May 31, 2017

140 years ago
1877

Canadiana
Brantford, Ontario was incorporated as a city.

110 years ago
1907

Politics and government
Clifford Robinson was sworn in as Premier of New Brunswick, replacing William Pugsley.

90 years ago
1927

Transportation
The last Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.

80 years ago
1937

Auto racing
Wilbur Shaw won the Indianapolis 500 for the first time; he won again in 1939 and 1940. Mr. Shaw led for 131 of 200 laps, but slowed down in the last 20 laps because of an oil leak and a worn tire. He barely held off Ralph Hepburn to win by 2.16 seconds, the closest finish in the race until 1982. 14 of the 33 cars that started the race were still running at the end.



75 years ago
1942

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): In the Mood--Glenn Miller and his Orchestra; Joe Loss and his Orchestra (5th month at #1)

War
In reprisal for the British Royal Air Force raid on Cologne, the German Luftwaffe heavily bombed the English city of Canterbury. Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines began a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.

Golf
Sam Snead beat Jimmy Turmesa to win the PGA Championship in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

70 years ago
1947

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Five Minutes More--Frank Sinatra; Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra (1st month at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Heartaches--Ted Weems and his Orchestra (12th week at #1)

Politics and government
Lajos Dinnyes, a Peasant Party leader acceptable to the U.S.S.R., took office as Prime Minister of Hungary.

Italian Prime Minister Alcide de Gasperi presented his fourth cabinet, the first post-World War II government without Communist representation.

Japanese Prime Minister Tetsu Katayama presented his new cabinet, with Socialists and conservative Democrats filling most positions.

Protest
Student disturbances and and anti-government demonstrations continued in China, resulting in five deaths among Sun Yat-sen University students in Canton.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Harry Truman signed the $350-million foreign aid bill for Europe and Asia, delegating its administration to Secretary of State George Marshall.

Horse racing
Phalanx, with Ruperto Donosco up, won the 79th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, New York in a time of 2:29 4/5.

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Bambino--Dalida (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Butterfly--Andy Williams (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Johnny Kilbane, 68. U.S. boxer. Mr. Kilbane was world featherweight champion from 1912-1923, the longest period in the division's history. He compiled a professional record of 110- 16-15-1 from 1907-1923. Mr. Kilbane was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.

Defense
The United Kingdom relinquished her air base at Mafraq Jordan, following the termination of the 1948 British-Jordanian military treaty.

Politics and government
U.S. playwright Arthur Miller was convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to reveal the names of writers alleged to be Communists with whom he had attended meetings in New York in 1947.

A bipartisan U.S. Senate committee proposed legislation to revamp federal regulation of lobbying and election campaign spending, requiring professional lobbyists to register with the Comptroller General.

Labour
The International Labor Organization's directorate voted in Geneva to end restrictions on the re-election of the ILO director general, permitting David Morse of the United States to serve a second five-year term.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Somethin' Stupid--Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra (4th week at #1)
2 When I was Young--Eric Burdon & the Animals
3 This is My Song--Petula Clark
4 A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You--The Monkees
5 Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever--The Beatles
6 Puppet on a String--Sandie Shaw
7 Ciao Baby--Lynne Randell
8 Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)--Engelbert Humperdinck
9 Dedicated to the One I Love--The Mamas and the Papas
10 Going Home/I Don't Care--Normie Rowe

Singles entering the chart were Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings by Tom Jones (#28); Don't Blame the Children by Sammy Davis, Jr. (#31); New York Mining Disaster 1941 by the Bee Gees (#32); Hi Ho Silver Lining by Jeff Beck (#34); Young Girl by the Twilights (#35); This is My Song by Harry Secombe (#36); Little Games by the Yardbirds (#37); I'll Eat My Hat by Little Pattie (#38); and Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon by Neil Diamond (#39).

Died on this date
Billy Strayhorn, 51. U.S. musician. Mr. Strayhorn was a pianist and composer who was best known for his collaboration with bandleader Duke Ellington. Mr. Strayhorn's compositions included Take the 'A' Train; Lush Life; and A Flower is a Lovesome Thing. He died after a three-year battle with esophageal cancer.

Canadiana
Queen Elizabeth II gave 12 white swans to the City of Ottawa as her Confederation gift; they were flown from England to Canada.

Auto racing
A.J. Foyt drove through a pileup on the last lap to win the Indianapolis 500 for the third time, averaging a then-record 151.207 miles per hour. Parnelli Jones, driving a car with a gas turbine engine, dominated the race and had a 45-second lead, but a ball-bearing holder in the gear box broke with just four laps remaining, forcing him out of the race.



40 years ago
1977

Died on this date
William Castle, 63. U.S. movie director and producer. Born William Schloss, Mr. Castle was known for directing low-budget thrillers--mainly from the 1940s through the 1960s--and for the gimmicks he employed in promoting his films. For Macabre (1958), he insured viewers against death by fright. House on Haunted Hill (1958) was filmed in "Emergo," which involved a plastic skeleton appearing to emerge from the screen and sliding along a wire in the theatre. For The Tingler (1959), theatre seats were wired with electric buzzers in a process called "Percepto." Homicidal 1961) offered a "fright break" near the end of the film, where viewers who were afraid to see the climax could go out and get their money back. For Mr. Sardonicus (1961), there was a "punishment poll," offering viewers to vote "thumbs up" or "thumbs down," by means of a card handed to them, on whether the title character should live or die. Reportedly, no audience ever voted to spare the villain, and it was widely believed that only one ending had actually been filmed.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that seniority systems that perpetuated past racial discriminations were not necessarily illegal, stating that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act had intended to allow the continued "routine application" of seniority systems "even where the employer's pre-act discrimination in such cases resulted in whites having greater existing seniority rights than Negroes." The decision rejected the views of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and the Justice Department that such systems were invalid, positions supported by numerous lower court rulings.

Oil
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was completed after three years of work.

Agriculture
The Canadian Wheat Board sold China 3 million tonnes (110 million bushels) of wheat, valued at $330 million.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Philadelphia 98 @ Portland 130 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Lionel Hollins scored 25 points; Maurice Lucas added 24 points; and Bill Walton contributed 12 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocked shots to help the Trail Blazers beat the 76ers before 12,666 fans at Memorial Coliseum. Julius Erving led the 76ers with 24 points (see video).



30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Lean on Me--Club Nouveau (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: La Isla Bonita--Madonna

#1 single in France: Viens boire un p'tit coup à la maison--License IV (8th week at #1)

Died on this date
Jerry Adair, 50. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Adair was an infielder with the Baltimore Orioles (1958-1966); Chicago White Sox (1966-1967); Boston Red Sox (1967-1968); and Kansas City Royals (1969-1970), batting .254 with 57 home runs and 366 runs batted in in 1.165 games. He set American League records for second basemen in 1964 for fielding percentage (.994) and fewest errors (5), and set records for consecutive errorless games (89) and errorless chances (458) from July 22, 1964-May 6, 1965. Mr. Adair batted .291 in 89 games after joining the Red Sox in 1967, and helped them win the American League pennant. He finished his playing career with the Hankyu Braves of the Japanese Pacific League in 1971, and then was a coach with the Oakland Athletics when they won three straight World Series from 1972-1974. Mr. Adair died of liver cancer.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Philadelphia 1 @ Edmonton 3 (Edmonton won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Murray Craven scored with a 2-man advantage just 1:41 into the game to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead at Northlands Coliseum, but Mark Messier tied the game 6 minutes later, and Jari Kurri scored with 5:01 remaining in the 2nd period to give Edmonton the lead. Glenn Anderson scored the insurance goal with 2:24 remaining in the game to give the Oilers the Stanley Cup for the third time in the previous four years. It was the first time since 1971 that the finals had gone seven games, and May 31 was the latest date yet for the playoffs to end. Philadelphia goalie Ron Hextall made 40 saves, and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs.



25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Tears in Heaven--Eric Clapton (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Rhythm Is a Dancer--Snap!

#1 single in Switzerland: To Be with You--Mr. Big (5th week at #1)

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Wanna B Like a Man--Simone Jay

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Blood on the Dance Floor--Michael Jackson (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Maria--Ricky Martin (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Ik zing dit lied voor jou alleen--Jantje Smit

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): María--Ricky Martin (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Con Te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye)--Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): I Wanna Be the Only One--Eternal featuring BeBe Winans

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): MMMBop--Hanson (2nd week at #1)

Transportation
Premiers Pat Binns of Prince Edward Island and Frank McKenna of New Brunswick cut the ribbon opening the $1-billion, 13-kilometre long Confederation Bridge between Borden-Carlton, P.E.I. and Jourimain Island, New Brunswick.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Detroit 4 @ Philadelphia 2 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Sergei Fedorov scored the winning goal for the Red Wings as they defeated the Flyers at CoreStates Center.



Law
Commissioner Sidney Linden issued his report on the Ipperwash Provincial Park crisis of 1995, finding that the Ontario government of former Premier Mike Harris; the federal government; and the Ontario Provincial Police bore some responsibility for events that led to aboriginal protester Dudley George's death. Mr. Linden called for the federal and Ontario governments to return disputed land to the Stoney Point First Nation with compensation, and establish a permanent, independent and impartial agency to settle land and treaty claims.

Business
Quebecor acquired Osprey Media's chain of newspapers for $517-million.