June 30, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Lucia Rios!

225 years ago
1789

Born on this date
Horace Vernet. French artist. Mr. Vernet, one of several renowned painters in the Vernet family and a relative of Sherlock Holmes, was known for his paintings of battles. He died on January 17, 1863 at the age of 73.

150 years ago
1864

Americana
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Valley Grant Act giving Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove to California for "public use, resort and recreation."

125 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Archibald Frazer-Nash. Indian-born U.K. engineer. Mr. Frazer-Nash was responsible for many successful commercial inventions, but was best known for partnering with Henry Godfrey to produce the GN cycle car, which eventually became the Frazer Nash sports car. Mr. Frazer-Nash died on March 10, 1965 at the age of 75.

100 years ago
1914

Born on this date
Francisco da Costa Gomes. 15th President of Portugal, 1974-1976. General Costa Gomes was one of several military leaders who made up the National Salvation Junta after the Carnation Revolution in 1974, and was named to the presidency by the junta, replacing António de Spínola, who had resigned. Mr. Costa Gomes was made a Field Marshal in 1982, and died on July 31, 2001 at the age of 87.

80 years ago
1934

World events
In what became known as the Night of the Long Knives, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler ordered the murders of dozens of men regarded as rivals or critics regarding his leaderhip of Germany and the Nazi party. A partial list of victims may be found here.

Defense
The German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was launched.

Football
NFL
G.A. Richards bought the Portsmouth Spartans and moved the franchise to Detroit, where they were renamed the Lions. They had been in Portsmouth, Ohio since 1930.

Baseball
New York Yankees’ first baseman Lou Gehrig hit 3 triples in as many plate appearances against the Washington Nationals at Griffith Stadium in Washington, but the game was called because of rain after 4½ innings. Since a game has to go at least 5 full innings when the home team isn’t ahead, it officially went as a postponement, and none of the records from the game counted in the official statistics.

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Sunday, Monday or Always--Frank Sinatra; George Trevare (2nd month at #1)

War
In France, the Battle of Cherbourg ended with the fall of the strategically valuable port to American forces. Flight Lieutenant David Hornell scored a U-boat kill off Scotland's Shetland Islands, the fourth such kill in June 1944 by Royal Canadian Air Force 162 Squadron. Soviet troops outflanked Minsk, capital of White Russia.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull announced that the U.S.A. was severing diplomatic relations with Finland because of Finland's partnership with Nazi Germany.

Politics and government
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a Congressional resolution granting independence to the Philippines as soon as Japanese military forces were ejected.

Herbert Brownell, Jr. was named chairman of the U.S. Republican National Committee.

Economics and finance
The Canadian Parliament passed an Act to establish a Department of Reconstruction.

The U.S. Works Progress Administration officially ended. In eight years, it gave employment to nearly 8.5 million people, spending almost $13 billion.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill extending the term of the Office of Price Administration.

60 years ago
1954

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Heideröslein--Friedel Hensch und die Cyprys (1st month at #1)

Died on this date
Andrass Samuelsen, 80. Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands, 1948-1950. Mr. Samuelsen, leader of the Union Party, was the first Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands after the islands were given self-government within the Danish Realm in 1948. He died the day before his 81st birthday.

Space
A total eclipse of the sun was seen in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden left Ottawa to return to London after two days of talks with Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and Secretary of State for External Affairs Lester Pearson. For Mr. Churchill, it was his last visit to Canada.

50 years ago
1964

Died on this date
Roscoe Pound, 93. U.S. jurist. Dr. Pound was Dean of Law at Harvard University from 1916-1936, and was regarded as the U.S.A.'s greatest living authority on law--despite not having a law degree. He earned the University of Nebraska's first Ph.D. in botany in 1898, eight years after dropping out of Harvard Law School after one year.

Music
The Beach Boys were at Western Recorders in Hollywood, California, where they finished recording the song Merry Christmas, Baby, which appeared on The Beach Boys' Christmas Album, released several months later.

Space
The United States launched AC-3, the third flight of the Atlas-Centaur engineering test vehicle, from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Kennedy, Florida. The Centaur shut down 8 minutes and 16 seconds after launch, and plunged into the South Atlantic Ocean. Postflight investigation traced the malfunction to a failure of the Centaur-2 engine hydraulic gimbal actuator.

40 years ago
1974

Died on this date
Mule Haas, 70. U.S. baseball player. George Haas played center field with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1925); Philadelphia Athletics (1928-1932, 1938); and Chicago White Sox (1933-1937), batting .292 with 45 home runs and 496 runs batted in in 1,168 games. He was a member of the teams that won American League pennants from 1929-1931, winning the World Series in 1929 and 1930. The highlight of Mr. Haas' career occurred in the bottom of the 7th inning of the fourth game of the 1929 World Series against the Chicago Cubs at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The Athletics were leading the series 2 games to 1, but the Cubs were leading the game 8-0 after 6 1/2 innings. The Athletics then rallied for 10 runs, the final 3 coming on a home run by Mr. Haas. Philadelphia won the game 10-8 and went on to win the series in 5 games. Mr. Haas was a major league coach in later years, and became known as one of the game's leading "bench jockeys," taunting opposing players such as Ted Williams, Bobo Newsom, and Johnny Allen.

Alberta Williams King, 69. U.S. murder victim. Mrs. King, the mother of slain Negro civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot to death while playing the organ at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. A church deacon was also killed and a young attender wounded. Marcus Wayne Chenualt, 23, of Dayton, Ohio was the shooter.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Self Control--Raf (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT Top 30): The Reflex--Duran Duran (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): The Reflex--Duran Duran (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Two Tribes--Frankie Goes To Hollywood (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Two Tribes--Frankie Goes to Hollywood (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Reflex--Duran Duran (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Dancing in the Dark--Bruce Springsteen
2 When Doves Cry--Prince
3 The Reflex--Duran Duran
4 Eyes Without a Face--Billy Idol
5 Self Control--Laura Branigan
6 Time After Time--Cyndi Lauper
7 Jump (For My Love)--The Pointer Sisters
8 Sister Christian--Night Ranger
9 Borderline--Madonna
10 Oh Sherrie--Steve Perry

Singles entering the chart were State of Shock by the Jacksons with Mick Jagger (#26); She's Mine by Steve Perry (#62); Sexy Girl by Glenn Frey (#77); It Can Happen by Yes (#87); Missing You by John Waite (#88); and The Warrior by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Let's Hear it for the Boy--Deniece Williams
2 Oh Sherrie--Steve Perry
3 Time After Time--Cyndi Lauper
4 The Reflex--Duran Duran
5 Dancing in the Dark--Bruce Springsteen
6 Self Control--Laura Branigan
7 Eyes Without a Face--Billy Idol
8 To All the Girls I've Loved Before--Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson
9 The Heart of Rock and Roll--Huey Lewis and the News
10 Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)--Phil Collins

Singles entering the chart were Romancing the Stone by Eddy Grant (#45); New Girl Now by Honeymoon Suite (#48); Walk Away by the Box (#49); and What is Love? by Howard Jones (#50).

Died on this date
Lillian Hellman, 79. U.S. playwright and author. Miss Hellman's plays included The Children's Hour (1934); The Little Foxes (1939); Watch on the Rhine (1941); Another Part of the Forest (1946); The Autumn Garden (1951); and Toys in the Attic (1960). Her autobiographical books, including Pentimento (1973) and Scoundrel Time (1976) have been criticized as consisting largely of lies.

Politics and government
John Turner, who had been elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada two weeks earlier, took office as Prime Minister of Canada, replacing the retiring Pierre Trudeau.

Golf
Nick Price was leading the Canadian Open after three rounds at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ontario.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (1-0) 49 @ Montreal (0-1) 31
Ottawa (0-1) 31 @ Edmonton (1-0) 32

Football
Hamilton running back Kelvin Lindsey, playing his first CFL game, rushed 83 yards for a touchdown as the Tiger-Cats beat the Concordes at Olympic Stadium. It was also the CFL debut for former University of Nebraska star Turner Gill, who started at quarterback for the Concordes.

Dave Cutler’s 11-yard field goal with less than 2 minutes remaining gave the Eskimos their win over the Rough Riders at Commonwealth Stadium. Matt Dunigan, making his first start as a CFL quarterback, completed just 14 of 33 passes, but 4 of the completions went to Brian Kelly for touchdowns as the Eskimos rallied from an early 14-0 deficit. Mr. Kelly tied Jim Germany’s record for touchdowns in a game, and became the first Eskimo to score 4 receiving touchdowns in a game. Eskimos’ safety Lou DesLauriers made 3 interceptions in his first CFL game, all off Ottawa quarterback J.C. Watts. Mr. DesLaurier’s third interception came in the last minute, just when the Rough Riders appeared to be driving for a game-winning field goal. For many members of the rebuilding Eskimos, it was their first game with the team. Among the newcomers was linebacker Danny Bass, recently acquired in a trade with the Calgary Stampeders. For punter Paul Hickie, it was his last game with the team; he punted 8 times for a league-leading 46.3-yard average, but kicked to the wrong side of the field (i.e., away from the coverage that the Eskimos had set up) in the first quarter, and Dave Newman returned the ball 35 yards to set up an Ottawa touchdown. Brian Allen, whose fine play in pre-season had enabled him to beat out Chris Woods for the wide receiver spot opposite Brian Kelly, caught 2 passes for just 10 yards in what turned out to be his only CFL game. For the Eskimos, the win was their seventh straight in season openers.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Das Omen (Teil I)--Mysterious Art

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Anytime You Need a Friend--Mariah Carey

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Riverdance--Bill Whelan (9th week at #1)

Politics and government
Socialist Democratic Party of Japan leader Tomiichi Murayama, who had been named the country's Prime Minister the previous day, announced his cabinet, which was dominated by members of the Liberal Democratic Party, the other partner in the governing coalition.

Figure skating
The United States Figure Skating Association stripped Tonya Harding of her 1994 U.S. women's championship as a result of Ms. Harding's participation in a plot to assault her chief rival and defending champion, Nancy Kerrigan. Miss Kerrigan had been clubbed on the leg on January 6 after a practice in preparation for the national championships. Her injury kept her from skating in the competition, and Ms. Harding won. The USFSA concluded that Ms. Harding had "prior knowledge" of the incident. She was also banned from the USFSA'a ranks for life. Four men, including Ms. Harding's ex-husband, had admitted roles in the attack.

10 years ago
2004

World events
Americans handed over legal custody of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and 11 of his aides to the Iraqi government. The United States, however, retained physical custody of the prisoners.

Law
The Supreme Court of Israel ordered Israel to dismantle a 20.5-mile portion of the security wall in the West Bank because it separated Palestinian landowners from their land. The court, however, ruled that Israel had a right to build the wall.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board raised its key interest rate for the first time in four years, from 1%-1.25%.