June 19, 2016

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Michael Martin!

430 years ago
1586

Americana
English colonists sailed from Roanoke Island, North Carolina after failing to establish England's first permanent settlement in America.

225 years ago
1791

Politics and government
King George III gave Royal Assent to the Constitutional Act, passed by Parliament on June 10; it divided the province of Québec into the new provinces of Lower Canada and Upper Canada, each with an appointed legislative council and an elected legislative assembly.

200 years ago
1816

War
In the Pemmican War, North West Company and Métis forces defeated Hudson's Bay Company forces in the Battle of Seven Oaks in the Red River Colony, near present-day Winnipeg.

170 years ago
1846

Baseball
The New York Base Ball Club defeated the Knickerbockers 23–1 at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey in the first officially recorded organized baseball game, under rules devised by Alexander Cartwright, who umpired.

150 years ago
1866

Canadiana
British Army Private Timothy O'Hea put out a fire in a Grand Trunk Railway freight carriage at Sherbrooke, Canada East, loaded with 95 barrels of gunpowder, saving passengers and troops. Pvt. O'Hea was subsequently awarded the first and only Victoria Cross for valour inside Canada.

120 years ago
1896

Born on this date
R. Palme Dutt. U.K. journalist and politician. Mr. Dutt joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) in 1920; he founded their monthly magazine Labour Monthly in 1921, and became editor of Workers' Weekly in 1922. Mr. Dutt was on the Executive Committee of the CPGB from 1923-1965, and was the party's chief theorist for many years, while also supervising the Communist Party of India. He was a hard-line Stalinist until his death on December 20, 1974 at the age of 78.

Wallis Simpson. U.S.-born socialite. Mrs. Simpson, born Wallis Warfield, grew up in Baltimore. She married U.S. Navy officer Win Spencer in 1916, but they were divorced in 1927. Mrs. Spencer then had an affair with married shipbroker Ernest Simpson; he divorced his wife and married Mrs. Spencer in 1928. Mrs. Spencer first met Edward, Prince of Wales in 1931, and allegedly became his mistress in 1934. Mrs. Simpson obtained a divorce from her husband in October 1936, nine months after the Prince of Wales had acceded to the throne as King Edward VIII. Widespread opposition to the suitability of Mrs. Simpson as queen consort forced the king to make a decision between the throne and his lover, and he chose the latter, abdicating in December in favour of his younger brother, who became King George VI. The former king, who had been created Duke of Windsor by his brother, and Mrs. Simpson were married in France in June 1937. The Duke of Windsor served as Governor of the Bahamas from 1940-1945, and the couple returned to France after World War II, splitting their time between France and the United States as useless socialites. The Duke of Windsor died in 1972; the Duchess spent her remaining years in Paris, growing increasingly frail and dying from dementia at the age of 89 on April 24, 1986.

80 years ago
1936

Died on this date
William Hall-Jones, 85. Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1906. Sir William moved to New Zealand in 1873 and worked as a carpenter and builder before entering politics as an independent Liberal; he later joined the Liberal Party. Sir William represented Timaru in the N.Z. Parliament, and was regarded as an outstanding administrator. He was Minister of Marine from 1896-1906 and then served as interim Prime Minister from June 10-August 6, 1906, following the death of Richard Seddons, and before the return of Sir Joseph Ward from abroad. Sir William served as New Zealand's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1908-1912, and was later appointed o the N.Z. Legislative Council.

Space
A solar eclipse occurred whose totality was visible in Europe and Asia.

Boxing
In a huge upset, former world heavyweight champion Max Schmeling (49-7-4), who was regarded as past his prime, knocked out the #1 contender, Joe Louis (24-1), at 2:29 of the 12th round of a scheduled 15-round bout at Yankee Stadium in New York.





75 years ago
1941

War
A Gallup Poll reported that 56% of Americans recently surveyed said that a vote of the people should be required before Congress could send men to fight overseas. Philippines President Manuel Quezon declared in a Loyalty Day celebration day in Manila that if the United States became involved in the European war, she would find the people of the Philippines on her side.

Defense
The Argentine Chamber of Deputies voted to appoint a seven-man committee to investigate Nazi activities in the country.

Diplomacy
The German and Italian governments ordered the United States to close all 31 of her consulates in the Axis and Axis-dominated countries and to remove their personnel by July 15, 1941.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Office of Production Management ordered the rationing of rubber in an effort to reduce consumption from the present rate of 817,000 tons to 600,000 tons annually.

Labour
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the resignation of National Defense Mediation Board Chairman Clarence Dykstra. Soft-coal operators in the northern United States signed a two-year wage contract with the Congress of Industrial Organizations United Mine Workers of America covering 250,000 coal miners. Lumber operators rejected the NDMB's proposals to settle the Washington lumber strike.

70 years ago
1946

Diplomacy
The U.S.A. led successful opposition at the United Nations to a Lebanese attempt to prevent the proposed International Refugee Organization from aiding immigration of Jews to Palestine.

The United States announced that it would return to Hungary $32 million in gold plundered by Germany during World War II and recovered by U.S. Army engineers.

Defense
U.S.S.R. delegate to the United Nations Andrei Gromyko presented the Soviet plan for nuclear arms control to the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission, calling for the destruction of all existing bombs, but rejecting proposals to strip the U.S.A., U.K., U.S.S.R., France, and China of their Security Council veto power in the field of atomic energy.

Chinese Premier T.V. Soong said in Nanking that his government was spending 80% of its revenues on its army, estimated at 250-300 divisions.

Politics and government
The French Constituent Assembly elected centrist leader Georges Bidault as President of the provisional government.

Boxing
Five years and one day after their first fight, Joe Louis defended his world heavyweight championship for the second time against Billy Conn. Mr. Louis (55-1) knocked out Mr. Conn (62-11-1) at 2:19 of the 8th round before 45,266 fans at Yankee Stadium in New York.



60 years ago
1956

Died on this date
Thomas J. Watson, 82. U.S. businessman. Mr. Watson became general manager of Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in 1914 and became president 11 months later. He grew the company into a major international concern--renamed International Business Machines in 1924--until he retired shortly before his death.

Diplomacy
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent recognized the independence of the former French North African colonies of Morocco and Tunisia.

Speaking in Moscow's Dynamo Stadium, Yugoslavian President Marshal Josip Tito said that his visit to the Soviet Union had resulted in "a common language [of] mutual understanding" between Yugoslavia and the U.S.S.R.

A United Nations Trusteeship Council report criticized American administration of the Marshall, Caroline and Mariana Island Trust Area, charging that the inhabitants had not yet been compensated for their move to the Killi Islands in 1945.

Terrorism
Two convicted Algerian terrorists were guillotined in Algiers by French authorities, becoming the first of 38 guerrillas scheduled for execution.

World events
Egyptian President Gamal Nasser proclaimed the end of martial law and press censorship, which had been in place since the toppling of King Farouk from power in 1952.

Archaeology
Biblical scrolls said to contain the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were reported found in a cave near the site of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery in 1947.

Health
U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower announced a plan to establish a President's Council on Youth Fitness and a President's Advisory Committee on the Fitness of American Youth.

50 years ago
1966

Died on this date
Ed Wynn, 79. U.S. actor. Mr. Wynn, born Isaiah Edwin Leopold, was nicknamed "The Perfect Fool." He had a lengthy career as a comedian and comic actor on stage, radio, and television before achieving success in later years as a dramatic actor in productions such as the Playhouse 90 television drama Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956) and the movies The Great Man (1956) and The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). Mr. Wynn's son Keenan Wynn became a successful actor.

Politics and government
The rightist Indian party Shiv Sena was founded in Bombay.

40 years ago
1976

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Ancora tu--Lucio Battisti (12th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Rocky--Don Mercedes (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Silly Love Songs--Wings

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Silly Love Songs--Wings (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Get Up and Boogie (That's Right)--Silver Convention
2 Silly Love Songs--Wings
3 Misty Blue--Dorothy Moore
4 Love Hangover--Diana Ross
5 More, More, More (Part 1)--Andrea True Connection
6 Shop Around--Captain & Tennille
7 Sara Smile--Daryl Hall and John Oates
8 Afternoon Delight--Starland Vocal Band
9 Kiss and Say Goodbye--The Manhattans
10 Never Gonna Fall in Love Again--Eric Carmen

Singles entering the chart were Steppin' Out by Neil Sedaka (#81); A Little Bit More by Dr. Hook (#82); Baby, I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton (#84); Hold On by Sons of Champlin (#89); Somebody's Gettin' It by Johnnie Taylor (#91); Hot Stuff by the Rolling Stones (#92); Nutbush City Limits by Bob Seger (#93); Flaming Youth by Kiss (#95); Hard Work by John Handy (#98); Dancin' Thru the Night by L.A. Jets (#99); and Will You Love Me Tomorrow by Dana Valery (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Get Up and Boogie (That's Right)--Silver Convention
2 Silly Love Songs--Wings
3 Roxy Roller--Sweeney Todd
4 More, More, More (Part 1)--Andrea True Connection
5 The Whole World's Goin' Crazy--April Wine
6 Rock and Roll Love Letter--Bay City Rollers
7 Shannon--Henry Gross
8 Shop Around--Captain & Tennille
9 Love Hangover--Diana Ross
10 Happy Days--Pratt & McClain with Brother Love

Singles entering the chart were Got to Get You Into My Life by the Beatles (#75); Save All Your Kisses for Me by the Brotherhood of Man (#88); Old Time Movie by the Lisa Hartt Band (#89); Doing the Best that I Can by Wednesday (#91); The Boys are Back in Town by Thin Lizzy (#93); Dance by Deja Vu (#94); I Got Your Love by Stratavarious (#95); I Need to Be in Love by the Carpenters (#96); Last Child by Aerosmith (#97); You Can't Do That by Octavian (#98); Rock and Roll Music by the Beach Boys (#99); and Moving Like a Superstar by Jackie Robinson (#100).

World events
The Jamaican government of Prime Minister Michael Manley declared a state of emergency after about 100 people had been killed during 5½ months of protests and terrorist activity. The government claimed that the violence was part of a "destabilization campaign" by conservative forces against the government.

30 years ago
1986

Died on this date
Coluche, 41. French comedian and actor. Coluche, born Michel Colucci, was known for sn irreverent style of comedy characterized by vulgarity and foul language. He won the César Award for Best Actor for his role in the film Tchao Pantin (So Long, Stooge) (1983). Coluche was killed in a motorcycle crash.

Len Bias, 22. U.S. basketball player. Mr. Bias was a forward with the University of Maryland from 1982-1986. He was a consensus All-American in his final season, and was expected to have an outstanding professional career. On June 17, the Boston Celtics, who had just won the National Basketball Association championship, drafted Mr. Bias second overall, having made a trade to move up in the draft with the hope of selecting Mr. Bias. After spending June 18 in Boston for public appearances, Mr. Bias returned to his dormitory on the University of Maryland campus. In the early hours of June 19, he was at a party in the Washington Hall residence with friends, used crack cocaine, had a seizure, and collapsed with a fatal cardiac arrhythmia.

25 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Senza una donna--Zucchero featuring Paul Young

Died on this date
Jean Arthur, 90. U.S. actress. Miss Arthur, born Gladys Georgianna Greene, was a major star of screwball comedy movie such as Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936); You Can't Take It With You (1938); Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939); and The More the Merrier (1943). Her final film performance was in a dramatic role in the Western Shane (1953). Miss Arthur suffered from chronic stage fright, leading to her retirement.

World events
The U.S.S.R. occupation of Hungary ended after more than 40 years, as the final Soviet troops left the country.

Politics and government
The Canadian Parliament set up the Special Joint Committee on a Renewed Canada, a super-committee with 20 MPs and 10 senators, to make recommendations to Parliament on the proposals made public on September 24, 1991. The the Dobbie-Castonguay Committee--later known as the Beaudoin-Dobbie Committee--travelled across Canada to present federal proposals to provinces and interest groups.

Former Québec City mayor Jean Pelletier replaced Michel Fournier as Liberal Party of Canada Leader Jean Chrétien's chief of staff.

Business
Petro-Canada's public issue of 39.5 million shares almost sold out in one day; the federal government was distributing 19.5% of Petro-Canada in a partial privatization.

Scandal
Canadian sprinter Brian Morison was banned from competition for two years by Athletics Canada for steroid use.

20 years ago
1996

Died on this date
Betty Cook, 77. U.S. nurse. Miss Cook was a member of the United States Army Nurse Corps in World War II, and became the first woman in the U.S. Army to receive both the Bronze Star Medal award and the Purple Heart.

G. David Schine, 68. U.S. businessman. Gerard David Schine achieved success as an executive in the hotel, music, and film industries, but was best known as a friend and adviser to Roy Cohn in the early 1950s when Mr. Cohn was chief counsel to U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, during the time that Sen. McCarthy was investigating allegations of Communist infiltration of the United States government. Mr. Schine was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953, and Sen. McCarthy and Mr. Cohn were accused of trying to obtain special privileges for Mr. Schine; Sen. McCarthy was exonerated.

Canadiana
Statistics Canada reported that Canada's population would be approximately 29,955,000 by July 1, 1996, and was expected to pass the 30 million mark in August, 1996.

Society
Statistics Canada reported that only 44.5% of all Canadian families were now composed of officially married couples with children, down from 55% in 1981.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Toronto (1-1) 34 @ Ottawa (0-1) 6

10 years ago
2006

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

Aaron Ward and Frantisek Kaberle scored to give the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead, and Justin Williams scored into an empty net as the Hurricanes defeated the Oilers at RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina to win their first--and so far, only--Stanley Cup championship. Carolina goalie Cam Ward was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' Most Valuable Player, becoming the first rookie to win the award since Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1987. It was the first championship for Carolina defenseman Glen Wesley, who was in his 18th NHL season, and was the last player left with the team from its days as the Hartford Whalers prior to moving to Raleigh in 1997. It was the first championship for the franchise since their beginning in the World Hockey Association, when they had won the Avco World Trophy in 1972-73, the WHA's first season.