October 30, 2017

200 years ago
1817

Politics and government
Simón Bolívar proclaimed the Third Republic of Venezuela, with himself as President.

150 years ago
1867

Died on this date
John A. Andrew, 49. U.S. politician. Mr. Andrew, a Republican, was Governor of Massachusetts from 1861-1866, and was a prominent supporter of the abolition of slavery. He died of apoplexy after drinking a cup of tea at his home.

War
The Italian Army crossed Papal frontiers; General Giuseppe Garibaldi was ordered to disarm and disband his forces.

Disasters
The San Narciso hurricane struck the Dominican Republic capital of Santo Domingo, killing 200 people.

140 years ago
1877

Born on this date
Hugo Celmiņš. Prime Minister of Latvia, 1924-1925, 1928-1931. Mr. Celmiņš, a member of the Latvian Farmers' Union, was an agronomist and agrarian reformer who became Mayor of Riga in 1931 after the defeat of his government. He was arrested and deported to the U.S.S.R. after the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, was shot to death on July 30, 1941 at the age of 67, and buried in the mass graves of Kommunarka shooting ground in Moscow Oblast.

120 years ago
1897

Football
CRU
ORFU
Round 2
Hamilton 22 @ Toronto Athletic Club-Lornes 10 (Hamilton won 2-game total points series 47-17)

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Maurice Trintignant. French auto racing driver. Mr. Trintignant competed in 84 Formula One races from 1950-1964, winning the Monaco Grand Prix in 1955 and 1958. He also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with José Froilán González in 1954. Mr. Trintignant died on February 13, 2005 at the age of 87.

Bobby Bragan. U.S. baseball player, manager, and executive. Mr. Bragan was a shortstop and catcher with the Philadelphia Phillies (1940-1942) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1943-1944, 1947-1948), batting .240 with 15 home runs and 172 runs batted in in 597 games. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates (1956-1957); Cleveland Indians (1958); and Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves (1963-1966), compiling a record of 443-478-6. Mr. Bragan led Fort Worth to consecutive pennants in the AA Texas League in 1948-1949, and managed the Hollywood Stars to the Pacific Coast League pennant in 1953. He was among the Dodger players who opposed the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1947, but soon changed his mind, and supported Negro players. Mr. Bragan was President of the Texas League from 1969-1976, and President of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues from 1976-1978. He later served in the front office of the Texas Rangers. Mr. Bragan died on January 21, 2010 at the age of 92.

War
With two British divisions, General Arthur Currie's Canadians began their final assault on the Belgian village of Passchendaele, and reached the ruined outskirts in a heavy rainstorm and gale. Four more Victoria Crosses were awarded for valour this day, to: Cecil John Kinross; Hugh McKenzie (killed in action); Harry Mullin; and George Randolph Pearkes.

Politics and government
Charles Stewart was sworn in as Premier of Alberta, replacing Arthur Sifton as head of the province's Liberal government.

Economics and finance
The Montreal Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange adopted minimum pricing system to drive out penny stocks to the curb exchanges.

80 years ago
1937

Died on this date
Sir Barton, 21. Canadian-born U.S. racehorse. Sir Barton was raised in Kentucky and raced from 1918-1920; he became the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 1919. Sir Barton died of colic.

Football
Canadian university
British Columbia 3 @ Alberta (1-4) 2

Jim Harmer's field goal in the 1st quarter held up for the winning score as the Thunderbirds held on to edge the Polar Bears before 4,000 fans at Varsity Stadium in Edmonton.

75 years ago
1942

War
Royal Canadian Air Force planes of the Eastern Air Command destroyed two German U-Boats in the North Atlantic Ocean in one day. The British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Petard sank the German submarine U-559; after forcing it to the surface, Lieutenant Tony Fasson, Able Seaman Colin Grazier, and canteen assistant Tommy Brown boarded the U-boat, retrieving material which led to the decryption of the German Enigma code. The British 8th Army made a further advance through the El Alamein line under intense German artillery barrage. German and Romanian ground forces split the Russian lines in the Natchik area of the Caucasus. Australian troops captured Alola, eight miles from the Japanese base of Kokoda in the Owen Stanley Mountains in New Guinea. British troops captured Fianarantoso, the most important town in southern Madagascar.

Labour
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that compulsory registration of women aged 18-65 was being studied to ascertain the number of war workers.

Oil
A report from Mexico City claimed that the United States would buy 10-15 million barrels of oil annually from Mexico.

Medicine
Dr. Henry McCarroll told the American Public Health Association that the Kenny method of treating polio was hopeless for controlling the "aftereffects" of the disease, and suggested that the answer lay in immunology.

70 years ago
1947

Defense
U.S. Army General Leslie Groves, head of armed forces special weapons research, claimed that the U.S.S.R. would need 15-20 years to develop the atomic bomb without outside help.

Diplomacy
The United Nations General Assembly's Political and Security Committee approved a U.S. plan for creation of a temporary UN commission to supervise election of representatives in Korea, who would then negotiate with the UN on terms of independence.

Politics and government
The French National Assembly gave Prime Minister Paul Ramadier's centre-left government a vote of confidence after conservative gains in recent municipal elections.

Czech Vice Premier Jan Ursiny, chief representative of the Slovak Democratic Party in Prague, resigned at the urging of Premier Klement Gottwald.

Economics and finance
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the foundation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), was founded as the closing act of the 23-nation Geneva Trade Conference.

The U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust suit in New York against 17 investment banking firms controlling 69% of the securities issued over the past nine years. Among the firms named were Morgan Stanley and Company, and Lehman Brothers.

Basketball
PBLA
Atlanta (4-0) 60 St. Joseph (0-2) 44 @ Salina, Kansas
Louisville (0-1) 36 @ Springfield (1-0) 57
New Orleans (0-1) 42 @ Birmingham (1-0) 51

60 years ago
1957

At the movies
No Down Payment, directed by Martin Ritt, and starring Joanne Woodward, Sheree North, Tony Randall, and Jeffrey Hunter, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Fred Beebe, 77. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Beebe played with the Chicago Cubs (1906); St. Louis Cardinals (1906-1909); Cincinnati Reds (1910); Philadelphia Phillies (1911); and Cleveland Indians (1916), compiling a record of 62-83 with an earned run average of 2.86 in 202 games. He led the National League in strikeouts in his rookie year with 171--55 with the Cubs, and 116 with the Cardinals.

José Patricio Guggiari Corniglione, 73. 32nd President of Paraguay, 1928-1931, 1932. Mr. Guggiari founded the liberal Constitutional Party, and was first elected to Congress in 1912. He was elected President of the National Chamber in 1924, and President of Paraguay in 1928. Because of his suppression of a student demonstration, Mr. Guggiari was replaced as President by Vice President Emiliano González Navero from October 23, 1931-January 27, 1932.

War
Nine leaders of the Algerian nationalist Committee of Coordination and Execution ended a meeting in Tunis, issuing a communique reaffirming nationalist demands for United Nations intervention in Algeria, and French recognition of Algerian independence prior to cease-fire talks.

Politics and government
The British government of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan revealed details of plans to reform the House of Lords, which included creating the first life peerages for women.

West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer named Economic Minister Ludwig Erhard as deputy Chancellor.

California Attorney General Edmund "Pat" Brown announced his candidacy for the 1958 California Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

Crime
The U.S. Army announced that espionage charges had been filed against Sergeant Roy Rhodes following his admission that he had sold information to the U.S.S.R.

Society
A referendum in Alberta resulted in votes for a greater variety of liquor outlets.

Economics and finance
The British government drew half of the $500 million credit established with the U.S. Export-Import Bank during the 1956 Suez Canal crisis to bolster its gold and dollar reserves.

Disasters
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an executive order specifying that states would not get federal disaster relief until they gave assurance that they would spend "a reasonable amount" of their own money.

Football
ORFU
Sarnia (5-5-1) 20 @ London (7-2-2) 35

Dave Doane scored 2 touchdowns and Ed Dearmon, Ron King, and Bob Fiveash also scored TDs for the Lords as they beat the Golden Bears at Labatt Park, with Don Wright kicking 5 converts. Dick Gregory, Jim Waddell, and Archie McAffer scored the Sarnia touchdowns, 2 of which were converted by Gene Lekenta.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)--Scott McKenzie

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Cosmos 188; it docked with Cosmos 186, launched two days earlier, in the first Soviet docking feat and the first docking of two unmanned spacecraft.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Heaven on the 7th Floor--Paul Nicholas

Hockey
WHA
Edmonton 2 @ Winnipeg 5

Football
CFL
Toronto (6-9) 4 @ Ottawa (7-8) 14
British Columbia (10-5) 28 @ Saskatchewan (8-7) 38
Edmonton (9-6) 23 @ Calgary (3-12) 21

The Rough Riders lost staring middle linebacker Ken Moore with a broken ankle and backup linebacker Tim Berryman with another injury in their win over the Argonauts at Lansdowne Park.

Eric Guthrie quarterbacked the Roughriders to their win over the Lions before 22,173 fans at Taylor Field in Regina. Mike Nott dressed for his first CFL game as the back up to Mr. Guthrie, as starter Ron Lancaster had suffered a season-ending knee injury two weeks earlier, missing his first game in 11 years.

Dave Cutler's third field goal of the game, a 48-yard kick with 27 seconds remaining in the game before 25,058 fans at McMahon Stadium, broke a 20-20 tie, and Calgary's Cyril McFall missed a field goal attempt on the last play and it went for a single, allowing the Eskimos to win and clinch a playoff spot, eliminating the Roughriders from playoff contention for the first time in 16 years. The Stampeders led 9-3 late in the 2nd quarter before Edmonton quarterback Bruce Lemmerman connectd with Waddell Smith for a 45-yard gain to the Calgary 1-yard line; Mr. Lemmerman sneaked over for the touchdown on the next play, and Mr. Cutler's convert gave the Eskimos a 10-9 lead. The other Edmonton touchdown was scored by linebacker Tom Towns in the 3rd quarter when he recovered a Willie Burden fumble and returned it 71 yards.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): You Win Again--Bee Gees (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Joseph Campbell, 83. U.S. mythologist. Professor Campbell specialized in comparative mythology and comparative religion. He was best known for the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and his saying "Follow your bliss." Professor Campbell was influenced by theorists such as Abraham Maslow, Sigmund Freud, and especially Carl Jung, whose symbolic dream interpretation and ideas on archetypes contributed to Professor Campbell's belief in the psychic unity of mankind and its expression through mythology.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (3-14) 12 @ Saskatchewan (5-11-1) 9

Joe Paopao completed 22 of 34 passes for 250 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Alphin in the 1st quarter, as the Rough Riders held on to defeat the Roughriders before 21,773 fans at Taylor Field in Regina, ending a 13-game losing streak. In the final minutes, Saskatchewan drove from their own 12-yard line, but Ray Elgaard fumbled at the Ottawa 15 after catching a pass, and the Rough Riders recovered. Former Edmonton Eskimo Tom Dixon, playing his first game for Ottawa, converted Mr. Alphin’s touchdown and added a field goal and a single. Dave Ridgway kicked 3 field goals for the Roughriders, who were shut out in the 2nd half.

CIAU
WIFL
Manitoba (1-7) 14 @ Calgary (4-4) 49

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Sweat (A La La La La Long)--Inner Circle (6th week at #1)

Abominations
Canadian Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Tom Siddon signed an accord in Iqaluit with Inuit leaders for the creation of a self-governing territory before 2000, to be taken from the Northwest Territories and called Nunavut. The federal government would finance 2.2 million square kilometres of the eastern Arctic territory, with the Inuit to get clear title to 350,000 square kilometres and $1.15 billion in grants over 14 years.

Politics and government
Prince Edward Island Premier Joe Ghiz announced that he would be stepping down as Premier, and called for a leadership convention to be held in January 1993.

Hockey
NHL
Detroit 7 Toronto 1

Football
CIAU
Calgary (4-4) 11 @ Alberta (3-4-1) 22

Jay Hamilton rushed 10 yards for a touchdown in the 1st quarter and Mike Weiss rushed 15 yards for a TD in the 4th quarter as the Golden Bears upset the Dinosaurs before 1,002 fans—including this blogger—at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton. John Cutler converted both touchdowns and added a pair of 20-yard field goals. The Golden Bears also scored a safety touch in the 2nd quarter. Calgary’s only touchdown came in the 2nd quarter on a 1-yard pass from Sasha Blaskovich to Remo Cardone. Calgary running back Craig Kittelson finished the regular season with 1,248 yards rushing, breaking the Canadian record of 1,208 set by Tim Tindale of Western Ontario the previous year.

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight--Elton John (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): The Memory Remains--Metallica

Died on this date
Samuel Fuller, 85. U.S. writer and movie director. Mr. Fuller was a journalist and pulp novelist before directing movies such as The Steel Helmet (1951); Pickup on South Street (1953); and The Big Red One (1980).

Crime
A jury in Cambridge, Massachusetts convicted British au pair Louise Woodward of second-degree murder in the death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen on February 9, 1997. The judge later reduced the verdict to manslaughter and set Miss Woodward free.

Law
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled 7-2 that nothing in Canadian law permitted the courts to force a woman to take drug treatment to save the fetus she is carrying. The ruling came after Winnipeg Social Services tried to detain a woman in a detox centre; lawyer Martha Jackman stated that the law could not be changed without infringing on women's rights.

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Robert Goulet, 73. U.S. actor and singer. Mr. Goulet was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, but spent much of his youth in Alberta, including a stint as an announcer at Edmonton radio station CKUA. He was best known for playing Sir Lancelot in the stage musical Camelot (1960). Mr. Goulet died of pulmonary fibrosis, less than a month before his 74th birthday.

Washoe, 42. West African-born U.S. chimpanzee. Washoe was the first non-human to learn to communicate using American Sign Language; she learned approximately 350 signs.

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced that the Goods and Services Tax would be reduced from 6% to 5%, effective January 1, 2008.