May 16, 2013

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Polly Pratt!

400 years ago
1613

Diplomacy
Rene Le Coq de La Saussaye, who had been sent by sent by Antoinette de Pons, Marquise de Guercheville, reached Port-Royal, Acadia to get Jesuit missionary Pierre Biard and Mr. Masse to make peace with French colonizer Baron Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt.

250 years ago
1763

War
Warriors sent by Chief Pontiac captured Sandusky, Ohio.

170 years ago
1843

Americana
The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest set out on the Oregon Trail from Elm Grove, Missouri with 1,000 pioneers.

160 years ago
1853

Transportation
The first train in what is now Ontario ran from Toronto to Aurora on the Ontario Simcoe and Huron Railroad Union Company.

150 years ago
1863

Politics and government
Antoine-Aimé Dorion replaced Louis-Victor Sicotte as Attorney General for Canada East and formed the new Liberal Macdonald-Dorion Ministry with John Sandfield Macdonald.

125 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Royal Rife. U.S. inventor. Mr. Rife had a patent for a high-intensity microscope lamp, and in the 1930s claimed to have invented a "beam-ray" device that could kill pathogens. His claims were discredited by the medical establishment in the 1950s, and Mr. Rife blamed a conspiracy by "organized medicine," including the American Medical Association and the U.S. Department of Public Health, for suppressing his inventions. He died in poverty on August 5, 1971 at the age of 83.

Vancouverana
The Canadian Pacific Railway opened the Hotel Vancouver.

100 years ago
1913

Born on this date
Woody Herman. U.S. musician and bandleader. Mr. Herman, a native of Milwaukee, was a jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and singer whose various bands were known as his "Herd." Mr. Herman's hit records included Woodchopper's Ball; Blue Prelude; Laura; and Four Brothers. He died on October 29, 1987 at the age of 74.

80 years ago
1933

Died on this date
John Henry Mackay, 69. Scottish-born German pederast. Mr. Mackay was the author of Die Anarchisten (The Anarchists) (1891) and Der Freiheitsucher (The Searcher for Freedom) (1921). He died of a heart attack ten days after the Nazi book burnings at the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (they were burning the records of their own perversion). Mr. Mackay’s death was no great loss.

Baseball
Buddy Myer scored from third base on Joe Kuhel's infield single with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Washington Nationals an 11-10 win over the Cleveland Indians before 1,000 fans at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Cecil Travis made his major league debut at third base for the Nationals, batting 5 for 7 with 3 runs, making 1 putout and 4 assists. Mr. Kuhel was 5 for 8 with a home run, triple, and 5 runs batted in. The teams broke the major league record by using 11 pitchers. General Crowder (5-2) pitched 2 scoreless innings to get the win over Mel Harder (3-4).

Carl Reynolds singled home Merv Shea from second base with 2 out in the top of the 11th inning to break a 2-2 tie as the St. Louis Browns edged the Boston Red Sox 3-2 before 3,500 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. The Red Sox had runners on first and second bases with 2 out in the bottom of the 11th, but Roy Johnson grounded out to first baseman Jack Burns to end the game. Bump Hadley (5-4) allowed 9 hits and 2 earned runs in a complete game victory, while losing pitcher Bob Kline (1-2) allowed 5 hits and 1 earned run in 3.1 innings in relief of starter Lloyd Brown.

Johnny Frederick singled home 2 runs in the top of the 7th inning and 2 more in the top of the 9th to enable the Brooklyn Dodgers to come back from a 5-2 deficit and defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 before 2,500 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Mr. Frederick batted 4 for 5 and scored a run.

75 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Joseph Strauss, 68. U.S. engineer. Mr. Strauss revolutionized the design of bascule bridges. His most notable achievement was as chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, which opened in 1937.

Disasters
38 people died in a fire at the Terminal Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.

70 years ago
1943

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Jessie Larocque!

Died on this date
Alfred Hoche, 78. German psychiatrist. Dr. Hoche was known as co-author, with jurist Karl Binding, of The Release of the Destruction of Life Devoid of Value (1920), a short book advocating euthanasia. The proposals of Dr. Hoche and Mr. Binding were acted upon--albeit to an extent beyond that recommended by the authors--by German governments, most notoriously the Nazi regime of 1933-1945.

War
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of Jews against Nazi occupiers ended after 28 days with the crushing of the rebellion and the destruction of the Great Synagogue.

60 years ago
1953

Hit Parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes--Red Foley; Perry Como (2nd week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Song from Moulin Rouge (Where is Your Heart)--Percy Faith and his Orchestra (Best seller--1st week at #1; Disc Jockey--1st week at #1); The Doggie in the Window--Patti Page (Jukebox--7th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Song from Moulin Rouge (Where is Your Heart)--Percy Faith and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)
2 The Doggie in the Window--Patti Page
3 I Believe--Frankie Laine
--[Jane Froman]
4 April in Portugal--Les Baxter and his Orchestra
--[Ralph Marterie and his "Down Beat" Orchestra]
5 Ruby--Richard Hayman and his Orchestra
6 Anna--Silvana Mangano
7 Pretend--Nat "King" Cole
8 Tell Me a Story--Jimmy Boyd and Frankie Laine
9 I'm Walking Behind You--Eddie Fisher
10 Say You're Mine Again--Perry Como

Singles entering the chart were Almost Always by Joni James (#17); Uska Dara--A Turkish Tale by Eartha Kitt (#21); Oo What You Do to Me by Patti Page (#25); and Just Another Polka, with versions by Eddie Fisher and Jo Stafford (#33). Almost Always was the B-side (or maybe the A-side) of Is it Any Wonder, charting at #43. Oo What You Do to Me was the B-side (or maybe the A-side) of Now that I'm in Love, charting at #32. Eddie Fisher's version of Just Another Polka was the B-side of I'm Walking Behind You.

Died on this date
Django Reinhardt, 43. Belgian musician. Mr. Reinhardt, who was of Romani (Gypsy) ancestry, was a pioneering jazz guitarist, and is regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in history. His compositions included Minor Swing; Daphne; Belleville; Djangology; Swing '42; and Nuages. He died the day after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

World events
American journalist William N. Oatis was released after serving 22 months of a ten-year prison sentence for espionage in Czechoslovakia.

Horse racing
Native Dancer, with Eric Guerin aboard, won the 78th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in a time of 1:57 4/5. Jamie K. placed second. Dark Star, the Kentucky Derby winner, finished fifth, but was discovered to have suffered a leg injury during the race, forcing his immediate retirement.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): From Me to You--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

Space
U.S. astronaut Gordon Cooper, forced to manually control his re-entry because of faulty technology, splashed down in his Faith 7 spacecraft just four miles from the recovery ship Kearsarge as he concluded his 34-hour Mercury-Atlas 9 mission, becoming the first American to spend an entire day in space. The mission successfully concluded Project Mercury, and was the last U.S. spaceflight for almost two years.



40 years ago
1973

World events
Zambian troops killed two Canadian women at the Rhodesian border; apparently believing them to be saboteurs.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)--Redgun

Died on this date
Mel Wright, 55. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Wright played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1954-1955) and Chicago Cubs (1960-1961). In 58 career games, all in relief, Mr. Wright won 2 games, lost 4, and recorded 3 saves.

World events
The Lebanese parliament approved an agreement on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon.

Politics and government
A report issued by the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, the Democratic majority called Central Intelligence Agency covert operations in Nicaragua a failure and counterproductive, and asserted that the operations were of dubious legality, and had not slowed the flow of weapons to rebels in El Salvador.

Baseball
The Edmonton Trappers of the Pacific Coast League defeated their parent club, the California Angels, 5-3 in an exhibition game before 24,830 fans (including this blogger) in what might have been the only baseball game ever played at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. Shortstop Dick Schofield hit a double and a home run and scored 2 runs for the Trappers, while catcher Jerry Narron homered and third baseman Steve Lubratich hit 3 singles in 4 at bats and scored a run. Bob Boone, Rob Wilfong, and Juan Beniquez homered for the Angels; Mr. Beniquez's home run was inside the park, as he hit it to right field, which was a vast amount of field to cover because of the strange dimensions of Commonwealth Stadium's configuration for baseball. Bob Lacey, who pitched the 7th inning in relief of Angel Moreno and Mickey Mahler, was credited with the win. Dave Goltz started on the mound for California, but was replaced after giving up 4 hits and 2 runs in the 1st inning. Bill Travers gave up just 1 run in the next 5 innings and was relieved by Curt Brown, who gave up the winning run in the 7th. Because it was an exhibition game, the rules were relaxed to allow the Angels to use designated hitters for players in addition to the pitcher. Rod Carew, Tim Foli, Reggie Jackson, and Bob Boone all started the game as designated hitters for California.

Despite six 9th-inning runs on solo home runs by Dave Engle and Bobby Mitchell and 2-run shots by Gary Gaetti and Mickey Hatcher, the Minnesota Twins lost 7-6 to the Oakland Athletics before 7,056 fans at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. Messrs. Engle's and Hatcher's home runs were pinch hits. Winning pitcher Mike Norris (4-3) allowed 3 hits in 6 scoreless innings.

Rookie right fielder Darryl Strawberry hit his first major league home run to help the New York Mets defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-4 before 1,970 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean (4th week at #1)

Law
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that trash may be searched without a warrant.

Politics and government
U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese forced the resignation of his chief spokesman, Terry Eastland, who stated in his letter of resignation that Mr. Meese felt that he had not been vigorous enough in defending him against accusations of unethical conduct. William Schambra, head of the justice department’s speechwriting division, also resigned.

Health
United States Surgeon General C. Everett Koop issued a report declaring that cigarettes and other tobacco products were addictive. The report, the work of 50 scientists who studied 2,000 research articles, found that the "processes that determine tobacco addiction are similar to those that determine addiction to...heroin and cocaine." Dr. Koop recommended that vending machines be banned to protect young people and that tobacco products be labelled as addictive. The Tobacco Institute criticized the report’s conclusion on addiction, noting that many smokers had been able to quit smoking.

Crime
Larry Mahoney was charged with 27 counts of murder, two days after a pickup truck that he was driving crashed head-on into a bus near Carrollton, Kentucky, killing 27 of the bus’s 67 passengers, mostly teenagers. The truck had been travelling northbound in a southbound lane, and Mr. Mahoney was found to be legally drunk at the time of the crash.

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
Boston 109 @ Atlanta 118 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Informer--Snow (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): What is Love?--Haddaway (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Informer--Snow (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Five Live (EP)--George Michael & Queen with Lisa Stansfield (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Marv Johnson, 54. U.S. musician and singer. Mr. Johnson recorded the single Come to Me in 1959 for the Tamla label; it was the first single for the corporation that would become known as Motown. Come to Me reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart; his biggest hits were I Love the Way You Love (#9) and You Got What it Takes (#10), both from 1960. Mr. Johnson died of a stroke.

Diplomacy
Bosnian Serbs voted in a referendum to reject the Vance-Owen peace plan, prompting Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to say that the referendum's failure opened the way for a "Greater Serbia" without Bosnia.

Abominations
"Dr." Jack Kevorkian apparently defied a new Michigan law by assisting with the suicide and being at the side of a lung cancer victim in a Detroit suburb.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Finals
New York Islanders 1 @ Montreal 4 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
New York 94 @ Charlotte 92 (New York led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Phoenix 103 @ San Antonio 117 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
Seattle 92 @ Houston 103 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

10 years ago
2003

Terrorism
Five nearly simultaneous suicide bombings in Casablanca killed 29 innocent people and 12 of the 14 bombers, and left about 100 people injured. Most victims died at the Casa de Espana, a social club and restaurant.

Politics and government
U.S. and U.K. diplomats postponed self-government in Iraq by deciding against allowing Iraqi opposition groups to form an interim government. Instead, Iraqi exiles and opposition leaders were to have a consultative role.

U.S. President George W. Bush formally filed re-election papers.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported declines in wholesale and consumer prices, raising speculation that the economy could enter a rare period of deflation.