December 27, 2007

50 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 in the U.K.: Mary's Boy Child--Harry Belafonte (6th straight week at #1)

40 years ago
1967

Died on this date
Percy Hodge, 67. U.K. runner. Mr. Hodge won a gold medal in the men's 3000-metre steeplechase event at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp. He died the day after his 67th birthday.

Paul Lehner, 47. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Lehner was an outfielder with the St. Louis Browns (1946-1949, 1951); Philadelphia Athletics (1950-1951); Chicago White Sox (1951); Cleveland Indians (1951); and Boston Red Sox (1952), batting .257 with 22 home runs and 197 runs batted in in 540 games. After tying a record by playing with four American League teams in 1951, he played with four minor league teams--Oakland Oaks (Pacific Coast League); Seattle Rainiers (PCL); Toronto Maple Leafs (International League); and Indianapolis Indians (American Association)--in addition to 3 games with the Red Sox. Mr. Lehner ended his professional career with the Memphis Chicks of the AA Southern Association in 1953, and died of lymphoma.

25 years ago
1982

Died on this date
Jack Swigert, 51.  Apollo 13 Command Module Pilot.  He replaced Ken Mattingly in the last few days before liftoff in April 1970, after Mattingly had been exposed to the measles.  Swigert was elected to the House of Representatives in 1982 as a Republican, but died of cancer in Washington just a week before he was to have taken his seat.  Kevin Bacon played him in the movie Apollo 13.