November 26, 2009

1,610 years ago
399

Died on this date
Siricius, 65. Roman Catholic Pope, 384-399. Siricius acceded to the throne upon the death of Damasus I. He issued the oldest completely preserved papal decretals, on baptism, church discipline, on other matters. Siricius took severe measures against the Manichæans in Rome, and intervened the Meletian schism at Antioch. He was succeeded as pope by Anastasius I.

220 years ago
1789

Americana
The United States celebrated its first Thanksgiving since President George Washington had issued his Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3.

180 years ago
1829

Died on this date
Bushrod Washington, 67. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1798-1829. Justice Washington, the nephew of President George Washington, represented Westmoreland County in Virginia's House of Delegates (1787-1788) before being appointed to the Supreme Court, where he was an ally of Chief Justice John Marshall. Justice Washington died while on circuit, and his wife Julia died two days later while transporting him for burial.

Thomas Buck Reed, 42. U.S. politician. Mr. Reed, a Jacksonian, was Attorney General of Mississippi (1821-1825), and represented Mississippi in the United States Senate (1826-1827, 1829). He died in office, less than nine months into his second term in the Senate.

140 years ago
1869

Born on this date
Maud of Wales. Queen consort of Norway, 1905-1938. Maud, the youngest daughter of King Edward VII, married her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark, in 1896, who accepted the Norwegian throne in 1905, taking the name Haakon VII. While on a visit to England, she took ill, and died on November 20, 1938, four days after an abdominal operation, and six days before her 69th birthday. Queen Maud Land and the Queen Maud Mountains in Antarctica are named in her honour, as is the Queen Maud Gulf in Nunavut.

130 years ago
1879

Born on this date
Charles Goddard. U.S. playwright and screenwriter. Mr. Goddard was best known for writing the silent film serials The Perils of Pauline (1914) and The Exploits of Elaine (1914). He died on January 11, 1951 at the age of 71.

120 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Albert Dieudonné. French actor, director, and writer. Mr. Dieudonné appeared in more than 30 movies from 1908-1942, and was best known for starring as the title character in Napoléon (1927). He directed 11 movies, and wrote several novels and screenplays. Mr. Dieudonné died on March 19, 1976 at the age of 86.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Richard Hauptmann. German-born U.S. criminal. Mr. Hauptmann served in the German Army during World War I, and illegally entered the United States in 1923 by stowing away on an ocean liner. He worked as a carpenter until his arrest in 1934 for the 1932 kidnapping and murder of 1-year-old Charles Lindbergh, Jr., son of the famous aviator. Mr. Hauptmann was convicted in 1935, and was executed in the electric chair at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton on April 3, 1936 at the age of 36. Some insist that Mr. Hauptmann was framed, or at least not given the benefit of an adequate defense.

100 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Eugène Ionesco. Romanian-born French playwright. Mr. Ionesco spent much of his childhood in France, and moved there for good in 1942. He became a major figure in French Avant-garde theatre, with plays such as The Killer (1958) and Rhinoceros (1959). Mr. Ionesco died on March 28, 1994 at the age of 84.

Frances Dee. U.S. actress. Miss Dee was a popular actress in the early 1930s in movies such as Playboy of Paris (1930); An American Tragedy (1931); Little Women (1933); Of Human Bondage (1934); and Becky Sharp (1935). She married actor Joel McCrea in 1933, and they remained married until his death on their 57th wedding anniversary in 1990. Miss Dee died on March 6, 2004 at the age of 94.

90 years ago
1919

Died on this date
Felipe Ángeles Ramirez, 51. Mexican military officer. Brigadier General Ángeles graduated from Heroico Colegio Militar (Heroic Military College) in 1892, and taught there for many years. He was studying in Paris during the Mexican Revolution in 1910, but returned to Mexico in 1912, and pioneered the use of aerial bombardment on Emiliano Zapata's forces who were rebelling against President Francisco Madero in 1913. General Victoriano Huerta seized power and convicted Br. Gen. Ángeles in a show trial of murdering a child, and exiled him to France. Br. Gen. Ángeles soon returned to Mexico, and joined the rebel forces of General Pancho Villa. After Gen. Villa's forces were defeated in 1915, Br. Gen. Ángeles fled to exile in Texas, returning to rejoin Gen. Villa in December 1918. Br. Gen. Ángeles departed Gen. Villa's Camp in mid-1919; he was arrested by forces of President Venustiano Carranza, convicted in a show court-martial, and executed by firing squad in front of the state penitentiary in Chihuahua, the day after being sentenced to death.

80 years ago
1929

Died on this date
John Cockburn, 79. U.K.-born Australian politician. Sir John, a native of Scotland, trained as a physician, and emigrated to South Australia in the late 1870s. He represented Burra in the S.A. House of Assembly from 1884-1898, holding several cabinet posts and serving as Premier for 14 months from 1889-1890 before losing a non-confidence vote. Sir John moved to England after leaving politics, serving as Agent-General for South Australia until Federation in 1901, and unofficially continuing to represent Australia and South Australia afterward.

70 years ago
1939

War
The Soviet Army shelled the Russian village of Mainila near the Finnish border, an incident which was used to justify the start of the Winter War with Finland four days later.

60 years ago
1949

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Riders in the Sky--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra; Bing Crosby (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Mule Train--Frankie Laine and the Muleskinners

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 That Lucky Old Sun--Frankie Laine (6th week at #1)
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
2 I Can Dream, Can't I?--The Andrews Sisters
3 Slipping Around--Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely
4 Don't Cry, Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go)--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
5 Jealous Heart--Al Morgan
6 You're Breaking My Heart--Vic Damone
--Buddy Clark
--The Ink Spots
7 Mule Train--Frankie Laine and the Muleskinners
--Bing Crosby
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Tennessee Ernie
8 Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--The Mills Brothers
9 I Never See Maggie Alone--Kenny Roberts
10 Hop-Scotch Polka (Scotch Hot)--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Art Mooney and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were the version of Mule Train by Tennessee Ernie; Dear Hearts and Gentle People, with versions by Dinah Shore; and Bing Crosby (#31); 'Way Back Home by Bing Crosby with Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians (#32); A Thousand Violins by Tony Martin (#37); and Let's Harmonize by Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra (#38).

World events
The Hungarian government announced the arrest of International Telephone & Telegraph Assistant Vice President Robert Vogeler and two other company officials in Budapest on espionage charges.

Politics and government
Jordan joined Israel in rejecting the United Nations plan for the internationalization of Jerusalem.

India's Constituent Assembly adopted a new constitution establishing a two-chamber parliament, a figurehead presidency, and separate judiciary, with fundamental rights of citizens guaranteed regardless of caste.

The French National Assembly voted its approval of the West German-Western Allied agreement, and endorsed West German membership in a Western European federation.

Academia
The National Intrafraternity Conference, meeting in Washington, recommended that member organizations eliminate racial and religious restrictions on membership.

Economics and finance
U.S. Labor Secretary Maurice Tobin supported congressional proposals for a federal pension system guaranteeing $100 per month to all retired citizens.

Football
CRU
Grey Cup @ Varsity Stadium, Toronto
Montreal 28 Calgary 15

Behind the quarterbacking of Frank Filchock, the Alouettes defeated the defending champion Stampeders on a frozen field before a crowd of 20,087. The Stampeders had the game’s first scoring opportunity when Montreal star Virgil Wagner, apparently not fully recovered from an illness that kept him out of the first game of the IRFU finals, fumbled a punt, and the Stampeders recovered on the Alouettes’ 40-yard line. They got as far as the 15-yard line, but were pushed back to the 25, and instead of going for a field goal, chose to gamble on third down, but Keith Spaith’s pass for Harry Hood was knocked down in the end zone. Mr. Filchock then marched the Alouettes 85 yards downfield; Mr. Wagner finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Ches McCance’s convert made the score 6-0. Mr. McCance then made a poor kickoff, but Montreal’s Herb Trawick recovered on the Calgary 34-yard line. Three plays later, Mr. Filchock passed for a touchdown to Bob Cunningham. The convert was nullified by a holding penalty, leaving the score 11-0. In the 2nd quarter, Calgary’s Vern Graham attempted a 35-yard field goal, but the kick was short and run out of the end zone by Mr. Cunningham. Mr. Spaith finally got Calgary on the scoreboard with a punt single. When the Stampeders next got the ball, they marched from midfield, and Harry Hood rushed 2 yards for a touchdown, converted by Mr. Graham, to cut Montreal’s lead to 11-7. One of the game’s turning points came shortly after; Mr. Spaith dropped back to pass from his own 34-yard line, fumbled when hit, and Mr. Trawick returned it for a touchdown. Mr. McCance converted and the Alouettes led 17-7 at halftime. A questionable call against Calgary’s Rod Pantages on a pass from Mr. Filchock intended for Mr. Wagner prolonged a Montreal drive, and Mr. Wagner rushed 3 yards for a touchdown. Mr. McCance converted to make the score 23-7. The Stampeders drove back downfield before the end of the 3rd quarter, but Mr. Pantages was stopped on a third-down gamble at the Montreal 16-yard line. Mr. McCance kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Alouettes a 26-7 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter. The Stampeders struck for 8 points on 2 plays in the fourth quarter; Johnny Aguirre nailed Mr. Cunningham in his own end zone for a safety touch to make the score 26-9, and when the Alouettes took possession on their own 25-yard line, Mr. Wagner fumbled on first down, and Sugarfoot Anderson returned it for a touchdown. Mr. Graham converted to make the score 26-15, but that was as close as the Stampeders got. Mr. McCance scored a single on a missed field goal, and Fred Kijek punted for a single to round out the scoring. Stampeder president Tom Brooks complained about the CRU’s failure to cover the field with a tarpaulin before the game: "We’ve just witnessed some bare-faced larceny. Fans don’t want to see a bunch of guys sliding around on their bellies or their backsides in a national final. The fans were robbed." For Montreal head coach Lew Hayman, it was his fifth Grey Cup win, a record that has been tied by several others but never surpassed. If I’m not mistaken, this was the first Grey Cup to be filmed in colour.



50 years ago
1959

On television tonight
The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Mexican Stake-Out, with guest stars Martin Landau and Vince Edwards

Died on this date
Albert Ketèlbey, 84. U.K. composer. Mr. Ketèlbey was a pianist who wrote music for silent films, but was best known for writing light orchestral music in a career spanning more than 40 years. His works included In a Monastery Garden (1915); Bells Across the Meadows (1921); and Cockney Suite (1924). Mr. Ketèlbey died of heart and kidney failure.

Space
A U.S. Atlas-Able rocket failed to place a satellite in orbit around the Moon, falling into the Atlantic Ocean after its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Politics and government
South Korea's opposition Democratic Party nominated former National Police Director Chough Pyong Ok to run against President Syngman Rhee in the 1960 election.

Health
U.S. Surgeon General Leroy Burney wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association that smoking was the "principal" cause of the recent increase in lung cancer.

Agriculture
Italian Prime Minister Antonio Segni's cabinet adopted a five-year plan for reviving agriculture through increased farm credits; consolidation of small-strip farm holdings; loans for mechanization; and rural public works and housing projects.

Economics and finance
Major Ernesto "Che" Guevara was appointed president of the National Bank of Cuba.

Football
NFL
Green Bay (5-5) 24 @ Detroit (2-7-1) 17

40 years ago
1969

On television tonight
Then Came Bronson, starring Michael Parks, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Two Percent of Nothing

Abominations
The White House said that the March 16, 1968 massacre of at least 109 men, women, and children in the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai, currently breaking as a news story, "is in direct violation not only of U.S. military policy, but is also abhorrent to the conscience of all the American people." Army Secretary Stanley Resor brief the U.S. Senate and House Armed Services Committees, assuring them that the episode was not known to the Defense Department or the Army’s top command prior to April 1969.

Diplomacy
U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell rejected the advice of Secretary of State William Rogers and barred Dr. Ernest Mandel, a Belgian Marxist, from a brief lecture visit to the United States. Liberal academics protested the decision as barring someone because of his political views.

Politics and government
After a meeting with President Charles Helou, Lebanese Prime Minister Rashid Karami, who had resigned when fighting between the Lebanese army and Palestinian commandos had broken out in October, formed a new government, ending a seven-month crisis that had brought the country to the brink of civil war.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Computer Games--Mi-Sex

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Oyaji no Ichiban Nagai Hi--Masashi Sada (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Agapimú--Ana Belén (2nd week at #1)

Music
The Beach Boys were scheduled to perform at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, but the concert was cancelled some time in advance of this date, probably because of the problems the band was having in dealing with drummer Dennis Wilson’s drinking.

World events
After suspending a news blackout that it had imposed, Saudi Arabia identified the people who had occupied the Grand Mosque in Mecca since November 20 as mostly members of the Oteiba tribe from the northern part of the country, although non-Saudis also participated in the attack.

Diplomacy
The United States told its embassies in about 10 Muslim countries to "voluntarily" evacuate dependents, nonessential diplomats, and private businessmen.

Weather
It was snowing in Edmonton.

Disasters
A Pakistani jetliner carrying Muslim pilgrims returning to Pakistan from Mecca crashed about 30 miles north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing at least 156 people.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I Just Called to Say I Love You--Stevie Wonder (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): I Just Called to Say I Love You--Stevie Wonder (6th week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Guy Lafleur, in his 14th season with the Montreal Canadiens, announced his retirement from hockey after 518 goals and 728 assists in 962 games. In 19 games in 1984-85 he had scored just 2 goals and 3 assists as his playing time diminished.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Right Here Waiting--Richard Marx (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Lambada--Kaoma (14th week at #1)

Died on this date
Ahmed Abdallah, 70. President of the Comoros, 1975, 1978-1989. Mr. Abdallah was President of the Comoros General Council (1949-1953), and was a member of the French Senate (1959-1973). He founded the Comoros Democratic Union (UDC), and was President of the Government Council and Chief Minister of the Comoros (1972-1975), taking office as the country's first President upon achieving independence from France on July 6, 1975. Mr. Abdallah was overthrown by a coup on August 3, 1975 and went into exile in France, but returned to power with a coup of his own in 1978 and remained in office for the rest of his life. He survived three assassination attempts, but was assassinated during a coup led by Said Mohamed Djohar, who seized power the next day.

Politics and government
Four days of voting in parliamentary elections in India concluded with the governing Congress Party under the leadership of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi losing more than half its seats; opposition parties won more than half of the seats.

In a national referendum, Hungarians voted in favour of letting their next parliament choose the president of the country. Opposition groups had favoured this approach, rather than the direct election of the president. Parliamentary elections were to take place in 1990.

Football
CFL
Grey Cup @ SkyDome, Toronto
Saskatchewan 43 Hamilton 40

Dave Ridgway’s 35-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining in regulation time gave the Roughriders the win over the Tiger-Cats in one of the most exciting Grey Cup games ever played. It was the second Grey Cup win for the Roughriders, and their first in 23 years. 54,088 were in attendance at the first Grey Cup to be played at SkyDome. Mr. Ridgway’s game-winning field goal, his fourth of the game, came just 42 seconds after Tony Champion had made a spectacular touchdown catch which, after Paul Osbaldiston’s convert, tied the game. Saskatchewan quarterback Kent Austin, who was chosen the game’s outstanding offensive player, completed 26 of 41 passes for 474 yards and touchdowns to Ray Elgaard, Jeff Fairholm, and Don Narcisse. Tim McCray ran 1 yard for the other Roughrider touchdown. Mr. Ridgway converted all 4 touchdowns, Terry Baker punted for a single, and the Roughriders scored a safety touch. Saskatchewan receiver Mark Guy caught 4 passes for 100 yards and returned 4 kickoffs for 127 and 1 punt for 6. Hamilton quarterback Mike Kerrigan completed 23 of 35 passes for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns. Mr. Champion led all receivers with 8 receptions for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Hamilton running back Derrick McAdoo carried 21 times for 83 yards and a touchdown, caught 2 passes for 29 yards and another touchdown, and returned 3 kickoffs for 75. Mr. Osbaldiston added 4 converts and 4 field goals. Saskatchewan defensive tackle Chuck Klingbeil, who recorded 2 quarterback sacks, was named the game’s outstanding defensive player, and Mr. Ridgway was chosen the outstanding Canadian. The Tiger-Cats led 13-1 after the 1st quarter and 27-22 at halftime. The Roughriders led 34-30 after three quarters.



10 years ago
1999

World events
5-year-old Elian Gonzalez, one of three survivors of a boatload of refugees whose boat sank on the way to the United States from Cuba, was released into temporary custody of relatives in Miami.

Disasters
A 7.5 Mw  Ambrym earthquake shook Vanuatu, and a destructive tsunami followed; 10 people were killed and 40 injured.