August 11, 2017

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Audrianna De Souza!

170 years ago
1847

Born on this date
Harry Barron. U.K. military officer and politician. Major General Barron was Governor of Tasmania (1909-1913) and Governor of Western Australia (1913-1917). He died on March 27, 1921 at the age of 73.

150 years ago
1867

Born on this date
Hobart Bosworth. U.S. actor and director. Mr. Bosworth began his career on stage in the late 1880s, but took ill with tuberculosis when he was on the verge of stardom. He went to California, and became one of the most important figures in the early years of motion pictures, as actor, writer, director, and producer. One of his starring roles was in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1908), the first horror film. Mr. Bosworth appeared in character roles in later years; he died on December 30, 1943 at the age of 76.

110 years ago
1907

Born on this date
Woody Jensen. U.S. baseball player. Forrest Docenus Jensen was an outfielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1931-1939), batting .285 with 26 home runs and 235 runs batted in in 738 games. His 696 at bats in 1936 was a major league record for a single season until broken by Matty Alou of the Pirates in 1969, in a longer season. Mr. Jensen played more than 900 games in 9 seasons in the minor leagues (1927-1932, 1939-1941), and coached at Wichita State University (1954-1955). He died on October 5, 2001 at the age of 94.

Baseball
The St. Louis Cardinals swept a doubleheader from the Boston Braves 5-4 and 4-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The second game was called after 7 innings while Ed Karger of the Cardinals was pitching a perfect game.

The Chicago Cubs swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0 and 1-0 at West Side Park in Chicago.

The Brooklyn Superbas and Cincinnati Reds split a doubleheader at Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati, with the Reds winning the first game 5-1 and the Superbas winning the second game 2-1.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Dik Browne. U.S. cartoonist. Mr. Browne drew, and Mort Walker wrote, the comic strip Hi and Lois (1954-1988), and wrote and drew the comic strip Hägar the Horrible (1973-1988). Both strips continued after Mr. Browne's retirement in 1988. Mr. Browne won several awards, and died of cancer on June 4, 1989 at the age of 71.

80 years ago
1937

Died on this date
Edith Wharton, 75. U.S. authoress. Mrs. Wharton, born Edith Jones, wrote 15 novels, 7 novellas, and 85 short stories, mainly about the upper classes in the United States. In 1920 she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Age of Innocence. Mrs. Wharton died of a stroke in France, two months after suffering a heart attack.

Adventure
Shell Taylor and Jeff Pope completed the longest canoe trip to date, from New York City through Canada to the Arctic Ocean, ending in Nome, Alaska.

75 years ago
1942

At the movies
Wake Island, directed by John Farrow and starring Brian Donlevy, Macdonald Carey, Robert Preston, and William Bendix, opened in theatres.

Died on this date
Malcolm Hanson, 47. U.S. military engineer. U.S. Navy Commander Hanson was the chief wireless operator on Rear Admiral Richard Byrd's first Antarctic expedition and a pioneer in the development of radio communication apparatus for polar regions. He was killed in a plane crash "somewhere in the north." Mount Hanson in Antarctica is named in his honour.

War
Soviet troops fell back from Armavir along the Caucasian foothills across the frontier of Circassia to Cherkessk.

Protest
More Indians were killed in anti-British rioting in Bombay and other cities.

Technology
Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil received a patent for a frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication system that later became the basis for modern technologies in wireless telephones and Wi-Fi.

Baseball
Doc Cramer's single with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning broke up Cleveland pitcher Al Milnar's bid for a no-hitter as the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians played to a 0-0 tie in 14 innings before 13,118 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. The game was the first game of a twi-night doubleheader, but under the rules then in force, the first game could not continue under the lights. Mr. Milnar allowed one more hit, a single by Rudy York in the 13th. Detroit pitcher Tommy Bridges allowed 9 hits in also pitching a complete game. The Indians had runners on first and second bases with none out in the bottom of the 14th, but Mr. Milnar bunted into a fielder's choice at third base, and Oris Hockett lined into a double play to end the inning. The Tigers won the second game 3-2 under the lights, with Dizzy Trout pitching a 7-hit complete game to win the pitchers' duel over Mel Harder. With Detroit leading 3-1, Cleveland had runners on first and third bases with two out in the bottom of the 9th. Pinch hitter Fabian Gaffke doubled home Les Fleming, but pinch runner Mike Hegan was thrown out at home plate, ending the game.

Tony Lupien singled home Dom DiMaggio with 1 out in the top of the 11th inning to break a 2-2 tie and give the Boston Red Sox a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees before 13,312 fans at Yankee Stadium. The run was unearned, as Mr. DiMaggio had reached first base on an error by New York third baseman Red Rolfe. The Yankees had runners on first and third bases with 2 out in the bottom of the 11th, but Buddy Hassett flied out to end the game. Tex Hughson pitched a 10-hit complete game victory.

Bobo Newsom pitched a 5-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Russ Christopher as the Washington Nationals defeated the Philadelphia Athletics 3-1 before 6,425 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

The St. Louis Browns scored 8 runs in the first 3 innings and coasted to a 9-2 win over the Chicago White Sox before 4,662 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Denny Galehouse pitched a 4-hit complete game victory.

The New York Giants scored 5 runs in the 3rd inning as they defeated the Boston Braves 6-4 before 2,605 fans at Braves Field. Van Mungo batted 2 for 4 with a run, allowing 9 hits and 4 earned runs in 8 innings to get his first win of the season, and first as a Giant after 11 years with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

70 years ago
1947

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

Singles entering the chart were both versions of Bloop-Bleep; What are You Doing New Year's Eve (#16)/On the Old Spanish Trail (#18) by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra; What are You Doing New Year's Eve by Margaret Whiting (#16, charting with the version by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra); On the Old Spanish Trail by Andy Russell (#18, charting with the version by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra); Come to the Mardi Gras (Nao Tenho Lagrimas) by Freddy Martin and his Orchestra (#21); (I’ve Been So Wrong, For So Long—But) I'm So Right Tonight, with versions by Dinah Shore; Jo Stafford; and Phil Harris and his Orchestra (#23); I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now, with versions by Ted Weems and his Orchestra with Perry Como; and Perry Como (#24); I Wish I Didn't Love You So, with versions by Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra; and Betty Hutton (#28); Naughty Angeline, with versions by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra; Dick Haymes; and the King Cole Trio (#33); and The Echo Said "No" by Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra (#38).

On the radio
Escape, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Ring of Thoth

Jack Webb was among the cast of this episode, which was an adaptation of the short story by A. Conan Doyle.

Died on this date
Pearl Bergoff, 68. U.S. labour activist. Mr. Bergoff and his brother Leo founded Bergoff Brothers Strike Service and Labor Adjusters in 1906, and was was known as the "King of the Strikebreakers" through 1937.

Energy
Construction began on the first non-military atomic energy pile in Brookhaven, New York.

Scandal
Republicans on the U.S. Senate War Investigating Committee suspended their investigation of contracts granted to Howard Hughes' aircraft firm during World War II, reportedly advised by Senate President Pro Tempore Arthur Vandenberg (Republican--Michigan) to drop the open hearings because of unfavourable publicity. Mr. Hughes claimed that the move was a "vindication" of his conduct, forced by public opinion.

Economics and finance
The U.S.S.R. rejected a U.S. proposal to issue a new German currency under four-power supervision in Berlin.

Labour
U.S. President Harry Truman issued an executive order eliminating the National Railroad Labor Panel, established in 1942 as an emergency wartime agency.

The Argentine government ordered a general wage increase for the federal police force.

60 years ago
1957

War
Backed by British infantry, Trucial Oman scouts and tribal forces loyal to Sultan Said bin Taimur captured the rebel capital of Nizwa in central Oman.

Business
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission reported that the West Coast tuna fishing industry had agreed to halt price-fixing practices and other actions aimed at preventing the import of Japanese tuna.

Disasters
A Maritime Central Airlines DC-4 charter flight from England crashed in a violent thunderstorm at Issoudun, Quebec, 25 miles southwest of Québec City, killing 73 veterans and their families, and 6 crew members in the first major civilian air disaster in Canada, with the highest death toll to date of any plane crash in Canada. Despite an investigation ordered by the federal Minister of Transport, the causes of this disaster were never determined accurately.

Golf
Dick Mayer won the Tam O'Shanter tournament in Chicago.

Football
WIFU
Pre-season
Edmonton (3-0) 9 British Columbia (0-4) 6 @ San Francisco

Normie Kwong scored a touchdown and Joe Mobra converted and added 2 singles on missed field goals as the Eskimos edged the Lions before 16,000 fans at Kezar Stadium.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 All You Need is Love--The Beatles
2 Silence is Golden--The Tremeloes
3 Windy--The Association
4 Words--The Monkees
5 Laborer--The 49th Parallel
6 Little Bit o' Soul--The Music Explosion
7 Carrie-Anne--The Hollies
8 A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum
9 Thank the Lord for the Night Time--Neil Diamond
10 Mercy, Mercy, Mercy--The Buckinghams
New this week: Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie--Jay and the Techniques
I Dig Rock and Roll Music--Peter, Paul and Mary
Gentle on My Mind--Glen Campbell
Penny Arcade--The Cyrkle
Paper Sun--Traffic featuring Steve Winwood

Music
The Monkees performed at State Fair Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Space
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration named its sixth group of astronauts, who were nicknamed the "Excess Eleven" by chief astronaut Deke Slayton because of the lack of immediate opportunities for missions. The new astronauts--all scientists with no previous experience as pilots--were Joe Allen; Philip Chapman; Tony England; Karl Henize; Donald Holmquest; William Lenoir; Tony Llewellyn; Story Musgrave; Brian O'Leary; Robert Parker; and William Thornton. Those who chose to stay with the space program long enough ended up flying space shuttle missions in the 1980s.

Football
CFL
Montreal (0-1) 7 @ Toronto (1-0) 14
British Columbia (0-3) 13 @ Saskatchewan (2-0) 36

The Argonauts defeated the Alouettes before 29,698 fans at CNE Stadium in the first regular season game for both Leo Cahill as head coach of the Argonauts and Kay Dalton as head coach of the Alouettes. The next time two head coaches made their CFL debuts against each other was in 1999, also with the Argonauts and Alouettes: Jim Barker of Toronto and Charlie Taaffe of Montreal.

George Reed rushed for 3 touchdowns to help the Roughriders beat the Lions before 19,016 fans at Taylor Field in Regina in what turned out to be the last game for Dave Skrien as head coach of the Lions.

40 years ago
1977

Died on this date
Frederic Williams, 66. U.K. engineer. Mr. Williams made substantial contributions to the development of radar during World War II, and co-invented the Williams-Kilborn tube, used for memory in early computer systems.

Edmontonia
The Millwoods Twin Drive-In theatre complex--the last new drive-in to open in the city--opened at 50 St. and 51 Ave. The Twin 1 was showing Slap Shot; Car Wash; and My Name is Nobody, while the Twin 2 was showing The Sting; The Car; and Sunshine.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance ended a Middle East tour aimed at reconvening Arab-Israeli peace talks in Geneva.

Politics and government
Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament Gordon Fairweather resigned his seat in the House of Commons to accept a position as head of the new Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (2-2) 10 @ Montreal (5-0) 27

30 years ago
1987

Died on this date
Clara Peller, 85. U.S. actress. Ms. Peller achieved brief fame in 1984 when she appeared in commercials for the Wendy's fast food chain, shouting "Where's the beef?" She died a week after her 85th birthday.

John McGillen, 70. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. McGillen appeared in 2 games with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1944, posting a 0-0 record with an 18.00 earned run average in 1 inning. He appeared in 30 games with the Lancaster Red Roses of the Class B Interstate League that year, and was 10-11 with a 5.20 ERA; in 1945 he was 1-1 with a 3.66 ERA in 12 games with the Milwaukee Brewers of the AA American Association. Mr. McGillen died five days after his 70th birthday.

Baseball
Bill Stoneman was named general manager of the Montreal Expos, replacing Murray Cook. Mr. Stoneman pitched for the Expos from 1969-1973, and was this blogger's favourite player at the time.

Milt Thompson singled home Luis Aguayo with 1 out in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 9-8 win over the Chicago Cubs before 30,459 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Mr. Aguayo led off with a single, advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Greg Gross, and advanced to third when Chicago third baseman Keith Moreland made an error on a ground ball by Juan Samuel, paving the way for the winning hit. The Cubs took an 8-7 lead in the top of the 12th when Mr. Moreland singled with 2 out and scored on a triple by Paul Noce, only to have Mr. Thompson lead off the bottom of the inning with a single, steal second, and score on a double by Von Hayes to tie the game. The Phillies almost won the game in the 11th when Ron Roenicke led off with a base on balls and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lance Parrish, but got caught in a rundown between third base and home plate on a single by Luis Aguayo, who ended up at third base on the play. Mr. Gross was then intentionally walked, and Mr. Samuel struck out to end the inning. From my basement suite in London, Ontario, I was able to pick up the last few innings of the Chicago broadcast on my radio, and it was amusing to hear Harry Caray criticize Mr. Roenicke's bonehead baserunning play.

The St. Louis Cardinals scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th inning to break a 4-4 tie and held on to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 before 14,637 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Pirates had Barry Bonds on third base with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, but Bobby Bonilla struck out and Andy Van Slyke made an out to shortstop Ozzie Smith to end the game. Steve Peters made his major league debut for St. Louis, pitching the 6th inning and allowing 2 hits, but no runs, with 1 strikeout.

Tony Gwynn singled to lead off the bottom of the 9th inning, stole second base, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Marvel Wynne, and scored on a bases-loaded single by Benito Santiago to give the San Diego padres a 7-6 win over the Atlanta Braves before 12,512 fans at Jack Murphy-San Diego Stadium.

The Kansas City Royals scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning and held on to defeat the New York Yankees 8-5 before 35,651 fans at Royals Stadium.

The Detroit Tigers scored 7 runs in the first 2 innings and held on to defeat the Chicago White Sox 9-6 before 14,567 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Alan Trammell led the Detroit attack, batting 3 for 4 with a 3-run home run, 2 runs, and 4 runs batted in.

25 years ago
1992

Americana
The Mall of America, the biggest shopping mall in the United States, opened in Bloomington, Minnesota, on the former site of Metropolitan Stadium.

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Building a Mystery--Sarah McLachlan (2nd week at #1)
2 All for You--Sister Hazel
3 2 Become 1--Spice Girls
4 A Change Will Do You Good--Sheryl Crow
5 Semi-Charmed Life--Third Eye Blind
6 When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)--Great Big Sea
7 Where's the Love--Hanson
8 MMMBop--Hanson
9 Sunny Came Home--Shawn Colvin
10 It Could Happen to You--Blue Rodeo

Singles entering the chart were We Trying to Stay Alive by Wyclef Jean (#65); Can You Keep a Secret by First Base (#76); Carolina Blues by Blues Traveler (#82); Congo by Genesis (#85); If I Wait There for You by Bobby Cameron (#89); and No Tengo Dinero by Los Umbrellos (#90).

10 years ago
2007

Football
CFL
Hamilton (1-6) 17 @ Edmonton (3-3-1) 19

Ricky Ray completed 25 of 35 passes for 229 yards and touchdowns of 9 yards to Andrew Nowacki with 37 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter and 7 yards to Kamau peterson midway through the 3rd quarter as the Eskimos held on to edge the Tiger-Cats before 35,750 fans at Commonwealth Stadium. Hamilton quarterback Jason Maas completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jason French exactly a minute before the first Edmonton TD, and handed off to Jesse Lumsden for a 1-yard touchdown rush in the 4th quarter. Nick Setta kicked a 27-yard field goal with 2:02 remaining in regulation time to draw Hamilton to within 2 points, but they were unable to get another field goal to win the game.