February 22, 2008

220 years ago
1788

Born on this date
Arthur Schopenhauer. German philosopher. Mr. Schopenhauer believed that the world was driven by a will continually seeking satisfaction. His best-known book was Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung (The World as Will and Representation) (1819). Those influenced by Mr. Schopenhauer included Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wagner, Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Leo Tolstoy, and Joseph Campbell. Mr. Schopenhauer died on September 21, 1860 at the age of 72.

120 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Owen Brewster. U.S. politician. Mr. Brewster was Governor of Maine (1925-1929); member of the United States House of Representatives from Maine (1935-1941); and United States Senator from Maine (1941-1952). As chairman of a special Senate committee investigating defense procurement during World War II, Mr. Brewster attacked the commercial interests of Howard Hughes, but his reputation suffered when Mr. Hughes responded with accusations of his own. Mr. Brewster died on December 25, 1961 at the age of 73.

100 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Rómulo Betancourt. President of Venezuela, 1945-1948, 1959-1964. Mr. Betancourt was a Communist as a young man, but eventually rejected Communism, and in 1941 founded Acción Democrática, (AD). He became President in 1945 as the result of a military coup, and achieved social and economic reforms, especially in the oil industry. Mr. Betancourt was deposed by a military coup in 1948, and spent the next decade in exile in the United States and other countries. He was returned to the presidency in the 1958 election, and his government participated in the founding of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1960. Mr. Betancourt's foreign policy included the Betancourt Doctrine, by which Venezuela refused diplomatic recognition to any regime that came to power by military force. He survived an assassination attempt by agents of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1960, and oversaw the 1963 election, in which Raْl Leoni was elected President, marking the first time in Venezuela that the presidency had passed from one democratically-elected President to another. Mr. Betancourt was awarded a lifetime seat in the Senate in 1964, and died in New York City on September 28, 1981 at the age of 73.

80 years ago
1928

Diplomacy
King Amanullah of Afghanistan, the first monarch to visit Germany in 15 years and the first to visit the Weimar Republic, received a royal welcome in Berlin.

Americana
The Ku Klux Klan officially announced the discarding of its masks beginning February 23, and the changing of its name to Knights of the Great Forest.

Crime
The wire-bound bodies of Edgar and George Chisholm were found in the canal at Indiana Harbor, Indiana.

75 years ago
1933

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Her Majesty's Wine Cellar

60 years ago
1948

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on MBS, starring John Stanley and Alfred Shirley
Tonight's episode: The Adventure of the Wooden Claw

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): April Love--Pat Boone (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Der lachende Vagabund--Fred Bertelmann (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Gondolier--Dalida (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): The Story of My Life--Michael Holliday (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Get a Job--The Silhouettes
2 Don't--Elvis Presley
3 Short Shorts--The Royal Teens
4 At the Hop--Danny and the Juniors
5 Sail Along Silvery Moon--Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra
6 The Stroll--The Diamonds
7 Catch a Falling Star--Perry Como
8 Oh Julie--The Crescendos
9 Sugartime--The McGuire Sisters
10 You are My Destiny--Paul Anka

Singles entering the chart were Tequila by the Champs (#36); The Walk by Jimmy McCracklin (#45); Rock and Roll is Here to Stay by Danny and the Juniors (#48); Oh Lonesome Me by Don Gibson (#49); Maybe Baby by the Crickets (#53); (Make With) The Shake by Mark IV (#55); Just a Little Lonesome by Bobby Helms (#57); and Bad Motorcycle by the Storey Sisters (#60).

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Laura Pereverzoff Ong!

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kaette Kita Yopparai--The Folk Crusaders (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
Dragnet 1968, starring Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Squeeze

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Take a Chance on Me--ABBA (2nd week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Boston 6 @ Vancouver 4

CHL
Kansas City 5 @ Fort Worth 6
Dallas 5 @ Salt Lake City 4

25 years ago
1983

Theatre
Moose Murders, a play written by someone named Arthur Bicknell, opened and closed at the Eugene O’Neill Theater in New York City, and quickly became notorious as one of the biggest flops in Broadway history. Frank Rich, whose original review in The New York Times can be found here, still considers Moose Murders to be the worst play he’s ever seen. The reader can have fun doing a Google search on this one.

Died on this date
Adrian Boult, 93. U.K. conductor. Mr. Boult was chief conductor of the City of Birmingham Orchestra from 1924-1930, returning to that position in 1959-1960. He became Director of Music for the British Broadcastng Corporation in 1930, and became chief conductor when the BBC decided to form a symphony orchestra. After being forced into retirement by the BBC in 1949, Mr. Boult moved on to the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which he led until 1957. Mr. Boult was known for his association with the works of Ralph Vaughan Williams; he conducted recordings of all of Mr. Vaughan Williams’ symphonies, all of which are still available. Mr. Boult also conducted performances of other English composers such as Gustav Holst and Edward Elgar. His final recording, of music by Hubert Parry, was completed in December 1978. Mr. Boult was knighted in 1937, and made a Companion of Honour in 1969.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (4th week at #1)

Scandal
Leaders of the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana barred Rev. Jimmy Swaggart from the pulpit for three months and imposed a two-year period of rehabilitation after seeing photographic evidence that the Assemblies of God pastor had been less than faithful in living up to his marriage vows. The announcement was made the day after Mr. Swaggart had publicly asked his congregation for forgiveness for an unspecified sin.

Politics and government
U.S. Secretary of the Navy James Webb resigned after less than a year in office. Mr. Webb wrote to President Ronald Reagan and complained about Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci's decision to retire 16 small ships as an economic move.

Olympics
Bonnie Blair of the United States set a world record of 39.10 seconds to win the gold medal in the women's 500-metre speed skating event in Calgary. Karen Percy of Banff, Alberta won her second bronze medal of the games, in the women's super giant slalom ski event in her hometown. Canada and Sweden tied 2-2 in men's hockey at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary.

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Abraham Ribicoff, 87. U.S. politician. A Democrat, Mr. Ribicoff served in the Connecticut state legislature from 1938-1942, and in the United States House of Representatives from 1949-1953, where he was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Mr. Ribicoff ran for United States Senator in 1952, losing to Republican Prescott Bush. He then returned to state politics, and was governor of Connecticut from 1955-1961. One of his projects as governor was an effort to curb speeding; in 1956 he suspended 10,346 driver's licenses, as opposed to 372 the year before. Mr. Ribicoff was a longtime friend of John F. Kennedy, and nominated the Massachusetts senator for Vice President at the Democratic National Convention in 1956. When JFK became President, he rewarded Mr. Ribicoff for his support by naming him to his cabinet, as Secretary of health, Education and Welfare in 1961. Mr. Ribicoff found the department too large to be manageable, and left the cabinet to run for the Senate again in 1962. He was elected, replacing the retired Prescott Bush, and served three terms, leaving office in January 1981. Perhaps Mr. Ribicoff's most memorable moment occurred at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968. In his speech nominating George McGovern for President, Mr. Ribicoff expressed his disgust with the behaviour of Chicago police towards student protesters by saying "If George McGovern were President, we wouldn’t have these Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago." The comment prompted loud applause from much of the audience, and an angry reaction from Chicago mayor Richard Daley. Mr. Ribicoff spent his remaining years in the Senate supporting liberal stands on various issues. After leaving public office he practiced law with a New York firm. Mr. Ribicoff died of Alzheimer's Disease.

Olympics
Bjorn Dahlie of Norway won the 50 kilometre cross country freestyle skiing event at Nagano for his record eighth career Olympic gold medal. He also had four silvers for a total of 12 Olympic medals, also a record. His winning time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, 8.2 seconds was just 8.1 seconds better than that of Niklas Jonsson of Sweden. The Czech Republic defeated Russia 1-0 in the men's hockey final, the last Olympic event of the 20th Century.