March 16, 2008

130 years ago
1878

Born on this date
José Carlos da Maia. Portuguese military officer. Mr. da Maia was a Navy officer who was elected to the National Constituent Assembly in 1911, and served as Governor of Macau (1914-1916), among other offices. He was no longer involved in active politics when he was assassinated at the age of 43 on October 19, 1921 as part of the military insurrection known as Bloody Night.

70 years ago
1938

Basketball
NCAA
National Invitational Tournament @ New York
Final
Temple 60 Colorado 36

This was the first year for the NIT, the first post-season tournament, played at Madison Square Garden. The NCAA championship playoffs began a year later.

60 years ago
1948

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis, on MBS

50 years ago
1958

On television tonight
Tonight's episode: The Foghorn, starring Barbara Bel Geddes, Michael Rennie, and Bartlett Robinson

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra

#1 single in France: Nights in White Satin--The Moody Blues (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): La tramontana--Antoine (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Bleib bei mir--Roy Black

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Cinderella Rockefella--Esther and Abi Ofarim

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Words--The Bee Gees (3rd week at #1)
2 De Kat Van Ome Willem--Wim Sonneveld with Hetty Blok, Leen Jongewaard, De Jonkies, and the Orchestra of Harry Bannink
3 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
4 Pictures of Matchstick Men--The Status Quo
5 It's the End--The Buffoons
6 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
7 Mien Waar Is M'n Feestneus?--Toon
8 The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
9 Nights in White Satin--The Moody Blues
10 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame

Singles entering the chart were Kom Uit De Bedstee Mijn Liefste by Egbert Douwe (#15); Cinderella Rockefella by Esther and Abi Ofarim (#16); Storybook Children, with versions by Sandra & Andres; Billy Vera and Judy Clay; and Nancy and Lee (#36); Roosmarie, with versions by John Lamers; and Peter Orloff (#37); and Drinking on My Bed by the Rob Hoeke Rhythm & Blues Group (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (6th week at #1)
2 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
3 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
4 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
5 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
6 Valleri--The Monkees
7 I Wish it Would Rain--The Temptations
8 I Thank You--Sam & Dave
9 (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone--Aretha Franklin
10 La-La - Means I Love You--The Delfonics

Singles entering the chart were Forever Came Today by Diana Ross & the Supremes (#54); I Got the Feelin' by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#58); Stay Away (#67)/U.S. Male (#78) by Elvis Presley; In Need of a Friend by the Cowsills (#72); Sit with the Guru by Strawberry Alarm Clock (#74); Funky Street by Arthur Conley (#75); I'll Say Forever My Love by Jimmy Ruffin (#76); Our Corner of the Night by Barbra Streisand (#80); Delilah by Tom Jones (#81); The Impossible Dream by the Hesitations (#82); Up on the Roof by the Cryan' Shames (#84); I Will Always Think About You by the New Colony Six (#87); Turn on Your Love Light by the Human Beinz (#94); Tin Soldier by Small Faces (#98); Master Jack by Four Jacks and a Jill (#99); The Unicorn by the Irish Rovers (#100); and Cinderella Rockefella by Esther and Abi Ofarim (also #100). Stay Away was from the movie Stay Away, Joe (1968).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
2 Walk Away Renee--Four Tops
3 Words--The Bee Gees
4 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
5 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
6 Everything that Touches You--The Association
7 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
8 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
9 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
10 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition

Singles entering the chart were Lady Madonna by the Beatles (#59); Cinderella Rockefella by Esther and Abi Ofarim (#66); The Legend of Xanadu by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich (#75); Fire Brigade by the Move (#76); Tin Soldier by Small Faces (#78); U.S. Male by Elvis Presley (#78); Take Time to Know Her by Percy Sledge (#84); Candy Rainbow by the Lords of London (#85); Nights in White Satin by the Moody Blues (#87); Do What You Gotta Do by Al Wilson (#91); Just for Tonight by the Chiffons (#93); Me, the Peaceful Heart by Lulu (#95); Brown Eyed Handsome Man by Jerry Jaye (#96); If This World were Mine by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#97); In Need of a Friend by the Cowsills (#98); It's Time to Say Goodbye by the Third Rail (#99); and Kitty by Cat Stevens (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
2 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
3 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
4 Skip a Rope--Henson Cargill
5 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
6 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
7 Tell Mama--Etta James
8 Kiss Me Goodbye--Petula Clark
9 Country Girl - City Man--Billy Vera and Judy Clay
10 Dear Delilah--Grapefruit

Singles entering the chart were Lady Madonna/The Inner Light by the Beatles (#27); The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) by Manfred Mann (#28); Suddenly You Love Me by the Tremeloes (#29); and Ain't Love Wonderful by Night Train (#30).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus
2 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
3 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
4 Summertime Blues--Blue Cheer
5 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
6 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
7 Too Much Talk--Paul Revere and the Raiders
8 My, What a Shame--Dino, Desi and Billy
9 (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
10 Words--The Bee Gees
Pick hit of the week: Valleri--The Monkees

Abominations
Several hundred unarmed Vietnamese civilians, mainly women and children, were massacred by members of Charlie Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division (the Americal Division), United States Army, in the South Vietnamese hamlets of My Lai and My Khe, in what became known as the My Lai Massacre. The number of those killed was anywhere from 347 (official U.S. estimate) to 504 (number of names on the memorial at the site). The first reports claimed that "128 Vietcong and 22 civilians" were killed in the village during a "fierce fire fight". As related at the time by the Army's Stars and Stripes magazine, "U.S. infantrymen had killed 128 Communists in a bloody day-long battle." News of the massacre didn't start to get out until a former member of Charlie Company, Ron Ridenhour, wrote to President Richard Nixon, the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the State Department, and numerous members of Congress in March 1969, detailing the events at My Lai. Mr. Ridenhour learned about the massacre secondhand from other members of Charlie Company while he was still enlisted. Congressman Morris Udall of Utah was one of the few recipients of the letter who wanted to pursue the matter. Second Lieutenant William Calley, who had led a platoon, was charged in September 1969 with the murder of 109 civilians, and 25 others were charged with lesser offenses. Freelance reporter Seymour Hersh received a phone tip about the court martial on October 22, and after completing his investigation, he filed his story with the Dispatch News Service (after Life and Look magazines had passed on it), and the report was published on November 13 in 36 major newspapers, including the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and San Francisco Chronicle. Mr. Hersh's report earned him the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. Time, Life, and Newsweek then covered the story, and when the Cleveland Plain Dealer published graphic photos of the bodies taken by Army photographer Ronald Haeberle, further cover-up became impossible. On March 17, 1970, 14 officers, including Americal Division's commanding officer, Major General Samuel Koster, were charged with suppressing information relating to the massacre. Most of the charges were later dropped. The sordid details of the massacre, cover-up, and legal proceedings take up too much space to be included in this blog, so the reader is encouraged to look these up for himself. Lt. Calley, who stated that he was following the orders of Capt. Ernest Medina, was the only one of the 26 men charged in the massacre to be convicted. The sentence, initially life imprisonment, was later reduced to 10 years. Lt. Calley served just 3 1/2 years before federal judge J. Robert Elliott ruled in in his favour and granted his immediate release on a habeus corpus motion.

Politics and government
Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York officially announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination for 1968, challenging President Lyndon Johnson. Mr. Kennedy's candidacy enraged Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy, who was already a candidate, and who appealed to the same demographics--Irish Catholics, the young, and liberals who were opposed to the war in Vietnam.

30 years ago
1978

Terrorism
In Rome, Red Brigade terrorists kidnapped Aldo Moro, former Italian Prime Minister and likely future President. The terrorists killed all five of Mr. Moro's bodyguards, and announced that Mr. Moro would be killed unless 15 guerrilla leaders on trial in Turin were freed. The Italian government deployed up to 50,000 policemen and troops to search for Mr. Moro.

Politics and government
The United States Senate voted 68-32 to approve the treaty guaranteeing the neutrality of the Panama Canal after 2000.

25 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Arthur Godfrey, 79. U.S. radio and television star. Arthur Godfrey was the biggest money-producing star the Columbia Broadcasting System has ever had, and the biggest television star CBS ever had. In terms of ratings and hours on the small screen, he was television's biggest star in the 1950s, and maybe the biggest TV star ever. Which is to say, he was a big star.
Mr. Godfrey began his broadcasting career in radio in the 1920s, but it was after being seriously injured in a car accident in the early 1930s that he began to make an impact. While recuperating, he noticed that the formal announcing style employed by radio announcers was unsuitable for home listening. Mr. Godfrey decided that when he returned to the airwaves, he would speak as though he were talking to a friend at home. This style led to a position as morning announcer for CBS-owned WJSV in Washington, D.C., where President Franklin D. Roosevelt was among his listeners. Mr. Godfrey's informal style extended to commercials; his kidding of sponsors and looseness with scripts only helped sales of the products he was pitching, and gave the impression that he wouldn't endorse a product that he didn't use himself. He's been credited as being the man who taught radio and television how to sell. In addition to pitching commercial products, Mr. Godfrey became an aviator, and was credited by Eddie Rickenbacker with doing more to boost air travel than anyone since Charles Lindbergh. He got into trouble a couple of times in the 1950s for buzzing control towers. Mr. Godfrey's emotional broadcast of President Roosevelt's funeral in April 1945 was picked up by the national CBS network, and he was given his own national Monday-Friday morning show called Arthur Godfrey Time. In 1946 he added to his workload with a prime time show titled Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts; this show ran on radio for 10 years, and was supplemented by a television version of the show that began running in December 1948 for a half hour on Monday nights. Among the acts that were boosted to stardom on this show were Steve Lawrence, the Smothers Brothers, the McGuire Sisters, Vic Damone, Beverly Sills, Lenny Bruce, Don Adams, Tony Bennett, Eddie Fisher, Connie Francis, Patsy Cline, Pat Boone, Marilyn Horne, Roy Clark, and Lesley Uggams. Wally Cox and the Chordettes were both signed to recording contracts after appearing on the same show in 1948. However, Mr. Godfrey rejected Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and the Orioles. Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts was in the top 10 in the ratings through 1954, and was the #1 show in the 1951-52 season. It remained in the top 20 through 1956-57, and slipped badly just at the end, due largely to changing audience tastes. The show went off the air in 1958. As if that wasn't enough, Arthur Godfrey and his Friends, another prime time show, went on TV in January 1949, running for an hour on Wednesday nights until June 1957, and for a half hour on Tuesday nights from September 1958-April 1959. This show was also a top 10 ratings success for years, peaking at #3 for the 1952-53 season. One of the "friends" was pop singer Julius LaRosa, who's remembered today mainly for the fact that Mr. Godfrey fired him on the air on October 19, 1953, subsequently claiming that Mr. LaRosa "lacked humility." This incident attracted much criticism for Mr. Godfrey, putting his folksy public image at odds with his private controlling personality. A TV writer named Al Morgan wrote a novel called The Great Man, a thinly-veiled book about Arthur Godfrey that was made into a successful movie in 1956, starring Jose Ferrer. All this time, Arthur Godfrey Time had continued on radio and (since 1948) on television. The radio version ran for three hours; the TV version ran for an hour, later expanded to 90 minutes. That adds up to 15 1/2 hours per week on radio, and 9 hours per week on television, with big ratings. In 1959 Mr. Godfrey was diagnosed with lung cancer, and gave up his shows while undergoing surgery and radiation. Treatment was successful, but his time as a TV star was over. Arthur Godfrey Time returned, but only on radio; the show ended its run in April 1972. Mr. Godfrey appeared in a few television specials for CBS, the last of which aired on March 28, 1973. He promoted environmental causes, and continued to do commercials. The only thing I can remember seeing him in was an ad in his last year or so for an insurance company aimed at senior citizens ("Get some peace of mind!"). I don't remember the name of the company. The Sunday after Mr. Godfrey's death, Andy Rooney, one of his former writers, delivered a moving tribute to him in his 60 Minutes segment. In his 1999 book Sincerely, Andy Rooney, Mr. Rooney made the following comment:

For reasons I don't understand, some people make the history books and others don't. It has no direct relation to accomplishment. Fame has a life of its own. Some people become legends, known long after they've departed. Others, equally famous in life, are all but forgotten shortly after they die. Godfrey is destined to be one of those. He'd hate it.

Film critic Roger Ebert recently echoed that opinion in a recent movie review when he said that one can go within a 200-mile radius of Chicago and not meet anyone who's ever heard of Arthur Godfrey.

20 years ago
1988

World events
The Panamanian government reported that five officers had been arrested for attempting to seize military headquarters that morning.

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir met with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, but made no concessions concerning the occupied territories. Mr. Shamir had met in Washington the day before with U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz.

War
White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater announced that up to 2,000 Sandanista troops had crossed the border from Nicaragua into Honduras to attack a Contra camp in Honduras. Mr. Fitzwater said that President Reagan had received a letter from Honduran President Jose Azcoma asking for aid, although he had not specified what kind of aid was wanted. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega denied that Nicaraguan troops had crossed the border.

Iraq attacked the town of Halabja, a stronghold of Kurdish separatists which Iran claimed to have taken the day before, with explosives and chemical weapons, killing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of its own citizens. The attack was seen as punishment to the Kurds for supporting the Iranians. Iranian doctors said that mustard gas and cyanide gas were used in the attack.

10 years ago
1998

Religion
The Vatican issued an "act of repentance," admitting the failure of the Roman Catholic Church to deter the mass killings of Jews during World War II.

Scandal
California businessman Johnny Chung pled guilty on charges of bank fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy in connection with $20,000 in illegal contributions to the Bill Clinton-Al Gore re-election campaign of 1996.

The White House released correspondence indicating that former White House assistant Kathleen Willey had maintained a cordial relationship with President Clinton in the four years since Mr. Clinton had allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward Ms. Willey.