November 6, 2017

800 years ago
1217

Law
The Charter of the Forest was sealed at St Paul's Cathedral in London by King Henry III, acting under the regency of William Marshall, 1st Earl of Pembroke. The Charter re-established for free men rights of access to the royal forest that had been eroded by William the Conqueror and his heirs.

525 years ago
1492

Died on this date
Antoine Busnois, 62 (?). Burgundian composer. Mr. Busnois was noted for motets, sacred music, and secular chansons.

225 years ago
1792

War
French forces commanded by Charles Dumouriez defeated Holy Roman Empire forces led by Albert of Saxe-Teschen and the Count of Clerfayt in the Battle of Jemappes in Belgium.

180 years ago
1837

Protest
In Montréal, Thomas Storrow Brown led the Sons of Liberty (Les Fils de la Liberté) in a street battle with members of the pro government Doric Club (The Constitutionals), a group of young anglophone Tories, after a Doric mob wrecks the offices of his newspaper, The Vindicator, and stoned the houses of Louis-Joseph Papineau and Sons of Liberty president André Ouimet. Mr. Brown was wounded and partially blinded in one eye. The patriotes raised a liberty pole carrying the inscription: "Papineau, ses compatriotes reconnaissants, 1837."

150 years ago
1867

War
General Giuseppe Garibaldi was imprisoned in Piedmont, while Italian troops were recalled from Papal territory.

Politics and government
The first sitting of the first Parliament of Canada began; James Cockburn was elected Speaker of the House of Commons, and Joseph Cauchon Speaker of the Senate.

A Conservative State Convention met in Columbia, South Carolina.

Former Confederate Secretary of State James Seddon was pardoned.

130 years ago
1887

Born on this date
Walter Johnson. U.S. baseball pitcher and manager. Mr. Johnson, nicknamed "The Big Train," played with the Washington Nationals from 1907-1927, compiling a record of 417-279 with an earned run average of 2.17 in 802 games. His career total of 3,502 strikeouts was the major league record until 1983, and he remains the record holder with 110 shutouts. Mr. Johnson's career win total is second to Cy Young, and was a major factor in becoming one of the first five men--and the first pitcher--to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Mr. Johnson was also a dangerous hitter, batting .235 with 24 home runs and 255 runs batted in in 933 games. He managed the Nationals from 1929-1932 and the Cleveland Indians from 1933-1935, compiling a record of 529-432. Mr. Johnson died of a brain tumour on December 10, 1946 at the age of 59.

125 years ago
1892

Born on this date
Harold Ross. U.S. journalist. Mr. Ross wrote for various newspapers before he and yeast heir Raoul Fleischmann co-founded The New Yorker in 1925. Mr. Ross served as the magazine's editor-in-chief until his death from heart failure on December 6, 1951, a month after his 59th birthday, while undergoing surgery to remove a lung.

120 years ago
1897

Football
ORFU
Finals
Osgoode Hall 6 @ Hamilton 2 (First game of 2-game total points series)

110 years ago
1907

Communications
The first long-distance telephone call between Winnipeg and Regina was made.

100 years ago
1917

War
General Arthur Currie's Canadian Corps finally took the town of Passchendaele in Belgium after a battle of nearly four months. For their valour this day, Victoria Crosses were awarded to Colin Fraser Barron and James Peter Robertson. Ojibwa soldier Corporal Francis Pegahmagabow, one of over 4,000 Canadian Status Indians who enlisted during the war, earned the second of three Military Medals with his bravery at Passchendaele.

80 years ago
1937

Football
IRFU
Toronto (4-1) 2 @ Montreal (2-3) 11
Ottawa (2-3) 14 @ Hamilton (2-3) 4

Tommy Burns kicked 2 field goals and a single, and Abe Eliowitz kicked 4 singles and contributed a brilliant rushing performance as the Indians upset the Argonauts at Molson Stadium.

Dave Sprague rushed 1 yard for a touchdown and Ernie Morrison threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Stan O'Neil as the Rough Riders beat the Tigers.

ORFU
Hamilton (0-3) 6 @ Sarnia (3-0-1) 37

Bummer Stirling scored 15 points on a touchdown, 4 converts, and 6 singles, while Orm Beach added 2 touchdowns as the Imperials routed the Panthers. Eddie Strachan punted for a single for Hamilton's first point and returned a fumble 15 yards for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter.

WIFU
Finals
Calgary 13 @ Winnipeg 10 (1st game of 2-game total points series)

Johnny Rosano completed touchdown passes of 23 yards to Herb Snowdon and 10 yards to Joe Turner in the 2nd quarter as the Bronks held on to defeat the Blue Bombers before 6,000 fans at Osborne Stadium. Bob Fritz rushed for the Winnipeg touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Canadian university
McGill (1-4) 6 @ Toronto (3-1-1) 7
Queen's (3-2) 12 @ Western Ontario (2-2-1) 8

Cam Gray kicked 2 field goals and punted for a 60-yard single to give the Varsity Blues their win over the Redmen before 14,000 fans at Varsity Stadium. Mr. Gray's first field goal gave U of T a 3-1 lead on the last play of the first half, after McGill had been penalized for no yards. Cam MacArthur's punt single had given McGill a 1-0 lead in the 1st quarter. McGill's Andy Anton blocked one of Mr. Gray's punts in the 3rd quarter, returned it about 19 yards to the Toronto 1-yard line, and rushed 1 yard for a touchdown on third down; Mr. Hall missed the convert. Mr. Gray kicked a 40-yard field goal to tie the game 6-6 with 7 minutes remaining in the game, and kicked the winning point in the game's final minutes.

The Tricolor overcame an early 7-0 deficit to defeat the Mustangs before 4,000 fans at J.W. Little Memorial Stadium in London. Bill Ewener recovered a fumbled punt in the Queen's end zone for a touchdown early in the game to give Western a 5-0 lead. Boyce Sherk's convert was blocked, but Mr. Sherk added a single on a missed field goal and Johnny Munro punted for a single to extend the lead to 7-0.

75 years ago
1942

War
British forces in Egypt pushed Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps forces to the Matruh region, 104 miles west of El Alamein, and attempted to cut the Germans off from Libya. Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson's patrol began as U.S. Marine Raiders on Guadalcanal advanced to the Metapono River, four miles east of Koli Point, without making contact with Japanese forces. An armistice was reached in Madagascar between British forces and the Vichy-controlled government. Speaking in Moscow, U.S.S.R. dictator Josef Stalin said there would be a second front sooner or later because "our allies need it no less than we do."

Defense
The prototype of the German Luftwaffe night fighter plane Heinkel He 219 made its first flight.

Diplomacy
Speaking in New York, former Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate and recent U.S. envoy to Europe Wendell Willkie demanded an end to the current emphasis on the Anglo-American world, claiming that the Atlantic Charter applied to the whole world.

Academia
The U.S. Office of Education reported that 50 small colleges had been forced to close because of financial difficulties resulting from a nationwide drop in student enrollment.

Society
Soprano Marian Anderson, a Negress, agreed to sing at an Army benefit program in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, stipulating that there would be no segregation of Negroes in the audience.

Economics and finance
Brazilian President Getulio Vargas established an economic defense commission to devise new economic war measures and manage all Axis-owned commercial properties.

The American Iron and Steel Institute reported that steel ingot production in October had totalled 7,584,864 tons at 100.1% of rated capacity, a record.

Labour
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt expressed opposition to the extension of the 40-hour work week, although War Production Board Chairman Donald Nelson told the Senate that such action would increase productive efficiency.

Boxing
Sugar Ray Robinson (38-0) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Vic Dellicurti (30-20-6) in a middleweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.

70 years ago
1947

On television today
Meet the Press, on NBC

This was the first broadcast of the the longest-running television program in history. The program's creator, Martha Rountree, the program's creator, was the moderator, and the first guest was former U.S. Postmaster General James Farley.

Eye Witness, hosted by Ben Grauer, on NBC

This was the first broadcast of “a new weekly series designed to promote video by explaining the medium.” The first show was broadcast from the top of the Empire State Building, home of NBC's flagship station WNBT.

Died on this date
Peter Cacchione, 50. U.S. politician. Mr. Cacchione joined the Communist Party USA in 1932 and ran unsuccessfully for New York City Council before being elected in 1941. He was re-elected in 1943 and 1945, serving as the Council's only Communist member until his death of a heart attack after attending a City Council meeting, five days after his 50th birthday.

War
Allied deputy foreign ministers met in London to discuss German peace terms in preparation for the next session of the Foreign Ministers Conference, scheduled for November 25.

Diplomacy
The United Nations General Assembly's Political and Security Committee passed a modified U.S. proposal for creation of an interim Committee on Peace and Security, empowered to consider urgent international problems when the General Assembly was not in session.

Canadiana
Canada formally invited Newfoundland to join the Dominion as a province.

Labour
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board barred the Congress of Industrial Organizations National Maritime Union and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Clerks union, which had refused to file affidavits required by the Taft-Hartley Act, from union elections.

Basketball
PBLA
Grand Rapids (1-2) 49 @ Louisville (1-3) 57
St. Paul (4-1) 52 @ Omaha (0-3) 39
Chattanooga (1-2) 44 @ Birmingham (3-1) 49 (OT)
Springfield (1-5) 46 @ Atlanta (6-0) 56

Football
ORFU
Toronto Indians' quarterback Bob Paffrath was named the winner of the Imperial Oil Trophy as the Ontario Rugby Football Union's Most Valuable Player for 1947. Mr. Paffrath scored 16 points on 3 touchdowns and a convert, while leading the team into the playoffs with his passing.

60 years ago
1957

Died on this date
Arno Luckhardt, 72. U.S. physician. Dr. Luckhardt discovered the anaesthetic properties of ethylene in 1923.

Politics and government
The French National Assembly voted to confirm Radical Socialist Felix Gaillard as the country's 28th Prime Minister since the end of World War II.

Economics and finance
The Syrian Parliament unanimously approved the Soviet-Syrian economic and technical aid pact.

Boxing
Alphonse Halimi (21-1) won the world bantamweight title with a 15-round split decision over Raul Macias (36-2) before 20,000 fans at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.

Football
ORFU
Semi-Final
Sarnia 22 @ Kitchener-Waterloo 36

Don Loucks scored 2 touchdowns and Carl Johnston, Tex Robinson, and Royal Bailey also scored TDs as the Dutchmen defeated the Golden Bears at Seagram Stadium in Waterloo. Mike Norcia converted 3 of the touchdowns, Bob Celeri punted for a single, and Mr. O'Connell scored a safety touch. Dick Gregory scored 3 touchdowns for Sarnia, with Gene Lekenta kicking 3 converts and Ross Dowswell adding a single.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Los Chicos con las Chicas--Los Bravos (2nd week at #1)

Music
The album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. by the Monkees was released in the United States on Colgems Records and in Canada on RCA Victor Records.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Telephone Line--Electric Light Orchestra (6th week at #1)

Crime
Contractor Max Dunlap and plumber James Robison were convicted by a jury in Phoenix of murder and conspiracy in the 1976 death of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles, who died 11 days after being maimed by the explosion of a bomb in his car. Mr. Bolles had been investigating land fraud, organized crime, and the Arizona Racing Commission. Messrs. Dunlap and Robison were also convicted of plotting to kill Arizona Attorney General Bruce Babbitt and Al "King Alfonso" Lizanetz, a former advertising man. The prosecution based its case on the testimony of John Harvey Adamson, who had confessed to the killing and implicated the other two men.

Disasters
Torrential rains collapsed the Kelly Barnes Dam on the outskirts of Toccoa, Georgia, releasing a 35-foot wall of water that swept through a trailer park on the Toccoa Falls Bible College campus, killing 37 people and injuring 45 others.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (8-8) 25 @ Hamilton (5-11) 24
Saskatchewan (8-8) 0 @ Edmonton (10-6) 38

Gerry Organ's fourth field goal of the game, on the last play, gave the Rough Riders their win over the Tiger-Cats before 17,355 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Hamilton running back Jimmy Edwards rushed for 157 yards, finising the season with 1,581 yards rushing, an Eastern Football Conference record.

Dave Cutler kicked 5 field goals to finish the season with a league record of 50, and converted touchdowns by Jim Germany, Howard Strickland, and George McGowan as the Eskimos embarrassed the Roughriders before 25,434 fans at Clarke Stadium to clinch first place in the Western Football Conference. Defensive end Leon Lyszkiewicz, who had concluded his collegiate career with the University of Alberta Golden Bears eight days earlier, played his first CFL game as a defensive end for the Roughriders. It was his only game in a Saskatchewan uniform, and the last game for numerous other Roughriders, including running back Bobby Thompson and quarterback Eric Guthrie. Running back Steve Molnar and wide receiver Joey Walters appeared to be the only Saskatchewan players exhibiting a decent effort. The Eskimos, British Columbia Lions, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers all finished the season with 10-6 records, and were each 3-3 in game against the other two. The Eskimos took first place on the basis of having the best points for and against totals in games against the other two clubs.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): You Win Again--Bee Gees (3rd week at #1)

At the movies
Less Than Zero, starring Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, Robert Downey, Jr., and James Spader, opened in theatres.

Died on this date
Ross Barnett, 89. U.S. politician. Mr. Barnett, a Democrat, was Governor of Mississippi from 1960-1964. He was known for his support for racial segregation and clashes with civil rights activists.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate in October had edged upward from 5.8%-5.9%.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (7-11) 36 @ Calgary (10-8) 42

Gary Allen rushed 15 times for 131 yards and touchdowns of 31 and 12 yards, and caught 5 passes for 58 yards and a 24-yard touchdown pass from Rick Worman as the Stampeders overcame a 20-7 2nd-quarter deficit to defeat the Tiger-Cats before 25,944 fans at McMahon Stadium. Vince Goldsmith scored the other Calgary touchdown when he blocked a punt and returned it 3 yards in the 3rd quarter. J.T. Hay added 4 field goals, 4 converts, and 2 singles. Tom started at quarterback for the Tiger-Cats and threw touchdown passes of 11 and 27 yards to Rocky DiPietro in the 1st quarter. The other 2 Hamilton touchdowns came in the 4th quarter on a 75-yard punt return by Less Browne and a 5-yard pass from backup quarterback Ken Hobart to Steve Stapler. Derek Noble, playing his only CFL game, added 2 field goals, 4 converts, and 2 singles. It was also the only CFL game for Hamilton defensive back Keith Stanberry.



25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Sweat (A La La La La Long)--Inner Circle (7th week at #1)

Law
The Supreme Court of Canada refused leave to appeal from the Quebec Towing Company of a ruling in April by the Quebec Court of Appeal of Quebec; the company had been ordered to pay fines totaling $83,200 for intimidating motorists and unlawfully detaining towed cars.

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 (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): The Memory Remains--Metallica (2nd week at #1)

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Hank Thompson, 82. U.S. musician. Mr. Thompson was a country singer and songwriter whose career spanned 70 years, with 26 singles that made the Billboard country chart, including three--The Wild Side of Life (1952); Rub-a-Dub-Dub (1953); and Wake Up, Irene (1953)--that reached #1. He was a heavy smoker and died of lung cancer, 29 days after his last performance.

Hilda Braid, 78. U.K. actress. Miss Braid had a long career in British television, and was perhaps best known for playing Nana Moon in the soap opera EastEnders from 2002-2005. She died of Alzheimer's disease.

Literature
Elizabeth Hay won the Giller Prize, Canada's richest literary award, for her novel Late Nights on Air.