July 27, 2020

250 years ago
1770

Died on this date
Robert Dinwiddie, 77 or 78. U.K. politician. Mr. Dinwiddie, a native of Glasgow, was Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (1751-1758), and was credited with beginning the military career of George Washington, who was sent as the leader of an eight-man expedition to warn French forces to leave Ohio County in the winter of 1753-1754. Mr. Dinwiddie left Virginia in January 1758, and spent his remaining years in England.

150 years ago
1870

Born on this date
Hilaire Belloc. French-born U.K. writer. Mr. Belloc wrote books and poems on a number of topics; his writing was heavily influenced by his Roman Catholic beliefs. He died on July 16, 1953, 11 days before his 83rd birthday.

140 years ago
1880

War
Afghan forces led by Mohammad Ayub Khan defeated the British Army in the Battle of Maiwand.

130 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Benjamin Miessner. U.S. radio engineer and inventor. Mr. Miessner received more than 200 patents, and invented the cat's whisker detector--used to receive radio waves in crystal sets--and musical instruments such as the electronic organ and electric piano. He died on March 25, 1976 at the age of 85.

Armas Taipale. Finnish athlete. Mr. Taipale won gold medals in the conventional discus throw and two-handed discus throw at the 1912 Summer Olympic Games in Stockholm and a silver medal at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. He won three Finnish titles in discus throw and two in shot put. He competed in Greco-Roman wrestling in the Nordic Games, and also played soccer. Mr. Taipale died on November 9, 1976 at the age of 86.

Baseball
In the American Association, the Brooklyn Gladiators were leading the Columbus Buckeyes 13-8 in the 8th inning at Long Island Park when they ran out of baseballs and were forced to forfeit the game.

120 years ago
1900

War
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany gave the order to act ruthlessly towards the rebels: "Mercy will not be shown, prisoners will not be taken. Just as a thousand years ago, the Huns under Attila won a reputation of might that lives on in legends, so may the name of Germany in China, such that no Chinese will even again dare so much as to look askance at a German." For years afterwards, "Hun" would be a disparaging name for Germans.



Labour
400 weavers began a strike at Dominion Cotton Mills in Magog, Quebec in protest against the company's decision to postpone the remittance of pay from Friday to Monday.

110 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Lupita Tovar. Mexican-born U.S. actress. Miss Tovar appeared in Spanish- and English-language movies from 1929-1945, but was best known for her roles in the Spanish-language version of Drácula (1931) and the first Mexican narrative sound film, Santa (1932). Miss Tovar died of heart disease on November 12, 2016 at the age of 106, the day after the 80th birthday of her daughter, actress Susan Kohner.

100 years ago
1920

Born on this date
Henry D. "Homer" Haynes. U.S. comedian and musician. Mr. Haynes, a country and jazz guitarist, performed with Kenneth "Jethro" Burns as the country music comedy duo Homer and Jethro from 1936 until Mr. Haynes' death from a heart attack on August 8, 1971, 11 days after his 51st birthday. The duo recorded more than 50 albums, and won a Grammy Award in 1959 for Best Comedy Performance – Musical for The Battle of Kookamonga, a spoof of Johnny Horton's hit The Battle of New Orleans. They were inducted as a duo into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

Baseball
Ray Chapman singled home pinch runner Ray Caldwell with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Cleveland Indians a 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals in the first game of a doubleheader at Dunn Field in Cleveland. The Nationals scored 9 runs in the 2nd inning on their way to a 19-6 win in the second game. Every Washington starter had at least 1 hit in the second game. Tony Faeth, the third of four Cleveland pitchers, allowed 5 hits and 3 runs--2 earned--in 6.1 innings, walking 4 batters and striking out 4, and throwing a wild pitch, making 2 assists, and batting 0 for 2 with a base on balls and a run in the 19th and last game of his 2-year major league career.

90 years ago
1930

Baseball
The Chicago Cubs were leading the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 before 11,000 fans at Redland Field with runners on second and third bases and none out in the top of the 6th inning, and Ken Ash was brought in to pitch for the Reds. He threw one pitch to Charlie Grimm, and Mr. Grimm hit into a triple play. Mr. Ash was removed for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 6th, and the Reds rallied for 4 runs. They held on for a 6-5 win, and Mr. Ash (1-0) was credited with the victory and a full inning pitched.

Glenn Wright and Al Lopez each hit home runs in both games to help the Brooklyn Robins sweep a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies 10-6 and 9-6 before 25,000 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Chuck Klein hit 2 home runs for the Phillies in the first game, while Denny Sothern hit 2 for the Phillies in the second game.

The Boston Red Sox scored 7 runs in the top of the 5th inning to take a 9-2 lead, but the St. Louis Browns scored 8 in the bottom of the 8th and held on to win 10-9 in the first game of a doubleheader before 4,000 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The Red Sox had runners on second and third bases with 1 out in the 9th, but Cedric Durst was thrown out at home plate on a ground ball by Phil Todt, and pinch hitter Jack Rothrock was retired to end the game. Alex Metzler hit a 3-run home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th to give the Browns a 9-6 win in the second game to complete the sweep. Mr. Metzler's homer was his only home run of the season and the 9th and last of his major league career. Mr. Todt's second home run of the game began a 3-run rally in the top of the 9th to tie the game 6-6. Goose Goslin hit a pair of 2-run homers for the Browns. Earl Webb homered for Boston in both games.

80 years ago
1940

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I'll Never Smile Again--Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (vocal refrain by Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers)

This marked the introduction of Billboard's 10-position "National List of Best Selling Retail Records."

On the radio



At the movies
The cartoon A Wild Hare, featuring the first appearance of Bugs Bunny, was released. Bugs was being hunted by Elmer Fudd.



War
Japanese naval forces seized the Chinese coastal city of Honghai.

Diplomacy
Delegates to the Pan-American Consultative Conference in Havana reached agreement on colonies, trade, and fifth column activities. A Declaration of Havana, to take effect upon ratification by two-thirds of the American Republics, barred direct or indirect transfer of sovereignty of territory in the hemisphere from one non-American power to another. An attempt to do so would result in an inter-American trusteeship over the affected territory.

Politics and government
The India Congress Party, meeting in Poona, ratified the Working Committee resolutions declaring that it was unable to extend the principle of non-violence to the defense of India at this time, and pledging cooperation in the Allied war effort if a provisional national government were to be established as a first step toward independence.

Health
The Chemical Marketing Company in New York announced that it would produce synthetic dental fillings to replace gold and mercury amalgams.

75 years ago
1945

At the movies
The Woman in Green, starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, and Henry Daniell, opened in theatres.



War
Chinese troops reported the capture of a Japanese supply base at Pinglo and the recapture of a former U.S. air base near Kweilin, both in the province of Kwangsi.

Politics and government
British Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced that he would concurrently hold the posts of First Lord of the Treasury and Minister of Labour in his new cabinet, and named Ernest Bevin as Foreign Secretary.

The Florida Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision that Negroes may vote in Democratic Party primaries in the state.

At the U.S. Communist Political Association convention in New York City, delegates voted to reorganize the Communist Party and warned Chairman and General Secretary Earl Browder that he would be expelled if he tried to split the party.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service said that government income from taxes in the 1945 fiscal year reached a new high of $43.8 billion.

70 years ago
1950

War
U.S. President Harry Truman told the press that he was not even considering use of the atomic bomb in Korea.

Diplomacy
Jacob Malik of the U.S.S.R. announced that he would take his turn in August as United Nations Security Council Chairman, thus ending the Soviet boycott of the Council since January 13.

Exiled diplomats of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania appealed to the United States to seek a UN investigation of "genocidal mass deportations" carried out in their homelands by the Soviets.

Journalism
Iran barred Western and all other foreign correspondents from Azerbaijan Province to "avoid provocation to the Russians."

Agriculture
The U.S. Agriculture Department agreed to buy Cuba's entire reserve stock of sugar (600,000 short tons) in order to discourage hoarding.

Baseball
Del Ennis drove in 7 runs with a bases-loaded double in the 7th inning and a grand slam in the 8th as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 13-3 before 7,343 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Curt Simmons (14-5) pitched a 7-hit complete game victory.

The St. Louis Cardinals scored 12 runs in the last 3 innings as they routed the Brooklyn Dodgers 13-3 before 16,607 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Enos Slaughter drove in 5 runs for the Cardinals, and Chuck Diering drove in 4. Cloyd Boyer (3-2) pitched a 9-hit complete game victory.

Snuffy Stirnweiss singled home Sherm Lollar from second base with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the St. Louis Browns a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees before 3,768 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Al Widmar (5-6) pitched an 8-hitter to outduel Tommy Byrne (11-5), who also allowed 8 hits, while walking 9 batters.

Former major league star Kirby Higbe threw a 7-inning no-hitter for the Minneapolis Millers as they defeated the Columbus Red Birds 3-1 in an American Association game at Red Bird Stadium.

60 years ago
1960

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Nereo Bolzon!

Boxing
Mike DeJohn (40-7-1) defeated Dick Richardson (28-11-2) in a heavyweight bout at Coney Beach Arena in Porthcawl, England when Mr. Richardson was disqualified in the 8th round for a flagrant head bout. Mr. Richardson was knocked down 3 times in the 1st round, and the fight thereafter reportedly degenerated into a half-boxing, half-wrestling contest. When the disqualification was announced, Mr. Richardson's supporters hurled chairs, bottles, rain-soaked newspapers, and other debris into the ring. Mr. DeJohn had won a 10-round decision over Mr. Richardson in London almost eight months earlier.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Calgary (1-1) 30 @ Toronto (1-0) 51

50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Up Around the Bend/Run Through the Jungle--Creedence Clearwater Revival (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Keiko no Yume wa--Yoru Hiraku (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Un Rayo De Sol--Los Diablos (9th week at #1)

On the radio
The Challenge of Space, on Springbok Radio
Tonight's episode: The Dead Planet

Died on this date
Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, 81. Prime Minister of Portugal, 1932-1968. Mr. Salazar founded and led the Estado Novo (New State), the authoritarian party that ruled Portugal from 1932-1974. He ran a conservative and nationalist regime, using censorship and a secret police to quell opposition; among the restrictions imposed by Mr. Salazar’s regime was the licensing of cigarette lighters. Mr. Salazar distanced himself from Fascism and Nazism, keeping Portugal officially neutral during World War II, while secretly helping the Allies. He suffered a stroke that partially paralyzed him in September 1968, and, while in a coma, was replaced by Marcello Caetano. Afterward, Mr. Salazar’s doctors and colleagues continued to keep him shielded from the news, fearing that the shock might kill him; he was never told that he had been replaced.

Carl Hampton, 21. U.S. Negro protester. Mr. Hampton, leader of a Negro militant organization, was shot and killed by police in Houston, Texas in an exchange of gunfire that wounded four other people.

Protest
200 young Negroes in Houston held a rally near the site of the death of Carl Hampton several hours earlier.

Diplomacy
American officials said that under the terms of Secretary of State William Rogers’ cease-fire proposal, the Jordanian government would be responsible for controlling the activities of Palestinian commandos. In Amman, spokesmen for the commandos announced that they would never go along with the Jordanian government’s decision to accept the truce.

Baseball
Lou Boudreau, Earle Combs, Jesse Haines, and Ford Frick were inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. In the annual Hall of Fame game, the Montreal Expos beat the Chicago White Sox 10-6.

40 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Locomotion--Ritz (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Funkytown--Lipps Inc. (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, 60. Shah of Iran, 1941-1979. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi acceded to the throne upon the abdication of his father Reza Shah Pahlavi following an Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. Mohammad Reza Shah modernized his country, but was ruthless in suppressing dissent, and he was forced to abdicate in January 1979. The Islamic revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini abolished the monarchy. The Shah was granted asylum in Egypt, and died in an Egyptian military hospital near Cairo when his circulatory system collapsed as the result of a long battle with lymphatic cancer.

30 years ago
1990

At the movies
Presumed Innocent, starring Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, and Raúl Juliá, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Bobby Day, 60. U.S. musician. Mr. Day, born Robert Byrd, was a pianist and singer who was a member of the Hollywood Flames, but was best known for his solo singles Little Bitty Pretty One (1957) and Rockin' Robin/Over and Over (1958). Rockin' Robin reached #2 on the Billboard pop chart, while both sides of the single reached #1 on the rhythm and blues chart. Mr. Day died of cancer.

World events
A group of Negro Muslim rebels known as Jamat el Muslimeen, complaining that the government had impoverished the country, seized the parliament building in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and took Prime Minister Arthur Robinson and other cabinet members and officials hostage. Mr. Robinson was shot in the leg.

Politics and government
The Supreme Soviet of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic declared the independence of Belarus from the U.S.S.R.

Protest
On the 18th day of the standoff between Quebec provincial police and Mohawk Warrior militants at the Kanesatake reserve near Oka, Quebec, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney made his first public statement on the situation, declaring that "native peoples over decades and centuries have not been well-treated by Canada and Canadians. I believe we have a lot of work to do in that area." His government of Canada announced that it had purchased some of the disputed land from a private citizen and was negotiating with the village of Oka to purchase much of the rest. The government of Quebec offered to remove most of its force and to allow Mohawk participation in the investigation of the July 11 shooting of a Surete du Quebec officer--but only if the Warriors would agree to turn in their weapons and dismantle the barricades they had set up. Mohawk leaders rejected the proposal because it did not include a guarantee of amnesty for natives who had defended the blockade.

Oil
Oil ministers of the OPEC nations, meeting in Geneva, agreed to an increase in the price of oil per barrel from $18 U.S. to $21 U.S. Iraq had demanded a greater increase.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the gross national product had slowed to a 1.2% annual growth rate during the second quarter of 1990, a signal to some economists that the country was moving toward recession.

Football
CFL
Calgary (2-0-1) 54 @ Saskatchewan (1-2) 16
Winnipeg (2-1) 23 @ British Columbia (1-1-1) 24

Danny Barrett completed 18 of 26 passes for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Stampeders to victory before 26,731 fans at Taylor Field in Regina, who had been soaked in a pre-game storm. Saskatchewan quarterbacks Kent Austin and Jeff Bentrim combined to throw 5 interceptions.

A mistake on the scoreboard contributed to the Lions’ win in front of 34,622 fans at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver. The Blue Bombers were trailing 21-9 in the 4th quarter when backup quarterback Danny McManus competed a 73-yard touchdown pass to Eric Streater with 2:16 remaining. Trevor Kennerd’s convert made the score 21-16. Mr. Kennerd’s kickoff went through the B.C. end zone without being touched; according to the rule, referee Jacques Decarie awarded no single point and placed the ball on the Lions’ 25-yard line. However, a point was mistakenly put up on the scoreboard, which now showed the Lions leading 21-17. The Blue Bombers quickly got the ball back, and Mr. McManus completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Rick House. Mr. Kennerd converted, and the scoreboard showed Winnipeg ahead 24-21. Winnipeg head coach Mike Riley asked the field judge if the scoreboard was correct, and field judge said yes. Mr. Riley asked the same of the line judge and was told no. With 46 seconds remaining and the Lions in possession of the ball, the scoreboard was altered to read 23-21. Backup quarterback Rickey Foggie moved the Lions in position for Lui Passaglia to kick the game winning field goal from 42 yards on the last play. If the Blue Bombers had been sure of the score a few minutes earlier, they may have chosen to try for a 2-point convert on their final touchdown.



25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): One of Us--Pandora (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Rick Ferrell, 89. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Ferrell was a catcher with the St. Louis Browns (1929-1933, 1941-1943); Boston Red Sox (1933-1937); and Washington Nationals (1937-1941, 1944-1945, 1947), batting .281 with 28 home runs and 734 runs batted in in 1,884 games. His brother Wes was a pitcher, and the two were batterymates for five seasons with the Red Sox. Rick Ferrell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Miklós Rózsa, 88. Hungarian-born U.S. composer. Mr. Rózsa was a great composer of film scores, winning Academy Awards for Spellbound (1945); A Double Life (1947); and Ben-Hur (1959). This blogger's favourite score of Mr. Rózsa's is The Thief of Bagdad (1940). Mr. Rózsa also wrote numerous concert works.

Americana
The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

Politics and government
U.S. President Bill Clinton signed a revised version of the rescissions bill that he had rejected in June in casting his first veto. The new version cut $16.3 billion from spending previously approved by Congress for fiscal 1995, but it restored $770 billion that Mr. Clinton wanted for education, training, and environmental programs.

Business
Conrad Black's Hollinger Inc. bought 19 of 21 small newspapers in Ontario and Saskatchewan that Thomson Corporation had put up for sale as part of a reorganization.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (1-4) 11 @ British Columbia (4-1) 48

Zed Robinson rushed for 2 touchdowns and Sean Millington rushed for another as the Lions routed the Rough Riders before 22,226 fans at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver. B.C. quarterback Danny McManus completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Darren Flutie, and the Lions also had TDs from Eddie Thomas on a 98-yard kickoff return and Charles Gordon on an interception return. Defensive tackle John Kropke scored the only Ottawa touchdown on a 2-yard fumble return.

20 years ago
2000

Society
90 Chinese migrants who had arrived in British Columbia by boat in 1999 were returned to China to face jail and fines in their homeland.

Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer vetoed an anti-abortion bill that provided exceptions for rape and incest--as long as the rape was reported to police within seven days--because he said that the seven-day requirement was too restrictive.

Health
The U.K.’s Labour government announced the most radical reorganization of the National Health Service since its beginning in 1948.

Music
Johnny Rivers performed after the Edmonton Trappers' baseball game at Telus Field. I missed most of it, but I got there in time to hear the last few songs.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (2-2) 29 @ British Columbia (2-2) 13

The Eskimos, down 10-1 after the 1st quarter, rallied for 21 straight points behind quarterback Nealon Greene, who, in his first start of the season, threw touchdown passes to Terry Vaughn and Kez McCorvey. The play that put the game away came with about 9 minutes remaining and the Eskimos leading 22-13, when Donnie Ashley of the Eskimos returned a missed field goal attempt 116 yards for a touchdown. B.C.’s only touchdown came on the last play of the 1st quarter on a 3-yard pass from Damon Allen to Jimmy Cunningham. Former Eskimo Jon Baker kicked a 43-yard field goal to give the Lions an early 3-0 lead, but was replaced later in the game by veteran Lui Passaglia. 23,714 fans were at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver.



Baseball
The Chicago Cubs scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning to overcome a 3-1 deficit and defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 before 30,722 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

The Arizona Diamondbacks scored at least 2 runs in each of the last 6 innings as they routed the St. Louis Cardinals 17-5 before 42,963 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Losing pitcher Rick Ankiel (7-6) allowed 6 hits and 6 runs--all earned--in 4.2 innings, walking 2 batters and striking out 10. Mark Thompson, the third of four St. Louis pitchers, allowed 4 hits and 4 runs--all unearned--in 1 inning, with no walks or strikeouts, and a wild pitch in the 94th and last game of his 7-year major league career.

Adrian Beltre hit a grand slam and drove in 6 runs and Joey Cora added 2 homers, a double, and 5 RBIs to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 16-11 before 40,724 fans at Coors Field in Denver. Colorado right fielder Larry Walker batted 4 for 4 with a home run, double, base on balls, 5 runs, and 2 RBIs.

The Toronto Blue Jays scored 5 runs in the 7th inning as they beat the Seattle Mariners 7-2 before 40,398 fans at Safeco Field in Seattle to give Jim Fregosi his 1,000th win as a major league manager.

10 years ago
2010

Died on this date
Jack Tatum, 61. U.S. football player. Mr. Tatum, nicknamed "The Assassin" because of his style of play, was a safety with the Ohio State University Buckeyes (1967-1970), earning All-American honours in his last 2 seasons, and helping the Buckeyes win national championships in 1968 and 1970. He played professionally with the Oakland Raiders (1971-1979) and Houston Oilers (1980), returning 37 interceptions for 736 yards and 1 touchdown, earning Second Team All-Pro honours in 1974 and 1977, and helping the Raiders win the Super Bowl in 1977. Mr. Tatum is best remembered for a hit on New England Patriots' receiver Darryl Stingley in a pre-season in 1978 that left Mr. Stingley a quadriplegic for life. The incident reportedly haunted Mr. Tatum for the rest of his life, but he never apologized for the hit or saw Mr. Stingley afterward. Mr. Tatum suffered from diabetes in later years, eventually losing both legs below the knee. He died after a heart attack. Mr. Tatum was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Maury Chaykin, 61. U.S.-born Canadian actor. Mr. Chaykin was born in Brooklyn and raised in New York City, but eventually settled in Toronto. He was generally known for supporting roles in movies and television programs, but starred as the title characters in the made-for-television movie Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks (1985) and the television series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001-2002). Mr. Chaykin's movies included WarGames (1983); Dances with Wolves (1990); and Whale Music (1994), winning a Genie Award for his starring performance in the latter. He died on his 61st birthday, from complications of a heart valve infection.