August 17, 2015

275 years ago
1740

Religion
Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini was elected Roman Catholic Pope, succeeding Clement XII. The new pope took the name Benedict XIV.

225 years ago
1790

Americana
The Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island presented a congratulatory address, written by Moses Seixas, to President George Washington on the occasion of Mr. Washington’s visit to their city. The address and Mr. Washington’s response appeared together in several newspapers.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Stefan Bastyr. Polish military aviator. Kapitan Bastyr served with the Polish Air Force during World War I, and was credited with the Air Force's first military flight, on November 5, 1918 during the Battle of Lwów (1918) in the Polish-Ukrainian War. He was killed during the Battle of Lwów (1920) when his Fokker D.VII crashed in Lwów on August 6, 1920, 11 days before his 30th birthday.

Harry Hopkins. U.S. politician and diplomat. Mr. Hopkins was United States Secretary of Commerce in the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1938-1940, but was better known as one of Mr. Roosevelt's most trusted advisers, especially in areas of diplomacy and economics, acting as Mr. Roosevelt's personal emissary to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, and actually living in the White House from 1940-1943. Mr. Hopkins died on January 29, 1956 at the age of 55 after a long battle with stomach cancer.

100 years ago
1915

Died on this date
Leo Frank, 31. U.S. businessman. Mr. Frank, an engineer and director of the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, was convicted of the 1913 murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, one of his employees. The conviction of Mr. Frank was widely believed to have been the result of prejudice against him because he was Jewish. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, but a mob of 25 men kidnapped Mr. Frank from the Milledgeville State Prison in Milledgeville, Georgia and drove him 170 miles to Marietta, where they lynched him.

Disasters
A Category 4 hurricane hit Galveston, Texas with winds at 135 miles per hour.

75 years ago
1940

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I'll Never Smile Again--Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (vocal refrain by Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers) (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Billy Fiske, 29. U.S. bobsledder and military aviator. Mr. Fiske was the driver for the American team that won the gold medal in the four-man bobsled event in both the 1928 and 1932 Winter Olympic Games. He moved to England in 1939, and joined the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of World War II. Pilot Officer Fiske died from burns suffered when his plane was shot down during the Battle of Britain.

War
Germany ordered a total blockade of the United Kingdom. The Royal Canadian Air Force's No. 1 Fighter Squadron saw action over England in the Battle of Britain. The Canadian government set up 14 military training centres in Quebec. The last of the British troops in northern China departed Peking and Tientsin.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King met with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Ogdensburg, New York for a two-day conference to discuss North American defense.

Defense
Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate Wendell Willkie advocated selective service as "the only democratic way in which to assure the trained and competent manpower we need."

70 years ago
1945

Died on this date
Reidar Haaland, 26. Norwegian traitor. Mr. Haaland joined the fascist party Nasjonal Samling on December 6, 1940, and Den Norske Legion (Norwegian Legion) on June 20, 1941. When the Legion became defunct in 1943, Mr. Haaland joined the Statspolitiet and then the Gestapo. In the post-World War II trials of Norwegian traitors and war criminals, Mr. Haaland was the first to be sentenced to death, after being convicted of treason. He was executed by firing squad at Akershus Fortress in Oslo.

War
Japanese Prime Minister Prince Naruhiko Higashi-Kuni ordered all Japanese soldiers to observe Emperor Hirohito's cease-fire order. U.S. Senator David Walsh (Republican--Massachusetts) asked Navy Secretary James Forrestal to submit to the Senate Naval Affairs Committee the Navy investigation of the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

World events
Ahmed Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.

French leader General Charles de Gaulle commuted former Prime Minister Marshal Philippe Petain's death sentence to life imprisonment for giving intelligence to the enemy during World War II.

Defense
U.S. Army Air Forces General Hap Arnold revealed the existence of new weapons, some not yet completed, such as a monster bomber surpassing the B-29, and robot jet-propelled atomic bombs guided by television and radar. He warned that "this thing is so terrible in its aspects that there may not be any more wars."

Diplomacy
U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Spruille Braden said that a self-respecting world could no longer accept dictatorships, thu implying a denunciation of the Argentine government of President Juan Peron.

Politics and government
The Thai cabinet of Prime Minister Kuang Kovid Aphaiwong resigned.

Archibald MacLeish, Nelson Rockefeller, and General J.C. Holmes resigned as assistant U.S. secretaries of state.

Economics and finance
The U.S. War Production Board cancelled virtually all allotments of steel, copper, and aluminum, and all preference ratings except for the military.

60 years ago
1955

Golf
Charlie Sifford shot a 9-under-par 63 to take the lead after the first round of the Canadian Open at Weston Golf Club in Weston, Ontario.

Boxing
Bob Satterfield (39-19-3) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Nino Valdes (32-10-3) in a heavyweight bout at Chicago Stadium.











50 years ago
1965

Music
The Beatles continued their North American tour with two shows at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

Protest
Six days of rioting by Negroes in the Watts section of Los Angeles concluded with 34 deaths, 1,032 people injured, 3,438 arrested, and over $40 million in property damage.

Disasters
Four treasure seekers drowned in a money pit at Oak Island, Nova Scotia, digging for buried treasure said to have been there since the century.

40 years ago
1975

Died on this date
Jack Schulte, 93. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Schulte played shortstop with the Boston Beaneaters in 1906, batting 0 for 7 in 2 games. He played in the minor leagues from at least 1904-1907.

Jack Enright, 79. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Enright pitched in 1 game with the New York Yankees, allowing 5 hits and 3 earned runs in 5 innings for an earned run average of 5.40 as he lost to the Detroit Tigers on September 26, 1917. He pitched for various teams in the minor leagues from at least 1914-1919.

Basketball
The Canadian national men's team defeated the Soviet national team 86-84 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto in preparation for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal. It was the first time that Canada had ever defeated the U.S.S.R.

Football
NFL
Pre-season
Pittsburgh (1-2) 21 Oakland (2-0) 24 @ Berkeley, California
Minnesota (0-2) 10 @ New England (1-1) 36

Baseball
Jim Palmer pitched a 4-hitter to improve his 1975 record to 19-7 as the Baltimore Orioles shut out the Texas Rangers 4-0 before 11,123 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

The Cleveland Indians scored 13 runs in the first 3 innings and coasted to a 14-5 win over the Minnesota Twins before 7,914 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Buddy Bell drove in 4 runs for the Indians, and George Hendrick added 3 RBIs. Fritz Peterson allowd 16 hits and 5 earned runs, but still pitched a complete game victory. Rick Cerone made his major league debut, catching the last 3 innings for Cleveland and lining out to shortstop in his only at bat. Eric Soderholm led the Minnesota attack, batting 4 for 4 with 2 home runs, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs.

Vern Ruhle pitched a 5-hitter as the Detroit Tigers blanked the California Angels 7-0 before 8,358 fans at Anaheim Stadium for their second straight shutout victory.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): L'Estate Sta Finendo--Righeira

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Tarzan Boy--Baltimora

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Axel F--Harold Faltermeyer (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Into the Groove--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Into the Groove--Madonna (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Shout--Tears for Fears (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Shout--Tears for Fears (2nd week at #1)
2 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free--Sting
3 The Power of Love--Huey Lewis and the News
4 Never Surrender--Corey Hart
5 You Give Good Love--Whitney Houston
6 Freeway of Love--Aretha Franklin
7 Everytime You Go Away--Paul Young
8 St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)--John Parr
9 We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)--Tina Turner
10 Get it On--Power Station

Singles entering the chart were Dress You Up by Madonna (#33); Lonely Ol' Night by John Cougar Mellencamp (#46); Saving All My Love for You by Whitney Houston (#57); First Night by Survivor (#85); and Down on Love by Foreigner (#89).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 You Spin Me Around (Like a Record)--Dead or Alive (2nd week at #1)
2 The Power of Love--Huey Lewis and the News
3 Never Surrender--Corey Hart
4 We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)--Tina Turner
5 Everytime You Go Away--Paul Young
6 Crying Over You--Platinum Blonde
7 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free--Sting
8 19--Paul Hardcastle
9 Walk of Life--Dire Straits
10 You Give Good Love--Whitney Houston

Singles entering the chart were Cherish by Kool & The Gang (#68); There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart) by Eurythmics (#71); No Lookin' Back by Michael McDonald (#76); Boy in the Box by Corey Hart (#84); Guerrilla Soldier by Gowan (#89); and Stuck in the Rain by Paul Hyde and the Payola$ (#92).

Football
CFL
Calgary (1-5) 35 @ British Columbia (5-1) 32

Each team’s quarterback threw for almost 500 yards (495 for Calgary’s Joe Barnes; 491 yards for B.C.’s Roy Dewalt) as the Stampeders pulled the biggest upset of the 1980s and won for Bud Riley in his first game as head coach of the Stampeders. Four of Mr. Dewalt’s 21 completions (in 38 attempts) went for touchdowns by Merv Fernandez. Mr. Barnes completed 35 of 50 passes and threw 2 touchdown passes to Emanuel Tolbert and 1 to Lewis Walker. 37,462 attended the game at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver.

Baseball
World Championship @ Edmonton, Alberta
U.S.A. 9 Canada 4

The loss dropped Canada to 8th place, with a record of 2-7.

25 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Pearl Bailey, 72. U.S. actress and singer. Miss Bailey had a successful career as a nightclub singer before branching out into recordings, theatre, films, and television. She won a special Tony Award for her performance in an all-black production of Hello Dolly! (1968), and hosted The Pearl Bailey Show (1971), a summer replacement television program.

Protest
The Canadian Armed Forces replaces the Surete du Quebec at the Kanesatake barricades in the standoff between government forces and Mohawk Indians at Oka, Quebec.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the merchandise trade deficit had fallen to $5.07 billion on June, the lowest level in seven years.

The deficit from the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal swelled to $16 billion.

Baseball
Mark McGwire’s 31st home run of the season and 3 runs batted in led the Oakland Athletics to an 8-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles before 45,379 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, enabling Bob Welch to improve his record for the season to 20-4.

Devon White reached first base on an error by shortstop Luis Rivera with 1 out in the top of the 9th inning and scored on a single by Johnny Ray with to give the California Angels a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox before 35,107 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Chuck Finley (16-5) pitched a 4-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Mike Boddicker (11-8), who allowed 7 hits.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Shy Guy--Diana King (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Howard E. Koch, 93. U.S. writer. Mr. Koch was best known for writing the script for the Mercury Theatre of the Air production of The War of the Worlds--which caused widespread panic in the United States during its October 30, 1938 broadcast over the CBS radio network--and for co-writing the screenplay for Casablanca (1942), for which he received an Academy Award.

Rollie Miles, 68. U.S.-born Canadian football player. Mr. Miles was an offensive and defensive halfback with the Edmonton Eskimos from 1951-1961. He was born in Washington, D.C. and had come to Regina to play in a baseball tournament, but Edmonton Journal sportswriter Don Fleming alerted Eskimos' coach Annis Stukus about Mr. Miles' football ability, and Mr. Miles embarked on a professional football career. He and Canadian halfback Jim Chambers were the first Negro players with the Eskimos; when the Royal George Hotel refused to allow Mr. Miles to register, the Eskimos complained, and the desk clerk was fired. Mr. Miles played a major role in the Eskimos' Western Interprovincial Football Union championship teams of 1952 and 1960, and their three straight Grey Cup championship teams of 1954-1956. He was named to the WIFU All-Star team eight times. Mr. Miles 190 points on 36 touchdowns in regular season play, and 85 points on 16 touchdowns and a single in playoff competition. Perhaps Mr. Miles' most notable accomplishment was playing the entire game at quarterback in a 7-3 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the second game of the 1954 season at Winnipeg Stadium. In the Grey Cup that year, he did a spectacular job of avoiding tackles and throwing the first Grey Cup touchdown pass in Eskimos' history, to Earl Lindley. Mr. Miles was a teacher with the Edmonton Separate School Board during and after his playing career, and was a prominent member of the community for the rest of his life. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1980, long after he should have been inducted.

Diplomacy
Rolf Ekeus, chairman of the United Natins Special Committee on Iraq, began meetings in Baghdad with Iraqi officials who gave him information on biological and nuclear weapons.

Politics and government
The day after announcing he would not seek re-election in 1996, U.S. Senator Bill Bradley (Democrat--New Jersey) left the door open for a possible independent candidacy for President of the United States. He said that both the Democratic and Republican parties had "settled into familiar ruts" and had lost touch with average Americans.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the trade deficit in June had been $11.31 billion.

Business
U.S. forestry giants Boise Cascade Corporation and Stone Container Corporation announced that they would merge their Canadian newsprint subsidiaries.

10 years ago
2005

World events
Israeli security forces began the forcible removal of Jews from four settlements in the Gaza Strip.

Terrorism
The Muslim organization Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) set off over 500 bombs at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of Bangladesh.