April 12, 2013

1,775 years ago
238

War
Numidian forces loyal to Roman Emperor Maximinus Thrax defeated the forces of Roman Emperor Gordian II in the Battle of Carthage. Gordian II, 46, had been co-Emperor with his father, Gordian I since leading a successful revolt against Maximinus Thrax on March 22. Gordian II was killed in the battle, and his body wasn't recovered. When Gordian I heard the news, he committed suicide at the approximate age of 79.

225 years ago
1788

Died on this date
Carlo Antonio Campioni, 67. French composer. Mr. Campioni wrote several sets of trio sonatas.

80 years ago
1933

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Death Holds the Prompt Book

Died on this date
Adelbert Ames, 97. U.S. military officer and politician. Mr. Ames was a Union general in the U.S. Civil War, and was a U.S. Army general in the Spanish-American War in 1898. A radical Republican, he served between the wars as Governor of Mississippi from 1868-1870 and 1874-1876, and represented Mississippi in the United States Senate from 1870-1874. Mr. Ames was the last surviving full-rank general to have served in the Civil War.

75 years ago
1938

On the radio
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of Silver Blaze, starring F. Wyndham Goldie and Hugh Harben, on BBC Empire and National Services

This was the first British radio broadcast of a Sherlock Holmes story.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 1 @ Chicago 4 (Chicago won best-of-five series 3-1)

Carl Voss scored the winning goal at 16:45 of the 2nd period as the Black Hawks defeated the Maple Leafs at Chicago Stadium to win the Stanley Cup for the second time in the previous five years. The 1937-38 Black Hawks remain probably the worst team ever to win the Stanley Cup, having finished in third place in the American Division with a record of 14-25-9. They didn't win the Cup again until 1961, and not again after that until 2010. This was the last Stanley Cup final to be played as a best-of-five series; in 1939 it became a best-of-seven series, which it remains today.

60 years ago
1953

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Montreal 3 @ Boston 0 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 2-1)

After using rookie Jacques Plante in goal for four straight games, Montreal coach Dick Irvin put veteran Gerry McNeil back in goal, and he posted a shutout as the Canadiens blanked the Bruins at Boston Garden. Gordon "Red" Henry took the loss in goal for Boston.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): From a Jack to a King--Ned Miller (6th week at #1)

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 Mecca--Gene Pitney (2nd week at #1)
2 I Will Follow Him--Little Peggy March
3 Pipeline--Chantays
4 Peanuts--The 4 Seasons
5 One Broken Heart for Sale--Elvis Presley
6 He's So Fine--The Chiffons
7 Surfin' U.S.A.--Beach Boys
8 Still--Bill Anderson
9 Can't Get Used to Losing You--Andy Williams
10 Over the Mountain (Across the Sea)--Bobby Vinton

On television tonight
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Death and the Joyful Woman, starring Gilbert Roland and Laraine Day

World events
The Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-33 collided with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Kattegat, between Denmark and Sweden. The Finnclipper was bound for the U.S.A. with a load of 6,000 tons of paper. The K-33 suffered damage to her side, but managed to make it to port at Murmansk, while the Finnclipper, after returning to the submarine to see if it needed help, continued to New York.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Get Down--Gilbert O'Sullivan (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Arthur Freed, 78. U.S. songwriter and film producer. Mr. Freed was head of M-G-M's musical department, and produced such movies as Babes in Arms (1939); Meet Me in St. Louis (1944); Easter Parade (1948); On the Town (1949); Show Boat (1951); An American in Paris (1951); Singin' in the Rain (1952); Silk Stockings (1957); and Gigi (1958). As a songwriter, he was best known for his partnership with Nacio Herb Brown, and wrote lyrics for such songs as The Broadway Melody; The Wedding of the Painted Doll; Pagan Love Song; Temptation; Singin' in the Rain; and Make 'Em Laugh.

Diplomacy
General Alexander Haig, returning from Indochina after being sent by U.S. President Richard Nixon to investigate violence in Cambodia and cease-fire violations by North Vietnam, reported that the situation, although still serious, was not critical, and did not require an immediate U.S. or South Vietnamese response.

Business
Occidental Petroleum chairman Armand Hammer and Soviet Deputy Foreign Trade Minister Nikolai Komarov signed a 20-year multibillion-dollar chemical fertilizer barter arrangement in Moscow. The agreement--the second such between Occidental Petroleum and the U.S.S.R.--called for export of American technology and equipment for a new Soviet fertilizer complex, special piping to link the complex to seaports and shipment of American superphosphoric acid in exchange for ammonia, urea, and potash. The Soviet exports would be marketed by Occidental Petroleum. Mr. Hammer called the agreement "the break-through in Soviet-American trade" that would "set an example for others in America."

Disasters
A midair collision between a NASA jet and a U.S. Navy antisubmarine plane took the lives of 16 people near Sunnyvale, California.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Montreal 4 @ Buffalo 2 (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-2)
Philadelphia 4 @ Minnesota 1 (Philadelphia won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Semi-Finals
New York Rangers 4 @ Chicago 1 (New York led best-of-seven series 1-0)

WHA
Avco World Trophy
East Division Semi-Finals
New England 7 Ottawa 3 @ Toronto (New England led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Tom Williams scored 3 goals to lead the Whalers over the Nationals before 4,879 fans at Maple Leaf Gardens.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Let's Dance--David Bowie (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Frederick Thompson, 75. U.S. surgeon. Dr. Thompson was an orthopedic surgeon who led the development of the artificial hip replacement procedure.

Desmond Bagley, 59. U.K. writer. Mr. Bagley was known for his thriller novels, which included The Golden Keel (1962); Running Blind (1970); The Freedom Trap (1971); and The Enemy (1977).

Carl Morton, 39. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Morton began his major league career with the expansion Montreal Expos in 1969. He went 0-3 that year, but in 1970 he posted 18 wins and 11 losses for the last-place Expos, and was voted the National League Rookie of the Year. Mr. Morton failed to follow up his rookie success in the next two seasons, and was traded to the Atlanta Braves in 1973. He responded with a fine 15-10 record that year, which was followed by a 16-12 record in 1974 and a 17-16 season for a bad Braves team in 1975. He finished his major league career with a 4-9 record for the last-place Braves in 1976. His career totals were 87 wins and 92 losses, with 13 shutouts. I saw Mr. Morton pitch in person against the World Series champion Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium on August 16, 1976. He beat the Reds that night for what turned out to be his second-last win. Mr. Morton suffered a fatal heart attack after jogging, becoming one of four pitchers with the Montreal Expos in 1969 and/or 1970 to die before the age of 50. The others were Jerry Robertson, Joe Sparma, and Howie Reed.

Economics and finance
U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker warned that interest rates were so high that they might jeopardize the national economic recovery.

Politics and government
U.S. Congressman Harold Washington (Democrat--Illinois) was elected Mayor of Chicago, becoming the first Negro elected to the position. He defeated his Republican opponent, Bernard Epton, 52%-48%, with the vote going largely along racial lines.

Weather
Six days of heavy rains and floods in the southern United States concluded with 15 people killed, 52,000 forced from their homes, and $625 million in damage.

25 years ago
1988

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Phone Call

Died on this date
Alan Paton, 85. South African writer and political activist. Mr. Paton, a white opponent of his country’s Apartheid policy, was best known for writing Cry, The Beloved Country. The novel was published in 1948 and was made into movies in 1951 (starring Sidney Poitier) and 1995 (starring James Earl Jones). In 1953 Mr. Paton founded the South African Liberal Party to oppose Apartheid. The dissolution of the party was ordered by the federal regime in the late 1960s, officially because it contained both white and black members.

Terrorism
Hijackers of a Kuwait Airways jet that was now on the ground at Larnaca, Cyprus released 12 more hostages, leaving more than 30 still aboard, a week after the plane had been hijacked.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia, announced that he would not seek re-election as leader of the Senate Democrats in 1989. He had been his party’s leader in the Senate since 1977. Mr. Byrd, 70, said that he would become chairman (if the Democrats retained their majority in the 1988 elections) of the Appropriations Committee, whose chairman, John Stennis (Democrat, Mississippi) was retiring.

The Arizona Supreme Court cancelled a recall election targeted at Governor Evan Mecham, which had been scheduled for May 17. In a 4-1 decision, the court ruled that the state constitution mandated the order of succession after a governor was removed, and that hence, Rose Mofford, who had been sworn in as Mr. Mecham's successor on April 5, had the job for all of the remainder of Mr. Mecham's term.

The National Republican Alliance (ARENA) of El Salvador announced that it would appeal the announced election results to the nation's Supreme Court. The official results,announced 10 days earlier by the Central Electoral Council, gave ARENA 30 seats in the 60-member Assembly, one less than a majority. ARENA claimed that it had won 31 seats.

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

Clarence S. Campbell Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Toronto 6 @ Detroit 5 (OT) (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Chicago 3 @ St. Louis 5 (St. Louis won best-of-seven series 4-1)
Los Angeles 4 @ Calgary 6 (Calgary won best-of-seven series 4-1)
Winnipeg 2 @ Edmonton 6 (Edmonton won best-of-seven series 3-1)

Ed Olczyk scored a shorthanded goal in the 1st period, a powerplay goal in the 2nd period, and the winning goal 34 seconds into the 1st overtime period as the Maple Leafs edged the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

20 years ago
1993

Music
Gordon Lightfoot performed at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton. It took about 10 songs before his voice got in tune, but from then on it was a good concert. I paid $28.50 + GST ($30.49 total) for my ticket.

World events
U.S., Dutch, and French aircraft patrolled skies over Bosnia to enforce a United Nations ban on unauthorized flights. A French Mirage jet was reported to have crashed on return from its mission.

10 years ago
2003

World events
Hungary held a referendum on joining the European Union. The vote was heavily in favour, although voter turnout was low.

War
General Amir al-Saadi, top science adviser to the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, turned himself in to U.S. forces.

Protest
Martha Burk, chairhag of the U.S. National Council of Women's Organizations, and 40 fellow hags protested near the front gate of Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, where the Masters tournament was being played, to protest the club's refusal to admit female members.