February 23, 2008

700 years ago
1308

World events
King Edward II of England was crowned at Westminster.

90 years ago
1918

Died on this date
Sophie Menter, 71. German musician and composer. Miss Menter was Franz Liszt's favourite female student, and had a successful career as a concert pianist from the 1860s to the 1880s. She wrote several works for piano.

80 years ago
1928

Aviation
Miss Margaret Bartlett, a Columbia University student and daughter of Judge George A. Bartlett of Reno, Nevada, stepped from the cabin of a transcontinental mail plane at the Oakland municipal airport after 41 hours in the air, becoming the first girl to fly from New York to San Francisco on the regular air mail schedule.

Labour
In Germany, it was announced that all female employees of the German postal system (including telegraph, telephone, and post office services) were required to wear service skirts reaching at least 8 inches below the knees.

70 years ago
1938

Boxing
Joe Louis successfully defended his world heavyweight title with a 3-round knockout of Nathan Mann at Madison Square Garden in New York.

50 years ago
1958

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Guest for Breakfast, starring Joan Tetzel, Scott McKay, and Richard Shepard

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
Edmonton's top 10
1 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)
2 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
3 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
4 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
5 Words--The Bee Gees
6 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
7 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Co.
8 Spooky--The Classics IV
9 I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite--Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
10 I Can Take or Leave Your Loving--Herman's Hermits
Pick of the Week: Walk Away Renee--The Four Tops
New this week: It's a Gas--The Hombres
Sister Marie--Nilsson
Will You Love Me Tomorrow--The 4 Seasons
Hey, Hey Bunny--John Fred and His Playboy Band
Just What I've Been Looking For--The Vogues

Another new single that week was an instrumental version of Judy in Disguise (With Glasses), credited to Offenbach. It consisted of the same instrumental track as the version by John Fred and his Playboy Band, but with a saxophone solo in place of the vocals. The B-side of the Offenbach single was an instrumental version of No Letter Today, the vocal version of which was the B-side of Hey, Hey Bunny. Both singles were released on the same label: Paula.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
Canada's top 10 (The Record)
1 Pump Up the Volume--M.A.R.R.S.
2 Could've Been--Tiffany
3 What Have I Done to Deserve This--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
4 Tell it to My Heart--Taylor Dayne
5 Pop Goes the World--Men Without Hats
6 The Way You Make Me Feel--Michael Jackson
7 Got My Mind Set on You--George Harrison
8 Faith--George Michael
9 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
10 Hazy Shade of Winter--Bangles