May 29, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Cathy Brown!

275 years ago
1736

Born on this date
Patrick Henry. U.S. lawyer and politician. The Founding Father who was famous for saying "Give me liberty or give me death!" was born in Studley, Virginia.

150 years ago
1861

Business
The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce was founded.

100 years ago
1911

Died on this date
W. S. Gilbert, 74. U.K. writer. Sir William Schwenck Gilbert wrote plays, short stories, poems, and song lyrics, and was best known for writing the libretti for 14 comic operas with composer Arthur Sullivan (1871-1896), including H.M.S. Pinafore (1878); The Pirates of Penzance (1879); and The Mikado (1885). He was knighted in 1907, and was about to give a swimming lesson to two young women in the lake of his home when one of them got into difficulty in the lake, and Sir W.S. suffered a fatal heart attack when he attempted to rescue her.

Transportation
A Pennsylvania Railroad train carrying the Chicago Cubs baseball team from St. Louis to Pittsburgh set a record by covering the 191 miles from Columbus, Ohio to Pittsburgh in 3 hours and 35 minutes.

Baseball
The Chicago Cubs arrived in Pittsburgh in time for the game after their record-setting train ride and defeated the Pirates 4-1 at Forbes Field, scoring all their runs in the 4th inning. Joe Tinker’s triple was the key hit. King Cole (4-0) pitched a 5-hit complete game victory.

90 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Michele Schirru, 31. Italian-born anarchist. Mr. Schirru, a native of Sardinia, moved to the Italian mainland at a young age and became an anarchist before emigrating to New York in 1920, becoming an American citizen and becoming involved in anarchist circles. He returned to Europe, associating with anarchists in Paris before returning to Italy in January 1931 and going to Rome with the intention of assassinating Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. Mr. Schirru was arrested on February 3 and attempted suicide by shooting himself in the face at the police station, but the bullet went through both cheeks, and he surived. He was convicted by a Fascist Special Court of intending to assassinate Mr. Mussolini, and on May 28 was sentenced to death. Mr. Schirru was executed by a firing squad; his last words were, "Long live anarchy!"

75 years ago
1936

Baseball
The team from Japan’s Waseda University continued its tour of the United States with an 18-16 loss to the University of Chicago, as the teams combined for 34 hits and 17 errors. Waseda scored 9 runs in the top of the 9th inning, but Chicago scored 5 in the bottom half.

70 years ago
1941

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, John E. Kennedy!

Mr. Kennedy was an infielder with the Washington Senators (1962-1964); Los Angeles Dodgers (1965-1966); New York Yankees (1967); Seattle Pilots (1969); Milwaukee Brewers (1970); and Boston Red Sox (1970-1974), batting .225 with 32 home runs and 185 runs batted in in 856 games. He was born 24 years to the day after John F. Kennedy, and was playing in Washington at the time that John F. Kennedy was President of the United States. John E. Kennedy played in the 1965 and 1966 World Series, batting .167 (1 for 6) in 6 games.

Died on this date
Léo-Pol Morin, 48. Canadian musician and composer. Mr. Morin, a native of Cap-Saint-Ignace, Quebec, was a classical pianist who was known for his performances of music by modern French composers. Using the pseudonym James Callihou, he composed works based on French-Canadian and Inuit folklore and music. Mr. Morin's compositions included Suite canadienne (1945) and Trois Esquimaux pour piano. He was killed in a car accident in the Laurentian Mountains near Montreal.

War
Candia, Crete's second-largest city, fell to German troops. U.K. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, in a speech in London, declared that U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" were the "keystone" of British war aims.

World events
Dr. Kurt Heinrich Reith, former German Minister to Austria, was arrested in New York pending deportation proceedings.

Defense
The U.S. Maritime Commission announced that it was requisitioning 13 more merchant vessels for the Navy. The U.S. War Department announced that 8,000 British pilots would be trained annually in the United States beginning June 7, 1941.

Economics and finance
Japanese officials revealed that they had made formal representations to the Netherlands and United Kingdom in an attempt to break the deadlock in the trade negotiations between Japan and the Netherlands East Indies.

U.S. Office of Production Management Priorities Director Edward Stettinius, Jr. signed a general preference order placing steel on a limited priorities basis in order to curb non-essential civilian consumption.

Business
U.S. Federal Judge James Proctor fined the American Medical Association $2,500 and the Medical Society of Washington $1,500 for antitrust law violations.

60 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: Vamp Till Dead, starring Mary Sinclair

Died on this date
Dimitrios Levidis, 65 or 66. Greek-born French soldier composer. Mr. Levidis moved to Paris in 1910, served with the French Army in World War I, and became a French citizen. His compositions often included novel combinations and new instruments, such as Poeme Symphonique, pour solo d'Ondes Musicales et Orchestre, op.43-B (1928). In 1934, Mr. Levidis founded the Phaleron Conservatory, which was eventually subsumed into the Hellenic Conservatory.

Fanny Brice, 59. U.S. entertainer. Miss Brice, born Fania Borach, was a singer, comedienne, and actress who made many appearances in plays and films, but was perhaps best know for playing the character Baby Snooks on radio from 1937-1951. She died five days after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, which occurred two days after the latest episode of The Baby Snooks Show. Miss Brice was the subject of the play (1964) and film (1968) Funny Girl, and the film sequel Funny Lady (1975).

Aviation
Charles Blair, Jr., a Pan American Airways captain, made the first solo flight across the North Pole in a converted P-51.

Politics and government
The United Nations Security Council warned India against sponsoring elections in Kashmir before a UN-supervised plebiscite on the state's political future could be held.

Business
New York City department stores began a price-cutting war when Macy's announced a 6% cut on 5,987 items, following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against state "fair price" laws.

Disasters
A coal mine explosion in Easington, England killed 80 miners and a rescue worker.

Baseball
The Cleveland Indians signed high school star Billy Joe Davidson, reputed to be their best pitching prospect since Bob Feller, for a reported $150,000, a record figure at the time.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Quince Años Tiene Mi Amor--Dúo Dinámico (11th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Et maintenant--Gilbert Bécaud (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Travelin' Man--Ricky Nelson
2 Daddy's Home--Shep and the Limelites
3 Running Scared--Roy Orbison
4 Mama Said--The Shirelles
5 Mother-in-Law--Ernie K-Doe
6 Runaway--Del Shannon
7 Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart--Connie Francis
8 A Hundred Pounds of Clay--Gene McDaniels
9 I Feel So Bad--Elvis Presley
10 Tragedy--The Fleetwoods

Singles entering the chart were Dance on Little Girl by Paul Anka (#67); Yellow Bird by the Arthur Lyman Group (#71); How Many Tears by Bobby Vee (#77); My Kind of Girl by Matt Monro (#80); Jimmy Martinez by Marty Robbins (#83); I Like it Like That (Part 1) by Chris Kenner (#86); Rainin' in My Heart by Slim Harpo (#87); Who Else But You by Frankie Avalon (#89); Summertime by the Marcels (#90); Big Boss Man by Jimmy Reed (#93); Temptation by the Everly Brothers (#94); Sacred by the Castells (#95); Tonight (Could Be the Night) by the Velvets (#96); Ring of Fire by Duane Eddy (#98); and A Little Feeling (Called Love) by Jack Scott (#100).

Diplomacy
United Auto Workers President Walter Reuther, former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Johns Hopkins University President Milton Eisenhower, who had organized a group called the Tractors for Freedom Committee to buy 500 U.S. tractors to donate to Cuba, met in Washington with 10 Cuban rebels who had been paroled by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro after the Bay of Pigs invasion in April and had been sent to the U.S. to negotiate the exchange of tractors for prisoners.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Understanding--Peanut Butter Conspiracy (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Theme from Love Story--Francis Lai (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Un banc, un arbre, une rue--Séverine (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Knock Three Times--Dawn (3rd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Another Day--Paul McCartney
2 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
3 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
4 Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep--Middle of the Road
--Lally Stott
5 What is Life/Apple Scruffs--George Harrison
6 Amazing Grace--Judy Collins
7 Armstrong--Reg Lindsay
8 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
9 Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted--The Partridge Family
10 Black and Blue--Chain

Singles entering the chart were Eagle Rock by Daddy Cool (#46); Strange Kind of Woman by Deep Purple (#47); Rags to Riches/Where Did They Go, Lord by Elvis Presley (#48); Bed of Rose's by the Statler Brothers (#54); One Toke Over the Line by Brewer and Shipley (#58); and Too Young to Be Married by the Hollies (#60).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Brown Sugar--The Rolling Stones
2 Soldiers Prayer--Oscar Harris and the Twinkle Stars
3 Underneath the Blanket Go--Gilbert O'Sullivan
4 Rosetta--Georgie Fame & Alan Price
5 Poetas Andaluces--Aguaviva
6 Funny, Funny--The Sweet
7 Loop di Love--J. Bastós
8 Proud Mary--Ike & Tina Turner
9 Love Her Madly--The Doors
10 I Am...I Said--Neil Diamond

Singles entering the chart were Tuesday's Dead by Cat Stevens (#18); Double Barrel by Dave & Ansil Collins (#20); Che Sará by José Feliciano (#23); Mary in the Morning by Guy Fletcher (#24); Cry Baby by Janis Joplin (#25); He's Gonna Step on You Again by John Kongos (#29); Sing Sing Barbara by Laurent & Mardi Gras (#31); and Le Tournesol by Nana Mouskouri (#37).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Brown Sugar--The Rolling Stones
2 Joy to the World--Three Dog Night
3 Never Can Say Goodbye--The Jackson 5
4 Want Ads--The Honey Cone
5 It Don't Come Easy--Ringo Starr
6 Put Your Hand in the Hand--Ocean
7 Bridge Over Troubled Water/Brand New Me--Aretha Franklin
8 Sweet and Innocent--Donny Osmond
9 Me and a You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
10 Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)--Daddy Dewdrop

Singles entering the chart were Walk Away by the James Gang (#89); It's So Hard for Me to Say Good-Bye by Eddie Kendricks (#90); Mr. Big Stuff by Jean Knight (#92); I Know I'm in Love by Chee Chee and Peppy (#93); Your Love is So Doggone Good by the Whispers (#94); Signs by the Five Man Electrical Band (#96); If Not for You by Olivia Newton-John (#98); Love's Made a Fool of You by Cochise (#99); and Love Means (You Never Have to Say You’re Sorry) by Sounds of Sunshine (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Never Can Say Goodbye--The Jackson 5
2 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Aretha Franklin
3 Brown Sugar--Rolling Stones
4 Joy to the World--Three Dog Night
5 Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)--Daddy Dewdrop
6 Want Ads--The Honey Cone
7 Love Her Madly--The Doors
8 Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
9 It Don’t Come Easy--Ringo Starr
10 Put Your Hand in the Hand--Ocean

Singles entering the chart were You’ve Got a Friend by James Taylor (#72); Sooner or Later by the Grass Roots (#75); Bring the Boys Home by Freda Payne (#81); Chicago by Graham Nash (#82); Been Too Long on the Road by Mark Lindsay (#84); Get it On by Chase (#91); Mr. Big Stuff by Jean Knight (#93); Never Ending Song of Love by Delaney & Bonnie & Friends (#95); Don't Say You Don't Remember by Beverly Bremers (#96); You’ve Got a Friend by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway (#97); I’ve Found Someone of My Own by the Free Movement (#98); and Love Means (You Never Have to Say You’re Sorry) by Sounds of Sunshine (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Brown Sugar--The Rolling Stones (2nd week at #1)
2 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Aretha Franklin
3 Joy to the World--Three Dog Night
4 Want Ads--The Honey Cone
5 It Don’t Come Easy--Ringo Starr
6 Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
7 Never Can Say Goodbye--The Jackson 5
8 Love Her Madly--The Doors
9 Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)--Daddy Dewdrop
10 Sweet and Innocent--Donny Osmond

Singles entering the chart were Mr. Big Stuff by Jean Knight (#69); I Know I'm in Love by Chee Chee and Peppy (#71); Day by Day (Every Minute of the Hour) by the Continental 4 (#73); I Don't Wanna Lose You by Johnnie Taylor (#75); Chicago by Graham Nash (#78); You've Got a Friend by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (#83); What You See is What You Get by Stoney and Meatloaf (#88); Get it On by Chase (#89); Walk Away by the James Gang (#96); Double Barrel by Dave & Ansil Collins (#97); Stop, Look, Listen by the Stylistics (#98); Love's Made a Fool of You by Cochise (#99); and If Not for You by Olivia Newton-John (#100).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Joy to the World--Three Dog Night (6th week at #1)
2 Brown Sugar--Rolling Stones
3 Love Her Madly--The Doors
4 It Don’t Come Easy--Ringo Starr
5 Woodstock--Matthews’ Southern Comfort
6 Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)--Daddy Dewdrop
7 The Drum--Bobby Sherman
8 Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
9 Hats Off to the Stranger--Lighthouse
10 Sweet and Innocent--Donny Osmond

Singles entering the chart were Puppet Man by Tom Jones (#77); Done Too Soon by Neil Diamond (#78); You’re My Man by Lynn Anderson (#79); Run, Run by James, John and Francois (#80); This is My Song by Gordon Lightfoot (#82); Funky Nassau by Beginning of the End (#83); Pretend by Rick Pearson (#93); Don’t Pull Your Love by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds (#94); Sea Cruise by Johnny Rivers (#96); "709" by Bobby G. Griffith (#97); Then You Walk In by Sammi Smith (#98); Wishbone by Jackie Mittoo (#99); and Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver with Fat City (#100). This is My Song was from the album Early Lightfoot, a collection of singles and previously-unreleased songs recorded circa 1962-1963; This is My Song was one of the previously-unreleased tracks. The album was reportedly withdrawn at Mr. Lightfoot’s request, but this blogger has a copy. It appeared on the GRT label.

Calgary’s Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)--Raiders (3rd week at #1)
2 Albert Flasher--The Guess Who
3 Garden of Ursh--Karen Young
4 Love Her Madly--The Doors
5 If--Bread
6 Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)--Daddy Dewdrop
7 I Am...I Said--Neil Diamond
8 Brown Sugar--The Rolling Stones
9 It Don’t Come Easy--Ringo Starr
10 Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
Pick hit of the week: It’s Too Late--Carole King

Auto racing
Al Unser won the Indianapolis 500 for the second straight year.



Football
CFL
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced the signing of running back Steve Worster, an All-American from the University of Texas.

Baseball
The San Francisco Giants traded outfielder George Foster to the Cincinnati Reds for shortstop Frank Duffy and pitcher Vern Geishert. Mr. Foster had played briefly with the Giants in 1969 and 1970, but was still considered a rookie; he was batting .267 with 3 home runs and 8 runs batted in in 36 games in 1971. Mr. Duffy was batting .188 with 1 RBI in 13 games with the Reds, while Mr. Geishert, who had appeared in 11 games with the California Angels in 1969, was 3-2 with an earned run average of 3.82 in 7 games with the Indianapolis Indians of the AAA American Association, and quit professional baseball after the trade.

Joe Torre tripled home Lou Brock, Matty Alou, and Ted Simmons with none out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals an 8-7 win over the Atlanta Braves before 47, 598 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. The Braves had scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th to break a 5-5 tie.

The New York Mets swept a doubleheader from the San Diego Padres 5-1 and 2-1 before 11,324 fans at San Diego Stadium. Tom Seaver (6-2) struck out 10 batters in the opener and singled home a run in the 3-run 8th inning, while Nolan Ryan (6-1) struck out 16 in the second game. New York batters struck out 15 times in the 2 games, and the 41 strikeouts set a major league record for a doubleheader.

Dick Green batted 3 for 3 with 2 home runs, a base on balls, 4 runs, and 3 runs batted in to help the Oakland Athletics defeat the Boston Red Sox 12-8 before 22,572 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Joe Rudi and Angel Mangual also homered for Oakland, while Rico Petrocelli and Carl Yastrzemski hit home runs for Boston.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade #1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Köppäbävisan--Bengt Pegefelt (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Pour le plaisir--Herbert Léonard

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 This Ole House--Shakin' Stevens (2nd week at #1)
2 Antmusic--Adam & the Ants
3 Jealous Guy--Roxy Music
4 Woman--John Lennon
5 I am the Beat--Look
6 Twilight Café--Susan Fassbender
7 Here is My Love--Tommy Dee
8 Santa Maria--Alan Garrity
9 9 to 5--Dolly Parton
10 Spend the Night in Love--The Four Seasons

Singles entering the chart were Do You Feel My Love by Eddy Grant (#18); Love-Chain Reaction by Joy (#19); and When You Gonna Love Me by City Limits (#20).

Baseball
The Montreal Expos traded right fielder Ellis Valentine to the New York Mets for relief pitcher Jeff Reardon, outfielder Dan Norman, and a player to be named later. Mr. Valentine, in his seventh year with the Expos, was batting .211 with 3 home runs and 15 home runs in 22 games in 1981. Mr. Reardon was 1-0 with 2 saves in 18 games with the Mets in 1981, while Mr. Norman was in the minor leagues that season.

25 years ago
1986

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Houston 95 @ Boston 117 (Boston led best-of-seven series 2-0)

The Celtics outscored the Rockets 34-19 in the 3rd quarter, which made the difference in the game before 14,890 fans at Boston Garden. Larry Bird led Boston with 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.



20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Wind of Change--Scorpions (4th week at #1)

Politics and government
India's Congress (I) Party named former Foreign Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao as its interim leader, succeeding former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had been assassinated eight days earlier.

10 years ago
2001

Art
Ken Thomson paid $2.2 million at auction in Toronto for Baffin Island by Group of Seven member Lawren Harris, more than double the previous record for a Canadian painting.

Terrorism
Four followers of Osama bin Laden were convicted in New York of a global conspiracy to murder Americans, including the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 224 people. All were sentenced to life in prison.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that golfer Casey Martin, who had a disability that made walking difficult, was entitled to use a cart to get around the course during PGA tournaments. The PGA had argued that being able to walk around the course was a requirement for participation.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Finals
New Jersey 2 @ Colorado 1 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Joe Sakic scored on a powerplay to open the scoring, but Bob Corkum and Turner Stevenson scored to give the Devils a 2-1 lead at the end of the 1st period, and there was no further scoring before 18,007 fans at Pepsi Center in Denver. New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur and Colorado goalie Patrick Roy each faced only 20 shots.



Baseball
The Arizona Diamondbacks edged the San Francisco Giants 1-0 in 18 innings as Erubial Durazo doubled home Steve Finley with the only run before 39,709 fans at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco. Losing pitcher Ryan Vogelsong (0-1) doubled in his first major league at bat to lead off the bottom of the 18th inning. The Giants loaded the bases with 1 out, but Greg Swindell retired Armando Rios and Benito Santiago on outfield flies to end the game.