April 4, 2014

730 years ago
1284

Died on this date
Alfonso X, 62. King of Castile and Leَn, 1252-1284. Alfonso X "the Wise" acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Ferdinand III. He was chosen by a dissident faction in Germany to be King of Germany in 1257, but renounced that claim in 1275. King Alfonso created an alliance with England in 1254, and renounced his claim to Gascony. He encouraged learning, and his court included Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Alfonso X engaged in a successful war against Portugal, a less successful war against Grenada, and in his later years, a civil war against his son Sancho IV, who took the throne after King Alfonso died.

200 years ago
1814

Politics and government
Napoleon I abdicated for the first time and named his son Napoleon II as Emperor of the French.

150 years ago
1864

Died on this date
Joseph Pitty Couthouy, 56. U.S. military navy officer. Mr. Couthouy was a member of the U.S. Navy's Exploring Expedition from 1838-1840. He commanded several ships during the U.S. Civil War, and died the day after being shot in an ambush off Grand Ecore, Louisiana.

120 years ago
1894

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister John Thompson hosted the Canada-Newfoundland Confederation Conference in Ottawa, which ran until April 16.

75 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Ghazi, 26. King of Iraq, 1933-1939. Ghazi succeeded his father Faisal I on the Hashemite throne. He died under mysterious circumstances in an accident involving a sports car that he was driving. Ghazi was succeeded as king by his 3-year-old son Faisal II.

Diplomacy
Canada recognized the government of Generalissimo Francisco Franco of Spain, following the end of the Spanish Civil War.

70 years ago
1944

War
The first bombardment of oil refineries in Bucharest by Anglo-American forces killed 3000 civilians. After three days of street fighting, Soviet forces gained control of Tarnopol, Poland. Because of jungle fires set by the Japanese, British troops were forced back into the plain east of Imphal in the Indian state of Manipur. The French Committee of National Liberation announced that a National Defense General Staff had been established under General Charles de Gaulle with complete authority over the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Politics and government
New York Governor Thomas Dewey won the Wisconsin primary in the contest for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States in the November 1944 election. Mr. Dewey finished ahead of Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen, 1940 Republican presidential nominee Wendell Willkie, and U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur.

Scandal
Movie star and director Charlie Chaplin was acquitted by a U.S. federal court jury in Los Angeles of violating the Mann Act. Mr. Chaplin had been charged with transporting aspiring actress Joan Berry on a round trip from Hollywood to New York for immoral purposes.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Chicago 1 @ Montreal 5 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 1-0)

60 years ago
1954

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Montreal 1 @ Detroit 3 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Terry Sawchuk won the goaltending duel over Jacques Plante as the Red Wings defeated the Canadiens at Olympia Stadium.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Minneapolis 81 @ Syracuse 67 (Minneapolis led best-of-seven series 2-1)

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Roll Over Beethoven/Hold Me Tight--The Beatles

#1 single in France: A Présent Tu Peux T'en Aller--Richard Anthony (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Una lacrima sul viso--Bobby Solo (7th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Can't Buy Me Love--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

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

The Beatles occupied the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Twist and Shout--The Beatles
2 Can't Buy Me Love--The Beatles
3 She Loves You--The Beatles
4 I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles
5 Please Please Me--The Beatles
6 Hello, Dolly!--Louis Armstrong
7 Dawn (Go Away)--The 4 Seasons
8 My Heart Belongs to Only You--Bobby Vinton
9 Glad All Over--The Dave Clark Five
10 Suspicion--Terry Stafford

Singles entering the chart were Bits and Pieces by the Dave Clark Five (#55); My Guy by Mary Wells (#67); Stay Awhile by Dusty Springfield (#73); Love Me Do by the Beatles (#77); I'm So Proud by the Impressions (#80); Can You Do It by the Contours (#85); You Can't Do That by the Beatles (#97); The Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini and his Orchestra (#98); Diane by the Bachelors (#99); and I'm on Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis (#100). Love Me Do, like Roll Over Beethoven (charting at #33) and All My Loving (charting at #61), was released as a single on Capitol Records in Canada, but not in the U.S.A. The Beatles' popularity was so great that thousands of copies were imported into the U.S.A., selling enough copies to make the chart. The version of Love Me Do that was released in Canada featured Ringo Starr on drums; the version that was later released as a single and appeared on albums featured session musician Andy White on drums and Mr. Starr on tambourine. You Can't Do That was the B-side of Can't Buy Me Love. The Pink Panther Theme was the title theme from the movie (1963). Don't Let the Rain Come Down (Crooked Little Man) by the Serendipity Singers, which charted at #14, had previously been listed under the title Crooked Little Man.

U.S.A. Top Ten (Music Vendor)
1 Twist and Shout--The Beatles
2 She Loves You--The Beatles
3 Can't Buy Me Love--The Beatles
4 Hello, Dolly!--Louis Armstrong
5 Suspicion--Terry Stafford
6 I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles
7 Please Please Me--The Beatles
8 My Heart Belongs to Only You--Bobby Vinton
9 The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in his Kiss)--Betty Everett
10 Glad All Over--The Dave Clark Five

Singles entering the chart included The Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini and his Orchestra (#67); All My Loving by the Beatles (#75); My Girl Sloopy by the Vibrations (#77); Can You Do It by the Contours (#78); Kiss Me Sailor by Diane Renay (#79); Giving Up on Love by Jerry Butler (#81); Shangri-La by Vic Dana (#82); Diane by the Bachelors (#87); Hey, Mr. Sax Man by Boots Randolph (#88); Baby Baby Baby by Anna King-Bobby Byrd (#90); Wish Someone Would Care by Irma Thomas (#91); Tall Cool One by the Wailers (#93); That's When it Hurts by Ben E. King (#95); Where Does Love Go by Freddie Scott (#96); Cotton Candy by Al Hirt (#97); Ain't That Just Like Me by the Searchers (#98); Wrong for Each Other by Andy Williams (#99); and People by Nat King Cole (#100).

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Cosmos 28.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Toronto 2 @ Montreal 4 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Bobby Rousseau broke a 2-2 tie with 25 seconds remaining in the 2nd period and Claude Provost scored into an empty net with 30 seconds remaining in regulation time as the Canadiens defeated the Maple Leafs at the Montreal Forum. Mr. Rousseau's goal was his first in 16 playoff games.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Billy - Don't Be a Hero--Paper Lace

Television
The World Football League and the TVS network reached an agreement for the network to broadcast a WFL game every week during the regular season, on Thursday nights.

Scandal
New York Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner was indicted for making illegal contributions to the campaign to re-elect U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1972.

Disasters
77 people were killed when a DC-4 carrying gold miners on their way home from Malawi crashed in Francistown, Botswana.

Baseball
With his first swing of the season, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit a home run off Jack Billingham of the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati to tie Babe Ruth's career major league record of 714 home runs. The game was stopped at that point as U.S. Vice President Gerald Ford made a speech in honour of the occasion--which, as far as I know, marked the beginning of the obnoxious practice of interrupting games for such presentations. The Reds came back to win the season opener 7-6 in 10 innings when Pete Rose doubled and scored on a wild pitch by losing pitcher Buzz Capra.

30 years ago
1984

Defense
U.S. President Ronald Reagan announced that the United States would soon propose a "comprehensive worldwide ban on chemical weapons." He accused the U.S.S.R. and Iraq of using chemical weapons against Afghanistan and Iran, respectively, and that the U.S.A. had been forced to "maintain a limited retaliatory capability of its own" to counter the Soviet arsenal. Mr. Reagan called for strict verification measures.

Protest
More than 30 women protestng the presence of U.S. Cruise missiles were evicted from Greenham Common in Berkshire, England.

25 years ago
1989

Diplomacy
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev addressed the Cuban National Assembly in Havana, and in an apparent warning to his hosts, said that the Soviet Union "categorically opposed...the export of revolution or counterrevolution and all forms of foreign interference in the affairs of sovereign states." He said that the U.S.S.R. would stop aiding the Sandanista regime in Nicaragua if the U.S.A. halted military aid to America's Central American allies.

Baseball
With 2 out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th inning, Damaso Garcia singled home Rex Hudler, and Tim Raines followed with a bases-loaded walk to force home Nelson Santovenia with the winning run as the Montreal Expos rallied from a 5-3 8th-inning deficit to edge the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 to open the season before 35,154 fans in the first game played at Olympic Stadium in Montreal since the installation of a permanent roof. Pittsburgh leadoff hitter Barry Bonds batted 4 for 4 with a home run, triple, stolen base, and 2 runs.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Omen III--Magic Affair (4th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 The Sign--Ace of Base (3rd week at #1)
2 Mr. Jones--Counting Crows
3 Streets of Philadelphia--Bruce Springsteen
4 Without You--Mariah Carey
5 Return to Innocence--Enigma
6 Now and Forever--Richard Marx
7 Swimming in Your Ocean--Crash Test Dummies
8 Hasn't Hit Me Yet--Blue Rodeo
9 Love Sneakin' Up on You--Bonnie Raitt
10 High Road Easy--Sass Jordan

Singles entering the chart were Box of Miracles by Barefoot Servants (#85); Leaving Las Vegas by Sheryl Crow (#88); Locked Out by Crowded House (#90); Back to Avalon by Heart (#92); Yes (Means it's Hard to Say No) by Odds (#93); Big Time Sensuality by Bjork (#95); Let's Get Married by the Proclaimers (#96); and A Certain Slant of Light by the Tea Party (#97).

Diplomacy
French organizers of ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of D-Day in June reversed the cancellation of long-standing hotel reservations for over 100 Canadian Army veterans. There had been a huge public outcry after veterans had been bumped to accommodate U.S. television news crews and other VIPs.

Business
Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark founded Netscape Communications Corporation under the name Mosaic Communications Corporation.

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones industrial average stood at 3,593.35, almost 10% below its level less than two weeks earlier.

10 years ago
2004

War
Eight U.S. soldiers in several cities in southern Iraq were killed in coordinated attacks ordered by radical Shia Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, after his newspaper had been closed down by the Americans for inciting violence.