October 30, 2010

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Angie Buan!

740 years ago
1270

War
The Eighth Crusade ended with an agreement between Charles I of Anjou (replacing his deceased brother King Louis IX of France) and the Hafsid dynasty of Tunis.

670 years ago
1340

War
Portuguese forces commanded by King Afonso IV and Castilian forces commanded by King Alfonso XI halted a Marinid invasion led by Sultan Abu al-Hasan 'Ali of Morocco and Yusuf I of Granada at the Battle of Río Salado.

525 years ago
1485

Britannica
Henry VII, the first King of England from the House of Tudor, was crowned at Westminster.

170 years ago
1840

Politics and government
Voting began in the U.S. presidential election. Incumbent President and Democratic Party candidate Martin Van Buren was being challenged by Whig Party candidate William Henry Harrison and Liberty Party candidate J.G. Birney. The voting went state-by-state, and didn't conclude until December 2.

110 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Ragnar Granit. Finnish-born Swedish neuroscientist. Dr. Granit, Haldan Keffer Hartline, and George Wald were awarded the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in the eye." Dr. Granit died on March 12, 1991 at the age of 90.

100 years ago
1910

Died on this date
Henry Dunant, 82. Swiss activist. Mr. Dunant was a businessman who witnessed the Battle of Solferino in 1859, and was appalled at the lack of care for wounded soldiers. His memoir Un Souvenir de Solferino (A Memory of Solferino) (1862) led him to co-found the International Committee of the Red Cross in February 1863, for which he was awarded a share of the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. Mr. Dunant was also involved with the First Geneva Convention (1864).

90 years ago
1920

Politics and government
The Communist Party of Australia was founded in Sydney.

Football
CRU
ARU
Finals
Edmonton 18 @ Calgary 8 (Calgary won 2-game total points series 35-34)

Tommy Blades scored 2 touchdowns and punted for a rouge as the Eskimos' comeback from an 11-point deficit after the first game fell just short at Hillhurst Park. Mr. Burnett scored the other Edmonton touchdown. The Tigers advanced to play the Regina Roughriders for the championship of the Western Canada Rugby Football Union.

70 years ago
1940

At the movies
One Night in the Tropics, starring Allan Jones, Nancy Kelly, Bud Abbott, and Lou Costello, received its premiere screening in Mr. Costello's hometown of Paterson, New Jersey. It was the first movie for the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.





War
The Greek government claimed that the Italian advance into Greece had made little progress, but Italy announced the capture of the town of Breznica, opening the main route to Salonika on the Aegean Sea. Greek Prime Minister John Metaxas said that British aid had been better than expected, with U.K. marines landing in Greece, the British fleet mining the coast, and Royal Air Force pilots reportedly landing in northern Greece.

Diplomacy
German Ambassador to Turkey Franz von Papen suddenly left Ankara for Berlin after a long conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Dr. Refik Saydam.

Defense
The U.S. draft lottery in Washington ended at 5:47 A.M. after 17½ hours of drawing numbers. A fire of unknown origin destroyed the top floor of the four-storey U.S. War Department building in Washington, but Army code books and other secret records were saved.

Politics and government
Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate Wendell Willkie predicted that if Franklin D. Roosevelt were re-elected five days hence, "on the basis of past performance with pledges to the people, you may expect war by April 1941." Replying in a speech in Boston, President Roosevelt promised, "Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars." Democratic Party U.S. vice presidential candidate told an American Labor Party rally in New York that "millions of Americans know from personal observation that there is Nazi propaganda and Nazi pressure for the election of the Republican candidate." World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis urged the election of Mr. Willkie because he "will help my people," presumably referring to Negroes.

Economics and finance
Brazil was reported to have banned the export of beef because of a meat shortage in Rio de Janeiro due to a long drought and large beef exports to Europe.

Harvey Gibson, chairman of the New York World's Fair board of directors, announced that 3,000 bondholders would receive 39.2 cents on the dollar.

Labour
It was revealed that carpenters must pay an $80 union "initiation fee" to work at Fort Dix, New Jersey, a $75 fee at Fort Edwards, Massachusetts, and $55 at Fort Meade, Maryland, with no refunds in case of dismissal.

60 years ago
1950

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Martian Eyes, starring Burgess Meredith, John Baragrey, and David Lewis



World events
Puerto Rican nationalists in the towns of Jayuya, Ponce, Mayagüez, Naranjito, Arecibo, Utuado, and San Juan led uprisings against the U.S.-supported Puerto Rican government. In San Juan, five men attempted to assassinate Governor Luis Muñoz Marín in his mansion; they fired shots into his office, but he cowered under his desk and narrowly escaped death.

50 years ago
1960

Medicine
Dr. Michael Woodruff performed the first successful kidney transplant in the United Kingdom at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. The recipient was a 49-year-old man who received a kidney donated by his twin brother.

Football
CFL
EFC
Montreal (5-9) 27 @ Toronto (10-4) 63

The Argonauts scored 35 points in the 4th quarter at CNE Stadium--tying the league record for points scored by one team in a quarter--as they clinched first place in the IRFU. Cookie Gilchrist of the Argonauts scored 27 points--23 in the 4th quarter--to win the IRFU scoring title with 115 points, 7 more than George Dixon of the Alouettes. Mr. Gilchrist was successful on 8 of 9 convert attempts.

NFL
Cleveland (4-1) 31 @ Washington (1-2-2) 10
St. Louis (3-3) 20 @ New York (3-1-1) 13
Green Bay (4-1) 19 @ Pittsburgh (2-3-1) 13
Baltimore (4-2) 45 @ Dallas (0-6) 7
Chicago (3-2-1) 7 @ San Francisco (3-3) 25
Detroit (1-4) 35 @ Los Angeles (1-4-1) 48

AFL
Houston (5-2) 24 @ Buffalo (3-4) 25
Dallas (3-4) 17 @ Denver (4-3) 14

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Lola--The Kinks (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Band of Gold--Freda Payne (5th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Burning Bridges--The Mike Curb Congregation (3rd week at #1)
2 Mademoiselle Ninette--Michael Holm
3 Lookin' Out My Back Door--Creedence Clearwater Revival
4 Brown Eyes--Chris Andrews
5 Cha-La-La, I Need You--Shuffles
6 I (Who Have Nothing)--Tom Jones
7 Ain't Love a Funny Thing--Sam Evans
8 Candida--Dawn
9 Cracklin' Rosie--Neil Diamond
10 Poor Little Rich Girl--Dickie Loader

Singles entering the chart were Me and My Life by the Tremeloes (#18); Black Night by Deep Purple (#29); and Stand Up for the Lady by the Rising Sons (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 We've Only Just Begun--Carpenters
2 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
3 Lola--The Kinks
4 I'll Be There--The Jackson 5
5 Fire and Rain--James Taylor
6 El Condor Pasa--Simon & Garfunkel
7 It's Only Make Believe--Glen Campbell
8 Long Long Time--Linda Ronstadt
9 Gypsy Woman--Brian Hyland
10 It Don't Matter to Me--Bread

Singles entering the chart were The Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (#27); Let's Work Together by Canned Heat (#28); Fly Little White Dove, Fly by the Bells (#29); and Express Yourself by Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 Lola--The Kinks (2nd week at #1)
2 Fire and Rain--James Taylor
3 I'll Be There--The Jackson 5
4 El Condor Pasa--Simon & Garfunkel
5 My Home Town--The Seeds of Time
6 Cry Me a River--Joe Cocker
7 Our House--Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
8 Closer to Home--Grand Funk Railroad
9 Somebody's Been Sleeping--100 Proof Aged in Soul
10 We've Only Just Begun--Carpenters

Singles entering the chart were The Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (#21); Heaven Help Us All by Stevie Wonder (#24); Maggie (LP) by Redbone (#27); Engine Number 9 by Wilson Pickett (#28); Fresh Air by Quicksilver Messenger Service (#29); and No Matter What by Badfinger (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Cracklin' Rosie--Neil Diamond (5th week at #1)
2 Lola--The Kinks
3 El Condor Pasa--Simon & Garfunkel
4 Ain't that Tellin' You People--The Original Caste
5 Yellow River--Christie
6 Me and Bobby McGee--Gordon Lightfoot
7 Look What They've Done to My Song Ma--The New Seekers
8 God, Love and Rock & Roll (We Believe)--Teegarden & Van Winkle
9 All Right Now--Free
10 Green-Eyed Lady--Sugarloaf

On television tonight
The Interns, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Price of Life

Music
The album Tumbleweed Connection by Elton John was released in the United Kingdom on DJM Records.

Crime
U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell met with 13 representatives of the nation's police chiefs, and said afterward that federal, state, and local cooperation would be sought in combatting bombings and attacks on policemen.

Economics and finance
Nine Canadian banks announced that they were following the lead of the Toronto-Dominion Bank and lowering their interest rates on loans, effective November 1. In most cases, the interest rate went from 7% to 6.5% and the prime rate from 8% to 7.5%.

30 years ago
1980

War
El Salvador and Honduras agreed to put the border dispute that prompted the 1969 Soccer War before the International Court of Justice.

Scandal
U.S. Senator Harrison Williams (Democrat--New Jersey), the only Senator caught on videotape by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Abscam sting, allegedly taking a bribe, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Brooklyn, New York on charges of bribery and conspiracy.

Baseball
Nippon Series
Hiroshima Toyo Carp 2 @ Kintetsu Buffaloes 6 (Kintetsu led best-of-seven series 3-2)

25 years ago
1985

Died on this date
Kirby Grant, 73. U.S. actor. Mr. Grant, born Kirby Grant Hoon, Jr., appeared in "B" movies and starred in the television series Sky King (1951-1959). He was killed in a car accident while on his way to Cape Canaveral, Florida to watch the launch of the U.S. space shuttle Challenger.

Terrorism
Three Russian diplomats kidnapped in Beirut by the Islamic Liberation Organization a month earlier were freed unharmed. A fourth diplomat who had been kidnappedat the same time had been found slain on October 2. The ILO said that the Russians had been kidnapped to pressure Syria--an ally of the U.S.S.R.--to seek an end to fighting in Tripoli, Lebanon, between Muslim fundamentalists and Lebanese militiamen backed by Syria. A truce had ended the fighting in early October.

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high of 1375.57.

20 years ago
1990

Died on this date
V. Shantaram, 88. Indian film director, producer, and actor. Mr. Shantaram, whose real name was Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre, worked mainly in Hindi and Marathi-language films. He directed 51 movies, produced 16, and acted in 13 in a career spanning almost 60 years. Mr. Shantaram's films included Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946) and Amar Bhoopali (1951). He died 19 days before his 89th birthday.

10 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Steve Allen, 78. U.S. broadcaster, author, songwriter, comedian. Mr. Allen, a man of many talents, was the original host of the Tonight show on NBC from 1954-1957. He then moved into prime time on Sunday nights with a comedy and variety show on NBC that ran at the same time that Ed Sullivan's program was on CBS; The Steve Allen Show (1956-1960) drew respectable ratings. He conceived and hosted a program on PBS called Meeting of Minds (1977-1981), where actors portraying historical characters would discuss various issues. Mr. Allen wrote several thousand songs, the best-known of which is This Could Be the Start of Something. His books included The Funny Men (1956); Funny People (1981); More Funny People (1982); and Vulgarians at the Gate (2000). Mr. Allen died several hours after suffering a ruptured blood vessel caused by chest injuries received in a traffic accident.