April 15, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Harold Riemer and Danielle Wessel!

1,240 years ago
769

Religion
The Roman Catholic Lateran Council of 769 condemned the Council of Hieria (754) and anathematized its iconoclastic rulings.

120 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Thomas Hart Benton. U.S. artist. Mr. Benton, a native of Neosho, Missouri and longtime resident of Kansas City, Missouri, was a major figure in the Regionalist movement, and was known for his paintings of everyday life in the United States, particularly the Midwest. He died on January 19, 1975 at the age of 85.

A. Philip Randolph. U.S. civil rights activist. Mr. Randolph, a socialist, organized and served as president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, which was the first labour union in the U.S.A. whose membership was predominantly Negro. He was successful in pressuring U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to ban racial discrimination in defense industries during World War II, and President Harry Truman to desegregate the armed services after the war. Mr. Randolph led the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, culminating in Rev. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Mr. Randolph died on May 16, 1979, 31 days after his 90th birthday.

Died on this date
Father Damien, 49. Belgian clergyman. Father Damien, born Jozef De Veuste, was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1864; in 1873 he began working among the quarantined lepers on the island of Moloka'i, ministering to their physical needs as well as teaching them the Roman Catholic faith. Fr. Damien eventually developed leprosy himself, and died of the disease; he was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

110 years ago
1899

Soccer
English FA Cup
Final @ Crystal Palace, London
Sheffield United 4 Derby County 1

100 years ago
1909

Baseball
Red Ames of the New York Giants pitched a no-hitter for 9 innings, but gave up a hit in the 10th and 3 runs in the 13th, losing 3-0 to the Brooklyn Superbas at the Polo Grounds in New York. Kaiser Wilhelm pitched a 4-hit shutout, while Mr. Ames finished with a 7-hitter. New York second baseman Art Fletcher made his major league debut, batting 0 for 5, making 7 assists and an error, and starting a double play. New York center fielder Bill O'Hara also played his first majro league game, batting 0 for 3 with 2 bases on balls, while having no fielding chances.

90 years ago
1919

Abominations
Women in New Brunswick were granted the right to vote in provincial elections, after almost 50 years of debating the issue.

60 years ago
1949

On television tonight
Your Show Time, hosted and narrated by Arthur Shields, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Lady or the Tiger, starring Leif Erickson, William Frawley, Peggy Knudsen, and Eve Miller

Died on this date
Wallace Beery, 64. U.S. actor. Mr. Beery appeared in 250 movies from 1913-1949, and was the highest-paid actor in the business. He was best known for his starring roles in The Big House (1930); Min and Bill (1930); The Champ (1931); Treasure Island (1934); and Viva Villa! (1934). Mr. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in The Big House, and won the Oscar for Best Actor for The Champ (sharing the honour with Fredric March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)). Mr. Beery was, according to almost all reports, a horrible person. He died of a heart attack, two weeks after his 64th birthday.

Religion
Pope Pius XII issued an encyclical urging Roman Catholic nations in the United Nations to support the internationalization of Jerusalem and other sacred places in the Holy Land.

Law
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington ruled that U.S. citizens and aliens held by the federal government abroad had the right to seek habeas corpus writs in the United States.

50 years ago
1959

Diplomacy
Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro arrived in Washington to begin an 11-day unofficial speaking tour of the eastern United States and Canada.

Politics and government
John Foster Dulles resigned as U.S. Secretary of State after learning that cancer had spread to his neck.

South Korean President Syngman Rhee announced in Seoul that he would run for a fourth term in order to "fulfill my lifelong desire" to win a free and unified Korea.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Henry Wallich to succeed Paul McCracken as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Atlantis--Donovan (4th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Ob La Di, Ob La Da--The Beatles (5th week at #1)
2 Eloise--Barry Ryan
3 Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells
4 Liebesleid--Peter Alexander
5 Lily the Pink--The Scaffold
6 Es wird Nacht, Señorita--Udo Jürgens
7 Sometimes--Mireille Mathieu
8 Atlantis--Donovan
9 Don Juan--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
10 First of May--The Bee Gees

Singles entering the chart were Don Juan; First of May; Love is Love by Barry Ryan (#11); (If Paradise Is) Half as Nice by Amen Corner (#14); Touch Me by the Doors (#16); and Something's Happening by Herman's Hermits (#17).

War
North Korean MiGs shot down an unarmed U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane in the Sea of Japan, 100 miles off the Korean coast, killing all 31 on board.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Richard Nixon revealed further details of his revised budget. The largest item was a $1.23 billion cut stemming from a proposal to hike Social Security benefits only 7% instead of the 10% asked by former President Lyndon Johnson. However, funds to relieve hunger were raised to $1.461 billion, $15 million more than Mr. Johnson's proposal. The Justice Department was granted a net spending increase of $16 million to augment personnel in anti-crime programs, hiking its total request to $730 million.

The British government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson made public the details of its proposed budget, which included a tax increase equal to $816 million U.S. and new moves to hold down the money supply. More than 2/3 of the new taxes were to come from businesses.

Science
American scientists, led by a chemist named Dr. Ghiorso, announced the synthesis of two and probably three forms of the heaviest element yet made by man: number 104 in the periodic table of elements. Soviet scientists had reported synthesizing a fourth form of the element, which had not yet been officially named (eventually it became known as Rutherfordium, after Lord Rutherford), and had also reported finding evidence of the existence of another element, number 114, in ancient stained-glass windows.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Los Angeles 0 @ St. Louis 4 (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Larry Keenan opened the scoring at 11:00 of the 1st period, Red Berenson followed with a natural hat trick, and Jacques Plante made 30 saves for his third shutout in the last 4 games as the Blues blanked the Kings at St. Louis Arena, winning the goaltending duel over Gerry Desjardins.

CHL
Adams Cup
Finals
Dallas 6 @ Oklahoma City 4 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Tragedy--Bee Gees (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Heart of Glass--Blondie (3rd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Heart of Glass--Blondie
2 Tragedy--Bee Gees
3 Trojan Horse--Luv'
4 Born to Be Alive--Patrick Hernandez
5 Y.M.C.A.--Village People
6 Chiquitita--ABBA
7 Le Freak--Chic
8 In the Navy--Village People
9 Andrea--Fabrizio de André
10 Darlin'--Frankie Miller

Singles entering the chart were Tragedy; Born to Be Alive; In the Navy; Can I Reach You by Jack Goldbird (#14); No Time for a Tango by Snoopy (#19); Mirrors by Sally Oldfield (#21); One Way Ticket by Eruption (#22); Rag Doll by Nighttrain (#24); and Best of Both Worlds by Robert Palmer (#25).

Died on this date
David Brand, 66. Australian politician. Sir David, a Liberal, represented Greenough in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1945-1975, becoming the first member of the Liberal Party to be elected at any level in Australia. He became party leader in 1957, served as Premier of Western Australia from 1959-1971, and remains the state's longest-serving Premier, governing through an era of prosperity. Sir David resigned as leader of Western Australia's Liberal Party in 1973, retired from politics in 1975, and died of heart disease.

Protest
Wall posters in Shanghai demanded human rights and protested the recent arrest of activists there, challenging the previous month's national government directive against such activities.

Disasters
An earthquake in southern Yugoslavia, the strongest ever recorded there, razed 13 villages along the Adriatic coast, killing and injuring hundreds.

Flooding along a 15-mile stretch of the Pearl River inundated Jackson, Mississippi, leaving 15,000 homeless.

Hockey
IIHF Men's World Championship
C.S.S.R. 4 Canada 1

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Relax--Frankie Goes to Hollywood (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Zu nah am Feuer--Stefan Waggershausen and Alice

Died on this date
Tommy Cooper, 63. U.K. comedian and magician. Mr. Cooper, a native of Wales, was popular on stage and television, wit his popularity peaking in the late 1960s and early '70s. He smoked and drank heavily, leading to a serious decline in his health and career by the late '70s. Mr. Cooper suffered a fatal heart attack while performing on Live from Her Majesty's, which was televised nationally, 27 days after his 63rd birthday.



Weather
It was a beautiful day in Edmonton, with the temperature reaching 77 F.

Canadiana
A fleet of tall ships left St.-Malo, France on a race to Canada, celebrating the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Quebec.

Religion
The inaugural World Youth Day was held in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City.

Hockey
In second-round Stanley Cup playoff action, the Edmonton Oilers took a 2 games to 1 lead over the Calgary Flames with a 3-2 win at Olympic Saddledome in Calgary, while the Montreal Canadiens edged the Quebec Nordiques 2-1 at the Montreal Forum to take a 2 games to 1 lead in their series.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Like a Prayer--Madonna

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Like a Prayer--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Eternal Flame--Bangles

#1 single in France (SNEP): Pour toi Arménie--Charles Aznavour and various artists (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Eternal Flame--Bangles

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 She Drives Me Crazy--Fine Young Cannibals (5th week at #1)
2 Like a Prayer--Madonna
3 Das Phantom der Oper--Alexander Goebel & Luzia Nistler
4 You Got It--Roy Orbison
5 Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart--Marc Almond featuring Gene Pitney
6 Listen to the Voices--Labi Siffre
7 In the Air Tonight ('88 Remix)--Phil Collins
8 Looking for Freedom--David Hasselhoff
9 Twist in My Sobriety--Tanita Tikaram
10 The Way to Your Heart--Soulsister

Singles entering the chart were Looking for Freedom; The Way to Your Heart; Don't Cry for Louie by Vaya Con Dios (#16); I Only Wanna Be with You by Samantha Fox (#21); Four Letter Word by Kim Wilde (#23); Love Train by Holly Johnson (#24); and Komm gib mir deine Hand by Die Pinguine (#29).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 She Drives Me Crazy--Fine Young Cannibals
2 The Look--Roxette
3 Like a Prayer--Madonna
4 Eternal Flame--Bangles
5 Girl You Know it's True--Milli Vanilli
6 Stand--R.E.M.
7 Funky Cold Medina--Tone Loc
8 Superwoman--Karyn White
9 You Got It--Roy Orbison
10 Your Mama Don't Dance--Poison

Singles entering the chart were Through the Storm by Aretha Franklin and Elton John (#56); Miss You Like Crazy by Natalie Cole (#75); Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam (#81); Giving Up on Love by Rick Astley (#89); Stop by Sam Brown (#93); Closer than Friends by Surface (#95); and Cuddly Toy (Feel for Me) by Roachford (#97).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 She Drives Me Crazy--Fine Young Cannibals
2 The Look--Roxette
3 Like a Prayer--Madonna
4 Girl You Know it's True--Milli Vanilli
5 Eternal Flame--Bangles
6 Stand--R.E.M.
7 I'll Be There for You--Bon Jovi
8 Superwoman--Karyn White
9 My Heart Can't Tell You No--Rod Stewart
10 Heaven Help Me--Deon Estus (with George Michael)

Singles entering the chart were Through the Storm by Aretha Franklin and Elton John (#68); Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (#75); Veronica by Elvis Costello (#80); I'll Be You by the Replacements (#83); You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by Figures on a Beach (#84); Miss You Like Crazy by Natalie Cole (#85); Closer than Friends by Surface (#87); and Let Me In by Eddie Money (#90).

Died on this date
Hu Yaobang, 73. Chinese politician. Hu was a leading figure in the Chinese Communist Party, serving as party chairman (1981-1982) and General Secretary (1982-1987). He was a close comrade of Deng Xiaoping. He was considered liberal by the standards of the party, and was removed as General Secretary in favour of Zhao Ziyang after widespread student protests took place in 1987.

Protest
Upon Hu Yaobang's death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 began in the People's Republic of China.

Disasters
A human crush occurred at Hillsborough Stadium, home of the Sheffield Wednesday football club, in the English FA Cup Semi-Final in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, resulting in the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans.

Hockey
The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Edmonton Oilers 6-3 in the seventh game of their first-round playoff series at the Forum in Inglewood, California to end the Oilers' reign as Stanley Cup champions. The Calgary Flames defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on a hotly-disputed goal in overtime in the seventh game of their series at Olympic Saddledome in Calgary. Mike Vernon's goaltending was the difference for the Flames.

10 years ago
1999

Space
Two teams of astronomers, one at San Francisco State University and the other at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, announced the discovery of evidence of another solar system--the only one known besides our own--in the constellation Andromeda. None of the three large gaseous planets (similar to Jupiter) was seen directly; their presence was inferred from gravitational tugs on their star, Upsilon Andromedae, about 44 light-years away from earth. The largest and most distant from its star is over 4 times as massive as Jupiter and took 4 years to orbit the star.

World events
For the second day in a row, Pakistan tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji continued his visit to Canada, and agreed to buy $100 million of Canadian wheat.

Politics and government
Abdelaziz Bouteflika was elected President of Algeria with over 70% of the official vote total, the day after six of his rivals had withdrawn from the race, claiming that the election was a fraud. Mr. Bouteflika was the choice of many of the country's military, political, and business establishments. The election occurred against a backdrop of an apparently waning military effort by Islamic fundamentalists to gain power.

Scandal
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, along with her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, was convicted of corruption. The two judges of the trial in Rawalpindi found that the pair had taken kickbacks from a Swiss company that Ms. Bhutto had chosen to monitor collection of import duties. The two were sentenced to five years in prison and fined the equivalent of $8.6 million U.S. Ms. Bhutto, who was in London at the time, said that she would not return to Pakistan until her appeal was heard.