October 12, 2020

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Nancy Fullerton!

780 years ago
1240

Born on this date
Trần Thánh Tông. Emperor of Đại Việt, 1258-1278. Trần Thánh Tông acceded to the throne upon the abdication of his father Trần Thái Tông, founder of the Trần dynasty. Trần Thánh Tông achieved military and civil success, and is regarded as one of Vietnam's greatest emperors. Trần Thánh Tông abdicated in favour of his son Trần Nhân Tông in 1258, and held the title Retired Emperor, aiding Trần Nhân Tông in repelling Mongol invasions. Trần Thánh Tông died on July 3, 1290 at the age of 49.

310 years ago
1710

Born on this date
Jonathan Trumbull. American politician. Mr. Trumbull was colonial Deputy Governor (1766-1769) and Governor of Connecticut (1769-1776), and was the only governor to take up the Patriot cause at the start of the Revolutionary War. He continued in office after independence, retiring in 1784. Mr. Trumbull died on August 17, 1785 at the age of 74.

290 years ago
1730
Died on this date
Frederik IV, 59. King of Denmark and Norway, 1699-1730. Frederik IV acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Christian V. His reign was characterized by wars against the forces of his first cousins King Carl XII of Sweden and Friedrich IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. King Frederik implemented economic reform, and oversaw an increase in trade and flourishing of culture. He suffered from dropsy in later years, and died the day after his 59th birthday.

210 years ago
1810

Germanica
The festival Oktoberfest was first held in Munich, to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

180 years ago
1840

Born on this date
Helena Modjeska. Polish-born actress. Mrs. Modjeska, born Jadwiga Benda, was known for Shakespearean and tragic roles on stage in Poland and then in America, after moving to the United States in 1876. She retired from acting in 1907, and died of Bright's disease on April 8, 1909 at the age of 68.

160 years ago
1860

Born on this date
Elmer Ambrose Sperry. U.S. inventor. Mr. Sperry was best known for co-inventing the gyrocompass with Herman Anschütz-Kaempfe. Mr. Anschütz-Kaempfe invented a workable gyrocompass in Germany in 1906, while Mr. Sperry received a U.S. patent in 1908 for his invention; he founded Sperry Gyroscope Company in 1910, and sold his invention to the U.S. Navy in 1911. Mr. Sperry worked on other inventions for defense purposes through World War I, and also worked closely with Japanese companies and the Japanese government. He sold his company to North American Aviation in 1929, and died of complications on June 16, 1930 at the age of 69, six weeks after surgery for the removal of gallstones.

150 years ago
1870

Died on this date
Robert E. Lee, 63. U.S. and C.S.A. military leader. Reportedly the only student at the United States Military Academy to graduate without a single demerit, General Lee made his name by achieving great success as captain of engineers in the Mexican War in the 1840s. From 1852-1855 he was superintendent at West Point, and commanded the 2nd Cavalry in West Texas from 1857-1861. While on extended leave, he led the company of marines that captured abolitionist John Brown at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859. Gen. Lee had no sympathy with slavery or secession, but when the U.S. Civil War began in 1861, he refused to attack his own state of Virginia, and resigned his commission to assume command of the state’s army and navy and was made a Confederate general. Gen. Lee achieved success in the Seven Days battles and the second battle of Bull Run in 1862, but suffered defeat at Gettysburg in 1863. He didn’t become general in chief of all Confederate forces until February 1865, when the Confederacy was on the verge of collapse. On April 9 General Lee surrendered to Union General U.S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Appomatox, Virginia, ending the war. General Lee never received the amnesty from the United States for which he applied, but he spent his later years as president of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, and urged his fellow southerners to work for the unity of the United States.

140 years ago
1880

Born on this date
Louis Hémon. French-born author. Mr. Hémon was a secretary and journalist before moving to London in 1903 and to Quebec in 1911. While on his way to travel to western Canada, Mr. Hémon was killed by a locomotive at Chapleau, Ontario on July 8, 1913 at the age of 32, and didn't live to see the widespread publication of his best-known work, the novel Maria Chapdelaine (1913).

130 years ago
1890

Politics and government
The Uddevalla Suffrage Association, an organization promoting universal suffrage, was founded in Uddevalla, Sweden.

Baseball
Hank Gastright pitched a no-hitter for the Columbus Buckeyes as they blanked the Toledo Maumees 6-0 in an American Association game at Recreation Park in Columbus that was called after 8 innings.

125 years ago
1895

Football
CRU
ORFU
First Round
Toronto 0 @ Hamilton 15 (Hamilton won 2-game total points series 32-18)
Queen's College 22 @ Royal Military College 1 (Queen's University won 2-game total points series 50-18)
Highlanders defaulted to Osgoode Hall (Osgoode Hall won series)
Bye: University of Toronto

100 years ago
1920

Born on this date
Christopher Soames. U.K. politician and diplomat. Mr. Soames, a Conservative and son-in-law of former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, represented Bedford in the House of Commons from 1950-1966, holding two cabinet posts in the governments of Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1958-1964. He was given a life peerage in 1978, and as Lord Soames, was Leader of the House of Lords from 1979-1981. He died of pancreatitis on September 16, 1987, 26 days before his 67th birthday.

Transportation
Construction began on the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River, linking New York City with Jersey City, New Jersey.

Horse racing
Man O’War ended his spectacular career with a 7-length win over 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton in the Kenilworth Park Gold Cup match race in Windsor, Ontario. Man O’War ran the 1¼ miles in 2 minutes 3 seconds for his 14th straight win and 20th win in his 21 races. The purse was $80,000. Man O’War’s owner, Sam Riddle, then retired the three-year-old to stud at Faraway Farm in Kentucky.



Baseball
World Series
Brooklyn Robins 0 @ Cleveland Indians 3 (Cleveland won best-of-nine series 5-2)

Stan Coveleski (3-0) pitched a 5-hitter for the Indians as they shut out the Robins before 27,525 fans at League Park in Cleveland to win their first World Series. Leadoff hitter Charlie Jamieson led the Cleveland attack with a double and single, 1 run, and 1 run batted in. The game was over in 1 hour 55 minutes.

90 years ago
1930

Football
NFL
Chicago Cardinals (1-2-2) 7 @ Providence (3-1) 9
Newark (1-7-1) 0 @ Brooklyn (2-1-1) 32
New York (3-1) 12 @ Chicago Bears (1-2-1) 0
Frankford (2-5) 12 @ Green Bay (4-0) 27
Portsmouth (3-1-1) 0 @ Minneapolis (1-1-1) 13

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) (12th week at #1)

Died on this date
Tom Mix, 60. U.S. actor. Mr. Mix was the first major star of Western movies, appearing in 291 films from 1909-1935, all but 9 of them silent.

Football
CRU
IRFU
Montreal (0-2) 0 @ Ottawa (2-0) 19
Hamilton (0-2) 5 @ Toronto (2-0) 17

75 years ago
1945

War
U.S. Army Private (later Corporal) Desmond Doss became the first conscientious objector to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor. Pvt. Doss was a Seventh Day Adventist who refused to take up arms, but he served as a medic with the 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division during World War II, and was honoured for his heroism in saving the lives of his comrades.

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister J. L. Ilsley made his budget speech, forecasting a deficit of $2.242 billion and an unemployment rate of 4% for 1946 (in fact the rate was 3.6%).

70 years ago
1950

At the movies
Woman on the Run, directed by Norman Foster, and starring Ann Sheridan, Dennis O'Keefe, Robert Keith, and Ross Elliott, received its premiere screening in Boston.





Football
NFL
San Francisco (0-5) 24 @ New York Yanks (4-1) 29

60 years ago
1960

At the movies
The Magnificent Seven, produced and directed by John Sturges, and starring Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Charles Bronson, Brad Dexter, and james Coburn, opened in theatres in the southern and southwestern United States.



Died on this date
Inejiro Asanuma, 61. Japanese politician. Mr. Asanuma, a socialist, represented Tokyo's 1st District in the Japanese House of Representatives (1936-1942, 1946-1960). He attracted criticism when he visited Communist China in 1959 and expressed anti-American sentiments. Mr. Asanuma became Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party on March 23, 1960. During a televised debate at Hibiya Public Hall in Tokyo preceding the House of Representatives elections, Mr. Asanuma was speaking when right-wing nationalist Otoya Yamaguchi, 17, rushed the stage and stabbed him in the side with a wakizashi sword. Mr. Asanuma was rushed to hospital, but died within minutes from internal bleeding. Mr. Yamaguchi was arrested, and committed suicide in prison on November 2.





Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. leader Nikita Khruschchev created a disturbance at the United Nations General Assembly when he removed one of his shoes and banged it on his desk to get the Assembly’s attention, in protest against a speech by Philippine delegate Lorenzo Sumulong.

Canadiana
Massey Sound between Axel Heiberg Island and Amund Ringnes Island in the Arctic Archipelago was named after former Governor General Vincent Massey.

Transportation
A new airport terminal opened in Regina.

Baseball
World Series
New York Yankees 12 @ Pittsburgh Pirates 0 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

Every member of the Yankees’ starting lineup had at least 1 hit as they amassed 17 hits in routing the Pirates 12-0 before 38,580 fans at Forbes Field. Whitey Ford pitched a 7-hitter for his second shutout of the Series and also singled in 2 runs. Bobby Richardson drove in 3 runs with 2 triples; Johnny Blanchard batted 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and a run batted in; Yogi Berra batted 3 for 4 with 3 runs and 2 RBIs; and Roger Maris batted 3 for 5 with a double, 1 run, and 1 RBI. Losing pitcher Bob Friend (0-2), the first of 6 pitchers used by the Pirates, gave up 5 hits, 1 base on balls, and 5 runs before being pulled after failing to retire any of the first 4 batters in the 3rd inning. The Yankees scored 1 run in the 2nd inning, 5 in the 3rd, and 2 in each of the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings.



Nippon Series
Daimai Orions 2 @ Taiyo Whales 3 (Taiyo led best-of-seven series 2-0)

50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): In the Summertime--The Mixtures (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Tegami--Saori Yuki (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): In the Summertime--Mungo Jerry (3rd week at #1)

On the radio
The Challenge of Space, on Springbok Radio
Tonight’s episode: Unscheduled Landfall

This was the 62nd and final episode of the series, which began airing on May 19, 1969.

At the movies
I Walk the Line, directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Gregory Peck, Tuesday Weld, and Estelle Parsons, received its premiere screening at the Tennessee Theatre in Nashville.





Died on this date
Feodor Rojankovsky, 78. Russian-born illustrator. Mr. Rojankovsky, aka Rojan, was a White Russian who began his career in his native land, but was left stateless after the U.S.S.R. came into existence, living in France and eventually settling in the United States in 1941. He was best known for illustrating more than 100 children's books, including 35 Little Golden Books from 1943-1970. Mr. Rojankovsky won the 1956 Caldecott Medal for illustrating John Langstaff's Frog Went A-Courtin'.

Terrorism
Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa's cabinet appointed Montréal lawyer Robert Demers to negotiate terms with the Front de libération du Québec for the release of hostages James Cross and Pierre Laporte. Canadian Armed Forces troops left Camp Petawawa, Ontario and mobilized in Ottawa to meet terrorist threats, guard government buildings and officials, and protect the diplomatic community.

War
U.S. President Richard Nixon announced that 40,000 more troops would be withdrawn from South Vietnam by Christmas. The White House said that the reduction did not represent a withdrawal beyond the 150,000 men to be brought home by the following spring. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Melvin Laird said that he hoped to do away with draft calls entirely by mid-1973.

Society
Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, released a report highly critical of the failure of federal agencies to enforce civil rights laws under recent administrations.

Politics and government
A bill to limit television and radio spending by U.S. political candidates was vetoed by President Nixon. The veto came under almost immediate attack by Democratic party politicians who said that Mr. Nixon returned the bill to Congress because it would have taken effect in 1972, when Mr. Nixon would be seeking re-election as President.

Religion
The U.S. Episcopal Church general convention’s House of Deputies admitted women as full-fledged members for the first time.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (3-8) 17 @ Hamilton (6-5) 24
Calgary (7-6) 13 @ Edmonton (7-6) 16

Rain and mud contributed to 6 fumbles by the Rough Riders, 4 of which were recovered by the Tiger-Cats. The Hamilton defense also made 2 interceptions off Ottawa quarterback Gary Wood. Wally Gabler, playing his first complete game at quarterback for the Tiger-Cats since being acquired from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers two weeks earlier, handed off to Ed Buchanan for a 2-yard touchdown run and passed 15 yards to Mr. Buchanan for another major score. Dave Fleming rushed 13 yards for the other Hamilton touchdown. Tommy-Joe Coffey converted 2 of the touchdowns and kicked a 28-yard field goal, and Paul McKay punted for a single. Hugh Oldham scored the first Ottawa touchdown on a 56-yard pass from Mr. Wood in the 1st quarter, and Gene Wren rushed 1 yard for his only CFL touchdown in the 4th quarter. Ivan MacMillan converted the first Rough Rider touchdown and added a 35-yard field goal and a single on a wide field goal attempt. 21,035 attended the game at Civic Stadium.

Mike Law returned a blocked punt 24 yards for a touchdown with 1:35 remaining in the 2nd quarter and Dave Cutler converted and kicked field goals 28, 39, and 25 yards as the Eskimos edged the Stampeders before a Clarke Stadium record crowd of 23,846, which included this blogger and his brother. It was the first football game I ever attended. Calgary defensive end Craig Koinzan recovered a fumble by Edmonton quarterback Don Trull at the Eskimo 19-yard line in the 2nd quarter to set up the game’s first score, a 10-yard pass from Larry Lawrence to Herm Harrison, converted by Larry Robinson. The Eskimos struck back with 13 points in the last 2:21 of the half--Mr. Cutler’s first field goal at 12:39; Mr. Law’s touchdown after Howie Schumm blocked a punt by Ron Stewart; and Mr. Cutler’s second field goal, with 5 seconds remaining. The Stampeders tied the game in the 3rd quarter on a 1-yard rush by Hugh McKinnis, set up by a 39-yard completion from Mr. Lawrence to Dave Cranmer. Mr. Robinson missed the convert. In the 4th quarter, Mr. Lawrence fumbled when hit by Mr. Schumm and Greg Pipes, and Dave Gasser recovered on the Calgary 47-yard line. Jim Thomas rushed for 29 yards, setting up Mr. Cutler’s third field goal at 7:13. Mr. Thomas finished with 55 yards on 15 carries; R.C. Gamble, in his third and last game as an Eskimo, carried 5 times for 24 yards and caught 1 pass for 3 yards. Mr. McKinnis rushed 12 times for 52 yards. Mr. Harrison led all receivers with 51 yards on 4 receptions. Mr. Trull completed 12 of 18 passes for 82 yards; Mr. Lawrence was 12 for 25 for 174 yards. The Eskimos had just 9 first downs and 127 yards net offense, while the Stampeders weren’t much better with 15 first downs and 191 yards net offense. It was the fifth straight win for the Eskimos.

NFL
Green Bay (3-1) 22 @ San Diego (0-3-1) 20

40 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Upside Down--Diana Ross

#1 single in Switzerland: Upside Down--Diana Ross (6th week at #1)

Oil
Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed announced that Alberta would curtail oil production by 25% beginning March 1, 1981.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (6-8) 17 @ Montreal (8-6) 34
Winnipeg (9-4) 39 @ Saskatchewan (2-12) 16

Skip Walker rushed 18 times for 85 yards and touchdowns of 1 and 25 yards, while David Green rushed 19 times for 86 yards and a 4-yard touchdown to lead the Alouettes past the Rough Riders before 31, 919 fans at Olympic Stadium. Montreal quarterback Gerry Dattilio completed 15 of 25 passes for 210 yards and an 11-yard touchdown to Fred Biletnikoff. Bruce Walker scored the first Ottawa touchdown on a 50-yard punt return in the 1st quarter, while Jim Reid rushed 3 yards in the 2nd quarter for the only offensive touchdown for the Rough Riders, who had just 10 first downs and 137 yards net offense.

In a game in which the team with the favouring wind scored most of the points, the Blue Bombers came back from a 12-0 1st-quarter deficit to defeat the Roughriders before 23,938 fans at Taylor Field in Regina. Lester Brown, who carried 13 times for 85 yards, rushed 2 yards for the game’s first touchdown just 3:20 into the game. Winnipeg quarterback Dieter Brock got the offense going in the 2nd quarter and finished with 25 completions in 39 pass attempts for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns--5 yards to Rick House and 11 and 17 yards to Joe Poplawski. Mark Bragagnolo of the Blue Bombers scored the last touchdown on a 16-yard rush with 10 seconds remaining in the game. The Blue Bombers almost doubled the Roughriders’ offensive production, with 25 first downs to 13 for Saskatchewan and 398 yards net offense to 206 for the Roughriders. Mr. Poplawski led all receivers with 107 yards on 6 receptions. William Miller led the Winnipeg ground game with 70 yards on 18 carries, while Mr. Bragagnolo picked up 35 on just 5 carries.

Baseball
National League Championship Series
Philadelphia 8 @ Houston 7 (10 innings) (Philadelphia won best-of-five series 3-2)

Trailing 5-2, the Phillies scored 5 runs in the top of the 8th inning to take a 7-5 lead over the Astros at the Astrodome, only to have the Astros score 2 runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. In the top of the 10th, Garry Maddox doubled in Del Unser for the winning run as the Phillies held on for an 8-7 win and their first NL pennant in 30 years. Dick Ruthven pitched the last 2 innings to get the win, while Frank LaCorte took the loss. Houston manager Bill Virdon blundered by removing veterans Joe Morgan and Art Howe in favour of substitutes when the Astros were leading 5-2, and Mr. Morgan was so furious at Mr. Virdon that he joined the San Francisco Giants in the off-season.



30 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Rifaat el-Mahgoub, 64. Egyptian politician. Dr. Maghoub was an economist who was active in the Socialist Union in the 1960s. He held various offices in the administrations of Presidents Anwar al-Sadat and Hosni Mubarak, and supervised the establishment of the country's multi-party system. Mr. Mahgoub was gunned down by Islamic Jihad terrorists while in his car on the streets of Cairo.

Diplomacy
The United Nations endorsed a joint Canadian-British resolution condemning Israel for the October 8 shooting of Palestinians at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Baseball
National League Championship Series
Pittsburgh 1 @ Cincinnati 2 (Cincinnati won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Pinch hitter Luis Quinones singled home Ron Oester in the bottom of the 7th inning to break a 1-1 tie as the Reds edged the Pirates before 56,079 fans at Riverfront Stadium for their first NL pennant in 14 years. Cincinnati starting pitcher Danny Jackson pitched 6 innings; Norm Charlton pitched 1 inning, and Randy Myers pitched the last 2 innings for the win. The 3 Reds’ pitchers combined to give up just 1 hit, a double by Carmelo Martinez in the 5th inning that drove in the Pirates’ only run. Mr. Martinez hit a long drive in the 9th with a man on base, but was robbed of a home run by a brilliant catch by Glenn Braggs.



25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Lucky Love--Ace of Base

Politics and government
Ian McClelland, MP (Reform--Edmonton Southwest) addressed the University of Alberta Reform Club, who were meeting in the Business building.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that prices received by producers of finished goods had risen 0.3% in September, the largest advance in eight months.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (2-14) 30 @ San Antonio (10-6) 43

David Archer completed passes to Mike Saunders, David Gamble, and Billy Hess for touchdowns and handed off to Mike Saunders for another TD as the Texans took a 33-0 halftime lead and coasted to victory over the Rough Riders before 10,027 fans at the Alamodome. Mr. Saunders scored his third touchdown of the game on a 13-yard pass from Mr. Archer in the 3rd quarter. Deon Strother scored the first Ottawa TD in the 3rd quarter, and Sammy Garza threw 19 yards to Jay Christensen for an Ottawa TD in the 4th. Ray Alexander scored 2 Ottawa TDs in the 4th quarter on a 76-yard punt return and an 18-yard pass from Mr. Garza.

20 years ago
2000

Terrorism
While the American warship USS Cole was stopping for refuelling in Aden, Yemen, a bomb, apparently a suicide explosion by terrorists, tore a hole in the ship, killing 17 American sailors and injuring at least 40.

War
Palestinians seized and killed two Israeli reserve soldiers in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Israel responded with rocket attacks from helicopter gunships on Ramallah and Gaza City.

Literature
Gao Xingjian became the first Chinese writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, "for an oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity."

Baseball
National League Championship Series
New York 6 @ St. Louis 5 (New York led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Jay Payton drove in the winning run in the top of the 9th inning for the Mets as they edged the Cardinals 6-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium. Mike Piazza hit a home run for the Mets.



10 years ago
2010

Died on this date
Belva Plain, 95. U.S. authoress. Mrs. Plain wrote short stories and novels, often featuring strong-willed Jewish women. She died three days after her 95th birthday.

George Tilton, 87. U.S. geochemist. Dr. Tilton worked at Carnegie Institution of Washington (1951-1965) and then at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He specialized in uranium-lead geochronology, and was the first to measure a Uranium-lead date on zircon. Dr. Tilton and Clair Patterson used their methods to estimate the age of Earth at 4.55 billion years.

Woody Peoples, 67. U.S. football player. Mr. Peoples was a guard at Grambling College in the early 1960s, but wasn't drafted by any professional team. He played semi-pro football before playing with the San Francisco 49ers (1968-1977) and Philadelphia Eagles (1978-1980). Mr. Peoples was selected to the National Football Conference Pro Bowl team in 1972 and 1973, and ended his career in the 1981 Super Bowl.

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced that the Canadian government had a $55.6-billion deficit in 2009; it was the largest in Canadian history, surpassing the previous high of $13 billion in 1993-94.

Baseball
American League Division Series
Texas 5 @ Tampa Bay 1 (Texas won best-of-five series 3-2)