July 16, 2021

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Campbell Milton, Carmen Reyes Zubiaga, Elena, and Anna!

410 years ago
1611

Born on this date
Cecilia Renata. Queen consort of Poland, 1637-1644. Cecilia Renata, a daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, was married by proxy to King Władysław IV in 1637, and advocated for the House of Habsburg. They had three children, the last of whom was a daughter who was stillborn on March 23, 1644. Queen Cecilia Renata died the next day at the age of 32 from an infection, likely related to the childbirth.

360 years ago
1661

Born on this date
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville. Canadian-born French privateer and explorer. Sieur d'Iberville, a native of Fort Ville-Marie (now Montreal), led campaigns against English forces before and during King William's War in the 1680s and '90s, and explored Louisiana and Mississippi. Sieur d'Iberville succeeded in capturing the Caribbean island of Nevis in April 1706, and was planning an expedition against the English colonial settlement of Charles Town, Carolina when he died suddenly--perhaps of yellow fever--in Havana on July 9, 1706, a week before his 45th birthday.

Economics and finance
The first banknotes in Europe were issued by the Swedish bank Stockholms Banco.

200 years ago
1821

Born on this date
Mary Baker Eddy. U.S. religious leader. Mrs. Eddy suffered physical pain and illness for years before absorbing much of the mind-over-matter "New Thought" teaching of Phineas Quimby, a healer and mesmerist from Maine. She later rejected many of Mr. Quimby’s ideas and created her own doctrine, which she called "Christian Science." Mrs. Eddy’s magnum opus, Science and Health--later retitled Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures--was first published in 1875, although she said she had founded the religion in 1866. Among the publications she founded was the newspaper The Christian Science Monitor (in 1908). Christian Science doctrine includes a belief that God and His creation are entirely good and spiritual, and that all that God makes is spiritual and not material. Evil is unreal and an illusion. Christian Science, and not the Holy Spirit, is the Comforter mentioned in John 16:7-14. Christian Science rejects the Christian doctrine of substitutionary atonement (i.e., Jesus died on the cross in our place as punishment for our sins) and rejects the existence of a literal hell. Christian Science distinguishes between Jesus the man and Christ as a manifestation of God. In Christian Science, "Christ" is completely spiritual, and not material. Jesus, having a body, was not the totality of Christ; he was the Son of God, but not God, and not part of the Trinity, as understood by Christians. In Christian Science, Jesus was just the "Way-shower," not the Way. Christian Science teaches that sickness is the result of wrong thinking, such as fear or ignorance, and can be healed by correct belief. A quick antidote to the false teachings of Christian Science can be obtained by reading the first epistle of John. Mrs. Eddy was unable to prevent her own death, which occurred on December 3, 1910 at the age of 89.

160 years ago
1861

War
At the order of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Union troops began a 25-mile march into Virginia for what would become the First Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the American Civil War.

140 years ago
1881

Business
The Canadian Pacific Railway Company was established in Montreal, with financing from the Bank of Montreal.

125 years ago
1896

Born on this date
Trygve Lie. Norwegian politician and diplomat. Mr. Lie, a member of the Labour Party, sat in the Norwegian Parliament from 1937-1949 and held several cabinet posts, including Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1940-1946, with the period of 1940-1945 being when the government was in exile in London while Norway was under German occupation. Mr. Lie was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1946-1952, but was criticized as ineffective in the position, and resigned in November 1952, during his second term in office. Mr. Lie returned to local politics in Norway, and died of a heart attack on December 30, 1968 at the age of 72.

Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer. German biologist and geneticist. Dr. Verschuer was the director of the Institute for Genetic Biology and Racial Hygiene (1935-1942) and director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics (1942-1948). He supported compulsory sterilization programs, and worked with Josef Mengele, a former student of his, during World War II. Dr. Verschuer managed to escape prosecution for war crimes or crimes against humanity after the war, and was Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Münster (1951-1965), where he also served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. He led research projects in the 1950s and '60s on the effects of nuclear radiation on humans, and warned geneticists against trying to create "scientifically improved" human beings. Dr. Verschuer was killed in a car accident on August 8, 1969, 23 days after his 73rd birthday.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Sonny Tufts. U.S. actor. An alumnus of Yale University, Bowen Charlton Tufts III appeared in the movie So Proudly We Hail! (1943), and was promoted as "The Male Sensation of 1944!" However, his movie career consisted mostly of turkeys, and he made headlines in later years mainly for drinking and getting into fights. Cat-Women of the Moon (1954) didn't do anything to revive his career, nor did a guest appearance--as himself--in an episode of the television comedy series My Mother the Car (1965). He also made several guest appearances on the television comedy show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Mr. Tufts died on June 4, 1970 at the age of 58.

Ginger Rogers. U.S. actress. Miss Rogers, born Virginia Katherine McMath, won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Kitty Foyle (1940), but was probably better known for dancing with Fred Astaire in 10 films, including Flying Down to Rio (1933); Top Hat (1935); Swing Time (1936); and Shall We Dance (1937). She died on April 25, 1995 at the age of 83.

Irene Prador. Austrian-born actress. Miss Prador, born Irene Peiser, emigrated to France in 1933 and later worked in the U.K. and Germany, appearing in plays, films, and television programs in a career spanning more than 50 years. She was the older sister of actress Lilli Palmer, and died in Berlin on July 8, 1996, eight days before her 85th birthday.

100 years ago
1921

Died on this date
Arthur Irwin, 63. Canadian-born U.S. baseball player and manager. A native of Toronto, Mr. Irwin played shortsop and third base with six major league teams (1880-1894), and managed five major league teams (1889-1899). He batted .241 with 5 home runs and 396 runs batted in in 1,010 games, and was known for pioneering the use of gloves for infielders. Mr. Irwin managed the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Eastern League pennant in 1897, and managed various minor league teams from 1900-1921, with little success. In 1921 he signed to manage the Hartford Senators of the Eastern League, which turned out to be his final assignment. Mr. Irwin jumped to his death from a ship in the Atlantic Ocean between New York and Boston; it was soon revealed that he had a wife and family in both cities, and he had recently been told that he would die unless he underwent serious surgery for stomach cancer. Two months before his death, Mr. Irwin succeeded in persuading young Lou Gehrig to play for the Senators under an assumed name, and Mr. Gehrig almost lost his eligibility to play at Columbia University as a result. Mr. Irwin was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

90 years ago
1931

Politics and government Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie promulgated the nation's first constitution, replacing the Fetha Nagast, which had been the supreme law since the Middle Ages.

80 years ago
1941

War
German units captured Smolensk, 200 miles from Moscow.

Diplomacy
The U.S. Navy transport West Point sailed from New York to Lisbon with 464 Axis nationals aboard.

Defense
The U.S. Navy began to mine the entrances to Manila Bay and nearby Subic Bay. U.S. Navy Secretary Frank Knox ordered 37,467 enlisted naval reservists now on active duty to be held in service until the emergency ended. U.S. Patents Quarterly editor Karl Fenning said that nearly 30,000 inventions and ideas bearing on defense had been submitted to the National Inventors Council under the U.S. Commerce Department. U.S. Federal Power Commission Chairman Leland Olds said that a defensive electric power expansion program costing $470 million per year for the duration of the emergency was planned.

Politics and government
The Japanese cabinet of Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro Konoye submitted its resignation to Emperor Hirohito.

Cuban President Fulgencio Batista's cabinet resigned over a dispute between the ministers and Congress regarding patronage.

The Vichy French regime named General Maxime Weygand Governor-General of Algeria.

Famed American aviator and America First Committee supporter Colonel Charles Lindbergh demanded that U.S. Interior Secretary Harold Ickes apologize for implying that Col. Lindbergh had connections with the German Nazi regime.

Society
Professor Carle Zimmerman of Harvard University told a conference on "Tomorrow's Children" that "we need to encourage parents to have their third and fourth children right away" as an aid to defense.

Economics and finance
The Moscow Soviet ordered the rationing of foodstuffs and manufactured goods for the 4.2 million residents of the city, effective July 17.

Baseball
Buddy Rosar drove in 5 runs with 2 doubles and a single as the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 10-3 before 15,000 fans at League Park in Cleveland. New York center fielder Joe DiMaggio had 2 singles and a double, extending his major league record hitting streak to 56 games.

The Boston Red Sox scored a run in each of the last 2 innings to edge the Chicago White Sox 2-1 before 2,946 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Tex Hughson pitched a 4-hit complete game to improve his record for the season to 3-0, winning the pitchers' duel over Buck Ross, who pitched a 5-hit complete game. The game was played in 1 hour 45 minutes.

Chet Laabs drove in 4 runs with 2 home runs, a double, and a triple as the St. Louis Browns routed the Philadelphia Athletics 11-2 before just 704 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

Jim Tobin pitched an 8-hit complete game, singled, and scored a run as the Boston Braves defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader before 3,278 fans at Braves Field. Pittsburgh center fielder Vince DiMaggio had 3 singles and scored the Pirates' only run in the 4th inning. Debs Garms drove in 4 runs with 3 singles and a triple as the Pirates won the second game 13-5, coming from a 5-1 deficit to score 3 runs in the 6th inning, 7 in the 8th, and 2 in the 9th. Pittsburgh left fielder Bud Stewart had 2 singles, 2 doubles, and 4 runs, while Mr. DiMaggio added 2 singles, a run, and a run batted in.

75 years ago
1946

War
A U.S. military court in Dachau sentenced Colonel Joachim Peiper and 42 other German SS soldiers to death for killing American prisoners during the Battle of the Bulge in late 1944-early 1945.

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. authorities in Germany released U.S. Warrant Officer Samuel Harrison and his wife, imprisoned two weeks earlier for entering the Soviet occupation zone without orders. Their release came after U.S. authorities agreed to release three Soviets held for a month on suspicion of espionage.

Defense
The U.S. War Department suspended Army enlistment of Negroes, which had recently exceeded the Negro-white ratio of 1:10 maintained by the Army. U.S. President Harry Truman directed that only men aged 19-29 be inducted when the draft was resumed in September 1946.

Agriculture
The United States signed a contract to purchase most of Cuba's 1946 and 1947 sugar crops.

Economics and finance
U.S. miltary governor General Mark Clark turned control of the Hermann Goering iron works in Linz over to the Austrian government.

Labour
Over 100,000 oil workers in Iran ended a three-say strike against Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, protesting company interference in Iranian politics.

70 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Devil in Glencairn, starring Richard Carlson, Halliwell Hobbes, and Jonathan Harris



Literature
J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye was published in Boston by Little, Brown.

Europeana
King Leopold III of Belgium abdicated in favour of his son Baudouin I.

World events
Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh imposed martial law on the entire country to prevent further violence in the current dispute over oil nationalization.

Defense
Over the objections of Britain and France, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Forrest Sherman conferred with Generalissimo Francisco Franco in Madrid on a possible American-Spanish defense agreement.

Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru defended deployment of troops near the Pakistani border as necessary for his country's security.

The U.S. Civil Defense Administration urged every American family to make its own "atom bomb first aid kit," described in the new pamphlet Emergency Action to Save Lives.

Crime
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill providing stiffer penalties for dope peddlers convicted of interstate narcotic smuggling, with mandatory jail sentences for second offenders. The New York Mayor's Commission on Drug Addiction estimated that up to 90,000 New Yorkers took narcotics.

Archaeology
American Museum of Natural History archaeologists announced the discovery of a 3,500-year-old Indian culture in the Mississippi Valley between Memphis, Tennessee and Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Business
Film producer Dore Schary replaced Louis B. Mayer as head of studio operations at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Put Your Hand in the Hand--Ocean

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Butterfly--Danyel Gérard (8th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Funny Funny--The Sweet (3rd week at #1)
2 Long Days and Lonely Nights--Lincoln
3 When Love Comes Knocking at Your Door--The Dealians
4 Mozart: Symphony No. 40 In G Minor K.550 1° Movement (Allegro Molto)--Waldo de Los Rios
5 The Seagull's Name was Nelson--Des & Dawn
6 Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
7 It Don't Come Easy--Ringo Starr
8 Joy to the World--Three Dog Night
9 I Am...I Said--Neil Diamond
10 If Not for You--Olivia Newton-John

Singles entering the chart were I Did What I Did for Maria by Tony Christie (#19); and Lady Rose by Mungo Jerry (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Don't Pull Your Love--Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
2 Never Ending Song of Love--Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
3 Deep Enough for Me--Ocean
4 Talking in Your Sleep--Gordon Lightfoot
5 Draggin' the Line--Tommy James
6 How Can You Mend a Broken Heart--The Bee Gees
7 I Love You Lady Dawn--The Bells
8 You've Got a Friend--James Taylor
9 Sweet City Woman--Stampeders
10 Vancouver Town '71--Rolf Harris

Singles entering the chart were Beginnings by Chicago (#26); Sweet Hitch-Hiker by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#28); Cryin' the Blues by the Seeds of Time (#29); and I Been Moved by Andy Kim (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 Never Ending Song of Love--Delaney & Bonnie & Friends (6th week at #1)
2 Don't Pull Your Love--Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
3 You've Got a Friend--James Taylor
4 Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)--Raiders
5 Melting Pot--Booker T. & the M.G.'s
6 Signs--Five Man Electrical Band
7 How Can You Mend a Broken Heart--The Bee Gees
8 Draggin' the Line--Tommy James
9 Sweet City Woman--Stampeders
10 Rainy Days and Mondays--Carpenters

Singles entering the chart were She's Not Just Another Woman by 8th Day (#21); Here Comes that Rainy Day Feeling Again by the Fortunes (#26); Rings by Cymarron (#27); Southbound Train (Stand Up) by Steel River (#28); I Been Moved by Andy Kim (#29); Candy Apple Red by R. Dean Taylor (#30); Moon Shadow by Cat Stevens (#31); Watching the River Flow by Bob Dylan (#32); Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) by Marvin Gaye (#33); Sweet Hitch-Hiker by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#34); Riders on the Storm by the Doors (#35); Mother Freedom by Bread (#36); Love the One You're With by the Isley Brothers (#37); Rainy Jane by Davy Jones (#38); Cryin' the Blues by the Seeds of Time (#39); and Sunshower in the Spring by Terry McManus (#40).

Television
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission released its cable television policy statement titled Canadian Broadcasting: A Single System. The Comission stated that cable should be regulated to make sure operators contribute to the fundamental objectives of the Canadian broadcasing system, and ensure that all regional Canadian stations are included in the basic service.

Politics and government
The Belgian Chamber of Deputies approved constitutional reforms designed to resolve long-standing discord between Belgium's French-speaking and Flemish-speaking communities.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
British Columbia (0-3) 17 @ Toronto (3-0) 18
Calgary (2-1) 21 @ Edmonton (2-1) 24

40 years ago
1981

Died on this date
Harry Chapin, 38. U.S. musician. Mr. Chapin originally performed with his brothers Tom and Steve before finding success on his own, and was a popular live performer who often told stories in his songs. His first notable hit single was Taxi, which reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1972; Mr. Chapin had been a taxi driver, and he always maintained his taxi driver's license. WOLD was a top 40 hit in the spring of 1974, and Cat's in the Cradle reached #1 late in the year. This blogger's favourite song of his is Dreams Go By, which was released in the spring of 1975 but failed to achieve chart success. Mr. Chapin's last top 40 hit was a sequel to Taxi--appropriately titled Sequel--which reached #23 late in 1980. Before succeeding as a musician, Mr. Chapin had compiled a documentary about early heavyweight boxing champions titled The Legendary Champions, which was nominated for the Academy Award as best documentary feature in 1968. Mr. Chapin devoted much of his time in his later years to the issue of alleviating world hunger; he was killed in a car accident on the Long Island Expressway in New York while on his way to perform a benefit concert.

Environment
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named the Burgess Shale deposit in Yoho National Park in British Columbia Canada's fifth World Heritage Site; there are about 140 species of soft-bodied marine invertebrates in the 530-million-year-old deposit in the Rockies, 45 miles west of Banff.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (2-0) 32 @ Toronto (0-3) 29

30 years ago
1991

Died on this date
Dwight Weist, 81. U.S. actor. Mr. Weist was known for his ability to do voice impressions in a career spanning almost 50 years. He acted in radio, with his roles including Inspector Weston in The Shadow and the title character in Mr. District Attorney (1939), but was best known for his work in newsreels, doing voice impressions of real people in The March of Time newsreels. Mr. Weist died of a heart attack.

Robert Motherwell, 76. U.S. artist. Mr. Motherwell was the youngest member of the New York School of abstract expressionist painters.

Frank Rizzo, 70. U.S. policeman and politician. Mr. Rizzo joined the Philadelphia Police Department in 1940, and rose through the ranks to become Police Commissioner from 1967-1971 before serving as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1972-1980. He was known for his tough approach to crime, and his colourful language. Mr. Rizzo was a Democrat while Mayor, but switched to the Republican Party in 1986; he was running for the Republican nomination for the Philadelphia mayoral election when he suffered a fatal heart attack.

Europeana
Ukraine celebrated its first Independence Day.

Society
Marc Emery, owner of City Lights bookstore in London, Ontario, was convicted of selling obscene material — specifically, 2 Live Crew’s album As Nasty as They Wanna Be. Mr. Emery received a conditional discharge — meaning he’d have no criminal record — and a year’s probation.

25 years ago
1996

Died on this date
Adolf von Thadden, 75. German politician. Mr. Thadden joined the Nazi Party in 1939, and was a lieutenant with the Wehrmacht in World War II. He was a member of the German Right Party (1946-1950); German Empire Party (1950-1964); and National Democratic Party (1964-1975), and represented Lower Saxony in the Bundestag (1949-1953, 1957-1959) and Bundesrat (1953-1957). Mr. Thadden led the National Democratic Party from 1967-1971, a period during which it has been alleged he was working as an agent for the British intelligence service MI6. Mr. Thadden died nine days after his 75th birthday.

John Panozzo, 47. U.S. musician. Mr. Panozzo played drums with the rock group Styx from 1972-1984. He died from gastrointestinal hemorrhaging and cirrhosis of the liver after years of heavy drinking.

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Johnny LoBianco, 85. U.S. boxer and referee. Mr. LoBianco was a lightweight who compiled a record of 12-5-1 in a professional career from 1935-1937. He refereed 147 professional fights from 1956-1988, including several title fights. Mr. LoBianco's most notorious bout was the world lightweight title bout between Ken Buchanan and Roberto Duran in 1972, when Mr. LoBianco awarded the fight to Mr. Duran at the beginning of the 14th round, ruling that Mr. Buchanan was unable to continue. Mr. LoBianco ruled that Mr. Buchanan had been hit by a punch in the abdomen, when he was actually hit by a low blow. Mr. LoBianco was a liquor salesman when he wasn't refereeing; he died of congestive heart failure.

Morris, 77. Belgian cartoonist. Maurice De Bevere, who used the name Morris, created the comic book character Lucky Luke in 1946. He drew and wrote the series himself until 1955, and collaborated with writer René Goscinny until Mr. Goscinny's death in 1977. Mr. De Bevere continued the series with several other writers until his death of an embolism following an accidental fall.

Politics and government
Over 100 Labour Party Members of Parliament voted against the sacking of two of their fellow Labour MPs as heads of select committees, marking the first time that Labour had been defeated in the House of Commons since coming to power in the U.K. in 1997.

Olympics
Jacques Rogge of Belgium succeeded Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain as president of the International Olympic Committee. Mr. Samaranch had served as president for 21 years.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Forrest Blue, 65. U.S. football player. Mr. Blue was a center at Auburn University (1965-1967) before playing 148 games in the National Football League with the San Francisco 49ers (1968-1974) and Baltimore Colts (1975-1978), helping each team win three straight divisional titles, and earning First Team All-Pro recognition from 1971-1973. He died from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (0-3) 3 @ Hamilton (1-2) 33



British Columbia (0-3) 17 @ Edmonton (3-0) 33