January 5, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Laura-Belle Robinson and Nadia!

420 years ago
1589

Died on this date
Catherine de' Medici, 69. Queen consort of France, 1547-1559. Catherine, the daughter of Lorenzo II de' Medici and Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne, married the future King Henry II of France in 1533, and became queen consort when he acceded to the throne in 1547. She was the mother of kings Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III, serving as regent for Charles IX from 1560-1563. Queen Catherine was perhaps the most powerful woman in Europe in the 16th century.

230 years ago
1779

Born on this date
Stephen Decatur. U.S. naval officer. Mr. Decatur, a hero of the Tripolitan War in 1804-1805, was one of the judges at the court-martial of James Barron, whose ship Chesapeake had been stopped and bombarded by the British warship Leopard in 1807. Mr. Barron had been found guilty in 1808 of neglecting to clear his ship for action, and had been suspended from duty for five years. Mr. Barron nursed a grudge against Mr. Decatur, and finally challenged him to a duel. The duel took place in Bladensburg, Maryland on the morning of March 22, 1820, and Mr. Decatur, 41, was mortally wounded, dying that night.

130 years ago
1879

Born on this date
Jack Norworth. U.S. songwriter and singer. Mr. Norworth, born John Godfey Knauff, performed as a singer in vaudeville, but was best known for writing music for such songs as Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1908) and Shine On, Harvest Moon (1908). He died of a heart attack on September 1, 1959 at the age of 80.

90 years ago
1919

Politics and government
The German Workers' Party, the forerunner to the Nazi Party, was founded by Anton Drexler.

60 years ago
1949

Died on this date
Joseph McNabb, 61. U.S. businessman. Mr. McNabb was the president of the motion picture equipment firm Bell & Howell.

War
Dutch forces declared their "police action" in Sumatra at an end.

Nationalist Chinese General Pai Chung-hsi withdrew his troops from a defense perimeter around the central Chinese industrial city of Wuhan without government authorization.

Politics and government
Major Oscar Osorio succeeded Colonel Manuel de Jesus Cordova as head of El-Salvador's five-man military junta.

South African Negroes broke off all political relations with whites, due to government plans to disband the advisory Negroes' Representative Council and refusal to restore the Negro franchise.

U.S. President Harry Truman delivered his State of the Union address, recommending economic measures that he referred to as the "Fair Deal." The measures included including national health insurance; raising the minimum wage; strengthening the position of organized labour; and guaranteeing the civil rights of all Americans.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Las Chicas De La Cruz Roja--Ana María Parra

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 The Chipmunk Song--The Chipmunks with David Seville (3rd week at #1)
2 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--The Platters
3 To Know Him, Is to Love Him--The Teddy Bears
4 Problems--The Everly Brothers
5 One Night--Elvis Presley
6 My Happiness--Connie Francis
7 Tom Dooley--The Kingston Trio
8 A Lover's Question--Clyde McPhatter
9 Gotta Travel On--Billy Grammer
10 Whole Lotta Loving--Fats Domino

Singles entering the chart were You are Beautiful (#73)/Let's Love (#82) by Johnny Mathis; Peter Gunn by Ray Anthony and his Orchestra (#78); Yellow Bird by the Mills Brothers (#81); The Girl on Page 44 by the Four Lads (#83); May You Always by the McGuire Sisters (#84); The Little Space Girl by Jesse Lee Turner (#86); The One Rose (That's Left in My Heart) by Teresa Brewer (#88); Teach Me Tonight Cha Cha by the DeCastro Sisters (#89); That's Why I Cry by Buddy Knox (#95); Tall Paul by Annette with the Afterbeats (#98); Sermonette by Della Reese (#99); and Gazachstahagen by the Wild-Cats (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 The Chipmunk Song--The Chipmunks with David Seville (4th week at #1)
2 Gotta Travel On--Billy Grammer
3 To Know Him is to Love Him--The Teddy Bears
4 I Got Stung/One Night--Elvis Presley
5 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--The Platters
6 Queen of the Hop--Bobby Darin
7 Problems/Love of My Life--The Everly Brothers
8 I Got a Feeling/Lonesome Town--Ricky Nelson
9 Bimbombey--Jimmie Rodgers
10 Donna--Ritchie Valens

Singles entering the chart were I'm a Man by Fabian (#44); The Children's Marching Song (Nick Nack Paddy Whack) by Cyril Stapleton and his Orchestra (#46); I've Had It by the Bell Notes (#50); Trust in Me by Patti Page (#51); With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair by Pat Boone (#52); Land of You and Me by the Four Esquires (#56); Little Space Girl by Jesse Lee Turner (#57); Ambrose (Part Five) by Linda Laurie (#58); and Teach Me Tonight Cha Cha by the DeCastro Sisters (#60).

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. First Deputy Premier Anastas Mikoyan met in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles for talks on Berlin and other world problems.

Arriving in Havana to begin 18 months of provisional rule until general elections could be held, provisional President Manuel Urrutia declared that his new Cuban government would not open relations with the U.S.S.R.

Defense
The U.S. administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a statement expressing doubt that nuclear test detection methods recommended by the Geneva conference of nuclear experts could reliably pinpoint underground atomic explosions.

World events
Congolese Governor General Henri Bosmans declared a state of alert in the Belgian Congo and cut off Leopoldville from Brazzaville, the French Equatorial African capital across the Congo River.

Politics and government
The U.K. Colonial Office announced plans to revoke the Maltese constitution and vest authority in an interim regime, to be headed by Governor Sir Robert Laycock.

40 years ago
1969

Died on this date
Patrick Flynn, 74. U.K.-born U.S. runner. Mr. Flynn, a native of Ireland, won the Irish Four Mile championship in 1912, and moved to the United States a year later. He was wounded in the arm while serving in World War I, but recovered, and competed in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, winning the silver medal in the men’s 3,000-metre steeplechase. Mr. Flynn retired from competitive running in 1925.

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched Venera 5, a probe aimed to descend to the night-side surface of Venus in mid-May 1969.

War
U.S. forces set up a 150-mile naval patrol along the South Vietnam-Cambodia border.

Disasters
At least 52 people were killed when an Afghan jetliner crashed while approaching Gatwick Airport, south of London, and demolished a house.

Football
NFL
Playoff Bowl @ Orange Bowl, Miami
Dallas 17 Minnesota 13

Don Meredith, playing the last game of his 9-year professional career--all with Dallas--completed touchdown passes to Bob Hayes in the 2nd quarter and Craig Baynham in the 4th quarter to lead the Cowboys to a come-from-behind victory. Bobby Bryant returned a punt for a touchdown in the 1st quarter as the Vikings opened the scoring. Only 22,961 fans showed up to see the Cowboys, losers of the Eastern Conference championship game, defeat the Vikings, losers of the Western Conference championship game. The lack of interest in the game was probably influenced by the fact that Super Bowl III between the National Football League champion Baltimore Colts and American Football League champion New York Jets was to be held at the Orange Bowl a week later.



30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): You're the One that I Want--John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (12th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Mary's Boy Child--Boney M.

#1 single in France (IFOP): Y.M.C.A.--Village People (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
Happy Birthday, Charlie Brown, on CBS

This was an hour-long special celebrating the 30th anniversary of Peanuts as a comic strip, and the 15th anniversary of the first Peanuts television special--although both anniversaries didn't occur until late in 1980.

Died on this date
Billy Bletcher, 84. U.S. actor. Mr. Bletcher appeared in silent films, but was best known as a voice actor, providing the voice of Mickey Mouse in cartoons from 1932-1954.

Les Lear, 60. U.S.-born football player and coach. Mr. Lear, a native of Grafton, North Dakota, grew up in Manitoba and played tackle for the University of Manitoba before playing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1938-1941) and Winnipeg RCAF-Bombers (1942-1943), helping his team to Grey Cup victories in 1939 and 1941. He jumped to the Cleveland Rams in 1944, becoming the National Football League's first Canadian-trained player. Mr. Lear helped the Rams win the NFL championship in 1945, and played with them during their first season in Los Angeles in 1946. He was with the Detroit Lions in 1947, and returned to Canada in 1948 as playing coach of the Calgary Stampeders. Mr. Lear led the Stampeders to a 12-0 regular season record and the team's first Grey Cup championship in 1948, which was followed by a 13-1 record and a Western championship in 1949. The Stampeders missed the playoffs in the next two seasons, and Mr. Lear was fired after they blew a 19-point lead in the 2-game total points Western semi-finals against the Edmonton Eskimos in 1952. Mr. Lear eventually returned to the United States, where he became a successful owner and trainer of race horses in the 1960s and early '70s. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1974 as a player, and died of kidney failure.

Charles Mingus, 56. U.S. musician and composer. Mr. Mingus was a jazz double bassist and pianist who became one of the most influential jazz musicians in history, performing on his own, leading his own band, and performing in other bands and in combos with other prominent musicians. He died after a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Music
The album Armed Forces by Elvis Costello and the Attractions was released on Radar Records in the U.K. and on Columbia Records in North America.

Albertana
A new dinosaur gallery, housing three skeletons from Drumheller, opened at the Provincial Museum in Edmonton.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
Edmonton's top 30 (CHED)
1 Union of the Snake--Duran Duran
2 Karma Chameleon--Culture Club
3 Major Tom (Coming Home)--Peter Schilling
4 Owner of a Lonely Heart--Yes
5 Twist of Fate--Olivia Newton-John
6 That's All--Genesis
7 The Best was Yet to Come--Bryan Adams
8 Talking in Your Sleep--The Romantics
9 Undercover of the Night--Rolling Stones
10 I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues--Elton John
11 Running with the Night--Lionel Richie
12 Gold--Spandau Ballet
13 Break My Stride--Matthew Wilder
14 Ready to Make Up--Toronto
15 Pink Houses--John Cougar Mellencamp
16 Say it Isn't So--Daryl Hall John Oates
17 Crumblin' Down--John Cougar Mellencamp
18 Think of Laura--Christopher Cross
19 An Innocent Man--Billy Joel
20 Red Red Wine--UB40
21 Doesn't Really Matter--Platinum Blonde
22 Read 'Em and Weep--Barry Manilow
23 Synchronicity--The Police
24 Don't Stop--Chilliwack
25 In Dim Light--Darkroom
26 Why Me--Irene Cara
27 P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)--Michael Jackson
28 Rebel Yell--Billy Idol
29 Middle of the Road--The Pretenders
30 I Still Can't Get Over Loving You--Ray Parker, Jr.

Economics and finance
Figures issued showed that all but one of the U.S.A.'s largest retailers had gained 10% or more in sales in December 1983 compared with December 1982. The largest retailer, Sears Roebuck & Co., reported an increase of 17.5%. Sales of automobiles in the United States, including imports, increased by 15.1% over 1982 to a total of 9,155,741, with imports accounting for 26% of the total.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): Back to the Stone Age--Stone (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Especially for You--Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan

Scandal
Independent counsel Lawrence Walsh moved to dismiss charges of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government and stealing government property against former National Security Council member Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, who had contended that he needed thousands of pages of documents to defend himself against the charges. Judge Gerhard Gesell had supported Lt. Col. North's right to gain access to at least some of the documents, but the administration of President Ronald Reagan had refused to provide some of the secret documents, citing national security.

Politics and government
U.S. President Ronald Reagan gave his approval to the recommendations of the President's Commission on Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Salaries that salaries of U.S. government leaders be raised by at least 50%. By law, the increases would take effect within a month after the president approved the recommendation, unless rejected by both houses of Congress.