June 17, 2015

270 years ago
1745

War
William Pepperell and his 4,000 colonial New England troops, with naval support from Commodore Peter Warren, with Massachusetts Governor William Shirley, captured Louisbourg, Nova Scotia from Louis Du Pont Duchambon de Vergor.

260 years ago
1755

War
Robert Monckton took Fort Gaspereau, in what is now New Brunswick, without firing a shot. French forces abandoned the garrison at the mouth of the Saint John River, as the last French forts in Acadia were gone.

240 years ago
1775

War
Colonists inflicted heavy casualties on British forces while losing the Battle of Bunker Hill at Charlestown, Massachusetts.

220 years ago
1795

World events
The inhabitants of the town of Swellendam in what is now South Africa rebelled against the rule of the Dutch East India Company and proclaimed the Republic of Swellendam.

130 years ago
1885

Americana
The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City aboard the French ship Isere.

Baseball
Phenomenal Smith, who had boasted that he was so good that he didn’t need his teammates in order to win, made his pitching debut for the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers against the St. Louis Browns at Washington Park in Brooklyn. The Browns won 18-5, but all 18 runs against Mr. Smith were unearned. The Browns made 18 errors, 7 of them by shortstop Germany Smith. Browns' players were fined for making deliberate errors, but Mr. Smith was released in order to preserve team harmony.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Marcel Cadieux. Canadian civil servant and diplomat. Mr. Cadieux was a career civil servant in the Department of External Affairs and was Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 1970-1975, the first Francophone to hold the position. He died on March 19, 1981 at the age of 65.

90 years ago
1925

Diplomacy
In Geneva, Switzerland, Canada signed the League of Nations protocol prohibiting the use of poisonous gases and bacteria in warfare.

80 years ago
1935

Baseball
Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw M. Landis ruled that recently-released Sing Sing Prison inmate Alabama Pitts could play in regular season games for the Albany Senators of the International League, but not in exhibition games.

75 years ago
1940

Died on this date
Arthur Harden, 74. U.K. biochemist. Sir Arthur shared the 1929 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Adolf Windaus of Germany and Hans von Euler-Chelpin of Sweden "for their investigations on the fermentation of sugar and fermentative enzymes."

War
RMS Lancastria, a Cunard liner that had been commandeered by the British government for war service, was attacked and sunk by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France while taking part in Operation Ariel, the evacuation of British nationals and troops from France. At least 4,000 were killed in the U.K.'s worst maritime disaster; there were 2,447 survivors. Another commandeered liner, SS Oronsay, suffered several fatalities when her bridge was hit by a bomb, but managed to rescue some survivors of Lancastria and get home. The British Army's 11th Hussars assaulted and took Fort Capuzzo in Libya from Italian forces. French Prime Minister Philippe Pétain asked the Spanish ambassador to approach Germany about an armistice.

Abominations
The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania fell under the military occupation and political reorganization of the U.S.S.R.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department cautioned Germany and Italy to stay away from British, French, and Dutch possessions in the Western Hemisphere.

Japanese military authorities demanded that French Indochina halt arms shipments to Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek.

Colonel Francis P. Walters of the United Kingdom resigned his post as undersecretary of the League of Nations.

Politics and government
The Uruguayan Senate voted wide powers to the government to repress pro-Axis activities and ban all secret societies.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to appropriate $1.2 billion more for naval construction.

70 years ago
1945

War
The U.S. Army 86th Infantry Division arrived in New York as the first unit to return in toto from Europe; it would be the first full unit sent to the Pacific theatre.

Diplomacy
At the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, U.S.S.R. delegation leader Andrei Gromyko asked that the UN General Assembly be limited in its discussions to issues of "maintenance of international peace and security" rather than having the right to discuss any matter of international relations.

Politics and government
The Italian Committee of International Liberation agreed that Ferruccio Parri lead the formation of a new government.

Labour
The day after more than 6,000 truckers in Chicago had defied U.S. government orders not to strike, the U.S. Army sent 5,000 more troops to Chicago to keep the trucks moving.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)--Eddie Calvert (4th week at #1)

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Crying in the Chapel--Elvis Presley

Music
The Beatles were at EMI Studios in London, where they began recording the song Wait.

Diplomacy
The British Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference began in London.

40 years ago
1975

Died on this date
Sid Gordon, 56. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Gordon was a left fielder and third baseman with the New York Giants (1941-1943, 1946-1949, 1955); Boston/Milwaukee Braves (1950-1953); and Pittsburgh Pirates (1954-1955), batting .283 with 202 home runs and 805 runs batted in in 1,475 games. His best season was probably 1948, when he batted .299 with 30 home runs and 107 RBIs. Mr. Gordon struck out just 356 times in his career, while drawing 731 bases on balls. He died several hours after suffering a heart attack while playing softball in Central Park in New York City.

Jess Richardson, 44. U.S. football player. Mr. Richardson was a defensive tackle with the Philadelphia Eagles (1953-1961) and Boston Patriots (1962-1964), and was the last lineman to play professionally in the United States without a face mask. He died of a kidney ailment.

Americana
Residents of the Marianas Islands voted by a 4-1 margin in favour of becoming a Commonwealth of the United States.

Law
A French court ordered France to compensate Canadian environmental activist David McTaggart. His ship Greenpeace III was rammed and boarded by a French naval vessel in the South Pacific in June 1973 as McTaggart was protesting French nuclear testing.

Football
CFL
The Canadian Football League All-Star game, scheduled to be played at Autostade in Montreal on June 24, was cancelled. Only about 2,000 tickets had been sold for the game, in which the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes were to play the CFL All-Stars, selected from the other eight clubs.

Baseball
Ellie Hendricks batted 2 for 2 with a double, home run, sacrifice fly, 2 runs, and 3 runs batted in as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians 5-3 before 10,019 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. All the Cleveland runs came on solo home runs by former Orioles: consecutive homers by Boog Powell and Frank Robinson in the 2nd inning, and another by Mr. Powell in the 8th.

The Milwaukee Brewers scored 2 runs in each of the 7th and 8th innings to overcome a 3-0 deficit to defeat the New York Yankees 4-3 in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader before 19,724 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. Ed Herrmann's 2-run home run with 2 out finished a 3-run rally in the bottom of the 9th inning as the Yankees won the second game 4-2.

Juan Beniquez's solo home run in the top of the 8th inning provided the winning margin as the Boston Red Sox edged the Detroit Tigers 7-6 before 9,803 fans at Tiger Stadium. Ron LeFlore and John Wockenfuss each had 4 hits for Detroit. Ike Brookens made his major league debut on the mound with the Tigers, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs--both earned--in 3 1/3 innings of relief. He issued 1 base on balls, struck out 5 batters, and made a wild pitch.

Vida Blue pitched a 6-hit complete game victory to improve his 1975 record to 10-5 as the Oakland Athletics defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-2 in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader before 16,752 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Losing pitcher Dave Goltz also pitched a complete game. In the second game, the Athletics scored all their runs in the 5th inning and held on to win 8-7 to complete the sweep. Winning pitcher Ken Holtzman allowed 10 hits and 6 runs--all earned--in 5 1/3 innings.

Bob Coluccio, Ken Henderson, and Brian Downing each had 3 hits, and Deron Johnson hit a 3-run home run, as the Chicago White Sox routed the Texas Rangers 13-3 before 11,973 fans at Arlington Stadium. Winning pitcher Jim Kaat allowed 5 hits and 2 runs--both earned--in 6+ innings to improve his record for the season to 10-3.

The Chicago Cubs scored 6 runs in the 5th inning and 3 in the 6th as they beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-5 before 6,834 fans at Wrigley Field. Tom Dettore pitched 5 innings in relief of starting pitcher Rick Reuschel to get his first win of the season and batted 2 for 3 with 2 runs.

Gary Carter drove in 4 runs with a single and 3-run home run as the Montreal Expos overcame a 4-0 1st-inning deficit to edge the New York Mets 6-5 in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader before 21,710 fans at Jarry Park in Montreal. Dan Warthen, who entered the game in the 4th inning in relief of starting pitcher Don Stanhouse, allowed 3 hits and no runs in 6 innings to get his first major league win. It was the first National League game for Mr. Stanhouse, who allowed 7 hits and 5 earned runs in 3+ innings, while hitting a single in his first major league plate appearance. The Mets scored 3 runs in the top of the 11th inning to beat the Expos 5-2 in the second game. Nate Colbert, whom the Expos had purchased from the Detroit Tigers two days earlier, made his first appearance for Montreal, striking out as a pinch hitter for starting pitcher Steve Rogers in the 7th inning.

Ted Simmons batted 4 for 4, Willie Davis batted 3 for 5, and Reggie Smith was 2 for 5 with 3 runs batted in as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4 before 15,898 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Dave May hit a grand slam in the 6th inning and Darrell Evans hit a solo home run in the 8th, while Carl Morton pitched a 3-hit complete game and hit a single as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 before 22,133 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

Andy Messermsith pitched a 4-hit complete game and hit a single to improve his record for the season to 10-3 as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros 6-1 before 25,586 fans at Dodger Stadium. Ron Cey provided all the runs needed with a 3-run home run off Dave Roberts in the 1st inning.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Would I Lie to You?--Eurythmics (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ima Dakara--Yumi Matsutoya, Kazumasa Oda, Kazuo Zaitsu (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): We are the World--USA for Africa (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Georgia Hale, 84. U.S. actress. Miss Hale was known for her appearances in the silent movies The Salvation Hunters (1925); The Gold Rush (1925); and The Great Gatsby (1926). She retired from acting in 1928, and became wealthy through real estate investments. Miss Hale died eight days before her 85th birthday.

John Boulting, 71. U.K. movie director, producer, and screenwriter. Mr. Boulting and his twin brother Roy were responsible for such films as Brighton Rock (1947); Seven Days to Noon (1950); The Magic Box (1951); I'm All Right Jack (1959); and Heavens Above! (1963).

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Discovery launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida to begin mission STS-51-G. The seven-member crew, commanded by Daniel Brandenstein, included Payload Specialist Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, the first Arab, first Muslim, and first member of a royal family to go into space.





Football
CFL
Pre-season
Toronto (2-0) 24 @ Hamilton (0-2) 13
British Columbia (2-0) 17 @ Edmonton (0-2) 16

The Eskimos failed to score a touchdown against the Lions at Commonwealth Stadium, but rookie Brad Taylor was impressive at quarterback. Dave Cutler was 5 for 5 in field goal attempts for the Eskimos, and they turned out to be the last field goals he ever kicked. Jack Parker, son of Edmonton head coach Jackie Parker, saw some action as a receiver, and caught a couple of passes.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Vogue--Madonna (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Black Velvet--Alannah Myles (3rd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 I Promised Myself--Nick Kamen (3rd week at #1)
2 I Can't Stand It!--Twenty 4 Seven featuring Capt. Hollywood
3 Hey, Wickie--Der Schreckliche Sven & die tollkühnen Plattenreiter
4 Black Velvet--Alannah Myles
5 Infinity (1990's...Time for the Guru)--Guru Josh
6 Insieme: 1992--Toto Cutugno
7 Ding Dong--Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung
8 Hier kommt Kurt--Frank Zander
9 Vogue--Madonna
10 The Power--Snap!

Singles entering the chart were Alle meine Lieda by Remix-Poidl (#14); and Insieme Fairplay by Etta Scollo & José Feliciano (#30).

Politics and government
In the first free elections in Bulgaria in recent times, the Bulgarian Socialist Party won 211 of 400 seats in the Grand National Assembly. The Socialists were a Marxist party, but not as hard-line as the party that had run the country since the end of World War II. The opposition coalition, the Union of Democratic Forces, won 144 seats. Other parties ran far behind; a party representing ethnic Turks won 23 seats. The first round of elections had taken place on June 10; the June 17 elections were the runoffs.

Diplomacy
South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela and his wife Winnie, arrived in Ottawa to begin a visit to Canada; they later went on an 11-day tour of the United States.

Golf
Hale Irwin and Mike Donald were tied for the lead after 4 rounds of the U.S. Open at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois with 8-under-par total scores of 280, forcing an 18-hole playoff the following day.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Mouth--Merril Bainbridge (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): 21 Go'nat historier--Timm & Gordon

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Think Twice--Céline Dion (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Pour que tu m'aimes encore--Céline Dion (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Pour que tu m'aimes encore--Céline Dion (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Conquest of Paradise--Vangelis (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Unchained Melody/(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover--Robson Green & Jerome Flynn (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?--Bryan Adams (3rd week at #1)
2 Water Runs Dry--Boyz II Men
3 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Nicki French
4 Don't Take it Personal (Just One of Dem Days)--Monica
5 Scream/Childhood--Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson
6 This is How We Do It--Montell Jordan
7 I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By--Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige
8 Freak Like Me--Adina Howard
9 I Believe--Blessid Union of Souls
10 Let Her Cry--Hootie & the Blowfish

Singles entering the chart were Scream/Childhood; Freek'n You by Jodeci (#20); I Can Love You Like That by All-4-One (#27); My Love is for Real by Paula Abdul (#36); Big Yellow Taxi by Amy Grant (#83); I Love You/You Bring Me Joy by Mary J. Blige (#86); Survival of the Fittest by Mobb Deep (#92); and He's Mine by MoKenStef (#93).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Water Runs Dry--Boyz II Men (4th week at #1)
2 Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?--Bryan Adams
3 Total Eclipse of the Heart--Nikki French
4 Let Her Cry--Hootie & the Blowfish
5 I Believe--Blessid Union of Souls
6 I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By--Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige
7 Don't Take it Personal (Just One of Dem Days)--Monica
8 This is How We Do It--Montell Jordan
9 I Know--Dionne Farris
10 Scream--Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Old School by 2Pac (#23, charting with the A-side, Dear Mama); I Got 5 on It by Luniz (#62); Feel Me Flow by Naughty by Nature (#69); Feels So Good by Xscape (#76); I Wanna Love Like That by Tony Thompson (#78); He's Mine by MoKenStef (#84); Colors of the Wind by Vanessa Williams (#86); and Mind Blowin' by Smooth (#91). Colors of the Wind was from the movie Pocahontas (1995).

War
Russian troops twice stormed a hospital in the town of Budyonnovsk, where Chechen rebels had taken 2,000 patients and medical staff hostage three days earlier and had threatened to kill them if the Russians didn't stop their offensive in Chechnya. The Russian troops were able to free only about 50 hostages, while the Chechens freed about 150 more.

Diplomacy
Russian President Boris Yeltsin, a guest of the "Group of 7"--U.S.A.; U.K.; Canada; France; Germany; Italy; Japan--leaders at their summit in Halifax, said that Russia would attempt to use its influence with Serbia to bring an end to the conflict in Bosnia. In an implied criticism of Russia, the leaders voted to urge all nations to "avoid any collaboration with Iran which might contribute to the acquisition of a nuclear-weapons capability." Regarding the seizure of hostages by Chechen rebels in Budyonnovsk, the leaders urged that a solution be found without resort to force; Mr. Yeltsin objected, and Chechnya wasn't mentioned in the final communique.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
New Jersey 2 @ Detroit 1 (New Jersey led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Claude Lemieux's goal at 3:17 of the 3rd period broke a 1-1 tie as the Devils edged the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.



Football
CFL
Pre-season
Ottawa (0-1) 11 @ Baltimore (1-0) 45
San Antonio (1-0) 35 @ Memphis (0-1) 14
Calgary (0-1) 18 @ British Columbia (1-1) 36

10 years ago
2005

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Toronto (1-0-1) 34 @ Hamilton (0-1-1) 31