May 10, 2017

180 years ago
1837

Economics and finance
Banks in New York City suspended specie payments, beginning the Panic of 1837.

160 years ago
1857

War
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began when Sepoys mutinied against their British commanding officers at Meerut.

75 years ago
1942

Died on this date
Joe Weber, 74. U.S. comedian. Mr. Weber and Lew Fields comprised the team Weber and Fields, who performed "Dutch" comedy routines with musical revues in the 19th century.

War
In a radio broadcast from London, U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill warned German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler not to use poison gas against the Russians, or Britain would drop gas on Germany in massive air assaults. The Thai Phayap Army invaded the Shan States during the Burma Campaign, while retreating British troops turned on advancing Japanese forces and drove them back several miles at Shwegyin on the Chindwin River in northwestern Burma.

Abominations
The World Women's Council, meeting in Washington, approved a special mesage to the United Nations council demanding immediate equality and freedom for all women.

70 years ago
1947

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Heartaches--Ted Weems and his Orchestra (9th week at #1)

War
An international tribunal in Nuremberg indicted 10 German generals for war crimes committed in Norway, Greece, Yugoslavia, and Albania during World War II.

Politics and government
France outlawed the Malagasy Renovation Party, a group accused of organizing the revolt in Madagascar.

Religion
Southern Baptists ended a four-day convention in St. Louis after voting to oppose aid to parochial schools and creation of a U.S. diplomatic mission to the Vatican.

Labour
New Jersey Bell workers settled with American Telephone & Telegraph for a $4.79 weekly wage increase, ending the telephone strike in most major urban centres.

Horse racing
Faultless, with Douglas Dodson up, won the 72nd running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in a time of 1:59. On Trust placed second, with Phalanx third, and Kentucky Derby winner Jet Pilot fourth.

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Bambino--Dalida (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Cumberland Gap--Lonnie Donegan (5th week at #1)

Space
The American Astronomical Society's annual meeting in Boston reached a consensus that the Milky Way Galaxy was 25% larger than previously thought, with the solar system 33,000 instead of 28,000 light years from the galactic centre.

World events
Two days after General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla had been re-elected President of Colombia, he was ousted by a military junta led by War Minister Gabriel Paris, amidst anti-Rojas rioting.

Diplomacy
S.V. President Ngo Dinh Diem and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower issued a joint communique in Washington citing the "large buildup" of North Korean forces and "continuing Communist subversive capabilities" as the leading dangers to Southeast Asia.

United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold and Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion concluded talks in Jerusalem with no agreement on specific Israeli or UN action to ease border tensions.

Defense
The Supreme Soviet approved a resolution calling on the United States Congress and United Kingdom Parliament to join in talks aimed at outlawing all future nuclear weapons tests. The West German Bundestag approved a Christian Democratic resolution calling for the U.S.A., U.S.S.R., and U.K. to suspend nuclear testing as proof of their desire for genuine disarmament.

Politics and government
Rajendra Prasad was re-elected to a new five-year term as President of India.

Society
The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in the case of white parents contesting racial desegregation in Howard County public schools that it had no authority to override the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision in favour of desegregation.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Somethin' Stupid--Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra
2 Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever--The Beatles
3 There's a Kind of Hush--Herman's Hermits
4 All My Loving (EP)--Johnny Young
5 Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)--Engelbert Humperdinck
6 Dedicated to the One I Love--The Mamas and the Papas
7 Going Home/I Don't Care--Normie Rowe
8 A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You--The Monkees
9 What's Wrong with the Way I Live--The Twilights
10 This is My Song--Petula Clark

Singles entering the chart were This is My Song; When I was Young by Eric Burdon & the Animals (#26); Happy Together by the Turtles (#35); I was Kaiser Bill's Batman by Whistling Jack Smith (#37); I'll Try Anything by Dusty Springfield (#38); and Puppet on a String by Sandie Shaw (#39).

Died on this date
Lorenzo Bandini, 31. Libyan-born Italian auto racing driver. Mr. Bandini drove in the Formula One circuit from 1961-1967, winning the Austrian Grand Prix in 1964 and scoring seven other podium finishes. He died three days after suffering severe burns as the result of a crash in the Monaco Grand Prix.

40 years ago
1977

Died on this date
Joan Crawford, 73 (?). U.S. actress. Miss Crawford, born Lucille LeSueur, was a major leading lady in movies from the late 1920s through the 1950s, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for Mildred Pierce (1945). She began her career as a dancer on stage and in silent movies such as Our Dancing Daughters (1928), but eventually moved on to the dramatic roles for which she's best remembered. Miss Crawford was nominated for Oscars for her starring performances in Possessed (1947) and Sudden Fear (1952). She succeeded her fourth and final husband, Al Steele, on the board of directors of Pepsi-Cola, serving from 1959-1973. Miss Crawford died of a heart attack after years of declining health.

Defense
U.S. President Jimmy Carter delivered the keynote address to a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders in London, telling them that they must respond strongly to a 12-year buildup of Soviet forces that was "much stronger than needed for any defense purposes." He said that NATO must begin to develop "a long-term defense program to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and defense in the 1980s." To accomplish this, Mr. Carter called for a better coordination of national defense programs.

Diplomacy
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young began a two-week visit to Africa.

Disasters
Israel suffered her worst peacetime military disaster when a helicopter crashed and burned during an exercise near Jericho, killing 50 paratroopers and 4 crewmen.

Two soldiers were killed and 11 wounded when a shell accidentally exploded at the Canadian Armed Forces base at Valcartier, Québec.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Boston 0 @ Montreal 3 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Pete Mahovlich scored on a powerplay at 7:43 of the 2nd period to open the scoring, and that proved to be the winning goal as the Canadiens blanked the Bruins at the Montreal Forum. Doug Risebrough scored later in the 2nd period, and Steve Shutt scored in the 3rd. Ken Dryden made 22 saves to get the shutout in goal.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Lean on Me--Club Nouveau (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Let it Be--Ferry Aid (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Viens boire un p'tit coup à la maison--License IV (5th week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
Philadelphia 6 @ Montreal 3 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 3-1)

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Tears in Heaven--Eric Clapton

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Das Boot--U 96 (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: To Be with You--Mr. Big (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
John Lund, 81. U.S. actor. Mr. Lund, who was born on the same day as Ronald Reagan, appeared in such movies as A Foreign Affair (1948); Miss Tatlock's Millions (1948); My Friend Irma (1949); The Mating Season (1951); High Society (1956); and The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960). From 1952-1954 Mr. Lund starred in the CBS radio series Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

Sylvia Syms, 74. U.S. singer. Miss Syms, once dubbed "the world's greatest saloon singer" by Frank Sinatra, had her biggest hit record with I Could Have Danced All Night in 1956. She died of a heart attack on stage at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
Edmonton 3 @ Vancouver 4 (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Division Semi-Finals
Cleveland 114 Boston 112 (OT)

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Blood on the Dance Floor--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Blood on the Dance Floor--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Maria--Ricky Martin (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Fired Up--Funky Green Dogs (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): María--Ricky Martin

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Believe I Can Fly--R. Kelly (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Love Won't Wait--Gary Barlow

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Hypnotize--The Notorious B.I.G. (2nd week at #1)

Disasters
A 7.3 Mw Qayen earthquake struck Iran's Khorasan Province, killing 1,567, injuring over 2,300, leaving 50,000 homeless, and damaging or destroying over 15,000 homes.

Hockey
IIHF
Men's World Championships
Bronze Medal Game @ Helsinki
Czech Republic 4 Russia 3

10 years ago
2007

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference Finals
Ottawa 5 @ Buffalo 2 (Ottawa led best-of-seven series 1-0)

IIHF
Men's World Championships
Quarter-finals @ Khodynka Arena, Moscow
Canada 5 Switzerland 1
Finland 5 U.S.A. 4 (SO)