October 26, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Sveta!

670 years ago
1341

War
The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 formally began with the proclamation of Byzantine Emperor John VI.

150 years ago
1861

Politics and government
Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon, former assistant private secretary to his father the Earl of Aberdeen when he was Prime Minister of Great Britain (1852-1855), was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick.

140 years ago
1871
World events
Liberian President Edward James Roye was deposed in a coup d'état, and was subsequently jailed.

130 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Louis Bastien. French cyclist and fencer. Mr. Bastien won a gold medal in the men's 25 kilometre race at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, and competed in the individual épée event at the same games. He was world middle-distance cycling champion (over 100 kilometes) in 1900. Mr. Bastien died on August 13, 1963 at the age of 81.

Americana
Wyatt Earp, his brothers Morgan and Virgil, and Doc Holliday confronted Ike Clanton's gang in the Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Three members of Mr. Clanton's gang were killed, while Mr. Earp's brothers were wounded in the fight, which lasted just 30 seconds.



110 years ago
1901

Football
CRU
ORFU
Kingston (1-2) 1 @ Toronto (2-1) 23
Hamilton (0-3) 12 @ Ottawa (3-0) 19

100 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Mahalia Jackson. U.S. singer. The "Queen of Gospel Song" was one of the most famous gospel singers in history, selling more than 22 million records in a career spanning more than 40 years, first achieving commercial success in 1947 with Move On Up a Little Higher. She virtually defined gospel blues and influenced several genres of music, but refused to sing anything but gospel. Miss Jackson performed internationally, and supported the Negro civil rights movement in the United States. She suffered from health problems for many years, and died on January 27, 1972 at the age of 60, while recovering from surgery to remove a bowel obstruction.

Sid Gillman. U.S. football coach. Mr. Gillman compiled a won-lost record of 81-19-2 as head coach at Miami University (1944-1947) and the University of Cincinnati (1949-1954). He was head coach of the Los Angeles Rams (1955-1959); Los Angeles and San Diego Chargers (1960-1969, 1971); and Houston Oilers (1973-1974), compiling a record of 123-104-7. He led the Chargers to the American Football League championship in 1963. Mr. Gillman was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989, becoming the only coach to be in both halls. He died on January 3, 2003 at the age of 91.

Baseball
World Series
New York Giants 2 @ Philadelphia Athletics 13 (Philadelphia won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Chief Bender (2-1) pitched a 4-hitter and the Athletics broke a 1-1 tie with 4 runs in the 4th inning, added 1 in the 6th, and erupted for 7 in the 7th before 20,485 fans at Shibe Park to win their second straight World Series championship. New York starting pitcher Red Ames (0-1) took the loss, giving up 5 runs--only 2 earned--in 4 innings. It was a sloppy game, with the Athletics making 5 errors and the Giants 3.

80 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Charles Comiskey, 72. U.S. baseball player, manager, and owner. "The Old Roman" was a first baseman with the St. Louis Browns of the American Association from 1882-1889, 1891; the Chicago Pirates of the Players' League in 1880; and the Cincinnati Reds of the National League from 1892-1894, with a career batting average of .264. He was credited with being the first first baseman to play off the bag. He managed all the team he played for beginning in 1883, and led the Browns to four consecutive AA pennants from 1885-1888. Upon Mr. Comiskey's retirement as a player, he purchased the Sioux City club of the minor Western League and moved it to St. Paul, Minnesota. The team moved to Chicago and became the White Stockings in 1900, the year the Western League became the American League. In 1901 the AL began play as a major league. Mr. Comiskey's team, now known as the White Sox, won the World Series in 1906 and 1917. They won the AL pennant in 1919, but in the infamous "Black Sox" scandal, eight players were banned for throwing games in the World Series, which the White Sox lost to the Cincinnati Reds 5 games to 3. Mr. Comiskey had a reputation as a tightfisted owner, and many blamed him for provoking the scandal. Recent research has shown that Mr. Comiskey actually paid his players well, and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. It was said that Mr. Comiskey never recovered from the Black Sox scandal, and his team didn't win another AL pennant until 1959 or another World Series until 2005. Charles Comiskey died in Eagle River, Wisconsin.

70 years ago
1941

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Solitary Cyclist

Died on this date
Arkady Gaidar, 37. U.S.S.R. writer. Mr. Gaidar was a Communist who wrote more than a dozen novels, mainly for children. He was a war correspondent for the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, and was a machine gunner with partisans on the eastern front, when he was killed in combat near the Russian village of Lyuplyava.

War
German troops drove on Rostov, the gateway to the Caucasus. An "Aid to Russia" rally in London drew 10,000 people demanding an invasion of the European continent to help Russia.

Disasters
Two tornadoes struck the towns of Dardanelle and Hamburg in Arkansas, killing 17 people and injuring more than 200.

Football
NFL
Chicago Cardinals (1-4-1) 14 @ Philadelphia (2-4) 21
New York (5-1) 13 @ Brooklyn (3-3) 16
Pittsburgh (0-6) 7 @ Chicago Bears (5-0) 34
Green Bay (6-1) 24 @ Detroit (1-4-1) 7
Cleveland (2-5) 13 @ Washington (4-1) 17

60 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Test Flight, starring Lee J. Cobb, Vinton Hayworth, Cameron Prud'Homme, and Harry Townes



Politics and government
Winston Churchill returned to office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as the final results of the previous day's general election confirmed a small majority of seats in the House of Commons for his Conservative Party, unseating the Labour Party of Clement Attlee, who had been Prime Minister for six years.

War
The Japanese House of Representatives voted 307-47 in favour of the Treaty of San Francisco, ending Japan's state of war with the Allies.

Defense
The Japanese House of Representatives voted 289-71 in favour of the Japanese-American defense alliance.

Diplomacy
Immigration authorities barred French composer-conductor Emmanuel Rosenthal from the United States on the grounds that the woman accompanying him was not his wife.

Economics and finance
West Germany and Argentina signed $308-million trade agreement.

Boxing
Leading contender Rocky Marciano (38-0) ended the career of former world heavyweight champion Joe Louis (66-3) with a technical knockout in the 8th round of their bout at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Brockton Blockbuster knocked the Brown Bomber down for an eight-count in that round, and then knocked him through the ropes, prompting referee Ruby Goldstein to stop the fight without beginning another count. Mr. Louis was trailing on the cards of Mr. Goldstein and judges Joe Agnello and Harold Baines.



Football
CRU
ORFU
Toronto Balmy Beach, who had clinched second place and had a record of 7-2 with one game remaining in the regular season, fired head coach Art West and replaced him on a temporary basis with quarterback Gerry Tuttle. Mr. West referred to his firing as a "dirty deal"

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade): Take Good Care of My Baby--Bobby Vee

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Walkin' Back to Happiness--Helen Shapiro (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Tunnel of Horrors

Died on this date
Sadae Inoue, 74. Japanese military officer. Lieutenant General Inoue joined the Imperial Japanese Army in 1908, and commanded the 69th division (1942-1943) and 14th division (1943-1945) in World War II. He commanded forces in Palau in the Battle of Anguar (1944) and the Battle of Peleliu (1944), with many casualties on both sides. Lt. Gen Inoue was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death in 1949 for negligence of command responsibility in permitting subordinates to execute three downed American airmen captured in Palau. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1951, and he was released in 1953. Lt. Gen. Inoue died 10 days before his 75th birthday.

Baseball
Nippon Series
Nankai Hawks 4 @ Yomiuri Giants 5 (Yomiuri led best-of-seven series 2-1)

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Kvنllstoppen): Anna och Mej--Lalla Hansson (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Mamy Blue--Pop-Tops (3rd week at #1)

Baseball
Vida Blue of the Oakland Athletics, who had posted a 24-8 record while leading the American League with an earned run average of 1.82, was named the winner of the AL Cy Young Award for 1971, getting 98 votes to 85 for Mickey Lolich of the Detroit Tigers, who had posted a 25-14 record while leading the major leagues with 376 innings pitched.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Endless Love--Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kaze Tachinu--Seiko Matsuda

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Ma Quale Idea--Pino D'Angio (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ja, wenn wir alle Englein wären--Fred Sonnenschein und seine Freunde

25 years ago
1986

Died on this date
Jackson Scholz, 89. U.S. runner. Mr. Scholz won a gold medal as part of the American 4 x 100-metre relay team in the 1920 Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp. He won a gold medal in the men's 200-metre run and a silver medal in the 100-metre event in the 1924 Olympics in Paris, and finished fourth in the 200-metre event in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. The men's 100-metre run in the 1924 Olympics was depicted in the movie Chariots of Fire (1981), with Brad Davis playing Mr. Scholz. Mr. Scholz was the only one of the featured characters from that movie who was still alive when the film was released, and he appeared in a commercial for American Express several years later.

Crime
Hector Pothier, offensive tackle with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, was arrested at Winnipeg International Airport as the team was preparing to return home after their 42-20 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the night before. Mr. Pothier had hashish in his luggage, and fled to the men's washroom in an attempt to destroy the evidence, but was unsuccessful. Several days later, CFL Commissioner announced that Mr. Pothier was suspended for the rest of the 1986 season and all of 1987, but the punishment was soon commuted to suspension just for the remainder of the 1986 season, including post-season.

Football
CFL
Toronto (8-8) 10 @ Hamilton (8-8-1) 20

Ken Hobart relieved starting quarterback Mike Kerrigan at the start of the 2nd half and produced 10 points to lead the Tiger-Cats over the Argonauts before 24,430 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium.



British Columbia (10-6) 29 @ Saskatchewan (6-9-1) 17

Melvin Byrd returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown with less than 2 minutes remaining to clinch the Lions' win over the Roughriders before 16,388 fans at Taylor Field in Regina, ending B.C.'s 4-game losing streak.

Baseball
World Series Boston Red Sox @ New York Mets (postponed, rain) (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Rush--Big Audio Dynamite (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Rapput (Senza Fiato)--Claudio Bisio; Rocco Tanica (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Asi Me Gusta--Chimo Bayo (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (14th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): James Brown is Dead--L.A. Style

#1 single in France (SNEP): (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (CIN): (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (16th week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 James Brown is Dead--L.A. Style
2 (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams
3 Let's Talk About Sex!--Salt-N-Pepa
4 Cream--Prince and the New Power Generation
5 Something Got Me Started--Simply Red
6 Can't Stop this Thing We Started--Bryan Adams
7 Crucified--Army of Lovers
8 Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)--Rozalla
9 Set Adrift on Memory Bliss--PM Dawn
10 Good Vibrations--Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (featuring Loleatta Holloway)

Singles entering the chart were Kon Ik Maar Even Bij Je Zijn by Gordon (#23); Sexbox by La Toya Jackson (#28); On the Outside by Roch Voisine (#29); Hole Hearted by Extreme (#32); Night Calls by Joe Cocker (#33); Nocturne by T99 (#34); and Heart of Gold by Dennis Jones (#37).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Emotions--Mariah Carey (3rd week at #1)
2 Do Anything--Natural Selection featuring Niki Haris
3 Romantic--Karyn Whitt
4 Hole Hearted--Extreme
5 Can't Stop this Thing We Started--Bryan Adams
6 Cream--Prince and the New Power Generation
7 Real Real Real--Jesus Jones
8 Something to Talk About--Bonnie Raitt
9 Good Vibrations--Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (featuring Loleatta Holloway)
10 O.P.P.--Naughty by Nature

Singles entering the chart were Try a Little Tenderness by the Commitments (#70); Forever My Lady by Jodeci (#71); Housecall by Shabba Ranks (featuring Maxi Priest) (#73); Spending My Time by Roxette (#85); Thinking of You by Grandmaster Slice (#88); Do You Feel Like I Feel? by Belinda Carlisle (#89); Conviction of the Heart by Kenny Loggins (#95); Too Much by Tara Kemp (#96); I've Got a Lot to Learn About Love by the Storm (#97); What Time is Love? by the KLF (#98); For Your Mind by Robbie Nevil (#99); and Forever More by Stevie B (#100). Try a Little Tenderness was from the movie The Commitments (1991).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Romantic--Karyn White
2 Emotions--Mariah Carey
3 Do Anything--Natural Selection featuring Niki Haris
4 Hole Hearted--Extreme
5 Can't Stop this Thing We Started--Bryan Adams
6 Good Vibrations--Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (featuring Loleatta Holloway)
7 I Adore Mi Amor--Color Me Badd
8 Something to Talk About--Bonnie Raitt
9 Cream--Prince and the New Power Generation
10 Real, Real, Real--Jesus Jones

Singles entering the chart were Spending My Time by Roxette (#68); O.P.P. by Naughty by Nature (#79); I've Got a Lot to Learn About Love by the Storm (#82); Love Thing by Tina Turner (#87) ; Double Good Everything by Smokey Robinson (#89); and Shot of Poison by Lita Ford (#90). Double Good Everything was Mr. Robinson's first single on the SBK label, after more than 30 years with the Motown corporation.

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Can't Stop this Thing We Started--Bryan Adams
2 Emotions--Mariah Carey
3 Life is a Highway--Tom Cochrane
4 Hole Hearted--Extreme
5 Calling Elvis--Dire Straits
6 The Real Love--Bob Seger
7 Good Vibrations--Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (featuring Loleatta Holloway)
8 I Adore Mi Amor--Color Me Badd
9 Love...Thy Will Be Done--Martika
10 Real, Real, Real--Jesus Jones

Singles entering the chart were When a Man Loves a Woman by Michael Bolton (#53); Powerdrive by Longfellow (#67); The Fire Inside by Bob Seger (#69); Into the Fire by Sarah McLachlan (#71); Love Thing by Tina Turner (#82); Waiting by Roch Voisine (#83); Top of the World by Van Halen (#89); Save Up All Your Tears by Cher (#92); No More Tears by Ozzie Osbourne (#95); and Happy Ever After by the Bee Gees (#96).

Died on this date
Sherry Hawco, 27. Canadian gymnast. Miss Hawco, from Cambridge, Ontario, won a gold medal in the women's team event and a silver medal in the women's all-around event at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, and gold medals in the team and beam events at the 1979 Pan-American Games in San Juan. She retired in 1982, a year after suffering a serious knee injury. Miss Hawco got married, but was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990; she stopped receiving chemotherapy when she found out she was pregnant, and died seven weeks after giving birth to her son Brandon Delanty.

War
Three months after the end of the Ten-Day War, the last soldier of the Yugoslav People's Army left the territory of the Republic of Slovenia.

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (9-8) 20 @ Ottawa (7-10) 46

Angelo Snipes returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter to snuff out a Winnipeg rally and help the Rough Riders defeat the Blue Bombers before 23,060 fans at Lansdowne Park.

Baseball
World Series
Atlanta Braves 3 @ Minnesota Twins 4 (11 innings) (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

Kirby Puckett's home run off Charlie Leibrandt leading off the bottom of the 11th inning before 55,155 fans at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis sent the series to a seventh game. Rick Aguilera, the fourth Minnesota pitcher of the game, was the winning pitcher.



10 years ago
2001

Abominations
The USA PATRIOT Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush.

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (14-3) 7 @ Toronto (7-10-0-1) 12

The Blue Bombers' loss to the Argonauts at SkyDome ended their 12-game winning streak.