August 13, 2013

460 years ago
1553

Religion
Michael Servetus was arrested by John Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland as a heretic for denying the trinity.

150 years ago
1863

Politics and government
John Sandfield Macdonald became Premier of the Province of Canada with A-A Dorion.

140 years ago
1873

Born on this date
Christian Rakovsky8. Ottoman-born U.S.S.R. politician and diplomat. Mr. Rakovsky was born in what is now Bulgaria; he was a collaborator with Leon Trotsky and served as 1st Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1919-1923 and as U.S.S.R. Ambassador to France from 1925-1927 and Ambassador to Japan in 1935. Mr. Rakovsky was a victim of Soviet dictator Josef Stain's Great Purge in 1937-1938, and was sentenced to 20 years' hard labour. He was executed on September 11, 1941, 29 days after his 68th birthday, as one of the victims of the Medvedev Forest Massacre.

125 years ago
1888

Born on this date
John Logie Baird. U.K. engineer. Mr. Baird was one of the inventors of mechanical television, invented the colour television picture tube, and achieved the first transatlantic television transmission. He died on June 14, 1946 at the age of 57, four months after suffering a stroke.

110 years ago
1903

Born on this date
Suat Hayri Ürgüplü. Prime Minister of Turkey, 1965. Mr. Ürgüplü was a judge of the Istanbul Commercial Court (1939-1942). A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Kayseri in the Chamber of Deputies (1939-1946, 1950-1952), serving as Minister of Customs and Public Monopolies (1947-1948). Mr. Ürgüplü was Turkey's Ambassador to West Germany (1952-1955); U.K. (1955-1959); U.S.A. (1959-1960); and Spain (1960-1961). As a member of the Justice Party, he was elected to the Senate in 1961, serving as Prime Minister of a non-partisan caretaker cabinet from February-October 1965 after the collapse of the government of Prime Minister İsmet İnönü. Mr. Ürgüplü remained in the Senate until his death from heart disease on December 26, 1981 at the age of 78.

100 years ago
1913

Born on this date
Makarios III. Cypriot clergyman; 1st President of Cyprus, 1960-1974; 1974-1977. Makarios, born Michail Christodolou Mousko, was archbishop of the Cypriot Orthodox Church from 1950 until his death. He was the acknowledged leader of the Greek Cypriot community and served as the country's first president when it gained its independence from the United Kingdom on August 16, 1960, eight months after he had won the election. Archbishop Makarios survived four assassination attempts and a coup. He died of a heart attack on August 3, 1977 at the age of 63.

Technology
Stainless steel was first produced by Harry Brearley in the United Kingdom.

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 Syrian Mummy

War
The American delegation to the Quebec Conference, headed by Admiral William Leahy, General George Marshall, Admiral Ernest King, General Hap Arnold, and Lieutenant General Brehon Somervell, arrived in Canada. Two large waves of U.S. planes bombed Rome for the second time, dropping more than 500 tons of explosives on the San Lorenzo and Littorio railroad yards. U.K. Royal Air Force planes made their heaviest attack of the war on northern Italy, bombing Turin and Milan, with more than 500 bombers making the 1,300-mile round trip. Allied troops occupied Randazzo, a communications centre in northeastern Sicily. Allied planes bombed Salamaua, New Guinea and airfield and supply dumps on New Britain.

Protest
The Swiss government reported that large crowds in Rome, Milan, and Turn demonstrated for peace after Allied raids shattered their cities.

Diplomacy
Cuba recognized the French Committee of National Liberation.

50 years ago
1963

Died on this date
Louis Bastien, 81. French cyclist and fencer. Mr. Bastien won a gold medal in the men's 25 kilometre race at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, and competed in the individual épée event at the same games. He was world middle-distance cycling champion (over 100 kilometes) in 1900.

Baseball
Warren Spahn recorded 5 strikeouts as he pitched the Milwaukee Braves to a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at County Stadium in Milwaukee. The strikeouts lifted Mr. Spahn's major league career total to 2,382, breaking the record for left-handed pitchers held by Rube Waddell, whose totals had been achieved in the early 1900s.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Delta Dawn--Helen Reddy

#1 single in France: J'ai un problème--Johnny Hallyday & Sylvie Vartan (6th week at #1)

Crime
Five Black Muslims from the Caribbean island of St. Croix were sentenced to life in prison for the September 1972 murders of eight people at a luxurious golf club in Christiansted, Virgin Islands. Defense attorney William Kunstler said the sentences would be appealed.

Disasters
All 85 people aboard a Spanish Caravelle plane died when it exploded and crashed near La Coruna, Spain.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (1-2) 25 @ Ottawa (0-3) 16

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: L'Italiano--Toto Cutugno (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Rondo Russo--Berdien Stenberg

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Wrapped Around Your Finger--The Police (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Give it Up--K.C. and the Sunshine Band

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Every Breath You Take--The Police (6th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Every Breath You Take--The Police (5th week at #1)
2 Electric Avenue--Eddy Grant
3 She Works Hard for the Money--Donna Summer
4 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics
5 Maniac--Michael Sembello
6 Flashdance...What a Feeling--Irene Cara
7 Is There Something I Should Know--Duran Duran
8 Never Gonna Let You Go--Sergio Mendes
9 Our House--Madness
10 Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'--Michael Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Tell Her No by Juice Newton (#74); Big Log by Robert Plant (#83); I Don't Wanna Dance by Eddy Grant (#84); Freak-A-Zoid by Midnight Star (#85); Miracles by Stacy Lattisaw (#89); and Change by Tears for Fears (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler
2 Every Breath You Take--The Police
3 Is There Something I Should Know--Duran Duran
4 Electric Avenue--Eddy Grant
5 White Wedding--Billy Idol
6 Come Dancing--The Kinks
7 Our House--Madness
8 China Girl--David Bowie
9 Hot Girls in Love--Loverboy
10 Flashdance...What a Feeling--Irene Cara

Singles entering the chart were Through the Years by Tim Finn (#45) and Far from Over by Frank Stallone (#47).

Football
CFL
Ottawa (1-4) 22 @ Hamilton (3-3) 24
Toronto (4-2) 16 @ Winnipeg (4-1) 32

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Tell Me--Nick Kamen (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Push It--Salt-N-Pepa

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Tribute (Right On)--The Pasadenas

#1 single in France (SNEP): Nuit de folie--Début de Soirée (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Locomotion--Kylie Minogue

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): The Only Way is Up--Yazz and the Plastic Population (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Roll With It--Steve Winwood (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Roll With It--Steve Winwood (2nd week at #1)
2 Hands to Heaven--Breathe
3 Sign Your Name--Terence Trent D'Arby
4 Make Me Lose Control--Eric Carmen
5 1-2-3--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
6 I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That--Elton John
7 I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love--Chicago
8 Monkey--George Michael
9 Pour Some Sugar on Me--Def Leppard
10 Sweet Child o' Mine--Guns 'N' Roses

Singles entering the chart were Love Bites by Def Leppard (#66); Never Tear Us Apart by INXS (#76); Superstitious by Europe (#88); and Jackie by Blue Zone U.K. (#89).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That--Elton John
2 Roll With It--Steve Winwood
3 Make Me Lose Control--Eric Carmen
4 In Your Soul--Corey Hart
5 Fast Car--Tracy Chapman
6 The Flame--Cheap Trick
7 Simply Irresistible--Robert Palmer
8 Sign Your Name--Terence Trent D'Arby
9 Diamond Sun--Glass Tiger
10 Hold On to the Nights--Richard Marx

Singles entering the chart were Forever Young by Rod Stewart (#78); Nobody's Fool by Kenny Loggins (#80); Round and Round by Frozen Ghost (#84); This Note's for You by Neil Young and the Bluenotes (#86); Don't Be Cruel by Cheap Trick (#90); Voodoo Thing by Colin James (#92); Between the Lines by David Wilcox (#94); and Hole in My Heart by Cyndi Lauper (#98).

Died on this date
Mel Almada, 75. Mexican baseball player. Mr. Almada, a native of Mexico who grew up in Los Angeles, was the first Mexican-born major league player, as an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox (1933-1937); Washington Nationals (1937-1938); St. Louis Browns (1938-1939); and Brooklyn Dodgers (1939), batting .284 with 15 home runs and 363 runs batted in in 646 games. He was inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
Mr. Almada died of a heart ailment.

Cycling
Ronald J. Dossenbach set a record for pedalling across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax in 13 days, 15 hours, 4 minutes.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (1-4) 28 @ Winnipeg (2-3) 13

20 years ago
1993

Crime
Two days after being convicted, former Concordia University professor Valery Fabrikant was sentenced to life in prison for the August 24, 1992 murders of four Concordia University professors: Matthew Douglass, Michael Hogden, Aaron (Jaan) Saber, and Phoivos Ziogas. Professor Fabrikant was angry at the corruption that he perceived in the engineering department.

Disasters
88 people were killed amd more than 200 injured when a hotel collapsed in northeastern Thailand.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (3-3) 11 @ Winnipeg (4-2) 53

Winnipeg quarterback Matt Dunigan passed for 3 touchdowns and rushed for 3 more as the Blue Bombers humiliated the Eskimos before 25,786 fans at Winnipeg Stadium. It was the first time the Eskimos had allowed 50 or more points in a regular season game in 29 years. Edmonton wide receiver Jim Sandusky suffered a shoulder separation while trying to catch a pass, and didn't play again until late in the season.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Ed Townsend, 74. U.S. singer, songwriter, and agent. Mr. Townsend recorded the single For Your Love, which reached #13 in the Billboard Top 100 chart in 1958. His best-known composition was Let's Get it On, which was recorded by Marvin Gaye and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1973. Mr. Townsend had a law degree, which came in handy when he acted as an agent for various artists in the recording industry.

World events
Terrorist attacks, counter-terrorist attacks, and political violence resulted in the deaths of more than 60 people in the Afghna provinces of Khost, Uruzgan, Helmand, Kabul, and Ghazni.