April 20, 2020

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Tanya Dueck!

1,360 years ago
660

Born on this date
Genmei. Empress of Japan, 707-715. Genmei, born Abe-hime, acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne upon the death of her son Monmu. She moved the seat of government to Nara, and abdicated in favour of her daughter Genshō. Genmei died on December 29, 721 at the age of 61.

250 years ago
1770

War
Forces of King Erekle II of Georgia defeated Ottoman forces commanded by Gola Pasha in the Battle of Aspindza in Georgia.

220 years ago
1800

Europeana
The Septinsular Republic was established under nominal Russian and Ottoman sovereignty in the Ionian Islands.

210 years ago
1810

South Americana
The Governor of Caracas declared independence from Spain.

170 years ago
1850

Born on this date
Daniel Chester French. U.S. sculptor. The preeminent American sculptor of his time, Mr. French’s best-known work is probably the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln (1920) at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. He died on October 7, 1931 at the age of 66.

130 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Maurice Duplessis. Canadian politician. Mr. Duplessis was the leader of the Union Nationale party and was Premier of Quebec from 1936-1939 and from 1944 until his death on September 7, 1959 at the age of 69. He opposed Communism, trade unions, and Canadian involvement in World War II. His government favoured private enterprise and the entry of foreign (largely American) foreign capital )while refusing federal funds to support education), and kept taxes low, while building roads and bridges (at least in areas that had voted UN). The Union Nationale under Duplessis engaged in the typical Quebec practices of extortion, vote-buying, and ballot box-stuffing. The Roman Catholic church hierarchy supported Mr. Duplessis' government in return for subsidies for church schools and charities. The Padlock Law of 1937 authorized police to lock premises from which Communist activity was allegedly conducted. Jehovah's Witnesses were fined and imprisoned for distributing literature on the street. Wilson Ewin, a Baptist evangelist, also served time in prison in Quebec under Duplessis for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mr. Duplessis died in Schefferville, Quebec, and was succeeded as premier by Paul Sauve. Mr. Duplessis continues to be the subject of scholarly debate.

Adolf Schärf. President of Austria, 1957-1965. Mr. Schärf was Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) (1945-1957) and Vice Chancellor of Austria (1945-1957), and was elected President in 1957, following the death of Theodor Körner. Like his predecessor, Mr. Schärf died in office, on February 28, 1965 at the age of 74.

120 years ago
1900

War
William H.S. Nickerson, a medical officer from Saint John, New Brunswick, earned the Victoria Cross at Wakkerstroom during the South African War. Going out under heavy fire, Mr. Nickerson saved the life of a soldier ("whose entrails were protruding") by stitching up his stomach.

110 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Fatin Rüştü Zorlu. Turkish diplomat and politician. Mr. Zorlu was a career diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, holding various ambassadorial posts, including Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (1952-1954). As a member of the Democratic Party he was elected to the Grand National Assembly, representing Çanakkale, in 1954. Mr. Zorlu served as Deputy Prime Minister (1954-1955) and Foreign Minister (1957-1960), but was arrested with other members of the government of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes when the Armed Forces staged a coup on May 27, 1960. Mr. Zorlu and others were charged with violating the constitution; he was sentenced to death and hanged, at the age of 51, with Mr. Menderes and former cabinet minister Hasan Polatkan, on the island of İmralı on September 16, 1961.

Baseball
Addie Joss (2-0) pitched his second career major league no-hitter as the Cleveland Naps edged the Chicago White Sox 1-0 at South Side Park in Chicago. Mr. Joss helped his cause with 10 assists. Terry Turner doubled in the game’s only run off losing pitcher Doc White (0-1).

Hooks Wiltse (1-0) pitched a 3-hitter and doubled home 2 runs as the New York Giants opened their season with a 4-0 win over the Boston Doves at the Polo Grounds in New York.

100 years ago
1920

Born on this date
Clement Isong. Nigerian banker and politician. Dr. Isong was governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (1967–1975) during the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon, and was Governor of Cross River State (1979-1983). He died on May 29, 2000 at the age of 80.

Frances Ames. South African physician and human rights activist. Dr. Ames was a neurologist and psychiatrist who was best known for leading the medical ethics inquiry into the death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, who died in 1977 from medical neglect after being tortured in police custody. She and others argued that doctors had collaborated with police in covering up the brutal treatment of Mr. Biko. In 1985, the South African Supreme Court ruled in her favour, and the medical regulatory body eventually reversed its decision. Dr. Ames also studied the effects of cannabis, and recommended its medical use. She died on November 11, 2002 at the age of 82, after a long battle with leukemia.

John Paul Stevens. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1975-2010. Justice Stevens was an antitrust lawyer before being appointed by President Richard Nixon to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 1970. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Gerald Ford in 1975, succeeding William O. Douglas. Justice Stevens regarded himself as a conservative, but he became more liberal in his views with the passage of time, and was the most liberal member of the Supreme Court in his later years. He retired on June 29, 2010, and died on July 16, 2019 of complications from a stroke at the age of 99. Justice Stevens was the second-oldest-serving justice in the history of the court and the third-longest-serving justice at the time of his retirement, and was the longest-lived Supreme Court justice (so far).

Baseball
Philadelphia Phillies’ manager Gavy Cravath, who had led the National League in home runs 6 times in the previous decade, inserted himself into the game as a pinch hitter and hit a 3-run home run to beat the New York Giants 3-0 before 8,000 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. It was the 119th and last home run of Mr. Cravath’s major league career. Eppa Rixey (1-1) was the winning pitcher over Rube Benton (0-1).

The Brooklyn Robins defeated the Boston Braves 1-0 in 11 innings as Leon Cadore (2-0) outlasted Joe Oeschger (1-1) in a pitching duel before 4,000 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Brooklyn rookie Walter Hood doubled in the winning run.

The Cleveland Indians scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning and 4 in the 7th, and withstood a 5-run 8th-inning rally to outlast the Detroit Tigers 11-10 at Dunn Field in Cleveland.

90 years ago
1930

Baseball
Grover Cleveland Alexander (0-1), pitching his first game with the Philadelphia Phillies since 1917, gave up 4 bases on balls and a home run to Mel Ott in 6 innings of work as the Phillies lost 2-1 to the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds in New York. Carl Hubbell (1-0) pitched a 4-hit complete game victory.

80 years ago
1940

War
The government of the Netherlands declared a state of siege for the whole country. British planes bombed the Norwegian cities of Stavenger, Aalborg, and Kristiansand in an effort to prevent German troops from being airlifted to Norway.

Technology
The first public test of the electron microscope was held at the Radio Corporation of America laboratories in Camden, New Jersey.

Aviation
Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation announced production of a dirigible capable of resisting storms while airborne.

Economics and finance
Japan opened the Pearl River in China to commercial traffic, making Canton accessible to world trade.

Labour
American Federation of Labor President William Green opened a union organizing drive in the southwestern United States with a speech in Dallas calling for the unity of all economic groups.

70 years ago
1945

At the movies
The Horn Blows at Midnight, directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Jack Benny and Alexis Smith, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Erwin Bumke, 70. German jurist. Mr. Bumke was the last president of the Reichsgericht (Imperial Court of Justice) from 1929-1945. After the Nazis took power in Germany in 1933, the Court increasingly implemented rulings in line with Nazi policy. "Justice" Bumke committed suicide the day after U.S. forces captured Leipzig; the Reichsgericht was dissolved at the end of World War II.

War
German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler celebrated his 56th birthday by leaving his bunker in Berlin to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth; it was Mr. Hitler's last public appearance. Units of the U.S. 7th Army captured Nuremberg. Radio broadcasts from Berlin announced that Soviet troops were at Werneuchen, 7 1/2 miles north of Berlin. Allied forces in Italy broke through the last mountain barriers southwest of Bologna and advanced in the Po Valley. A month-long British deive on Rangoon placed them 220 miles north of the Burmese capital.

Abominations
20 Jewish children who had been used in medical experiments at Neuengamme concentration camp in Germany, their 4 adult Jewish caretakers and 6 Soviet Red Army prisoners of war were killed in the basement of the Bullenhuser Damm school in Hamburg. Later that evening, 24 Soviet POWs who had also been used in the experiments were brought to the school to be murdered.

Law
Jurists of 44 United Nations member states signed a preliminary draft of a plan for the International Court of Justice; the draft would be submitted to the San Francisco Conference to found the United Nations.

The High Court of Justice in Paris sentenced General Henri-Fernand Dentz, former high commissioner of Syria, to death with military degradation and property confiscation, as a traitor to France.

Politics and government
U.S. President Harry Truman named his old friend Charlie Ross of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as his press secretary.

Labour
The U.S. National War Labor Board approved an increase of 5c per hour for 30,000 maintenance workers with five auto manufacturers

70 years ago
1950

At the movies
Guilty Bystander, directed by Joseph Lerner, and starring Zachary Scott and Faye Emerson, opened in theatres in New York City.



Died on this date
Warwick Deeping, 72. U.K. author. Dr. Deeping, a physician by trade, wrote numerous short stories and almost 70 novels, the best known of which was Sorrell and Son (1925). His early novels were mainly historical romances, while his later works dealt with issues of modern life.

Literature
Scottsboro Boy by Haywood Patterson, one of nine Negroes arrested in 1931 in Alabama on rape charges that proved to be false, was published in New York by Doubleday.

War
Chinese Communist invaders gained a foothold on northeastern Hainan Island, assisted by guerrillas infiltrated in previous weeks.

Diplomacy
The West German government acknowledged that there were 14 former Nazis among 31 senior members of the new West German Foreign Service now in training. Government spokesmen contended that all had been denazified and were needed because of their experience.

Scandal
Testifying before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, former Communist editor Louis Budenz accused U.S. Far Eastern Affairs adviser Owen Lattimore of being a Communist, but said that he could not offer evidence to support his charge.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Harry Truman signed the $3.5-billion "middle income" Housing Act of 1950.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York 2 @ Detroit 1 (OT) (New York led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Don Raleigh scored 1:38 into overtime to give the Rangers their second straight overtime win. Mr. Raleigh scored the winning goal in both games. Dunc Fisher scored in the 2nd period to give New York a 1-0 lead, but Ted Lindsay scored for Detroit with 1:50 remaining in regulation time.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Minneapolis 76 @ Syracuse 83 (Minneapolis led best-of-seven series 3-2)

The Nationals outscored the Lakers 24-8 in the 2nd quarter as they averted elimination before 9,024 fans at State Fair Coliseum. Dolph Schayes led the Nationals with 19 points, while George Mikan of the Lakers led all scorers with 28 points.

60 years ago
1960

Baseball
Shortstop Roy McMillan hit 2 home runs and 3 singles and drove in 5 runs for the Cincinnati Reds as they beat the Milwaukee Braves 10-5 in 10 innings before 17,807 fans at County Stadium in Milwaukee. He singled in a run and scored a run as part of a 5-run 10th inning.

50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Let it Be--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Onna no Blues--Keiko Fuji (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Gwendolyne--Julio Iglesias (3rd week at #1)

On the radio
The Challenge of Space, on Springbok Radio
Tonight’s episode: The Lost Lake

Died on this date
Ed Mensor, 84. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Mensor was a shortstop with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1912-1914), batting .221 with 1 home run and 8 runs batted in in 127 games. He played at least 708 games in at least 9 seasons in the minor leagues from 1910-1921.

Jake Mooty, 58. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Mooty played with the Cincinnati Reds (1936-1937); Chicago Cubs (1940-1943); and Detroit Tigers (1944), compiling a record of 16-23 with an earned run average of 4.03 in 111 games, batting .205 with no home runs and 5 runs batted in in 116 games. He was 114-121 with a 3.81 ERA in 353 games in 12 seasons in the minor leagues from 1935-1950. Mr. Mooty died a week after his 58th birthday.

War
U.S. President Richard Nixon delivered a televised address on the Vietnam War, and announced plans to withdraw more than 150,000 more American troops over the next year. Mr. Nixon said that the training and equipping of the South Vietnamese army had substantially exceeded expectations.

Law
A refusal by the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court decision upheld a ruling prohibiting the Subversive Activities Control Board from declaring individuals to be Communist Party members. The decision left the board with virtually nothing to do.

Baseball
Willie Stargell hit a tremendous home run off Jim Bouton (1-1) over the right field roof at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh as the Pirates beat the Houston Astros 3-1 before 4,051 fans. Winning pitcher Dock Ellis (2-0) allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run in 6 innings.

40 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Cruisin'--Smokey Robinson

#1 single in Switzerland: Weekend--Earth and Fire

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Philadelphia 2 @ New York Rangers 4 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Buffalo 3 @ Chicago 2 (Buffalo won best-of-seven series 4-0)
Montreal 5 @ Minnesota 1 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

30 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Alex McCrindle, 78. U.K. actor. Mr. McCrindle, a native of Glasgow, appeared in several television programs in the late 1930s and in movies and television from the early 1950s until his death. He was best known for playing General Jan Dodonna in Star Wars (1977).

Scandal
Baseball legend Pete Rose pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati to two counts of filing false income tax returns. In the court settlement, Mr. Rose agreed to pay $366,000 in back taxes, penalties, and interest, while remaining subject to a possible prison sentence.

Law
The Correctional Service of Canada task force recommended closing the Kingston Prison for Women, founded in 1934. The task force recommended replacing it with 10-person cottage-like facilities and an Aboriginal healing lodge.

Business
Hillsdown Holdings, the British owner of Maple Leaf Mills bought 30% the Canada Packers shares held by the McLean family, to own 56% of the new $4 billion company.

Baseball
Brian Holman of the Seattle Mariners was one out away from a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics when he gave up a home run to pinch hitter Ken Phelps. Mr. Holman then struck out Rickey Henderson to finish the 6-1 win before 44,911 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)--Scatman John (3rd week at #1)

Music
This blogger, with enjoyable female company, attended a concert by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium as part of the Lighter Classics series. The guest soloist was pianist Chia Chou.

20 years ago
2000

Crime
Five students in an Ottawa-area high school were wounded in a knife attack by a 15-year-old boy.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Conference Quarter-Finals
Buffalo 2 @ Philadelphia 5 (Philadelphia won best-of-seven series 4-1)
New Jersey 4 @ Florida 1 (New Jersey won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Baseball
Pokey Reese had 5 hits, including a double, with 3 runs batted in, and Ken Griffey, Jr. hit 2 home runs and drove in 4 runs as the Cincinnati Reds beat the San Francisco Giants 11-1 before 27,003 fans at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati.

In his 124th major league appearance, relief pitcher Vic Darensbourg picked up his first major league win as the Florida Marlins edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 in 14 innings before 9,396 fans at Pro Player Stadium in Miami.

The Anaheim Angels, trailing 11-2, scored 8 runs in the 6th inning, but still lost 12-11 to the Toronto Blue Jays before 13,985 fans at SkyDome in Toronto.

10 years ago
2010

Disasters
The Deepwater Horizon, a British Petroleum drilling rig, exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and injured 17, beginning an oil spill that would last six months.