June 17, 2014

775 years ago
1239

Born on this date
Edward I. King of England, 1272-1307. Edward I was the eldest son of King Henry III, and succeeded him on the throne. Edward led a number of military campaigns and building projects, while exacting a heavy tax burden on the English people. He was the king who expelled Jews from England in 1290. Edward I died of dysntery on July 7, 1307 at the age of 68 while on his way to lead troops into battle against Robert the Bruce of Scotland, and was succeeded as king by his son Edward II.

225 years ago
1789

Politics and government
The Third Estate in France--bourgeoisie and labourers representing 97% of the population--declared itself the National Assembly and undertook to frame a constitution.

220 years ago
1794

Britannica
The Anglo-Corsican Kingdom was founded on the island of Corsica.

175 years ago
1839

Died on this date
William Bentinck, 64. U.K. military officer and politician. Lieutenant-General Lord Bentinck served in the Peninsular War and commanded British troops in Sicily. He was Governor of Madras (1803-1807); Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William (1828-1833); and Governor-General of India (1828-1835), where he abolished suttee and thuggee, and suppressed female infanticide and human sacrifices. Lord Bentinck died in Paris.

Religion
King Kamehameha III of Hawaii issued the edict of toleration, giving Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands; the Hawaii Catholic Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace were established as a result.

110 years ago
1904

Born on this date
Ralph Bellamy. U.S. actor. Mr. Bellamy had a career on stage, screen, and television spanning 70 years. He was probably best known for playing U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the play Sunrise at Campobello (1958), for which Mr. Bellamy won a Tony Award. He reprised the role in the film version (1960), and played Mr. Roosevelt again in the television mini-series The Winds of War (1983) and its sequel War and Remembrance (1988-1989). Mr. Bellamy died from a lung ailment on November 29, 1991 at the age of 87.

100 years ago
1914

Born on this date
John Hersey. U.S. author. Mr. Hersey was best known for his novel A Bell for Adano (1944)--which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction--and his non-fiction account of the first atomic bomb attack, Hiroshima (1946). He died on March 24, 1993 at the age of 78.

75 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Allen Sothoron, 46. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Sothoron played with the St. Louis Browns (1914-1915, 1917-1921); Boston Red Sox (1921); Cleveland Indians (1921-1922); and St. Louis Cardinals (1924-1926), compiling a record of 91-99 with an earned run average of 3.31. His best season was 1919, when he was 20-13 with an ERA of 2.20, fifth in the American League in both categories. Mr. Sothoron ended his major league playing acreer with the Cardinals' first World Series championship team in 1926. He managed the Browns for 8 games in 1933 between the resignation of Bill Killefer and the hiring of Rogers Hornsby, leading the team to a 2-6 record. Mr. Sothoron died after a series of illnesses, apparently brought on by heavy drinking.

Eugen Weidmann, 31. German-born French criminal. Mr. Weidmann was executed outside the prison Saint-Pierre in Versailles for six murders committed in 1937, becoming the last person to be publicly guillotined in France.

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): #1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)--Harry James and his Music Makers with Dick Haymes (Best Seller--2nd week at #1; Jukebox--1st week at #1)

Theatre
On Broadway in New York City, Arsenic and Old Lace closed at the Hudson Theatre after 1,444 performances since 1941, while Tomorrow the World closed at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre after 499 performances since 1943.

War
U.S. troops in France cut off Cherbourg by pushing across the isthmus and establishing a 7-mile position on the west coast between Barneville and St. Lo d'Ourville. U.S. troops pushing up the Italian west coast advanced beyond Grosseto. French troops invaded the island of Elba off the Italian coast.

Europeana
Iceland declared herself a republic independent from Denmark, and the Icelandic parliament elected Regent Sveinn Bjoernsson as the country's first President.

Economics and finance
U.S. War Production Board chairman Donald Nelson announced plans to help industry prepare for peacetime production through the purchase of materials and tools not essential for current war production.

60 years ago
1954

Died on this date
Danny Cedrone, 33. U.S. musician. Mr. Cedrone was a guitarist who led a group called the Esquire Boys and occasionally played on recording sessions with Bill Haley and his Comets. He performed the electric guitar solo on the song Rock the Joint (1952), repeating the solo virtually identically in (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock, recorded in New York on April 12, 1954. He died from a heart attack and/or fall down a flight of stairs, three days before his 34th birthday and 10 days after performing with Mr. Haley and the Comets on the recording session for Shake, Rattle and Roll.

Boxing
Rocky Marciano (46-0) retained his world heavyweight title with a unanimous 15-round decision over ex-champion Ezzard Charles (83-11-1) at Yankee Stadium in New York.



50 years ago
1964

Economics and finance
The first purpose-built floating trade fair arrived in London when the Sakura Maru, carrying 22,000 samples of Japanese goods, docked at Tilbury.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Billy - Don't Be a Hero--Paper Lace

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Ayudadme--Camilo Sesto

Died on this date
Austin Gunsel, 65. U.S. football executive. Mr. Gunsel was an agent with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation who joined the National Football League in 1952 as a special agent. When NFL Commissioner Bert Bell died in 1959, Mr. Gunsel was appointed interim Commissioner, but was passed over for the position on a full-time basis when Pete Rozelle was hired in 1960. Mr. Gunsel remained as the NFL's treasurer until 1966.

Pamela Britton, 51. U.S. actress. Miss Britton, born Armilda Jane Owen, was known for her supporting role in the television comedy series My Favorite Martian (1963-1966). She died of a brain tumor.

Terrorism
11 people were injured but no one was killed when a bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army exploded at the Houses of Parliament in London.

Scandal
Herbert Kalmbach, former personal attorney to U.S. President Richard Nixon, was sentenced to 6-8 months in prison and fined $10,000, four months after pleading guilty to operating an illegal campaign committee for Congressional candidates in the 1970 elections.

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Joe Frazier (31-2) scored a technical knockout of Jerry Quarry (49-7-4) at 1:37 of the 5th round at Madison Square Garden in New York. Mr. Frazier had scored a 7-round TKO of Mr. Quarry at Madison Square Garden five years earlier.



30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Somebody's Watching Me--Rockwell (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Hello--Lionel Richie (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Swale, 3. U.S. racehorse. Swale, winner of the 1984 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, collapsed and died after a routine gallop at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, just eight days after winning the Belmont Stakes.

Golf
Fuzzy Zoeller and Greg Norman were tied for the lead at 4-under-par 276 after 72 holes at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, necessitating an 18-hole playoff the following day.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Montreal (2-1) 30 @ Hamilton (1-2) 17

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): When the Night Comes--Joe Cocker

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Anne--Clouseau

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): No More Boleros--Gerard Joling

#1 single in France (SNEP): Johnny, Johnny Come Home--Avalanche (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Sealed with a Kiss--Jason Donovan (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 I'll Be Loving You (Forever)--New Kids on the Block
2 Wind Beneath My Wings--Bette Midler
3 Every Little Step--Bobby Brown
4 Satisfied--Richard Marx
5 Buffalo Stance--Neneh Cherry
6 Baby Don't Forget My Number--Milli Vanilli
7 Good Thing--Fine Young Cannibals
8 Close My Eyes Forever--Lita Ford (Duet with Ozzy Osbourne)
9 This Time I Know it's for Real--Donna Summer
10 Cry--Waterfront

Singles entering the chart were Batdance by Prince (#53); No More Rhyme by Debbie Gibson (#66); Sacred Emotion by Donny Osmond (#70); Friends by Jody Watley with Eric B. & Rakim (#76); Love Train by Holly Johnson (#82); Cover of Love by Michael Damian (#84); Angel Eyes by the Jeff Healey Band (#85); Dancing in Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop) by Q-feel (#96); and Trouble Me by 10,000 Maniacs (#98). Batdance was from the movie Batman (1989).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Wind Beneath My Wings--Bette Midler (2nd week at #1)
2 Every Little Step--Bobby Brown
3 Satisfied--Richard Marx
4 Buffalo Stance--Neneh Cherry
5 I'll Be Loving You (Forvever)--New Kids on the Block
6 Good Thing--Fine Young Cannibals
7 Rock On--Michael Damian
8 Soldier of Love--Donny Osmond
9 Patience--Guns n' Roses
10 Baby Don't Forget My Number--Milli Vanilli

Singles entering the chart were Batdance by Prince (#60); No More Rhyme by Debbie Gibson (#68); Sacred Emotion by Donny Osmond (#75); Calling it Love by Animotion (#80); and Pop Song 89 by R.E.M. (#86).

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm--Crash Test Dummies (3rd week at #1)

Crime
Police in Los Angeles charged former football star O. J. Simpson with the June 12 murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman, and then pursued him for about 50 miles along Southern California highways before he finally surrendered outside his home.



U.S. District Court Judge Walter Smith handed prison sentences to eight members of the Branch Davidian cult for defending themselves against attack by federal government agents on February 28, 1993. The defendants were also ordered to pay more than $1.1 in fines and restitution.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Houston 84 @ New York 91 (New York led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Patrick Ewing scored 25 points and grabbed 22 rebounds to help the Knickerbockers defeat the Rockets before 19,763 fans at Madison Square Garden. Hakeem Olajuwon of the Rockets led all scorers with 27 points. NBC frequently interrupted its telecast of the game to cut to live coverage of the car chase involving Los Angeles police and murder suspect O.J. Simpson.



Soccer
The first World Cup to be played in the United States opened in nine cities across the country.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Gerry McNeil, 78. Canadian hockey goaltender. Mr. McNeil played with the Montreal Canadiens for 7 seasons from 1947-57, and was the team's regular goaltender from 1950-54, playing every game from March 1950-November 1952, and playing on a Stanley Cup-winning team in 1953. He succeeded Hall of Fame member Bill Durnan as the Canadiens' goalie, and was in turn succeeded by another Hall of Famer, Jacques Plante. Mr. McNeil recorded 28 shutouts with the Canadiens, 10 in the 1952-53 season, when he posted a goals against average of 2.12.

Terrorism
At least 40 people were killed and over 100 injured when a car bomb exploded near the Iraqi army'e recruiting station in Baghdad.

Football
CFL
Ottawa (1-0) 37 @ Winnipeg (0-1) 25