August 20, 2018

1,250 years ago
768

Died on this date
Eadberht. King of Northumbria, 737 or 738-758. Eadberht acceded to the throne following the second abdication of his cousin Ceolwulf, who entered a monastery. Eadberht himself abdicated to enter a monastery at York, where his brother Ecgbert was Archbishop, and was succeeded as King by his son Oswulf, who was murdered within a year.

710 years ago
1308

Religion
Pope Clement V pardoned Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, absolving him of charges of heresy.

370 years ago
1648

War
French forces led by Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé defeated Spanish forces commanded by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in the Battle of Lens in France. It was the last major battle of the Thirty Years' War.

175 years ago
1843

Protest
The Arch Riot took place in the lower town of Bytown (now Ottawa), with street fighting and stone-throwing between Orangemen and Papists.

160 years ago
1858

Canadiana
The Colony of British Columbia was established; the Hudson's Bay Company was required to give up control of Vancouver Island to local authorities.

Science
Charles Darwin first published his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, alongside Alfred Russel Wallace's same theory.

130 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Ton Duc Thang. President of North Vietnam, 1969-1976; President of Vietnam, 1976-1980. A longtime Communist leader in Vietnam, Mr. Thang was the oldest head of state in the world and the oldest president ever of a country when he died in office at the age of 91 on March 30, 1980.

100 years ago
1918

Born on this date
Jacqueline Susann. U.S. actress and authoress. Miss Susann appeared in various plays and television programs, but was best known for her popular novels Valley of the Dolls (1966); The Love Machine (1969); and Once is Not Enough (1973). She died of cancer on September 21, 1974 at the age of 56.

War
British forces opened an offensive on the Western front. Lieutenant Richard Feldt of the Imperial German Navy, commander of the submarine, U-156, captured the 239-ton, steel-hulled, steam-driven trawler Triumph off Canso, Nova Scotia and used it to sink seven schooners before scuttling the ship, making sure all the fishermen were safely in dories with food and water before sending their vessels to the bottom. Lt. Feldt had shelled the coast of New England and sunk several freighters weeks earlier. The U-boat failed to cut the strategic trans-Atlantic telegraph cable that came ashore at Canso, and on the return, U-156 hit a mine off Britain and sank with all hands.

90 years ago
1928

At the movies
Champagne, directed and co-written by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Betty Balfour, Jean Bradin, and Gordon Harker, opened in theatres in the United Kingdom.

Died on this date
George Harvey, 64. U.S. journalist and diplomat. Mr. Harvey owned and edited magazines such as North American Review; Harper's Weekly; and Metropolitan Magazine, and used his wealth and influence to support Democratic Party candidates, most notably Woodrow Wilson from 1906-1912. Mr. Harvey was a conservative, and turned against Mr. Wilson when the latter became more liberal in his policies. Mr. Harvey opposed Mr. Wilson's re-election in 1916, and was a major figure in the "smoke-filled room" at the Republican National Convention in 1920 that nominated Warren G. Harding as the party's presidential candidate. President Harding returned the favour by naming Mr. Harvey as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, where he served from 1921-1923.

Politics and government
John Duncan MacLean resigned as Premier of British Columbia, exactly one year after taking office. He had succeeded John Oliver as Premier upon the latter's death, but his Liberals had lost the recent provincial election to the Conservatives, and Mr. Oliver had lost his seat in the Legislative Assembly. Simon Fraser Tolmie, who had led the Conservatives to their electoral victory, took office as Premier on August 21.

New York Governor and Democratic Party U.S. presidential candidate Al Smith issued a catoegorical denial of William Allen White's charge that as an Assemblyman he (Mr. Smith) had, by his votes on the Raines Law and other bills, aided the gin mills and disorderly women.

Disasters
A tornado struck Austin, Minnesota and vicinity, killing eight people.

80 years ago
1938

Baseball
Neil Robinson hit a 3-run inside-the-park home run to lead the West to a 5-4 win over the East in the Negro League All-Star Game before 30,000 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Lou Gehrig hit his 23rd and last career grand slam in the top of the 1st inning and added a 2-run double in the 4th to lead the New York Yankees to an 11-3 win over the Philadelphia Athletics before 9,000 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Mr. Gehrig's total remained the major league record until broken by Alex Rodriguez 75 years later.

Catchers Frank Pytlak and Hank Helf of the Cleveland Indians set altitude records by catching baseballs dropped from the top of the 706-foot-tall Cleveland Terminal Tower. The Indians went on to beat the Chicago White Sox 8-2 at League Park in Cleveland, with Mel Harder winning the pitching matchup over Monty Stratton. Jeff Heath scored 5 runs for the Indians.

The Boston Red Sox scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning to erase a 2-0 deficit, and went on to beat the Washington Nationals 10-7 before 6,200 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Joe Cronin drove in 5 runs for the Red Sox despite batting just 1 for 5. Al Baker, the second of three Boston pitchers, allowed 5 hits and 2 runs--both earned--in 2 innings and batted 0 for 1 in his first major league game, at the age of 32.

Rudy York drove in 4 runs with a pair of home runs to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 win over the St. Louis Browns before 8,200 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Beau Bell, Don Heffner, and George McQuinn homered for St. Louis.

The Philadelphia Phillies scored an unearned run in the top of the 9th inning that proved to be the difference as they edged the New York Giants 8-7 before 6,771 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. Philadelphia left fielder Morrie Arnovich batted 3 for 3 with a home run, 2 bases on balls, 2 runs, and 4 runs batted in, and leadoff hitter Gibby Brack was 4 for 6 with a double and 2 runs. Mel Ott doubled home George Myatt with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th to make the score 8-7, but Bob Seeds flied out to left field to end the game.

75 years ago
1943

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Missing Dancer

Died on this date
William Irvine, 85. U.K.-born Australian politician and judge. Sir William, a native of Ireland, moved to Melbourne in his early 20s to practice law. He was first elected as a Liberal to the Victoria Legislative Assembly in 1894, and served as Premier of Victoria from 1902-1904. Sir William then entered federal politics, and was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in 1906. He served as Attorney General from 1913-1914 before leaving politics and serving as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Australia from 1918-1935.

War
U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull arrived in Quebec to attend the Allied conference. U.S. Navy Secretary Frank Knox disclosed that Vice Admiral John McCain would serve under Fleet Commander Ernest King and would direct combat and training functions. Soviet troops swept deep into Ukraine, recapturing Lebedin, the westernmost point occupied by the U.S.S.R. in their winter offensive. Allied troops seized Bobdubi Ridge, four miles southwest of the Japanese base at Salamaua, New Guinea.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department announced that the Swedish liner Gripsholm would sail from New York about September 1 with Japanese internees, to be exchanged for Americans at Mormugao, Goa, Portuguese India.

U.K. Ambassador to Spain Sir Samuel Hoare flew from Madrid to La Coruna for conferences with Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco and Foreign Minister General Count Francisco Gomez Jordana. London dispatches said that Sir Samuel had been instructed to protest Spanish propaganda in Latin America.

Indianica
The U.K. government's Indian Office reported that India's population was 388,997,995 in 1941, an increase of 50 million over 10 years.

Communications
Western Union Telegraph Company Vice President F.E. D'Humy told the U.S. Federal Communications Commission that a method of sending facsimile telegrams by light waves may be adopted after World War II.

70 years ago
1948

Crime
Soviet military police entered the U.S. zone of Berlin in a raid on black market traders, which ended with the arrest of 2,500 suspects.

Defense
U.S. President Harry Truman issued regulations for the peacetime draft, exempting men with dependents and those engaged in essential duties. He also banned racial discrimination in administration of the draft.

Society
The International Congress on Mental Health Health, in London, formed a World Federation for Mental Health, with Dr. J.R. Reese of the United Kingdom as president, for the purpose of promoting world peace by curbing individual aggressiveness.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor International Typograhical Union ended a national convention in Milwaukee after supporting President Woodruff Randolph's refusal to file affidavits required by the Taft-Hartley Act.

The U.S. National Labor Relations Board regional office in San Francisco issued a complaint charging the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union with maintaining illegal hiring halls on the West Coast.

60 years ago
1958

Defense
The first shipment of U.S. military supplies to Iraq since the July 14 military coup arrived in Basra.

Politics and government
The French cabinet approved Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle's constitution.

Law
The U.S. Senate voted 49-41 to kill the omnibus Butler-Jenner bill curbing the Supreme Court.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill extending the reciprocal trade agreements program for four years.

Disasters
A bus plunged into a chasm in Colombia, killing 32 of 59 passengers.

Boxing
Virgil Akins (50-17-1), recognized by Massachusetts as the world welterweight champion, scored a technical knockout of Charley "Tombstone" Smith (30-8) in the 10th and final round of a non-title bout at Chicago Stadium. Mr. Akins trailed on all three scorecards entering the final round.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Heavenly Club--Les Sauterelles (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Channing Cox, 88. U.S. politician. Mr. Cox, a Republican, sat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1909-1918), and was Speaker (1915-1918). He was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (1919-1921), and succeeded Calvin Coolidge as Governor, serving from 1921-1925. Mr. Cox advanced progressive educational and labour legislation, and was chairman of the National Governors Association (1922-1924). He declined to run for re-election in 1924, and retired from politics.

War
Forces from the U.S.S.R. and other Warsaw Pact nations invaded Czechoslovakia (see also here) to crush the ''Prague Spring'' liberalization drive of Alexander Dubcek's regime. East German participation was limited to a few specialists due to memories of World War II. Only Albania and Romania refused to participate.

Disasters
An earthquake struck Dongala, Celebes, Indonesia, killing 200 people.

All 10 people aboard a bus died in a collision with a truck near Tarragona, Spain.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (2-2) 12 @ Edmonton (2-2-1) 4

Ted Gerela kicked 3 field goals and Jim Evenson rushed for 105 yards to lead the Lions over the Eskimos before 18,213 fans at Clarke Stadium. The Eskimos lost 3 of 5 fumbles on a muddy field. Defensive back Rich Robinson and centre Bob Howes both made their Canadian Football League debuts with the Lions.

40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Jesse Flores, 51. U.S. boxer. Mr. Flores was a lightweight and welterweight who compiled a record of 62-9-11 in a professional career from 1945-1954. He fought for the world lightweight championship on September 23, 1948, but was knocked out in 10 rounds by champion Ike Williams.

Terrorism
Two people died and nine were injured during an attack on a bus carrying staff of the Israeli airline El Al in central London. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Diplomacy
Chinese Premier Hua Guofeng completed a three-day visit to Romania.

Defense
The U.S. Defense Department publicly acknowledged that veterans who had received less-than-honorable discharges because of homosexuality could usually get them upgraded and receive veteran's benefits. The policy affected an estimated 20,000-30,000 veterans, and was discovered by lawyers with the National Military Discharge Review Project using the Freedom of Information Act.

Disasters
Tropical storm Carmen lashed South Korea, killing 20 people and causing an estimated $20 million in property losses.

Golf
Lee Elder won the Westchester Classic in Harrison, New York with a total score of 274. First prize money was $60,000.

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Tell Me--Nick Kamen (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Push It--Salt-N-Pepa (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Tribute (Right On)--The Pasadenas (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Nuit de folie--Début de Soirée (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Only Way is Up--Yazz and the Plastic Population

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): The Only Way is Up--Yazz and the Plastic Population (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Roll With It--Steve Winwood (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Roll With It--Steve Winwood (3rd week at #1)
2 Hands to Heaven--Breathe
3 1-2-3--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
4 I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That--Elton John
5 Monkey--George Michael
6 I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love--Chicago
7 Sign Your Name--Terence Trent D'Arby
8 Sweet Child o' Mine--Guns 'N' Roses
9 Make Me Lose Control--Eric Carmen
10 Fast Car--Tracy Chapman

Singles entering the chart were True Love by Glenn Frey (#66); Don't You Know What the Night Can Do? by Steve Winwood (#70); Indestructible by the Four Tops (#84); The Rumour by Olivia Newton-John (#86); Another Lover by Giant Steps (#88); Wild, Wild West by Escape Club (#89); and She's on the Left by Jeffrey Osborne (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That--Elton John (2nd week at #1)
2 Make Me Lose Control--Eric Carmen
3 Roll With It--Steve Winwood
4 Fast Car--Tracy Chapman
5 Sign Your Name--Terence Trent D'Arby
6 Simply Irresistible--Robert Palmer
7 Hold On to the Nights--Richard Marx
8 Diamond Sun--Glass Tiger
9 In Your Soul--Corey Hart
10 Perfect World--Huey Lewis and the News

Singles entering the chart were Heart by Pet Shop Boys (#79); Cool Running by Boz Scaggs (#82); I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (#84); Love the One You're With by Gino Soccio (#87); Wasting My Time by Jimmy Page (#90); I Call Your Name by Johnny Clegg and Savuka (#91); Gypsy Road by Cinderella (#95); and Bullets by After All (#97).

War
The cease-fire in the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq took effect, and members of the peacekeeping force took positions along the border between the countries.

Diplomacy
Peru became a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.

Terrorism
8 British Army soldiers were killed and 28 wounded when their bus was hit by a Provisional Irish Republican Army roadside bomb in Northern Ireland.

Scandal
A federal jury in New York City convicted brothers Bunky, Herbert, and Lamar Hunt of conspiracy to corner the world silver market in 1979-1980. The jury found them guilty of committing fraud and violating commodity and antitrust laws. The Hunts and other defendants were ordered to pay more than $130 million in damages to Minpeco S.A., a government-owned commodities company in Peru. The company said it had lost $151 million while the Hunts were manipulating the market.

Disasters
Fires in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming destroyed more than 150,000 acres (610 square kilometres) in the single-worst day of the conflagration.

Football
CFL
Calgary (2-4) 21 @ Saskatchewan (4-2) 24



25 years ago
1993

Diplomacy
After rounds of secret negotiations in Norway, the Oslo Accords were signed by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. A public ceremony marking the accords took place in Washington, D.C. on September 13.

Protest
18 demonstrators protesting against logging at Clayoquot Sound in British Columbia were arrested, as activists vowed to continue protests despite the 470 charges that had already been laid in connection with violation of the B.C. Supreme Court injunction banning interference with logging in the area.

Medicine
An operation at Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania to separate conjoined twins resulted in the survival of Angela Lakeberg, who was resting comfortably after her sister gave her life to save her.

Football
CFL
Calgary (8-0) 31 @ Hamilton (3-4) 12

Doug Flutie threw 2 touchdown passes to Will Moore and Derrick Crawford returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown as the Stampeders scored 24 points in the 1st quarmeter and coasted to victory over the Tiger-Cats before 19,402 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Bruce Perkins rushed 1 yard for the only Hamilton touchdown on the final play of the 1st quarter.

20 years ago
1998

War
The United States launched cruise missile attacks against alleged al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical weapons plant in Sudan in retaliation for the August 7 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Politics and government
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Québec could not secede from Canada unilaterally without first negotiating the terms of secession with the federal government and the other provinces. The ruling obligated the federal government and the other provinces to negotiate if a clear majority of Québeckers voted Yes on a clearly-worded question regarding secession.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (6-2) 6 @ Toronto (4-4) 42



Calgary (6-2) 55 @ British Columbia (3-5) 9

10 years ago
2008

Died on this date
Hua Guofeng, 87. Premier of the People's Republic of China, 1976-1980. Mr. Hua, born Su Zhu, held various positions as a regional official in Hunan before assuming national power shortly after the death of Chairman Mao Zedong in 1976 and toppling the Gang of Four from power. In addition to holding the position of Premier, Mr. Hua was Chairman of the Communist Party of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1976-1981, and remains the only person to hold all three positions simultaneously. He attempted some reforms, but was forced out of power in December 1978 by a faction led by Deng Xiaoping, while being allowed to retain some titles.

Ed Freeman, 80. U.S. military aviator. Major Freeman received numerous decorations, most notably the Medal of Honor for his actions while a captain with the U.S. Army during the Battle of la Drang in Vietnam on November 14,1965, when he made a total of 14 trips to the battlefield, bringing in water and ammunition and taking out wounded soldiers under heavy enemy fire as the wingman for Major Bruce Crandall, who also received the Medal of Honor for the same missions.

Gene Upshaw, 63. U.S. football player and union leader. Mr. Upshaw was an offensive guard with the Oakland Raiders (1967-1981), playing 217 regular season games, 24 playoff games, and 3 Super Bowls, playing with an American Football League championship team and two Super Bowl championship teams, and earning three all-AFL All-Star selections, three First Team All-Pro selections, and four Second Team All-Pro selections. He was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Mr. Upshaw was Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association from 1983 until his death, leading the NFLPA during the strike that interrupted the 1987 season. He died five days after his 63rd birthday and three days after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Mr. Upshaw's death came at an appropriate age, since he wore jersey #63 for his entire professional career.

Oil
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador signed a deal for the $5-billion Hebron offshore oil project, with the province to gain at least $20 billion in royalties and and an estimated 3,500 jobs from the project.

Disasters
Spanair Flight 5022, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jet en route from Madrid to Gran Canaria, skidded off the runway on takeoff and crashed at Madrid-Barajas Airport. Of the 172 people on board, 146 died immediately, and 8 more later died of injuries sustained in the crash.