May 6, 2008

330 years ago
1678

Died on this date
Joseph de La Barre, 44. French composer. Mr. La Barre was known for his works for organ and harpsichord.

275 years ago
1733

Boxing
In the first international boxing match, Britain’s Bob Whittaker beat Tito di Carni of Italy at Figg’s Amphitheater in London.

175 years ago
1833

Technology
John Deere made the first steel plow.

100 years ago
1908

Defense
The Great White Fleet arrived at San Francisco. Consisting of four squadrons of four battleships each (with their escorts), the Great White Fleet was a United States Navy battle fleet that had left Hampton Roads, Virginia on December 16, 1907 to circumnavigate the globe. President Theodore Roosevelt had ordered the circumnavigation in order to demonstrate growing American military power and blue-water navy capability. The flagship was USS Connecticut (BB-18), under the command of Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Sam Wright, 79. U.S. baseball player. A brother of Hall of Fame members George and Harry Wright, Sam was a shortstop who played in 33 games for the New Haven Elm Citys in the National Association in 1875, batting .175. Mr. Wright played 2 games for the 1876 Boston Red Caps, a team on which Harry Wright played one game and was the manager, while George Wright was the shortstop. Sam then played 9 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1880, and returned to the Red Caps for 1 game in 1881. In 12 major league games, Sam Wright had just 5 hits in 46 at bats, a .109 average. In the field, he made more errors (8) than putouts (7). Sam Wright is not a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Defense
At Quantico, Virginia, the United States Marine Corps buried its bulldog mascot, Private Pagett, a gift from the Royal Marines of England, and the second canine mascot of the service to die in a year.

Crime
U.S. Coast Guardsmen, watching for bootleggers at Lewiston, New York, shot Jacob D. Hansen by mistake. Mr. Hansen was driving home from an Elks’ celebration and failed to stop at the Coast Guard’s orders. A bullet entered Mr. Hansen’s brain and blinded him. He died on August 24, 1928.

Disasters
A United States Coast Guard Board of Inquiry absolved the Coast Guard cutter Paulding and its commander, Lieutenant Commander J.S. Bayles, of blame for the collision with the submarine S-4 off Provincetown, Massachusetts on December 17, 1927. See the post for February 21,2008 for the conclusion of the naval board of inquiry.

75 years ago
1933

Horse racing
Brokers Tip, with Don Meade aboard, won the 59th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:06 4/5.

Economics and finance
Italy and the U.S.S.R. signed a trade agreement.

70 years ago
1938

World events
Dutch writer Maurits Dekker was sentenced to 50 days in prison for "offending a friendly head of state" (German Chancellor Adolf Hitler).

60 years ago
1948

War
43 Communist rebels were executed in Athens.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Hana no Kubikazari/Ginga no Romance--The Tigers (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La, la, la--Massiel (3rd week at #1)

War
After 10 months of fighting between Nigeria and the secessionist government of Biafra, the two sides met in London to determine a site for peace negotiations.

Diplomacy
Spain closed its border to Gibraltar, except to Spaniards.

Protest
200 students stormed and occupied a campus building at Stanford University to protest the suspension of seven leaders of a demonstration in November 1967 against Central Intelligence Agency recruiting on campus.

Space
U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong escaped death when the LLRV that he was operating malfunctioned and crashed. The Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) was a frame with legs wrapped around a General Electric engine that pointed down. Mounted on the frame were six backup jets and about 16 small steering jets. On the front was a seat for a pilot. The purpose of the vehicle was to simulate conditions in the last minutes before a lunar landing. Mr. Armstrong was making his 21st flight in LLRV #1 at Ellington Field when the vehicle began to pitch forward as it descended to 100 feet above ground. Mr. Armstrong fired the thrusters, but that just made the LLRV tilt to the right. Mr. Armstrong ejected safely just a few seconds before the LLRV crashed. A board of investigation late concluded that the cause of the accident was a problem with a helium tank aboard the LLRV that starved the steering jets.

Disasters
4 of 25 miners trapped in a coal mine flood near Hominy Falls, West Virginia died.

Baseball
San Francisco Giants’ relief pitcher Lindy McDaniel set a National League record with his 225th consecutive errorless game (108 chances consecutively since June 16, 1964).

30 years ago
1978

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

#1 single in Switzerland: Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Night Fever--Bee Gees (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Night Fever--Bee Gees (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Night Fever--Bee Gees (8th week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring--Boney M. (2nd week at #1)
2 Only a Fool--The Mighty Sparrow with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires
3 Argentina--Conquistador
4 Come Back My Love--Darts
5 Substitute--Clout
6 Night Fever--Bee Gees
7 U.O. Me (You Owe Me)--Luv'
8 With a Little Luck--Wings
9 Baker Street--Gerry Rafferty
10 Amor, Amor--Rod McKuen

Singles entering the chart were Lady McCorey by BZN (#18); Met de Vlam in de Pijp by Henk Wijngaard (#25); Bend Me Shape Me by Gilla (#26); In Hollywood (Everybody is a Star) by the Village People (#27); Dust in the Wind by Kansas (#30); and Lilac Wine by Elkie Brooks (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Night Fever--Bee Gees (8th week at #1)
2 If I Can't Have You--Yvonne Elliman
3 The Closer I Get to You--Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
4 With a Little Luck--Wings
5 Can't Smile Without You--Barry Manilow
6 You're the One that I Want--Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta
7 Jack and Jill--Raydio
8 Too Much, Too Little, Too Late--Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
9 Dust in the Wind--Kansas
10 Count on Me--Jefferson Starship

Singles entering the chart were Even Now by Barry Manilow (#73); Use Ta Be My Girl by the O'Jays (#82); Warm Ride by Rare Earth (#83); It's Late by Queen (#84); Everybody Dance by Chic (#86); It's the Same Old Song by K.C. and the Sunshine Band (#87); You Keep Me Dancing by Samantha Sang (#88); You Got It by Diana Ross (#89); Ça Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand (#95); Take Me to the Next Phase (Part 1) by the Isley Brothers (#97); Chattanooga Choo Choo by Tuxedo Junction (#99); and Oh Atlanta by Little Feat (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 If I Can't Have You--Yvonne Elliman
2 Night Fever--Bee Gees
3 Can't Smile Without You--Barry Manilow
4 Dust in the Wind--Kansas
5 Jack and Jill--Raydio
6 The Circle is Small--Gordon Lightfoot
7 Ebony Eyes--Bob Welch
8 Running on Empty--Jackson Browne
9 Goodbye Girl--David Gates
10 Thank You for Being a Friend--Andrew Gold

Singles entering the chart were You Belong to Me by Carly Simon (#84); Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett (#86); Take a Chance on Me by ABBA (#88); Tumblin' Dice by Linda Ronstadt (#90); Who, What, When, Where, Why by Bruce Murray (#93); Stay by Rufus/Chaka Khan (#96); I Want to Live by John Denver (#97); Isn't it Always Love by Karla Bonoff (#98); The Groove Line by Heatwave (#99); and A Lover's Question by Jacky Ward (#100).

Winnipeg's Top 30 (CKY)
1 You're the One that I Want--Olivia Newton John & John Travolta
2 If I Can't Have You--Yvonne Elliman
3 Two Doors Down--Dolly Parton
4 With a Little Luck--Wings
5 Night Fever--Bee Gees
6 Shadow Dancing--Andy Gibb
7 Dust in the Wind--Kansas
8 We Will Rock You/We are the Champions--Queen
9 Our Love--Natalie Cole
10 Jack and Jill--Raydio
11 Can't Smile Without You--Barry Manilow
12 Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)--Billy Joel
13 Sweet Misery--Teaze
14 Will Never Have to Say Goodbye Again--England Dan & John Ford Coley
15 Thank You for Being a Friend--Andrew Gold
16 Ebony Eyes--Bob Welch
17 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
18 Running on Empty--Jackson Brown
19 Too Much, Too Little, Too Late--Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
20 Werewolves of London--Warren Zevon
21 The Closer I Get to You--Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
22 Feels So Good--Chuck Mangione
23 Count on Me--Jefferson Starship
24 Ego--Elton John
25 Sweet Talkin' Woman--Electric Light Orchestra
26 It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler
27 Ready for the Good Times to Get Better--Crystal Gayle
28 Hot Legs--Rod Stewart
29 Take a Chance on Me--ABBA
30 You Needed Me--Anne Murray

Died on this date
Ethelda Bleibtrey, 76. U.S. swimmer. Miss Bleibtrey caught polio in 1917, and took up swimming as therapy. In 1919 she was arrested at Manhattan Beach for "nude swimming," for removing her stockings at a pool where it was forbidden to bare "the lower female extremities for public bathing." At the 1920 Olympic games in Antwerp, Belgium, Miss Bleibtrey won three Gold medals: 100 metre freestyle; 300 metre freestyle; and 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay. She was the only woman ever to win all the women’s swimming events at a single Olympic games, and was selected as an Honor Swimmer by the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1967.

Ko van Dijk, Jr., 61. Dutch actor. Mr. van Dijk was twice voted actor of the year in the Netherlands for his stage performances. He appeared in a number of television dramas, most notably Requiem for a Heavyweight (1959). Mr. van Dijk’s few theatrical movies included Jenny (1958) and Nude on a Fence (1973). He was on tour, acting in Autumn in Riga, when he died of a heart attack the day after a performance.

War
The government of Angola claimed that 504 Namibian refugees and 16 Angolan soldiers had been killed in the raids on SWAPO (South-West Africa People’s Organization) bases in Angola by South African troops two days earlier.

World events
Nur Mohammad Taraki, leader of a new government which had taken power in Afghanistan in a coup nine days earlier, denied as "imperialist propaganda" claims that large numbers of people had died in the takeover.

Economics and finance
U.S.S.R. President Leonid Brezhnev and West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt signed in Bonn a 25-year economic co-operation agreement, which called for the doubling of West-German-Soviet trade by 1980.

Horse racing
Affirmed, with Steve Cauthen up, held off Alydar, ridden by Jorge Velasquez, to win the 104th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville by a length and a half to begin their Triple Crown rivalry. Affirmed was trained by Laz Barrera and Alydar by John Veitch. Affirmed's time was 2:01.2; no Derby winner in the next 20 years came close.



Soccer
English FA Cup
Final @ Wembley Stadium, London
Ipswich Town 1 Arsenal 0

The game, broadcast on CBC television, was the first FA Cup Final to be telecast in Canada (see video).

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Montreal 6 @ Toronto 1 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-0)

25 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Kai Winding, 60. Danish-born U.S. jazz musician and composer. Mr. Winding, a trombonist, was a member of the bands of Benny Goodman and later, Stan Kenton after World War II. Mr. Winding’s best-known recording was the single More, the theme from the movie Mondo Cane. More hit #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the late summer of 1963.

Politics and government
The United States Senate Intelligence Committee approved a bill that authorized continued covert aid to the Contras in Nicaragua provided that the administration of President Ronald Reagan outlined its objectives in Nicaragua by September 30.

Diplomacy
Israel gave its approval to a U.S.-backed plan for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon. Israeli acceptance, however, was conditional on the agreement of Syria.

Scandal
The "Hitler Diaries," which had been published in April by the West German magazine Stern, were pronounced a hoax by West German historians who had had a chance to examine them. Hans Booms, head of the federal archives, called the documents "a blatant, grotesque and superficial forgery." It was established that the paper, glue, and artificial leather covers had been manufactured after the war. English historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, an alleged "expert" on World War II, believed that the documents were the actual diaries of Adolf Hitler, and was exposed as a total idiot when the hoax was revealed. Mr. Trevor-Roper was known for his denial of the accuracy of the historical accounts given in the Bible; given his ignorance of an area of history that he was supposed to be knowledgeable in, and his inability to accurately judge the authenticity of documents that were less than 50 years old, nobody needed to take seriously his statements about documents that were several thousand years old, concerning an area of history in which was not his main area of expertise. The diaries were produced by veteran West German forger Konrad Kujau. Years later, in an interview for the CTV program W5, Mr. Kujau was asked his opinion of the academics who had been fooled by him. He said, "They're idiots. They compared my Hitler diaries with other Hitler documents which were also my forgeries. They're all totally incompetent."

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 1,232.59, a new high.

Baseball
At Tiger Stadium, the California Angels defeated Detroit 4-2, as Rod Carew went 3-for-4 to raise his batting average for the season to .500 (48-for 96).

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Heart--Pet Shop Boys (3rd week at #1)

War
Bloody fighting broke out in the southern suburbs of Beirut between the pro-Iranian Hezbollah (Party of God) and the Syrian-supported Amal militia. Both sides were competing for the support of Lebanon’s Shiites.

Scandal
Two aides to U.S. Vice President George Bush said that Attorney General Edwin Meese should resign because allegations of misconduct posed problems for Mr. Bush’s presidential campaign.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Finals
Boston 6 @ New Jersey 1 (Boston led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Devils’ head coach Jim Schoenfeld was enraged by the officiating of referee Don Koharski, and confronted him after the game, shouting the immortal line, "Have another donut, you fat pig!" Mr. Koharski, one of the worst referees in all recorded history, tripped when trying to avoid him, and fell against a wall. Mr. Schoenfeld was suspended for "pushing" Mr. Koharski.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Atlanta 99 @ Milwaukee 105 (Best-of-five series tied 2-2)
Boston 102 @ New York 94 (Boston won best-of-five series 3-1)

Western Conference
First Round
Portland 96 @ Utah 111 (Utah won best-of-five series 3-1)

10 years ago
1998

At the movies
This blogger attended a preview screening of Deep Impact, starring Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, and Vanessa Redgrave. The film opened in theatres two days later.

Politics and government
U.S. House of Representatives investigator David Bossie, a top aide in the campaign finance inquiry, resigned after bipartisan criticism of his role in releasing tapes of the prison conversations of Webster Hubbell, a former law partner of Hillary Clinton.

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
Charlotte 78 @ Chicago 76 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 92 @ Seattle 68 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Baseball
Chicago Cubs' right-hander Kerry Wood, making his fifth major league start at age 20, set a National League record and tied Roger Clemens' major league record for most strikeouts in a 9-inning game (20), in a 2-0 one-hitter over the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field. Mr. Wood also broke the National League record of 19 strikeouts in a 9-inning game, held by Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver and David Cone.