August 12, 2015

720 years ago
1295

Died on this date
Charles Martel, 23. (Titular) King of Hungary and Croatia, 1290-1295. Charles, a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, was 18 when he was set up by Pope Nicholas IV and the ecclesiastial party as the titular King of Hungary and Croatia, succeeding his maternal uncle Ladislaus IV of Hungary. He never succeeded in governing Hungary, as his cousin Andrew III was the actual king. Charles was successful in asserting his claim in Croatia, but died of the plague, 27 days before his 24th birthday.

250 years ago
1765

Diplomacy
Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and Robert, Lord Clive, of the East India Company signed the Treaty of Allahabad, marking the political and constitutional involvement and the beginning of British rule in India.

170 years ago
1845

Disasters
The steamships Kent and London collided in clear weather at Point Pelee, Canada West, with the loss of 10 lives.

150 years ago
1865

Medicine
British surgeon Joseph Lister became the first doctor to use an antiseptic during surgery.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Michael Kidd. U.S. choreographer. Mr. Kidd, born Milton Greenwald, was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, and won 5 from 1947-1959. He was awarded an honourary Academy Award in 1997 "in recognition of his services to the art of dance in the art of the screen" for his work in movies such as The Band Wagon (1953) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). His most notable acting roles in movies were in It's Always Fair Weather (1955) and Smile (1975). Mr. Kidd was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981 and died on December 23, 2007 at the age of 92.

Sickan Carlsson. Swedish actress. Miss Carlsson was Sweden's most popular film actress from the 1930s through the 1950s. She died on November 2, 2011 at the age of 96.

75 years ago
1940

At the movies
Doomed to Die, starring Boris Karloff as Mr. Wong, opened in theatres.



War
The governments of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Burma, Hong Kong, Ceylon, and the territories of East Africa agreed to attend a meeting called by the United Kingdom for October 1940 in New Delhi to discuss war supplies. German Reichsminister of Aviation Hermann Goering ordered German bombers to switch attacks from British radar bases to airfields.

Defense
U.S. Senators Arthur Vandenberg (Republican--Michigan) and George Norris (Independent--Nebraska) charged that a universal military conscription law was unnecessary at this time.

Politics and government
Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río asked Congress to determine the winner of the July 7 presidential election.

Arizona officials banned the Communist Party from the ballot in primary and general elections on the grounds that the party advocated overthrow of the United States government.

Health
Epidemics of smallpox, diphtheria, typhoid fever, and paratyphoid were reported spreading across occupied France.

Baseball
Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians became the major leagues’ first 20-game winner of the year when as he outduelled Hal Newhouser and the Detroit Tigers 8-5 before 23,720 fans at League Park in Cleveland. Mr. Newhouser lasted just 2/3 inning and was removed from the game after giving up 3 runs on consecutive home runs by Hal Trosky and Beau Bell. The teams were tied for first place in the American League with 64-44 records going into the game.

70 years ago
1945

Literature
Atomic Energy for Military Purposes by physicist Henry DeWolf Smyth as published by Princeton University Press. Commonly known as the Smyth Report, the book was an administrative history of the Manhattan Project, and was published six days after the atomic bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima and three days after another atmoic bomb had been dropped on Nagasaki.

War
Soviet Marines invaded Korea with the support of the Red fleet, capturing the naval base of Rashin and the nearby port of Yuki. Nationalist Chinese leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek ordered Chinese Communists never again to take independent action after learning that Communist leaders had ordered the disarmament of Japanese troops and the occupation of Japanese territory.

Defense
U.K. Prime Minister Clement Attlee issued a statement pledging British cooperation in keeping the secret of the atomic bomb as a peacekeeping measure.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Rose Marie--Slim Whitman (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Thomas Mann, 80. German author. Mr. Mann was awarded the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature "principally for his great novel, Buddenbrooks, which has won steadily increased recognition as one of the classic works of contemporary literature." Besides Buddenbrooks (1901), Mr. Mann's works included Der Tod in Venedig (Death in Venice) (1912) and Doktor Faustus (1947).

James B. Sumner, 67. U.S. chemist. Dr. Sumner was awarded a share of the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his discovery that enzymes can be crystallized."

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Help!--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

Diplomacy
Former U.S. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was named U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam, replacing U.S. Army General Maxwell Taylor.

Protest
While Negroes continued rioting in the Watts section of Los Angeles, the accidental killing of a Negro pedestrian in Chicago sparked rioting by Negroes on the west side of that city.

Economics and finance
The government of India invested in a hardboard mill in Nova Scotia, marking India's first industrial investment in the western hemisphere.

Football
CFL
Montreal (0-2) 2 @ Ottawa (2-0) 23

Russ Jackson completed 4 passes to Ted Watkins--3 for touchdowns--as the Rough Riders beat the Alouettes before 18,595 fans at Lansdowne Park.

40 years ago
1975

Died on this date
Lew Riggs, 65. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Riggs was a third baseman with the St. Louis Cardinals (1934); Cincinnati Reds (1935-1940); and Brooklyn Dodgers (1941-1942, 1946), batting .262 with 28 home runs and 271 runs batted in in 760 games. He played on World Series championship teams in 1934 and 1940, and on National League championship clubs in 1939 and 1941. Mr. Riggs died of cancer.

Track and field
John Walker of New Zealand broke the 3 minutes 50 seconds barrier in the mile when he was clocked in a world-record 3:49.4 in Goteborg, Sweden, breaking the mark of 3:51.0 set by Filbert Bayi of Tanzania earlier in the year. Mr. Walker got stronger as he progressed: his split times were 56.3, 59.2, 58.0 and 55.9.

Football
CFL
Montreal (2-2) 34 @ Ottawa (2-2) 31
Winnipeg (3-1) 18 @ Calgary (2-2) 15

Don Sweet's 19-yard field goal on the last play of the game gave the Alouettes their win over the Rough Riders before 31,688 fans at Lansdowne Park. The Alouettes trailed 31-23 until Montreal quarterback Sonny Wade completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Larry Smith and a 2-point convert pass to Peter Dall Riva with 2:39 remaining to tie the score. Montreal led 23-18 after 3 quarters, but John Bledsoe rushed 1 yard for a touchdown at 2:32 of the 4th quarter to give Ottawa a 24-23 lead. A 2-point convert attempt was unsuccessful, but Art Green rushed 47 yards for a TD, and Gerry Organ's convert made the score 31-23 for Ottawa. Rhome Nixon caught 2 touchdown passes for Ottawa, the first on a 32-yard pass from halfback Jim Foley in the 1st quarter, and the second on a 39-yard pass from quarterback Condredge Holloway in the 3rd quarter. Montreal defensive back Lewis Cook returned a punt 97 yards for a touchdown in the 1st quarter. Mr. Holloway led all rushers with 103 yards on 9 carries. The loss was the second straight for the Rough Riders on a field goal on the last play; Zenon Andrusyshyn had done the same thing a week earlier to give the Toronto Argonauts a 16-14 win in Ottawa.

Steve Beaird rushed 1 yard for a touchdown with 1:59 remaining in the game and Dieter Brock completed a 2-point convert pass to Bob LaRose to give the Blue Bombers their win over the Stampeders before 27,187 fans at McMahon Stadium. The winning drive was aided by questionable penalty calls against the Stampeders. Bernie Ruoff made a spectacular debut in the CFL replacing the retired Bob Macoritti as the kicker and punter for the Blue Bombers. His first placekick in the CFL was a 58-yard field goal with 2:34 remaining in the 2nd quarter; the kick tied him with Bill Mitchell for the second-longest field goal in CFL history at the time, 1 yard shorter than Dave Cutler's 59-yard FG in 1970. Mr. Ruoff followed with a 44-yard field goal with 52 seconds remaining in the 1st half, and added a 53-yard FG with 29 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter. Calgary running back Willie Burden rushed 22 times for 130 yards and caught 4 passes for 57, including a 52-yard touchdown from quarterback Joe Pisarcik. Mr. Pisarcik also threw a 49-yard TD pass to Tom Forzani. Winnipeg defensive tackle John Bonk scored a single point when he blocked a Gerald Kunyk punt in the field of play, and the ball was recovered by a Stampeder in the Calgary end zone. The rule was changed the following year to make such a play a safety touch, so Mr. Bonk became the last player to score a single in this manner.

Baseball
George Brett doubled home Amos Otis and scored on a single by Harmon Killebrew in the 10th inning as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 before 12,585 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

Chris Chambliss batted 3 for 3 with a double, triple, base on balls, run, and 2 runs batted in, while Walt Williams was 3 for 5 with a home run and 2 runs as the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 7-2 before 10,244 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. George Medich pitched a 6-hit complete game victory.

The San Francisco Giants scored 3 runs in the top of the 11th inning to defeat the Montreal Expos 5-2 before 16,254 fans at Jarry Park in Montreal. San Francisco second baseman Derrel Thomas had 4 singles in 6 at bats and scored 2 runs.

Steve Yeager hit a 3-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to break a 4-4 tie and the Los Angeles Dodgers retired the last 2 batters after a 2-run homer by Jay Johnstone in the bottom of the 10th to edge the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 before 36,512 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

The Chicago Cubs blew a 6-1 lead and lost 12-8 to the Cincinnati Reds before 31,550 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Cincinnati first baseman Tony Perez batted 4 for 5 with a double, 2 runs, and 4 runs batted in. Chicago left fielder Jose Cardenal was 3 for 5 with a double, triple, run, and 4 RBIs. Chicago starting pitcher Tom Dettore allowed 9 hits and 8 runs--all earned--in 3 2/3 innings, while Cincinnati starter Pat Darcy lasted just 1/3 inning, allowing 5 hits and 4 runs--all earned.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Crazy for You--Madonna (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kanashimi ni Sayonara--Anzen Chitai

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

Died on this date
Kyu Sakamoto, 43. Japanese singer. Mr. Sakamoto, born Hisashi Oshima, recorded a string of hit singles in Japan in the early 1960s, the most notable of which was Ue o Muite Aroko, a hit in Japan in 1961. The British band Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen released a cover version of the song in 1963, but thought that western listeners would have difficulty remembering and pronouncing the title, so they changed it to Sukiyaki because it sounded Japanese. Capitol Records released Mr. Sakamoto’s version in North America under the new title in the spring of 1963, and it spent three weeks as the #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S.A., as well as four weeks at #1 on the Cash Box chart. Sukiyaki remains the only Japanese-language song to be a major hit in North America. Mr. Sakamoto was one of the 520 people killed in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123.

Manfred Winkelhock, 33. West German auto racing driver. Mr. Winkelhock started 47 Formula One races from 1980-1985, with his best finish being a fifth-place finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1982. He was killed in a sports car event at Mosport in Bowmanville, Ontario, near Toronto.

Business
Petro-Canada acquired 1,800 Quebec and Ontario stations from Gulf Canada, becoming Canada's biggest service station owner.

Disasters
In the world's worst single-aircraft disaster, a Japan Air Lines 747 crashed into Mount Osutaka, killing 520 of the 524 people aboard.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): U Can't Touch This/Dancin' Machine--MC Hammer (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Verdammt - ich lieb' dich--Matthias Reim (6th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Verdammt - ich lieb' dich--Matthias Reim (5th week at #1)
2 Ooops Up--Snap!
3 I Promised Myself--Nick Kamen
4 It Must Have Been Love--Roxette
5 Insieme: 1992--Toto Cutugno
6 I Can't Stand It!--Twenty 4 Seven featuring Capt. Hollywood
7 Kingston Town--UB40
8 What's a Woman?--Vaya Con Dios
9 Nothing Compares 2 U--Chyp-Notic
10 Hey, Wickie--Der Schreckliche Sven & die tollkühnen Plattenreiter

The only single entering the chart was Close to You by Maxi Priest (#28).

Died on this date
Dorothy Mackaill, 87. U.K.-born U.S. actress. Miss Mackaill was a leading lady in silent movies in the 1920s and sound movies in the early 1930s; most of her films are lost or forgotten. Her most notable movies were probably Safe in Hell (1931) and Love Affair (1932).

Douglas Croskery, 49. U.K. man. Mr. Croskery had been working in Kuwait for a few weeks, and was shot by Iraqi soldiers. Three Kuwaiti families were fleeing the country with him, and Mr. Croskery was shot when he stopped to help them after their cars bogged down in the desert sand.

Politics and government
Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa endorsed a plan to give Quebec "full political autonomy" from Canada. Under the proposal, an independent Quebec would still delegate some powers--such as control over currency and trade policies--to Canada through a new "supra-national parliament." The proposal, detailed in a 27-page document titled The New National Challenge for Quebecers, was adopted by the Quebec Liberal party’s youth wing. Mr. Bourassa said that his party’s more radical constitutional position was a reaction to the failure of the Meech Lake accord in June. "We see that the reasonable federalism represented by the Meech Lake accord was rejected," he said. "Now we are examining a formula which takes into account our own interests and future."

Protest
Quebec provincial police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers used clubs and tear gas on a mob of several thousand residents of the Oka area who attacked them with volleys of rocks, bricks, and bottles. 38 people, including 16 police officers, were injured, and 25 residents were arrested. The residents were demanding the removal of blockades placed by Mohawk Warrior activists a month earlier. Quebec Superior Court Chief Justice Alan Gold reached a deal, signed by federal cabinet ministers Tom Siddon and John Caccia, accepting Mohawk conditions for resumption of talks at Oka; .

Science
Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton found to date, was discovered by Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota.

Golf
Wayne Grady shot a 1-under-par 71 in the final round to win the PGA Championship at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama with a 6-under-par total score of 288, 3 strokes ahead of Fred Couples. First prize money was $225,000.



Baseball
A game between the Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers at Comiskey Park in Chicago was finally postponed after a record 7½-hour rain delay. Only about 200 fans were still around when the postponement was announced.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me--U2 (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Conquest of Paradise--Vangelis (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Pour que tu m'aimes encore--Céline Dion (14th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Yeha-Noha--Sacred Spirit (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Het is een nacht... (Levensecht)--Guus Meeuwis & Vagant

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Never Forget--Take That (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Waterfalls--TLC (6th week at #1)
2 Kiss from a Rose--Seal
3 Don't Take it Personal (Just One of Dem Days)--Monica
4 Boombastic/In the Summertime--Shaggy
5 One More Chance/Stay with Me--The Notorious B.I.G.
6 I Can Love You Like That--All-4-One
7 Colors of the Wind--Vanessa Williams
8 Run-Around--Blues Traveler
9 Water Runs Dry--Boyz II Men
10 He's Mine--MoKenStef

Singles entering the chart were Somethin' 4 Da Honeyz by Montell Jordan (#48); Molly (Sixteen Candles) by Sponge (#56); Back for Good by Take That (#63); Jeremy/Yellow Ledbetter by Peal Jam (#83); Summertime in the LBC by the Dove Shack (#90); Missing by Everything But the Girl (#94); Heaven by Solo (#95); and Walking to Jerusalem by Tracy Byrd (#97). Summertime in the LBC was from the movie The Show (1995).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Waterfalls--TLC (6th week at #1)
2 Kiss from a Rose--Seal
3 I Can Love You Like That--All-4-One
4 Don't Take it Personal (Just One of Dem Days)--Monica
5 Run-Around--Blues Traveler
6 Someone to Love--Jon B featuring Babyface
7 Boombastic/Summer Time--Shaggy/Shaggy (featuring Rayvon)
8 One More Chance/Stay with Me--The Notorious B.I.G.
9 Every Little Thing I Do--Soul for Real
10 Colors of the Wind--Vanessa Williams

Singles entering the chart were Carnival by Natalie Merchant (#55); Tonight's the Night by BLACKstreet (featuring SWV) (#73); Let Me Be the One by Blessid Union of Souls (#80); Foe Life by Mack 10 (#84); and Til I Hear it from You by Gin Blossoms (#85).

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (2-5) 24 @ Birmingham (4-3) 50
Memphis (4-4) 25 @ Baltimore (5-3) 15
Calgary (7-0) 38 @ San Antonio (4-4) 32

Matt Dunigan passed for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns, while rushing for a touchdown of his own as the Barracudas beat the Blue Bombers before 17,328 fans at Legion Field.

Charles Miles and Bruce Perkins rushed for touchdowns for the Mad Dogs as they defeated the Stallions before 31,221 fans at Memorial Stadium. Carlos Huerta accounted for the Baltimore scoring with 5 field goals.



Doug Flutie threw touchdown passes to Dave Sapunjis and Vince Danielsen, and Alondra Johnson returned a fumble by San Antonio quarterback Jimmy Kemp 20 yards for a touchdown as the Stampeders came back from a 24-8 2nd-quarter deficit to defeat the Texans before 22,043 fans at the Alamodome. David Lucas returned a Tony Martino punt 105 yards for a San Antonio touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Joe Ferguson, who had quarterbacked the Buffalo Bills of the NFL in the 1970s, came out of retirement at the age of 45 to dress for the Texans as their third quarterback.





10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Lakshman Kadirgamar, 73. Sri Lankan politician. Mr. Kadirgamar was Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994-2001 and 2004 until he was fatally shot by an Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Tamil Tigers) sniper at his home in Colombo.

Relangi Selvarajah, 44. Sri Lankan broadcaster. Mrs. Selvarajah, a Tamil, was an announcer with the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation. She and her husband Sinnadurai, a political activist, were shot to death by Tamil Tiger terrorists at the office in Colombo where they ran a travel agency.

Football
CFL
Montreal (4-3) 18 @ Toronto (4-3) 10



British Columbia (7-0) 39 @ Calgary (3-4) 31