June 4, 2008

270 years ago
1738

Born on this date
George III. King of Great Britain and Ireland, 1760-1820; King of Hanover, 1814-1820. George III was the grandson of King George II, and the son of Frederick, Prince of Wales. He was the first monarch of the House of Hanover to be born in England and to speak English as his first language. He succeeded to the throne on the death of George II. Madness, which in recent years has been attributed to the genetic disease porphyria as well as to arsenic poisoning, increasingly affected King George in his later years, and in 1810 he was replaced as regent by his eldest son, who succeeded to the throne as King George IV upon the death of George III on January 29, 1820 at the age of 81.

225 years ago
1783

Aviation
Brothers Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier publicly demonstrated their montgolfière (hot air balloon), flying the craft in Annonay, France in front of a group of dignitaries from the États particuliers. Its flight covered 2km (1.2miles), lasted 10 minutes, and had an estimated altitude of 1,600-2,000 metres (5,200-6,600 feet).

130 years ago
1878

Born on this date
Frank Buchman. U.S. religious leader and social reformer. Mr. Buchman, an ordained Lutheran minister, founded the Oxford Group in the 1920s, which became known as Moral Re-Armament in 1938, and since 2001 has operated under the name Initiatives of Change. He died on August 7, 1961 at the age of 83.

Diplomacy
Representatives of the United Kingdom and Ottoman Empire signed the Cyprus Convention, whereby the sultan retained nominal title, but ceded the administration of Cyprus to Britain in exchange for guarantees that the U.K. would use the island as a base to protect the O.E. against possible Russian aggression.

110 years ago
1898

Born on this date
Harry Crosby. U.S. publisher and socialite. Mr. Crosby, scion of a Boston Brahmin family, served with the American Ambulance Service in World War I, but became restless after the war, and came to embody the "Lost Generation" of young American expatriates in the 1920s. He and his wife Polly (who later changed her first name to Caresse) were married in 1922, and conducted an open marriage while spending much of their time in France and elsewhere. Mr. Crosby founded Éditions Narcisse--later renamed Black Sun Press-- in 1927 to publish his own poetry and the works of others. In 1928, Mr. Crosby began having an affair with Josephine Rotch, 20, who was also from a wealthy Boston family. She married A.S. Bigelow in June 1929, but soon resumed her affair with Mr. Crosby. Mr. and Mrs. Crosby returned to America from France in November 1929, where Mr. Crosby resumed his affair with Mrs. Bigelow. On December 10, 1929, Mr. Crosby, 31, failed to keep a dinner date with his wife and poet Hart Crane. Mr. Crosby and Mrs. Bigelow were found in the apartment of a friend of his; Mr. Crosby had apparently shot Mrs. Bigelow before turning the gun on himself.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Zhang Zuolin (Chang Tso-lin), 53. Chinese warlord. Mr. Zhang was warlord of Manchuria from 1916-1928 and Generalissimo of the Military Government of the Republic of China from 1927-1928, although he was fiercely anti-republican and wanted to see the Qing Dynasty restored. Two days after abandoning Peking, Mr. Zhang was killed when a bomb planted by Colonel Kōmoto Daisaku, an officer in the Japanese Kwantung Army, exploded when his train passed under the viaduct as it was travelling along the Japanese-controlled South Manchuria Railroad.

Adventure
After a two-month drive from Berlin, Gustav Hartmann, his ancient cab, and his 13-year-old nag Gramus, reached Paris and was welcomed. He reached Berlin on his return trip September 13.

Aviation
Amelia Earhart, Wilmer Stutz, and Slim Gordon left Boston Harbor in the pontoon-fitted monoplane Friendship, bound for England, left Halifax and landed in Trepassey, Newfoundland. They had left Boston the previous day, but had been forced to land at Hailfa and spend the night there because of fog.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4, with Chief Justice William Howard Taft writing for the majority, that evidence obtained by "wire tapping" was admissible in a criminal case arising under the Prohibition law, and that a conviction obtained by such means was not in violation of the constitutional guarantees against unreasonable search and seizure.

Health
The joint suit of $1.25 million brought by five women, declared to be dying of radium poisoning contracted as employees, against the U.S. Radium Corporation in Orange, New Jersey, was settled out of court by an agreement to pay each woman $10,000 plus medical and counsel fees and a pension of $500 per year.

60 years ago
1948

Diplomacy
Sir Brian Robertson, U.K. military governor in Germany, announced a new policy of encouraging contacts between British officials and Germans, whom he described as "civilized people whose interests converge with ours."

Politics and government
South Africa refused to account to the United Nations Trusteeship Council for its administration of South-West Africa, a former League of Nations mandate territory.

The International Socialist Conference, meeting in Vienna, suspended Italy's Left Socialists, led by Pietro Nenni, for cooperating with the Communists.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee suspended hearings on the Mundt-Nixon Communist control bill after 3,000 Progressive Party protesters arrived in Washington to lobby for the bill's defeat. Ohio barred the Progressive Party from the state ballot on the grounds that the party's original affidavit omitted a statement that it was not directed by a foreign government.

Economics and finance
The U.S.S.R. ordered a 15%-20% wage increase for workers in its Berlin sector, despite British complaints that the move violated a Big Four agreement to maintain equal wage scales.

At a meeting in Quito, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela gave preliminary approval to a customs union.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted a 26% cut in foreign aid expenditures, including a $1.3-billion reduction in Marshall Plan aid.

50 years ago
1958

Diplomacy
West German President Theodore Heuss arrived in Washington for the first official visit to the United States by a German head of state.

Politics and government
Burmese Prime Minister U Nu announced the formation of a new cabinet, from which he excluded opponents of his leadership of the ruling Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League.

Disasters
Tornadoes in northwestern Wisconsin killed 30 people, injured 350 others, and caused damage estimated at $10 million in a 90-mile area.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Delilah--Tom Jones (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Dorothy Gish, 70. U.S. actress. Miss Gish, the younger sister of actress Lillian Gish, had a successful career on stage and screen, and was best known for her roles in silent movies such as Hearts of the World (1918); Orphans of the Storm (1921); and Nell Gwyn (1926). She died in Italy after a long bout with bronchial pneumonia.

War
Israeli and Jordanian forces fought all day along the northern sector of the Jordan River near the Sea of Galilee. Israel launched air attacks on Jordan, and heavy casualties were reported on both sides.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (New York) won the California Democratic Party U.S. presidential primary and all 172 delegates to the party's national convention, taking 46% of the vote to 42% for Sen. Eugene McCarthy (Minnesota) and 12% for California Attorney General Thomas Lynch. California Governor Ronald Reagan, running unopposed, won the state's Republican Party primary as a favorite son.

Baseball
Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a 3-hitter and set a major league record by pitching his sixth consecutive shutout as the Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 before 30,422 fans at Dodger Stadium.

Jerry Koosman pitched an 8-hit shutout to improve his 1968 record to 9-2, winning the pitchers' duel over Ferguson Jenkins as the New York Mets blanked the Chicago Cubs 5-0 before 8,580 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

With 2 out and nobody on base in the top of the 9th inning, Lou Brock singled, stole second base, and scored on a single by Julian Javier to break a 2-2 tie as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Houston Astros 3-2 before 18,667 fans at the Astrodome. Winning pitcher Steve Carlton allowed 9 hits and 2 earned runs in 8 innings to improve his 1968 record to 7-1.

Gary Bell allowed 3 hits in 8 2/3 innings to win the pitchers' duel over Mickey Lolich, and George Scott doubled home 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning, as the Boston Red Sox shut out the Detroit Tigers 2-0 in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader before 31,698 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. The Tigers had runners on first and second bases with 2 out in the 9th inning, but Sparky Lyle relieved Mr. Bell and induced pinch hitter Jimmy Price to ground into a force play to end the game. Pat Dobson pitched a 5-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Gary Waslewski and the Tigers scored 2 runs in the 7th inning to win the second game 2-0. Don Wert led off the 7th with a home run, and Mr. Price drove in the second run when he drew a base on balls with the bases loaded and 2 out. Fred Wenz made his major league debut with the Red Sox in the 9th inning, walking 2 batters and striking out 3 without allowing a run.

Pinch hitter Tom Satriano singled in 2 runs with 1 out in the top of the 10th inning to break a 3-3 tie as the California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 before 9,579 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Orioles had tied the game on a 2-run home run by Elrod Hendricks with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th.

The Cleveland Indians scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning and held on to defeat the Chicago White Sox 2-1 before 7,215 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. Luis Tiant pitched a 4-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Gary Peters. Tom McCraw led off the 9th with a double and advanced to third base on a wild pitch with none out, but Mr. Tiant struck out Wayne Causey and Buddy Bradford, walked Russ Snyder, and retired Mr. Peters on a line drive to right field to end the game.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush (5th week at #1)

Music
Elvis Costello and the Attractions performed at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles. Three songs from the concert were released as an EP with early pressings of their album Armed Forces in 1979; in recent years, the entire concert has been released as an album on its own.

Golf
Andy Bean won the Kemper Open in Charlotte, North Carolina with a score of 273. First prize money was $60,000.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Seattle 82 @ Washington 117 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)



20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Gimme Five--Jovanotti

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Yé ké yé ké--Mory Kante (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): N'importe quoi--Florent Pagny (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): With a Little Help from My Friends--Wet Wet Wet/She's Leaving Home--Billy Bragg featuring Cara Tivey (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): With a Little Help from My Friends--Wet Wet Wet/She's Leaving Home--Billy Bragg featuring Cara Tivey (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): One More Try--George Michael (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 One More Try--George Michael (2nd week at #1)
2 Anything for You--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
3 Shattered Dreams--Johnny Hates Jazz
4 Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)--Samantha Fox
5 Together Forever--Rick Astley
6 Everything Your Heart Desires--Daryl Hall John Oates
7 Foolish Beat--Debbie Gibson
8 I Don't Want to Live Without You--Foreigner
9 Piano in the Dark--Brenda Russell
10 Make it Real--The Jets

Singles entering the chart were I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love by Chicago (#75); Rag Doll by Aerosmith (#79); 1-2-3 by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine (#83); and Wait on Love by Michael Bolton (#90).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Beds are Burning--Midnight Oil
2 I'm Still Searching--Glass Tiger
3 One More Try--George Michael
4 Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys
5 Together Forever--Rick Astley
6 Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby
7 Pink Cadillac--Natalie Cole
8 Shattered Dreams--Johnny Hates Jazz
9 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
10 Anything for You--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine

Singles entering the chart were In Your Soul by Corey Hart (#69); Roll With It by Steve Winwood (#76); My Love by Julio Iglesias and Stevie Wonder (#80); Mercedes Boy by Pebbles (#82); Do You Know What I Mean? by Myles Goodwyn with Lee Aaron (#85); Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard (#88); and When We Kiss by Bardeux (#93). When We Kiss was the B-side of Magic Carpet Ride, which had peaked at #93 on May 28.

Disasters
Three cars on a train carrying hexogen to Kazakhstan exploded in Arzamas, Gorky Oblast, U.S.S.R., killing 91 and injuring about 1,500.

Basketball
NBA
Western Conference
Finals
Dallas 102 @ Los Angeles Lakers 117 (Los Angeles won best-of-seven series 4-3)

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Josephine Hutchinson, 94. U.S. actress. Miss Hutchinson had a long career on stage, radio, and television, and had supporting roles in movies such as Son of Frankenstein (1939) and North by Northwest (1959).

Terrorism
A U.S. federal judge sentenced Terry Nichols to life in prison for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Frederick P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Finals
Washington 3 @ Buffalo 2 (OT) (Washington won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Joe Juneau scored his second overtime goal of the series at 6:24 of the 1st overtime period as the Capitals eliminated the Sabres at Marine Midland Arena.