Saturday 30 May 2015

May 30, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Nettee Sly!

375 years ago
1640


Died on this date
Peter Paul Rubens, 62
. Flemish painter. Sir Peter Paul was known for paintings of religious and historical subjects, and especially for paintings of fat "voluptuous" women. He'd have a field day in modern Edmonton.

200 years ago
1815


Disasters
The British East Indiaman Arniston was wrecked during a storm at Waenhuiskrans, near Cape Agulhas in present-day South Africa, with the loss of 372 lives.

170 years ago
1845


Born on this date
Amadeo I
. King of Spain, 1870-1873. Amadeo I, the second son of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy, was elected King of Spain by the Cortes following the deposition of Queen Isabella II. In the midst of growing republican sentiment, King Amadeo abdicated, resulting in the declaration of the short-lived First Spanish Republic. He resumed his title Duke of Aosta, and died of pneumonia on January 18, 1890 at the age of 44.

160 years ago
1855


Transportation
The Hamilton & South Western Railroad was founded in Hamilton, Ontario.

150 years ago
1865


Died on this date
John Catron, 79
. U.S. jurist. Mr. Catron was appointed an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States by President Andrew Jackson in 1837, and served in that position until his death.

125 years ago
1890


Born on this date
Roger Salengro
. French politician. Mr. Salengro served with the French Army in World War I, and was a German prisoner of war from 1915-1918. He was elected Mayor of Lille in 1925, and was re-elected in 1929 and 1935. Mr. Salengro also sat in the French National Assembly, first winning election in 1928, and re-election in 1932 and 1936. He was appointed Minister of the Interior in the leftist National Front cabinet of Prime Minister Léon Blum when they came to power in 1936. Right-wing groups accused Mr. Salengro of having been a deserter in World War I. Despite the fact that the charges were refuted by a military commission and condemned in a vote of the Assembly, Mr. Salengro committed suicide on November 17, 1936 at the age of 46.

120 years ago
1895


Environment
The Canadian Parliament declared the core of what would become Waterton Park, a protected "Dominion Forest Park." The 54-square-mile area, situated in the southwestern corner of Alberta on the Canada–U.S. border, was united with Montana's Glacier National Park in 1932 to create the world's first international peace park.

110 years ago
1905


Canadiana
King Edward VII granted Prince Edward island its Coat of Arms.

90 years ago
1925


Died on this date
Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, 49
. German historian. Mr. Moeller van den Bruck was best known for his book Das Dritte Reich (The Third Reich) (1923), which, when translated into English, was titled Germany's Third Empire. Mr. Moeller van den Bruck's ideas greatly influenced the Conservative Revolutionary and National Socialist (Nazi) movements, but he didn't live to see the results. Mr. Moeller van den Bruck was a heavy user of drugs and went mad from syphilis; he was largely forgotten by the time he committed suicide by shooting himself.

Protest
Shanghai Municipal Police officers shot and killed 13 demonstrators in the city's International Settlement, marking the beginning of the May Thirtieth Movement.

Auto racing
Peter DePaolo won the Indianapolis 500 at an average speed of 101.127 miles per hour, becoming the first driver to finish the race in under 5 hours, and to average more than 100 mph. 22 drivers participated.



80 years ago
1935


Died on this date
Clay Weatherly, 25
. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Weatherly was killed in a crash on the 9th lap of the Indianapolis 500.

Auto racing
Kelly Petillo won the Indianapolis 500 at an average speed of 106.240 miles per hour.



Baseball
The Philadelphia Phillies swept a doubleheader from the Boston Braves by scores of 11-6 and 9-3 before 18,000 fans at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. In the first game, Babe Ruth of the Braves struck out in the top of the first inning, and left the game in the bottom of the inning when he injured a knee chasing a fly ball. It was his last major league appearance.

63,943 fans jammed the Polo Grounds in New York to see the New York Giants sweep a Memorial Day doubleheader from the Brooklyn Dodgers 8-3 and 6-0. Mel Ott hit a grand slam for the Giants in the first inning of the first game, and Al Cuccinello, in his first appearance with the Giants, homered in the same inning. Roy Parmelee was the winning pitcher in the opener, while Freddie Fitzsimmons pitched a 2-hitter in the second game.

75 years ago
1940


War
Allied forces continued their escape from Dunkirk, France to Dover, England under harassment by the Germans.

Politics and government
The Belgian government-in-exile in Paris approved an order depriving King Leopold III of his throne.

The civil administration of the Netherlands was turned over to Arthur Seiss-Inquart, the Reich Commissioner.

Economics and finance
The Toronto Stock Exchange declined 25% after German military victories in Europe.

The U.S. Senate passed and sent to the House of Representatives the Hospital Construction Act, appropriating $10 million annually for rural hospital construction.

Auto racing
Wilbur Shaw won the Indianapolis 500, becoming the first driver to win the race in consecutive years, and winning for the third time in four years. Mr. Shaw’s average speed was 114.277 miles per hour; rain slowed the race, and the last 50 laps were run under caution. First prize money was $31,875.



Baseball
The New York Giants swept a Memorial Day doubleheader from the Brooklyn Dodgers 7-0 and 12-5 in 12 innings before 34,548 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to knock the Dodgers out of first place in the National League. Carl Hubbell gave up just a single by Johnny Hudson in the 2nd inning to win the first game, while Bill Lohrman went the distance to win the second game.

70 years ago
1945


War
American University researchers estimated the total expenditures of World War II had exceeded $1 trillion so far. U.S. Marines captured Shuri Castle, the key defense point in the centre of the Japanese line in southern Okinawa. French troops took over the Syrian parliament building in Damascus as street fighting continued.

Diplomacy
The U.S. delegation to the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco agreed to some type of interim machinery to deal with functions of the League of Nations until a new world body was in operation.

Iran asked that British, Soviet, and American troops leave the country now that the war in Europe was over.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Office of Price Administration estimated that the civilian meat supply would be 75% less in June than it was in May.

60 years ago
1955


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



Died on this date
Bill Vukovich, 36
. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Vukovich won the Indianapolis 500 in 1953 and 1954, and was leading the 1955 Indianapolis 500 on lap 57 of 200 when he plowed into a four-car tangle of wreckage immediately in front of him on the backstretch. His Hopkins Special burst into flames, and Mr. Vukovich died before members of the track safety patrol could extricate him. Another driver, Ed Elisian, stopped his car and got out and attempted to aid Mr. Vukovich, but was unsuccessful.

Auto racing
Bob Sweikert won the Indianapolis 500 at an average speed of 128.209 miles per hour. The race was marred by the death of race leader and defending champion Bill Vukovich.



50 years ago
1965


Protest
Rioting broke out around Allan Gardens in Toronto after 5,000 people protested against a neo-Nazi rally.

40 years ago
1975


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: My Eyes Adored You--Frankie Valli (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Fox on the Run--Sweet (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do--ABBA (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Michel Simon, 80
. Swiss-born French actor. Mr. Simon was a comic character actor who appeared in numerous plays and films in a career spanning more than 50 years. His movies included La Chienne (1931); Boudu sauvé des eaux (Boudu Saved from Drowning) (1932); L'Atalante (1934); Die Nackte und der Satan (The Head) (1959); and The Train (1964). Mr. Simon died from a pulmonary embolism.

Steve Prefontaine, 24. U.S. runner. Mr. Prefontaine raced at the University of Oregon, and once held the American record in seven different distance events from the 2,000-metre run to the 10,000-metre run. He was killed in a car accident, driving home from a party, hours after winning a 5,000-metre race in Eugene, Oregon. Mr. Prefontaine has been the subject of two biographical movies (so far): Prefontaine (1997) and Without Limits (1998).

Politics and government
The Canadian Parliament voted to raise the number of Senate seats from 102 to 104, adding one new seat each for Yukon and Northwest Territories.

Baseball
Pinch hitter Willie McCovey's grand slam off relief pitcher Bob Apodaca was the big blow as the San Diego Padres scored all their runs in the 8th inning to defeat the New York Mets 6-2 before 12,208 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. The grand slam was the 16th of Mr. McCovey's major league career, tying Hank Aaron's National League record.

Lou Brock singled home pinch runner Don Hahn with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds before 21,930 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

Pinch hitter Richie Hebner led off the bottom of the 9th inning with a double and another pinch hitter, Ed Kirkpatrick, followed with a single to drive in Mr. Hebner with the winning run as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Atlanta Braves 2-1 before 11,565 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Winning pitcher Jerry Reuss pitched an 8-hit complete game, while losing pitcher Buzz Capra allowed 10 hits in 8+ innings.

Doug Konieczny pitched a 7-hitter for his first major league shutout, striking out 8 batters, as the Houston Astros blanked the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 before 12,566 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

The game between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers was called because of rain before enough innings had been played for it to be considered a legal game, meaning that nothing in the game counted in the official statistics. Deron Johnson of the White Sox hit a home run, and claimed that it was the fourth time in his major league career that he had lost a home run in this fashion.

30 years ago
1985


Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Philadelphia 3 @ Edmonton 8 (Edmonton won best-of-seven series 4-1)

The Oilers scored 4 goals in the 1st period and coasted to victory over the Flyers at Northlands Coliseum to win their second straight Stanley Cup championship. Paul Coffey and Mark Messier each scored 2 goals for Edmonton, while Wayne Gretzky and Jarri Kurri each had a goal and 3 assists. Mr. Gretzky was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.





Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 109 @ Boston 102 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 30 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, made 8 assists, and blocked 3 shots to lead the Lakers over the Celtics before 14,890 fans at Boston Garden. Michael Cooper added 22 points for Los Angeles, while Larry Bird led Boston with 30 points and 12 rebounds.



Baseball
Carmelo Martinez hit a three-run home run and a solo homer to lead the San Diego Padres to a 5-4 win over the Montreal Expos before 28,181 fans at Jack Murphy-San Diego Stadium. Winning pitcher Andy Hawkins improved his record to 10-0.

Dwight Gooden struck out 14 to lead the New York Mets to a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants before 10,207 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The only Giant run came on Alex Trevino’s first home run of the season.

25 years ago
1990


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Black Velvet--Alannah Myles (2nd week at #1)

Edmontonia
City Council's executive committee voted unanimously to force motorcycles to park behind the Commercial Hotel on Whyte Avenue, and not in front.

War
Palestinian guerrillas in speedboats sought to attack the coast of Israel. Israeli security forces captured one boat and its five-man crew, which surrendered. 11 men landed in a second boat, but four were killed and the rest captured. A radical faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization claimed responsibility for the raid, saying that it was intended as revenge for the seven Palestinians killed on May 20 by a former Israeli soldier who had gone on a rampage.

Diplomacy
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney concluded two days of meetings in Ottawa, during which they discussed a unified Germany in NATO, Soviet security concerns, and the U.S.S.R.s sanctions against Lithuania. Canadian officials announced that they would extend a line of credit to the U.S.S.R. to facilitate the purchase of goods and services by the Soviet Union. Mr. Gorbachev and his entourage, which included his wife Raisa, then flew to Washington.

Health
The French banned imports of British beef and live cattle because of fears of mad cow disease.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that that the leading economic indicators had declined 0.2% in April. The Dow-Jones Industrial Average closed at its highest point for the month: 2878.56.

Disasters
An earthquake struck northern Peru, killing at least 101 people.

20 years ago
1995


War
The United States had 7 warships and 12,000 Marines and sailors in the Adriatic Sea in order for possible service in Bosnia.

Crime
The Supreme Court of Chile unanimously upheld the sentences imposed in the 1976 bombing deaths in Washington, D.C. of Chilean opposition leader Orlando Letelier and his secretary Ronni Moffitt. In 1993, a Chilean court had sentenced General Manuel Contreras Sepulveda, former head of the secret police, to 7 years in prison, and his assistant, Brigadier General Pedro Espinoza Bravo, to 6 years, for their roles in directing the murders. It was the first time that top officials from the military regime of former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte had faced prison terms for abuses of human rights.

Politics and government
Luis Correa Mena, the National Action Party (PAN) candidate who had recently lost the Yucatan gubernatorial election to Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) candidate Victor Cervera Pacheco, said that he would challenge the result as fraudulent.

10 years ago
2005


Died on this date
Alma Ziegler, 87
. U.S. baseball player. Miss Ziegler was a second baseman and pitcher with the Milwaukee (1944) and Grand Rapids (1945-1954) Chicks of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, batting .173 with 3 home runs and 239 runs batted in in 1,154 games, while posting a pitching record of 60-34 with an earned run average of 1.94. She played on AAGPBL championship teams in 1944 and 1947.

Disappeared on this date
American student Natalee Holloway, 18, disappeared while on a high school graduation trip to Aruba, causing a media sensation in the United States.

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