December 4, 2008

225 years ago
1783

War
General George Washington received the officers of the victorious Continental Army to say farewell in the Long Room of Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan in New York City.

210 years ago
1798

Born on this date
Jules Armand Dufaure. Prime Minister of France, 1871-1873, 1876, 1877-1879. Mr. Dufaure was a moderate republican who was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1834, and held several cabinet posts before leaving public life during the Second French Empire (1852-1870). He became a member of the National Assembly in 1871, and served three short terms as Prime Minister. Mr. Dufaure was worn out by opposition, leading to his retirement from politics in February 1879. He died on June 28, 1881 at the age of 82.

180 years ago
1828

Died on this date
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, 58. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1812-1827. Lord Liverpool, a Tory, held various offices before serving as Prime Minister. He led the United Kingdom during the War of 1812 and the period of unrest that followed the Napoleonic Wars; initiated legal and political reforms; and sought a compromise on the issue of Roman Catholic emancipation. Lord Liverpool resigned after suffering a severe cerebral hemorrhage, and died after a stroke.

170 years ago
1838

War
Captain John Prince led the Essex Militia in a rout of 400 American raiders at the Battle of Windsor, Upper Canada. Four invaders were executed.

100 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Alfred Hershey. U.S. bacteriologist and geneticist. Dr. Hershey shared the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Max Delbrück and Salvador Luria "for their discoveries concerning the replication mechanism and the genetic structure of viruses." Dr. Hershey died on May 22, 1997 at the age of 88.

90 years ago
1918

War
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sailed for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first U.S. President to travel to Europe while in office.

80 years ago
1928

Diplomacy
The French Extradition Court in Paris refused to yield American oil magnate Henry Blackmer to U.S. Attorney General John Sargent, who had charged Mr. Blackmer with perjury on an income tax return.

Politics and government
King George V of Great Britain, who had been seriously ill for almost two weeks, summoned the Privy Council from his sickbed in Buckingham Palace and later signed a writ creating a Council of State to rule temporarily. The writ appointed practically as regents the Queen--an unprecedented honour, insisted upon by the King himself--the Prince of Wales as heir apparent; the Duke of York as heir presumptive; Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang; Lord Chancellor Hailsham; and Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin.

U.S. President Calvin Coolidge submitted his last annual State of the Union message to Congress, urging 15 new fast-war cruisers; rail consolidations; approval of the Kellogg-Briand treaty outlawing war as an instrument of national policy; and creation of a federal farm board.

Religion
Former Archbishop of York Cosmo Lang was installed at Canterbury Cathedral as Archbishop of Canterbury.

60 years ago
1948

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Buttons and Bows--Dinah Shore and the Happy Valley Boys (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Buttons and Bows--Dinah Shore and the Happy Valley Boys (4th week at #1)
--The Dinning Sisters
2 On a Slow Boat to China--Kay Kyser Orchestra
--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra
--Benny Goodman and his Orchestra
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Art Lund
3 Maybe You'll Be There--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
4 Twelfth Street Rag--Pee Wee Hunt and his Orchestra
5 Until--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
6 My Darling, My Darling--Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae with the Starlighters
--Doris Day and Buddy Clark
7 Cuanto la Gusta--Carmen Miranda and the Andrews Sisters
8 It's Magic--Doris Day
--Dick Haymes and Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
--Tony Martin
9 A Tree in the Meadow--Margaret Whiting
10 You were Only Fooling (While I was Falling in Love)--Blue Barron and his Orchestra
--The Ink Spots

Singles entering the chart were Pretty Baby by Doris Day (#33); The Money Song by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (#37); and A Little Bird Told Me, with versions by Evelyn Knight and the Stardusters; and Paula Watson (#38).

Theatre
Red Gloves by Jean-Paul Sartre, directed by Jed Harris, and starring Charles Boyer, John Dall, and Joan Tetzel, opened at the Mansfield Theatre on Broadway in New York to mixed reviews. Mr. Sartre charged in Paris that the play's American producers had made unauthorized changes to his play to give it an anti-Soviet slant.

Died on this date
George L. Berry, 66. U.S. labour leader and politician. Mr. Berry was President of the International Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America from 1907-1948. A Democrat, he represented Tennessee in the United States Senate from 1937-1938, filling the unexpired term of the late Nathan L. Bachman. Mr. Berry was unsuccessful in attempting to gain the Democratic senatorial nomination for the 1938 election, and his time in the Senate ended on November 8, election day.

Literature
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities issued the pamphlet 100 Things You Should Know About Communism and Education, charging American Communists with forming a "secret army" to subvert the U.S. government and seeking "new recruits" from the Progressive Party.

War
The United Nations General Assembly's Political and Security Committee passed a British and Canadian proposal for the creation of a conciliation commission to work with Jews and Arabs on a final Palestine peace settlement.

50 years ago
1958

At the movies
Tom Thumb, produced and directed by George Pal, and starring Russ Tamblyn, Alan Young, Terry-Thomas, and Peter Sellers, opened in theatres in the United Kingdom.

Murder by Contract, directed by Irving Lerner, and starring Vince Edwards, Philip Pine, and Herschel Bernardi, received its premiere screening in Pittsburgh.





Aviation
The world's longest flight began when Robert Timm and John Cook took off from McCarran Airfield, Las Vegas, Nevada. They landed at the same airport 2 months and 3 days later. The flight, in a Cessna 172 Hacienda, lasted 64 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes, 5 seconds. Continual airborne refueling enabled Mr. Timm and Mr. Cook to fly the equivalent of 6 times around the world.

Defense
West Germany announced that it would receive Nike-Hercules anti-aircraft missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads from the United States.

Politics and government
Territorial assemblies in Dahomey and Ivory Coast voted to declare the two territories autonomous republics within the French Community.

Economics and finance
The U.S.S.R. and Japan signed a trade agreement in Moscow providing for a 25% increase in total Soviet-Japanese trade during 1959.

The Malayan Federal Council voted to bar banks controlled by Communist China from operating in Malaya.

Labour
United Mine Workers of America President John L. Lewis and coal producers from the southern United States signed a one-year contract providing a $2 daily raise for soft-coal miners.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus (4th week at #1)

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Hey Jude/Revolution--The Beatles (9th week at #1)
2 Little Arrows--Leapy Lee
3 Those were the Days--Mary Hopkin
4 (The Lament of the Cherokee) Indian Reservation--Don Fardon
5 White Room--Cream
6 Hold Me Tight--Johnny Nash
7 Harper Valley P.T.A.--Jeannie C. Riley
8 Love Child--Diana Ross and the Supremes
9 Elenore/Surfer Dan--The Turtles
10 With a Little Help from My Friends--Joe Cocker

Singles entering the chart were Billy You're My Friend by Gene Pitney (#35); The Straight Life by Bobby Goldsboro (#37); Happy Without You by the Strangers (#39); and The Age of Consent by Ronnie Burns (#40).

Diplomacy
Former Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton began a six-day, six-nation fact-finding tour of the Middle East on behalf of U.S. President-elect Richard Nixon.

Politics and government
Alberta Premier Ernest Manning delivered his farewell address to the Social Credit Party of Alberta's leadership convention at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton. 2,000 people heard Mr. Manning's 3,947th speech in public office.

Education Minister Jean-Guy Cardinal of the Union Nationale won a provincial by-election in the riding of Bagot, which had been held by Premier Daniel Johnson from 1946 until his death on September 11, 1968. Liberal candidate William Tetley won another provincial by-election in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Law
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, who several months earlier had announced his intention to retire, announced that he would, at the request of President-elect Richard Nixon, remain in office through the current session's adjournment in June 1969.

Medicine
The American Medical Association adopted guidelines for heart transplants stipulating that a person's death had to be declared "irreversible" by at least two doctors before his heart could be transplanted.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Rasputin--Boney M.

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kisetsu no Naka de--Chiharu Matsuyama (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Tú--Umberto Tozzi

On television tonight
The Waltons, on CTV
Tonight's episode: Day of Infamy

CBC broadcast the latest Wayne and Shuster special.

Diplomacy
In a reversal of policy, the Malaysian government announced that it would accept "boat people" fleeing Vietnam's Communist government to enter the country. The ban was lifted after more than 300 of the refugees drowned in boat capsizings in November. At least 600 Vietnamese, from four boats, were permitted to land on the first day of the new policy. Other countries volunteering to take in the refugees included the U.S.A., Canada, France, West Germany, and Taiwan.

Politics and government
Dianne Feinstein became San Francisco's first female mayor when she was named to replace George Moscone, who had been assassinated on November 27.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Come Back and Stay--Paul Young

War
For the first time since August 1982, when the United States had become militarily involved in Lebanon, U.S. planes struck at Syrian antiaircraft batteries in the mountains east of Beirut. Two U.S. planes were shot down; one pilot was rescued, while in the other plane, one crewman was killed and the other, Navy Lieutenant Robert Goodman, captured by Syrians. Syria said that two of its soldiers had been killed in the raids, which U.S. President Ronald Reagan claimed were in response to a Syrian attack on U.S. reconnaissance planes the previous day. Later that day, eight U.S. Marines were killed at the Beirut airport when their observation bunker was hit by artillery fire from the Syrian-backed militia.

Terrorism
U.K. soldiers involved in an undercover operation in Northern Ireland shot and killed two Irish Republican Army gunmen and wounded another, who escaped.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): The Only Way is Up--Yazz and the Plastic Population (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: A Groovy Kind of Love--Phil Collins (6th week at #1)

Music
Roy Orbison performed at the Front Row Theater in Highland Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, in what turned out to be his last concert. He had recently finished recording his Mystery Girl album, but none of the new songs were performed, because Mr. Orbison claimed the touring band hadn't rehearsed them yet.

10 years ago
1998

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida to begin the 12-day mission STS-88, with a six-member crew commanded by Robert Cabana. The Unity Module, the second module of the International Space Station, was taken as part of the mission.