March 20, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Cliff Lander!

390 years ago
1619

Died on this date
Matthias, 62. Holy Roman Emperor, 1612-1619. Matthias acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Maximilian II. Matthias also held numerous other thrones, including Germany, Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia. He implemented conciliatory policies toward Protestants, but was opposed by the Roman Catholic Habsburgs. Matthias died after a period of declining health, and the Catholic faction, led by his brother Archduke Maximilian, succeeded in installing Ferdinand II as Matthias' successor.

140 years ago
1869

Canadiana
The Canadian government finally accepted the terms of Rupert's Land Act of 1868 in order to acquire the territory from the Hudson's Bay Company.

100 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Richard Wurmbrand. Romanian-born pastor and writer. Mr. Wurmbrand, a Christian of Jewish ancestry, spent 14 years in Romanian prisons; he wrote the book Tortured for Christ about this experience. He and his wife Sabina were eventually freed, and came to the United States. In 1969 Mr. Wurmbrand founded the ministry Jesus to the Communist World, which is known today as Voice of the Martyrs, dedicated to helping the persecuted church throughout the world. The Canadian address of this ministry may be found here. Richard Wurmbrand went to be with his Lord on February 17, 2001 at the age of 91.

80 years ago
1929

Died on this date
Ferdinand Foch, 77. French military officer. Marshal Foch began his military career in the Franco-Prussian War, but was best known for his role in World War I, when he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies, presiding over the victorious offensives in 1918. He accepted the German cessation of hostilities, and was present at the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918.

Communications
The British Columbia Telephone Company set up a subsidiary, North-West Telephone Company, the world's First radiotelephone company.

75 years ago
1934

Died on this date
Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, 75. Queen Consort of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, 1879-1890. Emma married King and Grand Duke William III in 1879. After his death in 1890, she continued as regent to her daughter Wilhelmina, who was still a minor. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg passed to her uncle Adolf, Duke of Nassau, as the position could not then be inherited by a woman.

70 years ago
1939

Diplomacy
German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop delivered an oral ultimatum to Lithuanian Foreign Minister Juozas Urbšys, demanding that Lithuania give up the Klaipėda Region (also known as the Memel Territory), which had been detached from Germany after World War I, or the Wehrmacht would invade Lithuania.

War
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King told the House of Commons that Canada would consider any attack on Great Britain as an attack on the Commonwealth.

60 years ago
1949

On the radio
Pat Novak For Hire, starring Jack Webb, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Rory Malone, Prizefighter

World events
The Western Allies declared the Soviet-zone mark invalid in their sectors of Berlin.

Politics and government
The Dutch colony of Curacao held its first legislative elections, with victory going to the conservative National Party and the Aruban People's Party.

Economics and finance
Western military governors approved 12 German trustees for the heavy industry of the Ruhr.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--The Platters

Politics and government
Prime Minister Roy Welensky led his United Federal Party to victory in Northern Rhodesia's first multi-racial legislative election, as the UFP won 13 of 22 seats on the Legislative Council.

Portugal enacted a law ending popular election of the President and creating a special electoral college of National Assembly members and other political leaders to make the selection.

U.S.S.R. Deputy Premier Aleksei Kosygin replaced Joseph Kuzmin as chairman of the State Planning Commission.

Alabama's Democratic Executive Committee voted to cancel the pledge requiring electors to vote for the party's U.S. presidential nominee.

40 years ago
1969

On television tonight
Dragnet 1969, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Forgery: DR-33



Married on this date
U.K. rock musician John Lennon of the Beatles married Japanese artist Yoko Ono in Gibraltar.

Academia
A 134-day class boycott at San Francisco State College was reported settled at a student rally where strike leaders claimed to have won all their demands. The demands were mainly concerned with creating more courses in black studies and enrolling more Negroes as students. The strike had begun on November 6, 1968.

Disasters
A United Arab airliner crashed at Aswan airport, leaving 87 dead and 14 injured.

All 16 aboard crashed when a chartered plane carrying men from the Memphis, Tennessee area to a hunting expedition in British Honduras crashed in a heavy fog and burned at New Orleans airport.

30 years ago
1979

On television tonight
The Paper Chase, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Clay Footed Idol



War
France withdrew its troops from Chad after a peace agreement between warring factions in the former French colony was announced in Paris.

World events
During the Knesset debate on the peace treaty with Egypt, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin vowed not to allow a Palestinian state to be established in the West Bank or Gaza.

Scandal
United States Attorney General Griffin Bell appointed former federal attorney Paul Curran as special counsel to investigate practices by Bert Lance's National Bank of Georgia involving $7 million in loans to President Jimmy Carter's family business.

On the radio
CFCN in Calgary had added Here Comes the Night by the Beach Boys to its playlist. This new disco version of a cut originally released on the 1967 album Wild Honey marked a low point for the Beach Boys. Not only did it sound bad, but in the early months of 1979 it was becoming apparent that the popularity of disco, at least as far as radio play was concerned, was waning.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Radio Ga Ga--Queen (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Stan Coveleski, 94. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Coveleski, born Stanislaus Kowalewski, played with the Philadelphia Athletics (1912); Cleveland Indians (1916-1924); Washington Nationals (1925-1927); and New York Yankees (1928), compiling a record of 215-142 with an earned run average of 2.89 in 450 games. He had five seasons of 20 or more wins, and led the American League in earned run average in 1923 (2.76) and 1925 (2.84) and in winning percentage in 1925 (.800). Mr. Coveleski was 3-2 in 5 World Series games, with his wins all coming in 1920, as the Indians defeated the Brooklyn Robins 5 games to 2 for their first World Series championship. His brother Harry was also a major league pitcher, winning 81 games from 1907-1918. Stan Coveleski was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

Lorne Anderson, 52. Canadian hockey goaltender. Mr. Anderson, a native of Renfrew, Ontario, played minor professional and senior amateur hockey from 1947-61. He played 3 games with the New York Rangers (1951-52), posting a 1-2 record with a goals against average of 6.00. Mr. Anderson's last National Hockey League game was on March 23, 1952, when he allowed 5 goals in the 3rd period as the Rangers blew a 6-2 lead and lost 7-6 to the Chicago Black Hawks. The first 3 of the 3rd-period goals were scored by Billy Mosienko in a span of 21 seconds, a record that still stands for one player.

World events
A Soviet oil tanker struck a mine outside a Nicaraguan port, injuring five crewmen.

Politics and government
Former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale won the Illinois primary in the contest for the Democratic party nomination for President of the United States in the November 1984 election, taking 41%of the vote to 35% for U.S. Senator Gary Hart (Colorado) and 21% for Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose home state was Illinois.

Law
The United States Senate voted 56-44 in favour of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would permit organized prayer in public schools, but the result fell 8 votes of the two-thirds majority required for approval.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Tucker's Daughter--Ian Moss

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Like a Prayer--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
The governing Progressive Conservatives of Premier Don Getty won their sixth straight Alberta provincial election, but Mr. Getty lost his seat. The PCs won 59 of 83 seats, down from 61 in the most recent election in 1986. The New Democrats, led by Ray Martin, elected 16 Members of the Legislative Assembly and the Liberals, led by Laurence Decore, 8, including former Edmonton alderman Percy Wickman, who defeated Mr. Getty in the riding of Edmonton-Whitemud. Mr. Getty refused to resign as Premier, and subsequently won a by-election in the rural riding of Stettler.

Terrorism
Two senior Royal Ulster Constabulary officers were assassinated by the Irish Republican Army in south Armagh.

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Patrick Heron, 79. U.K. artist and critic. Mr. Heron was one of the leading abstract painters of his generation, and was also known as an art critic.

Popular culture
Legoland California, the first Legoland outside of Europe, opened in Carlsbad, California.