July 25, 2013

475 years ago
1538

South Americana
The city of Guayaquil, Ecuador was founded by the Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana and given the name Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil.

420 years ago
1593

World events
King Henry IV of France publicly converted from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism.

320 years ago
1693

Mexicana
Ignacio de Maya founded the Real Santiago de las Sabinas, now known as Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León.

230 years ago
1783

War
The British army's Siege of Cuddalore, India was ended after 48 days by preliminary peace agreement.

225 years ago
1788

Music
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his Symphony No. 40 in G minor (K550).

130 years ago
1883

Baseball
Old Hoss Radbourn pitched a no-hitter as the Providence Grays blanked the Cleveland Blues 8-0 at Kennard Street Park in Cleveland.

120 years ago
1893

Transportation
The Corinth Canal was formally opened, connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth in the Aegean Sea.

70 years ago
1943

Politics and government
Italy's Fascist Grand Council met and forced Benito Mussolini to resign as head of both the government and the armed forces (see also here). Marshal Pietro Badoglio became the new Prime Minister, and King Victor Emmanuel took control of the army.

The Argentine government rescinded police restrictions on the British Community Council, a war aid group.

Education
Illinois Governor Dwight Green (Republican) signed a bill making the teaching of history and the principles of representative government mandatory in public schools.

60 years ago
1953

Hit Parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Tell Me a Story--Frankie Laine and Jimmy Boyd

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I'm Walking Behind You--Eddie Fisher (Best seller--1st week at #1; Disc Jockey--2nd week at #1; Jukebox--4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I'm Walking Behind You--Eddie Fisher (3rd week at #1)
2 The Song from Moulin Rouge (Where is Your Heart)--Percy Faith and his Orchestra
3 April in Portugal--Les Baxter and his Orchestra
4 No Other Love--Perry Como
5 Ruby--Richard Hayman and his Orchestra
--[Les Baxter and his Orchestra]
6 Terry's Theme from "Limelight"--Frank Chacksfield and his Orchestra
--[Richard Hayman and his Orchestra]
7 Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You)--Les Paul and Mary Ford
8 With These Hands--Eddie Fisher
9 Say You're Mine Again--Perry Como
10 Anna--Silvana Mangano

Singles entering the chart were Gambler's Guitar by Rusty Draper (#17, charting with the version by Jim Lowe); Crying in the Chapel by Ella Fitzgerald, charting with the versions by Darrell Glenn and June Valli (#21); I Love Paris by Les Baxter and his Orchestra (#26); and Goin' Steady by Betty Hutton (#36).

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)--Frank Ifield (2nd week at #1)

Diplomacy
In Moscow, the U.S.A., U.K., and U.S.S.R. agreed to a treaty banning tests of nuclear devices in air, water, and outer space. Undersecretary of State Averell Harriman represented the United States; Science Minister Lord Hailsham represented the United Kingdom; and Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko represented the Soviet Union. China and France criticized the treaty, whose formal signing was to take place in Moscow on August 5.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Winnipeg (0-2) 23 @ Hamilton (1-0) 24

40 years ago
1973

Died on this date
Louis St. Laurent, 91. Prime Minister of Canada, 1948-1957. A lawyer who didn't enter politics until he was 61, Mr. St. Laurent represented Quebec East in the House of Commons from 1942-1958. He replaced Mackenzie King as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister in November 1948, and delivered the biggest majority governments the Liberals have ever had in the federal elections of 1949 and 1953. A narrow loss to the John Diefenbaker-led Progressive Conservatives in the 1957 federal election prompted him to retire, after sitting through that fall's session of Parliament as leader of the opposition. Mr. St. Laurent, in the opinion of this blogger, was the last good Prime Minister Canada ever had.

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the probe Mars 5.

Scandal
Former presidential aide John Ehrlichman, testifying before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Campaign Activities, denied charges linking him to the cover-up of the June 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and also said that there had been no impropriety in his April 1973 meeting with Matthew Byrne, the judge in the case of the break-in at the office of former Defense Department employee Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist.

Politics and government
U.S. President Richard Nixon announced the resignation of former Treasury Secretary John Connally as an unpaid part-time presidential adviser.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Flashdance...What a Feeling--Irene Cara (3rd week at #1)

Economics and finance
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget stated that because the recovery was stronger than previously forecast, the deficit for fiscal 1984 would be about $179.7 billion rather than the $190.2 billion estimated earlier.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Got to Be Certain--Kylie Minogue (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Judith Barsi, 10. U.S. actress. Miss Barsi was a live and voice actress who appeared in television commercials and programs, and in movies such as Jaws: The Revenge (1987) and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). She and her mother Maria were murdered by Judith's father József, who fatally shot himself two days later.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You--UB40 (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You--UB40 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Mr. Vain--Culture Beat (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): What's Up?--4 Non Blondes (2nd week at #1)

Terrorism
The Saint James Church massacre was perpetrated on St. James Church in Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa by four cadres of the Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA). 11 members of the congregation were killed and 58 wounded.

War
Israel launched a massive attack against Lebanon in what the Israelis called Operation Accountability, and the Lebanese called the Seven-Day War in retaliation for rocket attacks that had killed seven Israeli soldiers. Israel was attempting to make it difficult for the terrorist organization Hezbollah to use southern Lebanon as a base for striking Israel.

The latest United Nations cease-fire in Bosnia was broken with shelling from both Serbian and Muslim sides.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
John Schlesinger, 67. U.K. film director. Mr. Schlesinger won the Academy Award for Best Director for Midnight Cowboy (1969). His other movies included Billy Liar (1963); Darling (1965); Far from the Madding Crowd (1967); The Day of the Locust (1975); Marathon Man (1976); and Cold Comfort Farm (1995).

War
U.S. President George W. Bush ordered a naval force that included 2,300 Marines to sail to a position off the coast of Liberia. Continued heavy fighting in Monrovia caused hundreds of civilian casualties, and a second major rebel group engaged government forces in the city of Buchanan.

Diplomacy
Canada recalled Philip MacKinnon, its ambassador to Iran, and considered trade or travel sanctions after Iran refused to return the body of slain Montreal photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.

Crime
Statistics Canada reported that the national crime rate for 2002 represented a drop of 27% since 1992, including a 62% decline in armed robberies.

A body with two bullet wounds was found near Waco, Texas, and identified as Baylor University basketball player Patrick Dennehy, who had been reported missing on June 19. Mr. Dennehy's roommate, former Baylor basketball player Carlton Dodson, had been arrested on July 21 and charged with Mr. Dennehy's murder.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (3-3) 14 @ Saskatchewan (4-2) 32