October 17, 2019

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Dave Cutler!

170 years ago
1849

Died on this date
Frédéric Chopin, 39. Polish-born French composer. Mr. Chopin moved to France in 1830, and became a French citizen in 1835. He was a child prodigy who began playing piano and composing by the age of 7. He seldom performed after the age of 20, but became known for his orchestral and piano compositions, which remain outstanding examples of Romantic classical music. Mr. Chopin suffered from poor health for much of his life, and died probably of pericarditis aggravated by tuberculosis.

110 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Cozy Cole. U.S. musician. William Randolph Cole was a jazz drummer who worked with various bands and singers from the late 1920s through the 1970s. He was probably best known for his single Topsy I/Topsy II (1958), both sides of which became hits on pop singles charts. Mr. Cole died of cancer on January 9, 1981 at the age of 72.

100 years ago
1919

Born on this date
Don Hanmer. U.S. actor. Mr. Hanmer appeared in numerous films and television programs from 1944-1991. He died on May 24, 2003 at the age of 83.

Zhao Ziyang. 3rd Premier of the People's Republic of China, 1980-1987; General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, 1987-1989. Mr. Zhao succeeded Deng Xiaoping as Premier of the State Council, and was the first to hold the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party. He implemented some free-market economic reforms and fought political corruption, but fell out of favour and was purged when he expressed sympathy with student demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989. Mr. Zhao spent the last 15 years of his life under house arrest, and died on January 17, 2005 at the age of 85.

Violet Milstead Warren. Mrs. Warren, a native of Toronto, was the first Canadian female bush pilot, and one of only four Canadian women to work in the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) during World War II. She married pilot Arnold Warren in 1947, and they remained married until his death in 2000. Mrs. Warren was inducted into the Bush Pilots Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame in 2010. She died on June 27, 2014 at the age of 94.

Business
Radio Corporation of America--RCA--was formed.

90 years ago
1929

Baseball
The New York Yankees hired former pitcher Bob Shawkey as their new manager, replacing the late Miller Huggins.

75 years ago
1944

War
Remaining German forces in the city of Aachen were mopped up by U.S. forces as attacks outside the city ceased. Soviet troops pushed to within 2 miles of the southern Czech border by taking Visau-Bistra in Transylvania. The 3rd U.S. Fleet, in its ninth day of activities in the western Pacific Ocean, sank 7 more Japanese ships and destroyed 19 planes in an attack on Luzon, Philippines.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that the Dumbarton Oaks security proposals could serve to safeguard peace in their time.

Politics and government
The Argentine government banned Nazi and Fascist propaganda in the country.

Economics and finance
The U.S. War Production Board and National Housing Agency announced the removal of certain restrictions on home design and construction that would make possible the building of houses to prewar standards.

Oil
The Iranian government turned down a Soviet request for the immediate granting of a concession for exploitation of oil in northern Iran.

70 years ago
1949

Literature
The novel The Dream Merchants by Harold Robbins was published in New York by Alfred A. Knopf.

War
Chinese Nationalist forces evacuated the port cities of Amoy and Swatow, the last coastal outposts between Korea and Hong Kong.

World events
Australian Communist Party leader Laurence Stanley was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of sedition for stating that Soviet troops would be welcomed in Australia in the event of war.

Politics and government
Jules Moch gave up his mandate to form a new French cabinet after Socialists, Radicals, and Republicans failed to agree on ministerial assignments.

U.S. President Harry Truman vetoed a bill authorizing funds for the Navajo and Hopi Indian tribes after Indian groups criticized the measure for transferring jurisdiction over Indian affairs from federal and tribal to state courts.

Crime
German authorities arrested Ilse Koch upon her release from a U.S. military prison, charging her with ordering the deaths of German citizens imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II.

Communications
The first transcontinental telephone call was made from Oakland, California to New York.

Economics and finance
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent ended all price controls on food.

Colombia and the U.S.A. ended their 14-year-old tariff agreement, following failure to negotiate new terms.

The World Bank granted Yugoslavia a $2.7-million loan for timber development.

Labour
16,000 United Steel Workers of America members struck against the Aluminum Company of America in a dispute over pension and welfare payments. American Federation of Labor President William Green rejected United Mine Workers of America President John L. Lewis's proposal for a pooling of union funds to aid the steel workers' strike.

60 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Three Bells--The Browns (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Forever--Joe Damiano (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Souvenirs--Bill Ramsey (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Travellin' Light--Cliff Richard and the Shadows

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Mack the Knife--Bobby Darin (4th week at #1)
2 Put Your Head on My Shoulder--Paul Anka
3 Mr. Blue--The Fleetwoods
4 Teen Beat--Sandy Nelson
5 ('Til) I Kissed You--The Everly Brothers
6 Don't You Know--Della Reese
7 Red River Rock--Johnny and the Hurricanes
8 Sleep Walk--Santo & Johnny
9 Deck of Cards--Wink Martindale
10 Poison Ivy--The Coasters

Singles entering the chart were Talk to Me by Frank Sinatra (#83); Don't Destroy Me by Crash Craddock (#87); Dance with Me by the Drifters (#88); Igmoo (The Pride of South Central High) by Stonewall Jackson (#93); Tennessee Waltz by Bobby Comstock and the Counts (#95); You Went Back on Your Word by Clyde McPhatter (#96); Running Bear by Johnny Preston (#98); and Pretend by Carl Mann (#100).

Aviation
Test pilot Scott Crossfield took the North American X-15 rocket plane on its second successful powered flight, reaching a record altitude of 61,781 feet above the Mojave Desert in California. Mr. Crossfield had taken the X-15 on its first powered flight exactly a month earlier.

War
Belgian-officered African troops restored order in the Kasai Province area of the Belgian Congo, where 30 Balube tribesmen had been killled and about 1,000 huts burned and destroyed by Lulua tribesmen in the past five days.

Politics and government
Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro abolished the Ministry of National Defense, and appointed his brother Raul as Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Sam Rayburn (Democrat--Texas) announced in Dallas that he was starting a drive to win the 1960 Democratic Party U.S. presidential nomination for Senate Majority Leader and fellow Texan Lyndon Johnson.

Economics and finance
Austrian Chancellor Julius Raab, addressing ceremonies in Vienna marking the start of the World Refugee year, appealed for $6 million to help resettle 15,000 aged and sick refugees remaining in Austrian camps or dependent on Austrian aid.

Football
CFL
IRFU
Hamilton (9-3) 16 @ Ottawa (6-6) 17
Montreal (5-7) 4 @ Toronto (4-8) 3

WIFU
British Columbia (7-7) 6 @ Winnipeg (11-3) 31
Edmonton (8-6) 24 @ Calgary (8-7) 25

ORFU
Kitchener-Waterloo (6-5) 19 @ Sarnia (6-4) 42

Babe Parilli's punt single in the last minute gave the Rough Riders their fourth straight win in front of 16,000 fans at Lansdowne Park. Joe Kelly scored 2 touchdowns for Ottawa, while the Tiger-Cats had touchdowns from Bernie Faloney and Gerry McDougall. Mr. McDougall added a convert and a field goal.

Bill Bewley kicked a field goal in the 4th quarter to go with a single off a missed field goal earlier in the game as the Alouettes ended a 6-game losing streak before 19,041 fans at CNE Stadium. Cookie Gilchrist's field goal in the 1st quarter accounted for the Toronto scoring.

Jim Van Pelt scored a touchdown, 2 converts, and a field goal to lead the Blue Bombers to their win in front of a Winnipeg Stadium crowd of 18,184. Other Winnipeg touchdowns were scored by Leo Lewis, Gord Rowland, and Gerry James. The Lions' points came on a touchdown by Willie Fleming.

Ron Morris sent 17,000 fans home happy from Mewata Stadium when his punt single with 21 seconds left in the game gave the Stampeders a much-needed win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Earl Lunsford scored 3 touchdowns for Calgary, who outscored the Eskimos 9-0 in the 4th quarter. Tommy-Joe Coffey scored his first CFL touchdown for the Eskimos and added a single on a missed field goal. Other Edmonton touchdowns were scored by Johnny Bright and Normie Kwong. Jackie Parker added 2 converts and a field goal.



Chuck Stanley scored 3 touchdowns, J.B. Smith 2, and Archie McAffer another for the Golden Bears. Ed Vernes converted 5 and added a single. Terry Meyer scored 2 touchdowns for the Dutchmen and Pete Watt scored the other, while Mike Norcia added a convert. Mr. Meyer’s touchdowns gave him 14 for the season; it was his fourth multi-touchdown game. The game at Norm Perry Park, which had been postponed from a week earlier, was the last game of the regular season for the Dutchmen.

Canadian university
Alberta (2-2) 50 @ Saskatchewan (0-3) 3

Ernie Takacs scored 2 touchdowns and Ted Frechette, Vic Messier, Ross Christensen, Gary Francis, and Dennis Kadatz each scored a touchdown for the Golden Bears as they routed the Huskies before 1,800 fans at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon. Maury Van Vliet, Jr. added a field goal and 3 converts.

50 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Saint Paul--Shane (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Don't Forget to Remember--The Bee Gees (2nd week at #1)

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Suspicious Minds--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)
2 Make Believe--Wind
3 Which Way You Goin' Billy?--The Poppy Family
4 Tracy--The Cuff Links
5 Something/Come Together--The Beatles
6 Everybody's Talkin'--Nilsson
7 The Colour of My Love--Jefferson
8 Everybody Knows Matilda--Duke Baxter
9 We Gotta All Get Together--Paul Revere and the Raiders
10 Something in the Air--Thunderclap Newman

Singles entering the chart were Reuben James by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (#24); Try a Little Kindness by Glen Campbell (#26); The Rainmaker by Tom Northcott (#28); Ball of Fire by Tommy James and the Shondells (#29); and Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills & Nash (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Suspicious Minds--Elvis Presley
2 Don’t it Make You Want to Go Home--Joe South and the Believers
3 Which Way You Goin’ Billy?--The Poppy Family
4 Reuben James--Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
5 Something/Come Together--The Beatles
6 Sugar, Sugar--The Archies
7 Honky Tonk Women--The Rolling Stones
8 We Gotta All Get Together--Paul Revere and the Raiders
9 This Girl is a Woman Now--Gary Puckett and the Union Gap
10 Little Woman--Bobby Sherman

Space
Soyuz 7, the second of three Soviet space missions launched on consecutive days, returned to Earth, five days after liftoff.

Politics and government
A constitutional amendment that would allow Park Chung Hee to seek a third consecutive term as President of South Korea won a resounding victory. No violent incidents were reported, but the opposition parties charged the government with vote-rigging, and demanded recounts.

Protest
University of Wyoming head football coach Lloyd Eaton announced that all 14 of the Cowboys' Negro players were being expelled from the team for wanting to wear black arm bands in the game against Brigham Young University the next day. The players were protesting the exclusion of Negroes from the priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owned and operated BYU.

Communications
An act creating the Québec Radio and Television Broadcasting Corporation--Radio-Québec--went into effect.

Academia
Dr. Clifton Reginald Wharton, Jr., an economist from New York City, was elected by the Michigan State University board of trustees--after a bitter feud--as the university’s new president, becoming the first Negro to lead a major public and predominantly white university.

Economics and finance
The White House announced that Arthur Burns, a key adviser to U.S. President Richard Nixon, would be appointed chairman of the Federal Reserve Board to replace William McChesney Martin, Jr., whose 14-year term was to expire on January 31, 1970. Mr. Burns was regarded as a firm believer in the vigorous use of fiscal policy to combat inflation.

Boxing
Jose Napoles (62-4) retained his world welterweight title with a 15-round unanimous decision over former champion Emile Griffith (60-11) at the Forum in Inglewood, California.









40 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Message in a Bottle--The Police (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
John Stuart, 81. U.K. actor. Mr. Stuart, born John Croall, was a popular leading man in British silent films in the 1920s, and continued to appear in movies through the 1970s. His films included The Pleasure Garden (1925); Number Seventeen (1932); and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1932).

S. J. Perelman, 75. U.S. humourist. Sidney Joseph Perelman was best known for short stories that appeared in The New Yorker. He wrote several plays, and screenplays for movies such as Monkey Business (1931); Horse Feathers (1932); and Around the World in 80 Days (1956), sharing an Academy Award with John Farrow and James Poe for the latter.

Eugenio Mendoza, 72. Venezuelan industrialist and politician. Mr. Mendoza became wealthy selling construction materials, heavy equipment, and cement in the 1930s and '40s. He was Minister of Industry Promotion in the cabinet of President Isaías Medina Angarita (1941-1945), and served in the cabinet of President Wolfgang Larrazabal (1958).

Diplomacy
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the Albanian Roman Catholic nun who had cared for the poor and sick in India for many years, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee’s announcement said: "This year, the world has turned its attention to the plight of children and refugees, and these are precisely these categories for whom Mother Teresa has for many years worked so selflessly."

Protest
Martial law was imposed in Pusan, South Korea after a student riot had occurred the day before, during anti-government demonstrations. 200 people were arrested in the incident, which was the worst violence in the streets of South Korea since President Park Chung Hee had taken office in a coup d'etat in 1961.

Defense
U.S. District Judge Oliver Gasch ruled that U.S. President Jimmy Carter could not end the Mutual Defense Treaty between the U.S.A. and Taiwan without the consent of Congress. The treaty was to end December 31, when the one-year notice of termination required by the pact and given by Mr. Carter the previous year, expired. Judge Gasch ruled that Mr. Carter had to have approval of 2/3 of the Senate or a majority in both houses to end the 25-year-old defense pact. Government lawyers argued that ending the treaty required no new action from Congress because the Senate, in consenting to ratification of the pact in 1955, had approved the termination provision, which stated: "Either party may terminate it one year after notice has been given to the other party." On June 6 the Senate had adopted a resolution declaring that "approval of the United States Senate is required to terminate any mutual defense treaty between the United States and another nation." Judge Gasch stated: "The important point is that treaty termination generally is a shared power, which cannot be exercised by the President acting alone."

Politics and government
The Department of Education Organization Act created the U.S. Department of Education.

Baseball
World Series
Pittsburgh Pirates 4 @ Baltimore Orioles 1 (Pittsburgh won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Willie Stargell’s 2-run home run in the top of the 6th inning gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead over the Orioles before 53,733 fans at Memorial Stadium, and the Pirates added 2 more runs in the 9th towin the World Series, after trailing 3 games to 1. Baltimore manager Earl Weaver removed starting pitcher Scott McGregor after 8 innings, and then panicked in the 9th inning, using 5 pitchers. Veteran relief pitcher Grant Jackson, who had pitched for the Orioles against the Pirates in the 1971 World Series, was the winning pitcher. Kent Tekulve picked up his third save of the series. Rich Dauer’s 3rd-inning home run off starter Jim Bibby accounted for the Orioles’ scoring.





30 years ago
1989

Politics and government
The East German Politburo voted to remove Erich Honecker from his role as General Secretary.

Disasters
As the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants were preparing to take the field for the third game of the World Series at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the area, 75 miles north of the epicentre, was hit by an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale. Over 60 were killed and 3,000 injured, but the carnage could have been much worse. In addition to the more than 50,000 at Candlestick Park, hundreds of thousands more were watching the World Series on television, reducing the number of people who normally would have been out in traffic at that hour.



Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the U.S. merchandise trade deficit had risen to $10.77 billion in August. The gap, the largest in eight months, was attributed to the stronger U.S. dollar, which had made imports cheaper and exports more expensive.

Baseball
World Series
Oakland Athletics @ San Francisco Giants (postponed, earthquake) (Oakland led best-of-seven series 2-0)



25 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Cotton Eye Joe--Rednex (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Eins, Zwei, Polizei--Mo-Do (4th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 All I Wanna Do--Sheryl Crow (2nd week at #1)
2 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men
3 Jane--Barenaked Ladies
4 Lucky One--Amy Grant
5 Could I Be Your Girl--Jann Arden
6 Circle of Life--Elton John
7 What's the Frequency, Kenneth--R.E.M.
8 Right Beside You--Sophie B. Hawkins
9 Healing Hands--Alan Frew
10 Endless Love--Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey

Singles entering the chart were Gallows Pole by PagePlant (#80); Motherless Child by Eric Clapton (#81); Newborn Friend by Seal (#88); C'est la Vie by Bob Seger (#91); God Shuffled His Feet by Crash Test Dummies (#93); Fireworks by Roxette (#95); Coming Down by the Cult (#96); About a Girl by Nirvana (#97); December 1963 (Oh What a Night) by the Four Seasons (#98); and Lucas with the Lid Off by Lucas (#99). December 1963 (Oh What a Night) was a remix of the original 1976 hit.

Died on this date
Dmitry Kholodov, 27. Russian journalist. Mr. Kholodov, a reporter with the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, was assassinated with a booby-trapped briefcase while investigating corruption in the armed forces.

Diplomacy
A draft treaty between Israel and Jordan was approved in Amman.

Football
NFL
Kansas City (4-2) 31 @ Denver (1-5) 28

Kansas City quarterback Joe Montana marched the Chiefs 75 yards in 81 seconds for the winning points against the Broncos at Mile High Stadium (see video).

20 years ago
1999

Disasters
A cyclone hit the Bay of Bengal in India, causing 56 deaths.

Football
CFL
Montreal (10-5) 29 @ Winnipeg (5-10) 32
Calgary (10-5) 34 @ Saskatchewan (3-12) 31
British Columbia (11-4) 21 @ Edmonton (5-10) 13 (OT)

Deland McCullough’s 1-yard touchdown run on the last play of the game, coming just 59 seconds after Robert Gordon had caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Kerwin Bell, climaxed a tremendous comeback as the Blue Bombers overcame a 26-7 deficit to keep their playoff hopes alive before just 15,602 fans at Winnipeg Stadium. The Alouettes had gained possession of the ball after Mr. Gordon’s touchdown and managed a first down to help kill the clock, but quarterback Anthony Calvillo ran an ill-advised bootleg, and fumbled when he was hit by Winnipeg’s Bennie Goods. Maurice Kelly recovered and returned the ball 18 yards to the 2-yard line. Mr. McCullough took it to the 1 and Mr. Bell was stopped on a sneak before Mr. McCullough made it over on the last play. Mr. Bell completed 26 of 41 passes for 373 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown pass to Chris Armstrong in the second quarter. Matt Dubuc led Winnipeg’s receivers with 6 catches for 133 yards. Tracy Ham started at quarterback for Montreal, completing 17 of 27 passes for 300 yards and a touchdown to Alfonzo Browning. Ben Cahoon of the Alouettes caught 11 passes for 156 yards. Mike Pringle led the Montreal ground game with 25 carries for 119 yards.

Dave Dickenson completed a 25-yard pass to running back Kelvin Anderson for a touchdown with 1:20 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Stampeders their win in front of just 16,448 disappointed fans at Taylor Field in Regina. Mr. Anderson, who carried 15 times for 70 yards and caught 3 passes for 54, had already scored 2 touchdowns rushing. Allen Pitts scored the other Calgary touchdown on an 8-yard pass from Mr. Dickenson in the second quarter. Curtis Mayfield, Ricky Whittle, and Reggie Slack scored touchdowns for the Roughriders, who led 20-7 in the second quarter. Mr. Whittle carried 11 times for 46 yards in his first CFL game. The loss was the sixth in a row for Saskatchewan.

Jimmy Cunningham returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown 1:18 into the second overtime period to solidify the Lions’ victory before 30,713 frustrated fans at Commonwealth Stadium. Bret Anderson had given B.C. a 1-point lead with a single on the kickoff to start the second period of overtime. The Eskimos led 13-3 in the fourth quarter when B.C. quarterback Damon Allen hit Rod Harris with a 71-yard touchdown pass. Lui Passaglia converted and connected on a 32-yard field goal with 3:20 remaining in regulation time to tie the score. The real story of the game was penalties: each team took 16, with the Eskimos amassing 176 yards and the Lions 132. Edmonton’s Henry Williams had 2 touchdowns on punt returns called back, at least one on a ridiculous call on a block that had no effect on the play. This was one of the two worst-officiated games this blogger has ever been to. The officials took the game away from the players early on, and ruined what might have been a good game. Robert Drummond rushed 20 times for 134 yards for B.C., while the Edmonton attack was led by Troy Mills, who carried 21 times for 127 yards.

Baseball
American League Championship Series
New York 9 @ Boston 2 (New York led best-of-seven series 3-1)

The Yankees broke open a close game with 6 runs in the top of the 9th inning to defeat the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Winning pitcher Andy Pettitte had home run support from Darryl Strawberry and Ricky Ledee.



National League Championship Series
Atlanta 3 @ New York 4 (Atlanta led best-of-seven series 3-2)

The Mets scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning, and were then held scoreless until they scored 2 in the bottom of the 15th to offset 1 run scored in the top of the inning as they defeated the Braves at Shea Stadium in New York, staving off elimination for the second straight day. Robin Ventura hit a grand slam to end the game, but he was mobbed by his teammates before he could get to second base, and was credited with only a single. The Braves left 19 men on base.



10 years ago
2009

Died on this date
Vic Mizzy, 93. U.S. composer. Mr. Mizzy wrote popular songs in the 1930s and '40s and film scores in the 1960s, but was best known for writing theme songs for television comedy series such as The Addams Family (1964-1966) and Green Acres (1965-1971).

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (8-6-1) 44 @ Calgary (8-6-1) 44



CIS
Saskatchewan (5-1) 31 @ Manitoba (3-3) 11
British Columbia (1-6) 1 @ Simon Fraser (3-4) 30
Regina (3-3) 22 @ Alberta (3-3) 33

Marc Deslauriers' 80-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the game provided the necessary scoring for the Clan as they routed the Thunderbirds before 1,800 fans at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby in the annual Shrum Bowl. Several days later, it was ruled that the Clan had used an ineligible player--quarterback Caleb Clark--in their August 29 win over British Columbia and their September 12 win over Manitoba, and they forfeited those wins, with the games being recorded as 1-0 wins for UBC and U of M, respectively.

Baseball
American League Championship Series
Anaheim 3 @ New York 4 (13 innings) (New York led best-of-seven series 2-0)