June 10, 2021

1,350 years ago
671

Technology
Emperor Tenji of Japan introduced a water clock (clepsydra) called Rokoku. The instrument, which measured time and indicated hours, was placed in the capital of Ōtsu.

425 years ago
1596

Exploration
Dutch explorers Willem Barents and Jacob van Heemskerk discovered Bear Island, Norway.

410 years ago
1611

Canadiana
Pierre Biard, a Jesuit missionary at Port Royal, Nova Scotia, wrote the first recorded letter sent to France from the new world.

230 years ago
1791

Politics and government
The British Parliament passed the Constitutional Act to meet the demands of the Loyalists and give the inhabitants of Québec the same rights as other British subjects in North America; the Act divided the province of Québec into two new provinces--Lower Canada and Upper Canada; provided for an appointed legislative council and an elected legislative assembly, gave power over taxation given to the assembly, and gave the Governor power to withhold assent to bills passed by the legislative council and assembly. The act also declared that the Roman Catholic faith should continue to be respected, but makes provisions for lands (clergy reserves) to be set aside to support the Protestant clergy in each province. The Act received Royal Assent on June 19, and went into effect on December 26, 1791.

210 years ago
1801

War
The Tripolitan War between the United States and the Barbary States (Tripolitania, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco) began when Tripoli declared war on the United States in a dispute over safe passage of merchant vessels through the Mediterranean.

160 years ago
1861

War
Confederate troops under John B. Magruder defeated a much larger Union force led by General Ebenezer W. Pierce in the Battle of Big Bethel in Virginia.

150 years ago
1871

War
Captain McLane Tilton led 109 U.S. Marines in a naval attack on Han River forts on Kanghwa Island, Korea.

130 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Al Dubin. Swiss-born U.S. songwriter. Mr. Dubin, with Joe Burke, co-wrote Tiptoe Through the Tulips with Me, one of the most popular songs of 1929. He then teamed up with Harry Warren, and the two wrote such songs as Shuffle Off to Buffalo; We're in the Money; I Only Have Eyes for You; and Lullaby of Broadway. Mr. Dubin was a heavy drinker, and died in hospital at the age of 53 on February 11, 1945, three days after collapsing on the street after overdosing on a prescription of barbiturates.

120 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Frederick Loewe. German born U.S. composer. Mr. Loewe collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady (1956) and Camelot (1960). He died on February 14, 1988 at the age of 86.

Disasters
Fire destroyed much of the residential district in Michel, British Columbia.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Terence Rattigan. U.K. playwright. Sir Terence was known for plays such as French Without Tears (1936); The Winslow Boy (1946); The Browning Version (1948); and Separate Tables (1954). He died of bone cancer on November 30, 1977 at the age of 66.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Jean Robic. French cyclist. Mr. Robic raced professionally from 1943-1961, and was best known for winning the Tour de France in 1947. He was killed in a car accident on October 6, 1980 at the age of 59.

Chuck Thompson. U.S. sportscaster. Mr. Thompson worked at radio stations in various locations before broadcasting games of the Philadelphia Phillies and Athletics in the late 1940s, before moving to Baltimore, calling games of the Baltimore Orioles on radio and television through 1987 and the Baltimreo Colts until the team's move to Indianapolis after the 1983 season. He returned to call Orioles' games on radio on a part-time basis from 1991-2000. Mr. Thompson died on March 6, 2005 at the age of 83 after suffering a stroke.

Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince consort of the United Kingdom, 1952-2021. Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu into the Greek and Danish royal families, but his family was exiled from Greece when he as 18 months old. He joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and served in World War II in the British Mediterranean and Pacific fleets. Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth on November 20, 1947, several months after he had abandoned his Greek and Danish titles and become a naturalized British subject. He became prince consort when Elizabeth acceded to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II upon the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952. Prince Philip's achievements were too numerous to mention here; he retired from royal duties on August 2, 2017 at the age of 96. Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021, three months after receiving the Covid-19 non-vaccine, and just over two months before his 100th birthday.

80 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Henry Wise Wood, 81. U.S.-born Canadian agrarian theorist. Mr. Wood, a native of Missouri, moved to Carstairs, Alberta in 1905. He was President of the United Farmers of Alberta from 1916-1931, and served as an adviser to the UFA when they formed the provincial government from 1921-1934. Henry Wise Wood Senior High School in Calgary, of which this blogger is an alumnus, is named in his honour.

War
British headquarters announced that U.K. and Free French forces had advanced to within 15 miles of Damascus. French Prime Minister François Darlan, in a broadcast from Vichy, appealed to the French people to help him conciliate Germany and thus obtain better peace terms.

Crime
Charles "The Bug" Workman was sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to the October 24, 1935 murder of gangster Dutch Schultz.

Labour
A Gallup Poll reported 76% of people questioned saying that defense strikes should be forbidden. North American Aviation strikers at the company's plant in Inglewood, California voted at a mass meeting to return to work; more than 5,000 of the day shift's 7,000 workers returned to their jobs. Alcoa and Congress of Industrial Organizations officials accepted the National Defense Mobilization Board's proposals to settle a one-day strike at the company's Cleveland plants, but 4,000 CIO United Auto Workers of America members began a strike at the Bohn Aluminum and Brass Corporation in Detroit.

75 years ago
1946

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Gypsy--The Ink Spots (4th week at #1)
--Dinah Shore
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
2 Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)--Dinah Shore
--Andy Russell
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
3 Prisoner of Love--Perry Como
--The Ink Spots
4 Cement Mixer (Put-ti Put-ti)--Alvino Rey and his Orchestra
--Charlie Barnet and his Orchestra
5 All Through the Day--Frank Sinatra
--Perry Como
6 I'm a Big Girl Now--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
7 Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop--Tex Beneke with the Glenn Miller Orchestra
--Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra
8 Sioux City Sue--Bing Crosby and the Jesters
9 They Say it's Wonderful--Perry Como
--Frank Sinatra
10 Doin' What Comes Natur'lly--Dinah Shore with Spade Cooley and his Orchestra
--Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra

New singles entering the chart were All the Time, with versions by Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra; and Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (#20); The Whiffenpoof Song (Baa! Baa! Baa!) by Tex Beneke with the Glenn Miller Orchestra (#29); Ashby De La Zooch, with versions by Tommy Tucker Time; and the Merry Macs (#33); Surrender, with versions by Perry Como; and Woody Herman and his Orchestra (#34); and Amado Mio by Dick Haymes (#41). Both versions of All the Time were the other side of Love on a Greyhound Bus, charting at #13. The Whiffenpoof Song (Baa! Baa! Baa!) was the B-side of Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop. Amado Mio was originally from the movie Gilda (1946).

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Gale Gordon and Art Gilmore, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Black Museum

Died on this date
Jack Johnson, 68. U.S. boxer. Mr. Johnson was the first Negro to hold the world heavyweight title, defeating Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia on December 26, 1908. Mr. Johnson's victory, and his flamboyant lifestyle--which included sexual relationships with white women--inspired much outrage, and launched an era of "White Hope" contenders for the title. Mr. Johnson easily defeated all comers, most famously former world champion Jim Jeffries, who came out of a five-year retirement in 1910 to fight Mr. Johnson. Mr. Johnson scored a 15-round knockout, becoming the only man to knock Mr. Jeffries down. U.S. authorities instigated charges against Mr. Johnson for violating the Mann Act, which prohibited transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes. Mr. Johnson then fled the United States, and spent the next several years abroad. He defended his title in Havana against white American Jess Willard on April 5, 1915, and was knocked out in the 26th round. Mr. Johnson returned to the United States in 1920 to serve his prison sentence, and was released in 1921; he continued to box for years after that, but was never a serious title contender again. Mr. Johnson recorded an official professional record of 71-11-11-3; he had many unofficial fights. He was killed in a car accident on a highway in North Carolina while driving angrily away from a diner that had refused to serve him.

William Whitcomb. U.S. industrialist. Mr. Whitcomb, president of the Great Northern Paper Company, was shot dead in his office in Boston.

War
General Draja Mikhailovich, Chetnik leader, and 23 others went on trial in Belgrade on charges of treason and collaboration with the Germans and Italians during World War II. In Nuremberg, former Nazi Netherlands Commissioner Arthur Seyss-Inquart testified that he had objected to Gestapo shootings but could not prevent them.

Politics and government
Italy officially replaced its monarchy with a republic, eight days after 54.3% of voters in a referendum had favoured a republic. King Umberto II was exiled to Portugal after just 40 days on the throne.

The dominant Popular Republican Movement endorsed Foreign Minister Georges Bidault for the office of Prime Minister of France.

The U.S. Supreme Court voted 4-3 against an appeal for reapportionment of Illinois congressioanl districts, ruling that "it is hostile to democracy to involve the judiciary in the politics of the people."

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a naturalized citizen may be deprived of his citizenship if he violated his oath of allegiance.

Robert Jackson, chief U.S. prosecutor in the trials of accused Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg, charged that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black had participated in decisions involving a former law partner.

Business
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld fines totalling $225,000 against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co., and American Tobacco Co. for violation of antitrust laws.

Labour
Brazil reported that only 3,000 of 50,000 men who had been sent to the upper Amazon River during World War II to extract rubber for the Allies had returned, with the fate of the others remaining unknown.

70 years ago
1951

On the radio
Mr. Moto, starring James Monks, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Dead Land

Politics and government
Communists and their Left Socialist allies lost control over 263 towns and cities in Italian municipal elections, leaving Bologna the only major Italian city with a Communist administration.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Runaway--Del Shannon (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Wheels (Vier Schimmel, ein Wagen)--Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): Wheels--The String-A-Longs (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Surrender--Elvis Presley (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Travelin’ Man--Ricky Nelson
2 Running Scared--Roy Orbison
3 Daddy’s Home--Shep and the Limelites
4 Mama Said--The Shirelles
5 I Feel So Bad--Elvis Presley
6 Stand by Me—Ben E. King
7 Breakin’ in a Brand New Broken Heart--Connie Francis
8 A Hundred Pounds of Clay--Gene McDaniels
9 Little Devil—Neil Sedaka
10 Hello Walls—Faron Young

Singles entering the chart were Nature Boy by Bobby Darin (#70); Cupid by Sam Cooke (#77); Ole Buttermilk Sky by Bill Black’s Combo (#78); Big Boss Man by Jimmy Reed (#91); Sacred by the Castells (#92); Please Stay by the Drifters (#96); Stick with Me Baby by the Everly Brothers (#98); Three Hearts in a Tangle by Roy Drusky (#100); I Don’t Mind by James Brown and the Famous Flames (also #100); and Driving Wheel by Little Junior Parker (also #100). Stick with Me Baby was the B-side of Temptation, charting at #48.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door--Eddie Hodges (2nd week at #1)
2 Barbara-Ann--The Regents
3 Moody River--Pat Boone
4 Ring of Fire--Duane Eddy
5 Raindrops--Dee Clark
6 Dance On Little Girl--Paul Anka
7 Everyday--Bobby Lee
8 Wild in the Country/I Feel So Bad--Elvis Presley
9 What a Surprise--Johnny Maestro
10 Girl of My Best Friend--Ral Donner

Singles entering the chart were Lil' Ole Me by Cornbread and Jerry (#29); Daydreams by Johnny Crawford (#39); Love Sweet Love by Jimmy Curtiss (#41); Take a Minute by the String-A-Longs (#43); Quarter to Three by U.S. Bonds (#46); Cupid by Sam Cooke (#49); and Lonesome Road by the Johnny Green Combo (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door--Eddie Hodges
2 Barbara-Ann--The Regents
3 Moody River--Pat Boone
4 Everyday--Bobby Lee
5 Ring of Fire--Duane Eddy
6 Travelin' Man/Hello Mary Lou--Ricky Nelson
7 Fallen Idol--Ken Lyon
8 Jimmy Love--Cathy Carroll
9 Little Devil--Neil Sedaka
10 Lil' Ole Me--Cornbread and Jerry

Singles entering the chart were Hats Off to Larry by Del Shannon (#18); Sea of Heartbreak by Don Gibson (#27); Heart and Soul by Jan and Dean (#30); Never on Sunday by the Chordettes (#31); Quarter to Three by U.S. Bonds (#34); Rama Lama Ding Dong by the Edsels (#38); and Respectable by the Chants (#40). Never on Sunday was a version of the title song of the movie.

At the movies
When the Clock Strikes, directed by Edward L. Cahn, and starring James Brown and Merry Anders, opened in theatres.



Environment
The Quebec Legislative Assembly adopted a bill allowing for the creation of a water purification board.

Horse racing
Sherluck, a 65-1 longshot with Braulio Baeza up, won the 93rd running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, New York in a time of 2:29 1/5, spoiling Carry Back’s attempt to become the first horse since 1948 to win the Triple Crown. First prize money was $104,900. Globemaster placed second.



Boxing
Archie Moore (181-22-9), recognized as world light heavyweight champion by the state athletic commissions of New York, California, and Massachusetts, retained his title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Giulio Rinaldi (25-6) at Madison Square Garden in New York.



50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Here's to You--Joan Baez

Died on this date
Michael Rennie, 61. U.K. actor. Mr. Rennie appeared in more than 50 films and several television series, but was best known for his starring roles in the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and the television series The Third Man (1959-1965). He died of an aortic aneurysm.

Protest
Clashes between leftist students and armed groups of right-wing extremists in Mexico City left 9 students dead and 160 wounded.

Environment
The Canadian Parliament created a new Department of the Environment under a Minister of State; Canada also agreed in principle on a joint attack with the U.S. on pollution in the Great Lakes.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Medley--Stars on 45 (2nd week at #1)
2 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes
3 All Those Years Ago--George Harrison
4 Sukiyaki--A Taste of Honey
5 Morning Train (Nine to Five)--Sheena Easton
6 Take it on the Run--REO Speedwagon
7 I Love You--Climax Blues Band
8 This Little Girl--Gary U.S. Bonds
9 Sweetheart--Franke & the Knockouts
10 Nobody Wins--Elton John

Singles entering the chart were You Make My Dreams by Daryl Hall & John Oates (#18); Seven Year Ache by Rosanne Cash (#19); and America by Neil Diamond (#20).

Died on this date
Jenny Maxwell, 39. U.S. actress. Miss Maxwell appeared in minor roles in 30 movies and television programs from 1958-1968, most notably Blue Hawaii (1961). She and her husband, attorney Ervin "Tip Roeder, 60, were living separately, but were together at home when they were fatally gunned down in an apparent botched robbery. The double murder remains unsolved.

Business
Calgary-based Dome Petroleum bought Hudson's Bay Oil and Gas.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Edmonton (2-0) 25 @ Winnipeg (0-2) 16

Brian Broomell starred at quarterback for the Eskimos in their win over the Blue Bombers at Winnipeg Stadium.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Anata ni aete yokatta (あなたに会えてよかった)--Kyōko Koizumi

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)--De La Soul

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Wind of Change--Scorpions (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
David Croll, 91. Russian-born Canadian politician. Mr. Croll immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 5. He served as Mayor of Windsor, Ontario from 1931-1934 and 1939-1940. A Liberal, Mr. Croll was a Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament from 1934-1943. He then entered federal politics, and represented the Toronto riding of Spadina from 1945-1955. He was denied a cabinet post because of anti-Jewish prejudice in Quebec, as Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent thought the appointment of a Jew to a cabinet post would cost the Liberal Party seats in that province. Mr. St. Laurent appointed Mr. Croll to the Senate in 1955, making him the first Jewish member of the Upper House. Mr. Croll was the author of the Report of the Special Senate Committee on Poverty (1971), and also chaired the Senate's special committee on aging. Mr. Croll was appointed at a time when Senators were appointed for life, and he died at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa several hours after attending an afternoon session.

Crime
Jaycee Dugard, 11, was abducted by Phillip and Nancy Garrido while walking home from school in South Lake Tahoe, California. Jaycee was held by the couple in Antioch, California for 18 years before she was found by authorities in August 2009.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La danza de los 40 limones--Juan Antonio Canta (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Lemon Tree--Fools Garden (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Macarena--Los Del Rio (2nd week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Old Man & Me (When I Get to Heaven)--Hootie & the Blowfish (3rd week at #1)
2 Give Me One Reason--Tracy Chapman
3 Always Be My Baby--Mariah Carey
4 Because You Loved Me--Céline Dion
5 You Learn--Alanis Morissette
6 Ahead by a Century--The Tragically Hip
7 Dreamer's Dream--Tom Cochrane
8 Everything Falls Apart--Dog's Eye View
9 The Only Thing that Looks Good on Me is You--Bryan Adams
10 Fastlove--George Michael

Singles entering the chart were Let it Flow by Toni Braxton (#80); Counting Blue Cars by Dishwalla (#82); Change the World by Eric Clapton (#94); I'm Getting Used to You by Selena (#96); One by One by Cher (#97); Just Scream by Tom Cochrane (#98); and Take Me to Your Leader by the Newsboys (#99). Change the World was from the movie Phenomenon (1996).

Died on this date
Jo Van Fleet, 81. U.S. actress. Miss Van Fleet had a distinguished career on stage and screen, often playing characters who were older than she was. She won a Tony Award for her starring performance in The Trip to Bountiful (1954), and an Academy Award for her supporting performance in East of Eden (1955).

War
Peace talks between the British government and the Irish Republican Army began in Northern Ireland without the participation of Sinn Féin.

Abominations
The Québec government of Premier Lucien Bouchard reintroduced the "language police" - l'Office québécois de la langue française - to police various language laws and regulations.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Colorado 1 @ Florida 0 (3 OT) (Colorado won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Uwe Krupp scored unassisted at 4:31 of the 3rd overtime period at Miami Arena to give the Avalanche their first Stanley Cup championship. Colorado goalie Patrick Roy stopped all 63 shots he faced for the shutout, while teammate Joe Sakic was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.



Football
CFL
Pre-season
British Columbia (1-0) 35 @ Winnipeg (0-2) 29
Saskatchewan (0-1) 15 @ Calgary (1-0) 28

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Leila Pahlevi, 31. Iranian royal family member. Princess Leila, the youngest child of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, was 9 when her family was forced into exile in the United States. She became a model, but suffered from anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and was a Seconal addict. Princess Leila died from an overdose of Seconal.

Religion
Pope John Paul II canonized Lebanon's first female saint, Saint Rafqa.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 96 @ Philadelphia 91 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Kobe Bryant scored 32 points and Shaquille O'Neal added 30 points and 12 rebounds to help the Lakers defeat the 76ers before 20,900 fans at First Union Center. Allen Iverson led Philadelphia scorers with 35 points.



10 years ago
2011

On television tonight
Injustice, starring James Purefoy, on ITV
Tonight's episode: Episode 5

This was the last episode of the mini-series.



Died on this date
Brian Lenihan, Jr., 52. Irish politician. Mr. Lenihan, a member of Fianna Fáil, represented Dublin West in the Dáil Éireann from 1996 until his death after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He held several cabinet posts, including Minister for Finance (2008-2011), bailing out crooked banks. Mr. Lenihan was deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from March 15, 2011 until his death.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Boston 0 @ Vancouver 1 (Vancouver led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Maxim Lapierre scored the game's only goal at 4:35 of the 3rd period as the Canucks edged the Bruins at Rogers Arena. Roberto Luongo made 31 saves for his second shutout of the series, while Boston goalie Tim Thomas made 24 saves.