August 28, 2018

1,630 years ago
388

Died on this date
Magnus Maximus, 53 (?). Western Roman Emperor, 383-388. Magnus usurped the throne from Emperor Gratian in 383; he was executed in Aquileia after retreating there following the defeat of his forces by those of Theodosius I and Valentinian II in the Battle of the Save. Magnus Maximus was succeeded on the throne by Gracianus Municeps.

370 years ago
1648

War
The Siege of Colchester ended when Royalists Forces surrendered to the Parliamentary Forces after 11 weeks, during the Second English Civil War.

200 years ago
1818

Died on this date
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, 73 (?). U.S. fur trader. Mr. Point du Sable was the first permanent resident of Chicago, and is recognized as the "Founder of Chicago."

140 years ago
1878

Journalism
The first issue of the Sherbrooke Examiner was published in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

120 years ago
1898

Popular culture
Caleb Bradham's beverage "Brad's Drink" was renamed "Pepsi-Cola".

110 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Roger Tory Peterson. U.S. ornithologist. Mr. Peterson has been called the inventor of the modern field guide, beginning with Guide to the Birds (1934). He has also been credited as an inspiration to the modern environmental movement. Mr. Peterson died on July 28, 1996, a month before his 88th birthday.

Robert Merle. Algerian-born French author. Mr. Merle, a native of French Algeria who moved to Paris as a child, was known for novels such as Week-end à Zuydcoote (Week-end at Zuydcoote) (1949) and for his 13-volume series of historical novels Fortune de France (1977–2003). He died of a heart attack on March 27, 2004 at the age of 95.

100 years ago
1918

Died on this date
A. E. G. McKenzie. Canadian military officer. Lieutenant-Colonel McKenzie, GOC of the 26th (New Brunswick) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, was killed during the Battle of Chérisy in France, part of the Battle of the Scarpe.

War
The 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions seized an important portion of the German Fresnes-Rouvroy defense system after three days of intense fighting in the Battle of the Scarpe in France. Total casualties were reported as 254 officers and 5,547 other ranks. They captured more than 3,300 prisoners, 53 guns and 519 machine guns. Lieutenant-Colonel William Hew Clark-Kennedy, 24th Battalion, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, earned a Victoria Cross by personally driving the advance despite being severely wounded, and suffering from intense pain and loss of blood.

90 years ago
1928

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. Assistant Foreign Minister Maxim Litvinoff sent a note to the Secretariat of the League of Nations to announce that the Soviet Union was refusing to participate in further League disarmament activities: "The League has done and is doing nothing. It rejected the Soviet proposal for complete disarmament and then did not act upon the partial disarmament substitute proposal. Further discussions are simply calculated to mislead the peoples. Peace cannot be guaranteed so long as nations continue arming."

75 years ago
1943

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): In the Blue of Evening--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra with Frank Sinatra (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Boris III, 49. Czar of Bulgaria, 1918-1943. Boris III succeeded to the throne upon the abdication of his father Ferdinand I after Bulgaria's defeat in World War I. Although loosely allied with Nazi Germany during World War II, Bulgaria refused to declare war on the Soviet Union, even after a meeting between King Boris and Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler in Rastenburg, East Prussia on August 14, 1943. Czar Boris has been regarded as a hero for saving Bulgaria's Jews from the Holocaust, but has also been criticized for not saving Jews from territories newly-occupied by Bulgaria. Czar Boris III died of an apparent heart attack the day after dining at the Italian embassy in Sofia. Conspiracy theories abounded, alleging that the czar had been poisoned. He was succeeded on the throne by his 6-yaer-old son Simeon II under a Regency Council headed by Boris's brother Prince Kyril of Bulgaria.

War
Soviet troops advanced to nearly five miles west of the Bryansk-Kiev railroad west of Sevsk. The Allies announced that all organized Japanese resistance on New Georgia Island had ceased.

Protest
In Denmark, a general strike began against the Nazi occupation; the Danish cabinet had rejected German demands for complete control of the country following King Christian's threat to abdicate if the cabinet caved in to German demands.

Society
The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service announced that alien travel to and from the United States during the year ended June 30, 1943 was the lowest in 80 years.

Oil
U.S. Fuel Administrator Harold Ickes warned that U.S. oil reserves totalled only about 20 billion barrels, sufficient for 14 or 15 years.

70 years ago
1948

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Twelfth Street Rag--Pee Wee Hunt and his Orchestra

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 My Happiness--The Pied Pipers (2nd week at #1)
--Jon and Sondra Steele
--Ella Fitzgerald
2 You Call Everybody Darlin'--Al Trace and the Revelers
--Anne Vincent
--Jack Smith and the Clark Sisters
3 Woody Wood-Pecker--The Sportsmen and Mel Blanc
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
4 You Can't Be True, Dear--Ken Griffin
--Dick Haymes with the Song Spinners
--The Sportsmen
5 It's Magic--Doris Day
--Dick Haymes and Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
--Tony Martin
--Gordon MacRae
6 Twelfth Street Rag--Pee Wee Hunt and his Orchestra
7 Love Somebody--Doris Day and Buddy Clark
8 A Tree in the Meadow--Margaret Whiting
9 William Tell Overture--Spike Jones and his City Slickers
10 Little White Lies--Dick Haymes

Singles entering the chart were Win or Lose by Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra (#30) and Love That Boy by Dinah Shore (#39).

War
Two United Nations truce observers from France died when their plane was fired upon near an Egyptian base in Gaza.

World events
The Czechoslovakian government announced the discovery of a Western espionage plot, resulting in the arrest of Dutch embassy official Leonardus Bartolomeous van Dam and a group of Czechs.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department proposed the creation of an international agency to control Antarctica.

Jacob Lomakin, the expelled Soviet consul general in New York, left the city with his family aboard a Swedish ship.

India challenged the right of the United Nations to intervene in the issue of Hyderabad's demand for independence, claiming that the state was not a sovereign country.

Politics and government
The French cabinet of Prime Minister Andre Marie resigned after socialists withdrew from the governing coalition in a dispute over cost-of-living raises.

The Communist-dominated Socialist Unity Party demanded the creation of an 18-member special committee to take control of Berlin's civil government from the "bankrupt" City Assembly.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities issued a preliminary report on its spy hearings, stating that it had "definitely established" the existence of espionage by domestic and foreign Communists, urging the administration of President Harry Truman to cooperate with the investigation and calling on Congress to pass the Mundt-Nixon Communist control bill.

The Texas Democratic Party U.S. Senatorial primary resulted in a victory for Representative Lyndon Johnson over former Governor Coke Stevenson by a margin of 48 votes. Rep. Johnson's victory, which was attributed by critics to suspicious activity, earned him the nickname "Landslide Lyndon."

Labour
United Auto Workers of America President Walter Reuther announced plans to raise a $1-million political fund, financed by voluntary contributions from union members, to help pro-labour candidates.

Horse racing
Citation, with Eddie Arcaro up, won the American Derby in Chicago.

Football
IRFU-ORFU
Pre-season
Toronto Argonauts (1-0) 13 @ Toronto Beaches Indians (2-2) 8
Windsor (0-1) 3 @ Hamilton (1-0) 36

WIFU
Winnipeg (1-1) 14 @ Saskatchewan (1-2) 13

Royal Copeland scored 2 touchdowns for the defending Grey Cup champion Argonauts as they defeated the Beaches Indians before 4,397 fans at Varsity Stadium in 100 F. heat. Ernie Becker scored the Beaches Indians' touchdown.

Walter Gibb scored a touchdown and 3 converts while Jim Oldenberg scored a touchdown and single and passed for 2 touchdowns as the Wildcats routed the Rockets before 1,500 fans at Civic Stadium.

Mr. Fitzgibbons and Bob Sandberg scored touchdowns and Don Hiney added a convert and field goal for the Blue Bombers as they edged the Roughriders at Taylor Field in Regina. Messrs. Lee and Early scored Saskatchewan touchdowns, both converted by Gabe Patterson, with Ken Charlton adding a single.

60 years ago
1958

Died on this date
Bo Larsson, 22. Swedish athlete. Mr. Larsson was preparing for a meet in Stockholm when he was struck in the chest by a javelin thrown by another competitor. Mr. Larsson pulled the javelin out with his own hands, but didn't survive the injury.

War
The Republic of China reported that Communist marine, amphibious, and torpedo boat units had been concentrated in the mainland ports of Chusan and Santuao for a possibl invasion attempt against the islands of Quemoy and Matsu.

In an open letter to Fidel Castro's forces and other groups opposed to Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, Cuban Communist leaders Juan Marinello and Blas Roca called on all opposition forces to form a "united front" to overthrow Mr. Batista's government.

Diplomacy
Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus issued a statement in Athens asking for "substantial intervention by the United Nations" to restore peace in Cyprus, and warning that Greek Cypriots would continue to fight against the U.K. plan for Cypriot home rule under Greek-Turkish-British supervision.

Education
A special session of the Arkansas legislature adopted legislation requested by Governor Orval Faubus permitting him to close any school where integration caused or threatened violence.

Labour
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill extending for two years a program of importing Mexicans for temporary work on U.S. farms when domestic labour was not available.

Track and field
Herb Elliot of Australia ran 1,500 metres in a world record time of 3 minutes 36 seconds in Goteborg, Sweden.

Boxing
In his first fight in two years, former world heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles (94-21-1) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Johnny Harper (8-10) at East-West Stadium in Fairmont, West Virginia.

Football
CFL
WIFU
British Columbia (0-4) 1 @ Winnipeg (3-1) 31

Kenny Ploen threw 2 touchdown passes and rushed 12 times for 148 yards and a touchdown to lead the Blue Bombers to their rout of the Lions at Winnipeg Stadium. Mr. Ploen's first TD pass came on a completion to Frank Gilliam, who lateralled to Leo Lewis, who went the rest of the way for the touchdown. Mr. Gilliam caught Mr. Ploen's other touchdown pass. Charlie Shepard scored a touchdown and single; Gerry James kicked 2 converts and a field goal; and Gerry Vincent punted for a single. Ted Hunt's single was the only point for the Lions, who had fired head coach Clem Crowe two days earlier, and were led by assistant coaches Vic Lindskog and Walt Schlinkman until a new head coach could be hired.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Do it Again--The Beach Boys

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 The Orange and the Green/(The Puppet Song) Whiskey on a Sunday--The Irish Rovers (2nd week at #1)
2 MacArthur Park--Richard Harris
3 Indian Lake--The Cowsills
4 Angel of the Morning--Merrilee Rush
5 Dream a Little Dream of Me--Mama Cass
6 Lady Willpower--Gary Puckett and the Union Gap
7 Jumpin' Jack Flash--The Rolling Stones
8 Hurdy Gurdy Man--Donovan
9 Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend)--Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
10 My Name is Jack--Manfred Mann

Singles entering the chart were Classical Gas by Mason Williams (#25); People Got to Be Free by the Rascals (#27); Mr. Bojangles by Jerry Jeff Walker (#35); What is Soul by the Groove (#36); Here Comes the Judge by Pigmeat Markham (#38); Happy by Nancy Sinatra (#39); and Universal by Small Faces (#40).

Died on this date
John Gordon Mein, 54. U.S. diplomat. Mr. Mein, U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala since 1965, was assassinated in Guatemala City, 13 days before his 55th birthday, after stopping his car while en route to the embassy after a luncheon. The pro-Communist guerrilla organization Fuerzas Armadas Rebeldes (Rebel Armed Forces) (FAR) announced the next day that it had planned to kidnap Mr. Mein in retaliation for the Guatemalan government's capture of a FAR leader on August 24. Mr. Mein was the first American ambassador to be assassinated while in office; he was succeeded as Ambassador to Guatemala by Nathaniel Davis.

Politics and government
At the Democratic National Convention at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey was nominated as the party's candidate for President of the United States, while U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie (Maine) was nominated as the party's vice presidential candidate.

Protest
Violent clashes between Chicago police and demonstrators protesting during the Democratic National Convention peaked in Lincoln Park with what was later termed in a report as a "police riot," while protesters outside the Conrad Hilton Hotel shouted "The whole world is watching."



Football
CFL
Hamilton (2-2) 21 @ Montreal (2-2) 23
Calgary (4-2) 12 @ Edmonton (2-3-1) 7

Art Perkins scored the Eskimos' touchdown in their loss to the Stampeders at Clarke Stadium.

40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Monster--Pink Lady (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M.

Died on this date
Bruce Catton, 78. U.S. historian and journalist. Mr. Catton wrote for various newspapers from 1926-1941, but was better known for his later career as a historian, specializing in the American Civil War. He won the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for History for A Stillness at Appomattox.

F. Van Wyck Mason, 66. U.S. historian and author. Francis Van Wyck Mason wrote pulp adventure and historical short stories and novels. 25 of his novels featured a character named Hugh North, a prototype for James Bond. Mr. Mason drowned while swimming off the coast of Bermuda.

Robert Shaw, 51. U.K. actor and writer. Mr. Shaw was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in A Man for All Seasons (1966), and was also known for his supporting performances in movies such as The Sting (1973) and Jaws (1975). He wrote novels and plays, and his novel The Man in the Glass Booth (1967) was adapted into a play and then a movie. Mr. Shaw was a heavy drinker for most of his life, and suffered a fatal heart attack while driving on a highway in Ireland, 19 days after his 51st birthday.

Politics and government
Alfredo Nobre da Costa, a politically independent technocrat, took office as Prime Minister of Portugal, after the nation's parties had been unable to agree on a coalition government. Mr. da Costa's government would have to face a vote of non-confidence in the National Assembly within 15 days.

Labour
A nationwide U.S. postal strike was averted when the Postal Service and union leaders agreed, hours before a midnight deadine, to resume bargaining, to be followed by binding arbitration if a settlement could not be reached within 15 days.

Sport
Donald Vesco raced his special 21-foot-long Kawasaki motorcycle named Lightning Bolt to a cycling land speed record of 318.598 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The mark was broken by Dave Campos on a Harley-Davidson called Easy Rider in 1990.

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Doctorin' the TARDIS--Timelords

#1 single in Switzerland: The Twist (Yo, Twist!)--The Fat Boys with Stupid Def Vocals by Chubby Checker (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Jean Marchand, 69. Canadian politician. Mr. Marchand was a Liberal member of the House of Commons from 1965-1976, and held six different cabinet posts in the governments of Prime Ministers Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau. He was appointed to the Senate in 1976, and served as Speaker of the Senate from 1980 until his retirement from politics in 1983.

Max Shulman, 69. U.S. humourist. Mr. Shulman was best known for his short story collection The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1951), which became the basis for the movie The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953) and the television series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959-1963).

Disasters
At an air show at Ramstein Air Base, a U.S. base 60 miles southwest of Frankfurt, West Germany, three aircraft with the Italian Frecce Tricolori demonstration team collided and the wreckage fell into the crowd of 300,000. 75 were killed and 346 seriously injured.

25 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): The River of Dreams--Billy Joel

#1 single in Italy: All that She Wants--Ace of Base (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): What Is Love?--Haddaway (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Mr. Vain--Culture Beat (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Darla dirladada--Les G.O. Cul-ture (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): What's Up?--4 Non Blondes (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Mr. Vain--Culture Beat

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You--UB40 (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A.: (Cash Box): (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You--UB40 (5th week at #1)

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Runaway Train--Soul Asylum
2 (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You--UB40
3 I'm Free--Jon Secada
4 I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)--The Proclaimers
5 I Don't Wanna Fight--Tina Turner
6 Rain--Madonna
7 Fields of Gold--Sting
8 If--Janet Jackson
9 The River of Dreams--Billy Joel
10 Run to You--Whitney Houston

Singles entering the chart were Soul II Squeeze by Red Hot Chili Peppers (#57); Jessie by Joshua Kadison (#69); Hey Jealousy by Gin Blossoms (#78); I've Always Got You by Robin Zarder (#83); Sister Havana by Urge Overkill (#89); Bitter Creek by Ray Lyell (#91); No Justice by Harem Scarem (#92); and Won't Give Up My Music by Lisa Lougheed (#94).

Diplomacy
Palestinian and Israeli leaders agreed in principle on Palestinian authority over the Gaza Strip and Jericho on the West Bank as the first step to self-rule in Israeli-occupied territories.

The Muslim-dominated Bosnian parliament voted 65-0 to reject the United Nations peace plan for Bosnia and to return negotiators to Geneva to work for changes.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (3-6) 11 @ Winnipeg (6-3) 35

Matt Dunigan threw touchdown passes to Gerald Alphin and Allen Boyko, and Michael Richardson rushed for 2 more TDs as the Blue Bombers beat the Tiger-Cats before 24,475 fans at Winnipeg Stadium. Bob Torrance, starting his second straight game at quarterback for Hamilton, completed a touchdown pass to Cornell Burbage. The loss was the sixth straight for the Tiger-Cats.

CIAU
Calgary (1-0) 16 @ Alberta (0-1) 6

20 years ago
1998

War
In the Second Congo War, Loyalist Congolese troops backed by Angolan and Zimbabwean forces repulsed the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) and Rwandan offensive on Kinshasa.

Politics and government
Pakistan's National Assembly passed a constitutional amendment to make the "Qur'an and Sunnah" the "supreme law," but the bill was defeated in the Senate.

Economics and finance
The Canadian dollar dropped to U.S. 64.02c.

Football
CFL
Calgary (6-3) 32 @ Montreal (7-2) 40

10 years ago
2008

Died on this date
Phil Hill, 81. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Hill drove in the Formula One Circuit from 1958-1964 and 1966, winning 3 races, and becoming the first--and so far, only--American-born driver to win the world driving championship, in 1961. He and Olivier Gendebein won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958, 1961, and 1962. Mr. Hill died after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

Diplomacy
Two days after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had signed decrees recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign states, independent from Georgia, the Georgian Parliament passed a resolution declaring Abkhazia and South Ossetia "Russian-occupied territories" and instructed the government to annul all previous treaties on Russian peacekeeping.

Politics and government
The U.S. Democratic National Convention concluded before a crowd of 84,000 at Invesco Field in Denver with U.S. Senator Barack Obama giving his acceptance speech as the party's U.S. presidential candidate.



Canadiana
Governor General Michaelle Jean announced the creation of the Sacrifice Medal.