June 6, 2016

150 years ago
1866

Politics and government
The Parliament Buildings of the Province of Canada, built under the direction of Deputy Minister of Public Works Samuel Keefer, officially opened in Ottawa.

125 years ago
1891

Died on this date
John A. Macdonald, 76. Prime Minister of Canada, 1867-1873; 1878-1891. Sir John A., a Conservative, was Deputy Premier of the United Province of Canada from 1856-1857; 1858-1862; and 1864-1865, and Premier from 1857-1858. Upon Confederation on July 1, 1867, he became the first Prime Minister of the Dominion of Canada. He resigned his government in 1873 and served as Leader of the Opposition until regaining power in 1878. During his time in office, Canada expanded from its original four provinces to include the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island, and the Canadian Pacific Railway was built. Sir John A. died three months after leading the Conservatives to another majority government in the federal election. He was succeeded as Prime Minister by Sir John Abbott.

Disasters
Cornwall, Ontario was hit by a tornado that destroyed 500 homes.

100 years ago
1916

Born on this date
Hamani Diori. 1st President of Niger, 1960-1974. Mr. Diori was one of the founders of the Nigerien Progressive Party (PPN) in 1946. He was a member of the French National Assembly from 1946-1951 and from 1956 until becoming President of the provisional government in Niger in 1958 after a referendum granting Niger self-government. Mr. Diori became Prime Minister of Niger in 1959, and was elected President in November 1960, three months after France granted Niger its independence. Under Mr. Diori, Niger became a one-party state, with Mr. Diori assuming more powers. Mr. Diori was deposed by a military coup in 1974; he was imprisoned from 1974-1980, and lived under house arrest from 1980-1987. He then moved to Morocco, where he died on April 23, 1989 at the age of 72.

Died on this date
Yuan Shikai, 56. 2nd President of the Republic of China, 1912-1915, 1916; Emperor of China, 1915-1916. Mr. Yuan was an influential general in the Chinese army during the later years of the Qing Dynasty, and acted as a mediator during the abdication of Emperor Pu Yi and the creation of the Republic of China. Mr. Yuan assumed the presidency, but eventually decided to restore the monarchy, and became Emperor on December 22, 1915, with the new Empire of China proclaimed effective January 1, 1916. There was much internal and external opposition to this declaration, and Mr. Yuan formally abandoned the Empire on March 22, 1916, reassuming the title of President but refusing to resign. He died of uremia.

80 years ago
1936

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

Horse racing
Granville, with Jimmy Stout aboard, won the 68th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, New York in a time of 2:30. Mr. Bones placed second. First prize money was $29,800.



Golf
Tony Manero won the U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey with a 6-under-par score of 282, two strokes ahead of Harry Cooper. First prize money was $1,000.



75 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Louis Chevrolet, 62. Swiss-born U.S. auto racing driver and automobile executive. Mr. Chevrolet drove race cars and designed engines in his native country before moving to Paris, Montreal, New York City, and Detroit. On November 8, 1911, Mr. Chevrolet, along with W.C. Durant and William Little and Edwin Campbell, founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, which joined General Motors in 1917. In 1916, Louis and younger brothers Arthur and Gaston founded the Frontenac Motor Corporation. As a driver, he competed in the Indianapolis 500 in 1915 (finishing 20th); 1916 (12th); 1919 (7th); and 1920 (18th). Because of America’s entry into World War I, there was no 500-mile race at Indianapolis on Decoration Day in 1917 and 1918, but there was a 250-mile race at Cincinnati on that date in 1917, and Louis Chevrolet was the winner. He lost his wealth in the stock market crash in 1929, and was forced to go back to work as a mechanic in a Chevrolet factory. He died nearly penniless in Detroit.

War
The 125th Newfoundland Night Fighter Squadron was formed as a unit of the Royal Air Force. A Japanese military spokesman said that 50,000 Chinese troops had been killed and 25,000 taken prisoner during the Japanese spring offensive in southern Shansi Province.

World events
Former Egyptian Army chief of staff General Aziz el Masri Pasha was arrested in a Cairo suburb; he had reportedly tried to escape to Iraq three years earlier.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an alien ship seizure bill and issued an executive order authorizing the Maritime Commission to commandeer such vessels in U.S. ports for national defense purposes.

Literature
The American Writers Congress in New York presented the Randolph Bourne Memorial Award for "distinguished service to the cause of culture and peace" to Theodore Dreiser.

Economics and finance
The Netherlands East Indies government delivered a generally unfavourable reply to Japanese trade demands.

Labour
Members of the American Federation of Teachers voted to revoke the charters of the New York Teachers Union; New York College Teachers Union; and Philadelphia Teachers Union on charges of being Communist-controlled.

Baseball
The Pittsburgh Pirates swept a doubleheader from the New York Giants 5-4 and 4-3 before 8,324 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York, as the Giants became the first major league team to wear plastic batting helmets. New York right fielder Mel Ott hit his 13th and 14th home runs of the season in the second game.

70 years ago
1946

Died on this date
Gerhart Hauptmann, 83. German author and playwright. Mr. Hauptmann, a major figure in the movement of literary naturalism, was awarded the 1912 Nobel Prize in Literature "primarily in recognition of his fruitful, varied and outstanding production in the realm of dramatic art."

War
A U.S. government White Paper listed American World War II casualties as: armed forces--916,699 (357,116 killed, 6,244 missing, 369,267 wounded, 184,072 imprisoned or interned); civilians--60,595 killed.

Chinese leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek ordered a 15-day truce in Manchuria starting at noon on June 7.

Diplomacy
Argentina and the U.S.S.R. resumed relations, which had been broken in 1918.

The United Nations Security Council gave Secretary-General Trygve Lie power to intervene in any of its debates.

Politics and government
The Moslem League's executive council voted to accept the British cabinet's plan for a free India.

U.S. President Harry Truman named War Reconversion Director John Snyder as Secretary of the Treasury.

Law
U.S. President Truman named Secretary of the Treasury Fred Vinson as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine Bulletin revealed that German refugee Dr. Walter Loewe had developed a drug called anthalian which relieved hay fever and other allergies.

Economics and finance
Soviet occupation zone commander Marshal Vassily Sokolovsky asserted that his troops had stopped all dismantling of German factories as of May 1, 1946.

Labour
A 32-nation International Labor Organization Conference opened in Seattle to consider the establishment of an international minimum wage for maritime workers.

Basketball
BAA
The Basketball Association of America, forerunner of the National Basketball Association, was formed with 11 teams, and Maurice Podoloff as president. The charter franchises were: Boston Celtics; Chicago Stags; Cleveland Rebels; Detroit Falcons; New York Knickerbockers; Philadelphia Warriors; Pittsburgh Ironmen; Providence Steam Rollers; St. Louis Bombers; Toronto Huskies; and Washington Capitols.

60 years ago
1956

Politics and government
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent forced closure of the pipeline debate in the House of Commons, and passed the Trans-Canada Pipelines bill, introduced in May to authorize construction of a pipeline to carry natural gas from Alberta to central Canada and to approve the financing by a syndicate. The bill had been fought by the Progressive Conservative opposition--who charged that is was a sell-out to the mainly American syndicate--and by Co-operative Commonwealth Federation members who wanted public ownership.

Horse racing
Lavandin, with Rae Johnstone aboard, won the English Derby in Epsom.

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Michelle--The Beatles

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Strangers in the Night--Frank Sinatra

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 When a Man Loves a Woman--Percy Sledge
2 Backstage--Gene Pitney
3 Love is Like an Itching in My Heart--The Supremes
4 A Groovy Kind of Love--The Mindbenders
5 The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)--The Walker Bros.
6 I Am a Rock--Simon and Garfunkel
7 Monday, Monday--The Mamas and the Papas
8 How Does That Grab You, Darlin'?--Nancy Sinatra
9 The More I See You--Chris Montez
10 Lovedrops--Barry Allen

Singles entering the chart were Cool Jerk by the Capitols (#85); Popsicle by Jan and Dean (#86); My Little Red Book by Love (#87); Please Tell Me Why by the Dave Clark Five (#88); Crying by Jay & the Americans (#90); Pretty Flamingo by Manfred Mann (#91); Funny How Love Can Be by the Townsmen (#92); He by the Righteous Brothers (#93); Hey Joe by the Leaves (#94); 1-2-5 by the Haunted (#95); Everyday I Have to Cry by the Gentrys (#96); Miles Away by Little Caesar and the Consuls (#98); Truly Yours by the Spinners (#99); and Ain't Too Proud to Beg by the Temptations (#100).

Space
The Gemini 9A crew of Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, only 700 metres from the recovery ship USS Wasp, concluding their three-day mission.



Abominations
The Presbyterian Church in Canada agreed to the ordination of women as elders and ministers; Shirley Jeffery became the church's first female minister in 1968.

Crime
James Meredith, who in 1962 had become the first Negro to be admitted to the University of Mississippi, was on a 220-mile March Against Fear from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi, when he was shot in the back and legs by Aubrey Norvell, a 41-year-old white man. Fortunately, Mr. Meredith's wounds weren't serious, and he recovered and completed his march, which was intended to show his fellow Negro citizens how to stand up to white authority and also to encourage them to register to vote.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in Sheppard v. Maxwell, ruled 8-1 to strike down the conviction of Dr. Sam Sheppard of second-degree murder in the 1954 killing of his wife Marilyn, ruling that media bias had influenced the verdict in the original trial. Dr. Sheppard was retried several months later, and acquitted on November 16, 1966.

Law
The United States Supreme Court reduced the power of federal judges in criminal contempt cases; prison terms of more than six months now required trial by jury.

40 years ago
1976

Died on this date
Victor Varconi. Hungarian-born actor. Mr. Varconi, born Mihály Várkony began acting in silent films in his native country before appearing in films in Germany and Austria in the early 1920s. He became the first Hungarian to act in an American movie when he played a supporting role in Poisoned Paradise: The Forbidden Story of Monte Carlo (1924). Mr. Varconi played Pontius Pilate in The King of Kings (1927) and continued to have prominent roles in silent movies, but his Hungarian accent wasn't suited to American sound movies, and his roles diminished, although he appeared in movies until 1959. He and fellow Hungarian native Bela Lugosi appeared together in The Black Camel (1931). Mr. Varconi died of a heart attack.

J. Paul Getty, 83. U.S. industrialist. Jean Paul Getty, son of a petroleum executive, made his first million dollars by 1916 and founded the Getty Oil Company in 1942. By 1957 he was named by Fortune magazine as the richest living American, and by 1966 he was regarded by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's richest person. He moved to England in the 1950s, and died there.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Boston 87 @ Phoenix 80 (Boston won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Boston guard Jo Jo White scored 15 points and was named the finals' Most Valuable Player after the Celtics defeated the Suns before 13,306 fans at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Charlie Scott led Boston scorers with 25 points, while Dave Cowens scored 21 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Alvan Adams led Phoenix scorers with 20 points.





30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Midnight Lady--Chris Norman (6th week at #1)

Radio
Toronto station CHUM-AM, with the longest-running hit record chart in North America, dropped its Top 40 format for a mix of oldies and soft rock; it became a rock station in 1957, and published its hit parade chart for 1,512 consecutive weeks.

25 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)--Cher (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Stan Getz, 64. U.S. musician. Mr. Getz was a jazz saxophonist who first achieved success as a teenager in the 1940s as a member of Jack Teagarden's band. He also played with the bands of Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, and Woody Herman before the end of the 1940s, and was successful on his own and with other musicians through the 1960s. Mr. Getz helped to introduce bossa nova to North America, and achied commercial success with the single The Girl from Ipanema (1964), with his saxophone combining with the vocals of Astrud Gilberto. Mr. Getz died of liver cancer.

Politics and government
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled 6-1 that public servants could work on election campaigns, except for top bureaucrats, who must remain neutral.

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Until it Sleeps--Metallica (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Until it Sleeps--Metallica

Died on this date
George Snell, 92. U.S. geneticist and immunologist. Dr. Snell shared the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Baruj Benacerraf and Jean Dausset "for their discoveries concerning genetically determined structures on the cell surface that regulate immunological reactions."

Politics and government
The Reform Party of Canada began a three-day convention in Ottawa; it endorsed Preston Manning as leader, and approved a party policy of radical decentralization of government and a conservative approach to social issues.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Florida 1 @ Colorado 8 (Colorado led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Peter Forsberg scored 3 goals and Rene Corbet and Jon Klemm each scored twice as the Avalanche buried the Panthers at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver.



10 years ago
2006

Died on this date
Billy Preston, 59. U.S. musician and actor. Mr. Preston played the young W.C. Handy in the biographical movie St. Louis Blues (1958) before achieving a successful career as a keyboard player on recording sessions. He performed with the Beatles on the single Get Back/Don't Let Me Down (1969), receiving credit on the label. Mr. Preston had several vocal and instrumental hit singles of his own, including That's the Way God Planned It (1969); Outa-Space (1972); Will it Go Round in Circles (1973); Space Race (1973); and Nothing from Nothing (1974). Get Back, Will it Go Round in Circles, and Nothing from Nothing all reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. This blogger saw Mr. Preston perform with Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band in 1989; drug use hindered Mr. Preston's career, and he died of hypertension and other health problems.

Hilton Ruiz, 54. U.S. musician. Mr. Ruiz was a jazz pianist who performed in Roland Kirk's band from 1974-1977 and later made several solo recordings. He was in New Orleans to promote an album to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina when he was found unconscious on Bourbon Street, and died without regaining consciousness. The police report said that Mr. Ruiz had died from an accidental fall.