April 20, 2012

110 years ago
1902

Science
Marie and Pierre Curie isolated radium.

100 years ago
1912

Died on this date
Bram Stoker, 64. U.K. author. Mr. Stoker was best known as the author of Dracula (1897). His other novels included The Snake's Pass (1890); The Lady of the Shroud (1909); and The Lair of the White Worm (1911).

Baseball
The Boston Red Sox edged the New York Yankees 7-6 in 11 innings before more than 27,000 fans in the first regular season game ever played at Fenway Park in Boston. Center fielder Tris Speaker singled in the winning run, and Bucky O’Brien was the winning pitcher in relief of Charlie Hall.

24,384 fans were in attendance at the first game ever played at Navin Field to see the hometown Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Naps 6-5 in 11 innings. Winning pitcher George Mullin singled in the winning run, and Detroit’s Ty Cobb hit 2 singles and stole 2 bases, including home plate.

The St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox played to a 0-0 tie in 15 innings at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis as George Baumgardner of the Browns and James Scott of the White Sox each pitched complete games.

80 years ago
1932

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Giant Rat of Sumatra

Baseball
Babe Ruth hit a home run and Lefty Gomez won the pitching duel over Lefty Grove as the New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Athletics 8-3 before 55,452 fans at Yankee Stadium.

75 years ago
1937

Baseball
Gee Walker became the only major league player to hit for the cycle on opening day, doing it in reverse order—home run, triple, double, and single—as he led the Detroit Tigers to a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians.

Shanty Hogan’s sacrifice fly in the 8th inning drove in the winning run as the Washington Nationals opened their season with a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees before 45,850 fans at Yankee Stadium.

Dizzy Dean gave up 13 hits but still pitched a shutout as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 in 10 innings at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Losing pitcher Peaches Davis gave up doubles by Johnny Mize and Joe Medwick and a single by Leo Durocher in the 10th inning.

60 years ago
1952

Baseball
Ted Kluszewski hit a 2-run home run in the first game and drove in 7 runs with a grand slam and 2 triples in the second game as the Cincinnati Reds swept a doubleheader from the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-6 and 12-2. Joe Adcock added 2 home runs for the Reds in the second game.

50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Trade-Ins, starring Joseph Schildkraut and Alma Platt

40 years ago
1972

Space
Apollo 16 astronauts John Young and Charlie Duke landed on the Moon in the lunar module Orion, after a six-hour delay caused by trouble in the backup system in the command module Casper.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
St. Louis 2 @ Boston 10 (Boston led best-of-seven series 2-0)
Chicago 2 @ New York 3 (New York led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Johnny Bucyk scored 3 goals and an assist and Ed Westfall added 2 goals and an assist as the Bruins routed the Blues at Boston Garden. Jacques Caron and Ernie Wakely split the goaltending for the Blues for the second straight game. For Mr. Wakely, it proved to be his last NHL game, as he signed with the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association after the season.

Dale Rolfe’s goal at 10:56 of the 2nd period proved to be the winner as the Rangers edged the Black Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Dennis Hull scored both Chicago goals. Gilles Villemure won the goaltending duel over Gary Smith.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Oh Julie--Shakin' Stevens (7th week at #1)

Crime
Edmonton Oilers’, Trappers’, and Drillers’ owner Peter Pocklington was taken hostage in his home by a gunman, shot and wounded, and released after 11 hours of captivity. CFRN news director Bruce Hogle, on his evening television editorial, said, “If I can help in any way as a mediator, just call me at 483-3311.” In his morning radio “minutorial,” Mr. Hogle had called for stiffer punishment for drug dealers, saying words to the effect of, “If you think I’m being too harsh, you just don’t understand the kind of scum…we’re dealing with.”

Baseball
Steve Bedrosian pitched 4 1/3 innings of relief to earn his first major league win as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium for their 12th straight win to start the season, tying the major league record.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Boom Boom (Let's Go Back to My Room)--Paul Lekakis (2nd week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Division Finals
Quebec 7 Montreal 5 (Quebec led best-of-seven series 1-0)

20 years ago
1992

Died on this date
Benny Hill, 68. U.K. comedian. Mr. Hill, nicknamed “King Leer,” a popular comedian on television in the United Kingdom and around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s, had apparently been dead for several days when his body was discovered in his Teddington, Middlesex flat.

Economics and finance
A meeting of finance ministers and central bankers of the Group of Seven advanced industrial nations in Washington, D.C. produced an agreement that would allow indebted countries to more easily renegotiate their payment schedules.

Baseball
Winning pitcher Greg Maddux hit a long home run as the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

10 years ago
2002

Oddities
Bill Peavey hit 2 home runs for the University of Southern California Trojans in their game against the Washington State University Cougars at Pullman, Washington. Mr. Peavey’s second homer went over the right field fence and bounced onto the adjacent golf course, where it stuck in the hole of the practice green.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Toronto 2 New York Islanders 0

Baseball
Tony Mongelluzzo of the Savannah Sand Gnats of the Southern Atlantic League hit 4 home runs in a game before drawing a base on balls in his fifth plate appearance.