July 31, 2016

275 years ago
1741

War
Charles Albert of Bavaria invaded Upper Austria and Bohemia.

130 years ago
1886

Born on this date
Salvatore Maranzano. Italian-born U.S. gangster. Mr. Maranzano, nicknamed "Little Caesar" because of his fascination with Julius Caesar, was born in Sicily and became involved in organized crime in his homeland before emigrating to the United States in the 1920s, settling in Brooklyn, New York. He instigated the Castellammarese War in 1930 to seize control of the American Mafia, and was briefly "capo di tutti capi" ("boss of all bosses") in 1931 after rival faction head Joe Masseria was murdered. Mr. Maranzano formed the Five Families in New York City, but was murdered by four Jewish gangsters acting on the orders of Charles "Lucky" Luciano. Mr. Maranzano had intended to kill Mr. Luciano, but Mr. Luciano heard of Mr. Maranzano's plan and decided to act first. Two of the four Jewish gangsters unknown to Mr. Maranzano, disarmed Mr. Maranzano's guards, while the other two stabbed Mr. Maranzano multiple times before shooting him to death on September 10, 1931 at the age of 45. Mr. Luciano subsequently created The Commission to govern organized crime.

Died on this date
Franz Liszt, 74. Hungarian musician and composer. Mr. Liszt was the most praised pianist of his day, and composed works too numerous to mention here.

125 years ago
1891

Baseball
Amos Rusie pitched a no-hitter for the New York Giants as they shut out the Brooklyn Bridegrooms 6-0 at the Polo Grounds in New York. Mr. Rusie walked 8 batters and hit 1. Adonis Terry took the loss.

100 years ago
1916

Born on this date
Bill Todman. U.S. radio and television producer. Mr. Todman and his partner Mark Goodson produced numerous radio and television game shows, including What's My Line?; Beat the Clock; The Price is Right; and Family Feud. Mr. Todman died of a heart condition on July 29, 1979, two days before his 63rd birthday.

Billy Hitchcock. U.S. baseball player, coach, manager, and executive. Mr. Hitchcock was a utility infielder with the Detroit Tigers (1942, 1946, 1953); Washington Nationals (1946); St. Louis Browns (1946); Boston Red Sox (1948-1949); and Philadelphia Athletics (1950-1952), batting .243 with 5 home runs and 257 runs batted in in 703 games. He served as third base coach with the Tigers from 1955-1960, managing the team for one game in 1960. Mr. Hitchcock managed the Baltimore Orioles (1962-1963) and Atlanta Braves (1966-1967), compiling a career record of 274-261. He was a scout with the Montreal Expos from 1968-1971, and was President of the AA Southern League from 1971-1980. The SL championship trophy is named after Mr. Hitchock, and he was given the King of Baseball Award for 1980 for his contribution to the game. Mr. Hitchcock died on April 9, 2006 at the age of 89.

80 years ago
1936

Olympics
In Berlin, a preliminary international organization was effected with the intention of making baseball an Olympic sport. Leslie Mann, manager of the U.S. team currently in Berlin to give exhibitions, and Dinty Dennis, U.S. general manager, were elected chairman and secretary, respectively. At least 10 nations were assured of participating in the group: U.S.A.; Canada; Japan; Mexico; Chile; China; France; England; Belgium; and the Netherlands. Mr. Mann said that baseball would be on the program for the 1940 Olympics in Tokyo.

75 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square--Vera Lynn; West End Players (3rd month at #1)

War
The U.S.S.R. reported that Soviet forces had driven the Germans back in the Smolensk area. Japanese Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro Konoye said that Japan must move ahead to create a "Greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere" and prepare for war.

Reports from Peru and Ecuador stated that border hostilities between the countries had ceased at 6 P.M. after Ecuador agreed to cancel a previous order for general mobilization.

Diplomacy
U.S. Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles said that the Japanese bombing of the U.S. gunboat Tutulia near the Chinese capital of Chungking was a closed incident, after the Japanese government expressed regret and offered to pay for damages.

Defense
U.S. Army Brigadier General Lewis Hershey, deputy director of U.S. Selective Service, was named director, and was immeidately confirmed by the Senate.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created an Economic Defense Board, with Vice President Henry Wallace as Chairman, to advise him on economic defense measures and prepare for postwar economic reconstruction.

Oil
U.S. Interior Secretary Harold Ickes recommended that 100,000 gasoline and oil filling stations on the Eastern seaboard close from 7 P.M. to 7 A.M. daily, beginning August 3, to alleviate the growing oil and gasoline shortage.

Abominations
Under instructions from German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler, Nazi official Hermann Göring ordered SS General Reinhard Heydrich to "submit to me as soon as possible a general plan of the administrative material and financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired Final Solution of the Jewish question."

Politics and government
Egyptian Prime Minister Hussein Sirry Pasha formed a new cabinet, including five pro-British Saadist Party members, five Liberals, and five independents.

Religion
The Berlin news commentary Dienst aus Deutschland reported that Fuehrer Adolf Hitler had banned Christian Science in Germany.

Economics and finance
The Japanese government announced that Australian, Burmese, and Malayan assets in Japan would be frozen effective August 1, 1941.

Business
Several American importers filed suit against the Japanese liner Tatuta Maru seeking possession of goods aboard the vessel, which had docked in San Francisco the previous day.

Baseball
The St. Louis Browns and Boston Red Sox split a doubleheader before 25,000 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. The Browns scored 6 runs in the top of the 9th inning to win the first game 16-11, and the Red Sox won the second game, which was called after 7½ innings because of a thick mist covering the field, 4-1. Roy Cullenbine hit a grand slam in the first game for the Browns, drove in 5 runs, and scored 5, while Ted Williams hit a grand slam for the Red Sox.

Charlie Keller hit a 3-run home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the New York Yankees a 6-3 win in the first game of a doubleheader before 14,795 fans at Yankee Stadium. Spud Chandler pitched a 4-hit shutout and Joe DiMaggio hit a solo homer and singled in 2 runs as the Yankkes completed the sweep with a 5-0 win in the second game, which was called after 7½ innings because of darkness.

Pinch hitter Chuck Aleno singled home Eddie Joost and Ernie Koy with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Cincinnati Reds a 6-5 win over the New York Giants before 1,660 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

Stu Martin had 3 singles and drove in 5 runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Boston Braves 9-8 before 1,870 fans at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The Pirates led 9-1 after 7 innings, but the Braves scored 5 in the 8th inning and 2 in the 9th.

70 years ago
1946

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I'm Beginning to See the Light--Ella Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots; Duke Ellington (1st month at #1)

Diplomacy
U.S. Army Captain Harold Cobin and Lieutenant George Wyatt were released by Soviet authorities in Berlin after being held for 26 days on espionage charges.

The U.S. Senate ratified a treaty establishing relations with the Philippine Republic.

Terrorism
An arms cache, counterfeiting equipment, and almost a million dollars in forged government bonds were discovered by British troops in Tel Aviv's largest synagogue.

Politics and government
The United States Senate killed an anti-poll tax bill be refusing to limit debate on the measure.

Energy
U.S.S.R. representative Andrei Gromyko told the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission that the U.S. proposal for international inspection of atomic energy developments was an infringement of national sovereignty.

Aviation
Curtiss-Wright Corporation demonstrated a new million-dollar pilot training device capable of simulating all flight conditions.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Harry Truman signed a bill authorizing the Treasury to sell silver at 90.5c per ounce and liberalizing railroad unemployment compensation and retirement benefits.

Business
The U.S. Senate-House of Representatives conference committee sent President Truman the Wheeler-Reed railroad bill, which would allow termination of bankruptcy proceedings against seven major railroads, including the Missouri Pacific and the New Haven & Rock Island, showing specific improvements in their financial positions.

60 years ago
1956

Died on this date
John F. Noll, 81. U.S. clergyman. Rev. Noll was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Fort Wayne, Indiana from 1925 until his death. He founded the newspaper Our Sunday Visitor in 1912 and co-founded the Catholic Legion of Decency in 1933.

War
The Burmese government charged that Communist Chinese frontier troops had occupied a 1,000-square-mile area from Putao to Kunlong in the states of Kachin and Wa in northern Burma.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles left for London to discuss the Suez Canal situation with British and French leaders.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver (Tennessee) withdrew from the race for the 1956 Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States, conceding that former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson had won more primary votes and was supported by "the majority of the Democratic Party leaders."

Energy
The U.K. and West Germany signed a 10-year agreement providing for eventual purchase of British nuclear fuel and reactors by the West German government.

Weather
The U.S. Weather Bureau announced plans to install 39 new radar units along the United States coast from Texas to Maine as part of its hurricane warning system.

Economics and finance
The United States Congress completed action on a bill providing improved social security benefits for women and disabled workers.

50 years ago
1966

Died on this date
Isabel Martin Lewis, 85. U.S. astronomer. Mrs. Lewis was active for more than 40 years, and worked at the U.S. Naval Observatory for most of her career. She derived a faster and more accurate method to determine where an eclipse would be visible, and also found a way to predict more occultations of the Moon. Mrs. Lewis died 20 days after her 85th birthday.

Bud Powell, 41. U.S. musician. Earl Rudolph Powell was a jazz pianist who was one of the leading figures of bebop in the 1940s and '50s. He spent time in mental hospitals in the 1950s because of schizophrenia, and died from a combination of tuberculosis, malnutrition, and heavy drinking.

Transportation
The new Ottawa train station opened in the suburb of Alta Vista. Union Station in central Ottawa closes; the building is now a government conference centre.

40 years ago
1976

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Non si puo' morire dentro--Gianni Bella (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Nice and Slow--Jesse Green

#1 single in the U.K.: Don't Go Breaking My Heart--Elton John and Kiki Dee (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Kiss and Say Goodbye--The Manhattans (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Afternoon Delight--Starland Vocal Band (4th week at #1)
2 Kiss and Say Goodbye--The Manhattans
3 Moonlight Feels Right--Starbuck
4 Got to Get You Into My Life--The Beatles
5 Let Her In--John Travolta
6 Love is Alive--Gary Wright
7 Don't Go Breaking My Heart--Elton John and Kiki Dee
8 Let 'em In--Wings
9 You're My Best Friend--Queen
10 Get Closer--Seals and Crofts

Singles entering the chart were With Your Love by Jefferson Starship (#71); One Love in My Lifetime by Diana Ross (#78); Shower the People by James Taylor (#83); (Don't Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult (#91); Get Up Offa That Thing by James Brown (#92); (Ain’t Nothin’ But A) Houseparty by J. Geils Band (#94); Popsicle Toes by Michael Franks (#97); Rocky Mountain Music by Eddie Rabbitt (#99); and Party by Van McCoy (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Afternoon Delight--Starland Vocal Band
2 You're My Best Friend--Queen
3 Got to Get You Into My Life--The Beatles
4 Moonlight Feels Right--Starbuck
5 Never Gonna Fall in Love Again--Eric Carmen
6 Love is Alive--Gary Wright
7 Let Her In--John Travolta
8 Take the Money and Run--Steve Miller Band
9 The Boys are Back in Town--Thin Lizzy
10 Kiss and Say Goodbye--The Manhattans

Singles entering the chart were Street Singin' by Lady Flash (#97); Cotton Candy by the Sylvers (#98); (Love Theme from) The Missouri Breaks by Hagood Hardy (#99); and Can You Hear Those Pioneers by Rex Allen, Jr. (#100). (Love Theme from) The Missouri Breaks was a version of the theme from the movie.

Olympics
American boxers concluded the competition before 20,000 fans at the Montreal Forum with five gold medals, a silver and a bronze. The gold medal winners were Leon Spinks (light heavyweight); his brother Michael (middleweight); Sugar Ray Leonard (light welterweight); Howard Davis (lightweight); and Leo Randolph (bantamweight).

Greg Joy won the silver medal for Canada in the men's high jump on the last day of the Montréal Summer Olympics, in the rain; he beat favourite Dwight Stones of the United States with a leap of 2.23 metres.



30 years ago
1986

Died on this date
Teddy Wilson, 73. U.S. musician. Mr. Wilson was a jazz pianist who performed with such artists as Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald, and also led his own band in a career spanning more than 50 years.

Football
CFL
British Columbia (5-1) 18 @ Calgary (2-4) 17

Lui Passaglia's field goal provided the winning margin for the Lions before 27,659 fans at McMahon Stadium. Running back Freddie Sims, upset at being cut from the Lions prior to the start of the regular season after starring for them in their 1985 Grey Cup win, had predicted a good performance as he played his first game as a Stampeder, but his former team held him to 2 yards rushing on 5 carries.

25 years ago
1991

Defense
U.S. President George Bush and U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev signed START (STrategic Arms Reduction Treaty) in Moscow, agreeing to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear warheads by about one-third.

Football
CFL
Saskatchewan (1-3) 24 @ Edmonton (3-1) 54

Tracy Ham completed 20 of 30 passes for 288 yards and 4 touchdowns--2 to David Williams--as the Eskimos beat the Roughriders before 28,138 fans at Commonwealth Stadium.



20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Killing Me Softly--The Fugees (3rd week at #1)

Economics and finance
The governments of Canada and Israel signed a free trade deal that lifted tariffs from industrial products and gave duty-free access to agricultural products.

Olympics
Annie Pelletier won a bronze medal for Canada in the women's 3-metre diving event at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta; Gia Sissaouri, in the 57-kilogram wrestling division, won Canada's second medal of the day when he competed in the final and took the silver medal.

10 years ago
2006

Died on this date
Paul Eells, 70. U.S. sportscaster. Mr. Eells worked in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Nashville, Tennessee before moving to Little Rock, Arkansas in 1978, where he broadcast University of Arkansas football and basketball games until his death in a car accident.

Politics and government
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro handed over power to his brother Raúl Castro.

Law
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled 7-0 that judges have the power to order catch-up payments when a parent paying support increases or conceals their income.