June 9, 2010

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Sandie Topechka!

370 years ago
1640

Born on this date
Leopold I. Holy Roman Emperor, 1658-1705. Leopold I, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III, was elected Emperor in 1658, more than a year after the death of his father. He held several other titles, and presided over several wars, including the successful Great Turkish War (1683-1699. Emperor Leopold had been trained for the clergy before the unexpected death of his older brother Ferdinand IV, and was a leader in the Counter-Reformation. He also composed music, and died on May 5, 1705 at the age of 64.

200 years ago
1810

Born on this date
Otto Nicolai. German composer and conductor. Mr. Nicolai composed two symphonies, as well as lieder, operas, and several works for piano. He was one of the founders of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and died of a stroke on May 11, 1849, 30 days before his 49th birthday and two days after being named as Hofkapellmeister at the Berlin Staatsoper.

150 years ago
1860

Music
Ten years after its completion and four years after the death of the composer, Robert Schumann's Cello Concerto in A Minor was given its premiere performance.



140 years ago
1870

Died on this date
Charles Dickens, 58. U.K. author. The most popular English novelist of the Victorian era wrote such works (usually serialized in magazines) as The Adventures of Oliver Twist (1837-1839); A Christmas Carol (1843); David Copperfield (1849-1850); Bleak House (1852-1853); A Tale of Two Cities (1859); Great Expectations (1860-1861); and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870). Many of his works dealt with various areas of social reform. Mr. Dickens was one of the first writers to go on speaking and reading tours to promote his works.

130 years ago
1880

Politics and government
The U.S. Greenback National Convention opened at the Interstate Exposition Building in Chicago.

120 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Leslie Banks. U.K. actor. Mr. Banks appeared in numerous films in the 1930s and '40s, usually as a villain. His movies included The Most Dangerous Game (1932); The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934); Sanders of the River (1935); Jamaica Inn (1939); and The Door with Seven Locks (1940). He died of a stroke at the age of 61 on April 21, 1952.

110 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Fred Waring. U.S. bandleader. Mr. Waring and his band, Waring's Pennsylvanians, were among the most popular artists recording for Victor Records from 1923-1932. Mr. Waring was also a popular performer in person and on radio. He made the move to television in 1948; The Fred Waring Show aired on CBS from 1948-1954. Mr. Waring also achieved success promoting the Waring Blender, which became an important tool in hospitals for the implementation of specific diets, and was used by Dr. Jonas Salk while developing his polio vaccine. Mr. Waring was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the U.S.A.'s highest civilian honour, by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, and died on July 29, 1984 at the age of 84.

Died on this date
Birsa Munda, 24. Indian religious activist. Birsa Munda, a leader of the Muda tribe, founded and led a monotheistic tribal millenarial movement in the mid-late 1890s, declaring himself a prophet who had come to recover the lost kingdom of his people. He was imprisoned by British authorities for two years, but was released in January 1898 and went underground for two years. Birsa's followers launched armed attacks against police in January 1900, and he was arrested on March 3. Birsa was sentenced to death, and died of cholera in prison.

Politics and government
The British Columbia provincial election took place, resulting in a government led by James Dunsmuir as Premier. It was the last B.C. election without political parties.

Society
Prohibition went into effect in Prince Edward Island, the first Canadian province to bring in the measure; it was not repealed until 1948.

Labour
Three delegates from each National League baseball team gathered in New York to form the Players’ Protective Association, and elected Chief Zimmer president. The PAA’s goal was to negotiate contracts and rule changes.

100 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Ted Hicks. Australian bureaucrat and diplomat. Sir Ted was Secretary of the Department of the Air (1951-1956); Secretary of the Department of Defense (1956-1968); and Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand (1968-1971). He died on May 14, 1984, 26 days before his 74th birthday.

Robert Cummings. U.S. actor. Mr. Cummings was known for his starring roles in such movies as The Devil and Miss Jones (1941); Kings Row (1942); Saboteur (1942); Princess O'Rourke (1943); and Dial M for Murder (1954), and in the television comedy series The Bob Cummings Show (1955-1959). He died on December 2, 1990 at the age of 80.

90 years ago
1920

Labour
Former Chicago Cubs’ outfielder Lee Magee lost his suit against the team, having charged that he had been released without cause in February. While on the stand, Mr. Magee admitted that while he was with the Cincinnati Reds, he had bet on the first game of a doubleheader between the Reds and the Boston Braves on July 25, 1918, and that he had ordered payment on his cheque to be stopped when he found out after the game that the money had been bet on the Braves. Christy Mathewson, who had been the Reds’ manager in 1918, testified that he had suspected that all was not right in that game. The Reds won the game in 13 innings.

80 years ago
1930

Died on this date
Jake Lingle, 38. U.S. journalist. Mr. Lingle was a reporter with the Chicago Tribune who, 22 days before his 39th birthday, was gunned down during rush hour at the Illinois Central train station in Chicago by Leo Vincent Brothers, allegedly over a $100,000 gambling debt owed to Al Capone. Mr. Lingle was initially hailed as a martyr, but it was soon learned that he was involved in racketeering within Mr. Capone's organization.

Auto racing
AAA
Championship Car Series
Wilbur Shaw won a 100-mile race on the dirt track at Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit. Russ Snowberger finished second and Bill Cummings third in the 14-car field.

Baseball
Washington Park in Indianapolis was the site of the first night game played in the American Association.

75 years ago
1935

Baseball
The St. Louis Cardinals scored at least once in all 8 innings in which they batted as they beat the Chicago Cubs 13-2 at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.

70 years ago
1940

On the radio



Music
Aaron Copland's suite from his score for the movie Our Town (1940) received its premiere performance in a radio broadcast on CBS.



War
German tanks were reported to be within 35 miles of Paris.

Diplomacy
Chinese Ambassador to the U.S.S.R. Shao Li-tse arrived in Moscow.

Politics and government
The United States House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, chaired by Rep. Martin Dies (Democrat--Texas), demanded that President Franklin D. Roosevelt dismiss 563 people in government service who were members of the League for Peace and Democracy, allegedly a Communist organization.

Law
The Cuban Constituent Assembly completed the new constitution, which provided for a parliamentary system with a Prime Minister appointed by the President.

Golf
Lawson Little shot a 2-under par 70 to defeat Gene Sarazen by 3 strokes in an 18-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open at Canterbury Golf Club in Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. The two were tied with 1-under par total scores of 287 after 4 rounds. First prize money was $1,000.



60 years ago
1950

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R., in notes to the U.S.A., U.K., Chile, France, New Zealand, and Norway, declared its desire to attend any international conference on conflicting claims in Antarctica.

Terrorism
In an attempt to stamp out a wave of terrorism directed against pro-French civilians and foreigners, Bao Dai's Vietnamese government ordered a special death penalty for villagers caught collaborating with the Viet Minh.

Politics and government
Japanese police seized records from Communist Party leader Senzo Nosaka's office in Tokyo and raided other Communist centres in Tokyo and Yokosuka.

The U.S. State Department denied Senator Joe McCarthy's (Republican--Wisconsin) claim that three people listed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as Communist agents were still employed by the department.

Crime
A U.S. grand jury in Brooklyn, New York indicted chemist Harry Gold on espionage charges.

U.S. screenwriters John Howard Lawson and Dalton Trumbo began serving one-year sentences for contempt of Congress.

Academia
In a commencement address at the University of Missouri, U.S. President Harry Truman said that America's vital interest in helping her allies maintain their economic strength would not end in 1952 when the Marshall Plan expired. He warned that the U.S.A. must be ready to help Western European countries minimize their dollar shortages after 1952 and aid backward countries.

Agriculture
A U.S. Agriculture Department forecast put the combined winter and spring wheat crops at 945 million bushels, the lowest figure in seven years.

Eastern and Pan American Airways revealed plans to fly 5,000 Puerto Rican workers to Michigan in an "Operation Farmlife" to avert a crop loss threatened by a shortage of farm hands.

Medicine
Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company announced that it was using a two-million-volt electron accelerator to sterilize antibiotics, the first practical industrial use for an atom smasher.

50 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Marina--Rocco Granata and the International Quintet (13th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Cathy's Clown--The Everly Brothers (6th week at #1)

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Kvällstoppen): Pretty Belinda--Chris Andrews (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Mademoiselle Ninette--The Soulful Dynamics (7th week at #1)

World events
King Hussein of Jordan escaped an assassination attempt when gunmen opened fire on his motorcade as it was driving near his summer palace. King Hussein was unhurt, but his driver was said to be wounded.

Defense
U.S. Secretary of State William Rogers told the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee that the Middle East situation had deteriorated largely as a result of "increased Soviet involvement" in Egyptian air defense. He said it was the first time the Soviets had stationed Russian anti-aircraft missilemen and pilots outside the Soviet bloc, but that no fighting between Russian and Israeli aircraft had occurred.

Crime
U.S. Army charges of unpremeditated murder against Captain Thomas K. Willingham relating to the 1968 My Lai massacre were dropped for lack of evidence.

Law
Harry Blackmun was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of Abe Fortas in May 1969.

Baseball
The San Francisco Giants sold first baseman and outfielder Bob Burda to the Milwaukee Brewers. Mr. Burda was batting .261 with no home runs and 3 runs batted in in 28 games with San Francisco in 1970.

Ken McMullen led off the top of the 11th inning with a home run to break a 5-5 tie and Tommie Reynolds tripled and scored on a single by Tom Egan for an insurance run for the California Angels as they defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-5 before 11,392 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Baltimore starting pitcher Dave McNally opened the scoring with his first home run of the season, a 2-run blast, in the 5th.

Willie Horton hit 3 home runs--including a grand slam--and drove in 7 runs to lead the Detroit Tigers to an 8-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers before 12,647 fans at Tiger Stadium.

30 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Tired of Toein' the Line--Rocky Burnette

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Dancing All Night--Monta & Brothers

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Funkytown--Lipps Inc.

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Der Nippel--Mike Krüger (3rd week at #1)

Popular culture
U.S. comedian Richard Pryor suffered near-fatal burns at his home when a mixture of free-base cocaine exploded.

25 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Everybody Wants to Rule the World--Tears for Fears

#1 single in France (SNEP): Éthiopie--Chanteurs sans Frontières (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: We are the World--USA for Africa (6th week at #1)

Terrorism
Thomas Sutherland, Dean of Agriculture at the American University of Beirut, was kidnapped in Lebanon by members of Islamic Jihad. He wasn't released until November 18, 1991.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 111 @ Boston 100 (Los Angeles won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points to lead the Lakers over the Celtics before 14,890 fans at Boston Garden. It was the first time in nine playoff series between the teams that the Lakers had ever beaten the Celtics. Mr. Abdul-Jabbar, who 30.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game, was named the finals' Most Valuable Player. Boston forward Larry Bird made only 12 of 29 field goal attempts and was suffering from an injured right hand, an injury later revealed to have occurred in a fight with Boston bartender Mike Harlow.



Football
CFL
Pre-season
Calgary (0-1) 9 @ British Columbia (1-0) 19

20 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You--Heart

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Un' Estate Italiana--Edoardo Bennato; Gianna Nannini

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Infinity (1990's... Time for the Guru)--Guru Josh

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): What's a Woman?--Vaya Con Dios (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Sacrifice--Elton John (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (CIN): World in Motion--England New Order

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Paint it Black--The Rolling Stones (3rd week at #1)
2 Se Bastasse Una Canzone--Eros Ramazzotti
3 What's a Woman?--Vaya Con Dios
4 Kingston Town--UB40
5 All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You--Heart
6 Still Got the Blues (For You)--Gary Moore
7 Caruso-Luciano Pavarotti
8 Black Velvet--Alannah Myles
9 Saxuality--Candy Dulfer
10 A Dreams a Dream--Soul II Soul

Singles entering the chart were Get on Your Feet by Gloria Estefan (#26); Are You Ready For Loving Me (The 7" PWL Beach-Mix) by Rene Froger (#30); I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by the Chimes (#32); Het Leven is te Mooi Voor Tranen by Koos Alberts (#33); and Dirty Cash by Adventures of Stevie V (#35).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Hold On--Wilson Phillips
2 Vogue--Madonna
3 Poison--Bell Biv DeVoe
4 All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You--Heart
5 It Must Have Been Love--Roxette
6 Alright--Janet Jackson
7 Sending All My Love--Linear
8 Step by Step--New Kids on the Block
9 U Can't Touch This--M.C. Hammer
10 Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor

Singles entering the chart were Could This Be Love by Seduction (#88); Rise to It by Kiss (#93); Possession by Bad English (#94); Let Me Be Your Lover by the U-Krew (#97); and Take it to Heart by Michael McDonald (#98).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Vogue--Madonna (3rd week at #1)
2 Hold On--Wilson Phillips
3 All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You--Heart
4 Poison--Bell Biv DeVoe
5 Alright--Janet Jackson
6 It Must Have Been Love--Roxette
7 U Can't Touch This--M.C. Hammer
8 Sending All My Love--Linear
9 Ooh La La (I Can’t Get Over You)--Perfect Gentlemen
10 Nothing Compares to U--Sinead O’Connor

Singles entering the chart were Possession by Bad English (#59); If Wishes Came True by Sweet Sensation (#64); Could This Be Love by Seduction (#67); Epic by Faith No More (#72); The Blues by Tony! Toni! Tone! (#79); Now You're Gone by Whitesnake (#90); and Bang Bang by Danger Danger (#91).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You--Heart
2 Vogue--Madonna
3 Nothing Compares to U--Sinead O’Connor
4 Hold On--Wilson Phillips
5 This Old Heart of Mine--Rod Stewart with Ronald Isley
6 Alright--Janet Jackson
7 It Must Have Been Love--Roxette
8 Do You Remember?--Phil Collins
9 Save Me--Fleetwood Mac
10 Baby It's Tonight--Jude Cole

Singles entering the chart were Sittin' in the Lap of Luxury by Louie, Louie (#69); You Can't Deny It by Lisa Stansfield (#79); Love is Dangerous by Fleetwood Mac (#84); Yeah Yeah Yeah by the Blondes (#86); King of Wishful Thinking by Go West (#87); and Kissing Gate by Sam Brown (#90).

Politics and government
Two days of voting concluded in Czechoslovakia’s first free elections in more than 40 years. Civic Forum--the party of President Vaclav Havel--and Public Against Violence, its sister party in Slovakia, captured 46% of the vote and 170 of 300 seats in the bicameral parliament. The Communist Party finished a distant second with 14% of the vote and 47 seats in the Federal Assembly. The allied parties also ran well ahead in voting for the legislatures of the Czech and Slovak republics.

Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the 10 provincial premiers signed a 13-page document that appeared to pave the way for approval of the Meech Lake constitutional accord by the holdout provinces of Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland. The new agreement provided for an examination of Senate reform; a commitment to hold aboriginal conferences every three years; and a legal opinion that Quebec’s "distinct society" clause would not override the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Newfoundland Premier Clyde Wells placed an asterisk beside his signature to indicate his intention to let the people of Newfoundland decide on the issue.

Diplomacy
Nelson Mandela, one of the 20th Century’s most overrated people, began a one-week European tour featuring meetings with the leaders of Switzerland, West Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. The leaders he met included Pope John Paul II and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

Horse racing
Go and Go, with Michael Kinane up, won the 122nd running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, New York in a time of 2:27 1/5, 8¼ lengths ahead of Thirty Six Red, with Baron de Vaux, a 65-1 longshot, 2 lengths further back in third in the 9-horse field.



10 years ago
2000

Died on this date
John Abramovic, 81. U.S. basketball player. Mr. Abramovic was a forward with Salem College (1939-43), and played in the National Basketball League before playing in the Basketball Association of America with the Pittsburgh Ironmen (1946-47); St. Louis Bombers (1947); and Baltimore Bullets (1947), scoring 533 points (9.5 per game) and making 37 assists in 56 games.

Albertana
Her Honour Lois Hole, Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta, became a Dame of Justice when she was admitted to the Venerable Order of St. John of Jerusalem at a ceremony in St. Albert.

Diplomacy
Canada and United States signed a new border security agreement in Washington; the two countries were to establish joint enforcement team to bolster security along the eastern border.

Crime
After an investigation, the United States Justice Department reported that it had found no evidence of a conspiracy in the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. James Earl Ray had been convicted in 1969, but had later recanted his confession. A civil court jury in Memphis--site of the shooting--had concluded in 1999 that the assassination was the result of a federal conspiracy, and members of Mr. King’s family called for a new investigation. The former owner of a tavern near the motel where Mr. King was shot claimed that he had been hired to orchestrate the assassination, but the Justice Dept. did not find his story credible. A second claim by a former FBI agent that he had found documents pointing to a conspiracy also failed to hold up, according to the Justice Dept.

Oil
The cost of self-service gasoline in the Midwestern United States stood at $2.13 per gallon, up from $1.37 in January.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Indiana 104 @ Los Angeles Lakers 111 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Shaquille O'Neal scored 40 points and grabbed 24 rebounds to lead the Lakers over the Pacers before 18,997 fans at Staples Center. Mr. O'Neal set an NBA single-game record with 39 free throws, making only 18. Los Angeles guard Kobe Bryant injured an ankle in the 1st quarter when he was deliberately tripped by Indiana's Jalen Rose, and didn't return.



Baseball
Shannon Stewart hit a home run and 3 doubles, batting in 4 runs, as the Toronto Blue Jays whipped the Montreal Expos 13-3 in an interleague game before 26,122 fans at SkyDome in Toronto.

Herbert Perry singled with 1 out in the bottom of the 14th inning, stole second base, and scored on a single by Leon Durham to give the Chicago White Sox a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs in an interleague game before 44,140 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Pinch hitter Terry Shumpert singled home Jeff Cirillo and Todd Helton with none out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Colorado Rockies a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers in an interleague game before 44,764 fans at Coors Field in Denver. The Rangers had scored a run in the top of the 12th to take a 2-1 lead.

Julio Lugo singled to lead off the top of the 9th inning and Jeff Bagwell followed with a home run to break a 5-5 tie as the Houston Astros edged the San Diego Padres 6-5 before 24,522 fans at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The Padres scored a run in the bottom of the 9th and loaded the bases with 1 out, but Phil Nevin struck out and Ryan Klesko popped out to third base to end the game.