April 8, 2013

870 years ago
1143

Died on this date
John II, 55. Byzantine Emperor, 1118-1143. John was the eldest son of Emperor Alexios I. During his reign he made alliances with the Holy Roman Empire in the west and forced back the Turks in the east, restoring many areas to Byzantine control. He died after accidentally cutting his hand with a poisoned arrow.

120 years ago
1893

Basketball
The first recorded college basketball game occurred at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

80 years ago
1933

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 1 @ New York Rangers 3 (New York led best-of-five series 2-0)

70 years ago
1943

Died on this date
Richard Sears, 81. U.S. tennis player. Mr. Sears won the men's singles competition at the U.S. National Championships for seven straight years (1881-1887) and the men's doubles competition for six straight years (1882-1887), retiring after 1887.

Tomás Garrido Canabal, 51. Mexican politician. Mr. Garrido was a Marxist revolutionary and atheist who was known for his hatred and persecution of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Governor of Yucatan (May-June 1920) and Governor of Tabasco (May 1919-January 1920, 1923-1926, 1931-1934). When Lázaro Cárdenas became President of Mexico in 1934, he named Mr. Garrido as Secretary of Agriculture, but dismissed him in 1935, forced him into exile in Costa Rica, and disbanded his paramilitary groups after Mr. Garrido ordered his Red Shirts to kill Catholic activists in Mexico City seeking to return to Tabasco. Mr. Garrido was allowed to return to Mexico in 1941, and died of cancer in Los Angeles.

Otto Hampel, 45; Elise Hampel, 39. German resistance activists. From September 1940 until their arrest in the fall of 1942, Mr. and Mrs. Hampel left 200 handwritten postcards around Berlin denouncing the Nazi regime. They were convicted of "preparing for high treason," and were decapitated in Plötzensee Prison, Berlin.

Divorced on this date
Actress Lili Damita was granted a divorce from actor Errol Flynn in Hollywood.

War
German troops transferred their pressure on Soviet forces from Izyum to the Balakleya area, 25 miles to the north. The Japanese offensive north of Akyab, Burma was halted by U.K. troops.

Technology
The Rockefeller Foundation revealed that Massachusetts Institute of Technology was using a mechanical brain that was built with $130,500 of the Foundation's funds.

Education
The U.S. Committee on Educational Reconstruction approved a plan drafted by Alonzo F. Myers to create a United Nations International Education Office to supervise postwar education in Axis and Axis-occupied countries.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in an attempt to check inflation, froze wages and prices, prohibited workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and barred rate increases by common carriers and public utilities.

U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Iranian Minister to the United States Mohammed Shayestoh signed a three-year reciprocal trade agreement providing for tariff reductions.

Labour
The U.S. Senate approved a $40-million mobile farm labour bill for the use of Mexican and Bahamian workers in order to meet critical shortage area needs in the United States.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Detroit 2 @ Boston 0 (Detroit won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Johnny Mowers posted his second straight shutout in goal as the Red Wings completed the series sweep of the Bruins at Boston Garden. Joe Carveth scored the Cup-winning goal at 12:09 of the 1st period.

60 years ago
1953

On the radio
I Was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews
Tonight’s episode: The Brass Monkey

At the movies
Man in the Dark, directed by Lew Landers, and starring Edmond O'Brien and Audrey Totter, received its premiere screening in New York City.





World events
Jomo Kenyatta, leader of the Kenya African Union, was sentenced to seven years' hard labour for his role in organization of the terrorist Mau Mau movement. He was also sentenced to three years' hard labour, to run concurrently, for being a member of the organization. Fred Kubai, Richard Achieng, Bildad Kaggia, Paul Ngei and Kungu Karumba were also sentenced to seven years' hard labour for assisting in the management of Mau Mau.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Minneapolis 71 @ New York 69 (Minneapolis led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Baseball
60,000 people attended a downtown parade welcoming the Braves to Milwaukee, three weeks after the franchise had officialy been transferred from Boston while the club was in Florida for spring training.

50 years ago
1963

Politics and government
The Canadian federal election resulted in a plurality for the Liberals, marking the end of six years of Progressive Conservative government under Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. The Liberals, under Lester Pearson, won 129 seats in the House of Commons--4 short of a majority--to 95 for the Progressive Conservatives, 24 for Social Credit, 17 for the New Democratic Party, and 1 Liberal-Labour. One of the new members of the House was future Prime Minister Jean Chretien, winning for the Liberals in the Quebec riding of Saint-Maurice—Laflèche. Margaret Konantz was elected as a Liberal in Winnipeg South, becoming the first woman MP from Manitoba.

40 years ago
1973

Died on this date
Pablo Picasso, 91. Spanish artist. Mr. Picasso was one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. He co-founded the Cubist movement in painting, invented constructed sculpture, and co-invented collage. His works included Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) and Guernica (1937).

World events
Viet Cong spokesmen called the previous day's downing of a peacekeeping mission helicopter--with the loss of all 9 people aboard--a "regrettable accident," stating that the helicopter, and another that had landed safely after being shot up, had strayed from the narrow corridor prescribed by the Communists.

Three South Vietnamese tankers and two convoy ships brought the first fuel into the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh in two weeks. U.S. B-52's continued a campaign of bombing the city's outskirts to break the Communist blockade of all major waterways and roadways into the capital.

Politics and government
At the request of Palden Thondup Namgyal, the Chongyal of Sikkim, the government of India took administrative control of the protectorate. The request came after two weeks of anti-government violence instigated by the opposition Joint Council for Action, callng for political and administrative reforms. The Chongyal and his American-born wife had gone into seclusion under heavy palace guard two days earlier.

Golf
Tommy Aaron won the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. First prize money was $30,000.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Montreal 1 @ Buffalo 5 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Boston 0 @ New York Rangers 4 (New York led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Chicago 3 @ St. Louis 5 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Philadelphia 3 @ Minnesota 0 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

The Sabres' win over the Canadiens at War Memorial Auditorium was the first playoff win in the team's three-year history.

Ed Giacomin posted the shutout in goal for the Rangers as they blanked the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins at Madison Square Garden. Ed Johnston took the loss in goal for Boston.

Gary Smith, playing his first playoff game of the year, took the loss in goal for the Black Hawks as they lost to the Blues at St. Louis Arena.

Doug Favell earned the shutout in goal for the Flyers as they beat the North Stars at Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington.

WHA
Avco World Trophy
East Division Semi-Finals
Cleveland 3 @ Philadelphia 0 (Cleveland led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Gerry Cheevers earned the shutout in goal for the Crusaders as they blanked the Blazers at Philadelphia Civic Center.

West Division Semi-Finals
Minnesota 2 @ Winnipeg 5 (Winnipeg led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
Baltimore 99 @ New York 109 (New York won best-of-seven series 4-1)
Atlanta 97 @ Boston 94 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

The Knickerbockers' at Madison Square Garden was the last game for the Bullets as a team representing Baltimore. They became the Capital Bullets in 1973-74.

Western Conference Semi-Finals
Los Angeles 94 @ Chicago 98 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

ABA
Western Division Semi-Finals
Utah 120 San Diego 99 (Utah won best-of-seven series 4-0)

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Twisting by the Pool--Dire Straits (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Too Shy--Kajagoogoo (2nd week at #1)

Diplomacy
The United States announced that it would seek to halt Israeli settlements on the West Bank if Jordan entered the peace process.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue

Scandal
The Assemblies of God defrocked Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, and Mr. Swaggart resigned from the church. After Mr. Swaggart had been caught in adultery, the AoG had suspended him from preaching for a year, but Mr. Swaggart had refused to accept the punishment, arguing that it would cripple his ministry and his Bible college. Obviously, Mr. Swaggart didn’t think that the standards laid down in the Bible applied to him, so he took his balls and went home.

World events
800 U.S. Marines arrived in Panama for a planned jungle training program, while President Ronald Reagan invoked the 1977 Emergency Economic Powers Act that forbade U.S. companies and individuals to make any payments to the Panamanian government. The action blocked all Panamanian government assets in the United States.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Onpa kadulla mittaa--Kolmas Nainen (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Marian Anderson, 96. U.S. singer. One of the most famous contraltos of the 20th century, Miss Anderson performed in concerts and recitals from 1925-1965. The most famous incident of her career occurred in 1939, when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused her permission to sing in their Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. because she was a Negress. A huge protest resulted, and Miss Anderson delivered her recital on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, in front of a racially-mixed crowd of 75,000 and a nationwide radio audience of millions.

Diplomacy
The Republic of Macedonia joined the United Nations.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Bill Clinton submitted a budget to Congress of $1.52 trillion. The budget contained proposals for reducing the government deficit while increasing expenditures for public works, education, and retraining unemployed people.

Hockey
NHL
Winnipeg 5 Toronto 3

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Bing Russell, 76. U.S. actor and baseball executive. Neil Oliver Russell was a character actor who appeared in numerous movies and television programs, often uncredited, in a career spanning almost 40 years. He played deputy sheriff Clem Foster in 59 episodes of the television Western series Bonanza (1961-1972), and played Robert in the movie The Magnificent Seven (1960). Mr. Russell, a lifelong baseball fan, bought the Portland Mavericks of the Class A Northwest League for $500 in 1973; emphasizing fun, he made the Mavericks a successful operation, setting minor league attendance records. When the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues showed renewed interest in returning a AAA team to Portland, it was forced to pay him $206,000 for the rights to the territory. Mr. Russell died of complications from cancer, 27 days before his 77th birthday. He was the father of actor Kurt Russell, who briefly played with the Mavericks.

War
Two journalists were killed and three wounded when a U.S. tank fired at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. U.S. officials said the forces were responding to enemy fire. Another U.S. attack hit the Baghdad offices of the Arabic-language television network Al-Jazeera near the Iraqi Information Ministry, killing another journalist. Major government buildings in Baghdad were now occupied by coalition forces, and organized Iraqi resistance had melted away.

Missiles from Israeli helicopter gunships killed at least 6 Palestinians and wounded at least 47 in Gaza City. Among the dead was Said Al-din al-Arabid, a local leader of the Hamas terrorist organizaton.