February 20, 2010

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Mandy Sellars!

220 years ago
1790

Died on this date
Joseph II, 48. Holy Roman Emperor, 1765-1790. Joseph II was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I, and the brother of Marie Antoinette. A Roman Catholic, he was known for granting religious tolerance to Protestants and Jews. Joseph II died after a lengthy illness, 22 days before his 49th birthday; he left no sons and was succeeded as Emperor by his brother Leopold II.

175 years ago
1835

Disasters
An earthquake and tsunami struck Concepcion, Chile. One of those who experienced the earthquake was British naturalist Charles Darwin.

160 years ago
1850

Died on this date
Valentín Canalizo, 56. President of Mexico, 1843–1844, September-December 1844. General Canalizo, a Conservative, originally fought against insurgents, but later swore allegiance to independent Mexico, fighting against Liberals and serving as military governor of the states of Oaxaca and México during the 1830s. He also served at various times as Mayor of Cuernavaca, Mayor of Mexico City, and Governor of Pueblo. Gen. Canalizo was named President by Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna in September 1843, and served until June 1844. He returned as President later in the year, from September 21-December 6, but his second term as President was shortened because of conflict with Congress, which opposed Gen. Santa Anna. President Canalizo was taken prisoner by rebellious soldiers on Dec. 6, and the presidency was turned over to José Joaquín de Herrera. After an amnesty and a brief exile, Gen. Canalizo returned to Mexico and served as Minister of War in the cabinet of President Valentín Gómez Farías (1846-1847). Gen. Canalizo served briefly in the Mexican-American War, leading troops to Veracruz, whereupon Gen. Santa Anna took over leadership of the troops. Gen. Canalizo disagreed with Gen. Santa Anna on war strategy, and refused any further involvement in the war. He died of pneumonia in Mexico City, eight days after his 56th birthday.

140 years ago
1870

Born on this date
Jay Johnson Morrow. U.S. military engineer and politician. Brigadier General Morrow, the brother of diplomat and politician Dwight Morrow, was Chief Engineer of the U.S. First Army and Deputy Chief Engineer of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. He was military governor of the Philippine province of Zamboanga (1901-1902), and Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (1921-1924). Gen. Morrow died in the Canal Zone on April 16, 1937 at the age of 67.

100 years ago
1910

Crime
Ibrahim Nassif al-Wardani, 23, a pharmacology graduate who had just returned to Egypt from Britain, shot Egyptian Prime Minister Boutros Ghali Pasha, 63, who was leaving the ministry of foreign affairs. Mr. al-Wardani, a member of Mustafa Kamil Pasha's Watani Party, fired five shots, three of which lodged in the Prime Minister's body. Boutros Ghali Pasha died the next day; the assassin was executed on June 28, 1910. The assassination of Boutros Ghali Pasha was the first in a wave of assassinations in Egypt through 1915.

90 years ago
1920

Died on this date
Robert Peary, 63. U.S. military officer and explorer. Rear Admiral Peary began his career in the U.S. Navy as an engineer in 1881, but was best known for his expeditions to Greenland (1898-1902) and the Canadian Arctic (1905-1906, 1908-1909), becoming world famous for claiming to reach the North Pole on April 6, 1909. Adm. Peary's claim to have reached the North Pole has often been disputed, and remains a matter of dispute. He used his later years to advocate for military aviation.

Disasters
An earthquake killed 114-130 people in Georgia, and heavily damaged the town of Gori.

70 years ago
1940

Politics and government
The French Chamber of Deputies expelled 58 Communist Party members who had not denounced the U.S.S.R.

Economics and finance
The Council of the Federated Malay States voted a war gift of $5 million to the United Kingdom.

60 years ago
1950

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Graven Image, starring John Glendinning and Dean Harens

At the movies
Guilty of Treason, directed by Felix Feist, and starring Charles Bickford, Paul Kelly, Bonita Granville, and Richard Derr, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Sarat Chandra Bose, 60. Indian politician. Mr. Bose, a son of Indian independence activist Janakinath Bose and the elder brother of independence activist Subhas Chandra Bose, was also an independence activist. He was a member of the All India Congress Committee from 1936-1947, and spent 4½ years in prison from 1941-1945 for his activities. In 1946, Mr. Bose was appointed Member of the Interim Government for Works, Mines and Powers--the position of a minister in a national executive council led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and presided over by Viceroy of India Lord Louis Mountbatten. Mr. Bose was a Bengali, and resigned from the AICC in 1947 in disagreement over the Cabinet Mission Plan's call to partition Bengal between Hindu-majority and Muslim-majority regions. After India gained her independence in 1947, Mr. Bose promoted a movement for a united but independent Bengal, and formed the Socialist Republican Party, leading it until his death.

War
The People's Republic of China announced the occupation of Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, by Communist forces.

Scandal
U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (Republican--Wisconsin), in a six-hour Senate speech, renewd his charges of Communists working in the State Department. He listed 81 cases of employees whose loyalty was "questionable," and said that some were part of a State Dept. "espionage ring."

Religion
11 of 14 American Mormon missionaries in Czechoslovakia left the country as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it would discontinue its activities in Czechoslovakia.

Labour
United Nations Secretary-Genera Trygve Lie told an Economic and Social Council special committee on slavery that slavery or similar practices were still permitted in Nigeria, Malaya, Hong Kong, Singapore, and French Equatorial Africa.

U.S. District Court Judge Richmond Keech cited the United Mine Workers of America for civil and criminal contempt of court for failing to end the coal miners' strike in compliance with his injunction.

50 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): She's My Baby--Johnny O'Keefe

#1 single in Italy: Romantica--Tony Dallara (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Marina--Rocco Granata and the International Quintet (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Why--Anthony Newley (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Teen Angel--Mark Dinning (2nd week at #1)
2 Running Bear--Johnny Preston
3 Handy Man--Jimmy Jones
4 The Theme from "A Summer Place"--Percy Faith and his Orchestra
5 Where or When--Dion and the Belmonts
6 He'll Have to Go--Jim Reeves
7 What in the World's Come Over You--Jack Scott
8 Beyond the Sea--Bobby Darin
9 Lonely Blue Boy--Conway Twitty
10 Baby (You've Got What it Takes)--Dinah Washington & Brook Benton

Singles entering the chart were Paradise by Sammy Turner (#76); China Doll by the Ames Brothers (#91); Puppy Love by Paul Anka (#92); Fannie Mae by Buster Brown (#93); Tamiami by Bill Haley and his Comets (#95); Who You Gonna' Love by Ray Charles and his Orchestra (#96); Don't Fence Me In by Tommy Edwards (#97); Peace of Mind by Teresa Brewer (#98); Sixteen Reasons by Connie Stevens (#99); About this Thing Called Love by Fabian (#100); and O Dio Mio by Annette (also #100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Teen Angel--Mark Dinning (2nd week at #1)
2 Handy Man--Jimmy Jones
3 Beatnik Fly--Johnny and the Hurricanes
4 What in the World's Come Over You--Jack Scott
5 Little Bitty Girl/Wild One--Bobby Rydell
6 Snake in the Garden--Gerry Howard
7 Running Bear--Johnny Preston
8 Bad Boy--Marty Wilde
9 He'll Have to Go--Jim Reeves
10 Lucky Devil--Carl Dobkins, Jr.

Singles entering the chart were Angela Jones by Johnny Ferguson (#23); Chattanooga Choo Choo by the Ernie Fields Orchestra (#35); Sink the Bismark by Johnny Horton (#38); Lawdy Miss Clawdy by Henry Stites (#43); My Little Marine by Jamie Horton (#47); Beat Guitar by the Wailers (#51); El Matador by the Kingston Trio (#54); Mama/Teddy by Connie Francis (#56); Paradise by Sammy Turner (#58); Cowboys and Indians by Ronnie Brent (#59); and Footsteps by Steve Lawrence (#60). Sink the Bismark had its title corrected to Sink the Bismarck in later pressings; it was used in the trailer that was shown to American audiences for the movie Sink the Bismarck! (1960), but wasn't used in the film itself.

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Come and Get It--Badfinger

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)--Edison Lighthouse (3rd week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Pretty Belinda--Chris Andrews (5th week at #1)
2 Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head--B.J. Thomas
3 Don't Cry Daddy--Elvis Presley
4 All I Have to Do is Dream--Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell
5 Without Love (There is Nothing)--Tom Jones
6 Leaving on a Jet Plane--Peter, Paul and Mary
7 Theresa--Dave Mills
8 The Liquidator--The Harry J. All Stars
9 Jam Up Jelly Tight--Tommy Roe
10 Cry to Me--The Staccatos

Singles entering the chart were Holly Holy by Neil Diamond (#19); and Reflections of My Life by the Marmalade (#20).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel
2 He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother--Hollies
3 Travelin' Band/Who'll Stop the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
4 Arizona--Mark Lindsay
5 Walkin' in the Rain--Jay and the Americans
6 Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin--Sly & the Family Stone
7 Walk a Mile in My Shoes--Joe South and the Believers
8 I'll Never Fall in Love Again--Dionne Warwidk
9 If I were a Carpenter--Johnny Cash and June Carter
10 Spirit in the Sky--Norman Greenbaum

Singles entering the chart were Kentucky Rain by Elvis Presley (#26); The Rapper by the Jaggerz (#28); Never Had a Dream Come True by Stevie Wonder (#29); and You, Me and Mexico by Edward Bear (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Jennifer Tomkins--Street People (2nd week at #1)
2 Arizona--Mark Lindsay
3 Ma Belle Amie--The Tee Set
4 No Time--The Guess Who
5 Fancy--Bobbie Gentry
6 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel
7 Walk a Mile in My Shoes--Joe South and the Believers
8 Who'll Stop the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
9 Whole Lotta Love--Led Zeppelin
10 The Rainmaker--Tom Northcott

War
Official Laotian reports said that North Vietnamese troops and tanks had seized the Laotian government’s key stronghold in the Plaine des Jarres. An airfield in the long-disputed plain had been overrun by North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao guerrillas in their fourth attempt in recent days.

Crime
Two days after five of the "Chicago Seven" defendants had been convicted of crossing state lines with intent to incite rioting at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, U.S. District Court judge Julius Hoffman imposed sentences of 5 years and $5,000 in fines on each of the five convicted men, plus $60,000 in court costs for the entire group of defendants, after ruling that wiretapped conversations used by the government had not tainted the case against them.

Diplomacy
Israeli Information Minister Israel Galili warned Jordan’s King Hussein of a possible takeover of his government by foreign Arab forces, since Syrian and Iraqi troops were also there.

Transportation
A centuries-old dream of building a bridge across the narrow Bosporus straits to link Europe and Asia came closer to reality when work began on a 5,118-foot suspension span to link the straits from Istanbul to Uskudar.

30 years ago
1980

Diplomacy
United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim announced the establishment of an international commission to hear Iran’s grievances against the United States. Mr. Waldheim was careful to describe the commission as a "fact-finding" body, not a judicial one. He said that a group of five lawyers from Sri Lanka, France, Venezuela, Syria, and Algeria had a two-part mission: "to hear Iran’s grievances and to allow for an early solution of the crisis between Iran and the United States." Iranian leaders continued to disavow any linkage between the commission and the release of the hostages at the U.S. embassy, but Mr. Waldheim told U.S. officials that Iran stood by the agreed twofold mandate for the commission. According to The New York Times, Mr. Waldheim had additional assurances from Iranian President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini welcomed the commission.

Disasters
After a week of torrential rains, three counties of Arizona were declared to be disaster areas by U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Olympics
Men’s hockey @ Lake Placid, New York
U.S.S.R. 6 Canada 4

Team Canada played very well and probably would have won the game if they’d had anything resembling competent goaltending.



Team Canada played very well and probably would have won the game if they’d had anything resembling competent goaltending.

Hockey
NHL
New York Rangers 4 Edmonton 1

20 years ago
1990

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Tree House

Diplomacy
Czechoslovakian President Vaclav Havel arrived in Washington, D.C., becoming the first head of state of his country to visit the United States.

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister Michael Wilson announced the federal budget. Transfer payments to the provinces for health care and higher education were to be cut by $2.5 billion over the next two years. The reduction in payments to the provinces, combined with higher personal taxes, was projected to hold the government’s annual deficit to $28.5 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1991. Other measures announced in the budget included: a 5% limit on increased spending for defense, foreign aid, science and technology, and Indian Affairs programs; cancellation of the Polar 8 icebreaker project announced in 1985 to help assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic; and the sale of major Crown corporations Petro-Canada and Telesat Canada.

10 years ago
2000

Politics and government
British Columbia Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh won the provincial New Democratic Party leadership on the first ballot, setting the stage for him to become Canada’s first Indo-Canadian premier four days later.