November 28, 2013

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Dede Hill and Chris Milner!

170 years ago
1843

Diplomacy
The Kingdom of Hawaii was officially recognized by the United Kingdom and France as an independent nation.

120 years ago
1893

Politics and government
The Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Richard Seddon, was re-elected with an increased majority of seats in general electorates in the New Zealand general election. The Liberals won 51 of 70 seats, an increase of 13 from the most recent election in 1890. The Conservatives, led by William Rolleston, won 14 seats, a decrease of 11. Five independent candidates were elected. Voting in the four Māori electorates took place on December 20, 1893. This was the first N.Z. general election in which women were allowed to vote.

100 years ago
1913

Boxing
World heavyweight champion Jack Johnson staged a wrestling match in Paris against Andre Sproul, the "Savage Siberian." The match is often erroneously recorded as a defense of his boxing title against "Andre Spaul," with Mr. Johnson scoring a knockout in the 2nd round.

75 years ago
1938

Died on this date
William McDougall, 67. U.K.-born psychologist. Dr. McDougall taught at University College London and Oxford before moving to the United States, serving as a professor of psychology at Harvard University (1920-1927) and then at Duke University, where he established the Parapsychology Laboratory under J.B. Rhine. Dr. McDougall was important in the development of the theory of instinct and of social psychology, and wrote a number of influential textbooks. He was an opponent of behaviourism, and used an approach he called hormic psychology, arguing that behaviour was generally goal-oriented and purposive. Dr. McDougall was a eugenicist who believed in a form of Lamarckism (the inheritance of acquired characteristics), and believed that there was an animating principle in matter. He was critical of spiritualism, but researched psychic phenomena.

70 years ago
1943

Died on this date
Aleksander Hellat, 62. Estonian politician and diplomat. Mr. Hellat was commander of the militia during the revolution of 1917-1918 that saw the creation of the Republic of Estonia. He was Mayor of Tallin (1918-1919); Estonian Minister in Riga (1920-1922); and Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (1922-1923, 1927). After the U.S.S.R. seized control of Estonia in 1940, Mr. Hellat was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to 10 years at a prison camp in Siberia, where he died.

War
U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and U.S.S.R. dictator Josef Stalin met in Tehran for their first conference during World War II. British troops in Italy began a new drive from the west bank of the Sangro River, advancing six miles. Soviet forces further hemmed in retreating Germans with the capture of Sharybovka, 18 miles southeast of the rail junction of Zhlobin. U.S. troops on Bougainville Island advanced 800 yards against stiff opposition. Australian troops moving up the New Guinea coast with tank and plane support advanced to within a mile of the important rail junction of Bonga.

Crime
The Mexican Supreme Court refused to intervene in the conviction of Jacques Mornard for the 1940 murder of exiled Soviet Communist figure Leon Trotsky.

60 years ago
1953

Hit Parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You)--Les Paul and Mary Ford (4th week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Rags to Riches--Tony Bennett (Best Seller--2nd week at #1; Disc Jockey--1st week at #1); You, You, You--The Ames Brothers (Jukebox--6th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Rags to Riches--Tony Bennett (2nd week at #1)
2 Ricochet (Rick-O-Shay)--Teresa Brewer
3 Eh, Cumpari--Julius LaRosa
4 Ebb Tide--Frank Chacksfield and his Orchestra
5 You, You, You--The Ames Brothers
6 St. George and the Dragonet--Stan Freberg
7 Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You)--Les Paul and Mary Ford
8 Many Times--Eddie Fisher
9 Istanbul (Not Constantinople)--The Four Lads
10 Oh!--Pee Wee Hunt and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were Way Down Yonder in New Orleans by Jo Stafford and Frankie Laine (#29); Sweet Mama Tree Top Tall by the Lancers (#35, charting with the version by the Mariners); Sound Off March by Ray Anthony and his Orchestra (#44); Secret Love by Doris Day (#47); and Oh, Mein Papa (Oh! My Pa-Pa), with versions by Eddie Calvert and Eddie Fisher (#49). Secret Love was from the movie Calamity Jane (1953), and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song of 1953.

Football
CRU
Grey Cup @ Varsity Stadium, Toronto
Hamilton 12 Winnipeg 6

Winnipeg quarterback Jack Jacobs, who set a Grey Cup single-game record with 28 pass completions, marched the Blue Bombers from their own 10-yard line to the Hamilton 2 in the final minutes, and threw a pass to halfback Tom Casey on the goal line on the final play of regulation time, but Hamilton's Lou Kusserow hit Mr. Casey as the ball arrived, knocking the ball loose to the ground as time expired, preserving victory for the Tiger-Cats before 27,313 fans. Hamilton quarterback Butch Songin opened the scoring with a touchdown on a quarterback sneak in the 1st quarter, and Tip Logan's convert made the score 6-0. Mr. Jacobs drove the Blue Bombers 92 yards in the 2nd quarter, but the drive ended with an interception by Vito Ragazzo. Winnipeg tied the game in the 3rd quarter on a 1-yard touchdown rush by Gerry James, converted by Bud Korchak. Hamilton broke the tie just 3 plays after the subsequent kickoff, when Mr. Songin connected with Mr. Ragazzo for a 45-yard touchdown, converted by Mr. Logan. It was the first Grey Cup win for a Hamilton team since the Flying Wildcats had defeated the Winnipeg RCAF Bombers 10 years earlier, and the first since teh Wildcats and Tigers had amalgamated in 1950 to become the Tiger-Cats. The game was the second Grey Cup to be televised, being carried on three stations.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): She Loves You--The Beatles

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: I'd Love You to Want Me--Lobo (2nd week at #1)

Terrorism
Three hijackers who had seized a KLM jumbo jet with 247 passengers and 18 crew members en route from Amsterdam to Tokyo on November 25 surrendered the plane and 11 remaining hostages in Dubai in return for safe-conduct guarantees. The hijackers, members of Arab Nationalist Youth for the Liberation of Palestine, had freed all the passengers and eight stewardesses in exchange for two hostages and a load of fuel.

Oil
Completing a three-day summit in Staeoli, Algeria, 15 Arab heads of state and Palestinian leaders issued a communique announcing an embargo on oil exports to Portugal, Rhodesia, and South Africa, and agreed on a continued embargo of countries supporting Israel, and continued reduction of oil production until the revenues dropped to 1/4 of 1972 oil revenues. The conference supported the continued use of oil as an economic weapon to create international pressure for Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories.

U.S. President Richard Nixon signed into law the Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act of 1973, under which the government would, within 30 days, set up allocation, or supply-management, programs for crude oil and refinery products to combat discrimination against particular regions or independent refiners and distributors.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Reckless (Don't Be So)--Australian Crawl

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Columbia was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission carried Spacelab 1--the first laboratory module--into orbit. The crew were: John Young Commander; Brewster Shaw, Pilot; Owen Garriott and Robert Parker, Mission Specialists; and Ulf Merbold and Byron Lichtenberg, Payload Specialists. For Mr. Young, who had first gone into space aboard Gemini 3 in 1965, it was his recoed sixth--and last--spaceflight. It was the second and last spaceflight for Mr. Garriott, whose previous mission had been Skylab 2 in 1973.

Diplomacy
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and U.S. President Ronald Reagan began two days of talks in Washington.

Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau continued his "peace initiative" by visiting Beijing for two days of talks with Chinese Prime Minister Zhao Ziyang and Chairman Deng Xiaoping.

Politics and government
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone dissolved the House of Representatives and called an election after a brief boycott of the parliamentary proceedings by opposition parties. The opposition had been protesting the refusal of former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka to give up his seat after being convicted of accepting a bribe from Lockheed Corporation. Although a compromised had been worked out in which the governing Liberal Democratic Party agreed to form an ethics committee to guard against future corruption, Mr. Tanaka became an issue in the election.

Defense
The Canadian Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the Cabinet decision to allow U.S. cruise missile testing in Canada did not violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Disasters
A Nigerian Airways Fokker-28 airliner crashed 300 miles east of Lagos, killing 65 people.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Don't Worry Be Happy--Bobby McFerrin (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros (2nd week at #1)

Economics and finance
The prime lending rate charged by major U.S. banks rose from 10% to 10.5%, its highest level since May 1985.

Business
The Québec Nordiques of the National Hockey League were sold to local interests.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)--Bitty McLean

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)--Meat Loaf (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)--Meat Loaf (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Please Forgive Me--Bryan Adams

Died on this date
Garry Moore, 78. U.S. television personality. Mr. Moore, born Thomas Garrison Morfit III, worked in radio in the 1930s and '40s, but was best known as the host of several television programs, most notably the game shows I've Got a Secret (1952-1964) and To Tell the Truth (1969-1976). He hosted several versions of his own variety program, The Garry Moore Show, from 1950-1958; 1958-1964; and 1966-1967. The Garry Moore Show helped to launch the careers of performers such as Carol Burnett, Jonathan Winters, Alan King, and Don Adams.

Jerry Edmonton, 47. Canadian-born U.S. musician. Mr. Edmonton, a native of Oshawa, Ontario, was born Gerald McCrohan. He was the drummer with the rock group Jack London and the Sparrows in the 1960s; the group changed its name to Steppenwolf and enjoyed considerable success in the late 1960s and early '70s. Mr. Edmonton's brother Dennis, who wrote songs under the name Mars Bonfire, was also a member of the group. Jerry Edmonton was killed in a car accident in Santa Barbara, California.

Diplomacy
The British government of Prime Minister John Major confirmed that for several years it had been in contact, through intermediaries, with the outlawed Irish Republican Army. Transcripts of exchanged messages released the following day indicated that the parties were exploring ways to end violence in Northern Ireland. The transcripts, if accurate, indicated that the IRA was willing to end its terrorist bombings and participate in dialogue that would lead to peace.

Football
CFL
Grey Cup @ McMahon Stadium, Calgary
Edmonton 33 Winnipeg 23

Lucius Floyd and Jim Sandusky scored touchdowns and Sean Fleming added 2 converts, 6 field goals, and a single as the Eskimos held on to defeat the Blue Bombers before 50,035 fans at McMahon Stadium. Mr. Floyd opened the scoring with a 4-yard rush 7:10 into the game, after Bruce Dickson blocked a Bob Cameron punt. Damon Allen completed a 2-yard pass to Jim Sandusky for another touchdown just 3 minutes later. Mr. Fleming converted and kicked a 41-yard field goal 2 minutes later to give Edmonton a 17-0 lead after the 1st quarter. Mr. Fleming added a single on a missed field goal and kicked a 26-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter to make the score 21-0 before Michael Richardson got Winnipeg on the scoreboard with a 2-yard touchdown rush, converted by Troy Westwood with 2:42 remaining in the 1st half. Mr. Fleming kicked a 45-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining, and Mr. Westwood replied with a 48-yard FG on the last play to leave the Eskimos with a 24-10 halftime lead. The Blue Bombers scored all the points in the 3rd quarter on a 1-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown by Sammy Garza, converted by Mr. Westwood with 1:56 remaining. Mr. Westwood kicked a 32-yard field goal at 4:19 of the 4th quarter to reduce Winnipeg's deficit to 24-20, but Mr. Fleming kicked field goals of 15 and 32 yards to make the score 30-20 with 5:07 left in regulation time. Mr. Westwood kicked his third FG, from 32 yards with 2:44 remaining, to draw the Blue Bombers to within 30-23, but Mr. Fleming put the game away with a 19-yard field goal with 6 seconds remaining. The Blue Bombers sacked Mr. Allen 5 times, recovered 2 Edmonton fumbles, and made an interception, but Winnipeg turned the ball over 7 times, losing 5 fumbles--including one by wide receiver David Williams on the game's final play--and giving up 2 interceptions. Mr. Allen, who completed 16 of 28 passes for 238 yards and rushed 14 times for 90 yards, was named the game's Most Valuable Player, while Mr. Fleming was named the game's outstanding Canadian. David Williams led all receivers with 7 receptions for 118 yards. Mr. Richardson, who had led the CFL during the regular season with 925 yards rushing, was held to 26 yards on 10 carries. The game marked the first Grey Cup championship for Ron Lancaster as a head coach after playing on championship teams in 1960 and 1966. The temperature at game time was 6 C, considerably warmer than the -21 (with windchill of -35) for the western final in the same stadium a week earlier. This blogger was able to get a last-minute flight to Calgary. CBC sportscaster Brian Williams was kind enough to let me into the stadium for a brief glance at the field before the game; I was able to get a $91 ticket for $60 from someone selling it outside the stadium (tickets were going for much less as game time approached, but I wanted to get in before it started); I ended up in the end zone next to an attractive woman and got a kiss from her after the game; and I made it to the Eskimos' hotel after the game in time to see the team come in with the Grey Cup.



10 years ago
2003

War
Iraqi guerrillas fired rocket-propelled grenades at a car carrying eight Spanish intelligence officers, killing seven of them. Two Japanese diplomats in Iraq were killed following an ambush by insurgents.