May 12, 2021

830 years ago
1191

Married on this date
King Richard I of England married Berengaria of Navarre, who was crowned Queen consort of England the same day.

620 years ago
1401

Born on this date
Shōkō. Emperor of Japan, 1412-1428. Shōkō, born Mihito, acceded to the throne upon the abdicaton of his father Go-Komatsu. He regularly practiced abstinence and fasting, which may have led to his death at the age of 27 on August 30, 1428 at the age of 27. Shōkō left no heir, and was succeeded as Emperor by his third cousin Go-Hanazono.

525 years ago
1496

Born on this date
Gustav I. King of Sweden, 1523-1560. Gustav I came from a noble family and was elected King after the Swedish War of Liberation against King Christian II of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. He was known for his ruthlessness, abolishing Sweden's elective monarchy in favour of a hereditary monarchy and establishing the Lutheran Church of Sweden as he became known as the "father of the nation." King Gustav I suffered from chronic infections of the leg and jaw in the years leading up to his death on September 19, 1550 at the age of 64. He was succeeded on the throne by his son Erik XIV.

470 years ago
1551

Academia
National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, was founded in Lima, Peru.

175 years ago
1846

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

170 years ago
1851

Communications
The post office of the Province of Canada issued a 6-penny Prince Albert stamp; it was part of a series with Sandford Fleming's 3-penny Beaver and 12- penny Queen Victoria.

War
Two weeks after the entry of French forces into Tunisia, Muhammad III as-Sadiq, Bey of Tunis, signed the Treaty of Bardo to make Tunisia a French protectorate.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Farley Mowat. Canadian author. Mr. Mowat, a native of Belleville, Ontario, served with the Canadian Army in World War II before working as a naturalist in northern Canada, which inspired books such as People of the Deer (1952) and Never Cry Wolf (1963). Mr. Mowat was frequently criticized by scholars for inaccuracies in his books. He died on May 6, 2014, six days before his 93rd birthday.

90 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Eugène Ysaÿe, 72. Belgian musician, composer, and conductor. Mr. Ysaÿe was a violinist with the orchestra that became the Berlin Philharmonic, and had a long career as a professor at the Brussels Conservatoire. He wrote concertante and chamber works, as well as works for violin and piano.

80 years ago
1941

Married on this date
U.S. bandleader Phil Harris and U.S. actress Alice Faye were married by a justice of the peace in Ensenada, Mexico.

War
The British convoy Tiger reached Alexandria with 238 tanks needed for the defense of Egypt after running an Axis bomber gauntlet in the Mediterranean Sea.

Diplomacy
German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler met Vichy French Vice-Premier François Darlan at Berchtesgaden and presented German demands. South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts said in a radio broadcast from Cape Town that the United States had helped to pave the way for the European war by abandoning the League of Nations.

World events
A military tribunal in Bucharest sentenced 206 Iron Guardists to prison terms for attempting to overthrow the Romanian government.

Defense
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee approved the alien ship seizure bill after defeating an amendment to prohibit the transfer of seized ships to belligerents. U.S. Army Brigadier General Lewis Hershey, acting draft chief, urged Congress to revise the Selective Service Act so that the President could defer older men. The Philippine National Assembly passed a bill requiring the registration and fingerprinting of all aliens in the islands.

Technology
Konrad Zuse unveiled in Berlin the Z3, the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer.

Economics and finance
British economist John Maynard Keynes said in Washington that the best way to block inflation was to withhold personal salaries at the source, as the British government of Prime Minister Winston Churchill was doing.

75 years ago
1946

Politics and government
A seven-day conference in Simla, India of British, Muslim, and Indian Congress Party representatives ended without agreement on the composition of an independent Indian government.

The Venezuelan Democratic Action Party turned down a Communist proposal for a common front against possible counter-revolutionary moves by former President Eleazar Lopez Contreras.

Protest
Three Jewish workmen in Budapest were lynched by mobs who had been aroused by rumours that Jews were kidnapping and killing Hungarians.

Journalism
The Newfoundland Herald newspaper was founded in St. John's.

Communications
American Telephone & Telegraph began service in St. Louis between regular telephone outlets and vehicles equipped with radiophone installations.

Golf
Byron Nelson won the Houston Open, finishing two strokes ahead of Ben Hogan.

70 years ago
1951

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Bonaparte's Retreat--Pee Wee King and his Orchestra; Gene Krupa and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): How High the Moon--Les Paul and Mary Ford (Best Seller--3rd week at #1; Disc Jockey--3rd week at #1; Jukebox--2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Mockin’ Bird Hill--Les Paul and Mary Ford (4th week at #1)
--Patti Page
2 On Top of Old Smoky--The Weavers and Terry Gilkyson
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
3 How High the Moon--Les Paul and Mary Ford
4 Be My Love--Mario Lanza
5 If--Perry Como
6 Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)--Patti Page
7 Beautiful Brown Eyes--Rosemary Clooney
8 Too Young--Nat "King" Cole
9 I Apologize--Billy Eckstine
10 The Syncopated Clock--Leroy Anderson and his "Pops" Concert Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were Ever True Ever More (#29)/Down the Trail of Achin' Hearts (#34) by Patti Page; Moonlight Bay by Bing and Gary Crosby (#30); and Jezebel by Frankie Laine (#35). Moonlight Bay was the other side of When You and I were Young Maggie Blues, charting at #14.

At the movies
The House on Telegraph Hill, directed by Robert Wise, and starring Richard Basehart, Valentina Cortese, and William Lundigan, received its premiere screening in New York City.





Abominations
The Free China Anti-Atrocity League in Taiwan accused the Communists of executing 2.26 million political opponents, with 1.3 million executions confirmed in Communist announcements, during the past 18 months.

Politics and government
The French National Assembly cleared the way for national elections on June 17 by voting to end its term on July 4.

The administration of U.S. President Harry Truman announced the resignation of the President's Commission on Internal Security and Individual Rights, headed by Admiral Chester Nimitz, because of the Senate Judiciary Committee's refusal to exempt commission members from conflict-of-interest statutes barring federal employees from doing business with the government.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Blue Moon--The Marcels (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: The Mind and the Matter, starring Shelley Berman

The Lawless Years, starring James Gregory, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Jack "Legs" Diamond Story

This was the first episode of the season.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Brown Sugar--The Rolling Stones

At the movies
Red Sky at Morning, directed by James Goldstone, and starring Richard Thomas, Catherine Burns, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Richard Crenna, and Claire Bloom, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Heinie Manush, 69. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Manush played left field with the Detroit Tigers (1923-1927); St. Louis Browns (1928-1930); Washington Nationals (1931-1935); Boston Red Sox (1936); Brooklyn Dodgers (1937-1938); and Pittsburgh Pirates (1938-1939), batting .330 with 110 home runs and 1,183 runs batted in in 2,008 games. He played 11 seasons in the minor leagues (1920-1922, 1938-1945), including the 1921 season with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Class B Western Canada League. Mr. Manush led the American League in batting in 1926 (.378) and came within one plate appearance of winning the 1928 AL batting title. He led the league in hits twice, in doubles twice, and in triples once. Mr. Manush managed in the minor leagues in the 1940s, and coached and scouted in the 1950s and '60s with the Nationals and the expansion Washington Senators. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964, and died after a long battle with cancer.

Married on this date
Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, married Bianca Perez Morena de Macias of Nicaragua in St. Tropez, France.

Protest
Anti-war protesters disrupted a civic reception in Auckland for New Zealand soldiers returning from the Vietnam War.

Economics and finance
New Brunswick became the last Canadian province to sign on to medicare, by proclaiming its Health Services Act.

The Chilean government passed a constitutional reform bill permitting the nationalization of the American-owned copper industry in Chile.

Basketball
ABA
Finals
Kentucky 127 @ Utah 137 (Utah led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Zelmo Beaty scored 32 points and grabbed 22 rebounds to lead the Stars over the Colonels before 13,250 fans at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. Dan Issel led Kentucky with 33 points and 16 rebounds.

40 years ago
1981

Died on this date
Benjamin Sheares, 73. 2nd President of Singapore, 1971-1981. Dr. Sheares was an obstetrician and professor at Kandang Kerbau Hospital in Singapore before moving into private practice. He toof office as President after the death of Yusof Ishak, and was in his third term in office when he died of lung cancer. Dr. Sheares was succeeded as President by C.V. Devan Nair.

Francis Hughes, 25. U.K. terrorist. Mr. Hughes was a member of the provisional Irish Republican Army who was in Maze Prison in Northern Ireland serving an 83-year sentence for killing a British soldier in a shootout in 1978. He began a hunger strike on March 8, 1981, a week after fellow IRA terrorist and inmate Bobby Sands began a hunger strike, and died of starvation, a week after the death of Mr. Sands.

Defense
North American Air Defence Command (NORAD) changed its name to North American Aerospace Defence Command.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup Finals
Minnesota 3 @ New York Islanders 6 (New York led best-of-seven series 1-0)



Basketball
NBA
Finals
Houston 80 @ Boston 109 (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Cedric Maxwell scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Celtics to their rout of the Rockets before 15,320 fans at Boston Garden. Moses Malone led the Rockets with 20 points and 11 rebounds.



30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): The Joker--Steve Miller Band

#1 single in Switzerland: Joyride--Roxette (6th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Joyride--Roxette (7th week at #1)
2 Secret Love--Bee Gees
3 How to Dance--Bingoboys featuring Princessa
4 No Coke--Dr. Alban
5 Venedig im Regen--Thomas Forstner
6 Should I Stay or Should I Go--The Clash
7 Crazy--Seal
8 Sister Soul & Mr. Beat--Beat 4 Feet featuring Kim Cooper
9 The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in his Kiss)--Cher
10 Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)--Pet Shop Boys

Singles entering the chart were Just the Way it Is, Baby by the Rembrandts (#21); and The One and Only by Chesney Hawkes (#23).

Personal
This blogger was in Halifax, and had the pleasure of attending the service at Missionary Bible Church, pastored by Perry F. Rockwood. Mr. Rockwood founded the Peoples Gospel Hour in 1947, which has continued to broadcast his messages since his death in 2008. I enjoyed meeting in person someone I'd enjoyed listening to on the radio for more than a decade.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): California Love--2Pac featuring Dr. Dre (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Children--Robert Miles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Macarena--Los Del Rio

#1 single in Scotland (OCC): Ooh Aah...Just a Little Bit--Gina G (6th week at #1)

Soccer
English FA Cup Final @ Wembley Stadium, London
Manchester United 1 Liverpool 0

Eric Cantona scored the game's only goal with 5 minutes remaining before 79,007 fans.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
Florida 2 @ Philadelphia 1 (2 OT) (Florida led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Western Conference Semi-Finals
St. Louis 3 @ Detroit 2 (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 3-2)

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Perry Como, 88. U.S. singer. Mr. Como was a crooner known for his relaxed style, resulting in dozens of hit songs in a career spanning more than 50 years. He adopted his father's trade of barbering as a youth, and began his singing career with the bands of Freddy Carlone and Ted Weems in the 1930s before achieving success as a solo artist, reaching the number one spot in the Billboard pop singles chart 11 times from 1945-1958. Mr. Como hosted several television variety programs and numerous specials from the late 1940s through the mid-'90s, winning five Emmy Awards in the '50s. He died in his sleep, six days before his 89th birthday.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference Finals
Pittsburgh 1 @ New Jersey 3 (New Jersey led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Western Conference Finals
St. Louis 1 @ Colorado 4 (Colorado led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Petr Sykora scored the tying goal in the 2nd period and the winning goal in the 3rd period as the Devils defeated the Penguins at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford. New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur faced just 15 shots.

Joe Sakic scored 2 goals, including one on a penalty shot, as the Avalanche defeated the Blues at Pepsi Center in Denver.

10 years ago
2011

Crime
A German court convicted retired U.S. autoworker John Demjanjuk of being an accessory to the murder of tens of thousands of Jews as a Nazi death camp guard during World War II. Mr. Demjanjuk maintained his innocence.