Tuesday 9 December 2014

December 10, 2014

150 years ago
1864


War
In the U.S. Civil War, Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's Union Army troops reached the outer Confederate defenses of Savannah, Georgia.

130 years ago
1884


Literature
The novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was published in Canada and the United Kingdom.

125 years ago
1889


Born on this date
Ray Collins
. U.S. actor. Mr. Collins had a lengthy career on stage and in radio, including associations with Orson Welles in The Shadow and Mercury Theatre on the Air in the 1930s. He continued his association with Mr. Welles with supporting roles in the movies Citizen Kane (1941); The Magnificent Ambersons (1942); and Touch of Evil (1958). In later years, Mr. Collins was best known for playing Lieutenant Arthur Tragg in the television series Perry Mason from 1957-1964. He died on July 11, 1965 at the age of 75.

110 years ago
1904


Politics and government
Earl Grey was sworn in as Governor General of Canada at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

100 years ago
1914


Born on this date
Dorothy Lamour
. U.S. actress and singer. Miss Lamour, born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton, was a singer with Herbie Kay's orchestra before going to Hollywood, where she was best known for her supporting performances in the "Road" movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby from 1940-1962. She died on September 22, 1996 at the age of 81.

75 years ago
1939


Died on this date
John Grieb, 60
. U.S. athlete. Mr. Grieb won a gold medal in the team gymnastics event and a silver medal in the men's triathlon at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. He died three weeks after his 60th birthday.

War
The 1st Canadian Infantry Division, made up of 7,400 hastily trained soldiers, sailed from Halifax for Great Britain.

Football
NFL
Championship @ Wisconsin State Fair Park, West Allis, Wisconsin
New York 0 @ Green Bay 27

The Packers avenged their loss to the Giants in the previous year's championship game by bottling the Giants up in their own end of the field. The only scoring of the first half came in the first quarter on a 7-yard pass from tailback Arnie Herber to Milt Gantenbein, converted by Tiny Engebretsen. Green Bay put the game away in the third quarter on a 29-yard field goal by Mr. Engebretsen and a 27-yard touchdown pass from tailback Cecil Isbell to Joe Laws, converted by Mr. Engebretsen. Ernie Smith kicked a 42-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and converted the last touchdown, a 1-yard rush by Ed Jankowski. 32,279 fans were in attendance at Wisconsin State Fair Park, a stadium informally known as the Dairy Bowl. It remains the only NFL championship game ever played in West Allis, near Milwaukee.



70 years ago
1944


Died on this date
John Brunt, 22
. U.K. military officer. Captain Brunt was killed by mortar fire in Italy the day after rallying his men and killing a number of German troops while under heavy fire, actions which earned him a posthumous Victoria Cross. He died four days after his 22nd birthday.

War
Canadian Army troops stormed the Lamone River defenses in Italy. U.S. troops in Germany renewed their assault on Duren on a 10-mile front. The Soviet threat to Budapest increased as a tank unit drove down the east bank of the Danube River to within 7 1/2 miles of the city. ELAS forces shelled Omonia Square in Athens, while British Royal Air Forces bombers dropped explosives on ELAS establishments for the first time. U.S. forces in the Philippines eliminated all Japanese opposition in the Ormoc area and captured the city itself.

Diplomacy
The visit of French provisional government leader General Charles de Gaulle to Moscow concluded with a treaty of alliance between France and the U.S.S.R. providing for both nations to continue the war until full victory; for neither country to conclude a separate peace with Germany; for each to take in all common measures intended to oppose a new German threat; and for both to join the United Nations. The treaty was valid for 20 years.

Baseball
A committee of major league baseball owners and writers announced the selection of recently-deceased Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Judge Landis died on November 25 at the age of 78 after almost 25 years in office.

60 years ago
1954


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Let's Have Another Party--Winifred Atwell (2nd week at #1)

Transportation
The 1,280-metre Canso Causeway, linking Cape Breton Island to the Nova Scotia mainland, opened; it was the deepest causeway in the world.

50 years ago
1964


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Baby Love--The Supremes

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I Feel Fine--The Beatles

At the movies
Father Goose, directed by Ralph Nelson, and starring Cary Grant, Leslie Caron, and Trevor Howard, opened in theatres.





Music
Sam Cooke met in Los Angeles with his arranger, Rene Hall, to go over the new act that he was preparing for a Christmas engagement at the Deauville Hotel in Miami. He then left for dinner with producer Al Schmitt and Mrs. Schmitt at a Hollywood night spot, where Mr. Cooke said that he was beginning to come up with material for a new blues album.

Diplomacy
U.S. civil rights activist Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize.

40 years ago
1974


At the movies
The Towering Inferno, directed by John Guillermin, and starring Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and many others, opened in theatres in New York City.



Hockey
WCHL-U.S.S.R. (Exhibition)
Moscow Selects 5 @ Edmonton Oil Kings 4

Helmut Balderis and Aleksandr Golikov each scored 2 goals as the Selects edged the Oil Kings--actually the Oil Kings augmented by a number of Western Canada Hockey League all-stars--before 10,164 fans (including this blogger) at Edmonton Coliseum. Mr. Golikov's second goal, with 5:59 remaining in the game, broke a 4-4 tie. Aleksandr Obanov scored the other Moscow goal. Wayne Perkins scored 2 goals for Edmonton, with Don Murdoch and Terry Bucyk adding the others. Vladimir Polupanov played the entire game for the Selects, facing 30 shots. Doug Soetaert played the first 2 periods for the Oil Kings and Ed Staniowski played the 3rd period, facing a total of 46 shots.

30 years ago
1984


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Like a Virgin--Madonna

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): I Just Called to Say I Love You--Stevie Wonder (7th week at #1)

Diplomacy
South African Anglican Bishop and anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Economics and finance
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney told New York financiers, "Canada is open for business again," referring to the end of Canada's Foreign Investment Review Agency.

Baseball
The Montreal Expos traded catcher Gary Carter to the New York Mets for infielder Hubie Brooks, catcher Mike Fitzgerald, outfielder Herm Winningham, and pitcher Floyd Youmans. "The Kid" had been one of the Expos' biggest stars since coming up through the famr system and joing the team late in the 1974 season.

25 years ago
1989


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Escaping--Margaret Urlich (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
Gustav Husak, who had run Czechoslovakia for more than 20 years as Communist Party leader and President, resigned as President. Playwright Vaclav Havel, leader of the opposition group Civic Forum, and Alexander Dubcek, leader of the Prague Spring reform movement in 1968, announced their candidacies for President.

Diplomacy
U.S. representatives Brent Scowcroft and Lawrence Eagleburger concluded two days of kowtowing to meeting with Chinese Communist Party and government leaders in Beijing.

Protest
At Mongolia's first open pro-democracy public demonstration, in front of the Youth Cultural Centre in Ulaanbaatar, activist Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj announced the establishment of the Mongolian Democratic Union.

Football
NFL
New England (5-9) 10 @ Miami (8-6) 31
Pittsburgh (7-7) 13 @ New York Jets (4-10) 0
New Orleans (7-7) 22 @ Buffalo (8-6) 19
Dallas (1-13) 10 @ Philadelphia (10-4) 20
San Diego (4-10) 21 @ Washington (8-6) 26
Seattle (6-8) 24 @ Cincinnati (7-7) 17
Detroit (5-9) 27 @ Chicago (6-8) 17
Atlanta (3-11) 17 @ Minnesota (9-5) 43
Kansas City (7-6-1) 21 @ Green Bay (8-6) 3
Cleveland (7-6-1) 17 @ Indianapolis (7-7) 23 (OT)
Tampa Bay (5-9) 17 @ Houston (9-5) 20
New York Giants (10-4) 14 @ Denver (10-4) 7

Steve Largent of the Seattle Seahawks caught the 100th touchdown pass of his career in their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, passing Don Hutson on the NFL's career list.

20 years ago
1994


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): All I Wanna Do--Sheryl Crow

#1 single in Italy: It's a Rainy Day--Ice MC

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Hypnose--Scorpia (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Cotton-Eyed Joe--Rednex (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Always--Bon Jovi

#1 single in France (SNEP): Can You Feel the Love Tonight--Elton John (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Dromen zijn bedrog--Marco Borsato (11th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Stay Another Day--East 17

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men (2nd week at #1)
2 Here Comes the Hotstepper--Ini Kamoze
3 Another Night--Real McCoy
4 Always--Bon Jovi
5 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men
6 Creep--TLC
7 Secret--Madonna
8 All I Wanna Do--Sheryl Crow
9 I Wanna Be Down--Brandy
10 You Want This/'70s Love Groove--Janet Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Doll Parts by Hole (#65); If You Love Me by Brownstone (#79); Kitty Kitty by 69 Boyz (#83); Mishale by Andru Donalds (#92); Redneck Stomp by Jeff Foxworthy (#94); and Always and Forever by Luther Vandross (#95).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men (2nd week at #1)
2 Here Comes the Hotstepper--Ini Kamoze
3 Another Night--Real McCoy
4 Always--Bon Jovi
5 Secret--Madonna
6 I'm the Only One--Melissa Etheridge
7 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men
8 All I Wanna Do--Sheryl Crow
9 I Wanna Be Down--Brandy
10 Never Lie--Immature

Singles entering the chart were I Alone by Live (#75); Bad Reputation by Freddie Johnston (#77); House of Love by Amy Grant with Vince Gill (#80); Do You See by Warren G (#85); Mishale by Andru Donalds (#88); Missing You by Steve Perry (#90); and You Got Me Rocking by the Rolling Stones (#91).

Died on this date
Alex Wilson, 89
. Canadian runner. Mr. Wilson represented Canada in the 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympic Games, winning a silver medal in the men's 800-meter event in 1928, bronze in the men's 400-metre run in 1932, and bronze in the 4 x 100-metre releay in both years. He won gold, silver, and bronze medals at the British Empire Games in Hamilton in 1930. Mr. Wilson was a successful coach at the University of Notre Dame for many years, and died in South Bend, Indiana, five days after his 89th birthday.

War
Maurice Baril, military adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General and head of the Military Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, recommended that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) stand down.

Diplomacy
Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres received the Nobel Peace Prize for their roles in the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accord.

10 years ago
2004


Died on this date
Gary Webb, 49
. U.S. journalist. Mr. Webb was a reporter with the San Jose Mercury News who wrote a three-part series of articles in 1996, later published as a book under the title Dark Alliance, alleging that Nicaraguan drug traffickers had distributed crack cocaine in the United States in the 1980s and that the profits had been funneled to the Contra opposition forces in Nicaragua, with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency turning a blind eye. Mainstream newspapers attacked the articles, and Mr. Webb had a difficult time finding work after leaving the Mercury News in 1997. He was found dead with two gunshots to the head, and his death was ruled a suicide, although I don't know how someone can shoot himself in the head twice.

Diplomacy
A U.S. passenger jet landed in Vietnam, the first one to do so since U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War had ended three decades earlier.

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