December 16, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Heather Austin!

1,010 years ago
999

Died on this date
Adelaide of Italy, 68. Holy Roman Empress, 962-973. Adelaide married King of Germany and future Holy Roman Emperor Otto I in 951, and they were crowned in 962. When Otto I died in 973, he was succeeded on the throne by their son Otto II. Adelaide served as regent from 991-995 during the reign of her grandson Emperor Otto III.

320 years ago
1689

Law
An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown--better known as the Bill of Rights--was passed by England's Convention Parliament.

200 years ago
1809

Divorced on this date
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was divorced from Empress Josephine by an act of the French Senate.

150 years ago
1859

Died on this date
Wilhelm Grimm, 73. German author. Mr. Grimm and his older brother Jacob wrote Grimms' Fairy Tales, first published in 1812.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Noël Coward. U.K. composer, playwright, and actor. Sir Noël was one of the most talented artists of the 20th century, writing plays such as Easy Virtue (1925), Private Lives (1930), and Blithe Spirit (1941), acting in movies such as In Which We Serve (1942) and The Italian Job (1969), and writing hundreds of songs, including Mad Dogs and Englishmen. He died on March 26, 1973 at the age of 73.

75 years ago
1934

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Louis Hector and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Today’s episode: The Case of the Walking Corpse

60 years ago
1949

Died on this date
Traicho Kostov, 52. Bulgarian politician. Mr. Kostov was General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party and acting President of the Council of Ministers, but was dismissed from the latter post on March 31, 1949. He was accused of spreading anti-Soviet sentiment, and was charged with various treasonable offenses. Mr. Kostov and 10 others were convicted in a show trial, and Mr. Kostov was hanged in Sofia two days after his conviction.

War
Chinese Communist radio in Peking announced that Communist forces had reached the Indochinese border at Chenankuan.

Diplomacy
United Nations Secretary-General Trygve Lie announced that he would not seek reappointment when his present term expired in 1951.

Communist Chinese Chairman Mao Tse-Tung (Mao Zedong) arrived in Moscow for his first visit as chief of state.

Asiatica
Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announced that Jerusalem would become Israel's capital at the end of the year.

Politics and government
Royal assent was given to An Act to Amend the British North America Act, an act passed by the British Parliament so that the Canadian Parliament could make changes to the British North America Act without going through London in areas that fell under its jurisdiction.

Representatives of Indonesian states elected nationalist leader Ahmed Sukarno as President of the United States of Indonesia.

Jordan abolished its governor general's office for Palestine, permitting regular government ministries to take over the administration of Arab Palestine.

Former New York banker Paul Nitze was named to succeed George Kennan as head of the U.S. State Department's policy planning staff.

Society
New York City Council approved a measure barring racial bias in city-sponsored housing; it was the first such municipal statute in the United States.

Academia
The University of California dismissed physics instructor Irving Fox following his admission that he had belonged to the Communist Party while working in the Berkeley radiation laboratory during World War II.

Economics and finance
The Council of Europe's Economic Committee approved a Western European free trade plan providing for the creation of a gold or dollar fund from contributions by member states to offset trade imbalances.

Labour
Congress of Industrial Organizations President Philip Murray threatened to expel six leftist member unions, including the United Furniture Workers and the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, for failure to pay dues owed to the national treasury.

50 years ago
1959

At the movies
Journey to the Center of the Earth, directed by Henry Levin, and starring Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, and Diane Baker, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
John J. Bowlen, 83. Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, 1950-1959. Mr. Bowlen, a native of Cardigan, Prince Edward Island, lived in Boston, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan before moving to Alberta in 1910, eventually buying a ranch near Medicine Hat. He was a Liberal who represented Calgary in the Alberta Legislative Assembly from 1930-1944. Mr. Bowlen was appointed Lieutenant Governor by Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, and died in office in Edmonton, less than two months before the expiration of his second five-year term. He was succeeded as Lieutenant Governor by J. Percy Page.

Roger Touhy, 61. U.S. gangster. Mr. Touhy, nicknamed "Touhy the Terrible," was a beer distributor in Chicago who resisted efforts by Al Capone to take over his organization in the early 1930s. Mr. Touhy was convicted in 1934 for the December 1933 kidnapping of fellow gangster John "Jake the Barber" Factor and sentenced to 99 years in prison in a case which was eventually revealed to be a frame-up by Mr. Capone and Mr. Factor. Mr. Touhy escaped from prison in 1942 and was captured a month later, resulting in 199 years being added to his sentence. He fought his case in the courts for years, an was eventually paroled in November 1959. Just 22 days after leaving prison, Mr. Touhy was fatally gunned down by unknown assailants.

Defense
Iraq and Iran strengthened their border forces in the Persian Gulf area following conflictinng claims concerning the Shatt al Arab River near Abadan.

The Japanese Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the stationing of U.S. forces in Japan and the maintenance of Japanese military forces were constitutional.

U.S. Defense Secretary Thomas Gates told the North Atlantic Council in Paris that the United States possessed "present nuclear superiority" over the U.S.S.R. in terms of weapons and the ability to deliver them.

Politics and government
Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion presented a new five-party coalition cabinet to the Knesset for approval.

Labour
The International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers accepted a two-year contract providing for a total raise of 22c per hour, ending a 129-day strike of 10,000 workers against the Kennecott Copper Corporation.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Grüezi wohl, Frau Stirnimaa--Die Minstrels (8th week at #1)

World events
Panamanian dictator Brigadier General Omar Torrijos, who had been unseated the day before by two colonels while he was in Mexico, returned to power. Backed by a 6,000-man army, Brig. Gen. Torrijos organized a motorcade and drove to Panama City, where the colonels surrendered without firing a shot.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan revealed that Israel had razed 516 Arab homes in the occupied areas since the Six-Day war in 1967 in retaliation for Arab co-operation with suspected terrorists.

Abominations
The British House of Commons voted 343-185 to abolish the death penalty for murder.

Labour
In a move seen as a precedent for putting all professional sports in the United States under the jurisdiction of national labour laws, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that major league baseball umpires were entitled to union protection, and ordered a representation election for the 24 umpires in the American League. The umpires, who had asked for the election, had accused the AL of unfair labour practices when it fired umpires Al Salerno and Bill Valentine in 1968.

Disasters
Cricket fans stampeding for tickets in Calcutta trampled 6 people to death and injured 50.

Boxing
Mac Foster (22-0) knocked out Bob "Pretty Boy" Felstein (14-9-1) at 3:05 of the 2nd round of a heavyweight bout at Selland Arena in Fresno, California.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Jezebel--Jon Stevens (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Video Killed the Radio Star--The Buggles (2nd week at #1)

World events
Iranian Foreign Minister Sadegh Ghotbzadeh said that the deposed Shah’s departure from the United States showed that the U.S. had "retreated one step, and we have shown the whole world that a dictator and criminal like the shah comes to the point that there is no place for him to live."

Oil
Libya joined four other OPEC nations in raising crude oil prices.

Hockey
NHL
Winnipeg 4 Edmonton 3

25 years ago
1984

Diplomacy
Mikhail Gorbachev, widely believed to be the next leader of the Soviet Union, spent five hours in "very friendly" talks with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at Chequers, Mrs. Thatcher’s country estate.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Lambada--Kaoma (12th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Lily was Here--David A. Stewart and Candy Dulfer (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Hélène--Roch Voisine (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Let's Party--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 We Didn't Start the Fire--Billy Joel (2nd week at #1)
2 Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins
3 Don't Know Much--Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)
4 Back to Life--Soul II Soul
5 With Every Beat of My Heart--Taylor Dayne
6 Blame it on the Rain--Milli Vanilli
7 Pump Up the Jam--Technotronic featuring Felly
8 Rhythm Nation--Janet Jackson
9 Living in Sin--Bon Jovi
10 Just Like Jesse James--Cher

Singles entering the chart were Dangerous by Roxette (#65); Here We Are by Gloria Estefan (#68); Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul (Duet with the Wild Pair) (#72); I Will Survive by SaFire (#80); Foolish Heart by Sharon Bryant (#90); C'mon and Get My Love by D-Mob introducing Cathy Dennis (#91); and Never 2 Much of You by Dino (#96).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins
2 We Didn't Start the Fire--Billy Joel
3 Back to Life--Soul II Soul
4 Don't Know Much--Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)
5 Rhythm Nation--Janet Jackson
6 With Every Beat of My Heart--Taylor Dayne
7 (It's Just) The Way that You Love Me--Paula Abdul
8 Angelia--Richard Marx
9 Don't Close Your Eyes--Kix
10 Just Like Jesse James--Cher

Singles entering the chart were Dangerous by Roxette (#66); Here We Are by Gloria Estefan (#82); Heart by Neneh Cherry (#86); Electric Boogie by Marcia Griffiths (#90); Sometimes She Cries by Warrant (#93); and Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode (#95).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins
2 We Didn't Start the Fire--Billy Joel
3 Blame it on the Rain--Milli Vanilli
4 Angelia--Richard Marx
5 Love Shack--The B-52's
6 When I See You Smile--Bad English
7 Just Between You and Me--Lou Gramm
8 Hey Men--Men Without Hats
9 (It's Just) The Way that You Love Me--Paula Abdul
10 Don't Know Much--Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)

Singles entering the chart were Peace in Our Time by Eddie Money (#75); Angel by Euruthmics (#77); Nothin' to Hide by Paco (#79); Hélène by Roch Voisine (#83); Everything by Jody Watley (#85); Human Cannonball by Webb Wilder (#88); Too Much by Bros. (#90); I Remember You by Skid Row (#92); and We'll Reach for the Sky Tonight by Rita MacNeil (#94).

Died on this date
Aileen Pringle, 94. U.S. actress. Mrs. Pringle, born Aileen Bisbee, was a star during the era of silent films, appearing in such movies as Stolen Moments (1920); Three Weeks (1924); Dream of Love (1928); and Wall Street (1929).

Lee Van Cleef, 64. U.S. actor. Mr. Van Cleef, who was once quoted as saying that being born with a beady-eyed sneer was the best thing that ever happened to him, played villains in movies such as Kansas City Confidential (1952) and High Noon (1952), and starred in numerous "spaghetti Westerns" in the 1960s and '70s, such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).

Silvana Mangano, 59. Italian actress. Miss Mangano was known for her starring roles in Italian films such as Risa Amaro (Bitter Rice) (1949) and Anna (1951). She was married to producer Dino De Laurentiis.

Robert S. Vance, 58. U.S. judge. Mr. Vance, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, was killed instantly at his home in Mountain Brook, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, when he opened a mail package containing a pipe bomb. Mr. Vance was the third U.S. federal judge in the 20th Century to be assassinated as a result of his judicial service. After an intensive investigation, Walter Moody, who had previously served four years in prison for possession of a bomb that had exploded in his house, was charged with the murders of Mr. Vance and Georgia civil rights attorney Robert E. Robinson, who had been killed in a separate blast. Mr. Moody was also charged with mailing bombs that had been defused at the Eleventh Circuit's headquarters and at the Jacksonville, Florida office of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Prosecutors speculated that Mr. Moody’s motive was revenge against the 11th Circuit Court for refusal to expunge his conviction, although Mr. Vance had not been on the panel that had considered the earlier case. Mr. Moody was sentenced to death for the murder of Judge Vance, and is currently on death row in Alabama.

War
Four off-duty U.S. servicemen in Panama were confronted at a roadblock by civilians and Panamanian troops, and one of the Americans was killed when they attempted to leave.

Protest
The previous day’s protest in Timisoara, Transylvania, Romania over the arrest and deportation of a Protestant minister evolved into a pro-democracy demonstration, and army and Securitate (internal security) troops moved in.

10 years ago
1999

World events
An inquiry panel into the 1994 massacre of 800,000 Rwandans blamed the then-United Nations Secretary General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali; the UN Security Council; UN staff; and the UN mission in Rwanda, which was under the command of General Romeo Dallaire of Canada.

Diplomacy
Two days of talks in Washington between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara concluded, with the main sticking point being control of the Golan Heights, which Israel had captured in the Six-Day War in 1967.

Politics and government
U.S. Senators John McCain (Republican--Arizona) and Bill Bradley (Democrat--New Jersey), candidates for their respective parties’ nominations for President of the United States in 2000, signed an agreement not to use "soft money" (donations made, supposedly for issue advocacy, to political parties, and therefore not subject to legal limitations) in the fall campaign if both were nominated.