July 25, 2015

1,700 years ago
315

Italiana
The Arch of Constantine was completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Emperor Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge.

825 years ago
1190

Died on this date
Sibylla, 30 (?). Queen of Jerusalem, 1186-1190. Sibylla, the eldest daughter of King Amalric I, married William Aleramici VI "The Longsword" de Montferrat, but he died before the birth of their son Baldwin. Her brother Baldwin IV acceded to the throne in 1774, but he died of leprosy in 1185, and was succeeded by Sibylla's son Baldwin V. However, Baldwin V soon died in infancey, and his mother acced to the throne, having remarried in 1180 to Sir Guy de Lusignan. Sir Guy was taken prisoner by the Muslim forces of Saladin in the Battle of Hattin in July 1187, but was released in December 1188. Queen Sibylla followed her husband to Acre to join forces of the third crusade, but died in an epidemic that was sweeping through the military camp; her succession was disputed, with Sir Guy claiming the throne.

260 years ago
1755

Canadiana
British Governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council ordered the expulsion of the Acadian population from Nova Scotia after the Acadians had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. Thousands of Acadians were sent to the British Colonies in America, France and England. Some later move to Louisiana, while others resettled in New Brunswick.

225 years ago
1790

Died on this date
William Livingston, 66. U.S. politician. Mr. Livingston was the 1st Governor of New Jersey from 1776-1790 and signed the United States Constitution. He was still Governor at the time of his death.

150 years ago
1865

Died on this date
James Barry, 75 or 76 (?). U.K. physician. Dr. Barry, born Margaret Ann Bulkley, was a woman who masqueraded as a man for her entire career as a military surgeon at a time when women in Britain were barred from the practice of surgery. She served in various locations throughout the British Empire, rising to the rank of Inspector General in charge of military hospitals. Dr. Barry's deception regarding her sex wasn't revealed unti a post-mortem examination.

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
Ingeborg Spangsfeldt. Danish actress. Miss Spangsfeldt appeared in almost 60 movies from 1913 until her retirement in 1924. She died on June 21, 1968 at the age of 72.

110 years ago
1905

Canadiana
Parliament passed the Northwest Territories Act. The act set new boundaries, and provided for a government headed by a Commissioner.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. U.S. military officer. Lieutenant Kennedy, the son of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Joseph P. Kennedy, was a Naval Aviator with the United States Navy in World War II. He was killed at the age of 29 on August 12, 1944 during Operation Aphrodite, when the explosive aboard Lt. Kennedy's plane detonated prematurely. Had Lt. Kennedy not been killed, he, instead of his younger brother John, might have become President of the United States.

War
Royal Flying Corps Captain Lanoe Hawker became the first British military aviator to earn the Victoria Cross, for defeating three German two-seat observation aircraft in one day, over the Western Front.

90 years ago
1925

Journalism
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet established the Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS).

75 years ago
1940

War
General Henri Guisan ordered the Swiss Army to resist German invasion, and made surrender illegal. Tokyo newspapers reported that Japanese troops were securing their positions along the Indochina border.

Science
The U.S. National Academy of Science announced that it would study the possibility of recovering manganese from low-grade ores.

Economics and finance
The U.S. State Department announced the prohibition of petroleum, petroleum products, and scrap metal exports from the United States without a specific license. The United Kingdom and the Americas would not be affected. The measure was seen as aimed directly at Japan, which relied heavily on U.S. oil exports.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau announced a plan whereby corporations engaged in defense contracts could accelerate depreciation tax write-offs.

Turkey signed a new trade agreement with Germany.

70 years ago
1945

War
Radio reports from Tokyo said that the Japanese government might be inclined to end the Pacific war if punitive measures of the U.S. terms were softened. About 2,500 Japanese troops attempting to escape across the Sittang River in lower Burma were wiped out by British forces.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill departed the Potsdam Conference in Germany to return to London to await the publication the next day of the results of the July 5 general election. Publication of the results had been delayed until the voting by armed forces personnel serving in World War II had been completed and counted. Before leaving the conference, Mr. Churchill signed the Potsdam Declaration--also signed by U.S. President Harry Truman and Nationalist Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek--calling for the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces or the prospect of "prompt and utter destruction."

World events
Former French Prime Minister Marshal Philippe Petain, on trial in Paris for treason, refused to answer when asked whether he had congratulated German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler on the British defeat at Dieppe in 1942 and had asked Mr. Hitler's permission for French troops to fight beside the Germans.

Defense
An accord between U.K. General Sir Bernard Paget and French General Paul Etienne Beynet provided that French troops would remain along the Levant coast but would withdraw from eastern Syria.

United States Senate discussion of the United Nations Charter centred on the use of American troops under the authority of the UN Security Council.

Economics and finance
The U.S.S.R. asked the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration for $700 million in supplies.

Business
Henry Kaiser and Joseph Frazer announced the formation of Kaiser-Frazer Corporation to produce two postwar automobiles bearing their names.

Labour
Packard Motor Company and the Congress of Industrial Organizations-United Auto Workers reached a truce, with the existing contract remaining in effect during negotiations.

50 years ago
1965

Died on this date
Freddie Mills, 46. U.K. boxer. Mr. Mills, a middleweight and then a light heavyweight, compiled a record of 77-18-6 in a professional career from 1936-1950, and was world light heavyweight champion from 1948-1950. He appeared in several movies and hosted radio and television programs after his boxing career ended. Mr. Mills operated a Chinese restaurant in the Soho area of London, which he later converted into a nightclub. Mr. Mills was found dead in his car with a gun in the car, and a bullet having been shot through his right eye. He was known to have suffered bouts of depression, and a verdict of suicide was returned. Those who knew Mr. Mills said that he would never have taken his own life, and there was speculation that he had been killed by gangsters after refusing to pay protection money. Conspiracy theories abound.





Music
Bob Dylan shocked his fans at the Newport Folk Festival by playing electric guitar.

Baseball
At a banquet honouring retired players who were scheduled to play in an oldtimers' game, New York Mets' manager Casey Stengel fell (reportedly off a bar stool) and broke his hip, ending his active career at the age of 75. Mr. Stengel, who had led the New York Yankees to 10 American League pennants and 7 World Series championships from 1949-1960, was in his fourth year as manager of the Mets. The team had the worst record in major league baseball at the time of his injury, with a record of 31-64. He was replaced as manager by coach Wes Westrum.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: The Newcastle Song--Bob Hudson (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Paloma Blanca--George Baker Selection (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Paloma Blanca--George Baker Selection (3rd week at #1)

Theatre
The musical A Chorus Line opened at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway in New York.

Music
The Beach Boys performed two concerts at Edmonton Coliseum as part of the "Coliseum of Stars" promotion in conjunction with Klondike Days. It was the group's first appearance in Edmonton.

Crime
Dr. Henry Morgentaler was sentenced in Montreal to 18 months in jail for performing illegal abortions; he served 10 months before a retrial was ordered.

Baseball
The Montreal Expos traded second baseman and shortstop Larry Lintz to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Jim Dwyer. Mr. Lintz was batting .197 with no homers, 3 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 46 games with Montreal in 1975. Mr. Dwyer had batted .194 with no home runs and 1 run batted in in 21 games with the Cardinals in 1975, but was with the Tulsa Oilers of the AAA American Association at the time of the trade. With Tulsa, he was batting .404 with no homers and 25 RBIs in 33 games.

Lou Piniella batted in 4 runs with a triple and single as the New York Yankees withstood a 4-run 8th-inning rally to defeat the Boston Red Sox 8-6 before 40,165 fans at Shea Stadium in New York.

Hank Aaron doubled in 3 runs in the 5th inning to help the Milwaukee Brewers defeat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 before 30,495 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

The Kansas City Royals swept a twi-night doubleheader from the Texas Rangers 6-3 and 6-1 before 23,889 fans at Royals Stadium, giving former Texas manager Whitey Herzog victories in his first two games since replacing Jack McKeon as manager of the Royals. Cookie Rojas doubled and tripled and drove in 2 runs for Kansas City in the first game, while Al Cowens drove in 4 runs in the second game with a triple and home run to support the 5-hit complete game pitched by Dennis Leonard.

The Minnesota Twins scored 3 runs in the 1st inning and 7 in the 2nd as they routed the California Angels 12-1 before 12,432 fans at Anaheim Stadium. Minnesota second baseman Rod Carew batted 4 for 5 to raise his batting average for the season to .385, while Eric Soderholm and Lyman Bostock each batted 3 for 5 for the Twins. Bert Blyeleven pitched a 5-hit complete game and struck out 11.

Reggie Jackson hit a 2-run home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Oakland Athletics an 8-6 win over the Chicago White Sox before 10,500 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The White Sox led 3-2 after 8 1/2 innings, but the Athletics tied the game in the bottom of the 9th. Chicago scored a run in the top of the 11th, but Oakland tied it in the bottom of the inning. The White Sox scored 2 runs to take a 6-4 lead in the top of the 12th, only to have Oakland rally for 2 in the bottom of the inning. This blogger heard the Chicago radio broadcast, and it was my first opportunity to hear the legendary Harry Caray. It was a very entertaining and memorable game, and a scorer's delight, with such moves as Gene Tenace starting the game at first base for Oakland, moving to catcher, back to first base, and back to catcher again.

Dave Kingman batted 4 for 5 with a home run, 2 runs, and 3 runs batted in to lead the New York Mets over the Chicago Cubs 6-3 before 15,040 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Randy Tate allowed 5 hits and 3 earned runs in 7 innings to get the win over Rick Reuschel, who allowed 11 hits and 5 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Rick's brother Paul made his major league debut, pitching the last 2 innings for the Cubs and allowing 2 hits and 1 earned run.

Mike Ivie batted 3 for 5 with 2 runs batted in in each game as the San Diego Padres swept a twi-night doubleheader from the Atlanta Braves 7-3 and 8-1 before 9,860 fans at Atlanta Stadium.

The Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers split a twi-night doubleheader before 51,087 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Pinch hitter Manny Mota's sacrifice squeeze bunt drove in John Hale with the winning run in the 8th inning as the Dodgers won the first game 4-3. Pete Rose's 3-run home run climaxed a 4-run 7th inning as the Reds won the second game 6-3.

The San Francisco Giants scored 5 runs in the 1st inning and coasted to an 8-1 win over the Houston Astros before 14,452 fans at the Astrodome. Von Joshua batted 4 for 5 for San Francisco, while Willie Montanez and Chris Speier each drove in 3 runs.

Antonio Pollorena of Union Laguna and Jose Pena of Villahermosa both recorded their 20th victories of the 1975 Mexican League season. Mr. Pollorena improved to 20-10 with a 6-hit 4-0 shutout of Juarez, retiring the last 10 batters he faced. Mr. Pena (20-12) allowed 13 hits but defeated Cordoba 3-2 in a game that was called after 8 innings because of rain. The Cardinals scored the winning run in the bottom of the 7th inning when Jackie Hernandez tripled and Jose Rodriguez singled.

30 years ago
1985

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (2-2) 23 @ Edmonton (2-2) 25

With the Eskimos trailing 17-11 in the 4th quarter, Edmonton quarterback Matt Dunigan completed a 26-yard pass to former Blue Bomber Rick House, who made a diving catch for his first touchdown as an Eskimo, and Tom Dixon’s convert gave the Eskimos an 18-17 lead. With 1:06 remaining, the Eskimos were second down, 10 yards to go on their own 21-yard line. Mr. Dunigan completed a short pass to Chris Woods, who broke the play for an 89-yard touchdown to make the score 25-17 after the convert. John Hufnagel, who had come into the game in relief of starting quarterback Tom Clements, quickly drove the Blue Bombers downfield and connected with Joe Poplawski for a touchdown on the last play of the game. The 2-point convert attempt was unsuccessful, but the Blue Bombers were penalized on the play, anyway. It was the first CFL game for Winnipeg rookie wide receiver James Hood, who ended up playing with a different team every year before his career ended in the pre-season of 1989; he caught 6 passes for 105 yards. James Murphy led the Winnipeg receivers with 11 catches for 134 yards, while Mr. Poplawski caught 8 for 112. It was the last game for 10-year veteran Edmonton cornerback Joe Hollimon, who collided with teammate Marco Cyncar on a kickoff return in the 2nd quarter and suffered a career-ending knee injury. 41,173 were in attendance at Commonwealth Stadium.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): I Promised Myself--Nick Kamen (4th week at #1)

Politics and government
A group of Quebec separatist members of the Canadian House of Commons who had recently left the Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties after the failure of the Meech Lake constitutional accord announced that they were forming their own party, the Bloc Quebecois. Lucien Bouchard, who had been environment minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney until his resignation in May, was presented as the Bloc’s leader. Mr. Bouchard told a press conference that the Bloc would use its influence in Parliament to act in the interests of a sovereign Quebec. The Bloc was composed of five former PCs and two former Liberals.

Diplomacy
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said that Iraqi president Saddam Hussein had assured him that he had no intention of invading Kuwait.

Scandal
The United States Senate voted 96-0 to denounce Sen. David Durenberger (Republican--Minnesota) for ethical violations that included accepting improper reimbursement from the Senate for travel and housing, and conspiring to evade limits on speaking fees.

Bob Engel resigned after 25 years as a major league baseball umpire after pleading no contest on charges of shoplifting baseball cards in California.

Abominations
Roseanne Barr screeched The Star-Spangled Banner before the San Diego Padres-Cincinnati Reds baseball game at Jack Murphy-San Diego Stadium. Her atrocious performance drew boos from the crowd, and Ms. Barr responded by grabbing her crotch.



Baseball
The St. Louis Cardinals released relief pitcher Ricky Horton. In 32 games with St. Louis in 1990, Mr. Horton had a record of 1-1 with 1 save and an earned run average of 4.93.

George Brett hit for the cycle for the second time in his career to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 6-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays before 49,855 fans at SkyDome in Toronto.

Trailing 7-4 with 2 out and nobody on base in the bottom of the 9th inning, the Texas Rangers rallied with a 3-run home run by Pete Incaviglia to tie the game, and Rafael Palmeiro hit a 2-run homer with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th to beat the New York Yankees 9-7 before 41,954 fans at Arlington Stadium.

The Pittsburgh Pirates scored 3 runs in the top of the 10th inning, but the Montreal Expos came back with 4 in the bottom of the inning--the last 3 on a home run by Marquis Grissom--to defeat the Pirates 8-7 before 21,669 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The Expos led 3-2 after 8 innings, but the Pirates scored 2 in the top of the 9th to take the lead, only to have the Expos score the tying run in the bottom of the 9th.

The New York Mets took a 9-0 lead after 6 inning and withstood a 6-run 9th inning rally to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-9 before 40,079 fans at Veterans Stadium. The Phillies had the potential tying run on third base when Tommy Herr lined out to shortstop Mario Diaz to end the game.

The San Diego Padres swept a doubleheader from the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 and 10-4 before 27,285 fans at Jack Murphy-San Diego Stadium. In the first game, which was preceded by Roseanne Barr's infamous version of The Star-Spangled Banner, Ed Whitson, with relief help from Craig Lefferts, won the pitchers' duel over Norm Charlton. The Padres outhit the Cincinnati Reds 20-9 in the second game. Winning pitcher Calvin Schiraldi hit his first home run of the season and the second and last of his major league career.

20 years ago
1995

Died on this date
Charlie Rich, 62. U.S. musician. Mr. Rich, nicknamed "The Silver Fox," trained as a jazz pianist and had a couple of hit singles on the pop charts in the 1960s, but was best remembered for his singles Behind Closed Doors and The Most Beautiful Girl, which topped the country charts and crossed over to become major popular hits in 1973. He died of a pulmonary embolism while travelling with his wife in Hammond, Louisiana.