July 1, 2016

250 years ago
1766

Died on this date
François-Jean de la Barre, 20. French nobleman. Mr. de la Barre was tortured and beheaded before his body was burnt on a pyre along with a copy of Voltaire's Dictionnaire philosophique nailed to his torso for the crime of not saluting a Roman Catholic religious procession in Abbeville, France.

140 years ago
1876

Transportation
The Intercolonial Railway opened, providing through travel to Halifax from Québec.

130 years ago
1886

Transportation
A huge fireworks display in Calgary celebrated the arrival of the Pacific Express from Montréal via Winnipeg, the Canadian Pacific Railway's first through passenger train to the Pacific coast, en route to Port Moody, British Columbia.

125 years ago
1891

Economics and finance
The Dominion Bank Act went into effect in Canada.

120 years ago
1896

Born on this date
Bill Walker. U.S. actor. Mr. Walker appeared in more than 180 movies and television programs, often uncredited, from 1946-1987. His best-known role was that of Reverend Sykes in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Mr. Walker died on January 27, 1992 at the age of 95.

Died on this date
Harriet Beecher Stowe, 85. U.S. authoress. Mrs. Stowe, the daughter of Presbyterian minister Lyman Beecher and brother of clergyman Henry Ward Beecher, wrote 30 books of fiction and non-fiction, and was best known for the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1851-1852), which also became a play, and helped to energize the anti-slavery movement in the northern United States. She moved to Jacksonville, Florida after the American Civil War, and died of what may have been Alzheimer's disease, 17 days after her 85th birthday.

100 years ago
1916

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Olivia de Havilland! The actress who was born in Japan to English parents and eventually became a U.S. citizen won Academy Awards for Best Actress for To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949). She was known for her long feud with her sister, actress Joan Fontaine.

Married on this date
Future U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower married Mary "Mamie" Geneva Doud in Denver.

War
At 7:30 am, at Beaumont-Hamel, a village 12 kilometres north of Albert, France, troops of the First Newfoundland Regiment, fighting with the 29th British Division, climbed out of their trenches and advanced slowly in parade-ground formation across the crater-torn waste of No Man's Land towards the awaiting German machine guns; of the 801 soldiers of the Regiment, 255 were killed, 386 wounded, and 91 were missing in the first day of the Battle of the Somme. 19,000 soldiers of the British Army were killed and 40,000 wounded.

Society
Prohibition began in Alberta and Manitoba.

Disasters
The first attack of the Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916 occurred.

90 years ago
1926

Economics and finance
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Arthur Meighen put Canada back on the Gold Standard.

80 years ago
1936

Business
Powel Crosley, Jr. bought controlling interest in the Cincinnati Reds of major league baseball's National League.

Baseball
Eiji Sawamura, 19, made his Japanese Baseball League debut as a pitcher with the Tokyo Kyojin. Two years earlier, he had played in an exhbition game against a team of American major league stars, and had struck out Charlie Gehringer, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx in succession.

The Detroit Tigers amassed 25 hits as they came back from a 4-1 1st-inning deficit and routed the Chicago White Sox 21-7 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Joe Kuhel drove in 4 runs in the first game and 2 in the second to help the Washington Nationals sweep a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Athletics 13-5 and 14-4 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

The St. Louis Browns scored 9 runs in the 6th inning as they defeated the Cleveland Indians 16-12 in the first game of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. In the second game, Joe Vosmik singled home Roy Weatherly with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning to tie the game 5-5; the Browns failed to score in the bottom of the 9th, and the game was called because of darkness.

75 years ago
1941

Television
Commercial broadcasting in the United States began at 1:30 P.M. Eastern Time on WNBT (now WNBC), the National Broadcasting Company's flagship station, in New York. The first commercial, for which the Bulova watch company the station paid $9, was a 10-second spot showing a Bulova clock superimposed on a map of the U.S.A., with a voice saying, "America runs on Bulova time." The ad was followed by the live broadcast of the baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies from Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Go here to see a list of the first day's programs. WCBW (now WCBS-TV), the Columbia Broadcasting System's flagship station, also located in New York, went on the air at 2:30 P.M.

Died on this date
W.J. Cash, 41. U.S. journalist. Wilbur Joseph Cash, a native of South Carolina, was best known for his book The Mind of the South (1941). He wrote for The American Mercury and The Charlotte News, and often criticized Fascism and Nazism. Mr. Cash was in Mexico with his wife while he worked on a novel, and was found hanging by his necktie in the bathroom of their hotel room; he had told his wife the previous day that he thought he was being followed by Nazi spies. Mexican authorities ruled Mr. Cash's death a suicide, and cremated his body.

War
The German command announced the capture of the Latvian capital of Riga. U.S.S.R. authorities claimed that Finnish and German attacks against Murmansk and on the Karelian Isthmus toward Kexholm (Kaekisalmi) had been repulsed. The U.K. named General Sir Archibald Wavell commander-in-chief in India.

Defense
King George VI presented new colours to New Brunswick's Carleton and York Regiment, at Caterham, Surrey, England. His Majesty reminded the regiment that wherever they were called to fight, they will be "fighting on the very soil of New Brunswick."

Diplomacy
The Japanese government announced that Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Spain, and Bulgaria had recognized the Chinese government in Nanking led by Wang Ching-wei.

Politics and government
The Argentine Senate voted unanimously to approve the Havana Congress plan for the American republics to take over and administer any European possession in the Western Hemisphere that might become a target of aggression.

Labour
The Unemployment Insurance Act came into effect in Canada; the Unemployment Insurance Commission was established.

Baseball
In the game that was televised on WNBT, Stan Benjamin singled home Hal Marnie and Danny Litwhiler in the top of the 10th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 6-4 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers before 3,339 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

Johnny Mize batted 4 for 5 with a double, home run, 3 runs, and 5 runs batted in to lead the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

Joe Dimaggio extended his hitting streak to 44 games, tying the major league record set by Willie Keeler of the Baltimore Orioles in 1897, as the New York Yankees swept a doubleheader from the Boston Red Sox 7-2 and 9-2 before 52,832 fans at Yankee Stadium. Mr. DiMaggio hit 2 singles in the first game and a single in the 1st inning of the second game, which was fortunate, because the second game was called after 5 innings because of rain and darkness. Mr. DiMaggio's brother Dom, playing center field for the Red Sox, hit a home run in the first game.

Jeff Heath batted 4 for 4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and a run batted in , while winning pitcher Al Milnar batted 3 for 4 with a 3-run home run and 2 runs as the Cleveland Indians beat the St. Louis Browns 10-6 before 4,484 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Mr. Milnar was the winning pitcher despite allowing 11 hits, 6 bases on balls, and 6 runs--all earned--in 7.1 innings.

70 years ago
1946

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Gypsy--The Ink Spots (7th week at #1)
--Dinah Shore
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
2 Prisoner of Love--Perry Como
--The Ink Spots
3 They Say it's Wonderful--Perry Como
--Frank Sinatra
4 Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)--Dinah Shore
--Andy Russell
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
5 Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop--Tex Beneke with the Glenn Miller Orchestra
--Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra
6 Cement Mixer (Put-ti Put-ti)--Alvino Rey and his Orchestra
--Charlie Barnet and his Orchestra
7 I'm a Big Girl Now--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
8 Doin' What Comes Natur'lly--Dinah Shore and Spade Cooley and his Orchestra
--Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra
9 Sioux City Sue--Bing Crosby and the Jesters
10 All Through the Day--Frank Sinatra
--Perry Como

Singles entering the chart were On the Alamo by Benny Goodman and the Music Hall Orchestra (#20); Air Mail Special (Part 1) by Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra (#26); Something Old Something New by Frank Sinatra (#28); and Who Told You That Lie? by Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (#31).

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Gale Gordon, on MBS
Tonight's episode: Murder in Celluloid

Theatre
Oklahoma! was given its 1,405th performance, setting a record for musicals on Broadway in New York.

War
Despite U.S.S.R. objections, defense witnesses at the Nuremberg trial of accused Nazi war criminals testified about the Katyn Forest massacre of 11,000 Polish officers, which they blamed on the Soviets.

Defense
An atomic bomb was detonated over the Bikini atoll, sending a cloud 30,000 feet into the air and destroying five test ships, including a Japanese cruiser. 10% of the experimental animals exposed to radiation from the bomb died immediately.

Diplomacy
At the Paris conference of foreign ministers, U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov agreed to the French proposal for a Yugoslav-Italian boundary already accepted by the U.S.A. and U.K.

World events
The Uruguayan government announced that it had put down a plot against the government led by former Air Force chief Colonel Esteban Christi.

Protest
U.S. and U.K. troops quelled disturbances in Trieste after three days of Yugoslav-Italian rioting had left 2 dead and 60 injured.

Terrorism
British authorities in Palestine discovered a Zionist arms cache at Meshek Yagur after a three-day search of 27 settlements.

Crime
At the espionage trial of U.S.S.R. Lieutenant Nikolai Redin, U.S. Navy Commander John McQuilkin said that the United States had withheld the latest types of radar and gunfire control equipment from the Soviet Union.

Energy
United Nations Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Herbert Evatt appointed a subcommittee to draft an international nuclear control plan.

Technology
International Business Machines demonstrated an electronically-operated Chinese typewriter that typed 5,400 characters horizontally or vertically.

Economics and finance
U.S.S.R. authorities reduced prices on consumer goods by an average of 40%.

Labour
U.S. Fair Employment Practices Commission Chairman Malcolm Ross gave his final report to President Harry Truman, stating that only the forces of law could stop job discrimination against minorities, as the FEPC was going out of existence.

Golf
George Fazio won the Canadian Open, shooting an even par 70 and finishing 1 stroke ahead of Dick Metz in an 18-hole playoff at Beaconsfield Golf Club in Beaconsfield, Quebec. First prize money was $2,000.



60 years ago
1956

War
U.S.S.R. Communist Party First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, in an interview published in the Cairo newspaper Al Ahram, warned that "war between Israel and the Arab states would mean World War III."

Protest
Sources in Berlin reported 1,000 arrests in the Polish city of Poznan following suppression of the workers' revolt.

Defense
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General Nathan Twining ended his visit to the U.S.S.R.

Disasters
15 people were killed and 61 injured in a train wreck in Iaxaca, Mexico.

Golf
Arnold Palmer defeated Ted Kroll in a playoff to win the Westerfield, Connecticut Insurance City Open. First prize money was $4,000.

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Sloop John B--The Beach Boys (2nd week at #1)

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Paperback Writer--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)
2 The Pied Piper--Crispian St. Peters
3 I Love Onions--Susan Christie
4 Brainwashed--David Clayton-Thomas
5 A Groovy Kind of Love--The Mindbenders
6 Red Rubber Ball--The Cyrkle
7 Strangers in the Night--Frank Sinatra
8 I Am a Rock--Simon and Garfunkel
9 Mama--B.J. Thomas and the Triumphs
10 Paint It, Black--The Rolling Stones
Pick hit of the week: Look at Me Girl--Bobby Vee and the Strangers
New this week: Friday's Child--Nancy Sinatra
Freddie Feelgood (And His Funky Little Five Piece Band)--Ray Stevens
I Went to Your Wedding--Paul Anka
Too Long--Barbra Streisand
Tar and Cement--Verdelle Smith

Television
CTV station CFTO in Toronto transmitted the first colour broadcast in Canada.

Defense
France withdrew her armed forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization integrated command, but stayed in the alliance.

Politics and government
Yugoslavian Vice President Alexsandar Rankovic was expelled from the Communist Party executive and central committees after microphones had been found in President Marshal Josip Tito's office on June 9.

Julio Cesar Mendez Montenegro was inaugurated as President of Guatemala, almost three months after his election.

Joaquin Belanger was inaugurated as President of the Dominican Republic, a month after his election.

The United States government launched the Medicare health insurance program, involving almost 17 million senior citizens.

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston (36-3) knocked out Gerhard Zech (32-61) at 1:11 of the 7th round before 12,000 fans at Johanneshov in Stockholm.



40 years ago
1976

Europeana
Portugal granted autonomy to Madeira.

Politics and government
Carlos Arias Navarro resigned as Prime Minister of Spain.

Baseball
The Cleveland Indians routed their top farm team, the Toledo Mud Hens of the AAA International League, 13-1 in an exhibition game at Lucas County Stadium in Maumee, Ohio. Retired Cleveland star Rocky Colavito, playing for the Indians, singled in the 5th inning as a pinch hitter against Toledo relief pitcher Bob Reynolds. Cleveland manager Frank Robinson then inserted himself into the game as a pinch hitter. Mr. Reynolds' first pitch went over Mr. Robinson's head, prompting Mr. Robinson to call the pitcher "gutless." Mr. Robinson flied out to center field, and cut across the diamond on his way back to the dugout. He and Mr. Reynolds had an altercation, which resulted in Mr. Robinson knocking Mr. Reynolds down with a left-right combination of punches, and the Cleveland manager's ejection. Mr. Reynolds held a grudge against Mr. Robinson over the way he found out about his demotion to the Mud Hens at the close of spring training. Mr. Robinson wrote about the incident in his autobiography Extra Innings (1988), and said that Mr. Reynolds' resentment was the result of a miscommunication.

25 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Anata ni aete yokatta (あなたに会えてよかった)--Kyōko Koizumi (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Pienestä pitäen--Juice Leskinen (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Wind of Change--Scorpions (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Michael Landon, 55. U.S. actor. Mr. Landon, born Eugene Orowitz, was known for co-starring in the television series Bonanza (1959-1973); Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983); and Highway to Heaven (1984-1989). He died of pancreatic cancer.

Defense
The Warsaw Pact was officially dissolved at a meeting in Prague.

Law
U.S. President George H.W. Bush nominated federal appeals court judge Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court.

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Seven Days and One Week--B.B.E.

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Killing Me Softly--The Fugees (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Killing Me Softly--The Fugees

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 You Learn--Alanis Morissette
2 Give Me One Reason--Tracy Chapman
3 Ahead by a Century--The Tragically Hip
4 The Only Thing that Looks Good on Me is You--Bryan Adams
5 Fastlove--George Michael
6 Everything Falls Apart--Dog's Eye View
7 Old Man & Me (When I Get to Heaven)--Hootie & the Blowfish
8 Flood--Jars of Clay
9 You Still Touch Me--Sting
10 Killing Me Softly--The Fugees

Singles entering the chart were Jerk by Kim Stockwood (#84); Lack of Water by the Why Stone (#88); 6th Avenue Heartache by the Wallflowers (#90); Tha Crossroads by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (#93); I Can Hear You by Carolyn Arends (#96); and How Deep is Your Love by Take That (#98).

Died on this date
William T. Cahill, 84. U.S. politician. Mr. Cahill, Republican, represented New Jersey in the United States Houose of Representatives from 1959-1970, and was Governor of New Jersey from 1970-1974. He died six days after his 84th birthday.

Steve Tesich, 53. Serbian-born U.S. screenwriter. Mr. Tesich, born Stojan Tešić, moved to the United States with his family at the age of 14. He was best known for writing the screenplay for Breaking Away (1979), for which he won an Academy Award. Mr. Tesich died in Sydney, Nova Scotia following a heart attack.

Margaux Hemingway, 42. U.S. supermodel. Miss Hemingway, a granddaughter of writer Ernest Hemingway, was on the covers of various magazines in the mid-1970s, and signed a $1-million contract with Fabergé as the spokesmodel for Babe perfume. Her personal life was a mess, and she committed suicide with an overdose of phenobarbital.

Health
France announced its decision to ban asbestos; the decision was preceded by the publication of a report by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSRM).

Labour
Unemployment Insurance in Canada became Employment Insurance, with a tightening of rules on collecting benefits.

Hockey
NHL
The Winnipeg Jets officially moved to Phoenix to become the Coyotes.

10 years ago
2006

Died on this date
Ryutaro Hashimoto, 68. Prime Minister of Japan, 1996-1998. Mr. Hashimoto, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, held various cabinet posts before serving as Prime Minister. He resigned as Prime Minister after the LDP lost its majority in the House of Councillors, and resigned from his faction of the LDP in 2004 as the result of a bribery scandal.

Transportation
The Qinghai–Tibet Railway in China began operating.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (1-2) 10 @ Winnipeg (2-1) 46

Chris Brazzell and Milt Stegall each caught 2 touchdown passes as the Blue Bombers came back from an early 7-0 deficit and routed the Eskimos before 23,521 fans at Canad Inns Stadium. The Blue Bombers outscored the Eskimos 24-3 in the 2nd quarter and 17-0 in the 4th quarter.