May 7, 2008

290 years ago
1718

Americana
The city of New Orleans was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville.

190 years ago
1818

Died on this date
Leopold Koželuch, 70. Czech-born Austrian composer. Mr. Koželuch composed about 400 works, including about 30 symphonies and 22 piano concertos.

140 years ago
1868

Died on this date
Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, 89. U.K. politician. Mr. Brougham, a Whig, sat in the House of Commons from 1810-1830, bescoming best known for his opposition to slavery. He set a House record in 1828 by delivering a six-hour speech. In 1830 Mr. Brougham was elevated to the House of Lords as the 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, serving as Lord Chancellor from 1830-1835. The Slavery Abolition Act was passed during his tenure, in 1833.

120 years ago
1888

Technology
George Eastman patented the Kodak box camera.

100 years ago
1908

Academia
The University of British Columbia was founded as a branch of McGill University in Montréal; UBC became independent in 1915.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Alexander Afanasii Spendiaryan, 56. Armenian composer. A pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov in St. Petersburg (1896-1900), Mr. Spendiaryan worked as a conductor, and wrote an opera (Almast, 1928), orchestral pieces, etc., which, in their synthesis of folk music and the Russian tradition, laid the foundations of an Armenian nationalist style.

Literature
The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was awarded to Thornton Wilder for The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

World events
Hundreds of thousands of peasants were reported marching on Bucharest. Romanian cavalry and airplanes were accompanying the marches to guard against any attempt to arouse the countryside. Martial law was declared in Transylvania, with travel in and out of the country forbidden.

Abominations
England lowered the age of women voters from 30 to 21. Of course, women should never have been allowed to vote in the first place.

Scandal
At Albany, New York, Mrs. Florence Knapp took the witness stand in the New York Supreme Court to tell why her dealings with the census fund when she was New York Secretary of State "could not possibly be called stealing."

Law
At Yonkers, New York, Judge Boote exonerated a blind dog which had bitten a deaf man who bumped into it.

70 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Octavian Goga, 57. Prime Minister of Romania, 1937-1938. Mr. Goga was a member of various parties. He was with the National Christian Party (the Romanian equivalent of the Nazi Party) when he was appointed Prime Minister on December 28, 1937 by King Carol II in an attempt by the king to increase his own power. Mr. Goga's government introduced a series of anti-Semitic laws in January 1938; Mr. Goga resigned on February 10, and died two days after suffering a stroke.

World events
C.M.J.F. Goseling, the Dutch Minister of Justice, called fugitives of Nazi Germany "undesired strangers."

Horse racing
Lawrin, with Eddie Arcaro up, won the 64th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:04 4/5.





60 years ago
1948

At the movies
Berlin Express, directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Merle Oberon, Robert Ryan, Charles Korvin, and Paul Lukas, opened in theatres.



Diplomacy
The Council of Europe was founded during the Hague Congress, as former U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill urged the creation of an assembly representing all European states.

World events
Dutch Nazi collaborator V-Mann Antonius van de Waals was sentenced to death.

Labour
U.S. Attorney General Tom Clark informed President Harry Truman that the government could seize the nation's railroads in the event of a strike by railroad workers.

50 years ago
1958

Married on this date
U.S. actor Tyrone Power and Deborah Montgomery were married in Tunica, Mississippi.

Aviation
Major Howard Johnson set a world record for ground-launched planes when he reached an altitude of 91,249 feet (27,810 metres) in a U.S. Air Force F-104A Starfighter over Edwards Air Force Base, California.

World events
The China Fishery Association charged tht 14 Japanese fishing boats seized in teh last two days had encroached on Chinese waters in the East China Sea and attacked Chinese fishermen.

Politics and government
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated Ohio Wesleyan University President Arthur Flemming, who had held 10 federal posts in the past 19 years, to succeed Marion Folsom as U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.

Religion
Religious ceremonies marking the birth of the late Eva Peron were permitted throughout Argentina for the first time since the overthrow of the government of President Juan Peron in 1955.

Economics and finance
The United Arab Republic and West Germany reached an agreement providing for a $95-million West German credit for the U.A.R. and the return of German church and cultural properties seized by Egypt and Syria during World War II.

Boxing
Joe Brown retained his world lightweight championship with a technical knockout of Ralph Dupas in the 8th round at Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Delilah--Tom Jones (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Craig Wood, 66. U.S. golfer. Mr. Wood turned professional in 1920, and won 28 professional tournaments through the mid-1940s. He had the dubious distinction of being the first golfer to lose all four major tournaments in playoffs; most notoriously, he was the victim of Gene Sarazen's albatross in the final round of the 1935 Masters, which led to a playoff won by Mr. Sarazen. Mr. Wood finally won two major tournaments, winning both the Masters and U.S. Open in 1941. He died of a heart attack, and was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 2008.

Lurleen Wallace, 41. U.S. politician. Mrs. Wallace, the wife of former Alabama Governor George Wallace, was elected Governor in 1966. Mr. Wallace was forbidden by the state constitution from succeeding himself as Governor; he failed in an attempt to change that rule, but succeeded in getting term limits for governors repealed. There was no rule, however, against his wife running for the office. Mrs. Wallace was battling cancer, but her health was kept secret from the voters during the 1966 election campaign, and after she was inaugurated as Governor in January 1967. Despite failing health, she continued in office until her death. Mrs. Wallace, a Democrat, remains Alabama’s only female Governor to date.

Mike Spence, 31. U.K. auto racing driver. Mr. Spence participated in 37 Formula One races from 1963-1968, with a best finish of third in the Mexican Grand Prix in 1965. He was practicing for the Indianapolis 500 and had turned in the fastest lap of the month earlier in the day, but crashed into the wall in turn 1. The right front wheel came back and hit him in the head, and he died several hours later from severe head trauma.



Politics and government
U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey told the American Meat Institute in Washington that the federal role in farm policy was "here to stay."

Horse racing
Dancer's Image, winner of the Kentucky Derby three days earlier, was disqualified after urine tests revealed he had run with phenylbutazone, a painkiller used to alleviate inflammation of joints. Horses could use "Bute" at some tracks, but not Churchill Downs. Forward Pass was awarded the first prize money.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Montreal 1 @ St. Louis 0 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Gump Worsley earned the shutout in goal to win the goaltending duel over Glenn Hall as the Canadiens edged the Blues at St. Louis Arena.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush

Terrorism
The wife of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro, who had been kidnapped on March 16 by Red Brigade terrorists, received a farewell letter in which Mr. Moro wrote, "They have told me that they will kill me shortly. I kiss you for the last time; give a kiss to the children."

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. President Leonid Brezhnev returned to the U.S.S.R. from his visit to West Germany.

Politics and government
The Social Credit Party of Canada, at its convention in Winnipeg, elected Lorne Reznowski, 49, a professor of English literature at the University of Manitoba, as its new leader. Mr. Reznowski obtained 356 of the 471 votes required (583 delegates attended) to defeat Edmonton lawyer Martin Hattersley. Social Credit hadn't elected anyone from outside Quebec to the House of Commons since 1965, but Mr. Reznowski appeared to have the support of Quebec delegates. The party expressed outrage at the fact that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation declined to provide live television coverage of the convention (CBC did broadcast a news special on the party and the convention the next night). In his victory speech at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, Mr. Reznowski praised Mr. Hattersley for his campaign, and promised a "union of French Canada, English Canada, and ethnic Canada," and to "drive the bankers out of government and let the Canadian people plan their own lives." Mr. Reznowski said that Canadians "are living in misery because of an idiotic financial system." He referred to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as a "spoiled millionaire's son" who treated the Canadian economy like a toy: "Trudeau has broken the toy." He also accused Mr. Trudeau of creating a degenerate country plagued by homosexuals, abortion mills, sterilization, euthanasia, and high finance--which, of course, was, and still is, true. It's worth pondering that while Mr. Reznowski's opinions on the Canadian society produced by Pierre Trudeau were out of fashion by 1978, such views could at least be expressed in public. If Mr. Reznowski--the leader of a national political party that still had a few members of Parliament--were to express such opinions today, he'd probably be arrested as a "hate criminal," or, even worse, be subjected to an inquisition from a "human rights" commission.

Golf
Tom Watson won the Byron Nelson Classic in Dallas with a score of 272. First prize money was $40,000.

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

WHA
Avco World Trophy
Semi-Finals
Quebec 3 @ New England 6 (New England won best-of-seven series 4-1)

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Finals
Philadelphia 105 @ Washington 121 (Washington led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Western Conference
Finals
Seattle 121 @ Denver 111 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

25 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Peter Edel, 62. Dutch writer. I don’t know who he was, but I do know this...

Oddities
August Hoffman performed a record 29,051 consecutive sit-ups. Why he bothered, I don’t know.

Horse racing
A Canadian (Oshawa-born, Toronto-bred) horse named Sunny’s Halo, with Ed Delahoussaye aboard, won the 109th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:02 1/5.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
Boston 4 @ New York Islanders 8 (New York won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Football
USFL
Boston 20 @ Los Angeles 23

The game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was broadcast in Edmonton on CFRN radio.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): L'Amore Rubato--Luca Barbarossa (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Gimme Hope Jo'anna--Eddy Grant (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Gimme Hope Jo'anna--Eddy Grant (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): N'importe quoi--Florent Pagny

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Perfect--Fairground Attraction

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Theme from S-Express--S-Express (2nd week at #10

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Theme from S-Express--S-Express (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby
2 Where Do Broken Hearts Go--Whitney Houston
3 Angel--Aerosmith
4 Anything for You--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
5 Pink Cadillac--Natalie Cole
6 Devil Inside--INXS
7 Prove Your Love--Taylor Dayne
8 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
9 Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys
10 Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)--Samantha Fox

Singles entering the chart were Dirty Diana by Michael Jackson (#57); Mercedes Boy by Pebbles (#80); Lost in You by Rod Stewart (#82); Rush Hour by Jane Wiedlin (#83); Trouble by Nia Peeples (#85); Hands to Heaven by Breathe (#86); Something Just Ain't Right by Keith Sweat (#87); Parents Just Don't Understand by DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince (#88); Love Changes Everything by Honeymoon Suite (#89); and Get It by Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson (#90).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby
2 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
3 Devil Inside--INXS
4 I Saw Him Standing There--Tiffany
5 I'm Still Searching--Glass Tiger
6 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
7 Push It--Salt-N-Pepa
8 Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys
9 Where Do Broken Hearts Go--Whitney Houston
10 Endless Summer Nights--Richard Marx

Singles entering the chart were Yes by Merry Clayton (#82); You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart by Eurythmics (#86); Kiss Me Deadly by Lita Ford (#88); Layin' Pipe by David Wilcox (#91); Nothin' But a Good Time by Poison (#95); and Stutter Rap by Morris Minor and the Majors (#96).

Defense
The U.S.S.R. performed a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya.

Horse racing
Winning Colors, with Gary Stevens aboard, won the 114th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:02 1/5.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference
Finals
Edmonton 2 @ Detroit 5 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Western Conference
First Round
Seattle 96 @ Denver 115 (Denver won best-of-five series 3-2)

20 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Allan McLeod Cormack, 74. S.A.-born U.S. physicist. Professor Cormack and Sir Godfrey Hounsfield shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for the development of computer assisted tomography." Professor Cormack's theoretical calculations provided the basis for CT scanning. He died of cancer.

Eddie Rabbitt, 56. U.S. musician. Mr. Rabbitt, whose first success as a songwriter came with the Elvis Presley hit Kentucky Rain in 1970, placed 40 songs on the Billboard country singles chart, and hit #1 on that chart 17 times. His first #1 country hit was Drinkin’ My Baby (Off My Mind) in 1976, two years after he’d first charted with You Get to Me, which hit #34. Mr. Rabbitt’s biggest hit was I Love a Rainy Night, which not only topped the country chart, but the pop chart as well, hitting #1 in 1981. Drivin’ My Life Away (1980) and Step By Step (1981) hit #5 on the Hot 100. I got sick of hearing his songs in the early 1980s, but I always liked I Don’t Know Where to Start (#2 country; #35 Top 100 in 1982). Mr. Rabbitt’s last #1 song on the country chart was On Second Thought in 1990. Hang Up the Phone, his last chart single, hit #50 in 1991. Mr. Rabbitt died of lung cancer.

Business
Mercedes-Benz bought Chrysler Corporation for US$40 billion and formed DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
Ottawa 2 @ Washington 4 (Washington led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Edmonton 1 @ Dallas 3 (Dallas led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
New York 77 @ Indiana 85 (Indiana led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
San Antonio 106 @ Utah 109 (Utah led best-of-seven series 2-0)