May 23, 2008

510 years ago
1498

Died on this date
Girolamo Savonarola, 45. Italian cleric and politician. Mr. Savonarola, the ruler of Florence from 1494-1498, was known for his criticism of the immorality and corruption of the Roman Catholic clergy (including Pope Alexander VI), although he was a devout Catholic himself. He was also famous for burning books, and destruction of what he regarded as immoral art. The most notorious of these public events, in 1497, became known as the Bonfire of the Vanities. Mr. Savonarola was publicly hanged, just over a year after being excommunicated by Pope Alexander VI.

225 years ago
1783

Died on this date
James Otis, Jr., 58. U.S. lawyer and patriot. Mr. Otis was a lawyer in colonial Massachusetts who was an early advocate of the political views that led to the American Revolution. The phrase "Taxation without representation is tyranny" is usually attributed to him.

160 years ago
1848

Born on this date
Otto Lilienthal. German aviator. Mr. Lilienthal was the first person to make documented repeated glider flights. He died on August 10, 1896 at the age of 48, the day after breaking his neck when his glider stalled and he fell 50 feet.

140 years ago
1868

Baseball
In a battle of the top two Cincinnati teams‚ the Red Stockings cut down the Buckeyes 28-10. Asa Brainard‚ from the Excelsior Club‚ made his first appearance with the Red Stockings, as a number of players had changed teams that year. Those who did so while having a valid contract with their original team were called "revolvers."

110 years ago
1898

Baseball
The Eastern League‚ struggling to stay alive‚ cut all rosters to 15 players.

90 years ago
1918

Baseball
The New York Giants defeated the Cardinals 6-4 at League Park in St. Louis‚ no thanks to outfielder Benny Kauff, who tied a major league record by striking out 5 times.

80 years ago
1928

Aviation
The Italian dirigible Italia, commanded by General Umberto Nobile, left Kings Bay, Spitzbergen, Norway, at 4:35 A.M., bound for the North Pole.

Law
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signed the Jones-White Merchant Marine bill that provided for a $250,000 ship construction loan fund to encourage private shipping, and also for liberal long-term mail contracts.

President Coolidge vetoed the McNary-Haugen Farm Relief bill, calling it unworkable, with vicious provisions, and written to deceive the farmers for political purposes. Attorney General John Sargent had pronounced it unconstitutional.

Crime
Robbers in Lamar, Colorado killed A.N. Parrish, president of a bank, and stole $20,000. They kidnapped teller E.A. Kessinger and Dr. W.W. Wineinger of Dighton. The robbers killed mr. Kessinger near Oakley, Kansas.

A bomb was exploded at the Italian consulate at Buenos Aires, killing 6 and injuring 34.

A bomb blew up a cloakroom in the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City, with no casualties.

Baseball
Jack Slattery quit as manager of the last place Boston Braves. Owner William Fuchs announced that "after much persuasion," second baseman Rogers Hornsby had consented to take over as manager.

Cleveland Indians’ left fielder Charlie Jamieson started a triple play against the Chicago White Sox in a 4-3 loss. Today's triple play occurred when Bud Clancy was out on a short fly to Mr. Jamieson‚ who then threw out Johnny Mann‚ the runner on third who tried to score. The relay from catcher Ray Sewell to his brother Joe at second caught Ray Schalk off base‚ and he was tagged at third base. Mr. Jamieson started another triple play against the New York Yankees on June 9.

70 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Philip Kleintjes, 70. Dutch politician. Mr. Kleintjes, a republican, was known as the "people’s rights" leader in the Netherlands.

Frederick Ruple, 66. Swiss-born U.S. artist. Mr. Ruple, born Frederick Rupli, moved to the United States in 1891, and lived in Ohio, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, with the latter two states providing the inspiration for his portraits and murals. His most famous work was The Spirit of '89, a depiction of the beginning of the Oklahoma land rush.

60 years ago
1948

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on MBS, starring John Stanley and Alfred Shirley
Tonight’s episode: The Case of the Accommodating Valise

Baseball
The New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians played a doubleheader in Cleveland before a Municipal Stadium record crowd of 78,431. Joe DiMaggio was the star of the first game. After singling in his first at bat, Joltin’ Joe followed with a 2-run home run in the 4th inning, a 3-run homer in the 6th (both off Indians’ starting pitcher Bob Feller), and a solo home run in the 8th (off relief pitcher Bob Muncrief). Joe Page preserved a 6-5 win for the Yankees by striking out the last two Cleveland batters on six pitches after the Indians loaded the bases in the 9th inning. Allie Reynolds won his sixth game of the season for the Yankees; for Mr. Feller, it was his third loss. The Yankees overcame a 4-run deficit for the win. The Indians easily won the second game 5-1, as Mr. DiMaggio went hitless.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Who's Sorry Now--Connie Francis (2nd week at #1)

Basketball
Wilt Chamberlain, the All-America center from the University of Kansas, announced that he was giving up his senior year of eligibility to turn professional as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.

40 years ago
1968

Protest
New clashes began between police and students in France.

Politics and government
A bipartisan ad hoc committee of U.S. Congressmen was formed to help people associated with the "poor people’s march" in Washington to present their demands. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Orville Freeman promised Rev. Ralph Abernathy, leader of the march, that he would enlarge his department’s food distribution program.

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston (41-3) knocked out Billy Joiner (9-4-3) in 7 rounds at Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

30 years ago
1978

Law
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled 8-1 that judges and juries should not consider the possible reactions of children when deciding whether material was obscene in terms of "contemporary community standards."

A city ordinance prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodation on the basis of sexual or affectional preference was repealed in a referendum in Eugene, Oregon.

Diplomacy
A special five-week United Nations General Assembly session on disarmament opened.

The annual Franco-African summit in Paris concluded with the endorsement by African leaders, including Zaire’s Mobutu Sese Seko, of the rescue of Europeans from the Zairian town of Kolwezi by French and Belgian troops several days earlier.

Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev began a two-day visit to Japan. He briefed Japanese officials on his talks in Peking (Beijing) several days earlier, and told Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda that China was interested in resuming peace treaty talks, suspended since 1975, with Japan.

Politics and government
U.S. President Jimmy Carter reiterated his complaints about the constraints that Congress had placed on aid to friendly African nations. Speaking to a group of senators, he explained that because of the limits, the United States was not able to assist pro-western guerrillas fighting the 20,000 Cubans stationed in Angola.

Protest
Two days of clashes between police and protesters in 28 cities in Peru concluded with the reported deaths of 20 people.

Business
Major league baseball's American League approved the transfer of the Boston Red Sox to a group headed by Jean Yawkey‚ Buddy LeRoux‚ and Haywood Sullivan. The purchase price was $15 million. Mr. Sullivan had a 7-year catching career for the Red Sox and Royals‚ while Mr. LeRoux was the Boston trainer for 8 years.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Boston 1 @ Montreal 4 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-2)

The pathetic refereeing of Dave Newell was a major factor in the Canadiens’ win over the Bruins at the Montreal Forum.

Baseball
With the Oakland A’s leading the American League West Division (24-15)‚ manager Bobby Winkles resigned, and was replaced by Jack McKeon.

25 years ago
1983

World events
Members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization who were opposed to the leadership of Yasser Arafat vowed to "step up the armed struggle against the Zionist enemy." The rebels had organized themselves in Damascus after their leader, Col. Abu Masa, and four other officers, had been dismissed from their positions two days earlier. Mr. Arafat blamed the rebellion on Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Terrorism
The African National Congress claimed responsibility for the car bomb in Pretoria three days earlier that killed 18 and injured 200 outside the headquarters of the South African air force. In retaliation, South African fighter planes bombed alleged "terrorist camps" in Matola, a suburb of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Mozambique reported that 2 women and 2 children were among 6 people killed.

Weather
Six days of tornadoes, storms, floods, and hail finished hitting the southern United States, especially the Gulf Coast. 32 people died and 11,000 were forced from their homes. One million acres of farmland were covered by water. 59 tornadoes were counted from May 18-23. Houston was one of the hardest hit areas.

20 years ago
1988

Law
The White House announced that boats would no longer be seized outside United States territorial waters just because small quantities of drugs were found on board.

Basketball
NBA
Western Conference
Finals
Dallas 98 @ Los Angeles Lakers 113 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Baseball
Atlanta Braves’ manager Chuck Tanner was fired and replaced by Russ Nixon. The Braves were 12-27 under Mr. Tanner‚ last in the National League West Division.

Danny Tartabull of the Kansas City Royals, who had hit an inside-the-park home run against Bert Blyleven the previous October‚ did it again at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. However, the Minnesota Twins defeated the Royals 7-5.