July 12, 2013

520 years ago
1493

Literature
Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel, one of the best-documented early printed books, was published.

470 years ago
1543

Married on this date
King Henry VIII of England married Catherine Parr, his sixth and last wife, at Hampton Court Palace.

170 years ago
1843

Journalism
The Halifax Chronicle published its first edition.

Abominations
Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, proclaimed a revelation recommending polygamy.

Agriculture
The British Parliament passed the Canada Corn Act, allowing Canadian wheat into the U.K. with minimal duty. The Act created a boom all along the St. Lawrence Valley.

100 years ago
1913

Born on this date
Willis Lamb. U.S. physicist. Dr. Lamb shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1955 with Polykarp Kusch "for his discoveries concerning the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum." He died on May 15, 2008 at the age of 94.

War
In the Second Balkan War, Serbian forces began their siege of the Bulgarian city of Vidin; the siege was later called off when the war ended.

70 years ago
1943

Literature
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Captain Ted W. Lawson was published by Random House.

War
In the Battle of Prokhorovka on the Eastern front, German and Soviet forces engaged in the one of the largest tank engagements in history. The result was a tactical German victory.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Like It--Gerry and the Pacemakers (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Pauline Reade, 16. U.K. murder victim. Miss Reade was on her way to a dance at the British Railways Club in Gorton, England, near Manchester, when she was picked up by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, and sexually assaulted and murdered by Mr. Brady in the first of what came to be known as the Moors murders.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Gold defeated Green 36-20 in the Edmonton Eskimos' intrasquad game at Clarke Stadium.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Sweeze Me Pleeze Me--Slade

Died on this date
Lon Chaney, Jr., 67. U.S. actor. Born Creighton Chaney, the son of one of the most famous actors of the silent movie era acted under his birth name before taking his father's name. He was acclaimed for his portrayal of Lennie in the movie Of Mice and Men (1939), but was best known for his appearances in horror fims made by Universal Pictures in the 1930s and '40s, including The Wolf Man (1941); The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942); The Mummy's Tomb (1942); Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943); Son of Dracula (1943); The Mummy's Ghost (1944); The Mummy's Curse (1944); House of Frankenstein (1944); House of Dracula (1945); and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). Mr. Chaney also played supporting roles in such movies as High Noon (1952); Not as a Stranger (1955); and The Defiant Ones (1958), while starring in, and talking his way through the title song of, Spider Baby (1968).

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Calgary (0-2) 10 @ Montreal (2-1) 21

30 years ago
1983

Diplomacy
The U.S.A. announced that that the U.S.S.R. had refined its proposal at the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (SALT) for a 1/4 reduction of strategic, or long-range, weapons by both sides. The U.S. administration of President Ronald Reagan expressed hope that the proposal signalled new flexibility on the part of the Soviets.

25 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 nominee.

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.



20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Mr. Vain--Culture Beat (4th week at #1)

War
United Nations forces fired on the base of Somali warlord General Mohammed Farah Aidid's command centre, while a mob killed two journalists.

300 U.S. ground troops joined a United Nations contingent seeking to prevent Balkan warfare from spreading to Macedonia.

Politics and government
The Canadian Senate reconvened and voted 80-1 to rescind the $6,000 increase in their tax-free expense allowance, which was unpopular with the Canadian public.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Benny Carter, 95. U.S. musician and bandleader. Mr. Carter played trumpet, saxophone, and clarinet. He played with various bands and led his own band in a career that ran from the 1920s to the 1990s. He was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987.

Diplomacy
U.S. President George W. Bush concluded his trip to Africa with a visit to Nigeria.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (2-2) 28 @ Montreal (3-1) 27