November 22, 2009

760 years ago
1249

Died on this date
As-Salih Ayyub, 44. Sultan of Egypt, 1240-1249. Al-Malik as-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub, the son of Al-Kamil, became Emir of Damascus in 1239, and assumed the Ayyubid Sutanate after his brother Al-Adil II was taken prisoner by soldiers and held hostage. As-Salih incorporated Mamluks into his army, and the Mamluks eventually overthrew the Ayyubid dynasty. As-Salih's forces captured Damascus in 1245, and he resumed the Emirate until his death, which occurred after he had a leg amputated in an attempt to save his life from a serious abscess. As-Salih was succeeded on both of his thrones by Al-Muazzam Turanshah.

300 years ago
1709

Born on this date
Franz Benda. Bohemian musician and composer. Mr. Benda was a violinist who spent much of his life in the court of King Frederick the Great of Prussia. He wrote 17 symphonies, works for violin, and chamber works. Mr. Benda died on March 7, 1786 at the time of 76.

190 years ago
1819

Born on this date
George Eliot. U.K. writer. Miss Eliot, born Mary Anne Evans, wrote fiction, journalism, and poetry, but was best known for her seven novels, including Adam Bede (1859); Silas Marner (1861); and the eight-volume Middlemarch (1871-1872). She used a male pseudonym for her fiction an apparent attempt to avoid stereotyping of fiction written by women. Miss Eliot suffered from kidney disease for years before her death from a throat infection on December 22, 1880, a month after her 61st birthday.

150 years ago
1859

Born on this date
Cecil Sharp. U.K. musicologist. Mr. Sharp collected thousands of folk songs from rural England and the southern Appalachian area of the United States, resulting in the book English Folk Song: Some Conclusions (1907). He also studied English folk dancing, and was credited with reviving English country dancing. Mr. Sharp's work has been criticized and defended since his death on June 23, 1924 at the age of 64.

140 years ago
1869

Born on this date
André Gide. French author. Mr. Gide was a self-described pederast who wrote more than 50 books of fiction and non-fiction. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his comprehensive and artistically significant writings, in which human problems and conditions have been presented with a fearless love of truth and keen psychological insight." Mr. Gide died on February 19, 1951 at the age of 81.

Transportation
The British tea clipper Cutty Sark was launched in Dumbarton, Scotland. It was one of the last clippers ever built, and the only one still surviving today.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Hoagy Carmichael. U.S. musician and songwriter. Mr. Carmichael, one of the best-known American songwriters of the first half of the 20th century, wrote such standards as Stardust and Georgia on My Mind. He appeared in several movies, usually as a pianist. In the last year or two of his life, Mr. Carmichael appeared in a television commercial for recordings of his greatest hits; the ad began with a clip of Ole Buttermilk Sky, followed by Mr. Carmichael saying, "Ole Buttermilk Sky; they don't make 'em like that anymore--maybe they shouldn't." He died on December 27, 1981 at the age of 82.

70 years ago
1939

At the movies
The Amazing Mr. Williams, directed by Alexander Hall, and starring Melvyn Douglas and Joan Blondell, received its premiere screening.



60 years ago
1949

On the radio
Philo Vance, starring Jackson Beck
Tonight's episode: The Nightmare Murder Case

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Third One, starring Margaret Phillips, Theodore Newton, Iris Mann, and Martin Balsam



War
Communist forces entered Kweilin, capital of Kwangsi Province in southwestern China.

Defense
Minnesota Governor Luther Youngdahl signed an order authorizing Negroes to enlist in the state's National Guard.

Politics and government
The Panamanian National Assembly voted for the reinstatement of deposed President Daniel Chanis, who had resigned two days earlier in order to avert a military coup.

Economics and finance
The East German government announced the arrest of nine officials for sabotage and fraud in attempting to prevent nationalization of the German Continental Gas Corporation.

U.S. Senator Robert Taft (Republican--Ohio) urged the Senate Finance Committee to study the possibility of granting $100 monthly federal pensions, modelled on recent union contract provisions, to all American citizens over 65 years of age.

Labour
Vincent Hallinan, chief defense attorney in the San Francisco trial of International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union President Harry Bridges, was ruled to be in contempt of court and sentenced to six months in prison for repeatedly attempting to introduce evidence ruled irrelevant by Judge George Harris. Mr. Bridges, an immigrant from Australia, was facing charges of falsely denying Communist Party membership in 1945.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Le marchand de bonheur--Les Compagnons de la chanson (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Dead Weight, starring Joseph Cotten, Julie Adams, Don Gordon, and Ted de Corsia

Died on this date
Molla Mallory, 75. Norwegian-born U.S. tennis player. Mrs. Mallory, born Anna Margrethe Bjurstedt, won numerous national championships in her native Norway, and won a bronze medal in the women's singles competition at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. She moved to the United States in 1915, and married stockbroker Franklin Mallory in 1920. Mrs. Mallory was one of the best players in the world from 1915-1929, winning eight U.S. Open singles titles, including a record four straight from 1915-1918. She also shared in two U.S. Open doubles and three U.S. Open mixed doubles titles. Mrs. Mallory was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1958.

Space
Hawaii-based planes failed to recover Discoverer 8's re-entry capsule, which had separated from the main body of the satellite the previous day, and was released over the Pacific Ocean for descent to Earth. It was the sixth such failed recovery attempt in the Discovery series.

Defense
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Chairman John McCone said in a televised interview that he favoured extending the U.S. suspects of nuclear tests on a week-to-week basis beyond its December 31, 1959 expiration date.

Politics and government
Simon Dombo, leader of Ghana's opposition United Party, charged that opposition supporters had been "victimized and detained" by Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah's Convention People's Party.

Economics and finance
A National Industrial Conference Board forum in New York reported that a slowdown of U.S. economic growth in the 1950s had resulted in a static per capita output during the past five years.

Labour
Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro appealed for labour unity in a speech to the Cuban Confederation of Labour, torn by conflict between Communist and non-Communist delegates.

Football
NFL
New York (7-2) 30 @ Chicago Cardinals (2-7) 20
Pittsburgh (4-4-1) 21 @ Cleveland (6-3) 20
Los Angeles (2-7) 20 @ Philadelphia (6-3) 23
Washington (3-6) 0 @ Green Bay (4-5) 21
San Francisco (6-3) 14 @ Baltimore (6-3) 45
Chicago Bears (5-4) 24 @ Detroit (2-6-1) 14

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Penny Arcade--Roy Orbison

#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Suspicious Minds--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Venus--The Shocking Blue (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Lo straniero--Georges Moustaki (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Sugar, Sugar--The Archies (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Oh Well!--Fleetwood Mac

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Sugar, Sugar--The Archies (5th week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 The Star--Ross D. Wyllie (2nd week at #1)
2 Penny Arcade--Roy Orbison
3 Something/Come Together--The Beatles
4 Sweet Caroline--Neil Diamond
5 Jean--Oliver
6 Without You/Hair--Doug Parkinson in Focus
7 Part Three Into Paper Walls/The Girl that I Love--Russell Morris
8 Soul Deep--The Box Tops
9 Picking Up Pebbles--Matt Flinders
10 Natural Born Bugie--Humble Pie

Singles entering the chart were Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley (#16); Tracy by the Cuff Links (#34); and Wedding Bell Blues by the 5th Dimension (#37).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Oh Well!--Fleetwood Mac
2 My Special Prayer--Percy Sledge
3 Air--Ekseption
4 Pastorale--Liesbeth List met Ramses Shaffy
5 Cha-La-La, I Need You--The Shuffles
6 Suspicious Minds--Elvis Presley
7 Sugar, Sugar--The Archies
8 Maanserenade--Marty
9 Come Together--The Beatles
10 Little Green Bag--George Baker Selection

Singles entering the chart were Take a Letter Maria by R.B. Greaves (#30); Yester-Me Yester-You Yesterday by Stevie Wonder (#32); Erotica by Man (#34); Don't Waste My Time by John Mayall (#37); and Wonderful World, Beautiful People by Jimmy Cliff (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Wedding Bell Blues--The 5th Dimension (3rd week at #1)
2 Take a Letter Maria--R.B. Greaves
3 Something--The Beatles
4 And When I Die--Blood, Sweat & Tears
5 Smile a Little Smile for Me--The Flying Machine
6 Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye--Steam
7 Come Together/Something--The Beatles
8 Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday--Stevie Wonder
9 Suspicious Minds--Elvis Presley
10 I Can't Get Next to You--The Temptations

Singles entering the chart were Ain't it Funky Now (Part 1) by James Brown (#71); Early in the Morning by Vanity Fare (#77); Sunday Mornin' by Oliver (#78); La La La (If I Had You) by Bobby Sherman (#80); I'll Hold Out My Hand by the Clique (#86); Walkin' in the Rain by Jay and the Americans (#89); Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin (#91); Fancy by Bobbie Gentry (#94); It's a Funky Thing--Right On (Part 1) by Herbie Mann (#95); Can't Take My Eyes Off You by Nancy Wilson (#98); Happy by Paul Anka (#99); and Blistered/See Ruby Fall by Johnny Cash (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Come Together--The Beatles
2 Something--The Beatles
3 Wedding Bell Blues--The 5th Dimension
4 And When I Die--Blood, Sweat & Tears
5 Smile a Little Smile for Me--The Flying Machine
6 Take a Letter Maria--R.B. Greaves
7 Baby it's You--Smith
8 Eli's Coming--Three Dog Night
9 Fortunate Son--Creedence Clearwater Revival
10 Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye--Steam

Singles entering the chart were What You Gave Me by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#71); Turn! Turn! Turn!/To Everything There is a Season by Judy Collins (#74); Don't Let Love Hang You Up by Jerry Butler (#75); Cowboy Convention by Ohio Express (#84); Lady-O by the Turtles (#88); Dubuque Blues by the Association (#91); Me and You by O.C. Smith (#93); I'm Tired by Savoy Brown (#94); Goin' Out of My Head by Frank Sinatra (#96); You are My Life by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#98); and Born Under a Bad Sign by William Bell (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Something/Come Together--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)
2 And When I Die--Blood, Sweat & Tears
3 Take a Letter Maria--R.B. Greaves
4 Smile a Little Smile for Me--The Flying Machine
5 Try a Little Kindness--Glen Campbell
6 Eli's Coming--Three Dog Night
7 Tracy--The Cuff Links
8 Leaving on a Jet Plane--Peter, Paul and Mary
9 Reuben James--Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
10 Fortunate Son/Down on the Corner--Creedence Clearwater Revival

Singles entering the chart were Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin (#65); Turn! Turn!/To Everything There is a Season by Judy Collins (#72); Cupid by Johnny Nash (#76); I Want You Back by the Jackson 5 (#79); Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by Ginette Reno (#81); Don't Let Love Hang You Up by Jerry Butler (#90); Lady-O by the Turtles (#91); The Ten Commandments of Love by Little Anthony and the Imperials (#92); Dubuque Blues by the Association (#93); I Started Loving You Again by Al Martino (#94); Goin' Out of My Head by Frank Sinatra (#95); Me and You by O.C. Smith (#96); You are My Life by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#97); Born Under a Bad Sign by William Bell (#98); Dong-Dong-Diki-Di-Ki-Dong by Super Cirkus (#99); and I'm Tired by Savoy Brown (#100).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Suspicious Minds--Elvis Presley (3rd week at #1)
2 Something--The Beatles
3 Reuben James--Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
4 Take a Letter Maria--R.B. Greaves
5 Down on the Corner--Creedence Clearwater Revival
6 Try a Little Kindness--Glen Campbell
7 Which Way You Goin’ Billy?--The Poppy Family
8 Jesus is a Soul Man--Lawrence Reynolds
9 Riverboat--Five Man Electrical Band
10 Make Believe--Wind
Pick hit of the week: Cherry Hill Park--Billy Joe Royal

War
The 130 U.S. fatalities in Vietnam for the previous week marked the highest weekly toll in two months, while 653 were wounded. South Vietnamese troops suffered their heaviest casualties of the war, with 567 killed and 1,421 wounded. Viet Cong and North Vietnamese killed were put at 3,201, a three-month high.

Science
It was reported that a group of Harvard University scientists had succeeded in chemically isolating the basic unit of heredity, a single gene. The separation of the gene and its identification from 3,000 other genes in the chromosome of the common intestinal bacterium E. coli was hailed as a major feat.

Boxing
Nino Benvenuti (80-3-1) retained his world middleweight title with a knockout of Luis Rodriguez (96-8) at 1:08 of the 11th round at Palazzetto dello Sport in Rome.







Football
CFL
Eastern Finals
Toronto 3 @ Ottawa 32 (Ottawa won 2-game total points series 46-25)

24,354 were in attendance at Lansdowne Park to celebrate Russ Jackson Day, and the Ottawa quarterback completed 14 of 23 passes for 260 yards in leading the defending Grey Cup champion Rough Riders into the Grey Cup again. Wayne Giardino rushed 19 times for 62 yards and 3 touchdowns and caught 1 pass for 16 yards. Ron Stewart scored the other Ottawa touchdown. Don Sutherin converted 3 of the touchdowns and added a field goal and single, while Bill Van Burkleo punted for a single. Whit Tucker led all receivers with 5 receptions for 117 yards. The Argonauts' only scoring came on a 43-yard field goal by Tom Johansen in the 3rd quarter, when Toronto had yet to record a first down. Starting quarterback Tom Wilkinson completed 10 of 19 passes for just 62 yards. Mr. Wilkinson, with 3 carries for 26 yards, led the Argonauts in rushing. Bill Symons was held to 7 yards on 6 carries. Meanwhile, Gene Thomas, who dressed as the designated import for the Rough Riders and didn't see any action until the last few minutes, managed 24 yards rushing on just 2 carries. Among those whose careers ended with this game were defensive back Ed Learn (12 years in the CFL) and quarterback Frank Cosentino (10 years).

30 years ago
1979

World events
The last five non-American hostages were released from the United States embassy in Tehran. Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini said that he took "great joy" in the sacking of the U.S. embassy in Pakistan the previous day.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
Edmonton's top 30 (CHED)
1 All Through the Night--Cyndi Lauper
2 Out of Touch--Daryl Hall John Oates
3 The Wild Boys--Duran Duran
4 Penny Lover--Lionel Richie
5 Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)--Billy Ocean
6 The War Song--Culture Club
7 No More Lonely Nights--Paul McCartney
8 Sea of Love--The Honeydrippers
9 Better Be Good to Me--Tina Turner
10 Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy)--Roger Hodgson
11 Run to You--Bryan Adams
12 We Belong--Pat Benatar
13 Valotte--Julian Lennon
14 Lucky Star--Madonna
15 I Can't Hold Back--Survivor
16 Stranger in Town--Toto
17 What About Me--Kenny Rogers with Kim Carnes and James Ingram
18 Tears--John Waite
19 Wake Me Up Before You Go Go--Wham!
20 Walking on a Thin Line--Huey Lewis and the News
21 On the Dark Side--John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band
22 Teacher Teacher--.38 Special
23 I Feel for You--Chaka Khan
24 Born in the U.S.A.--Bruce Springsteen
25 I Do Wanna Know--REO Speedwagon
26 Heaven (Must Be There)--Eurogliders
27 Get it While You Can--Gary O
28 I Need You Tonight--Peter Wolf
29 Pride (In the Name of Love)--U2
30 Alphabet Town--Gerry Cott

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Lambada--Kaoma (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Rene Moawad, 64. President of Lebanon, 1989. Mr. Moawad, a moderate Maronite Christian who enjoyed the support of Syria, was assassinated just 17 days after taking office as President. A bomb exploded along the route of his motorcade that killed Mr. Moawad and 23 other people.

War
After being threatened with death, 12 Green Berets who had been trapped in a San Salvador hotel when it had been taken over by Salvadoran rebels the previous day, were permitted to leave.