Thursday 29 April 2010

April 30, 2010

980 years ago
1030


Died on this date
Mahmud of Ghazni, 58
. Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, 998-1030. Mahmud acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Sabuktigin and after winning a war of succession with his brother Ismail. Mahmud was the first independent ruler of the Turkic dynasty of Ghaznavids. He transformed his kingdom into a Persianate Sunni Islam military empire extending from northwestern Iran proper to the Punjab in the Indian subcontinent, Khwarazm in Transoxiana, and Makran. Sultan Mahmud was succeeded by his son Muhammad.

700 years ago
1310


Born on this date
Casimir III
. King of Poland, 1333-1370. Casimir "the Great" was the last king of the Piast dynasty, and acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Władysław I. King Casimir initiated military and legal reforms, doubled the size of the kingdom, founded the University of Kraków, and confirmed protections given to Jews. He died on November 5, 1370 at the age of 60 from an injury received while hunting, and was succeeded by his nephew Louis I.

240 years ago
1770


Born on this date
David Thompson
. U.K.-born Canadian cartographer and surveyor. Mr. Thompson joined the Hudson's Bay Company at the age of 14, and was sent to British North America. He worked with the HBC until 1797, when he joined the rival North West Company. Mr. Thompson travelled 56,000 miles across North America, mapping 1.9 million square miles, resulting in his reputation as the "greatest land geographer who ever lived." His 1814 map of the North-West Territory of the Province of Canada was so accurate that it was still used 100 years later as the basis of maps issued by the Canadian government. Mr. Thompson died in Montreal on February 10, 1857 at the age of 86.

140 years ago
1870


Born on this date
Dadasaheb Phalke
. Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Mr. Phalke was known as the "Father of Indian cinema," completing 95 feature films and 27 short films from 1913-1937. His first movie, Raja Harishchandra (1913), is officially recognized as the first Indian feature film. Mr. Phalke's last movie, Gangavataran (1937), was his only sound film. He died on February 16, 1944 at the age of 73.

Franz Lehár. Austro-Hungarian composer. Mr. Lehár wrote works of various types, but was best known for his operettas, most notably Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) (1905). He died on October 24, 1948 at the age of 78.

110 years ago
1900


Died on this date
Casey Jones, 37
. U.S. railroad engineer. Jonathan Luther Jones was an engineer with the Illinois Central Railroad who was driving a passenger train from Memphis, Tennessee to Canton, Mississippi on the night of April 29-30, 1900. The train departed at 11:35 P.M. on April 29, 75 minutes late. Mr. Jones had reduced the time lag to 2 minutes by 3:52 A.M. on April 30 when he became aware that there was a train stopped ahead of him at Vauhgan, Mississippi. He stayed at the controls of Engine No. 382, nicknamed "Cannonball," and slowed its speed from 75 miles per hour to 35 mph before it hit the caboose of the train in front. Mr. Jones was killed, but his actions prevented any other fatalities; he became legendary when a traditional folk song was rewritten as "The Ballad of Casey Jones."

Americana
Hawaii became a territory of the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as Governor.

100 years ago
1910


Born on this date
Levi Celerio
. Filipino musician and songwriter. Mr. Celerio was a violinist who was able to play a leaf as a musical instrument, and wrote at least 4,000 songs. He died on April 2, 2002, four weeks before his 92nd birthday.

70 years ago
1940


War
The Communist International issued a statement from Moscow warning that the current war would spread to the Balkans, Near East, and Pacific regions. German troops in Norway occupied Dombas and Opdal, thus gaining control of the Oslo-Trondheim rail line.

Politics and government
In the Massachusetts primaries in the contest for the nominations in the 1940 U.S. presidential election, U.S. Postmaster General James Farley defeated President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Democratic primary, while Republican voters rejected a slate of delegates pledged to New York City District Attorney Thomas Dewey, opting instead for an unpledged slate.

Labour
In response to requests from unions, the Quebec government of Premier Adélard Godbout created the Supreme Labour Council, to act as an advisory body to the government.

Football
The American Football Coaches Association awarded the first Amos Alonzo Stagg Award to Donald Herring, Jr., a player with Princeton University, as the "individual, group or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football."

Baseball
Tex Carleton pitched a no-hitter to lead the Brooklyn Dodgers to a 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds before 10,544 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The scoring came on a 3-run home run by Pete Coscarart in the 5th inning off losing pitcher Jim Turner. The win improved Brooklyn’s record for the season to 9-0.

60 years ago
1950


Died on this date
Tom Niland, 80
. U.S. baseball player. "Honest Tom" was an outfielder with the St. Louis Browns (1896), batting .176 with no home runs and 3 runs batted in in 18 games. He played at least 9 seasons in the minor leagues from 1891-1906, and died 16 days after his 80th birthday.

Protest
An estimated five million Americans marched in anti-Communist "Loyalty Day" parades.

Science
The Council of the Federation of American Scientists protested the U.S. government's ban on open discussion of non-secret work on atomic science.

Oil
Construction started on a $95-million interprovincial pipeline to carry oil from Edmonton to the Lakehead in northern Ontario.

Labour
Italy's Free (Catholic) Confederation of Labour and the Socialist Federation of Italian Workers merged to form a single anti-Communist labour group, the Italian Confederation of Union Workers.

Baseball
The Boston Red Sox scored 4 runs in the 1st inning, 3 in the 2nd, and 11 in the 4th en route to a 19-0 win over the Philadelphia Athletics in the first game of a doubleheader before 34,697 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Ted Williams hit 2 home runs for the Red Sox, while Vern Stephens and Bobby Doerr also homered, and Dom DiMaggio scored 5 runs. Ben Guintini popped out as a pinch hitter for the Athletics in the 3rd inning; it was the fifth and last game of his 2-year major league career. The Red Sox completed the sweep with a 6-5 win in the second game.

Bill Wight (1-2) pitched a 2-hitter for the Chicago White Sox as they shut out the Detroit Tigers 5-0 in the first game of a doubleheader before 8,175 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. In the second game, he White Sox rallied from a 7-0 deficit to score 4 runs in the 7th inning and 3 in the 9th. The game was called after 9 innings because of darkness and cold with the score tied 7-7. Hank Majeski drove in 4 runs for Chicago in the second game with a pair of home runs.

Del Rice hit a home run off Johnny Schmitz with 1 out in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 1-0 win over the Chicago Cubs before 9,645 fans at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. Mr. Schmitz (1-1) gave up just 4 hits in going the distance for the loss, while Harry Brecheen (1-1) went the distance for the win, allowing 5 hits.

50 years ago
1960

Hit parade

#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): He'll Have to Go--Jim Reeves (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Personalità--Caterina Valente

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Banjo Boy--Jan & Kjeld (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Cathy's Clown--The Everly Brothers

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Stuck on You--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)
2 Greenfields--The Brothers Four
3 The Theme from "A Summer Place"--Percy Faith and his Orchestra
4 Night--Jackie Wilson
5 White Silver Sands--Bill Black's Combo
6 Sink the Bismarck--Johnny Horton
7 Sixteen Reasons--Connie Stevens
8 The Old Lamplighter--The Browns
9 Footsteps--Steve Lawrence
10 Puppy Love--Paul Anka

Singles entering the chart were He'll Have to Stay by Jeanne Black (#75); Chi Chi Meringue by the Eloise Trio (#93); Just a Closer Walk with Thee by Jimmie Rodgers (#94); Jenny Lou by Sonny James (#95); Swingin' School (#97)/Ding-A-Ling (#100) by Bobby Rydell; Beg Your Pardon by Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (#98); The Urge by Freddy Cannon (#99); Dutchman's Gold by Walter Brennan with Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (also #100); and Hold Me Tenderly by Bobby Bland (also #100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Stuck on You--Elvis Presley (4th week at #1)
2 Got a Girl--The Four Preps
3 Stairway to Heaven--Neil Sedaka
4 Cathy's Clown--The Everly Brothers
5 Sixteen Reasons--Connie Stevens
6 Step by Step--The Crests
7 Cradle of Love--Johnny Preston
8 Young Emotions--Ricky Nelson
9 Let the Little Girl Dance--Billy Bland
10 Good Timin'--Jimmy Jones

Singles entering the chart were Frankie and Johnny by Sylvia Robbins (#24); White Tennis Sneakers by Jan & Dean (#29); Happy-Go-Lucky-Me by Paul Evans (#33); Mr. Lucky by Henry Mancini and his Orchestra (#46); Poor Me by Adam Faith (#48); Someone Loves You, Joe by the Singing Belles (#49); Oh, Little One by Jack Scott (#50); Three Steps to Heaven by Eddie Cochran (#51); Dutchman's Gold by Walter Brennan with Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (#52); Money (That's What I Want) by Barrett Strong (#54); Fever (LP track) by Elvis Presley (#56); No If's--No And's by Lloyd Price and his Orchestra (#57); Because They're Young by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#58); and Pink Chiffon by Mitchell Torok (#59).

Died on this date
Herman Pillette, 64
. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Pillette played with the Cincinnati Reds (1917) and Detroit Tigers (1922-1924), compiling a record of 34-32 with an earned run average of 3.45 in 107 games. His best season was 1922, when he was 19-12 with a 2.85 ERA and 4 shutouts. Mr. Pillette played at 26 seasons in the minor leagues (1917-1945), mostly in the Pacific Coast League (1920-1921, 1925-1945). Mr. Pillette won at least 277 games in the minors--226 in the PCL--and lost at least 275--235 in the PCL; he was 21-16 with the Mission Reds in 1926, and 23-13 with the Reds in 1929, while going 13-30 with the Portland Beavers in 1921. He was 14-9 with the Regina Senators of the Class B Western Canada League in 1920, and pitched a no-hitter in his final game with them. Mr. Pillette died of a cerebral embolism following several strokes; he was inducted into the PCL Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1943.

Defense
Lieutenant General H.D. Graham retired from the Canadian Army; he was the last officer with a World War I ribbon to retire.

Baseball
The Pittsburgh Pirates scored 10 runs in the 2nd inning on their way to a 12-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds before 3,481 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Pittsburgh second baseman Bill Mazeroski batted 4 for 5 with a home run, double, 2 runs, and 3 runs batted in.

The New York Yankees scored 5 runs in the 1st inning, 5 in the 6th, and 4 in the 7th as they routed the Baltimore Orioles 16-0 before 13,267 fans at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Roger Maris batted 3 for 5 with a home run, 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 4 runs batted in. Jim Coates (3-0) pitched an 8-hit shutout, and doubled and scored a run.

40 years ago
1970

Died on this date
Inger Stevens, 35
. Swedish-born U.S. actress. Miss Stevens, who moved to New York City with her family in 1944, was known mainly for her many performances in television, which included a starring role in the comedy series The Farmer’s Daughter (1963-1966) and two memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone: The Hitch-Hiker (1960) and The Lateness of the Hour (1960). Her movies included The New Interns (1964); A Guide for the Married Man (1967); Hang ‘em High (1968); Madigan (1968); and Firecreek (1968). She had recently signed on as co-star of the crime series The Most Deadly Game, which was to go on the air in the fall of 1970, and appeared in the pilot episode, Zig Zag, which was never broadcast. She was found unconscious on her kitchen floor by her sometime roommate, Lola McNally, and died en route to the hospital from a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol. Miss Stevens' death was ruled a suicide.

War
North Vietnamese troops captured the Laotian town of Attopeu, at the foot of a plateau overlooking the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the east, marking the first time that North Vietnamese troops had crossed the 1962 cease-fire line to take a major Laotian town.

U.S. President Richard Nixon, in a televised address, said that he had ordered American combat forces 20 miles into Cambodia in an effort to destroy the "headquarters for the entire Communist military operation in South Vietnam." Mr. Nixon stressed that it was "not an invasion," and he was not seeking to widen the war. He promised that "we will withdraw" as soon as the enemy was driven out of his bases and his supplies destroyed. Mr. Nixon said that his action was essential to his plan for "Vietnamizing" the war, and was intended to save American lives.



Protest
Two days of disorder on the campus of Ohio State University concluded as 20 were wounded by shotgun fire and 600 were arrested.

Ottawana
The Capitol Cinema, Ottawa's only large movie palace, was closed and later demolished.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
St. Louis 4 @ Pittsburgh 3 (St. Louis won best-of-seven series 4-2)

This was the final game for Pittsburgh rookie Michel Briere, who led the Penguins in scoring with 5 goals and 3 assists in 10 playoff games. A few weeks later he suffered serious head injuries in a car accident, and died in the spring of 1971 without fully regaining consciousness. The Penguins retired his jersey number 21.

Baseball
Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs became the first National League player to play in 1,000 consecutive games when he batted 0 for 4 in the Cubs’ 9-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves before 10,907 fans at Atlanta Stadium. Rico Carty hit a grand slam for the Braves in the 1st inning and added a solo homer in the 5th. George Stone (3-1) pitched a 6-hit complete game victory, and batted 2 for 4 with a double and 2 runs batted in. Ferguson Jenkins (2-3) allowed 4 hits and 5 runs--all earned--in 1.2 innings to take the loss.

Horace Clarke singled to lead off the bottom of the 3rd inning, advanced to third base on a single by Bobby Murcer, and scored the game's only run on a sacrifice fly by Roy White as the New York Yankees edged the California Angels 1-0 before 5,395 fans at Yankee Stadium. Stan Bahnsen (2-2) pitched a 5-hitter, outduelling Rudy May (2-1), who allowed 4 hits in 7 innings.

Frank Howard and Bernie Allen each hit 3-run home runs in a 7-run 3rd inning for the Washington Senators as they routed the Milwaukee Brewers 12-2 before 7,575 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. George Brunet (1-3) pitched a 9-hit complete game victory.

With 2 out and nobody on base in the bottom of the 10th inning, Amos Otis drew a base on balls and Bob Oliver doubled him home to give the Kansas City Royals a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers before 6,237 fans at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City.

30 years ago
1980


Terrorism
Arab Iranian terrorists seized the Iranian embassy in London. They identified themselves as being from the Iranian province of Khuzistan, and they wanted autonomy for the province as well as the release of 91 Arabs whom they claimed were imprisoned in Iran.

Europeana
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, 42, assumed the throne from her mother, Queen Juliana, who abdicated on her 71st birthday. The new queen appealed to her people to build stronger links with backward nations because "we can no longer disassociate our domestic polity from the distress in the world."

Protest
Squatters in Amsterdam staged a demonstration to coincide with the investiture of Queen Beatrix, to protest a housing shortage. At least 125 people were injured in fighting between the hooligans and police.

Science
University of California at Irvine physicist Frderick Reines told a meeting of the American Physical Society in Washington that recent experiments indicated that the subatomic particle known as the "neutrino" appeared to have mass. Experiments by Dr. Reines and his co-workers showed that the neutrino oscillated between different states, an instability associated, in theory, with mass. Harvard University physicist Carlo Rubbia said that "the cosmological consequences" of the finding "are absolutely fantastic." Physicists thought that the universe was filed with particles possessing neither mass nor charge. Neutrinos would be the dominant material of the universe if they have mass and might be able to explain the nature of the invisible "stuff" whose gravity holds together the galaxies and clusters of galaxies.

Scandal
After a 16-week trial, former U.S. Budget Director Bert Lance was acquitted by a federal jury in Atlanta of nine counts of bank fraud. A mistrial was declared on three remaining counts because the jury wasn’t able to reach a verdict. Mr. Lance had resigned in September 1977 as director of the Office of Management and Budget amidst a controversy over his banking practices when he served as president and chief executive officer of both the National Bank of Georgia and the Calhoun First National Bank.

Hockey
NHL
Gordie Howe, 52, announced his retirement from the Hartford Whalers, ending his 33-year professional career. "Mr. Hockey" played with the Omaha Knights of the minor United States Hockey League (1945-46); Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (1946-71) and the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association (1973-78), joining the New England Whalers for the WHA's last season in 1978-79, and remaining with the renamed team when it joined the NHL in 1979. He scored 1,850 points on 801 goals and 1,049 assists in 1,767 regular season NHL games, and 160 points on 68 goals and 92 assists in 157 Stanley Cup games, while scoring 508 points on 174 goals and 334 assists in 419 regular season WHA games, adding 71 points on 28 goals and 43 assists in 78 Avco World Trophy games. He played all 80 regular season games in 1979-80, scoring 15 goals and 26 assists, with 1 goal and 1 assist in 3 playoff games. Mr. Howe, who played with sons Mark and Marty in the WHA, is still regarded as one of the greatest players in history.

Baseball
Jim Bibby (3-0) pitched a 6-hit shutout for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they blanked the Montreal Expos 5-0 before 8,545 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh in the Wednesday night CBC telecast. Phil Garner drove in 3 runs with a pair of home runs, and Bill Robinson also homered. Bill Lee (0-3) allowed 4 hits and 3 runs--all earned--in 2 innings to take the loss.

Mark Bomback (2-0) pitched a 2-hitter for the New York Mets as they shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 before 4,559 fans at Shea Stadium in New York. Losing pitcher Randy Lerch (0-3) allowed 4 hits and 1 run--earned--in 7 innings.

20 years ago
1990


Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Oh Yeah!--Princess Princess

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (9th week at #1)

World events
Frank Reed, an American who had disappeared in September 1986, was freed by his captors in Lebanon. U.S. President George Bush thanked the government of Iran for having used its influence to free Mr. Reed.

Politics and government
Prince Edward Island Premier Joe Ghiz defended the Meech Lake Canadian constitutional accord and warned that Canada would face political instability if it was not passed. Newfoundland Premier Clyde Wells said that he would welcome a first ministers’ conference on the situation, but warned that he would not likely support a last-minute solution that did not provide time for public input and debate.

Scandal
DuBois Gilliam, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1984-1987, who was serving a prison term for accepting payoffs from developers, began testifying before the House Government Operations subcommittee. Mr. Gilliam said that the department "was the best domestic political machine I’ve ever seen. We dealt strictly in politics." Mr. Gilliam charged that former HUD secretary Samuel Pierce had made decisions regarding HUD grants. An attorney for Mr. Pierce denied the allegations.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Division Finals
St. Louis 2 @ Chicago 8 (Chicago won best-of-seven series 4-3)

10 years ago
2000


Died on this date
Poul Hartling, 85
. Prime Minister of Denmark, 1973-1975. Mr. Hartling, the son of Education Minister Mads R. Hartling, was a pastor before entering politics. As a member of the Left, he sat in Parliament (1957-1960, 1964-1977), leading his party from 1965-1977. Mr. Hartling led a coalition government from December 1973-February 1975, despite his party holding just 22 of 179 seats in Parliament; the main achievement of his government was the passage of the Social Assistance Act in 1974, which instructed municipal authorities to provide day-care and recreation centres for children and young people. Mr. Hartling left politics to work with the United Nations, and was UN High Commissioner for Refugees from 1978-1985.

Religion
Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun whose apparitions of Jesus inspired the Roman Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy, was canonized by Pope John Paul II.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Conference Semi-Finals
San Jose 0 @ Dallas 1 (Dallas led best-of-seven series 2-0)

Baseball
Major league batters set a record for home runs in a single month by hitting 931 in April, 140 more than the previous April.

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