August 12, 2010

140 years ago
1870

Born on this date
Henry Reuterdahl. Swedish-born U.S. artist and military officer. Mr. Reuterdahl was self-taught, and moved to the United States in 1893. He served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Naval Reserve Force, and was accompanied by President Theodore Roosevelt to accompany and document the Great White Fleet voyage in 1907, although he left at Callao, Peru because of an illness in the family. Mr. Reuterdahl wrote an article for McClure's magazine in January 1908 that was critical of the Navy's bureaucracy and the design of battleships; his criticisms led to reforms. Mr. Reuterdahl also served as an editor of Jane's Fighting Ships, and produced propaganda posters for the U.S. government during World War I. He died on December 21, 1925 at the age of 55, three months after being admitted to a hospital for the insane.

130 years ago
1880

Born on this date
Christy Mathewson. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Mathewson played baseball and football at Bucknell University in the late 1890s, and had a brief professional football career as a fullback, while playing baseball full-time. He played with the New York Giants (1900-1916) and Cincinnati Reds (1916), winning a National League record 373 games, losing 188, with an earned run average of 2.13 in 636 games, batting .215 with 7 home runs and 167 runs batted in in 647 games. He was 5-5 with a 0.97 ERA in 11 World Series games (1905, 1911-1913), and pitched 3 shutouts in the 1905 World Series--a record unlikely to be equalled--as the Giants defeated the Philadelphia Athletics 4 games to 1. Mr. Mathewson was traded to the Reds in 1916, pitching one game--which he won, and managing the team through 1918, compiling a record of 164-176. He was exposed to poison gas while in the United States Army during World War I, and later developed tuberculosis. Mr. Mathewson became president of the Boston Braves in 1923, but his health prevented him from serving as more than a figurehead, and the tuberculosis killed him on October 7, 1925 at the age of 45. He was one of the first five members inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

110 years ago
1900

Died on this date
Wilhelm Steinitz, 64. Bohemian-born U.S. chess player and journalist. Mr. Steinitz began making his mark in chess in the late 1850s, and was regarded as the world's best player from 1866-1886, although he played only one competitive match from 1873-1882. In 1873 he began moving away from the aggressive style of play then in vogue toward a more positional style that influenced modern chess. Mr. Steinitz moved to the United States in 1883, eventually becoming an American citizen. He was recognized as world champion from his victory over Johannes Zukertort in 1886 until his loss to Emanuel Lasker in 1894. Mr. Steinitz wrote prolifically on chess, and in 1888-1889 worked with the American Chess Congress on a project to define rules governing the conduct of future world championships. He suffered mental breakdowns in later years--perhaps the result of syphilis--and died in poverty, of a heart attack in Manhattan State Hospital.

Theatre
Théâtre National, the first professional francophone theatre in Canada, was founded on St. Catherine Street in Montreal.

100 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Yusof Ishak. 1st President of Singapore, 1965-1970. Mr. Ishak was a journalist, who began working with the Malay newspaper company Warta Malaya in 1929, and left in 1938 to found the Malay-language newspaper Utusan Melayu in 1938. He served in the police and then the military, rising to the rank of colonel. Mr. Ishak was Yang di-Pertuan Negara (head of state) of Singapore (1959-1963) and Yang di-Pertuan Negara (head of state) of the short-lived state of Singapura (1963-1965). He became the first President of Singapore after the country was expelled from Malysia on August 9, 1965. Mr. Ishak promoted multiculturalism and a national identity, and was in his third term as President when he died in office at the age of 60 on November 23, 1970.

Jane Wyatt. U.S. actress. Miss Wyatt appeared in movies such as Lost Horizon (1937) and Gentleman's Agreement (1947), but was best known for playing Margaret Anderson in the television series Father Knows Best (1954-1960), for which she won three Emmy Awards. She died on October 20, 2006 at the age of 96.

70 years ago
1940

At the movies
Doomed to Die, starring Boris Karloff as Mr. Wong, opened in theatres.



War
The governments of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Burma, Hong Kong, Ceylon, and the territories of East Africa agreed to attend a meeting called by the United Kingdom for October 1940 in New Delhi to discuss war supplies. German Reichsminister of Aviation Hermann Goering ordered German bombers to switch attacks from British radar bases to airfields.

Defense
U.S. Senators Arthur Vandenberg (Republican--Michigan) and George Norris (Independent--Nebraska) charged that a universal military conscription law was unnecessary at this time.

Politics and government
Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río asked Congress to determine the winner of the July 7 presidential election.

Arizona officials banned the Communist Party from the ballot in primary and general elections on the grounds that the party advocated overthrow of the United States government.

Health
Epidemics of smallpox, diphtheria, typhoid fever, and paratyphoid were reported spreading across occupied France.

Baseball
Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians became the major leagues’ first 20-game winner of the year when as he outduelled Hal Newhouser and the Detroit Tigers 8-5 before 23,720 fans at League Park in Cleveland. Mr. Newhouser lasted just 2/3 inning and was removed from the game after giving up 3 runs on consecutive home runs by Hal Trosky and Beau Bell. The teams were tied for first place in the American League with 64-44 records going into the game.

60 years ago
1950

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): My Foolish Heart--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra; The Joe Loss Orchestra

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Mona Lisa--Nat "King" Cole (Best Seller--5th week at #1; Disc Jockey--6th week at #1; Jukebox--4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Mona Lisa--Nat "King" Cole (2nd week at #1)
--Victor Young and his Orchestra (Don Cherry, vocal)
--Art Lund
2 I Wanna Be Loved--The Andrews Sisters
--Billy Eckstine
3 Tzena Tzena Tzena--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra and the Weavers
--Mitch Miller and his Orchestra
--Vic Damone
4 Bewitched--Bill Snyder and his Orchestra
--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
--Doris Day
--Larry Green and his Orchestra
--Jan August & Jerry Murad’s Harmonicats
5 Play a Simple Melody--Gary Crosby and Friend
--Jo Stafford
6 Sam’s Song--Gary Crosby and Friend
--Joe "Fingers" Carr and the Carr-Hops
7 Sentimental Me--The Ames Brothers
--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
8 Goodnight Irene--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra and the Weavers
--Frank Sinatra
9 "The Third Man" Theme--Anton Karas
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
10 Hoop-Dee-Doo--Perry Como
--Kay Starr
--Doris Day

Singles entering the chart were My Destiny by Billy Eckstine (#39); and I Thought She was a Local (But She was a Fast Express), with versions by Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra; and Shorty Warren (#40).

Literature
The U.S. Defense Department and Atomic Energy Commission issued The Effects of Atomic Weapons, a 438-page handbook of detailed instructions for civilian defense in case of atomic attack.

War
In the Bloody Gulch massacre, 75 American prisoners of war were massacred by the North Korean Army. American B-29 bombers raided Najin, a North Korean seaport 20 miles from the Manchurian-Siberian border. U.S sources claimed that it was one of the main ports of entry for Soviet supplies.

World events
The Costa Rican government reported the suppression of a revolutionary plot by Communists and followers of former President Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia.

Labour
Pressure from the Congress of Industrial Organizations Transport Workers Union ended the two-day wildcat strike of New York bus drivers.

Football
IRFU/NFL
Pre-season
New York Giants (1-0) 27 @ Ottawa (0-1) 6

13,000 were in attendance at Lansdowne Park.

Baseball
In a game between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies before 14,955 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, New York second baseman Eddie Stanky was ejected in the 4th inning by umpire Lon Warneke for waving his arms in an attempt to distract Phillies’ catcher Andy Seminick while Mr. Seminick was at bat. Mr. Seminick reached base on an error and then prompted a brawl when he threw a block on Mr. Stanky’s replacement, Bill Rigney. The Phillies won 5-4 in 11 innings when Stan Lopata tripled with 1 out and scored on a fly ball to center field by Eddie Waitkus.

Andy Pafko led off the 5th inning with a home run and Bob Rush drove in 2 runs with his first major league homer with 2 out in the 5th for the Chicago Cubs as they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2 before 6,770 fans at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Mr. Rush (10-14) pitched a 10-hit complete game victory, and singled home another run in the 9th.

Eddie Robinson batted 3 for 4 with 2 home runs and 3 runs batted in to help the Chicago White Sox defeat the Cleveland Indians 11-4 before 7,259 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Joe Gordon and Larry Doby homered for the Indians.

50 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Please Don't Tease--Cliff Richard and the Shadows (4th week at #1)

Space
The United States launched Echo I, a communications satellite whose function was to relay radio signals. It was a balloon constructed of aluminized Mylar plastic which, when deployed, inflated to a diameter of 100 feet.





Football
CFL
WIFU
Calgary (0-0-1) 15 @ Saskatchewan (0-0-1) 15



NFL
Pre-season
College All-Star Game @ Soldier Field, Chicago
Baltimore Colts (1-0) 35 College All-Stars 7

70,000 fans saw the Colts defeat the All-Stars. University of Cincinnati end Jim Leo was named the All-Stars' Most Valuable Player.

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): The Wonder of You--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Glenn Hartranft, 68. U.S. athlete. Mr. Hartranft won a silver medal in the men's shot put competition at the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris and finished sixth in the discus throw. He set a world record in the discus throw in 1925. Mr. Hartranft was head football coach at San Jose State University in 1942, leading the Spartans to a 7-2 record. He was San Jose State's head baseball coach in 1944-1945.

Diplomacy
West German Chancellor Willy Brandt and U.S.S.R. Premier Alexei Kosygin signed a non-aggression treaty in Moscow committing the Federal Republic of Germany and the U.S.S.R. to "refrain from every threat of force or the use of force" and to "respect unreservedly the territorial integrity of all states in Europe in their present frontiers." In a separate letter, West Germany added that the treaty should not interfere with German efforts to attain "unity again" in free self-determination. West Germany also assured the Western powers in a note that the pact did not affect their "rights and responsibilities," in reference, primarily, to four-power control of Berlin. The ceremony was televised throughout eastern Europe.

War
Informed sources in Washington, D.C. said that Israeli intelligence had reported the installation of new Soviet antiaircraft missiles on the Egyptian side of the Suez Canal four hours after the Middle East cease-fire went into effect. The U.S.A. was said to be assessing the report.

Law
Curt Flood, the outfielder who had balked at a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies, lost his $4.1-million suit against major league baseball, as U.S. Federal Judge Irving Ben Cooper upheld the legality of baseball’s reserve clause. Judge Cooper recommended changes in the reserve system, to be achieved through negotiation between players and owners.

Politics and government
U.S. President Richard Nixon signed into law a bill creating an independent U.S. Postal Service, removing it from the control of Congress after 181 years.

Disasters
At least 14 were killed in the crash of a China Airlines plane into a mountainside near Taipei in fog and rain.

Football
CFL
Montreal (2-0) 16 @ Winnipeg (0-3) 10

Garry Lefebvre of the Alouettes suffered a broken wrist and injured knee while diving for a pass, and didn’t return until the first game of the Eastern Finals in November.

30 years ago
1980

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (Massachusetts), unsuccessful in his bid for the 1980 Democratic Party U.S. presidential nomination, delivered an address to the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City in support of President Jimmy Carter.



Football
CFL
Ottawa (3-3) 27 @ Montreal (2-3) 17
British Columbia (3-2) 7 @ Calgary (3-3) 24

Jordan Case relieved starting quarterback Charlie Weatherbie late in the 3rd quarter, and led the Rough Riders to 2 touchdowns in the last 4 minutes of the game. He completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jim Reid with 3:51 remaining, and then handed off to Richard Crump for a 2-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds left. Mr. Weatherbie threw a 14-yard pass to Tony Gabriel for Ottawa’s first touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Gerry Organ added 3 converts and 2 field goals. Skip Walker rushed 27 yards for the Alouettes’ first touchdown, while Peter Dalla Riva scored the other on a 16-yard pass from quarterback Gerry Dattilio. Don Sweet converted both and added a field goal before an Olympic Stadium crowd of 34,426.

James Sykes rushed 23 times for 149 yards and a touchdown and caught 3 passes for 60 yards to lead the Stampeders to victory over the Lions before 34,393 fans at McMahon Stadium. Ken Johnson threw a 6-yard pass to Willie Armstead for Calgary’s other major score. J.T. Hay converted both and added 3 field goals and a single. B.C.’s touchdown came on a 39-yard pass from Joe Paopao to Al Charuk in the 2nd quarter, converted by Lui Passaglia. B.C. running back Leo Sloan suffered a career-ending knee injury returning a kickoff in the 2nd quarter, prompting Leon Bright to return to playing offense from the defensive backfield, where he had started the season.

25 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Crazy for You--Madonna (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kanashimi ni Sayonara--Anzen Chitai

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Live is Life--Opus (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Kyu Sakamoto, 43. Japanese singer. Mr. Sakamoto, born Hisashi Oshima, recorded a string of hit singles in Japan in the early 1960s, the most notable of which was Ue o Muite Aroko, a hit in Japan in 1961. The British band Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen released a cover version of the song in 1963, but thought that western listeners would have difficulty remembering and pronouncing the title, so they changed it to Sukiyaki because it sounded Japanese. Capitol Records released Mr. Sakamoto’s version in North America under the new title in the spring of 1963, and it spent three weeks as the #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S.A., as well as four weeks at #1 on the Cash Box chart. Sukiyaki remains the only Japanese-language song to be a major hit in North America. Mr. Sakamoto was one of the 520 people killed in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123.

Manfred Winkelhock, 33. West German auto racing driver. Mr. Winkelhock started 47 Formula One races from 1980-1985, with his best finish being a fifth-place finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1982. He was killed in a sports car event at Mosport in Bowmanville, Ontario, near Toronto.

Business
Petro-Canada acquired 1,800 Quebec and Ontario stations from Gulf Canada, becoming Canada's biggest service station owner.

Disasters
In the world's worst single-aircraft disaster, a Japan Air Lines 747 crashed into Mount Osutaka, killing 520 of the 524 people aboard.

20 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): U Can't Touch This/Dancin' Machine--MC Hammer (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Verdammt - ich lieb' dich--Matthias Reim (6th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Verdammt - ich lieb' dich--Matthias Reim (5th week at #1)
2 Ooops Up--Snap!
3 I Promised Myself--Nick Kamen
4 It Must Have Been Love--Roxette
5 Insieme: 1992--Toto Cutugno
6 I Can't Stand It!--Twenty 4 Seven featuring Capt. Hollywood
7 Kingston Town--UB40
8 What's a Woman?--Vaya Con Dios
9 Nothing Compares 2 U--Chyp-Notic
10 Hey, Wickie--Der Schreckliche Sven & die tollkühnen Plattenreiter

The only single entering the chart was Close to You by Maxi Priest (#28).

Died on this date
Dorothy Mackaill, 87. U.K.-born U.S. actress. Miss Mackaill was a leading lady in silent movies in the 1920s and sound movies in the early 1930s; most of her films are lost or forgotten. Her most notable movies were probably Safe in Hell (1931) and Love Affair (1932).

Douglas Croskery, 49. U.K. man. Mr. Croskery had been working in Kuwait for a few weeks, and was shot by Iraqi soldiers. Three Kuwaiti families were fleeing the country with him, and Mr. Croskery was shot when he stopped to help them after their cars bogged down in the desert sand.

Politics and government
Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa endorsed a plan to give Quebec "full political autonomy" from Canada. Under the proposal, an independent Quebec would still delegate some powers--such as control over currency and trade policies--to Canada through a new "supra-national parliament." The proposal, detailed in a 27-page document titled The New National Challenge for Quebecers, was adopted by the Quebec Liberal party’s youth wing. Mr. Bourassa said that his party’s more radical constitutional position was a reaction to the failure of the Meech Lake accord in June. "We see that the reasonable federalism represented by the Meech Lake accord was rejected," he said. "Now we are examining a formula which takes into account our own interests and future."

Protest
Quebec provincial police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers used clubs and tear gas on a mob of several thousand residents of the Oka area who attacked them with volleys of rocks, bricks, and bottles. 38 people, including 16 police officers, were injured, and 25 residents were arrested. The residents were demanding the removal of blockades placed by Mohawk Warrior activists a month earlier. Quebec Superior Court Chief Justice Alan Gold reached a deal, signed by federal cabinet ministers Tom Siddon and John Caccia, accepting Mohawk conditions for resumption of talks at Oka; .

Science
Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton found to date, was discovered by Sue Hendrickson near Faith, South Dakota.

Golf
Wayne Grady shot a 1-under-par 71 in the final round to win the PGA Championship at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama with a 6-under-par total score of 288, 3 strokes ahead of Fred Couples. First prize money was $225,000.



Baseball
A game between the Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers at Comiskey Park in Chicago was finally postponed after a record 7½-hour rain delay. Only about 200 fans were still around when the postponement was announced.

10 years ago
2000

Politics and government
The U.S. Reform Party convention in Long Beach, California concluded with one faction of the party favouring columnist Pat Buchanan as its nominee for President of the United States after a vote conducted by mail and e-mail, while another faction favoured John Hagelin as the presidential nominee. Mr. Buchanan, in a fiery speech, said that as President he would pull the United States out of the United Nations and bring home U.S. troops stationed abroad, deploying them along the Mexican border to stem illegal immigration.



Disasters
All 118 crew members of the Russian submarine Kursk died after it plunged to the bottom of the Barents Sea. The sub was powered by nuclear reactors and dropped from its cruising level, 60 feet below the surface, to the seabed at a depth of 350 feet.



Baseball
Scott Williamson (5-7) allowed 4 hits in 7 innings and Jason LaRue hit a pair of solo home runs for the Cincinnati Reds as they shut out the Chicago Cubs 3-0 before 40,625 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Jeff Cirillo had 4 hits, including 2 home runs, and drove in 7 runs to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 14-2 rout of the Montreal Expos before 9,815 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Larry Walker added 4 hits and 3 runs for the Rockies, who amassed 22 hits.

Eric Owens singled home Desi Relaford with 2 out in the top of the 10th inning and scored on a double by Mike Darr as the San Diego Padres broke a 0-0 tie and held on for a 2-1 win over the Florida Marlins before 16,926 fans at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. The Marlins scored a run in the bottom of the inning, and Dave Berg was thrown out at home plate by pitcher Trevor Hoffman on a ground ball by Luis Castillo for the second out. Mr. Castillo stole second base, but Mark Kotsay struck out to end the game.

The New York Mets defeated the San Francisco Giants 3-2 before 50,064 fans at Shea Stadium in New York despite a bonehead play by outfielder Benny Agbayani that cost the Mets a run. Mr. Agbayani caught a fly ball for the second out of the 4th inning and handed the ball to a 7-year-old boy in the stands, thinking that 3 outs had been made; 2 Giants scored on the play.



Carlos Hernandez led off the 12th inning with a base on balls and scored on a bases-loaded walk to Will Clark to break a 1-1 tie as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 before 31,502 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

Magglio Ordonez led off the 10th inning with a single and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Lee to break a 4-4 tie as the Chicago White Sox edged the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-4 before 27,538 fans at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

Albert Belle's 2-run home run with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning climaxed a 4-run rally for the Baltimore Orioles as they edged the Kansas City Royals 12-11 before 36,658 fans at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Kansas City right fielder Jermaine Dye drove in 6 runs with a pair of 2-run homers and a single, while second baseman Carlos Febles was 4 for 4 with a sacrifice and a run batted in. The Royals had the potential tying run on second base with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, but Johnny Damon flied out to right field and Gregg Zaun grounded out to third base to end the game.