May 21, 2010

350 years ago
1660

War
The Battle of Long Sault in New France concluded after five days in which French colonial militia, with their Huron and Algonquin allies, were defeated by the Iroquois Confederacy.

170 years ago
1840

New Zealandiana
Captain William Hobson, representing the British Colonial Office, declared British sovereignty over all of New Zealand.

150 years ago
1860

Born on this date
Willem Einthoven. Dutch physiologist and physician. Dr. Einthoven was awarded the 1924 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for the discovery of the mechanism of the electrocardiogram." He died on September 29, 1927 at the age of 67.

110 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Sam Langford. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Langford was an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox (1926) and Cleveland Indians (1927-1928), batting .275 with 5 home runs and 57 runs batted in in 131 games. He played at least 1,502 games in 12 seasons in the minor leagues from 1921-1933, hitting at least 95 homers. Mr. Langford died on July 31, 1993 at the age of 93.

90 years ago
1920

Died on this date
Venustiano Carranza de la Garza, 60. 37th President of Mexico, 1917-1920. Mr. Carranza was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution, and was Governor of Coahuila from 1911-1913. His Constitutionalist Army was victorious over the forces of President Victoriano Huerta in 1914, but had to defeat forces of fellow revolutionaries in order for Mr. Carranza to take power. He was head of state from 1914 until a new constitution went into effect in 1917, under which Mr. Carranza became President. He was constitutionally ineligible to succeed himself, and attempted to impose a virtual unknown, Ignacio Bonillas, as his successor. Northern generals conspired against Mr. Carranza, and he was assassinated in Mexico City. Sonora Governor Adolfo de la Huerta replaced him as President.

Eleanor H. Porter, 51. U.S. authoress. Mrs. Porter wrote novels and short stories for children and adults, but was best known for her children's novel Pollyanna (1913) and its 11 sequels.

80 years ago
1930

Baseball
Babe Ruth hit home runs in each of his first 3 plate appearances in the first game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics, but struck out his fourth time up, and the Yankees lost 15-7 before 25,000 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Foster Edwards, the fourth and last New York pitcher, allowed 1 hit and 2 runs--both earned--in 1 inning, walking 2 batters and striking out none in the 60th and last game of his 5-year major league career. The Athletics completed the sweep with a 4-1 win in the second game, as Rube Walberg (6-2) pitched a 5-hitter to outduel Lefty Gomez (2-2). Philadelphia leadoff hitter Max Bishop drew 5 bases on balls in the first game and 3 more in the second game to set a major league record.

75 years ago
1935

Died on this date
Stubby Stubblefield, 25; Johnny Hannon. U.S. auto racing drivers.
Leo Whittaker. U.S. auto racing mechanic. Mr. Hannon, a rookie practicing for the Indianapolis 500, was driving his first lap at full racing speed when his car went over the outside retaining wall, and he died from a fractured skull. Later in the day, Mr. Stubblefield and his riding mechanic, Mr. Whittaker, also went over the wall, and both died from injuries received when they were thrown from the car. Mr. Stubblefield had raced in the Indianapolis 500 from 1931-1934, with his best performance being a fifth-place finish in 1933.

Baseball
Babe Ruth hit his 3rd home run of the season to lead the Boston Braves to a 4-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. Fred Frankhouse was the winning pitcher over Tex Carleton.

70 years ago
1940

War
The evacuation of Paris began as German forces were within 60 miles of the French capital and only a few miles of the French coast. British forces began a counterattack south from Arras to try to cut off the spearhead of the German attack, but were stopped after an advance of 10 miles. French commander-in-chief General Maxim Weygand met at Ypres with Belgian King Leopold III.

Literature
The U.S. National Poetry Center's golden scroll and medal of honor for outstanding American poet of the year was presented to Jessica B. Rittenhouse.

Politics and government
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt vetoed the Rivers and Harbors Bill and asked Congress to appropriate those funds for defense; he appealed to all political groups for unity in defense policy.

U.S. President Roosevelt asked that the Bureau of Naturalization and Immigration be moved to the Justice Department in order to better deal with fifth column activities.

New York City District Attorney Thomas Dewey won the New Jersey primary in the campaign for the 1940 Republican Party nomination for President of the United States; New York lawyer Wendell Willkie received nearly 14,000 write-in votes.

Aviation
The Institute of Aeronautical Sciences designated Howard Hughes as the winner of the Octave Chanute Award in recognition of his contribution to air science.

Religion
The Northern Baptist Convention in the United States directed a collection from church members for the immediate emergency relief of war-torn countries.

Labour
The American Institute of Architects issued a report claiming improved relations between labour and employers in the construction industry during the last year.

Baseball
Jimmie Foxx hit a grand slam for the second consecutive game as the Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 11-8 before 6,908 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, and Roger Cramer also homered for Boston. Hank Greenberg and Rudy York hit home runs for the Tigers, while Wally Moses hit 2 triples and 2 singles.

Joe Kuhel batted 5 for 5 with a home run and 2 doubles against his former team as the Chicago White Sox edged the Washington Nationals 9-8 before 2,000 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

60 years ago
1950

War
French sources reported that Viet Minh guerrillas had infiltrated Cambodia and opened an arms-smuggling corridor to Thailand.

Diplomacy
Yugoslavia and Greece exchanged diplomatic representatives, ending a three-year break that had begun during the Greek civil war.

Defense
U.S. Army chief of staff General J. Lawton Collins reported the development of a ground-based rocket named Loki which could seek out and destroy aircraft up to an altitude of 12 miles.

Politics and government
Liberal Nationalist Party (PLN) candidate General Anastasio Somoza Garcia, who had already been President of Nicaragua from 1937-1947, was elected to a six-year term as President, taking 75.63% of the vote, with Conservative Party (PC) candidate Emiliano Chamorro receiving 24.37% of the vote. In elections for the Constituent Assembly, the PLN won 12 of the 15 Senate seats and 28 of 42 Chamber of Deputies seats up for election, with the PC taking the rest.

Labour
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board reported that new jobs were not created fast enough to employ the 800,000-1.1 million people joining the U.S. labour force every year.

Disasters
An earthquake shook Cuzco, Peru, causing at least 56 deaths.

Three people were killed when a tornado struck southern England. It spread over 66 miles and lasted 2½ hours.

50 years ago
1960
Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Stuck on You/Fame and Fortune--Elvis Presley

#1 single in Italy: Scandalo al sole (The Theme from "A Summer Place")--Percy Faith and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Wir wollen niemals auseinandergehn--Heidi Brühl (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Cathy's Clown--The Everly Brothers (4th week at #1)

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

Singles entering the chart were A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around And Fall in Love) by Dinah Washington & Brook Benton (#71); Biology by Sue Raney (#90, charting with the version by Danny Valentino); Think by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#92); Put Your Arms Around Me Honey by Ray Smith (#98); National City by the Joiner, Arkansas Junior High School Band (#100); Clap Your Hands by the Beau-Marks (also #100); and A Lonely Soldier by Jerry Butler (also #100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Good Timin'--Jimmy Jones
2 Cathy's Clown--The Everly Brothers
3 Stuck on You--Elvis Presley
4 Got a Girl--The Four Preps
5 Happy-Go-Lucky-Me--Paul Evans
6 Fame and Fortune--Elvis Presley
7 Cradle of Love--Johnny Preston
8 Swingin' School--Bobby Rydell
9 Jump Over--Freddy Cannon
10 Because They're Young--Duane Eddy and the Rebels

Singles entering the chart were Lonely Weekends by Charlie Rich (#41); Alley-Oop by the Hollywood Argyles (#43); Come Dance with Me by Eddie Quinteros (#45); Walking the Floor Over You by Pat Boone (#48); Biology by Danny Valentino (#49); A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around And Fall in Love) by Dinah Washington & Brook Benton (#50); Born to Be with You by the Echoes (#51); Rock A-Long by the Craftsmen (#52); Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey by Bobby Darin (#53); Barbara by the Temptations (#54); National City by the Joiner, Arkansas Junior High School Band (#55); Ebb Tide by the Platters (#56); For Love by Lloyd Price and his Orchestra (#57); Mack the Knife by Ella Fitzgerald (#58); A Happy Pair by the Ames Brothers (#59); and Begin the Beguine by the Ernie Fields Orchestra (#60).

Horse racing
Bally Ache, with Bobby Ussery up, won the 85th running of the Preakness Stakes before 30,659 fans at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in a time of 1:57 3/5, 4 lengths ahead of Victoria Park, with Celtic Ash third in the 6-horse field.

40 years ago
1970

At the movies
Norwood, directed by Jack Haley, Jr., and starring Glen Campbell, Joe Namath, and Kim Darby, received its premiere screening in Dallas.





Died on this date
Jack Farmer, 77. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Farmer was a second baseman with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916) and Cleveland Indians (1918), batting .269 with no home runs and 15 runs batted in in 62 games. He played 690 games in 7 seasons in the minor leagues from 1914-1920, hitting 21 home runs.

Vinton Hayworth, 63. U.S. actor. Mr. Hayworth, who sometimes used the name Jack Arnold, appeared in numerous films, radio, and television programs in a career spanning more than 35 years. He played sneaky comic characters in his early years, and more dignified character roles in his later roles. Mr. Hayworth was perhaps best known for playing General Winfield Schaeffer in the final season of the television comedy series I Dream of Jeannie (1969-1970). He died of a heart attack two weeks before his 64th birthday, shortly after completing his work in I Dream of Jeannie, but before the last episode was broadcast.

Les Fusselman, 49. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Fusselman was a catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals (1952-1953), batting .169 with 1 home run and 3 runs batted in in 43 games. He played 823 games in 9 seasons in the minor leagues from 1942-1954, hitting at least 47 homers and driving in at least 113 runs.

Diplomacy
The second summit between West German Chancellor Willy Brandt and East German Premier Willi Stoph ended in a stalemate after a strained five-hour session in the West German city of Kassel. Mr. Stoph spurned Mr. Brandt’s 20-point proposal for relations between the Germanies; Mr. Stoph demanded full diplomatic recognition for East Germany.

Protest
It was reported that very reliable Moscow sources indicated that Andrei Amalrik had been arrested for slandering the Soviet state through his book Will the USSR Survive Until 1984?.

Adventure
Donald Whillans, 36, a plumber, and Dougal Haston, 38, director of the International School of Mountaineering in Leysia, Switzerland, became the first men to scale the 26,504-foot Annapurna I in the Himalayas by the south side.

Labour
California's striking grape pickers won their first big contracts when two major growers in the Joaquin Valley signed two-year pacts similar to some attained with small growers in April.

Baseball
Pinch hitter Adolfo Phillips drew a base on balls to lead off the bottom of the 9th inning and eventually scored on a 1-out single by Coco Laboy to give the Montreal Expos a 7-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 13,346 fans at Jarry Park in Montreal. Balor Moore, the second of five Montreal pitchers, entered the game with 2 out and runners on first and third bases in the 7th inning and retired Willie Stargell on a line drive to left field to end the inning. Mr. Moore was then removed for a pinch hitter in his major league debut, as he became the first product of the Expos' farm system to play with the parent club.

Johnny Briggs led off the bottom of the 9th inning with an infield single and eventually scored from second base on a 2-out single by Tony Taylor to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals before 11,769 fans at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. The Cardinals had scored all their runs in the top of the 9th; the inning began with a ground ball by pinch hitter Phil Gagliano, which took a bad hop and struck Philadelphia third baseman Don Money in the face, causing a concussion and fracture. Bart Zeller caught the 9th inning for St. Louis, making 1 putout in his only major league game.

Jim McGlothlin (5-3) gave up just 2 hits--singles by Jesus Alou and Joe Morgan--in pitching the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros before 9,508 fans at the Astrodome. Losing pitcher Denny Lemaster (3-5) pitched a 9-hit complete game.

Willie Crawford tripled home 2 runs and scored on a wild pitch by Hoyt Wilhelm to climax a 6-run 8th inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3 before 16,183 fans at Dodger Stadium.

Roy White walked to lead off the bottom of the 5th inning and Danny Cater followed with a home run to provide all the scoring as the New York Yankees shut out the Washington Senators 2-0 before 9,254 fans at Yankee Stadium. Mel Stottlemyre (4-3) allowed 6 hits and 11 bases on balls in 8.1 innings, while losing pitcher Dick Such (1-2) allowed just 2 hits in 6 innings in his first major league start.

30 years ago
1980

Politics and government
The day after Quebecers had voted 58%-42% against giving the Quebec government a mandate to seek separation from Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announced a new round of talks with provincial and territorial leaders on rewriting the Canadian Constitution to make the 113-year-old document more adequately meet the modern needs of the country. The most significant result ended up being the addition to the constitution of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I predicted at the time that the only people who would end up having any rights would be perverts, criminals, deadbeats, and malcontents--and I was right. As far as the modern needs of the country are concerned, the whole federalist system that the Fathers of Confederation saddled us with is inadequate. This system was devised in the 19th Century for a country whose boundaries didn’t extend west of Ontario and whose population was mainly rural. Since then, the west has been settled and built up, the population is mainly urban, and most of the problems have to do with cities. As Quebec Premier and separatist Rene Levesque said, "Canada doesn’t work."

Environment
U.S. President Jimmy Carter declared a state of emergency at the Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York as a result of a study by the Environmental Protection Agency which found that 30% of residents tested in January had suffered chromosome damage that was frequently linked to cancer and birth defects. The Love Canal had been used as a chemical dump site for many years by Hooker Chemicals and Plastics Corporation. President Carter’s declaration authorized the U.S. government to pay for the relocation of families away from an area contaminated by toxic wastes. About 710 families would be temporarily housed by the government until it could be determined whether the area was safe for their return.

Protest
About 175 “Oui/Yes” supporters clashed with police in Quebec during the night following the provincial referendum on sovereignty-association. Among the many cases of police brutality reported was that of a CTV cameraman who was beaten by police who didn't belong to the riot squad and didn't wear badges.

Two days after rioting by Negroes in Miami had ended, the Florida National Guard began pulling out, the curfew was lifted, and a federal grand jury convened to consider possible civil rights violations in the death of Arthur McDuffie, a Negro who had been chased and beaten to death by white policemen over a traffic ticket, and whose killers had been acquitted in a criminal trial. Florida officials said that Negro rage in Miami had been building during the past year over at least four widely publicized cases of alleged brutality by white policemen against Negroes. Negroes were also reported to be angry about the recent influx of Cuban refugees who were believed to be competing with them for jobs.

Demonstrators in the South Korean city of Kwangju stormed an arms warehouse and seized about 6,000 rifles, as well as armed personnel carriers, trucks, and jeeps. Government forces were quickly driven out of the city by 200,000 insurgents, and disturbances spread to 15 other towns in the province of South Chonnam. South Korean troops surrounded the city, and negotiations began. The discussions became deadlocked when student leaders of the insurrection insisted on the immediate end to martial law and progress toward democratic rule. The Martial Law Command said that it had used all peaceful means to end the strife before deciding to suppress the rebellion by force. Three days of rioting had killed over 100 people, and had injured many more.

Disasters
U.S. President Jimmy Carter declared the area affected by the eruption three days earlier of Mount St. Helens to be a disaster area.

Hockey
NHL
After eight seasons in Atlanta, the Atlanta Flames officially moved to Calgary, where they became the Calgary Flames.

25 years ago
1985

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Edmonton 1 @ Philadelphia 4 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Baseball
Vince Coleman hit his first major league home run--inside-the park--to help the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Atlanta Braves 6-3 before 27,541 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Bob Horner hit 2 home runs for the Braves.

20 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Senryū no Shizuku--Shizuka Kudo

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Verdammt, Ich Lieb' Dich--Matthias Reim

Died on this date
Morris Levy, 62. U.S. music executive. Mr. Levy co-founded and owned Roulette Records, and founded the Birdland jazz club and the Roulette Room in New York City. At his peak he owned more than 90 companies related to the recording industry. Mr. Levy was one of the industry's most notorious figures, falsely taking songwriting credits and allegedly swindling artists out of royalties. He was convicted in 1990 of extortion on charges from a Federal Bureau of Investigation investigation of alleged infiltration of organized crime into the record business. Mr. Levy's appeal was denied, but he died of cancer two months before he was to begin serving a 10-year prison sentence.

Politics and government
Canadian Environment Minister Lucien Bouchard praised the cause of Quebec separation from Canada and resigned from the cabinet and the Progressive Conservative party caucus. The resignation was a blow to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s attempt to salvage the Meech Lake constitutional accord.

10 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Barbara Cartland, 98. U.K. authoress. Dame Barbara was a romance novelist whose 723 novels sold more than 750 million copies and were translated into 38 languages. She also wrote more than a dozen biographies. Dame Barbara died in her sleep after a period of dementia and declining health.

John Gielgud, 96. U.K. actor. Sir John was mainly known as a stage actor, especially in the plays of William Shakespeare. He starred in Alfred Hitchcock's movie Secret Agent (1936), but didn't enjoy acting for the screen, and refused to do any movie acting for many years. Eventually he returned to movies (including a Shakespearean role in Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight (1967)), and won an Academy Award for his supporting performance in Arthur (1981). Sir John also played Sherlock Holmes in a radio series that appeared on BBC in 1954 and NBC in the U.S.A. in 1955, with Ralph Richardson as Dr. Watson. He was one of the few people to win an Oscar; Emmy; Tony; and Grammy Award.

Mahmoud Zuabi, 62 or 65. Prime Minister of Syria, 1987-2000. Mr. Zuabi, a member of the Ba'ath Party, was appointed Prime Minister by President Hafez al-Assad, but fell out of favour with the President, and was replaced as Prime Minister on March 7, 2000 by Mohammed Mustafa Mero. Mr. Zuabi was under house arrest, facing numerous charges related to corruption, when he reportedly shot himself.

Mark R. Hughes, 44. U.S. businessman. Mr. Hughes worked as a salesman for a multi-level marketing firm before founding his own, Herbalife International, in 1980. Herbalife became a multi-billion-dollar health products distributor, but was sued by several U.S. government agencies in the mid-1980s for making allegedly false health claims. Mr. Hughes made out-of-court settlements with the regulatory agencies in 1986. He was recovering from a bout of pneumonia when he died of an accidental overdose of the antidepressant drug doxepin after mixing it with alcohol.

Terrorism
Gunmen who had seized the parliament of Fiji the day before released some of the 85 hostages.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Western Conference Finals
Dallas 4 @ Colorado 1 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Baseball
The San Francisco Giants scored 11 runs in the 6th inning on their way to a 16-10 win over the Milwaukee Brewers before 20,571 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee. Terrell Lowery had 5 hits for the Giants, and J.T. Snow hit a grand slam in the 6th. Giants’ starter Russ Ortiz (3-5) was the winning pitcher despite giving up 10 earned runs in 6.2 innings.

Andres Galarraga batted 5 for 5 with a double to help the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 12-6 before 40,533 fans at Turner Field in Atlanta. Brian Jordan helped the Braves’ cause with 4 hits, including 2 home runs, and drove in 7 runs.

Adrian Beltre hit a grand slam and 2 doubles, and Sean Green added a grand slam as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 12-3 before 15,538 fans at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. Kevin Brown (3-1) pitched a 7-hit complete game victory. Gary Sheffield also homered for the Dodgers, while Cliff Floyd homered for the Marlins.