October 31, 2013

875 years ago
1138

Died on this date
Lý Thần Tông, 22. Emperor of Vietnam, 1128-1138. Lý Thần Tông, born Lý Dương Hoán, succeeded his grandfather Lý Nhân Tông. Lý Thần Tông died of a serious disease that he had contracted two years earlier, and was succeeded by his 2-year-old son Lý Anh Tông.

250 years ago
1763

War
At Detroit, Chief Pontiac capitulated after British forces defeated Indians at Bushy Run, and after the deaths of several chiefs and a string of other losses.

140 years ago
1873

Canadiana
The International Bridge over the Niagara River opened, connecting Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York.

125 years ago
1888

Politics and government
Lieutenant-Governor Joseph Royal convened the first session of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in Regina. Frederick Haultain was head of the advisory council to the Lieutenant-Governor.

110 years ago
1903

Literature
The Adventure of the Norwood Builder by A. Conan Doyle, second in a series titled The Return of Sherlock Holmes, was published in this date's issue of Collier's Weekly in the United States and in the November 1903 issue of The Strand Magazine in the U.K.

Football
ORFU
Toronto (2-1) 10 @ Hamilton (4-0) 27

100 years ago
1913

Baseball
The New York Giants and Chicago White Sox continued their post-season exhibition tour, with the White Sox winning 10-3 in Dallas.

90 years ago
1923

Football
CRU
ARU
Finals
Calgary forfeited @ Edmonton (Edmonton won 2-game total points series 13-7)

The 50th Battalion were unable to appear in Edmonton for the second game of the series, resulting in the Eskimos being awarded the Alberta Rugby Union championship. The 50th Battalion were expecting to play the second game of the series in Edmonton on Saturday, November 3, but were unable to comply with a Western Canada Rugby Football Union order on October 29 to play the game in Edmonton on Wednesday, October 31. The schedule change was made in order for the Alberta champions to play the Regina Roughriders in Regina on November 3.

75 years ago
1938

At the movies
En kvinnas ansikte (A Woman's Face), directed by Gustaf Molander, and starring Ingrid Bergman, Tore Svennberg, and Anders Henrikson, opened in theatres in Sweden.

70 years ago
1943

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): White Christmas--Bing Crosby (5th month at #1)

War
Allied forces in Italy captured the road centre of Teano, 15 miles inland from the Gulf of Gaeta. Soviet forces captured Chaplinka, eight miles east of the last rail line open to German troops in Crimea. An F4U Corsair accomplished the first successful radar-guided interception by a United States Navy or Marine Corps aircraft.

Diplomacy
The Moscow Foreign Ministers Conference reached five basic agreements: establishment of a European Advisory Commission to make recommendations regarding enemy countries; a promise to Italy of a non-Fascist democratic government; freedom for Austria independent of Germany; creation of an international organization as soon as possible; agreement that trials would be held for Axis war criminals.

World events
Deposed Italian Duce Benito Mussolini ordered the death penalty for King Vittorio Emmanuel II, Prime Minister Pietro Badoglio, General Vittorio Ambrosio, and Gen. Vittorio Roatta.

Oil
Marcus Hook of Sun Oil Company announced the discovery of a process to extract a new aviation fuel from crude oil formerly used as low-grade fuel; the new fuel was 50% more powerful than 100% octane gasoline.

Economics and finance
Exiled Philippine President Manuel Quezon created a postwar planning board, with Vice President Sergio Osmena as chairman.

60 years ago
1953

Hit Parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I'm Walking Behind You--Frank Sinatra; Eddie Fisher (4th week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): St. George and the Dragonet--Stan Freberg (Best seller--4th week at #1); You, You, You--The Ames Brothers (Disc Jockey--1st week at #1; Jukebox--2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 St. George and the Dragonet--Stan Freberg (2nd week at #1)
2 You, You, You--The Ames Brothers
3 Ebb Tide--Frank Chacksfield and his Orchestra
4 Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You)--Les Paul and Mary Ford
5 Eh, Cumpari--Julius LaRosa
6 Rags to Riches--Tony Bennett
7 Oh!--Pee Wee Hunt and his Orchestra
8 Crying in the Chapel--June Valli
--Darrell Glenn
--Rex Allen
--The Orioles
9 Dragnet--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
10 Many Times--Eddie Fisher

Singles entering the chart were The Typewriter by Leroy Anderson and his "Pops" Concert Orchestra (#34); I'll Never Stand in Your Way by Joni James (#35); The Kangaroo by Les Paul (#37); Milwaukee Polka by Patti Page (#42); and That's All by Nat "King" Cole (#45). That's All was the B-side (or maybe the A-side) of Lover, Come Back to Me!, which charted at #23.

Theatre
Sherlock Holmes, a play by Ouida Rathbone based on five of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories and starring her husband Basil Rathbone, closed after just three performances in two days at the New Century Theatre on Broadway in New York. Jack Raine played Dr. Watson, with Thomas Gomez as Professor Moriarty and Jarmila Novotna as Irene Adler. The play received a mostly negative review by Brooks Atkinson in that day's edition of The New York Times.

Football
IRFU
Ottawa (6-6) 20 @ Toronto (5-7) 8
Montreal (6-6) 18 @ Hamilton (7-5) 31

WIFU
Semi-Finals
Winnipeg 17 @ Saskatchewan 18 (Winnipeg won 2-game total points series 60-23)

Canada-U.S. intermediate (exhibition)
Fort Lewis 14 @ Vancouver (1-2) 1

Glenn Dobbs, playing his last game in a Saskatchewan uniform, passed to Herb Johnson for the winning touchdown as the Roughriders edged the Blue Bombers at Taylor Field in Regina. Gerry James scored Winnipeg's first touchdown on a 92-yard kickoff return. Lorne Benson, who scored 6 touchdowns in the first game of the series, suffered a leg injury that put him out of action for the rest of the post-season.

The 4 x 4's, a U.S. Army team from Washington, defeated the Cubs at Capilano Stadium in a game played half under U.S. rules and half under Canadian rules. The Cubs were playing as an intermediate team before joining the Western Interprovincial Football Union in 1954 as the British Columbia Lions.

In Edmonton, fans began lining up outside Mike's News on Jasper Avenue at 4:45 A.M. to be the first to get tickets for the first game of the western finals, which the Edmonton Eskimos, who had finished first in the WIFU, would be hosting at Clarke Stadium on November 7.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): You'll Never Walk Alone--Gerry and the Pacemakers

Disasters
With three minutes remaining in the opening night performance of a "Holiday on Ice" skating exhibition at Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis, propane gas leaking from a rusty tank in the concession area came in contact with an electric popcorn machine, causing an explosion that killed 54 people immediately and 20 later, and injured 400 more.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Angie--Rolling Stones (2nd week at #1)

Scandal
White House lawyer J. Fred Buzhardt informed U.S. District Court Judge John Sirica that President Richard Nixon could not turn over to him tapes of the April 15, 1973 conversation with White House attorney John Dean and the June 20, 1972 conversation with former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell, because they did not exist. Although Mr. Nixon offered to release memoranda of the two conversations, the disclosure dealt a blow to confidence in the President, and prompted Republican party leaders to demand Mr. Nixon's resignation. The tapes were presumed to be relevant to the investigation of the June 17, 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. and the subsequent cover-up.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Karma Chameleon--Culture Club (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
George Halas, 88. U.S. baseball player, and football player, coach, and executive. Mr. Halas was a right fielder with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association in 1919, batting .274 with no home runs in 39 games. He played 12 games with the New York Yankees in 1919, batting .091 (2 for 22) with no homers or runs batted in. Mr. Halas was best known for his football achievements; he was an end with the Hammond All-Stars (1919) and Decatur Staleys/Chicago Staleys/Chicago Bears (1920-1929), coaching the latter team from its founding, and taking control of the franchise in 1921. "Papa Bear" attended the meeting in 1920 that resulted in the founding of the American Professional Football Association, which changed its name to the National Football League in 1922. Mr. Halas coached the Bears for 40 years (1920-1929, 1933-1942, 1946-1955, 1958-1967), compiling a record of 318-148-31, and leading the team to NFL championships in 1921, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1946, and 1963. Mr. Halas was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1963. After retiring as head coach, he remained the Bears' principal owner until his death from pancreatic cancer, and was the last surviving participant from the APFA's founding meeting.

Journalism
White House Deputy Press Secretary Les Janka resigned in protest against the administration of President Ronald Reagan's handling of news coverage of the U.S. invasion of Grenada.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Desire--U2 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Girl You Know it's True--Milli Vanilli

Died on this date
John Houseman, 86. Romanian-born U.S. producer and actor. Mr. Houseman, born Jacques Haussmann, was educated in England and moved to the United States in 1925. He was associated with Orson Welles in theatre, radio, and film from the mid-1930s through the early 1940s. Mr. Houseman produced plays, films, and television programs through the 1970s, and was the founding director of the Drama Division of the Juilliard School and The Acting Company. He achieved fame as an actor in the 1970s, winning an Academy Award for his supporting performance as Professor Charles W. Kingsfield in The Paper Chase (1973), and reprising his role in the subsequent television series (1978-1979, 1983-1986). Mr. Houseman died of spinal cancer, the day after the 50th anniversary of the original Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcast of The War of the Worlds, which he had produced.

Scandal
Imelda Marcos, wife of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, was arraigned and pled not guilty, 10 days after being indicted with her husband and eight others by a U.S. grand jury in New York on charges of racketeering. Doctors said that Mr. Marcos was not well enough to travel from Hawaii to New York for arraignment.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Sweat (A La La La La Long)--Inner Circle

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): What's Up?--4 Non Blondes (12th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: What's Up?--4 Non Blondes (12th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)--Meat Loaf (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Federico Fellini, 73. Italian film director. Mr. Fellini was one of the most influential directors in history, with a distinctive style blending fantasy and realism. 10 of his movies were nominated for Academy Awards, with La Strada (1956); Nights of Cabiria (1957); 8½ (1963); and Amarcord (1974) winning in the category of Foreign Language Film. Mr. Fellini's other films included La Dolce Vita (1960) and Fellini Satyricon (1970). He was awarded an honourary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1992, and died a few weeks after suffering a heart attack.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (11-7) 30 @ Toronto (3-14) 23

Kent Austin completed 41 of 55 passes--tying a league record for completions in a single game--for 507 yards to lead the Roughriders over the Argonauts before 29,348 fans at SkyDome. Don Narcisse caught 15 of Mr. Austin's passes for 199 passes and a touchdown, becoming the first player in CFL history to reach 1,000 yards receiving in five consecutive seasons. Ray Elgaard also caught a TD pass from Mr. Austin, and Darrell Wallace rushed 11 yards for the other Saskatchewan touchdown. Dave Ridgway added 3 converts and 3 field goals. Toronto quarterback Reggie Slack threw touchdown passes to Manny Hazard and Andre Brown. Lance Chomyc converted both TDs and kicked 3 field goals.

Baseball
Nippon Series
Yakult Swallows 2 @ Seibu Lions 4 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Richard Neustadt, 84. U.S. political scientist. Dr. Neustadt specialized in the United States presidency, teaching at Harvard University and serving as an adviser to Democratic Party Presidents Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Bill Clinton. He was known for his book Presidential Power (1960), published in a revised edition as Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents: The Politics of Leadership (1990). Dr. Neustadt died of complications from a fall.

Politics and government
Mahathir Mohamad resigned as Prime Minister of Malaysia after 22 years in power and was succeeded by his deputy, Abdullah Badawi.

Defense
The United States House of Representatives voted to give $87.5 billion to the administration of President George W. Bush for the military and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, with three-quarters of the money to be spent on military operations.