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