October 29, 2010

620 years ago
1390

Society
Paris hosted its first trial for witchcraft, leading to the deaths of three people.

270 years ago
1740

Born on this date
James Boswell. U.K. author. Mr. Boswell, a native of Edinburgh, was a lawyer who was best known for his biography The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. (1791), which has been called the greatest biography ever written. Venereal disease and heavy drinking contributed to Mr. Boswell's death at the age of 54 on May 19, 1795.

110 years ago
1900

Politics and government
Rodmond Roblin was sworn in as Premier of Manitoba, succeeding Hugh John Macdonald.

100 years ago
1910

Born on this date
A. J. Ayer. U.K. philosopher. Sir Alfred Jules "Freddie" Ayer was known for his promotion of logical positivism, particularly in his books Language, Truth, and Logic (1936) and The Problem of Knowledge (1956). He died on June 27, 1989 at the age of 78.

Football
CRU
IRFU
Hamilton (3-1) 14 @ Montreal (2-2) 7
Ottawa (1-3) 4 @ Toronto (2-2) 11

Canadian university
Toronto (4-0) 26 @ Ottawa (0-4) 5
McGill (1-3) 10 @ Queen’s (3-1) 14

80 years ago
1930

Football
NFL
Newark (1-10-1) 7 @ New York (7-1) 34

70 years ago
1940

War
Rome radio reported that the Italian army had moved 40 miles inside the Greek border, while other claimed that Greek troops were offering stubborn resistance. The Australian War Council was sworn in in Melbourne.

Defense
The United States began its first peacetime military draft when Secretary of War Henry Stimson drew numbers at the War Department auditorium.

Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río said that any accord with the United States would provide for naval and air bases in Mexico.

Olympics
The American Olympic Committee officially disbanded with over $110,000 in unspent funds.

60 years ago
1950

Died on this date
Gustaf V, 92. King of Sweden, 1907-1950. Gustaf V acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Oscar II. He was the last Swedish monarch to exercise his royal prerogatives, but oversaw the transition of his role to that of figurehead. King Gustaf held anti-Communist and pro-German views, and his approval of a German request to alow the transfer of German troops through Sweden to northern Finland in the summer of 1941 caused a brief constitutional crisis. King Gustaf allegedly had a homosexual affair with criminal Kurt Haijby, which led to Mr. Haijby's imprisonment for blackmail after the king's death. King Gustaf was an avid tennis player, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1980. He died from complications of the flu, and was succeeded by his son Gustaf VI.

Football
CRU ORFU
Windsor (2-6) 5 @ Toronto (6-2) 31

The game was played at Maple Leaf Stadium.

NFL
Chicago Bears (4-2) 27 @ New York Yanks (6-1) 38
Washington (1-5) 3 @ Philadelphia (5-1) 35
Pittsburgh (2-5) 7 @ Cleveland (5-2) 45
New York Giants (4-2) 3 @ Chicago Cardinals (3-3) 17
Baltimore (0-6) 14 @ San Francisco (2-5) 17
Detroit (3-4) 24 @ Los Angeles (5-2) 65

50 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): It’s Now or Never--Elvis Presley (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Il cielo in una stanza--Mina (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ein Schiff wird kommen--Lale Andersen (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Only the Lonely (Know How I Feel)--Roy Orbison (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Save the Last Dance for Me--The Drifters (3rd week at #1)
2 I Want to Be Wanted--Brenda Lee
3 Chain Gang--Sam Cooke
4 Devil or Angel--Bobby Vee
5 My Heart Has a Mind of its Own--Connie Francis
6 Let's Think About Living--Bob Luman
7 Georgia on My Mind--Ray Charles
8 Don't Be Cruel--Bill Black's Combo
9 You Talk Too Much--Joe Jones
10 Kiddio--Brook Benton

Singles entering the chart were Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On by Conway Twitty (#65, charting with the version by Chubby Checker); Am I the Man by Jackie Wilson (#74); I'll Save the Last Dance for You by Damita Jo (#77); Midnight Lace, with versions by Ray Ellis and his Orchestra; Ray Conniff and his Orchestra; and David Carroll and his Orchestra (#90); Ballad of the Alamo, with versions by Marty Robbins; and Bud and Travis (#91); Psycho by Bobby Hendricks (#96); A Thousand Stars by Kathy Young with the Innocents (#98); One of the Lucky Ones by Anita Bryant (#99); and Satisfied (Part 2) by the Cashmeres (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Sailor (Your Home is the Sea)--Lolita
2 Poetry in Motion--Johnny Tillotson
3 Tonights the Night--The Shirelles
4 A Thousand Stars--Kathy Young with the Innocents
5 Save the Last Dance for Me--The Drifters
6 And the Heavens Cried--Ronnie Savoy
7 Wait for Me--The Playmates
8 China Doll--Bobby Swanson
9 You Talk Too Much--Joe Jones
10 Hushaby Little Guitar--Paul Evans

Singles entering the chart were You're Sixteen by Johnny Burnette (#34); Release Me by Jivin' Gene (#37); Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters (#40); Like Strangers by the Everly Brothers (#41); Devil or Angel by Bobby Vee (#42); My Girl Josephine by Fats Domino (#43); Am I Losing You by Jim Reeves (#44); School Bus by Kris Jensen (#45); Ruby Duby Du by Tobin Matthews & Co. (#46); Billy, Billy Went a Walking by the Beau Marks (#47); Love Walked In by Dinah Washington (#49); and The Hucklebuck by Chubby Checker (#50). Billy, Billy Went a Walking was the B-side of 'Cause We're in Love, which was not on the chart.

On television tonight
The Roaring 20's, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Velvet Frame

Disasters
A C-46 airliner carrying the California Polytechnic State University Mustangs football team crashed during takeoff from Toledo Express Airport in Ohio, U.S., resulting in 22 deaths.

Boxing
Olympic light heavyweight gold medalist Cassius Clay made his professional debut, fighting as a heavyweight. He won a 6-round unanimous decision over Tunney Hunsaker (15-10-1) at Freedom Hall State Fairground in Louisville, Kentucky.



Football
CFL
EFC
Ottawa (9-5) 24 @ Hamilton (4-10) 26

WIFU
Saskatchewan (2-12-2) 0 @ British Columbia (5-9-2) 38

12,000 fans at Civic Stadium saw the Tiger-Cats prevent the Rough Riders from capturing first place in the EFC. Don Sutherin, recently released by the Pittsburgh Steelers, rejoined the Tiger-Cats to play his first CFL game in 2 years, and contributed 10 points.

21,114 were at Empire Stadium in Vancouver to see the Lions end their season with a shutout over the Roughriders. It was the final game for Ken Carpenter as head coach of the Roughriders; he came out of retirement as a player and joined the Denver Broncos of the American Football League to finish the season.

Canadian university
SIFL
Western Ontario 6 @ McGill 57

WCIAU
Saskatchewan (0-3) 0 @ British Columbia (2-2) 12

Jim Olafson rushed for 2 unconverted touchdowns for the Thunderbirds as they shut out the Huskies at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver in a game whose ending was marred by fan rowdiness.

40 years ago
1970

Space
NASA revealed that American and Soviet space scientists had agreed in Moscow earlier in the week to meet alternately in Moscow and Houston to work on standardization of docking systems for each country’s spacecraft to facilitate space rescues of each others’ crews.

War
Amid reports that secret talks were under way, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong held their hard line at the Paris peace talks and repeated their demand that the U.S. withdraw unilaterally and destroy the Saigon administration on its way out of South Vietnam.

Politics and government
Jean Cournoyer replaced Pierre Laporte as Québec Labour Minister in the Liberal Party cabinet of Premier Robert Bourassa, 12 days after Mr. Laporte's murder by the FLQ.

Environment
Toxic levels of mercury were reported in the livers of Alaska fur seals, and U.S. federal officials said it wsa the first time that mercury pollution had been found in large aquatic mammals.

Society
Alabama Attorney General MacDonald Gallion filed a $21-million damage suit against the U.S. federal government for the value of Alabama schools closed by federal judges to promote desegregation. Mr. Gallion contended that the closings amounted to taking property without compensation.

Boxing
Oscar Bonavena (46-6-1) scored a technical knockout of Luis Faustino Pires (15-6-1) at 2:40 of the 4th round of a heavyweight bout at Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires.



Baseball
Nippon Series
Lotte Orions 3 @ Yomiuri Giants 6 (Yomiuri led best-of-seven series 2-0)

30 years ago
1980

Died on this date
Giorgio Borġ Olivier, 69. Prime Minister of Malta, 1950-1955, 1962-1971. Mr. Borg Olivier, a member of the Partito Nazionale (Nationalist Party), sat in the Council of Government from 1939-1977, and became leader of the party in December 1950. His first term as Prime Minister was characterized by success in gaining British recognition for him as the equal of the Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland and Southern Rhodesia, while his second term was marked by Malta gaining her independence in 1964. Mr. Borg Olivier was forced to resign as party leader in 1977 in the face of widepread desire for a younger leader, and died of lung cancer.

Disasters
A demonstration flight of a secretly modified C-130 for an Iran hostage crisis rescue attempt ended in a crash landing at Eglin Air Force Base's Duke Field, Florida, leading to cancellation of Operation Credible Sport.

Baseball
Nippon Series
Hiroshima Toyo Carp 2 @ Kintetsu Buffaloes 0 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

20 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): So Hard--Pet Shop Boys (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): I've Been Thinking About You--Londonbeat

War
The United Nations Security Council voted 13-0 with 2 abstentions to pass a resolution warning Iraq that "further measures" might be taken under the UN Charter--by implication, including military action. In separate statements, U.S. President George Bush and U.S. Secretary of State James Baker warned that in light of barbarous acts by the Iraqis in Kuwait, the use of force remained a possibility.

10 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Carlos Guastavino, 88. Argentinian composer. Mr. Guastavino, sometimes called "the Schubert of the Pampas," composed in the Romantic tradition and wrote more than 500 works, specializing in songs and piano works.

Football
CFL
Montreal (12-5) 31 @ Calgary (12-4-1) 32

Terry Baker missed a 39-yard field goal attempt with 2 seconds remaining in regulation time, and it went for a single point, leaving the Alouettes 1 point short. The kick came just 37 seconds after Mark McLoughlin had kicked a 23-yard field goal to put the Stampeders ahead. The Stampeders led 25-15 at halftime, with no touchdowns being scored in the second half. Calgary quarterback Dave Dickenson completed 28 of 40 passes for 352 yards and a 15-yard touchdown to Travis Moore with 26 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter. Mr. Dickenson also rushed 8 times for 36 yards and a touchdown, while centre Jamie Crysdale returned a Montreal fumble 1 yard for the only touchdown of his CFL career. Mr. McLoughlin added 3 converts, 3 field goals, and a single, and Tony Martino punted for a single. Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo completed 15 of 29 passes for 270 yards and a 38-yard touchdown to Alfonzo Browning in the 2nd quarter. Mr. Baker converted and added 7 field goals and 3 singles. Mike Pringle of the Alouettes led all rushers with 82 yards on 16 carries, while Mr. Moore led all receivers with 116 yards on 6 receptions. McMahon Stadium had had bleachers installed in preparation for hosting the Grey Cup, and 45,010 packed the stands for what was anticipated as a Grey Cup preview.