September 20, 2021

860 years ago
1161

Born on this date
Takakura. Emperor of Japan, 1168-1180. Takakura, born Norihito-shinnō, was the fourth son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, and acceded to the throne upon the deposal of his nephew Rokujū. He abdicated under pressure in March 1180 in favour of his infant son Antoku, and died on January 30, 1181 at the age of 19.

520 years ago
1501

Died on this date
Agostino Barbarigo, 82. Doge of Venice, 1486-1501. Mr. Barbarigo presided over the annexation of Cyprus and the acquisition of several strongholds in Romagna. He was succeeded as Doge by Leonardo Loredan.

190 years ago
1831

Born on this date
Kate Harrington. U.S. teacher and writer. Miss Harrington was a schoolteacher in several states and wrote fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, but had her greatest influence with a series of literature readers for children, correlating spelling and reading instruction, and incorporating music into the process, thus serving as a forerunner for phonics systems. She died on May 29, 1917 at the age of 85.

160 years ago
1861

Born on this date
Herbert Putnam. U.S. librarian. Mr. Putnam, the son of publisher G.P. Putnam, was Librarian of Congress from 1899-1939. He died on August 14, 1955 at the age of 93.

150 years ago
1871

Died on this date
John Patteson, 44. U.K. clergyman. Rev. Patteson was an Anglican priest who was named Bishop of Melanesia in 1861, and learned 23 of Melanesia's more than 1,000 languages, translating some scriptures into the Mota language. He worked with the colonial government to suppress "blackbirders"--traders who coerced or kidnapped local people into harsh labour conditions--despite slavery already being illegal. Rev. Patteson took boys from the local villages and educated them, then returning them to their people to lead the next generation, but often enountered resistance from natives who didn't want the boys to depart. Rev. Patteson was killed on the island of Nukapu in the Solomon Islands, where he had landed alone. There are differing accounts as to the circumstances of his death; one account states that he was mistaken for a blackbirder, and another says that he was killed in revenge for the abduction of five men by a blackbirder several days earlier.

140 years ago
1881

Politics and government
Chester A. Arthur was sworn in as the 21st President of the United States of America, replacing James A. Garfield, who had died the previous day, more than two months after being shot by Charles Guiteau.

130 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Tomás Garrido Canabal. Mexican politician. Mr. Garrido was a Marxist revolutionary and atheist who was known for his hatred and persecution of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Governor of Yucatan (May-June 1920) and Governor of Tabasco (May 1919-January 1920, 1923-1926, 1931-1934). When Lázaro Cárdenas became President of Mexico in 1934, he named Mr. Garrido as Secretary of Agriculture, but dismissed him in 1935, forced him into exile in Costa Rica, and disbanded his paramilitary groups after Mr. Garrido ordered his Red Shirts to kill Catholic activists in Mexico City seeking to return to Tabasco. Mr. Garrido was allowed to return to Mexico in 1941, and died of cancer in Los Angeles on April 8, 1943 at the age of 51.

125 years ago
1896

Disasters
New Brunswick’s only sugar refinery, the Moncton Sugar Refining Company, was destroyed by fire. Built in 1882 and acquired in 1894 by the Acadia Sugar Refining Company of Halifax (Nova Scotia), the Moncton plant was not rebuilt.

110 years ago
1911

Disasters
The White Star Line's RMS Olympic collided with the British warship HMS Hawke as they were running parallel to each other through the Solent, the strait between Britain and the Isle of Wight. Both ships wre damaged, but there were no fatalities.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Chico Hamilton. U.S. musician. Forestorn Hamilton was a jazz drummer and bandleader who performed as a sideman with Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne before forming his own band in the 1950s. He had a performing and recording career, including composing for and appearing in movies and television programs, spanning more than 60 years until his death on November 25, 2013 at the age of 92.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Arthur Meighen announced the formation of a new cabinet, consisting of 23 ministers, six without portfolio. New ministers included H.H. Stevens (Commerce and Finance) and R.B. Bennett (Justice).

90 years ago
1931

Football
NFL
Brooklyn (0-2) 6 @ Green Bay (2-0) 32

80 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)--Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra (vocal choruses by Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell) (4th week at #1)

War
The Keep America Out of War Congress announced that it "deeply regrets and disagrees with Mr. Lindbergh's implication" that all Jews backed U.S. intervention in the European war. Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh had made a speech in Des Moines on September 11 in which he had blamed British and Jewish interests, along with the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for advocating American entry into the war. U.S. Senator Gerald Nye (Republican--North Dakota) urged "all loyal Americans" to oppose President Roosevelt's foreign policy as a deliberate "war" program.

Abominations
Lithuanian Nazis and local police begin a mass execution of 403 Jews in Nemenčinė.

World events
Martial law was declared in Bulgaria amid reports in Ankara and London that King Boris III was ready to take his nation into war on the side of Germany. 12 more French hostages were executed in Paris by German authorities in reprisal for the slaying of a German officer.

Diplomacy
Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi of Iran issued a declaration in Tehran pledging "the closest cooperation" with the U.K. and U.S.S.R. and urging an immediate program of constitutional reform.

U.S. Representative Martin Dies (Democrat--Texas) said that he had deferred an inquiry by his House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities into Japanese espionage on the west coast of the United States, at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Defense
U.S. President Roosevelt signed the record $3.55-billion defense tax bill in Hyde Park, New York.

Politics and government
Mexican President Manuel Avila Camacho ordered the nation's 80,000 schoolteachers to abandon all political activity as of September 30, 1941.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce denounced the price control bill as "too sweeping."

75 years ago
1946

At the movies
The first Cannes Film Festival was held, having been delayed seven years due to World War II.

Europeana
Six days after a referendum, King Christian X of Denmark annulled the declaration of independence of the Faroe Islands.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Committee on refugees voted in favour of a Soviet proposal to repatriate displaced children to their countries of origin and to permit such countries the right to control propaganda in refugee camps.

Yugoslavian Deputy Premier Edward Kardelj notified the Italian Political and Territorial Commission of the Paris Peace Conference that Yugoslavia "will not be bound by any decision of this conference" after the commission rejected all Yugoslavian amendments in the Trieste and Italian border agreements.

A nine-man committee was appointed at the Palestine Conference in London to study Arab proposals for an independent Palestine in which Jewish rights would be guaranteed.

Politics and government
After conferring with Secretary of State James Byrnes in Paris, U.S. President Harry Truman asked for and received the resignation of Commerce Secretary Henry Wallace. Mr. Truman attributed the move to a "fundamantal conflict" between the foreign policy views of Mr. Wallace and the Administration. In a radio address following his dismissal, Mr. Wallace declared that "winning the peace is more important than high public office," and urged his listeners to work for a peaceful U.S. foreign policy as "a holy duty."

The Japanese Diet passed laws introducing popular election of prefectural officials.

Society
The British government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee ended the "squatter" movement by agreeing to house 20,000 homeless people in 718 unused Army camps.

Religion
The First National Youth Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church adjourned in Philadelphia after passing resolutions urging friendship with the U.S.S.R. and endorsing the United Nations.

Labour
The Congress of Industrial Organizations National Maritime Union ended its strike against Atlantic and Gulf Coast shipping owners, who agreed to Federal Communications Commission Chairman James Fly's arbitration award giving the NMU wage parity with American Federation of Labor maritime unions.

Disasters
The United Kingdom reported 12 killed in the worst floods in 30 years, caused by torrential rains and gales.

A 100-mile-per-hour typhoon swept the Marianas, causing $1.5 million in damage to the U.S. naval base at Guam.

Football
CRU
ORFU
Toronto Indians (2-0) 14 @ Toronto Balmy Beach (1-2) 1

The game was played at Maple Leaf Stadium.

NFL
Chicago Cardinals (0-1) 7 @ Pittsburgh (1-0) 14

AAFC
New York (2-0-1) 17 @ Chicago (0-1-1) 17
Miami (0-3) 14 @ Los Angeles (2-0) 30

70 years ago
1951

Died on this date
John Augustine Hartford, 79. U.S. businessman. Mr. Hartford was President of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) from 1916 until his death. He ran the business operations side of the company while his brother George ran the financial side.

War
Communist negotiators requested "immediate resumption" of Korean War truce talks in Kaesong, saying that the United Nations had shown by admitting that its strafing of Kaesong that it was willing to "take a responsible attitude regarding violations" of the neutral area.

Defense
The North Atlantic Council agreed at a conference in Ottawa to invite Greece and Turkey to become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and extend the treaty's security guarantee to the entire Mediterranean region.

Aviation
A Boeing B-47 bomber made the firstjet crossing of the North Pole, taking off and returning at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska.

Economics and finance
East and West Germany signed a $100-million trade agreement in Berlin as the Communists promised to lift their "road repair" tax and other restrictions on traffic between West Berlin and West Germany.

Baseball
Ford Frick, President of the National League since 1934, was elected to a 7-year term as Commissioner of Major League Baseball by the owners of the major league clubs.

60 years ago
1961

Died on this date
Jim McGinley, 82. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. McGinley played with the St. Louis Cardinals (1904-1905), compiling a record of 2-2 with an earned run average of 3.30 in 4 games, batting .167 with no home runs and 1 run batted in. He pitched in 352 games and played in at least 443 games in 14 seasons in the minor leagues (1901-1918), including five seasons with the Haverhill Hustlers of the New England League (1901-1905) and six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Eastern League (1906-1911). Mr. McGinley died 12 days before his 83rd birthday.

Politics and government
Lieutenant General Konstantinos Dovas took office as Prime Minister of Greece in a transitional government.

Baseball
Roger Maris hit his 59th home run of the season to begin the scoring in a 3-run 4th inning for the New York Yankees as they beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 before 21,032 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore to clinch the American League pennant in their 154th game of the season. Mr. Maris's homer left him one short of Babe Ruth's total of 60 in a 154-game season of 1927. Ralph Terry (15-3) pitched a 4-hitter, allowing 1 earned run, to outduel Milt Pappas (12-9).



Vada Pinson drew a base on balls to lead off the bottom of the 8th inning and Wally Post hit a 1-out home run to provide the tying and winning runs for the Cincinnati Reds as they edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 before 14,822 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The Pirates had scored 2 runs in the top of the 8th to take a 2-1 lead. Joey Jay (21-8) pitched a 7-hit complete game victory,while Pittsburgh starter Joe Gibbon allowed 8 hits and 1 earned run in 7 innings before being relieved by Roy Face (6-11), who was relieved by Harvey Haddix after Leo Cardenas followed Mr. Post's homer with a single.

With 1 out in the bottom of the 13th inning, Wally Moon singled, advanced to second base on a ground out by Norm Larker, advanced to third on a passed ball by Dick Bertell, and scored on a single by Ron Fairly, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs before 12,068 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, allowing the second-place Dodgers to remain 5 games behind the National League-leading Reds. Sandy Koufax (18-11) pitched a 7-hit complete game victory, with 15 strikeouts.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Daddy Cool--Drummond (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Watashi no Jôkamachi--Rumiko Koyanagi (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Help (Get Me Some Help)--Tony Ronald (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Giorgos Seferis, 71. Greek poet and diplomat. Mr. Seferis, whose real name was Georgios Seferiades, became one of Greece's most important poets while working as a career diplomat in the Greek foreign service. He was Greece's Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1957-1962. Mr. Giorgios was awarded the 1963 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his eminent lyrical writing, inspired by a deep feeling for the Hellenic world of culture." He died of pneumonia.

James Westerfield, 58. U.S. actor and director. Mr. Westerfield was a character actor who played small roles on stage, screen, and television. He directed more than 50 musicals from a tent he owned in Danbury, Connecticut, and directed three seasons of Theatre Under the Stars in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mr. Westerfield died of a heart attack.

Tony Venzon, 56. U.S. baseball player and umpire. Mr. Venzon was a third baseman who played more than 200 games in 4 seasons in the minor leagues (1937-1940) befoer becoming an umpire. He worked in the minor leagues for 7 years (1950-1956) before moving up to the National League in 1957, umpiring 2,226 regular season games (1957-1971), plus 16 World Series games (1963, 1965, 1970) and 3 All-Star Games (1962, 1963, 1969). Mr. Venzon worked in 44 games at the beginning of the 1971 season, with his last game on May 25. He underwent open-heart surgery and was recovering, but complications required further surgery, after which he died.

Weather
Having weakened after making landfall in Nicaragua the previous day, Hurricane Irene regained enough strength to be renamed Hurricane Olivia, making it the first known hurricane to cross from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific.

Business
Major league baseball owners gave Washington Senators' owner Bob Short permission to move the club to the Dallas-Fort Worth area after the season.

Football
NFL
Minnesota (1-0) 16 Detroit (0-1) 13

Baseball
The Washington Senators scored 3 runs in the top of the 20th inning to break a 5-5 tie and held on to defeat the Cleveland Indians 8-6 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington in the completion of a game that had begun on September 14 in Cleveland. The game was tied 5-5 before 2,639 fans at Municipal Stadium when the game was suspended after 16 innings, and resumed when the teams met in Washington. The Indians scored a run in the bottom of the 9th and had runners on first and second bases with 2 out, but Vada Pinson struck out to end the game. Denny McLain (10-19), the last of nine Washington pitchers, allowed 3 hits and 1 run--earned--in 4 innings to get the win over Sam McDowell (13-15), the eighth of nine Cleveland pitchers. The teams combined for 20 bases on balls and 25 runners left on base. In the regularly scheduled game, Ted Uhlaender doubled home Eddie Leon, advanced to third base on a wild pitch, and scored on an error by first baseman Don Mincher in the 3rd inning to provide the necessary scoring as the Indians won 3-1 before 1,743 fans. Alan Foster (8-11) allowed 3 hits and 1 earned run in 7.1 innings to win the pitchers' duel over Mr. McLain (10-21), who continued on the mound for the Senators, allowing 5 hits and 3 runs--2 earned--in 8 innings. He had suffered his 20th loss on September 15 in Detroit, the day after the game in Cleveland was suspended, but before he entered the game; all records for the game were recorded as having taken place on September 14.

The Baltimore Orioles scored 5 runs in the top of the 9th inning to overcome a 4-3 deficit and defeat the New York Yankees 8-4 before 7,120 fans at Yankee Stadium. New York left fielder Roy White batted 3 for 3 with a base on balls, home run, triple, and 3 runs batted in. Rusty Torres made his major league debut in right field for the Yankees, batting 1 for 4 with a run, and making 4 putouts. Winning pitcher Pat Dobson (19-8) allowed 8 hits and 4 earned runs in 8 innings.

Skip Lockwood (10-14) pitched a 4-hitter and drove in the winning run with a ground out in the 2nd inning as the Milwaukee Brewers shut out the Minnesota Twins 3-0 before 3,110 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Losing pitcher Ray Corbin (8-11) allowed 7 hits and 3 earned runs in 7 innings.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Bad Habits--Billy Field

#1 single in Switzerland: Hold on Tight--Electric Light Orchestra (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Harry Fisher, 55. Canadian baseball pitcher. Mr. Fisher, a native of Newbury, Ontario, played with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1951-1952), compiling a record of 1-2 with an earned run average of 6.87 in 8 games, batting .278 with no home runs and 1 run batted in in 18 games, making 10 appearances as a pinch hitter. He was 63-76 in 258 games in 12 seasons in the minor leagues (1947-1959). Mr. Fisher died in Waterloo, Ontario.

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (5-5) 13 @ Hamilton (8-2-1) 25

Hamilton middle linebacker Ben Zambiasi intercepted a pass from Winnipeg quarterback Dieter Brock and returned it for a touchdown early in the 3rd quarter of the Tiger-Cats' win over the Blue Bombers at Ivor Wynne Stadium.



Ottawa (4-7) 23 @ Saskatchewan (7-4) 26



Baseball
Leon Roberts and Jim Sundberg hit consecutive run-scoring singles with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Texas Rangers a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins before 7,441 fans at Arlington Stadium. Gary Gaetti made his major league debut at third base for Minnesota, hitting a 2-run home run in his first plate appearance, finishing the game 1 for 3, and making 3 assists. Charlie Hough (2-1) pitched a 5-hit complete game victory, allowing 2 earned runs.

Larry Parrish, Tim Wallach, and Chris Speier hit consecutive run-scoring singles in the bottom of the 1st inning to provide the necessary scoring for the Montreal Expos as they shut out the Chicago Cubs 4-0 before 40,851 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Bill Gullickson (5-8) pitched a 3-hitter with 13 strikeouts, while losing pitcher Mike Griffin (2-4) allowed 2 hits, 2 bases on balls, and 3 earned runs in 2/3 inning.

With 2 out and nobody on base in the bottom of the 9th inning, Frank Taveras doubled and Mookie Wilson hit a home run to give the New York Mets a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals before 13,337 fans at Shea Stadium in New York, reducing the Cardinals lead to 1½ games over the Expos in the National League East Division for the second half of the season. The Cardinals had taken a 6-5 lead in the top of the 9th when Tito Landrum tripled with 2 out and scored on a throwing error by Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson batted 4 for 6 with a double and 3 runs batted in. Neil Allen (6-5) pitched 2 innings of relief to get the win over Bruce Sutter (3-4), who entered the game in the 9th.

30 years ago
1991

Diplomacy
Department store tycoon Fredrick Eaton was appointed Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, replacing Donald Macdonald.

Defense
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced that it would spend $165 million over five years to train pilots at Portage La Prairie military base in Manitoba to compensate for the shutdown of Base Portage.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Coco Jamboo--Mr. President

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): How Bizarre--OMC

Died on this date
Paul Weston, 84. U.S. musician. Mr. Weston, born Paul Wetstein, was a pianist, composer, and arranger who was known as the "Father of Mood Music." He worked extensively in television from the 1950s through the 1970s, and he and his wife, singer Jo Stafford, had success as the comedy duo Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, deliberately performing songs off-key.

Reuben Kamanga, 67. 1st Vice President of Zambia, 1964-1967. Mr. Kamanga was deputy President of the United National Independence Party in the early 1960s, and served as Vice President under President Kenneth Kaunda when Zambia was granted her independence from Great Britain in 1964. He was demoted to Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1967 and Minister of Rural Development in 1969.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (8-5) 41 @ Winnipeg (6-6) 12

The Eskimos broke the game open in the 2nd half as they beat the Blue Bombers before 28,744 fans at Winnipeg Stadium. Rookie Don Blair returned a Bob Cameron punt 85 yards for his first CFL touchdown in the 3rd quarter, and Henry "Gizmo" Williams returned another 79 yards for his first TD of the season late in the 4th quarter. The Eskimos closed the scoring with a 59-yard touchdown rush by fullback Tony Burse, with all TDs converted by Sean Fleming. Troy Westwood accounted for the Winnipeg scoring with 4 field goals. Edmonton safety Trent Brown administered one of the season's hardest hits late in the game, laying out Winnipeg receiver Shannon Baker near the goal line on a pass that was incomplete as a result of the hit. Mr. Baker was taken to hospital, but was not seriously injured.



20 years ago
2001

Terrorism
U.S. President George W. Bush addressed the nation and a joint session of Congress on the subject of terrorism. He also named Tom Ridge to the newly-created post of Director of Homeland Security.



10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Oscar Handlin, 95. U.S. historian. Dr. Handlin taught at Harvard University for more than 50 years, specializing in immigration history. His book The Uprooted (1951) won the Pulitzer Prize for History, and his testimony before the United States Congress in 1965 was said to "have played an important role" in passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 that abolished the discriminatory immigration quota system in the U.S., and which has done so much to destroy the nation. Dr. Handlin died nine days before his 96th birthday.

Burhanuddin Rabbani, 71. President of Afghanistan, 1992-1996, 2001. Mr. Rabbani was a professor of Islamic theology who was chosen to be the President of Afghanistan after the end of the former communist regime in 1992. He and his government were forced into exile by the Taliban in 1996, and he served as President of the Northern Alliance--an alliance of various political groups who fought against the Taliban regime--until he was briefly restored as President of Afghanistan, serving from November 13-December 22, 2001 until he was succeeded by Hamid Karzai. Mr. Rabbani was assassinated on his 71st birthday in a suicide bombing when two men posing as Taliban representatives approached him to offer a hug and detonated their explosives. Four other members of Afghanistan's High Peace Council were also killed in the blast.

Abominations
The United States military ended its "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, allowing sodomites and lesbians to serve openly for the first time.