4-6) 24



10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Ruth Roman, 76. U.S. actress. Miss Roman was known for her performances in movies such as The Window (1949); Champion (1949); and Strangers on a Train (1951). She made recurring guest appearances in numerous television programs from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Catfish Hunter, 53. U.S. baseball pitcher. James Augustus Hunter played with the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1965-1974) and New York Yankees (1975-1979), compiling a record of 224-166 with an earned run average of 3.26 in 500 games, and batting .226 with 6 home runs and 51 runs batted in 514 games. He had five straight seasons (1971-1975) of 21 or more wins, and tied for the AL lead in wins in 1974-1975; winning percentage in 1972-1973; and earned run average in 1974. Mr. Hunter, who was given his nickname by Athletics' owner Charlie Finley, pitched a perfect game in 1968, and helped the Athletics win three straight World Series championships from 1972-1974. He was declared a free agent after the 1974 season because of a violation of a clause in his contract, and became baseball's first target of a bidding war. When Mr. Hunter signed with the Yankees for a then-record $3.35-million over five years, it gave other players an idea of what they could command if full free agency came into effect, which it did two years later. Mr. Hunter's performances declined after 1975, but he helped the Yankees win the AL pennant in 1976 and World Series championships in 1977-1978, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. He developed diabetes late in his career, and died a year after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

World events
Israel freed 199 Palestinians, with 151 more scheduled for release in October.

Terrorism
A bomb in a Moscow apartment building took more than 90 lives.

Law
A report published by the Police Review Commission recommended wholesale reform of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Among the reforms recommended were a change of name to the Police Force of Northern Ireland and a new oath and badge.

Baseball
The San Diego Padres defeated the Montreal Expos 10-3 before 16,676 fans at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego in a game where they almost had 4 outs in one inning. In the 7th, Reggie Sanders struck out for the third out, but the umpires didn’t notice, and the players didn’t leave the field. The next San Diego batter, Phil Nevin, ran the count to 2-1 against Montreal pitcher Ted Lilly before someone in the Expos’ dugout pointed the situation out to home plate umpire Jerry Layne, who declared the inning over. San Diego shortstop Chris Gomez batted 4 for 5 with 2 runs and a run batted in, while Wiki Gonzalez came to bat as for the Padres in the 8th as a pinch hitter and hit a 2-run home run, his first major league homer.

Sammy Sosa’s 59th home run of the season failed to prevent the Chicago Cubs from suffering their 31st loss in 39 games, 5-3 against the Cincinnati Reds before 34,976 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-5 before 9,903 fans at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, as Albert Belle of the Orioles drove in his 100th run of the season, joining the 100 RBI club for the 9th straight season.