May 1, 2015

240 years ago
1775

Law
The Quebec Act came into force, creating a Governor and Council, and allowing the continued exercise of the French language and Roman Catholic religion. In Montreal, English vandals blackened the bust of King George III and placed a "potato" rosary around its neck. On the bust they wrote, "Behold, the Pope of Canada, or the English idiot."

150 years ago
1865

Diplomacy
The Empire of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay signed the Treaty of the Triple Alliance, allying the empire against the Republic of Paraguay.

130 years ago
1885

Canadiana
Electric lighting was used for the first time to illuminate city streets in Ottawa.

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
Nikolai Yezhov. U.S.S.R. bureaucrat. Mr. Yezhov was a member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1935-1939, and held various positions, including head of the secret police force NKVD from 1936-1938, overseeing mass arrests and executions during the Great Purge. He fell from favour with Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, and confessed--probably under torture--to various anti-Soviet activities. On February 4, 1940, two days after being convicted in a secret trial, Mr. Yezhov, 54 was executed by shooting, in the basement of a small NKVD station in Moscow.

100 years ago
1915

Literature
The May 1915 issue of The Strand Magazine contained the ninth and final segment of The Valley of Fear, the fourth and last Sherlock Holmes novel by A. Conan Doyle. In this issue: Part II. The Scowrers: Chapter VI. Danger; Chapter VII. The Trapping of Birdy Edwards; Epilogue.

World events
The Cunard liner RMS Lusitania departed New York City for Liverpool on her 202nd and final crossing of the North Atlantic Ocean. 1,266 passengers and 696 crew members were aboard.

90 years ago
1925

Labour
The All-China Federation of Trade Unions was officially founded.

75 years ago
1940

War
The French steamship Ile de France left New York City with war material. Chinese Communist official Chou En-lai charged that the U.S.A., U.K., and France wanted to end the war in China only to bring the country's resources into the war against Germany.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a strong message to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini warning him of the dangers to Italy if it was to enter the European war on the side of Germany.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew and U.K. Ambassador to Japan Robert Craigie cancelled vacations to remain in Tokyo, hoping to improve relations between their respective countries and Japan.

Politics and government
New Zealand Prime Minister Peter Fraser shuffled his cabinet, retaining all ministers but reassigning duties.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt conferred at the White House with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Government Reorganization in an effort to gain support for his proposed merger of the Civil Aviation Administration and the Air Safety Board.

Economics and finance
Storage stocks of every commodity except cheese were at a three-year high in Canada due to the "Phony War."

Panama announced that it could not afford to buy its $1 million of allotted shares in the Inter-American Bank.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Senate-approved bill giving President Franklin D. Roosevelt the authority to freeze assets of belligerents held in the United States.

Labour
The U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to the Wage-Hour Law, excluding farm and farm-process workers from its provisions.

Olympics
The 1940 Summer Olympics, originally scheduled to be held in Tokyo and then moved to Helsinki, were cancelled because of World War II.

70 years ago
1945

Died on this date
Josef Goebbels, 47. Chancellor of Germany, 1945. Dr. Goebbels was Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda in the Nazi administration of Adolf Hitler from 1933-1945.
He succeeded Mr. Hitler as Chancellor upon Mr. Hitler's suicide on April 30, 1945. Dr. Goebbels and his wife Magda, 43, committed suicide in the Reich Garden outside the Führerbunker in Berlin. Their six children were also killed by having cyanide pills inserted into their mouths by their mother.

War
Radio broadcasts from Hamburg reported that German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler had died the previous day in the battle of Berlin while at his command post in the Chancellery. As Soviet forces continued to diminish the German hold on Berlin, U.K. and U.S. forces linked up northwest of the German capital. Up to 2,500 people died in a mass suicide in the German town of Demmin following the advance of the Soviet Red Army. Yugoslav Partisans free Trieste, and British troops made contact with Yugoslavian units at Monfalcone, 8 miles northwest of Trieste. An Allied invasion opened on Borneo with landings on Tarakan Island, just off the northeast corner of Netherlands Borneo.

Politics and government
Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz became Fuehrer of Germany upon the death of Josef Goebbels.

Brazilian President Getulio Vargas announced his support for General Eurico Gaspar Dutra for the presidency.

Labour
About 72,000 U.S. anthracite miners walked off the job after their contract expired.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Ticket to Ride/Yes It Is--The Beatles

#1 single in France: La Nuit--Salvatore Adamo (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Un anno d'amore--Mina (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Downtown--Petula Clark (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Rock and Roll Music/No Reply--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Ticket to Ride--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter--Herman's Hermits

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter--Herman's Hermits
2 I Know a Place--Petula Clark
3 Game of Love--Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders
4 I'm Telling You Now--Freddie and the Dreamers
5 Tired of Waiting for You--The Kinks
6 Count Me In--Gary Lewis and the Playboys
7 I'll Never Find Another You--The Seekers
8 Go Now!--The Moody Blues
9 Ticket to Ride--The Beatles
10 The Last Time--The Rolling Stones

Singles entering the chart were Do the Freddie by Freddie and the Dreamers (#59); Back in My Arms Again by the Supremes (#63); Three O'Clock in the Morning by Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra (#65); Concrete and Clay by Eddie Rambeau (#68, charting with the version by Unit Four Plus Two); You were Made for Me by Freddie and the Dreamers (#74); Georgie Porgie by Jewel Akens (#78); Wishing it was You by Connie Francis (#82); Super-Cali-Fragil-Istic-Expi-Ali-Docious by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke and the Pearlies (#86); You were Only Fooling (While I was Falling in Love) by Vic Damone (#89); Poor Boy by the Royalettes (#90); Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte by Patti Page (#92); Gloria by Them (#93); Good Lovin' by the Olympics (#94); Chim, Chim, Cheree by the New Christy Minstrels (#95); It Ain't No Big Thing by the Radiants (#96); The Climb by the Kingsmen (#98); Dust Got in Daddy's Eyes by Bobby Bland (#99); and A Walk in the Black Forest by Horst Jankowski and his Orchestra (#100). Gloria was the B-side of Baby Please Don't Go, which had entered the chart on April 17 and peaked at #95 on April 24, and was now off the chart. Chim, Chim, Cheree was a version of a song from the movie Mary Poppins (1964).

On television tonight
Sherlock Holmes, starring Douglas Wilmer and Nigel Stock, on BBC 1
Tonight's episode: The Retired Colourman

Died on this date
Spike Jones, 53. U.S. musician. Lindley Armstrong Jones was a drummer and bandleader who was popular in the 1940s and '50s as leader of Spike Jones and his City Slickers. The band was known for satirizing popular tunes, usually using bizarre sound effects. Their best-known hit was Der Fuehrer's Face (1942). Mr. Jones was a heavy smoker who died of emphysema.

War
The naval Battle of Dong-Yin took place between the forces of Communist China and Nationalist China around Dongyin Island in the province of Fukien.

Terrorism
Radicals bombed the United States Consulate in Montreal.

Horse racing
Lucky Debonair, with Bill Shoemaker aboard, won the 91st running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:01 1/5. Dapper Dan placed second.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Chicago 0 @ Montreal 4 (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Jean Beliveau opened the scoring just 14 seconds into the game as the Canadiens blanked the Black Hawks at the Montreal Forum to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in five years. Mr. Beliveau was the first recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the playoffs. Gump Worsley posted the shutout in goal as he played on his first Stanley Cup championship team, but Chicago centre Stan Mikita said that if it hadn't been for Black Hawk goalie Glenn Hall, the score would have been 10-0.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Love is All--Red Hurley

At the movies
Bite the Bullet, produced, directed, and written by Richard Brooks, and starring Gene Hackman, James Coburn, and Candice Bergen, opened in theatres.

World events
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announced that 3,000 South Vietnamese refugees would be brought to Canada.

Defense
It was announced that Canada would control its own air space for the first time since the signing of the NORAD agreement in 1958.

Politics and government
Protestants in Northern Ireland, who opposed sharing power with Roman Catholics, won 46 of 78 seats for a constitutional convention.

Labour
Rising malpractice costs caused about 2,000 physicians in northern California to go on strike.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
New York Islanders 4 @ Philadelphia 5 (OT) (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 2-0)
Buffalo 0 @ Montreal 7 (Buffalo led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Bobby Clarke scored on a rebound of a shot from teammate Ross Lonsberry at 2:56 of overtime to give the Flyers their win over the Islanders before 17,007 fans at the Spectrum. Philadelphia led 4-1 idway through the 2nd period on goals by Gary Dornhoefer, Reg Leach, Tom Bladon, and Bill Barber, but J.-P. Parise scored with 7:38 remaining in the 2nd period to make it 4-2, and again with 6:14 remaining in regulation time to make the score 4-3. Denis Potvin scored his second goal of the game 14 seconds later to tie the game. Wayne Stephenson was in goal for the Flyers for the second straight game, replacing the injured Bernie Parent.

Guy Lafleur scored 3 goals and Ken Dryden made 27 saves for the shutout in goal for the Canadiens as they blanked the Sabres before 17,160 fans at the Montreal Forum. Pete Mahovlich scored the winning goal just 1:38 into the game, while Jacques Lemaire, Yvon Lambert, and Doug Risebrough all scored unassisted goals.

WHA
Avco World Trophy
Semi-Finals
Quebec 4 @ Minnesota 2 (Quebec won best-of-seven series 4-2)
San Diego 4 @ Houston 5 (OT) Houston won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Mike Parizeau scored with 4:15 remaining in regulation time to break a 2-2 tie, and Rejean Houle scored with 31 seconds left as the Nordiques eliminated the Fighting Saints before 9,144 fans at St. Paul Civic Center. Real Cloutier and Rene Leclerc scored for Quebec in the 1st period, while Gary Gambucci opened the scoring for Minnesota and Jack Carlson scored 15 seconds into the 3rd period to tie the game.

Jim Sherrit scored his second goal of the game just 27 seconds into overtime as the Aeros eliminated the Mariners before 7,932 fans at Sam Houston Coliseum. Rich Preston, Don Larway, and Gordie Howe scored the other Houston goals. Ron Plumb scored 2 goals for the Mariners, with Rick Adduono and Mike Laughton scoring the other San Diego goals.

Basketball
NBA
Conference Finals
Golden State 101 @ Chicago 108 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Norm Van Lier scored 35 points to lead the Bulls over the Warriors before 19,128 fans at Chicago Stadium. Butch Beard led Golden State with 28 points, and Rick Barry added 21.

Baseball
Hank Aaron batted 4 for 4 with a double, a run, and 2 runs batted in as the Milwaukee Brewers routed the Detroit Tigers 17-3 before 8,395 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee. Mr. Aaron singled home Sixto Lezcano in the 3rd inning and doubled home Robin Yount in the 5th, giving him 2,211 career major league runs batted in, 2 more than the record previously held by Babe Ruth. Detroit starting pitcher Vern Ruhle was tagged with the loss while Tom Makowski, the third and last Detroit pitcher, made his major league debut, allowing 6 hits, 4 bases on balls, and 9 runs--3 earned--in 3 1/3 innings. Mr. Makowski made an error that contributed to 5 unearned Milwaukee runs in the 7th inning. The teams combined to make 7 errors.

Cokkie Rojas doubled home Bob Stinson to tie the game and Buck Martinez followed with a single to drive home Mr. Rojas with the winning run with 2 out in the bottom of the 13th inning as the Kansas City Royals edged the California Angels 11-10 before 6,970 fans at Royals Stadium. The Angels had taken a 10-9 lead in the top of the inning when Tommy Harper scored from second base on an infield hit with 2 out by Dave Chalk. Harmon Killebrew, who had begun the game as Kansas City's designated hitter but had moved to first base in the 12th inning, was apparently stunned by umpire Ron Luciano's ruling that Mr. Chalk was safe at first, and held onto the ball, as Mr. Harper raced home. Kansas City third baseman George Brett batted 4 for 7, while shortstop Fred Patek was 3 for 7. California center fielder Morris Nettles batted 4 for 7. Winning pitcher Doug Bird pitched 7 2/3 innings of relief, allowing just 4 hits and 1 earned run.

Catfish Hunter pitched a 5-hit shutout an Thurman Munson hit a 2-run home run in the 4th inning to provide all the runs needed as the New York Yankees blanked the Baltimore Orioles 5-0 before 9,294 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. Losing pitcher Jim Palmer allowed 6 hits and 5 runs--all earned--in 6 innings.

Former major leaguer Horacio Pina pitched a no-hitter for the Aguascalientes Vintners as they edged the Juarez Indians 1-0 in a Mexican League game in Aguascalientes. The game's only run came in the 3rd inning on a home run by Gonzalo Villalobos.

30 years ago
1985

Music
Dire Straits began their 2 1/2-month Live in 85 tour with a concert in Jerusalem.

Hockey
IIHF Men’s World Championship @ Prague
Semi-Final
Canada 3 U.S.S.R. 1

Mario Lemieux scored 2 goals to lead Canada into the gold medal game for the first time since re-entering the competition in 1977.



25 years ago
1990

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Cocoa and Sympathy

Died on this date
Sergio Franchi, 64. Italian-born U.S. singer. Mr. Franchi, born Sergio Franci Galli, was a tenor who was popular singing opera and popular music on stage and television from the 1960s through the 1980s. He died of a brain tunour.

Crime
A nine-hour gun battle left two people dead at the Akwesasne Indian reserve, which straddles the borders of New York, Quebec, and Ontario near Cornwall, Ontario. The victims represented opposing factions in the ongoing violence between anti-gambling residents and pro-gambling Mohawk Warriors.

Politics and government
Canadian government House Leader Harvie Andre threatened to invoke a never-used section of the British North America Act to stack the Senate with Progressive Conservative members, increasing the upper house by eight members, if the Liberals, who held a majority in the Senate, continued to oppose the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Protest
Independent and unofficial organizations were allowed to march in the May Day parade in Moscow for the first time, and thousands of people jeered Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and other national leaders as they passed the reviewing area atop Lenin’s Mausoleum. These marchers, who included ethnic nationalists, human rights and religious activists, students, and intellectuals, carried banners of protest, with slogans such as "Down with the Cult of Lenin" and "Seventy-two Years on the Road to Nowhere." No May Day celebrations were held at all in the capitals of five of the dissident Soviet republics.

Religion
The former Philippine Episcopal Church (supervised by the Episcopal Church of the United States of America) was granted full autonomy and raised to the status of an Autocephalous Anglican Province, and was renamed the Episcopal Church of the Philippines.

Agriculture
Canadian Grains and Oilseeds Minister Charlie Mayer announced that the price of No. 1 spring wheat was to drop by 18%, from $165 to $135 per tonne.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Baby Baby--Corona (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)--Scatman John (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Self Esteem--The Offspring (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Back for Good--Take That

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Believe--Elton John (3rd week at #1)
2 I Know--Dionne Farris
3 No More "I Love You's"--Annie Lennox
4 Wonderdrug--Jann Arden
5 Can't Stop Lovin' You--Van Halen
6 You Lose You Gain--John Bottomley
7 O Siem--Susan Aglukark
8 In the House of Stone--Martin Page
9 Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?--Bryan Adams
10 Hold On--Jamie Walters

Singles entering the chart were Low Life by Bryan Adams (#86); Secret Garden by Bruce Springsteen (#90); Shy Guy by Diana King (#93); Wonderful by Adam Ant (#95); Eat My Brain by the Odds (#96); For Adam's Sake (#97)/Heaven or Hell (#99) by Roch Voisine; and Do Ya by Barney Bentall (#98).

Music
I'll Be There for You by the Rembrandts, the theme from the television series Friends, was released as a single on EastWest Records.

War
Croatian forces launched Operation Flash during the Croatian War of Independence.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 6 Edmonton 5

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Kenneth B. Clark, 90. U.S. psychologist. Dr. Clark and his wife Mamie Phipps Clark were best known for their research in the 1940s into children's attitudes about race.