April 14, 2008

430 years ago
1578

Born on this date
Philip III/II. King of Spain, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia, 1598-1621. King Felipe III of Spain and Filipe II of Portugal acceded to his thrones upon the death of his father Philip I/II. Felipe III/Filipe II reigned when the Spanish Empire was at its height; he achieved temporary peace with the Dutch, and military success during the early years of the Thirty Years' War, but he was criticized for relying too much on chief minister Francisco Gómez de Sandoval, 1st Duke of Lerma, and his kingdom was declared bankrupt in 1607. King Felipe III/Filipe II took ill after leaving Portugal in 1619, and never recovered. He died from a pulmonary embolism on March 31, 1621, two weeks before his 43rd birthday, as the result of prolonged immobilzation, and was succeeded by his son Felpe IV/Filipe III.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Gonzalo Córdova y Rivera, 65. President of Ecuador, 1924-1925. Mr. Córdova, like his immediate predecessors in the Liberal Party, was regarded as a pawn of "La Argolla" ("the ring"), a plutocracy of coastal agricultural and banking interests whose linchpin was the Commercial and Agricultural Bank of Guayaquil led by Francisco Urbina Jado. Popular unrest and an ongoing economic crisis inspired a collective grouping called the League of Young Officers to depose Mr. Córdova in a bloodless coup. He died in Chile.

Aviation
Flying from Athens to Le Bourget Field with only one stop at Marseilles to recharge their gas tanks, Dieudonne Costes and Joseph Lebrix came home to Paris from their world tour to receive a reception second only to that accorded to Charles Lindbergh the previous year. The trip began on October 10, 1927 when the two flyers departed for Senegal in their 600-horsepower Breguet.

Adventure
A Danish Boy Scout named Fallenhull, an apprentice at the General Motors plant, who was sent around the world by the newspaper Pohtiken, returned to Copenhagen after a 44-day journey through Great Britain, Canada, Japan, Manchuria, Siberia, Russia, Poland, and Germany.

Disasters
Earthquakes rocked southern Bulgaria from the Black Sea to Philippopolis, killing 20 and destroying 3,000 houses in Cirpan and elsewhere.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York Rangers 2 @ Montreal Maroons 1 (New York won best-of-five series 3-2)

Frank Boucher's second goal of the game, with 4:44 remaining in regulation time, gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead and proved to be the winner as they won their first Stanley Cup championship. Merlyn Phillips scored with 3:44 remaining to make the score 2-1. With the Rangers leading 1-0, a Maroons’ goal was disallowed as offside by referee Mike Rodden. The Montreal crowd exploded in wrath against Mr. Rodden, and then against National Hockey League president Frank Calder, who had approved Mr. Rodden as referee. Mr. Calder had to lock himself in an office after the game while police held off the fans. Hockey was great in those days.

60 years ago
1948

Hockey
The Toronto Maple Leafs whipped the Detroit Red Wings 7-2 at Olympia Stadium in Detroit to win their second straight Stanley Cup. The Maple Leafs took the finals in four straight games, and held the Red Wings’ famous Production Line of Sid Abel, Ted Lindsay, and Gordie Howe to just one point in the entire series. The Cup-winning goal was scored by Harry Watson at 11:13 of the first period.

60 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Tequila--The Champs (Best Seller--5th week at #1; Top 100--5th week at #1); He's Got the Whole World (In His Hands)--Laurie London (Disc Jockey--1st week at #1)

Music
23-year-old Van Cliburn of Kilgore, Texas was announced as the winner of the first International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. The awards were presented by Dmitri Shostakovich, and Mr. Cliburn received the coveted gold medal. Premier Nikita Khrushchev had given permission for the hesitant Soviet judges to award the first prize to Mr. Cliburn, championing the recognition of artistry over the indulgence of political rivalries. When the jurors asked Mr. Khrushchev if they could give the gold medal to Mr. Cliburn, the Soviet leader asked, "Is he the best?" When told that he was, Mr. Khrushchev said, "Then give him the prize!" The victory was celebrated, in turn, throughout the United States. New York saw the only ticker-tape parade ever bestowed upon a classical musician. Van Cliburn graced the May 19, 1958, cover of Time magazine. Shortly thereafter, his recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 became the first classical album to sell more than a million copies.

Baseball
The Baltimore Orioles released pitcher Art Houtteman, and he was promptly signed by the Detroit Tigers. He began the 1957 season with the Cleveland Indians, posting a record of 0-0 with an earned run average of 6.75 in 3 games before joining the Orioles, where he was 0-0 with a 16.71 ERA in 5 games.

Pedro Ramos pitched a 5-hit complete game and added 2 hits, a run, and a run batted in to lead the Washington Senators over the Boston Red Sox 5-2 before 26,675 fans at Griffith Stadium in Washington in the major league regular season opener. It was the first major league game for Washington center fielder Albie Pearson, who batted 0 for 3 with a base on balls and made 2 putouts. Jackie Jensen hit a 2-run home run in the 3rd inning to give the Red Sox an early lead, while Jim Lemon hit a solo homer to get the Senators on the scoreboard in the 4th.

40 years ago
1968

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Cosmos 212.

War
North Korean soldiers ambushed a U.S. Army truck 1,000 yards below the demilitarized zone, killing two American and two South Korean soldiers, and wounding two American soldiers.

Protest
A student rally in West Berlin ended in violent clashes between police and protesters. Students blocked the city's main thoroughfare, the Kurfurstendamm, in protest at the April 11 shooting of one of their leaders, Rudi Dutschke. Mr Dutschke was shot three times outside the offices of the German Socialist Students Federation (SDS), and was still in serious condition in hospital. Students chanted Mr Dutschke's name interspersed with shouts of "Murderer Springer"--a reference to millionaire publisher Axel Springer. Students blamed Mr Springer's papers for inflaming public opinion against them and said that the man who shot Mr Dutschke was influenced by views expressed in a Springer publication. Since the attack on Mr Dutschke students have been attempting to hinder distribution of Springer papers which include the mass circulation tabloid Bild Zeitung. As huge traffic backlogs built up around the Kurfurstendamm police used water cannon and officers on horseback to disperse the protesters. More than 180 people were arrested, including Peter Brandt, son of the West German foreign minister, Willy Brandt. Later there were clashes outside three police barracks where marchers had gathered in anticipation of the release of some of those arrested. Student dissent had been growing for some time in West Germany with the SDS organizing sit-ins and non-violent demonstrations. However, more aggressive action had been taken since the death the previous June of student Benno Ohnesorg, who was shot by a police officer during a demonstration against the visit of the Shah of Iran to Berlin. The SDS was part of the Extra-parliamentary Opposition group set up in 1966, consisting of student associations, trades unions, writers and other who believed there was currently no effective parliamentary opposition to the ruling Social Democrats.

Golf
Bob Goalby won the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia with an 11-under-par score of 277, 1 stroke ahead of Roberto DeVicenzo. Mr. DeVicenzo, who had apparently shot a 7-under-par 65 in the final round, actually shot the same total as Mr. Goalby, but on the 17th hole of the final round, his playing partner Tommy Aaron erroneously marked a par score of 4 on Mr. DeVicenzo's scorecard instead of the birdie 3 that he had actually shot. Mr. DeVicenzo failed to notice the error and signed the scorecard after the round; according to the rules, he was required to accept the higher score for the hole. The debacle inspired Mr. de Vicenzo to come up with one of the year’s most memorable quotes: "What a stupid I am!" First prize money was $20,000.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Chicago 2 @ New York 1 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Rookie Bobby Schmautz scored the winning goal on a 90-foot shot as the Black Hawks edged the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

CPHL
Adams Cup
Semi-Finals
Tulsa 6 @ Oklahoma City 4 (Tulsa won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Division Finals
Philadelphia 110 @ Boston 105 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 3-1)

ABA
Eastern Division Finals
Minnesota 105 @ Pitsburgh 114 (Pittsburgh won best-of-seven series 4-1)

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Das Lied der Schlümpfe--Vader Abraham & Die Schlümpfe (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Magnolias Forever--Claude François (2nd week at #1)

On the radio
On CFCN in Calgary, the episode of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater that night was The Beryl Coronet,starring Kevin McCarthy as Sherlock Holmes.

Died on this date
Joe Gordon, 63. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Gordon was the starting second baseman for the New York Yankees from 1938-1943 and 1946. He played exactly 1,000 games for the Yankees, and had exactly 1,000 hits as a Yankee. Mr. Gordon was voted the Most Valuable Player in the American League in 1942, when he was fourth in the league in batting average (.322), and fourth in runs batted in (103). He finished his career with the Cleveland Indians from 1947-1950. Mr. Gordon played in 6 World Series, and played for the winning team in 5 of them (New York Yankees, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943; Cleveland Indians, 1948). He had the superstition of never using the same bat twice in a row, even if he'd just hit a home run.

War
Israeli troops continued their withdrawal from Lebanon, and Nepalese UNIFIL troops replaced them in one area.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and British Foreign Secretary David Owen met in Tanzania with Rhodesian Patriotic Front guerrilla leaders and with British and United Nations officials who would administer Rhodesia during a period of transition to black rule under the Anglo-American plan. Mr. Vance and Mr. Owen also met in Tanzania with leaders of Tanzania, Angola, Botswana, Zambia, and Nigeria. Patriotic Front leaders Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe accepted the Anglo-American invitation to an all-party conference but only on the condition that they be given the dominant role in the transitional government.

Politics and government
In Salisbury, Rhodesia, an 18-member Council of Ministers was sworn in. The Council was composed of 9 ministries, each headed jointly by one black minister, and one white.

Hockey
WHA
Avco World Trophy
Quarter-Finals
Edmonton 4 @ New England 6 (New England led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Birmingham 3 @ Winnipeg 9 (Winnipeg led best-of-seven series 1-0)

25 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Norbert Pearlroth, 89. Austrian-born U.S. researcher. Mr. Pearlroth, a graduate of Krakow University in Poland, moved to the United States in 1920. In 1923 he heard from a friend that Robert Ripley was looking for a linguist to comb foreign newspapers for his Believe it or Not! newspaper feature. Mr. Pearlroth knew 11 languages, and was hired by Mr. Ripley as his research director. Mr. Pearlroth usually worked ten hours a day, six days a week in the New York Public Library's Main Reading Room. The library estimated that Pearlroth examined some 7,000 books every year, meaning that he researched in more than 350,000 books during decades of work on Believe It or Not!. He would work at his office in the morning, answering some of the 3,000 letters that arrived from readers all over the world. He would then spend his afternoons and evenings at the library. Mr. Pearlroth served as Ripley's Believe it or Not!'s research director from 1923 to 1975. King Features Syndicate replaced him, even though he'd never missed a deadline (the syndicate, which took over editing of the feature after Mr. Ripley's death in 1949, required him to submit exactly 24 items per week).

World events
U.S. President Ronald Reagan denied that the United States was trying to overthrow the Sandanista government of Nicaragua, but was "simply trying to interdict the supply lines" to leftist guerrillas in El Salvador.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Minnesota 2 @ Chicago 5 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Calgary 3 @ Edmonton 6 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 1-0)

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Together Forever--Rick Astley (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): On kesäyö/Viimeinen laulu--Topi Sorsakoski & J. Karjalainen (2nd week at #1)

Diplomacy
Pakistan and Afghanistan signed agreements in Geneva providing for the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the establishment of a non-aligned Afghan state, and repatriation of millions of Afghan refugees, most of them living in Pakistan. The United States and Soviet Union agreed to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, the agreement did not include a cease-fire, and leaders of the Afghan resistance said they fight on to overthrow the Soviet-backed government. In a separate understanding, the United States and U.S.S.R. reserved the right to supply arms to their Afghan allies if the other side continued to do so. The Soviet withdrawal was to take place between May 15, 1988 and February 15, 1989.

Politics and government
According to an article in The New York Times, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sought and won a vote of confidence from the Politburo after facing an apparent challenge from Yegor Ligachev, the second-ranking member of the Kremlin hierarchy. Mr. Ligachev had reportedly praised a newspaper article a month earlier that had rejected Mr. Gorbachev’s reforms.

Defense
The U.S. Navy frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts hit an underwater mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will, protecting Kuwaiti oil tankers from Iranian attacks. Ten sailors were injured, and the frigate was towed to Dubai for repairs.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Montreal 2 @ Hartford 1 (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-2)
Boston 5 @ Buffalo 2 (Boston won best-of-seven series 4-2)
New York Islanders 5 @ New Jersey 6 (New Jersey won best-of-seven series 4-2)
Washington 7 @ Philadelphia 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

Clarence S. Campbell Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Detroit 5 @ Toronto 3 (Detroit won best-of-seven series 4-2)

The Devils, leading 6-1 with 12 1/2 minutes remaining in the 3rd period, withstood a 4-goal rally to eliminate the Islanders at Brendan Byrne Arena.

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Maurice Stans, 90. U.S. politician. Mr. Stans was the Secretary of Commerce in the administration of Richard Nixon, and was very successful at raising money for President Nixon’s re-election campaign in 1972. The $61 million he raised in donations helped to fund the Watergate "dirty tricks." Mr. Stans eventually pled guilty to five counts of violating campaign finance laws. He later raised $30 million in donations for the Nixon library.

Angel Francisco Breard. Paraguayan criminal. Mr. Breard was executed in Virginia for murder despite pleas for clemency from the International Court of Justice and the Paraguayan government. The U.S. Supreme Court denied clemency.

Law
In a ruling that was seen as a setback to affirmative action, a U.S. appeals court voided a government program that required radio and television stations to seek minority job applicants.