May 24, 2013

860 years ago
1153

Died on this date
David I, 69 (?). King of the Scots, 1124-1153. David was the youngest son of King Malcolm III. After the death of his brother Alexander I, David defeated his rival and nephew Malcolm, Alexander I's son, to take the throne. During his reign David I oversaw the implementation of burghs, the foundation of monasteries, Normanization of the Scottish government, and the introduction of feudalism. He was succeeded by Máel Coluim IV.

470 years ago
1543

Died on this date
Nicolaus Copernicus, 70. Polish astronomer. Mr. Copernicus was best known for his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres) (1543) in which he argued that the Sun, rather than Earth, was the centre of the universe.

410 years ago
1603

Exploration
Samuel de Champlain anchored in Tadoussac, New France at the mouth of the Saguenay River with Gravé du Pont and Pierre de Monts on de Chaste's Bonne Renomme. It was his first landing in Canada.

275 years ago
1738

Religion
John Wesley was converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement. The day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day and a church service is generally held on the preceding Sunday.

180 years ago
1833

Canadiana
William Logie became the first medical student to graduate in Canada, earning his degree from McGill University.

140 years ago
1873

Journalism
In Toronto, John Wilson Bengough founded the satirical weekly Grip with his own cartoons. It was published until December 29, 1894.

130 years ago
1883

Americana
The Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn to Manhattan in New York City, was opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.

125 years ago
1888

Canadiana
Queen Victoria Park was opened at Niagara Falls, Ontario.

100 years ago
1913

Born on this date
Joe Abreu. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Abreu, a third baseman and second baseman, played professionally from 1937-1942 and 1946-1948. He played 978 games in the minor leagues, batting .287. Mr. Abreu played 9 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1942, batting .214 with 1 home run and 3 runs batted in. He died on March 17, 1993 at the age of 79.

Died on this date
Luther McCarty, 21. U.S. boxer. Mr. McCarty, who had become the "World White Heavyweight Champion" with an 18-round technical knockout of Al Palzer on New Year's Day, 1913 and had compiled a professional record of 15-0-1, collapsed and died just over a minute into his title defense against Arthur Pelkey (18-4-1) at the Manchester Arena in Calgary. The arena (also known as Tommy Burns's Arena) was burned down the following night and was never rebuilt. Mr. Pelkey, whose blows seemed insufficient to cause death, was acquitted of the charge of manslaughter, but was never the same fighter. He lost the "World White Heavyweight" title with a 15-round technical knockout loss to Gunboat Smith on New Year's Day, 1914, and was knocked out in his next three fights after that. Mr. McCarty's death was ruled to be from causes unrelated to his fight against Mr. Pelkey. Go here to see an article about the fight and its aftermath.

80 years ago
1933

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Red-Headed League

Edmontonia
An amateur baseball game opened the new Renfrew Park baseball stadium.

70 years ago
1943

Abominations
Dr. Josef Mengele became chief medical officer of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): In Dreams--Roy Orbison

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 Sukiyaki--Kyu Sakamoto
2 Bachelor Boy--Cliff Richard and the Shadows
3 Summer Holiday--Cliff Richard and the Shadows
4 Dancing Shoes--Cliff Richard and the Shadows
5 It's My Party--Lesley Gore
6 Surfin' U.S.A.--Beach Boys
7 Da Doo Ron Ron--The Crystals
8 Little Latin Lupe Lu--The Righteous Brothers
9 Reverend Mr. Black--The Kingston Trio
10 Gypsy Woman--Rick Nelson

Gypsy Woman was the B-side of String Along.

On television tonight
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Death of a Cop, starring Victor Jory, Peter Brown, Paul Hartman, John Marley, and Richard Jaeckel

This was the last episode of the season.

Died on this date
Elmore James, 45. U.S. musician. Mr. James was a blues musician and singer who was known for playing slide guitar, as a session musician or leading his own band. His best-known song was Dust My Broom (1951). He died of a heart attack in Chicago.

Music
The Beach Boys performed at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium in a fund-raising concert for El Camino High School in Sacramento. It was the first time they had ever performed as the headline act--in fact, they were the only act. An audience of 3,000 paid $1.75 each for tickets to see the Beach Boys play two sets.

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Cosmos 18.

Society
Writer James Baldwin and other cultural figures met with U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and aide Burke Marshall in Mr. Kennedy's apartment in New York City to discuss race relations in the United States. The 2 1/2-3 hour meeting produced no consensus, and resulted in Mr. Kennedy reportedly ordering an increase of Federal bureau of Investigation surveillance on some of the participants.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree--Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (6th week at #1)

Scandal
Earl Jellicoe, leader of the U.K. House of Lords and Lord of the Privy Seal, resigned because he had engaged in "casual affairs" with prostitutes. Lord Lambton, who had resigned two days earlier as Defense Minister Under Secretary for the Royal Air Force because of his relationship with a prostitute, was charged with the possession of cannabis and amphetamines. Prime Minister Edward Heath went before the House of Commons to give assurances that no other ministers or members of government had been involved, and that there had been "no breach of security" in either case. Mr. Heath said the Security Commission led by Lord Justice Diplock would conduct an inquiry to verify that no security leaks had occurred.

30 years ago
1983

Health
Edward Brandt, Jr., an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, announced that the United States government had assigned the "No. 1 priority" to finding the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Some 1,500 cases of the disease had been reported within the past three years at an increasing rate. Mr. Brandt said that the department’s investigation had found that AIDS was spread "almost entirely through sexual contact, through the sharing of needles by drug abusers, and less commonly, through blood and/or blood products." Most of the victims of AIDS, which has a high mortality rate, had been homosexual or bisexual males. Intravenous drug users, Haitian immigrants, and people suffering from hemophilia had also contracted the disease. Mr. Brandt announced that grants had been made for the search for an effective treatment and for means of prevention. The government’s action came after alarm was reported not only among the affected groups, but also among the general population as fears grew that AIDS might spread.

World events
South Africa claimed that bombs dropped by her fighter planes on alleged "terrorist camps" in Mozambique the day before had killed 64 people, mostly guerrillas.

Defense
The United States House of Representatives voted 239-186 to free $625 million for development of the MX missile.

Law
The United States Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that the Internal Revenue Service could deny tax exemptions to private schools that practiced racial discrimination. Although the tax code provided exemptions for non-profit "religious, charitable or educational" institutions, the IRS had begun to make exceptions for institutions that diverged from public policy on racial equality. The IRS was then challenged by Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, and Goldsboro (North Carolina) Christian Schools. Both embraced religious views and had barred blacks from admission, although the university had relaxed its admissions policy in 1971. The Supreme Court decision upheld a 1981 appeals court decision. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Warren Burger asserted that "racial discrimination in education violates deeply and widely held accepted views of elementary justice." He noted that the Court and Congress had on many occasions affirmed its opposition to racial segregation and discrimination in education, and rejected arguments by the schools that the IRS had exceeded its authority and that the First Amendment protected the right of schools to freely practice their religion. Civil rights groups praised the court’s ruling, but Bob Jones III, president of the university, deplored "the death of religious freedom." The court’s decision does seem suspicious in light of the fact that the discriminatory practice indulged in by BJU which prompted the loss of tax-exempt status was a ban on interracial dating, which, as far as I can tell, has nothing to do with education. In recent years BJU has lifted the ban on interracial dating. However, if the ban was motivated in the first place by BJU’s reading of scripture, what right did they have to change the policy? The fact that they changed the policy as a result of criticism from the world just shows that BJU’s behaviour wasn’t motivated by obedience to God, but by racial and cultural prejudice.

25 years ago
1988

Politics and government
In the contest for the U.S. presidential nominations, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis won the Democratic Party primary in Idaho.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan nominated two men to fill key vacancies in the Justice Department.

Economics and finance
President Reagan vetoed the trade bill and asked Congress to pass a new bill. His chief objection was to a provision requiring that workers get 60 days’ notice of layoffs or plant closings as the "humane thing to do." The House of Representatives voted 308-113 to override the veto. Republican Senator John Danforth of Missouri said that the veto would not be helpful to the Republican Party.

Society
Section 28 of the United Kingdom's Local Government Act 1988, a controversial amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, was enacted.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Edmonton 3 @ Boston 3 (game called in 2nd period, power failure) (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Glen Wesley scored shorthanded and powerplay goals within a span of 1 minute 25 seconds in the 2nd period to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead, but Craig Simpson scored a powerplay goal for the Oilers with 3:23 remaining in the 2nd period to tie the score. At that moment, the power went out at Boston Garden, and didn't come back on. Power was not restored, and everyone went home. The National Hockey League ruled that game 4 was to be replayed in its entirety in Edmonton, with the Oilers leading the series 3 games to 0. All statistics from the aborted 4th game counted.



20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Informer--Snow (4th week at #1)

Africana
Eritrea declared her independence from Ethiopia after a 30-year struggle.

Diplomacy
Former Canadian Prime Minister and current Constitutional Affairs Minister Joe Clark was named a special United Nations envoy, responsible to UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to find a peace settlement for Cyprus between the Greek and Turkish populations and develop a federal type of government for the island.

Television
Three competitors agreed to collaborate on the development of high-development television.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
New York Islanders 2 @ Montreal 5 (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1)

Basketball
NBA
Western Conference
Finals
Seattle 91 @ Phoenix 105 (Phoenix led best-of-seven series 1-0)

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Rachel Kempson, 92. U.K. actress. Miss Kempson, the wife of Michael Redgrave, was best known as a stage actress, but appeared in such movies as The Captive Heart (1946); Tom Jones (1963); Georgy Girl (1966); and Out of Africa (1985). She died four days before her 93rd birthday.