May 20, 2019

1,225 years ago
794

Died on this date
Æthelberht II. King of East Anglia, 779 (?)-794. King Æthelberht II succeeded his father Æthelred I on the throne. Æthelberht II visited the royal Mercian court at Sutton Walls, with a view to marrying princess Ælfthryth, but was taken captive and beheaded. He was succeeded on the throne by Offa of Mercia.

570 years ago
1449

Died on this date
Pedro, Duke of Coimbra, 56. Pedro, the son of King João I, served as regent of Portugal from 1439-1448, during the minority of his nephew King Afonso V. Pedro was killed commanding rebellious forces against those of his nephew in the Battle of Alfarrobeira.

War
Portuguese forces commanded by King Afonso V defeated rebel forces of Pedro, Duke of Coimbra in the the Battle of Alfarrobeira, establishing the House of Braganza as a principal royal family of Portugal.

410 years ago
1609

Literature
Thomas Thorpe published the first copies of William Shakespeare's sonnets, possibly without Mr. Shakespeare's consent.

225 years ago
1794

Born on this date
Pedro María de Anaya. President of Mexico, April-May 1847, November 1847-January 1848. General Anaya served in the Mexican-American War, and was known for leading a brave but unsuccessful fight in the Battle of Churubusco (1847). He was taken prisoner by the Americans, but was freed in time to serve two brief terms as President of Mexico. Gen. Anaya was Governor of the Federal District (1949-1853), and died of pneumonia on March 21, 1854 at the age of 59.

220 years ago
1799

Born on this date
Honoré de Balzac. French author. Mr. Balzac wrote numerous novels, novellas, short stories, and plays, but was best known for the multi-volume series of novels titled La Comédie humaine (The Human Comedy), which was unfinished at the time of his death, after a period of failing health, on August 18, 1850 at the age of 51.

160 years ago
1859

Politics and government
George Barstow was elected Mayor of Nanaimo, British Columbia, with only one vote cast.

140 years ago
1879

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald appointed Charles Tupper first head of the new Department of Railways and Canals, previously under the Department of Public Works; a Minister would now have jurisdiction over all railways pertaining to the Dominion Government. Mr. Macdonald also appointed Hector-Louis Langevin as Minister of Public Works, and Alexander Campbell as Postmaster-General.

Horse racing
Lord Murphy, with C. Schauer up, won the 5th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in a time of 2:37. Falsetto placed second and Strathmore finished third in the nine-horse field.

130 years ago
1889

Baseball
The Kansas City Blues became the second team in American Association history to score in every inning of a game as they beat the Brooklyn Bridegrooms 18-12 at Exposition Park in Kansas City. Losing pitcher Mickey Hughes went the distance for the Bridegrooms.

110 years ago
1909

Died on this date
Ernest Hogan, 43. U.S. entertainer. Mr. Hogan, born Ernest Crowdus, performed in minstrel shows, and contributed to the development of ragtime music, writing songs such as All Coons Look Alike to Me. He later regretted helping to start the genre of "coon songs." Mr. Hogan became the first Negro to produce and star in a Broadway show in New York: The Oyster Man (1907). He collapsed on stage in January 1908 while performing in the show, and died of tuberculosis.

Baseball
Walter Johnson struck out 10 and drove in the winning run as the Washington Nationals edged the Cleveland Naps 3-2 in 10 innings at League Park in Cleveland. It was the Big Train’s first win of the season after 5 losses. Addie Joss took the loss for the Naps, pitching a 7-hitter.

The New York Giants edged the Pittsburg Pirates 2-1 at the Polo Grounds in New York, as Howie Camnitz pitched a 5-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Bugs Raymond. Pittsburg shortstop Honus Wagner was presented with a trophy for winning the National League batting title in 1908.

100 years ago
1919

Born on this date
George Gobel. U.S. actor and comedian. Mr. Gobel starred in the television program The George Gobel Show (1954-1960), where his homespun style of humour made him an instant star. He made many guest appearances in television programs in later years, and died on February 24, 1991 at the age of 71.

Politics and government
Newfoundland Minister of Finance Sir Michael Cashin, leader of the Newfoundland People's Party, introduced a motion of non-confidence in the government of Prime Minister Sir William Lloyd, leader of the Liberal Party. The motion passed, and Sir Michael became Prime Minister. It was the first time in the British Empire that a government had defeated itself.

Abominations
A Yukon ordinance respecting elections gave women the right to vote and hold office.

Baseball
Babe Ruth hit his first major league grand slam in the 2nd inning and pitched the Boston Red Sox to a 6-4 win over the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, improving his 1919 record to 3-0. Dave Davenport was the losing pitcher.

The Philadelphia Phillies scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.

80 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Joe Carr, 59. U.S. sports executive. Mr. Carr co-founded and served as president of the American Basketball League (1925-1927), and served as the director of the promotional body for minor league baseball (1933-1939) and president of the Columbus Senators of the American Association (1926-1931), but was best known for his football activities. He was coach of the Columbus Panhandles of the Ohio League from 1901-1904. The team disbanded after the 1904 season, but Mr. Carr revived it in 1907, serving as coach through 1918 and as administrator until 1922. He took the team into the American Professional Football Association in 1920, taking office in 1921 as president of the APFA in 1921, which became the National Football League in 1922. Mr. Carr oversaw the expansion of the league; he was--and remains--heavily criticized for his handling of a dispute over the 1925 NFL championship, but oversaw the introduction of a championship game in 1933. He died several hours after suffering a heart attack, and was succeeded as NFL president by Carl Storck. Mr. Carr was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1963.

Ballet
Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally founded the Winnipeg Ballet; Canada's first ballet was designated "Royal" in 1953.

Transportation
Regular trans-Atlantic air service began, as a Pan American Airways plane took off from Port Washington, New York, bound for Europe.

Horse racing
Challedon, with George Seabo aboard, won the 65th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in 1:59 4/5, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Gilded Knight.

75 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Love You--Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra (Best Seller--3rd week at #1); San Fernando Valley--Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra (Jukebox--4th week at #1)

War
A record force of about 6,000 U.K.-based planes dropped at least 8,000 tons of explosives on targets in a 150-mile strip between Brittany and Belgium. German forces set up a new defense line anchored at Pico in the north and at Terracina on the Tyrrhenian seacoast.

Diplomacy
Ecuador and Peru accepted the recommendations of a joint U.S.-Brazilian-Argentine committee to settle their border dispute.

U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace left for Asia as President Franklin D. Roosvelt's messenger to Chinese leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and to report on transport problems in Siberia and China.

Politics and government
King Peter II of Yugoslavia removed Minister of War Draja Mikhailovich from his cabinet post.

New York Governor Thomas Dewey gained the Republican National Convention delegates from Utah and Oregon in his campaign for the party's 1944 presidential nomination. U.S. Senator Burnet Maybank (Democrat--South Carolina) said that Southern Democrats were prepared to fight for "white supremacy" at the party's national convention.

The national convention of the Communist Party U.S.A. voted to disband as a separate political unit but to recontinue as the Communist Political Association.

Society
A court in Salt Lake City convicted 15 Utah fundamentalist Mormon polygamists of "unlawful cohabitation." The defendants, with 2-6 wives each, offered no defense, and announced plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Energy
The Commission on Palestine Surveys disclosed plans for a $150-million post-World War II irrigation and hydroelectric development in Palestine.

70 years ago
1949

On television tonight
Your Show Time, hosted and narrated by Arthur Shields, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Million Pound Bank Note, starring Ross Ford and Paula Raymond

Died on this date
Damaskinos, 58. Greek clergyman and politician. Damaskinos Papandreou was appointed Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Athens and All Greece in 1941. He served as regent of Greece from the withdrawal of German occupation forces in 1944 until the return of King George II in 1946, and was Prime Minister of Greece for 15 days from October 17-November 1, 1945. Damaksinos was succeeded as Archbishop of Athens and All Greece by Spyridon.

Pensive, 8. U.S. racehorse. Pensive won the 1944 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and placed second in the Belmont Stakes, less than 1/2 length behind Bounding Home. He died shortly after his son Ponder won the 1949 Kentucky Derby.

War
The U.S.A. and U.K. rejected a U.S.S.R. offer to negotiate an end to the Greek civil war, claiming that any settlement must come through the United Nations with the concurrence of the Greek government.

Asiatica
Burmese Karen nationalists proclaimed a separate state in central Burma between Daiku and Toungoo.

Diplomacy
France formally recognized Israel.

Defense
The U.S. Armed Forces Security Agency, the predecessor to the National Security Agency, was established.

Politics and government
The Bavarian parliament refused to ratify the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, but agreed to join the new state if other state legislatures approved the constitution.

Bolivian acting President Mamerto Urriolagoitia named a new cabinet dominated by the Republican Socialist Union Party.

Academia
Illinois' Seditious Activities Investigation Committee cleared the University of Chicago and Roosevelt College of charges that they harboured subversive activities.

Responding to congressional criticism of the granting of a U.S. government fellowship to a Communist Party member, Atomic Energy Commission head David Lilienthal agreed that fellowship applicants shoud be required to take an oath of allegiance to the U.S. government.

The Regional Council for Education, charged with carrying through the Southern plan for a segregated higher education system, began signing contracts with universities in Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia, and Tennessee for medical and dental training.

Economics and finance
Poland concluded a trade agreement with Israel.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes announced the signing of a contract with the 10 major Hollywood film studios, ending conflicts with the AFL Conference of Studio Unions.

60 years ago
1959

Died on this date
Irakli Tsereteli, 77. Georgian-born politician. Mr. Tsereteli was a Social Democrat and a Menshevik who was elected to the Duma in 1907, but exiled to Siberia after being charged with trying to overthrow the Czarist government. After the February Revolution in 1917, he returned to Russia and held the posts of Minister of Post and Telegraph and Minister of the Interior in the provisional government. Mr. Tsereteli returned to Georgia after the Bolsheviks seized power in the October Revolution; he spent the rest of his life in exile, mainly in France, writing on socialism and working with socialist organizations. He died in New York City.

War
The Algerian Provisional Government announced that Communist China had agreed to supply the Algerian nationalists with "satisfactory" amounts of military aid.

Americana
U.S. Attorney General William Rogers announced the completion of a program of restoring American citizenship to 4,978 of the 5,766 Japanese-Americans who had renounced it in 1945 after three years of confinement in relocation camps during World War II.

Law
The American Bar Association Board of Governors conferred with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, reiterating its stand that the association's committee on federal judgeships should screen all potential federal judiciary appointees.

Boxing
Eddie Machen (27-1-1) won a 10-round unanimous decision over California state heavyweight champion Reuben Vargas (18-7) at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California, to the displeasure of the fans of Mr. Vargas.

Baseball
Frank Lary improved his career record against the New York Yankees to 18-5 as the Detroit Tigers beat the Yankees 13-6 before 12,775 fans at Yankee Stadium, dropping the Yankees into the American League basement for the first time in 19 years. Leadoff hitter Eddie Yost led the Detroit attack, batting 3 for 4 with a grand slam, 2 bases on balls, 3 runs, and 6 runs batted in.

50 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Get Back/Don't Let Me Down--The Beatles with Billy Preston (3rd week at #1)

War
U.S. and S.V. forces captured Ap Bia Mountain, referred to as Hamburger Hill by the Americans, following one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.

Politics and government
A new cabinet was installed in the Federation of Malaysia to govern jointly with the National Operations Council until peace was restored, after racial rioting that had taken at least 167 lives.

40 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Heart of Glass--Blondie (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Music Box Dancer--Frank Mills

Diplomacy
The Islamic regime of Iran asked the United States to delay the replacement of their ambassador in Tehran, after the Ayatollah Khomeini denounced a U.S. Senate resolution condemning recent executions as "interference" in Iran’s internal affairs.

Energy
Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum on nuclear power that tightened controls on existing nuclear plants and mandated stricter construction requirements.

Hockey
WHA
Avco World Trophy
Finals
Edmonton 3 @ Winnipeg 7 (Winnipeg won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Willy Lindstrom and Barry Long each scored 2 goals for the Jets before 10,195 fans at Winnipeg Arena as they won their third Avco World Trophy championship in the last four years, in the last game in the seven-year history of the World Hockey Association. Paul MacKinnon, Lyle Moffat, and Kent Nilsson scored the other Winnipeg goals. Ron Chipperfield, Bill Flett, and Dave Semenko scored the Edmonton goals. Mr. Semenko's goal, wiith 12 seconds remaining in the game, was the last goal scored in the WHA.



Basketball
NBA
Finals
Seattle 97 @ Washington 99 (Washington led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Larry Wright made 2 of 3 free throws with 1 second remaining to give the Bullets their win over the SuperSonics before 19,035 fans at Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. The Bullets had led by as much as 18 points in he 4th quarter. Mr. Wright came off the bench to lead Washington with 26 points, while Gus Williams of Seattle led all scorers with 32 points.





Baseball
Frank Taveras singled home Joel Youngblood with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the New York Mets an 8-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals before 8,180 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. The Cardinals broke a 4-4 tie with 3 runs in the top of the 10th, but Richie Hebner hit a 3-run home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th to tie the score 7-7.

The Houston Astros defeated the San Diego Padres 1-0 and 6-3 before 15,039 fans at the Astrodome to move to within 1½ games of the National League West Division-leading Cincinnati Reds. The only run of the first game came on a home run by Terry Puhl, leading off the game against Gaylord Perry.

Tommy John pitched a 2-hitter to improve his 1979 record to 9-0 as the New York Yankees shut out the Boston Red Sox 2-0 before 33,932 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Losing pitcher Dennis Eckersley allowed just 6 hits in a complete game, but allowed solo home runs by Graig Nettles in the 4th inning and Reggie Jackson in the 9th.

Nolan Ryan pitched a 2-hitter and struck out 11 batters, winning the pitchers' duel over Ross Baumgarten, as the California Angels shut out the Chicago White Sox 4-0 before 27,189 fans at Anaheim Stadium.

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Like a Prayer--Madonna (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Eternal Flame--Bangles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Megamix--Boney M. (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Ferry 'Cross the Mersey--The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Eternal Flame--Bangles (6th week at #1)
2 Wonderful--Patty and Shift
3 The Look--Roxette
4 Me Myself and I--De La Soul
5 Paradise City--Guns N' Roses
6 I Beg Your Pardon--Kon Kan
7 This is Your Land--Simple Minds
8 Keep On Movin--Soul II Soul
9 Too Many Broken Hearts--Jason Donovan
10 If You Don't Know Me by Now--Simply Red

Singles entering the chart were El Cordobes by BZN (#22); I Want it All by Queen (#23); Forever Your Girl by Paula Abdul (#31); Free by Stevie Wonder (#32); and Blijf Zoals Je Bent by Justine (#36).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Forever Your Girl--Paula Abdul
2 Real Love--Jody Watley
3 I'll Be There for You--Bon Jovi
4 Soldier of Love--Donny Osmond
5 Rock On--Michael Damian
6 Patience--Guns n' Roses
7 Wind Beneath My Wings--Bette Midler
8 After All--Cher and Peter Cetera
9 Every Little Step--Bobby Brown
10 Like a Prayer--Madonna

Singles entering the chart were What You Don't Know by Expose (#59); The Doctor by the Doobie Brothers (#62); Toy Soldiers by Martika (#69); Hey Baby by Henry Lee Summer (#83); Moonlight on Water by Kevin Raleigh (#85); Yo No Se by Pajama Party (#91); and So Alive by Love and Rockets (#94).

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Real Love--Jody Watley
2 Forever Your Girl--Paula Abdul
3 I'll Be There for You--Bon Jovi
4 Like a Prayer--Madonna
5 Rock On--Michael Damian
6 Soldier of Love--Donny Osmond
7 After All--Cher and Peter Cetera
8 Cult of Personality--Living Colour
9 Electric Youth--Debbie Gibson
10 Patience--Guns n' Roses

Singles entering the chart were The Doctor by the Doobie Brothers (#60); What You Don't Know by Expose (#65); Toy Soldiers by Martika (#73); Fire Woman by the Cult (#75); So Alive by Love and Rockets (#83); Once Bitten Twice Shy by Great White (#87); and Hey Baby by Henry Lee Summer (#90).

Died on this date
John Hicks, 85. U.K. economist. Sir John shared the 1972 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Kenneth Arrow "for their pioneering contributions to general economic equilibrium theory and welfare theory." His best-known book was Value and Capital (1939).

Gilda Radner, 42. U.S. comedienne. Miss Radner, anative of Detroit, joined the Second City troupe in Toronto in 1973 and was a member of the cast of the awful CBC children's comedy television program Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins (1974-1975) before returning to the United States, where she achieved stardom as a member of the cast of the NBC sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live from 1975-1980, winning an Emmy Award in 1978. She died of ovarian cancer.

World events
In response to the presence of at least one million protesters in Beijing and other cities in recent days, the government of China imposed martial law.

Horse racing
Sunday Silence, with Pat Valenzuela, won the 114th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in a time of 1:53 4/5, edging Easy Goer by a nose in the closest Preakness in history.



Soccer
English FA Cup Final @ Wembley Stadium, London
Arsenal 3 Manchester United 2 (ET)

Ian Rush scored 2 goals in extra time for Arsenal as they broke a 1-1 tie and defeated Liverpool before 82,800 fans. Mr. Rush's second goal came 2 minutes after Stuart McCall scored his second goal to tie the score. Mr. McCall's first goal had tied the score in the last minute of regulation time.



25 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Without You--Mariah Carey (7th week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Western Conference Finals
Toronto 0 @ Vancouver 4 (Vancouver led best-of-seven series 2-1)

20 years ago
1999

Law
U.S. Vice President Al Gore cast the deciding vote to enable a Democrat-sponsored amendment to a crime bill to pass in the Senate by a vote of 51-50. The amendment closed some loopholes to a previous amendment requiring mandatory background checks for firearms purchased at gun shows. The Senate then voted on the bill, passing it 73-25. Other provisions banned the sale of semiautomatic weapons to people under 18; allowed youths as young as 14 to be charged as adults; forbade anyone convicted of a violent crime as a juvenile to own firearms; and authorized $5 billion to deal with juvenile crime problems. President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary met with students, teachers, and victims’ families in Littleton, Colorado, site of the massacre at Columbine High School a month earlier.

Abominations
The Supreme Court of Canada expanded sodomite/lesbian "spousal rights," striking down the definition of term "spouse" in Ontario law under which sodomites and lesbians were denied the right to sue for spousal support.

Politics and government
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously to open aboriginal band elections to off-reserve natives, stating that excluding them violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Baseball
New York Mets’ third baseman Robin Ventura became the first major league player to hit a grand slam in each game of a doubleheader, as the Mets swept the Milwaukee Brewers 11-10 and 10-1 before 19,542 fans at Shea Stadium in New York.

Derrek Lee singled home Cliff Floyd with 1 out in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the Florida Marlins a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 11,473 fans at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. Brent Billingsley, the second of five Florida pitchers, made his major league debut, pitching 2/3 inning with a base on balls, but no runs.

The Houston Astros scored 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning to break a 2-2 tie as they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 before 40,780 fans at Dodger Stadium. Pinch hitter Tripp Cromer hit a solo home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to send the game into extra innings, and Raul Mondesi hit a solo homer with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th.

10 years ago
2009

Died on this date
Pierre Gamarra, 89. French writer. Mr. Gamarra was best known for his novels for youth. He was editor-in-chief of the literary magazine Europe from 1951-1974.

Arthur Erickson, 84. Canadian architect. Mr. Erickson, a native of Vancouver, was known for his modernist concrete works, such as the Simon Fraser University campus in Burnaby, British Columbia, and the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C.

Crime
Michael Rafferty and Terri-Lyne McClintic were charged with the abduction and murder of eight-year-old Victoria "Tori" Stafford, who had gone missing six weeks earlier in Woodstock, Ontario, and whose body wasn't discovered until two months later.

Suspended National Football League quarterback Michael Vick was released after 19 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring.

Business
General Motors Canada announced that it would cut its sales network by 40 per cent, and started notifying 245 of its 709 dealers that their sales and service agreements would expire in October 2010.