October 19, 2009

1,570 years ago
439

War
Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, took Carthage in North Africa.

1,130 years ago
879

Born on this date
Yingtian. Empress of China, 916-926. Yingtian, born Shulü Ping, was Empress during the reign of her husband, Emperor Taizu of the Khitan Liao Dynasty, and often participated in his military decisions. She served as empress dowager after his death, and was directly involved in two imperial successions, changing expectations for widows in Khitan society. Empress Yingtian died on August 1, 953 at the age of 73.

540 years ago
1469

Married on this date
King Ferdinand II of Aragon married Isabella I of Castile, a marriage that paved the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into the single country of Spain.

400 years ago
1609

Born on this date
Gerrard Winstanley. English religious and economic activist. Mr. Winstanley was a "Christian" Universalist during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell in the mid-17th century. He was a fanatic who used faulty Biblical exegesis to argue for the abolition of private property and wages, and was the leader of the True Levellers, aka Diggers, who occupied public lands that had been privatized by enclosures, and dug them over, pulling down hedges and filling in ditches to plant crops. Mr. Winstanley died on September 10, 1676 at the age of 66.

Died on this date
Jakob Hermanszoon, aka Jacobus Arminius, 49. Dutch theologian. Mr. Arminius was a Protestant theologian and father of the theology known as Arminianism. His theology differed from Calvinism in its belief that God offers His grace to everyone, but an individual can resist it, while Calvinism teaches that the atonement for sin is available only to the elect, and God's grace is irresistible. Mr. Arminius fell afoul of Calvinist authorities, and died nine days after his 49th birthday, after his health failed.

360 years ago
1649

War
New Ross town in Ireland surrendered to Oliver Cromwell.

220 years ago
1789

Law
John Jay was sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.

130 years ago
1879

Born on this date
Emma Bell Miles. U.S. writer. Mrs. Miles, a native of Indiana who moved to Tennessee at the age of 9, wrote poems and short stories about the natural world and culture of southern Appalachia. She died on March 19, 1919 at the age of 39 after suffering from tuberculosis for many years.

120 years ago
1889

Died on this date
Luís I, 50. King of Portugal and the Algarves, 1861-1889. Luis I, the second son of Queen Maria II and King Ferdinand II, succeeded to the throne upon the death of his brother Pedro V. King Luis, who was known for his passion for oceanography, died 12 days before his 51st birthday and was succeeded by his son Carlos I.

Football
ORFU
Ottawa Rough Riders 1 @ Ottawa College 27

The 1889 Ontario Rugby Football Union season consisted of Ottawa College accepting challenges to their title. This game was the first of the challenge matches.

Baseball
World Series
New York Giants 6 @ Brooklyn Bridegrooms 2 (Best-of-eleven series tied 1-1)

Ed "Cannonball" Crane pitched a 4-hitter as the Giants defeated the Bridegrooms before 16,172 fans at Washington Park. Bob Caruthers took the loss.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Michele Schirru. Italian-born anarchist. Mr. Schirru, a native of Sardinia, moved to the Italian mainland at a young age and became an anarchist before emigrating to New York in 1920, becoming an American citizen and becoming involved in anarchist circles. He returned to Europe, associating with anarchists in Paris before returning to Italy in January 1931 and going to Rome with the intention of assassinating Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. Mr. Schirru was arrested on February 3 and attempted suicide by shooting himself in the face at the police station, but the bullet went through both cheeks, and he surived. He was convicted by a Fascist Special Court of intending to assassinate Mr. Mussolini, and on May 28 was sentenced to death. Mr. Schirru was executed by a firing squad on May 29, 1931 at the age of 31; his last words were, "Long live anarchy!"

Miguel Ángel Asturias. Guatemalan-born writer. Mr. Asturias was a journalist, novelist, playwright, and poet, whose writings were often inspired by Guatemala's Mayan culture. He was awarded the 1967 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his vivid literary achievement, deep-rooted in the national traits and traditions of Indian peoples of Latin America." Mr. Asturias spent much of his life abroad, and died in Madrid on June 9, 1974 at the age of 74.

Football
ORFU
Toronto (1-2) 6 @ Kingston (3-0) 27
Hamilton (0-3) 0 @ Ottawa (2-1) 4

90 years ago
1919

Football
Wisconsin-Michigan professional
Green Bay Packers (6-0) 33 @ Ishpeming 0

80 years ago
1929

Football
CRU
ORFU
Camp Borden (0-4) 10 @ St. Michael's College (2-1) 22
Sarnia (3-0) 13 @ Windsor (2-1) 5
University of Toronto II (0-3) 6 @ Hamilton (1-2) 8 (OT)
Toronto (3-0) 9 @ Twin Cities (2-2) 1

ARU
Edmonton (0-4) 5 @ Calgary (4-0) 21

Mickey Timothy scored the Eskimos’ touchdown in their loss to the Altomah-Tigers at Mewata Stadium.

Canadian university
Saskatchewan (3-0) 10 @ Alberta (0-2) 4

Jim Campbell scored the game's only touchdown in the 3rd quarter for U of S as they beat U of A before 1,000 fans at Varsity Stadium in Edmonton. Harry Dempster converted and added a field goal and single, while Freddie Hess kicked a field goal and single for Alberta.

Football
NFL
Orange (1-1-2) 6 @ Frankford (3-1-1) 6

60 years ago
1949

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Ben Wright and Eric Snowden, on ABC
Tonight’s episode: Murder By Appointment

Literature
Oksana Kosenkina's autobiography Leap to Freedom was published in New York by Lippincott.

Politics and government
The New Jersey State Superior Court in Trenton voided a state law requiring political candidates, elected officials, and state employees to take a loyalty oath.

U.S. President Harry Truman accepted the resignation of Edwin Nourse, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and a strong opponent of the Administration's deficit financing policy.

Society
The Pennsylvania Railroad abolished racial segregation on its East Coast passenger routes.

Disasters
Torrential rains and flooding in Guatemala ended after two weeks, leaving 60,000 villagers homeless and causing $50 million in damage.

Baseball
Bucky Harris signed a three-year contract to manage the Washington Nationals. Mr. Harris had managed the team from 1924-1928 while playing second base, leading them to the World Series championship in his first season and the American League pennant the following year. Most recently he had managed the New York Yankees in 1947-1948, leading them to the World Series championship in 1947.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La Montaña--José Guardiola (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Mack the Knife--Bobby Darin (3rd week at #1)
2 Put Your Head on My Shoulder--Paul Anka
3 Mr. Blue--The Fleetwoods
4 Teen Beat--Sandy Nelson
5 ('Til) I Kissed You--The Everly Brothers
6 Sleep Walk--Santo & Johnny
7 Lonely Street--Andy Williams
8 Poison Ivy--The Coasters
9 Just Ask Your Heart--Frankie Avalon
10 The Three Bells--The Browns

Singles entering the chart were So Many Ways by Brook Benton (#60); Talk to Me by Frank Sinatra (#66); A Lover's Prayer by Dion and the Belmonts (#73); Living Doll by David Hill (#92); Igmoo (The Pride of South Central High) by Stonewall Jackson (#96); High School U.S.A. by Tommy Facenda (#97); The Clouds by the Spacemen (#98); Midnight Stroll by the Revels (#99); and Don't Take the Stars by the Mystics (#100). High School U.S.A. was released in 28 different versions across the United States, each mentioning the names of high schools in specific cities.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Mack the Knife--Bobby Darin (4th week at #1)
2 ('Til) I Kissed You--The Everly Brothers
3 Living Doll--Cliff Richard and the Drifters
--David Hill
4 Broken-Hearted Melody--Sarah Vaughan
5 Morgen--Ivo Robic and the Song-Masters
6 Teen Beat--Sandy Nelson
7 The Battle of Kookamonga--Homer and Jethro
8 Battle Hymn of the Republic--The Mormon Tabernacle Choir with the Philadelphia Orchestra
9 Lonely Street--Andy Williams
10 Caribbean--Mitchell Torok

Singles entering the chart were Unforgettable by Dinah Washington (#28); Love Potion No. 9 by the Clovers (#32); Torquay by the Fireballs (#45); We Got Love by Bobby Rydell (#52); Talk to Me by Frank Sinatra (#56); and The Best of Everything by Johnny Mathis (#57). The Best of Everything was the title song of the movie.

Theatre
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson, directed by Arthur Penn, and starring Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke, opened at the Playhouse Theatre on Broadway in New York.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. charged that U.S. embassy security officer Russell Langelle had been detained by Soviet authorities after he had given a Soviet citizen a package containing 20,000 rubles ($5,000).

Politics and government
In a response to renewed arms smuggling by the Turkish Cypriot underground, Archbishop Makarios suspended meetings of the Transitional Committee on preparation of a constitution for an independent Cyprus.

Energy
U.S. Senators Ernest Gruening (Democrat--Alaska), Edmund Muskie (Democrat--Maine), and Frank Moss (Democrat--Utah) told Moscow newsmen that a month's tour of Russia had convinced them that the Soviet Union was assuming world leadership in dam and hydroelectric power construction.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Development Loan Fund announced that DLF recipients would be required to use funds to buy American goods.

Labour
Warning that continuation of the steel strike would "imperil the national health and safety," U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower directed Attorney General William Rogers to apply for a strike injunction under the Taft-Hartley Act's provisions.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (8-7) 45 @ Saskatchewan (1-13) 6
Winnipeg (11-4) 20 @ Edmonton (9-6) 21

The Lions set a CFL record for points in a quarter when they scored 35 points on 5 converted touchdowns in the 4th quarter to turn a 10-6 game into a rout at Taylor Field in Regina as the Lions moved into a tie with the Calgary Stampeders for the third and final playoff spot in the WIFU. Willie Fleming led B.C. with 3 touchdowns, with other touchdowns coming from Jerry Janes, Ed Vereb, and Pat Claridge. Vic Kristopaitis converted all 6 and added a field goal. Randy Duncan played most of the game at quarterback before yielding the reins to Earl Keeley, who produced touchdowns on his first 2 plays. Jack Hill scored a touchdown early in the game for the Roughriders, who made only 3 first downs and 43 yards in net offense. Starting quarterback Don Allard went out with an injury, and backup Ron Adam was ineffective. Saskatchewan head coach Frank Tripucka, currently inactive as a player, then put rookie halfback Jack Urness in a quarterback, and finally used Mr. Hill. It was all to no avail, as the Roughriders failed to complete a pass in 13 attempts. Only 7,500 fans witnessed the game.

Johnny Bright, Joe-Bob Smith, and Jim Letcavits scored touchdowns for the Eskimos in their win at Clarke Stadium. Jackie Parker converted 2, and Tommy-Joe Coffey added a single on a missed field goal. The loss was costly for Winnipeg: Jim Van Pelt, who may have been the best quarterback the Blue Bombers ever had, suffered a season-ending shoulder separation. He joined the United States Air Force after the season, and never resumed his football career. Before leaving the game, Mr. Van Pelt threw 2 touchdown passes to Carver Shannon--the second of which covered 90 yards--and added 2 converts. Gerry James scored the other Winnipeg touchdown. Kenny Ploen returned from the defensive backfield to resume his quarterbacking duties and ended up in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. The Blue Bombers didn’t lose another road game after this (including playoffs and Grey Cups) until September 24, 1962.

40 years ago
1969

Died on this date
Lacey Hearn, 88. U.S. runner. Mr. Hearn specialized in the 1,500 metre-run, and won a bronze medal in that event at the 1904 Summer Olympic Games in St. Louis. At the same Olympics, he was a member of the team that won a silver medal in the men's 4-mile team race.

Robert Chevalier, 23. Canadian student. Mr. Chevalier committed suicide by self-immolation in front of Montreal's City Hall in a protest over an unspecified cause.

Terrorism
Two young East Germans forded a Polish airliner at gunpoint to land in West Berlin. The hijackers were taken from the plane by French-sector officials; the plane was allowed to proceed to East Berlin. It was the first hijacking of an airliner from the Soviet bloc.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau spoke at a Liberal Party fund-raising dinner in Montreal. Mr. Trudeau directed many of his remarks against Quebec separatism. He warned Radio-Canada that his government might be looking into their broadcast mandate as a result of what he perceived as pro-separatist bias. He also advised France to stay out of Canada's affairs. Most remarkably, Mr. Trudeau advised English and other minorities, "Don't let anyone push you around." Although it was his policies (especially the passage of the Official Languages Act, that had the effect of moving the defense of French in Canada from the government of Quebec to the Government of Canada) that were largely responsible for English and other non-French minorities being pushed around by the French, this was one time when his advice should have been followed. Compare Mr. Trudeau's advice to Spineless Stephen Harper's comment at a Conservative Party policy conference in Quebec City in 2004 while he was leader of the opposition that if the Quebec government ever decided to crack down again on the rights of Anglos, that he would do nothing to stop it.

U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew, speaking in New Orleans, rejected accusations that he and President Richard Nixon had contributed to campus disorders with their public comments. Comparing campus rioters to enemy soldiers, Mr. Agnew demanded that "hard core" students and faculty members be expelled from colleges. He said he had no intention of toning down his remarks, and referred to his media critics as "an effete corps of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals."



Seven members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and Dr. Salvador Luria, one of three Americans just awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine, were reported to be on a new blacklist drawn up by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Protest
U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew told a Republican Party fund-raising dinner in New Orleans that the Vietnam Moratorium Day protest several days earlier was an unwise demonstration "encouraged by an effete corps of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals."

Disasters
18 children in Mexico City were killed when a sand pit caved in.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (7-4-1) 8 @ Toronto (9-3) 51
Calgary (8-6) 18 @ Saskatchewan (11-3) 24

Hamilton quarterback John Eckman threw 6 interceptions in the Tiger-Cats’ loss in heavy rain in front of a sellout crowd of 33,135 at CNE Stadium. Ed Learn made 3 of the interceptions and returned 1 for a touchdown. Ron Arends returned an interception for a touchdown, and Ed Harrington recovered a fumble by Hamilton's Dave Fleming and returned it 36 yards for another Argonaut touchdown. Toronto's star running back Dave Raimey suffered torn knee ligaments when tackled in the second quarter, and was lost for the rest of the season. Dick Thornton moved in from the defensive backfield as his replacement for the rest of the game. A former quarterback, Mr. Thornton threw a pass to quarterback Tom Wilkinson for a touchdown. Mr. Wilkinson threw a touchdown pass to Mel Profit, and Frank Cosentino, who came into the game in relief of Mr. Wilkinson, scored the final Toronto touchdown on a 25-yard run. Mr. Eckman threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Tommy-Joe Coffey, who converted and added a single on a missed field goal attempt to account for the Tiger-Cats' scoring.

Ron Lancaster threw 2 touchdown passes to Gord Barwell and 1 to Hugh Campbell to lead the Roughriders to their win over the Stampeders at Taylor Field in Regina. Bill Redell, who played quarterback for Calgary in place of injured starter Jerry Keeling, threw touchdown passes to Gerry Shaw and Terry Evanshen, but also gave up 3 interceptions.

NFL
Atlanta (2-3) 21 @ San Francisco (0-4-1) 7
New York (3-2) 14 @ Washington (3-1-1) 20
Baltimore (3-2) 30 @ New Orleans (0-5) 10
Green Bay (3-2) 21 @ Los Angeles (5-0) 34
Philadelphia (1-4) 14 @ Dallas (5-0) 49
Chicago (0-5) 7 @ Detroit (3-2) 13
Minnesota (4-1) 27 @ St.Louis (2-3) 10

AFL
San Diego (4-2) 13 @ Boston (0-6) 10
Miami (0-5-1) 10 @ Kansas City (5-1) 17
Denver (3-3) 30 @ Cincinnati (3-3) 23
Buffalo (1-5) 21 @ Oakland (5-0-1) 50

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Oh! Susie--Secret Service

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

#1 single in France (IFOP): Aline--Christophe (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
It was announced that U.S. President Jimmy Carter had won 508 of 879 delegates elected by caucuses to a convention of the Democratic party in November. A movement to draft Senator Ted Kennedy for the party’s 1980 presidential nomination won 291 delegates, and 80 were uncommitted or pledged to a labour slate. Only 40,000 of Florida’s 2.9 million Democrats voted in the caucuses.

Football
CIAU
Toronto (4-3) 20 @ Waterloo (2-5) 28
Manitoba (3-4) 14 @ Calgary (4-4) 24

25 years ago
1984

World events
Four employees of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency were killed when their airplane crashed during a surveillance mission over El Salvador. They were the first CIA employees known to have been killed in the current conflicts in Central America.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the economy had grown at a rate of only 2.7% in the third quarter of 1984, lower than an earlier estimate, and the slowest rate since the beginning of economic recovery in 1982.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): Ehtaa tavaraa (80-luvun tykki)--Bat & Ryyd (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Swing the Mood Again--Various Artists

Law
The Guildford Four, who had been sentenced in 1975 to life in prison for bombing attacks on pubs in Guildford, England that killed 5 and injured more than 100, had their convictions quashed by the British Court of Appeal following an extensive inquiry into the original police investigation. The case had been regarded as the biggest current miscarriage of justice in the U.K.

The United States Senate voted 51-48 in favour of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would have outlawed desecration of the American flag. The number in favour was well short of the two-thirds required for the approval of amendments.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that consumer prices had risen 0.2% in September.

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
James C. Murray, 82. U.S. politician and judge. Mr. Murray, a Democrat, represented Illinois' 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1955-1957) and served as an alderman in Chicago (1959-1967) before being appointed to the Cook County Circuit Court in 1970 and serving on the Appellate Court from 1986-1994.

Politics and government
The Indonesian legislature rejected President B.J. Habibie’s state of the union address, given a few days earlier. Mr. Habibie supported the process that led to East Timor’s independence under United Nations protection. In his address, he had blamed Indonesia’s economic problems on corruption during the long reign of his predecessor, Suharto.

A filibuster in the United States Senate succeeded in killing proposed "campaign finance reform" legislation that had been spearheaded by Senators John McCain (Republican--Arizona) and Russ Feingold (Democrat--Wisconsin). Senator Mitch McConnell (Republican--Kentucky) argued that the bill violated the First Amendment right to free speech.

Baseball
National League Championship Series
New York 9 @ Atlanta 10 (11 innings) (Atlanta won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Kenny Rogers issued a bases-loaded walk to Andruw Jones with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning to score Gerald Williams with the winning run as the Braves outlasted the Mets before 52,335 fans at Turner Field. The Braves, who were on the verge of blowing a 3-0 lead in games, blew leads of 5-0 and 7-3 in the game. The Mets took a 9-8 lead in the top of the 10th, only to have the Braves tie the game in the bottom of the inning. The Mets outhit the Braves 15-10.