April 16, 2013

900 years ago
1113

Died on this date
Sviatopolk II, 62. Grand Prince of Kiev, 1093-1113. Sviatopolk's reign was marked by a rivalry with his cousin Vladimir Monomakh.

525 years ago
1488

Born on this date
Jungjong. King of Korea, 1506-1544. Jungjong, born Yi Yeok, acceded to the throne of the Joseon dynasty as a result of a coup that deposed his half-brother Yeonsangun. Jungjong was regarded as a weak king; the Confucian scholar Jo Gwang-jo was the major governing influence during the early years of his reign, and the later years were marked by struggles among various conservative factions. Jungjong died on November 29, 1544 at the age of 56, and was succeeded on the throne by his son Injong.

160 years ago
1853

Transportation
The first passenger rail opened in India, running from Bori Bunder, Bombay to Thane.

Toronto Locomotive Works built Toronto, the first steam locomotive built in Canada.

150 years ago
1863

War
In the U.S. Civil War, ships led by Union Admiral David Dixon Porter moved through heavy Confederate artillery fire on approach to Vicksburg, Mississippi to begina siege of the city.

110 years ago
1903

Economics and finance
Canada raised tariffs on German imports to retaliate for a similar move by Germany.

75 years ago
1938

Baseball
The St. Louis Cardinals traded pitcher Dizzy Dean to the Chicago Cubs for pitchers Curt Davis and Clyde Shoun, outfielder Tuck Stainback, and $185,000. In 1937 Mr. Dean had won 13 games and lost 10, with an earned run average of 2.70. He suffered a broken toe in the All-Star game when hit by a line drive off the bat of Earl Averill, and when he came back later in the season, he favoured the injury, and ended up hurting his pitching arm, which never recovered.

60 years ago
1953

Britannica
Thousands welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh when they arrived in Clydeside, Scotland to launch the new royal yacht HMY Britannia.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Boston 0 @ Montreal 1 (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1)

Elmer Lach scored 1:22 into overtime at the Montreal Forum to give the Canadiens their first Stanley Cup in seven years. Mr. Lach's shot appeared to be harmless, but Boston goalie Sugar Jim Henry claimed he didn't see the shot, or see the puck go into the net. Mr. Lach also didn't see the net, and was surprised to see the red light go on to signal the goal. Gerry McNeil posted the shutout in goal for the Canadiens. For Montreal coach Dick Irvin, it marked the fourth and last time that he coached a team to the Stanley Cup championship.

50 years ago
1963

On television tonight
The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Charlie Argos Story

Protest
Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against racial segregation.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles 106 @ Boston 113 (Boston led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 4 @ Detroit 2 (Toronto led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Dave Keon scored the winning goal for the Maple Leafs at 9:42 of the 3rd period. The game was delayed after fans at Olympia Stadium littered the ice with eggs, ink, coins, and firecrackers after every goal and penalty. Detroit coach Sid Abel blamed the egg-throwing on "fans from Windsor."

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Killing Me Softly with His Song--Roberta Flack (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Rien qu'une larme--Mike Brant (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Nino Bravo, 28. Spanish singer. Born Luis Manuel Ferri Llopis, Mr. Bravo was a popular singer, mainly in the easy listening genre, on record and at festivals in Europe and Latin America. He died on the way to the hospital as a result of an accident while he was driving his BMW about 60 miles southeast of Madrid.

War
U.S. B-52 and F-11 bombers struck North Vietnamese positions at Tha Vieng, on the southern edge of the Plain of Jars in Laos. U.S. officials insisted that the bombing took place at the request of the Laotian government in response to North Vietnamese ground assaults in violation of the Paris cease-fire accord. North Vietnam protested to the International Vietnam Conference that the U.S. raids were "grave violations" of the cease-fire.

Defense
Plans by the U.S. Defense Department to close or decrease the size of 274 military bases were sent to Congress. The measure would eliminate 26,172 civilian jobs and 16,640 military jobs over the next year and save the government $400 million per year. According to the plan, nearly 40 major bases, many in New England, would be closed during the fiscal year beginning July 1; the other bases would be reduced in size or consolidated.

Crime
Former Canadian Football League player Don Paquette, 34, pled guilty in London, Ontario to manslaughter in the August 1972 beating death in London of Kenneth Mero, 44. Mr. Paquette had originally been charged with murder before agreeing to a plea bargain. A Canadian defensive end, Mr. Paquette played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1958-1960 before becoming a figure in one of the CFL's most controversial trades. On November 9, 1960, the Montreal Alouettes traded quarterback Sam Etcheverry to the Tiger-Cats along with offensive end Hal Patterson for quarterback Bernie Faloney and Mr. Paquette. The trade outraged Montreal fans, and Mr. Etcheverry claimed that the trade had violated his contract. When all was sorted out, the trade of quarterbacks was voided, Mr. Etcheverry signed with the National Football League's St. Louis Cardinals, and Mr. Paquette went to Montreal in exchange for Mr. Patterson. Mr. Paquette played for the Alouettes from 1961-1963, the Toronto Argonauts in 1964, and the Alouettes again in 1965. He failed in a last attempt to make the Argonauts in 1967.

Football
CFL
The British Columbia Lions traded fullback Jim Evenson to the Ottawa Rough Riders for defensive back Barry Ardern and defensive lineman Gus Revenberg. In 5 seasons with the Lions, Mr. Evenson had rushed for 5,708 yards--12th on the CFL career list to date--and 32 touchdowns, winning selection to the All-Western All-Star team from 1968-1971 and the All-Canadian team in 1970-1971. Mr. Ardern had joined the Rough Riders in 1968, and had played with the Grey Cup championship teams in 1968 and 1969. In 5 seasons, he had never missed a game. Mr. Revenberg was a backup defensive lineman who was joining the Lions after 3 seasons in Ottawa. In another trade, the Toronto Argonauts traded defensive back/linebacker Marv Luster to the Montreal Alouettes for linebacker Steve Smear and a player to be named later. Mr. Luster had played on both offense and defense for the Alouettes from 1961-1964 before joining the Argonauts during the 1964 season. He acquired the reputation as the CFL's best open-field tackler, and was voted to the All-Eastern All-Star team for 7 straight seasons from 1966-1972, winning All-Canadian recognition in all those years except 1967. Mr. Smear had joined the Alouettes in 1970 and had been named to the All-Eastern team as a defensive end, while helping the team win the Grey Cup. He had switched to linebacker in 1971, winning All-Eastern honours at that position.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Chante--Les Forbans (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Let's Dance--David Bowie (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Let's Dance--David Bowie (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Billie Jean--Michael Jackson (7th week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Billie Jean--Michael Jackson (6th week at #1)
2 Come On Eileen--Dexys Midnight Runners & the Emerald Express
3 Mr. Roboto--Styx
4 You Are--Lionel Richie
5 One on One--Daryl Hall & John Oates
6 Jeopardy--Greg Kihn Band
7 Back on the Chain Gang--Pretenders
8 Beat It--Michael Jackson
9 Der Kommissar--After the Fire
10 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club

Singles entering the chart were Affair of the Heart by Rick Springfield (#47); Time (Clock of the Heart) by Culture Club (#53); Faithfully by Journey (#65); Never Gonna Let You Go by Sergio Mendes (#85); All This Love by DeBarge (#87); and Sing Me Away by Night Ranger (#89).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Mr. Roboto--Styx (2nd week at #1)
2 She Blinded Me with Science--Thomas Dolby
3 Billie Jean--Michael Jackson
4 Hungry Like the Wolf--Duran Duran
5 Back on the Chain Gang--Pretenders
6 Jeopardy--Greg Kihn Band
7 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club
8 Midnight Blue--Louise Tucker
9 One on One--Daryl Hall & John Oates
8 Beat It--Michael Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Solitaire by Laura Branigan (#44); The One Thing by INXS (#49); and New Year's Day by U2 (#50).

Terrorism
Brazil detained four Libyan airplanes on route to Nicaragua after finding weapons, explosives, and ammunition aboard the planes.

Baseball
Steve Garvey of the San Diego Padres played in his 1,118th consecutive major league game, breaking the National League record held by Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs. His streak began with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1975.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in France (SNEP): Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): L'Amore Rubato--Luca Barbarossa

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Heart--Pet Shop Boys (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Heart--Pet Shop Boys (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
2 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson
3 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
4 Devil Inside--INXS
5 Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby
6 Where Do Broken Hearts Go--Whitney Houston
7 Girlfriend--Pebbles
8 Rocket 2 U--The Jets
9 Some Kind of Lover--Jody Watley
10 Angel--Aerosmith

Singles entering the chart were One More Try by George Michael (#39); Everything Your Heart Desires by Daryl Hall John Oates (#47); Together Forever by Rick Astley (#67); Circle in the Sand by Belinda Carlisle (#72); Like a Child by Noel (#82); Should I Say Yes? by Nu Shooz (#85); Englishman in New York by Sting (#86); and Dreamin' of Love by Stevie B (#88).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean (2nd week at #1)
2 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
3 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson
4 Endless Summer Nights--Richard Marx
5 I Saw Him Standing There--Tiffany
6 Devil Inside--INXS
7 Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby
8 Push It--Salt-N-Pepa
9 Father Figure--George Michael
10 Check it Out--John Cougar Mellencamp

Singles entering the chart were Englishman in New York by Sting (#83); Everything Your Heart Desires by Daryl Hall John Oates (#85); Naughty Girls (Need Love Too) by Samantha Fox (#87); Carmelia by Dan Hill (#89); One Good Reason by Paul Carrack (#94); One Day in Your Life by 54-40 (#96); Underneath the Radar by Underworld (#97); and Gimme Some Kinda Sign by the Satellites (#98).

Canada's top 10 (The Record)
1 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
2 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
3 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S
4 Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby
5 I Saw Him Standing There--Tiffany
6 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
7 Push It--Salt-N-Pepa
8 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson
9 Endless Summer Nights--Richard Marx
10 Father Figure--George Michael

Died on this date
Khalil al-Wazir, 53. Palestinian terrorist. In Tunis, nine masked attackers killed two bodyguards and a driver before breaking into the home of Palestine Liberation Organization military chief Khalil al-Wazir and killing him. Subsequent reports said that altogether, 30 to 40 raiders had been put ashore in Tunis from an Israeli missile boat, and that the operation had been carried out by Israeli intelligence agents, and naval and army units. Mr. al-Wazir, who went by the name Abu Jihad, had been co-ordinating the Palestinian uprising in the territories occupied by Israel, which regarded him as being responsible for terrorist raids against Israel. On hearing of the assassination, Palestinians in the territories rioted, and 14 were shot to death by Israeli soldiers in the bloodiest day since the beginning of the current unrest.

Politics and government
Michael Dukakis won the Arizona caucus in the contest for the 1988 Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Philadelphia 4 @ Washington 5 (OT) (Washington won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Dale Hunter's second goal of the game, at 5:57 of the 1st overtime period, completed a comeback from a 3-1 deficit in games and a 3-0 deficit on the scoreboard in this game as the Capitals eliminated the Flyers at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland.

Curling
Pat Ryan of Canada defeated Switzerland 4-2 in a semi-final game to advance to the final of the world men’s championship in Lausanne, Switzerland.

20 years ago
1993

Music
This blogger was in attendance at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton as the Edmonton Symphony Orcehstra performed under guest conductor Steven Sloane, with violinist Gil Shaham as the featured soloist.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council voted to create a safe haven for Bosnian Muslims under siege in the town of Srebrenica.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Graham Jarvis, 72. Canadian-born U.S. actor. Mr. Jarvis was a character actor who appeared in several movies and many television programs from the late 1960s until his death.

Jack Donohue, 71. U.S.-born Canadian basketball coach. Mr. Donohue achieved distinction as a high school coach at Power Memorial Academy in New York from 1959-1965, compiling a record of 163-30, including 71 straight wins when his most famous player was Lew Alcindor, later to become known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Mr. Donohue then coached at College of the Holy Cross from 1965-1972, winning 106 games and losing 66. In 1972 Mr. Donohue moved to Canada, where he coached the men's national team for the next 16 years. Perhaps the first notable positive result of Mr. Donohue's influence came in November 1975 when Canada defeated the U.S.S.R.--then the world champions--in a game at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Under his coaching, the team finished fourth in the Summer Olympics in 1976 and 1984. The high point of Mr. Donohue's tenure was the 1983 World University Games in Edmonton, when Canada won a semi-final against an American team that included future NBA stars Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, and then defeated Yugoslavia to win the gold medal. On January 16, 1976, Mr. Donohue visited Sir John Franklin Territorial High School in Yellowknife while on a tour of the Arctic, and gave a clinic to our Phys Ed class that afternoon. This blogger can thus claim to have been coached--if only for an hour or so--by Jack Donohue (although you'd never have known that if you'd seen me play). I met Mr. Donohue several times in later years when he visited Edmonton, and he was always very friendly and classy. I was very saddened to hear of his death.

War
For the second straight day, U.S. forces in Mosul, Iraq shot into crowds of protesters; estimates of deaths ranged from 10-17. U.S. soldiers claimed they were responding to fire.

Diplomacy
The Treaty of Accession was signed in Athens admitting the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia to the European Union, effective May 1, 2004.

U.S. President George W. Bush urged the United Nations to lift sanctions on Iraq now that Saddam Hussein had been removed from power in Iraq. Lifting the sanctions was seen as a way of enabling Iraqi oil money to pay for the reconstruction of the country.