April 18, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Mila Levashova!

325 years ago
1689

Died on this date
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, 43. Welsh judge and politician. Lord Jeffreys was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1683-1685, enforcing the policy of King James II and acquiring the nickname "The Hanging Judge." He served as Lord Chancellor of England and Wales from 1685-1688, but was captured by the forces of William of Orange during the Glorious Revolution and imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he died of kidney disease, 27 days before his 44th birthday.

Protest
A mob of provincial militia in citizens in Boston rose up in rebellion against New England Governor Sir Edmund Andros.

220 years ago
1794

Born on this date
William Debenham. U.K. businessman. Mr. Debenham co-founded the Debenhams retail store chain in 1813 when he became a partner of William Clark, who had founded the business in 1778. The corporate name was changed to Clark & Debenham in 1813, and the business was incorporated as Debenhams Limited in 1905. Mr. Debenham died on September 24, 1863 at the age of 69.

150 years ago
1864

Born on this date
Richard Harding Davis. U.S. journalist. Mr. Davis was the first American correspondent to cover the Spanish American War; Boer War; Russo-Japanese War; and World War I. He died of a heart attack on April 11, 1916, a week before his 52nd birthday.

War
In the Battle of Dybbøl, a Prussian-Austrian army defeated Denmark and gained control of the Duchy of Schleswig. Denmark surrendered the province in the following peace settlement.

125 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Jessie Street. Indian-born Australian activist. Lady Street, the wife of Chief Justice Sir Kenneth Whistler Street, supported suffragism and other fashionable "progressive" causes, earning the nickname "Red Jessie" from her detractors. She was Australia's first and only female delegate to the establishment of the United Nations. Lady Street died on July 2, 1970 at the age of 81.

110 years ago
1904

Born on this date
Pigmeat Markham, 77. U.S. entertainer. Dewey Markham was a comedian, singer, dancer, and actor who had a career spanning more than 60 years, performing mainly for Negro audiences on the "Chitlin' Circuit" of theatres and nightclubs. He was best known for his "Here Comes the Judge" routine, which became a hit record for him in 1968, and which he performed on the television program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In during the 1968-69 season, exposing him to white audiences. Mr. Markham died from a stroke on December 13, 1981 at the age of 77.

90 years ago
1924

Popular culture
Simon & Schuster published the first crossword puzzle book.

75 years ago
1939

Politics and government
Robert Menzies was elected as leader of the United Australia Party, following the death of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons.

70 years ago
1944

War
About 2,000 Allied planes raided Germany, striking at military targets in the Berlin area. The British Broadcasting Corporation broadcast a warning to French citizens telling them "that the time is very short" and to prepare for an Allied invasion. Soviet troops captured Balaklava, Crimea, 9 miles southeast of Sevastopol. Japanese forces opened a new drive in the Chinese province of Honan, advancing 23 miles from Chungmow. The Allies reported gains against Japanese troops in several parts of the Imphal plain in the Indian state of Manipur.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill told the House of Commons that something may be salvaged out of the League of Nations in the plans for postwar machinery to maintain peace.

Baseball
Irv Hall doubled home Dick Siebert with 2 out in the top of the 12th inning to break a 2-2 tie as the Philadelphia Athletics edged the Washington Nationals 3-2 before an opening day crowd of 27,000 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

Hank Borowy pitched a 5-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Yank Terry as the defending World Series champion New York Yankees shut out the Boston Red Sox 3-0 before an opening day crowd of 9,973 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Johnny Lindell opened the scoring by leading off the 2nd inning with a home run.

Vern Stephens led off the 9th inning with a home run to give the St. Louis Browns a 2-0 lead as they held on to defeat the Detroit Tigers 2-1 before an opening day crowd of 28,034 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. With 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, Pinky Higgins homered and Jimmy Outlaw singled. George Caster then relieved starting pitcher Jack Kramer and walked Don Ross before getting Bob Swift to ground into a force play to end the game. Mr. Kramer allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run in 8 2/3 innings to get the win over Dizzy Trout, who allowed 6 hits and 2 earned runs in a complete game.

Hank Wyse pitched a 5-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Bucky Walters as the Chicago Cubs shut out the Cincinnati Reds 3-0 before an opening day crowd of 30,154 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati in a game that was played in only 1 hour 17 minutes. Mr. Walters pitched 7 perfect innings, allowing 2 hits and a base on balls in the 4th and a hit in the 9th, resulting in all the scoring.

Hugh Luby doubled home 2 runs with 2 out in the bottom of the 7th inning to enable the New York Giants to defeat the Boston Braves 2-1 before an opening day crowd of 15,551 at the Polo Grounds in New York. Bill Voiselle pitched a 6-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Al Javery, who pitched an 8-hit complete game.

Andy Seminick batted 2 for 3 with a triple, base on balls, 2 runs, and a run batted in to help the Philadelphia Blue Jays defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers 4-1 before an opening day crowd of 11,910 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Dick Barrett pitched a 6-hit complete game victory for the Philadelphia club, playing its first game as the Blue Jays, renamed from Phillies by team owner Bill Cox.

Max Lanier pitched a 2-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Preacher Roe as the defending National League champion St. Louis Cardinals shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 before an opening day crowd of just 4,030 fans at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Mr. Roe singled in the 3rd inning for the first Pittsburgh hit.

60 years ago
1954

Politics and government
Gamal Abdel Nasser replaced Muhammad Naguib as Prime Minister of Egypt.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): All My Loving (EP)--The Beatles

#1 single in France: La Plus Belle Pour Aller Danser--Sylvie Vartan

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Non ho l'età--Gigliola Cinquetti

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Can't Buy Me Love--The Beatles (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Can't Buy Me Love--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Can't Buy Me Love--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)
2 Twist and Shout--The Beatles
3 Hello, Dolly!--Louis Armstrong
4 Suspicion--Terry Stafford
5 Glad All Over--The Dave Clark Five
6 The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)--Betty Everett
7 Do You Want to Know a Secret--The Beatles
8 Don't Let the Rain Come Down (Crooked Little Man)--The Serendipity Singers
9 Bits and Pieces--The Dave Clark Five
10 The Way You Do the Things You Do--Temptations

Singles entering the chart were Shangri-La by Vic Dana (#17, charting with the version by Robert Maxwell and his Orchestra); Love Me with All Your Heart (Cuando Calienta El Sol) by the Ray Charles Singers (#78); Whenever He Holds You by Bobby Goldsboro (#85); Little Children by Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (#87); Ain't That Just Like Me by the Searchers (#88); Just One Look by the Hollies (#89); Gee by Pixies Three (#90); Gonna Get Along Without You Now, with versions by Tracy Dey; and Skeeter Davis (#92); Be Anything (But Be Mine) by Gloria Lynne (#95); Where Does Love Go by Freddie Scott (#96); Walk On By by Dionne Warwick (#97); I Should Care by Gloria Lynne (#98); Across the Street by Lenny O'Henry (#99); and Donnie by the Bermudas (#100).

Died on this date
Ben Hecht, 70. U.S. writer. Mr. Hecht was primarily known for his screenplays; his credits included The Front Page (1931); Scarface (1932); Gunga Din (1939); Wuthering Heights (1939); Spellbound (1945); and Notorious (1946), while his uncredited contributions were equally impressive. He became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Underworld (1927), and also won an Academy Award for The Scoundrel (1935).

Canadiana
University of Toronto astronomer Helen Battle Hogg became the first woman to be appointed President of the Royal Canadian Institute.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 4 @ Detroit 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Dave Keon scored 2 goals, Andy Bathgate scored the winner, and Frank Mahovlich scored with 1:51 remaining in regulation time as the Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings at Olympia Stadium.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
San Francisco 96 @ Boston 108 (Boston led best-of-seven series 1-0)

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Seasons in the Sun--Terry Jacks

Died on this date
Marcel Pagnol, 79. French author, playwright, and film director. Mr. Pagnol ws known for plays such as Marius (1929); Topaze (1930); and Fanny (1932), all of which he made into films.

Defense
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat disclosed that Egypt had decided to abandon its 18-year reliance on the U.S.S.R. for its supply of arms. The Soviet Union had put off for the last six months Egyptian requests for more Soviet weapons.

Scandal
U.S. District Court Judge John Sirica issued a subpoena to President Richard Nixon for tapes and records of 64 White House conversations related to the June 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. and the subsequent cover-up. The subpoena was issued in response to a request from Watergate Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski.

Transportation
Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto inaugurated Lahore's dry port.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
East Division
Montreal 2 @ New York Rangers 5 (New York won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Semi-Finals
Chicago 4 @ Boston 2 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 1-0)

The Rangers scored 2 goals into an empty net to clinch their series win over the Canadiens at Madison Square Garden, eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champions. For Montreal left wing Frank Mahovlich, the game was his last in the NHL. After 17 seasons in the NHL and 3 1/2 with the Canadiens, he joined the Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Association.

30 years ago
1984

World events
U.S. Senators Lawton Chiles (Democrat--Florida) and J. Bennett Johnston (Democrat--Louisiana) were uninjured when the helicopter in which they were passengers was struck by gunfire from rebels near the border between Honduras and El Salvador.

Diplomacy
Newspaper reports confirmed that the United States had rejected Nora Astorga, whom Nicaragua had proposed as its ambassador to the United States. She had been linked to the 1978 killing of an officer in the Nicaraguan National Guard who had reportedly worked with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

Defense
At a meeting of the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva, U.S. Vice President George Bush presented the proposed U.S. treaty providing for a comprehensive ban on chemical weapons.

Politics and government
Former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale won the Missouri caucuses in the contest for the Democratic party nomination for President of the United States in the November 1984 election.

25 years ago
1989

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Brightwing

Protest
Thousands of Chinese students demanding democracy tried to storm Communist Party headquarters in Beijing.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that consumer prices, led by energy prices, had risen 0.5% in March.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Streets of Philadelphia--Bruce Springsteen (2nd week at #1)

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 The Sign--Ace of Base (5th week at #1)
2 Streets of Philadelphia--Bruce Springsteen
3 Mr. Jones--Counting Crows
4 Return to Innocence--Enigma
5 Without You--Mariah Carey
6 Love Sneakin' Up on You--Bonnie Raitt
7 Swimming in Your Ocean--Crash Test Dummies
8 Loser--Beck
9 Hasn't Hit Me Yet--Blue Rodeo
10 Anniversary Song--Cowboy Junkies

Singles entering the chart were Push by Moist (#73); Borders and Time by the Rankin Family (#79); The Woman in Me by Heart (#86); Dream On Dreamer by the Brand New Heavies (#90); I'll Take You There by General Public (#92); The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get by Morrissey (#93); and I'll Wait by Taylor Dayne (#97).

World events
Ethnic violence between Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda was said to be spreading throughout the country.

Politics and government
Audrey McLaughlin announced that she would step down as leader of Canada's New Democratic Party as soon as a new leader was chosen.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board raised the federal funds rate--the interest rate banks charged each other on overnight loans--from 3.5%-3.75%, the third such increase in three months, apparently reflecting a concern about the threat of inflation. In response, several leading banks raised their prime lending rates to 6.75%.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Montreal 3 @ Boston 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
New York Islanders 0 @ New York Rangers 6 (Rangers led best-of-seven series 2-0)
Chicago 1 @ Toronto 5 (Toronto led best-of-seven series 1-0)
San Jose 5 @ Detroit 4 (San Jose led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Vancouver 5 @ Calgary 0 (Vancouver led best-of-seven series 1-0)

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Kamisese Mara, 83. Chief Minister of Fiji, 1967-1970; Prime Minister of Fiji, 1970-1987, 1987-1992; 2nd President of Fiji, 1993-2000. Sir Kamisese, founder of the Alliance Party, is regarded as the founding father of modern Fiji. He led the government when Fiji gained its independence from Great Britain, and when it became a republic. Sir Kamisese's political career lasted 50 years, ending when he resigned as the result of a coup. Sir Kamisese died 19 days before his 84th birthday.

War
The day after being sworn in as Prime Minister of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero ordered a withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq.

Politics and government
Populist Ivan Gasparovic defeated front-runner Vladimir Meciar in a run-off election to become the new President of Slovakia.