May 14, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Inna!

130 years ago
1885

War
General Thomas Bland "Jingo" Strange and his military force marched out of Edmonton, east along the Carleton Trail, and down Main Street in St. Paul. The had left Calgary on April 20 with the intention of subduing Cree chief Wandering Spirit and his followers at Frog Lake, in the northeastern part of what is now Alberta, but was then part of the Northwest Territories.

Horse racing
Joe Cotton, with E. Henderson aboard, won the 11th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, covering 1½ miles (the distance then) in 2:37¼. Bersan placed second and Ten Booker third.

125 years ago
1890

Horse racing
Riley, with Isaac Murphy aboard, won the 16th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, covering 1½ miles in a record-slow time of 2:45.

90 years ago
1925

Died on this date
H. Rider Haggard, 68. U.K. author. Sir Henry was known for adventure novels--especially King Solomon's Mines (1885) and She (1887)--which remain popular today.

Literature
Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs Dalloway was published by Hogarth Press.

80 years ago
1935

Died on this date
Magnus Hirschfeld, 67. German physician and sexologist. Dr. Hirschfeld was Germany's most prominent proponent of the normalization of sexual deviancy, and supported the decriminalization of abortion. In 1897 he co-founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, a group that aimed to undertake research to defend the rights of homosexuals and to repeal Paragraph 175, the section of the German penal code that since 1871 had criminalized homosexuality. In 1919 Dr. Hirschfeld opened the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Research) in Berlin, which included the Museum of Sex. He was out of the country when the Nazis took power in Germany in 1933 and attacked the Institute on May 6 1933, burning many of its books as well as its archives. Dr. Hirschfeld eventually settled in France, and died of a heart attack on his 67th birthday. His death was no great loss.

Politics and government
The Philippines ratified an independence agreement.

75 years ago
1940

Died on this date
Emma Goldman, 70. Lithuanian-born U.S. activist. Miss Goldman was one of the late 19th century and early 20th century's most prominent anarchists. She died in Toronto, and her death was no great loss.

Menno ter Braak, 38. Dutch author. Mr. ter Braak was a modernist author known for his promotion of individualism. He fell into a deep depression when World War II began, and committed suicide after a failed attempt to escape to England.

War
Rotterdam was bombed by the German Luftwaffe. The Battle of the Netherlands ended with the Netherlands surrendering to Germany as Dutch commander-in-chief General Henri Gerard Winkelman directed his troops to lay down their arms. German troops in France consolidated their bridgeheads on the west bank of the Meuse River. The British Royal Air Force suffered heavy losses over Sedan. British authorities in Hong Kong asked all women and children to register for possible evacuation.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt again appealed to Italian Duce Benito Mussolini to keep Italy out of the European war.

Defense
The Yermolayev Yer-2, a long-range Soviet medium bomber, made its first flight.

Politics and government
Richard Hanson, MP (York-Sunbury) was named interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, replacing R.J. Manion, who had resigned following the party's crushing defeat by the governing Liberals of Prime Minister Mackenzie King in the March 1940 federal election.

The United States Senate nullified House of Representatives action on the Civil Aviation Administration, permitting President Franklin D. Roosevelt to transfer the agency to the Commerce Department and abolish the Air Safety Board.

Baseball
Jimmie Foxx hit a home run in the top of the 10th inning to give the Boston Red Sox a 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Mr. Foxx’s blast, his second homer of the game, went over the left field roof and was the longest home run in the history of Comiskey Park.

70 years ago
1945

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time--Les Brown and his Orchestra (vocal chorus by Doris Day) (6th week at #1)
--Johnny Long and his Orchestra and Dick Robertson
--Phil Moore Four
2 Candy--Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford and the Pied Pipers with Paul Weston and His Orchestra
--Dinah Shore
--Johnny Long and his Orchestra and Dick Robertson
3 I'm Beginning to See the Light--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra
--Ella Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots
4 Dream--The Pied Pipers
--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra
--Frank Sinatra
5 Laura--Woody Herman and his Orchestra
--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra
--Johnnie Johnston
6 Just a Prayer Away--Bing Crosby
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
7 Sentimental Journey--Les Brown and his Orchestra (vocal chorus by Doris Day)
--Hal McIntyre and his Orchestra
8 All of My Life--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Bing Crosby
9 There! I've Said it Again--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (vocal refrain by Vaughn Monroe and the Norton Sisters)
10 Caldonia--Woody Herman and his Orchestra
--Erskine Hawkins and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were the version of Candy by Johnny Long and his Orchestra and Dick Robertson; the version of Laura by Johnnie Johnston; Ya-Ta-Ta Ya-Ta-Ta (Talk, Talk, Talk), with versions by Bing Crosby and Judy Garland; and Harry James and his Orchestra (#18); Bell Bottom Trousers, with versions by Tony Pastor and his Orchestra; Kay Kyser and his Orchestra; and Louis Prima and his Orchestra (#28); and Temptation by Perry Como (#39).

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: In Flanders Fields

Died on this date
Heber J. Grant, 88. U.S. religious leader. Mr. Grant was President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1918 until his death, and was the longest-serving Mormon President of the 20th century. He was succeeded by George Albert Smith.

Wolfgang Lüth, 31. German military officer. Kapitän zur See Lüth was a U-boat ace whose career record of 46 merchant ships plus the French submarine Doris sunk during 15 war patrols, with a total displacement of 230,781 gross register tons (GRT), was second only to that of Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander) Otto Kretschmer, whose 47 sinkings totaled 274.333 GRT. Kapitän zur See Lüth was accidentally shot and killed by a German sentry, and was given the last state funeral in the Third Reich.

War
U.S. carrier-based planes completed three days of assaults on Kyushu and Shikoku, reportedly destroying 284 Japanese aircraft, with a U.S. loss of about 10.

Politics and government
Dr. Karl Renner's provisional Austrian government declared Austrian independence, abolished all Nazi laws, and dissolved the Nazi Party.

Diplomacy
Americans and Britons proposed to Yugoslavian leader Marshal Josip Tito that Trieste remain under Allied control until its future could be determined at a peace conference.

U.S. President Harry Truman conferred separately with Chinese Ambassador T.V. Soong and U.K. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden on Lend-Lease and other matters.

Defense
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee revealed that the Navy was planning on a postwar force of 50,000 officers and 500,000 men.

Economics and finance
The U.S. War Production Board announced a 50% increase in the amount of passenger car tires that would be available for rationing in May.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane--Dean Martin; The Ames Brothers

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Stranger in Paradise--Tony Bennett (2nd week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White--Perez Prado and his Orchestra (Best Seller--3rd week at #1); Unchained Melody--Les Baxter and his Orchestra (Disc Jockey--1st week at #1); Dance with Me Henry (Wallflower)--Georgia Gibbs (Jukebox--1st week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Ballad of Davy Crockett--Bill Hayes (8th week at #1)
--Fess Parker
--Tennessee Ernie Ford
2 Unchained Melody--Les Baxter and his Orchestra
--Al Hibbler
--Roy Hamilton
3 Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White--Perez Prado and his Orchestra
--Alan Dale
4 Dance with Me Henry (Wallflower)--Georgia Gibbs
5 The Crazy Otto--Johnny Maddox and the Rhythmasters
6 Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup--Nat "King" Cole
7 Whatever Lola Wants--Sarah Vaughan
--Dinah Shore
8 Tweedlee Dee--Georgia Gibbs
9 The Breeze and I (Andalucia)--Caterina Valente
10 Honey-Babe--Art Mooney and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were Alan Dale's version of Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White; Not Yet by Susan Hunter (#40); No Letter Today by Les Paul and Mary Ford (#42); Young and Foolish by Jo Stafford (#46); and I Love to Dance with You (#47)/Near to You (#49) by Patti Page.

Defense
Eight Communist bloc countries--the U.S.S.R.; Bulgaria; Czechoslovakia; East Germany; Hungary; Poland; Romania; and Albania--signed a mutual defense treaty called the Warsaw Pact.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Silhouettes--Herman's Hermits (3rd week at #1)
2 Crying in the Chapel--Elvis Presley
3 Ticket to Ride--The Beatles
4 Help Me, Rhonda--The Beach Boys
5 Count Me In--Gary Lewis and the Playboys
6 I'll Never Find Another You--The Seekers
7 She's About a Mover--Sir Douglas Quintet
8 Reelin' and Rockin'--The Dave Clark Five
9 I Know a Place--Petula Clark
10 Just a Little--The Beau Brummels
Pick hit of the week: The Price of Love--The Everly Brothers
New this week: Summer Sounds--Robert Goulet
Lip Sync (To the Tongue Twisters)--Len Barry
The Puzzle Song--Shirley Ellis
This Little Bird--Marianne Faithfull
You'll Never Walk Alone--Gerry & the Pacemakers

Defense
The People's Republic of China exploded its second atomic bomb, over its western areas.

Britannica
Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the John F. Kennedy Shrine at Runnymede, where the Magna Carta had been signed 750 years earlier.

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson (43-4) scored a technical knockout of Tod Herring (26-4) at 40 seconds of the 3rd round of a bout at Johanneshov in Stockholm.

40 years ago
1975

Economics and finance
U.S. President Gerald Ford refused federal aid to New York City Mayor Abraham Beame to pay $1.5 billion in debts by June 30, 1975.

Basketball
NBA
Conference Finals
Chicago 79 @ Golden State 83 (Golden State won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Rick Barry scored 14 of his 22 points in the 4th quarter as the Warriors, trailing 65-59 after 3 quarters, came back to eliminate the Bulls before 12,787 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena. Golden State's Keith Wilkes led all scorers with 23 points, while Chet Walker led Chicago with 21 points.

Baseball
The Montreal Expos scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning as they edged the Atlanta Braves 5-4 before 8,227 fans at Jarry Park in Montreal in the Wednesday Expos Baseball telecast on CBC. Montreal right fielder Gary Carter hit a 2-run home run and a double in 3 at bats; winning pitcher Woodie Fryman allowed 7 hits and 3 runs--all earned--in 7 innings as his record for 1975 improved to 4-0.

Doug Rader drove in 5 runs with 2 home runs and Bob Watson drove in 3 with a home run and sacrifice fly as the Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs 11-7 before 8,087 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Houston starting pitcher Tom Griffin allowed 9 hits, 4 bases on balls, and 5 runs--all earned--in 5 1/3 innings, but still picked up his first win of the season after losing his first 5 decisions.

Bill Robinson singled home Dave Parker with 2 out in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres before 8,334 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Sam McDowell pitched the last 2 innings to get his first win in a Pittsburgh uniform.

Steve Carlton pitched a 7-hit shutout and singled in a run as the Philadelphia Phillies blanked the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 before 30,908 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

Jim Hughes pitched a 4-hit shutout for his third straight win as the Minnesota Twins blanked the Cleveland Indians 3-0 before 3,176 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Losing pitcher Gaylord Perry allowed 5 hits, 6 bases on balls, and 3 runs--2 earned--in 8 innings in pitching a complete game. Minnesota second baseman Rod Carew stole home plate for the winning run in the 1st inning, his first steal of home in two years.

Bobby Bonds drove in Rick Dempsey with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning to give the New York Yankees a 4-3 win over the California Angels before 16,921 fans at Anaheim Stadium. Catfish Hunter pitched a complete game for the win, allowing 7 hits and 3 earned runs. Losing pitcher Andy Hassler allowed 11 hits and 4 earned runs in 9 1/3 innings.

Vada Pinson led off the game with a home run and added 2 doubles and a single to lead the Kansas City Royals over the Detroit Tigers 4-1 before 8,009 fans at Tiger Stadium. Nelson Briles pitched a 5-hit complete game for the win.

Don Baylor tripled home Bobby Grich with 1 out in the 9th to give the Baltimore Orioles a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox before 6,828 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Mike Torrez pitched a 9-hit complete game for the win, improving his record for the year to 5-1.

30 years ago
1985

Died on this date
Barbara Yung, 26. Hong Kong actress. Miss Yung was a popular actress in various Hong Kong television programs. She committed suicide by gas inhalation a week after her 26th birthday.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference Finals
Chicago 5 @ Edmonton 10 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Prince of Wales Conference Finals
Quebec 1 @ Philadelphia 2 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 3-2)

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Sayonara Jinrui (さよなら人類)--Tama

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (11th week at #1)

World events
U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev said that attempts by Latvia and Estonia to break away from the U.S.S.R. had no legal basis. Of course, Mr. Gorbachev, who couldn’t tolerate any movement toward freedom or democracy that he couldn’t control, didn’t bother saying what legal basis the U.S.S.R. had to take over those countries in the first place, or for that matter, what legal basis the Soviet Union had to even exist.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: If You Love Me--Brownstone (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)--Scatman John (6th week at #1)

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

Died on this date
Christian B. Anfinsen, 79. U.S. biochemist. Mr. Anfinsen shared the 1972 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Stanford Moore and William Howard Stein "for their contribution to the understanding of the connection between chemical structure and catalytic activity of the active centre of the ribonuclease molecule."