November 10, 2015

725 years ago
1290

Died on this date
Qalawun, 67 or 68. Sultan of Egypt and Syria, 1279-290. Qalawun acceded to the throne of the Bahri Mamluk dynasty when 7-year-old Solamish was sent into exile in Constantinople. He made treaties with and waged wars against Crusader states, and ordered a siege of Frankish-held Acre in 1290. Sultan Qalawun died before the city could be taken; he was succeeded by his son Al-Ashraf Khalil, who completed the conquest of Acre in 1291.

240 years ago
1775

Defense
The United States Marine Corps was founded at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia by Samuel Nicholas.

170 years ago
1845

Born on this date
John Thompson. Prime Minister of Canada, 1892-1894. Sir John, a Conservative, was Premier of Nova Scotia in 1882 and Minister of Justice in the federal government of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald from 1885-1891. Upon Mr. Macdonald's death in June 1891, Sir John declined the office of Prime Minister, but accepted it upon the resignation of Sir John Abbott in December 1892, becoming the first Prime Minister from Atlantic Canada and the first Roman Catholic to hold the position. On December 12, 1894, at the age of 49, Sir John was at Windsor Castle in London, and Queen Victoria had just made him a member of her Privy Council, when he died of a sudden heart attack just minutes after the ceremony. Sir John was succeeded as Prime Minister by Sir Mackenzie Bowell.

150 years ago
1865

Died on this date
Henry Wirz, 41. Swiss-born C.S. military officer. Major Wirz was the superintendent of Camp Sumter, a prisoner-of-war camp near Anderson, Georgia. The camp was overcrowded, leading to appalling conditions. Major--then Captain--Wirz pleaded for help from his superiors, but was denied. He was charged with conspiring with others "...to injure the health and destroy the lives of soldiers in the military service of the United States," and with 13 counts of "Murder, in violation of the laws and customs of war." Major Wirz was convicted by a military tribunal and hanged at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C., 15 days before his 42nd birthday.

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
Jack Northrop. U.S. aviation executive. Mr. Northrop worked with Lockheed Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft before founding Avion Corporation in 1929, which he was forced to sell to United Aircraft and Transport Corporation in 1930. In 1932, he founded Northrop Corporation, which became a subsidiary of Douglas several years later. Mr. Northrop founded another Northrop Corporation in Hawthorne, California in 1939. He promoted the flying wing as the next major step in aircraft design, but it wasn't adopted as the next generation bomber platform after World War II, and the disappointment led Mr. Northrop to retire from aviation in 1952. He suffered severe financial and health setbacks in later years, but was encouraged shortly before his death to find out that the company now known as Northrop Grumman had used the flying wing design for a stealth bomber. Mr. Northrop died on February 18, 1981 at the age of 85.

100 years ago
1915

At the movies
Children of Eve, written and directed by John H. Collins, and starring Viola Dana, Robert Conness, Nellie Grant, and Robert Walker, opened in theatres.



75 years ago
1940

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Crooked Man

Died on this date
Key Pittman, 68. U.S. politician. Mr. Pittman, a Democrat, represented Nevada in the United States Senate from 1913 until his death. He was President pro tempore of the Senate and chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations from 1933 until his death. Sen. Pittman suffered a heart attack shortly before the November 5, 1940 election, but Democratic Party officials lied to the press and said that Sen. Pittman had been hospitalized for exhaustion and that his condition wasn't serious, when in fact they had been told by two doctors that Sen. Pittman's death was imminent.

War
Italian Undersecretary of War General Ubaldo Soddu replaced General Sebastiano Visconti Prasca as commander-in-chief of Italian forces in Albania. Canada and Britain started a trans-Atlantic ferry service to move planes, men and supplies to Britain from Goose Bay and Gander, Newfoundland.

Defense
The China Aid Council, composed of American groups, protested to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt against the shipment of "war supplies, including finished steel and machine tools, to Japan, contrary to the principles implied in the embargo." New York Triborough Bridge Authority Chairman Robert Moses proposed construction of four major highways in the metropolitan area at a cost of $65 million to facilitate the defense of the city in wartime.

Politics and government
The Boston Globe printed comments from an interview conducted the previous day with Joseph P. Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain, in which he expressed the opinion that democracy was dead in England and would soon be replaced by national socialism.

Disasters
The Vrancea earthquake struck Romania, registering 7.7 on the Richter scale, killing an estimated 1,000 and injuring approximately 4,000 more.

Track and field
Gérard Côté of Canada won the 6th annual Yonkers Marathon in a time of 2:34:06.2 to win the U.S. National Amateur Athletic Association championship.

Football
NFL
Washington (7-1) 14 @ Brooklyn (5-3) 16
Cleveland (4-4) 13 @ New York (4-3-1) 0
Philadelphia (0-8) 3 @ Pittsburgh (2-6-2) 7
Chicago Bears (6-2) 14 @ Detroit (4-4-1) 17
Green Bay (5-3) 28 @ Chicago Cardinals (2-5-2) 7

AFL
Buffalo (1-6) 7 @ Columbus (7-1) 13
New York 7 @ Milwaukee (6-2) 30
Cincinnati (1-6) 17 Boston (4-4) 13 @ Charleston, West Virginia

70 years ago
1945

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Till the End of Time--Perry Como with Russ Case and his Orchestra (Best Seller--9th week at #1; Airplay--9th week at #1; Juke Box--7th week at #1; Honor Roll of Hits--8th week at #1)

War
Chinese Nationalists reported that troops had made progress against Communist forces along the Great Wall and were driving on Chinhsien. Communist and Nationalist forces clashed near the coastal anchor of the Great Wall at Shanhaikwan.

Fighting of British and British Indian troops against Indonesian nationalists and returning colonialists in the East Javan city of Surabaya reached its peak. The day is now celebrated in Indonesia as Heroes' Day (Hari Pahlawan).

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Clement Attlee and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King arrived in Washington for talks with U.S. President Harry Truman about the atomic bomb.

Politics and government
Mexico's governing Intitutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) refused to support any reforms in the electoral law, which empowered the Chamber of Deputies to count votes in national elections.

Archaeology
Dr. Samuel N. Kramer of the Pennsylvania Museum announced the discovery of a previously unknown heroic age in Sumer, lower Babylonia, that flourished 5,000 years ago.

Football
CRU
WIFU
Final
Calgary 6 @ Winnipeg 9

Lloyd Boivin's short touchdown rush in the 4th quarter gave the Blue Bombers their win over the Stampeders before just 1,500 fans at Osborne Stadium on a cold Saturday afternoon. A 60-yard touchdown pass from Harry Hobbs to George Alexander--the only completed pass of the game--gave the Stampeders a 5-0 lead, which was reduced to 5-3 on a 40-yard field goal by Ches McCance, who converted Mr. Boivin's TD. The winning touchdown culminated a drive that seemed to have ended near the Calgary 40-yard line when referee Les Ferguson ruled that the Stampeders had stopped the Blue Bombers on a third-down gamble. The yard markers at Osborne Stadium were inaccurate, and the Blue Bombers requested a measurement. The measurement showed that the rushing play had gained the necessary yardage, and Mr. Ferguson reversed his ruling. The game deteriorated in the final minutes, especially after Calgary playing coach Dean Griffing threw a punch at Winnipeg quarterback Nate Shore as Mr. Shore was heading back to his bench. Several fans ran onto the field to get involved, and police had to come onto the field to restore order. The game statistics give an indication of the game's ineptitude, including: First downs: Calgary 2, Winnipeg 7; Yards rushing: Calgary 78, Winnipeg 153; Yards passing: Calgary 60, Winnipeg 0; Passes/complete: Calgary 10/1, Winnipeg 5/0; Interceptions: Calgary 1, Winnipeg 0; Punts/average yards: Calgary 12/32.7, Winnipeg 11/34.1; Punt return yards: Calgary 20, Winnipeg 42; Fumbles/lost: Calgary 2/2, Winnipeg 0; Penalties/yards: Calgary 5/50, Winnipeg 3/35.

Canadian university
Yates Cup
Western Ontario 17 @ Queen's 2

The Mustangs defeated Queen's at Richardson Stadium in Kingston to win their first Yates Cup championship.

Hardy Cup
Alberta 1 @ British Columbia 17 (British Columbia won 3-game total points series 36-17)

Reg Clarkson scored 2 touchdowns and 2 converts, with Phil Guman scoring the other TD as the Thunderbirds defeated the injury-riddled Golden Bears at Capilano Stadium in Vancouver to win the Western Canada championship. Billy Ingram punted for the Alberta point in the 3rd quarter.

50 years ago
1965

Died on this date
Roger LaPorte, 22. U.S. activist. Mr. LaPorte, a member of the Catholic Worker Movement, died the day after setting himself on fire in front of the United Nations building in New York in a protest against the Vietnam War.

Music
The Beatles were at EMI Studios in London, where they recorded the song The Word, and began recording the final version of the song I'm Looking Through You.

Boxing
Joey Archer (45-1) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Sugar Ray Robinson (174-19-6) in a middleweight bout before 9,234 fans at Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. Mr. Robinson was knocked down in the 4th round, and Mr. Archer admitted that it was only the second time he had ever knocked an opponent down. It was the last win for Mr. Archer, and the last fight for Mr. Robinson.



40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Mamma Mia--ABBA (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ichigo Hakusho wo Mou Ichido--Bang Bang (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Bella Sin Alma--Richard Cocciante (4th week at #1)

Abominations
The United Nations General Assembly voted 72-35 with 32 abstentions in favour of Resolution 3379, to "determine that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination." The resolution was repealed on December 16, 1991 by Resolution 46/86, which was passed by a vote of 111-25 with 13 abstentions.

Law
In Morristown, New Jersey, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Robert Muir refused to order that the respirator be disconnected from Karen Quinlan, 21, who had been in an irreversible coma since April 15, 1975. Judge Muir ruled that the decision of whether or not to disconnect Miss Quinlan's respirator was a medical rather than a legal decision. Miss Quinlan's parents had petitioned the court to have the respirator removed, and Joseph Quinlan said that it was time for her to "go to her heavenly father."

Edmontonia
10,800 people were reported to have paid their respects to Mayor William Hawrelak, who had died on November 7 at the age of 60. Some of those people probably just wanted to make sure.

Politics and government
The government of the Northwest Territories disbanded the village council of Frobisher Bay. Ray Creery, the N.W.T. government's director of local government, described the village's government as "muddled management" with "no proper financial control." He appointed a local figure to take charge of the government of Frobisher Bay to "restore a proper administrative standard."

Oil
R.S. Westbury, a consulting geologist for Toronto-based Phoenix Oil Canada, said that a proposal for studies preparatory to the explosion of a 10-kiloton nuclear device south of Fort McMurray, Alberta had been delayed by the national postal strike, but would be included in those now being studied by the Alberta oil sands research team. Mr. Westbury said that the most important test of the experiments to determine environmental effects would be to discover whether water was moving through the general formation in which the device would be detonated. If it was shown that within 30 years water would move from the area to a zone where it was used for human consumption, the concept would be shelved. Phoenix Oil had submitted the application for financial aid through the mail, but Canada was in the midst of a two-month postal strike, hence the delay.

Disasters
The 729-foot-long U.S. freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a storm on Lake Superior, killing all 29 crewmen on board.

Football
NFL
Kansas City (4-4) 34 @ Dallas (5-3) 31

Baseball
The Kansas City Royals released designated hitter Harmon Killebrew, ending his 22-year Hall of Fame major league career. Mr. Killebrew played with the Washington Nationals/Senators/Minnesota Twins from 1954-1974 and the Royals in 1975. He batted .256 with 573 home runs and 1,584 runs batted in in 2,435 games. Mr. Killebrew hit 40 or more home runs in a season eight times, with his best total being 49 in 1969, when he was the American League's Most Valuable Player. In 106 games with Kansas City in 1975 Mr. Killebrew batted .199 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs.

30 years ago
1985

Hockey
NHL
Philadelphia Flyers’ goalie Pelle Lindbergh smashed his Porsche into a cement wall at high speed in Somerdale, New Jersey, leaving the 26-year-old brain-dead, and inspiring one of the Edmonton Sun’s most memorable and tasteful front-page headlines: GOALIE BRAIN DEAD.

Football
CFL
Eastern Semi-Final
Ottawa 20 @ Montreal 30

Western Semi-Final
Edmonton 15 @ Winnipeg 22

Joe Barnes completed 28 of 40 passes for 344 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown to Nick Arakgi on the final play of the 3rd quarter, to lead the Concordes to victory before just 11,372 fans at Olympic Stadium. Tony Johns rushed 10 times for 45 yards and touchdowns of 3 and 1 yards for Montreal, while Roy Kurtz added 3 converts and 3 field goals. Ottawa quarterback J.C. Watts led the Rough Riders in rushing with 56 yards on 10 carries, but completed just 12 of 27 passes for 146 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown to Stew Fraser in the 2nd quarter. Tim McCray rushed 5 times for 34 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown with 46 seconds remaining in the game, and added 52 yards on 6 pass receptions. Mr. Aragki led the Concordes with 7 receptions for 110 yards, and teammate Kris Haines caught 5 for 92. Mr. Fraser led the Rough Riders with 70 yards on 4 receptions.



The officiating crew led by referee Lorne Woods, who had angered Ottawa Rough Riders’ head coach Joe Moss the week before, had another bad game, and the Eskimos, who put up a heroic struggle, were the victims. Particularly bad was an incident in the 4th quarter where Winnipeg offensive tackle Chris Walby kicked Edmonton defensive back Mark Jackson, and instead of being ejected with a 25-yard penalty, he escaped with a call of offsetting penalties. James Murphy scored both Winnipeg touchdowns on passes from Tom Clements. The first came 18 seconds into the 2nd quarter and covered 12 yards; the second, which provided the margin of victory, was a 16-yard pass on the last play of the 3rd quarter. Trevor Kennerd converted both and added 2 field goals and a single. Bob Cameron punted 59 yards for a single on the second-last play of the game. The Eskimos scored their first touchdown 9:03 into the game when Dan Bass blocked a punt and Dan Kearns fell on the ball in the Winnipeg end zone to break a 1-1 tie. Their other major score came after Jeff Treftlin alertly beat a slow Winnipeg player and recovered the second-half kickoff deep in Blue Bomber territory. Damon Allen, who played almost the entire game at quarterback in place of injured regular Matt Dunigan, sneaked over from the 1-yard line just 50 seconds into the 3rd quarter. Tom Dixon added 2 converts and a single on a missed 33-yard field goal attempt in the 1st quarter. Willard Reaves of the Blue Bombers led all rushers with 18 carries for 86 yards. Mr. Allen led the Eskimos with 9 rushes for 44 yards. Mr. Murphy caught 5 passes for 71 yards to lead all receivers. Brian Kelly of the Eskimos caught 2 for 52, and just missed catching up to a long pass from Mr. Allen on the last play of the game; if he’d caught it, he very well may have scored, and the almost-certain convert would have sent the game into overtime. Rookie Steve Howlett caught 2 passes for 45 yards for the Eskimos, and Brian Fryer, playing the last game of a 10-year professional career, caught 1 for 12. Mr. Clements completed 17 of 30 passes for 193 yards and 2 interceptions; one of the interceptions was by Ron Howard, who had played for the Blue Bombers in pre-season, but was playing his first real CFL game as an Eskimo cornerback. The other Eskimo interception was by defensive tackle James Zachery. He returned the ball 32 yards, an impressive accomplishment for someone playing with a broken toe. Mr. Allen, in his first CFL playoff game, completed 11 of 29 passes for 156 yards and 2 interceptions. Brad Taylor, also playing his first playoff game, relieved Mr. Allen for one play and threw an incomplete pass. 29,191 fans at Winnipeg Stadium saw the Blue Bombers defeat the Eskimos in the semi-final for the third straight year. In retrospect, it seemed as though the dismal performance by Mr. Woods may have been the result of incipient coronary problems; he died of a heart attack just a few weeks later.



25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Jukebox in Siberia--Skyhooks (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): I'm Your Baby Tonight--Whitney Houston (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Cult of Snap--Snap! (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Verdammt - Ich Lieb' Dich--Matthias Reim (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Une femme avec une femme--Mecano

#1 single in the U.K. (CIN): Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 The Joker--Steve Miller Band (2nd week at #1)
2 Show Me Heaven--Maria McKee
3 Have You Seen Her--MC Hammer
4 Candy--Iggy Pop
5 I'm Your Baby Tonight--Whitney Houston
6 Verdammt - Ich Lieb' Dich--Matthias Reim
7 Born to Be Wild--Steppenwolf
8 Duet--Brigitte Kaandorp en Herman Finkers
9 Must Bee the Music--King Bee
10 Thunderstruck--AC/DC

Singles entering the chart were Doin' the Do by Betty Boo (#26); Body Language by the Adventures of Stevie V (#32); Love Takes Time by Mariah Carey (#33); Over the Hills by BZN (#35); I Like You by Culture Beat featuring Lana E. and Jay Supreme (#36); and Spring from Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Nigel Kennedy (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Love Takes Time--Mariah Carey
2 Pray--M.C. Hammer
3 Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice
4 Giving You the Benefit--Pebbles
5 I Don't Have the Heart--James Ingram
6 More than Words Can Say--Alias
7 Black Cat--Janet Jackson
8 Groove is in the Heart--Deee-Lite
9 Knockin' Boots--Candyman
10 Something to Believe In--Poison

Singles entering the chart were Hang in Long Enough by Phil Collins (#69); I Wanna Get with U by Guy (#73); Gentle by Dino (#81); New York Minute by Don Henley (#82); Me-U=Blue by Glenn Medeiros (featuring the Stylistics) (#83); Love is a Killer by Vixen (#84); If You Needed Somebody by Bad Company (#88); and Falling to Pieces by Faith No More (#92).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice (2nd week at #1)
2 Love Takes Time--Mariah Carey
3 Giving You the Benefit--Pebbles
4 Pray--M.C. Hammer
5 Black Cat--Janet Jackson
6 More Than Words Can Say--Alias
7 I Don’t Have the Heart--James Ingram
8 Suicide Blonde--INXS
9 Groove is in the Heart--Deee-Lite
10 Knockin’ Boots--Candyman

Singles entering the chart were Hang in Long Enough by Phil Collins (#53); Sensitivity by Ralph Tresvant (#56); Does She Love That Man? by Breathe featuring David Glasper (#69); Never Enough by the Cure (#72); The First Time by Surface (#73); If You Needed Somebody by Bad Company (#80); Gentle by Dino (#82); Doin' the Do by Betty Boo (#85); and Don't You Wanna Be Mine by Denise Lopez (#87).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Suicide Blonde--INXS
2 Praying for Time--George Michael
3 More than Words Can Say--Alias
4 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers
5 Love Takes Time--Mariah Carey
6 Say a Prayer--Breathe
7 Stranded--Heart
8 Black Cat--Janet Jackson
9 Something Happened on the Way to Heaven--Phil Collins
10 So Close--Daryl Hall John Oates

Singles entering the chart were Lost Soul by Bruce Hornsby and the Range (#63); Real Real Gone by Van Morrison (#71); So Hard by Pet Shop Boys (#87); Burning Train by Scott Merritt (#90); The Bridge is Burning by the Jitters (#91); Fearless by the Neville Brothers (#93); Heaven Can Wait by Paul Young (#95); I Can't Forget About You by Zahalan (#96); Signs by Tesla (#98); and I'm Seventeen by Tommy Cogswell and the Young Rumblers (#99).

Died on this date
Aurelio Monteagudo, 46. Cuban-born Venezuelan baseball pitcher. Mr. Monteagudo played with the Kansas City Athletics (1963-1966); Houston Astros (1966); Chicago White Sox (1967); Kansas City Royals (1970); and California Angels (1973), compiling a record of 3-7 with an earned run average of 5.05 in 72 games--65 in relief. He also had lengthy careers in the Venezuelan League and the Mexican League, and was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. Mr. Monteagudo was killed in a car accident nine days before his 47th birthday.

Politics and government
Chandra Shekhar, leader of the Janata Dal (Socialist) Party, was sworn in as Prime Minister of India. He was widely seen as a caretaker Prime Minister who would lose his position when Congress (I) leader and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi withdrew his support from the governing coalition.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio feauring L.V. (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio feauring L.V. (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Ken Saro-Wiwa, 54. Nigerian activist. Mr. Saro-Wiwa, a writer and televsion producer, was a member of the minority Ogoni ethnic group who was opposed to environmental damage to his homeland caused by oil extraction. He and with eight others with the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Mosop) were hanged by government forces despite international protests and pleas for clemency.

Crime
A sniper shot and wounded an abortion clinic a doctor at his Ancaster, Ontario home.