May 9, 2016

225 years ago
1791

Died on this date
Francis Hopkinson, 53. U.S. author, musician, artist, politician, and judge. Mr. Hopkinson wrote satires in pamphlets; designed the American flag; and signed the Declaration of Independence as a delegate from New Jersey. He played the harpsichord and wrote songs, becoming the first American-born composer to commit a song to paper (My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free (1759)). Mr. Hopkinson served as judge of the United States District Court for the District of Pennsylvania from 1789 until his death from an apoplectic seizure.

120 days ago
1896

Born on this date
Richard Day. Canadian-born U.S. art director and set decorator. Mr. Day, a native of Victoria, was a captain in the Canadian Army in World War I, and moved to Hollywood after the war. He worked on almost 300 films from 1919-1970, receiving 20 Academy Award nominations for art direction, and winning 7 Oscars. Mr. Day died on May 23, 1972, two weeks after his 76th birthday.

100 years ago
1916

War
General Julian Byng was appointed commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Europe, succeeding General Alderson, effective May 28; General Byng would work closely with Canadian commander Arthur Currie.

90 years ago
1926

Exploration
U.S. Navy aviators Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett left Spitsbergen Island, Norway in a three-engined Fokker monoplane. At 9:04 am. they made what they claimed was the first airplane flight over the North Pole. Evidence suggests they may have missed their target by 150 miles.

80 years ago
1936

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Louis Hector and Harry West, on MBS
Tonight’s episode: The Dancing Men

Abominations
Italy formally annexed Ethiopia after taking the capital, Addis Ababa, on May 5.

75 years ago
1941

Theatre
The Drama League of New York awarded the Delia Austian Medal for the most distinguished performance of the season to Paul Lukas for his starring performance in Watch on the Rhine.

War
The German submarine U-110 is captured by the Royal Navy; on board was the latest Enigma machine which Allied cryptographers later used to break coded German messages. Between 300-400 British Royal Air Force bombers attacked the German cities of Bremen and Hamburg on the night of May 8-9. Japanese fliers raided the Chungking district in China in the second major air attack of the year.

Abominations
Nazi authorities extended the Nuremberg laws to France, forbidding Jews to engage in any business that would bring them into contact with "Aryans."

Defense
Japan announced that conferences had started in Tokyo with Germany and Italy to discuss questions relating to cooperation under the Axis Pact. The U.S. Maritime Commission announced that U.S. merchant ships would begin operating to the Red Sea area soon, and that service to China would be increased. U.S. Attorney General Robert Jackson ordered seizure of I.G. Farben-industrie's funds held by National City Bank of New York to force the chemical trust's appearance in court in answer to an antitrust indictment.

Diplomacy
The French-Thai peace conference ended in Tokyo with a treaty stating that any future dispute between Thailand and French Indochina would be mediated by Japan.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator George Aiken (Republican--Vermont) predicted that some form of state socialism would grow out of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's emergency powers.

Agriculture
The U.S. Agriculture Department estimated that 1941 winter wheat production would total 633,105,000 bushels.

Boxing
Billy Soose (32-4) won a controversial 15-round unanimous decision over Ken Overlin (122-29-6) at Madison Square Garden in New York to win the New York State Athletic Commission world middleweight championship.

70 years ago
1946

On television tonight
Hour Glass, hosted by Evelyn Eaton, on WNBT

This was the first broadcast of the variety program, which was shown live from New York, and was eventually was carried on NBC, thus becoming the first variety show to be broadcast on a network.

War
At the Nuremberg trial of accused Nazi war criminals, Admiral Karl Doenitz claimed that "millions of German lives" were saved because the war had been prolonged until the spring of 1945 so that they could flee the Soviets.

Diplomacy
At the Paris conference of foreign ministers, U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov responded to U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes' proposal for adjournment by urging that an agreement on all peace treaties be reached before a general peace conference.

Defense
U.S. Army General Dwight Eisenhower concluded an inspection trip through China by visiting General George Marshall in Nanking.

Canadiana
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King declined to act on a recommendation from a joint committee of the Senate and House of Commons regarding the committee's choice of a new Canadian national flag; 2,695 designs had been submitted and the committee chose "the Canadian red ensign with a maple leaf in autumn golden colours in a bordered background of white". However, the Legislative Assembly of Quebec had urged the committee not to include any "foreign symbols," including the red ensign or union jack.

Italiana
King Victor Emmanuel III, who had been on the throne since July 1900, abdicated in favour of his son Umberto II, and left for exile in Egypt.

Medicine
The U.S. Army Commission on Neurotropic Diseases disclosed the development of a vaccine against dengue fever.

Economics and finance
The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Council demanded improvement of international food allocation machinery, after criticizing the Combined Food Board.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted $400 million for housing subsidies.

Labour
The United States Senate unanimously extended the Selective Service Act for possible use in the coal strike, and empowered the President to seize strike-bound plants. The 115-day strike of 75,000 United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers against Westinghouse Electric was settled with an agreement calling for an 18c hourly wage increase.

60 years ago
1956

At the movies
The Harder They Fall, starring Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling, and Mike Lane, opened in theatres. It turned out to be Mr. Bogart's last film.

Defense
British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden refused to give details about the disappearance of naval diver Commander Lionel "Buster" Crabb during a goodwill visit in April by Soviet leaders Nikita Khrushchev and Marshal Nikolai Bulganin.

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Yo Soy Aquel--Raphael (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Pretty Flamingo--Manfred Mann

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Good Lovin'--The Young Rascals (2nd week at #1)
2 Monday, Monday--The Mamas and the Papas
3 Sloop John B--The Beach Boys
4 Leaning on the Lamp Post--Herman's Hermits
5 Kicks--Paul Revere and the Raiders
6 Try Too Hard--The Dave Clark Five
7 (You're My) Soul and Inspiration--The Righteous Brothers
8 Shapes of Things--The Yardbirds
9 Gloria--Shadows of Knight
10 Rhapsody in the Rain--Lou Christie

Singles entering the chart were When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge (#77); Love is Like an Itching in My Heart by the Supremes (#85); It's a Man's Man's Man's World by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#87); Marble Breaks and Iron Bends by Drafi (#88); I Love You 1000 Times by the Platters (#91); What am I Gonna Do by Robbie Lane (#94); Love Takes a Long Time by Deon Jackson (#95); My Kinda Guy by the Willows (#97); Mame by Bobby Darin (#98); You're Ready Now by Frankie Valli (#99); and Barefootin' by Robert Parker (#100).

Diplomacy
Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Brussels for a four-day visit, becoming the first British monarch to visit Belgium since King George V in 1922.

Labour
1,600 Québec civil servants went on strike for better pay; the strike lasted until July 29, 1966.

40 years ago
1976

Died on this date
Ulrike Meinhof, 41. West German terrorist. Miss Meinhof, co-founded the Communist terrorist organization Red Army Faction, formerly known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, in 1970. She was in prison awaiting trial on various charges of murder, attempted murder, and forming a criminal association, when she was found hanged in her cell. The official verdict was suicide, but many disputed that conclusion.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Philadelphia 3 @ Montreal 4 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 1-0)

WHA
Avco World Trophy
U.S. Championship Semi-Finals
Houston 1 @ New England 4 (New England led best-of-seven series 2-1)

30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Midnight Lady--Chris Norman (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Tenzing Norgay, 71. Nepalese mountaineer. Mr. Norgay, born Namgyal Wangdi, was a Sherpa who, with Edmund Hillary, became one of the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. Mr. Norgay died of a cerebral hemorrhage about three weeks before his 72nd birthday.

Scandal
Roger Coles resigned as MLA for Tatchun and leader of the Yukon Liberal Party after he had been charged with selling cocaine to an undercover police officer.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
New York Rangers 1 @ Montreal 3 (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1)

25 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)--Cher (2nd week at #1)

Energy
The National Energy Board of Canada gave TransCanada Pipelines the green light for a $2.6 billion line into the United States, plus 15 export licenses for 1.6 trillion cubic feet of gas. Ottawa, Ontario

Environment
The Canadian federal and provincial governments unveiled a 5-year, $100-million plan to combat ground-level ozone, a harmful component of city smog.

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Children--Robert Miles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): X-Files--DJ Dado

Abominations
The Canadian House of Commons approved a bill adding sexual orientation to the Canadian Human Rights Act.

In one of the most ridiculous jury verdicts in history, a jury in Calgary acquitted Dorothy Joudrie of the attempted murder of her estranged husband, businessman Earl Joudrie, ruling that she was suffering from momentary insanity--the insanity having come upon her the moment before the shooting, and vanishing the moment after the shooting.

Politics and government
Former South African President F.W. de Klerk took his National Party out of the governing coalition.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
Philadelphia 3 @ Florida 4 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
Pittsburgh 4 @ New York Rangers 1 (Pittsburgh led best-of-seven series 3-1)

10 years ago
2006

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Western Conference Semi-Finals
Anaheim 4 @ Colorado 3 (OT) (Anaheim led best-of-seven series 3-0)