April 26, 2013

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Lynn!

210 years ago
1803

Space
Thousands of meteor fragments fell from the skies of L'Aigle, France, convincing European scientists that meteors existed.

125 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Anita Loos. U.S. authoress. Miss Loos, who wrote short stories, non-fiction, and screenplays, was best known for her comic novel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1925). She died on August 18, 1981 at the age of 93.

90 years ago
1923

Married on this date
The Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon--the future King George VI and Queen Mother Elizabeth--were wed at Westminster Abbey in London.

80 years ago
1933

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Typewritten Will

Abominations
Jewish students were barred from school in Germany.

The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, was established.

75 years ago
1938

World events
Austrian Jews were required to register property above 5,000 Reichsmarks.

70 years ago
1943

War
Allied North African headquarters announced that Axis forces in North Africa had suffered 66,000 casualties, including 36,000 captured. Japanese troops attacked in the Mayu Peninsula area south of Buthedaung, one of the few remaining Allied bases in western Burma.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. suspended relations with the Polish government-in-exile in London for its attacks upon the Soviets in connection with the recently-discovered 1940 Katyn Massacre of Polish Army officers.

U.S. and U.K. delegates to the Refugee Conference in Bermuda agreed to relocate refugees in French North Africa, Libya, and Ethiopia.

Defense
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Intrepid was launched at Newport News, Virginia. The U.S. Army released details of its M-12 tank destroyer or gun motor carriage, a 155-millimetre gun mounted on an M-3 tank chassis, capable of shooting a 5-pound shell 10 miles.

Protest
The Easter Riots broke out in Uppsala, Sweden when anti-Nazi protesters confronted a national congress of the National Socialist group Svensk Socialistisk Samling (SSS) (Swedish Socialist Unity).


50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): From a Jack to a King--Ned Miller (8th week at #1)

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Mecca--Gene Pitney (4th week at #1)
2 Summer Holiday--Cliff Richard and the Shadows
3 I Will Follow Him--Little Peggy March
4 Peanuts--The 4 Seasons
5 Surfin' U.S.A.--Beach Boys
6 Pipeline--Chantays
7 Puff the Magic Dragon--Peter, Paul and Mary
8 Bo Diddley--Ronnie Hawkins
9 Dancing Shoes--Cliff Richard and the Shadows
10 Can't Get Used to Losing You--Andy Williams

Music
The single Do You Want to Know a Secret?/I'll Be on My Way by Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas was released in the U.K. on Parlophone Records. Both songs were written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, credited in that order.

Law
Amendments to the Libyan constitution transformed the United Kingdom of Libya into one national unity known as the Kingdom of Libya and allowed for female participation in elections.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree--Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (2nd week at #1)

Scandal
It was reported that Jeb Stuart Magruder had resigned from his position as Assistant U.S. Secretary of Commerce and that he had told government prosecutors in a secret meeting that John Mitchell, then U.S. Attorney General, and White House counsel John Dean had approved, at a secret meeting, the June 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate office complex in Washington. Mr. Magruder had served as deputy director of the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP), whose responsibility for the attempted bugging was being investigated.

Disasters
An avalanche swept through southwestern Quito, Ecuador, killing at least 25 people and leaving 2,000 homeless.

Hockey
WHA
Avco World Trophy
East Division Finals
Cleveland 1 @ New England 4 (New England won best-of-seven series 4-1)

West Division Finals
Winnipeg 3 @ Houston 0 (Winnipeg won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Tom Earl scored the winning goal in the 2nd period as the Whalers defeated the Crusaders at Boston Arena.

Norm Beaudin scored 2 goals and goalie Ernie Wakely posted a shutout as the Jets blanked the Aeros at Sam Houston Arena.

30 years ago
1983

Aviation
The Skyship 500, the first Canadian-built airship, made its first flight in Toronto. It used non-flammable helium and could carry 10 people.

Education
The 18-member National Commission on Excellence in Education, created by United States Secretary of Education Terrel Bell in 1981, issued its report, A Nation at Risk. The panel said that the decline of the schools "threatens our very future as a nation and a people." The report found that students were falling behind their contemporaries in other industrialized nations in academic skills. Arguing that excellence was less expensive than mediocrity, the report called on the public to provide the money needed to turn the situation around. The panel recommended that schools put more emphasis on English, mathematics, science, social studies, and compute science; that the school day and the school year be lengthened; that teachers be rewarded for merit rather than seniority; and that colleges raise their admission standards.

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke 1,200 for the first time.

Politics and government
San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein won an overwhelming victory in a recall election.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
New York Islanders 5 @ Boston 2 (New York led best-of-seven series 1-0)

25 years ago
1988

Politics and government
In the Manitoba provincial election, the governing New Democratic Party, under Premier Gary Doer, lost to the Progressive Conservatives, led by Gary Filmon. The PCs took 25 seats; the Liberals, led by Sharon Carstairs, took 20 seats to become the official Opposition; and the NDP was reduced to 12 seats. Mr. Doer was elected to his party's leadership during the provincial election campaign after Howard Pawley resigned the day after the NDP government was defeated in an attempt to pass the budget.

In the contests for the 1988 United States presidential nominations, Vice-President George Bush mathematically clinched the Republican nomination with a victory in the Pennsylvania primary. He now had 1,144 pledged delegates, 5 more than the minimum needed. Michael Dukakis won the Democratic primary, taking 67% of the vote to Jesse Jackson’s 27%. For the first time, Mr. Dukakis had opened a large lead over Rev. Jackson: 1,250 delegates to 850, with 2,081 needed in order to clinch the nomination.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the gross national product had grown at a 2.3% annual rate during the first quarter of 1988.

Labour
A strike of about 15,000 workers began at the Lenin steel mill near Krakow, Poland.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Division Finals
Boston 4 @ Montreal 1 (Boston won best-of-seven series 4-1)
New Jersey 3 @ Washington 1 (New Jersey led best-of-seven series 3-2)

The Bruins' win over the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum marked the first time in 45 years (and 18 series) that the Bruins had taken a playoff series from the Canadiens.

Basketball
NBA
The National Basketball Association approved the addition of a third referee for games in the 1988-89 season.

Baseball
New York Mets’ first baseman Keith Hernandez hit a pair of home runs and drove in 7 runs during a 13-4 rout of the Atlanta Braves before 10,405 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The 7 RBIs gave Mr. Hernandez 1,000 for his major league career. The Mets broke a 4-4 tie with 2 runs in the 7th inning and 7 in the 8th. Davey Johnson became the second manager to record 400 victories in his first 4 years (Al Lopez was the first). Dwight Gooden pitched a 10-hit complete game to improve his record for the season to 5-0.

Mike Scott allowed 3 hits and 1 earned run in 8 innings to improve his 1988 record to 4-0 as the Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 before 13,152 fans at the Astrodome.

John Smiley allowed 4 hits in 8 2/3 innings and batted 2 for 3, singling in the winning run in the 5th inning, to win the pitchers' duel over Rick Reuschel as the Pittsburgh Pirates shut out the San Francisco Giants 2-0 before 11,738 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

Carmelo Martinez hit a home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 7th inning for the game's only run as the San Diego Padres edged the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 before 15,553 fans at Jack Murphy-San Diego Stadium. Eric Show allowed 10 hits in pitching a shutout, but didn't walk a batter, and the Padres executed 4 double plays. St. Louis starting pitcher John Tudor allowed 4 hits in 6 innings, but was relieved by Randy O'Neal, who took the loss.

Mark McGwire hit a 3-run home run in the 8th inning to break a 1-1 tie and singled in another run in the 9th as the Oakland Athletics beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 before 21,280 fans at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Mr. McGwire's homer came off David Wells, who had just entered the game in relief of Dave Stieb, who was charged with the loss. Storm Davis allowed 4 hits and 1 earned run in 7 innings to get the win.

Don Slaught led off the bottom of the 8th inning with a home run that broke a 4-4 tie and held up as the winning run as the New York Yankees edged the Kansas City Royals 5-4 before 20,364 fans at Yankee Stadium. Losing pitcher Charlie Leibrandt allowed just 4 hits and 1 base on balls, but 3 of the hits were home runs, and all 5 baserunners ended up scoring.

Jeff Robinson pitched a 6-hitter and Gary Pettis drove in 3 runs with a pair of singles as the Detroit Tigers blanked the California Angels 6-0 before 11,973 fans at Tiger Stadium.

Joe Carter hit 2 home runs and batted in 5 runs, and Brook Jacoby and Jay Bell each added 3 RBIs as the Cleveland Indians beat the Seattle Mariners 12-6 before 6,690 fans at Cleveland Stadium. Tom Candiotti pitched a complete game victory, with 10 strikeouts, despite allowing 12 hits and 6 earned runs.

Juan Guzman pitched a 3-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Chris Bosio as the Texas Rangers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 before 27,941 fans at Arlington Stadium.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): All that She Wants--Ace of Base (8th week at #1)

Space
U.S. space shuttle Columbia lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida to begin mission STS-55, a nine-day mission of biological and materials-testing experiments. The Commander was U.S. Air Force Colonel Steven Nagel; the research directors were Dr. Ulrich Walter and Hans William Schlegel, both German physicists. Other astronauts aboard were Col. Jerry Ross and Major Charles Precourt of the U.S. Air Force; and Dr. Bernard Harris, a physician.

Defense
Canadian Defense Minister Kim Campbell announced that the conduct of Canadian soldiers in Somalia would be investigated by a board of inquiry, noting that four civilians in Somalia had been killed by Canadians since February.

Economics and finance
The U.K. Central Statistical Office showed that the economy had grown 0.2% in the first quarter of 1993, prompting the government of Prime Minister John Major to declare that the recession which had lasted more than two years was over.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Montreal 5 @ Quebec 4 (OT) (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-2)
New Jersey 3 @ Pittsburgh 5 (Pittsburgh won best-of-seven series 4-1)
New York Islanders 4 @ Washington 6 (New York led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Gilbert Dionne scored the tying goal with 6:37 remaining in regulation time, and Kirk Muller scored the winner at 8:17 of the 1st overtime period as the Canadiens edged the Nordiques at Le Colisee.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Max Nicholson, 98. Irish ornithologist and environmentalist. Mr. Nicholson was one of the founders, and later the chairman of, the British Trust for Ornithology, and was a founder of the World Wildlife Fund and the International Institute for Environment and Development.

Peter Stone, 73. U.S. writer. Mr. Stone won Tony Awards for his books for the musicals 1776 (1965); Woman of the Year (1981); and Titanic (1997). He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Father Goose (1964). Mr. Stone was known for writing screenplays in the style of the movies of Alfred Hitchcock, examples of which included Charade (1963); Mirage (1965); and Arabesque (1966).

Rosemary Brown, 72. Canadian politician. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Ms. Brown came to Canda in 1950 to study at McGill University. A New Democrat, she became the first Negro woman in Canada to be elected to a provincial legislature, serving as an MLA in British Columbia from 1972-1986. Ms. Brown became the second woman--and the first Negro woman-- to run for the leadership of a federal party. She ran for the leadership of the federal NDP in 1975 and finished a strong second to Ed Broadbent, taking over 41% of the vote on the fourth and final ballot.