May 9, 2012

120 years ago
1892

Born on this date
Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Empress of Austria-Hungary, 1916-1918. Zita, a daughter of Robert I, Duke of Parma, married Archduke Charles of Austria in 1911, and became Empress when her husband acceded to the throne upon the death of Franz Josef I. The Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed at the end of World War I in 1918, and the former Emperor and Empress fled to exile in Switzerland in March 1919. Charles attempted to regain the Hungarian throne, but was unsuccessful, and he died of pneumonia on April 1, 1922. Empress Zita and her eight children lived in several countries, including the U.S.A. and Canada, over the next few decades, but she eventually returned to Switzerland, where she died on March 14, 1989 at the age of 96.

70 years ago
1942

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Tangerine--Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra

Horse racing
Alsab, with Basil James up, won the 67th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in a record time of 1:57. Requested and Sun Again finished in a dead heat for second.



60 years ago
1952

On television tonight
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Golden Ingot, starring Gene Lockhart, Monica Lovett, and Theo Goetz



At the movies
3 Hombres en Mi Vida (3 Men in My Life), directed by Carlos Véjar, Jr., and starring Marga López, Jorge Mistral, Roberto Cañedo, and Rafael Baledón, opened in theatres in Mexico.



50 years ago
1962

Music
The Beatles signed their first contract with Parlophone Records and hired George Martin as their producer.

40 years ago
1972

Terrorism
100 people being held hostage by Arab hijackers aboard a Sabena Boeing jetliner at Lod Airport in Tel Aviv were freed when 12 Israeli soldiers disguised as maintenance staff stormed the plane.

War
U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered the mining of Haiphong and North Vietnam’s other ports as part of Operation Linebacker, the code name given to an air-and-sea effort to choke off the Communists’ flow of military supplies and to wreck the enemy’s capability of waging a sustained war.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator George McGovern of South Dakota won the Nebraska primary for the 1972 Democratic party nomination for President of the United States, taking 41% of the vote to 35% for U.S. Sen. Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota and 13% for Alabama Governor George Wallace. President Richard Nixon won the Republican party primary, capturing 93% of the vote. Sen. Humphrey won the other Democratic primary, taking 67% of the vote to 33% for Gov. Wallace.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York 3 @ Boston 2 (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Bobby Rousseau scored 2 goals to lead the Rangers to a come-from-behind win over the Bruins at Boston Garden to send the series to a sixth game.

30 years ago
1982

Abominations
Evangelist Billy Graham was in Moscow, where he spoke at an Orthodox cathedral and the city’s only Baptist church. At the Baptist church, he cited Romans 13, saying that the Bible calls on citizens “to obey the authorities,” and that Jesus gave “man the power to be a better worker, a loyal citizen.” When a woman in the congregation was escorted out of the church by authorities after displaying a banner reading “We have more than 150 prisoners for the work of the gospel,” Mr. Graham said, “We detain people in the United States if we catch them doing things wrong.” (Richard Stengel, “Questionable Mission to Moscow,” Time, May 24, 1982, p. 60)

War
Israeli jets raided several Palestinian guerrilla bases south of Beirut, killing 6 people and wounding 20. The Palestinians immediately retaliated by firing artillery shells into northern Israel. An artillery battle between Israelis and Palestinians erupted, but no casualties were reported.

Defense
U.S. President Ronald Reagan proposed an arms reduction plan, calling for a reduction by the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. of 1/3 of their stocks of nuclear warheads on land- and sea-based ballistic missiles. It was estimated that each country had 7,500 missile warheads, and the reduction would lower the number to about 5,000 apiece. The second phase of Mr. Reagan’s plan involved the acceptance of a ceiling on the total payload of warheads by the two nations. He announced that he had written a letter to Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, suggesting that the two governments begin formal negotiations by the end of June.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: C'est la ouate--Caroline Loeb

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Walk Like an Egyptian--Bangles (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Sailing Home--Piet Veerman (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Crockett's Theme--Jan Hammer

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now--Starship (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): La Isla Bonita--Madonna (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now--Starship

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (I Just) Died in Your Arms--Cutting Crew (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 (I Just) Died in Your Arms--Cutting Crew (2nd week at #1)
2 Looking for a New Love--Jody Watley
3 With or Without You--U2
4 La Isla Bonita--Madonna
5 I Knew You were Waiting (For Me)--Aretha Franklin and George Michael
6 Don't Dream it's Over--Crowded House
7 Sign 'o' the Times--Prince
8 Heat of the Night--Bryan Adams
9 The Finer Things--Steve Winwood
10 Big Love--Fleetwood Mac

Singles entering the chart included Point of No Return by Expose (#76); Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by the Nylons (#89); and Wild Horses by Gino Vannelli (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 With or Without You--U2
2 Lean on Me--Club Nouveau
3 Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now--Starship
4 (I Just) Died in Your Arms--Cutting Crew
5 Don't Dream it's Over--Crowded House
6 I Knew You were Waiting (For Me)--Aretha Franklin and George Michael
7 Heat of the Night--Bryan Adams
8 Wild Horses--Gino Vannelli
9 Holiday Rap--M.C. Miker G. & DJ Sven
10 La Isla Bonita--Madonna

Singles entering the chart included I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston (#74); In Too Deep by Genesis (#78); Diamonds by Herb Alpert (#83); Something So Strong by Crowded House (#89); and Just to See Her by Smokey Robinson (#94).

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference Finals
Edmonton 2 @ Detroit 1 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 2-1)

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Under the Bridge--Red Hot Chili Peppers (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Itsumademo kawaranu ai wo--Tetsuro Oda

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Why--Annie Lennox (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Please Don't Go--Double You (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): To Be with You--Mr. Big

#1 single in France (SNEP): Joy--François Feldman (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): To Be with You--Mr. Big (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Please Don't Go/Game Boy--KWS

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Jump--Kris Kross (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Jump--Kris Kross (2nd week at #1)
2 Save the Best for Last--Vanessa Williams
3 Bohemian Rhapsody--Queen
4 Tears in Heaven--Eric Clapton
5 My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)--En Vogue
6 Make it Happen--Mariah Carey
7 Everything About You--Ugly Kid Joe
8 Hazard--Richard Marx
9 One--U2
10 Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven--Bryan Adams

Singles entering the chart were Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers (#36); Slow Motion by Color Me Badd (#54); Steel Bars by Michael Bolton (#64); and You Won't See Me Cry by Wilson Phillips (#85).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 One--U2
2 Human Touch--Bruce Springsteen
3 Save the Best for Last--Vanessa Williams
4 Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven--Bryan Adams
5 Sinking Like a Sunset--Tom Cochrane
6 Hazard--Richard Marx
7 Tears in Heaven--Eric Clapton
8 Make it Happen--Mariah Carey
9 Ain't it Heavy--Melissa Etheridge
10 Let's Get Rocked--Def Leppard

Singles entering the chart were You Won't See Me Cry by Wilson Phillips (#69); In the Closet by Michael Jackson (#71); Memory Lane by One 2 One (#83); Do it to Me by Lionel Richie (#88); Mighty Trucks of Midnight by Bruce Cockburn (#93); Someday? by Concrete Blonde (#95); and Jump by Kris Kross (#98).

Politics and government
Thailand’s major political parties agreed in principle to constitutional amendments requiring that the country’s premier be an elected member of parliament, and curtailing military power. General Suchinda Kraprayoon had seized power in a coup in 1991 and had become premier in April 1992.

Environment
At United Nations headquarters in New York, delegates from 143 countries approved a treaty asking industrialized nations to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The participating nations agreed to adopt legislation to control emissions, with the goal of returning to 1990 emission levels.

Disasters
26 miners were trapped deep underground in Nova Scotia’s Westray coal mine after a methane gas explosion. 15 bodies were recovered, but bodies of the remaining victims could not be identified.

10 years ago
2002

Died on this date
Dan Devine, 77. U.S. football coach. Mr. Devine was head coach at Arizona State University (1955-1957) and University of Missouri (1958-1970) before going to the National Football League as head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers (1971-1974). In Mr. Devine’s first game with the Packers, his leg was broken in a sideline collision, and the Packers blew a big lead in losing to the New York Giants. The Packers won the National Football Conference Central Division title in 1972, but failed to make the playoffs in the next two seasons. Mr. Devine then went back to the college ranks as head coach at University of Notre Dame (1975-1980). The highlight of his college career may have been the 1978 Cotton Bowl in Dallas, when the Fighting Irish, led by quarterback Joe Montana, overcame a 34-12 deficit to defeat the University of Texas Longhorns 35-34.

Terrorism
42 people were killed when a pipe bomb exploded at a military parade in Kaspiysk, in the Russian republic of Dagestan.

Crime
Two men armed with automatic weapons killed at least six people when they opened fire in a bank in Mor, Hungary.

May 8, 2012

110 years ago
1902

Disasters
Mount Pelee on the island of Martinique erupted, killing 40,000 people and destroying the town of St.-Pierre.

75 years ago
1937

Horse racing
War Admiral, with Charley Kurtsinger aboard, won the 63rd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:03 1/5 seconds, 1¾ lengths ahead of Pompoon, with Reaping Reward third.



60 years ago
1952

At the movies
Without Warning!, directed by Arnold Laven, and starring Adam Williams, Meg Randall, and Edward Binns, opened in theatres.



50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Most Likely to Succeed, starring Jack Carter, Joanna Moore, and Howard Morris

Space
The first launch of an Atlas-Centaur engineering test vehicle (AC-1), from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, ended in failure when the Centaur stage ruptured and disintegrated less than a minute into the launch, taking the Atlas with it. The failure was determined to be caused by an insulation panel that ripped off the Centaur during ascent, resulting in a surge in tank pressure when the LH2 overheated.



30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A.: (Billboard): Titles--Vangelis

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Titles--Vangelis (2nd week at #1)
2 Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
3 Don't Talk to Strangers--Rick Springfield
4 Freeze Frame/Flamethrower--J. Geils Band
5 I Love Rock 'N' Roll--Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
6 We Got the Beat--Go-Go's
7 867-5309/Jenny--Tommy Tutone
8 Key Largo--Bertie Higgins
9 I've Never Been to Me--Charlene
10 '65 Love Affair--Paul Davis

Singles entering the chart were Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me by Juice Newton (#61); Just Another Day in Paradise by Bertie Higgins (#76); Play the Game Tonight by Kansas (#80); Forget Me Nots by Patrice Rushent (#85); Standing on the Top--Part 1 by the Temptations featuring Rick James (#86); I Don't Know Where to Start by Eddie Rabbitt (#87); I Know What Boys Like by the Waitresses (#88); The Visitors by ABBA (#89); and Beechwood 4-5789 by the Carpenters (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Love Rock 'N' Roll--Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (8th week at #1)
2 Don't You Want Me--The Human League
3 Key Largo--Bertie Higgins
4 Don't Talk to Strangers--Rick Springfield
5 Freeze Frame--J. Geils Band
6 Titles--Vangelis
7 Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
8 We Got the Beat--Go-Go's
9 Open Arms--Journey
10 Make a Move on Me--Olivia Newton-John

Singles entering the chart were Right the First Time by Gamma (#39); Man on Your Mind by Little River Band (#41); Only the Lonely by the Motels (#42); Love Plus One by Haircut One Hundred (#43); Some Kinda Fun by Teenage Head (#47); Body Language by Queen (#48); Only a Fool by Trooper (#49); and One World by Utopia (#50).

Died on this date
Gilles Villeneuve, 32. Canadian auto racing driver. Mr. Villeneuve competed in 68 Formula One races from 1977-1982, winning 6 times. He was killed during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix when his car touched tires with those of the car of Jochen Mass in front of him, sending his car airborne before crashing and throwing Mr. Villeneuve into a catch fence (see video).

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Vancouver 5 @ New York Islanders 6 (OT) (New York led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Vancouver defenceman Harold Snepsts attempted an ill-advised pass, which was intercepted by Mike Bossy, who scored the winning goal with 2 seconds remaining in the 1st overtime period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale.



25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): La Isla Bonita--Madonna

Terrorism
Eight Irish Republican Army terrorists were killed by British security forces after bombing a police station in Loughall, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Three IRA men carried the bombs in the shovel of a hijacked bulldozer. After detonating the bombs, the three had joined five other men in a van, where they had been attacked by the British forces, who had been lying in wait. A bystander was also killed in the shooting.

Defense
Three days after the resumption of arms reduction talks in Geneva, the United States presented to the Soviet Union a draft treaty on reducing strategic (long-range) offensive weapons. The U.S. plan would have each side reduce its strategic arsenal by 50% over seven years, and leave each with 1,600 delivery vehicles (missiles and bombers) and 6,000 nuclear warheads.

Scandal
Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart of Colorado announced his withdrawal from the campaign for the 1988 Democratic party nomination for President of the United States, five days after the Miami Herald had reported that Mr. Hart had spent the weekend with a woman not his wife as his house guest (identified on May 4 as Miami model Donna Rice). Despite the fact that Mr. Hart, who had long been dogged by rumours of womanizing, had invited the press to “put a tail” on him, he whined that the system for selecting national leaders “reduces the press of this nation to hunters and presidential candidates to being hunted.”

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that the nation’s unemployment rate had declined to 6.2% in April from 6.5% in March.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
Philadelphia 4 @ Montreal 3 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 2-1)

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): To Be with You--Mr. Big (3rd week at #1)

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate was 7.2% in April, down 0.1% from March. It was the first monthly decline in nine months. The number of Americans on company payrolls in April had increased by 126,000, the largest monthly increase in 11 months.

10 years ago
2002

Politics and government
Abel Pacheco was inaugurated as President of Costa Rica.

Terrorism
14 people were killed when a car bomb exploded outside the Sheraton Hotel in Karachi.

Soccer
UEFA Cup Final @ Rotterdam
Feyenoord Rotterdam 3 Borussia Dortmund 2

May 7, 2012

330 years ago
1682

Died on this date
Fyodor III, 20. Czar of Russia, 1676-1682. Fyodor III acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Alexis I. Czar Fyodor was disabled from birth by a disease that may have been scurvy. He initiated Orthodox Church and penal law reforms. Fyodor III's first consort, Agaphia, died in childbirth in 1681, and their son Ilya died at the age of 10 days. Czar Fyodor remarried in February 1682, but he was too weak to stand at the wedding. He died without issue, and was succeeded by his brothers Peter I and Ivan V.

120 years ago
1892

Born on this date
Archibald MacLeish. U.S. poet. Mr. MacLeish won three Pulitzer Prizes, and was Librarian of Congress from 1939-1944. He died on April 20, 1982, 17 days before his 90th birthday.

90 years ago
1922

Baseball
Jesse Barnes pitched a no-hitter to lead the New York Giants to a 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at the Polo Grounds in New York.

60 years ago
1952

On the radio
I Was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews
Tonight’s episode: Little Red Schoolhouse

On television tonight
The Unexpected, hosted by Herbert Marshall, on NBC
Tonight's episode: House of Shadows, starring Phyllis Avry, Raymond Bond, Donald Kerr, and Mira McKinney

South Americana
Argentinian first lady Eva Peron was given the official title "Spiritual Leader of the Nation of Argentina."

40 years ago
1972

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Boston 3 @ New York 2 (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-1)

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
Yellowknife’s Top 13 (CJCD)
1 Make a Move on Me—Olivia Newton-John
2 Don’t Talk to Strangers—Rick Springfield
3 We Got the Beat—Go-Go’s
4 Key Largo—Bertie Higgins
5 I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll—Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
6 Do You Believe in Love—Huey Lewis and the News
7 Tainted Love—Soft Cell
8 Pac-Man Fever—Buckner & Garcia
9 Freeze Frame—J. Geils Band
10 Did it in a Minute—Daryl Hall & John Oates
11 Edge of Seventeen—Stevie Nicks
12 Find Another Fool—Quarterflash
13 That Girl—Stevie Wonder

Winnipeg’s Top 10 (CKY)
1 Don’t Talk to Strangers—Rick Springfield
2 ’65 Love Affair—Paul Davis
3 Titles—Vangelis
4 Did it in a Minute—Daryl Hall & John Oates
5 Ebony and Ivory—Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
6 I’ve Never Been to Me—Charlene
7 Don’t You Want Me—The Human League
8 Freeze Frame—J. Geils Band
9 Goin’ Down—Greg Guidry
10 Make a Move on Me—Olivia Newton-John

Winnipeg’s Top 10 (CFRW)
1 Pioneer/Six Months in a Leaky Boat—Split Enz
2 Senses Working Overtime—XTC
3 Ball & Chain (album track)—Aldo Nova
4 Ebony and Ivory—Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5 Cat People—David Bowie
6 Who Can it Be Now?—Men at Work
7 Only Time Will Tell (album track)—Asia
8 Town Called Malice—The Jam
9 Fantasy—Aldo Nova
10 One More Time--Streetheart

Winnipeg’s Top 10 (CHIQ)
1 Ebony and Ivory—Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
2 Don’t Talk to Strangers—Rick Springfield
3 Freeze Frame—J. Geils Band
4 I’ve Never Been to Me—Charlene
5 Titles—Vangelis
6 What Kind of Love is This?—Streetheart
7 Make a Move on Me—Olivia Newton-John
8 Did it in a Minute—Daryl Hall & John Oates
9 ’65 Love Affair—Paul Davis
10 Don’t You Want Me—The Human League

War
Iran claimed that its forces had broken through Iraqi lines and occupied a 22-mile strip on the southern border between Iran and Iraq.

25 years ago
1987

On television tonight
Our World, hosted by Linda Ellerbee and Ray Gandolf, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Duels in the Sun: Summer 1952



Died on this date
Colin Blakely, 56. U.K. actor. Mr. Blakely was a character actor in various plays, television programs, and movies. He played Dr. Watson in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his supporting performance in Equus (1977). Mr. Blakely died of leukemia.

Stewart McKinney, 56. U.S. politician. A member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut from 1971 until his death, Mr. McKinney, a Republican, apparently led a private homosexual life, which came to light when he died of AIDS.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference Finals
Detroit 1 @ Edmonton 4 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

20 years ago
1992

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Endeavor, with a crew of seven, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Protest
100,000 people in Thailand demonstrated and demonstrated the resignation of General Suchinda Kraprayoon, who had seized power in a coup in 1991 and had become Premier in April 1992.

Law
Michigan became the 38th state to approve the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution, reading:

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

The approval of the Michigan legislature fulfilled the condition for ratification requiring approval by ¾ of the states, and the amendment was deemed to have taken effect from that point.

10 years ago
2002

Terrorism
15 people were killed and 58 injured when a suicide bomber exploded his bomb in a gambling and billiards club outside Tel Aviv.

May 6, 2012

130 years ago
1882

Born on this date
Wilhelm. German royal family member. Crown Prince Wilhelm was the eldest child of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and held the title of Crown Prince from 1888, commanding forces in World War I until the monarchy ended on November 9, 1918, and he and his father went into exile in the Netherlands. Five years to the day after Kaiser Wilhelm II's abdication, Crown Prince Wilhelm returned to Germany on condition that he not engage in politics. He broke that promise and expressed interest in running for President in 1932, but was forbidden to do so by his father. Crown Prince Wilhelm supported Adolf Hitler's rise to power, but withdrew from all political activity in 1934, and his relationship with Mr. Hitler cooled after it became apparent that the monarchy would not be restored. He became head of the House of Hohanzollern upon he death of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1941, and was interned after World War II. Crown Prince Wilhelm died of a heart attack in Hechingen, Württemberg-Hohenzollern on July 20, 1951 at the age of 69.

Law
The United States Congress overrode President Chester Arthur's veto and passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited immigration of Chinese labourers to the United States.

110 years ago
1902

Born on this date
Harry Golden. Ukrainian-born U.S. journalist. Mr. Golden, born Herschel Goldhirsch in what was then part of Austria-Hungary, moved with his family to Winnipeg and then New York City as a child. He moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1941, working as a reporter for two newspapers before publishing and writing for The Carolina Israelite (1942-1968). Mr. Golden wrote more than two dozen books, consisting of essays expressing his liberal views as well as reminiscences of his childhood. He died on October 2, 1981 at the age of 79.

75 years ago
1937

Disasters
The German airship Hindenburg, making its first flight of the season, burst into flames as it landed at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 passengers and crew members and one member of the ground crew. The disaster effectively ended the age of travel by airship.

60 years ago
1952

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Mandarin Murders, starring Cloris Leachman and William Redfield

40 years ago
1972

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: Amazing Grace--Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (4th week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Without You--Nilsson (2nd week at #1)
2 American Pie, Parts I and II--Don McLean
3 A Horse with No Name--America
4 Joy--Apollo 100
5 Most People I Know Think that I'm Crazy--The Aztecs
6 Mother and Child Reunion--Paul Simon
7 Morning Has Broken/I Want to Live in a Wigwam--Cat Stevens
8 Ranger's Waltz--The Mom and Dads
9 Day After Day--Badfinger
10 My World--The Bee Gees

Singles entering the chart were You are Everything by the Stylistics (#36); A Cowboys Work is Never Done by Sonny and Cher (#37); and People Call Me Country by Digby Richards (#38).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face--Roberta Flack (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face--Roberta Flack (3rd week at #1)
2 Rockin' Robin--Michael Jackson
3 I Gotcha--Joe Tex
4 Betcha By Golly, Wow--Stylistics
5 Day Dreaming--Aretha Franklin
6 A Cowboys Work is Never Done--Sonny and Cher
7 Look What You've Done for Me--Al Green
8 I'll Take You There--Staple Singers
9 Baby Blue--Badfinger
10 The Family of Man--Three Dog Night

Singles entering the chart were Ain't Wastin' Time No More by Allman Brothers Band (#80); Immigration Man by Graham Nash and David Crosby (#81); The Young New Mexican Puppeteer by Tom Jones (#83); Speak Softly Love by Al Martino (#91); An American Trilogy by Elvis Presley (#92); Love Theme from "The Godfather" by Nino Rota and Carlo Savina (#97); Troglodyte by the Jimmy Castor Bunch (#98); and Just as Long as You Need Me (Part 1) by the Independents (#99). Speak Softly Love was a vocal version of Love Theme from "The Godfather."

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 A Horse with No Name--America
2 Heart of Gold--Neil Young
3 You Could Have Been a Lady--April Wine
4 A Cowboys Work is Never Done--Sonny and Cher
5 The Family of Man--Three Dog Night
6 Cotton Jenny--Anne Murray
7 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face--Roberta Flack
8 Puppy Love--Donny Osmond
9 Baby Blue--Badfinger
10 Vincent--Don McLean

Singles entering the chart were Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond (#54); Little Bitty Pretty One by the Jackson 5 (#58); Old Man by Neil Young (#62); I'm Movin' On by John Kay (#85); Walkin' in the Rain with the One I Love by Love Unlimited (#88); Someday Never Comes by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#90); Make the Sun Shine by Ocean (#92); Rocket Man by Elton John (#94); Beg, Steal or Borrow by the New Seekers (#95); Can You Tell Me by Heat Exchange (#96); It's Going to Take Some Time by the Carpenters (#97); Amazing Grace by Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (#98); I Don't Wanna Hear by Seadog (#99); and Isn't Life Strange by the Moody Blues (#100).

Calgary's Top 10
1 Sylvia's Mother--Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show
2 I Like What I Like--Everyday People
3 A Horse with No Name--America
4 I Gotcha--Joe Tex
5 Taxi--Harry Chapin
6 Taos New Mexico--R. Dean Taylor
7 Strawberry Wine--Spice
8 Castles in the Air--Don McLean
9 Mother and Child Reunion--Paul Simon
10 Son of My Father--Giorgio Moroder
Pick hit of the week: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face--Roberta Flack

Society
A letter from U.S. President Richard Nixon to Terence Cardinal Cooke, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, was released. Mr. Nixon backed Cardinal Cooke’s stand against abortion on demand. Two years earlier, New York had passed the U.S.A.’s most liberal abortion law, permitting elective abortions through the 24th week of pregnancy. The law was repealed in the state’s assembly and senate, but Governor Nelson Rockefeller threatened to veto the repeal.

Politics and government
Alabama Governor George Wallace won the North Carolina primary for the 1972 Democratic party nomination for President of the United States, taking 50% of the vote. Former North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford finished second in the voting. President Richard Nixon won the Republican party primary, taking 95% of the vote.

Horse racing
Riva Ridge, with Ron Turcotte aboard, won the 98th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:01 4/5 seconds.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
Edmonton’s Top 10 (CFRN)
1 I’ve Never Been to Me—Charlene (3rd week at #1)
2 ’65 Love Affair—Paul Davis
3 Always on My Mind—Willie Nelson
4 Ebony and Ivory—Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5 Beechwood 4-5789—Carpenters
6 Don’t You Want Me—The Human League
7 Shanghai Breezes—John Denver
8 Did it in a Minute—Daryl Hall & John Oates
9 Wake Up, Little Susie—Simon and Garfunkel
10 Theme from Magnum, P.I.—Mike Post

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference Finals
Vancouver 6 @ Chicago 2 (Vancouver won best-of-seven series 4-1)

Baseball
Gaylord Perry became the first pitcher since Early Wynn in 1963 to earn 300 career major league wins as the Seattle Mariners defeated the New York Yankees 7-3 at the Kingdome in Seattle.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): You're the Voice--John Farnham (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
William Casey, 74. U.S. bureaucrat. Mr. Casey was director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1981-1987.

Politics and government
Parliamentary elections in South Africa gave the government of President P.W. Botha a slightly increased majority, while the Conservative Party displaced the Progressive Federal Party as the second-largest party. Black people had not been permitted to vote, while members of Asian and other mixed-race minorities were to choose their members of parliament at a later date.

Scandal
The Assemblies of God dismissed Jim Bakker, televangelist and former chairman of the PTL “ministry,” and Richard Dortch, former PTL president, as ministers. Mr. Bakker was cited for his “sexual encounter” with secretary Jessica Hahn in 1980 and for “his alleged misconduct involving bisexual activity.” Mr. Dortch was dismissed for concealing “the immoral conduct of a fellow minister” and for his apparent role in a “coverup,” a reference to the fact that he had negotiated a financial settlement (a fund of $265,000) for Miss Hahn.

Hockey
NHL
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
Montreal 5 @ Philadelphia 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): To Be with You--Mr. Big (6th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Back to the Lake

Died on this date
Marlene Dietrich, 90. German-born U.S. actress and singer. Miss Dietrich became a star in her native land with her appearance in The Blue Angel (1930), and then moved to Hollywood, where her movies included Morocco (1930); Blonde Venus (1932); Desire (1936); Destry Rides Again (1939); A Foreign Affair (1948); Witness for the Prosecution (1957); Touch of Evil (1958); and Judgement at Nuremberg (1961). Miss Dietrich was an opponent of Germany's Nazi regime and aided the Allied effort in World War II. She narrated the documentary Black Fox: The True Story of Adolf Hitler, which won the Academy Award as best documentary feature of 1962. Miss Dietrich was known for performing the songs Falling in Love Again and Lili Marlene.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Chicago 5 Detroit 4

10 years ago
2002

Died on this date
Otis Blackwell, 71. U.S. singer and songwriter. Mr. Blackwell was a pioneer in writing rock and roll songs, including Don’t Be Cruel and All Shook Up for Elvis Presley; Great Balls of Fire and Breathless for Jerry Lee Lewis; and Fever for Little Willie John (and, most famously, Peggy Lee).

Pim Fortuyn, 54. Dutch politician. Mr. Fortuyn, a leading candidate for prime minister who was known for his opposition to Islamic immigrants to the Netherlands, was assassinated days before parliamentary elections. Volkert van der Graaf, a radical animal rights activist, was arraigned in Amsterdam two days later.

May 5, 2012

150 years ago
1862

War
Mexican troops under General Ignacio Zaragoza successfully defended the town of Puebla against French forces intending to create a puppet regime in Mexico under Emperor Napoleon III. The event was the inspiration for the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo.

80 years ago
1932

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC

60 years ago
1952

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: A Journey into the Shadows, starring Katharine Bard, Robert Pastene, Charles Proctor, and Ann Shoemaker

50 years ago
1962

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Quando, Quando, Quando--Tony Renis (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Wonderful Land--The Shadows (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Soldier Boy--The Shirelles

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Soldier Boy--The Shirelles
2 Mashed Potato Time--Dee Dee Sharp
3 Stranger on the Shore--Mr. Acker Bilk
4 Johnny Angel--Shelley Fabares
5 Good Luck Charm--Elvis Presley
6 She Cried--Jay and the Americans
7 P.T. 109--Jimmy Dean
8 Lover Please--Clyde McPhatter
9 Slow Twistin'--Chubby Checker (with Dee Dee Sharp)
10 Shout (Part 1)--Joey Dee and the Starliters

Singles entering the chart were Hit Record by Brook Benton (#67); Playboy by the Marvelettes (#73); It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin' by Johnny Tillotson (#75); (The Man who Shot) Liberty Valance by Gene Pitney (#77); Love Can't Wait by Marty Robbins (#90); Imagine That by Patsy Cline (#93); Follow That Dream by Elvis Presley (#94); Oh My Angel by Bertha Tillman (#96); and After the Lights Go Down Low by George Maharis (#100). The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, was intended to be the title song for the movie, but director John Ford decided not to use it. Follow That Dream was the title song of a movie starring Mr. Presley. After the Lights Go Down Low was the B-side of Teach Me Tonight, which charted at #62.

Horse racing
Decidedly, with Bill Hartack up, won the 88th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2 minutes, 2/5 seconds. Roman Line placed second.

Baseball
Rookie Bo Belinsky improved his record to 5 wins and no losses, pitching a no-hitter as the Los Angeles Angels blanked the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

40 years ago
1972

Society
U.S. President Richard Nixon, charging that several key suggestions by his Commission on Population Growth and the American Future “would do nothing to preserve and strengthen close family relationships,” rejected such measures as abortion on demand, unrestricted distribution of family-planning services, and making contraceptive devices available to minors.

Disasters
All 115 people aboard an Alitalia jetliner were killed when it slammed into a mountainside and burst into flames as it was about to land at Palermo, Sicily.

30 years ago
1982

Died on this date
Cal Tjader, 56. U.S. jazz musician. Mr. Tjader played the vibraphone and other instruments and was a key figure in the development of Latin jazz. He performed in combos with Dave Brubeck and George Shearing before leading his own combos. Cal Tjader died of a heart attack in Manila while on tour with his band.

25 years ago
1987

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference Finals
Detroit 3 @ Edmonton 1 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 1-0)

20 years ago
1992

World events
Rival rebel factions in Afghanistan reached a peace settlement. Interim President Sibghatullah Mojadidi appointed a 36-member temporary cabinet, which included Ahmed Shah Massoud, leader of a major faction, as defense minister. Meanwhile, a fundamentalist Muslim faction led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was shelling Kabul.

War
The Yugoslav army, dominated by Serbs, signed a truce with the government of the secessionist republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

10 years ago
2002

Died on this date
George Sidney, 85. U.S. film director. Mr. Sidney was known for directing musicals, including Anchors Aweigh (1945); Show Boat (1951); and Pal Joey (1957).

Politics and government
President Jacques Chirac defeated Jean-Marie Le Pen in the second round of France’s presidential elections.

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Coference Semi-Finals
New Jersey 120 Indiana 109 (2 OT) New Jersey won best-of-five series 3-2)

May 4, 2012

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, John Dea!

80 years ago
1932

Crime
America's most famous gangster, Al Capone, was jailed for income tax evasion.

50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Dummy, starring Cliff Robertson and Frank Sutton

40 years ago
1972

War
The U.S.A. and North Vietnam indefinitely suspended regular peace talks in Paris on the Vietnam War. U.S. Ambassador William J. Porter reported that there had been “a lack of progress in every available channel,” in what was generally considered a reference that included secret talks.

Politics and government
Alabama Governor George Wallace won the Tennessee primary for the 1972 Democratic party nomination for President of the United States, taking 70% of the vote to 16% for U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota. President Richard Nixon captured 96% of the vote in the Republican party primary.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Boston 2 @ New York 5 (Boston led best-of-seven series 2-1)

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Oh Julie--Shakin' Stevens (9th week at #1)

Died on this date
Orhan Gunduz. Turkish diplomat. Mr. Gunduz, an honourary Turkish consul and gift shop owner, was assassinated in Somerville, Massachusetts by a group called Justice Commandos for the Armenian Genocide. Mr. Gunduz was the 21st Turkish diplomat to have been murdered in various places around the world since 1975, probably by Armenian nationalists who resented Turkey’s official refusal to acknowledge the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915.

War
An Argentine jet fighter set afire and disabled the British destroyer HMS Sheffield, which had to be abandoned.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Boom Boom--Paul Lekakis (4th week at #1)

Personal
It was this blogger’s first full day in London, Ontario, and I visited the campus of the University of Western Ontario for the first time.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
Montreal 3 @ Philadelphia 4 (OT) (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 1-0)

20 years ago
1992

Law
Voters in a plebiscite in the Northwest Territories narrowly approved a boundary change making possible the ratification of a land claim agreement between the Government of Canada and the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, giving the eastern Arctic Inuit $1.15 billion over 14 years and ownership of 350,000 square kilometres. An Inuit territory called Nunavut was to be created out of the Northwest Territories in 1999.

Crime
Nearly 1,000 youths in Toronto went on a downtown rampage, smashing windows and looting stores.

Disasters
An airliner en route from Kano, Nigeria to Lagos crashed in a heavily-populated suburb shortly after takeoff, killing at least 148 people, including 76 aboard the plane.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Vancouver 4 Edmonton 0

10 years ago
2002

Horse racing
War Emblem, with Victor Espinoza aboard, won the 128th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:01.13 seconds. Proud Citizen placed second and Perfect Drift finished third.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Toronto 3 Ottawa 2 (3 OT)

May 3, 2012

75 years ago
1937

Literature
Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her novel Gone with the Wind.

60 years ago
1952

Hit Parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Wheel of Fortune--Kay Starr (Best Seller--8th week at #1; Disc Jockey--8th week at #1); Juke Box--6th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Blue Tango--Leroy Anderson and his "Pops" Concert Orchestra (3rd week at #1)
--Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra
2 Wheel of Fortune--Kay Starr
--Bobby Wayne
--Eddie Wilcox Orchestra with Sunny Gale
3 The Blacksmith Blues--Ella Mae Morse
4 A Guy is a Guy--Doris Day
5 Any Time--Eddie Fisher
6 Cry--Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads
7 Perfidia--The Four Aces
8 I'll Walk Alone--Don Cornell
9 Be Anything (But Be Mine)--Eddy Howard
10 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania--Guy Mitchell

Singles entering the chart were Kiss of Fire, with versions by Georgia Gibbs and Tony Martin (#14); Delicado by Percy Faith and his Orchestra (#24); and Mountains in the Moonlight by Johnnie Ray (#42). Delicado was the B-side (or maybe the A-side) of Festival, which charted at #40. Mountains in the Moonlight was the B-side of What's the Use?, which charted at #21.

Horse racing
Hill Gail, with Eddie Arcaro up, won the 78th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:01 3/5 seconds. Sub Fleet placed second.

50 years ago
1962

Hit parade

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Wonderful Land--The Shadows (7th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Downfall

40 years ago
1972

War
Two days after the city of Quang Tri had fallen to North Vietnamese troops, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu flew to the city of Hue—now jammed with refugees—and dismissed the two top generals on the northern front, putting Lieutenant General Ngo Quong Truong in command. Gen. Truong issued shoot-to-kill orders against looters, arsonists, and deserters of the fleeing 3rd Division, who had left behind tanks, armoured cars, and artillery.

Law
U.S. President Richard Nixon named assistant Attorney General L. Patrick Gray as acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, pending nomination of a permanent director after the November 7 elections. Mr. Gray was replacing J. Edgar Hoover, who had died the previous day.

Disasters
A thunderstorm in Mexico City left at least 37 dead, 216 injured, and 10,000 homeless.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I Love Rock 'N' Roll--Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Protest
10,000 people in Warsaw gathered to protest against the Communist government of Poland, and many were beaten by police.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Viens boire un p'tit coup à la maison--License IV (4th week at #1)

Personal
This blogger flew to London, Ontario to become a student at the University of Western Ontario’s School of Library and Information Science.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Toronto 0 @ Detroit 3 (Detroit won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Men’s world championship
Final
Sweden 9 Canada 0

20 years ago
1992

Died on this date
George Murphy, 89. U.S. actor and politician. Mr. Murphy was a song and dance man who appeared in such movies as Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937); Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940); A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob (1941); Bataan (1943); This is the Army (1943); Having Wonderful Crime (1945); Border Incident (1949); and Battleground (1949). He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1944-1946 and was a United States Senator from California from 1964-1971.

10 years ago
2002

Died on this date
Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, 91. U.K. politician. Ms. Castle was a British parliamentarian from the 1940s to the 1970s, and was a cabinet minister in the Labour Party government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

Diplomacy
Russia signed an agreement returning Cam Ranh Bay, after 1979 the largest Soviet naval base outside the U.S.S.R., to Vietnam.

Terrorism
Eight rural mailboxes in a circular cluster of small towns in northwestern Illinois and northeastern Iowa were found to be booby-trapped with pipe bombs. Each bomb was accompanied by a long, obscure, anti-government note. Lucas Helder, a student at the University of Wisconsin—Stout, was arrested in Nevada four days later on suspision of responsibility for the bombs.

World events
A funeral was held in Cape Town for Saartje Baartman, a Khoisan woman who had left South Africa in 1910 and had been exhibited in France as “Hottentot Venus” for the rest of her life and after her death. Her remains had been returned to South Africa by Paris’s Musee de l’Homme.

Disasters
At least 271 people were killed when a ferry sank in a rainstorm on the Meghna River in southeastern Bangladesh.

May 2, 2012

130 years ago
1882

Born on this date
James F. Byrnes. U.S. politician. A key figure in the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mr. Byrnes represented South Carolina in the United States House of Representatives from 1911-1925 and in the U.S. Senate from 1931-1941 before being appointed by Mr. Roosevelt to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1941. He was named director of the Office of Economic Stabilization in 1942, and director of the Office of War Mobilization a year later.

80 years ago
1932

Died on this date
John Clum, 80. U.S. bureaucrat, politician, and journalist. Mr. Clum served as Indian agent for the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona Territory (1874-1877), where he implemented a limited form of self-government on the reservation that was so successful that other reservations were closed and their residents moved to San Carlos. He captured Geronimo in 1877 without firing a shot, but resigned soon afterward as a result of disagreements with the Indan Bureau and the U.S. Army. Mr. Clum moved to Tombstone, Arizona, founding The Tombstone Epitaph in 1880. He was elected Mayor of Tombstone in 1881, and was in office when the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place on October 26, 1881. Mr. Clum's friendship with the Earp brothers led to threats against him, and he left Tombstone in 1882. He served as a postmaster in Alaska from 1898-1909, and died in Los Angeles.

70 years ago
1942

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Moonlight Cocktail--Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (10th week at #1)

Horse racing
Shut Out, with Wayne D. Wright aboard, won the 68th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:04 2/5 seconds. Alsab placed second.

Transportation
The jet age began with the inauguration of the first jetliner passenger service between London and Johannesburg. A British DeHavilland Comet could cover the 6,724-mile distance in less than 24 hours.

60 years ago
1952

On television tonight
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Red Dust, starring Lex Barker, Skedge Miller, and Robert Patten



40 years ago
1972

Died on this date
J. Edgar Hoover, 77. U.S. law enforcement executive. Mr. Hoover was director of the Bureau of Investigation--later the Federal Bureau of Investigation--from 1924 until his death.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota won the Indiana and Ohio primaries for the 1972 Democratic party nomination for President of the United States, taking 47% of the vote in Indiana to 42% for Alabama Governor George Wallace and 41.5% in Ohio to 39.3% for U.S. Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota in a contest that was marred by a voting machine problem in Cuyahoga County in Cleveland. U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine finished third in both primaries. U.S. Sen. Henry Jackson (Washington), who finished fourth in Ohio, announced that he would not campaign in primaries, but was still a candidate for the nomination. Gov. Wallace won his home state’s primary for the 1972 Democratic party nomination for President of the United States.

Disasters
91 miners were killed when fire swept through the Sunshine Silver Mine in Kellog, Idaho.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York 1 @ Boston 2 (Boston led best-of-seven series 2-0)

30 years ago
1982

Died on this date
Hugh Marlowe, 71. U.S. actor. Mr. Marlowe appeared in such movies as Twelve O'Clock High (1949); All About Eve (1950); The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951); Monkey Business (1952); Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956); Elmer Gantry (1960); Birdman of Alcatraz (1962); and Seven Days in May (1964).

War
A British nuclear submarine torpedoed and sank Argentina’s only cruiser, the General Belgrano, with the loss of an estimated 500 lives.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Loving You is Sweeter than Ever--Nick Kamen (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: La Isla Bonita--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (I Just) Died in Your Arms--Cutting Crew

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 (I Just) Died in Your Arms--Cutting Crew
2 I Knew You were Waiting (For Me)--Aretha Franklin and George Michael
3 Looking for a New Love--Jody Watley
4 Don't Dream it's Over--Crowded House
5 Sign 'o' the Times--Prince
6 With or Without You--U2
7 La Isla Bonita--Madonna
8 The Finer Things--Steve Winwood
9 Walking Down Your Street--Bangles
10 Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now--Starship

Singles entering the chart included Something So Strong by Crowded House (#85); Rock the Night by Europe (#89); and Heart and Soul by T'Pau (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Don't Dream it's Over--Crowded House
2 Lean on Me--Club Nouveau
3 Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now--Starship
4 I Knew You were Waiting (For Me)--Aretha Franklin and George Michael
5 With or Without You--U2
6 (I Just) Died in Your Arms--Cutting Crew
7 Wild Horses--Gino Vannelli
8 Heat of the Night--Bryan Adams
9 Holiday Rap--M.C. Miker G. & DJ Sven
10 Sign 'o' the Times--Prince

Singles entering the chart included Sweet Sixteen by Billy Idol (#86) and Can't We Try by Dan Hill (#98).

Horse racing
Alysheba, with Chris McCarron aboard, won the 113th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:03 2/5 seconds. Bet Twice placed second, and Avies Copy finished third.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Quebec 3 @ Montreal 5 (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-3)
New York Islanders 1 @ Philadelphia 5 (Philadelphia won best-of-seven series 4-3)

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Under the Bridge--Red Hot Chili Peppers (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Why--Annie Lennox (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Joy--François Feldman (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Jump--Kris Kross (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Jump--Kris Kross
2 Save the Best for Last--Vanessa Williams
3 Tears in Heaven--Eric Clapton
4 Bohemian Rhapsody--Queen
5 Make it Happen--Mariah Carey
6 Hazard--Richard Marx
7 Masterpiece--Atlantic Starr
8 My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)--En Vogue
9 Everything Changes--Kathy Troccoli
10 Beauty and the Beast--Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson

Singles entering the chart were In the Closet by Michael Jackson (#49); Love You All My Lifetime by Chaka Khan (#81); I Will Remember You by Amy Grant (#82); Smells Like Nirvana by "Weird Al" Yankovic (#88); and If You Asked Me To by Celine Dion (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Save the Best for Last--Vanessa Williams
2 Human Touch--Bruce Springsteen
3 One--U2
4 Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven--Bryan Adams
5 Tears in Heaven--Eric Clapton
6 Hazard--Richard Marx
7 Make it Happen--Mariah Carey
8 Sinking Like a Sunset--Tom Cochrane
9 Everything Changes--Kathy Troccoli
10 Ain't it Heavy--Melissa Etheridge

Singles entering the chart included I Will Remember You by Amy Grant (#57); 92 Days of Rain by Corey Hart (#59); Without Love by Infidels (#89); Viva Las Vegas by ZZ Top (#90); and Hold on My Heart by Genesis (#94).

Died on this date
Wilbur Mills, 82. U.S. politician. A member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas from 1939-1977, Mr. Mills chaired the House Ways and Means Committee (or, as it’s always referred to in the media, the Powerful House Ways and Means Committee) from 1958-1975. His career was marred by a scandal in 1974 when he was arrested while driving drunk in the company of a stripper who went by the name of Fanne Foxe.

Lee Salk, 65. U.S. psychologist. The younger brother of polio vaccine creator Jonas Salk, Dr. Salk was a child psychologist who was credited with discovering the calming effect on infants of the seound of a heartbeat.

Horse racing
Lil E. Tee, with Pat Day aboard, won the 118th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:03 2/5 seconds. Casual Lies placed second and Dance Floor finished third.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Chicago 2 Detroit 1

10 years ago
2002

Died on this date
P.T. Bauer, 86. Hungarian-born U.K. economist. Professor Bauer argued that the key to economic growth in backward countries lay in cultivating a workforce capable of generating private profit.

World events
Israeli forces withdrew from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Meanwhile, a firefight erupted at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, resulting in some fire damage to the structure.

Aviation
Erik Lindbergh landed his Lancair Columbia 300 plane at Le Bourget airport to conclude a 17-hour re-creation of his grandfather Charles Lindbergh’s non-stop solo flight from New York to Paris in May 1927.

May 1, 2012

225 years ago
1787

Born on this date
Juan Felipe Ibarra. Argentinian general and politician. Brigadier Ibarra was one of the caudillos who dominated the interior of Argentina during the formation of the national state, as Governor of Santiago del Estero (1820-1830, 1832-1851). He had to deal with civil wars for much of his time in power, but succeeded in putting them down in 1841, and enjoyed a decade of peace until his death on July 15, 1851 at the age of 64, after a long battle with gout.

150 years ago
1862

Born on this date
Marcel Prévost. French author and playwright. Mr. Prévost was best known for novels about women from a masculine point of view. His most notable works included the novel Les Demi-Vierges (1894) and the four-act play La Plus Faible (1904). Mr. Prévost directed the Revue de France from 1922-1940. He died on April 8, 1941, 23 days before his 79th birthday.

90 years ago
1922

At the movies
Sherlock Holmes, starring John Barrymore, Roland Young, and Gustav von Seyffertitz, opened at the Capitol Theatre in New York City.



70 years ago
1942

At the movies
The Man Who Wouldn't Die, directed by Herbert I. Leeds, and starring Lloyd Nolan and Marjorie Weaver, opened in theatres. It was the fifth in a series of seven films starring Mr. Nolan as private eye Michael Shayne.



War
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt temporarily abandoned plans for registering women in the armed services because there were more women than jobs currently available.

Law
Rome radio announced that additional German Gestapo agents had arrived in Italy to study the organization of the Italian police force.

Journalism
U.S. Postmaster General Frank Walker announced that the weekly newspaper X-Ray, published in Muncie, Indiana, was seditious under the 1917 Espionage Act, and asked that it show cause why its second class mailing privileges should not be revoked.

Economics and finance
The U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee tentatively approved a 94% excess profits tax and 40% income tax on firms making a net profit of over $25,000 per year.

50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: What Frightened You, Fred?, starring R.G. Armstrong, Edward Asner, and Adam Williams

40 years ago
1972

War
Quang Tri became the first provincial capital in South Vietnam to fall to Communist forces, as North Vietnamese troops took the city after five days of intensive artillery pounding and shelling.

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (36-1) won a 12-round unanimous decision over Canadian champion George Chuvalo (66-18-2) at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.



30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A.: (Billboard): I Love Rock 'N' Roll--Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (7th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Titles--Vangelis
2 I Love Rock 'N' Roll--Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
3 We Got the Beat--Go-Go's
4 Freeze Frame/Flamethrower--J. Geils Band
5 Don't Talk to Strangers--Rick Springfield
6 Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
7 Key Largo--Bertie Higgins
8 Make a Move on Me--Olivia Newton-John
9 867-5309/Jenny--Tommy Tutone
10 '65 Love Affair--Paul Davis

Singles entering the chart were Body Language by Queen (#73); Personally by Karla Bonoff (#79); Any Day Now by Ronnie Milsap (#82); Caught Up in You by .38 Special (#83); Only the Lonely by the Motels (#84); Fool for Your Love by Jimmy Hall (#85); Baby Step Back by Gordon Lightfoot (#86); Put Away Your Love by Alessi (#87); Friends in Love by Dionne Warwick and Johnny Mathis (#88); Let it Whip by Dazz Band (#89); and Turn on Your Radar by Prism (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Love Rock 'N' Roll--Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (7th week at #1)
2 Don't You Want Me--The Human League
3 Freeze Frame--J. Geils Band
4 Key Largo--Bertie Higgins
5 Don't Talk to Strangers--Rick Springfield
6 We Got the Beat--Go-Go's
7 Open Arms--Journey
8 Titles--Vangelis
9 Make a Move on Me--Olivia Newton-John
10 Tainted Love--Soft Cell

Singles entering the chart were Heat of the Moment by Asia (#34); Cat People by David Bowie (#42); I've Never Been to Me by Charlene (#45); Rosanna by Toto (#48); and Town Called Malice by the Jam (#50).

War
British planes carried out bombing raids on the Falkland Islands capital of Port Stanley, currently occupied by Argentinian forces.

Horse racing
Gato Del Sol, with Eddie Delahoussaye aboard, won the 108th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:02 2/5 seconds. Gato Del Sol had entered the race at odds of 21-1.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference Finals
Chicago 3 @ Vancouver 4 (Vancouver led best-of-seven series 2-1)

25 years ago
1987

Died on this date
Alva “Bobo” Holloman, 64. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Holloman pitched in the minor professional leagues from 1946-1954, compiling a record of 118-80. His best season was his first, when he was 20-5 with the Moultrie Packers of the Georgia-Florida League. In 1953 Mr. Holloman began the season with the St. Louis Browns of the American League. After several appearances in relief, he made his first major league start on May 6, and pitched a no-hitter as the Browns blanked the Philadelphia Athletics 6-0 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Unfortunately for Mr. Holloman, he never pitched another complete game with the Browns, and was demoted to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League after compiling a major league record of 3-7, with an earned run average of 5.23.

Economics and finance
Japan announced that its trade surplus for 1986 was a record $101.4 billion, about half of which was accounted for by the United States.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Detroit 4 @ Toronto 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

IIHF Men’s world championship
Czechoslovakia 4 Canada 2

20 years ago
1992

War
Serbian forces began shelling Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and also seized many towns within the secessionist Yugoslav republic, resulting in hundreds of deaths.

Protest
U.S. President George Bush ordered 1,500 U.S. Marines and 3,000 U.S. Army troops into Los Angeles and Nevada to quell rioting by Negroes that had begun two days earlier after four white Los Angeles policemen had been acquitted of beating Negro criminal Rodney King. Nevada Governor Bob Miller ordered 400 National Guard troops into Las Vegas.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
New York Rangers 8 New Jersey 4

April 30, 2012

350 years ago
1662

Born on this date
Mary II. Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1689-1694. Mary II, the daughter of King James II, married her cousin, the Dutch Protestant William of Orange--the future King William III--in 1677. They came to power after the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and reigned as joint sovereigns until her death from smallpox on December 28, 1694 at the age of 32.

200 years ago
1812

Americana
Louisiana was admitted to the Union as the 18th state.

170 years ago
1842

Born on this date
Charles S. Fairchild. U.S. politician. Mr. Fairchild, a Democrat, was Attorney General of New York (1876-1877) and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1887-1889) in the administration of President Grover Cleveland. In the latter office, he began buying back government bonds to dispose of surplus revenue, an action seen by some as averting a financial crisis. Mr. Fairchild was president of the American Constitutional League, and launched an unsuccessful legal challenged to the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (1920), which provided for women's suffrage. He died on November 24, 1924 at the age of 82.

90 years ago
1922

Baseball
Charlie Robertson (2-0) pitched a perfect game for the Chicago White Sox as they blanked the Detroit Tigers 2-0 before 25,000 fans at Navin Field in Detroit. It was the last perfect game in the major leagues until Don Larsen accomplished the feat against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1956 World Series. Earl Sheely doubled home Harry Hooper and Johnny Mostil in the 2nd inning to account for the scoring. Losing pitcher Herman Pillette (2-1) allowed 7 hits and 2 earned runs in a complete game.

60 years ago
1952

On the radio
I Was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews
Tonight’s episode: I Can’t Sleep

On television tonight
The Unexpected, hosted by Herbert Marshall, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Legal Tender, starring Jeanne Cagney, Richard Karlan, Jay Kirby, and Robert Rockwell

Literature
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank was made available in the English language in British bookstores for the first time.

Business
The American toy manufacturing firm Hasbro launched the first advertising campaign for Mr. Potato Head; it was the first such campaign aimed at children as a consumer demographic rather than their parents.

50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Specialists, starring Lin McCarthy, Ronald Howard, Suzanne Lloyd, and Robert Douglas

This was the last episode of the series.



Aviation
NASA test pilot Joe Walker flew an X-15 rocket plane to an altitude of 246,700 feet, a record for fixed-wing aircraft.

40 years ago
1972

Canadiana
Most of Canada, including Alberta and the Northwest Territories, went on daylight saving time for the first time.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York 5 @ Boston 6 (Boston led best-of-seven series 1-0)

The Rangers, trailing the Bruins 5-1 after 2 periods, rallied for 4 straight goals to tie the game at Boston Garden before Garnet “Ace” Bailey scored with less than 5 minutes remaining in regulation time to win the game for Boston.

30 years ago
1982

War
U.S. President Ronald Reagan placed his country on the side of the United Kingdom in its war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands by ordering limited sanctions against Argentina and offering material support to Britain.

25 years ago
1987

On television tonight
Our World, hosted by Linda Ellerbee and Ray Gandolf, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Speaking Out: Spring 1963



Music
This blogger attended an enjoyable concert by the Beach Boys at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, with the Terry Crawford Band as opening act. I paid $20.50 for my ticket.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the 10 provincial premiers agreed on a constitutional draft called the Meech Lake Accord, to enable Québec to join the constitutional fold by meeting its five conditions, including recognizing Québec as a distinct society. The accord received unanimous agreement on June 2 and June 3 in Ottawa, but needed to be ratified by Parliament and all provincial legislatures by June 23, 1990 to become law.

Economics and finance
The United States House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the president to retaliate against countries that did not open their markets to U.S. products.

The U.S.A. announced that the U.S.S.R. had agreed to buy four million metric tons of subsidized wheat, valued at $375 million, in the largest sale ever of subsidized wheat to one country.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Montreal 2 @ Quebec 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)
Philadelphia 2 @ New York Islanders 4 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Deeply Dippy--Right Said Fred

Abominations
The riots in Los Angeles that had begun the previous day after four white policemen had been acquitted of beating Negro criminal Rodney King spread from the city’s South-Central area to the Koreatown area. Other riots were reported in San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle, and Miami. Two people were killed in Las Vegas, while 1,100 were arrested in San Francisco.

Economics and finance
Bankruptcies in Canada in March totalled a record 7,057.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Minnesota 2 @ Detroit 5 (Detroit won best-of-seven series 4-3)
Winnipeg 0 @ Vancouver 5 (Vancouver won best-of-seven series 4-3)

10 years ago
2002

Diplomacy
In talks sponsored by the Red Cross, North Korea agreed to allow a search for Japanese citizens whom Japan believed had been kidnapped decades earlier, while Japan agreed to search for Koreans taken to Japan before 1945.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Toronto 4 New York Islanders 2

April 29, 2012

220 years ago
1792

Born on this date
Matthew Vassar. U.S. brewer and philanthropist. Mr. Vassar, a native of Norfolk, England, donated the money and land to build Vassar Female College in Poughkeepsie, New York, which opened in 1861.

175 years ago
1837

Born on this date
Georges Boulanger. French politician. Brigadier General Boulanger was France's Minister of War from 1886-1887. He was nicknamed Général Revanche and attracted a huge popular following for insisting that Fran ce's in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 must be avenged, and it was thought that he might seize power in a coup d'état. A warrant was issued for Mr. Boulanger's arrest for conspiracy and treasonable activity, and he fled to Brussels and then London before the warrant could be executed. Elections held later in 1889 resulted in a decisive defeat for the Boulangists. Mr. Boulanger returned to Brussels, where, on September 30, 1891 at the age of 54, he shot himself in Ixelles Cemetery on the grave of his mistress, Madame de Bonnemains, who had died in his arms two months earlier. He was buried in the same grave.

120 years ago
1892

Disasters
A hurricane struck Mauritius, killing 1,000 people.

75 years ago
1937

Died on this date
William Gillette, 83. U.S. actor. Mr. Gillette was best known for writing the play Sherlock Holmes and playing the title role on stage more than 1,300 times from 1899-1932. He also played the master detective in a now-lost 1916 film, and was the first actor to portray Mr. Holmes on radio, in 1930.

60 years ago
1952

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Purloined Letter, starring Leon Askin, Henry Beckman, Joseph Campanella, Arnold Moss, and Edgar Stehli

50 years ago
1962

Space
Three days after liftoff, the Soviet satellite Cosmos 4 re-entered Earth’s atmosphere.

40 years ago
1972

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: Amazing Grace--Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (3rd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Without You--Nilsson
2 American Pie, Parts I and II--Don McLean
3 Joy--Apollo 100
4 A Horse with No Name--America
5 Ranger's Waltz--The Mom and Dads
6 Most People I Know Think that I'm Crazy--The Aztecs
7 Mother and Child Reunion--Paul Simon
8 Day After Day--Badfinger
9 Morning Has Broken/I Want to Live in a Wigwam--Cat Stevens
10 My World--The Bee Gees

Singles entering the chart were How Do You Do? by Jigsaw (#29); Rock and Roll Lullaby by B.J. Thomas (#33); and Heart of Gold by Neil Young (#38).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face--Roberta Flack (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face--Roberta Flack (2nd week at #1)
2 Rockin' Robin--Michael Jackson
3 I Gotcha--Joe Tex
4 In the Rain--Dramatics
5 Betcha By Golly, Wow--Stylistics
6 Day Dreaming--Aretha Franklin
7 A Cowboys Work is Never Done--Sonny and Cher
8 A Horse with No Name--America
9 Look what You've Done for Me--Al Green
10 I'll Take You There--Staple Singers

Singles entering the chart were It's Going to Take Some Time by the Carpenters (#55); Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond (#63); Someday Never Comes by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#67); Old Man by Neil Young (#70); Rocket Man by Elton John (#81); Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons than One) by Isaac Hayes and David Porter (#84); There it Is (Part 1) by James Brown (#87); Life and Breath by Climax (#88); Automatically Sunshine by the Supremes (#89); Lean on Me by Bill Withers (#90); Don't Want to Say Goodbye by Raspberries (#95); You and I by Black Ivory (#97); Soulsville by Isaac Hayes (#98); Hot 'N' Nasty by Humble Pie (#99); and How Do You Do by Mouth & MacNeal (#100).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Puppy Love--Donny Osmond (2nd week at #1)
2 A Horse with No Name--America
3 Heart of Gold--Neil Young
4 A Cowboys Work is Never Done--Sonny and Cher
5 You Could Have Been a Lady--April Wine
6 The Family of Man--Three Dog Night
7 Cotton Jenny--Anne Murray
8 Vincent--Don McLean
9 Roundabout--Yes
10 Baby Blue--Badfinger

Singles entering the chart were Tumbling Dice by the Rolling Stones (#71); Wild Eyes by the Stampeders (#82); Nice to Be with You by Gallery (#91); I'll Take You There by the Staple Singers (#97); Poor Little Fool by Frank Mills (#98); Sylvia's Mother by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show (#99); and Diary by Bread (#100).

Calgary's Top 10
1 I Like what I Like--Everyday People
2 I Gotcha--Joe Tex
3 Castles in the Air--Don McLean
4 Sylvia's Mother--Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show
5 A Horse with No Name--America
6 Strawberry Wine--Spice
7 Mother and Child Reunion--Paul Simon
8 Puppy Love--Donny Osmond
9 Brandy--Scott English
10 Taxi--Harry Chapin
Pick hit of the week: Taos New Mexico--R. Dean Taylor

Died on this date
Ntare V, 34. King of Burundi, 1966. Ntare deposed his father, King Mwambutsa IV, in June 1966, but was himself deposed by a military coup five months later, and went into exile in West Germany. The former king had returned to Burundi from exile in Uganda in March under a promise of safe conduct, but was killed in a clash that the government attributed to an attempt by “monarchists” to free Mioame Ntare from house arrest.

Politics and government
Turkish President Cevdet Sunay named Suat Havri Urguplu, 69, a former ambassador to the United States, as Premier, succeeding Nihat Erin, who had resigned 12 days earlier.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
Edmonton’s top 10 (CFRN)
1 I’ve Never Been to Me—Charlene (2nd week at #1)
2 Titles—Vangelis
3 Don’t Talk to Strangers—Rick Springfield
4 Ebony and Ivory—Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5 Don’t You Want Me—The Human League
6 ’65 Love Affair—Paul Davis
7 Beechwood 4-5789—Carpenters
8 Did it in a Minute—Daryl Hall & John Oates
9 Goin’ Down—Greg Guidry
10 Make a Move on Me—Olivia Newton-John

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Conference Finals
Quebec 2 @ New York Islanders 5 (New York led best-of-seven series 2-0)
Vancouver 1 @ Chicago 4 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Roger Neilson, who had replaced the suspended Harry Neale late in the season as Vancouver’s head coach, became so frustrated with the officiating of referee Bob Myers at Chicago Stadium that he put a towel on top of a stick and waved it as a white flag of surrender.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): You're the Voice--John Farnham (4th week at #1)

Hockey
World championships
Canada 0 U.S.S.R. 0

NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Toronto 0 @ Detroit 3 (Toronto led best-of-seven series 3-2)

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): To Be with You--Mr. Big (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Wedding

Died on this date
Mae Clarke, 81. U.S. actress. Miss Clarke, born Violet Mary Klotz, was a popular leading lady in the 1930s, appearing in such movies as Frankenstein (1931); The Front Page (1931); The Public Enemy (1931); and Waterloo Bridge (1931). She died on April 29, 1992 at the age of 81.

Protest
A Simi Valley, California jury that included no Negroes acquitted four Los Angeles police officers on all but one charge arising from the March 1991 beating of Rodney King. The verdict prompted immediate riots by Negroes in Los Angeles, particularly in the predominantly Negro and Hispanic South-Central area. A white truck driver named Reginald Denny was dragged from his truck and severely beaten by a mob of Negroes before being rescued by other Negroes.

700 inmates at Montreal’s Bordeaux prison rioted for more than eight hours; officials blamed overcrowding for the incident.

Education
The Economic Council of Canada filed its final report before being disbanded, and called for substantial improvements in Canada’s education system, claiming that it sent functionally-illiterate young people into the workforce.

10 years ago
2002

Music
This blogger attended an organ recital by Grace Han at West End Christian Reformed Church in Edmonton.

War
Israeli forces seized control of Hebron.

Diplomacy
The United States, which had lost its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Commission on May 3, 2001, regained it.

Politics and government
The High Constitutional Court of Madagascar announced that the recount of votes in the country’s presidential election showed that challenger Marc Ravalomanana had won an outright majority and had been elected President; incumbent Didier Ratsiraka, who had agreed to the recount, did not accept the result.

April 28, 2012

270 years ago
1742

Born on this date
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, 69. U.K. politician. Mr. Dundas, an "independent Whig," was the trusted lieutenant of Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, and was the most powerful politician in Scotland in the latter decades of the 18th century. He held several cabinet posts, including Secretary of State for War (1794-1801) and First Lord of the Admiralty (1804-1805). Mr. Dundas was elevated to the House of Lords in 1802 as 1st Viscount Melville. He died on May 28, 1811, a month after his 69th birthday.

120 years ago
1892

Disasters
12 people perished in a fire at Grand Central Theatre in Philadelphia.

60 years ago
1952

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: For Rent

50 years ago
1962

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Quando, Quando, Quando--Tony Renis (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Wonderful Land--The Shadows (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Good Luck Charm--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Mashed Potato Time--Dee Dee Sharp
2 Soldier Boy--The Shirelles
3 Stranger on the Shore--Mr. Acker Bilk
4 Johnny Angel--Shelley Fabares
5 Good Luck Charm--Elvis Presley
6 Slow Twistin'--Chubby Checker (with Dee Dee Sharp)
7 Lover Please--Clyde McPhatter
8 Love Letters--Ketty Lester
9 Shout (Part 1)--Joey Dee and the Starliters
10 Young World--Rick Nelson

Singles entering the chart were Teach Me to Twist by Bobby Rydell and Chubby Checker (#77); Night Train by James Brown and his Famous Flames (#78); Scotch and Soda by the Kingston Trio (#85); Operator by Gladys Knight and the Pips (#88); Willing and Eager by Pat Boone (#89); (Twistin') White Silver Sands by Bill Black's Combo (#91); Deep in the Heart of Texas by Duane Eddy (#92); Dream by Dinah Washington (#96); and Lemon Tree by Peter, Paul and Mary (#100).

40 years ago
1972

War
The South Vietnamese city of Kontum was almost completely encircled by North Vietnamese forces.

25 years ago
1987

Died on this date
Gus Johnson, 48. U.S. basketball player. One of the first players to make slam-dunk shots, Mr. Johnson played in the NBA from 1963-1972 with the Baltimore Bullets. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns before the 1972-73 season, but was released in mid-season and joined the Indiana Pacers of the ABA, helping them to the league championship in his final season as a professional. Mr. Johnson died of brain cancer; he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Scandal
Televangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell, who had replaced Rev. Jim Bakker as chairman of the PTL organization when Mr. Bakker had resigned in March because of a sex scandal, announced that the PTL board of directors had cut off all income to Mr. Bakker and his wife Tammy Faye; had obtained the resignation of Rev. Richard Dortch, PTL president and a longtime associate of Mr. Bakker; and stopped payments from a $265,000 fund established for Jessica Hahn, the church secretary with whom Mr. Bakker had had sex in 1980. Mr. Falwell said that PTL was $50 million in debt.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Montreal 3 Quebec 2

20 years ago
1992

Died on this date
Brian Pockar, 32. Canadian figure skater. Mr. Pockar, a native of Calgary, was the Canadian men's champion from 1978-1980. He placed 12th at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, and compted in six world championships, with his best result coming in his last year, when he finished third in 1982. Mr. Pockar was a sodomite who died of AIDS.

Health
The United States Department of Agriculture unveiled its first food pyramid.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup playoffs
Chicago 2 St. Louis 1
Detroit 1 Minnesota 0 (OT)

10 years ago
2002

World events
Israel agreed to end the blockade of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Terrorism
Seven people were killed when a pipe bomb exploded in an outdoor market in Vladikavkaz, capital of the Russia’s North Ossetian Republic.

Weather
A storm system tore through the valleys of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers, producing an exceptionally strong tornado in Maryland, killing four people.