October 11, 2014

400 years ago
1614

Business
Adriaen Block and 12 Amsterdam merchants petitioned the States General for exclusive trading rights in the New Netherland colony.

275 years ago
1739

Born on this date
Grigory Potemkin. Russian military officer and politician. General Potemkin, a favourite of Czarina Catherine II "The Great," was President of the College of War from 1774 until his death on October 16, 1791, five days after his 52nd birthday, after falling ill during negotiations over the Treaty of Jassy, which ended a war with the Ottoman Empire that he had overseen.

150 years ago
1864

Braziliana
Campina Grande was established as a city.

130 years ago
1884

Football
ORFU
Round 1
Toronto 27 @ Peterboro 8
London 2 @ Strathroy 20
Ontario Agricultural College defaulted to Hamilton

125 years ago
1889

Died on this date
James Prescott Joule, 70. U.K. physicist. Mr. Joule was a full-time brewer who studied physics as a hobby. His research into the nature of heat and its relationship to mechanical work led to the law of conservation of energy and the first law of thermodynamics. The derived unit of energy is named the joule in his honour.

120 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Luis Ángel Firpo. Argentine boxer. Mr. Firpo, nicknamed "El Toro Salvaje de las Pampas (The Wild Bull of the Pampas)," was a heavyweight who compiled a professional record of 32-5 from 1917-1936. He lost a decision to Dave Mills for the vacant South American title in 1919, but won the title with a 1-round knockout in a rematch in April 1920, and retained the title with another 1-round knockout of Mr. Mills eight months later. Mr. Firpo was best known for his challenge to Jack Dempsey for the world heavyweight title at the Polo Grounds in New York on September 14, 1923. Mr. Firpo was knocked down 7 times in the 1st round, but succeeded in knocking Mr. Dempsey out of the ring. The champion, with the help of ringside sportswriters, made it back into the ring, and knocked out Mr. Firpo in the 2nd round. Mr. Firpo became a successful car dealer and a wealthy rancher in later years, remained extremely popular throughout Latin America. He died on August 7, 1960 at the age of 65.

90 years ago
1924

Football
CRU
ARU
Finals
Calgary 1 @ Edmonton 14 (1st game of 2-game total points series)

Blake Brunson scored 2 touchdowns and Jack Fraser punted for 2 singles as the Eskimos beat the 50th Battalion at Diamond Park.

75 years ago
1939

Defense
A letter from Albert Einstein was delivered to President Franklin D. Roosevelt concerning the possibility of atomic weapons.

Football
Canadian university
Alberta (1-1) 11 @ Saskatchewan (1-1) 13

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
Variety reported that the most popular songs in the United States were:
1 I'll Walk Alone
2 Is You Is or Is You Ain't?
3 Dance with a Dolly

War
After German forces in Aachen refused to surrender, U.S. troops began bombardment of the city. Soviet troops reached the northeastern border of Prussia by seizing the Lithuanian city of Ponove. Moscow radio announced thtat Bulgaria had accepted pre-armistice terms that provided for evacuation of Bulgarian troops and officials from Greece and Yugoslavia within 15 days.

World events
The Tuvan People's Republic--formerly Tannu Tuva-- was annexed by the U.S.S.R.

Art
The director of the Museum Les Invalides in Paris announced that the Germans had looted it of 1,800 pieces, including antique weapons, before leaving Paris.

Politics and government
The Mexican Chamber of Deputies defeated a measure that would have prohibited the press and theatre from "ridiculing members of Congress."

Economics and finance
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Claude Wickard disclosed that the REA had a three-year postwar plan for spending $585 million on rural electrification.

Football
MASSFL
Service Flying Training School (Gimli) (0-3) 8 @ Canadian Army (Winnipeg) (2-0) 18

Harry Hood, Doug Gauthier, and Sammy Fabro scored touchdowns for the Grenades--all converted by Fritz Hanson--as they defeated the Hurricanes at Osborne Stadium. Mr. Isaacs scored a touchdown for SFTS, and Norm Geller added a field goal.

60 years ago
1954

War
Viet Minh forces took control of North Vietnam.

Boxing
Floyd Patterson (16-1) won a unanimous 8-round decision over Esau Ferdinand (43-12-8) in a heavyweight bout at St. Nicholas Arena in New York City.

Football
CRU
IRFU
Ottawa (1-8) 6 @ Montreal (8-1) 24
Hamilton (6-3) 22 @ Toronto (3-6) 13

WIFU
Edmonton (7-5) 2 @ Saskatchewan (8-3-2) 12
British Columbia (1-11) 6 @ Calgary (7-7) 42

ORFU
Sarnia (5-2) 19 @ Toronto (0-8) 17

Larry Isbell scored a touchdown and Joe Aguirre added a convert and 2 field goals as the Roughriders beat the Eskimos before a Thanksgiving crowd of 14,778 at Taylor Field in Regina.

Eddie Macon and Lynn Bottoms each scored 2 touchdowns and Howard Waugh, Ivan Livingstone, and Alex Yakunin added TDs as the Stampeders routed the Lions before 12,500 fans at Mewata Stadium. Jack Hutchinson scored the B.C. touchdown on a pass from Gerry Tuttle.

50 years ago
1964

Baseball
World Series
St. Louis Cardinals 4 @ New York Yankees 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

The Yankees scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning off Ray Sadecki to take a 3-0 lead, but the Cardinals scored all their runs in the 6th inning on a grand slam by Ken Boyer off New York starting pitcher Al Downing as they evened the Series before 66,312 fans at Yankee Stadium. Mr. Boyer's homer immediately followed an error by Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson on a ground ball which seemed likely to result in an inning-ending double play. Roger Craig, who relieved Mr. Sadecki with 1 out in the 1st inning, recorded 8 strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings and was credited with the win, while Ron Taylor pitched the final 4 innings to earn the save.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies--The Drifters (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Rock Your Baby--George McCrae (7th week at #1)

Politics and government
In the second British general election in eight months, Prime Minister Harold Wilson led his Labour Party to a three-seat majority in the 635-seat House of Commons. The Conservatives, who had governed from June 1970 until losing power in the February 1974 election, lost a further 20 seats.

30 years ago
1984

Space
U.S. space shuttle Challenger astronaut Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space as part of mission STS-41-G.

Politics and government
In Philadelphia, U.S. Vice-President George Bush and his Democratic party opponent, Geraldine Ferraro, participated in the first debate of vice-presidential candidates in American history. Mrs. Ferraro consistently criticized President Ronald Reagan, emphasizing alleged failures in Lebanon and negligence in the deaths of Marines killed in the October 1983 bombing. Asked about previous differences with Mr. Reagan, Mr. Bush said, "I’ve been with him every step of the way," and said he would support all of his policies.

Both houses of the United States Congress voted to continue a ban on financial support for the "Contras" fighting against the Sandanista government in Nicaragua.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Ehtaa tavaraa (80-luvun tykki)--Bat & Ryyd (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Jag mår illa--Magnus Uggla (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Helena Milner, 60. A godly Canadian woman who led three Communists to Christ, she is very much missed.

Society
The East German politburo said that it was time to examine societal problems and why nearly 50,000 people had fled to the West.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 216-206 to allow the federal government to pay for abortions if poor women if their pregnancies occurred as a result of rape or incest. Legislative committees of the state legislature in Florida rejected all five bills submitted by Governor Bob Martinez to restrict access to abortion.

20 years ago
1994

Abominations
The Colorado Supreme Court, in a 6-1 ruling, struck down Amendment 2, a law approved by voters in 1992, but that had not yet gone into effect. The law forbade local governments from enacting laws protecting sodomites from discrimination in employment and housing. The court ruled that the law denied sodomites equal participation in the political process and that it violated the equal protection clauses of the state and federal constitutions.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Keith Miller, 84. Australian cricket and football player. Mr. Miller played cricket from the late 1930s to the late '50s, and was regarded as Australia's greatest all-rounder, renowned as much for his carefree manner as his ability. He was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1996. Mr. Miller played in the Victorian Football Association as a full back and full forward with Brighton (1937-1939) and St. Kilda (1940-1942, 1946), scoring 42 goals in 50 games with St. Kilda, including 8 in one game in 1941. Mr. Miller died after years of declining health.

War
Rebel Iraqi Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army began to surrender heavy weapons; the results were deemed a "mixed success."

Politics and government
The Cambodian Throne Council named Prince Norodom Sihamoni as the country's new king, four days after the prince's father, King Norodom Sihanouk, had abdicated without leaving a clear successor.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (10-5) 16 @ Toronto (9-5-1) 22
Montreal (12-3) 19 @ Edmonton (8-8) 39

Jason Maas completed 20 of 34 passes for 454 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Eskimos played their best game of the season in beating the Alouettes before a Thanksgiving crowd of 37,708 at Commonwealth Stadium. Mr. Maas completed touchdown passes of 85 yards to Jason Tucker; 73 yards to Derrell "Mookie" Mitchell; 7 yards to Mike Pringle; and 16 yards to Terry Vaughn. Mr. Pringle also rushed 4 yards for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter for his 137th career CFL touchdown, tying the record established by George Reed of the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1963-1975). Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo completed 28 of 47 passes for 308 yards and a touchdown to Thyron Anderson, but surrendered 3 interceptions, all in the 1st half. Autry Denson rushed 8 yards for the other Montreal touchdown in the 2nd quarter. The Eskimos outscored the Alouettes 18-1 in the 2nd half.

Baseball
National League Division Series
Houston 12 @ Atlanta 3 (Houston won best-of-five series 3-2)