May 17, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Katya Semenova!

200 years ago
1814

World events
The Constitution of Norway was signed, and Crown Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark was elected King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly.

Occupation of Monaco changed from French to Austrian.

125 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Dorothy Gibson. U.S.-born French actress. Miss Gibson, born Dorothy Brown, appeared in silent films in the 1910s. She survived the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912, and starred in Saved from the Titanic (1912), the first movie about the disaster. Miss Gibson moved to France following the dissolution of her marriage in 1919, eventually becoming a Nazi sympathizer and alleged spy. She renounced her sympathies in 1944 and was imprisoned in Italy as an anti-Fascist agitator, but escaped and returned to Paris, where she died of a heart attack on February 17, 1946 at the age of 56.

Alfonso Reyes. Mexican diplomat and author. Mr. Reyes served with the Mexican diplomatic service in France and Spain in the 1910s and '20s, and was Ambassador to Argentina (1927-1930, 1936-1937) and to Brazil (1930-1935, 1938). He wrote non-fiction, fiction, and poetry, and was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Mr. Reyes died on December 27, 1959 at the age of 70.

120 years ago
1894

Died on this date
Frank Goodale. U.S. jockey. Mr. Goodale rode Chant to victory in the 1894 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville just two days before his death, when he was riding a horse named Judge Payne in a race at Churchill Downs, and was fatally injured when the horse stumbled and fell on top of him.

75 years ago
1939

On television today
The Princeton University Tigers edged the Columbia University Lions 2-1 in 10 innings at Baker Field in New York City in the first sports event in the United States to be televised. The game was broadcast by W2XBS, an experimental station in Manhattan, and reached a handful of viewers in New York City.

Canadiana
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth disembarked at Wolfe's Cove, Quebec from the Canadian Pacific ship Empress of Australia to begin a month-long royal visit to Canada, the first by a reigning monarch.



Baseball
The Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs tied 9-9 in a game called after 19 innings because of darkness before 4,500 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The last 10 innings were scoreless.

The Chicago White Sox scored 3 runs in the top of the 10th inning to break a 3-3 tie as they defeated the Boston Red Sox 6-3 before 5,200 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
Variety reported the most popular songs in the U.S.A. as:
1 I Love You
2 Long Ago and Far Away
3 Love, Love, Love

Died on this date
Félix Éboué, 60. French Guianan-born politician. Mr. Éboué served in several French colonial administrations, and was Governor of Guadeloupe (1936-1938) before being transferred to Chad--then part of French Equatorial Africa--where he served as Governor from 1940-1944. He was instrumental in developing Chadian support for the Free French movement, and died in office, suffering a stroke while in Cairo.

War
American and French troops reached the outposts of the Germans' Hitler Line at the southern end of their offensive between Cassino and the sea. U.S. amphibious forces, leapfrogging 125 miles up the Dutch New Guinea coast from Hollandia, landed unopposed at Tum and Arara, establishing a 7 1/2-mile beachhead. American troops gained control of the airstrip on Insumuar, the main island of the Wakde group. U.S. and Chinese troops captured the main airport of Myitkyina in northern Burma. The U.S. Selective Service announced revised regulations deferring students preparing for the ministry and priesthood.

Diplomacy
The Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand announced in London their agreement on war and postwar policies, favouring a world organization with power to prevent aggression.

Spain announced the closing of the Japanese and German consulates in Tangiers, Spanish Morocco.

Radio
The Argentine government tightened censorship of radio broadcasts and banned programs sponsored by firms and organizations friendly to the United Nations.

Journalism
Greta Palmer told the U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the Federal Communications Commission that FCC Chairman James Ely had tried to persuade Reader's Digest not to publish a critical article that she had been assigned to write.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill extending Lend-Lease, and reported expenditures of $24.2 billion through March 1944. U.S. War Production Board Chairman Donald Nelson urged a program of American aid to industrialize Latin American countries.

Labour
The Foremen's Association of America ordered 3,300 members to return to work in Detroit war plants.

60 years ago
1954

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously against segregation in schools in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, ruling that such segregation was inherently unequal.

Boxing
Canadian heavyweight champion Earl Walls (30-8) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Freddie Beshore (35-17-2) at Edmonton Gardens, two months after Mr. Walls had withdrawn from a scheduled bout against Mr. Beshore because of a broken left hand. It was the final fight for Mr. Beshore, who had the distinction of losing to a current world heavyweight champion (Ezzard Charles, 1950); a former world champion (Joe Louis, 1951); and a future world champion (Rocky Marciano, 1951).

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: The Air That I Breathe--The Hollies (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Seasons in the Sun--Terry Jacks (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Camilla Hall, 29; Nancy Ling Perry, 26. U.S. terrorists. Miss Hall and Mrs. Perry were killed in a shootout with Los Angeles police, and were among six members of the Symbionese Liberation Army who were killed in the police raid on the SLA's headquarters.

Terrorism
33 people were killed and 100 injured when three car bombs placed by the Ulster Volunteer Force exploded in Dublin.

Labour
Joe Morris was elected president of the Canadian Labour Congress at its convention in Vancouver.

Hockey
WHA
Avco World Trophy
Finals
Chicago 4 @ Houston 7 (Houston led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Baseball
Jackson Todd pitched a no-hitter as the Victoria Toros blanked the Arkansas Travelers 3-0 in a Texas League game in Victoria, Texas.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Edmonton (CHED): Oh Sherrie--Steve Perry

Died on this date
Gordon Sinclair, 83. Canadian journalist. Mr. Sinclair was a reporter with the Toronto Star in the 1920s and 1930s, travelling around the world. His books about his travels became best-sellers. Mr. Sinclair joined Toronto radio station CFRB in 1943, and remained there the rest of his life. An editorial of his from June 5, 1973, titled The Americans, became so popular that it was issued as a single and rose to #24 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974. Mr. Sinclair was a panelist on the CBC television program Front Page Challenge from 1957 until his death.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York Islanders 2 @ Edmonton 7 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Wayne Gretzky scored the game's first and last goals as the Oilers routed the Islanders for the second straight game at Northlands Coliseum.

Baseball
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Reds' starting pitcher Mario Soto tied a major league record with 4 strikeouts in one inning, fanning Tom Veryzer, Dick Ruthven, Bob Dernier, and Ryne Sandberg in the 3rd.

Alan Wiggins stole 5 bases to help the San Diego Padres defeat the Montreal Expos 5-4.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Minä olen muistanut--Kim Lönnholm

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Like a Prayer--Madonna (7th week at #1)

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Finals
Montreal 4 @ Calgary 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

20 years ago
1994

Politics and government
Bakili Muluzi, leader of the United Democratic Front, was elected President of Malawi in the country's first multi-party election, unseating Hastings Kamuzu Banda, who had been President since 1966. Mr. Muluzi took 47.15% of the vote to 33.44% for Dr. Banda, who was representing the Malawi Congress Party. Alliance for Democracy candidate Chakufwa Chihana was third with 18.89%. Dr. Banda, who was believed to be in his 90s, had led the effort to win independence for Nyasaland from Great Britain. Upon independence in 1964, the country became known as the Republic of Malawi. Dr. Banda was this blogger's favourite African dictator because of his passage in 1973 of the Decency Dress Act, which made it illegal for women to wear pants.

Auto racing
After failing to qualify for the 1994 Indianapolis 500, Al Unser, Sr. announced his retirement as a driver. Mr. Unser competed in the race 27 times from 1965-1993, winning in 1970, 1971, 1978, and 1987. His son Al, Jr. won the race in 1992 and went on to win the 1994 Indianapolis 500.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Tony Randall, 84. U.S. actor. Mr. Randall, born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg, appeared in plays, films, and television programs in a career spanning six decades. He was best known for co-starring as Felix Unger in the television comedy series The Odd Couple (1970-1975), winning a Primetime Emmy Award in 1975. Mr. Randall's movies included The Mating Game (1959); Pillow Talk (1959); and 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964). He founded the National Actors Theatre in 1991, and earned a reputation as the greatest talk show guest in the history of television. Mr. Randall underwent coronary bypass surgery in December 1993, but developed pneumonia after the operation, and never left the hospital.

Abominations
In Massachusetts, same-sex couples exchanged "marriage" vows for the first time in the United States.