June 1, 2008

710 years ago
1298

War
Residents of Riga and Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida.

360 years ago
1648

War
The Roundheads defeated the Cavaliers in the Battle of Maidstone in the Second English Civil War.

175 years ago
1833

Born on this date
John Marshall Harlan. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1877-1911. Justice Harlan was a member of various political parties who fought for the Union Army in the Civil War and served as Attorney General of Kentucky (1863-1867), and joined the Republican party after the war. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Rutherford B. Hayes, and became known as "The Great Dissenter" for the number of dissenting opinions he wrote, particularly in cases involving civil liberties, such as Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), in which he argued against the majority opinion upholding the practice of "separate but equal" access to public services for white people and Negroes. Justice Harlan died on October 14, 1911 at the age of 78.

140 years ago
1868

Died on this date
James Buchanan, 77. 15th President of the United States of America, 1857-1861. Mr. Buchanan, a Democrat, held various political and diplomatic offices before serving as President. He was regarded as a "doughface"--a northerner (from Pennsylvania) with southern sympathies--and his handling of the slavery issue and the threat of secession of southern states from the Union led to his reputation as one of the worst Presidents in American history. Mr. Buchanan died shortly after catching a bad cold. The day before his death, Mr. Buchanan said that ""history will vindicate my memory." He was mistaken.

Diplomacy
The Treaty of Bosque Redondo was signed, allowing the Navajo to return to their lands in Arizona and New Mexico.

120 years ago
1888

Albertana
The Canadian Pacific Railway's Banff Springs Hotel opened.

100 years ago
1908

Died on this date
Allen Butler Talcott, 41. U.S. artist. Mr. Talcott painted landscapes and was especially known for his paintings of trees. He died of a heart attack.

90 years ago
1918

War
U.S. Army forces under Brigadier Generals John J. Pershing and James Harbord engaged Imperial German Forces under German Crown Prince Wilhelm to begin the Battle of Belleau Wood near the Marne River in France.

80 years ago
1928

Law
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police absorbed the provincial police force of Saskatchewan due to the near-insolvency of the province.

Disasters
Seven people drowned when the freight steamship Kershaw of the Merchants and Miners Company sank in a collision with the Dollar liner President Garfield off Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

75 years ago
1933

At the movies
The Sphinx, directed by Phil Rosen, and starring Lionel Atwill, Sheila Terry, and Theodore Newton, opened in theatres.



70 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Ödön von Horváth, 36. Austro-Hungarian-born playwright and author. Mr. Horváth wrote almost 20 plays and four novels; he often wrote about politics and history, and warned of the dangers of fascism Mr. Horváth lived in Germany in the 1920s, but moved to Vienna after the Nazis came to power in 1933, and moved to Paris after the German Anschluss of Austria in 1938. He died when he was hit by a falling tree branch during a thunderstorm on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Transportation
Canadian Minister of Transport C.D. Howe officially opened a new steel railway bridge spanning the Saint John River at Fredericton, New Brunswick. Replacing a previous structure destroyed by ice in 1936, it was re-opened as a walking bridge on August 4, 1997.

60 years ago
1948

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis, on MBS

War
Israel and the Arab League informed United Nations mediator Folke Bernadotte that they were willing "in principle" to accept a truce in Palestine fighting.

Politics and government
Auténtico-Republican Alliance candidate Carlos Prío Socarrás was elected President of Cuba, taking 45.8% of the vote to 30.3% for runner up Ricardo Núñez Portuondo, candidate of the Liberal-Democratic Coalition. The Auténtico-Republican Alliance won 36 seats in the Senate--an increase of 12 from the most recent election in 1946--with the Liberal-Democratic Coalition taking the remaining 18. The Partido Auténtico led House of Representatives elections with 29 of 70 seats, followed by the Liberal Party with 15, the Republican Party with 11, and the Democratic Party with 6. This remains the most recent free election in Cuban history.

French Prime Minister Robert Schuman won a vote of confidence in the National Assembly on government plans to dismiss 150,000 civil servants in an economy move.

Australia inaugurated a free medical care plan despite a physicians' boycott.

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved and sent to the House of Representatives a bill authorizing the dismissal by "sensitive" government departments of "indiscreet or disloyal" employees.

State Democratic Party conventions in California and Maryland pledged a total of 74 delegates to U.S. President Harry Truman at the party's national convention.

Economics and finance
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan Douglas MacArthur announced a currency agreement between Japan and the British sterling area providing for increased trade.

Labour
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that military veterans holding Civil Service jobs had "absolute preference" over non-veterans in job retention.

Art
The government-built Hotel del Prado in Mexico City was forced to open without the blessing of Roman Catholic Archbishop Luis Maria Martinez because of a mural by Diego Rivera containing the inscription "God does not exist."

50 years ago
1958

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents on CBS
Tonight's episode: Dip in the Pool, starring Keenan Wynn, Fay Wray, and Philip Bourneuf

This episode was directed by Mr. Hitchcock.

At the movies
The Lineup, directed by Don Siegel and starring Eli Wallach, Robert Keith, and Warner Anderson, opened in theatres.

Politics and government
General Charles de Gaulle came out of retirement to take office as Prime Minister of France, governing by decree for six months as the crisis in Algeria threatened to bring civil war to France itself. He announced his 15-member cabinet to the National Assembly.

The U.S. Socialist Party national convention ended after voting to let members run in Democratic and Republican primaries.

Diplomacy
Lebanese delegate Bechir Ahwar, presenting to the Arab League Council evidence of Syrian military involvement, charged the United Arab Republic with inciting anti-government violence in Lebanon.

Golf
Doug Sanders won the Western Open at Red Run Golf Club in Royal Oak, Michigan with a 13-under-par score of 275, 1 stroke ahead of Dow Finsterwald. First prize money was $5,000.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Honey--Bobby Goldsboro (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Delilah--Tom Jones (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): La bambola--Patty Pravo (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Delilah--Tom Jones (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Young Girl--The Union Gap

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Young Girl--The Union Gap

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Mrs. Robinson--Simon and Garfunkel

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Lazy Sunday--Small Faces (2nd week at #1)
2 If I Only Had Time--John Rowles
3 La Felicidad/Pa Wil Niet in Bad (La Felicidad)/Felicidad, de Roddel Van de Stad--Digno Garcia
--Johnny & Rijk
--Eddie Becker
4 Il Est Cinq Heures, Paris S'éveille--Jacques Dutronc
5 Congratulations--Cliff Richard
6 Jumbo/The Singer Sang His Song--The Bee Gees
7 A Man Without Love (Quando M'innamora)--Engelbert Humperdinck
8 Summertime Blues--Blue Cheer
9 Take Time to Know Her--Percy Sledge
10 Delilah--Tom Jones

Singles entering the chart were Mamma, Oh Mamma by Egbert Douwe (#25); The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus (#30); Honey by Bobby Goldsboro (#34); Hello, How are You? by the Easybeats (#37); and Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Mrs. Robinson--Simon and Garfunkel (2nd week at #1)
2 Tighten Up--Archie Bell & the Drells
3 A Beautiful Morning--The Rascals
4 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus
5 Mony Mony--Tommy James and the Shondells
6 Yummy Yummy Yummy--Ohio Express
7 Cowboys to Girls--The Intruders
8 MacArthur Park--Richard Harris
9 Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day--Stevie Wonder
10 Master Jack--Four Jacks and a Jill

Singles entering the chart were Yester Love by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (#66); The Horse by Cliff Nobles & Co. (#69); Stoned Soul Picnic by the 5th Dimension (#70); Safe in My Garden by the Mamas & the Papas (#71); Back in Love Again by the Buckinghams (#73); It Should Have Been Me by Gladys Knight & the Pips (#77); Backwards and Forwards by December's Children (#83); Here Come the Judge by the Magistrates (#86); Mountain of Love by Ronnie Dove (#88); Here Comes the Judge by Shorty Long (#89); Mechanical World by Spirit (#92); You're Good for Me by Lou Rawls (#94); Here Come Da Judge by the Buena Vistas (#97); Venus by Johnny Mathis (#99); and Funky Fever by Clarence Carter (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Master Jack--Four Jacks and a Jill
2 Mrs. Robinson--Simon and Garfunkel
3 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus
4 Tighten Up--Archie Bell & the Drells
5 Cowboys to Girls--The Intruders
6 A Beautiful Morning--The Rascals
7 Delilah--Tom Jones
8 Do You Know the Way to San Jose--Dionne Warwick
9 Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day--Stevie Wonder
10 Honey--Bobby Goldsboro

Singles entering the chart were Tip-Toe Thru' the Tulips with Me by Tiny Tim (#75); Pictures of Matchstick Men by the Status Quo (#78); You Don't Know What You Mean to Me by Sam & Dave (#81); Safe in My Garden by the Mamas & the Papas (#84); Bring a Little Lovin' by Los Bravos (#86); Here I Am Baby by the Marvelettes (#87); Climb Every Mountain by the Hesitations (#89); The Doctor by Mary Wells (#91); Ready, Willing and Able by the American Breed (#93); Please Stay by the Dave Clark Five (#95); Back in Love Again by the Buckinghams (#96); Face it Girl, it's Over by Nancy Wilson (#97); It Should Have Been Me by Gladys Knight & the Pips (#98); Some of Shelly's Blues by the Stone Poneys, featuring Linda Ronstadt (#99); and Both Sides Now by Harpers Bizarre (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 This Guy's in Love with You--Herb Alpert
2 Master Jack--Four Jacks and a Jill
3 Mrs. Robinson--Simon and Garfunkel
4 Angel of the Morning--Merrilee Rush
5 If I were a Carpenter--Four Tops
6 Louisiana Man--Bobbie Gentry
7 Delilah--Tom Jones
8 Here's to You--Hamilton Camp
9 The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)--Otis Redding
10 Do You Know the Way to San Jose--Dionne Warwick

Singles entering the chart were Jumpin' Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones (#22); Unwind by Ray Stevens (#24); Reach Out of the Darkness by Friend and Lover (#27); You Don't Know What You Mean to Me by Sam & Dave (#28); Mony Mony by Tommy James and the Shondells (#29); and The Horse by Cliff Nobles & Co. (#30).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Yummy Yummy Yummy--Ohio Express (2nd week at #1)
2 Blue Bonnie Blue--49th Parallel
3 Mrs. Robinson--Simon and Garfunkel
4 Master Jack--Four Jacks and a Jill
5 Delilah--Tom Jones
6 Goin' Away--The Fireballs
7 I Love You--People
8 Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)--Johnny Farnham
9 My Girl/Hey Girl--Bobby Vee
10 Harlem Lady--The Witness, Inc.
Pick hit of the week: Jelly Jungle (Of Orange Marmalade)--The Lemon Pipers

Died on this date
Helen Keller, 87. U.S. authoress and activist. Miss Keller became deaf and blind from an illness at the age of 19 months, but under the tutelage of Annie Sullivan, learned to communicate and eventually to speak. She was a socialist who supported politically correct causes--an aspect of her life which is usually overlooked--and followed the religious teachings of mystic Emanuel Swedenborg.

André Laurendeau, 56. Canadian journalist and politician. Mr. Laurendeau, a native of Montreal, co-founded the Quebec separatist movement Jeune-Canada in 1933. He was director of L'Action nationale magazine from 1937-1943 and 1949-1953 and later edited the influential Montreal newspaper Le Devoir. Mr. Laurendeau entered politics by opposing military conscription in 1942, and later helped to found the centre-left Bloc populaire Canadien, leading its Quebec provincial wing, and representing the riding of Montréal-Laurier in the Quebec Legislative Assembly from 1944-1948. Mr. Laurendeau and Davidson Dunton co-chaired the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism from 1963 until his death, which may have been hastened by the strain resulting from criticism from his Quebec separatist colleagues.

Albertana
The Legislative Assembly officially approved Alberta's provincial flag.

Defense
Canada signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty along with the U.S.A., U.K., U.S.S.R., and 57 other countries.

Boxing
Oscar Bonavena (35-4) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Roberto Davila (18-11) in a heavyweight bout at Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires.



30 years ago
1978

On television tonight
James at 16, starring Lance Kerwin, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Knocking Heads

Law
The first international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty were filed.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Only One Woman--Alien (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Herbert Feigl, 85. Austrian philosopher. Dr. Feigl was a member of the Vienna Circle of Logical Empiricism.

Defense
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty went into effect.

Politics and government
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev expressed his support for Yegor Ligachev, second-ranking figure in the Politburo and a critic of political reform in the U.S.S.R.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had risen 0.2% in April.

Health
A committee of experts appointed by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences spoke out against discrimination against people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and faulted the federal government's efforts against AIDS as inadequate.

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Finals
Detroit 102 @ Boston 96 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-2)

10 years ago
1998

At the movies
The Truman Show, directed by Peter Weir and starring Jim Carrey, opened in theatres in Los Angeles.