December 17, 2008

Born on this date
Happy birthday, Ken Thiessen!

1,100 years ago
908

Died on this date
al-Abbas ibn al-Hasan al-Jarjara'i. Abbasid vizier. al-Abbas was vizier of the Abbasid Caliphate from 904 until his death. After the death of Calip al-Muktafi on August 13, 908, al-Abbas recommended that al-Muktafi's 13-year-old brother Ja'far--Caliph al-Muqtadir--be installed on the throne as someone who would be easy to manipulate. al-Abbas was killed in a palace revolt led by Hamdanid al-Husayn ibn Hamdan, aiming to install his more mature and experienced uncle, Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz as Caliph.

World events
Abbasid poet Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz was installed as Abassid Caliph in a palace revolt led by Hamdanid al-Husayn ibn Hamdan, but he was overthrown on the same day, fled the palace in Baghdad, and went into hiding. He was found and strangled on December 29.

470 years ago
1538

Religion
Pope Paul III excommunicated King Henry VIII of England.

290 years ago
1718

War
Great Britain declared war on Spain.

100 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Willard Libby. U.S. chemist. Dr. Libby was awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his method to use carbon-14 for age determination in archaeology, geology, geophysics, and other branches of science." He died on September 8, 1980 at the age of 71, from a blood clot in his lung complicated by pneumonia.

90 years ago
1918

Protest
About 1,000 demonstrators marched on Government House in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, where they burnt an effigy of Administrator John Gilruth and demanded his resignation. The rebellion was the culmination of seven years of unrest in the Australian Workers' Union.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
John P. Saunders. U.K. police officer; Chanan Singh. Indian police officer. Assistant Superintendent Saunders was working in Lahore, Punjab, India, and was the victim of mistaken identity in an assassination plot by Indian revolutionists Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar, and Chandrashekhar Azad to avenge the death of Hindu independence activist Lala Lajpat Rai, who had died on November 17, 1928, 18 days after being beaten by British police while leading a peaceful protest in Lahore against a British commission--which contained no Indian representation--led by Sir John Simon--investigating India's political situation. Head Constable Chanan Singh, who was chasing the assassins, was also killed, when hit by covering fire from Mr. Azad. The assassins were executed in 1931.

War
Bolivia and Paraguay began two days of negotiations in an attempt to settle their border dispute.

75 years ago
1933

Football
NFL
Championship
New York 21 @ Chicago Bears 23

Bronko Nagurski completed a pass to Bill Hewitt, who took a few steps and lateralled to Bill Karr, who then ran 25 yards to complete the 36-yard play for the winning touchdown with less than 3 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter as the Bears edged the Giants before 26,000 fans at Wrigley Field in the first official NFL championship game. Jack Manders converted and kicked 2 field goals and converted the Bears' earlier touchdown, also scored by Mr. Karr, on an 8-yard pass from Mr. Nagurski in the third quarter. Harry Newman threw two touchdown passes for the Giants: 29 yards to Red Badgro in the second quarter, and 8 yards to Ken Strong on the first play of the fourth quarter. Max Krause rushed 1 yard in the third quarter for the other Giant major, all of which were converted by Mr. Strong.

70 years ago
1938

Exploration
The third German Antarctic Expedition, led by Kriegsmarine Captain Alfred Ritscher, left Hamburg for Antarctica aboard the MS Schwabenland. There were 33 members in the secret expedition, plus the ship's crew of 24.

Energy
Otto Hahn discovered the nuclear fission of the heavy element uranium, the scientific and technological basis of nuclear energy.

60 years ago
1948

Died on this date
Edward Alexander, 75. U.S. lawyer. Mr. Alexander was a constitutional lawyer who was prominent in the drive to repeal Prohibition.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council voted to reject Israel's application for membership in the United Nations.

Politics and government
A Syrian cabinet crisis caused by public dissatisfaction over events in Palestine ended when former Foreign Minister Khaled el-Azem formed a new cabinet, appointing himself as Foreign Minister and Defense Minister.

Georgia House of Representatives Speaker Fred Hand, a supporter of Governor Herman Talmadge, announced plans to reduce the state's Negro vote by raising educational requirements for registration.

Law
The Finnish Security Police (Supo) was established, effective the beginning of 1949, to remove Communist leadership from its predecessor, the State Police (Valtiollinen poliisi, Valpo).

Aviation
U.S. President Harry Truman participated in ceremonies marking the formal installation of the Wright brothers' airplane Kitty Hawk in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, five years to the day after the British government pledged to return the plane to the United States, and 45 years to the day since the brothers made the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. President Truman presented the Robert J. Collier Aviation Trophy to aircraft designer Lawrence Bell, research engineer John Stack, and test pilot Chuck Yeager for their contributions to supersonic flight.

Economics and finance
The U.S. State and Army Departments ordered Japan to adopt a new stringent austerity program to stabilize her economy and check inflation, including a balanced budget, improved tax collection, and more effective price controls.

Labour
A U.S. presidential emergency board recommended that one million members of 16 non-operating rail unions have their work week cut from 48 hours to 40 hours, with a 7c hourly raise.

Lester Cole, a Hollywood screenwriter fired in 1947 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for refusing to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, won his reinstatement suit in Los Angeles; the ruling was a setback to the movie industry's anti-Communist drive.

Basketball
NBL
The Detroit Vagabond Kings, fourth and last in the Eastern Division, disbanded. They were soon replaced by the Dayton Rens.

50 years ago
1958

Defense
Geneva conference delegates accepted a draft treaty article providing for a seven-nation control commission to supervise a nuclear test ban treaty.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization Foreign Ministers voted to approve Supreme Allied Commander for Europe General Lauris Norstad's recommendations for increased NATO military forces.

Politics and government
The Chinese Communist Party Central Committee announced Chairman Mao Zedong's retirement as head of the government.

A U.S. House of Representatives special committee recommended that the House ask Dale Alford "to stand aside and not be seated" pending an investigation of his write-in election victory over Rep. Brooks Hays (Democrat) in Arkansas' 5th District. Dr. Alford, a Democrat and a member of the Little Rock School board, had launched a last-minute write-in campaign against Rep. Hays, and had won by 1,200 votes (51%-49%). Dr. Alford supported gradual racial desegregation of Little Rock schools, while Rep. Hays endorsed the integration of Little Rock High School.

Business
New York's Guaranty Trust and J.P. Morgan investment banks announced plans for a merger as Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, subject to the approval of government banking agencies and stockholders.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Eloise--Barry Ryan

Crime
Mary Bell, 11, was sentenced to life in detention after being found guilty on two counts of manslaughter at Newcastle Assizes. The body of 4-year-old had been found in a derelict house in Scottswood, in Newcastle, on May 25, while 3-year-old Brian Howe's body was found in Scottswood in July. Mary had strangled the boys "solely for the pleasure and excitement of killing," according to Mr. Justice Cusack, and was a "very grave risk to other children if she is not closely watched." Her 13-year-old accomplice, known only as Norma, was acquitted. Mary was released on license in 1980, and was given a new identity. She now has a daughter. The High Court granted them lifelong anonymity under the Human Rights Act in May 2003 on the grounds that they were entitled to a private and family life.

Barbara Jane Mackle, 20, was abducted from a motel in Atlanta.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Dreadlock Holiday--10cc (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord--Boney M.

Died on this date
Don Ellis, 44. U.S. musician. Mr. Ellis was a jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader, known for his experimentation in the area of time signatures. He studied music from various foreign countries such as India and Brazil, and incorporated their musical styles into his own work. Mr. Ellis composed several film scores, including those for The French Connection (1971) and French Connection II (1975). He suffered from heart arrhythmia in his later years, and died of a heart attack at his home after attending a Jon Hendricks concert.

Oil
The 13 members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), meeting in Abu Dhabi, ended an 18-month freeze on the price of crude oil by announcing staggered increases that would boost the price 14.5% by October 1, 1979, raising price from $12.70 to $14.54 per barrel. The first stage of the increase, a 5% hike, was to come on January 1. OPEC cited rising costs and rapidly decreasing profits as the reason for the action.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 6 @ Washington 7

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Le Rita!--Claude Barzotti

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew--The Rock Steady Crew (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Only You--The Flying Pickets

#1 single in the U.K.: Only You--The Flying Pickets (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Say Say Say--Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Say Say Say--Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)
2 All Night Long (All Night)--Lionel Richie
3 Union of the Snake--Duran Duran
4 Love is a Battlefield--Pat Benatar
5 Say it Isn't So--Daryl Hall-John Oates
6 Uptown Girl--Billy Joel
7 Cum On Feel the Noize--Quiet Riot
8 Crumblin' Down--John Cougar Mellencamp
9 Owner of a Lonely Heart--Yes
10 Church of the Poison Mind--Culture Club

Singles entering the chart were An Innocent Man by Billy Joel (#69); Middle of the Road by the Pretenders (#73); Nightbird by Stevie Nicks (with Sandy Stewart) (#80); Yah Mo B There by James Ingram (with Michael McDonald) (#83); Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper (#86); Tell Me if You Still Care by S.O.S. Band (#88); and Let's Pretend We're Married by Prince (#90).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Say Say Say--Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
2 All Night Long (All Night)--Lionel Richie
3 Islands in the Stream--Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton
4 Tonight I Celebrate My Love--Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack
5 Uptown Girl--Billy Joel
6 Love is a Battlefield--Pat Benatar
7 Church of the Poison Mind--Culture Club
8 Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)--Sheena Easton
9 Crumblin' Down--John Cougar Mellencamp
10 Union of the Snake--Duran Duran

Singles entering the chart were Scatterlings of Africa by Jaluka (#42); Talking in Your Sleep by the Romantics (#46); and The Curly Shuffle by the Knuckleheads (#49).

Terrorism
3 police officers and 3 civilians were killed and 90 others injured when a car bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army exploded near Harrods department store in the Knightsbridge area of London.

Weather
A severe cold wave, lasting two weeks, began sweeping across the United States.

Disasters
A fire in a Madrid discotheque killed 83 people, most of them teenagers.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): C'è da spostare una macchina--Francesco Salvi

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Orinoco Flow--Enya

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Orinoco Flow--Enya (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Pourvu qu'elles soient douces--Mylène Farmer (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Mistletoe and Wine--Cliff Richard (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Mistletoe and Wine--Cliff Richard (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Look Away--Chicago (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Look Away--Chicago (2nd week at #1)
2 Giving You the Best That I Got--Anita Baker
3 Every Rose Has its Thorn--Poison
4 I Don't Want Your Love--Duran Duran
5 My Prerogative--Bobby Brown
6 Waiting for a Star to Fall--Boy Meets Girl
7 Walk on Water--Eddie Money
8 Two Hearts--Phil Collins
9 Welcome to the Jungle--Guns N' Roses
10 In Your Room--Bangles

Singles entering the chart were Angel of Harlem by U2 (#70); She Wants to Dance with Me by Rick Astley (#71); Anchorage by Michelle Shocked (#80); Way Cool Jr. by Ratt (#86); The Love You Take by Dan Hartman and Denise Lopez (#88); Wild Again by Starship (#90); and I Wanna Be Loved by House of Lords (#91).

Hockey
NHL
Bryan Murray of the Washington Capitals became the 17th coach to win 300 regular season games.