March 27, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Beth Nyambura!

700 years ago
1309

World events
Pope Clement V imposed excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized on Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.

680 years ago
1329

Religion
Pope John XXII issued his In Agro Dominico, condemning some writings of Meister Eckhart as heretical.

200 years ago
1809

War
A combined Franco-Polish force defeated Spanish forces in the Battle of Ciudad Real.

170 years ago
1839

Born on this date
John Ballance. U.K.-born N. Z. politician. Mr. Ballance emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 27. He founded the Liberal Party and served as leader of the opposition from 1889-1891 and as Prime Minister from 1891 until his death at the age of 54 on April 27, 1893 after an operation for an intestinal disease.

160 years ago
1849

Died on this date
Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford, 72. Governor General of British North America, 1835-1837. Lord Gosford represented Armagh County from 1798-1807, first in the Irish House of Commons, and then, after the act of Union, in the British House of Commons. He entered the House of Lords after succeeding his father as Earl of Gosford. Lord Gosford was Governor General of British North America at the time of the Lower Canada Rebellion in 1837, and declared martial law. He resigned in November 1837, and was succeeded by Lord Durham, who implemented the Union Act uniting Upper and Lower Canada, which Lord Gosford had argued against.

140 years ago
1869

Born on this date
James McNeill. Governor-General of the Irish Free State, 1928-1932. Mr. McNeill served in the Provisional Government under Michael Collins, and helped to draft the Constitution of the Irish Free State. He resigned as Governor-General a month before his intended retirement after clashing with Executive Council President Éamon de Valera, and died in London on December 12, 1938 at the age of 69.

J. R. Clynes. U.K. politician. John Robert Clynes, a member of the Labour Party, represented Manchester North East (1906-1918)/Manchester Platting (1918-1931, 1935-1945) in the House of Commons, holding two cabinet posts in the coalition government of Prime Minister David Lloyd George from 1917-1919, advocating for the interests of working classes. He led the party from 1921-1922, but was replaced by Ramsay MacDonald despite having led Labour to a breakthrough in the general election, increasing from 52 seats to 142. Mr. Clynes served as deputy leader of the Labour Party from 1922-1932, and was Home Secretary from 1929-1931. He died on October 23, 1949 at the age of 80.

Died on this date
James Harper, 73. U.S. publisher and politician. Mr. Harper and his brother John founded a printing firm in 1817, and expanded it to include publishing in 1825, under the name Harper & Brothers; the firm still exists as part of HarperCollins. Mr. Harper, running as the candidate of the American Republican Party, was elected Mayor of New York City in 1844. He established the first municipal police force and began work on establishing a city sanitation system, but was defeated in his bid for re-election in 1845. Mr. Harper died 17 days before his 74th birthday.

130 years ago
1879

Born on this date
Miller Huggins. U.S. baseball player and manager. Mr. Huggins was a second baseman with the Cincinnati Reds (1904-1909) and St. Louis Cardinals (1910-1916), batting .265 with 9 home runs, 318 runs batted in, and 324 stolen bases in 1,585 games. He led the National League in bases on balls four times, and was regarded as a good defensive second baseman. Mr. Huggins managed the Cardinals (1913-1917) and New York Yankees (1918-1929), compiling a record of 1,413-1,124. He led the Yankees to their first two American League pennants in 1921 and 1922, followed by their first World Series championship in 1923. Another pennant came in 1926, followed by World Series championships in 1927 and 1928, with the 1927 Yankees being widely regarded as the best team in baseball history. In 1929, the Yankees were a distant second behind the Philadelphia Athletics, and Mr. Huggins developed a skin condition known as erysipelas, growing from a carbuncle that developed under one eye. The condition grew worse, and he died on September 25, 1929 at the age of 50, with 11 games remaining in the season. Mr. Huggins had frequent clashes with star right fielder Babe Ruth, but eventually prevailed, and the Babe was among those who cried when notified of his death. Mr. Huggins was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.

Sándor Garbai. Prime Minister of Hungary, 1919. Mr. Garbai was a member of the Hungarian Social Democratic Party, who advocated union with the Communist Party. This took place on March 21, 1919, as the Hungarian Soviet Republic was established. Mr. Garbai was Prime Minister and Chairman of the Central Executive Council, but Foreign Minister Béla Kun wielded the real power, and Mr. Garbai was forced out of both offices on August 1, 1919. He died in Paris on November 7, 1947 at the age of 68.

Edward Steichen. Luxembourg-born U.S. painter and photographer. Mr. Steichen moved to New York with his family as an infant. He was a skilled drawer, lithographer, and painter, but became one of the most famous photographers of the 20th century, often in partnership with Alfred Stieglitz. His photograph The Pond--Moonlight (1904), in which he applied layers of light-sensitive gums to simulate colour, sold at auction in 2006 for a record $2.9 million. Mr. Steichen directed the Academy Award-winning documentary The Fighting Lady (1944), and created the travelling museum exhibit The Family of Man (1955). He died on March 25, 1973, two days before his 94th birthday.

125 years ago
1884

Communications
The first long-distance telephone call was made, between Boston and New York.

Protest
A mob in Cincinnati attacked members of a jury who had returned a verdict of manslaughter in a clear case of murder, beginning four days of rioting that destroyed the courthouse and resulted in over 50 deaths.

120 years ago
1889

Died on this date
John Bright, 77. U.K. politician. Mr. Bright, a Liberal, sat in the House of Commons from 1843 until his death. He founded the Anti-Corn Law League, aimed at abolishing the laws that were seen as unfairly protecting the interests of landowners. Mr. Bright supported free trade, electoral reform, and religious freedom, and was opposed to England's involvement in the Crimean War.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Gloria Swanson. U.S. actress. The 4’ 11½" Miss Swanson began her screen career in 1915, and spent her early years as an actress in slapstick Mack Sennett comedies. She eventually took on more dramatic roles, and her salary rose accordingly, to $6,500 U.S. per week by 1923. Miss Swanson spent money as fast as she made it; it was estimated that she made $8 million in the 1920s, and spent almost all of it. Miss Swanson’s favourite of her movies was reportedly Madame Sans-Gêne (1925), which is now lost. Another one of her favourites was Beyond the Rocks (1922), her only movie with Rudolf Valentino, which was considered a lost movie until a print was discovered in a private collection in the Netherlands a few years ago. Among her notable movies were Sadie Thompson (1928) and Queen Kelly (1929). Miss Swanson made the transition to sound in the late 1920s and early 1930s, but the kind of characters she usually played went out of fashion. She acted on stage through the 1940s, then made a big comeback on screen with her most memorable role, that of faded silent star Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. (1950). According to the script, Norma Desmond was only 50 years old, but when you watch the movie, it’s hard not to get the impression that the character seems much older. If you’re wondering what movie it is that Norma Desmond is screening in Sunset Blvd., it’s Queen Kelly. Miss Swanson was nominated for the Academy Award for best actress for Sadie Thompson (1928); The Trespasser (1929); and Sunset Blvd. (1950). Her last film role was as herself in Airport 1975 (1974). As her acting roles declined in the 1950s and beyond, Miss Swanson kept busy as a clothes designer, founded Essence of Nature cosmetics, and became a prominent promoter of health foods. She also appeared as a guest on television programs. Gloria Swanson was married at least six times and had numerous affairs, the most notable of which was with Joseph P. Kennedy; in fact, it was Mr. Kennedy who financed Queen Kelly. She died on April 4, 1983, eight days after her 84th birthday.

War
Emilio Aguinaldo led Filipino forces for the only time during the Philippine–American War, in the Battle of Marilao River, which resulted in a victory for U.S. forces.

100 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Ben Webster. U.S. musician. Mr. Webster was a jazz tenor saxophonist who played in a number of bands, most notably with Duke Ellington's orchestra from 1935-1943, where he was a featured soloist. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage on September 20, 1973 at the age of 64.

75 years ago
1934

Died on this date
Francis William Reitz, 89. South African lawyer and politician. Mr. Reitz held various positions in his long legal and political career, including Chief Justice of the Orange Free Stae (1876-1889); State President of the Orange Free State (1889-1895); State Secretary of the South African Republic (1898-1902); and President of the Senate of the Union of South Africa (1910-1921).

70 years ago
1939

Basketball
NCAA
Men's Championship
Final @ Evanston, Illinois
Oregon 46 Ohio State 33

60 years ago
1949

On the radio
Pat Novak For Hire, starring Jack Webb, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Joe Candono Blackmail Pictures

Defense
The Italian Senate approved "in principle" Italy's participation in the North Atlantic security system, as Foreign Minister Carlo Sforza arrived in Washington to sign the agreement.

Politics and government
Gaullists gained 223 seats and Communists lost 147 seats in special district runoff elections in France.

The Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace ended its three-day session in New York after passing resolutions for the strengthening of the United Nations and the creation of a permanent committee to work for world peace.

Labour
The Congress of Industrial Organizations Farm Equipment Workers union ended a three-day convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa after rejecting CIO demands that it merge with the United Auto Workers of America.

60 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Side Saddle--Russ Conway

Space
A scientific symposium in Washington concluded that the outer Van Allen radiation belt was caused by particles of hot, energetic solar gases trapped in Earth's magnetic field.

World events
Chinese Communist authorities closed the Indian-Tibetan border and broadcast assurances that the Dalai Lama's personal sanctity would be protected.

U.S.S.R. jet fighters harassed U.S. transport planes flying in air corridors between Berlin and West Germany in an effort to make them conform to a Soviet-imposed ceiling of 10,000 feet.

Diplomacy
The United States and Bulgaria announced an agreement on the resumption of full diplomatic relations, broken since 1950.

Religion
Pope John XXIII deleted references to Jews as "perfidious" from Good Friday services.

40 years ago
1969

On television tonight
Dragnet 1969, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Juvenile: DR-32



At the movies
Age of Consent, produced by Michael Powell and James Mason, directed by Mr. Powell, and starring Mr. Mason, Helen Mirren, and Jack McGowran, opened in theatres in Australia.



Space
The United States launched Mariner 7, a probe headed for Mars to investigate that planet's polar conditions.

War
The NLF and North Vietnam termed the American and South Vietnamese suggestion for private talks to break the Paris peace talks impasse as deceitful, although they did not totally reject the idea.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Harold Wilson began a five-day visit to Nigeria.

30 years ago
1979

On television tonight
The Paper Chase, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Tables Down at Ernie's



Politics and government
In Texas, a court order halted municipal elections in Houston and Dallas, as the U.S. Justice Department and federal courts investigated the apparent failure of those cities to enforce the Federal Voting Rights Act.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Radio Ga Ga--Queen (4th week at #1)

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Gary Hart (Colorado) won the Connecticut primary in the contest for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States in the November 1984 election.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): She Drives Me Crazy--Fine Young Cannibals

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Like a Prayer--Madonna (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
May Allison, 98. Miss Allison was a star in the early days of silent films, and was romantically teamed with Harold Lockwood in 25 movies from 1915-1918, becoming Hollywood's first popular on-screen romantic team, until Mr. Lockwood died in the influenza epidemic in 1918. Miss Allison retired from movies after The Telephone Girl (1927).

Malcolm Cowley, 90. U.S. writer. Mr. Cowley was known for Blue Juniata (1929), a book of poetry; Exile's Return (1934/1951), a memoir of life among American expatriates in Paris after World War I; and for his many years from 1944 through the 1980s as an editor and talent scout at Viking Press. He served as an analyst with the U.S. War Department's Office of Facts and Figures from 1941-1942, but resigned amidst accusations of Communist sympathies.

Politics and government
Many Communist Party candidates were defeated in elections for the U.S.S.R. Congress of People's Deputies.

Scandal
William Parkin, a defense consultant, pled guilty to bribing a public official, wire fraud, and fraud conspiracy in connection with a plan to help Teledyne Electronics obtain a U.S. Air Force contract. The official who received the bribe, U.S. Navy contract specialist Stuart Berlin, had pleaded guilty on March 23 to wire fraud and receiving bribes.

10 years ago
1999

World events
Spain added 33 new criminal charges against former Chilean President General Augusto Pinochet.

War
A United States Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was shot down over Bosnia-Herzegovina; the pilot was rescued.

Hockey
NHL
Boston 2 @ Toronto 2