April 9, 2009

400 years ago
1609

War
Spain and the Dutch Republic signed the Treaty of Antwerp to initiate 12 years of truce.

World events
King Philip III of Spain issued the decree of the "Expulsion of the Moriscos"--descendants of Muslims who had converted to Christianity.

140 years ago
1869

Canadiana
Hudson's Bay Company shareholders accepted the terms of the Rupert's Land Act of 1868; the Hudson's Bay Company ceded its territory to Canada.

130 years ago
1879

Born on this date
Thomas Meighan. U.S. actor. Mr. Meighan was a leading man in silent and sound films from 1914-1934; his movies included The Miracle Man (1919); The Racket (1928); and The Mating Call (1928). He died on July 8, 1936 at the age of 57, after a two-year battle with cancer.

100 years ago
1909

Economics and finance
The U.S. Congress passed the Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act.

90 years ago
1919

Born on this date
J. Presper Eckert. U.S. electrical engineer. Mr. Eckert co-designed the first general-purpose electronic digital computer (ENIAC) in 1945 and the first commercial computer in the U.S.A., the UNIVAC in 1951. He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1968 and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002. Mr. Eckert died of leukemia on June 3, 1995 at the age of 76.

Labour
The Canadian government of Prime Miniser Robert Borden appointed a Royal Commission on Industrial Relations to look at the high cost of living as it affected labour.

80 years ago
1929

Diplomacy
Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.A. Vincent Massey protested against the March 22 sinking of the Canadian schooner I'm Alone by the U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of Louisiana. Captain John Randell and his crew were released. The case of the rum-runner went to arbitration.

70 years ago
1939

Music
Contralto Marian Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. after being denied the right to sing at the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall because she was a Negress.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 3 @ Boston 2 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Doc Romnes scored at 10:38 of the 1st overtime period to give the Maple Leafs their win over the Bruins at Boston Garden.

60 years ago
1949

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Rambling Rose--Perry Como; Tony Pastor

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Cruising Down the River--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)

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

Singles entering the chart were Blue Moon, with versions by Mel Torme; and Billy Eckstine (#35); and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (Parts 1 and 2) by Lennie Hayton and the M-G-M Studio Orchestra (#36).

On the radio
Pat Novak For Hire, starring Jack Webb, on ABC
Tonight’s episode: Shirt Mix-Up at the Laundry

Tales of Fatima, starring Basil Rathbone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: Murder at the Circus

Law
The International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered Albania to pay damages to the United Kingdom for the destruction of two British destroyers by mines off Corfu Channel in 1946.

Basketball
BAA
Finals
Minneapolis 71 @ Washington 83 (Minneapolis led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Jack Nichols scored 27 points to help the Capitols defeat the Lakers before 4,471 fans at Uline Arena. George Washington led Minneapolis scorers with 27 points.

50 years ago
1959

Died on this date
Frank Lloyd Wright, 91. U.S. architect. Mr. Wright was probably the most important architect in American history, practicing “organic architecture,” which harmonized with both its occupants’ needs and the surrounding landscape.

Space
America’s first seven astronauts were introduced to the public in a press conference at the auditorium at the headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Washington, D.C. The astronauts were Scott Carpenter; Gordon Cooper; John Glenn; Gus Grissom; Wally Schirra; Alan Shepard; and Donald "Deke" Slayton. That evening, the astronauts enjoyed a big dinner with U.S. Air Force chief of staff General Thomas White; chief of naval operations Admiral Arleigh Burke; NASA Administrator Keith Glennan; Ed Thompson, an editor at Life magazine; and press agent Leo D’Orsey.



Politics and government
Veterans of the Greek Cypriot terrorist movement founded a right-wing party pledged to support Archbishop Makarios and to counter the Communist-led Pan-Cyprian Labour Federation.

Beginning a tour of Wisconsin to test reaction to a possible U.S. presidential bid, U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy (Democrat--Massachusetts) said in Milwaukee that he didn't think it unreasonable to ask about a candidate's religion.

Disasters
A Persian Gulf windstorm caused an estimated 500 deaths in Bahrain.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 3 @ Montreal 5 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Marcel Bonin scored with 8:01 remaining in regulation time to break a 3-3 tie, and Dickie Moore scored a powerplay goal 3:03 later as the Canadiens defeated the Maple Leafs at the Montreal Forum.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Boston 118 @ Minneapolis 113 (Boston won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Bill Sharman scored 29 points and Bill Russell scored 15 points and grabbed 30 rebounds to help the Celtics defeat the Lakers before 8,124 fans at Minneapolis Armory to complete the series sweep. Elgin Baylor of Minneapolis led all scorers with 30 points. It was the second National Basketball Association championship for the Celtics in the past three years, and the first of eight straight for Boston.



40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I Heard It Through the Grapevine--Marvin Gaye (3rd week at #1)

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da/While My Guitar Gently Weeps--The Beatles (4th week at #1)
2 Edge of Reality/If I Can Dream--Elvis Presley
3 Build Me Up Buttercup--The Foundations
4 Indian Giver--1910 Fruitgum Co.
5 Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells
6 Adios Amor--Jose Feliciano
7 Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)--Peter Sarstedt
8 Dizzy--Tommy Roe
9 Fox on the Run--Manfred Mann
10 Stand by Your Man--Tammy Wynette

Singles entering the chart were Galveston by Glen Campbell (#27); The Real Thing by Russell Morris (#33); and Boom Bang-A-Bang by Anne Hawker (#35).

Music
The album Nashville Skyline by Bob Dylan was released on Columbia Records.

Aviation
The first British-built Concorde 002, piloted by Brian Tubshaw, made its maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford.

Academia
Led by Students for a Democratic Society, a mob of 300 seized University Hall, the main administration building at Harvard University. The thugs ejected eight deans from their offices and chained up the doors. The dean of freshmen sniffled, "I just can’t believe our students could do this."

Politics and government
Clifford Alexander resigned as chairman of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, citing a "crippling lack of administration support." Mr. Alexander, a Negro, linked his resignation to a threat made during a Senate hearing by Republican Senator Everett Dirksen to have President Richard Nixon oust him for having "harassed" businessmen over job discrimination.

Greek Prime Minister George Papadopoulos restored by decree three basic constitutional rights that had been suspended by his military regime: the inviolability of the home; freedom of association; and freedom of assembly.

Society
Sikh bus conductors and drivers in Wolverhampton, England won the right to wear turbans on duty, after a long-running campaign that included threats of self-immolation.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Los Angeles 1 @ Oakland 4 (Oakland led best-of-seven series 3-2)

CHL
Adams Cup
Semi-Finals
Oklahoma City 4 @ Tulsa 3 (2 OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

Jim Lorentz scored at 11:38 of the 2nd overtime period to give the Blazers their win over the Oilers.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Heart of Glass--Blondie (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Young Man (Y.M.C.A.)--Hideki Saijo (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?--Rod Stewart (6th week at #1)

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1978 were presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The winners included: Picture--The Deer Hunter; Director--Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter); Actor--Jon Voight (Coming Home); Actress--Jane Fonda (Coming Home); Supporting Actor--Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter); Supporting Actress--Maggie Smith (California Suite).

Died on this date
Staats Cosworth, 71. U.S. actor. Mr. Cosworth appeared in plays and television programs, but was primarily a radio actor, appearing in an estimated 7,500 broadcasts in 12 years. He was a regular cast member of numerous programs, but was best known as the star of Crime Photographer. Mr. Cosworth also painted in oils and watercolours, and his work was exhibited at several galleries.

World events
Pakistan denied charges by Afghanistan that her troops had crossed over their mutual border, as widespread Muslim insurgency continued against the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul.

Religion
Pope John Paul II, in an ecclesiastic letter to the Roman Catholic clergy, stressed celibacy as a prerequisite for the priesthood, affirming traditional church teaching.

Disasters
The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that the crisis at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania was over as the crippled reactor was brought toward a cold shutdown.

25 years ago
1984

Movies
Terms of Endearment won the Oscar for Best Picture at the annual presentation of the Academy Awards. Other Oscars included: Director--James L. Brooks, Terms of Endearment; Actor--Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies; Actress--Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment; Supporting Actor--Jack Nicholson, Terms of Endearment; Supporting Actress--Linda Hunt, The Year of Living Dangerously.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Like a Prayer--Madonna

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

Protest
In Tbilisi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, an anti-Soviet peaceful demonstration of 10,000 people at Lenin Square, demanding restoration of Georgian independence, was dispersed by the Soviet Red Army, who used poison gas, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

A crowd stated to be 300,000, but probably much less, in Washington, D.C., demonstrated in favour of continuation of a woman's right to have an abortion. The protest, organized by the misnamed National Organization for Women, took place in advance of a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the issue.

Curling
World Men's Championships @ Milwaukee Auditorium
Final
Canada (Pat Ryan) 5 Switzerland (Patrick Hürlimann) 4

Golf
Nick Faldo birdied the second hole of a sudden-death playoff against Scott Hoch to win the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Mr. Hoch had three chances to sink a putt to win the tournament, but failed each time, with the worst failure coming on the first playoff hole, when he missed from 4 feet. Greg Norman bogeyed on the 18th hole of the last round, preventing him from entering the playoff. Former winner Ben Crenshaw also bogeyed on the last hole, falling into a tie with Mr. Norman for third. First prize money was $200,000.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Hartford Whalers 4-3 in their second consecutive victory in overtime in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Calgary Flames 5-3.

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Ibrahim Bare Mainassara, 49. President of Niger, 1996-1999. Colonel Mainassara was named Army Chief of Staff in March 1995, and seized power in a coup on January 27, 1996. Under a new constitution, he was elected President in July 1996, but the election was widely viewed as fraudulent. Col. Mainassara was shot to death at the airport in Niamey, a month before his 50th birthday. A United States State Department spokesman said that Col. Mainassara had been assassinated by members of the presidential guard. Tensions had run high since a February election for local and regional offices. A military junta led by Daouda Malam Wanke, commander of the presidential guard, took power after the assassination.

War
The Battle of Košare began in the Kosovo War.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization said that it had received disturbing reports of rapes of ethnic Albanian women by Serbian soldiers. Russian President Boris Yeltsin warned NATO not to push his country into military support of Serbia.

Diplomacy
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji continued his visit to the United States with a meeting with congressional leaders in Washington, D.C.