May 20, 2014

1,220 years ago
794

Died on this date
Æthelberht II. King of East Anglia, 779 (?)-794. King Æthelberht II succeeded his father Æthelred I on the throne. Æthelberht II visited the royal Mercian court at Sutton Walls, with a view to marrying princess Ælfthryth, but was taken captive and beheaded. He was succeeded on the throne by Offa of Mercia.

240 years ago
1774

Canadiana
The British Parliament passed the Quebec Act, extending the boundaries of the province north to Hudson Bay and as far south as the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

220 years ago
1794

Born on this date
Pedro María de Anaya. President of Mexico, April-May 1847, November 1847-January 1848. General Anaya served in the Mexican-American War, and was known for leading a brave but unsuccessful fight in the Battle of Churubusco (1847). He was taken prisoner by the Americans, but was freed in time to serve two brief terms as President of Mexico. Gen. Anaya was Governor of the Federal District (1949-1853), and died of pneumonia on March 21, 1854 at the age of 59.

130 years ago
1884

Born on this date
Leon Schlesinger. U.S. film producer. Mr. Schlesinger founded Leon Schlesinger Productions, and produced the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoons from 1933-1944, when his company was purchased by Warner Brothers and became Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. Mr. Schlesinger died of a viral infection on December 25, 1949 at the age of 65.

125 years ago
1889

Baseball
The Kansas City Blues became the second team in American Association history to score in every inning of a game as they beat the Brooklyn Bridegrooms 18-12 at Exposition Park in Kansas City. Losing pitcher Mickey Hughes went the distance for the Bridegrooms.

75 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Joe Carr, 59. U.S. sports executive. Mr. Carr co-founded and served as president of the American Basketball League (1925-1927), and served as the director of the promotional body for minor league baseball (1933-1939) and president of the Columbus Senators of the American Association (1926-1931), but was best known for his football activities. He was coach of the Columbus Panhandles of the Ohio League from 1901-1904. The team disbanded after the 1904 season, but Mr. Carr revived it in 1907, serving as coach through 1918 and as administrator until 1922. He took the team into the American Professional Football Association in 1920, taking office in 1921 as president of the APFA in 1921, which became the National Football League in 1922. Mr. Carr oversaw the expansion of the league; he was--and remains--heavily criticized for his handling of a dispute over the 1925 NFL championship, but oversaw the introduction of a championship game in 1933. He died several hours after suffering a heart attack, and was succeeded as NFL president by Carl Storck. Mr. Carr was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1963.

Ballet
Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally founded the Winnipeg Ballet; Canada's first ballet was designated "Royal" in 1953.

Transportation
Regular trans-Atlantic air service began, as a Pan American Airways plane took off from Port Washington, New York, bound for Europe.

Horse racing
Challedon, with George Seabo aboard, won the 65th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in 1:59 4/5, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Gilded Knight.

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Love You--Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra (Best Seller--3rd week at #1); San Fernando Valley--Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra (Jukebox--4th week at #1)

War
A record force of about 6,000 U.K.-based planes dropped at least 8,000 tons of explosives on targets in a 150-mile strip between Brittany and Belgium. German forces set up a new defense line anchored at Pico in the north and at Terracina on the Tyrrhenian seacoast.

Diplomacy
Ecuador and Peru accepted the recommendations of a joint U.S.-Brazilian-Argentine committee to settle their border dispute.

U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace left for Asia as President Franklin D. Roosvelt's messenger to Chinese leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and to report on transport problems in Siberia and China.

Politics and government
King Peter II of Yugoslavia removed Minister of War Draja Mikhailovich from his cabinet post.

New York Governor Thomas Dewey gained the Republican National Convention delegates from Utah and Oregon in his campaign for the party's 1944 presidential nomination. U.S. Senator Burnet Maybank (Democrat--South Carolina) said that Southern Democrats were prepared to fight for "white supremacy" at the party's national convention.

The national convention of the Communist Party U.S.A. voted to disband as a separate political unit but to recontinue as the Communist Political Association.

Society
A court in Salt Lake City convicted 15 Utah fundamentalist Mormon polygamists of "unlawful cohabitation." The defendants, with 2-6 wives each, offered no defense, and announced plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Energy
The Commission on Palestine Surveys disclosed plans for a $150-million post-World War II irrigation and hydroelectric development in Palestine.

50 years ago
1964

Died on this date
Rudy Lewis, 27. U.S. singer. Mr. Lewis, born Charles Rudolph Harrell, replaced Ben E. King as lead singer with the Drifters, performing with the group from 1960-1964, when he was found in his Harlem hotel room the day after dying of an apparent drug overdose. Hit singles on which Mr. Lewis sang lead included Up on the Roof (1962-1963) and On Broadway (1963). The day his body was found, Mr. Lewis was scheduled to perform lead vocals for Under the Boardwalk in a recording session. Johnny Moore replaced him for that song and subsequent hits.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Seasons in the Sun--Terry Jacks (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Someday, Somewhere--Demis Roussos (3rd week at #1)

Religion
Guru Maharaj Ji, who had drawn a large crowd to the Astrodome in Houston the previous year, delivered a public address in the Turner Valley Room in the Palliser Hotel in Calgary.

Baseball
Frank Snook of the Alexandria Aces pitched a 7-inning no-hitter as the Aces blanked the Victoria Toros 3-0 in the second game of a Texas League doubleheader in Alexandria, Louisiana. Victoria won the first game 6-2.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Relax--Frankie Goes to Hollywood (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Hello--Lionel Richie

Politics and government
Bob Skelly was elected leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Like a Prayer--Madonna (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Eternal Flame--Bangles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Eternal Flame--Bangles (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Megamix--Boney M. (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Ferry 'Cross the Mersey--The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Forever Your Girl--Paula Abdul
2 Real Love--Jody Watley
3 I'll Be There for You--Bon Jovi
4 Soldier of Love--Donny Osmond
5 Rock On--Michael Damian
6 Patience--Guns n' Roses
7 Wind Beneath My Wings--Bette Midler
8 After All--Cher and Peter Cetera
9 Every Little Step--Bobby Brown
10 Like a Prayer--Madonna

Singles entering the chart were What You Don't Know by Expose (#59); The Doctor by the Doobie Brothers (#62); Toy Soldiers by Martika (#69); Hey Baby by Henry Lee Summer (#83); Moonlight on Water by Kevin Raleigh (#85); Yo No Se by Pajama Party (#91); and So Alive by Love and Rockets (#94).

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Real Love--Jody Watley
2 Forever Your Girl--Paula Abdul
3 I'll Be There for You--Bon Jovi
4 Like a Prayer--Madonna
5 Rock On--Michael Damian
6 Soldier of Love--Donny Osmond
7 After All--Cher and Peter Cetera
8 Cult of Personality--Living Colour
9 Electric Youth--Debbie Gibson
10 Patience--Guns n' Roses

Singles entering the chart were The Doctor by the Doobie Brothers (#60); What You Don't Know by Expose (#65); Toy Soldiers by Martika (#73); Fire Woman by the Cult (#75); So Alive by Love and Rockets (#83); Once Bitten Twice Shy by Great White (#87); and Hey Baby by Henry Lee Summer (#90).

Died on this date
John Hicks, 85. U.K. economist. Sir John shared the 1972 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Kenneth Arrow "for their pioneering contributions to general economic equilibrium theory and welfare theory." His best-known book was Value and Capital (1939).

Gilda Radner, 42. U.S. comedienne. Miss Radner, anative of Detroit, joined the Second City troupe in Toronto in 1973 and was a member of the cast of the awful CBC children's comedy television program Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins (1974-1975) before returning to the United States, where she achieved stardom as a member of the cast of the NBC sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live from 1975-1980, winning an Emmy Award in 1978. She died of ovarian cancer.

World events
In response to the presence of at least one million protesters in Beijing and other cities in recent days, the government of China imposed martial law.

Horse racing
Sunday Silence, with Pat Valenzuela, won the 114th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in a time of 1:53 4/5, edging Easy Goer by a nose in the closest Preakness in history.



Soccer
English FA Cup Final @ Wembley Stadium, London
Arsenal 3 Manchester United 2 (ET)

Ian Rush scored 2 goals in extra time for Arsenal as they broke a 1-1 tie and defeated Liverpool before 82,800 fans. Mr. Rush's second goal came 2 minutes after Stuart McCall scored his second goal to tie the score. Mr. McCall's first goal had tied the score in the last minute of regulation time.



20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Without You--Mariah Carey (7th week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Western Conference Finals
Toronto 0 @ Vancouver 4 (Vancouver led best-of-seven series 2-1)