May 20, 2015

140 years ago
1875

Diplomacy
17 nations signed the Metre Convention in Paris, leading to the establishment of the International System of Units.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Allan Nevins. U.S. journalist and historian. Professor Nevins wrote for various newspapers and The Nation, before teaching at Columbia University from 1928-1958, becoming best known for his works of American history and biography. He won Pulitzer Prizes for Biography or Autobiography for Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage (1932) and Hamilton Fish (1936). Prof. Nevins' major work was Ordeal of the Union (1947-1971), an eight-volume history of the Civil War. He died on March 5, 1971 at the age of 80.

120 years ago
1895

Technology
In Saint John, New Brunswick, Philias Bertrand patented the inserted saw tooth for use in the sawmill industry.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Moshe Dayan. Israeli military officer and politician. Mr. Dayan served in the Jewish defence force Haganah and served in the military from 1932-1974, rising to the rank of Lieutenant General. He was Chief of General Staff from 1953-1958 before entering politics, serving as Minister of Agriculture from 1959-1964 and Minister of Defense from 1967-1974. He took the latter position just in time for the Six-Day War against Egypt, and became famous for the capture by Israeli forces of East Jerusalem. When Egypt and Syria attacked Israel in October 1973 to begin the Yom Kippur War, Mr. Dayan was criticized for lack of preparedness during the early days of the war, leading to his resignation the following year. Mr. Dayan returned to politics as Foreign Minister from 1977-1979, and helped to draw up the Camp David Accords with Egypt. Mr. Dayan died on October 16, 1981 at the age of 66.

90 years ago
1925

Died on this date
Elias Ammons, 64. U.S. politician. Mr. Ammons, a Democrat, represented Douglas County in the Colorado House of Representatives (1890-1896), serving as Speaker (1894-1896). He sat in the Colorado Senate (1898-1902), and was Governor of Colorado (1913-1915). Mr. Ammons was a staunch advocate of state sovereignty, and opposed federal control of Colorado lands. As Governor, he was best known for ordering National Guard troops into Ludlow, Colorado during a miners' strike, resulting in the fatal shooting of unarmed miners and their family members. Mr. Ammons' son Teller also served as Governor of Colorado (1937-1939).

Joseph Howard, 62. Prime Minister of Malta, 1921-1923. Mr. Howard, the leader of the Political Union party, was Malta's first Prime Minister.

75 years ago
1940

At the movies
Island of Doomed Men, directed by Charles Barton, and starring Peter Lorre, Rochelle Hudson, and Robert Wilcox, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Verner von Heidenstam, 80. Swedish author and poet. Mr. Heidenstam was awarded the 1916 Nobel Prize in Literature "in recognition of his significance as the leading representative of a new era in our literature."

Abominations
The first prisoners arrived at a new Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz in Poland.

War
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King reported the acceleration of Canadian troop shipments to Britain. German forces in France advanced south and west, seizing Laon and Amiens; advance units reached Abbeville.

Diplomacy
Rumours in Chungking indicated that Germany had offered to mediate the Sino-Japanese War.

Defense
General Auguste Nogues, supreme commander of French defense forces in north Africa, ordered the creation of a territorial guard to help protect the interior of Morocco for the war's duration.

Carl Beck organized the American Defenders of Freedom to promote an adequate defense posture in the United States.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress for $135 million to purchase strategic materials such as manganese, tin, and chrome.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said in Washington that only liberal trade policies after the war would bring world peace and prosperity.

The regulatory properties of the Bituminous Coal Act were declared constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

William McC. Martin was reappointed governor of the New York Stock Exchange for one year.

Sport
U.S. sportswriter Grantland Rice received the Sportsmanship Brotherhood Award in recognition of his service to sports.

Baseball
The Philadelphia Phillies, down 7-1, scored 7 runs in the 9th inning to edge the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7 before 1,000 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Morrie Arnovich singled in his first time at bat in the inning, and then drew a base on balls with the bases loaded to force in the winning run.

Mike "Pinky" Higgins hit 2 home runs off Lefty Grove and another off Jack Wilson to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 10-7 win over the Boston Red Sox before 7,931 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Jimmie Foxx hit a grand slam in the 5th inning for his 10th home run of the season for Boston, and Mr. Grove homered in the 2nd.

Al Smith pitched a 3-hitter and Jeff Heath hit 2 home runs as the Cleveland Indians beat the New York Yankees 10-2 before 7,000 fans at League Park in Cleveland to drop the Yankees into last place in the American League.

70 years ago
1945

At the movies
A Place of One's Own, directed by Bernard Knowles, and starring Margaret Lockwood, James Mason, and Barbara Mullen, received its premiere screening in London.



War
Yugolsavian troops withdrew from Carinthia, Austria, while at the same time, local committees of national liberation were established. Edward Leo Delaney, an American who had made radio broadcasts from Berlin for the Nazis, was captured in Prague after being indicted by the U.S. for high treason.

Diplomacy
The Big Five--U.S.A.; U.K.; U.S.S.R.; France; and China--agreed on the rights of regional groups within the context of the new world security organization. The new league would have paramount authority in enforcement against aggressors.

Scandal
The Chinese government announced the arrest of two officers of the Central Trust, the Chinese banking agency, on charges of speculating with gold as part of the "gold scandal."

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Stranger in Paradise--Tony Bennett (2nd week at #1)

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Where Are You Now (My Love)--Jackie Trent

Law
U.K. Home Secretary Sir Frank Soskice announced that police were to be armed with tear gas guns and grenades to be used against armed criminals or dangerous individuals.

Disasters
PIA Flight 705, a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 720-040B, crashed while descending to land at Cairo International Airport, killing 121 of the 127 passengers and crew.

40 years ago
1975

At the movies
The Fortune, starring Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, and Stockard Channing, opened in theatres.

Died on this date
Bill Lamberson, 26. U.S. discus thrower. Mr. Lamberson, a graduate of Southwestern Missouri State University, won the National Collegiate Athletic Association College Division discus event in 1970. He was killed when he was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm in Springfield, Missouri.

Law
The Supreme Court of Canada upheld the right of citizens to challenge provincial movie censorship laws.

Oil
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau approved the 840-kilometre Inter-provincial Pipeline extension from Sarnia to Montreal.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Philadelphia 4 @ Buffalo 5 (OT) (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Rene Robert scored with 1:31 remaining in the 1st overtime period to give the Sabres their win over the Flyers before 15,863 fans at War Memorial Auditorium in one of this blogger's favourite games ever, if just for weirdness. The game began with a bat flying around in the arena, which was finally killed by a blow from the stick of Buffalo forward Jim Lorentz. The temperature outside in Buffalo was 86 F., and the conditions inside caused fog to develop as the game went along, necessitating seven interruptions in overtime for players from both teams to skate around in an attempt to dissipate the fog. Philadelphia goalie Bernie Parent said that he never saw the shot from Mr. Robert that beat him for the winning goal. The Flyers got off to a fast start as Gary Dornhoefer opened the scoring 39 seconds into the game and Don Saleski scored at 3:09 of the 1st period to make it 2-0. The Sabres replied with 2 goals 17 seconds apart, Danny Gare at 11:46 and Rick Martin at 12:03. Bill Barber restored Philadelphia's lead at 14:13, and the Flyers led 3-2 after the 1st period despite being outshot 18-6. Buffalo coach Floyd Smith removed goalie Gerry Desjardins and replaced him with Roger Crozier to start the 2nd period. Don Luce scored for Buffalo to tie the game just 29 seconds into the period, but Reg Leach scored at 14:30 to give Philadelphia a 4-3 lead after 2 periods. Buffalo defenceman Bill Hajt scored the tying goal with 10:04 remaining in regulation time. The Sabres outshot the Flyers 46-33.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Washington 91 @ Golden State 92 (Golden State led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Rick Barry scored 36 points, including 2 free throws with 23 seconds remaining in regulation time, as the Warriors edged the Bullets before 13,225 fans at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California. The Golden State defense prevented the Bullets from scoring in the final seconds, as Elvin Hayes' turn-away jump shot fell short. Phil Chenier led Washington with 21 points and Mike Riordan added 21. Mr. Hayes, the Bullets' leading scorer during the regular season, scored just 15 points and made only 3 of 15 field goal attempts, going 0 for 4 in the 2nd half.



Baseball
The Cleveland Indians traded veteran starting pitchers Dick Bosman and Jim Perry to the Oakland Athletics for pitcher Blue Moon Odom and $25,000. Mr. Perry had a record of 1-6 with an earned run average of 6.69 in 8 games with the Indians in 1975, and had recently been demoted to the bullpen. Mr. Bosman was 0-2 with an ERA of 4.08 in 6 games with Cleveland. Mr. Odom, who had been with the Athletics since 1964, was 0-2 with an ERA of 12.27 in 7 games with Oakland in 1975.

Bill Lee threw only 78 pitches, allowing just 2 hits, as he and the Boston Red Sox shut out the Oakland Athletics 7-0 before 17,201 fans at Fenway Park in Boston in a game that lasted just 1 hour and 51 minutes. Oakland starting pitcher Vida Blue, whose record for 1975 dropped to 8-2, allowed 8 hits and 6 runs--all earned--in 4 2/3 innings. Jim Rice and Tony Conigliaro hit home runs off Mr. Blue, and Juan Beniquez homered off relief pitcher Rollie Fingers. For Mr. Conigliaro, who also drove in a run with a single and scored 2 runs, the home run was his first at Fenway park since September 22, 1970, and was his 166th and last career major league home run.

George Scott tripled home Bobby Mitchell with the tying run and scored the winning run on a slow infield grounder by pinch hitter Mike Hegan as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the Texas Rangers 7-6 before 13,971 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee. The Rangers had broken a 5-5 tie in the top of the 10th on a leadoff home run by Willie Davis. Mr. Scott batted 4 for 4 with a run and 4 runs batted in, while Mr. Mitchell was 4 for 5 with a double, 3 runs, and a run batted in.

Vic Correll singled in a run in the 3rd inning and hit a grand slam in the 8th as the Atlanta Braves beat the Montreal Expos 9-4 before 3,681 fans at Atlanta Stadium. Dusty Baker hit a 3-run homer for the Braves in the 1st inning off Woodie Fryman, who suffered his first loss of the season after 4 straight wins. Roric Harrison started on the mound for Atlanta and allowed 8 hits and 4 earned runs in 6 innings, but was still credited with the win.

Roger Hambright pitched a no-hitter for Juarez in a 4-0 win over the Tampico Dockworkers in a Mexican League game.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): We are the World--USA for Africa (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Boy no Kisetsu--Seiko Matsuda

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): We are the World--USA for Africa

Radio
Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, began broadcasting to Cuba.

Baseball
The Montreal Expos released veteran pitcher Steve Rogers, who was in his 13th season with the team, and had a 2-4 record in 1985. In 399 major league games, all with the Expos, Mr. Rogers compiled a record of 158-152. His best season was 1982, when he was 19-8 and led the National League with an earned run average of 2.40. After his release, he was signed by the California Angels, and pitched briefly with their AAA farm team, the Edmonton Trappers of the Pacific Coast League. His first home appearance with the Trappers set a team record for attendance.

In the California League, Kevin Stock and Bob Loscaizo of Modesto each hit for the cycle as their team beat Visalia 23-4.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Walk on the Wild Side--Jamie Morgan (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: The Power--Snap! (3rd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Ding Dong--Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung (4th week at #1)
2 Black Velvet--Alannah Myles
3 Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor
4 I Promised Myself--Nick Kamen
5 Das erste Mal tat's noch weh--Stefan Waggershausen & Viktor Lazlo
6 Hier kommt Kurt--Frank Zander
7 The Power--Snap!
8 Infinity (1990's...Time for the Guru)--Guru Josh
9 Vogue--Madonna
10 Dub Be Good to Me--Beats International

Singles entering the chart were I Can't Stand It! by Twenty 4 Seven featuring Capt. Hollywood (#16); What's a Woman? by Vaya Con Dios (#17); and Hey, Wickie by Der Schreckliche Sven & die tollkühnen Plattenreiter (#18).

Terrorism
A former Israeli soldier opened fire with an automatic rifle on Palestinian worker, killing 7 and wounding at least 10. The Israeli army said that the gunman had a history of mental problems. Israeli leaders condemned the massacre, but riots broke out in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Israeli army cracked down, sending in reinforcements and imposing curfews.

Politics and government
The governing National Salvation Front (FSN) won overwhelming majorities in both houses of parliament in the Romanian general election. The FSN won 91 of 119 seats in the Senate and 263 of 396 seats in the Chamber of Deputies in Romania's first free election since 1937. President Ion Ionescu also retained office, winning 85% of the vote in the country's first direct presidential election.

The Parti Quebecois National Council, meeting in Alma, issued a 46-page pamphlet outlining proposals on achieving Quebec independence; it discussed an army, passports, and common currency with Canada. Canadian Environment Minister Lucien Bouchard sent a telegram of support to the meeting, praising those who fought for the Yes side during the 1980 Referendum on Quebec independence. Many of his fellow Progressive Conservative caucus members were outraged, leading to his resignation from the party and the House of Commons two days later.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Boston 2 @ Edmonton 1 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 2-1)





Tennis
16-year-old Monica Seles defeated Steffi Graf 6-4, 6-3 at the German Open in Berlin, ending Miss Graf’s winning streak at 66 matches, eight short of the record held by Martina Navratilova.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Mouth--Merril Bainbridge

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Sarajevo's børn - Gi dem et håb--Various artists (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)--Scatman John

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Pour que tu m'aimes encore--Céline Dion (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Pour que tu m'aimes encore--Céline Dion (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Conquest of Paradise--Vangelis (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Unchained Melody/(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover--Robson Green & Jerome Flynn

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 This is How We Do It--Montell Jordan (6th week at #1)
2 Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?--Bryan Adams
3 Freak Like Me--Adina Howard
4 I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By--Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige
5 I Know--Dionne Farris
6 Water Runs Dry--Boyz II Men
7 Red Light Special--TLC
8 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Nicki French
9 I Believe--Blessid Union of Souls
10 Dear Mama/Old School--2Pac

Singles entering the chart were Just Roll by Fabu (#88); Boombastic/In the Summertime by Shaggy/Shaggy featuring Rayvon (#94); I Don't Mind by Immature (#95); Shimmy Shimmy Ya by Ol' Dirty Bastard (#96); and What Mattered Most by Ty Herndon (#98).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I Know--Dionne Farris (6th week at #1)
2 This is How We Do It--Montell Jordan
3 Water Runs Dry--Boyz II Men
4 Freak Like Me--Adina Howard
5 I Believe--Blessid Union of Souls
6 Red Light Special--TLC
7 Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?--Bryan Adams
8 Candy Rain--Soul for Real
9 Run Away--Real McCoy
10 Dear Mama--2Pac

Singles entering the chart were My Love is for Real by Paula Abdul (#16); I Like by Kut Klose (#65); Hey Lookaway by Questionmark Asylum (#71); and Universal Heart-Beat by Juliana Hatfield (#86).

Horse racing
Timber Country, with Pat Day up, won the 120th running of the Preakness Stakes before 100,818 fans at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in a time of 1:54 2/5. Oliver's Twist placed second, just ½ length behind and Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch was third, ¾ length behind the winner.



Soccer
English FA Cup Final @ Wembley Stadium London
Everton 1 Manchester United 0

Graham Stuart hit the crossbar with a shot, and Paul Rideout headed in the rebound during the 30th minute for the game's only goal before 79,592 fans. Everton captain Dave Watson was named Man of the Match.