April 20, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Tanya Dueck!

240 years ago
1775

War
The Siege of Boston began, the day after the American Revolutionary War had begun with the battles at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts.

150 years ago
1865

Technology
Italian astronomer Pietro Angelo Secchi demonstrated the Secchi disk, which measures water transparency, aboard Pope Pius IX's yacht L'Immaculata Concezion.

130 years ago
1885

War
General Thomas Bland "Jingo" Strange and 1,300 men set out from Calgary toward Frog Lake in what is now northeastern Alberta (then part of the Northwest Territories) to fight against a Cree chief named Wandering Spirit, who was viewed as a threat to peaceful white and Metis settlement of the area.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Maurice Duplessis. Canadian politician. Mr. Duplessis was the leader of the Union Nationale party and was Premier of Quebec from 1936-1939 and from 1944 until his death on September 7, 1959 at the age of 69. He opposed Communism, trade unions, and Canadian involvement in World War II. His government favoured private enterprise and the entry of foreign (largely American) foreign capital )while refusing federal funds to support education), and kept taxes low, while building roads and bridges (at least in areas that had voted UN). The Union Nationale under Duplessis engaged in the typical Quebec practices of extortion, vote-buying, and ballot box-stuffing. The Roman Catholic church hierarchy supported Mr. Duplessis' government in return for subsidies for church schools and charities. The Padlock Law of 1937 authorized police to lock premises from which Communist activity was allegedly conducted. Jehovah's Witnesses were fined and imprisoned for distributing literature on the street. Wilson Ewin, a Baptist evangelist, also served time in prison in Quebec under Duplessis for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mr. Duplessis died in Schefferville, Quebec, and was succeeded as premier by Paul Sauve. Fifty years after his death, Maurice Duplessis continues to be the subject of scholarly debate.

Adolf Schärf. President of Austria, 1957-1965. Mr. Schärf was Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) (1945-1957) and Vice Chancellor of Austria (1945-1957), and was elected President in 1957, following the death of Theodor Körner. Like his predecessor, Mr. Schärf died in office, on February 28, 1965 at the age of 74.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Eric Tipton. U.S. baseball and football player and coach. Mr. Tipton was a running back and punter with the Duke University Blue Devils (1936-1938), rushing for 1,633 yards and 17 touchdowns, while also playing baseball with Duke as an outfielder. He was drafted in the 13th round by the Washington Redskins in 1939, but elected to play professional baseball instead. Mr. Tipton played left field with the Philadelphia Athletics (1939-1941) and Cincinnati Reds (1942-1945), batting .270 with 22 home runs and 151 runs batted in in 501 games. He batted .291 with 114 homers and at least 719 RBIs in 10 seasons in the minor leagues (1940-1942, 1946-1952). Mr. Tipton was an assistant football coach at the College of William and Mary (1939-1956) and lightweight (150 pounds and under) football coach at the United States Military Academy (1957-1976), compiling a record of 104-14-1 record and 13 league titles in the latter position. He was head baseball coach at William and Mary (1953-1957) and USMA (1958-1977), compiling a record of 234-201-5 and 3 league titles with Army. Mr. Tipton was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1965. He died of heart failure on August 29, 2001 at the age of 86.

75 years ago
1940

War
The government of the Netherlands declared a state of siege for the whole country. British planes bombed the Norwegian cities of Stavenger, Aalborg, and Kristiansand in an effort to prevent German troops from being airlifted to Norway.

Technology
The first public test of the electron microscope was held at the Radio Corporation of America laboratories in Camden, New Jersey.

Aviation
Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation announced production of a dirigible capable of resisting storms while airborne.

Economics and finance
Japan opened the Pearl River in China to commercial traffic, making Canton accessible to world trade.

Labour
American Federation of Labor President William Green opened a union organizing drive in the southwestern United States with a speech in Dallas calling for the unity of all economic groups.

70 years ago
1945

At the movies
The Horn Blows at Midnight, directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Jack Benny and Alexis Smith, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Erwin Bumke, 70. German jurist. Mr. Bumke was the last president of the Reichsgericht (Imperial Court of Justice) from 1929-1945. After the Nazis took power in Germany in 1933, the Court increasingly implemented rulings in line with Nazi policy. "Justice" Bumke committed suicide the day after U.S. forces captured Leipzig; the Reichsgericht was dissolved at the end of World War II.

War
German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler celebrated his 56th birthday by leaving his bunker in Berlin to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth; it was Mr. Hitler's last public appearance. Units of the U.S. 7th Army captured Nuremberg. Radio broadcasts from Berlin announced that Soviet troops were at Werneuchen, 7 1/2 miles north of Berlin. Allied forces in Italy broke through the last mountain barriers southwest of Bologna and advanced in the Po Valley. A month-long British deive on Rangoon placed them 220 miles north of the Burmese capital.

Abominations
20 Jewish children who had been used in medical experiments at Neuengamme concentration camp in Germany, their 4 adult Jewish caretakers and 6 Soviet Red Army prisoners of war were killed in the basement of the Bullenhuser Damm school in Hamburg. Later that evening, 24 Soviet POWs who had also been used in the experiments were brought to the school to be murdered.

Law
Jurists of 44 United Nations member states signed a preliminary draft of a plan for the International Court of Justice; the draft would be submitted to the San Francisco Conference to found the United Nations.

The High Court of Justice in Paris sentenced General Henri-Fernand Dentz, former high commissioner of Syria, to death with military degradation and property confiscation, as a traitor to France.

Politics and government
U.S. President Harry Truman named his old friend Charlie Ross of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as his press secretary.

Labour
The U.S. National War Labor Board approved an increase of 5c per hour for 30,000 maintenance workers with five auto manufacturers.

50 years ago
1965

On television tonight
The Fugitive, starring David Janssen, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Last Second of a Big Dream, with guest stars Steve Forrest, Laurence Naismith, and Milton Selzer

This was the final episode of the season.

At the movies
The Pawnbroker, starring Rod Steiger, which had received its premiere screening at the Berlin Film Festival in 1964, opened in theatres in North America.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Chicago 0 @ Montreal 2 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Gump Worsley posted the shutout in winning the goaltending duel over Glenn Hall as the Canadiens blanked the Black Hawks at the Montreal Forum.

40 years ago
1975

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-finals
Pittsburgh 1 @ New York Islanders 3 (Pittsburgh led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Buffalo 6 @ Chicago 2 (Buffalo led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Clarke Gillies scored with 13:44 remaining in the 3rd period to break a 1-1 tie and J.-P. Parise scored 39 seconds later as the Islanders averted elimination against the Penguins before 14,865 fans at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale in a game that was broadcast in Canada on CBC radio. Andre St. Laurent opened the scoring for New York in the 1st period, and J. Bob Kelly replied for Pittsburgh in the 2nd. Glenn Resch made 27 saves for the Islanders, while Pittsburgh goalie Gary Inness stopped 35 shots.

The Sabres broke a 1-1 tie with 5 goals in the 3rd period as they beat the Black Hawks before 16,666 fans at Chicago Stadium. Peter McNab scored for Buffalo in the 2nd period; Jim Lorentz, Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Danny Gare, and Gilbert Perreault scored in the 3rd period. Grant Mulvey gave Chicago a 1-0 lead after the 1st period, and Phil Russell scored for the Black Hawks in the 3rd.

Basketball
NBA
Conference Semi-Finals
First Round
Buffalo 93 @ Washington 97 (Washington led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Kansas City-Omaha 77 @ Chicago 104 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Elvin Hayes scored 46 points to lead the Bullets to a come-from-behind victory over the Braves before 18,820 fans at Capital Center in Landover, Maryland. Bob McAdoo led Buffalo with 34 points, with teammate Randy Smith adding 21.

Bob Love scored 30 points as the Bulls routed the Kings before 16,247 fans at Chicago Stadium. No Kansas City-Omaha player scored more than 13 points.

ABA
Semi-Finals
Indiana 128 @ Denver 131 (Denver led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Dave Robisch scored 28 points as the Nuggets defeated the Pacers before 7,444 fans at Denver Auditorium Arena. Mike Green scored 27 points for Denver, including 6 straight in the 4th quarter to blunt an Indiana rally. Indiana's George McGinnis led all scorers with 39 points, while grabbing 21 rebounds and making 8 assists, while teammate Billy Knight scored 26 points and added 13 rebounds.

Baseball
The New York Mets swept a doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs 8-6 and 4-3 before 26,693 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. In the first game, the Mets scored 3 runs in the 1st inning and 4 in the 2nd as they held on for the victory. In the second game, Jerry Grote and Dave Kingman hit home runs off losing pitcher Burt Hooton, while rookie Randy Tate pitched 6+ innings of shutout ball to get his first major league win. Rick Baldwin pitched 3 innings to get the save despite allowing 3 runs--2 earned--in the 9th inning.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): We are the World--USA for Africa (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): You're My Heart, You're My Soul--Modern Talking (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): We are the World--USA for Africa

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): We are the World--USA for Africa (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: We are the World--USA for Africa

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): We are the World--USA for Africa (2nd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 We are the World--USA for Africa (2nd week at #1)
2 Crazy for You--Madonna
3 One More Night--Phil Collins
4 Nightshift--Commodores
5 Rhythm of the Night--DeBarge
6 Material Girl--Madonna
7 Obsession--Animotion
8 I’m on Fire--Bruce Springsteen
9 Can’t Fight This Feeling--REO Speedwagon
10 That was Yesterday--Foreigner

Singles entering the chart were Say You're Wrong by Julian Lennon (#53); Heaven by Bryan Adams (#55); Show Some Respect by Tina Turner (#67); The Search is Over by Survivor (#75); and Talk to Me by Fiona (#95).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Tears are Not Enough--Northern Lights
2 Shout--Tears for Fears
3 One Night in Bangkok--Murray Head
4 Can't Fight This Feeling--REO Speedwagon
5 One More Night--Phil Collins
6 A Criminal Mind--Gowan
7 Material Girl--Madonna
8 Crazy for You--Madonna
9 Nightshift--Commodores
10 Rhythm of the Night--DeBarge

Singles entering the chart were Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears (#68); Celebrate Youth by Rick Springfield (#83); Do You Want to Get Away by Shannon (#86); Black Cars by Gino Vannelli (#90); Smuggler's Blues by Glenn Frey (#97); The Bird by the Time (#98); and West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys (#99).

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Divisional Finals
Winnipeg 2 @ Edmonton 5 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 2-0)

25 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Alex McCrindle, 78. U.K. actor. Mr. McCrindle, a native of Glasgow, appeared in several television programs in the late 1930s and in movies and television from the early 1950s until his death. He was best known for playing General Jan Dodonna in Star Wars (1977).

Business
Hillsdown Holdings, the British owner of Maple Leaf Mills bought 30% the Canada Packers shares held by the McLean family, to own 56% of the new $4 billion company.

Law
The Correctional Service of Canada task force recommended closing the Kingston Prison for Women, founded in 1934. The task force recommended replacing it with 10-person cottage-like facilities and an Aboriginal healing lodge.

Scandal
Baseball legend Pete Rose pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati to two counts of filing false income tax returns. In the court settlement, Mr. Rose agreed to pay $366,000 in back taxes, penalties, and interest, while remaining subject to a possible prison sentence.

Baseball
Brian Holman of the Seattle Mariners was one out away from a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics when he gave up a home run to pinch hitter Ken Phelps. Mr. Holman then struck out Rickey Henderson to finish the 6-1 win before 44,911 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)--Scatman John (3rd week at #1)

Music
This blogger, with enjoyable female company, attended a concert by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium as part of the Lighter Classics series. The guest soloist was pianist Chia Chou.