April 3, 2010

490 years ago
1520

Died on this date
Vincenzo Galilei, 71 . Italian composer. Mr. Galilei, the father of physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei, was a lutanist and composer of numerous pieces for voice and lute. He did pioneering research into acoustics, and has been credited with influencing his son's experimentation in physics. Mr. Galilei died on July 2, 1591 at the age of 71.

330 years ago
1680

Died on this date
Shivaji I, 50. Chhatrapati (Emperor) of the Maratha Empire, 1674-1680. Shivaji I was a warrior-king who formed the Maratha Empire in India from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur. He both fought and allied with the Mughal Empire, Sultanate of Golkonda, and Sultanate of Bijapur, as well as European colonial powers. Shivaji I was a Hindu, but practiced religious toleration toward Muslims. He died on April 3-5, 1680 after a week-long attack of fever and dysentery, and was succeeded by his son Sambhaji. Chhatrapati Shivaji I was regarded as a hero by Indian independence advocates in the 20th century.

150 years ago
1860

Communications
The first "pony express" U.S. mail delivery service began, between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California.

125 years ago
1885

Born on this date
Allan Dwan. Canadian-born U.S. movie director. Mr. Dwan, a native of Toronto, moved to the United States with his family at the age of 7. He began working in the motion picture industry in Chicago and New York; he spent his winters in California and, like many others, moved there to work full-time. Mr. Dwan directed 125 movies from 1911-1961; he directed Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in several silent films, and directed eight movies starring Gloria Swanson. Mr. Dwan's movies included Robin Hood (1922); The Iron Mask (1929); and Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). He died on December 28, 1981 at the age of 96.

Technology
Gottlieb Daimler was granted a German patent for his engine design.

110 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Albert Walsh. Canadian politician and judge. Sir Albert represented Harbour Main in the Newfoundland House of Assembly (1928-1932), and served as Speaker of the House. After losing his seat in the 1932 election, he served as district magistrate for Grand Falls and Cornerbrook. Sir Albert was appointed Commissioner of Home Affairs and Education in 1944 and Justice of Defense in 1947. He was Newfoundland's first Lieutenant Governor upon the province's entry into Confederation, serving from April 1-September 15, 1949. Sir Albert resigned his vice-regal post to become Newfoundland's Chief Justice. He died on December 12, 1958 at the age of 58.

Camille Chamoun. 7th President of Lebanon, 1952-1958. Mr. Chamoun, a Maronite Christian, was a member of the Constitutional Bloc from 1934 until 1958, when he founded the National Liberal Party. He was a member of the Lebanese Parliament from 1934-1952, 1960-1964, and 1968 until his death from a heart attack on August 7, 1987 at the age of 87. Mr. Chamoun was one of Lebanon's most prominent Christian leaders during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).

90 years ago
1920

Diplomacy
Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs M. Tchilcherin stated that Finnish proposals for an armistice were unacceptable, and that the Red Army would continue hostilities until the Soviet government had received a satisfactory reply from Finland to its peace offers.

80 years ago
1930

Died on this date
Emma Albani, 77-82. Canadian-born U.K. singer. Dame Emma, born Marie-Louise-Emma-Cécile Lajeunesse in Chambly, Canada East, moved to the United States with her family as a child. She showed promise as an opera singer, which led to her education and the beginning of her career in Paris, changing her name as she began her career. Dame Emma developed her talent in Italy and then moved to London in 1872. She became one of the world's most popular operatic sopranos, performing at Covent Garden in London from 1872-1896 and touring Europe and North America. Dame Emma performed occasionally and gave music lessons in her later years.

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1928-1929 were presented at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The winners included: Best Picture--The Broadway Melody; Director--Frank Lloyd (The Divine Lady); Actor--Warner Baxter (In Old Arizona); Actress--Mary Pickford (Coquette).

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Boston 3 @ Montreal Canadiens 4 (Montreal won best-of-three series 2-0)

Howie Morenz's goal with 4:47 remaining in the 2nd period gave the Canadiens a 4-1 lead and held up as the winner as they completed the sweep at the Montreal Forum to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in six years. Bert McCaffrey, Nick Wasnie, and Sylvio Mantha scored the other Montreal goals, while Eddie Shore got the Bruins on the scoreboard in the 2nd period. Percy Galbraith and Dit Clapper scored Boston goals in the 3rd period. For the Bruins, who had compiled a regular season record of 38-5-1, it was the only time all season that they lost two straight games.

70 years ago
1940

War
German troops secretly began to embark for the invasion of Norway.

Politics and government
The British government announced the appointment of George Cambridge, Earl Athlone, as Governor General of Canada, succeeding John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir, who had died in office on February 11, 1940.

Winston Churchill was given general supervision over the British armed forces, while Lord Woolton became food minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

New Zealand acting Prime Minister Peter Fraser was elected in Wellington as head of the Labour Party. He succeeded Prime Minister Michael Savage, who had died on March 26.

Journalism
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch was fined $2,000 and reporters Ralph Coghlon and Daniel R. Fitzpatrick were given short jail terms when found guilty of contempt of court for articles criticizing an extortion case.

Olympics
Finnish Education Minister Antti Kukonen said that Helsinki could not host the Summer Olympic Games in 1940.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 2 @ New York Rangers 6 (New York led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Bryan Hextall scored 3 goals and an assist for the Rangers as they defeated the Maple Leafs before 13,000 fans at Madison Square Garden.

60 years ago
1950

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Queen is Dead, starring Mildred Natwick and Una O'Connor

Died on this date
Carter G. Woodson, 74. U.S. historian. Dr. Woodson, a Negro, taught at Howard University for most of his career, and pioneered the study of Negro history. He co-founded The Journal of Negro History in 1916, and in February 1926, launched the celebration of "Negro History Week," the precursor of Black History Month. Dr. Woodson died of a heart attack.

Kurt Weill, 50. German-born composer. Mr. Weill wrote for the theatre, and was best known for his collaborations with lyricist Bertolt Brecht, particularly The Threepenny Opera (1928). Mr. Weill also wrote two symphonies and other concert works. He fled Germany after the Nazis came to power in 1933, eventually settling in New York and becoming an American citizen in 1933. He died shortly after suffering a heart attack.

War
Press reports from Singapore called Malaysia's anti-guerrilla campaign in March a failure, claiming that casualties among security forces were much higher than guerrilla losses.

Politics and government
Italian Somaliland was formally placed under Italian administration for a 10-year United Nations trusteeship.

Law
U.S. Attorney General J. Howard McGrath asked the Supreme Court to reverse its ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that the Constitution permitted segregation of Negroes and whites provided both races received equal treatment.

Economics and finance
The U.S. aid mission in Athens suspended new power and industrial development projects in Greece on the grounds that Prime Minister Sophocles Venizelos had not organized a stable and efficient government.

50 years ago
1960

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Little Man Who was There , starring Norman Lloyd, Arch Johnson, and Read Morgan

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Toronto 4 @ Detroit 2 (Toronto won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Bob Pulford's second goal of the game tied the score 37 seconds into the 3rd period, and Frank Mahovlich broke the 2-2 tie at 2:40 of the 3rd as the Maple Leafs eliminated the Red Wings at Olympia Stadium. Dick Duff closed the scoring with 2:54 remaining in regulation time. Murray Oliver and Norm Ullman scored for Detroit.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Boston 96 @ St. Louis 106 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Bob Pettit scored 32 points to lead the Hawks as they defeated the Celtics before 10,612 fans at Kiel Auditorium. Frank Ramsey and Bill Sharman each scored 20 points for the Celtics.

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)--Edison Lighthouse

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): All Kinds of Everything--Dana (3rd week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Love is a Beautiful Song--Dave Mills
2 Hitchin' a Ride--Vanity Fare
3 Venus--Shocking Blue
4 Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)--Edison Lighthouse
5 Holly Holy--Neil Diamond
6 Arizona--Mark Lindsay
7 Travelin' Band--Creedence Clearwater Revival
8 Pretty Belinda--Chris Andrews
9 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel
10 Ma Belle Amie--Tee Set

Singles entering the chart were Let's Work Together by Canned Heat (#16); and Carol Ok by Chris Andrews (#20).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Let it Be--The Beatles
2 Come and Get It--Badfinger
3 Instant Karma (We All Shine On)--John Ono Lennon (with the Plastic Ono Band)
4 American Woman/No Sugar Tonight--The Guess Who
5 Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)--Edison Lighthouse
6 Spirit in the Sky--Norman Greenbaum
7 Easy Come, Easy Go--Bobby Sherman
8 Something's Burning--Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
9 You, Me and Mexico--Edward Bear
10 Temma Harbour--Mary Hopkin

Singles entering the chart were Woodstock by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (#28); Vehicle by the Ides of March (#29); and Airport Love Theme by Vincent Bell (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Let it Be--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)
2 Something's Burning--Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
3 Come and Get It--Badfinger
4 Instant Karma (We All Shine On)--John Ono Lennon (with the Plastic Ono Band)
5 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel
6 Spirit in the Sky--Norman Greenbaum
7 Temma Harbour--Mary Hopkin
8 House of the Rising Sun--Frijid Pink
9 Give Me Just a Little More Time--The Chairmen of the Board
10 You, Me and Mexico--Edward Bear

Music
The Association performed in Salt Lake City; the concert was recorded, and was released four months later as the 2-record album The Association Live.

Terrorism
The nine hijackers of Japan Air Lines Flight 351, a Boeing 727 jetliner, succeeded in forcing the crew to fly the plane to North Korea, three days after the plane was hijacked on a flight from Tokyo to Seoul. Most of the 99 passengers (23 had been released during the previous three days) were released during refuelling; the last group was released in exchange for Shinjiro Yamamura, Japan’s Vice-Minister of Transportation, who flew with the hijackers and three remaining crewmen to Pyongyang.

Journalism
U.S. Federal Judge Alfonso Zirpoli ruled in San Francisco that a newspaper reporter did not have to give a grand jury confidential information about his news sources unless there was "a compelling and overriding national interest that cannot be served by alternate means." The ruling came in the case of Earl Caldwell, a New York Times reporter who had covered the Black Panthers.

Boxing
Jose Manuel Urtain (25-0) knocked out defending champion Peter Weiland (23-5-2) in the 7th round at Palacio de los Deportes in Madrid to win the European Boxing Union heavyweight title.



Hockey
CHL
Adams Cup
Semi-Finals
Fort Worth 0 @ Omaha 3 (Omaha won best-of-seven series 4-3)
Iowa 4 @ Tulsa 0 (Iowa won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Mike Parizeau scored all 3 goals for the Knights as they eliminated the Wings; Peter McDuffe posted the shutout in goal.

30 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (Hot Press): Take that Look Off Your Face--Marti Webb (2nd week at #1)

Economics and finance
U.S. banks raised their prime lending rate to a record 20%.

Disasters
A 70-page report by the U.S. House of Representatives Science and Technology Committee concluded that the accident at Three Mile Island nuclear plant the previous year wasn't a major nuclear disaster, and that experts still considered one unlikely.

25 years ago
1985

Baseball
The Major League Players' Association agreed to the owners' proposal to expand the 1985 League Championship Series from the best-of-5 games to best-of-7.

30 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Sarah Vaughan, 66. U.S. singer. Miss Vaughan was a jazz and popular singer whose hit singles included Tenderly (1947); It's Magic (1948); Nature Boy (1948); Make Yourself Comfortable (1954-1955); Whatever Lola Wants (1955); and Broken-Hearted Melody (1959). After the hits stopped, she remained a popular concert performer through the 1980s.

World events
On the day that Violetta Chamorro was inaugurated as President of Nicaragua, five Central American presidents set a deadline of three weeks hence for the Nicaraguan Contras to disarm.

Politics and government
The Bulgarian Communist Party changed its name to the Bulgarian Socialist Party. The nation’s parliament gave its approval to free multiparty elections to be held in June. Parliament also amended the constitution to create an executive presidency, and delete the words "Communist" and "socialist" from the document. Former Communist Party General Secretary Peter Mladenov was elected Executive President.

Environment
The United States Senate passed the Acid Rain Act, which legislated cuts in emissions of 50% by 2000.

Quebec Cree Grand Chief Matthew Coon-Come filed for an injunction to stop the $7.5-billion Great Whale Hydro development in the James Bay region, saying it would harm the environment and damage the Crees' way of life by flooding 5,000 square kilometres of ancestral lands.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had fallen 1% in February.

10 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Evelyn Irons, 99. U.K. journalist. Miss Irons, a native of Glasgow, was a war correspondent during World War II; she was one of the first reporters to reach liberated Paris, and the first female war correspondent to receive the French Croix de Guerre. Miss Irons went to the United States in 1952 to cover the presidential election, and remained in the country.

World events
The government of Japan announced that Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi had suffered a stroke and was in a coma.

Business
A report issued by U.S. District Court Judge T.P. Jackson found Microsoft Corp. guilty of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, forbidding large companies to unfairly hinder competition. Judge Jackson declared that Microsoft had nearly locked up the market for its Internet access software. The price of Microsoft shares promptly dropped 14%.

Society
Measures coming into effect in the U.K. gave asylum-seekers vouchers to buy food and clothes instead of cash.

Basketball
NCAA
Men’s Championship @ RCA Dome, Indianapolis
Final
Michigan State 89 Florida 76

Mateen Cleaves led the victorious Spartans with 18 points and was named Most Valuable Player of the Final Four series.



Baseball
Ken Griffey, Jr. played his first game in a Cincinnati uniform as the hometown Reds and Milwaukee Brewers tied 3-3 in a game called because of rain with 1 out in the top of the 6th inning before 55,596 fans at Cinergy Field. Mr. Griffey batted 0 for 2, and made 4 putouts in center field.

Eric Karros hit a grand slam as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Montreal Expos 10-4 before 51,249 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Vladimir Guerrero hit 2 home runs for the Expos.

Gabe Kapler became the first player in Texas Rangers’ history to hit home runs in his first 2 plate appearances with the team as the Rangers opened the season with a 10-4 win over the Chicago White Sox before 49,332 fans at the Ballpark in Arlington. Ivan Rodriguez also hit 2 home runs for the Rangers.