July 31, 2012

120 years ago
1892

Born on this date
Joseph Charbonneau. Canadian clergyman. Rev. Charbonneau, a native of Lefaivre, Ontario, was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1916. He served as Bishop of Hearst (1939-1940) and Archbishop of Montreal (1940-1950). He supported organized labour in the Quebec asbestos strike in 1949, and resigned as Archbishop in February 1950. Rev. Charbonneau then became Archbishop of Bosphorus and served as a hospital chaplain in British Columbia; he died in Victoria on November 19, 1959 at the age of 67.

Herbert W. Armstrong. U.S. religious leader and "Ambassador for World Peace." Mr. Armstrong founded the Worldwide Church of God (originally known as the Radio Church of God) in 1933, and began The World Tomorrow radio broadcasts in 1934. Mr. Armstrong's theology was a hodgepodge of error and heresy; see my post on Mr. Armstrong at Suspicious Berean. Mr. Armstrong died on January 16, 1986 at the age of 93.

100 years ago
1912

Law
The United States Congress passed a law barring interstate shipping of films of boxing matches. The law had languished on Capitol Hill for two years since the heavyweight championship fight between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries, and had gained new impetus with the title bout on July 4, 1912 between Mr. Johnson and Fireman Jim Flynn, in which Mr. Johnson, a Negro, had easily defeated his white challenger. White lawmakers weren't keen on the distribution of films that showed Negroes such as Mr. Johnson easily beating white men.

80 years ago
1932

Olympics
Babe Didrikson of the United States won the gold medal in the women's javelin competition at Los Angeles Memorial Colieum with a mark of 143 feet 4 inches. Miss Didrikson ended the games with 3 medals, winning gold in the 80-metre hurdles, and silver in the high jump (reduced from gold when it was ruled that she had used an illegal "western roll" across the bar).

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 Musgrave Ritual

Protest
Sir Oswald Mosley and members of his Union Movement (formerly British Union of Fascists) were assaulted at a rally in the east end of London; police ended the rally within three minutes and made 54 arrests, inluding Mr. Mosely's son Max.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Saskatchewan (0-1) 9 @ Montreal (2-1) 29

40 years ago
1972

Died on this date
Paul-Henri Spaak, 73. Belgian politician and diplomat. One of the pioneers of European unification, Mr. Spaak, a socialist, was Prime Minister of Belgium in 1938-1939; 1946; and 1947-1949. He was President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1946-1947; President of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (forerunner of the European Economic Community) from 1952-1954; and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from 1957-1961.

Politics and government
U.S. Senators George McGovern and Thomas Eagleton, 1972 Democratic Party nominees for President and Vice-President, respectively, of the United States of America, held a joint news conference, where Mr. McGovern announced that Mr. Eagleton was withdrawing his candidacy. Sen. Eagleton had confirmed on July 25 that he had been hospitalized three times in the 1960s for depression, nervous exhaustion, and fatigue, and that he had received electroshock therapy. Sen. McGovern stressed that Sen. Eagleton’s health was not “a factor” in his withdrawal, but that they were concerned that “continued debate” between the factions within the party wanting Sen. Eagleton to remain on the ticket and those wanting him to withdraw would “serve to further divide the party and the nation.”

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (0-1) 17 @ Hamilton (1-0) 20

This was the first regular season game for Jerry Williams as head coach of the Tiger-Cats. Saskatchewan defensive back Gig Perez suffered a career-ending knee injury on the artificial turf of Ivor Wynne Stadium.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: Fame--Irene Cara (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A.: (Billboard): Eye of the Tiger--Survivor (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Eye of the Tiger--Survivor
2 Hurts So Good--John Cougar
3 Don't You Want Me--The Human League
4 Hold Me--Fleetwood Mac
5 Abracadabra--Steve Miller Band
6 Rosanna--Toto
7 Tainted Love--Soft Cell
8 Only the Lonely--The Motels
9 Hard to Say I'm Sorry--Chicago
10 Keep the Fire Burnin'--REO Speedwagon

Singles entering the chart were Somebody's Baby by Jackson Browne (#69); Do You Wanna Touch Me by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (#71); You Can Do Magic by America (#76); Never Been in Love by Randy Meisner (#77); Oh Julie by Barry Manilow (#78); Calling All Girls by Queen (#80); Sara by Bill Champlin (#83); Themes from E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial by Walter Murphy (#84); Emotions in Motion by Billy Squier (#85); Still in the Game by Steve Winwood (#86); I Only Want to Be with You by Nicolette Larson (#87); I'm the One by Roberta Flack (#88); I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton (#89); Should I Stay or Should I Go by the Clash (#90); and Theme from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" by James Horner (#98). I Will Always Love You was from the movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), in which Miss Parton co-starred.

Canada’s top 10 (RPM)
1 Eye of the Tiger--Survivor
2 Abracadabra--Steve Miller Band
3 Hurts So Good--John Cougar
4 Going to a Go-Go--Rolling Stones
5 I've Never Been to Me--Charlene
6 Body Language--Queen
7 Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
8 Who Can it Be Now?--Men at Work
9 Caught Up in You--.38 Special
10 Eyes of a Stranger--Payolas

Singles entering the chart were Superstitious Feeling by Harlequin (#46); You Should Hear how She Talks About You by Melissa Manchester (#47); American Music by the Pointer Sisters (#49); and What Kind of Fool am I? by Rick Springfield (#50).

Died on this date
Dean Chenoweth, 44. U.S. hydroplane racing driver. Mr. Chenoweth drove Unlimited class hydroplanes from 1968-1982, winning 25 races. He won the Gold Cup in 1970, 1973, 1980, and 1981. Mr. Chenoweth was killed in an accident in the Tri-Cities race in Washington state.

War
Iraq reported that her forces had killed more than 27,000 Iranians in the battle near the Iraqi city of Basra in the past 18 days.

Politics and government
Vice-President Ricardo de la Espriella was named Panama’s new President, succeeding Aristides Royo Sanchez, who had resigned the previous day with two years remaining in his six-year term. The new government indicated that it would follow a more conservative foreign policy than that of Mr. Royo, who had often criticized U.S. foreign policy in Latin America, and whose resignation was under apparent pressure from Panama’s National Guard.

Football
CFL
Calgary (1-1-1) 30 @ Hamilton (2-2) 12

Rookie linebacker Larry Barker returned an interception 62 yards for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter and rookie defensive back Darrel Toussaint returned a blocked punt 35 yards for a touchdown in the 4th quarter to lead the Stampeders to victory over the Tiger-Cats before 18,350 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The Stampeders won despite amassing only 8 first downs and 164 yards net offense. Calgary quarterback Gerry Dattilio completed just 9 of 24 passes for 126 yards, and their only offensive touchdown came on a 32-yard pass from receiver Willie Armstead to Mike McTague. The Stampeder defense held the Tiger-Cats to 3 field goals and 3 singles by Bernie Ruoff. It was the only CFL game for Doug Woodward, who dressed as the backup to Mr. Dattilio, but didn’t see any action.

25 years ago
1987

Died on this date
Joseph E. Levine, 81. U.S. film producer. Mr. Levine was producer or executive producer (often uncredited) for such movies as Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956); Two Women (1960); Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962); Zulu (1964); The Carpetbaggers (1964); Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964); Darling (1965); The Oscar (1966); The Graduate (1967); The Producers (1968); The Lion in Winter (1968); Carnal Knowledge (1971); and A Bridge Too Far (1977).

Hit parade
One Love, the first single by London, Ontario’s Michelle Iurman, was added to the playlist of London radio station CJBK.

Disasters
27 people were killed, 253 injured, and hundreds left homeless when a tornado struck southeastern Edmonton. Property damage was in excess of $250 million. It was the second worst tornado disaster in Canadian history—after the Regina cyclone of 1912—and Canada’s worst natural disaster since Hurricane Hazel claimed 80 lives in Ontario in 1954. The 1988 World Almanac and Book of Facts neglected to mention the Edmonton tornado among the year’s disasters.

World events
Hundreds of people were killed or injured as Iranian Muslim pilgrims battled Saudi police near the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The Iranians had reportedly shouted denunciations of the U.S.A., U.S.S.R., and Israel, and had raised portraits of Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in defiance of a prohibition on political demonstrations during the annual pilgrimage.

Defense
The U.S.S.R. presented to the arms-control talks in Geneva a draft treaty on replacing long-range nuclear weapons, two months after the U.S.A. had presented a similar draft treaty. The Soviet Union linked such an agreement to curbs on the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative.

Journalism
British Attorney General Sir Patrick Mayhew announced a suit against the London newspaper Sunday Telegraph in an attempt to prevent publication of details from the book Spycatcher by Peter Wright.

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones industrial average closed at a record high of 2,572.07.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (4-1) 20 @ Hamilton (3-3) 21

Bernie Ruoff’s single on a 35-yard missed field goal attempt with 1:37 remaining in regulation time gave the Tiger-Cats their win over the Lions before 18,088 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The turning point in the game came in the 3rd quarter. The Lions led 17-13, and Larry Crawford’s 87-yard punt return for a B.C. touchdown was called back on a penalty. Two plays later, Hamilton middle linebacker Ben Zambiasi intercepted a Roy Dewalt pass and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown to put the Tiger-Cats ahead. Steve Stapler scored the other Tiger-Cat touchdown on a 34-yard pass from Tom Porras in the 1st quarter. Jim Sandusky scored both B.C. touchdowns, on a 21-yard pass from Mr. Dewalt in the 1st quarter, and a 31-yard pass from Mr. Dewalt in the 3rd quarter.

20 years ago
1992

Died on this date
G. Harrold Carswell, 72. U.S. judge. Mr. Carswell was chief judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida from 1958-1969 and a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1969-1970. He was nominated for the Supreme Court of the United States by President Richard Nixon in 1970 but was rejected by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 51-45. Opposition to Judge Carswell's nomination centred around his support for racial segregation during an unsuccessful bid for the Georgia legislature in 1948, and especially, the fact that 58% of his decisions as a district court judge had been reversed by higher courts. Mr. Carswell resigned from the bench to run for the Republican party nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida but was unsuccessful, and he eventually returned to the practice of law.