June 15, 2012

470 years ago
1542

Born on this date
Richard Grenville. English sailor. Sir Richard captained the galleon Revenge, which fought alone against a Spanish fleet of 55 ships in the Battle of Flores off the Azores, finally surrendering after Sir Richard was wounded. Sir Richard died of his wounds at the age of 49 on September 10, 1591, nine days after the battle's conclusion.

260 years ago
1752

Science
Benjamin Franklin flew a kite in a thunderstorm, proving that lightning is electricity (or, as the old joke goes, thereby proving the existence of wind).

40 years ago
1972

Diplomacy
King Hassan II of Morocco and Algerian President Houari Boumedienne closed a four-day summit by signing an agreement formalizing earlier accords to end a border dispute between their countries. 40 African nations, including 23 heads of state, attended the event in the Moroccan capital of Rabat.

Disasters
All 81 people aboard a Cathay Pacific jet en route from Bangkok to Hong Kong were killed when it crashed in the South Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Ein bißchen Frieden--Nicole (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Art Pepper, 56. U.S. jazz saxophonist. Mr. Pepper played with the bands of Benny Carter and Stan Kenton in the 1940s and 1950s, and gained recognition as one of the world's best alto saxophonists. Prison sentences resulting from heroin addiction interrupted his career, but he was always able to come back. He died from a brain hemmrrhage.

Abominations
The United States Supreme Court ruled that children who were illegal aliens had a constitutional right to free public education. The decision upheld two rulings by appeals courts that had declared unconstitutional a Texas law cutting off state funds for educating children who had entered the U.S.A. illegally.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)--Whitney Houston

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Montreal (0-2) 15 @ Ottawa (2-0) 18
Saskatchewan (1-1) 27 @ Calgary (1-1) 42

The Alouettes’ loss to the Rough Riders at Lansdowne Park proved to be their last game; the team folded nine days later, the day before they were scheduled to open their regular season in Toronto.

20 years ago
1992

Died on this date
Ed Lopat, 73. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Lopat, born Ed Lopatynski, pitched with the Chicago White Sox (1944-1947); New York Yankees (1948-1955); and Baltimore Orioles (1955), compiling a record 166 wins and 112 losses. His best seasons were 1951, when he was 21-9 and won 2 games in the World Series, the third of five straight World Series won by the Yankees; and 1953, when he was 16-4, leading the AL in winning percentage (.800) and earned run average (2.42). He was known as "The Junkman" because of his baffling pitches, which didn't seem to be thrown hard, but were able to get batters out. Mr. Lopat managed the Kansas City Athletics in 1963 and 1964; he was fired on June 11, 1964 after compiling a record of 90-124. He remained with the Athletics as an aide to owner Charles O. Finley through 1967 and then served as a scout with the Montreal Expos.

Personal
This blogger continued his Quebec vacation, arriving in Trois-Rivieres.

Abominations
The Canadian House of Commons passed Justice Minister Kim Campbell’s “rape shield” law, defining consent on the part of participants in a sex act. The new bill made it clear that agreement to sexual activity must be voluntary and that if a partner was incapacitated, consent did not exist.

Popular culture
U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle, observing a spelling bee in Trenton, New Jersey, advised a contestant to spell “potato” with an “e” on the end, and became the object of widespread ridicule.

10 years ago
2002

Died on this date
Choi Hong Hi, 83. South Korean military officer. Mr. Choi, who rose from second lieutenant to major general in the South Korean army, was regarded by many as the founder of the martial art known as taekwondo.

Crime
A U.S. federal grand jury in Houston, Texas found the accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP guilty of obstruction of justice in connection with the 2001 collapse of Enron. The accounting firm told the federal government that it would cease auditing public companies by the end of the summer of 2002, in effect going out of business.

Popular culture
Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, was awarded a knighthood “for services to popular music” by Queen Elizabeth II.