November 12, 2009

570 years ago
1439

Britannica
Plymouth became the first town incorporated by the English Parliament.

280 years ago
1729

Born on this date
Louis Antoine de Bougainville. French military officer and explorer. Comte de Bougainville was a navy admiral who fought against in the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He led the first French settlement of the خles Malouines (Falkland Islands) (1763-1764), composed of Acadians who had been deported to France by the British because of their refusal to sign loyalty oaths. Comte de Bougainville commanded the first French circumnavigation of the globe (1766-1769). Bougainville Island of Papua New Guinea as well as the Bougainvillea flower were named after Comte de Bougainville, who died on August 31, 1811 at the age of 81.

120 years ago
1889

Born on this date
DeWitt Wallace. U.S. publisher. Mr. Wallace and his wife Lila co-founded Reader's Digest in 1922. Mr. Wallace died on March 30, 1981 at the age of 91.

110 years ago
1899

Died on this date
Albert Ruger. U.S. artist. The Prussian-born Mr. Ruger was a pioneer in the field of panoramic mapping, a form of cartography in which towns and cities are drawn as if viewed from above at an oblique angle.

80 years ago
1929

Born on this date
Grace Kelly. U.S. actress and Monacan princess. Miss Kelly acted in live television dramas in the early 1950s and made her movie acting debut in Fourteen Hours (1951). Her notable films included High Noon (1952); Mogambo (1953); The Country Girl (1954)--for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress; and three movies under the direction of Alfred Hitchcock: Dial M For Murder (1954); Rear Window (1954); and To Catch a Thief (1955). While filming To Catch a Thief on the French Riviera, Miss Kelly met Prince Rainier of Monaco, whom she eventually married. After starring in High Society (1956) she abandoned the screen to become Princess Grace. She died from the effects of a car accident in September 1982.

75 years ago
1934

Football
CRU
WCRFU
Finals
Regina Roughriders 7 @ Vancouver Meralomas 2 (Regina won 2-game, total points series 29-4)

70 years ago
1939

On the radio
British First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill delivered a speech on the British Broadcasting Corporation on Ten Weeks of War.



Died on this date
Norman Bethune, 49. Canadian physician. Dr. Bethune, a native of Gravenhurst, Ontario, was a thoracic surgeon who joined the Communist Party of Canada after visiting the U.S.S.R. in 1935. He aided the Loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War in 1936-1937, where he pioneered a mobile blood transfusion service. Dr. Bethune went to China in 1938, where he aided the forces of Communist leader Mao Zedong. He died of blood poisoning after cutting his finger while operating on a soldier.

60 years ago
1949

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Riders in the Sky--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra; Bing Crosby (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): That Lucky Old Sun--Frankie Laine (7th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 That Lucky Old Sun--Frankie Laine (4th week at #1)
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
2 You're Breaking My Heart--Vic Damone
--Buddy Clark
--The Ink Spots
3 Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--The Mills Brothers
4 I Can Dream, Can't I?--The Andrews Sisters
5 Jealous Heart--Al Morgan
6 Don't Cry, Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go)--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
7 Slipping Around--Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely
8 I Never See Maggie Alone--Kenny Roberts
9 Hop-Scotch Polka (Scotch Hot)--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Art Mooney and his Orchestra
10 Whispering Hope--Jo Stafford and Gordon Macrae

Singles entering the chart were Envy by Fran Warren (#37); Why was I Born? by Vic Damone (#38); and (Oh Gee – Say Gee – You Ought – To See) My Gee Gee from the Fiji Islands by Chuck Thomas and the Dixieland Band (#40).

Diplomacy
Yugoslavia cancelled its friendship pact with Albania, accusing the Albanian government of Enver Hoxha of conspiring against Yugoslavian independence.

Defense
Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly's Political and Security Committee, U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Andrei Vishinsky rejected permanent on-site inspection of Soviet nuclear facilities.

Religion
The Czechoslovakian government refused to accept any qualifications in the loyalty oaths taken by Roman Catholic priests, and decreed that only civil marriages would be recognized effective 1950.

Football
CRU
IRFU
Finals
Montreal 14 @ Ottawa 13 (Montreal won 2-game total points series 36-20)

Trailing the series by 15 points after the first game, the Rough Riders got a touchdown in the 1st quarter on a pass from Andy Gordon to Steve Karrys, converted by Eric Chipper. Fred Kijek punted for a single for the Alouettes, but Howie Turner punted for a single in the last minute of the 1st half to make the game score 7-1 for Ottawa. Bill Larochelle ran 29 yards for a touchdown after taking a lateral from Mr. Gordon, and after Mr. Chipper's convert, Montreal's lead in the series had been reduced to 23-20 with one quarter remaining at Lansdowne Park. The Alouettes were backed up on their own 15 yard-line early in the 4th quarter when Virgil Wagner, who had missed the first game because of illness, burst through a hole for a 30-yard gain to the 45. On the next play Frank Filchock heaved a long pass that Bob Cunningham caught and turned into a 65-yard touchdown. Ches McCance converted and added 2 field goals, with Fred Kijek punting for a single to provide the winning margin in the game. The Rough Riders played the game without veteran star Tony Golab, who had suffered a leg injury in the first game of the series.

50 years ago
1959

On television tonight
The Lawless Years, starring James Gregory, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Big Man

The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Ain't We Got Fun, with guest stars Joseph Buloff and Cameron Mitchell

World events
A state of emergency was proclaimed in Belgium's Ruanda-Urundi trust territory, following continued rebellion by the Bahutu tribe against their traditional Watusi overlords.

Defense
The United Nations General Assembly's Political Committee approved resolutions urging France to refrain from testing nuclear weapons in the Sahara Desert and join in an international test-ban agreement. U.S. State Secretary Christian Herter said that he favoured extending the U.S. nuclear test suspension for "a matter of weeks" and only while Western and Soviet delegates were "still talking" in Geneva.

Journalism
The Polish government ordered the expulsion of New York Times correspondent A.M. Rosenthal for writing dispatches "exposing too deeply the internal situation in Poland."

Labour
The United Steel Workers of America executive board and wage policy committee voted uanimously to resume the steel strike "when the injunction expires, if this becomes necessary to reach new agreements."

Baseball
The Baseball Writers Association of America named Chicago White Sox' second baseman Nellie Fox as the Most Valuable Player in the American League for 1959. He batted .306 with 2 home runs and 70 runs batted in, playing all 156 games in helping the White Sox win their first AL pennant in 40 years.

40 years ago
1969

Died on this date
Liu Shaoqi, 70. 2nd Chairman of the People's Republic of China, 1959-1968. Liu Shaoqi joined the Communist Party of China in 1921, and joined the Central Committee in 1927. He moved up through the ranks of the party, eventually serving as Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (1954-1959); First Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China (1956-1966) before becoming the country's de jure head of state in 1959. Liu Shaoqi was groomed to eventually succeed Mao Zedong, but antagonized Mao in the early 1960s, and was denounced as a traitor and sacked as party First Vice Chairman in 1966. He was arrested in 1967, beaten at public denunciation meetings, and expelled from the party on October 31, 1968. Liu Shaoqi died after a long illness, 12 days before his 71st birthday; he was officially rehabilitated by the government of Deng Xiaoping in 1980.

Abominations
Journalist Seymour Hersh, reporting on the Associated Press wire service, revealed that 1st Lieutenant William Calley was the United States officer who had been charged with murder on September 5 for commanding the platoon involved in the My Lai massacre, the killing of 109 men, women, and children in the hamlet of My Lai in the South Vietnamese village of Songmy on March 16, 1968. Lt. Calley, 26, faced a court martial at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he was stationed.

War
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency said that Palestinian commandos had taken over 14 of the 15 UN-operated refugee camps in Lebanon, ousting Lebanese authorities from these camps.

Exploration
Battered by ice that had pierced sections of its hull, the American oil tanker S.S. Manhattan put in at New York Harbor after returning through the Canadian archipelago to establish an ice-bound Northwest passage.

Literature
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn denied charges that he had "blackened" the U.S.S.R. by stressing the horrors of life under the rule of Josef Stalin.

Football
CFL
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers fired Joe Zaleski as head coach. In 3 years under Mr. Zaleski the Blue Bombers posted a record of 10-37-1 and finished out of the CFL playoffs in all 3 years. Mr. Zaleski was an assistant coach with the Blue Bombers under head coach Bud Grant from 1958-1966, helping the team win five Western championships and four Grey Cup championships.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I Don't Like Mondays--The Boomtown Rats

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Oyaji no Ichiban Nagai Hi--Masashi Sada (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Shine a Little Love--Electric Light Orchestra

Oil
U.S. President Jimmy Carter suspended all Iranian oil imports to the United States.

Football
NFL
Philadelphia (7-4) 31 @ Dallas (8-3) 21

Tony Franklin, who kicked barefoot, kicked a 59-yard field goal for the Eagles to help them beat the Cowboys at Texas Stadium in Irving.

25 years ago
1984

Economics and finance
Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson announced that the English pound note would be phased out and replaced by coins.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Right Here Waiting--Richard Marx

#1 single in Switzerland: Lambada--Kaoma (12th week at #1)

War
FMLN rebels in El Salvador continued their attacks in San Salvador and other cities. The government declared a state of siege.

Football
CFL
Eastern Semi-Final
Winnipeg 30 @ Toronto 7

Western Semi-Final
Saskatchewan 33 @ Calgary 26

The Winnipeg defense recorded 5 sacks, made 2 interceptions, and held Toronto to 198 yards in net offense before 22,758 disappointed onlookers at SkyDome. Blue Bomber quarterback Lee Saltz completed 19 of 27 passes for 178 yards and touchdowns to Jeff Smith and Rick House, while Michael Allen blocked a Glenn Harper punt and Paul Clatney recovered and went 10 yards for the other Winnipeg touchdown. Trevor Kennerd converted and added 2 field goals, while Bob Cameron punted for 3 singles. Jeff Boyd scored the Argos’ only touchdown on a 44-yard pass from John Congemi in the third quarter, converted by Lance Chomyc. Toronto starting quarterback Rick Johnson, in his final game, completed just 1 of 7 passes for 4 yards, while Mr. Congemi was 12 for 28 for 190. Mr. Saltz rushed 8 times for 79 yards and handed off to Tim Jessie 17 times for 65. Gill Fenerty carried 11 times for 41 yards in his last game as an Argo.



Brian Walling ran 50 yards for a converted touchdown on a draw play with 1:38 remaining in regulation to give the Roughriders the lead, and a 38-yard field goal by Dave Ridgway with 17 seconds remaining provided the final margin of victory in front of a disappointingly small crowd (which included this blogger) of 16, 286, on a cold Sunday afternoon at McMahon Stadium in the Stampeders’ first playoff game at home in 10 years. The Roughriders led 23-9 at halftime on 2 short touchdown runs by Tim McCray and 3 field goals by Mr. Ridgway, while Mark McLoughlin kicked 3 first-half field goals for the Stampeders. Kennard Martin rushed 3 yards for Calgary’s first touchdown in the third quarter, converted by Mr. McLoughlin, whose 32-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter cut the lead to 23-19. The Stampeders finally took the lead with 2:24 remaining when backup quarterback Terrence Jones threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Marc Zeno, converted by Mr. McLoughlin. The game featured 10 turnovers, 7 of them interceptions. Saskatchewan quarterback Kent Austin completed 22 of 35 passes for just 185 yards and 3 interceptions, while Calgary starter Danny Barrett was 6 for 18 for 175 yards and 3 interceptions. Mr. Jones was 4 for 8 for 84 and an interception. Mr. McCray rushed 20 times for 71, while Mr. Walling picked up 65 on just 3 carries. Kennard Martin led the Stampeders with 14 carries for 59 yards. Larry Willis of the Stampeders had 126 yards on just 3 receptions. The game was the last for Lary Kuharich as Calgary’s head coach; he engaged in a shouting match with team president Bill McKay behind closed doors after the game, flung a can of beer against the wall, and liberally used the "f" word in a post-game radio interview. It was widely believed that Mr. Kuharich would be leaving to join the B.C. Lions, whose new president, former quarterbacking great Joe Kapp, was an old mentor of Mr. Kuharich. As it turned out, the rumours were true. Also in his last game was middle linebacker Doug Landry, who departed the Stampeders after 3 entertaining seasons.



10 years ago
1999

Disasters
The 7.2 Mw  Düzce earthquake shook northwestern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 845 people were killed and almost 5,000 were injured.

Football
CIAU
Western Final
Saskatchewan 31 @ British Columbia 24

Saskatchewan kicker Jamie Boreham ran 30 yards for a touchdown on a fake field goal and running back Doug Rozon followed with a 95-yard touchdown run to lift the Huskies past the Thunderbirds at Thunderbird Stadium to win the Hardy Cup.