October 23, 2017

310 years ago
1707

Politics and government
The first Parliament of Great Britain met in London.

200 years ago
1817

Born on this date
Pierre Larousse. French lexicographer. Mr. Larousse was best known for the 15 volume Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle (Great Universal 19th-Century Dictionary) (1863). He died of a stroke caused by exhaustion on January 3, 1875 at the age of 57.

170 years ago
1847

Communications
The first telegraph service from Montréal to New York via Albany opened.

Transportation
Construction of the Great Western Railway began in London, Canada West.

Health
Records showed that 65 more immigrants in Grosse-Île, Canada East had died of cholera and typhus in one week, and almost 10,000 during the whole of 1847. The epidemic spread to the Pointe St. Charles neighbourhood of Montreal and then Bytown, where the Rideau Canal works were shut down; 167 died in quarantine.

150 years ago
1867

Politics and government
72 men were summoned by Royal Proclamation to serve as the first members of the Canadian Senate.

120 years ago
1897

Football
ORFU
Round 1
Queen's College 1 @ Osgoode Hall 17 (Osgoode Hall won 2 game total points series 18-7)

Round 2
Toronto Athletic Club-Lornes 7 @ Hamilton 25 (First game of 2 game total points series)

100 years ago
1917

War
The Brazilian freighter Macau, one of the vessels seized in the course of the war, was torpedoed by the German submarine SM U-93 near the coast of Spain, and the captain taken prisoner.

Transportation
The Canadian Railway War Board held its first meeting in the Canadian Pacific Railway boardroom in Windsor Station, Montréal. It was the origin of the Railway Association of Canada, founded in 1919.

90 years ago
1927

Died on this date
Benjamin Marinelli, 25. U.S. jockey. Mr. Marinelli rose to fame in Tijuana at the age of 17. He suffered a fractured skull in an accident at Jamaica, New York in 1926, but returned to action several months later. Mr. Marinelli was scheduled to ride at Yonkers, New York on October 22, but said he was sick; he then committed suicide with the use of a gas tube.

80 years ago
1937

Football
IRFU
Montreal 1 (1-2) @ Hamilton (1-2) 14
Ottawa (1-2) 4 @ Toronto (3-0) 10

Teddy Manorek scored the game's only touchdown as the Tigers defeated the Indians at the Hamilton Amateur Athletic Association Grounds. Huck Welch converted the touchdon and added 5 singles.

Johnny Edwards scored the game's only touchdown as the Argonauts beat the Rough Riders at Varsity Stadium. Toronto's Harry Sonshine broke his jaw in two places, putting him out of action for the rest of the season.

ORFU
Toronto (1-1-1) 0 @ Sarnia (1-0-1) 13

Pat Butler blocked a punt, and Joe Woodcock returned it 40 yards for the game's only touchdown in the 4th quarter as the Imperials blanked Balmy Beach before 3,200 fans at Athletic Park.

Canadian university
Queen's (1-2) 4 @ McGill (1-2) 6
Toronto (1-1-1) 4 @ Western Ontario (2-0-1) 4

Bernie Thornton's field goal on the last play of the game gave the Redmen their win over the Tricolor before 6,000 fans at Molson Stadium.

The Mustangs scored all their points in the 4th quarter on a field goal and a rouge as they came back from a 4-0 deficit to tie the Beavers on a snowy Saturday before a record J.W. Little Memorial Stadium crowd of 5,100.

Canadian university-high school (Exhibition)
Garneau High School (Edmonton) 0 @ University of Alberta 13

Tommy Blades and Tommy Forhan scored touchdowns for the Golden Bears as they shut out the Garneau High School seniors at Varsity Stadium in Edmonton.

75 years ago
1942

At the movies
The Mummy's Tomb, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., opened in theatres.

Died on this date
Ralph Rainger, 41. U.S. songwriter. Mr. Rainger, born Ralph Reichenthal, wrote music for songs of stage and screen. His compositions included Moanin' Low; I Wished on the Moon; and Love in Bloom. Mr. Rainger shared the Academy Award for Best Original Song with Leo Robin for Thanks for the Memory (from The Big Broadcast of 1938). Mr. Rainger was killed 16 days after his 41st birthday when he was one of 12 passengers and crew aboard American Airlines Flight 28, a DC-3 airliner that was involved in a midair collision with a U.S. Army Air Corps bomber.

War
The Second Battle of El Alamein began in Egypt, with the British Eighth Army under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery launching a major offensive against Axis forces. Russian troops reportedly captured two points northwest of Stalingrad and repulsed three German counterattacks. Heavy Allied bombers sank or damaged 10 Japanese ships, totalling 50,000 tons, in a pre-dawn attack on Rabaul, New Britain. The Battle for Henderson Field began during the Guadalcanal Campaign, ending on October 26.

Diplomacy
U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt arrived in London after a transatlantic flight, and was welcomed by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Economics and finance
Prospectors discovered a valuable molybdenum deposit at Preissac, Quebec; molybdenum was used in steel alloy.

Labour
The U.S. National War Labor Board approved a $1-per-day pay increase for copper, lead, and zinc workers in Idaho and Utah.

Disasters
All 12 passengers and crewmen aboard American Airlines Flight 28--a DC-3 airliner--were killed when it was struck by a U.S. Army Air Forces bomber near Palm Springs, California. The B-34 suffered only minor damage, and landed safely at the Army Airport of the Sixth Ferrying Command, Palm Springs.

Football
United States Naval Training Academy (Wahpeton, North Dakota) 5 @ Winnipeg All-Stars 27 (Exhibition)

4,000 people were on hand for "Freedom to Play" night, which featured U.S. and Canadian military displays, followed by an exhibition game played under a combination of American and Canadian rules. Ken Charlton scored 2 touchdowns for the All-Stars, with other Winnipeg touchdowns coming from Andy Branigan, Gordie McPhee, and Brian Lynch. The U.S. naval training team scored an unconverted touchdown in the 4th quarter on a pass from Cleo Goyette to Jim Romeo.

70 years ago
1947

War
Iraqi Prime Minister Salih Jabur threatened to move troops into Palestine if the United Nations accepted a partition.

Diplomacy
The U.S. National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples filed a formal protest with the United Nations against racial discrimination in the United States, including poll taxes, lynching, job bias, and school segregation.

World events
The Romanian government ordered leaders of the Social Democratic Party, the last active anti-government political group, to appear in court on subversion charges.

Politics and government
Screen Actors Guild President Ronald Reagan and actor George Murphy testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, defending the Guild against charges of Communist infiltration. John Garfield and several other actors formed the Committee for the First Amendment of the Constitution to defend entertainment figures accused of Communist affiliation.

U.S. President Harry Truman called a special session of Congress for mid-November to deal with domestic economic problems and "the crisis in Western Europe."

Economics and finance
U.K. Economic Affairs Minister Sir Stafford Cripps ordered new curtailments in housing construction, and announced a $100-million reduction in U.S. imports during the next year.

The Hungarian Parliament approved the death penalty for black market activity.

Argentine President Juan Peron and Bolivian President Enrique Hertzog met in the Bolivian fronteir town of Yacuiba to sign a trade agreement.

Labour
The strike at Canada Packers meat curing plant in Montréal ended.

Medicine
The 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Carl and Gerty Cori of the United States "for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen" and to Bernardo Houssay of Argentina "for his discovery of the part played by the hormone of the anterior pituitary lobe in the metabolism of sugar."

60 years ago
1957

Died on this date
Christian Dior, 52. French fashion designer. Mr. Dior founded Christian Dior S.A. in 1946. He designed dresses that emphasized voluptuousness. Mr. Dior died of a heart attack under undisclosed circumstances.

Space
The U.S. Defense Department announced the successful test of a Vanguard rocket, developed by the Navy to carry a U.S. Earth satellite into orbit.

Defense
The U.S. Navy announced the conclusion of a $62.1-million contract with Lockheed Aircraft Corporation for development of the submarine-launched Polaris intermediate-range missile.

Diplomacy
Rejecting Saudi mediation as unnecessary, the Syrian government issued a statement asserting that Turkish-Syrian tension could be ended by a withdrawal of Turkish troops from the frontier. Syrian Army Chief of Staff Afif Bizri accused the United States of sending aircraft over Homs in the Turkish border area.

Politics and government
Three days after National Democratic Movement candidate Miguel Ortiz Passarelli had taken 51.64% of the vote in the Guatemalan presidential election, the election was voided because of protests about electoral fraud. A new presidential election was held on January 19, 1958.

The British Labour Party's National Executive Committee, rejecting a Soviet appeal for Socialist support in ending the Turkish-Syrian dispute, said that the Labour Party would not "undertake joint activities with any Communist party."

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower accepted the resignation of Attorney General Herbert Brownell and appointed Deputy Attorney General William Rogers, a close friend and adviser of Vice President Richard Nixon, to succeed him.

Economics and finance
The New York Stock Exchange market rebounded for the greatest one-day gain since November 14, 1929.

Labour
Argentine workers returned to their jobs, following a nationwide 48-hour general strike ordered by 62 unions.

Football
ORFU
Kitchener-Waterloo (6-2-1) 13 @ London (6-2-2) 13

Mike Norcia and Tex Robinson scored touchdowns and Bob Celeri added a single for the Dutchmen as they tied the Lords at Labatt Park. Dave Doane scored the only London touchdown, with Don Wright kicking a convert and field goal, Jim Thompson adding a single, and Mr. Heuring scoring a safety touch.

Baseball
The Baseball Writers Association of America named Fred Haney of the Milwaukee Braves as National League Manager of the Year. Mr. Haney led the Braves to their first World Series championship since moving to Milwaukee in 1953 and their first since they were the Boston Braves in 1914.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Los Chicos con las Chicas--Los Bravos

Music
The single Wild Honey/Wind Chimes by the Beach Boys was released on Capitol Records.

Politics and government
Premier Louis Robichaud led his governing Liberals to their third consecutive majority government, capturing 32 of 58 seats in the Legislative Assembly in the New Brunswick provincial election. The Progressive Conservative Party, led by Charlie Van Horne, won the remaining 26 seats. Brenda Robertson became the first woman elected to the New Brunswick legislature, winning the riding of Albert for the PCs.

Football
CFL
Montreal (2-10) 20 @ British Columbia (3-10-1) 30

Leroy Sledge scored 2 touchdowns and set up another by quarterback Bernie Faloney to lead the Lions over the Alouettes before 24,621 fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. Phil Brady scored both Montreal touchdowns.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Telephone Line--Electric Light Orchestra (5th week at #1)

Music
Ferrante and Teicher performed at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton.

Politics and government
In a national referendum in Panama, two-thirds of voters approved of the Panama Canal Treaties with the United States.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (10-4) 21 @ Hamilton (5-9) 31
Calgary (3-11) 13 @ Winnipeg (9-6) 19
Toronto (6-8) 12 @ Edmonton (8-6) 16

Jimmy Edwards scored the go-ahead touchdown early in the 4th quarter to help the Tiger-Cats defeat the Lions before 19,133 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Dieter Brock completed a 37-yard touchdown pass to Mike Holmes and handed off to Tom Walker for a 1-yard TD run as the Blue Bombers held on to defeat the Stampeders before 23,663 fans at Winnipeg Stadium.

Dave Cutler kicked 3 field goals and converted Waddell Smith's touchdown to help the Eskimos defeat the Argonauts before 25,388 fans at Clarke Stadium. Mr. Cutler's field goals gave him 42 for the season, breaking the old CFL record of 40 that he had set two years earlier. The game was badly officiated, with the visiting team getting the benefit of numerous bad calls, the worst of which was an unnecessary roughness penalty against Edmonton defensive back Dave Montagano when he fell on top of a Toronto player after being pushed. Toronto punter Zenon Andrusyshyn set a league record that still stands, with a 108-yard punt; oddly, Edmonton punter Hank Ilesic had the higher punting average for the game, 53 yards to 51 for Mr. Andrusyshyn.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): You Win Again--Bee Gees

At the movies
The Last Emperor, co-written and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring John Lone, Joan Chen, and Peter O'Toole, opened in theatres in Italy.

Law
The United States Senate voted 58-42, with 6 Republicans joining 52 Democrats, to reject the nomination of Robert Bork, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who had nominated Judge Bork, said he was “saddened and disappointed that the Senate had bowed today to a campaign of political pressure.”

Economics and finance
The New York Stock Exchange cut its trading day by two hours, restoring order and rationality after the October 19 crash; the Toronto Stock Exchange and Montreal Stock Exchange followed for three weeks.

The United States Commerce Department reported that the U.S. gross national product had grown at an annual rate of 3.8% during the third quarter of 1987 after allowing for inflation.

The United States Labor Department reported that the consumer price index had increased 0.2% in September.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (5-10-1) 3 @ Toronto (10-5-1) 25

Danny Barrett threw a touchdown pass to Paul Pearson, Tony Johns rushed for a touchdown, and John Congemi threw a touchdown pass to Gill Fenerty as the Argonauts beat the Roughriders before 22,329 fans at Exhibition Stadium. The loss eliminated Saskatchewan from playoff contention for the 11th consecutive year. Mr. Fenerty rushed 15 times for 86 yards, while Darrell Smith led Toronto's receivers with 6 receptions for 105 yards. Saskatchewan's Ray Elgaard caught 7 passes for 121 yards.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Sweat (A La La La La Long)--Inner Circle (5th week at #1)

Diplomacy
U.S. President George Bush said that Vietnam had agreed to provide to the U.S. all documents, photographs, and personal effects relating to American servicemen still missing after the Vietnam War. The U.S. listed 2,265 Americans as unaccounted for in Indochina. The total included men known to be dead whose bodies had not been recovered.

Football
CIAU
Saskatchewan (3-4) 7 @ Calgary (4-3) 67

This blogger was among those in attendance at McMahon Stadium as the Dinos, playing without injured starting quarterback John Kalin, routed the Huskies. Jason Assen played the 1st half for Calgary and ran up a 43-0 lead; third-string Calgary quarterback Sasha Blaskovich played the 3rd quarter, when the Huskies reduced the deficit to 43-7; and fourth-string Dino quarterback Brett Campbell, seeing his only playing time of the year, led the team to 24 more points in the 4th quarter. I counted 4 Saskatchewan players who left the game with injuries that looked serious--or at least painful. It was the warmest weather I've ever experienced at a Dinos' home game.

Baseball
The expansion Florida Marlins hired Rene Lachemann to be their first manager. Mr. Lachemann had previously managed the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers.

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 (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Kosketus--Klamydia (2nd week at #1)

Baseball
World Series
Florida Marlins 8 @ Cleveland Indians 7 (Florida led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Moisés Alou's 3-run home run was the big blow of a 4-run 6th inning as the Marlins erased a 4-2 deficit and withstood a 3-run 9th-inning rally to edge the Indians before 44,888 fans at Jacobs Field.

10 years ago
2007

Disasters
A powerful cold front in the Bay of Campeche caused the Usumacinta jackup rig to collide with Kab 101, leading to the death and drowning of 22 people during rescue operations after evacuation of the rig.