April 27, 2010

360 years ago
1650

War
Covenanter forces defeated an invading Royalist army in the Battle of Carbisdale near the village of Culrain, Scotland.

190 years ago
1820

Born on this date
Herbert Spencer. U.K. polymath. Mr. Spencer was a philosopher, biologist, anthropologist, and sociologist. He was the most famous and popular philosopher of his time, but his influence declined after 1900. Mr. Spencer was especially known as a propagandist on behalf of the theory of evolution; he coined the phrase "survival of the fittest" in Principles of Biology (1864). He became increasingly pessimistic and disillusioned in his later years, and died on December 8, 1903 at the age of 83.

170 years ago
1840

Born on this date
Edward Whymper. U.K. mountaineer and explorer. Mr. Whymper was best known for leading the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. He also made first ascents of the Mont Blanc massif and peaks in South America and the Canadian Rockies, and explored Greenland in 1867. Mr. Whymper took ill shortly after completing a climb in the Alps and died in Chamonix, France on September 16, 1911 at the age of 71.

100 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Chiang Ching-kuo. Premier of the Republic of China, 1972-1978; President of the Republic of China, 1978-1988. Chiang Ching-kuo was the son of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, and succeeded his father as Premier. He was elected President by the National Assembly in 1978, and re-elected in 1984. Chiang Ching-kuo slightly liberalized the authoritarian regime, and brought more native Taiwanese into the government. He died suddenly of heart failure and hemorrhage in office on January 13, 1988 at the age of 77, and was succeeded by Vice President Lee Teng-hui, the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China.

90 years ago
1920

Born on this date
James Mann. U.S. politician. Mr. Mann, a Democrat, represented Greenville County in the South Carolina House of Representatives (1949-1953) and represented South Carolina's 4th District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1969-1979). He died on December 20, 2010 at the age of 90.

80 years ago
1940

War
German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop revealed allegedly captured British documents indicating British and French military designs on Norway prior to the recent German invasion.

Defense
The Inter-American Neutrality Committee announced in Rio de Janeiro that it had agreed upon a 300-mile-wide security belt around the Americas.

Politics and government
The Missouri Republican Party convention left its 30 national convention votes uninstructed, while endorsing the state's only Republican Congressman, Rep. Dewey Short, as its nominee for the 1940 nomination for Vice President of the United States.

Academia
Harvard University said that its appointment of British philosopher Bertrand Russell to a lectureship would not be affected by the dispute over his appointment at New York University.

Economics and finance
British economic adviser Frank Ashton-Gwatkim said that Allied purchases of U.S. goods would increase enormously during the next year.

An Associated Press survey indicated that the top 250 U.S. corporations showed a 50% profit increase for the first quarter of 1940 over the same period in 1939.

Baseball
Rookie shortstop Lou Boudreau hit his first 2 major league home runs and added a single to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers before 20,133 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Mr. Boudreau’s hits came against losing pitcher Hal Newhouser.

60 years ago
1950

At the movies
I Was a Shoplifter, directed by Charles Lamont, and starring Scott Brady, Mona Freeman, and Andrea King, received its premiere screening in New York City.



Diplomacy
The United Kingdom recognized Jordan's annexation of Arab Palestine, and simultaneously granted de jure recognition to Israel.

Yugoslavian Premier Marshal Josip Broz Tito announced plans to establish relations with the new centrist regime in Greece.

Former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, addressing the American Newspaper Publishers Association, said that the United Nations should be "reorganized without the Communist nations in it" or "a definite new united front" of anti-Communist states established within the UN.

Politics and government
Nguyen Phan Long resigned as Prime Minister of Bao Dai's Vietnamese government. At French insistence, Tran Van Huu, pro-French Governor of southern Vietnam, was named the new Prime Minister.

Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies introduced a bill in Parliament to outlaw the Communist Party.

Former Communist Party U.S.A. leader Earl Browder told a U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs subcommittee that he considered Far Eastern Affairs adviser Owen Lattimore to be an anti-Communist, and said that he knew of no Communists in the State Department.

U.S. Senator Edwin Johnson (Democrat--Colorado) called off a planned investigation of alleged Hollywood immorality, saying that he would give film industry leaders a chance to clean house themselves.

Transportation
The People's Republic of China announced the start of the joint Sino-Soviet operation of the Changchun railway in Manchuria.

Economics and finance
Despite mass protests, the New Brunswick government of Premier John B. McNair imposed a 4% sales tax to help finance education and social services.

50 years ago
1960

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Rod Crossley!

Africana
Togo gained its independence from French-administered United Nations trusteeship.

Economics and finance
The government of Canada announced a $15- million Colombo Plan contribution to Pakistan.

Basketball
NBA
The National Basketball Association voted to allow the Minneapolis Lakers to move to Los Angeles.

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Let it Be--The Beatles (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Onna no Blues--Keiko Fuji (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Gwendolyne--Julio Iglesias (4th week at #1)

On the radio
The Challenge of Space, on Springbok Radio
Tonight’s episode: Retrospect--Intergalactic Travel

World events
The military government of Somalia announced that it had suppressed a counter-revolutionary plot.

Science
It was reported that a team of California physicists led by A. Ghiorso had created an extremely short-lived element in the family that included Vanadium, Niobium, and Tantalum. The scientists proposed that the element, which would be No. 105 in the periodic table, be named Hahnium (Ha) in honour of the late German physicist Otto Hahn. In 1998 the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry approved the name Dubnium (Db) for element 105, although the name Hahnium is still often used in the United States, and is found in international literature before 1998.

Society
A fight between Negro and white youths at the River Rouge, Michigan high school touched off two nights of violence in the predominantly Negro suburb of Detroit. Fire-bombings and looting by rampaging bands of yutes threatened to overflow into Detroit.

Terrorism
A note linked the previous day’s bombing of the Louisiana state capitol building in Baton Rouge to the shooting of three Negroes by police.

Defense
Almost unanimous bipartisan opposition had developed within the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee to giving military aid to the new Cambodian regime of Lon Nol. U.S. Secretary of State William Rogers told the committee that the administration of President Richard Nixon had made no decision on the Cambodian request for extensive military aid, but he suggested that the president had the authority to send at least limited amounts of military aid without Congressional approval.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles 105 @ New York 103 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

The Lakers outscored the Knickerbockers 24-22 in the 4th quarter before 19,500 fans at Madison Squarer Garden. Jerry West led Los Angeles with 34 points, while Wilt Chamberlain added 17 points, while grabbing 24 rebounds. Willis Reed led New York scorers with 29 points, while grabbing 15 rebounds and adding 5 assists.

Baseball
The Washington Senators released pitcher Pedro Ramos, ending his major league career. Mr. Ramos, who had played with the previous Washington Senators from 1955-1960, was 0-0 with an earned run average of 7.88 in 4 games with the Senators in 1970, batting 0 for 2 in 5 games. In 16 seasons, he compiled a record of 117-160 with a 4.08 ERA in 582 games, batting .155 with 15 home runs and 56 runs batted in in 696 games. Mr. Ramos continued his career in the minor leagues and the Mexican League from 1971-1975.

The Senators traded third baseman Ken McMullen to the California Angels for third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez and outfielder Rick Reichardt. Mr. McMullen, was batting .203 with no home runs and 3 runs batted in in 15 games with Washington in 1970; Mr. Rodriguez was batting .270 with no homers and 7 RBIs in 17 games with California, while Mr. Reichardt, in his seventh season with California, was batting .167 (1 for 6) with no homers and 1 RBI in 9 games with the Angels in 1970.

The Chicago Cubs scored an unearned run to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 before 6,635 fans at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh for their 11th straight win, the Cubs’ longest winning streak in 25 years. The run scored when Glenn Beckert tripled with 2 out and tried to stretch it into a home run; Pittsburgh catcher Manny Sanguillen dropped right fielder Roberto Clemente's throw, allowing Mr. Beckert to score. Joe Decker (1-0), with 9th-inning relief help from Hank Aguirre and Phil Regan, was the winning pitcher. Steve Blass (2-2) allowed just 4 hits in 8 innings in taking the loss.

The Milwaukee Brewers scored a run in the top of the 9th inning to tie the score and 2 in the top of the 10th to take the lead, but the Washington Senators rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the 10th to win 6-5 before 3,291 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. The winning run scored when Milwaukee pitcher John O' Donoghue made an error on a sacrifice bunt by Ed Stroud with none out, allowing Jim French to score from second base.

30 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Cruisin'--Smokey Robinson (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Boat on the River--Styx

Died on this date
Rube Erhardt, 85. U.S. baseball pitcher. Welton Claude Erhardt played with the Brooklyn Robins (1924-1928) and Cincinnati Reds (1929), compiling a record of 22-34 with an earned run average of 4.15 in 193 games, batting .214 with 1 home run and 12 runs batted in. He pitched a 5-hit shutout in his final major league game on October 5, 1929.

World events
Iranian authorities put on display the bodies of the American servicemen killed three days earlier in an attempt to rescue the hostages from the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Iran claimed that nine servicemen had been killed, not eight as claimed by the U.S.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Minnesota 3 @ Montreal 2 (Minnesota won best-of-seven series 4-3)

This game ended the Canadiens’ reign as champions after winning the Stanley Cup for four straight years. They’ve won the cup just twice since then.

Soccer
NASL
San Jose 2 @ Edmonton 4

This was the Drillers’ home opener at Commonwealth Stadium, and the first North American Soccer League game that this blogger attended. English legend George Best played for the Earthquakes.

Baseball
The Minnesota Twins scored 10 runs in the 1st inning and defeated the Oakland Athletics 20-11 before 19,859 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Minnesota starting pitcher Geoff Zahn allowed 8 runs in 4 1/3 innings, and reliever Doug Corbett (3-0) was the winning pitcher. The Athletics outhit the Twins 22-20, but Oakland pitchers walked 8 Minnesota batters.

25 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): We are the World--USA for Africa (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): We are the World--USA for Africa

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): We are the World--USA for Africa (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): We are the World--USA for Africa (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: We are the World--USA for Africa (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): We are the World--USA for Africa (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 We are the World--USA for Africa (3rd week at #1)
2 Crazy for You--Madonna
3 Rhythm of the Night--DeBarge
4 Nightshift--Commodores
5 One More Night--Phil Collins
6 Obsession--Animotion
7 Don't You (Forget About Me)--Simple Minds
8 I’m on Fire--Bruce Springsteen
9 One Night in Bangkok--Murray Head
10 That was Yesterday--Foreigner

Singles entering the chart were Angel by Madonna (#48); Would I Lie to You? by Eurythmics (#70); Lucky in Love by Mick Jagger (#73); Oo-Ee-Diddley-Bop! by Peter Wolf (#84); Through the Fire by Chaka Khan (#85); I'm Through with Love by Eric Carmen (#87); I was Born to Love You by Freddie Mercury (#88); Mathematics by Melissa Manchester (#89); and Only Lonely by Bon Jovi (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Tears are Not Enough--Northern Lights (2nd week at #1)
2 Shout--Tears for Fears
3 One Night in Bangkok--Murray Head
4 Crazy for You--Madonna
5 A Criminal Mind--Gowan
6 We are the World--USA for Africa
7 Nightshift--Commodores
8 Rhythm of the Night--DeBarge
9 One More Night--Phil Collins
10 Material Girl--Madonna

Singles entering the chart were Little Sheila by Slade (#73); Show Some Respect by Tina Turner (#86); When You were Mine by Cyndi Lauper (#91); and You're the Only Love by Paul Hyde and the Payola$ (#97).

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Quebec 5 @ Montreal 1 (Quebec led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Baseball
Pinch hitter Willie Aikens hit a 2-run home run in his last major league at bat to tie the game in the 9th inning, and the Toronto Blue Jays added a run in the 10th to defeat the Texas Rangers 9-8 before 13,769 fans at Arlington Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Blue Jays sent Mr. Aikens down to their International League farm team in Syracuse three days later, and he never returned to the major leagues.

20 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Charles Woodward, 66. Canadian businessman. "Chunky" Woodward, a native of Vancouver, was Chief Executive Officer of the Woodward's department store chain for 31 years, during which 21 stores were added in British Columbia and Alberta. He resigned in June 1988 before giving up family control of Woodward's to the Hudson's Bay Company. Mr. Woodward died in Vancouver.

Terrorism
Colombian drug lords issued a statement condemning the previous day’s assassination of Carlos Pizarro Leongomez, the third candidate for the presidency of Colombia to be killed during the current campaign.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the gross national product had grown at an annual rate of 2.1% in the first quarter of the year.

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

Baseball
Wally Backman batted 6 for 6 and Barry Bonds hit 2 home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they defeated the San Diego Padres 9-4 before 23,376 fans at San Diego-Jack Murphy Stadium.

10 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Brooks Lawrence, 75. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Lawrence played with the St. Louis Cardinals (1954-1955) and Cincinnati Redlegs/Reds (1956-1960), compiling a record of 69-62 with an earned run average of 4.25 in 275 games, batting .154 with 1 home run and 17 runs batted in. He served with the U.S. Army during World War II, didn't enter professional baseball until he was 24, and didn't reach the major leagues until he was 29. Mr. Lawrence was 15-6 with a 3.74 in his rookie year, but ulcers contributed to a poor season for him in 1955. He was then traded to Cincinnati, and won his first 13 decisions in 1956, finishing 19-10 with a 3.99 ERA. Mr. Lawrence was never quite able to repeat that success, and ended his career in the minor leagues; in 8 seasons in the minors from 1949-1960 he was 76-72 with a 3.31 ERA in 252 games. Mr. Lawrence worked with the Reds in various capacities in his later years, and was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1976.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Conference Semi-Finals
New Jersey 1 @ Toronto 2 (Toronto led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Pittsburgh 2 @ Philadelphia 0 (Pittsburgh led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Detroit 0 @ Colorado 2 (Colorado led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Baseball
The Chicago Cubs hit a record-tying 4 home runs in the 1st inning--Eric Young and Ricky Gutierrez to start the game, and Henry Rodriguez and Damon Buford later in the inning--and went on to defeat the Houston Astros 12-3 before 42,271 fans at Enron Field in Houston. Mr. Rodriguez hit a grand slam in the 4th and finished with 6 runs batted in. Houston pitcher Jose Lima (1-4) gave up all 5 homers, and allowed 13 hits and 12 earned runs in 5 innings. Jon Lieber (2-2) pitched a 5-hit complete game victory, allowing 1 earned run.

Shortstop Jose Valentin hit for the cycle in order--a single, then double, triple, and home run--to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 13-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles before 13,225 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago.