July 20, 2013

275 years ago
1738

Exploration
Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye reached the western shore of Lake Michigan.

240 years ago
1773

Canadiana
Scottish settlers arrive at Pictou, Nova Scotia.

120 years ago
1893

Born on this date
George Llewelyn Davies. U.K. military officer. Second Lieutenant Davies served in the King's Royal Rifle Corps in World War I, and was killed in action in Flanders on March 15, 1915 at the age of 21. He and his four younger brothers served as the inspiration for J.M. Barrie's characters of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, and Mr. Barrie served as their guardian after the death of their parents.

110 years ago
1903

Died on this date
Leo XIII, 93. Roman Catholic Pope, 1878-1910. Leo XIII, born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, succeeded Pius IX as pope. He heavily promoted the idea of Mary as mediatrix between God and man (contrary to the clear teaching of I Timothy 2:5), and the use of the rosary and scapulars. Leo was the oldest pope to hold the office, and his 25-year reign was exceeded by only Pius IX (1846-1878) and John Paul II (1978-2005). Leo XIII was succeeded as pope by Pius X.

Transportation
The Ford Motor Company shipped its first car.

90 years ago
1923

Died on this date
Pancho Villa, 45. Mexican military officer. Mr. Villa, born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula, was one of the most prominent generals in the Mexican Revolution, commanding the Division of the North. He was provisional Governor of Chihuahua in 1913-1914, but decided to retire from politics in 1915. Mr. Villa led a raid on Columbus, New Mexico in 1916, prompting a U.S. expedition to Mexico in search of him. Mr. Villa avoided the Americans, and led several other raids through 1919, with little success. Mr. Villa decided to come out of retirement in 1923 to become involved in Mexican politics, but he was assassinated by a squad of seven riflemen who fired upon him as he was driving through the streets of Parral. Álvaro Obregón, President of Mexico at the time, has been accused of being behind the assassination.

75 years ago
1938

Business
The United States Department of Justice filed suit in New York City against the motion picture industry, charging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in regards to the studio system. The case eventually resulted in a break-up of the industry in 1948.

70 years ago
1943

War
U.S. Vice Chief of Naval Operations Frederick Horne said that the Navy was planning for a war that would last at least until 1949 in the Pacific theatre. Soviet troops attacked on a 450-mile front from Orel to Taganrog, capturing 50 villages, killing 4,700 German soldiers, and destroying 143 tanks and 117 planes. Canadian and American troops took over the Axis communications centre in central Sicily on the 11th day of the invasion. U.S. planes sank a Japanese light cruiser and two destroyers north of Vila in the northern Solomon Islands.

Abominations
It was reported from Switzerland that German authorities had executed 50 Frenchmen in Paris a week earlier in reprisal for the shooting of a German officer.

Crime
The Alabama Supreme Court sentenced Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, Emanuel Weiss, and Louis Capone to die during the week of September 13, 1943, after their appeal of their conviction of the murder of Samuel Rosen was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court.

60 years ago
1953

Died on this date
Dumarsais Estimé, 53. 33rd President of Haiti, 1946-1950. Mr. Estimé was the first Negro to hold the presidency since the U.S.A.'s occupation of the country had ended in 1934. His government became increasingly unpopular, finally declaring a national state of siege in 1949. Mr. Estimé resigned in May 1950 and ws exiled to Paris, where he died. He was succeeded as President by Franck Lavaud, who had immediately preceded him in the office.

Jan Struther, 52. U.K. authoress. Miss Struther, whose real name was Joyce Anstruther, wrote poems and hymns, but was best known for creating the character Mrs Miniver in a series of columns that began appearing in The Times of London in 1937, were published as a book in 1939, and were the basis of the movie Mrs. Miniver (1942). Miss Struther suffered from depression for many years, and died of breast cancer.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Sukiyaki--Kyu Sakamoto (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Pauvre Petite Fille Riche--Claude François

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Cuore--Rita Pavone (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Barcarole in der Nacht--Connie Francis (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)--Frank Ifield (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Surf City--Jan & Dean

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Easier Said than Done--The Essex (2nd week at #1)
2 Surf City--Jan & Dean
3 So Much in Love--The Tymes
4 Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport--Rolf Harris
5 Memphis--Lonnie Mack
6 Fingertips - Part 2--Little Stevie Wonder
7 Wipe Out--The Surfaris
8 (You're the) Devil in Disguise--Elvis Presley
9 Sukiyaki--Kyu Sakamoto
10 Pride and Joy--Marvin Gaye

Singles entering the chart were Danke Schoen by Wayne Newton (#78); Twist it Up by Chubby Checker (#80); Hey, Girl by Freddie Scott (#81); Dancin' Holiday by the Olympics (#86); It's Too Late by Wilson Pickett (#89); This is All I Ask, with versions by Burl Ives; and Tony Bennett (#90); Surfin' Hootenanny by Al Casey (#93); It Hurts to Be Sixteen by Andrea Carroll (#97); Painted, Tainted Rose by Al Martino (#99); and Wait Til' My Bobby Gets Home by Darlene Love (#100). Twist it Up was the B-side of Surf Party, which charted at #57.

Calgary's Top 10
1 Easier Said than Done--The Essex
2 Green, Green--The New Christy Minstrels
3 Sukiyaki--Kyu Sakamoto
4 Six Days on the Road--Dave Dudley
5 Wipe Out--The Surfaris
6 (You're the) Devil in Disguise--Elvis Presley
7 My Whole World is Falling Down--Brenda Lee
8 Memphis--Lonnie Mack
9 Surf City--Jan & Dean
10 Blue on Blue--Bobby Vinton
Pick hit of the week: You Name It--Sandy Nelson

Boxing
George Benton (48-8-1) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Allen Thomas (20-2-1) in a light heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.



40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree--Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (8th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Hell Raiser--The Sweet

Died on this date
Bruce Lee, 32. U.S. actor and martial artist. Mr. Lee, born Lee Jun-fan in San Francisco, created a martial art called Jeet Kune Do. He grew up in Hong Kong but moved back to the United States at the age of 18. After studying at the University of Washington, Mr. Lee eventually ended up in Hollywood, where he became a martial arts instructor to actors and others in the entertainment business. He became a popular actor himself, playing Kato in the television series The Green Hornet (1966-1967), and turning in a brief but memorable appearance in the movie Marlowe (1969). Mr. Lee returned to Hong Kong, where he became a major star in movies such as The Big Boss (1971); Fist of Fury (1972); The Way of the Dragon (1972); and Enter the Dragon (1973). He suffered a cerebral edema in 1973, and died of an apparent reaction to a painkiller he had taken for a headache. Mr. Lee's death occurred just six days before Enter the Dragon opened in theatres. His last film, The Game of Death, was uncompleted at the time of his death, but was edited and released in 1978.

Terrorism
30 minutes after takeoff from Amsterdam, a Japan Air Lines jumbo jet enroute to Tokyo was hijacked by five pro-Palestinian guerrillas, who forced the pilot to fly to Dubai in the Persian Gulf. The plane carried 123 passengers and 22 crew members. The hijackers identified themselves as members of Al Fatah and the "Red Japanese Army."

30 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Frank Reynolds, 59. U.S.journalist. Mr. Reynolds anchored the ABC Evening News telecast from 1968-1970 and the Washington desk and World News Tonight on ABC frm 1978-1983. During the Iran hostage crisis, he began the late-night program America Held Hostage, which was eventually renamed Nightline. He died from hepatitis-induced liver failure.

Diplomacy
Lebanese President Amin Gemayel arrived in Washington, D.C. and stated his opposition to the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, saying it meant a de facto partition of his country.

U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz certified that El Salvador was making progress on human rights. The semiannual ceritfication was required by law if foreign aid was to continue.

Defense
The United States House of Representatives voted 220-207 to reject an amendment to a defense authorization bill that would have deleted funds to produce the MX missile. 20 Democrats who had supported the testing of the MX in May changed their votes.

Officials with the U.S. administration of President Ronald Reagan announced that U.S.-Honduran maneuvers would begin in August near the Nicaraguan border.

Scandal
The United States House of Representatives overrode the recommendation of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct that Congressmen Daniel Crane (Republican--Illinois) and Gerry Studds (Democrat--Massachusetts) be reprimanded for having had sexual relationships with teenagers, and voted instead for the slightly more severe penalty of censure. Rep. Newt Gingrich (Republican--Georgia) had led a movement to expel both members.

25 years ago
1988

Politics and government
The Democratic National Convention, meeting at the Omni in Atlanta, officially nominated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis as the party's 1988 candidate for President of the United States of America, with U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas as the vice-presidential candidate. Mr. Dukakis received 2,876.25 votes to 1,218.5 for Rev. Jesse Jackson. Mr. Bentsen was nominated by acclamation.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (0-2) 11 @ Toronto (1-1) 34

20 years ago
1993

Died on this date
Vince Foster, 48. U.S. attorney. Mr. Foster was Deputy White House Counsel in the administration of President Bill Clinton, who reportedly shot himself in Fort Marcy Park in Washington, D.C. Mr. Foster's death took place the day afer Mr. Clinton had fired Federal Bureau of Investigation Director William Sessions, resulting in the Park Police rather than the FBI conducting the investigation into Mr. Foster's death, which was very convenient--and very suspicious. Conspiracy theories abound.

Politics and government
U.S. President named Judge Louis Freeh of the Manhattan District Court to succeed William Sessions as Director of the FBI.

10 years ago
2003

Scandal
The British Broadcasting Corporation confirmed that weapons expert Dr David Kelly, who had been found dead two days earlier, was the main source for a controversial report which sparked a deep rift with the government, with the report accusing the government of having "sexed up" its dossier on Iraq to boost public support for the war.

Defense
General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq, said that a battalion of Iraqis would be trained and would become the first part of an Iraqi defense force.

Golf
Ben Curtis, an American who was ranked 396th in the world, posted a 1-under par score of 283 to win the British Open, becoming the first golfer to win a major tournament in his first attempt. He won $1.1 million.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (0-6) 9 @ Saskatchewan (3-2) 42