August 10, 2011

1,070 years ago
941

Born on this date
Lê Hoàn. Emperor of Đại Cồ Việt, 980-1005. Lê Hoàn was a generalissimo who commanded a 10,000-man army of Emperor Đinh Bộ Lĩnh, who was assassinated in 979 and was succeeded by his 6-year-old son Đinh Toàn. Lê Hoàn deposed Đinh Toàn, married his mother, Queen Duong Van Nga, and installed himself as Emperor. He commanded the army that successfully held off a Chinese invasion in 981, and led an seaborne invasion of the southern Champa kingdom in 982. Emperor Lê Hoàn died on March 18, 1005 at the age of 64; a power struggle between his sons resulted in Le Long Dinh seizing power after murdering his brother Lê Long Việt.

1,020 years ago
991

War
English forces led by Byrhtnoth, Ealdorman of Essex were defeated by a band of inland-raiding Vikings in the Battle of Maldon in Essex.

370 years ago
1641

War
The Treaty of London was signed between England and Scotland, ending the Bishops' Wars.

270 years ago
1741

War
King Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the Dutch East India Company in the Battle of Colachel, effectively bringing about the end of the Dutch colonial rule in India.

190 years ago
1821

Born on this date
Jay Cooke. U.S. financier. Mr. Cooke opened the private banking house of Jay Cooke & Company in Philadelphia on January 1, 1861; he's generally acknowledged as the first major investment banker in the United States and creator of the first wire house firm. Mr. Cooke helped finance the Union war effort during the American Civil War and the Northern Pacific Railway after the war. He died on February 16, 1905 at the age of 83.

Americana
Missouri entered the union as the 24th state.

150 years ago
1861

War
A mixed force of Confederate, Missouri State Guard, and Arkansas State troops defeated outnumbered attacking Union forces in the Battle of Wilson's Creek in southwestern Missouri.

120 years ago
1891

Transportation
The first train of the Calgary & Edmonton Railway (C&E) from Calgary arrived at Strathcona, Alberta.

110 years ago
1901

Labour
The U.S. Steel recognition strike by the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers began.

90 years ago
1921

Americana
Future U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was stricken with polio at the family's summer home on Campobello Island, New Brunswick.

70 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Jess Dunn. U.S. prison warden. Tab Ford. U.S. prison guard. Claude Beavers; Roy Magee. U.S. convicts. Mr. Dunn, the warden of Oklahoma State Prison, and Mr. Ford, a county jailer, were killed along with Messrs. Beavers and Magee in a gun battle during an attempted prison break in McAlester, Oklahoma.

War
The U.S.S.R. reported stubborn fighting at Soltsy, 120 miles south of Leningrad, and at Uman, 130 miles south of Kiev.

Diplomacy
In a radio broadcast from London to the women of America, Queen Elizabeth thanked the United States for its aid to Britain.

60 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Blunder, starring Robert Allen, Ann Loring, and Philip Faversham



War
The United States resumed Korean truce negotiations in Kaesong. The South Korean government reported that over 400,000 refugees had fled from North Korea in the past two weeks, 270,000 making their way through the battle front and 150,000 coming by sea.

Diplomacy
Poland charged in a protest note that the United States had violated its 1931 treaty of friendship, commerce, and consular relations with Poland by revoking most-favored-nation trade concessions.

Defense
Venezuela signed a four-year agreement permitting U.S. military advisers to help train its armed forces.

U.S. President Harry Truman ordered all government agencies to cooperate in a plant dispersal program aimed at encouraging construction of new plants out of bomb range of cities and established industrial areas.

Science
Viscount Samuel, president of Britain's Royal Institute of Philosophy, challenged Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, and proposed a new theory of "energetic ether" to account for the characteristics of light and other phenomena.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor Executive Council approved a proposal to end the organization's policy of cooperating with the Congress of Industrial Organizations on common objectives and participating in the United Labor Policy Committee.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade): The Boll Weevil Song--Brook Benton (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): You Don't Know--Helen Shapiro

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Grant Devitt!

Died on this date
Julia Peterkin, 80. U.S. authoress. Miss Peterkin wrote novels and short stories about her native South Carolina; she wrote several novels about the Gullah people, and was one of the few white writers who wrote about the Negro American experience. Her novel Scarlet Sister Mary (1928) won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

War
The U.S. Army began Operation Ranch Hand, spraying an estimated 20 million U.S. gallons (76,000 cubic metres) of defoliants and herbicides over rural areas of South Vietnam in an attempt to deprive the Viet Cong of food and vegetation cover.

Politics and government
U.S. President John F. Kennedy addressed various issues at a press conference in Washington.



Football
CFL
Calgary (1-1) 20 @ Saskatchewan (0-1) 10

Baseball
Frank Dascoli, a National League umpire since 1948, was fired by NL President Warren Giles. Mr. Dascoli had recently made remarks critical of the league's operations.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Kvällstoppen): Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)--Raiders (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Sweet Hitch-Hiker--Creedence Clearwater Revival

Baseball
16 researchers founded the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) at Cooperstown, New York, with founder Robert Davids as president.

The Pittsburgh Pirates sold pitcher Mudcat Grant to the Oakland Athletics; Mr. Grant, who had been traded from the Athletics to the Pirates 11 months earlier, was 5-3 with a 3.60 earned run average and 7 saves in 42 games with Pittsburgh in 1971, batting .250 with 1 run batted in.

Juan Marichal (11-8) pitched a 2-hitter for his 50th career major league shutout and helped to win the game with his bat as the San Francisco Giants edged the Montreal Expos 1-0 before 6,879 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Montreal pitcher Bill Stoneman (12-10) walked 9 batters, but allowed just 2 hits through the first 8 innings. With 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, Alan Gallagher singled, and Mr. Marichal doubled, with pinch runner Frank Duffy stopping at third base. Bobby Bonds drew a base on balls to load the bases, and Tito Fuentes singled home Mr. Duffy to end the game.

The Oakland Athletics hit 3 home runs in each game as they swept a doubleheader from the Boston Red Sox 6-5 and 7-5 before 30,004 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Mudcat Grant, reacquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the day, allowed 3 hits and 1 run--earned--in 3.1 innings to get the save in the second game.

Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins hit his 500th and 501st career major league home runs off Mike Cuellar, but Mr. Cuellar (14-5) and the Orioles beat the Twins 4-3 before 15,881 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington as Merv Rettenmund homered to lead off the 10th inning to break a 3-3 tie.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Medley--Stars on 45 (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Shiroi Parasol--Seiko Matsuda (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Enola Gay--Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes (5th week at #1)

Discovered dead on this date
Adam Walsh, 6. U.S. crime victim. Master Walsh accompanied his mother Revé on a shopping trip to the Hollywood Mall in Hollywood, Florida on July 27, 1981, was temporarily left alone, and mistakenly ejected from the mall. He disappeared, and his severed head was found in a drainage canal; asphyxiation was ruled to be the cause of death. A drifter and convicted serial killer named Ottis Toole confessed to Adam's murder, later recanted his confession, and died in prison in 1996. Police closed the case in 2008 and were satisified that Mr. Toole was the killer. The discovery of Master Walsh's head was reported in The Edmonton Sun under the headline Boy's Head Found, which appeared under an article headlined Buried Alive. Adam's father John Walsh subsequently became an advocate for crime victims, and hosted the television program America's Most Wanted (1988-2011).

Baseball
Bobby Valentine singled home Joel Youngblood from second base with 1 out in the top of the 13th inning to break a 5-5 tie and the New York Mets added another run as they beat the Chicago Cubs 7-5 before 7,551 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago in the first day of regular season major league action since the end of the two-month player strike, and the first day of the second half of the split season. The Mets took a 3-run lead in the 11th and a 1-run lead in the 12th only to have the Cubs tie the score.

Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies singled off Mark Littell of the St. Louis Cardinals for his 3,631st career hit, breaking Stan Musial's National League record. The Cardinals won 7-3 before 60,561 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

John Lowenstein singled home pinch runner Cal Ripken, Jr. from second base with none out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Baltimore Orioles a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals before 19,850 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Mr. Ripken was making his major league debut, running for Ken Singleton, who led off the inning with a double. Eddie Murray was intentionally walked immediately prior to Mr. Lowenstein's hit. Kansas City right fielder Daryl Motley also made his major league debut, batting 1 for 5, and making 2 putouts.

Graig Nettles hit a solo home run with 2 out in the 2nd inning and Oscar Gamble added a solo homer with 1 out in the 4th to provide all the scoring as the New York Yankees shut out the Texas Rangers 2-0 before 40,373 fans at Yankee Stadium. Tommy John (6-4) allowed 2 hits in 7 innings to get the win, while losing pitcher Danny Darwin (7-5) allowed no hits other than the home runs in 5 innings. Each team had just 3 hits in the game, which was played in 1 hor 43 minutes.

Kirk Gibson led off the bottom of the 9th inning with a base on balls and scored from third base on a bases-loaded single by Alan Trammell with 1 out to give the Detroit Tigers a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays before 15,187 fans at Tiger Stadium. Greg Wells made his major league debut with the Blue Jays as a pinch hitter in the top of the 9th, singling home pinch runner George Bell from second base to tie the score 3-3. Mr. Wells remained in the game at first base, but had no fielding chances.

Intercontinental Cup @ Renfrew Park, Edmonton
Japan (1-3) 0 @ South Korea (3-1) 2
U.S.A. (4-0) 14 @ Australia (1-4) 2
Dominican Republic (3-2) 8 @ Cuba (2-2) 4

One of the Cuban radio broadcasters spent some time sitting in a chair on the roof of the Renfrew Park press box in shock at his country's second straight loss after having not lost a game in international competition in three years.

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Sailing Away--All of Us (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Lessons in Love--Level 42 (2nd week at #1)

Music
This blogger attended the Edmonton Folk Festival in Gallagher Park, where the performers included John Stewart and Donovan. I had the pleasure of meeting Donovan.

Baseball
Bob Forsch hit a grand slam and was the winning pitcher as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 before 32,686 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Mr. Forsch (12-6) allowed 4 hits and 4 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings.

Dennis Powell (2-3) and Ken Howell combined to pitch a 3-hit shutout and Greg Brock hit 2 home runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers blanked the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 before 29,701 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

Pinch hitter Harry Spilman singled home 2 runs with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning to give the San Francisco Giants a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves before 17,695 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Darell Evans hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 7th inning, but Rich Gedman responded with a grand slam in the top of the 8th to provide the winning margin as the Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 9-6 before 39,866 fans at Tiger Stadium. Don Baylor hit 2 homers for the Red Sox and Jim Rice added another, while Alan Trammell also homered for Detroit.

Steve Balboni batted 4 for 5 with a home run, double, 3 runs, and 5 runs batted in as the Kansas City Royals routed the New York Yankees 13-3 before 40,198 fans at Royals Stadium. Jim Sundberg hit 2 homers for the Royals, and Daryl Motley added a grand slam.

Gorman Thomas hit a solo home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox before 26,352 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

Rick Leach's sacrifice fly scored Ron Shepherd with the winning run as the Toronto Blue Jays edged the Texas Rangers 8-7 in 10 innings before 15,040 fans at Arlington Stadium.

Mike Witt (13-7) allowed 3 hits in 8 innings for the California Angels as they shut out the Seattle Mariners 3-0 before 28,939 fans at Anaheim Stadium.

The Oakland Athletics swept a doubleheader from the Minnesota Twins 6-2 and 6-5 before 13,455 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)--Crystal Waters (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)--Crystal Waters (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams

#1 single in France (SNEP): La Zoubida--Lagaf' (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (CIN): (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (5th week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams
2 Driver's Seat--Sniff 'n' the Tears
3 Now that We Found Love--Heavy D and the Boyz
4 Burbujas de Amor--Juan Luis Guerra y 4;40
5 You Could Be Mine--Guns N' Roses
6 Send Me an Angel--Scorpions
7 More than Words--Extreme
8 Baila Me--Gipsy Kings
9 I Wanna Sex You Up--Color Me Badd
10 Baila Mi Rumba--Rumba Tres

Singles entering the chart were Zomer by André Hazes (#22); All My Loving by Los Manolos (#26); Love and Understanding by Cher (#29); Doar Maak Ik Gin Probleem Van by Normaal (#32); Temporary Madness by Golden Earring (#35); and Jealous Again by the Black Crowes (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (3rd week at #1)
2 P.A.S.S.I.O.N.--Rythm Syndicate
3 Every Heartbeat--Amy Grant
4 Summertime--D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
5 It Ain't Over 'til it's Over--Lenny Kravitz
6 Temptation--Corina
7 Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)--Roxette
8 I'll Be There--Escape Club
9 Right Here, Right Now--Jesus Jones
10 Wind of Change--Scorpions

Singles entering the chart were Do Anything by Natural Selection featuring Niki Haris (#58); Running Back to You by Vanessa Williams (#72); Love...Thy Will Be Done by Martika (#77); Low Rider (On the Boulevard) by Latin Alliance featuring War (#84); Chorus by Erasure (#85); If I Say by Kingofthehill (#86); Louder than Love by TKA (#87); Silver Thunderbird by Marc Cohn (#89); Just Ask Me To by Tevin Campbell (#92); and Till Somebody Loves You by Henry Lee Summer (#93). Just Ask Me To was from the movie Boyz n the Hood (1991).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (2nd week at #1)
2 Every Heartbeat--Amy Grant
3 P.A.S.S.I.O.N.--Rythm Syndicate
4 Right Here, Right Now--Jesus Jones
5 Fading Like a Flower--Roxette
6 Unbelievable—EMF
7 It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over--Lenny Kravitz
8 Temptation--Corina
9 I'll Be There--Escape Club
10 Place in this World--Michael W. Smith

Singles entering the chart were Hole Hearted by Extreme (#58); Love...Thy Will Be Done by Martika (#71); Do Anything by Natural Selection featuring Niki Haris (#75); The One and Only by Chesney Hawkes (#84); Now that We Found Love by Heavy D & the Boyz (#86); and Just Want to Hold You by Jasmine Guy (#88).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (2nd week at #1)
2 Fading Like a Flower--Roxette
3 It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over--Lenny Kravitz
4 Superman's Song--Crash Test Dummies
5 Something to Talk About--Bonnie Raitt
6 Learning to Fly--Tom Petty
7 Every Heartbeat--Amy Grant
8 Rush Rush—Paula Abdul
9 The Motown Song--Rod Stewart (with the Temptations)
10 Crazy--Seal

Singles entering the chart were I Want You Back by West End Girls (#80); Play with Me by Bootsauce (#88); Love of a Lifetime by Firehouse (#91); End of the Line by the Allman Brothers Band (#92); Power Windows by Billy Falcon (#93); All of a Sudden by Joe Walsh (#95); Till Somebody Loves You by Henry Lee Summer (#97); and Satisfied by Squeeze (#98).

Oddities
The baseball game between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves was delayed for five minutes when a moth became lodged in an ear of Houston outfielder Mike Simms. Houston trainer Dave Labossiere removed the moth with tweezers. Atlanta won the game 4-0.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (4-1) 38 @ Hamilton (0-5) 13

Tracy Ham threw touchdown passes to Blake Marshall, Jim Sandusky, and David Williams in the 1st half as the Eskimos defeated the Tiger-Cats before 15,107 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Wally Zatylny scored the Hamilton touchdown in the 3rd quarter on a 75-yard pass from Todd Dillon in the 3rd quarter. The Eskimos' total of 38 points remains the greatest total they've ever scored in a single game in Hamilton. This was the last game in the 11-year Hall of Fame career of Tiger-Cats' defensive lineman Grover Covington.

Baseball
Carlton Fisk hit a 3-run home run in the 1st inning and Ozzie Guillen's first homer of the season, a 2-run blast in the 7th inning, provided the winning margin as the Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 before 39,494 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

Jack Clark and Tony Pena each drove in 3 runs as the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-1 before 50,304 fans at SkyDome in Toronto. Greg A. Harris (8-11) pitched a 4-hit complete game to win the pitching matchup against Todd Stottlemyre (10-5).

Al Leiter (4-2) and Walt Terrell (8-10) were the respective winning pitchers as the Detroit Tigers swept a twi-night doubleheader from the New York Yankees 5-1 and 4-0 before 28,744 fans at Yankee Stadium. Mr. Terrell pitched a 4-hit shutout in the second game.

Dave Otto (1-2) allowed 7 hits in 8 innings to get his first major league win as the Cleveland Indians edged the Kansas City Royals 1-0 before 38,209 fans at Royals Stadium. Losing pitcher Bret Saberhagen (8-6) allowed 5 hits and 1 earned run in pitching a complete game. The Indians scored the only run in the 7th inning when Chris James doubled, advanced to third base on a passed ball, and scored on a single by Albert Belle. Harvey Pulliam made his major league debut in left field for the Royals, batting 1 for 2 with a base on balls.

The Seattle Mariners scored 5 runs in the 1st inning and coasted to an 8-0 win over the Minnesota Twins before 29,548 fans at the Kingdome in Seattle. Erik Hanson (7-5) allowed 8 hits in 8 innings to get the win, while Scott Erickson (15-4) allowed 5 hits, 2 bases on balls, and 5 earned runs in 2/3 inning.

John Smoltz (8-12) allowed 2 hits in 7 innings for the Atlanta Braves as they shut out the Houston Astros 4-0 before 41,251 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Andy Van Slyke and Barry Bonds hit home runs to help the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-5 before 49,939 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Hector Fajardo made his major league debut as the Pirates' starting pitcher, allowing 4 hits, 4 bases on balls, and 4 runs--all earned-- in 2+ innings.

Greg W. Harris (3-3) pitched a 6-hit shutout to win the pitchers' duel over Jose Rijo (8-3) as the San Diego Padres edged the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 before 36,861 fans at Jack Murphy-San Diego Stadium. Fred McGriff singled home Tony Fernandez with 2 out in the bottom of the 3rd inning for the game's only run.

The San Francisco Giants scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 before 53,096 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Lou Boudreau, 84. U.S. baseball player, manager, and executive. Mr. Boudreau was a shortstop with the Cleveland Indians (1938-1950) and Boston Red Sox (1951-1952), batting .295 with 68 home runs and 789 runs batted in in 1,646 games. He led the American League in 1944 with a .327 batting average, and hit .355 in 1948 with 18 homers and 106 runs batted in. Mr. Boudreau managed the Indians (1942-1950); Red Sox (1951-1954); Kansas City Athletics (1955-1957); and Chicago Cubs (1960), compiling a record of 1,162-1,224-18 (.483), leading the Indians to the World Series championship in 1948. Mr. Boudreau broadcast Cubs games on radio from 1958-1987, switching positions with manager Charlie Grimm for part of the 1960 season. Mr. Boudreau, who had played basketball with the University of Illinois from 1936-38 and the Hammond Ciesar All-Americans of the National Basketball League from 1939-40, also broadcast Chicago Bulls' games on radio from 1966-1968. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970.

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Discovery launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida to begin the 12-day mission STS-105 to the International Space Station. The seven-member crew, commanded by Scott Horowitz, included three astronauts of Expedition 3 to replace the three-member crew of Expedition 2.



Terrorism
União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) (UNITA) derailed a train travelling between the Angolan towns of Zenza and Dondo with an anti-tank mine and then attacked the passengers with small arms fire, killing 252 people and injuring 165.

Crime
Former British Member of Parliament Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine denied that they had committed a serious sexual assault against a young woman several months earlier.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (3-3) 17 @ Montreal (5-1) 27



Toronto (2-4) 16 @ Winnipeg (4-2) 36