July 21, 2017

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Garland Grayston!

775 years ago
1242

War
Capetian troops of King Louis IX of France and his brother Alphonse of Poitiers defeated rebel followers of King Henry III of England and Hugh X of Lusignan in the Battle of Taillebourg in France.

140 years ago
1877

Labour
After rioting by striking Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers and the deaths of nine rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh staged a sympathy strike that was met with an assault by the Pennsylvania state militia.

110 years ago
1907

Disasters
88 people were killed when the passenger steamer SS Columbia collided with the steam schooner San Pedro off Shelter Cove, California.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Mitch Chetkovich. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Chetkovich played with the Philadelphia Blue Jays (1945), posting a 0-0 record with an earned run average of 0.00 in 4 games. He was 64-55 in 169 games in 7 seasons in the minor leagues (1942-1950). Mr. Chetkovich died on August 24, 1971 at the age of 54.

Alan B. Gold. Canadian jurist. Mr. Gold was Chief Justice of the Quebec Superior Court from 1983-1992. He died on May 15, 2005 at the age of 87.

75 years ago
1942

War
German sources reported continued advances toward Rostov, which was reportedly set afire by Axis bombers. The U.S. House of Representatives approved and sent to President Franklin D. Roosevelt a bill creating the Women's Naval Reserve Corps. German-American Bund leader Gerhard Kunze pled guilty in Hartford, Connecticut to charges of conspiracy to commit espionage.

Politics and government
U.S. President Roosevelt appointed Admiral William Leahy as his chief of staff.

Track and field
Gunder Haegg of Sweden set a world record of 5:16.4 in the men's 2,000-metre run in Malmo, Sweden.

70 years ago
1947

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Peg o' My Heart--The Harmonicats (4th week at #1)
--Three Suns
--Art Lund
--Buddy Clark
--Clark Dennis
2 Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go to Sleep)--Perry Como and the Satisfiers
3 That's My Desire--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Frankie Laine and Mannie Klein's All-Stars
4 I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
5 Across the Alley from the Alamo--The Mills Brothers
6 Temptation (Tim-Tayshun)--Red Ingles and his Natural Seven
7 Ivy--Jo Stafford
--Woody Herman with the Four Chips
8 Mam'selle--Art Lund
--Dick Haymes
--Frank Sinatra
--Dennis Day
--Pied Pipers
9 My Adobe Hacienda--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
10 Tallahassee--Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters

The only single entering the chart was Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette), with versions by Tex Williams and his Western Caravan, and Phil Harris and his Orchestra (#20).

War
Dutch planes continued to attack Indonesian airfields on Java and Sumatra as the Netherlands government declined a British offer to mediate the conflict.

Politics and government
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to outlaw the poll tax in voting for federal offices, but the Senate postponed action on the bill until 1948.

U.S. Senator Joseph Ball (Republican--Minnesota) and Representative Fred Hartley (Republican--New Jersey) were named to top positions on the newly-created Joint Congressional Labor-Management Committee.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Harry Truman delivered his mid-year economic report to Congress, stressing that the Marshall Plan was "at the core" of U.S. foreign policy.

Baseball
The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted former pitchers Carl Hubbell and Lefty Grove, second baseman Frankie Frisch, and catcher Mickey Cochrane.

60 years ago
1957

Disasters
A U.S. Navy Neptune Bomber, searching for a missing plane, crashed into a mountainside near Turin, Italy, killing 9 of 10 crewmen.

Golf
Lionel Hebert defeated Dow Finsterwald 2 and 1 to win the PGA Championship at Miami Valley Golf Club in Dayton, Ohio. First prize money was $8,000. It was the last PGA Championship to be decided by match play.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Silence is Golden--The Tremeloes

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 I Take it Back--Sandy Posey
2 Windy--The Association
3 Silence is Golden--The Tremeloes
4 San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)--Scott McKenzie
5 Let's Live for Today--The Grass Roots
6 Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead--The Fifth Estate
7 You Only Live Twice--Nancy Sinatra/Jackson--Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood
8 Walkin' Mary Home--The Nomads
9 My Friend--Willie & the Walkers
10 Laborer--The 49th Parallel
Pick hit of the week: Groovy Summertime--The Love Generation
New this week: Agnes English--John Fred and his Playboy Band
Let the Four Winds Blow--Jerry Jaye
Ha Ha Said the Clown--The Yardbirds
Morning Dew--The Pozo-Seco Singers
Blue--The Lords

Died on this date
Basil Rathbone, 75.. South African-born U.K. actor. One of this blogger's favourite actors, Mr. Rathbone played villains in movies such as David Copperfield (1935); Captain Blood (1935); and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), before achieving his greatest fame, playing Sherlock Holmes in 14 movies and over 200 radio broadcasts from 1939-1946. He died in New York, the day after being given a clean bill of health by his doctor.

Albert Lutuli, 69 (?). Southern Rhodesian-born S.A. politician. Mr. Lutuli was President of the African National Congress from 1952 until his death when he was struck by a freight train while walking across a railroad bridge over the Umvuti River near his home in Stanger (now KwaDukuza). He became the first person from outside Europe and the Americas to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, winning it in 1960 for his role in the non-violent struggle against apartheid.

Jimmie Foxx, 59. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Foxx was a catcher, later a first baseman, with the Philadelphia Athletics (1925-1935); Boston Red Sox (1936-1942); Chicago Cubs (1942, 1944); and Philadelphia Blue Jays (1945), batting .325 with 534 home runs and 1,922 runs batted in in 2,317 games. His best seasons were 1932, when he hit .364 with 58 home runs and 169 runs batted in--leading the league in the last two categories--and 1933, when he won the Triple Crown (.356, 48, 163). Mr. Foxx helped the Athletics win the World Series in 1929 and 1930, and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1932, 1933, and 1938. His career total of home runs at the time of his retirement was second to Babe Ruth's major league record of 714. Mr. Foxx pitched in 1 game with the Red Sox in 1939 and 9 games with the Blue Jays in 1945, posting a record of 1-0 with an earned run average of 1.52. He managed the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1952, and managed the University of Miami Hurricanes in 1956-1957. Mr. Foxx was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951; he died from choking on a piece of food.

Music
The Monkees performed at Baltimore Civic Center.

Canadiana
The Gardiner Dam on the South Saskatchewan River was dedicated in honour of Jimmy Gardiner, former Saskatchewan Premier and federal Minister of Agriculture.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Edmonton (2-2) 7 @ Toronto (2-0) 36
Winnipeg (0-2) 1 @ Saskatchewan (1-1) 18

Larry Ferguson rushed for touchdowns of 36, 9, and 1 yards against his former team as the Argonauts routed the Eskimos at CNE Stadium. Jim Thomas scored the lone Edmonton touchdown in the 4th quarter on an 18-yard rush, converted by Peter Kempf.

Ron Lancaster completed a touchdown pass to Hugh Campbell in the 1st quarter and Ted Dushinski returned an interception for another TD in the 3rd quarter as the Roughriders beat the Blue Bombers before 12,000 fans at Taylor Field in Regina.

40 years ago
1977

Died on this date
Lee Miller, 70. U.S. photographer and journalist. Miss Miller was a model and fashion photographer who became a war correspondent for Vogue during World War II. She died of cancer.

War
Egypt reported that her forces had beaten back a Libyan armoured and aerial attack over the border near the village of Salum, and claimed that Libya had lost 40 tanks and 2 planes in the clash.

Politics and government
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike suffered a humiliating defeat in parliamentary elections. The United National Party, led by Junius Jayawardene, captured 140 of 168 seats in the parliament, an increase of 120 from before the election. The Tamil United Liberation Front's total remained at 18 seats, while the Freedom Party dropped from 81 seats to 8. Prime Minister Bandaranaike retained her seat in a close race, but all 11 members of her cabinet lost their seats. Ms. Bandaranaike had governed under emergency rule since a Communist-inspired student rebellion in 1971, and her personal rule was generally regarded as the key issue in the election.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Commerce Department reported that the nation's "real" gross national product had risen 6.4% during the spring quarter of 1977.

Baseball
The Los Angeles Dodgers released pitcher Al Downing, ending his 17-year major league career. He compiled a record of 123-107 with 3 saves and an earned run average of 3.22 in 405 games with the New York Yankees (1961-1969); Oakland Athletics (1970); Milwaukee Brewers (1970); and the Dodgers (1971-1977), batting .127 with 2 home runs and 33 runs batted in in 409 games. Mr. Downing's best season was 1971, when he was 20-9 with a 2.68 ERA; in 1977 he was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in 12 games. Mr. Downing played with pennant-winning teams in 1963, 1964, and 1974, but was best remembered for surrendering Hank Aaron's major league record 715th career home run on April 8, 1974.

Ruppert Jones drove in 2 runs with a home run and a sacrifice fly to help the Seattle Mariners defeat the Oakland Athletics 4-3 before 17,382 fans, including this blogger and his parents, at the Kingdome in Seattle. Wayne Gross and Mitchell Page homered for Oakland.

Dick Davis singled home Sal Bando with 2 out in the top of the 10th inning to break a 4-4 tie and give the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-4 win over the New York Yankees and a split of their doubleheader before 22,812 fans at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees scored all their runs in the bottom of the 1st inning--after the first 2 batters made outs--but the Brewers rallied for 4 runs in the top of the 9th to tie the score. Catfish Hunter pitched a 5-hit shutout for the Yankees as they won the first game 7-0; Lenn Sakata made his major league debut at second base for Milwaukee, batting 0 for 4, and making 2 assists.

The Boston Red Sox scored 9 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning as they defeated the Cleveland Indians 11-4 in the first game of a doubleheader before 29,059 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Andre Thornton hit a single, double, and home run, scoring 3 runs and driving in 2, to help the Indians win the second game 8-2.

Pinch hitter Bill Buckner singled home Manny Trillo with 1 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves before 20,895 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Al Oliver led off the bottom of the 4th inning with a home run to open the scoring and added a sacrifice fly in the 5th to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 before 21,713 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Mario Soto made his major league debut with Cincinnati, pitching the 5th and 6th innings in relief of losing pitcher Fred Norman, and allowing 3 hits and 2 runs--both earned--while throwing a wild pitch.

Bob Forsch pitched a 3-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over J.R. Richard as the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the Houston Astros 4-0 before 15,743 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium. The Cardinals made just 4 hits against Mr. Richard and Joe Sambito.

Pinch hitter Jerry Martin's 3-run triple climaxed an 8-run 6th inning as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants 9-6 before 5,771 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Mr. Martin was batting for Bake McBride, who led off the inning with a triple and came in to score.

Tony Perez doubled home 3 runs in the top of the 5th inning and Steve Rogers pitched a 4-hitter as the Montreal Expos shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 before 35,833 fans at Dodger Stadium. The 5th-inning rally began with 2 out and nobody on base.

George Hendrick singled home Bill Almon with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the San Diego Padres a 3-2 win over the New York Mets before 9,757 fans at San Diego Stadium.

25 years ago
1992

Politics and government
U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Newt Gingrich (Republican—Georgia), forced to run in a new district in suburban Atlanta as a result of redistricting, barely held off a challenge from Herman Clark to be renominated as a Republican candidate for Congress in the November election. Mr. Gingrich, criticized by Mr. Clark as a “Washington insider,” took just 50.7% of the vote in the Republican party primary despite outspending his challenger $1.1 million-$150,000.

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 MMMBop--Hanson (2nd week at #1)
2 Bitch--Meredith Brooks
3 A Change Will Do You Good--Sheryl Crow
4 Semi-Charmed Life--Third Eye Blind
5 Sunny Came Home--Shawn Colvin
6 The Freshmen--Verve Pipe
7 Sitting on Top of the World--Amanda Marshall
8 Do You Know What it Takes--Robyn
9 All for You--Sister Hazel
10 Building a Mystery--Sarah McLachlan

Singles entering the chart were I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 (#67); Good Enough by Dodgy (#76); Return of the Mack by Mark Morrison (#87); Four Leaf Clover by Abra Moore (#93); and Half the Man by Dayna Manning (#94).

Protest
British Columbia fishermen released the American ferry Malaspina, an Alaska-bound ship blocked at Prince Rupert. The fishermen were protesting U.S. fishing of sockeye salmon heading for spawning in British Columbia.

10 years ago
2007

Literature
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final volume in the book series by J.K. Rowling, went on sale.

Football
CFL
Toronto (2-2) 10 @ Calgary (2-2) 33