February 29 (2010)

290 years ago
1720

Europeana
Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden abdicated in favour of her husband, who became King Frederick I on March 24.

170 years ago
1840

Born on this date
William H. Carney. U.S. soldier. Mr. Carney was born a slave in Virginia, but escaped to freedom through the Underground Railroad. As a member of the all-Negro Company C of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Mr. Carney distinguished himself in the U.S. Civil War at the Battle of Fort Wagner, outside Charleston, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863, when despite being wounded four times, he made his way back to his unit carrying the flag, and proudly claimed that it never hit the ground. Although the Union forces lost the battle, the 54th was hailed for its courage, and Mr. Carney was promoted to sergeant. In 1900 he was finally awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the first Negro soldier to win it. He died at the age of 68 on December 9, 1908 in an elevator accident at the Massachusetts State House in Boston, where he had been employed for 35 years.

John Philip Holland. U.K.-born U.S. engineer. Mr. Holland, a native of Ireland, is regarded as the father of the modern submarine, having designed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the U.S. Navy, and the first U.K. Royal Navy submarine, the Holland 1. He died on August 12, 1914 at the age of 74.

130 years ago
1880

Died on this date
James Milne Wilson, 68. U.K.-born Australian politician. Sir James, a native of Scotland, emigrated to Tasmania in 1829, and managed Cascade Brewery before entering politics in 1859, representing Hobart in the Tasmanian Legislative Council, while also serving as Mayor of Hobart in the 1860s. He was Premier of Tasmania (1869-1872), and served as President of the Tasmanian Legislative Council from 1872 until his death on his 68th (or 17th) birthday.

90 years ago
1920

Died on this date
Ernie Courtney, 45. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Courtney was a third baseman with the Boston Beaneaters (1902); Baltimore Orioles (1902); New York Highlanders (1903); Detroit Tigers (1903); and Philadelphia Phillies (1905-1908), batting .245 with 5 home runs and 200 runs batted in in 558 games. He led the National League in games played (155) in 1905. Mr. Courtney played at least 9 seasons in the minor leagues from 1898-1911.

Politics and government
The Czechoslovak National assembly adopted the Constitution of 1920.

70 years ago
1940

At the movies
Black Friday, directed by Arthur Lubin, and starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, received its premiere screening, in Chicago.





Died on this date
E. F. Benson, 72. U.K. writer. Edward Frederic Benson wrote fiction and non-fiction, but was best known for his Dodo (1893-1921) and Mapp and Lucia (1920-1939) series of novels, as well as ghost stories. He died of throat cancer.

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1939 were presented at the Coconut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Gone With the Wind won a then-record 10 Oscars: Picture; Director (Victor Fleming); Actress (Vivian Leigh); Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel); Screenplay (Sidney Howard); Cinematography--Color (Ernest Haller and Ray Rennahan); Art Direction (Lyle Wheeler); Film Editing (Hal Kern and James E. Newsom); a special award to William Cameron Menzies for his use of color; and a special technical award to Don Musgrave for pioneering the use of coordinated equipment in the production of Gone With the Wind. Max Steiner’s memorable original score for Gone With the Wind didn’t win; Herbert Stothart won for The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz also won for Original Song (Over the Rainbow, written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg), and Judy Garland won a special Oscar for outstanding juvenile performance. Robert Donat won the Best Actor Oscar for Goodbye, Mr. Chips, while Thomas Mitchell, who appeared in Gone With the Wind, won supporting actor honours for Stagecoach. Stagecoach also won for Score (Richard Hageman, Franke Harling, John Leipold, Louis Gruenberg, Leo Shuken). Other Oscars went to Wuthering Heights for Cinematography--Black and White (Gregg Toland); Mr. Smith Goes to Washington for Original Story (Lewis R. Foster); and The Rains Came for Special Effects (E.H. Hansen and Fred Sersen). David O. Selznick won the Irving C. Thalberg Memorial Award.



War
Representatives of 23 religious denominations, meeting in Philadelphia, urged neutral nations to band together and negotiate an end to the European war. Finland initiated peace negotiations with the U.S.S.R., as Soviet forces were reported to be just 1 mile from the Finnish city of Viborg. Brazilian Foreign Minister Oswaldo Aranha protested the February 12 British naval action against the German freighter Wakama as a violation of Brazilian waters. China claimed to have repulsed Japanese efforts to clean up guerrilla areas on the Anhwei-Kiangsu border southeast of Nanking.

Protest
Jews in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv demonstrated against the new British restriction, announced the previous day, on Jewish purchases of land in Palestine. The executive committee of the League of Nations adopted a resolution condemning the British action.

Economics and finance
The French government revalued its gold stocks to make a 30-billion franc paper profit for the purpose of war finances.

Politics and government
Manuel Quezon, President of the Philippine Commonwealth, said that he would not be a candidate for re-election in 1941.

Science
In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California because of the European war, American physicist Ernest Lawrence received the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics, "for the invention and development of the cyclotron and for results obtained with it, especially with regard to artificial radioactive elements," from Sweden's Consul General in San Francisco. The Nobel Prize ceremonies usually took place in Stockholm, with the exception of the ceremony for the Peace Prize, which was held in Oslo.

Education
U.S. education commissioner John W. Studebaker said that controversial subjects should be taught in schools.

50 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Mackie el Navaja--(Mack The Knife)--José Guardiola

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 The Theme from "A Summer Place"--Percy Faith and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)
2 Handy Man--Jimmy Jones
3 He'll Have to Go--Jim Reeves
4 Teen Angel--Mark Dinning
5 What in the World's Come Over You--Jack Scott
6 Beyond the Sea--Bobby Darin
7 Running Bear--Johnny Preston
8 Let it Be Me--The Everly Brothers
9 Baby (You've Got What it Takes)--Dinah Washington & Brook Benton
10 Wild One--Bobby Rydell

Singles entering the chart were About this Thing Called Love by Fabian (#53); Teddy by Connie Francis (#77); Summer Set by Monty Kelly and his Orchestra (#82); Werewolf by the Frantics (#83); Starbright by Johnny Mathis (#84); Chattanooga Choo Choo by the Ernie Fields Orchestra (#85); The Same Old Me by Guy Mitchell (#89); Step by Step by the Crests (#90); You Don't Know Me by Lenny Welch (#95); Mountain of Love by Harold Dorman (#96); Road Runner by Bo Diddley (#97); The Old Payola Roll Blues (Side 1) by Stan Freberg (#99); and Just Give Me a Ring by Clyde McPhatter (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Music Vendor)
1 The Theme from "A Summer Place"--Percy Faith and his Orchestra
--Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra
--Leroy Holmes and his Orchestra
2 He'll Have to Go--Jim Reeves
3 Teen Angel--Mark Dinning
4 What in the World's Come Over You--Jack Scott
5 Handy Man--Jimmy Jones
6 Baby (You've Got What it Takes)--Dinah Washington & Brook Benton
7 Wild One--Bobby Rydell
8 Beyond the Sea--Bobby Darin
9 Let it Be Me--The Everly Brothers
10 Running Bear--Johnny Preston

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 He'll Have to Go--Jim Reeves (3rd week at #1)
2 Teen Angel--Mark Dinning
3 Running Bear--Johnny Preston
4 Handy Man--Jimmy Jones
5 What in the World's Come Over You--Jack Scott
6 The Theme from "A Summer Place"--Percy Faith and his Orchestra
7 Lucky Devil/In My Heart--Carl Dobkins, Jr.
8 El Paso--Marty Robbins
9 Beyond the Sea--Bobby Darin
10 Down by the Station--The Four Preps

Singles entering the chart were Fannie Mae by Buster Brown (#47); String Along by Fabian (#53); White Silver Sands by Bill Black's Combo (#54); Sink the Bismark by Johnny Horton (#55); and Don't Fence Me In by Tommy Edwards (#60).

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Sandy Mains!

Died on this date
Walter Yust, 65. U.S. journalist. Mr. Yust was editor-in-chief of Encyclopædia Britannica from 1938 until his death.

Melvin Purvis, 56. U.S. law enforcement official. Mr. Purvis joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1927, and was put in charge of the Bureau's Chicago office by Director J. Edgar Hoover in 1932. Mr. Purvis led the manhunts that resulted in the captures of criminals Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and most famously, John Dillinger in 1934. Mr. Hoover was reportedly unhappy with the amount of publicity that Mr. Purvis was attracting, and Mr. Purvis resigned from the FBI in 1935. He practiced law, and served with the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer during World War II, rising to the rank of colonel, and assisting with the compilation of evidence for the Nueremberg war crimes trials. Mr. Purvis died from a gunshot wound to the head in an apparent suicide, although there were suggestions that the shooting may have been accidental.

Popular culture
Hugh Hefner opened the first Playboy Club in Chicago.

Disasters
An estimated 12,000 people were killed when an earthquake hit the Moroccan city of Agadir.

30 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Himmel No. 7/Flickorna på TV2--Gyllene Tider (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)--Pink Floyd (4th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Babe--Styx
2 Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)--Pink Floyd
3 Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough--Michael Jackson
4 Rise--Herb Alpert
5 Do That to Me One More Time--Captain & Tennille
6 The Part of Me that Needs You Most--Exile
7 Tired of Toein' the Line--Rocky Burnette
8 Video Killed the Radio Star--The Buggles
9 Great Balls of Fire--Nightmare
10 Please Don't Go--KC and the Sunshine Band

Singles entering the chart were Gloria by Umberto Tozzi (#19); and Gonna Get Along Without You Now by Viola Wills (#20).

Died on this date
Yigal Allon, 61. Prime Minister of Israel, 1969. General Allon, born Yigal Peikowitz, joined the paramilitary organization Haganah in 1931, participating in the Arab Revolt (1936-1939) and various other actions. After Israel gained her independence in 1948, Gen. Allon commanded troops in the Arab-Israeli War (1948). He resigned from the military in 1950, and went into politics, representing various factions in the Knesset. Mr. Allon held various cabinet posts from 1961-1977, including Minister of Foreign Affairs (1974-1977). When Prime Minister Levi Eshkol died on February 26, 1969, Deputy Prime Minister Allon was appointed interim Prime Minister, serving until March 17, when Golda Meir took office as Prime Minister after being named leader of the Labour Party. Mr. Allon died of heart failure; at the time of his death, he was challenging Shimon Peres for leadership of the two-party Alignment.

Journalism
La Bougie du Sapeur, a humourous French newspaper that is published only on February 29, printed its first issue.

Diplomacy
An aide to Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini told the United Nations commission investigating grievances against the deposed shah that they would be able to visit the hostages at the U.S. embassy.

Terrorism
The April 19 Movement guerrillas occupying the Dominican Republic’s embassy in Colombia freed the last five female hostages.

Economics and finance
Strong support in the United States Congress for balancing the 1981 federal budget was reported. Rep. Robert Giaimo (Democrat--Connecticut), chairman of the House Budget Committee, said: "This place is panicked--the House, the Senate, the Administration. They have realized we have got to take drastic steps."

Hockey
NHL
Gordie Howe of the Hartford Whalers became the first player to score 800 career National Hockey League regular season goals.

Edmonton 4 Winnipeg 2

10 years ago
2000

War
84 Russian paratroopers were killed in a rebel attack on a guard post near Ulus Kert, Chechnya.

Disasters
International aid agencies in Mozambique said that they needed extra helicopters to rescue thousands stranded in floods, as flood waters in southern Mozambique rose again, engulfing everything in their path. The United Nations World Food Programme estimated that up to 300,000 people needed immediate aid.