November 21, 2014

320 years ago
1694

Born on this date
Voltaire. French writer and philosopher. Voltaire, whose real name was François-Marie Arouet, wrote in various genres, and was one of the most important figures of the Enlightenment. He was a deist who opposed Christianity, and was especially opposed to the Roman Catholic Church. Voltaire was known for his advocacy of freedom of speech and religion, and separation of church and state. His writings are too numerous to mention here, but they included history (e.g., Histoire de Charles XII (History of Charles XII) (1731), novellas (e.g., Candide, ou l'Optimisme (Candide: or, All for the Best) (1759); and plays (e.g., Irène (1778). Voltaire died on May 30, 1778 at the age of 83.

230 years ago
1784

Canadiana
Thomas Carleton, younger brother of Sir Guy Carleton, and defender of Quebec against the Americans in 1775-1776, arrived at Parrtown as the first Governor to proclaim the new Province of New Brunswick.

225 years ago
1789

Americana
North Carolina entered the Union as the 12th state.

120 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Max Miller. U.K. comedian. Mr. Miller, whose real name was Thomas Henry Sargent and was nicknamed "The Cheeky Chappie," was regarded as the greatest standup comedian of his generation, performing in music hall, radio, and films in a career spanning more than 40 years until his death from a heart attack on May 7, 1963 at the age of 68. He was known for his flamboyant suits, his wicked charm, and his risqué jokes which often got him into trouble with the censors.

Cecil Murray Harden. U.S. politician. Mrs. Harden, a Republican, represented Indiana's 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949-1959, serving on various committees. She died on December 5, 1984, two weeks after her 90th birthday.

War
Japanese forces took Port Arthur, Manchuria in the Battle of Lushunkou, a decisive victory of the First Sino-Japanese War.

100 years ago
1914

Football
CRU
IRFU
Playoff
Toronto 9 @ Hamilton 9

Canadian university
Playoff
McGill 13 @ Toronto 17

The Argonauts and Tigers were tied at the end of regulation time and Toronto captain Glad Murphy wanted to play 20 minutes of overtime, but Hamilton captain Sam Manson refused because of approaching darkness; there were no lights at the Cricket Grounds. The tie necessitated a replay a week later at Varsity Stadium in Toronto.

Laddie Cassells scored the winning touchdown with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game to give University of Toronto their win over McGill before 7,500-8,000 fans at Varsity Stadium.

90 years ago
1924

Died on this date
Florence Harding, 64. U.S. First Lady, 1921-1923. Mrs. Harding, nicknamed "The Duchess," married Warren G. Harding in 1891. When he died in office in 1923, she refused to permit an autopsy, fuelling conspiracy theories. Mrs. Harding died of kidney failure.

80 years ago
1934

Theatre
Cole Porter's musical Anything Goes opened at the Alvin Theatre on Broadway in New York City.

70 years ago
1944

War
German forces stiffened their defense against U.S. forces along an 11-mile front east of Luxembourg. U.S. forces in the Philippines repulsed another Japanese attempt to break their roadblock south of Limon on Leyte Island.

Politics and government
Former U.S. War Production Board chairman Donald Nelson became a "personal representative" of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, giving him the right to sit in on cabinet meetings.

Football
AAFC
The All-America Football Conference named Jim Crowley as its first Commissioner. Mr. Crowley had been famous as one of the "Four Horsemen of Notre Dame" backfielders in 1924; another one of the University of Notre Dame's Four Horsemen, Elmer Layden, was currently the Commissioner of the National Football League.

Baseball
The Baseball Writers Association of America named St. Louis Cardinals' shortstop Marty Marion as the National League's Most Valuable Player for 1944. He batted .267 with 6 home runs and 63 runs batted in in 144 games as he helped the Cardinals win their third straight NL pennant and second World Series championship in three years.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Ain't That Loving You Baby/Ask Me--Elvis Presley

#1 single in France: Le Pénitencier--Johnny Hallyday (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): La mia festa--Richard Anthony (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Memphis--Johnny Rivers; Bernd Spier (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Little Red Rooster--The Rolling Stones

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Baby Love--The Supremes (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Baby Love--The Supremes (2nd week at #1)
2 Leader of the Pack--The Shangri-Las
3 Last Kiss--J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers
4 Come a Little Bit Closer--Jay and the Americans
5 Ringo--Lorne Greene
6 Have I the Right?--The Honeycombs
7 She's Not There--The Zombies
8 You Really Got Me--The Kinks
9 The Door is Still Open (To My Heart)--Dean Martin
10 Time is on My Side--The Rolling Stones

Singles entering the chart were Any Way You Want It by the Dave Clark Five (#62); Saturday Night at the Movies by the Drifters (#64); The Price by Solomon Burke (#73); Run, Run, Run by the Gestures (#77); Willow Weep for Me by Chad & Jeremy (#80); Amen by the Impressions (#82); Walk Away by Matt Monro (#89); One More Time by the Ray Charles Singers (#91); Hawaii Tattoo by the Waikikis (#92); Keep Searchin' (We’ll Follow The Sun) by Del Shannon (#97); It'll Never Be Over for Me by Baby Washington (#98); and How Sweet it Is (To Be Loved by You) by Marvin Gaye (#99). Amen was a version of the song from the movie Lilies of the Field (1963).

On television tonight
The Outer Limits, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Inheritors: Part I, starring Robert Duvall, Donald Harron, and James Shigeta

Space
The U.S.A. launched the satellites Explorer 24 and Explorer 25. Explorer 24's misson was to study air density and temperature variations of the upper atmosphere, while Explorer 25's mission was to measure particle flux and energy.

The mission of the Soviet satellite Cosmos 25, launched February 27, 1964, ended.

Americana
The Verrazano–Narrows Bridge, connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York, opened to traffic. At the time it was the world's longest suspension bridge.

Religion
The third session of the Roman Catholic Church's Second Vatican Council closed.

Football
CFL
Eastern Finals
Ottawa 8 @ Hamilton 26 (Hamilton won 2-game total points series 39-38)

The defending Grey Cup champion Tiger-Cats scored 15 points in the 2nd half--14 in a span of 1 minute and 57 seconds--as they came back from a 17-point deficit after the first game to defeat the Rough Riders before 21,100 fans at Civic Stadium. The Rough Riders had a chance to regain the lead with less than 3 minutes remaining in regulation time, but a 39-yard field goal attempt by Ottawa kicker Moe Racine--with the wind behind him--was wide for a single point. It was the last game in an Ottawa uniform for defensive back and punter Ed Ulmer, who had 2 punts blocked, partly because of poor snaps from centre Jerry Selinger. It was also the last game as a Rough Rider for all-star offensive tackle Roger Kramer, who was traded to the Calgary Stampeders in the off-season.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Gonna Make You a Star--David Essex

Terrorism
21 people were killed and 180 injured when bombs exploded at two pubs in Birmingham, England. The provisional Irish Republican Army was suspected.

Football
WFL
Playoffs
Round 1
Philadelphia 3 @ Florida 18

25 years ago
1989

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight’s episode: The Family Car

Died on this date
Harvey Hart, 61. Canadian director and producer. Mr. Hart, a native of Toronto, worked in films and television in Canada and the United States in a career spanning more than 35 years. His movies included Dark Intruder (1965) and Goldenrod (1976). Mr. Hart died of a heart attack.

War
Salvadoran rebels seized a hotel in San Salvador, trapping 12 U.S. Green Berets.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney made an official state visit to the U.S.S.R.

Politics and government
Czechoslovakian Premier Ladislav Adamec met with playwright Vaclav Havel and other dissidents who had just formed a new opposition group, Civic Forum. Mr. Havel, addressing 150,000 afterward, said the regime had promised some reforms, but Communist Party leader Milos Jakes said on television that evening, "There are boundaries that should not be crossed."

The proceedings of Britain's House of Commons were televised live for the first time.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that conumer prices had risen 0.5% in October.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Cotton Eye Joe--Rednex (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Cotton Eye Joe--Rednex (3rd week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Secret--Madonna (2nd week at #1)
2 Always--Bon Jovi
3 What's the Frequency, Kenneth--R.E.M.
4 Out of Tears--Rolling Stones
5 Get Over It--Eagles
6 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men
7 Living in Danger--Ace of Base
8 Endless Love--Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey
9 Circle of Life--Elton John
10 Dance Naked--John Mellencamp

Singles entering the chart were Alternative Girlfriend by Barenaked Ladies (#58); On Bended Knee by Boyz II Men (#71); Believe Me by Moist (#72); People of the Sky by Sloan (#81); Self Esteem by Offspring (#84); House of Love by Amy Grant with Vince Gill (#90); Storm Warning by Bonnie Raitt (#92); Skinwalker by Robbie Robertson And the Red Road Ensemble (#94); and A Murder of One by Counting Crows (#95).

10 years ago
2004

War
39 NATO warplanes from four countries--U.S.A., U.K., France, and the Netherlands--bombed a Serb air base in Croatia in response to Serb air attacks near Bilhac, Bosnia, a government enclave and United Nations-declared "safe area." The Bosnian Serbs then seized an estimated 450 UN peacekeepers and 30 UN military observers and held them hostage.

Politics and government
The second round of the Ukrainian presidential election was held, giving rise to massive protests and controversy over the election's integrity. Results were announced two days later, showing Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych the winner, with 49.42% of the vote, while Viktor Yushchenko received 46.69% of the vote.

Economics and finance
The Paris Club agreed to write off 80% (up to $100 billion) of Iraq's external debt.

Disasters
The island of Dominica was hit by the most destructive earthquake in its history. The northern half of the island received the most damage, especially the town of Portsmouth. It was also felt in neighboring Guadeloupe, where one person is killed.

Basketball
NBA
Ron Artest of the Indiana Pacers was suspended for the rest of the season following a brawl in the stands during the November 19 game against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace at Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Several other players were also suspended, and criminal charges were laid against several players and fans.

Football
CFL
Grey Cup @ Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa
Toronto 27 British Columbia 19

Damon Allen completed 23 of 34 passes for 299 yards, including a touchdown to Robert Baker, and rushed for 2 TDs of his own to lead the Argonauts over the Lions before 51,242 fans. The Lions led 7-0 after the 1st quarter on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Dave Dickenson to Jason Clermont, but the Argonauts scored 17 points in the 2nd quarter, and Mr. Allen's 23-yard TD pass to Mr. Baker, converted by Noel Prefontaine with 23 seconds remaining until halftime, gave Toronto a 17-10 lead, which they were able to maintain. B.C. running back Antonio Warren amassed 280 total yards: 160 rushing on 18 carries; 18 on 3 pass receptions; and 102 on 6 kickoff returns. Mr. Warren's rushing total was 11 yards short of the Grey Cup single-game record set by Johnny Bright of the Edmonton Eskimos in 1956, and his combined yardage was 10 yards short of the total set by Red O'Quinn of the Montreal Alouettes in 1954. Mr. Allen was named the game's Most Valuable Player for the third time (and the third different team) in his career.