October 27, 2021

1,100 years ago
921

Born on this date
Shizong. Emperor of China, 954-959. Shizong, born Chai Rong, was known as Guo Rong when he was military governor of Tianxiong Command and Zhenning Command before he acceded to the throne of his adoptive father Taizu, founder of the Later Zhou dynasty. He consolidated his power after leading a successful campaign against Northern Han Emperor Liu Chong, but died while out in the field at the age of 37 on July 27, 959, and was succeded on the throne by his 6-year-old son Gongdi.

530 years ago
1491

Born on this date
Zhengde. Emperor of China, 1505-1521. Zhengde, born Zhu Houzhao, was the eldest son of Emperor Hongzhi, and was an emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He reportedly abused his powers, and died at the age of 29 on April 20, 1521 after falling out of a boat while drunk and contracting an illness from the waters of the Grand Canal. Zhengde was succeeded on the throne by his cousin Jiajing.

460 years ago
1561

Born on this date
Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke. English writer. Mary Sidney married Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke in 1577. She turned their residence, Wilton House, into a gathering place for the leading writers of the day, including Edmund Spenser and Ben Jonson. The Countess's works included a lyrical translation of the Psalms and the play Antonius (1592). She died of smallpox on September 25, 1561 at the age of 59.

Died on this date
Lope de Aguirre, 50. Spanish conquistador. Mr. Aguirre, nicknamed "El Loco (The Madan)," arrived in Peru in 1536 or 1537, and became notorious for his violence, cruelty, and sedition against the Crown. In March 1561, he sent a letter to King Felipe II of Spain declaring Peru to be independent and Mr. Aguirre as "Prince of Peru." He joined the 1560 expedition of Pedro de Ursúa down the Amazon River in search of the mythical kingdom El Dorado, but murdered Mr. Ursúa and took over the expedition himself. Mr. Aguirre seized Isla Margarita off the coast of Venezuela in 1561, and murdered the governor. He murdered several of his followers and his daughter Elvira in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, but was eventually captured and shot to death, 12 days before his 51st birthday, with his body beheaded and cut into quarters, with pieces being sent to nearby towns as a warning.

210 years ago
1811

Born on this date
Stevens T. Mason. U.S. politician. Mr. Mason, a Democrat, was a member of a politically powerful family, and was only 19 when he was appointed as acting territorial secretary of Michigan Territory, and was 22 when he was appointed as acting territorial Governor in 1834. He was elected Governor of Michigan in 1835, and was instrumental in guiding the territory into statehood in 1837. Mr. Mason remains the youngest governor of a state in American history. Early in 1838, he aided the state militia in suppressing the Patriot War, an attempt by irregulars to invade and annex parts of Canada. An attempt by Mr. Mason to fund internal improvements through the sale of $5 million in bonds fell through in 1837, and he neglected to run for re-election in 183, leaving office at the expiraton of his term in January 1840. Mr. Mason attempted to establish a private law practice, but had difficulty building a clientele, and died of pneumonia on January 4, 1843 at the age of 31.

Isaac Singer. U.S. inventor and businessman. Mr. Singer was a travelling stage actor before and after inventing various machines, most notably making improvements in the design of the sewing machine in 1851. In 1856, he and several patent competitors agreed to pool their patents, and founded the Sewing Machine Combination--now the Singer Corporation--in Albany, New York. Mr. Singer left a fortune of $13 million upon his death on July 23, 1875 at the age of 63.

160 years ago
1861

Defense
The Victoria Rifles Company was organized in Montréal by members of the Beaver Lacrosse Club in response to the strain in Anglo-American relations brought on by the American Civil War.

150 years ago
1871

Died on this date
David MacDonald. Canadian strongman. Mr. MacDonald won a competition in Montreal by lifting 1,600 pounds (725 kilograms), but the exertion killed him.

80 years ago
1941

War
The Canadian Army sent two infantry battalions of 1,975 men to Hong Kong to reinforce the imperial garrison against Japanese attack; the troops sailed on HMS Awatea, escorted by HMCS Prince Robert. U.S.S.R. Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov, commander of the Moscow Front, issued an order of the day commanding his army not to retreat a single step. A Soviet news agency reported that 20 Japanese soldiers had crossed the Soviet-Japanese Far Eastern Frontier on October 23, but had been forced to withdraw after clashing with Soviet troops near the village of Raskino; Japan denied that the incident took place. Vichy France announced that the Germans had postponed the execution of 100 hostages to give the people more time to find the guilty in the October 22 assassination of Major Hans Reimers in Bordeaux.

Diplomacy
Arabic World Agency reported that Haj Amin al-Husseini, exiled Mufti of Jerusalem, was now in Rome.

Defense
U.S. Navy Secretary Frank Knox urged that the Neutrality Act be completely repealed.

Politics and government
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed to merge the Civilian Conservation Corps into the National Youth Administration.

Business
A jury in Lexington, Kentucky convicted the R.J. Reynolds, Liggett & Myers, and American Tobacco companies; American Suppliers, Inc.--an American Tobacco Company subsidiary--and 13 individuals on charges of monopoly and price fixing in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Labour
Congress of Industrial Organizations United Mine Workers of America struck mines owned by steel companies, as UMW President John L. Lewis rejected U.S. President Roosevelt's appeal to permit more time for a settlement.

75 years ago
1946

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King arrived in Washington, a day prior to talks at the White House with U.S. President Harry Truman.

Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan General Douglas MacArthur reported that U.S.A.-U.S.S.R. negotiations to unify Korea had broken down because of the Soviet refusal to tolerate opposition political parties in their zone.

Politics and government
Elections for the Bulgarian National Assembly resulted in Communists winning 277 of 465 seats.

The Democratic Action Party gained an overwhelming victory in elections for the Venezuelan Constitutional Congress.

Health
The American Social Hygiene Association announced that reported cases of syphilis had increased 42% in the 12 months ended June 30, 1946.

Football
CRU
IRFU
Hamilton (0-8-2) 16 @ Montreal (6-2-2) 21

NFL
Detroit (0-4) 7 @ Green Bay (2-2) 10
Los Angeles (2-2-1) 10 @ Chicago Cardinals (3-2) 34
Philadelphia (3-1) 28 @ Washington (3-1-1) 24
Chicago Bears (3-1-1) 0 @ New York (4-1) 14
Pittsburgh (3-1-1) 33 @ Boston (0-4) 7

AAFC
Chicago (3-3-2) 17 @ Buffalo (2-6-1) 49
San Francisco (5-3) 34 @ Cleveland (7-1) 20
New York (5-2-1) 31 @ Los Angeles (3-3-1) 17



70 years ago
1951

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Too Young--Nat "King" Cole; Toni Arden (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Because of You--Tony Bennett (Best Seller--8th week at #1; Disc Jockey--6th week at #1; Jukebox--5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Because of You--Tony Bennett (8th week at #1)
--Les Baxter and his Orchestra
2 Cold, Cold Heart--Tony Bennett
3 I Get Ideas--Tony Martin
--Louis Armstrong
4 (It's No) Sin--The Four Aces
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
5 Down Yonder--Del Wood
--Joe "Fingers" Carr
--Champ Butler
6 The World is Waiting for the Sunrise--Les Paul and Mary Ford
7 The Loveliest Night of the Year--Mario Lanza
8 And So to Sleep Again--Patti Page
9 Whispering--Les Paul
10 Turn Back the Hands of Time--Eddie Fisher

Singles entering the chart were Hey, Good Lookin' by Frankie Laine and Jo Stafford (#29); Solitaire by Tony Bennett (#31); The Old Soft Shoe, with versions by Dinah Shore and Tony Martin, and Kitty Kallen (#34); Smooth Sailing by Ella Fitzgerald (#38); and A Kiss to Build a Dream On by Louis Armstrong (#42). A Kiss to Build a Dream On was from the movie The Strip, and was the B-side of I Get Ideas. April Stevens' version of And So to Sleep Again failed to chart, and the same was true of the instrumental version by Coleman Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins' version had (It's No) Sin on the B-side, and that also failed to chart.

On television tonight
Sherlock Holmes, starring Alan Wheatley and Raymond Francis, on BBC
Tonight's episode: A Scandal in Bohemia

Edmontonia
Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited the city for the first time. They attended that night's WIFU semi-final playoff game at Clarke Stadium between the Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Princess Elizabeth Avenue was named after Her Royal Highness in honour of her visit.

Journalism
This day's Collier's magazine devoted the entire issue to the theme "Preview of the War We Do Not Want: Russia's Defeat and Occupation 1952-1960," projecting a United Nations campaign against the Soviet Union. This issue contained essays by people such as Edward R. Murrow, Lowell Thomas, Walter Winchell, Arthur Koestler, and Red Smith. Collier's incurred legal difficulties by using the UN logo without the organization's permission.

Diplomacy
Following the Chinese occupation of Lhasa, the Dalai Lama ratified Tibet's agreement with the People's Republic of China.

Defense
Egypt formally notified the United Kingdom that it had abrogated the Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936, accusing Britain of violating the United Nations Charter by maintaining troops on Egyptian territory against Egypt's wishes.

Politics and government
U.S. President Harry Truman dropped his plan to create a non-partisan Commission on Internal Security and Individual Rights, due to congressional refusal to pass enabling legislation.

Medicine
Cobalt-60 radiation treatment for cancer was used in Canada for the first time by Dr. Ivan Smith at Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario; the so-called Cobalt Bomb was developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and the Eldorado Mining Company.

Labour
American Negro labour leaders, meeting in Cincinnati, formed a National Negro Labor Council. Boycotted by the American Federation of Labour and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the new organization denied that it was Communist-oriented or subversive.

Football
CRU
IRFU
Hamilton (6-5) 9 @ Ottawa (7-4) 13

WIFU
Semi-Final
Winnipeg 1 @ Edmonton 4

Annis Stukus's field goal in the 2nd quarter provided the winning margin as the Eskimos and Blue Bombers had trouble moving the ball on a very muddy field at Clarke Stadium. Edmonton quarterback Frank Filchock and Winnipeg tackle Dick Huffman were photographed while meeting Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

ORFU
Toronto (7-3) 0 @ Sarnia (9-1) 36

Quarterback George Curtis threw 3 touchdown passes to lead the Imperials to a rout over Balmy Beach, whose quarterback, Gerry Tuttle, was also serving as interim coach, as Art West had been fired the previous day.

Canadian university
Western Ontario (1-3) 0 @ McGill (3-1) 26
Queen's (0-4) 7 @ Toronto (4-0) 15

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Walkin' Back to Happiness--Helen Shapiro (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Grave, starring Lee Marvin

Space
The United States successfully launched SA-1, the first Saturn 1 rocket, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket, as tall as a 20-storey building, was the world's largest at the time. It reached an altitude of 84.813 miles, with a top speed of 3,607 miles per hour, before landing in the Atlantic Ocean 214.727 miles from its launching point after a flight of 8 minutes, 3.6 seconds. The Saturn 1's eight engines developed a total thrust of about 1.3 million pounds, 800,000 more pounds than the estimated thrust of the rockets that the U.S.S.R. was using to send cosmonauts into Earth orbit.



Diplomacy
Mauritania and Mongolia joined the United Nations.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Maggie May--Rod Stewart (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
Rod Serling's Night Gallery, on NBC
Tonight's episode: A Question of Fear, staring Leslie Nielsen and Fritz Weaver; The Devil is Not Mocked, starring Helmut Dantine, Francis Lederer, and Hank Brandt

At the movies
Le Casse, co-written, produced, and directed by Henri Verneuil, and starring Omar Sharif, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Dyan Cannon, opened in theatres in France. It was also made in English by the same cast and crew as The Burglars; that version opened in theatres elsewhere on June 14, 1972.



Africana
The Democratic Republic of the Congo was renamed Zaire.

Labour
A union walkout closed down Québec's largest daily newspaper, the Montreal daily La Presse, circulation 225,000, owned since 1967 by Paul Desmarais, president of Power Corporation. At the end of July, after six months of negotiating, managers had locked out typesetters belonging to four Québec Federation of Labour (Fédération des travailleurs du Québec) unions, who refused to allow the loss of unionized jobs. Two days later, on October 29, more than 12,000 rioters defied a municipal ban and clashed with 100 Montréal police, leading to 50 arrests. The paper resumed publication on February 7, 1972.

40 years ago
1981

World events
The Soviet Whiskey-class submarine U 137 ran aground near Sweden's Karlskrona naval base; the incident became known as "Whiskey on the rocks."

Baseball
World Series
Los Angeles Dodgers @ New York Yankees (postponed, rain) (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 3-2)

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Set Adrift on Memory Bliss--PM Dawn (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (13th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (5th week at #1)
2 Do the Limbo Dance--David Hasselhoff
3 Any Dream Will Do--Jason Donovan
4 Wind of Change--Scorpions
5 Keep Your Love Alive--Bilgeri
6 Ich hab' mich so auf dich gefreut--Matthias Reim
7 Bacardi Feeling (Summer Dreamin')--Kate Yanai
8 Something Got Me Started--Simply Red
9 Love and Understanding--Cher
10 Pandora's Box--OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)

Singles entering the chart were Jambo by Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung (#24); Gipsy Girl by David Hasselhoff (#27); and Love to Hate You by Erasure (#28).

Asiatica
Turkmenistan achieved independence from the U.S.S.R.

Football
CFL
Toronto (12-5) 39 @ Hamilton (2-15) 34

Rickey Foggie threw for 2 touchdowns--including the winner for 8 yards to David Williams--and rushed for another TD to lead the Argonauts over the Tiger-Cats before 17,453 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

British Columbia (11-6) 36 @ Saskatchewan (6-11) 5

Doug Flutie passed for 2 touchdowns and Jon Volpe rushed for 2 TDs as the Lions routed the Roughriders before 18,192 fans at Taylor Field in Regina.



Calgary (10-7) 23 @ Edmonton (11-6) 24

A controversial pass interference call against a Calgary defensive back led to the winning touchdown by the Eskimos on a 3-yard pass from Tracy Ham to Michael Soles with 1:42 remaining in regulation time as they edged the Stampeders before 23,391 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in one of the coldest games this blogger has ever attended.

Baseball
World Series
Atlanta Braves 0 @ Minnesota Twins 1 (10 innings) (Minnesota won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Pinch hitter Gene Larkin singled off Alejandro Pena with the bases loaded and 1 out, bringing home Dan Gladden in the bottom of the 10th inning before 55,118 fans at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. Jack Morris (2-0) pitched a complete game, giving up 7 hits and striking out 8,a nd was named the series' Most Valuable Player. John Smoltz started on the mound for the Braves and pitched 7.1 innings before giving way to Mike Stanton. Mr. Pena (0-1) entered the game in the 9th inning. The 1991 World Series joined the 1987 series, in which the Twins played the St. Louis Cardinals, as the only ones in which all the games were won by the home team.



25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): What's Love Got to Do with It--Warren G featuring Adina Howard (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Break My Stride--Unique II (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Salva Mea--Faithless (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Scotland (OCC): Say You'll Be There--Spice Girls (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Morey Amsterdam, 87. U.S. comedian and actor. Mr. Amsterdam had a long career in vaudeville, radio and television, hosting The Morey Amsterdam Show on radio (1948-1949) and television (1948-1950). He was best known for playing comedy writer Buddy Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966). Mr. Amsterdam died of a heart attack.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (4-13) 21 @ Toronto (14-3) 25

Doug Flutie's 13-yard touchdown pass to Mike Clemons with 1:41 remaining in regulation time provided the winning margin for the Argonauts as they defeated the Lions before 20,657 fans at SkyDome.

Calgary (12-5) 32 @ Edmonton (11-7) 41

The Eskimos scored 17 points in the 1st quarter and Danny McManus completed 20 of 30 passes for 296 yards and touchdowns to Marc Tobert, Eddie Brown, Jim Sandusky, and Darren Flutie to lead the Eskimos over the Stampeders before 27,332 fans at Commonwealth Stadium. Tony Burse rushed for the other Edmonton touchdown, while Sean Fleming added 5 converts and 2 field goals. Mr. Flutie caught 7 passes for 98 yards, while Mr. Brown caught 5 for 90.



20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Pradeep Kumar, 76. Indian actor. Mr. Kumar, born Sital Batabyal, appeared in about 180 movies in Hindi, Bengali, and English in a career spanning 50 years.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (8-9-0-1) 3 @ Saskatchewan (5-12) 12

Saskatchewan kicker Paul McCallum set a CFL record with a 62-yard field goal to help the Roughriders defeat the Eskimos at Taylor Field in Regina. The previous record of 60 yards was held by Mr. McCallum's predecessor as Saskatchewan's kicker, Dave Ridgway, in 1987. The Eskimos were without their regular kicker and punter, Sean Fleming, who had torn a ligament in his left (non-kicking) knee in the previous game. Jon Baker, who had played for the Eskimo in 1999 and briefly with the British Columbia Lions in 2000, was activated as kicker, and scored the Eskimo' only offensive point on a missed field goal. 42-year-old Hank Ilesic, who had punted for the team from 1977-1982, played his first game as an Eskimo in 19 years. The Eskimos' other points scored on a safety touch.



CIS
British Columbia 27 @ Alberta (2-6) 21

The Thunderbirds took a 24-0 lead in the 2nd quarter and held off a 2nd-half comeback to defeat the Golden Bears at Foote Field in Edmonton.

Baseball
World Series
New York Yankees 1 @ Arizona Diamondbacks 9 (Arizona led best-of-seven series 1-0)

The Diamondbacks broke a 1-1 tie with 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning and 4 more in the 4th. Curt Schilling (1-0) pitched 7 innings to earn the win for Arizona, while New York starter Mike Mussina (0-1) lasted just 3 innings in absorbing the loss. The Yankees allowed 5 unearned runs. 49,646 were in attendance at the first World Series game ever played at Bank One Ballpark.



10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
James Hillman, 85. U.S. psychologist. Dr. Hillman studied under Carl Jung, and was Director of Studies at the C.G. Jung Institute in Switzerland (1959-1969). Dr. Hillman founded a movement toward archetypal psychology, and believed in what he called the "acorn theory" of the soul, stating that all people already hold the potential for the unique possibilities inside themselves, much as an acorn holds the pattern for an oak tree. His books included Re-Visioning Psychology (1975) and The Soul's Code: On Character and Calling (1997).

Politics and government
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced legislation to take the number of seats in the House of Commons from 308 to 338: 15 additional seats to Ontario, 6 more each to B.C. and Alberta, and 3 seats to Quebec to reflect population growth. The bill passed in December.

Soccer
Canada won its first Pan American Games gold medal in women's soccer by beating Brazil 4-3 in a shootout after Christine Sinclair scored for Canada in the 88th minute to tie the score 1-1.

Baseball
World Series
Texas Rangers 9 @ St. Louis Cardinals 10 (11 innings) (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

David Freese tripled home 2 runs with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the score 7-7 and led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a home run to win the game for the Cardinals before 47,325 fans at Busch Stadium. The Rangers scored 2 runs in the top of the 10th to take a 9-7 lead, but the Cardinals rallied for 2 runs in the bottom of the 10th to tie the score again.