April 2, 2009

220 years ago
1789

Born on this date
Lucio Norberto Mansilla. Argentine military officer and politician. General Mansilla participated in several wars in a career spanning more than 40 years. A successful campaign against the Republic of Entre Ríos resulted in the abolition of the republic and Gen. Mansilla serving as Governor of the Province of Entre Ríos (1821-1824). He died of yellow fever during an epidemic in Buenos Aires on April 10, 1871, eight days after his 82nd birthday.

140 years ago
1869

Born on this date
Hughie Jennings. U.S. baseball player and manager. Mr. Jennings, nicknamed "Ee-Yah!" for the shout he commonly uttered while he was coaching at third base, was a shortstop, second baseman, and first baseman with five major league teams, most notably the Baltimore Orioles (1893-1899). He batted .311 with 18 home runs and 840 runs batted in in 1,284 games. He played on five National League pennant-winning teams, and became the only shortstop to bat over .400, hitting .401 in 1896, when he also set a single-season record when he was hit by a pitch 51 times. His career total of 287 times being hit by a pitch remains the major league record. Mr. Jennings managed the Detroit Tigers from 1907-1920, leading them to three straight American League pennants from 1907-1909. He coached with the New York Giants from 1921-1925, and briefly filled in as manager when John McGraw took ill in 1924 and 1925. Mr. Jennings had a nervous breakdown after that season and never fully recovered, dying of meningitis on February 1, 1928 at the age of 58. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945 as a player.

Clifford Berryman. U.S. cartoonist. Mr. Berryman was the editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post (1891-1907) and Washington Star (1907-1949). He was awarded the 1944 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, but is perhaps best known for his cartoon Drawing the Line in Mississippi (1902), which inspired the creation of the teddy bear. Mr. Berryman died on December 11, 1949 at the age of 80. His son Jim also became an editorial cartoonist, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1950.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Peyami Safa. Turkish writer. Mr. Safa was a journalist and novelist of conservative and nationalist views. His novels included Dokuzuncu Hariciye Koğuşu (The Ninth External Ward) (1930). Mr. Safa died on June 15, 1961 at the age of 62.

80 years ago
1929

Politics and government
Former Canadian Solicitor General and Quebec Supreme Court Justice Henry George Carroll took office as Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, succeeding Lomer Gouin, who had died five days earlier. Mr. Carroll served until April 1934.

70 years ago
1939

Golf
Ralph Guldahl shot a 3-under-par 69 in the final round to win the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia with a then-Masters record 9-under-par total score of 279, 1 stroke ahead of Sam Snead. First prize money was $1,500.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
New York Rangers 1 @ Boston 2 (3 OT) (Boston won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Mel Hill scored at 8:00 of the 3rd overtime period to give the Bruins their win over the Rangers at Boston Garden, preventing the Bruins from being the first team to lose a playoff series after winning the first three games. The winning goal was Mr. Hill's fourth of the series and his third in overtime, earning him the lasting nickname "Sudden Death" Hill.

60 years ago
1949

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Buttons and Bows--Dinah Shore and the Happy Valley Boys; Gene Autry (13th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Cruising Down the River--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Cruising Down the River--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)
--Blue Barron and his Orchestra
--Jack Smith and the Clark Sisters
2 I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm--Les Brown and his Orchestra
--The Mills Brothers
3 Far Away Places--Bing Crosby
--Perry Como
--Margaret Whiting and the Crew Chiefs
4 Powder Your Face with Sunshine (Smile! Smile! Smile!)--Evelyn Knight and the Stardusters
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
5 Galway Bay--Bing Crosby
6 Red Roses for a Blue Lady--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
7 I Love You So Much it Hurts--The Mills Brothers
8 Sunflower--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
--Jack Fulton
9 Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Dinah Shore
10 So Tired--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were Ya Wanna Buy a Bunny? by Spike Jones and his City Slickers (#23); All Right, Louie, Drop the Gun, with version by Cass Daley; and Louis Prima and his Orchestra (#31); I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore by the Stardusters with Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra (#32); Dreamer with a Penny by Margaret Whiting (#33); Lovesick Blues by Hank Williams with the Drifting Cowboys (#34); Candy Kisses by Eddy Howard and his Orchestra (#35); Need You by Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae (#36); and Comme Ci - Comme Ca, with versions by Tony Martin; and Dick Haymes (#37).

On the radio
Pat Novak For Hire, starring Jack Webb, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Father Lahey and Joe Feldman

Tales of Fatima, starring Basil Rathbone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: The Biggest Game

War
Peace talks between Chinese Communists and Nationalists began in Peking (Beijing), as Communist leader Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong) indicated his willingness to work with former Nationalist "war criminals" who had "repented" their past actions.

Defense
Foreign ministers of the 12 North Atlantic Treaty nations, meeting in Washington, rejected Soviet protests against the alliance, and reaffirmed its "completely defensive nature."

U.S. President Harry Truman signed a bill creating a new permanent undersecretary position in the Defense Department, wile Defense Secretary Louis Johnson eliminated nine "superfluous military boards.

Energy
Electric signs were turned on at full brightness in London for the first time since 1939, as all restrictions on outdoor electric lighting were ended.

Academia
James Killian was formally installed as President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, succeeding Karl Compton.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Detroit 1 @ Montreal 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

50 years ago
1959

Died on this date
William Morrow, 74. Canadian lawyer. Mr. Morrow, grandfather of this blogger, operated a law practice from an office in the MacLeod Building in Edmonton from 1915 until his death.

World events
The Colombian Senate convicted former dictator Gustavo Rojas Pinilla of violating the constitution, degrading the presidency, and abusing his powers following his seizure of power in 1953.

The Hungarian Presidential Council freed former President Zoltan Tildy, a member of Imre Nagy's revolutionary cabinet, from a six-year prison sentence under a partial amnesty.

Defense
The U.S.A. agreed to supply Pakistan with eight B-57 jet bombers under the Mutual Security Act, the first American bombers designated for Pakistan since the beginning of the U.S. military aid program in 1954.

Economics and finance
Iraq cancelled its contract with a British engineering firm for construction of a steel plant in Baghdad, announcing that the factory would instead by built by the U.S.S.R.

The American Iron and Steel Institute reported a 10% increase in steel industry employment costs during the past five years.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Toronto 4 @ Boston 1 (Toronto led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Chicago 2 @ Montreal 4 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-2)

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I Heard It Through the Grapevine--Marvin Gaye (2nd week at #1)

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da/While My Guitar Gently Weeps--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)
2 Edge of Reality/If I Can Dream--Elvis Presley
3 Build Me Up Buttercup--The Foundations
4 Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells
5 Adios Amor--Jose Feliciano
6 Star Crossed Lovers--Neil Sedaka
7 Fox on the Run--Manfred Mann
8 I Started a Joke/Kilburn Towers--The Bee Gees
9 Lily the Pink--The Scaffold
10 Stand by Your Man--Tammy Wynette

Singles entering the chart were Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) by Peter Sarstedt (#21); The Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel (#39); and I Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye (#40).

War
Nigerian federal troops were reported to have resumed their advance into Biafra after a six-month lull. The Nigerian government announced the capture of Ovim, a major rail junction, and three nearby towns.

Diplomacy
Australian Prime Minister John Gorton arrived in Ottawa to begin a visit to Canada.

Politics and government
The presidium of the Czechoslovak Communist party tightened press censorship, threatened to discipline party members, and rebuked Josef Smrkovsky. The moves were made under Soviet pressure after anti-Soviet violence following a Czechoslovak hockey victory.

The U.S.S.R. called the Chinese Communist Party congress a "Maoist farce."

Lieutenant General Joseph Ankrah resigned as Ghana's head of state after admitting that he had received $5,760 from private companies, which he gave to various politicians. The ruling National Liberation Council appointed Brigadier A.A. Arifa, 33, the new head of state.

Religion
Pope Paul VI warned that the "restless, critical, unruly and demolishing rebellion" of priests and laymen threatened the Roman Catholic Church's institutions and contradicted its authority. He appealed for spiritual solidarity among Catholics and, apparently referring to priests who had resigned, assailed the "defection and the scandal" of those who "crucify the church."

Americana
Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States, was buried in his hometown of Abilene, Kansas.

Economics and finance
The government of Ontario ruled that ores mined in the province after January 1, 1970 must be processed in Canada.

Labour
The U.S.A.'s longest dock strike ended when longshoremen in Galveston and Houston, Texas ratified new contracts.

Disasters
A coal mine explosion on the Japanese island of Hokkaido killed 18 and injured 27.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
New York 1 @ Montreal 3 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Toronto 0 @ Boston 10 (Boston led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Philadelphia 2 @ St. Louis 5 (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Los Angeles 5 @ Oakland 4 (OT) (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Phil Esposito scored 4 goals, all against Bruce Gamble, as the Bruins embarrassed the Maple Leafs 10-0 at Boston Garden, with Gerry Cheevers making 40 saves to get the shutout in goal. The game featured some mayhem, including Bobby Orr of the Bruins being knocked unconscious by a check from Pat Quinn of the Maple Leafs. Late in the game, Mr. Cheevers and Toronto forward Forbes Kennedy ignited a brawl that produced 69 minutes in penalties against the Maple Leafs and 54 against the Bruins. Mr. Kennedy, who had led the National Hockey League that season with 219 minutes in penalties, knocked linesman George Ashley to the ice with a half-shove, half-punch. He was subsequently hit with a 4-game suspension and a $1,000 fine. It turned out to be a dramatic exit from the NHL for Forbes Kennedy, because he never played another NHL game.



Ted Irvine scored 19 seconds into overtime to give the Kings their win over the Seals at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena. It set a record for the fastest overtime goal in Stanley Cup history to that time. Gary Croteau and Eddie Joyal each scored twice for Los Angeles.

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

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Heart of Glass--Blondie

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Young Man (Y.M.C.A.)--Hideki Saijo (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?--Rod Stewart (5th week at #1)

Disasters
Spores of airborne anthrax were accidentally released from a military research facility near the Russian city of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), killing 66 people plus an unknown amount of livestock.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): She Drives Me Crazy--Fine Young Cannibals (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Like a Prayer--Madonna

Died on this date
Manolis Angelopoulos, 46. Greek singer. Mr. Angelopoulos, of Romani ancestry, achieved popularity in the 1960s with love songs as well as songs about Greek refugees and exotic places. He died of complications from triple bypass heart surgery, a week before his 47th birthday.

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev arrived in Ireland, where he conferred with Prime Minister Charles Haughey.

Hockey
NHL
Calgary 4 Edmonton 2

10 years ago
1999

Business
Tembec acquired Cranbrook, British Columbia-based Crestbrook Forest Industries.