July 17, 2012

110 years ago
1902

Technology
Willis Carrier, an employee of the Buffalo Forge heating company, completed drawings for what became the world’s first air conditioning system.

100 years ago
1912

Born on this date
Art Linkletter. Canadian-born U.S. radio and television host. Mr. Linkletter, born Arthur Kelly in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, was adopted as an infant, and moved to San Diego with his parents when he was 5. He had a long career in radio and television, and was best known for hosting the game show People are Funny (1942-1960) and the variety show House Party (1945-1967). The most popular segment of the latter was Kids Say the Darndest Things. Mr. Linkletter died on May 26, 2010 at the age of 97.

70 years ago
1942

Died on this date
Daniel Alomía Robles, 71. Peruvian composer and ethnomusicologist. Mr. Alomía Robles collected Andean folk songs, many of which formed the basis of his more than 700 works, the best-known of which was the song El Cóndor Pasa (1913). He lived in the United States from 1919-1933 before returning to Peru to serve as head of the Section of Fine Arts with Peru's Ministry of Education. Mr. Alomía Robles died of sepsis.

War
German trops occupied the Ukrainian industrial city of Voroshilovgrad, 100 miles north of Rostov.

Law
U.S Federal Judge William F. Smith signed an order revoking the American citizenship of German-American Bund leaders August Klapprott, Matthias Kohler, William Drexler, and Arno Friedrich.

60 years ago
1952

World events
British Home Secretary Sir David Maxwell Fyffe told the Board of Deputies of British Jews that Iraqi Jews fearing persecution if they returned home would not be granted political asylum in the United Kingdom.

50 years ago
1962

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, on BBC Light Programme
Tonight’s episode: The Speckled Band

40 years ago
1972

Football
CFL
Pre-season
British Columbia (3-0) 15 @ Winnipeg (1-1-1) 14

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: Fame--Irene Cara

Fame had reached #1 in the U.S.A. in 1980, but hadn't been released in the U.K. until 1982.

#1 single in the U.S.A.: (Billboard): Don't You Want Me--The Human League (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Don't You Want Me--The Human League (4th week at #1)
2 Rosanna--Toto
3 Hurts So Good--John Cougar
4 Eye of the Tiger--Survivor
5 Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me--Juice Newton
6 Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
7 Hold Me--Fleetwood Mac
8 Tainted Love--Soft Cell
9 Caught Up in You--.38 Special
10 Only the Lonely--The Motels

Singles entering the chart were Blue Eyes by Elton John (#76); Valley Girl by Frank and Moon Zappa (#81); Now or Never by Axe (#88); Foolin' Yourself by Aldo Nova (#89); and Love or Let Me Be Lonely by Paul Davis (#90).

Canada’s top 10 (RPM)
1 I've Never Been to Me--Charlene (4th week at #1)
2 Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
3 Body Language--Queen
4 Abracadabra--Steve Miller Band
5 Hurts So Good--John Cougar
6 Eye of the Tiger--Survivor
7 Rosanna--Toto
8 Going to a Go-Go--Rolling Stones
9 Crimson and Clover--Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
10 The Other Woman--Ray Parker, Jr.

Singles entering the chart were Hard to Say I'm Sorry by Chicago (#44); Take a Chance with Me by Roxy Music (#48); and Eye in the Sky by Alan Parsons Project (#50).

War
Rebel guerrillas in Guatemala attacked the town of Pajmujay—50 miles west of Guatemala City—and killed 42 civilians. 10 guerrillas were killed in Chinimachicaj, 20 miles west of Guatemala City.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (0-2) 14 @ Hamilton (1-1) 20
Toronto (0-1-1) 12 @ Edmonton (2-0) 31

Bernie Ruoff kicked 3 field goals and 3 singles as the Tiger-Cats held off the Rough Riders in a sloppy performance before 15,819 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Dave Graffi of the Tiger-Cats scored his team’s only touchdown on a 1-yard rush in the 2nd quarter. Quarterback Tom Clements bobbled the snap on the convert attempt, but was able to complete a pass to Mark Bragagnolo for 2 points. Chris Isaac completed an 18-yard pass to Skip Walker for the only Ottawa touchdown in the 4th quarter, following a 63-yard interception return by Jon Sutton. Jordan Case started at quarterback for the Rough Riders, and he and Mr. Isaac combined to complete just 5 of 15 passes for 40 yards.

Kevin Cole rushed 16 times for 73 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown, as the Eskimos beat the Argonauts before 55,974 fans at Commonwealth Stadium. Edmonton quarterback Warren Moon completed a 13-yard pass to Waddell Smith for a touchdown, and rushed 1 yard for a touchdown of his own. Joe Barnes started at quarterback for Toronto, but left with a buttock injury, which sidelined him for several weeks. Condredge Holloway relieved him and completed a 10-yard pass to Paul Pearson for the only Argonaut touchdown to finish a penalty-aided drive on the last play of the game as it began to rain. Messrs. Holloway and Barnes combined to complete just 12 of 35 passes for 166 yards.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): It's a Sin--Pet Shop Boys

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS

Tonight's episode: Song of the Younger World, starring Jennifer Rubin and Peter Kowanko; The Girl I Married, starring James Whitmore, Jr. and Linda Kelsey

This was the final episode of the season, and the last new episode broadcast on CBS. A third season was shown in syndication in 1988-1989.

Died on this date
Neil Stevens, 35. Canadian broadcaster. Mr. Stevens was an anchorman for the newscasts of London television station CFPL. He was killed in a car accident in the early morning hours when he crashed after falling asleep at the wheel. A brief clip of Mr. Stevens can be seen here.

Canadiana
Prince Andrew and Princess Sarah, the Duke and Duchess of York, were in the metropolitan Toronto area. This blogger saw them in North York, where they officiated at the opening ceremonies of the Ontario games for the disabled. While there, I also had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of a couple of lovely Toronto ladies, which made for a most enjoyable day.

Diplomacy
France severed diplomatic relations with Iran. France had imposed a blockade of the Iranian embassy in Paris on June 30 because they believed a man wanted for bombings in Paris in 1986 was being sheltered there. Iran responded by blockading the French embassy in Tehran. On July 12, Iran accused French authorities of assaulting an Iranian diplomat in Geneva. On July 16, Iran threatened to end diplomatic relations if the diplomat’s attackers weren’t punished and if the French blockade of the Iranian embassy weren’t lifted.

Scandal
Lyn Nofziger, a former adviser to U.S. President Ronald Reagan, was indicted on six counts of violating the federal ethics law prohibiting public officials from lobbying their former agencies for a year after leaving the government. Mr. Nofziger had lobbied on behalf of Wedtech, a defense contractor. Mr. Nofziger denied “any deliberate violation” of the law. A single charge was filed against Mark Bragg, Mr. Nofziger’s business partner.

Crime
Former Guinness distillery director Thomas Ward was ordered by the U.K. High Court to repay £5.2 million to Guinness after making a "secret agreement" with former Guinness chairman Ernest Saunders, and failing to disclose a transfer of funds to Guinness's directors during the £2.5-billion takeover of Distillers Group in 1986.

Football
CFL
Toronto (1-2-1) 30 @ Hamilton (1-3) 27

Gilbert Renfroe completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Tony Johns on the last play of the game as the Argonauts rallied from a 24-2 deficit to defeat the defending Grey Cup champion Tiger-Cats before 18,214 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Ken Zachary, who carried 16 times for 111 yards, rushed for touchdowns of 39 yards and 1 yard, and Tom Porras completed a 49-yard touchdown pass to Earl Winfield as the Tiger-Cats built their early lead. Lance Chomyc’s field goal reduced the Hamilton lead to 24-5, and Kevin Cummings rushed 1 yard for a touchdown with 2 seconds remaining in the 1st half, converted by Mr. Chomyc, to make the score 24-12. The Argonauts outscored the Tiger-Cats 11-0 in the 3rd quarter on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Mr. Renfroe to Ken Joiner, a convert and field goal by Mr. Chomyc, and a single by punter Hank Ilesic. Bernie Ruoff kicked a 27-yard field goal with 5:04 remaining in the 4th quarter to give the Tiger-Cats a 27-23 lead. Mr. Renfroe directed the Argonauts 68 yards in the last 1 minute and 22 seconds; the drive included two successful third-down gambles.



20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Rhythm is a Dancer--Snap! (9th week at #1)

World events
The Slovak National Council voted 113-24 to adopt a declaration of sovereignty from Czechoslovakia. The opponents of the declaration were concerned about the economic impact of separating from the more prosperous Czechs. Within an hour after the vote, Vaclav Havel announced that he would resign as President of Czechoslovakia, saying that his opposition to the division of the country made it impossible for him to remain in office.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the U.S. merchandise trade deficit had risen to $7.38 billion in May.

10 years ago
2002

Died on this date
Joseph Luns, 90. Dutch politician and diplomat. Mr. Luns was a member of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) who was known as a negotiator and debater, and served as the Netherlands' Minister for Foreign Policy/Minister of Foreign Affairs (1952-1971). He was Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (1971-1984). Mr. Luns spent his last years in Brussels, where he died.

Arthur Lee Maye, 67. U.S. baseball player and singer. Mr. Maye, who described himself as the "world's greatest singing athlete," was an outfielder with five major league teams from 1959-1971, batting .274 in 1,288 games, with 94 home runs and 419 runs batted in. His best season was 1964, when he hit .304 with 10 homers and 74 RBIs, and led the National League with 44 doubles. Mr. Maye was the lead singer with Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns, and also released records as a solo artist. For more on Mr. Maye, go here, here, and here.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (1-3-0-1) 7 @ Winnipeg (3-1) 55

Khari Jones completed 16 of 28 passes for 325 yards and 5 touchdowns as the Blue Bombers avenged their loss to the Renegades a week earlier. Milt Stegall caught 5 passes for 171 yards,including a 62-yard touchdown, and Arland Bruce caught 4 for 110 and 2 touchdowns. Charles Roberts rushed 11 times for 131 yards—including a 70-yard touchdown—and caught a touchdown pass. Markus Howell caught Mr. Jones’ other touchdown pass. Ralph Staten scored the only Ottawa touchdown when he recovered a fumble in the Winnipeg end zone in the 3rd quarter. The Renegades picked up just 8 first downs and 114 yards net offense. 26,671 witnessed the massacre at Canad Inns Stadium.