February 18, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Paul Jelley and Ezra Levant!

1,010 years ago
999

Died on this date
Gregory V, 26-27 (?). Roman Catholic Pope, 996-999. Gregory V, born Bruno of Carinthia, was a grandson of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, and succeeded Pope John XV after being a chaplain in the court of his cousin Emperor Otto III. Pope Gregory V crowned Otto III, but was opposed by Roman leader Crescentius II and antipope John XVI. The latter were defeated by Emperor Otto, but Pope Gregory died suddenly--perhaps the victim of foul play--and was succeeded by Sylvester II.

780 years ago
1229

War
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II signed a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy.

400 years ago
1609

Born on this date
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon. English historian and politician. Lord Clarendon was Lord Chancellor to King Charles II from 1658-1667 and Chief Minister from 1660-1667. He made enemies and fell out of favour with the king; this, combined with military defeats and poor health, led to his impeachment by the House of Commons and legal banishment to France, where he died on December 9, 1674 at the age of 65. Lord Clarendon was the father-in-law of the future King James II and the maternal grandfather of Queens Mary II and Anne. His six-volume The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England was the most influential contemporary work on the subject, and was published posthumously from 1702-1704.

250 years ago
1759

War
New England Rangers destroyed the Acadian settlement of Pointe Sainte-Anne, New Brunswick, burning 147 buildings and killing all the livestock. Several settlers were taken prisoner, and some were cruelly scalped for bounty.

160 years ago
1849

Born on this date
Alexander Kielland. Norwegian author. Mr. Kielland was a realistic writer who is regarded, with Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Jonas Lie, as one of the "Four Greats" of Norwegian literature. His novels included the trilogy Gift (1883), Fortuna (1884), and St. Hans Fest (1887). Mr. Kielland died on April 6, 1906 at the age of 57 after a series of heart attacks, likely because of obesity.

120 years ago
1889

Born on this date
George Mogridge. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Mogridge played with the Chicago White Sox (1911-1912); New York Yankees (1915-1920); Washington Nationals (1921-1925); St. Louis Browns (1925); and Boston Braves (1926-1927), compiling a record of 133-130 with an earned run average of 3.20 and 20 saves in 398 games. On April 24, 1917, he pitched the first no-hitter in Yankees' history, and the first at Fenway Park in Boston. Mr. Mogridge led the American League in 1918 in games pitched (45); relief losses (7); and saves (7). He was 16-11 with the Nationals when they won the 1924 World Series, starting and winning the fourth game and pitching 4 2/3 innings of relief in the seventh game. Mr. Mogridge died on March 4, 1962, two weeks after his 73rd birthday.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Arthur Bryant. U.K. historian. Sir Arthur wrote 40 books, mainly military history and biographies of prominent English figures. He was unpopular with academic historians, but was a favourite of several British Prime Ministers, including Winston Churchill. Sir Arthur died on January 22, 1985, 27 days before his 86th birthday.

Hockey
Stanley Cup @ Montreal Arena
Winnipeg Victorias 2 @ Montreal Victorias 3 (Montreal won 2-game, total goals series 5-3)

Bob MacDougall scored 2 goals and Russell Bowie score the other for the defending champion Montreal Victorias as they edged their Winnipeg counterparts to retain the cup. Jack Armytage and Atty Howard scored for Winnipeg. With about 12 minutes remaining in the game, Mr. MacDougall slashed Winnipeg forward Tony Gingras so severely that Mr. Gingras had to be carried off the ice. When referee Bill Findlay handed out just a minor penalty to Mr. MacDougall, the Winnipeg players left the ice in protest. Mr. Findlay then went home, but returned after being persuaded by officials. Mr. Findlay gave the Winnipeg team 15 minutes to return to the ice, but they refused, and Mr. Findlay awarded the game to Montreal.

CAHL
Quebec (0-7) @ Montreal Victorias (5-1) (Montreal won by forfeit)
Montreal (3-4) 4 @ Ottawa (3-3) 5

The Quebec Hockey Club had dropped out of the league after losing their first six games, and forfeited their last two scheduled games.

100 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Wallace Stegner. U.S. writer. Mr. Stegner won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1972 for his novel Angle of Repose and the National Book Award for Fiction in 1977 for his novel The Spectator Bird. He died at the age of 84 on April 13, 1993, 16 days after being injured in a car accident.

90 years ago
1919

Hockey
NHL
Ottawa 4 Toronto 3

Cy Dennehy scored his 52nd career goal to help the Senators defeat the Arenas, becoming the National Hockey League's career scoring leader to date.

70 years ago
1939

Americana
The Golden Gate International Exposition, the first of two World's Fairs to be held in the United States in 1939-1940, opened at Treasure Island in San Francisco.

60 years ago
1949

On television tonight
Your Show Time, hosted and narrated by Arthur Shields, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Substitute, starring Robert Alda and Suzanne Dalbert

Died on this date
Niceto Alcalá-Zamora, 71. Prime Minister of Spain, 1931; President of Spain, 1931-1936. Mr. Alcalá-Zamora was a member of the Liberal Party from 1899-1923, serving as Minister of Public Works (1917-1918) and Minister of War (1922-1923). He refused to cooperate with the revolutionary regime that took power in 1923, and was independent until declaring himself a republican in 1930. The Second Spanish Republic was declared in April 1931, and Mr. Alcalá-Zamora served as Prime Minister until October, when he resigned in protest against constitutional provisions regarding separation of church and state. He received almost 90% of votes cast by the Chamber of Deputies, and took office as President on December 10, 1931. Mr. Alcalá-Zamora was disliked by rightist and some leftist politicians, and was forced to resign the presidency on April 7, 1936, shortly before the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. He was in Scandinavia when the war broke out and elected not to return to Spain, living in France and then Argentina.

Health
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered lithium chloride, a salt substitute, withdrawn from the market, after four deaths had been traced to its use.

50 years ago
1959

Died on this date
Jesús Sosa Blanco, 50-52. Cuban military officer. Colonel Sosa Blanco was executed by a firing squad in Havana after being convicted, in a televised show trial before 17,000 spectators at the Havana Sports Palace, of murdering 108 people on behalf of deposed President Fulgencio Batista.

World events
French troops entered the newly-independent Republic of Congo to restore order and enforce a curfew in the African sections of Brazzaville in the wake of fighting there between backers of the majority Democratic Union for the Defense of African Interests and the socialist opposition.

Politics and government
Nepalese men and women over 21 began voting for the first Nepalese parliament to be elected by universal suffrage. The Nepalese Congress won the election, taking 74 of 109 seats, with Nepal Rashtrabadi Gorkha Parishad next with 19.

Boxing
Sonny Liston (23-1) scored a technical knockout of Mike DeJohn (36-6-1) at 2:43 of the 6th round of a heavyweight bout at Exhibition Hall in Miami Beach, Florida.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da--The Beatles (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Dragiša Cvetković, 76. Prime Minister of Yugoslavia, 1939-1941. Mr. Cvetković developed the federalization of Yugoslavia through an agreement in 1939 with Croat leader Vladko Maček to create the Banovina of Croatia. Mr. Cvetković signed the Yugoslav accession to the Tripartite Pact on March 25, 1941 ad was overthrown two days later by a military coup. He was arrested by Geman authorities and imprisoned in a concentration camp, but escaped to Bulgaria in 1944, ane eventually settled in Paris, spending the rest of his life there.

Married on this date
U.K. pop singers Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees and Lulu were married at St. James' Church, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England.

Terrorism
Four Arab terrorists attacked an El Al airliner as it was about to take off from the Zurich airport. Three passengers and three crewmen were wounded. An Israeli security officer killed one of the terrorists, and Swiss police seized the others. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed credit for the attack, asserting that the commandos, including one woman, were all Palestinians.

Politics and government
In the United States, Ray C. Bliss resigned as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

The House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities had its name changed to the Internal Security Committee.

Academia
Law students at Howard University seized the law school building.

Boxing
Mando Ramos (25-3) scored a technical knockout of Carlos Teo Cruz (38-13-2) at 2:41 of the 11th round at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to win the world lightweight title. Mr. Ramos, 20, became the youngest man to win the world lightweight title when the fight was stopped because of a cut over one of Mr. Cruz's eyes.



30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Le Freak--Chic (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Y.M.C.A.--Village People (5th week at #1)

War
The U.S.S.R. demanded that China withdraw immediately from Vietnam "before it is too late," and pledged to come to Vietnam's aid.

Politics and government
President Ziaur Rahman's new Bangladesh Nationalist Party won 207 of 300 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad in the first parliamentary election in Bangladesh since the declaration of martial law in 1975. The Bangladesh Awami League, led by Asaduzzaman Khan, was second with 39 seats, a decrease of 254 seats from the most recent election in 1973.

Auto racing
The NASCAR season opened with the Daytona 500, with Richard Petty taking the lead on the last lap and finishing a car length ahead of Darrell Waltrip to win the race for the sixth time. Mr. Petty took the lead when Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed into each other while jousting for the lead on the final lap.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): La Donna Cannone--Francesco De Gregori (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT Top 30): Love of the Common People--Paul Young (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Love of the Common People--Paul Young (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Girls Just Want to Have Fun--Cyndi Lauper

#1 single in the U.K.: Relax--Frankie Goes to Hollywood (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Karma Chameleon--Culture Club (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Karma Chameleon--Culture Club (3rd week at #1)
2 Jump--Van Halen
3 Joanna--Kool & The Gang
4 Owner of a Lonely Heart--Yes
5 Break My Stride--Matthew Wilder
6 Think of Laura--Christopher Cross
7 Girls Just Want to Have Fun--Cyndi Lauper
8 Talking in Your Sleep--The Romantics
9 Nobody Told Me--John Lennon
10 99 Luftballons--Nena

Singles entering the chart were Adult Education by Daryl Hall-John Oates (#47); Radio Ga-Ga by Queen (#65); Girls by Dwight Twilley (#74); The Kid's American by Matthew Wilder (#82); This Could Be the Right One by April Wine (#87); and Beast of Burden by Bette Midler (#89).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Red Red Wine--UB40
2 Talking in Your Sleep--The Romantics
3 Karma Chameleon--Culture Club
4 Nobody Told Me--John Lennon
5 Break My Stride--Matthew Wilder
6 Owner of a Lonely Heart--Yes
7 Jump--Van Halen
8 Major Tom (Coming Home)--Peter Schilling
9 Say Say Say--Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
10 I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues--Elton John

Singles entering the chart were Radio Ga-Ga by Queen (#38); Hyperactive by Thomas Dolby (#41); Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell (#47); Let's Stay Together by Tina Turner (#48); and This Woman by Kenny Rogers (#50).

Protest
The Jordanian embassy in Tripoli, Libya was burned by protesters, for which Jordan blamed the Libyan government.

Diplomacy
The New York Times reported that for nine months in 1981 and 1982, the U.S. administration of President Ronald Reagan had conducted indirect talks with Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat. John Mroz, an American specialist on the Middle East, had reportedly met with Mr. Arafat more than 50 times to discuss PLO recognition of Israel's right to exist in exchange for U.S. recognition of the PLO. The talks were inconclusive.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): 051/222525--Fabio Concato (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): You Got It--Roy Orbison

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Tonight--Tina Turner and David Bowie (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Pour toi Arménie--Charles Aznavour and various artists (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart--Marc Almond featuring Gene Pitney (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Straight Up--Paula Abdul (2nd week at #1)
2 Wild Thing--Tone Loc
3 Born to Be My Baby--Bon Jovi
4 Lost in Your Eyes--Debbie Gibson
5 The Lover in Me--Sheena Easton
6 When I'm with You--Sheriff
7 She Wants to Dance with Me--Rick Astley
8 What I Am--Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
9 Walking Away--Information Society
10 You Got It (The Right Stuff)--New Kids on the Block

Singles entering the chart were Your Mama Don't Dance by Poison (#56); One by Metallica (#76); Room to Move by Animotion (#88); Never Had a Lot to Lose by Cheap Trick (#92); Hallelujah Man by Love and Money (#93); Heaven Knows by When in Rome (#95); and I Wanna Be the One by Stevie B (#96).

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Straight Up--Paula Abdul (2nd week at #1)
2 Born to Be My Baby--Bon Jovi
3 Wild Thing--Tone Loc
4 When I'm with You--Sheriff
5 When the Children Cry--White Lion
6 The Lover in Me--Sheena Easton
7 Lost in Your Eyes--Debbie Gibson
8 She Wants to Dance with Me--Rick Astley
9 What I Am--Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
10 You Got It (The Right Stuff)--New Kids on the Block

Singles entering the chart were Never Had a Lot to Lose by Cheap Trick (#76); 24/7 by Dino (#79); It's Only Love by Simply Red (#81); Can You Stand the Rain by New Edition (#83); Birthday Suit by Johnny Kemp (#86); A Shoulder to Cry On by Tommy Page (#89); Driven Out by the Fixx (#91); and Imagine by Tracie Spencer (#93). Birthday Suit was from the movie Sing (1989).

Hockey
NHL
New Jersey 3 @ Toronto 5
Boston 4 @ Calgary 3

10 years ago
1999

Politics and government
Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis removed three cabinet members, including the foreign and interior ministers, as there was a possibility of Greek involvement in the Turkish seizure in Nairobi four days earlier of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party.

U.S. Senator Bob Smith (New Hampshire), known for his opposition to abortion and gun control, formally announced his candidacy for the Republican Party U.S. presidential nomination in 2000.

Baseball
The New York Yankees traded pitcher David Wells and two other players to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Roger Clemens. Mr. Wells had posted a record of 18-4 with an earned run average of 3.49 in 1998, leading the American League in winning percentage (.818) and shutouts (5), including a perfect game. He was 4-0 in the post-season with a shutout, helping the Yankees win the World Series. Mr. Clemens, in his second and last season with Toronto, had posted a 20-6 record with an ERA of 2.65, tying for the AL lead in wins, and leading in ERA and strikeouts (271), while being a unanimous selection for the 1998 American League Cy Young Award.