April 29, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, April Stevens and Ira Zabelina!

920 years ago
1091

War
The combined forces of Byzantine Emperor Alexios I and his Cuman allies defeated an invading force of Pechenegs in the Battle of Levounion in what is now part of Turkey.

490 years ago
1521

War
Swedish troops defeated a Danish force in the Battle of Västerås.

230 years ago
1781

War
British and French ships clashed in the Battle of Fort Royal off the coast of Martinique. After four hours, the British squadron under Admiral Samuel Hood broke off and retreated.

150 years ago
1861

Americana
Maryland's House of Delegates voted against seceding from the Union.

130 years ago
1881

Disasters
In the worst civilian shipwreck in New Zealand waters, 131 of 151 passengers and crew aboard the steamer Tararua died when it struck a reef at Waipapa Point, Southland en route from Port Chalmers to Melbourne.

120 years ago
1891

Transportation
The Canadian Pacific steamship Empress of India arrived in Vancouver from Yokohama to open regular service to the Far East, breaking the Pacific Ocean crossing record by two days. Mail arrived in New York via the Canadian Pacific Railway three and a half days later.

120 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Hirohito. Emperor of Japan, 1926-1989. Hirohito, now referred to in Japan as Emperor Shôwa, was named Regent of Japan on November 29, 1921 in place of his ailing father Emperor Taishô, and acceded to the throne upon his father's death on December 25, 1926. He was worshipped as a god by the Japanese people at the time he succeeded to the throne, and this worship helped to inspire Japanese aggression in World War II. When Japan surrendered to the Allies, Hirohito was forced to abandon his status as a deity, ruling as a constitutional monarch for the rest of his life, while avoiding prosecution as a war criminal. Hirohito died on January 7, 1989 at the age of 87, and was succeeded as Emperor by his son Akihito.

Horse racing
His Eminence, with Jimmy Winkfield up, won the 27th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:07.75. Sannazarro placed second and Driscoll finished third in the five-horse field.

110 years ago
1911

Academia
Tsinghua University, one of mainland China's leading universities, was founded in Beijing.

80 years ago
1931

Baseball
Wes Ferrell (4-1) pitched the American League’s first no-hitter in five years to lead the Cleveland Indians past the St. Louis Browns 9-0 before 7,000 fans at League Park in Cleveland. Mr. Ferrell struck out 8 and also batted in 4 runs with a home run and a double. His brother Rick, catching for the Browns, almost got a hit when he beat out a grounder that was ruled an error. Sam Gray (1-3) took the loss.

75 years ago
1936

Baseball
Nagoya defeated Daitokyo 8-5 in the first professional game played in Japan.

Both starting pitchers went the distance, with Roy Parmelee (2-1) winning the duel over Carl Hubbell (2-1), as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the New York Giants 2-1 in 17 innings before 3,700 fans at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.

In a 7-3 loss to the Washington Nationals before 6,000 fans at Griffith Stadium in Washington, the Detroit Tigers lost first baseman Hank Greenberg for the rest of the season when he broke his left wrist in a collision with Washington outfielder Jake Powell in the 6th inning. Mr. Powell was largely suspected of deliberately inflicting the injury out of a dislike for Jews.

70 years ago
1941

War
Berlin sources claimed that German troops had reached the southern end of the Peloponnesus peninsula. Reports from Cairo stated that British Imperial troops aided by a furious sandstorm had halted an Axis advance from Libya just inside Egypt. The Japan Times Advertiser published exploratory peace terms to end the present war and establish a new world order with Germany dominating Europe; Germany and Italy controlling Africa; The U.S.A. dominating the Western Hemisphere; Japan ruling Asia; and the British Empire continuing in restricted form. The Mexican government revealed that Italy had seized three Mexican-owned, Italian-built tankers in reprisal for the Mexican seizure of 10 Italian ships.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that he had full authority to send the U.S. Navy on neutrality patrol into any war zone, including that around Britain if he deemed it necessary for the defense of the Western Hemisphere. U.S. Senator Gerald Nye (Republican--North Dakota) introduced a resolution requiring the President to obtain congressional permission before using the Navy to convoy ships to Britain. U.S. War Secretary Henry Stimson accepted without comment the resignation of Colonel Charles Lindbergh from the United States Army; Col. Lindbergh was an outspoken opponent of possible U.S. entry into the European war.

Diplomacy
Costa Rica expelled Karl Bayer as the first move of a government campaign to end Nazi propaganda.

Medicine
Dr. Ernest Witebsky of the University of Buffalo Medical School reported a new test for diagnosing trichinosis in human beings.

Law
Québec law was reformed to admit women to the Bar (Barreau du Québec).

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister J. L. Ilsley called special taxes "a temporary wartime expedient" in his budget speech to the House of Commons; he warned of a probable $500-million deficit.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Jesse Jones predicted a national debt of at least $90 million.

Baseball
The National League’s Boston team changed its name from Bees back to Braves, the name it had had prior to 1936.

70 years ago
1951

Died on this date
Ludwig Wittgenstein, 62. Austro-Hungarian-born U.K. philosopher. Dr. Wittgenstein worked primarily in logic, and the philosophies of mathematics, mind, and language. He was a a contemporary of Bertrand Russell and Karl Popper, and taught at the University of Cambridge from 1939-1947. Dr. Wittgenstein died three days after his 62nd birthday. His book Philosophical Investigations, considered a classic in the field, was published in 1953.

Vijaysinhji, 61. Maharaja of Rajpila, 1915-1951. Vijaysinhji succeeded his father Chhatrasinhji as Maharana of the princely state of Rajpipla, and eventually received the title of Maharaja. He initiated numerous public works and political reforms, but was perhaps best known for his patronage of sports, especially horse racing. The maharaja owned horses that won the Indian Derby, Irish Derby, and Epsom Derby. Maharaja Vijaysinhji owned an estate in England at Old Windsor, where he died, three years after Rajpipla had merged with the Indian Union. Vijaysinhji was succeeded as Maharaja of Rajpipla by his eldest son Rajendrasinhji.

Politics and government
Nationalist Front leader Mohammed Mossadegh was named Prime Minister of Iran, two days after the resignation of Hussein Ala.

Oil
Parliamentary supporters of new Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh enacted a law to nationalize the country's oil industry.

Economics and finance
West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer warned that companies trading illegally with Soviet bloc countries would be deprived of necessary raw materials.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Surrender--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Jealous of You--Connie Francis (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Babysitter-Boogie--Ralf Bendix (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): Non je ne regrette rien--Edith Piaf (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Wooden Heart--Elvis Presley (4th week at #1); You're Driving Me Crazy--The Temperance Seven

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Runaway--Del Shannon (2nd week at #1)
2 Mother-in-Law--Ernie K-Doe
3 Blue Moon--The Marcels
4 A Hundred Pounds of Clay--Gene McDaniels
5 (I Don’t Know Why) But I Do--Clarence "Frogman" Henry
6 I’ve Told Every Little Star--Linda Scott
7 You Can Depend on Me--Brenda Lee
8 On the Rebound--Floyd Cramer
9 One Mint Julep--Ray Charles
10 Take Good Care of Her--Adam Wade

Singles entering the chart were That Old Black Magic by Bobby Rydell (#77); He Needs Me by Gloria Lynne (#84); Little Egypt (Ying-Yang) by the Coasters (#89); Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It by Freddy Cannon (#90); Little Devil by Neil Sedaka (#94); You’re Gonna Need Magic by Roy Hamilton (#96); The Bilbao Song by Andy Williams (#97); The Kissin’ Game by Dion (#99); Pick Me Up on Your Way Down by Pat Zill (#100); I'm a Fool to Care by Joe Barry (also #100); and Good Goodby by the Bob Knight Four (also #100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Runaway--Del Shannon (5th week at #1)
2 Running Scared--Roy Orbison
3 Shy Away--Jerry Fuller
4 Hello Mary Lou--Ricky Nelson
5 After the Hurricane--Paul Evans
6 Theme for a Dream--Cliff Richard and the Shadows
7 The Great Snow Man--Bob Luman
8 A Hundred Pounds of Clay--Gene McDaniels
9 Tragedy--The Fleetwoods
10 On the Rebound--Floyd Cramer

Singles entering the chart were Little Devil by Neil Sedaka (#29); Moody River by Pat Boone (#37); Underwater by the Frogmen (#42); Louisiana Mama by Gene Pitney (#43); What'd I Say by Jerry Lee Lewis (#44); The Wayward Wind by Gogi Grant (#45); Triangle by Janie Grant (#46); Everyday by Bobby Lee (#47); Daddy's Home by Shep and the Limelites (#49); and Lullaby of the Leaves by the Ventures (#50). The Wayward Wind was a re-release of Miss Grant's hit from 1956.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Running Scared--Roy Orbison (3rd week at #1)
2 Runaway--Del Shannon
3 Little Devil--Neil Sedaka
4 Theme for a Dream--Cliff Richard and the Shadows
5 After the Hurricane--Paul Evans
6 Flaming Star--Elvis Presley
7 Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)--The Coasters
8 The Great Snow Man--Bob Luman
9 Hello Mary Lou/Travelin' Man--Ricky Nelson
10 Peanut Butter--The Marathons

Singles entering the chart were She Wears My Ring by Jimmy Bell (#25); That Old Black Magic by Bobby Rydell (#34); Happy Ending by Teddy Randazzo (#38); Hello Walls by Faron Young (#39); and Triangle by Janie Grant (#40).

On television today
Wide World of Sports, produced by Roone Arledge and hosted by Jim McKay, debuted on ABC. The initial broadcast featured Bob Richards calling the Penn Relays from Franklin Field in Philadelphia, and Jim Simpson and Bill Flemming calling the Drake Relays from Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Roaring 20's, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Mademoiselle from Armentieres

Boxing
Doug Jones (18-0) knocked down Pete Rademacher (13-4-1) four times and finally knocked him out at 54 seconds of the 5th round of a heavyweight bout at St. Nicholas Arena in New York City.



40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Non, non rien n'a changé--Les Poppys (5th week at #1)

Politics and government
Communications Minister Eric Kierans announced his resignation from the cabinet of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as a result of disagreement with Mr. Trudeau's policies on employment and foreign investment. Mr. Kierans supported a policy of full employment.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Chicago 2 @ New York 3 (3 OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)
Montreal 3 @ Minnesota 2 (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Pete Stemkowski scored his second overtime goal of the series against Tony Esposito, this one at 1:29 of the 3rd overtime period, to give the Rangers their win over the Black Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Chicago had led 2-0, but the Rangers came back, with Jean Ratelle scoring the tying goal.



Rejean Houle scored the winning goal for the Canadiens at Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington as they defeated the North Stars to advance to the finals. Ken Dryden won the goaltending duel over Cesare Maniago.

Baseball
The Montreal Expos scored 6 runs in the last 3 innings to edge the Chicago Cubs 7-6 before 7,889 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 6th to take a 6-1 lead.

Ken Henderson, Tito Fuentes, and Hal Lanier hit consecutive run-scoring singles in the top of the 13th inning to break a 2-2 tie as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves 5-2 before 6,194 fans at Atlanta Stadium.

Duke Sims singled home Manny Mota with the bases loaded and none out in the top of the 9th inning to break a 1-1 tie as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Pittsburg Pirates 2-1 before 5,031 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. The teams combined for just 13 hits.

Nolan Ryan (2-0) and Danny Frisella combined to pitch a 3-hitter for the New York Mets as they shut out the St. Louis Cardinals 7-0 before 10,215 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. The Mets scored a run in the 6th innings and put the game away with 6 runs in the 7th.

Don Buford led off the 8th inning with a home run to break a 2-2 tie as the Baltimore Orioles edged the Oakland Athletics 3-2 before 3,320 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Boog Powell hit a 2-run homer with 2 out in the top of the 1st to give Baltimore an early lead, and Dave Duncan hit a 2-run homer to tie the score in the bottom of the 2nd. Jim Palmer (4-0) pitched an 8-hitter to outduel Rollie Fingers (1-3), who allowed just 5 hits, and struck out 10 batters.



The Chicago White Sox used 4 pinch hitters in the top of the 7th inning, resulting in 3 singles and an intentional walk, helping to produce 4 runs as they held on to defeat the Washington Senators 5-4 before 3,681 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. Bernie Allen hit a 2-run home run for the Senators with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, but Jim French grounded out to second base and pinch hitter Joe Foy struck out to end the game.

30 years ago
1981

Popular culture
The first Drummondville Folklore Festival opened in Drummondville, Quebec, featuring dance troupes from more than 20 countries.

Crime
Truck driver Peter Sutcliffe admitted in a London court to being the "Yorkshire Ripper," the killer of 13 women in northern England over five years.

Baseball
Steve Carlton (4-0) struck out 9 batters to become the first lefthanded major league pitcher to achieve 3,000 career strikeouts as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Montreal Expos 6-2 before 30,142 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Mr. Carlton reached the magic mark by striking out Tim Raines, Jerry Manuel, and Tim Wallach in the 1st inning.

25 years ago
1986

Baseball
Roger Clemens (4-0) set a major league record for strikeouts by a pitcher in a 9-inning game with 20 as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Seattle Mariners 3-1 before 13,414 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

The New York Yankees scored 9 runs in the 7th inning as they beat the Minnesota Twins 14-11 before 13,213 fans at Yankee Stadium. Ed Whitson (2-1) was the winning pitcher despite allowing 6 hits and 5 runs--all earned--in 3.1 innings. The Twins scored 4 runs in the 9th, the last 3 coming on a home run by Billy Beane, who batted 5 for 5 with 2 runs and 4 runs batted in. The teams combined to hit 7 home runs.

Mario Soto (2-2) of the Cincinnati Reds tied a dubious major league record by giving up 4 home runs in the same inning--to Andre Dawson, Hubie Brooks, Tim Wallach, and Mike Fitzgerald--as the Expos beat the Reds 7-4 before 13,289 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Lady Navigation--B'z (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Se mustamies--Hausmylly (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Joyride--Roxette (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
Hollywood Detective, on A&E
Tonight's episode: Blind Faith

Environment
Canadian Environment Minister Jean Charest announced a $100-million program to clean up toxic sites and contaminated waste dumps in the Arctic.

Energy
Denison Mines announced that it would close its uranium plant in Elliot Lake, Ontario, putting 1,000 people out of work. The company blamed high costs and cancellation of the Ontario Hydro supply contract.

Disasters
A cyclone struck the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 miles per hour (249 kilometres per hour), killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as 10 million homeless.

The 7.0 Mw Racha earthquake affected Georgia with a maximum MSK intensity of IX (Destructive),killing 270 people.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Montreal 1 @ Boston 2 (Boston won best-of-seven series 4-3)

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Arthur Walker, 64. U.S. physicist. Dr. Walker worked with the U.S. Air Force and the Aerospace Corporation before going to Stanford University, where he worked from 1974 until his death. He was most noted for having developed normal incidence multilayer XUV telescopes to photograph the solar corona. Dr. Walker died of cancer.

Baseball
After getting 3 home runs and 6 runs batted in the day before, Geoff Jenkins batted 4 for 6 with 2 homers, a double, 3 runs, and 6 RBIs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers over the Montreal Expos 10-0 before 32,700 fans at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Jamey Wright (3-2) pitched a 2-hit shutout.