December 6, 2015

775 years ago
1240

War
After days of bombardment, Mongol invaders under Batu Khan breached the walls of Kiev and proceeded to plunder the city and slaughter its inhabitants.

240 years ago
1775

War
American Generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold put Quebec under siege.

225 years ago
1790

Politics and government
The U.S. Congress moved from New York City to Philadelphia.

150 years ago
1865

Law
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. It reads:

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

140 years ago
1875
Born on this date
Evelyn Underhill, 65. U.K. authoress. Miss Underhill was an Anglo-Catholic mystic who has been credited as the person most responsible for introducing forgotten and neglected medieval Roman Catholic authors to a Protestant audience. Her best-known book was Mysticism: A Study of the Nature and Development of Man's Spiritual Consciousness (1911). Miss Underhill died on June 15, 1941 at the age of 65.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Yoshio Nishina. Japanese physicist. Mr. Nishina, "the founding father of modern physics research in Japan," became a staff member at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (now RIKEN) in 1918, and established Nishina Laboratory at RIKEN in 1931, focusing on quantum mechanics, nuclear physics, cosmic rays, and high-energy proton beams. He led the Japanese atomic bomb project during World War II, but his laboratory was severely damaged,a nd U.S. occupation forces dismantled his cyclotron in November 1945. Mr. Nishina led a reorganized RIKEN before his death from liver cancer on January 10, 1951 at the age of 60.

90 years ago
1925

At the movies
His Secretary, starring Norma Shearer, Lew Cody, and Willard Louis, opened in theatres.

Football
NFL
Chicago Bears (9-5-3) 19 @ New York (8-4) 7
Chicago Cardinals (9-2-1) 7 @ Pottsville (10-2) 21

Red Grange scored a touchdown in the 4th quarter to help the Bears defeat the Giants before 70,000 fans at the Polo Grounds, the largest crowd yet to see a National Football League game.

The Maroons defeated the Cardinals and thought they had clinched the NFL championship, which was then based on winning percentage. However, the Maroons scheduled an exhibition game against a team of former University of Notre Dame all-stars for December 13 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, which was ruled by NFL Commissioner Joe Carr to be in violation of the territorial rights of the Frankford Yellow Jackets. Mr. Carr then ordered the Cardinals to play against the Milwaukee Badgers and Hammond Pros, both of whom had disbanded for the season, in order to finish with a higher percentage than the Maroons. The Cardinals won the games--December 11 vs. Milwaukee and December 13 vs. Hammond--and were awarded the league championship, in the years before an actual championship game was played.

75 years ago
1940

War
Marshal Pietro Badoglio resigned as chief of the Italian general staff, and was succeeded by General Count Ugo Cavallero. Greek troops occupied Porto Edda on the Albanian coastal front and drove on toward Elbasan, Italian Army headquarters in central Albania. British troops advanced toward Italian positions in Egypt in preparation for a major attack. Leonard Brockington, counselor to the war commitee of the Canadian cabinet, said in New York that 10,000 American citizens had volunteered to serve in the Royal Canadian Air Force since May 1940, and that 2,520 of the 36,000 airmen new being trained in Canada were airmen.

Defense
Colonel William J. Donovan left the United States for Europe on a fact-finding mission for the U.S. government.

Politics and government
U.S. Representative Martin Dies (Democrat--Texas) announced that his House of Representatives committee had reached a "complete agreement" with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and had worked out "a formula to avoid possible friction and disagreement" in investigating subversive activities. Attorney General Robert Jackson denied that Rep. Dies' statement was "premature" and that "no agreement had been made that the FBI...would be placed at the disposal of Congressman Dies." U.S. Solicitor General Francis Biddle declared that the United States government would be "embarrassed and impeded" in its administration of the federal alien registration law if states were permitted to pass their own registration laws.

Scandal
Financial adviser Robert Boltz, 53, was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in Philadelphia on charges of violating three federal laws and defrauding a score of clients of more than $750,000.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee approved Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau's proposal to issue $500 million in additional five-year defense notes.

Labour
A strike by the American Federation of Labor Lumber and Sawmill Workers Union for higher wages, which had begun in Tacoma two months earlier, spread to Seattle and other Washington districts.

70 years ago
1945

At the movies
The Bells of St. Mary's, directed by Leo McCarey, and starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Edmund Dwyer-Gray, 75. U.K.-born Australian politician. Mr. Dwyer-Gray was born in Ireland, and first visited Australia in 1887, eventually moving there. A member of the Labour Party, he was first elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly in 1928, representing Denison. He was a believer in the social credit doctrine of C.H. Douglas, and was Treasurer of Tasmania (1934-1939) in the cabinet of Premier Albert Ogilvie. When Mr. Ogilvie died of a heart attack on June 10, 1939, Mr. Dwyer-Gray succeeded him as party leader and Premier of Tasmania, steppng aside as Premier on December 18 in favour of Robert Cosgrove. Mr. Dwyer-Gray resumed his office as Treasurer, serving until his death.

War
Nationalist Chinese troops halted within 25 miles of Mukden after advancing from the Chinese border opposed, and waited for negotiations with the Soviets to be completed before proceeding.

Iranian troops in Tabriz radioed that rebels had surrounded the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

Allied Supreme Commander in the Pacific General Douglas MacArthur ordered the arrest of former Japanese Prime Minister Fuminaro Konoye and eight others as war criminals. 94 Axis agents were reported to have evaded deportation from Argentina through court action, illness, escape, or government negligence. At the hearings of the United States Senate committee on the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, General George Marshall testified that he had not anticipated an attack on Pearl Harbor but that an "alert" defense would have prevented all but "limited harm." French entertainer Maurice Chevalier was acquitted by the National Committee of the Theatrical Purge of collaborating with the Germans during World War II.

Diplomacy
Former U.S. Ambassador to China General Patrick Hurley accused Undersecretary of State Dean Acheson of responsibility for "defeating" and "destroying" U.S. policy toward Iran, but refused to offer specific evidence.

Energy
A U.S. intelligence expert told a Senate committee that German scientists were trying to build a "uranium machine" for power generation purposes and not for an atolic bomb.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Harry Truman and U.K. Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced a $4.4-billion loan agreement under which the United States waived repayment of $25 billion in Lend-Lease funds.

Labour
General Motors renewed its offer of a 10% wage increase, and the United Ato Workers of America rejected it at the resumption of negotiations in Detroit.

60 years ago
1955

Died on this date
Honus Wagner, 81. U.S. baseball player. Johannes Peter Wagner was a shortstop with the Louisville Colonels (1897-1899) and Pittsburg/Pittsburgh Pirates (1900-1917), batting .327 with 101 home runs and 1,733 runs batted and 722 stolen bases in 2,794 games. He won eight National League batting titles and led the NL five times in runs batted in, and five times in stolen bases. Mr. Wagner is generally regarded as the greatest shortstop in history, and was one of the first five men inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): El Mundo (Il Mondo)--Jimmy Fontana (8th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Make it Easy on Yourself--The Walker Brothers (2nd week at #1)
2 Roses and Rainbows--Danny Hutton
3 Look Through Any Window--The Hollies
4 Here it Comes Again--The Fortunes
5 I Found a Girl--Jan & Dean
6 You Really Got a Hold on Me--Little Caesar and the Consuls
7 Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues--Gordon Lightfoot
8 It Was I--The Big Town Boys
9 Tears--Ken Dodd
10 Butterfly--Van McCoy

Singles entering the chart were The Sounds of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel (#36); The Little Girl I Once Knew by the Beach Boys (#37); I Really Love You by Dee Dee Sharp (#38); Yesterday Man by Chris Andrews (#39); and Our World by Johnny Tillotson (#40).

Music
The EP The Beatles' Million Sellers was released on Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. It contained the songs She Loves You; I Want to Hold Your Hand; Can't Buy Me Love; and I Feel Fine.

Baseball
The Philadelphia Phillies traded relief pitcher Jack Baldschun to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Darold Knowles and outfielder Jackie Brandt. Mr. Baldschun was 5-8 with an earned run average of 3.82 in 65 games with the Phillies in 1965. Mr. Knowles was 0-1 with an ERA of 9.00 in 5 games with the Orioles in 1965 and 11-5 with a 2.53 ERA in 32 games with the Rochester Red Wings of the AAA International League. Mr. Brandt batted .243 with 8 home runs and 24 runs batted in in 96 games with Baltimore in 1965. Mr. Baldschun was traded to the Cincinnati Reds three days later as part of the trade that brought right fielder Frank Robinson to Baltimore.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Profondo rosso--Goblin (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): That's the Way (I Like It)--K.C. and the Sunshine Band (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Bohemian Rhapsody--Queen (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Fly, Robin, Fly--Silver Convention (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 That's the Way (I Like It)--K.C. and the Sunshine Band (2nd week at #1)
2 Fly, Robin, Fly--Silver Convention
3 Let's Do it Again--The Staple Singers
4 Nights on Broadway--Bee Gees
5 Island Girl--Elton John
6 Saturday Night--Bay City Rollers
7 My Little Town--Simon and Garfunkel
8 Sky High--Jigsaw
9 The Way I Want to Touch You--Captain & Tennille
10 I Write the Songs--Barry Manilow

Singles entering the chart were Let it Shine by Olivia Newton-John (#65); Fly Away by John Denver (#69); Art for Art's Sake by 10 C.C. (#83); Play on Love by Jefferson Starship (#86); Blue Guitar by Justin Hayward and John Lodge (#92); What's Come Over Me by Margie Joseph and Blue Magic (#93); Sunday Sunrise by Anne Murray (#94); Drive My Car by Gary Toms Empire (#95); It's Alright by Graham Central Station (#96); The Homecoming by Hagood Hardy (#97); and For a Dancer by Prelude (#99).

Terrorism
Fleeing from the police, a provisional Irish Republican Army unit took a couple hostage in Balcombe Street, London, beginning a six-day siege.

Hockey
NHL
Boston 4 @ Toronto 2

Baseball
The Houston Astros traded catcher Milt May and pitchers Dave Roberts and Jim Crawford to the Detroit Tigers for right fielder Leon Roberts, catcher Terry Humphrey, and pitchers Gene Pentz and Mark Lemongello. Mr. May batted .241 with 4 home runs and 52 runs batted in in 111 games with Houston in 1975; Mr. Roberts was 8-14 with an earned run average with an earned run average of 4.27 and 1 save in 32 games, while Mr. Crawford was 3-5 with a 3.62 ERA and 4 saves in 44 games. Mr. Roberts batted .257 with 10 homers and 38 RBIs in 129 games with Detroit in 1975, while Mr. Humphrey hit .244 with no home runs and 1 RBI in 18 games with Detroit, missing most of the season with an injury. Mr. Pentz was 0-4 with a 3.24 ERA in 13 games with the Tigers in 1975, 2-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 16 games with the Evansville Triplets of the AAA American Association, and 4-2 with a 1.64 and 7 saves in 22 games with Montgomery in the AA Southern League. Mr. Lemongello was 7-4 with an ERA of 3.87 in 15 games with Evansville and 6-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 14 games with Montgomery.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Take on Me--A-Ha (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Take on Me--A-Ha (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Burleigh Grimes, 92. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Grimes played the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916-1917, 1928-1929, 1934); Brooklyn Robins (1918-1926); New York Giants (1927); Boston Braves (1930); St. Louis Cardinals (1930-1931, 1932-1933); Chicago Cubs (1932-1933); and New York Yankees (1934), compiling a record of 270-212 with an earned run average of 3.53 in 616 games. He had five seasons with 21 or more wins, and led the NL with 22 wins in 1921 and tied for the league lead with 25 in 1928. Mr. Grimes was famous as the last remaining pitcher to legally throw a spitball; the pitch was outlawed in 1920, but designated active pitchers were allowed to continue using it. Mr. Grimes managed the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1937-1938, compiling a record of 131-171. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.

Burr Tillstrom, 68. U.S. puppeteer. Mr. Tillstrom was the creator of the television program Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947-1957, 1970-1971, 1975).

Defense
U.S. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and British Defense Secretary Michael Heseltine signed an agreement that specified 18 areas of technology in which British defense companies and research establishments were free to compete with U.S. companies and institutions for Strategic Defense Initiative contracts. Neil Kinnock, leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, said that SDI was "destabilizing and dangerous."

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that the nation’s unemployment rate had held nearly steady at 6.9% in November.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice

Died on this date
Tunku Abdul Rahman, 87. Chief Minister of Malaya, 1955-1957; Prime Minister of Malaya/Malaysia, 1957-1970. Mr. Rahman led the United Malays National Organisation from 1946 until his retirement in 1971. He's widely acknowledged as the founder of modern Malaysia.

Protest
A peaceful demonstration took place against plans by Hindu fundamentalists to tear down a mosque in the Indian city of Ayodhya and replace it with a temple to the god Rama, whom they believed was born on the site.

Law
The Supreme Court of Canada upheld mandatory retirement; finding that forced retirement violated the principle of equality, it said the practice was justified under a section of the Constitution that permits limits on individual rights for the sake of a greater benefit to society at large.

Disasters
A military jet of the Italian Air Force, abandoned by its pilot after an on-board fire, crashed into a high school near Bologna, Italy, killing 12 students and injuring 88 other people.

Hockey
NHL
The National Hockey League expanded to 24 teams as Ottawa and Tampa Bay were awarded expansion franchises, to begin play in the 1992-93 season.

20 years ago
1995

Died on this date
James Reston, 86. U.K.-born-U.S. journalist. "Scotty" Reston, a native of Scotland, moved to the United States with his family in 1920. He had a career spanning more than 60 years as a correspondent, columnist, and editor, working for many years with The New York Times.

War
Canada committed 1,000 troops, and Germany committed 4,000 to the peacekeeping force in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Law
New firearms legislation came into force in Canada; it banned imports of automatic assault weapons, and included new rules and regulations for owning a firearm include a waiting period to buy guns, safe-storage rules, and full registration in stages.

Agriculture
60% of Alberta's 16,000 farmers voted to end the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly and set up a dual marketing system that would allow them the option of bypassing the board when selling their grain.

Economics and finance
The Royal Canadian Mint started manufacturing the new bi-metallic $2 coin with a polar bear on the face; the "Toonie" went into circulation on February 19, 1996, replacing the $2 bill.

Disasters
Khabarovsk United Air Group Flight 3949, a Tupolev Tu-154B jet en route from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Khabarovsk, crashed into the Bo-Dzhausa Mountain, killing all 98 people aboard.

Hockey
NHL
Patrick Roy, the two-time Stanley Cup-winning goalie with the Montreal Canadiens, was traded to the Colorado Avalanche with captain Mike Keane for three players in one of the most stunning deals in NHL history. Mr. Roy had been feuding with the Canadiens' new coach, Mario Tremblay.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Devan Nair, 82. 3rd President of Singapore, 1981-1985. Mr. Nair, a native of Malaysia, was a member of the People's Action party before founding the Democratic Action Party. He resigned as President under uncertain circumstances. Mr. Nair and his wife later moved to the United States and eventually to Hamilton, Ontario, where he died after suffering severe dementia.

Danny Williams, 63. South African-born U.K. singer. Mr. Williams was best known for his hit singles Moon River (1961) and White on White (1964). He died of lung cancer.

Politics and government
In a postal ballot, David Cameron defeated David Davis 134,446-64,398 to become the leader of the British Conservative Party, replacing the departing Michael Howard.

Protest
Several villagers were shot dead during protests in Dongzhou, China.

Disasters
An Iranian Air Force C-130 military transport aircraft crashed into a 10-floor apartment building in a residential area of Tehran, killing all 84 on board and 44 more on the ground.