July 6, 2019

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Ancamaria Maria!

830 years ago
1189

Died on this date
Henry II, 56. King of England, 1154-1189. Henry II, the grandson of Henry I, succeeded to the throne upon the death of King Stephen. Henry II's reign included the regaining of territory that had belonged to England during his grandfather's reign; revision of England's legal system; and the murder of Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket. Henry II died from the effects of a bleeding ulcer. He was succeeded as king by Richard I (Lionheart).

240 years ago
1779

War
French naval forces commanded by Comte D'Estaing defeated British forces commanded by Admiral John Byron in the Battle of Grenada in the West Indies.

230 years ago
1789

Born on this date
María Isabella. Queen consort of the Two Sicilies, 1825-1830. María Isabella was the daughter of King Carlos IV of Spain and his wife Maria Luisa of Parma, although it was rumoured that her father was actually Prime Minister Manuel Godoy, Queen Maria Luisa's lover. María Isabella married Francesco, Duke of Calabria in 1801, and became Queen consort upon her husband's accession to the throne as King Francis I. King Francis died in 1830, and was succeeded by his and María Isabella's son Ferdinand II. María Isabella led an active romantic life after the death of King Francis, and married a younger man in 1839. She died on September 13, 1848 at the age of 59.

210 years ago
1809

Died on this date
Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle, 34. French military officer. Comte de Lasalle, nicknamed "The Hussar General," was known for his daring exploits in Italy, Egypt, Prussia, Spain, and Austria. He was killed in the Battle of Wagram.

War
French forces commanded by Emperor Napoleon I won a decisive but costly victory over Austrian forces in the two-day Battle of Wagram, north of Vienna.

190 years ago
1829

Born on this date
Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. Danish royal family member. Frederick VIII was the German pretender to the throne of Schleswig-Holstein from 1863-1866, although the Kingdom of Prussia held real administrative power. He died on January 14, 1880 at the age of 50.

160 years ago
1859

Born on this date
Verner von Heidenstam. Swedish poet and author. Mr. Heidenstam was awarded the 1916 Nobel Prize in Literature "in recognition of his significance as the leading representative of a new era in our literature." He was known for his works that celebrated Swedish history and scenery. Mr. Heidenstam died on May 20, 1940 at the age of 80.

110 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Eric Reece. Australian politician. Mr. Reece, a member of the Labour Party, sat in the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1946-1975. He was a cabinet member in various portfolios fro 1946 until he succeeded Sir Robert Cosgrove as Premier of Tasmania in 1958, and served as Premier from 1958-1969 and 1972-1975. Mr. Reece died on October 23, 1999 at the age of 90.

100 years ago
1919

Born on this date
Ted Kenna. Australian soldier. Mr. Kenna earned the Victoria Cross for his bravery in firing on a Japanese machine gun nest in New Guinea in May 1945. He was the last living Australian Victoria Cross recipient from World War II, and died on July 8, 2009, two days after his 90th birthday.

Aviation
The British dirigible R34 landed in Mineola, New York, four days after departing Scotland, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship.

90 years ago
1929

Baseball
The St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies split a doubleheader before 10,000 fans at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. The Phillies won the opener 10-6, to extend the Cardinals’ losing streak to 11 games. The Cardinals came back in the second game, amassing 28 hits in winning 28-6, scoring 10 runs in each of the 1st and 5th innings; the run and hit totals were National League highs for the 20th century. June Greene, the fourth and last Philadelphia pitcher in the second game, allowed 12 hits and 11 runs--all earned--in 4 2/3 innings, walking 3 batters and striking out 1, while doubling and drawing a base on balls at bat in the 32nd and last game of his 2-year major league career.

80 years ago
1939

Abominations
The last remaining Jewish-owned businesses in Germany were closed.

75 years ago
1944

War
Field Marshal General Karl von Rundstedt resigned as commander-in-chief of German forces in France and was replaced by General Guenther von Kluge. U.S. troops in France advanced southward on both sides of La Haye du Puits, but were forced to leave the town itself. Soviet troops gained 24 miles to reach within 32 miles of Vilnius, Lithuania. U.S. Army and Navy statements disclosed that in 31 months of war, total casualties were 261,541, including 56,772 dead; 55,903 missing; 107,938 wounded; and 40,928 prisoners. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said that Nazi V-1 bombs had killed 2,752 people and injured nearly 8,000 in London since June 15.

Diplomacy
French military resistance leader Charles de Gaulle arrived in Washington for meetings with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, and U.S. military leaders.

Protest
Honduran troops machine-gunned demonstrators in Ocotepeque, killing several and wounding many.

Politics and government
Harry Hopkins, special assistant to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, returned to work after a six-month absence due to illness.

Law
Former university football and baseball star Jackie Robinson, currently a soldier in the United States Army, refused to move to the back of a bus, leading to a court martial.

Disasters
Approximately 167 people were killed and over 700 injured in a fire at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Hartford, Connecticut.







70 years ago
1949

Died on this date
Ike Caveney, 54. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Caveney was a shortstop with the Cincinnati Reds (1922-1925), batting .260 with 13 home runs and 196 runs batted in in 466 games. He played at least 1,734 games in 17 seasons in the minor leagues from 1914-1934. He played with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League (1919-1921, 1928-1934), and managed them from 1932-1934, when his players included Vince and Joe DiMaggio.

World events
Indonesian President Ahmed Sukarno returned to Jakarta following Dutch withdrawal from the city.

Politics and government
Detroit Mayor Eugene Van Antwerp established a loyalty board to supervise the dismissal of alleged Communists on the city payroll.

Weather
A 41-day drought and heat wave in the northeastern United States ended.

Economics and finance
Poland joined other Comintern countries in suspending trade with Yugoslavia.

Labour
U.S. Steel rejected union demands for a wage increase, leading United Steel Workers of America President Philip Murray to threaten a nationwide steel strike by mid-month.

Baseball
The Cincinnati Reds amassed 26 hits in routing the Chicago Cubs 23-4 before 4,036 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Catcher Walker Cooper led the attack, batting 6 for 7 with 3 home runs, 5 runs, and 10 runs batted in.

Johnny Hopp singled home 2 runs to cap a 3-run 9th-inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 before 32,983 fans at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

Jerry Priddy singled home Tom Ferrick with the bases loaded and none out in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the St. Louis Browns a 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers before 3,237 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The Tigers had scored a run in the top of the 12th to take a 5-4 lead, only to have the Browns tie the score on a home run by Jack Graham with 2 out in the bottom of the 12th.

60 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Diana--Paul Anka (9th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 The Battle of New Orleans--Johnny Horton (6th week at #1)
2 Lonely Boy--Paul Anka
3 Personality--Lloyd Price
4 Dream Lover--Bobby Darin
5 Lipstick on Your Collar--Connie Francis
6 Waterloo--Stonewall Jackson
7 Tallahassee Lassie--Freddy Cannon
8 Bobby Sox to Stockings--Frankie Avalon
9 Frankie--Connie Francis
10 Tiger--Fabian

Singles entering the chart were A Big Hunk o' Love by Elvis Presley (#43); Sweeter than You by Ricky Nelson (#53); Ragtime Cowboy Joe by David Seville and the Chipmunks (#65); Bei Mir Bist Du Schön by Louis Prima and Keely Smith (#78); What'd I Say (Parts I and II) by Ray Charles and his Orchestra (#82); Ten Thousand Drums by Carl Smith (#84); Sea of Love by Phil Phillips with the Twilights (#85); What is Love? by the Playmates (#89); Lonely Guitar by Annette (#96); Sweet Sugar Lips by the Kalin Twins (#97); and Crackin' Up by Bo Diddley (#98).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 The Battle of New Orleans--Johnny Horton (8th week at #1)
2 Personality--Lloyd Price
3 Frankie/Lipstick on Your Collar--Connie Francis
4 Waterloo--Stonewall Jackson
5 Tallahassee Lassie--Freddy Cannon
6 Lonely Boy--Paul Anka
7 Bongo Rock--Preston Epps
8 My Heart is an Open Book--Carl Dobkins, Jr.
9 Tiger--Fabian
10 Kansas City--Wilbert Harrison

Singles entering the chart were Ragtime Cowboy Joe by David Seville and the Chipmunks (#42); Lavender-Blue by Sammy Turner (#43); What is Love? by the Playmates (#50); Ten Thousand Drums by Carl Smith (#53); Bei Mir Bist Du Schön by Louis Prima and Keely Smith (#54); Lonely Guitar by Annette (#55); Here Comes Summer by Jerry Keller (#56); Cherrystone by the Addrisi Brothers (#58); On an Evening in Roma by Dean Martin (#59); and Martinique by Martin Denny (#60).

Space
Moscow radio announced that two dogs and a rabbit had been sent to the "upper atmosphere" in a single-stage rocket and had been brought back alive and in good condition.

Diplomacy
The Hungarian government restricted members of the U.S. legation staff in Budapest to the city and its environs unless granted special travel permits.

Politics and government
Accepting Prime Minister Djuanda's resignation, Indonesian President Ahmed Sukarno announced that he would become both chief of state and head of government under the revived 1945 constitution.

Labour
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported in its 1958 production yearbook that the percentage of people engaged in farm work had declined between 1942 and 1957.

50 years ago
1969

War
Fighting in Vietnam increased sharply, although confined to short engagements, leading to speculation about whether the current lull in North Vietnamese and Viet Cong activity was over.

Abominations
The Washington Square United Methodist Church in New York City became the first predominantly white religious organization to give money to the National Black Economic Development Conference when they handed the group’s chief spokesman, James Foreman, a cheque for $15,000. Mr. Foreman had demanded that American white religious institutions pay $500 million in "reparations" for past injustices to Negroes. Of course, 50 years later such demands are referred to using such terms as "a process of reconciliation" instead of by the more accurate term "extortion."

Football
CFL
Pre-season
British Columbia (0-1) 10 @ Calgary (1-0) 23

40 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Hallelujah--Milk & Honey (10th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Pop Muzik--M (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Born to Be Alive--Patrick Hernandez (15th week at #1)

Died on this date
Van McCoy, 39. U.S. musician. Mr. McCoy was a pianist and singer who had a successful career as a songwriter, arranger, and producer. He was best known for the instrumental single The Hustle, a major hit single in 1975, credited to Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony. Mr. McCoy died of a heart attack.

Diplomacy
Egypt and Israel agreed to a plan by United States Middle East envoy Robert Strauss to form "working groups" to hammer out issues in stalemated talks on Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza.

Energy
U.S. President Jimmy Carter called top aides and energy advisors to a "weekend summit" at Camp David, two days after postponing a major address on his administration’s energy policy.

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): Minä olen muistanut--Kim Lönnholm (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): And a Bang on the Ear--The Waterboys

Died on this date
János Kádár, 77. Hungarian politician. Mr. Kádár was General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers (Communist) Party from 1956-1988, in effect leader of that country's Communist dictatorship. He took office in the wake of the U.S.S.R.'s suppression of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, governing until old age an economic difficulties led to his resignation.

War
A group of nine Indian tribes across Canada signed a mutual defence treaty to go to one another's aid in confrontations with authorities.

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev was in Strasbourg, France to address the Council of Europe, a parliament representing Western European nations. In an apparent assurance that the U.S.S.R. would not intervene in the liberalization movements underway in Poland and Hungary, he said, "Any interference in domestic affairs and any attempt to restrict the sovereignty of states...are inadmissible." Mr. Gorbachev renewed a call for negotiations on reducing or eliminating short-range nuclear missiles in Europe, but U.S. President George Bush replied that a reduction in conventional arms had to come first.

Terrorism
14 bus passengers were killed when an Arab assaulted the driver as the bus was driving by the edge of a cliff west of Jerusalem.

Business
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney sold its remaining 53% interest in Air Canada, completing privatization of the airline.

25 years ago
1994

Diplomacy
Palestinian National Authority leader Yasser Arafat began two days of talks in Paris with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres on the subject of more Palestinian self-government.

U.S. President Bill Clinton began a tour of Europe with a visit to Latvia, becoming the first American President to visit the country.

Disasters
14 firefighters who were fighting forest fires near Glenwood Springs, Colorado died when a gust of wind caused them to be surrounded by fire.

Track and field
Leroy Burrell of the United States broke Carl Lewis's 100-metre world record of 9.86 seconds by running the distance in a time of 9.85 seconds in an annual meet in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Football
CFL
Shreveport (0-1) 10 @ Ottawa (1-0) 40

Jock Climie caught 3 touchdown passes from Danny Barrett and amassed 153 yards receiving, while Michael Richardson rushed 23 times for 155 yards as the Rough Riders routed the Pirates before 18,134 fans at Frank Clair Stadium. Shreveport head coach Forrest Gregg, coaching his first regular season CFL game since leaving the Toronto Argonauts after the 1979 season, kept quarterback Terrence Jones in for the entire game despite completing just 1 of 20 passes, which might be the worst such performance in CFL history. It was the first regular season game for the Pirates, a first-year expansion team.



20 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Joaquín Rodrigo, 97. Spanish composer. Mr. Rodrigo, who went blind at the age of 3 and wrote his compositions in Braille, was a pianist who was known for his compositions for guitar. His best-known work is Concierto de Aranjuez (1940).

Barry Winchell, 21. U.S. soldier. Private First Class Winchell was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and was dating a transfreak. PFC Winchell died a day after being clubbed with a baseball bat by fellow soldier Calvin Glover, which led to a review of the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuality. Mr. Glover was sentenced to life in prison.

War
Russian troops entered the Yugoslavian province of Kosovo, as per Russia’s agreement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Politics and government
Ehud Barak was sworn in as Prime Minister of Israel. His government, embracing seven parties from the political centre and left, had control of 75 of the 120 seats in the Knesset. Mr. Barak pledged to act boldly to achieve a final settlement with the Palestinians (but without giving up any of Jerusalem), and he said he would also seek peace with Syria. Mr. Barak decided to serve as his own defense minister; as foreign minister he named David Levy, who had held the position for a time under the previous Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

10 years ago
2009

Died on this date
Robert McNamara, 93. U.S. businessman and politician. Mr. McNamara was an employee and then an executive with Ford Motor Company from 1946-1961, becoming the first person outside the Ford family to become the company's president in 1960. He then served as United States Secretary of Defense under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson from 1961-1968, and remains the longest-serving Defense Secretary in American history. Mr. McNamara oversaw the escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War, and became a target of increasing anti-war protest. Disagreements with President Johnson over the course of the war led to Mr. McNamara's resignation in 1968. He then served as President of the World Bank from 1968-1981.

Politics and government
Jadranka Kosor became the first female Prime Minister of Croatia.