500 years ago
1511
War
Pope Julius II proclaimed the Holy League of Aragon, the Papal States and Venice against France.
375 years ago
1636
Law
The General Court of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts instituted the first legal code composed in North America.
170 years ago
1841
Born on this date
Prudente de Morais. 3rd President of Brazil, 1894-1898. Mr. Morais was a member of the Liberal Party and a monarchist until 1873, when he became a member of the Republican Party of São Paulo. He sat in the São Paulo Chamber of Deputies in (1885-1887), and was Governor of São Paulo (1889-1890). Mr. Morais then moved in to federal politics, representing São Paulo in the Brazilian Senate (1890-1894), serving as its President (1891-1894). He was President of the Constituent Congress that promulgated the Brazil's first republican Constitution in 1891. Mr. Morai ran unsuccessfully for President of Brazil in 1891, but was elected in 1894 and became the country's first civilian President, the first to be elected by direct popular ballot, and the first to serve a full term. His presidency was marked by the peasant revolt known as the War of Canudos (1896-1897). Mr. Morais died of tuberculosis on December 3, 1902 at the age of 61.
Maria Sophie. Queen consort of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1859-1861. Maria Sophie, a daughter of Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika, married Francesco II, Crown Prince of Naples, Duke of Calabria in 1859, and became queen consort when he acceded to the throne later that year. The couple fled to Rome after the kingdom Giuseppe Garibaldi's forces, and remained there until 1870, and then fled to Bavaria after Rome fell to Italian troops. Francesco II was deposed in 1861, and his kingdom was incorporated into Italy. He died in 1894. Maria Sophie spent some time in exile in Paris, but eventually returned to Bavaria, dying in Munich on January 19, 1825 at the age of 83.
160 years ago
1851
Died on this date
Manuel Godoy, 84. Prime Minister of Spain, 1792-1797, 1801-1808. Generalissimo Godoy came to power as a favourite of King Charles IV and Queen Maria Louisa, and was nicknamed "Prince of the Peace" for negotiating the Peace of Basel with France, but later struggles with France led to his removal from office in 1797. Gen. Godoy was appointed Prime Minister again in 1801, and led a successful war against Portugal that year, but the defeat of French and Spanish forces at the hands of British forces in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 finished Spain as a world power. In 1808, King Charles abdicated in favour of his son Ferdinand VII, and went into exile in France with Queen Maria Luisa. King Ferdinand then surrendered his kingdom to Napoleon Bonaparte, and Gen. Godoy joined Charles and Maria Luisa in exile; he died in Paris.
Disasters
A freak gale off the coast of Prince Edward Island sank 100 American fishing vessels and killed at least 130 fishermen.
150 years ago
1861
Born on this date
Frederic Remington. U.S. artist. Mr. Remington was a painter, illustrator, and sculptor of the Hudson River School of Romantic landscape painters, but became known for depicting scenes of the American Old West. He weighed nearly 300 pounds and suffered from chronic appendicitis, which contributed to his death from peritonitis after an emergency appendectomy on December 26, 1909 at the age of 48.
Walter Rauschenbusch. U.S. clergyman. Rev. Rauschenbusch was an American Baptist pastor who rejected the true gospel of Jesus Christ shedding His blood on the cross for the salvation of individuals in favour of the false Social Gospel that Jesus came to cure social problems. Rev. Rauschenbush began his ministry in New York City in 1886, and began teaching at Rochester Theological Seminary in Rochester, New York in 1897. His books Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907) and A Theology for the Social Gospel (1917) had a tememndous influence on religious liberals such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Desmond Tutu, and Reinhold Niebuhr. Rev. Rauschenbushc died on July 25, 1918 at the age of 56.
140 years ago
1871
Died on this date
Sarel Cilliers, 70. S.A. religious leader. Mr. Cilliers was a Dutch Reformed Church pastor who was one of the leaders of the Great Trek migration of Dutch settlers from Cape Colony into the interior of South Africa in the late 18302. He led the Boers to a huge victory over the Zulus in the Battle of Blood River (1838), and reportedly led the Voortrekkers in a vow which promised that if God would protect them and deliver the enemy into their hands, they would build a church and commemorate the day of their victory as if it were an annual Sabbath day, which their descendants would also be instructed to honour. Mr. Cilliers died 27 days after his 70th birthday, after years of declining health.
Technology
In Saint John, New Brunswick, Andrew J. Stewart patented a cold-water soap which featured the ingredients of borax, ammonia, naphtha, and turpentine. Considered unsafe by today’s standards, this invention was a pioneer in modern cold-water detergents.
130 years ago
1881
Born on this date
Walther von Brauchitsch. German military officer. Field Marshal Brauchitsch served as Commander-in-Chief of the German Army from February 1938-December 1941, playing a key role in the Battle of France and overseeing the invasions of Yugoslavia and Greece. He suffered a heart attack in November 1941; Fuehrer Adolf Hitler blamed him for the failed attack on Moscow and removed him as Commander-in-Chief on December 19, 1941, and transferred him to Führerreserve (officers reserve), where he spent the rest of World War II. Field Marshal Brauchitsch was arrested by British authorities in August 1945, and died of bronchial pneumonia on October 18, 1948, two weeks after his 67th birthday, in a military hospital in Hamburg, while awaiting trial for war crimes.
120 years ago
1891
Baseball
On the final day of the season, rookie pitcher Ted Breitenstein pitched a no-hitter in his first major league start as the St. Louis Browns blanked the Louisville Colonels 8-0 in the first game of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Mr. Breitenstein gave up just 1 base on balls and faced the minimum 27 batters. The games were the last for both clubs as members of the American Association; they joined the National League for 1892.
The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Columbus Solons 8-4 at Milwaukee Athletic Park in the last American Association game for both clubs. The owners of both franchises were bought out after the season by the four AA franchises that entered the National League for the 1892 season.
100 years ago
1911
Born on this date
Mary Two-Axe Earley. Canadian activist. Mrs. Earley was born on the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake (then known as Caughnawaga), Quebec to a Mohawk father and Oneida mother. She moved to Brooklyn, New York at the age of 18, and married a white man, Edward Earley, in 1938. Under the provisions of the Indian Act, Mrs. Earley lost her Indian status for marrying a white man. She wasn't bothered by this while she was enjoying her marriage and children, but in the late 1960s she began campaigning for the restoration of Indian status to women such as herself. Mrs. Earley's efforts eventually proved successful, as the Canadian Parliament passed Bill C-31 in 1985, amending the Indian Act in order to provide a process of restoration of status of Indian women who had married non-Indian men. Mrs. Earley was the first beneficiary of the new law. She received numerous honours before her death at Kahnawake from respiratory failure on August 21, 1996 at the age of 84.
Died on this date
Emil Geiss, 46. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Geiss was a pitcher and infielder with the Chicago White Sox (1887), batting .083 (1 for 12) with no home runs or runs batted in in 3 games, and posting a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 8.00 in 1 game. He played 5 seasons in the minor leagues (1885, 1888-1889, 1894-1895), and was a police officer after his baseball career.
Baseball
Christy Mathewson (26-13) pitched a 7-hitter to outduel Nap Rucker (22-18), who allowed 6 hits in 8 innings, as the New York Giants shut out the Brooklyn Superbas 2-0 before 2,500 fans at Washington Park in Brooklyn to clinch the National League pennant.
80 years ago
1931
Popular culture
The comic strip Dick Tracy by Chester Gould was first published, in the Detroit Mirror.
Football
NFL
Frankford (0-1-1) 0 @ Providence (0-1-1) 0
New York (1-2) 7 @ Green Bay (4-0) 27
Brooklyn (1-4) 7 @ Staten Island (1-0) 9
75 years ago
1936
Protest
The British Union of Fascists and various anti-fascist organizations violently clashed in the Battle of Cable Street in the East End of London.
Baseball
World Series
New York Giants 2 @ New York Yankees 5 (Yankees led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Lou Gehrig hit 2 home runs for the Yankees as Monte Pearson won the pitching duel over Carl Hubbell before 66,669 fans at Yankee Stadium.
70 years ago
1941
Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Piano Concerto in B Flat--Freddy Martin
This was a version of the introduction to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor.
War
U.S.S.R. dispatches reported that Soviet troops had begun a counter-offensive in southern Ukraine in an attempt to crush the German forces attacking Crimea. The Japanese Army announced in Shanghai that it had occupied Changchow in the Chinese province of Hunan.
Energy
Professor C.C. Furnas of Yale University declared "This generation may very well feel the pinch of partial depletion" of petroleum reserves, and urged the development of a system to convert sunlight to charge electric storage batteries.
Football
CRU
ERFU
Ottawa (1-1) 3 @ Toronto Argonauts (2-0) 7
Toronto Balmy Beach (1-1) 6 @ Montreal (0-2) 1
Exhibition
Fort Lewis 4X4's 0 @ Vancouver Grizzlies (WIFU) 7
Fort Lewis was a United States Army base in Idaho. The game was played under American rules, with Larry Haynes scoring a touchdown, converted by Greg Kabat.
Baseball
World Series
New York Yankees 2 @ Brooklyn Dodgers 1 (New York led best-of-seven series 2-1)
Marius Russo pitched a 4-hitter for the Yankees as they edged the Dodgers before 33,100 fans at Ebbets Field. The game was tied 0-0 in the top of the 7th inning when Mr. Russo hit a line drive that broke the kneecap of Brooklyn starting pitcher Freddie Fitzsimmons. Although the third out was recorded on the play, Mr. Fitzsimmons was out of the game, and reliever Hugh Casey gave up 2 runs in the 8th.
60 years ago
1951
At the movies
An American in Paris, directed by Vincente Minnelli, and starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, and Oscar Levant, received its premiere screening in New York City.
Died on this date
Henrietta Lacks, 31. U.S. medical patient. Mrs. Lacks died several months after developing cervical cancer. While she was being tested, healthy and cancerous cells were taken from her cervix without her permission. the cancerous cells, labelled "HeLa" cells, have been "immortalized" and continue to be used in medical research.
War
The Communist high command rejected Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command General Matthew Ridgway's proposal for the transfer of Korean truce talks to Songhyen. Australia announced plans to send another battalion to Korea, raising its force there from 5,500 to 6,600 men.
World events
Argentina's Superior War Council sentenced General Benjamin Menendez, leader of the previous week's abortive military revolt against President Juan Peron, to 15 years in prison. Seven other officers received prison sentences of 3-6 years.
It was reported that France had violated human rights in French Morocco by suppressing Moroccan nationalist activities.
Diplomacy
U.S. President Harry Truman announced that John Foster Dulles had turned down an offer to become the first American Ambassador to post-World War II Japan in order to continue serving as foreign affairs adviser to the Republican Party.
Politics and government
West Berlin's major parties supported Mayor Ernst Reuter's efforts to have West Berlin admitted to the German Federal Republic.
Journalism
The University of Chicago ousted Alan Kimmel as editor of the university's student newspaper Chicago Maroon due to his participation in the East Berlin Youth Festival the previous summer.
Economics and finance
U.S. President Truman signed a bill increasing the Export-Import Bank's $3.5-billion lending authority by an additional $1 billion and extending the bank's life for five years beyond the current mid-1953 expiration date.
Disasters
A typhoon struck southern Japan, causing 448 reported deaths.
Baseball
World Series
New York Giants 5 @ New York Yankees 1 (Giants led best-of-seven series 1-0)
The Giants scored 2 runs in the top of the 1st inning and 3 in the 6th as Dave Koslo won the pitching duel over Allie Reynolds before 65,673 fans at Yankee Stadium. It was the first World Series game for rookie outfielders Willie Mays of the Giants and Mickey Mantle of the Yankees.
50 years ago
1961
Diplomacy
Quebec Premier Jean Lesage continued his visit to France by inaugurating the Maison du Québec in Paris. It would be in charge of cultural, economic and technical relations between Quebec and France.
Baseball
World Series
Cincinnati Reds 0 @ New York Yankees 2 (New York led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Whitey Ford pitched a 2-hitter for his third straight shutout in World Series play, and Bill Skowron and Elston Howard hit solo home runs off losing pitcher Jim O'Toole.
40 years ago
1971
Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Daddy Cool--Drummond (5th week at #1)
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Watashi no Jôkamachi--Rumiko Koyanagi (11th week at #1)
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Help (Get Me Some Help)--Tony Ronald (7th week at #1)
Politics and government
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was named President of the Federation of Arab Republics.
Oil
Drillers discovered oil and natural gas under Sable Island, Nova Scotia, 175 miles south of Halifax.
Football
NFL
Oakland (2-1) 34 @ Cleveland (2-1) 20
Baseball
American League Championship Series
Oakland 1 @ Baltimore 5 (Baltimore led best-of-five series 2-0)
Boog Powell hit 2 home runs for the Orioles, and teammates Brooks Robinson and Ellie Hendricks also homered. All the blows were hit off losing pitcher Catfish Hunter.
30 years ago
1981
Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Lady (You Bring Me Up)--Commodores
#1 single in Switzerland: For Your Eyes Only--Sheena Easton
Died on this date
Freddie Lindstrom, 75. U.S. baseball player and coach. Mr. Lindstrom was s third baseman, and later, outfielder with the New York Giants (1924-1932); Pittsburgh Pirates (1933-1934); Chicago Cubs (1935); and Brooklyn Dodgers (1936), batting .311 with 103 home runs and 779 runs batted in in 1,438 games. He led the National League in hits (231) in 1928, when he hit .358 with 14 homers and 107 RBIs. Mr. Lindstrom played in the World Seris of 1924 and 1935, batting .289 with no home runs and 4 RBIs in 11 games. He managed in the minor leagues (1940-1942) and was baseball coach at Northwestern University (1949-1961). Mr. Lindstrom was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976; his selection was controversial, as he was one of a number of Giants of his era elected to the Hall of Fame in the 1970s by the Veterans Committee, which included former Giants Frankie Frisch and Bill Terry. Mr. Lindstrom died after a long illness.
Football
CFL
Calgary (5-7) 16 @ Montreal (2-10) 22
Hamilton (10-2-1) 30 @ Saskatchewan (7-5) 26
The Alouettes scored all of their points in the 1st quarter in their win over the Stampders at Olympic Stadium. It was the last game for Ardell Wiegandt as head coach of the Stampeders; he was fired after compiling a record of 14-15 since assuming the post before the 1980 season.
The Roughriders scored 2 touchdowns late in their game vs. the Tiger-Cats at Taylor Field in Regina--the last one officially ruled a fumble return after a Hamilton player let a short kickoff slip through his hands--and almost came back to win. The Roughriders' loss clinched first place in the Western Division for the Edmonton Eskimos, whose record stood at 11-1-1 with 3 games remaining for them. A memorable moment in the game occurred when Saskatchewan defensive back Bobby Hosea threw a right hand punch at Hamilton receiver Gord Paterson's jaw, and knocked him out cold.
Baseball
With 1 game remaining in the season, the New York Mets fired manager Joe Torre and his entire coaching staff. They finished with a record of 41-62.
25 years ago
1986
Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Easy Lady--Spagna (6th week at #1)
#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): The Lady in Red--Chris de Burgh (2nd week at #1)
#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): The Final Countdown--Europe (2nd week at #1)
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): True Blue--Madonna
#1 single in the U.K.: Don't Leave Me This Way--The Communards (4th week at #1)
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Stuck with You--Huey Lewis and the News (3rd week at #1)
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Stuck with You--Huey Lewis and the News (3rd week at #1)
2 Take My Breath Away--Berlin
3 Higher Love--Steve Winwood
4 Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)--Glass Tiger
5 Dreamtime--Daryl Hall
6 When I Think of You--Janet Jackson
7 Throwing it All Away--Genesis
8 Heartbeat--Don Johnson
9 Two of Hearts--Stacey Q
10 Love-Zone--Billy Ocean
Singles entering the chart were True Blue by Madonna (#43); Love Will Conquer All by Lionel Richie (#55); To Be a Lover by Billy Idol (#70); and Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung (#79).
Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Rumors--Timex Social Club
2 Stuck with You--Huey Lewis and the News
3 Friends and Lovers--Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson
4 Take My Breath Away--Berlin
5 Venus--Bananarama
6 Spirit in the Sky--Doctor and the Medics
7 Higher Love--Steve Winwood
8 Dancing on the Ceiling--Lionel Richie
9 Walk This Way--Run-D.M.C.
10 Glory of Love--Peter Cetera
Singles entering the chart were The Next Time I Fall in Love by Peter Cetera and Amy Grant (#77); Amanda by Boston (#79); To Be a Lover by Billy Idol (#81); Jumpin' Jack Flash by Aretha Franklin (#90); Earth Angel by New Edition (#91); Take Me Home Tonight by Eddie Money (#95); Wild Wild Life by the Talking Heads (#96); Sandra by Idle Eyes (#98); and California Dreamin' by the Beach Boys (#99).
On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight's episode: What are Friends For?, starring Fred Savage and Lukas Haas; Aqua Vita, starring Mimi Kennedy
Football
CFL
Edmonton (10-3) 24 @ Hamilton (6-7-1) 23
The Tiger-Cats had taken a 23-10 lead over the Eskimos in the 4th quarter before 17,352 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium when Edmonton quarterback Damon Allen, who had come in to relieve starter Matt Dunigan, promptly connected with Stephen Jones for a 75-yard touchdown pass. Tom Dixon's convert made the score 23-17, and Mr. Allen drove the Eskimos downfield in the final minutes. A sack on second down appeared to have won the game for the Tiger-Cats, but Mr. Allen completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brian Kelly on third down and 23 yards to go with 56 seconds remaining to put the Eskimos ahead. A 2-point convert attempt was unsuccessful, but the Eskimos held on for the win.
Baseball
Dave Righetti saved both games as the New York Yankees swept a doubleheader from the Boston Red Sox 5-3 and 3-1 before 34,290 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.
Greg Gagne of the Minnesota Twins tied an American League record with 2 inside-the-park home runs in a single game--and later added a triple--as the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 7-3 before 28,136 fans at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.
John Candelaria (10-2) allowed 2 hits in 6 innings and Vern Ruhle followed with 3 hitless innings as the California Angels blanked the Texas Rangers 2-0 before 23,040 fans at Arlington Stadium. Losing pitcher Ed Correa (12-14) pitched a complete game and allowed just 2 hits, both in the 2nd inning, when Brian Downing drove in both runs with a double.
Mark Gubicza (12-6) allowed 5 hits in 6 innings and Bud Black followed with 3 hitless innings as the Kansas City Royals blanked the Oakland Athletics 2-0 before 13,664 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Losing pitcher Dave Stewart pitched a complete game, allowing 9 hits and 1 earned run. Oakland designated hitter Dusty Baker grounded out and drew 2 bases on balls in the 2,039th and last game of his 19-year major league career.
John Russell singled home Glenn Wilson with 2 out in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 win over the Montreal Expos before 16,796 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Mr. Russell's hit followed a single by Juan Samuel, on which Mike Schmidt was thrown out at home plate attempting to score the winning run.
Fernando Valenzuela (21-11) pitched a 5-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they edged the San Francisco Giants 2-1 before 24,466 fans at Dodger Stadium. Steve Sax singled in the first Los Angeles run and scored the second in a 2-run 3rd inning.
20 years ago
1991
Died on this date
J. Frank Wilson, 49. U.S. singer. Mr. Wilson was the lead singer of J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, who reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the Cash Box chart with the song Last Kiss in 1964. He died from drink and diabetes, reportedly having been cheated by his record company and manager out of all the money his hit record had earned.
Environment
The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was opened for signature.
Crime
In Burton, New Brunswick, Dr. John Bowen of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police forensic lab in Ottawa introduced DNA evidence in the trial of murderer Allan Legere, marking the first time in Canada that DNA evidence was presented in a court of law.
Hockey
NHL
The Edmonton Oilers traded veteran centre Mark Messier with a player to be named later and future considerations (Jeff Beukeboom for David Shaw) to the New York Rangers for a player to be named later, Louie DeBrusk, Bernie Nicholls and Steven Rice. Mr. Messier scored 12 goals and 52 assists in 53 regular season games and 4 goals and 11 assists in 18 playoff games in 1990-91, while Mr. Nicholls scored 25 goals and 48 assists in 71 regular season games and 4 goals and 3 assists in 5 playoff games in 1990-91, and no points in 1 game in 1991-92.
Football
CFL
Hamilton (1-13) 17 @ Edmonton (9-5) 18
Hamilton kicker Paul Osbaldiston missed a 54-yard field goal in the final seconds that would have won the game for the Tiger-Cats before 23,128 fans at Commonwealth Stadium. The kick went for a single point and the Eskimos escaped with the win, despite playing poorly.
10 years ago
2001
Died on this date
John Collins, 88. U.S. musician. Mr. Collins was a jazz guitarist who performed with Art Tatum, Billie Holiday, and other prominent artists in the 1930s and '40s. He began playing electric guitar in the late '30s. Mr. Collins joined the King Cole Trio in 1950 and remained with the trio until Mr. Cole's death in 1965. He then played with Patti Page, Bobby Troup, and others, and taught in Los Angeles. Mr. Collins died of cancer, two weeks after his 88th birthday.
Blaise Alexander, 25. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Alexander was a stock car driver in the ARCA Racing Series and was driving in the ARCA EasyCare 100 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina when he crashed into a retaining wall and died from a basilar skull fracture, the fifth such death in 17 months, prompting NASCAR to mandate the use of the HANS (Head and Neck Support) in cars.
Disasters
Siberia Airlines Flight 1812, a Tupolev Tu-154M jet en route from Tel Aviv, Israel to Novosibirsk, Russia, crashed into the Black Sea after being struck by an errant Ukrainian missile; all 78 people aboard were killed.
Baseball
Barry Bonds hit his 70th home run of the season to tie Mark McGwire's single-season record as the San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros 10-2 before 43,734 fans at Enron Field in Houston.
Rickey Henderson hit a home run to set a major league career record for runs with 2,246 as his San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-3 before 21,606 fans at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
Tim Raines, Sr. played center field for the Baltimore Orioles while Tim Raines, Jr. played left field in the Orioles' 5-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox before 43,302 fans at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. They became the second father-son duo in major league history to play in the outfield together after Ken Griffey, Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Seattle Mariners. Doug Mirabelli's home run leading off the 9th inning proved to be the deciding run.
The Seattle Mariners scored 12 runs in the first 4 innings and coasted to a 16-1 rout of the Texas Rangers before 45,302 fans at Safeco Field in Seattle.
In Their Voices: Revolutionary War Pension Applications – Drury Walden
-
Between 1818 and 1836, the Federal government passed a series of Pension
Acts related to the Revolutionary War. As soldiers, many were poorly paid
and some...
4 days ago
