June 29, 2015

130 years ago
1885

Baseball
In an American Association game, Guy Hecker went the distance, striking out 8 batters in 13 innings while batting 3 for 6 and scoring the winning run as the Louisville Colonels edged the Pittsburgh Alleghenys 4-3 at Recreation Park in Pittsburgh.

120 years ago
1895

Died on this date
Thomas Henry Huxley, 70. U.K. biologist. Professor Huxley was regarded as perhaps the best comparative anatomist of his time, but was best known as the premier public advocate of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, earning him the nickname "Darwin's Bulldog." He was credited with coining the term "agnosticism" in 1889. Prof. Huxley died of a heart attack after contracting influenza and pneumonia.

Floriano Peixoto, 56. 2nd President of Brazil, 1891-1894. Marshal Peixoto, nicknamed "The Iron Marshal," served in the Paraguayan War, and served as President of Mato Grosso Province (1884-1885) and Minister of War (1890-1891) before taking office as Vice President in February 1891. He acceded to the presidency in November 1891 upon the resignation of President Deodoro da Fonseca. Marshal Peixoto ran a centralized and authoritarian regime, and had to deal with several military rebellions. He resigned the presidency in November 1894, and died from cirrhosis of the liver.

100 years ago
1915

Edmontonia
The North Saskatchewan River flood of 1915 became the worst flood in Edmonton's history, causing at least $500,000 in damage and leaving 200 people homeless.

Boxing
Sam McVey (54-9-5) won a 12-round decision over Sam Langford (94-10-2) at Atlas Athletic Association in Boston to win a share of the world "colored" heavyweight title.

90 years ago
1925

Diplomacy
King George V opened Canada House, the new headquarters for the Canadian High Commission, in London's Trafalgar Square.

80 years ago
1935

Died on this date
Jack O'Neill, 62. Irish-born U.S. baseball player. One of four brothers who played in the major leagues, Mr. O'Neill was a catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals (1902-1903); Chicago Cubs (1904-1905); and Boston Beaneaters (1906), batting .196 with 1 home run and 74 runs batted in 303 games.

75 years ago
1940

Died on this date
Paul Klee, 60. Swiss artist. Mr. Klee's paintings reflected expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He died of scleroderma.

Diplomacy
Mexico presented the United States government with $1 million as partial payment for American lands expropriated since August 30, 1927.

Politics and government
Hassan Sabry Pasha formed a coalition cabinet in Egypt which included all parties except the Waldists.

U.S. Senator Edwin Johnson (Democrat--Colorado) said that only fellow Senator Burton K. Wheeler (Democrat--Montana) could defeat Republican candidate Wendell Willkie in the 1940 election for President of the United States.

Law
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Alien Registration Act, providing for compulsory registration and fingerprinting of all aliens.

U.S. President Roosevelt signed a law granting the U.S. Supreme Court the authority to prescribe rules of pleading, practice, and procedure with respect to criminal cases in the district courts.

Energy
Westinghouse Laboratories announced the discovery that gamma rays could release energy from uranium.

Track and field
Cornelius Warmerdam set a world record of 15 feet 1 1/8 inches (4.60 metres) in the pole vault at the U.S. National Amateur Athletic Union meet in Fresno, California.

70 years ago
1945

War
U.S. bombers attacked the Japanese naval base at Sasebo on the island of Kyushu. The port of Shiogama was closed by mines dropped from the air.

Abominations
Carpathian Ruthenia was annexed by the U.S.S.R. as the result of an agreement signed with Czechoslovakia.

The Panamanian cabinet approved a break in relations with Spain, effective for as long as Spain was governed by the regime of Generalissimo Francisco Franco.

Defense
Acting U.S. Secretary of State Joseph Grew revealed that the United States had leased bases in Newfoundland in June 1941 for 99 years.

Politics and government
After failing to agree on a list of ministers for the new Indian cabinet, the All-India Congress and Moslem League notified British Viceroy Viscount Wavell to recess the Simla Conference until July 14, 1945.

Chinese Communists approved the visit of a seven-member non-partisan commission to Yenan for the purpose of discussing Communist-Nationalist differences.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate President Harry Truman's presidential succession bill.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Office of Price Administration said that used 1942 automobiles could be sold on an unrationed basis beginning July 2, 1945.

50 years ago
1965

Died on this date
Eric Backman, 69. Swedish runner. Mr. Backman was a long-distance runner who won a silver medal in the individual cross country event and bronze medals in the cross-country team, 3,000-metre team, and 5,000-metre events.

Scandal
Quebec Chief Justice Frédéric Dorion issued a report showing official bribery to free a suspected drug smuggler. The report led to the resignation of federal Justice Minister Guy Favreau.

40 years ago
1975

Died on this date
Tim Buckley, 28. U.S. musician. Mr. Buckley was a singer-songwriter who experimented with various styles of music, which tended to result in him having a cult following rather than a popular following. His albums included Goodbye and Hello (1967) and Happy Sad (1968). Mr. Buckley died of a heroin overdose.

Technology
Steve Wozniak tested his first prototype of the Apple I computer.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): A View to a Kill--Duran Duran

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): 19--Paul Hardcastle (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): 19--Paul Hardcastle

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Frankie--Sister Sledge

#1 single in the U.K.: Frankie--Sister Sledge

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Heaven--Bryan Adams (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Sussudio--Phil Collins
2 Heaven--Bryan Adams
3 A View to a Kill--Duran Duran
4 Everybody Wants to Rule the World--Tears for Fears
5 Raspberry Beret--Prince and the Revolution
6 In My House--Mary Jane Girls
7 Angel--Madonna
8 Suddenly--Billy Ocean
9 Things Can Only Get Better--Howard Jones
10 Would I Lie to You?--Eurythmics

Singles entering the chart were The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News (#42); Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams (#55); St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) by John Parr (#78); and Tired of Being Blonde by Carly Simon (#83). The Power of Love was from the movie Back to the Future (1985). St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) was the title song of the movie.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 A View to a Kill--Duran Duran
2 Everybody Wants to Rule the World--Tears for Fears
3 Walking On Sunshine--Katrina and the Waves
4 Black Cars--Gino Vannelli
5 Axel F--Harold Faltermeyer
6 Would I Lie to You?--Eurythmics
7 Suddenly--Billy Ocean
8 Angel--Madonna
9 Things Can Only Get Better--Howard Jones
10 Sussudio--Phil Collins

Singles entering the chart were The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News (#68); Like a Surgeon by "Weird Al" Yankovic (#72); Road to Nowhere by the Talking Heads (#88); Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love) by Bob Dylan (#93); Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams (#95); Little by Little by Robert Plant (#96); Freeway of Love by Aretha Franklin (#97); People are People by Depeche Mode (#98); and Exception of Love by the Truth (#99).

Popular culture
Vancouver, British Columbia businessman Jim Pattison paid $2.229,000 for a yellow Rolls-Royce formerly owned by the Beatles.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Ottawa (1-3) 14 @ Hamilton (1-3) 33

1985 marked the last year in which CFL teams each played 4 pre-season games. In 1986 the pre-season was shortened to 2 games, while the regular season was extended from 16 to 18 games.

25 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Irving Wallace, 74. U.S. writer. Mr. Wallace wrote novels such as The Chapman Report (1960); The Prize (1962); and The Word (1972), and collaborated with his son David Wallechinsky on three volumes of The People's Almanac (1975-1981) and with his daughter Amy Wallace and Mr. Wallechinsky on three volumes of The Book of Lists (1977-1983).

Diplomacy
The Lithuanian parliament agreed to suspend its declaration of independence for 100 days in exchange for an agreement by the Soviet government to negotiate on the issue and end economic sanctions.

Politics and government
Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa said that he would work with Parti Quebecois leader Jacques Parizeau to establish a non-partisan commission to consider Quebec's political future in the wake of the recent collapse of the Meech Lake Canadian constitutional accord.

Scandal
Progressive Conservative member of Parliament Gilles Bernier (Beauce) and former PC MP Richard Grise (Chambly) were charged by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with two counts of fraud and breach of trust in connection with two contracts, whereby they hired each other's relatives for bogus jobs. Mr. Bernier was acquitted in April 1994, while Mr. Grise pled guilty to two counts of breach of trust and was fined $5,000.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Ottawa (1-0) 26 @ Saskatchewan (0-2) 23

Baseball
Dave Stewart pitched the first no-hitter at SkyDome in Toronto as the Oakland Athletics blanked the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 before 49,817 fans.



The second no-hitter of the day was pitched by Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0 before 38,583 fans at Dodger Stadium. With a runner on base and 1 out in the 9th inning, Pedro Guerrero of the Cardinals hit a grounder up the middle; Mr. Valenzuela reached out with his glove and deflected the ball to shortstop Alfredo Griffin, who started a double play to end the game. It was the first time since the double no-hitter pitched by Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds and Hippo Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs on May 2, 1917 that two no-hitters had been pitched in the major leagues on the same day.



Ron Kittle led off the bottom of the 2nd inning with his 14th home run of the season, providing all the scoring as the Chicago White Sox edged the New York Yankees 1-0 before 30,137 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Winning pitcher Jack McDowell allowed 4 hits in 7 innings to get the win, while Bobby Thigpen pitched the 9th inning to get his 26th save of the season. Losing pitcher Chuck Cary allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run in 7+ innings. It was the first major league game for New York designated hitter Kevin Maas, who had a single in 3 at bats.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Scatman's World--Scatman John

Died on this date
Lana Turner, 74. U.S. actress. Miss Turner, born Julia Jean Turner, was a popular star of the 1940s and '50s in such movies as The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946); The Bad and the Beautiful (1952); Peyton Place (1957); and Imitation of Life (1959). Her tempestuous private life hit a low point in 1958 when her 14-year-old daughter Cheryl Crane killed Miss Turner's lover, mobster Johnny Stompanato, when Mr. Stompanato was apparently attacking Miss Turner. The killing was ruled a justifiable homicide.

Music
This blogger was in attendance as the Beach Boys performed the first concert ever held at Edmonton's new, as yet unnamed baseball park. The concert took place after the Edmonton Trappers defeated the Calgary Cannons 4-1 in a Pacific Coast League game. Unfortunately, the show was a disappointment. The band played behind second base, making it difficult to see them from the stands. A guitar amplifier blew out during one of the songs, and the songs consisted almost entirely of just the standard package of hits, although they did perform the title song of their 1992 album Summer in Paradise.

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-71, and the Russian space station Mir docked, forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.



Journalism
The New York Times and the Washington Post both said that they were considering publishing the manifesto of the Unabomber, who had already killed 3 people and injured 22 others with bombs sent through the mail. The Times, on June 28, and the Post, on June 29, had received copies of the Unabomber's 35,000-word manuscript titled Industrial Society and its Future, in which he attacked technological advances and called the Industrial Revolution a disaster for humans. The terrorist threatened to continue his attacks unless his manuscript was published.

Economics and finance
The United States Senate and House of Representatives approved a plan that projected $894 billion in reductions of projected spending increases and $245 billion in tax cuts over seven years.

Disasters
The Sampoong Department Store collapsed in the Seocho District of Seoul, killing 501 and injuring 937.

Football
CFL
Memphis (0-1) 18 @ Calgary (1-0) 24

Mark McLoughlin kicked 5 field goals and converted a 3-yard touchdown pass from Doug Flutie to Dave Sapunjis as the Stampeders defeated the Mad Dogs before 25,071 fans at McMahon Stadium in the first regular season game for the expansion Memphis club, and the first game as a CFL head coach for Pepper Rodgers. The Mad Dogs' first touchdown came on a 50-yard pass from Damon Allen to Joe Horn.