October 31, 2011

720 years ago
1291

Born on this date
Philippe de Vitry. French composer. Mr. Vitry was prominent in the courts of Kings Charles IV, Philippe VI, and Jean II, and was regarded as the greatest musician of his time. He wrote chansons and motets, with only some of the latter surviving. Mr. Vitry was best known for the treatise Ars nova notandi (1322). He died on June 9, 1361 at the age of 69.

620 years ago
1391

Born on this date
Duarte. King of Portugal, 1433-1438. Duarte, known in English as Edward, acceded to the throne upon the death of his father João I. Duarte was known as the "Philosopher King," and was the oldest member of the "Illustrious Generation" of accomplished royal children who contributed to the development of Portuguese civilization during the 15th century. He listened to the unwise advice of his brothers and launched an unsuccessful military attack on the Marinid sultanate of Morocco in 1438, resulting in his youngest brother Ferdinand being handed over to the Marinids as a hostage in return for the safe departure of the Portuguese forces. King Duarte died from the plague on September 9, 1438 at the age of 46; popular legend has it that he died from a broken heart at leaving his brother in enemy hands. Duarte was succeeded on the throne by his 6-year-old son Afonso V, with now-dowager Queen Eleanor of Aragon as regent, leading to a political crisis and a popular uprising.

350 years ago
1661

Died on this date
Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, 85-86. Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, 1656-1661. Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, who served under Sultan Mehmed IV, founded the Köprülü political dynasty, and helped rebuild the power of the empire by rooting out corruption and reorganizing the Ottoman army, expanding the empire's borders with military victories over the Cossacks, the Hungarians, and the Venetians. He was succeeded as Grand Vizier by his son Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed.

160 years ago
1851

Born on this date
Louise. Queen consort of Denmark, 1906-1912. Louise, the only surviving child of King Karl XV and Queen Louise of Sweden, was barred from succession to the thrones of Sweden and Norway. She married the future King Frederik VIII of Denmark in 1869, and became queen consort when he acceded to the throne in 1906. The couple had eight children before his death in 1912, and King Frederik was succeeded by his son Christian X. Queen Louise was known for her charitable works; she died on March 20, 1926 at the age of 74.

130 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Toshizō Nishio. Japanese military officer. General Nishio joined the Imperial Japanese Army in 1902, and commanded forces in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 until 1941, when he was appointed to the Supreme War Council, serving until his retirement in 1943. Gen. Nishio governed the Tokyo Metropolis from 1944 until the end of World War II; he was arrested by American authorities and was accused of unnamed war crimes, but was never formally charged, and was later released. Gen. Nishio died on October 26, 1960, five days before his 79th birthday.

120 years ago
1891

Football
ORFU
Semi-Finals
Hamilton 4 @ Osgoode Hall 28
Queen's College 15 @ University of Toronto 27

80 years ago
1931

At the movies
Platinum Blonde, directed by Frank Capra and starring Robert Williams, Jean Harlow, and Loretta Young, opened in theatres. Mr. Williams died of peritonitis just three days later.

Football
CRU
IRFU
Montreal (4-0) 23 @ Hamilton (2-2) 14
Ottawa (0-4) 7 @ Toronto (2-2) 24

NFL
Portsmouth (8-0) 14 @ Frankford (1-5-1) 0

75 years ago
1936

Football
CRU
IRFU
Toronto (3-2) 12 @ Montreal (2-3) 14
Ottawa (2-3) 15 @ Hamilton (3-2) 21

Abe Eliowitz completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Burns on the last play of the game, and Mr. Eliowitz converted, as the Indians upset the Argonauts before 4,000 fans at Molson Stadium.

The Rough Riders made 11 fumbles and the Tigers 7 in a loosely-played game at H.A.A.A. Grounds.

WIFU
Finals
Regina 20 @ Winnipeg 7 (Regina won 2-game total points series 24-16)

On the last play of the game, Chappie Cooper of the Roughriders intercepted a pass 1 yard into his end zone and returned it 101 yards for a touchdown (the field at Osborne Stadium was only 100 yards long).

ORFU
Toronto (2-1) 13 @ Sarnia (2-1) 16

The Imperials scored 3 singles in the 4th quarter to defeat Balmy Beach at Athletic Park and force a playoff for the league title.

Canadian university
Toronto (3-1) 35 McGill (1-3) 2
Queen's (2-2) 3 Western Ontario (2-2) 1
Saskatchewan 3 @ Alberta 2 (Saskatchewan won 2-game total points series 8-5)

Mr. Weaver punted for a single in the 3rd quarter to open the scoring, and the Huskies trapped Mr. Wilson, the Alberta punter, in his own end zone for a safety touch later in the quarter to provide the winning margin as they held on to defeat the Golden Bears to win the Hardy Trophy before 750 fans at Varsity Stadium in Edmonton in a game that was played on a field that was covered by six inches of snow. Messrs. Woywitka and Wilson punted for singles for Alberta in the 4th quarter.

70 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): It's a Great Day for the Irish--Judy Garland; The Jesters (1st month at #1)

War
Reports from London said that German troops had broken through the outer defenses of Tula, 110 miles south of Moscow, and were also driving forward in Crimea. A Yugoslav spokesman in London claimed that 80,000 Serbian guerrillas were fighting German and Italian troops along a 125-mile front in Serbia. A German spokesman in Berlin said that the previous day's sinking of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Reuben James west of Iceland was justifiable under international law if it was escorting a British convoy. U.S. Senator Tom Connally (Democrat--Texas) demanded that Congress "avenge" this "dastardly act of aggression." U.S. Senator George Aiken (Republican--Vermont), opposing amendments to the Neutrality Act, declared that "by ordering convoys...President Roosevelt is personally responsible for whatever lives may have been lost" in the sinking of the Reuben James.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. announced that delegations of the Mongolian People's Republic and Manchukuo had fixed the new frontier in the disputed Bor Nor region during a conference in Harbin, Manchukuo on October 16.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that Josephus Daniels had resigned as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico because of his wife's illness.

Defense
U.S. Senator Harry Truman (Democrat--Missouri) criticized the U.S. government's contract with Alcoa to build and operate four aluminum plants for national defense as "just about the worst contract the government signed."

Americana
Work on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota was completed after 14 years.

Labour
U.S. Army soldiers occupied the Air Associates plant in Bendix, New Jersey; by mid-afternoon, every shop was back in operation.

Disasters
27 miners were killed in an explosion in the Brazeau Collieries in Nordegg, Alberta.

A flood in Oklahoma left eight people dead, 2,000 homeless, and ruined $10 million worth of crops.

Boxing
Sugar Ray Robinson (26-0) won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world welterweight champion Fritzie Zivic (111-27-5) at Madison Square Garden in New York.

60 years ago
1951

War
Communist negotiators at Panmunjom proposed a truce on present Korean battle lines. Disagreement remained on the precise location of the front.

World events
Rodolfo Ghioldi, Communist Party candidate for President of Argentina, was shot and seriously wounded while making a speech in Parana.

Poland's Parliament deprived former Polish Workers' Party First Secretary Władysław Gomułka of parliamentary immunity, allowing him to be tried on charges of "nationalist deviationism."

Politics and government
Indianapolis banker Frank McKinney, 47, was elected chairman of the U.S. Democratic National Committee in Washington.

Religion
The National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States, meeting in New York, urged U.S. President Harry Truman to withdraw the nomination of an ambassador to the Vatican.

Oil
Lebanon's Chamber of Deputies directed the government to renegotiate agreements with U.S. and U.K. pipeline firms in an effort to prevent "smuggling" of oil to Israel.

Business
The Stevens Hotel in Chicago, the world's largest hotel, was taken over by the Hilton chain; it was renamed the Conrad Hilton on November 19, 1951.

Baseball
The Baseball Writers Assocation of America named Brooklyn Dodgers' catcher Roy Campanella as the National League's Most Valuable Player for 1951. He hit .325 with 33 home runs and 108 runs batted in in 143 games.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Michael--The Highwaymen (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Cop for a Day, starring Walter Matthau, Glenn Cannon, and Carol Grace

Society
A U.S. federal judge in Birmingham, Alabama ruled that laws against integrated playing fields were illegal. The decision eliminated the last barriers against integrating baseball's minor league Southern Association.

40 years ago
1971

Died on this date
Alfred Appema, 17. Canadian accident victim. Mr. Appema, a resident of Blackfalds, Alberta, was killed when the car he was driving struck a stack of hay bales that had been placed across a highway near Red Deer as a Halloween prank.

Karen Pineau, 17. Canadian accident victim. Miss Pineau was killed when the car she was driving struck a power pole in northeast Edmonton. Her three passengers were injured.

Personal
This blogger went trick-or-treating for the last time, with my friends in Yellowknife.

Terrorism
A bomb exploded in the Post Office tower in London, causing extensive damage but no injuries.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (7-7) 23 @ Toronto (10-4) 15
Saskatchewan (9-6-1) 12 @ Edmonton (6-10) 28

Hamilton quarterback and punter Joe Zuger suffered a serious shoulder separation during the Tiger-Cats' win over the Argonauts at CNE Stadium, and never played another game.

The Roughriders could have captured first place in the Western Football Conference with a win or tie against the Eskimos at Clarke Stadium, but the Eskimos jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and never looked back. The big play for the Eskimos was a 97-yard touchdown pass from Bruce Lemmerman to Volley Murphy. Saskatchewan quarterback Ron Lancaster completed just 19 of 42 passes. The Roughriders finished with the same record as the Calgary Stampeders, and in the 3 games between the teams, each had a win and a tie, but the Stampeders had outscored the Roughriders 45-31 in those games, and were this awarded first place. The Eskimos' win was their fifth straight.

NFL
New York Jets (2-5) 31 @ San Diego (3-4) 49
Minnesota (6-1) 17 @ New York Giants (2-5) 10
Dallas (4-3) 19 @ Chicago (5-2) 23
St. Louis (3-4) 28 @ Buffalo (0-7) 23
Miami (5-1-1) 20 @ Los Angeles (4-2-1) 14
New Orleans (2-4-1) 14 @ Washington (6-1) 24
Denver (2-4-1) 16 @ Philadelphia (2-5) 17
New England (2-5) 10 @ San Francisco (5-2) 27
Atlanta (3-3-1) 31 @ Cleveland (4-3) 14
Kansas City (5-1-1) 20 @ Oakland (5-1-1) 20
Pittsburgh (3-4) 21 @ Baltimore (5-2) 34
Cincinnati (1-6) 6 @ Houston (1-5-1) 10

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Out Here on My Own--Nikka Costa (12th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Why Tell Me, Why--Anita Meyer (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: It's My Party--Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): It's My Party--Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): It's My Party--Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Why Tell Me, Why--Anita Meyer (6th week at #1)
2 Every Little Thing She Does is Magic--The Police
3 Super Freak--Rick James
4 Hurt (Nieuwe Versie)/Hurt (Oude Versie)--Timi Yuro
5 Tainted Love--Soft Cell
6 'n Beetje Verliefd--André Hazes
7 Pretend--Alvin Stardust
8 Meer Nederlandse Sterre (Holland Olé)--Rubberen Robbie
9 Mexico--The Les Humphries Singers
10 I'm So Glad to Be a Woman--Love Unlimited

Singles entering the chart were O Superman by Laurie Anderson (#20); Let's Groove by Earth Wind & Fire (#28); Tonight I'm Yours by Rod Stewart (#33); Love Potion Number Nine by Lee Towers (#34); Wired for Sound by Cliff Richard (#35); and Your Love Still Brings Me to My Knees by Marcia Hines (#36).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do)--Christopher Cross (3rd week at #1)
2 Start Me Up--Rolling Stones
3 Private Eyes--Daryl Hall & John Oates
4 For Your Eyes Only--Sheena Easton
5 Endless Love--Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
6 Tryin' to Live My Life Without You--Bob Seger
7 Hard to Say--Dan Fogelberg
8 The Night Owls--Little River Band
9 I've Done Everything for You--Rick Springfield
10 Step by Step--Eddie Rabbitt

Singles entering the chart were Don't Stop Believin' by Journey (#56); Heart Like a Wheel by Steve Miller Band (#74); Pay the Devil (Ooo, Baby, Ooo) by the Knack (#81); I'm Just Too Shy by Jermaine Jackson (#82); The Jam was Moving by Debbie Harry (#84); The Cowboy and the Lady by John Denver (#85); Castles in the Air by Don McLean (#88); More than Just the Two of Us by Sneaker (#89); Hooked on Classics by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (#90); Sweet Merilee by Donnie Iris (#91); and Destroyer by the Kinks (#92).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do)--Christopher Cross (3rd week at #1)
2 Endless Love--Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
3 For Your Eyes Only--Sheena Easton
4 Private Eyes--Daryl Hall & John Oates
5 Who's Crying Now--Journey
6 Start Me Up--Rolling Stones
7 Step by Step--Eddie Rabbitt
8 Hard to Say--Dan Fogelberg
9 The Night Owls--Little River Band
10 Tryin' to Live My Life Without You--Bob Seger

Singles entering the chart were Don't Stop Believin' by Journey (#56); Heart Like a Wheel by Steve Miller Band (#73); Pay the Devil (Ooo, Baby, Ooo) by the Knack (#85); I'm Just Too Shy by Jermaine Jackson (#86); The Cowboy and the Lady by John Denver (#87); Sweet Merilee by Donnie Iris (#88); Hooked on Classics by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (#89); and Slip Away by Pablo Cruise (#90).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do)--Christopher Cross (3rd week at #1)
2 Private Eyes--Daryl Hall & John Oates
3 For Your Eyes Only--Sheena Easton
4 Endless Love--Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
5 Start Me Up--Rolling Stones
6 I've Done Everything for You--Rick Springfield
7 Tryin' to Live My Life Without You--Bob Seger
8 The Night Owls--Little River Band
9 Step by Step--Eddie Rabbitt
10 Hard to Say--Dan Fogelberg

Singles entering the chart were Don't Stop Believin' by Journey (#45); Heart Like a Wheel by Steve Miller Band (#74); I Wouldn't Have Missed it for the World by Ronnie Milsap (#76); Mistaken Identity by Kim Carnes (#81); Bet Your Heart on Me by Johnny Lee (#83); Snap Shot by Slave (#88); I'm Just Too Shy by Jermaine Jackson (#89); and Pay the Devil (Ooo, Baby, Ooo) by the Knack (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Endless Love--Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (6th week at #1)
2 Every Little Thing She Does is Magic--The Police
3 The Friends of Mr. Cairo--Jon and Vangelis
4 Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do)--Christopher Cross
5 Start Me Up--Rolling Stones
6 For Your Eyes Only--Sheena Easton
7 Private Eyes--Daryl Hall & John Oates
8 Hold on Tight--Electric Light Orchestra
9 Who's Crying Now--Journey
10 Urgent--Foreigner

Singles entering the chart included All I Have to Do is Dream by Andy Gibb (#42); We're in This Love Together by Al Jarreau (#44); Oh No by the Commodores (#45); More Stars on 45 by Stars on 45 (#47); and Back to the 60's by various artists (#49).

Technology
This day's issue of Record World included a two-page advertisement (pp. 8-9) for the Sony PCM-3324 Multi-Track Digital Recorder, enabling master recording for "the compact digital audio disc that 29 major hardware manufacturers and 5 major software manufacturers have already committed to."

Football
CFL
Hamilton (11-4-1) 21 @ Toronto (2-14) 11
Saskatchewan (9-7) 5 @ British Columbia (10-6) 13

The Roughriders were leading the Lions 5-4 in the 4th quarter on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, but Saskatchewan running back Lester Brown fumbled deep in his own end, and the Lions recovered. Larry Key scored on a short touchdown run, and a 2-point convert attempt was unsuccessful. Lui Passaglia kicked a field goal a few minutes leader to conclude the scoring. The win gave the Lions the third and last playoff spot in the West Division and eliminated the Roughriders.

CIAU
Manitoba 13 @ Alberta (5-2) 34

Peter Eshenko caught 8 passes for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns, while the Alberta defense made 6 interceptions--3 by Glen Music--as the Golden Bears beat the Bisons at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton to clinch a playoff spot.

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): The Final Countdown--Europe (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
Shaka Zulu, on SABC Tonight's episode: Episode 2



Died on this date
Robert Mulliken, 90. U.S. physicist and chemist. Dr. Mulliken was awarded the 1966 Nobel Prize in chemistry "for his fundamental work concerning chemical bonds and the electronic structure of molecules by the molecular orbital method."

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (6-10-1) 4 @ Calgary (11-7) 36

Rick Johnson passed for 2 touchdowns and rushed for another to lead the Stampeders over the Roughriders before 24,704 fans at McMahon Stadium. Calgary wide receiver Tony Woodruff decided to ride the Stampeders' horse mascot before the game, but the ride down the sidelines resulted in CTV host Al McCann being run over.



20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Fly--U2 (2nd week at #1)

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Régine Cavagnoud, 31. French skier. Miss Cavagnoud competed in the World Cup alpine circuit from 1991-2001, winning 8 races and recording 23 podium finishes. She won the gold medal in the Super-G event at the 2001 World Championships in St. Anton, Austria. Miss Cavagnoud was training in Austria when she was involved in a high-speed collision with German coach Markus Anwander; both suffered serious injuries, and Miss Cavagnoud died two days after the accident.

Journalism
Joe Falls of The Detroit News was voted the winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, and was to be inducted into the writers' wing of the Baseball Hall of fame the following summer.

Baseball
World Series
Arizona Diamondbacks 3 @ New York Yankees 4 (10 innings) (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

New York first baseman Tino Martinez hit a 2-run home run off Byun-Hyun Kim with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game 3-3, and then shortstop Derek Jeter homered off Mr. Kim (0-1) with 2 out in the 10th to end the game before 55,863 fans at Yankee Stadium. Mariano Rivera (1-0), who entered the game in the 10th, was the winning pitcher. The game ended after midnight EST, marking the beginning of World Series action in November.