September 25, 2017

400 years ago
1617

Died on this date
Go-Yōzei, 45. Emperor of Japan, 1586-1611. Go-Yōzei, born Katahito, was the eldest son of Prince Masahito and the grandson of Emperor Ōgimachi, whom he succeeded on the throne. Go-Yōzei's reign coincided with the rule of imperial regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the coming to power of the Tokugawa shogunate. Emperor Go-Yōzei abdicated in favour of his third son Go-Mizunoo; he spent his remaining years in the Sentō Imperial Palace, which then became the usual residence for emperors who had abdicated.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Phil Rizzuto. U.S. baseball player and broadcaster. Mr. Rizzuto, nicknamed "Scooter," was a shortstop with the New York Yankees (1941-1942, 1943-1956), batting .273 with 38 home runs and 563 runs batted in in 1,661 games. He was named the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1950, when he batted .324 with 7 homers, 66 RBIs, 92 bases on balls, and 125 runs. Mr. Rizzuto played in nine World Series, and was on the winning side seven times. He was known as an outstanding defensive player, ranking near the top among shortstops in fielding average and double plays. Mr. Rizzuto broadcast Yankees' games on radio and television from 1957-1996, where he was known for his malapropisms and catch phrase, "Holy Cow!" He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994, and died on August 13, 2007, about six weeks before his 90th birthday.

80 years ago
1937

War
The Chinese Eighth Route Army gained a minor, but morale-boosting victory over Japanese forces in the Battle of Pingxingguan.

75 years ago
1942

War
Royal Canadian Air Force Squadron Leader K. A. Boomer downed a Japanese fighter plane off Alaska in the RCAF's only air combat in North America during World War II. The largest convoy to date reached Russia's arctic ports with supplies from England. Australian troops forced Japanese forces to withdraw from their outposts in the Owen Stanley Mountains, 32 miles from Port Moresby, New Guinea.

Abominations
A Swiss Police instruction dictated that "Under current practice ... refugees on the grounds of race alone are not political refugees," effectively denying entry to Jews trying to flee occupied Europe.

Economics and finance
U.S. Rubber Administrator William Jeffers ordered the Office of Price Administration to institute nationwide gas rationing and directed the Office of Defense Transportation to fix a nationwide speed limit of 35 miles per hour.

Football
Winnipeg City Rugby Football League
University of Manitoba (0-1) 1 @ Bombers (1-1-1) 20

Bill Heindl, Hymie Mander, and Gerald O’Donohue scored touchdowns for the Bombers in their win over the Bisons at Osborne Stadium.

70 years ago
1947

On the radio
Mystery in the Air, starring Peter Lorre, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Crime and Punishment

This was the final episode of the series.

At the movies
Railroaded!, directed by Anthony Mann, and starring John Ireland, Sheila Ryan, Hugh Braumont, and Jane Randolph, opened in theatres.



War
Chief Tokyo war crimes prosecutor Joseph Keenan announced that "thorough investigation" had persuaded Allied authorities not to bring charges against Japanese Emperor Hirohito.

Defense
U.S. President Harry Truman named General Carl Spaatz, commander of the Army Strategic Air Force during World War II, as chief of staff of the newly independent United States Air Force.

World events
Pakistan announced that 4,000 Muslim refugees aboard a train leaving East Punjab were dead, missing, or wounded after an attack by a Hindu-Sikh mob.

Politics and government
The Burmese Constituent Assembly elected Sao Shwe Thaik as provisional President and Thakin Nu as provisional Premier of the Burmese Union.

Agriculture
U.S. President Truman announced a nationwide "waste less" campaign to conserve food products that would affect the nation's grain supplies and ability to aid European states.

60 years ago
1957

Society
With 300 United States Army 101st Division troops standing guard, nine Negro children were escorted to Central High School (see also here) in Little Rock, Arkansas, days after unruly white crowds had forced them to withdraw. Seven demonstrators were arrested by soldiers and turned over to Little Rock police.



World events
A military tribunal in Amman sentenced Generals Ali Abu Nuwar and Ali Hayari, former Jordanian Army chiefs of staff currently in exile in Egypt, to 15 years' imprisonment on charges of conspiring to overthrow King Hussein.

Transportation
A new Yangtze River bridge, the largest ever built in China, was opened between Wuchang and Hankow.

Energy
Czechoslovakia's first nuclear reactor went into operation in Prague.

Crime
A U.S. federal grand jury in New York indicted Teamsters union Vice President Jimmy Hoffa on five counts of perjury, accusing him of lying about his connections with professional wiretapper Bernard Spindel.

Football
WIFU
British Columbia (1-8) 21 @ Calgary (5-4) 22

ORFU
Toronto (0-6) 3 @ Kitchener-Waterloo (3-1) 22

Don Loucks, Dave King, and Royal Bailey scored touchdowns for the Dutchmen as they beat Balmy Beach at Seagram Stadium in Waterloo. Mike Norcia converted 2 of the touchdowns, and Alex Muzyka added a safety touch. Frank MacDonald kicked a field goal for Toronto.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum (2nd week at #1)

Theatre
Dr. Cook's Garden, written and directed by Ira Levin and starring Burl Ives and Keir Dullea, opened at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway in New York.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Telephone Line--Electric Light Orchestra

Diplomacy
The Israeli cabinet voted to accept, with conditions, an American proposal for reconvening the Geneva peace talks on the Middle East. The disputed Israeli conditions stipulated that Palestinians participating in Geneva not be part of the Palestine Liberation Organization and that the Palestinians could not participate as a distinct delegation, but only as part of the Jordanian delegation.

Society
A referendum in Switzerland resulted in the ban on abortion being upheld.

Track and field
About 4,200 people took part in the first running of the Chicago Marathon.

Football
CFL
Montreal (8-3) 19 @ Hamilton (4-7) 20
Saskatchewan (6-5) 1 @ Calgary (3-8) 11

Jimmy Edwards rushed for 118 yards and Doyle Orange added 68 as the Tiger-Cats rushed for 208 yards in their win over the Alouettes before 21,748 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Cyril McFall kicked 3 field goals and 2 singles for the Stampeders as they defeated the Roughriders before 27,188 fans at McMahon Stadium on a rainy Sunday afternoon in the lowest-scoring game this blogger has ever attended. One of Mr. McFall's field goals was set up by an interception when Saskatchewan running back Tommy Reamon juggled a pass in his hands, and ended up tipping the ball into the hands of Calgary defensive back Rod Woodward. Bob Macoritti's 51-yard single in the 2nd quarter was the lone Roughrider point. It was the first CFL game for Saskatchewan defensive end Tim Guy.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Voyage Voyage--Desireless (5th week at #1)

At the movies
The Princess Bride, directed by Rob Reiner and starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, and Mandy Patinkin, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Emlyn Williams, 81. U.K. playwright and actor. Mr. Williams had a lengthy career as writer and actor, and was best known for his plays Night Must Fall (1935) and The Corn is Green (1938).

Mary Astor, 81. U.S. actress. Miss Astor, born Lucile Langhanke, was one of the most prominent leading ladies in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. She won the Academy Award for her supporting performance in The Great Lie (1941), but is probably best remembered for co-starring with Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon (1941).

Duffy Daugherty, 72. U.S. football coach. Mr. Daugherty was head coach of the Michigan State University Spartans from 1954-1972, compiling a record of 109 wins, 69 losses, and 5 ties. His 1965 and 1966 teams were undefeated in regular season play; the 1965 team was named national champions by United Press International and the National Football Foundation, and the 1966 Spartans were named co-champions with Notre Dame by the National Football Foundation.

Football
CIAU
Windsor (3-0) 24 @ Toronto (1-2) 16

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Sweat (A La La La La Long)--Inner Circle

Space
The United States launched the Mars Observer in the first U.S. mission to the planet in 17 years. The probe failed 11 months later.

Law
12-year-old Gregory Kingsley won a suit in a Florida circuit court that ended the parental rights of his natural mother and allowed his foster parents to adopt him. The boy had testified that his mother Rachel had not visited him for almost two years that he had been in foster care. The case may have been the first in which family rights were ended as a result of an action brought by a child.

Economics and finance
Royal Bank of Canada Chief Executive Officer Allan Taylor released a study showing the costs of breakup of Canada. It predicted a 15% drop in living standards by 2000; each Canadian would $4,000 poorer, there would b 720,000 jobless, and 1.25 million would emigrate to the United States. Mr. Taylor also said that a No vote in the Charlottetown Accord referendum, to be held on October 26, 1992, would be bad for the economy.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (7-5) 26 @ Edmonton (7-5) 25

Paul Osbaldiston’s fourth field goal of the game, a 36-yard kick with 4 seconds remaining in regulation time, gave the Tiger-Cats the win and handed the Eskimos their third straight home loss before 21,537 fans, the smallest regular season crowd in Commonwealth Stadium history to date. Edmonton quarterback Tracy Ham threw touchdown passes to Jim Sandusky and Craig Ellis, and Michael Soles rushed for a touchdown as the Eskimos led 25-9 early in the 4th quarter. Hamilton quarterback Damon Allen rushed 27 yards for a touchdown at 6:43 and then connected with Ken Evraire for a 39-yard TD at 9:59, reducing the deficit to 25-23. Edmonton’s Brian Walling rushed 18 times for 100 yards, the first 100-yard game in his 6-year CFL career. Chris Armstrong caught 1 pass for 15 yards but dropped several others, and was released by the Eskimos before their next game. It was the first CFL game for Hamilton defensive tackle Roy Hart, who suffered a liver injury and was out of action for the rest of the season.

Baseball
The Seattle Mariners edged the Texas Rangers 4-3 in 16 innings before 19,822 fans at Arlington Stadium as the teams set a major league record for a single game by using 54 players, 29 for the Mariners. Seattle set another single-game record by using 11 pitchers. The winning run scored when Omar Vizquel singled home Harold Reynolds with 2 out, and was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double.

David Cone allowed 4 hits and 1 earned run in 7 innings to improve his record in a Toronto uniform to 4-2 as the Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 3-1 before 18,124 fans at Yankee Stadium. Losing pitcher Melido Perez allowed 9 hits and 3 earned runs in pitching a complete game, falling to 12-16 for the season.

Cecil Fielder singled home Tony Phillips with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game, and Chad Kreuter singled home Skeeter Barnes with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th to win the game as the Detroit Tigers edged the Cleveland Indians 6-5 before 13,624 fans at Tiger Stadium. Carlos Baerga hit 2 home runs for the Indians.

Robin Ventura doubled home Frank Thomas and Shawn Jeter with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Chicago White Sox a 6-5 win over the California Angels before 30,776 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Joe Orton hit a 3-run home run for the Angels to open the scoring in the 2nd, and Hubie Brooks added a 2-run homer in the 7th to give California a 5-3 lead. California shortstop Gary Disarcina batted 4 for 4 with a run.

Pinch hitter Moises Alou singled home Wil Cordero with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game and Larry Walker hit a home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th to give the Montreal Expos a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs before 16,873 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Jeff Bagwell singled home Craig Biggio and Steve Finley with 1 out in the top of the 9th inning to enable the Houston Astros to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 before 25,551 fans at Dodger Stadium.

Jerald Clark's home run in the 2nd inning provided the only run and Greg Harris allowed 5 hits in 7 2/3 innings to win the pitchers' duel over Steve Avery as the San Diego Padres edged the Atlanta Braves 1-0 before 38,866 fans at Jack Murphy-San Diego Stadium. Mr. Harris improved his 1992 record to 3-8, while Mr. Avery, who allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run in 6 innings, fell to 11-11.

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight--Elton John (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Candle in the Wind 1997--Elton John (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Hélène Baillargeon, 81. Canadian singer and television hostess. Miss Baillargeon, a native of Saint-Martin, Quebec, recorded several albums, but was best known as the hostess of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation children's television program Chez Hélène (1959-1973).