July 8, 2015

320 years ago
1695

Died on this date
Christiaan Huygens, 66. Dutch physicist, mathematician, astronomer and inventor. Mr. Huygens' achievements are too numerous to mention here, but they included the discovery of Saturn's moon Titan, and the invention of the pendulum clock. He has been called the first theoretical physicist and the founder of mathematical physics.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Stanton Macdonald-Wright. U.S. artist. Mr. Macdonald-Wright was a painter who, in 1912, co-founded the colour-based mode of painting known as Synchromism. He was the younger brother of author Willard Huntington Wright, who wrote the Phil Vance detective novels under the pseudonym S.S. Van Dine. Mr. Macdonald-Wright died on August 22, 1973 at the age of 83.

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
Igor Tamm. U.S.S.R. physicist. Dr. Tamm was head of the theoretical department at Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow (1934-1971), and worked on the Soviet hydrogen bomb project (1949-1953). He shared the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physics with fellow Soviets Pavel Cherenkov and Ilya Frank "for the discovery and the interpretation of the Cherenkov effect." Dr. Tamm died on April 12, 1971 at the age of 75.

80 years ago
1935

At the movies
The Raven, starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, opened in theatres.

Baseball
Major league All-Star Game @ Municipal Stadium, Cleveland
National League 1 American League 4

Jimmie Foxx of the Philadelphia Athletics hit a home run and drove in 3 runs as the American League posted its third win in as many games. Lefty Gomez of the New York Yankees pitched 6 innings to get the win over Bill Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals, who pitched the first 2 innings. Mr. Gomez and Mel Harder of the Cleveland Indians limited the NL to 4 hits. 69,831 were in attendance, an All-Star Game record that stood until 1981, when the record was broken at the same stadium.



75 years ago
1940

Died on this date
Thomas Arnull, 13. Canadian accident victim. Thomas was playing with friends near Whitemud Creek near Edmonton when he attempted to wade across the creek and stepped into a deep hole and drowned. Attempts to rescue him were unsuccessful.

War
British ships attacked the French battleship Richelieu at Dakar, severely damaging it with torpedoes and depth charges. Italy reported successful air raids on British bases at Malta and Alexandria. Over 100 Japanese planes attacked Chungking, inflicting heavy damage. Marshall Field announced formation of a U.S. National Child Refugee Committee to coordinate the reception of refugee children into the United States from Europe.

Politics and government
Angus L. Macdonald resigned as Premier of Nova Scotia to join the federal cabinet of Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King as Minister of National Defence for Naval Services. A.S. MacMillan replaced Mr. Macdonald as Premier. J.L. Ilsley was named Minister of Finance in the cabinet of Prime Minister King.

King Haakon VII of Norway, in exile in London, announced his refusal to resign as requested by the Norwegian parliament.

Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate Wendell Willkie named Representative Joseph Martin (Massachusetts), the House of Representatives minority leader, as national chairman of the Republican Party.

Defense
Chief of the U.S. Navy Fleet Admiral James Richardson arrived in Washington from Hawaii for conferences with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Economics and finance
Two British ships arrived in New York with a reported $124.2 million in gold bullion to be used for British war credits.

70 years ago
1945

War
Japanese forces stiffened their resistance to the Australian advance up the coast of Borneo northeastward from Manggar. Yugoslavian dictator Marshal Josip Tito charged Greek citizens with firing mortars across the Yugoslavian frontier.

Politics and government
Brigadier General W.R.M. Hinde, U.K. military governor in Berlin, said "the Russians are running all Berlin" as a result of the stalemate over supplying food and fuel to the American and British sectors.

U.S. Representative Joseph Martin, Jr. (Republican--Massachusetts) urged an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to limit the tenure of any U.S. president to two terms.

Defense
U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur said that national defense had become international defense and no nation in the future could rely only on its own capabilities.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Unchained Melody--Jimmy Young (3rd week at #1)

Golf
Peter Thomson won the British Open for the second straight year, finishing 2 strokes ahead of John Fallon at the Old Course at St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland. First prize money was ₤1,000 ($2,800).





50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I'm Alive--The Hollies (2nd week at #1)

Crime
Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21, a Douglas DC-6B en route from Vancouver to Whitehorse with four stops in between, exploded and crashed near 100 Mile House, British Columbia, killing all 52 people aboard. The crash was ruled to be the result of a bomb, but the criminal was never identified.

Ronnie Biggs, who was serving a 30-year prison sentence for his part in the 1963 Great Train Robbery--a robbery of a mail train in England--escaped from Wandsworth prison in England.

Labour
Retired Canadian federal civil servant Arnold Heeney released his report, recommending an independent staff relations board for collective bargaining and conciliation, and that the Civil Service should be reclassified into six major occupational groups.

40 years ago
1975

Died on this date
Leo Reise, 83. Canadian hockey player. Mr. Reise was a defenceman with the Hamilton Tigers (1920-23); Saskatoon Sheiks (1923-26); New York Americans (1926-30); and New York Rangers (1929-30), scoring 70 points on 39 goals and 31 assists in 223 National Hockey League regular season games and no points in 6 Stanley Cup games, and 14 goals and 15 assists in 76 regular season Western Canada Hockey League/Western Hockey League games. His son Leo, Jr. also played in the NHL.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Hamilton (0-2) 14 @ Edmonton (2-0) 30
Montreal (1-1-1) 14 @ British Columbia (1-0-1) 14

Tom Wilkinson completed a touchdown pass to Roy Bell, Leroy Jones returned an interception for a touchdown, and Leroy Moss rushed for another TD as the Eskimos built a 27-0 halftime lead and coasted to victory over the Tiger-Cats before a Clarke Stadium crowd of 22,747, including this blogger. Hamilton quarterback Jim McMillan threw touchdown passes to John McKeown in the 3rd quarter and Garney Henley in the 4th. Referee Charlie Leibel and his crew called 34 penalties for 268 yards and ejected five players, including Edmonton's Joe Worobec and Hamilton's Andy Currie, who got into a fight late in the game. Edmonton wide receiver Jerrald Taylor returned the 2nd-half kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back on a clipping penalty. Former San Francisco 49ers' backup Dennis Morrison played the 3rd quarter at quarterback for the Eskimos, but was unimpressive. Mr. McKeown, a Canadian rookie, led all receivers with 10 catches for 142 yards.

A kicking exchange on the last play of the game enabled the Alouettes to preserve the tie against the Lions at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. B.C. kicker John Wintermeyer had just had a 24-yard field goal blocked, but the Lions recovered a Montreal fumble on the next play, allowing them another chance to take the lead. Mr. Wintermeyer then missed from 16 yards and it was kicked out by Montreal's Dave Elliott. Rocky Long, the holder for B.C. placekicks, fielded the ball and kicked it back into the Montreal end zone, and Montreal defensive back Ward Smith ran it across the goal line to end the game. Dave Lewis, who had played halfback, quarterback and punter with the Alouettes in 1967 and 1968 before spending the next 6 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals as a punter, relieved starting Montreal quarterback Jimmy Jones in the 2nd quarter and threw a touchdown pass to Johnny Rodgers. Mr. Jones completed a 38-yard TD pass to Joe Petty on the first play of the 4th quarter. The Lions used Don Moorhead, Eric Guthrie, Ken Johnson, and Peter Liske at quarterback.

Baseball
Fred Kendall singled in 2 runs with 2 out in the top of the 15th inning to give the San Diego Padres an 8-6 win over the Chicago Cubs before 12,240 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Dave Roberts pitched a 4-hit complete game victory and drove in 2 runs with a pair of singles to lead the Houston Astros over the Montreal Expos 5-1 before 9,542 fans at the Astrodome.

Don Sutton and Mike Marshall combined to pitch a 4-hit shutout as the Los Angeles Dodges blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 before 29,376 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh pitchers Dock Ellis and Larry Demery allowed just 3 hits, including a home run by Jim Wynn.

Pinch hitter Fred Lynn singled home Jim Rice with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Boston Red Sox a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins before 17,519 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

Catfish Hunter pitched a 7-hitter for his fifth shutout of the season as the New York Yankees blanked the Texas Rangers 4-0 before 16,020 fans at Shea Stadium in New York.

Joe Coleman and John Hiller combined for a 5-hit shutout as the Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 3-0 before 13,268 fans at Tiger Stadium for their seventh straight win. Detroit center fielder Ron LeFlore had 2 singles and a solo home run, while right fielder Leon Roberts had a double and a 2-run homer. Wilbur Wood allowed 9 hits and 3 earned runs in pitching a complete game.

The Kansas City Royals scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning and coasted to a 9-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers before 12,605 fans at Royal Stadium. Harmon Killebrew drove in 2 runs with a double in the 1st inning and John Mayberry hit a 3-run home run in the 4th. Dennis Leonard allowed 9 hits in pitching a complete game victory. Gary Martz pinch hit for Mr. Mayberry in the 8th inning and hit into a force play, reaching second base on an error that brought home the final run. Mr. Martz then went to left field in the 9th inning and made 1 putout in what turned out to be his only major league game.

The Oakland Athletics scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning and 7 in the 4th as they beat the Cleveland Indians 15-5 before 4,041 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Ken Holtzman started on the mound for Oakland and improved his 1975 record to 10-7 despite allowing 10 hits and 5 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. Fred Beene, who pitched 4 2/3 innings in relief of losing pitcher Don Hood, made 3 wild pitches.

The Baltimore Orioles scored 3 runs in the top of the 10th inning against Nolan Ryan as they defeated the California Angels 8-5 before 16,811 fans at Anaheim Stadium. Baltimore third base coach Billy Hunter was ejected by home plate umpire Jim Evans in the bottom of the 9th inning for throwing helmets onto the field to protest ball and strike calls; when manager Earl Weaver went out to change pitchers, he was ejected for yelling at Mr. Evans. First base coach Jim Frey and designated hitter Tommy Davis were also ejected by Mr. Evans, and pitcher Ross Grimsley went in to coach at first base in the 10th inning.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Angel/Into the Groove--Madonna (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Dancing Shoes--Seiko Matsuda

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): We are the World--USA for Africa (8th week at #1)

Died on this date
Simon Kuznets, 84. Belarusian-born U.S. economist. Dr. Kuznets began his education in Ukraine before emigrating to the United States in 1922. He worked at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) (1927-1961); University of Pennsylvania (1930–1954); Johns Hopkins University (1954–1960); and Harvard University (1960–1971). Dr. Kuznets devised the Kuznets curve, an inverted U-shaped relation between income inequality and economic growth (1955, 1963). He was awarded the 1971 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences "for his empirically founded interpretation of economic growth which has led to new and deepened insight into the economic and social structure and process of development."

Phil Foster, 72. U.S. comic and actor. Mr. Foster, born Fivel Feldman, was a successful nightclub comic who made numerous television appearances, and had a reagular supporting role in the comedy series Laverne and Shirley (1976-1983). His most notable movie role was as the manager in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973).

Baseball
Marge Schott became president and chief executive officer of the Cincinnati Reds.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Eagle Rock--Daddy Cool (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Verdammt - ich lieb' dich--Matthias Reim

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 I Promised Myself--Nick Kamen (6th week at #1)
2 Verdammt - ich lieb' dich--Matthias Reim
3 I Can't Stand It!--Twenty 4 Seven featuring Capt. Hollywood
4 Hey, Wickie--Der Schreckliche Sven & die tollkühnen Plattenreiter
5 Ooops Up--Snap!
6 Insieme: 1992--Toto Cutugno
7 Alle meine Lieda--Remix-Poidl
8 Infinity (1990's...Time for the Guru)--Guru Josh
9 Black Velvet--Alannah Myles
10 White and Black Blues--Joëlle Ursull

Singles entering the chart were Killer by Adamski (#20); Step by Step by New Kids on the Block (#29); and All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You by Heart (#30).

Died on this date
Howard Duff, 76. U.S. actor. Mr. Duff appeared in various movies and television programs, but was perhaps best known for playing the title role in the radio series The Adventures of Sam Spade (1946-1950).

World events
The Albanian regime of President Ramiz Alia agreed to permit thousands of people who had sought refuge in foreign embassies to emigrate.

Law
Two days after Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer had vetoed an anti-abortion bill because it had no exceptions for rape or incest, both houses of the state legislature passed a bill that did make exceptions for rape or incest, providing that the rape was reported to police within seven days.

Soccer
FIFA
World Cup
Final @ Stadio Olimpico, Rome
West Germany 1 Argentina 0

Andy Brehme scored the game's ony goal on a penalty kick in the 85th minute before 73,603 fans as West Germany avenged its loss to Argentina in the 1986 final.



20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me--U2

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): 21 Go'nat historier--Timm & Gordon (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Conquest of Paradise--Vangelis (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Pour que tu m'aimes encore--Céline Dion (9th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Pour que tu m'aimes encore--Céline Dion (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Conquest of Paradise--Vangelis (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Boom Boom Boom--The Outhere Brothers

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Waterfalls--TLC
2 Don't Take it Personal (Just One of Dem Days)--Monica
3 One More Chance/Stay with Me--The Notorious B.I.G.
4 Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?--Bryan Adams
5 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Nicki French
6 Water Runs Dry--Boyz II Men
7 Scream/Childhood--Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson
8 I Can Love You Like That--All-4-One
9 Let Her Cry--Hootie & the Blowfish
10 I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By--Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige

Singles entering the chart were 'Til You Do Me Right by After 7 (#71); Remember Me this Way by Jordan Hill (#89); Roll to Me by Del Amitri (#90); Can't Cry Anymore by Sheryl Crow (#92); Take Your Time (Do it Right) by Max-A-Million (#94); and Died in Your Arms by Intonation featuring Joee (#97).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Waterfalls--TLC
2 Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?--Bryan Adams
3 Don't Take it Personal (Just One of Dem Days)--Monica
4 Scream/Childhood--Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson
5 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Nikki French
6 Water Runs Dry--Boyz II Men
7 Someone to Love--Jon B featuring Babyface
8 One More Chance/Stay with Me--The Notorious B.I.G.
9 Run-Around--Blues Traveler
10 I Can Love You Like That--All-4-One

Singles entering the chart were Good by Better than Ezra (#37); I Love You by Mary J. Blige (#51, charting with its A-side, You Bring Me Joy); Roll to Me by Del Amitri (#71); Survival of the Fittest by Mobb Deep (#73); I Could Fall in Love by Selena (#87); and So Many Tears by 2Pac (#90).

Tennis
Top-seeded Steffi Graf of Germany defeated second-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 to win the women's singles title at Wimbledon for the sixth time.





Football
CFL
Calgary (2-0) 48 @ Shreveport (0-2) 17

Doug Flutie passed for 3 touchdowns and rushed for another to lead the Stampeders over the Pirates before 14,026 fans at the Independence Bowl. Tony Stewart and Tyrone Edwards rushed for Calgary TDs, and backup Calgary quarterback Jeff Garcia completed his first CFL touchdown pass, a 23-yard strike to Terry Vaughn. Shreveport quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver threw 2 touchdown passes to Wayne Walker.



10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Maurice Baquet, 94. French actor and musician. Mr. Baquet was a classical cellist who appeared in plays and in almost 100 movies and television programs in a career spanning more than 60 years. He also participated in alpine ski events in the 1940s and '50s.

Economics and finance
The G8 summit of the leaders of the world's leading industrial countries ended in Gleneagles, Scotland with a deal to boost aid for developing countries by $50 billion (£28.8 billion). The debt of the 18 poorest nations in Africa was also cancelled.

Football
CFL
Edmonton (2-1) 29 @ Montreal (2-1) 32
Ottawa (1-2) 29 @ British Columbia (2-0) 37

Damon Duval kicked 3 field goals and a single in the 4th quarter, including a 48-yard FG on the final play, to give the Alouettes their victory over the Eskimos before 20,002 fans at Molson Stadium. Ezra Landry, whom the Alouettes had recently signed from the Eskimos' practice roster, returned a missed field goal 125 yards for a touchdown and returned a punt 74 yards for a TD in the 3rd quarter. Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray threw touchdown passes to Ron McClendon and Derrell "Mookie" Mitchell, while rushing for a TD of his own. Tony Tompkins scored the other Edmonton touchdown on a 93-yard punt return in the 4th quarter. The Eskimos led 14-0 after the 1st quarter.