July 2, 2013

1,050 years ago
963

World events
The imperial army proclaimed Nicephorus Phocas Emperor of the Romans on the plains outside Cappadocian Caesarea.

400 years ago
1613

War
In the first English expedition from Massachusetts against Acadia, forces commanded by Samuel Argall burned and destroyed St. Sauveur, then Port Royal settlement at Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

270 years ago
1743

Died on this date
Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, 70 (?). Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1742-1743. The Earl of Wilmington, a Whig, succeeded Sir Robert Walpole as Prime Minister. He died in office and was succeeded by Paymaster of the Forces Henry Pelham.

190 years ago
1823

South Americana
The final defeat of Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia marked the practical end of Portuguese rule in Brazil. The event is observed as Bahia Independence Day.

160 years ago
1853

War
The Russian Army crossed the Pruth river into the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, providing the spark that set off the Crimean War.

150 years ago
1863

War
In the U.S. Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania entered its second day.

125 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Grover Hartley. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Hartley was a catcher with the New York Giants (1911-1913, 1924-1926); St. Louis Terriers (1914-1915); St. Louis Browns (1916-1917, 1934); Boston Red Sox (1927); and Cleveland Indians (1929-1930), batting .268 with 3 home runs and 144 runs batted in in 569 games. He played all or part of 14 seasons in the minor leagues, batting .308 in 889 games. Mr. Hartley led the Federal League with 8 pinch hits in 1914. In his lone major league game of 1930, he batted .750 (3 for 4 with an RBI) and fielded .750 (2 putouts, an assist, and an error). Mr. Hartley was a coach with the Indians (1928-1930); Pittsburgh Pirates (1931-1933); Browns (1934-1936); and Giants (1946). He died on October 19, 1964 at the age of 76.

110 years ago
1903

Died on this date
Ed Delahanty, 35. U.S. baseball player. "Big Ed" was the oldest of five brothers who played in the major leagues. Playing mostly as a left fielder, he played with the Philadelphia Phillies (1888-1889, 1891-1901), Cleveland Infants (1890), and Washington Senators (1902-1903), batting .346 with 100 home runs and 1,464 runs batted in in 1,835 games. He led the National League with a .410 average in 1899 and the American League at .376 in 1902, while leading his league in slugging percentage 5 times; doubles 5 times; runs batted in 3 times; hits once; home runs once; and stolen bases once. His best season may have been 1893, when he hit .368 and led the league in slugging (.583), home runs (19), and runs batted in (146). On July 13, 1896, Mr. Delahanty became the second major league player to hit 4 home runs in a game, and the only one to hit them all inside-the-park. In 1903 he was hitting .333, although he had played only 42 games. In the early hours of July 2, Mr. Delahanty was kicked off a train by the conductor for acting drunk and disorderly, and reportedly brandishing a straight razor and threatening passengers. He began walking along the International Bridge connecting Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario, and fell or jumped over Niagara Falls. His body was recovered two days later from the bottom of the falls. Mr. Delahanty was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.

75 years ago
1938

Tennis
In an all-American women's singles final, Helen Wills Moody won a record eighth Wimbledon singles title by defeating her California rival Helen Jacobs 6-4, 6-0.

70 years ago
1943

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Priory School

War
U.K. Royal Air Force planes bombed Trapani, Sicily and Olbia, Sardinia. U.S. troops completed the occupation of Viru Harbor on New Georgia Island, having landed there the previous day. Australian troops cleared the district south of the Bitol River of Japanese patrols and joined U.S. forces at Nassau Bay, Salamaua.

Politics and government
The Nicaraguan Senate approved changes in the constitution to permit President Anastasio Somoza to succeed himself.

U.S. Navy Vice Admiral John Howard Hoover was named to confer with French Vice Admiral Georges Robert in Martinique about the proposal to end Vichy authority there.

Scandal
U.S. jazz drummer and bandleader Gene Krupa, who had been convicted on June 30 of employing a minor to transport marijuana cigarettes, was sentenced in San Francisco to 1-6 years in San Quentin penitentiary.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt vetoed the Commodity Credit Corporation bill, charging that it would "black out the program to reduce the cost of living."

Golf
Patty Berg defeated Dorothy Kirby to win the Women's Western Open Championship in Chicago.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree--Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France: J'ai un problème--Johnny Hallyday & Sylvie Vartan

Died on this date
George McBride, 92. U.S. baseball player. Mr. McBride was a shortstop with the Milwaukee Brewers (1901), Pittsburgh Pirates (1905), St. Louis Cardinals (1905-1906), and Washington Nationals (1908-1920), batting .218 with 7 home runs and 447 runs batted in in 1,659 games. He led American League shortstops in fielding percentage for four straight seasons from 1912-1915. Mr. McBride was the Nationals' manager in 1921, leading them to a fourth-place standing with a record of 80-73. He was forced to retire his post after the season when he was hit by a batted ball during batting practice, and one side of his face was paralyzed. Mr. McBride recorded the lowest career batting average for anyone with at least 5,000 at bats.

George Macready, 73. U.S. actor. Mr. Macready was known for his distinctively cultured and menacing voice and the scar on his right cheek. He contributed memorable supporting performances in such movies as Gilda (1946); Knock on Any Door (1949); Detective Story (1951); Julius Caesar (1953); Paths of Glory (1957); and Seven Days in May (1964), but was also known for his television work. He played Martin Peyton in the prime-time soap opera Peyton Place from 1965-1968, and appeared in The Invisibles (1964), one of my favourite episodes of The Outer Limits.

Chick Hafey, 70. U.S. baseball player. Charles James Hafey was an outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals (1924-1931) and Cincinnati Reds (1932-1935, 1937), batting .317 with 164 home runs and 833 runs batted in in 1,283 games. He was a member of the first two Cardinal teams to win the World Series (1926, 1931). A hit in his last at bat of the season enabled him to edge teammate Jim Bottomley and Bill Terry of the New York Giants to win the National League batting title in 1931 in the closest such race in NL history. Despite winning the batting crown and helping the Cardinals to a World Series championship, Mr. Hafey was traded to the Reds after the 1931 season because of a contract dispute. Vision problems caused by repeated beanings and sinus problems led him to be one of the first baseball players to wear glasses on the field. Mr. Hafey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1971.

Betty Grable, 56. U.S. actress. Miss Grable was one of the most popular movie stars of the 1940s, and photographs of her "million dollar legs" made her one of the most popular pinup girls among American servicemen in World War II. Her movies included Million Dollar Legs (1939); Down Argentine Way (1940); Moon Over Miami (1941); Footlight Serenade (1942); Springtime in the Rockies (1942); Pin Up Girl (1944); Mother Wore Tights (1947); Call Me Mister (1951); and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).

Swede Savage, 26. U.S. auto racing driver. David "Swede" Savage won the "Bobby Ball 150" at Phoenix in 1970, and raced in the Indianapolis 500 in 1972 and 1973. In 1972, he finished 32nd after dropping out on lap 6 because of mechanical problems. Mr. Savage was one of the fastest drivers in qualifying for the 1973 Indianapolis 500 and led the race from laps 43-54 before making his first pit stop. He was in second place on lap 58 he had a spectacular crash and was badly burned, although he was fully conscious. He was recorded as finishing in 22nd place. Track physician Steve Olvey claimed that Mr. Savage contracted hepatitis B from a blood transfusion in hospital, causing his liver to fail and bringing about his death 33 days after the crash.

Politics and government
The lower house of Chile's Congress rejected President Salvador Allende's request for a "state of siege," thereby rejecting his claim that the country was on the edge of civil war and preventing additional suspension of civil rights.

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Joe Frazier (30-1), in his first fight since losing his title to George Foreman on January 22, 1973, won a 12-round decision over British heavyweight champion Joe Bugner (43-6-1) at East Court Arena, Kensington, London.



30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: L'Italiano--Toto Cutugno (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Stars on 45 Proudly Presents The Star Sisters--The Star Sisters (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Baby Jane--Rod Stewart

#1 single in the U.K.: Baby Jane--Rod Stewart

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Flashdance...What a Feeling--Irene Cara (6th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Flashdance...What a Feeling--Irene Cara (6th week at #1)
2 Electric Avenue--Eddy Grant
3 Time (Clock of the Heart)--Culture Club
4 Every Breath You Take--The Police
5 Let's Dance--David Bowie
6 Beat It--Michael Jackson
7 Always Something There to Remind Me--Naked Eyes
8 She's a Beauty--The Tubes
9 Too Shy--Kajagoogoo
10 Family Man--Daryl Hall & John Oates

Singles entering the chart were It's a Mistake by Men at Work (#52); I'll Tumble 4 Ya by Culture Club (#76); Dead Giveaway by Shalamar (#80); Ewok Celebration by Meco (#83); How am I Supposed to Live Without You by Laura Branigan (#85); All Time High by Rita Coolidge (#86); Blame it on Love by Smokey Robinson and Barbara Mitchell (#87); and Hold Me 'Til the Mornin' Comes by Paul Anka (#89).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Every Breath You Take--The Police
2 Electric Avenue--Eddy Grant
3 Flashdance...What a Feeling--Irene Cara
4 Puttin' on the Ritz--Taco
5 Let's Dance--David Bowie
6 White Wedding--Billy Idol
7 Time (Clock of the Heart)--Culture Club
8 Beat It--Michael Jackson
9 I'm Still Standing--Elton John
10 Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)--A Flock of Seagulls

Singles entering the chart were Stop in the Name of Love by the Hollies (#43); Take Me to Heart by Quarterflash (#44); War Games by Crosby, Stills & Nash (#46); Saved by Zero by the Fixx (#48); and The Border by America (#49).

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Tell Me--Nick Kamen

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Theme From S'Express--S'Express (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): J'ai faim de toi--Sandy

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Boys in Green--Republic of Ireland Soccer Squad (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Owe You Nothing--Bros (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Dirty Diana--Michael Jackson

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Dirty Diana--Michael Jackson
2 Foolish Beat--Debbie Gibson
3 The Flame--Cheap Trick
4 Make it Real--The Jets
5 The Valley Road--Bruce Hornsby and the Range
6 Pour Some Sugar on Me--Def Leppard
7 Mercedes Boy--Pebbles
8 Together Forever--Rick Astley
9 Nite and Day--Al B. Sure!
10 Alphabet St.--Prince

Singles entering the chart were Simply Irresistible by Robert Palmer (#51); Love Will Save the Day by Whitney Houston (#55); When it's Love by Van Halen (#77); All Fired Up by Pat Benatar (#83); If it Isn't Love by New Edition (#85); and Forever Yours by Tony Terry (#89).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Together Forever--Rick Astley (2nd week at #1)
2 The Valley Road--Bruce Hornsby and the Range
3 One More Try--George Michael
4 Foolish Beat--Debbie Gibson
5 Beds are Burning--Midnight Oil
6 Everything Your Heart Desires--Daryl Hall John Oates
7 Pink Cadillac--Natalie Cole
8 Dirty Diana--Michael Jackson
9 Circle in the Sand--Belinda Carlisle
10 New Sensation--INXS

Singles entering the chart were I Still Believe by Brenda K. Starr (#70); Feelings of Forever by Tiffany (#75); Lookin' Out for Number One by Honeymoon Suite (#78); Do You Love Me by the Contours (#80); I Know You're Out There by the Moody Blues (#88); 1-2-3 by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine (#92); and Parents Just Don't Understand by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (#96). Do You Love Me was a re-release of the song that had been a hit single in the fall of 1962.

Died on this date
Vibert Douglas, 93. Canadian astrophysicist and astronomer. Dr. Douglas, a native of Montreal, worked in both England and Canada, and was awarded a doctorate in astrophysics from McGill University in 1926, becoming the first woman in North America to earn the degree. She taught at McGill until moving to Queen's University in 1939, serving as Dean of Women until 1958 and Professor of Astronomy from 1946-1964. Dr. Douglas died in Kingston, Ontario.

Tennis
19-year-old Steffi Graf of West Germany ended Martina Navratilova's six-year reign as women's singles champion at Wimbledon, winning the finals 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

20 years ago
1993

Died on this date
Fred Gwynne, 66. U.S. actor. Mr. Gwynne starred in the television comedy series "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961-1963) and The Munsters (1964-1966). He made frequent appearances on CBS Radio Mystery Theatre in the 1970s. Younger viewers might remember Mr. Gwynne best from his role as Judge Chamberlain Haller in the movie My Cousin Vinny (1992). He died 8 days before his 67th birthday.

Abominations
37 participants in an Alevi cultural and literary festival were killed when a mob of 15,000 Islamist demonstrators set fire to the Madimak Hotel in Sivas, Turkey during a violent protest against the presence of Turkish writer Aziz Nesin.

Terrorism
Islamic Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman was arrested by U.S. federal authorities outside a mosque in Brooklyn. The sheik and his followers were linked to bombing conspiracies such as that of February 26, 1993, when the World Trade Center in New York was bombed.

10 years ago
2003

World events
Israeli forces withdrew to the edge of Bethlehem but continued to surround the city. As planned, Palestinian forces assumed a security role there and in the West Bank, from which Israeli forces had also withdrawn.