April 7, 2008

225 years ago
1783

Died on this date
Ignaz Holzbauer, 71. Austrian-born composer. Mr. Holzbauer was a kapellmeister at the Court Theatre of his native Vienna, and later in Stuttgart. He wrote 196 symphonies, almost 20 operas, and other orchestral works.

220 years ago
1788

Americana
Pioneers to the Northwest Territory arrived at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers, establishing Marietta, Ohio as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory, and opening the westward expansion of the new country.

80 years ago
1928

World events
At Caracas, a revolt of a battalion of federal troops was defeated, with many casualties on both sides.

Crime
Detectives with machine guns entered a cottage at Colby’s Point, Illinois, and rescued Chicago automobile dealer Thomas Gaynor, one of the owners of the new McCormick Hotel, who had been kidnapped seven days earlier, and held for ransom in sums from $100,000 down to $10,000.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Finals
New York Rangers 2 @ Montreal Maroons 1 (OT) (Best-of-five series tied 1-1)

In one of the most memorable games in Stanley Cup history, Rangers’ coach and general manager Lester Patrick came out of retirement to play goal against the Maroons at the Montreal Forum. Early in the second period, New York goalie Lorne Chabot suffered an eye injury and was unable to continue. National Hockey League teams didn’t dress backup goaltenders in those days, but they were free to activate anyone they could find in an emergency, if the other team gave its permission. Alex Connell of the Ottawa Senators was in the stands, as was minor league goalie Hughie McCormick. Montreal coach Eddie Gerard refused to allow the Rangers to allow either of them, so Mr. Patrick decided to play goal himself. He was 44, and hadn’t played since 1922. More amazing, he’d been a defenseman, not a goaltender. The presence of Mr. Patrick in goal seemed to inspire the Rangers. Nels Stewart scored for the Maroons with 1:09 remaining in regulation time, but that was the only shot to beat him, as he made 18 saves. Bill Cook scored 30 seconds into the 3rd period to open the scoring, and Frank Boucher scored at 7:05 of overtime to give the Rangers their win. Joe Miller, recently placed on waivers by the New York Americans, replaced Mr. Patrick in goal for the rest of the series.


70 years ago
1938

HockeyStanley Cup
Finals
Chicago 2 @ Toronto 5 (Best-of-five series tied 1-1)

The Black Hawks, whose regular goaltender, Mike Karakas, was injured and unable to play, had planned on using substitute Paul Goodman in game 1, but when he couldn't be found, a minor leaguer named Alfie Moore was located. He was sensational in a 3-1 win, but was ruled ineligible just two hours before the start of game 2 at Maple Leaf Gardens. Mr. Goodman, thinking that Mr. Moore was going to play, had disappeared, and was finally found in a movie theatre. He didn't have as much success as Mr. Moore.

60 years ago
1948

Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) was founded by the United Nations.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Detroit 3 @ Toronto 5 (Toronto led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Gus Mortson of the Maple Leafs broke his leg in their win over the Red Wings at Maple Leaf Gardens, and was lost for the rest of the series.

Basketball
BAA
Semi-Finals
Baltimore 73 @ Chicago 67 (Baltimore led best-of-three series 1-0)

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Tequila--The Champs (Best Seller--4th week at #1; Disc Jockey--2nd week at #1; Top 100--4th week at #1)

40 years ago
1968

Died on this date
Jim Clark, 32. U.K. auto racing driver. A resident of Duns, Scotland, Mr. Clark won the Drivers' World Championship in 1963 and 1965. He competed in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 1963, finishing second and winning Rookie of the Year. Mr. Clark finished a close second in the world championship competition in 1964, and won for the second time in 1965. He also won the Indianapolis 500 that year, becoming the first British driver to win the event, as well as becoming the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula 1 title in the same year. He also won the British Touring Car Championship in 1964. His contributions to auto racing earned Mr. Clark an OBE in 1964. Mr. Clark started 72 Grand Prix races; his totals of 33 pole positions and 25 victories were records at the time of his death. His last win came in the South African Grand Prix on January 1, 1968. Mr. Clark was driving in a Formula 2 race at the Hockenheimring in West Germany to fulfill a contractual obligation with Firestone tires. On the fifth lap, his Lotus 48 veered off the track and crashed into the trees. He suffered a broken neck and skull fracture, and died before reaching the hospital. The cause of the crash was never definitively identified, but investigators concluded it was most likely due to a deflating rear tire.

Space
The Soviet Union launched the Luna XIV satellite, intended to orbit the moon. The satellite measured the lunar gravitational field and its relationship with earth.

Americana
The United States observed a national day of mourning, proclaimed by President Lyndon Johnson, for Martin Luther King, Jr., who had been assassinated on April 4.

Hockey
CPHL
Adams Cup
Quarter-Finals
Memphis 0 @ Kansas City 4 (Kansas City won best-of-five series 3-0)

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Das Lied der Schlümpfe--Vader Abraham & Die Schlümpfe (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Magnolias Forever--Claude François

Defense
U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced that he had "decided to defer production" of the neutron bomb, but said that the decision could be reversed if the Soviet Union failed to show restraint in future arms deployments. The "bomb," in reality an antitank device intended for use on the battlefield, used enhanced radiation to kill enemy soldiers while doing relatively less damage to property. The Soviet news agency TASS responded that the Soviet Union was willing to consider mutual renunciation of the neutron bomb, but not the kind of trade-off suggested by Mr. Carter.

Politics and government
In the Philippines, the government of President Ferdinand Marcos won the legislative elections amidst opposition allegations of electoral fraud.

25 years ago
1983

Defense
The Warsaw Pact foreign ministers, meeting in Prague, Czechoslovakia, proposed an East-West non-aggression pact and a halt to U.S. deployment of Pershing and Cruise missiles in Europe.

Diplomacy
The Chinese government cancelled nine cultural exchange programs and participation in ten athletic events in the United States. China’s action applied only to events sponsored by the U.S. government, and was a response to the U.S. granting asylum to Chinese tennis star Hu Na three days earlier.

Space
U.S. space shuttle Challengerastronauts Story Musgrave and Donald Peterson performed a 3 hour, 40 minute space walk to practice satellite repair work, after a communications satellite had been launched from the Challenger. It was the first space walk by Americans since the shuttle flights began in 1981.

Hockey
In Stanley Cup playoff action, the Edmonton Oilers took a 2-0 lead in their first round series against the Winnipeg Jets with a 4-3 win in Edmonton. The win was a controversial one, as Paul Coffey of the Oilers was credited with a goal on a shot that clearly hit the goal post and never entered the net. The Buffalo Sabres recorded their second straight shutout over the Montreal Canadiens with a 3-0 win in the second game of their series.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): On kesäyö/Viimeinen laulu--Topi Sorsakoski & J. Karjalainen

Defense
The arrival of U.S. Marines in Panama concluded; a total of 1,300 assumed security duties at U.S. bases.

Terrorism
About half of the hostages aboard a Kuwait Airways jet that been hijacked to Mashhad, Iran two days earlier, were released. Kuwait rejected the hijackers' demands that 17 Shiite terrorists be freed. The plane took off, and after being refused the right to land in Beirut, landed in Larnaca, Cyprus.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Paul Simon announced the suspension of his campaign for the 1988 Democratic Party U.S. presidential nomination, two days after he received just 5% of the vote in the Wisconsin primary.

Protest
Students in Tegucigalpa, Honduras rioted in protest against the seizure by U.S. authorities of fugitive and suspected drug dealer Juan Ramon Matta two days earlier. Extradition was prohibited by the Honduran constitution. 2,000 people attacked and burned the U.S. embassy annex. Four students were shot to death, and a girl died in the fire. It wasn’t clear who fired the shots.

Hockey
Among the first round Stanley Cup playoff games played that night, the Edmonton Oilers edged the Winnipeg Jets 3-2; the St. Louis Blues defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2; and the Detroit Red Wings evened their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs at 1-1 with a 6-2 win at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.