November 9, 2020

400 years ago
1620

Americana
Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower sighted land at Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

300 years ago
1720

Abominations
The synagogue of Judah HeHasid was broken into and burned down by Arab creditors, leading to the expulsion of the Ashkenazi Jews from Jerusalem by Ottoman authorities.

250 years ago
1770

Died on this date
John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll, 77 (?). U.K. military officer and politician. Mr. Campbell joined the British Army in 1710 and rose to the rank of lieutenent general, serving in the War of the Austrian Succession. He represented several ridings in the House of Commons from 1713-1761, succeeding his father as Member of Parliament for Dunbartonshire in 1727, representing the constituency until succeeding his father as Duke of Argyll.

240 years ago
1780

War
In the Battle of Fishdam Ford, a force of British and Loyalist troops failed in a surprise attack against the South Carolina Patriot militia under Brigadier General Thomas Sumter.

180 years ago
1840

Born on this date
Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau. Canadian politician. Sir Joseph-Adolphe, a Conservative, represented Terrebonne in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1867-1882 and served as Premier of Quebec from 1879-1882. He represented Terrebonne in the Canadian House of Commons from 1882-1892, holding several cabinet posts. Sir Joseph-Adolphe was Lieutenant Governor of Quebec from December 5, 1892-January 20, 1898. He died on June 13, 1898 at the age of 57.

Kuroda Kiyotaka. Prime Minister of Japan, 1888-1889, 1896. Count Kiyotaka was born into a Samurai family. He served in the Anglo-Satsuma War in 1863, and eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army. Count Kiyotaka oversaw the promulgation of the Meiji Constitution during his time as Prime Minister, but was forced to resign as a result of inability to secure revision of the unequal treaties with China. He was Japan's Minister of Communications in 1892; Prime Minister again from August 31-September 18, 1896; and President of the Privy Council from 1894 until his death from a brain hemorrhage on August 23, 1900 at the age of 59.

130 years ago
1890

Born on this date
George Regas. Greek-born U.S. actor. Mr. Regas played various ethnic roles in action and adventure movies. He died on December 13, 1940 at the age of 50 after an operation for a throat infection.

125 years ago
1895

Football
CRU
ORFU
Finals
University of Toronto 7 @ Queen's College 12 (University of Toronto won 2-game, total points series 26-14)

100 years ago
1920

Born on this date
Byron De La Beckwith. U.S. terrorist. Mr. Beckwith was a member of the White Citizens' Council and the Ku Klux Klan. He murdered Negro civil rights leader Medgar Evers on June 12, 1963, but two trials in 1964 before all-white juries resulted in hung juries. Mr. Beckwith was arrested in 1975 while apparently on his way to murder liberal activist A.I. Botnick and was acquitted of conspiracy to commit murder, but he was convicted of transporting explosives without a permit, and served almost three years in solitary confinement. He boasted of getting away with the murder of Mr. Evers, but new evidence led to a reopening of the case, and Mr. Beckwith was tried again and convicted in 1994. He was sentenced to life in prison, and died in hospital on January 21, 2001 at the age of 80 while being treated for heart disease and high blood pressure.

90 years ago
1930

Football
NFL
Minneapolis (1-5-1) 0 @ Brooklyn (5-2-1) 34
Portsmouth (4-4-2) 13 @ Staten Island (3-4-2) 13
Frankford (3-10-1) 7 @ Providence (5-3-1) 7
New York (10-1) 13 @ Chicago Cardinals (4-5-2) 7
Green Bay (8-0) 13 @ Chicago Bears (4-4-1) 12

80 years ago
1940

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Only Forever--Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Neville Chamberlain, 71. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1937-1940. Mr. Chamberlain, a Conservative, was first elected to the House of Commons in 1919, and held several positions before succeeding Stanley Baldwin as Prime Minister. Mr. Chamberlain was one of the heads of government who negotiated the Munich agreement in September 1938, which resulted in the German-speaking Sudetenland region of Czechoslvakia being ceded to Germany. Mr. Chamberlain proclaimed that the agreement had produced "Peace for our time," but that proved to be untrue when German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler ordered the invasion of the Czech provinces of Bohemia and Moravia in March 1939 and the invasion of Poland six months later. The German invasion of Norway in May 1940 led to a heated debate in the British House of Commons, and Mr. Chamberlain resigned in favour of Winston Churchill. Mr. Chamberlain was appointed Lord President of the Council and served in Mr. Churchill's war cabinet, but was soon diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer, and he resigned on October 3.

Music
Sergei Rachmaninoff performed a piano recital at Carnegie Hall in New York, and the reaction from the overflow audience was so enthusiastic that he returned to the stage and played for another half hour.

War
A Greek report said that Italy’s Centaur Division of 15,000 men, trapped by Greek troops in the Pindus Mountain region, had surrendered. After conquering Lambarene in the interior of Gabon, Free French forces led by General Charles de Gaulle landed near Libreville, Gabon’s most important port. The city of Warsaw was awarded the War Order of Virtuti Militari--Poland's highest decoration for courage and heroism in the face of the enemy--for her defense against the invasion by German forces in 1939.

Defense
The U.S. War Department disclosed that new dive bombers were being delivered to the Army Air Corps by the Douglas Aircraft Company.

Scandal
Samuel Mustain, former president of Continental Securities Corporation, was convicted by a U.S. federal grand jury of defrauding investors of more than $1 million through the sale of oil royalties and securities.

Labour
The California State Supreme Court denied a rehearing in the Howard automobile case, which had held the closed shop to be legal and had upheld the sedondary boycott and declared that the courts had no right to enjoin peaceful picketing.

Sport
The Mexican Army team won the International Low-Score Challenge Trophy at the National Horse Show in New York.

Football
CRU
IRFU
Hamilton (2-4) 18 @ Ottawa (5-1) 19
Montreal (1-5) 11 @ Toronto (4-2) 15

ORFU
Toronto (6-0) 9 @ Hamilton (1-4-1) 3
Sarnia (4-2) 6 Camp Borden (0-5-1) 0 @ London

WIFU
Finals
Calgary 2 @ Winnipeg 23 (Winnipeg won best-of-three series 2-0)

The Blue Bombers took advantage of Bronk turnovers to score all their touchdowns and take a 20-0 halftime lead before 3,500 fans on a bitterly cold day at Osborne Stadium. Bill Nairn scored the first touchdown when he recovered a fumble in the Calgary end zone; Greg Kabat converted for a 6-0 Winnipeg lead. The second touchdown came on a spectacular "hot potato" play: Bud Marquardt intercepted a pass by Calgary's Ed Rorvig and lateralled to Ches McCance, who then lateralled to Jeff Nicklin, who then lateralled to Benny Hatskin, who raced down the sidelines into the end zone. Mr. Kabat converted to make the score 12-0. After a field goal by Mr. Kabat increased Winnipeg's lead to 15-0, the Blue Bombers scored on yet another Calgary turnover when Mr. Marquardt fell on a fumble in the end zone. Bill Nairn's convert attempt was blocked, leaving the Blue Bombers with a 20-point lead at halftime. Mr. Kabat added another field goal to conclude the Winnipeg scoring. The Bronks finally got on the scoreboard late in the 3rd quarter when Art Stevenson of the Blue Bombers fielded a punt outside his goal line but was pushed back into the end zone and was trapped for a safety touch. This was the Calgary team's last game under the name Bronks, and the last game of senior football played by a Calgary team until 1945.

75 years ago
1945

At the movies
The House I Live In, a short film directed and co-produced by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Frank Sinatra, opened in theatres.



Literature
The novels The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West and Repent in Haste by John P. Marquand were published.

War
Chinese Communists cancelled peace talks with the Nationalists and announced their intention to oppose Nationalist efforts to enter Manchuria and other “liberated areas.”

Defense
Czechoslovakian Premier Zdenek Fierlinger told Parliament that the U.S.S.R. and U.S.A. had agreed to withdraw their troops from Czechoslovakia.

The Japanese cabinet ended conscription.

U.S. Army Lieutenant General James Doolittle told a U.S. Senate committee that he favoured a merger of the armed forces, stressing the need for an air command.

Diplomacy
Before departing for the United States, British Prime Minister Clement Attlee said that he would discuss with U.S. President Harry Truman "not so much how to control atomic energy as what kind of world society is necessary.”

Economics and finance
The U.S. National Association of Manufacturers urged an end to all Office of Price Administration controls, except on rents, because the controls retarded production.

Labour
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board reported that United Auto Workers at Ford Motor Company had voted to strike in support of their demand for a 30% wage increase.

70 years ago
1950

War
In the first jet plane dogfight in history, a dozen Soviet-made MiG-15s att four U.S. Shooting Stars near the temporary North Korean capital of Sinujiu. American sources reported one enemy jet shot down and one damaged, with no American losses.

Diplomacy
The Spanish government-in-exile in Paris protested the lifting of the United Nations boycott of the Spanish regime of Generalissimo Francisco Franco.

Medicine
University of Chicago researcher John Edgcomb reported that primaquine, used in combination with quinine, was a "practically 100% cure" for recurring malaria.

Economics and finance
New York Stock Exchange prices rose 1-8 points after the news of Republican Party gaines in U.S. mid-term elections.

Labour
33,000 members of the Congress of Industrial Organizations Communications Workers union struck Western Electric and Michigan Bell, affecting long distance and non-dial service. The union sought a 15c hourly wage increase.

60 years ago
1960

On the radio
Radio Moscow news:



Football
CFL
The Montreal Alouettes traded legendary quarterback Sam Etcheverry and star receiver Hal Patterson to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for quarterback Bernie Faloney and defensive end Don Paquette. Montreal fans were so outraged by the trade that the team offices received at least one bomb threat. The quarterback swap ended up being voided when Mr. Etcheverry claimed that his contract had been violated, and he signed with the National Football League’s St. Louis Cardinals for the 1961 season. Mr. Patterson ended up going to Hamilton in exchange for Mr. Paquette.

50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Lookin' Out My Back Door/Long as I Can See the Light--Creedence Clearwater Revival

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kyōto no Koi--Yūko Nagisa

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Quiero Abrazarte Tanto--Víctor Manuel

Died on this date
Charles de Gaulle, 79. President of France, 1958-1969. General de Gaulle was the leader of the Free French forces during World War II. Shortly after the war he was elected provisional President of the Fourth Republic, but resigned after leftist parties withdrew their support. When the Fourth Republic was threatened with collapse in 1958 because of division over the war involving French troops in Algeria, Gen. de Gaulle was recalled to power. He engineered a new constitution vesting strong powers in the executive branch of government and establishing the Fifth Republic. Gen. de Gaulle negotiated independence for Algeria and withdrew French troops from NATO. He survived the upheavals caused by student protests in 1968, but resigned as President in 1969 after the defeat of a referendum for constitutional reform. Gen. de Gaulle died from a ruptured blood vessel in his neck, 13 days before his 80th birthday.

Law
The Supreme Court of the United States voted 6–3 against hearing Massachusetts v. Laird, a case to allow Massachusetts to enforce its law granting residents the right to refuse military service in an undeclared war.

40 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Master Blaster (Jammin')--Stevie Wonder (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Master Blaster (Jammin')--Stevie Wonder (2nd week at #1)

Space
The U.S. probe Voyager 1 was within 2.5 million miles of Saturn and gathering speed. New photographs showed contrasting bands of pale yellow, golden brown, and reddish brown running parallel to the planet’s equator, as well as jet streams in its hydrogen-helium atmosphere.

War
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein declared that his country was engaged in a holy war against Iran to defend the ideals of the prophet Muhammad.

Economics and finance
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein announced that prices of gasoline and kerosene would be raised 300%, and the distribution of both sugar and electricity would be curtailed. On the other side of the war, Iran announced a tripling of gasoline prices and restrictions on sugar and electricity.

On the radio
The Calgary broadcast of the CFL Western Semi-final game between the Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers marked the last game for Eric Bishop as the voice of the Stampeders and Wayne Conrad as colour commentator. The radio braodcasts of Stampeders games in 1980 had been carried on CFAC after 6 years on CFCN. In 1981 CFCN resumed broadcasting the games, with Ken Newans calling the play-by-play and Doug Mitchell providing colour commentary.

Football
CFL
Western Semi-Final
Calgary 14 @ Winnipeg 32

Eugene Goodlow caught 5 passes for 125 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown to open the scoring, as the Blue Bombers took a 21-0 lead after the 1st quarter and cruised to victory before a Winnipeg Stadium crowd of 31,622. It was the Blue Bombers’ first playoff win in 14 years. Mark Bragagnolo, playing perhaps the best game of his CFL career, rushed for touchdowns of 4 and 1 yards to give Winnipeg the big lead. Bob Cameron punted for a single in the 2nd quarter to make the score 22-0, but James Sykes rushed 3 yards for a touchdown with 3:23 remaining in the quarter to make the score 22-7 after J.T. Hay’s convert. Mr. Kennerd missed a 47-yard field goal for a single with 22 seconds remaining to make the halftime score 23-7. The score could have been more lopsided, but Mr. Bragagnolo fumbled at the Calgary 1-yard line late in the 2nd quarter, and John Palazeti recovered for Calgary. The Stampeders started to get the better of the play in the 3rd quarter, and Ken Johnson completed a 38-yard touchdown pass to Ron Robinson just 2:16 into the 2nd half, set up when Paul Bennett of the Blue Bombers fumbled a punt, and Calgary recovered. Mr. Hay’s convert reduced the deficit to 23-14. The Stampeders mounted a drive early in the 4th quarter, but atrocious field conditions hurt them when Willie Burden slipped on the icy surface and was stopped at the Winnipeg 1-yard line on a third-down gamble. If the Calgary defense had held they might have given the offense another chance, but Mr. Bragagnolo burst through the line for a 64-yard run, and the Stampeders never threatened thereafter. Mr. Kennerd kicked field goals of 27, 27, and 33 yards to put the game away. Mr. Bragagnolo led all rushers with 100 yards on 8 carries, with teammate William Miller carrying 17 times for 64 yards. Mr. Sykes led the Stampeders with 52 yards on 11 carries, while Mr. Burden added 25 on 3 carries. Mr. Robinson led the Stampeders with 104 yards on 6 pass receptions, and Mr. Sykes added 76 yards on 7 catches. Winnipeg quarterback Dieter Brock completed 17 of 24 passes for 292 yards and the touchdown to Mr. Goodlow, while Mr. Johnson completed 26 of 46 for 367 yards.


CIAU
OQIC Championship
Ottawa 13 Queen’s 12

Rick Zmich completed a 47-yard touchdown pass to Don Burns, and Andy Katz kicked the decisive convert for the Gee-Gees as they edged the Golden Gaels.

30 years ago
1990

Politics and government
Mary Robinson was declared elected as President of Ireland after the votes of the third-place candidate in the first round of voting on November 7 were distributed according to the second-choice preferences of those voters.

Indian President Ramaswamy Venkataraman chose Chandra Seklar, a Socialist, to be the country’s new Prime Minister.

A large crowd attended a Reform Party of Canada rally at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, with party leader Preston Manning the main speaker.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that producer prices for finished goods had risen 1.1% in October.

25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V.

Economics and finance
The Bank of Mexico intervened to bolster the peso after it hit a record low value of 7.8 to the U.S. dollar amid uncertainty over Mexico's economic recovery plans.

20 years ago
2000

At the movies
This blogger attended a preview screening of Red Planet, a movie that was boring and forgettable. It was directed by Antony Hoffman, and starred Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Tom Sizemore.



Died on this date
Eric Morley, 82. U.K. television host. Mr. Morley began his career in the 1940s, and created the long-running television program Come Dancing in 1949. He founded the Miss World pageant in 1951, and hosted it until his death from a heart attack.

Sherwood Johnston, 73. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Johnston raced on the Sports Car Club of America circuit from 1952-1956, winning the SCCA Championship in his first season. He combined with Bill Spear to finish first in their class and third overall in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1954. Mr. Johnston retired from auto racing after the 1955 disaster at Le Mans in which more than 80 spectators were killed, but returned to racing in 1969. He had little success, and retired early in the 1970 season when he was having trouble with his eyes.

Indianica
Uttarakhand officially became the 27th state of India, formed from 13 districts of northwestern Uttar Pradesh.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Bill Clinton met with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Washington, D.C. Mr. Arafat requested deployment of 2,000 United Nations peacekeepers between Palestinians and Israeli troops, but Mr. Clinton declined to support the request.

Politics and government
The winner of the November 7 U.S. presidential election was still undetermined, with the result depending on the results from Florida. An incomplete count of ballots showed Texas Governor and Republican Party candidate George W. Bush leading Vice President and Democratic Party candidate Al Gore by 1,784 votes in Florida. Mr. Gore’s campaign requested manual recounts in the counties of Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Volusia.

The leaders of the major Canadian political parties--Prime Minister Jean Chretien (Liberal); Stockwell Day (Canadian Alliance); Alexa McDonough (New Democratic Party); and Gilles Duceppe (Bloc Quebecois)--engaged in their English-language debate. The federal election was scheduled for November 27.