May 30, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Nettee Sly!

630 years ago
1381

Protest
The Peasants' Revolt, led by Wat Tyler, began in England, triggered by royal official John Bampton's attempt to collect unpaid poll taxes in Brentwood, Essex.

580 years ago
1431

Died on this date
Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc), 19. French heroine. Jeanne d’Arc (anglicized as Joan of Arc) claimed to have received visions of the archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria instructing her to support King Charles VII and recover France from English domination late in the Hundred Years' War. King Charles sent her to the siege of Orléans in 1429 as part of a relief army, and the siege was lifted nine days later, earning Joan the nickname "The Maid of Orleans". King Charles VII was soon consecrated at Reims, and Joan was regarded as a booster of French morale. She was captured by Burgundians--French nobles allied with the English--in May 1430, and was later handed over to the English. Pro-English Bishop of Beauvais Pierre Cauchon convicted Joan of various charges and she was burned at the stake in Rouen, Normandy. A Roman Catholic inquisitorial court authorized by Pope Callixtus III pronounced Joan innocent in 1456 and declared her a martyr.

475 years ago
1536

Married on this date
King Henry VIII of England and Jane Seymour. Henry VIII took Miss Seymour to be his third wife just 11 days after the execution of his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

380 years ago
1631

Journalism
Gazette de France, the first French newspaper, published its first edition.

160 years ago
1851

Communications
A telegraph line from Saint John, New Brunswick to St. Andrew's, N.B. and the U.S. border opened as part of the Atlantic Cable link through to New York.

130 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Georg von Küchler. German military officer. Generalfeldmarschall Küchler was from a noble family and joined the Imperial German Army in 1900, serving on the Western Front. He commanded troops in the invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II, but was removed from command for refusing to use his forces to kill Polish or Jewish civilians. Generalfeldmarschall Küchler did support Nazi racial policy and the war against the Soviet Union. He commanded forces during the invasion of Russia, maintaining the siege of Leningrad from December 1941 until he was relieved of command at the end of January 1944. Generalfeldmarschall Küchler was directly involved in the murder of 240 mental patients in the U.S.S.R. in December 1941. He was arrested by American authorities after the war, and was sentenced in 1948 to 20 years in a Soviet prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity because of his treatment of Soviet prisoners of war. The sentence was reduced to 12 years in 1951, and Generalfeldmarschall Küchler was released in February 1953. He returned to West Germany, and died on May 25, 1968, five days before his 87th birthday.

110 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Alfred Karindi. Estonian conductor and composer. Mr. Karindi was an organist who taught music for many years and conducted choirs. He wrote choral music as well as works for organ, orchestral music, and chamber pieces. Mr. Karindi died on April 13, 1969 at the age of 67.

New Zealandiana
A 10-man Royal Commission reported unanimously that New Zealand should not become a state of the new Commonwealth of Australia.

100 years ago
1911

Died on this date
Milton Bradley, 74. U.S. businessman. Mr. Bradley was a draftsman and lithographer before founding the Milton Bradley Company, maunfacturer of board games, in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1860. He was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 2004 and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006.

Auto racing
Ray Harroun won the first Indianapolis 500, and then retired from auto racing.



90 years ago
1921

Auto racing
Tommy Milton won the Indianapolis 500.



80 years ago
1931

Auto racing
Lou Schneider won the Indianapolis 500.





75 years ago
1936

On the radio
On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Louis Hector and Harry West, on MBS
Tonight’s episode: The Devil’s Foot

Auto racing
Louis Meyer became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 for the third time.



Baseball
The team from Japan’s Waseda University continued its American tour with a 10-5 win over the University of Chicago. Mr. Wakahara, the Waseda pitcher, gave up 10 hits but struck out 17 batters.

70 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Rama VII, 47. King of Siam, 1925-1935. King Rama VII, born Somdet Chaofa Prajadhipok Sakdidej, was the last absolute monarch of Siam and, after the revolution of 1932, its first constitutional monarch. He was also the only monarch to date of the Chakri Dynasty to abdicate, which he did after the National Assembly rejected his requests for certain reforms. Rama VII was succeeded on the throne by his 9-year-old nephew Rama VIII. Rama VII went into exile in England, and died there of heart failure.

War
The German command announced that Anglo-Greek resistance had collapsed everywhere in Crete. Greek resistance activists Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas climbed on the Acropolis and tore down the German flag, which had been there since April 27, 1941, when Nazi forces had entered Athens. The British government announced that Iraqi Prime Minister Rashid Ali el Gailani had fled to Iran, while British forces advanced to the outskirts of Baghdad. The Vichy French government announced that French troops had crossed the Sahara Desert to the western shore of Lake Chad--the base of General Charles de Gaulle's Free French forces--in an attempt to recover French Equatorial Africa.

Defense
Japanese defense minister Yosuke Matsuoka said that Japan would carry out her obligations under the Tripartite Pact.

Guards were increased around U.S. defense installations and factories after the Federal Bureau of Investigation received reports that sabotage was planned for the Memorial Day weekend.

Diplomacy
U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom John G. Winant returned to Washington to report to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator George Norris (Independent--Nebraska) urged that U.S. presidential and vice presidential candidates be nominated by nationwide primary elections instad of by the current convention method.

Auto racing
Floyd Davis and Mauri Rose combined to win the Indianapolis 500. The two drove separate cars at the start of the race, with Mr. Rose starting from the pole position, and Mr. Davis starting 17th. Mr. Rose retired after 60 laps because of a problem with his spark plugs. When Mr. Davis came in for a pit stop on lap 72, he was relieved by Mr. Rose, who drove the rest of the way to victory. The two drivers were credited as co-winners, the second and last time that happened at the Indianapolis 500.





60 years ago
1951

Died on this date
Hermann Broch, 64. Austrian-born author. Mr. Broch, a native of Vienna, was considered a major figure in Modernism, although he didn't begin his writing career until he was in his 40s. He emigrated to Britain and then to the United States after the Nazi Anschluss of Austria in 1938, and wrote on politics and worked on mass psychology. Mr. Broch was perhaps best known for his novel Der Tod des Vergil (The Death of Virgil) (1945).

Bernard de Lattre de Tassigny, 23. French military officer. Lieutenant de Lattre joined the French Army at the age of 16, fighting in the liberation of southern France and also in Germany, earning the Médaille militaire and the Croix de guerre. He served in the First Indochina War and won his second Croix de guerre for his actions in the Battle of Dien Mai. Lt. de Lattre was killed during the Battle of the Day River while obeying the orders of his father, General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, to hold the town of Ninh Binh at all costs.

War
Canadian troops in Korea suffered defeat in an operation to scale Hill 467 near Chail-li, not realizing that it was so well-defended; discovering the dangers of a direct assault, the Canadians retreated quickly, still suffering 6 killed and 54 wounded. United Nations forces retook Hwachon Dam in central Korea. Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command General Matthew Ridgway claimed in a Tokyo news conference that the Communists have suffered "a major, severe defeat" in their attempted spring offensive.

French Union forces commanded by General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny retook the stronghold of Ninh Binh, 65 miles south of Hanoi, from Viet Minh guerrillas during the Battle of the Day River.

Defense
Admiral Forrest Sherman, chief of U.S. Naval Operations, told the Senate Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees that the United Nations should join the United States in a naval blockade of Communist China to cut off an "unthinkable" money-making traffic in strategic materials.

Diplomacy
The West German government complained to the Western Allied high commissioners that France was trying to split the Saar from Germany without a plebiscite and in advance of a German peace treaty.

Politics and government
The Irish general election resulted in Fianna Fáil, led by Éamon de Valera, with 69 of 147 seats in the Dáil Éireann, with Prime Minister John Costello's Fine Gael next with 40 seats. Fine Gael improved their total by 8 seats from the most recent election in 1948, while Fianna Fáil improved by 3 seats. The Labour Party was third, dropping from 19 seats to 16. Mr. de Valera was able to obtain enough support from other Dáil Éireann deputies.

Auto racing
Lee Wallard won the Indianapolis 500.



Boxing
World heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles (69-5-1) retained his title with a lopsided 15-round unanimous decision over world light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim (75-17-4) at Chicago Stadium.



50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Are You Sure--The Allisons (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: A Secret Life, starring Ronald Howard, Mary Murphy, and Patricia Donahue

Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Dark Legacy, starring Harry Townes, Henry Silva, and Ilka Windish



Died on this date
Rafael Trujillo Molina, 69. President of the Dominican Republic, 1930-1938, 1942-1952. Generalissimo Trujillo ruled the Dominican Republic as a dictator, either as President or as military strongman through puppet presidents, from 1930 until his assassination. He was responsible for the deaths of as many as 50,000 people.



Weather
A torrential storm around Buffalo Gap, Saskatchewan dropped 25 centimetres of rain in one hour; one of Canada's most intense rainstorms on record also created the greatest flash flood in Canadian history. A huge dust cloud preceded the storm, which had a black cloud tinged with what onlookers described as greenish, pinkish and brownish colours. Heavy hail also fell, and remained where it had drifted for days afterward.

Disasters
A Venezuelan DC-8 jetliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Lisbon, killing all 62 people aboard.

Auto racing
A.J. Foyt won the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. Eddie Sachs took the lead late in the race, but pitted on lap 197 because pressure in one tire was going down.







Baseball
The St. Louis Cardinals traded shortstop Daryl Spencer to the Los Angeles Dodgers for shortstop Bob Lillis and outfielder Carl Warwick. Mr. Spencer was batting .254 with 4 home runs and 21 runs batted in in 37 games with St. Louis in 1961, while Mr. Lillis was hitting .111 (1 for 19) with 1 RBI in 19 games with Los Angeles, and Mr. Warwick was hitting .091 (1 for 11) with 1 RBI in 19 games with the Dodgers.

Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, and Bill Skowron each hit 2 home runs for the New York Yankees as they routed the Boston Red Sox 12-3 before 19,582 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.



Pinch hitter Don Dillard singled home John Romano from second base with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Cleveland Indians a 4-3 win in the first game of a doubleheader before 13,861 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. The Indians trailed 3-0 before scoring 2 runs in the 7th and 1 in the 8th. The Twins scored 5 runs in the 6th inning of the second game, but still lost 7-5 as the Indians completed the sweep. Mudcat Grant (5-0) allowed 6 hits and 5 earned runs in 6 innings, but still got the win.

Steve Barber (7-3) pitched a 3-hitter and Hal Brown (5-1) allowed 2 hits in 8 scoreless innings for the Baltimore Orioles as they swept a Memorial Day doubleheader from the Chicago White Sox 6-0 and 2-1 before 28,550 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

The San Francisco Giants scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning on home runs by Hobie Landrith, Chuck Hiller, and Willie Mays, but still lost 7-6 to the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of a doubleheader before 41,692 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The teams combined for 7 homers, including the first major league home run for Cincinnati starting pitcher Jim Maloney (2-2), who pitched 5+ innings to get the win. The Reds scored 4 runs in the 3rd inning en route to a 6-4 win in the second game to complete the sweep.

40 years ago
1971

Died on this date
Marcel Dupré, 85. French musician and composer. Mr. Dupré was professor of organ performance and improvisation at the Paris Conservatoire (1916-1954), and performed more than 2,000 international recitals. He composed more than 120 works, mainly for organ. Mr. Dupré died 27 days after his 85th birthday.

Space
The U.S.A. launched the probe Mariner 9, which was scheduled to reach Mars on November 14, 1971 to begin a 90-day orbit of the planet, intending to produce the best measurements and closest photographs of Mars yet taken. The Soviet probe Mars 2, launched May 19, was scheduled to reach Mars on or around the next day, with Mars 3, launched on May 28, scheduled to reach the planet about a week later.



30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Sarà perché ti amo--Ricchi e Poveri (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Making Your Mind Up--Bucks Fizz (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: You Drive Me Crazy--Shakin' Stevens (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Stand and Deliver--Adam and the Ants (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Stand and Deliver--Adam and the Ants (4th week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 How 'bout Us--Champaign
2 Making Your Mind Up--Bucks Fizz
3 Dance On--Doris D and the Pins
4 De Verzonken Stad--Frank & Mirella
5 This Ole House--Shakin' Stevens
6 Chanson D'Amour--BZN
7 Can You Feel It--The Jacksons
8 Double Dutch Bus--Frankie Smith
9 Rain in May--Max Werner
10 Kids in America--Kim Wilde

Singles entering the chart were The River by Bruce Springsteen (#26); Klap Maar in Je Handen by Peter Koelewijn en Zijn Rockets (#28); Danny by Kit Hain (#33); Attention to Me by the Nolans (#34); Night Train by Steve Winwood (#35); and Merlijn by Bonnie St. Claire (#36).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes (3rd week at #1)
2 Being with You--Smokey Robinson
3 Medley--Stars on 45
4 Sukiyaki--A Taste of Honey
5 Take it on the Run--REO Speedwagon
6 Living Inside Myself--Gino Vannelli
7 Just the Two of Us--Grover Washington, Jr.
8 A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)--Ray Parker, Jr. & Raydio
9 Too Much Time on My Hands--Styx
10 Watching the Wheels--John Lennon

Singles entering the chart were Queen of Hearts by Juice Newton (#76); Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through by Jim Steinman (#80); Slow Hand by the Pointer Sisters (#83); Give it to Me Baby by Rick James (#84); It's Now or Never by John Schneider (#85); Come to Me by Aretha Franklin (#86); Sign of the Gypsy Queen by April Wine (#87); In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins (#89); It Didn't Take Long by Spider (#90); and She Did It by Michael Damian (#91).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes
2 Being with You--Smokey Robinson
3 Medley--Stars on 45
4 Take it on the Run--REO Speedwagon
5 Sukiyaki--A Taste of Honey
6 Angel of the Morning--Juice Newton
7 Watching the Wheels--John Lennon
8 Too Much Time on My Hands--Styx
9 Living Inside Myself--Gino Vannelli
10 A Woman Needs Love--Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio

Singles entering the chart were Queen of Hearts by Juice Newton (#77); Slow Hand by the Pointer Sisters (#84); It's Now or Never by John Schneider (#85); Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through by Jim Steinman (#86); It Didn't Take Long by Spider (#87); In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins (#88); Come to Me by Aretha Franklin (#89); Gotta Get Away by Randy Meisner (#91); and Double Dutch Bus by Frankie Smith (#93).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes
2 Being with You--Smokey Robinson
3 Take it on the Run--REO Speedwagon
4 Morning Train (Nine to Five)--Sheena Easton
5 Medley--Stars on 45
6 Angel of the Morning--Juice Newton
7 A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)--Ray Parker, Jr. & Raydio 8 Sukiyaki--A Taste of Honey
9 Watching the Wheels--John Lennon
10 Living Inside Myself--Gino Vannelli

Singles entering the chart were Slow Hand by the Pointer Sisters (#78); Queen of Hearts by Juice Newton (#84); It's Now or Never by John Schneider (#85); Come to Me by Aretha Franklin (#88); In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins (#89); Rain in May by Max Werner (#90); and Heartbeat by Taana Gardner (#92).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Angel of the Morning--Juice Newton (3rd week at #1)
2 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes
3 Medley--Stars on 45
4 Take it on the Run--REO Speedwagon
5 Morning Train (Nine to Five)--Sheena Easton
6 Being with You--Smokey Robinson
7 You Better You Bet--The Who
8 Watching the Wheels--John Lennon
9 Kiss on My List--Daryl Hall & John Oates
10 Too Much Time on My Hands--Styx

Singles entering the chart were Is it You by Lee Ritenour (#46); Nobody Wins by Elton John (#48); Tom Sawyer by Rush (#49); and Lady of the 80's by Loverboy (#50). Nobody Wins was originally written in French by Jean-Paul Dreau under the title Je Veux d’la Tendresse; Gary Osborne wrote new lyrics in English and the title was changed. Mr. John also recorded the song in its original form, and that version was released as a single in France and Quebec.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes (2nd week at #1)
2 Her Town Too--James Taylor and J.D. Souther
3 Too Much Time on My Hands--Styx
4 Take it on the Run--REO Speedwagon
5 Living Inside Myself--Gino Vannelli
6 Say You'll Be Mine--Christopher Cross
7 Beatles Medley--Stars on 45
8 Watching the Wheels--John Lennon
9 Sweetheart--Franke & the Knockouts
10 I Missed Again--Phil Collins

Singles entering the chart were Sukiyaki by A Taste of Honey (#22); Arc of a Diver by Steve Winwood (#24); America by Neil Diamond (#26); and Gemini Dream by the Moody Blues (#30).

Died on this date
Zia Rahman, 45. President of Bangladesh, 1977-1981. Lieutenant General Rahman joined the Pakistani Army in 1955, and was in the Bangladeshi Army after East Pakistan declared its independence in 1971. He was Bangladesh's Army Chief of Staff (1975-1978) and founder and Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (1978-1981). Lt. Gen. Rahman reinstated civil and liberties and initiated economic and social reforms, but was the target of frequent assassination attempts. He was assassinated along with several other people when they were gunned down while they were inside a guest house in the city of Chittagong.

Don Ashby, 26. Canadian hockey player. Mr. Ashby, a native of Kamloops, British Columbia, was drafted in the first round (6th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1975, but was something of a disappointment in the NHL, scoring 40 goals and 56 assists in 188 regular season games with the Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies, and Edmonton Oilers from 1975-1981. His best season was 1976-77, when he scored 19 goals and 23 assists in 76 games with the Maple Leafs. Mr. Ashby spent most of the 1980-81 season with the Wichita Wind, a farm team of the Oilers in the Central Hockey League, and 9 scoring 36 goals and 60 assists in 70 games, and 9 goals and 16 assists in 18 playoff games. Shortly after the Wind were eliminated from the playoffs, Mr. Ashby and his wife Terry were driving home to Kamloops when they were hit head-on by a truck. Mr. Ashby suffered serious internal injuries and died in Kelowna several hours later.

Crime
In the wee hours, Edmonton police raided the Pisces Health Spa, a downtown sodomite club. Four men were charged with keeping a common bawdy house, and 56 were charged as found-ins.

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Midnight Lady--Chris Norman (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Joe Brown, 60. Canadian musician. Mr. Brown founded the country music group Family Brown, who performed together from 1967-1990. The group won 18 Canadian Country Music Association awards, and was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.

Perry Ellis, 46. U.S. fashion designer. Mr. Ellis founded the sportswear house Perry Ellis International in 1978. He was a sodomite who died of viral encephalitis--probably AIDS-related.

Weather
I don’t know what the temperature was, but it might have been the most beautiful May day I’d seen since 1968.

Football
CFL
Gold defeated Green 18-8 in the Edmonton Eskimos’ fourth consecutive--and last--intrasquad game at Commonwealth Stadium.

25 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in his Kiss)--Cher (5th week at #1)

Law
Canadian Justice Minister Kim Campbell introduced new gun control legislation, boosting penalties for some firearms offences while exempting competition shooters.

Economics and finance
Statistics Canada reported that unemployment insurance payouts were up 34.3% from April 1990; 1.22 million Canadians received benefits, and 10.2% were unemployed.

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Denis Whitaker, 86. Canadian military officer and football player. Brigadier-General Whitaker was a quarterback with the Hamilton Tigers (1937-1939, 1945-1946). He won two Distinguished Service Orders with the Canadian Army during World War II, and led a team of Canadian football players to a 16-6 win over an American team in the Tea Bowl, played in England in 1944. Mr. Whitaker was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Scandal
Former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas was sent to prison for six months for illegally receiving funds from the oil company Elf Aquitaine from 1989-1992.

Baseball
Felipe Alou, who had managed the Montreal Expos since 1992, was fired as manager and replaced with Jeff Torborg. The Expos had started the 2001 season with a 21-32 record when Mr. Alou was fired. He had guided the team to the best record in major league baseball in 1994 when the players’ strike ended the season in August.