July 20, 2020

1,950 years ago
70

War
Forces of Titus, son of Roman Emperor Vespasian, stormed the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount. The Roman army was drawn into street fights with the Zealots.

700 years ago
1320

Died on this date
Oshin, 37. King of Armenia, 1307-1320. Oshin, a son of King Leo II, acceded to the throne upon the deaths of his nephew Leo III and brother Hethum at the hands of the Mongol general Bilarghu. King Oshin favoured the union of the Armenian and Roman churches, but popular opposition prevented it from being realized. Oshin was popularly believed to have been poisoned by his cousin (and brother-in-law) Oshin of Corycos, and was succeeded on the throne by his son Leo IV.

210 years ago
1810

South Americana
Santa Fe de Bogota in the Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of New Granada declared independence from Spain and established a Junta de Santa Fe. The event is commemorated today as Colombian Independence Day.

130 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Verna Felton. U.S. actress. Miss Felton was a radio and voice actress who used her husky voice and no-nonsense attitude to play numerous characters in animated films produced by Walt Disney. She also portrayed Pearl Slaghoople in the animated television comedy series The Flintstones (1960-1966). Miss Felton died of a stroke on December 14, 1966 at the age of 76.

Society
The Rochester Broncos beat the Columbus Buckeyes 8-3 in an American Association game at Windsor Beach in Rochester, and both teams were arrested after the game for playing baseball on Sunday.

110 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Vilém Tauský. Czech-born U.K. conductor and composer. Mr. Tauský began his career in his native country, but as a Jew, he fled to France and then to England as the Nazis became a threat, and served with the Free Czech Army during World War II. He was music director of the Carl Rosa Opera Company (1945-1949); Welsh National Opera (1951-1956); and BBC Concert Orchestra (1956-1966), and was director of opera and conducting at Guildhall School of Music and Drama (1966-1992). Mr. Tauský wrote various instrumental, vocal, chamber, and other works in a career spanning eight decades. He died on March 16, 2004 at the age of 93.

Died on this date
Anderson Dawson, 47. Australian politician. Mr. Dawson was a miner before entering state politics in Queensland as a member of the Labour Party. He represented Charters Towers in the Queensland Legislative Assembly (1893-1901), and became party leader in May 1899. Mr. Dawson became Premier of Queensland on December 1, 1899 upon the resignation of James Dickson, but his new government was defeated just six days later, when the Legislative Assembly next met. Mr. Dawson resigned as Leader of the Opposition in Queensland on July 16, 1900--his 37th birthday--and entered federal politics when the federation of Australia took effect in 1901. He represented Queensland in the Australian Senate (1901-1906), and served as Minister of Defence from April-August 1904. Mr. Dawson suffered from health problems stemming from his days as a miner, and drank himself to death, four days after his 47th birthday.

100 years ago
1920

Born on this date
Elliot Richardson. U.S. politician. Mr. Richardson, a Republican, held various state offices in Massachusetts, and four different cabinet posts in the administrations of U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon (1970-1973) and Gerald Ford (1975-1977). He was best known for his time as U.S. Attorney General under President Richard Nixon (May-October 1973), and he resigned rather than carry out Mr. Nixon's order to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox on October 20, 1973, in what became known as the "Saturday Night Massacre." Mr. Richardson served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1975-1976. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage on December 31, 1999 at the age of 79.

Maje McDonnell. U.S. baseball pitcher and coach. Robert McDonnell played basketball and baseball at Villanova University before joining the Philadelphia Phillies as a batting practice pitcher in 1947. He remained with the team as a coach (1948-1957) and scout (1958-1960) before serving in the team's community relations department (1973-2009). Mr. McDonnell died on July 8, 2010, 12 days before his 90th birthday.

Died on this date
Jack O'Neill, 40. Canadian-born U.S. baseball player. Mr. O'Neill, a native of Saint John, New Brunswick, was an outfielder with the Boston Americans (1904); Washington Senators (1904); and Chicago White Sox (1906), batting .243 with 2 home runs and 42 runs batted in in 206 games. He played at least 6 seasons in the minor leagues from 1903-1910, although he may have played in the minors as early as 1899. Mr. O'Neill played 2 games at shortstop with the Americans, and on May 21, 1904, made 6 errors during a 13-inning 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Browns; he remained the only major league player of the 20th century to make 6 errors in a single game. He was with the White Sox when they won the World Series in 1906, and played in the third game of the Series, entering as a pinch runner in the 6th inning and scoring the final run on George Rohe's 3-run triple, remaining in the game in right field and making a putout as the White Sox shut out the Cubs 3-0. Mr. O'Neill played with the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association (1907-1910), and was suspended at last once for indifferent play. He died of tuberculosis.

World events
The Greek Army took control of Silivri after Greece wqs awarded the city by the Paris Peace Conference; by 1923 Greece effectively lost control to the Turks.

Baseball
The Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees split 2 games at the Polo Grounds in New York. The White Sox scored 4 runs with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning in the opener to take a 7-5 lead; the Yankees loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the 9th, but Roger Peckinpaugh flied out to left field, and pinch hitter Sammy Vick grounded into a double play to end the game before 30,000 fans. Babe Ruth hit his 32nd home run of the season for the Yankees. New York scored 2 runs in the 1st inning and 4 in the 4th as they won the second game 6-3 before 34,000 fans.

The Washington Nationals scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the score, but the Detroit Tigers scored a run in the top of the 15th and won 7-6 in the first game of a doubleheader at American League Park in Washington. Howard Ehmke (6-12) pitched a 5-hitter to outduel Jim Shaw (4-9) as the Tigers won 2-1 to complete the sweep. Bill Snyder pitched in relief in both games for Washington, pitching a scoreless inning in each game; they were the 17th and 18th and last games of his 2-year major league career.

The Cleveland Indians scored 2 runs in the top of the 11th inning to break a 7-7 tie and held on to defeat the Boston Red Sox 9-8 at Fenway Park in Boston. Winning pitcher Jim Bagby (19-5) allowed 3 hits and 1 run--earned--in 4 innings of relief.

Ed Konetchy tripled home Zach Wheat and scored on a single by Pete Kilduff as the Brooklyn Robins scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th inning and held on to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 at Redland Field. Ivey Wingo flied into a double play to end the game. Burleigh Grimes (14-5) pitched a 9-hit complete game to outduel Hod Eller (4-5), who also allowed 9 hits.

80 years ago
1940

War
French and Polish troops marched from Syria into Palestine to continue the war against Germany and Italy.

Politics and government
French Prime Minister Marshal Philippe Petain appointed Admiral Jean Decoux as Governor of Indochina.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill extending provisions of the Hatch Act to curb political activity by state and local government employees.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the "Two-Ocean Navy" act, which called for a build-up in naval forces to 35 battleships, 20 carriers, and 88 cruisers.

Medicine
Eli Lilly and Company announced the development of a simple test doctors could administer to patients to determine if an overdose of sulfa drugs had been given.

Transportation
California opened its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.

Business
A New York Times report showed that the top 100 corporations in the United States had increased their profits 60.5% for the first half of 1940 over the same period in 1939.

Horse racing
Sirocco won the $50,570 Arlington Classic in Chicago.

Track and field
A three-day meet opened in Helsinki to honour athletes killed in the Winter War against the U.S.S.R.

75 years ago
1945

Diplomacy
At the Potsdam Conference in Germany, U.S. President Harry Truman said that the United States sought no monetary or territorial gains from World War II.

The World Jewish Congress, meeting in London, appealed to the U.S.A., U.S.S.R., and U.K. to remedy treatment of Jewish displaced persons in Europe.

Society
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King sent out the first Family Allowance payments to Canadian families; critics called it a waste of money, saying it would encourage poor families to have more children.

Science
American Cyanamid Company announced its discovery of the synthesis of a new vitamin, folic acid, in the Vitamin B class.

Protest
Leaflets were distributed in Buenos Aires attacking U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Spruille Braden.

Economics and finance
The U.S. House of Representatives approved changes in the Bretton Woods legislation, and the bill was sent to President Harry Truman in Germany for his signature. The Senate approved the House version of a bill to increase the lending power of the Export-Import Bank by $2.8 billion. The House completed action on the tax bill by approving Senate changes and sending it to President Truman for his signature.

U.S. Interior Secretary Harold Ickes said that he had decided that it was imperative that the United States send six million tons of coal to Europe because the "race in Europe today is between coal and anarchy."

The United States Labor Department reported that non-agricultural employment had dropped in June to 37,495,000, the first decline in seven years.

70 years ago
1950

At the movies
Broken Arrow, directed by Delmer Daves, and starring James Stewart, Jeff Chandler, and Debra Paget, received its premiere screening in New York City.





War
North Korean forces launched a tank-led assault on the temporary South Korean capital of Taejon. The U.S. Marine Corps called up 47,000 members of its organized ground force reserve, while the Navy ordered 39,000 naval air reservists on active duty.

Diplomacy
The Special Caribbean committee of the Organization of American States reported that "understanding and good will" now prevailed among all Caribbean countries.

Politics and government
In a joint session of the Belgian Parliament, the Social Christian majority voted 198-0 in favour for the return to the country of King Leopold III. Paul Henri Spaak's 139 Socialists, as well as 38 Liberals and 10 Communists, walked out before the vote.

The U.S. Senate accepted by a partisan vote of 54-37 the majority report of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee investigating Sen. Joseph McCarthy's (Republican--Wisconsin) charges of Communist infiltration into the State Department.

60 years ago
1960

Defense
The Polaris missile was successfully launched from a submarine, the USS George Washington, for the first time.

Politics and government
Sirima Bandaranaike of Ceylon became the world's first elected female head of government, taking office as Prime Minister.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Montreal (0-1-1) 29 @ British Columbia (0-0-1) 29
Edmonton (1-1) 4 @ Calgary (1-0) 17

9,000 fans were in attendance to see the Stampeders beat the Eskimos in the last CFL game at Mewata Stadium. Several players suffered burns from the lime used to mark the yard lines.



50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Up Around the Bend/Run Through the Jungle--Creedence Clearwater Revival (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Keiko no Yume wa--Yoru Hiraku (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Un Rayo De Sol--Los Diablos (8th week at #1)

Died on this date
Iain Macleod, 56. U.K. politician and journalist. Mr. Macleod, a Conservative, represented Enfield West in the House of Commons (1950-1970), and held several cabinet post, including Minister of Health (1952-1955); Minister of Labour and National Service (1955-1959); and Secretary of State for the Colonies (1959-1961). In the latter office, he oversaw the transition of numerous African colonies to independence from British rule. Mr. Macleod was regarded as a brilliant orator and debater, but attracted the opposition of the most conservative members within the party. He refused to serve in the government when Sir Alec Douglas-Home succeeded Harold Macmillan as Prime Minister in 1963, and sat out the Conservative Party leadership contest in 1965 while serving as editor of The Spectator. When Edward Heath led the Conservatives to victory in the 1970 general election, Mr. Macleod was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, but he died of a heart attack just a month after taking office, after several years of health problems.

Politics and government
U.S. President Richard Nixon said that he backed South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu’s opposition to an imposed coalition government, saying that a free election was the best approach to a political settlement in Vietnam.

Crime
10 men identified as petty criminals were reported to have been executed recently in Sao Paulo, Brazil by a self-appointed "death squad." The group was one of three of its kind in Brazil, thought to be made up of off-duty policemen who dispensed summary "justice" to suspects.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Montreal (2-0-1) 15 @ Ottawa (0-4) 8
Hamilton (1-2) 20 @ Calgary (3-0-1) 29

Baseball
The San Francisco Giants traded pitcher Mike McCormick to the New York Yankees for pitcher John Cumberland. Mr. McCormick was 3-4 with an earned run average of 6.20 in 23 games with San Francisco in 1970, while Mr. Cumberland was 3-4 with a 3.92 ERA in 15 games with New York.

Bill Singer (7-3), who had spent three weeks in hospital with hepatitis in June, pitched a no-hitter, striking out 10 batters and walking none, as the Los Angeles Dodgers blanked the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 before 12,454 fans at Dodger Stadium.



With the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta braves tied 1-1 with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning, Chicago pitcher Ken Holtzman (9-9) walked Hank Aaron in order to face Mr. Aaron’s brother Tommie. Tommie then hit a 2-run home run to give the Braves a 3-1 win in the first game of a doubleheader before fans at Atlanta Stadium. Mr. Aaron's homer was the 13th and last of his major league career. Phil Niekro (8-12) pitched a 6-hitter to win the pitchers' duel. Mike Lum doubled home 2 runs in the 2nd to provide the necessary scoring as the Braves won 5-0 in a game that was called because of rain with 2 out in the top of the 6th inning. Don Cardwell (1-2) pitched a 3-hit victory.

Lee May hit a grand slam in the top of the 10th inning to break a 0-0 tie as the Cincinnati Reds shut out the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 for a sweep of their doubleheader before 32,557 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. The Reds won the first game 4-3, as winning pitcher Gary Nolan (12-4) singled with 2 out and nobody on base in the top of the 9th, advanced to third base on a single by Pete Rose, and scored on a single by Bobby Tolan to break a 3-3 tie.

Bob Watson singled home Jesus Alou with 2 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Houston Astros a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 17,934 fans at the Astrodome.

Tim Cullen's single leading off the bottom of the 1st inning and Frank Howard's solo home run in the 6th were the only hits for the Washington Senators, but they enabled the Senators to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 before 4,897 fans--including U.S. President Richard Nixon, his daughter Julie, and her husband David Eisenhower--at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. Jim Hannan (5-3) allowed 5 hits in 8.1 innings to win the pitchers' duel over Al Downing (3-7) who allowed 1 earned run in 7 innings. Washington right fielder Jeff Burroughs batted 0 for 3 and made 2 putouts in his first major league game.

40 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Locomotion--Ritz

#1 single in Switzerland: Funkytown--Lipps, Inc. (6th week at #1)

Protest
Resistance to the July 17 military takeover of the government of Bolivia sprang up in the tin and zinc mining district of Santa Ana, 400 miles southeast of La Paz, when troops and miners clashed in several skirmishes.

Golf
Tom Watson shot a 2-under-par 69 in the final round to win the British Open at Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, Scotland with a 13-under-par total score of 271, 4 strokes ahead of Lee Trevino. It was Mr. Watson's third British Open title. First prize money was £25,000 ($60,000).



Auto racing
CART
Johnny Rutherford won the Norton 200 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan; it was his fourth win of the season.

30 years ago
1990

At the movies
The Freshman, starring Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick, opened in theatres.

Terrorism
An Irish Republican Army bomb blew a 10-foot hole in the London Stock Exchange.

Law
Justice William Brennan, 84, announced that he was retiring from the United States Supreme Court, effective immediately, after almost 34 years on the bench. He was recognized as the leader of the court’s liberal bloc, refusing to rule in accordance with what the U.S. Constitution actually said, imposing liberal biases on the Constitution instead.

Scandal
A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. suspended Oliver North’s conviction on three felony counts in the Iran-Contra scandal. The panel voted 2-1 that trial judge Gerhard Gesell had failed to insure that witnesses testifying at Mr. North’s trial had not used his 1987 Congressional testimony, under which he had been guaranteed immunity from prosecution, to refresh their memories. The majority held that if the case were to proceed, Judge Gesell must demonstrate that Mr. North’s testimony was not used by witnesses or by the office of prosecutor Lawrence Walsh. The panel set aside convictions for aiding and abetting an obstruction of Congress (someone else’s obstruction, not his own) and for receiving an illegal gratuity (accepting an electric fence to protect his house from terrorist Abu Nidal), and overturned Mr. North’s conviction for destroying government documents.

Business
Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co (A&P) bought 58 Miracle Food Marts and 11 Ultra-Mart food and drug stores from Steinberg Inc. for $235.5 million. The stores were mostly in the Toronto area.

Football
CFL
Toronto (0-2) 17 @ Winnipeg (2-0) 34

Robert Mimbs rushed 23 times for 112 yards and a touchdown for the Blue Bombers as they beat the Argos before 25,691 fans at Winnipeg Stadium. Toronto quarterback Matt Dunigan tied a CFL single-game record by throwing 7 interceptions--3 were by Less Browne, 2 by Ken Pettway, and 1 each by Darryl Sampson and James West. Carl Brazley returned a missed field goal 108 yards for an Argo touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Baseball
The Baltimore Orioles traded outfielder Phil Bradley to the Chicago White Sox for designated hitter/first baseman Ron Kittle. Mr. Bradley was batting .270 with 4 home runs and 26 runs batted in 72 games with the Orioles in 1990. Mr. Kittle, who had joined the White Sox late in the 1982 season and been named the American League Rookie of the Year in 1983, was traded to the New York Yankees in 1986 and rejoined the White Sox in 1989. In 83 games with Chicago in 1990, he was batting .245 with 16 homers and 43 RBIs.

25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): One of Us--Pandora (2nd week at #1)

Academia
With the strong support of Governor Pete Wilson, the California Board of Regents voted 14-10 to end consideration of race, sex, religion, colour, ethnicity, or national origin in the admission of students. The board voted 15-10 to end affirmative action in the hiring of faculty and awarding of contracts.

20 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Jim Suchecki, 72. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Suchecki played with the Boston Red Sox (1950); St. Louis Browns (1951); and Pittsburgh Pirates (1952), compiling a record of 0-6 with an earned run average of 5.38 in 38 games. He as 49-47 in 165 games in 11 seasons in the minor leagues (1943-1954). Mr. Suchecki died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Society
The U.S. House of Representatives approved a compromise bill that would reduce federal income taxes on married couples by $292.5 billion over the next decade in order to remedy the current situation in which about half of all married people paid more in taxes than two single people would pay.

Business
Canadian National Railway Company and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation called off their planned merger, which would have created North America’s largest railway, after a U.S. appeals court upheld a 15-month moratorium on mergers by the U.S. rail industry regulator.

Football
CFL
Toronto (1-2) 4 @ Montreal (3-0) 41
British Columbia (2-1) 2 @ Calgary (3-0) 35

Mike Pringle rushed 24 times for 151 times and a touchdown as he passed Johnny Bright to move into second place on the CFL’s career rushing yardage list. Anthony Calvillo threw 2 touchdown passes to Alfonzo Browning, and Winston October returned a punt 57 yards for another Alouette touchdown before 19,461 fans at Molson Stadium. Argonaut quarterbacks Jay Barker and Jimmy Kemp produced just 9 first downs.

Dave Dickenson rushed for 1 touchdown and completed touchdown passes to Andre Arlain and Travis Moore to lead the Stampeders to victory over the Lions before 34,081 fans at McMahon Stadium.



Baseball
Lance Berkman doubled home 3 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning to help the Houston Astros defeat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 before 42,559 fans at Enron Field in Houston. Mike Bell struck out as a pinch hitter for the Reds in the 7th in his major league debut, making the Bells the first family to produce three generations of players with the same team. Mike’s grandfather Gus (1953-1961) and father Buddy (1985-1988) also played for the Reds.

Tony Womack hit a 2-run home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals before 40,937 fans at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. Randy Johnson (15-2) pitched a 6-hit complete game victory, striking out 11 batters.