June 8, 2019

230 years ago
1789

Politics and government
James Madison introduced in Congress 12 proposed amendments to the United States Constitution.

225 years ago
1794

Religion
The Cult of the Supreme Being went into effect as the new state religion in France, with large organized festivals all across the country, 32 days after being introduced in the National Convention by revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre.

210 years ago
1809

Died on this date
Thomas Paine, 72. U.K.-born U.S. political theorist and author. Mr. Paine, born in England as Thomas Pain, moved to Pennsylvania late in 1774, and became a Founding Father of the United States, and the most influential propagandist on behalf of the American Revolution. He was primarily known as a pamphleteer; Common Sense (1776) remains proportionately the bestselling American title ever. His other works included Rights of Man (1791) and The Age of Reason (1794-1807), the latter of which made enemies for him because of his opposition to Christianity.

160 years ago
1859

Born on this date
Smith Wigglesworth. U.K. evangelist. Mr. Wigglesworth grew up in Anglican and Baptist churches in England, but became a Pentecostal evangelist, and became the spiritual ancestor of many of today's Charismaniac false teachers. He claimed to receive direct prophecies from God, and practiced a "healing" ministry in which he emphasized demons as the cause of illness, and allegedly healed people by physically attacking the areas of the body where tumours were located. If any of the people Mr. Wigglesworth prayed over wren't healed, they were, in his view, guilty of unbelief. Mr. Wigglesworth died on March 21, 1947 at the age of 87.

Law
British Columbia Governor Sir James Douglas established the British Columbia Supreme Court.

150 years ago
1869

Baseball
The largest score on record occurred in a game between the Niagara and Colombia clubs‚ both of Buffalo‚ New York. The final score was Niagaras 209‚ Colombias 10. Niagara scored 58 runs in the 8th inning. The game took just 3 hours to play.

130 years ago
1889

Died on this date
Gerard Manley Hopkins, 44. U.K. poet. Rev. Hopkins was a Jesuit priest who was known for his melancholy poems about nature and religion. He died of typhoid fever after several years of declining health.

125 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Erwin Schulhoff. Czech composer and musician. Mr. Schulhoff was a pianist who wrote eight symphonies, and works for piano and other instruments. He worked in Germany in the 1920s, but he was a Jew who, after the Nazis came to power in 1933, was barred from giving recitals and having his works performed. Mr. Schulfoff expressed Communist sympathies, which landed him in trouble in Czechoslovakia. He applied for citizenship in the U.S.S.R. in 1941, but was arrested before he could leave Czechoslovakia, and was deported to Wülzburg concentration camp in Bavaria, where he died of tuberculosis on August 18, 1942 at the age of 48.

120 years ago
1899

Golf
The third and fourth rounds of the British Open were played at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Harry Vardon won the Open for the third time, with a total score of 310, 5 strokes ahead of Jack White. First prize money was £30.

110 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Robert Carson. U.S. actor. Mr. Carson, the older brother of actor Jack Carson, played minor roles--often uncredited--in numerous movies and television programs from the 1930s through the 1970s. He died on June 2, 1979, six days before his 70th birthday.

Baseball
Christy Mathewson allowed 2 runs in the 1st inning (with the help of two errors), but gave up just 1 hit in the last 8 innings as the New York Giants edged the Chicago Cubs 3-2 at West Side Park in Chicago. Three Finger Brown was the losing pitcher, allowing 7 hits--3 by Mr. Mathewson.

In the Pacific Coast League, San Francisco won 1-0 at home over Oakland in 24 innings. Cack Henley gave up just 9 hits and 1 walk in going the distance for the shutout. Jimmy Wiggs matched Mr. Henley for 23 innings, but gave up the winning run on a single by Nick Williams. The game was completed in 3 hours and 35 minutes, shorter than the length of many 9-inning games in 2009.

90 years ago
1929

Died on this date
Bliss Carman, 68. Canadian-born U.S. poet. Mr. Carman, a native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, was one of the Confederation Poets, who were born in the 1860s and came to prominence later in the 19th century. He spent most of his life in the United States, but achieved success in Canada in his later years. Mr. Carman was named Canada's Poet Laureate in 1921, and made successful tours in his native country until his death from a brain hemorrhage.

Politics and government
Labour Party MP Margaret Bondfield (Wallsend) was appointed Minister of Labour in the government of Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, becoming the first woman appointed to the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

75 years ago
1944

War
Flight Officer K. O. Moore, piloting a Canadian Liberator bomber, destroyed two German U-Boats in 22 minutes. At Caen, France, Canadian forces moved inland from Juno beach; German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel ordered Kurt Meyer's 12th SS Panzer Grenadiers to attack the Canadian 7th Brigade at Putot-en-Basin, 8 kilometres west of Caen. They crossed the railway and outflank the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, destroying the three forward companies; the rest withdrew, leaving their wounded behind. The Canadian Scottish, Canscots and 1st Hussars then used an artillery barrage from the 12th and 13th field regiments to retake Putot, but Gen. Meyer counter-attacked with 22 Panther tanks as the Regina Rifles fought a night-long battle, and held. During these fights, the SS murdered several Canadian prisoners of war, including six Winnipeg Rifles and a Red Cross stretcher-bearer, who were ordered into a wood and shot in the temple. 13 more Canadians were executed within 100 yards of the Command post; the bodies of 7 more were found nearby, all shot in the head with small arms. Finally, 40 Winnipegs and Cameron Highlanders were marched into a field, ordered to sit together with the wounded at their centre, and machine gunned; 5 escaped. Allied forces captured Bayeux, five miles inland from Normandy, and reported hand-to-hand combat on the Cherbourg Peninsula. American and Australian ships thwarted another Japanese effort to reinforce Biak Island.

Politics and government
James Farley, chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee since 1930, announced his resignation effective July 11.

Education
Representatives of 32 United Nations countries, meeting in Frederick, Maryland, adopted a resolution favouring higher standards of education, with the establishment of world school systems.

70 years ago
1949

Literature
George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was published in the United Kingdom by Secker & Warburg.

Defense
The U.S. House of Representatives authorized an Armed Services Committee investigation of the nation's strategic air program, with emphasis on charges of irregularities in procurement of Air Force B-36 bombers.

Politics and government
Communist authorities in Shanghai banned the Kuomintang and all groups affiliated with it, including the Democratic Socialists and the Young China Party.

The California State Senate Committee on Un-American Activities released a report on Communism in California, accusing a number of prominent writers and entertainers of following "the Communist Party line...over a long period of time." Among those listed were Representative Helen Gahagan Douglas (Democrat--California); Helen Keller; Pearl Buck; Dorothy Parker; Lillian Hellman; Dashiell Hammett; Thomas Mann; Charlie Chaplin; Danny Kaye; Fredric March; John Garfield; Orson Welles; Frank Sinatra; Paul Muni; and Edward G. Robinson.

Education
A U.S. National Education Association commission, including U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harvard University President James Conant, recommended the exclusion of all Communists from the teaching profession.

Labour
Demonstrating West German workers prevented the dismantling of factories in Dortmund and Essen by British reparations authorities.

United Mine Workers of America President John L. Lewis ordered a one-week work stoppage by 450,000 union members beginning June 13 in order to improve the union's bargaining position in upcoming contract talks.

60 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Diana--Paul Anka (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 The Battle of New Orleans--Johnny Horton (2nd week at #1)
2 Dream Lover--Bobby Darin
3 Personality--Lloyd Price
4 Kansas City--Wilbert Harrison
5 Quiet Village--Martin Denny
6 A Teenager in Love--Dion and the Belmonts
7 Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)--Edward Byrnes & Connie Stevens
8 Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)--The Impalas
9 Only You--Franck Pourcel's French Fiddles
10 The Happy Organ--Dave "Baby" Cortez

Singles entering the chart were I'm Gonna Change Him by Cathy Carr (#67); Only Sixteen by Sam Cooke (#71); Forty Days by Ronnie Hawkins (#84); I Know by Perry Como (#92); La Plume de Ma Tante by Hugo and Luigi (#95); One Love, One Heart by the Four Coins (#98); Flower of Love by the Crests featuring Johnny Maestro (#99); and The Whistling Organ by Dave 'Baby' Cortez (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (The Music Reporter)
1 The Battle of New Orleans--Johnny Horton
2 Personality--Lloyd Price
3 Dream Lover--Bobby Darin
4 Endlessly--Brook Benton
5 Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye--Kathy Linden
6 Kansas City--Wilbert Harrison
7 Tallahassee Lassie--Freddy Cannon
8 Just Keep it Up--Dee Clark
9 Along Came Jones--The Coasters
10 Frankie--Connie Francis

Singles entering the chart included Lipstick on Your Collar by Connie Francis (#34); Danny Boy by Sil Austin (#63); Twixt Twelve and Twenty by Pat Boone (#66); Mona Lisa by Carl Mann (#71); There is Something on Your Mind by Big Jay McNeely and Band (#73); Pointed Toe Shoes by Carl Perkins (#76); Zooba! by Don Ralke (#79); Gotta New Girl by Bobby Day (#80); M.T.A. by the Kingston Trio (#83); Only Sixteen by Sam Cooke (#84); Lavender-Blue by Sammy Turner (#85); Little Bitty Johnny by Travis & Bob (#86); Dedicated to the One I Love by the Shirelles (#87); Flower of Love by the Crests (#88); Sing Along by Jimmy Dean (#93); Forty Miles of Bad Road by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#94); and The Coo by Wayne Cochran (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 The Battle of New Orleans--Johnny Horton (4th week at #1)
2 Kansas City--Wilbert Harrison
3 Personality--Lloyd Price
4 Dream Lover--Bobby Darin
5 Enchanted--The Platters
6 A Teenager in Love--Dion and the Belmonts
7 Guitar Boogie Shuffle--The Virtues
8 Endlessly/So Close--Brook Benton
9 I'm Ready/Margie--Fats Domino
10 Tallahassee Lassie--Freddy Cannon

Singles entering the chart were I've Come of Age by Billy Storm (#30); I Only Have Eyes for You by the Flamingos (#40); There Goes My Baby by the Drifters (#45); Tiger by Fabian (#47); I Know by Perry Como (#49); To a Soldier Boy by the Tassels (#54); High Hopes by Frank Sinatra (#56); Small World by Johnny Mathis (#57); and With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming by Patti Page (#58).

Aviation
The X-15 rocket plane, manufactured by North American Aviation, made its first flight. The plane was released from its mother ship at an altitude of 37,550 feet, and North American pilot Scott Crossfield (whom this blogger had the pleasure of meeting many years later) glided to a safe landing on Rogers Dry Lake in southern California.



Diplomacy
In Geneva, the Western foreign ministers stated five requirements for a Berlin settlement, including retention of all occupation rights and free military and civilian access between West Germany and West Berlin.

Augustin Torres Lazo, first secretary of the Nicaraguan embassy in Washington, resigned in protest against his government's policies and applied for political asylum in the United States.

Defense
The French Foreign Ministry confirmed reports that France had refused to make any "new commitments to NATO" until there was a settlement of "several problems," including the stockpiling of nuclear weapons on French territory.

U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Chairman John McCone urged the negotiation of a partial nuclear test ban based on President Dwight D. Eisenhower's proposal to outlaw atmospheric tests.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court, in separate decisions, upheld the right of Congress and of the states to investigate Communist activities.

Communications
The U.S. Navy submarine USS Barbero and the United States Postal Service attempted the delivery of mail via Missile Mail, as the sub fired a Regulus cruise missile toward the Naval Auxiliary Air Station at Mayport, Florida. The missile landed at its target 22 minutes later.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Eisenhower asked Congress to abolish the interest ceilings on government bonds and to increase the public debt limit.

Olympics
The International Olympic Committee rejected a Nationalist Chinese application for renewed recognition on the grounds that the application was in the name of the "Republic of China."

50 years ago
1969

Died on this date
Robert Taylor, 57. U.S. actor. Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Nebraska, Mr. Taylor had early success as a romantic lead in such movies as Magnificent Obsession (1935) and Camille (1937), and achieved later success in historical epics such as Quo Vadis (1951) and Ivanhoe (1952). This blogger’s favourite Robert Taylor movies include Johnny Eager (1942); Conspirator (1949); Tip on a Dead Jockey (1957); Saddle the Wind (1958); and The Night Walker (1964). His fine speaking voice was well suited to radio; his best-known performance on this medium was probably in the Suspense episode The House in Cypress Canyon (1946). Mr. Taylor was an anti-Communist back in the good old days when there were a few of those in Hollywood. He died of lung cancer.

War
U.S. President Richard Nixon and South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu met on Midway Island to discuss the war and the search for peace. After a private meeting, Mr. Nixon announced that 25,000 United States soldiers would be withdrawn by the end of August on the recommendation of Mr. Thieu. According to Mr. Nixon, the withdrawal, slated to begin in 30 days, was a "significant step forward" to lasting peace, adding that more cuts would take place "as decisions are made." Mr. Thieu returned to Saigon without a U.S. pledge of support for the present South Vietnamese government or present constitution. He was hoping for such a pledge to relieve uneasiness in South Vietnam over American intentions regarding the war.

Diplomacy
Spain closed her border with Gibraltar, preventing 4,730 Spanish workers from returning to their jobs in Gibraltar.

Baseball
60,096 fans turned out at Yankee Stadium in New York to celebrate Mickey Mantle Day, as the Yankee legend had his jersey number 7 retired. The Yankees then went on to sweep a doubleheader from the Chicago White Sox by scores of 3-1 and 11-2. Sammy Ellis, the last of four Chicago pitchers in the second game, pitched a scoreless 8th inning in the 231st and last game of his 8-year major league career.

Del Unser hit a 2-run home run with none out in the top of the 12th inning to break a 5-5 tie as the Washington Senators defeated the Minnesota Twins 7-5 before 20,486 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.

The Atlanta Braves scored 4 runs in the 2nd inning and 5 in the 3rd to take a 9-1 lead, but needed single runs in each of the 7th and 8th innings to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-10 in the first game of a doubleheader before 27,318 fans at Atlanta Stadium. Pittsburgh third baseman Jose Pagan drove in 3 runs with his first 2 home runs of the season, and Jerry May came to bat as a pinch hitter for the Pirates in the 7th inning and hit a grand slam to give them a 10-9 lead. Hank Aaron led off the bottom of the 8th with a home run to break a 10-10 tie. Mr. Pagan tripled in a run and scored as the Pirates scored 3 runs in the top of the 1st inning of the second game, but Atlanta pitcher Milt Pappas didn't allow a run after that, and got his team on the scoreboard with a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning as the Braves won 4-3 to complete the sweep.

Larry Dierker pitched a 5-hitter and singled home Julio Gotay with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Houston Astros a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals before 25,824 fans at the Astrodome. St. Louis starting pitcher Steve Carlton allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run in 10 innings, walking 6 batters and striking out 12.

Rusty Staub and Mack Jones hit home runs for the Montreal Expos as they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 before 15,628 fans at Dodger Stadium to snap their 20-game losing streak, 3 short of the major league record. For winning pitcher Jerry Robertson, it was his first major league victory. The Dodgers scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning and had runners on second and third bases, but relief pitcher Roy Face retired Ken Boyer on a foul popup and Willie Crawford on a fly ball to right field to end the game. Los Angeles right fielder Ron Fairly batted 2 for 4 with a double, and singled home the last run in his 1,306th and last game as a Dodger; he and infielder Paul Popovich were traded to the Expos three days later for shortstop Maury Wills and outfielder Manny Mota.

Jim Davenport singled home Bobby Bonds with the bases loaded and none out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the San Francisco Giants a 9-8 win over the Philadelphia Phillies before 9,055 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

40 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Hallelujah--Milk & Honey (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Born to Be Alive--Patrick Hernandez (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Born to Be Alive--Patrick Hernandez (11th week at #1)

Abominations
Zimbabwe-Rhodesian Prime Minister Abel Muzorewa said that U.S. President Jimmy Carter's decision not to lift trade sanctions against Zimbabwe-Rhodesia was an appeasement of militant African states and of black voters in the United States, and that he hoped that Congress would overturn the decision and truly express the will of the American people.

Politics and government
Representative John Anderson (Republican--Illinois) announced that he would seek the nomination of the Republican Party for President of the United States for 1980. He was the seventh candidate to officially enter the race.

Labour
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Joe Clark began a two-month public service hiring freeze.

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): Minä olen muistanut--Kim Lönnholm (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Heart & Soul--No Sweat (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Bibb Falk, 90. U.S. baseball player and coach. Mr. Falk played left field with the Chicago White Sox (1920-1928) and Cleveland Indians (1929-1931), batting .314 with 69 home runs and 784 runs batted in in 1,353 games. He replaced Shoeless Joe Jackson as the White Sox' regular left fielder after Mr. Jackson was banned for life as the result fo the "Black Sox" scandal. Mr. Falk's best season was 1926, when he batted .345 with 43 doubles, 8 home runs, and 108 runs batted in. He coached with the Indians (1933) and Boston Red Sox (1934), and managed the Indians to a win in his only game as a manager in 1933. Mr. Falk coached at the University of Texas (1940-1942, 1946-1967), leading the Longhorns to consecutive College World Series championships in 1949 and 1950.

Glenn McQuillen, 74. U.S. baseball player. Mr. McQuillen was an outfielder with the St. Louis Browns (1938, 1941-1942, 1946-1947), batting .274 with 4 home runs and 75 runs batted in in 210 games. He played at least 1,538 games in 13 seasons in the minor leagues from 1939-1956, and managed in the minors from 1954-1956.

Emil Verban, 73. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Verban was a second baseman with the St. Louis Cardinals (1944-1946); Philadelphia Phillies (1946-1948); Chicago Cubs (1948-1950); and Boston Braves (1950), batting .272 with 1 home run and 241 runs batted in in 853 games. He helped the Cardinals win the World Series in his rookie year, batting .412 as the Cardinals beat the St. Louis Browns in 6 games, and driving in the deciding run in the final game.

Music
Rod Stewart played before a sell-out crowd of 26,000 at SkyDome in Toronto, becoming the first performer to play there.

Health
At the fifth International Conference on AIDS in Montreal, Dr. Jonas Salk and others reported that the injection of an experimental vaccine had eliminated HIV from two chimpanzees. Another report said that the experimental drug CD4 had reduced the level of the virus in 8 of 9 patients.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 105 @ Detroit 108 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 2-0)

With the Pistons leading 106-104 in the final seconds of regulation time, James Worthy of the Lakers made just 1 of 2 free throws, and Isiah Thomas made 2 free throws with 1 second remaining to clinch victory for Detroit before 21,454 fans at the Palace at Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Detroit's Joe Dumars led all scorers with 33 points, while Mr. Worthy and Michael Cooper each scored 19 for Los Angeles. A major turning point came when Magic Johnson of the Lakers left the game with a pulled hamstring with 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and his team leading 75-73.



Baseball
Before 18,511 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, the Pittsburgh Pirates scored 10 runs in the top of the 1st inning, prompting Pirates' broadcaster Jim Rooker to announce that he would walk back to Pittsburgh if the Pirates lost. The Phillies came back to win 15-11; Mr. Rooker didn't walk back to Pittsburgh after that game, but he did do a charity walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh after the season. Steve Jeltz, who entered the game at second base in the 2nd inning for the Phillies, drove in 5 runs with a pair of home runs, and Von Hayes added a pair of 2-run homers for Philadelphia. Roger Samuels, the last of five Pittsburgh pitchers, allowed 3 hits and 1 run--earned--in 2/3 inning in the 20th and last game of his 2-year major league career.

The St. Louis Cardinals scored 5 runs in the top of the 9th inning to break a 2-2 tie as they beat the Montreal Expos 7-2 before 12,402 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Glenn Davis's 2-run home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Houston Astros a 7-6 win over the San Diego Padres before 13,518 fans at the Astrodome. The Astros had scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th to tie the score 5-5, but the Padres had taken the lead with a run in the top of the 10th.

Steve Sax singled home Don Slaught with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the New York Yankees an 8-7 win over the Boston Red Sox before 28,329 fans at Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox had come back from a 7-2 deficit with 2 runs in the 7th and 3 with 2 out in the 9th to tie the score.

25 years ago
1994

Basketball
NBA
Finals
New York 78 @ Houston 85 (Houston led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Hakeem Olajuwon scored 28 points to lead the Rockets over the Knickerbockers before 16,611 fans at the Summit. Patrick Ewing led New York with 23 points.



20 years ago
1999

Scandal
Former British Chief Secretary to the Treasury Jonathan Aitken was sentenced to 18 months in prison for perjury and conspiring to pervert the court of justice after he admitted lying under oath during a failed libel action. Mr. Aitken, a minister in the Conservative cabinet of John Major, sued The Guardian and Granada TV for libel after they reported in 1995 that he had stayed at the Ritz Hotel in Paris at the expense of a Saudi businessman--a breach of ministerial rules. Under oath, he insisted that his wife had settled the hotel bill; criminal charges followed the presentation of documents proving that she had been in Switzerland, not Paris, during the weekend in question.

Crime
New York City police officer Charles Schwarz was convicted by a U.S. District Court jury in Brooklyn on an assault charge in connection with the torture and sodomizing of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima in a stationhouse restroom. Another policeman, Justin Volpe, had pleaded guilty to six charges in relation to the incident on May 25. Three other officers were acquitted of related charges.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Buffalo 3 @ Dallas 2 (OT) (Buffalo led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Jason Woolley scored at 15:30 of the 1st overtime period to give the Sabres their win over the Stars before 17,001 fans at Reunion Arena.

Baseball
Tim Hudson, making his major league debut with the Oakland Athletics, struck out 11 batters in 5 innings, but ended up with no decision when the San Diego Padres came back to beat the Athletics 5-3 before 17,195 fans at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Mr. Hudson gave up 3 runs-all earned--on 7 hits.

Dan Smith gave up 3 hits to the first 4 batters he faced in his major league debut, then retired the next 20 batters before being relieved after 7 innings as the Montreal Expos made him a winner, defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-1 before 7,233 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Mr. Smith was 0 for 2 at bat, but Vladimir Guerrero provided the necessary scoring with a 2-run home run in the 6th inning.

The Philadelphia Phillies scored 2 runs in the 6th inning and 9 in the 7th as they defeated the New York Yankees 11-5 before 44,444 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Rob Ducey walked and scored as a pinch hitter for the Phillies in the 7th, and tripled in the final 3 runs of the inning.

10 years ago
2009

Died on this date
Omar Bongo, 73. 2nd President of Gabon, 1967-2009; Vice President of Gabon, 1966-1967. Mr. Bongo served in various positions under President Léon M'ba, becoming Vice President and then succeeding Mr. Mba upon the latter's death. Mr. Bongo led the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) one-party regime until he gave in to public pressure in 1990 and allowed multi-party politics. He survived opposition to his regime, although he was accused of governing to benefit himself and his family rather than the Gabonese people. He was still in office when he died in Barcelona while undergoing treatment for cancer, and was succeeded as President by Vice President Didjob Divungi Di Ndinge.

World events
Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters with the American cable network Current TV, were convicted of illegally entering North Korea and sentenced to 12 years of penal labour. They were pardoned on August 5 by North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, the day after former U.S. President Bill Clinton arrived in the country on a publicly unannounced visit.