December 14, 2013

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Wendy Welt!

Married on this date
Happy Anniversary, Eileen and Leo Sasakamoose!

720 years ago
1293

Died on this date
Al-Ashraf Khalil, <40. Sultan of Egypt, 1290-1293. Khalil succeeded his father Qalawun, and was best known for his capture of Acre in 1291. He earned the enmity of the Emirs, and was assassinated by Vice-Sultan Baydara. Khalil was succeeded on the throne by his 9-year-old brother An-Nasir Muhammad.

225 years ago
1788

Died on this date
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, 74. German composer. Mr. Bach was the fifth child and second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He wrote many pieces for harpsichord and clavichord, as well as choral music.

Carlos III, 72. King of Spain, 1759-1788; King of Naples and Sicily, 1734-1759. Carlos III, the fifth son of King Philip V of Spain, ruled Naples as Carlos VII and Sicily as Carlos V before succeeding his half-brother Ferdinand VI on the Spanish throne. Shortly thereafter, Carlos relinquished the throne of Naples and Sicily to his brother Ferdinand IV (Naples) and III (Sicily). Carlos III believed in an enlightened but absolute monarchy, and made educational, commercial, and agricultural reforms that made him a successful and respected ruler. King Carlos III was succeeded by his son Carlos IV.

100 years ago
1913

Baseball
The New York Giants and Chicago White Sox continued their post-season exhibition tour, arriving in Hong Kong aboard RMS Empress of China. The Giants defeated the White Sox 7-4 in a game that was called after 5 innings, and the teams departed that night for the Philippines aboard the SS St. Albans.

70 years ago
1943

Died on this date
John Harvey Kellogg, 91. U.S. physician. Dr. Kellogg co-founded, with his brother W.K., the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1866. J.H. Kellogg was a Seventh-day Adventist who incorporated Adventist principles, such as vegetarianism, into the sanitarium, but he was disfellowshipped from the church in 1907 over doctrinal differences. Dr. Kellogg is best known for his 1894 invention of corn flakes, which still bear his name.

War
U.S.S.R. forces stormed and took Cherkassy, the last major German stronghold on the middle Dnieper River. British units in Italy with bridgeheads on the Moro River joined forces to establish a combined holding about 5 miles long. Canadian Army Major Paul Triquet earned the Victoria Cross in capturing Casa Berardi, north of Moro. U.S. planes bombed Eleusis, Kalamaki, and Tatoi airfields and shipping at Piraeus, the port of Athens. U.S. Navy Secretary Frank Knox said that Pacific preliminaries were out of the way and preparations were being made for major blows against Japan.

Medicine
Courtland Professor of Biochemistry at University of London Dr. E.C. Dodds reported that the use of diethylstibestrol, a synthetic female hormone, made it possible to completely control cancer of the prostate gland.

Economics and finance
The U.S. War Production Board reported that war production in November had reached an an all-time high: an overall munitions gain of 3% in dollar values over October. The production index reached 665, a gain of 18 points over the previous month.

Labour
Police officers and firefighters in Montreal affiliated with the Canadian Labor Congress (CLC) went on strike, as members refused the ultimatum of public servants and councillors that included the recognition of a union of the Canadian Congress for Public Works Employees, but denied recognition firefighters and police. In exchange, they offered them as an alternative a salary increase of $ 500 on average. The strike ended on December 15 when the provincial government ordered Montreal's City Council to recognize the association of police officers and firefighters of the city of Montreal and their affiliation to the CLC.

60 years ago
1953

Died on this date
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, 57. U.S. authoress and journalist. Mrs. Rawlings was born in Washington, D.C., and was a journalist with the Louisville Courier-Journal and Rochester (New York) Journal before moving to Cross Creek, Florida. She wrote about the area in novels such as The Yearling (1938) and Cross Creek (1942), the former of which was awarded the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and became a popular movie in 1946. Mrs. Rawlings died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): You'll Never Walk Alone--Gerry and the Pacemakers

#1 single in France: Si Je Chante--Sylvie Vartan

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Sabato triste--Adriano Celentano (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Rote Lippen soll man küssen--Cliff Richard and the Shadows (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Dominique--The Singing Nun (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Dominique--The Singing Nun (3rd week at #1)
2 Louie Louie--The Kingsmen
--[Paul Revere and the Raiders]
3 I'm Leaving it Up to You--Dale & Grace
4 There! I've Said it Again--Bobby Vinton
5 Everybody--Tommy Roe
6 You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry--The Caravelles
7 She's a Fool--Lesley Gore
8 Deep Purple--Nino Tempo & April Stevens
9 Be True to Your School--The Beach Boys
10 Drip Drop--Dion Di Muci

Singles entering the chart were As Usual by Brenda Lee (#63); Out of Limits by the Marketts (#72); Hey Little Cobra by the Rip Chords (#76); You're All I Want for Christmas by Brook Benton (#79); Bon-Doo-Wah by the Orlons (#86); The Shelter of Your Arms by Sammy Davis, Jr. (#92); Charade by Henry Mancini and his Orchestra with Chorus (#93); Hooka Tooka by Chubby Checker (#95); The Cheer Leader by Paul Petersen (#96); Dumb Head by Ginny Arnell (#98); Thank You and Goodnight by the Angels (#99); and Begging to You by Marty Robbins (#100). Early copies of Out of Limits had the title as Outer Limits, but it was quickly changed after Rod Serling sued the Marketts for quoting the four-note motif from his television show, Twilight Zone, without his approval, while referring to the competing television series The Outer Limits. Charade was the title song of the movie. Hooka Tooka was the B-side of Loddy Lo, which charted at #16.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Outer Limits--The Marketts (2nd week at #1)
2 She Loves You--The Beatles
3 Midnight Mary--Joey Powers
4 Forget Him--Bobby Rydell
5 Dominique--The Singing Nun
6 Shindig--The Shadows
7 Pretty Paper--Roy Orbison
8 Washington Square--The Village Stompers
9 I Have a Boyfriend--The Chiffons
10 It's All in the Game--Cliff Richard

Singles entering the chart were Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys (#21); Whispering by Nino Tempo & April Stevens (#28); Hey Little Cobra by the Rip Chords (#38); Mama was a Cotton Picker by Jimmie Rodgers (#45); Something to Sing About by the Raftsmen (#48); and Baby I Love You by the Ronettes (#50).

On the radio
Sherlock Holmes, starring Fridtjof Hansen Mjoen and Arne Bang-Hansen, on Norsk Rikskringkasting (Norwegian State Broadcasting Corporation)
Tonight's episode: Charles Augustus Milverton

Died on this date
Erich Ollenhauer, 62. German politician. Mr. Ollenhauer joined the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in 1929, but fled Germany after the Nazis came to power in 1933. He returned to Germany in 1946, and was first elected to the Bundestag in 1949. Mr. Ollenhauer led the SPD from 1952 until his death from a pulmonary embolism.

Dinah Washington, 39. U.S. singer. Miss Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones, was one of the most popular American singers of the 1950s. She was primarily known as a jazz and blues vocalist, but could perform in any genre. Her hit singles included I Wanna Be Loved (1950); Cold, Cold Heart (1951); What a Diff'rence a Day Makes (1959); and Unforgettable (1959). Miss Washington died from a mixture of barbiturates.

Football
NFL
Green Bay (11-2-1) 21 @ San Francisco (2-12) 17

AFL
Buffalo (7-6-1) 19 @ New York (5-7-1) 10
Boston (7-6-1) 3 @ Kansas City (4-7-2) 35

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Photograph--Ringo Starr

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): I'd Love You to Want Me--Lobo (6th week at #1)

Diplomacy
Leaders of the nine member nation of the European Economic Community opened a two-day summit with the approval of a statement on "European identity," stressing independence yet maintaining that close ties with the U.S.A. were "mutually beneficial" and did not hinder EEC efforts to establish a distinct identity for itself. The foreign ministers of Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, and United Arab Emirates unexpectedly confronted the meeting with a message that the EEC nations would have to take a stronger pro-Arab position if they wanted to end the Arab oil squeeze.

Labour
A two-day strike of independent truckers in the United States, led by magazine editor and former driver Michael parkhurst, ended. Although planned as a peaceful protest against risng fuel costs and government-imposed reductions in highway speed limits, the action was marred by reports of violence, vandalism, and intimidation--chiefly in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Boxing
Jerry Quarry (48-6-4) scored a technical knockout of Earnie Shavers (45-3) at 2:21 of the 1st round of their heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.

30 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Roy Hamey, 81. U.S. baseball executive. Mr. Hamey had a career in organized baseball spanning four decades, mostly with the New York Yankees' organization. He was president of the American Association (1946); general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates (1946-1950) and Philadelphia Phillies (1954-1959), and assistant general manager of the Yankees (1951-1954, 1959-1960). Mr. Hamey replaced George Weiss as general manager of the Yankees shortly after the 1960 season, and presided over teams that won three straight American League pennants (1961-1963), winning the World Series in his first two years as GM. He retired after the 1963 season, but came out of retirement briefly to serve as chief executive of the Seattle Pilots after the 1969 season, while AL President Joe Cronin was searching for someone to buy the club. Mr. Hamey returned to retirement after Bud Selig bought the Pilots in 1970 and moved them to Milwaukee to become the Brewers. Mr. Hamey died of a heart attack.

Johnny Bright, 53. U.S.-born Canadian football player. Mr. Bright was a star fullback at Drake University, and became famous in 1951 when his jaw was broken in a game by an opposing player named Wilbanks Smith in a racially-motivated attack (Mr. Bright was a Negro). Mr. Bright came to Canada in 1952, joining the Calgary Stampeders of the Western Interprovincial Football Union. Despite missing several games because of a mid-season appendectomy, Mr. Bright led the WIFU with 815 yards rushing. Shoulder injuries kept him on the injured list for most of the 1953 season, and he was let go after playing just one game for the Stampeders early in the 1954 season. He was promptly picked up by the Stampeders' provincial rivals, the Edmonton Eskimos, and became a major ingredient in an offense that produced three straight Grey Cup championships and team rushing records that still stand. Mr. Bright scored two touchdowns in the 1955 Grey Cup, and two more in the 1956 Grey Cup. On one of his touchdown runs in the 1955 game, J.C. Caroline of the Montreal Alouettes attempted to tackle him, and Mr. Bright flattened him on his way over the goal line, finishing Mr. Caroline for the day. Mr. Bright recorded five straight seasons of more than 1,000 yards rushing (1957-1961), and his 1,722 yards in 1958 was a WIFU record at the time (and remains the Eskimos' single-season record). Despite a decline to 1,340 yards in 1959, Mr. Bright won the Schenley Award as Canada's Most Outstanding Player. Injuries began slowing down Mr. Bright's productivity in 1962, and he was reduced to a backup role by the time his career ended after the 1964 season. His career rushing total of 10,909 yards stood as the CFL record until broken by George Reed in 1971. Mr. Bright scored 71 regular season touchdowns, 69 with the Eskimos (5th best in Eskimo history). His 17 playoff touchdowns remain the Eskimo team record. On November 26, 1970, Johnny Bright became the first former Eskimo player to be elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Johnny Bright remained in Edmonton after his playing career ended, and achieved success as a teacher, especially at Bonnie Doon High School. He also coached amateur football, and served as a colour commentator (when he could get a word in with Bryan Hall) on Eskimos' radio broadcasts in the 1960s. On October 29, 1983, Johnny Bright, along with former backfield mates Jackie Parker, Rollie Miles, and Normie Kwong, was added to the Eskimos' Wall of Honour at a halftime ceremony at Commonwealth Stadium. He died on the operating table at University Hospital while undergoing apparently routine minor knee surgery. An autopsy revealed a seriously enlarged heart.

War
After U.S. Navy F-14 reconnaissance jets had been fired upon by Syrian batteries, the U.S. battleship New Jersey fired on Syrian positions east of Beirut. U.S. President Ronald Reagan said at a news conference that U.S. Marines might be withdrawn from Lebanon as a result of two circumstances: the resolution of the Lebanese political crisis; or a "collapse of order" signalling that no solution could be found.

Economics and finance
The Argentine government froze prices in an attempt to lower the inflation rate of 400%.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Sarah--Mauro Scocco (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Christmas

At the movies
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, directed by Frank Oz, and starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Stuart Symington, 87. U.S. politician. Mr. Symington, a Democrat, was president of Emerson Electric before entering politics. He served as the first United States Secretary of the Air Force (1947-1950), and held several other positions in the administration of President and fellow Missourian Harry Truman. Mr. Symington represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate (1953-1976), and was a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees. He was known for his opposition to Senator Joseph McCarthy's attempts to expose Communists in government in the 1950s. When the Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland after the 1967 season, Sen. Symington threatened to revoke Major League Baseball's anti-trust exemption; as a result, the American League expanded in 1969 to include the Kansas City Royals. Sen. Symington unsuccessfully campaigned for the Democratic Party U.S. presidential nomination in 1960, but lost to John F. Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy wanted to invite Sen. Symington to be his vice presidential running mate, but offered the position to Sen. Lyndon Johnson (Texas)--also a candidate for the presidential nomination--as a courtesy, and was surprised when Sen. Johnson accepted.

Television
The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) entertainment network ET3 was launched in Thessaloniki

Diplomacy
Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, responding to U.S. criticism that he hadn't gone far enough in his statement to the United Nations General Assembly in Geneva the previous day in promoting a peace agreement in the Middle East and denouncing terrorism, affirmed "the right of all parties," including Israel, "to exist in peace and security." U.S. President Ronald Reagan then announced that the PLO had met all U.S. conditions and authorized the U.S. State Department to enter a dialogue with the PLO. While worldwide response to the U.S. decision was mostly favourable, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir called the decision a "grave mistake."

Politics and government
U.S. Vice President and President-elect George Bush named Clayton Yeutter, currently the trade representative in the administration of President Ronald Reagan, to be Secretary of Agriculture in the new administration.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the U.S. merchandise trade deficit had shrunken slightly to $10.35 million in October.

The Quebec National Assembly voted in favour of a law amending the province's income security policy, providing more benefits to people who were unable to work, while encouraging other recipients to work.

Business
CBS won an auction to televise major league baseball with a bid that paid the 26 teams nearly $1.1 billion through 1993.

20 years ago
1993

Died on this date
Myrna Loy, 88. U.S. actress. Miss Loy, born Myrna Williams, had a career in theatre, cinema, and television spanning more than 50 years, and was best known for playing Nora Charles in the movie The Thin Man (1934) and five sequels through 1947. She died after years of declining health.

Jeff Alm, 25. U.S. football player. Mr. Alm was a defensive tackle with the University of Notre Dame and then with the Houston Oilers (1990-1993). He and his best friend Sean Lynch had dinner at a restaurant in the Houston area; afterward, Mr. Alm was driving while intoxicated and lost control of his convertible, throwing Mr. Lynch to his death down an embankment. Mr. Alm then phoned 911, took out a shotgun, fired two shots into the air, and then fatally shot himself in the head.

Abominations
Colorado District Court Judge Jeffrey Bayless issued a permanent injunction barring implementation of a law that would have forbidden communities from passing ordinances protecting sodomites from discrimination. Voters in Colorado had approved the anti-sodomite measure in a statewide referendum in 1992. The law would have had the effect of overturning existing pro-sodomite ordinances in Aspen, Boulder, and Denver. The Colorado Supreme Court had ruled in July 1993 that the law violated the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection of the law.

The day after ruling that gravely ill people with little prospect for recovery and a poor quality of life had the right to take their own lives, Wayne County, Michigan Circuit Court Judge Richard Kaufman dismissed charges against mad scientist "Dr." Jack Kevorkian for assisting in a suicide in September 1993.

Politics and government
Daniel Johnson was acclaimed leader of Quebec's Liberal Party. He would replace the retiring Robert Bourassa as party leader and Premier of Quebec.

Crime
Richard Barnabé, a Negro, was beaten by six Montréal police officers.

10 years ago
2003

World events
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf narrowly survived an assassination attempt when a half-ton remote-control bomb exploded seconds after his motorcade passed it.

Iraq's Governing Council announced that it would establish a war crimes tribunal without United Nations or international involvement, raising fears that alleged perpetrators of atrocities under the regime of deposed President Saddam Hussein might not receive fair trials.

Diplomacy
Summit-level talks on a constitution for the European Union broke down with no agreement. The biggest stumbling block was a dispute over countries' voting weights that pitted smaller EU countries such as Spain against larger ones such as France and Germany.

Politics and government
About 500 delegates gathered in Kabul for a loya jirga (grand council) to debate and approve a new constitution for Afghanistan.