December 6, 2009

160 years ago
1849

Born on this date
August von Mackensen. German military officer. Field Marshal Mackensen served in the Franco-Prussian War and had success as a commander during World War I. He retired from the army in 1920. Field Marshal Mackensen was a monarchist and was suspected of disloyalty toward Germany's Nazi regime, but nothing was ever proven against him. He died on November 8, 1945 at the age of 95.

140 years ago
1869

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

125 years ago
1884

Americana
Workers placed the 3,300 pound marble capstone on the Washington Monument, and topped it with a nine-inch pyramid of cast aluminum, completing construction of the 555-foot Egyptian obelisk. An obelisk is a structure built in honour of Re, or Ra, the sun god of ancient Egyptian paganism. Freemasonry latched on to this when it became popular in the United States (Martin Short, Inside the Brotherhood, Dorset Press, New York, 1989, pp. 81-87). The Washington Monument was built in accordance with Pierre-Charles L’Enfant’s plan for the city. Mr. L’Enfant was hired by President George Washington to design the city of Washington; he was fired in 1792, and his plan underwent some changes, but his avenues and vistas remained, resulting in a city laid out according to Freemasonic symbolism (Nicholas Hagger, The Secret Founding of America, Watkins Publishing, London, 2007, pp. 164-166). The dedication of the monument on February 21, 1885 was a completely Masonic ceremony.

120 years ago
1889

Died on this date
Jefferson Davis, 81. President of the Confederate States of America, 1862-1865. Mr. Davis was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi from 1845-1846, and was a U.S. Senator from 1847-1851 and 1857-1861. He served as U.S. Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce from 1853-1857. Mr. Davis resigned his Senate seat when Mississippi seceded from the union in January 1861, and was soon named president of the provisional Confederate government and inaugurated in February. He won a regular election as President of the C.S.A. and was inaugurated in Richmond, Virginia in February 1862. At the conclusion of the Civil War Mr. Davis was imprisoned for two years, and was released on bail in May 1867. The federal government chose not to proceed further in prosecuting him.

110 years ago
1899

Business
Barney Dreyfuss, owner of the Louisville Colonels of major league baseball's National League, revealed that he and Harry Pulliam had purchased a half-interest in the NL's Pittsburgh Pirates. The Louisville franchise was disbanded by the league three months later as part of the NL's reduction from 12 to 8 teams.

Baseball
Mr. Dreyfuss announced that the Pirates had traded pitcher Jack Chesbro, catcher Sammy Fox, second baseman John O'Brien, utility infielder Art Madison, and $25,000 to the Colonels for shortstop Honus Wagner, left fielder Fred Clarke, third baseman Tommy Leach, second baseman Claude Ritchey, catcher Chief Zimmer, first baseman Mike Kelley, pitcher/outfielder Patsy Flaherty, catcher Tacks Latimer, pitcher/utility player Walt Woods, and pitchers Deacon Phillippe and Rube Waddell.

100 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Rulon Jeffs. U.S. religious leader. Mr. Jeffs was brought up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but in 1938 joined the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a breakaway sect that practiced polygamy. He was Prophet and President of the FLDS from 1986 until his death on September 8, 2002 at the age of 92, when it was reported that he may have had as many as 75 wives and 65 children. Mr. Jeffs was succeeded as FLDS leader by his son Warren, who is currently in prison after being convicted in 2011 on two counts of rape as an accomplice.

Politics and government
Liberal candidate Louis-Auguste Dupuis was acclaimed in a Quebec provincial by-election in Kamouraska. The by-election was necessitated by the appointment of Louis-Rodolphe Roy to the Quebec Superior Court for the district of Rimouski.

60 years ago
1949

On the radio
Philo Vance, starring Jackson Beck
Tonight’s episode: The Birdcage Murder Case

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Scar, starring Ralph Bell and Edgar Stehli

Died on this date
Huddie Ledbetter, 61. U.S. musician. Mr. Ledbetter, better known as "Lead Belly," was a folk and blues singer who played a 12-string guitar and wrote and performed songs of various genres in a career spanning more than 40 years, while serving intermittent prison sentences for violent crimes. He performed his own compositions and traditional songs, achieving success with songs such as Cotton Fields; Midnight Special; and Goodnight, Irene. Mr. Ledbetter began hosting the weekly program Folk Songs of America on New York station WNYC in 1949, but died shortly after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Numerous rock musicians have cited Mr. Ledbetter as an influence, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

Politics and government
Three rightist political parties, including the Socialist Reichs Party, were formed in Bavaria, following the elimination of U.S. licensing requirements.

The United Kingdom rejected a proposal for the union of Southern and Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland into a "Dominion of Capricorn."

Labour
United Mine Workers of America President John L. Lewis announced the signing of collective contracts with several small mine operators, providing for a 95c daily wage increase and a larger employer contribution to the UMW welfare and pension fund.

The Congress of Industrial Organizations Amalgamated Clothing Workers and the Clothing Manufacturers Association announced a $20 monthly pension increase for 150,000 workers in the American men's and boys' clothing industry, raising pensions to $100 per month.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Le marchand de bonheur--Les Compagnons de la chanson (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Road Hog, starring Raymond Massey, Robert Emhardt, and Richard Chamberlain

Diplomacy
Turkish President Celal Bayar and a large welcoming crowd greeted U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower as he arrived in Ankara.

Defense
Indian Defense Minister Krishna Menon disclosed plans to draft 250,000 youths aged 15-19.

Politics and government
Queen Elizabeth II appointed South African Justice Minister C.R. Swart as Governor-General of South Africa.

Economics and finance
The Organization for European Economic Cooperation issued its annual report on the U.S. economy, warning that despite U.S. recovery from the 1957-58 recession, a U.S. trade imbalance remained.

Olympics
The West German National Olympic Committee voted unanimously to defy the opposition of the West German government and join with East German athletes during the 1960 Winter Olympic Games in an all-German team under a "neutral" German flag.

Football
NFL
Cleveland (6-5) 7 @ New York (9-2) 48
Philadelphia (7-4) 34 @ Washington (3-8) 14
Pittsburgh (5-5-1) 21 @ Chicago Bears (7-4) 27
Chicago Cardinals (2-9) 21 @ Detroit (3-7-1) 45
Baltimore (8-3) 34 @ San Francisco (7-4) 14
Green Bay (6-5) 38 @ Los Angeles (2-9) 20



40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Something/Come Together--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Theresa--Dave Mills

#1 single in France: Wight is Wight--Michel Delpech

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Lo straniero--Georges Moustaki (8th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Come Together/Something--The Beatles

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Sugar, Sugar--The Archies (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Sugar, Sugar--The Archies (7th week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Penny Arcade--Roy Orbison (2nd week at #1)
2 Something/Come Together--The Beatles
3 Suspicious Minds--Elvis Presley
4 The Star--Ross D. Wyllie
5 Jean--Oliver
6 Picking Up Pebbles--Matt Flinders
7 Without You/Hair--Doug Parkinson in Focus
8 I'll Never Fall in Love Again--Bobbie Gentry
9 Sweet Caroline--Neil Diamond
10 Part Three Into Paper Walls/The Girl that I Love--Russell Morris

Singles entering the chart were And When I Die by Blood, Sweat & Tears (#18); Arkansas Grass by Axiom (#27); Try a Little Kindness/Lonely My Lonely Friend by Glen Campbell (#29); Take a Letter Maria by R.B. Greaves (#32); So Good Together by Andy Kim (#35); and Good Clean Fun/Mommy and Daddy by the Monkees (#37).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Oh Well!--Fleetwood Mac (3rd week at #1)
2 Cha-La-La, I Need You--The Shuffles
3 Maanserenade--Marty
4 My Special Prayer--Percy Sledge
5 Air--Ekseption
6 We zijn toch op de wereld om mekaar te helpen, niewaar?--Adèle Bloemendaal & Leen Jongewaard & Piet Römer
7 Bourée--Jethro Tull
8 Suspicious Minds--Elvis Presley
9 Yester-Me Yester-You Yesterday--Stevie Wonder
10 Beautiful People--Melanie

Singles entering the chart were Today I Killed a Man by P.J. Proby (#22); Get Me Down by Zen (#33); Thanks by J. Vincent Edward (#34); Na-Na-Na-Hé-Hé by Los Piratos (#36); Yoffy Yoffy Yoffy by Ben Cramer (#38); Jack in the Box by the Jackpots (#39); and Cold Turkey by the Plastic Ono Band (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye--Steam
2 Leaving on a Jet Plane--Peter, Paul and Mary
3 Come Together/Something--The Beatles
4 Take a Letter Maria--R.B. Greaves
5 Down on the Corner/Fortunate Son--Creedence Clearwater Revival
6 And When I Die--Blood, Sweat & Tears
7 Wedding Bell Blues--The 5th Dimension
8 Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday--Stevie Wonder
9 Someday We'll Be Together--Diana Ross and the Supremes
10 Eli's Coming--Three Dog Night

Singles entering the chart were Don't Let Him Take Your Love from Me by the Four Tops (#71); Wonderful World, Beautiful People by Jimmy Cliff (#81); Winter World of Love by Engelbert Humperdinck (#84); Lady-O by the Turtles (#90); Look-Ka Py Py by the Meters (#91); She Came in Through the Bathroom Window by Joe Cocker (#94); Arizona by Mark Lindsay (#97); Let's Work Together (Part 1) by Wilbert Harrison (#98); I Started Loving You Again by Al Martino (#99); and Camel Back by A.B. Skhy (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Come Together--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)
2 And When I Die--Blood, Sweat & Tears
3 Take a Letter Maria--R.B. Greaves
4 Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye--Steam
5 Wedding Bell Blues--The 5th Dimension
6 Leaving on a Jet Plane--Peter, Paul and Mary
7 Fortunate Son--Creedence Clearwater Revival
8 Holly Holy--Neil Diamond
9 Eli's Coming--Three Dog Night
10 Something--The Beatles

Singles entering the chart were Point it Out by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (#71); I'm So Glad I Fell for You by David Ruffin (#72); Rubberneckin' by Elvis Presley (#83); Baby Take Me in Your Arms by Jefferson (#86); Land of 1000 Dances by the Electric Indian (#87); Venus by the Shocking Blue (#89); I Love You by Otis Leavill (#94); She Lets Her Hair Down (Early in the Morning) by the Tokens (#95); Tonight I'll Say a Prayer by Eydie Gorme (#98); and The Last Time by the Buchanan Brothers (#99).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Something/Come Together--The Beatles (4th week at #1)
2 And When I Die--Blood, Sweat & Tears
3 Take a Letter Maria--R.B. Greaves
4 Leaving on a Jet Plane--Peter, Paul and Mary
5 Eli's Coming--Three Dog Night
6 Holly Holy--Neil Diamond
7 Fortunate Son/Down on the Corner--Creedence Clearwater Revival
8 Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye--Steam
9 Cherry Hill Park--Billy Joe Royal
10 Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday--Stevie Wonder

Singles entering the chart were Cowboy Convention by Ohio Express (#80); When Julie Comes Around by the Cuff Links (#82); Baby Take Me in Your Arms by Jefferson (#84); She Lets Her Hair Down (Early in the Morning) by the Tokens (#86); Point it Out by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (#88); Trouble Maker by Lee Hazlewood (#89); Land of 1000 Dances by the Electric Indian (#90); I'm So Glad I Fell for You by David Ruffin (#91); I'm Gonna Love You by the Intrigues (#93); The Last Time by the Buchanan Brothers (#94); Come Saturday Morning by the Sandpipers (#97); I Love Candy by the Marshmallow Soup Group (#98); Tonight I'll Say a Prayer by Eydie Gorme (#99); and When We Get Married by the 1910 Fruitgum Company (#100). Come Saturday Morning was from the movie The Sterile Cuckoo (1969).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Something--The Beatles
2 Suspicious Minds--Elvis Presley
3 Holly Holy--Neil Diamond
4 Someday We'll Be Together--Diana Ross and the Supremes
5 Cherry Hill Park--Billy Joe Royal
6 The Rainmaker--Tom Northcott
7 Take a Letter Maria--R.B. Greaves
8 Try a Little Kindness--Glen Campbell
9 Down on the Corner--Creedence Clearwater Revival
10 Eli's Coming--Three Dog Night
Pick hit of the week: That's Where I Went Wrong--The Poppy Family

Theatre
The musical Buck White, starring Muhammad Ali, closed after just 7 performances at the George Abbott Theatre in New York.

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Consuelo!

Died on this date
Meredith Hunter, 18. U.S. youth. Mr. Hunter attended the free concert at Altamont Speedway. The Hells Angels, who were invited to prevent concertgoers from going on stage, forcibly turned back Mr. Hunter. Mr. Hunter, who was high on methamphetamine, returned brandishing a handgun, and was fatally stabbed by Hells Angels member Alan Passaro. Mr. Passaro was acquitted of murder on grounds of self-defense.

Music
A free concert at Altamont Speedway in Tracy, California featuring Santana, Jefferson Airplane, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Still & Nash, with the Rolling Stones as the headline act, attended by 300,000 people, turned into a disaster. Members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, acting to keep people away from the stage in exchange for $500 worth of beer, were involved in violent incidents with concertgoers, many of whom were on drugs. The violence climaxed in the violent death of Meredith Hunter.



War
Casualties in Vietnam for the week were higher on both sides. There were 100 Americans killed--up from 70 the week before--and 592 wounded. South Vietnam had 411 dead--an increase of 38--and there were 2,469 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong dead, up from 2,177.

Diplomacy
Israel turned over 58 prisoners to Egypt in exchange for two Israeli pilots at El Qantara in the biggest prisoner swap since the Six-Day War in 1967.

Boxing
Leotis Martin (31-5) knocked out former world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston (49-4) at 1:18 of the 9th round of a bout at the International Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to win the North American heavyweight title. Mr. Liston, who knocked Mr. Martin down in the 4th round, appeared to be in control of the fight when he was suddenly hit by a devastating right from his former sparring partner. It was just the fourth loss of Mr. Liston’s career, and his first since his two losses to Cassius Clay in 1964 and 1965, and appeared to put an end to any hopes he may have had for regaining the title. It was the biggest win for Mr. Martin, who was ranked as high as #3 in the world on some lists. However, he suffered a detached retina in one eye during the fight, and was forced to retire from boxing. Both fighters had trouble lining up matches because so many fighters were afraid of their punching power. On the undercard, George Foreman (11-0) scored a technical knockout of Bob Hazleton (3-7) at 1:26 of the 1st round of a heavyweight bout.





Football
NFL
Chicago (1-11) 21 @ San Francisco (3-7-2) 42

AFL
New York (9-4) 34 @ Houston (5-6-2) 26

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
Edmonton's Top 14
1 Please Don't Go--KC and the Sunshine Band
2 Babe--Styx
3 Escape (The Pina Colada Song)--Rupert Holmes
4 Heartache Tonight--Eagles
5 3 Dressed Up as a 9--Trooper
6 No More Tears (Enough is Enough)--Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer
7 Chiquitita--ABBA
8 You're Only Lonely--J.D. Souther
9 Still--Commodores
10 We Don't Talk Anymore--Cliff Richard
11 Dreaming--Blondie
12 Take the Long Way Home--Supertramp
13 Tusk--Fleetwood Mac
14 Under My Thumb--Streetheart

At the movies
Star Trek: The Motion Picture, directed by Robert Wise, and starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and James Doohan, received its premiere screening at the MacArthur Theatre in Washington, D.C.



World events
The United States accused the governments of Cambodia and Vietnam of deliberately blocking the distribution of relief supplies in Cambodia.

Disasters
After rolling out of a station down a steep grade, a runaway train without a crew ran into a stationary passenger train near Barcelona, killing at least 14 people and injuring 60.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
Edmonton's top 30 (CHED)
1 The Wild Boys--Duran Duran
2 Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)--Billy Ocean
3 Sea of Love--The Honeydrippers
4 Run to You--Bryan Adams
5 No More Lonely Nights--Paul McCartney
6 Valotte--Julian Lennon
7 We Belong--Pat Benatar
8 Stranger in Town--Toto
9 Penny Lover--Lionel Richie
10 Born in the U.S.A.--Bruce Springsteen
11 All Through the Night--Cyndi Lauper
12 Out of Touch--Daryl Hall John Oates
13 I Feel for You--Chaka Khan
14 Like a Virgin--Madonna
15 Walking on a Thin Line--Huey Lewis and the News
16 The Boys of Summer--Don Henley
17 Heaven (Must Be There)--Eurogliders
18 The War Song--Culture Club
19 I Do Wanna Know--REO Speedwagon
20 Hello Again--The Cars
21 I Can't Hold Back--Survivor
22 Pride (In the Name of Love)--U2
23 I Need You Tonight--Peter Wolf
24 Understanding--Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
25 Better Be Good to Me--Tina Turner
26 You're the Inspiration--Chicago
27 Easy Lover--Philip Bailey with Phil Collins
28 Tender Years--John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band
29 Do What You Do--Jermaine Jackson
30 I Wanna Rock--Twisted Sister

Tennis
Martina Navratilova’s 74-match winning streak ended when she was defeated 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 by 19-year-old Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia in the women’s semi-finals of the Australian Open championship in Kooyong. Miss Navratilova’s defeat prevented her from winning a record seventh Grand Slam title.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Lambada--Kaoma (8th week at #1)

Died on this date
Sammy Fain, 87. U.S. songwriter. Mr. Fain, born Samuel Feinberg, co-wrote such songs as Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella; I'll Be Seeing You; That Old Feeling; Secret Love; and Love is a Many-Splendored Thing, the latter two of which won Academy Awards.

Frances Bavier, 86. U.S. actress. Miss Bavier was best known for portraying Aunt Bee in the television series The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) and its sequel, Mayberry R.F.D. (1968-1971). She died 8 days prior to her 87th birthday.

John Payne, 77. U.S. actor. Mr. Payne appeared in the movie Miracle on 34th Street (1947) before making a name for himself in crime and film noir dramas such as Kansas City Confidential (1952); 99 River Street (1953); and Slightly Scarlet (1956).

Abominations
Marc Lepine, 25, a non-student, went on a rampage at the Universite de Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique, killing 14 female engineering students with a semi-automatic rifle and wounding 13 others before turning the gun on himself. Before opening fire, he yelled (presumably in French), "You’re all a bunch of feminists and I hate feminists." In a three-page suicide note, Mr. Lepine blamed feminists for ruining his life. The incident has been used by feminists ever since--especially every December 6--to promote their man-hating agenda, aided by wimpy, flagellant "men" wearing white ribbons. In particular, male engineering students (which this blogger was not) were held to be guilty for the crimes of Marc Lepine, even though Mr. Lepine wasn’t a student. Mark Steyn in the only mainstream media figure I can think of who dared to mention certain politically-incorrect facts about Marc Lepine, such as: Lepine was actually the maiden name of Marc’s mother; Marc’s father was a Muslim immigrant from Algeria who used to beat Marc’s mother, and this was the model of manhood that Marc grew up with--just your typical Canadian. Such is the fruit of the immigration and multiculturalism policies that are part of the legacy left by Pierre Trudeau to a country once known as Canada, but now better called, in Mr. Steyn’s word, "Trudeaupia."

Terrorism
More than 60 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured when a bomb exploded in front of the Colombian Department of Administrative Security in Bogota. The bomb contained half a ton of dynamite. Authorities believed the bombing was an act by drug dealers who were defying government efforts to eradicate their operations.

Politics and government
Egon Krenz resigned as East Germany’s head of state and was replaced by Manfred Gerlach, leader of the small Liberal Democratic Party.

10 years ago
1999

War
Russian forces closing in on Grozny, capital of the rebellious republic of Chechnya, were warning the city’s residents to leave the city or face death. One leaflet dropped from planes told the Islamic rebels that they had lost and there would be no more negotiations. A second leaflet told civilians to leave and go to a tent camp.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright began a tour of the Middle East by meeting with King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.

Politics and government
In a debate in Phoenix among Republican Party U.S. presidential candidates, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah said that Texas Governor George W. Bush’s governorship did not constitute sufficient experience to be president. Another candidate, Gary Bauer, deplored Mr. Bush’s support for continued trade with China without requiring China to curb her human rights violations. Mr. Bush contended that trade would help open the door to democracy in China.



Crime
SabreTech, Inc., an airline maintenance company, was convicted by a federal jury in Miami of causing the transportation of hazardous materials and failing to train employees to handle such materials. SabreTech employees had failed to install safety caps on oxygen generators that were loaded onto a ValueJet Airlines flight in 1996. An explosion in flight caused the plane to crash in Florida, killing all 110 aboard. The verdict was to be appealed. The company still faced state murder and manslaughter charges.

Business
The Recording Industry Association of America filed a lawsuit against the peer-to-peer file sharing network Napster, alleging that the service facilitated widespread copyright infringement.