June 20, 2013

150 years ago
1863

Americana
West Virginia entered the Union as the 35th state.

125 years ago
1888

Politics and government
The North-West Territories held its first general election. 22 members of the Legislative Assembly were elected; all were independents, since there was no party politics.

120 years ago
1893

Crime
A jury in New Bedford, Massachusetts acquitted Lizzie Borden of the 1892 ax murders of her father and stepmother.

70 years ago
1943

War
The U.K. Royal Air Force launched Operation Bellicose, the first shuttle bombing raid of World War II. Lancaster bombers damaged the V-2 rocket production facilities at the Zeppelin Works while en route to an air base in Algeria. RAF planes struck heavily at the Schneider armament work at Le Creusot, 170 miles south of Paris, killing a reported 250 people. General Charles de Gaulle's Fighting French group in Algiers said that he may leave for Brazzaville or Beirut unless the French Committee of National Liberation met his demands for supreme military power and reorganization of the French Army. A Japanese force of about 28 bombers and 20 fighters was driven off in an attempted attack on Darwin, Australia by the largest force of Spitfires ever used in the area. U.S. Army Captain Eddie Rickenbacker arrived in Moscow to represent U.S. War Secretary Edward L. Stimson and to study the U.S.S.R.'s use of U.S. planes.

Society
The Detroit Race Riot of 1943 began on Belle Isle, Michigan. By the time violence between whites and Negroes ended two days later, 34 people were dead, 433 injured, and $2 million in property damage had occurred.

Business
The U.S. Commerce Department reported that corporate profits in the first quarter of 1943 totalled $1.821 billion, 18% above the same period in 1942.

Labour
A conference in Washington between coal operators and United Mine Workers of America officials collapsed at noon. Five hours later, UMW policy officials telegraphed U.S. Interior Secretary Harold Ickes, offering to work for the government.

Track and field
AAU championships @ New York
Gunder Haegg of Sweden outran Greg Rice by 35 yards, and beat eight other Americans to win the 5,000-metre event in a time of 14:48.5.

Football
NFL
National Football League owners voted 5-4 to approve the merger of the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers for the 1943 season; the team became unofficially nicknamed the "Steagles." Ted Collins, manager of singer Kate Smith, was granted a franchise for Boston for 1944.

60 years ago
1953

Hit Parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Till I Waltz Again with You--Teresa Brewer (4th week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Song from Moulin Rouge (Where is Your Heart)--Percy Faith and his Orchestra (Best seller--6th week at #1; Disc Jockey--6th week at #1; Jukebox--5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Song from Moulin Rouge (Where is Your Heart)--Percy Faith and his Orchestra (7th week at #1)
--[Mantovani and his Orchestra]
2 April in Portugal--Les Baxter and his Orchestra
--[Ralph Marterie and his "Down Beat" Orchestra]
--[Vic Damone]
3 I'm Walking Behind You--Eddie Fisher
4 Ruby--Richard Hayman and his Orchestra
--[Les Baxter and his Orchestra]
5 Say You're Mine Again--Perry Como
6 Terry's Theme from "Limelight"--Frank Chacksfield and his Orchestra
7 I Believe--Frankie Laine
--[Jane Froman]
8 Anna--Silvana Mangano
9 The Ho Ho Song--Red Buttons
10 Pretend--Nat "King" Cole

Singles entering the chart were No Other Love by Perry Como (#16); Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You) by Les Paul and Mary Ford (#20); Return to Paradise (Parts 1 and 2) by Percy Faith and his Orchestra (#23); Let's Walk That-a-Way by Johnnie Ray and Doris Day (#31); Gigi by Les Baxter and his Orchestra (#32); and Thunder and Lightning by Georgia Gibbs (#36). Let's Walk That-a-Way was the B-side (or maybe the A-side) of Candy Lips, charting at #33.

At the movies
Affair with a Stranger, directed by Roy Rowland, and starring Jean Simmons and Victor Mature, opened in theatres.





Literature
The June 20 issue of Collier's magazine contained the short story The Adventure of the Wax Gamblers by Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr, the sixth in a series known as The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes, and the last of the stories to have been co-written by Messrs. Doyle and Dickson Carr.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I Like It--Gerry and the Pacemakers

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Dale Hein!

Diplomacy
The so-called "red telephone" was established between the Soviet Union and the United States following the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.

40 years ago
1973

World events
After 18 years in exile, former dictator Juan Peron returned to Argentina. A series of shooting incidents left at least 13 dead and 400 wounded, forcing Mr. Peron to cancel an address to more than 1 million Argentinians who had gathered to welcome him. Mr. Peron delivered a televised address that night and apologized for the violence.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, meeting in Washington, signed an accord to accelerate the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and complete a new arms limitation treaty by the end of 1974.

Disasters
All 27 people aboard a Mexican DC-9 were killed when it crashed into a mountain peak and exploded near Puerto Vallarta.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Walter Jackson, 45. U.S. singer. Mr. Jackson was a soul singer who achieved several hit singles on the rhythm and blues charts in the 1960s and '70s, including Suddenly I'm All Alone (1965); Welcome Home (1965); It's An Uphill Climb to the Bottom (1966); and Feelings (1976). He died from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Politics and government
A Salvadoran commission said that it had finished a draft of a new constitution, but that land reform and the means of transition to an elected government were unresolved issues.

American Negro leaders meeting in Chicago approved the creation of a Negro coalition for the 1984 U.S. elections, and endorsed the idea of a Negro candidate for the Democratic party presidential nomination.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that personal income of Americans had risen 1.2% in May and consumer spending had increased 1.4%.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): What a Wonderful World--Louis Armstrong

World events
Lieutenant General Henri Namphy seized control of Haiti and declared himself President, while deposed President Leslie Manigat went into exile in the Dominican Republic.

Diplomacy
A communique issued by the summit of the world's seven leading industrial nations, meeting in Toronto, called for more East-West trade and a continuation of arms-reduction efforts. It also endorsed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's efforts at reform, and noted interest in East bloc countries at "ending their economic isolation."

Politics and government
Progressive Conservative candidate Lucien Bouchard won a federal byelection in the Quebec riding of Lac St.-Jean.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You--UB40 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): What is Love?--Haddaway (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: What is Love?--Haddaway (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): In Your Eyes--Niamh Kavanagh (5th week at #1)

Disasters
A landslide on the South Nation River destroyed the abandoned townsite of Lemieux, Ontario.

Golf
Lee Janzen won the U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey with a tournament-record tying score of 272, 8 under par. Payne Stewart finished second, 2 strokes behind Mr. Janzen.



Basketball
NBA
Finals
Chicago 99 @ Phoenix 98 (Chicago won best-of-seven series 4-2)

John Paxson's 3-point score with 3.9 seconds remaining in regulation time gave the Bulls to their third straight championship as they edged the Suns before 19,023 fans at America West Arena. Michael Jordan scored 33 points for Chicago, and all of the Bulls' points in the 4th quarter until Mr. Paxson's game-winning shot. Mr. Jordan averaged 41 points per game in the series and won the Bill Russell Award as the Most Valuable Player in the Finals.

10 years ago
2003

Education
The WikiMedia Foundation was founded in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (1-0) 27 @ Hamilton (0-1) 17
Winnipeg (1-0) 34 @ British Columbia (0-1) 27