August 7, 2013

110 years ago
1903

Born on this date
Ralph Bunche. U.S. political scientist and diplomat. Dr. Bunche was the first Negro to earn a Ph.D. in political science from an American University, taught at Howard University (1928-1950), and was president of the American Political Science Association (1953-1954). He worked with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (1941-1943) and then with the State Department and Institute of Pacific Relations, helping to prepare the founding of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Dr. Bunche worked to end colonialism, and supported the civil rights movement for Negroes in the United States. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 "for his works in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict in Palestine" while serving as chief mediator for the United Nations. Dr. Bunche was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1968, but resigned for reasons of ill health shortly before his death from complications of heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes on December 9, 1971 at the age of 68.

80 years ago
1933

Abominations
The Iraqi government slaughtered over 3,000 Assyrians in the village of Simele. The day became known as Assyrian Martyrs Day.

75 years ago
1938

Abominations
Prisoners from Dachau concentration camp were sent to begin construction of Mauthausen, which would later be part of one of the largest labour camp complexes in German-occupied Europe.

70 years ago
1943

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): You'll Never Know--Dick Haymes and the Song Spinners (3rd week at #1)

War
German Chief of Staff Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel arrived in Verona to join Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop in conference with Italian leader Marshal Pietro Badoglio. U.K. forces in Italy captured Bronte and occupied Adrano and Belpasso, as U.S. troops advanced toward Cesaro. American forces captured Troina. Closing in on Kharkov, Soviet troops retook 70 villages, including Graivoron, Mezenovka, and Sennoye.

Abominations
Polish Labour Fights, published in London, declared that the Nazis had massacred 2 million Jews by suffocation with steam in a death house in Treblinka, Poland.

Track and field
Gunder Haegg set an American outdoor record of 8:51.3 for 2 miles, in Cincinnati.

60 years ago
1953

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I Believe--Frankie Laine (15th week at #1)

Literature
The August 7 issue of Collier's magazine contained the short story The Adventure of the Demon Angels by Adrian Conan Doyle, the eighth in a series known as The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes. When the collection was published in book form in 1954, the story's title had been changed to The Adventure of the Dark Angels.

Died on this date
Abner Powell, 92. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Powell pitched for the Washington Nationals of the Union Association in 1884 and the Baltimore Orioles of the National League and Cincinnati Red Stockings of the American Association in 1886, compiling a record of 8-18. He's been credited with devising several of the game's most notable innovations: a tarpaulin to cover the infield during a rain delay; the Ladies Day promotion; and the rain check given to fans for admission to a subsequent game if the scheduled game was rained out.

Football
WIFU
Edmonton Eskimos' intrasquad game
White 20 Green 5

50 years ago
1963

Journalism
In Atlanta, U.S. District Court Judge Louis Morgan used the word "libellous" to describe an article that had appeared in the March 23, 1963 edition of The Saturday Evening Post, accusing university football coaches Bear Bryant of Alabama and Wally Butts of Georgia of colluding to fix the outcome of a game between the teams. Mr. Butts was suing the magazine for $10 million.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye--Demis Roussos (9th week at #1)

Scandal
Testifying before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Campaign Activities that was investigating the June 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. and the subsequent cover-up, former U.S. Attorney General Richard Kleindienst and former Assistant Attorney General Henry Peterson said they had "cracked" the Watergate case in April, but had never found any evidence linking President Richard Nixon to the cover-up. However, both men said they had faced a constant struggle to assure an unimpeded investigation. The committee, having completed the first phase of hearings, recessed until early September.

Terrorism
Black September terrorists Talaat Hussein Abdallah and Zemed Mohammed Ahmed, both 21, who had killed 3 people and wounded 55 when they'd opened fire and threw grenades into a crowded passenger lounge at Athens airport two days earlier, were charged with "premeditated murder of a particularly odious nature."

Football
CFL
Hamilton (0-2) 14 @ Montreal (2-0) 21

George Mira completed touchdown passes of 7 yards to Larry Smith and 45 yards to Johnny Rodgers in the 4th quarter as the Alouettes broked a 7-7 tie to record their second straight win over the defending Grey Cup champion Tiger-Cats at Autostade. The only Hamilton touchdown came on a 6-yard pass from Chuck Ealey to Garney Henley with 1:47 remaining in the game.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Moonlight Shadow--Mike Oldfield

Football
CFL
Calgary (2-2) 16 @ British Columbia (3-1) 32

James Sykes, who had rushed for 153 yards on 17 carries against the Montreal Concordes a week earlier, was held by the B.C. defense to 13 yards on 6 carries in what turned out to be the last game of his 6-year career as a Stampeder as the Stampeders fell to the Lions at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver.



25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Sweet Lovers--Holidaymakers (4th week at #1)

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

Religion
U.S. Christian missionary Anis Shorrosh and South African Muslim apologist Ahmed Deedat met in Birmingham, England for a debate titled The Quran or the Bible: Which is God's Word? Including the question and answer session, the debate lasted four hours.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Gli Spari Sopra--Vasco Rossi (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): What is Love?--Haddaway

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): (I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You--UB40 (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): What is Love?--Haddaway (4th week at #1)

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

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Pray--Take That (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You--UB40 (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Cash Box): (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You--UB40 (2nd week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Don't Wanna Fight--Tina Turner (3rd week at #1)
2 (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You--UB40
3 Fields of Gold--Sting
4 Break it Down--Tears for Fears
5 Have I Told You Lately--Rod Stewart
6 Runaway Train--Soul Asylum
7 I'm Free--Jon Secada
8 Can't Get Enough of Your Love--Taylor Dayne
9 I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)--The Proclaimers
10 Numb--U2

Singles entering the chart were The Ways of the Wind by PM Dawn (#67); Plush by Stone Temple Pilots (#73); One Last Cry by Brian McKnight (#83); Will You Love Me in the Morning by Sam Mollison (#89); and R U Sexin' Me by West End Girls (#97).

Britannica
Buckingham Palace admitted tourists for the first time, with income from admissions helping to defray the cost of running the palace.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (4-2) 39 @ Edmonton (3-2) 23

The Lions scored 24 points in the 2nd quarter as they beat the Eskimos before 25,236 fans on a rainy night at Commonwealth Stadium. B.C. quarterback Danny McManus, making his first start since joining the team as a free agent after 3 years with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, threw 4 touchdown passes--2 to Cory Philpot and 1 each to Ray Alexander and Mike Trevathan. Edmonton quarterbacks Damon Allen and Rickey Foggie each rushed for a touchdown, and Mr. Allen completed a touchdown pass to Kasey Dunn for the 4th and last touchdown of Mr. Dunn's CFL career. The Edmonton defense, widely praised for its play in the first 4 games of the season, appeared to have been reading too many press clippings.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Maurice "Mickey" McDermott, 74. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. McDermott played for 6 major league teams from 1948-1958 and 1961, compiling a record of 69-69. He spent his first 6 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, and his last season with them was the best of his career, as he went 18-10 with 4 shutouts and an earned run average of 3.01, while also batting .301 in 1953. Mr. McDermott was a member of the New York Yankees when they won the World Series in 1956. He was one of the best-hitting pitchers of his era, and was frequently used as a pinch hitter, finishing his major league career with a .252 career batting average, with 9 home runs and 74 runs batted in. Heavy drinking, common among baseball players of his era, seriously impaired his baseball career and his life until he stopped drinking in his early 60s.

Terrorism
A car bomb exploded outside the Jordanian embassy in baghdad, killing 19 and wounding at least 65. Jordan had allowed the U.S.A. to station several thousand troops in Jordan during the U.S. war against Iraq.

Amrozi bin Nurhasyim was convicted and sentenced to death by an Indonesian court for his part in the October 2002 bombing of two nightclubs in Bali, Indonesia, which had killed more than 190 people, most of them foreign tourists. He had confessed to buying explosives for one of the bombs and a van used to transport them.

Politics and government
Liberian President Charles Taylor said he would transfer power to Vice President Moses Blah.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (5-3) 24 @ Ottawa (3-5) 29