December 21, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Juliette Richard!

1,940 years ago
69

Politics and government
The Roman Senate declared Vespasian Emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.

460 years ago
1549

Died on this date
Marguerite de Navarre, 57. Queen consort of Navarre, 1527-1549. Marguerite, the sister of King François I of France, was married to Charles IV, Duke of Alençon from 1509 until his death in 1525. She soon married the future King Henri II of Navarre, and became queen consort when he succeeded his mother Catherine on the throne. Queen Marguerite wrote poems and plays, patronized humanists and reformers, and has been called "the first modern woman."

130 years ago
1879

Theatre
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen was given its premiere performance at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen.

100 years ago
1909

Politics and government
José Santos Zelaya, President of Nicaragua since 1893, resigned in the face of a U.S.-backed rebellion that had been under way for two months. Mr. Zelaya's nationalistic policies had sometimes led him into conflict with foreign investors. He fled into exile in Paris.

90 years ago
1919

Diplomacy
After serving two years in prison for encouraging people to resist military conscription, anarchist Emma Goldman was deported from the United States to Russia.

80 years ago
1929

Died on this date
I. L. Patterson, 70. U.S. politician. Isaac Lee Patterson, a Republican, sat in the Oregon Legislative Assembly (1918-1922) and was Governor of Oregon from 1927 until his death in office from pneumonia.

60 years ago
1949

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Ben Wright and Eric Snowden, on ABC

At the movies
Samson and Delilah, produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Victor Mature, Hedy Lamarr, and George Sanders, received its premiere screenings at the Paramount and Rivoli Theatres in New York City.



Twelve O'Clock High, directed by Henry King, and starring Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill, Millard Mitchell, and Dean Jagger, received its premiere screening in Los Angeles.





Died on this date
Jane Bancroft, 72. U.S. publisher. Miss Bancroft was the chief owner of the Dow-Jones financial information firm.

Howard C. Hopson, 67. U.S. businessman. Mr. Hopson, a lawyer by training, worked for both the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission and the New York Public Service Commission before buying a controlling interest in Associated Gas and Electric in the early 1920s. The company became the third-largest electricity producer in the United States by the early 1930s. Mr. Hopson was involved in numerous scandals, and on January 9, 1940--the day before AG&E declared bankruptcy--he was convicted of 17 counts of mail fraud and two of income tax evasion, and was sentenced to five years in prison in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. He was already nearly insane from tertiary syphilis, and was released after serving three years of his sentence. Mr. Hopson spent most of his remaining years in Brooklea Sanatorium, and died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Defense
U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson announced agreement on the division of U.S. military aid to Western Europe after the U.S. reduced or abandoned its original demands for supervision of the military programs of recipient states.

Politics and government
The Council of Europe's Political Committee voted in Strasbourg against working for a close federation of Western European nations in favour of strengthening existing regional institutions.

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands approved a law transferring sovereignty over the Dutch East Indies to the United States of Indonesia.

Former Shanghai Mayor K.C. Wu replaced General Chen Cheng as Nationalist Governor of Taiwan.

Soviet delegate Kuzma Derevyanko walked out of the Allied Council for Japan in Tokyo when Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) in Japan General Douglas MacArthur charged that Japanese prisoners were still being used as forced labour in Siberia.

New York Governor Thomas Dewey denied any intention of running for President of the United States in 1952; he had been the unsuccessful Republican Party presidential nominee in 1944 and 1948.

Education
The East St. Louis, Illinois Board of Education announced plans to end racial segregation in public schools in order to keep $678,000 in state funds.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Lonely Boy--Paul Anka (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Heartaches by the Number--Guy Mitchell (2nd week at #1)
2 Why--Frankie Avalon
3 El Paso--Marty Robbins
4 The Big Hurt--Miss Toni Fisher
5 Way Down Yonder in New Orleans--Freddie Cannon
6 It's Time to Cry--Paul Anka
7 Mack the Knife--Bobby Darin
8 We Got Love--Bobby Rydell
9 Among My Souvenirs--Connie Francis
10 Hound Dog Man--Fabian

Singles entering the chart were Climb Ev'ry Mountain by Tony Bennett (#82); Baciare--Baciare (Kissing--Kissing) by Dorothy Collins (#85); Run Red Run by the Coasters (#88); The Little Drummer Boy by Johnny Cash (#91); Swingin' on a Rainbow by Frankie Avalon (#93); Let's Try Again by Clyde McPhatter (#94); This Time of the Year by Brook Benton (#96); If I Had a Girl by Rod Lauren (#98); Sweet Nothin's by Brenda Lee (#99); and Teen Angel by Mark Dinning (#100). Climb Ev'ry Mountain was a version of a song from the musical play The Sound of Music (1959). Swingin' on a Rainbow was the B-side of Why.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 El Paso--Marty Robbins
2 Heartaches by the Number--Guy Mitchell
3 Marina--Willy Alberti
--Rocco Granata and the International Quintet
4 The Big Hurt--Miss Toni Fisher
5 Hound Dog Man/This Friendly World--Fabian
6 In the Mood--Ernie Fields Orchestra
7 Living Doll--Cliff Richard and the Drifters
--David Hill
8 Teen Beat--Sandy Nelson
9 Mack the Knife--Bobby Darin
10 Don't You Know--Della Reese

Singles entering the chart were Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms (#20); So Many Ways by Brook Benton (#23); Go, Jimmy, Go by Jimmy Clanton (#30); Bonnie Came Back by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#48); Little Things Mean a Lot by Joni James (#51); Do-Re-Mi by Mitch Miller and the Sing-Along Chorus (#54); I Don't Know What it Is by the Bluenotes (#55); Down by the Station by the Four Preps (#56); On the Beach by the Playmates (also #56); It's Christmas Once Again/Wistful Willie by Jimmie Rodgers (#58); Buon Natale by Nat King Cole (#59); and The Tree by Peggy Lee (#60). Jingle Bell Rock had originally been a hit in 1957, but CKWX didn't have a chart then. On the Beach was a vocal version of the instrumental theme from the movie.

Married on this date
Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi of Iran married Farah Diba, a commoner, in a Muslim ceremony in Tehran.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.K. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, French President Charles de Gaulle, and West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer concluded a three-day summit in Paris, reaffirming their determination to accept no diminution of Allied occupation rights in Berlin.

Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru rejected proposals for a meeting with Communist Chinese Premier Chou En-lai (Zhou Enlai).

Defense
The U.S. State Department indicated doubt that the unilateral suspension of U.S. nuclear tests would be extended indefinitely.

Crime
Former Cuban President Carlos Prio Socarras pled guilty in Miami to a charge of trying to aid Fidel Castro's rebel forces in 1957 by sending a boat with men and arms to Cuba.

Los Angeles Superior Court scheduled convicted rapist Caryl Chessman to die in the San Quentin State Prison gas chamber on February 19, 1960, the eighth time his execution had been ordered.

Transportation
Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick, chairman of an international study of proposals to connect Britain to France with a tunnel under the English Channel, recommended construction of a 36-mile duel railway tube at an estimated cost of $300 million.

Labour
Steel industry employers in the United States reluctantly agreed to company-by-company negotiations with the United Steel Workers of America.

40 years ago
1969

War
Leaders of 14 Arab nations met in Rabat, Morocco in an attempt to coordinate war efforts against Israel.

Hockey
NHL
Montreal 5 @ Boston 2



Football
NFL
Washington (7-5-2) 10 @ Dallas (11-2-1) 20
Pittsburgh (1-13) 24 @ New Orleans (5-9) 27
Philadelphia (4-9-1) 13 @ San Francisco (4-8-2) 14
Cleveland (10-3-1) 14 @ New York (6-8) 27
St. Louis (4-9-1) 28 @ Green Bay (8-6) 45
Minnesota (12-2) 3 @ Atlanta (6-8) 10
Detroit (9-4-1) 20 @ Chicago (1-13) 3
Los Angeles (11-3) 7 @ Baltimore (8-5-1) 13

The Redskins’ loss at the Cotton Bowl turned out to be the last regular season game in the coaching career of Vince Lombardi. The Rams’ loss at Memorial Stadium was their third straight after 11 wins to start the season, and was the last game for Don Shula as head coach of the Colts. The Vikings' loss to the Falcons at Atlanta Stadium ended their 12-game winning streak, with their only losses coming in the first and last games of the season.

AFL
Inter-Divisional Playoff
Houston 7 @ Oakland 56

Daryle Lamonica had one of the best games of his career, completing 13 of 17 passes for 276 yards and 6 touchdowns to lead the Raiders to the rout in front of a crowd of 53,539 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Fred Biletnikoff caught 3 passes for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns, Rod Sherman caught 4 for 60 and 2 touchdowns, Charlie Smith caught 4 for 103 and a touchdown, and Billy Cannon caught 1 for 3 and a touchdown. George Atkinson returned an interception 57 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, and Marv Hubbard rushed 4 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. George Blanda, who relieved Mr. Lamonica late in the game, converted all 8 major scores. The Raiders led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter, 35-0 at halftime, and 49-0 after 3 quarters. The Oilers finally scored on an 8-yard pass from Pete Beathard to Alvin Reed, converted by Roy Gerela. Mr. Beathard had a miserable day, completing just 18 of 46 passes for 209 yards and 3 interceptions, while being sacked 6 times for 40 yards in losses. The Raiders had led the West Division with a record of 12-1-1, while the Oilers had qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the East Division, albeit with a mediocre record of 6-6-2.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Oh! Susie--Secret Service (10th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Maybe--Thom Pace (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Video Killed the Radio Star--The Buggles (6th week at #1)

At the movies
Cuba, directed by Richard Lester, and starring Sean Connery, Brooke Adams, Jack Weston, and others, opened in theatres.



Diplomacy
The parties to the seven-year Rhodesian civil war signed a peace agreement in London that participants hoped would end a conflict that had killed 20,000 people. The United Nations ended economic sanctions against Rhodesia.

U.S. President Jimmy Carter ordered most of the Iranian diplomats in the United States to leave the country, and announced that he had asked the United Nations Security Council to impose economic sanctions against Iran.

Economics and finance
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index had increased 1% in November, the 11th consecutive monthly rise of about 1%. Housing, cars, and public transportation price rises were considered the driving forces behind the November increase.

Disasters
At least 43 were killed when a bus packed with people going home for Christmas was driven onto a collapsed bridge and plunged into a river near Ilagan, Philippines.

25 years ago
1984

Basketball
U.S. university
Georgeann Wells of West Virginia University became the first woman to dunk the ball during competition in a game at Elkins, West Virginia.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Ryyd-joulu--Bat & Ryyd (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): Pump Up the Jam--Technotronic (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Do They Know It's Christmas?--Band Aid II (2nd week at #1)

Edmonton's Top 10
1 Swing the Mood--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
2 Blame it on the Rain--Milli Vanilli
3 Back to Life--Soul II Soul
4 Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins
5 Pump Up the Jam--Technotronic
6 We Didn't Start the Fire--Billy Joel
7 When I See You Smile--Bad English
8 Angelia--Richard Marx
9 Rhythm Nation--Janet Jackson
10 With Every Beat of My Heart--Taylor Dayne

Protest
Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu addressed a rally in Bucharest and was jeered by many in the crowd, an unprecedented event considering how tightly he held power. Securitate troops, known for their fierce loyalty to Mr. Ceausescu, fired on the crowd, drove them elsewhere, and killed up to 40.

Crime
Larry Mahoney, the driver of a pickup truck that had collided with a church bus near Carrollton, Kentucky in May 1988, was acquitted on 27 counts of murder, but was convicted on 27 counts of manslaughter. Mr. Mahoney's lawyers acknowledged that he had been drunk and driving in the the wrong direction on an interstate highway at the time of the crash, but blamed a faulty gas tank on the bus for the fire that took the heavy toll of life, including 24 children and 3 adults. 12 other people were burned in the crash.

10 years ago
1999

Diplomacy
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat began two days of talks in the West Bank city of Ramallah. It marked the first time that such peace talks had taken place in a Palestinian-controlled city.

Terrorism
The Spanish Civil Guard intercepted a van loaded with 950 kilograms of explosives that the terrorist organization ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid.

Law
Louis LeBel of Quebec was named to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Business
The government of Canada announced a U.S. $1-billion lawsuit against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, accusing the company of running a huge cigarette smuggling scheme that undermined efforts to stop young Canadians from smoking.

Disasters
Cubana de Aviación Flight 1216, a chartered McDonnell Douglas DC-10 transporting Guatemalan students home from Cuba, overshot the runway at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, killing 16 people in the plane and 2 on the ground.