April 5, 2016

450 years ago
1566

Protest
200 Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrick van Brederode, forced themselves into the presence of Margaret of Parma and presented the Petition of Compromise, denouncing the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands. The Inquisition was suspended and a delegation was sent to Spain to petition King Philip II.

200 years ago
1816

Born on this date
Samuel Freeman Miller. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1862-1890. Dr. Miller was a physician before becoming a lawyer in 1847. He opposed slavery in his native Kentucky and moved to Iowa in 1850 and freed the slaves who had come to Iowa with his family. Dr. Miller supported Abraham Lincoln's U.S. presidential election campaign in 1860, and was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Lincoln in 1862. Justice Miller wrote 616 Supreme Court opinions, and favoured Mr. Lincoln's views, including the suspension of civil liberties during the American Civil War. He died on October 13, 1890 at the age of 74.

170 years ago
1846

Born on this date
Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington. U.K. politician. Mr. Wellesley, a Conservative, represented Andover in the House of Commons (1874-1880), and succeeded his uncle as Duke of Wellington. He died on June 8, 1900 at the age of 54.

125 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Arnold Strode-Jackson. U.K.-born athlete and military officer. Mr. Strode-Jackson participated in several sports while at the University of Oxford, and won the men's 1,500 metre run at the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912 while competing as a private entry rather than as part of the British team. He served with the King's Royal Rifle Corps in World War I, earning the Distinguished Service Order with three Bars. Brig. Gen. Strode-Jackson was a member of the British delegation at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919; he emigrated to the United States in 1921, served as a Justice of the Peace in Connecticut, and became an American citizen in 1945. Mr. Strode-Jackson returned to the United Kingdom in 1963 after the death of his wife, and died on November 13, 1972 at the age of 81.

Canadiana
The third Dominion Census reported that Canada's population had reached 4,833,239; the three Maritime provinces accounted for 18% of the total.

100 years ago
1916

Born on this date
Gregory Peck. U.S. actor. Mr. Peck won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). His other movies included The Keys of the Kingdom (1944); Spellbound (1945); The Yearling (1946); Duel in the Sun (1946); Gentleman's Agreement (1947); Twelve O'Clock High (1949); The Gunfighter (1950); Roman Holiday (1953); Designing Woman (1957); The Big Country (1958); On the Beach (1959); The Guns of Navarone (1961); Cape Fear (1962); Mirage (1965); Arabesque (1966); Mackenna's Gold (1969); The Omen (1976); MacArthur (1977); and The Boys from Brazil (1978). Mr. Peck died on June 12, 2003 at the age of 87.

Environment
Conservationists, civic leaders, and government officials began two days of testimony before the United States Congress in favour of the establishment of the National Park Service.

80 years ago
1936

Disasters
An F5 tornado killed 233 in Tupelo, Mississippi in the first day of the Tupelo–Gainesville outbreak of 12 tornadoes.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Toronto 1 @ Detroit 3 (Detroit led best-of-five series 1-0)

All the scoring took place in the 1st period, as Bucko McDonald, Syd Howe, and Wally Kilrea scored to give the Red Wings a 3-0 lead and Buzz Boll replied for the Maple Leafs at Olympia Stadium.

75 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)--Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Franciszek Kleeberg, 53. Polish military officer. General Kleeberg served in World War I with the Austro-Hungarian Army and later with the Polish Legion; he commanded a regiment in the Polish–Soviet War (1919-1921). Gen. Kleeberg led the final defense of Warsaw against invading German forces in October 1939, but was forced to surrender. He was captured and imprisoned in Oflag IV-B Koenigstein, where he lost his sight and his ability to walk before dying in the camp hospital.

War
British imperial forces captured Adowa, while South African troops in Ethiopia crossed the Awash River and struck to within 80 miles of Addis Ababa. The Chinese government claimed that Chinese forces had won "the greatest victory of the war" the previous week in a battle near Nanchang, Japan's main army base in central China. Uruguay took possession of two Italian and two Danish ships in her ports.

Diplomacy
The Soviet news agency Tass announced that the U.S.S.R. had signed a five-year non-aggression and friendship pact with Yugoslavia.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Dr. Gil Luis Lopez and Colombian Foreign Minister Dr. Luis Lopez de Mesa signed a treaty defining the borders between the countries, ending a 100-year dispute.

The new Iraqi government of Rashid Ali-Bey Gailani pledged that iraq would respect all international treaties, "especially the Anglo-Iraq treaty."

Labour
U.S. Office of Production Management Director William Knudsen assailed "organizational and jurisdictional strikes," and urged government-supervised bargaining elections and cooling-off periods.

Football
NFL
Club owners, meeting in Chicago, elected Elmer Layden Commissioner-President of the National Football League.

70 years ago
1946

Died on this date
Vincent Youmans, 47. U.S. songwriter. Mr. Youmans wrote the music for songs for numerous Broadway musicals; his songs included Tea for Two. Mr. Youmans died after a long battle with tuberculosis.

Literature
The Snake Pit by Mary Jane Ward was published.

War
At the Nuremberg trials of accused Nazi war criminals, German Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel admitted that the March 1939 attack on Czechoslovakia was an act of treachery, but said it was necessary to keep Poland from seizing Czech coal mines and steel mills.

Diplomacy
Romania severed diplomatic relations with Spain, while Poland established relations with the Spanish Republican government in exile.

U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes urged a new conference of U.S., U.K., U.S.S.R., and French foreign ministers in Paris to work for some agreement on European peace treaties.

Defense
Iranian Prime Minister Ahmad Ghavam Salataneh and U.S.S.R. Ambassador to Iraq Ivan Sadchikov completed an agreement in Tehran promising withdrawal of Soviet troops from Iran by May 6, 1946. Soviet troops left the island of Bornholm, Denmark after an 11-month occupation.

Labour
Workers' delegates at an International Labor Organization conference in Mexico City expelled the Argentine representative, claiming he did not come from a "free and independent labour movement."

The U.S. Senate passed and sent to the House of Representatives a bill raising the minimum wage to 65c per hour.

60 years ago
1956

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Sur ma vie--Charles Aznavour

Politics and government
The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) won the general elections in Ceylon in a landslide; S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was sworn in as the Prime Minister a week later.

Protest
Fidel Castro declared himself at war with Cuban President Fulgencio Batista.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Montreal 1 @ Detroit 3 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Ted Lindsay and Gordie Howe scored in the 3rd period to break a 1-1 tie as the Red Wings defeated the Canadiens at Olympia Stadium.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Philadelphia 107 @ Fort Wayne 105 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 3-1)

The Warriors overcame a 56-50 halftime deficit to defeat the Pistons before 7,852 fans at War Memorial Coliseum. Philadelphia's Paul Arizin led all scorers with 30 points, while George Yardley led Fort Wayne with 21 points.

50 years ago
1966

Law
The Canadian House of Commons vote to reject any change in the law regarding capital punishment, thus retaining the death penalty.

Agriculture
Canada signed a three-year deal to sell $550 million worth of wheat to China.

40 years ago
1976

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Fernando--ABBA

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Beautiful Sunday--Daniel Boone (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Fly, Robin, Fly--Silver Convention

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Vi åkbättre da för da--Swedish Alpine Ski Team (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Wilder Penfield, 85. U.S.-born Canadian physician. Dr. Penfield, a native of Spokane, Washington, trained in the United States before moving to Montreal, where he became the city's first neurosurgeon. He was a pioneer in brain surgery, including mapping functions of various regions of the brain.

Howard Hughes, 70. U.S. tycoon. Mr. Hughes was an aviator and aeronautical engineer, and later a movie producer, who became one of the world's first billionaires. His reclusive lifestyle later became more famous than his achivements. Mr. Hughes died aboard a plane while being flown to a hospital in Houston, Texas.

Politics and government
James Callaghan took office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, replacing the retired Harold Wilson. Mr. Callaghan defeated Michael Foot 176-137 in the contest to win the Labour Party leadership.

Protest
The April Fifth Movement led to the Tiananmen Incident in Beijing.

30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Adesso Tu--Eros Ramazzotti (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): The Promise You Made--Cock Robin (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Jeanny--Falco

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Living Doll--Cliff Richard and the Young Ones (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Living Doll--Cliff Richard and the Young Ones

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Rock Me Amadeus--Falco (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Rock Me Amadeus--Falco (2nd week at #1)
2 These Dreams--Heart
3 Kiss--Prince and the Revolution
4 R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.--John Cougar Mellencamp
5 What You Need--INXS
6 Secret Lovers-Atlantic Starr
7 Manic Monday--Bangles
8 Addicted to Love--Robert Palmer
9 Nikita--Elton John
10 Let’s Go All the Way--Sly Fox

Singles entering the chart were Move Away by Culture Club (#71); Tomorrow Doesn’t Matter Tonight by Starship (#73); Where do the Children Go by the Hooters (#78); All the Things She Said by Simple Minds (#82); and No One is to Blame by Howard Jones (#89).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)--Glass Tiger (2nd week at #1)
2 Nikita--Elton John
3 Sara--Starship
4 A Good Heart--Feargal Sharkey
5 Secret Lovers--Atlantic Starr
6 These Dreams--Heart
7 Bop--Dan Seals
8 How Will I Know--Whitney Houston
9 Harlem Shuffle--Rolling Stones
10 Kyrie--Mr. Mister

Singles entering the chart were Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston (#81); Angel in My Pocket by One to One (#85); All I Need is a Miracle by Mike & the Mechanics (#88); Is it Love by Mr. Mister (#89); My Dreams of You by the Box (#93); Bad Bad Boy by Haywire (#94) It Must Be Love by Paul Hyde and the Payolas (#95); and Living in the Background by Baltimora (#97).

Terrorism
Three people--including two U.S. soldiers--were killed and more than 200--60 of them Americans--injured when a bomb exploded in a crowded discotheque in Berlin.

Diplomacy
France expelled six Arabs, including two Libyans, who were suspected of plotting attacks on Americans.

Religion
A paper issued by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and signed by the prefect of the Congregation, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger--the future Pope Benedict XVI--said that service to the poor was a duty for Christians, and that armed struggle to escape oppression could be condoned in "the extreme case." The letter warned, however, warned pastors not to intervene directly in politics, and asserted that the church’s essential mission was spiritual and not political. A 1984 paper prepared by Cardinal Ratzinger on the subject had taken a stronger stand against liberation theology, Marxist doctrine masquerading as religious doctrine that had been developed by priests working with the poor in Latin America. The new paper said it was "perfectly legitimate" for oppressed people to act against the wealthy and powerful through morally acceptable means to insure respect for their rights.

25 years ago
1991

Died on this date
William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle, 81. Governor-General of Australia, 1961-1965. Major Sidney served with the Grenadier Guards of the British Army in World War II and was awarded the Victoria Cross for leading a handful of men in the defense of the Anzio beachhead in February 1944. A Conservative, he represented Chelsea in the House of Commons (1944-1945) before being elevated to the House of Lords upon the death of his father. Viscount De L'Isle was Secretary of State for Air (1951-1955) in the government of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and became the last non-Australian to serve as Governor-General of Australia.

John Tower, 64. U.S. politician. Mr. Tower, a member of the United States Senate (Republican--Texas) from 1961-1985, had served as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and was nominated to be Secretary of Defense by U.S. President George Bush in 1989. The Senate rejected Mr. Tower’s nomination, primarily because of allegations of drinking and womanizing. Mr. Tower was among 23 people killed when a commercial plane crashed in Brunswick, Georgia.

Jay Miller, 57. U.S. basketball player. Mr. Miller was a forward at the University of Notre Dame (1962-65) before playing with the St. Louis Hawks (1967-68); Milwaukee Bucks (1968); Los Angeles Stars (1969); and Indiana Pacers (1969-70). He scored 649 points (5.5 per game) with 205 rebounds (1.8 per game) and 47 assists (0.4 per game) in 117 regular season games and 36 points (2.6 per game) with 25 rebounds (1.8 per game) and 2 assists (0.1 per game) in 14 playoff games. Mr. Miller was with the Pacers when they won the American Basketball Association championship in 1970.

Manley "Sonny" Carter, 43. U.S. astronaut. A captain in the United States Navy, Mr. Carter was a Mission Specialist aboard the U.S. space shuttle Discovery on mission STS-33 in 1989, and had been assigned as a Mission Specialist for mission STS-42. He was one of the people killed in the plane crash that killed former U.S. Senator John Tower.

World events
The United Nations Security Council condemned Iraq’s suppression of Kurds and other dissidents. The Iraqi government offered amnesty to Kurds who had joined the rebellion, but Kurdish leaders said they didn’t trust the offer. As the refugee tide from Iraq into Iran and Turkey approached one million, U.S. President George Bush ordered an airlift of food and supplies to the refugees.

Disasters
An Atlantic Southeast Airlines EMB 120 crashed in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard including U.S. Sen. John Tower and astronaut Sonny Carter.

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): California Love--2Pac featuring Dr. Dre (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Aon Focal Eile--Richie Kavanagh (3rd week at #1)

Crime
Mark Chahal, a Sikh, broke into a wedding party in Vernon, British Columbia and killed nine people--his estranged wife, her siser (the bride-to-be), and seven other relatives--before killing himself.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
Buffalo 4 @ Montreal 5 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
Hartford 3 @ Boston 4 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
Washington 3 @ New York Rangers 0 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)
New Jersey 4 @ Pittsburgh 5 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

10 years ago
2006

Died on this date
Gene Pitney, 66. U.S. singer and songwriter. Mr. Pitney was known for performing songs written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, including (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance (#4, Billboard Hot 100, 1962); Only Love Can Break a Heart (#2, 1962); True Love Never Runs Smooth (#21, 1963); and Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa (#17, 1963). At the time that Only Love Can Break a Heart was the #2 single in the U.S.A., the #1 spot was held by He’s a Rebel by the Crystals, a song written by Mr. Pitney. Mr. Pitney recorded songs in Italian and Spanish, which contributed to his popularity in foreign countries. He had the distinction of being the first rock and roll singer to perform at the Academy Awards ceremony, in 1962. The title song for Town Without Pity, which he sang and had a hit with (#13, 1962) was a nominee for best original song for 1961. Mr. Pitney died of a heart attack in his hotel room between performances in Cardiff, Wales.

Law
Gail Vickery was appointed Chief Justice of Alberta, becoming the first woman to hold the position.