May 22, 2013

1,160 years ago
853

War
A Byzantine fleet sacked and destroyed the undefended Egyptian port of Damietta.

380 years ago
1633

Canadiana
Samuel de Champlain returned to Quebec with Jean de Brébeuf and fathers Massé, Daniel, and Davost, who took over the Recollet missions. Mr. Cahmplain determined to rebuild the colony of New France with the help of the Jesuit Order.

200 years ago
1813

Born on this date
Richard Wagner. German composer. Mr. Wagner, a native of Leipzig, was known for his operas, such as Tannhauser (1845/1861); Lohengrin (1850); Tristan und Isolde (1865); Das Rheingold (1869); Die Walküre (1870); Götterdämmerung (1876); and Parsifal (1882). He was also known for his anti-Semitic views, and was greatly admired by Adolf Hitler. Mr. Wagner died on February 13, 1883 at the age of 69.

175 years ago
1838

Died on this date
Henry Warde. Canadian military officer. Colonel Robert Sweeny killed Major Warde in a duel on the Montreal race track. Maj. Warde had sent a love letter to Col. Sweeny's wife. It was the last fatal duel in Canada.

150 years ago
1863

War
In the U.S. Civil War, Union forces began to lay siege to Confederate-controlled Port Hudson, Louisiana.

120 years ago
1893

Politics and government
John Campbell Hamilton Gordon, Lord Aberdeen, was appointed Governor General of Canada. He served from September 18,1893 to November 12,1898.

90 years ago
1923

Politics and government
Andrew Bonar Law resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom because of terminal throat cancer after just seven months in office; he was replaced as leader of the Conservative government by Stanley Baldwin.

80 years ago
1933

Baseball
Joe Sewell of the New York Yankees struck out for the first time this season, a 3-0 win behind Lefty Gomez over the Cleveland Indians. Mr. Sewell struck out only three more times in 524 at bats that year.

75 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Harry Lumley, 57. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Lumley was an outfielder with the Brooklyn Superbas from 1904-1910. Mr. Lumley had an outstanding rookie season; he led the National League in triples and home runs, was in the top ten in doubles, and his .279 batting average was highest on the Brooklyn team, which hit .232. He was second in the league in runs batted in, and his runs scored were highest on his team. 1906 was Mr. Lumley’s best year, as his .324 average was nearly 100 points higher than the team average. It was third in the league, and his slugging average was tops in the league. He was second in the league in homers, third in the league in triples, and his 35 stolen bases were in the top ten in the league. Leg injuries slowed him down after that, and shortened his career. Mr. Lumley ran a cafe until 1937.

Baseball
Chicago White Sox' pitcher Ted Lyons recorded his 200th career major league win, beating the Washington Nationals 9-2.

The Brooklyn Dodgers announced contracts to install lights at Ebbets Field. The first night game was scheduled for June 15th.

70 years ago
1943

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I've Heard That Song Before--Harry James and his Music Makers with Helen Forrest (12th week at #1)

War
German Admiral Karl Doenitz withdrew his U-boats from the North Atlantic Ocean after mounting losses.

60 years ago
1953

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I Believe--Frankie Laine (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Spider's Web, starring Nancy Coleman, Henry Jones, and Don Hanmer



50 years ago
1963

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Cosmos 17.

World events
Left-wing Greek politician and pacifist Gregoris Lambrakis, who had just delivered the keynote speech at an anti-Vietnam War meeting in Thessaloniki, was struck on the head by a club wielded by right-wing extremists Emannouel Emannouilides and Spyro Gotzamanis. Mr. Lambrakis, 51, died five days later.

Defense
A North Atlantic Treaty Organization ministerial conference in Ottawa approved in principle the formation of a nuclear strike force under NATO direction.

Transportation
Pacific Western Airlines began regular Chieftain Airbus service between Edmonton and Calgary for a one-way fare of $11.

Football
CFL
The Edmonton Eskimos traded offensive end Jim Letcavits to the Montreal Alouettes for quarterback and defensive back Dave Grosz. Mr. Letcavits had played with the Eskimos from 1958-1962. His 65-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Jackie Parker accounted for all the Eskimos' scoring in their 16-6 loss to the Ottawa Rough Riders in the 1960 Grey Cup. Mr. Grosz was the starting quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1961, and played 10 games at defensive back with the Alouettes in 1962.

AFL
Dallas Texans' owner Lamar Hunt announced that he was moving the defending American Football League champions to Kansas City.

Baseball
The New York Mets traded first baseman Gil Hodges to the Washington Senators for outfielder Jimmy Piersall. The Senators, who had just fired manager Mickey Vernon, named Mr. Hodges to succeed him. Mr. Hodges, whose playing time had been limited by knee problems, had played in just 11 games in 1963, with 5 hits in 22 at bats (.227). Mr. Piersall batted .245 in 29 games with the Senators in 1963. The Senators were 10th and last in the American League with a record of 14-26 when they fired Mr. Vernon; coach Eddie Yost lost his only game as interim manager before the acquisition of Mr. Hodges, who immediately retired as a player.

Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees hit a home run off facade the atop the third tier at Yankee Stadium against righthanded pitcher Bill Fischer of the Kansas City Athletics. The homer, three feet from becoming the first to leave Yankee Stadium, was almost identical to one Mr. Mantle hit off righthander Pedro Ramos of the Washington Nationals in 1956.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Der Junge mit der Mundharmonika--Bernd Clüver (5th week at #1)

Scandal
U.S. President Richard Nixon released a 4,000-word statement in which he asserted that he had made legitimate efforts to restrict investigation into some matter relating to the 1972 break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. because they impinged on national security. He admitted "that there were certain persons who may have gone beyond my direction and sought to expand my efforts to protect the national security operations in order to cover up any involvement they or certain others might have had in Watergate." He firmy denied any involvement in either the break-in or the subsequent cover-up. Mr. Nixon acknowledged a "special program of wiretaps" beginning in 1969 and lasting through February 1971 to prevent leaks of secret information essential to his foreign policy initiatives. He also stated that further concern over continued foreign policy leaks and the publication of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 had led to the establishment of a small intelligence unit known as the White House "plumbers," supervised by aide John Ehrlichman. Mr. Nixon said he had told Egil Krogh, one of the plumbers, to find out all he could about the motives of Daniel Ellsberg--the former Defense Department employee who had leaked the Pentagon Papers to the Washington Post--and his associates, but said he had never authorized any illegal means to this end.

U.K. Defense Ministry Under Secretary for the Royal Air Force Lord Lambton resigned because of his relationship with a prostitute.

Terrorism
Two executives of Ford Motor Company subsidiary in Buenos Aires were shot. An unidentified man then telephoned Ford Argentina demanding $1 million worth of ambulances, to be distributed to each state in Argentina, and direct donations to area hospitals in exchange for an end to attacks on the company and its employees.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Bruttosozialprodukt--Geier Sturzflug

Died on this date
Albert Claude, 84. Belgian biologist. Dr. Claude shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 with his student George Emil Palade and Christian de Duve for his discoveries concerning the structural and functional organization of cells.

Basketball
NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 107 @ Philadelphia 113 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Baseball
Cliff Johnson of the Toronto Blue Jays set a major league career record with his 18th home run as a pinch hitter.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Breakaway--Big Pig

#1 single in Switzerland: Heart--Pet Shop Boys (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Giorgio Almirante, 73. Italian politician. A cabinet minister in the Fascist government of Benito Mussolini, Mr. Almirante was a cabinet minister in the government of the Italian Social Republic, the Nazi-supported administration in northern Italy after the fall of Mr. Mussolini. Mr. Almirante was one of the founders of (in 1946), and the most important figure in the Italian Social Movement (MSI). Mr. Almirante was elected to parliament in 1948, and remained in the chamber until his death.

Politics and government
Janos Kadar, who had ruled Hungary since 1956, was removed from power. Mr. Kadar, general secretary of the Socialist Workers (Communist) Party, lost his position during the party’s first national conference in three decades. Mr. Kadar and seven allies lost their seats on the Politburo, delegates also replaced about 40% of the Central Committee. Mr. Kadar was succeeded by Karoly Grosz, an apparatchik who had served as Premier since 1987.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Edmonton 6 @ Boston 3 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
Atlanta 116 @ Boston 118 (Boston won best-of-seven series 4-3)

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Easy--Faith No More (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Sei Un Mito--883 (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Encores--Dire Straits

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): What is Love?--Haddaway

#1 single in France (SNEP): No Limit--2 Unlimited (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): What is Love?--Haddaway (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): That's the Way Love Goes--Janet Jackson (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 That's the Way Love Goes--Janet Jackson
2 Looking Through Patient Eyes--PM Dawn
3 Love Is--Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight
4 Freak Me--Silk
5 Who is It--Michael Jackson
6 I Have Nothing--Whitney Houston
7 I'm So Into You--SWV
8 Informer--Snow
9 Don't Walk Away--Jade
10 Livin' on the Edge--Aerosmith

Singles entering the chart were Passin' Me By by Pharcyde (#57); By the Time This Night is Over by Kenny G with Peabo Bryson (#61); Girl, I've Been Hurt by Snow (#66); (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You by UB40 (#78); Deeper by Boss (#84); and Every Little Thing U Do by Christopher Williams (#87).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 The Crying Game--Boy George
2 I Have Nothing--Whitney Houston
3 Love Is--Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight
4 Looking Through Patient Eyes--PM Dawn
5 Lost in Your Eyes--The Jeff Healey Band
6 Who is It--Michael Jackson
7 That's the Way Love Goes--Janet Jackson
8 Come Undone--Duran Duran
9 Water from the Moon--Celine Dion
10 Two Princes--Spin Doctors

Singles entering the chart were Row Row Row by the Bara Macneils (#78); Fields of Gold by Sting (#83); Even a Fool Can See by Peter Cetera (#84); Off the Ground by Paul McCartney (#85); That's the Way Love Is by Bobby Brown (#86); Calling to You by Robert Plant (#89); Wanna Girl by Jeremy Jordan (#92); and In the Meantime by the Waltons (#96).

War
The United States and her allies, at a conference in Washington, approved a plan for containing fighting and guarding enclaves of Muslim civilians in Bosnia besieged by Serbian nationalists. The U.S. would use airpower to protect United Nations peacekeeping forces guarding six towns.

Terrorism
A military tribunal in Egypt sentenced six Muslim terrorists to death and sentenced two others to life in prison for attacks against tourists and plotting to assassinate the country's information minister.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Finals
Montreal 1 @ New York Islanders 4 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Basketball
Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Houston 100 @ Seattle 103 (Seattle won best-of-seven series 4-3)

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Ousmane Zongo, 43 (?). Burkinabe-American arts trader. Mr. Zongo, who repaired art and musical instruments in a warehouse in Manhattan, was gunned down by New York police officer Bryan Conroy, who was disguised as a postal worker. The New York Police Department had targeted the warehouse while investigating a CD/DVD pirating operation, and Mr. Conroy chased Mr. Zongo, who was unarmed, into a dead end, and shot him four times. Mr. Zongo had nothing to do with the pirating operation. Mr. Conroy was charged with second-degree manslaughter, but was convicted by Justice Robert Straus of the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide after the jury deadlocked 10-2 in favour of conviction. Mr. Conroy served no jail time and was sentenced to five years' probation and lost his job with the NYPD.

Diplomacy
A United Nations Security Council resolution adopted 14-0 lifted sanctions imposed on Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War. It put the U.S.A. and U.K. in control of Iraq "until an internationally recognized representative government is established." They would administer the sale of oil and the disbursement of oil income to rebuild the nation.

Golf
Annika Sorenstam became the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to compete in a PGA Tour event when she teed off in The Colonial at Fort Worth, Texas. Ms. Sorenstam shot 71 and 74 and missed the 36-hole cut.