April 10, 2013

480 years ago
1533

Died on this date
Frederick I, 61. King of Denmark and Norway, 1523-1533. Frederick took the throne when his nephew Christian II was forced to abdicate. A Roman Catholic, Frederick allowed Lutherans more freedom than his predecessor, and encouraged publication of the first Danish-language Bible. He never visited Norway and was never crowned King of Norway. Frederick I was succeeded on the throne by his son Christian III.

190 years ago
1823

Born on this date
Cornelius Harnett. American politician. Mr. Harnett was a plantation owner who held various offices in the province of North Carolina; he represented North Carolina in the Continental Congress (1777-1779). When British forces occupied Wilmington, N.C. in January 1781, they captured and imprisoned Mr. Harnett; his health declined, and he died on April 28, 1781, 18 days after his 58th birthday, and shortly after being released on parole.

80 years ago
1933

Economics and finance
Canada went off the gold standard when the government of Prime Minister R.B. Bennett issued an Order-in-Council officially suspending the redemption of Dominion notes for gold. It was widely regarded as just a temporary measure during the depths of the depression; a return to the gold standard was expected when economic times improved.

75 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Joe "King" Oliver, 56. U.S. musician and bandleader. Mr. Oliver was a jazz cornetist and bandleader who was popular in New Orleans in the 1910s and in Chicago in 1920s, where his band was known as King Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band, later King Oliver and his Dixie Syncopators. They made recordings that are still available. One of the musicians he employed was a young cornetist named Louis Arsmstrong.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 1 @ Chicago 2 (Chicago led best-of-five series 2-1)
Mike Karakas, who had missed the first two games in the series because of a broken toe, was back in goal for the Blackhawks as they edged the Maple Leafs at Chicago Stadium.

70 years ago
1943

Hit parade
*#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I've Heard That Song Before--Harry James and his Music Makers with Helen Forrest (6th week at #1)

60 years ago
1953

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Broken Wings--The Stargazers

On television tonight
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Homecoming, starring Edith Fellows

This episode was based on a story by Ray Bradbury.

At the movies
House of Wax, the first 3-D movie to be made by a major Hollywood studio--Warner Brothers--premiered in theatres.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Minneapolis 91 @ New York 84 (Minneapolis won best-of-seven series 4-1)

John Kundla won the coaching duel over Joe Lapchick as the Lakers won their second straight championship with their win over the Knickerbockers at Madison Square Garden.

50 years ago
1963

Law
The Canadian Parliament passed the Food and Drugs Act, giving the federal government more control over the sale of drugs.

Disasters
The U.S. Navy submarine USS Thresher sank and imploded during deep-diving tests in the North Atlantic Ocean, 220 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with the loss of all 129 men aboard. It was the first nuclear-powered submarine to be lost at sea.

40 years ago
1973

War
Israeli commandos raided three Arab guerrilla bases in Beirut and Saida and killed three Palestinian guerrilla leaders. The dead were Mohammed Yussef Najjar, number two man in the Palestinian Liberation Organization; Kamal Adwan, Al Fatah executive committee member; and Kamal Nasser, official spokesman for the PLO. Lebanese Prime Minister Saeb Salam, a close friend of Mr. Nasser, resigned, claiming that the Lebanese army had not obeyed his order to attack the Israeli raiders. Palestinian commandos charged that the U.S.A. had aided and harboured the Israeli raiders, while the U.S. denied all charges. Israeli officials justified the raid as a response to "the intensification of terrorist acts in Europe and other places," and in part, though largely coincidental, retaliation against the previous day's bombing of the apartment building in Nicosia, Cyprus housing the Israeli Ambassador to Cyprus, and a subsequent attempt to hijack an Israeli airliner.

Crime
A U.S. Supreme Court justice vacated the conviction of and exonerated George Whitmore, Jr., who had been convicted of the April 23, 1964 assault and attempted rape in New York of Elba Borrero, a 20-year-old nurse at the time of the attack. The conviction, whic had been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, was quashed after it was learned that the victim's sister-in-law, Celeste Viruet, had seen the attack from her apartment window and had never been called as a witness. Ms. Viruet's description of the assailant didn't match Mr. Whitmore, a Negro who was 19 years old at the time of the attack. Mr. Whitmore had earlier confessed to and been convicted of the August 28, 1963 murders of Janice Wylie, 21, and Emily Hoffert, 23. Mr. Whitmore claimed that he had confessed to the "Career Girls Murders" after being beaten by police and denied the opportunity to consult a lawyer. Mr. Whitmore ceased to be a suspect in the case when drug dealer Nathan Delaney, charged with the murder of a rival drug dealer, offered to make a deal with authorities, and identified burglar Ricky Robles as the killer of the young women. Mr. Robles was convicted of the murders in December 1965 and was sentenced to life in prison. Meanwhile, Mr. Whitmore had been charged with the April 14, 1964 of 46-year-old Minnie Edmonds. In March 1965 his conviction on the attack on Mrs. Borrero was quashed on the grounds that the jury had been racially biased and had discussed the career girls murders, violating the judge's instructions. A month later, Mr. Whitmore was tried for the murder of Mrs. Edmonds, and claimed that his confession to this murder was also obtained after being beaten by police. The jury was unable to reach a verdict, and a mistrial was declared. Four days later, the formal indictment against Mr. Whitmore for the career girls murders was dismissed. A second trial for the attack against Mrs. Borrero resulted in a conviction in 1966, which was quashed by a higher court. A third trial resulted in another conviction and a sentence of 5-10 years in prison, resulting in the appeals to the Supreme Court. The indictment against Mr. Whitmore on the charge of murdering Mrs. Edmonds was dismissed by a higher court. The issues surrounding Mr. Whitmore's various confessions and trials helped to inspire the legal requirement that a defendant be informed of his rights at the time of his arrest, and inspired the made-for-television movie The Marcus-Nelson Murders, which was the pilot for the series Kojak. Mr. Whitmore died on October 8, 2012 at the age of 68.

Politics and government
The United States House of Representatives sustained President Richard Nixon's April 5 veto of a bill to finance water and sewer systems in rural America.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Richard Nixon, with the goal of "expanding prosperity for the United States and our trading partners alike," sent Congress a comprehensinve trade bill, giving him new unlimited presidential authority, under international agreements, to raise, lower, or eliminate tariff duties on imports. The 124-page Trade Reform Act also outlined various techniques to reduce U.S. nontariff barriers in return for similar foreign actions. Mr. Nixon also proposed to make trade agreements with Communist nations subject to Congressional veto and to grant them lower tariffs on the most-favoured-nation principle.

Disasters
A British Vanguard turboprop airplane crashed during a heavy snowstorm at Basel, Switzerland, killing 104. Most of the dead on the charter flight were British women and children on a one-day visit to Switzerland.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Buffalo 3 @ Montreal 2 (OT) (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-2)
New York Rangers 6 @ Boston 3 (New York won best-of-seven series 4-1)
St. Louis 1 @ Chicago 6 (Chicago won best-of-seven series 4-1)
Minnesota 2 @ Philadelphia 3 (OT) (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Rene Robert scored 9:18 into overtime as the Sabres edged the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. The Canadiens began the overtime period shorthanded; with 29 seconds remaining in regulation time, Buffalo coach Joe Crozier requested a measurement of the pads of Montreal goaltender Ken Dryden. They were 3/4" too wide, and Montreal was assessed a minor penalty.

Steve Vickers scored 3 goals as the Rangers ended the Bruins' reign as Stanley Cup champions at Boston Garden. 35-year-old rookie goalie Ross Brooks saw his first playoff action, starting for the Bruins. He gave up 3 goals in the 1st period--2 to Mr. Vickers--but left with a leg injury after that period and was replaced by veteran Ed Johnston. Mr. Brooks was the third goalie to start for the Bruins in the series; Jacques Plante played the first two games, and Mr. Johnston the next two.

After being replaced by Gary Smith in the fourth game of the series against St. Louis, Tony Esposito was back in goal for the Black Hawks as they eliminated the Blues at Chicago Stadium.

Gary Dornhoefer scored at 8:35 of overtime to give the Flyers the win over the North Stars at the Spectrum, and their first lead in games in the series.

WHA
Avco World Trophy
East Division Semi-Finals
New England 2 Ottawa 4 @ Toronto (New England led best-of-seven series 2-1)

West Division Semi-Finals
Winnipeg 4 @ Minnesota 6 (Winnipeg led best-of-seven series 2-1)

The Nationals had elected to play their home playoff games in Toronto, but attracted just 4,879 fans to Maple Leaf Gardens for their first home playoff game.

Only 5,151 fans--about 10,000 short of capacity--saw the Fighting Saints beat the Jets in the first playoff game at St. Paul Civic Centre. It was poetic justice, as the Fighting Saints appeared to have lost the last playoff spot to the Alberta Oilers, but appealed on the grounds that they hadn't approved the tie-breaking format that gave the Oilers the playoff berth. The league had upheld the protest, and the Fighting Saints had won a sudden-death playoff game over the Oilers in Calgary on April 4 to take the playoff spot. It was widely believed that the Minnesota protest had prevailed because league executives preferred to have th Fighting Saints playing home playoff games in teh 15,100-seat St. Paul Civic Centre rather than the Alberta Oilers playing home playoff games in the 5,200-seat Edmonton Gardens. Ironically, the crowd at the Fighting Saints' first home playoff game would have just fit into the Edmonton Gardens.

30 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Issam Sartawi, 48 (?). Palestinian political leader. Dr. Sartawi, a moderate Palestine Liberation Organization leader and an adviser to PLO leader Yasser Arafat, was shot to death in the lobby of the Montechoro Hotel in Albufeira, Portugal, where he was representing the PLO at a conference of the Socialist International. He had recently opposed Mr. Arafat's rejection of U.S. President Ronald Reagan's Middle East peace proposal. The assassin escaped, and the Abu Nidal terrorist organization later claimed responsibility.

Diplomacy
King Hussein of Jordan announced that he was discontinuing his attempts to implement U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s Middle East peace plan. The king blamed Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat for pulling back from an agreement worked out at Amman a week earlier. Mr. Reagan blamed the outcome on "radical elements of the PLO."

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Boston 2 @ Quebec 1 (Boston won best-of-five series 3-1)
Minnesota 5 @ Toronto 4 (OT) (Minnesota won best-of-five series 3-1)
Calgary 4 @ Vancouver 3 (OT) (Calgary won best-of-five series 3-1)

25 years ago
1988

War
Hundreds of people were killed when a series of explosions ripped through an ammunition depot near Islamabad, Pakistan. The dump contained most of the weapons flown in by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to beef up the fighting power of the Afghan rebels in their war against the Soviet invaders before an agreement became effective barring the U.S. and U.S.S.R. from sending weapons into the country.

Golf
Sandy Lyle birdied the final hole to win the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia with a 7-under-par score of 281, 1 stroke ahead of Mark Calcavecchia. First prize money was $183,800.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Montreal 5 @ Hartford 7 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Boston 5 @ Buffalo 6 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
New York Islanders 5 @ New Jersey 4 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
Washington 4 @ Philadelphia 5 (OT) (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Clarence S. Campbell Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Detroit 8 @ Toronto 0 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-1)
St. Louis 6 @ Chicago 5 (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Calgary 7 @ Los Angeles 3 (Calgary led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Edmonton 5 @ Winnipeg 3 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 3-1)

John Tucker scored at 5:32 of the 1st overtime period to give the Sabres their win over the Bruins at War Memorial Auditorium.

Brent Sutter's second goal of the game, a shorthanded goal at 15:07 of the 1st overtime period, gave the Islanders their win over the Devils at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford.

Murray Craven scored 1:18 into the 1st overtime period to give the Flyers their win over the Capitals at the Spectrum.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Are You Gonna Go My Way--Lenny Kravitz (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Sei Un Mito--883 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): I Feel You--Depeche Mode (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): No Limit--2 Unlimited (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Alison--Jordy (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Informer--Snow (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I Have Nothing--Whitney Houston
2 Informer--Snow
3 Nothin' But a "G" Thang--Dr. Dre
4 Two Princes--Spin Doctors
5 Don't Walk Away--Jade
6 Ordinary World--Duran Duran
7 I'm Every Woman--Whitney Houston
8 Bed of Roses--Bon Jovi
9 Love Is--Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight
10 Angel--Jon Secada

Singles entering the chart were Livin' on the Edge by Aerosmith (#51); Tell Me What You Dream by Restless Heart featuring Warren Hill (#68); Sleeping Satellite by Tasmin Archer (#72); Tonight by Def Leppard (#75); and Lost in Your Eyes by the Jeff Healey Band (#84).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 If I Ever Lose My Faith in You--Sting
2 Bed of Roses--Bon Jovi
3 Simple Life--Elton John
4 Man on the Moon--R.E.M.
5 Ordinary World--Duran Duran
6 Two Princes--Spin Doctors
7 Angel--Jon Secada
8 That's What Love Can Do--Boy Krazy
9 Beautiful Girl--INXS
10 I Have Nothing--Whitney Houston

Singles entering the chart included Looking Through Patient Eyes by Phil Damon (#85) and Living on the Edge by Aerosmith (#87).

Died on this date
Chris Hani, 50. South African politician. Mr. Hani, leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC), was accosted and fatally shot outside his home in Dawn Park, a racially-mixed suburb of Boksburg, by Janusz Waluś, a Polish immigrant. Clive Derby-Lewis, a senior South African Conservative Party Member of Parliament and shadow Minister for Economic Affairs at the time, was also arrested for complicity in the murder for lending Mr. Waluś his pistol. Both men were sentenced to death, but the sentences were later commuted to life imprisonment. Mr. Hani's death was a blow to the African National Congress in its negotiations to end white majority rule in South Africa.

Hockey
NHL
Philadelphia 4 @ Toronto 0

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Little Eva, 59. U.S. singer. Born Eva Narcissus Boyd, Little Eva was the babysitter for the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King, and they wrote a song for her to perform. The Loco-Motion reached #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in August 1962. Subsequent hits for Little Eva were Keep Your Hands Off My Baby (#12, 1962) and Let's Turkey Trot (#20, 1963).

War
Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq captured Kirkuk, a major city near the northern oil fields. Turkish leaders expressed concern about Kurdish advances near the oil fields. In the Iraqi city of Najaf, an Iraqi mob stormed a mosque and killed two Shiite clerics.

Diplomacy
North Korea formally withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, becoming the first signatory to do so.

Economics and finance
Just before a United States Senate vote on President George W. Bush's tax cut proposal, Senator Charles Grassley (Republican--Iowa) announced a compromise with two Republican senators who opposed the $726-billion cut favoured by Mr. Bush. The $350-billion compromise bill passed the Senate by a vote of 51-50, with Vice-President Dick Cheney casting the deciding vote. Two Republicans voted against the bill. The House of Representatives voted 216-211 in favour of a budget resolution providing for a $550-billion tax cut.

Law
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Amber Alert" bill, providing a system for alerting the public about missing or abducted children.

Politics and government
Canadian Finance Minister John Manley announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chretien had announced his intention to retire, with a new leader to be chosen in November 2003. The candidates included Heritage Minister Sheila Copps and former Finance Minister Paul Martin, Jr.