August 16, 2017

240 years ago
1777

War
Amnerican forces commanded by Brigadier General John Stark and local militia forces defeated British forces led by General John Burgoyne at the Battle of Bennington, Vermont. Gen. Burgoyne had sent a detachment to Bennington to forage for much needed supplies; the Americans killed or captured nearly 1,000 of Burgoyne's 7,000-man invading army, further slowing British invasion plans.

125 years ago
1892

Born on this date
Hal Foster. Canadian-born U.S. artist and writer. Mr. Foster, a native of Halifax, created the Prince Valiant comic strip in 1937. He died on July 25, 1982, 22 days befoere his 90th birthday.

Otto Messmer. U.S. animator. Mr. Messmer has been credited with creating Felix the Cat, the first cartoon character created and developed for the screen. Mr. Messmer worked on the movie cartoons and also oversaw the Felix the Cat comic strip. Mr. Messmer died on October 28, 1983 at the age of 91.

90 years ago
1927

Died on this date
Mildred Doran, 22 (?). U.S. aviatrix. Miss Doran and her Buhl Airsedan biplane Miss Doran disappeared during the Dole Air Race from Oakland to Honolulu. Also lost were pilot John "Auggy" Pedlar and navigator Vilas Knope.

Aviation
The Dole Air Derby from Oakland to Honolulu began. During the race, which concluded the next day, six out of the eight participating planes crashed or disappeared.

75 years ago
1942

War
The two-man crew of the U.S. naval blimp L-8 disappeared without a trace on a routine anti-submarine patrol over the Pacific Ocean. The blimp drifted without her crew and crash-landed in Daly City, California.

70 years ago
1947

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)--Tex Williams and his Western Caravan (2nd week at #1)

Aviation
The de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver bush plane made its first flight at Downsview, Ontario. With its high-lift wing and flap configuration, the all-metal Beaver had very good short take-off-and-landing capability even with heavy loads; the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force late bought 980 of them for use in Korea, where it was known as The General's Jeep. A total of 1,600 were made, a record number for an aircraft designed and built in Canada.

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Bambino--Dalida (20th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): All Shook Up--Elvis Presley (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Irving Langmuir, 76. U.S. chemist and physicist. Dr. Langmuir was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his discoveries and investigations in surface chemistry." He invented the gas-filled incandescent lamp and the hydrogen welding technique, and popularized the "concentric theory of atomic structure."

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)--Scott McKenzie (2nd week at #1)

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 All You Need is Love/Baby, You're a Rich Man--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)
2 A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum
3 San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)--Scott McKenzie
4 Up-Up and Away--The 5th Dimension
5 Theme for a New Love--Davy Jones
6 Waterloo Sunset--The Kinks
7 Silence is Golden--The Tremeloes
8 In the Chapel in the Moonlight--Dean Martin
9 Carrie-Anne--The Hollies
10 I Take it Back--Sandy Posey

The only single entering the chart was Mr. Pleasant by the Kinks (#35). The album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles charted at #40.

Society
The Dominion Bureau of Statistics reported that Canada's birth rate in 1966 was 19.4 per 1,000 people, the lowest in history. British Columbia had the lowest rate at 17.3, with the Northwest Territories the highest at 40.3. The 1965 rate was 21.4 per 1,000, with the previous low being 20.1 per 1,000 in 1937.

Protest
200-300 Negro teenagers rioted in Syracuse, New York after a report that police had beaten a Negro man near the campus of Syracuse University.

Several Negroes went on a looting rampage in Houston after Leon Perry, Jr., 27, a Negro, was shot and wounded by a liquor store owner while trying to rob the store.

Eight white men were arrested when they charged into a crowd of civil rights demonstrators in Sastuma, Louisiana who were marching from Bogalusa to Baton Rouge, where they intended to present a list of grievances to Louisiana Governor John McKeithen. Those arrested were among about 75 white men who charged into the marchers. A reinforced police guard repelled the attacks.

Disasters
Helicopters and river boats moved 10,000 residents to safety as flood waters nine feet deep struck Anchorage, Alaska.

Boxing
Carlos Ortiz (51-5-1) retained his world lightweight title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Ismael Laguna (47-5-1) at Shea Stadium in New York.



Football
CFL
The British Columbia Lions fired head coach Dave Skrien, who had led them to the Grey Cup championship in 1964. The Lions had failed to make the playoffs since, and had lost their first three games in 1967. Mr. Skrien joined the club in 1959 as an assistant to Wayne Robinson and replaced Mr. Robinson midway through the 1961 season. The Lions botched Mr. Skrien's dismissal, as the news leaked out before the Lions' game against the Toronto Argonauts on August 16; Mr. Skrien refused to resign on game day, and club directors thought it would be wrong for Mr. Skrien to coach the team for that game. Jim Champion, an assistant coach under Mr. Skrien from 1962-1964 before returning to college football in the United States, was hired as the team's new head coach. Mr. Champion wasn't yet ready to assume his new duties, so the assistant coaches, led by Ron Morris, took over for that night's game.

Ottawa (2-0) 40 @ Winnipeg (2-1) 7
Toronto (2-0) 18 @ British Columbia (0-4) 17

Ted Collins returned a fumble 18 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring, and quarterback Russ Jackson produced offensive touchdowns by Rick Black, Bo Scott, Whit Tucker, and Jay Roberts as the Rough Riders routed the Blue Bombers before 20,101 fans at Winnipeg Stadium. Ken Nielsen scored the Winnipeg touchdown in the 4th quarter.

The Argonauts trailed the Lions 17-8 in the 4th quarter, but John Vilunas kicked a field goal to make it 17-11, and with less than 3 minutes remaining and the Argonauts with the ball at the B.C. 53-yard line, Toronto quarterback Wally Gabler passed 50 yards to Bobby Taylor at the B.C. 3 and then rushed for the touchdown to tie the score. John Vilunas missed the convert attempt, but a B.C. player was offside, and Mr. Vilunas was successful on his second attempt. Larry Ferguson scored a touchdown in the 1st quarter to give the Argonauts an early lead, but the Lions struck back on a 55-yard TD pass from Bernie Faloney to Jim Young late in the 1st quarter, a 20-yard field goal by Ted Gerela on the last play of the 1st half, and a touchdown pass from Mr. Faloney to Leroy Sledge in the 3rd quarter, converted by Mr. Gerela to give B.C. a 17-8 lead. It was the last game in the 7-year Hall of Fame career of B.C.'s Tom Brown, who had moved to defensive end in 1967 after spending most of his career as a middle guard and linebacker. A neck injury suffered in 1965 forced him into retirement.

40 years ago
1977

Died on this date
Elvis Presley, 42. U.S. musician. Mr. Presley, the "King of Rock and Roll," who had 18 singles that reached the #1 position on the Billboard pop charts--15 from 1956-1960--died of a heart attack (see also here) while having a bowel movement at his Graceland mansion in Memphis. His achievements are too numerous to mention here.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (1-4) 17 @ Ottawa (2-3) 31
Calgary (1-4) 16 @ Edmonton (4-1) 32

Richard Holmes, playing his first game in an Ottawa uniform since being acquired from the Toronto Argonauts, rushed 20 times for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns--one of them covering 72 yards--to lead the Rough Riders over the Tiger-Cats before 23,494 fans at Lansdowne Park.

The Eskimos entertained the 25,761 fans at Clarke Stadium with trick plays in defeating the Stampeders. Tom Wilkinson completed 20 of 27 passes, including touchdowns to Don Warrington and Larry Highbaugh. Angelo Santucci scored an Edmonton touchdown in the 2nd quarter when Dave Cutler was short on a 51-yard field goal attempt, and Calgary returner Scott Crawford allowed the ball to bounce off him and watched Mr. Santucci pick up the ball at the 5-yard line and go into the end zone. It was the third and final CFL game for Mr. Crawford. The trick plays included a fake punt with a pass from punter Gerald Kunyk to Mr. Santucci for a first down, and a direct snap between Mr. Wilkinson's legs to running back Jim Germany on a third down short-yardage gamble that worked for another first down. Calgary defensive back Andre Johnson, playing his first game in a Calgary uniform after one game with the Toronto Argonauts, returned 4 punts for 40 yards and 2 kickoffs for 42 yards before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 4th quarter. John Hufnagel passed to Brian Gervais for the first Calgary touchdown in the 1st quarter, and Matthew Reed passed to Larry Leathem for the other Calgary TD on the last play of the game.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Respectable--Mel and Kim (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: It's a Sin--Pet Shop Boys (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Joe le taxi--Vanessa Paradis (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Charles H. Wesley, 95. U.S. historian. Dr. Wesley was an African Methodist Episcopal Church minister who taught history at Howard University before serving as President of Wilberforce University (1942-1947) and as founder and President of Central State University (1947-1965). He wrote more than two dozen books, mostly about Negro American history, with several other books about Greek-letter fraternities and Prince Hall Freemasonry.

World events
The Harmonic Convergence, the world's first globally synchronized meditation event, took place at approximately 200 sites throughout the United States and about 50 more around the world. The event was organized by José Argüelles, founder of the Whole Earth Festival and one of the originators of Earth Day. It was believed that spiritual energy was particularly strong at "power centres" such as Mount Shasta in California and Mount Fuji in Japan, and that if 144,000 people gathered at these power centres and meditated for peace, it would speed the arrival of the New Age. The timing of the Harmonic Convergence was allegedly based on the Mayan calendar, and marked an alignment of the sun, moon, and six of the eight other planets. It also coincided with the 10th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, and when the King of Rock and Roll failed to put in an appearance and nothing dramatic happened, the Harmonic Convergence was widely ridiculed (see, for example, Moronic Convergence: The moral and spiritual emptiness of New Age by Richard Blow, The New Republic, Vol. 198 No. 4, January 25, 1988, pp. 24-27). However, when the INF Treaty--which abolished an entire category of nuclear weapons--came into effect in 1988, and the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union began to fall apart toward the end of 1989, some New Age proponents claimed that the Harmonic Convergence had brought about a more peaceful world. This spiritual power seems to have largely dissipated since September 11, 2001.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the merchandise trade deficit had risen to $15.71 billion in June.

Disasters
Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jet that had just taken off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, crashed in Romulus, Michigan, killing at least 155 people in the second-highest death toll for a U.S. plane crash. The number of people on the plane was uncertain, and two were killed on the ground. There was one survivor—4-year-old Cecilia Cichan of Tempe, Arizona, whose parents and brother were killed. The cause of the crash was not immediately determined.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (2-5) 33 @ Saskatchewan (2-4-1) 36

Tom Burgess completed touchdown passes to Ray Elgaard and Tron Armstrong and handed off to David Conrad for another touchdown, and Dave Ridgway added 5 field goals and 3 converts as the Roughriders held off a 17-point rally by the Rough Riders in the 4th quarter before 24,346 fans at Taylor Field in Regina. Tim McCray led the Saskatchewan ground game with 19 carries for 122 yards. Todd Dillon started at quarterback for Ottawa and completed a touchdown pass to Gerald Alphin in the 2nd quarter. Former Dallas Cowboys’ backup quarterback Reggie Collier, playing his first CFL game, relieved Mr. Dillon in the 4th quarter with Saskatchewan ahead 33-17, and threw an interception before producing 2 touchdowns. He threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to James Hood and Mr. Dillon completed a pass to Larry Mohr for a 2-point convert, reducing the Roughriders’ led to 33-25 with 1:41 remaining in regulation time. Mr. Ridgway’s 38-yard field goal with 33 seconds left made the score 36-25, and Mr. Collie finished the game with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Mr. Hood and a 2-point convert pass to Jim Reid on the final play. Marc Lewis led Ottawa receivers with 112 yards on 9 receptions, while Mr. Hood caught 6 for 92.

Baseball
The New York Mets set a club record for runs in a game as they beat the Chicago Cubs 23-10 before 32,731 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Darryl Strawberry led the Mets with 2 doubles, a home run, and 5 runs. Ron Darling was the winning pitcher over Greg Maddux.

Tim Raines batted 5 for 5 and hit for the cycle to lead the Montreal Expos to a 10-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 26,134 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

With 2 out and nobody on base in the bottom of the 10th inning, pinch hitter Chili Davis singled and scored on a double by Eddie Milner to give the San Francisco Giants a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers before 52,374 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Mike LaCoss pitched a 3-hit complete game shutout. Bob Welch started on the mound for Los Angeles and allowed 4 hits in 8 inning before being relieved by Tim Leary, who took the loss.

Ron Robinson and John Franco combined on a 3-hit shutout and Nick Esasky hit 2 solo home runs as the Cincinnati Reds blanked the San Diego Padres 2-0 before 18,884 fans at Jack Murphy-San Diego Stadium.

Rich Yett and Doug Jones combined for a 4-hit shutout as the Cleveland Indians edged the New York Yankees 1-0 before 38,807 fans at Yankee Stadium. Pat Tabler scored the only run in the top of the 8th inning when he reached first base on a force play, stole second, and scored on a 2-out double by Cory Snyder. The run off losing pitcher Ron Guidry was unearned, because Brook Jaboy had led off the inning by reaching first base on an error by New York shortstop Bobby Meacham.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): I'll Be There--Mariah Carey featuring Trey Lorenz (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): ABBA-esque--Erasure (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Rhythm is a Dancer--Snap! (8th week at #1)

Politics and government
In Lorretteville, Québec, the Wendake Huron nation elected Jocelyne Gros-Louis (Lahontiach) as Grand Chief over Max Gros-Louis, head of the Nation for 26 years; Ms. Gros-Louis became the first woman to serve as a First Nation leader in Canada.

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Oh la la la--2 Eivissa

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): I'll Be Missing You--Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112

#1 single in France (SNEP): Alane--Wes (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): I'll Be Missing You--Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Alane--Wes (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I'll Be Missing You--Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Men in Black--Will Smith

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I'll Be Missing You--Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 (10th week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
The Stanley Cup went on display in Moscow, only the second time the Cup had left North America.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (1-7) 26 @ Montreal (5-3) 36

10 years aago
2007

Terrorism
Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen held for 3-1/2 years as an enemy combatant, was convicted in Miami of helping Islamic extremists and plotting overseas attacks. He was later sentenced to 17 years and 4 months in prison.