April 5, 2014

400 years ago
1614

Married on this date
Pocahontas, the daughter of Chief Powhatan, married English tobacco planter John Rolfe in a Christian ceremony presided over by Richard Buck, at a church in Jamestown, Virginia. It was the first interracial marriage in North America. The groom was almost 29 years old, while the bride was about 10 years younger.

220 years ago
1794

Died on this date
Fabre d'Églantine, 43. French playwright and politician; François Joseph Westermann, 42. French military officer; Pierre Philippeaux, 39. French lawyer; François Chabot, 37. French politician; Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles, 34. French judge and politician; Georges Danton, 34. French politician; Camille Desmoulins, 34. French journalist and politician. The seven men were figures in the French Revolution, but were convicted by the Revolutionary Tribunal of various offenses, and, with eight others, were executed by guillotine in Paris.

210 years ago
1804

Born on this date
Matthias Jakob Schleiden. German botanist. Professor Schleiden, with Theodor Schwann and Rudolf Virchow, co-founded cell theory. He died on June 23, 1881 at the age of 77.

Space
The first recorded meteorite in Scotland fell in High Possil, on the outskirts of Glasgow.

190 years ago
1824

Born on this date
Moses Dickson. U.S. social activist. Mr. Dickson was born a free Negro in Cincinnati. As a young man, he was one of the founders of the Knights of Liberty, an organization dedicated to promoting a slave rebellion. The movement grew over the next decade, but with rumours of a civil war looming, plans for a rebellion were abandoned; the Knights of Liberty disbanded during the war. Mr. Dickson also worked with the Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape to freedom. He joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1866 and was ordained as an AME minister the following year. Rev. Dickson started schools for Negro children and co-founded Lincoln Institute (now Lincoln University) in Jefferson City, Missouri. He died of typhoid fever on November 28, 1901 at the age of 77.

120 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Lawrence Bell. U.S. aviation executive. Mr. Bell founded Bell Aircraft Corporation in 1935. Bell Aircraft made fighter planes during World War II, but was perhaps best known for the Bell X-1, in which Chuck Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier in 1947. Mr. Bell died from a stroke on October 20, 1956 at the age of 62.

Hans Hüttig. German war criminal. Mr. Hüttig was an SS officer who worked at various concentration camps in the 1930s and '40s, and oversaw the construction of camps and prisons. He was interned by the Allies after World War II and was sentenced to death by a French military court in 1954. The sentence wasn't carried out, and Mr. Hüttig was released in 1956, living a quiet life until his death on February 23, 1980 at the age of 85.

110 years ago
1904

Sport
The first international rugby league match was played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England.

80 years ago
1934

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Chicago 4 @ Detroit 1 (Chicago led best-of-five series 2-0)

70 years ago
1944

Died on this date
Rose O'Neill, 69. U.S. businesswoman. Ms. O'Neill created the Kewpie Doll, which brought her $1.4 million in royalties.

War
German troops executed 270 inhabitants of the Greek town of Kleisoura. Soviet troops captured Kubanka, 17 miles north of Odessa, and also took Razdelnaya and Kuchurgan, thus cutting the last rail and highway escape route for an estimated 100,000 German troops in the Odessa area. Japanese invasion forces seized a 15-mile stretch of the Imphal-Kohima highway in the Indian state of Manipur and pushed to a point 80 miles east of Dimapur, which was the Allied lifeline to northern Burma.

Diplomacy
The United Kingdom ended public telephone service to Ireland and, as a safety measure, halted exports of newspapers and most other printed matter to Ireland and Gibraltar.

Politics and government
Crown Prince Humbert of Italy said that he was prepared to act as deputy for King Victor Emmanuel III, who had agreed to name him his lieutenant with authority to exercise the prerogatives of the crown.

Wendell Willkie, the Republican Party candidate for President of the United States in 1940, announced his withdrawal from the contest for the 1944 Republican nomination after a poor performance in the Wisconsin primary.

The U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals announced that it had withdrawn a 1940 deportation order against the Russian-born wife of Communist Party U.S.A. leader Earl Browder.

Society
The U.S. Committee on Fair Employment Practices revealed that the Pennsylvania Railroad Company had agreed to employ qualified dining car stewards without regard to race, creed, colour, or national origin.

50 years ago
1964

Died on this date
Douglas MacArthur, 84. U.S. military officer. One of the most famous figures in U.S. military history, General MacArthur was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and commanded U.S. Army forces in the Far east in World War II. He oversaw U.S. occupation of Japan in the years immediately following World War II, and commanded United Nations forces in the Korean War from 1950-1951, until being removed from command by U.S. President Harry Truman for disobeying a direct order from his Commander-in-Chief.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Detroit 2 @ Chicago 3 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Ken Wharram broke a 2-2 tie at 5:25 of the 3rd period to enable the Black Hawks to edge the Red Wings at Chicago Stadium. Mr. Wharram appeared to have scored after the whistle, but referee Frank Udvari allowed the goal to stand, prompting Detroit coach Sid Abel to say, "That's the biggest steal I've ever seen." NHL President Clarence Campbell subsequently fined Mr. Abel $500 for his criticism of Mr. Udvari.

Baseball
The New York Yankees scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to defeat the Houston Colt .45s 6-4 in a spring training game before 2,300 fans at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Tom Metcalf pitched 3 scoreless innings to get the win in relief of Bill Stafford, who allowed 4 runs in his only inning of work. Bud Daley started on the mound for New Yok and allowed just 1 hit in 5 scoreless innings. Jim Owens pitched the first 7 innings for Houston, allowing 2 runs in the 5th, before being relieved by Chuck Taylor, who took the loss. New York third baseman Hector Lopez hit 3 singles.



40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Baby Blue--George Baker Selection (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Teenage Rampage--Sweet (7th week at #1)

At the movies
The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
A.Y. Jackson, 91. Canadian painter. Mr. Jackson was a founding member of the Group of Seven, who became famous for painting scenes of the Canadian wilderness. Mr. Jackson was also a war artist during World War I.

Fred Snodgrass, 86. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Snodgrass was a center fielder with the New York Giants (1908-1915) and Boston Braves (1915-1916), batting .275 with 11 home runs and 351 runs batted in in 923 games. He was best known for his "muff" of a fly ball in the bottom of the 10th inning of the eighth and deciding game of the 1912 World Series against the Boston Red Sox, contributing to a 2-run rally that won the series for Boston.

Politics and government
A coalition government of neutralists, rightists, and pro-Communist Pathet Lao was established in Laos, a result of the February 1973 Laotian cease-fire agreement. Souvanna Phouma remained as Premier, while his half-brother, Pathet Lao leader Prince Souphanouvong, became president of the National Political Council, an advisory body to the cabinet.

Scandal
Dwight Chapin, former appointments secretary to U.S. President Richard Nixon, was convicted in a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. of two counts of lying to a grand jury that was hearing evidence related to the June 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. Mr. Chapin was found guilty of lying about his relationship with Donald Segretti, who had pleaded guilty to political "dirty tricks" in the 1972 election campaign.

Baseball
The Montreal Expos sold pitcher Bill Stoneman, who had been with the team since its inception in 1969, and who was my favourite player at the time, to the California Angels. Mr. Stoneman had pitched no-hitters in 1969 and 1972 and had pitched in the major league All-Star Game in 1972, but arm trouble had led to a poor season for him in 1973, as he posted a record of 4-8 with an earned run average of 6.77, pitching just 97 innings in 29 games, with no complete games. He joined the Angels two days before his 30th birthday.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
Edmonton's Top 30 (CHED)
1 Footloose--Kenny Loggins
2 Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)--Phil Collins
3 Miss Me Blind--Culture Club
4 Somebody's Watching Me--Rockwell
5 Hello--Lionel Richie
6 Radio Ga Ga--Queen
7 Hold Me Now--Thompson Twins
8 Hyperactive--Thomas Dolby
9 Adult Education--Daryl Hall and John Oates
10 I Want a New Drug--Huey Lewis and the News
11 Come Back and Stay--Paul Young
12 Jump--Van Halen
13 Runner--Manfred Mann's Earth Band
14 You Might Think--The Cars
15 Girls--Dwight Twilley
16 Love Somebody--Rick Springfield
17 Thriller--Michael Jackson
18 Don't Bite--Pretty Rough
19 Don't Answer Me--Alan Parsons Project
20 Leave It--Yes
21 They Don't Know--Tracey Ullman
22 Got a Hold on Me--Christine McVie
23 This Could Be the Right One--April Wine
24 Girls Just Want to Have Fun--Cyndi Lauper
25 Authority Song--John Cougar Mellencamp
26 The Kid's American--Matthew Wilder
27 A Fine Fine Day--Tony Carey
28 Only You--The Flying Pickets
29 Joanna--Kool & the Gang
30 It Ain't Enough--Corey Hart

Defense
The United States Senate voted 76-19 in favour of an additional $61.75 in military aid to El Salvador and $21 million for the Contras in Nicaragua who were opposing that country's Sandanista regime. U.S. President Ronald Reagan had originally asked for $92.8 million for El Salvador. Senator Ted Kennedy (Democrat--Massachusetts) opposed the aid to El Salvador, saying that it risked giving a "blank check to death squads and despotism."

Economics and finance
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 250-168 to approve a plan to cut the federal deficit by $182 billion over three years.

Major U.S. banks increased their prime lending rates from 11.5% to 12%, the highest level since October 1982.

Hockey
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1 at Boston Garden to take a 2 games to 0 lead in their best-of-five first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. The Calgary Flames defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 at Olympic Saddledome in Calgary to take a 2-0 lead in their series, while the Edmonton Oilers edged the Winnipeg Jets 5-4 in overtime at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton to take a 2-0 lead in their series.

Basketball
NBA
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 22 points against the Utah Jazz to become the highest-scoring player in league history with 31,421 career points, breaking the record formerly held by Wilt Chamberlain.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Like a Prayer--Madonna (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Like a Prayer--Madonna

Died on this date
Frank Foss, 93. U.S. pole vaulter. Mr. Foss won the Amateur Athletic Union championship in 1919 and 1920, and won the gold medal in the men's pole vault competition at the 1920 Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp.

War
Vietnam announced that it would pull all of its troops out of Cambodia by September 30. Vietnamese forces had entered Cambodia a decade earlier to overthrow the regime led by Pol Pot.

Politics and government
Poland's Communist government and its opposition, led by Lech Walesa, agreed to a new structure for government that would include a new bicameral national legislature. A new Senate would have 100 seats, and the existing parliament would become the lower house with 460 seats, 65% of which would be reserved for the Communist Party and its allies. The legislature would elect a president for a six-year term and strong executive powers. Agreement was also announced to grant official recognition to the Roman Catholic Church.

20 years ago
1994

Died on this date
Kurt Cobain, 27. U.S. musician. Mr. Cobain was the leader of the grunge rock group Nirvana, who achieved popularity in the early 1990s. Mr. Cobain was a drug addict who seems to have spent most of his life rebelling against God. He was found dead on April 8, 1994 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound; the coroner estimated April 5 as the date of death. Some people considered Mr. Cobain a genius, and he was regarded as "the spokesman of a generation," but it's a generation that this blogger wants no part of.

War
Serb forces broke through Bosnian army defense lines at the Muslim enclave of Gorazde.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the Index of Leading Economic Indicators had declined 0.1% in February.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 3,675.41, an increase of 82.06 from the previous day.

10 years ago
2004

War
U.S. troops raided Fallujah, Iraq in response to the March 31 killing and mutilation of four U.S. civilian contractors.