July 28, 2015

475 years ago
1540

Died on this date
Thomas Cromwell, 55 (?). English politician and diplomat. Mr. Cromwell was King Henry VIII’s chief minister from 1532-1540, and was among the strongest supporters of making the king head of the Church of England. Mr. Cromwell supervised the suppression of monasteries, which made him very unpopular with the clergy. He negotiated King Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves in order to secure for Henry VIII the support of German Protestants, and when the marriage proved disastrous, Mr. Cromwell’s enemies, notably the Duke of Norfolk, used it as an opportunity to move against him. Mr. Cromwell was imprisoned in the Tower of London on June 10 and was beheaded there. His head was boiled and set upon a spike on London Bridge, facing away from the city.

Married on this date
King Henry VIII of England married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

370 years ago
1645

Born on this date
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans. French royal family member. Princess Marguerite Louise, the eldest child of Gaston, Duke of Orléans and grandaughter of King Henri IV, married Cosimo de' Medici in 1661 and became Grand Duchess of Tuscany when he acceded to the title of Grad Duke in 1670. Her behaviour contributed to an unhappy marriage, and the couple separated in 1675. Princess Marguerite Louise retired with a pension to a convent on the outskirts of Paris, and eventually settled down, spending her later years doing charitable works. She died on September 17, 1721 at the age of 76.

140 years ago
1875

Baseball
Joe Borden of the Philadelphia Athletics pitched the only no-hitter in the five-year history of the National Association as the Athletics shut out the Chicago White Stockings 4-0 at Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia.

125 years ago
1890

Canadiana
The first electric street lighting in Trois-Rivières, Quebec began operating.

Baseball
Mickey Welch earned his 300th career major league win as the New York Giants beat the Pittsburgh Alleghenys 4-2 in front of just 147 fans at Recreation Park in Pittsburgh.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Charles H. Townes. U.S. physicist. Dr. Townes shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics with Nicolay Basov and Aleksandr Prokhorov of the U.S.S.R. "for fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which has led to the construction of oscillators and amplifiers based on the maser–laser principle." He died on January 27, 2015 at the age of 99.

80 years ago
1935

Defense
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber made its first flight, with Boeing chief test pilot Leslie Tower at the controls.

Baseball
After losing 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies at Braves Field, the Boston Braves rallied from a 10-5 deficit after 6 1/2 innings with 2 runs in the 7th, 3 in the 8th, and 1 in the 9th to win the second game 11-10. Ben Cantwell pitched the 9th inning for Boston and was credited with the win, improving his record for the season to 3-14.

The New York Giants swept a doubleheader from the Brooklyn Dodgers 6-0 and 1-0. Carl Hubbell and Slick Castleman were the respective winning pitchers over Dutch Leonard and George Earnshaw. Mel Ott’s home run in the 6th inning was the only scoring in the second game.

Ted Lyons tied a record with 2 doubles in an inning as the Chicago White Sox scored 10 runs in the 2nd inning on their way to a 14-6 win over the St. Louis Browns in the first game of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The Browns won the second game 4-3, scoring a run in the bottom of the 8th and 2 in the 9th.

75 years ago
1940

War
German planes intensified their assault on Britain. British sources interpreted this as a prelude to invasion.

Diplomacy
Japanese authorities arrested 11 British subjects on espionage charges.

Politics and government
Germany announced the partition of France into five administrative divisions.

Economics and finance
The U.S.S.R. and Afghanistan completed a commercial agreement.

Labour
The U.S. National Small Businessmen's Association asserted that U.S. Labor Secretary Frances Perkins had halted the deportation of about 700 undesirable aliens.

Baseball
Charlie Keller hit 3 home runs and Joe DiMaggio hit 2 as the New York Yankees edged the Chicago White Sox 10-9 in the first game of a doubleheader before 39,537 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Messrs. Keller and DiMaggio twice hit back-to-back homers. Skeeter Webb batted 5 for 6 for the White Sox. The White Sox took the second game 8-4.

70 years ago
1945

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe--Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers with Paul Weston and His Orchestra (Best Seller--1st week at #1); There! I've Said it Again--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (vocal refrain by Vaughn Monroe and the Norton Sisters) (Airplay--6th week at #1); Sentimental Journey--Les Brown and his Orchestra (vocal chorus by Doris Day) (Juke Box--7th week at #1; Honor Roll of Hits--9th week at #1)

War
U.S. planes attacked six Japanese cities that had been warned by leaflets dropped the previous night.

Diplomacy
Two days after succeeding Winston Churchill as British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee arrived in Potsdam, Germany to take his place at the Potsdam Conference.

The United States Senate, with only William Langer (Republican--North Dakota) and Henrik Shipstead (Republican--Minnesota) dissenting, voted 89-2 in favour of the United Nations Charter.

Politics and government
Dr. Jose Luis Bustamente Rivero took office as President of Peru.

The Communist Party U.S.A. formally deposed chairman and general secretary Earl Browder and named William Z. Foster as the new party leader.

World events
An Egyptian military court sentenced Mahmud Issawy to hang for the assassination of former Prime Minister Ahmed Meher Pasha.

Disasters
A U.S. Army B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building in New York City, killing 14 and injuring 26 (see video).







60 years ago
1955

Politics and government
Montreal brewery executive Hartland Molson was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent. Mr. Molson was an independent Senator who represented Alma, Quebec.

War
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that he was increasing the number of American troops in South Vietnam from 75,000-125,000.

Politics and government
Pierre Harmel succeeded Theodore Lefevre as Prime Minister of Belgium, leading a coalition of Socialists and Christian Democrats.

Diplomacy
Arthur Goldberg was named to succeed the late Adlai Stevenson as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Mr. Stevenson had died in London on July 14.

50 years ago
1965

At the movies
Ship of Fools, starring Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Lee Marvin, and many others, received its premiere screening in New York City.







40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Bye Bye Baby--Bay City Rollers

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kokoro Nokori--Takashi Hosokawa

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Bella Sin Alma--Richard Cocciante (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Nat Pierce, 62. U.S. football player. Mr. Pierce played left guard with Fordham University from 1934-1936 as one of the linemen who became nationally famous as "Seven Blocks of Granite." The right guard was future coaching legend Vince Lombardi, and the center was Alex Wojciehowicz, who ended up in the Professional Football Hall of Fame. After his playing career with Fordham ended, Mr. Pierce coache high school football and served as Fordham's line coach before working as sales manager for a sporting goods firm on Long Island in New York.

Albertana
A statue of a giant Easter egg, billed as the world's largest, was dedicated in Vegreville.

Diplomacy
The Organization of African Unity began its 12th annual summit meeting in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

Baseball
The New York Mets purchased pitcher Skip Lockwood from the Tucson Toros--the Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics--and assigned him to the Tidewater Tides of the International League. In 30 games with Tucson in 1975, Mr. Lockwood had a record of 6-2 with an earned run average of 4.39, 10 saves, and 2 shutouts.

Dan Driessen hit a 3-run in the bottom of the 1st inning to give the Cincinnati Reds a 3-0 lead as they went on to defeat the San Francisco Giants 8-4 before 28,044 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. The Reds set a major league record of 44 consecutive games without a complete game, as starting pitcher Gary Nolan was pulled after allowing 7 hits and 2 runs--both earned--in 2 2/3 innings. He was relieved by Pedro Borbon, who allowed 8 hits and 2 earned runs in 5 innings to get the win.

The New York Mets led 10-1 after 5 1/2 innings and held on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-7 before 19,406 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. New York second baseman Felix Millan batted 4 for 6 with 2 doubles, 3 runs, and 3 runs batted in. St. Louis third baseman Ken Reitz was 4 for 4 with a double, home run, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. Willie Davis and Ted Simmons each had 3 hits for St. Louis. Jon Matlack started on the mound for New York and allowed 10 hits and 5 runs--all earned--in 5 2/3 innings, but was still the winning pitcher. Bob Apodaca allowed 6 hits and 2 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings but still got the save, and batted 2 for 2 with a run. Bob Forsch started on the mound for St. Louis and allowed 9 hits and 5 runs--all earned--in 5 innings to take the loss. Ron Bryant allowed 4 hits, 2 bases on balls, and 5 runs--4 earned--in 1 inning of relief. Mr. Simmons allowed 3 passed balls.

Dave Freisleben pitched a 5-hitter and drove in the winning run with a force out in the 5th inning as the San Diego Padres shut out the Houston Astros 2-0 before 6,826 fans at the Astrodome. Losing pitcher Larry Dierker allowed just 5 hits and 1 earned run in 7 innings. Willie McCovey hit a home run off relief pitcher Wayne Granger in the 9th inning for the other run.

Carlton Fisk batted 4 for 4 with 2 home runs and 5 runs batted in, and singled in the winning run with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning as the Boston Red Sox edged the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 before 33,606 fans at Fenway Park in Boston in the NBC Monday Night Baseball telecast.

The Baltimore Orioles scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game, but Charlie Spikes, who had hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning, singled in 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning to give the Cleveland Indians a 7-5 win before 15,300 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

Vern Ruhle pitched a 6-hit shutout as the Detroit Tigers blanked the New York Yankees 3-0 before 11,244 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. Detroit designated hitter Willie Horton batted 3 for 4, and his home run leading off the 2nd inning provided the winning run. The shutout was the third straight against the Yankees, all at home. The win was the last for the Tigers until August 16, as they embarked on a 19-game losing streak.

Lyman Bostock batted 4 for 6 with 2 doubles and singled with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Minnesota Twins a 9-8 win over the Kansas City Royals before 6,829 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Minnesota right fielder Jerry Terrell singled 4 times in 5 at bats and drove in 2 runs. Kansas City first baseman John Mayberry drove in 3 runs with 2 doubles and a single. Ray Corbin started on the mound for Minnesota and allowed 8 hits and 6 runs--all earned--in 3+ innings in the last game of his 5-year major league career. Bone chips in his right elbow ended his season, and he never played in the majors again, playing just 2 games with the Orlando Twins of the Class AA Southern League in 1976.

The Oakland Athletics scored 5 runs in the 6th inning, 2 in the 7th, and 3 in the 8th to beat the Texas Rangers 12-6 before 39,061 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Reggie Jackson hit a double and home run for Oakland, scoring 3 runs and driving in 2. Paul Lindblad pitched 4 innings in relief of Oakland starting pitcher Glenn Abbott and was credited with the win, improving his 1975 record to 8-0.

The Tulsa Oilers and Omaha Royals combined for 32 hits and 29 runs as the Oilers won 15-14 in an American Association game. John Tamargo hit 2 home runs for Tulsa, while Keith Hernandez homered and tripled and Jerry Mumphrey added a grand slam and a single. Ruppert Jones and Craig Perkins homered for Omaha. The Oilers scored 9 runs in the 7th inning.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): 19--Paul Hardcastle (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Live is Life--Opus (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: 19--Paul Hardcastle (7th week at #1)

Football
CFL
Calgary (0-3) 12 @ Ottawa (2-1) 14

The Rough Riders made 5 interceptions off Calgary quarterback Joe Barnes to secure the win before 20,153 bored fans at Lansdowne Park. Dean Dorsey kicked 3 field goals and added 2 singles for the Rough Riders, while Ken Clark punted for 3 singles. The Stampeders scored the game’s only touchdown on a 51-yard pass from Mr. Barnes to Dwight Edwards early in the 2nd quarter. J.T. Hay converted and added a field goal and 2 singles, the last of which came on a missed 43-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game in the last minute if it had succeeded.



Baseball
Lou Brock, Enos Slaughter‚ Arky Vaughan‚ and Hoyt Wilhelm were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown‚ New York.

Darrell Evans hit his 300th career major league home run as the Detroit Tigers edged the Minnesota Twins 3-2 before 37,146 fans at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. Winning pitcher Frank Tanana allowed 6 hits and 2 earned runs in 7+ innings, striking out 7. Ken Schrom allowed 8 hits and 3 earned runs in pitching a complete game to take the loss.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): U Can't Touch This--MC Hammer (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Un' Estate Italiana--Edoardo Bennato; Gianna Nannini (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Infinity (1990's...Time for the Guru)--Guru Josh (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Still Got the Blues (For You)--Gary Moore (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Maldòn--Zouk Machine (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (CIN): Turtle Power--Partners in Kryme

Turtle Power was from the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Dirty Cash--Adventures of Stevie V (3rd week at #1)
2 U Can't Touch This--MC Hammer
3 Killer--Adamski
4 Ooops Up--Snap!
5 Hijo de la Luna--Mecano
6 Back by Dope Demand--King Bee
7 Blueshouse--B.B. Queen
8 It Must Have Been Love--Roxette
9 What's a Woman?--Vaya Con Dios
10 Close to You--Maxi Priest

Singles entering the chart were Hanky Panky by Madonna (#25); That's Just the Way it Is by Phil Collins (#28); Love Has the Power by Toto (#30); Amarti È L'immenso Per Me by Eros Ramazzotti (#33); Vision of Love by Mariah Carey (#34); and Mona by Craig McLachlan and Check 1-2 (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 She Ain't Worth It--Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown (2nd week at #1)
2 Vision of Love--Mariah Carey
3 Cradle of Love--Billy Idol
4 Rub You the Right Way--Johnny Gill
5 Hold On--En Vogue
6 Step by Step--New Kids on the Block
6 The Power--Snap!
7 Girls Nite Out--Tyler Collins
8 When I'm Back on My Feet Again--Michael Bolton
9 Enjoy the Silence--Depeche Mode
10 Hanky Panky--Madonna

Singles entering the chart were Can't Stop by After 7 (#78); Tell Me Something by Indecent Obsession (#85); Hearts in Trouble by Chicago (#90); and Can't Get Enuff by Winger (#93). Hearts in Trouble was from the movie Days of Thunder (1990).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 She Ain’t Worth It--Glenn Medeiros, featuring Bobby Brown
2 Enjoy the Silence--Depeche Mode
3 Hold On--En Vogue
4 Cradle of Love--Billy Idol
5 Rub You the Right Way--Johnny Gill
6 Vision of Love--Mariah Carey
7 Girls Nite Out--Tyler Collins
8 When I’m Back on My Feet Again--Michael Bolton
9 The Power--Snap!
10 I’ll Be Your Shelter--Taylor Dayne

Singles entering the chart were Can't Get Enough by Winger (#56); Tic-Tac-Toe by Kyper (#60); That's Not Her Style by Billy Joel (#61); Hearts in Trouble by Chicago (#65); Banned in the U.S.A. by Luke featuring 2 Live Crew (#67); Same Old Look by Jimmy Ryser (#70); Time for Letting Go by Jude Cole (#74); All the Way by Calloway (#78); and Dirty Cash (Money Talks) by the Adventures of Stevie V (#80).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Step by Step--New Kids on the Block (2nd week at #1)
2 I’ll Be Your Shelter--Taylor Dayne
3 Do You Remember?--Phil Collins
4 It Must Have Been Love--Roxette
5 When I'm Back on My Feet Again--Michael Bolton
6 She Ain't Pretty--Northern Pikes
7 Across the River--Bruce Hornsby
8 I Think I Love You Too Much--The Jeff Healey Band
9 Cradle of Love--Billy Idol
10 Every Little Thing--Jeff Lynne

Singles entering the chart were That's Life by Sue Medley (#55); Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love by Cheap Trick (#59); Good Clean Fun by the Allman Brothers Band (#69); Brickyard Road by Johnny Van Zandt (#76); Policy of Truth by Depeche Mode (#79); I am a Wild Party by Kim Mitchell (#81); Tonight by New Kids on the Block (#82); and Time for Letting Go by Jude Cole (#84).

Died on this date
Jill Esmond, 82. U.K. actress. Miss Esmond, born Jill Esmond Moore, was primarily a stage actress who also appeared in films such as The Skin Game (1931); Thirteen Women (1932); Random Harvest (1942); and The White Cliffs of Dover (1944). She was married to actor Laurence Olivier from 1930-1940.

World events
Negotiations began to resolve the seizure of Trinidad and Tobago’s parliament building in Port of Spain the previous day by Negro Muslim rebels, which had resulted in Prime Minister Arthur Robinson and other cabinet ministers and government officials being held hostage, and Mr. Robinson getting shot in the leg.

Football
CFL
Toronto (1-2) 41 @ Hamilton (1-2) 29

Don Moen returned a fumble 3 yards for one touchdown and Chris Gaines returned an interception 17 yards for another as the Argos took advantage of 9 Tiger-Cat turnovers. Toronto quarterback Matt Dunigan completed 26 of 40 passes for 381 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wally Zatylny led the Tiger-Cats with 5 punt returns for 100 yards and 4 kickoff returns for 185, including a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. This blogger and a certain lovely lady were among the 20,387 in attendance on a beautiful summer night at Ivor Wynne Stadium. We caught a midnight bus back to Toronto, and we were the only passengers on the bus--and, loving it.



Baseball
Shawon Dunston tied a major league record with 3 triples and drove in 5 runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 10-7 win over the Montreal Expos before 24,808 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

The Detroit Tigers, trailing 9-5, erupted for 10 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning as they defeated the Boston Red Sox 17-9 before 39,727 fans at Tiger Stadium. Detroit left fielder Larry Sheets drove in 6 runs with a triple and home run. Frank Tanana started on the mound for Detroit but lasted just 1/3 inning, allowing 4 hits, a base on balls, and 5 runs--all earned.

Cal Ripken, Jr.’s record for consecutive errorless games at shortstop ended at 95 games as his Baltimore Orioles lost 10-9 to the Kansas City Royals in the first game of a doubleheader before 35,592 fans at Royals Stadium. The Orioles won the second game 3-1.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Shy Guy--Diana King

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Never Forget--Take That

At the movies
Waterworld, co-produced by and starring Kevin Costner, opened in theatres.



Crime
A circuit court jury in Union, South Carolina sentenced Susan Smith to life in prison for the November 1994 drownings of her two young sons, who were locked in her car while she allowed it to roll into a lake. The jury had convicted Mrs. Smith on July 22 of two counts of first-degree murder, which was a death penalty offense in South Carolina, but as is so often the case, women are almost never held responsible for their crimes, and she received a prison sentence instead, with eligibility for parole in 30 years.

Politics and government
The United States Senate voted 98-0 to bar Senators and members of their staffs from accepting vacation trips and other expensive gifts, other than from close friends and relatives. Under the new rules, a Senator could accept no more than $100 in gifts from a single source in a year, excepting only any gifts valued at under $10. Any gift from a close friend or family member valued at more than $250 was subject to approval by the Senate Ethics Committee.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the gross domestic product had grown at an annual rate of 0.5% in the second quarter of 1995, the lowest quarterly increase since 1991.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (4-1) 26 @ Hamilton (2-3) 18
Shreveport (1-5) 19 @ Calgary (5-0) 27

Sean Fleming kicked 4 field goals and 2 converts as the Eskimos defeated the Tiger-Cats before 20,104 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Lucius Floyd scored the first Edmonton touchdown in the 1st quarter on a 10-yard pass from holder Glenn Harper on a fake field goal attempt. Michael Soles rushed 1 yard for the other Edmonton TD. Eric Carter returned an interception 102 yards for the first Hamilton touchdown in the 1st quarter, and Steve Taylor connected with Earl Winfield for a 5-yard TD in the 3rd quarter.

Doug Flutie passed to Dave Sapunjis and Vince Danielsen for touchdowns and handed off to Tony Stewart for another TD--all in the 2nd quarter--as the Stampeders defeated the Pirates before 21,098 fans at McMahon Stadium. The Pirates' only touchdown also came in the 2nd quarter on a 50-yard pass from Billy Joe Tolliver to Fred Montgomery.

10 years ago
2005

World events
The Irish Republican Army announced that it was renouncing the use of violence against British rule in Northern Ireland and that it would disarm.

Football
CFL
Toronto (3-2) 36 @ Montreal (2-3) 24