July 17, 2010

125 years ago
1885

Died on this date
Jean-Charles Chapais, 73. Canadian politician. Mr. Chapais, a native of Rivière-Ouelle, Lower Canada and a Conservative, represented Kamouraska (1851-1867) in the Legislative Assembly of Canada and Champlain in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (1867-1868) before representing De la Durantaye, Quebec in the Canadian Senate from 1868 until his death in Ottawa. He was Minister of Agriculture (1867-1869) and Receiver General (1869-1873) in the cabinet of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, the first after Confederation.

110 years ago
1900

Baseball
Christy Mathewson made his major league debut for the New York Giants, entering their game against the Brooklyn Superbas at Washington Park in Brooklyn in the 5th inning in relief of Ed Doheny. Mr. Mathewson gave up 6 runs, while hitting 3 batters and walking 2. The Superbas won 13-7, with Mr. Doheny being charged with the loss.

100 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Barbara O'Neil. U.S. actress. Miss O'Neil appeared in plays and in films such as Gone with the Wind (1939), in which she played Scarlett O'Hara's mother Ellen. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting performance in All This, and Heaven Too (1940). Miss O'Neil died of a heart attack on September 3, 1980 at the age of 70.

90 years ago
1920

Baseball
The New York Yankees whipped the Chicago White Sox 20-5, led by Aaron Ward’s home run, double, and 2 singles.

70 years ago
1940

War
The British government of Prime Minister Winston Churchill named Sir Roger Keyes as director of combined operations to plan and execute commando raids.

Diplomacy
Japan promised an attempt to reach a peace settlement with Nationalist Chinese leader Chaing Kai-shek in return for a British promise to close the Burma Road to war supplies for three months starting immediately.

German chemist Dr. Emil Wolff was held in the Panama Canal Zone on charges of failing to register as a German agent.

Politics and government
The Democratic National Convention in Chicago nominated by acclamation President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the Democratic Party candidate to run for a third term as President of the United States. The party platform called for non-intervention in foreign wars.

Defense
U.S. Army General George Marshall said that two million men were needed for the adequate defense of the United States.

Transportation
Baghdad Railway was inaugurated when the first train left the Iraqi capital for Haidar Pasha on the Bosphorus opposite Istanbul.

60 years ago
1950

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Devil to Pay, starring Jonathan Harris, Grace Kelly, and Theo Marcuse

This was a restaging of a story originally broadcast on January 23, 1950.

Baseball
The New York Yankees edged the Chicago White Sox 4-3 at Yankee Stadium as Whitey Ford, with relief help from Tom Ferrick, picked up his first major league win.

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Star Crossed Lovers--Craig Scott

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): In the Summertime--Mungo Jerry (2nd week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Yellow River--Christie
2 Working on a Good Thing--Outlet
3 Come Softly to Me--Percy Sledge
4 In the Summertime--Mungo Jerry
5 Cottonfields--The Beach Boys
6 Which Way You Goin' Billy?--The Poppy Family
7 Up Around the Bend--Creedence Clearwater Revival
8 I Don't Believe in If Anymore--Roger Whittaker
9 Little Green Bag--George Baker Selection
10 Daughter of Darkness--Tom Jones

Singles entering the chart were Question by the Moody Blues (#13); I'll Walk with You by Sean Rennie (#19); and Why Can't it Rain by McCully Workshop (#20).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Hitchin' a Ride--Vanity Fare (2nd week at #1)
2 (They Long to Be) Close to You--Carpenters
3 Are You Ready?--Pacific Gas & Electric
4 Ride Captain Ride--Blues Image
5 Band of Gold--Freda Payne
6 Teach Your Children--Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
7 Gimme Dat Ding--The Pipkins
8 Mama Told Me (Not to Come)--Three Dog Night
9 Tighter, Tighter--Alive and Kicking
10 Make it with You--Bread

Singles entering the chart were In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry (#24); Hand Me Down World by the Guess Who (#26); As the Years Go By by Mashmakhan (#27); Indiana Wants Me by R. Dean Taylor (#29); and Tell it All Brother by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 Spill the Wine--Eric Burdon and War
2 Are You Ready?--Pacific Gas & Electric
3 Your Own Back Yard--Dion
4 Hitchin' a Ride--Vanity Fare
5 Teach Your Children--Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Ohio--Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
6 Question--The Moody Blues
7 Crazy Jane--Tom Northcott
8 Cinnamon Girl--Neil Young with Crazy Horse
9 (They Long to Be) Close to You--Carpenters
10 In the Summertime--Mungo Jerry

Singles entering the chart were Summertime Blues by the Who (#19); Hand Me Down World by the Guess Who (#26); Tell it All Brother by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (#27); Superman by the Ides of March (#28); Wigwam/Copper Kettle by Bob Dylan (#29); and Have You Seen the Saucers by Jefferson Airplane (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Gimme Dat Ding--The Pipkins (3rd week at #1)
2 A Song of Joy (Himno a la Alegria)--Miguel Rios
3 Mama Told Me (Not to Come)--Three Dog Night
4 The Long and Winding Road--The Beatles
5 A Little Bit of Soap--Paul Davis
6 Canned Ham--Norman Greenbaum
7 Crazy Jane--Tom Northcott
8 Band of Gold--Freda Payne
9 Come to Me--Tommy James and the Shondells
10 Hitchin' a Ride--Vanity Fare

War
The battle for Kiri Rom in Cambodia ended after six days with Lon Nol’s Cambodian government troops defeating the Communists. While 17,500 Cambodian troops were continuing the Cambodian campaign, Americans were abandoning a fire support base near the Laotian border after three weeks of heavy fighting, and South Vietnamese troops engaged Communist forces in fierce fighting near the eastern end of the demilitarized zone.

Defense
Reliable Washington sources said that for at least two years, the United States had assumed that Israel possessed atomic capability, and that U.S. policy toward the Middle East had been conducted on that assumption.

Disasters
All 719 people aboard the Norwegian cruise ship Fulvia, swept by fire halfway between the Canary Islands and Madeira, were rescued by the French liner Ancerville in a 4½-hour operation.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Hamilton (1-1) 27 @ Saskatchewan (2-1) 15

30 years ago
1980

Hit parade
Edmonton’s Top 20 (CHED)
1 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me--Billy Joel
2 Tired of Toein’ the Line--Rocky Burnette
3 Funkytown--Lipps Inc.
4 Magic--Olivia Newton-John
5 Little Jeannie--Elton John
6 She’s Out of My Life--Michael Jackson
7 Even the Score--Toronto
8 Echo Beach--Martha & the Muffins
9 Empire Strikes Back (Medley)--Meco
10 Fine State of Affairs--Burton Cummings
11 Misunderstanding--Genesis
12 Young and Restless--Prism
13 Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)--Paul McCartney
14 The Rose--Bette Midler
15 Let Me Love You Tonight--Pure Prairie League
16 Let My Love Open the Door--Pete Townshend
17 All Night Long--Joe Walsh
18 Emotional Rescue--The Rolling Stones
19 Shining Star--Manhattans
20 Cupid/I’ve Loved You for a Long Time--Spinners

World events
Bolivia’s armed forces seized control of the government to prevent leftist Herman Siles Zuazo from being chosen President by the Congress. The military uprising began in the city of Trinidad and quickly spread to La Paz, where the government palace was seized and the interim chief of state, President Lydia Gueler Tejada, was captured. Ms. Gueler resigned, turning power over to a junta consisting of the chiefs of the three armed services. The junta ordered the disbanding of Congress, which was to have met on August 4 to choose a new president among the top vote-getters in the June 29 election. Mr. Siles Zuazo had won a plurality in the elections and was expected to win the Congressional election with the votes of his left-wing coalition in the legislature. The junta broadcast a statement that it had taken over the country "for the dignity of Bolivia, to reject the results of the general elections and to declare the Congress and its actions unconstitutional."

Politics and government
Former California Governor Ronald Reagan, officially nominated the previous night as the Republican Party's 1980 U.S. presidential candidate, delivered his acceptance speech to the Republican National Convention at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Former Republican National Convention Chairman George Bush was officially nominated as the party's vice presidential candidate.



Scandal
U.S. President Jimmy Carter said that he had not known the details of his brother Billy’s services on behalf of the government of Libya until "just a few days ago," but Carter administration officials admitted that in 1978 a foreign policy specialist on the staff of the National Security Council had briefed Billy Carter on U.S.-Libyan relations prior to his first trip to that country.

Protest
Three days of race riots concluded in Miami, Florida.

25 years ago
1985

Edmontonia
Her Majesty Elizabeth the Queen Mother arrived in Edmonton to judge an exhibition of Black Angus cattle at the Agricom during the annual Klondike Days exhibition, which began the next day. This blogger witnessed her arrival at the Legislature, where she was welcomed by Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed.

20 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Whose Law (Is it Anyway?)--Guru Josh (2nd week at #1)

Diplomacy
In Paris, East and West Germany and the four allied powers of World War II approved a plan to guarantee Poland’s border with a united Germany. Poland had sought assurances that Germany would not seek to reclaim former German territory awarded to Poland after World War II.

Oil
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, in a telvised address, charged that some rulers of Persian Gulf states had been "inspired by America" to keep oil prices low through overproduction.

Economics and finance
For the second straight day, the Dow Jones industrial average closed at the record high figure of 2,999.75 after topping 3,000 during the course of the day.

The United States Commerce Department reported that the U.S. merchandise trade deficit had widened to $7.73 billion in May.

Baseball
The Minnesota Twins became the first team in major league history to complete 2 triple plays in the same game--both started by third baseman Gary Gaetti--but still lost 1-0 to the Boston Red Sox before 34,113 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

Bo Jackson hit 3 straight home runs--the third his 100th career major league homer--to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 10-7 win over the New York Yankees before 26,777 fans at Yankee Stadium. In the 6th inning, Mr. Jackson separated his shoulder attempting to field a fly ball hit by Deion Sanders, who made it around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Mel Stottlemyre, Jr., son of the former Yankees’ ace pitcher, made his major league debut, pitching an inning of relief for the Royals against his father’s old team. Oscar Azocar made his major league debut with the Yankees, singling as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 8th inning.

10 years ago
2000

World events
The German government and German businesses signed an agreement to contribute equally to a $5 billion fund to pay reparations to people who had been forced into labour by the Nazi regime during World War II. Negotiations on the agreement had lasted two years. The United States had agreed in June to dismiss and block relevant litigation in U.S. courts. Surviving slave labourers from concentration camps, mostly Jews, would receive $7,000 each, and survivors of forced labour, mostly Gentiles, would receive $2,500 each.

Politics and government
In his inaugural speech as President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad said that regaining the Golan Heights from Israel was a top priority, and that he would support "positive criticism" of the Syrian government.

Society
The British supermarket chain Tesco responded to public pressure and announced that it was reviving imperial measurements in its stores regardless of fascistic European Union legislation mandating use of the metric system.

Baseball
Outfielder Chris Richard hit a home run on the first major league pitch he faced as his St. Louis Cardinals beat the Minnesota Twins 8-3.