September 28, 2019

240 years ago
1779

Politics and government
Samuel Huntington was elected President of the U.S. Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.

175 years ago
1844

Born on this date
Robert Stout. Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1884-1887; Chief Justice of the N.Z. Supreme Court, 1899-1926. Sir Robert represented several different ridings in the N.Z. Parliament from 1875-1898, with a couple of breaks from politics to concentrate on his law practice. As an independent Prime Minister, he achieved civil service and educational reforms, but lost his seat and his government in the 1887 election. Sir Robert returned to Parliament in 1893 as a member of the Liberal Party, but became an independent politician again in 1896. He retired from politics in 1898 and was appointed Chief Justice the following year, advocating a policy of rehabilitation of criminals, rather than the policies of punishment favoured by his predecessors. Sir Robert died on July 19, 1930 at the age of 85 after an illness of about a year.

Europeana
Oscar I was crowned King of Sweden.

130 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Jack Fournier. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Fournier was a first baseman with the Chicago White Sox (1912-1917); New York Yankees (1918); St. Louis Cardinals (1920-1922); Brooklyn Robins (1923-1926); and Boston Braves (1927), batting .313 with 136 home runs and 859 runs batted in in 1,530 games. He led the National League in home runs in 1924 with 27. Mr. Fournier died on September 5, 1973 at the age of 83.

Law
The first General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) defines the length of a metre as the distance between two lines on a standard bar of an alloy of platinum with ten percent iridium, measured at the melting point of ice.

120 years ago
1899

Died on this date
Giovanni Segantini, 41. Italian artist. Mr. Segantini was known for his pastoral landscape paintings of the Alps. He spent his later years in Switzerland, where the high altitude negatively affected his health. Mr. Segantini died of peritonitis.

110 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Al Capp. U.S. cartoonist. Mr. Capp, born Alfred Caplin, created the comic strip L'il Abner in 1934, writing and drawing it until his retirement in 1977. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats (1937-1945) and Long Sam (1954). Mr. Capp was awarded the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award as Cartoonist of the Year in 1947, and their Elzie Segar Award posthumously in 1979. He was a longtime heavy smoker who died of emphysema on November 5, 1979 at the age of 70.

100 years ago
1919

Born on this date
Doris Singleton. U.S. actress. Miss Singleton appeared in numerous radio and television programs, and was best known for playing recurring supporting roles in the television comedy series The Great Gildersleeve (1954-1957) and I Love Lucy (1953-1957). She died of cancer on June 26, 2012 at the age of 92.

Protest
A two-day race riot began in Omaha, Nebraska.

Football
Wisconsin professional
New London 0 @ Green Bay Packers (3-0) 54

Baseball
The New York Giants swept 2 games from the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 and 7-1 at the Polo Grounds in New York. Jesse Barnes threw just 64 pitches in the first game, which was over in a major league record time of 51 minutes before 14,000 fans. Mr. Barnes improved his 1919 record to 25-9, while losing pitcher Lee Meadows fell to 12-20. Bill Hubbell (1-1) pitched an 8-hitter for his first major league win in the second game, winning over George Smith (5-13) before 20,000 fans. New York first baseman Hal Chase was nowhere to be seen; Giants’ manager John McGraw said that Mr. Chase had headed for California.

90 years ago
1929

At the movies
His Glorious Night, directed by Lionel Barrymore, and starring John Gilbert and Catherine Dale Owen, opened in theatres.

Her Private Affair, directed by Paul L. Stein, and starring Ann Harding, Harry Bannister, and John Loder, opened in theates.



Football
CRU
ORFU
Camp Borden (0-1) 0 @ Twin Cities (1-0) 7

ARU
Edmonton (0-2) 6 @ University of Alberta (1-0) 13

A. Stewart scored a touchdown in the 1st quarter and Freddie Hess returned an interception 30 yards for a TD in the 4th quarter for the U of A as they beat the Eskimos at Varsity Stadium in Edmonton. The Eskimos' touchdown came on a 65-yard pass from quarterback Joe Cook to U of A alumnus Pal Power in the 2nd quarter; it was the first touchdown on a forward pass in Canadian football history.

NFL
Dayton (0-2) 7 @ Frankford (1-0) 14

80 years ago
1939

Diplomacy
A German-Soviet agreement divided Poland between Nazi Germany and the U.S.S.R. as the siege of Warsaw ended.

Baseball
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 before 17,521 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati to clinch their first National League pennant in 20 years. Paul Derringer picked up his 25th win of the season and singled in the winning run in the 6th inning. Harry Craft added a home run in the 9th for the Reds.

The New York Giants swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 and 8-3 in a game called after 8 innings because of darkness before 3,000 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia as the teams set a record for a doubleheader with 13 double plays.

75 years ago
1944

War
Canadian forces took the citadel at Calais, France. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill told the House of Commons that several months of fighting in 1945 would be needed to defeat the Germans. Soviet units captured more than 50 localities--including Lode--in their drive on the Latvian capital of Riga. Soviet Army troops liberated Klooga concentration camp in Klooga, Estonia. In two days of air attacks, Allied planes reportedly sank or damaged 12 Japanese ships and five barges in the Philippines, Macassar Strait, and the NEI.

Terrorism
The Jewish organization Irgun Zvai Leumi attacked several police stations in various parts of Palestine.

U.S. Communist Political Action Committee President Earl Browder endorsed Franklin D. Roosevelt for a fourth term as President of the United States because he claimed that Republican Party candidate Thomas Dewey would permit Europe to plunge itself into civil war after the defeat of the Axis.

Labour
The United States Labor Department reported a total of 485 strikes in August, the highest in five years for any one month.

70 years ago
1949

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Ben Wright and Eric Snowden, on ABC

Died on this date
Chrysanthus, 67 or 68. Archbishop of Athens, 1938-1941. Chrysanthus, born Charilaos Filippidis, was Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Athens from 1938 until he resigned after refusing to swear in the collaborationist government of Prime Minister Georgios Tsolakoglou, following the German occupation of Greece.

James O'Connor, 62. U.S. bureaucrat and judge. Mr. O'Connor was a member of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal "brain trust" in the 1930s, serving as Comptroller of the Currency (1933-1938). He was a Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California from 1940 until his death.

Defense
The U.S. Joint Congressional Atomic Energy Committee began talks with the Atomic Energy Commission and Joint Chiefs of Staff to determine means of increasing nuclear weapons production.

Politics and government
Communists took control of Sinkiang Province in western China.

The Western Allies broke off talks with the U.S.S.R. on unifying the administration of Berlin, accusing Soviet authorities of ignoring an earlier promise to pay part of the wages of West Berlin railway workers in Western currency.

Economics and finance
The U.K. and Czechoslovakia signed a five-year trade agreement.

Labour
United Steel Workers of America President Philip Murray rejected the final offer of U.S. Steel in contract negotiations: a 10c wage increase with no action on union demands for a company-financed workers' pension fund.

Baseball
The New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Athletics 7-5 before 9,398 fans at Yankee Stadium to move into a tie for first place in the American League with the Boston Red Sox, with 3 games remaining for each team. Bobby Brown and Jim Delsing hit home runs to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead, but the Athletics came back to take a 5-4 lead in the 7th inning. The Yankees scored 3 in the bottom of the 7th, and Allie Reynolds held on for the win over Alex Kellner.

The Washington Nationals scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 before 17,000 fans at Griffith Stadium in Washington to drop the Red Sox into a tie for first place in the AL. The winning run scored on a wild pitch by Mel Parnell, Boston’s ace starter, who had entered the game in relief. Ray Scarborough pitched a 4-hit complete game victory to improve his 1949 record to 13-11, while Chuck Stobbs allowed 7 hits and 2 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings, and was charged with the loss, falling to 11-6.

60 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): You are My Destiny--Paul Anka

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Sleep Walk--Santo & Johnny (2nd week at #1)
2 Mack the Knife--Bobby Darin
3 The Three Bells--The Browns
4 ('Til) I Kissed You--The Everly Brothers
5 I'm Gonna Get Married--Lloyd Price
6 Sea of Love--Phil Phillips with the Twilights
7 Put Your Head on My Shoulder--Paul Anka
8 Red River Rock--Johnny and the Hurricanes
9 Teen Beat--Sandy Nelson
10 Broken-Hearted Melody--Sarah Vaughan

Singles entering the chart were Darling, I Love You by Al Martino (#70); Danny Boy by Conway Twitty (#75); I'll Be Seeing You by Tommy Sands (#78); Living Doll by Cliff Richard and the Drifters (#80); It Happened Today by the Skyliners (#83); Boo Boo Stick Beat by Chet Atkins (#86); Torquay by the Fireballs (#87); First Love, First Tears by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#96); and The Enchanted Sea by the Islanders (#97).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Mack the Knife--Bobby Darin
2 Caribbean--Mitchell Torok
3 ('Til) I Kissed You--The Everly Brothers
4 Broken-Hearted Melody--Sarah Vaughan
5 The Three Bells--The Browns
6 Morgen--Ivo Robic and the Song-Masters
7 I'm Gonna Get Married--Lloyd Price
8 Sleep Walk--Santo & Johnny
9 The Battle of Kookamonga--Homer and Jethro
10 Primrose Lane--Jerry Wallace with the Jewels

Singles entering the chart were Say Man by Bo Diddley (#35); You Better Know It by Jackie Wilson (#38); Ski King by E.C. Beatty (#42); A Lover's Prayer/Every Little Thing by Dion and the Belmonts (#46); Some Kind-a Earthquake by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#50); The Enchanted Sea, with versions by Martin Denny; and the Islanders (#52); Boo Boo Stick Beat by Chet Atkins (#53); I'll Be Seeing You by the Poni-Tails (#56, charting with the version by Tommy Sands); and Poco-Loco by Gene and Eunice (#60). Some Kind-a Earthquake was the other side of First Love, First Tears.

Died on this date
Rudolf Caracciola, 58. German auto racing driver. Mr. Caracciola was one of the greatest drivers in Europe before World War II, winning the European Drivers' Championship in 1935, 1937, and 1938. He died of liver failure.

Vinnie Richards, 56. U.S. tennis player. Mr. Richards, a contemporary of Bill Tilden, was one of the top players of the 1920s. He was ranked as the number two player in the world as an amateur in 1924 and as a professional in 1930. Mr. Richards won nine Grand Slam doubles titles from 1918-1926, and won the U.S. professional men's singles title four times from 1927-1933. He died of a heart attack.

War
The South East Asia Treaty Organization, meeting in Washington, agreed to defer any aid to Laos until the Security Council Subcommittee on Laos had reported on charges of North Vietnamese intervention.

Medicine
Dr. James Grace of Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, New York reported on experiments indicating that cancer may be caused by a virus in affected cells.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (6-4) 10 @ Winnipeg (8-3) 13
Calgary (5-6) 18 @ Saskatchewan (0-9) 15

Jim Van Pelt's 13-yard field goal with 1:12 remaining in the game gave the Blue Bombers their win over the Eskimos at Winnipeg Stadium.

Baseball
Bob Scheffing resigned after 3 seasons as manager of the Chicago Cubs, where he compiled a record of 208-254-3, .450. He was replaced by Charlie Grimm, who had previously managed the Cubs from 1932-1938 and 1944-1949.

In the first game of a best-of-three playoff for the National League pennant, Larry Sherry pitched 7 2/3 innings of scoreless relief as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Milwaukee Braves 3-2 in a cold drizzle before 18,297 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee.



Junior World Series
Havana Sugar Kings (IL) 5 @ Minneapolis Millers (AA) 6 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Ed Sadowski's solo home run in the bottom of the 9th inning gave the Millers the win over the Sugar Kings at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Roy Smalley, Lu Clinton, and Red Robbins also homered for Minneapolis.

50 years ago
1969

Died on this date
Norm McMillan, 73. U.S. baseball player. Mr. McMillan was a utility infielder with the New York Yankees (1922); Boston Red Sox (1923); St. Louis Browns (1924); and Chicago Cubs (1928-1929), batting .260 with 6 home runs and 147 runs batted in in 413 games. He batted .305 in 1,003 games in 9 seasons in the minor leagues from 1919-1932.

Politics and government
In a close West German Bundestag election, the incumbent Christian Democratic Union, led by Chancellor Kurt Kiesinger, won 250 seats and 46.1% of the vote, while the Social Democrats, led by Willy Brandt, won 237 seats with 42.7% of the vote. Since neither of the two major parties, which had joined in a Grand Coalition for 33 months, won an outright majority in the 496-seat lower house, it was up to Chancellor Kiesinger and Foreign Minister Brandt to woo the smaller parties in an attempt to form a government. The Free Democratic Party, led by Walter Scheel, was third with 50 seats.

Alexander Dubcek, the former Czechoslovakian Communist party leader who inspired the "Prague Spring" liberalization in 1968 only to have it crushed by the invasion of Soviet tanks in the fall, took another step down when he was excluded from the ruling presidium of the party’s central committee. He was also removed as chairman of the Federal Assembly, although he kept his Central Committee seat. 29 other liberals were removed from the Central Committee.

Swedish Prime Minister Tage Erlander, who had held office for 23 years--longer that any other democratic political leader in the world--announced his retirement as party leader at the congress of the Swedish Social Democratic Party.

Football
CFL
Toronto (6-3) 36 @ Montreal (1-7-1) 33
Winnipeg (3-7-1) 8 @ Saskatchewan (8-3) 34

Toronto head coach Leo Cahill referred to this game before 14,057 fans at Autostade as the dirtiest game he ever saw. Montreal quarterback Sonny Wade stomped on the back of Argonaut defensive back Jim Tomlin, and hurled a racial slur at Argonaut defensive end Ed Harrington. Mr. Wade apologized to Mr. Tomlin, but not to Mr. Harrington. Frank Cosentino went the distance at quarterback for Toronto, completing 11 of 22 passses for 229 yards and touchdown passes to Jim Thorpe, Dave Raimey, and Mel Profit. Mr. Raimey also added 2 rushing touchdowns. Bill Symons led Toronto rushers with 13 carries for 89 yards. Dick Smith, playing his second game in the CFL, produced 319 yards from scrimmage for the Alouettes. He rushed 12 times for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns--including a touchdown run of 87 yards, the CFL's longest rushing play of the season--and caught 8 passes for 174 yards. Other Montreal touchdowns were scored by Pierre Dumont on a 27-yard interception return, and Mr. Wade, who completed 19 of 34 passes for 290 yards, but threw 4 interceptions.

George Reed rushed 18 times for 108 yards and Ron Lancaster threw 2 touchdown passes to Hugh Campbell to lead the Roughriders to their win over the Blue Bombers at Taylor Field in Regina. Bob Houmard scored the Winnipeg touchdown.

NFL
Washington (1-1) 23 @ Cleveland (2-0) 27
Pittsburgh (1-1) 27 @ Philadelphia (1-1) 41
New York Giants (1-1) 0 @ Detroit (1-1) 24
Baltimore (0-2) 14 @ Minnesota (1-1) 52
Atlanta (1-1) 7 @ Los Angeles (2-0) 17
Chicago (0-2) 17 @ St. Louis (1-1) 20
San Francisco (0-2) 7 @ Green Bay (2-0) 14
Dallas (2-0) 21 @ New Orleans (0-2) 17

Joe Kapp passed for 449 yards and tied the National Football League single-game record with 7 touchdown passes to lead the Vikings to victory over the Colts at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Gene Washington led the Vikings with 172 yards receiving.

AFL
Denver (2-1) 28 @ Buffalo (1-2) 41
New York (1-2) 27 @ San Diego (1-2) 34
Oakland (3-0) 38 @ Boston (0-3) 23
Kansas City (2-1) 19 @ Cincinnati (3-0) 24
Miami (0-3) 10 @ Houston (2-1) 22

Baseball
23,754 fans showed up at Jarry Park in Montreal to bid farewell to the Montreal Expos' initial season. Bob Gibson scattered 9 hits to improve his 1969 record to 19-13 as the St. Louis Cardinals scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th inning and defeated the Expos 2-0. Mr. Gibson also went 2 for 4 at bat; his first hit was a double, and his single enabled him to come around with the eventual winning run when Byron Browne tripled and scored on a single by Joe Torre. Bill Stoneman went 8 2/3 in taking the loss, dropping to 11-19. Jim Fairey led Montreal batters, going 3 for 4.

Bill Hands (20-14) pitched a 6-hitter and Billy Williams hit a 3-run home run in the 6th inning for the Chicago Cubs as they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 before 24,435 fans at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

Gary Gentry (13-12), Nolan Ryan, and Ron Taylor combined for a 4-hitter for the New York Mets as they shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 before 6,875 fans at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. The Mets scored their runs in the 2nd inning, with Mr. Gentry driving in the second run with a sacrifice fly. Philadelphia pitchers Jerry Johnson (6-13) and Lowell Palmer allowed just 3 hits.

The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Houston Astros 4-1 before 28,018 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati as relief pitcher Wayne Granger set a record with his 89th appearance of the season, pitching a scoreless 9th inning to get his 27th save of the season. Gerry Arrigo (4-7) allowed 2 hits and 1 earned run in 5 1/3 innings to get the win.

The New York Yankees scored 2 runs with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 before 10,097 fans at Yankee Stadium. Frank Fernandez scored the winning run when Baltimore third baseman Brooks Robinson made an error on a ground ball by pinch hitter Thurman Munson. Mel Stottlemyre (20-14) pitched an 11-hit complete game victory.

Del Unser hit a solo home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Washington Senators a 7-6 win over the Cleveland Indians before 8,878 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. Pinch hitter Cap Peterson drove in the last Cleveland run with a sacrifice fly in the 7th inning in the 536th and last game of his 8-year major league career.

40 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Bobby Brown--Frank Zappa (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): El Lute--Boney M. (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Je l'aime à mourir--Francis Cabrel (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
John Chapman, 58. Canadian space scientist. Dr. Chapman, a native of London, Ontario, worked with the government of Canada's Defence Research Board and then with the Defense Research Telecommunications Establishment at Shirley's Bay, Ontario, where the projects he worked on included Alouette, Canada's first satellite. He compiled The Chapman Report, which influenced the direction of the Canadian Space Agency. Dr. Chapman died a month after his 58th birthday.

World events
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro accused U.S. President Jimmy Carter of creating an "artificial" crisis over the presence of a brigade of Soviet troops in Cuba, which Mr. Castro insisted were advisers at a "training centre" that had been in Cuba for 17 years.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Jimmy Carter met with Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo in Washington to discuss issues affecting future U.S.-Mexican relations, including illegal aliens and Mexico’s new oil reserves.

Politics and government
The United States Senate voted 59-9 to reject the budget approved by the House of Representatives, objecting to restrictive language on abortion funding and a 5.5% pay increase for Congress and senior federal officials.

Labour
George Meany, 85, announced that he would step down in November as president of the AFL-CIO. Lane Kirkland, a long-time aide to Mr. Meany, was expected to succeed him.

Football
CIAU
Western Ontario (2-1) 38 @ Toronto (3-1) 27

Baseball
Frank Pastore pitched a 4-hitter to improve his 1979 record to 6-7 as the Cincinnati Reds shut out the Atlanta Braves 3-0 before 33,142 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati to clinch the National League West Division pennant. Atlanta starter Eddie Solomon allowed 7 hits and 2 runs--both earned--in falling to 7-14.

With 2 out and nobody on base in the top of the 11th inning, Greg Gross reached first base on an error by third baseman Larry Parrish and continued to third on an error by left fielder Warren Cromartie, scoring on a single by Keith Moreland to break a 2-2 tie as the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Montreal Expos 3-2 before 40,303 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Jim Bibby (12-4) pitched a 4-hitter and Dave Parker batted 2 for 4 with a home run and 3 runs batted in to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 6-1 before 14,778 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, moving 2 games ahead of the Expos in the National League East Division pennant race. The Pirates had 2 games remaining, the Expos 4.

Doug Flynn batted 3 for 4 with 3 runs batted in to help the New York Mets defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in the first game of a doubleheader before 9,245 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Pinch hitter Gil Flores tripled with 2 out in the top of the 11th inning and scored on an error by Keith Hernandez to break a 6-6 tie as the Mets won 7-6 to complete the sweep. St. Louis shortstop Garry Templeton had a hit in the first game and 2 in the second game, becoming the first player in major league history to have 100 hits from each side of the plate in a single season.

Steve Garvey's grand slam with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th inning climaxed a 5-run rally after the Houston Astros had scored 4 in the top of the 8th, as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Astros 6-5 before 27,719 fans at Dodger Stadium.

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): Ehtaa tavaraa (80-luvun tykki)--Bat & Ryyd (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Ride on Time--Martha Wash

Died on this date
Ferdinand Marcos, 72. President of the Philippines, 1965-1986. Mr. Marcos served in the Philippines’ House of Representatives from 1949-1959, and in the Senate from 1959-1965. He switched from the Liberal to the Nationalist party in 1965, and was elected president. He was re-elected in 1969 after initiating military strikes against Communist insurgents and Muslim rebels. Mr. Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and assumed virtually dictatorial powers in 1973 with a new constitution. After the assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino in 1983 and a re-election win over Mr. Aquino’s widow Corazon in 1986 that was believed to be the result of fraud, protests drove Mr. Marcos into exile. He died in Honolulu while he and his wife Imelda were facing charges of embezzlement in the United States.

Politics and government
With U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev present in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Communist Party replaced the party boss who had been trying to cope with the rising nationalist sentiment there.

Disasters
The United States Congress approved $1.1 billion in emergency aid for areas affected by Hurricane Hugo, but many complained that the government was slow to respond effectively to the destruction.

25 years ago
1994

On television tonight
Baseball, on PBS
Tonight's episode: Ninth Inning: Home

Died on this date
Harry Saltzman, 78. Canadian-born film producer. Mr. Saltzman, a native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, was best known for his partnership with Albert R. Broccoli, producing the James Bond and Harry Palmer movies from the early 1960s through the mid-'70s. Mr. Saltzman suffered serious financial problems in the 1970s and after; he died of a heart attack while visiting Paris on September 28, 1994, 29 days before his 79th birthday.

K. A. Thangavelu, 77. Indian actor. Mr. Thangavelu was a comic actor who was popular in Tamil films in the 1950s and '60s.

José Francisco Ruiz Massieu, 48. Mexican politician. Mr. Ruiz Massieu a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and brother-in-law of President Carlos Salinas, was Governor of Guerrero from 1987-1993. He became Secretary-General of the PRI on May 13, 1994, and was due to become PRI leader in the Chamber of Deputies when he was assassinated by Daniel Aguilar Treviño, 28, who fatally shot Mr. Ruiz Massieu outside the Hotel Casa Blanca in downtown Mexico City. Two days later, PRI deputy Fernando Rodríguez González was arrested, and confessed that he had hired Mr. Aguilar. Five months later, Mr. Salinas' brother Raúl was arrested as the alleged mastermind of the assassination; he was convicted in 1999, but the conviction was overturned on appeal in 2005.

Diplomacy
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton concluded two days of talks in Washington. They agreed to speed up implementation of the Second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

Politics and government
The Haitian parliament convened, with supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide divided over the issue of granting amnesty to his opponents. 15,679 American military personnel were now deployed in Haiti.

Disasters
852 people--most of them Swedish passengers--were killed when the ferry MS Estonia sank in the Baltic Sea while sailing from Estonia to Sweden.

20 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Escott Reid, 94. Canadian diplomat. Mr. Reid, a native of Campbellford, Ontario, held numerous positions with the Canadian Foreign Service from the 1930s through the 1960s, and helped to shape the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He died in Ottawa.

10 years ago
2009

Died on this date
Guillermo Endara Galimany, 73. 32nd President of Panama, 1989-1994. Mr. Endara was a member of the Panameñista Party, serving two terms in the National Assembly, and serving in the cabinet of the short-lived presidency of Arnulfo Arias in 1968. Mr. Arias was overthrown by a coup in 1968, and Mr. Endara joined his mentor in exile, opposing the dictatorship of Manuel Noriega. Mr. Endara accepted the presidency when American troops overthrew General Noriega in December 1989, and presided as the leading member of a three-man coalition which fell apart a few years later. Mr. Endara oversaw economic and military reforms, but his popularity eventually waned, and he was unsuccessful in later political efforts after leaving the presidency. He died of a heart attack.

Protest
A demonstration held by 50,000 people in Conakry, Guinea was forcefully disrupted by the military junta, resulting in at least 157 deaths and over 1,200 injuries.