Monday 30 April 2018

April 30, 2018

420 years ago
1598


Religion
King Henry IV of France signed the Edict of Nantes, granting rights to the Protestant Huguenots.

180 years ago
1838


Central Americana
Nicaragua declared its independence from the Central American Federation.

130 years ago
1888

Disasters

Hailstones killed about 250 in the Moradabad district of Delhi, India.

125 years ago
1893


Born on this date
Joachim von Ribbentrop
. German politician. Mr. Ribbentrop lived in several countries as a young man, including Canada, where he worked at a bank in Montreal and ran a wine importing business in Ottawa. He joined the Nazi Party in 1932, and served as German Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1936-1938 and Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1938-1945. In 1939, Mr. Ribbentrop played a key role in negotiating both the Pact of Steel (an alliance with Italy) and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (a non-aggression pact with the U.S.S.R.). Mr. Ribbentrop's influence declined after 1941, but he was tried at Nuremberg after World War II as a war criminal, and was the first of those sentenced to hang to be executed, on October 16, 1946 at the age of 53.

110 years ago
1908


Terrorism
Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki, who were associated with the Bengali revolutionary Jugantar movement, attempted to assassinate District Judge Kingsford by throwing a bomb into his carriage. Judge Kingsford wasn't there, and the bomb killed two innocent women.

90 years ago
1928


Aviation
The crew of the German Junker Bremen, who had been rescued from Greenly Island (near Newfoundland) after failing to reach New York on a transatlantic flight from Dublin, were given an official New York welcome--parades and all. The crew--Baron Gunther von Huenefeld; Captain Hermann Koehl; and Major James Fitzmaurice--along with Mrs. Koehl and Mrs. Fitzmaurice and her 7-year-old daughter Patricia, attended a theatre at night and then saw the heavyweight fight between Tom Sharkey and Jack Delaney.

Europeana
The Cherkess Autonomous Region was formed in R.S.F.S.R, U.S.S.R.

Politics and government
The U.S. Senate, without a recorded vote, adopted a resolution by minority leader Joseph Robinson, Democrat from Arkansas, providing for an investigation into the campaign expenditures of the various presidential candidates. The hearings began several weeks later: Herbert Hoover appeared on May 9, and Al Smith on May 10.

After secret meetings, both houses of the Egyptian parliament agreed that the Public Assemblies bill should be withdrawn for this session.

Academia
The first intercollegiate match in English Literature was held at New Haven, Connecticut and Cambridge, Massachusetts. At New Haven, ten Yale University seniors, adepts, took the examination which was being given at the same hour to Harvard specialists in the same subject at Cambridge. At Harvard, although the examination was given to the entire class, a team of ten had been selected to compete with the Yale team, the members of which were all volunteers. Harvard was announced as the winner on May 31. Mrs. W.L. Putnam of the English Department at Harvard donated the prize: $5,000 in books.

Boxing
Jack Sharkey (28-8-1) knocked out Jack Delaney (70-11-2) at 1:13 of the 1st round of a heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.

80 years ago
1938


At the movies
The cartoon short Porky's Hare Hunt opened in movie theatres, introducing Happy Rabbit (a prototype of Bugs Bunny).

Soccer
English FA Cup Final @ Wembley Stadium, London
Preston North End 1 Huddersfield Town 0 (ET)

George Mutch scored on a penalty kick in the final minute of extra time to give Preston North End the win before 93,497 fans in the first FA Cup Final ever televised, on BBC.

75 years ago
1943


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I Don't Want to Walk Without You--Harry James and his Music Makers (3rd month at #1)

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS

This was the first broadcast of the program since March 1, 1942, and the first on the Mutual Broadcasting System after being on NBC from 1939-1942.

At the movies
Sherlock Holmes in Washington, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, opened in theatres in the United States.



Died on this date
Beatrice Webb, 85
. U.K. economist and social reformer. Mrs. Webb, with her husband Sidney, helped to found the London School of Economics and was a member of the Fabian Society, which promoted the transition of society to socialism through gradual means.

Otto Jespersen, 82. Danish philologist. Dr. Jespersen specialized in the grammar of the English language and was a professor of English at the University of Copenhagen from 1893-1925.

War
U.S. and Canadian naval officials announced that Allied planes would provide a protective umbrella over the North Atlantic shipping lanes in an effort to combat German U-boats. The British submarine HMS Seraph surfaced in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain to deposit a dead man planted with false invasion plans and dressed as a British military intelligence officer. The plan, known as Operation Mincemeat, was intended to convince the German high command that the Allies planned to invade Greece and Sardinia in 1943 instead of the actual target of Sicily. German troops, with heavy tank support, again counterattacked along the entire Tunisian front, but were repulsed, with heavy losses.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull announced the severance of political relations and the termination of all agreements with Martinique because of its close association with Vichy France and Nazi Germany.

Labour
The United Mine Workers of America rejected U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's ultimatum not to strike when its contract expired at midnight this night.

70 years ago
1948


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Near You--Bing Crosby; Dick Haymes and the Andrews Sisters (1st month at #1)

Theatre
Inside U.S.A., a musical revue starring Beatrice Lillie, Jack Haley, and Estelle Loring, opened at the New Century Theatre on Broadway in New York to favourable reviews.

Died on this date
Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma, 56
. German military officer. General Thoma served in both world wars and in the Spanish Civil War. He was captured by British forces in November 1942, and was a prisoner in the United Kingdom for the remainder of World War II. Gen. Thoma was overheard by British authorities talking to another German officer about German rocketry, thus alerting his captors to the existence of the V-1 and V-2 weapons. Gen. Thoma was freed after the war, and died of a heart attack in his hometown of Dachau.

War
Haganah forces overran the Christian Arab quarter of southwestern Jerusalem and took the Greek Orthodox St. Simon Monastery, an Arab stronghold.

Greek government forces claimed a major victory over Communist guerrillas in the Mount Parnassus-Mount Ghiona area northwest of Athens, eliminating an important Arab stronghold.

Diplomacy
In Bogota, the International Conference of American States approved an agreement estabishing the Organization of American States, a permanent agency supervising conduct of hemispheric affairs. Participating countries also signed the Pact of Bogota, committing themselves to try measures of conciliation within the hemisphere before seking United Nations assistance in settling hemispheric disputes.

Defense
The Union of Western Europe established a permanent military committee in London to handle "common defense problems."

The United States performed an atmospheric nuclear test at Eniwetok.

Politics and government
The temporary Costa Rican government of Colonel Jose Figueres announced plans to form a junta after the retirement of interim President Santos Leon Herrera.

60 years ago
1958


War
Algerian nationalists executed three French prisoners in retaliation for French executions of captured guerrillas.

World events
Maltese Governor Sir Robert Laycock declared a state of emergency amidst anti-British strikes and unrest.

Politics and government
The American Association of Retired Persons was founded in Washington, D.C.

Baseball
Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox became the tenth major league player to tally 1,000 career extra base hits, hitting a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning of an 11-4 loss to the Kansas City Athletics before 4,037 fana at Fenway Park. Bob Cerv led the Kansas City attack, batting 3 for 4 with 2 home runs, a base on balls, 4 runs, and 5 runs batted in.

Julio Becquer singled home Albie Pearson with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Washington Senators a 3-2 win over the Cleveland Indians before 8,274 fans at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Losing pitcher Herb Score allowed 8 hits, 8 bases on balls, and 3 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings.

Frank Robinson led off the bottom of the 10th inning with his second home run of the game to give the Cincinnati Redlegs a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals before 7,192 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Delilah--Tom Jones (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller announced that he was entering the race for the 1968 Republican Party U.S. presidential nomination, 40 days after he’d said that he would not be an active candidate. Gov. Rockefeller said that he had been urged to participate by people of all political persuasions, and had finally been moved to change his position by "the gravity of the crisis we face as a people."

Disasters
50 were feared dead from an earthquake that hit western Iran.

Boxing
Buster Mathis (24-1) scored a technical knockout of Mel Turnbow (8-8) at 2:44 of the 7th round in a heavyweight bout at Miami Beach Auditorium.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles 117 @ Boston 120 (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Baseball
Three Baltimore Orioles’ pitchers walked 14 New York Yankees in a 9-inning game, allowing only 5 hits as the Orioles won 6-5 before 5,826 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Yankees scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th inning and loaded the bases with 1 out, but pinch hitter Frank Fernandez bunted into an unassisted double play by Baltimore first baseman Boog Powell to end the game.

Ramon Webster's 3-run home run with 1 out in the top of the 1st inning stood up for the Oakland Athletics as they defeated the Detroit Tigers 3-1 before 8,791 fans at Tiger Stadium.

Ken McMullen hit 2 home runs and drove in 4 runs, with his second homer, a solo blast, breaking a 4-4 tie with 1 out in the top of the 12th inning as the Washington Senators edged the Chicago White Sox 5-4 before 6,321 fans at White Sox Park.

Ron Swoboda's home run leading off the bottom of the 2nd inning was all the scoring as the New York Mets edged the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0 before 3,771 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. Don Cardwell pitched a 5-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Chris Short.

Pinch hitter Manny Mota doubled home Bill Mazeroski and Gene Alley with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to climax a 3-run rally as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Chicago Cubs 4-3 before 3,710 fans at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The Cubs had broken a 1-1 tie with 2 runs in the top of the 9th.

40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Tania--John Rowles (4th week at #1)

Politics and government
Two days after a pro-Soviet military coup overthrew the government of President Mohammad Daoud Khan, a new government for Afghanistan was proclaimed under the leadership of Mohammad Taraki, leader of an Afghan Communist party known as Khalq.

Journalism
Excerpts from the memoirs of former U.S. President Richard Nixon began running in installments in many newspapers. Mr. Nixon admitted that he had known some things about the 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, but hadn’t been involved in activities that gave aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman potential criminal liability.

Golf
Lon Hinkle won the New Orleans Open with a score of 271. First prize money was $40,000.

Hockey
WHA
Avco World Trophy
Semi-Finals
Quebec 3 @ New England 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

IIHF World Championships
Canada 7 U.S.A. 2

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Finals
Washington 122 @ Philadelphia 117 (Washington led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Denver 91 @ Milwaukee 119 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)
Seattle 89 @ Portland 113 (Seattle led best-of-seven series 3-2)

30 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): L'Amore Rubato--Luca Barbarossa (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Gimme Hope Jo'anna--Eddy Grant (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Gimme Hope Jo'anna--Eddy Grant (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): One More Try--George Michael

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Theme from S-Express--S-Express

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Theme from S-Express--S-Express

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Where Do Broken Hearts Go--Whitney Houston (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Where Do Broken Hearts Go--Whitney Houston
2 Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby
3 Devil Inside--INXS
4 Angel--Aerosmith
5 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
6 Anything for You--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
7 Pink Cadillac--Natalie Cole
8 Girlfriend--Pebbles
9 Prove Your Love--Taylor Dayne
10 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson

Singles entering the chart were The Valley Road by Bruce Hornsby and the Range (#59); Alphabet St. by Prince (#68); Heart of Mine by Boz Scaggs (#77); Supersonic by J.J. Fad (#84); Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard (#87); Most of All by Jody Watley (#88); and Underneath the Radar by Underworld (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean (4th week at #1)
2 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
3 Wishing Well--Terence Trent D'Arby
4 Devil Inside--INXS
5 I Saw Him Standing There--Tiffany
6 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson
7 I'm Still Searching--Glass Tiger
8 Endless Summer Nights--Richard Marx
9 Push It--Salt-N-Pepa
9 Where Do Broken Hearts Go--Whitney Houston

Singles entering the chart were The Valley Road by Bruce Hornsby and the Range (#83); Breakaway by Big Pig (#87); We All Sleep Alone by Cher (#92); Rebel by Blue Rodeo (#95); and I Wasn't the One (Who Said Bye) by Agnetha Faltskog (#96).

Diplomacy
Three days of peace talks between Nicaragua’s Sandanista government and opposition Contra rebels produced no agreement.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Division Finals
New Jersey 3 @ Washington 2 (New Jersey won best-of-seven series 4-3)

John MacLean broke a 2-2 tie with 6:11 remaining in regulation time as the Devils eliminated the Capitals at Capital Center in Landover, Maryland.

Football
The New York Knights beat the Los Angeles Cobras 60-52 before 10,157 fans in Los Angeles in the Arena Football League’s first game ever.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Washington 101 @ Detroit 102 (Detroit led best-of-five series 2-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Houston 119 @ Dallas 108 (Best-of-five series tied 1-1)
Utah 114 @ Portand 105 (Best-of-five series tied 1-1)

Baseball
Mike Pagliarulo hit a grand slam and a 3-run home run to lead the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 15-3 before 21,011 fans at Yankee Stadium. Jack Clark added a home run and 3 runs batted in for the Yankees, and Dave Winfield drove in his 28th and 29th runs of the season, tying the major league record for RBIs in April.

Alan Trammell singled home Tom Brookens with 2 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners before 17,505 fans at Tiger Stadium.

Vance Law singled home Manny Trillo with 2 out in the top of the 13th inning to break a 1-1 tie as the Chicago Cubs edged the San Francisco Giants 2-1 before 32,405 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

Howard Johnson scored from second base on a ground ball by Mookie Wilson to break a 5-5 tie with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning when shortstop Barry Larkin's throw pulled first baseman Nick Esasky off the base as the New York Mets edged the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 before 33,463 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. The game had already included a bench-clearing brawl in the 7th, and when first base umpire Dave Pallone delayed making the call on the ground ball by Mr. Wilson, Mr. Esasky argued the call, and Mr. Johnson came around to score. Cincinnati manager Pete Rose then came out to argue with Mr. Pallone. Each man wagged a finger in the other's face; Mr. Rose claimed to have been scratched by Mr. Pallone, while he shoved Mr. Pallone twice, resulting in his ejection, a $10,000 fine, and a 30-day suspension. Fans threw debris on the field, causing a 14-minute delay, and Mr. Pallone left the game, replaced by second base umpire John Kibler.



25 years ago
1993


Crime
Monica Seles, the world's #1-ranked women's tennis player, was stabbed in the back by a fan named Gunter Parche as she sat at courtside during a Citizen Cup match against Steffi Graf in Hamburg.

Technology
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced that World Wide Web protocols would be free.

Hockey
IIHF World Men's Championship @ Munich
Semi-Finals
Russia 7 Canada 4
Sweden 4 Czech Republic 3 (OT)

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Atlanta 90 @ Chicago 114 (Chicago led best-of-five series 1-0)
Indiana 104 @ New York 107 (New York led best-of-five series 1-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Los Angeles Lakers 107 @ Phoenix 103 (Los Angeles led best-of-five series 1-0)
Utah 85 @ Seattle 99 (Seattle led best-of-five series 1-0)

20 years ago
1998


Radio
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission brought in new rules for radio stations: starting in 1999, stations had to play 35% Canadian content, up from 30%; a single owner in larger markets would be able to own up to two AM and two FM stations.

Defense
The United States Senate voted 80-19 to accept a resolution to add Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Scandal
Webster Hubbell, former law partner of Hillary Clinton, was charged by the Whitewater special prosecutor with income tax evasion, including failure to pay taxes and penalties of more than $850,000 over the previous four years.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Quarter-Finals
Ottawa 1 @ New Jersey 3 (Ottawa led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Western Conference
Quarter-Finals
San Jose 2 @ Dallas 3 (Dallas led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Edmonton 3 @ Colorado 1 (Colorado led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Phoenix 1 @ Detroit 3 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round

Charlotte 91 @ Atlanta 82 (Charlotte won best-of-five series 3-1)
Indiana 80 @ Cleveland 74 (Indiana won best-of-five series 3-1)
Miami 85 @ New York 90 (Best-of-five series tied 2-2)

Western Conference
First Round
Los Angeles Lakers 110 @ Portland 99 (Los Angeles won best-of-five series 3-1)
Seattle 92 @ Minnesota 88 (Best-of-five series tied 2-2)

10 years ago
2008


Died on this date
Juancho Evertsz, 85
. Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles, 1973-1977. Mr. Evertsz was one of the founding members and leaders of the Antilles National People's Party (NVP). He opposed full independence for the Netherlands Antilles, and opposed the separation of Aruba from the Netherlands Antilles.

Russiana
Two skeletal remains found near Yekaterinburg, Russia were confirmed by Russian scientists to be the remains of Anastasia, 17, and Alexei, 13, two of the children of Nicholas II, the last Czar of Russia, who, with his entire family, was executed at Yekaterinburg by the Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
Montreal 2 @ Philadelphia 4 (Philadelphia led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
San Jose 2 @ Dallas 1 (Dallas led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Football
CFL
University of Saskatchewan Huskies' safety Dylan Barker was the first player taken in the annual Canadian Football League draft, selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Edmonton Eskimos were to have drafted second, but head coach and director of football operations Danny Maciocia traded the choice to the Calgary Stampeders as part of a trade which brought, among others, veteran offensive lineman John Comiskey to Edmonton. The Stampeders used the second selection to draft Weber State University offensive lineman Dmitri Tsoumpas, who was from the Edmonton area. It was not only a terrible football trade for the Eskimos, but was also bad for business, as Mr. Tsoumpas had family and friends who may have been willing to buy tickets to watch him play in Edmonton. This, as much as anything, ensured Mr. Maciocia's alienation from Eskimo fans; and Mr. Maciocia couldn't understand why the fans were against him.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Atlanta 85 @ Boston 110 (Boston led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Washington 88 @ Cleveland 87 (Cleveland led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Sunday 29 April 2018

April 29, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, April Stevens!

390 years ago
1628

Defense

Sweden and Denmark signed a defense treaty against the Duke of Wallenstein.

330 years ago
1688

Died on this date
Friedrich Wilhelm, 68
. Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, 1640-1688. Friedrich Wilhelm, of the house of Hohenzollern, was popularly known as the Great Elector because of his military and political skill, which eventually resulted in Prussia moving up from duchy to kingdom.

200 years ago
1818


Born on this date
Aleksandr II
. Czar of Russia, 1855-1881; King of Poland, 1855-1864. Aleksandr II succeeded his father Nicholas I on the thrones of Russia and Poland, the latter of which became obsolete when Poland was annexed by Russia in 1864. Czar Aleksandr was known as "Aleksandr the Liberator" for emancipating Russia's serfs in 1861, and was proposing other reforms to counter revolutionary movements when he was assassinated by a bomb on March 13, 1881 at the age of 62. He was succeeded on the Russian throne by his son Aleksandr III.

125 years ago
1893


Born on this date
Harold Urey
. U.S. chemist. Dr. Urey was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his discovery of heavy hydrogen." During World War II, he worked on the Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb. Dr. Urey took an interest in space science in later years, and examined rocks brought back from the Moon by the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Dr. Urey died on January 5, 1981 at the age of 87.

100 years ago
1918


Died on this date
George Allen, 72
. U.S. football coach. After years in the college ranks, Mr. Allen joined the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League as an assistant coach in 1957, moving on to the Chicago Bears in 1958 under head coach George Halas. Mr. Allen masterminded the defense that gave up an average of 10 points per game as the Bears won the NFL championship in 1963. He became head coach of the Los Angeles Rams in 1966; from 1966-1970 the Rams compiled a regular season record of 49-17-4, but were unable to get past the first round of the playoffs. Mr. Allen was fired after the 1970 season and was promptly hired to be the head coach of the Washington Redskins, where he served from 1971-1977. Mr. Allen’s teams in Washington were known as the "Over-the-Hill Gang" because of his habit of trading away draft choices for proven veterans. The Redskins’ best season under Mr. Allen was 1972, when they led the National Football Conference with a record of 11-3, and won the NFC championship, only to lose 14-7 to the undefeated Miami Dolphins in the 1973 Super Bowl. Mr. Allen rejoined the Rams as head coach in 1978, but was fired after just two pre-season games. He joined CBS as a commentator on football telecasts. Mr. Allen joined the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League as general manager after the 1981 season, but departed after just a few weeks in which he accomplished nothing except large long-distance telephone bills. In 1983 Mr. Allen was head coach of the Chicago Blitz in the first season of the United States Football League, where he compiled a 12-6 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs. In 1984 he became head coach of the Arizona Wranglers when the owners of the Wranglers and the Blitz swapped the two franchises almost completely. In 1984 the Wranglers were 10-8, and won two playoff games to become Western Conference champions before losing 23-3 to the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL championship game. Mr. Allen left coaching after that, but returned in 1990 as head coach at California State University, Long Beach. He led CSULB to its first winning record in many years, but died six weeks after the last game. CSULB won the game and the players awarded Mr. Allen a Gatorade shower, but he procrastinated in changing out of wet clothes, and his health declined until he died of ventricular fibrillation on December 31, 1990 at the age of 72.

Baseball
Cleveland Indians’ centre fielder Tris Speaker executed the record-tying fourth unassisted double play of his career in an 8-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox before 5,000 fans at Dunn Field in Cleveland. Roy Wilkinson made his major league debut on the mound for the Indians, pitching a perfect 9th inning.

90 years ago
1928

World events

50,000 men held in jail or under police surveillance throughout Brazil as revolutionaries were freed by a Supreme Court decision restoring their normal civil rights.

Europeana
The Turkish parliament voted to supplant the Arabic alphabet with the Latin, and gave the country 15 years to become accustomed. A new dictionary was to be prepared so that the new alphabet could be taught in schools. Newspapers were to be printed partly in Arabic and partly in Latin characters, with the latter to be used for all official documents.

75 years ago
1943


At the movies
Mission to Moscow, based on former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Joseph E. Davies' memoir, received its premiere screening in Washington, D.C.. The movie, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Walter Huston, was one of the most notorious pro-Soviet propaganda films to come from Hollywood.

War
Soviet forces opened an offensive against German positions in the Kuban Valley near Novorossiisk.

Diplomacy
Alfredo Michelson was appointed Colombia's first Ambassador to the U.S.S.R.

Science
Six Parke, Davis & Company scientists announced the isolation of a 14th vitamin, Bc, in crystalline form from liver.

70 years ago
1948


Radio
Hooperatings named Fibber McGee and Molly the most popular program in the United States, followed by Jack Benny; Radio Theater of the World; Bob Hope; and Amos & Andy.

War
Haganah and Irgun Zvai Leumi forces completed the encirclement of Jaffa, following the flight of most of the city's Arab inhabitants.

A Polish court in Gdansk sentenced former Nazi Gauleiter Albert Foerster to death for planning the German seizure of the city in 1939.

World events
A court in Bratislava handed down a seven-yar prison sentence to former Czech Deputy Premier Jan Ursiny, convicted of treason for alleged participation in a Slovak separatist plot.

Politics and government
Conservative supporters of former Vietnamese Emperor Bao Dai, meeting in Hong Kong, decided to form a provisional central government in Vietnam under French protection, liquidating the separate state of Cochin China. The protected central government was a rival to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam proclaimed by nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh.

The Chinese National Assembly elected Li Tsung-jen, a liberal Kuomintang critic of President Chiang Kai-shek, Vice President.

Americana
A federal court in San Francisco restored U.S. citizenship to 2,700 Japanese-Americans who had signed statements in internment camps during World War II renouncing their citizenship.

Law
The Colombian Superior Court in Bogota ordered the release of 12 Communists for lack of evidence linking them to disorders on April 9 following the assassination of Liberal Party leader Jorge Ellecer Gaitan.

Labour
The American Federation of Musicians signed an interim agreement with four major networks, permitting studio musicians to play for lower wages on television than on radio.

The American Federation of Labor United Financial Employees ended a 31-day strike against the New York Stock Exchange by accepting a $3-$5 weekly wage increase.

Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals’ relief pitcher Ted Wilks lost his first game in 77 consecutive appearances dating back to September 8, 1945 when the Cardinals lost 5-4 in 14 innings to the Cincinnati Reds before 2,232 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The winning run scored when Johnny Wyrostek doubled with 1 out in the bottom of the 14th, Grady Hatton drew a base on balls, and Hank Sauer singled home Mr. Wyrostek. Mr. Wilks posted a 12-0 record during his streak, which included at least 15 starts.

The Brooklyn Dodgers scored 4 runs in each of the first 2 innings and 6 in the 6th inning as they beat the New York Giants 17-7 before 9,174 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Pete Reiser drove in 5 runs for the Dodgers with a home run and a triple, while Preston Ward had 3 hits and 4 RBIs and Bruce Edwards added 4 hits and 3 RBIs. Jack Hallett finished the game on the mound for New York, allowing 2 hits and 1 run--earned--in 2 innings in the 73rd and last game of his 6-year major league career.

Joe DiMaggio drove in Bobby Brown with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the New York Yankees a 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals before 5,630 fans at Yankee Stadium.

The Boston Red Sox (4) and Philadelphia Athletics (2) combined to hit 6 home runs as the Red Sox won 11-5 before 2,522 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Philadelphia relief pitchers Alex Kellner and Bubba Harris both made their major league debuts, with Mr. Kellner allowing 4 hits and 3 runs--all earned--in 6 innings of relief, while Mr. Harris pitched a perfect 8th inning. Joe Dobson pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief to get his first save of the season, and hit a 2-run home run in the 9th inning; the homer was his second and last in the major leagues.

60 years ago
1958


Theatre
The Broadway musical My Fair Lady opened at the Drury Lane theatre in London to an enthusiastic reception.

Diplomacy
U.A.R. President Gamal Nasser arrived in Moscow to begin an 18-day state visit to the U.S.S.R.

Asked in Montevideo about U.S. policy toward dictatorships, U.S. Vice President Richad Nixon said that the U.S. "would be charged with interfering in the internal affairs of other countries" if it discriminated between one government and another.

U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko rejected the U.S. proposal for an international Arctic inspection zone as "sheer publicity."

World events
The United Arab Republic deprived exiled King Farouk and other members of the royal family of their Egyptian citizenship.

Politics and government
Burmese Prime Minister U Nu confirmed reports of a split in his Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League.

Ralph Flanders (Republican), who had represented Vermont in the United States Senate since 1947, announced that he would not run for re-election in 1958.

Health
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission member Willard Libby asserted that radioactive products of nuclear detonations were, thus far, having "a very minute effect" on human health.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Hana no Kubikazari/Ginga no Romance--The Tigers (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La, la, la--Massiel (2nd week at #1)

Theatre
Hair: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical, which had played off-Broadway in 1967, opened at the Biltmore Theatre in New York City, the first of 1,750 performances there. Music was by Galt MacDermot, with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado. The director was Tom O’Horgan. Among the cast members on opening night were Diane Keaton and Melba Moore, as well as Mr. Ragni and Mr. Rado. The production, which was one of the first major theatrical productions to feature nudity, closed on July 1, 1972. Several of the songs from Hair became hit singles in 1969: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Fifth Dimension); Hair (The Cowsills); Good Morning Starshine (Eddie Rambeau; Strawberry Alarm Clock; Oliver); and Easy to Be Hard (Three Dog Night).

Died on this date
Anthony Boucher, 56
. U.S. editor, writer, and critic. Mr. Boucher, born William Anthony Parker White, was (with J. Francis McComas) the founding editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction from 1949 to 1958. He wrote mystery reviews for the San Francisco Chronicle and The New York Times, and helped in founding Mystery Writers of America in 1946. Mr. Boucher’s San Francisco Chronicle reviews earned him MWA’s Edgar Award in 1946. Mr. Boucher was also known as a devotee of Sherlock Holmes. From 1944-1947 he teamed with Denis Green to write the scripts for The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes radio series. When that series left the Mutual Broadcasting System in the summer of 1946, it was replaced in its time slot by The Casebook of Gregory Hood, created and written by Mr. Boucher. During this period he also scripted more than 100 episodes of The Adventures of Ellery Queen.

Politics and government
Rev. Ralph Abernathy, who had succeeded Martin Luther King, Jr. as leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, arrived in Washington with a delegation, three days in advance of the beginning of a poor people's march which "Dr." King had planned. Rev. Abernathy met with cabinet members and Congressmen to present a long list of legislative demands, including 2 million jobs, massive housing programs, larger welfare payments, and a guaranteed minimum income for everyone--in other words, socialist welfare state handouts given to blacks, and paid for by whites.

Protest
Columbia University President Grayson Kirk called on New York City police to clear university buildings of student protesters who had been occupying the buildings for several days.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Minnesota 2 @ St. Louis 3 (OT) (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Bill McCreary scored at 17:27 of the 1st overtime period to give the Blues their win over the North Stars at St. Louis Arena.

40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Figli delle stelle--Alan Sorrenti

#1 single in Switzerland: Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Night Fever--Bee Gees

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Night Fever--Bee Gees

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Night Fever--Bee Gees (7th week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring--Boney M.
2 Only a Fool--The Mighty Sparrow with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires
3 Argentina--Conquistador
4 U.O. Me (You Owe Me)--Luv'
5 Come Back My Love--Darts
6 With a Little Luck--Wings
7 Substitute--Clout
8 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
9 Starship 109--Mistral
10 Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush

Singles entering the chart were Night Fever by the Bee Gees (#13); Light Up My Eyes by Champagne (#19); Ça Plane pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand (#24); Het Stadje Kufstein by De Migra's (#30); 't is OK by Harmony (#35); and Bourne to Satisfy by Joe Bourne (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Night Fever--Bee Gees (7th week at #1)
2 If I Can't Have You--Yvonne Elliman
3 Can't Smile Without You--Barry Manilow
4 The Closer I Get to You--Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
5 With a Little Luck--Wings
6 Running on Empty--Jackson Browne
7 Jack and Jill--Raydio
8 Dust in the Wind--Kansas
9 Goodbye Girl--David Gates
10 Lay Down Sally--Eric Clapton

Singles entering the chart were I was Only Joking by Rod Stewart (#70); The Wanderer by Leif Garrett (#83); Almost Summer by Celebration featuring Mike Love (#85); Where Have You Been All My Life by Fotomaker (#94); Give a Little by Robert John (#95); Oh How Happy by the Skyliners (#96); Weekend Lover by Odyssey (#97); I'm on My Way by Captain & Tennille (#98); and Africanism/Gimme Some Lovin' by the Kongas (#99). Almost Summer was the title song of the movie.

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Night Fever--Bee Gees (5th week at #1)
2 Can't Smile Without You--Barry Manilow
3 If I Can't Have You--Yvonne Elliman
4 Dust in the Wind--Kansas
5 Jack and Jill--Raydio
6 The Circle is Small--Gordon Lightfoot
7 Ebony Eyes--Bob Welch
8 Running on Empty--Jackson Browne
9 Goodbye Girl--David Gates
10 Lay Down Sally--Eric Clapton

Singles entering the chart were Ego by Elton John (#72); Shadow Dancing by Andy Gibb (#81); Deacon Blues by Steely Dan (#90); I Can't Stand the Rain by Eruption (#92); Since You Been Gone by Head East (#93); Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty (#95); The Ringing in My Ear (Midnight Song) by David Bradstreet (#97); Because the Night by the Patti Smith Group (#98); and They Call Her Easy by Van Dyke (#100). They Call Her Easy, originally a track from the album Short Stories (1973) by Harry Chapin, was the B-side of Ridin' High, and had received airplay in Calgary three months earlier.

Winnipeg's top 26 (CKY)
1 If I Can't Have You--Yvonne Elliman
2 You're the One that I Want--Olivia Newton John & John Travolta
3 With a Little Luck--Wings
4 Two Doors Down--Dolly Parton
5 Night Fever--Bee Gees
6 Dust in the Wind--Kansas
7 We Will Rock You/We are the Champions--Queen
8 Can't Smile Without You--Barry Manilow
9 Thank You for Being a Friend--Andrew Gold
10 Our Love--Natalie Cole
11 Jack and Jill--Raydio
12 Ebony Eyes--Bob Welch
13 Sweet Misery--Teaze
14 Ego--Elton John
15 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
16 Will Never Have to Say Goodbye Again--England Dan & John Ford Coley
17 Sweet Talkin' Woman--Electric Light Orchestra
18 Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)--Billy Joel
19 Shadow Dancing--Andy Gibb
20 Running on Empty--Jackson Browne
21 Hot Legs--Rod Stewart
25 Werewolves of London--Warren Zevon
22 The Closer I Get to You--Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
23 Ready for the Good Times to Get Better--Crystal Gayle
24 Count on Me--Jefferson Starship
25 Werewolves of London--Warren Zevon
26 Feels So Good--Chuck Mangione

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Irina Zabelina!

World events
The new left-wing rulers of Afghanistan claimed victory in the Saur Revolution, stating that almost all the leaders of the ousted regime of President Mohammed Daoud Khan, including Mr. Daoud himself, were dead.

Canadiana
75 years to the day after part of Turtle Mountain had slid and crushed much of Frank, Alberta, Frank Slide was recognized as a National Historic Site.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Toronto 2 @ New York Islanders 1 (OT) (Toronto won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Lanny McDonald scored at 4:13 of the 1st overtime period to give the Maple Leafs their win over the Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, enabling them to advance to the semi-finals for the first time since 1967. Ed Westfall scored in the first period for the Islanders, who should have been leading by more than one goal, but were continually thwarted by Maple Leafs’ goalie Mike Palmateer. Ian Turnbull scored off a pass by Pat Boutette in the second period to tie the game. The result marked the first time that the Maple Leafs had advanced to the semi-finals since their last Stanley Cup win in 1967. Roger Neilson, in his first season in the National Hockey League, was the winning coach; Al Arbour was the losing head coach. Dan Kelly, who by that time was the voice of the St. Louis Blues, called the play-by-play for Hockey Night in Canada that night. The winning goal, and indeed, the entire game, are still replayed on Canadian television occasionally to this day, so few have playoff highlights for the Maple Leafs been in the last 51 years.





Baseball
Pete Rose batted 5 for 6 with 3 home runs, 4 runs, and 4 runs batted in to lead the Cincinnati Reds over the New York Mets 14-7 before 17,347 fans at Shea Stadium in New York in the NBC Game of the Week. It was the only 3-homer game of Mr. Rose's major league career. The Mets led 4-0 after 1 inning and 6-1 after 3.

In a game which lasted only 1 hour 33 minutes, the St. Louis Cardinals tied a franchise record for the quickest nine-inning game played in their history, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 before 20,596 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Eric Rasmussen pitched a 4-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Burt Hooton, who allowed just 2 hits and 1 earned run in 7 innings. The only run was scored in the bottom of the 7th inning when Keith Hernandez led off with a base on balls, advanced to second base on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a ground out, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ken Reitz. The game also marked a victory for Ken Boyer in his managerial debut, four days after replacing the fired Vern Rapp.

Nolan Ryan pitched a 2-hitter with 11 strikeouts and 6 bases on balls, and Ron Fairly opened the scoring with a 2-out 2-run home run against his former team in the bottom of the 1st inning as the California Angels shut out the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 before 24,354 fans at Anaheim Stadium.

30 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Heart--Pet Shop Boys (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Dom Dallessandro, 74
. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Dallessandro was an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox (1937) and Chicago Cubs (1940-1944, 1946-1947), batting .267 with 22 home runs and 303 runs batted in in 746 games. He played 13 seasons in the minor leagues from 1931-1939 and 1948-1952, batting .322 with 142 homers in 1,478 games.

Married on this date
Two celebrity weddings took place: U.S. actors Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson; and journalist Diane Sawyer and movie director Mike Nichols.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had risen 0.8% in March.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Milwaukee 107 @ Atlanta 110 (Atlanta led best-of-five series 1-0)
New York 92 @ Boston 112 (Boston led best-of-five series 1-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Seattle 123 @ Denver 126 (Denver led best-of-five series 1-0)
San Antonio 110 @ Los Angeles Lakers 122 (Los Angeles led best-of-five series 1-0)

Baseball
The Baltimore Orioles ended their record 21-game season-opening losing streak by whipping the Chicago White Sox 9-0 before 14,059 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago on a combined 4-hitter by Mark Williamson and Dave Schmidt. Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. batted 4 for 5 with a home run, double, and 3 runs, while his brother Billy was forced to leave the game after being beaned in the 7th inning. The story of the 1988 Orioles is one of those told in the book On a Clear Day They Could See Seventh Place: Baseball’s Worst Teams (1991) by George Robinson and Charles Salzberg.

Dwight Evans drove in Wade Boggs with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Boston Red Sox a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins before 32,022 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Minnesota left fielder Mark Davidson dropped the ball for an error, but the run would have scored, anyway. Joe Niekro started on the mound for the Twins and allowed 6 hits, 6 bases on balls, and 5 runs--all earned--in 3+ innings in the 706th and last game of his 22-year major league career.

John Candelaria pitched a 5-hitter to lead the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 2-1 before 20,277 fans at Yankee Stadium.

Tim Teufel doubled with 2 out and nobody on base in the top of the 9th inning, and Keith Hernandez followed with a single to drive him home to break a 4-4 tie as the New York Mets edged the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 before 29,833 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

25 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Informer--Snow

Died on this date
Michael Gordon, 83
. U.S. film director. Mr. Gordon directed such movies as Crime Doctor (1943); Another Part of the Forest (1948); An Act of Murder (1948); Cyrano de Bergerac (1950); Pillow Talk (1959); and Move Over, Darling (1963).

Mick Ronson, 46. U.K. musician. Mr. Ronson played several instruments but was best known as a guitarist, playing with musicians such as David Bowie, Van Morrison, Ian Hunter, and Elton John. He died of liver cancer.

Law
Canadian federal fisheries officials announced that new regulations regarding native fishing rights in federal waters had been drafted. The proposals included provision for commercial fishing licenses and quotas, but did not increase permits to sell fish commercially.

Britannica
It was announced that Buckingham Palace would open to the public for the first time in a bid to raise funds to repair Windsor Castle.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Detroit 7 @ Toronto 3 (Best-of-seven series 3-3)
Vancouver 4 @ Winnipeg 3 (OT) (Vancouver won best-of-seven series 4-2)
Calgary 6 @ Los Angeles 9 (Los Angeles won best-of-seven series 4-2)

The Red Wings scored 6 goals in the 2nd period--3 by Dino Ciccarelli--as they defeated the Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens.

Greg Adams' second goal of the game, at 4:30 of the 1st overtime period, gave the Canucks their victory over the Jets at Winnipeg Arena.

The Kings scored 9 goals in just 23 shots on goal as they eliminated the Flames at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Charlotte 101 @ Boston 112 (Boston led best-of-five series 1-0)
New Jersey 98 @ Cleveland 114 (Cleveland led best-of-five series 1-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Los Angeles Clippers 94 @ Houston 117 (Houston led best-of-five series 1-0)
San Antonio 87 @ Portland 86 (San Antonio led best-of-five series 1-0)

20 years ago
1998


Died on this date
Hal Laycoe, 75
. Canadian hockey player and coach. Mr. Laycoe was a defenceman with the New York Rangers (1945-47); Montreal Canadiens (1947-51); and Boston Bruins (1951-56), scoring 102 points on 25 goals and 77 assists in 531 regular season games, and 2 goals and 5 assists in 40 playoff games. He was one of the few players of his time to wear glasses on the ice, but was best known for hitting Maurice "Rocket" Richard, his former teammate, with a high stick in March 1955. Mr. Richard struck the referee in an attempt to get at Mr. Laycoe, and was suspended by National Hockey League President Clarence Campbell for the rest of the regular season and the entire Stanley Cup playoffs, leading to the "Richard riot" on March 17, 1955. Mr. Laycoe coached the New Westminster Royals (1956-59); Victoria Cougars (1959-60); Portland Buckaroos (1960-69); and Vancouver Canucks (1969-70) of the Western Hockey League, leading his teams to Lester Patrick Cup championships in 1961, 1965, and 1970. He took over as coach of the Canucks after being fired as coach of the Los Angeles Kings 24 games into the 1969-70 season, and remained as with the Canucks when they entered the National Hockey League in 1970. The Canucks replaced Mr. Laycoe as coach after failing to make the playoffs in their first two NHL seasons, but he returned to serve as the club's general manager in 1973-74.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Quarter-Finals
Pittsburgh 6 @ Montreal 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
Philadelphia 1 @ Buffalo 4 (Buffalo led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Western Conference
Quarter-Finals
St. Louis 2 @ Los Angeles 1 (St. Louis won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Craig Conroy's goal at 3:22 of the 3rd period gave the Blues a 2-0 lead and proved to be the winning goal as they eliminated the Kings in the last National Hockey Game at Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. Jozef Stumpel scored at 8:00 of the 3rd period for the Kings to spoil Grant Fuhr's bid for a shutout.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Chicago 116 @ New Jersey 101 (Chicago won best-of-five series 3-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Phoenix 80 @ San Antonio 99 (San Antonio won best-of-five series 3-1)
Utah 85 @ Houston 89 (Houston led best-of-five series 2-1)

10 years ago
2008


Died on this date
Albert Hofmann, 102
. Swiss chemist. Dr. Hofmann was best known for being the first person to synthesize, ingest, and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), which he did in April 1943. He used the drug for the rest of his life, criticizing both its misuse by the counterculture of the 1960s and its prohibition by the establishment.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
Pittsburgh 5 @ New York Rangers 3 (Pittsburgh led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Detroit 4 @ Colorado 3 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-0)
San Jose 1 @ Dallas 2 (OT) (Dallas led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Mattias Norstrom scored at 4:37 of the 1st overtime period to give the Stars their win over the Sharks at American Airlines Center.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Philadelphia 81 @ Detroit 98 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-2)


Western Conference
First Round
Dallas 94 @ New Orleans 99 (New Orleans won best-of-seven series 4-1)
Phoenix 87 @ San Antonio 92 (San Antonio won best-of-seven series 4-1)
Utah 69 @ Houston 95 (Utah led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Saturday 28 April 2018

April 28, 2018

260 years ago
1758

Born on this date
James Monroe
. 5th President of the United States, 1817-1825. Mr. Monroe, a Democratic-Republican, held various political and diplomatic offices in a career spanning more than 40 years, including Secretary of State (1811-1817) while also serving as Secretary of War (1814-1815) during the War of 1812. His time as President was known as the "Era of Good Feelings." Mr. Monroe was best known for his proclamation of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, warning European nations against further intervention in the Americas. Mr. Monroe died of heart failure and tuberculosis on July 4, 1831 at the age of 73.

230 years ago
1788

Americana

Maryland became the 7th state to ratify the Constitution.

200 years ago
1818

Defense

The U.S. Senate ratified, and President James Monroe proclaimed, the Rush-Bagot Convention of 1817, making it a lawful treaty of the United States. It limited naval forces on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.

170 years ago
1848

World events

France freed the last slaves in her colonies.

150 years ago
1868


Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister John Rose brought down the first Canadian budget after Confederation, for the government of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald.

90 years ago
1928


Died on this date
Harry Berthrong, 84
. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Berthrong, a utility player, played 17 games with the Washington Olympics of the National Association in 1871, batting .233 with no home runs and 8 runs batted in. He was also an artist who was known for paintings of U.S. presidential candidates.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Berthrong

80 years ago
1938

Married on this date

King Zog I of Albania married Countess Geraldine of Hungary.

75 years ago
1943


War
Counterattacking German troops in Tunisia, with the support of 30 tanks, drove British forces off Djebel bou Aoukas, southwest of Tebourba.

World events
U.K. Viceroy of India the Marquess of Linlithgow decreed the arrest of Hindu nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi and other Indian leaders to be valid, and issued an ordinance permitting the arrest and imprisonment of people thought likely to hamper the war effort.

Politics and government
Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen (Republican) resigned to enter the U.S. Navy, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Ed Thye.

Disasters
Four tornadoes swept northern Ohio, killing 3 people, injuring 150, and destroyng $4 million worth of property.

70 years ago
1948


Ballet
Igor Stravinsky conducted the premiere of his American ballet Orpheus at New York City Center.

War
British forces in Jaffa attacked Irgun Zvai Leumi troops to keep them from invading the city's port area, needed for the British evacuation from Palestine.

Defense
The Finnish Parliament approved the Russo-Finnish defense treaty.

Politics and government
A U.S. federal court in Washington imposed three-month prison sentences and $500 fines on Ernestina Fleischmann and Helen Bryan of the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee for refusing to divulge the organization's records to the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities. The House Un-American Activities Committee approved a bill sponsored by Reps. Karl Mundt (Republican--South Dakota) and Richard Nixon (California) denying Communists non-elective federal jobs and passports, and requiring them to register with the Justice Department.

Transportation
An Air France Constellation made the first non-stop commercial flight between Paris and New York in 16 hours.

Religion
Speaking in Boston before the Quadrennial General Conference of the Methodist Church, Bishop G. Bromley Oxnam of New York urged a union of U.S. Protestant churches.

Science
The National Academy of Science awarded the Charles Doolittle Walcott bronze medal for 1947 to Soviet geologist Aleksandr Vologdin for his work on Cambrian fossils.

Labour
Two brotherhoods of U.S. railway workers scheduled a national strike for May 11, following the end of a mandatory 30-day cooling-off period in a wage dispute with employers.

60 years ago
1958


Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Witch Doctor--David Seville (Best Seller--1st week at #1; Top 100--1st week at #1); He's Got the Whole World (In His Hands)--Laurie London (Disc Jockey--3rd week at #1)

Space
The United States launched Vanguard TV-5, but the satellite failed to achieve orbit.

Diplomacy
U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and his wife Pat arrived in Montevideo to began an 18-day goodwill tour of eight Latin American countries.

Defense
The United States began its scheduled nuclear test series at the Marshall Islands proving grounds, while the United Kingdom performed an atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island.

Politics and government
King Gustaf VI of Sweden dissolved Parliament and ordered general elections, following the resignation of Prime Minister Tage Erlander's Socialist cabinet.

Environment
The United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea ended in Geneva after failing to produce an agreement on a new definition of territorial sea limits.

Law
Holding that Arkansas had no right to use troops to suppress "rights which it is the duty of the state to defend," the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, in St. Louis, dismissed suits against federal government actions enforcing school integration in Little Rock.

50 years ago
1968


Died on this date
Mortimer R. Proctor, 78
. U.S. politician. Mr. Proctor, a Republican, was Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1941-1945 and Governor from 1945-1947. He died, appropriately, in Proctor, Vermont.

Canadiana
Walter Sitch, 98, of Halifax, became possibly Canada's first great-great-great-grandfather when his great-great-granddaughter gave birth to a son.

War
13 Arab infiltrators were killed by an Israeli patrol on the occupied West Bank.

Politics and government
In West Germany’s Landtag (state assembly) elections in Baden-Wurttemberg, the National Democratic Party (NPD), a neo-Nazi party formed in 1964, won 9.8% of the total votes and 12 of the 127 seats in the Landtag. The NPD’s share of the vote was higher than in any previous state election contested by the party. Observers viewed the election as a backlash vote after five days of student rioting in several major West German cities, as well as an indication of NPD’s prospects in the general elections for the Bundestag (federal parliament) in 1969. NPD gains hurt the Social Democratic Party (SPD) most.

U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who had officially declared his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination the day before, stated on a television program that he would run on the record of the Johnson administration, but added that "I am my own man."

Disasters
Five members of the Lamar State College of Technology track team, along with their coach, were killed in a plane crash at Beaumont, Texas. The plane’s pilot was also killed.

Golf
Miller Barber won the Byron Nelson Golf Classic in Dallas with a score of 270. First prize money was $20,000.

Carol Mann won the Raleigh Ladies' Golf Invitational in Raleigh, North Carolina with a score of 214. First prize money was $2,250. It was Miss Mann's second straight win on the LPGA tour.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Chicago 3 @ Montreal 4 (OT) (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-1)

Jacques Lemaire scored at 2:14 of the 1st overtime period for the Canadiens as they eliminated the Black Hawks at the Montreal Forum.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Boston 105 @ Los Angeles 118 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler (8th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: How Deep is Your Love--Bee Gees (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Mohammed Daoud Khan, 68
. 1st President of Afghanistan, 1973-1978; Prime Minister of Afghanistan, 1953-1963. Mr. Daoud held various cabinet posts before serving as Prime Minister. He was forced to resign as a result of deteriorating relations with Pakistan. 10 years later, Mr. Daoud seized power from his cousin and brother-in-law King Zahir in a bloodless coup and proclaimed a republic, with himself as President. In the late 1970s, Mr. Daoud decided to diminish Afghan relations with the U.S.S.R. and pursue friendlier relations with the West. In what was called the Saur Revolution, a coup by members of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) deposed Mr. Daoud and assassinated him and most of the members of his family.

Defense
Major General John K. Singlaub, who had been relieved the previous year as chief of staff of United States troops in South Korea for criticizing President Jimmy Carter’s planned troop withdrawal, "agreed to retire" from the Army after calling President Carter’s decision to defer deployment of the neutron bomb "ridiculous" and "militarily unsound."

Politics and government
Byron Hove, Rhodesia’s black Justice Minister (there was also a white Justice Minister), was fired after criticizing the Rhodesian courts.

Weather
Calgary experienced its first thunderstorm of the year.

Labour
The J.B. Stevens Company and the National Labor Relations Board announced an agreement to settle a suit involving charges by the AFL-CIO Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. On January 24 the NLRB had sought a U.S. district court injunction to enjoin the second-largest textile company in the United States from illegal anti-union activity. Under the agreement, the request for the injunction was withdrawn, and the company agreed to rehire 13 of the 15 employees the union contended had been fired because of union organizing. A boycott of the J.B. Stevens company, a symbol of anti-union resistance in the south, had been maintained by organized labour for a year.

Hockey
WHA
Avco World Trophy
Semi-Finals
Quebec 1 @ New England 5 (New England led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
San Antonio 100 @ Washington 103 (Washington won best-of-seven series 4-2)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Milwaukee 117 @ Denver 112 (Denver led best-of-seven series 3-2)

30 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Heart--Pet Shop Boys

Died on this date
B.W. Stevenson, 38
. U.S. musician. Mr. Stevenson was best known for his single My Maria, which reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1973. He died after a heart valve operation.

Matthew Fedor, 4. Canadian medical patient. A boy from Ottawa, Matthew was the first Canadian to receive a bone-marrow transplant from an unrelated donor.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney concluded their two-day summit in Washington.

Disasters
Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737 jetliner, landed safely despite having a 20-foot-long hole open in the fuselage during a flight from Hilo to Honolulu. The escaping air swept stewardess Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing to her death in the ocean, but the pilot, Captain Robert Schornstheimer, landed the plane on Maui 15 minutes later, with one engine aflame. 61 of the 95 aboard suffered injuries. Structural failure, metal fatigue, and corrosion were regarded as the most likely causes of the incident. The jet had been in use for 19 years.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Division Finals
Washington 7 @ New Jersey 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Cleveland 93 @ Chicago 104 (Chicago led best-of-five series 1-0)
Washington 87 @ Detroit 96 (Detroit led best-of-five series 1-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Houston 110 @ Dallas 120 (Dallas led best-of-five series 1-0)
Utah 96 @ Portland 108 (Portland led best-of-five series 1-0)

Baseball
The Minnesota Twins released pitcher Steve Carlton, ending his 24-year Hall of Fame major league career. In 4 games with Minnesota in 1988 he was 0-1 with an earned run average of 16.76. His career record was 329-244 with a 3.22 ERA in 741 games.

The Baltimore Orioles' record for 1988 reached 0-21 with a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins before 23,006 fans in a Thursdy afternoon game at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. The defeat was the 15th straight for manager Frank Robinson after replacing Cal Ripken, Sr. 6 games into the season.

Darnell Coles singled home Bobby Bonilla with 1 out in the top of the 10th inning to break a 1-1 tie as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the San Francisco Giants 2-1 before 10,520 fans in an afternoon game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

25 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Informer--Snow (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Reunion

Died on this date
Jim Valvano, 47
. U.S. basketball coach. Mr. Valvano was head coach at four universities from 1969-1990, compiling a record of 346 wins and 210 losses, but was best known as head coach at North Carolina State University from 1980-1990, leading the Wolfpack to the national championship in 1982-83. He was forced to resign in 1990 amid allegations of poor academic performances by his players.

Economics and finance
Standard and Poor's announced that the Canadian government's triple-A rating would be maintained, stabilizing the Canadian dollar after its value on money markets had declined.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Prince of Wales Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Quebec 2 @ Montreal 6 (Montreal won best-of-seven series 4-2)
New York Islanders 5 @ Washington 3 (New York won best-of-seven series 4-2)

When Pierre Turgeon scored with 8:31 remaining in regulation time to give the Islanders a 5-1 lead over the Capitals, he was viciously hit by Washington's Dale Hunter and suffered a shoulder separation. Mr. Hunter was suspended for the first 21 games of the 1993-94 season. Todd Krygier scored a shorthanded goal with 4:41 remaining to make the score 5-2, and Al Iafrate scored a powerplay goal with 3:30 remaining to reduce the deficit to 5-3, but the Capitals were unable to prevent their elimination at Capital Center in Landover, Maryland.

20 years ago
1998


Died on this date
Jerome Bixby, 75
. U.S. author. Mr. Bixby wrote science fiction and Western short stories, screenplays, and teleplays. He wrote four episodes of Star Trek (1967-1969), but was perhaps best known for his short story It's a Good Life (1953), which was adapted in 1961 into a memorable episode of The Twilight Zone, and into a less memorable segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Quarter-Finals
New Jersey 3 @ Ottawa 4 (Ottawa led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Washington 3 @ Boston 0 (Washington led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Western Conference
Quarter-Finals
Dallas 0 @ San Jose 1 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
Colorado 3 @ Edmonton 1 (Colorado led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Detroit 4 @ Phoenix 2 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Andrei Zyuzin scored at 6:31 of the 1st overtime period as the Sharks edged the Stars at San Jose Arena.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Charlotte 64 @ Atlanta 96 (Charlotte led best-of-five series 2-1)
Miami 91 @ New York 85 (Miami led best-of-five series 2-1)

Western Conference
First Round
Los Angeles Lakers 94 @ Portland 99 (Los Angeles led best-of-five series 2-1)
Seattle 90 @ Minnesota 98 (Minnesota led best-of-five series 2-1)

Baseball
Texas Rangers’ right fielder Juan Gonzalez hit a 2-run home run in the Rangers’ 7-2 win over the Minnesota Twins before 8,570 fans at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. The blast gave Mr. Gonzalez a total of 35 runs batted in, a major league record for the month of April.

The Cleveland Indians scored 3 runs after 2 were out and nobody on base in the top of the 9th inning to break a 1-1 tie as they beat the Chicago White Sox 4-1 before 13,208 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Pinch hitter Kevin Jordan hit a 3-run home run with 2 out in the top of the 10th inning to enable the Philadelphia Phillies to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 11-8 before 15,890 fans at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati. Philadelphia first baseman Rico Brogna batted 4 for 4 with 2 home runs, 2 bases on balls, 3 runs, and 3 runs batted in as the Phillies overcame a 5-0 deficit after 3 innings.

The Houston Astros came back from a 3-0 deficit with a run in the 8th inning, 2 in the 9th, and another in the 10th to defeat the New York Mets 4-3 before 14,943 fans at the Astrodome. Tim Bogar scored the winning run on a single by Sean Berry with none out and the bases loaded. Houston right fielder Derek Bell batted 4 for 6 with a run.

Dante Bichette had 3 singles and a double, and Neifi Perez had 3 singles and 3 runs batted in to help the Colorado Rockies defeat the Florida Marlins 8-7 before 47,346 fans at Coors Field in Denver. The Marlins scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning and had the potential tying run on first base, but Curt Leskanic entered the game and struck out pinch hitter John Roskos for the final out.

Matt Luke hit a 2-run home run and Hideo Nomo hit his first homer in the major leagues, a solo blast, as the Los Angeles Dodgers scored all their runs in the 7th inning and withstood a 2-run rally in the 9th to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 before 29,791 fans at Dodger Stadium. Milwaukee left fielder Eric Owens hit his only major league home run of the season and only homer in a Milwaukee uniform, a 2-run shot with 2 out in the 9th. Mr. Nomo pitched a 3-hit complete game, walking 2 batters and striking out 11, to improve his 1998 record to 2-3.

10 years ago
2008


Business
General Motors announced plans to slash nearly 3,500 jobs in North American plants that produce pickups and SUVS, including 1,000 at the Oshawa, Ontario plant.

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

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Boston 92 @ Atlanta 97 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
Toronto 92 @ Orlando 102 (Orlando won best-of-seven series 4-1)

Western Conference
First Round
Los Angeles Lakers 107 @ Denver 101 (Los Angeles won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Friday 27 April 2018

April 27, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Rod Crossley!

500 years ago
1518

Diplomacy

The Treaty of St. Truiden, an anti-French Trapdoors/Bourgondisch covenant, was signed.

425 years ago
1593


Born on this date
Mumtaz Mahal
. Empress consort of the Mughal Empire, 1628-1631. Mumtaz Mahal, born Arjumand Banu Begum, married the future Emperor Shah Jahan in 1612, and became Empress consort upon his accession to the throne in 1628. The couple had 14 children, but Empress Mumtaz Mahal died on June 17, 1631 at the age of 38 while giving birth to Princess Gauhar Ara. A grieving Emperor Shah Jahan had the Taj Mahal built in Agra as a tomb for Empress Mumtaz Mahal.

260 years ago
1758


Died on this date
Jan Francisci, 66.
. Slovak musician and composer. Mr. Francisci was a church organist in Pressburg (now Bratislava) and Neusohl in what is now Slovakia. He wrote works for organ and harpsichord, most of which have been lost.

190 years ago
1828

Britannica

The Zoological Gardens at Regent's Park London opened.

180 years ago
1838


Politics and government
Lower Canada Governor Lord Gosford revoked martial law in Montréal, invoked the previous year because of the Lower Canada Rebellion. 501 people in the city were in jail for treasonous activities.

Disasters
Fire destroyed half of Charleston, South Carolina.

125 years ago
1893


Born on this date
Allen Sothoron
. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Sothoron played with the St. Louis Browns (1914-1915, 1917-1921); Boston Red Sox (1921); Cleveland Indians (1921-1922); and St. Louis Cardinals (1924-1926), compiling a record of 91-99 with a 3.31 earned run average in 265 games, and batted .207 with no home runs and 41 runs batted in in 266 games. His best season was 1919, when he was 20-12 with a 2.20 ERA. Mr. Sothoron coached in the major leagues and managed in the minors; he was the Browns' interim manager for 8 games in 1933, compiling a record of 2-6. Mr. Sothoron died on June 17, 1939 at the age of 46 after a series of illnesses.

Draža Mihailović. Serbian military officer. General Mihailović served in the Royal Serbian Army and Royal Yugoslavian Army during World War II, leading bands of guerrillas known as Chetniks who resisted the German occupying forces. He later turned against the Communists and collaborated with Axis forces. General Mihailović was convicted of high treason in a trial of questionable fairness, and, with nine other officers, was executed on July 17, 1946 at the age of 53. He was officially rehabilitated by Serbia's highest appellate court in 2015.

Died on this date
John Ballance, 54
. Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1891-1893. Mr. Ballance was born in Ireland and moved to New Zealand in 1866. He served in the N.Z. Parliament as an independent from 1875-1890, becoming Leader of the Opposition in 1889. Mr. Ballance joined a loose coalition of Liberals in 1890, and they won the general election late that year, becoming the government in January 1891. Prime Minister Ballance supported women's suffrage and progressive land and income taxes. He died, a month after his 54th birthday, of an intestinal disease after a major operation, and was succeeded as Prime Minister by Richard Seddon.

Edmontonia
Three men were injured and two carts were smashed in one of Edmonton's first traffic accidents, on the corner of Jasper Avenue and 101 Street.

110 years ago
1908

Olympics

The 4th modern Olympic games opened in London, with 22 nations and a total of 2056 competitors.

100 years ago
1918


Born on this date
John Rice
. U.S. baseball umpire. Mr. Rice umpired in the American League from 1955-1973, working in 2,990 regular season games, 8 AL Championship Series games, 21 World Series games, and 3 All-Star Games. He died on January 1, 2011 at the age of 92.

Baseball
The New York Giants' 9-0 start to the season and the Brooklyn Robins' 0-9 losing streak were both stopped, as the Robins beat the Giants 5-3 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, behind Larry Cheney's strong pitching.

Lena Blackburne's 2-run triple climaxed a 4-run 9th inning as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

The Chicago Cubs scored a run in the bottom of the 12th inning to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 at Weeghman Park in Chicago.

Bing Miller drove in the winning run--his second RBI of the game--in the bottom of the 9th inning as the New York Yankees edged the Washington Nationals 2-1 at the Polo Grounds in New York. Howie Shanks hit a home run for the Nationals in the 4th.

Ray Chapman led off the 12th inning with his first home run of the season, and the Cleveland Indians held on to edge the Detroit Tigers 3-2 at Navin Field in Detroit. Stan Coveleski pitched an 8-hit complete game victory to improve his 1918 record to 3-0, winning the pitchers' duel over Bill James.

90 years ago
1928

Aviation

The Ford relief plane sent to aid the German Junker Bremen, which had been stranded on Greenly Island, near Newfoundland, since April 13, left Lake St. Agnes at 6:55 A.M. with the Bremen’s crew, as well as Miss Herta Junkers and C.J.V. Murphy of the New York World. The plane refuelled at Hartford, Connecticut, and landed at Curtiss Field, Long Island at 1:51 P.M. The passengers and crew then went to Washington by train. The body of Floyd Bennett, who had taken ill with pneumonia on the relief flight, arrived at New York from Quebec, and was taken by train to Washington, to be interred with military honours at Arlington National Cemetery.

Canadiana
Prince Edward Island changed to driving on the right-hand side of the road.

75 years ago
1943


War
Allied troops continued to advance along the entire Tunisian front, while Allied planes blasted Axis forces with little opposition. Japanese troops in China captured Linhsien and reached Chenchiaotsun and Yukiakwan in their offensive in Honan and Shansi Provinces.

Diplomacy
U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, and U.S. Ambassadors Francis Biddle and John G. Winant conferred with Polish Prime Minister-in-exile Wladyslaw Sikorski and Foreign Minister Count Raczynski in London in an effort to heal the Polish-Soviet breach.

70 years ago
1948


On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis, on MBS

Died on this date
William Knudsen, 69
. Danish-born U.S. automobile executive. Mr. Knudsen immigrated to the United States shortly before his 21st birthday. He worked with Ford Motor Company from 1911-1921 and General Motors from 1921-1940, serving as president of the Chevrolet Division (1924-1937) before taking over as President of General Motors (1937-1940). His experience as a manager dealing with mass production led to his appointment by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt as Chairman of the Office of Production Management and a member of the National Defense Advisory Commission, becoming a "dollar-a-year" man. On January 15, 1942, Mr. Knudsen was commissioned as a lieutenant general in the U.S. Army--the only civilian ever to be appointed at such a high rank--and was appointed Director of Production, Office of the Under Secretary of War, working with the War Department during World War II as a consultant and troubleshooter. Lt. Gen. Knudsen resigned from the Army on June 1, 1945.

War
An Arab legion attacked the Gesher bridge on the Jordan River. The Zionist organizations Haganah and Irgun Zvai Leumi agreed to operate jointly in the future under the Haganah command and to avoid conflicting fund-raising drives.

Chinese Communist forces advanced along the Shantung Peninsula, capturing the rail centre of Weihsien.

Politics and government
In the contest for the major party nominations for the 1948 U.S. presidential election, Minnesota Governor narrowly defeated New York Governor Thomas Dewey in the Pennsylvania Republican Party primary, while President Harry Truman won the state's Democratic Party primary.

60 years ago
1958


On the radio
The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 4, starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, on BBC Light Programme

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents on CBS
Tonight's episode: Death Sentence, starring James Best, Katharine Bard, and Steve Brodie

Space
A U.S. House of Representatives military appropriations subcommittee released testimony of General Frank Bogart, indicating that the Air Force could "successfully impact a payload on the moon" this year at a cost of $16-20 million.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea adopted an article forbidding "suspension of innocent passage of foreign ships through straits" connecting national or international waters with the high seas.

Politics and government
Leaders of Tunisia's Neo-Destour Party, Morocco's Itiqfal Party, and Algeria's FLN issued a communique following talks in Tangier proposing the formation of an Algerian government-in-exile and eventual establishment of a North African federation.

Turkish Cypriots meeting in Nicosia agreed to form separate Turkish municipalities in Cyprus's major towns and to withhold taxes from Greek Cypriot-led local councils.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Lady Madonna/The Inner Light--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Delilah--Tom Jones (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Gimme Little Sign--Brenton Wood (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Mama--Heintje

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Congratulations--Cliff Richard

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Congratulations--Cliff Richard

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Honey--Bobby Goldsboro (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Congratulations--Cliff Richard
2 Delilah--Tom Jones
3 Cinderella Rockefella--Esther and Abi Ofarim
4 If I were a Carpenter--The Four Tops
5 Kom Uit De Bedstee Mijn Liefste--Egbert Douwe
6 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
7 Rosie--Don Partridge
8 I've Just Lost Somebody--Golden Earrings
9 Jumbo/The Singer Sang His Song--The Bee Gees
10 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding

Singles entering the chart were La La La by Massiel (#23); Wonder Boy by the Kinks (#26); Take Time to Know Her by Percy Sledge (#35); Il est Cinq Heures, Paris S'éveille by Jacques Dutronc (#37); Quite Rightly So by Procol Harum (#39); and Ups and Downs by the Eddysons (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Honey--Bobby Goldsboro (2nd week at #1)
2 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
3 Young Girl--The Union Gap
4 Cry Like a Baby--The Box Tops
5 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
6 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
7 A Beautiful Morning--The Rascals
8 Dance to the Music--Sly and the Family Stone
9 The Unicorn--The Irish Rovers
10 Valleri--The Monkees

Singles entering the chart were Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel (#47); The Happy Song (Dum-Dum) by Otis Redding (#70); I Wish I Knew (How it Would Feel to Be Free) by Solomon Burke (#84); I Can Remember by James & Bobby Purify (#87); You Ain't Going Nowhere by the Byrds (#89); Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible) by the Soul Survivors (#93); Yummy Yummy Yummy by Ohio Express (#94); Friends by the Beach Boys (#96); Lili Marlene by Al Martino (#97); Cabaret by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#98); A Dime a Dozen by Carla Thomas (#99); and Love Machine by the Roosters (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Honey--Bobby Goldsboro
2 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
3 Young Girl--The Union Gap
4 Cry Like a Baby--The Box Tops
5 Scarborough Fair (/Canticle)--Simon & Garfunkel
6 Cinderella Rockefella--Esther and Abi Ofarim
7 Valleri--The Monkees
8 Playboy--Gene and Debbe
9 Summertime Blues--Blue Cheer
10 The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich

Singles entering the chart were Sleepy Joe by Herman's Hermits (#80); You'll Never Walk Alone by Elvis Presley (#81); If I were a Carpenter by the Four Tops (#82); Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel (#83); Let's Get Together by 3's a Crowd (#85); I Promise to Wait My Love by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (#88); Soul Train by the Classics IV (#89); I am the Man for You Baby by Edwin Starr (#91); Chain Gang by Jackie Wilson and Count Basie (#92); Can I Carry Your Balloon by the Swampseeds (#93); May I Take a Giant Step (Into Your Heart) by the 1910 Fruitgum Company (#94); Here's to You by Hamilton Camp (#95); Harlem Lady by the Witness, Inc. (#96); Holy Man by Scott McKenzie (#97); and Love in Them There Hills by the Vibrations (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Honey--Bobby Goldsboro (2nd week at #1)
2 Young Girl--The Union Gap
3 The Unknown Soldier--The Doors
4 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus
5 Call Me Lightning--The Who
6 The Unicorn--The Irish Rovers
7 Black Day in July--Gordon Lightfoot
8 Love is All Around--The Troggs
9 Playboy--Gene and Debbe
10 Lady Madonna/The Inner Light--The Beatles

Singles entering the chart were Angel of the Morning by Merrilee Rush (#28); Louisiana Man by Bobbie Gentry (#29); and Here's to You by Hamilton Camp (#30).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 A Question of Temperature--Balloon Farm
2 Love is All Around--The Troggs
3 Young Girl--The Union Gap
4 I Love You--People
5 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
6 I Can't Make it Anymore--The Original Caste
7 Forever Came Today--Diana Ross and the Supremes
8 Goin' Away--The Fireballs
9 Cry Like a Baby--The Box Tops
10 Valleri--The Monkees
Pick hit of the week: Look to Your Soul--Johnny Rivers

Theatre
The musical I'm Solomon, with music by Ernest Gold, and starring Dick Shawn and Carmen Mathews, closed at the Mark Hellinger Theater on Broadway in New York City after 9 previews and 7 performances, four days after its opening.

Died on this date
Paul Kardow, 52
. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Kardow appeared in 2 games with the Cleveland Indians in 1936, posting a 0-0 record with an earned run average of 4.50 in 2 innings. He played 13 seasons in the minor leagues from 1934-1948, compiling a record of 133-135 in 373 games. Mr. Kardow was 20-9 with a 3.51 ERA in 43 games with the Marshall Comets of the Class C Lone Star League in 1947.

Space
The United States launched the spacecraft Reentry 6 atop a Scout rocket on a suborbital mission, designed to support the advancement of atmospheric entry technology. The spacecraft's performance was nominal.

War
In a bid to foment new fighting, North Korean troops attacked United Nations troops near the Demilitarized Zone, killing two South Korean soldiers and wounding two Americans.

Seven days of Nigerian government bombing raids against Ibo refugees in secessionist Biafra concluded, with about 300 killed. The pilots, believed to be Egyptian and Sudanese, flew Russian MiG and Czechoslovakian Delfin jets.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council urged the cancellation of a military parade in Jerusalem scheduled for May 2 to mark Israel's 20th anniversary.

Politics and government
U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey officially declared that he was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Mr. Humphrey, who made the announcement on a nationally-televised program before 1,700 friends and supporters since it was too late to enter the primary races, called for "a new American patriotism."

The Congress of Political Party Radicals (PPR) was formed in the Netherlands.

Disasters
A biplane in an air show near San Luis Obispo, California crashed, killing four people.

Boxing
Jimmy Ellis (26-5) won a 15-round majority decision over Jerry Quarry (26-2-4) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena to win the World Boxing Association world heavyweight title, which had been vacant since Muhammad Ali had been stripped of the belt a year earlier for refusing induction into the U.S. Army. On the undercard, Henry Clark (15-3-2) won a 10-round majority decision over Leotis Martin (25-4) in another heavyweight bout.



Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Minnesota 3 @ St. Louis 4 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Gary Sabourin scored at 1:32 of the 1st overtime period to give the Blues their win over the North Stars at St. Louis Arena.

CPHL
Adams Cup
Finals
Tulsa 5 @ Fort Worth 4 (Tulsa won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Basketball
ABA
Finals
New Orleans 111 @ Pittsburgh 108 (New Orleans led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Baseball
Tom Phoebus of the Baltimore Orioles pitched a no-hitter against the visiting Boston Red Sox before 3,147 fans at Memorial Stadium in a game whose start was delayed by rain for 1 hour 23 minutes. Third baseman Brooks Robinson drove in 3 runs and made a great catch to rob Rico Petrocelli of a hit in the 8th inning as the Orioles won 6-0.

Denny McLain pitched a 5-hitter to improve his 1968 record to 2-0 as the Detroit Tigers shut out the New York Yankees 7-0 before 11,078 fans at Yankee Stadium. Dick McAuliffe drove in 3 runs with a home run and a single, and shortstop Ray Oyler had 2 singles and a double in what was probably his best game of the season.

Camilo Pascual allowed 3 hits and 1 earned run in 7 2/3 innings to win the pitchers' duel over Sam McDowell as the Washington Senators edged the Cleveland Indians 2-1 before 2,284 fans at District of Columbia Stadium in a game that was called because of rain with 2 out in the top of the 8th inning. The Indians had runners on 1st and 3rd bases, and Dave Baldwin had been announced as a relief pitcher for Washington when the game was called. Mr. Baldwin was credited with a save despite not facing a batter or retiring a baserunner.

40 years ago
1978

World events

A pro-Soviet military junta overthrew the government of President Mohmmad Daud Khan of Afghanistan. President Daud, who himself had come to power in a coup in 1973, was killed resisting the coup against him.

Diplomacy
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro concluded a week of meetings with Ethiopian dictator Lieutenant Cololnel Mengistu Haile Mariam. The two main secessionist guerrilla groups in the Ethiopian province of Eritrea, the Eritrean Liberation Front and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, agreed to merge forces.

Politics and government
Jean-Pierre Côté installed as Lieutenant-Governor of Québec.

Scandal
John D. Ehrlichman, former aide to U.S. President Richard Nixon, was released from an Arizona prison after serving 18 months for crimes related to the 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C.

Disasters
Scaffolding inside a cooling tower being built for a utility company in West Virginia collapsed, throwing 51 workers 170 feet to their deaths.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
New York Islanders 2 @ Toronto 5 (Best-of-seven series tied 3-3)

The Maple Leafs scored 4 goals in the 1st period and coasted to victory over the Islanders at Maple Leaf Gardens.



Baseball
In the 14th annual Mayor's Trophy Game, the New York Yankees beat the New York Mets 4-3 in 11 innings.

30 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Maybe We're About to Fall in Love--Tommy Nilsson

Londonia
This blogger was one of those in attendance as the London chapter (now the Southwestern Ontario Chapter) of the Ontario Association of Archivists (now the Archives Association of Ontario) was formed at a meeting on the campus of the University of Western Ontario.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney arrived in Washington for his fourth and final summit conference with U.S. President Ronald Reagan. In an address to Congress, Mr. Mulroney urged approval of a bilateral agreement on control of acid rain, and he called on Congress to ratify the U.S.-Canada free trade agreement. At his meeting with Mr. Reagan, the Prime Minister asked the President to set a timetable for banning sulfurous emissions in the United States that many experts--though not those in the Reagan administration--believed were the cause of acid rain. President Reagan said that the United States would not oppose the transfer of nuclear reactor technology, clearing the way for Canada to purchase British nuclear submarines.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference
Division Finals
St. Louis 3 @ Detroit 4 (Detroit won best-of-seven series 4-1)

Tim Higgins scored with 2:25 remaining in regulation time to break a 3-3 tie as the Red Wings eliminated the Blues at Joe Louis Arena.

25 years ago
1993


Africana
Eritrea declared itself independent from Ethiopia.

Defense
U.S. Defense Secretary Les Aspin announced an order to the military to drop most restrictions on women in combat roles in aerial and naval warfare.

Economics and finance
The Canadian Bond Rating Service slightly reduced the Canadian government's credit rating.

Disasters
All members of the Zambian national football team were among the 30 people killed in a plane crash off Libreville, Gabon en route to Dakar, Senegal to play a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Senegal.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Toronto 5 @ Detroit 4 (OT) (Toronto led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Winnipeg 4 @ Vancouver 3 (OT) (Vancouver led best-of-seven series 3-2)
Los Angeles 9 @ Calgary 4 (Los Angeles led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Mike Foligno scored at 2:05 of the 1st overtime period to give the Maple Leafs their win over the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit led 4-1 in the 2nd period, but Toronto scored 2 goals in the 2nd period, and Wendel Clark scored the tying goal with 8:22 remaining in regulation time.

Teemu Selanne scored at 6:18 of the 1st overtime period to give the Jets their win over the Canucks at Pacific Coliseum. Vancouver led 3-1 after the 1st period, but Keith Tkachuk scored in the 2nd period, and Darrin Shannon scored the tying goal with 10:55 remaining in regulation time.

20 years ago
1998


Died on this date
John Bassett, 82
. Canadian media and sports magnate. Mr. Bassett, a native of Ottawa and the son of a newspaper owner, owned the Sherbrooke Daily Record and Toronto Telegram, and founded Baton Broadcasting and later the CTV television network. He owned the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League from 1957-1974 and as co-owner, with Harold Ballard and Stafford Smythe, of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1961-1970.

Carlos Castaneda, 72. Peruvian-born U.S. anthropologist. Dr. Castaneda became popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s for books in which he detailed his encounters with a Yaqui Indian shaman from Mexico named don Juan Matus. As a graduate student in anthropology at University of California at Los Angeles, Mr. Castaneda published The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge in 1968. Subsequent books included A Separate Reality (1971); Journey to Ixtlan (1972); and Tales of Power (1974). Since Dr. Castaneda’s writings resulted from the use of psychotropic plants, there’s always been some dispute as to whether his stories were fact or fiction. Was don Juan Matus an actual shaman, or was he just a demon that appeared to Dr. Castaneda when he went on his drug trips? In his later years, Dr. Castaneda promoted Tensegrity, a variety of body movements that he said had been passed down through 25 generations of Toltec shamans. Some have called Carlos Castaneda "The Godfather of the New Age."

Law
An appeals court in Cincinnati ruled that restrictions on political campaign spending were an unconstitutional limitation on freedom of speech.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Quarter-Finals
Pittsburgh 1 @ Montreal 3 (Montreal led best-of-seven series 2-1)
Philadelphia 1 @ Buffalo 6 (Buffalo led best-of-seven series 2-1)

Western Conference
Quarter-Finals
St. Louis 4 @ Los Angeles 3 (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Indiana 77 @ Cleveland 86 (Indiana led best-of-five series 2-1)

Western Conference
First Round
Phoenix 88 @ San Antonio 100 (San Antonio led best-of-five series 2-1)

10 years ago
2008


Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
New York Rangers 0 @ Pittsburgh 2 (Pittsburgh led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Dallas 5 @ San Jose 2 (Dallas led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Cleveland 100 @ Washington 97 (Cleveland led best-of-seven series 3-1)
Detroit 93 @ Philadelphia 84 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)

Western Conference
First Round
New Orleans 97 @ Dallas 84 (New Orleans led best-of-seven series 3-1)
San Antonio 86 @ Phoenix 105 (San Antonio led best-of-seven series 3-1)