Tuesday 9 September 2008

July 12, 2008

90 years ago
1918


Disasters
An explosion in the ammunition magazine of the Japanese battleship Kawachi at Shunan, western Honshu resulted in the loss of at least 621 officers and crewmen.

80 years ago
1928


Died on this date
Emilio Carranza, 22
. Mexican aviator. Captain Carranza set several Mexican non-stop flight records. He was returning to Mexico from a successful month-long goodwill visit to the United States when his plane crashed near Chatsworth, New Jersey during a thunderstorm.

Exploration
The Soviet icebreaker Krassin and a Swedish plane rescued survivors of the airship Italia, which had crashed onto an Arctic ice pack on May 25 while returning from the North Pole.

Terrorism
Two Hungarians and an Albanian, all Communists, were hanged in the marketplace in Tirana for a bomb plot against Albanian Prime Minister Ahmed Zogu.

World events
A plot against the Spanish government resulted in military censorship of the press and many arrests.

Politics and government
The National Prohibition Party met in Chicago and nominated William F. Varney of Rockville Center, New York as their 1928 candidate for President of the United States. Mr. Varney received 66 votes, while U.S. Commerce Secretary and leading Republican Party candidate Herbert Hoover received 45 votes.

Scandal
U.S. Postmaster General H.S. New testified to the U.S. Senate subcommittee investigating charges of Republican Party patronage that he had always tried to prevent the practice of pressuring postmasters to pay part of their salaries back to the party in exchange for holding office, but said that such bartering was done by Democrats as well as Republicans.

Matthew F. Dugan, Samuel Cohen, and J.J. Kelly pled guilty in New York City to mail fraud in the operation of the Albany baseball pool, and were sentenced by Federal Judge Cavanagh. Mr. Dugan, a letter carrier in Albany for years, was sentenced to 10 months in Westchester County Penitentiary and fined $750.

Society
The Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America repudiated the recent action of the Executive Committee of the Cleveland Boy Scout Council in suggesting the creation of a sentiment by "the million Boy Scouts of our country" against smoking by women.

60 years ago
1948


On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis, on MBS

Literature
The novel The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene was published by Viking.

War
Israel Defense Forces officer Yitzhak Rabin signed the order to expel Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem road, while United Nations mediator Folke Bernadotte returned to New York to report on his unsuccessful efforts to reach a peace agreement.

Politics and government
The Panamanian National Assembly voted to oust President Enrique Jimenez, electing Controller General Enrique Obarrio to replace him. Gen. Jimenez denounced the action as illegal, and remained in control with the support of the National Police.

The South Korean National Assembly adopted a constitution for the Democratic Republic of Korea, establishing a single-house parliament and a strong presidency.

The U.S. Democratic National Convention opened at Convention Hall in Philadelphia.

Economics and finance
The United Kingdom settled its Lend-Lease account with the United States by agreeing to repay the $615-million balance in 50 annual installments after 1950.

Boxing
Ike Williams (94-10-4) retained his world lightweight title with a technical knockout of Beau Jack (73-13-4) 33 seconds into the 6th round at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.



50 years ago
1958


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Twilight Time--The Platters (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Sail Along Silvery Moon--Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra

#1 single in France (IFOP): Hello, le soleil brille--Annie Cordy (18th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): All I Have to Do is Dream/Claudette--The Everly Brothers (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Purple People Eater--Sheb Wooley (5th week at #1)
2 Yakety-Yak--The Coasters
3 Hard Headed Woman--Elvis Presley
4 Splish Splash--Bobby Darin
5 Patricia--Perez Prado and his Orchestra
6 Secretly--Jimmie Rodgers
7 Rebel Rouser--Duane Eddy and the Rebels
8 Do You Want to Dance--Bobby Freeman
9 All I Have to Do is Dream--The Everly Brothers
10 When--The Kalin Twins

Singles entering the chart were Everybody Loves a Lover by Doris Day (#42); Ginger Bread by Frankie Avalon (#50); Fever by Peggy Lee (#53); The Freeze by Tony and Joe (#55); Delicious! by Jim Backus and Friend (#59); Ma Ma Ma Marie by the Gaylords (#60); Little Star by the Elegants (#62); C'mon Baby by Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids (#63); The Sheik of Araby (Italian Style) by Lou Monte (#65); Are You Nervous? by the Instrumentals (#67); Op by the Honeycones (#69); Over the Weekend by the Playboys (#71); and By the Light of the Silvery Moon by Jimmy Bowen with the Rhythm Orchids (#75).

Vancouver's Top 20 (CKWX)
1 Hard Headed Woman--Elvis Presley
2 Poor Little Fool--Ricky Nelson
3 Guess Things Happen that Way--Johnny Cash
4 Return to Me--Dean Martin
5 The Purple People Eater--Sheb Wooley
6 Jennie Lee--Jan & Arnie
7 No Chemise, Please--Gerry Granaham
8 When--The Kalin Twins
9 Rebel Rouser--Duane Eddy and the Rebels
10 Twilight Time--The Platters
11 Rave On--Buddy Holly
12 I Know Where I'm Going--George Hamilton IV
13 Secretly--Jimmie Rodgers
14 Splish Splash--Bobby Darin
15 Yakety-Yak--The Coasters
16 Do You Want to Dance--Bobby Freeman
17 Patricia--Perez Prado and his Orchestra
18 Padre--Toni Arden
19 High School Confidential--Jerry Lee Lewis
20 Big Man--The Four Preps

War
Cyprus Governor Sir Hugh Foot, Nicosia Mayor Themistocles Dervis, and Turkish Cypriot leader Raul Denktask signed a joint appeal asking Cypriots to cooperate in ending violence on the island.

Canadiana
Princess Margaret arrived in Vancouver to begin a two-week tour of Canada.

Diplomacy
Representatives of Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a treaty in Kabul giving each country transit rights across the territory of the other.

Defense
France offered to evacuate all French ground forces from Morocco on condition that Morocco permit maintenance of French air bases near Casablanca, Meknes, Marrakesh, Port Lyautey, and Agadir.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade

#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Lazy Sunday--Small Faces (3rd week at #1)

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Hurdy Gurdy Man--Donovan
2 Angel of the Morning--Merrilee Rush
3 Sky Pilot (Parts One and Two)--Eric Burdon and the Animals
4 D.W. Washburn/It's Nice to Be with You--The Monkees
5 Jumpin' Jack Flash--The Rolling Stones
6 Lady Willpower--Gary Puckett and the Union Gap
7 Mountain of Love--Ronnie Dove
8 Indian Lake--The Cowsills
9 Bring a Little Lovin'--Los Bravos
10 Yummy Yummy Yummy--Ohio Express
Pick hit of the Week: Dream a Little Dream of Me--Mama Cass
New this week: My Name is Jack--Manfred Mann
Classical Gas--Mason Williams
Slippin' Through My Fingers--The Family Tree

At the movies
Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River, directed by Jerry Paris and starring Jerry Lewis and Terry-Thomas, opened in theatres.

Disasters
40 people, mostly children, died as the result of a heat wave in Mexicali, Mexico.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Saskatchewan (1-1) 12 @ Edmonton (1-1) 16

Jim Thomas and Garry Lefebvre scored touchdowns for the Eskimos, with Peter Kempf adding a convert and field goal, as they defeated the Roughriders at Clarke Stadium.

30 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (5th week at #1)

War
Two days after a military coup in Mauritania had overthrown President Moktar Ould Daddah, Algerian-backed Polisario Front guerrillas declared a cease-fire in their war against Mauritania for the independence of the former Spanish Sahara, saying that the cease-fire was intended to give the new Mauritanian government "a chance to review the criminal policy" of the previous government, which had refused to give up the portion of the Sahara it had received in 1975.

Politics and government
The guerrilla organization South-West African People's Organization (SWAPO), which had been fighting South Africa for 11 years, agreed to accept a plan from Western nations for the independence of Namibia (South-West Africa). The plan had been accepted in April by South Africa, which held a League of Nations mandate over the territory.

Terrorism
The U.S. Justice Department began an investigation into the activities of Gary Rowe, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's chief paid informant in the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama in the 1960s. Mr. Rowe had told Alabama authorities that he had been directly involved in incidents of racial violence, including the murder of a Negro man in Birmingham, following a riot in 1963, and that the FBI agent he had told of the murder had told him not to say anything about it. The agent called Mr. Rowe's claim "an absolute falsehood." Mr. Rowe as paid $12,000 by the FBI from 1960-1965, and claimed to have received an additional $10,000 to relocate after testifying in 1965 that he had been with Klansmen who killed civil rights marcher Viola Liuzzo. The Justice Department investigation sought to determine whether Mr. Rowe, as an agent provocateur, had helped to initiate Klan violence he was paid to inform on.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (0-1) 22 @ Toronto (1-0) 34
Calgary (0-0) @ Edmonton (0-0) (postponed, rain)

Led by the running of Terry Metcalf, the Argonauts defeated the Tiger-Cats 34-22 at Exhibition Stadium. Jimmy Jones started at quarterback for the Tiger-Cats, but was replaced by Tom Shuman, who threw 3 4th-quarter touchdown passes to Lawrie Skolrood. For Mr. Shuman, they were the first touchdown passes of his CFL career.

The Eskimos' season opener vs. the Stampeders at Clarke Stadium was postponed for a day because of heavy rains that had drenched Edmonton the day before. A pre-season game in Toronto the year before had been postponed for one day because of a lightning storm, but no one could remember a regular season game being postponed because of weather before.

20 years ago
1988


Music
The album Brian Wilson was released on Sire Records.

Politics and government
Presumptive Democratic Party U.S. presidential nominee Michael Dukakis announced that he had invited U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen (Texas) to be his vice presidential running mate.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan named former Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh as his nominee for Attorney General, succeeding Edwin Meese, who had resigned a week earlier.

Agriculture
The United States Agriculture Department forecast that production of important crops would decline significantly as a result of the drought that had affected much of the nation since spring. The department predicted that production of corn would fall by 29%; soybeans by 14%; wheat by 13%; and barley by 45%. The department's report said foreign supplies could meet any shortage.

Football
CFL
Winnipeg (0-1) 3 @ British Columbia (1-0) 36

Matt Dunigan, playing his first game at quarterback with the Lions after being traded from the Edmonton Eskimos, had a much better game at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver than former B.C. quarterback Roy Dewalt, who was playing his first game with the Blue Bombers after 8 seasons with the Lions.



Baseball
Major League All-Star Game @ Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
American League 2 National League 1

Terry Steinbach of the Oakland Athletics hit a home run in the 3rd inning and a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 4th inning to drive in all the American League runs and earn the selection as the game's most valuable player before 55,837 fans. Frank Viola of the Minnesota Twins started on the mound for the AL and was credited with the win, pitching 2 perfect innings. Oakland's Dennis Eckersley earned a save. NL starter Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets took the loss.



10 years ago
1998


Died on this date
Jimmy Driftwood, 91
. U.S. musician. Mr. Driftwood, born James Corbitt Morris, was a folk singer and songwriter, as well as a teacher. He was best known for writing the song The Battle of New Orleans, which he wrote in 1936 for a high school class he was teaching, as a way of inspiring their interest in the subject.

Richard Quinn, 11; Mark Quinn, 9; Jason Quinn, 7. U.K. crime victims. The three brothers were asleep in their beds in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland when a petrol bomb was thrown through their window and killed them. The brothers were Roman Catholics, while the bomb was thrown by a Protestant.

Soccer
World Cup
Final @ Stade de France, Saint-Denis
France 3 Brazil 0

Zinedine Zidane headed in a pair of corner kicks before 80,000 fans to help France win its first World Cup championship.

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