April 12, 2011

260 years ago
1751

Defense
New France Governor Jacques-Pierre de La Jonquière required Acadians in French territory north of the Missaguash River or moving to French territory to take an oath of allegiance to France and join the militia.

210 years ago
1801

Born on this date
Joseph Lanner. Austrian composer and conductor. Mr. Lanner was a friend and musical rival of Johann Strauss I in Vienna, as both men were known for composing and conducting waltzes. Mr. Lanner fell ill during a typhus epidemic in Vienna and died on April 14, 1843, two days after his 42nd birthday.

180 years ago
1831

Disasters
Broughton Suspension Bridge near Manchester, England, collapsed, reportedly because of mechanical resonance induced by troops marching in step across the bridge. No soldiers were killed, but 20 were injured.

160 years ago
1851

Born on this date
Edward Walter Maunder. U.K. astronomer. Mr. Maunder worked at the Royal Observatory, where he was known for his study of sunspots and the solar magnetic cycle that led to his identification of the period from 1645-1715 that is now known as the Maunder Minimum. Mr. Maunder was one of the founders of the British Astronomical Association in 1890; he was the first editor of its journal, and was succeeded in that position by his wife and colleague Annie. Mr. Maunder died on March 21, 1928, 22 days before his 77th birthday.

150 years ago
1861

War
The American Civil War began when Confederate States of America troops bombarded Fort Sumter, in the harbour of Charleston, South Carolina, beginning at 4:30 A.M.



140 years ago
1871

Born on this date
Ioannas Metaxas. Prime Minister of Greece, 1936-1941. Lieutenant General Metaxas was a member of the Freethinkers' Party from 1922-1936; he governed constitutionally for the first four months of his tenure, but governed after that as the dictator of the 4th of August regime. He was succeded as Prime Minister by Alexandros Koryzis. Mr. Metaxas died on January 29, 1941 at the age of 69.

110 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Lowell Stockman. U.S. politician. Mr. Stockman, a Republican, represented Oregon's 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1943-1953). He died on August 9, 1962 at the age of 61.

100 years ago
1911

Baseball
With U.S. President William Howard Taft on hand to throw out the first ball, the Washington Nationals overcame an early 4-0 deficit and defeated the Boston Red Sox 8-5 in their season opener at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

Bobby Byrne had 5 hits, a base on balls, and 5 runs batted in to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 14-0 rout of the Cincinnati Reds in the season opener at Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati. Dot Miller added 4 hits and Honus Wagner 3. Babe Adams (1-0) pitched a 4-hit shutout, while Art Fromme (0-1) took the loss. Jesse Tannehill relieved Mr. Fromme in the 5th inning and allowed 6 hits and 7 runs in 4.1 innings, walking 3 batters and striking out 1, striking out in his only plate appearance in the 507th and last game of his 15-year major league career.

90 years ago
1921

At the movies
Dream Street, directed by D.W. Griffith, and starring Carol Dempster, Charles Emmett Mack, Ralph Graves, and Tyrone Power, Sr., opened in theatres.



75 years ago
1936

Disasters
Herman Magill, Dr. David Robertson and Alfred Scadding became trapped 150 feet below ground level in the Moose River Gold Mine near Halifax, Nova Scotia, when the roof of the mine collapsed. The men were reached by drilling a borehole on the sixth day to bring food, water, and a telephone until the rescue was completed. Messrs. Robertson and Scadding survived, while Mr. Magill died on the seventh day. The event was broadcast nonstop for 69 hours by J. Frank Willis of the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC) to over 650 radio stations throughout the United States and 58 stations in Canada, and was picked up by the BBC and broadcast to Europe. It was the first live 24-hour radio coverage of a breaking news story in Canada.

70 years ago
1941

War
Italian and German troops captured Bardia, Libya. German bombers struck the Greek city of Piraeus, damaging British troop tansports and harbour facilities. The U.S.S.R. criticized the Hungarian invasion of Yugoslavia.

Defense
The government in German-occupied Denmark declared void the agreement announced on April 10 between the U.S.A. and Danish Minister to the United States Hendrick de Kauffmann, placing Greenland under U.S. protection.

Labour
U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace charged that "foreign agents" were "sabotaging our labor organizations to the great disadvantage of labor itself." The U.S. National Defense Mediation Board announced a settlement of the 76-day strike of 650 Congress of Industrial Organizations United Auto Workers members at the Standard Tool Company in Cleveland.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Boston 3 @ Detroit 1 (Boston won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Bobby Bauer scored the winning goal at 8:43 of the 2nd period at Olympia Stadium as the Bruins defeated the Red Wings at Olympia Stadium to win their second Stanley Cup in three years. They didn’t win it again until 1970.

60 years ago
1951

War
80 Communist jets challenged 115 U.S. bombers and fighters near the Yalu River in the biggest air battle of the Korean War to date. The U.S. Air Force claimed eight MiGs destroyed while admitting no American plane losses.

Protest
Anti-British riots in the Iranian oil city of Abadan caused 11 deaths when fired into a crowd of demonstrators.

Politics and government
Hollywood screenwriter Richard Collins, who claimed to have belonged to the Communist Party USA from 1938-1947, gave the U.S. House of Representatives Un-American Activities Committee the names of 21 screenwriters and directors who he claimed were former Communists.

The White House reported that messages it was receiving since the previous day's dismissal by President Harry Truman of General Douglas MacArthur as Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command were running 75% in favour of Gen. MacArthur.

Economics and finance
The U.S. National Production Authority announced that steel, copper, and aluminum would be rationed to industrial users beginning July 1, 1951.

Business
Remington-Rand Inc. President James Rand said that Gen. Douglas MacArthur would join his firm in 90 days as a director and active executive, reportedly at $100,000 per year.

50 years ago
1961

Space
The U.S.S.R. became the first nation to put a man in space when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made one orbit of Earth aboard Vostok 1.







War
U.S. President John F. Kennedy said that "there will not under any conditions be an intervention in Cuba by United States armed forces.." He added that the U.S. government would do "everything it possibly can...to make sure that there are no Americans involved in any actions inside Cuba."

Politics and government
U.S. President Kennedy addressed space, Cuba, and other issues in a news conference at the State Department auditorium in Washington.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Chicago 1 @ Detroit 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Bruce MacGregor scored with 6:50 remaining in regulation time to break a 1-1 tie as the Red Wings edged the Black Hawks at Olympia Stadium, with Terry Sawchuk winning the goaltending duel over Glenn Hall.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Shiretoko Ryojô--Tokiko Kato (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Ed Lafitte, 85. U.S. baseball pitcher. Dr. Lafitte played with the Detroit Tigers (1909, 1911-1912); Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1914-1915); and Buffalo Blues (1915), compiling a record of 37-35 with an earned run average of 3.33 in 106 games, batting .220 with 2 home runs and 23 runs batted in in 108 games. He was 95-89 in 6 seasons in the minor leagues (1908-1916). Dr. Lafitte became a dentist during his playing career, and practiced in Philadelphia, retiring in 1961. He pitched a no-hitter for the Tip-Tops in the Federal League, but was also noted for serving with the U.S. Army in World War I, and pitching a 2-1 complete game loss to the Herb Pennock and the Navy in London on July 4, 1918 in front of the British royal family, including King George V. Dr. Lafitte reconstructed teeth and jaws of wounded soldiers during his time overseas. He died five days after his 85th birthday.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Counting the Beat--The Swingers

#1 single in Switzerland: Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre

Died on this date
Yasuhiko Asaka, 93. Japanese royal family member. Prince Yasuhiko was a founder of a collateral branch of the Japanese royal family and a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was commander of Japanese forces in the final assault on Nanking in December 1937 and was alleged to have been a perpetrator of the massacre known as the Rape of Nanking, but was never charged. Prince Yasuhiko was stripped of his royal status in 1947, converted to Roman Catholicism in 1951, and spent his later years playing golf and designing golf courses.

Joe Louis, 66. U.S. boxer. Joseph Louis Barrow, the "Brown Bomber," compiled a professional record of 66-3 and was world heavyweight champion from 1937-1949, earning a reputation as one of the sport's all-time greats, setting a record that still stands with 25 consecutive successful title defenses. He experienced tax and drug problems after his boxing career, and ended up working as a greeter at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Mr. Louis died of cardiac arrest the day after attending the world heavyweight title fight between champion Larry Holmes and challenger Trevor Berbick.

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Columbia, with the crew of John Young (Commander) and Robert Crippen (Pilot) aboard, lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida to begin mission STS-1. It was the first space shuttle flight and the first manned flight for the United States since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in July 1975. Mr. Young became the first astronaut to go into space five times; his other missions were Gemini 3 (1965); Gemini 10 (1966); Apollo 10 (1969); and Apollo 16 (1972).









Golf
Tom Watson shot a 1-under-par 71 to win the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia to finish with an 8-under-par total of 280, 2 strokes ahead of Johnny Miller and Jack Nicklaus. It was Mr. Watson's second Masters title and fifth major tournament victory. First prize money was $60,000.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Preliminary Round
Philadelphia 3 @ Quebec 4 (OT) (Best-of-five series tied 2-2)
Los Angeles 3 @ New York Rangers 6 (New York won best-of-five series 3-1)
St. Louis 3 @ Pittsburgh 6 (Best-of-five series tied 2-2)

Dale Hunter scored 37 seconds into overtime to give the Nordiques their win over the Flyers at Le Colisee.

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): You Can Leave Your Hat On--Joe Cocker

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): The Promise You Made--Cock Robin (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Jeanny--Falco (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Living Doll--Cliff Richard and the Young Ones (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Living Doll--Cliff Richard and the Young Ones (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Rock Me Amadeus--Falco (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Kiss--Prince and the Revolution
2 Rock Me Amadeus--Falco
3 These Dreams--Heart
4 What You Need--INXS
5 Manic Monday--Bangles
6 Addicted to Love--Robert Palmer
7 R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.--John Cougar Mellencamp
8 Secret Lovers-Atlantic Starr
9 Let’s Go All the Way--Sly Fox
10 Harlem Shuffle--Rolling Stones

Singles entering the chart were Live to Tell by Madonna (#41); Be Good to Yourself by Journey (#47); Mothers Talk by Tears for Fears (#64); Holding Back the Years by Simply Red (#80); Crush on You by the Jets (#84); Hands Across America by Voices of America (#87); Pretty in Pink by Psychedelic Furs (#88); Johnny Come Home by Fine Young Cannibals (#89); and Once in a Lifetime by the Talking Heads (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Secret Lovers--Atlantic Starr
2 Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)--Glass Tiger
3 Nikita--Elton John
4 A Good Heart--Feargal Sharkey
5 Bop--Dan Seals
6 Harlem Shuffle--Rolling Stones
7 R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.--John Cougar Mellencamp
8 The Power of Love--Jennifer Rush
9 Sara--Starship
10 Let’s Go All the Way--Sly Fox

Singles entering the chart were Never as Good as the First Time by Sade (#75); Live to Tell by Madonna (#79); I Wanna Be a Cowboy by Boys Don't Cry (#86); Mutual Surrender by Bourgeois Tagg (#92); If You were a Woman by Bonnie Tyler (#93); April Fool by Chalk Circle (#95); Rough Boy by ZZ Top (#97); and Holding Back the Years by Simply Red (#98).

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Boston 3 @ Montreal 4 (Montreal won best-of-five series 3-0)
Quebec 4 @ Hartford 9 (Hartford won best-of-five series 3-0)
Chicago 2 @ Toronto 7 (Toronto won best-of-five series 3-0)
Calgary 4 @ Winnipeg 3 (OT) (Calgary won best-of-five series 3-0)
Edmonton 5 @ Vancouver 1 (Edmonton won best-of-five series 3-0)

Baseball
Dennis Leonard pitched a 3-hit shutout as the Kansas City Royals edged the Toronto Blue Jays 1-0 before 24,332 fans at Royals Stadium; it was Mr. Leonard’s first major league start in three years because of a serious knee injury. The game's only run scored in the bottom of the 8th inning, when Jim Sundberg singled with 2 out off Toronto starting pitcher Jim Acker. Buddy Biancalana ran for Mr. Sundberg, Tom Gordon relieved Mr. Acker, and pinch hitter Jorge Orta doubled home Mr. Biancalana.

The Philadelphia Phillies allowed a run in the top of the 14th inning but scored 2 in the bottom of the inning to defeat the New York Mets 9-8 before 22,737 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The Phillies had rallied with 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game 7-7. The Phillies used 22 players in the game, while the Mets used 18.

20 years ago
1991

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Detroit 1 @ St. Louis 6 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Minnesota 6 @ Chicago 0 (Minnesota led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Edmonton 3 @ Calgary 5 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Vancouver 4 @ Los Angeles 7 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 3-2)

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Harvey Ball, 79. U.S. artist. Mr. Ball was a commercial artist who founded Harvey Ball Advertising in his native Worcester, Massachusetts in 1959. In 1963, he created the smiley face for State Mutual Life Assurance Company as a morale booster for the company. Mr. Ball wasn't motivated by desire for financial gain, and made just $45 for his design. He founded the World Smile Foundation in 1999 as a non-profit charitable trust that supports children's causes. Mr. Ball died of liver failure following a short illness.