March 20, 2010

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Cliff Lander!

620 years ago
1390

Died on this date
Alexios III, 51. Emperor of Trebizond, 1349-1390. Alexios III, the son of Emperor Basil, replaced his deposed great-uncle Michael at the age of 11 on the throne of Trebizond, a successor rump state of the Byzantine Empire. Alexios initially depended upon megas doux (military leader) Niketas Scholares, but eventually forced him to feel the country, and then put down an attempted revolt by Niketas in 1355 and imprisoned him. Emperor Alexios had difficulty in defeating enemies militarily, and relied upon diplomatic alliances with neighbouring Muslim princes. He was succeeded on the throne by his son Manuel III.

570 years ago
1440

Sigismund I, 75 (?). Grand Duke of Lithuania, 1432-1440. Sigismund I, the son of Grand Duke Kęstutis, acceded to the throne by participating in a conspiracy to depose his cousin Švitrigaila. Sigismund's army defeated Švitrigaila's forces in the Battle of Pabaiskas in 1435, but supporters of Švitrigaila assassinated Grand Duke Sigismund at Trakai Peninsula Castle. He was succeeded as Grand Duke by Casimir IV.

410 years ago
1600

World events
Five Swedish noblemen, advisers to King Sigismund of Sweden and Poland or political opponents of the king's uncle and adversary, the Swedish regent Duke Charles, were publicly executed by beheading in Linköping, Sweden on Maundy Thursday. The Linköping Bloodbath was part of the aftermath of the War against Sigismund (1598–1599).

250 years ago
1760

Disasters
The Great Boston Fire of 1760 destroyed 349 downtown buildings.

210 years ago
1800

Born on this date
Braulio Carrillo Colina. Head of State of Costa Rica, 1835-1837, 1838-1842. Mr. Carrillo held various offices, including Judge and Chairman of the Supreme Court, in addition to his two terms as Head of State. In his second term as Head of State, Mr. Carrillo assumed absolute powers; in 1838, he convened a constitutional assembly, took Costa Rica out of the Federal Republic of Central America, and declared Costa Rica an independent country. He passed a law in 1841 making him Head of State for life, but in 1842, former Federal Republic of Central American President Francisco Morazán invaded Costa Rica and forced Mr. Carrillo into exile. He ended up in El Salvador, where he was killed on May 15, 1845 at the age of 45.

140 years ago
1870

Born on this date
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. German military officer. General der Infanterie Lettow-Vorbeck was known as the "Löwe von Afrika (Lion of Africa)" for his service as commander of German forces in the East Africa Campaign during World War I, conducting a successful guerrilla operation. His tactics of extorting supplies from the local African population led to a famine that killed thousands, and made the Africans vulnerable to the subsequent influenza epidemic. Gen. Lettow-Vorbeck joined the monarchist German National People's Party, sitting in the Reichstag from 1928-1930. He opposed the Nazi Party, and refused Fuehrer Adolf Hitler's appointment as German Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1935. Gen. Lettow-Vorbeck was subsequently kept under surveillance by Nazi authorities; his status within the country led to his promotion in 1938 to General for Special Purposes, but he was never recalled to service. Gen. Lettow-Vorbeck died on March 9, 1964, 11 days before his 94th birthday.

120 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Beniamino Gigli. Italian singer. Mr. Gigli was the most famous tenor of his generation, enjoying a career in opera from 1914-1955. He died on November 30, 1957 at the age of 67.

Lauritz Melchior. Danish-born U.S. singer. Mr. Melchior was a prominent Wagnerian operatic tenor from 1913 through the 1950s. He died on March 19, 1973, one day before his 83rd birthday.

Elizabeth Rona. Hungarian-born U.S. nuclear chemist. Dr. Rona began her career in her native Hungary before moving to Austria and eventually the United States in 1941, becoming an American citizen in 1948. She was known for her work with radioactive isotopes, and her discoveries included confirmation of the existence of "Uranium-Y" (now known as thorium-231). Dr. Rona died on July 27, 1981 at the age of 91.

100 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Erwin Blask. German hammer thrower. Mr. Blask won a silver medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. In 1938, he threw the hammer 59.00 metres, a world record that stood for 10 years. Mr. Blask continued to compete into the 1950s, and died on February 6, 1999 at the age of 88.

Died on this date
Nadar, 89. French photographer, journalist, and author. Nadar, whose real name was Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, was a caricaturist and novelist who was best known for his portrait photographs. He was a ballonist and proponent of manned flight; in 1858 he became the first person to take aerial photographs. Mr. Tournachon died 17 days before his 90th birthday.

70 years ago
1940

At the movies
Midnight Limited, directed by Howard Bretherton, and starring John King, Marjorie Reynolds, and George Cleveland, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Alfred Ploetz, 79. German eugenicist. Dr. Ploetz was a physician and biologist who was a socialist and evolutionist. He coined the term Rassenhygiene (racial hygiene), and influenced Nazi ideas of Nordic racial superiority. Dr. Ploetz supported the Nazis when they came to power in Germany in 1933, and was appointed by Reich Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick to an "expert advisory committee for population and racial policy." German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler appointed Dr. Ploetz to a professorship in 1936. Dr. Ploetz finally joined the Nazi Party in 1937.

War
The Presidium of the Soviet Union ratified the Moscow Peace Treaty, ending the Winter War against Finland. It was reported that 40,000 farms and 7,000 estates had been abandoned near Viborg, Finland in territory to be occupied by the U.S.S.R. German planes attacked a British convoy off the Scottish coast, claiming nine ships sunk.

Diplomacy
Colombia suggested that all American nations urge the Spanish government of Generalissimo Francisco Franco to show mercy toward those supporting the Republican cause during the Spanish Civil War.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles left Italy to return to Washington.

The U.S. Consulate General in Warsaw was closed on German orders, and its staff left for Berlin.

Politics and government
The All-Indian National Congress voted for Mohandas Gandhi to direct a program for freedom from the United Kingdom.

U.S. Postmaster General James Farley said that his name would be entered in nomination as a candidate for President of the United States at the 1940 Democratic National Convention.

Society
Connecticut's highest court upheld the state's anti-birth control law, which prohibited the use of contraceptives without any exceptions.

Economics and finance
French authorities in Indochina barred the acquisition there of materials for Germany.

60 years ago
1950

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Scarab, starring Richard Derr, Vinton Hayworth, Kathleen Phelan, and Melba Rae

Politics and government
The Polish Parliament passed a bill placing provincial and municipal governments under "People's Councils" and providing a stronger centralized government patterned on the Soviet Union.

Religion
Leaders of all churches except the Roman Catholic Church took government loyalty oaths.

Americana
The Marine Corps League chose U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (Republican--Wisconsin) for its annual Americanism award.

Crime
Convicted Soviet spy Valentin Gubitchev sailed with his wife from New York aboard the Polish liner Batory.

Medicine
New England Journal of Medicine reported that an injection of adrenocorticophin (ACTH) may indicate how well a patient could undergo the shock of major surgery. The extent of the adrenal secretion caused by the injection indicated the patient's ability to withstand shock.

Economics and finance
Signatories of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) extended their tariff truce through the end of 1953, giving additional time for negotiation of new tariff agreements.

The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee overrode objections by the administration of President Harry Truman and voted to use U.S. surplus farm products instead of cash to cover $1 billion of the proposed third-year Marshall Plan aid budget.

Labour
Yugoslavian representatives were expelled from the Communist-led World Federation of Trade Unions.

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Venus--The Shocking Blue

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): All Kinds of Everything--Dana

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Venus--Shocking Blue (3rd week at #1)
2 Holly Holy--Neil Diamond
3 Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)--Edison Lighthouse
4 Pretty Belinda--Chris Andrews
5 Reflections of My Life--The Marmalade
6 Hitchin' a Ride--Vanity Fare
7 Love is a Beautiful Song--Dave Mills
8 Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head--B.J. Thomas
9 All I Have to Do is Dream--Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell
10 Arizona--Mark Lindsay

Singles entering the chart were Travelin' Band by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#14); Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel (#15); Ma Belle Amie by Tee Set (#17); and Dankie by Lance James (#19).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Spirit in the Sky--Norman Greenbaum (2nd week at #1)
2 Come and Get It--Badfinger
3 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel
4 Ma Belle Amie--The Tee Set
5 Instant Karma (We All Shine On)--John Ono Lennon (with the Plastic Ono Band)
6 House of the Rising Sun--Frijid Pink
7 Kentucky Rain--Elvis Presley
8 The Rapper--The Jaggerz
9 Let it Be--The Beatles
10 Celebrate--Three Dog Night

Singles entering the chart were Take a Look Around by Smith (#26); Up the Ladder to the Roof by the Supremes (#27); Shilo by Neil Diamond (#28); Gotta Hold on to this Feeling by Jr. Walker & the All Stars (#29); and Didn't I (Blow Your Mind this Time) by the Delfonics (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Let it Be--The Beatles
2 Instant Karma (We All Shine On)--John Ono Lennon (with the Plastic Ono Band)
3 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel
4 The Rainmaker--Tom Northcott
5 I Must Have Been Blind--The Collectors
6 Who'll Stop the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
7 Something's Burning--Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
8 No Time--The Guess Who
9 Come and Get It--Badfinger
10 Temma Harbour--Mary Hopkin

Space
The United States launched NATOSAT-I, a military communications satellite placed into a stationary equatorial orbit by NASA for NATO.

Labour
The strike of U.S. postal workers that had begun in New York the previous day spread to Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Denver, and San Francisco. The U.S. government and leaders of the seven postal unions reached an agreement to get back on the job while a settlement was being worked out, but the workers vowed to strike "until hell freezes over" for their demands. Congress refused to consider legislation under pressure.

30 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (Hot Press): Coward of the County--Kenny Rogers (4th week at #1)

Diplomacy
The United States, in an attempt to gain the release of the hostages from the U.S. embassy in Iran, concluded three days of appeals to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to make a final judgement on Iran’s violation of international law.

World events
Martial law in Zimbabwe ended.

25 years ago
1985

Sport
Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, completing the 1,131-mile course in 18 days, 20 minutes, and 17 seconds.

20 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Maurice Cloche, 82. French film director. Mr. Cloche had a career spanning half a century from the 1930s to the '80s, and was known for directing movies with Roman Catholic themes. His best known film was Monsieur Vincent (1947), which was awarded a special Academy Award for Foreign Language Film. Mr. Cloche died after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

Movies
The Genie Awards were presented at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, recognizing the best Canadian film achievements of 1989. Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal) won 12 of 14 awards, including Best Picture; Best Director ( Denys Arcand); Best Actor (Lothaire Bluteau); and Best Supporting Actor (Rémy Girard).

Politics and government
In an attempt to save the Meech Lake Canadian constitutional accord, New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna proposed a parallel accord, so that Meech could be approved intact while concessions to its opponents were met in a companion agreement. Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau published a book of speeches attacking the Meech Lake Accord.

Diplomacy
As Namibia was becoming an independent nation, Canadian External Affairs Minister Joe Clark announced that Canada would open a High Commission in Namibia. He pledged $4 million in aid to Namibia and assistance for the army and police.

Scandal
Imelda Marcos, widow of former Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, went on trial for bribery, embezzlement, and racketeering.

Environment
Meeting at the Globe '90 Conference in Vancouver, provincial environment ministers in Canada agreed to cut the use of disposable packaging by 50%. They also agreed to impose tougher controls on pulp mill polluters.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Commerce Department reported that consumer prices had increased 0.5% in February. A record rise in oil imports caused the merchandise trade deficit to grow to $9.25 billion in January.

The Canadian government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced its intention to pass a law forcing financial institutions to keep records of large cash transactions so that criminals could not launder money. The move had been urged by the Canadian Bankers Association.

Football
CFL
The British Columbia Lions and Toronto Argos completed their second trade in as many days. The Lions traded quarterback Matt Dunigan to the Argos for quarterback Rick Johnson; linebacker Willie Pless; slotback Emanuel Tolbert; defensive tackle Jearld Baylis; defensive back Todd Wiseman; and linebacker Tony Visco. Two years earlier Mr. Dunigan had been traded from the Edmonton Eskimos to the Lions for what ended up being six players, making the future Hall of Fame member probably the most-traded-for player in Canadian Football League history. Mr. Johnson had announced his intention to retire from football to pursue an acting career, and the Lions were unable to persuade him to change his plans.

10 years ago
2000

Diplomacy
Pope John Paul II met with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman, and visited Mount Nebo, from where Moses saw the promised land before his death.

U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Bangladesh; he met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hazina Wazed and pledged $200 million in new aid.

World events
A massacre of three dozen Sikhs in Indian-held Kashmir brought new attention to the geographical dispute between India and Pakistan.

Politics and government
Nick Parsons, a farmer from British Columbia, arrived in Ottawa after driving across Canada on a combine to raise awareness of the need for farm aid. Mr. Parsons met Prime Minister Jean Chretien before heading home.

Crime
Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, the former Black Panther once known as H. Rap Brown, was captured in Alabama, four days after allegedly murdering Georgia sheriff's deputy Ricky Kinchen and critically wounding Deputy Aldranon English. He was convicted of 13 charges, including murder, two years later, and sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

Six juvenile offenders wearing bright orange vests were killed by a female drunk driver as they collected trash alongside a highway near Las Vegas.

Two men who worked for the trucking company hired to deliver Academy Awards statuettes were charged with stealing the 55 Oscars, all but three of which were found over the weekend beside a trash bin by a man scavenging for valuables.

Terrorism
Former hostage Terry Anderson was awarded $341 million from Iran by a U.S. federal judge who said his treatment during his nearly seven years’ (1985-1991) of captivity in Beirut was "savage and cruel by any civilized standards."