April 24, 2008

1,150 years ago
858

Religion
Nicholas I succeeded Benedict III as Roman Catholic pope.

450 years ago
1558

Married on this date
Mary, Queen of Scots married French Crown Prince Francois.

175 years ago
1833

Technology
Jacob Evert and George Dulty patented the soda fountain.

140 years ago
1868

Born on this date
Sandy Herd. U.K. golfer. Mr. Herd, a native of St. Andrews, Scotland, won 11 tournaments in a long professional career, most notably the 1902 British Open. He died of pneumonia on February 18, 1944 at the age of 75.

120 years ago
1888

Business
Eastman Kodak was founded in Rochester, New York.

110 years ago
1898

War
Spain declared war on the United States, rejecting U.S. President William McKinley’s ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba. The U.S. fleet under commodore George Dewey sailed from Hong Kong to the Philippines.

100 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Inga Gentzel. Swedish runner. Miss Gentzel won the bronze medal in the women's 800-metre run at the 1928 Summer Olympic Games in Amsterdam, shortly after setting a world record in the event. She won the silver medal in the 1,000-metre run at the Women's World Games in Gothenburg in 1926. Miss Gentzel died on January 1, 1991 at the age of 82.

Marceline Day. U.S. actress. Miss Day, born Marceline Newlin, began her career as a child actress in silent movies in the 1910s, and was popular in the 1920s, appearing in such movies as London After Midnight (1927) and The Cameraman (1928). She made her last movie in 1933 and retired to private life, dying on February 16, 2000 at the age of 91.

Adventure
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Murdock and family, accompanied by a mechanic, become the first family to travel across U.S. by car, leaving Los Angeles in a Packard. They arrived in New York City on May 26 after 32 days, 5 hours, 25 minutes.

90 years ago
1918

War
The first tank-to-tank combat took place at Villers-Bretonneux, France, when three British Mark IVs met three German A7Vs.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Harry Berthrong, 84. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Berthrong, a utility player, played 17 games with the Washington Olympics of the National Association in 1871, batting .218.

Aviation
Colonel Charles Lindbergh, carrying pneumonia serum from the Rockefeller Institute, left Curtis Field, Long Island at 3:08 P.M. in a U.S. Army pursuit plane and reached Quebec City, 470 miles away, at 6:30 P.M. in an effort to save the life of aviator Floyd Bennett, who was in a hospital there.

Scandal
Colonel R.W. Stewart, chairman of the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, testifying in Washington before the Senate Teapot Dome Committee, said that he was given a fourth share--$769,500--of the bonds representing the profits of the Continental Trading Company of Canada, and that he turned them over to R.J. Barnet, as trustee for the Standard Oil Co. of Indiana, whose directors, after the April 21 acquittal of Harry Sinclair of conspiracy to defraud the government, accepted the bonds and gave them to its subsidiary, the Sinclair Crude Oil Purchasing Company. It had already been testified that the other fourth shares went to J.E. O’Neil; H.M. Blackmer, who gave his share to his own company; and to Harry Sinclair.

75 years ago
1933

Died on this date
Felix Adler, 81. German-born U.S. philosopher. Dr. Adler moved to New York at the age of 6, when his father took up a position as a rabbi. Dr. Adler was expected to succeed his father, but he adopted a neo-Kantian secular philosophy that emphasized the intrinsic worth and dignity of the person, and co-founded the Society of Ethical Culture in New York in 1877. Dr. Adler also advocated social reforms in areas such as housing, child labour, and foreign policy.

Abominations
Nazi Germany began its persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses by shutting down the Watch Tower Society office in Magdeburg.

Baseball
New York Giants’ shortstop Dick Bartell became the first major league player to hit four consecutive doubles in a 9-inning game.

60 years ago
1948

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)--Peggy Lee (7th week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Now is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song)--Bing Crosby (6th week at #1)
--Gracie Fields
--Margaret Whiting
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
2 Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)--Peggy Lee
3 Sabre Dance--Woody Herman and his Orchestra
--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra
4 Beg Your Pardon--Francis Craig and his Orchestra
--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra
--Larry Green and his Orchestra
5 I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover--Art Mooney and his Orchestra
--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
--The Three Suns
--Uptown String Band
6 Because--Perry Como
7 Baby Face--Art Mooney and his Orchestra
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Jack Smith and the Clark Sisters
8 But Beautiful--Ffank Sinatra
--Margaret Whiting
9 Shine--Frankie Laine
10 Toolie Oolie Doolie (The Yodel Polka)--The Andrews Sisters
--Vaughn Horton and the Polka Debs

Singles entering the chart were the version of Sabre Dance by Freddy Martin and his Orchestra; the versions of Baby Face by Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra, and Jack Smith and the Clark Sisters; Nature Boy by King Cole (#25); Goofus by Johnny Mercer (#26); Just Because by Frankie Yankovic and his Yanks (#27); Tutti-Tutti Pizzicato by the Sportsmen (#33); You were Meant for Me by Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra (#39); and I Love You, Yes I Do by Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra (#40).

50 years ago
1958

Baseball
Outfielder Lee Walls hit 3 home runs to lead the visiting Chicago Cubs to a 15-2 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): What a Wonderful World/Cabaret--Louis Armstrong

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (5th week at #1)
2 Lady Madonna/The Inner Light--The Beatles
3 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
4 Magical Mystery Tour (EP)--The Beatles
5 Delilah--Tom Jones
6 Underneath the Arches/Friday Kind of Monday--Johnny Farnham
7 Young Girl--The Union Gap
8 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
9 The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
10 Valleri/Tapioca Tundra--The Monkees

Singles entering the chart were Honey by Bobby Goldsboro (#26); Jennifer Juniper by Donovan (#28); (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding (#31); Congratulations by Cliff Richard (#32); Master Jack by Four Jacks and a Jill (#37); and If I Only Had Time by John Rowles (#39).

War
U.S. airplanes carried out 111 raids over North Vietnam.

Defense
The U.S.S.R. performed a nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk.

Protest
The occupation of Hamilton Hall, headquarters of Columbia College, continued from the previous day, with three officials being held hostage. Negro protesters ordered the other protesters out early in the day. The white rebels then marched to Low Library, where they took over and ransacked the office of Dr. Grayson Kirk, president of Columbia University. By this time the protest had gone beyond its original aims, and "Student Power" had become the battle cry. The spoiled brats demanded complete amnesty, asserting their right to participate in the "restructuring of the university." The hostages in Hamilton Hall were released later in the day, after 24 hours of confinement.

Hockey
CPHL
Adams Cup
Finals
Fort Worth 3 @ Tulsa 5 (Tulsa led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles 123 @ Boston 113 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

ABA
Finals
Pittsburgh 101 @ New Orleans 109 (New Orleans led best-of-seven series 2-1)

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Southpaw--Pink Lady (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Ballade pour Adeline--Richard Clayderman (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Hunk Anderson, 79. U.S. football player. Called by Knute Rockne as "the greatest lineman he ever coached," Heartley Anderson was a four-year starter at Notre Dame from 1918-1921. Mr. Anderson was a member of undefeated teams in 1919 and 1920. The Irish won 20 consecutive games before being upset by Iowa in 1921. As a senior, Mr. Anderson gained first-team All-America status. Against Purdue he blocked two punts and recovered them in the end zone, marking the first time in history a guard had scored two touchdowns in a game. (The feat was matched in 1942 when Alex Agase, a guard for Illinois, scored twice against Minnesota.) During Mr. Anderson’s four varsity seasons, Notre Dame posted a 31-2-2 record. After a four-year career with the Chicago Bears, "Hunk" returned to Notre Dame as a line coach under Mr. Rockne and later head coach upon Mr. Rockne's death in 1931. In three seasons as head coach Mr. Anderson's teams had a 16-9-2 record. Grantland Rice wrote that "pound for pound Anderson was the toughest man I have ever known." Mr. Anderson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

Marty Walker, 79. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Walker pitched in 1 game for the Philadelphia Phillies, starting against the Brooklyn Robins at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn on September 30, 1928, the last game of the season. He faced 5 batters, allowing 2 hits, 3 bases on balls, and 4 runs--2 earned--in a 5-1 loss. Since he failed to retire a batter, his major league earned run average was infinity.

World events
The Palestinian guerrilla group Al-Fatah was reported to have ordered the arrest of 123 guerrillas who had entered Lebanon from Iraq to fight Lebanese and UNIFIL soldiers. The arrest order led to fighting within Al-Fatah, and three men were killed.

Politics and government
A Gallup Poll showed that U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s popularity had dropped to 39%, down 9% from the March Gallup Poll. The decrease was generally attributed to his handling of the economy.

Scandal
Former Representative Richard D. Hanna (Democrat--California) was given a sentence of 6-30 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States government in the South Korean influence-buying scandal. Mr. Hanna, 63, was the first person sent to prison in the case.

Crime
The Supreme Court of the United States declined to review Patricia Hearst's seven-year sentence for bank robbery. Miss Hearst had been free on bail since November 19, 1976.

Baseball
Nolan Ryan of the California Angels struck out 15 batters in a game for the 20th time in his career, but left after 9 innings with the Angels and Seattle Mariners tied 4-4 before 13,429 fans at Anaheim Stadium. Each team scored a run in the 11th before the Mariners prevailed 6-5 in 12 innings.

Randy Lerch pitched a 6-hit complete game victory and batted 2 for 2 with a home run, double, 2 bases on balls, 2 runs, and 3 runs batted in to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 12-2 rout of the Chicago Cubs before 20,115 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The Phillies broke the game open with 9 runs in the 6th inning.



Pinch hitter Denny Walling singled home pinch runner Julio Gonzalez with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Houston Astros a 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres before 7,300 fans at the Astrodome. Mr. Gonzalez entered the game to run for Art Howe, who led off the inning with a single.

25 years ago
1983

World events
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director William Webster said that there were about 1,000 Russians and eastern Europeans in the United States who were engaged in the pursuit of classified information, primarily related to military secrets and high technology.

Politics and government
The Socialist party of Austria lost its absolute majority in the general election, and Bruno Kreisky resigned as Chancellor. A coalition with the Austrian Freedom Party resulted, and Fred Sinowatz took office as Chancellor on May 24.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference Finals
Chicago 4 @ Edmonton 8 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 1-0)

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): One Tree Hill--U2 (5th week at #1)

Politics and government
In the first round of runoffs in the French presidential election, Socialist candidate and President Francois Mitterand took 34% of the vote; conservative leader Jacques Chirac got 20%; independent Leon Barre polled 17%, and National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen got 14%. The Communist candidate received 7% of the vote.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Division Finals
Montreal 0 @ Boston 2 (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Washington 4 @ New Jersey 1 (Best-of-seven series 2-2)

10 years ago
1998

World events
Tens of thousands watched in Kigali, Rwanda as police shot 22 prisoners who had been convicted of genocide-related crimes. The Rwandan government had rejected international appeals for a stay of the executions.

Politics and government
The State Duma of Russia voted 251-25 to confirm Sergei Kiriyenko, 35, an appointee of President Boris Yeltsin, as Prime Minister.

Economics and finance
The Toronto Stock Exchange announced the closure of its traditional floor trading (open outcry) system to make way for a completely electronic trading environment.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Quarter-Finals
Ottawa 1 @ New Jersey 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
Buffalo 2 @ Philadelphia 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
Boston 4 @ Washington 3 (2OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Western Conference
Quarter-Finals
San Jose 2 @ Dallas 5 (Dallas led best-of-seven series 2-0)
Edmonton 2 @ Colorado 5 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
Phoenix 7 @ Detroit 4 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Darren Van Impe scored a powerplay goal for the Bruins with 2:57 remaining in regulation time to tie the score and then scored at 54 seconds of the 2nd overtime period to give the Bruins their win over the Capitals at MCI Center.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
New Jersey 93 @ Chicago 96 (Chicago led best-of-five series 1-0)
New York 79 @ Miami 94 (Miami led best-of-five series 1-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Portland 102 @ Los Angeles Lakers 104 (Los Angeles led best-of-five series 1-0)
Minnesota 83 @ Seattle 108 (Seattle led best-of-five series 1-0)

Baseball
Los Angeles Dodgers' catcher Mike Piazza tied a major league record by hitting his third grand slam of the month. The blast highlights a nine-run second inning which led Los Angeles to a 12-4 victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs.

At Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Geoff Jenkins hit a home run off Orel Hershiser to become the first Milwaukee Brewers player to hit a home run in his major league debut. The Brewers defeated the Giants 7-5. Jenkins joined Chuck Tanner, who accomplished the feat in 1955 as a member of the Milwaukee Braves, as the only players in Milwaukee baseball history to homer in their first game.