September 12, 2018

200 years ago
1818

Born on this date
Richard Jordan Gatling. U.S. inventor. Dr. Gatling was best known for inventing the mechanical rapid-fire Gatling gun in 1861. He died on February 26, 1903 at the age of 84.

170 years ago
1848

Politics and government
Switzerland became a federal state with the adoption of a new constitution.

150 years ago
1868

Diplomacy
Sheikh Mohammed bin Thani, Emir of Qatar, signed a treaty with Colonel Lewis Pelly, a British resident in the Persian Gulf, which recognized the independence of Qatar.

130 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Maurice Chevalier. French actor and singer. Mr. Chevalier was known for singing songs such as Louise and Thank Heaven for Little Girls, and for his appearances in movies such as The Love Parade (1929); The Big Pond (1930); Love in the Afternoon (1957); and Gigi (1958). He died on January 1, 1972 at the age of 83.

100 years ago
1918

Died on this date
George Reid, 73. Prime Minister of Australia, 1904-1905. Sir George, who was born in Scotland and moved to Australia as a child, led the Free Trade Party from 1891-1908 and went back and forth from state politics in New South Wales to federal politics, serving as Premier of New South Wales from 1894-1899. He was Prime Minister for just under 11 months during a time when protectionist parties were divided, without his party having a majority in either house of Parliament. When the protectionist parties were united, Sir George was soon voted out of office. He was Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1910-1916, and was then elected unopposed to the British House of Commons as a Unionist candidate, representing self-governing Dominions in supporting the Allied effort in World War I. Sir George died of a cerebral thrombosis.

War
The American Expeditionary Forces under commander-in-chief General John J. Pershing launched the Saint-Mihiel Offensive, its first major offensive in Europe as an independent army.

Politics and government
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Robert Borden created the Department of Public Instruction to give war information to the public.

90 years ago
1928

Disasters
The Okeechobee hurricane first struck the island of Guadeloupe; eventually it reached the United States, and caused over 4,000 deaths overall.

80 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Prince Arthur of Connaught, 55. Governor General of South Africa, 1920-1924. Prince Arthur of Connaught and Strathearn was a grandson of Queen Victoria and the third son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Queen Victoria's third son. The younger Prince Arthur died of stomach cancer.

Politics and government
In a speech in Nuremberg, German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler demanded self-determination for the Sudeten Germans in Czechoslovakia.

Football
CRU
WIFU
Regina (3-0) 7 @ Winnipeg (2-1) 0

Howard Cleveland's punt single in the 4th quarter was the only scoring in the game until the last play, when a desperation pass by Blue Bomber quarterback Russ Rebholz was intercepted by Leo Danaher and returned 40 yards for a touchdown, converted by Bert Nelson. The Roughriders' win, before a capacity crowd of 6,300 at Osborne Stadium, was their third straight shutout. A white ball was used in the game because Regina objected to the yellow ball with black stripes usually used for night games in Winnipeg.

Baseball
Hank Greenberg's 50th home run of the season was the deciding blow as the Detroit Tigers edged the Chicago White Sox 4-3 before 3,500 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit in a game that was played in 1 hour 40 minutes. Mr. Greenberg's homer was hit off losing pitcher Jack Knott. Al Benton was the winning pitcher.

75 years ago
1943

War
Deposed Italian Duce Benito Mussolini was rescued from house arrest on the Gran Sasso in Abruzzi by German commando forces led by Otto Skorzeny, and was taken to Vienna.



Allied forces in southeastern Italy advanced from Taranto to capture the important Adriatic port of Brindisi. The Soviet Red Army advanced to within artillery range of Bryansk by capturing Belye Berega, 12 miles to the east. Australian and American troops captured the Salamaua, New Guinea air naval base, sending Japanese forces northward toward Lae, 22 miles away.

Religion
Patriarch Sergius, 78, was installed in Moscow as primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Journalism
U.S. syndicated columnist Drew Pearson charged that "government Gestapo agents" had tapped his telephone and that Naval intelligence officers were shadowing him.

70 years ago
1948

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring John Stanley and Ian Martin, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Unwelcome Ambassador

This was the first episode of the season, and the first with Ian Martin as Dr. Watson.

Literature
Literary historian Samuel Sukel identified 18 anonymous short stories published in 1840 as the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

War
Marshal Lin Biao, commander-in-chief of the Chinese Communist Northeast Field Army, launched a massive offensive toward Jinzhou, beginning the Liaoshen Campaign.

Politics and government
Negro leaders in Virginia, meeting in Richmond, formed a Committee for the Reelection of Truman.

60 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): When--The Kalin Twins (4th week at #1)

Technology
Jack Kilby demonstrated the first working integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments.

Education
Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus issued a proclamation closing Little Rock's four high schools to avoid "violence."

Boxing
Former world welterweight champion Kid Gavilán announced his retirement from active boxing to become a boxing instructor in Havana. In a 15-year professional career he had a record of 107-30-6-1, and was never knocked out.

50 years ago
1968

Labour
Lake Superior grain handlers ended an 8-week strike.

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Perfect--Fairground Attraction (4th week at #1)

Crime
One man was slightly injured when Medina Perez, Cuba's commercial attaché, opened fire with a gun on a London street. The Cuban government blamed the incident on an attempt to get Mr. Perez to defect. Mr. Perez and Cuban Ambassador Oscar Fernandez-Mell were expelled from Great Britain.

Disasters
Hurricane Gilbert reached Jamaica with winds of 115 miles per hour, leaving 500,000 people homeless and destroying the banana and poultry industries.

25 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: The River of Dreams--Billy Joel

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): What's Up?--4 Non Blondes (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: What's Up?--4 Non Blondes (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Mr. Vain--Culture Beat (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
1994 Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes Returns, written and directed by Kenneth Johnson, and starring Anthony Higgins, Debrah Farentino, and Ken Pogue, on CBS

This made-for-television movie was apparently intended to be the pilot for a series, which never ensued. It resembled the made-for-television movie The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987), which was also a failed pilot.



Died on this date
Willie Mosconi, 80. U.S. pool player. "Mr. Pocket Billiards" won the World Straight Pool Championship 15 times between 1941 and 1957. He still holds the record of sinking 526 straight balls in Springfield, Ohio on March 19-20, 1954. Mr. Mosconi was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1968.

Raymond Burr, 76. Canadian-born U.S. actor. A native of New Westminster, British Columbia, Mr. Burr was known for his starring roles in the television drama series Perry Mason (1957-1966) (winning two Emmy Awards) and Ironside (1967-1975). His most famous movie performances were as the district attorney in A Place in the Sun (1951) and as the murderer in Rear Window (1954). Mr. Burr's distinctive voice can be heard occasionally in old radio shows, most notably as Inspector Hellman in Pat Novak for Hire (1949).

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (6-5) 23 @ Winnipeg (8-3) 41

Matt Dunigan rushed for 3 touchdowns and passed to Nathaniel Bolton for 2 more as the Blue Bombers beat the Roughriders before 35,959 fans at Winnipeg Stadium, the largest crowd ever for a regular season game in Winnipeg. Kent Austin passed to Jeff Fairholm for 1 Saskatchewan touchdown and handed off to Mike Saunders for the other Roughrider TD.

20 years ago
1998

Football
CFL
British Columbia (3-8) 28 @ Toronto (6-5) 37

Kerwin Bell threw 4 touchdown passes to Derrell "Mookie" Mitchell to help the Argonauts defeat the Lions before 14,218 fans at SkyDome.

10 years ago
2008

Died on this date
David Foster Wallace, 46. U.S. writer. Mr. Wallace wrote fiction and non-fiction, but was best known for his novels The Broom of the System (1987); Infinite Jest (1996) and The Pale King (2011). He suffered from depression for years, stopped using his anti-depressant medicine, and hanged himself.

Disasters
A Metrolink commuter train collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles, resulting in 25 deaths and 135 injuries; the Metrolink driver had passed through a red signal, having likely been distracted by text messaging.

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (3-8) 39 @ Toronto (4-7) 9
Montreal (7-4) 30 @ Calgary (7-4) 41