May 18, 2014

220 years ago
1794

War
French forces commanded by General Joseph Souham defeated an Austrian, British, and Hanoverian Coalition army under Austrian Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany in the Battle of Tourcoing in France.

210 years ago
1804

Politics and government
Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of France by the French Senate.

125 years ago
1889

Died on this date
Isabella Glyn, 65. U.K. actress. Miss Glyn was one of Britain's leading Shakespearean actresses from the 1840s through the 1870s. She died of cancer, four days before her 66th birthday.

75 years ago
1939

Canadiana
King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and the royal party boarded a 12-car train (five from Canadian Pacific, five from Canadian National, and the two vice-regal cars) in Québec City and departed for Montréal. The royal train was painted in royal blue and aluminum, and royal crowns are affixed to the running boards of both locomotives. A pilot train, carrying officials and the press, preceded the royal train by an hour and no other trains are permitted to travel within this period.



70 years ago
1944

On the radio
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Donovan's Brain, Part One, starring Orson Welles

Appointment with Fear
Tonight's episode: The Clock Strikes Eight

War
Allied troops captured the Italian town of Monte Cassino after a four-month battle against Nazi forces. German forces at the southern end of the front retreated in disorder after losing the port of Fornia on the Gulf of Gaeta, and abandoned Gaeta as indefensible. Field Marshal Gerd von Runstedt was named chief of the German anti-invasion forces in western Europe.

Abominations
The deportation by the U.S.S.R. government of several hundred thousand Crimean Tatars to Uzbekistan began; the deportation, ostensibly in reprisal for alleged collaboration of Crimean Tatars with Nazis, resulted in thousands of deaths.

Crime
A Mexican appeals court upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Ramon Mercader for the 1940 murder of exiled Soviet revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky, and directed him to pay a $7,000 indemnity to Mr. Trotsky's widow.

60 years ago
1954

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Breakout, starring Anthony Ross

The Motorola TV Hour, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Atomic Attack, starring Phyllis Thaxter, Robert Keith, Walter Matthau, and Patty McCormack

This episode is available on video.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La Mamma--Charles Aznavour

On television tonight
Detective, on BBC
Tonight's episode: Sherlock Holmes: The Speckled Band, starring Douglas Wilmer and Nigel Stock

Detective was a series of programs each featuring a different fictional detective. The Speckled Band was well-received and served as a pilot for a subsequent series of 12 episodes, broadcast in 1965.

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Cosmos 30. The mission of Cosmos 11, launched October 20, 1962, ended.

Protest
Clashes between Mods and Rockers in the south coast of England resulted in scores of arrests.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Be My Day--The Cats (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Sugar Baby Love--The Rubettes

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Seasons in the Sun--Terry Jacks (2nd week at #1)
2 She Didn't Remember My Name--Osmosis
3 The Air That I Breathe--The Hollies
4 My Coo Ca Choo--Alvin Stardust
5 You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me--New Seekers
6 Daytona Demon--Suzi Quatro
7 The Way We Were--Barbra Streisand
8 Mockingbird--Johnny O'Keefe and Margaret McLaren
--Carly Simon and James Taylor
9 You're Sixteen--Ringo Starr
10 The Lord's Prayer--Sister Janet Mead

Singles entering the chart were Candle in the Wind/Bennie and the Jets by Elton John (#28); TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) by MFSB featuring the Three Degrees (#30); Wild Thing by Fancy (#32); Over the Rainbow by Billy Thorpe (#34); Will I by Mississippi (#36); If I Didn't Care by David Cassidy (#37); and The Entertainer by Marvin Hamlisch (#40).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Streak--Ray Stevens

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Dancing Machine--The Jackson 5
2 The Streak--Ray Stevens
3 The Entertainer--Marvin Hamlisch
4 The Loco-Motion--Grand Funk
5 The Show Must Go On--Three Dog Night
6 Midnight at the Oasis--Maria Muldaur
7 You Make Me Feel Brand New--The Stylistics
8 Tubular Bells--Mike Oldfield
9 (I've Been) Searchin' So Long--Chicago
10 Band on the Run--Paul McCartney & Wings

Singles entering the chart were Train of Thought by Cher (#75); King of Nothing by Seals and Crofts (#83); Rock and Roll Heaven by the Righteous Brothers (#87); Radar Love by Golden Earring (#88); Rock the Boat by the Hues Corporation (#92); and It's Her Turn to Live by Smokey Robinson (#95).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 The Loco-Motion--Grand Funk (2nd week at #1)
2 The Show Must Go On--Three Dog Night
3 Tubular Bells--Mike Oldfield
4 Let it Ride--Bachman-Turner Overdrive
5 The Entertainer--Marvin Hamlisch
6 TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)--MFSB featuring the Three Degrees
7 Just Don't Want to Be Lonely--The Main Ingredient
8 Dancing Machine--The Jackson 5
9 Midnight at the Oasis--Maria Muldaur
10 The Streak--Ray Stevens

Singles entering the chart were Billy, Don't be a Hero by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods (#68); Haven't Got Time for the Pain by Carly Simon (#69); Son of Sagittarius by Eddie Kendricks (#70); Rikki Don't Lose That Number by Steely Dan (#74); I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore by Charlie Rich (#76); Sleepin' by Diana Ross (#81); One Chain Don't Make No Prison by the Four Tops (#82); Daybreaker by Electric Light Orchestra (#83); The Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll by Mott the Hoople (#84); Wildflower by New Birth (#85); This Heart by Gene Redding (#86); On and On by Gladys Knight and the Pips (#87); Teenage Love Affair by Rick Derringer (#88); Can You Handle It by Graham Central Station (#89); The Sound of Silence by Paul Simon (#91); My World by Craig Ruhnke (#94); 48 Crash by Suzi Quatro (#97); I Believe by Songbird (#98); Please Come to Boston by Dave Loggins (#99); and Already Gone by the Eagles (#100).

Calgary's top 10
1 The Show Must Go On--Three Dog Night (2nd week at #1)
2 The Loco-Motion--Grand Funk
3 Midnight at the Oasis--Maria Muldaur
4 Dancing Machine--The Jackson 5
5 Hooked on a Feeling--Blue Swede
6 Werewolf--Five Man Electrical Band
7 Sundown--Gordon Lightfoot
8 Oh My My--Ringo Starr
9 Band on the Run--Paul McCartney & Wings
10 If You Love Me (Let Me Know)--Olivia Newton-John
Pick hit of the week: Rock Me Gently--Andy Kim

Defense
India became the sixth country to acquire nuclear weapons.

Horse racing
Little Current, with Miguel Rivera aboard, won the 99th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in a time of 1:54 3/5. Neapolitan Way placed second and Cannonade, the Kentucky Derby winner, finished third.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Girls Just Wanna Have Fun--Cyndi Lauper (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Send Me an Angel--Real Life

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): The Look--Roxette (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Shall Never Pass This Way Again--Various Artists

Theatre
After meeting with officials of the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Stratford Festival made two cuts in its production of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, removing two allegedly anti-Semitic references.

20 years ago
1994

World events
Israeli troops withdrew from the Gaza Strip after three decades of occupation as the Palestinian Authority took over responsibility for governing the area.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Western Conference Finals
Vancouver 4 @ Toronto 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

10 years ago
2004

Politics and government
Sonia Gandhi of the Indian National Congress refused to accept the position of Prime Minister of India, to the shock of her party.

Baseball
Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitched a perfect game as the Diamondbacks blanked the Atlanta Braves 2-0 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. At age 40, Mr. Johnson became the oldest pitcher to accomplish the feat.