July 29, 2010

980 years ago
1030

Died on this date
Olaf II, 34 or 35. King of Norway, 1015-1028. Olaf II was the son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, and declared himself king, obtaining the support of the five petty kings of the Norwegian Uplands. He ran afoul of the nobility, who supported the invasion of King Cnut the Great of Denmark. Olaf II attempted to win back his kingdom, but was killed in the Battle of Stiklestad. He was canonized in 1031, and is regarded as the patron saint of Norway.

War
A "peasant army" loyal to King Cnut the Great defeated forces of exiled King Olaf II in the Battle of Stiklestad, resulting in the death of King Olaf.

190 years ago
1820

Born on this date
Clement Vallandigham. U.S. politician. Mr. Vallandigham, a Democrat, represented Columbiana County in the Ohio House of Representatives (1845-1847) and Ohio's 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1858-1863). He was a leader of the Copperhead faction of Democrats who opposed the American Civil War, and was convicted by a court martial of violating General Order 38, Union Army General Ambrose Burnside's order making it illegal to criticize the war from within the Department of the Ohio. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln ordered Mr. Vallandigham deported to the Confederacy; he went to North Carolina and then Virginia, but fled on a blockade runner to Bermuda and then to Windsor, Canada West, whence he campaigned unsuccessfully in absentia as the Deomcratic Party candidate for Governor of Ohio. Mr. Vallandigham sneaked back into Virginia in June 1864, but President Lincoln declined to take action against him. He resumed the practice of law, and died on June 17, 1871 at the age of 50, the day after accidentally shooting himself in the abdomen while defending a client accused of murder. Mr. Vallandigham was in a hotel room demonstrating to fellow defense attorneys how he intended to show the jury how the deceased in the case could have accidentally shot himself, when the pistol he was using and which he erroneously believed to be unloaded snagged on his pants and discharged. Doctors were unable to locate the pistol ball, thought to have lodged in the vicinity of his bladder, and he died of peritonitis.

180 years ago
1830

World events
The July Revolution concluded in France with the establishment of a provisional government. King Charles X abdicated four days later, paving the way for the transition to a constitutional monarchy.

150 years ago
1860

Born on this date
Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington. U.K. politician. Lord Lamington was Governor of Queensland from 1896-1901 and Governor of Bombay from 1903-1907. He died on September 16, 1940 at the age of 80.

125 years ago
1885

Transportation
The Canadian Pacific Railway completed the British Columbia leg from Port Moody to Savona's Ferry.

120 years ago
1890

Died on this date
Vincent Van Gogh, 37. Dutch artist. Mr. Van Gogh, who epitomized the stereotype of the "mad artist," died in France two days after shooting himself, having sold just one painting in his lifetime.

110 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Don Redman. U.S. musician. Mr. Redman was a jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, pianist, composer and arranger who performed with various bands and also led his own band in a career spanning more than 40 years until his death on November 30, 1964 at the age of 64..

Eyvind Johnson. Swedish author. Mr. Johnson was a novelist and short story writer who was awarded a share of the 1974 Nobel Prize in Literature "for a narrative art, farseeing in lands and ages, in the service of freedom." He died on August 25, 1976, 27 days after his 76th birthday.

Died on this date
Umberto I, 56. King of Italy, 1878-1900. Umberto I acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Vittorio Emanuele II, and survived an assassination attempt by an anarchist 10 months later. He approved the Triple Alliance with the German Empire and Austria-Hungary in 1882, and presided over a small colonial empire in Africa, although Italy suffered the embarrassment of losing a colonial war to Abyssinian forces in 1896. King Umberto was hated by leftists because of his conservatism, which included his support of General Fiorenzo Bava Beccaris's killing of 80 protesters in a food riot in 1898. King Umberto I was assassinated by anarchist Gaetano Bresci, and was succeeded by his son Vittorio Emanuele III.

Labour
With no Sunday games being played, 100 major league baseball players gathered in New York City. Their demands were: release of players who were not going to be used rather than farming them out; and players to share in the purchase price when they were sold. Said veteran Hughie Jennings‚ "We are not out to fight the owners‚ but to resolve injustices in the contracts."

100 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Gale Page. U.S. actress. Miss Page, born Sally Perkins Rutter, acted and sang in several radio programs, and appeared in 16 movies, including Four Daughters (1938) and its sequels, Four Wives (1939); and Four Mothers (1941). She died of lung cancer on January 8, 1983 at the age of 72.

75 years ago
1935

Died on this date
François Denys Légitime, 93. President of Haiti, 1888-1889. General Légitime, a member of the Liberal Party, held several offices in the early 1880s and in the provisional govenment in the late 1880s. He was elected President in December 1888, but resigned in August 1889 because of the opposition of Gen. Florvil Hyppolite, and retired to Jamaica. Gen. Légitime returned to Haiti under a general amnesty in 1896, and represented Sud in the State Council (1918-1919).

70 years ago
1940

War
Chinese sources admitted that Japanese coastal activity off Fukien and Kwangtung was effectively blockading those regions.

World events
Cairo reported that German agents were attempting to instigate a coup d'etat to dethrone King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan.

Diplomacy
Spain and Portugal signed a protocol pledging neutral consultation in case of war threats.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress for authority to call up the National Guard for extensive training. A Gallup Poll reported that 67% of the American people favoured universal military training, a 3% increase in the last month.

Politics and government
Republican Party presidential candidate Wendell Willkie claimed that the 1940 U.S. presidential election would create political realignment centring around acceptance or rejection of President Roosevelt's New Deal economic policies.

60 years ago
1950

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Music! Music! Music!--Donald Peers; Freddy Martin and his Orchestra; Teresa Brewer (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Mona Lisa--Nat "King" Cole (Best Seller--3rd week at #1; Disc Jockey--4th week at #1; Jukebox--2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Bewitched--Bill Snyder and his Orchestra (4th week at #1)
--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
--Doris Day
--Larry Green and his Orchestra
--Jan August & Jerry Murad’s Harmonicats
2 I Wanna Be Loved--The Andrews Sisters
--Billy Eckstine
3 Mona Lisa--Nat "King" Cole
--Victor Young and his Orchestra (Don Cherry, vocal)
--Art Lund
4 "The Third Man" Theme--Anton Karas
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
5 Hoop-Dee-Doo--Perry Como
--Kay Starr
--Doris Day
6 Sentimental Me--The Ames Brothers
--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
7 My Foolish Heart--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
--Billy Eckstine
--Mindy Carson
8 Tzena Tzena Tzena--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra and the Weavers
--Mitch Miller and his Orchestra
--Vic Damone
9 The Old Piano Roll Blues--Hoagy Carmichael and Cass Daley
--Lawrence "Piano Roll" Cook
10 Count Every Star--Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
--Dick Haymes and Artie Shaw

Singles entering the chart were At Sundown by the Frank Petty Trio (#31); Happy Feet, with versions by Dean Martin; and Roy Ross and his Orchestra (#39); and The Phantom Stage Coach by Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (#40).

Died on this date
Joe Fry, 34. U.K. auto racing driver. Mr. Fry set numerous hill climb records in his "Freikaiserwagen" from the late 1930s until his death in a crash while practicing for the Blandford hill climb.

Space
10 days after its launch was aborted because of a buildup of moisture, the U.S. sounding rocket Bumper 7 was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.



War
U.S. forces concluded a four-day massacre of hundreds of civilians through shootings and air attacks near the village of Nogeun-ri, sparked by fears that North Korean soldiers were infiltrating South Korean refugee columns. General Walton Walker, commander of U.S. troops in Korea, issued "stand and fight" orders, forbidding retreat from the southeastern corner of the peninsula.

Defense
200 aircraft manufacturers received orders from the U.S. Air Force to start production of aircraft and parts costing $4 billion.

Law
The Syrian Constituent Assembly approved a draft constitution making Syrian law subject to Muslim jurisprudence.

Crime
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Abraham Brothman and his business associate, Miriam Moskowitz, in Cliffwood, New Jersey, charging that they were members of the Klaus Fuchs-Harry Gold Soviet spy ring.

Protest
The New York Herald Tribune reported that Communists aligned with the Guatemalan government had called out labour "action squads" to fight anti-government demonstrators, causing 34 deaths during the recent three-day general strike.

Environment
Fundy National Park was officially opened to the public. Selected as the location for New Brunswick's first national park in 1948, this initiative was intended to stimulate the region’s economy and preserve the area's natural beauty.

50 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Please Don't Tease--Cliff Richard and the Shadows (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Hasan Saka, 74 (?). Prime Minister of Turkey, 1947-1949. Mr. Saka, a member of the Republican People's Party, was a member of the Grand National Assembly (1921-1954), whose cabinet posts included Foreign Minister (1944-1947). He and the rest of the cabinet resigned on September 9, 1947, but he took office as Prime Minister the next day. Mr. Saka resigned as Prime Minister in 1949, and retired from politics in 1954.

Space
Mercury-Atlas 1, carrying an unmanned spacecraft, lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket blew up just 58 seconds into the flight; the capsule and portions of the rocket were recovered from the ocean floor for further study.



Football
CFL
Pre-season
British Columbia (1-1-1) 7 Winnipeg (1-0) 13 @ Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Attendance was 12,583.

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Lola--The Kinks

Died on this date
John Barbirolli, 70. U.K. orchestra conductor. Sir John was a cellist who began conducting in the 1920s. He was the music director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (1936-1943) and chief conductor of the Houston Symphony Orchestra (1961-1967), but was best known as the conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester from 1943 until his death from a heart attack. He was particularly known for his association with the music of English composers.

Society
In what was believed to be the first decision of its kind in the United States, a federal judge ordered seven Alabama state agencies to end discrimination against Negro job applicants.

Labour
Leaders of striking British dock workers, overcoming opposition from dockers in London, Liverpool, and Southampton, voted to end their two-week-old strike shortly and accept a raise of up to $6 (U.S.) per week and other increases, as an "interim measure."

After five years of strikes and a nationwide boycott, Cesar Chavez, head of the AFL-CIO’s United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC), signed contracts with 26 major grape growers in Delano, California, bringing ¾ of the state’s grape production under AFL-CIO agreements. His victory was marred by competition from the Teamsters, who were organizing field hands and had signed 49 of 60 growers of vegetable crops in the Santa Maria area, south of Salinas. Mr. Chavez charged that the Teamsters were violating a pledge to recognize the jurisdiction of UFWOC for both small fruits and vegetables. His union filed suit against the Teamsters and growers involved, contending that the Teamsters pacts interfered with the farm workers’ rights to choose their own union representatives.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (1-0) 17 @ Ottawa (0-1) 15
Winnipeg (0-1) 10 @ Calgary (1-0) 34

Willie Bethea and Bill Starr scored touchdowns for the Tiger-Cats in their win over the Rough Riders before 23,094 fans at Lansdowne Park; neither player ever scored again. It was the first regular season game for Jack Gotta as head coach of the defending Grey Cup champion Rough Riders.

19,436 were at McMahon Stadium to see the Stampeders defeat the Blue Bombers in the regular season debut for Jim Spavital as Winnipeg’s head coach. Blue Bomber linebacker Phil Minnick, who had missed 12 games in the previous two seasons with knee injuries, suffered another serious knee injury in the 2nd quarter, and didn’t play again for two years.

30 years ago
1980

World events
A state funeral for the former Shah of Iran was held in Cairo. The only prominent foreigners to attend were former U.S. President Richard Nixon and former King Constantine of Greece. A spokesman for Iranian President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr said that the death of the shah would have no effect on the fate of the 52 American hostages still being held at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. "Since the shah’s death was predictable, it won’t change anything," said another Iranian official.

Asiatica
Iran adopted a new "holy" flag after the Islamic Revolution.

Diplomacy
The United Nations General Assembly approved an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state and Israeli withdrawal from all of the occupied lands, including East Jerusalem, by November 15.

Medicine
Dr. Henry Kaplan and Dr. Lennart Olsson announced that they had produced a pure hybrid cell line that made pure human antibodies like "tiny little factories." The development could lead to the production of antibodies to help diagnose and treat a number of diseases. The researchers at Stanford University Medical School fused bone marrow cancer cells with specially prepared human spleen cells to make the antibody-producing cells. Previously, researchers had succeeded in artificially producing only pure mouse antibodies, which the human body naturally fights against.

Protest
Three days of racial violence began in Orlando, Florida.

Economics and finance
Ford Motor Company reported a record $467.9-million loss for the second quarter of 1980.

Disasters
A collision between the U.S. aircraft carrier U.S.S. Midway and the Panamanian-registered merchant ship Cactus in a passage between Palawan Island in the Philippines and North Borneo killed two U.S. sailors and injured three others.

Football
CFL
Toronto (3-1) 18 @ Ottawa (2-2) 10
Calgary (2-2) 18 @ Winnipeg (1-3) 35

Mark Jackson threw a touchdown pass to Dave Newman, and Greg Hatton returned an interception for another touchdown as the Argonauts built up an 18-0 lead before 28,742 at Lansdowne Park. Starting Ottawa quarterback Condredge Holloway left the game in the 2nd quarter after being knocked senseless by Toronto defensive end Jim Corrigall. The Rough Riders scored 10 points in the last 5:31 of the game when backup quarterback Charlie Weatherbie handed off to Richard Crump for a 1-yard touchdown run and a 2-point convert. Mr. Jackson was tackled in his own end zone for a safety touch with 13 seconds remaining.

Dieter Brock completed 18 of 21 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown to Robert Woods while rushing for 2 touchdowns on quarterback sneaks in front of a Winnipeg Stadium crowd of 20,774. William Miller rushed 21 times for 89 yards and a touchdown for the Blue Bombers. Ken Johnson threw to Willie Armstead for one Stampeder touchdown and handed off to James Sykes for the other.





25 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Crazy for You--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ore-tachi no Rockabilly Night--The Checkers (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Tarzan Boy--Baltimora (2nd week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Jacques Lemaire resigned as coach of the Montreal Canadiens after less than two years in the position. He had replaced Bob Berry with 17 games remaining in the 1983-84 season, leading them to a 7-10-0 record in the regular season and a birth in the Prince of Wales Conference finals, their deepest run into the Stanley Cup playoffs in five years. In 1984-85, the Canadiens compiled a record of 41-27-12, finishing first in the Adams Division with 94 points, but were eliminated in the division finals.

20 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): U Can't Touch This/Dancin' Machine--MC Hammer (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Verdammt - ich lieb' dich--Matthias Reim (4th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Verdammt - ich lieb' dich--Matthias Reim (3rd week at #1)
2 I Promised Myself--Nick Kamen
3 Insieme: 1992--Toto Cutugno
4 Ooops Up--Snap!
5 I Can't Stand It!--Twenty 4 Seven featuring Capt. Hollywood
6 Alle meine Lieda--Remix-Poidl
7 Kingston Town--UB40
8 What's a Woman?--Vaya Con Dios
9 It Must Have Been Love--Roxette
10 Hey, Wickie--Der Schreckliche Sven & die tollkühnen Plattenreiter

Singles entering the chart were Don't Miss the Partyline by Bizz Nizz (#21); and Tränen passen nicht zu dir by Kastelruther Spatzen (#29).

Personal
This blogger spent the evening in the company of a certain lovely lady in High Park in Toronto.

Died on this date
Bruno Kreisky, 79. Chancellor of Austria, 1970-1983. Mr. Kreisky, a Jewish agnostic, was a Socialist and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the coalition cabinets of Chancellors Julius Raab, Alfons Gorbach, and Josef Klaus from 1959-1966. The Socialists won a plurality of seats in the March 1970 elections, and Mr. Kreisky became Chancellor, becoming more powerful when the Socialists won a majority in the October 1971 elections. Under Mr. Kreisky, sodomy and abortion were decriminalized. Mr. Kreisky resigned after the Socialists lost their absolute majority in the Nationalrat in the April 1983 elections, and he declined to form a minority government.

Personal
This blogger spent the evening in the company of a certain lovely lady in High Park in Toronto.

Baseball
Scott Garrelts of the San Francisco Giants was one out away from a no-hitter when he gave up a single to Paul O’Neill. Mr. Garrelts finished with a 1-hit 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds before 55,792 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Losing pitcher Jack Armstrong pitched a complete game, allowing 8 hits and 4 earned runs.

The Boston Red Sox set an American League record with 12 doubles in a 13-3 win over the Detroit Tigers before 28,631 fans at Tiger Stadium. Wade Boggs led the Red Sox with 3 doubles.

The Toronto Blue Jays led the Texas Rangers 9-7 after 4 innings and held on to win 10-8 before 49,853 fans at SkyDome in Toronto to maintain their 1-game lead over the Red Sox atop the American League East Division.

The Milwaukee Brewers scored 3 runs--2 unearned--in the top of the 11th inning and withstood a 2-run rally to defeat the Chicago White Sox 9-8 before 33,353 fans at Comiskey Park. The White Sox made 19 hits, but also made 4 errors.

10 years ago
2000

Baseball
Brian Giles batted 5 for 5 with 2 doubles to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 10-2 win over the San Diego Padres.