June 4, 2016

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Linda Gerritsen!

770 years ago
1246

Died on this date
Isabella of Angoulême, 57-60. Queen consort of England, 1200-1216. Isabella of Angoulême was related to King Louis VI of France; she became the second wife of King John on August 24, 1200, and was crowned six weeks later. The couple had five children, the eldest of whom acceded to the throne as King Henry III upon his father's deat in 1216. Isabella married Hugh X of Lusignan, Count of La Marche, in 1220, and was Countess of La Marche until her death. She was accused of plotting against King Louis IX of France in 1241; she fled to Fontevraud Abbey in 1244, where she died.

140 years ago
1876

Transportation
The Transcontinental Express train arrived in San Francisco via the First Transcontinental Railroad, only 83 hours and 39 minutes after leaving New York City.

120 years ago
1896

Transportation
Henry Ford made a successful pre-dawn test run of his horseless carriage, called a quadricycle, through the streets of Detroit.

110 years ago
1906

Born on this date
Vinton Hayworth. U.S. actor. Mr. Hayworth, who sometimes used the name Jack Arnold, appeared in numerous films, radio, and television programs in a career spanning more than 35 years. He played sneaky comic characters in his early years, and more dignified character roles in his later roles. Mr. Hayworth was perhaps best known for playing General Winfield Schaeffer in the final season of the television comedy series I Dream of Jeannie (1969-1970). He died of a heart attack on May 21, 1970, two weeks before his 64th birthday, shortly after completing his work in I Dream of Jeannie, but before the last episode was broadcast.

Law
Canadian Justice Minister Charles Fitzpatrick resigned his cabinet post to accept the appointment from Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, replacing Sir Henri-Elzéar Taschereau.

100 years ago
1916

Born on this date
Robert F. Furchgott. U.S. biochemist. Dr. Furchgott shared the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Louis Ignarro and Ferid Murad "for their discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system." Dr. Furchgott died on May 19, 2009, 16 days before his 93rd birthday.

War
Russia opened the Brusilov Offensive with an artillery barrage of Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia.

80 years ago
1936

At the movies
The Rogues' Tavern, directed by Robert F. Hill, and starring Wallace Ford, Barbara Pepper, and Joan Woodbury, opened in theatres.



Baseball
The Detroit Tigers scored 10 runs in the 3rd inning and 6 more in the 5th as they beat the Philadelphia Athletics 18-9 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Mickey Cochrane hit an inside-the-park grand slam for the Tigers in the 3rd. Eldon Auker went the distance on the mound for the Tigers despite giving up 6 runs in the 9th. Philadelphia made 6 errors and Detroit 4. Emil Mailho came to bat as a pinch hitter for the Athletics to lead off the bottom of the 9th, drew a base on balls, and scored; it was his 21st and last major league game.

Zeke Bonura batted 3 for 4 with a double, 4 runs, and 3 runs batted to help the Chicago White Sox rout the New York Yankees 16-3 before 7,000 fans at Yankee Stadium. John Whitehead pitched a 4-hit complete game victory, while New York starting pitcher Monte Pearson allowed 1 hit, 5 bases on balls, and 3 runs--all earned--in just 2/3 inning in taking the loss.

75 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Wilhelm II, 82. Kaiser of Germany and King of Prussia, 1888-1918. Kaiser Wilhelm II was the eldest grandchild of Queen Victoria of Great Britain, and was related to many other European monarchs. He succeeded his father Friedrich III on the throne on June 15, 1988; Friedrich III had succeeded his father Wilhelm I just 99 days earlier, but Friedrich was already dying of throat cancer. Wilhelm II dismissed Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1890 and launched Germany on an aggressive foreign policy, contributing to the beginning of World War I. The Kaiser eventually lost the support of his military and was forced to abdicate on November 9, 1918, two days before the armistice was signed to end the fighting. The former Kaiser Wilhelm II lived the remainder of his life in exile in Doorn, Netherlands.

War
Axis planes staged a night raid on Alexandria, Egypt, killing 147 people and injuring 92. Japanese Imperial Headquarters in Tokyo announced that a great battle was underway in the Chungtiao (Shansi) area of China. The Vichy French government issued a statement denying that the nazis would get the use of bases in Syria or that they had any troops there. Airborne British troops occupied Mosul, and employees of the Iraqi Petroleum Company resumed their work in the area.

Defense
U.S. State Department official Thomas Burke said that a new plan for the common defense of the 21 American republics had been completed.

Politics and government
Four state leaders of the Communist Party U.S.A., including New York state chairman Israel Amter, testified before the Rapp-Coudert committee in New York that all party records of members and dues payments had been destroyed by direct order of national headquarters.

70 years ago
1946

Politics and government
Juan Peron was inaugurated in Buenos Aires as President of Argentina, and hinted in his address that his government may not accept the Act of Chapultepec and the United Nations Charter.



California Governor Earl Warren (Republican) won the nomination for re-election of both major parties in the state's primary.

Scandal
U.S. Representative Andrew May (Democrat--Kentucky), chairman of the House of Representatives Military Affairs Committee, admitted to the Senate War Investigating Committee that he had acted as an agent for the Cumberland Lumber Company during World War II.

60 years ago
1956

Died on this date
Katherine MacDonald, 64. U.S. actress. Miss MacDonald was a leading lady in silent movies from 1918-1926, and produced nine films from 1919-1921, becoming one of Hollywood's first female producers.

Diplomacy
Indonesian President Sukarno began a two-day visit to Ottawa.

Politics and government
During the pipeline debate in the Canadian House of Commons, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation leader M.J. Coldwell said, "Mr. Speaker, I wish to say that' never in my life, anywhere, at any time, in any place, have I used those words, 'You bloody fool', to anyone. Earlier above the din I had sought to be heard on privilege. I advanced toward the table and I said: 'You are a dictator, Mr. Speaker,' and I repeated 'dictator' several times. Again, let me say that I have never in my life used the foul language attributed to me." The Speaker was Quebec MP Louis-René Beaudoin (Liberal--Vaudreuil—Soulanges).

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Hitch Hiker--Bobby and Laurie (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Cheveux Longs, Idées Courtes--Johnny Hallyday (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Michelle--The Beatles (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Hundert Mann und ein Befehl--Freddy Quinn (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Sloop John B--The Beach Boys (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Strangers in the Night--Frank Sinatra

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): When a Man Loves a Woman--Percy Sledge (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 A Groovy Kind of Love--The Mindbenders
2 Paint It, Black--The Rolling Stones
3 When a Man Loves a Woman--Percy Sledge
4 It's a Man's Man's Man's World--James Brown and the Famous Flames
5 Monday, Monday--The Mamas and the Papas
6 I Am a Rock--Simon and Garfunkel
7 Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind--The Lovin' Spoonful
8 Rainy Day Women #12 & 35--Bob Dylan
9 Love is Like an Itching in My Heart--The Supremes
10 Strangers in the Night--Frank Sinatra

Singles entering the chart were He by the Righteous Brothers (#57); Please Tell Me Why by the Dave Clark Five (#72); Oh Yeah by the Shadows of Knight (#74); My Lover's Prayer by Otis Redding (#86); Have I Stayed Too Long by Sonny and Cher (#88); Break Out by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (#89); I'm Walking Out on You by Ruben Wright (#92); I Love Onions by Susan Christie (#93); Don't Touch Me by Jeannie Seely (#95); Come On and See Me by Tammi Terrell (#97); The Impossible Dream (The Quest) by Jack Jones (#98); Come and Get Me by Jackie DeShannon (#99); Blue Star by the Ventures (#100); Off and Running by Lesley Gore (also #100); and There Stands the Door by We Five (also #100). The Impossible Dream (The Quest) was originally from the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha (1965).

On television tonight
Charlie Brown's All-Stars, on CBC

This was the second animated Peanuts special, following A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965). Its first broadcast in the United States took place four days later.

40 years ago
1976

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Fernando--ABBA

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Fernando--ABBA (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Fernando--ABBA (10th week at #1)

At the Movies
Ode to Billy Joe, starring Robby Benson and Glynis O'Connor and inspired by Bobbie Gentry's 1967 hit song Ode to Billie Joe, opened in theatres.

Personal
This blogger wrote the Math 10 final exam at Sir John Franklin Territorial High School in Yellowknife; it was my last day as a student there.

Environment
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau declared that it was extending the country's 12-nautical-mile coastal fishing zone to a 200-nautical miles offshore fisheries jurisdiction zone, effective January 1, 1977. Mature northern cod were estimated at 75 million, down from 900 million in 1962. Canada was to set the numbers of fish harvested and quotas for foreign fleets, because fish stocks were being depleted by new technologies such as sonar and freezing facilities which let the ships stay at sea longer.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Phoenix 126 @ Boston 128 (3 OT) (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Glenn McDonald scored 6 points in the 3rd overtime period to help the Celtics edge the Suns before 15,320 fans at Boston Garden in one of the most exciting games ever played.



30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): The Final Countdown--Europe (2nd week at #1)

Scandal
Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, pled guilty in Washington to espionage for selling top secret United States military intelligence to Israel.

Baseball
Barry Bonds batted 4 for 5 and hit his first major league home run off Craig McMurtry to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves 12-3 before 14,012 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Dave Winfield hit 2 home runs and Joe Niekro allowed just 1 hit in 8 innings as the New York Yankees routed the California Angels 11-0 before 39,676 fans at Anaheim Stadium.

25 years ago
1991

Defense
U.K. Defence Secretary Tom King announced that spending on the Army would be reduced by more than 25% over the next five years.

Journalism
Diane Francis was appointed Editor of the Financial Post, replacing John Godfrey.

20 years ago
1996

Space
The first flight of the Ariane 5 rocket ended in failure when it exploded after 37 seconds due to an error in the software design caused by assertions having been turned off, which in turn caused inadequate protection from integer overflow. The rocket contained a cluster of four European satellites.





Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Florida 1 @ Colorado 3 (Colorado led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Scott Young, Mike Ricci, and Uwe Krupp scored within a 5-minute span in the 2nd period as the Avalanche defeated the Panthers at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver in the first ever finals game for both teams. Tom Fitzgerald opened the scoring for Florida in the 1st period.