April 26, 2012

190 years ago
1822

Born on this date
Frederik Law Olmsted. U.S. architect. Mr. Olmsted was the foremost landscape architect in the United States in the 19th century. Among his designs were Central Park in New York and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Mr. Olmsted died on August 28, 1903 at the age of 81.

100 years ago
1912

Born on this date
A.E. van Vogt. Canadian-born U.S. author. A native of Edenburg, Manitoba, Mr. van Vogt wrote science fiction for about 60 years. His novels included The World of Null-A (1948) and The Mixed Men (1952). He died on January 26, 2000 at the age of 87.

80 years ago
1932

At the movies
Illegal, directed by William C. McGann, and starring Isobel Elsom, Ivor Barnard, and D.A. Clarke-Smith, opened in theatres in London.



75 years ago
1937

War
In the Spanish Civil War, the German Luftwaffe destroyed the town of Guernica.

60 years ago
1952

Hit Parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Wheel of Fortune--Kay Starr (Best Seller--7th week at #1; Disc Jockey--7th week at #1); Juke Box--5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Blue Tango--Leroy Anderson and his "Pops" Concert Orchestra (2nd 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 Any Time--Eddie Fisher
5 Cry--Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads
6 A Guy is a Guy--Doris Day
7 Tell Me Why--The Four Aces
--Eddie Fisher
8 Perfidia--The Four Aces
9 Please, Mr. Sun--Johnnie Ray
10 Forgive Me--Eddie Fisher

Singles entering the chart were Lady Love by Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (#24); Indian Love Call by Louis Armstrong and Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra (#33); and Sheik of Araby by the Ames Brothers (#36).

Golf
Patty Berg set a record for women for the lowest score in a round, shooting 64 from regulation tees in the Richmond Open in Richmond, California.

50 years ago
1962

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Wonderful Land--The Shadows (6th week at #1)

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Lynn Weiss!

Space
Three days after launch, the U.S. probe Ranger 4 crashed on the far side of the moon at 7:49:53 A.M. Eastern Standard Time.



The United Kingdom entered the space age when Ariel, a satellite built in collaboration with the United States, was launched. Its mission was to study the ionosphere, electron density and temperature, ion composition, solar ultraviolet, and cosmic rays.



The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Cosmos 4.

40 years ago
1972

Died on this date
Margaret Bonds, 59. U.S. musician and composer. Miss Bonds was a concert pianist who was best known for her choral works, often with words provided by poet Langston Hughes.

Diplomacy
4½ months after the end of their war, India and Pakistan began peace talks in Murree, 40 miles north of Rawalpindi. The talks began less than a week after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had taken office as President of Pakistan under that country’s new constitution, declaring that he was prepared to repatriate all Indians held as prisoners of war “even if India does not do the same.”

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): What About Me--Moving Pictures (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Celia Johnson, 73. U.K. actress. Dame Celia was best known for her starring role in the movie Brief Encounter (1945), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and won a BAFTA Award. Her other films included In Which We Serve (1942); This Happy Breed (1944); The Captain's Paradise (1953); and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), for which she won a BAFTA Award for her supporting performance. Dame Celia died of a stroke.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Viens boire un p'tit coup à la maison--License IV (3rd week at #1)

20 years ago
1992

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Minnesota 0 @ Detroit 3 (Minnesota led best-of-seven series 3-2)
St. Louis 4 @ Chicago 6 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Winnipeg 2 @ Vancouver 8 (Winnipeg led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Edmonton 5 @ Los Angeles 2 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 3-2)

10 years ago
2002

Crime
Robert Steinhauser, a recently-expelled student, went on a shooting rampage at his former secondary school in Erfurt, Germany, killing 17 people—13 of them teachers—before turning the gun on himself.