December 3, 2009

280 years ago
1729

Born on this date
Antonio Soler. Spanish composer. Mr. Soler was a Roman Catholic monk who produced more than 500 works, and was best known for his keyboard sonatas. He died on December 20, 1783, 17 days after his 54th birthday.

220 years ago
1789

Died on this date
Claude Joseph Vernet, 75. French artist. Mr. Vernet, one of several painters in the Vernet family and a relative of Sherlock Holmes, was known for his paintings of French seaports.

210 years ago
1799

War
Austrian Empire forces commanded by Lieutenant Field Marshal Anton Sztáray defeated French forces commanded by General Claude Lecourbe in the Battle of Wiesloch in Germany.

Politics and government
U.S. President John Adams delivered his State of the Union address to Congress.

170 years ago
1839

Politics and government
U.S. President Martin Van Buren delivered his State of the Union message to Congress.

130 years ago
1879

Born on this date
Charles Hutchison. U.S. actor and director. Mr. Hutchison was a popular star of silent movie serials from 1918-1926, doing his own stunts. He directed 33 movies from 1915-1938, and died on May 30, 1949 at the age of 69.

120 years ago
1889

Politics and government
U.S. President Benjamin Harrison delivered his State of the Union message to Congress.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Hayato Ikeda. Prime Minister of Japan, 1960-1964. Mr. Ikeda was a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Finance before entering politics, winning election to the Japanese House of Representatives in the constituency of Hiroshima Prefecture, in the 1949 general election as one of the first candidates of the Democratic Liberal (later renamed Liberal Democratic) Party . He served two terms each as Minister of Finance and Minister of International Trade and Industry before becoming Liberal Democratic leader and Prime Minister. Mr. Ikeda's government emphasized economic development and implemented welfare state measures, but he was forced to resign in November 1964 because he was suffering from laryngeal cancer, which caused his death on August 13, 1965 at the age of 65.

90 years ago
1919

Died on this date
Pierre Auguste Renoir, 78. French painter and sculptor. Initially known as an Impressionist, Mr. Renoir achieved great fame for his paintings of women, children, and summer landscapes. Among his most celebrated paintings are Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881); Dance at Bougival (1883); and Bather (1917–18).

Transportation
After nearly 20 years of planning and construction, including two collapses causing 89 deaths, the Quebec Bridge opened to traffic.

80 years ago
1929

Politics and government
U.S. President Herbert Hoover delivered his first State of the Union message to Congress. As was common practice at the time, it was presented in the form of a written message rather than a speech.

70 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, 91. U.K. Royal Family member. Princess Louise Caroline Alberta was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In 1871 she married John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne and heir to the Duke of Argyll. When the Marquess was appointed Governor General of Canada in 1878, Princess Louise became the first royal to be a Canadian viceregal consort. She returned to Britain in 1881, two years before her husband. The province of Alberta was named in her honour, as is Lake Louise in Alberta's Banff National Park.

60 years ago
1949

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Riders in the Sky--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra; Bing Crosby (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Mule Train--Frankie Laine and the Muleskinners (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Mule Train--Frankie Laine and the Muleskinners
--Bing Crosby
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Tennessee Ernie
2 That Lucky Old Sun--Frankie Laine
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
3 I Can Dream, Can't I?--The Andrews Sisters
4 Don't Cry, Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go)--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
5 Slipping Around--Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely
6 Jealous Heart--Al Morgan
7 You're Breaking My Heart--Vic Damone
--Buddy Clark
--The Ink Spots
8 Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--The Mills Brothers
9 A Dreamer's Holiday--Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters
--Buddy Clark with the Girl Friends
10 Hop-Scotch Polka (Scotch Hot)--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Art Mooney and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were I Wanna Go Home (With You) by Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters (#37); If I Ever Love Again by Jo Stafford (#38); and Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Gene Autry and the Pinafores (#40).

At the movies
Undertow, directed by William Castle, and starring Scott Brady, John Russell, Dorothy Hart, and Peggy Dow, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Maria Ouspenskaya, 73. Russian-born U.S. actress and teacher. Miss Ouspenskaya acted in plays and silent films in Russia, and was with the Moscow Art Theatre when the company visited New York City in 1922. She decided to stay in New York, and became an acting teacher. Needing money, Miss Ouspenskaya went to Hollywood and became a character actress, playing ethnic European characters in various movies. She was nominated for Academy Awards for her supporting performances in Dodsworth (1936) and Love Affair (1939). Miss Ouspenskaya died several days after suffering a stroke and receiving severe burns in a house fire, which reportedly started after she fell asleep while smoking a cigarette.

Philip Barry, 53. U.S. playwright. Mr. Barry wrote more than 20 plays, and was best known for Holiday (1928) and The Philadelphia Story (1939). He died of a heart attack.

War
U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson protested the Nationalist blockade of Communist-held Chinese ports, but praised U.S. shipping lines that had not violated the blockade.

Economics and finance
The Inter-Allied Reparations Agency cut off shipment of dismantled German plants to the U.S.S.R. due to Soviet failure to deliver promised food shipments to West Germany.

Football
NCAA
Notre Dame 27 @ Southern Methodist 20

Notre Dame stretched its unbeaten streak to four seasons and 38 games, but not before the Mustangs, behind the brilliant passing and running of Kyle Rote, nearly pulled off an upset before 75,000 fans at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The Fighting Irish clinched their seventh national championship.

50 years ago
1959

On television tonight
The Lawless Years, starring James Gregory, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Billy Grimes Story

The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Artichoke King, with guest stars Jack Weston, Al Ruscio, and Robert Ellenstein

Died on this date
Albert Engel, 71. U.S. politician. Mr. Engel, a Republican, sat in the Michigan Senate (1921, 1922, 1927-1932) and represented Michigan's 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1935-1951). He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican Party gubernatorial nomination in Michigan in 1950.

War
French Cameroons troops killed 24 guerrillas attacking a military post near Bamendou.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower flew to Rome to begin an 11-nation European and Asian tour.

Pakistan asked the United Nations Security Council to prevent India and China from dividing Ladakh in defiance of unresolved Pakistani claims to Ladakh and other areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

Asiatica
The current flag of Singapore was adopted, six months after Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire.

Scandal
A New York County grand jury indicted Mark and Boris Lass, operators of the Re-Mi Art Gallery, on charges of counterfeiting labels and false and misleading advertising in the sale of purported art masterpieces.

Labour
U.S. President Eisenhower again appealed for a negotiated settlement to the steel strike, instructing the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to "keep the parties negotiating on an around-the-clock basis."

40 years ago
1969

On television tonight
Then Came Bronson, starring Michael Parks, on NBC
Tonight's episode: All the World and God

Aviation
The Boeing 747 jetliner made its public preview flight, from Seattle to New York City.

Defense
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Nuclear Defense Affairs Committee approved guidelines for the tactical use of nuclear weapons in Europe. The guidelines established faster political consultation on possible use of the weapons.

Disasters
An Air France jet crashed into the Caribbean Sea and exploded shortly after takeoff from Caracas, Venezuela, killing all 62 aboard.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Video Killed the Radio Star--The Buggles

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Oyaji no Ichiban Nagai Hi--Masashi Sada (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Agapimú--Ana Belén (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
Two days of voting on a plebiscite in Iran concluded with the approval of a new Islamic constitution for the country.

Terrorism
Two U.S. sailors were killed and 10 others wounded when a group of men ambushed a Navy bus carrying 18 sailors to work at the Sabana Secca Navy Communications Center near San Juan, Puerto Rico. Three Puerto Rican nationalist groups claimed credit for the attack, which began when a pickup truck forced the bus to the side of the road. A group of men jumped out of a nearby van and opened fire in a barrage that left the bus with more than 40 bullet holes. A communiqué found later in the day said that the attack was in retaliation for the deaths of three Puerto Rican nationalists, one found dead in his prison cell in Florida on November 11 and the other two killed by Puerto Rican police on July 25, 1978.

Disasters
11 young people were killed and dozens injured when thousands of people rushed the doors of Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati to get unreserved seats at a concert by the British rock group The Who (see video). According to Cincinnati Mayor John Blackwell, the doors of the coliseum opened an hour later than usual for holders of "first come, first served" general admission tickets, and the band began final checks on its equipment late, leading some of the crowd to believe that the concert had started without them. Some of the doors that were still closed sprang open after several of their windows were broken by the impatient crowd, and in the ensuing stampede to get inside, several people were trampled. An off-duty police detail of 22 officers and 3 supervisors had been hired to handle the crowd of 18,000. The concert was allowed to proceed as scheduled in order to prevent another panic from arising.

25 years ago
1984

Disasters
A cloud of deadly poison gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, killing over 4,000 people.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Escaping--Margaret Urlich

#1 single in Switzerland: Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli

Died on this date
Connie B. Gay, 75. U.S. music executive. Mr. Gay was a government bureaucrat before beginning a career as a radio broadcaster in 1941. He began hosting the music program Town and Country Time in Arlington, Virginia in 1946, and the show was eventually syndicated nationally. Mr. Gay was a concert promoter, talent scout, and manager, and co-founded the Country Music Association in 1958, serving as its first president. He was credited with coining the term "country music" to refer to what was previously known as "hillbilly music," and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980. Mr. Gay died of cancer.

Fernando Martín Espina, 27. Spanish basketball player. Mr. Martin, a centre, was a talented all-around athlete and was considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of Spanish basketball. He played with Real Madrid from 1981-86 and 1987-89. In the 1986-87 season, Mr. Martin played with the Portland Trail Blazers, becoming the first Spanish player to play in the National Basketball Association. He was killed in a car accident.

Diplomacy
At a joint news conference on board the Soviet cruise ship Maxim Gorky in Marsaxlokk Bay near the island of Malta, U.S. President George Bush and U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev concluded their summit with an announcement that the Cold War was virtually over.

Politics and government
The previous day’s revelations about the luxurious lifestyles and thefts of the leaders of East Germany’s Communist leaders led to the resignation of the entire leadership of the party, including General Secretary Egon Krenz, Premier Hans Modrow, the rest of the Politburo, and the entire Central Committee. Mr. Krenz remained the head of state and Mr. Modrow head of government.

Czechoslovakian Premier Ladislav Adamec unveiled a new cabinet, but the opposition Civic Forum rejected it because 16 of the 21 positions were still to be filled by Communists.

Philippine Vice President Salvador Laurel announced his support for the military coup attempt against President Corazon Aquino, and urged Mrs. Aquino to resign.

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Jarl Wahlström, 81. Finnish religious leader. Mr. Wahlström grew up in a Salvation Army family, and served as the 12th General of the Salvation Army from 1981-1986. He died after a lengthy illness.

Tami Mauriello, 76. U.S. boxer. Mr. Mauriello was a light heavyweight and then a heavyweight, compiling a record of 82-13-1, with 60 knockout wins, in a professional career from 1939-1949. He lost two consecutive decisions to Gus Lesnevich for the world light heavyweight title in 1941, and was knocked out in 1 round by Joe Louis in a challenge for the world heavyweight title in 1946.

Madeline Kahn, 57. U.S. entertainer. Miss Kahn, born Madeline Wolfson, was an actress and singer on stage, screen, and television, who was best known for her roles in comedy films directed by Mel Brooks and Peter Bogdanovich. She was nominated for Academy Awards for her supporting performances in Paper Moon (1973) and Blazing Saddles (1974). Miss Kahn was nominated for four Tony Awards, winning for her starring performance in The Sisters Rosensweig (1993). She won a Daytime Emmy Award for her starring performance in the ABC Afterschool Special Wanted: The Perfect Guy (1986). Miss Kahn died of ovarian cancer.

Space
The unmanned U.S. probe Mars Polar Lander ceased communicating with Earth upon reaching Mars, and was believed to have crashed into the planet. The spacecraft was launched in January on a mission that cost $165 million. After landing near Mars’ south pole, the craft was to burrow three feet beneath the surface and collect soil samples it would then analyze, especially for any evidence of water. Scientists last heard from the craft as it entered the Martian atmosphere. It was supposed to resume transmissions after the landing, but did not.

Economics and finance
Canada’s unemployment rate was reported at 6.9%, the lowest in 18 years.

The World Trade Organization summit concluded in Seattle without a resolution of contentious issues.

Adventure
36-year-old Tori Murden of Louisville, Kentucky succeeded in becoming the first woman and first American to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean as she guided her 23-foot boat American Pearl through tranquil waters to Fort-du-Bas on the southeast coast of the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, 81 days, 2,961 miles and one punishing tropical storm after leaving Los Gigantes on Tenerife, the largest island in the Azores off the coast of Africa.