September 24, 2014

225 years ago
1789

Law
The United States Congress passed the First Judiciary Act which provided for a U.S. attorney general and the Supreme Court.

125 years ago
1889

Died on this date
Charles Leroux, 32. U.S. balloonist and skydiver. Mr. Leroux made 238 successful parachute jumps from balloons, but on his 239th attempt at Reval (now Tallinn), Estonia, winds blew his parachute over Tallinn Bay, and he drowned, making no attempt once he splashed down to unharness himself from the parachute.

120 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Tommy Armour. U.K.-born U.S. golfer. Mr. Armour, "The Silver Scot," was wounded during service with the British Army during World War I, and moved to the United States in 1920. He played as an amateur until turning professional in 1924. Mr. Armour won 27 professional tournaments, including the 1927 U.S. Open; 1930 PGA Championship; and 1931 British Open, as well as winning the Canadian Open three times. He retired as a full-time touring pro after the 1935 season, competing occasionally in big-name events in later years. Mr. Armour died on September 11, 1968, 13 days before his 72nd birthday. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1976.

Billy Bletcher. U.S. actor. Mr. Bletcher appeared in silent films, but was best known as a voice actor, providing the voice of Mickey Mouse in cartoons from 1932-1954. He died on January 5, 1979 at the age of 84.

100 years ago
1914

Born on this date
John Kerr. Governor-General of Australia, 1974-1977. Sir John, who took office as Governor-General after serving as Chief Justice of New South Wales, was in office during a constitutional crisis in 1975 that resulted in his dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and asking Malcolm Fraser to form a government. Sir John died on March 24, 1991 at the age of 76.

80 years ago
1934

Baseball
In his final home game as a New York Yankee, Babe Ruth drew a base on balls in the 1st inning and then left for a pinch runner. The Yankees lost 5-0 to the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, and the loss clinched the American League pennant for the idle Detroit Tigers. It was the Tigers’ first pennant in 25 years.

75 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Carl Laemmle, 72. German-born U.S. film producer. Mr. Laemmle emigrated to the United States in 1884 and began buying nickelodeons in the early 1900s, starting one of Chicago's first movie theatres in 1906, and then moving to New York in 1912 and forming Independent Moving Pictures (IMP), with studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The company merged with several other companies to form Universal Film Manufacturing Company--today known as Universal Studios--with Mr. Laemmle as president. Universal moved to the San Fernando Valley of California in 1915, and Mr. Laemmle produced hundreds of movies until he and his son Carl, Jr. were removed from the company in a hostile takeover in 1934. Carl Laemmle, Sr. died of heart disease.

70 years ago
1944

War
British patrols in the Netherlands established contact with besieged Allied forces in the Arnhem area. Following conferences with the Council of National Resistance, French Forces of the Interior were incorporated into the regular army by a decree of the War Ministry. Soviet forces in Estonia took the Baltic port of Paldiski.

Diplomacy
The board of directors of Freedom House in New York announced that its annual Freedom Award was going to former U.S. Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles "for his constructive liberalism and internationalism, and his contribution to the concept of a world organization."

Medicine
Dr. Clarence Cook Little of the Roscoe B. Jackson Memorial Laboratory for Cancer Research said that cancer was acquired by humans through a combination of heredity and environmental conditions.

60 years ago
1954

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Three Coins in the Fountain--Frank Sinatra (2nd week at #1)

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Do Wah Diddy Diddy--Manfred Mann

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I'm Into Something Good--Herman's Hermits

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Cosmos 46.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Nabucco--Waldo de los Ríos (4th week at #1)

Politics and government
U.S. President Gerald Ford named Donald Rumsfeld, U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as an assistant to the President, with cabinet rank. Mr. Rumsfeld would be in charge of administration and coordination. He replaced Alexander Haig, who had been named by Mr. Ford as Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe effective November 1, and Supreme Allied Commander of NATO effective December 15.

Football
CFL
Montreal (7-3) 13 @ Calgary (3-8) 38

Peter Liske completed 18 of 29 passes for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Stampeders to an upset over the Alouettes before 24,600 fans at McMahon Stadium. Mr. Liske completed TD passes of 14 yards to Moody Jackson and 15 yards to Tom Forzani in the 1st quarter, and linebacker Roger Goree returned an interception 25 yards for another touchdown to give Calgary a 21-0 lead just 10:21 into the game. Don Willingham rushed 1 yard for a Calgary touchdown with 57 seconds remaining in the 1st half, and Mr. Liske connected with Mr. Jackson on a 97-yard bomb for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in the 2nd half. Larry Smith scored both Montreal touchdowns on passes of 32 and 56 yards from starting quarterback Jimmy Jones, who led the Alouettes with 84 yards rushing.

Baseball
Al Kaline doubled off Dave McNally in the top of the 4th inning for his 3,000th career major league hit and singled off Mr. McNally in the 6th for his 3001st hit, but the Tigers gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th to lose 5-4 to the Baltimore Orioles before 11,492 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Winning pitcher Bob Reynolds pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief of Mr. McNally and struck out Ben Oglivie, Gates Brown, and Ron LeFlore in order in the 9th inning.



International League
Governor's Cup
Syracuse 1 @ Rochester 5 (Rochester won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Dyar Miller allowed 5 hits and struck out 9 in 7 innings as he pitched the Red Wings to victory over the Chiefs. Terry Whitfield's home run in the 4th inning accounted for the Syracuse scoring.

30 years ago
1984

#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Careless Whisper--George Michael (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): High Energy--Evelyn Thomas (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Neil Hamilton, 85. U.S. actor. One of this blogger’s favourite actors, Mr. Hamilton starred in silent films, including America (1923) and Isn’t Life Wonderful? (1924). Although he possessed a fine speaking voice, Mr. Hamilton’s popularity diminished during the era of sound movies. His scenes in Since You Went Away (1944) were left on the cutting room floor, and his appearance was reduced to a still photograph. Mr. Hamilton turned in memorable performances in two episodes of the television series The Outer Limits in 1964: The Invisibles and The Bellero Shield. His most famous role was as police commissioner Gordon in the television series Batman (1966-1968), where he delivered his lines as if they’d been written by Shakespeare ("Bonnie, I want you to put a call through to millionaire Bruce Wayne. He’ll probably be at Wayne Manor, his stately home."). Mr. Hamilton's last performance was in the made-for-television movie Vanished (1971). My favourite Neil Hamilton line is from The Bellero Shield: "Great men are forgiven their murderous wives!"

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald Reagan, addressing the United Nations General Assembly, appealed for "a better working relationship" between the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R., and he asked that nations work together to lift "the dread of nuclear war" from the earth.

Politics and government
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Walter Mondale, commenting on the September 20 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut by a suicide bomber, accused President Ronald Reagan of "letting terrorists humiliate us and push us around and kill our people."

Baseball
Rick Sutcliffe pitched a 2-hitter and struck out 9 in winning his 14th straight decision as the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 to clinch the National League East Division pennant. It was the first pennant of any kind for the Cubs since 1945.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): On Our Own--Bobby Brown (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Lambada--Kaoma (5th week at #1)

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (6-6) 27 @ Ottawa (2-10) 36
British Columbia (4-8) 25 @ Edmonton (10-2) 32

Dean Dorsey kicked 7 field goals and added 2 converts and a single as the Rough Riders defeated the Roughriders before 17,284 at Lansdowne Park. Ottawa general manager Jo-Anne Polak had claimed sole rights to the name before the game, and the tickets and game program identified the Saskatchewan team as the Prairie Dogs. Wind was a major factor in the game, and Ottawa head coach Steve Goldman credited the coin toss as the turning point. Rough Rider quarterback Damon Allen completed just 12 of 33 passes for 183 yards, with 78 of those yards coming on a touchdown pass to Gerald Alphin. Mr. Allen also rushed 8 times for 96 yards. Saskatchewan starting quarterback Kent Austin completed just 8 of 26 passes for 126 yards and 2 interceptions, but scored the Roughriders’ first touchdown on a 1-yard rush. Backup Tom Burgess was just 5 for 13 in passing for 48 yards. Dave Ridgway kicked 4 field goals for the Roughriders and added 2 converts and a single. Albert Brown scored the other Saskatchewan touchdown on an 86-yard punt return, while Chris Skinner rushed 1 yard for a touchdown with 1:05 remaining in the fourth quarter to put the game away for Ottawa.

Tracy Ham scored 3 touchdowns on 1-yard runs and the Eskimos rolled up 311 yards rushing, their largest single-game total in 28 years. Mr. Ham carried 11 times for 92 yards, while running back Reggie Taylor carried 19 times for 160 yards. The Eskimos were ahead 28-3 in the third quarter before Rickey Foggie, who replaced an injured Matt Dunigan, threw touchdown passes to Tony Cherry, David Williams, and Mike Bellefontaine. Mr. Dunigan injured his right thumb early in the game when he caught it on a helmet, and completed just 1 of 3 passes for 17 yards. It was initially feared that his season might be over, but the injury proved to be minor, and he was ready for the next game. The Eskimos set a team record with 219 yards in penalties, many as a result of bogus calls by the crew of referee Jacques Decarie. This was one of the worst-officiated games I’ve ever been to. It was obvious that the officials were out to help B.C. as much as possible when Edmonton’s Don Wilson was flagged in the first quarter for no yards on a punt that bounced out of bounds without anybody touching the ball. Mr. Ham said after the game that he thought the call of the game came when pass interference against the Lions was overruled because the pass was ruled uncatchable, when Edmonton receiver Keith Wright had actually caught the ball.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Confide in Me--Kylie Minogue (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: 7 Seconds--Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)--The Outhere Brothers (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): I Swear--All-4-One

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Love is All Around--Wet Wet Wet (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): 7 Seconds--Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Cotton-Eyed Joe--Rednex (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Saturday Night--Whigfield (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men (5th week at #1)
2 Stay (I Missed You)--Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
3 Endless Love--Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey
4 When Can I See You--Babyface
5 Stroke You Up--Changing Faces
6 Wild Night--John Mellencamp with Me'Shell Ndegeocello
7 All I Wanna Do--Sheryl Crow
8 Can You Feel the Love Tonight--Elton John
9 Fantastic Voyage--Coolio
10 This D.J.--Warren G

Singles entering the chart were What's the Frequency, Kenneth? by R.E.M. (#54); Playaz Club by Rappin' 4-Tay (#84); I'll Take Her by Ill Al Skratch featuring Brian McKnight (#87); 5-4-3-2 (Yo! Time is Up) by Jade (#90); Turn the Beat Around by Gloria Estefan (#94); Hip Hop Ride by Da Youngstas (#96); and Hungah by Karyn White (#97). Turn the Beat Around was from the movie The Specialist (1994).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men (4th week at #1)
2 When Can I See You--Babyface
3 All I Wanna Do--Sheryl Crow
4 Wild Night--John Mellencamp with Me’shell Ndegeocello
5 Stay (I Missed You)--Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
6 Endless Love--Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey
7 Can You Feel the Love Tonight--Elton John
8 Shine--Collective Soul
9 Don't Turn Around--Ace of Base
10 Any Time, Any Place/And On and On--Janet Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Make it Right by Lisa Stansfield (#84); and Sukiyaki by 4 P.M. (#89).

Died on this date
Barry Bishop, 62. U.S. mountaineer and photographer. Dr. Bishop was a photographer who spent many years with the National Geographic Society, and a longtime mountaineer who was a member of the first American team to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in 1963. He lost all of his toes and a fingertip to frostbite in that expedition, and subsequently pursued an academic career. Dr. Bishop was killed in a car accident in Idaho while on his way to deliver a lecture in San Francisco.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (7-5) 29 @ Shreveport (0-12) 11
Hamilton (3-9) 21 @ Las Vegas (5-7) 25
Calgary (10-2) 39 @ Sacramento (5-6-1) 25

The Roughriders made 5 interceptions and recovered 3 Shreveport fumbles as they beat the Pirates before 15,502 fans at Independence Stadium.

Carlos Huerta kicked 6 field goals, including 2 from 53 yards, as the Posse defeated the Tiger-Cats before 4,761 fans at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Doug Flutie completed 24 of 37 passes for 354 yards and 4 touchdowns--3 in the 2nd quarter--as the Stampeders defeated the Gold Miners before 17,192 fans at Hornet Field.



CIAU
Manitoba 6 @ Alberta (3-1) 30

10 years ago
2004

Football
CFL
British Columbia (9-4) 21 @ Calgary (3-11) 22

Scott Regimbald's 1-yard touchdown rush with 4 seconds remaining in regulation time and the subsequent convert gave the Stampeders the win over the Lions before 28,524 fans at McMahon Stadium. Aaron Lockett returned a punt 105 yards for a B.C. touchdown.