July 7, 2011

310 years ago
1701

Died on this date
William Stoughton, 69-70. American politician and jurist. Mr. Stoughton began his career as a theologian after going to England, but returned to Massachusetts, where he held various public offices, including Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 until his death. In the absence of an appointed governor, Mr. Stoughton acted as governor from 1694-1699 and 1700-1701. As Chief Justice of the Special Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692 and then as the Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature in 1693, he presided over the Salem witch trials, accepting spectral evidence, based on supposed demonic visions. Mr. Stoughton died after years of declining health.

120 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Virginia Rappe. U.S. model and actress. Miss Rappe was an artist's model who had bit parts in several movies. She died on September 9, 1921 at the age of 30, after attending a party hosted by actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The incident ruined Mr. Arbuckle's career, although he was eventually exonerated.

Tadamichi Kuribayashi. Japanese military officer. General Kuribayashi commanded the Japanese garrison during the Battle of Iwo Jima; he was killed circa March 26, 1945 at the age of 53 while defending the garrison against American troops.

110 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Vittorio De Sica. Italian film director. Mr. De Sica was a major figure in the neorealist movement, and often used amateur actors in his movies. His films included Sciuscià (Shoeshine) (1946); Ladri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) (1948); La Ciociara (Two Women) (1961); Ieri, oggi e domani (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) (1963); and Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis) (1970). Mr. De Sica died on November 13, 1974 at the age of 73.

Sam Katzman. U.S. movie producer. Mr. Katzman became known as "king of the quickies" for his ability to produce profitable low-budget movies in a short time; in a 40-year career he produced 239 films, including action serials and rock and roll musicals. Mr. Katzman died on August 4, 1973, four weeks after his 72nd birthday.

Eiji Tsuburaya. Japanese film director and producer. Mr. Tsuburaya was a special effects director for about 250 movies in a career spanning 50 years. He was perhaps best known for directing special effects for movies featuring Godzilla and other monsters in the 1950s and '60s. Mr. Tsuburaya died of a heart attack on January 25, 1970 at the age of 68.

Died on this date
Johanna Spyri, 74. Swiss authoress. Mrs. Spyri was a novelist who wrote children's stories, the best-known of which was Heidi (1881). She died 25 days after her 74th birthday.

100 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Gian Carlo Menotti. Italian composer. Mr. Menotti wrote music and libretto for more than two dozen operas, winning Pulitzer Prizes for The Consul (1950) and The Saint of Bleecker Street (1955). He died on February 1, 2007 at the age of 95.

Environment
The U.S.A., U.K., Japan, and Russia signed the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911, banning open-water seal hunting. It was the first international treaty to address wildlife preservation issues.

75 years ago
1936

Baseball
Major League All-Star Game @ National League Park, Boston
American League 3 @ National League 4

Four different members of the Chicago Cubs scored runs for the NL, including Augie Galan, who hit a home run, as the National League notched its first win after three straight losses. Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees became the first rookie to play in an all-star game, but he made a costly error. Lou Gehrig of the Yankees hit a home run off Curt Davis, who had followed Dizzy Dean and Carl Hubbell as National League pitchers. Boston Bees' star Wally Berger didn't play in the game, to the dismay of the 25,556 hometown fans.





70 years ago
1941

War
Beirut was occupied by Free France and British troops. In the heaviest raids yet carried out over France, British Royal Air Force planes attacked Calais, Boulogne, Mealt, and Bethune.

The government of Ecuador announced that Peruvian planes had bombed Hauquillas in the disputed border province of El Oro on the third day of the undeclared war between the countries. The Peruvian government charged that Ecuadorian troops had attacked its border posts on July 5.

Defense
U.S. naval occupation of Iceland replaced the British occupation, with full agreement of the Icelandic government, according to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. U.S. Lend-Lease administrator Edward Stettinius placed chromium under full priority control in order to build up a stockpile. Dispatches from Rio de Janeiro stated that the U.S.A. and Brazil had concluded a trade pact under which the United States would buy Brazil's entire surplus of certain strategic materials such as rubber and manganese for the next two years.

Law
The U.S. Senate confirmed by voice vote the nomination of Attorney General Robert H. Jackson as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Protest
1,100 convicts in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas agreed to call off their five-day strike after a dozen ringleaders were sent to Alcatraz Prison.

Baseball
American League officials voted to rescind the rule in place for two years that banned trading by the league's pennant-winning team except by waiver.

60 years ago
1951

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Aba Daba Honeymoon--Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Too Young--Nat "King" Cole (Best Seller--3rd week at #1; Disc Jockey--2nd week at #1; Jukebox--1st week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Too Young--Nat "King" Cole (3rd week at #1)
2 How High the Moon--Les Paul and Mary Ford
3 Jezebel--Frankie Laine
4 On Top of Old Smoky--The Weavers and Terry Gilkyson
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
5 Sound Off (The Duckworth Chant)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
6 My Truly, Truly Fair--Guy Mitchell
--Vic Damone
7 Mister and Mississippi--Patti Page
–-Dennis Day
8 Mockin’ Bird Hill--Les Paul and Mary Ford
9 Rose, Rose, I Love You--Frankie Laine
10 The Loveliest Night of the Year--Mario Lanza

Singles entering the chart were Wang Wang Blues by the Ames Brothers (#24); (Why Did I Tell You I was Going to) Shanghai by Doris Day (#28); Good Morning Mister Echo by the Jane Turzy Trio (#29); Tell Me (You Will Love Me Forever) by Tony Martin (#31); and Sweet Violets by Dinah Shore (#36). Shanghai was the B-side of My Life's Desire, which charted at #23.

War
Mexico ended its state of war with Germany.

Defense
The U.S.A. announced plans to construct a radar network of Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Greenland to guard against air attack.

Labour
U.S. Defense Mobilization Director Charles Wilson created a special task force to plan more effective use of the physically handicapped in the nation's war economy.

Tennis
Doris Hart of the U.S.A. defeated fellow American Shirley Fry in the women's singles final at Wimbledon, while Dick Savitt of the United States defeated Ken McGregor of Australia in the men's singles final.





Baseball
Clyde Vollmer's grand slam highlighted a 6-run 1st inning for the Boston Red Sox as they beat the New York Yankees 10-4 before 33,164 fans at Fenway Park in Boston, as each team hit 3 home runs. Ellis Kinder (4-0) pitched an 11-hit complete game victory over Allie Reynolds (9-5), who allowed 5 hits and 6 earned runs in 1 inning.

Hoot Evers batted 5 for 5 with a double, 5 runs, and a run batted for the Detroit Tigers as they amassed 20 hits and beat the Cleveland Indians 13-3 before 16,049 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Detroit catcher Myron Ginsberg was 4 for 5 with a home run, 2 runs, and 5 RBIs. Bob Cain (7-6) pitched a 5-hit complete game victory over Bob Lemon (8-8).

Sal Yvars led off the bottom of the 10th inning with his first home run of the season to tie the score, and with 1 out, Eddie Stanky tripled. Alvin Dark then flied out to left field to score Mr. Stanky to give the New York Giants a 7-6 win over the Boston Braves before 11,307 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. The Braves twice took the lead in extra innings, only to have the Giants come back. Boston first baseman Earl Torgeson drove in 4 runs with an outfield fly and a 3-run double.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Runaway--Del Shannon (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Lawless Years, starring James Gregory, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Kid Dropper Story

Space
The United States launched the satellite and capsule Discoverer 26 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The 300-pound capsule contained various materials, such as silicum, iron, and bismuth, and experiments were to be conducted to assess the effects of space on these materials. The capsule also contained an erosion gauge and a micro-meteoroid detector.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep--Middle of the Road (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Ub Iwerks, 70. U.S. animator. Mr. Iwerks met Walt Disney in 1919, and eventually became Mr. Disney's chief animator, co-creating Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse. Mr. Iwerks left to start his own studio in 1930, creating the characters Flip the Frog and Willie Whopper. The studio went out of business in 1936, and Mr. Iwerks returned to the Disney studio in 1940; his work there included the combination of live action and animation in Song of the South (1946). He won two Academy Awards, and died of a heart attack.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Winnipeg (2-0) 16 @ Hamilton (0-1) 14
Saskatchewan (0-1) 0 @ Calgary (1-0) 27

30 years ago
1981

Law
U.S. President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'Connor for the Supreme Court of the United States.

Two new acts in Prince Edward Island gave police the power to take citizens from their homes without warrant and hold them for drug treatment.

Economics and finance
Letters patent of the Société de développement industrie de Montréal were registered; it was a non-profit corporation responsible for developing the city's six industrial sites.

Business
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged six companies, including Crown corporations Eldorado Nuclear Ltd. and Uranium Canada Ltd., with conspiracy to fix prices in an international cartel.

25 years ago
1986

Track and field
Jackie Joyner-Kersee of the United States set a world record in the heptathlon at the first Goodwill Games in Moscow, finishing the two-day event with 7,148 points, 200 points more than the previous record total of Sabine Paetz of East Germany.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): More than Words--Extreme

#1 single in Switzerland: Wind of Change--Scorpions (4th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Wind of Change--Scorpions
2 The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in his Kiss)--Cher
3 Bobby Brown--Frank Zappa
4 Jesus Loves You--Bow Down Mister
5 The One and Only--Chesney Hawkes
6 Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee La Da Da)--Crystal Waters
7 Last Train to Trancentral--The KLF
8 Senza una donna (Without a Woman)--Zucchero & Paul Young
9 Secret Love--Bee Gees
10 Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)--Roxette

Singles entering the chart were Le dernier qui a parlé... by Amina (#22); Safe from Harm by Massive Attack (#29); and The Only Love by the Bee Gees (#30).

War
The Brioni Agreement ended the ten-day independence war in Slovenia against the rest of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Crime
American League baseball umpire Steve Palermo and former professional football player Terence Mann were both shot as they came to the aid of two women during an attempted robbery in a restaurant parking lot in Dallas. Mr. Palermo was listed in stable condition after being shot in the stomach.

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Maria Gorokhovskaya, 79. Russian-born gymnast. Miss Gorokhovskaya became the first woman to win seven medals in a single Olympic Games, winning two gold and five silver medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. She won a gold and a bronze medal at the 1954 World Championships in Rome. Miss Gorokhovskaya moved to Israel in 1990, and worked as a gymnastics coach until her death. She was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

Fred Neil, 65. U.S. musician. Mr. Neil, born Frederick Ralph Morlock Jr., was a singer-songwriter and guitarist who was active from the late 1950s through the 1960s, and influenced many other singer-songwriters. His best-known composition was Everybody's Talkin', which was recorded by several artists, and was a major hit for Nilsson in 1969. Mr. Neil spent the last 30 years of his life in southern Florida trying to save dolphins and whales. He died after a three-year battle with skin cancer.

Crime
Two people were stabbed and many others injured during running battles between white and Asian youths in Bradford, England.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (0-1-0-1) 28 @ British Columbia (1-0) 35 (OT)

This was the first regular season game for Tom Higgins as head coach of the Eskimos, and the first regular season overtime played with a maximum of 2 possessions of the ball per team. There had been a maximum of 4 possessions per team in overtime in 2000, but games were taking so long to play that the league decided to modify the format.



Baseball
John Halama pitched the first 9-inning perfect game in Pacific Coast League history as the Tacoma Rainiers blanked the Calgary Cannons 6-0 at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. Mr. Halama struck out 9 batters.