August 11, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Audrianna (Huszti) De Souza!

970 years ago
1044

Died on this date
Sokkate, 43. King of Pagan, 1038-1044. Sokkate, a son of King Nyaung-u Sawrahan, acceded to the throne upon the death of his elder brother Kyiso. He was killed in single combat with Anawrahta, who succeeded him and went on to found the Pagan Empire, the first kingdom to unify the regions of what is now Myanmar.

520 years ago
1494

Died on this date
Hans Memling, 64 (?). German-born Flemish painter. Mr. Memling was known for painting portraits, diptychs, and religious works.

110 years ago
1904

Born on this date
Bernard Castro. Italian-born U.S. inventor. Mr. Castro, a native of Sicily, emigrated to the United States in 1919. He invented the modern convertible couch, opening his first store in 1931. Mr. Castro sold more than 5 million Castro Convertibles and became a multimillionaire. He died on August 24, 1991, 13 days after his 87th birthday.

100 years ago
1914

Weather
The temperature in St. John's reached 105 F. (41.7 C.), Newfoundland's warmest day on record.

80 years ago
1934

At the movies
Der Herr der Welt (The Master of the World), directed by Harry Piel, and starring Walter Janssen, Sybille Schmitz, and Walter Franck, opened in theatres in Germany.



Americana
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, welcomed its first prisoners.

Baseball
The Boston Red Sox twice came back from one-run deficits to defeat the New York Yankees 3-2 in 13 innings at Fenway Park in Boston. Babe Ruth and Tony Lazzeri hit home runs for the Yankees.

75 years ago
1939

At the movies
The Wizard of Oz, directed by Victor Fleming, and starring Judy Garland, received advance screenings in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Died on this date
Jean Bugatti, 30. German-born French automotive engineer. Mr. Bugatti, the son of Automobiles E. Bugatti founder Ettore Bugatti, designed and tested cars for his father's company. While taking a race car for a test drive, he was killed when he crashed into a tree after striking a cyclist who had come onto the track through a hole in a fence.

70 years ago
1944

War
Canadian Army General H. D. G. Crerar moved into the French town of Falaise in Operation Tractable, but without reinforcements from British General Bernard Montgomery, was unable to press the attack; the Germans learned of the attack when a lost Canadian officer, with the orders on him, was captured and killed by the SS. The 12-mile Falaise gap was open wide and despite heavy air strikes, the escaping Germans poured through, to fight again. U.S. forces in France moved north from Le Mans to link up with British and Canadian troops in the Caen-Vire sector to close a trap on part of the German Seventh Army. Canadian tanks in Italy entered the outskirts of Florence with the British Eighth Army, forcing the Germans to evacuate the city. Soviet forces renewed their Estonian offensive, advancing 16 miles along a 43-mile front. Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King said that Canada would take an appropriate part in the Allies' war against Japan.

Disasters
A court in Hartford, Connecticut charged five officials with Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus with manslaughter for the deaths of 167 people in the July 6 fire.

60 years ago
1954

World events
More than seven years of fighting in Indochina formerly ended with the cessation of French control of the region.

Boxing
Archie Moore (146-19-8), behind on 2 of 3 cards after 13 rounds, scored a technical knockout of Harold Johnson (47-6) at 56 seconds of the 14th round to retain his world light heavyweight championship at Madison Square Garden in New York. It was the first time in Mr. Moore's career that he had fought at that famous venue.

Football
CRU
WIFU-IRFU
Pre-season
Montreal (1-0) 22 @ British Columbia (0-1) 0

19,000 fans were in attendance at Empire Stadium in Vancouver to see the Alouettes shut out the Lions in B.C.'s first pre-season game ever.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Self Control--Raf (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT Top 30): Wake Me Up Before You Go Go--Wham! (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Two Tribes--Frankie Goes to Hollywood (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Two Tribes--Frankie Goes to Hollywood (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Two Tribes--Frankie Goes to Hollywood (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Ghostbusters--Ray Parker, Jr.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Ghostbusters--Ray Parker, Jr.
2 When Doves Cry--Prince
3 State of Shock--The Jacksons with Mick Jagger
4 What's Love Got to Do with It--Tina Turner
5 Dancing in the Dark--Bruce Springsteen
6 Stuck on You--Lionel Richie
7 Jump (For My Love)--The Pointer Sisters
8 Breakin'...There's No Stopping Us--Ollie & Jerry
9 Infatuation--Rod Stewart
10 I Can Dream About You--Dan Hartman

Singles entering the chart were Cover Me by Bruce Springsteen (#58); There Goes My Baby by Donna Summer (#71); (What) In the Name of Love by Naked Eyes (#87); and Can't Wait All Night by Juice Newton (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 When Doves Cry--Prince
2 Ghostbusters--Ray Parker, Jr.
3 Almost Paradise...Love Theme from Footloose--Mike Reno and Ann Wilson
4 Sister Christian--Night Ranger
5 Self Control--Laura Branigan
6 Sad Songs (Say So Much)--Elton John
7 Dancing in the Dark--Bruce Springsteen
8 Jump (For My Love)--Pointer Sisters
9 What's Love Got to Do with It--Tina Turner
10 State of Shock--The Jacksons with Mick Jagger

Singles entering the chart were Let's Go Crazy by Prince and the Revolution (#66); Drive by the Cars (#71); The Glamorous Life by Sheila E. (#80); The More You Live by A Flock of Seagulls (#94); and I'll Do You Right by Ian Thomas (#95).

Died on this date
Alfred A. Knopf, Sr., 91. U.S. publisher. Mr. Knopf founded the firm Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1915.

Theatre
Eleusinian Rites, Mysteries, and Drama Soirees staged a mock murder mystery in St. Albert, Alberta. Unlike the previous week’s mystery, this one wasn’t as successful, but that wasn’t the fault of this blogger, who played a victim. I did feel a little awkward trying to act casual while walking several blocks to the car while covered in stage blood, as cars drove by.

Olympics
Carl Lewis of the United States won his fourth gold medal of the 1984 Olympics when he anchored the men’s 400 metre relay at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Sam Graddy, Ron Brown, Calvin Smith, and Mr. Lewis won by 7 metres in 37.83 seconds for the only track and field record at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Politics and government
While testing a radio microphone, U.S. President Ronald Reagan said, "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." Democratic party presidential candidate Walter Mondale deplored the choice of subject matter for a joke, and the U.S.S.R. professed to be offended.

Law
U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed into law an act of Congress that would prohibit public high schools from barring students who wished to assemble for religious or political activities outside school hours. He said it would "allow student religious groups to begin enjoying a right they’ve too long been denied, the freedom to meet in public high schools...just as other student groups are allowed to do."

Football
CFL
Ottawa (3-4) 21 @ British Columbia (5-1) 34

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Das Omen (Teil I)--Mysterious Art (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
John Meillon, 55. Australian actor. Mr. Meillon was a character actor in movies and television programs, best known internationally for his appearances in the movies Crocodile Dundee (1986) and Crocodile Dundee II (1988). He died of cirrhosis of the liver.

Space
The U.S. probe Voyager 2 discovered two partial rings of Neptune during its flyby of that planet.

Diplomacy
South African President P.W. Botha publicly disputed an assertion by his foreign minister that he had been consulted on the proposed meeting between F. W. de Klerk, who had been chosen the previous day to succeed him as National Party leader, and Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Wizards of the Sonic--Westbam

Died on this date
Peter Cushing, 81. U.K. actor. Mr. Cushing was known for his roles in horror films with Hammer Films, often appearing with Christopher Lee. Mr. Cushing played Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) and the made-for-television movie Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death (1984), as well as a 13-episode television series for BBC in 1968.

Labour
After the day's games, major league baseball players went on strike for the eighth time in 23 seasons. The dispute--centring on the owners' demand to control costs by putting a limit on player payrolls--wiped out the rest of the season, and did much to finish major league baseball in Montreal. The Montreal Expos had the major leagues' best record at the time of the strike, but by the time play resumed in 1995, many of their best players had been sold, and the franchise never recovered.

Business
Confederation Life, Canada's fifth-largest insurance company, was taken over by federal regulators after talks aimed at bailing out the troubled firm failed.

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (4-2) 59 @ Ottawa (2-4) 41
Toronto (2-4) 39 @ British Columbia (5-1) 54

Blaise Bryant rushed for touchdowns of 2 and 65 yards and returned a kickoff 92 yards for another TD as the Blue Bombers beat the Rough Riders before 19,173 fans at Frank Clair Stadium. Matt Dunigan passed for 2 Winnipeg touchdowns and rushed for another himself as the Blue Bombers reached the 50-point mark for the second straight game and the third time this season. Darren Joseph rushed for 3 Ottawa touchdowns.

Cory Philpot rushed for touchdowns of 87, 4, and 1 yards in the 1st half and Sean Millington rushed for 2 TDs in the 2nd half as the Lions beat the Argonauts before 19,424 fans at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver. Paul Masotti caught 2 touchdown passes for Toronto.

Baseball
Nine games were played in the last day of activity in the major leagues before the players went on strike the next day. Play resumed in 1995.

Zane Smith (10-8) pitched a 5-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they shut out the Montreal Expos 4-0 before 16,896 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Expos still had the best record in the major leagues at 74-40.

Ricky Jordan singled home Billy Hatcher with 2 out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 15th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 2-1 win over the New York Mets before 37,605 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

Greg Maddux (16-6) pitched a 3-hitter and batted 3 for 5 with a run and 2 runs batted in to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 13-0 rout of the Colorado Rockies before 65,043 fans at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

Ed Sprague led off the top of the 13th inning with a home run to break a 7-7 tie as the Toronto Blue Jays edged the New York Yankees 8-7 before 37,333 fans at Yankee Stadium.



10 years ago
2004

Asiatica
A site in the centre of South Korea was selected for the construction of a new capital, intended to reduce Seoul's overcrowding and economic dominance.