March 23, 2008

170 years ago
1838

Politics and government
George Arthur arrived in Toronto to succeed Sir Francis Bond Head as Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada.

120 years ago
1888

Soccer
In England, 10 clubs gathered to found the Football League, the world's oldest professional Association Football league.

110 years ago
1898

Born on this date
Louis Adamic. Slovenian-born U.S. author. Mr. Adamic, a native of what was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, emigrated to the United States at the and of 1913, and became an American citizen in 1918. He wrote articles and books promoting socialism in the United States and the Yugoslav National liberation struggle led by Marshal Josip Broz Tito. Mr. Adamic was plagued by failing health when he reportedly shot himself to death on September 4, 1951 at the age of 53; some people suspected that he had been assassinated by a Balkan faction, but no definitive proof of that has surfaced.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
George McDonald. Canadian criminal. The first private execution in the province of Quebec took place at 5:37 A.M. when Mr. McDonald, killer of Lachine taxi driver Adelaird Bouchard, was hanged at the Valleyfield Jail. Mr. McDonald’s wife had also been sentenced to death for the crime, but her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

75 years ago
1933

Law
The German parliament passed the so-called Ermaechtigungsgesetz, popularly known as the Enabling Act, by a two-thirds majority over the opposition of the SPD on March 24, 1933, just a month after a fire had badly damaged the Reichstag. Valid for four years, the act, formally known as the Law to Remedy the Distress of the People and the Nation, was renewed in 1937 and remained in force until World War II ended in 1945. Under its terms, Hitler and the Nazis could ignore the civil liberties provisions in the German constitution and issue decrees without having them passed by parliament. Some people may notice a similarity between the Enabling Act and the Patriot Act in the United States--a terrorist act of dubious origin leads to legislative approval for dictatorial powers for the executive branch of government, and the abolition of civil liberties.

60 years ago
1948

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

50 years ago
1958

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents on CBS
Tonight's episode: Flight to the East

Politics and government
The ruling Progressive Citizens' Party won 9 of 15 seats in the Landtag in the Liechtensteinian general election. The PCP remained in a coalition with the Patriotic Union, who won the remaining 6 seats.

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 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille--Jacques Dutronc

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): La tramontana--Antoine (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Bleib bei mir--Roy Black (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Cinderella Rockefella--Esther and Abi Ofarim (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Kom Uit De Bedstee Mijn Liefste--Egbert Douwe
2 De Kat Van Ome Willem--Wim Sonneveld with Hetty Blok, Leen Jongewaard, De Jonkies, and the Orchestra of Harry Bannink
3 Cinderella Rockefella--Esther and Abi Ofarim
4 Words--The Bee Gees
5 The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
6 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
7 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
8 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
9 Pictures of Matchstick Men--The Status Quo
10 It's the End--The Buffoons

Singles entering the chart were Lady Madonna; In Een Rijtuigje by Wim Sonneveld & Leen Jongewaard (#33); If I were a Carpenter by the Four Tops (#34); Rosie by Don Partridge (#37); Fire Brigade by the Move (#39); and Simon Says by the 1910 Fruitgum Company (#40).

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

Singles entering the chart were Lady Madonna by the Beatles (#21); Sherry Don't Go by the Lettermen (#67); 100 Years by Nancy Sinatra (#68); You've Still Got a Place in My Heart by Dean Martin (#74); Cowboys to Girls by the Intruders (#78); Call Me Lightning by the Who (#80); Honey by Bobby Goldsboro (#83); The Unknown Soldier by the Doors (#87); Red Red Wine by Neil Diamond (#93); She'll Be There by Vikki Carr (#95); I Found You by Frankie Laine (#96); In Some Time by Ronnie Dove (#97); I Love You by People (#99); and Baby Please Don't Go by the Amboy Dukes (#100).

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

Singles entering the chart were Forever Came Today by Diana Ross & the Supremes (#67); Delilah by Tom Jones (#74); Sit with the Guru by Strawberry Alarm Clock (#76); Up on the Roof by the Cryan' Shames (#78); Call Me Lightning by the Who (#82); I Will Always Think About You by the New Colony Six (#83); I Got the Feeling by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#86); Do What You Gotta Do by Al Wilson (#87); Funky Street by Arthur Conley (#88); Soul Coaxing (Ame Caline) by Raymond Lefevre and his Orchestra (#90); Our Corner of the Night by Barbra Streisand (#92); I'll Say Forever My Love by Jimmy Ruffin (#93); Sweet Inspiration by the Sweet Inspirations (#94); The Impossible Dream by the Hesitations (#95); I Need You by (#96); Master Jack by Four Jacks and a Jill (#97); The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus (#98); (You Can’t Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You by Chuck Jackson (#99); and Turn on Your Love Light by the Human Beinz (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company (2nd week at #1)
2 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
3 Too Much Talk--Paul Revere and the Raiders
4 The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp--O.C. Smith
5 Kiss Me Goodbye--Petula Clark
6 Skip a Rope--Henson Cargill
7 Springfield Plane--Kenny O'Dell
8 Lady Madonna/The Inner Light--The Beatles
9 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
10 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding

Singles entering the chart were The Unicorn by the Irish Rovers (#24); Jennifer Juniper by Donovan (#26); Tapioca Tundra by the Monkees (#27); You've Got to Be Loved by the Montanas (#29); and Playboy by Gene and Debbe (#30).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
2 Summertime Blues--Blue Cheer
3 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus
4 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
5 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
6 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
7 Valleri--The Monkees
8 The Unicorn--The Irish Rovers
9 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
10 Too Much Talk--Paul Revere and the Raiders
Pick hit of the week: Young Girl--The Union Gap

Died on this date
Edwin O’Connor, 49. U.S. writer. Mr. O’Connor was a television critic for Boston newspapers, but is best remembered for his 1956 novel The Last Hurrah, whose title became part of the American vernacular. The novel, about an aging machine politician (reminiscent of former Boston mayor James Curley) was made into a successful movie in 1958. Mr. O’Connor’s next novel, The Edge of Sadness (1961), was about a middle-aged priest, and earned Mr. O’Connor the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1962. Other novels included The Oracle (1951); I Was Dancing (1964); and All in the Family (1966). Mr. O’Connor died from a cerebral hemmorhage.

30 years ago
1978

Died on this date
Bill Kenny, 63. U.S. singer. Mr. Kenny joined the vocal group The Ink Spots in 1936, and his high tenor helped to give the group a distinctive sound. On November 6, 1936, they became the first black performers to appear on television, in an NBC/RCA demonstration. Their first major hit was If I Didn’t Care in 1939. Many hits followed, including Address Unknown (1939); My Prayer (1939); When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano (1940); Whispering Grass (1940); Do I Worry (1940); Java Jive (1940); Shout, Brother, Shout (1942); Don't Get Around Much Anymore (1942); I Can't Stand Losing You (1943); Cow-Cow Boogie (1944 - with Ella Fitzgerald); Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall/I'm Making Believe (1944 - both with Ella Fitzgerald); and The Gypsy (1946). Many of these records made # 1 on early versions of the US pop charts--The Gypsy was their biggest chart success, staying at the # 1 position for 13 weeks. Bill Kenny’s brother Herb joined the group for a period in the 1940s. Bill Kenny also made recordings without The Ink Spots; many of these were spirituals. From June 24-30 1954 The Ink Spots performed at the Gatineau Club in Hull, Quebec, followed by a week at the Bolero Bar in Wildwood, New Jersey from July 8-14. At the end of the gig, Mr. Kenny told the rest of the group that The Ink Spots were finished, and everybody went home. Mr. Kenny then pursued a solo career. Mr. Kenny moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1961, and made occasional concert appearances in B.C. and elsewhere. From May 22-July 10, 1966 he hosted a Sunday afternoon show of easy listening music on CBC television called The Bill Kenny Show. His health gradually declined, and he died of a respiratory disease. The Ink Spots were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 (as an influence), and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.

War
200 French paratroopers were among a force of United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) troops which had been moved into Lebanon in order to enforce a ceasefire between Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists.

Scandal
Rep. Charles C. Diggs, Jr., a Democrat from Michigan, and the senior black member of the House of Representatives, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of taking kickbacks from three Congressional employees and keeping on his Congressional payroll three other employees who did no work for Congress. The indictment charged that the kickbacks and illegal payments amounted to more than $101,000 between 1973 and 1977. Rep. Diggs was also charged with 14 counts of mail fraud and 21 counts of making false statements to the government. Rep. Diggs was on a tour of Africa as chairman of the Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee when the charges were announced. He denied the charges and complained that they showed "an unfortunate insensitivity" to his mission in Africa, and could undermine a meeting in which he was to join President Jimmy Carter for talks in Nigeria.

Environment
The Olin Corporation and three of its former officials were indicted on charges of concealing the dumping of 38 tons of mercury into the Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York from 1970 to 1977. Environmental officials said that the mercury represented a serious hazard to anyone eating the fish caught in the river.

25 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Barney Clark, 62. U.S. medical patient. A Utah dentist, Dr. Clark died 112 days after receiving the world’s first artificial heart at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City. Dr. Clark had been critically ill with a degenerative heart disorder at the time of the implantation, but had made a significant recovery. The artificial heart worked well until the end; death was attributed to "vascular collapse, resulting from a multitude of causes." The heart was shut off only after doctors determined that Dr. Clark was "essentially dead."

Defense
U.S. President Ronald Reagan, in an address to the American people, called for development of a new antiballistic missile system that would destroy Soviet missiles before they could hit U.S. targets. The new system would employ a great deal of new technology--much of it still on the drawing boards--possibly including lasers, microwave devices, particle beams, and projectile beams. Mr. Reagan’s proposal marked a shift in U.S. strategy, which had previously relied on the threat of massive nuclear retaliation to deter an attack. The program, titled Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), was quickly mischaracterized by the ignorant and anti-Reagan media as "Star Wars".

Most of Mr. Reagan’s address had been devoted to an appeal for his proposed increases in defense spending, and he used declassified intelligence photographs to support his claims that the Soviets were "spreading their military influence in ways that can directly challenge our vital interests..."

The defense ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said that U.S. intermediate-range missiles would be deployed as scheduled in December unless the U.S. and U.S.S.R. reached an accord in the Geneva disarmament talks.

At a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Victor Hugo Tinoco, deputy foreign minister of Nicaragua, claimed that 2,000 rebels backed by the United States had invaded Nicaragua from Honduras, and that the Honduran army was massing near the border.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Allt som jag känner--Tone Norum & Tommy Nilsson (6th week at #1)

Weather
It was such a beautiful day in London, Ontario that this blogger was able to wear shorts outside for the first time in 1988.

War
Western journalists, brought to the Iraqi town of Halabja by Iran to view the bodies of those killed in an Iraqi attack on March 16, concluded their three-day visit. The U.S. State Department denounced the attack as a "particularly grave violation" of the Geneva convention on chemical warfare.

After three days of talks in the southern Nicaraguan town of Sapoa, representatives of the Sandanista government of Nicaragua and the anticommunist Contras announced a 60-day ceasefire. Defense Minister Humberto Ortega signed for the government, and Contra leader Adolfo Calero signed for his side. The Contras were to assemble in special zones but would be allowed to keep their weapons. The Sandanistas agreed to free 3,300 prisoners convicted of violating Nicaraguan security laws or of affiliating with the regime of the late dictator Gen. Anastasio Somoza. The parties agreed to resume negotiations.

World events
The Presidium (ruling council) of the Soviet Parliament rejected demands from Armenians in the Armenian Republic and Armenians in Azerbaijan for reunification, saying in a resolution that it would be intolerable for groups to pressure authorities to redraw political boundaries.

Economics and finance
The United States House of Representatives voted 319-102 in favour of a budget for 1989--to take effect on October 1, 1988--of $1.2 trillion. More spending was projected for fighting AIDS and drug abuse, for education, and for space exploration, with only slight spending increases for military and non-military spending.

The United States Labor Department reported that consumer prices had risen 0.2% in February. The Commerce Department reported that the gross national product had risen a revised 4.8% in the fourth quarter of 1987 and that the growth for the entire year, as revised, was 4.0%.

10 years ago
1998

Movies
The overrated blockbuster Titanic tied Ben-Hur's 1959 record by winning 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director (James Cameron). Other winners included Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt (Actor and Actress, respectively, for As Good as it Gets), Kim Basinger (Supporting Actress for L.A. Confidential, which should have won for Best Picture), and Robin Williams (Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting).

Diplomacy
U.S. President Bill Clinton began a 12-day tour of Africa with a speech in Accra, Ghana, pledging more U.S. interest and aid.

Politics and government
Russian President Boris Yeltsin dismissed his entire cabinet, including Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.