June 3, 2009

590 years ago
1419

Born on this date
Agostino Barbarigo. Doge of Venice, 1486-1501. Mr. Barbarigo presided over the annexation of Cyprus and the acquisition of several strongholds in Romagna. He died on September 20, 1501 at the age of 82, and was succeeded as Doge by Leonardo Loredan.

470 years ago
1539

Americana
Hernando de Soto claimed Florida for Spain.

210 years ago
1799

Canadiana
The name of Île Saint-Jean was officially changed to Prince Edward Island, after the Assembly hadvoted on November 29, 1798 to honour Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, fourth son of King George III. Prince Edward was then stationed with the army in Halifax. The name change was also intended to prevent confusion with Saint John, New Brunswick and St. John's, Newfoundland.

170 years ago
1839

World events
In Humen, China, Lin Tse-hsü destroyed 1.2 million kilograms of opium confiscated from British merchants, providing the United Kingdom with a casus belli to open hostilities, resulting in the First Opium War.

130 years ago
1879

Born on this date
Alla Nazimova. Russian-born U.S. actress. Miss Nazimova, born Marem-Ides Leventon, began her career in her native country before moving to New York City in 1905. She became known on Broadway for her work in the plays of Ibsen, Chekhov and Turgenev, and also appeared in silent films in the 1910s and '20s. Miss Nazimova was reputed to be a bisexual, and the rumoured hostess of debauched parties at her Hollywood, California mansion. She died of a heart attack on July 13, 1945 at the age of 66.

120 years ago
1889

Transportation
The first Canadian Pacific Railway train beyond Montreal arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick, marking the completion of the CPR as a coast-to-coast railway.

Energy
The first long-distance electric power transmission line in the United States was completed, running 14 miles between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Georg von Békésy. Hungarian-born biophysicist. Dr. Békésy worked for the Hungarian Post Office from 1923-1946, where he did research on telecommunications signal quality, leading him to become interested in the workings of the ear. He taught at Harvard University from 1947-1966 and at the University of Hawaii from 1966 until his death on July 13, 1972 at the age of 73. Dr. Békésy was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discoveries of the physical mechanism of stimulation within the cochlea."

Died on this date
Johann Strauss II, 73. Austrian composer. Mr. Strauss, the son of composer Johann Strauss I, composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and was known as the "Waltz King." His works included The Blue Danube; The Emperor Waltz; Tales from the Vienna Woods; and Die Fledermaus. Mr. Strauss died of pleuropneumonia.

100 years ago
1909

Politics and government
Mackenzie King was sworn in as Canada's first Deputy Minister of Labour.

75 years ago
1934

Baseball
The St. Louis Browns tied an American League record with 9 consecutive hits, all with two out in the 6th inning, on their way to a 12-8 win over the Cleveland Indians.

70 years ago
1939

Agriculture
The Canadian Parliament passed Agriculture Minister Jimmy Gardiner's Prairie Farm Assistance Act, providing crop insurance.

60 years ago
1949

On television tonight
Your Show Time, hosted and narrated by Arthur Shields, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Why Thomas was Discharged, starring Marc Daniels, Marcia Mae Jones, Tom Stevenson, and Gil Stratton

At the movies
Take One False Step, co-written, produced, and directed by Chester Erskine, and starring William Powell, Shelley Winters, Marsha Hunt, James Gleason, and Dorothy Hart, received its premiere screening in Los Angeles.



Died on this date
A.P. Giannini, 79. U.S. banker. Amadeo Pietro Giannini founded the Bank of Italy in San Francisco in 1904; he made loans to help businesses rebuild after the 1906 earthquake, and opened hundreds of branches in California before merging with Bank of America in 1929. Mr. Giannini also founded the holding company Transamerica Corporation in 1928.

War
Chinese Communist occupied Tsingtao, following the abandonment of the port and naval base by Nationalist forces.

Politics and government
Marshal Yen Hsi-shan succeeded Ho Ying-chin as Chinese Nationalist Premier.

Academia
In ceremonies at Annapolis, Maryland, Wesley Brown of Washington became the first Negro to graduate from the United States Naval Academy.

Crime
U.S. Federal Judge Harold Medina, in New York, sentenced three Communist Party U.S.A. leaders, including Gus Hall, to prison for contempt of court. Testifying at the New York perjury trial of former U.S. State Department official Alger Hiss, former Communist and Time editor Whittaker Chambers admitted under defense cross-examination that he had lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the House of Representatives Un-American Activities Committee in previous statements on Communist spy activities in the United States.

Labour
The Canadian Seamen's Union, on strike against shippers in eastern Canada, was suspended from the Canadian Trades and Labour Congress due to alleged Communist leadership.

Allied military commanders in Berlin held their first meeting since the breakup of the Berlin command the previous July, in an unsuccessful effort to settle the strike of Berlin railway workers.

50 years ago
1959

Literature
A new official history of the Soviet Communist Party, prepared by a Central Committee group headed by Boris Ponomarev, was published in Moscow.

Space
The United States launched the spy satellite Discoverer 3 from Vandenberg Air Force, California, with four male black mice aboard. However the mission failed when the satellite failed to reach orbit because of guidance failure in the Agena rocket, and fell into the Pacific Ocean.



Asiatica
The new Singapore state charter went into effect, ending Singapore's status as a British crown colony.

Diplomacy
Western foreign ministers informed U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko that the U.S.A., U.K., and France were willing to accept a freeze on their current 11,000-man West Berlin garrison in exchange for Soviet assurances of free Western access to Berlin.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Wayne Morse (Democrat--Oregon) announced that he would not support Sen. Richard Neuberger (Democrat--Oregon) for re-election in 1960.

Canadiana
The New Brunswick provincial tartan, designed by Patricia Jenkins of Gagetown, was accepted by the Court of The Lord Lyon, King-of-Arms in Edinburgh, Scotland as "The New Brunswick Tartan" - and recorded as a registered design.

Communications
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower bounced a message off the Moon to Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.

Boxing
Joe Brown (90-20-11-2-1) retained his world lightweight title with a technical knockout of Paolo Rosi (31-5-1) at the beginning of the 9th round at Uline Arena in Washington, D.C. The fight was scored as even on the scorecards when referee Charley Reynolds stopped the fight after the ring doctor examined several cuts around Mr. Rosi's eyes, and ruled him unfit to continue.



Baseball
The New York Yankees scored 5 runs in the 3rd inning against their nemesis, Frank Lary, but needed Mickey Mantle's 9th-inning home run off relief pitcher Ray Narleski to break a 5-5 tie and post a 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers before 43,146 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

Stan Williams pitched a 2-hitter and had 3 hits of his own and drove in a run to help the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 before 9,191 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Los Angeles catcher Johnny Roseboro drove in 4 runs with a pair of home runs.

Eddie Mathews hit a pair of 2-run home runs and Hank Aaron added a solo homer for the Milwaukee Braves as they beat the San Francisco Giants 7-4 before 23,071 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee. Orlando Cepeda and Willie Kirkland homered for the Giants.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Mendocino--Sir Douglas Quintet

Died on this date
Cobe Jones, 61. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Jones was an infielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1928-1929), batting .262 with no home runs and 4 runs batted in in 29 games. He played in the minor leagues from 1925-1930, and was a playing manager in 1938 and 1941.

Economics and finance
Canada’s budget for 1969-1970 was presented in the House of Commons by Finance Minister Edgar Benson. The budget, with the first substantial surplus in 13 years--$250 million--included an estimated outlay of $11.65 billion and revenues of $12.4 billion. The fight against inflation was considered to be Canada’s number one priority, and the budget included several austerity measures.

Disasters
74 Americans were lost when the Australian aircraft carrier Melbourne collided with the U.S. destroyer USS Frank E. Evans during night maneuvers in the South China Sea, cutting the destroyer in half. The American ship was acting as part of the carrier’s screen and was changing station from ahead of the Melbourne to the rear for rescue duty. The bow section of the destroyer sank immediately, but the stern remained afloat and was towed by the carrier to the U.S. naval station at Subic Bay, Philippines. The carrier suffered no casualties. 44 other warships participated in the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization exercise.

Baseball
The California Angels released first baseman Dick Stuart, ending his 10-year major league career. He was hitting .157 with 1 home run and 4 runs batted in in 22 games with the Angels in 1969.

The Montreal Expos trade pitcher Mudcat Grant to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Gary Waslewski. Mr. Grant was 1-6 with an earned run average of 4.76 in 11 games with the Expos, while Mr. Waslewski was 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 1 save in 12 games with the Cardinals in 1969.

Willie Mays and Willie McCovey hit back-to-back home runs in the 4th inning to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 9-3 win over the Montreal Expos before 19,399 fans at Jarry Park in Montreal. It was the 17th straight loss for the Expos, tying the record for first-year expansion teams set by the 1962 New York Mets.

Luis Tiant allowed 4 hits and 1 earned run in 8+ innings to win the pitchers' duel over Marty Pattin as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Seattle Pilots 3-1 before 8,634 fans at Sick's Stadium in Seattle. Duke Sims and Lou Klimchock hit solo home runs for the Indians, while Ray Oyler homered for the Seattle run.

Frank Robinson and Boog Powell hit consecutive home runs off Lew Krausse to open the 11th inning, breaking a 1-1 tie as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Oakland Athletics 3-1 before 6,470 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Baltimore starting pitcher Mike Cuellar allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run in 9 innings, while Oakland starter Blue Moon Odom allowed 5 hits and 1 earned run in 10 innings.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Baby it's You--Promises

#1 single in Switzerland: Music Box Dancer--Frank Mills (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
Italy’s two major parties, the Christian Democrats and the Communists, both lost support in parliamentary elections. It was the first electoral setback for the Communists in more than 30 years, as they dropped 4 percentage points to 30.4% in the popular vote for the Chamber of Deputies. The Christian Democrats retained their plurality of seats in the Chamber with 38.3% of the popular vote. Smaller groups gained support, and the vote was regarded as a vote against all the established parties.

World events
The Israeli cabinet approved new settlements in the West Bank; the United States and Egypt protested that such colonization of the occupied territories was illegal.

Environment
The world's worst oil spill occurred when an exploratory oil well, Ixtoc 1, blew out, spilling over 140 million gallons of oil into the Bay of Campeche off the coast of Mexico.

25 years ago
1984

Football
The Canadian Football League pre-season began with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 21-14 at Taylor Field in Regina.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Like a Prayer--Madonna (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Eternal Flame--Bangles (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Me, Myself and I--De La Soul

#1 single in France (SNEP): Johnny, Johnny Come Home--Avalanche

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Ferry 'Cross the Mersey--The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Rock On--Michael Damian
2 Soldier of Love--Donny Osmond
3 Wind Beneath My Wings--Bette Midler
4 Patience--Guns n' Roses
5 I'll Be Loving You (Forever)--New Kids on the Block
6 Every Little Step--Bobby Brown
7 Real Love--Jody Watley
8 Forever Your Girl--Paula Abdul
9 Buffalo Stance--Neneh Cherry
10 Close My Eyes Forever--Lita Ford (Duet with Ozzy Osbourne)

Singles entering the chart were Express Yourself by Madonna (#41); Lay Your Hands on Me by Bon Jovi (#58); Me, Myself and I by De La Soul (#86); Right Next to Me by Whistle (#89); Nothin' (That Compares to U) by the Jacksons (#93); Headed for a Heartbreak by Winger (#94); Waiting Game by Swing Out Sister (#96); Darlin' I by Vanessa Williams (#97); and You are the One by TKA (#98).

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Rock On--Michael Damian
2 Soldier of Love--Donny Osmond
3 Real Love--Jody Watley
4 Patience--Guns n' Roses
5 Wind Beneath My Wings--Bette Midler
6 Forever Your Girl--Paula Abdul
7 Satisfied--Richard Marx
8 Every Little Step--Bobby Brown
9 I'll Be There for You--Bon Jovi
10 I'll Be Loving You (Forvever)--New Kids on the Block

Singles entering the chart were Express Yourself by Madonna (#50); Lay Your Hands on Me by Bon Jovi (#63); Headed for a Heartbreak by Winger (#80); Nothin' (That Compares 2 U) by the Jacksons (#88); and Angel Eyes by the Jeff Healey Band (#90).

Died on this date
Ruhollah Khomeini, 86. Supreme Leader of Iran, 1979-1989. Ayatollah Khomeini, a Shi'ite Muslim leader who had been exiled from Iran by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1964, returned from Iraq in 1979 and led Iran's Islamic revolution, serving as religious and political leader. Under the Ayatollah's reign, Iran went backward several hundred years into the barbarism of Islamic law. His reign included the 1979-1981 seizure of the U.S. embassy by protesters, and the 1989 fatwa (legal judgment) against U.K. author Salman Rushdie for his novel The Satanic Verses (1988).

John McCauley, 44. Canadian hockey referee. Mr. McCauley was the National Hockey League's best referee in the 1970s, but suffered a serious eye injury when he was assaulted by a fan in New York following the third game of the Challenge Cup series in 1979. He made a brief comeback, but continuing vision problems forced him into retirement. Mr. McCauley was named the NHL's Director of Officiating in 1986, and served in that capacity until his death from complications following gall bladder surgery.

Protest
Chinese army troops began sweeping through Beijing in attempting to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations by students.

Torontonia
SkyDome, Toronto's $500 million domed stadium, was officially opened; 50,000 baseball fans were soaked by rain when the retractable roof opened.

Baseball
The Montreal Expos withstood a 4-run 9th-inning rally and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-5 before 35,269 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

Milt Ramirez singled home Bill Doran with 2 out in the bottom of the 22nd inning to give the Houston Astros a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers before 34,425 fans at the Astrodome. At 7 hours 14 minutes, it was the longest night game in major league history to date, in terms of time.

10 years ago
1999

War
Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic accepted a peace plan for Kosovo designed to end mass expulsions of ethnic Albanians and 11 weeks of NATO airstrikes.

Politics and government
The Progressive Conservative government of Premier Mike Harris retained power with a reduced majority of seats in the provincial Parliament in the Ontario provincial election. The PCs won 59 seats, down from 82 in the most recent election in 1995. The Liberals, led by Dalton McGuinty, won 35 seats, an increase of 5; the New Democratic Party, led by Howard Hampton took 9 seats, a decrease of 8. The total number of seats had been decreased by 27 since 1995.

Environment
In Washington, D.C., Canada and the U.S.A. signed a treaty governing the conservation and sharing of the Pacific salmon that migrate between waters of the two nations.