April 14, 2021

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Laura O’Leary!

1,110 years ago
911

Died on this date
Sergius III. Roman Catholic Pope, 904-911. Sergius III was believed to be descended from a noble Roman family; he was ordained in the 880s and was a candidate for the papacy, but was defeated by John IX, who then excommunicated him. Sergius III achieved the papacy by allegedly murdering his immeidate predecessors, Leo V and Christopher, and allegedly fathered an illegitimate son who later became Pope John XI. Sergius III was succeeded by Pope Anastasius III.

550 years ago
1471

Died on this date
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, 42. English nobleman. Mr. Neville, the son of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, became Earl of Warwick through marriage and was one of the leaders of the Wars of the Roses, first on the Yorkist side and then with the Lancastrians. He was instrumental in the deposition of both Henry VI and Edward IV, earning the nickname "The Kingmaker." The Earl of Warwick led his troops into the Battle of Barnet, but was killed while attempting to escape the field while facing defeat.

John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu, 40 (?). English nobleman. Mr. Neville, the younger brother of the Earl of Warwick, was killed in the Battle of Barnet, sometime before his brother.

War
Yorkist forces under Edward IV defeated the Lancastrians under the Earl of Warwick at the Battle of Barnet; the Earl was killed and Edward IV resumed the throne.

460 years ago
1561

Oddities
A celestial phenomenon, described as an aerial battle, was reported over Nuremberg.

175 years ago
1846

Americana
The Donner Party of pioneers departed Springfield, Illinois for California on what would become a year-long journey of hardship, cannibalism, and survival.

170 years ago
1851

Economics and finance
The British cabinet passed an Order in Council disallowing the Canadian Currency Act of August 10, 1850, as Canada's request to mint its own coins was not acceptable to the British Treasury. Canadian Inspector-General Francis Hincks' Act to amend the 1841 Currency Act set the value of the U.S. dollar at 5 shillings and empowered Canada to mint its own silver coinage in amounts of 5s, 2s 6d, 2s, 1s 3d, 1s, 6d, and 3d, and gold coins in values of 10s, 12s 6d, 1 pound, and 1 pound 5s.

160 years ago
1861

War
Two days after Confederate troops bombarded Fort Sumter, South Carolina to begin the American Civil War, the Union troops surrendered.

Disasters
An ice dam caused the St. Lawrence River to rapidly overflow its banks, inundating one-quarter of Lachine and old Montreal with river water 24 feet deep.

A boiler explosion aboard the Fraser River sternwheeler Fort Yale killed 8 people at Yale, British Columbia.

150 years ago
1871

Economics and finance
The Canadian Parliament passed an act to create uniform currency in Canada, setting denominations of currency as dollars, cents, and mills.

140 years ago
1881

World events
The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight was fought on El Paso Street in El Paso, Texas. Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire accounted for three of the four fatalities with his twin .44 caliber Smith & Wesson revolvers.

130 years ago
1891

Born on this date
B.R. Ambedkar. Indian politician. Dr. Ambedkar, a member of the Labour Party, was India's first Indian Minister of Law and Justice, holding the position from 1947-1951 in the cabinet of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He died on December 6, 1956 at the age of 65.

110 years ago
1911

Died on this date
Henri Elzéar Taschereau, 74. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, 1902-1906. Sir Henri, a native of Sainte-Marie-de-la-Beauce, Lower Canada, practiced law in Quebec City before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, where he opposed Confederation. Sir Henri was appointed to the Quebec Superior Court in 1871 and to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1878, succeeding his father Jean-Thomas Taschereau as a Puisne Justice. Sir Henri succeeded Sir Samuel Henry Strong as Chief Justice and served until his retirement in 1906.

Addie Joss, 31. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Joss spent his entire major league career with the Cleveland Bronchos/Naps (1902-1910), compiling a record of 160-97 with an earned run average of 1.89 in 286 games; his career ERA remains second behind Ed Walsh’s 1.82 as the lowest in major league history. He tied for the American League lead in wins in 1907 (27) and led the AL in earned run average in 1904 (1.59) and 1908 (1.16). Mr. Joss pitched no-hitters in 1908 and 1910; the first, a perfect game on October 2, 1908, was one of the most memorable pitching duels in history; the Naps edged the Chicago White Sox 1-0 at League Park in Cleveland, with Mr. Walsh allowing 4 hits and striking out 15 batters in taking the loss. Mr. Joss frequently suffered from illness and injuries, and began to experience fatigue in 1909; his 1910 season was cut short by a torn ligament in his right elbow. He attended spring training in 1911, but took ill, and went home to Toledo when the Naps played there. Mr. Joss was diagnosed with tubercular meningitis, and died two days after his 31st birthday. A team of AL all-stars played an exhibition game against the Naps at League Park on July 24, 1911, with the proceeds going to Mr. Joss’s family. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978, and probably would have been admitted sooner but for the Hall’s rule that a member must have played a minimum of 10 years in the major leagues.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Thomas Schelling. U.S. economist. Dr. Schelling was known for books such as The Strategy of Conflict (1960) and Arms and Influence (1966). He shared the 2005 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Robert Aumann "for having enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis." Dr. Schelling died on December 13, 2016 at the age of 95 from complications following a hip fracture.

90 years ago
1931

World events
The Spanish Cortes deposed King Alfonso XIII and proclaimed the Second Spanish Republic.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Chicago 0 @ Montreal Canadiens 2 (Montreal won best-of-five series 3-2)

Johnny Gagnon’s goal at 9:59 of the 3rd period broke a 0-0 tie at the Montreal Forum and stood up as the winner as the Canadiens won their second consecutive Stanley Cup. George Hainsworth earned the shutout in goal for Montreal.

80 years ago
1941

War
Axis forces under German Major General Erwin Rommel attacked the Egyptian town of Solum.

Defense
Secret negotiations opened in Washington between American officials and the Icelandic consul general, resulting in an Icelandic invitation for U.S. Marine occupation of the island.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull informed Danish Minister to the United States Henrik de Kauffmann that despite his recall by the government of German-occupied Denmark, the United States would continue to recognize Mr. de Kauffmann as the duly authorized minister, since the Danish government "is acting under duress."

Crime
Two lawmen and two prisoners were killed in the worst breakout at Sing Sing prison in New York. Two other convicts were captured after seven hours of freedom.

Labour
Six steel companies in the United States raised wages 10c per hour for more than 400,000 workers, averting a strike against U.S. Steel Corporation scheduled to begin at midnight April 15.

Baseball
Mario Russo pitched a 3-hitter and drove in a run with a double as the New York Yankees defeated the Washington Nationals 3-0 in the season opener before 32,000 fans at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Dutch Leonard took the loss in a game that was played in 1 hour 47 minutes. Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto batted 0 for 4 in his first major league game, but fielded flawlessly, making a putout and 4 assists, and participating in 2 double plays. It was also the first major league game for New York first baseman Johnny Sturm, who batted 0 for 3, but made 11 putouts in the field and participated in 3 double plays. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt threw out the first ball.

75 years ago
1946

At the movies
So Goes My Love, starring Myrna Loy and Don Ameche, became the first film to receive its world premiere screening aboard a scheduled airliner; it was shown on a Pan American Airways Clipper en route from New York to Ireland.

War
Chinese Communist leader Chou En-lai declared that because of Nationalist attacks on Communists in Manchuria, all-out hostilities had begun there.

Diplomacy
World Jewish Congress officials protested Czechoslovakian acceptance of U.S.S.R. demands that 40,000 refugees from Carpatho-Ukraine, including 10,000 Jews, be returned without their consent to Soviet control.

Defense
The U.S. Army and Navy announced safety measures for the 37,000 men participating in the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests; most ships were to be kept 20 miles away from teh bomb site.

Politics and government
Meeting in the Soviet zone of Berlin, 1,200 delegates of the Socialist and Communist Parties approved their merger into the Socialist Unity Party.

The Communist Party USA expelled William Browder for being identified with his brother Earl's "anti-party, anti-working class program."

Economics and finance
Spanish Foreign Minister Albert Martin Artajo issued an order forbidding 330 German frims from engaging in capital transactions without permission from the Spanish government of Generalissimo Francisco Franco.

70 years ago
1951

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)--Paul Weston and his Orchestra with the Norman Luboff Choir

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): If--Perry Como (Best Seller--6th week at #1; Disc Jockey--7th week at #1; Jukebox--3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 If--Perry Como (2nd week at #1)
2 Be My Love--Mario Lanza
3 Mockin’ Bird Hill--Les Paul and Mary Ford
--Patti Page
4 You’re Just in Love--Perry Como
5 Aba Daba Honeymoon--Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter
6 Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)--Patti Page
7 My Heart Cries for You--Guy Mitchell
--Dinah Shore
--Vic Damone
--Jimmy Wakely
8 Beautiful Brown Eyes--Rosemary Clooney
9 Bring Back the Thrill--Eddie Fisher
10 Sparrow in the Tree Top--Guy Mitchell
--Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters

Singles entering the chart were Once Upon a Nickel, with versions by Ray Bolger and Ethel Merman as well as Georgia Gibbs (#23); On Top of Old Smoky by the Weavers and Terry Gilkyson (#24); The Syncopated Clock by Leroy Anderson and his "Pops" Concert Orchestra (#28); How High the Moon by Les Paul and Mary Ford (#31); The Hot Canary by Florian Zabach (#32); Mama, with versions by Vic Damone and Phil Brito (#33); and Too Young by Nat "King" Cole (#37).

Died on this date
Ernest Bevin, 70. U.K. labour leader and politician. Mr. Bevin, a member of the Labour Party, was General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union (1927-1945) and represented Wandsworth Central (1940-1950) and Woolwich East (1950-1951) in the House of Commons. He was Minister of Labour and National Service (1940-1945) in the wartime coalition government of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Clement Attlee. Mr. Bevin succeeded in maximizing British labour supply in his first cabinet post, while his time as Foreign Secretary was characterized by the independence of India and Pakistan; the end of the British mandate in Palestine; opposition to Communism; and aiding in the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Due to failing health he resigned on March 9, 1951, his 70th birthday, and accepted the appointment as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal.

Al Christie, 69. Canadian-born U.S. film director, producer, and screenwriter. Mr. Christie, a native of London, Ontario, began his cinematic career in New Jersey with Centaur Film Company in 1909 and moved to Hollywood in 1911 to manage Centaur's west coast unit, the Nestor Film Company, which established the first permanent movie studio in Hollywood in October 1911. Mr. Christie and his brother Charles formed Christie Film Company in 1916, making comedies that relied more on humourous and embarrassing situations and were more slowly paced than those at other studios. In the late 1920s, Mr. Christie produced some of the first sound movies with Negro casts. The Christie Film Company went into receivership in 1933, and Mr. Christie worked with Educational Pictures as a director of short comedies, including Bob Hope in his first film, Going Spanish (1934), and Buster Keaton in The Chemist (1936).

War
General Matthew Ridgway turned the U.S. 8th Army command over to Gen. James Van Fleet, then flew to Tokyo to assume active charge of the U.S. Far Eastern command.

Protest
Bolivian police foiled plans of extreme rightists and leftists to seize power during street demonstrations marking the scheduled return of opposition leader Victor Paz Estenssoro.

Politics and government
U.S. President Harry Truman appealed for national unity in a time of "deadly peril," accusing the Republican Party of stirring up a furor over foreign policy because "they think if the country is confused enough they may be able to win the next election."

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Montreal 3 @ Toronto 2 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Rocket Richard scored the winning goal for the Canadiens at 2:55 of the 1st overtime period at Maple Leaf Gardens. Gerry McNeil won the goaltending duel over Turk Broda.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Wooden Heart--Elvis Presley (3rd week at #1)

Space
Two days after becoming the first man in space, Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was awarded the U.S.S.R.’s highest honour--Hero of the Soviet Union--at a huge reception in Red Square in Moscow.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Detroit 3 @ Chicago 6 (Chicago led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Murray Balfour and Stan Mikita each scored 2 goals for the Black Hawks as they defeated the Red Wings at Chicago Stadium.

Baseball
Joe McClain (1-0) pitched a 7-hit complete game and batted 1 for 3 with a double, run, and run batted in in his major league debut with the expansion Washington Senators as they edged the Cleveland Indians 3-2 before 10,126 fans at Griffith Stadium in Washington for their first win. Cleveland starter Gary Bell (0-1) allowed 6 hits and 3 earned runs in 6 innings to take the loss. Bob Allen relieved him and pitched a perfect 7th inning in his first major league game.

Frank Lary (1-0) pitched a 1-hitter and batted 2 for 4 with a run and run batted in to lead the Detroit Tigers over the Chicago White Sox 7-0 before 4,288 fans at Tiger Stadium. Jim Landis's infield single with 2 out in the 5th inning was the only Chicago hit.

Al Heist singled with 2 out and nobody on base in the bottom of the 9th inning and Sammy Taylor followed with a home run to give the Chicago Cubs a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Braves before 11,299 fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Don Elston (1-0) pitched 2 scoreless innings in relief of Bob Anderson to get the win over Bob Buhl (0-1), who pitched a 9-hit complete game.

The Cincinnati Reds scored 2 runs in the 6th inning and 5 in the 9th as they overcame an early 3-0 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 before 19,077 fans at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Jerry Zimmerman made his major league debut with the Reds, catching the 9th inning, with no fielding chances.

Mike McCormick (1-1) pitched a 3-hitter to outduel Art Mahaffey (0-1), who also pitched a 3-hitter, as the San Francisco Giants shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 before 19,989 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Felipe Alou led off the bottom of the 1st inning with a base on balls, and came around to score the winning run on a wild pitch. Willie Mays hit his first home run of the season with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Hot Love--T. Rex (4th week at #1)

Diplomacy
In conjunction with "Ping Pong Diplomacy"--the visit of the U.S. table tennis team to the People’s Republic of China--U.S. President Richard Nixon eased a 20-year embargo on trade with Communist China, a step he had reportedly decided on weeks earlier. China resumed partial telephone contact with the U.K. and U.S. At a reception in Peking, Chinese Premier Chou En-lai received the U.S. table tennis team, along with those from Canada, England, Nigeria, and Colombia, and told all five teams that his country’s players would accept invitations to their countries. U.S. Table Tennis Association president Graham Steenhoven reciprocated the invitation.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered a relaxation of the 20-year embargo on trade with the People's Republic of China.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Kiss on My List--Daryl Hall & John Oates (3rd week at #1)
2 Keep on Loving You--REO Speedwagon
3 Morning Train (Nine to Five)--Sheena Easton
4 Angel of the Morning--Juice Newton
5 Precious to Me--Phil Seymour
6 While You See a Chance--Steve Winwood
7 Woman--John Lennon
8 Somebody's Knockin'--Terri Gibbs
9 Rapture--Blondie
10 The Best of Times--Styx

Singles entering the chart were Ain't Even Done with the Night by John Cougar (#16); Living Inside Myself by Gino Vannelli (#18); Time Out of Mind by Steely Dan (#19); and Being with You by Smokey Robinson (#20).

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Columbia, with the crew of Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen, concluded mission STS-1 with a successful landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Preliminary Round
Quebec 2 @ Philadelphia 5 (Philadelphia won best-of-seven series 3-2)
Pittsburgh 3 @ St. Louis 4 (OT) (St. Louis won best-of-five series 3-2)

Ken Linseman’s goal 18 seconds into the 3rd period proved to be the winner for the Flyers as they eliminated the Nordiques at the Spectrum.

Mike Crombeen scored at 5:16 of the 1st overtime period to win the series for the Blues over the Penguins at the Checkerdome.

Baseball
The former Ogden A’s of the Pacific Coast League played their first game as the Edmonton Trappers, defeating the Portland Beavers 12-5 at Civic Stadium in Portland. The Trappers scored 9 runs in the first 2 innings off former major league star pitcher Luis Tiant (0-1), with the big blow being a grand slam by designated hitter Gary Holle. Nardi Contreras (1-0) started on the mound for the Trappers and was the winning pitcher. The game was broadcast on CFRN radio in Edmonton and marked the debut of Al Coates as the Trappers’ radio play-by-play voice.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Trippin'--Push Push

#1 single in Switzerland: Joyride--Roxette (2nd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Joyride--Roxette (3rd week at #1)
2 No Coke--Dr. Alban
3 Secret Love--Bee Gees
4 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C & C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
5 Crazy--Seal
6 Kränk di net--Jazz Gitti & her Disco Killers
7 Sister Soul & Mr. Beat--Beat 4 Feet featuring Kim Cooper
8 3 A.M. Eternal--The KLF
9 Hello Afrika--Dr. Alban featuring Leila K.
10 How to Dance--Bingoboys featuring Princessa

Singles entering the chart were How to Dance; and The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in his Kiss) by Cher (#23).

Politics and government
The Republic of Georgia introduced the post of President, five days after her declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Zviad Gamsakhurdia was appointed the country's first President, and was inaugurated on May 26, 1991.

Golf
Ian Woosnam shot an even par 72 in the final round to win the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia with an 11-under-par score of 277, 1 stroke ahead of José María Olazábal. First prize money was $243,000.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Semi-Finals
St. Louis 3 @ Detroit 0 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)
Chicago 1 @ Minnesota 3 (Minnesota won best-of-seven series 4-2)
Calgary 2 @ Edmonton 1 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)
Los Angeles 4 @ Vancouver 1 (Los Angeles won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Baseball
Nolan Ryan earned his first win of the season and his first over the Baltimore Orioles in 15 years as the Texas Rangers routed the Orioles 15-3 before 24,084 fans at Arlington Stadium. In the 3rd inning, Mr. Ryan became the 12th pitcher in major league history to reach 5,000 innings pitched.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Ridin' Low--L.A.D. (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Macarena--Los Del Rio (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Children--Robert Miles (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Scotland (OCC): Ooh Aah...Just a Little Bit--Gina G (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
William K. Everson, 67. U.K.-born U.S. film archivist and historian. Professor Everson was a theatre manager and studio publicist before moving to the United States in 1950. He accumulated a collection of 4,000 vintage films, and became one of the world's prominent film historians. Prof. Everson taught film history at The School of Visual Arts in New York City (1964-1984) and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts (1972-1996) often emphasizing comedies, Westerns and British films. This blogger had the pleasure of meeting him during a Greta Garbo/Marlene Dietrich film festival at the University of Western Ontarion in February 1988. Prof. Everson died six days after his 67th birthday.

Golf
Greg Norman, leading the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia by six strokes at the start of the final round, suffered one of the most humiliating collapses in major golf tournament history, shooting a 6-over-par 78 to finish second, 5 strokes behind eventual winner Nick Faldo, who shot a 5-under-par 67 in the last round and finished with a 12-under-par score of 276. First prize money was $450,000.



Hockey
NHL
Dallas 1 @ Detroit 5

The Red Wings, coached by Scotty Bowman, ended the winningest regular season in National Hockey League history with their win over the Stars at Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings finished with 62 victories, beating the 60 wins of the 1976-77 Montréal Canadiens, who were also coached by Mr. Bowman.

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Hiroshi Teshigahara, 74. Japanese film director. Mr. Teshigahara was associated with the Japanese New Wave, and was best known for Woman in the Dunes (1964), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Baseball
Chris Reitsma (2-0) and Danny Graves combined to beat Al Leiter (0-2) as the Cincinnati Reds edged the New York Mets 1-0 before 55,067 fans at Shea Stadium in New York and set a major league record by scoring at least 1 run in 175 consecutive games. The old record of 174 was set by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1992-1993. Donnie Sadler scored from third base on a ground out by Dmitri Young in the 6th inning for the game's only run.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Trevor Bannister, 76. U.K. actor. Mr. Bannister worked mostly in theatre in a career spanning more than 50 years, but was best known for playing Mr Lucas in the television comedy series Are You Being Served? (1972-1979) and Toby Mulberrry Smith in the comedy series Last of the Summer Wine (2003-2010). He died of a heart attack.

Law
The Supreme Court of Canada awarded Rejean Hinse a record $13.1 million in compensation; he was acquitted by the Court in 1997 for being wrongfully imprisoned in 1961 for armed robbery.