April 15, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Harold Riemer and Danielle Wessel!

150 years ago
1865

Died on this date
Abraham Lincoln, 56. 16th President of the United States of America, 1861-1865. Mr. Lincoln died in Washington nine hours after being shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth while Mr. Lincoln was at Ford' s Theatre watching the play Our American Cousin. He was was succeeded as President by Vice President Andrew Johnson.

125 years ago
1890

Law
Pierre-Amand Landry was appointed New Brunswick's first Acadian judge.

Transportation
Northwest Territories Lieutenant Governor Edgar Dewdney turned the sod on the Calgary and Edmonton Railway (C&E) in Calgary.

100 years ago
1915

Baseball
Rube Marquard pitched a no-hitter as the New York Giants blanked the Brooklyn Robins 2-0 at the Polo Grounds in New York.

80 years ago
1935

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Murray Blakely!

Diplomacy
The Roerich Pact, an inter-American treaty on the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historic Monuments, was signed in Washington, D.C.

Baseball
The Cincinnati Reds sold first baseman Johnny Mize to the St. Louis Cardinals for $55,000, the same price for which they'd purchased him from the Cardinals four months earlier. Mr. Mize was suffering from bone spurs on his pelvic bone as the result of a groin injury in 1934, and the Reds judged him unfit to play and sent him back to St. Louis.

75 years ago
1940

On the radio



War
The Allies began their attack on the Norwegian town of Narvik, which was occupied by Nazi Germany; the Nazis repulsed the attack.

Diplomacy
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Hachirō Arita warned against any change in the status of the Netherlands East Indies in view of developments in Europe and Japan's economic ties to the Indies.

Protest
Police in Rio de Janeiro arrested 51 Communists for allegedly plotting a nationwide revolt.

Politics and government
Major Vidkun Quisling resigned as Prime Minister of the German-sponsored Norwegian cabinet and was succeeded by Ingolf Christensen.

Former U.S. President Herbert Hoover called for American political and military isolation from world affairs. He also said it would be "a sign of degeneration" if the American people permitted the federal government to control the training of youth.

A Gallup Poll indicated that 53% of American voters would support President Franklin D. Roosevelt over U.S. Senator Arthur Vandenberg (Republican--Michigan) in the 1940 U.S. presidential election.

70 years ago
1945

Died on this date
Hermann Florstedt, 50. German SS officer. Standartenführer Florstedt was Commandant of Majdanek concentration camp in Poland. He was charged with stealing from the Third Reich to enrich himself, and was executed by the SS.

War
The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany was liberated by British and Canadian troops. German forces destroyed one of two U.S. 9th Army bridgeheads across the Elbe River near Magdeburg. Japanese forces launched a third massed kamikaze attack against the U.S. 5th Fleet off Okinawa; 165 kamikaze planes sank one American vessel and damaged six.

World events
Yugoslavian dictator Marshal Josip Tito said that the people of Istria and Trieste "desire to be incorporated into the new Yugoslavia."

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Give Me Your Word--Tennessee Ernie Ford (6th week at #1)

Business
Ray Kroc opened his first franchised McDonald's restaurant at 400 North Lee Avenue in Des Plaines, Illinois, near Chicago.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): The Minute You're Gone--Cliff Richard

Radio
Edmonton radio station CHQT began broadcasting at 1110 on the AM dial.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Harold Wilson concluded two days of talks in Washington with U.S. officials. He supported U.S. policy regarding Vietnam.

West Germany completed payment of reparations to Israel with a final payment on $860 million for the millions of Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Chicago 4 @ Detroit 2 (Chicago won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Bobby Hull scored his eighth goal of the series to help the Black Hawks defeat the Red Wings at Olympia Stadium. It was the last game in the Hall of Fame career Ted Lindsay, who had come out of a four-year retirement to play the 1964-65 season with Detroit.

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Division Finals
Philadelphia 109 @ Boston 110 (Boston won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Sam Jones scored 37 points and John Havlicek scored 26 and made a game-saving steal in the final seconds as the Celtics edged the 76ers before 13,909 fans at Boston Garden. Wilt Chamberlain led Philadelphia with 30 points and 32 rebounds.

40 years ago
1975

Died on this date
Richard Conte, 65. U.S. actor. Mr. Conte, born Nicholas Peter Conte, acted in numerous plays, movies, and television programs. His films included Call Northside 777 (1948); Whirlpool (1949); The Blue Gardenia (1953); They Came to Cordura (1959); and The Godfather (1972). He died of a heart attack, 22 days after his 65th birthday.

Diplomacy
Greek Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis arrived in Paris for a two-day visit.

World events
Karen Ann Quinlan, 21, felt faint and was taken home after consuming a combination of alcohol and valium while at a friend's birthday party in Byram Township, New Jersey, whereupon she stopped breathing long enough to slip into an irreversible coma and persistent vegetative state. Her parents, devout Roman Catholics, wanted her ventilator removed, and the resulting legal battle was a major case in the areas of bioethics and euthanasia.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Vancouver 2 @ Montreal 1 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
Toronto 0 @ Philadelphia 3 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 2-0)
Chicago 1 @ Buffalo 3 (Buffalo led best-of-seven series 2-0)
New York Islanders 1 @ Pittsburgh 3 (Pittsburgh led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Garry Monahan scored on a 30-foot shot as teammate Leon Rochefort screened goalie Ken Dryden with 6:14 remaining in regulation time to break a 1-1 tie as the Canucks edged the Canadiens in the national Hockey Night in Canada telecast before 16,740 fans at the Montreal Forum for their first playoff win ever. Doug Risebrough opened the scoring for Montreal at 12:39 of the 2nd period, and Gerry O'Flaherty tied the score for Vancouver at 15:08. Vancouver goalie Gary Smith, playing his first game of the series, made 38 saves, while Mr. Dryden stopped 25 shots.

Philadelphia goalie Bernie Parent faced only 13 shots in posting the shutout, and Terry Crisp scored in the 2nd and 3rd periods as the Flyers blanked the Maple Leafs before 17,007 fans at the Spectrum. Philadelphia defenceman Andre Dupont scored the winning goal at 3:35 of the 2nd period.

All the scoring took place in the 1st period as the Sabres beat the Black Hawks before 15,863 fans at War Memorial Auditorium. Stan Mikita opened the scoring for Chicago just 51 seconds into the game, but Danny Gare scored for Buffalo to tie the game just 44 seconds later. Rick Dudley scored 2 goals later in the period. Buffalo goalie Gerry Desjardins stopped 26 shots, while Chicago's Tony Esposito made 18 saves.

Lowell MacDonald scored 2 goals and an assist as the Penguins defeated the Islanders before 13,404 fans at Pittsburgh Civic Arena. New York goalie Billy Smith stopped all 21 shots he faced in the 1st period, but Jean Pronovost opened the scoring for Pittsburgh 24 seconds into the 2nd period. Mr. MacDonald scored later in the 2nd period, and his goal with 5:09 remaining in regulation time made the score 3-0. Clark Gillies scored 43 seconds later to break up Gary Inness's bid for a shutout. Mr. Smith made 44 saves, while Mr. Inness stopped 32 shots.

WHA
Avco World Trophy
Quarter-Finals
Houston 7 @ Cleveland 2 (Houston led best-of-seven series 3-1)
New England 5 @ Minnesota 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
Quebec 5 @ Phoenix 6 (OT) (Quebec led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Mark Howe scored 3 goals and Murray Hall added 2 as the Aeros beat the Crusaders before 7,046 fans at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio. Houston led 2-0 after 2 periods, but outscored Cleveland 5-2 in the 3rd period.

The Whalers trailed the Fighting Saints 2-1 after 2 periods, but scored 4 in the 3rd before 11,093 fans at St. Paul Civic Center to even the series. Nick Fotiu led New England with 2 goals.

Mike Cormier scored at 7:21 of overtime to give the Roadrunners their win over the Nordiques before 6,033 fans at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Phoenix led 4-2 after the 1st period and 5-3 with 2 minutes remaining in the 2nd period, but allowed Quebec to score 2 goals in the last 2 minutes of the period to tie the score. Dennis Sobchuk scored twice for the Roadrunners in the 1st period, while Robbie Ftorek added a goal and 3 assists. John Gray and Wendell Bennett scored the other Phoenix goals. Serge Bernier and Bobby Guindon each scored twice for the Nordiques, with Rejean Houle scoring the other Quebec goal.

Basketball
ABA
Playoffs
First Round
St. Louis 108 @ New York 107 (St. Louis won best-of-seven series 4-1)

Freddie Lewis scored the last 10 St. Louis points, including a jump shot with 3 seconds remaining in regulation time, to give the Spirits their win over the Nets before 9,664 fans at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, ending New York's reign as American Basketball Association champions. Mr. Lewis finished with 29 points. The Nets led by 12 points in the 4th quarter and led by 7 with 2:27 remaining, but the Spirits outscored them 37-26 in the 4th quarter. New York's Julius Erving led all scorers with 34 points.

Baseball
The Cincinnati Reds traded relief pitcher Tom Hall to the New York Mets for relief pitcher Mac Scarce, who was promptly assigned to the Indianapolis Indians of the AAA American Association. Mr. Hall was in his fourth season with the Reds, and had appeared in 2 games in 1975, pitching 2 innings without allowing an earned run. Mr. Scarce had been obtained by the Mets from the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1974 season and had faced just 1 batter as a Met, allowing Pittsburgh's Richie Hebner to single home the game-winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning of the Pirates' 4-3 win in Pittsburgh on April 11.

Don Sutton pitched a 1-hitter and drove in a run as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 before 31,663 fans at Dodger Stadium. Jim Wynn's 2-run home run in the bottom of the first gave Los Angeles a 2-0 lead. Cincinnati catcher Johnny Bench broke up Mr. Sutton's no-hit bid and shutout with his first homer of the season in the top of the 7th inning. The Dodgers got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Joe Ferguson scored on a squeeze bunt by Mr. Sutton. Losing pitcher Clay Kirby pitched a complete game, allowing just 5 hits in 8 innings.

Phil Niekro pitched a 7-hit complete game and hit 2 singles as the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros 6-1 in their 1975 home opener before 12,774 fans at Atlanta Stadium.

George Brett doubled home Hal McRae with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Kansas City Royals a 4-3 win over the Oakland Athletics before 11,621 fans at Royals Stadium. Oakland led 3-1 in the 8th inning, but Kansas City tied the score on a 2-run home run by pinch hitter Al Cowens off Paul Lindblad, who had entered the game in relief of Mike Norris, who pitched 7+ innings without allowing an earned run in his second career major league start, after pitching a shutout in his debut. Al Fitzmorris pitched a complete game for the victory.

The Boston Red Sox scored 4 runs in the top of the 4th inning as they beat the New York Yankees 5-3 before 7,773 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. Bill Lee pitched a 5-hit complete game in winning the pitchers' duel over Catfish Hunter.

Joe Lahoud hit a home run and a double, Nolan Ryan pitched 8 innings for his third straight win of the season, and the California Angels turned 4 double plays as they beat the Minnesota Twins 7-3 before 11,909 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): We are the World--USA for Africa (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ano Ko to Scandal--The Checkers (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Ni Tú, Ni Nadie--Alaska y Dinarama (2nd week at #1)

Boxing
Marvin Hagler (61-2-2) retained his world middleweight title in an unusually fierce fight against Thomas Hearns (40-2) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Mr. Hagler, his face bloodied, scored a technical knockout of Mr. Hearns at 1:52 of Round 3.



25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (8th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (7th week at #1)
2 Dub Be Good to Me--Beats International
3 Pump ab das Bier--Werner
4 Get Up! (Before the Night is Over)--Technotronic
5 The Power--Snap!
6 The Message is Love--Arthur Baker and the Backbeat Disciples featuring Al Green
7 Got to Get--Rob 'n' Raz featuring Leila K.
8 Dangerous--Roxette
9 Das erste Mal tat's noch weh--Stefan Waggershausen & Viktor Lazlo
10 I Don't Know Anybody Else--Black Box

Singles entering the chart were Das erste Mal tat's noch weh; and Ding Dong by Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung (#29).

Died on this date
Greta Garbo, 84. Swedish-born U.S. actress. Miss Garbo, born Greta Gustaffson began her career in Sweden, appearing in silent films such as The Joyless Street (1925), before moving to Hollywood, where she became a major star in movies such as Flesh and the Devil (1927); Anna Christie (1930); Mata Hari (1931); Grand Hotel (1932); Queen Christina (1933); Anna Karenina (1935); Camille (1936); Ninotchka (1939); and Two-Faced Woman (1941). Several later projects failed to materialize, and Miss Garbo retired and withdrew from the public eye.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Montreal 4 @ Buffalo 2 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Boston 2 @ Hartford 3 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)
New Jersey 2 @ Washington 3 (Washington won best-of-seven series 4-2)

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Here's Johnny!--Hocus Pocus (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Sarajevo's børn - Gi dem et håb--Various artists (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Alice, Who the **** is Alice?--Gompie (title censored by blogger) (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Zombie--The Cranberries (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Zombie--The Cranberries (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Think Twice--Céline Dion

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Back for Good--Take That (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 This is How We Do It--Montell Jordan
2 Red Light Special--TLC
3 Candy Rain--Soul for Real
4 Take a Bow--Madonna
5 Run Away--Real McCoy
6 Freak Like Me--Adina Howard
7 Strong Enough--Sheryl Crow
8 Big Poppa/Warning--The Notorious B.I.G.
9 I Know--Dionne Farris
10 Creep--TLC

Singles entering the chart were Come Back by Londonbeat (#62); Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? by Bryan Adams (#66); Give it 2 You by Da Brat (#77); Craziest by Naughty by Nature (#84); I Like by Kut Klose (#85); Crazy Love by Brian McKnight (#88); and Move it to the Rhythm by Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K (#94). Crazy Love was from the movie Jason's Lyric (1994).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I Know--Dionne Farris
2 Red Light Special--TLC
3 Candy Rain--Soul for Real
4 Run Away--Real McCoy
5 Take a Bow--Madonna
6 Strong Enough--Sheryl Crow
7 Big Poppa/Warning--The Notorious B.I.G.
8 Tell Me When--The Human League
9 If I Wanted To/Like the Way I Do--Melissa Etheridge
10 This is How We Do It--Montell Jordan

Singles entering the chart were Bedtime Story by Madonna (#37); I'm Goin' Down by Mary J. Blige (#41); Lay Down Your Love by 4 P.M. (#69); 1-Luv by E-40 (featuring Levity) (#76); Rollin' Wit Dane by Dana Dane (#77); Daddy's Home by Spanish Fly (#79); Connection by Elastica (#86); Wonderful by Adam Ant (#87); and Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? by Bryan Adams (#92).

Hockey
NHL
Winnipeg 5 Toronto 1