July 22, 2017

430 years ago
1587

Americana
A second group of English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island off North Carolina to re-establish the deserted colony.

220 years ago
1797

War
British forces commanded by Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson launched an attack on the Spanish port city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

150 years ago
1867

Politics and government
The Russian Provisional Assembly was re-established.

Law
France abolished imprisonment for debt.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Tony Demers. Canadian hockey player. Mr. Demers, a native of Chambly, Quebec, played right wing with the Montreal Canadiens (1937-38, 1939-43) and New York Rangers (1943-44), scoring 22 goals and 20 assists in 83 regular season games, and no points in 2 playoff games. His best season was 1940-41, when he scored 13 goals and 10 assists in 46 games, and played both his playoff games. Mr. Demers died on September 3, 1997 at the age of 80.

Phil McCullough. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. McCullough played one game in the major leagues, pitching the final 3 innings for the Washington Nationals in their 13-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Griffith Stadium in Washington on April 22, 1942. He allowed 5 hits and 4 runs--2 earned--for an earned run average of 6.00, walking 2 batters and striking out 2, making an assist and batting 0 for 1. In 4 seasons in the minor leagues fro 1939-1942, Mr. McCullough posted a record of 36-50 with an ERA of 4.05. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and never played professional baseball again; his story is told in Once Around the Bases by Richard Tellis (1998). Mr. McCullough died on January 16, 2003 at the age of 85.

80 years ago
1937

Politics and government
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to "pack" the U.S. Supreme Court with judges who wouldn't strike down his New Deal legislation was rejected by the U.S. Senate.

Crime
Andrew Wright, one of the "Scottsboro Boys"--Negro youths accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931--was convicted of rape and sentenced to 99 years in prison.

75 years ago
1942

War
British forces in Egypt extended their offensive along the central sector on the El Alamein front. U.K. Royal Air Force planes bombed the German port of Duisburg. German forces marched to Novocherkassk, 20 miles northwest of Rostov. Japanese troops landed from a convoy at Gona Mission, Buna, on the north coast of New Guinea. Indian Hindu nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi wired United Press, "I would rather be shot than cooperate with the Japanese or any other power."

Abominations
The systematic deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto began.

Diplomacy
The ocean liners Maru and Conte Verde arrived at Lourenco Marques, Portuguese East Africa with 1,500 U.S. and Allied nationals for exchange for Japanese and Thai nationals.

Politics and government
The Indian government announced that it had removed the ban on the Indian Communist Party and it two publications, The National Front and The New Age.

U.S. Senator James Mead announced that he had received the endorsement of President Franklin D. Roosevelt over John J. Bennett for the New York Democratic Party gubernatorial nomination.

Economics and finance
The United States government began compulsory civilian gasoline rationing due to the demands of World War II. With only nine members present, the U.S. Senate voted to establish a separate agency to handle the manufacture of synthetic rubber from grain alcohol.

Education
New York City Assistant Superintendent of Schools Benjamin Greenberg said that 20 elementary schools would experiment with a "continuous progress system" whereby no grading separated children during the first three years of school.

Labour
Bethlehem Steel President Eugene Grace wrote the U.S. National War Labor Board that the company accepted under protest the board's 44c daily wage increase for steel workers.

70 years ago
1947

Politics and government
Hungary's Liberty Party, the largest remaining conservative opposition group, dissolved in protest against government restrictions on political activity and free speech.

Diplomacy
General Albert Wedemeyer, U.S. liaison officer with the Nationalist Chinese government during World War II, arrived in Nanking on a fact-finding mission for U.S. President Harry Truman.

Defense
The U.S. Navy cut 1,000 of its 47,000 officers in order to conform to budget requirements.

Indianica
The flag of India was adopted.

Science
The United States Congress completed action on a bill establishing a National Science Foundation to coordinate U.S. scientific research.

Oil
The Hungarian cabinet imposed a special $15-million tax on the Hungarian-American Oil Company.

Economics and finance
U.S. and U.K. authorities in Berlin announced an agreement on a new plan to increase coal production in the Ruhr, including a profit-sharing plan and food premiums for miners.

Labour
The Florida Supreme Court ruled that state laws barring closed shops were unconstitutional.

Disasters
Torrential rains swept Erie, Pennsylvania, causing $1 million in damage as the midwestern United States experienced its coldest summer in 72 years.

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear/Loving You--Elvis Presley (Best Seller--3rd week at #1; Top 100--2nd week at #1); Love Letters in the Sand--Pat Boone (Disc Jockey--7th week at #1)

At the movies
Jungle Heat, directed by Howard W. Koch, and starring Lex Barker and Mari Blanchard, opened in theatres.



Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Eileen Sasakamoose!

Defense
U.K. Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd told the House of Commons that Britain would provide military assistance to the sultan of Muscat and Oman against an internal revolt.

Society
The U.S. Senate approved an amendment to the civil rights bill repealing a Reconstruction-era law authorizing the President to use troops to enforce civil rights orders of federal courts.

Football
IRFU
Montreal Alouettes intrasquad game
Red 40 White 0

WIFU
Edmonton Eskimos intrasquad game
Gold 27 Green 24

Sam Etcheverry threw touchdown passes of 75 yards to Hal Patterson, 48 yards to Red O'Quinn, and 14 yards to Tom Moran, and handed off to Joel Wells and Pat Abbruzzi for touchdowns as Red routed White before 7,000 fans at Molson Stadium. Freddie Frick scored the other touchdown on a short fumble return.

Jackie Parker threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to Leigh McMillan and later caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Don Flynn to lead Gold to victory before 7,000 fans at Clarke Stadium. Green quarterback Don Getty completed 12 of 16 passes for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns; Mr. Parker was 5 for 8, and Mr. Flynn was 3 for 5.

Baseball
Sam Crawford and Joe McCarthy were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. "Wahoo Sam" was an outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds (1899-1902) and Detroit Tigers (1903-1917), batting .309 with 97 home runs and 1,525 runs batted in 2,517 games. He won home run championships in both major leagues, and is still the career leader with 309 triples. 51 of his home runs were hit inside the park, second-best in major league history. Mr. McCarthy managed the Chicago Cubs (1926-1930); New York Yankees (1931-1946); and Boston Red Sox (1948-1950), compiling a record of 2125-1333-29 (.615). He was the first man to manage pennant winners in both major leagues, leading the Cubs to the National League pennant in 1929 and the Yankees to American League pennants in 1932, 1936-1939, and 1941-1943, winning 7 World Series with the Yankees.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France: All You Need is Love--The Beatles

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): La coppia più bella del mondo--Adriano Celentano (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ha! Ha! Said the Clown--Manfred Mann (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): All You Need is Love--The Beatles

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): All You Need is Love--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Windy--The Association (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Windy--The Association (3rd week at #1)
2 Can't Take My Eyes Off You--Frankie Valli
3 Little Bit o' Soul--The Music Explosion
4 San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)--Scott McKenzie
5 Come on Down to My Boat--Every Mother's Son
6 Up-Up and Away--The 5th Dimension
7 Don't Sleep in the Subway--Petula Clark
8 Light My Fire--The Doors
9 C'mon Marianne--The 4 Seasons
10 I was Made to Love Her--Stevie Wonder

Singles entering the chart were Pleasant Valley Sunday (#51)/Words (#74) by the Monkees; Baby I Love You by Aretha Franklin (#56); Cold Sweat (Part 1) by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#58); Glory of Love by Otis Redding (#60); Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby by Jimmy Ruffin (#68); Happy by the Blades of Grass (#70); Omaha by Moby Grape (#72); Happy by the Sunshine Company (#75); Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison (#77); Cry Softly Lonely One by Roy Orbison (#81); Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie by Jay and the Techniques (#87); I'll Turn to Stone by the Four Tops (#91); Everybody Needs Love by Gladys Knight and the Pips (#94); Nearer to You by Betty Harris (#97); Tip on In (Part 1) by Slim Harpo (#99); My Elusive Dreams by David Houston and Tammy Wynette (#100); and More and More by Andy Williams (also #100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Up-Up and Away--The 5th Dimension
2 San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)--Scott McKenzie
3 Windy--The Association
4 Light My Fire--The Doors
5 Don't Sleep in the Subway--Petula Clark
6 Can't Take My Eyes Off You--Frankie Valli
7 White Rabbit--Jefferson Airplane
8 Come on Down to My Boat--Every Mother's Son
9 A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum
10 C'mon Marianne--The 4 Seasons

Singles entering the chart were Words by the Monkees (#57); I Take What I Want by James & Bobby Purify (#86); Make Me Yours by Bettye Swan (#91); Canada by the Sugar Shoppe (#93); I'll Turn to Stone by the Four Tops (#94); Gentle on My Mind by Glen Campbell (#96); Thank the Lord for the Night Time by Neil Diamond (#97); Cold Sweat (Part 1) by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#98); Cornflakes and Ice Cream by the Lords of London (#99); and Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie by Jay and the Techniques (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 White Rabbit--Jefferson Airplane
2 A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum
3 The Flower Children--Marcia Strassman
4 Brown Eyed Girl--Van Morrison
5 Let's Live for Today--The Grass Roots
6 I was Made to Love Her--Stevie Wonder
7 Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead--The Fifth Estate
8 All You Need is Love/Baby, You're a Rich Man--The Beatles
9 Up-Up and Away--The 5th Dimension
10 Light My Fire--The Doors

Singles entering the chart were Make Me Yours by Bettye Swan (#34); Heroes and Villains by the Beach Boys (#40); You're a Big Boy Now by the Lovin' Spoonful (#42); A Little Bit of Something by Little Richard (#43); A Girl Like You by the Young Rascals (#48); Baby I Love You by Aretha Franklin (#49); and I am the One by Larry Williams (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 I was Made to Love Her--Stevie Wonder
2 White Rabbit--Jefferson Airplane
3 Brown Eyed Girl--Van Morrison
4 Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead--The Fifth Estate
5 A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum
6 Sunny Goodge Street--Tom Northcott
7 Light My Fire--The Doors
8 All You Need is Love/Baby, You're a Rich Man--The Beatles
9 Let's Live for Today--The Grass Roots
10 Carrie-Anne--The Hollies

Singles entering the chart were Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby by Jimmy Ruffin (#25); A Thousand Shadows by the Seeds (#27); (I Wanna) Testify by the Parliaments (#29); and Bluebird by Buffalo Springfield (#30).

Died on this date
Carl Sandburg, 89. U.S. poet and historian. Mr. Sandburg, one of the most famous poets in American history, won Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry for Chicago Poems (1919) and The People, Yes (1940), and another Pulitzer Prize for Biography for his two-volume Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and Abraham Lincoln: The War Years (1951).

Music
The Monkees performed at Boston Garden.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Ma Baker--Boney M. (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Yes Sir, I Can Boogie--Baccara (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Rockollection--Laurent Voulzy (6th week at #1)

War
Egyptian military sources announced that Egyptian planes had bombed and strafed a Libyan air base near Tobruk.

Politics and government
Chinese Communist leader Deng Xiaoping was restored to power by the Communist Party's central committee after being toppled in a power struggle following the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. The central committee also announced that Mr. Deng's opponents, the Gang of Four, had been expelled from the party, and that Hua Guo-Feng was named party chairman, successor to Mao. Mr. Deng resumed his posts of deputy chairman and deputy Prime Minister.

Baseball
The Oakland Athletics scored 3 unearned runs in the 4th inning as they defeated the Seattle Mariners 5-3 before 13,960 fans, including this blogger and his parents, at the Kingdome in Seattle. Vida Blue pitched 8 2/3 innings, allowing 10 hits and 3 earned runs, to get the win.

The Chicago White Sox scored 7 runs in the last 2 innings to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-2 before 33,175 fans at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Lamar Johnson led the Chicago attack with a 3-run home run, a double 2 singles, 2 runs, and 5 runs batted in.

Rick Wise pitched a 7-hit shutout and the Boston Red Sox scored all their runs with 2 out in the bottom of the 1st inning as they beat the Cleveland Indians 3-0 before 34,030 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

Bert Blyeleven pitched a 4-hitter, striking out 14 batters, and Toby Harrah tripled home 2 unearned runs in the 7th inning as the Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 before 39,323 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

Al Cowens hit a solo home run with 2 out in the top of the 12th inning to break a 4-4 tie as the Kansas City Royals edged the Detroit Tigers 5-4 before 22,758 fans at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extra innings, and each team scored 2 runs in the 10th.

Rick Reuschel pitched a 5-hit shutout to win the pitchers' duel over Dick Ruthven as the Chicago Cubs edged the Atlanta Braves 1-0 before 17,026 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The run scored when Manny Trillo singeld to lead off the bottom of the 7th inning and scored when Ivan DeJesus hit into a force play. Mr. Reuschel improved his record for the season to 13-3.

Dave Parker doubled with 2 out and nobody on base in the bottom of the 12th inning and Bill Robinson singled him home to give the Pittsburgh Pirates an 8-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds before 38,888 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Reds rallied for 4 runs--the last 3 on a home run by Joe Morgan--with 2 out in the 9th to tie the game, and each team scored a run in the 10th.

Tim Foli hit 2 home runs for what must have been the only time in his major league career, and Randy Elliott added another, as the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 before 6,064 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Mr. Foli played 16 years in the major leagues, and hit just 25 home runs. John Montefusco allowed 8 hits and 2 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings to improve his 1977 record to 3-8, while Steve Carlton allowed 6 hits and 4 runs--1 earned--in 6 innings to drop to 13-5.

Warren Cromartie led off the 2nd inning with a home run and Del Unser homered to lead off the 5th as the Montreal Expos edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 before 41,851 fans at Dodger Stadium. Jackie Brown pitched a 4-hit complete game to win the pitchers' duel over Burt Hooton, who allowed just 4 hits in 7 innings.

Jon Matlack pitched a 7-hit shutout and Lee Mazzilli drove in 2 runs with a pair of singles as the New York Mets blanked the San Diego Padres 5-0 before 23,935 fans at San Diego Stadium. Mr. Matlack improved his record for the season to 5-12.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)--Whitney Houston (8th week at #1)

Died on this date
Jack Lescoulie, 74. U.S. radio and television personality. Mr. Lescoulie was an announcer on a number of programs, but was best known for his work on the NBC morning television program Today from 1952-1961 and 1962-1967. He spent his first nine years on Today as the sidekick of host Dave Garroway, and he died exactly five years and one day after Mr. Garroway. Mr. Lescoulie also briefly hosted Tonight! America After Dark in 1957.

Don McMahon, 57. U.S. baseball pitcher and coach. Mr. McMahon pitched in 874 major league games--all but 2 as a relief pitcher--from 1957-1974, with 7 teams, compiling a record of 90 wins and 58 losses, with 153 saves. He played in 10 games in 3 World Series, pitching for the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and Detroit Tigers in 1968 as they won the series, and the Braves in 1958. Mr. McMahon led the National League in appearances in 1959 with 49, and in saves that year with 15 while with the Braves. He became the pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants in 1972 and continued to play for them, retiring as a player at the age of 44. He was a pitching coach for two other major league teams before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers as a coach and batting practice pitcher. He died several hours after suffering a heart attack while pitching batting practice.

Crime
Palestinian cartoonist Naji Salim al-Ali was critically wounded when he was shot in the face outside his office in London.

Football
CFL
Calgary (1-5) 16 @ Toronto (2-2-1) 26

Gill Fenerty caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Gilbert Renfroe in the 3rd quarter and rushed 1 yard for a touchdown in the 4th quarter as the Argonauts handed the Stampeders their fifth straight loss before 31,524 fans at Exhibition Stadium. Darrell K. Smith scored the other Toronto touchdown on a 54-yard pass from Mr. Renfroe in the 2nd quarter. Calgary’s Andy McVey rushed 1 yard for the game’s first touchdown in the 1st quarter, and quarterback Rick Worman connected with Larry Willis for a 10-yard touchdown with 1:36 remaining in regulation time. A 2-point convert attempt on the last touchdown was unsuccessful.



25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Abba-esque--Erasure (5th week at #1)

Crime
Pablo Escobar, a cocaine trafficker who had become a billionaire in Colombia and had accepted a prison sentence in a plea bargain in 1991, escaped from prison in Envigado with at least seven other prisoners, the day after they had taken guns from guards and seized officials who had come to transfer them. The hostages were freed when soldiers attacked the prison, but Mr. Escobar and his associates escaped through a tunnel. At least six people were killed in the clashes at the prison.

Economics and finance
U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan predicted that the economic expansion would soon gain momentum.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (2-1) 32 @ Winnipeg (2-1) 51

Matt Dunigan and Sammy Garza combined for 392 yards passing and 5 touchdowns to lead the Blue Bombers past the Eskimos before 24,265 fans at Winnipeg Stadium. Larry Thompson caught 6 passes for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns, and set up another Winnipeg touchdown when he fumbled on the Edmonton 1-yard line after a 58-yard gain, and teammate Eric Streater recovered and went in for the touchdown. Robert Mimbs scored the other 2 Blue Bomber touchdowns on rushes of 5 and 32 yards. Edmonton quarterback Tracy Ham completed 25 of 42 passes for 366 yards and 4 touchdowns. Chris Armstrong led the Eskimos with 6 catches for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns, with Jim Sandusky catching Mr. Ham’s other touchdown pass. Mike Pringle rushed 6 times for 12 yards and caught 1 pass for 7 in his last game as an Eskimo until 2003. Winnipeg defensive back Rod Hill blocked a punt, setting a CFL career record with his eighth blocked kick.

20 years ago
1997

Died on this date
Irving Geis, 88. U.S. artist. Mr. Geis was a co-author and illustrator of biochemical textbooks, which contained his paintings, sketches, and drawings of complex macromolecules, such as cytochromes and viruses. He provided humourous illustrations for the book How to Lie with Statistics (1954) by Darrell Huff.

Transportation
The second Blue Water Bridge opened between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario.

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Rollie Stiles, 100. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Stiles played for the St. Louis Browns from 1930-1933, compiling a record of 9-14 with an earned run average of 5.92 in 85 games. He was the last living person to have pitched to Babe Ruth.

László Kovács, 74. Hungarian-born U.S. cinematographer. Mr. Kovács emigrated to the United States after the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, and was associated with American New Wave films in the late 1960s and early '70s, including Easy Rider (1969) and Five Easy Pieces (1970).

Mike Coolbaugh, 35. U.S. baseball player and coach. Mr. Coolbaugh was a third baseman with the Milwaukee Brewers (2001) and St. Louis Cardinals (2002), batting .283 with 2 home runs and 7 runs batted in in 44 games. In 17 seasons in the minors (1990-2006), he batted .266 with 258 homers and 1,007 RBIs in 1,690 games. He joined the Tulsa Drillers of the AA Texas League as first base coach on July 3, 2007, and was fatally injured in the 9th inning of a game in Little Rock against the Arkansas Travelers when a foul line drive off the bat of Tulsa catcher Tino Sanchez struck him in the neck and pulverized his left vertebral artery; he was taken to hospital and pronounced dead an hour later. The incident led to the institution of a rule that all base coaches in organized baseball be required to wear helmets--although a helmet wouldn't have prevented Mr. Coolbaugh's injury.