September 23, 2019

610 years ago
1409

War
Mongol forces defeated Chinese forces in the Battle of Kherlen in the Mongolian Plateau.

560 years ago
1459

War
House of York forces defeated those of the House of Lancaster in the Battle of Blore Heath.

240 years ago
1779

War
John Paul Jones declared "I have not yet begun to fight!" aboard the American warship Bonhomme Richard in the battle against the British man-of-war Serapis.

230 years ago
1789

Died on this date
John Rogers, 65 or 66. U.S. politician. Mr. Rogers was a delegate for Maryland to the Continental Congress in 1775 and 1776, but didn't sign the Declaration of Independence because of illness, and was the only delegate to vote for the Declaration without signing it. He was Chancellor of Maryland from 1778 until his death.

200 years ago
1819

Born on this date
Hippolyte Fizeau. French physicist. Mr. Fizeau was best known for the 1851 experiment bearing his name in which he measured the speed of light; he was also involved in the discovery of the Doppler effect. Mr. Fizeau died on September 18, 1896, five days before his 77th birthday.

130 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Walter Lippmann. U.S. journalist. Mr. Lippmann was one of the founders of The New Republic magazine in 1913, and won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1958 for his syndicated newspaper column, Today and Tomorrow. His books included Public Opinion (1922); The Phantom Public (1925); and The Public Philosophy (1955). Mr. Lippmann died on December 14, 1974 at the age of 85.

Died on this date
Wilkie Collins, 65. U.K. author. Mr. Collins was best known for his novels The Woman in White (1859) and The Moonstone (1868), the latter of which has been described as England's first detective novel. Afflicted with gout, he took opium for the pain and became addicted, which affected the quality of his later work. Mr. Collins died after a paralytic stroke.

Business
Nintendo Koppai (later Nintendo Company, Limited) was founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce and market the playing card game Hanafuda.

120 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Tom Clark. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1949-1967. Mr. Clark, a Democrat, was a close friend of President Harry Truman, and served as Attorney General in his cabinet from 1945-1949, and was a strong supporter of Mr. Truman's civil rights program. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Truman, and supported the majority in opposition to racial segregation, while supporting the rights of defendants in criminal cases. Justice Clark retired in order to avoid a possible conflict of interest when his son Ramsey was appointed as Attorney General by President Lyndon Johnson. Mr. Clark died in his sleep in his son's apartment on June 13, 1977 at the age of 77.

War
The American Asiatic Squadron destroyed a Filipino battery at the Battle of Olongapo.

110 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Lorenc Antoni. Macedonian-born -Albanian composer and musicologist. Mr. Antoni composed about 200 works--mainly vocal works--and wrote a seven-volume work on Albanian folk music. He died on October 21, 1991 at the age of 82.

Literature
The novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra (The Phantom of the Opera) by Gaston Leroux began running as a serial in the newspaper Le Gaulois.

90 years ago
1929

Died on this date
Richard Adolf Zsigmondy, 64. Austro-Hungarian born German chemist. Dr. Zsigmondy was awarded the 1925 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his demonstration of the heterogeneous nature of colloid solutions and for the methods he used."

80 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Sigmund Freud, 83. Austrian physician and psychoanalyst. Dr. Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, is one of those mentioned in Dave Breese’s book 7 Men Who Rule the World from the Grave. He should have been put face-down in his grave so he could see where he was going.

Francisco León de la Barra y Quijano, 76. 32nd President of Mexico, 1911. Mr. León de la Barra was a career diplomat, serving as Mexico's Ambassador to various countries, including the United States (1909-1911). He was credited in Mexico with convincing U.S. President William Howard Taft that the Mexican revolt against President Porfirio Díaz in 1911 did not justify American intervention. Mr. León de la Barra represented Mexico at The Hague Convention in 1907, and served as Foreign Secretary under President Díaz from March-May 1911. When Mr. Díaz was forced to resign on May 25, 1911, Mr. León de la Barra took office as interim President until elections could be held, and he relinquished the presidency on November 6, 1911, following the election of Francisco I. Madero. Mr. León de la Barra was elected to the Senate in 1912, and colluded with U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Henry Lane Wilson to oust Mr. Madero in 1913. General Victoriano Huerta assumed the presidency, and Mr. León de la Barra again served as Foreign Secretary from 1913-1914. He was elected Governor of the State of Mexico in 1914, but soon resigned to pursue a career in international law in Europe. Mr. León de la Barra served as Mexico's Ambassador to France and as president of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague; he was instrumental in French recognition of Francisco Franco's Nationalists as the government of Spain in 1939, but died in Biarritz shortly thereafter.

Baseball
Cookie Lavagetto batted 6 for 6 with a double, triple, and base on balls in 7 plate appearances as the Brooklyn Dodgers routed the Philadelphia Phillies 22-4 in the first game of a doubleheader before 4,000 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The Dodgers completed the sweep with an 8-0 win in the second game.

75 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Swinging on a Star--Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra and the Williams Brothers Quartet (Best Seller--8th week at #1; Jukebox--6th week at #1)

War
Transport planes and gliders delivered reinforcements to the trapped airborne Allied troops in the Arnhem area of the Netherlands. Soviet troops in Estonia reached the Gulf of Riga at Paernu. Finnish troops attacked German forces in northern Finland after the Nazis failed to withdraw as required by the Moscow Armistice. The Japanese government reported that Prime Minister Joseph Laurel of the Philippines had declared war on the U.S.A. and U.K. as a result of air attacks on the islands.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to local chambers warning against "bringing pressure on the federal government to continue operation of war plants beyond the time needed for the war program."

70 years ago
1949

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Whisper, starring Paul Winchell

Crime
Testimony in the New York trial of 11 accused Communist leaders concluded.

Labour
The Congress of Industrial Organizations United Electrical Workers union ended a five-day convention in Cleveland after re-electing leftist President Albert Fitzgerald. The convention approved a resolution threatening to withdraw from the CIO unless CIO leaders stopped trying to interfere in internal union affairs and cease their harassment of the UEW for its leftist political orientation.

60 years ago
1959

Diplomacy
Italian Foreign Minister Giuseppe Pella asserted that the Tyrol was a domestic Italian problem not subject to United Nations consideration.

Defense
Irish Foreign Minister Frank Aiken presented the United Nations General Assembly with a plan for "area by area" disarmament, in which key world regions would be cleared of nuclear and aggressive weapons and defended by "a standing UN force."

Herbert York, director of research and development for the U.S. Defense Department, announced that the space and missile program was being reorganized, with the chief space role going to the Air Force.

Politics and government
The United Kingdom extended voting rights to all 275,000 inhabitants of The Gambia.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a $1-billion housing bill.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations convention ended in San Francisco after accepting proposals for the creation of an arbitration board to settle union jurisdictional disputes and expulsion of segregated union locals.

Football
CFL
Joe Thomas, who had come to the Toronto Argonauts in 1957 as an assistant coach under Hamp Pool, resigned two days after Mr. Pool was fired. This left Steve Owen, who had replaced Mr. Pool, as the Argonauts' only coach.

Baseball
Roger Craig pitched a 5-hitter for his fourth shutout of the season, improving his 1959 record to 10-5 as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 before 10,715 fans at Busch Stadium in St. Louis to move into a tie for first place in the National League with the Milwaukee Braves.

Bob Skinner singled home Bill Virdon from second base with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th inning to break a 4-4 tie as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Milwaukee Braves 5-4 before 20,502 fans at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

Cal Neeman hit a solo home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 9-8 win over the San Francisco Giants before 4,940 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago, dropping the Giants 2 games behind the Dodgers and the Braves. The teams combined to hit 7 home runs, with Willie Mays hitting a pair for San Francisco.

American Association
Finals
Minneapolis 1 @ Fort Worth 2 (Fort Worth led best-of-seven series 3-2)

50 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Je t'aime...mon non plus--Jane Birkin avec Serge Gainsbourg (4th week at #1)

Labour
Al Salerno and Bill Valentine, fired as American League umpires in 1968, hit baseball with a $4-million antitrust suit.

Football
CFL
The British Columbia Lions, in last place in the Western Football Conference with a record of 1-10, fired head coach Jim Champion and replaced him with assistant coach Jackie Parker. In 3 years as B.C. head coach, Mr. Champion compiled a record of 8-29-2. He had been an assistant coach with the Lions in charge of the "Headhunters" defense that won the 1964 Grey Cup.

The Montreal Alouettes released quarterback Carroll Williams, who was in his third season with the team. He had played almost every down in 1968, but had lost his starting job to Sonny Wade a few games into the 1969 season. In 8 games in 1969 he completed 30 of 53 passes for 480 yards, with 1 interception and 4 touchdowns. His last significant amount of playing time with the Alouettes came on September 6, when he threw 3 touchdown passes in relief of Mr. Wade in a 47-22 loss at Ottawa.

Baseball
The Boston Red Sox fired manager Dick Williams and replaced him with coach Eddie Popowski. The Red Sox were in third place in the American League East Division with a record of 82-71. Mr. Williams led the Red Sox to the American League pennant in 1967, his first year with the team. In 3 seasons with the Red Sox he compiled a record of 260-217, a .545 percentage.

The Montreal Expos scored all their runs in the first 4 innings as they beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3 before 3,047 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Rusty Staub and Ron Fairly hit home runs for the Expos, while Bill Stoneman pitched a 6-hit complete game victory to improve his 1969 record to 11-18, winning over Ken Holtzman, who fell to 17-12.

Ron Swoboda singled with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning, advanced to second base on a single by Jerry Grote, and scored on a single by Bud Harrelson to give the New York Mets a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals before 32,364 fans at Shea Stadium in New York, clinching at least a tie for the National League East Division pennant for the Mets. Tug McGraw (9-3) pitched 4 scoreless innings in relief of Jim McAndrew to get the win over Bob Gibson (18-13), who allowed 10 hits and 3 earned runs in a complete game.

The Cincinnati Reds scored all their runs in the first 4 innings as they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-3 in the first game of a doubleheader before 10,770 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Jim Merritt (17-8) pitched a 7-hit complete game victory and batted 1 for 2 with 2 sacrifices and a run, winning over Claude Osteen (19-15). John Miller came to bat as a pinch hitter for the Dodgers in the 8th inning and hit his second and last major league home run, in what turned out to be his last at bat; his only other major league home run came in his first at bat, with the New York Yankees in 1966. Bob Stinson caught the 8th inning for Los Angeles, making 1 putout in his first major league game. Tommy Helms batted 4 for 4, reaching first base on catcher's interference, with a double, run, and run batted in to help the Reds win 5-2 in the second game to complete the sweep, moving to within 3 games of the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League West Division pennant race. Gerry Arrigo (3-7) allowed 9 hits and 1 run--earned--in 6 1/3 innings to win over Alan Foster (3-9).

The Atlanta Braves scored 4 runs in each of the 6th and 9th innings as they beat the Houston Astros 10-2 before 8,185 fans at the Astrodome, moving ½ game ahead of the San Francisco Giants into first place in the National League West Division. George Stone (13-9) pitched a 7-hit complete game victory.

Ollie Brown singled home Ron Slocum with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the San Diego Padres a 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants before 5,828 fans at San Diego Stadium.

40 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Sad Eyes--Robert John

#1 single in Switzerland: Tu sei l'unica donna per me--Alan Sorrenti (6th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Associates, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The First Day

This was the first episode of the series.



Died on this date
Catherine Lacey, 75. U.K. actress. Miss Lacey appeared--often in minor roles--in plays, films, and television programs in a career spanning almost 50 years. Her movies included The Lady Vanishes (1938) and The Sorcerers (1967).

Diplomacy
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Youping arrived in Moscow for talks aimed at easing Sino-Soviet tensions, the first such meeting since 1969.

Protest
Over 200,000 gathered in New York City to protest the continued use of atomic power, the largest anti-nuclear rally held in the United States to that time.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (0-11) 3 @ Montreal (8-3) 11
Edmonton (9-0-2) 22 @ Hamilton (2-9) 21
Winnipeg (3-8) 23 @ Calgary (7-3) 28

David Green rushed 25 times for 189 yards and scored the game’s only touchdown on a 17-yard run with 1:40 remaining in the third quarter to lead the Alouettes to their win in front of 35,240 at Olympic Stadium.

18,186 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium were irate when back judge Ross Perrier flagged Hamilton quarterback Tom Clements for intentionally grounding the ball in the Tiger-Cats’ end zone with 1:39 remaining in the game. The penalty was a safety touch awarded to the Eskimos, which provided the visitors with the winning margin. The Tiger-Cats shocked the Eskimos by taking a 20-3 lead in the 2nd quarter on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Mr. Clements to Brock Aynsley, a 4-yard touchdown run by Ron Rowland, and 2 converts and 2 field goals by Zenon Andrusyshyn. Dave Cutler’s second field goal of the game reduced the lead to 20-6 at halftime. Warren Moon relieved Tom Wilkinson at quarterback to start the 2nd half for the Eskimos, and hit Waddell Smith with a 77-yard touchdown pass late in the 3rd quarter. Mr. Cutler’s convert made the score 20-13, but Mr. Andrusyshyn punted for a 66-yard single on the last play of the quarter to give the Tiger-Cats an 8-point lead. Jim Germany rushed 17 yards for a touchdown midway through the 4th quarter. Mr. Cutler’s convert cut the Hamilton lead to 21-20. The win set an Eskimo team record for the longest undefeated streak from the start of a season; they won their first 10 games in 1955.



Calgary quarterbacks John Hufnagel and Ken Johnson each threw a touchdown pass, to Tom Forzani and Willie Armstead respectively, and James Sykes rushed for another score, while Willie Burden rushed for a 2-point convert for the Stampeders as they beat the Blue Bombers before 30,125 fans at McMahon Stadium. Billy Troup went the distance at quarterback for Winnipeg, completing 21 of 32 passes for 276 yards, and touchdowns to Rick House and Mike Holmes. Mr. House, whose touchdown was his first in the Canadian Football League, led the Blue Bombers with 5 receptions for 102 yards. The two Washingtons combined for 105 yards rushing for the Blue Bombers: 65 on 13 carries for Jim, and 40 on 8 carries for Larry.

NFL
Atlanta (2-2) 23 @ Detroit (1-3) 24

56,249 fans were in attendance at the Pontiac Silverdome as rookie quarterback Jeff Komlo completed 19 of 35 passes for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Lions. For an interesting article on whatever became of Mr. Komlo, go here.

Baseball
Jim Bibby pitched a 3-hitter to improve his 1979 record to 11-4 and the Pittsburgh Pirates scored a run in the 1st inning and 5 in the 2nd to beat the Chicago Cubs 6-0 before 24,571 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago, remaining ½ game behind the Montreal Expos in the National League East Division pennant race.

Andre Dawson batted 3 for 5 with 2 home runs and Ellis Valentine batted 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and 3 runs to help the Montreal Expos defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 before 26,507 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Bill Lee (16-10) pitched a 9-hit complete game and batted 1 for 4 with a double and a run batted in.

The St. Louis Cardinals scored 3 runs in the top of the 10th inning to break a 4-4 tie as they defeated the New York Mets 7-4 before 27,033 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. St. Louis left fielder Lou Brock batted 1 for 3 with a base on balls and a run; in the 5th inning, he earned his 938th and last major league career stolen base, passing the career total of 19th century star Billy Hamilton.

The New York Yankees scored all their runs in the first 5 innings as they held on to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-5 before 28,137 fans at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Tommy John (20-9) allowed 6 hits and 5 runs--4 earned--in 8 innings to win over Phil Huffman (6-17). Toronto designated hitter Rico Carty batted 1 for 4 with 2 runs batted in in his 800th American League game, and the 1,651st and last game of his 15-year major league career. New York third baseman Roy Staiger was 0 for 3 with a base on balls and a run, making 2 assists in the 152nd and last game of his 4-year major league career.

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Viva la mamma--Edoardo Bennato (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Lambada--Kaoma (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Lambada--Kaoma (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Ride on Time--Black Box (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 French Kiss--Lil Louis (2nd week at #1)
2 Lambada--Kaoma
3 Pump Up the Jam--Technotronic featuring Felly
4 Swing the Mood--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
5 The Mix--Dance Classics
6 The Best--Tina Turner
7 Sowing the Seeds of Love--Tears for Fears
8 Do the Right Thing--Redhead Kingpin and the F.B.I.
9 Crazy About Her--Rod Stewart
10 Mixed Emotions--Rolling Stones

Singles entering the chart were Partyman by Prince (#24); Great Balls of Fire! by Jerry Lee Lewis (#32); Losing My Mind by Liza Minnelli (#33); Look Who's Dancing by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers (#34); If I Could Turn Back Time by Cher (#35); and Be Free with Your Love by Spandau Ballet (#36). Great Balls of Fire! was the title song of the movie, and was a new recording of the song that had originally been a hit for Mr. Lewis in 1957.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli
2 Heaven--Warrant
3 If I Could Turn Back Time--Cher
4 18 and Life--Skid Row
5 Cherish--Madonna
6 Don't Wanna Lose You--Gloria Estefan
7 Shower Me with Your Love--Surface
8 Miss You Much--Janet Jackson
9 Hangin' Tough--New Kids on the Block
10 Cold Hearted--Paula Abdul

Singles entering the chart were Poison by Alice Cooper (#66); Back to Life by Soul II Soul (#70); The Way to Your Heart by Soulsister (#71); Don't Make Me Over by Sybil (#79); We Could Be Together by Debbie Gibson (#80); Sugar Daddy by Thompson Twins (#83); Right Back Where We Started From by Sinitta (#84); No Big Deal by Love and Rockets (#87); Radar Love by White Lion (#88); and Hungry by Winger (#92).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Don't Wanna Lose You--Gloria Estefan (2nd week at #1)
2 Heaven--Warrant
3 Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli
4 If I Could Turn Back Time--Cher
5 Shower Me with Your Love--Surface
6 Cherish--Madonna
7 18 and Life--Skid Row
8 Keep on Movin'--Soul II Soul
9 One--Bee Gees
10 Hangin' Tough--New Kids on the Block

Singles entering the chart were When I See You Smile by Bad English (#57); Sugar Daddy by Thompson Twins (#74); Bust a Move by Young M.C. (#76); The Way to Your Heart by Soulsister (#80); Didn't I (Blow Your Mind) by New Kids on the Block (#82); The Angel Song by Great White (#87); and I Love the Bass by Bardeux (#89).

Football
CFL
Calgary (7-5) 20 @ Toronto (4-8) 13

The Stampeders used a balanced attack--208 yards rushing and 199 passing--to defeat the Argos before 35,776 fans at SkyDome. Toronto managed 225 yards net offense, and turned the ball over 5 times. The only Argo touchdown came on a halfback option pass from Mike Clemons to Eric Hoskins in the 2nd quarter.



CIAU
Alberta (2-2) 29 @ Calgary (3-1) 26
Saskatchewan (3-1) 45 @ British Columbia (2-2) 17

Steve Kasowski’s 28-yard field goal with 1:29 remaining in the fourth quarter was the winning score as the Golden Bears ended the defending Vanier Cup champions’ 12-game winning streak before 8,829 fans at McMahon Stadium. Trailing 26-19, the Golden Bears tied the game when defensive back Trent Brown went in on offense and hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jeff Steinberg at 5:05 of the fourth quarter. Mr. Kasowski kicked the tying convert. J.P. Izquierdo rushed 20 times for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Dinosaurs, who jumped out to an early 15-0 lead, and led 25-12 in the third quarter before backup quarterback Rob Taylor completed a touchdown pass to Steve Camp to bring Alberta within a touchdown. The game was televised on TSN, and analyst Jamie Bone ended up selecting a catch in this game by Alberta’s Darryl Szafranski as the best of the season in the CIAU.

Terry Eisler rushed for 3 touchdowns and Mike Lazecki kicked 21 points to help the Huskies rout the Thunderbirds at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver. Mr. Eisler's 21-yard TD in the 3rd quarter made him the Huskies' career leader in yards rushing. Tom Vlasik caught 6 passes for 124 yards for UBC, including a 63-yard touchdown on the first play of the 2nd half.

25 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Cotton Eye Joe--Rednex (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Saturday Night--Whigfield

Died on this date
Madeleine Renaud, 94. French actress. Miss Renaud appeared in films and television programs, but was best known as a stage actress, often appearing with her second husband, Jean-Louis Barrault.

Jerry Barber, 78. U.S. golfer. Mr. Barber won seven tournaments on the Professional Golfers' Association tour, including the 1961 PGA Championship, when he made up a 4-stroke deficit in the last 3 holes to tie Don January, and then defeated Mr. January in an 18-hole playoff the next day. Mr. Barber was named the PGA Player of the Year for 1961.

Robert Bloch, 77. U.S. author. Mr. Bloch was known for his horror, fantasy, and science fiction short stories and novels. His best-known work was probably the novel Psycho (1959), which was made into a famous movie by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (8-3-1) 18 @ Winnipeg (8-4) 30

The Blue Bombers recovered 4 B.C. fumbles and made 3 interceptions as they beat the Lions before 30,134 fans at Winnipeg Stadium.

20 years ago
1999

At the movies
Bad Money, directed by John Hazlett, and starring Graham Greene, Stephen Spender, and Karen Sillas, received its premiere screening at the Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival in Sudbury, Ontario.

Died on this date
Ivan Goff, 89. Australian-born U.S. screenwriter. Mr. Goff moved to the United States in 1930 and worked as a journalist in Hollywood before beginning his career as a screenwriter. He and partner Ben Roberts collaborated on screenplays from the late 1940s through the early '80s, including White Heat (1949); Man of a Thousand Faces (1957); and Portrait in Black (1960). Messrs. Goff and Roberts wrote numerous television pilots and episodes; they created the series The Rogues (1964-1965); My Friend Tony (1969); and Charlie's Angels (1976-1981). Mr. Goff died of Alzheimer's disease.

Space
NASA reported that it had lost communication with the Mars Climate Orbiter, a spacecraft scheduled to enter Martian orbit that day. The craft had apparently broken up after coming too close to the planet because of a navigational error. Launched in December 1998, the $125-million orbiter was supposed to gather data on the Martian atmosphere for two years. A second spacecraft, the Mars Polar Lander, was scheduled to land in December 1999.

War
Russian planes began bombing an airport, oil refinery, arms depot, radar installation, and other industrial sites in Chechnya.

The International Force for East Timor raided a militia headquarters and arrested 6 militia members. The United Nations High Commission on Human Rights announced that widespread human rights abuses had occurred in East Timor.

Crime
A jury in Bryan, Texas sentenced Lawrence Brewer, a white man, to death for his participation in the murder of James Byrd, Jr., a black man, who had been chained to a pickup truck and dragged to his death in 1998. The jury had convicted Mr. Brewer three days earlier.

Economics and finance
As promised, U.S. President Bill Clinton vetoed the $792-billion tax cut approved by Congress. He argued that a tax cut of that magnitude would prevent a reduction in the national debt and jeopardize the future of Social Security and Medicare.

10 years ago
2009

Died on this date
Ertuğrul Osman, 97. Turkish royal family member. Şehzade (Prince) Osman was the son of Şehzade Mehmed Burhaneddin, titular King of Albania from 1914-1919. Had the Ottoman Empire not been dissolved and replaced by the Republic of Turkey, Şehzade Osman would have become caliph and Grand Sultan Osman V. The monarchy was abolished on November 1, 1922, and the royal family were ordered into exile in 1924. Şehzade Osman spent most of his life in New York City, but was invited back to his homeland by the Turkish government in 1992. He was named Head of the Imperial House of Osman in 1994, and was known as "The Last Ottoman" or "The Last Ottoman Emperor" until his death.

Paul Fay, 91. U.S. businessman and bureaucrat. Mr. Fay ran a construction firm in the San Francisco Bay area. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and became a close friend of John F. Kennedy. Mr. Fay helped Mr. Kennedy in his campaigns, and was rewarded by being named U.S. Undersecretary of the Navy, a post he held from 1961-1965. He was acting Secretary of the Navy in November 1963, but resigned on November 28, six days after President Kennedy's assassination. Mr. Fay died after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.