February 5, 2009

1,220 years ago
789

Africana
Idris I reached Volubilis and founded the Idrisid dynasty, ceding Morocco from the Abbasid caliphate and founding the first Moroccan state.

360 years ago
1649

Britannica
11 days after the execution of King Charles I, Charles II was proclaimed King of England in Edinburgh.

160 years ago
1849

Academia
The University of Wisconsin at Madison's first class met at Madison Female Academy.

150 years ago
1859

Europeana
Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince of Moldavia, was also elected as prince of Wallachia, joining the two principalities as a personal union called the United Principalities, an autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire, which ushered the birth of the modern Romanian state.

140 years ago
1869

Economics and finance
The largest alluvial gold nugget in history, called the "Welcome Stranger", was found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia.

120 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Recep Peker. Prime Minister of Turkey, 1946-1947. Mr. Peker, a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP), held various cabinet posts in a parliamentary career of almost 30 years. Despite being Prime Minister during a period of multi-party rule, he opposed a multi-party system, and supported an authoritarian one-party state. Mr. Peker died on April 1, 1950 at the age of 61.

Academia
Catholic Oblate College of Ottawa became Ottawa College.

100 years ago
1909

Technology
Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announced the creation of Bakelite, the world's first synthetic plastic.

90 years ago
1919

Business
Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith launched United Artists.

75 years ago
1934

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Hank Aaron and Don Cherry!

Mr. Aaron, major league baseball's career home run king (I refuse to recognize Barry Bonds) played for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves from 1954-1974, and the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975-1976. His career achievements are too numerous to mention, but here's a statistical oddity: Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth each scored exactly 2,174 career runs in the major leagues.

Don Cherry played professional hockey in the minor leagues for many years, ending in 1972. His only game in the NHL was a Stanley Cup semi-final playoff game with the Boston Bruins in 1955. Mr. Cherry became head coach of the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League during the 1971-72 season, and coached them through the 1973-74 season, when he moved up to take over as head coach of the Boston Bruins. He coached the Bruins from 1974-1979 (losing in the Stanley Cup finals in 1977 and 1978), and the Colorado Rockies in 1979-80. After one year as a colour commentator on Hockey Night in Canada, he began his Coach's Corner intermission feature, which continues to this day.

Economics and finance
The Standard Exchange refused to comply with a new Ontario provincial Act forcing them to amalgamate with the Toronto Stock Exchange. The two remained in separate buildings until the new TSE Ticker Palace opened in 1937.

70 years ago
1939

Politics and government
Generalísimo Francisco Franco became the 68th "Caudillo de España," or Leader of Spain.

60 years ago
1949

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Buttons and Bows--Dinah Shore and the Happy Valley Boys; Gene Autry (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): A Little Bird Told Me--Evelyn Knight and the Stardusters (3rd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 A Little Bird Told Me--Evelyn Knight and the Stardusters
--Blue Lu Barker
--Paula Watson
2 Buttons and Bows--Dinah Shore and the Happy Valley Boys
--The Dinning Sisters
3 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
4 My Darling, My Darling--Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae with the Starlighters
--Doris Day and Buddy Clark
5 Far Away Places--Bing Crosby
--Margaret Whiting and the Crew Chiefs
--Perry Como
6 Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Dinah Shore
7 You were Only Fooling (While I was Falling in Love)--Blue Barron and his Orchestra
--The Ink Spots
--Kay Starr
8 I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm--Les Brown and his Orchestra
9 Powder Your Face with Sunshine (Smile! Smile! Smile!)--Evelyn Knight and the Stardusters
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
10 The Pussy Cat Song (Nyow! Nyot Nyow!)--Patty Andrews and Bob Crosby
--Perry Como with the Fontane Sisters

Singles entering the chart were More Beer! by the Andrews Sisters #23); So in Love by Patti Page (#32); and Once in Love with Amy by Frank Sinatra (#33).

On the radio
Tales of Fatima, starring Basil Rathbone, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Cairo Curse

War
Lebanon and Syria agreed to enter the Rhodes peace conference on condition that Israeli troops leave Lebanese soil.

World events
The three-day treason trial of Josef Cardinal Mindszenty ended in Budapest as he expressed regret for acting against the government and declared that he was not an enemy of the Hungarian people.

Politics and government
The day after the attempted assassination of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi by reporter Fakhr Raiee and student demonstrations against foreign oil concessions in Iran, the Iranian government outlawed the leftist Tudeh Party.

Weather
A four-day blizzard centred in Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming ended after disrupting Chicago-California rail traffic.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor Executive Council concluded a seven-day meeting in Miami after unanimously approving U.S. President Harry Truman's proposed revision of the Taft-Hartley Act.

50 years ago
1959

Died on this date
Don Law, 38. U.S. actor. Mr. Law reportedly played "Fats" in the Our Gang series of comedy short films.

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. Premier Nikita Khrushchev invited U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to visit the Soviet Union and to being with him any American leaders he desired.

World events
Congolese sources reported that an estimated 1,000 unemployed Africans were being arrested in Leopoldville each day and removed to transit camps for return to tribal areas of the Belgian Congo.

Defense
The U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate a bill extending the draft for four years.

Society
U.S. President Eisenhower asked Congress to enact a seven-point program of civil rights legislation.

Economics and finance
The 21st Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union adjourned after adopting a new seven-year economic plan advanced by Premier Khrushchev.

The U.S. Senate passed and sent to the House of Representatives a $2.675-billion omnibus housing bill.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Blackberry Way--The Move

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Eloise--Barry Ryan (2nd week at #1)
2 Going Up the Country--Canned Heat
3 Lily the Pink--The Scaffold
4 I Started a Joke/Kilburn Towers--The Bee Gees
5 Hey Jude/Revolution--The Beatles
6 Son-of-a Preacher Man--Dusty Springfield
7 Chewy Chewy--Ohio Express
8 White Room--Cream
9 Love Child--Diana Ross and the Supremes
10 Scarborough Fair--Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66

Singles entering the chart were Edge of Reality/If I Can Dream by Elvis Presley (#24); Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da by the Marmalade (#36); and Such a Lovely Way by the Groop (#40).

Died on this date
Thelma Ritter, 66. U.S. actress. Miss Ritter was nominated for Academy Awards for her supporting performances in All About Eve (1950); The Mating Season (1951); With a Song in My Heart (1952); Pickup on South Street (1953); Pillow Talk (1959); and Birdman of Alcatraz (1962). She won the Tony Award (shared with her co-star, Gwen Verdon) for Best Actress in a Musical for New Girl in Town (1957). Miss Ritter died of a heart attack, nine days before her 67th birthday.

Space
The communications satellite Intelsat III F-1 was launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Operated by the multi-nation International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium, the synchronous (fixed-position) satellite carried 1,200 circuits for voice, television, teletype, and data communications.

Diplomacy
United States Ambassador Charles Yost met with French Ambassador Armand Berard in the first of the United Nations' Big Four talks to prepare the way for a Middle East peace settlement.

Politics and government
Kai-Uwe von Hassel was elected President of the West German Bundestag, succeeding Eugen Gerstenmaier.

Weather
It was -39 F. in Yellowknife, the date that "Kiskay Piskum" was supposed to occur.

Labour
Three major unions in Italy, demanding higher pensions, joined a general strike which shut down top industries, ports, and air, rail, and bus transportation for 24 hours.

Disasters
An air taxi service plane crashed and burned after takeoff from Port Angeles, Washington, killing all 10 aboard.

Boxing
Denny Moyer (59-19-3) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Frankie Niblett (15-34-11) in a light heavyweight bout at the Silver Slipper in Las Vegas.

Football
NFL
The Green Bay Packers' board of directors held a three-hour meeting, after which it was announced that they had decided to let general manager Vince Lombardi out of the final five years of his contract in order to become head coach and executive vice president of the Washington Redskins.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?--Rod Stewart (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Champion--Alice (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): It's Downtown--New Trolls

Politics and government
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini named Mehdi Bazargan as head of a "provisional government" in Iran; Mr. Bazargan, a member of the opposition National Front, had been imprisoned for five years in the early 1960s for his opposition to Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi. Shahpur Bakhtiar was still the official Prime Minister of Iran.

Diplomacy
Chinese Deputy Premier Deng Xiaoping concluded his nine-day visit to the United States, having followed his visit to Washington, D.C. with visits to Atlanta, Houston, and Seattle. He displayed his interest in American technology by visiting a Ford Motor Company plant near Atlanta, the Johnson Space Center and the Hughes Tool Company in Houston, and a Boeing Aircraft Company plant near Seattle.

Protest
3,000 farmers, in a demonstration organized by the American Agriculture Movement, drove their tractors, trucks, and campers into Washington, D.C., tying up traffic, as they demanded higher farm price supports. More than 20 farmers were arrested by the end of the day, and police contained the protest by blocking off the exits from the Washington Mall, where the tractors had congregated. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Bob Bergland said that the farmers were motivated by "just old fashioned greed," and that the administration of President Jimmy Carter would not change the support levels. The Agriculture Department had recently estimated 1978 net farm income at $28.1 billion, nearly 30% above the 1977 net.

Crime
Sara Jane Moore, who was serving a life sentence for attempting to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1975, scaled a 12-foot fence with a fellow prisoner at the minimum-security Federal Reformatory for Women in Anderson, West Virginia, and the two escaped. They were caught 4 hours later and 30 miles away, attempting to hitchhike.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Thriller--Michael Jackson

#1 single in Switzerland: Jenseits von Eden--Nino de Angelo (2nd week at #1)

Space
A target balloon released from the U.S. space shuttle Challenger as part of mission STS-41-B exploded when inflated.

Politics and government
Lebanese Prime Minister Shafig al-Wazzan, a Muslim, and his nine-member cabinet resigned.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 2 @ Washington 9

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Angel of Harlem--U2 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Bring Me Edelweiss--Edelweiss (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Joe Raposo, 51. U.S. composer. Mr. Raposo was best known for writing scores and songs for children's television programs, especially Sesame Street and The Electric Company. He died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, three days before his 52nd birthday.

War
The last Soviet troops departed the Afghan capital of Kabul, ending the U.S.S.R.'s nine-year military involvement in Afghanistan.

World events
Two days after being deposed in a military coup, former Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner, 76, fled into exile in Brazil.

Skiing
Karen Percy of Canada won a silver medal in the Women's World Alpine Championship; at Vail, Colorado.

Hockey
NHL
New Jersey 4 Edmonton 2

10 years ago
1999

Scandal
At the impeachment trial of U.S. President Bill Clinton, a transcript of the testimony of former White House intern Monica Lewinsky was released, showing that she still denied that anyone had asked her to lie or submit a false affidavit in Paula Jones's sexual harassment case against Mr. Clinton. Miss Lewinsky said that she now had "mixed feelings" toward Mr. Clinton.