June 18, 2008

1,390 years ago
618

Politics and government
Li Yuan became Emperor Gaozu of Tang, replacing 13-year-old puppet Emperor Yang You and initiating three centuries of the Tang dynasty in China.

830 years ago
1178

Space
Five Canterbury monks saw what was possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed. It is believed that the current oscillations of the Moon's distance from the Earth (on the order of meters) are a result of this collision.

230 years ago
1778

War
British troops abandoned Philadelphia.

150 years ago
1858

Science
Charles Darwin received a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that included nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Mr. Darwin's own, prompting Mr. Darwin to publish his theory.

110 years ago
1898

Golf
Fred Herd shot 84 in the final round to finish with a total of 328 to win the U.S. Open at Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Mr. Herd finished 7 strokes ahead of fellow Scotsman Alex Smith. First prize money was $150.

100 years ago
1908

South Americana
Japanese immigration to Brazil began when 781 people arrived in Santos aboard the ship Kasato-Maru.

Academia
The University of the Philippines was established.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Roald Amundsen, 55. Norwegian explorer. Mr. Amundsen was the first explorer to navigate the Northwest Passage (1903-1906); the first to reach the South Pole (1911); and the first to reach the North Pole withuot dispute (1926). He was a passenger on a rescue flight searching for the party of Italian explorer Umberto Nobile's airship Italia, which had crashed on an island while returning from the North Pole. The plane, whose crew included Norwegian pilot Leif Dietrichson, 37, French pilot René Guilbaud, 37, and three more Frenchmen, crashed in the Arctic Ocean between Norway and Spitsbergen, with no survivors.

Aviation
The biplane Friendship, piloted by Wilmer Stutz, with Slim Gordon as mechanic and Amelia Earhart as passenger, arrived at Barry Port, Wales, 21 hours after departing Trepassey, Newfoundland. Miss Earhart thus became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Mexican aviator Captain Emilio Carranza flew The Mexico Exclesior from Washington, D.C. to Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, whence he was taken to New York City to be welcomed by Mayor Jimmy Walker and other officials.

German trans-Atlantic fliers Captain Koehl, Baron von Huenefeld, and Major Fitzmaurice were welcomed in Bremen after arriving from America.

70 years ago
1948

Died on this date
Alvah Roebuck, 84. U.S. businessman. Mr. Roebuck and Richard Sears co-founded the department store Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1891.

Edward Brooker, 57. U.K.-born-Australian politician. Mr. Brooker moved to Australia at the age of 30, and joined the Australian Labour Party. He was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly in 1934, and held various cabinet posts. Mr. Brooker was interim Premier of Tasmania from December 1947-February 1948 while Premier Robert Cosgrove was under indictment for corruption. The charges were dropped, and Mr. Brooker returned the premiership to Mr. Cosgrove, accepting the positions of Treasurer and Minister for Transport. He died of a pulmonary edema.

War
The Greek government announced the start of a major offensive intended to encircle the main Communist guerrilla force in the stronghold of Mount Grammos, near the Albanian-Yugoslavian border.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted its International Declaration of Human Rights.

Technology
Columbia Records unveiled its new long-playing, 33 1/3 rpm phonograph record in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Economics and finance
U.S., U.K., and French authorities in Germany introduced a currency reform, replacing the devalued Reichsmark with a new Deutsche Mark, leaving western and eastern Germany with different currency systems. U.S.S.R. authorities halted all ground passenger traffic from West Germany to Berlin, allegedly to prevent a mass transfer of Reichsmarks to the Soviet zone.

50 years ago
1958

Defense
King Mohammed V of Morroco met with French Ambassador Alexandre Parodi to renew requests for complete French troop withdrawal from Morocco.

Economics and finance
The United States announced a $9.5-million loan for an industrial development centre in South Vietnam.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): A Man Without Love (Quando M'innamoro)--Engelbert Humperdinck

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy (Minnesota) won at least 52 of the 123 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in the New York Democratic Party U.S. presidential primary, beating Vice President Hubert Humphrey and the late U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (New York). New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller won the New York Republican Party primary, taking 77 delegates, with the remaining 5 going to former U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (2nd week at #1)

Golf
Andy North won the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club in Englewood, Colorado with a 1-over par score of 285, 1 stroke ahead of J.C. Snead and Dave Stockton. First prize money was $45,000.

Nancy Lopez won her fifth straight tournament and sixth of the year, winning the LPGA Tournament in Rochester, New York with a score of 214. First prize money was $11,250.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Hamilton (1-1) 18 @ Saskatchewan (0-2) 11

25 years ago
1983

Football
CFL
The Edmonton Eskimos' pre-season record dropped to 0-2 when they lost 20-9 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Taylor Field in Regina. Cliff Olander, the backup quarterback from 1982, played the first half for the Eskimos, after not playing in the first game. He turned in a dismal, career-ending performance. Mike Williams took over at quarterback for the Eskimos in the third quarter, and was playing well when a hard hit gave him a concussion that landed him on the injured list. At the time of his injury, Mr. Williams had the inside track on rookie Matt Dunigan to back up veteran Warren Moon. The Eskimos' only touchdown came late in the game on a pass from Mr. Dunigan to Mike Levenseller; a two-point convert attempt was unsuccessful. It was the final catch in an Eskimo uniform for Mr. Levenseller, who was traded to the Calgary Stampeders a few days later. Another Eskimo receiver who was cut after this game was Jeff Boyd, who made a great catch on a long bomb, but had trouble with easier plays. It was the second year in a row that Mr. Boyd had failed to crack the Eskimos' lineup; he then went to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and became a star. The other Eskimo points came on booming singles by promising rookie punter Paul Hickie. For Saskatchewan, the game marked the end of the line for veteran running back Jimmy Edwards, who was attempting to come back from two serious knee injuries in as many years. Mr. Edwards had won the Schenley Award as the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 1977 while with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats; he was runner-up for the award in 1976.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Gimme Five--Jovanotti (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Everywhere--Fleetwood Mac

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): N'importe quoi--Florent Pagny (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Boys in Green--Republic of Ireland Soccer Squad (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Doctorin' the Tardis--The Timelords

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Together Forever--Rick Astley

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Together Forever--Rick Astley
2 One More Try--George Michael
3 Foolish Beat--Debbie Gibson
4 Make it Real--The Jets
5 Everything Your Heart Desires--Daryl Hall John Oates
6 Dirty Diana--Michael Jackson
7 Circle in the Sand--Belinda Carlisle
8 The Valley Road--Bruce Hornsby and the Range
9 Alphabet St.--Prince
10 Shattered Dreams--Johnny Hates Jazz

Singles entering the chart were I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That by Elton John (#56); The Twist (Yo, Twist!) by the Fat Boys with Stupid Def Vocals by Chubby Checker (#83); Fast Car by Tracy Chapman (#86); Say it's Gonna Rain by Will to Power (#88); and Sayin' Sorry (Don't Make it Right) by Denise Lopez (#89).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 One More Try--George Michael (2nd week at #1)
2 Together Forever--Rick Astley
3 Beds are Burning--Midnight Oil
4 Pink Cadillac--Natalie Cole
5 Circle in the Sand--Belinda Carlisle
6 I'm Still Searching--Glass Tiger
7 The Valley Road--Bruce Hornsby and the Range
8 Everything Your Heart Desires--Daryl Hall John Oates
9 Dirty Diana--Michael Jackson
10 Shattered Dreams--Johnny Hates Jazz

Singles entering the chart were I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That by Elton John (#72); Fat by "Weird Al" Yankovic (#82); Hold on to the Nights by Richard Marx (#84); Under the Milky Way by the Church (#87); Rush Hour by Jane Wiedlin (#92); and Make Me Lose Control by Eric Carmen (#95). Fat was a spoof of Bad, Michael Jackson's hit from the fall of 1987.

10 years ago
1998

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Montreal (0-1) 18 @ Toronto (1-0) 21
Hamilton (0-1) 9 @ Winnipeg (1-0) 17