September 11, 2015

625 years ago
1390

War
The Teutonic Knights began a five-week siege of Vilnius as part of the Lithuanian Civil War.

450 years ago
1565

War
Ottoman forces retreated from Malta, ending the Great Siege of Malta.

160 years ago
1855

Born on this date
William Mulholland. U.K.-born U.S. engineer. Mr. Mulholland, a native of Belfast, was a sailor who disembarked in the United States in 1874, settling in Los Angeles in 1877. He was a self-taught civil engineer who was responsible for building the infrastructure to bring water to Los Angeles from elsewhere in California, enabling it to become the state's largest city. Mr. Mulholland supervised the building of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which opened in 1913. The effort to bring water to Los Angeles was opposed by residents of the Owens Valley, resulting in the California water wars of the 1920s, which included acts of vandalism by the valley residents against parts of the system. Mr. Mulholland was responsible for the design of the St. Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon; the dam was completed in 1926. Mr. Mulholland increased the dam's height by 20 feet after the start of construction, without a corresponding increase in the width of the dam's base; this error contributed significantly to the dam's collapse just before midnight on March 12, 1928, triggering a flood that killed at least 431 people in the surrounding area. Mr. Mulholland and an assistant had inspected the dam just 12 hours before it burst; he accepted sole blame for the disaster, which virtually ended his career, but was never criminally charged. He died from a stroke on July 22, 1935 at the age of 79.

130 years ago
1885

Born on this date
D. H. Lawrence. U.K. writer. David Herbert Lawrence wrote fiction, non-fiction, plays, and poetry, but was best known for his novels Sons and Lovers (1913); Women in Love (1920); and Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928). His short stories included The Rocking-Horse Winner (1926), which, in 1949, was made into one of this blogger's favourite movies. Mr. Lawrence explored issues of sexuality and emotional health, and the dehumanizing effects of modernity. He had to deal with official censorship of his works, and was regarded in his own time as a pornographer who had wasted his talent, but his reputation improved after his death from tuberculosis at the age of 44 on March 2, 1930 in France, where he spent his last years.

125 years ago
1890

Golf
John Ball, an amateur, shot a 2-round total of 164 to win the British Open at Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, Scotland, 3 strokes ahead of Willie Fernie and Archie Simpson.

100 years ago
1915

Died on this date
William Sprague IV, 84. U.S. politician. Mr. Sprague, a Republican, was Governor of Rhode Island from 1860-1863 and represented Rhode Island in the United States Senate from 1863-1875. He died the day before his 85th birthday.

William Cornelius Van Horne, 72. U.S.-born Canadian businessman. Sir William, a native of Illinois, moved to Canada in the 1880s and became general manager and later vice-president and president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, overseeing construction of the Canadian transcontinental railway which had a major practical influence in physically uniting the country.

75 years ago
1940

War
U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill warned Britain that an invasion by German forces may be imminent. Acting upon a report that German troops were about to invade England, British forces launched air and sea attacks upon French and Norwegian coastal ports. A Chinese military spokesman stated in Chungking that Chinese troops were destroying the Yunnan railway bridge over the Red River to prevent its use by the Japanese.

Diplomacy
French Indochinese Governor General Jean Decoux sent a plea to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt for assistance in curbing the Japanese demands upon Indochina.

Defense
Ford Motor Company began the construction of an $11-million plant for the production of airplane engines.

Politics and government
The Norwegian Parliament named Ingold Ilster Christensen as regent.

U.S. President Roosevelt officially opened his campaign for a third term in office with a speech in Washington hailing the success of labour in America, and reasserted his desire to avoid a "foreign war." Republican Party presidential candidate Wendell Willkie asserted that Mr. Roosevelt's desire for an unprecedented third term was a key issue in the campaign, for if Mr. Roosevelt and his people stayed in power, it would be "destructive of democracy." National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chairman William Pickens established a Negro citizens committee to support Mr. Willkie's campaign.

Aviation
Jacqueline Cochrane of the United States won the annual trophy of the International League of Aviators as the world's outstanding female pilot.

Baseball
The New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians split a doubleheader before 33,471 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. The Yankees won the first game 3-1, with Ernie Bonham (6-2) pitching a 5-hitter to outduel Bob Feller (24-9). The Indians won 5-3 in the second game, which was called because of rain after 5½ innings. They scored all their runs--4 unearned--in the second game in the 3rd inning, aided by errors by first baseman Babe Dahlgren and pitcher Red Ruffing. Al Smith (14-7) won over Mr. Ruffing (13-11). New York manager Joe McCarthy later claimed that Mr. Dahlgren's error cost the Yankees the pennant. Mr. McCarthy whispered to others that Mr. Dahlgren was a marijuana user, and traded him after the season. Mr. Dahlgren and his family accused Mr. McCarthy of defaming him and blackballing him from baseball.

70 years ago
1945

War
Australian 9th Division forces liberated the Japanese-run Batu Lintang camp, a prisoner-of-war and civilian internment camp on the island of Borneo. U.K. Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin presided as the Council of Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, U.S.S.R., France, China, and the U.S.A. convened in London, beginning work on the peace treaty with Italy. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to adopt a Senate resolution setting up a joint 10-man committee to investigate the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Chinese Nationalist troops occupied Hanoi and were now reported in full force in Hankow, China.

World events
After former Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo failed in a suicide attempt, he and 39 other high officials were ordered arrested by Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) in Japan General Douglas MacArthur.

Religion
The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano warned Italian Catholics who becmae Communist that they would be guilty of deserting the Roman Catholic faith.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee opposed a federal guarantee of $25 maximum weekly unemployment compensation.

The U.S. Foreign Economic Administration lifted about 80% of its controls over exports, leaving less than 1,000 items in need of special permit.

60 years ago
1955

Football
CRU
ORFU
Kitchener-Waterloo (3-1) 14 @ Toronto (0-3) 13

Bill Graham scored 2 touchdowns and converted them both, and Billy Tonegusso punted for 2 singles as the Dutchmen edged Balmy Beach. Johnny Bell scored 2 touchdowns for Toronto; Don Guest added 2 converts and a single.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Help!/I'm Down--The Beatles (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Aline--Christophe

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Il mondo--Jimmy Fontana (8th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Il Silenzio--Nini Rosso (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Help!--The Beatles (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction--The Rolling Stones (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Help!--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Help!--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)
2 Like a Rolling Stone--Bob Dylan
3 I Got You Babe--Sonny and Cher
4 Eve of Destruction--Barry McGuire
5 You were on My Mind--We Five
6 It's the Same Old Song--Four Tops
7 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers
8 Nothing But Heartaches--The Supremes
9 Hang on Sloopy--The McCoys
10 The "In" Crowd--The Ramsey Lewis Trio

Singles entering the chart were Treat Her Right by Roy Head and the Traits (#69); Kansas City Star by Roger Miller (#74); Hungry for Love by the San Remo Golden Strings (#77); My Town, My Guy and Me by Lesley Gore (#83); Tossing and Turning by the Ivy League (#86); If You've Got a Heart by Bobby Goldsboro (#87); What Color (Is a Man) by Bobby Vinton (#88); Make Me Your Baby by Barbara Lewis (#89); A Lover's Concerto by the Toys (#90); Cara-Lin by the Strangeloves (#94); You're the One by the Vogues (#95); Everyone's Gone to the Moon by Jonathan King (#100); and The Sins of a Family by P.F. Sloan (also #100).

Died on this date
Ralph C. Smedley, 87. American educator. Mr. Smedley, educational director of the Young Men's Christian Association in Bloomington, Illinois, founded the public speaking organization Toastmasters in 1910. The first branch didn't last, but Mr. Smedley moved to Santa Ana, California in 1922 and founded Toastmasters International, which continues today.

War
The Indian Army captured the Pakistani town of Burki, just southeast of Lahore.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (5-2) 13 @ Ottawa (5-1) 22
Winnipeg (4-4) 25 @ Edmonton (3-5) 30
Calgary (5-3) 10 @ British Columbia (4-2-1) 24

Hamilton quarterback Frank Cosentino completed just 3 of 17 passes and threw 3 interceptions as the Tiger-Cats lost to the Rough Riders before 22,491 fans at Lansdowne Park. The Ottawa defense limited the Hamilton offense to 99 net yards.

The Eskimos rushed for 308 yards as they defeated the Blue Bombers before a record Clarke Stadium crowd of 21,951. Jim Thomas led the Eskimos with 191 yards on just 9 carries, including one for 83 yards. Butch Pressley added 109 yards on 14 carries. Messrs. Thomas, Pressley, Jim Thomas, and quarterback Bill Redell scored Edmonton touchdowns. Mr. Redell threw just 6 passes, completing just 1, to Tommy-Joe Coffey for 54 yards.

The Lions scored 2 touchdowns after intercepting passes by Calgary quarterback Jerry Keeling as they defeated the Stampeders before 36,704 fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. The Stampeders were without starting quarterback Eagle Day and running back Lovell Coleman.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)--The Stylistics (3rd week at #1)

Music
The Bee Gees performed two concerts at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, with tickets priced at $5-$7.

Politics and government
John Turner resigned as Canada's Finance Minister because of disagreements in policy with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, as prices continued to increase and unemployment reached a 14-year high.

Football
NFL
Pre-season
Oakland (5-1) 0 @ Los Angeles (5-1) 6

Baseball
The Chicago White Sox released catcher Jerry Moses. Mr. Moses had begun the season with the New York Mets, but had been sold to the San Diego Padres on April 28 without playing a game with the Mets. He batted .158 in 13 games with no home runs and 1 run batted in with San Diego before he was sold to the White Sox on July 18. Mr. Moses played in just 2 games with Chicago, batting .500 (1 for 2) and hitting a triple in his last major league plate appearance. Mr. Moses hit .251 with 25 home runs and 109 runs batted in in 386 games in a major league career that began in 1965.

Catfish Hunter pitched a 6-hit complete game to improve his 1975 record to 21-13, while Graig Nettles batted 3 for 4 with 2 home runs, 3 runs, and 3 runs batted in as the New York Yankees beat the Milwaukee Brewers 10-2 before 7,352 fans at Shea Stadium in New York.

Larry Christenson pitched a 3-hitter and Mike Schmidt hit his 34th home run of the season as the Philadelphia Phillies shut out the Montreal Expos 5-0 before 7,457 fans at Jarry Park in Montreal in a game that was called because of rain after 6 1/2 innings. Losing pitcher Steve Rogers allowed 10 hits and 4 runs--3 earned--in 6 innings. It was the 273rd and final game in the 5-year major league career of this blogger's favourite player at the time, Montreal first baseman Hal Breeden. He batted 0 for 2 and made 13 putouts in the field.

Jerry Koosman pitched a 6-hitter, while Dave Kingman hit his 34th home run of the season and added a double as the New York Mets blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-0 before 4,762 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh pitcher Odell Jones made his major league debut, pitching 2 perfect innings (the 7th and 8th). He was succeeded on the mound by Jim Minshall, who walked the first 2 batters of the 9th inning, but recovered to retire the next 3 batters without a run being scored in his only major league game in 1975 and the sixth and last of his major league career.

Two errors by the Atlanta Braves allowed the San Diego Padres to score the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning as they edged the Braves 4-3 before 3,712 fans at San Diego Stadium. Shortstop Larvell Blanks made an error on a ball hit by Dave Roberts to lead off the inning, as Mr. Roberts reached second base. Bob Davis then bunted, but pitcher Tom House threw the ball away, allowing Mr. Roberts to score the winning run.

Junior World Series
Evansville Triplets (AA) 4 @ Tidewater Tides (IL) 0 (Evansville led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Marv Lane tripled home 2 runs and scored on a single by Chuck Scrivener as the American Association champion Triplets scored 3 runs in the 7th inning in their shutout of the International League champion Tides before 1,831 fans at Metropolitan Memorial Park in Norfolk, Virginia. Mark Lemongello pitched a 4-hit shutout, while Tidewater starter Randy Sterling took the loss.

30 years ago
1985

Died on this date
Eleanor Dark, 84. Australian authoress. Mrs. Dark was known for novels such as Prelude to Christopher (1934); Return to Coolami (1936); and The Timeless Land (1941). She and her husband attracted government surveillance because of their left-wing associations, and she developed writer's block in later years. Mrs. Dark died 16 days after her 84th birthday.

William Alwyn, 79. U.K. composer. Mr. Alwyn wrote five symphonies, four operas, and over 70 film scores.

Baseball
Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds singled off Eric Show of the San Diego Padres for his 4,192nd career major league hit, breaking the official record previously held by Ty Cobb. The Reds won 2-0 before 47,237 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

Cesar Cedeno hit a home run leading off the 10th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 1-0 win over the New York Mets before 52,616 fans at Shea Stadium in New York, as John Tudor outduelled Dwight Gooden and Jesse Orosco.

Fernando Valenzuela hit his first home run of the season to open the scoring in the 6-run 3rd inning and drove in a run with a ground out in the 5-run 4th as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 12-3 before 6,205 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Mr. Valenzuela allowed 5 hits and 1 earned run in 6 innings to improve his record for the season to 17-9.

Pinch hitter Mike Felder made his major league debut with a single to lead off the bottom of the 9th inning, scoring the winning run on a single by Cecil Cooper to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees before 8,540 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee. Mr. Felder's hit came one inning after teammate Billy Robidoux had grounded out as a pinch hitter in his major league debut. Ted Higuera allowed 6 hits in pitching a complete game victory to improve his 1985 record to 13-6.

25 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Myrna Mack Chang, 40. Guatemalan anthropologist. Mrs. Chang was murdered by a military death squad because of her criticism of the Guatemalan government's treatment of the indigenous Maya population. Thanks to the persistence of her sister Helen Mack, Mrs. Chang's killer was eventually convicted, and the government admitted its responsibility for her murder.

World events
U.S. President George Bush, addressing a joint session of Congress, said that the United States could not allow oil to be controlled by someone as ruthless as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Mr. Bush said that in any future action he would not be deterred by Iraq’s policy of using Western hostages as shields. It was in this speech that Mr. Bush spoke of a coming "New World Order."

Politics and government
Premier Gary Filmon led his Progressive Conservatives to victory in the Manitoba provincial election, capturing 30 of 57 seats in the legislature for a slight majority. The New Democrats won 20 seats and the Liberals 7. NDP MLA Elijah Harper, whose refusal to grant unanimous consent had helped to sink the Meech Lake constitutional accord in June, was re-elected in his northern riding. The Manitoba PCs had distanced themselves from the federal party because of the unpopularity of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

The Equality Party joined with the Unity Party to fight for English rights in provincial politics in Quebec.

Economics and finance
U.S.S.R. Premier Nikolai Ryzhkov, addressing the Supreme Soviet, warned that the "Shatalin plan," which stressed private property and economic freedom, would, if implemented, lead to high unemployment and a decline in the standard of living. However, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev spoke and endorsed the Shatalin plan.

Business
Alberta Telecommunications Minister Fred Stewart announced the $951-million sale of 60% of Telus Corporation (formerly Alberta Government Telephones) a success; 140,000 Albertans owned shares.

Disasters
As many as 160 people may have drowned when a crowded boat capsized in the Mahava River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

More than 77 people died and 82,000 were left homeless after flooding resulting from heavy rainfall in the vicinity of Seoul.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Play this Song--2 Fabiola (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): A Kind of Christmas Card--Morten Harket (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Boom Boom Boom--The Outhere Brothers (2nd week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Wish You Well--Tom Cochrane (2nd week at #1)
2 Only Wanna Be with You--Hootie & the Blowfish
3 Kiss from a Rose--Seal
4 I Can Love You Like That--All-4-One
5 I'll Be There for You--The Rembrandts
6 A Higher Place--Tom Petty
7 Not Enough--Van Halen
8 Misery--Soul Asylum
9 You Oughta Know--Alanis Morissette
10 Roll to Me--Del Amitri

Singles entering the chart were Something for the Pain by Bon Jovi (#67); Peace and Love by Neil Young (#75); The Hearts Filthy Lesson by David Bowie (#79); Just Like Anyone by Soul Asylum (#86); Family Secret by Alannah Myles (#88); I Wish by Shee-Lo (#89); Watermark by Mae Moore (#91); Can I Touch You...There? by Michael Bolton (#94); and Downtown Venus by P.M. Dawn (#95).

Politics and government
New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna led his Liberal Party to a third term in government, winning 48 of 55 seats in the legislature in the New Brunswick provincial election. The Progressive Conservatives, led by Bernard Valcourt, won 6 seats, while New Democratic Party leader Elizabeth Weir retained her seat. The Confederation of Regions Party, led by Greg Hargrove, was shut out after entering the campaign with 6 seats.

Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau announced that the next referendum on Quebec independence would will be held on October 30, 1995, a year less a day after his separatist Parti Quebecois government had been elected.

Economics and finance
The Canadian dollar plunged in value as polls showed the Yes side in the lead in Quebec's referendum campaign on sovereignty.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Al Casey, 89 (?). U.S. musician. Mr. Casey was a jazz guitarist who played with the bands of Fats Waller and others, and also recorded under his own name in a career that spanned more than 50 years. He died four days before his 90th birthday.

Chris Schenkel, 82. U.S. sportscaster. Mr. Schenkel worked with the DuMont television network in the 1950s before moving to CBS in 1956, but was best known for his work with ABC from 1965-1997, especially his coverage of the Professional Bowlers Association.

World events
38 years of military rule in Gaza ended as Israeli soldiers lowered the flag and pulled out.