Thursday 6 August 2009

August 8, 2009

1,140 years ago
869


Died on this date
Lothair II, 33 or 34
. King of Lotharingia, 855-869. Lothair II succeeded his father Emperor Lothair I. Lothair II died without a legitimate heir, and his kingdom was divided between his uncles Charles the Bald and Louis the German by the Treaty of Meerssen a year later.

500 years ago
1509


Indianica
Krishnadeva Raya was crowned Emperor of Vijayanagara at Chittoor.

300 years ago
1709


Aviation
Bartolomeu de Gusmão demonstrated the lifting power of hot air in an audience before the king of Portugal in Lisbon, Portugal.

250 years ago
1759


Died on this date
Carl Heinrich Graun, 55
. German singer and composer. Mr. Graun was an operatic tenor who wrote about three dozen operas, and was regarded as the most important German composer of Italian opera of his time.

War
British guns on Point Levis started two days of bombardment that set fire to the lower town of Quebec. Brigadier General Andrew Rollo's troops captured Île Saint-Jean (now Prince Edward Island) from the French; he quickly repatriated 3,500 Acadians to France while building Fort Amherst.

170 years ago
1839


Born on this date
Nelson A. Miles
. U.S. military officer. Lieutenant General Miles served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War. During the latter, he was appointed Commanding General of the United States Army, and was the last to hold the office, as it was abolished after his retirement in 1903. Lt. Gen. Miles died on May 15, 1925 at the age of 85.

130 years ago
1879


Born on this date
Emiliano Zapata Salazar
. Mexican revolutionary. Mr. Zapata was a leader of the peasant agrarian protest movement in the state of Morelos in the 1910s; he was allied with Pancho Villa, but opposed the revolutionary faction led by Venustiano Carranza. Mr. Zapata was assassinated at the age of 39 on April 10, 1919 in an ambush led by Colonel Jesús Guajardo, and became widely regarded as a martyr for the cause of agrarian reform.

Hisaichi Terauchi. Japanese military officer. Count Terauchi was a Gensui (Marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army and Commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group during World War II. He was ordered to lead the occupation over Southeast Asia (Singapore and Indonesia). Count Terauchi died of a stroke on June 12, 1946 at the age of 66, while under detention in a prison camp in Malaya.

Bob Smith. U.S. physician. Dr. Smith, popularly known as "Dr. Bob," was a physician who was a heavy drinker from his days as a university student until he met Bill Wilson at an Oxford Group meeting in Akron, Ohio on May 13, 1935. Mr. Wilson, an occultist, had learned how to stay sober, and he helped Dr. Smith. The two men founded Alcoholics Anonymous on June 10, 1935, the day that Dr. Smith took his last alcoholic drink. Dr. Smith remained sober until his death from colon cancer on November 16, 1950 at the age of 71.

120 years ago
1889


Born on this date
Hans Egede Budtz
. Danish actor. Mr. Budtz appeared in plays and films in a 50-year career. He died on June 29, 1968 at the age of 79.

Margery Lawrence. U.K. authoress. Miss Lawrence wrote romantic, horror, fantasy, and detective fiction, specializing in ghost stories. She died on November 13, 1969 at the age of 80.

Baseball
Jack Glasscock batted 5 for 6 and hit for the cycle against Mickey Welch as the Indianapolis Hoosiers whipped the New York Giants 14-4 in Indianapolis.

100 years ago
1909


Born on this date
Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham
. Governor-General of New Zealand, 1957-1962. Mr. Lyttelton was an English cricket star who succeeded his father as Viscount Cobham in 1949, sitting in the House of Lords. He was a popular Governor-General of New Zealand, and was known for promoting sports. Viscount Cobham died on March 20, 1977 at the age of 68.

Jack Renshaw. Australian politician. Mr. Renshaw, a member of the Labour Party, held various offices before succeeding the retiring Bob Heffron as Premier of New South Wales on April 30, 1964. The Labour Party had been in power since 1941 and was voted out of office on May 1, 1965; Mr. Renshaw officially left office on May 13 and was succeeded by Liberal Party leader Bob Askin. Mr. Renshaw retired as Labour Party leader after another unsuccessful state election in 1968; he died on July 28, 1987, 11 days before his 78th birthday.

90 years ago
1919


War
The Third Anglo-Afghan War ended with the United Kingdom signing a treaty recognizing the independence of the Emirate of Afghanistan. It established peaceful relations between Afghanistan and Britain, and confirmed the Durand line as the mutual border. In return, the U.K. was no longer obligated to subsidize the Afghan government.

80 years ago
1929


Died on this date
Dan Minnehan, 63
. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Minnehan was a third baseman with the Louisville Colonels in 1895, batting .382 with no home runs and 6 runs batted in in 8 games. He played 12 seasons in the minor leagues from 1888-1899.

Aviation
The German airship Graf Zeppelin began a round-the-world flight.

Baseball
The New York Yankees scored all their runs in the first 4 innings as they beat the Philadelphia Athletics 6-4 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Leadoff hitter Samuel Byrd led the Yankees with a single, double, and home run in 4 at bats with a base on balls, 2 runs, and 2 runs batted in. The Athletics still led the second-place Yankees by 10 1/2 games.

Harry Heilmann doubled home 3 runs and Dale Alexander followed with a single to score Mr. Heilmann as the Detroit Tigers rallied for 4 runs with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning and defeated the Cleveland Indians 9-6 at League Park in Cleveland.

75 years ago
1934

Died on this date
Wilbert Robinson, 71
. U.S. baseball player and manager. In a major league career that ran from 1886-1902, "Uncle Robbie," a catcher, hit .273 in 1,371 games, with 18 home runs. The highlight of his playing career occurred on June 12, 1892, when he had a record 7 hits in 7 at bats, and drove in 11 runs. He managed the Baltimore Orioles for part of the 1902 season, then the Brooklyn team (named the Robins, in his honour) from 1914-1931, compiling a record of 1,399 wins, 1,398 losses, 21 ties, and 1 no decision. The Robins won the National League pennant in 1916 and 1920. Mr. Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.

60 years ago
1949

On the radio

Murder By Experts, hosted and narrated by John Dickson Carr, on MBS
Today's episode: The Dark Island

A Book at Bedtime, read by Laidman Browne, on BBC Light Programme
Tonight's episode: The Speckled Band, Part 1

Diplomacy
United Nations Secretary-General Trygve Lie issued his fourth annual report to the General Assembly, predicting that the East-West ideological conflict would have less long-range importance than the emerging independence movements in Asia and Africa.

Politics and government
The Council of Europe convened for the first time in Strasbourg, with 10 member states. Turkey, Greece, and Iceland were invited to participate.

U.S. Senator Pat McCarren (Democrat--Nevada) charged that the United Nations served as a cover for Communist spies in the United States.

Scandal
A U.S. Senate Investigations subcommittee headed by Sen. Clyde Hoey (Democrat--North Carolina) opened hearings on alleged influence-peddling in Washington. Defense Secretary Louis Johnson appeared before the subcommittee and pledged his department's cooperation in efforts to eliminate "five percenters." The subcommittee's first witness was Massachusetts furniture manufacturer Paul Grindle, who testified on various influence-peddling schemes of alleged "five percenter" James Hunt.

Medicine
The American Medical Association announced the appointment of Dr. Peter Murray to its policy-making House of Delegates, making him the first Negro so appointed.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade

#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Battle of New Orleans--Johnny Horton (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Arrivederci--Don Marino Barreto Jr. (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Am Tag, als der Regen kam--Dalida (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Living Doll--Cliff Richard and the Drifters (2nd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Lonely Boy--Paul Anka (2nd week at #1)
2 The Battle of New Orleans--Johnny Horton
3 A Big Hunk o' Love--Elvis Presley
4 What a Diff'rence a Day Makes--Dinah Washington
5 There Goes My Baby--The Drifters
6 My Heart is an Open Book--Carl Dobkins, Jr.
7 Waterloo--Stonewall Jackson
8 Lavender-Blue--Sammy Turner
9 Tiger--Fabian
10 Forty Miles of Bad Road--Duane Eddy and the Rebels

Singles entering the chart were I've Been There by Tommy Edwards (#70); I'm Gonna Get Married (#79)/Three Little Pigs (#89) by Lloyd Price; So High So Low by LaVern Baker (#81); You were Mine by the Fireflies (#85); Hey Little Girl by Gary Stites (#86); Who Shot Sam by George Jones (#91); Midnight Flyer by Nat "King" Cole (#92); So Close to My Heart by Kathy Linden (#94); Kookie's Mad Pad by Edd Byrnes (#99); Smile by Tony Bennett (#100); and With Open Arms by Jane Morgan (also #100).

Died on this date
Luigi Sturzo, 87
. Italian clergyman and politician. Don Sturzo was a Roman Catholic priest who co-founded the Partito Popolare Italiano, forerunner of the Christian Democratic Party, in 1919. He opposed Fascism, and was forced to live in exile in London (1924-1940) and the United States (1940-1946), returning to Italy after World War II. Don Sturzo was a Senator of the Republic from 1948-1952 and a Senator for Life from 1948 until his death.

Thomas Jefferson Coolidge III, 65. U.S. businessman. Mr. Coolidge, the great-great-great-grandson of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson and grandson of Thomas Jefferson Coolidge, was a former chairman of the United Fruit Company.

War
Laotian Prime Minister Phoui Sananikone claimed that Pathet Lao guerrillas were trying to establish "a base from which to attack the south and a corridor through which to attack South Vietnam."

Defense
Washington sources reported the establishment of a committee to prepare an expanded program of U.S. research on the detection of underground nuclear explosions.

Education
National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples attorneys sued in a U.S. federal court in Little Rock, Arkansas to require the Little Rock School Board to admit Negroes to public high schools in the school zones in which they lived.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade

#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): In the Ghetto--Elvis Presley (4th week at #1)

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Honky Tonk Women--The Rolling Stones
2 Crystal Blue Persuasion--Tommy James and the Shondells
3 Put a Little Love in Your Heart--Jackie DeShannon
4 True Grit--Glen Campbell
5 Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)--Neil Diamond
6 In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)--Zager and Evans
7 Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town--Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
8 Clean Up Your Own Back Yard--Elvis Presley
9 Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love is Hot)--Donovan with the Jeff Beck Group
10 Abergavenny--Shannon

Singles entering the chart were My Cherie Amour by Stevie Wonder (#24); Sugar, Sugar by the Archies (#26); Move Over by Steppenwolf (#27); Hurt So Bad by the Lettermen (#29); and That's the Way God Planned It by Billy Preston (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)--Zager and Evans (4th week at #1)
2 Baby, I Love You--Andy Kim
3 Honky Tonk Women--The Rolling Stones
4 Moonflight--Vik Venus alias: Your Main Moon Man
5 The Ballad of John and Yoko--The Beatles
6 Polk Salad Annie--Tony Joe White
7 Roll With It--Southbound Freeway
8 Listen to the Band--The Monkees
9 Give Peace a Chance--Plastic Ono Band
10 Crystal Blue Persuasion--Tommy James and the Shondells

Give Peace a Chance was recorded live during John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s "bed-in" in Room 1742 of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal earlier in 1969. Chuck Chandler, then a disc jockey in Montreal, can be heard pounding a table.

Died on this date
Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, 73
. 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, 23 days after his 73rd birthday.

Popular culture
The Beatles walked across Abbey Road in London as Iain Macmillan snapped one of the most famous album cover photographs ever.

Space
The U.S. probe Mariner 7, launched March 27, flew by Mars, concentrating on the planet’s polar conditions.

Economics and finance
France devalued the franc by 12.5% in relation to the U.S. dollar. The devaluation was triggered by large losses of French gold and dollar reserves. Although the devaluation was long expected, the timing came as a surprise.

United States President Richard Nixon proposed a minimum standard of federal aid for every needy family with children. His plan called for a sweeping overhaul of the welfare system that would more than double the number of Americans eligible for public assistance.

Religion
The Evangelical Church in West Germany accused the Roman Catholic Church of failing to understand the significance of the case of the Most Reverend Matthias Defregger, auxiliary bishop of Munich, who took part in an execution of Italian villagers during World War II. This position marked the first time in memory that the dominant German church had been so critical of the Roman Catholic Church.

Disasters
12 were killed and 22 injured in a truck-bus collision near Ecija, Spain.

Boxing
Oscar Bonavena (40-5-1) and Gregorio Peralta (77-5-8) fought a 10-round draw in a heavyweight bout at Palacio Peñarol in Montevideo. Mr. Bonavena had defeated Mr. Peralta in a 12-round decision to win the Argentine heavyweight title in 1965.



Baseball
The New York Mets scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning to provide the winning margin as they defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader before 42,838 fans at Atlanta Stadium. Bob Tillman hit a home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th to ruin Jerry Koosman's bid for a shutout. Felipe Alou singled home Clete Boyer with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th to give the Braves a 1-0 win in the second game. Ron Reed pitched a 5-hit shutout, while New York starter Gary Gentry allowed just 4 hits in 9 innings before being relieved by Ron Taylor, who took the loss.

The Cincinnati Reds scored 5 runs in each of the 6th and 7th innings as they beat the Philadelphia Phillies 12-5 before 15,263 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The teams combined for 7 home runs, 5 by the Reds. Alex Johnson hit an inside-the-park home run for Cincinnati in the 1st inning to open the scoring, and Lee May and Johnny Bench hit consecutive homers for the Reds in the 6th.

Bill Singer (14-7) pitched a 2-hitter to win the pitching matchup over Ferguson Jenkins (15-10) as the Los Angeles Dodgers shut out the Chicago Cubs 5-0 before 35,173 fans at Dodger Stadium.

Manny Sanguillen hit a single, double, and triple, scoring 3 runs and driving in another to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres before 6,061 fans at San Diego Stadium. Bob Veale gave up 11 hits but struck out 10 in getting the win, while batting 2 for 4 with a run and a run batted in.

Dave Johnson scored Frank Robinson with a sacrifice fly to complete a 4-run 9th-inning rally as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins 6-5 before 20,487 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

Aurelio Rodriguez doubled home Bubba Morton and Jim Fregosi with 1 out in the top of the 9th inning to propel the California Angels over the Boston Red Sox 7-6 before 28,608 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

The Washington Senators scored 4 runs in the 6th inning and 6 in the 7th as they defeated the Seattle Pilots 10-3 before 10,737 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. Washington right fielder Hank Allen batted 3 for 5 with a run and a run batted in, and doubled Steve Hovley off first base on a line drive from Wayne Comer in the 6th inning. Gordy Lund entered the game in the 8th inning to play second base for the Pilots, and made a putout, an assist, and an error in the 23rd and last game of his 2-year major league career.

The Oakland Athletics scored 3 runs in the top of the 10th inning to break a 2-2 tie as they beat the New York Yankees 5-3 in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader before fans at Yankee Stadium. Paul Lindblad, the third Oakland pitcher of the game, was credited with the win, and drove in the eventual deciding run with a sacrifice fly. Al Downing pitched a 4-hitter to win the pitching matchup with Catfish Hunter as the Yankees scored 3 runs in the 7th inning and 2 in the 8th for a 5-0 win. Thurman Munson made his major league debut in the second game as the New York catcher, batting 2 for 3 with a base on balls, a run, and 2 runs batted in.

Willie Horton’s 3-run home run led the Detroit Tigers to a 7-3 win over the Chicago White Sox in the first game of a doubleheader before 13,583 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago, while Tom Tresh’s 3-run homer in the 8th inning of the second game gave the Tigers a 9-7 win to complete the sweep.

30 years ago
1979


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I Don't Like Mondays--The Boomtown Rats

Died on this date
Nicholas Monsarrat, 69
. U.K. author. Mr. Monsarrat wrote fiction and non-fiction, much of it informed by his experiences with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve during World War II. He was best known for novels such as The Cruel Sea (1951); The Story of Esther Costello (1952); The Tribe that Lost its Head (1956); and Richer than All His Tribe (1968). Mr. Monsarrat died of cancer.

World events
The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein executed 21 people found guilty of treason in recent secret trials, including five members of the ruling Revolutionary Council.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (1-4) 0 @ Toronto (3-2) 25
Ottawa (2-2) 17 @ Calgary (3-1) 27

The Canadian Football League’s longest current team scoring streak ended when the Tiger-Cats were shut out for the first time since 1962. It was the CFL’s first shutout since 1977.

Baseball
Chris Chambliss's 3-run home run climaxed a 4-run 8th-inning rally for the New York Yankees as they defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-3 before 20,048 fans at Yankee Stadium.

The Milwaukee Brewers scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th inning to break a 4-4 tie and defeat the Baltimore Orioles 8-4 before 25,260 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

Rick Wise and Dan Spillner were the respective winning pitchers for the Cleveland Indians as they swept 2 games from the Boston Red Sox 6-4 and 8-2 before 31,756 and 30,141 fans, respectively, at Fenway Park in Boston.

Eric Soderholm drove in 6 runs with a pair of home runs and a single to help the Texas Rangers beat the Detroit Tigers 16-9 in the first game of a doubleheader before 28,619 fans at Tiger Stadium. John Wockenfuss hit a grand slam and a solo homer, and added a single and another run to help the Tigers win the second game 10-4. Brian Allard, the second of four Texas pitchers, allowed 2 hits and 2 runs--both earned--with 3 strikeouts and 3 bases on balls in 2 innings in his first major league game.

The California Angels defeated the Oakland Athletics 8-1 before 3,463 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, as Oakland starting pitcher Matt Keough saw his record for the year drop to 0-14. The Angels amassed 21 hits, with Dan Ford batting 4 for 4 with 2 runs, and Don Baylor batting 4 for 5 with a home run, double, and 3 runs batted in. Every man in the California lineup had at least 1 hit.

Phil Garner hit a 3-run home run with none out in the top of the 10th inning to break a 2-2 tie as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 5-2 before 34,255 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Tony Perez made an error on a ground ball by Bake McBride with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning, allowing Larry Bowa to score from third base to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 4-3 win over the Montreal Expos before 36,476 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Ron Reed allowed 1 hit and 1 run--earned--in 3 innings of relief to get the win. The Expos now trailed the first-place Pirates by 1 1/2 games in the National League East Division pennant race.

25 years ago
1984


Died on this date
Richard Deacon, 62
. U.S. actor. A character actor in many films and television shows, the bald and bespectacled Mr. Deacon was best-known for his role as Mel Cooley on the television comedy series The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966). His most memorable movie appearance was probably in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).

Defense
The United States Senate voted 69-29 in favour of President Ronald Reagan’s request for $117 million in additional military aid to El Salvador.

20 years ago
1989


Space
The U.S.space shuttle Columbia lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida to begin mission STS-28, a secret five-day military mission. The five-man crew was commanded by Brewster Shaw.



Politics and government
Former Education Minister Toshiki Kaifu, one of the few prominent people in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party untouched by scandal, was chosen as party leader.

Estonia’s parliament approved legislation establishing residency requirements for voting and running for office. Clearly aimed at non-Estonians, the law provoked a strike by ethnic Russians in Estonia.

Scandal
The sixth corruption trial involving Wedtech Corporation resulted in the convictions of three more men. One of those convicted by a jury in the federal district court in New York City was E. Robert Wallach, a longtime friend of former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese. Mr. Wallach, a San Francisco lawyer, was convicted of racketeering for accepting $425,000 in payoffs from Wedtech executives in exchange for using his influence with Mr. Meese and others in government in order to win defense contracts for Wedtech. W. Franklin Chinn and Rusty Kent London were convicted of defrauding the company’s stockholders.

Baseball
The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Texas Rangers 7-0 before 48,689 fans at SkyDome in Toronto, as Mauro Gozzo pitched 8 shutout innings in his major league debut.

10 years ago
1999

Baseball

The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4, despite 5 hits by Philadelphia outfielder Bobby Abreu.

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