August 15, 2011

Married on this date
Happy Anniversary, Janet & Tim Sproule!

840 years ago
1171

Born on this date
Alfonso IX. King of León and Galicia, 1188-1230. Alfonso IX acceded to the thrones upon the death of his father Ferdinand II. He participated in the Reconquista, and had two marriages that were annulled because of consanguinity. King Alfonso fathered eight legitimate children by his marriages, and many illegitimate children. He died on September 23 or 24, 1230 at the age of 59, and was succeeded on his thrones by his son Ferdinand III, who was already King of Castile.

750 years ago
1261

Europeana
Michael VIII entered Constantinople and was crowned Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

730 years ago
1281

War
The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan was destroyed by a "divine wind" for the second time in the Battle of Kōan near what is now Fukuoka, Kyūshū.

550 years ago
1461

War
The Empire of Trebizond surrendered to the forces of Sultan Mehmed II; this is regarded by some historians as the real end of the Byzantine Empire.

500 years ago
1511

War
Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquered Malacca, capital of the Malacca Sultanate.

240 years ago
1771

Born on this date
Walter Scott. U.K. writer. Sir Walter, a native of Edinburgh, was a judge and legal administrator by profession, and wrote poetry and two volumes of the History of Scotland (1829-1830), but was best known for historical novels such as Rob Roy (1817) and Ivanhoe (1819). He died of a stroke on September 21, 1832 at the age of 61, after a period of failing health.

130 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Alfred Wagenknecht. German-born U.S. politician. Mr. Wagenknecht moved with his family to the United States in 1884. He became involved in radical politics from an early age, and joined the Socialist Party of America in Seattle in the early 1900s. Mr. Wagenknecht was an unsuccessful candidate for public office on several occasions. He was a member of the Left Wing Section of the SPA, which eventually split from the party; in 1919, Mr. Wagenknecht co-founded the Communist Labor Party, merged several years later into the party that became the Communist Party U.S.A. He worked for the party in various roles until his death on August 26, 1956, 11 days after his 75th birthday.

Academia
Helen Connon of New Zealand became the first woman in the British Empire to gain a Master’s degree when she achieved first-class honours in English and Latin at Canterbury University College.

125 years ago
1886

Baseball
Guy Hecker of the Louisville Colonels hit 3 inside-the-park home runs, had 6 hits, and scored 7 runs as the Colonels whipped the Baltimore Orioles.

The St. Louis Browns routed the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers 19-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

110 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Arnulfo Arias Madrid. President of Panamá, 1940-1941, 1949-1951, 1968. Dr. Arias was an American-trained physician who opposed excessive U.S. influence in Panama. He led a coup in 1931 that deposed President Florencio Harmodio Arosemena and installed Dr. Arias' brother Harmodio as President, with Arnulfo holding cabinet and diplomatic posts. Dr. Arias was twice elected President in the 1940s, but was twice deposed by coups, going into exile and eventually returning. He was elected President again in 1968 as the head of a five-party coalition; he took office on October 1, but was deposed by another coup on October 11, after just ten days in office. Dr. Arias ran for President again in 1984 at the age of 83, and exit polls showed him with a substantial lead, but Nicolás Ardito Barletta, the favoured candidate of military leader Manuel Noriega, was declared a close winner, beginning General Noriega's dictatorship. Dr. Arias fled into exile in Florida, where he died of a heart attack on August 10, 1988, five days before his 87th birthday.

Sam Perrin. U.S. radio and television writer. Mr. Perrin was one of the writers of The Jack Benny Program on radio and television in the 1950s and '60s. He was nominated for Emmy Awards seven times from 1955-1963, sharing the Emmies with George Balzer, Al Gordon, and Hal Goldman for Best Writing of a Single Program of a Comedy Series (1959) and Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy (1960). Mr. Perrin died on January 8, 1998 at the age of 96.

100 years ago
1911

Technology
Procter & Gamble introduced Crisco vegetable shortening.

75 years ago
1936

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Louis Hector and Harry West, on MBS
Tonight’s episode: The Naval Treaty

Died on this date
Grazia Deledda, 64. Italian authoress. Miss Deledda was awarded the 1926 Nobel Prize in Literature "for her idealistically inspired writings which with plastic clarity picture the life on her native island [i.e. Sardinia] and with depth and sympathy deal with human problems in general."

70 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Josef Jakobs, 43. German military spy. Corporal Jakobs parachuted from the Netherlands into England on January 31, 1941, but broke his ankle on landing, and was arrested the following day after firing his pistol to get the attention of two farmer. He was convicted by a court-martial on August 5 of espionage as an enemy combatant, and was executed by firing squad at the Tower of London at 7:12 A.M., making him the last person to be executed at the Tower.

War
The German command in Paris warned that any person engaging in Communist agitation or aiding the Communist would be regarded as "Germany's enemy" and be liable to the death penalty.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill sent a message to U.S.S.R. dictator Josef Stalin urging a conference in Moscow at which "high representatives" would discuss the use of joint resources to end war. A Japanese news agency said that the Atlantic Charter was a plot by which the U.S.A. and U.K. intended to establish their own world order.

The Japanese government announced that Japan and Thailand had decided to raise their ministers to the rank of ambassador in order to enhance their friendly relations.

The Cuban government announced that five German consular officials had been ordered to leave the country by September 5, 1941.

Defense
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed a conference-approved $7.55-million supplemental defense appropriations bill.

Politics and government
The Ecuadorian cabinet resigned in order to give President Carlos Arroyo del Rio freedom to reorganize his administration.

Oil
U.S. Price Administrator Leon Henderson ordered a 10% reduction in the amount of gasoline that could be delivered to filling stations in 17 Eastern states.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board issued tentative regulations restricting installment purchases as a curb on inflation.

60 years ago
1951

On the radio
Pete Kelly's Blues, starring Jack Webb, on NBC

Died on this date
Oscar Benson, 76. U.S. bureaucrat. Mr. Benson and Gertrude Warren co-authored the U.S. Department of Agriculture document Organization and Results of Boys' and Girls' Club Work (1920), marking the first use of the term "4-H Club" in a federal document.

Artur Schnabel, 69. Austro-Hungarian born musician and composer. Mr. Schnabel was born in what is now part of Poland, but moved to Vienna with his family at the age of 2. He began his career as a concert pianist in 1897, moved to Berlin in 1898, and became known for his performances of the works of German composers, especially Beethoven and Schubert. Mr. Schnabel fled Germany after the Nazis came to power in 1933, eventually settling in the United States in 1939 and becoming an American citizen in 1944. His compositions included three symphonies, works for piano, and chamber and choral works. Mr. Schnabel died in Switzerland.

War
The U.S. Air Force began Operation Strangle, a 10-month effort to destroy Communist railroads and supply lines in North Korea.

Aviation
Test pilot Bill Bridgeman flew a U.S. Navy Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket at 1,000 miles per hour to 72,394 feet (13.7 miles), the highest altitude yet reached by a manned vehicle.

World events
A court in San Juan, Puerto Rico convicted Puerto Rican nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos of attempting to overthrow the government by force in the previous year's revolt.

Protest
West German police drove back 9,000 Communist youth movement members as they tried to parade through West Berlin in an anti-American demonstration after attending the World Youth Festival in East Berlin.

Oil
Iran rejected a British plan providing for the creation of a new agency staffed mainly by British technicians to operate Iran's oil industry.

Economics and finance
The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa announced agreement on a plan to support wool prices by financing an international authority to buy wool when prices fell.

Labour
New York City schoolteachers ended a 15-month slowdown on extracurricular activities when the city's Board of Estimate approved pay increases bringing the maximum annual salary to $6,500.

Disasters
The New Zealand steamship Wahine, transformed into a troop ship for the Korean War, ran aground on Masela Island in the Arafura Sea, east of Timor, while en route to Korea. There were no fatalities, but the ship was a total loss.

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Joe Louis (66-2) won a unanimous 10-round decision over Jimmy Bivins (78-21-1) at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. It turned out to be the Brown Bomber's last win.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Hello Mary Lou/Travelin' Man--Ricky Nelson (6th week at #1)

Space
The United States launched the satellite Explorer 12, whose mission was to obtain data on solar wind, interplanetary magnetic fields, particles in space, and the Van Allen belts. The mission was expected to end in 1962.

World events
Border guard Conrad Schumann fled from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (0-3) 21 @ Hamilton (1-0) 30

40 years ago
1971

Died on this date
Paul Lukas, 77. Hungarian-born U.S. actor. Mr. Lukas, born in Budapest as Pál Lukács, began his stage and screen career in his native country, but also worked in Germany and Austria before moving to Hollywod in 1927. He appeared in numerous films, plays, radio programs, and television programs, but was best known for playing anti-Nazi German émigré in the play (1941) and film (1943) Watch on the Rhine, winning the Academy Award for his starring screen performance. Mr. Lukas was visiting Tangier, Morocco, apparently searching for a place to spend his retirement years, when he died.

Science
The Stanford prison experiment officially began, under the leadership of Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo. The experiment was intended to see what the psychological effects were of becoming a prisoner or prison guard. Stanford students were recruited through an advertisement and, once selected, were randomly assigned as guards or prisoners. The experiment, which was ended by Dr. Zimbardo on August 20 after just six days, has been criticized for its ethics and methodology, and its findings have been questioned.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Richard Nixon, in a surprise move designed to cope with the inflationary spiral in the country, ordered an immediate 90-day freeze on wages, rents, and prices. He also ended the traditional convertibility of the U.S. dollar to gold in order to defend it against international speculators, and ordered a 10% surcharge on imported goods.

Sport
British equestrian Harvey Smith was stripped of his first-prize earnings for allegedly making an obscene hand gesture toward the British Show Jumping Derby's judges.



30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Out Here on My Own--Nikka Costa

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Caribbean Disco Club--Lobo

#1 single in Ireland: Green Door--Shakin' Stevens

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Happy Birthday--Stevie Wonder

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Green Door--Shakin' Stevens (3rd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Strada del sole--Rainhard Fendrich (3rd week at #1)
2 Hello Man--Cosmetics
3 Stars on 45--Stars on 45
4 Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)--Ottawan
5 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes
6 You Drive Me Crazy--Shakin' Stevens
7 Sarà perché ti amo--Ricchi & Poveri
8 Agadou--Saragossa Band
9 Stand & Deliver!--Adam and the Ants
10 Oh No No--Bernie Paul

Singles entering the chart were Hello Man; You Drive Me Crazy; Stand & Deliver!; Only Crying by Keith Marshall (#13); and Louise (We Get it Right) by Jona Lewie (#14).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 One Day in Your Life--Michael Jackson (4th week at #1)
2 De Nederlandse Sterre Die Strale Overal!--Rubberen Robbie
3 Caribbean Disco Show--Lobo
4 More Stars--Stars on 45
5 No Me Hables--Juan Pardo
6 Wordy Rappinghood--Tom Tom Club
7 A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)--Ray Parker, Jr. & Raydio
8 Rio--Maywood
9 Going Back to My Roots--Odyssey
10 Hold on Tight--Electric Light Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton (#26); (Si Si) Je Suis un Rock Star by Bill Wyman (#28); The Old Calahan "Live" by BZN (#34); and Me No Pop I by Kid Creole & The Coconuts present Coati Mundi (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Endless Love--Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
2 Theme from "Greatest American Hero" (Believe it or Not)--Joey Scarbury
3 I Don't Need You--Kenny Rogers
4 Jessie's Girl--Rick Springfield
5 Elvira--The Oak Ridge Boys
6 Slow Hand--Pointer Sisters
7 Boy from New York City--The Manhattan Transfer
8 Hearts--Marty Balin
9 Queen of Hearts--Juice Newton
10 (There's) No Gettin' Over Me--Ronnie Milsap

Singles entering the chart were Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do) by Christopher Cross (#71); Backfired by Debbie Harry (#75); All I Have to Do is Dream by Andy Gibb and Victoria Principal (#81); Just Once by Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram (#84); When She was My Girl by the Four Tops (#85); Burnin' for You by Blue Oyster Cult (#87); Silly by Deniece Williams (#88); La-Di-Da by Sad Cafe (#90); and Very Special by Debra Laws (#94). Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do) was from the movie Arthur (1981).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Endless Love--Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
2 Theme from "Greatest American Hero" (Believe it or Not)--Joey Scarbury
3 Slow Hand--Pointer Sisters
4 Jessie's Girl--Rick Springfield
5 Elvira--The Oak Ridge Boys
6 I Don't Need You--Kenny Rogers
7 The One That You Love—Air Supply
8 Boy from New York City--The Manhattan Transfer
9 Hearts--Marty Balin
10 Queen of Hearts--Juice Newton

Singles entering the chart were Arthur's Theme by Christopher Cross (#71); Backfired by Debbie Harry (#78); Burnin' for You by Blue Oyster Cult (#85); Just Once by Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram (#89); and Silly by Deniece Williams (#90).

Endless Love, one of the dreariest songs of its time, was the title song of a movie that was, according to Leonard Maltin, one of the worst of its time.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Endless Love--Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
2 Jessie's Girl--Rick Springfield
3 Theme from "Greatest American Hero" (Believe it or Not)--Joey Scarbury
4 Slow Hand--Pointer Sisters
5 Queen of Hearts--Juice Newton
6 The One that You Love--Air Supply
7 Elvira--The Oak Ridge Boys
8 Boy from New York City--The Manhattan Transfer
9 I Don't Need You--Kenny Rogers
10 Lady (You Bring Me Up)--Commodores

Singles entering the chart included Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do) by Christopher Cross (#68); Backfired by Debbie Harry (#78); Falling in Love Again by the Michael Stanley Band (#83); A Heart in New York by Art Garfunkel (#88); Silly by Deniece Williams (#89); and We Can Get Together by Icehouse (#98).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
RPM didn't publish from July 11-August 22, 1981 because of a postal strike.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Boy from New York City--The Manhattan Transfer (2nd week at #1)
2 Slow Hand--Pointer Sisters
3 In the Air Tonight--Phil Collins
4 Jessie's Girl--Rick Springfield
5 A Life of Illusion--Joe Walsh
6 The Stroke--Billy Squier
7 Hearts--Marty Balin
8 Fire and Ice--Pat Benatar
9 Urgent--Foreigner
10 One Step Ahead--Split Enz

Singles entering the chart were Thirsty Ears by Powder Blues (#24); Endless Love by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (#27); and Really Wanna Know You by Gary Wright (#30).

Died on this date
Carol Ryrie Brink, 85. U.S. authoress. Mrs. Brink wrote more than 30 novels for children and adults. Her novel Caddie Woodlawn won the 1936 Newbery Medal. Mrs. Brink died of heart failure.

Auto racing
USAC
Gold Crown Series
George Snider won the Tony Bettenhausen 100 on a dirt track at Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield; it was his only win in an Indy car. Larry Rice finished second and Jim McElreath third in the 26-car field.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (3-3) 32 @ Ottawa (2-4) 16

Baseball
Intercontinental Cup @ Renfrew Park, Edmonton
Semi-Finals
South Korea 1 @ Cuba 9
Dominican Republic 3 @ U.S.A. 5

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Lessons in Love--Level 42 (6th week at #1)

Football
CFL
British Columbia (7-1) 25 @ Ottawa (2-5) 19
Winnipeg (4-3) 5 @ Edmonton (5-2) 33

Roy Dewalt threw 2 touchdown passes to Jan Carinci to help the Lions defeat the Rough Riders before 23,177 fans at Lansdowne Park.

Rookie Tom Richards returned a Bob Cameron punt 77 yards for a touchdown less than 3 minutes into the game to provide the winning margin for the Eskimos over the Blue Bombers at Commonwealth Stadium. Matt Dunigan and Chris Johnstone rushed for the other Edmonton TDs. Tom Clements, John Hufnagel, and Homer Jordan all played quarterback for Winnipeg, with little success in moving the ball.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (7th week at #1)

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (1-5) 10 @ Toronto (5-1) 62

Mike "Pinball" Clemons scored 3 touchdowns and Raghib "Rocket" Ismail added 2 more as the Argonauts routed the Roughriders before 35,786 fans at SkyDome. Toronto quarterback Rickey Foggie threw 3 touchdown passes.



Edmonton (4-2) 35 @ Ottawa (2-4) 36

Reggie Barnes rushed for more than 180 yards and 3 touchdowns--the last with 56 seconds remaining in regulation time--but the Eskimos appeared to be in position to win their game before 25,884 fans at Lansdowne Park in the final seconds. With the ball in field goal range, Edmonton quarterback Tracy Ham handed off to Michael Soles to move the ball into better position, and the Ottawa tacklers kept him on his feet until the clock ran out.

Calgary (6-0) 37 @ British Columbia (3-3) 28 (OT)

Junior Thurman returned a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown 1:13 into the 1st overtime period to provide the winning margin as the Stampeders defeated the Lions before 45,489 fans at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver.



10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Yavuz Çetin, 30. Turkish musician. Mr. Çetin was a singer-songwriter of Anatolian blues who was known for his sensitive guitar playing. Mr. Çetin's first album, İlk (1997), didn't sell well, but he was able to make a living performing commercial jingles. He committed suicide by jumping from Istanbul's Boğaziçi Bridge, shortly after completing the recording of his album Satılık (For Sale) (2001), which was released shortly thereafter, to great acclaim.

Richard Chelimo, 29. Kenyan runner. Mr. Chelimo was a long-distance runner who specialized in the men's 10,000-metre run, winning the gold medal at the 1990 Junior World Championships; a silver medal at the 1991 World Championships; a bronze medal at the 1993 World Championships; and a silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. He set the junior and senior world record in the event in 1993; he held the senior record for just five days, but his junior record stood for 11 years. Mr. Chelimo retired from athletics in 1996, gained weight, and took to drink, but was getting back in shape when he died of a brain tumour.

Space
Astronomers announced the first discovery of a solar system outside our own.