April 4, 2015

375 years ago
1640

Born on this date
Gaspar Sanz. Spanish musician and composer. Mr. Sanz, born Francisco Bartolomé Sanz Celma, was a poet and organist, but was best known for his three volumes of pedagogical works for baroque guitar, forming an important part of classical guitar repertory. He died in 1710 at the age of 69 or 70.

150 years ago
1865

War
A day after Union forces in the U.S. Civil War captured Richmond, Virginia, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln visited the Confederate capital.

125 years ago
1890

Died on this date
Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, 69. Canadian politician. Mr. Chauveau, a Conservative, was a member of the Legislative Assembly in the Province of Canada from 1844-1867 and in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867-1873. While sitting in the House of Commons he served as the first Premier of Quebec from 1867-1873. Mr. Chauveau was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1873, but resigned a year later to return to electoral politics, where he failed to be re-elected to the House of Commons.

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
Arthur Murray. Austro-Hungarian-born U.S. dance instructor. Mr. Murray, born Moses Teichman, immigrated to the United States in 1897, and began teaching ballroom dancing while still a teenager. In the 1920s he began the business that eventually became the dance studio franchise that bears his name. Mr. Murray died on March 3, 1991 at the age of 95.

110 years ago
1905

Disasters
An earthquake struck the Kangra Valley in India, killing 20,000 and destroying most buildings in Kangra, McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala.

90 years ago
1925

Abominations
The Schutzstaffel (SS) was founded in Germany.

80 years ago
1935

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Montreal Maroons 3 @ Toronto 2 (Montreal led best-of-five series 1-0)

Dave Trottier scored at 5:28 of the 1st overtime period to give the Maroons their win over the Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens.

75 years ago
1940

World events
The Supreme Soviet approved a record defense budget and the incorporation of the Karelian-Finnish region as the 12th republic of the Soviet Union.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull sharply criticized Ontario Attorney General Gordon Conant for saying that Canada should do everything possible to bring the United States into the European war.

Defense
The United States War Department announced the sale of war munitions to Finland.

Representatives of the Communist and Kuomintang Parties in China opened conciliatory negotiations in Chungking with the aim of achieving greater assistance from the U.S.S.R.

Politics and government
The United States House of Representatives Rules Committee approved and sent to the floor the House Census Committee reapportionment bill.

Alf Landon, the unsuccessful 1936 Republican Party candidate for President of the United States, charged the Democratic Party with being "boss-ridden," and called for the election of a Republican as President in 1940 in order to return government to the people.

Economics and finance
U.S. Commerce Secretary Harry Hopkins announced that the economic recession continued into March, but at a slower rate than January and February, offsetting gains registered after the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939.

As a means to economic recovery, potential Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate Wendell Willkie proposed that federal regulatory boards be modified and tax laws altered to encourage investment.

70 years ago
1945

War
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King said that Canadian troops would go to fight in the Pacific on a voluntary basis only. Argentina signed the Act of Chapultepec, providing for cooperation among Western Hemisphere nations in the war against the Axis. Allied troops captured Osnabrueck, Siegen, Gotha, Suhl, Wuerzburg, Kraisruhe, and Bruchsal in advances along the western front. American troops liberated the Ohrdruf forced labour camp in Germany and captured Kassel. Soviet troops liberated from German occupation and/or occupied Hungary. U.S. troops were reportedly in secure control of about 80 square miles of Okinawa. U.S. troops in the Philippines made a 200-mile amphibious movement from Zamboanga, Mindanao Island, to seize the islands of Sanga and Bongao, against very little opposition.

Diplomacy
U.S. Ambassador to China Patrick Hurley arrived in London for talks with British and American officials on Far Eastern war policy.

Defense
U.S. Navy Admiral Ernest King said that the United States must maintain a large postwar Navy and keep its new Pacific bases safe from future aggression.

Politics and government
The United States Senate confirmed Fred Vinson as Director of War Mobilization, succeeding James Byrnes, who had resigned two days earlier.

Labour
The United Mine Workers of America asked hard coal operators for a 25% wage increase and a 10c-per-ton welfare fund royalty for 72,000 miners.

60 years ago
1955

On television tonight
Sherlock Holmes, starring Ronald Howard and H. Marion Crawford
Tonight's episode: The Case of the Christmas Pudding



50 years ago
1965

Asiatica
Maharajah Palden Thondup Namgyal and his American-born Maharani, the former Hope Cooke of New York, were crowned Chogyal (King) and Gyalmo (Queen) of Sikkim.

Defense
The first model of the Swedish Saab Viggen fighter aircraft was unveiled.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Griechischer Wein--Udo Jürgens (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Griechischer Wein--Udo Jürgens

Business
Microsoft was founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate had reached 8.7% in March, the highest figure since 1940.

Disasters
A United States Air Force Lockheed C-5A Galaxy transporting orphans crashed near Saigon, South Vietnam shortly after takeoff, killing 172.

Baseball
Ed Crosby singled home Duane Kuiper and Rick Manning with none out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Cleveland Indians a 4-3 win over the Oakland Athletics in a spring training game before 4,052 fans in Tucson, Arizona. For losing pitcher Lew Krausse, who had entered the game to begin the 7th inning and had an opportunity to be the winner when the Athletics scored a run in the top of the 9th to take the lead, it was the last game of a major league career that had begun in 1961. He allowed 3 hits, 3 bases on balls, and 2 runs--both earned--in 2+ innings, and was subsequently demoted to the Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League. Mr. Krausse, who began his major league career as a "bonus baby" with the Kansas City Athletics in, compiled a major league career record of 68-91 with an earned run average of 4.00.

Eric Soderholm batted 3 for 5 with a home run, double, 2 runs, and 3 runs batted in to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 7-4 win over the Montreal Expos in a spring training game before 1,361 fans in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Doug Flynn singled home Ken Griffey with 1 out in the bottom of the 16th inning to give the Cincinnati Reds a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox before 2,725 fans in Tampa, Florida in the longest spring training game of 1975. The game turned out to be a preview of that year's World Series matchup.

Manny Sanguillen singled home Willie Stargell with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 5-4 win over the New York Yankees before 1,889 fans in Bradenton, Florida. Sam McDowell pitched 3 innings in relief and was credited with the win, while Dave Pagan pitched 1 1/3 innings and took the loss. New York center fielder Walt Williams batted 4 for 5 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 runs batted in.

Earl Williams hit a grand slam home run in the bottom of the 7th inning as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Atlanta Braves 6-1 in a spring training game before 5,601 fans in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Los Angeles Dodgers scored 5 runs in the top of the 4th inning as they beat the California Angels in a spring training game before 25,589 fans at Anaheim Stadium.

The Houston Astros scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to edge the Texas Rangers 8-7 in a spring training game before 10,727 fans at the Astrodome. Houston's Cliff Johnson hit a 3-run home run as a pinch hitter in the 4th inning.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (7th week at #1)

Environment
New York State passed a law requiring environmental impact statements on Canadian projects before buying additional power from Hydro-Quebec.

Economics and finance
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that Canada paid $117,000 for every farm job it saved by subsidizing agriculture, and that farm support programs raised output 17%.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Toronto 2 @ St. Louis 4 (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Minnesota 2 @ Chicago 1 (Minnesota led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Winnipeg 7 @ Edmonton 5 (Winnipeg led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Los Angeles 5 @ Calgary 3 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 1-0)

20 years ago
1995

Died on this date
Priscilla Lane, 79. U.S. actress and singer. Miss Lane, born Priscilla Mullican, sang with bandleader Fred Waring before becoming an actress. Her movies included Four Daughters (1938); Brother Rat (1938); The Roaring Twenties (1939); Four Wives (1939); Saboteur (1942); and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

Crime
Francisco Duran, 26, a resident of Colorado Springs, was convicted in federal court in Washington, D.C. of attempting to assassinate U.S. President Bill Clinton. In October 1994 Mr. Duran had fried shots at the White House with an assault rifle. He was also convicted of assault against Secret Service officers who had approached him; of weapons charges; and of damaging federal property. Defense lawyers had contended that Mr. Duran was insane and had not intended to shoot anyone.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Edward Bronfman, 77. Canadian businessman. Mr. Bronfman was the nephew of Samuel Bronfman, founder of the Seagram's distillery. Edward Bronfman and his brother Peter founded Edper Enterprises, a conglomerate that one had $100 billion under management. They owned the Montreal Canadiens from 1971-1978, a period during which the team won four Stanley Cups.