May 15, 2010

540 years ago
1470

Died on this date
Karl VIII, 60. King of Sweden, 1448–1457, 1464–1465, 1467-1470; King of Norway, 1449-1450. Karl VIII was Lord High Justiciar when he was elected to succeed King Christopher, who had died without an heir. He was elected and crowned King of Norway in 1449, but was forced to relinquish the Norwegian throne in 1450 in favour of King Christian of Denmark. King Karl was deposed twice and restored to the Swedish throne twice. After his death, his nephew Sten Sture den äldre (Sten Sture the Elder) was elected Lord Protector and Regent of Sweden.

260 years ago
1750

Americana
British Chancery Court Judge Lord Hardwicke, in Penn v Lord Baltimore ruled in favour of Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore in his dispute with William Penn over the Pennsylvania-Maryland border.

240 years ago
1770

Born on this date
Ezekiel Hart. Canadian politician. Mr. Hart, a native of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in 1807, but was denied his seat when the Legislature convened in January 1808 because he had taken his oath on a Hebrew Bible and could not swear "on the true faith of a Christian." He was re-elected in 1808, took the oath as it was, but was expelled again after sitting in the Legislature for just a few days in 1809. The prohibition against Jews holding public office in Lower Canada was abolished in 1832, but Mr. Hart never again ran for office. He died on September 16, 1843 at the age of 73.

210 years ago
1800

Crime
King George III of the United Kingdom survived an assassination attempt by James Hadfield, who fired a pistol shot at the king and missed while he was standing for the national anthem at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. Mr. Hadfield was later acquitted of high treason by reason of insanity.

160 years ago
1850

Abominations
A 1st Dragoons Regiment of the United States Cavalry contingent under Lieutenants Nathaniel Lyon and J. W. Davidson massacred 60-400 Pomo Indians, mainly old men, women, and children, on an island in Clear Lake, California. The Pomo had been enslaved and abused by settlers Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone before rising against their captors and murdering them, thus provoking action by the Cavalry.

War
The Convention of Settlement, aka Arana–Southern Treaty, was ratified, ending "the existing differences" between the United Kingdom and Argentina. The treaty was viewed as a triumph for Argentine dictattor General Juan Manuel de Rosas, while Great Britain understood one of the consequences of the treaty to be Argentina's surrender to her claim on the Falkland Islands.

120 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Ben Spencer. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Spencer played left field with the Washington Nationals (1913), batting .286 with no home runs and 2 runs batted in in 8 games. He died on September 1, 1970 at the age of 80. Mr. Spencer's grandson Jim Spencer was a major league first baseman from 1968-1982.

Katherine Anne Porter. U.S. author. Miss Porter, born Callie Russel Porter, won a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award for The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter (1965), but is best known for her only novel, Ship of Fools (1962). She died on September 18, 1980 at the age of 90.

110 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Ida Rhodes. Ukrainian-born U.S. mathematician. Miss Rhodes, born Hadassah Itzkowitz, was a pioneer in the analysis of systems of computer programming. She co-designed the C-10 programming language in the early 1950s for the UNIVAC I, and designed the original computer used for the U.S. Social Security Administration. Miss Rhodes died on February 1, 1986 at the age of 85.

100 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Constance Cummings. U.S.-born U.K. actress. Miss Cummings, born Constance Halverstadt, appeared in plays and films in the United States before moving to the United Kingdom. Her movies included American Madness (1932); Movie Crazy (1932); and Blithe Spirit (1945). Miss Cummings died on November 23, 2005 at the age of 95.

80 years ago
1930

Aviation
On a Boeing Air Transport flight between Oakland and Chicago, Ellen Church became the first airline stewardess.

75 years ago
1935

At the movies
The Headline Woman, directed by William Nigh, and starring Heather Angel and Roger Pryor, opened in theatres.



Transportation
The Moscow Metro was opened to the public.

Baseball
Lloyd Waner hit 3 singles and scored 5 runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates whipped the Philadelphia Phillies 20-5 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. Pittsburgh shortstop Arky Vaughan hit a home run and a double and drove in 6 runs.

70 years ago
1940

Space
Professor Albert Einstein told the American Scientific Congress that man was capable of solving the riddle of the universe's origin.

War
The official capitulation of the Netherlands army to German forces was signed at 11 A.M. German forces in France advanced south and west of Sedan. The French Ninth Army was routed by German forces along a 50-mile front from Philippevilleto Liart. German forces captured Stonne.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill flew to Paris for talks with French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud after Mr. Reynaud telephoned him and told him the battle was lost.

Politics and government
The Supreme Court of Canada declared the Communist Party of Canada illegal in an attempt to curb fifth column activities.

U.S. Vice President John Nance "Cactus Jack" Garner claimed that he had no interest in being a candidate for the vice presidency again, saying that President Franklin D. Roosevelt would win the 1940 Democratic Party presidential nomination.

Defense
The United States Navy submarine USS Sailfish, originally the USS Squalus, was recommissioned.

Terrorism
Colombia's oil pipelines were destroyed, allegedly by German fifth columnists in the country.

Labour
In an unprecedented move, the United States House of Representatives Immigration Commitee approved a bill to deport International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) President Harry Bridges to his native Australia.

Technology
Nylon stockings, introduced by Du Pont Corporation, went on sale in the United States for the first time at Gimbels Department Store in New York City for $1.35 per pair.

Business
The first McDonald's restaurant, "McDonald's Bar-B-Q," opened at 1398 North E Street at West 14th Street in San Bernardino, California. The restaurant had 25 menu items, mostly barbecue.

60 years ago
1950

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The House that Time Forgot, starring Dulcie Jordan, Anna Karen, Jack Manning, and Jeff Morrow

Radio
The U.S. State Department announced that Voice of America broadcasts to the U.S.S.R. would be stepped up, with 70 transmitters beaming 30-minute programs each morning and evening.

Diplomacy
United Nations Secretary-General Trygve Lie talked for 90 minutes with U.S.S.R. dictator Josef Stalin about a number of international problems, including Chinese representation at the UN and nuclear arms control.

The Arab League's Political Committee in Cairo refused to recognize Jordan's annexation of Arab Palestine.

The Czechoslovakian government ordered the United Kingdom to reduce its diplomatic personnel in the C.S.S.R. by two-thirds.

The U.S.S.R. charged that Americans were taking photographs of the Soviet-Iranian border under the pretense of prospecting for oil.

Politics and government
Venezuela became the 15th country to ban the Communist Party.

U.S. President Harry Truman ended his whistle-stop speaking tour of 16 Western states with an address in Chicago urging American voters to oust congressional "obstructors" of both parties who had blocked his Fair Deal economic program.

Economics and finance
A U.S. Senate-House of Representatives conference committee reached agreement on a $3.1-billion foreign aid authorization.

50 years ago
1960

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: I Can Take Care of Myself, starring Myron McCormick, Linda Lawson, and Frankie Darro

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched Sputnik 4, whose mission was to test life-support systems and temperature for manned space flight.



Baseball
Two days after being obtained in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, Don Cardwell (2-2) pitched a no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs, blanking the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in the second game of a doubleheader before 33,543 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Chicago left fielder made a running shoestring catch of Joe Cunningham's line drive for the final out. Ernie Banks hit a 2-run home run for the Cubs in the 6th inning. Ken Boyer drove in 3 runs with a pair of homers and Bill White batted 4 for 5 with a double to help the Cardinals win the first game 6-1. Larry Jackson (2-5) pitched a 4-hitter and batted 2 for 4 with a triple, run, and 2 runs batted in.



Early Wynn (1-1) pitched a 5-hitter and batted 1 for 3 with a run batted in to outduel Jim Perry (1-2) as the Chicago White Sox shut out the Cleveland Indians 4-0 in the first game of a doubleheader before 31,273 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. Harvey Kuenn hit is first home run in a Cleveland uniform--a 3-run blast with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th inning--to give the Indians a 6-3 win in the second game.

Bob Cerv hit 2 solo home runs in the first game and another in the second game to help the Kansas City Athletics sweep a doubleheader from the Detroit Tigers 5-0 and 5-4 in 10 innings before 35,206 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Bud Daley (2-2) pitched a 3-hit shutout in the first game and singled in a run. The Tigers scored single runs in the 8th and 9th innings to tie the second game, but with 2 out in the top of the 10th, Dick Williams drew a base on balls, advanced to second base on a single by Bill Tuttle and scored on a single by Harry Chito to score the winning run. Mr. Chiti batted 3 for 4 with a home run, run, and 4 runs batted in.

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Bridge over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): All Kinds of Everything--Dana (9th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Ma Belle Amie--Tee Set (3rd week at #1)
2 Carol Ok--Chris Andrews
3 Spider Spider--Tidal Wave
4 Love is a Beautiful Song--Dave Mills
5 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel
6 Tchaikovsky One--Omega Limited
7 Travelin' Band--Creedence Clearwater Revival
8 Elizabethan Reggae--Boris Gardiner
9 My Baby Loves Lovin'--White Plains
10 Hitchin' a Ride--Vanity Fare

Singles entering the chart were Knock Knock Who's There by Mary Hopkin (#16); and That Same Old Feeling by Pickettywitch (#20).

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Let it Be--The Beatles
2 Ein kleines Glück--Adamo
3 Whole Lotta Love--Led Zeppelin
4 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel
5 Mademoiselle Ninette--The Soulful Dynamics
6 Instant Karma!--Lennon
7 All Kinds of Everything--Dana
8 Travelin' Band--Creedence Clearwater Revival
9 Grüezi wohl, Frau Stirnimaa!--Die Minstrels
10 An einem Sonntag in Avignon--Mireille Mathieu

Singles entering the chart were All Kinds of Everything; An einem Sonntag in Avignon; Babuschkin (Wodka gut für Trallala - Liebe gut für Hopsasa) by Udo Jürgens (#13); Oma, Mama, Bambola by Rita Pavone (#16); Knock, Knock Who's There by Mary Hopkin (#18); Cecilia by Simon + Garfunkel (#19); and I.O.I.O. by the Bee Gees (#20).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Cecilia--Simon & Garfunkel (2nd week at #1)
2 Up Around the Bend--Creedence Clearwater Revival
3 Everything is Beautiful--Ray Stevens
4 Mr. Monday--The Original Caste
5 Little Green Bag--George Baker Selection
6 What is Truth--Johnny Cash
7 Woodstock--Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
8 Vehicle--The Ides of March
9 For the Love of Him--Bobbi Martin
10 Make Me Smile--Chicago

Singles entering the chart were The Long and Winding Road/For You Blue by the Beatles (#27); Come Saturday Morning by the Sandpipers (#28); Hey Lawdy Mama by Steppenwolf (#29); and The Wonder of You by Elvis Presley (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 Cecilia--Simon & Garfunkel
2 Everything is Beautiful--Ray Stevens
3 Up Around the Bend/Run Through the Jungle--Creedence Clearwater Revival
4 Little Green Bag--George Baker Selection
5 Woodstock--Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
6 Mr. Monday--The Original Caste
7 Vehicle--The Ides of March
8 Make Me Smile--Chicago
9 American Woman/No Sugar Tonight--The Guess Who
10 You're the One--Part I--Little Sister

Singles entering the chart were Ride Captain Ride by Blues Image (#27); Question by the Moody Blues (#28); The Long and Winding Road by the Beatles (#29); and Mississippi by John Phillips (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Little Green Bag--George Baker Selection
2 Spirit in the Sky--Norman Greenbaum
3 Let it Be--The Beatles
4 Up Around the Bend--Creedence Clearwater Revival
5 Cecilia--Simon & Garfunkel
6 Tennessee Bird Walk--Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
7 Mr. Monday--The Original Caste
8 Something's Burning--Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
9 Everything is Beautiful--Ray Stevens
10 House of the Rising Sun--Frijid Pink

On television tonight
Get Smart, on CBS
Tonight's episode: I Am Curiously Yellow

This was the 138th and last episode of the series.

Died on this date
Philip Gibbs, 21; James Earl Green, 17. U.S. students. Just 10 days after four students were shot to death by National Guardsmen at Kent State University in Ohio, Jackson State College, a Negro school in Jackson, Mississippi, was the scene of an anti-racism protest that turned into a riot. Shortly after midnight, police opened fire, and Mr. Gibbs, a Jackson State student, and Mr. Green, a high school student who had stopped to watch the riot while on his way home from his job at a grocery store, were killed. The police claimed that a sniper had fired the first shots at them from a dormitory window.

Religion
Pope Paul VI voiced "grieved astonishment" at members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy who had criticized his handling of theological issues. Although he mentioned no names, many churchmen felt that the pope had Leo Cardinal Suenens of Belgium in mind in his statement to a group of bishops.

Defense
U.S. President Richard Nixon promoted Colonel Elizabeth Hoisington, 51, director of the Women’s Army Corps, and Colonel Anna Mae Hays, 50, chief of the Army Nurse Corps, to the temporary rank of brigadier general, making them the first female generals in American history.

Politics and government
Australian Prime Minister John Gorton's Liberal government survived a non-confidence vote in Parliament by a margin of 63-57.

Olympics
South Africa was expelled from the International Olympic Committee because of its apartheid policy of racial segregation, and was barred from competing in the Olympic games. It was the first time a country had been expelled.

Basketball
ABA
Finals
Los Angeles 93 @ Indiana 109 (Indiana led best-of-seven series 1-0)

The Pacers outscored the Stars 36-22 in the 4th quarter to clinch the win before 7,881 fans at Indiana State Fair Coliseum in Indianapolis. Freddie Lewis led the Pacers with 22 points, while Bob Warren led the Stars with 20 points.

30 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (Hot Press): Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me, Girl--The Detroit Spinners (2nd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Sun of Jamaica--Goombay Dance Band (3rd week at #1)
2 Boat on the River--Styx
3 It's a Real Good Feeling--Peter Kent
4 Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)--Pink Floyd
5 Atomic--Blondie
6 Give Me More--The Teens
7 Der Nippel--Mike Krüger
8 What's a Matter Baby--Ellen Foley
9 Coward of the County--Kenny Rogers
10 San Francisco Bay--Smokie

Singles entering the chart were Der Nippel; What's a Matter Baby; Tired of Toein' the Line by Rocky Burnette (#13); I See a Boat on the River by Boney M. (#15); and Non so che darei by Alan Sorrenti (#17).

Died on this date
Gordon Prange, 69. U.S. historian. Dr. Prange taught at the University of Maryland from 1937 until his death from cancer, except for the period from 1942-1951, when he served in the military during World War II and in the postwar military occupation of Japan as Chief Historian of Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) in Japan General Douglas MacArthur's staff. Dr. Prange specialized in the history of World War II, especially the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. His two-part article Tora! Tora! Tora! (1963), originally published in Reader's Digest and then expanded into the book At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor (1981), served as the basis for the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970).

Adventure
Maxie Anderson and his son Kris completed a four-day voyage across North America in a 75-foot-high helium-filled ballon named Kitty Hawk, landing on the Gaspe peninsula in Quebec. It was the first non-stop transcontinental balloon flight and the longest overland voyage in a balloon, more than 3,100 miles. Maxie Anderson had participated in the first transatlantic balloon voyage in 1978. He described the 1980 voyage as more difficult, although perhaps less dangerous. They landed more than 1,000 miles north of their original destination.

Energy
The government of Canada agreed to extend a natural gas pipeline from Montréal to Québec City.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York Islanders 3 @ Philadelphia 8 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

20 years ago
1990

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Moving

This was the last episode of the season.

World events
Communist rebels claimed responsibility for the shooting deaths of two American airmen near Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines two days earlier. Negotiations between the U.S. and the Philippines on the future of U.S. bases in the country had begun in Manila on May 14.

Protest
Demonstrators supporting unity with the U.S.S.R., believed to be mostly ethnic Russians, stormed the parliament buildings in Latvia and Estonia.

Terrorism
A U.S. presidential commission issued a report on the December 1988 of a Pan American jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland that had killed all 259 people aboard and 11 more on the ground. The commission said that it was not certain how the bomb was smuggled aboard the plane, but cited evidence that it was an unaccompanied suitcase loaded in Frankfurt, West Germany. The report said that the security system for U.S. civil aviation "is seriously flawed and has failed to provide the proper level of protection to the traveling public." The commission called for greatly increased security at U.S. airports, the creation of the post of assistant secretary of transportation for security and intelligence, and establishment of a national system for warning passengers of credible threats against airlines or flights.

Art
A record price for a painting sold at auction was set at Christie’s in New York City when Ryoei Saito, a Japanese businessman, paid $82.5 million (including Christie’s commission) for Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet.

Economics and finance
U.S. President George Bush, leaders of his administration, and Congressional leaders began a budget summit at the White House amid concern about the growing national budget deficit. Administration estimates for the 1991 fiscal budget deficit had jumped from $101 billion to at least $123 billion.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Edmonton 3 @ Boston 2 (3 OT) (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Petr Klima, who had spent most of the game sitting on the bench, scored the winning goal at 15:13 of the 3rd overtime period at Boston Garden, ending the longest game in finals history. The game ended 5 hours and 32 minutes after it started.



10 years ago
2000

World events
Despite opposition from right-wing members of the government, the Israeli cabinet voted 15-6 to hand over control of three West Bank villages to the Palestinian Authority. The Knesset voted 56-48 later that day to approve the transfer. Fighting between Palestinians and Israelis erupted in Ramallah, and riots spread throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Three Palestinians were killed and about 375 people were wounded.

Crime
The Jefferson County, Colorado Sheriff’s Department issued its final report on the April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, and concluded that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had acted without the help of a third gunman, and that no one had advance knowledge of their plans.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Western Conference Finals
Colorado 2 @ Dallas 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Basketball
NCAA
Indiana University head coach Bobby Knight was sanctioned by the university’s board of trustees after investigating several reported incidents of violence, including the choking of a former player. The board concluded that Mr. Knight had held the player by the throat for two seconds, but had not choked him. Mr. Knight was fined $30,000, suspended from coaching for three games, and warned that any further incidents would result in his dismissal.