July 12, 2017

410 years ago
1607

Born on this date
Jean Petitot. Swiss artist. Mr. Petitot was an enamel portrait painter who spent most of his career working for the courts of France and England. He died on April 3, 1691 at the age of 83.

200 years ago
1817

Born on this date
Henry David Thoreau. U.S. philosopher and writer. Mr. Thoreau, a native and resident of Concord, Massachusetts, was associated with the Transcendentalist movement, which believed that an ideal spiritual state transcends the physical and empirical, and that one achieves that insight via personal intuition rather than religious doctrine. Mr. Thoreau supported the abolition of slavery, and once spent a night in jail for refusing to pay poll taxes in protest against slavery. In 1845, Mr. Thoreau built a small house for himself on the shores of Walden Pond, about 1 1/2 miles outside Concord. He became interested in nature, and advocated a balance between and integration of wilderness and human civilization. Mr. Thoreau was widely regarded by his neighbours as a long-winded bore, but he influenced people in later years such as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Mr. Thoreau wrote many books, the best known of which are probably Resistance to Civil Government, or Civil Disobedience, or On the Duty of Civil Disobedience (1849) and Walden (1854). He contracted tuberculosis in 1835 and severe bronchitis in 1860, and died on May 6, 1862 at the age of 44.

Died on this date
John Ridout, 18. Canadian duel victim. Mr. Ridout, the son of son of Surveyor General Thomas Ridout, was killed by Samuel Jarvis in the last fatal duel in York, Upper Canada.

150 years ago
1867

War
12 more of the late Emperor Maximilian's generals were shot in Queretaro, Mexico.

Diplomacy
Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz I arrived in London.

125 years ago
1892

Died on this date
Cyrus W. Field, 72. U.S. businessman. Mr. Field helped to create the Atlantic Telegraph Company, and laid the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean in 1858.

Alexander Cartwright, 72. U.S. firefighter and baseball pioneer. Mr. Cartwright, a native of New York City, worked as a clerk on Wall Street while also volunteering as a firefighter. He eventually moved to Honolulu, serving as the city's fire chief from 1850-1863. Mr. Cartwright led the establishment of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in 1842. Rules for the modern game of baseball were drawn up in 1845; Mr. Cartwright has been credited as the author, but that is in dispute today. Mr. Cartwright's status as the alleged creator of baseball led to him being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.

Disasters
An avalanche from Mont Blanc killed 200 people and destroyed villages in France.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Andrew Wyeth. U.S. artist. Mr. Wyeth, the son of artist N.C. Wyeth, was a realist painter whose subjects were mainly the land and people in his hometown of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and his summer home in Cushing, Maine. His most famous painting was Christina's World (1948). Mr. Wyeth's subjects also included the farm of his neighbours Anna and Karl Kuerner, and Helga Testorf, a caretaker at the Kuerner farm who was the subject of 247 works from 1971-1985. Mr. Wyeth died on January 16, 2009 at the age of 91.

Labour
2,000 members of a deputized posse illegally kidnapped and deported about 1,300 striking copper mine workers, their supporters, and citizen bystanders from Bisbee, Arizona. The deportation by the Phelps Dodge Corporation, the major mining company in the area. The miners, members of Industrial Workers of the World Local 800, had gone on strike on June 26.

Politics and government
Charles Magrath was appointed Canada's Dominion Fuel Controller.

75 years ago
1942

War
Soviet Red Army forces abandoned Kantemirovka and Lisichansk near the Don River, permitting German forces to penetrate to their deepest point inside Russia.

Economics and finance
American and Bolivian officials reached an agreement for U.S. purchase of Bolivia's entire rubber crop.

Americana
Stern Park Gardens, Illinois, a public housing project of about 100 Czechoslovakian families, was renamed after the Bohemian village of Lidice, which German forces had recently destroyed.

70 years ago
1947

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go to Sleep)--Perry Como (3rd week at #1)

Theatre
Life with Father, which had opened on November 8, 1939, closed at the Alvin Theatre after a record 3,213 performances on Broadway in New York.

Died on this date
Joseph Mansfield, 86. U.S. politician. Mr. Mansfield, a Democrat, represented Texas' 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1917 until his death, at which time he was the oldest member of the House.

Jimmie Lunceford, 45. U.S. musician and bandleader. Mr. Lunceford was a jazz saxophonist who led his own band from 1927 until his death from a heart attack during an autograph session at a record store prior to a performance at The Bungalow dance hall in Seaside, Oregon. Mr. Lunceford often included comedy in songs such as Rhythm is Our Business and I'm Nuts About Screwy Music.

War
Fighting between Nationalist and Communist forces continued in Manchuria and northern China, with both sides claiming victories.

Terrorism
The Palestinian Jewish organization Irgun Zvai Leumi kidnapped two British soldiers in Nathanya in retaliation for death sentences imposed on three Irgun members convicted of leading the May 4 raid on Acre prison, in which 251 Jewish and Arab prisoners had escaped.

Crime
U.S. Senator John W. Bricker (Republican--Ohio) escaped assassination when former U.S. Capitol policeman William Kaiser shot at him as the Senator boarded the underground trolley from the Senate office building to the Capitol. The two shots, fired as close range, narrowly missed the target. Mr. Kaiser was held for trial.

Politics and government
A U.S. federal court in Charleston, South Carolina ruled that the Democratic Party had no right to bar Negroes from voting in state primaries.

Agriculture
The 33-nation International Cereals Conference concluded a four-day meeting in Paris by adopting resolutions calling for world cooperation in rationing, grain collection, and anti-black market operations.

Economics and finance
The 16-nation European economic conference opened in Paris to formulate a recovery program using Marshall Plan aid. The U.S.S.R. and other eastern European states boycotted the conference.

The Bulgarian cabinet approved an $87-million trade agreement with the U.S.S.R. for 1947-48.

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Bambino--Dalida (15th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): All Shook Up--Elvis Presley

On television tonight
The Big Beat, hosted by Alan Freed, on ABC

The first broadcast of a scheduled 13-week series showcasing rock and roll artists and others from 10:30-11:00 P.M. on Friday nights featured as guests the Everly Brothers; Ferlin Husky; Don Rondo; the Billy Williams Quartet; Nancy Whiskey and the Charles McDevitt Skiffle Group; Johnnie and Joe; and Connie Francis.

Politics and government
The Soviet government charged that former Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov had refused to abandon views that war between the capitalist and Communist blocs was inevitable, and to accept revised Communist doctrine that nations could become Communist without undergoing armed revolution and civil war.

Chinese Communist propaganda chief Lu Ting-yi warned in an address before the National People's Congress that "rightists" had disseminated "fantastic anti-Socialist views" in an effort to "seize leadership" and instigate "counter-revolutionary dictatorship."

Scandal
A U.S. federal grand jury in Seattle indicted Teamsters union President Dave Beck and his son on charges of grand larceny stemming from the unauthorized sale of a 1952 Cadillac belonging to the Western Conference of Teamsters.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered federal agencies to trim $2-3 billion from their spending in the current fiscal year in order to reduce the budget to the previous year's spending total of $70 billion.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum
2 This is My Song--Petula Clark
3 Puppet on a String--Sandie Shaw
4 Groovin'--The Young Rascals
5 Silence is Golden--The Tremeloes
6 Young Girl-The Twilights
7 Creeque Alley--The Mamas and the Papas
8 Pictures of Lily--The Who
9 Waterloo Sunset--The Kinks
10 When I was Young--Eric Burdon & the Animals

Singles entering the chart were Theme for a New Love by Davy Jones (#25); Twenty Four Sycamore by Wayne Fontana (#34); Heaven and Hell/Pretty Girl by the Easybeats (#36); and Respect by Aretha Franklin (#40).

Music
The Monkees, with the Jimi Hendrix Experience as an opening act, performed at the Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Protest
Four days of race riots began in Newark, New Jersey.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Hamilton Tiger-Cats intrasquad game
Tigers 16 Cats 15

Willie Bethea's 1-yard touchdown rush with 3:12 remaining in the game gave the Tigers their victory before 16,000 fans at Civic Stadium. Cats' quarterback Bill Redell completed 17 of 22 passes for 303 yards and 2 touchdowns, while punting 4 times for a 48.7-yard average. Joe Zuger quarterbacked the Tigers, completing 7 of 11 passes for 113 yards and punted 4 times for a 43.2 average. Cats' receiver Tommy-Joe Coffey caught 4 passes for 40 yards.

40 years ago
1977

Scandal
G. Gordon Liddy, who had been in prison since January 30, 1973 because of his involvement with the June 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., was granted early release by the U.S. Parole Commission, after President Jimmy Carter had commuted his sentence from 20 to 8 years.

Football
CFL
Toronto (0-1) 20 @ Hamilton (1-0) 21
Saskatchewan (0-1) 11 @ Winnipeg (1-0) 33
Calgary (0-1) 9 @ British Columbia (1-0) 14

The Tiger-Cats' narrow win over the Argonauts at Ivor Wynne Stadium was the only regular season game for official Scott McBrien, who was hit near the sidelines early in the game and suffered a broken leg.



Jim Harrison, playing his first Canadian Football League game, rushed 1 yard for a touchdown in the 4th quarter to give the Lions their win over the Stampeders at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. It was also the first CFL game for B.C. quarterbacks Jerry Tagge and Gary Keithley, and the first professional game for B.C. receiver Leon Bright. It was the first game as a CFL head coach for B.C.'s Vic Rapp, and the first game as Calgary head coach for Jack Gotta. Calgary players making their CFL debuts included offensive lineman Willie Thomas and receiver Eddie Richardson; it was the final game in a Calgary uniform for running back Rick Galbos.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)--Whitney Houston (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)--Whitney Houston (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France: La Isla Bonita--Madonna

Football
CFL
Hamilton (1-2) 40 @ Edmonton (2-1) 30

Quarterback Tom Porras, who had replaced injured Ken Hobart in a loss at home to the Eskimos a week earlier, completed 28 of 42 passes for 464 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Tiger-Cats to their first win ever at Commonwealth Stadium and their first win in Edmonton since 1968. Earl Winfield, playing his second CFL game, caught 7 passes for 158 yards, including a 58-yard play for his first CFL touchdown. Steve Stapler and Ken Zachary also caught TD passes for the Tiger-Cats, while Mr. Zachary rushed 14 times for 68 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown. Rocky DiPietro contributed to the Hamilton attack with 8 receptions for 156 yards. Edmonton quarterbacks Matt Dunigan and Damon Allen combined to complete 26 of 45 passes for 450 yards, but also gave up 3 interceptions. Edmonton kicker Tom Dixon was good on just 3 of 6 field goal attempts. The loss spoiled the debut of Joe Faragalli as head coach of the Eskimos. For rookie linebacker Doug Landry, it was his only game in a Hamilton uniform before joining the Toronto Argonauts. 32,265 attended the game on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): White Men Can't Jump--Riff (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): It's My Life--Dr. Alban (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Rhythm is a Dancer--Snap! (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Caroline Pafford Miller, 88. U.S. authoress. Mrs. Miller won the 1934 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel Lamb in His Bosom (1933).

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): I'll Be Missing You--Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): A Contratiempo--Ana Torroja (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Alane--Wes (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): MMMBop--Hanson

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): María--Ricky Martin (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): D'You Know What I Mean?--Oasis

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): I'll Be Missing You--Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I'll Be Missing You--Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 (5th week at #1)

Albertana
This blogger attended the official opening of the Strathcona County Museum at the former police headquarters in Sherwood Park.

Politics and government
Nova Scotia Liberals, at a leadership convention in Halifax, elected Russell MacLellan as party leader, replacing John Savage, who had resigned because of discontent within the party and sagging poll numbers. Mr.MacLellan, who had represented Cape Breton--The Sydneys in the federal House of Commons from 1979 until his resignation on June 2, 1997, took office as Premier on July 18, 1997.

Transportation
The St. Jacobs Railway began passenger service over the former Canadian National Railways Waterloo Spur between Waterloo and Elmira, Ontario.

Boxing
Lennox Lewis (31-1) retained his World Boxing Council heavyweight title when challenger Henry Akinwande (32-1-1) was disqualified at 2:34 of the 5th round at Caesars Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada.



Football
CFL
Toronto (2-1) 23 @ Saskatchewan (2-1) 27

Baseball
Pinch hitter Mark Smith hit a 3-run home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros before 44,119 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, and a combined no-hitter for Francisco Cordova, who pitched the first 9 innings, and Ricardo Rincon, who pitched the 10th inning and was the winning pitcher. Mr. Cordova struck out 10 batters and walked 2.

Pinch hitter Danny Sheaffer singled home Tom Lampkin with 1 out in the top of the 12th inning to break a 1-1 tie and give the St. Louis Cardinals a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs before 39,790 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Mark Lewis and Rick Wilkins hit consecutive solo home runs and Jeff Kent hit a 2-run homer as the San Francisco Giants scored 7 runs in the top of the 9th inning to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5 before 53,792 fans at Dodger Stadium. Todd Hollandsworth hit a 3-run homer for the Dodgers with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th.

Roger Clemens allowed 4 hits and 1 earned run in 8 innings to improve his record for the season to 14-3 and Shawn Green hit a 2-run home run in the 7th inning to provide the winning margin as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Boston Red Sox 3-1 before 33,106 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Stan Zemanek, 60. Australian broadcaster. Mr. Zemanek, a native of Sydney, began his radio career in Canada as a researcher with CFUN in Vancouver, but eventually returned to Australia, where he became known as host of a nighttime talk show on 2UE from 1987-2006. He was known for his right-wing views, and didn't hesitate to get into abusive exchanges with callers who disagreed with him. Mr. Zemanek also hosted the television panel show Beauty and the Beast from 1996-2002 and 2005-2007. He died of a brain tumour.

War
U.S. Army Apache helicopters performed air strikes in Baghdad; footage from the cockpit was later leaked to the Internet.

Business
London-based Rio Tinto acquired Alcan Inc. of Montreal for US$38 billion in the biggest foreign takeover in Canadian history.

Football
CFL
Calgary (1-2) 15 @ Toronto (2-1) 48