May 17, 2011

490 years ago
1521

Died on this date
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, 43. Mr. Stafford was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, who was executed for rebelling against King Richard III in 1483. Edward was a nephew of King Edward IV and a first cousin once removed of King Henry VIII. Edward Stafford commanded soldiers in Henry VIII's invasion of France in 1513, but his Plantagenet blood and connections led to suspicions that he was plotting against the king. Lord Buckingham was imprisoned in the Tower of London, convicted of treason, and executed on Tower Hill.

190 years ago
1821

Born on this date
Sebastian Kneipp. German clergyman and naturopath. Rev. Kneipp was a Roman Catholic priest who was primarily known as one of the founders of naturopathinc medicine; he was particularly associated with the "Kneipp Cure" form of hydrotherapy. Rev. Kneipp died on June 17, 1897, a month after his 76th birthday.

170 years ago
1841

Disasters
32 people were killed in a rockslide from Citadel Rock onto Champlain Street/Cap Diamant area of Lower Québec City.

140 years ago
1871

Canadiana
The town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick was incorporated.

Education
The New Brunswick Legislative Assembly passed the Common Schools Act, modelled on Ontario's, setting up free schools through public funding and bringing in a non-denominational curriculum. The abolition of separate N.B. Roman Catholic schools caused much controversy.

120 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife. U.K. Royal Family member. Princess Alexandra, a granddaughter of King Edward VII, was the daughter of Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, who had married Princess Louise of Wales, daughter of the future King Edward VII. Princess Alexandra married Prince Arthur of Connaught in 1913, and died on February 26, 1959 at the age of 67.

110 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Werner Egk. German composer. Mr. Egk, born Werner Mayer, was a classical pianist who wrote operas, ballets, instrumental, and vocal works in a career spanning more than 50 years. He never joined the Nazi Party and was cleared by denazification tribunals, but achieved success during the Nazi regime in Germany in the 1930s and '40s. Mr. Egk died on July 10, 1983 at the age of 82.

100 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Lisa Fonssagrives. Swedish-born model. Mrs. Fonssagrives was an aspiring ballerina who moved to Paris in 1936 and became a fashion model. She moved to the United States in 1939, and continued to appear on magazine covers through the 1950s, earning recognition as the world's first supermodel. Mrs. Fonssagrives died in New York on February 4, 1992 at the age of 80.

Maureen O'Sullivan. U.K.-born U.S. actress. Miss O'Sullivan moved to the United States at the age of 18, and became an actress with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio. She was at her busiest from the early 1930s through the early '40s, and was best known for playing Jane in the Tarzan series of movies. Miss O'Sullivan was the mother of actress Mia Farrow, and they appeared together in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). Miss O'Sullivan died on June 23, 1998 at the age of 87.

Academia
The University of Alberta awarded its first earned degrees.

75 years ago
1936

Died on this date
Panagis Tsaldaris, 67 or 68. Prime Minister of Greece, 1932-1933; 1933-1935. Mr. Tsaldaris was first elected to Parliament in 1910, and led the People's Party from 1922 until his death. He served as Interior Minister, Foreign Minister, and Leader of the Opposition before his terms as Prime Minister. Mr. Tsaldaris's government was deposed by a military coup on October 10, 1935; he died after a period of declining health.

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 (8th week at #1)

Died on this date
Fernando Pinto Sepulveda. Chilean politician. Mr. Pinto, leader of Chile's Radical Party, was killed when members of the pro-Nazi Chilean Vanguardia Popula Socialista broke up the Radical Party's national convention in Santiago.

War
HMCS Dauphin was commissioned at Esquimalt, British Columbia for service in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Germany announced the recapture of Solum on the Egyptian-Libyan border. A communique from Chungking stated that Chinese troops had recaptured Tsaoyang--a strategic base in the northern part of the province of Hupeh--and Suchi in the province of Chekiang, while Japan claimed to have held Tsaoyang. Air warfare between British and German forces intensified in Iraq and Syria.

Defense
The Vichy French regime announced that it would defend Dakar, Senegal against all aggression, and denied that German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler had mentioned German occupation of Dakar in recent talks with Vichy French Vice Premier François Darlan. The U.S. Justice Department began a nationwide roundup of aliens illegally in the country. Four Democratic Party members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee urged the United States to take over French island possessions in the Western Hemisphere.

Diplomacy
The Soviet news agency Tass announced the establishment of trade, diplomatic, and consular relations between the U.S.S.R. and Iraq.

Protest
British authorities in the Malay state of Selangor proclaimed a state of emergency after three rubber plantation strikers were killed in a clash with soldiers.

Horse racing
Whirlaway, with Eddie Arcaro aboard, won his second straight Triple Crown race, taking the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland in a time of 1:58 4/5. King Cole placed second. First prize money was $49,365.



60 years ago
1951

War
The United Nations General Assembly's Political and Security voted 45-0 to approve a worldwide embargo on the shipment of arms and certain potential war goods to Communist China.

Politics and government
U.S. screen actor Lloyd Gough refused to answer any questions about Communism before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities.

Disasters
The French transport ship Adour exploded in the Indonesian port of Nhatrong, causing numerous deaths.

50 years ago
1961

Died on this date
Otto Knabe, 76. U.S. baseball player and manager. Mr. Knabe was a second baseman who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1905, 1916); Philadelphia Phillies (1907-1913); Baltimore Terrapins (1914-1915); and Chicago Cubs (1916), batting .247 with 8 home runs and 365 runs batted in in 1,285 games. He also managed the Federal League Terrapins in 1914-1915, compiling a record of 131-177-6-1. Mr. Knabe died from a stroke.

Politics and government
South Korean Prime Minister John M. Chang, deposed by a military coup the previous day, came out of hiding and announced the resignation of his government.

Diplomacy
U.S. President John F. Kennedy laid a wreath at Canada's National War Memorial in Ottawa, and he and Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker spent some time in talks, with Mr. Kennedy unsuccessfully attempting to persuade Mr. Diefenbaker to bring Canada into the Organization of American States. That afternoon, Mr. Kennedy addressed a joint session of Parliament, noting "the lofty appearance of statesmanship on the faces of the members of the Senate who realize that they will never have to place their case before the public again." Mr. Kennedy appealed for Canada to join the OAS, saying, "your country and mine are partners in North American affairs. Can we not now become partners in inter-American affairs?" Such a public appeal by an American president against a policy of a Canadian prime minister was regarded as a diplomatic faux pas. The bad feelings between the leaders was exacerbated that night when, at a party at the residence of U.S. Ambassador to Canada Livingston Merchant, President Kennedy spent an inordinate amount of time chatting with Lester Pearson, leader of the Liberal Party and Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in Canada, rather than with Prime Minister Diefenbaker. U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy visited a Royal Canadian Mounted Police barracks, and was treated to a presentation of the RCMP musical ride.













Cuban dictator Fidel Castro proposed, in a speech, to exchange 1,214 rebels captured in April in the Bay of Pigs invasion for 500 U.S. tractors.

At a 14-nation conference in Geneva on the future of Laos, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk said that to insure the neutralization of Laos, it would be necessary for the International Control Commission--Poland, India, Canada--to have adequate transport and communications equipment and to act by majority vote, not "paralyzed by a veto."

Disasters
20 people burned to death near Carrizales, Venezuela when a truck filled with passengers overturned and burned.

Baseball
Just a month after playing their first home game since moving from Miami after the 1960 season, the San Juan Marlins of the AAA International League played their last home game, edging the Richmond Virginians 5-4 in 14 innings before fewer than 1,000 fans at Sixto Escobar Stadium. Poor attendance and high travel costs for visiting teams led the team to abandon the experiment of having an IL team in Puerto Rico; the next day they moved to Charleston, West Virginia.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): She's a Lady--Tom Jones

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Mata Au Hi Made--Kiyohiko Ozaki

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Qué Será (Che Sará)--José Feliciano

Music
The album Ram by Paul and Linda McCartney was released on Apple Records.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau began a 10-day visit to the U.S.S.R.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Being with You--Smokey Robinson

#1 single in Switzerland: In the Air Tonight--Phil Collins (2nd week at #1)

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Katya Semenova!

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York Islanders 7 @ Minnesota 5 (New York led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Butch Goring scored 3 goals and Mike Bossy added 2 goals and 2 assists as the Islanders overcame a 3-1 first-period deficit to defeat the North Stars at Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington in the first Stanley Cup finals game played in Minnesota. Bob Nystrom and Bryan Trottier scored the other New York goals. Steve Payne led the North Stars with 2 goals and an assist. Other Minnesota goals were scored by Steve Christoff, Bobby Smith, and Dino Ciccarelli. Billy Smith gave up 5 goals in 28 shots to get the win for the Islanders, while Gilles Meloche, back in goal for the North Stars after being benched in favour of Don Beaupre in game 2, gave up 6 goals in 28 shots.



25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Live to Tell--Madonna

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Living Doll--Cliff Richard and the Young Ones (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): A Different Corner--George Michael

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Chicken Song--Spitting Image

#1 single in the U.K.: Rock Me Amadeus--Falco

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Greatest Love of All--Whitney Houston

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Why Can’t This Be Love--Van Halen
2 Greatest Love of All--Whitney Houston
3 West End Girls--Pet Shop Boys
4 Addicted to Love--Robert Palmer
5 Live to Tell--Madonna
6 What Have You Done for Me Lately--Janet Jackson
7 Take Me Home--Phil Collins
8 Bad Boy--Miami Sound Machine
9 If You Leave--Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
10 Your Love--Outfield

Singles entering the chart were One Hit (To the Body) by the Rolling Stones (#77); Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You by Stevie Nicks (#81); Mad About You by Belinda Carlisle (#83); Nasty by Janet Jackson (#84); Vanity Kills by ABC (#87); Don Quichotte by Magazine 60 (#88); The Finest by S.O.S. Band (#89); and Living on Video by Trans-X (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 West End Girls--Pet Shop Boys
2 The Power of Love--Jennifer Rush
3 Let’s Go All the Way--Sly Fox
4 Addicted to Love--Robert Palmer
5 Manic Monday--Bangles
6 Kiss--Prince and the Revolution
7 If You Leave--Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
8 Live to Tell--Madonna
9 Greatest Love of All--Whitney Houston
10 Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)--Glass Tiger

Singles entering the chart were Who's Johnny by El DeBarge (#87); I Didn't Mean to Turn You On by Robert Palmer (#90); Out on a Limb by Eye Eye (#95); Suspicious Minds by Fine Young Cannibals (#96); When the Heart Rules the Mind by GTR (#97); Weak in the Presence of Beauty by Floy Joy (#98); and Who’s Leaving Who by Anne Murray (#99).

Horse racing
Snow Chief, with Alex Solis aboard, won the 111th running of the Preakness Stakes before 87,652 fans at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in a time of 1:54 4/5. Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand placed second, and Broad Brush finished third. First prize money was $411,900.



20 years ago
1991

Weather
It was a cloudy, dreary, and eventually rainy day in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where this blogger happened to be. I had enjoyable female company for the evening, but I got as wet as I've ever been walking back to my motel.

Defense
The Canadian Department of National Defence said that it was cancelling orders for $900 million worth of military equipment and cutting almost 1,000 jobs at Ottawa Northern Division Headquarters due to the easing of Cold War tensions.

Business
Rogers Communications Inc. announced that it would acquire Skyline Cablevision Ltd. of Ottawa for $70 million, plus $5 million for a French language community channel.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Minnesota 1 @ Pittsburgh 4 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)



10 years ago
2001

Music
The rock group R.E.M. performed a free concert in downtown Toronto, attracting an estimated 20,000 people lining Yonge Street.



Died on this date
Frank G. Slaughter, 93. U.S. surgeon and novelist. Dr. Slaughter was practicing at Riverside Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida when he began writing novels that drew on his medical experience. His novels, which sold 60 million copies, included That None Should Die; Surgeon, U.S.A.; and The Scarlet Cord. Several of Dr. Slaughter's novels were made into movies, including The Warrior (released on film as Seminole in 1953); Sangaree; and Doctors' Wives. Dr. Slaughter's last novel, No Greater Love, was published in 1985.

Economics and finance
Canadian ice wine finally became legal in the European Union; it had been kept out by the EU for 20 years by strict regulations governing wine production.