November 8, 2021

190 years ago
1831

Born on this date
Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton. U.K. diplomat, politician, and poet. Lord Lytton joined the Diplomatic Service in 1849 and held posts in numerous European countries before serving as Viceroy and Governor-General of India (1876-1880). He was criticized for his handling of the Great Famine (1876-1878), with his policies said to be influenced by his social Darwinism. Lord Lytton ordered an invasion that began the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878; the war was short and bloody, although the British ended up winning. Lord Lytton was elevated to the House of Lords in 1881, and returned to diplomacy in 1887, serving as British Ambassador to France until his death in Paris on November 24, 1891, 16 days after his 60th birthday. Lord Lytton wrote several volumes of poetry under the pseudonym Owen Meredith, but was accused of plagiarizing several of his works.

160 years ago
1861

World events
An international incident between the U.K. and U.S.A. was created when U.S. Navy Captain Charles Wilkes ordered the crew of U.S.S. San Jacinto to intercept the British ship R.M.S. Trent and arrest C.S.A. commissioners James Mason and John Slidell.



120 years ago
1901

Died on this date
James Agnew, 86. U.K.-born Australian physician and politician. Sir James, a native of Ireland, received his medical education in London and Glasgow before emigrating to Australia in 1839. He had a medical and surgical practice in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart (1841-1877), leaving medicine to enter politics. Sir James was a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council (1877-1881, 1884-1887), serving as a cabinet minister and then as Premier of Tasmania (1886-1887). He resigned from politics after just a little more than a year in office as Premier.

Protest
Bloody clashes took place in Athens, following the publication in the newspaper Akropolis of a translation into modern spoken Greek of the Gospel of Matthew.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Al Brosch. U.S. golfer. Mr. Brosch played professionally from the early 1930s through the early '60s, primarily as a club pro. He won 25 tournaments, including the Long Island Open ten times, the Long Island PGA nine times, and the Metropolitan PGA six times. Mr. Brosch died on December 10, 1975 at the age of 64.

90 years ago
1931

Football
NFL
Frankford (1-6-1) 0 @ New York (5-3) 13
Brooklyn (2-9) 0 @ Providence (2-3-2) 7
Staten Island (2-4-1) 0 @ Green Bay (9-0) 26
Chicago Cardinals (2-3) 14 @ Cleveland (2-4) 6
Portsmouth (8-2) 6 @ Chicago Bears (4-3) 9



80 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Piano Concerto in B Flat--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra (6th week at #1)

War
German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler, speaking in Munich, said that he had ordered German warships to fire on American ships only if attacked, declaring, "The German officer who does not defend himself, I will place before a court martial." The United Kingdom announced that British bombers had carried out the greatest aerial offensive of the war the previous night and today, ranging from Oslo to the Italian air base at Brandisi. 500 planes took part in raids on Germany.

Diplomacy
The Japanese government announced that it had protested to Panama against "discriminatory racial treatment" in the closing of Japanese businesses there.

Defense
U.S. Navy Secretary Frank Knox announced that a Navy base had been established in Iceland with Rear Admiral James L. Kauffman as commandant.

Law
U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle asked the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee to impeach retired Federal Judge J. Warren Davis on charges of misconduct.

Labour
American Federation of Labor Teamsters President Daniel Tobin rejected U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's appeal that he call off the union's strike in Detroit.

Football
CRU
ERFU
Finals
Toronto Argonauts 16 @ Ottawa 8 (First game of 2-game total points series)

Annis and Bill Stukus each scored a touchdown for the Argonauts, with Annis adding 2 converts and a field goal. Jimmy Folwell punted for a single to complete the Toronto scoring. Tony Golab scored the Rough Riders' touchdown, converted by George Fraser. Arnie McWatters punted for 2 singles to complete the Ottawa scoring.

WIFU
Finals
Winnipeg 6 @ Regina 8 (Regina led best-of-three series 1-0)

Ken Charlton scored a touchdown and 2 singles for the Roughriders, while Toar Springstein converted Mr. Charlton's touchdown. Ches McCance converted his own touchdown for the Blue Bombers.

75 years ago
1946

War
Nationalist Chinese leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek ordered his troops to cease hostilities on November 11, and invited the Communists to participate in a constitutional assembly meeting on November 12.

Diplomacy
Switzerland agreed to give the United Nations the 144-acre former League of Nations site in Geneva.

The U.S. State Department recalled the U.S. mission to Albania because the Albanian regime of dictator Enver Hoxha "has failed to affirm its recognition of the validity" of treaties and agreements between the two countries.

Defense
The U.S. Navy disclosed that strong fleet units would visit ports in Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Crete in late November and early December "incident to training exercises." Plans for an Antarctic expedition were also revealed, involving 5,000 Navy personnel under Admiral Richard Byrd, to study weather conditions, test equipment, and search for uranium deposits.

Politics and government
Socialists from 18 countries met in Bournemouth, England under the chairmanship of British Labour Party leader Harold Laski to discuss the possible formation of a new Socialist International.

Society
Canadian businesswoman Viola Desmond, a Negress, was arrested and fined $20 for sitting in the section of a movie theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia that was reserved for white patrons; tickets sold to Negro Canadians were for the balcony.

Football
CRU
ORFU
Semi-Finals
Toronto Balmy Beach 12 @ Toronto Indians 7

Johnny Lake scored a touchdown and convert and Bob Cunningham also scored a TD as Balmy Beach upset the Indians at Oakwood Stadium. Bob Porter kicked a single for the other Balmy Beach point. Fred Kijek rushed 7 yards for the Indian touchdown in the 1st quarter; Annis Stukus converted and added a single.

70 years ago
1951

At the movies
Quo Vadis, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, and starring Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, and Peter Ustinov, opened in theatres.







Television
The first Sylvania Awards for television achievement were presented in New York City. Your Show of Shows won four awards, and Fireside Theatre won three. The "grand award" was not awarded, as the committee found no program that measured up to its concept of "truly outstanding entertainment."

Defense
Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly, U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Andrei Vishinski rejected U.S. President Harry Truman's latest arms control proposal and reiterated Soviet demands for the complete destruction of existing atomic weapons stocks.

The Canadian Defense Ministry announced that the U.S.A. planned to increase its military orders in Canada to help offset Canadian purchases in the United States.

Crime
Negro prisoner Walter Lee Irvin charged in a Eustis, Florida hospital that Sheriff Willis McCall had deliberately killed prisoner Samuel Shepherd and had then shot him (Mr. Irvin) twice while transporting them from Railford State Prison to Lake County jail in Tavares.

Economics and finance
The U.S. National Production Authority barred major changes in models of automobiles, television sets, refrigerators, and other civilian items for the next year in an order prohibiting the purchase of machine tools for such changes.

60 years ago
1961

World events
The day after Ecuadorian President Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra had been forced to resign, the Ecuadorian Air Force attacked Quito and forced army leaders to accept leftist Vice President Carlos Julio Arosemena Monroy as President. Army units had favoured Supreme Court Chief Justice Camillo Gallegos Toledo as President.

Politics and government
John Robarts was sworn in as Premier of Ontario, succeeding Leslie Frost as head of the province's Progressive Conservative government.

U.S. President John F. Kennedy addressed various issues in a press conference at the State Department Auditorium in Washington.



50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Banks of the Ohio--Olivia Newton-John (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ame no Midōsuji--Ouyang Fei Fei

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Mammy Blue--Pop-Tops (3rd week at #1)

Montrealana
According to the 1971 Canadian census, Metropolitan Montréal had a population of 2,720,413.

Hockey
NHL
The National Hockey League approved franchises in Long Island and Atlanta, to begin play in the 1972-73 season.

Football
NFL
Los Angeles (4-3-1) 17 @ Baltimore (6-2) 24



40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Say I Love You--Renée Geyer (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Japanese Boy--Aneka (3rd week at #1)

Disasters
Aeroméxico Flight 110, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9 jet en route from Acapulo to Guadalajara, crashed near Zihuatanejo, Mexico, killing all 18 people on board.

Football
CFL
Eastern Semi-Final
Montreal 16 @ Ottawa 20

Backup quarterback Kevin Starkey completed a pass to Tony Gabriel for the winning touchdown for the Rough Riders in the 4th quarter of an entertaining game at Lansdowne Park. It was the last game as Montreal's head coach for Jim Eddy, and the last game for a number of Montreal players, such as tight end Peter Dalla Riva and linebacker Wally Buono. It was the last game played by the Montreal team as the Alouettes until 1986; from 1982-1985, the Montreal team was known as the Concordes.



Western Semi-Final
British Columbia 15 @ Winnipeg 11

The Blue Bombers had beaten the Lions 46-10 and 49-22 in their two regular season games and jumped out to an 8-0 lead on a cold Sunday afternoon at Winnipeg Stadium, but the B.C. defense was able to keep Winnipeg quarterback Dieter Brock from completing long passes. Rookie B.C. defensive tackle Rick Klassen helped the cause by outplaying Winnipeg guard Larry Butler. John Henry White had a good game on the ground for the Lions, including a 54-yard run in the 4th quarter to move the Lions out of danger when they appeared to be losing the battle of field position. The Blue Bombers' only touchdown came early, on a pass from Mr. Brock to Eugene Goodlow. The Lions scored their only touchdown in the 2nd quarter on a pass from quarterback Joe Paopao to Ricky Ellis.

30 years ago
1991

Defense
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, attending a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Rome, said that Canada would join the European Community in imposing economic sanctions on Yugoslavia in an attempt to stop the Balkan civil war; Mr. Mulroney confirmed that the NATO alliance was still needed.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Free Like a Flying Demon--E-type (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Words--Boyzone (5th week at #1)

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Bil Keane, 79. U.S. cartoonist. Mr. Keane served with the U.S. Army in World War II, drawing for Yank and Stars and Stripes. He worked with the Philadelphia Bulletin (1946-1959), which published his first comic strips, Silly Philly (1947-1961) and Channel Chuckles (1954-1977). Mr. Keane was best known for writing and drawing the comic panel The Family Circus from 1960 until his death from congestive heart failure. He won numerous awards, including the Reuben Award (1982). Mr. Keane's son Jeff took over The Family Circus after Mr. Keane's death.

Literature
Esi Edugyan won the $50,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize for her novel Half-Blood Blues.

Space
The potentially hazardous asteroid 2005 YU55 passed 0.85 lunar distances from Earth (about 324,600 kilometres or 201,700 miles), the closest known approach by an asteroid of its brightness since 2010 XC15 in 1976.

Sport
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame inducted its latest class: hockey defenceman Ray Bourque; football kicker Lou Passaglia; Paralympic skier Lauren Woolstencrof; triathlete Peter Reid; soccer player Andre Neil; and swimmer and International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound.