April 27, 2008

250 years ago
1758

Died on this date
Jan Francisci, 66.. Slovak musician and composer. Mr. Francisci was a church organist in Pressburg (now Bratislava) and Neusohl in what is now Slovakia. He wrote works for organ and harpsichord, most of which have been lost.

490 years ago
1518

Diplomacy
The Treaty of St. Truiden, an anti-French Trapdoors/Bourgondisch covenant, was signed. I don't know who the anti-French Trapdoors or Bourgondisch were, but I do know this...

180 years ago
1828

Britannica
The Zoological Gardens at Regent's Park London, opened.

170 years ago
1838

Disasters
Fire destroyed half of Charleston, South Carolina.

100 years ago
1908

Olympics
The 4th modern Olympic games opened in London.

90 years ago
1918

Baseball
The New York Giants 9-0 start and the Brooklyn Dodgers 0-9 losing streak were both stopped, as the Dodgers won the opening game of a doubleheader 5-3, behind Larry Cheney's strong pitching.

80 years ago
1928

Aviation
The Ford relief plane, sent to aid the German Junker Bremen, which had been stranded on Greenly Island, near Newfoundland, since April 13, left Lake St. Agnes at 6:55 A.M. with the Bremen’s crew, as well as Miss Herta Junkers and C.J.V. Murphy of the New York World. The plane refuelled at Hartford, Connecticut, and landed at Curtiss Field, Long Island at 1:51 P.M. The passengers and crew then went to Washington by train. The body of Floyd Bennett, who had taken ill with pneumonia on the relief flight, arrived at New York from Quebec, and was taken by train to Washington, to be interred with military honours at Arlington National Cemetery.

75 years ago
1933

Science
Karl Jansky reported reception of a cosmic radio signal in Washington, D.C.

60 years ago
1948

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis, on MBS

War
An Arab legion attacked the Gesher bridge on the Jordan River.

50 years ago
1958

On the radio
The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 4, starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, on BBC Light Programme

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents on CBS
Tonight's episode: Death Sentence, starring James Best, Katharine Bard, and Steve Brodie

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Lady Madonna/The Inner Light--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Delilah--Tom Jones (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Gimme Little Sign--Brenton Wood (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Mama--Heintje

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Congratulations--Cliff Richard

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Congratulations--Cliff Richard

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Honey--Bobby Goldsboro (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Congratulations--Cliff Richard
2 Delilah--Tom Jones
3 Cinderella Rockefella--Esther and Abi Ofarim
4 If I were a Carpenter--The Four Tops
5 Kom Uit De Bedstee Mijn Liefste--Egbert Douwe
6 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
7 Rosie--Don Partridge
8 I've Just Lost Somebody--Golden Earrings
9 Jumbo/The Singer Sang His Song--The Bee Gees
10 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding

Singles entering the chart were La La La by Massiel (#23); Wonder Boy by the Kinks (#26); Take Time to Know Her by Percy Sledge (#35); Il est Cinq Heures, Paris S'éveille by Jacques Dutronc (#37); Quite Rightly So by Procol Harum (#39); and Ups and Downs by the Eddysons (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Honey--Bobby Goldsboro (2nd week at #1)
2 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
3 Young Girl--The Union Gap
4 Cry Like a Baby--The Box Tops
5 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
6 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
7 A Beautiful Morning--The Rascals
8 Dance to the Music--Sly and the Family Stone
9 The Unicorn--The Irish Rovers
10 Valleri--The Monkees

Singles entering the chart were Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel (#47); The Happy Song (Dum-Dum) by Otis Redding (#70); I Wish I Knew (How it Would Feel to Be Free) by Solomon Burke (#84); I Can Remember by James & Bobby Purify (#87); You Ain't Going Nowhere by the Byrds (#89); Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible) by the Soul Survivors (#93); Yummy Yummy Yummy by Ohio Express (#94); Friends by the Beach Boys (#96); Lili Marlene by Al Martino (#97); Cabaret by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#98); A Dime a Dozen by Carla Thomas (#99); and Love Machine by the Roosters (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Honey--Bobby Goldsboro
2 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
3 Young Girl--The Union Gap
4 Cry Like a Baby--The Box Tops
5 Scarborough Fair (/Canticle)--Simon & Garfunkel
6 Cinderella Rockefella--Esther and Abi Ofarim
7 Valleri--The Monkees
8 Playboy--Gene and Debbe
9 Summertime Blues--Blue Cheer
10 The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich

Singles entering the chart were Sleepy Joe by Herman's Hermits (#80); You'll Never Walk Alone by Elvis Presley (#81); If I were a Carpenter by the Four Tops (#82); Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel (#83); Let's Get Together by 3's a Crowd (#85); I Promise to Wait My Love by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (#88); Soul Train by the Classics IV (#89); I am the Man for You Baby by Edwin Starr (#91); Chain Gang by Jackie Wilson and Count Basie (#92); Can I Carry Your Balloon by the Swampseeds (#93); May I Take a Giant Step by the 1910 Fruitgum Company (#94); Here's to You by Hamilton Camp (#95); Harlem Lady by the Witness, Inc. (#96); Holy Man by Scott McKenzie (#97); and Love in Them There Hills by the Vibrations (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Honey--Bobby Goldsboro (2nd week at #1)
2 Young Girl--The Union Gap
3 The Unknown Soldier--The Doors
4 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus
5 Call Me Lightning--The Who
6 The Unicorn--The Irish Rovers
7 Black Day in July--Gordon Lightfoot
8 Love is All Around--The Troggs
9 Playboy--Gene and Debbe
10 Lady Madonna/The Inner Light--The Beatles

Singles entering the chart were Angel of the Morning by Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts (#28); Louisiana Man by Bobbie Gentry (#29); and Here's to You by Hamilton Camp (#30).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 A Question of Temperature--Balloon Farm
2 Love is All Around--The Troggs
3 Young Girl--The Union Gap
4 I Love You--People
5 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
6 I Can't Make it Anymore--The Original Caste
7 Forever Came Today--Diana Ross and the Supremes
8 Goin' Away--The Fireballs
9 Cry Like a Baby--The Box Tops
10 Valleri--The Monkees
Pick hit of the week: Look to Your Soul--Johnny Rivers

Theatre
The musical I'm Solomon, with music by Ernest Gold, and starring Dick Shawn and Carmen Mathews, closed at the Mark Hellinger Theater on Broadway in New York City after 9 previews and 7 performances, four days after its opening.

War
In a bid to foment new fighting, North Korean troops attacked United Nations troops near the Demilitarized Zone, killing two South Korean soldiers and wounding two Americans.

Seven days of Nigerian government bombing raids against Ibo refugees in secessionist Biafra concluded, with about 300 killed. The pilots, believed to be Egyptian and Sudanese, flew Russian MiG and Czechoslovakian Delfin jets.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council urged the cancellation of a military parade in Jerusalem scheduled for May 2 to mark Israel's 20th anniversary.

Politics and government
U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey officially declared that he was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Mr. Humphrey, who made the announcement on a nationally-televised program before 1,700 friends and supporters since it was too late to enter the primary races, called for "a new American patriotism."

The Congress of Political Party Radicals (PPR) was formed in the Netherlands.

Disasters
A biplane in an air show near San Luis Obispo, California crashed, killing four people.

Boxing
Jimmy Ellis (26-5) won a 15-round majority decision over Jerry Quarry (26-2-4) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena to win the World Boxing Association world heavyweight title, which had been vacant since Muhammad Ali had been stripped of the belt a year earlier for refusing induction into the U.S. Army. On the undercard, Henry Clark (15-3-2) won a 10-round majority decision over Leotis Martin (25-4) in another heavyweight bout.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Minnesota 3 @ St. Louis 4 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Gary Sabourin scored at 1:32 of the 1st overtime period to give the Blues their win over the North Stars at St. Louis Arena.

CPHL
Adams Cup
Finals
Tulsa 5 @ Fort Worth 4 (Tulsa won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Basketball
ABA
Finals
New Orleans 111 @ Pittsburgh 108 (New Orleans led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Baseball
Tom Phoebus of the Baltimore Orioles pitched a no-hitter against the visiting Boston Red Sox at Memorial Stadium. Third baseman Brooks Robinson drove in three runs and made a great catch to rob Rico Petrocelli of a hit in the eighth inning as the Orioles won 6-0.

30 years ago
1978

World events
A pro-Soviet military junta overthrew the government of President Mohmmad Daud Khan of Afghanistan. President Daud, who himself had come to power in a coup in 1973, was killed resisting the coup against him.

Diplomacy
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro concluded a week of meetings with Ethiopian dictator Lieutenant Cololnel Mengistu Haile Mariam. The two main secessionist guerrilla groups in the Ethiopian province of Eritrea, the Eritrean Liberation Front and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, agreed to merge forces.

Disasters
Scaffolding inside a cooling tower being built for a utility company in West Virginia collapsed, throwing 51 workers 170 feet to their deaths.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
New York Islanders 2 @ Toronto 5 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

The Maple Leafs scored 4 goals in the 1st period and coasted to victory over the Islanders at Maple Leaf Gardens.



Baseball
In the 14th annual Mayor's Trophy Game, the New York Yankees beat the New York Mets 4-3 in 11 innings.

25 years ago
1983

Baseball
Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros fanned Brad Mills of the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium in Montreal for his 3,509th career strikeout, passing Walter Johnson for first place on the career list. The Astros won 4-2.

Diplomacy
Soviet leader Yuri Andropov proposed an international agreement that would keep outer space free from weapons, probaly in reaction to U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s recent announcement of the Strategic Defense Initiative.

Defense
U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, in Israel, received a briefing on a large Soviet military buildup in Syria.

Politics and government
U.S. President Ronald Reagan took the unusual step of addressing a joint session of Congress on a foreign policy issue. He appealed for approval of his requests for economic and military assistance to Central America, stressing the region’s proximity to the United States, adding that it was vital to American interests. While acknowledging that the government of El Salvador had human rights problems, the President said that El Salvador was making progress in democracy and land reform, and that the Marxists were seeking to destabilize the country and its neighbours. President Reagan also accused Nicaragua of stirring up trouble in the area. The President received heavy applause when he said that he had "no thought of sending American combat troops" into Central America. Senator Christopher Dodd, replying for the Democrats, called for negotiated settlements for the region, and said that the Reagan administration did not understand the causes of conflict in Central America.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Maybe We're About to Fall in Love--Tommy Nilsson

Londonia
The London chapter (now the Southwestern Ontario Chapter) of the Ontario Association of Archivists (now the Archives Association of Ontario) was formed at a meeting on the campus of the University of Western Ontario. This blogger was one of those in attendance.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney arrived in Washington for his fourth and final summit conference with U.S. President Ronald Reagan. In an address to Congress, Mr. Mulroney urged approval of a bilateral agreement on control of acid rain, and he called on Congress to ratify the U.S.-Canada free trade agreement. At his meeting with Mr. Reagan, the Prime Minister asked the President to set a timetable for banning sulfurous emissions in the United States that many experts--though not those in the Reagan administration--believed were the cause of acid rain. President Reagan said that the United States would not oppose the transfer of nuclear reactor technology, clearing the way for Canada to purchase British nuclear submarines.

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Carlos Castaneda, 72. Peruvian-born U.S. anthropologist. Dr. Castaneda became popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s for books in which he detailed his encounters with a Yaqui Indian shaman from Mexico named don Juan Matus. As a graduate student in anthropology at University of California at Los Angeles, Mr. Castaneda published The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge in 1968. Subsequent books included A Separate Reality (1971); Journey to Ixtlan (1972); and Tales of Power (1974). Since Dr. Castaneda’s writings resulted from the use of psychotropic plants, there’s always been some dispute as to whether his stories were fact or fiction. Was don Juan Matus an actual shaman, or was he just a demon that appeared to Dr. Castaneda when he went on his drug trips? In his later years, Dr. Castaneda promoted Tensegrity, a variety of body movements that he said had been passed down through 25 generations of Toltec shamans. Some have called Carlos Castaneda "The Godfather of the New Age."

Law
In the U.S.A., an appeals court in Cincinnati ruled that restrictions on campaign spending were an unconstitutional limitation on freedom of speech.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Quarter-Finals
Pittsburgh 1 @ Montreal 3 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 2-1)
Philadelphia 1 @ Buffalo 6 (Buffalo led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Western Conference
Quarter-Finals
St. Louis 4 @ Los Angeles 3 (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Indiana 77 @ Cleveland 86 (Indiana led best-of-five series 2-1)

Western Conference
First Round
Phoenix 88 @ San Antonio 100 (San Antonio led best-of-five series 2-1)