Muhammad Ali beat Joe Frazer in the "Thrilla in Manila"
Morocco and Mauritania reached a secret agreement to invade the Western Sahara and divide the territory between themselves following Spain's announcement that it would hold a referendum in the colony.
The Safeguard Program anti-ballistic missile complex became fully operational in Cavalier County, North Dakota with two radar complexes and 32 silos. The House of Representatives voted to shut down the program the next day due to questions on its effectiveness.
Huế fell to the NVA, with many of its residents, having endured the horror of NVA and VC occupation during the Tet Offensive, having evacuated the city.
Time's cover featured a ARVN soldier with the caption "How Much Longer?"
Chuck Wepner put in a good performance agains tMuhammad Ali in a fight promoted by Sylvester Stallone.
The beaver became the symbol of Canada.
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He died of tuberculosis at age 35 on August 10, 1910. His tombstone reads:
I was born in the city of Baltimore in the year 1874, and it might be well to state at this time that my right name is Joseph Gant, not Gans. However, when I became an object of newspaper publicity, some reporter made a mistake and my name appeared as Joe Gans, and as Joe Gans it remained ever since.
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Argentinian pilot Pedro Zanni and mechanic Felipe Beltrame began their rather belated attempt to fly around the world.
The Soviets rejected a Finnish reply to armistice terms requesting further guarantees.
Ireland rejected a U.S. request that it expel Axis diplomats.
The Red Army made major advances on the Ukrainian front.
The Political Committee of National Liberation, Πολιτική Επιτροπή Εθνικής Απελευθέρωσης was formed. Often called the "Mountain Government", the communist body was opposed to collaborationist in Athens and the royal government in exile.
American forces captured Talasea on New Britain. On Bougainville, the Japanese took Hill 260 but lost ground to an American counterattacks elsewhere.
The Japanese attacked rear positions of the British 17th Indian Division in Burma.
U-343, U-450, U-625 and U-8459 were lost in the Atlantic.
The Fighting Seabees, which is a pretty bad movie in my view, was released.
Last prior:
Homer P. Snyder of New York introduced the Indian Citizenship Act into Congress. The bill provided:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all non citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided That the granting of such citizenship shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of any Indian to tribal or other property.
Calvin Coolidge delivered a radio broadcasted address on the occasion of George Washington's birthday. It was the first radio broadcast from the White House. In it, he stated:
Each year the birthday of George Washington gains wider acceptance as being of more than national significance. He becomes more and more a world figure, a mighty influence reaching into all lands and recognized by all people. He is as universal as the truth. The great place which he holds in history grows more clear as we are able to compare him with all others who have set their stamp upon the affairs of mankind.
This position began to be appreciated even before his death. When Talleyrand, Foreign Minister of Napoleon, reported that our first President was gone he was led by his admiration to compose a eulogy. In it he dwelt upon these moral qualities of Washington, which have become more and more appreciated, and upon his exalted character. In recommending that a statue be raised to his memory in one of the great squares of Paris he declared: "The man who, amid the decadence of modern ages, first dared to believe that he could inspire degenerate nations with courage to rise to the level of republican virtues, lived for all nations and for all countries."
Something of the spiritual power of Washington is realized when it is remembered that even from Talleyrand his passing inspired such a tribute, accompanied by the suggestion of a memorial to the first citizen of a country who was at that very time preparing for what appeared to be an imminent conflict with France. The character of Washington raised him even above national enmities. It made him a hero that all peoples were compelled to honor.
In far-off lands people are observing this day by taking thought of the qualities that gave Washington this foremost place among the truly great. They are drawn to this man by his calm and clear judgment, by his abounding courage and by his unselfish devotion.
Beyond that which was ever accorded to any other mortal, he holds rank as a soldier, a statesman and a patriot. Others may have excelled him in some of these qualities, but no one ever excelled him in this threefold greatness.
Yet Washington the man seems to stand above them all. After we have recounted his victories, after we have examined his record in public office, after we have recalled that he refused to be made King, we have not exhausted his greatness. We can best estimate him by not identifying him with some high place, but by thinking of him as one of ourselves. When all detailed description fails, it is enough to say he was a great man. He had a supreme endowment of character.
No one can think of America without thinking of Washington. When we look back over the course of history before his day, it seems as though it had all been a preparation for him and his time; when we consider events since then, we can see a steady growth and development of the ideals which he represented, and the institutions which he founded, world-wide in extent. The principles which he fought to establish have become axioms of civilization. It might almost be said that the progress which peoples have made is measured by the degree with which they have accepted the great policies which he represented.
It is not possible to compress a great life into a single sentence. We look upon Washington as the exponent of the rights of man. We think of him as having established the independence of America. We associate his name with liberty and freedom. We say that he was a great influence in the adoption of the Constitution of the United States. All these are centered around the principle of self-government. But when we examine the meaning of independence, of constitutional liberty and of self-government, we do not find that they are simple rights which society can bestow upon us. They are very complex. They have to be earned. They have to be paid for. They arise only from the discharge of our obligations one to another.
Washington did not, could not, give anything to his countrymen. His greatness lies in the fact that he was successful in calling them to the performance of a higher duty. He showed them how to have a greater liberty by earning it. All that any society can do, all that any Government can do, is to attempt to guarantee to the individual the social, economic and political rewards of his own effort and industry,
The America which Washington founded does not mean we shall have everything done for us, but that we shall have every opportunity to do everything for ourselves. This is liberty. But it is liberty only through the acceptance of responsibility.
It cannot fail to be worth while to recall some of the activities of Washington and the men of his day. They were without independence. They went through the hardship of seven terrible years of war that it might be secured. They were without a National Government. They went through the toll and expense, the misgivings and sacrifices of years of political agitation that it might finally be established.
They were without industry, without commerce, without transportation and without shipping. But by their enterprise, their effort, their inventive genius and their courage these were created.
These efforts and their experiences we should keep constantly in mind. Before we complain too much about our hardships in these luxurious days, before we complain too much about such hardships, before we lose faith in the power of the people by relying on themselves best to serve themselves. it is well to consider the early beginnings of the Republic.
No one needs to be told of the general success which has attended the putting into effect of these principles politically and socially. No one claims that they have brought about, or are likely to bring about in the immediate future, a condition of perfection.
Self-government does not purge us of all our faults, but there are very few students of the affairs of mankind who would deny that the theory upon which our institutions proceed gives the best results that have ever been given to any people. When there is a failure it is not because the system has failed, but because we have failed.
For the purpose of insuring liberty, for enactment of sound legislation, for the administration of even-handed justice, for the faithful execution of the laws, no institutions have ever given greater promise or more worthy performance than those which are represented by the name of Washington.
We have changed our Constitution and laws to meet changing conditions and a better appreciation of the broad requirements of humanity. We have extended and increased the direct power of the voter, but the central idea of self-government remains unchanged. While we realize that freedom and independence of the individual mean increased responsibility for the individual, while we know that the people do and must support the Government, and that the Government does not and cannot support the people, yet the protection of the individual from the power now represented by organized numbers and consolidated wealth requires many activities on the part of the Government which were not needed in the days of Washington.
Many laws are necessary for this purpose, both in the name of justice and of humanity. Efforts in this direction are not for the purpose of undermining the independence of the in dividual, but for the purpose of maintaining for him an equal opportunity. They are made on the theory that each individual is entitled to live his own life in his own way, free from every kind of tyranny and oppression.
We have not yet reached the goal of Washington's ideals. They are not yet fully understood. He was a practical man. He suffered from no delusions. He knew that there was no power to establish a system under which existence could be supported without effort.
Those who now expect anything in that direction are certain to be disappointed. He held out no promise of unearned rewards, either in small or large amounts. On the other hand, if no one ought to receive gain except for services rendered, no one ought to be required to render service except for reasonable compensation.
Equality and justice both require that there should be no profiteering and no exploitation. Under the Constitution of the United States there is neither any peasantry nor any order of nobility. Politically, economically and socially, service and character are to reign; and service and character alone.
Such is the meaning of the life of George Washington, who came into being nearly 200 years ago. He left the world stronger and better. He made life broader and sweeter.
He accomplished these results by accepting great responsibilities and making great sacrifices. If we are to maintain the institutions which he founded, if we are to improve what he created, we must be like-minded with him; we must continue to accept responsibilities; we must continue to make sacrifices. Under all the laws of God and man there is no other way.
Jack Dempsey visited the White House:
The Israeli siege of the Egyptian city of Suez ended at noon. The IDF withdrew and the 20,000 encircled Egyptians were able to withdraw across the Suez Canal.
Both Time and Newsweek's covers dealt with the Nixon tape. U.S. News & World Report's cover was on inflation.
Sports Illustrated had a cheesecake photo, although it hadn't crossed over into pornography on the cover yet, for its swimsuit issue. Ann Simonton was the cover model, who was actually relatively covered.
Indonesian President Suharto took control of the country's internal security agency.
Bolivia was declared to be in a state of siege following a peasant uprising at Cochambamba.
Mohammed Ali and Joe Frazier fought for a second time in a non-title fight. Ali won.
George Foreman was the heavyweight champion at the time.
Sometimes, the headlines are rather similar to what we read today. Aliens smuggled into U.S. "wholesale". Mass shooting. Others are thankfully firmly cemented in the past.
And some are just weird.
And then things stay the same in other ways:
Fascists Black Shirt Commandant General of the Blackshirts, Cpt. Cesare Maria De Vecchi, arrived in Mogadishu to take office as the colonial governor of Italian Somaliland, which would require military expeditions into its more remote regions.
He had started out in life as a lawyer before his fascist role. After the Italian surrender in 1943, he had allowed German troops into areas under his command, but nonetheless was condemned to death by the Social Republic. He went into hiding and died of natural causes in 1959, having been briefly involved in the post war neo fascist movement.
William Butler Yeats delivered his Nobel address.
Turkey and Hungary entered into a treaty of friendship.
A patent was applied for in the UK for the pioneering Celestion electric speaker for radios.
Jack Dempsey defended his heavyweight title successfully in a dramatic fight at the Polo Grounds. His opponent was Luis Angel Firpo.
At times during the fight, which only went two rounds, Firpo more than held his own. He brought Dempsey to one knee in the first round and actually caused Dempsey to fall out of the ring at one point. Dempsey, however, knocked Firpo out in the second round.
Classic Boxing Society: September 14, 1923. Fight fans gather around the ...: September 14, 1923. Fight fans gather around the bleacher entrance at the Polo Grounds, New York - waiting patiently to see the 'Bull&...
He went on to be a rancher, although he kept a hand in the sport of boxing, jointly managing a fighter he found with Dempsey at one point. He died in 1960 at age 65.
Washington, September 1, 1923.At the moment when the news of the great disaster which has befallen the people of Japan is being received I am moved to offer you in my own name and in that of the American people the most heartfelt sympathy and to express to your Majesty my sincere desire to be of any possible assistance in alleviating the terrible suffering to your people.Calvin Coolidge
Then, as now, it was the 4th of July holiday, and all the usual events occured, including parades and events of all sorts.
This event happened at Takoma Park, Maryland.
In the West, numerous rodeos were held, but in Shelby, Montana, something else was tried Jack Dempsey fought Tommy Gibbons.
Shelby was a small oil town and only about 7,000 of the 20,000 spectators paid to see the fight, causing a large financial loss to the promoters. Some of the deficit, like that of the much later major event of Woodstock, would be made up by promoting a movie of the event.
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A crowd of up to 200,000 attended a Ku Klux Klan rally in Kokomo, Indiana in what may have been the largest rally in its history.
The Klan was very strong in Indiana at the time.
Stunt pilot B. H. DeLay died when his plane, later thought to be sabotaged, crashed. Passenger R. I. Short also died in the event, which occured at Venice, California.. DeLay had been involved in a heated dispute over an airport, but no suspects were ever arrested for sabotage to his plane.
Eugène Criqui knocked out Johnny Kilbane in the sixth round at the Polo Grounds in New York City to take the World Featherweight Title. Babe Ruth, who had hurried over from a Yankee's game, was in attendance.
Threats
of the IRA notwithstanding, Irish boxer Mike McTigue fought and defeated world
champion Light Heavyweight Louis Mbarick, the Battling Siki.
A bomb was in fact detonated, wounding two children, but the fight
carried on anyhow.
McTigue was Irish by birth but had immigrated to the United States at age 21. After a long boxing career he retired to successfully run a saloon, although in later years he declined into ill health and poverty. He died at age 73 in 1966, a fairly old age for somebody with this early career.
Dobrolet, the predecessor to the world's most dangerous airline Aeroflot, was formed by the Soviet merger of private airlines.
U.S. Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty announced that Warren G. Harding was going to run for reelection, unless ill health precluded it. An announcement through the Attroney General would be regarded as odd now, and was regarded as odd then.
Harding in fact was plagued with health problems, not to mention personal problems, that would take his life later that year.
The local paper ran a tribute to the Irish, something that probably didn't hurt circulation given the large Irish community that then existed.
The Covered Wagon appeared in theaters.
Odd to think of, but there were people living who had crossed the West, as very young people, at the time.
The IRA threatened to bomb the La Scala Opera House in Dublin on St. Patrick's Day if a boxing match between Mike McTigue and Battling Siki went forwards as scheduled.
What a bunch of fun suckers.
This exceedingly weird aircraft was photographed:
It was Columbus Day in the United States, when that meant more than it does now.
The naval Battle of Cape Esperance commences in the Solomons off of Guadalcanal. It would result in an American tactical victory, with one U.S. destroyer being sunk as opposed to a Japanese heavy cruiser and a destroyer sinking in surface actions, and two Japanese destroyers going down in air attacks retreating from the battle.
Joe Louis announced his fighting days were over.
Louis Mbarick Fall, aka Siki, became the world light heavyweight champion in boxing after champion Georges Carpentier knocked down Siki in the firth round, thereby violating a deal not to injury Siki in exchange for Siki throwing the fight.
Fall was a Senegalese veteran of the French Army from World War One. His boxing career was impressive, and it was suggested at one time that he fight heavyweight champion, Jack Dempsey.
He ultimately lost the title to Irish fighter Mike McTigue in 1925, only to be murdered in New York City the following month. McTigue, oddly enough, would die in poverty and ill health in Queens, New York, in 1966.
Boxing, it might be noted, has few happy endings.
Turkish nationalist seized Ezine, which was in the Allied neutral zone.
The existence of Dorothy Ruth came to light. The one-year-old daughter of Babe Ruth had been sighted with the Babe and his wife Helen. The couple claimed she had been kept from public light, as she had been ill.
In truth, Dorothy's mother was Juanita Jennings, a paramour of Ruth's. The couple adopted Dorothy in an age in which such infidelities were often kept secret and, most likely, that in spite of George Herman Ruth's behavior, their teenage wedding at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Ellicott City had some traction with the couple in spite of Ruth's infidelities. That caught up, however, with Helen in 1925 when the couple separated.. She died in 1929 in a house fire in Waterford Massachusetts, by which time she was living with a Dr. Kinder, DDS, as "Mrs. Kinder".
Ruth would remarry actress and model Clair Hodgson in 1929. She was a widow and the union would last the rest of their lives, with Clair putting lacking structure into Ruth's' personal life.
Dorothy did not know that Juanita, whom she knew as Aunt Nita, was her mother until she was 59. She died in 1989.
The Cable Act was signed into law, allowing American women who married foreign nationals to keep
Turkish troops massacred Armenian residents of Smyrna Province. It was a systematic murder of that city's ancient Armenian population. Ultimately the Turks would set on fire the Armenian quarter of the city and end its eons old Armenian heritage.
Allied troops landed at Canakkale to set up a neutral zone between Greece and Turkey.
Seeing a split of the Communist Party in Russia coming, Lenin proposed that Trotsky become Lenin's Sovnarkom deputy. Trotsky declined.
Curtiss had a glider out.
The USGS was out again with their cameras in the Glen Canyon area.
Boxer Joe Louis, who regained his heavyweight title the day prior, joined the U.S. Army.
Louis was initially assigned to the cavalry, which came about due to a love of horsemanship.
As a slight aside, this really shows wartime conditions in that the recruiting station was open on a Saturday.
Mickey Rooney, age 21, married Ava Gardner, age 19. It was the first of eight marriages for Rooney, three for Gardner, and would last only a year, mostly broken up due to Rooney's behavior, which included womanizing. It's interesting, I suppose, in the context of Rooney, at that time, having a very youthful and childlike appearance, and having played rather innocent roles. Gardner, at that time, was practically unknown.
Rooney, FWIW, would not enter the service until 1944.
Even while things were getting increasingly desperate in the Philippines, the Japanese presented their first surrender demand to the forces at Bataan on this day, the first US troop convoy departed Halifax, Nova Scotia, for Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland would be a major staging area and training area for US forces in the British Isles early in the American participation in the war.
German forces in the Soviet Union began to suffer general reversals in the face of the Soviet Winter Offensive and the weather.
The Ford Motor Company received a contract to manufacture Jeeps.
The history of Ford Jeeps is slightly complicated. Willys had secured the contract to make 1/4 ton trucks for the services but production needs were obviously going to exceed what Willys Overland could produce. Accordingly, a contract to produce the standardized Willlys pattern of Jeep issued to Ford. Ford would build 300,000 Jeeps during the war, whereas Willys made 363,000.
Willys, Ford and Bantam had all competed for the contract for the 1/4 ton truck prior to the war, with Ford having introduced a very light vehicle, just as Bantam had.
Ford "Pygmy" competition vehicle for the 1/4 ton truck.
Pre-production numbers were actually produced in some volume, although almost all of them were supplied to the British and the Soviets via lend lease. Production of the standardized Jeep has started the prior summer, but the vehicle was still brand new and no examples of it were overseas in spite of it being shown in movies in that role quite frequently.
It's a Wonderful Life premiered on this day in 1946.
This is jumping the line in our 100 years ago and 80 years ago threads, and this won't become a regular, but this year, this anniversary might be worth mentioning.
The release, FWIW, was in New York. The general release would come on January 7. The film didn't really acquire its current classic status until a failure to renew the copyright in 1974 led to it being frequently run on television. Irrespective of that, it is a classic, although one that I tend to find makes me a bit sad.
On the same day a 1944 Soviet secret cable that had been intercepted by the US was revealed to have contained the list of scientists working on the Manhattan Project. As the Venona Files would reveal, Soviet penetration of the US government was extensive.
British Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced that the British government was prepared to grant Burma its independence.
Sugar Ray Robinson won his first professional boxing title.
