May 8, 2009

1,420 years ago
589

Religion
Reccared I, Visigothic King of Hispania and Septimania, summoned the Third Council of Toledo.

690 years ago
1319

Died on this date
Haakon V, 49. King of Norway, 1299-1319. Haakon V succeeded his elder brother Eirik II on the throne. He concluded a peace with Denmark in 1309, ending a period of wars between the countries. King Haakon V died four weeks after his 49th birthday, and was succeeded by his grandson Magnus VII.

580 years ago
1429

War
Joan of Arc lifted the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years' War.

190 years ago
1819

Died on this date
Kamehameha I. King of the Hawaiian Islands, 1782-1819. King Kamehameha "the Great" unified the Hawaiian Islands, and served as the first monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was succeeded on the throne by his son Kamehameha II.

180 years ago
1829

Born on this date
Louis Moreau Gottschalk. U.S. musician and composer. Mr. Gottschalk, one of this blogger's favourite composers, was born in New Orleans, and was influenced by music from various cultural traditions. He was a child piano prodigy who has been called America's "first rock star," touring widely throughout North, Central, and South America, performing his own works, which included The Dying Poet and Symphony No. 1: A Night in the Tropics. Mr. Gottschalk was on tour in Rio de Janeiro when he died at the age of 40 on December 18, 1869, possibly from an overdose of quinine.

170 years ago
1839

Born on this date
Adolphe-Basile Routhier. Canadian judge and songwriter. Sir Basile, a native of Saint-Benoît (now Saint-Placide), Lower Canada, sat on the Quebec Superior Court from 1873-1906, serving as Chief Justice from 1904-1906, while also serving on the Admiralty of the Exchequer Court of Canada from 1897-1906. Sir Basile wrote the original French lyrics for O Canada. He died on June 27, 1920 in Saint-Irénée-les-Bains, Quebec at the age of 81.

110 years ago
1899

Theatre
The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin produced its first play: The Countess Cathleen by W. B. Yeats.

Born on this date
Fritz Henrich. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Henrich was an outfielder who batted .211 with no home runs and 4 runs batted in in 36 games with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1924, and hit .301 with 4 home runs in 37 games with the Williamsport Grays of the Class B New York-Pennsylvania League that year. He died on May 1, 1959, a week before his 60th birthday.

Arthur Q. Bryan. U.S. actor. Mr. Bryan was best known as a voice actor, playing Dr. Gamble on the radio comedy program Fibber McGee & Molly in the 1940s, playing Major Hoople on the radio comedy program Our Boarding House (1942-1943), and originating the voice of the cartoon character Elmer Fudd, which he played from 1939 until his death from a heart attack at the age of 60 on November 18, 1959.

Friedrich von Hayek. Austrian-born U.K. economist. A champion of economic freedom, Dr. Hayek was best known for his book The Road to Serfdom (1944). He shared the 1974 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Gunnar Myrdal of Sweden "for their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena." Dr. Hayek died on March 23, 1992 at the age of 92.

Baseball
Harry Wolverton's grand slam home run in the bottom of the 9th inning gave the Chicago Orphans an 8-7 win over the Cleveland Spiders at West Side Park in Chicago. It was the third and last major league game for Cleveland outfielder George Bristow.

90 years ago
1919

Born on this date
Lex Barker. U.S. actor. Mr. Barker was best known for playing Tarzan of the Apes in five movies from 1949-1953. He died of a heart attack on May 11, 1973, three days after his 54th birthday.

Academia
Pope Benedict XV signed the rescript "Quum Illmi," establishing the independence of Université Laval de Montréal from Université Laval de Québec. Following this decision, the institution adopted the name of Université de Montréal.

80 years ago
1929

Baseball
Carl Hubbell pitched a no-hitter, walking just one batter, as the New York Giants routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0 before 8,000 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. The first two batters in the 9th inning reached base on errors before Mr. Hubbell started a game-ending double play. Chick Fullis started the scoring in the 2nd inning with his third home run in three days, and Mel Ott added 2 home runs to take the National League lead with 6.

The St. Louis Cardinals scored 8 runs in the top of the 1st inning and coasted to a 10-2 win over the Boston Braves before 3,000 fans at Braves Field. Taylor Douthit and Chick Hafey each batted 4 for 5 with a run and a run batted in for the Cardinals. Lou Leggett made his major league debut with the Braves, flying out to center field as a pinch hitter leading off the 9th inning.

75 years ago
1934

Baseball
The Chicago White Sox named Jimmie Dykes as their new manager, replacing Lew Fonseca. The White Sox' record was 4-11 when the change was made.

St. Louis Cardinals' pitcher Bill Walker's arm was broken when he was hit by a line drive in batting practice from Joe Medwick.

70 years ago
1939

Baseball
Pepper Martin's steal of home plate with 2 out in the top of the 6th inning was the only run of the game as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Brooklyn Dodgers 1-0 before 7,693 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Bob Weiland pitched the 6-hit shutout, while Red Evans allowed 3 hits and 2 earned run in 7 innings and took the loss.

The Chicago Cubs defeated the New York Giants 4-2 before 6,098 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York, but lost first baseman Phil Cavaretta for almost the entire season when he broke his right ankle sliding into second base in the 2nd inning. Bill Lee pitched a 9-hit complete game victory and hit a solo home run in the 4th inning to conclude the Chicago scoring.

Chuck Klein's bases-loaded pinch-hit triple off Jim Weaver was the big hit of a 5-run 8th inning, helping the Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds before 2,313 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. For Mr. Weaver, who allowed 2 hits and 1 earned run in 1/3 inning, it was the 189th and last game of his 8-year major league career.

Bob Johnson hit a solo home run in the 8th inning to tie the score and Bill Nagel hit a solo homer in the 9th to break the 5-5 tie as the Philadelphia Athletics edged the Detroit Tigers 6-5 before 2,751 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

The Cleveland Indians scored all their runs in the 7th inning as they beat the Washington Nationals 6-2 before 1,500 fans at League Park in Cleveland. Willis Hudlin pitched a 6-hit complete game victory; Walt Masterson, who pitched the 8th inning for Washington in relief of losing pitcher Ken Chase, allowed a hit and 2 bases on balls, but no runs in his major league debut.

60 years ago
1949

On the radio
Pat Novak For Hire, starring Jack Webb, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Wendy Morris

Died on this date
William H. Luden, 90. U.S. confectioner. Mr. Luden originated the menthol candy cough drop in 1881, founding the company that still bears his name.

Literature
The New York Herald Tribune listed Point of No Return by John P. Marquand as the best-selling fiction book, and Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth and Ernestine Carey as the best-selling non-fiction book.

Politics and government
The Parliamentary Council in Bonn adopted a "Basic Law" as the constitution of the new West German state, vesting power in a two-house parliament with a president as the nominal head of state.

Local elections in Sardinia resulted in drastic losses for the Christian Democrats, who nevertheless remained the island's strongest party.

Oil
The U.S. Bureau of Mines opened the nation's first factory for extracting oil and gasoline from coal in Louisiana, Missouri.

Labour
A one-week strike of 6,500 United Electrical Workers union members at 21 Philco plants in the Philadelphia area ended after the union dropped its demands for a 15c hourly raise and pension plan.

Baseball
Pitchers Kid Nichols and Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mr. Nichols played with the Boston Beaneaters (1890-1901); St. Louis Cardinals (1904-1905); and Philadelphia Phillies, compiling a record of 362-208 with an earned run average of 2.96. Mr. Brown, who lost parts of two fingers on his right (throwing) hand in a childhood acccident, which had the effect of enabling him to throw a curveball. He played with six major league teams from 1903-1916, compiling a record of 239-130 with an earned run average of 2.06. Mr. Brown was best known for his years with the Chicago Cubs (1904-1912, 1916), winning 20 or more games for six straight seasons (1906-1911), helping them win three consecutive National League pennants from 1906-1908 and World Series championships in 1907-1908. He was 17-8 with the Chicago Whales when they won the Federal League pennant in 1915.

Trailing 3-2 going into the top of the 9th inning, the Cincinnati Reds scored 5 runs to take a 7-3 lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader before 17,707 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The Phillies rallied for 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game, but the Reds scored 7 in the 12th to win 14-7. Bill Nicholson drove in 5 runs with a home run and a pair of singles as the Phillies won the second game 8-1, which was called after 6 innings because of a Sunday curfew.

The Pittsburgh Pirates scored 4 runs in the top of the 1st inning and coasted to an 8-3 win over the Boston Braves in the first game of a doubleheader before 27,211 fans at Braves Field. They scored 4 in top of the 1st inning in the 2nd game, but the Braves rallied for 4 in the bottom of the inning, and the Pirates needed to score 6 in the 8th to win 11-8 to complete the sweep. Johnny Beazley, the last of four Boston pitchers in the first game, pitched 2 perfect innings in the 76th and last game of his 6-year major league career.

The Brooklyn Dodgers came back from a 7-2 deficit with 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning and 4 in the 7th to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7 before 26,350 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Rocky Nelson tripled to lead off the 9th, but Preacher Roe retired Tommy Glaviano on a ground out to shortstop, Hank Sauer on a line drive to first base, and Bill Baker on a fly ball to left field to end the game.

Tommy Byrne pitched a 3-hitter; Tommy Henrich batted 4 for 4 with a base on balls, double, 2 runs, and 2 runs batted in; and Yogi Berra batted 3 for 5 with a double, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs as the New York Yankees routed the Detroit Tigers 12-0 before 52,891 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. The Yankees scored 5 runs in the 7th inning and 3 in the 8th. Jimmy Outlaw struck out as a pinch hitter for the Tigers in the 7th inning; it was the 650th and last game of his 10-year major league career.

A hit batsman, a base on balls, and a wild pitch plated the last 3 runs of a 4-run 13th inning as the Boston Red Sox broke a 6-6 tie and defeated the St. Louis Browns 10-6 in the first game of a doubleheader before 8,223 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Dom DiMaggio singled home 2 runs in the top of the 8th inning to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead in the second game, and the game was called because of darkness after the Browns were retired in order in the bottom of the inning. Dick Kokos hit a pair of solo home runs for St. Louis in the second game.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): It Doesn't Matter Anymore--Buddy Holly (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Donald Quarles, 64. U.S. communications executive and politician. Mr. Quarles was an engineer and executive with Bell Telephone Laboratories from 1925-1948, later serving as an executive with Western Electric and Sandia Corporation. He was U.S. Secretary of the Air Force from 1955-1957 and Deputy Defense Secretary from 1957 until his death from a heart attack.

Diplomacy
Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru stated that India would maintain friendly relations with Communist China and would not permit the Dalai Lama to campaign in India for Tibetan independence.

Defense
Ending a three-day visit to the United Kingdom, the Shah of Iran told the London Foreign Press Association that his country "will never grant military bases to any country."

U.S.S.R. delegate in Geneva Semyon Tsarapkin said that the U.S.S.R. was ready to cooperate in an international effort to launch satellites containing detection instruments to monitor any nuclear test-ban agreement.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells (2nd week at #1)

War
The National Liberation Front presented a 10-point program for an "over-all solution" to the Vietnam war at the Paris peace talks. The program called for free elections to a constituent assembly that would draft a constitution, and ultimately a coalition government in Saigon. The entire process would follow a complete withdrawal of United States troops.

Israeli commandos raided Arab guerrilla bases on the east bank of the Jordan River. Israel then disclosed that its commandos had been raiding across the Jordan during the past year.

30 years ago
1979

Crime
The murder-conspiracy trial of former British Liberal party leader Jeremy Thorpe began in London, five days after Mr. Thorpe's defeat in the general election.

23 were killed in El Salvador when police fired on supporters of the Popular Revolutionary Bloc (BPR) outside San Salvador Cathedral, which the BPR had occupied since May 4.

Energy
California Governor Jerry Brown signed an emergency gas-rationing law, strictly limiting auto fuel consumption and mandating odd-even gas supply days throughout California.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Montreal 2 @ Boston 5 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)
New York Islanders 1 @ New York Rangers 2 (Rangers won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Stan Jonathan scored 3 goals for the Bruins as they beat the Canadiens at Boston Garden.

Don Murdoch and Ron Greschner scored in the 2nd period for the Rangers as they overcame a 1-0 deficit to edge the Islanders at Madison Square Garden and advance to the finals for the first time since 1972.

Baseball
Roy Smalley, Craig Kusick, and Ken Landreaux hit home runs for the Minnesota Twins off Balor Moore in the 7th inning of the Twins' 16-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays before 3,126 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Messrs. Smalley and Kusick each hit 2 homers in the game, while Mr. Landreaux added a double and 2 singles, driving in a total of 5 runs. Tom Murphy, the last of five Toronto pitchers, allowed 1 hit, 1 run--earned--with 1 base on balls and 1 strikeout in 1 1/3 innings in the 443rd and last game of his 12-year major league career.

Eddie Murray, Gary Roenicke, and Lee May hit consecutive home runs for the Baltimore Orioles in the 6th inning of their 8-2 win over the Oakland Athletics before 7,126 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

The Detroit Tigers scored 10 runs on 8 hits and 8 bases on balls as they defeated the Chicago White Sox 10-8 before 13,769 fans at Tiger Stadium. The White Sox had 15 hits and drew 7 walks.

The Milwaukee Brewers scored 7 runs in the 5th inning and withstood a 5-run 8th inning rally to defeat the Cleveland Indians 9-5 before 12,959 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

The Kansas City Royals lost 8-7 to the Texas Rangers before 14,400 fans at Arlington Stadium, and lost right fielder Al Cowens (broken jaw) and second baseman Frank White (broken hand) for extended periods when they were hit by pitches from Ed Farmer.

Scott Sanderson pitched a 1-hitter for the Montreal Expos as they shut out the San Francisco Giants 4-0 before 7,513 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Terry Whitfield singled with 1 out in the 1st inning for the only hit off Mr. Sanderson. Darrell Evans drew a base on balls with 1 out in the 5th, and no other San Francisco batters reached base. Larry Parrish hit a 3-run home run in the 9th to provide insurance runs.

The Philadelphia Phillies scored 2 runs in each of the 8th and 9th innings to tie the score, and Pete Rose doubled home 2 runs with 2 out in the top of the 12th to break the 7-7 tie as the Phillies held on to edge the San Diego Padres 9-8 before 12,288 fans at San Diego Stadium.

25 years ago
1984

At the movies
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Harrison Ford, received its premiere screening in Los Angeles. This blogger attended one of the opening day screenings on May 23, but wasn't impressed.



Died on this date
Lila Bell Wallace, 94. Canadian-born U.S. publisher. Mrs. Wallace, a native of Virden, Manitoba, co-published Reader's Digest with her husband DeWitt.

Crime
Canadian Armed Forces Corporal Denis Lortie sprayed the Quebec National Assembly in Quebec City with sub-machine gun fire, killing 3 and wounding 13. René Jalbert, sergeant-at-arms of the assembly, succeeded in calming Cpl. Lortie, for which he later received the Cross of Valour. Cpl. Lortie, who was on leave from his base, told his captors that he wanted to destroy the Parti Quebecois.

Olympics
The U.S.S.R. announced that it would boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in late July-early August. The Soviet National Olympic Committee referred to a "cavalier attitude of the U.S. authorities to the Olympic Charter," and said that the U.S. government "does not intend to insure the security of all sportsmen..." The reference to the Olympic Charter was an apparent criticism of the large amount of commercialism associated with the games. The Soviet boycott, which was followed by other Eastern bloc countries, was widely viewed as retaliation for the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Western nations had boycotted the Moscow games as a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Diplomacy
Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid addressed the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa during an official visit to Canada.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Gary Hart (Colorado) narrowly defeated former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale to win primaries in Ohio and Indiana, his first victories in northern industrial states in the contest for the Democratic party nomination for President of the United States in the November 1984 election. Mr. Mondale won primaries in North Carolina and Maryland and still held a large lead in delegates.

Economics and finance
Major U.S. banks boosted their prime lending rates from 12-12.5%. Fearing that rising interest rates could have a negative impact on voters in a presidential election year, spokesmen for the U.S. administration of President Ronald Reagan criticized Federal Reserve Board policies.

Britannica
The Thames Barrier, a flood barrier in London, was officially opened.

Baseball
Kirby Puckett, batting leadoff, was 4 for 5 with a run, and made 2 putouts in center field in his major league debut, helping the Minnesota Twins shut out the California Angels 5-0 before 23,678 fans at Anaheim Stadium. Mr. Puckett grounded out to start the game, but then hit 4 consecutive singles. Lewft fielder Mike Hart also made his major league debut with Minnesota, batting 0 for 4, and making 3 putouts. Frank Viola (3-3) pitched a 4-hitter, while Jim Slaton (1-1) took the loss.

Pinch hitter Keith Moreland singled home pinch runner Henry Cotto with 1 out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 12-11 win over the San Francisco Giants before 4,645 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Chicago third baseman Ron Cey hit a grand slam as part of a 7-run 3rd inning for the Cubs.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): The Living Years--Mike + the Mechanics

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Like a Prayer--Madonna (9th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Like a Prayer--Madonna
2 The Look--Roxette
3 Girl You Know it's True--Milli Vanilli
4 Second Chance--Thirty Eight Special
5 She Drives Me Crazy--Fine Young Cannibals
6 Heaven Help Me--Deon Estus (with George Michael)
7 Diamond Mine--Blue Rodeo
8 Walk the Dinosaur--Was (Not Was)
9 Love Makes No Promises--Candi
10 I'll Be There for You--Bon Jovi

Singles entering the chart were Victory Day by Tom Cochrane & Red Rider (#78); Rooms on Fire by Stevie Nicks (#82); This Time I Know it's for Real by Donna Summer (#83); Don't Feel Your Touch by Bruce Cockburn (#87); Romance by Paul Carrack & Terri Nunn (#89); Be with You by the Bangles (#91); All is Forgiven by Siren (#94); Talk to Me by Dalbello (#96); Lead Me Into Love by Anita Baker (#98); and If You Don't Know Me by Now by Simply Red (#99). Romance was from the movie Sing (1989).

Space
U.S. space shuttle Atlantis concluded the four-day mission STS-30 and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Politics and government
Leopold Belliveau was elected as Moncton, New Brunswick's first Acadian mayor.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Hungary agreed to convene a party conference to deal with political reform.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference Finals
Calgary 2 @ Chicago 1 (OT) (Calgary led best-of-seven series 3-1)

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Soeman Hs, 95. Indonesian author and educator. Mr. Hs, whose full name was Soeman Hasibuan, wrote in Malay, and was a pioneer in detective fiction in his country, writing five novels and numerous short stories from the 1920s to the 1940s. In 1949, he was appointed head of the Department of Education and Culture in the province of Riau, building schools and promoting Islamic education.

Dirk Bogarde, 78. U.K. actor. Sir Dirk, born Derek van den Bogaerde, was a popular leading man in British films from the 1950s through the '70s, perhaps best known for starring in the series of comedies beginning with Doctor in the House (1954). He was nominated for five BAFTA Awards, winning for his starring performances in The Servant (1963) and Darling (1965). Sir Dirk died of a pulmonary embolism, several years after suffering a stroke.

Ed Gilbert, 67. U.S. actor and entomologist. Mr. Gilbert, whose real name was Edmund Giesbert, appeared in various television programs, and did voice work in cartoons. Under his real name, he pursued the study of coleoptera, and described a number of beetle species and genera. Mr. Gilbert died of lung cancer.

Dana Plato, 34. U.S. actress. Miss Plato, born Dana Strain, was known for playing Kimberly Drummond on the television comedy series Diff'rent Strokes (1978-1986). She had substance abuse problems during her time on the show, and the problems continued in later years, when she found roles hard to come by. Miss Plato died of an overdose of the painkiller Lortab and the muscle-relaxant Soma; her death was ruled a suicide.

Defense
The Citadel in South Carolina graduated its first female cadet, Nancy Mace.

Baseball
Third baseman John Mabry collected 4 singles and a double for the Seattle Mariners in their 14-5 win over the New York Yankees before 41,786 fans at Yankee Stadium. Brian Hunter, David Bell, and Ken Griffey, Jr., the first three men in the Seattle batting order, each drove in 3 runs, as did Tom Lampkin, eighth in the order.

The Montreal Expos scored all their runs in the 2nd inning as they held on to defeat the Houston Astros 6-5 before 33,216 fans at the Astrodome. Shane Andrews' 3-run home run with nobody out began the Montreal scoring.