October 17, 2016

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Dave Cutler!

925 years ago
1091

Disasters
A tornado thought to be of strength T8/F4 struck the heart of London, demolishing wooden London Bridge, but killing only two of the city's 18,000 residents.

670 years ago
1346

War
English defending forces commanded by Ralph Neville defeated invading Scottish forces in the Battle of Neville's Cross west of Durham. The English captured King David II of Scotland, and imprisoned him for 11 years.

130 years ago
1886

Born on this date
Spring Byington. U.S. actress. Miss Byington appeared in the Jones Family series of 17 movies (1936-1940), and was nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting performance in You Can't Take It with You (1938). She was best known as the star of the radio (1952-1953) and television (1954-1959) comedy series December Bride. Miss Byington died of cancer on September 7, 1971 at the age of 84.

125 years ago
1891

Football
ORFU
Round 1
Ottawa 0 @ Osgoode Hall 42 (Osgoode Hall won 2-game total points series 75-3)
Hamilton 28 @ Toronto 8 (Hamilton won 2-game total points series 67-18)
Stratford 5 @ London 28 (London won 2-game total points series 30-13)
Queen's College 28 @ Royal Military College 7 (1st game of 2-game total points series)

120 years ago
1896

Football
CRU
ORFU
Round 1
Hamilton 1 @ Toronto Athletic Club 18 (Toronto won 2-game total points series 35-12)
Trinity University defaulted to Royal Military College
Kingston defaulted to Queen's College
Bye: University of Toronto

110 years ago
1906

Oil
Albert LeRoy Ellsworth founded the British-American Oil Company, to distribute kerosene and lubricating oils in Toronto.

90 years ago
1926

Football
AFL
Los Angeles (3-3) 7 @ Newark (0-3-1) 0
Boston (2-2) 17 @ Brooklyn (1-2) 0
Rock Island (2-2) 7 @ Cleveland (3-0) 23
New York (2-2) 0 @ Chicago (1-3-1) 14

80 years ago
1936

Football
CRU
IRFU
Montreal (1-2) 7 @ Ottawa (1-2) 8
Toronto (2-1) 8 @ Hamilton (2-1) 12

WIFU
Regina (3-2-1) 9 @ Winnipeg (4-2-1) 7

75 years ago
1941

Died on this date
John Stanley Plaskett, 75. Canadian astronomer. Mr. Plaskett, a native of Hickson, Ontario, was a machinist before beginning his career as an astronomer at the Dominion Observatory in Ottawa in 1903, where he measured radial velocities and studied spectroscopic binaries, performed the first detailed analysis of galactic structure, and constructed various instruments. He became the first director of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria in 1917. Mr. Plaskett died a month before his 76th birthday.

War
A new threat to Moscow was reported to be coming from a German column approaching from the southeast. Seeking to stem panic, Moscow radio reported that U.S.S.R. dictator Josef Stalin was still in the capital. A German submarine attacked an American ship for the first time in the European war, as U-568 torpedoed the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Kearny while on patrol about 350 miles south of Iceland; 11 crew members were reported missing.

Abominations
German troops executed the male population of the village of Kerdyllia in Serres, Greece.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department revealed that U.S. Ambassador to the U.S.S.R. Laurence Steinhardt, members of his staff, and foreign correspondents "have left Moscow for a port eastward of the capital at the request of the Soviet government."

Defense
The U.S. House of Representatives passed by a vote of 259-138 and sent to the Senate an amendment to the Neutrality Act to permit the arming of U.S. merchant ships. U.S. Army Brigadier General Irving Phillipson admitted that a concentration camp for aliens--with a capacity for about 700 people--was being completed at Camp Upton on Long Island, New York.

World events
The British government announced that former Shah of Iran Reza Pahlevi had been taken to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius "owing to the war situation."

Protest
30 people were injured in a clash of 1,000 protesting miners against police and guards in Mohonoy City, Pennsylvania, caused by the closing of a bootleg mine.

Labour
In order to avert a nationwide strike, Bolivian President Enrique Penaranda de Castillo signed a decree mobilizing all railroad workers.

70 years ago
1946

At the movies
Crimen en la alcoba, directed by Emilio Gómez Muriel, and starring Rafael Baledón, Carmen Montejo, and Ernesto Alonso, opened in theatres in Mexico.

Diplomacy
King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia told U.S. President Harry Truman that his (Mr. Truman's) request for more Jewish immigration into Palestine violated "previous promises" made to the Arabs.

Defense
Egyptian Prime Minister Ismail Sidky Pasha and Foreign Minister Ibrahim Abdul Hadi Pasha arrived in London to reopen Anglo-Egyptian military talks.

The U.S. Army revealed that by January 1, 1947 it would release all 1945 draftees and reduce its strength to 1.31 million men. The U.S. Lend-Lease Administration disclosed that up to V-J Day it had furnished the Allies with $49,096,125,000 in munitions.

Politics and government
Acting Chilean President Alfredo Duhalde resigned and was succeeded by Interior Minister Juan Irabarren.

Former Communist Louis Budenz, testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, named Gerhard Eisler as a Soviet agent who directed all Communist activities in the United States.

Labour
A four-day American Federation of Labor convention concluded in Chicago after re-electing William Green as presdent; revealing plans to aid in the re-establishment of German trade unions; and passing a resolution calling for a 30-hour workweek.

American Federation of Musicians President James Petrillo announced a national agreement for a 37.5% wage increase for musicians who made recordings.

60 years ago
1956

On the radio
Tomorrow, narrated by Orson Welles, and starring Mona Freeman and Marshall Thompson

This dramatization of the novel by Philip Wyie was produced by the U.S. Federal Civil Defense Administration.

At the movies
Around the World in 80 Days, starring David Niven and Cantinflas, opened in theatres.



Julie, starring Doris Day and Louis Jourdan, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Anne Crawford, 35. Palestinian-born U.K. actress. Miss Crawford, born Imelda Crawford, appeared in numerous movies from the 1930s through the 1950s before dying of leukemia.

Diplomacy
Egypt, Britain, and France expressed willingness to continue negotiations on the Suez dispute.

Energy
The first commercial nuclear power station was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Sellafield, Cumbria, England.

Journalism
U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith's (Republican--Maine) $1-million libel suit against Lee Mortimer, the late Jack Lait, and Crown Publishers was settled in New York for $15,000 and the defendants' promise to retract statements in their book U.S.A. Confidential that implied that Sen. Smith was pro-Communist.

Labour
The International Longshoremen's Association regained control of New York dockworkers by defeating the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations International Brotherhood of Longshoremen in a representation election for the third time in three years.

Chess
Bobby Fischer, 13, defeated Donald Byrne, 26, in the Game of the Century in the Rosenwald Memorial Tournament at Marshall Chess Club in New York City and won a Brilliancy prize.

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Strangers In The Night--Frank Sinatra (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Merry Ploughboy--Dermot O'Brien (4th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 See See Rider--Eric Burdon & the Animals
2 Last Train to Clarksville--The Monkees
3 Girl on a Swing--Gerry and the Pacemakers
4 Black is Black--Los Bravos
5 Wipe Out--The Surfaris
6 Cherish--The Association
7 Beauty is Only Skin Deep--The Temptations
8 96 Tears--? (Question Mark) & the Mysterians
9 Cherry, Cherry--Neil Diamond
10 All Strung Out--Nino Tempo and April Stevens

Singles entering the chart were The Great Airplane Strike by Paul Revere and the Raiders (#54); Coming On Strong by Brenda Lee (#58); I'm Your Puppet by James and Bobby Purify (#60); Uptight by Ramsey Lewis (#63); Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) by Otis Redding (#64); Spinout by Elvis Presley (#67); I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself by Dionne Warwick (#69); Lady Godiva by Peter and Gordon (#71); Don't Worry Mother, Your Son's Heart is Pure by the McCoys (#76); (You Don't Have To) Paint Me a Picture by Gary Lewis and the Playboys (#83); Somebody Like Me by Eddy Arnold (#84); Nobody's Baby Again by Dean Martin (#88); A Satisfied Mind by Bobby Hebb (#89); I Got to Do a Little Better by Joe Tex (#90); Almost Persuaded by Ben Colder (#91); Tomorrow Never Comes by B.J. Thomas (#93); I Can't Control Myself by the Troggs (#94); Rain on the Roof by the Lovin' Spoonful (#95); Nineteen Days by the Dave Clark Five (#96); Secret Love by Billy Stewart (#97); Lookin' for Love by Ray Conniff and the Singers (#98); Devil with a Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (#99); and Louie, Louie by the Sandpipers (#100).

Disasters
A fire at a building in New York City killed 12 firefighters, the fire department's deadliest day until the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (5-9) 13 @ Calgary (5-8-1) 9

On the last play of the game, Stampeder quarterback Peter Liske rushed with the ball from the Lions' 18-yard line in a desperate attempt for a touchdown, but was tackled by B.C. linebacker Greg Findlay and defensive back Pokey Allen at the 3-yard line, disappointing 18,000 fans at McMahon Stadium.

40 years ago
1976

Football
CFL
Montreal (6-6-1) 10 @ Toronto (6-7-1) 29
Edmonton (8-5-1) 33 @ Winnipeg (7-6) 36
Saskatchewan (10-4) 28 @ British Columbia (5-7-1) 15

Barry Finlay and Sam Cvijanovich made interceptions for the Argonauts as they defeated the Alouettes before 49,650 fans at Exhibition Stadium. The Toronto defense limited Montreal quarterback Sonny Wade to 15 completions in 35 pass attempts for 127 yards.

Jim Washington rushed for 159 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Blue Bombers held on to defeat the Eskimos at Winnipeg Stadium. Edmonton defensive back Joe Hollimon returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown, and teammate Larry Highbaugh returned a kickoff 118 yards for another TD. Winnipeg quarterback Dieter Brock's 71-yard touchdown pass to Tom Scott provided the winning margin, as the Eskimos struck for a touchdown on the last play of the game when Mr. Highbaugh entered the game on offense and caught a 48-yard touchdown pass from Bruce Lemmerman.

Defensive backs Lorne Richardson and Ken McEachern scored touchdowns for the Roughriders as they defeated the Lions before 21,500 fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. It was the first game in a Saskatchewan uniform for offensive tackle Joe Miller, who had joined the Roughriders after being released by the Ottawa Rough Riders.

Baseball
World Series
New York Yankees 3 @ Cincinnati Reds 4 (Cincinnati led best-of-seven series 2-0)

With 2 out and the bases empty in the bottom of the 9th inning, Ken Griffey reached second base on a throwing error by New York shortstop Fred Stanley. Joe Morgan was intentionally walked, and Tony Perez singled home Mr. Griffey to give the Reds their win over the Yankees before 54,816 fans at Riverfront Stadium in the first World Series game ever played on a Sunday night. Jack Billingham (1-0) pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to get the win over Catfish Hunter (0-1), who allowed 10 hits and 3 earned runs in pitching a complete game loss.



30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): The Final Countdown--Europe (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Brent Murphy, 26. U.S.-born football player. Mr. Murphy, whose background was in body-building, joined the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League in 1985 as a defensive end. He played the first 6 games of the season and showed improvement as he went along, recording his first quarterback sack in game 5. On August 9, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in a game in Toronto against the Argonauts. Mr. Murphy remained with the team, but returned home to California after the season. He didn't show up for the start of training camp in 1986, and the Eskimos never heard from him and quickly forgot him. In early November, Mr. Murphy's father phoned the Eskimos to tell them that Brent had died. Although he publicly opposed the use of steroids by football players, it was known that Brent Murphy used them. He was in a convenience store on October 17 when he exhibited "'roid rage," then collapsed, and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. His father told the Eskimos that the reason Brent hadn't reported to the Eskimos' training camp in 1986 was because he'd been in hospital suffering from heart problems, perhaps exacerbated by steroid use. I met Brent Murphy a couple of times, and found him to be nice and friendly. Tragically, he turned out to have very poor judgement.

Television
CKND in Winnipeg became the first television station in Manitoba to broadcast in stereo.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (6-8-1) 28 @ Montreal (4-11) 29

Brian Ransom completed 14 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a TD of his own, and Zenon Andrusyshyn added 5 field goals, as the Alouettes edged the Roughriders before 9,204 fans at Olympic Stadium for their third win at home in 1986 against West Division teams, and their last win ever.



25 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Always Look on the Bright Side of Life--Monty Python

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life had failed to chart upon its original release in 1979 after being included in the movie Life of Brian (1979), but achieved popularity as a football anthem in the early 1990s and was re-released after BBC Radio 1 morning disc jockey Simon Mayo began playing the song.

Died on this date
Tennessee Ernie Ford, 72. U.S. singer. Mr. Ford served as a bombardier with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II before becoming a country music disc jockey. He was a popular recording artist in the fields of country and gospel music, and achieved success on the country and popular charts. Mr. Ford's biggest hits were Mule Train (1949); The Shotgun Boogie (1950); and Sixteen Tons (1955), the latter reaching #1 in the Billboard pop and country charts. Mr. Ford died of liver failure after many years of heavy drinking, and 17 days after collapsing just after leaving a state dinner at the White House where he had been a guest of U.S. President George Bush.

Terrorism
Sikh separatists exploded two bombs during a Ramlila Hindu celebration in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, India, killing 41 people.

Politics and government
The New Democratic Party, led by Mike Harcourt, ended 16 years of Social Credit government, winning 51 of 75 seats in the Legislative Assembly in the British Columbia provincial election, an increase for the NDP of 22 seats over their total in the 1986 election. The Liberal Party, led by Gordon Wilson, finished second with 17 seats after being shut out. The governing Social Credit Party, led by Premier Rita Johnston, was reduced to 7 seats, down from 47 in 1986, and Ms. Johnston lost her seat. It was the last Social Credit government in Canadian history.

Baseball
National League Championship Series
Atlanta 4 @ Pittsburgh 0 (Atlanta won best-of-seven series 4-3)

John Smoltz (2-0) pitched a 6-hitter before 46,932 fans at Three Rivers Stadium and the Braves posted their second straight shutout to win their first NL pennant since 1958, when the team had been based in Milwaukee. The Braves scored 3 runs in the top of the 1st inning, with Brian Hunter's 2-run home run the big blow. John Smiley (0-2) started on the mound for the Pirates but lasted just 2/3 inning.



20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Wannabe--Spice Girls (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Insomnia--Faithless (6th week at #1)

Society
Statistics Canada released a study showing that children of single mothers appeared to be more likely to suffer from developmental problems.

Baseball
National League Championship Series
St. Louis 0 @ Atlanta 15 (Atlanta won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Tom Glavine (1-1) allowed just 3 hits in pitching 7 scoreless innings and tripled home 3 runs to climax a 6-run 1st inning as the Braves routed the Cardinals before 52,067 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Braves trailed 3-1 after four games, but outscored the Cardinals 32-1 in the last three games. Veteran St. Louis shortstop Ozzie Smith came to bat as a pinch hitter in the 6th inning and flied out to right field, receiving a lengthy standing ovation in the last game of his 19-year Hall of Fame career.





10 years ago
2006

Died on this date
Christopher Glenn, 68. U.S. journalist. Mr. Glenn was a radio and television reporter with CBS from 1971 until his death, and was perhaps best known as one of the narrators of In the News, a feature that appeared between Saturday morning children's programs from 1971-1986. Mr. Glenn also anchored CBS's coverage of the U.S. space shuttle Challenger explosion on January 28, 1986. Mr. Glenn died of liver cancer.

Baseball
National League Championship Series
New York 2 @ St. Louis 4 (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 3-2)