July 1, 2014

175 years ago
1839

Died on this date
Mahmud II, 53. Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, 1808-1839. Mahmud II was preceded as sultan by his brother Mustafa IV, and survived an assassination attempt by his brother. Mahmud II then seized power and had Mustafa IV executed. Sultan Mahmud's reign was characterized by military, administrative, and economic reforms. He died of tuberculosis and was succeeded on the throne by his son Abdülmecid I.

140 years ago
1874

Technology
The Sholes and Glidden typewriter, the first commercially successful typewriter, first went on sale. It was manufactured by E. Remington and Sons, and was also known as Remington No. 1.

120 years ago
1894

Died on this date
Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt, 74. Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) of the Netherlands, 1866-1868. Count van Zuylen van Nijevelt was a conservative politician, and was Dutch Minister Resident in Istanbul from 1855-1860, and served as Foreign Minister from 1860-1861 as well as during his term as Prime Minister.

110 years ago
1904

Olympics
Several months of sports competitions comprising the Summer Olympic games opened in St. Louis as part of the world's fair. In the games, which ran until November 23, Canada did not send a team, but some Canadian athletes competed along with 13 official nations and 625 competitors.

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I'll Be Seeing You--Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra (Best Seller--1st week at #1); I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)--Harry James and his Music Makers with Dick Haymes (Jukebox--3rd week at #1)

Theatre
Othello, starring Paul Robeson, Jose Ferrer, and Uta Hagen, closed at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway in New York after 296 consecutive performances, the longest Broadway run of any William Shakespeare play to date.

Died on this date
Carl Mayer, 49. Austrian-born U.K. screenwriter. Mr. Mayer, who spent his most productive years in Germany, wrote or co-wrote screenplays for such movies as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920); Der Letzte Mann (The Last Laugh) (1924); Sunrise (1927); Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927); 4 Devils (1928); and Das Blaue Licht (The Blue Light) (1932). He fled for England when the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, and worked as an adviser to the British film industry. Mr. Mayer died of cancer.

Tanya Savicheva, 14. U.S.S.R. diarist. Miss Savicheva kept a notebook recording her experiences during the Nazi siege of Leningrad in late 1941 and early 1942. She died of intestinal tuberculosis.

War
Despite repeated German armoured attacks, British forces in France around Caen stood fast. An estimated 15,000 members of the Danish underground attacked German troops in Copenhagen as the city was paralyzed by a general strike in protest against Nazi curfew orders. Soviet troops captured Borisov--45 miles northwest of Minsk--and approached to within 4 miles of Polotsk at the northern end of the White Russian front. Allied troops gained along the Italian front, with U.S. forces reaching Cecina. On the east coast of Saipan, U.S. troops advanced to a point within 5 1/2 miles of the northern tip.

Politics and government
Guatemalan President Jorge Ubico resigned in favour of a military junta headed by Generals Eduardo Villagran, Ariza Buenaventura Pineda, and Federico Ponce.

U.S. Senator Samuel Jackson (Indiana) was named permanent chairman of the U.S. Democratic National Committee.

Economics and finance
Representatives of 44 nations attended the opening of an international monetary conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.

Labour
A U.S. Circuit Court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota upheld a state law requiring labour unions to file annual financial statements.

50 years ago
1964

Died on this date
Pierre Monteux, 89. French-born U.S. orchestra conductor. Orchestras conducted by Mr. Monteux included New York's Metropolitan Opera (1917-1919); Boston Symphony Orchestra (1919-1924); Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra (1924–1934); Orchestre Symphonique de Paris (1929–1938); San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (1936–52); and London Symphony Orchestra (1961-1964).

Music
The album All Summer Long by the Beach Boys was released on Capitol Records. The first track was I Get Around, which had been released as a single two months earlier, and was at or near the top of singles charts in North America.

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Cosmos 34. The mission of Cosmos 33 ended, eight days after launch.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Billy - Don't Be a Hero--Paper Lace (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Ayudadme--Camilo Sesto (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Juan Perón, 78. 29th and 40th Presidents of Argentina, 1946-1955, 1973-1964. Lieutenant General Perón served in Argentina's military government from 1943-1946 before taking office as President. His presidency, aided by the popularity of his second wife Eva, was marked by extensive economic reforms, including expansion of the welfare state, but his popularity declined after Eva's death from cancer in 1952, and he was deposed by a military coup d'état in 1955. After 18 years in exile--mostly in Spain--Lt. Gen. Perón returned to assume the presidency, with third wife Isabel taking the vice presidency. On June 28, 1974, Lt. Gen. Perón suffered a series of heart attacks, and Mrs. Perón was hastily recalled from a European trade mission, and was secretly sworn in as interim President on June 29. She took the office on a full-time basis upon her husband's death until being deposed in a coup d'état on March 24, 1976.

Agriculture
The Turkish government announced a decision to permit again the cultivation and sale of opium poppies.

Law
A jury in Los Angeles ruled that Robert Maheu had been damaged by defamatory statements made by his former employer, billionaire Howard Hughes. Mr. Maheu had demanded $17.3 million in damages because Mr. Hughes had said in a telephone news conference that he had dismissed Mr. Maheu because "he stole me blind." The money value of the damage was to be determined at a later hearing set in October.

Baseball
The Oakland Athletics scored 3 runs in the top of the 8th inning to defeat the California Angels 5-3 before 16,405 fans at Anaheim Stadium in the Angels' first game under manaer Dick Williams, who was replacing the fired Bobby Winkles. Mr. Williams had managed the Athletics from 1971-1973, leading the team to World Series championships in his last 2 seasons, before resigning.

International League
All-Star Game @ Richmond, Virginia
New York Mets (NL) 2 IL All-Stars 1

Bob Apodaca, the second of four New York pitchers, pitched 6 innings of scoreless relief to get the win as the defending National League champion Mets edged the International League All-Stars before 6,593 fans at Parker Field. Craig Swan started on the mound for the Mets and gave up a run in the bottom of the 1st inning when Art Howe of the Charleston Charlies singled home Alan Bannister of the Toledo Mud Hens. The Mets tied it in the top of the 2nd when Ken Boswell singled home Cleon Jones. The winning run scored in the top of the 5th when Ted Martinez scored from third base as the All-Stars failed to complete a double play on a ground ball hit by Don Hahn. Barry Lersch of the Richmond Braves started on the mound for the IL. Scott McGregor, the third of five IL pitchers, pitched the 5th inning and took the loss. Mr. Apodaca, who pitched the 2nd through the 7th innings for New York, gave up 4 hits and no bases on balls, while striking out 5 batters.

Juan Pizarro tied the Mexican League record with his fifth consecutive shutout as Cordoba edged Tampico 1-0 in 10 innings. The record was set by Jim Horsford in 1968.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Somebody's Watching Me--Rockwell (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Self Control--Raf

Movies
The Motion Picture Association of America established the "PG-13" rating.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. rejected the attempt by the U.S. administration of President Ronald Reagan to tie space weapons talks to the talks on nuclear missiles scheduled for Vienna in September.

Politics and government
The National Organization for Women passed a resolution calling for the nomination of a woman for Vice-President of the United States.

Golf
Greg Norman won the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ontario. First prize money was $72,000.

Football
CFL
Toronto (1-0) 25 @ Saskatchewan (0-1) 10



Baseball
Pitcher Paul Splittorff announced his retirement from the Kansas City Royals. Mr. Splittorff spent his entire major league career (1970-1984) with the Royals, winning 166 games and losing 143. In 1973 he became the first Royal to win 20 games. This blogger saw him pitch in person on August 3, 1975, when he held the Oakland Athletics to one base on balls and one infield hit in the first inning, and retired the last 26 batters in a 5-0 Kansas City win.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): When the Night Comes--Joe Cocker (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Marina (Remix 89)--Rocco Granata & the Carnations (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): No More Boleros--Gerard Joling (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Johnny, Johnny Come Home--Avalanche (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)--Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler (2nd week at #1)

Austria's top 10 (Ö3)
1 Nur ein Lied--Thomas Forstner (5th week at #1)
2 Americanos--Holly Johnson
3 Eternal Flame--Bangles
4 Looking for Freedom--David Hasselhoff
5 Ready for Radetzky--Vienna Lusthouse
6 The Look--Roxette
7 Zimbabwe--Toni Childs
8 Lullaby--The Cure
9 Like a Prayer--Madonna
10 Slow Down--Andy Baum & the Trix

Singles entering the chart were Lullaby; Why Don't You Listen to My Music by Espresso (#13); Express Yourself by Madonna (#15); Ferry 'Cross the Mersey by the Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman (#18); When the Night Comes by Joe Cocker (#19); Love is Free by Bilgeri (#28); and Sole, Sun, Soleil by Etta Scollo (#29).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Baby Don't Forget My Number--Milli Vanilli
2 Good Thing--Fine Young Cannibals
3 Satisfied--Richard Marx
4 Buffalo Stance--Neneh Cherry
5 If You Don't Know Me by Now--Simply Red
6 Express Yourself--Madonna
7 This Time I Know it's for Real--Donna Summer
8 I Drove All Night--Cyndi Lauper
9 Miss You Like Crazy--Natalie Cole
10 I'll Be Loving You (Forever)--New Kids on the Block

Singles entering the chart were It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be by Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston (#73); Soul Provider by Michael Bolton (#76); Shower Me with Your Love by Surface (#87); The Prisoner by Howard Jones (#89); Come Home with Me Baby by Dead or Alive (#90); Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming by Robert Palmer (#91); and All I Want is You by U2 (#93).

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Satisfied--Richard Marx (2nd week at #1)
2 Good Thing--Fine Young Cannibals
3 Buffalo Stance--Neneh Cherry
4 Baby Don't Forget My Number--Milli Vanilli
5 Every Little Step--Bobby Brown
6 This Time I Know it's for Real--Donna Summer
7 Express Yourself--Madonna
8 I'll Be Loving You (Forvever)--New Kids on the Block
9 I Drove All Night--Cyndi Lauper
10 Cry--Waterfront

Singles entering the chart were Soul Provider by Michael Bolton (#70); Comin' Down Tonight by Thirty Eight Special (#72); It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be by Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston (#79); Open Letter (To A Landlord) by Living Colour (#83); Talk it Over by Grayson Hugh (#89); Gonna Make It by Sa-Fire (#91); and Little Fighter by White Lion (#93).

Environment
The 1987 Montreal Protocol went into effect; the international treaty dealt with ozone-destroying pollutants, and sought to cut in half production of chemicals like refrigerants posing the greatest risk to the ozone layer above the Earth.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Baby, I Love Your Way--Big Mountain (2nd week at #1)

World events
Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat returned to the Gaza Strip after 27 years in exile.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council authorized a commission to investigate "acts of genocide" in Rwanda.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had remained unchanged from April to May.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Marlon Brando, 80. U.S. actor. Mr. Brando achieved fame playing Stanley Kowalski in the Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), a role which propelled him to greater stardom when he starred in the 1951 movie version of the play. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for that role, as well as for starring performances in Viva Zapata! (1952); Julius Caesar (1953); and Sayonara (1957), winning for On the Waterfront (1954) and The Godfather (1972). Mr. Brando starred in an impressive series of movies during the 1950s, but his career gradually declined. Most of the obituaries about Mr. Brando started out by referring to him as the greatest actor of his generation--and finished by talking about how he squandered his talent.

Space
The international Cassini-Huygens probe entered Saturn's orbit after a nearly seven-year journey, and sent back photographs revealing details of Saturn's ice and rock rings.

World events
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, now in Iraqi hands, appeared in court in Baghdad with 11 co-defendants on charges of crimes against humanity stemming from the 1988 gassing of Iraqi Kurds, the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and the persecution of political opponents.

Diplomacy
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Sudan, where they urged the Sudanese government to rein in Arab militias in Darfur.