September 18, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Olga Kravtsova!

250 years ago
1765

Born on this date
Gregory XVI. Roman Catholic Pope, 1831-1846. Gregory XVI, born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, joined the Camaldolese Order of monks, and was ordained a priest in 1787. He became vicar general of the Camaldolese Order, and was appointed to various other offices before being created a cardinal in 1825 and succeeding Pius VIII as Pope. Pope Gregory XVI is the most recent Pope to assume the papacy while not yet a bishop. He was a strong traditionalist, opposing democratic and modernizing reforms in the Papal States and throughout Europe, and attempting to strengthen the authority of the papacy. Pope Gregory condemned the slave trade in his apostolic letter In supremo apostolatus (1839). He died after an attack of facial erysipelas on June 1, 1846 at the age of 80, and was succeeded by Leo XII.

140 years ago
1875

Law
The Supreme Court of Canada was founded, with William Buell Richards named Chief Justice.

130 years ago
1885

Protest
Riots broke out in Montreal to protest compulsory smallpox vaccination.

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
John G. Diefenbaker. Prime Minister of Canada, 1957-1963. Mr. Diefenbaker was born in Ontario, but moved with his family to Saskatchewan in 1903 and stayed there for the rest of his life. He practiced law in Wakaw, and later Prince Albert. Mr. Diefenbaker lost his first nine elections (including a federal by-election against Prime Minister Mackenzie King in 1926), but was finally elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative in the federal election of 1940. He ran for the party leadership in 1942 and 1948--losing both times--before finally winning the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives in December 1956. A narrow Progressive Conservative plurality in the election of June 10, 1957 allowed him to become Prime Minister, and he parlayed his oratorical and campaigning skills into the most smashing majority in Canadian history, winning 208 of 265 seats in the House of Commons in the election of March 31, 1958. Unfortunately, Mr. Diefenbaker gradually frittered his majority away; as Bruce Hutchison put it in his book Mr. Prime Minister 1867-1964:

He wanted so much to do his best but could not find the means of putting his abilities to work for more than election purposes, and for them only briefly.

It’s often been said that John Diefenbaker was one of Canada’s greatest politicians but one of her worst Prime Ministers. He wasn’t an economic conservative and increased government spending, but killed the Avro Arrow jet fighter program, which resulted in the permanent loss to the country of many talented people. Perhaps Mr. Diefenbaker’s most notable achievement as Prime Minister was the passage of the Canadian Bill of Rights in 1960. Some take the view that Mr. Diefenbaker made a mistake in giving the country a bill of rights instead of the charter of rights that was eventually forced upon the country by Pierre Trudeau in 1982. Mr. Diefenbaker’s choice, however, was deliberate and well-considered. He believed in parliamentary supremacy and Canada’s common law tradition, inherited from Great Britain. Where Mr. Diefenbaker was mistaken, in his last years, was in his belief, while Mr. Trudeau was trying to force a written constitution upon the country, that the Canadian people couldn’t be fooled into thinking that they would be getting rights they didn’t already have. Unfortunately, Mr. Diefenbaker overestimated the intelligence and wisdom of his countrymen. Mr. Diefenbaker’s majority was reduced to a majority in the election of June 18, 1962, and became a defeat in the election of April 8, 1963. He remained as Leader of the Opposition through another electoral defeat in 1965, and was finally defeated in an attempt to retain his position as party leader in 1967. Mr. Diefenbaker continued to hold office as a member of the House of Commons, winning his last election on May 22, 1979. John Diefenbaker did make one notably correct prediction near the end of his life: as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s popularity was declining in the late 1970s, Mr. Diefenbaker was fond of saying, "I’m the only living ex-Prime Minister--but I’m looking forward to having company very soon!" Mr. Diefenbaker got his wish: when he died peacefully while sitting in an armchair in the library of his Ottawa residence on August 16, 1979 at the age of 83, he was a member of Parliament with the party in government.

Society
U.S. Negro scholar Booker T. Washington delivered his "Atlanta Compromise" speech.

Medicine
Daniel David Palmer performed the first chiropractic adjustment, on deaf janitor Harvey Lillard.

75 years ago
1940

War
The British steam passenger ship SS City of Benares was struck by a torpedo from German U-boat U-48 one minute past midnight off the British isles with heavy loss of life, including 77 of 90 children who were being evacuated from the United Kingdom to Canada for the duration of World War II.

Baseball
The Cincinnati Reds edged the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 in 13 innings before 2,093 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia to clinch the National League pennant for the second straight year.

The Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics split a doubleheader before 12,757 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, with the Tigers winning the first game 14-0 and the Athletics winning the second game 13-6. Four pinch hitters came to bat for the Athletics in the top of the 9th inning of the second game, and all 4 made hits, with 3 of them coming around to score as the Athletics scored 9 runs. Hank Greenberg hit a grand slam for the Tigers in the 1st game. Pat Mullin made his major league debut, batting unsuccessfully as a pinch hitter for Detroit in the 6th inning of the first game.

70 years ago
1945

Politics and government
Supreme Allied Commander and military governor of Japan General Douglas MacArthur moved his command headquarters to Tokyo.

60 years ago
1955

Britannica
The United Kingdom annexed the uninhabited rocky islet of Rockall, 300 miles west of Scotland, in order to stop the U.S.S.R. from spying on missile tests.

Football
ORFU
Sarnia (4-1) 16 @ Toronto (0-5) 6

John Jacobs rushed 94 yards for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter to help the Imperials defeat Balmy Beach before only about 300 fans in Toronto. Dick Dixon scored the other Sarnia touchdown, while Gino Cappelletti added a convert and a field goal. Uly Curtis scored the Toronto touchdown.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Help!/I'm Down--The Beatles (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Aline--Christophe (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Il mondo--Jimmy Fontana (9th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Il Silenzio--Nini Rosso (11th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction--The Rolling Stones

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction--The Rolling Stones (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Help!--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Like a Rolling Stone--Bob Dylan
2 Eve of Destruction--Barry McGuire
3 Help!--The Beatles
4 You were on My Mind--We Five
5 I Got You Babe--Sonny and Cher
6 Hang on Sloopy--The McCoys
7 The "In" Crowd--The Ramsey Lewis Trio
8 It Ain't Me Babe--The Turtles
9 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers
10 Catch Us if You Can--The Dave Clark Five

Singles entering the chart were Just a Little Bit Better by Herman's Hermits (#63); Yesterday (#69)/Act Naturally (#78) by the Beatles; The Dawn of Correction by the Spokesmen (#73); I Knew You When by Billy Joe Royal (#75); Are You a Boy or are You a Girl by the Barbarians (#82); Rescue Me by Fontella Bass (#88); Funny Little Butterflies by Patty Duke (#89); Universal Soldier by Donovan (#91); Someone is Watching by Solomon Burke (#95); The Universal Soldier by Glen Campbell (#96); The Girl from Peyton Place by Dickey Lee (#97); For Your Love by Sam and Bill (#98); Me Without You by Mary Wells (#99); Little Miss Sad by the Five Emprees (#100); 1-2-3 by Len Barry (also #100); and You Can't Take it Away by Fred Hughes (#100).

On television tonight
Get Smart, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Mr. Big

This was the pilot and first episode of the series, and the only episode to be filmed in black and white.

I Dream of Jeannie, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Lady in the Bottle

This was the pilot and first episode of the series.

The Loner, on CBS
Tonight's episode: An Echo of Bugles

This was the first episode of the series, which was created by Rod Serling.

The Trials of O'Brien, starring Peter Falk, Elaine Stritch, and Joanna Barnes, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Over, Defence Is Out

This was the first episode of the series.

Football
CFL
Calgary (6-3) 15 @ Saskatchewan (5-4-1) 12
Montreal (2-5) 11 @ British Columbia (4-3-1) 6

Jerry Keeling completed 20 of 34 passes for 250 yards and touchdowns to Bobby Taylor and Frank Budd, with the winning touchdown coming with 28 seconds left in the game, as the Stampeders edged the Roughriders before 15,114 fans at Taylor Field in Regina.

J.W. Lockett rushed 1 yard for the game's only touchdown to help the Alouettes defeat the Lions before 31,634 fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. Six players, including B.C. halfback Willie Fleming, were helped off the field with injuries.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Sailing--Rod Stewart

Politics and government
Premier William Davis led his governing Progressive Conservatives to victory in the Ontario provincial election, but the party lost 27 seats since the 1971 election, and Mr. Davis's government was reduced to a minority. The PCs won 51 of 125 seats in the provincial parliament, with the New Democratic Party, led by Stephen Lewis, taking 38 seats--double the number they had won in 1971--and the Liberals, led by Robert Nixon, winning 35 seats--an increase of 20 from 1971.

Crime
American newspaper heiress Patty Hearst was arrested by U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in San Francisco, 19 months after being kidnapped by members of the terrorist orgainzation Symbionese Liberation Army. SLA members Bill and Emily Harris were also arrested. Miss Hearst was charged with participating in a 1974 bank robbery.

Football
CFL
The Edmonton Eskimos traded rookie wide receiver Jerrald Taylor to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for future considerations. Mr. Taylor, who had displayed great speed in pre-season games, had spent the first 9 games of the regular season on the Eskimos' injured list; the Tiger-Cats put him on their injured list for the balance of the season.

25 years ago
1990

Diplomacy
Liechtenstein became a member of the United Nations.

Scandal
Charles Keating, former owner of Lincoln Savings & Loan Association, was indicted on 42 charges of criminal fraud by a California state grand jury in Los Angeles. Three executives of American Continental, Lincoln's parent company, were also indicted. The charges involved an alleged scheme to defraud old people by enticing them to invest in uninsured high-risk bonds. After American Continental filed for bakruptcy, the money could not be recovered. Mr. Keating was put in jail after being unable to pay the $5 million bail.

Olympics
Atlanta was awarded the 1996 Summer Olympic games, ahead of bids from Athens and Toronto. Toronto’s bid cost $14 million, and Paul Henderson, chief promoter of the Toronto bid, blamed his city’s defeat on a reluctant city council and opposition from the Bread Not Circuses Coalition who advocated that money spent on the Olympics would be better spent on social programs.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that consumer prices had risen 0.8% in August.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Extres--EX-3

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): A Kind of Christmas Card--Morten Harket (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Boom Boom Boom--The Outhere Brothers (3rd week at #1)

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Only Wanna Be with You--Hootie & the Blowfish (3rd week at #1)
2 Kiss from a Rose--Seal
3 Until I Hear it from You--Gin Blossoms
4 I Can Love You Like That--All-4-One
5 Roll to Me--Del Amitri
6 Not Enough--Van Halen
7 I Wish You Well--Tom Cochrane
8 Walk in the Sun--Bruce Hornsby
9 You Oughta Know--Alanis Morissette
10 A Higher Place--Tom Petty

Singles entering the chart were Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio featuring L.V. (#68); Hard as a Rock by AC/DC (#78); The Road Home by Heart (#87); Runaway by Janet Jackson (#90); and Muddy Jesus by Ian Moore (#92).

10 years ago
2005

Football
CFL
Edmonton (7-5) 36 @ Saskatchewan (6-6) 37

The Roughriders blocked Hayden Epstein's field goal attempt on the last play of the game to defeat the Eskimos. Mr. Epstein, whose 24-yard field goal with 3:51 remaining in regulation time had drawn the Eskimos to within 1 point, couldn't hear the snap count because of loud noise from the 25,226 fans at Taylor Field in Regina, and his timing was thrown off on the kick. Kenton Keith rushed for 2 Saskatchewan touchdowns, Elijah Thurmon scored another on a 10-yard pass from quarterback Marcus Crandell, and defensive back Omarr Morgan returned an interception 46 yards for the final Saskatchewan touchdown. Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray completed 31 of 45 passes for 346 yards and touchdowns to Ron McClendon, Trevor Gaylor, and Mookie Mitchell. Singor Mobley scored the first Edmonton touchdown on a 53-yard fumble return early in the 2nd quarter. Mr. Epstein kicked 4 converts, 2 field goals, and 2 singles; unfortunately, his blocked field goal attempt on the last play was the last play of his 4-game CFL career. It was the first CFL game for Edmonton running back Dahrran Diedrick.