December 2, 2015

240 years ago
1775

War
General Richard Montgomery joined up with Benedict Arnold's force at Pointe aux Trembles, 25 kilometres upriver from Quebec, to take over command of the American attack on Quebec.

Americana
Lieutenant John Paul Jones of the Continental Navy hoisted the Grand Union Flag on the colonial warship USS Alfred, making it the first ship to do so.

210 years ago
1805

War
The French Grande Armée commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte decisively defeated a joint Russo-Austrian force led by Czar Alexander I and Holy Roman Emperor Franz II in the Battle of Austerlitz in the Austrian Empire.

190 years ago
1825

Born on this date
Pedro II. Emperor of Brazil, 1831-1889. Dom Pedro II, the seventh child of Emperor Pedro I, succeeded to the throne at the age of 5 upon his father's abdication. Dom Pedro II modernized the country, but was overthrown by a coup on November 15, 1889, and spent his last two years in exile with his family in Paris. He died on December 5, 1891, three days after his 66th birthday.

175 years ago
1840

Politics and government
Voting in the U.S. presidential election, which had begun on October 30, concluded. Whig Party candidate William Henry Harrison won with 234 electoral votes to 60 for incumbent President and Democratic Party candidate Martin Van Buren. In the popular vote, Mr. Harrison received 1,274,624 (53.1%) to 1,127,781 (46.9%) for Mr. Van Buren. Liberty Party candidate James G. Birney received 7,069 votes. Mr. Harrison had John Tyler as his vice presidential candidate, while the Democrats had refused to renominate Vice President Richard M. Johnson, and Mr. Van Buren had campaigned without a running mate. The electoral votes for the Democratic candidates were split among Mr. Johnson (48); Littleton W. Tazewell (11); and James K. Polk (1).

170 years ago
1845

Politics and government
U.S. President James K. Polk, in his first State of the Union message, proposed that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.

110 years ago
1905

Business
T. Eaton Company hosted its first Santa Claus Parade in Toronto as Santa arrived at Union Station and was escorted to the Eaton's store in a carriage.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Takahito, Prince Mikasa! The fourth and youngest son of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei is fifth in the line of succession to the Japanese throne. He was born in Tokyo Imperial Palace.

75 years ago
1940

War
German bombers attacked the English city of Bristol, while Southampton dug itself out after a destructive three-day raid. An estimated 60,000 German soldiers joined the approximately 500,000 already in Romania, crossing Slovakia and Hungary in troop trains.

Diplomacy
The Inter-American Maritime Conference in Washington ended after resolutions were adopted urging creation of a permanent body to watch over hemishpere shipping and the establishment of a permanent conference.

Defense
The U.S. National Defense Advisory Commission's priorities board announced that commercial airlines had agreed to restrict their demand for engines and parts.

Politics and government
U.S. Representative Martin Dies (Democrat--Texas), chairman of the Hoouse Committee on Un-American Activities, declared that his committee's disclosures of fifth column activities had not been "premature," as President Franklin D. Roosevelt indicated, but should have been made by the government long before.

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister J.L. Ilsley introduced in Parliament a wartime measure designed to save $5-$6 million per month in foreign exchange for war material purchases in the United States by banning selected imports--mostly luxuries--from the U.S.

The United Kingdom and Spain signed a commercial agreement releasing several hundred thousand pounds of Spanish credits frozen in London for purchases in the sterling area.

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate monetary committees gave a unanimous "vote of confidence" to the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on its proposal to extend a $100-million credit to China.

Law
The United States House of Representatives passed and sent to the White House the Walter-Logan bill, subjecting rules and regulations of federal agencies to judicial review.

Boxing
Lou Salica (51-10-12) retained his world bantamweight title with a technical knockout of Small Montana (79-16-9) at 1:30 of the 3rd round at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Mr. Salica knocked his Filipino challenger down 4 times in the 1st round, 4 times in the 2nd round, and twice in the 3rd before referee Billy Burke stopped the fight.

70 years ago
1945

War
Allied supreme headquarters in Japan ordered the arrest of 59 Japanese generals, admirals, and government figures as war criminal suspects. Among those arrested was Prince Morimasa Nashimoto, brother of former Prime Minister Higashi-Kuni and a relative of Emperor Hirohito.

Politics and government
Eurico Gaspar Dutra of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) was elected President of Brazil, taking 55.4% of the vote. Eduardo Gomes of the National Democratic Union (UDN) received 34.7%, with 9.7% going to Yedo Fiúza of the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB). The PSD, led by Nereu Ramos, led in elections for the Chamber of Deputies, taking 151 of 286 seats; the UDN, led by Otávio Mangabeira, was second with 81. The PSD won 25 of 42 Senate seats; the UDN was second with 12.

In elections for the Albanian Constituent Assembly, Premier Enver Hoxha's Democratic Front--the only slate in the election--won 95% of the vote and all 82 seats.

Economics and finance
The French Constituent Assembly voted to nationalize the Bank of France and four other major banks.

Society
The Alabama Public Service Commission ordered 15 railroads to post segregation laws in every passenger car following complaints against non-segregation.

Medicine
Dr. Ernest O. Lawrence said that the Berkeley cyclotron would be converted to produce radioactive substances for use in treatment of cancer and other diseases.

Football
NFL
Philadelphia (6-3) 21 @ New York (3-5-1) 28
Pittsburgh (2-8) 0 @ Washington (7-2) 24
Boston (3-5-1) 7 @ Cleveland (9-1) 20
Green Bay (6-4) 3 @ Detroit (7-3) 14
Chicago Bears (3-7) 28 @ Chicago Cardinals (1-9) 20

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 (2nd week at #1)

At the movies
The Rose Tattoo, starring Burt Lancaster and Anna Magnani, received its premiere screening at the Hotel Astor in New York City.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): The Carnival is Over--The Seekers (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Hugh Dryden, 67. U.S. aeronautical scientist and executive. Dr. Dryden published over 100 papers and articles on aeronautics. He was Director of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) from 1947-1958 and Deputy Administrator of NACA's successor, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 1958 until his death from cancer.

Crime
Hubert Damon Strange, 26, a white man, was convicted in Anniston state court in Alabama of murdering foundryman Willie Brewster, a Negro, in July 1965. He was sentenced the following day to 10 years in prison, while two other white men charged in the murder wre to be tried at a later date.

Baseball
The Baltimore Orioles traded first baseman Norm Siebern to the California Angels for outfielder Dick Simpson. Mr. Siebern batted .256 with 8 home runs and 32 runs batted in in 106 games with the Orioles in 1965. Mr. Simpson batted .222 with no home runs and 3 RBIs in 8 games with the Angels after hitting .301 with 24 homers and 79 RBIs in 149 games with the Seattle Rainiers of the AAA Pacific Coast League. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds a week later as part of the trade that brought right fielder Frank Robinson to the Orioles.

The San Francisco Giants traded pitcher Bill Hands and catcher Randy Hundley to the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Lindy McDaniel and outfielder Don Landrum. Mr. Hands posted a record of 17-6 record with Tacoma of the AAA Pacific Coast League in 1965, tying for the league lead in wins and leading the PCL with an earned run average of 2.19 before going 0-2 with a 16.50 ERA in 4 games with the Giants. Mr. Hundley batted .240 with 3 homers and 29 RBIs in 90 games with Tacoma before batting .067 (1 for 15) with no home runs or runs batte in in 6 games with San Francisco. Mr. McDaniel was 5-6 with a 2.58 ERA in 71 games with the Cubs in 1965, while Mr. Landrum batted .226 with 6 homers and 34 runs batted in in 131 games with Chicago.

40 years ago
1975

Music
The Rolling Thunder Revue, headlined by Bob Dylan, performed before an audience of 17,577 for the second of two nights at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. In addition to Mr. Dylan, the artists included Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Bobby Neuwirth, and Canadian stars Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, and Ronnie Hawkins. Tickets were priced at $8.80 for a five-hour show. After the Toronto concerts, the Revue performed in Montreal and Quebec City.

Journalism
The sixth and last edition of The New John, the student newspaper of Sir John Franklin Territorial High School in Yellowknife, was published.

Law
A week after obtaining independence from the Netherlands, the Parliament of Suriname unanimously adopted a new constitution, which included a proviso for a general election in 1976.

The Ontario legislature passed a bill to make it compulsory to wear seat belts in automobiles.

Football
NCAA
Ohio State University running back Archie Griffin was named the winner of the Heisman Trophy as the outstanding player in U.S. college football for the second straight year, becoming the only player to win it twice. He finished his collegiate career with an NCAA record of 31 straight games in which he ran for 100 yards or more.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Species Deceases (EP)--Midnight Oil

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Nantettatte Idol--Kyōko Koizumi

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)-- Tina Turner

Politics and government
Robert Bourassa, running under the slogan, "la force de l'expérience," led the Liberal Party back to power in Québec after 9 years of Parti Quebecois rule, defeating the PQ, who were led by Premier Pierre-Marc Johnson--successor to Rene Lvesque and son of former Premier Daniel Johnson, Sr.--in the Quebec provincial election. The Liberals won 56% of the vote and 99 seats in the National Assembly, while the PQ captured 38.7% of the vote and the remaining 23 seats. Mr. Bourassa lost his own riding of Bertrand, but was subsequently elected in a by-election in the riding of St-Laurent. It was the last election contested by the Union Nationale, who ran candidates in 19 ridings, but didn't come close to winning in any of them.

World events
A civilian court in the Philippines acquitted 26 defendants of charges related to the 1983 assassination of political opposition leader Benigno Aquino as he deplaned at Manila airport after returning from exile in the United States. The accused men--the most prominent of whom was General Fabian Ver, chief of staff of the armed forces--were also cleared of any charges in the death of Rolando Galman, who had been shot at the airport by soldiers, allegedly--according to the military--after shooting Mr. Aquino. The judges, who were appointees of President Ferdinand Marcos, had ruled as inadmissible some key testimony that was damaging to the defense. In 1984, an independent fact-finding committee had concluded unanimously that the military had planned and carried out the killings; four of five members of the panel had concluded that Gen. Ver had covered up the crime. The court’s verdict was denounced by opposition leaders and Jaime Cardinal Sin, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila.

Scandal
General Dynamics Corporation and four of its current and former executives were indicted for allegedly conspiring to defraud the United States Army on a weapons contract. The indictment asserted that the company and the individuals had charged to other U.S. accounts $7.5 million in cost overruns on a prototype DIVAD (Division Air Defense) Sergeant York mobile antiaircraft gun. Production of the weapon was subsequently cancelled by the Defense Department. The company and the individuals, who were also accused of submitting false statements to the government, denied any wrongdoing.

Business
Canadian Treasury Board President Robert de Cotret announced that the federal government was selling de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. to the U.S. Boeing Corporation for $155 million.

Football
NFL
Chicago (12-1) 24 @ Miami (9-4) 38

Dan Marino’s passing led the Dolphins as they handed the Bears their only loss of the season.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice

#1 single in Switzerland: I've Been Thinking About You--Londonbeat (5th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 I've Been Thinking About You--Londonbeat (4th week at #1)
2 Keep on Running--Milli Vanilli
3 I'm Your Baby Tonight--Whitney Houston
4 Ich hab' geträumt von dir--Matthias Reim
5 Sadeness Part I--Enigma
6 Crazy for You--David Hasselhoff
7 Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice
8 The Invisible Man--Dance with a Stranger
9 The Joker--Steve Miller Band
10 Blaze of Glory--Jon Bon Jovi

Singles entering the chart were Einer geht um die Welt by Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung (#26); and What Time is Love? (Live at Trancentral) by the KLF (#28).

Died on this date
Aaron Copland, 90. U.S. composer. Mr. Copland’s compositions include Billy the Kid (1938); Quiet City (1940); Rodeo (1942); Lincoln Portrait (1942); and Fanfare for the Common Man (1942). Appalachian Spring, a collaboration with choreographer Martha Graham, won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1945. He also composed scores for several movies, including Our Town (1940) and The Red Pony (1949). His score for The Heiress won the Academy Award for 1949. Mr. Copland died of Alzheimer's disease and respiratory failure, 18 days after his 90th birthday.

Robert Cummings, 80. U.S. actor. Mr. Cummings was known for his starring roles in such movies as The Devil and Miss Jones (1941); Kings Row (1942); Saboteur (1942); Princess O'Rourke (1943); and Dial M for Murder (1954), and in the television comedy series The Bob Cummings Show (1955-1959).

Music
Fleetwood Mac performed at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton to good reviews.

World events
Chadian rebel leader General Idris Deby, a French-trained professional soldier, entered the capital city of Ndjamena, the day after President Hissene Habre had fled into exile in Cameroon. Gen. Deby was a former aide to Mr. Habre.

Politics and government
The Christian Democratic Union, the party of Chancellor Helmut Kohl, finished first in the first general election to the Bundestag since the reunification of Germany. Mr. Kohl’s party and its allies retained their majority in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, with the CDU taking 319 of 662 seats, 13 short of a majority. The opposition Social Democratic Party had its poorest showing since 1957, winning 239 seats. In the area that had been East Germany, the party of Democratic Socialism, the successor to the Communist Party, polled 10% of the vote and captured 17 seats in the Bundestag. The Green Party, which went into the election with 48 seats, dropped to 8.

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced that his government would set up a joint Senate-House of Commons committee to study how to reform the process of amending Canada’s constitution. The 17-member committee, made up of 10 Progressive Conservatives, 5 Liberals, and 2 New Democratic Party members, would hold public hearings to study the time-limit and public-involvememt problems in the constitutional amending process. Mr. Mulroney promised that "the legitimate and reasonable aspirations of Quebec or any other province will never again be held hostage to an inadequate and inflexible process," alluding to criticisms of the amending process that were highlighted after the failure of the Meech Lake Accord in June. The committee was expected to work in cooperation with Keith Spicer’s Citizens’ Forum, that was studying broader questions of Canadian national unity.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V.

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V.

#1 single in France (SNEP): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V.

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Believe/Up on the Roof--Robson & Jerome (4th week at #1)

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

Singles entering the chart were One Sweet Day; Never Alone (Eeyore's Lullaby) by Tyler Collins (#48); When Love and Hate Collide by Def Leppard (#70); I Remember by Boyz II Men (#86); and Fast Life by Kool G Rap (#92).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Fantasy--Mariah Carey (9th week at #1)
2 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
3 Diggin' on You--TLC
4 You Remind Me of Something--R. Kelly
5 Tell Me--Groove Theory
6 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
7 Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V.
8 Hey Lover--LL Cool J
9 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
10 Back for Good--Take That

Singles entering the chart were Magic Carpet Ride by Mighty Dub Kats (#56); Rosealia by Better than Ezra (#88); and Funny How Time Flies by Intro (#90).

Died on this date
Robertson Davies, 82. Canadian author. Mr. Davies was one of Canada's most renowned men of letters, best known for his novel Fifth Business (1970).

Roxie Roker, 66. U.S. actress. Miss Roker was best known for playing Helen Willis in the television comedy series The Jeffersons (1975-1985). She died of breast cancer.

Politics and government
The ruling Kuomintang, led by Lee Teng-hui, won 85 of 164 seats in the Legislative Yuan in the Taiwanese general election. The Kuomintang's total was a decrease of 17 from the lost recent election in 1992. The Democratic Progressive Party, led by Shih Ming-teh, was second with 54 seats, increasing its total by 3. The New Party, led by Chen Kuei-miao, took 21 seats in its first election.

Scandal
Former futures trader Nick Leeson was sentenced in Singapore to 6 1/2 years in prison for financial dealings which contributed to the fall of Barings Bank, Britain's oldest merchant bank. Mr. Leeson's dealings resulted in a loss of £860 million.

Hockey
NHL
Detroit 11 @ Montreal 1

Patrick Roy started in goal for Montreal, allowing 5 goals in 17 shots in the 1st period and 4 goals in 9 shots in the 2nd period before being relieved by Pat Jablonski. Mr. Roy stormed off the ice when he was pulled, and told team President Ron Corey, "This is my last game in Montreal." Mr. Roy accused coach Mario Tremblay of trying to humiliate him by keeping him in the game as long as he did. Mr. Roy was suspended by the Canadiens on December 3, and traded to the Colorado Avalanche on December 6. The rout by the Red Wings was the worst home loss for the Canadiens in their history.



Football
NCAA
Army 14 Navy 13 @ Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

A 99-yard drive that began with less than 4 minutes remaining in the game ended with a 1-yard touchdown run, converted with 1:03 remaining, to give the Cadets their fourth straight win over the Midshipmen.



10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Kenneth Lee Boyd, 57. U.S. criminal. Mr. Boyd was executed by lethal injection at North Carolina Central Prison in Raleigh for the March 4, 1988 murders in Stoneville, N.C. of his wife Julie and father-in-law Thomas Curry.