April 30, 2008

410 years ago
1598

Americana
Spanish nobleman Don Juan de Oñate and a group of settlers travelling northward from Zacatecas, Nueva España (now Mexico), reached the banks of El Rio Bravo (Rio Grande). The first recorded act of thanksgiving by colonizing Europeans in what is now the United States occurred on that April day in 1598 in Nuevo Mexico, about 25 miles south of what is now El Paso, Texas. The ceremony was a Roman Catholic event, which is probably why it isn’t as famous in American history as the Puritan Thanksgiving celebration of 1620 at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. Gaspar Perez de Villagrá, the Spanish poet who travelled with the group, wrote, "We were sadly lacking in all knowledge of the stars, the winds, and other knowledge by which to guide our steps. We built a great bonfire and roasted meat and fish, and then sat down to a repast the like of which we had never enjoyed before." Before this bountiful meal, Don Juan de Oñate personally nailed a cross to a living tree and prayed, "Open the door to these heathens, establish the church altars where the body and blood of the Son of God may be offered, open to us the way to security and peace for their preservation and ours, and give to our king and to me in his royal name, peaceful possession of these kingdoms and provinces for His blessed glory. Amen."

260 years ago
1748

War
The cease-fire at Aken ended as French troops occupied Maastricht in the Netherlands.

210 years ago
1798

Defense
The United States created the Department of the Navy.

200 years ago
1808

Technology
The first practical typewriter was finished by Italian Pellegrini Turri.

120 years ago
1888

Disasters
Hailstones killed about 250 in the Moradabad district of Delhi, India.

100 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Eve Arden. U.S. actress. Miss Arden, a gifted comic actress, was best known as Connie Brooks, an English teacher at Madison High School in Our Miss Brooks, a popular series that ran on radio from 1948-1957, and on television from 1952-1956. Our Miss Brooks was also made into a feature film in 1956. Miss Arden began her movie career in Song of Love (1929) under her real name, Eunice Quedens. She attracted attention with a small role in Oh Doctor (1937), which led to a larger role in Stage Door (1937). Other film appearances for Miss Arden included Dancing Lady (1933); At the Circus (1939); The Doughboys (1944); and Mildred Pierce (1945), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In Anatomy of a Murder (1959), she acted with her real-life husband, Brooks West. Shortly after Our Miss Brooks ended its run, Miss Arden starred in The Eve Arden Show (1957), but it was soon cancelled. She made a comeback as one of the stars of The Mothers-in-Law, which ran from 1967-1969. On January 30, 1983, Miss Arden was in the cast of Moose Murders, a play being given its first preview on Broadway. She had trouble remembering her lines, and was replaced by Holland Taylor after that first preview. Moose Murders went on to become one of the most notorious flops in Broadway history, opening--and closing--on February 22. Miss Arden died on November 12, 1990 at the age of 82.

Terrorism
Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki, who were associated with the Bengali revolutionary Jugantar movement, attempted to assassinate District Judge Kingsford by throwing a bomb into his carriage. Judge Kingsford wasn't there, and the bomb killed two innocent women.

80 years ago
1928

Aviation
The crew of the German Junker Bremen, who had been rescued from Greenly Island (near Newfoundland) after failing to reach New York on a transatlantic flight from Dublin, were given an official New York welcome--parades and all. The crew--Baron Gunther von Huenefeld; Captain Hermann Koehl; and Major James Fitzmaurice--along with Mrs. Koehl and Mrs. Fitzmaurice and her 7-year-old daughter Patricia, attended a theatre at night and then saw the heavyweight fight between Tom Sharkey and Jack Delaney.

Europeana
The Cherkess Autonomous Region was formed in R.S.F.S.R, U.S.S.R.

Politics and government
The U.S. Senate, without a recorded vote, adopted a resolution by minority leader Joseph Robinson, Democrat from Arkansas, providing for an investigation into the campaign expenditures of the various presidential candidates. The hearings began several weeks later: Herbert Hoover appeared on May 9, and Al Smith on May 10.

After secret meetings, both houses of the Egyptian parliament agreed that the Public Assemblies bill should be withdrawn for this session.

Academia
The first intercollegiate match in English Literature was held at New Haven, Connecticut and Cambridge, Massachusetts. At New Haven, ten Yale University seniors, adepts, took the examination which was being given at the same hour to Harvard specialists in the same subject at Cambridge. At Harvard, although the examination was given to the entire class, a team of ten had been selected to compete with the Yale team, the members of which were all volunteers. Harvard was announced as the winner on May 31. Mrs. W.L. Putnam of the English Department at Harvard donated the prize: $5,000 in books.

Boxing
Jack Sharkey (28-8-1) knocked out Jack Delaney (70-11-2) at 1:13 of the 1st round of a heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.

60 years ago
1948

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Near You--Bing Crosby; Dick Haymes and the Andrews Sisters (1st month at #1)

Theatre
Inside U.S.A., a musical revue starring Beatrice Lillie, Jack Haley, and Estelle Loring, opened on Broadway in New York to favourable reviews.

War
Haganah forces overran the Christian Arab quarter of southwestern Jerusalem and took the Greek Orthodox St. Simon Monastery, an Arab stronghold.

Greek government forces claimed a major victory over Communist guerrillas in the Mount Parnassus-Mount Ghiona area northwest of Athens, eliminating an important Arab stronghold.

Diplomacy
In Bogota, the International Conference of American States approved an agreement estabishing the Organization of American States, a permanent agency supervising conduct of hemispheric affairs. Participating countries also signed the Pact of Bogota, committing themselves to try measures of conciliation within the hemisphere before seking United Nations assistance in settling hemispheric disputes.

Defense
The Union of Western Europe established a permanent military committee in London to handle "common defense problems."

The United States performed an atmospheric nuclear test at Eniwetok.

Politics and government
The temporary Costa Rican government of Colonel Jose Figueres announced plans to form a junta after the retirement of interim President Santos Leon Herrera.

50 years ago
1958

War
Algerian nationalists executed three French prisoners in retaliation for French executions of captured guerrillas.

World events
Maltese Governor Sir Robert Laycock declared a state of emergency amidst anti-British strikes and unrest.

Baseball
Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox became the tenth major league player to tally 1,000 extra base hits, in a 10-4 loss to the Kansas City Athletics at Fenway Park.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Delilah--Tom Jones (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller announced that he was entering the race for the 1968 Republican Party U.S. presidential nomination, 40 days after he’d said that he would not be an active candidate. Gov. Rockefeller said that he had been urged to participate by people of all political persuasions, and had finally been moved to change his position by "the gravity of the crisis we face as a people."

Disasters
50 were feared dead from an earthquake that hit western Iran.

Boxing
Buster Mathis (24-1) scored a technical knockout of Mel Turnbow (8-8) at 2:44 of the 7th round in a heavyweight bout at Miami Beach Auditorium.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles 117 @ Boston 120 (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Baseball
Three Baltimore Orioles’ pitchers walked 14 New York Yankees in a 9-inning game.

30 years ago
1978

Politics and government
Two days after a pro-Soviet military coup overthrew the government of President Mohammad Daud Khan, a new government for Afghanistan was proclaimed under the leadership of Mohammad Taraki, leader of an Afghan Communist party known as Khalq.

Journalism
Excerpts from the memoirs of former U.S. President Richard Nixon began running in installments in many newspapers. Mr. Nixon admitted that he had known some things about the 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, but hadn’t been involved in activities that gave aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman potential criminal liability.

Golf
Lon Hinkle won the New Orleans Open with a score of 271. First prize money was $40,000.

Hockey
WHA
Avco World Trophy
Semi-Finals
Quebec 3 @ New England 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

IIHF World Championships
Canada 7 U.S.A. 2

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Finals
Washington 122 @ Philadelphia 117 (Washington led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Denver 91 @ Milwaukee 119 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)
Seattle 89 @ Portland 113 (Seattle led best-of-seven series 3-2)

25 years ago
1983

Died on this date
George Balanchine, 79. Russian-born U.S. ballet master. Mr. Balanchine began his career in Russia, but defected to England in 1924 while on tour; he then joined Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes, creating nine ballets for them between 1924 and 1929. In October 1933 Mr. Balanchine moved to the United States; he promptly created the School of American Ballet, which opened on January 2, 1934. Mr. Balanchine worked as a choreographer for musical theatre in the 1930s and 1940s. A company that he formed in 1935 called American Ballet lasted just a few years, but he had more success in the late 1940s, forming a company that eventually became known as the New York City Ballet. In 1954 Mr. Balanchine staged The Nutcracker for the first time; it quickly became a Christmas tradition in the United States and elsewhere. In 1978 Mr. Balanchine became one of the first people to receive a Kennedy Center Honors Award.

Muddy Waters, 70. U.S. blues musician. Mr. Waters (real name: McKinley Morganfield) was born in Mississippi, but moved to Chicago, where he became known as "the Father of Chicago blues." Mr. Waters’ sound was basically an electrified version of Mississippi Delta blues. He greatly inspired the blues-based British rock groups of the 1960s; for example, the Rolling Stones took their name from a line in Mr. Waters’ song Mannish Boy. Rollin’ Stone was the title of another hit by Mr. Waters. Other hit singles of his included Hoochie Coochie Man; I Just Want to Make Love to You; I’m Ready; Long Distance Call; Rock Me; and Got My Mojo Working. Muddy Waters’ albums won six Grammy Awards for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording between 1971 and 1979.

On television tonight
The American Broadcasting Company aired the second part of Blood Feud, a made-for-television movie about the feud between Robert F. Kennedy, then-Attorney General of the United States, and Jimmy Hoffa, president of the Teamsters Union. Cotter Smith turned in a fine performance as Mr. Kennedy, but Robert Blake's performance as Mr. Hoffa stole the show.

Politics
Thailand's Prime Minister, Prem Tinsulanonda, was reappointed to a new four-year term after reversing his April 26 decision to retire.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
New York Islanders 7 Boston 3

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): L'Amore Rubato--Luca Barbarossa (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Gimme Hope Jo'anna--Eddy Grant (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Gimme Hope Jo'anna--Eddy Grant (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): One More Try--George Michael

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Theme from S-Express--S-Express

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Theme from S-Express--S-Express

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Where Do Broken Hearts Go--Whitney Houston (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Where Do Broken Hearts Go--Whitney Houston
2 Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby
3 Devil Inside--INXS
4 Angel--Aerosmith
5 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
6 Anything for You--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
7 Pink Cadillac--Natalie Cole
8 Girlfriend--Pebbles
9 Prove Your Love--Taylor Dayne
10 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson

Singles entering the chart were The Valley Road by Bruce Hornsby and the Range (#59); Alphabet St. by Prince (#68); Heart of Mine by Boz Scaggs (#77); Supersonic by J.J. Fad (#84); Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard (#87); Most of All by Jody Watley (#88); and Underneath the Radar by Underworld (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean (4th week at #1)
2 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
3 Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby
4 Devil Inside--INXS
5 I Saw Him Standing There--Tiffany
6 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson
7 I'm Still Searching--Glass Tiger
8 Endless Summer Nights--Richard Marx
9 Push It--Salt-N-Pepa
9 Where Do Broken Hearts Go--Whitney Houston

Singles entering the chart were The Valley Road by Bruce Hornsby and the Range (#83); Breakaway by Big Pig (#87); We All Sleep Alone by Cher (#92); Rebel by Blue Rodeo (#95); and I Wasn't the One (Who Said Bye) by Agnetha Faltskog (#96).

Diplomacy
Three days of peace talks between Nicaragua’s Sandanista government and opposition Contra rebels produced no agreement.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Division Finals
New Jersey 3 @ Washington 2 (New Jersey won best-of-seven series 4-3)

John MacLean broke a 2-2 tie with 6:11 remaining in regulation time as the Devils eliminated the Capitals at Capital Center in Landover, Maryland.

Football
The New York Knights beat the Los Angeles Cobras 60-52 before 10,157 fans in Los Angeles in the Arena Football League’s first game ever.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Washington 101 @ Detroit 102 (Detroit led best-of-five series 2-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Houston 119 @ Dallas 108 (Best-of-five series tied 1-1)
Utah 114 @ Portand 105 (Best-of-five series tied 1-1)

Baseball
Mike Pagliarulo hit a grand slam and a 3-run home run to lead the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 15-3 before 21,011 fans at Yankee Stadium. Jack Clark added a home run and 3 runs batted in for the Yankees, and Dave Winfield drove in his 28th and 29th runs of the season, tying the major league record for RBIs in April.

Alan Trammell singled home Tom Brookens with 2 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners before 17,505 fans at Tiger Stadium.

Vance Law singled home Manny Trillo with 2 out in the top of the 13th inning to break a 1-1 tie as the Chicago Cubs edged the San Francisco Giants 2-1 before 32,405 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

Howard Johnson scored from second base on a ground ball by Mookie Wilson to break a 5-5 tie with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning when shortstop Barry Larkin's throw pulled first baseman Nick Esasky off the base as the New York Mets edged the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 before 33,463 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. The game had already included a bench-clearing brawl in the 7th, and when first base umpire Dave Pallone delayed making the call on the ground ball by Mr. Wilson, Mr. Esasky argued the call, and Mr. Johnson came around to score. Cincinnati manager Pete Rose then came out to argue with Mr. Pallone. Each man wagged a finger in the other's face; Mr. Rose claimed to have been scratched by Mr. Pallone, while he shoved Mr. Pallone twice, resulting in his ejection, a $10,000 fine, and a 30-day suspension. Fans threw debris on the field, causing a 14-minute delay, and Mr. Pallone left the game, replaced by second base umpire John Kibler.



10 years ago
1998

Defense
The United States Senate voted 80-19 to accept a resolution to add Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Scandal
Webster Hubbell, former law partner of Hillary Clinton, was charged by the Whitewater special prosecutor with income tax evasion, including failure to pay taxes and penalties of more than $850,000 over the previous four years.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Quarter-Finals
Ottawa 1 @ New Jersey 3 (Ottawa led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Western Conference
Quarter-Finals
San Jose 2 @ Dallas 3 (Dallas led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Edmonton 3 @ Colorado 1 (Colorado led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Phoenix 1 @ Detroit 3 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round

Charlotte 91 @ Atlanta 82 (Charlotte won best-of-five series 3-1)
Indiana 80 @ Cleveland 74 (Indiana won best-of-five series 3-1)
Miami 85 @ New York 90 (Best-of-five series tied 2-2)

Western Conference
First Round
Los Angeles Lakers 110 @ Portland 99 (Los Angeles won best-of-five series 3-1)
Seattle 92 @ Minnesota 88 (Best-of-five series tied 2-2)