June 10, 2011

1,340 years ago
671

Technology
Emperor Tenji of Japan introduced a water clock (clepsydra) called Rokoku. The instrument, which measured time and indicated hours, was placed in the capital of Ōtsu.

400 years ago
1611

Canadiana
Pierre Biard, a Jesuit missionary at Port Royal, Nova Scotia, wrote the first recorded letter sent to France from the new world.

225 years ago
1786

Disasters
A landslide dam on the Dadu River created by an earthquake 10 days earlier collapsed, killing 100,000 in the Chinese province of Sichuan.

220 years ago
1791

Politics and government
The British Parliament passed the Constitutional Act to meet the demands of the Loyalists and give the inhabitants of Québec the same rights as other British subjects in North America; the Act divided the province of Québec into two new provinces--Lower Canada and Upper Canada; provided for an appointed legislative council and an elected legislative assembly, gave power over taxation given to the assembly, and gave the Governor power to withhold assent to bills passed by the legislative council and assembly. The act also declared that the Roman Catholic faith should continue to be respected, but makes provisions for lands (clergy reserves) to be set aside to support the Protestant clergy in each province. The Act received Royal Assent on June 19, and went into effect on December 26, 1791.

210 years ago
1801

War
The Tripolitan War, between the United States and the Barbary States (Tripolitania, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco) began when Tripoli declared war on the United States in a dispute over safe passage of merchant vessels through the Mediterranean.

150 years ago
1861

War
Confederate troops under John B. Magruder defeated a much larger Union force led by General Ebenezer W. Pierce in the Battle of Big Bethel in Virginia.

140 years ago
1871

War
Captain McLane Tilton led 109 U.S. Marines in a naval attack on Han River forts on Kanghwa Island, Korea.

125 years ago
1886

Disasters
Mount Tarawera in New Zealand erupted, killing 153 people and burying the famous Pink and White Terraces. Eruptions continued for three months creating a large, 17-kilometre-long fissure across the mountain peak.

120 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Al Dubin. Swiss-born U.S. songwriter. Mr. Dubin, with Joe Burke, co-wrote Tiptoe Through the Tulips with Me, one of the most popular songs of 1929. He then teamed up with Harry Warren, and the two wrote such songs as Shuffle Off to Buffalo; We're in the Money; I Only Have Eyes for You; and Lullaby of Broadway. Mr. Dubin was a heavy drinker, and died in hospital at the age of 53 on February 11, 1945, three days after collapsing on the street after overdosing on a prescription of barbiturates.

110 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Frederick Loewe. German born U.S. composer. Mr. Loewe collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady (1956) and Camelot (1960). He died on February 14, 1988 at the age of 86.

Disasters
Fire destroyed much of the residential district in Michel, British Columbia.

100 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Terence Rattigan. U.K. playwright. Sir Terence was known for plays such as French Without Tears (1936); The Winslow Boy (1946); The Browning Version (1948); and Separate Tables (1954). He died of bone cancer on November 30, 1977 at the age of 66.

90 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Prince Philip!
The Duke of Edinburgh was born in Corfu. Go here to read some of his most memorable quotes.

75 years ago
1936

Movies
The Russian animation studio Soyuzmultfilm--then known as Soyuzdetmultfilm--was founded in Moscow.

70 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Henry Wise Wood, 81. U.S.-born Canadian agrarian theorist. Mr. Wood, a native of Missouri, moved to Carstairs, Alberta in 1905. He was President of the United Farmers of Alberta from 1916-1931, and served as an adviser to the UFA when they formed the provincial government from 1921-1934. Henry Wise Wood Senior High School in Calgary, of which this blogger is an alumnus, is named in his honour.

War
British headquarters announced that U.K. and Free French forces had advanced to within 15 miles of Damascus. French Prime Minister François Darlan, in a broadcast from Vichy, appealed to the French people to help him conciliate Germany and thus obtain better peace terms.

Crime
Charles "The Bug" Workman was sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to the October 24, 1935 murder of gangster Dutch Schultz.

Labour
A Gallup Poll reported 76% of people questioned saying that defense strikes should be forbidden. North American Aviation strikers at the company's plant in Inglewood, California voted at a mass meeting to return to work; more than 5,000 of the day shift's 7,000 workers returned to their jobs. Alcoa and Congress of Industrial Organizations officials accepted the National Defense Mobilization Board's proposals to settle a one-day strike at the company's Cleveland plants, but 4,000 CIO United Auto Workers of America members began a strike at the Bohn Aluminum and Brass Corporation in Detroit.

60 years ago
1951

On the radio
Mr. Moto, starring James Monks, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Dead Land

Politics and government
Communists and their Left Socialist allies lost control over 263 towns and cities in Italian municipal elections, leaving Bologna the only major Italian city with a Communist administration.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Runaway--Del Shannon (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Wheels (Vier Schimmel, ein Wagen)--Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): Wheels--The String-A-Longs (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Surrender--Elvis Presley (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Travelin’ Man--Ricky Nelson
2 Running Scared--Roy Orbison
3 Daddy’s Home--Shep and the Limelites
4 Mama Said--The Shirelles
5 I Feel So Bad--Elvis Presley
6 Stand by Me—Ben E. King
7 Breakin’ in a Brand New Broken Heart--Connie Francis
8 A Hundred Pounds of Clay--Gene McDaniels
9 Little Devil—Neil Sedaka
10 Hello Walls—Faron Young

Singles entering the chart were Nature Boy by Bobby Darin (#70); Cupid by Sam Cooke (#77); Ole Buttermilk Sky by Bill Black’s Combo (#78); Big Boss Man by Jimmy Reed (#91); Sacred by the Castells (#92); Please Stay by the Drifters (#96); Stick with Me Baby by the Everly Brothers (#98); Three Hearts in a Tangle by Roy Drusky (#100); I Don’t Mind by James Brown and the Famous Flames (also #100); and Driving Wheel by Little Junior Parker (also #100). Stick with Me Baby was the B-side of Temptation, charting at #48.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door--Eddie Hodges (2nd week at #1)
2 Barbara-Ann--The Regents
3 Moody River--Pat Boone
4 Ring of Fire--Duane Eddy
5 Raindrops--Dee Clark
6 Dance On Little Girl--Paul Anka
7 Everyday--Bobby Lee
8 Wild in the Country/I Feel So Bad--Elvis Presley
9 What a Surprise--Johnny Maestro
10 Girl of My Best Friend--Ral Donner

Singles entering the chart were Lil' Ole Me by Cornbread and Jerry (#29); Daydreams by Johnny Crawford (#39); Love Sweet Love by Jimmy Curtiss (#41); Take a Minute by the String-A-Longs (#43); Quarter to Three by U.S. Bonds (#46); Cupid by Sam Cooke (#49); and Lonesome Road by the Johnny Green Combo (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door--Eddie Hodges
2 Barbara-Ann--The Regents
3 Moody River--Pat Boone
4 Everyday--Bobby Lee
5 Ring of Fire--Duane Eddy
6 Travelin' Man/Hello Mary Lou--Ricky Nelson
7 Fallen Idol--Ken Lyon
8 Jimmy Love--Cathy Carroll
9 Little Devil--Neil Sedaka
10 Lil' Ole Me--Cornbread and Jerry

Singles entering the chart were Hats Off to Larry by Del Shannon (#18); Sea of Heartbreak by Don Gibson (#27); Heart and Soul by Jan and Dean (#30); Never on Sunday by the Chordettes (#31); Quarter to Three by U.S. Bonds (#34); Rama Lama Ding Dong by the Edsels (#38); and Respectable by the Chants (#40). Never on Sunday was a version of the title song of the movie.

At the movies
When the Clock Strikes, directed by Edward L. Cahn, and starring James Brown and Merry Anders, opened in theatres.



Environment
The Quebec Legislative Assembly adopted a bill allowing for the creation of a water purification board.

Horse racing
Sherluck, a 65-1 longshot with Braulio Baeza up, won the 93rd running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, New York in a time of 2:29 1/5, spoiling Carry Back’s attempt to become the first horse since 1948 to win the Triple Crown. First prize money was $104,900. Globemaster placed second.



Boxing
Archie Moore (181-22-9), recognized as world light heavyweight champion by the state athletic commissions of New York, California, and Massachusetts, retained his title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Giulio Rinaldi (25-6) at Madison Square Garden in New York.



40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Here's to You--Joan Baez

Died on this date
Michael Rennie, 61. U.K. actor. Mr. Rennie appeared in more than 50 films and several television series, but was best known for his starring roles in the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and the television series The Third Man (1959-1965). He died of an aortic aneurysm.

Protest
Clashes between leftist students and armed groups of right-wing extremists in Mexico City left 9 students dead and 160 wounded.

Environment
The Canadian Parliament created a new Department of the Environment under a Minister of State; Canada also agreed in principle on a joint attack with the U.S. on pollution in the Great Lakes.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Medley--Stars on 45 (2nd week at #1)
2 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes
3 All Those Years Ago--George Harrison
4 Sukiyaki--A Taste of Honey
5 Morning Train (Nine to Five)--Sheena Easton
6 Take it on the Run--REO Speedwagon
7 I Love You--Climax Blues Band
8 This Little Girl--Gary U.S. Bonds
9 Sweetheart--Franke & the Knockouts
10 Nobody Wins--Elton John

Singles entering the chart were You Make My Dreams by Daryl Hall & John Oates (#18); Seven Year Ache by Rosanne Cash (#19); and America by Neil Diamond (#20).

Died on this date
Jenny Maxwell, 39. U.S. actress. Miss Maxwell appeared in minor roles in 30 movies and television programs from 1958-1968, most notably Blue Hawaii (1961). She and her husband, attorney Ervin "Tip Roeder, 60, were living separately, but were together at home when they were fatally gunned down in an apparent botched robbery. The double murder remains unsolved.

Business
Calgary-based Dome Petroleum bought Hudson's Bay Oil and Gas.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Edmonton (2-0) 25 @ Winnipeg (0-2) 16

Brian Broomell starred at quarterback for the Eskimos in their win over the Blue Bombers at Winnipeg Stadium.

25 years ago
1986

Died on this date
Merle Miller, 77. U.S. author. Mr. Miller wrote several novels and teleplays, and was an editor with Time and Harper's Magazine. He was best known for Plain Speaking (1974), an "oral biography" of former U.S. President Harry Truman, compiled from interviews conducted in the early 1960s. Mr. Miller died of peritonitis after an operation for a ruptured appedix.

Terrorism
Patrick Magee was convicted of planting the bomb that killed five people and almost killed most of the cabinet of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at a Conservative Party conference at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England in 1984.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Anata ni aete yokatta (あなたに会えてよかった)--Kyōko Koizumi

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)--De La Soul

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Wind of Change--Scorpions (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
David Croll, 91. Russian-born Canadian politician. Mr. Croll immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 5. He served as Mayor of Windsor, Ontario from 1931-1934 and 1939-1940. A Liberal, Mr. Croll was a Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament from 1934-1943. He then entered federal politics, and represented the Toronto riding of Spadina from 1945-1955. He was denied a cabinet post because of anti-Jewish prejudice in Quebec, as Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent thought the appointment of a Jew to a cabinet post would cost the Liberal Party seats in that province. Mr. St. Laurent appointed Mr. Croll to the Senate in 1955, making him the first Jewish member of the Upper House. Mr. Croll was the author of the Report of the Special Senate Committee on Poverty (1971), and also chaired the Senate's special committee on aging. Mr. Croll was appointed at a time when Senators were appointed for life, and he died at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa several hours after attending an afternoon session.

Crime
Jaycee Dugard, 11, was abducted by Phillip and Nancy Garrido while walking home from school in South Lake Tahoe, California. Jaycee was held by the couple in Antioch, California for 18 years before she was found by authorities in August 2009.

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Leila Pahlevi, 31. Iranian royal family member. Princess Leila, the youngest child of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, was 9 when her family was forced into exile in the United States. She became a model, but suffered from anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and was a Seconal addict. Princess Leila died from an overdose of Seconal.

Religion
Pope John Paul II canonized Lebanon's first female saint, Saint Rafqa.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 96 @ Philadelphia 91 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Kobe Bryant scored 32 points and Shaquille O'Neal added 30 points and 12 rebounds to help the Lakers defeat the 76ers before 20,900 fans at First Union Center. Allen Iverson led Philadelphia scorers with 35 points.