November 3, 2009

1,970 years ago
39

Born on this date
Lucan. Roman poet. Marcus Annaeus Lucanus was best known for his 10-book epic Pharsalia.(61-65). He joined the conspiracy of Gaius Calpurnius Piso against Emperor Nero in 65, and was compelled to commit suicide on April 30, 65 at the age of 25.

790 years ago
1219

Died on this date
Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester, 49 (?). The Earl of Winchester was one of the leaders of the English baronial rebellion against King John in 1215.

320 years ago
1689

Born on this date
Josef Brentner. Bohemian composer. Mr. Brentner was known for choral works, many of which have been lost; most of those that survive date from 1716-1720. He died on June 28, 1742 at the age of 52.

260 years ago
1749

Born on this date
Daniel Rutherford. U.K. physician, chemist, and botanist. Dr. Rutherford, a native and resident of Edinburgh, was best known for his isolation of nitrogen in 1772. He died on December 15, 1519 at the age of 70.

210 years ago
1799

Born on this date
William Sprague. U.S. politician. Mr. Sprague was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives in the early 1830s, leading a Democratic-Anti-Mason coalition. He joined the Whig Party and represented Rhode Island in the U.S. House of Representatives (1835-1837); served as Governor of Rhode Island (1838-1839); and represented the state in the United States Senate (1842-1844). Mr. Sprague died on October 19, 1856, 15 days before his 57th birthday.

200 years ago
1809

Died on this date
James Richardson, 41. U.K. explorer. Mr. Richardson was educated for evangelical Christian ministry, and wanted to eradicate the slave trade. He made an expedition in 1845 to the Sahara Desert, and led another expedition in 1850 into Sudan and to Lake Chad. Mr. Richardson died in Nigeria from an unknown illness on March 4, 1851 at the age of 41; he recounted his travels and discoveries in several books.

170 years ago
1839

War
The first Opium War between China and Great Britain began.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Ralph Greenleaf. U.S. billiards player. Mr. Greenleaf won 20 World Pocket Billiards Championships from 1919-1937. Heavy drinking seriously impaired his life, if not his game. Mr. Greenleaf died from an acute internal hemorrhage on March 15, 1950 at the age of 50.

Rezső Seress. Hungarian musician. Mr. Seress was a pianist and songwriter who was best known for writing the music for the song Szomorú Vasárnap (Gloomy Sunday) (1933), which urban legends have associated with suicides. Mr. Seress was a Jewish Communist who was interned in a labour camp by the Nazis during World War II. He eventually became disenchanted with Communism and with life, committing suicide on January 11, 1968 at the age of 68.

Boxing
Jim Jeffries (12-0-2-1) retained his world heavyweight title with a 25-round decision over Tom Sharkey (30-4-6-1) at Coney Island Athletic Club in Brooklyn, New York.



100 years ago
1909

Born on this date
James Reston. U.K.-born-U.S. journalist. "Scotty" Reston, a native of Scotland, moved to the United States with his family in 1920. He had a career spanning more than 60 years as a correspondent, columnist, and editor, working for many years with The New York Times. Mr. Reston died on December 6, 1995 at the age of 86.

80 years ago
1929

Protest
The Gwangju Student Independence Movement began demonstrations against Japanese rule over Korea.

Football
NFL
Orange (2-2-3) 0 @ Staten Island (1-2-2) 0
New York (5-0-1) 26 @ Chicago Bears (4-2-1) 14
Green Bay (7-0) 16 @ Minneapolis (1-5) 6

75 years ago
1934

Football
CRU
IRFU
Hamilton (2-1-2) 0 @ Montreal (3-1-1) 13
Toronto (2-2-1) 14 @ Ottawa (1-4) 6

70 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Charles Tournemire, 69. French composer. Mr. Tournemire was an organist who wrote eight symphonies--one of them choral; four operas; 12 chamber works; and 18 piano solos. He was best known for his organ music, especially L'Orgue Mystique.

60 years ago
1949

Died on this date
Solomon Guggenheim, 88. U.S. businessman and philanthropist. Mr. Guggenheim worked in his family's mining business, eventually retiring to pursue a full-time avocation as an art collector. He established the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

Literature
The 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature was withheld when the Norwegian Academy failed to choose among Winston Churchill, William Faulkner, Carl Sandburg, and Benedetto Croce.

Roosevelt and the Russians, an eyewitness account of the 1945 Yalta Conference by former U.S. Secretary of State Edward Stettinius, was published in New York by Doubleday, just three days after the author's death from a heart attack at the age of 49.

War
The Battle of Dengbu Island began in the Chinese Civil War.

World events
Dutch authorities in Indonesia granted amnesty to most political prisoners.

Defense
United Nations General Assembly President Carlos Romulo urged the Big Five and Canada to accept a temporary ban on the use and production of nuclear weapons to allow "a breathing space for calmer consideration" of permanent economic controls.

U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Forrest Sherman abolished the Organizational Research and Policy Division office, which planned naval resistance to Army and Air Force strategy in the armed forces unification dispute. U.S. President Harry Truman accepted the resignation of Karl Compton as chairman of the Defense Department's Research and Development Board.

Politics and government
The Egyptian cabinet resigned in a dispute over electoral district boundaries, and was replaced by a non-party cabinet governing by royal decree.

The British Labour Party regained its majority on the London County Council, lost the previous April to the Conservative Party, in a by-election in North Kensington.

James Kemper resigned as treasurer of the U.S. Republican National Committee because of policy disagreements and depletion of party funds.

Crime
11 U.S. Communist Party leaders were released in New York on $260,000 bail pending appeal of their convictions on criminal conspiracy charges.

Science
The 1949 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Hideko Yukawa of Japan "for his prediction of the existence of mesons on the basis of theoretical work on nuclear forces."

Economics and finance
Norway, Sweden, and Denmark announced plans to form a Scandinavian customs union.

The United States eased its restrictions on trade with Eastern Europe in order to permit Yugoslavia to purchase commercial aircraft.

50 years ago
1959

On television tonight
Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, hosted by John Newland, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Open Window, starring Michael Higgins and Louise Fletcher



Protest
U.S. policemen and firemen in the Panama Canal Zone refused to let a group of demonstrating Panamanian nationalists cross the boundary from Panama City to plant a Panamanian flag in the Canal Zone, leading to accusations that Canal Zone police "unjustifiably" fired on unarmed Panamanians..

Defense
French President Charles de Gaulle announced his intention to withdraw from NATO's integrated military forces and to reconstitute national command of the French armed forces.

Politics and government
The Mapai Party of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion gained an increased plurality, but failed to gain a majority of seats in the Knesset in the Israeli general election. Mapai won 47 of 120 seats, an increase of 7 over the most recent election in 1955. Herut, led by Menachem Begin, was second with 17 seats, followed by Mafdal, led by Haim-Moshe Shapira, with 12.

Democratic incumbent Richardson Dilworth was re-elected Mayor of Philadelphia, defeating Republican candidate and former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen.

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower laid the cornerstone of the $46-million Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

Environment
U.S. Army scientists reported that 1958 high-altitude nuclear detonations had caused the formation of a second inner shell of magnetic waves around the Earth in addition to a global electron shell.

Scandal
Bandleader Xavier Cugat testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight, chaired by Rep. Oren Harris (Democrat--Arkansas), that he had been given questions and answers in advance while he was a contestant on the CBS television quiz show The $64,000 Question

Labour
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on a Taft-Hartley Act injunction in the steel strike.

Football
CRU
ORFU
Semi-Final
Kitchener-Waterloo 0 @ London 26

Ron King carried 20 times for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Lords to victory before 4,000 fans at Labatt Park. Bob Van Kleek and Gerry Thompkins scored the other London touchdowns. Earl Kaiser added 2 converts. It was the last game the Dutchmen ever played, and the defeat was a sad ending for a team that had won 4 ORFU championships (1953-1957) in their 7-year history. The Dutchmen hold the distinction of having been the last ORFU team to have played in playoffs leading to the Grey Cup, when they lost 38-6 to the WIFU champion Edmonton Eskimos in 1954 in a Grey Cup semi-final.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ningyō no Ie--Mieko Hirota (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)--Zager & Evans

On the radio
A Book at Bedtime, on BBC 4
Tonight's episode: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 11, read by Nigel Stock

War
U.S. President Richard M. Nixon addressed the nation on television and radio, asking the "silent majority" to join him in solidarity on the Vietnam War effort and to support his policies.



Politics and government
12 days after seizing power, Somalia's Supreme Revolutionary Council named Major General Mohamed Siad Bare as President of the new government.

Crime
Judge Julius Hoffman ordered the restraints removed from Chicago Eight defendant Bobby Seale, but Mr. Seale’s courtroom outbursts against Judge Hoffman continued.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Zimbabwe Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Some Girls--The Raiders (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Se Tornassi--Julio Iglesias (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Video Killed the Radio Star--The Buggles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): One Day at a Time--Lena Martell (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 We Belong to the Night--Ellen Foley
2 Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough--Michael Jackson
3 A Brand New Day--The Wiz Stars featuring Diana Ross & Michael Jackson
4 Sure Know Something--Kiss
5 Message in a Bottle--The Police
6 Whatever You Want--Status Quo
7 Sail On--Commodores
8 Arumbai/Air Mata Tumpa--Massada
9 Tusk--Fleetwood Mac
10 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A man after midnight)--ABBA

Singles entering the chart were I Love You Like I Love Myself by Herman Brood & his Wild Romance (#28); It's All in the Bible by Snoopy (#31); Shine Silently by Nils Lofgren (#34); Wiggle and a Giggle All Night by Cory Daye (#36); Hoor Je Het Ruisen der Golven by the Sunstreams (#38); and Rolling by Kaz Lux (#39).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Pop Muzik--M
2 Heartache Tonight--Eagles
3 Dim All the Lights--Donna Summer
4 Rise--Herb Alpert
5 Still--Commodores
6 Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough--Michael Jackson
7 Babe--Styx
8 Tusk--Fleetwood Mac
9 You Decorated My Life--Kenny Rogers
10 No More Tears/Enough is Enough--Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer

Singles entering the chart were Send One Your Love by Stevie Wonder (#51); Jane by Jefferson Starship (#64); Peter Piper by Frank Mills (#74); Rock with You by Michael Jackson (#76); No Chance by Moon Martin (#82); When I Think of You by Leif Garrett (#85); Too Late by the Shoes (#86); (Bringing Out) The Girl in Me by Maxine Nightingale (#89); Ready for the '80s by the Village People (#90); Life During Wartime (This Ain't No Party... This Ain't No Disco... This Ain't No Foolin' Around) by the Talking Heads (#91); Lay it on the Line by Triumph (#92); I Just Can't Control Myself by Nature's Divine (#93); Don't Drop My Love by Anita Ward (#94); I Do the Rock by Tim Curry (#96); and I Call Your Name by Switch (#97).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Rise--Herb Alpert (2nd week at #1)
2 Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough--Michael Jackson
3 Heartache Tonight--Eagles
4 Pop Muzik--M
5 Dim All the Lights--Donna Summer
6 Still--Commodores
7 You Decorated My Life--Kenny Rogers
8 Tusk--Fleetwood Mac
9 Sail On--Commodores
10 Babe--Styx

Singles entering the chart were Send One Your Love by Stevie Wonder (#49); Jane by Jefferson Starship (#65); Rock with You by Michael Jackson (#84); No Chance by Moon Martin (#86); Too Late by the Shoes (#89); Rapper's Delight by Sugarhill Gang (#90); and What's a Matter Baby by Ellen Foley (#98).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Pop Muzik--M (2nd week at #1)
2 Good Girls Don't--The Knack
3 Sail On--Commodores
4 Lead Me On--Maxine Nightingale
5 Sad Eyes--Robert John
6 I'll Never Love this Way Again--Dionne Warwick
7 Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)--Robert Palmer
8 Rise--Herb Alpert
9 Lonesome Loser--Little River Band
10 Don't Bring Me Down--Electric Light Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were I'm the Man by Joe Jackson (#77); No More Tears by Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer (#83); Confusion by Electric Light Orchestra (#85); I Don't Like Mondays by the Boomtown Rats (#96); A Thrill's a Thrill by Long John Baldry (#99); and We Don't Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard (#100).

Protest
Four members of the Communist Workers Party and one other person were shot and killed, and a dozen more wounded, in an exchange of gunfire with members of the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party during a "Death to the Klan" march in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Football
CFL
Toronto (5-11) 6 @ Ottawa (8-6-2) 23
Edmonton (12-2-2) 25 @ British Columbia (9-6-1) 17

Mike Nelms made 3 interceptions, recovered a fumble, and returned 9 punts for 140 yards for the Rough Riders in their win over the Argonauts in front of a Lansdowne Park crowd of 21,490. Ottawa led just 1-0 at halftime on a single by Gerry Organ; a field goal by Mr. Organ and a 10-yard touchdown run by Mike Murphy, converted by Mr. Organ, gave the Rough Riders an 11-0 lead after 3 quarters. Mr. Organ added a field goal and 2 more singles to make the score 16-0, but the Argonauts finally broke the shutout when backup Mark Jackson ran 1 yard for a touchdown with just 21 seconds remaining in the game. A 2-point convert was unsuccessful, and a short kickoff was recovered by the Rough Riders. Former Hamilton Tiger-Cat Charlie Weatherbie, making his first appearance with Ottawa, entered the game and promptly completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Avery with 2 seconds left, and Mr. Organ converted. Richard Crump led the Rough Riders with 17 carries for 101 yards.

26,575 fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver saw the Lions come back from a 16-0 deficit to score 17 straight points, only to give up 9 points in the 4th quarter to lose their fourth straight game. Veteran linebacker Carl Crennel, playing just his second game as an Eskimo after being acquired from the Montreal Alouettes, intercepted a Joe Paopao pass and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown 3:43 into the game. Dave Cutler missed his first convert of the season, leaving the score at 6-0. Warren Moon, who went the distance at quarterback for the Eskimos, completed a 32-yard touchdown pass to Waddell Smith in the 2nd quarter, converted by Mr. Cutler. Mr. Cutler kicked a field goal to give Edmonton a 16-0 lead, but B.C. struck back before halftime on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Joe Paopao to Al Charuk, converted by Lui Passaglia. The Lions took the lead at the end of the 3rd quarter on a 12-yard touchdown run by Larry Key, converted by Mr. Passaglia, and a 28-yard field goal by Mr. Passaglia. Edmonton punter Hank Ilesic tied the game early in the 4th quarter with a 63-yard punt single, and a single off a missed field goal by Mr. Cutler put the Eskimos ahead 18-17. Mr. Moon directed a late drive and handed off to Jim Germany for a 5-yard touchdown run, converted by Mr. Cutler, with 2:48 remaining. Mr. Germany carried 16 times for 69 yards to lead the Eskimos. Leon Bright was the Lions’ biggest threat, with 4 pass receptions for 59 yards and 4 kickoff returns for 124. The Lions were held to 11 first downs and 144 yards in net offense. Mr. Paopao completed just 9 of 30 passes for 136 yards and 2 interceptions, while backup Mike Nott was 0 for 2.

CIAU
Playoffs
St. Francis Xavier 0 @ Acadia 18
McGill 5 @ Queen’s 22
Ontario championship (Yates Cup)
Western Ontario 28 @ Wilfrid Laurier 12
WIFL championship (Hardy Cup)
British Columbia 17 @ Alberta 28

The Golden Bears defeated the Thunderbirds on a cold day at Varsity Stadium in Edmonton to win their first western title in seven years. Sean Kehoe rushed 77 yards for a touchdown at 6:10 of the 4th quarter to turn an 18-17 Alberta lead into a 25-17 lead after the convert. Mr. Kehoe, who rushed 13 times for 155 yards, ran 26 yards for a touchdown in the 1st quarter. The other Golden Bear touchdown was scored by Rick Paulitsch on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, set up by a 50-yard pass from Forrest Kennerd to Kerry O’Connor. Trevor Kennerd converted all 3 touchdowns, scored a single on a wide field goal late in the 3rd quarter to give Alberta an 18-17 lead, and kicked field goals of 42 yards in the 1st quarter and 16 yards in the 4th quarter. His second field goal came with 1:59 remaining and finished the scoring. B.C., without starting quarterback Greg Clarkson because of injury, got 2 touchdowns by Chris Davies on 43- and 70-yard passes from backup Dave Thistle. Mr. Thistle completed 15 of 33 passes for 238 yards; Mr. Davies caught 4 for 122. Ken Munro converted the first touchdown and added a field goal and single. Forrest Kennerd completed 16 of 27 passes for 178 yards; O’Connor led Alberta receivers with 5 catches for 83 yards.

Hockey
NHL
Philadelphia 5 @ Montreal 3

Baseball
Nippon Series
Hiroshima Carp 2 @ Kintetsu Buffaloes 6 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

25 years ago
1984

Football
CIAU
OQIFC
Semi-Finals
McGill 29 @ Queen's 65



WIFL
Saskatchewan (3-5) 7 @ Alberta (7-1) 29

Jeff Funtasz rushed 17 timed for 105 yards and 3 touchdowns to finish the season with 915 yards, breaking Dalton Smarsh’s 9-year-old team record for yards rushing in a single season. Mr. Funtasz’s first touchdown covered 54 yards in the first quarter. The other Alberta touchdown was scored by cornerback Sheldon Weinkauf on a 49-yard interception return. Steve Kasowski converted all 4 touchdowns, while Rick Magee added single. Saskatchewan quarterback Doug Siemens, who threw 4 interceptions, threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Joe Mahnic in the second quarter, converted by Greg Holtz. Mark Denesiuk, Joel Brown, and Darren Brezden, who all played quarterback for the Golden Bears, combined to throw 5 interceptions. Only 338 fans, including this blogger, were in attendance at Varsity Stadium in Edmonton to see the Golden Bears finish first in the west for the first time in 4 years.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Lambada--Kaoma (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Dorothy Fuldheim, 96. U.S. journalist. Mrs. Fuldheim, known as the "First Lady of Television News," was credited as the first woman in the United States to host a television news broadcast and to host her own TV show, on WEWS in Cleveland. She joined the station in 1947, before it went on the air, and became known for her interviews and for interspersing opinion with news items. Mrs. Fuldheim continued her career until 1984, when a stroke caused her retirement.

Basketball
NBA
Sarunas Marciulionis of the Golden State Warriors and Aleksandr Volkov of the Atlanta Hawks became the first players from the Soviet Union to play in a regular-season NBA game. Mr. Marciulionis, of Lithuania, scored 19 points against the Phoenix Suns, and Mr. Volkov, of Russia, was held scoreless against the Indiana Pacers.

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Ian Bannen, 71. U.K. actor. Mr. Bannen, a native of Scotland, was known for his supporting roles in numerous movies. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting performance in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), and was nominated for BAFTA Awards for The Offence (1973) and Hope and Glory (1987). Mr. Bannen also won plaudits for his comic performance in Waking Ned (1998). He was killed in a car accident near Loch Ness.