July 9, 2011

1,520 years ago
491

War
Odoacer made a night assault with his Heruli guardsmen, engaging Theoderic the Great in Ad Pinetam. Both sides suffered heavy losses, but in the end Theodoric forced Odoacer back into Ravenna.

1,460 years ago
551

Disasters
A major earthquake struck Beirut, triggering a devastating tsunami that affected the coastal towns of Byzantine Phoenicia, causing thousands of deaths.

610 years ago
1401

War
Timur attacked the Jalairid Sultanate and destroyed Baghdad.

500 years ago
1511

Born on this date
Dorothea. Queen consort of Denmark and Norway, 1534-1559. Dorothea, the daughter of Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, married the future King Christian III in 1525, and became queen consort when he acceded to the throne in 1534. She achieved considerable influence over state affairs, and attempted to maintain that influence after her husband died in 1559 and was succeeded by their son Frederick II, with the result that relations between dowager queen Dorothea and King Frederick became strained. Queen Dorothea died on October 7, 1571 at the age of 60.

310 years ago
1701

War
A Bourbon force under Nicolas Catinat withdrew from a smaller Habsburg force under Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Battle of Carpi.

200 years ago
1811

Exploration
David Thompson posted a sign near what is now Sacajawea State Park in Washington state, claiming the Columbia District for the United Kingdom.

190 years ago
1821

War
470 prominent Cypriots, including Archbishop Kyprianos, were executed on the orders of Küçük Mehmet in response to Cypriot aid to the Greek War of Independence.

110 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Barbara Cartland. U.K. authoress. Dame Barbara was a romance novelist whose 723 novels sold more than 750 million copies and were translated into 38 languages. She also wrote more than a dozen biographies. Dame Barbara died in her sleep on May 21, 2000 at the age of 98, after a period of dementia and declining health.

75 years ago
1936

Weather
The temperature in New York's Central Park was measured at 106 F., a record for July 9.

70 years ago
1941

War
French High Commissioner in Syria General Henri Fernand Dentz asked the U.K.for armistice terms through the U.S. consul in Beirut.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles disclosed that the United States, Argentina, and Brazil had urged Peru and Ecuador to establish a "no-man's land" about nine miles wide on each side of their disputed border as a step to ending their undeclared war.

Defense
U.S. Navy Secretary Frank Knox said that President Franklin D. Roosevelt's new orders to the Navy to guard the sea lanes indicated that "the policy goes further than the original orders...to report sightings of hostile craft." British Prime Minister Winston Churchill told the House of Commons that British troops would remain in Iceland and would cooperate with U.S. forces. The U.S. Office of Production Management announced that a record total of 1,476 military planes had been produced in June.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Roosevelt accepted the resignation of Leon Henderson as commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission so that Mr. Henderson could devote all his time to the position of administrator of the Office of Price Administration.

Baseball
In an Arizona-Texas League game, the Tucson Cowboys amassed 31 hits in beating the Bisbee Bees 30-15. Tucson had also beaten the Bees the previous day by a score of 16-14.

60 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Meddlers, starring John Carradine, E.G. Marshall, and Dan Morgan



Died on this date
Harry Heilmann, 56. U.S. baseball player. An outfielder and first baseman with the Detroit Tigers (1914, 1916-1929) and Cincinnati Reds (1930, 1932), Mr. Heilmann led the American League in batting percentage in 1921, 1923, 1925, and 1927, batting .342 with 183 home runs and 1,543 runs batted in in 2,147 games. His lifetime average is 12th in major league history, with his best mark being .403 in 1923. He was a radio broadcaster of Tigers' games from 1934-1950. Mr. Heilmann died of lung cancer, 25 days before his 57th birthday and the day before the 1951 All-Star Game was played at Detroit's Briggs Stadium. A campaign by former teammate Ty Cobb to have Mr. Heilmann elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame before his death fell just short, but Mr. Heilmann was easily elected in 1952.

Television
The U.S. National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples accused the new Amos 'n' Andy television comedy series of picturing Negroes as "amoral, semi-literate, lazy, stupid, dishonest and scheming."

War
The Western Allies took steps to end their state of war with Germany, as U.S. President Harry Truman asked Congress to authorize the move.

Defense
West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer urged the creation of a 250,000-man West German army, claiming that Germany must "become strong again" to negotiate with the U.S.S.R. for the return of its eastern territories.

U.S. President Truman nominated U.S. 8th Army commander General James Van Fleet to the rank of four-star general.

Crime
Mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, a trustee of the U.S. Civil Rights Congress, was given a six-month jail sentence in New York for refusing to reveal who had provided the Congress with bail money used for four missing Communist Party U.S.A. leaders convicted of conspiracy.

Society
The World Health Organization reported that the world's population had brown by 826 million during the first half of the 20th century, and was now increasing by 60,000 per day.

Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, reporting the recommendations of a special government commission, urged the initiation of a birth control program and a $3.76-billion agricultural and industrial development drive during the next five years.

Economics and finance
The U.S. National Production Authority ordered steel producers to earmark 95% of their ingot output for military and other essential users under a materials control plan to begin in September.

Disasters
A bus overturned into the Atoyac River near Pueblo, Mexico, killing 50 passengers.

50 years ago
1961

Died on this date
Whittaker Chambers, 60. U.S. journalist and spy. Mr. Chambers, born Jay Vivian Chambers, attended Columbia University before joining the Workers Party of America--later known as the Communist Party USA--in 1925. He wrote for Communist publications and spied on behalf of the U.S.S.R. from 1932-1938, but his faith in Communism gradually waned, especially after fellow spy and friend Juliet Stuart Poyntz was summoned to Moscow in 1937 and was never heard from again. Mr. Chambers broke with Communism in 1938, and met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Adolf Berle in 1939, warning him of Communist agents within the federal government. Mr. Chambers' warnings went unheeded, and he spent the next nine years with Time magazine, writing numerous articles and becoming a senior editor. He also became a Quaker. In August 1948, he testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities and named individuals involved with the "Ware group" of Communists working underground in Washington in the 1930s. One of those named was former State Department official Alger Hiss, who responded by suing Mr. Chambers for libel. Mr. Chambers presented evidence that resulted in Mr. Hiss being tried twice for perjury, convicted in the second trial in 1950. Mr. Chambers published his autobiography Witness (1952), which became a bestseller, and was a senior editor at National Review (1957-1959). He long suffered from heart problems, and died of a heart attack at his farm in Maryland.

Space
The capsule from Discoverer 26, the U.S. satellite launched two days earlier, was recovered in midair by a Hawaii-based U.S. Air Force C-119 plane after 32 orbits of Earth.

Baseball
Sherm Lollar's pinch grand slam off Frank Funk in the 9th inning gave the Chicago White Sox a 7-5 win over the Cleveland Indians in the first game of a doubleheader before 18,950 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. The White Sox completed the sweep with a 9-8 win in the second game.

Frank Lary (13-4) and Jim Bunning (9-6) were the respective winning pitchers as the Detroit Tigers swept a doubleheader from the Los Angeles Angels 1-0 and 6-3 before 36,495 fans at Tiger Stadium to move into first place in the American League.

Ed Bouchee hit a home run in each game to help the Chicago Cubs sweep a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies 9-8 and 8-5 before 20,556 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The second game was called after 8 innings because of darkness.

Frank Robinson batted in 7 runs with 2 home runs, a double, and a single, and Vada Pinson scored 5 runs for the Cincinnati Reds as they routed the Los Angeles Dodgers 14-3 before 20,040 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Joey Jay (12-4) pitched a 5-hit complete game victory and doubled home 2 runs. Roger Craig (3-5) started and took the loss, while Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale were among the four relief pitchers used by Los Angeles.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Mozart: Symphony No. 40 In G Minor K.550 1° Movement (Allegro Molto)--Waldo de Los Rios

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Butterfly--Danyel Gérard (7th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Funny Funny--The Sweet (2nd week at #1)
2 Long Days and Lonely Nights--Lincoln
3 When Love Comes Knocking at Your Door--The Dealians
4 The Seagull's Name was Nelson--Des & Dawn
5 Joy to the World--Three Dog Night
6 If Not for You--Olivia Newton-John
7 Mozart: Symphony No. 40 In G Minor K.550 1° Movement (Allegro Molto)--Waldo de Los Rios
8 Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
9 I Am...I Said--Neil Diamond
10 It Don't Come Easy--Ringo Starr

Singles entering the chart were Rain, Rain, Rain by Gentle People (#14); Sugar, Sugar by Sakkarin (#18); and Hold On (To What You Got) by Peanutbutter Conspiracy (#19).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Never Ending Song of Love--Delaney & Bonnie & Friends (2nd week at #1)
2 Don't Pull Your Love--Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
3 Rainy Days and Mondays--Carpenters
4 Deep Enough for Me--Ocean
5 It's Too Late--Carole King
6 Talking in Your Sleep--Gordon Lightfoot
7 I Love You Lady Dawn--The Bells
8 Draggin' the Line--Tommy James
9 You've Got a Friend--James Taylor
10 How Can You Mend a Broken Heart--The Bee Gees

Singles entering the chart were Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver with Fat City (#24); Liar by Three Dog Night (#27); Southbound Train (Stand Up) by Steel River (#28); Get it On by Chase (#29); and The Last Time I Saw Her by Glen Campbell (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 Never Ending Song of Love--Delaney & Bonnie & Friends (5th week at #1)
2 Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)--Raiders
3 Melting Pot--Booker T. & the M.G.'s
4 You've Got a Friend--James Taylor
5 Don't Pull Your Love--Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
6 Signs--Five Man Electrical Band
7 Draggin' the Line--Tommy James
8 Rainy Days and Mondays--Carpenters
9 Sweet City Woman--Stampeders
10 How Can You Mend a Broken Heart--The Bee Gees

Singles entering the chart were Bring the Boys Home by Freda Payne (#26); Beginnings by Chicago (#27); Get it On by Chase (#28); Talking in Your Sleep by Gordon Lightfoot (#29); and Resurrection Shuffle by Ashton, Gardner & Dyke (#30).

Died on this date
Mike Konnick, 82. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Konnick, born Michael Aloysius Kozicky, was a catcher and shortstop with the Cincinnati Reds (1909-1910) who batted .250 with no home runs and 1 run batted in in 3 games. He played 1,573 games in 17 seasons in the minor leagues (1909-1929), managed in the minors (1925-1929), and scouted with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1961 until his death.

Diplomacy
U.S. national security adviser Henry Kissinger began a secret three-day visit to Peking.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Ottawa (1-1) 5 @ Edmonton (1-1) 1

Baseball
Jim Northrup led off the top of the 11th inning with a single, advanced to second base on a wild pitch, advanced to third on an outfield fly by Dick McAuliffe, and scored on a squeeze sacrifice bunt by Ed Brinkman for the game's only run as the Detroit Tigers edged the Washington Senators 1-0 before 12,800 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. The Senators had runners on first and second bases with 2 out in the bottom of the 11th, but pinch hitter Dave Nelson flied out to right field to end the game. Joe Coleman (8-6) allowed 4 hits in 10 innings to get the win over his former team. Casey Cox (3-5) pitched 2 innings to take the loss in relief of Pete Broberg, who allowed just 5 hits in 9 innings, but walked 3 batters, hit 3 batters, and threw 3 wild pitches.

The Baltimore Orioles scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning and coasted to a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Indians before 34,374 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Jim Palmer (11-4) pitched a 5-hitter to outduel Steve Dunning (6-7).

Mel Stottlemyre (9-7) pitched a 4-hitter, allowing 1 earned run, and hit a solo home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 7th inning to break a 2-2 tie as the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 before 19,016 fans at Yankee Stadium. New York first baseman Felipe Alou batted 3 for 3 with 2 doubles and 2 runs batted in. Gary Peters (8-6) took the loss.

The Chicago White Sox scored all their runs in the 2nd inning as they beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 before 13,917 fans at White Sox Park, with Joe Horlen (4-6) pitching a 7-hit complete game victory, without allowing an earned run.

Kansas City shortstop Fred Patek hit for the cycle to lead the Royals to a 6-3 win over the Minnesota Twins before 11,698 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. His home run, a 2-run blast, broke a 3-3 tie with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning, and Paul Schaal followed with a home run.

Curt Blefary was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the 20th inning, advanced to second base on a 1-out single by Dick Green, and scored on a 2-out single by Angel Mangual to give the Oakland Athletics a 1-0 win over the California Angels before 22,938 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in the American League's longest shutout ever. Oakland starting pitcher Vida Blue struck out 17 batters in 11 innings, and California starter Rudy May allowed just 3 hits and struck out 13 in 12 innings; the teams combined for 43 strikeouts. Billy Cowan of the Angels struck out 6 times, and his teammate Tony Conigliaro fanned 5 times.



Atlanta Braves' shortstop Leo Foster playing his first major league game, made an error on his first fielding chance, hit into a double play in the 5th inning, and hit into a triple play in the 7th as the Braves lost 11-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates before 29,678 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Willie Stargell hit his 29th home run of the season and drove in 4 runs for Pittsburgh, and Manny Sanguillen added 4 RBIs, while Nelson Briles (5-1) allowed 11 hits in a complete game victory and singled home a run.

Steve Renko (8-9) pitched a 1-hitter to outduel Chris Short (5-10) as the Montreal Expos shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 before 14,847 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Willie Montanez singled with 2 out in the bottom of the 1st inning for the only Philadelphia hit. Mr. Renko batted 1 for 3 with a run.

Relief pitcher Wayne Granger hit his only major league home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th inning to provide an insurance run for the Cincinnati Reds as they defeated the New York Mets 6-4 before 25,806 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. George Foster also homered for the Reds. Ross Grimsley (5-4) was the winning pitcher over Tom Seaver (10-5), who allowed 8 hits and 4 runs--all earned--in 3+ innings.

Steve Carlton (12-5) and Jerry Reuss (8-8) were the respective winning pitchers for the St. Louis Cardinals as they swept a doubleheader from the Houston Astros 5-2 and 9-5 before 24,748 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

The San Francisco Giants erupted for 6 runs in the top of the 9th inning to overcome a 4-1 deficit and defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 before 53,564 fans at Dodger Stadium. Claude Osteen allowed 11 hits but just 2 runs--both earned--in 8+ innings for Los Angeles, but Jim Brewer (4-3) and Pete Mikkelsen failed to preserve the lead.

Ivan Murrell led off the bottom of the 5th inning with a triple and Ed Spiezio followed with a sacrifice fly to score Mr. Murrell with the only run as the San Diego Padres edged the Chicago Cubs 1-0 in the first game of a doubleheader before 12,465 fans at San Diego Stadium. The Cubs had runners on first and second bases with none out and first and third with 1 out in the 9th, but Bob Miller relieved Dave Roberts and induced Jim Hickman to ground into a double play to end the game. Mr. Roberts (7-9) allowed 5 hits in 8.1 innings to win the pitchers' duel over Bill Hands (9-9), who allowed 6 hits in 7 innings. Nate Colbert hit a 3-run home run and tripled home another run to help the Padres complete the sweep with a 7-2 win in the second game, as Steve Arlin (4-12) pitched a 5-hit complete game victory, not allowing an earned run.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Medley--Stars on 45 (6th week at #1)
2 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes
3 The One that You Love--Air Supply
4 Sukiyaki--A Taste of Honey
5 All Those Years Ago--George Harrison
6 Hearts--Marty Balin
7 Boy from New York City--The Manhattan Transfer
8 Nobody Wins--Elton John
9 Winning--Santana
10 Modern Girl--Sheena Easton

The only single entering the chart was Theme from "Greatest American Hero" (Believe it or Not) by Joey Scarbury (#20).

Died on this date
Meyer Levin, 75. U.S. writer. Mr. Levin wrote several books of non-fiction Judaica, and more than a dozen novels. His best-known work was the novel (1956) and play (1957) Compulsion, based on the 1924 murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks by University of Chicago graduates Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, who wanted to demonstrate their intellectual superiority by committing a "perfect murder." Mr. Levin had been a U of C classmate of Mr. Leopold, who disapproved of Mr. Levin's depiction of him. Mr. Levin died of a stroke in Jerusalem, where he maintained a second home.

Popular culture
Nintendo released the arcade game Donkey Kong, which featured the debut of Mario, one of the most famous characters in video game history.

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Touch Me (I Want Your Body)--Samantha Fox

Died on this date
Nicholas VI, 71. Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, 1968-1986. Nicholas VI was preceded by Christopher II and succeeded by Parthenius III.

Abominations
The Parliament of New Zealand passed the Homosexual Law Reform Act, legalizing homosexual acts in New Zealand.

Baseball
The New York Yankees traded pitcher Ed Whitson to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Tim Stoddard. Mr. Whitson had become the target of so much abuse from fans that New York manager Lou Piniella would no longer allow him to pitch at Yankee Stadium. In 14 games with the Yankees in 1986, Mr. Whitson was 5-2 with an earned run average of 7.54; Mr. Stoddard was 1-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 30 games with the Padres in 1986.

20 years ago
1991

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney met U.S. President George Bush at SkyDome in Toronto for talks on a common approach to aid for Soviet Union.

Scandal
The closure of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International cost about 20 local councils in England up to £30 million in investments.

Baseball
Major League All-Star Game @ SkyDome, Toronto
National League 2 @ American League 4

Cal Ripken, Jr. hit a 3-run home run and was named the game's most valuable player; it was the fourth straight win for the AL. Jimmy Key of the Toronto Blue Jays was the winning pitcher, while Dennis Martinez of the Montreal Expos took the loss before 52,383 fans.



10 years ago
2001

Science
Experiments by physicists at Stanford University showed that matter and anti-matter decay at different rates, helping to explain the predominance of matter.

Business
Montreal-based Bombardier announced a $2.6-billion contract to supply 75 regional jets to Northwest Airlines in the United States.