July 5, 2013

210 years ago
1803

Diplomacy
Oberbefehlshaber Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn signed the Convention of Artlenburg, disbanding the Electorate of Hanover (which had been ruled by the British king) and handing it over to Naopleon Bonaparte's army.

200 years ago
1813

War
In the War of 1812, three weeks of British raids on Fort Schlosser, Black Rock and Plattsburgh, New York began.

180 years ago
1833

War
A naval squadron commanded by the British officer Charles Napier, on behalf of Dom Pedro IV, regent for Queen Maria II, defeated the navy of Dom Miguel I at the third Battle of Cape St. Vincent in Portugal's Liberal Wars.

170 years ago
1843

Politics and government
The Organic Laws of the Provisional Government of Oregon were adopted.

125 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Herbert Spencer Gasser. U.S. physiologist. Dr. Gasser shared the 1944 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Joseph Erlanger "for their discoveries relating to the highly differentiated functions of single nerve fibres." Dr. Gasser was Director of the Rockefeller Institute from 1935-1953. He died on May 11, 1963 at the age of 74.

100 years ago
1913

Born on this date
Smiley Lewis. U.S. musician. Mr. Lewis, born Overton Lemon, was a rhythm and blues artist from New Orleans whose peak period of popularity was the 1950s. Mr. Lewis was the "other" artist on Imperial Records while Fats Domino was having his lengthy string of hits. Songs such as Blue Monday and I Hear You Knocking (#2, Billboard Rhythm and Blues, 1955) were recorded and released by Mr. Lewis before the better-known versions by Mr. Domino were released. Unfrortunately for Mr. Lewis, his records didn't sell well outside New Orleans. Mr. Lewis died of stomach cancer on October 7, 1966 at the age of 53.

Exploration
Vilhjalmur Stefansson left Seattle on the Karluk, beginning a three-year Arctic expedition sponsored by the Canadian government.

90 years ago
1923

Labour
Miners and steel workers in Sydney, Nova Scotia struck for higher wages and union recognition; a government investigating commission accepted their demands.

75 years ago
1938

Protest
Adrien Arcand and his blue shirts held a rally of 2,500 fascists at Massey Hall in Toronto.

70 years ago
1943

Died on this date
Kazimierz Junosza-Stępowski, 62. Polish actor. Mr. Junosza-Stępowski appeared in the first Polish films in 1902, and continued to act in movies through the end of the 1930s. He was killed trying to protect his wife from the Polish Home Guard, who had discovered that she was an informer for the Gestapo.

Married on this date
U.S. bandleader Harry James and actress Betty Grable were married in Las Vegas.

War
German troops commenced a heavy offensive on a 160-mile front from Belgorod to Orel. An Allied invasion fleet sailed for Sicily in preparation for Operation Husky.

Diplomacy
Japan ceded six states of Malaya and Burma, totalling 38,770 square miles, to Thailand for cooperating with Japan in the war in the Pacific.

Defense
Mrs. Oveta Culp Hobby, U.S. Women's Air Auxiliary Corps director, was sworn in as an Army colonel, becoming the first member of the Women's Army Corps Service.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Like It--Gerry and the Pacemakers

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Rubber Bullets--10 C.C. (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
Chilean President Salvador Allende named seven new cabinet ministers, but the political balance remained the same as in his former cabinet, which had resigned several days earlier after an abortive army coup attempt.

Disasters
11 firefighters in Kingman, Arizona died from a Catastrophic BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) following a fire that broke out as propane was being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank.

30 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Harry James, 67. U.S. musician and bandleader. Mr. James was a trumpeter who led Harry James and his Music Makers, one of the most popular big bands from 1939-1946, with hits too numerous to list here.

Diplomacy
West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Soviet leader Yuri Andropov met in Moscow. Mr. Andropov, who appeared unwell, warned that deployment of NATO missiles in West Germany would adversely affect relations between the two countries.

Lebanese officials told U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz that Israel's plan to pull back their forces to more defensible positions in southern Lebanon would ruin the withdrawal agreement already approved by Lebanon and Israel.

Leaders of Palestinian factions concluded three days of meetings in Damascus and agreed to a cease-fire.

25 years ago
1988

Politics and government
Edwin Meese, U.S. Attorney General since 1985, announced his resignation, hours after independent counsel James McKay, who had been investigating Mr. Meese's activities, filed an 830-page report with a U.S. federal court in the District of Columbia. Mr. Meese announced that he had not been indicted and had been "completely vindicated" by the still-secret report.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Toronto (2-0) 26 @ Winnipeg (1-1) 22
British Columbia (1-1) 46 @ Saskatchewan (0-1) 27
Edmonton (1-1) 44 @ Calgary (1-1) 25

B.C. rookie Lorenzo Rivers returned 2 punts for touchdowns as the Lions beat the Roughriders at Taylor Field in Regina.

Former Hamilton Tiger-Cat Ron Ingram caught 2 touchdown passes for the Eskimos in their win over the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Mr. Vain--Culture Beat (3rd week at #1)

Protest
Protestors began blocking roads in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia to protest clear-cut logging of old growth forests. Over the next few weeks more than 900 people were arrested in the largest mass arrest in Canadian history. The demonstration lasted until October 4.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Roman Lyashenko, 24. Russian hockey player. Mr. Lyashenko, a centre known for his defensive ability, played for the Dallas Stars (1999-2002) and New York Rangers (2002) of the NHL, and also played in the AHL and IHL. He committed suicide while on vacation with his parents in Turkey.

Terrorism
At a graduation ceremony for U.S.-trained Iraqi policemen, a bomb killed 7 of the recruits and wounded 74.

An explosion at a rock music festival on the outskirts of Moscow killed 14 people in addition to the 2 bombers. Both bombers were women, and one was identified as Chechen.

Health
The World Health Organization reported that with no new cases reported since June 15, the "human chains" of transmission for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) appeared to be broken, and removed Taiwan, the last country remaining on a list of places with recent local transmission. WHO said about 200 SARS patients remained hospitalized around the world.

Tennis
In a rematch of the 2002 finals, Serena Williams retained her women's singles title at Wimbledon with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over her sister Venus.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (2-2) 37 @ Hamilton (0-3) 20

Rookies Brock Ralph and Kory Bailey caught touchdown passes for the Eskimos as they beat the Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Bart Hendricks started at quarterback for Edmonton, but he was relieved in the 2nd quarter by Ricky Ray, who played the rest of the game. It was the only starting assignment of Mr. Hendricks' CFL career.