July 11, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Lois Morrow!

225 years ago
1789

Politics and government
King Louis XVI of France, acting under the influence of the conservative nobles of his privy council, dismissed and banished his finance minister, Jacques Necker, who had been sympathetic to the Third Estate, and completely reconstructed the ministry.

210 years ago
1804

Politics and government
U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel on the heights of Weehawken, New Jersey.

170 years ago
1844

Born on this date
Peter I. King of Serbia, 1903-1918; King of the Serb, Croats and Slovenes, 1918-1921. Peter I was the third son of Prince Alexander Karađorđević, and acceded to the throne after a military coup and the assassination of King Aleksandar I. King Peter supported a constitutional government and reigned during the Balkan Wars, but spent most of World War I in exile on the Greek island of Corfu. He was proclaimed King of the Serb, Croats and Slovenes on December 1, 1918, and returned to Belgrade in 1919, dying on August 16, 1921 at the age of 77; his son Alexander I succeeded him, with the title King of Yugoslavia.

150 years ago
1864

War
In the U.S. Civil War, the Battle of Fort Stevens began as Confederate forces commanded by General Jubal Early attempted to invade Washington, D.C.

125 years ago
1889

Mexicana
The city of Tijuana was founded.

100 years ago
1914

Defense
The United States Navy launched the battleship USS Nevada (BB-36).

Baseball
Babe Ruth made his major league debut, giving up 8 hits and 3 runs--2 earned--in 7 innings and getting the win as the Boston Red Sox edged the Cleveland Naps 4-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. Mr. Ruth struck out 1 batter and walked none, while batting 0 for 2 with a strikeout before being removed for pinch hitter Duffy Lewis, who singled. Dutch Leonard pitched the last 2 innings for his first save of the season. Willie Mitchell pitched a complete game for Cleveland in taking the loss, dropping to 5-10 for the season.

90 years ago
1924

Economics and finance
Canada signed a trade agreement with the Netherlands.

Olympics
Eric Liddell of the United Kingdom won the men's 400-metre run in 47.6 seconds at the Summer Olympics in Paris. Mr. Liddell's specialty was the 100-metre sprint, but he had declined to run the event because it took place on a Sunday. His time in the 400 metres was an Olymic record.

80 years ago
1934

Aviation
Engelbert Zaschka of Germany flew his large human-powered aircraft, the Zaschka Human-Power Aircraft, about 20 metres at Berlin Tempelhof Airport without assisted takeoff.

75 years ago
1939

Baseball
Major League All-Star Game @ Yankee Stadium, New York
National League 1 @ American League 3

Joe DiMaggio’s home run in the 5th inning helped the AL defeat the NL before 62,892 fans. Cincinnati Reds’ outfielder Ival Goodman fractured his shoulder diving after a ball.





In the Arizona-Texas League, Archie Templeton of the Albuquerque Cardinals struck out 19 El Paso batters, but was lifted in the 8th inning before getting a decision. Mel Berman of El Paso stole home in the 9th to tie the game 3-3, and when an argument ensued, umpire Jack Rice ejected three Cardinals and called in the police to restore order. Albuquerque won 8-5 in 10 innings.

70 years ago
1944

War
German troops in France counterattacked against the British effort to break across the Orne River, but lost heavily in both men and materials. Chinese troops in the province of Hunan took Yungfeng.

World events
Colombian troops loyal to President Alfonso Pumarejo Lopez rescued him from rebel troops at Pasto.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced de facto recognition of the provisional French government led by Charles de Gaulle.

Politics and government
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, addressing a press conference, said, "All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River, to avoid responsibilities and to avoid also the publicity...of the nation's Chief Executive...If the people command me to continue in office...I have as little right to withdraw as a soldier has to leave his post in the line." Mr. Roosevelt said that he would run for a fourth term as President if nominated.

Economics and finance
It was reported that U.S. War Production Board chairman Donald Nelson had won his fight to release material for reconversion planning and limited civilian production.

Baseball
Major League All-Star Game @ Forbes Field, Pittsburgh
American League 1 @ National League 7

The NL scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 5th inning to overcome an early 1-0 deficit as they defeated the AL before 29,589 fans. NL first baseman Phil Cavaretta of the Chicago Cubs reached base in all 5 of his plate appearances, with a triple, single, and 3 bases on balls. The National League roster included Frankie Zak, a rookie backup shortstop with the hometown Pirates who had been added to the roster as a replacement for injured Cincinnati Reds' shortstop Eddie Miller. Mr. Zak played just 87 games in 1944--67 at shortstop behind starter Frankie Gustine--and 123 games in his 3-year major league career. Mr. Zak didn't play in the All-Star Game, but he must surely be the most obscure player ever named to an All-Star roster.





50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): You're My World (Il Mio Mondo)--Cilla Black

#1 single in France: Les Mauvais Garçons--Johnny Hallyday

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Sei diventata nera--Marcellos Ferial

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Liebeskummer lohnt sich nicht--Siw Malmkvist (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): The House of the Rising Sun--The Animals (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Get Around--The Beach Boys (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Rag Doll--The 4 Seasons
2 Memphis--Johnny Rivers
3 I Get Around--The Beach Boys
4 My Boy Lollipop--Millie Small
5 Can't You See that She's Mine--The Dave Clark Five
6 A World Without Love--Peter and Gordon
7 The Girl from Ipanema--Getz/Gilberto
8 Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying--Gerry and the Pacemakers
9 Chapel of Love--The Dixie Cups
10 Bad to Me--Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas

Singles entering the chart were A Hard Day's Night by the Beatles (#56); Al-Di-La by the Ray Charles Singers (#72); Sugar Lips by Al Hirt (#74); Where Did Our Love Go by the Supremes (#82); Like Columbus Did by the Reflections (#84); The Ferris Wheel by the Everly Brothers (#95); Sailor Boy by the Chiffons (#96); All Grown Up by the Crystals (#98); Baby Come Home by Ruby and the Romantics (#99); and A Quiet Place by Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters (#100).

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Old Love Letters--Big Tom

At the movies
The Tamarind Seed, written and directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif, received its premiere screening in New York City.



Died on this date
Pär Lagerkvist, 83. Swedish author. Mr. Lagerkvist was interested in the question of good and evil, which he frequently examined in novels, stories, and plays; his most famous novel was Barabbas (1950). He was awarded the 1951 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the artistic vigour and true independence of mind with which he endeavours in his poetry to find answers to the eternal questions confronting mankind."

Terrorism
Armed convicts Frank Gorham and Otis Wilkerson seized control of the basement cell block of the U.S. courthouse in Washington, D.C. and took seven people hostage.

Politics and government
Portuguese leader General Antonio da Spinola dismissed the rest of the cabinet, two days after Premier Adelino da Palma and four other centrist ministers had resigned after the military-dominated Council of State had refused to grant Mr. da Palma the additional powers he had sought in order to effectively control the cabinet.

Disasters
Typhoon Gilda was reported to have caused at least 108 deaths and $334 million in damage in her sweep across most of Japan and part of South Korea.

Football
WFL
New York (0-1) 7 @ Jacksonville (1-0) 14



30 years ago
1984

Diplomacy
Pope John Paul II called on the government of Nicaragua not to expel the 10 foreign priests who had participated in a march in Managua two days earlier in support of Rev. Luis Abado Pena, who had been arrested in June on charges of plotting against the Sandanista government.

Economics and finance
The Canadian dollar sank to U.S. 74.86¢, an all-time low to that date.

Transportation
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole announced that air bags or automatic seat belts would be mandatory equipment on all automobiles made in the United States by 1989. She said the requirement would be nullified if states representing 2/3 of the United States population voted to make the use of seat belts compulsory. The percentage of vehicles required to have air bags or belts would be increased until 1989. The auto industry approved of the new regulation, but consumer and insurance groups said that the seat belt law provision was a potential "escape route" for the auto industry.

Disasters
An Amtrak train struck a diesel truck at an unmarked crossing near McBee, South Carolina, killing both the engineer and the truck driver.

25 years ago
1989

Died on this date
Laurence Olivier, 82. U.K. actor. Lord Olivier was considered the most outstanding classical stage actor of his time, if not of the 20th century. He also appeared in many movies, including Wuthering Heights (1939); Rebecca (1940); Henry V (1945)--which he also directed; Hamlet (1948)--which he directed, and for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor; Richard III (1955)--which he also directed; Sleuth (1972); and The Jazz Singer (1980).

Scandal
United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp acknowledged that scandals in the department were "a discredit to the previous administration," and he estimated that $2 billion had been lost because of fraud and mismanagement during the tenure of his predecessor, Samuel Pierce. Mr. Kemp said he thought HUD had been run in a "slipshod manner."

Swimming
Canadian marathoner Vicki Keith became the first person to swim the English Channel using the butterfly stroke.

Baseball
Major League All-Star Game @ Anaheim Stadium
National League 3 @ American League 5

Bo Jackson of the Kansas City Royals and Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox led off the bottom of the 1st inning with consecutive home runs off Rick Reuschel to lead the AL past the NL before 64,036 fans. Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who had broadcast Chicago Cubs’ games in his younger days, returned to the booth briefly on the television broadcast, providing colour commentary and anecdotes.



20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): United--Prince Ital Joe & Marky Mark (5th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Don't Turn Around--Ace of Base
2 I Swear--All-4-One
3 If You Go--Jon Secada
4 Wild Night--John Mellencamp with Me’shell Ndegeocello
5 Anytime You Need a Friend--Mariah Carey
6 Shine--Collective Soul
7 Can You Feel the Love Tonight--Elton John
8 Crazy--Aerosmith
9 Night in My Veins--The Pretenders
10 I'll Remember--Madonna

Singles entering the chart were Sun's Gonna Rise by Sass Jordan (#69); You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast by Spin Doctors (#91); Sabotage by the Beastie Boys (#93); Starseed by Our Lady Peace (#97); and Deuce by Lenny Kravitz (#98).

World events
Haiti ordered human rights monitors with the United Nations and Organization of American States to leave the country.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Bill Clinton and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl concluded two days of talks in Bonn.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Laurance Rockefeller, 94. U.S. financier and philanthropist. Mr. Rockefeller was the grandson of John D. Rockefeller and son of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. He ran the Rockefeller Brothers Fund for many years, while supporting various causes that included conservation and research into unidentified flying objects.

Politics and government
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party was reduced to 49 of 121 seats in the upper house of the Diet in Japanese parliamentary elections. The LDP's coalition retained majorities in both houses.