June 7, 2014

520 years ago
1494

Diplomacy
Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided the New World between the two countries.

360 years ago
1654

Franciana
Louis XIV was crowned king of France in Rheims.

125 years ago
1889

Baseball
The Philadelphia Athletics defeated the Louisville Colonels 9-7 in 11 innings at Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia. Outfielder Pete Browning went 5 for 6 at bat, but his performance failed to prevent the Colonels' 14th straight loss. Gate receipts from the is game went to benefit the survivors of the Johnstown flood, which had occurred a week before.

110 years ago
1904

Defense
Douglas Mackinnon Baillie Hamilton, Earl Dundonald, was dismissed as Commander-in-Chief of military forces in Canada for criticizing the Minister of Militia, ending the practice of Imperial officers commanding the forces in Canada.

75 years ago
1939

Transportation
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth dedicated the new Toronto-Niagara Falls highway at St. Catharines, Ontario; as their car passed through a light beam at the Henley Bridge in St. Catharines, it caused two Union Jacks to swing out, revealing a sign reading "The Queen Elizabeth Way."



Diplomacy
King George VI became the first British monarch to visit the United States as he and Queen Elizabeth ended their Canadian tour in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and went to Niagara Falls, New York.



In spite of a telegraphed petition from 41 prominent citizens of Toronto, including clergyman and historian George Wrong, Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King denied sanctuary to Jewish refugees on board the MS St. Louis. The ship had sailed on May 13 from Hamburg for Cuba, with 937 passengers who hoped to escape Nazi persecution and obtain visas that would allow them to enter the United States. Captain Gustav Schroeder was turned away from Havana, and ports in South America and the United States as well as Halifax.

70 years ago
1944

War
The 3rd Canadian Division, 9th Canadian Brigade, North Novas with the Sherbrooke tanks for support, and some Cameron Highlander machine-gunners, pushed through Buron and Authie toward Capriquet airport, 3 miles west of Caen, France. They lost naval gunfire support, passed out of range of Canadian artillery, and lost contact with a British brigade ordered elsewhere. Lieutenant Colonel Petch decided to withdraw to higher ground, but C company was attacked by the German 12th SS Panzer at Authie, just North of Caen-Bayeux road. 250 North Nova Scotia Highlanders and 60 Sherbrooke Fusilier tankmen were killed or captured, and 23 Canadian prisoners of war were executed that night by the Panzers. German military commentators said that Field Marshal Gerd von Runstedt's counterattack would take place once he was sure of the real focal point of the invasion. Allied troops captured the seaport of Civitavecchia, 38 miles northwest of Rome. U.S. troops captured an airfield less than 900 miles from the southern tip of the Philippines and also took the Mokmer field on Biak Island. The U.S. Army disclosed that Major General J.F. Miller, former commander of the 9th Air Force Service Command in Great Britain, had been demoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant colonel for careless talk about the Normandy invasion date at a London cocktail party. Japanese troops in China reached a point in the Laotao River Valley, only four miles from Changsha, Hunan Province.

Diplomacy
The Vatican announced its determination to maintain neutrality no matter who controlled Rome.

Cuba announced its recognition of the new Ecuadorian government.

Disasters
The steamer Danae, carrying 350 Cretan Jews and 250 Cretan partisans, was sunk without survivors off the shore of Santorini.

60 years ago
1954

Music
Bill Haley and his Comets recorded the songs Shake, Rattle and Roll and A.B.C. Boogie.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Seasons in the Sun--Terry Jacks (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Waterloo--ABBA

30 years ago
1984

Died on this date
Rabbit Benton, 82. U.S. baseball player. Stanley Benton was a second baseman with the Philadelphia Phillies (1922), batting .211 with no home runs and 3 runs batted in in 6 games. He played at least 1,498 games in 16 seasons in the minor leagues (1919-1934).

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Saskatchewan (1-1) 33 @ Edmonton (0-1) 30

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Minä olen muistanut--Kim Lönnholm (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Eternal Flame--Bangles (2nd week at #1)

Economics and finance
The government of Argentina reported that retail prices had risen 78.5% in May alone.

Disasters
Surinam Airways Flight 764, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62 en route from Amsterdam to Paramaribo, crashed on approach to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport in Suriname because of pilot error, killing 176 of 187 people aboard.

Hockey
NHL
The National Hockey League awards for 1988-89 were presented. Los Angeles Kings' centre Wayne Gretzky was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player for the ninth time in his 10-year NHL career.

Baseball
Ernie Whitt batted 3 for 3 with a base on balls, a double, and 3 runs batted in to help the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 before 45,372 fans for their first victory at SkyDome. It was the first game in major league history played indoors and outdoors in the same day: with rain threatening in the 5th inning, operators started closing the $100-million retractable roof at 8:48 pm, finishing 34 minutes later, too late to prevent a short game delay.

Greg Swindell pitched a 2-hitter, winning the pitchers' duel over Chuck Finley and improving his 1989 record to 7-1 as the Cleveland Indians edged the California Angels 1-0 before 26,536 fans at Anaheim Stadium. Mr. Finley allowed just 5 hits, but one was Luis Medina's home run leading off the 7th inning for the game's only run.

20 years ago
1994

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York Rangers 4 @ Vancouver 2 (New York led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Brian Leetch scored a goal and 3 assists as the Rangers overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Canucks at Pacific Coliseum.

10 years ago
2004

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Calgary 1 @ Tampa Bay 2 (Tampa Bay won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Ruslan Fetodenko scored late in each of the 1st and 2nd periods as the Lightning defeated the Flames at St. Petersburg Times Forum in St. Petersburg to become the southernmost team to win the Stanley Cup. Steve Conroy scored for Calgary in the 3rd period, but Tampa Bay goalie Nikolai Khabibulin stopped the last 16 shots he faced. Brad Richards of the Lightning won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.