June 15, 2013

150 years ago
1863

Business
Robert Benson acquired control of the Hudson's Bay Company for the International Financial Society, a syndicate of bankers based in London, England.

140 years ago
1873

Abominations
Renegade American whisky/fur traders massacred Assiniboine Indians in their camp in Cypress Hills, Northwest Territories (now part of Saskatchewan). The crime led to the formation of the North-West Mounted Police.

125 years ago
1888

Died on this date
Friedrich III, 56. Kaiser of Germany and King of Prussia, March 9-June 15, 1888. Friedrich III succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father, Wilhelm I, but was already suffering from terminal cancer of the larynx and died after just 99 days on the throne. He was succeeded by his son Wilhelm II.

Transportation
Fredericton, New Brunswick's first railway bridge, spanning the Saint John River, was completed, and the first train engine made an inaugural crossing.

100 years ago
1913

War
U.S. forces commanded by General John J. Pershing successfully concluded the four-day Battle of Bud Bagsak in the Philippines against Moro rebels.

90 years ago
1923

Baseball
Lou Gehrig made his major league debut with the New York Yankees, playing the 9th inning at first base in relief of Wally Pipp as the Yankees shut out the St. Louis Browns 10-0 before 10,000 fans at Yankee Stadium. Mr. Gehrig fielded a ground ball by Jack Tobin and made the putout at first base to end the game. Mr. Pipp batted 2 for 4 with a double, run, and 2 runs batted in. Herb Pennock (7-2) pitched a 7-hitter and batted 1 for 3 with a run and an RBI. Elam Vangilder (4-8) started on the mound for St. Louis and took the loss, allowing 4 hits and 9 runs in 2 innings. Oddly, all the runs against Mr. Vangilder were unearned, with 5 St. Louis errors contributing to the New York run total.

80 years ago
1933

Baseball
Jim Peterson pitched a complete game victory for the Philadelphia Athletics as they defeated the Savitt Gems 6-1 in an exhibition game at Bulkeley Stadium in Hartford.



75 years ago
1938

Died on this date
E.L. Kirchner, 58. German artist. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was an Expressionist painter and one of the founders of Die Brücke (The Bridge), a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism. He suffered a nervous breakdown during World War I and was discharged from service. Mr. Kirchner became a drunkard and drug addict, but recovered after several years, and was productive in the 1920s. He experienced difficulty selling his paintings after the Nazis came to power in Germany; when they held the Degenerate Art Exhibition in 1937, 639 of Mr. Kirchner's works were taken out of museums, and 25 were put on display. Mr. Kirchner committed suicide by shooting himself outside his house in Frauenkirch-Wildboden, Switzerland.

Baseball
Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds, who had pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Bees four days earlier, became the first--and so far only--man to pitch two consecutive major league no-hitters as the Reds blanked the Brooklyn Dodgers 6-0 before 38,748 fans in the first night game ever played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

The St. Louis Cardinals scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning to break a 6-6 tie and held on to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-7 before 1,500 fans at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. The Phillies scored a run in the bottom of the 9th and had runners on second and third bases with 2 out, but George Scharein struck out to end the game.

Danny MacFayden pitched a 5-hitter to win the pitcher's duel over Clay Bryant as the Boston Bees shut out the Chicago Cubs 2-0 before 3,165 fans at National League Park in Boston. Mr. Bryant allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs in 7 innings.

Jim Tobin pitched a 5-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Rube Melton as the Pittsburgh Pirates shut out the New York Giants 2-0 before 5,874 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. Mr. Melton allowed 5 hits and 1 run--earned--in 8 innings.

The Philadelphia Athletics scored a run in the 9th inning and withstood a 1-run rally in the bottom of the 9th as they edged the Detroit Tigers 7-6 before 5,400 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

Odell Hale hit a run-scoring single, Moose Solters scored him with a triple, and Earl Averill followed with a single to drive home Mr. Solters as the Cleveland Indians scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning and held on to defeat the Washington Nationals 6-4 at League Park in Cleveland.

The Boston Red Sox scord 5 runs in the last 2 innings and withstood a 2-run 9th-inning rally as they defeated the St. Louis Browns 7-4 before 962 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Joe Cronin and Jimmie Foxx hit home runs for the Red Sox, while Harlond Clift hit a 2-run homer for the Browns with 2 out in the 9th.

The New York Yankees scored 3 runs in the top of the 8th inning and held on to defeat the Chicago White Sox 6-4 before 5,000 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Jake Powell had 2 singles, a double, and 2 runs for the Yankees, while Lou Gehrig added a solo home run. Rip Radcliff hit a 2-run homer for the White Sox in the bottom of the 6th, and pinch hitter Larry Rosenthal hit a 2-run homer in the 7th.

70 years ago
1943

Died on this date
Rafael Calderón Muñoz, 83. Vice President of Costa Rica, 1940-1943. Dr. Calderón was a physician who entered the Constituent Assembly in 1917, and held numerous positions in several legislative bodies before becoming one of four Vice Presidents of Costa Rica. He died in office.

War
U.K. Royal Air Force bombers attacked the Ruhr Valley steel and coal centre of Oberhausen, with the loss of 18 aircraft. The Royal Canadian Air Force's 417 Fighter Squadron left Egypt for Malta, then to Italy. U.S. planes from North Africa bombed Sicilian airfields at Bocca di Falco, Castelvetran, Borizzo, Milo, and Sciacca. British forces closed the Turkish-Syrian border in an effort to halt military leaks to the Axis.

Politics and government
Argentine President General Pablo Ramirez promised to re-establish the constitution, and said that his regime would "clean and restore" rather than "perpetuate itself."

Crime
The U.S. Navy reopened Los Angeles to enlisted men, as a county grand jury investigation of the "zoot suit riots" continued.


50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Tamoure--Bill Justis (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Dis-Lui--Claude François (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Il Ballo del Mattone--Rita Pavone (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Schuld war nur der Bossa Nova--Manuela (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I Like It--Gerry and the Pacemakers

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Sukiyaki--Kyu Sakamoto

U.S. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Sukiyaki--Kyu Sakamoto
2 It's My Party--Lesley Gore
3 I Love You Because--Al Martino
4 Da Doo Ron Ron--The Crystals
5 You Can't Sit Down--The Dovells
6 If You Wanna Be Happy--Jimmy Soul
7 Still--Bill Anderson
8 Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer--Nat King Cole
9 Two Faces Have I--Lou Christie
10 Hello Stranger--Barbara Lewis

Singles entering the chart were Don't Say Goodnight and Mean Goodbye by the Shirelles (#86); My True Confession by Brook Benton (#88); Be True to Yourself by Bobby Vee (#90); Come Go with Me by Dion (#92); Say Wonderful Things by Ronnie Carroll (#94, charting with the version by Patti Page); Just One Look by Doris Troy (#95); Harry the Hairy Ape by Ray Stevens (#96); Summer's Comin' by Kirby St. Romain (#97); Come Blow Your Horn by Frank Sinatra (#98); Denise by Randy & the Rainbows (#99); and Banzai Pipeline by Henry Mancini and his Orchestra (#100). Come Blow Your Horn was the title song from the movie.

Calgary's top 10
1 It's My Party--Lesley Gore (2nd week at #1)
2 Sukiyaki--Kyu Sakamoto
3 Tamoure--Bill Justis
4 I Will Follow Him--Little Peggy March
5 Two Faces Have I--Lou Christie
6 Six Days on the Road--Dave Dudley
7 Killer Joe--The Rocky Fellers
8 Da Doo Ron Ron--The Crystals
9 Reverend Mr. Black--The Kingston Trio
10 Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer--Nat King Cole
Pick hit of the week: Hello Stranger--Barbara Lewis

Space
The United States launched two satellites: Lofti 2A, whose mission was the measurement of intensity of very low frequency signals through the ionosphere; and Solar Radiation 4, whose mission was the measurement of solar ultraviolet and x-radiation.

Baseball
Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants pitched a no-hitter as the Giants edged the Houston Colt .45s 1-0 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree--Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Get Down--Gilbert O'Sullivan (6th week at #1)

Environment
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Robert Fri proposed strict controls on transportation in 17 urban areas in order to curb pollution from smog. The controls included auto inspections, limits on gasoline sales and individual car usage. Mr. Fri said the aim was to change the public's "long-standing and intimate relation to private automobiles" and force substantial compliance with the Clean Air Act of 1970 by July 1, 1975. He acknowledged that it might not be practical in such cities as Los Angeles.

30 years ago
1983

Abominations
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld its 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade giving women unrestricted rights to abortion.

Politics and government
Two motions in the Israeli Knesset calling for an investigation into Israel's military conduct in Lebanon in 1982 were defeated.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board announced that industrial production in the U.S.A. had risen 1.1% in May.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Toronto (1-1) 24 @ Hamilton (1-1) 35

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Only One Woman--Alien (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Anna Malenfant, 85. Canadian singer. Miss Malenfant, a native of Shediac, New Brunswick, was a contralto who was a leading lady in Canadian opera throughout the 1930’s and 40’s. She performed in recitals and taught after 1944, and wrote several songs inspired by the area where she was born. Miss Malenfant died in Montreal.

Terrorism
The Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility for a bomb that killed 6 British soldiers when it exploded in their car in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, location of an army headquarters. 10 civilians were injured.

World events
The parliament of the Soviet republic of Armenia passed a resolution calling for reunification of the Armenian Republic with a disputed region of the Azerbaijan Republic. The resolution expressed hope that Azerbaijan would accept reunification.

Diplomacy
Canada expelled eight Soviet diplomats for industrial espionage. The action wasn't made public until June 21.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the balance of payments on current accounts had risen in the first quarter of 1988 to $39.75 billion from a revised $33.52 billion in the fourth quarter of 1987.

20 years ago
1993

Died on this date
John Connally, 76. U.S. politician. Mr. Connally was U.S. Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy from January 25-December 20, 1961, resigning to seek the Democratic party nomination for Governor of Texas. He was elected, and served as Governor of Texas from January 15, 1963-January 21, 1969. Mr. Connally and his wife were sitting in the limousine in front of President and Mrs. Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963, when Mr. Kennedy was fatally shot. Mr. Connally was seriously wounded in the chest, wrist, and thigh, but recovered. He served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from February 11, 1971-June 12, 1972 under President Richard Nixon. Mr. Connally resigned to lead an organization called "Democrats for Nixon" in the 1972 election campaign, and switched his allegiance to the Republican party in May 1973.

James Hunt, 45. U.K. auto racing driver. Mr. Hunt drove in the Formula One circuit from 1973-1979, and won the world championship in 1976. He died of a heart attack.

Defense
Canada officially ended its peacekeeping role in Cyprus after 29 years. The remaining soldiers were to come home by the end of the month.

Politics and government
In his first provincial election since taking office as Premier of Alberta in December 1992, Ralph Klein led his Progressive Conservatives to re-election, winning 51 of 83 seats in the provincial legislature. The Liberals, led by former Edmonton mayor Laurence Decore, won the remaining 32 seats. The New Democratic Party, led by Ray Martin, lost all 16 of the seats they held going into the election, eight to each of the two larger parties.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Hume Cronyn, 91. Canadian-born U.S. actor. Mr. Cronyn, a native of London, Ontario, was known for his stage and screen appearances with his wife Jessica Tandy. His movies included Shadow of a Doubt (1943); Lifeboat (1944); The Seventh Cross (1944); The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946); The Beginning or the End (1947); Brute Force (1947); and Cocoon (1985). Mr. Cronyn won an Emmy Award for his performance in the made-for-television movie Age-Old Friends (1989).

Golf
Jim Furyk won the U.S. Open at Olympia Fields, Illinois, finishing with a tournament record-tying score of 272, 8 under par. It was Mr. Furyk's first win in a major tournament.

Basketball
NBA Finals
New Jersey 77 @ San Antonio 88 (San Antonio won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Tim Duncan and David Robinson combined for 34 points and 37 rebounds as the Spurs defeated the Nets at SBC Center to won their second NBA championship. The iNets led by 9 points at one time, only to see the Spurs score the next 19 points.