June 23, 2008

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Sherry Holden-Hernblad!

170 years ago
1838

War
In Pelham, Upper Canada, Niagara militia drove back James Morreau and the Hunter Patriots (Republican exiles and American sympathizers), ending the Short Hills Raid.

140 years ago
1868

Technology
Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the "Type-Writer."

120 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Lee Moran. U.S. actor, director and screenwriter. Mr. Moran appeared in 462 films, directed 109, and wrote for 92 from 1912-1935. He was was often paired with actor Eddie Lyons and the two made several comedic films together. Mr. Moran died on April 24, 1961 at the age of 72.

110 years ago
1898

Born on this date
Karl Weinbacher. German business executive. Mr. Weinbacher was director and deputy executive of Tesch & Stabenow under the leadership of Bruno Tesch during World War II. Mr. Weinbacher was convicted of war crimes because of his role in the use of Zyklon-B on prisoners in Nazi camps, and was hanged with Mr. Tesch by Albert Pierrepoint at Hamelin Prison on May 16, 1946 at the age of 47.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Charles Lutz; H.C. Busbey; D.C. McChesney. U.S. military personnel. Major Lutz, Lieutenant Busbey, and Corporal McChesney were killed in a plane crash near File, Virginia on the way from Washington, D.C. to Nicaragua. Corporal R. Nichols was injured.

Disasters
General Umberto Nobile, leader of the Arctic expedition of the Italian airship Italia, was rescued from an ice floe near Spitsbergen by a ski plane piloted by Swedish pilot Lieutenant Einar Lundborg, and put on board the ship Città di Milano. The plane crashed on the ice while returning, and Lt. Lundborg was trapped with the rest of the survivors of the Italia, which had crashed on May 25.

Crime
When the steamship Leviathan arrived in London from New York City, several of her sacks of registered mail were found to have been robbed, with a total loss of not over $10,000.

70 years ago
1938

Aviation
The Civil Aeronautics Act was signed into law, forming the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the United States.

60 years ago
1948

Literature
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh was published by Little, Brown.

War
Following a second attack by Haganah forces on an Irgun Zvai Leumi supply dump, Irgun leader Menachem Begin withdrew recognition from the Israeli government and denounced Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion as a "lunatic dictator."

Diplomacy
The Vatican charged that the Albanian government was suppressing the country's Catholic Church by murdering or jailing its members.

Politics and government
The U.S. Republican National Convention adopted a party platform favouring a strong anti-Communist foreign policy and reduction of federal government initiative in domestic affairs.

Economics and finance
U.S., U.K., and French authorities announced plans to introduce the new Deutsche Mark into their sectors of Berlin.

Labour
A U.S. federal court in San Francisco extended its restraining order against a maritime workers' strike to July 12, while a federal court in New York replaced its earlier restraining order with an 80-day anti-strike injunction.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Purple People Eater--Sheb Wooley (Best Seller--3rd week at #1; Disc Jockey--1st week at #1; Top 100--3rd week at #1)

Defense
French Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle promised North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Paul-Henri Spaak an early return of French forces withdrawn from NATO positions for service in Algeria.

Politics and government
East Pakistani Governor General Sultan ud-Din was defeated in a legislative censure vote.

Society
American Negro leaders Martin Luther King, Philip Randolph, and Roy Wilkins conferred with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the White House, urging him to establish "a clear national policy and a progam of implementation" to ensure civil rights.

Labour
A U.S. federal jury in New York acquitted Teamsters union President James Hoffa, Local 337 President Bert Brennan, and professional wiretapper Bernard Spindel of conspiring to tap the telephones of Teamsters officials in Detroit in 1953.

Disasters
Reports from Buenos Aires said that 110 people had been killed in foreworks explosions in many small Brazilian towns on the eve of St. John's Day. Nearly 100 were killed when two fireworks stands blew up in the Santo Amaro marketplace.

40 years ago
1968

Politics and government
The Union pour la défense de la République (Union for the Defense of the Republic), led by Prime Minister Georges Pompidou, along with independent Republicans and other right-wing parties, led after the first round of voting in the French parliamentary elections.

Golf
Bob Charles won the Canadian Open at St. George's Golf and Country Club in Toronto with a 6-under-par total score of 274, 2 strokes ahead of Jack Nicklaus. First prize money was $25,000.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (10th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M.

Terrorism
A attack by Negro Communist terrorists in Rhodesia killed eight white missionaries and four of their children.

Politics and government
The Québec National Assembly passed the Québec Referendum Act, which set up a procedure for a referendum on Sovereignty Association with Canada.

Law
The Canadian House of Commons passed legislation giving everyone the right to a trial in either French or English.

The Quebec National Assembly adopted the Law for the Exercise of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
Canada's top 30
1 Flashdance (What a Feeling)--Irene Cara
2 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler
3 Puttin' on the Ritz--Taco
4 Every Breath You Take--The Police
5 Electric Avenue--Eddy Grant
6 I'm Still Standing--Elton John
7 Too Shy--Kajagoogoo
8 Straight From the Heart--Bryan Adams
9 Don't Let it End--Styx
10 Time (Clock of the Heart)--Culture Club
11 Affair of the Heart--Rick Springfield
12 White Wedding--Billy Idol
13 She's A Beauty--The Tubes
14 Come Dancing--The Kinks
15 Faithfully--Journey
16 The Woman in You--The Bee Gees
17 Never Gonna Let You Go--Sergio Mendes
18 We Two--Little River Band
19 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--Eurythmics
20 Our House--Madness
21 Making it Work--Doug and the Slugs
22 Hot Girls in Love--Loverboy
23 China Girl--David Bowie
24 Is There Something I Should Know--Duran Duran
25 Wanna Be Startin' Something--Michael Jackson
26 Baby Jane--Rod Stewart
27 Stand Back--Stevie Nicks
28 Italian Girls--Daryl Hall and John Oates
29 Heartache Avenue--The Maisonettes
30 Roll Me Away--Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band

Heartache Avenue, which is unfortunately now forgotten, was one of the era's best singles. It's a catchy tune, reminiscent of mid-'60s Motown, with a great B-side (The Last One to Know). It even had a good picture sleeve: the photo, presumably of the group, features an attractive mini-skirted blonde in the foreground, showing off very shapely legs. They may have had more hits in their homeland of the U.K., but this was their only success in North America; and that was a shame.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Gimme Hope Jo'anna--Eddy Grant (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): I Can't Help Falling in Love (With You)--UB40

Weather
U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientist James Hansen told a U.S. Senate committee that the Earth had been warmer during the first five months of 1988 than at any time since records had been kept. He said that global temperatures had risen by half a Fahrenheit degree in the 100 years before 1880, by another degree from 1880-1950, and by more than half a degree since then. Dr. Hansen said, "It is time to stop waffling so much and say that the evidence that the greenhouse effect is here." He warned that an "increasing tendency" to droughts could be expected in the future.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
All-Star Game @ Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
CFL All-Stars 15 @ Edmonton (0-1) 4

The All-Stars, who wore old Montreal Alouettes uniforms, defeated the defending Grey Cup champion Eskimos, and turned in the game's only exciting play just 3 minutes into the 1st quarter, when Will Lewis of the Ottawa Rough Riders returned Jerry Kauric's punt 100 yards for a touchdown. 27,573 attended the game, which was less than half the capacity of Commonwealth Stadium, but was nonetheless an All-Star game record. It was one of the dullest games that this blogger has ever attended; matters weren't helped when rain started at halftime, and continued through the rest of the game. Matt Dunigan, whose previous Commonwealth Stadium appearances had been as quarterback of the Eskimos, played with the All-Stars, having been traded in the off-season to the British Columbia Lions. Calgary Stampeders' receiver Larry Willis was named the game's Most Valuable Player. Jackie Parker, who had resigned as head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos after the second regular season game in 1987, came out of retirement to serve as head coach of the All-Stars. This remains the last CFL All-Star Game to date.



10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Maureen O'Sullivan, 87. U.K.-born U.S. actress. Miss O'Sullivan moved to the United States at the age of 18, and became an actress with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio. She was at her busiest from the early 1930s through the early '40s, and was best known for playing Jane in the Tarzan series of movies. Miss O'Sullivan was the mother of actress Mia Farrow, and they appeared together in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986).