May 24, 2018

800 years ago
1218

World events
The Fifth Crusade left Acre for Egypt.

475 years ago
1543

Died on this date
Nicolaus Copernicus, 70. Polish astronomer. Mr. Copernicus was best known for his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres) (1543) in which he argued that the Sun, rather than Earth, was the centre of the universe.

280 years ago
1738

Religion
John Wesley was converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement. The day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day and a church service is generally held on the preceding Sunday.

275 years ago
1743

Born on this date
Jean-Paul Marat. French physician, journalist, and politician. Dr. Marat was a famous physician who founded the newspaper L'Ami du peuple (The People's friend) in September 1789 in support of the French Revolution. He was elected to the National Convention in 1792, and opposed the Girondins, a female member of whom assassinated him in his bathtub on July 13, 1793, when he was 50.

220 years ago
1798

War
The Irish Rebellion of 1798, led by the United Irishmen against British rule, began.

130 years ago
1888

Canadiana
Queen Victoria Park was opened at Niagara Falls as Ontario's first provincial park.

120 years ago
1898

Baseball
The highest run total of the season was scored in a 15-13 Baltimore Oriole defeat of the Chicago Orphans at West Side Park in Chicago. The pitchers yielded 36 hits‚ 10 walks‚ 2 wild pitches‚ and 3 hit batsmen. Pitcher Clark Griffith of Chicago‚ ejected from the game‚ spewed obscene language at umpire Tom Lynch‚ who threatened him with the Board of Discipline. Sporting Life noted "the only witness appears to be catcher [Frank] Bowerman of Baltimore‚ who is hardly likely to testify against Griffith."

100 years ago
1918

Born on this date
Coleman Young. U.S. politician. Mr. Young, a Democrat, sat in the Michigan State Senate from 1965-1973 before becoming the first Negro to serve as Mayor of Detroit from 1974-1994, overseeing the city's continuing decline. He died on November 29, 1997 at the age of 79.

Died on this date
Chris McFarland, 56. U.S. baseball player. Mr. McFarland was an outfielder who batted .214 (3 for 14) in 3 games with the Baltimore Monumentals of the Union Association in 1884.

Ralph Sharman, 23. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Sharman, an outfielder, played in the minor leagues from 1915-1917, batting .374 with the Portsmouth Cobblers of the Class D Ohio State League in 1915. He hit .297 with no home runs and 2 runs batted in in 13 games with the Philadelphia Athletics in September 1917, joining the U.S. Army after the season. Mr. Sharman was on an outing while training when he drowned while swimming in the Alabama River.

Abominations
The Canadian Parliament passed the Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women, giving Canadian women the right to vote in federal elections, effective January 1, 1919. Women eligible to vote had to be aged 21 or older, not alien-born, and meeting property requirements in provinces where they existed.

Politics and government
The Dominion Bureau of Statistics was founded in Ottawa; it became known as Statistics Canada in 1971.

Baseball
Stan Coveleski of the Cleveland Indians pitched a 19-inning complete game to defeat the New York Yankees 3-2 at the Polo Grounds in New York. Former pitcher, now outfielder Smoky Joe Wood his second solo home run of the game to give the Indians the win.

Eric Erickson of the Detroit Tigers allowed 8 hits and 1 earned run, and Harry Harper of the Washington Nationals allowed 6 hits and 2 earned runs as they each pitched complete games in a game at Griffith Stadium in Washington that was called because of darkness after 16 innings with the score tied 2-2.

The Boston Red Sox scored a run in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat the Chicago White Sox 5-4 at Fenway Park in Boston.

The St. Louis Cardinals scored a run with 2 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to defeat the Brooklyn Robins 2-1 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Gene Packard pitched a 7-hit complete game to win the pitchers' duel over Rube Marquard, who also went the distance, allowing 8 hits.

The Cincinnati Reds scored a run in the bottom of the 11th inning to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Redland Field. Fred Toney pitched a 9-hit complete game and didn't allow an earned run to improve his 1918 record to 4-0.

90 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Billy Smith, 67. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Smith, born Schmidt, pitched in 9 games with the Detroit Wolverines in 1886, compiling a 5-4 record with an earned run average of 4.09. He played 1 game in the outfield, batting .184 with no home runs and 4 runs batted in in 10 games. Before joining the Wolverines, he was 11-7 with a 1.05 ERA in 20 games with Macon in the Southern Association. Mr. Smith played with various professional teams in southern states in the late 1880s, reportedly pitching more than one no-hitter and striking out 22 batters in a game and 70 batters in 4 games.

Opera
At the Canadian Folk Song and Handicraft Festival in Quebec City, singers presented Le jeu de Robin et Marion, a 13th Century comic opera written by the Trouvere Adam de la Halle. The opera, probably the first ever written, had been produced only once before in 300 years (at Arras, France in 1896).

Aviation
The Italian dirigible Italia reached the North Pole at 12:20 A.M., cruised around there for an hour, and started back for Spitzbergen, Norway. At the Pole, Gen. Umberto Nobile, the airship’s commander, dropped Italian and Milanese flags, as well as a cross blessed by Pope Pius XI. He then sent radiograms to Italian King Victor Emmanuel III, to Premier Benito Mussolini, and to Mrs. Nobile. The cross, which was six feet high with a metal base, had a repository in which was placed a message written in Latin by Pope Pius.

Business
The Consolidation Coal Company, controlled by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., announced that it was shutting down 10 mines, four in the Comerset coal fields of Pennsylvania, and six in the Fairmont field in West Virginia. Chairman R.C. Hill said, "About 2,500, or 20%, of the men in the two fields affected are being put out of work. But this means that for the remaining 80%, far better conditions will exist." Other soft coal mines were to follow suit. Labour officials were quoted in favour of the plan.

Disasters
Lightning killed eight women planting trees in a forest near Landsberg, Germany.

Baseball
In the first game of a doubleheader before 40,000 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, a record 12 Hall of Famers played in the New York Yankees’ 9-7 victory over the Athletics. This number does not include non-playing Hall of Famers Herb Pennock and Stan Coveleski, managers Miller Huggins and Connie Mack, nor umpire Tom Connolly. Tony Lazzeri tripled in 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning to give the Yankees a 9-5 lead, but the Athletics rallied for 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th and had the potential tying run at bat, but Ty Cobb grounded out to pitcher Waite Hoyt to end the game. Tris Speaker drove in 3 runs to help the Athletics win the second game 5-2.

The St. Louis Browns scored 6 runs in the 3rd inning and 4 in the 6th and withstodd a 3-run 9th-inning rally to defeat the Cleveland Indians 12-9 at League Park in Cleveland. Sam Gray allowed 18 hits and 7 earned runs, but still pitched a complete game victory.

The Detroit Tigers scored 2 runs in the top of the 12th inning to break a 4-4 tie and defeat the Chicago White Sox 6-4 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

75 years ago
1943

War
The U.K. Royal Air Force dropped more than 2,000 tons of bombs on Dortmund, Germany. Japanese troops in China moved almost 260 miles east of Chungking, capturing Yuyangkwan and moving on Wufeng.

Abominations
Dr. Josef Mengele became chief medical officer of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Disasters
The U.S. Army assignd 10,000 soldiers to flood relief work in the Midwest as the Mississippi River rose to 40.5 feet at Cape Girardeau, Missouri,a 100-year record. The death toll reached 17, and 160,000 people were reported homeless.

70 years ago
1948

Died on this date
Jacques Feyder, 62. Belgian-born film director. Mr. Feyder, born Jacques Frédérix, directed silent and early sound films in France and other countries. His movies included The Kiss (1929); a German-language version of Anna Christie (1930); and Knight Without Armour (1937).

War
Egyptian forces captured the Israeli kibbutz of Yad Mordechai, but the five-day effort gave Israeli forces time to prepare enough to stop the Egyptian advance a week later.

Literature
The memoirs of former U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull were published in two volumes by Macmillan.

Diplomacy
South Africa granted de facto recognition to Israel.

Politics and government
Chinese President Chiang Kai-shek named Wong Weh-hao Prime Minister, succeeding General Chang Chun, who declined reappointment.

Disasters
High water on the Elk River flooded Fernie, British Columbia.

Horse racing
Last Mark, with Howard Bailey up, won the 89th running of the King's Plate at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto.

60 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Catch a Falling Star--Perry Como (8th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): March from the River Kwai and Colonel Bogey--Mitch Miller and his Orchestra (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Hello, le soleil brille--Annie Cordy (11th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Who's Sorry Now--Connie Francis (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 All I Have to Do is Dream--The Everly Brothers (2nd week at #1)
2 Witch Doctor--David Seville
3 Twilight Time--The Platters
4 Return to Me--Dean Martin
5 Wear My Ring Around Your Neck--Elvis Presley
6 He's Got the Whole World (In His Hands)--Laurie London
7 Chanson d'Amour--Art and Dotty Todd
8 Big Man--The Four Preps
9 Sugar Moon--Pat Boone
10 Looking Back--Nat "King" Cole

Singles entering the chart were Leroy by Jack Scott (#46); Cha-Hua-Hua, with versions by the Pets; Eddie Platt and his Orchestra; and Hugo and Luigi (#51); Don't Go Home by the Playmates (#53); Bewitched by the Betty Smith Group (#56); What am I Living For by Chuck Willis (#58); Big Name Button by the Royal Teens (#59); I Know Where I'm Goin' by George Hamilton IV (#60); and Little Pixie by the Moe Koffman Quartette (also #60).

World events
Rightists and pro-Gaullists formed a Committee of Public Safety on Corsica and, aided by French Army parachutists, seized control of government buildings and communications in the capital city of Ajaccio.

Politics and government
Indonesian broadcasts reported that Colonel Joop Warouw had formed a "caretaker" rebel cabinet, presumably to replace the scattered central Sumatran government of Prime Minister Sjafruddin.

Cuban President Fulgencio Batista extended Cuba's state of emergency for another 45 days.

Journalism
United Press International was formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.

Economics and finance
At a Moscow meeting of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, the People's Republic of China, North Vietnam, North Korea, and Mongolia agreed to join in integrated economic planning with the U.S.S.R.

Baseball
The Milwaukee Braves sold outfielder Bob "Hurricane" Hazle to the Detroit Tigers. Mr. Hazle had batted .403 in 41 games with the Braves in 1957, but was batting only .179 in 20 games with Milwaukee in 1958, with no home runs and 5 runs batted in. He was beaned twice, and also suffered an ankle injury, limiting his 1958 production.

The Detroit Tigers snapped a 9-game losing streak and broke the New York Yankees' 10-game winning streak with a 3-2 win before 18,535 fans at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Frank Lary pitched a 7-hit complete game victory to improve his career record against the Yankees to 11-4.

The Washington Senators, trailing 3-0 after 7 innings, erupted for 6 runs in the top of the 8th inning to defeat the Cleveland Indians 6-3 before 3,620 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.

Walt Dropo batted 3 for 4 with 2 runs batted in, and led off the bottom of the 8th inning with a home run to break a 3-3 tie as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 before 4,653 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Billy Klaus singled home Jackie Jensen with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning to break a 4-4 tie as the Boston Red Sox edged the Kansas City Athletics 5-4 before 6,958 fans at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. Pinch hitter Hal Smith doubled with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, but was stranded at second base with the potential tying run.

Willie Jones singled home Granny Hamner with none out in the bottom of the 8th inning to break a 4-4 tie as the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Chicago Cubs 5-4 before 5,210 fans at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia.

The Pittsburgh Pirates scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to break a 1-1 tie and defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 before 13,330 fans at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Bob Friend pitched a 10-hit complete game victory to improve his 1958 record to 7-2, singled in a run, and scored as part of the 8th inning outburst. The Cardinals intentionally walked 2 Pittsburgh batters in the 8th inning, with the succeeding batters both singling, driving in a total of 3 runs.

The Milwaukee Braves scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to defeat the San Francisco Giants 6-3 before 26,948 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich (4th week at #1)

Edmonton’s Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Master Jack--Four Jacks and a Jill (2nd week at #1)
2 Mrs. Robinson--Simon and Garfunkel
3 Honey--Bobby Goldsboro
4 Delilah--Tom Jones
5 I Wanna Live--Glen Campbell
6 A Beautiful Morning--The Rascals
7 Love is All Around--The Troggs
8 Me, the Peaceful Heart--Lulu
9 The Unknown Soldier--The Doors
10 Mony, Mony--Tommy James and the Shondells
Pick Hit of the Week: My Girl/Hey Girl--Bobby Vee
New this week: MacArthur Park--Richard Harris
Here Comes the Judge--Shorty Long
Stoned Soul Picnic--The 5th Dimension
Lydia Purple--The Collectors

On television tonight
The Immortal Story, directed, co-written by, and starring Orson Welles, was broadcast in France. It later received theatrical release in other countries.

World events
French President Charles de Gaulle delivered a national radio address, appealing for a return to law and order. He announced that he would submit a program of broad reform to the people through a referendum in June, and added that he would resign if his "mandate for renewal" should be turned down. Meanwhile, farmers in southwest France staged a protest, demanding price supports and subsidies. Banks closed and tax collectors walked off the job. More than half of France’s 19 million workers were on strike.



Disasters
14 were drowned when a ferry sank in the Yellow Sea off Kunsan, South Korea.

Boxing
Bob Foster (30-4) knocked out Dick Tiger (57-18-3) at 2:05 of the 4th round at Madison Square Garden in New York to win the world light heavyweight title.



40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (2nd week at #1)

Divorced on this date
Princess Margaret of Britain and her husband of 18 years, the Earl of Snowden, were divorced in London. The uncontested divorce was granted on grounds that "the marriage was irretrievably broken down."

War
A week after a French-Palestinian clash, Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat agreed to keep guerrillas out of southern Lebanon.

Diplomacy
The Chinese government accused the government of Vietnam of abusing and expelling 70,000 Chinese residents.

Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev concluded his two-day visit to Japan.

U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale addressed the United Nations General Assembly session on disarmament, criticizing the U.S.S.R. for its deployments in Europe and the Indian Ocean. Many diplomats felt that President Jimmy Carter’s absence showed that the U.S.A. gave priority to direct arms talks with the Soviet Union over disarmament talks in a U.N. context.

Crime
A Los Angeles jury acquitted two American Indian activists charged with the robbery and murder of a taxi driver in 1974. The trial and pre-trial hearings had lasted 3 ½ years and cost $1.25 million. Leaders of the American Indian Movement had claimed that Paul Skyhorse and Richard Mohawk were being prosecuted because of their political activities.

Baseball
In a Florida State League game‚ the Tampa Tarpons pushed 18 runs across the plate in the 4th inning of a 20-2 win over Daytona Beach. The bizarre frame‚ which lasted over an hour‚ featured 9 hits‚ 6 walks‚ 3 errors‚ 3 wild pitches‚ 2 passed balls‚ and an obstruction call. 15 runs scored before the inning's first out was recorded.

30 years ago
1988

Politics and government
In the contest for the U.S. presidential nominations, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis won the Democratic Party primary in Idaho.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan nominated two men to fill key vacancies in the Justice Department.

Economics and finance
President Reagan vetoed the trade bill and asked Congress to pass a new bill. His chief objection was to a provision requiring that workers get 60 days’ notice of layoffs or plant closings as the "humane thing to do." The House of Representatives voted 308-113 to override the veto. Republican Senator John Danforth of Missouri said that the veto would not be helpful to the Republican Party.

Society
Section 28 of the United Kingdom's Local Government Act 1988, a controversial amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, was enacted.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Edmonton 3 @ Boston 3 (game called in 2nd period, power failure) (Edmonton led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Glen Wesley scored shorthanded and powerplay goals within a span of 1 minute 25 seconds in the 2nd period to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead, but Craig Simpson scored a powerplay goal for the Oilers with 3:23 remaining in the 2nd period to tie the score. At that moment, the power went out at Boston Garden, and didn't come back on. Power was not restored, and everyone went home. The National Hockey League ruled that game 4 was to be replayed in its entirety in Edmonton, with the Oilers leading the series 3 games to 0. All statistics from the aborted 4th game counted.



25 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Informer--Snow (4th week at #1)

Africana
Eritrea declared her independence from Ethiopia after a 30-year struggle.

Diplomacy
Former Canadian Prime Minister and current Constitutional Affairs Minister Joe Clark was named a special United Nations envoy, responsible to UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to find a peace settlement for Cyprus between the Greek and Turkish populations and develop a federal type of government for the island.

Television
Three competitors agreed to collaborate on the development of high-development television.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference Finals
New York Islanders 2 @ Montreal 5 (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1)

Basketball
NBA
Western Conference
Finals
Seattle 91 @ Phoenix 105 (Phoenix led best-of-seven series 1-0)

20 years ago
1998

Auto racing
Eddie Cheever won the Indianapolis 500 in a time of 3:26:40.524, with an average speed of 145.155 miles per hour. Buddy Lazier, the 1996 winner, finished second. After the start of the race was delayed by rain for 35 minutes, it ended up as a beautiful, sunny day at the speedway.



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

Basketball
NBA
Western Conference
Finals
Utah 96 @ Los Angeles Lakers 92 (Utah won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Baseball
The San Francisco Giants scored 3 runs in the top of the 17th inning to break a 6-6 tie and take a 9-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals before 45,864 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Center fielder Willie McGee got 4 hits for St. Louis, and Cardinals’ first baseman Mark McGwire hit his 24th home run of the season.

Michael Tucker singled home Danny Bautista with none out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs before 48,580 fans at Turner Field in Atlanta. Tom Glavine pitched a 3-hit complete game victory to improve his 1998 record to 7-2, while Chicago starter Steve Trachsel allowed 4 hits and 1 earned run in 7 innings.

Cliff Floyd doubled home 2 runs with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th inning to enable the Florida Marlins to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 before 16,972 fans at Pro Player Stadium in Miami.

The Montreal Expos scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to offset a 3-run home run by Scott Rolen in the top of the inning to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 before 14,164 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Bobby Jones allowed 2 hits and 1 earned run in 7 innings to win the pitchers' duel over Brett Tomko as the San Diego Padres defeated the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 before 21,298 fans at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati.

The New York Yankees scored 7 runs in the 3rd inning and 6 in the 5th as they routed the Boston Red Sox 14-4 before 33,042 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Chuck Knoblauch hit a home run and drove in 4 runs, and Derek Jeter, Scott Brosius, and Joe Girardi each had 3 hits for the Yankees.

10 years ago
2008

Died on this date
Dick Martin, 86. U.S. comedian. Mr. Martin and Dan Rowan teamed up as Rowan and Martin in 1952. They reached their peak of popularity as hosts of the television comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1973).

Jimmy McGriff, 72. U.S. musician. Mr. McGriff was a jazz and soul organist and bandleader whose career spanned more than 40 years. His instrumental version of I've Got a Woman (Part I) reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1962. Mr. McGriff died of multiple sclerosis.

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

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Finals
Boston 94 @ Detroit 80 (Boston led best-of-seven series 2-1)