May 15, 2017

1,625 years ago
392

Died on this date
Valentinian II, 21. Roman Emperor, 375-392. Valentinian II was proclaimed Emperor at the age of 4, after the death of his father Valentinian I in battle. Valentinian II apparently exercised no real authority, and was found hanged in his residence in Vienne; whether his death was suicide or murder is a matter of debate. He was succeeded by Theodosius I.

450 years ago
1567

Married on this date
Mary, Queen of Scots married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, her third husband, at the Great Hall in Holyrood, according to Protestant rites officiated by Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney.

225 years ago
1792

War
France declared war on Kingdom of Sardinia in the War of the First Coalition.

200 years ago
1817

Americana
The first private mental health hospital in the United States, the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason (now Friends Hospital), opened in Philadelphia.

150 years ago
1867

Diplomacy
Russia ratified the treaty ceding Alaska to the U.S.A.

War
Liberal forces in Mexico captured Queretaro and arrested Emperor Maximilian.

125 years ago
1892

Born on this date
Jimmy Wilde. U.K. boxer. Mr. Wilde was the first official world flyweight champion, holding the title from 1915-1923. He compiled a professional record of 139-4-1-6-1, with 99 wins by knockout, from 1911-1923, and is still regarded as perhaps the best flyweight ever. Mr. Wilde spent his last years in poverty, and died on March 10, 1969 at the age of 76, four years after suffering a severe mugging at a train station in Cardiff. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

75 years ago
1942

War
Germany claimed that her forces were at the gates of Kerch in easter Crimea, having broken the Russian defense perimeters. China admitted the loss of Tengyueh to Japanese forces.

Abominations
The U.S. Senate voted against the resolution introduced the previous day by Sen. Sheridan Downey (Democrat--California) stating that Senators should waive any special privileges in gasoline rationing.

Boxing
Sammy Angott (67-16-5) retained his world lightweight title with a 15-round split decision over Allie Stolz (46-5-2) at Madison Square Garden in New York. Mr. Stolz lost the 12th and 14th round for delivering low blows.

70 years ago
1947

War
Chinese Communist forces opened a new offensive in Manchuria, aimed at taking the regional capital of Changchun.

The French government reported an intensification of insurgent activity in Madagascar as General Marcel Pellet temporarily replaced Marcel de Coppet as Governor of the island.

Diplomacy
The United Nations General Assembly's special session on Palestine ended after approving the creation of UN Palestine inquiry commission and appealing for a truce in fighting in Palestine during the commission's investigation.

World events
Burmese Communist leader U Seinda and 12 of his followers were arrested in an alleged anti-government plot.

Economics and finance
The United Nations Economic Committee on Europe ended a two-week conference in Geneva after agreeing to take over the European Coal Organization later in 1947.

Scandal
Former U.S. House of Representatives Sergeant-at-Arms Kenneth Romney was convicted in Washington of concealing a $143,863 shortage of funds under his control.

60 years ago
1957

Died on this date
Dick Irvin, 64. Canadian hockey player and coach. Mr. Irvin, a native of Hamilton, played professionally with the Portland Rosebuds of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (1916-17) and Western Hockey League (1925-26); Regina Capitals of the Western Canada Hockey League (1921-25); and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (1926-29), retiring after suffering a fractured skull. While playing as an amateur with the Winnipeg Monarchs in 1915, he scored all 9 goals in a 9-0 win during an Allan Cup game, a feat which was immortalized years later by Robert Ripley in a Ripley's Believe it or Not!! cartoon. Mr. Irvin scored 29 goals and 23 assists in 94 regular season NHL games, and 2 goals and no assists in 2 NHL playoff games; he scored 124 goals and 39 assists in 155 regular season games in the PCHA, WCHL, and WHL, and 4 goals and no assists in 8 playoff games. Mr. Irvin coached the Black Hawks (1928-29, 1930-31, 1955-56); Toronto Maple Leafs (1931-40); and Montreal Canadiens (1940-55), compiling a regular season record of 691-527-230 and leading his teams to the Stanley Cup finals 16 times, winning Stanley Cup championships in 1932, 1944, 1946, and 1953. He was suffering from bone cancer when he appeared at the Black Hawks' training camp in the fall of 1956 and announced that he would be unable to continue as coach. Mr. Irvin was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958; his son Dick became known in his own right as a sportscaster in Montreal and on Hockey Night in Canada.

Karl Freidrich Bonhoeffer, 58. German chemist. Dr. Bonhoeffer was the director of the Max Planck Institute for Physical Chemistry from 1949 until his death. He was an older brother of famed theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Keith Andrews, 36. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Andrews won the Pike's Peak Hill Climb in 1954, and competed in the 1955 and 1956 Indianapolis 500s, placing 20th in 1955 and 26th in 1956. He was killed, a month before his 37th birthday, in a crash during a test drive for the 1957 Indianapolis 500.

Defense
At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, the United Kingdom tested her first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple.

The Canadian government announced its support for U.S. views on testing any "open sky" inspection plan in a limited area.

Diplomacy
United Nations high commissioner for refugees Auguste Lindt disclosed that Canada, Belgium, West Germany, and France had offered to admit 8,000 Hungarian refugees remaining in Yugoslavia.

Politics and government
Former U.S. President Herbert Hoover conferred with current President Dwight Eisenhower on long-range savings that could result from proposals of the Hoover Commission on Government Organization.

Economics and finance
King Hussein of Jordan asked Iraq and Saudi Arabia to grant Jordan $21 million in emergency loans or gifts to replace funds promised but never delivered by Egypt and Syria.

Energy
Japanese Atomic Fuel Corporation President Kozaburo Tajkahashi told the U.S.-Japan Atomic Industrial Forum in Tokyo that substantial uranium ore deposits had been discovered in Japan.

Religion
Evangelist Billy Graham opened a six-week crusade at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Agriculture
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to end federal payments to farmers for withholding land from cultivation after 1957.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Marionetas en la Cuerda (Puppet on a String)--Sandie Shaw

Died on this date
Edward Hopper, 84. U.S. artist. Mr. Hopper was a realist painter and printmaker; perhaps his best-known work is Nighthawks (1942).

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that children under arrest were entitled to the same protections as adults under the Bill of Rights.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Julie Covington (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
Social Democratic Party chairman Kalevi Sorsa took office as Prime Minister of Finland, leading a five-party coalition government. The non-Socialist minority government of Prime Minister Martti Miettunen had resigned on May 11.

Hockey
WHA
Avco World Trophy
Finals
Winnipeg 1 @ Quebec 6 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Canadian junior
Memorial Cup
Final
New Westminster (WCHL) 6 Ottawa (OHL) 5

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): La Isla Bonita--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

At the movies
Ishtar, starring Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty, opened in theatres.

Space
The U.S.S.R. successfully tested the world’s most powerful rocket, which weighed, along with its dummy payload, 2,000 tons. The Energia, launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, had eight liquid hydrogen engines and was capable of putting a 100-ton space shuttle into orbit. The Polyus prototype orbital weapons platform failed to reach orbit, and burned up over the south Pacific Ocean.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that prices paid by producers for finished goods had risen 0.7% in April.

Major banks in the United States raised their prime lending rate to 8.25% from 8%, their third increase in less than two months.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): To Be with You--Mr. Big (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Robert Morris Page, 88. U.S. physicist. Mr. Page helped pioneer the development of radar.

Jovy Marcelo, 27. Filipino auto racing driver. Mr. Marcelo won the Toyota Atlantic Championship in 1991 and was a rookie in the CART series in 1992, participating in three races, with a best finish of 14th. He was killed in a crash at the Indianapolis Speedway while practicing for the Indianapolis 500.

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Fire--Scooter (3rd week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Western Conference Finals
Detroit 1 @ Colorado 2 (Colorado led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Brendan Shanahan scored 1:13 into the 3rd period to open the scoring, but Joe Sakic replied just 27 seconds later, and Mike Ricci scored at 6:13 to give the Avalanche the winning goal as they edged the Red Wings at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver.

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Jerry Falwell, 73. U.S. clergyman. Rev. Falwell was pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia from 1956-2006; founded what is now Liberty University in 1967; and founded the political lobby group Moral Majority in 1979. He was one of America's most prominent televangelists, and was known for his conservative theological, social, and political views. He was unafraid of controversy, but was often guilty of poor judgement and unwise and unbiblical fellowship. Rev. Falwell died of cardiac arrest.

Business
Thomson Corporation of Toronto agreed on terms for a merger with Reuters Group PLC, creating one of the world's largest financial news providers.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Western Conference Finals
Detroit 5 @ Anaheim 0 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 2-1)

The Red Wings scored 3 goals on 13 shots against starting Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, while Dominik Hasek posted the shutout in goal at Honda Center.