December 30, 2008

170 years ago
1838

Born on this date
Émile Loubet. 7th President of France, 1899-1906; Prime Minister of France, 1892. Mr. Loubet, a member of the Democratic Republican Alliance, was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1876, and was elected to the Senate in 1885. He served as Minister of Public Works (1887-1888), and was Minister of the Interior while serving as Prime Minister from February-December 1892. Mr. Loubet became President of the Senate in 1896 and President of the Republic in 1899. As President, Mr. Loubet dealt with the relations between the Roman Catholic church and the state, saw the forging of the Entente Cordiale with the United Kingdom, and inaugurated the Paris Exhibition of 1900. He died on December 20, 1929, 10 days before his 91st birthday.

100 years ago
1908

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Edmonton Thistles 7 @ Montreal Wanderers 6 (Montreal won 2-game total goals challenge series 13-10)

The defending champion Wanderers retained the Cup as they won the series against the Thistles, champions of the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association, at Montreal Arena. All but one of the Edmonton players were ringers, joining the team just for the Stanley Cup challenge.

90 years ago
1918

War
The 68th Canadian Battery joined Allied forces in attacking Bolshevik forces at Kadish, Siberia.

60 years ago
1948

Theatre
The musical Kiss Me, Kate, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack, and starring Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, and Lisa Kirk, opened at the New Century Theatre on Broadway in New York, after a 3½-week tryout in Philadelphia.

Literature
Human Knowledge: Its Scope and Limits by Bertrand Russell was published in New York by Simon and Schuster.

War
Chinese Communist forces reached the Yangtze River east of Nanking.

Politics and government
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities issued the pamphlet 100 Things You Should Know About Communism and Government, charging that Communist spy operations continued in the State Department and other agencies despite President Harry Truman's loyalty check program. The report urged restrictions on Communist activity and increased penalties for contempt of Congress.

The Spanish government established a 14-member Council of the Kingdom as an advisory board representing all administrative and legislative agencies.

Religion
The Vatican announced the excommunication of all Roman Catholics who had a hand in the December 27 arrest of Josef Cardinal Mindszenty by Hungarian authorities on charges of treason, espionage, and black market dealings.

Health
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization announced plans for joint campaigns in 1949 against malaria, tuberculosis, venereal disease, and malnutrition.

50 years ago
1958

Movies
The New York Film Critics Circle announced their awards for the best achievements of 1958: Picture--The Defiant Ones; Director--Stanley Kramer (The Defiant Ones); Actor--David Niven (Separate Tables); Actress--Susan Hayward (I Want to Live!).

War
Thousands died in the bloodiest fighting in Cuba's history as rebels led by Fidel Castro threatened to overthrow the military regime of President Fulgencio Batista.

The Guatemalan Air Force sank several Mexican fishing boats alleged to have breached maritime borders, killing three and sparking international tension.

Society
Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion pledged action to ease restrictions on Israel's 213,000 Muslims and to return properties formerly held by Muslim religious and charitable institutions.

Politics and government
Liberal Republicans in the U.S. Senate nominated Sen. John Sherman Cooper (Kentucky) as their candidate for Senate Republican Party leader and Sen. Thomas Kuchel (California) as party whip.

Law
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed a nine-member Commission on International Rules of Judicial Procedure, which included former U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell, Jr.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Koi no Kisetsu--Pinky and the Killers (14th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Those were the Days--Mary Hopkin (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Trygve Lie, 72. Norwegian politician and diplomat. Mr. Lie, a member of the Labour Party, sat in the Norwegian Parliament from 1937-1949 and held several cabinet posts, including Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1940-1946, with the period of 1940-1945 being when the government was in exile in London while Norway was under German occupation. Mr. Lie was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1946-1952, but was criticized as ineffective in the position, and resigned in November 1952, during his second term in office. Mr. Lie returned to local politics in Norway, and died of a heart attack.

Disasters
40-70 people were reported missing in a slum landslide in Rio de Janeiro.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Una donna per amico--Lucio Battisti (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord--Boney M. (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord--Boney M. (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Le Freak--Chic (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Le Freak--Chic (3rd week at #1)
2 Too Much Heaven--Bee Gees
3 You Don't Bring Me Flowers--Barbra & Neil
4 My Life--Billy Joel
5 Sharing the Night Together--Dr. Hook
6 Y.M.C.A.--Village People
7 Hold the Line--Toto
8 (Our Love) Don't Throw it All Away--Andy Gibb
9 Ooh Baby Baby--Linda Ronstadt
10 September--Earth, Wind & Fire

Singles entering the chart were Every Time I Think of You by the Babys (#84); Sing for the Day by Styx (#86); You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) by Sylvester (#87); I Don't Know if it's Right by Evelyn "Champagne" King (#88); Silver Lining by Player (#89); and The Football Card by Glenn Sutton (#95).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Just Wanna Stop--Gino Vannelli
2 You Don't Bring Me Flowers--Barbra & Neil
3 I Love the Night Life (Disco 'round)--Alicia Bridges
4 Y.M.C.A.--Village People
5 Le Freak--Chic
6 Too Much Heaven--Bee Gees
7 Sharing the Night Together--Dr. Hook
8 (Our Love) Don't Throw it All Away--Andy Gibb
9 My Life--Billy Joel
10 Strange Way--Firefall

Singles entering the chart were Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? by Rod Stewart (#74); Somewhere in the Night by Barry Manilow (#88); Shattered by the Rolling Stones (#90); The Moment that it Takes by Trooper (#92); Got to Be Real by Cheryl Lynn (#96); Radioactive by Gene Simmons (#97); Lost in Your Love by John Paul Young (#98); Pretty Girls by Lisa Dal Bello (#99); and I Don't Wanna Lose You by Daryl Hall and John Oates (#100).

Crime
After a $5.8-million, two-year inquiry into the assassinations of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations declared that the two men were probably assassinated as the result of conspiracies, though it was not able to pinpoint the conspirators in either instance. The committee urged the Justice Department to review the findings to determine further action.

Hockey
NHL
The National Hockey League agreed to expand from 17 to 21 teams by absorbing the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets from the disbanding World Hockey Association for the 1979-80 season.

Boston 1 @ Montreal 6
Washington 5 @ Toronto 5

In the nationally-televised Hockey Night in Canada game, the Canadiens recorded an easy win over the Bruins at the Montreal Forum. The Bruins' lineup included Mike Walton, trying a comeback with the Bruins after several years in the World Hockey Association and a brief spell with the St. Louis Blues. Mr. Walton had begun his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, then joined the Bruins in a trade, sipping from the Stanley Cup in 1972 before jumping to the World Hockey Association for several years.

Football
NFL
AFC Divisional Playoff
Denver 10 @ Pittsburgh 33

Franco Harris rushed for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Terry Bradshaw completed touchdown passes to Lynn Swann and John Stallworth in the 4th quarter as the Steelers eliminated the defending American Football Conference Broncos before 48,923 fans at Three Rivers Stadium.

NFC Divisional Playoff
Atlanta 20 @ Dallas 27

Backup quarterback Danny White passed 2 yards for a touchdown to Jackie Smith in the 3rd quarter and handed off to Scott Laidlaw for a 1-yard TD in the 4th quarter as the Cowboys outscored the Falcons 14-0 in the 2nd half before 60,338 fans at Texas Stadium. Mr. White replaced starter Roger Staubach, who was knocked out with a concussion. Mr. Laidlaw's 4th-quarter TD was his second of the game; he rushed 13 yards for the game's first touchdown in the 1st quarter.

NCAA
Woody Hayes was fired after 28 seasons as head coach of the Ohio State University Buckeyes, the day after he had punched Clemson University middle guard on the Ohio State sidelines after Mr. Bauman had returned an interception in the last 2 minutes of the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, preserving the Tigers' 17-15 win over the Buckeyes (see video). Mr. Hayes led Ohio State to national championships in 1954, 1957, 1958, and 1968 and produced four undefeated seasons.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Uptown Girl--Billy Joel (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Jenseits von Eden--Nino de Angelo

War
More than 100 Salvadoran soldiers were reportedly killed in an attack by leftist guerrillas on a brigade headquarters, the highest toll in any single clash with the guerrillas.

Religion
At Campus Crusade for Christ's Christmas Conference, KC '83, Howard Hendricks continued his series of morning addresses on Biblical characters who made an impact on a deteriorating society with a message about Timothy, a person of character. Bartle Hall hosted two keynote addresses in the evening. The first was by Dr. Joong Gon Kim of South Korea, and the second by Elisabeth Elliot. Miss Elliot's speech, on endurance, has become something of a classic, and has been replayed a number of times on Focus on the Family. Transcript and audio can be found here.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Don't Worry Be Happy--Bobby McFerrin (9th week at #1)

Died on this date
Bob Foxworth, 65. U.S. boxer. Mr. Foxworth was a light heavyweight who was national Amateur Athletic Union champion (1942-1943, 1946), and compiled a professional record of 20-3 from 1946-1948. He knocked out future heavyweight contender Bob Satterfield in 1 round and lost a 10-round split decision to future world light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim, both in 1947. Mr. Foxworth scored a 4-round technical knockout of Leonard Morrow on September 1, 1948, but suffered a detached retina in the 1st round, and was forced to retire.

Economics and finance
The Canadian Senate passed the bill approving the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had declined 0.2% in November.

On the last trading day of 1988, the Dow Jones industrial average closed at 2,168.57, an increase of 11.8% from its 1987 close. The year's gain of 229.74 points still left it far below the figure of 2,722.42 before the collapse of October 19, 1987.

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Sam Muchnick, 93. Ukrainian-born U.S. wrestling promoter. Mr. Muchnick, who moved to the United States with his parents in 1911, co-founded the National Wrestling Alliance in 1948 and served as its president from 1950-1960 and 1963-1975.