September 17, 2010

460 years ago
1550

Born on this date
Paul V. Roman Catholic Pope, 1605-1621. Paul V, born Camillo Borghese, succeeded Leo XI on the papal throne. Paul V supported Galileo Galilei in his studies, and while warning against teaching the Copernican model of the universe as fact, told him that he would be safe from prosecution during his papacy. Pope Paul promoted ecclesiastical jurisdiction in legal disputes with foreign countries, and his positions made things difficult for moderate Catholics in England. Pope Paul V died from the last of a series of strokes on January 28, 1621 at the age of 70, and was succeeded by Gregory XV.

390 years ago
1620

War
The Battle of Cecora in Moldavia began between Ottoman Empire forces and those of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

110 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Martha Ostenso. Norwegian-born U.S. authoress. Miss Ostenso moved to Manitoba and eventually settled in Minnesota and became an American citizen in 1931. She wrote more than a dozen novels, but was best known for her first, Wild Geese (1925). Miss Ostenso died on November 24, 1963 at the age of 63.

Hedwig Ross. N.Z.-born political activist. Mrs. Ross was a founding member of the Communist Party of New Zealand in 1921. She moved to Sydney in 1922, and remained an active Communist until her death on Octobre 26, 1971 at the age of 71.

Hugh Critz. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Critz was a second baseman with the Cincinnati Reds (1924-1930) and New York Giants (1930-1935), batting .268 with 38 home runs and 531 runs batted in in 1,478 games. He helped the Giants win the World Series in 1933, but batted only .136 with no home runs or RBIs in the Series. Mr. Critz died on January 10, 1980 at the age of 79.

J. Willard Marriott. U.S. hotelier and restaurateur. Mr. Marriott founded the Marriott Corporation, which began as a root beer stand in Washington, D.C. in 1927. His company opened its first chain of restaurants in 1932, and its first motel in 1957. By the time of his death on August 13, 1985 at the age of 84, Marriott Corporation operated 1,400 restaurants and 143 hotels and resorts worldwide, including two theme parks, earning $4.5 billion annually, with 154,600 employees.

Roy Luebbe. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Luebbe was a catcher with the New York Yankees (1925), batting 0 for 15 with 3 runs batted in in 8 games. He played more than 600 games in 9 seasons in the minor leagues (1924-1932). Mr. Luebbe died on August 21, 1985, 27 days before his 85th birthday.

War
Filipinos under Juan Cailles defeated Americans commanded by Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham Jr. in the Battle of Mabitac.

Scandal
Cincinnati Reds’ shortstop Tommy Corcoran, coaching at third base during a baseball doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, uncovered a wire in the coaching box that led across the outfield to the Phillies’ locker room, where reserve catcher Morgan Murphy read the opposing catcher’s signs and relayed them to Phillies’ third base coach Pearce "What’s the Use" Chiles by means of a buzzer hidden in the dirt. The Phillies won both games 4-2 and 4-1.

100 years ago
1910

Baseball
Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Ed Summers bounced two home runs into the stands the only home runs of his career, and added a single, driving in 4 runs in a 10-3 win over the Philadelphia Athletics at Bennett Park in Detroit. Mr. Summers (12-11) pitched a 9-hit complete game, winning over Harry Krause (5-5).

In Atlanta, the Mobile Sea Gulls and Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association went out of their way to complete their game in record time, running into the dugout after each inning, running to the plate, and swinging at the first pitch. Mobile won 2-1, and the 9-inning game was completed in 32 minutes.

90 years ago
1920

Died on this date
Charlie Eden, 65. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Eden was an outfielder with the Chicago White Stockings (1877); Cleveland Blues (1879); and Pittsburgh Alleghenys (1884-1885), batting .261 with 4 home runs and 77 runs batted in in 226 games. He led the National League in doubles with 31 in 1879.

Football
APFA
The American Professional Football Association, organized by George Halas, was founded in an auto showroom in Canton, Ohio. The original teams, which each paid a $100 admission fee, included the Decatur Staleys, the Canton Bulldogs and the Dayton Triangles. The Staleys eventually became the Chicago Bears, and the APFA became the National Football League in 1922.

Baseball
The St. Louis Cardinals set a National League record with 12 consecutive hits in the 4th and 5th innings of their 9-4 win over the Boston Braves at Braves Field. The Cardinals scored 8 runs in the 4th inning, with the last 2 outs coming when batters tried to stretch hits for extra bases. The first 2 batters hit safely in the 5th. Bill Doak (19-12) pitched a 10-hit complete game victory.

Bobby Veach hit for the cycle, batting 6 for 6 with a sacrifice, 2 runs, and 6 runs batted in, as the Detroit Tigers edged the Boston Red Sox 14-13 in 12 innings at Navid Field in Detroit. The Detroit pitchers set a record by issuing 18 bases on balls, while Red Sox pitchers issued 8 walks. John Bogart, Davey Claire, Cy Fried, and Clarence Huber all made their major league debuts with the Tigfers, while Boston leadoff hitter George Orme batted 1 for 3 with 2 bases on balls and 2 runs, making 5 putouts in right field in his fourth and last major league game.

George Burns hit for the cycle and added another double as the New York Giants edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 in 10 innings before 6,000 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. Fred Toney (20-11) pitched an 8-hit complete game and led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a single. Vern Spencer ran for him and scored the winning run on a bases-loaded single by Ross Youngs with none out. Babe Adams (16-12) allowed 13 hits in a complete game loss.

80 years ago
1930

Died on this date
Bill Furlong, 74. U.S. baseball umpire. Mr. Furlong worked 146 games in the National League from 1877-1888.

War
The Kurdish Ararat rebellion was suppressed by Turkish government forces.

Football
NFL
New York (1-0) 32 @ Newark (0-2) 0

Baseball
Earl Averill hit 4 home runs and batted in 11 runs as the Cleveland Indians split a doubleheader with the Washington Nationals before 9,000 fans at League Park in Cleveland. Mr. Averill hit 3 consecutive home runs in the first game and just missed a fourth when a long drive was ruled foul. The Indians won the game 13-7. Mr. Averill then hit a home run his first time at bat in the second game, which the Nationals won 6-4.

The Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds split a double header before 5,000 fans at Braves Field, with the Braves winning 6-3 and the Reds winning 6-4. Wally Berger of the Braves hit 3 home runs in the 2 games, giving him 37 for the season, then a record for a rookie. Ken Jones (0-1) started on the mound for Boston in the second game and allowed 9 hits and 5 runs--all earned--in 3.2 innings, walking 2 batters, striking out 1, making 2 assists, and striking out in his only plate appearance in the 9th and last game of his 2-year major league career.

Hack Wilson hit his 51st and 52nd home runs of the season, each with a man on base, as the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Giants 5-2 before 6,000 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. Mr. Wilson passed Lou Gehrig’s single season record of 175 runs batted in, set in 1927. Pat Malone (18-9) pitched a 5-hit complete game victory. Jo-Jo Moore made his major league debut with the Giants, entering the game as a pinch hitter in the 3rd inning and remaining in center field, batting 0 for 3 and making 2 putouts.

75 years ago
1935

Died on this date
Len Koenecke, 31. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Koenecke was in his third season in the major leagues, and was batting .283 in 100 games with the Brooklyn Dodgers, but had been released by the team on September 16 because of his heavy drinking. He boarded an American Airlines plane in St. Louis that was bound for Buffalo, where he had played in the minors. He was carrying a bottle and seemed intoxicated, and created a disturbance shortly after takeoff. He punched a stewardess and another passenger, and was thrown off the plane when it touched down in Detroit. Mr. Koenecke then chartered a small plane to Buffalo with just the pilot and a friend of the pilot as the other people on board. Mr. Koenecke attempted to grab the controls of the plane and then became involved in a wresting and punching match with the other passenger. The pilot, William Mulqueeney, quelled the disturbance by repeatedly hitting Mr. Koenecke over the head with the fire extinguisher until he stopped fighting. Mr. Mulqueeney guided the plane to a landing on a racetrack near Toronto, where Mr. Koenecke was dead on arrival. Mr. Mulqueeney and his friend, Irwin Davis, were charged with manslaughter, but the jury deliberated for just five minutes before returning a verdict of not guilty by reason of self-defense. In 265 major league games from 1933-1935, Mr. Koenecke batted .297 with 22 home runs and 114 runs batted in.

Baseball
Rookie Hal Kelleher of the Philadelphia Phillies shut out the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 in his first major league start.

70 years ago
1940

War
Following the German defeat in the Battle of Britain, German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion--the Nazi invasion of Britain--indefinitely. The Republic of San Marino declared war on the United Kingdom. The British refugee ship The Ellesman, destined for Canada, was torpedoed and sunk 600 miles west of the British Isles, with 159 survivors of the 406 people aboard. Philippine Finance Minister Manuel Potas asked for U.S. arms aid to prepare the islands' defense.

Politics and government
The All-India Congress Party elected Mohandas Gandhi as its leader.

A Japanese government committee proposed reorganizing the state along the lines of Italian Fascism.

Society
The U.S. Justice Department announced that all 6,000 aliens in the country on student visas must register and be fingerprinted before December 26, 1940.

Protest
Reports from Tangier indicated that rioting against Vichy French authorities had broken out in Morocco.

Labour
Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians and the Manhattan General Hospital agreed to a complete hospital care plan for the members of the union and their families.

60 years ago
1950

War
U.S. Marines captured Kimpo airfield--midway between Inchon and Seoul from the North Koreans.

Diplomacy
India granted diplomatic recognition to Israel, but temporarily refrained from exchanging representatives.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Commerce Department's new National Production Authority banned industrial hoarding of 32 important war materials, including lumber and iron and steel scrap.

Football
NFL
Detroit (1-0) 45 @ Green Bay (0-1) 7
Chicago Bears (1-0) 24 @ Los Angeles (0-1) 20
New York Giants (1-0) 18 @ Pittsburgh (0-1) 7
New York Yanks (1-0) 21 @ San Francisco (0-1) 17
Washington (1-0) 38 @ Baltimore (0-1) 14

50 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Walk--Don’t Run--The Ventures

#1 single in Italy: Il nostro concerto--Umberto Bindi (7th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Honolulu-Strand-Bikini--Club Honolulu

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Apache--The Shadows (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Twist--Chubby Checker (2nd week at #1)
2 It’s Now or Never--Elvis Presley
3 Walk--Don’t Run--The Ventures
4 My Heart Has a Mind of its Own--Connie Francis
5 Mr. Custer--Larry Verne
6 Kiddio--Brook Benton
7 Volare--Bobby Rydell
8 Chain Gang--Sam Cooke
9 Theme from The Apartment--Ferrante and Teicher with their Orchestra & Chorus
10 Finger Poppin’ Time--Hank Ballard and the Midnighters

Singles entering the chart were Devil or Angel by the Hollywood Flames (#18, charting with the version by Bobby Vee); My Dearest Darling by Etta James (#82); Shimmy Like Kate by the Olympics (#83); Georgia on My Mind by Ray Charles (#85); Don't You Just Know It by the Fendermen (#92); Let the Good Times Roll by Shirley & Lee (#96); Is You or is You Ain't My Baby by Buster Brown (#97); Sleep by Little Willie John (#99); Put Your Arms Around Me Honey by Fats Domino (#100); Stay by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs (also #100); and Time Machine by Dante and the Evergreens (also #100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Let's Have a Party--Wanda Jackson
(2nd week at #1) 2 Devil or Angel--Bobby Vee
3 Run Samson Run--Neil Sedaka
4 Robot Man--Jamie Horton
5 A Million to One--Jimmy Charles and the Reveletts
6 Storm Clouds--Buddy Knox
7 Time Machine--Dante and the Evergreens
8 Let's Think About Living--Bob Luman
9 Blue Angel--Roy Orbison
10 Cool Water--Jack Scott

Singles entering the chart were Save the Last Dance for Me by the Drifters (#36); North to Alaska by Johnny Horton (#40); I'd Do it Again by Bobby Rydell (#43); Vickie Lee by the Untouchables (#45); Kiddio by Brook Benton (#46); Theme from The Apartment by Ferrante and Teicher with their Orchestra & Chorus (#47); The Last One to Know by the Fleetwoods (#49); and School Bus by Kris Jensen (#50).

Football
CFL
EFC
Montreal (3-4) 30 @ Hamilton (1-6) 29

Attendance at Civic Stadium was 24,000.

Canadian university-NCAA
Pre-season
University of Alberta (0-1) 0 @ Whitworth College 28

Denny Spurlock quarterbacked the Pirates to an easy win over the Golden Bears in Spokane.

AFL
Boston (1-1) 28 @ New York (1-1) 24

Baseball
Mickey Mantle’s 35th home run of the season, a 2-run blow off losing pitcher Chuck Estrada (17-10) in the 1st inning, helped the New York Yankees defeat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 to move 2 games ahead of the second-place Orioles in the American League pennant race. Yogi Berra also homered for the Yankees. Ty Cobb was among the 49,055 in attendance at Yankee Stadium.

Ken Hamlin led off the 10th inning with a home run to break a 5-5 tie as the Kansas City Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians 8-5 before 2,706 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. The teams combined to hit 6 homers. Ray Jablonski flied out as a pinch hitter for the Athletics in the 7th in the 812th and last game of his 8-year major league career.

Tony Curry tripled home Jim Woods, Tony Taylor, and Ruben Amaro with 2 out in the top of the 10th inning to break a 2-2 tie as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Milwaukee Braves 5-2 before 11,523 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

Richie Ashburn's 3-run double climaxed a 5-run 8th inning for the Chicago Cubs as they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3 before 6,895 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Don Cardwell (8-14) pitched a 6-hit complete game, winning over Sandy Koufax (8-13).

40 years ago
1970

Died on this date
Ed Corey, 76. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Corey, born Edward Cohen, played 1 game with the Chicago White Sox on July 2, 1918, with a 0-0 record and an earned run average of 4.50 in 2 innings. He played with the Louisville Colonels (1919, 1929) of the American Association and the Buffalo Bisons (1929) of the International League.

War
Civil war broke out in Jordan between the Jordanian army and Palestinian guerrillas.

In an offer considered to be the first substantive initiative in 16 months at the Paris peace talks, Viet Cong indicated that they were prepared to refrain from attacking departing troops if all foreign forces were withdrawn from Vietnam by June 30, 1971. U.S. analysts claimed that little new and nothing promising was contained in the offer.

Baseball
Lou Brock, Joe Torre, and Luis Melendez each batted 4 for 6 to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 9-2 before 16,605 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cardinals amassed 22 hits, with each player getting at least 1. Jerry Reuss (6-8) pitched a 9-hit complete game victory. In his only appearance in the major leagues, Roe Skidmore came to bat for the Cubs as a pinch hitter in the 7th inning and singled. He returned to the minor leagues after 1970, leaving with a major league batting average of 1.000. Jim Dunegan, the sixth and last Chicago pitcher, allowed 4 hits and 1 run--earned--in 2 innings, striking out 1 batter and walking none in his 10th and last major league game.

Bob Watson's grand slam climaxed a 6-run 7th inning for the Houston Astros as they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-5 before 9,033 fans at Dodger Stadium, clinching the National League West Division pennant for the idle Cincinnati Reds.

Sudden Sam McDowell (20-10) pitched a 7-hit complete game, with 9 strikeouts, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 6-2 win over the Detroit Tigers before 4,005 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. Joe Niekro (12-13) took the loss.

Dick Bosman (16-10) pitched a 5-hitter to outduel Mike Cuellar (23-8), who also pitched a 5-hitter, as the Washington Senators shut out the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 for the second straight game, before 7,393 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. The Senators scored their runs in the 2nd inning when Tim Cullen singled home Rick Reichardt and Mike Epstein with 2 out. Johnny Oates made his major league debut with the Orioles, singling as a pinch hitter to lead off the 9th.

Pinch hitter Tom Satriano singled home George Scott with 1 out in the top of the 10th inning to break a 4-4 tie as the Boston Red Sox edged the New York Yankees 5-4 before 4,985 fans at Yankee Stadium, clinching the American League East Division pennant for the Orioles.

30 years ago
1980

Died on this date
Anastasio Somoza Debayle, 54. President of Nicaragua, 1967-1972, 1974-1979. A typical banana republic dictator, Mr. Somoza fled the country on the eve of the Sandanistas’ coming to power in 1979. He went into exile in Paraguay and was assassinated by gunmen firing machine guns and a bazooka. The assassins were driving a stolen pickup truck, speeding alongside Mr. Somoza’s car as it drove about 10 blocks from his home. The truck cut in front of the car, forcing it to stop, and at least three men jumped out of the truck and began firing at the car, while two other men emerged from a rented house across the street and started firing at the car, while another man in the house fired a projectile from a rocket launcher that blew off the two front doors and the roof of the car. The attackers killed Mr. Somoza’s driver and a business associate of his, and fled while firing at the bodyguards in the two cars following Mr. Somoza’s car.

Baseball
Ray Knight hit a grand slam off Joe Niekro (16-12) and Mario Soto (10-6) pitched a 5-hitter for the Cincinnati Reds as they shut out the Houston Astros 7-0 before 25,092 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

Terry Crowley singled home Rich Dauer and Ken Singleton, and Dan Graham, who had hit a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning, followed with a single to score Eddie Murray as the Baltimore Orioles broke a 3-3 tie with 3 runs in the 5th inning and went on to defeat the Detroit Tigers 9-3 before 9,915 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Baltimore manager Earl Weaver was ejected by first base umpire Bill Haller just three batters into the game for disputing a balk call by Mr. Haller against Baltimore pitcher Mike Flanagan. The umpires were wired for a television documentary, and the exchange between Messrs. Weaver and Haller was captured on audio and video.



The Kansas City Royals clinched the American League West Division pennant when they defeated the California Angels 5-0 in the first game of a doubleheader before 25,908 fans at Royals Stadium, with Dennis Leonard (19-9) pitching a 3-hit shutout. Brian Downing drove in 5 runs to help the Angels win the second game 7-4.

Rick Langford (17-11) was removed 1 out short of pitching his 23rd straight complete game, but he got the win as the Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers 6-4 before 7,255 fans at Arlington Stadium. Mr. Langford was removed from the game after giving up a 2-run home run to Rusty Staub. Bob Lacey retired pinch hitter Buddy Bell on a ground out to end the game. Dave Rajsich, the second of four Texas pitchers, allowed 3 hits and 1 run--earned-- in 1.1 innings, walking 1 batter, striking out 2, and making a wild pitch in the 55th and last gme of his 3-year major league career.

20 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Tahroja paperilla--Eppu Normaali (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Tom's Diner--DNA featuring Suzanne Vega (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
Canadian Senator Stan Waters (Reform--Alberta) spoke at the University of Alberta in an address sponsored by the U of A Reform Party association.

Baseball
The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees 6-4 before 49,902 fans at SkyDome in Toronto, establishing a major league single-season attendance record. They finished the season with 58 straight sellouts and a total attendance of 3‚885‚284.