November 25, 2015

220 years ago
1795

Europeana
Stanisław August Poniatowski signed his abdication as King of Poland and the last monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

150 years ago
1865

Died on this date
Heinrich Barth, 44. German explorer and scholar. Dr. Barth learned Arabic as a young man, which proved useful in leading expeditions to North Africa and the Near East from the mid-1840s through the early 1860s. He wrote the five-volume Reisen und Entdeckungen in Nord- und Centralafrika (Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa; 1857–1858), which is still used by historians.

130 years ago
1885

Died on this date
Thomas A. Hendricks, 66. 21st Vice President of the United States of America, 1885. Mr. Hendricks, a Democrat, represented Indiana in the United States House of Representatives from 1851-1855 and in the Senate from 1863-1869. He was Governor of Indiana from 1873-1877. Mr. Hendricks was the vice presidential running mate of Democratic Party presidential nominee Samuel Tilden in the hotly-disputed election of 1876, and was elected as Grover Cleveland's running mate in 1884. He had been suffering from poor health for several years, and died in his sleep while on a trip home to Indianapolis. The vice presidency remained vacant for the rest of Mr. Cleveland's term in office.

Alfonso XII, 27. King of Spain, 1874-1885. Alfonso XII was the son of Queen Isabella II, who was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1868. She abdicated in his favour while in exile in his favour, and when the monarchy was restored, he took the throne on December 29, 1874. Alfonso XII had tuberculosis and died of dysentery three days before his 28th birthday. At the time of his death, Queen Maria Christina was pregnant with their son, who acceded to the throne as King Alfonso XIII upon his birth on May 17, 1886.

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
Wilhelm Kempff. German musician and composer. Mr. Kempff was a classical pianist who was particularly known for his interpretations of Beethoven and Schubert in a performing and recording career spanning more than 60 years. Mr. Kempff wrote two symphonies and numerous orchestral, vocal, chamber, and keyboard works. He died on May 23, 1991 at the age of 95.

110 years ago
1905

Europeana
Prince Carl of Denmark arrived in Norway to become King Haakon VII of Norway.

Football
CRU
Dominion Final
Ottawa 9 @ University of Toronto 11

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Dave Dexter, Jr. U.S. journalist and music executive. Mr. Dexter wrote about jazz music in the Kansas City Journal-Post and Down Beat magazine before joining Capitol Records in 1943, eventually becoming an artists and repertoire representative. He signed artists such as Frank Sinatra, Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman and Kay Starr to Capitol and produced albums of collected jazz music, but disliked rock and roll. Mr. Dexter refused to release the Beatles' first four singles on Capitol, and was finally ordered by EMI, Capitol's parent company, to release I Want to Hold Your Hand on Capitol Records late in 1963. Mr. Dexter refused to sign other British groups to the label, with the exception of Freddie and the Dreamers. Mr. Dexter altered the sound and content of the Beatles' early U.S. Capitol albums, to the group's displeasure. By 1966, Capitol determined that Mr. Dexter's prejudices had cost the company an estimated $6 million in record sales--approximately $54 million in today's dollars. He was moved to another job within the company, and left Capitol Records in the 1970s. Mr. Dexter later wrote for Billboard magazine, and produced the radio program Here's to Veterans for the U.S. Veterans Administration. He died in his sleep, several years after suffering a stroke, on April 19, 1990 at the age of 74.

Augusto Pinochet. 30th President of Chile, 1973-1990. Captain General Pinochet was Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army when the army seized power in a coup that toppled elected President Salvador Allende. Capt. Gen. Pinochet led Chile as a dictator, but resigned at the end of a gradual transition to democracy. He was indicted in Spain in 1998 for human rights violations, but was released for medical reasons in 2000. Capt. Gen. Pinochet died on December 10, 2006 at the age of 91.

Armando Villanueva. Prime Minister of Peru, 1988-1989. Mr. Villanueva, a member of the Peruvian Aprista Party, served time in prison for opposing the military dictatorship of Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro, and then held various positions before serving as Prime Minister during the presidency of Alan García. He died on April 14, 2013 at the age of 97.

Science
Albert Einstein presented the field equations of general relativity to the Prussian Academy of Sciences.

Transportation
The New York Central Railroad signed a 21-year lease for the Ottawa and New York Railway.

90 years ago
1925

Politics and government
Gerald Nye, a Republican, took office as a United States Senator from North Dakota, replacing Edwin F. Ladd, who had died on June 22, 1925. Mr. Nye was appointed by North Dakota Governor Arthur Sorlie.

80 years ago
1935

Politics and government
Premier Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, who had been in office since 1920, led his governing Liberal Party to its fourth straight victory in the Quebec provincial election, but with a reduced majority. The Liberals won 47 of 89 seats in the National Assembly, down from 79 of 90 in the 1931 election. The Action libérale nationale, led by Paul Gouin, won 25 seats in their first election, while the Conservatives, led by Maurice Duplessis, won 17 seats, up from 11 in 1931.

75 years ago
1940

Abominations
Reports from Warsaw said that effective the following day, approximately 500,000 Warsaw Jews would be forced to live in a ghetto surrounded by an eight-foot concrete wall built by the Germans as a "health measure."

Defense
The U.S.S.R. informed Germany that the Soviet Union was ready to join the Tripartite Pact only if German troops withdrew from Finland; if Germany conceded that Bulgaria was within the Soviet sphere of influence; and if Japan made concessions in Sakhalin. Informed Nazi sources in Berlin said that Bulgaria would not join the Axis "at present." Geoffrey de Havilland took the British combat plane de Havilland Mosquito for its first flight in England. In the United States, Ken Ebel took the bomber Martin B-26 Marauder for its first flight.

Terrorism
The French-built ocean liner SS Patria was sunk in Haifa harbour by a bomb placed by Munya Mardor of the Jewish paramilitary group Haganah, killing 267 people and injuring 172. There were 1,800 Jewish refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe aboard, who were about to be sent to Mauritius because they lacked entry permits to Palestine. The bomb was apparently intended just to prevent the ship from leaving Haifa, and not to kill people, but Haganah claimed to have miscalculated the effects of the bomb.

Diplomacy
The first Inter-Maritime Conference opened in Washington for the purpose of promoting shipping and trade facilities in the Western Hemisphere.

The Marquess of Lothian, the United Kingdom's new Ambassador to the United States, conferred with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull, later telling reporters that Britain expected substantial aid from the U.S. in the next year in the form of credits, warplanes, ships, and munitions.

Politics and government
Paraguayan President Higinio Moríñigo tightened his rule by ousting several opponents from his cabinet and key army positions.

Crime
Rufo Romero, leader of the Philippine Boy Scouts, was convicted by a general court martial in Manila of conspiring to sell military information, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Law
The Supreme Court of the United States unanimously ruled that exclusion of Negroes from a Texas grand jury violated the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

15 Democratic U.S. Senators joined 19 Republicans in a vote to take up the Logan-Walter Bill, which would increase the authority of the courts to review and set aside the decisions of government boards and agencies.

Labour
American Federation of Labor President William Green said at the AFL convention in New Orleans that no strike "for any reason" should be permitted to interrupt the production of war materials for national defense or for the United Kingdom.

70 years ago
1945

War
After a 35-mile advance, Nationalist Chinese troops claimed the capture of the Communist strongpoint of Chinhsien in the province of Jehol.

Politics and government
In the Austrian general election, the rightist Catholic People's Party, led by Leopold Figi, captured at least 85 seats in the National Assembly, with the Social Democrats winning 77 and the Communists 3.

The Azerbaijani "National Congress" demanded autonomy for the province, but denied any intention of dividing Iran.

Abominations
Women were allowed to vote in Ecuadorean municipal elections for the first time; conservatives captured the most posts.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock--Bill Haley and his Comets

At the movies
The Big Knife, directed by Robert Aldrich, and starring Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Wendell Corey, Rod Steiger, and Shelley Winters, opened in theatres.





Died on this date
Louis Lachenal, 34. French mountaineer. Mr. Lachenal and Maurice Herzog reached the summit of Annapurna I in Nepal--26,545 feet (8,091 metres)--on June 3, 1950, becoming the first people to climb a summit of more than 8,000 metres. Mr. Lachemal died when he fell into a snow-covered crevasse while skiing the Vallee Blanche in Chamonix.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): The Carnival is Over--The Seekers

World events
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu deposed President Joseph Kasavubu and became President for an initial term of 5 years (which stretched into 32 years).

40 years ago
1975

South Americana
Suriname gained its independence from the Netherlands.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Power of Love--Jennifer Rush

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Koi ni Ochite: Fall in Love--Akiko Kobayashi (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Part-Time Lover--Stevie Wonder (5th week at #1)

Crime
Sharon Scranage, an employee of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, was sentenced to five years in prison for giving the names of U.S. intelligence agents in Ghana to a citizen of Ghana.

Ronald Pelton, a former employee of the U.S. National Security Agency, was charged with selling U.S. intelligence secrets to the U.S.S.R.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): To Sir with Love--Ngaire (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: I've Been Thinking About You--Londonbeat (4th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 I've Been Thinking About You--Londonbeat (3rd week at #1)
2 Cult of Snap--Snap!
3 Ich hab' geträumt von dir--Matthias Reim
4 I'm Your Baby Tonight--Whitney Houston
5 Crazy for You--David Hasselhoff
6 The Invisible Man--Dance with a Stranger
7 Tom's Diner--DNA featuring Suzanne Vega
8 Keep on Running--Milli Vanilli
9 The Joker--Steve Miller Band
10 The Anniversary Waltz (Part One)--Status Quo

Singles entering the chart were Keep on Running; Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice (#12); Sadeness Part I by Enigma (#15); and You Gotta Love Someone by Elton John (#25).

Politics and government
In the first round of voting to elect a President of Poland, Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity trade union movement, led with 40%. Stanislaw Tyminski, a businessman who had emigrated to Canada in 1969, was second with 23%. Premier Tadeusz Mazowiecki was third of six candidates with 18%. The winner needed to draw more than 50% of the vote, and only the top two candidates were allowed to move on to the second round of voting.

Football
CFL
Grey Cup @ B.C. Place Stadium, Vancouver
Winnipeg 50 Edmonton 11

The Blue Bombers recovered 4 Eskimo fumbles and made 3 interceptions and a turnover on downs to win their second Grey Cup in 3 years before 46,968 fans. Winnipeg led 10-0 after the 1st quarter on a 13-yard Trevor Kennerd field goal and an 11-yard touchdown pass from Tom Burgess to Lee Hull, converted by Mr. Kennerd. Ray Macoritti got the Eskimos on the scoreboard with a 56-yard punt single in the 2nd quarter, and kicked a 37-yard field goal with 1 second remaining to reduce Winnipeg’s lead to 10-4 at halftime. The key play of the game occurred at 5:16 of the 3rd quarter when Winnipeg linebacker Greg Battle made a great play for an interception and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown, converted by Mr. Kennerd. The Blue Bombers quickly turned the game into a rout, as Mr. Burgess completed touchdown passes of 5 yards to Perry Tuttle and 18 yards to Warren Hudson, and handed off to Mr. Hudson for a 2-yard touchdown rush on the last play of the 3rd quarter. All were converted by Mr. Kennerd, and Winnipeg led 38-4 after 3 quarters. The only Edmonton touchdown came on a 20-yard pass from Tracy Ham to Larry Willis at 2:34 of the 4th quarter, converted by Mr. Macoritti. James West sacked Mr. Ham in the Edmonton end zone for a safety touch, Mr. Kennerd added a 14-yard field goal, and backup quarterback Danny McManus completed a 56-yard touchdown pass to Rick House, converted by Mr. Kennerd. Mr. Burgess completed 18 of 31 passes for 286 yards, while Mr. McManus was 2 for 2 for 66 yards and Sammy Garza was 1 for 4 for 15 yards and an interception. Mr. Ham completed 20 of 37 passes for 253 yards and led all rushers with 84 yards on 11 carries. Robert Mimbs led the Blue Bombers with 11 carries for 55 yards. Edmonton’s Craig Ellis led all receivers with 8 receptions for 131 yards; Mr. House led the Blue Bombers with 107 yards on 6 receptions. Eight different Eskimos caught at least one pass, while seven different Blue Bombers made at least one reception. Mr. Burgess was named the game’s outstanding offensive player; Mr. Battle was the outstanding defensive player; Mr. Hudson was the outstanding Canadian. The game was the last as a CFL head coach for Winnipeg’s Mike Riley, and was the end of the line for Joe Faragalli with the Eskimos; he was retired a few days later.



20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Het is een Nacht... (Levensecht)--Guus Meeuwis & Vagant (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): You are Not Alone--Michael Jackson (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Je sais pas--Céline Dion (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Believe/Up on the Roof--Robson & Jerome (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
2 Fantasy--Mariah Carey
3 Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V.
4 You Remind Me of Something--R. Kelly
5 Hey Lover--LL Cool J
6 Runaway--Janet Jackson
7 Tell Me--Groove Theory
8 Back for Good--Take That
9 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
10 Diggin' on You--TLC

Singles entering the chart were Exhale (Shoop Shoop); Rock Steady by Bonnie Raitt with Bryan Adams (#82); Rosealia by Better than Ezra (#94); and Funny How Time Flies by Intro (#99).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Fantasy--Mariah Carey (8th week at #1)
2 Runaway--Janet Jackson
3 Tell Me--Groove Theory
4 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
5 Diggin' on You--TLC
6 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
7 Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V.
8 Who Can I Run To?--Xscape
9 Back for Good--Take That
10 Name--Goo Goo Dolls

Singles entering the chart were Diggin' on You; Rock Steady by Bonnie Raitt with Bryan Adams (#55); Blessed by Elton John (#58); The World I Know by Collective Soul (#71); Throw Your Hands Up/Gangsta's Paradise by L.V. (#84); and Ridin' Low by L.A.D. featuring Darvy Traylor (#85).

Scandal
Former Osler Inc. Chairman Len Gaudet was sentenced in Toronto to eight years in jail for his role in the costliest brokerage failure in Bay Street history.

Football
CIS
Vanier Cup @ SkyDome, Toronto
Calgary 54 Western Ontario 24

Don Blair caught 4 passes for 74 yards and 3 touchdowns, and returned a blocked punt for another TD, as the Dinosaurs routed the Mustangs before 29,178 fans. Mr. Blair's 4 touchdowns set a Vanier Cup record, and earned him the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy as the game's Most Valuable Player. His teammate Tarek Jayoussi led all receivers with 8 receptions for 188 yards and a touchdown, while Calgary's Chris Lewis rushed 18 times for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. Brian Mlachak added 6 converts and 2 field goals, with his first FG coming from 50 yards, a Vanier Cup record. Jason Assen started at quarterback and left with an injury after throwing the first TD pass to Mr. Blair. Sasha Blaskovich replaced Mr. Assen and completed 15 of 22 passes for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns. Western Ontario quarterback Warren Goldie completed just 11 of 25 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown to Tom McConnell to open the scoring. Mr. Goldie also rushed 1 yard for a touchdown early in the 4th quarter and handed off to Sean Reade for a 1-yard TD with 7:40 remaining. Garrick MacBride added 3 converts and a field goal.



10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
George Best, 59. U.K. soccer player. Mr. Best, a native of Belfast, was a winger with numerous clubs, but was best known for his years with Manchester United, scoring 137 goals in 361 games with them from 1963-1974. He was also well known for his alcohol-sodden lifestyle, which negatively influenced his game and destroyed his life. This blogger saw him play in person for the San Jose Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League against the Edmonton Drillers at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on April 27, 1980. Mr. Best was inducted as a charter member of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

Richard Burns, 34. U.K. auto racing driver. Mr. Burns won the 2001 World Rally Championship after finishing second in the previous two years. He died of a brain tumour.

Society
New liquor licensing laws came into force in England and Wales, allowing pubs to remain open 24 hours a day.