September 11, 2017

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Anna!

720 years ago
1297

War
Scottish troops jointly led by William Wallace and Andrew Moray defeated English troops commanded by the Earl of Surrey and Hugh de Cressingham in the Battle of Stirling Bridge in Scotland.

320 years ago
1697

War
Habsburg Imperial forces commanded by Prince Eugene of Savoy routed Ottoman Empire forces commanded by Sultan Mustafa II in the Battle of Zenta in what is now Serbia. It was a major engagement in the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) and one of the most decisive defeats in Ottoman history.

240 years ago
1777

War
British forces achieved a major victory over American forces in the Battle of Brandywine in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

175 years ago
1842

World events
Led by Portuguese General Antonio Pinto Soares, 400 men attacked Costa Rican head of state Francisco Morazán's guard of 40 Salvadoreans at his palace in San José, beginning a coup that resulted in the execution of General Morazán on September 15.

170 years ago
1847

Disasters
A hurricane hit the coast of Newfoundland, killing 300 people.

160 years ago
1857

Abominations
Mormon settlers and Paiutes massacred 120 non-Mormon pioneers at Mountain Meadows, Utah.

150 years ago
1867

Sport
The American team won the American-Canadian boat race at Springfield, Massachusetts, covering the 6 miles in 29 minutes 38 seconds.

140 years ago
1877

Born on this date
James Jeans. U.K. physicist, astronomer, and mathematician. Sir James was perhaps best known as a cosmologist, advocating a steady state cosmology; his books included The Mysterious Universe (1930). Sir James died on September 16, 1946, five days after his 69th birthday.

130 years ago
1887

Society
Led by third baseman Arlie Latham, the St. Louis Browns of the American Association refused to play an exhibition baseball game against the all-Negro Cuban Giants, saying in a letter to the owner, "we will cheerfully play against white people at any time and think that by refusing to play [blacks] we are only doing what is right." Mr. Latham was fined.

120 years ago
1897

War
After months of pursuit, generals of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia captured Gaki Sherocho, the last king of Kaffa, bringing an end to that ancient kingdom.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Ferdinand Marcos. President of the Philippines, 1965-1986. Mr. Marcos served in the Philippines’ House of Representatives from 1949-1959, and in the Senate from 1959-1965. He switched from the Liberal to the Nationalist party in 1965, and was elected president. He was re-elected in 1969 after initiating military strikes against Communist insurgents and Muslim rebels. Mr. Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and assumed virtually dictatorial powers in 1973 with a new constitution. After the assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino in 1983 and a re-election win over Mr. Aquino’s widow Corazon in 1986 that was believed to be the result of fraud, protests drove Mr. Marcos into exile. He died in Honolulu on September 28, 1989 at the age of 72 while he and his wife Imelda were facing charges of embezzlement in the United States.

Herbert Lom. Czech-born U.K. actor. Mr. Lom, born Herbert Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru, began his career in Czechoslovakia before fleeing to the United Kingdom in 1939. He had a distinguished career on stage and screen, but was best known for playing Inspector Dreyfus in six Pink Panther comedy movies from 1964-1983. Mr. Lom died on September 27, 2012, 16 days after his 95th birthday.

Died on this date
Georges Guynemer, 22. French military aviator. Capitaine Guynemer was a pilot in the French Air Service during World War I, and had 54 combat victories before being fatally shot down.

80 years ago
1937

Americana
Bette Cooper, representing Bertrand Island, New Jersey, was named Miss America 1937 at the annual pageant in Atlantic City.

75 years ago
1942

War
The Royal Canadian Navy Flower Class corvette HMCS Charlottetown was torpedoed and sunk in the St. Lawrence, near Cap Chat, Quebec by the German submarine U-517. The Charlottetown had just delivered a convoy to Rimouski, Québec and was returning to Gaspé; 10 of her ship's company were lost while the minesweeper HMCS Clayoquot rescued the 55 survivors. The U.S. Navy claimed that 20 Japanese planes had been shot down after three days of attacks upon Guadalcanal. Madagascar Governor General Armand Annet denied a British claim of Japanese activity on the island.

Diplomacy
U.S. envoy Wendell Willkie arrived in Jerusalem to determine the needs of the people of the Middle East.

Seven people, including five policemen, were injured, and 97 alleged rioters arrested in Buenos Aires when police broke up a pro-democratic Radical Party youth rally held in tribute to Brazil.

Politics and government
U.K. envoy to India Sir Stafford Cripps said that Indian Hindu nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi had intervened to reverse previously accepted British proposals for postwar independence for India.

Syrian President Sheik Taj Eddin Hassani said that Syrians had the right to expect early recognition of independent national status in the spirit of the Atlantic Charter.

Labour
The Canadian Government ordered all Canadian women, single and married, born between 1918-1922, to register with the Unemployment Insurance Commission, due to a critical shortage of labour in wartime. Many volunteered to help with the harvest.

Track and field
Gunder Haegg set a world record in Stockholm by running three miles in 13 minutes 35.4 seconds.

Baseball
Ray Lamanno's home run in the top of the 11th inning gave the Cincinnati Reds an 8-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, ruining the major league debut of Philadelphia center fielder Eddie Freed. Mr. Freed hit a triple, 2 doubles, a single, and reached base on an intentional walk, and made 2 putouts. Only 393 fans witnessed the game at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

Mickey Witek singled home 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to tie the game, and pinch hitter Hank Leiber drew a base on balls with the bases loaded to force Johnny Mize home with the winning run with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th as the New York Giants edged the Chicago Cubs 4-3 before 1,704 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. Hi Bithorn allowed 12 hits and 4 earned runs, walking 10 batters--3 in the 9th--in pitching a complete game loss. Paul Gillespie made his major league debut with the Cubs, catching the first 8 innings, and batting 2 for 3 with a home run--in his first plate appearance--while drawing a base on balls and driving in 2 runs, and making 2 putouts and an assist.

Mort Cooper pitched a 3-hitter and had 2 hits and 2 runs of his own in leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-0 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers before 29,774 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Mr. Cooper improved his 1942 record to 20-7, while Brooklyn starter Whitlow Wyatt allowed 7 hits and 3 earned runs in 8 innings to drop to 17-6.

Every man in the Boston lineup except Jim Tabor had at least 2 hits as the Red Sox routed the Cleveland Indians 15-2 before 2,000 fans at League Park in Cleveland. Ken Chase pitched a 9-hit complete game victory to improve his 1942 record to 5-1 and batted 2 for 5 with 2 runs and a run batted in. Pete Center, the second of three Cleveland pitchers, allowed 7 hits and 6 runs--all earned--in 3 1/3 innings, walking 4 batters and striking out none, while striking out in his only at bat in his major league debut.

Bob Johnson batted 3 for 3 with a double, 3 runs, and a run batted in to help the Philadelphia Athletics edge the Detroit Tigers 5-4 before 1,084 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Mr. Johnson scored the deciding run in the 8th inning when he doubled and scored on a 2-out single by Buddy Blair. Dizzy Trout started on the mound for Detroit, but was ejected by home plate umpire Steve Basil in the bottom of the 6th for grabbing a fan who had taunted him. Mr. Trout allowed 5 hits and 4 runs--2 earned--in 6 innings and was charged with the loss, dropping to 11-17 for 1942. Winning pitcher Russ Christopher pitched a complete game, allowing 10 hits and 3 earned runs as he improved to 4-13.

Don Kolloway singled home George Dickey with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th inning for the game's only run as the Chicago White Sox edged the New York Yankees 1-0 before 3,879 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Eddie Smith pitched a 6-hit shutout to improve his 1942 record to 6-19, winning the pitchers' duel over Atley Donald, who allowed 7 hits and 1 earned run in pitching a complete game, falling to 9-3.

The St. Louis Browns scored 2 runs in the 2nd inning, 3 in the 4th, and 5 in the 5th as they beat the Washington Nationals 10-4 before only 732 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Every man in the St. Louis lineup had at least 1 hit. Fritz Ostermueller pitched a 9-hit complete game victory to improve his record for the season to 3-1.

70 years ago
1947

On the radio
Mystery in the Air, starring Peter Lorre, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Queen of Spades

Died on this date
Arthur Lerch, 53. U.S. military officer and politician. General Lerch was the U.S. military Governor of Korea. He died in Seoul of a heart attack.

George Vigus, 39; Iris Scott, 21. Canadian crime victims. Mr. Vigus, foreman for a paper box company, and Miss Scott, an art student and bookkeeper, were found strangled in the trunk of Mr. Vigus's car in High Park in Toronto. Mr. Vigus, who was married, had once worked at the same company as Miss Scott, and according to Miss Scott's brother Joseph, 27, had been stalking her for five years. A coroner's jury in December returned a verdict of "death by strangulation by person or persons unknown at this time," and the crime remains officially unsolved, although Edwin Boyd of the Boyd Gang told a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation producer many years later that he had killed a couple and left their bodies in the trunk of a car in High Park.

Politics and government
Speaking at a Progressive Citizens of America rally in New York, former U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace attacked the Democratic Party as a "war party," and urged creation of a third party in 1948 if President Harry Truman's administration, foreign policy remained unaltered.

Economics and finance
U.S.S.R. authorities in Berlin announced the completion of the land reform program in the Soviet zone of Germany.

U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Dalton urged the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to prevent "economic catastrophe" in Europe by granting immediate assistance until the Marshall Plan could be put into effect. U.S. Commerce Secretary Averell Harriman reporting on a study of U.S. economic capacity to help Europe, said that the Marshall Plan would involve additional government controls over exports.

Labour
British tanks and troops broke up a strike of 60,000 German workers in Kiel and enforced an order for the dismantling of a large machinery plant for reparations.

Agriculture
Concluding a conference in Geneva, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization re-elected Director General Sir John Boyd Orr and named an 18-nation World Food Council to act as a liaison among nations affected by the international food crisis.

Energy
The United Nations Atomic Energy Commission adopted a U.S. recommendation for international operation of nuclear facilities.

60 years ago
1957

Diplomacy
In a personal letter to Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, U.S.S.R. Premier Nikolai Bulganin accused Turkey of deploying its army in preparation for a U.S.-planned attack on Syria, and warned that such an attack would bring "great calamities" for Turkey.

West German Ambassador to Yugoslavia Karl Pfleiderer expressed his government's diappointment over Yugoslavian President marshal Josip Broz Tito's endorsement of the present Polish-East German frontier.

Society
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill correcting immigration law "hardships" and admitting 60,000 additional immigrants to the United States.

Education
Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus asked to confer with President Eisenhower on the controversy over the racial integration of schools in Little Rock. Mr. Eisenhower immediately invited Mr. Faubus to a meeting at his vacation headquarters in Newport, Rhode Island.

Football
CRU
ORFU
London (3-1) 8 @ Sarnia (3-1) 7

Don Wright converted his own touchdown, and Jim Thompson's single was the deciding point as the Lords edged the Golden Bears at Norm Perry Park. Frank McDonald scored a touchdown for Sarnia, converted by Gene Lekenta.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Nos Falta Fe--Juan y Junior

Diplomacy
The Organization of African Unity conference began in Kinshasa, Congo.

Politics and government
Jean Gordon became the first woman elected to the Yukon Territorial Council.

Football
Continental Football League
Owners of the remaining teams in the Eastern Division voted to reinstate the Toronto Rifles, with the franchise to be operated by the league. The league had suspended the team's operations on September 5, two days before a scheduled game at home against the Wheeling Ironmen. When the Rifles were revived, the game against Wheeling was ruled a forfeit in favour of the Ironmen, and it was decided that the Rifles would play their remaining games on the road.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Boogie Nights--Heat Wave (6th week at #1)

Music
Johnny Rivers performed at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton; tickets were priced at $5.50, $6.50, and $7.50.

Football
CFL
Montreal (8-1) 16 @ Ottawa (3-6) 11
Saskatchewan (5-4) 17 @ Winnipeg (5-4) 39

Sonny Wade completed 18 of 30 passes for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns to Brock Aynsley, the longest of which covered 105 yards, as the Alouettes beat the Rough Riders before 33,399 fans at Lansdowne Park.

Saskatchewan quarterback Ron Lancaster produced 443 yards net offense, but his 2 touchdown rushes late in the 4th quarter merely made the Roughriders look a little more respectable in losing to the Blue Bombers before a capacity crowd of 25,210 at Winnipeg Stadium.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Voyage Voyage--Desireless (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Lorne Greene, 72. Canadian-born U.S. broadcaster and actor. Mr. Greene, a native of Ottawa, graduated from Queen's University and then became a newsreader for CBC radio during World War II, earning the nickname "The Voice of Doom." He then went to Hollywood, where he became famous in the role of Ben Cartwright in the television western series Bonanza (1959-1973). Mr. Greene was also a recording artist in the 1960s, and his spoken word ballad Ringo reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S.A. in 1964.

Peter Tosh, 42. Jamaican musician. Mr. Tosh, a Rastafarian (worshiping Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I as Jesus incarnate and believing in the use of marijuana for spiritual purposes), was a member of the influential reggae group The Wailers from 1963-1974 before embarking on a successful solo career. He was murdered in his home during a robbery.

Religion
Speaking in Miami, Florida, Pope John Paul II defended Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people but also supported the formation of a Palestinian homeland.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the trade deficit had risen to a record $16.5 billion in July.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (7-3) 55 @ Ottawa (2-8) 16

Roy Dewalt completed just 16 of 32 passes, but amassed 368 yards and touchdowns to Jim Sandusky, Jan Carinci, and Byron Williams as the Lions routed the Rough Riders before 19,201 fans at Lansdowne Park. Anthony Parker rushed 1 yard for another B.C. touchdown, while Larry Crawford added another on a 72-yard punt return and rookie Nelson Martin returned a pass 20 yards for a Lion touchdown on the last play of the game. Todd Dillon threw 17 yards to Marc Lewis for the only Ottawa touchdown in the 2nd quarter.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): It's My Life--Dr. Alban (7th week at #1)

Defense
U.S. President George Bush announced that his administration had approved the sale of 72 F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that prices paid by producers for finished goods had risen 0.1% in August.

Disasters
At least 650 people perished when heavy rains and flash floods swept through mud hut villages in northern and eastern Pakistan.

Hurricane Iniki battered the Hawaiian island of Kauai; an estimated 10,000 homes were damaged, and much of the island was left without power for several days.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (2-8) 34 @ Edmonton (7-3) 20

Jon Volpe rushed 24 times for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns and Lui Passaglia added 2 converts, 4 field goals, and a single to lead the Lions over the Eskimos before a Commonwealth Stadium crowd of 48,793. Ryan Hanson rushed 12 yards for the other B.C. touchdown. Tracy Ham completed touchdown passes of 72 yards to Henry “Gizmo” Williams and 12 yards to Chris Armstrong for the Eskimos, but also threw 3 interceptions. It was the Lions’ only road win of the season.



20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): I'll Be Missing You--Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans and 112 (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Liikaa--Apulanta

Died on this date
Camille Henry, 64. Canadian hockey player and coach. Mr. Henry played centre with the New York Rangers (1953-55, 1956-65, 1967-68); Chicago Black Hawks (1965); and St. Louis Blues (1968-70), scoring 528 points on 279 goals and 249 assists in 727 regular season games, and 6 goals and 12 assists in 47 playoff games. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the National Hockey League's outstanding rookie in 1953-54, scoring 24 goals and 15 assists in 66 games. Mr. Henry was the winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1957-58 for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct, the same year he was named to the NHL's second all-star team. He coached the New York Raiders (1972-73) and New York Golden Blades (1973) in the World Hockey Association, but failed to make the playoffs, and he resigned when the Golden Blades moved to New Jersey to become the New Jersey Knights after the first 20 games of the 1973-74 season. Mr. Henry was apparently a heavy drinker, and ended up in poverty, which was relieved slightly shortly before his death by a court-ordered reimbursement of player pension funds.

Space
The U.S. probe Mars Global Surveyor reached Mars.

Politics and government
After a nationwide referendum, Scotland voted to establish a devolved parliament within the United Kingdom after 290 years in the U.K.

Health
Canadian federal and provincial health ministers agreed on a new blood agency, the Canadian Blood Services, after the federal government agreed to pay most of the startup costs. CBS was to replace the Canadian Red Cross Society on September 1, 1998, but was postponed to let tainted-blood victims or creditors appeal a recent court decision allowing the Red Cross to transfer its assets (and liabilities) to the new system. The Red Cross had managed Canada's blood program for over 50 years, but went bankrupt in July, 1998 to avoid $8 billion in potential damages from lawsuits brought by Canadians infected in the 1980s by hepatitis C-tainted blood.

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Joe Zawinul, 75. Austrian musician. Mr. Zawinul was a keyboard player who was one of the creators of jazz fusion, combining jazz with elements of rock and world music. He was a member of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet from 1961-1970, and wrote the hit song Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. Mr. Zawinul later co-founded the groups Weather Report and the Joe Zawinul Syndicate. He died of a rare form of skin cancer.

Defense
Russia tested the Father of All Bombs, the largest conventional weapon ever.

Politics and government
Stephen Harper became first Canadian Prime Minister to address the Parliament of Australia.



Oil
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams said that the province would seek a 10% ownership stake in any future oil and gas projects.

Health
China signed an agreement to prohibit the use of lead paint on toys exported to the United States.