April 15, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Danielle Wessel!

940 years ago
1071

War
Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, was surrendered to Robert Guiscard.

170 years ago
1841

Born on this date
Joseph Seagram. Canadian distiller and politician. Mr. Seagram, a native of Fisher's Mills, Canada West, began working at Waterloo Distillery in 1864, became a partner in the company in 1869, and became sole owner in 1883, renaming it Seagram. He created Seagram's VO in 1907, which became the best-selling Canadian whiskey in the world. Mr. Seagram was a town councillor in Waterloo, Ontario (1879-1886), and represented Waterloo North in the Canadian House of Commons (1896-1908). He was also an owner of racehorses, and founded Seagram Stables in 1888. His horses won 15 Queen's Plates, including eight straight from 1891-1898. Mr. Seagram was president of the Ontario Jockey Club (1906-1917) and helped to found the Canadian Racing Association in 1908. He was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1976. Mr. Seagram died in Waterloo on August 18, 1919 at the age of 78.

150 years ago
1861

Born on this date
Bliss Carman. Canadian-born U.S. poet. Mr. Carman, a native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, was one of the Confederation Poets, who were born in the 1860s and came to prominence later in the 19th century. He spent most of his life in the United States, but achieved success in Canada in his later years. Mr. Carman was named Canada's Poet Laureate in 1921, and made successful tours in his native country until his death from a brain hemorrhage on June 8, 1929 at the age of 68.

War
In response to the attack by Confederate troops on Fort Sumter, South Carolina three days earlier, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln declared a state of insurrection and called out Union troops.

Politics and government
Joseph Howe passed a resolution in the Nova Scotia Assembly for the union of the British North America provinces, for referral to the other BNA provinces in July 1861.

110 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Ajoy Mukherjee. Indian politician. Mr. Mukherjee was a member of the Indian National Congress Party, and later joined the Banga Congress. He represented Tamlu in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly (1951-1977), and served three terms as Chief Minister of West Bengal (March-November 1967, 1969-1970, April-June 1971). Mr. Mukherjee died on May 27, 1986 at the age of 85.

René Pleven. Prime Minister of France, 1950-1951, 1951-1952. Mr. Pleven was a member of the Free French during World War II and in 1946 helped found the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (UDSR), a political party that was meant to be a successor to the wartime Resistance movement. He held several cabinet posts, most notably Defense Minister (1949-1950, 1952-1954). Mr. Pleven was a believer in European integration, and introduced the Pleven Plan, which called for a European Defense Community of France, Italy, West Germany, and the Benelux countries. He turned down an offer from President René Coty to become Prime Minister again, but served as Foreign Minister in 1958. Mr. Pleven died on January 13, 1993 at the age of 91.

Canadiana
Woodstock, Ontario was incorporated as a city.

100 years ago
1911

Baseball
Grover Cleveland Alexander (0-1) made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies, losing 5-4 to the Boston Rustlers at South End Grounds in Boston on an unearned run in the 10th inning. Mr. Alexander allowed 8 hits in 9.1 innings, walking 5 batters and striking out 4, batting 1 for 4 with a run batted in, and making 1 putout and 6 assists.

The New York Highlanders scored 3 runs in the top of the 10th inning to break a 4-4 tie as they beat the Philadelphia Athletics 7-4 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Russ Ford (1-0) got the win in relief, while Allan Collamore (0-1), the last of four Philadelphia pitchers, allowed 3 hits and 3 runs in 1 inning, walking 2 batters and striking out none to take the loss in his first major league game.

80 years ago
1931

Protest
Six demonstrators in Winnipeg were hospitalized after a clash with police; the trouble started after a crowd of 6,000 appealed for assistance from the Manitoba provincial government.

Baseball
Ernie Lombardi made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Robins, catching the last 5 innings and batting 2 for 2 with a run, making no putouts and 1 assist as the Robins lost 9-3 to the Boston Braves before 4,000 fans at Braves Field. The Braves amassed 17 hits, while Socks Seibold (1-0) pitched an 8-hit complete game victory, allowing 2 earned runs.

Hal Schumacher (0-1) made his major league debut with the New York Giants, giving up 7 hits and 7 runs--all earned-- in just 1.1 innings, walking 1 batter and striking out 1, as the Giants lost 10-7 to the Philadelphia Phillies before 7,000 fans at National League Park in Philadelphia. Philadelphia center fielder Chuck Klein batted 4 for 4 with a home run, triple, 3 runs, and 3 runs batted in, while right fielder Buzz Arlett added a 2-run homer.

75 years ago
1936

Transportation
Aer Lingus (Aer Loingeas) was founded by the Irish government as the national airline of the Republic of Ireland.

70 years ago
1941

Died on this date
John Arena, 43. Italian-born U.S. journalist. Mr. Arena, editor of the Chicago newspaper La Tribuna, was slain by two gunmen in Chicago a few hours after testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities about Fascist activity in the United States.

War
The German command claimed that panzer units had advanced more than 50 miles into northern Greece. In the Belfast Blitz, 200 bombers of the German Luftwaffe attacked Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing 1,000 people. Over France, No. 402 Fighter Squadron made the Royal Canadian Air Force's first attack over enemy territory.

Diplomacy
Germany and Italy formally recognized independent Croatia. Reports from Sofia indicated that Bulgaria had broken relations with Yugoslavia.

Defense
Two Puerto Rican nationalists were convicted in San Juan of hindering the military draft, and were sentenced to two-year prison terms. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt formally entrusted Harry Hopkins with he administration of the Lend-Lease program. The U.S. Senate passed and sent to the White House a House of Representatives bill authorizing the Navy to increase its strength to 232,000 men, and empowering President Roosevelt to raise this number to 300,000.

Labour
Four men, including the president of a coal company, were killed, and 25 miners were wounded, in a gun battle near Middlesboro, Kentucky.

Strikers at the Phelps-Dodge Copper Products plant in Elizabeth, New Jersey rejected a U.S. National Defense Mediation Board settlement, and voted to continue their walkout.

Dr. J.B. Matthews, a staff member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, testified before the House Military Affairs Committee that Communists were active in at least six major defense industry strikes, including at Allis-Chalmers and Ford Motor Company.

Disasters
An earthquake rocked southern Mexico for five minutes, damaging the city of Colima and leaving half its population of 15,000 homeless.

Baseball
In his major league debut as a shortstop with the Chicago Cubs, Lou Stringer had 2 hits and 2 runs batted in, but also made 4 errors, a record for a player in his first major league game. The Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4 before 17,008 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Danny MacFayden walked Joe Cronin with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to force Lou Finney home with the winning run, climaxing a 3-run rally as the Boston Red Sox edged the Washington Nationals 6-5 before 15,000 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

60 years ago
1951

Died on this date
Robert Ritter, 49. German psychologist and physician. Dr. Ritter earned a doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Munich in 1927, and a medical degree at Heidelberg University in 1930. He received his specialist certification in child psychology, studying the inheritability of criminality, in 1934, the same year he joined the Nazi Party. In 1936, Dr. Ritter was appointed head of the Racial Hygiene and Demographic Biology Research Unit of Nazi Germany's Criminal Police, to establish the genealogical histories of the German "Gypsies," and became the architect of the experiments performed on them, including sterilization, although he claimed to oppose killnig them. Dr. Ritter taught criminal biology at the University of Tübingen (1944-1946), and the process of denazification freed him from taking responsibility for his actions during the Nazi regime. He worked as a pediatrician with the Frankfurt Health Office in the late 1940s, but accusations surfaced that Dr. Ritter had been dishonest in his denazification hearing, and that he had been far more responsible for the fate of the Gypsies that he had acknowledged. Dr. Ritter suffered increasingly from illness, and was fired from his job by the city administration in Frankfurt, four days before his death, 29 days before his 50th birthday.

Diplomacy
Japanese Emperor Hirohito visited U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo for the last time; the two talked for 45 minutes.

Politics and government
Independent candidates won 62 of 77 seats in Parliament in the Lebanese general election. The Constitutional Bloc, led by Camille Chamoun, led the parties with 5 seats.

Economics and finance
Hungary reintroduced bread rationing, blaming the measure on the reluctance of wealthy patients to make grain deliveries to the state.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
New York 92 @ Rochester 89 (Rochester led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Connie Simmons scored 26 points and Max Zaslofsky added 24 for the Knickerbockers as they defeated the Royals before 4,200 fans at Edgerton Park Arena to avert elimination for the second straight game. Bobby Wanzer scored 21 points for Rochester and Arnie Risen added 20.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Wooden Heart--Elvis Presley (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Jealous of You--Connie Francis (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Pigalle--Bill Ramsey (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): Non je ne regrette rien--Edith Piaf

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Are You Sure--The Allisons

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Blue Moon--The Marcels (3rd week at #1)
2 Runaway--Del Shannon
3 Mother-in-Law--Ernie K-Doe
4 (I Don’t Know Why) But I Do--Clarence "Frogman" Henry
5 A Hundred Pounds of Clay--Gene McDaniels
6 Apache--Jorgen Ingmann and his Guitar
7 On the Rebound--Floyd Cramer
8 Surrender--Elvis Presley
9 Think Twice--Brook Benton
10 Please Love Me Forever--Cathy Jean and the Roommates

Singles entering the chart were The Continental Walk by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters (#68); Underwater by the Frogmen (#77); Hello Walls by Faron Young (#79); African Waltz by Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra (#83, charting with the version by the Cannonball Adderley Orchestra); Where I Fell in Love by the Capris (#94); Girl of My Best Friend by Ral Donner and the Starfires (#97); Glory of Love by the Roommates (#98); A Scottish Soldier (Green Hills of Tyrol) by Andy Stewart (#99); The Charanga by Merv Griffin (#100); The Next Kiss (Is the Last Goodbye) by Conway Twitty (also #100); and Love or Money by the Blackwells (also #100). The version of The Continental Walk by the Rollers was listed with the version by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, but not charted.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Runaway--Del Shannon (3rd week at #1)
2 After the Hurricane--Paul Evans
3 Running Scared--Roy Orbison
4 Flaming Star--Elvis Presley
5 Blue Moon--The Marcels
6 The Great Snow Man--Bob Luman
7 Shy Away--Jerry Fuller
8 On the Rebound--Floyd Cramer
9 The Blizzard--Jim Reeves
10 Mother-in-Law--Ernie K-Doe

Singles entering the chart were Are You Sure by the Allisons (#43); She Wears My Ring by Jimmy Bell (#44); Hello Walls by Faron Young (#46); Louisiana Man by Rusty & Doug (#47); Fooling Around by Kay Starr (#49); and Hide Away by Freddy King (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Running Scared--Roy Orbison
2 Runaway--Del Shannon
3 After the Hurricane--Paul Evans
4 Flaming Star--Elvis Presley
5 Shy Away--Jerry Fuller
6 Blue Moon--The Marcels
7 The Great Snow Man--Bob Luman
8 Bumble Boogie--B. Bumble and the Stingers
9 I've Told Every Little Star--Linda Scott
10 Mother-in-Law--Ernie K-Doe

Singles entering the chart were Theme for a Dream by Cliff Richard and the Shadows (#20); Peanut Butter by the Marathons (#25); Little Egypt (Ying-Yang) by the Coasters (#29); Hello Mary Lou/Travelin' Man by Ricky Nelson (#36); Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart by Connie Francis (#38); Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It by Freddy Cannon (#39); and The Legend of Gunga Din by the Crew Cuts (#40).

On television tonight
The Roaring 20's, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Red Carpet

Boxing
Dick Tiger (41-14-2) scored a knockout over Spider Webb (34-6) at 2:41 of the 6th round of a middleweight bout at St. Nicholas Arena in New York City. It was Mr. Webb’s last fight.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Non, non rien n'a changé--Les Poppys (3rd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (5th week at #1)
2 Apeman--The Kinks
3 Have You Ever Seen the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
4 Bridget The Midget (The Queen Of The Blues)--Ray Stevens
5 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
6 Knock Three Times--Dawn
7 Hier ist ein Mensch--Peter Alexander
8 Wer hat mein Lied so zerstört, Ma?--Daliah Lavi
9 Mother--John Lennon
10 Another Day--Paul McCartney

Singles entering the chart were Wer hat mein Lied so zerstört, Ma?; Another Day; Muddy Muddy River by the Shacklefords (#11); Right Wheel, Left Hammer, Sham by the Tremeloes (#12); Ganz Paris ist ein Theater by Mireille Mathieu (#13); Baby Jump by Mungo Jerry (#14); and Stop! I Don't Wanna Hear it Anymore by Melanie (#15).

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1970 were presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The winners included: Picture--Patton; Director--Franklin J. Schaffner (Patton); Actor--George C. Scott (Patton); Actress--Glenda Jackson (Women in Love); Supporting Actor--John Mills (Ryan's Daughter); Supporting Actress--Helen Hayes (Airport); Foreign Language Film--Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. Mr. Scott had already indicated his refusal to accept the Oscar if he won, so it was accepted on his behalf by Patton's producer, Frank McCarthy.



Died on this date
Dan Reeves, 58. U.S. football executive. Mr. Reeves was the son of a grocery store magnate, and bought the Cleveland Rams of the National Football League with Robert Levy in 1941. They moved the team to Los Angeles after winning the NFL championship in 1945, becoming the league's first team on the Pacific coast. Mr. Reeves won a struggle for the franchise's ownership in 1962, and also owned the Los Angeles Blades of the Western Hockey League (1961-1967). He was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1967. A longtime smoker, Mr. Reeves died after a two-year battle with cancer.

Politics and government
Harry Smith, the former president of King's College in Halifax, was appointed the first Ombudsman of Nova Scotia.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Boston 3 @ Montreal 8 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)
Toronto 1 @ New York 2 (OT) (New York won best-of-seven series 4-2)
St. Louis 2 @ Minnesota 5 (Minnesota won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Peter Mahovlich and Henri Richard each scored 2 goals for the Canadiens as they beat the Bruins at the Montreal Forum.

Bob Nevin’s second goal of the game at 9:07 of overtime gave the Rangers their win over the Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden. Jim McKenny scored for Toronto. Ed Giacomin won the goaltending duel over Jacques Plante.



The Blues’ loss to the North Stars at St. Louis Arena marked the first time in their four-year history that St. Louis had failed to advance to the Stanley Cup finals. It was the final game for Scotty Bowman as coach of the Blues, and the final game in the 18-year Hall of Fame career of St. Louis goalie Glenn Hall.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 In the Air Tonight--Phil Collins
2 Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre
3 Fade to Grey--Visage
4 Flash--Queen
5 Woman--John Lennon
6 Amoureux solitaires--Lio
7 Angel of Mine--Frank Duval & Orchestra
8 Stop the Cavalry--Jona Lewie
9 Some Broken Hearts Never Mend--Telly Savalas
10 9 to 5--Dolly Parton

Singles entering the chart were 9 to 5; Vienna by Ultravox (#16); Time is Time by Andy Gibb (#17); Marigot Bay by Arabesque (#19); and Der Gnubbel by Mike Krüger (#20).

Politics and government
The Québec Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the federal government's constitutional package.

Law
A Saskatchewan provincial court ruled that Rev. André Mercure did not have right to French trial on speeding charge; the judgment severely limited the use of French in Saskatchewan and Alberta courts.

25 years ago
1986

Died on this date
Jean Genet, 75. French author. Mr. Genet was a sodomite who celebrated the subversion of traditional morality in various novels and plays.

War
The United States bombed Libya in retaliation for the April 5 bombing of a discotheque in West Berlin that injured 60 Americans in attendance.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
New York Rangers 5 @ Philadelphia 2 (New York won best-of-five series 3-2)
St. Louis 6 @ Minnesota 3 (St. Louis won best-of-five series 3-2)

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Lady Navigation--B'z (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Se mustamies--Hausmylly (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Joyride--Roxette (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
Hollywood Detective, on A&E
Tonight's episode: The Write Stuff

Environment
Scientist Ken Croasdale reported that the fixed link bridge from Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island would have no damaging effect on ice movement in the Northumberland Strait.

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister Michael Wilson said in London that Canada would give $4 million to the $14-billion fund of the new European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, set up to help rebuild Eastern European economies.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
New Jersey 0 @ Pittsburgh 4 (Pittsburgh won best-of-seven series 4-3)

10 years ago
2001

Baseball
Todd Hollandsworth hit 3 home runs and batted in 7 runs for the Colorado Rockies as they beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-7 before 36,841 fans at Coors Field in Denver. Mr. Hollandsworth’s third homer ended the game with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th inning.