May 14, 2010

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Inna!

400 years ago
1610

Died on this date
Henri IV, 56. King of France, 1589-1610. Henri "le Grand," who was baptized a Roman Catholic but raised a Protestant, acceded to the throne upon the death of his brother-in-law and distant cousin Henri III. King Henri IV initially kept the Protestant faith, and promulgated the Edict of Nantes (1598), which guaranteed religious liberties to Protestants, thereby effectively ending the Wars of Religion. Henri IV worked to regularize state finance promote agriculture, eliminate corruption and encourage education. He eventually converted to Roman Catholicism, but was assassinated Catholic zealot François Ravaillac, who stabbed him while the king's coach was stopped by traffic congestion. King Henri was succeeded on the throne by his son Louis XIII.

300 years ago
1710

Born on this date
Adolf Fredrik. King of Sweden, 1751-1771. Adolf Fredrik was prince-bishop of Lübeck (1727-1750) before being elected to succeed King Fredrik I. He was regarded as little more than a figurehead monarch, with the Riksdag of the Estates holding the real power. King Adolf Fredrik died on February 12, 1771 at the age of 60 after eating a heavy meal, and was succeeded by his son Gustav III, who seized the throne in a coup.

190 years ago
1820

Born on this date
James Martin. U.K.-born Australian politician and judge. Sir James, a native of Ireland, moved to Sydney with his parents at the age of 1. He was first elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1848, and served as Premier of New South Wales three times (1863-1865, 1866-1868, 1870-1872). Sir James retired from Parliament in 1873 and was immediately appointed as Chief Justice of New South Wales, serving until his death on November 4, 1886 at the age of 66.

140 years ago
1870

Sport
The first game of rugby in New Zealand was played in Nelson between Nelson College and the Nelson Rugby Football Club.

130 years ago
1880

Born on this date
Wilhelm List. German military officer. Generalfeldmarschall List commanded forces during World War II in the invasions of Poland, France, Yugoslavia, and Greece. He was commander of Army Group A in the offensive in southern Russia in the summer of 1942, but was removed from command by Fuehrer Adolf Hitler on September 9, 1942 after the offensive stalled, and never returned to active duty. Generalfeldmarschall List was convicted of war crimes by a U.S. tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1948. He was released, ostensibly for health reasons, in December 1952, and lived for almost 19 more years until his death on August 17, 1971 at the age of 91.

125 years ago
1885

War
General Thomas Bland "Jingo" Strange and his military force marched out of Edmonton, east along the Carleton Trail, and down Main Street in St. Paul. The had left Calgary on April 20 with the intention of subduing Cree chief Wandering Spirit and his followers at Frog Lake, in the northeastern part of what is now Alberta, but was then part of the Northwest Territories.

120 years ago
1890

Horse racing
Riley, with Isaac Murphy aboard, won the 16th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, covering 1½ miles in a record-slow time of 2:45.

110 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Leo Smit. Dutch composer. Mr. Smit was a pianist who studied in his native Amsterdam before moving to Paris, where he became closely associated with the composers known as Les Six. A Jew, he was arrested by occupying Nazi authorities and deported to the Sobibor extermination camp in occupied Poland on April 27, 1943, and was executed three days later, two weeks before his 43rd birthday.

Walter Rehberg. Swiss musician and composer. Mr. Rehberg was a classical pianist who came from a family of concert pianists. He made recordings of 19th century composers such as Liszt, Brahms, and Schubert, while composing piano pieces and other works. Mr. Rehberg died on October 24, 1957 at the age of 57.

Hal Borland. U.S. writer. Mr. Borland wrote fiction and non-fiction, primarily about the outdoors. He worked with various newspapers, but was primarily known as an editorial writer for The New York Times and The New York Times Sunday Magazine from 1937 until his death from emphysema on February 22, 1978 at the age of 77.

90 years ago
1920

Journalism
Frank Underhill founded The Canadian Forum magazine with C.B. Sissons and Barker Fairley; it was originated at University of Toronto as the offshoot of a tiny magazine, The Rebel. A publication with a socialist slant, The Canadian Forum is Canada's oldest continually published political periodical.

Baseball
Walter Johnson (3-3) pitched 3.2 innings of relief to earn his 300th career major league victory as the Washington Nationals scored a run in the bottom of the 9th inning to edge the Detroit Tigers 9-8 at American League Park in Washington. Mr. Johnson didn't allow an earned run, and batted 2 for 2 with a run batted in.

Ben Cantwell (0-3) hit Heinie Groh with a pitch with the bases loaded and 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning, forcing Greasy Neale home and giving the Cincinnati Reds a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Redland Field. The Phillies had tied the game with 2 runs in the top of the 9th, with Casey Stengel tripling home Cy Williams and then scoring on a single by Irish Meusel.

The Brooklyn Robins, aided by 3 errors, scored 4 runs in the top of the 14th inning to break a 1-1 tie as they beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 before 1,500 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Burleigh Grimes (3-2) pitched a 7-hit complete game victory, while Marv Goodwin (0-3) allowed 11 hits and 2 earned runs while also going the distance.

70 years ago
1940

Died on this date
Emma Goldman, 70. Lithuanian-born U.S. activist. Miss Goldman was one of the late 19th century and early 20th century's most prominent anarchists. She died in Toronto, and her death was no great loss.

Menno ter Braak, 38. Dutch author. Mr. ter Braak was a modernist author known for his promotion of individualism. He fell into a deep depression when World War II began, and committed suicide after a failed attempt to escape to England.

War
Rotterdam was bombed by the German Luftwaffe. The Battle of the Netherlands ended with the Netherlands surrendering to Germany as Dutch commander-in-chief General Henri Gerard Winkelman directed his troops to lay down their arms. German troops in France consolidated their bridgeheads on the west bank of the Meuse River. The British Royal Air Force suffered heavy losses over Sedan. British authorities in Hong Kong asked all women and children to register for possible evacuation.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt again appealed to Italian Duce Benito Mussolini to keep Italy out of the European war.

Defense
The Yermolayev Yer-2, a long-range Soviet medium bomber, made its first flight.

Politics and government
Richard Hanson, MP (York-Sunbury) was named interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, replacing R.J. Manion, who had resigned following the party's crushing defeat by the governing Liberals of Prime Minister Mackenzie King in the March 1940 federal election.

The United States Senate nullified House of Representatives action on the Civil Aviation Administration, permitting President Franklin D. Roosevelt to transfer the agency to the Commerce Department and abolish the Air Safety Board.

Baseball
Jimmie Foxx hit a home run in the top of the 10th inning to give the Boston Red Sox a 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Mr. Foxx’s blast, his second homer of the game, went over the left field roof and was the longest home run in the history of Comiskey Park.

60 years ago
1950

War
The Communist Chinese government reported that the invasion of Hainan Island had cost the Nationalists 5,400 killed and about 25,000 taken prisoner.

Diplomacy
Israel admitted 1,027 Jewish immigrants from Romania.

Politics and government
In the first free Turkish general election in history, the opposition Democrat Party, led by Celal Bayar, swept into power, taking 53.3% of the popular vote and 408 of 487 seats in the Grand National Assembly. The Democrats' total was an increase of 344 from the most recent election in 1946. The incumbent Republican Peoples' Party (CHP), led by President İsmet İnönü, won 69 seats, a decline of 326. The Nation Party, in its first election, won 1 seat, while 9 independent candidates were elected.

Baseball
Pinch hitter George Strickland singled home 2 runs in the top of the 9th inning to enable the Pittsburgh Pirates to defeat the Chicago Cubs 6-5 in the first game of a doubleheader at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs had runners on first and third bases with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, but Andy Pafko grounded into a force play to end the game. In the second game, Johnny Hopp batted 6 for 6 with 2 home runs, 3 runs, and 3 runs batted in, Clyde McCullough batted 4 for 6 with a double, triple, 2 runs and 4 RBIs, and Wally Westlake was 4 for 6 with a run and 3 RBIs to help the Pirates win 16-9 to complete the sweep.

The Philadelphia Athletics scored 7 runs in the 5th inning as they edged the New York Yankees 9-8 before 24,058 fans at Yankee Stadium.

Ed Yost of the Washington Nationals and Walt Dropo of the Boston Red Sox each hit a home run in both games of a doubleheader as the Red Sox won the first game 8-1 and the Nationals won the second game 10-5 before 31,148 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

50 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): He'll Have to Go--Jim Reeves (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Scandalo al sole (The Theme from "A Summer Place")--Percy Faith and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Wir wollen niemals auseinandergehn--Heidi Brühl

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Cathy's Clown--The Everly Brothers (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Stuck on You--Elvis Presley (4th week at #1)
2 Cathy's Clown--The Everly Brothers
3 Greenfields--The Brothers Four
4 Night--Jackie Wilson
5 Sixteen Reasons--Connie Stevens
6 Sink the Bismarck--Johnny Horton
7 Cradle of Love--Johnny Preston
8 Stairway to Heaven--Neil Sedaka
9 Good Timin'--Jimmy Jones
10 Let the Little Girl Dance--Billy Bland

Singles entering the chart were Everybody's Somebody's Fool (#72)/Jealous of You (Tango Della Gelosia) (#82) by Connie Francis; My Home Town by Paul Anka (#74); Because They're Young by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#77); I Really Don't Want to Know by Tommy Edwards (#79); Pennies from Heaven by the Skyliners (#80); Comin' Down with Love by Mel Gadson (#90); Mack the Knife by Ella Fitzgerald (#91); Ebb Tide by the Platters (#98); Theme for Young Lovers by Percy Faith and his Orchestra (#99); You're Singing Our Love Song to Somebody Else by Jerry Wallace (#100); Runaround by the Fleetwoods (also #100); and Walking the Floor Over You by Pat Boone (also #100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Cathy's Clown--The Everly Brothers
2 Stuck on You--Elvis Presley
3 Good Timin'--Jimmy Jones
4 Got a Girl--The Four Preps
5 Apple Green--June Valli
6 Cradle of Love--Johnny Preston
7 Young Emotions--Ricky Nelson
8 Stairway to Heaven--Neil Sedaka
9 Step by Step--The Crests
10 Jump Over--Freddy Cannon

Singles entering the chart were Because They're Young by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#33); Ding-A-Ling by Bobby Rydell (#34); Train of Love (LP track) by Annette (#38); Oh, Little One by Jack Scott (#42); Earth Angel by Johnny Tillotson (#45); White Tennis Sneakers by Jan & Dean (#47); Tonto by the Noteables (#48); Tell Me that You Love Me by Fats Domino (#49); Amigo's Guitar by Dodie Stevens (#51); Theme for Young Lovers by Percy Faith and his Orchestra (#52); Poor Me by Adam Faith (#53); For Love by Lloyd Price and his Orchestra (#54); Mission Bell by Donnie Brooks (#55); I Can't Help It by Adam Wade (#56); Exclusively Yours by Carl Dobkins, Jr. (#57); Runaround by the Fleetwoods (#58); Comin' Down with Love by Mel Gadson (#59); and Pink Chiffon by Mitchell Torok (#60).

40 years ago
1970

Died on this date
Billie Burke, 85. U.S. actress and singer. Miss Burke appeared in plays, movies, radio and television programs in a career spanning almost 60 years. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting performance in Merrily We Live (1938), but was primarily known for playing Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz (1939).

War
The Paris peace talks entered their third year as delegates met for their 66th session, with hopes for a peaceful settlement of the Vietnam War still faint.

Politics and government
Finnish President Urho Kekkonen appointed a caretaker government with independent Teuvo Aura as Prime Minister, ending six weeks of negotiations aimed at forming a cabinet. Mr. Aura replaced Social Democratic Party leader Mauno Koivisto.

Terrorism
Convicted West German arsonist Andreas Baader escaped from custody with the aid of several friends; it was a pivotal moment in the formation of the Red Army Faction, aka Baader-Meinhof Gang.

Protest
An erroneous report that Fayetteville, Mississippi Mayor Charles Evers and his wife had been shot and killed served as a catalyst for a student protest at Jackson State College, a Negro school in Jackson, Mississippi. The demonstration escalated into a riot, and city and highway police, accompanied by National Guardsmen who had weapons without ammunition, blocked off a 30-block area. Tension increased as midnight approached.

Business
Henry Ford II disclosed that a Soviet proposal that Ford trucks be built in Russia had been rejected by the Ford Motor Company. Public criticism, particularly from U.S. Defense Secretary Melvin Laird, had much to do with the decision.

Disasters
14 people were killed and 23 injured when a bus plunged into a ravine near Pithoragarh, India.

30 years ago
1980

Died on this date
Hugh Griffith, 67. U.K. actor. Mr. Griffith, a native of Wales, appeared in plays, films, and television programs. He won an Academy Award for his supporting performance in Ben-Hur (1959), and was nominated for an Oscar for his supporting performance in Tom Jones (1963). Mr. Griffith was a heavy drinker, and died 16 days before his 68th birthday, after being ill for about a year.

Abominations
Refugees trying to flee El Salvador across the Sumpul River to Honduras were attacked by both Salvadoran and Honduran forces in Chalatenango, El Salvador, resulting in at least 300 deaths.

World events
U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who nine days earlier had welcomed Cuban refugees with open arms, changed his policy and opposed the private flotilla that had transported an estimated 46,000 Cubans from their homeland to the United States. Instead, President Carter offered to start an airlift to transport the Cubans to the U.S. in a safe, orderly fashion. The policy reversal came after at least 18 people had died en route to the U.S., and after hundreds of people with criminal records and serious medical problems had disembarked. Cuban dictator Fidel Castro did not respond to Mr. Carter’s proposal.

The military junta that had taken over the government of Uganda three days earlier announced that it was lifting the ban on political parties that had been imposed by deposed President Godfrey Binaisa.

Defense
Foreign and defense ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization denounced the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and agreed that NATO had to strengthen its military preparedness in response to the Soviet action. This marked a shift in policy, because NATO had previously viewed Afghanistan as not being critical to the alliance. The ministers also adopted a series of recommendations to improve Europe’s NATO capability if U.S. forces were engaged elsewhere in the world, such as the Persian Gulf. The participants agreed to increase ammunition stocks; improve defenses against chemical warfare; and bolster the alliance along its southern flank.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau addressed a large "Non/No" rally at Centre Paul-Sauvé in Montreal, urging Quebec voters to reject "sovereignty-association" in the May 20 referendum on Quebec's independence from Canada, and promising a renewal of the Constitution if the "Non/No" vote won.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Philadelphia 103 @ Los Angeles 108 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suffered a twisted ankle but still finished with 40 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Lakers over the 76ers before 17,505 fans at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Julius Erving led Philadelphia scorers with 36 points.



25 years ago
1985

Died on this date
Barbara Yung, 26. Hong Kong actress. Miss Yung was a popular actress in various Hong Kong television programs. She committed suicide by gas inhalation a week after her 26th birthday.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference Finals
Chicago 5 @ Edmonton 10 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Prince of Wales Conference Finals
Quebec 1 @ Philadelphia 2 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 3-2)

20 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Sayonara Jinrui (さよなら人類)--Tama

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (11th week at #1)

World events
U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev said that attempts by Latvia and Estonia to break away from the U.S.S.R. had no legal basis. Of course, Mr. Gorbachev, who couldn’t tolerate any movement toward freedom or democracy that he couldn’t control, didn’t bother saying what legal basis the U.S.S.R. had to take over those countries in the first place, or for that matter, what legal basis the Soviet Union had to even exist.

10 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Keizō Obuchi, 62. Prime Minister of Japan, 1998-2000. Mr. Obuchi, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, was first elected to the House of Representatives, representing Gunma 3rd District, in 1963. He held several offices over the years, and was Minister for Foreign Affairs (1997-1998) before succeeding Ryutaro Hashimoto as Prime Minister. Mr. Obuchi pursued a peace treaty with Russia and economic revival, but he suffered a stroke on April 1, 2000. He slipped into a coma and was replaced as Prime Minister on April 5 by Yoshirō Mori when it was clear that Mr. Obuchi would never regain consciousness.

Terrorism
The Revolutionary United Front rebels in Sierra Leone freed 157 of the 500 United Nations peacekeepers that they had held hostage since the first week of May.

Protest
Hundreds of thousands of people protesting gun violence marched in Washington, D.C. on Mother’s Day in the "Million Mom March." They urged the U.S. Congress to pass gun control legislation that had been delayed for months.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference Finals
New Jersey 4 @ Philadelphia 1 (New Jersey led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Baseball
Mike Mordecai singled home pinch runner Terry Jones from second base with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to complete a 3-run rally, giving the Montreal Expos a 16-15 win over the Chicago Cubs before 10,621 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Former Expo Henry Rodriguez hit 2 home runs and had 7 runs batted in, and his second homer, a 3-run blast, climaxed a 4-run rally in the top of the 9th to give the Cubs a 15-13 lead. Chicago right fielder Sammy Sosa had 5 hits, including a double, and 5 RBIs, while center fielder Eric Young stole 5 bases.

The St. Louis Cardinals took a 7-0 lead after the 2nd inning and held on to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-10 before 42,151 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. St. Louis third baseman Craig Paquette batted 5 for 5 with a home run, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs. The teams each hit 4 home runs, with Eric Karros of Los Angeles and Mark McGwire of St. Louis each hitting a pair.