May 15, 2008

290 years ago
1718

Technology
James Puckle, a London lawyer, patented the Defence Gun, a tripod-mounted, single-barrelled flintlock weapon fitted with a multi-shot revolving cylinder, designed for shipboard use to prevent boarding. The 3-foot long barrel had a pre-loaded "cylinder" which held 11 charges and could fire 63 shots in 7 minutes at a time when the standard soldier's musket could at best be loaded and fired three times per minute. Mr. Puckle demonstrated two versions of the basic design: one, intended for use against Christian enemies, fired conventional round bullets, while the second variant, designed to be used against the Muslim Turks, fired square bullets, which were considered to be more damaging and would convince the Turks of the "benefits of Christian civilization". A model of the gun, sometimes referred to as the world’s first machine gun, is on display in the Tower of London.

200 years ago
1808

Born on this date
Michael William Balfe. Irish composer and conductor. Mr. Balfe was an operatic singer and violinist who wrote at least 29 operas, almost 250 songs, several cantatas, and other works in a career spanning more than 40 years. His conducting posts included that of directing Italian opera at Her Majesty's Theatre in London from 1846-1852. Mr. Balfe retired in 1864, and died on October 20, 1870 at the age of 62.

175 years ago
1833

Died on this date
Edmund Kean, 44. U.K. actor. In his time, Mr. Kean was considered the greatest actor ever. He created a sensation in 1814 with his performance as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, and subsequently received acclaim for performances in Richard III; Othello; Macbeth; and King Lear. Mr. Kean made successful visits to the United States and Canada in the 1820s. However, drunkenness and debauchery eventually took their toll on him. In his last performance, at Covent Garden on March 25, 1833, playing Othello to his son Charles’s Iago, he collapsed in his son’s arms.

140 years ago
1868

Politics and government
The Dutch Government of Prime Minister Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt fell after two years in power.

130 years ago
1878

Baseball
The Providence Grays whipped the Boston Red Caps 24-5‚ pounding out 25 hits for 34 bases and running up the score with 12 runs in the 8th inning and 7 more in the 9th.

125 years ago
1883

Diplomacy
Italy signed a military treaty with Austria-Hungary and Germany.

Baseball
In St. Louis, a meeting was scheduled to plan the taking of "active steps looking towards the foundation of a Colored League."

90 years ago
1918

Died on this date
Patsy Tebeau, 53. U.S. baseball player and manager. Mr. Tebeau played 13 seasons of major league baseball from 1887-1900 (mostly with the Cleveland Spiders), and was a manager for the last 11 of those years. His best season as a player was 1893, when he batted .329 with 2 home runs and 102 runs batted in in 116 games. In 1,167 games, Mr. Tebeau hit .280 with 27 home runs and 735 RBI. As a manager, Mr. Tebeau had a record of 729 wins, 583 losses, 29 ties, .556 winning percentage. His best achievement as a manager came in 1892, when the National League played a split season. The Spiders won the second half title with a 53-23 record, but lost 5 games to 0 with one tie in a playoff series against the Boston Beaneaters for the league championship. Mr. Tebeau was running a saloon in St. Louis when he shot himself.

War
Greek troops landed at Smyrna.

The Finnish Civil War ended when a small number of Russian troops retreated from a coastal artillery base on the Karelian Isthmus.

Aviation
The first regular airmail service in the United States was inaugurated, between New York City and Washington, D.C., with a stop in Philadelphia.

Baseball
In a game that featured no substitutes and no errors‚ Chicago White Sox pitcher Lefty Williams and the Washington Nationals’ Walter Johnson hooked up for an 18-inning shutout marathon. The Nationals finally pushed across a run in the 18th when Mr. Williams gave up two singles and then‚ with runners on the corners‚ heaved a wild pitch. Mr. Johnson scattered 10 hits in the win while Lefty allowed 8. Mr. Johnson's gem was the longest shutout ever‚ until tied by Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants in 1933.

80 years ago
1928

At the movies
Plane Crazy, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Charles I. Breslau. U.S. singer. Mr. Breslau killed his wife (also a singer) and himself in Milan, Italy.

Diplomacy
The British House of Lords adopted unanimously a motion by the Marquis of Reading recommending the acceptance by the government of the proposal by United States Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg for a multilateral treaty for the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy. Meanwhile, Mr. Kellogg rejected an offer from the British government to renew the Root-Bryce arbitration treaty, pending further negotiations on his own proposal.

Americana
President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge took part in the Colonial Pageant at Annapolis, Maryland, re-enacting George Washington’s resignation before the Continental Congress as commander of the Army on December 23, 1783.

Law
The task of curbing the flood menace of the Mississippi River was taken over by the federal government of the United States, as President Calvin Coolidge signed the Flood Control Bill.

Journalism
19-year-old David Gordon of Brooklyn, winner of a scholarship at the University of Wisconsin, was freed from the City Reformatory by the New York Parole Commission. Mr. Gordon had been convicted of obscenity in special sessions and had received an indeterminate sentence--anything up to three years--in the reformatory for a poem titled America, written by Mr. Gordon when he was 17 and published in the Daily Worker in 1927.

Baseball
The New York Giants made 6 double plays against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, but lost 10-7.

75 years ago
1933

Died on this date
Ernest Torrence, 54. U.K. actor. The 6’4" Scotsman achieved success as an opera singer before coming to the United States. He apeared in eight Broadway productions from 1912-1920, and then made his way to Hollywood, where he made his name as a character actor, usually as a villain. Among his movies were Tol’able David (1921); The Covered Wagon (1923); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923); Mantrap (1926); King of Kings (1927); Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928); and Fighting Caravans (1931). Mr. Torrence was a memorable Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes (1932), and had just completed filming I Cover the Waterfront (1933), when he suffered an attack of gallstones and died of complications following surgery.

Technology
A voice amplification system was used in the United States Senate for the first time.

70 years ago
1938

Politics and government
Paul-Henri Spaak, leader of the Belgian Labour Party, took office as Prime Minister of Belgium.

60 years ago
1948

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Nature Boy--King Cole

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Sabre Dance--Woody Herman and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)
--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra
2 Now is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song)--Bing Crosby
--Gracie Fields
--Margaret Whiting
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
3 Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)--Peggy Lee
4 Little White Lies--Dick Haymes
5 Baby Face--Art Mooney and his Orchestra
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Jack Smith and the Clark Sisters
6 Toolie Oolie Doolie (The Yodel Polka)--The Andrews Sisters
--Vaughn Horton and the Polka Debs
--The Sportsmen
7 Because--Perry Como
8 Beg Your Pardon--Francis Craig and his Orchestra
--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra
--Larry Green and his Orchestra
9 Haunted Heart--Perry Como
--Jo Stafford
10 The Dickey-Bird Song--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were the version of Toolie Oolie Doolie (The Yodel Polka) by the Sportsmen; Suspicion by Tex Williams and his Western Caravan (#24); All of Me by Frank Sinatra (#34); Love of My Life by Perry Como (#36); and I Wish I Knew the Name (Of the Girl in My Dreams), with versions by the Mills Brothers, and Ray Noble and his Orchestra with Buddy Clark (#39).

War
Egyptian, Lebanese, Syrian, Iraqi, and Saudi Arabian troops attacked the new nation of Israel as Britain’s 28-year mandate in Palestine ended.

Horse racing
Eddie Arcaro rode Citation to his second straight victory in the Triple Crown, as he won the Preakness Stakes by 6 lengths over Vulcan’s Forge. 32,244 were on hand at Pimlico in Baltimore to witness the slowest Preakness since it became a mile and 3/16 race in 1925. A heavy downpour the day before, plus a lack of pressure on the winner, led Citation to clock in at 2:02.4. Citation, trained by Jimmy Jones, entered the race as a 1-10 favourite, the shortest odds on any favourite since 1889. Vulcan’s Forge, on the other hand, started at odds of 30-1. Citation’s share of the purse was $91,870; the total prize money for the race was $134,870. Calumet Farm, the Lexington, Kentucky stable owned by Warren Wright of Chicago, also claimed victory in the Gallant Fox Handicap at Jamaica, New York, as Faultless and Fervent won. The $78,000 prize won by Faultless and Fervent gave Calumet Farm a total for the day of $169,670--a record for a single day.



Baseball
At Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, Jim Russel's 1st-inning home run was the only score as Warren Spahn and the Boston Braves beat Rex Barney of the Dodgers 1-0. It was the third shutout in a row for Brave hurlers.

The Pittsburgh Pirates scored two runs in the 6th inning to snap Harry Brecheen's streak of consecutive scoreless innings pitched at 32 2/3 from the start of the year. "The Cat" still won his fourth without a loss, by a score of 8-3.

In a Pacific Coast League game, Dick Barrett of the Seattle Rainiers pitched a 7-inning perfect game, defeating the Sacramento Solons 2-0.

50 years ago
1958

At the movies
Gigi, directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, and Louis Jourdan, received its premiere screening at the Royale Theatre in New York City.



Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Sputnik 3, which, at 2,025 pounds, was the heaviest satellite to date; it stayed in space until April 6, 1960.

Defense
Philppine Foreign Minister Felixberto Serrano and U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Charles Bohlen announced in Manila the formation of a Philippine-U.S. Mutual Defense Board to handle liaison between Philippine forces and U.S. military bases.

Politics and government
Leaders in U.S. Representative Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.'s (Democrat--New York) Harlem district rejected his bid for renomination for the November 1958 election.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): What a Wonderful World/Cabaret--Louis Armstrong (4th week at #1)

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

Singles entering the chart were Loving You Has Made Me Bananas by Guy Marks (#33); Pictures of Matchstick Men by the Status Quo (#34); and A Man Without Love (Quando M'innamoro) by Engelbert Humperdinck (#40).

On television tonight
Paul McCartney and John Lennon appeared on Tonight on NBC to promote Apple records. Joe Garagiola was substituting for Johnny Carson as host that night.

At the movies
The Swimmer, co-produced and directed by Frank Perry, and starring Burt Lancaster, opened in theatres.

Wonderwall, a British movie featuring music composed by George Harrison, received its premiere screening at the Cannes Film Festival.

War
No progress was made at the Paris peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam, as the North Vietnamese still demanded an unconditional halt to U.S. bombing, while the Americans asked for some military reciprocation in exchange for a halt in raids.

Protest
The local food committee serving the "poor people’s march" in Washington, D.C. had been able to raise only a third of the $90,000 needed to feed the 3,000 campers for 30 days. Most of the demonstrators were southern Negroes; also included were some Indians, Mexican Americans, and some Appalachian whites (otherwise known as "po’ white trash").

The American Insurance Association estimated that insurance companies would pay $67 million for the losses incurred in the rioting that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April. The biggest damage payments, $24 million, were going to Washington, D.C.

Disasters
A tornado struck Jonesboro, Arkansas at 10 P.M., killing 36. 36 more were killed by other tornadoes in a 10-state area of the Midwestern and southern United States.

Baseball
In a game called after 5 innings because of rain, the California Angels defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-2 at County Stadium in the first American League game played in Milwaukee since 1901. 23,403 fans witnessed the first of 9 "home" games played by the White Sox in Milwaukee in 1968. The White Sox played about 10 more "home" games in Milwaukee the following year amid rumours that they would be moving there permanently. Milwaukee had been without major league baseball since the Braves of the National League had moved to Atlanta in 1966, after 13 years in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Brewers had been in the American League in 1900 when the AL was a minor league, and in 1901, the first year for the AL as a major league. However, the 1901 team performed poorly on the field and at the gate, and they moved to St. Louis in 1902 to become the Browns.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Southpaw--Pink Lady (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Te Amo--Umberto Tozzi (8th week at #1)

War
UNIFIL troops discovered a 20-man unit of Palestinian guerrillas in the United Nations zone in Lebanon.

Protest
Riots and a general strike began in Peru after the government announced a series of price increases from 30% to 120% for food, gasoline, and transportation. Peru had been subsidizing low-income consumers, but was forced to initiate austerity measures in order to obtain refinancing of the nation’s large short-term debt from the International Monetary Fund. The riots began as clashes between police and university students in Lima.

A commission of inquiry denounced former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay for illegal and repressive acts during her emergency rule government in 1975.

Politics and government
In local elections in Italy, the Christian Democrats made substantial gains, apparently resulting from a sympathetic reaction to the May 9 murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro, and anger at the terrorists. The Communists suffered losses, even though they had totally disassociated themselves from the Red Brigade, and had been denounced by the terrorists as spies for the government.

Law
The Supreme Court of the United States declined to review, and so let stand, a decision affirming the constitutionality of a North Carolina law that made homosexual relations between consenting adults a criminal offense.

Crime
Patricia Hearst, out on bail since November 19, 1976, returned to the medium-security federal prison at Pleasanton, California, after the Supreme Court of the United States, on April 24, had declined to review her 7-year sentence for bank robbery. She had served 14 months as Pleasanton before her release.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Heart--Pet Shop Boys

#1 single in Switzerland: Heart--Pet Shop Boys (2nd week at #1)

War
The Soviet Union began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, the date set for the withdrawal according to the agreements signed in Geneva in April.

Protest
A college student in South Korea committed suicide, leaving a note denouncing the United States and calling for the reunification of North and South Korea. The tragedy sparked a week of protests by tens of thousands of students throughout South Korea.

Baseball
The Chicago White Sox edged the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 in 11 innings.

10 years ago
1998

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
Ottawa 0 @ Washington 3 (Washington won best-of-seven series 4-1)