November 28, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Chris Milner and Dede Hill!

725 years ago
1290

Died on this date
Eleanor of Castile, 49. Queen consort of England, 1272-1290. Eleanor, the daughter of King Ferdinand III of Castile, married the future King Edward III of England, her second cousin once removed, in 1254. She accompanied him to Palestine during the Third Crusade (1270-1272), and became Queen consort upon his accession to the throne. Queen Eleanor was a promoter of literature and culture, and was known for her shrewd land deals. She died after a period of ill health, perhaps resulting from a strain of malaria.

230 years ago
1785

Diplomacy
The first Treaty of Hopewell was signed at Hopewell Plantation in South Carolina between the Confederation Congress of the United States of America and the Cherokee Indians, laying out a western boundary for American settlement.

150 years ago
1865

Died on this date
José Manuel Pareja, 52. Spanish military officer. Admiral Pareja commanded Spanish forces during the Chincha Islands War. Two days after Spain suffered a humiliating defeat by Chile in the Battle of Papudo, Admiral Pareja committed suicide by shooting himself aboard his flagship Villa de Madrid.

130 years ago
1885

War
The Serbo-Bulgarian War ended after two weeks in a decisive Bulgarian victory, preserving the unification of Bulgaria.

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
José Iturbi Báguena. Spanish musician. Mr. Iturbi was a pianist, harpsichordist, and conductor who had a career spanning more than 60 years. He conducted the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Valencia Symphony Orchestra for many years. Mr. Iturbi died from heart problems on June 28, 1980 at the age of 84.

Auto racing
The first American automobile race, sponsored by the Chicago Times-Herald, took place with 6 "moto-cycles" covering the 54 miles from Jackson Park in Chicago to Evanston, Illinois, and back--in snow. Frank Duryea, driving his brother Charles' Motorized Wagon, won in just over 10 hours, at an average speed of about 7.3 miles per hour.

110 years ago
1905

Politics and government
Irish nationalist Arthur Griffith founded Sinn Féin as a political party with the main aim of establishing a dual monarchy in Ireland.

100 years ago
1915

Died on this date
Mubarak Al-Sabah, 71. Ruler of Kuwait, 1896-1915. Sheikh Mubarak ascended the throne upon the death of his half-brother Muhammad Al-Sabah. Mubarak signed the Anglo-Kuwaiti Treaty with the United Kingdom on November 23, 1899, pledging himself and his successors not to receive foreign agents or representatives or to cede or sell territory without the approval of the British government; as a result, Sheikh Mubarak is regarded as the founder of modern Kuwait. He died of an attack of malaria aggravated by a heart condition, and was succeeded on the throne by his son Jaber II Al-Sabah.

90 years ago
1925

On the radio
The Grand Ole Opry began broadcasting in Nashville, Tennessee, as the WSM Barn Dance.

Hockey
NHL
Montreal Canadiens' goalie Georges Vezina, who was playing his 328th consecutive game in a streak that had begun on December 31, 1910, played a scoreless first period against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Canadiens' season opener at Mount Royal Arena, but collapsed on the ice just prior to the beginning of the 2nd period, and was taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with an advanced case of tuberculosis. The illness proved fatal, and Mr. Vezina died on March 27, 1926 at the age of 39. When Mr. Vezina collapsed, he was replaced in goal by Frenchy Lacroix, who lost to the Pirates.

Football
CRU
Eastern Final
Ottawa Senators 11 Queen's University 2

The Senators' win not only ended the Tricolor's three-year reign as Grey Cup champions, but ended their 26-game winning streak. It was, in the opinion of this blogger, the biggest upset in Canadian football for the entire decade of the 1920s.

75 years ago
1940

Died on this date
Jesse Livermore, 63. U.S. stock speculator. Mr. Livermore, known as the "Boy Plunger" and the "Great Bear of Wall Street," gained and lost several large fortunes. He sold stocks short just before the stock market crash in 1929, with his resulting worth being $100 million (the equivalent of $1.384 billion in 2014). He then began to lose money in investments, and instead of cutting his losses, he continued to invest, losing virtually his entire fortune. He shot himself to death in the cloakroom at the Sherry Netherland Hotel in New York City, leaving an eight-page suicide note in which he called himself a failure.

War
German soldiers in or near Bucharest were mobilized and ordered to stand ready for immediate action to intervene in the conflict between the Romanian government of Prime Minister Ion Antonescu and the fascist Iron Guardists. The United Kingdom reported a methodical and relentless bombing of Cologne by the Royal Air Force. Reports from Thailand announced the bombing of areas of Indochina after bombing by French planes of Thai positions around Nankorn Panom.

Defense
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau disclosed in Washington that the United Kingdom and the United States would make joint use of some of the Caribbean naval bases recently leased from the U.K.

Diplomacy
A hostile crowd marred the Mexico City welcome for U.S. Vice President-elect Henry Wallace.

John Cudahy resigned as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium to devote his time to writing.

Law
U.S. Representative Howard W. Smith (Democrat--Virginia) introduced a bill providing up to life imprisonment for persons convicted of sabotage. Rep. John Cochran (Democrat--Missouri) blocked House action on the Walter-Logan bill by refusing to agree to Senate amendments. The bill, if passed, would increase the authority of the courts to review and set aside decisions of government boards and agencies.

Scandal
The United States Justice Department denied parole to Martin Morton, former 10th-ranking federal judge, who had been sentenced on March 7 to two years in the Lewisburg, Pennsylvania prison for "conspiracy to obstruct justice and defraud the United States."

Medicine
The American Chemical Society reported that the wartime shortage of Indian monkeys may hamper research into human diseases.

Economics and finance
The United States signed a three-year contract with 14 Latin American nations to stabilize the coffee industry, with American import quotas being set for each country.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor convention in New Orleans re-elected William Green as President.

U.S. Attorney General Robert Jackson received a 1,000-page secret report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Australian-born West coast Congress of Industrial Organizations leader Harry Bridges.

Football
NFL
Pittsburgh (2-7-2) 0 @ Philadelphia (1-9) 7

70 years ago
1945

Died on this date
Dwight F. Davis, 66. American tennis player and politician. Mr. Davis was a star amateur tennis player in the late 1890s and early 1900s, and founded the Davis Cup competition. He was a Republican who served as Assistant U.S. Secretary of War (1923-1925) and Secretary of War (1925-1929) in the administration of President Calvin Coolidge, and then as Governor-General of the Philippines from 1929-1932.

War
At hearings of the U.S. Senate Committee on the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, telegrams from U.S. diplomats in Latin America were introduced, showing that Japanese representatives there were predicting war with the United States between April and December 1941. John Amery, 33, son of former U.K. Conservative cabinet minister Leo Amery, pled guilty to eight counts of treason related to activities during World War II that included propaganda broadcasts and a proposal to raise a pro-Nazi British volunteer force (which became the British Free Corps). Mr. Amery's trial lasted just eight minutes.

Diplomacy
The day after Patrick J. Hurley's resignation as U.S. Ambassador to China, resolutions were introduced in both houses of Congress to investigate his charges that some State Department officials had sought to undermine U.S. policy in China.

The Panamanian National Assembly approved a resolution to begin intern-American discussions on breaking relations with the "authoritarian" governments of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Dominican Republic.

Politics and government
Austrian Chancellor Karl Renner's provisional government resigned.

U.S. Navy Secretary James Forrestal offered a substitute merger plan providing for a National Security Council, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a "Chief of Staff" to the President, along with centralized research and intelligence agencies.

Labour
The Congress of Industrial Organizations United Steel Workers in the United States voted to strike against the steel industry to enforce their demand for a $2 daily wage increase.

60 years ago
1955

Baseball
The New York Giants drafted pitcher Steve Ridzik from the roster of the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League. Mr. Ridzik began the 1955 season with the Philadelphia Phillies, posting a record of 0-1 with an earned run average of 2.45 in 3 games before being traded to the Cincinnati Redlegs on April 30. He was 0-3 with an ERA of 4.50 in 13 games with Cincinnati and 2-1 with a 3.71 ERA in 15 games with the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League.

50 years ago
1965

War
In response to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson's call for "more flags" in Vietnam, Philippine President-elect Ferdinand Marcos announced that he would send troops to help fight in South Vietnam.

Football
Continental League
Championship @ Laidley Field, Charleston
Toronto 7 @ Charleston 24

7,100 fans saw the Rockets defeat the Rifles in the league's first championship game.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Tears on My Pillow--Johnny Nash (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Lady Bump--Penny McLean (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Dolannes-Melodie--Jean-Claude Borelly (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Paloma Blanca--George Baker Selection (3rd week at #1)

Asiatica
The Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (FRETILIN) declared Portuguese Timor's independence from Portugal, to be known as East Timor. The Southeast Asian country had been a Portuguese colony since 1769.

Law
U.S. President Gerald R. Ford nominated federal Judge John Paul Stevens to the U.S. Supreme Court seat vacated by the retirement of William O. Douglas.

30 years ago
1985

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CITV
Tonight’s episode: The Shadow Man, starring Jeff Calhoun and Jonathan Ward; The Uncle Devil Show, starring Murphy Dunne and Gregory Mier; Opening Day, starring Jeffrey Jones

Died on this date
John McNally aka Johnny Blood, 82. U.S. football player and coach. Mr. McNally was a halfback with six professional teams from 1925-1941, and was a member of the Green Bay Packers' National Football League championship teams of 1929-1931 and 1936. He coached the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers from 1937-1939, amd came out of retirement to play one game with the Buffalo Tigers of the American Football League in 1941. After service in World War II, Mr. McNally attempted a comeback with the Packers in 1945, but retired after being injured in an exhibition game. Mr. McNally was as famous for his off-field adventures as for his performances on the field. He was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1963 as a charter member. Mr. McNally died the day after his 82nd birthday.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): No Coke--Dr. Alban (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight’s episode: The Sixth Man

Politics and government
John Major was sworn in as British Prime Minister, replacing fellow Conservative Margaret Thatcher. Mr. Major also named his cabinet.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the gross national product had grown at an annual rate of 1.7% in the third quarter of 1990. U.S. Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan said that the U.S. economy had entered a "meaningful downturn," but was unsure if a recession would result.

20 years ago
1995

Diplomacy
The United Kingdom and Ireland signed a joint declaration on Northern Ireland; the issue of decommissioning weapons belonging to Irish Republican Army members was delegated to an international committee that included Canadian General John de Chastelain.

Law
A national convention to coordinate the drafting of a new constitution for Myanmar was reconvened.

U.S. President Bill Clinton signed a bill that ended the federal 55 miles per hour speed limit.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Marc Lawrence, 95. U.S. actor. Mr. Lawrence, born Max Goldsmith, was a character actor who specialized in playing underworld figures in movies in a career that spanned seven decades.

Jack Concannon, 62. U.S. football player. Mr. Concannon was a quarterback at Boston College and was drafted in 1964 by the Boston Patriots of the American Football League and in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He chose to sign with the Eagles and played with them from 1964-1966, before being traded to the Chicago Bears for tight end Mike Ditka. Mr. Concannon played with the Bears from 1967-1971; Green Bay Packers (1974); and Detroit Lions (1975). He never amounted to much, completing 560 of 1,110 passes for 6,270 yards, with 36 touchdowns and 63 interceptions. Mr. Concannon's best season was 1970, when he was 194 for 385 for 2,130 yards, with 16 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He died of a heart attack.