January 13, 2008

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Karl Boettecher. Beheaded in Berlin. The previous summer he had killed Countess Lambsdorf and little Senta Eckert after an atrocious assault.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Hello Goodbye/I Am the Walrus--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: La Dernière Valse--Mireille Mathieu (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): L'ora dell'amore--I Camaleonti (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): (The Lights Went Out In) Massachusetts--The Bee Gees (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Hello Goodbye--The Beatles (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Hello Goodbye--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Four minutes into the game between the Minnesota North Stars and the Oakland Seals at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, North Stars' centre Bill Masterton had just crossed the Oakland blue line and passed the puck to Wayne Connelly, when he was checked by Seals' defensemen Larry Cahan and Ron Harris. Mr. Masterton's head hit the ice hard, and blood started spurting out of his nose and ears. A teammate heard Mr. Masterton mutter "Never again, never again," and then he lost consciousness.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): I Remember Elvis Presley--Danny Mirror

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Mull of Kintyre--Wings

#1 single in France: Belfast--Boney M.

Died on this date
Joe McCarthy, 90. U.S. baseball manager. Mr. McCarthy managed the Chicago Cubs (1926-1930); New York Yankees (1931-1946); and Boston Red Sox (1948-1950). He led the Cubs to the National League pennant in 1929, and hit his peak with the Yankees, winning 8 pennants and 7 World Series. From 1936-1943 the Yankees won 7 pennants and 6 World Series. The streak of four straight World Series wins from 1936-1939 ranks second to the five straight from 1949-1953 that the Yankees won under Casey Stengel. Mr. McCarthy contributed to the Yankees' image as a class organization by insisting that the players wear suits and ties on road trips. His Red Sox teams lost the American League pennant in 1948 in a one-game playoff, and in the last game of the season in 1949. Many Red Sox fans blamed the losses on Mr. McCarthy's decisions regarding his starting pitchers in those games. Mr. McCarthy never had a losing record in his 24 seasons as a major league manager, and his .615 winning percentage remains the game's best. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957.

Hubert Humphrey, 66. Vice-President of the United States, 1965-1969. Mr. Humphrey, a Democrat, was Mayor of Minneapolis from 1935-1948, and represented Minnesota in the United States Senate from 1949-1964 and 1971-1978. He was known for his support for civil rights for Negroes and his opposition to Communism. As Vice President, Mr. Humphrey publicly supported President Lyndon Johnson's policy of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Mr. Humphrey was the Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States in 1968, losing a close election to Republican nominee Richard Nixon. Sen. Humphrey campaigned unsuccessfully for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination, and declined to run for the 1976 nomination after learning that he had terminal bladder cancer. He died the day after Senate colleague Lee Metcalf.

25 years ago
1983

Diplomacy
Israel and Lebanon agreed to an agenda for negotiations, with Israel seeking an overall normalization of relations, and Lebanon seeking to rid the country of all foreign troops, including the Israeli army.

Crime
In Memphis, Tennessee, eight members of a religious cult were killed in a showdown with police, one day after the group had taken a policeman hostage (the cop had gone to investigate a minor theft. The group, all of whose members were black, were led by a former mental patient, and apparently believed that the world would soon end, and that police were agents of Satan. After other policemen surrounded the house, the captive officer was beaten to death. In the siege that followed, the cultists were all shot in the head.

20 years ago
1988

Diplomacy
Japanese Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, on his first visit to Washington, met with President Ronald Reagan, but the two leaders were unable to make much progress on the issue of the imbalance of trade between the countries. Japan's surplus was about $52 million U.S. in 1987.

10 years ago
1998

World events
Iraq blocked United Nations weapons inspectors, and accused the American in charge, Scott Ritter, of being a spy.