September 16, 2013

Born on this date
Happy birthday, Cheryl Eli!

670 years ago
1343

Died on this date
Philip III, 37. King of Navarre, 1328-1343. Philip III acceded to the throne of Navarre after he Capetian line died out, and Philip's wife Joan II was naturally in line. Philip III and Joan II were co-monarchs until his death from an illness, perhaps caused by a wound from an arrow while fighting in a crusade against the Muslim state of Grenada.

375 years ago
1638

Born on this date
Louis XIV. King of France and Navarre, 1643-1715. The "Sun King," Louis XIV succeeded to the throne at the age of 4 upon the death of his father Louis XIII and took personal power at the age of 22. He died on September 1, 1715, four days short of his 77th birthday. His reign of 72 years and 110 days remains the longest of monarchs of major countries in European history.

175 years ago
1838

Born on this date
James J. Hill. Canadian-born U.S. railroad magnate. A native of Eramosa Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada, "The Empire Builder" bought and built railways stretching across the western United States and into Canada. His holdings included the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway Company; Great Northern Railway; Northern Pacific Railway; and Vancouver, Westminster and Yukon Railway Company. Mr. Hill died on May 29, 1916 at the age of 77.

170 years ago
1843

Died on this date
Ezekiel Hart, 73. Canadian politician. Mr. Hart, a native of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in 1807, but was denied his seat when the Legislature convened in January 1808 because he had taken his oath on a Hebrew Bible and could not swear "on the true faith of a Christian." He was re-elected in 1808, took the oath as it was, but was expelled again after sitting in the Legislature for just a few days in 1809. The prohibition against Jews holding public office in Lower Canada was abolished in 1832, but Mr. Hart never again ran for office.

150 years ago
1863

Education
The independent private high school Robert College, the first American educational institution outside the United States, was founded in Istanbul by American philanthropist Christopher Robert.

125 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Frans Eemil Sillanpää. Finnish author. Mr. Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1939 "for his deep understanding of his country's peasantry and the exquisite art with which he has portrayed their way of life and their relationship with Nature." His best-known novel was Nuorena nukkunut (The Maid Silja/Fallen Asleep While Young) (1931). Mr. Sillanpää died on June 3, 1964 at the age of 75.

W. O. Bentley. U.K. engineer. Walter Owen Bentley raced cars and motorcycles in his youth, and designed aircraft and automobile engines, but was best known for the automotive firm Bentley Motors Limited, which he founded in 1919. He sold the firm to Rolls-Royce Limited in 1931, and was later employed as a designer for Lagonda, Aston Martin, and Armstrong Siddeley. Mr. Bentley died on August 13, 1971 at the age of 82.

120 years ago
1893

Albertana
Calgary was incorporated as Alberta's first city. Her population had grown to almost 4,000 people in the decade following the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and it was the only community between Winnipeg and the Pacific Ocean with a water works and sewer system.

Americana
Hundreds of thousands of settlers made a land run for prime land in the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma. Those who broke across the line before the set time became known as "sooners."

80 years ago
1933

Died on this date
George Gore, 76. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Gore, nicknamed "Piano Legs," was an outfielder for 14 seasons in the major leagues, 13 of which were spent in the National League with the Chicago White Stockings (1879-1886); New York Giants (1887-1889, 1891-1892) and the St. Louis Browns (1892). He played with the New York Giants of the Players League in 1890. Mr. Gore batted .301 with 46 home runs and 618 runs batted in in 1,310 games. He led the NL in 1880 with a batting average of .360 and a slugging average of .463, and led the league in runs in 1881 and 1882. He made 368 errors in his major league career, 346 in the National League--records that still stand. As was the case with many other players of his time, Mr. Gore's career and life were undone by drink and women.

70 years ago
1943

War
The Allied invasion of Italy concluded when Heinrich von Vietinghoff, commander of the German Tenth Army, ordered his troops to withdraw from Salerno. U.K. forces drove to a point 25 miles from Foggia. U.S.S.R. forces captured Novorossiisk, Russia's second-most important naval base on the Black Sea. Allied airmen struck at the Japanese air base on Bougainville Island for the fourth straight day, destroying at last 83 craft, with a loss of 16.

Communications
U.S. Institute for Propaganda Analysis official Clyde Miller said that Axis propaganda advocating racial superiority had been "effective, dynamic and dangerous in the United States."

Scandal
U.S. Representative James Curley (Democrat--Massachusetts) and five other members of Engineers Group Inc. were indicted on charges of using the mails to defraud.

60 years ago
1953

On the radio
I Was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews

Football
IRFU
Montreal (2-3) 13 @ Ottawa (3-1) 22
Toronto (2-3) 21 @ Hamilton (2-2) 20

Baseball
A four-man American League screening committee granted the St. Louis Browns permission to move.

50 years ago
1963

On television tonight
The Outer Limits, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Galaxy Being, starring Cliff Robertson, Lee Philips, Jacqueline Scott, and William O. Douglas, Jr.

This was the first episode of the series. It had been filmed as a pilot under the title Please Stand By....

Music
The Beach Boys' album Surfer Girl was released on Capitol Records. It was the first album to bear the credit "Produced by Brian Wilson." He had actually produced their earlier albums Surfin' Safari (1962) and Surfin' U.S.A. (1963), but Nick Venet had been credited as producer of both because of a contractual obligation.

She Loves You/I'll Get You by the Beatles was released on Capitol Records 72125, becoming their fourth single to be released in Canada.

World events
Malaysia was formed from the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak.

Protest
5,000 Indonesians who were opposed to the creation of Malaysia protested outside the Briish embassy in Jakarta. Army Major Roderick "Red Rory" Walker, assistant military attache in the embassy, played his bagpipes until the protesters could take no more and finally left.

Economics and finance
Canada sold $500 million worth of wheat to the U.S.S.R.

Society
The Fraser Book Bin on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia was closed from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. as police seized 1,000 books in a search for obscene literature, in response to complaints from members of the public.

Football
CFL
Montreal (3-4) 9 @ British Columbia (7-1) 20

Pat Claridge and Dick Fouts scored touchdowns in the 1st quarter for the Lions as they beat the Alouettes before 31,438 fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. Mr. Claridge scored on a pass from Joe Kapp, while Mr. Fouts scored after Tom Brown blocked a punt and the ball was recovered by Norm Fieldgate, who lateralled to Mr. Fouts for a 25-yard touchdown run. Montreal running back George Dixon was the individual star of the game; he rushed 25 times for 190 yards and scored the Alouettes' touchdown.

40 years ago
1973

Died on this date
Víctor Jara Martinez, 40. Chilean musician, poet, theatre director, and poltical activist. Mr. Jara, one of Chile's most prominent singer-songwriters and poets, also had a distinguished reputation for directing a wide variety of plays. He was also an active member of the Communist Party, and supported Marxist candidate Salvador Allende in his successful presidential election bid in 1970. On September 11, 1973, a military coup seized power in Chile and Mr. Allende committed suicide. The next day, Mr. Jara was arrested and, with many others, was held prisoner in Chile Stadium in Santiago. Over the next four days he was tortured, and finally murdered. His body, riddled with 44 bullets, was thrown into the street on the outskirts of Santiago. Mr. Jara died 12 days before his 41st birthday.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (6-2) 37 @ Montreal (3-4-1) 20

Ron Lancaster threw 3 touchdown passes to Tom Campana and another to George Reed to lead the Roughriders over the Alouettes at Autostade. Saskatchewan led 37-0 before Montreal exploded for 3 touchdowns in the last 5 minutes of the game.

NFL
O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills set a league record for yards rushing in a single game when he rushed for 250 yards as the Bills opened the season with a 31-13 win over the New England Patriots at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Life Begins at Forty--Dave and the Dynamos (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Sunshine Reggae--Laid Back (2nd week at #1)

War
U.S. naval vessels off the coast of Lebanon began to bombard anti-government positions inside Syrian-controlled territory, an attack in support of Lebanese forces.

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (6-4) 19 @ Calgary (5-4) 14

Willard Reaves rushed 3 yards for a touchdown just 1:53 into the game and Trevor Kennerd converted and added 4 field goals as the Blue Bombers defeated the Stampeders before 26,198 fans at McMahon Stadium. The touchdown was set up when Paul Bennett intercepted a pass by Calgary quarterback Bernard Quarles and returned it 58 yards to the Calgary 11-yard line. Norman Gibbs and Nickie Hall shared the quartebacking for the Blue Bombers; it was the only starting assignment of Mr. Gibbs' CFL career. Mr. Gibbs completed just 3 of 10 passes for 38 passes, while Mr. Hall completed just 6 of 17 passes for 116 yards. Safety Darrell Moir scored the Stampeders' only touchdown on a 29-yard interception return in the 2nd quarter.



25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Girl You Know it's True--Milli Vanilli (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Bob Trice, 62. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Trice played with the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics (1953-1955), becoming the first Negro player in the team's history. He compiled a record of 9-9 with an earned run average of 5.80 in 26 games, batting .288 with a home run and 6 runs batted in in 27 games. Mr. Trice played in the Negro National League before being signed by the Athletics. He was 16-3 with the St. Hyacinthe Athletics of the Class C Provincial League in 1952, and 21-10 with the Ottawa Athletics of the AAA International League in 1953. Mr. Trice played with the Mexico City Reds of the Mexican League after his major league career ended.

Politics and government
Noting that 1988 Democratic Party U.S. presidential nominee Michael Dukakis had been photographed riding in a tank, U.S. Vice-President and Republican Party presidential candidate George Bush commented that Mr. Dukakis "cannot fool" voters by "knocking American defense for 10 years and then riding around in a tank for 10 minutes."

Olympics
The Games of the XXIV Olympiad officially opened in Seoul, South Korea.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (7-4) 36 @ British Columbia (5-6) 32



Baseball
Tom Browning pitched a perfect game for the Cincinnati Reds as they edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 before 16,591 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. It was the first perfect game in the major leagues since Mike Witt of the California Angels threw one against the Texas Rangers on September 30, 1984. Losing pitcher Tim Belcher pitched a 3-hit complete game. The only run scored with 2 out in the bottom of the 6th inning when Barry Larkin doubled, Chris Sabo hit an infield single, and Mr. Larkin scored on an error by Los Angeles third baseman Jeff Hamilton.



Gregg Jefferies singled home Keith Miller with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the New York Mets a 4-3 win over the Montreal Expos before 43,331 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. Mr. Miller had led off the inning as a pinch hitter by reaching first base on an error by Montreal shortstop Luis Rivera.

The San Francisco Giants scored all their runs in the 6th inning as they defeated the Houston Astros 5-4 before 14,344 fans at the Astrodome.

Jose DeLeon and Todd Worrell combined to pitch a 6-hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals as they shut out the Chicago Cubs 3-0 before 15,771 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Kelly Gruber doubled home Pat Borders with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians before 30,276 fans at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Cleveland center fielder Joe Carter batted 4 for 5 with 2 doubles, a triple, and a run batted in.

The Boston Red Sox scored 2 runs in the 2nd inning and 5 in the 5th as they beat the New York Yankees 7-4 before 35,226 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

Luis Salazar, whose 2 errors had contributed to a go-ahead run by the Baltimore Orioles in the top pf the 9th inning, led off the bottom of the 9th with a single and then had to endure an 18-minute rain delay before Fred Lynn came to bat and hit a 2-run home run to give the Detroit Tigers an 8-7 win over the Orioles before 21,001 fans at Tiger Stadium.

Mark Gubicza pitched a 2-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Bob Welch as the Kansas City Royals blanked the Oakland Athletics 3-0 before 33,881 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mr. Welch allowed just 4 hits in pitching a complete game, but they included a 2-run double by Kevin Seitzer in the 8th inning to open the scoring, and a home run by Danny Tartabull in the 9th.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Got to Get It--Culture Beat

Died on this date
Rok Petrovič, 27. Slovenian skier. Mr. Petrovič won the World Cup men's slalom title in 1985-1986, winning five races during the season and becoming the first Slovenian to win the championship. He drowned in a diving accident.

War
A battle group of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Canadian, faced heavy mortar and artillery barrages from Croatian forces in the Battle of Medak Pocket in Croatia for a second day.

Health
The government of Canada launched the Krever inquiry, as Justice Horace Krever spent four years looking into Canada's tainted blood supplies, and how to reform the blood system to make it more efficient and safer. The annopuncement came the day after provinces announced a compensation plan for people who had contracted HIV through tainted blood products before officials started screening blood for the AIDS virus.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Sheb Wooley, 82. U.S. musician and actor. Mr. Wooley, a native of Erick, Oklahoma, appeared as a character actor in many movies, especially westerns. He had a recurring role in the television series Rawhide (1959-1966). Mr. Wooley's best known recording was the novelty single The Purple People Eater, which reached #1 on the Billboard Best Seller, Disc Jockey, and Top 100 charts in 1958. That's My Pa reached #1 on the Billboard Country chart in 1962. Mr. Wooley frequently recorded under the name Ben Colder.

Abominations
The Canadian House of Commons, led by the governing Liberals, voted 137-132 to reject a motion introduced by the Canadian Alliance party to reaffirm that marriage was, by definition, a union between a man and a woman.

Politics and government
Retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, former supreme commander of NATO and leader of the 1999 bombing campaign in Kosovo, announced his intention to run for the 2004 Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States Of America. Mr. Clark had been highly critical of the current administration of President George W. Bush and the U.S. war in Iraq.

United States Senator John Edwards (North Carolina) also declared his intention to run for the 2004 Democratic Party presidential nomination.

Soccer
The Women's United Soccer Association announced that it was suspending operations after three seasons.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (1-13) 14 @ Toronto (7-6) 24