April 19, 2011

690 years ago
1321

Died on this date
Gerasimus I. Patriarch of Constantinople, 1320-1321. Gerasimus I was abbot of Mangana Monastery in Constantinople before succeeding John XIII at an advanced age as leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Gerasimus I was succeeded by Isaias.

290 years ago
1721

Born on this date
Roger Sherman. U.S. politician. Mr. Sherman represented Connecticut in the Continental Congress (1774-1781, 1784), U.S. House of Representatives (1789-1791); and U.S. Senate (1791-1793). He was a Founding Father and the only man to have signed all four great state papers of the United States: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. Mr. Sherman died on July 23, 1793 at the age of 72.

150 years ago
1861

Protest
A pro-Secession mob in Baltimore attacked United States Army troops marching through the city. Four soldiers were killed and hundreds wounded.

130 years ago
1881

Died on this date
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, 76. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1868, 1874-1880. Mr. Disraeli was of Jewish ancestry, but converted to Anglicanism at the age of 12. He was a novelist before and after entering politics. A Conservative, Mr. Disraeli entered the House of Commons in 1837; he spent most of his career in opposition, but was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1852, 1858-1859, 1866-1868) in the governments of Lord Derby. When Lord Derby resigned in February 1868, Mr. Disraeli succeeded him, but the Conservatives were defeated by W.E. Gladstone's Liberals in the general election nine months later. The Conservatives were returned to power with a majority in the 1874 election; Mr. Disraeli enjoyed a close friendship with Queen Victoria, who appointed him Earl of Beaconsfield. His government was mainly concerned with the Eastern Question--instability in the Ottoman Empire--and Mr. Disraeli arranged for British purchase of a major interest in the Suez Canal and peace terms in the Balkans favourable to Britain and unfavourable to Russia. Wars in Afghanistan and South Africa, as well as domestic economic issues, undermined Mr. Disraeli's public support, and Mr. Gladstone led the Liberals back into power in the 1880 general election. Mr. Disraeli continued as Leader of the Opposition until his death from bronchitis after suffering from asthma and gout.

120 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Françoise Rosay. French actress. Miss Rosay, born Françoise Gilberte Bandy de Nalèche, began her career as an opera singer, but was best known for appearing in more than 100 movies in Europe and Hollywood in a career spanning more than 60 years. Her films included Quartet (1948); The Sound and the Fury (1959); and Der Fußgänger (The Pedestrian) (1973). Miss Rosay died on March 28, 1974, 22 days before her 83rd birthday.

110 years ago
1901

Died on this date
Alfred Horatio Belo, 61. U.S. journalist. Mr. Belo founded The Dallas Morning News in 1885.

Disasters
A fire caused approximately $40,000 in damage to Magog, a small working-class town in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. A dozen businesses on rue Principale were razed by the flames that started in the town hall of this locality of nearly 4,000 inhabitants. Ironically, the equipment to fight the fires was precisely stored in this building, which forced local authorities to seek help from firefighters in Sherbrooke.

Track and field
Jim Caffrey of Canada won the 5th Boston Marathon in 2:29:23.6.

70 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)--Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra with Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Johanna Müller-Hermann, 63. Austrian composer. Mrs. Müller-Hermann was known for her vocal works.

War
The German command claimed the capture of Mount Olympus and the Greek town of Larissa. London suffered another heavy bombing raid by German planes.

Defense
The Soviet newspaper Pravda said that the U.S.S.R.-Japan neutrality pact had foiled a U.S.A.-U.K. plan to draw the U.S.S.R. into the war. The U.K. announced that a strong armed force had been landed at Basra, Iraq, presumably to protect the oil regions. The formation of a U.S. Fight For Freedom Committee was announced, with Senator Carter Glass (Democrat--Virginia) as honourary chairman and Bishop Henry Hobson of Cincinnati as active chairman.

Diplomacy
Venezuelan President Eleazar Lopez Contreras told Congress that the United Kingdom and Venezuela would soon sign a convention under which two islands in the Gulf of Paria would be ceded to Venezuela.

The American Palestine Committee headed by U.S. Senator Robert Wagner (Democrat--New York) issued a declaration signed by 68 Senators, urging that the restoration of the Jews to Palestine be adopted as the "declared policy" of the United States.

Medicine
Dr. Albert Claude of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research said that the mitochondria, or extra-nuclear part of the cell, may be the cause of cancer.

Labour
The United Mine Workers of America and northern coal operators rejected a plea by U.S. Labor Secretary Frances Perkins that soft coal mines be reopened on April 22 because of a growing shortage in defense industries.

60 years ago
1951

Theatre
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, a musical comedy based on Betty Smith's novel, directed by George Abbott, and starring Shirley Booth, opened at the Alvin Theatre on Broadway in New York.

War
U.S. forces occupied the town and dam of Hwachon, just above the 38th Parallel in central Korea.

Defense
In an address to a joint session of the United States Congress, General Douglas MacArthur defended his demand for escalation of the Korean War, claiming that the Joint Chiefs of Staff shared his views on the actions required to defeat Communist China. He closed his speech by quoting the "barrack ballad," "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."





Track and field
Shigeki Tanaka, a 19-year-old survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, won the Boston Marathon.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 3 @ Montreal 2 (OT) (Toronto led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Harry Watson scored the winning goal for the Maple Leafs at 5:15 of overtime at the Montreal Forum.

50 years ago
1961

Died on this date
Max Hainle, 79. German swimmer. Mr. Hainle was a member of the German team that won the gold medal in the men's 200-metre team event at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, and finished fourth in the 1000-metre freestyle competition, while also being a member of the German water polo team, which failed to win a medal.

Sankara Pillai. Indian diplomat. Mr. Pillai, First Secretary of Indian High Commission to Canada, was slain in his Ottawa office by an intruder.

Boxing
Cassius Clay (6-0) knocked out LaMar Clark (43-3) at 1:27 of the 2nd round of a heavyweight bout at Freedom Hall State Fairground in Louisville, Kentucky.



40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Naomi no Yume--Hedva & David

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Russ Hodges, 60. 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.

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched Salyut 1 (Salute), an unmanned "orbital scientific station," from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It was the first space station, awaiting occupancy by the crew of Soyuz 10 who were preparing for their mission scheduled to launch several days hence.



Africana
Sierra Leone became a republic, with Siaka Stevens as President.

Crime
Charles Manson was sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for conspiracy in the 1969 Tate–LaBianca murders in Los Angeles.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): The Bridge--Deane Waretini (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre (2nd week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
St. Louis 3 @ New York Rangers 6 (New York led best-of-seven series 2-1)
Buffalo 4 @ Minnesota 6 (Minnesota led best-of-seven series 3-0)
Philadelphia 1 @ Calgary 2 (Calgary led best-of-seven series 2-1)
New York Islanders 2 @ Edmonton 5 (New York led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Baseball
The Oakland Athletics defeated the Seattle Mariners 6-1 in the first game of a doubleheader before 29,184 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum to improve their record to 11-0, a major league record for the best start to a season. The Mariners ended the winning streak with a 3-2 win in the nightcap on Richie Zisk’s solo home run in the 8th inning.

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Kiss--Prince and the Revolution (2nd week at #1)
2 Addicted to Love--Robert Palmer
3 Manic Monday--Bangles
4 What You Need--INXS
5 Rock Me Amadeus--Falco
6 These Dreams--Heart
7 West End Girls--Pet Shop Boys
8 Harlem Shuffle--Rolling Stones
9 Let’s Go All the Way--Sly Fox
10 Tender Love--Force M.D.’s

Singles entering the chart were There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) by Billy Ocean (#59); Nothin’ at All by Heart (#62); and I Wanna Be a Cowboy by Boys Don’t Cry (#85).

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

Singles entering the chart included No One is to Blame by Howard Jones (#76); On My Own by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald (#80); Be Good to Yourself by Journey (#93); and Nothin’ at All by Heart (#95).

Religion
George Evans, president of a Bible college whose name I’ve forgotten, was the guest speaker at Abundant Life fellowship, a cult-like charismatic church in Edmonton. The ushers acted more like security guards than ushers, and Mr. Evans’ knowledge of the Bible came across when he quoted the scripture and said, "It’s in Isaiah 6 or 7, I’m not sure."

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Hartford 1 @ Montreal 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
New York Rangers 1 @ Washington 8 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

10 years ago
2001

Business
39 of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies backed out of a court battle against the South African government over cheap, non-brand name anti-AIDS drugs.

Baseball
Paul O’Neill’s fourth hit of the game drove in Chuck Knoblauch with the winning run in the top of the 17th inning as the New York Yankees edged the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 before 24,684 fans at SkyDome in Toronto in a game that took almost six hours to play. The Blue Jays scored all their runs in the 3rd inning.