April 24, 2017

400 years ago
1617

Died on this date
Concino Concini, 41 or 42. Chief Minister of France, 1610-1617. Mr. Concini, a native of Florence, moved to France, where he served as Chief Minister to King Louis XIII. Mr. Concini eventually fell out of favour with the king, and was murdered by guards on the bridge of the Louvre.

225 years ago
1792

Franciana
The French national anthem, La Marseillaise, was composed by Captain Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.

140 years ago
1877

War
The Russian Empire declared war on the Ottoman Empire.

Politics and government
U.S. federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, ending the North's post-Civil War rule in the South.

100 years ago
1917

Baseball
George Mogridge became the first New York Yankee to pitch a no-hitter, walking 3 batters and allowing an unearned run as the Yankees edged the Boston Red Sox 2-1 before 3,219 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Losing pitcher Dutch Leonard pitched an 8-hit complete game.

The St. Louis Browns erupted for 7 unearned runs in the top of the 8th inning to defeat the Detroit Tigers 7-2 before 4,473 fans at Navin Field in Detroit. Carl Weilman allowed 4 hits and 2 runs--1 earned--in 7 innings to get the win, while Harry Coveleski allowed 7 hits in 7 2/3 innings in taking the loss.

The Chicago White Sox managed just 2 hits in the entire game, but scored a run with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to edge the Cleveland Indians 1-0 before 5,000 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Jim Scott pitched a 5-hit shutout to win the pitchers' duel over Stan Coveleski, who allowed just 2 hits and 2 bases on balls in 8 1/3 innings.

Pinch hitter Jack Smith singled home Walton Cruise with none out in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Robison Field in St. Louis. Rogers Hornsby accounted for the other St. Louis run with a solo home run in the 5th inning, and also hit a triple. Red Ames pitched a 6-hit complete game to win the pitchers' duel over Burleigh Grimes, who allowed 7 hits and 2 earned runs in 9+ innings.

75 years ago
1942

Died on this date
Lucy Maud Montgomery, 67. Canadian authoress. Miss Montgomery, who was born in Clifton, Prince Edward Island on the same day as Winston Churchill was born in England, wrote 20 novels, 530 short stories, 500 poems, and 30 essays, but was best known for eight novels featuring the character Anne Shirley, beginning with Anne of Green Gables (1908). Miss Montgomery had an unhappy home life and died of coronary thrombosis, but left a note that may or may not have indicated suicide.

Jack "Chappie" Blackburn, 58. U.S. boxer and trainer. Mr. Blackburn was a lightweight and welterweight who compiled a record of 115-25-22-5 in a professional career spanning 1900-1923. In January 1909 he shot and killed a husband and wife and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter, but was freed for good behaviour after five years. Mr. Blackburn trained world lightweight champion Sammy Mandell and light heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis, but was best known for training Joe Louis, who won the world heavyweight title in 1937. Mr. Blackburn was still working in this capacity when he suffered a fatal heart attack while undergoing a routine physical examination. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

War
U.K. Royal Air Force bombers attacked the German Baltic port of Rostock and Heinkel aircraft factories nearby. The Chinese command in Chungking announced that Japanese mechanized units in Burma, aided by aircraft, had reached Hopong near Taunggi, 100 miles southeast of Mandalay, indicating an 80-mile advance northward from Loikaw.

World events
Mexican officials arrested reported Nazi Party chief Ewald Bork and three other party officials in Mexico City.

Politics and government
The Madras section of the All-India Congress Party recommended in a resolution to the national party that "it has become necessary to acknowledge the Moslem League's" claim for a separate Muslim state.

Economics and finance
U.S. Budget Director Harold Smith told the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee that war costs would be $70 billion for fiscal 1943, $14.214 billion more than originally estimated.

70 years ago
1947

Died on this date
Willa Cather, 73. U.S. authoress. Miss Cather wrote about frontier life on the Great Plains of the United States in novels such as O Pioneers! (1913); The Song of the Lark (1915); and My Ántonia (1918). She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for the novel One of Ours (1922). Miss Cather died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

War
Chinese Communist forces released two U.S. Army officers who had been captured in Manchuria on March 1.

Diplomacy
The foreign ministers conference in Moscow adjourned after 46 days without agreement on the German or Austrian peace treaties. Participants agreed to reduce occupation forces in Germany by September 1, 1947 and appoint a four-power commission which would meet in Vienna to negotiate disputed points of the Austrian treaty.

The Argentine government announced that all of its Central American diplomatic missions would be raised to embassy rank.

Defense
U.K. Palestine High Commissioner Sir Alan Cunningham flew to Egypt to ask for more troops from the British Middle East command.

Agriculture
Announcing a 200,000-ton wheat shortage, the French government reduced the daily bread ration from 300 to 250 grams.

Economics and finance
The U.K. Fuel and Power Ministry proclaimed a five-month ban on the use of gas or electricity for home heating, effective May 5, 1947.

Yugoslavia announced a five-year electrification and agricultural improvement plan costing $5.6 billion.

Labour
The United Auto Workers of America approved a one-year contract providing for an 11½¢ hourly wage increase for 220,000 General Motors workers.

Business
General Electric President Charles Wilson announced a 7% price increase to cover the cost of a $40-million wage increase recently granted to the company's employees.

60 years ago
1957

At the movies
Rock All Night, produced and directed by Roger Corman, and starring Dick Miller, Russell Johnson, and Abby Dalton, opened in theatres as a double feature with Dragstrip Girl, directed by Lou Rusoff, and starring John Ashley, Fay Spain, Steve Turrell, and Judy Bamber.





Diplomacy
U.S. delegate Henry Cabot Lodge requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to resume debate on the Suez Canal dispute.

Transportation
The first U.S. vessel to use the Suez Canal since October 1956 paid $10,295 in Egyptian canal tolls under protest.

Defense
A three-stage Lockheed X-17 experimental missile launched at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida reached a record speed of 9,240 miles per hour.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Hablemos Del Amor--Raphael

Died on this date
Vladimir Komarov, 40. U.S.S.R. cosmonaut. Polkovnik (Colonel) Komarov was a fighter pilot and engineer commanded Voskhod 1 in 1964, the first manned space mission with a three-man crew. He was chosen to fly the Soyuz 1 mission, in which he was the sole crewman, becoming the first cosmonaut to fly into space twice. The spacecraft lifted off on April 23, 1967, but was plagued with technical problems, and after the 13th orbit of Earth, the decision was made to abort the mission. The spacecraft managed to reenter the atmosphere, but after the drogue parachute deployed, the main parachute didn't open, and the reserve main parachute became tangled with the drogue parachute, resulting in a high-speed impact that instantly killed Col. Komarov (see also here, here, and here). It was the first space mission to result in a fatality, occurring less than three months after U.S. astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee had died in a fire during a ground test of their Apollo 1 spacecraft.





Edmontonia
Former Governor General of Canada Earl Alexander of Tunis was the guest speaker at the third annual banquet of the Sir Winston Churchill Society.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Philadelphia 125 @ San Francisco 122 (Philadelphia won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Wali Jones scored 27 points and Wilt Chamberlain added 24 as the 76ers came back from a 102-96 deficit after the 3rd quarter to defeat the Warriors at San Francisco Civic Auditorium to win the franchise's first championship since 1955, when they were the Syracuse Nationals. Rick Barry of the Warriors led all scorers with 44 points.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow--Tom Jones

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

Rick Middleton scored 2:57 into the 1st overtime period to give the Bruins their win over the Flyers at the Spectrum.

WHA
Avco World Trophy
Quarter-Finals
San Diego 3 @ Winnipeg 7 (Winnipeg won best-of-seven series 4-3)

The Jets' win at Winnipeg Arena was the last game the Mariners ever played. The team started as the New York Raiders in 1972-73; began the 1973-74 season as the New York Golden Blades; moved to New Jersey after 20 games and played the rest of that season as the New Jersey Knights; and moved to San Diego and played as the Mariners from 1974-77. The franchise was in such dire financial straits at the end that the players were playing just for pride, because they weren't being paid.

CHL
Adams Cup
Finals
Kansas City 4 @ Tulsa 3 (OT) (Kansas City led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Mike Korney scored at 10:03 of the 1st overtime period to give the Blues their win over the Oilers at the Assembly Center. Bill McKenzie played his ninth straight playoff game in goal for Kansas City, while Michel Belhumeur replaced Bruce Bullock in goal for Tulsa, making 32 saves in his only playoff game in 1977.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): You're the Voice--John Farnham

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Prince of Wales Conference
Montreal 7 @ Quebec 2 (Quebec led best-of-seven series 2-1)
Philadelphia 4 @ New York Islanders 1 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 2-1)

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): To Be with You--Mr. Big

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals Clarence S. Campbell Conference
Chicago 5 @ St. Louis 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
Detroit 4 @ Minnesota 5 (Minnesota led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Vancouver 1 @ Winnipeg 3 (Winnipeg led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Los Angeles 4 @ Edmonton 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Perseeseen--Klamydia (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Pat Paulsen, 69. U.S. comedian. Mr. Paulsen was part of the supporting cast of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967-1969), where he was known for his deadpan delivery. He mounted humourous campaigns for President of the United States six times from 1968-1996, attracting small numbers of protest votes. Mr. Paulsen died in Tijuana, Mexico while seeking alternative treatment for cancer.

Allan Francovich, 56. U.S. film producer, writer, and director. Mr. Francovich made documentary films that questioned the "official" version of various events. His films included On Company Business (1980) and The Maltese Double Cross--Lockerbie (1994). Mr. Francovich suffered a fatal heart attack in the customs area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston while returning to the United States from England.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
New Jersey 3 Montreal 4 (3 OT) (New Jersey led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Chicago 0 @ Colorado 7 (Colorado led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Phoenix 5 @ Anaheim 2 (Phoenix led best-of-seven series 3-2)