March 27, 2008

140 years ago
1868

Born on this date
Patty Hill. U.S. teacher and songwriter. Miss Hill was a leader in the progressive education movement in the late 19th-early 20th century, and developed Patty Hill blocks--large blocks with which children could make giant constructions. She was best known for writing, with her sister Mildred, the song that became Happy Birthday to You. Patty Hill died on May 25, 1946 at the age of 78.

100 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Alberto Semprini. U.K. musician. Mr. Semprini was a pianist, cellist, composer, and conductor who led radio orchestras, and hosted the BBC radio program Semprini Serenade from 1957 until the early 1980s. He also made numerous recordings. Mr. Semprini died on January 19, 1990 at the age of 81.

60 years ago
1948

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)--Peggy Lee (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Now is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song)--Bing Crosby (2nd week at #1)
--Gracie Fields
--Margaret Whiting
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
2 Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)--Peggy Lee
3 Beg Your Pardon--Francis Craig and his Orchestra
--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra
--Larry Green and his Orchestra
4 I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover--Art Mooney and his Orchestra
--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
--The Three Suns
--Uptown String Band
5 Ballerina--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby with the Rhythmaires
--Buddy Clark
6 Serenade of the Bells--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Jo Stafford
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
7 But Beautiful--Frank Sinatra
--Margaret Whiting
8 Golden Earrings--Peggy Lee
9 How Soon (Will I Be Seeing You)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby and Carmen Cavallaro
--Jack Owens
--Dinah Shore
10 I'm My Own Grandpaw--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians

Singles entering the chart were St. Louis Blues March by Tex Beneke and his Orchestra (#23); Worry Worry Worry by Hal Derwin and his Orchestra (#26); and Humpty Dumpty Heart by Hank Thompson and the Brazos Valley Boys (#35).

50 years ago
1958

Politics and government
Nikita Khrushchev became Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (Premier) in addition to First Secretary of the Communist Party.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Lady Madonna--The Beatles

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
2 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
3 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
4 Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)--Johnny Farnham
5 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
6 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
7 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
8 Woman, Woman--The Union Gap
9 Tin Soldier/I Feel Much Better--Small Faces
10 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann

Singles entering the chart were Underneath the Arches/Friday Kind of Monday by Johnny Farnham (#24); Cinderella Rockefella by Johnny and Ann Hawker (#28); Everlasting Love by the Town Criers (#29); Walk Away Renee by the Four Tops (#31); Magical Mystery Tour (EP) by the Beatles (#34); and Born to Be Loved by You by Roy Orbison (#39).

Died on this date
Yuri Gagarin, 34. U.S.S.R. cosmonaut. Mr. Gagarin became famous as the first man in space when he made one orbit around the earth aboard Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961. An experienced Soviet Air Force pilot, Mr. Gagarin was one of 20 men chosen as cosmonauts in 1960. Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov were the best performers in training; the last-minute selection of Mr. Gagarin is believed by some to have been the result of his more modest upbringing, genial personality, and ability to handle media attention. Also, his height of 5’2" made it possible for him to fit into the Vostok spacecraft. Although Mr. Gagarin’s flight was cut short after one orbit because of technical difficulties (unreported at the time), it gave the Soviet system a major propaganda victory. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev claimed the success as a vindication of his program of building up the U.S.S.R.’s missile defense at the expense of conventional weapons. The emphasis on space spectaculars antagonized much of the Soviet military leadership, and contributed to Mr. Khrushchev’s downfall several years later. For years it was reported that Mr. Gagarin had denied seeing any evidence of God while he was in space, but this was refuted in 2006 by a close friend of his, Colonel Valentin Petrov. In an interview, Colonel Petrov claimed that it was actually Mr. Khrushchev who had commented in a speech soon after Vostok 1, "Gagarin flew into space, but didn’t see any God there." According to Colonel Petrov, Mr. Gagarin had been baptized into the Orthodox Church as a child. After his flight, Mr. Gagarin spent the next seven years in "Star City," the cosmonaut headquarters, working on designs for a reusable spacecraft. He then decided to requalify as a pilot, and was killed, along with his instructor, in a routine training flight in a MiG-15UTI near Kirzhach. The weather was poor, and another jet apparently came very close to the MiG, perhaps causing enough turbulence to send the MiG out of control. Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, in his memoirs, recounts that he was flying a helicopter in the vicinity and heard two loud booms in the distance. He concluded that a Sukhoi jet (which he identifies as a Su-15 'Flagon'), flying below its minimum allowed altitude, accidentally passed within 10 or 20 meters of the MiG while breaking the sound barrier. The resulting turbulence would have sent the MiG into an uncontrolled spin. Mr. Leonov believes the first boom he heard was that of the jet breaking the sound barrier, and the second was Mr. Gagarin's plane crashing.

Music
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra performed the opening concert at the Manitoba Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Isn't it Time--The Babys

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Hohoemi Gaeshi--The Candies (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Te Amo--Umberto Tozzi (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Clemens Kapuo. Namibian tribal chief. Chief Kapuo, leader of the Herero tribe, was murdered by gunmen in Windhoek, the territory’s capital. Chief Kapuo was president of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, a multiracial party favouring cooperation with South Africa in working toward Namibian independence.

Diplomacy
The United States State Department denounced the Rhodesian internal settlement to transfer power to the black majority. The State Department regarded the settlement as illegal because it regarded the Ian Smith government as illegal, and also regarded the settlement as ineffective, because it would not end fighting.

Basketball
NCAA
Men's Championship
Final @ Checkerdome, St. Louis
Kentucky 94 Duke 88

Forward Jack "Goose" Givens scored 41 points to lead the Wildcats over the Blue Devils for their fifth national title, but their first in 20 years, and the first for Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall.

Hockey
CHL
Dallas 4 @ Salt Lake City 6

25 years ago
1983

Football
In the United States Football League, the Chicago Blitz defeated the Los Angeles Express 20-14.

World events
Soviet leader Yuri Andropov criticized U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, and said that any attempt to achieve military superiority over the Soviet Union would be futile.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): One Tree Hill--U2

War
The Sandanista government of Nicaragua freed 100 prisoners as part of a truce agreed to with the Contras four days earlier.

World events
Three days after being convicted of espionage, transmission of information, and aiding the nation's enemies, Mordechai Vanunu was sentenced by an Israeli court to 18 years in prison.

10 years ago
1998

Health
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the male impotence pill sildenafil citrate, better known as Viagra. It was the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States.