April 22, 2014

170 years ago
1844

Born on this date
Lewis Powell. U.S./C.S. criminal. Mr. Powell, a native of Alabama, fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War and was wounded in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. On April 14, 1865, while John Wilkes Booth was assassinating U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Powell attempted to assassinate U.S. Secretary of State William Seward. He broke into Mr. Seward's home and stabbed him, but Mr. Seward survived. Mr. Powell died at the age of 21 on July 7, 1865 when he and three co-conspirators were hanged in Washington.

Journalism
The Bytown Packet--later the Ottawa Citizen--published its first edition.

150 years ago
1864

Americana
The U.S. Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1864, mandating that the inscription In God We Trust be placed on all coins minted as United States currency.

125 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Richard Glücks. German SS officer. SS-Gruppenführer Glücks was the highest-ranking Concentration Camps Inspector in Nazi Germany. He was directly responsible for the forced labour of the camp inmates, and was also the supervisor for the medical practices in the camps, ranging from human experimentation to the implementation of mass murder of inmates with Zyklon-B gas. Mr. Glücks reportedly committed suicide on May 10, 1945, 18 days after his 56th birthday, by swallowing a potassium cyanide capsule at the Mürwik naval base in Flensburg.

Americana
At high noon, thousands rushed to claim land in Oklahoma in the Land Run of 1889. Within hours, the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie were formed with populations of at least 10,000.

100 years ago
1914

Born on this date
José Quiñones Gonzales. Peruvian military aviator. Lieutenant Quiñones was a pilot in the Peruvian Air Force whose plane was hit by ground fire during a bombing raid against Ecuadorian forces during the Ecuadorian-Peruvian War on July 23, 1941, when he was 27. Instead of parachuting to safety, he crashed his plane onto the Ecuadorian position and put the battery out of action, earning him status as a Peruvian national hero.

Baseball
Art Wilson hit 2 home runs and Claude Hendrix pitched a 5-hitter as the Chicago Whales routed the Kansas City Packers 9-1 before 21,500 fans in the first game at Weeghman Park in Chicago.

Babe Ruth pitched his first game as a professional, pitching a 6-hit shutout and batting 2 for 4 as the Baltimore Orioles blanked Buffalo 6-0 in the International League. The second batter to face Mr. Ruth was Joe McCarthy, who became Mr. Ruth's manager with the New York Yankees from 1931-1934.

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): It's Love-Love-Love--Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians with Skip Nelson and the Lombardo Trio (Best Seller--1st week at #1); Bésame Mucho (Kiss Me Much)--Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra with Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen (Jukebox--1st week at #1)

Died on this date
Nikolaos Roussen, 30. Greek military officer. Captain Roussen was killed three days before his 31st birthday while leading a detachment to to recover the corvette Apostolis, which had been commandeered by its crew as part of a mutiny within the Royal Hellenic Navy.

War
Operation Persecution was initiated, as Allied forces landed in the Hollandia area of New Guinea. The 1st Air Commando Group, using Sikorsky R-4 helicopters, staged the first use of helicopters in combat with CSAR operations in the China-Burma-India theater. Japanese troops entered Chengchow. Long-range Nazi artillery engaged in heavy shelling of the Allied Italian beachhead at Anzio. German attempts to attack Soviet positions at Narva, Estonia and around Stanislav, Poland were repulsed. The U.S.S.R. announced that peace negotiations with Finland had collapsed with the rejection of Soviet demands.

Diplomacy
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Tom Connally appointed himself and seven other members of the committee to a special group to confer with Secretary of State Cordell Hull on the establishment of a postwar organization to maintain world peace.

Labour
Delegates to the International Labour Organization convention voted to exclude Argentine representative Luis Girola on the grouds that he had been named "by a fascist government which favors the Axis."

Politics and government
Republicans in Kentucky endorsed New York Governor Tom Dewey as the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States in the November 1944 election.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced the completion of a study of corporate profits for the 1936-1942 period which showed a drop in profits due to higher taxation and costs.

Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York disclosed that 15,000 of its most valuable objects, removed shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, had been returned to the museum.

60 years ago
1954

Politics and government
Witnesses began testifying as live television coverage of the Army-McCarthy Hearings began in Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy (Republican--Wisconsin) was on trial in relation to his accusations of Communist infiltration of the United States Army.

Basketball
NBA
The National Basketball Association followed the advice of Syracuse Nationals' owner Danny Biasone and adopted a rule forcing a team to attempt a shot within 24 seconds of gaining possession of the ball. The rule was to take effect in the 1954-55 season.

50 years ago
1964

Americana
The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair opened for its first season at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, the site of the 1939-1940 World's Fair.

Politics and government
The Liberal Party, led by Ross Thatcher, won the Saskatchewan provincial election, ending 20 years of Cooperative Commonwealth Federation government. The Liberals captured 32 seats, while the CCF, led by Premier Woodrow Lloyd, took 26 seats. Progressive Conservative Party leader Martin Pederson was the only candidate of his party to be elected. The popular vote was closer, with the Liberals taking 40.40% to 40.30% for the CCF and 18.90% for the PCs. The Social Credit Party, which had drawn 12.35% of the vote in the 1960 election, dropped to 0.45% under leader Martin Kelln, who spent little time campaigning.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Boston 91 @ San Francisco 115 (Boston led best-of-seven series 2-1)

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): My Coo Ca Choo--Alvin Stardust (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La Distancia--Roberto Carlos (6th week at #1)

Hockey
WHA
Avco World Trophy
Semi-Finals
East Division
Chicago 4 @ Toronto 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Frankie Rochon scored with 10:32 remaining in regulation time to give the Cougars their win over the Toros before 8,169 fans at Varsity Arena. Ralph Backstrom scored 2 goals for Chicago, with Don Gordon also scoring for Chicago. Bob Leduc, Tom Martin, and Wayne Dillon scored the Toronto goals, which came within a span of 4 minutes and 32 seconds in the 2nd period.

Basketball
NBA
Semi-Finals
Western Conference
Milwaukee 115 @ Chicago 99 (Milwaukee won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 38 points to lead the Bucks over the Bulls before 12,762 fans at Chicago Stadium. Bob Love led the Bulls with 32 points.

ABA
Semi-Finals
Western Division
Indiana 110 @ Utah 101 (Utah led best-of-seven series 3-2)

George McGinnis scored 29 points to lead the Pacers over the Stars before 10,248 fans at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Relax--Frankie Goes to Hollywood (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Big in Japan--Alphaville

Died on this date
Ansel Adams, 82. U.S. photographer. Mr. Adams was known for his black and white photographs--especially landscapes--of the American West. His most famous photo is probably Moonrise (1941).

Diplomacy
Five days after police officer Yvonne Fletcher had been killed by gunfire from the Libyan embassy in London, the United Kingdom announced plans to sever diplomatic relations with Libya.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Calgary 4 @ Edmonton 7 (Edmonton won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Jarri Kurri's goal proved to be the winner as the Oilers defeated the Flames at Northlands Coliseum.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Like a Prayer--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Like a Prayer--Madonna (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Eternal Flame--Bangles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Megamix--Boney M.

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Eternal Flame--Bangles (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Like a Prayer--Madonna
2 She Drives Me Crazy--Fine Young Cannibals
3 The Look--Roxette
4 Funky Cold Medina--Tone Loc
5 I'll Be There for You--Bon Jovi
6 Stand--R.E.M.
7 Heaven Help Me--Deon Estus with George Michael
8 Girl You Know it's True--Milli Vanilli
9 Eternal Flame--Bangles
10 Second Chance--Thirty Eight Special

Singles entering the chart were This Time I Know it's for Real by Donna Summer (#88); Seeing is Believing by Mike + the Mechanics (#90); Shake it Up by Bad Company (#93); and Round & Round by New Order (#95).

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Like a Prayer--Madonna
2 She Drives Me Crazy--Fine Young Cannibals
3 I'll Be There for You--Bon Jovi
4 The Look--Roxette
5 Funky Cold Medina--Tone Loc
6 Girl You Know it's True--Milli Vanilli
7 Heaven Help Me--Deon Estus (with George Michael)
8 Superwoman--Karyn White
9 Eternal Flame--Bangles
10 Second Chance--Thirty Eight Special

Singles entering the chart were Giving Up on Love by Rick Astley (#68); Seeing is Believing by Mike + the Mechanics (#70); Cuddly Toy (Feel For Me) by Roachford (#75); All This I Should Have Known by Breathe (#82); Stop by Sam Brown (#84); Promises by Basia (#88); and Sweet Jane by Cowboy Junkies (#95).

Died on this date
Emilio G. Segrè, 84. Italian-born U.S. physicist. Dr. Segrè shared the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physics with Owen Chamberlain "for their discovery of the antiproton." He also discovered the elements technetium and astatine.

Baseball
Darrin Reichle (6 innings) and William Marx (3 innings) combined to pitch a no-hitter for the Riverside Red Wave of the Class A California League as they shut out the Modesto Athletics 5-0 at John Thurman Field in Modesto. The Red Wave were a farm team of the San Diego Padres.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Without You--Mariah Carey (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Streets of Philadelphia--Bruce Springsteen (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Richard Nixon, 81. 37th President of the United States of America, 1969-1974; Vice President of the United States of America, 1953-1961. Mr. Nixon, a Republican, was the only President to resign the office, as a result of the scandal involving the June 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1947-1951) and Senate (1951-1953) before taking office as Vice President under President Dwight Eisenhower. Mr. Nixon's career appeared to be finished when he was defeated in the election for Governor of California in 1962, but six years later he was elected President. Mr. Nixon, one of the most polarizing politicians in American history, died four days after suffering a stroke.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Pat Tillman, 27. U.S. football player. Mr. Tillman was a safety with the Arizona Cardinals from 1998-2001. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Mr. Tillman turned down a lucrative contract offer from the Cardinals to join the United States Army. He was killed in Afghanistan in an incident that was deliberately misreported as involving enemy fire, when in fact it involved friendly fire. Specialist Tillman was opposed to the Iraq War, and some have speculated that he was killed deliberately because of his increasingly anti-war views.

Jason Dunham, 22. U.S. soldier. Corporal Dunham, a member of the United States Marine Corps, died eight days after throwing himself onto an enemy grenade to save the lives of when his unit was attacked while on patrol in Husabayah, Iraq. His actions earned him the Medal of Honor.

Terrorism
The family of Canadian citizen Maher Arar, who had been seized by U.S. authorities at an American airport and sent to a detention centre in the Middle East, announced that they were suing the government of Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and several Canadian consular officers for $400 million, claiming that Mr. Arar's constitutional rights had been violated and that the authorities had been guilty of racism in pursuing an investigation into allegations that he was tied

Disasters
Two fuel trains collided in Ryongchon, North Korea, killing at least 150-160 people.