September 3, 2013

1,150 years ago
863

Died on this date
Umar al-Aqta. Emir of Melitene, 830s-863. Umar, a Sunni Muslim from the Banu Sulaym tribe, ruled the area now known as Malatya, now in Eastern Anatolia in Turkey, and was one of the greatest enemies of the Byzantine Empire on its eastern frontier before being killed in the Battle of Lalakaon.

War
Byzantine forces commanded by Petronas the Patrician achieved a decisive victory over an invading Arab army led by Umar al-Aqta, Emir of Melitene, in the Battle of Lalakaon in Paphlagonia (now northern Turkey).

230 years ago
1783

War
The American Revolutionary War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris by the United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain.

175 years ago
1838

Society
U.S. abolitionist Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery in Baltimore, eventually making his way to New York.

170 years ago
1843

World events
King Otto of Greece was forced to grant a constitution following an uprising in Athens.

130 years ago
1883

Died on this date
Ivan Turgenev, 64. Russian author and playwright. Mr. Turgenev's best-known works were the short story collection A Sportsman's Sketches (1852) and the novel Fathers and Sons (1862).

80 years ago
1933

Adventure
Yevgeniy Abalakov became the first man to reach the highest point in the Soviet Union, Communism Peak (now called Ismoil Somoni Peak and situated in Tajikistan) at 24,590 feet (7,495 metres).

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 Retired Colourman

War
The Allied invasion of Italy began on the same day that U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Italian Marshal Pietro Badoglio signed an armistice aboard the Royal Navy battleship HMS Nelson off Malta. U.S. Liberators made a 2,000-mile round trip to bomb the Japanese-held island of Car Nicobar in the Indian Ocean.

Defense
Winchester Repeating Arms Company announced the development and use of a new carbine, half the weight of the Garand rifle, but equal to its speed and fire.

Religion
U.S.S.R. dictator Josef Stalin approved the re-establishment of the Russian Orthodox Church throughout the Soviet Union.

Disasters
Japan's worst earthquake in 10 years killed 1,400 people in the town of Tottori.

60 years ago
1953

At the movies
Dramma nella Kasbah/Avventura ad Algeri (The Man from Cairo), directed by Ray Enright, and starring George Raft and Gianna Maria Canale, opened in theatres in Italy.



50 years ago
1963

Society
Alabama Governor George Wallace attempted to prevent four Negro students from enrolling at four elementary schools in Huntsville.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Delta Dawn--Helen Reddy (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Tout donné, tout repris--Mike Brant

Disasters
25 female factory workers were killed when an overloaded ferry sank off Koahsuing harbor in southern Taiwan.

Football
CFL
Toronto (4-1-1) 23 @ Montreal (2-2-1) 23
Edmonton (3-3) 27 @ Saskatchewan (5-1) 28
Winnipeg (1-6) 24 @ Calgary (3-3) 25
British Columbia (3-3) 24 @ Hamilton (3-2) 44

Zenon Andrusyshyn's third field goal of the game, a 50-yard kick on the last play, gave the Argonauts the tie against the Alouettes before 32,488 fans at Autostade. Mr. Andrusyshyn's final kick came just 28 seconds after Montreal's Don Sweet had kicked his third field goal of the game, a 42-yarder to give the Alouettes the lead. Montreal led 20-13 with less than 2 minutes left, but Toronto quarterback Joe Theismann marched the Argonauts down the field and handed off to Bill Symons for a 3-yard touchdown run, converted by Mr. Andrusyshyn, with 1:17 remaining. Mr. Theismann completed a 26-yard pass to Eris Allen for the first Toronto touchdown in the 1st quarter. Larry Smith rushed 2 yards for the first Montreal TD in the 2nd quarter, and quarterback Jimmy Jones rushed 1 yard for the Alouettes' other TD in the 3rd quarter. The game was costly for the Alouettes: Quarterback and punter Sonny Wade, playing his first game of the season after being out with injury, suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the game, while defensive back Gene Gaines, who had made 3 interceptions in the first 5 games of 1973, broke his leg and missed the rest of the season.

Dave Cutler missed a 39-yard field goal on the last play of the game and it went for a single point, allowing the Roughriders to defeat the Eskimos before a capacity crowd of 22,262 at Taylor Field in Regina. Saskatchewan had taken the lead on a 105-yard march led by quarterback Ron Lancaster, ending with George Reed's 3-yard touchdown rush with 33 seconds remaining, converted by Jack Abendschan. The other Saskatchewan touchdowns also came in the second half, on passes by Mr. Lancaster of 31 yards to Bob Pearce and 19 yards to Rick Eber. Edmonton split end George McGowan became the first player in CFL history to catch 15 passes in a single game, amassing 249 yards and touchdown receptions of 13 and 31 yards on passes from Bruce Lemmerman (Edmonton's Rollin Prather had caught 15 passes in a semi-final playoff game in 1952). Saskatchewan's Bobby Thompson led all rushers with 11 carries for 114 yards and caught 1 pass for 55, while Mr. Eber led the Roughrider receivers with 7 receptions for 122 yards. Mr. Lemmerman, who replaced injured starter Tom Wilkinson in the 1st quarter, completed 21 of 29 passes for 302 yards, while Mr. Lancaster was 18 for 36 for 319 yards. Edmonton flanker caught 2 passes for 21 yards in what turned out to be his final game as an Eskimo. In a hotel room after the game, he reportedly became involved in an argument with Mr. Lemmerman and threw a beer bottle at him. He was promptly cut from the team, although head coach Ray Jauch attributed his release to diminishing speed on the field--which Mr. Taylor denied.

The Stampeders trailed 24-10 with just over 3 minutes remaining, but rallied for a wild victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before a sellout crowd of 27,188 at McMahon Stadium. Running back Stan Brown scored both Winnipeg touchdowns on a 7-yard reception of a pass from Don Jonas with 1:38 remaining in the 1st half and a 78-yard rush in the 3rd quarter. His second touchdown gave the Blue Bombers a 21-7 lead after the convert by Walt McKee and came just 35 seconds after Calgary quarterback Peter Liske had connected with Tom Forzani for a 36-yard touchdown. Larry Robinson kicked a 40-yard field goal in the 4th quarter and Mr. McKee responded with a 23-yard FG with exactly 5 minutes remaining to make the score 24-10. Mr. Liske then marched the Stampeders downfield and passed 8 yards to running back Rick Galbos with 3:03 left to reduce the deficit to 24-17 after Mr. Robinson's convert. The TD was the first of Mr. Galbos's CFL career. The Calgary defense held on the subsequent possession, and Mr. Liske threw 8 yards to Gerry Shaw with 1:14 remaining, and Mr. Robinson's convert tied the game. Amazingly, the Calgary defense forced another change of possession, and Mr. Robinson attempted a field goal on the last play. It was wide and went into the Winnipeg end zone. Mr. Jonas fielded the ball and punted it out, but Calgary guard Herb Schumm got the ball and punted it 40 yards for the winning point--the only point of Mr. Schumm's 11-year CFL career. The Blue Bombers outrushed the Stampeders 237 yards to 40. It was the first CFL game for Winnipeg wide receiver Willie Miller, and the second and last game for quarterback Bob Biggs, who dressed as the backup to Mr. Jonas without seeing any playing time.

The Tiger-Cats came back from a 21-0 2nd-quarter deficit, scoring 17 points in the 2nd quarter and 27 in the 4th to defeat the Lions before 32,433 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Rookie running back Lou Harris rushed for touchdowns of 9 and 2 yards in the 1st quarter and 58 yards in the 2nd quarter before Hamilton quarterback Chuck Ealey connected with Garney Henley for touchdowns of 68 and 6 yards, both converted by Ian Sunter, who added a 45-yard field goal before halftime. Ted Gerela, who converted all B.C. touchdowns, kicked a 12-yard field goal in the 3rd quarter--only his second FG of the season--to make the score 24-17. Mr. Sunter started the 4th quarter with a 39-yard field goal, and then Mr. Ealey hit Mr. Henley with his third TD pass of the game, from 14 yards. Mr. Sunter converted and added an 11-yard field goal to give the Tiger-Cats a 27-24 lead with 6:33 remaining. Hamilton then put the game away on touchdown runs of 23 yards by Andy Hopkins and 1 yard by Dave Fleming. The Tiger-Cats outrushed the Lions 333 yards to 262. Mr. Hopkins gained 176 yards on just 12 carries, while Mr. Fleming rushed 11 times for 97 yards and Mr. Ealey 9 times for 55 yards. Mr. Ealey completed just 9 of 21 passes for 178 yards, but 3 of his completions were for touchdowns to Mr. Henley. Don Moorhead started at quarterback for B.C. but was injured in the 4th quarter and replaced by rookie Karl Douglas. They combined to complete 7 of 15 passes for 76 yards.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Dolce Vita--Ryan Paris

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Wings of a Dove--Madness

#1 single in the U.K.: Red Red Wine--UB40

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics
2 Every Breath You Take--The Police
3 Maniac--Michael Sembello
4 Puttin' on the Ritz--Taco
5 She Works Hard for the Money--Donna Summer
6 The Safety Dance--Men Without Hats
7 (Keep Feeling) Fascination--The Human League
8 I'll Tumble 4 Ya--Culture Club
9 China Girl--David Bowie
10 Tell Her About It--Billy Joel

Singles entering the chart were Sitting at the Wheel by the Moody Blues (#66); Suddenly Last Summer by the Motels (#72); Delirious by Prince (#74); Unconditional Love by Donna Summer (#83); This Time by Bryan Adams (#85); Take Away by Big Ric (#89); and All I Need to Know by Bette Midler (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Our House--Madness (2nd week at #1)
2 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler
3 Every Breath You Take--The Police
4 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics
5 Never Gonna Let You Go--Sergio Mendes
6 China Girl--David Bowie
7 Maniac--Michael Sembello
8 She Works Hard for the Money--Donna Summer
9 1999--Prince
10 Electric Avenue--Eddy Grant

Singles entering the chart were Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair) by Sheena Easton (#45); One Thing Leads to Another by the Fixx (#47); and True by Spandau Ballet (#50).

Personal
This blogger and Michael Martin teamed up to play in the Edmonton Trivial Pursuit championships at West Edmonton Mall. In view of time constraints, the rules wre altered so that a team was eliminated with one wrong answer. We had a good run for a while, but were finally tripped up by a question I've long since forgotten. It was still an enjoyable experience.

Defense
Israel began deploying troops behind a fortified line in southern Lebanon and completed the maneuver the next day.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Gimme Five 2--Jovanotti

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Tribute (Right On)--The Pasadenas (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Tribute (Right On)--The Pasadenas (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Nuit de folie--Début de Soirée (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Harder I Try--Brother Beyond

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): The Only Way is Up--Yazz and the Plastic Population (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Monkey--George Michael (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Monkey--George Michael (2nd week at #1)
2 I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That--Elton John
3 Sweet Child o' Mine--Guns 'N' Roses
4 Fast Car--Tracy Chapman
5 Simply Irresistible--Robert Palmer
6 Perfect World--Huey Lewis and the News
7 I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love--Chicago
8 Roll With It--Steve Winwood
9 Hands to Heaven--Breathe
10 If it Isn't Love--New Edition

Singles entering the chart were A Groovy Kind of Love by Phil Collins (#56); It Takes Two by Rob Base and D.J. E-Z Rock (#85); Powerful Stuff by the Fabulous Thunderbirds (#86); Waiting for a Star to Fall by Boy Meets Girl (#87); and Heart Don't Fail Me Now by Holy Knight (#88). A Groovy Kind of Love was from the movie Buster (1988). Powerful Stuff was from the movie Cocktail (1988).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Fast Car--Tracy Chapman
2 Simply Irresistible--Robert Palmer
3 Perfect World--Huey Lewis and the News
4 I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That--Elton John
5 Hands to Heaven--Breathe
6 Monkey--George Michael
7 Make Me Lose Control--Eric Carmen
8 Better Be Home Soon--Crowded House
9 Love Will Save the Day--Whitney Houston
10 1-2-3--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine

Singles entering the chart were A Groovy Kind of Love by Phil Collins (#71); Don't Be Afraid of the Dark by the Robert Cray Band (#73); When I Fall in Love by Natalie Cole (#74); If it Isn't Love by New Edition (#76); Fallen Angel by Poison; Dream On by Blvd. (#79); Staying Together by Debbie Gibson (#81); (He's A) Shape in a Drape by Joe Jackson (#86); When You Put Your Heart in It by Kenny Rogers (#87); Don't Go by Hothouse Flowers (#88); Love and Mercy by Brian Wilson (#89); Spot You in a Coalmine by Corey Hart (#92); Levity by Ian Thomas (#93); My Girl by Myles Goodwyn (#94); and It's Saturday Night by the Razorbacks (#96).

Died on this date
Ferit Melen, 82. Prime Minister of Turkey, 1972-1973. Mr. Melen was a member of various political parties and held various cabinet posts, including Minister of Finance (1962-1965) and Minister of National Defense (1971-1972, 1975-1977) in addition to serving as Prime Minister of a military-approved coalition government.

War
Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz said that the rebellion by Kurds in the northern part of the country had collapsed, but denied that chemical weapons had been used. The Iraqi regime of President Saddam Hussein had been accused of using poison gas against the Kurds, an estimated 100,000 of whom had fled to Turkey.

Football
CIAU
Alberta (0-1) 3 @ British Columbia (1-0) 17

20 years ago
1993

Diplomacy
Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk renegotiated an earlier deal on the Black Sea fleet, agreeing to turn over the entire fleet to Russia in exchange for Russia writing off a major portion of Ukraine's debt.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Paul Hill, 49. U.S. clergyman and criminal. Mr. Hill was ordained in 1984 and was a minister affiliated with both the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He was excommunicated in 1993 after publicly speaking in favour of vigilante action to murder abortionists. On July 29, 1994, Mr. Hill fatally shot abortionist Dr. John Britton and bodyguard James Barrett and wounded Mr. Barrett's wife June outside the Ladies Center abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida. On December 6, 1994, Mr. Hill was sentenced to death by legal injection, which he received in Florida State Prison in Starke. In his nine years on death row he showed no remorse, and said that he expected to receive a "great reward in Heaven." I believe Mr. Hill went to "his own place" instead.