May 29, 2021

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Cathy Brown!

160 years ago
1861

Business
The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce was founded.

110 years ago
1911

Died on this date
W. S. Gilbert, 74. U.K. writer. Sir William Schwenck Gilbert wrote plays, short stories, poems, and song lyrics, and was best known for writing the libretti for 14 comic operas with composer Arthur Sullivan (1871-1896), including H.M.S. Pinafore (1878); The Pirates of Penzance (1879); and The Mikado (1885). He was knighted in 1907, and was about to give a swimming lesson to two young women in the lake of his home when one of them got into difficulty in the lake, and Sir W.S. suffered a fatal heart attack when he attempted to rescue her.

Transportation
A Pennsylvania Railroad train carrying the Chicago Cubs baseball team from St. Louis to Pittsburgh set a record by covering the 191 miles from Columbus, Ohio to Pittsburgh in 3 hours and 35 minutes.

Baseball
The Chicago Cubs arrived in Pittsburgh in time for the game after their record-setting train ride and defeated the Pirates 4-1 at Forbes Field, scoring all their runs in the 4th inning. Joe Tinker’s triple was the key hit. King Cole (4-0) pitched a 5-hit complete game victory.

90 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Michele Schirru, 31. Italian-born anarchist. Mr. Schirru, a native of Sardinia, moved to the Italian mainland at a young age and became an anarchist before emigrating to New York in 1920, becoming an American citizen and becoming involved in anarchist circles. He returned to Europe, associating with anarchists in Paris before returning to Italy in January 1931 and going to Rome with the intention of assassinating Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. Mr. Schirru was arrested on February 3 and attempted suicide by shooting himself in the face at the police station, but the bullet went through both cheeks, and he surived. He was convicted by a Fascist Special Court of intending to assassinate Mr. Mussolini, and on May 28 was sentenced to death. Mr. Schirru was executed by a firing squad; his last words were, "Long live anarchy!"

80 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Léo-Pol Morin, 48. Canadian musician and composer. Mr. Morin, a native of Cap-Saint-Ignace, Quebec, was a classical pianist who was known for his performances of music by modern French composers. Using the pseudonym James Callihou, he composed works based on French-Canadian and Inuit folklore and music. Mr. Morin's compositions included Suite canadienne (1945) and Trois Esquimaux pour piano. He was killed in a car accident in the Laurentian Mountains near Montreal.

War
Candia, Crete's second-largest city, fell to German troops. U.K. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, in a speech in London, declared that U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" were the "keystone" of British war aims.

World events
Dr. Kurt Heinrich Reith, former German Minister to Austria, was arrested in New York pending deportation proceedings.

Defense
The U.S. Maritime Commission announced that it was requisitioning 13 more merchant vessels for the Navy. The U.S. War Department announced that 8,000 British pilots would be trained annually in the United States beginning June 7, 1941.

Economics and finance
Japanese officials revealed that they had made formal representations to the Netherlands and United Kingdom in an attempt to break the deadlock in the trade negotiations between Japan and the Netherlands East Indies.

U.S. Office of Production Management Priorities Director Edward Stettinius, Jr. signed a general preference order placing steel on a limited priorities basis in order to curb non-essential civilian consumption.

Business
U.S. Federal Judge James Proctor fined the American Medical Association $2,500 and the Medical Society of Washington $1,500 for antitrust law violations.

75 years ago
1946

Died on this date
Martin Gottfried Weiss, 40. German SS officer. SS-Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) Weiss was Commandant of the concentration camps at Neuengamme (1940-1942); Majdanek (1943-1944); and Dachau (1944-1945). He was convicted of war crimes and hanged at Landsberg Prison, five days before his 41st birthday.

War
Nationalist Chinese troops reported capturing the Manchurian city of Kirin from the Chinese Communists.

Diplomacy
Representatives of seven Palestinian Arab parties, meeting in Jerusalem, formed the Arab Higher Front, led by Hussein Khalidi and Auni Bey Abdul Hadi. The new group differed from the existing Arab Higher Commission in favouring submission of the Palestinian dispute to the United Nations.

The Iranian embassy in Washington disclosed that Prime Minister Ahmad Ghavam Saltaneh had ordered Ambassador Hussein Ala not to make any more statements to the United Nations Security Council, following Mr. Ala's contention that U.S.S.R. forces remained in Azerbaijan.

Defense
Canadian Army troops officially withdrew from Newfoundland.

The British Ministry of Supply revealed the development of the de Havilland DH-108 "Swallow," the world's first jet-propelled flying wing fighter plane. The first prototype had made its first flight on May 15 at Royal Air Force base Woodbridge, England.

U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes told the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee that the United States favoured the regulation of armaments to allow nations no more than was necessary to maintain internal order and international peace and security.

Aviation
The Montreal Assembly of the Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization voted to offer the seat held open for the U.S.S.R. to another country.

Labour
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) drafted an agreement with the International Labor Organization under which the latter would become a specialized UN agency.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to President Harry Truman the Case strike control bill, calling for a 60-day cooling-off period before strikes; increased federal mediation; and union and management liability for breach of contract.

The 59-day soft coal strike in the United States ended when United Mine Workers of America President John L. Lewis signed a U.S. government-sponsored agreement providing for an 18 1/2c hourly wage increase and a miners' "welfare and retirement fund" financed by a levy of 5c per ton.

A 22-hour general strike by 26,000 union members in Rochester, New York ended after the city agreed to allow its workers to join any organization "which does not claim the right to strike against the public."

70 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: Vamp Till Dead, starring Mary Sinclair

Died on this date
Dimitrios Levidis, 65 or 66. Greek-born French soldier composer. Mr. Levidis moved to Paris in 1910, served with the French Army in World War I, and became a French citizen. His compositions often included novel combinations and new instruments, such as Poeme Symphonique, pour solo d'Ondes Musicales et Orchestre, op.43-B (1928). In 1934, Mr. Levidis founded the Phaleron Conservatory, which was eventually subsumed into the Hellenic Conservatory.

Fanny Brice, 59. U.S. entertainer. Miss Brice, born Fania Borach, was a singer, comedienne, and actress who made many appearances in plays and films, but was perhaps best know for playing the character Baby Snooks on radio from 1937-1951. She died five days after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, which occurred two days after the latest episode of The Baby Snooks Show. Miss Brice was the subject of the play (1964) and film (1968) Funny Girl, and the film sequel Funny Lady (1975).

Aviation
Charles Blair, Jr., a Pan American Airways captain, made the first solo flight across the North Pole in a converted P-51.

Politics and government
The United Nations Security Council warned India against sponsoring elections in Kashmir before a UN-supervised plebiscite on the state's political future could be held.

Business
New York City department stores began a price-cutting war when Macy's announced a 6% cut on 5,987 items, following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against state "fair price" laws.

Disasters
A coal mine explosion in Easington, England killed 80 miners and a rescue worker.

Baseball
The Cleveland Indians signed high school star Billy Joe Davidson, reputed to be their best pitching prospect since Bob Feller, for a reported $150,000, a record figure at the time.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Quince Años Tiene Mi Amor--Dúo Dinámico (11th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Et maintenant--Gilbert Bécaud (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Travelin' Man--Ricky Nelson
2 Daddy's Home--Shep and the Limelites
3 Running Scared--Roy Orbison
4 Mama Said--The Shirelles
5 Mother-in-Law--Ernie K-Doe
6 Runaway--Del Shannon
7 Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart--Connie Francis
8 A Hundred Pounds of Clay--Gene McDaniels
9 I Feel So Bad--Elvis Presley
10 Tragedy--The Fleetwoods

Singles entering the chart were Dance on Little Girl by Paul Anka (#67); Yellow Bird by the Arthur Lyman Group (#71); How Many Tears by Bobby Vee (#77); My Kind of Girl by Matt Monro (#80); Jimmy Martinez by Marty Robbins (#83); I Like it Like That (Part 1) by Chris Kenner (#86); Rainin' in My Heart by Slim Harpo (#87); Who Else But You by Frankie Avalon (#89); Summertime by the Marcels (#90); Big Boss Man by Jimmy Reed (#93); Temptation by the Everly Brothers (#94); Sacred by the Castells (#95); Tonight (Could Be the Night) by the Velvets (#96); Ring of Fire by Duane Eddy (#98); and A Little Feeling (Called Love) by Jack Scott (#100).

Diplomacy
United Auto Workers President Walter Reuther, former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Johns Hopkins University President Milton Eisenhower, who had organized a group called the Tractors for Freedom Committee to buy 500 U.S. tractors to donate to Cuba, met in Washington with 10 Cuban rebels who had been paroled by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro after the Bay of Pigs invasion in April and had been sent to the U.S. to negotiate the exchange of tractors for prisoners.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Understanding--Peanut Butter Conspiracy (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Theme from Love Story--Francis Lai (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Un banc, un arbre, une rue--Séverine (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Knock Three Times--Dawn (3rd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Another Day--Paul McCartney
2 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
3 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
4 Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep--Middle of the Road
--Lally Stott
5 What is Life/Apple Scruffs--George Harrison
6 Amazing Grace--Judy Collins
7 Armstrong--Reg Lindsay
8 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
9 Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted--The Partridge Family
10 Black and Blue--Chain

Singles entering the chart were Eagle Rock by Daddy Cool (#46); Strange Kind of Woman by Deep Purple (#47); Rags to Riches/Where Did They Go, Lord by Elvis Presley (#48); Bed of Rose's by the Statler Brothers (#54); One Toke Over the Line by Brewer and Shipley (#58); and Too Young to Be Married by the Hollies (#60).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Brown Sugar--The Rolling Stones
2 Soldiers Prayer--Oscar Harris and the Twinkle Stars
3 Underneath the Blanket Go--Gilbert O'Sullivan
4 Rosetta--Georgie Fame & Alan Price
5 Poetas Andaluces--Aguaviva
6 Funny, Funny--The Sweet
7 Loop di Love--J. Bastós
8 Proud Mary--Ike & Tina Turner
9 Love Her Madly--The Doors
10 I Am...I Said--Neil Diamond

Singles entering the chart were Tuesday's Dead by Cat Stevens (#18); Double Barrel by Dave & Ansil Collins (#20); Che Sará by José Feliciano (#23); Mary in the Morning by Guy Fletcher (#24); Cry Baby by Janis Joplin (#25); He's Gonna Step on You Again by John Kongos (#29); Sing Sing Barbara by Laurent & Mardi Gras (#31); and Le Tournesol by Nana Mouskouri (#37).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Brown Sugar--The Rolling Stones
2 Joy to the World--Three Dog Night
3 Never Can Say Goodbye--The Jackson 5
4 Want Ads--The Honey Cone
5 It Don't Come Easy--Ringo Starr
6 Put Your Hand in the Hand--Ocean
7 Bridge Over Troubled Water/Brand New Me--Aretha Franklin
8 Sweet and Innocent--Donny Osmond
9 Me and a You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
10 Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)--Daddy Dewdrop

Singles entering the chart were Walk Away by the James Gang (#89); It's So Hard for Me to Say Good-Bye by Eddie Kendricks (#90); Mr. Big Stuff by Jean Knight (#92); I Know I'm in Love by Chee Chee and Peppy (#93); Your Love is So Doggone Good by the Whispers (#94); Signs by the Five Man Electrical Band (#96); If Not for You by Olivia Newton-John (#98); Love's Made a Fool of You by Cochise (#99); and Love Means (You Never Have to Say You’re Sorry) by Sounds of Sunshine (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Never Can Say Goodbye--The Jackson 5
2 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Aretha Franklin
3 Brown Sugar--Rolling Stones
4 Joy to the World--Three Dog Night
5 Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)--Daddy Dewdrop
6 Want Ads--The Honey Cone
7 Love Her Madly--The Doors
8 Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
9 It Don’t Come Easy--Ringo Starr
10 Put Your Hand in the Hand--Ocean

Singles entering the chart were You’ve Got a Friend by James Taylor (#72); Sooner or Later by the Grass Roots (#75); Bring the Boys Home by Freda Payne (#81); Chicago by Graham Nash (#82); Been Too Long on the Road by Mark Lindsay (#84); Get it On by Chase (#91); Mr. Big Stuff by Jean Knight (#93); Never Ending Song of Love by Delaney & Bonnie & Friends (#95); Don't Say You Don't Remember by Beverly Bremers (#96); You’ve Got a Friend by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (#97); I’ve Found Someone of My Own by the Free Movement (#98); and Love Means (You Never Have to Say You’re Sorry) by Sounds of Sunshine (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Brown Sugar--The Rolling Stones (2nd week at #1)
2 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Aretha Franklin
3 Joy to the World--Three Dog Night
4 Want Ads--The Honey Cone
5 It Don’t Come Easy--Ringo Starr
6 Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
7 Never Can Say Goodbye--The Jackson 5
8 Love Her Madly--The Doors
9 Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)--Daddy Dewdrop
10 Sweet and Innocent--Donny Osmond

Singles entering the chart were Mr. Big Stuff by Jean Knight (#69); I Know I'm in Love by Chee Chee and Peppy (#71); Day by Day (Every Minute of the Hour) by the Continental 4 (#73); I Don't Wanna Lose You by Johnnie Taylor (#75); Chicago by Graham Nash (#78); You've Got a Friend by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (#83); What You See is What You Get by Stoney and Meatloaf (#88); Get it On by Chase (#89); Walk Away by the James Gang (#96); Double Barrel by Dave & Ansil Collins (#97); Stop, Look, Listen by the Stylistics (#98); Love's Made a Fool of You by Cochise (#99); and If Not for You by Olivia Newton-John (#100).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Joy to the World--Three Dog Night (6th week at #1)
2 Brown Sugar--Rolling Stones
3 Love Her Madly--The Doors
4 It Don’t Come Easy--Ringo Starr
5 Woodstock--Matthews’ Southern Comfort
6 Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)--Daddy Dewdrop
7 The Drum--Bobby Sherman
8 Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
9 Hats Off to the Stranger--Lighthouse
10 Sweet and Innocent--Donny Osmond

Singles entering the chart were Puppet Man by Tom Jones (#77); Done Too Soon by Neil Diamond (#78); You’re My Man by Lynn Anderson (#79); Run, Run by James, John and Francois (#80); This is My Song by Gordon Lightfoot (#82); Funky Nassau by Beginning of the End (#83); Pretend by Rick Pearson (#93); Don’t Pull Your Love by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds (#94); Sea Cruise by Johnny Rivers (#96); "709" by Bobby G. Griffith (#97); Then You Walk In by Sammi Smith (#98); Wishbone by Jackie Mittoo (#99); and Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver with Fat City (#100). This is My Song was from the album Early Lightfoot, a collection of singles and previously-unreleased songs recorded circa 1962-1963; This is My Song was one of the previously-unreleased tracks. The album was reportedly withdrawn at Mr. Lightfoot’s request, but this blogger has a copy. It appeared on the GRT label.

Calgary’s Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)--Raiders (3rd week at #1)
2 Albert Flasher--The Guess Who
3 Garden of Ursh--Karen Young
4 Love Her Madly--The Doors
5 If--Bread
6 Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)--Daddy Dewdrop
7 I Am...I Said--Neil Diamond
8 Brown Sugar--The Rolling Stones
9 It Don’t Come Easy--Ringo Starr
10 Me and You and a Dog Named Boo--Lobo
Pick hit of the week: It’s Too Late--Carole King

Auto racing
Al Unser won the Indianapolis 500 for the second straight year.



Football
CFL
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced the signing of running back Steve Worster, an All-American from the University of Texas.

Baseball
The San Francisco Giants traded outfielder George Foster to the Cincinnati Reds for shortstop Frank Duffy and pitcher Vern Geishert. Mr. Foster had played briefly with the Giants in 1969 and 1970, but was still considered a rookie; he was batting .267 with 3 home runs and 8 runs batted in in 36 games in 1971. Mr. Duffy was batting .188 with 1 RBI in 13 games with the Reds, while Mr. Geishert, who had appeared in 11 games with the California Angels in 1969, was 3-2 with an earned run average of 3.82 in 7 games with the Indianapolis Indians of the AAA American Association, and quit professional baseball after the trade.

Joe Torre tripled home Lou Brock, Matty Alou, and Ted Simmons with none out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals an 8-7 win over the Atlanta Braves before 47, 598 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. The Braves had scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th to break a 5-5 tie.

The New York Mets swept a doubleheader from the San Diego Padres 5-1 and 2-1 before 11,324 fans at San Diego Stadium. Tom Seaver (6-2) struck out 10 batters in the opener and singled home a run in the 3-run 8th inning, while Nolan Ryan (6-1) struck out 16 in the second game. New York batters struck out 15 times in the 2 games, and the 41 strikeouts set a major league record for a doubleheader.

Dick Green batted 3 for 3 with 2 home runs, a base on balls, 4 runs, and 3 runs batted in to help the Oakland Athletics defeat the Boston Red Sox 12-8 before 22,572 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Joe Rudi and Angel Mangual also homered for Oakland, while Rico Petrocelli and Carl Yastrzemski hit home runs for Boston.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade #1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Köppäbävisan--Bengt Pegefelt (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Pour le plaisir--Herbert Léonard

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 This Ole House--Shakin' Stevens (2nd week at #1)
2 Antmusic--Adam & the Ants
3 Jealous Guy--Roxy Music
4 Woman--John Lennon
5 I am the Beat--Look
6 Twilight Café--Susan Fassbender
7 Here is My Love--Tommy Dee
8 Santa Maria--Alan Garrity
9 9 to 5--Dolly Parton
10 Spend the Night in Love--The Four Seasons

Singles entering the chart were Do You Feel My Love by Eddy Grant (#18); Love-Chain Reaction by Joy (#19); and When You Gonna Love Me by City Limits (#20).

Baseball
The Montreal Expos traded right fielder Ellis Valentine to the New York Mets for relief pitcher Jeff Reardon, outfielder Dan Norman, and a player to be named later. Mr. Valentine, in his seventh year with the Expos, was batting .211 with 3 home runs and 15 home runs in 22 games in 1981. Mr. Reardon was 1-0 with 2 saves in 18 games with the Mets in 1981, while Mr. Norman was in the minor leagues that season.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Wind of Change--Scorpions (4th week at #1)

Politics and government
India's Congress (I) Party named former Foreign Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao as its interim leader, succeeding former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had been assassinated eight days earlier.

25 years ago
1996

Died on this date
Tamara Toumanova, 77. Russian-born U.S. ballerina and actress. Miss Toumanova, born Tamara Vladimirovna Khassidovitch, began her public career in ballet at the age of 10 as a guest performer with the Paris Opera Ballet. She joined Les Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo in 1931 at the age of 12, and spent the rest of her career there. She appeared in several movies, including Days of Glory (1944); Invitation to the Dance (1956); Torn Curtain (1966); and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970).

Politics and government
In Israeli elections, Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu narrowly defeated incumbent Shimon Peres of the Labour Party for Prime Minister, 50.5%-49.5%; it was the first time that the Prime Minister was elected apart from the rest of the Knesset. In the parliamentary elections, Labour won 34 of the 120 seats, with a Likud-Gesher-Tzomet coalition taking 32 seats, followed by Shas (10); National Religious Party (9); Meretz (9); and six other parties accounting for the remaining 26 seats.

Crime
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers in Halifax boarded the Taiwanese-registered ship Maersk Dubai and arrested the captain and five sailors on charges of murdering three Romanian stowaways who had been thrown overboard.

Economics and finance
Canada and the United States signed a softwood lumber agreement that set export quotas for British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec, and also put in place an export tax for any amounts exceeding that quota. The agreement came after 15 years of debate and legal proceedings concerning the issue.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Western Conference Finals
Detroit 1 @ Colorado 4 (Colorado won best-of-seven series 4-2)

The Avalanche eliminated the Red Wings at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver and advanced to the finals for the first time in their history. The game was marred by a dirty hit from Colorado forward Claude Lemieux on Detroit forward Kris Draper at 14:07 of the 1st period. Mr. Lemieux hit Mr. Draper from behind into the edge of the bench, giving him a broken jaw and a shattered cheek and orbital bone. Mr. Lemieux was given a 5-minute penalty and game misconduct.



20 years ago
2001

Art
Ken Thomson paid $2.2 million at auction in Toronto for Baffin Island by Group of Seven member Lawren Harris, more than double the previous record for a Canadian painting.

Terrorism
Four followers of Osama bin Laden were convicted in New York of a global conspiracy to murder Americans, including the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 224 people. All were sentenced to life in prison.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that golfer Casey Martin, who had a disability that made walking difficult, was entitled to use a cart to get around the course during PGA tournaments. The PGA had argued that being able to walk around the course was a requirement for participation.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Finals
New Jersey 2 @ Colorado 1 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Joe Sakic scored on a powerplay to open the scoring, but Bob Corkum and Turner Stevenson scored to give the Devils a 2-1 lead at the end of the 1st period, and there was no further scoring before 18,007 fans at Pepsi Center in Denver. New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur and Colorado goalie Patrick Roy each faced only 20 shots.



Baseball
The Arizona Diamondbacks edged the San Francisco Giants 1-0 in 18 innings as Erubial Durazo doubled home Steve Finley with the only run before 39,709 fans at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco. Losing pitcher Ryan Vogelsong (0-1) doubled in his first major league at bat to lead off the bottom of the 18th inning. The Giants loaded the bases with 1 out, but Greg Swindell retired Armando Rios and Benito Santiago on outfield flies to end the game.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Bill Clements, 94. U.S. politician. Mr. Clements, a Republican, made a fortune in oil before entering politics. He was U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford (1973-1977), and was briefly acting Secretary of Defense in 1973. Mr. Clements served two terms as Governor of Texas (1979-1983, 1987-1991); he was defeated in his bid for re-election in 1982 as a result of a sluggish economy. His second term was marred by a scandal involving payments made to Southern Methodist University football players while Mr. Clements was chairman of the university's Board of Governors. Some called for his impeachment, and he decided not to run for another term in office.

Ferenc Mádl, 80. 14th President of Hungary, 2000-2005. Dr. Mádl was a law professor before entering politics. He was independent, and was Hungary's Minister of Education (1993-1994) before serving his term as President. Dr. Mádl declined to run for a second term.

Sergei Bagapsh, 62. Prime Minister of Abkhazia, 1997-1999. 2nd President of Abkhazia, 2005-2011. Mr. Bagapsh was a Communist before the fall of Communism, and a businessman afterward. He held various offices, including First Vice-Premier of Abkhazia (1995-1997). Mr. Bagapsh was managing director of the Abkhazian state-owned power company Chernomorenergo (2000-2004), and in 2004 was elected as the presidential candidate of both the United Abkhazia party--which he helped found--and Amtsakhara. Mr. Bagapsh and his opponent, Raul Khadjimba, fought a close contest with a disputed result that was resolved by the two combining in a national unity ticket in 2005, with Mr. Khadjimba serving as Vice President. Mr. Bagapsh was re-elected in 2009, but in May 2011 underwent surgery in Moscow for growths on his lungs. The surgery was successful, but complications followed, causing Mr. Bagapsh to die from heart failure. He was succeeded as President by Vice President Alexander Ankvab.

Auto racing
Dan Wheldon won the Indianapolis 500 for the second time, passing J.R. Hildebrand on the final turn after Mr. Hildebrand hit the wall as it looked like he was going to win. Mr. Wheldon had previously won the race in 2005.