May 27, 2008

270 years ago
1738

Born on this date
Nathaniel Gorham. U.S. politician. Mr. Gorham was a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, and served as its president from July 6-November 5, 1786. He attended the Constitutional Convention and signed the Constitution of the United States in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. He died on June 11, 1796 at the age of 58.

210 years ago
1798

War
4,000-5,000 Irish rebels killed 105 of 110 British militiamen in the Battle of Oulart Hill in Wexford, Ireland.

190 years ago
1818

Born on this date
Amelia Bloomer. U.S. journalist and activist. Mrs. Bloomer wrote for the Seneca Falls County Courier before editing the biweekly newspaper The Lily (1849-1853), the first newspaper for women. She supported women's suffrage, but was best known for advocating the loose trousers that became known as "bloomers." Mrs. Bloomer died on December 30, 1894 at the age of 76.

120 years ago
1888

Baseball
Bill "Adonis" Terry of the Brooklyn Trolley-Dodgers hurled his second career no-hitter‚ beating the Kansas City Cowboys 4-0. Three men walked and two more reached on errors. Mr. Terry no-hit the St. Louis Browns on July 24‚ 1886.

80 years ago
1928

Defense
A treaty of alliance between Turkey and Afghanistan was signed at Ankara.

Aviation
The Prince of Wales took to the air for the first time, flying from Scarborough, Yorkshire, where he had attended the opening session of the British Legion conference, to Bircham Newton, near Sandringham, a distance of about 120 miles, in order to dine with King George V and Queen Mary. The Prince wore flying kit, with a parachute attached to his shoulders. He was followed by an equerry in a second plane.

Crime
Near Salem, Oregon, the partly clothed body of 10-year-old Beatrice Rosenbaum, who disappeared from her home at Youngstown two weeks earlier, was found in a ravine on a farm.

Baseball
Veteran first baseman George Sisler cleared waivers and joined the Boston Braves. Mr. Sisler had been purchased by the Washington Nationals in December 1927 after 12 seasons with the St. Louis Browns, but had hit just .245, almost 100 points below his lifetime average, with no home runs and 2 runs batted in in 20 games with the Nationals.

75 years ago
1933

Died on this date
James Loeb, 65. U.S. banker and philanthropist. Mr. Loeb founded and endowed the Loeb Classical Library in 1912, and helped found part of the Juilliard School of Music.

Americana
The Chicago World’s Fair, or Century of Progress Exposition, opened. The theme of the fair was a celebration of science and industry, but fan dancer Sally Rand turned out to be the main attraction.

Baseball
The Chicago White Sox tallied 3 in their half of the 8th inning to take an 11-3 lead against New York, only to see the Yankees storm back with 12 runs in the bottom half of the inning, with Bill Dickey's grand slam the big blow. The combined total of 15 runs was a new American League record for one inning. The final read 15-11 for the Yankees.

70 years ago
1938

Economics and finance
The federal government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King nationalized the Bank of Canada, three years after its creation.

Baseball
Detroit's Hank Greenberg hammered a Frank Gabler pitch 440 feet, into the center field seats at Comiskey Park in Chicago‚ becoming the first slugger to reach the bleachers there, to help the Tigers beat the White Sox 5-2‚ as Vern Kennedy pitched a 6-hit complete game to improve his 1938 record to 7-0. 8,000 were in attendance, 5,000 of whom received free admission for Ladies Day.

With 2 out and nobody on base in the bottom of the 10th inning, Spud Davis doubled and Harry Craft followed with a double to drive him home with the winning run as the Cincinnati Reds edged the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 before 21,092 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Johnny Vander Meer pitched a 5-hit complete game to win the pitchers' duel over Bill McGee, who allowed 11 hits in going the distance.

60 years ago
1948

Died on this date
Rudolph Wurlitzer, 74. U.S. businessman. Mr. Wurlitzer was the son of Wurlitzer jukebox firm founder Rudolph Wurlitzer, and served as president of the company.

Augustin Sram. Czechoslovakian politician. Major Sram, a leading strategist of the Czech Communist Party, was assassinated in Prague by an unknown assailant.

War
Philippine security forces resumed their attack on Hukbalahap guerrillas in central Luzon after Huk leader Luis Taruc rejected a government peace offer.

Defense
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously recommended that the U.S. support regional defense arrangements like the Union of Western Europe to remove "dangerous uncertainties that might mislead potential aggressors."

Politics and government
The Lebanese Parliament re-elected President Bechara el-Khoury for a six-year term.

In a letter to the President's Loyalty Review Board, U.S. Attorney General Tom Clark ruled that the Communist Party advocated violent overthrow of the United States government and that party members could be dismissed from federal employment under the Hatch Act.

Crime
Narayan Vinayak Godse and eight co-defendants were formally charged in New Delhi with the January 30, 1948 murder of Indian Hindu nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi.

Business
Recently retired baseball slugger Hank Greenberg bought an interest in the Cleveland Indians‚ becoming their second-largest stockholder.

Baseball
The St. Louis Cardinals scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th inning to break a 5-5 tie and held on to defeat the New York Giants 9-6 before 21,277 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. The Giants had runners on first and second bases with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, but pinch hitter Les Layton, representing the potential tying run, flied out to left fielder Stan Musial to end the game.

50 years ago
1958

Literature
The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith was published in New York by Houghton Mifflin.

Space
Vanguard Satellite Launch Vehicle 1, with the Vanguard 2B satellite aboard, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, but failed to place the satellite into orbit.

Defense
Warsaw Pact foreign ministers issued a communique in Moscow approving plans for the withdrawal of U.S.S.R. forces from Romania and for the progressive reduction of Soviet bloc military manpower.

The F-4 Phantom II, the principal air superiority jet fighter for both the U.S. Navy and Air Force, made its first flight.

Politics and government
Following nighttime meetings with French Prime Minister Pierre Pflimlin and Defense Minister Pierre de Chevigne, French President Charles de Gaulle issued a statement declaring that he had "started yesterday the regular process necessary for the establishment of a republican government capable of assuring the unity and the independence of the country."

British and Singaporean negotiators announced an agreement on terms for a new constitution designed to transform Singapore into a self-governing state under U.K. protection.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Hana no Kubikazari/Ginga no Romance--The Tigers (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Congratulations--Cliff Richard (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Rip Collins, 72. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Collins played for 4 American League teams in 11 seasons from 1920-1931, posting a record of 108-82 with an earned run average of 3.99 in 311 games. He had 14-win seasons in 1920, 1922, and 1924. Mr. Collins went 11-5 with the New York Yankees when they won their first American League pennant in 1921, but gave up 4 hits and a base on balls in just 2/3 of an inning in his only World Series appearance.

War
North Vietnamese peace delegate Xuan Thuy pressed for a halt in U.S. bombing, while U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Averell Harriman rejected "the suggestion now urged by you that the only reason for our meetings is to give the hour and date for the cessation of bombing."

Disasters
The U.S. nuclear submarine Scorpion, with 99 men aboard, failed to show up on schedule at Norfolk, Virginia after a three-month training exercise with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea.

Baseball
National League President Warren Giles announced that the league would add expansion teams in San Diego and Montreal at a cost of U.S.$10 million each, with Montreal becoming the first city outside the United States to be awarded a franchise. The San Diego Padres and Montreal Expos began play in the 1969 season.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): With a Little Luck--Wings (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring--Boney M. (5th week at #1)
2 Ça Plane pour Moi--Plastic Bertrand
3 Night Fever--Bee Gees
4 Substitute--Clout
5 Lady McCorey--BZN
6 Every 1's a Winner--Hot Chocolate
7 Come Back My Love--Darts
8 Met de Vlam in de Pijp--Henk Wijngaard
9 Only a Fool--The Mighty Sparrow with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires
10 Eagle/Thank You for the Music--ABBA

Singles entering the chart were If You Can't Give Me Love by Suzi Quatro (#20); I'll Be Waiting by Santana (#24); Wishing on a Star by Rose Royce (#29); and To the Unknown Man by Vangelis (#33).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 With a Little Luck--Wings (2nd week at #1)
2 Too Much, Too Little, Too Late--Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
3 You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
4 Shadow Dancing--Andy Gibb
5 The Closer I Get to You--Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
6 Baby Hold On--Eddie Money
7 Feels So Good--Chuck Mangione
8 Disco Inferno--The Trammps
9 Imaginary Lover--Atlanta Rhythm Section
10 Night Fever--Bee Gees

Singles entering the chart were Miss You by the Rolling Stones (#64); Grease by Frankie Valli (#65); My Angel Baby by Toby Beau (#72); Runaway by Jefferson Starship (#77); Under the Boardwalk by Billy Joe Royal (#80); Over the Rainbow by Gary Tanner (#90); Shame by Evelyn "Champagne" King (#94); Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by Dave Mason (#95); Love Will Find a Way by Pablo Cruise (#96); and That Once in a Lifetime by Demis Roussos (#97). Grease was the title song of the movie.

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 With a Little Luck--Wings
2 The Closer I Get to You--Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
3 If I Can't Have You--Yvonne Elliman
4 You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
5 Night Fever--Bee Gees
6 Too Much, Too Little, Too Late--Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
7 Shadow Dancing--Andy Gibb
8 Thank You for Being a Friend--Andrew Gold
9 Count on Me--Jefferson Starship
10 Disco Inferno--The Trammps

Singles entering the chart were Still the Same by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (#81); It's Late by Queen (#84); Everybody Dance by Chic (#92); Roll with the Changes by REO Speedwagon (#93); Last Dance by Donna Summer (#95); Take Me Back to Chicago by Chicago (#96); I'm on My Way by Captain and Tennille (#97); Daylight Katy by Gordon Lightfoot (#98); You Needed Me by Anne Murray (#99); and New York City by Ken Tobias (#100).

World events
The Chinese government announced that it would be sending ships to rescue 70,000 Chinese residents from Vietnam, who had been expelled after nationalization of businesses in Vietnam.

Protest
At the first legal Zimbabwean African People’s Union (ZAPU) rally in years, a crowd of 50,000 roared its opposition to the biracial interim government of Rhodesia.

Disasters
At least three were killed when two days of heavy rains sent a 12-foot wall of water surging through a canyon in the Texas panhandle.

25 years ago
1983

World events
The Popular Liberation Forces, a Communist guerrilla group, claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting in San Salvador on May 25 of Lt. Cdr. Albert Schaufelberger, deputy commander of the U.S. Military Group. The administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan announced that it would send at least 100 U.S. military advisers to Honduras to train Salvadoran soldiers in guerrilla warfare. U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz announced that Thomas Enders, assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs, would be replaced by Langhorne Motley, the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ella, Elle L'a--France Gall (2nd week at #1)

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald Reagan, on his way to Moscow for a summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, stopped in Helsinki, and asserted that the U.S.S.R. was falling short of its commitments when it signed the Helsinki accord on human rights in 1975.

Defense
The United States Senate voted 93-5 to ratify the intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) treaty.

Basketball
NBA
Western Conference
Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 94 @ Dallas 106 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 2-1)

10 years ago
1998

Terrorism
Michael Fortier, the U.S. government's star witness in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing case, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after apologizing for not warning anyone about the deadly plot.

Economics and finance
The financial markets of Russia were near collapse, and the Russian government took drastic steps to preserve the value of currency and halt the exodus of foreign investors.

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Finals
Indiana 87 @ Chicago 106 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 3-2)