May 25, 2015

1,400 years ago
615

Died on this date
Boniface IV, 65 (?). Roman Catholic Pope, 608-615. Boniface IV succeeded Boniface III; he was succeeded in turn by Adeodatus I.

150 years ago
1865

Born on this date
Pieter Zeeman. Dutch physicist. Dr. Zeeman shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Hendrik Lorentz "in recognition of the extraordinary service they rendered by their researches into the influence of magnetism upon radiation phenomena." The Zeeman effect--the effect of splitting a spectral line into several components in the presence of a static magnetic field--was named in his honour. Dr. Zeeman died on October 9, 1943 at the age of 78.

John R. Mott. U.S. religious leader. Mr. Mott supported Protestant ecumenical missionary work, and especially supported efforts that promoted peace. He was a longtime leader of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). Mr. Mott shared the 1946 Nobel Peace Prize with Emily Balch, Honorary International President of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Mr. Mott was known for the slogan "The Evangelization of the World in this Generation." He died on January 31, 1955 at the age of 89.

Disasters
300 people were killed when an ordnance depot exploded in Mobile, Alabama.

125 years ago
1890

Disasters
After an American Association baseball game between the Louisville Colonels and Syracuse Stars at Three Rivers Park in Three Rivers, New York, part of the grandstand collapsed, throwing 50 or more people to the ground. No deaths were reported, but many were injured. Louisville won the game 13-12.

120 years ago
1895

Asiatica
The Republic of Formosa was formed, with Tang Ching-sung as President.

Scandal
Alfred Taylor and playwright, poet, and novelist Oscar Wilde were convicted of "committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons" and sentenced to serve two years in prison. The charges followed Mr. Wilde's recent unsuccessful suit for libel against the Marquess of Queensberry.

100 years ago
1915

War
The Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium concluded in a stalemate.

90 years ago
1925

Law
High school teacher John Scopes was indicted for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in violation of a Tennessee state law.

80 years ago
1935

Literature
The May 25, 1935 edition of Collier's included A Ray of Light, fifth of the Mr. Wong stories by Hugh Wiley.

Track and field
In the space of an hour during the Big Ten championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jesse Owens of Ohio State University became a national celebrity as he broke three world records--broad jump, 220-yard dash and 220-yard hurdles--and tied another, in the 100-yard dash.

Baseball
Babe Ruth hit his last 3 home runs and added a single, but it wasn’t enough as his Boston Braves lost 11-7 to the Pirates at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The Babe’s first home run of the day came in the 1st inning, into the lower tier in right field off Red Lucas, with Bill Urbanski on base. In the 3rd, he hit one into the upper tier in right, again with Mr. Urbanski on base. In the 5th inning, Mr. Ruth lined a hard single off Mr. Bush to drive in a run. In the 7th, pitching with the bases empty, Mr. Bush threw a slow curve that the Babe hit 50 feet over the right field stands for his 714th and last career major league home run. It was the first ball ever hit over the right field roof at Forbes Field, and travelled an estimated 600 feet after bouncing off the roofs of two houses and landing in the yard of another house, where it was picked up by a boy. Mr. Bush said he never saw a ball hit so hard. Oddly, it was only the second time in his career that Babe Ruth had hit 3 home runs in a regular season game.

75 years ago
1940

At the movies
Earthbound, directed by Irving Pichel, and starring Warner Baxter and Andrea Leeds, opened in theatres.

War
The German 2nd Panzer Division captured the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer; the surrender of the last French and British troops marked the end of the Battle of Boulogne. German forces tightened their grip on the pocket of Allied troops in Flanders. Belgian forces tried to form a new defense line along the Lys River.

World events
The Turkish government declared a state of emergency.

Defense
The U.S.A. opened a consulate in Godthaab, Greenland as an observation post and counter against possible German intervention there.

U.S. Army Brigadier General George Strong reported the development of a secret device capable of detecting aircraft up to 15 minutes away.

Labour
American Federation of Labor President William Green told a labour meeting in Hartford, Connecticut that the American people should "not underestimate Communist" influence in the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

70 years ago
1945

At the movies
The Body Snatcher, starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Henry Daniell, and Russell Wade, opened in theatres.



War
Two columns of U.S. forces in the Philippines met in Mindanao north of Malaybalay, clearing the island's main highway and forcing Japanese forces into the southeastern corner.

Politics and government
Winston Churchill named a new British cabinet with himself as Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, and Defense Secretary.

Diplomacy
At the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, committee action decided that the Economic and Social Council would have 18 members elected by the General Assembly.

U.S. Communist Political Association President Earl Browder said that American delegates to the United Nations Conference had deviated from late U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's policy of U.S.-U.S.S.R. amity.

The Foreign Affairs committee of the French Consultative Assembly proposed that the Allies jointly ask Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco to abdicate immediately in favour of a democratic government, and that if he didn't, France would break off diplomatic relations with Spain.

Harry Hopkins arrived in Moscow and Joseph Davies arrived in London as representatives of U.S. President Harry Truman.

Iraqi Regent Prince Abdul Illah arrived in New York on an official visit to the United States.

Labour
The U.S. National War Labor Board said that employers could increase wages to 55c per hour without board approval.

60 years ago
1955

Adventure
A British expedition led by Charles Evans. Joe Brown, and George Band reached the summit of Kangchenjunga (8,586 m.), the third-highest mountain in the world. Norman Hardie and Tony Streather followed the next day, completing the first ascent of the mountain.

Disasters
A night-time F5 tornado struck the small city of Udall, Kansas, killing 80 and injuring 273. It was the deadliest tornado to ever occur in the state and the 23rd deadliest in U.S. history.

Boxing
Sonny Liston (11-1) scored a technical knockout of Calvin Butler (5-3) at 2:18 of the 2nd round of a heavyweight bout at St. Louis Arena.

50 years ago
1965

Space
The United States launched the satellite Pegasus 2 from Cape Kennedy, Florida atop a Saturn I rocket; the satellite's mission was to measure meteoroid density.



Boxing
Muhammad Ali (21-0) retained his world heavyweight title by knocking out former champion Sonny Liston (35-3) at 1:42 of the 1st round (some reports give the time as 2:12) before just 2,434 fans at St. Dominic's Hall in Lewiston, Maine in one of the most controversial fights in history. Many thought, and still maintain, that Mr. Liston took a dive after Mr. Ali had thrown a "phantom punch," but examination of the fight film shows that the champion connected with a quick right hand.



40 years ago
1975

Died on this date
Yvonne Brostrom, 18; Andrew Maltby, 18. Canadian students. Miss Brostrom and Mr. Maltby were in grade 12 at Paul Kane High School in St. Albert, Alberta. They had attended the school's graduation ceremony on the afternoon of Saturday, May 24, and went to the graduation dance that night at the Edmonton Inn in Edmonton, where the couple announced their engagement. They were on their way home when they were killed in an accident when their car collided with another vehicle, and rammed by a third, at 12:30 A.M. Four others were injured in the accident, including Laurie Covenlock, 18, and Karen Kennedy, 18, passengers in the car driven by Mr. Maltby.

Auto racing
Bobby Unser won the Indianapolis 500 for the second time, being ruled the winner when the race was stopped after 174 laps--26 short of the usual 200 laps--because of a sudden downpour that made driving conditions dangerous. Defending Indianapolis 500 champion Johnny Rutherford finished second; he and former winner A.J. Foyt were the only other drivers on the lead lap when the race ended. Mr. Unser's first Indianapolis 500 win was in 1968.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Buffalo 1 @ Philadelphia 5 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Dave Schultz scored 2 goals to lead the Flyers over the Sabres before 17,007 fans at the Spectrum. "The Hammer," who had scored just 9 goals during the regular season while setting a league record with 472 minutes in penalties, opened the scoring at 3:12 of the 1st period. Gary Dornhoefer scored at 12:31 to make it 2-0, and Bob Kelly scored just 19 seconds later to give the Flyers a 3-0 lead. Reg Leach scored at 1:55 of the 2nd period, and Mr. Schultz scored again at 9:56, giving Philadelphia a 5-0 lead halfway through the game. Don Luce broke up Bernie Parent's bid for a shutout with 5:58 remaining in the game. Mr. Parent made 23 saves, while Buffalo goalie Gerry Desjardins stopped 21 shots.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Golden State 96 @ Washington 95 (Golden State won best-of-seven series 4-0)

The Bullets led 92-86 with 4:44 remaining in regulation time, but made a series of mistakes that allowed the Warriors to come back and complete the greatest upset in Finals' history before 19,035 fans at Capital Center in Landover, Maryland. In the final minutes, Washington's Kevin Porter missed 2 free throws and threw the ball away twice; Wes Unseld turned the ball over on an errant pass and dropped an inbounds pass and let it roll away for a backcourt violation; Dick Gibbs missed an easy layup; and Phil Chenier missed a 12-foot jump shot from the baseline with 10 seconds remaining. Rick Barry led Golden State with 20 points, and was named the Finals' Most Valuable Player. Mr. Barry scored 118 points in the series--an average of 29.5 per game--and made 44 of 99 field goals and 30 of 32 free throws; grabbed 16 rebounds; and led his team with 20 assists. His prize as MVP was a car from American Motors. It appeared to the Warriors that the Bullets were attempting to goad Mr. Barry into a fight early in the game; when Washington's Mike Riordan clubbed Mr. Barry in the back of the head 3:38 into the game, Golden State head coach Al Attles charged onto the court and was ejected by referee Richie Powers. Assistant coach Joe Powers guided the Warriors for the rest of the game, as Mr. Attles watched the game on a portable television set in the dressing room. Phil Chenier led Washington with 26 points and Mr. Porter added 19. Elvin Hayes, the Bullets' leading scorer during the season, concluded a disappointing series by scoring 15 points and fouling out.



Baseball
The Houston Astros trailed 6-0 in the 2nd inning and 7-6 in the top of the 12th inning, but scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 12th to edge the Montreal Expos 8-7 before 10,459 fans at the Astrodome. Houston third baseman Doug Rader started the winning rally with his fifth hit and third double of the game. Montreal left fielder Rich Coggins, playing just his second game of the season, had a single, double, and triple, scored a run, and drove in 2.

Pinch hitter Ed Kirkpatrick hit his first home run of the season in the top of the 11th inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates the lead, and they held on to defeat the San Diego Padres 6-5 before 28,778 fans at San Diego Stadium.

The San Francisco Giants, trailing 7-1 after 4 1/2 innings, scored 7 runs in the bottom of the 5th and defeated the Chicago Cubs 9-7 before 12,341 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

Jim Perry and Dick Bosman, recently traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Oakland Athletics, started respective games of a doubleheader against their former team before 48,978 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. In the first game, Dennis Eckersley pitched a 3-hit shutout and Rico Carty batted 4 for 5 and drove in 2 runs as the Indians won 6-0. Mr. Perry pitched 2+ innings, allowing 4 hits, 4 bases on balls, and took the loss. In the second game, Mr. Bosman allowed 4 hits and 3 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings to pick up his first win in an Oakland uniform as the Athletics won 6-3. Jim Kern started for Cleveland and allowed 8 hits and 5 runs--all earned--in 5 2/3 innings in taking the loss.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): We are the World--USA for Africa (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): We are the World--USA for Africa (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): We are the World--USA for Africa (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): 19--Paul Hardcastle

#1 single in the U.K.: 19--Paul Hardcastle (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Everything She Wants--Wham!

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Don't You (Forget About Me)--Simple Minds (2nd week at #1)
2 Everything She Wants--Wham!
3 We are the World--USA for Africa
4 Everybody Wants to Rule the World--Tears for Fears
5 Axel F--Harold Faltermeyer
6 Smooth Operator--Sade
7 One Night in Bangkok--Murray Head
8 Crazy for You--Madonna
9 Some Like it Hot--Power Station
10 Suddenly--Billy Ocean

Singles entering the chart were Getcha Back by the Beach Boys (#54); Sentimental Street by Night Ranger (#57); Everything I Need by Men at Work (#71); Just as I Am by Air Supply (#73); Animal Instinct by the Commodores (#75); Centerfield by John Fogerty (#83); Cannonball by Supertramp (#85); Forever by Kenny Loggins (#86); Not Enough Love in the World by Don Henley (#88); Lady of My Heart by Jack Wagner (#89); and All You Zombies by the Hooters (#90). Centerfield was the B-side of Rock and Roll Girls, charting at #51.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Crazy for You--Madonna
2 We are the World--USA for Africa
3 Rhythm of the Night--DeBarge
4 Don't You (Forget About Me)--Simple Minds
5 Tears are Not Enough--Northern Lights
6 Everybody Wants to Rule the World--Tears for Fears
7 One Night in Bangkok--Murray Head
8 Obsession--Animotion
9 Some Like it Hot--Power Station
10 Everything She Wants--Wham!

Singles entering the chart were The Goonies 'R' Good Enough by Cyndi Lauper (#74); Tough All Over by John Cafferty (#79); Love Resurrection by Alison Moyet (#89); Never Surrender by Corey Hart (#92); and Walk of Life by Dire Straits (#95).

Disasters
Bangladesh was hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which killed approximately 10,000 people.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Philadelphia 3 @ Edmonton 4 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Wayne Gretzky scored 2 goals in the first 90 seconds of the game, and scored his third goal of the game later in the 1st period. The Oilers had just 6 shots on goal in the last 2 periods.

25 years ago
1990

At the movies
Back to the Future Part III, directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Mary Steenburgen, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Vic Tayback, 60. U.S. actor. Mr. Tayback was a character actor in numerous television programs from the 1960s through the 1980s. He was best known for playing diner owner Mel Sharples in the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and the subsequent television series Alice (1976-1985). Mr. Tayback died of a heart attack.

Gary Usher, 51. U.S. songwriter, musician, and producer. Mr. Usher collaborated with Brian Wilson in writing some of the Beach Boys’ early songs, including 409; In My Room; Ten Little Indians; and Lonely Sea. In 1964 he and Mr. Wilson wrote a song called Sacramento; Mr. Usher sang it and Mr. Wilson produced it, but the single failed to become a hit. Mr. Usher was also involved with studio bands such as The Super Stocks and Sagittarius. He produced three albums for the Byrds: Younger than Yesterday (1967); The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968); and Sweethearts of the Rodeo (1968). Mr. Usher wrote Don’t Give in to Him, which was a hit for Gary Puckett and the Union Gap in 1969. In 1987 he co-produced two songs from movies that were issued as singles: Let’s Go to Heaven in My Car by Brian Wilson (from Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol), and Pipeline by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Dick Dale (from Back to the Beach). A website dedicated to Gary Usher can be found here.

Crime
In Canada's first war crimes trial under a law enacted in 1987, retired restaurateur Imre Finta was acquitted on all counts of confinement, kidnapping, robbery, and manslaughter in the 1944 deportation of 8,617 Jews while he was in the Hungarian police.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney began meeting provincial premiers individually over three days to lobby for passage of the Meech Lake constitutional accord. The deadline for approval was June 23, 1990.

Abominations
A United Nations report by propagandists masquerading as scientists from 39 countries warned that global temperatures could rise by 2 Fahrenheit degrees in 35 years, and by 6 F. degrees by the end of the 21st Century. The authors concluded that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons would have to be reduced by 60% in order to stabilize atmospheric concentrations at current levels. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher set a target for Great Britain of a 30% reduction in projected emissions of carbon dioxide. She broke with the position of the U.S. administration of President George Bush, which called for more research.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)--Scatman John (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Dany Robin, 68. French actress. Miss Robin appeared in such movies as Waltz of the Toreadors (1962); Follow the Boys (1963); and Topaz (1969). She and her second husband, Michael Sullivan, died in a fire in their apartment in Paris.

Krešimir Ćosić, 46. Croatian basketball player. Mr. Ćosić was a center who began his career in 1964 with the Yugoslavian professional club Zadar. In 1969 he moved to the United States, and played at Brigham Young University (1970-73), earning Third Team All-American honours in his second season. Mr. Ćosić was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1973, but declined to play profesionally in the United States, returning to Zadar for three more seasons, and playing with three other European clubs from 1978-83. He was a member of the Yugoslavian national team that won silver medals at the Summer Olympic Games in 1968 and 1976, and the gold medal in 1980. Mr. Ćosić became a coach after his playing career ended, and led the Yugoslavian national team to a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during his time at BYU, and led the Mormon priesthood in his native country. In later years he served as a Croatian diplomat in the United States, and died in Baltimore of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Mr. Ćosić was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

War
Bosnian Serbs shelled five of six United Nations-designated safe areas and began taking UN peacekeepers hostage, using many as human shields, handcuffing and chaining them to potential targets of NATO planes. NATO planes began bombing a weapons depot near Pale, the capital of the Bosnian Serbs.

Abominations
In Egan v. Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that sexual orientation was a prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Of course, "sexual orientation" isn't found anywhere in the Charter, and was deliberately omitted by the politicians who crafted the Charter, but was invented by activist courts.

Economics and finance
The United States Senate voted 57-42 in favour of a bill providing for an unspecified future tax cut of $170 billion; it would cut deficits by $961 billion. The Senate voted 61-38 to approve a bill cutting $16.4 billion in funding for domestic programs that had been approved by the previous Congress.

Business
Comsat Corporation acquired the National Hockey League's Québec Nordiques from the Marcel Aubut group for U.S. $75 million; Comsat renamed the team the Colorado Avalanche, and moved them to Denver.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Gregory Scott Johnson, 40. U.S. criminal. Mr. Johnson was executed by lethal injection at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana for the June 23, 1985 murder of 82-year-old Ruby Hutslar in Anderson, Indiana. Mr. Johnson had beaten and stomped her to death, and had then set fire to her home in an attempt to conceal the crime.

Edmontonia
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II continued her visit to Edmonton with a walkabout in Churchill Square.