April 15, 2016

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Harold Riemer and Danielle Wessel!

175 years ago
1841

Born on this date
Joseph Seagram. Canadian distiller and politician. Mr. Seagram, a native of Fisher's Mills, Canada West, began working at Waterloo Distillery in 1864, became a partner in the company in 1869, and became sole owner in 1883, renaming it Seagram. He created Seagram's VO in 1907, which became the best-selling Canadian whiskey in the world. Mr. Seagram was a town councillor in Waterloo, Ontario (1879-1886), and represented Waterloo North in the Canadian House of Commons (1896-1908). He was also an owner of racehorses, and founded Seagram Stables in 1888. His horses won 15 Queen's Plates, including eight straight from 1891-1898. Mr. Seagram was president of the Ontario Jockey Club (1906-1917) and helped to found the Canadian Racing Association in 1908. He was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1976. Mr. Seagram died in Waterloo on August 18, 1919 at the age of 78.

120 years ago
1896

Born on this date
Nikolay Semyonov. U.S.S.R. physicist and chemist. Dr. Semyonov shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood "for their researches into the mechanism of chemical reactions." Dr. Semyonov died on September 25, 1986 at the age of 90.

Olympics
Closing ceremonies were held for the first Summer Olympic Games in Athens.

100 years ago
1916

Born on this date
Alfred S. Bloomingdale. U.S. businessman. Mr. Bloomingdale was the grandson of Lyman Bloomingdale, founder of the department store chain bearing the name. Alfred Bloomingdale was known as the "father of the credit card" after he launched the credit card business "Dine and Sign," which merged with Diners Club in 1951. He died on August 23, 1982 at the age of 66.

Helene Hanff. U.S. authoress. Miss Hanff was best known for the book 84, Charing Cross Road (1970), a chronicle of her correspondence with London book buyer Frank Doel. Miss Hanff died on April 9, 1997, six days before her 81st birthday.

90 years ago
1926

Americana
Sesquicentennial Stadium opened in Philadelphia.

80 years ago
1936

Transportation
Aer Lingus (Aer Loingeas) was founded by the Irish government as the national airline of the Republic of Ireland.

75 years ago
1941

Died on this date
John Arena, 43. Italian-born U.S. journalist. Mr. Arena, editor of the Chicago newspaper La Tribuna, was slain by two gunmen in Chicago a few hours after testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities about Fascist activity in the United States.

War
The German command claimed that panzer units had advanced more than 50 miles into northern Greece. In the Belfast Blitz, 200 bombers of the German Luftwaffe attacked Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing 1,000 people. Over France, No. 402 Fighter Squadron made the Royal Canadian Air Force's first attack over enemy territory.

Diplomacy
Germany and Italy formally recognized independent Croatia. Reports from Sofia indicated that Bulgaria had broken relations with Yugoslavia.

Defense
Two Puerto Rican nationalists were convicted in San Juan of hindering the military draft, and were sentenced to two-year prison terms. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt formally entrusted Harry Hopkins with he administration of the Lend-Lease program. The U.S. Senate passed and sent to the White House a House of Representatives bill authorizing the Navy to increase its strength to 232,000 men, and empowering President Roosevelt to raise this number to 300,000.

Labour
Four men, including the president of a coal company, were killed, and 25 miners were wounded, in a gun battle near Middlesboro, Kentucky.

Strikers at the Phelps-Dodge Copper Products plant in Elizabeth, New Jersey rejected a U.S. National Defense Mediation Board settlement, and voted to continue their walkout.

Dr. J.B. Matthews, a staff member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, testified before the House Military Affairs Committee that Communists were active in at least six major defense industry strikes, including at Allis-Chalmers and Ford Motor Company.

Disasters
An earthquake rocked southern Mexico for five minutes, damaging the city of Colima and leaving half its population of 15,000 homeless.

Baseball
In his major league debut as a shortstop with the Chicago Cubs, Lou Stringer had 2 hits and 2 runs batted in, but also made 4 errors, a record for a player in his first major league game. The Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4 before 17,008 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Danny MacFayden walked Joe Cronin with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to force Lou Finney home with the winning run, climaxing a 3-run rally as the Boston Red Sox edged the Washington Nationals 6-5 before 15,000 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

70 years ago
1946

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Oh! What it Seemed to Be--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra (5th week at #1)
--Frank Sinatra
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
--Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest
2 Personality--Johnny Mercer
--Bing Crosby
3 Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief--Betty Hutton
--Les Brown and his Orchestra
4 You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)--Les Brown and his Orchestra
--Perry Como
5 One-zy, Two-zy (I Love You-zy)--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra
--Phil Harris and his Orchestra
6 Shoo Fly Pie (And Apple Pan Dowdy)--Stan Kenton and his Orchestra
--Dinah Shore
7 I'm a Big Girl Now--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
8 Day by Day--Frank Sinatra
9 I'm Always Chasing Rainbows--Perry Como
--Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest
10 All Through the Day--Frank Sinatra
--Perry Como

Singles entering the chart were Bumble Boogie by Freddy Martin and his Orchestra (#21); Put Your Little Foot Right Out by Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra (#23); Full Moon and Empty Arms, with versions by Ray Noble and his Orchestra, and Frank Sinatra (#29); Come Rain or Come Shine, with versions by Margaret Whiting, and Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra (#36); The Gypsy, with versions by the Ink Spots, Dinah Shore, and Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra (#42); and One More Tomorrow by Frankie Carle and his Orchestra (#47). Put Your Little Foot Right Out was the B-side of I'm a Big Girl Now.

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

Television
The world's first permanent network, linking New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, began operation.

Literature
I Chose Freedom, Victor Kravchenko's memoir describing the decision of a Soviet official to flee to the West, was published.

War
At the Nuremberg trial of accused Nazi war criminals, Rudolf Hoess, who had admitted supervising the extermination of three million inmates of the Auschwitz death camp in Poland, asserted that Ernst Kaltenbrunner or hs deputy had signed the orders. Four Japs involved in the execution of U.S. fliers involved in the 1942 Doolittle raid on Tokyo were sentenced by a U.S. military court in Shanghai to prison terms of 3-9 years.

The Chinese Central News Agency claimed that Nationalist troops had captured the Manchurian city of Szepingkai, as Communist forces attacked Changchun.

Defense
The U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate a bill extending the Selective Service Act for nine months beyond May 15, 1946.

The U.S. Army revealed the development of the sniperscope, an infrared sighting device small enough to be used by individual soldiers.

Economics and finance
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Director Fiorello La Guardia disclosed a survey showing that 30 million Chinese were facing starvation.

60 years ago
1956

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby, starring Robert H. Harris, Meg Mundy, and Louise Larabee

Boxing
Ingemar Johansson (14-0) won a 10-round decision over Hans Friedrich (21-12-6) in a heavyweight bout at Kungliga Tennishallen in Stockholm.

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: These Boots are Made for Walkin'--Nancy Sinatra (2nd week at #1)

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Lovedrops--Barry Allen (3rd week at #1)
2 Time Won't Let Me--The Outsiders
3 Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)--Cher
4 Daydream--The Lovin' Spoonful
5 A Sign of the Times--Petula Clark
6 Woman--Peter & Gordon
7 Leaning on the Lamp Post--Herman's Hermits
8 Good Lovin'--The Young Rascals
9 Try Too Hard--The Dave Clark Five
10 Walkin' My Cat Named Dog--Norma Tanega
Pick hit of the week: Monday, Monday--The Mamas and the Papas
New this week: Backstage--Gene Pitney
Ask Any Girl--Mary Saxton
I Love You Drops--Vic Dana
The Ballad of Irving--Frank Gallop

Diplomacy
U.S. President Lyndon Johnson concluded a two-day visit to Mexico City, where he unveiled a statue of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

Politics and government
Uganda adopted a new constitution; Prime Minister Milton Obote was elected President.

40 years ago
1976

Diplomacy
India and China resumed relations for the first time since their 1962 border war.

Defense
Greece and the United States signed a pact approving four U.S. military bases in Greece in return for $700 million in U.S. military aid to Greece over four years.

Health
U.S. President Gerald Ford signed a $135-million mass immunization bil to guard against swine flu.

Oil
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau awarded Dome Petroleum of Calgary a permit to drill the first Arctic offshore wells from artificial islands in the shallow Beaufort Sea; the exploration period was shortened by six weeks and cleanup bond raised from $10 million to $50 million, after concern from native groups and environmentalists about effects of a possible blowout on the fragile Arctic ecosystem.

Labour
With the permission of the Spanish government, the General Worker's Union, once the largest socialist union in Spain, began a four-day meeting in Madrid, the first such meeting in Spain since 1932.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Philadelphia 4 @ Toronto 5 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 2-1)
Buffalo 3 @ New York Islanders 5 (Buffalo led best-of-seven series 2-1)
Montreal 2 @ Chicago 1 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 3-0)
Boston 4 @ Los Angeles 6 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 2-1)

The Maple Leafs took a 4-1 lead and held on to defeat the Flyers at Maple Leaf Gardens in a game that was marred by an incident which involved Joe Watson and Don Saleski of the Flyers swinging their sticks from the penalty box at policemen.



Guy Lafleur scored with 13 seconds remaining in regulation time to give the Canadiens their win over the Black Hawks at Chicago Stadium; Pit Martin had scored for Chicago with 2:11 remaining to tie the game. Ken Dryden won the goaltending duel over Tony Esposito.

WHA
Avco World Trophy
U.S. Championship Preliminary
Phoenix 1 @ San Diego 5 (Best-of-five series tied 2-2)

30 years ago
1986

Died on this date
Jean Genet, 75. French author. Mr. Genet was a sodomite who celebrated the subversion of traditional morality in various novels and plays.

War
The United States bombed Libya in retaliation for the April 5 bombing of a discotheque in West Berlin that injured 60 Americans in attendance.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
New York Rangers 5 @ Philadelphia 2 (New York won best-of-five series 3-2)
St. Louis 6 @ Minnesota 3 (St. Louis won best-of-five series 3-2)

25 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Lady Navigation--B'z (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Se mustamies--Hausmylly (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Joyride--Roxette (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
Hollywood Detective, on A&E
Tonight's episode: The Write Stuff

Environment
Scientist Ken Croasdale reported that the fixed link bridge from Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island would have no damaging effect on ice movement in the Northumberland Strait.

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister Michael Wilson said in London that Canada would give $4 million to the $14-billion fund of the new European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, set up to help rebuild Eastern European economies.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
New Jersey 0 @ Pittsburgh 4 (Pittsburgh won best-of-seven series 4-3)

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La cosa mas bella--Eros Ramazzotti (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Children--Robert Miles

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Children--Robert Miles (4th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Ironic--Alanis Morissette (3rd week at #1)
2 Nobody Knows--The Tony Rich Project
3 Because You Loved Me--Céline Dion
4 Follow You Down--Gin Blossoms
5 1979--Smashing Pumpkins
6 I Want to Come Over--Melissa Etheridge
7 Birmingham--Amanda Marshall
8 Wonderwall--Oasis
9 Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot--Sting
10 Missing--Everything But the Girl

Singles entering the chart were Old Man & Me (When I Get to Heaven) by Hootie & the Blowfish (#76); The Long Way Home by Rawlins Cross (#90); The Right Time by the Corrs (#91); Salvation by the Cranberries (#94); and Romance Flats by She Stole My Beer (#95).

World events
The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission opened its probe of human rights abuses during the apartheid era.

Track and field
The 100th Boston Marathon was won by Moses Tanui of Kenya.