October 19, 2017

150 years ago
1867

War
The Italian towns of Nerola and Orte, occupied by followers of General Giuseppe Garibaldi, were captured by Papal troops.

130 years ago
1887

Born on this date
Fred Snodgrass. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Snodgrass was an outfielder with the New York Giants (1908-1915) and Boston Braves (1916). In 958 regular season games he batted .275 with 11 home runs and 351 runs batted in, with his best mark being .321 in 1910, his first full season. Mr. Snodgrass played in three World Series (1911-1913), batting just .182 in 16 games. He's remembered for dropping a fly ball to leadoff hitter Clyde Engle in the bottom of the 10th inning of the 8th and deciding game of the 1912 World Series at Fenway Park in Boston, three days before his 25th birthday. The series was tied at 3 games each with 1 tied, and the Giants had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the 10th. Mr. Snodgrass' error helped give the Red Sox an opportunity to tie the score, and they ended up scoring 2 runs to win the game 3-2 and the World Series 4-3-1. Mr. Snodgrass' error was known as the "$30,000 muff"--the difference between the winning and losing team's share of the money. Mr. Snodgrass died on April 5, 1974 at the age of 86.

Baseball
World Series
Detroit Wolverines 4 St. Louis Browns 2 @ Philadelphia (Detroit led 15-game series 7-2)

Pete Conway (2-0) pitched a 9-hit complete game to win the pitchers' duel over Silver King (0-2), who allowed just 6 hits, before 2,389 fans at Jefferson Street Grounds.

125 years ago
1892

Baseball
The Boston Beaneaters took a 2-0-1 lead in the National League championship playoff series with a 3-2 win, as Jack Stivetts won the pitchers' duel over Cy Young.

120 years ago
1897

Died on this date
George Pullman, 66. U.S. engineer and businessman. Mr. Pullman, a native of Brocton, New York, moved to Chicago in 1857. He built his first Pullman sleeping car in 1864, founded the company bearing his name, and founded Pullman, Illinois as a company town in 1880. Mr. Pullman cut wages and increased working hours during an economic downturn in 1894, leading to a violent strike. In 1898, the Supreme Court of Illinois forced the Pullman Company to divest itself of the town of Pullman, which became part of Chicago. Mr. Pullman died of a heart attack.

110 years ago
1907

Football
IRFU
Montreal (3-0) 18 @ Ottawa (0-2) 7
Toronto (1-2) 6 @ Hamilton (1-1) 20

ORFU
(Montreal) Westmount (1-0) 27 @ Kingston (0-1) 26

Mr. Kingstone and Jimmy Craig scored touchdowns for the Winged Wheelers as they defeated the Rough Riders before 5,000 fans at Varsity Oval. They led 12-1 in the 4th quarter, but Mr. Ferguson scored a converted touchdown for Ottawa on a 3-yard tandem buck. Mr. Craig then scored for Montreal, converted by Mr. Molson, to put the game away.

The Tigers took an 18-6 lead at halftime and coasted to victory over the Argonauts at the Cricket Grounds.

Mr. Baillie scored a touchdown in the last minute and Mr. Budge converted as Westmount came back from a 17-7 deficit to edge the Limestones at the Baseball Park.

Canadian university
McGill (0-2) 4 @ Queen's (1-1) 20
Ottawa (2-0) 13 @ Toronto (1-1) 3

80 years ago
1937

Died on this date
Ernest Rutherford, 66. N.Z.-born U.K. physicist and chemist. Lord Rutherford was regarded as the father of nuclear physics, and was awarded the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements, and the chemistry of radioactive substances." Element 104, rutherfordium (Rf), was named in his honour.

75 years ago
1942

War
Supported by tanks and aircraft, German troops occupied one block of buildings in Stalingrad during a night assault. 26 tanks were destroyed and two villages southeast of Novorosslisk were captured by German forces.

Crime
A U.S. federal grand jury in New York indicted 24 former leaders of the German-American Bund for conspiracy to evade the Selective Service Act.

Society
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a Georgia court decision which permitted taxi cabs in Atlanta to carry signs designating them specifically for Negro or white passengers.

70 years ago
1947

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring John Stanley and Alfred Shirley, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Politician, the Lighthouse and the Trained Cormorant

Americana
New York City dedicated a memorial to the victims of the Nazi holocaust.

Science
The United States Air Force reported the discovery of three magnetic North Poles during its year-long polar exploration and research project.

Politics and government
The Czech Social Democratic Party rejected a proposed merger with the Communists, uniting instead with the Slovak Social Democrats to form a national Socialist organization.

Municipal elections in France resulted in a victory for the Gaullist Reunion of the French People, which gained 40% of the popular vote compared to 30% for the Communists.

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Love Letters in the Sand--Pat Boone (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Köhlerliesel--Die Heimatsänger (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Diana--Paul Anka (8th week at #1)

U.S.A Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Chances Are--Johnny Mathis (2nd week at #1)
2 Wake Up Little Susie--The Everly Brothers
3 Jailhouse Rock--Elvis Presley
4 Honeycomb--Jimmie Rodgers
5 Fascination--Jane Morgan
6 Tammy--Debbie Reynolds
7 That'll Be the Day--The Crickets
8 Diana--Paul Anka
9 Happy, Happy Birthday Baby--The Tune Weavers
10 Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On--Jerry Lee Lewis

Singles entering the chart were You Send Me by Sam Cooke (#46); Swanee River Rock (Talkin’ ’Bout That River) by Ray Charles (#51); Treat Me Nice by Elvis Presley (#57); I Love You, Baby by Paul Anka (#58); and My Girl by Frankie Lymon (#60). Treat Me Nice was the B-side of Jailhouse Rock, and was also from the movie Jailhouse Rock (1957).

Diplomacy
The West German government retaliated for Yugoslavia's recognition of East Germany by severing relations with Yugoslavia.

King Saud of Saudi Arabia and Lebanese Prime Minister Camille Chamoun issued a communique reiterating pledges both to defend Syria and to keep the Arab states free of Communism.

Hockey
NHL
Chicago 1 @ Montreal 3

Maurice "Rocket" Richard of the Montreal Canadiens became the first National Hockey Player to score 500 career regular season goals when, assisted by Jean Beliveau and Dickie Moore, he slapped a 20-foot shot past Glenn Hall of the Chicago Black Hawks at 15:52 of the 1st period at the Montreal Forum. It was Mr. Richard's 863rd career regular season game.

Football
IRFU
Ottawa (6-5) 23 @ Toronto (2-9) 31
Montreal (6-5)15 @ Hamilton (8-3) 18

WIFU
Winnipeg (9-4) 31 @ Calgary (6-8) 7
Edmonton (12-2) 29 @ British Columbia (4-9-1) 12

ORFU
Sarnia (5-3-1) 6 @ Kitchener-Waterloo (6-2) 28

Johnny Bright rushed 19 times for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Normie Kwong added 77 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries to help the Eskimos defeat the Lions at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. Jackie Parker also scored an Edmonton touchdown, while Bill Briggs scored the first Eskimo TD on a fumble recovery. Joe Mobra added 3 converts and a single, while Bill Walker punted for a single.

Mike Norcia scored a touchdown and 3 converts to help the Dutchmen defeat the Golden Bears at Seagram Stadium in Waterloo. Mr. Trafis, Al Romine, and Lorne King scored the other K-W TDs. Bob Hill scored the Sarnia touchdown.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Last Waltz--Engelbert Humperdinck (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
Dragnet 1968, starring Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Big Frustration



Space
The U.S. probe Mariner 5, launched on June 14, 1967, passed within 2,480 miles of Venus.

Transportation
Cunard Steamship Lines ended Canadian passenger service to Montréal; faced with growing competition from airlines, the company moved its ships into the cruise business.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Yes Sir, I Can Boogie--Baccara

Music
Lynyrd Skynyrd performed at Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina, two days after the release of their album Street Survivors. The next day, the plane carrying the band to Baton Rouge, Louisiana crashed, killing six people, including band members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines and Mr. Gaines' sister Cassie, a backup singer.

World events
The South African government of Prime Minister John Vorster initiated the most severe crackdown on critics of the apartheid regime in almost 20 years. At least 50 people were arrested in predawn raids and an unknown number were served with orders banning them from political activities and curtailing them for five years. Black protest groups were banned; The World, the principal black newspaper, was shut down; and its editor, Percy Qoboza, was arrested. S.A. Justice Minister James T. Kruger said that the government had acted to suppress organizations that had used legitimate fronts to promote a revolutionary climate and to create a confrontation between blacks and whites.

Politics and government
Alderman Cec Purves was elected Mayor of Edmonton, taking 33.92% of the vote; Alderman Laurence Decore was second, with 26.00%; incumbent Mayor Terry Cavanaugh, who had been chosen from City Council as interim Mayor after the death of William Hawrelak on November 7, 1975, finished third with 25.36%. Ivor Dent, who had served as Mayor from 1968-1974, was fourth with 12.11%. Finishing fifth of seven candidates was Don Tapscott, representing the Revolutionary Workers League. Now one of the world's most influential management consultants, in 1977 Mr. Tapscott was so influential that he received 1.22% of the vote.

Former Alderman Ross Alger was elected Mayor of Calgary, taking 41.3% of the vote to 29.6% for former Alderman Peter Petrasuk and 27.7% for Alderman Ed Oman. Mr. Alger, who had represented Ward 4 from 1971-1974, and Mr. Petrasuk, who had represented Ward 1 from 1971-1974, had both run for Mayor in 1974, but had lost to incumbent Rod Sykes, with Mr. Alger coming very close to winning that year. Mr. Sykes declined to run for re-election in 1977, and provided colour commentary for CFCN's television coverage of the election; he didn't seem pleased with the result of the mayoral vote.

Transportation
Two days after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a ban on Concorde flights to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, the first test flight of the British-French supersonic jet landed at the airport, registering an acceptable noise level. Passenger service was scheduled to begin on November 22.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): La Bamba--Los Lobos (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Jacqueline du Pré, 42. U.K. musician. Miss du Pré was one of the most successful cellists of the 1960s in concerts and recordings. She began performing with her sister Hilary, a flutist, but soon achieved success on her own. Miss du Pré began to lose sensitivity in her fingers and other body parts in 1971, and she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in October 1973, eight months after her last public concerts. Miss du Pré was married to pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim from 1967 until her death.

War
Three days after an Iranian Silkworm missile had struck a U.S.-flagged Kuwaiti oil tanker, the U.S. Navy warned Iranians to abandon a Persian Gulf oil rig that was being used as a base for gunboats. Four U.S. destroyers then battered the platform and wrecked it with 5-inch guns.

World events
Edgar Chamorro, a former Nicaraguan Contra who had opposed the Sandanista regime, accepted an amnesty that had been offered earlier by the government and returned to Managua.

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 508.32 points to close at 1,738.42, wiping out $500 billion in share values. The one-day decline of 22.6% was the highest since 1914. The point decline as well as the volume—604.33 million shares—vastly surpassed previous records. In London, the value of quoted shares dropped by £50 billion as the Financial Times 30-share index dropped 183.7 points to 1629.2, the sharpest one-day decline since 1974; The Financial Times Stock Exchange index also crashed more than 300 points with a loss of £63 billion. Values in Hong Kong declined 11%, after which officials closed the exchange for a week. The Toronto Stock Exchange 300 Index dropped 407 points. The fall had repercussions on the Montréal Stock Exchange, which experienced one of the biggest declines in recent years.

Disasters
A commuter train and another train collided south of Jakarta, Indonesia during rush hour, resulting in the deaths of 102 people and injuries to about 300.

Baseball
Billy Martin was named manager of the New York Yankees for the fifth time, succeeding Lou Piniella, who was named general manager after guiding the team to a record of 89-73 in 1987, which placed them 4th in the American League East Division.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): House of Love--East 17 (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Magnus Pyke, 83. U.K. biochemist. Dr. Pyke was a nutrition scientist who worked for the British Ministry of Food, the post-war Allied Commission for Austria, and different food manufacturers. He began making radio broadcasts in 1953, and became popular on television in the 1970s for promoting science. In addition to appearing on British television programs, Dr. Pyke made frequent visits to Canada, and this blogger enjoyed his appearances as a guest on the CBC daytime talk show Take 30 in the 1970s.

Politics and government
Jan Reimer was elected to a second consecutive term as mayor of Edmonton, overcoming a strong challenge from first-time candidate Bill Smith. Ms. Reimer took 52.94% of the vote, while Mr. Smith captured 42.20%. There were four other mayoral candidates. New city councillors elected included homosexual activist Michael Phair and environmental activist Tooker Gomberg in Ward 4.

Al Duerr was elected to a second consecutive term as Mayor of Calgary, taking 90.4% of the vote.

John Ostashek led the Yukon Party--successor to the Progressive Conservative Party--to a close win in the Yukon territorial election, taking 7 in the Legislative Assembly to 6 for the governing New Democratic Party of Premier Tony Penikett. 3 independent candidates were elected, while Jack Cable was the only Liberal elected, in Riverside.

Economics and finance
The C.D. Howe Institute released a study on free trade that noted that while traditional labour-intensive sectors of the Canadian economy such as processed foods and beverages and household products had suffered under the free trade agreement with the United States, producers of telecommunications and office and precision equipment had benefited from access to the U.S. market.

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Something About the Way You Look Tonight/Candle in the Wind 1997--Elton John (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Something About the Way You Look Tonight/Candle in the Wind 1997--Elton John (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Something About the Way You Look Tonight/Candle in the Wind 1997--Elton John (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Something About the Way You Look Tonight/Candle in the Wind 1997--Elton John (5th week at #1)

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (3-14) 34 @ Montreal (12-5) 41
Hamilton (2-15) 19 @ Saskatchewan (9-8) 22
British Columbia (8-9) 7 @ Edmonton (11-6) 41

Winnipeg running back Ronald Williams fumbled and Montreal safety Tom Europe returned it 99 yards for a touchdown with 7:07 remaining in the 4th quarter to break a 34-34 tie as the Alouettes beat the Blue Bombers before 6,721 fans at Olympic Stadium.

Don Narcisse caught 7 passes for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns to help the Roughriders defeate the Tiger-Cats before 31,909 fans at Taylor Field in Regina.

Danny McManus completed 24 of 40 passes for 359 yards and touchdowns of 18 yards to Darren Flutie and 17 yards to Eddie Brown as the Eskimos routed the Lions before 31,958 fans at Commonwealth Stadium on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to clinch first place in the West Division. Tony Burse rushed 1 yard for the other Edmonton touchdown, while Sean Fleming added 3 converts, 4 field goals, and 4 singles. 3 of Mr. Fleming's singles came on kickoffs, tying the league record for a single game, makring the first time that anyone had scored 3 singles on kickoffs in a game since the 1986 rule change moving the kickoff point from the kicking team's 45-yard line to the 35. Robert Gordon led Edmonton receivers with 136 yards on 7 receptions, while Mr. Flutie caught 7 for 129. B.C. kicker Lui Passaglia got on the field for just one play, a convert on a touchdown to break up the Edmonton bid for a shutout in the 4th quarter. It was the second game in a B.C. uniform for former Edmonton receiver Shalon Baker, and the last game of his 3-year CFL career.




Baseball
World Series
Cleveland Indians 6 @ Florida Marlins 1 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

The Indians scored 3 runs in the 5th inning and Sandy Alomar, Jr. added a 2-run home run in the 6th as they beat the Red Sox before 67,025 fans at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens.

10 years ago
2007

Crime
Gunmen murdered six people in a highrise apartment in Surrey, British Columbia. The dead included Chris Mohan and Ed Schellenburg, both innocent bystanders; the other four were drug dealers.

Football
CFL
Calgary (7-8-1) 13 @ Winnipeg (9-6-1) 27

Kevin Glenn passed for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Charles Roberts rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown to help the Blue Bombers beat the Stampeders before 23,955 fans at Canad Inns Stadium.