August 17, 2020

510 years ago
1510

Died on this date
Richard Empson, 60 (?). English politician. Sir Richard was a Knight of the shire for Northamptonshire (1491), and Speaker of the House of Commons. He was associated with Edmund Dudley in carrying out King Henry VII's system of taxation, and was knighted in 1504. Sir Richard's career ended upon the death of Henry VII in April 1509, and he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and charged with constructive treason. Mr. Empson was executed by decapitation.

Edmund Dudley, 38-48 (?). English politician. Mr. Dudley was first elected to the House of Commons in 1491, and knight of the shire for Sussex in 1495, and became Speaker of the House in 1504. He was a leading member of the Council Learned in the Law--a special tribunal created by King Henry VII to collect debts owed to him--and was President of the King's Council. When Henry VII died, Mr. Dudley was imprisoned in the Tower of London and charged with constructive treason. He wrote The Tree of Commonwealth, a defense of absolute monarchy in an attempt to gain the favour of King Henry VIII, but the treatise may not have reached the king before Mr. Dudley was beheaded.

460 years ago
1560

Religion
The Reformation Parliament of Scotland approved a Protestant confession of faith, initiating the Scottish Reformation and disestablishing the Roman Catholic Church.

280 years ago
1740

Religion
Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini was elected Roman Catholic Pope, succeeding Clement XII. The new pope took the name Benedict XIV.

230 years ago
1790

Americana
The Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island presented a congratulatory address, written by Moses Seixas, to President George Washington on the occasion of Mr. Washington’s visit to their city. The address and Mr. Washington’s response appeared together in several newspapers.

170 years ago
1850

Died on this date
José de San Martín y Matorras, 72. Protector of Peru, 1821-1822. General San Martín was one of the leading figures in the liberation of Argentina, Chile, and Peru from Spanish rule, and is regarded as a national hero in those countries. He served in numerous campaigns for more than 20 years, but suddenly resigned his office and command in July 1822 after a private meeting at Guayaquil, Ecuador with fellow liberator Simón Bolívar. Gen. San Martín moved to Europe, spending many years in Brussels, and his last years in France. During his years in Europe, he offered his military services to South American countries several times, but his offers were always rebuffed.

150 years ago
1870

Died on this date
Perucho Figueredo y Cisneros, 52. Cuban poet and revolutionist. Mr. Figueredo wrote the Cuban national anthem, El Himno de Bayamo, in 1867, and was one of the planners of the Ten Years' War against Spanish rule. He was executed five days after being captured by Spanish authorities.

130 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Stefan Bastyr. Polish military aviator. Kapitan Bastyr served with the Polish Air Force during World War I, and was credited with the Air Force's first military flight, on November 5, 1918 during the Battle of Lwów (1918) in the Polish-Ukrainian War. He was killed during the Battle of Lwów (1920) when his Fokker D.VII crashed in Lwów on August 6, 1920, 11 days before his 30th birthday.

Harry Hopkins. U.S. politician and diplomat. Mr. Hopkins was United States Secretary of Commerce in the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1938-1940, but was better known as one of Mr. Roosevelt's most trusted advisers, especially in areas of diplomacy and economics, acting as Mr. Roosevelt's personal emissary to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, and actually living in the White House from 1940-1943. Mr. Hopkins died on January 29, 1956 at the age of 55 after a long battle with stomach cancer.

120 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Vivienne de Watteville. U.K. adventuress and writer. Miss de Watteville was known for her travel memoirs Out in the Blue (1927) and Speak to the Earth (1935). Her first book chronicled a safari in Africa led by her father, naturalist and artist Bernard Perceval de Watteville, which she led after he was killed by a lion in 1924. Miss de Watteville married Captain George Goschen in 1930 and settled down to private life until her death from cancer on June 27, 1957 at the age of 56. Her last book, Seeds that the Wind may bring, was published in 1965.

Elmer Pence. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Pence was an outfielder who played 1 game with the Chicago White Sox on August 23, 1922, making 1 putout, with no plate appearances. He died on September 17, 1968, a month after his 68th birthday.

Baseball
Roy Thomas of the Philadelphia Phillies, batting against Bill Phillips of the Cincinnati Reds, fouled off a dozen pitches, and so exasperated Mr. Phillips that he punched Mr. Thomas and was ejected. The Reds won 5-4 in 11 innings at League Park in Cincinnati.

100 years ago
1920

Born on this date
Maureen O'Hara. U.K.-born U.S. actress. Miss O'Hara, born Maureen FitzSimons in Dublin, moved to Hollywood in 1939, and became known as the "Queen of Technicolor." She was best known for acting in movies directed by John Ford and/or starring John Wayne, including Rio Grande (1950); The Quiet Man (1952); and The Wings of Eagles (1957). Miss O'Hara largely retired from acting in the early 1970s, but made a comeback with a supporting role in Only the Lonely (1991), and appeared in several made-for-television movies. She died on October 24, 2015 at the age of 95.

Died on this date
Ray Chapman, 29. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Chapman was a shortstop with the Cleveland Naps/Indians (1912-1920), batting .278 with 18 home runs and 364 runs batted in in 1,050 games. In 1918 he led the American league in runs (84) and bases on balls (84). Mr. Chapman died at St. Lawrence Hospital in New York at 4:40 A.M., the day after suffering a fractured skull when he was hit by a pitch thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees. Mr. Chapman remains the only major league player to die from being hit by a pitched ball.

Crime
Carl Mays was summoned to the office of the Manhattan district attorney to explain his part in the death of Ray Chapman, and was absolved of any guilt.

Technology
In Saint John, New Brunswick, Robert T. Mawhinney patented the dump box for trucks.

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) (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Billy Fiske, 29. U.S. bobsledder and military aviator. Mr. Fiske was the driver for the American team that won the gold medal in the four-man bobsled event in both the 1928 and 1932 Winter Olympic Games. He moved to England in 1939, and joined the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of World War II. Pilot Officer Fiske died from burns suffered when his plane was shot down during the Battle of Britain.

War
Germany ordered a total blockade of the United Kingdom. The Royal Canadian Air Force's No. 1 Fighter Squadron saw action over England in the Battle of Britain. The Canadian government set up 14 military training centres in Quebec. The last of the British troops in northern China departed Peking and Tientsin.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King met with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Ogdensburg, New York for a two-day conference to discuss North American defense.

Defense
Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate Wendell Willkie advocated selective service as "the only democratic way in which to assure the trained and competent manpower we need."

75 years ago
1945

Died on this date
Reidar Haaland, 26. Norwegian traitor. Mr. Haaland joined the fascist party Nasjonal Samling on December 6, 1940, and Den Norske Legion (Norwegian Legion) on June 20, 1941. When the Legion became defunct in 1943, Mr. Haaland joined the Statspolitiet and then the Gestapo. In the post-World War II trials of Norwegian traitors and war criminals, Mr. Haaland was the first to be sentenced to death, after being convicted of treason. He was executed by firing squad at Akershus Fortress in Oslo.

War
Japanese Prime Minister Prince Naruhiko Higashi-Kuni ordered all Japanese soldiers to observe Emperor Hirohito's cease-fire order. U.S. Senator David Walsh (Republican--Massachusetts) asked Navy Secretary James Forrestal to submit to the Senate Naval Affairs Committee the Navy investigation of the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Oceanatica
Ahmed Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.

World events
French leader General Charles de Gaulle commuted former Prime Minister Marshal Philippe Petain's death sentence to life imprisonment for giving intelligence to the enemy during World War II.

Defense
U.S. Army Air Forces General Hap Arnold revealed the existence of new weapons, some not yet completed, such as a monster bomber surpassing the B-29, and robot jet-propelled atomic bombs guided by television and radar. He warned that "this thing is so terrible in its aspects that there may not be any more wars."

Diplomacy
U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Spruille Braden said that a self-respecting world could no longer accept dictatorships, thus implying a denunciation of the Argentine government of President Juan Peron.

Politics and government
The Thai cabinet of Prime Minister Kuang Kovid Aphaiwong resigned.

Archibald MacLeish, Nelson Rockefeller, and General J.C. Holmes resigned as assistant U.S. secretaries of state.

Economics and finance
The U.S. War Production Board cancelled virtually all allotments of steel, copper, and aluminum, and all preference ratings except for the military.

70 years ago
1950

War
North Korean troops mshot and killed 41 U.S. prisoners of war in the Hill 303 massacre. The South Korean government abandoned Taegu as its temporary capital, moving to the coastal town of Pusan as North Korean forces began a major push. In his first direct report to the United Nations Security Council as Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command, General Douglas MacArthur urged UN members to "act speedily" in providing him with more ground forces.

Defense
West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer urged the Western Allies to change their stand on German rearmament, claiming that his country should have a defense force as strong as the East German People's Police.

Crime
A U.S. federal grand jury in New York indicted Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and former Soviet vice consul in New York Anatoli Yakovlev--who had returned to the U.S.S.R. in 1946--on conspiracy charges.

Politics and government
The U.S. State Department established a National Psychological Strategy Board to coordinate its propaganda and psychological warfare efforts.

Religion
The Knights of Columbus ended a three-day meeting in New York by calling for the resumption of relations with Spain and suppression of the Communist Party U.S.A.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved a bill to raise federal tax revenues by $5 billion per year.

60 years ago
1960

Baseball
Ernie Banks broke up a scoreless pitchers’ duel with a game-ending home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning off Don Drysdale to give the Chicago Cubs a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers before 10,901 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Glen Hobbie (11-16) pitched a 7-hit shutout, while Mr. Drysdale (10-13) allowed just 4 hits.

The Milwaukee Brewers scored 5 runs in the top of the 1st inning and 6 in the 8th as they beat the Cincinnati Reds 11-4 before 8,580 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Every Milwaukee starter, including notoriously weak-hitting pitcher Bob Buhl, had at least 1 hit. Joey Jay (4-6) pitched 6 scoreless innings in relief of Mr. Buhl to get the win over Jim O'Toole (10-11).

Pinch hitter Julio Becquer singled home 2 runs and scored himself in a 4-run 12th inning as the Washington Senators broke a 7-7 tie and defeated the Baltimore Orioles 11-7 before 18,280 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Orioles hit 5 home runs, all with the bases empty.

Pete Runnels made a throwing error from second base on an attempt to complete a double play in the top of the 10th inning, allowing Bobby Richardson to score to break a 2-2 tie as the New York Yankees edged the Boston Red Sox 3-2 before 29,686 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Bob Cerv grounded to shortstop Don Buddin, who threw to Mr. Runnels for the second out of the inning, but Tony Kubek slid into Mr. Runnels, injuring him and forcing a wild throw. Bill Stafford made his major league debut as New York' starting pitcher, allowing 8 hits and 2 earned runs in 7.1 innings, walking 2 batters and striking out 2, batting 0 for 2, making 2 putouts and 2 assists, and starting a double play.



Harvey Kuenn led off the bottom of the 8th inning with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Tito Francona to break a 2-2 tie as the Cleveland Indians edged the Chicago White Sox 3-2 before 15,617 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. The Indians tied the game with 2 runs in the 7th.

50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Up Around the Bend/Run Through the Jungle--Creedence Clearwater Revival (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ai wa Kizutsuki Yasuku--Hide & Rosanna (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Un Rayo De Sol--Los Diablos (12th week at #1)

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

Died on this date
Louise Manny, 79 or 80. U.S.-born Canadian folklorist. Ms. Manny, a native of Maine, moved to New Brunswick with her family at the age of 3. In 1947 she was commissioned by Lord Beaverbrook to collect and record the songs of lumbermen and fishermen in the Miramichi region of N.B. Ms. Manny presented the songs on a weekly radio broadcast from 1947-1965; she founded the Miramichi Folksong Festival in 1957, and directed it from 1958-1969. Ms. Manny also wrote a weekly newspaper column of items of historical interest.

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched Venera (Venus) 7. The unmanned probe carried more than 2,000 pounds of instruments and was sent on a looping 210-million mile trajectory toward Venus for a landing scheduled about December 15.



Terrorism
An Omaha policeman was killed an seven others injured after a bomb concealed in a suitcase exploded in a vacant house in a predominantly Negro section of the city.

In Minneapolis, an explosion caused extensive damage to the Federal Office Building, which was the area’s headquarters for military induction. The blast, which broke windows a block away, was one of six bombing in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in August. Police reported more than 400 bomb threats, many leading to building evacuations, including the evacuation of 17,697 fans from a Minnesota Twins game at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.

Politics and government
The Lebanese parliament voted 50-49 to elect Economy Minister Suleiman Franjieh to succeed Charles Helou as President of Lebanon. Mr. Franjieh, 60, was a Maronite Christian, as all Lebanese presidents were by tradition, and was a member of a small parliamentary centrist bloc composed of Roman Catholics and Muslims. He was expected to maintain the country’s practice of allowing Arab commandos to operate in the southeastern border regions adjoining Israel.

Education
100 lawyers and other U.S. Justice Department officials began arriving in southern states to hear complaints of racial discrimination in school districts and to seek to avert disturbances in the course of the federal government’s drive to desegregate the school districts.

Football
CFL
Calgary (3-1) 30 @ Saskatchewan (4-1) 0

Fullback George Reed was missing from the Saskatchewan lineup for this game because of what was thought to be a badly bruised knee. It was only the second game he’d missed in his 8-year CFL career.

40 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Rockabilly Rebel--Matchbox

#1 single in Switzerland: Donna Musica--Collage (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Jonah Goldman, 73. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Goldman was a shortstop and third baseman with the Cleveland Indians (1928, 1930-1931), batting .224 with 1 home run and 49 runs batted in in 148 games. He played 5 seasons in the minor leagues (1928-1933), batting .271 with 12 homers in 661 games. Mr. Goldman died 12 days before his 74th birthday.

Terrorism
The Cuban government reported that it was prosecuting the people involved in five of six recent hijackings of planes from the United States to Cuba. Authorities at Miami International Airport caught two Cuban refugees carrying gasoline-filled bottles as they were attempting to board a flight to Key West, and four men were arrested in Tampa after four plastic bottles filled with gasoline were found in their luggage at the airport.

Protest
Violence between Hindus and Muslims in northern India spread to Kashmir, the country’s northernmost state.

Baseball
The Texas Rangers, led by the hitting of Al Oliver, swept a doubleheader from the Detroit Tigers 9-3 and 12-6 before 42,117 fans at Tiger Stadium. Mr. Oliver hit a home run, double, and triple in the first game, and 3 homers in the second game to set a record with 21 total bases in a doubleheader. Ferguson Jenkins (11-10) pitched a 6-hit complete game victory in the first game, winning over Mark Fidrych (0-2), who allowed 5 hits and 6 runs--all earned--in 4.2 innings. Mr. Fidrych was relieved by Jerry Ujdur, who allowed 5 hits and 3 runs--all earned--in 2.1 innings, walking 1 batter and striking out 1 in his first major league game.

Rich Dauer doubled to lead off the bottom of the 6th inning, advanced to third base on a ground out, and scored on a 2-out double by Terry Crowley for the game's only run as the Baltimore Orioles edged the New York Yankees 1-0 before 50,073 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore to move to within 3½ games of the first-place Yankees in the American League East Division. Scott McGregor (14-6) pitched a 6-hit shutout to win the pitchers' duel over Luis Tiant (6-7), who allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run in 7.2 innings.

Paul Mitchell (3-2) pitched a 4-hitter and Sixto Lezcano batted 3 for 3 with a solo home run, and was hit by a pitch, as the Milwaukee Brewers shut out the Cleveland Indians 4-0 in the first game of a doubleheader before 23,562 fans at Cleveland Stadium. The Brewers scored 6 runs in the first 2 innings as they won the second game 11-1 to complete the sweep. Winning pitcher Lary Sorensen (9-8) allowed 9 hits and 1 unearned run in 8 innings.

Lee Lacy's 2-run home run climaxed a 3-run 1st inning for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they beat the Montreal Expos 5-1 in the first game of a doubleheader before 49,412 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh leadoff hitter Omar Moreno batted 4 for 4 with a triple and 2 runs. Rick Rhoden (3-3) pitched a 7-hitter to win over Fred Norman (3-3). Rodney Scott singled home Gary Carter and Steve Rogers with 2 out and the bases loaded in the top of the 9th to break a 2-2 tie as the Expos won the second game 4-2. The results left the second-place Expos 2 games behind the Pirates in the National League East Division.

Garry Maddox hit a home run in each game to help the Philadelphia Phillies sweep a doubleheader from the New York Mets 9-4 and 4-1 before 25,458 fans at Shea Stadium in New York, moving the Phillies to within 3½ games of the Pirates. Steve Carlton (19-6) and Randy Lerch (4-13) were the respective winning pitchers.

Bob Forsch (10-10) pitched a 4-hitter, while Jose Cruz doubled home a run and scored in the 1st inning and led off the 8th with a home run as the Houston Astros shut out the San Diego Padres 5-0 in the first game of a doubleheader before 16,120 fans at San Diego Stadium. The Astros scored 7 runs in the 2nd inning of a 9-2 win in the second game to complete the sweep, with shortstop Rafael Landestoy batting 4 for 4 with a double, run, and 3 runs batted in. Joe Niekro (12-11) pitched an 8-hit complete game victory.

30 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Pearl Bailey, 72. U.S. actress and singer. Miss Bailey had a successful career as a nightclub singer before branching out into recordings, theatre, films, and television. She won a special Tony Award for her performance in an all-black production of Hello Dolly! (1968), and hosted The Pearl Bailey Show (1971), a summer replacement television program.

Protest
The Canadian Armed Forces replaced the Surete du Quebec at the Kanesatake barricades in the standoff between government forces and Mohawk Indians at Oka, Quebec.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the merchandise trade deficit had fallen to $5.07 billion on June, the lowest level in seven years.

The deficit from the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal swelled to $16 billion.

Baseball
Mark McGwire’s 31st home run of the season and 3 runs batted in led the Oakland Athletics to an 8-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles before 45,379 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, enabling Bob Welch to improve his record for the season to 20-4.

Devon White reached first base on an error by shortstop Luis Rivera with 1 out in the top of the 9th inning and scored on a single by Johnny Ray with to give the California Angels a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox before 35,107 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Chuck Finley (16-5) pitched a 4-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Mike Boddicker (11-8), who allowed 7 hits.

25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Shy Guy--Diana King (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Howard E. Koch, 93. U.S. writer. Mr. Koch was best known for writing the script for the Mercury Theatre of the Air production of The War of the Worlds--which caused widespread panic in the United States during its October 30, 1938 broadcast over the CBS radio network--and for co-writing the screenplay for Casablanca (1942), for which he received an Academy Award.

Rollie Miles, 68. U.S.-born Canadian football player. Mr. Miles was an offensive and defensive halfback with the Edmonton Eskimos from 1951-1961. He was born in Washington, D.C. and had come to Regina to play in a baseball tournament, but Edmonton Journal sportswriter Don Fleming alerted Eskimos' coach Annis Stukus about Mr. Miles' football ability, and Mr. Miles embarked on a professional football career. He and Canadian halfback Jim Chambers were the first Negro players with the Eskimos; when the Royal George Hotel refused to allow Mr. Miles to register, the Eskimos complained, and the desk clerk was fired. Mr. Miles played a major role in the Eskimos' Western Interprovincial Football Union championship teams of 1952 and 1960, and their three straight Grey Cup championship teams of 1954-1956. He was named to the WIFU All-Star team eight times. Mr. Miles 190 points on 36 touchdowns in regular season play, and 85 points on 16 touchdowns and a single in playoff competition. Perhaps Mr. Miles' most notable accomplishment was playing the entire game at quarterback in a 7-3 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the second game of the 1954 season at Winnipeg Stadium. In the Grey Cup that year, he did a spectacular job of avoiding tackles and throwing the first Grey Cup touchdown pass in Eskimos' history, to Earl Lindley. Mr. Miles was a teacher with the Edmonton Separate School Board during and after his playing career, and was a prominent member of the community for the rest of his life. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1980, long after he should have been inducted.

Diplomacy
Rolf Ekeus, chairman of the United Nations Special Committee on Iraq, began meetings in Baghdad with Iraqi officials who gave him information on biological and nuclear weapons.

Politics and government
The day after announcing he would not seek re-election in 1996, U.S. Senator Bill Bradley (Democrat--New Jersey) left the door open for a possible independent candidacy for President of the United States. He said that both the Democratic and Republican parties had "settled into familiar ruts" and had lost touch with average Americans.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the trade deficit in June had been $11.31 billion.

Business
U.S. forestry giants Boise Cascade Corporation and Stone Container Corporation announced that they would merge their Canadian newsprint subsidiaries.

20 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Robert Gilruth, 83. U.S. aviation and space engineer. Mr. Gilruth worked with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) from 1937-1958 and with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from then until his retirement in 1973. He was the first director of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center.

Politics and government
The U.S. Democratic National Convention at Staples Center in Los Angeles formally nominated U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut as the party’s candidate for Vice President of the United States. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Lieberman expressed appreciation for the opportunities he’d been given to succeed in America, and thanked the soldiers who had liberated his wife’s parents.



Football
CFL
Toronto (1-5-1) 26 @ British Columbia (3-4) 36

Early in the game, B.C. quarterback Damon Allen passed Ron Lancaster to become the CFL’s career leader in pass completions with 3,385. He later threw 2 touchdown passes to Alfred Jackson and handed off to Robert Drummond for another major. The other Lion touchdown was scored by defensive end Daved Benefield in the 3rd quarter on a 30-yard return of a blocked punt. All the Toronto touchdowns came in the 3rd quarter on passes from Jimmy Kemp to Mookie Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell finished with 10 receptions for 196 yards and added a 2-point convert to his 3 touchdowns. Sean Millington of the Lions led all rushers with 17 carries for 126 yards. 19,858 were in attendance at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver. Greg Mohns resigned as head coach of the Lions after this game to take a position with the new XFL.



10 years ago
2010

Died on this date
Francesco Cossiga, 82. Prime Minister of Italy, 1979-1980; President of Italy, 1985-1992. Mr. Cossiga, a member of the Christian Democratic Party, was a member of the Chamber of Deputies (1958-1983), holding various cabinet posts, including Minister of the Interior (1976-1978), a position he resigned after the murder of Prime Minister Aldo Moro by Red Brigade terrorists. As Prime Minister, he led a coalition government of Christian Democrats, Socialists, Democratic Socialists, Republicans and Liberals, but resigned after his budget was rejected by Parliament. Mr. Cossiga sat in the Senate (1983-1985), and was its president. He was elected President of Italy on the first ballot; during the last two years of his presidency he attracted criticism for his opinions on political reform, and resigned two months before the end of his term. Mr. Cossiga was then made Senator-for-Life, and died from respiratory problems.

Scandal
A mistrial was declared on 23 corruption charges against ousted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (Democrat). He was convicted of 17 counts of corruption in a retrial.