June 17, 2008

150 years ago
1858

Died on this date
Lakshmi Bai, 29. Rani of Jhansi, 1842-1858. Lakshmi Bai was married to Raja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, the Maharajah of Jhansi. She supported the Indian Rebellion against British rule, and was killed fighting against British forces in a cavalry action near Kotah-ke-Serai.

120 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Heinz Guderian. German military officer. General Guderian was the Wehrmacht's leading proponent of the use of tanks in World War II. He was Chief of the General Staff of the Army from July 21, 1944--the day after the failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler--until March 28, 1945, when he was dismissed by Mr. Hitler. General Guderian died on May 14, 1954 at the age of 65.

110 years ago
1898

Born on this date
Carl Hermann. German physicist. Dr. Hermann was a professor of crystallography. With Charles-Victor Mauguin, he invented an international standard notation for crystallographic groups known as the Hermann–Mauguin notation or International notation. Dr. Hermann was imprisoned and sentenced to death during World War II for helping Jews to escape the Holocaust, but because of his prominence as a scientist, the sentence was never carried out. He died on September 12, 1961 at the age of 63.

Defense
The United States Navy Hospital Corps was established.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Erwin Jerge. U.S. criminal. Mr. Jerge, an ex-convict and alleged drug smuggler, was gunned down in his car in New York City at 3 P.M. by a man who stepped from a car long enough to fire several shots into him.

Aviation
13 days after landing at Trepassey, Newfoundland from Halifax, the monoplane Friendship, piloted by Wilmer Stutz with Slim Gordon, and Amelia Earhart, departed for Barry Port, Wales.

Disasters
Tornadoes in Oklahoma and Kansas had killed 11 people and injured 100 since the previous day.

60 years ago
1948

Died on this date
Earl Carroll, 54. U.S. theatre producer. Mr. Carroll was known for producing shows such as Earl Carroll's Vanities, featuring the most scantily-clad showgirls on Broadway. He was among those killed in the crash of United Airlines Flight 624.

Beryl Wallace, 35. U.S. showgirl. Miss Wallace, born Beatrice Heischuber, appeared in numerous productions by Earl Carroll, and was his girlfriend for many years, until they were both killed in the crash of United Airlines Flight 624.

War
United Nations Secretary-General Trygve Lie recruited a 50-man volunteer force from UN personnel in New York to supervise the Palestinian truce.

Politics and government
Panamanian President Jose Luis Bustmante Rivero named a new cabinet of six civilians and five military men to replace an all-military ministry.

India and Hyderabad broke off negotiations after the Muslim ruler of Hyderabad refused to promise majority rule for the state's predominantly Hindu population.

Economics and finance
The French Chamber of Deputies narrowly approved the London agreement on West Germany, but demanded stronger guarantees of international control over Ruhr mines and industry.

Labour
The International Labor Conference, attended by representatives of 51 nations, convened in San Francisco.

Disasters
United Airlines Flight 624, a Douglas DC-6 en route from Los Angeles to New York, crashed near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 39 passengers and 4 crew members.

50 years ago
1958

War
The Lebanese cabinet voted to authorize President Camille Chamoun to appeal for international aid to suppress Muslim rebels.

Defense
French and Tunisian officials agreed on the withdrawal of all French troops in Tunisia to the Bizerte enclave within four months.

Scandal
U.S. Presidential Assistant Sherman Adams denied before a House of Representatives investigating committee that he had interceded with federal agencies on behalf of Boston industrialist Bernard Goldfine, a longtime friend from whom Mr. Adams had received gifts.

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister Donald Fleming warned Parliament that current U.S.-Canada trade was showing a "chronic massive imbalance" of $1 billion annually, and was in need of "energetic corrective measures."

Disasters
The Second Narrows Bridge, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver, British Columbia, collapsed into Burrard Inlet. 18 workers and one rescue diver were killed and 20 injured, with $23 million damage. Two of those killed were engineers who had miscalculated the ability of the span's temporary anchor of steel legs to support two railway trucks with a diesel locomotive, a huge Traveller crane, 300 tons of equipment, and 59 workers.

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Hoshikage no Waltz--Masao Sen (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Delilah--Tom Jones (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
Belgian Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens formed a two-party coalition government with a cabinet of 16 Social Christians and 13 Socialists, ending the governing crisis that had begun on February 7. The parties had agreed five days earlier on a program for a centre-left government, including the passage of constitutional amendments to give formal recognition to the country's regions of Flanders and Wallonia.

Disasters
20 people perished when a landslide buried a row of slum dwellings under tons of gravel and mud in Salvador, Brazil.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Sotto il segno dei pesci--Antonello Venditti

#1 single in Switzerland: Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Shadow Dancing--Andy Gibb

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring--Boney M. (8th week at #1)
2 Lady McCorey--BZN
3 You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
4 Eagle/Thank You for the Music--ABBA
5 If You Can't Give Me Love--Suzi Quatro
6 Met de Vlam in de Pijp--Henk Wijngaard
7 Golden Years of Rock 'n Roll--Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers
8 Ça Plane pour Moi--Plastic Bertrand
9 Miss You--The Rolling Stones
10 A Woman in Love--André Van Duin

Singles entering the chart were Ragtime Piano Joe by Peter Straker (#20); Whole Lotta Rosie by AC/DC (#22); The Boy from New York City by the Darts (#23); Dance Across the Floor by Jimmy "Bo" Horne (#24); and Hold You Back by Status Quo (#29).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Shadow Dancing--Andy Gibb (3rd week at #1)
2 Baker Street--Gerry Rafferty
3 You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
4 Too Much, Too Little, Too Late--Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
5 It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler
6 Baby Hold On--Eddie Money
7 Feels So Good--Chuck Mangione
8 Love is Like Oxygen--Sweet
9 Take a Chance on Me--ABBA
10 Because the Night--Patti Smith Group

Singles entering the chart were I've Had Enough by Wings (#83); You Don't Love Me Anymore by Eddie Rabbitt (#87); On the Wrong Track by Kevin Lamb (#88); Just What I Needed by the Cars (#89); Never Let Her Slip Away by Andrew Gold (#90); Georgia on My Mind by Willie Nelson (#99); and Hot Child in the City by Nick Gilder (#100).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Shadow Dancing--Andy Gibb
2 You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
3 Too Much, Too Little, Too Late--Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
4 With a Little Luck--Wings
5 Baby Hold On--Eddie Money
6 Feels So Good--Chuck Mangione
7 The Closer I Get to You--Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
8 Disco Inferno--The Trammps
9 Two Out of Three Ain't Bad--Meat Loaf
10 It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler

Singles entering the chart were Ça Plane pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand (#78); My Angel Baby by Toby Beau (#79); I Want You to Be Mine by Kayak (#81); King Tut by Steve Martin and the Toot Uncommons (#82); Magnet and Steel by Walter Egan (#83); Comin' Right Down on Top of Me by April Wine (#84); FM (No Static at All) by Steely Dan (#90); Portrait (He Knew) by Kansas (#94); Thank God it's Friday by Love & Kisses (#95); Love Will Find a Way by Pablo Cruise (#96); If Ever I See You Again by Roberta Flack (#97); Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by Dave Mason (#98); Can We Still Be Friends by Todd Rundgren (#99); and Hot Love, Cold World by Bob Welch (#100).

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Toronto (0-1) 14 @ Edmonton (1-1) 26

The Eskimos' win over the Argonauts at Clarke Stadium marked the first Eskimo appearance of rookie quarterback Warren Moon, who had led the University of Washington Huskies to a Rose Bowl triumph in January. Veteran Edmonton quarterback Bruce Lemmerman suffered a shoulder separation that kept him out of the lineup until the last game of the season.

Baseball
Ron Guidry set a team record with 18 strikeouts and pitched a 4-hitter to improve his 1978 record to 11-0 as he led the New York Yankees to a 4-0 win over the California Angels before 33,162 fans at Yankee Stadium.



The Boston Red Sox scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat the Seattle Mariners 5-4 before 32,551 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Carl Yastrzemski singled home Rick Burleson with the winning run with 1 out.

The Baltimore Orioles scored 5 runs in the first 3 innings and held on to defeat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 before 24,619 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

Sal Bando led off the top of the 12th inning with a home run to break a 3-3 tie as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the Cleveland Indians 4-3 before 16,923 fans at Cleveland Stadium.

The Texas Rangers amassed 19 hits in a 13-2 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays before 30,033 fans at Arlington Stadium. Ferguson Jenkins pitched a 6-hit complete game victory.

The Cincinnati Reds scored a run in the 7th inning, 2 in the 8th, and 1 in the 9th to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 before 40,262 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati in the NBC Game of the Week. Pete Rose singled with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, stole second base, and scored the winning run on a 2-out single by Joe Morgan.

Bob Watson doubled home Enos Cabell and Jose Cruz with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th to enable the Houston Astros to defeat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 before 28,091 fans at the Astrodome.

The New York Mets scored 5 runs in the first 3 innings and held on to defeat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 before 19,648 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

25 years ago
1983

Weather
It was a dismal, rainy day in Edmonton, the beginning of two weeks of such weather which brought out large numbers of mosquitoes.

Football
The British Columbia Lions improved their pre-season record to 2-0 with a 24-23 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Winnipeg Stadium; the Blue Bombers dropped to 0-2. The game was the first to pit head coaches Don Matthews of the Lions and Cal Murphy of the Blue Bombers against each other; they had been assistants together under Hugh Campbell with the Edmonton Eskimos for five straight Grey Cup championships from 1978-1982.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Im Nin'Alu--Ofra Haza

World events
Haitian President Leslie Manigat ousted Lieutenant General Henri Namphy, who had headed a military government until the election of Mr. Manigat in January 1988, and placed him under house arrest.

10 years ago
1998

On television tonight
Bernard Derome announced Le Téléjournal for the last time, after 27 years as anchorman of Radio-Canada's nightly national newscast.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
British Columbia (0-1) 6 @ Calgary (1-0) 32