April 5, 2012

220 years ago
1792

Politics and government
U.S. President George Washington cast the first presidential veto of Congressional legislation.

175 years ago
1837

Born on this date
Algernon Charles Swinburne. U.K. poet. Mr. Swinburne was a poet of the decadent school; a drunkard and masochist until he was in his mid-40s, he eventually settled into social respectability, although his literary output declined. Mr. Swinburne died on April 10, 1909, five days after his 72nd birthday.

125 years ago
1887

Popular culture
Anne Sullivan first succeeded in communicating with deaf-and-blind Helen Keller by spelling the word "water" in the manual alphabet. The story was told in the movie The Miracle Worker (1962).

80 years ago
1932

HockeyNHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 6 @ New York Rangers 4 (Toronto led best-of-five series 1-0)

60 years ago
1952

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Wheel of Fortune--Kay Starr (Best Seller--4th week at #1; Disc Jockey--4th week at #1); Juke Box--2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Wheel of Fortune--Kay Starr (2nd week at #1)
--Bobby Wayne
--Eddie Wilcox Orchestra with Sunny Gale
2 Blue Tango--Leroy Anderson and his "Pops" Concert Orchestra
--Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra
3 Cry--Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads
4 Tell Me Why--The Four Aces
--Eddie Fisher
5 Any Time--Eddie Fisher
6 Please, Mr. Sun--Johnnie Ray
7 The Little White Cloud that Cried--Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads
8 The Blacksmith Blues--Ella Mae Morse
9 Hambone--Frankie Laine and Jo Stafford
10 Perfidia--The Four Aces

Singles entering the chart were That's the Chance You Take by Eddie Fisher (#32); and Honest and Truly, with versions by the Ink Spots and Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (#33). That's the Chance You Take was the B-side of Forgive Me, which charted at #19.

50 years ago
1962

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Wonderful Land--The Shadows (3rd week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Chicago 4 @ Montreal 3 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 3-2)
New York 2 @ Toronto 3 (2 OT) (Toronto led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Bill Hay's goal at 1:39 of the 3rd period was the winner for the Black Hawks as they edged the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum.

Red Kelly assisted on goals by Ron Stewart and Frank Mahovlich and then scored the winner at 4:23 of the second overtime period to led the Maple Leafs past the Rangers at Maple Leaf Gardens. Frank Mahovlich's shot was stopped by New York goalie Gump Worsley, and Mr. Worsley lost sight of the puck, which was underneath him as he lay on his back. When he lifted his head, Mr. Kelly put the puck in the net for the winning goal. Mr. Worsley stopped 53 shots, while Johnny Bower made 37 saves for the Maple Leafs.

50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Man in the Middle

40 years ago
1972

Died on this date
Brian Donlevy, 71. U.S. actor. Mr. Donlevy’s movies included Beau Geste (1939); The Great McGinty (1940); The Beginning or the End (1947); Impact (1949); and The Big Combo (1955).

Diplomacy
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat announced that Egypt had severed diplomatic relations with Jordan to protest Jordanian King Hussein’s proposal to form a federation with Israeli-occupied territories on the West Bank of the Jordan River. Mr. Sadat asserted that “Egypt will not allow anyone to liquidate the rights of the Palestine people.” Addressing a meeting of the Palestinian National Council in Cairo, Mr. Sadat said, “The political rights of the Palestinian people will not be a point of bargaining.” He charged that King Hussein’s proposal was a “Jordanian plot which aims at liquidating the Palestinian and Arab cause.”

Crime
The 11-week trial of the “Harrisburg 7”—Rev. Philip Berrigan and six other anti-Vietnam War activists—on conspiracy charges ended in a mistrial in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania after 59 hours of deliberations with the jury deadlocked 10-2 in favour of acquittal. The jury did convict Rev. Berrigan and Sister Elizabeth McAlister of smuggling letters to and from Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. Rev. Berrigan, Sister McAlister, Rev. Neil McLaughlin, Rev. Joseph Wenderoth, Anthony Scoblick and his wife Mary, and Eqbal Ahmad had been charged with plotting to kidnap presidential adviser Henry Kissinger and to blow up federal building heating systems to disrupt the government. The prosecution,s main witness was a convicted forger and con man who testified that he had set up a correspondence smuggling net for the activists.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Montreal 2 @ New York 3 (New York led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Toronto 0 @ Boston 5 (Boston led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Pittsburgh 1 @ Chicago 3 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 1-0)
St. Louis 0 @ Minnesota 3 (Minnesota led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Vic Hadfield scored 2 goals, including the winner with 7:17 remaining in regulation time, to lead the Rangers past the Canadiens at Madison Square Garden.

Phil Esposito scored 2 goals and an assist and Gerry Cheevers had an easy time in posting a shutout as the Bruins blanked the Maple Leafs at Boston Garden. Jacques Plante played the entire game in goal for Toronto.

Dean Prentice scored 2 goals and Bob Nevin the other while Gump Worsley posted the shutout as the North Stars blanked the Blues at Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington.

Pit Martin scored 2 goals and Jim Pappin added the other as the Black Hawks defeated the Penguins at Chicago Stadium.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): What About Me--Moving Pictures (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
Lord Carrington resigned as British Foreign Secretary because of his embarrassment at not having taken measures to forestall the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands on April 2.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Funkytown--Pseudo Echo (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France: On se retrouvera--Francis Lalanne (6th week at #1)

Terrorism
Tamil Tigers were blamed after a bomb exploded in the main bus terminal in Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing more than 100 people.

Curling
Canada, represented by Ontario’s Russ Howard, defeated West Germany 9-5 to win the men’s world championship.

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): To Be with You--Mr. Big (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): I'm Too Sexy--Right Said Fred

#1 single in Switzerland: Das Boot--U 96 (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Sam Walton, 74. U.S. business magnate. Mr. Walton founded the Wal-Mart chain of stores.

Politics and government
Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori suspended sections of the Peruvian constitution and seized power with the support of the military.

10 years ago
2002

Agriculture
A team of Chinese researchers and a Swiss genomics company published the genomes of two different strains of rice.

Popular culture
U.S. television hostess Oprah Winfrey announced that she was discontinuing Oprah’s Book Club, which had boosted the sales of each of its featured books.