May 5, 2014

520 years ago
1494

Exploration
Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Jamaica and claimed it for Spain.

225 years ago
1789

Politics and government
In France, the Estates-General, a general assembly representing the clergy (First Estate), nobility (Second Estate), and common people (Third Estate), convened for the first time since 1614, in an effort to propose solutions to the government's financial problems.

200 years ago
1814

War
In the War of 1812, British Commodore James Yeo led a fleet with 1,100 men from Kingston against 500 U.S. defenders of Fort Ontario. The fleet captured valuable supplies, destroyed the American naval base, and firmly fixed British control of Lake Ontario until the close of the war.

150 years ago
1864

Born on this date
Nellie Bly. U.S. journalist. Miss Bly, born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, was a pioneer of investigative journalism. While with the New York World in the late 1880s, she spent ten days in an insane asylum in order to report on conditions there, and most famously, travelled around the world in 72 days. Miss Bly was later an industrialist and inventor. She died of pneumonia at the age of 57 on January 27, 1922.

Willis Hawley. U.S. politician. Mr. Hawley, a Republican, represented Oregon's 1st District in the United States House of Representatives from 1907-1933. He was best known as the co-sponsor of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930. Mr. Hawley died on July 24, 1941 at the age of 77.

War
In the U.S. Civil War the Battle of the Wilderness began in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

140 years ago
1874

Born on this date
Thomas Bavin. N.Z.-born Australian politician. Sir Thomas moved to Australia at the age of 15, became a barrister at the age of 23, and was Australian correspondent for the London Moring Post (1907-1911). He failed in attempts to enter federal politics, but as a member of the Nationalist Party, represented Albury (1917-1920, 1927-1935) and Ryde (1920-1927) in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Sir Thomas was Attorney General of New South Wales (1921-1925), and became leader of the N.S.W. Nationalist Party and Leader of the Opposition after the Labour Party won the 1925 state election. The Nationalist and Country parties formed a coalition that won the 1927 N.S.W. election, with Sir Thomas serving as Premier of New South Wales (1927-1930). His government introduced tax reforms that angered conservative supporters, and he suffered from poor health. Labour won the 1930 state election, and Sir Thomas remained as Nationalist Party leader until 1932, when he joined the new United Australia Party. He sat on the N.S.W. Supreme Court from 1933 until his death from cancer on August 31, 1941 at the age of 67.

110 years ago
1904

Baseball
Cy Young of the Boston Americans threw the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball, blanking the Philadelphia Athletics 3-0 at Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds in Boston. The game came in the midst of a record 23-inning hitless streak for Mr. Young.

100 years ago
1914

Born on this date
Tyrone Power, Jr. U.S. actor. Mr. Power, the son of an actor, was one of the most popular stars of the late 1930s and 1940s, particularly in romantic films and swashbucklers. His movies included Lloyd's of London (1936); In Old Chicago (1937); The Rains Came (1939); The Mark of Zorro (1940); Blood and Sand (1941); This Above All (1942); The Black Swan (1942); The Razor's Edge (1946); Nightmare Alley (1947); The Sun Also Rises (1957); and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). Mr. Power died of a heart attack in Madrid at the age of 44 on November 15, 1958, at the conclusion of a sword duel with George Sanders during the filming of Solomon and Sheba (1959).

80 years ago
1934

At the movies
Woman Haters, the Three Stooges' first short film, opened in theatres.

70 years ago
1944

War
Allied fliers breached the Pescara Dam on Italy's Adriatic coast in three attacks. U.S. forces in Dutch New Guinea landed at Torare Bay and Demta, expanding their holdings westward along the coast in the Humboldt Bay area.

Abominations
German troops executed 216 civilians in the Greek village of Kleisoura.

World events
Indian activist Mohandas K. Gandhi was released from detention in the Aga Khan's palace "unconditionally" for "medical reasons."

Business
Eric A. Johnston was elected to a third term as president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

50 years ago
1964

Europeana
The Council of Europe declared May 5 as Europe Day.

Crime
In Montreal, Seafarers' International Union leader Hal Banks was sentenced to five years in prison for an assault on a rival union leader. He soon fled to his native United States.

40 years ago
1974

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
New York Rangers 3 @ Philadelphia 4 (Philadelphia won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Gary Dornhoefer scored 2 goals, including the eventual winner with 10:59 remaining in regulation time, as the Flyers edged the Rangers before 17,007 fans at the Spectrum to advance to the finals for the first time in their 7-year history. Bill Fairbairn opened the scoring for New York at 13:43 of the 1st period, but Rick MacLeish scored to tie the game just 57 seconds later. Orest Kindrachuk and Mr. Dornhoefer scored to give Philadelphia a 3-1 lead after 2 periods. Steve Vickers scored for the Rangers at 8:49 of the 3rd period to make the score 3-2, but Mr. Dornhoefer scored again just 12 seconds later. Pete Stemkowski scored with 5:26 remaining in the 3rd period to make the score 4-3. The Flyers outshot the Rangers 46-34.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Milwaukee 97 @ Boston 89 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 34 points to lead the Bucks over the Celtics before 15,320 fans at Boston Garden. John Havlicek scored 33 points for the Celtics and Dave Cowens added 24.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Love of the Common People--Paul Young (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT Top 30): Hello--Lionel Richie (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Hello--Lionel Richie (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)--Phil Collins (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: The Reflex--Duran Duran

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)--Phil Collins (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)--Phil Collins (3rd week at #1)
2 Hello--Lionel Richie
3 Hold Me Now--Thompson Twins
4 Footloose--Kenny Loggins
5 Miss Me Blind--Culture Club
6 To All the Girls I've Loved Before--Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson
7 You Might Think--The Cars
8 Love Somebody--Rick Springfield
9 Let's Hear it for the Boy--Deniece Williams
10 They Don't Know--Tracey Ullman

Singles entering the chart were Stay the Night by Chicago (#57); Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol (#73); Music Time by Styx (#80); Who's That Girl? by Eurythmics (#83); Heart Don't Lie by LaToya Jackson (#85); King of Suede by "Weird Al" Yankovic (#87); I Can Dream About You by Dan Hartman (#89); and Original Sin by INXS (#90).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)--Phil Collins (3rd week at #1)
2 Hold Me Now--Thompson Twins
3 Footloose--Kenny Loggins
4 Hello--Lionel Richie
5 To All the Girls I've Loved Before--Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson
6 Girls Just Want to Have Fun--Cyndi Lauper
7 Miss Me Blind--Culture Club
8 They Don't Know--Tracey Ullman
9 Somebody's Watching Me--Rockwell
10 You Might Think--The Cars

Singles entering the chart were Reggae Night by Jimmy Cliff (#43); Run Runaway by Slade (#44); Authority Song by John Cougar Mellencamp (#48); Give it Up by K.C. (#49); and White Horse by Laid Back (#50).

Politics and government
Former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale won the Texas caucuses and Rev. Jesse Jackson won the Louisiana primary in the contest for the Democratic party nomination for President of the United States in the November 1984 election. For Rev. Jackson, it was his first win in a state primary, after winning in the District of Columbia on May 1.

Horse racing
Swale, with Lafitt Pincay, Jr. up, won the 110th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:02 2/5. Coax Me Chad placed second.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
New York Islanders 4 @ Montreal 1 (New York won best-of-seven series 4-2)

The defending Stanley Cup champion Islanders eliminated the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum in a game that marked the end of the career of Danny Gallivan after 32 years as the play-by-play voice of the Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Looking for Freedom--David Hasselhoff (6th week at #1)

At the movies
Listen to Me, starring Kirk Cameron, Jami Gertz, Roy Scheider, Tim Quill, Christopher Atkins, and Quinn Cummings, opened in theatres. The movie was one of the biggest turkeys of 1989, and just about finished the careers of everyone associated with it.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that unemployment had edged upward 0.3% to 5.2% in April.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
Montreal 5 @ Philadelphia 1 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 2-1)

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): One--Metallica (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Riverdance--Bill Whelan

War
Civil war began in Yemen between a northern faction loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and a southern faction loyal to the vice president. The fighting featured bombing raids and exchanges of tanks and artillery.

The signing of the Bishkek Protocol in the capital of Kyrgystan by representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh effectively ended the Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Crime
U.S. teenager Michael Fay, 18, was given 4 strokes of the cane in Singapore after being arrested in 1993 for spray-painting cars and other acts of vandalism. He had originally been sentenced to 6 strokes, 4 months in prison, and a fine of $2,250.

10 years ago
2004

Art
Pablo Picasso's Boy with a Pipe (1905) sold for $104.1 million at Sotheby's auction house in London, becoming the most expensive painting ever sold. The previous record was $82.5 million in 1990 for Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Vincent Van Gogh.

Politics and government
Golkar, the party of former President Suharto, led the Indonesian elections with 22% of the vote. President Megawatai Sukarnoputri's party finished second.

War
The U.S. Administration of President George W. Bush asked Congress for $25 billion more to finance the U.S. war in Iraq. In interviews on Arab television, Mr. Bush called U.S. abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison "abhorrent," but came short of apologizing.

Terrorism
A Greek group called "Revolutionary Struggle" claimed responsibility for the detonation of three small bombs outside a police station in central Athens. One policeman was injured.