April 2, 2013

500 years ago
1513

Exploration
Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in what is now Florida.

225 years ago
1788

Born on this date
Rama III. King of Siam, 1824-1851. Rama III aka Nangklao acceded to the throne upon the death his father Rama II despite being the son of a concubine rather than of a queen. The establishment of Siam's military hegemony occurred during his reign. King Rama III died on April 2, 1851, two days after his 63rd birthday; he fathered 51 children but hadn't raised any of his consorts to the position of queen, and the throne passed to his half-brother Prince Mongkut, who became King Rama IV.

150 years ago
1863

Protest
Food shortages incited hundreds of angry women to riot in Richmond, Virginia and demand that the Confederate government release emergency supplies.

140 years ago
1873

Scandal
In the Canadian House of Commons, Liberal MP Lucius Seth Huntington charged that Canadian Pacific railway executives Hugh Allan and G.W. McMullen gave funds to the Conservative government of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald in return for a CPR charter. A non-confidence motion was defeated 107 to 76.

60 years ago
1953

On the radio
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Morrow on Mars

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Boston 4 @ Detroit 6 (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Chicago 4 @ Montreal 2 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Two goals in a 55-second span saved the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings from elimination against the Bruins at Olympia Stadium.

Al Rollins won the goaltending duel over Gerry McNeil as the Black Hawks beat the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum for their third straight win.

50 years ago
1963

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

Space
The U.S/S.R. launched the probe Lunik 4 toward the moon.

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

Henri Richard led the Canadiens past the Maple Leafs at the Montreal Forum.

Bobby Hull, playing with a broken bone in his cheek, scored the only Chicago goal as the Black Hawks lost to the Red Wings at Olympia Stadium.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): You're So Vain--Carly Simon (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Rien qu'une larme--Mike Brant

Terrorism
Argentine terrorists kidnapped a U.S. business executive and a retired Argentine rear admiral in Buenos Aires.

Scandal
Stanley Goldbaum, president of Equity Funding Corporation of America, resigned, the day The Wall Street Journal revealed accusations against the corporation of engaging in a multimillion dollar fraud involving 56,000 bogus insurance policies, forged bonds and death certificates, and $120 million in non-existent assets. According to the report, Equity Funding, a leader in insurance and mutual funds which had handled $6.5 billion in life insurance by the end of 1972, had created a plan to affect the appearance of a profitable organizaton, thereby inflate its own value, and eventlually buy a reputable insurance company.

Politics and government
The progressive Liberal Movement broke away from the more conservative Liberal and Country League in South Australia to become a party on its own.

Technology
The LexisNexis computerized legal research service was launched.

Disasters
At least 10 people died, 4 in the Netherlands, when a hurricane struck western Europe.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Chante--Les Forbans (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Is There Something I Should Know?--Duran Duran (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Billie Jean--Michael Jackson (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Billie Jean--Michael Jackson (4th week at #1)
2 You Are--Lionel Richie
3 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club
4 Hungry Like the Wolf--Duran Duran
5 Back on the Chain Gang--Pretenders
6 One on One--Daryl Hall & John Oates
7 Mr. Roboto--Styx
8 Come On Eileen--Dexys Midnight Runners & the Emerald Express
9 Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)--Journey
10 Jeopardy--Greg Kihn Band

Singles entering the chart were Flashdance...What a Feeling by Irene Cara (#76); Gimme All Your Lovin' by ZZ Top (#83); Try Again by Champaign (#84); Wind Him Up by Saga (#86); Love's Got a Line on You by Scandal (#87); New Year's Day by U2 (#89); Why Me? by Planet P (#90); and Der Kommissar by Falco (#95).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Billie Jean--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)
2 Hungry Like the Wolf--Duran Duran
3 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club
4 Mr. Roboto--Styx
5 You Are--Lionel Richie
6 We've Got Tonight--Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton
7 One on One--Daryl Hall & John Oates
8 Back on the Chain Gang--Pretenders
9 Sexual Healing--Marvin Gaye
10 Shy Boy--Bananarama

Singles entering the chart were Lies by the Thompson Twins (#44); Mexican Radio by Wall of Voodoo (#47); and Rio by Duran Duran (#49).

Diplomacy
Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko rejected U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s offer of an interim solution on intermediate-range missiles in Europe, arguing that Mr. Reagan hadn’t included British and French nuclear weapons in his proposal.

Spain expelled a Soviet diplomat whom they accused of espionage.

King Hussein of Jordan and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat began three days of talks in Amman.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Perdere l'Amore--Massimo Ranieri (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Could've Been--Tiffany

#1 single in the U.K.: Don't Turn Around--Aswad (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)
2 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
3 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
4 Endless Summer Nights--Richard Marx
5 Out of the Blue--Debbie Gibson
6 I Want Her--Keith Sweat
7 Rocket 2 U--The Jets
8 Father Figure--George Michael
9 Devil Inside--INXS
10 Where Do Broken Hearts Go--Whitney Houston

Singles entering the chart were Nightime by Pretty Poison (#81); I Still Believe by Brenda K. Starr (#84); Presence of Love by Alarm (#86); Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil (#87); Kiss Me Deadly by Lita Ford (#88); Promise Me by Cover Girls (#89); and Jack the Lad by 3 Man Island (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley (3rd week at #1)
2 Father Figure--George Michael
3 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
4 I Get Weak--Belinda Carlisle
5 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson
6 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S
7 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
8 Just Like Paradise--David Lee Roth
9 Endless Summer Nights--Richard Marx
10 Check it Out--John Cougar Mellencamp

Singles entering the chart were I'm Still Searching by Glass Tiger (#77); Anything for You by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine (#80); Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil (#84); Pink Cadillac by Natalie Cole (#86); Always on My Mind by Pet Shop Boys (#89); Love Changes Everything by Honeymoon Suite (#92); Somewhere Down the Crazy River by Robbie Robertson (#95); I Wish I Had a Girl by Henry Lee Summer (#96); and Heatseeker by AC/DC (#97).

Canada's Top 8 (The Record)
1 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S
2 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
3 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
4 Father Figure--George Michael
5 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
6 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson
7 Just Like Paradise--David Lee Roth
8 I Get Weak--Belinda Carlisle

Died on this date
Vernon W. Thomson, 82. U.S. politician. Mr. Thomson, a Republican, was Governor of Wisconsin from 1957-1959. He defeated William Proxmire in the 1956 gubernatorial election, but lost to Gaylord Nelson in 1958. Mr. Thomson was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1960, and sat there from 1961-1975. He was one of many Republicans to go down to defeat in the anti-Watergate backlash of 1974.

Politics and government
The contest for the 1988 U.S. presidential nominations moved to the Virgin Islands, with Jesse Jackson winning the Democratic party caucus.

In El Salvador, the Central Electoral Council announced the official results of the March 20 national election. The National Republican Alliance (ARENA) was given 30 seats in the 60-seat Assembly, one less than a majority. 23 seats went to the Christian Democratic Party, and 7 to the National Conciliation Party.

Hockey
NHL
Detroit 3 @ Toronto 5
At Maple Leaf Gardens, the Maple Leafs came back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Red Wings in their final regular season game of the 1987-88 season. The win put them one point ahead of the Minnesota North Stars for the final playoff spot.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: In the Still of the Night--Boys II Men (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): All That She Wants--Ace of Base (5th week at #1)

Diplomacy
Bosnian Serbs rejected a set of peace proposals that had been approved by Croats and Muslims.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Edwin Starr, 61. U.S. singer. Mr. Starr, born Charles Edwin Hatcher, recorded the hit single Agent Double-O-Soul for the small Ric-Tic label in 1965, which reached #21 on the Bilboard Hot 100 singles chart and #8 on the rhythm and blues chart. When the Motown corporation absorbed Ric-Tic in 1968, Mr. Starr began recording for Motown and had major hits with Twenty-Five Miles (#6 R&B, #6 Pop, 1969) and War (#1 Pop, #3 R&B, 1970). He eventually moved to England, where he died of a heart attack.

War
The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division and U.S. 1st Marine Division closed to within 30 miles of Baghdad. Air assaults had reportedly reduced the Iraqi divisions defending Baghdad by 50%. Iraqi ground fire downed a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter, killing seven crew members. Turkey agreed to let the United States transport food and non-military supplies through its territory.

Terrorism
16 people were killed when a bomb was detonated near a ferry terminal in Davao, Philippines. Officials blamed the Muslim separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Health
The World Health Organization advised travellers to avoid Hong Kong and China's Guangdong province, where Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) had apparently originated.