May 19, 2013

1,025 years ago
988

Died on this date
Dunstan, 79 (?). Archbishop of Canterbury, 959-988. Dunstan encouraged the revival of monasticism in England, and forbade the practices of simony and clerics appointing relatives to offices under their jurisdiction. He served as a minister of state under Kings Edmund the Elder (940-946); Eadred (946-955); Edgar the Peaceful (959-975); and Edward the Martyr (975-978). Dunstan came into conflict with King Eadwig (955-959) and fled from England to Flanders for several years, and retired to Canterbury shortly after the accession to the throne of King Ethelred the Unready in 978. Dunstan was made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in 1029, and was he most popular English saint for several centuries.

370 years ago
1643

War
In the Thirty Years' War, French forces under the duc d'Enghien decisively defeated Spanish forces at the Battle of Rocroi, marking the symbolic end of Spain as a dominant land power

Americana
The colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Harbor met to form the New England Confederation.

270 years ago
1743

Science
Jean-Pierre Christin developed the centigrade temperature scale.

150 years ago
1863

War
In the U.S. Civil War, Union army and naval forces attempted a direct assault on the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

125 years ago
1888

Baseball
During the Chicago White Stockings’ 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Quakers‚ Chicago second baseman Fred Pfeffer went from first base to second on a fly to left field. According to the Chicago Tribune‚ "Pfeffer has introduced a new slide. He throws his body away from the base-line and reaches one foot for the bag." After the catch‚ Quakers’ left fielder George Wood made a perfect throw to Arthur Irwin‚ who was surprised to find Mr. Pfeffer's foot on the bag.

100 years ago
1913

Born on this date
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. 6th President of India, 1977-1982. Mr. Reddy, a member of the India National Congress Party, was Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1962-1964 and Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1967-1969 and March-July 1977 before becoming the youngest person to hold the Presidency. He died on June 1, 1996, 13 days after his 83rd birthday.

80 years ago
1933

Died on this date
Wes Curry, 73. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Curry pitched in two games for the Richmond Virginians of the American Association in 1884, losing them both, with an estimated earned run average of 5.06. Mr. Curry didn’t help his cause with his play in the field: along with 4 assists, he made 4 errors in his 2 games.

Baseball
For the first time in major league history, brothers on opposite teams hit home runs in the same game. Boston Red Sox’ catcher Rick Ferrell homered off his brother Wes Ferrell in the second inning, but the Cleveland Indians’ pitcher returned the favour as he homered in the third on a pitch called by his sibling. It was the only time that the Ferrell brothers homered in the same game.

75 years ago
1938

Baseball
Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Bill Lee shut out the New York Giants on 5 hits to win 1-0 in 10 innings. Mr. Lee scored the winning run to beat Giants’ starter Harry Gumbert.

70 years ago
1943

War
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set Monday, May 1, 1944 as the date for the Normandy landings ("D-Day").

60 years ago
1953

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Come Into My Parlor, starring John Carradine and John Kerr

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Power to All Our Friends--Cliff Richard (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: See My Baby Jive--Wizzard

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Killing Me Softly with His Song--Roberta Flack (5th week at #1)
2 Top of the World--Carpenters
3 Last Song--Edward Bear
4 Funny Face--Donna Fargo
5 Part of the Union--The Strawbs
6 Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend--Lobo
7 Crocodile Rock--Elton John
8 Everything is Out of Season--Johnny Farnham
9 Dueling Banjos--Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell
10 Dead Skunk--Loudon Wainwright III

Singles entering the chart were Get Down by Gilbert O'Sullivan (#27); Marrow Song by Fantasy (#33); Goodbye Lollipop by Madder Lake (#35); But I Do by Bobby Vinton (#37); and Pinball Wizard/See Me, Feel Me by the New Seekers (#40).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): You are the Sunshine of My Life--Stevie Wonder

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 You are the Sunshine of My Life--Stevie Wonder
2 Frankenstein--The Edgar Winter Group
3 Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree--Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
4 Stuck in the Middle with You--Stealers Wheel
5 My Love--Paul McCartney & Wings
6 The Cisco Kid--War
7 Reeling in the Years--Steely Dan
8 Drift Away--Dobie Gray
9 Daniel--Elton John
10 Daisy a Day--Jud Strunk

Singles entering the chart were Shambala by Three Dog Night (#66); Kodachrome by Paul Simon (#74); Diamond Girl by Seals and Crofts (#77); Money by Pink Floyd (#80); Roll Over Beethoven by Electric Light Orchestra (#87); So Very Hard to Go by Tower of Power (#89); What a Shame by Foghat (#93); Shambala by B.W. Stevenson (#95); A Little Bit of Magic by King Harvest (#98); Love Music by Sergio Mendes and Brasil '77 (#99); and I Just Can't Turn My Habit Into Love by Buckwheat (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 The Cisco Kid--War
2 Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree--Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
3 The First Cut is the Deepest--Keith Hampshire
4 Stuck in the Middle with You--Stealers Wheel
5 Little Willy--The Sweet
6 I'm a Stranger Here--Five Man Electrical Band
7 Drift Away--Dobie Gray
8 The Twelfth of Never--Donny Osmond
9 The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia--Vicki Lawrence
10 Wildflower--Skylark

Singles entering the chart were Rosalie by Michael Tarry (#90); Ghost Riders in the Sky by Popcorn (#94); Give Me Love--(Give Me Peace on Earth) by George Harrison (#95); You Look Good in Denim by James Leroy (#96); All Things Come from God by Tony Kosinec (#97); It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference by Tom Middleton (#98); Hey Girl by Paul Anka (#99); and Sweet America by Greenfield (#100).

Calgary’s Top 10
1 The Twelfth of Never--Donny Osmond (2nd week at #1)
2 Drift Away--Dobie Gray
3 Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree--Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
4 Daniel--Elton John
5 I'm a Stranger Here--Five Man Electrical Band
6 Stuck in the Middle with You--Stealers Wheel
7 Lady Run, Lady Hide--April Wine
8 Peaceful--Helen Reddy
9 Out of the Question--Gilbert O'Sullivan
10 I'm Doin' Fine Now--New York City
Pick hit of the week: My Love--Paul McCartney & Wings

Diplomacy
West German Chancellor Willy Brandt and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, meeting in Bonn, signed a 10-year pact for economic, industrial, and technical cooperation. The agreement provided for the exchange of raw material, energy, technology, "know-how," and industrial plant, all to be handled by a joint commission. Two other agreements, one providing for cultural and educational exchanges and another covering West German air rights over the U.S.S.R. for Luftahansa flights to Tokyo, were also signed.

Horse racing
Secretariat, with Ron Turcotte aboard, won his second straight Triple Crown race, taking the 98th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in an official time of 1:54 2/5. Sham, who had placed second in the Kentucky Derby, did so again, 2 1/2 lengths behind. There was some dispute over the actual time of the race, with video showing that Secretariat's winning time was actually 1:53, which would still be a record 40 years later.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
Canada’s Top 30
1 Beat It--Michael Jackson
2 Let’s Dance--David Bowie
3 Midnight Blue--Louise Tucker
4 I Won’t Hold You Back--Toto
5 Overkill--Men at Work
6 Little Red Corvette--Prince
7 Some Kind of Friend--Barry Manilow
8 Time (Clock of the Heart)--Culture Club
9 Always Something There to Remind Me--Naked Eyes
10 Rio--Duran Duran
11 Jeopardy--Greg Kihn Band
12 Affair of the Heart--Rick Springfield
13 Even Now--Bob Seger
14 It Might Be You--Stephen Bishop
15 Safety Dance--Men Without Hats
16 Too Shy--Kajagoogoo
17 Mornin’--Al Jarreau
18 She Blinded Me with Science--Thomas Dolby
19 Don’t Let it End--Styx
20 Solitaire--Laura Branigan
21 Electric Avenue--Eddy Grant
22 Flashdance (What a Feeling)--Irene Cara
23 Straight from the Heart--Bryan Adams
24 White Wedding--Billy Idol
25 My Love--Lionel Richie
26 Lean on Me--Chilliwack
27 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler
28 She’s a Beauty--The Tubes
29 Faithfully--Journey
30 Making it Work--Doug and the Slugs

Edmontonia
In honour of their first appearance in the Stanley Cup finals, the Edmonton Oilers received a late-afternoon parade downtown.

World events
Colonel Abu Masa, a top Palestine Liberation Organization commander, said that his troops were joining a dissident PLO faction opposed to Yasser Arafat, longtime leader of the PLO. Col. Masa, overall leader of the rebel group. was based in Lebanon, and believed that Mr. Arafat was too moderate in his efforts to achieve a peaceful solution to the strife in the Middle East.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Panama--the so-called Contadora Group--in their efforts to negotiate a peace in Central America. The United States supported the resolution after an implied condemnation of U.S. policy was deleted.

Politics and government
United States House of Representatives Democratic leader Jim Wright warned President Ronald Reagan to stop criticizing Congress on the budget if he expected to have its cooperation on foreign policy issues.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Eloise--Tino Casal

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Mahtisonni--Aki & Turo (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Virginia Farmer, 90. U.S. actress. Among Miss Farmer’s films were To Each His Own (1946); Another Part of the Forest (1948); A Woman’s Secret (1949); Captain Carey, USA (1950); and Cyrano de Bergerac (1950).

Crime
A Missouri couple were indicted in connection with a plot to kill Democratic Party U.S. presidential candidate Jesse Jackson.

Carlos Lehder, a Colombian who was linked to the Medellin drug cartel, was convicted in federal court in Jacksonville, Florida of conspiracy to smuggle 3.3 tons of cocaine from 1978 to 1980. Jack Reed, an American co-defendant, was also convicted.

Basketball
NBA
Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Denver 95 @ Dallas 108 (Dallas won best-of-seven series 4-2)
Los Angeles Lakers 80 @ Utah 108 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

Baseball
The Boston Red Sox retired Bobby Doerr's jersey #1.

Greg Swindell of the Cleveland Indians tossed a 2-hitter against the Chicago White Sox, and won 1-0 when Cory Snyder hit a game-ending home run in the 9th inning off Bobby Thigpen.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Informer--Snow (5th week at #1)

World events
An Iraqi being held in custody in Kuwait told the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation that he had acted on behalf of the Iraqi government in a plot to assassinate George Bush, who had been President of the United States when United Nations forces had driven Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1991. The suspect implicated other members of a 10-man team in the plot.

Abominations
The U.S. administration of President Bill Clinton fired the seven-person White House travel staff, headed by Billy Dale, who had acted as White House travel secretary since the administration of John F. Kennedy in the early '60s. The Clinton administration accused the travel office of failure to account for thousands of dollars. Mr. Dale eventually faced criminal charges, and it took a jury just 90 minutes to acquit him. The Clinton administration merely wanted to put there own people in the travel office, but they couldn't just do that--they had to assassinate the character of a man with a clean reputation.

Diplomacy
Bosnian Serb leaders met to ratify the result of the May 16 referendum, in which the Vance-Owen peace proposal had been rejected.

Economics and finance
The United States House of Representatives voted in favour of President Bill Clinton's budget

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference
Finals
Los Angeles 3 @ Toronto 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

10 years ago
2003

Terrorism
Five suicide attacks by Palestinians in Israel over three days ended with the deaths of 12 Israelis and 5 bombers, leading Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to postpone a trip to the United States.

U.S. and Saudi officials said that al-Qaeda was plotting more attacks on the U.S.A. and Saudi Arabia.