Friday 18 June 2010

June 18, 2010

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Paul McCartney and Irma Tovar!

1,150 years ago
860


War
A fleet of about 200 Rus' vessels sailed into the Bosphorus and started pillaging the suburbs of Constantinople.

160 years ago
1850


Born on this date
Richard Heuberger
. Austrian composer. Mr. Heuberger conducted several choirs in Vienna, and wrote several operas, operettas, ballets, lieder (songs), and instrumental works. He was best known for the operetta Der Opernball (1898). Mr. Heuberger died on October 28, 1914 at the age of 64.

150 years ago
1860


Died on this date
Friedrich Wilhelm von Bismarck, 76
. German military officer, diplomat, and author. Lieutenant General Bismarck fought in the Napoleonic Wars, and later reorganized the German Army's cavalry. His diplomatic posts included appointment in 1825 as German Ambassador to the Kingdom of Prussia, Kingdom of Saxony, and Kingdom of Hanover. Lt. Gen. Bismarck wrote several books on military history, which expressed views favourable to Napoleon Bonaparte.

Politics and government
The second U.S. Democratic National Convention of 1860 opened at the Front Street Theater in Baltimore. An earlier convention in Charleston, South Carolina had failed to nominate a presidential ticket. Many Southern delegates walked out of the Baltimore convention and staged an alternate convention at the Maryland Institute.

110 years ago
1900


War
Empress Dowager Cixi of China ordered all foreigners killed, including foreign diplomats and their families.

100 years ago
1910


Born on this date
Russ Hodges
. U.S. sportscaster. Mr. Hodges began his radio broadcasting career in 1934 and called games for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals before going to New York, where he worked under Mel Allen on broadcasts of home games of the Yankees and baseball Giants. In 1949 he became the main voice of the Giants, a position he held when the team moved to San Francisco in 1958 and through the 1970 season. His most famous call occurred on October 3, 1951 when Bobby Thomson’s 3-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning climaxed a comeback from a 4-1 deficit to give the Giants a 5-4 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers and a 2-1 win in a best-of-three playoff series for the National League pennant. When Mr. Thomson hit his home run, Mr. Hodges repeatedly shouted, "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" Mr. Hodges was the voice of boxing broadcasts on CBS from 1948-1955, and also called college and professional football games, including those of the San Francisco 49ers. He died of a heart attack on April 19, 1971 at the age of 60.

Dick Foran. U.S. actor. Mr. Foran played supporting roles in numerous movies and television programs, including many Westerns, from the mid-1930s through the late '60s. He died of respiratory ailments and pneumonia on August 10, 1979 at the age of 69.

Avon Long. U.S. actor and singer. Mr. Long was best known as a performer in Broadway musicals. He was nominated for a Tony Award for supporting performance in Don't Play Us Cheap (1972), and starred in and wrote the songs for Bubbling Brown Sugar (1976). Mr. Long appeared in several movies and television programs; his movies included The Sting (1973); Harry and Tonto (1974); and Trading Places (1983). He was cast to play George Jefferson in the television comedy series All in the Family, but was replaced because of a lack of chemistry with series star Carroll O'Connor. Mr. Long died of cancer on February 15, 1984 at the age of 73.

Ray McKinley. U.S. musician. Mr. McKinley was a drummer in a number of jazz bands from the 1930s through the 1960s, most notably the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra and Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band. He died on May 7, 1995 at the age of 84.

Religion
Missionary Message in Relation to the Non-Christian World was the theme of this day's presentation to the World Missionary Conference in the Assembly Hall of United Free Church of Scotland in Edinburgh.

80 years ago
1930


Baseball
Al Simmons, Jimmie Foxx, and Bing Miller hit consecutive home runs in the 5th inning off losing pitcher Wes Ferrell (10-5) as the Philadelphia Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians 7-2 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Roy Mahaffey (5-1) pitched an 11-hit complete game victory.

75 years ago
1935


Protest
Police in Vancouver, British Columbia clashed with striking longshoremen, resulting in a total 60 injuries and 24 arrests.

Baseball
All 7 scheduled major league games were rained out.

70 years ago
1940


War
Addressing the British House of Commons, Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered his "finest hour" speech (download audio here). Also speaking from London, Free French leader General Charles de Gaulle delivered his Appeal of June 18, rallying support of the French resistance to Nazi occupation. The British Royal Air Force's 242 "Canadian" Squadron and other remnants of British forces withdrew from France and embarked for England. German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler and Italian Duce Benito Mussolini met in Munich to hammer out terms for the French armistice. French Admiral Jean Darlan promised the U.K. that under no circumstances would the French fleet fall into German hands.



Defense
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King announced compulsory military training for home defense.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that a bill for universal government service for all young men and women would soon be introduced.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King reorganized his cabinet with the creation of a War Services Department to aid the country's war effort.

Diplomacy
The United States Congress completed action on a resolution warning European powers against any transfer of territory in the Western Hemisphere.

Economics and finance
The French cruiser Emile Bertin arrived in Halifax with $305 million in gold from the Bank of France; the gold released after World War II.

Baseball
Johnny Berardino’s grand slam off Jim Bagby in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the St. Louis Browns an 11-7 win over the Boston Red Sox before 1,547 fans at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.

Roy Weatherly doubled with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning and Rollie Hemsley followed with a single to score Mr. Weathlerly with the winning run as the Cleveland Indians edged the Washington Nationals 2-1 before 12,500 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. Al Smith pitched a 5-hit complete game to improve to 7-1 for the season, winning the pitchers' duel over Dutch Leonard, who also went the distance and allowed 10 hits and 2 earned runs.

60 years ago
1950


At the movies
Sideshow, directed by Jean Yarbrough, and starring Don McGuire and Tracey Roberts, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Chen Yi, 67
. Chinese military officer and politician. General Chen Yi entered military service in 1902, began commanding Army troops in the 1920s, and served as Governor of the province of Fujian from 1934-1941 as a member of the governing Kuomintang (KMT). He was the Chinese delegate sent to Taiwan in 1945 to accept the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II. Gen. Chen was appointed Chief Executive of Taiwan in August 1945; he was criticized for brutality in suppressing protests, and was dismissed in April 1947. Gen. Chen served as provisional Chairman of the province of Chekiang (Zhejiang) in June 1948, and five months later released more than 100 Communists who were scheduled to be executed. He thought the KMT position was untenable, and attempted to defect to the Chinese Communist Party in January 1949, ostensibly concerned with preventing unnecessary war. Gen. Chen was dismissed by Nationalist Chinese President Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in February 1949, and was charged with collaborating with the Communists. Gen. Chen was convicted by a military court in May 1950, and was executed in Taipei. 30 years later, the Communist Chinese government recognized him as a patriot.

Diplomacy
The Transvaal Indian Congress asked British Commonwealth nations to expel South Africa from the Commonwealth because of the country's racial policy of apartheid.

Politics and government
Governors Earl Warren (Republican--California) and James Duff (Republican--Pennsylvania) denounced U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy's (Republican--Wisconsin) "blanket" and "random" charges regarding Communist subversion in the United States government as based on insufficient evidence.

Baseball
The Cleveland Indians swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Athletics 7-0 and 21-2 before 35,521 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. Bob Feller (6-5) pitched a 2-hitter for the Indians in the first game, and the Indians scored 14 runs in the 1st inning of the second game, sending 17 players to bat in the inning. Jim Hegan added a grand slam in the 3rd inning off Carl Scheib. Mike Garcia (5-4) pitched a 9-hit complete game victory in the second game, batting 2 for 5 with a run and a run batted in.

Joe DiMaggio hit a home run in each game for the New York Yankees as they swept a doubleheader from the St. Louis Browns 15-5 and 9-0 before 14,190 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Winning pitcher Tommy Byrne (8-1) helped his own cause in the first game with a run-scoring double and a 3-run homer. Allie Reynolds (5-5) pitched an 8-hit shutout in the second game.

George Kell and Aaron Robinson each hit a 3-run home run and Hoot Evers added a 2-run homer for the Detroit Tigers as they beat the Boston Red Sox 10-2 before 36,714 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Ted Williams and Vern Stephens hit solo homers for the Red Sox.

Wes Westrum hit a home run in each game to help the New York Giants sweep a doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs 6-0 and 10-5 before 24,640 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. Larry Jansen (6-4) pitched a 3-hitter for the Giants in the first game; in the second game, the Giants scored 5 runs in the 1st inning and 3 in the 3rd.

Dan Bankhead (5-2) pitched a 6-hitter and batted 3 for 4 with a run to lead the Brooklyn Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals 9-0 before 33,639 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

Earl Torgeson doubled home 2 runs with 2 out in the bottom of the 6th inning to break a 6-6 tie as the Boston Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-6 in the first game of a doubleheader before 22,827 fans at Braves Field. The Pirates scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th to take an 8-6 lead in the second game, but pinch hitter Bob Elliott hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 9th to tie the score 8-8. The game was called after the third out of the inning because of a Massachusetts curfew law which prohibited turning on field lights after 5:30 P.M. on Sunday; it was replayed the next day.

50 years ago
1960


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport--Rolf Harris (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Scandalo al sole (The Theme from "A Summer Place")--Percy Faith and his Orchestra (7th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Wir wollen niemals auseinandergehn--Heidi Brühl (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Cathy's Clown--The Everly Brothers (8th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Cathy’s Clown--The Everly Brothers (5th week at #1)
2 Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool--Connie Francis
3 Good Timin’--Jimmy Jones
4 Burning Bridges--Jack Scott
5 Love You So--Ron Holden with the Thunderbirds
6 Swingin’ School--Bobby Rydell
7 Paper Roses--Anita Bryant
8 Stuck on You--Elvis Presley
9 He’ll Have to Stay--Jeanne Black
10 Because They're Young--Duane Eddy and the Rebels

Because They’re Young was the title theme from a movie that Mr. Eddy and the Rebels appeared in, although they didn’t perform the song in the movie. Swingin’ School was also featured in that film.

Singles entering the chart were Josephine by Bill Black's Combo (#76); Image of a Girl by the Safaris with the Phantom's Band (#79); My Tani by the Brothers Four (#87); Banjo Boy, with versions by Jan & Kjeld; Dorothy Collins; and Art Mooney and his Orchestra (#92); This Bitter Earth by Dinah Washington (#93); Kids by the Kirby Stone Four (#94); Heartbreak (It's Hurtin' Me), with versions by Little Willie John; and Jon Thomas and his Orchestra (#95); Big Boy Pete by the Olympics (#96); Mission Bell by Donnie Brooks (#98); The Yen Yet Song by Gary Cane and Friends (#100); Do You Mind?, with versions by Andy Williams; and Anthony Newley (also #100); and Cat Nip by Dave "Baby" Cortez (also #100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Alley-Oop--The Hollywood Argyles (2nd week at #1)
1 Biology--Danny Valentino (1st week at #1)
2 Cathy's Clown--The Everly Brothers
3 Swingin' School--Bobby Rydell
4 Jump Over--Freddy Cannon
5 Three Steps to Heaven--Eddie Cochran
6 Because They're Young--Duane Eddy and the Rebels
7 Mule Skinner Blues--The Fendermen
8 Burning Bridges--Jack Scott
9 I'm Sorry--Brenda Lee
10 Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool--Connie Francis

Singles entering the chart were Moon Dawg! by the Gamblers (#31); When Will I Be Loved by the Everly Brothers (#36); My Tani by the Brothers Four (#40); Down the Aisle by Ike Clanton (#42); Banjo Boy by Jan & Kjeld (#44); A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love) by Dinah Washington & Brook Benton (#46); and I Really Don't Want to Know by Tommy Edwards (#49).

Golf
Arnold Palmer, 7 strokes off the lead heading into the final round, shot a 6-under-par 65 to win the U.S. Open by 2 strokes at the Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver with a 4-under-par total of 280. 20-year-old Jack Nicklaus, the U.S. amateur champion, finished second, shooting 71 for the final round. First prize money was $14,400.

Baseball
The San Francisco Giants, in second place in the National League with a record of 33-25, fired Bill Rigney, who had served as the team’s manager since 1956, when they were still the New York Giants. His overall record with the Giants was 332-342. Giants’ owner Horace Stoneham cried when he felt he had to fire Mr. Rigney. Mr. Rigney’s replacement was Tom Sheehan, who at the age of 66, became the oldest rookie manager in major league history. In their first game under Mr. Sheehan, the Giants scored all their runs in the first 6 innings as they beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 before 19,494 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Dallas Green (0-1) made his major league debut as Philadelphia's starting pitcher, allowing 6 hits and 7 runs--6 earned--in 5.2 innings, striking out 2 batters and walking 4 in taking the loss, and batting 0 for 2. The Phillies rallied for 4 runs in the 9th against Sam Jones (9-5) and had runners on first and second bases with 1 out, but Johnny Antonelli struck out Ted Lepcio and retired Bobby Del Greco to end the game.

Danny McDevitt was 1 out away from a 3-0 shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates before 50,062 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but with 2 out and nobody on base in the top of the 9th inning, Gino Cimoli hit an infield single and Hal Smith followed with a home run to make the score 3-2. Don Hoak singled, Bill Mazeroski drew a base on balls, and when Gene Baker was announced as a pinch hitter, Larry Sherry relieved Mr. McDevitt. Smoky Burgess then batted for Mr. Baker and singled home Mr. Hoak to tie the score 3-3. Roberto Clemente led off the 10th with a single, advanced to second when Mr. Cimoli walked, and scored from there on a single by Mr. Smith to break the tie as the Pirates shocked the Dodgers 4-3.

Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Bill Skowron hit home runs to lead the New York Yankees to a 12-5 win before 20,981 fans and a 4-game sweep of their series with the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

40 years ago
1970


Politics and government
The Conservatives, led by Edward Heath, scored an upset victory over Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s ruling Labour Party in the British general election. The Conservatives took 330 of 630 seats, an increase of 77 from their total in the most recent election in 1966. Labour won 287 seats, a decrease of 76. The Liberals, led by Jeremy Thorpe, dropped from 12 seats to 6. The result was a 31-seat majority for the Conservatives, including the Ulster Unionist Party in Northern Ireland.

Brigadier General Roberto Marcelo Levingston was sworn in as the new President of Argentina, 10 days after a three-man army junta had toppled Juan Carlos Ongania from the presidency.

30 years ago
1980


On television tonight
Family, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Smarts

At the movies
The Blues Brothers, directed by John Landis, and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, received its premiere screening in New York City.



Died on this date
Terence Fisher, 76
. U.K. film director. Mr. Fisher began his career as an editor in the 1930s, and began directing films in the late '40s. He was best known for his work with Hammer Films from the late 1950s through the mid-'70s, directing movies such as The Curse of Frankenstein (1957); The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959); and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969).

André Leducq, 76. French cyclist. Mr. Leducq won a gold medal in the team road race event at the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. He won the Paris-Roubaix (1928) and Paris-Tours (1931) races, and won the Tour de France (1930, 1932). Mr. Leducq retired from competition in 1939, but formed a team and raced professionally in the 1950s.

Protest
Three days of clashes between South African police and mixed-race demonstrators in areas of Cape Town concluded with at least 30 people killed and 174 injured. Protesters had defied a ban on meetings marking the fourth anniversary of the 1976 race riots in Soweto township. The New York Times reported that South African whites were surprised by the intensity of the riots because they had considered the mixed-race people to be their natural ally against the Negroes.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department estimated that the gross national product had plunged at an annual rate of 8.5% in the second quarter of 1980, one of the sharpest declines of any quarter. The decline was attributed to a lack of consumer demand, rather than a reduction of inventories by businesses.

Scandal
A U.S. federal grand jury in Brooklyn, New York indicted Representative Frank Thompson, Jr. (Democrat--New Jersey) and Rep. John Murphy (Democrat--New York) on charges of bribery and conspiracy arriving from the FBI’s "Abscam" investigation.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Edmonton (2-0) 25 @ Ottawa (0-1-1) 13

This was the Eskimos’ first win at Lansdowne Park since August 2, 1962, when they won 14-10 in a pre-season game.

20 years ago
1990


Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Sayonara Jinrui (さよなら人類)--Tama (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Verdammt, Ich Lieb' Dich--Matthias Reim (5th week at #1)

Diplomacy
African National Congress Deputy President Nelson Mandela told a joint session of the Canadian House of Commons and Senate that Canadian support was crucial in ending Apartheid in South Africa.

Environment
Canadian Environment Minister Robert de Cotret brought in legislation to make environmental-impact studies mandatory for federal projects or joint projects.

Business
Canada Post President Donald Lander declared a $149-million profit and $60-million dividend payment to the federal Government; he said the Crown corporation was not yet ready for privatization.

Golf
Hale Irwin defeated Mike Donald in a 19-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. The two had been tied for the lead after 4 rounds, and were still tied after a complete playoff round of 18 holes. Mr. Irwin birdied the par-4 1st hole to win his third U.S. Open and his first in 11 years.
First prize money was $220,000.



10 years ago
2000


Died on this date
Nancy Marchand, 71
. U.S. actress. Miss Marchand appeared in plays, films, and television programs in a career spanning half a century. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her starring performances in White Liars & Black Comedy (1993). Miss Marchand was best known for her work in television, beginning in 1950. She appeared in numerous anthology programs, including the Philco Television Playhouse drama Marty (1953). Miss Marchand was best known for playing publisher Margaret Pynchon in the television drama series Lou Grant (1977-1982); she was nominated for Emmy Awards for her supporting performances in every season of the series' run, and won four times. Miss Marchand played Livia Soprano in the drama series The Sopranos (1999-2000), winning an Emmy in 2000 for her supporting performances. She died of lung cancer and emphysema, the day before her 72nd birthday.

Literature
Novelist Timothy Findley was awarded the Canadian Booksellers' Associations Libris Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Golf
Tiger Woods shot a 4-under-par 67 to win the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California by 15 strokes, scoring 4 birdies on the last 9 holes to tie Jack Nicklaus’s 1980 U.S. Open record low score of 272 (12 under par). Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Ernie Els tied for second place. First prize money was $800,000.



Baseball
The Chicago White Sox scored 9 runs in the 1st inning and 3 in the 2nd on their way to a 17-4 rout of the New York Yankees before 52,856 fans, completing a 4-game sweep of their series at Yankee Stadium. John Valentin and Carlos Lee each drove in 4 runs for the White Sox.

The Oakland Athletics scored 10 runs in the 3rd inning en route to a 21-3 rout of the Kansas City Royals before 25,180 fans at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Every Oakland starter had at least 1 hit, 1 run, and 1 run batted in. Gil Heredia (9-4) was the winning pitcher over Jeff D’Amico (0-1), who was making his first major league start, and allowed 6 hits and 8 runs--all earned--in 2 innings, walking 5 batters. Rich Sauveur allowed 1 hit and no runs in pitching the 9th inning for Oakland in the 34th and last game of his 6-year major league career. Ray Holbert played the last 5 innings at third base for Kansas City, batting 1 for 2, with no fielding chances, in the 115th and last game of his 5-year major league career.

Michael Barrett drew a bases-loaded walk to score Vladimir Guerrero, breaking a 3-3 tie as the Montreal Expos edged the Chicago Cubs 4-3 before 38,752 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Scott Forster, the sixth of seven Montreal pitchers, made his major league debut, entering the game with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th and Mark Grace on second base. Mr. Forster retired Henry Rodriguez on a ground out, with Mr. Grace advancing to third, and was promptly relieved by Brad Rigby, who retired Joe Girardi on a ground ball to shortstop to end the game, getting his first save in a Montreal uniform.

The Colorado Rockies amassed 23 hits as they whipped the Arizona Diamondbacks 19-2 before 48,117 fans at Coors Field in Denver, scoring 17 runs in the first 4 innings. For the Rockies, Mike Lansing hit for the cycle by the 4th inning, the earliest any player had ever achieved the cycle in major league history. Jeff Cirillo had 5 hits, including a home run, and Brent Mayne added 4 hits for Colorado. The Rockies had 10 extra-base hits. The win moved the Rockies into first place in the National League West Division by percentage points over the Diamondbacks.

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