March 24, 2008

80 years ago
1928

Aviation
U.S. Army Colonel Charles Lindbergh ended his 5-day series of air trips for members of Congress in Washington with a total of 29 trips and 334 passengers.

70 years ago
1938

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Boston 0 @ Toronto 1 (2OT)

George Parsons scored at 1:31 of the 2nd overtime period to give the Maple Leafs the win over the Bruins at Maple Leaf Gardens.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Tequila--The Champs (Best Seller--2nd week at #1; Top 100--2nd week at #1); Catch a Falling Star--Perry Como (Disc Jockey--1st week at #1)

Popular culture
Rock and roll singer Elvis Presley was drafted into the U.S. Army, and was inducted in Memphis.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council unanimously condemned the Israeli use of a force of 15,000 men to cross into Jordan three days earlier to wipe out guerrilla bases which had been used to stage raids against Israel.

Politics and government
The National Assembly of Panama voted to oust President Marco Robles, 10 days after impeaching him for interfering in the political campaign for an election scheduled for May 12. Mr. Robles had ignored the earlier vote, and was waiting for a Supreme Court ruling on the move. The Assembly named Max Delvalle to succeed Mr. Robles as President. Mr. Robles again refused to recognize the Assembly’s action, and was backed by the 4,800-man Guard unit. Clashes began between the Guard and angry Panamanians.

Disasters
61 were killed when an Irish International Viscount 4-engine turboprop crashed into the Irish Sea.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Das Lied der Schlümpfe--Vader Abraham & Die Schlümpfe

#1 single in France: We Will Rock You/We are the Champions--Queen

War
Somalia announced that it had completed its withdrawal of forces from Ethiopia’s Ogaden region in accordance with a promise made on March 9.

25 years ago
1983

Diplomacy
Speaking to the United Nations Security Council, Victor Hugo Tinoco, deputy foreign minister of Nicaragua, charged that rebel troops invading Nicaragua from Honduras had been created by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Jeane Kirkpatrick, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., denied the allegation, and claimed that the fighting was the result of a spontaneous revolt against the Nicaraguan government.

Defense
The Soviet press agency TASS charged that the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative, announced by President Ronald Reagan the night before, announced that the anti-ballistic missile system would violate the terms of the 1972 SALT treaty. The Democrats, responding to the President’s address, rejected his claim that the United States was weaker than Russia.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue

Personal
This blogger found out that he was a winner of one of the second prizes in the Canadian Football League's contest to guess who would be chosen on the 1987 All-Canadian All-Star team. My prize was a copy of Canadian artist Ken Danby's print The Grey Cup, which Mr. Danby had done for the 75th Grey Cup observance in 1987. 495 copies of the print were made. The first prize was a trip to the 1988 Grey Cup in Ottawa.

World events
After a 7-month secret trial, Mordechai Vanunu, an employee at a bomb-making factory in Israel, was convicted of espionage, transmission of information, and aiding the nation’s enemies. For an undisclosed 6-figure sum, Mr. Vanunu had disclosed secrets of Israel’s atomic weapons program to the Sunday Times of London. Independent observers said that Mr. Vanunu’s revelations showed that Israel had a greater nuclear capability than western observers had assumed, and that Israel could build up to 200 bombs, as well as neutron and hydrogen weapons.

10 years ago
1998

Diplomacy
U.S. President Bill Clinton, speaking in Kampala, Uganda, indulged in his vomit-inspiring habit of confessing other people’s sins when he expressed regret for America’s role in African slavery (conveniently ignoring the slavery that was currently going on in Africa).

Crime
In U.S. President Clinton’s home state of Arkansas, Mitchell Johnson, 13, and his 11-year-old cousin Andrew Golden, opened fire at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, killing 4 girls and a teacher, and wounding 11. The older boy, who had a history of torturing animals, had apparently vowed to get revenge on all the girls who had broken up with him (a rather large number, it seems). The names of the victims should be mentioned: Natalie Brooks, 11; Paige Ann Herring, 12; Stephanie Johnson, 12 (no relation to Mitchell Johnson); Brittheny R. Varner, 11; Shannon Wright, 32 (teacher).