April 16, 2016

670 years ago
1346

Europeana
Stefan Dušan, "the Mighty", was crowned Emperor of the Serbs at Skopje, his empire occupying much of the Balkans.

270 years ago
1746

War
British Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland decisively defeated French-supported Jacobite forces commanded by Charles Stuart in the Battle of Culloden in Scotland; it was the last pitched battle on British soil. After the battle, many highland traditions were banned and the Highlands of Scotland were cleared of inhabitants.

200 years ago
1816

Died on this date
Bussa. Barbadian slave. Bussa led a rebellion of slaves in Barbados, culminating in an attack by 400 slaves against British colonial militia at Bailey's Plantation. Bussa was killed in battle, but was declared in 1998 to be one of 10 National Heroes of Barbados.

170 years ago
1846

Died on this date
Domenico Dragonetti, 83. Italian-born U.K. musician. Mr. Dragonetti was a double bassist who moved to London in 1794 and remained there for the rest of his life. He wrote various works for double bass, and designed the Dragonetti bow. Mr. Dragonetti died nine days after his 83rd birthday.

150 years ago
1866

Born on this date
José de Diego. Puerto Rican writer and politician. Mr. de Diego, known as the "Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement," co-founded the Unionist party and presided over the House of Delegates from 1904-1917. He died of endocartitis on July 16, 1918 at the age of 52.

125 years ago
1891

Politics and government
New Brunswick abolished the Legislative Council, the provincial Upper House.

110 years ago
1906

Boxing
Jack Johnson (35-8-5-3) knocked out Black Bill (11-5-3) in the 7th round of a heavyweight bout at Peerless Athletic Club in Pittston, Pennsylvania.

100 years ago
1916

Born on this date
Pete Suder. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Suder was an infielder with the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics (1941-1943, 1946-1955), batting .249 with 49 home runs and 541 runs batted in in 1,421 games. He died on November 14, 2006 at the age of 90.

75 years ago
1941

War
An estimated 400 German planes pounded London for eight hours in the heaviest "reprisal" raid of the European war. The German command said that the 2nd Serbian Army had capitulated; the U.K. conceded that Serbian resistance had ended. The Italian-German Tarigo convoy was attacked and destroyed by British ships in the Mediterranean Sea.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Miniser Mackenzie King met U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House in Washington to discuss hemispheric defense issues, and how Canada could earn more U.S. dollars for American purchases.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt invoked the Neutrality Act against Hungary for "having without justification attacked Yugoslavia." Under a new order released by the U.S. Adjutant General's Office, all soldiers would be subject to overseas duty, if necessary, whether or not they had volunteered specifically for such service.

Politics and government
The Ustaše, a Croatian ultranationalist organization is put in charge of the Independent State of Croatia by the Axis powers after Operation 25 was effected. Ante Pavelich was named Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.

Economics and finance
U.S. Federal Price Administator Leon Henderson froze iron and steel prices at their first-quarter levels following a general 10c hourly wage increase granted to more than 525,000 steel workers.

Labour
U.S. Office of Production Management Director William Knudsen called jurisdictional strikes "plain stupid," and denounced strikes that took advantage of the defense program as "criminal."

70 years ago
1946

Died on this date
Arthur Chevrolet, 61. Swiss-born U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Chevrolet, the brother of drivers Gaston and Louis Chevrolet, participated in the 1911 and 1916 Indianapolis 500. He and his brothers founded the Frontenac Motor Corporation in 1916; Arthur drove a Frontenac in the 1916 Indianapolis 500--placing 18th--and was driving a Frontenac in 1920 when he suffered career-ending injuries in a crash during practice runs for that year's Indianapolis 500. Arthur Chevrolet continued as an automotive and aviation engineer, but suffered from depression, and hanged himself nine days before his 62nd birthday.

Diplomacy
British High Commissioner Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham promised that the 1,014 Jewish refugees detained in Italy would be permitted to enter Palestine under the 1,500 monthly quota system.

11 Democratic congressmen and Labourite Vito Marcantonio asked U.S. President Harry Truman to sever relations with Spain.

Politics and government
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to cite for contempt 17 officials of the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee in New York for refusing to produce records demanded by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Medicine
Scientists at the Wister Institute of Anatomy and Biology in Philadelphia disclosed the development of an alcoholic extract which destroyed tumours and cancers in albino rats.

Agriculture
U.S. Famine Emergency Commission chief Chester Davis said that the world food situation was worsening, while former United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Director Herbert Lehman accused the U.S. of "faulty planning" for famine relief, and urged reimposition of rationing.

Economics and finance
The Netherland, Belgium, and Luxembourg formed a customs and economic union at a meeting in The Hague.

British Food Minister Sir Ben Smith announced a sharp cut in the export of food products containing sugar or grain as a measure to aid the home market.

Labour
A conference of trade union representatives from American states ended in Mexico City after adopting resolutions to improve industrial relations and rejecting government control of industry.

U.S. President Harry Truman signed without comment the Lea bill aimed at curbing the power of American Federation of Musicians President James Petrillo.

Major film studios in Hollywood offered an 18½c hourly wage increase to 17,000 workers as union leaders conferred on a possible strike.

Baseball
Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler ruled that players who jumped to foreign leagues were automatically suspended from organized baseball in the United States for five years. The Mexican League had lured several players away from the major leagues, especially from the New York Giants.

60 years ago
1956

At the movies
The Come On, directed by Russell Birdwell, and starring Anne Baxter and Sterling Hayden, opened in theatres.



50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): These Boots are Made for Walkin'--Nancy Sinatra (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Le Cinéma--Sheila

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Nessuno mi può giudicare--Caterina Caselli (10th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): These Boots are Made for Walkin'--Nancy Sinatra

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): These Boots are Made for Walkin'--Nancy Sinatra (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Somebody Help Me--The Spencer Davis Group

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (You’re My) Soul and Inspiration--The Righteous Brothers (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 (You’re My) Soul and Inspiration--The Righteous Brothers
2 Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)--Cher
3 Daydream--The Lovin' Spoonful
4 Good Lovin'--The Young Rascals
5 Secret Agent Man--Johnny Rivers
6 The Ballad of the Green Berets--SSgt Barry Sadler
7 Nowhere Man--The Beatles
8 Time Won't Let Me--The Outsiders
9 19th Nervous Breakdown--The Rolling Stones
10 I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry--B.J. Thomas and the Triumphs

Singles entering the chart were How Does That Grab You, Darlin'? by Nancy Sinatra (#60); Nothing's Too Good for My Baby by Stevie Wonder (#68); Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 by Bob Dylan (#76); (I'm a) Road Runner by Jr. Walker and the All Stars (#78); Backstage by Gene Pitney (#85); I'm Satisfied by Otis Clay (#95); Evol--Not Love by the Five Americans (#96); The Ballad of Irving by Frank Gallop (#98); The Cruel War by Chad and Jill Stuart (#99); New Breed (Part 1) (The Boo-Ga-Loo) by James Brown (#100); and Still by the Sunrays (also #100). The B-side of How Does That Grab You, Darlin'? was the title song of the movie The Last of the Secret Agents?; Miss Sinatra sang the song in the movie.

Politics and government
Major General Abdul Rahman Arif took office as President of Iraq, succeeding his brother Abdul Salam Muhammad Arif, who had been killed in a helicopter crash three days earlier.

40 years ago
1976

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Mississippi--Pussycat (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Rocky--Frank Farian (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Fernando--ABBA (3rd week at #1)

Hockey
WHA
Avco World Trophy
O'Keefe Cup Semi-Finals
Winnipeg 7 @ Edmonton 2 (Winnipeg won best-of-seven series 4-0)
Quebec 4 @ Calgary 3 (Calgary led best-of-seven series 3-1)

U.S. Championship Quarter-Finals
New England 4 @ Indianapolis 1 (New England led best-of-seven series 1-0)

30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Dover-Calais--Style

25 years ago
1991

Died on this date
David Lean, 83. U.K. film director. Sir David was best known for large-scale epic films such as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957); Lawrence of Arabia (1962); Doctor Zhivago (1965); Ryan's Daughter (1970); and A Passage to India (1984). He was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning for The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia.

Economics and finance
The Canadian Manufacturers Association (CMA) said that Canadians would save $6.5 billion a year if 500 or so interprovincial trade barriers were removed.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Detroit 2 @ St. Louis 3 (St. Louis won best-of-seven series 4-3)
Edmonton 5 @ Calgary 4 (OT) (Edmonton won best-of-seven series 4-3)

The Blues’ win at St. Louis Arena climaxed a comeback from a 3 games-to-1 deficit.

Esa Tikkanen scored the winning goal for the Oilers at 6:58 of the 1st overtime period as they eliminated the Flames at Olympic Saddledome.



20 years ago
1996

Died on this date
Stavros Niarchos, 86. Greek shipping tycoon. Mr. Niarchos, like rival Aristotle Onassis, became wealthy from petroleum shipping. Mr. Niarchos owned the world's largest supertankers, and later became a successful owner of race horses.

Lucille Bremer, 79. U.S. dancer and actress. Miss Bremer danced with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in New York City before embarking on a brief acting career in movies such as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944); Till the Clouds Roll By (1946); and Ruthless (1948).

Britannica
Prince Andrew and his wife Sarah, Duchess of York announced that they were getting divorced.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Conference Quarter-Finals
Tampa Bay 3 @ Philadelphia 7 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Montreal 3 @ New York Rangers 2 (OT) (Montreal led best-of-seven series 1-0)
St. Louis 3 @ Toronto 1 (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 1-0)
Vancouver 2 @ Colorado 5 (Colorado led best-of-seven series 1-0)