June 18, 2017

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Irma Tovar!

260 years ago
1757

Born on this date
Ignaz Pleyel. Austrian-born French composer and piano builder. Mr. Pleyel moved to Strasbourg in 1783 and wrote at least 42 symphonies, 70 string quartets and several operas, as well as symphonies concertantes and sacred music. He founded the piano firm Pleyel et Cie in 1807, and pioneered the use of metal frames in pianos. The company manufactured pianos for Frédéric Chopin, and Pleyel pianos were preferred by other prominent pianists. Mr. Pleyel died on November 14, 1831 at the age of 74.

150 years ago
1867

Protest
Formidable "anti-Popery" riots took place in Birmingham, England.

140 years ago
1877

Born on this date
James Montgomery Flagg. U.S. artist. Mr. Flagg was an illustrator with Collier's, The Saturday Evening Post, and other magazines, but was best known for his poster of Uncle Sam, with the caption "I Want You for U.S. Army," which originally appeared on the cover of the July 6, 1916 issue of Leslie's Weekly with the caption “What Are You Doing for Preparedness?,” and was revived for use as a recruiting poster when the U.S. became involved in both World Wars. Mr. Flagg died on May 27, 1960 at the age of 82.

130 years ago
1887

Diplomacy
German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and Russian Foreign Minister Nikolay Girs signed the Reinsurance Treaty, which consisted of two parts:

1. Germany and Russia both agreed to observe benevolent neutrality should the other be involved in a war with a third country. Should Germany attack France or Russia attack Austria-Hungary, this provision would not apply. In those cases, the distinguished bilateral alliances could come into effect. The reinsurance treaty only applied when France or Austria-Hungary were aggressors.

2. In the most secret completion protocol Germany declared herself neutral in the event of a Russian intervention in the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.

120 years ago
1897

Baseball
The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-9 at Union Park in Baltimore as "Wee" Willie Keeler, the 5-foot-4-inch Baltimore outfielder whose credo was to "hit 'em where they ain't," batted safely in his 44th consecutive game, setting a major league record that lasted until Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees broke it in 1941.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Richard Boone. U.S. actor. Mr. Boone was best known for his starring roles in the television series Medic (1954-1956) and Have Gun--Will Travel (1957-1963). He died of throat cancer at the age of 63 on January 10, 1981.

Ross Elliott. U.S. actor. Mr. Elliott, born Elliott Blum, was a character actor in plays, movies, radio, and television. He began his career as part of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre, and performed in the legendary Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcast of The War of the Worlds on October 30, 1938. Mr. Elliott appeared in movies such as Woman on the Run (1950) and The Towering Inferno (1974), but was busiest in television. He played recurring roles in series such as The Blue Angels (1960-1961) and The Virginian (1962-1971). Mr. Elliott played Fred, the director, in The Jack Benny Program (1961-1964); his casting in the role may have been inspired by his most memorable role, as the television director in the I Love Lucy episode Lucy Does a TV Commercial (1952). Mr. Elliott died of cancer on August 12, 1999 at the age of 82.

Died on this date
Titu Maiorescu, 77. Prime Minister of Romania, 1912-1913. Dr. Maiorescu, a member of the Conservative Party, was a scholar and literary critic before he entered politics. He was Romania's Foreign Minister from December 29, 1910-January 4, 1914, and represented Romania at the peace conference in Bucharest that ended the Second Balkan War.

80 years ago
1937

Died on this date
Gaston Doumergue, 73. President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra, 1924-1931; Prime Minister of France, 1913-1914, 1934. Mr. Doumergue, a member of the Radical Party, was one of France's most popular Presidents, and the only Protestant (so far) to hold the office.

75 years ago
1942

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Paul McCartney!
The "cute Beatle" was born in Liverpool.

Died on this date
Arthur Pryor, 72. U.S. musician. Mr. Pryor was a trombonist with the band of John Philip Sousa. He conducted his own band from 1903-1933, and composed about 300 works.

War
British forces in Libya withdrew from El Adem, 18 miles south of Tobruk, and Sidi Rezegh, 20 miles southeast of Tobruk. The Supreme Soviet, during its first wartime session in Moscow, approved the U.K.-U.S.S.R. mutual aid treaty. Japanese forces landed from six small warships at Siaohsiungshih, north of Taichow Bay in eastern Chekiang Province in China.

Diplomacy
U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington with his staff to confer with U.S. President Franklin D, Roosevelt on the conduct of the war.

Japanese Ambassador to the United States Kichisaburo Nomura, special envoy Saburo Kurusu, and 1,095 Japanese nationals left New York City for Lourenco Marques, Portuguese East Africa to be exchanged for 1,500 Americans who had been interned in Japan since December 7, 1941.

Labour
Several thousand Congress of Industrial Organizations United Auto Workers of America staged an unauthorized strike at Hudson Naval Ordnance Arsenal in Detroit when Negro workers took over machines formerly operated by whites.

Business
The U.S. Senate Committee chaired by Senator Harry Truman (Democrat--Missouri) that was investigating waste in defense spending denounced dollar-a-year men on the grounds that they delayed the conversion of plants to war work.

Aviation
Northrop Aircraft Corporation revealed a new method of welding for magnesium sheets, extrusions, and tubing--called the "heliarc" method--which may eliminate riveted aircraft.

Politics and government
U.S. President Roosevelt nominated Abe Fortas to succeed John J. Dempsey as Undersecretary of the Interior.

70 years ago
1947

Died on this date
Jumbo Harting, 82. U.S. baseball player. Edward Harting played 1 game as a catcher with the St. Louis Browns in 1885, batting .333 (1 for 3) with a double.

Neal Brady, 50. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Brady played with the New York Yankees (1915, 1917) and Cincinnati Reds (1925), posting a record of 2-3 with a 4.20 earned run average in 24 games. He was 20-12 in 40 games with the Dallas Giants of the Class B Texas League in 1915, and was a 20-game loser three times (1917, 1919, 1920) with the Toledo Iron Men and Mud Hens of the AA American Association.

Shigematsu Sakaibara, 48. Japanese military officer. Rear Admiral Sakaibara was the Japanese garrison commander on Wake Island during World War II. He was hanged after being convicted by a military tribunal for war crimes for the murders of 98 civilian prisoners on October 5, 1943.

Diplomacy
Argentine President Juan Peron conferred the order of the Grand Cross of the Liberator on retiring U.S. Ambassador to Argentina George Messersmith as a "symbol of closer relations" with the United States.

Politics and government
U.K. Colonial Secretary Arthur Creech Jones promised Ceylon dominion status within the British Empire, but refused to allow the island to have its own defense policy.

The U.S.-U.S.S.R. Trusteeship Commission in Seoul agreed to meet with Koreans for the first time, after major Korean parties agreed not to attack the trusteeship plan.

Economics and finance
U.K. Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin and French Foreign Minister Georges Bidault concluded their two days of talks in Paris with an urgent request to U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov to join them for discussions on European recovery based on American aid.

Defense
The U.S. War Department issued an anti-Communist pamphlet to all Army personnnel, stating that Communists "seek the downfall of the American sytem of government" and "hate our American Army in particular."

Crime
Jimmy Harris, a Negro who had been rescued from a lynch mob in Hurtsboro, Alabama on June 11, was sentenced by a court in Phenix City, Alabama to 20 years in prison for raping a white woman.

Baseball
Ewell Blackwell pitched a no-hitter for the Cincinnati Reds as they shut out the Boston Braves 6-0 before 18,137 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Babe Young drove in all the runs with a pair of 3-run home runs, in the 1st and 8th innings.

The New York Giants scored 6 runs in the 4th inning on their way to a 12-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 3,661 fans at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh first baseman Hank Greenberg drove in 4 runs with a pair of home runs, and teammate Ralph Kiner also homered.

Gil Hodges' first home run of the season broke a 3-3 tie in the 7th inning and proved to be the deciding run as the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 5-3 before 23,313 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Johnny Pesky singled home pinch runner Eddie Pellagrini with 2 out in the bottom of the 15th inning to give the Boston Red Sox a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Browns before 34,462 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. The hit was Mr. Pesky's fifth of the game in 8 at bats.

60 years ago
1957

Died on this date
Rudy Schoendorf, 21. U.S. football player. Mr. Schoendorf was an offensive tackle with Miami University in Ohio who dropped out of school in 1955 because of academic probation. He was selected in the 14th round of the 1957 National Football League draft by the Green Bay Packers and signed with the team. He and former college teammate Norm Mooney, 22, who had recently signed with the New York Giants, were shot at the Golden Lily Tavern in Bowling Green, Ohio by bartender Gerald Bryant after Mr. Schoendorf had asked to use the bar's telephone, had made two long distance calls, and had then refused to pay for the calls. Mr. Schoendorf was shot in the chest and stomach and died, while Mr. Mooney was shot in the mouth, but survived. Mr. Bryant pled self-defense.

World events
The People's Republic of China's Hsinhua News Agency published an edited version of President Mao Tse-tung's speech titled The Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People. The speech was considered sensitive because it contained pointed criticism of Soviet policies and admissions of Chinese mistakes.

Defense
Cairo radio confirmed the delivery to Egypt of three Soviet submarines. Israel warned that the submarines upset the Middle East's military balance and enlarged "the field of warfare."

U.S. Assistant Defense Secretary Mansfield Sprague, testifying before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, admitted that a "small amount" of U.S. arms supplied to French NATO units had been used in Algeria. He denied, however, that the U.S. could be accused of "financing the civil war in Algeria."

Economics and finance
West Germany and Argentina concluded a trade agreement providing for the return of German assets seized by Argentina during World War II and repayment of the $140 million Argentine trade debt to West Germany.

Law
The U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate the civil rights bill of the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Golf
Canada defeated the United States 7½-4½ to win the professional-amateur Carling Cup in Michigan.

50 years ago
1967

Died on this date
Geki, 29. Italian auto racing driver. Beat Fehr, 23. Swiss auto racing driver. Geki--whose real name was Giacomo Russo--and Mr. Fehr were Formula Three drivers who were killed in a race at Caserta, Italy. Mr. Fehr was involved in a three-car crash and ran down the track to warn oncoming drivers of the incident and oil on the track, but Geki and other drivers were unable to avoid the wreckage. Geki crashed into a wall and was killed instantly; Mr. Fehr was struck by one of the cars and killed; and Tiger Perdomi was injured and died eight days later. Mr. Fehr died three days before his 24th birthday.

Music
The three-day Monterey International Pop Music Festival concluded at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California.

Golf
Jack Nicklaus shot a 5-under-par 65 to win the U.S. Open at the lower course of Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey with a record score of 275, 5 under par, and 4 strokes ahead of Arnold Palmer. Amateur Marty Fleckman, who led with a 1-under-par total of 209 after 3 rounds, ballooned to 80 in the final round, and tied for 18th place with a 9-over-par total of 289. First prize money was $30,000.

Baseball
Don Wilson pitched his first major league no-hitter for the Houston Astros as they shut out the Atlanta Braves 2-0 before 19,199 fans at the Astrodome. Jim Wynn doubled home the first run of the game in the 4th inning and scored when Eddie Mathews hit into a fielder's choice.

Bob Saverine drew a base on balls to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning and scored on a 2-out single by pinch hitter Hank Allen to give the Washington Senators a 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox before 28,776 fans at District of Columbia Stadium. The Red Sox had tied the game in the top of the 9th on a 2-run home run by Carl Yastrzemski.

Jim Gosger batted 3 for 3 with 2 doubles, 2 bases on balls, a run, and 2 runs batted in to help the Kansas City Athletics defeat the Detroit Tigers 8-4 before 24,634 fans at Tiger Stadium. Detroit first baseman Norm Cash drove in 3 runs with a home run and a single.

Gary Peters and Tommy John were the respective winning pitchers as the Chicago White Sox swept a doubleheader from the New York Yankees 7-3 and 4-0 before 39,319 fans at White Sox Park.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Amarsi un po'--Lucio Battisti (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Ma Baker--Boney M.

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Ma Baker--Boney M. (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Big Tom is Still the King--Susan McCann (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K (BMRB): Lucille--Kenny Rogers

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Dreams--Fleetwood Mac

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Got to Give it Up Pt. 1--Marvin Gaye
2 Dreams--Fleetwood Mac
3 Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky")--Bill Conti
4 Lonely Boy--Andrew Gold
5 Undercover Angel--Alan O'Day
6 Feels Like the First Time--Foreigner
7 Angel in Your Arms--Hot
8 Jet Airliner--Steve Miller Band
9 I'm Your Boogie Man--K.C. and the Sunshine Band
10 Heard it in a Love Song--The Marshall Tucker Band

Singles entering the chart were Best of My Love by the Emotions (#75); Here Comes Summer by Wildfire (#80); (Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard by Cat Stevens (#81); Telephone Line by Electric Light Orchestra (#86); Sing It, Shout It by Starz (#87); Livin' in the Life by the Isley Brothers (#88); Way Down by Elvis Presley (#89); Save Me by Donna McDaniel (#91); Walk Right In by Dr. Hook (#94); If it's the Last Thing I Do by Thelma Houston (#97); Saved by the Grace of Your Love by the Sons of Champlin (#98); and Shake a Leg by Sea Level (#100). Way Down was the last single by Mr. Presley to be released during his lifetime.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Dreams--Fleetwood Mac
2 Sir Duke--Stevie Wonder
3 Angel in Your Arms--Hot
4 Lucille--Kenny Rogers
5 I'm Your Boogie Man--K.C. and the Sunshine Band
6 When I Need You--Leo Sayer
7 Got to Give it Up Pt. 1--Marvin Gaye
8 Calling Dr. Love--Kiss
9 Lonely Boy--Andrew Gold
10 Mainstreet--Bob Seger

Singles entering the chart were You Made Me Believe in Magic by the Bay City Rollers (#93); Telephone Man by Meri Wilson (#94); Black Betty by Ram Jam (#95); Handy Man by James Taylor (#96); Long Long Road by David Bradstreet (#97); The Killing of Georgie (Parts 1 and 2) by Rod Stewart (#98); Seaside Woman by Suzy and the Red Stripes (#99); and Amarillo by Neil Sedaka (#100).

Died on this date
Johnny Frederick, 75. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Frederick was an outfielder with the Brooklyn Robins and Dodgers from 1929-1934, batting .308 with 85 home runs and 377 runs batted in in 805 games. He hit 6 home runs as a pinch hitter in 1932, a major league record that stood for 68 years. Mr. Frederick played in the Pacific Coast League with the Salt Lake City Bees (1923-1925); Hollywood Stars (1926-1927); Sacramento Senators (1935); and Portland Beavers (1935-1940), batting .333 with 106 homers in 1,853 games. He was inducted into the PCL Hall of Fame in 2005. Mr. Frederick was the favourite boyhood player of sportscaster Howard Cosell, who grew up in Brooklyn.

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Enterprise, riding piggyback on a jumbo jet, made its first manned flight.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Ottawa (0-1-1) 24 @ Edmonton (1-0) 27

Tom Wilkinson handed off to Steve Ferrughelli for one touchdown and passed 43 yards to Larry Washington for another TD in the last 3 minutes of the game to give the Eskimos their win over the defending Grey Cup champion Rough Riders at Clarke Stadium. It was the last game for Edmonton running back Roy Bell, who had led the Canadian Football League in rushing yardage in 1973, but had missed most of the 1976 season after suffering a serious knee injury in the 1975 Grey Cup game. It was the first appearance in an Edmonton uniform for punter Hank Ilesic, a 17-year-old student at St. Joseph's High School in Edmonton.

Baseball
The New York Mets released first baseman Joe Torre, who had recently replaced Joe Frazier as the team's manager. Mr. Torre was batting .176 in 26 games in 1977 with 1 home run and 9 runs batted in; he ended his major league career with a batting average of .297 with 252 homers and 1,185 RBIs in 2,209 games.

Carl Yastrzemski batted 4 for 5 with 2 home runs and 5 runs batted in to help the Boston Red Sox defeat the New York Yankees 10-4 before 34,603 fans at Fenway Park in Boston in the NBC Game of the Week. Bernie Carbo also homered twice for the Red Sox, and George Scott added another home run for Boston. The most memorable moment occurred in the bottom of the 6th, when New York manager Billy Martin pulled right fielder Reggie Jackson from the game after a double by Jim Rice, believing that Mr. Jackson hadn't hustled on the play. Mr. Jackson and Mr. Martin then got into an argument in the dugout, in full view of the television cameras.



The Cleveland Indians scored a run in the bottom of the 7th and 2 in the 8th to defeat the Detroit Tigers 5-4 before 16,062 fans at Cleveland Stadium.

The Seattle Mariners scored an unearned run in the top of the 9th inning to tie the game and then erupted for 5 runs in the top of the 10th to defeat the Texas Rangers 6-1 before 17,352 fans at Arlington Stadium. Bert Blyleven carried a shutout into the 9th inning, but Ruppert Jones led off with a single, advanced to second base when Texas shortstop Bert Campaneris made an error on a ground ball by Leroy Stanton, advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Juan Bernhardt, and scored on a ground out by Carlos Lopez. Rick Jones allowed 5 hits and walked 11 batters while striking out just 1 in 9 1/3 innings, but was credited with his sixth and last major league win, and his only win in a Seattle uniform. Mr. Blyleven allowed 10 hits and 4 runs--3 earned--in 9 1/3 innings to take the loss.

Tom Seaver, in his first game since being acquired from the New York Mets three days earlier, pitched a 3-hitter and batted 2 for 4 with 2 runs batted in as the Cincinnati Reds shut out the Montreal Expos 6-0 before 29,155 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

The Houston Astros came back from a 3-0 deficit with 3 runs in the 6th inning and a run in the 7th to defeat the New York Mets 4-3 before 52,784 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. Craig Cacek made his major league debut with the Astros, grounding out to shortstop as a pinch hitter in the 7th inning.

Ollie Brown hit his first home run of the season with 2 runners on base and 2 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies an 8-5 win over the Atlanta Braves before 32,016 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

Gary Thomasson hit a 2-run home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give teh San Francisco Giants a 7-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 10,231 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The Pirates had taken a 5-4 lead in the top of the 11th, but the Giants had tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a home run by pinch hitter Jack Clark.

Tommy John pitched a 7-hit complete game victory, and Ron Cey's 2-run home run in the 4th inning gave the Los Angeles Dodgers the lead as they edged the Chicago Cubs 2-1 before 45,655 fans at Dodger Stadium. Losing pitcher Bill Bonham allowed 6 hits and 2 earned runs in 7 innings.

30 years ago
1987

Protest
Tens of thousands of students protesting South Korea’s electoral system gained control of the streets of downtown Seoul for several hours. The U.S. administration of President Ronald Reagan called on the South Korean government to permit a renewal of debate over changing the constitution.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Abba-esque (EP)--Erasure

Died on this date
Peter Allen, 48. Australian entertainer and songwriter. Mr. Allen, born Peter Woolnough, was a popular performer in his native land. Notable songs that he wrote or co-wrote included I Honestly Love You; Don't Cry Out Loud; and Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do). He was a sodomite who died of AIDS-related throat cancer.

Politics and government
69% of voters in Ireland approved the Maastricht treaty on European economic and political union.

Czechoslovakian Premier-designate Vaclav Klaus proposed that the country split in two. Slovak nationalist leader Vladimir Meciar, who had been pressing for a confederation in which Slovakia would control its own economy, welcomed the proposal.

Diplomacy
Peter Teeley, former press secretary to U.S. President George Bush, was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Canada.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the merchandise trade deficit was $6.97 billion in April, the biggest in more than a year.

Baseball
Chris Nabholz and Jeff Fassero combined for a 3-hit shutout as the Montreal Expos blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 before 20,512 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Lenny Dykstra doubled home Mickey Morandini and Wally Backman with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th inning to enable the Philadelphia Phillies to defeat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 before 32,860 fans at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

Pinch hitter Glenn Braggs hit a 2-run home run with 1 out in the top of the 10th inning to break a 5-5 tie and give the Cincinnati Reds a 7-5 win over the Atlanta Braves before 47,896 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

The Detroit Tigers, who had blown a 6-0 lead, scored a run in the 8th inning and 3 in the 9th to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 14-10 before 50,392 fans at SkyDome in Toronto in a game that dragged on for 4 hours 1 minute. Detroit shortstop Travis Fryman drove in 5 runs with a double and a triple.

The New York Yankees came back from a 4-0 deficit with 2 runs in the 5th inning and 3 in the 7th to defeat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 before 34,076 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.

Harold Reynolds singled home pinch runner Jeff Schaefer with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Seattle Mariners a 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox before 19,840 fans at the Kingdome in Seattle. Chicago third baseman Robin Ventura batted 4 for 4, and first baseman Frank Thomas was 4 for 6.

20 years ago
1997

Television
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission presented a new rating system: programs must be rated in six CRTC categories, from those appropriate to children (C) to those for adults only (18+).

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Toronto (2-0) 40 @ Montreal (1-1) 0

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Bernard Manning, 76. U.K. comedian. Mr. Manning was known for telling jokes that made fun of ethnic and other minorities, and was often criticized as a racist.

Hank Medress, 68. U.S. singer and record producer. Mr. Medress was a member of the Tokens in the 1960s, and produced records by artists such as Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Melissa Manchester in the 1970s. He died of lung cancer.

Georges Thurston, 55. Canadian musician. Mr. Thurston, a native of Bedford, Quebec, played and sang rhythm and blues in both English and French in Quebec from the mid-1960s until his death from colo-rectal cancer.

Disasters
Nine firefighters were killed in a fire at the Charleston Sofa Super Store in Charleston, South Carolina.