June 23, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Sherry Holden!

180 years ago
1838

War
In Pelham, Upper Canada, Niagara militia drove back James Morreau and the Hunter Patriots (Republican exiles and American sympathizers), ending the Short Hills Raid.

150 years ago
1868

Technology
Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the "Type-Writer."

130 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Lee Moran. U.S. actor, director and screenwriter. Mr. Moran appeared in 462 films, directed 109, and wrote for 92 from 1912-1935. He was was often paired with actor Eddie Lyons and the two made several comedic films together. Mr. Moran died on April 24, 1961 at the age of 72.

125 years ago
1893

Died on this date
William Fox, 80. Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1856; 1861-1862; 1869-1872; 1873. Sir William, an independent, was born in England and moved to New Zealand in the early 1840s. An independent, he was in and out of Parliament from 1855-1881. Sir William was known for his confiscation of Māori land rights (although he later took a different stand on the issue); his contributions to the education system (such as establishing the University of New Zealand); and his work to increase New Zealand's autonomy from Britain.

Theophilus Shepstone, 76. U.K.-born S.A. politician. Mr. Shepstone moved to Cape Colony with his family at the age of 3. He served as the leading British politician in Natal, and was primarily responsible for the annexation of Transvaal by the United Kingdom in 1877.

120 years ago
1898

Born on this date
Karl Weinbacher. German business executive. Mr. Weinbacher was director and deputy executive of Tesch & Stabenow under the leadership of Bruno Tesch during World War II. Mr. Weinbacher was convicted of war crimes because of his role in the use of Zyklon-B on prisoners in Nazi camps, and was hanged with Mr. Tesch by Albert Pierrepoint at Hamelin Prison on May 16, 1946 at the age of 47.

100 years ago
1918

Born on this date
Gil Dodds. U.S. runner. Mr. Dodds, nicknamed "The Flying Parson," was the best miler in the United States from 1940-1944, setting American and world records at that distance, and winning the James E. Sullivan Award as the most outstanding amateur athlete in the U.S.A. in 1943. He retired at the height of his career to train for the ministry, but came out of retirement to try to qualify for the 1948 Summer Olympic Games. Mr. Dodds caught the mumps and injured his achilles tendon a week before the qualifying meet, and retired from competitive athletics permanently. He worked with Youth for Christ, and coached track and cross-country running at Wheaton College from 1945-1959. Mr. Dodds died on February 3, 1977 at the age of 58.

90 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Charles Lutz; H.C. Busbey; D.C. McChesney. U.S. military personnel. Major Lutz, Lieutenant Busbey, and Corporal McChesney were killed in a plane crash near File, Virginia on the way from Washington, D.C. to Nicaragua. Corporal R. Nichols was injured.

Disasters
General Umberto Nobile, leader of the Arctic expedition of the Italian airship Italia, was rescued from an ice floe near Spitsbergen by a ski plane piloted by Swedish pilot Lieutenant Einar Lundborg, and put on board the ship Città di Milano. The plane crashed on the ice while returning, and Lt. Lundborg was trapped with the rest of the survivors of the Italia, which had crashed on May 25.

Crime
When the steamship Leviathan arrived in London from New York City, several of her sacks of registered mail were found to have been robbed, with a total loss of not over $10,000.

80 years ago
1938

Aviation
The Civil Aeronautics Act was signed into law, forming the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the United States.

75 years ago
1943

War
British destroyers HMS Eclipse and HMS Laforey sank the Italian submarine Ascianghi in the Mediterranean after she torpedoed the cruiser HMS Newfoundland. Nearly 700 U.K. Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force bombers struck twice at the Ruhr steel centre of Muelheim for the first time since 1940. Brazilian President Getulio Vargas assured Bolivian President Enrique Penaranda del Castillo that Bolivia may have free use of Santo, a southern Brazilian port.

Defense
The U.S. Ordnance Department disclosed that a 4.7-inch anti-aircraft gun had been invented that could fire 60,000 feet--more than 11 miles--into the air.

Politics and government
The 32 Governors of the U.S. Governors' Conference in Columbus, Ohio adopted two resolutions to oppose further encroachments by the federal government on states' rights.

Protest
Michigan Governor Harry Kelly named a committee to investigate the Detroit race riot, as 119 whites and Negroes were sentenced to 90-day jail terms, and the death toll rose to 31.

Crime
U.S. District Court Judge Bolitha Laws declared a mistrial in the Washington, D.C. trial of George S. Viereck, charged with failing to register as a German agent, because a female juror was seen talking to a U.S. Justice Department attorney.

Transportation
Trans-Canada Air Lines inaugurated transatlantic service, from Montréal.

70 years ago
1948

Literature
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh was published by Little, Brown.

War
Following a second attack by Haganah forces on an Irgun Zvai Leumi supply dump, Irgun leader Menachem Begin withdrew recognition from the Israeli government and denounced Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion as a "lunatic dictator."

Diplomacy
The Vatican charged that the Albanian government was suppressing the country's Catholic Church by murdering or jailing its members.

Politics and government
The U.S. Republican National Convention adopted a party platform favouring a strong anti-Communist foreign policy and reduction of federal government initiative in domestic affairs.

Economics and finance
U.S., U.K., and French authorities announced plans to introduce the new Deutsche Mark into their sectors of Berlin.

Labour
A U.S. federal court in San Francisco extended its restraining order against a maritime workers' strike to July 12, while a federal court in New York replaced its earlier restraining order with an 80-day anti-strike injunction.

60 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Purple People Eater--Sheb Wooley (Best Seller--3rd week at #1; Disc Jockey--1st week at #1; Top 100--3rd week at #1)

Defense
French Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle promised North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Paul-Henri Spaak an early return of French forces withdrawn from NATO positions for service in Algeria.

Politics and government
East Pakistani Governor General Sultan ud-Din was defeated in a legislative censure vote.

Society
American Negro leaders Martin Luther King, Philip Randolph, and Roy Wilkins conferred with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the White House, urging him to establish "a clear national policy and a progam of implementation" to ensure civil rights.

Labour
A U.S. federal jury in New York acquitted Teamsters union President James Hoffa, Local 337 President Bert Brennan, and professional wiretapper Bernard Spindel of conspiring to tap the telephones of Teamsters officials in Detroit in 1953.

Disasters
Reports from Buenos Aires said that 110 people had been killed in foreworks explosions in many small Brazilian towns on the eve of St. John's Day. Nearly 100 were killed when two fireworks stands blew up in the Santo Amaro marketplace.

50 years ago
1968

Politics and government
The Union pour la défense de la République (Union for the Defense of the Republic), led by Prime Minister Georges Pompidou, along with independent Republicans and other right-wing parties, led after the first round of voting in the French parliamentary elections.

Disasters
71 people were killed and 130 injured--40 seriously--in a stampede of 90,000 soccer fans at a stadium exit in Buenos Aires.

Golf
Bob Charles won the Canadian Open at St. George's Golf and Country Club in Toronto with a 6-under-par total score of 274, 2 strokes ahead of Jack Nicklaus. First prize money was $25,000.

40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (10th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M.

Terrorism
A attack by Negro Communist terrorists in Rhodesia killed eight white missionaries and four of their children.

Politics and government
The Québec National Assembly passed the Québec Referendum Act, which set up a procedure for a referendum on Sovereignty Association with Canada.

Law
The Canadian House of Commons passed legislation giving everyone the right to a trial in either French or English.

The Quebec National Assembly adopted the Law for the Exercise of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Gimme Hope Jo'anna--Eddy Grant (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Afrikka, sarvikuonojen maa--Eppu Normaali (2nd week at #1)

Weather
U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientist James Hansen told a U.S. Senate committee that the Earth had been warmer during the first five months of 1988 than at any time since records had been kept. He said that global temperatures had risen by half a Fahrenheit degree in the 100 years before 1880, by another degree from 1880-1950, and by more than half a degree since then. Dr. Hansen said, "It is time to stop waffling so much and say that the evidence that the greenhouse effect is here." He warned that an "increasing tendency" to droughts could be expected in the future.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
All-Star Game @ Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
CFL All-Stars 15 @ Edmonton (0-1) 4

The All-Stars, who wore old Montreal Alouettes uniforms, defeated the defending Grey Cup champion Eskimos, and turned in the game's only exciting play just 3 minutes into the 1st quarter, when Will Lewis of the Ottawa Rough Riders returned Jerry Kauric's punt 100 yards for a touchdown. 27,573 attended the game, which was less than half the capacity of Commonwealth Stadium, but was nonetheless an All-Star game record. It was one of the dullest games that this blogger has ever attended; matters weren't helped when rain started at halftime, and continued through the rest of the game. Matt Dunigan, whose previous Commonwealth Stadium appearances had been as quarterback of the Eskimos, played with the All-Stars, having been traded in the off-season to the British Columbia Lions. Calgary Stampeders' receiver Larry Willis was named the game's Most Valuable Player. Jackie Parker, who had resigned as head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos after the second regular season game in 1987, came out of retirement to serve as head coach of the All-Stars. This remains the last CFL All-Star Game to date.



25 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Somebody Dance with Me--DJ Bobo (2nd week at #1)

Crime
Lorena Bobbitt of Prince William County, Virginia sexually mutilated her husband John after he allegedly raped her.

Economics and finance
The Canadian Senate approved the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

20 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Maureen O'Sullivan, 87. U.K.-born U.S. actress. Miss O'Sullivan moved to the United States at the age of 18, and became an actress with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio. She was at her busiest from the early 1930s through the early '40s, and was best known for playing Jane in the Tarzan series of movies. Miss O'Sullivan was the mother of actress Mia Farrow, and they appeared together in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986).

10 years ago
2008

Died on this date
Arthur Chung, 90. 1st President of Guyana, 1970-1980. Mr. Chung, a lawyer, magistrate, and Appeal Court Judge, was elected President by the National Assembly, becoming the first ethnic Chinese head of state of a non-Asian country. The office of President was mainly ceremonial while Mr. Chung held it, and when a constitutional change made it an executive office, he was succeeded by Forbes Burnham.