June 1, 2013

1,820 years ago
193

Died on this date
Didius Julianus, 56 or 60. Roman Emperor, March 28-June 1, 193. Didius Julianus bought the position of emperor from the Praetorian Guard after the assassination of Pertinax. He was ousted and assassinated by a soldier acting on the orders of Septimus Severus, who had seized the throne.

480 years ago
1533

Britannica
Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, was crowned Queen of England.

200 years ago
1813

War
In the War of 1812, HMS Shannon, under the command of Captain Philip Vere Broke, captured USS Chesapeake, commanded by Captain James Lawrence, in a 15-minute fire fight off Boston harbour, and towed her to Halifax. 48 American sailors and 23 British sailors were killed. James Lawrence, the mortally-wounded commander of the Chesapeake, gave his final order: "Don't give up the ship!" He died three days later.

180 years ago
1833

Born on this date
John Marshall Harlan. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1877-1911. Justice Harlan was a member of various political parties who fought for the Union Army in the Civil War and served as Attorney General of Kentucky (1863-1867), and joined the Republican party after the war. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Rutherford B. Hayes, and became known as "The Great Dissenter" for the number of dissenting opinions he wrote, particularly in cases involving civil liberties, such as Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), in which he argued against the majority opinion upholding the practice of "separate but equal" access to public services for white people and Negroes. Justice Harlan died on October 14, 1911 at the age of 78.

140 years ago
1873

Died on this date
Joseph Howe, 68. Canadian politician. Mr. Howe was one of the most important figures in the history of Nova Scotia. A Reformer, he was a member of the legislative assembly from 1836-1855 and Premier from 1860-1863. Mr. Howe led the opposition to Nova Scotia's entry into Confederation, and was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1867. Unfortunately, he failed, with negative consequences for his province. Mr. Howe joined the federal cabinet of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald in 1869, and helped to bring Manitoba into Confederation in 1870. Mr. Howe left the cabinet in 1873 to accept the position of Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, but died three weeks after taking office.

Canadiana
Prince Edward Island officially entered Confederation as a province of Canada.

120 years ago
1893

Literature
The Adventure of the Reigate Squires by A. Conan Doyle, seventh in a series of short stories published in book form in 1894 as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, was published in the June 1893 issue of The Strand Magazine. It was published in the United States in the June 17, 1893 issue of Harper's Weekly under the title The Adventure of the Reigate Puzzle.

110 years ago
1903

Politics and government
Richard McBride took office as Premier of British Columbia; he served until December 15, 1915.

100 years ago
1913

Born on this date
Bill Deedes. U.K. journalist and politician. Lord Deedes was a Conservative member of the House of Commons from 1950-1974 and was minister without portfolio in the cabinets of Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home from 1962-1964. He was editor of the London Daily Telegraph from 1974-1986. In the mid-1990s, Lord Deedes visited western Canada, and took his teddy bear with him--with his own seat on the plane--in case he might meet any real bears. Lord Deedes died on August 17, 2007 at the age of 94.

Diplomacy
The Greek–Serbian Treaty of Alliance was signed, paving the way for the Second Balkan War.

80 years ago
1933

At the movies
The Sphinx, directed by Phil Rosen, and starring Lionel Atwill, Sheila Terry, and Theodore Newton, opened in theatres.



75 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Ödön von Horváth, 36. Austro-Hungarian-born playwright and author. Mr. Horváth wrote almost 20 plays and four novels; he often wrote about politics and history, and warned of the dangers of fascism Mr. Horváth lived in Germany in the 1920s, but moved to Vienna after the Nazis came to power in 1933, and moved to Paris after the German Anschluss of Austria in 1938. He died when he was hit by a falling tree branch during a thunderstorm on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Popular culture
Superman, created by Toronto-born cartoonist Joe Shuster teaming up with Jerry Siegel, made his first appearance in DC Comics' Action Comics issue #1. The cost of the comic book was 10 cents (collectors will pay almost $100,000 today).

70 years ago
1943

Died on this date
Leslie Howard, 50. U.K. actor. Mr. Howard, born Leslie Howard Steiner, starred on Broadway in such plays as Her Cardboard Lover (1927); Berkeley Square (1929); and The Petrified Forest (1935), and was known for his starring and supporting roles in such movies as The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934); The Petrified Forest (1936); Romeo and Juliet (1936); Pygmalion (1938); Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939); Gone with the Wind (1939); "Pimpernel" Smith(1941); and 49th Parallel (1941). He died when British Overseas Airways Corporation Flight 777 was shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers Ju 88s, leading to speculation that its shooting down was an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Wilfrid B. Israel, 43. German activist. Mr. Israel, a member of a prosperous Jewish family from Berlin, helped to rescue fellow Jews from the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. He was travelling on the same flight as Leslie Howard, and was also killed.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I Will Follow Him--Little Peggy March (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Dis-Lui--Claude François (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Il tangaccio--Adriano Celentano

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Schuld war nur der Bossa Nova--Manuela

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): From Me to You--The Beatles (6th week at #1); Do You Want to Know a Secret?--Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): It's My Party--Lesley Gore

Schuld war nur der Bossa Nova was a German version of Blame it on the Bossa Nova, which had been a hit in North America for Eydie Gorme earlier in 1963. From Me to You and Do You Want to Know a Secret? charted jointly at #1; both songs were written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. I'll Be on My Way, the B-side of Do You Want to Know a Secret?, was also credited to McCartney-Lennon, but was never officially recorded by the Beatles, although they did perform the song for a BBC radio broadcast in 1963.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 It's My Party--Lesley Gore
2 If You Wanna Be Happy--Jimmy Soul
3 Two Faces Have I--Lou Christie
4 Surfin' U.S.A.--Beach Boys
5 I Love You Because--Al Martino
6 Da Doo Ron Ron--The Crystals
7 I Will Follow Him--Little Peggy March
8 Sukiyaki--Kyu Sakamoto
9 You Can't Sit Down--The Dovells
10 Foolish Little Girl--The Shirelles

Singles entering the chart were One Fine Day by the Chiffons (#71); First Quarrel by Paul and Paula (#74); On Top of Spaghetti by Tom Glazer and the Do-Re-Mi Children’s Chorus (#78); So Much in Love by the Tymes (#79); Easier Said than Done by the Essex (#80); Not Too Young to Get Married by Bob. B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (#88); I Wish I were a Princess by Little Peggy March (#90); Black Cloud by Chubby Checker (#91); Falling by Roy Orbison (#92); Six Days on the Road by Dave Dudley (#94); (I Love You) Don't You Forget It by Perry Como (#95); Till Then by the Classics (#97); Kentucky by Bob Moore and his Orchestra (#98); Don't Try to Fight It, Baby by Eydie Gorme (#99); and Memphis by Lonnie Mack (#100). Memphis was the B-side of Down in the Dumps, which failed to chart.

Calgary's Top 10
1 Tamoure--Bill Justis
2 I Will Follow Him--Little Peggy March
3 Two Faces Have I--Lou Christie
4 Da Doo Ron Ron--The Crystals
5 Patty Baby--Freddy Cannon
6 Killer Joe--The Rocky Fellers
7 It's My Party--Lesley Gore
8 Reverend Mr. Black--The Kingston Trio
9 Pipeline--Chantays
10 The Last Leaf--The Cascades

Politics and government
Kenya, still officially a British colony, gained internal self-rule. The anniversary continues to be celebrated in Kenya as Madaraka Day.

Boxing
Willie Pastrano (58-11-8) won the world light heavyweight title with a 15-round split decision over defending champion Harold Johnson (69-9) at the Las Vegas Convention Center.



40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree--Dawn featuring Tony Orlando

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Get Down--Gilbert O'Sullivan (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Mary Kornman, 57. U.S. actress. Miss Kornman was a child actress in the Our Gang comedies in the 1920s.

Abominations
Greek Prime Minister Geroge Papadopouos announced that the military-led Greek government had abolished the monarchy and proclaimed a republic. The proclamation claimed that King Constantine, deposed in December 1967, had plotted against the ledership. The Greek people were told that they would have the chance to approve the changes in a referendum before July 29 and that general elections would be held before the end of 1974.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Richard Nixon and French President Georges Pompidou concluded two days of talks in Reykjavik, Iceland. Little was resolved except to continue high-level talks on major problems.

Religion
Canadian media analyst Marshall McLuhan was appointed to the Papal Commission for Social Communication under Pope Paul VI to look at the Vatican's relations with the media.

30 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Sylvia Schulze, 51. Swiss-born Canadian woman. Mrs. Schulze was a classmate of this blogger, and is fondly remembered and greatly missed.

Diplomacy
Former United States Senator Richard Stone was sworn in as President Ronald Reagan's special envoy to Central America.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Only One Woman--Alien (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev expressed his support for Yegor Ligachev, second-ranking figure in the Politburo and a critic of political reform in the U.S.S.R.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had risen 0.2% in April.

Health
A committee of experts appointed by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences spoke out against discrimination against people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and faulted the federal government's efforts against AIDS as inadequate.

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Finals
Detroit 102 @ Boston 96 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-2)

20 years ago
1993

Politics and government
The Guatemalan army forced President Jorge Serrano Elias from office, eight days after he had seized dictatorial powers. Political parties, businessmen, and civic groups supported the agreement to restore constitutional government.

Terrorism
13 were killed and 133 wounded when Serb mortar shells were fired at a soccer game in Dobrinja, west of the Serbian capital of Sarajevo.

Society
Figures released by Statistics Canada from the 1991 national census showed that only 48% of the country's 7.4 million families were characterized by a married mother and father living together with their children. 13% of Canadians reported no religious affiliation, a 90% increase since 1971.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Los Angeles 4 @ Montreal 1 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Luc Robitaille scored 2 powerplay goals to lead the Kings over the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum.

Basketball
NBA
Western Conference
Finals
Seattle 114 @ Phoenix 120 (Phoenix led best-of-seven series 3-2)

10 years ago
2003

Diplomacy
The leaders of the world's eight leading industrial nations began their annual three-day summit in Evian, France, where they discussed the nuclear weapons programs of North Korea and Iran.

Politics and government
Allied leaders in Iraq announced that they would appoint an advisory council of 25-30 Iraqis.