March 14, 2010

420 years ago
1590

War
During the French Wars of Religion, Henry of Navarre and his Huguenot forces defeated the forces of the Catholic League under the Duc de Mayenne in the Battle of Ivry.

230 years ago
1780

War
Spanish forces commanded by Bernardo de Gálvez captured Fort Charlotte in Mobile, British West Florida, the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans in Spanish Louisiana.

210 years ago
1800

Born on this date
James Bogardus. U.S. inventor. Mr. Bogardus invented a cotton-spinning machine called a ring flier (1828) and a mechanized engraving machine (1831), but was best known as the pioneer of cast-iron architecture, for which he took out a patent in 1850. He died on April 13, 1974 at the age of 74.

190 years ago
1820

Born on this date
Victor Emmanuel II. King of Sardinia-Piedmont, 1849-1861; King of Italy, 1861-1878. Victor Emmanuel II succeeded his father Charles Albert as King of Sardinia-Piedmont, and held that title until becoming the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century. He was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church after fighting against papal troops in 1860, but King Victor Emmanuel met with Pope Pius IX's envoys in Rome, and the excommunication was reversed just before the king died on January 9, 1878 at the age of 57.

130 years ago
1880

Born on this date
Thyra. Princess of Denmark and Iceland. Princess Thyra was the sixth child and third daughter of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife Princess Louise of Sweden and Norway. Princess Thyra never married or had children, and died on November 2, 1945 at the age of 65.

110 years ago
1900

Economics and finance
The U.S. Congress ratified the Gold Standard Act.

100 years ago
1910

Environment
Prospectors drilled into a pressurized deposit within the Midway-Sunset Oil Field in California, resulting in the largest accidental oil spill in history, which eventually released 9 million barrels (1.4 million m3) of crude oil over 18 months.

80 years ago
1940

At the movies
Road to Singapore, directed by Victor Schertzinger, and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour, opened in theatres. It was the first in the series of "Road" pictures starring Messrs. Crosby and Hope.



War
Finland began evacuation of areas ceded to the U.S.S.R. in the Moscow Peace Treaty, signed two days earlier.

Diplomacy
U.S. Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles met in Paris for the second time with French Prime Minister Eduard Daladier.

Politics and government
Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, a Liberal, created a new coalition cabinet that included members of the Country Party.

Economics and finance
The Brazilian government announced that it would finance the development of its own steel industry, rejecting German aid.

A U.S. Senate-House of Representatives conference agreed to, and Congress accepted, a $1,032-billion Treasury-Post Office supply bill and sent it to the White House for the signature of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Olympics
Erik von Frenckell, chairman of the Helsinki Olympic Committee, said it was too early to decide whether Helsinki would host the 1940 Summer Olympic Games.

60 years ago
1950

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

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Parcel, starring Conrad Janis, Ray Walston, Royal Dano, and Lee Marvin



World events
A court in Seoul sentenced 13 members of the South Korean National Assembly to prison terms of 3-10 years for violating national security by maintaining contacts with the Communists.

Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru arrived in Calcutta to assess the results of two months of rioting between Hindus and Muslims in Bengal.

Diplomacy
The Israeli Parliament approved secret negotiations with Jordan on a proposed pact which would reportedly give Jordan free use of the port of Haifa; end trade and travel restrictions; and bind the two countries in a five-year non-aggression pact.

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to select a single mediator to supervise the demilitarization of Kashmir and prepare a plebiscite on the state's union with India or Pakistan.

Politics and government
The Czechoslovakian government announced the resignation of Vladimir Clementis as Foreign Minister. He was the only remaining cabinet member who had served with the Czechoslovakian government-in-exile in London during World War II.

Crime
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s issued its first "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list.

Scandal
U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy (Republican--Wisconsin) named eight more alleged "security risks" involved in government: career diplomat John Stewart Service; Haldore Hanson; Esther Caukin Brunauer; former Navy Commander Stephan Brunhauer; Far Eastern Affairs adviser Owen Lattimore; Gustavo Duran; Harvard University astronomer Harlow Shapley; and Dr. Frederick Schuman of Frederick College.

Politics and government
The South Carolina House of Representatives voted $10,000 to finance impeachment proceedings against Federal District Judge J. Waties Waring, who had ordered Negro participation in Democratic Party primaries, on grounds that "he and his northern-born wife have advocated a Negro revolution against white supremacy.

Academia
The American Academy of Arts and Letters presented its gold medal to painter John Sloan, 78, for his life's work.

Technology
General Electric announced the development of a robot mechanism for work with radioactive materials in atomic projects.

50 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Ansiedad--Nat King Cole

#1 single in France (IFOP): Mustapha--Bob Azzam

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

Singles entering the chart were Don't Throw Away All Those Teardrops by Frankie Avalon (#65); At My Front Door by Dee Clark (#76); Straight A's in Love by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two (#84); Big Iron by Marty Robbins (#88); Caravan by Santo & Johnny (#89); The Old Lapmlighter by the Browns (#96); Ruby by Adam Wade (#97); Don't Deceive Me by Ruth Brown (#98); Lonely Weekends by Charlie Rich (#99); and Teenage Sonata by Sam Cooke (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 He'll Have to Go--Jim Reeves (5th week at #1)
2 The Theme from "A Summer Place"--Percy Faith and his Orchestra
3 Wild One/Little Bitty Girl--Bobby Rydell
4 Handy Man--Jimmy Jones
5 Teen Angel--Mark Dinning
6 Harbor Lights--The Platters
7 Puppy Love--Paul Anka
8 What in the World's Come Over You--Jack Scott
9 Sweet Nothin's--Brenda Lee
10 Running Bear--Johnny Preston

Singles entering the chart were Footsteps by Steve Lawrence (#35); Christopher Sunday by the Ames Brothers (#36, charting with its A-side, China Doll); Starbright by Johnny Mathis (#38); Let the Little Girl Dance by Billy Bland (#43); The Old Lamplighter/Teen-Ex by the Browns (#44); Don't Throw Away All Those Teardrops by Frankie Avalon (#45); Night by Jackie Wilson (#52); The Way of a Clown by Teddy Randazzo (#56); Shazam! by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#57); Stairway to Heaven by Neil Sedaka (#58); Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You) by Della Reese (#59); Caravan by Santo & Johnny (#60); and Clementine by Bobby Darin (also #60). Shazam! was from the movie Because They're Young (1960).

Space
The British radio telescope at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire set a new space record by making contact with the American Pioneer 5 satellite at a distance of 407,000 miles.

40 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother--Hollies

#1 single in France: Laisse-moi t'aimer--Mike Brant

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Chi non lavora non fa l'amore--Adriano Celentano

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Whole Lotta Love--Led Zeppelin (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Wand'rin' Star--Lee Marvin (2nd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 I Thank You--Lionel Rose
2 Venus--Shocking Blue
3 Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head--Johnny Farnham
4 Smiley--Ronnie Burns
5 Superstar--Murray Head with the Trinidad Singers
6 Don't Cry Daddy/Rubberneckin'--Elvis Presley
7 Whole Lotta Love--Led Zeppelin
8 Two Little Boys--Rolf Harris
9 Arizona--Mark Lindsay
10 All I Have to Do is Dream--Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell

Singles entering the chart were Temma Harbour by Mary Hopkin (#25); Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) by Edison Lighthouse (#27); and You're Everything by Don Lane (#38).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Who'll Stop the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival (2nd week at #1)
2 Dear Ann--George Baker Selection
3 Mijn Gebed--D.C. Lewis
4 A Song of Joy (Himno a la Alegria)--Miguel Rios
5 Let it Be--The Beatles
6 Seasons--Earth and Fire
7 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel
8 Bitter Tears--The Shuffles
9 Lay Down--Melanie en the Edwin Hawkins Singers
10 Venus--Shocking Blue

Singles entering the chart were Let it Be; Nemen en Geven by Anja (#30); Soultango by Casey and the Pressure Group (#33); El Cóndor Pasa by Los Incas (#35); and The Witch's Promise by Jethro Tull (#39). El Cóndor Pasa, originally released in 1963, was an instrumental, and was the backing track of the vocal version by Simon and Garfunkel, which was on their album Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970), and was released as a single later in the year.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel (3rd week at #1)
2 Travelin' Band/Who'll Stop the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
3 The Rapper--The Jaggerz
4 Rainy Night in Georgia--Brook Benton
5 Ma Belle Amie--The Tee Set
6 Give Me Just a Little More Time--The Chairmen of the Board
7 Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody is a Star--Sly & the Family Stone
8 Hey There Lonely Girl--Eddie Holman
9 He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother--Hollies
10 Evil Ways--Santana

Singles entering the chart were ABC by the Jackson 5 (#41); Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman) by Led Zeppelin (#87); Come Into My Life by Jimmy Cliff (#90); Get Ready by Rare Earth (#91); My Woman, My Woman, My Wife by Marty Robbins (#92); For the Love of Him by Bobbi Martin (#93); Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone by Charley Pride (#94); Reflections of My Life by the Marmalade (#96); You've Made Me So Very Happy by Lou Rawls (#99); and Laughin and Clownin by Ray Charles (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel (3rd week at #1)
2 Rainy Night in Georgia--Brook Benton
3 The Rapper--The Jaggerz
4 Hey There Lonely Girl--Eddie Holman
5 Travelin' Band--Creedence Clearwater Revival
6 Ma Belle Amie--The Tee Set
7 Evil Ways--Santana
8 He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother--Hollies
9 Give Me Just a Little More Time--The Chairmen of the Board
10 Kentucky Rain--Elvis Presley

Singles entering the chart were Let it Be by the Beatles (#32); ABC by the Jackson 5 (#43); For the Love of Him by Bobbi Martin (#76); Children by Joe South (#77); I Could Write a Book by Jerry Butler (#83); Tennessee Bird Walk by Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan (#85); Capture the Moment by Jay and the Americans (#86); If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else by the Bee Gees (#87); You Keep Tightening Up on Me by the Box Tops (#90); Little Green Bag by George Baker Selection (#92); Time to Get it Together by Country Coalition (#93); The Funniest Thing by Dennis Yost and the Classics IV (#94); Nothing Succeeds Like Success by Bill Deal & the Rhondels (#95); Which Way You Goin' Billy? by the Poppy Family (#96); Love Minus Zero - No Limit by Turley Richards (#97); I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody's Got a Thing by Funkadelic (#98); Get Ready by Rare Earth (#99); and Dear Prudence by The 5 Stairsteps (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel (3rd week at #1)
2 Travelin' Band/Who'll Stop the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
3 Rainy Night in Georgia--Brook Benton
4 The Rapper--The Jaggerz
5 Ma Belle Amie--The Tee Set
6 Hey There Lonely Girl--Eddie Holman
7 Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody is a Star--Sly & the Family Stone
8 Give Me Just a Little More Time--The Chairmen of the Board
9 Didn't I (Blow Your Mind this Time)--The Delfonics
10 House of the Rising Sun--Frijid Pink

Singles entering the chart were Let it Be by the Beatles (#64); ABC by the Jackson 5 (#72); Little Green Bag by George Baker Selection (#82); The Funniest Thing by Dennis Yost and the Classics IV (#83); Free as the Wind by the Brooklyn Bridge (#84); Turn Back the Hands of Time by Tyrone Davis (#89); For the Love of Him by Bobbi Martin (#91); Love Minus Zero - No Limit by Turley Richards (#94); Ticket to Ride by the Carpenters (#96); Slow Down by Crow (#97); Reflections of My Life by the Marmalade (#98); Get Ready by Rare Earth (#99); and Buffalo Soldier by the Flamingos (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel
2 No Time--The Guess Who
3 Hey There Lonely Girl--Eddie Holman
4 Rainy Night in Georgia--Brook Benton
5 Psychedelic Shack--The Temptations
6 Travelin' Band--Creedence Clearwater Revival
7 The Rapper--The Jaggerz
8 Ma Belle Amie--The Tee Set
9 That's Where I Went Wrong--The Poppy Family
10 Evil Ways--Santana

Singles entering the chart were I Would Be in Love (Anyway) by Frank Sinatra (#85); The Ghetto by Donny Hathaway (#86); Jennifer Tomkins by Street People (#87); Do the Funky Chicken by Rufus Thomas (#88); Just About the Same by the Association (#89); Tennessee Bird Walk by Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan (#91); Child of Dawn by Justin Tyme (#92); Free as the Wind by the Brooklyn Bridge (#94); The Chant by Lighthouse (#96); You're Right Ray Charles by Joe Tex (#97); Up the Ladder to the Roof by the Supremes (#98); Don't Worry Baby by the Tokens (#99); and A Change is Gonna Come & People Gotta Be Free by the 5th Dimension (#100).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Bridge Over Troubled Water--Simon & Garfunkel (3rd week at #1)
2 Arizona--Mark Lindsay
3 Instant Karma (We All Shine On)--John Ono Lennon (with the Plastic Ono Band)
4 Spirit in the Sky--Norman Greenbaum
5 Come and Get It--Badfinger
6 Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head--B.J. Thomas
7 Ma Belle Amie--The Tee Set
8 Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)--Edison Lighthouse
9 Light of Love--The Cat
10 He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother--Hollies
Pick hit of the week: Sparkle and Shine--The Clique

Died on this date
Mary Ann Ganser, 22. U.S. singer. Miss Ganser, along with her twin sister Marge, was a member of the 1960s group the Shangri-Las, whose hits included Remember (Walkin' in the Sand) (#5 U.S., 1964); Leader of the Pack (#1 U.S., 1964); I Can Never Go Home Anymore (#6 U.S., 1965); and my favourite of theirs, Past, Present and Future (#59 U.S., 1966). She reportedly began having problems with drink and drugs in 1968, and died of a drug overdose.

War
U.S. dead in Vietnam for the week ending March 14 numbered 101, 13 more than the previous week. 620 Americans were wounded. South Vietnam lost 459 dead and 1,162 wounded. North Vietnamese and Viet Cong losses were put at 2,382.

Terrorism
The Columbia Eagle, a military-chartered U.S. freighter carrying munitions to Thailand, was hijacked by two alleged mutineers, who set 24 members of the crew adrift in life rafts after issuing a false alarm of fire. The hijackers diverted the ship to Cambodian waters, while the rest of the men were picked up later by another freighter.

Economics and finance
Antoine Scaff and Dimitriakis Efstratios shared the grand prize of $125,000 in the first Loto-Québec draw; a variety show, broadcast live from the Saint-Denis theater in Montreal, accompanied the announcement of the winning numbers.

Disasters
A coal mine blast in Breza, Yugoslavia killed at least 48 and injured 10.

37 people were killed when a Brazilian airliner crashed at the mouth of the Amazon River.

27 were killed and 32 injured in a collision of two buses and an alcohol-laden truck in Pachuca, Mexico.

A building under construction in Godthaab, Greenland collapsed, killing 6 and injuring 30.

Hockey
NHL
Montreal 6 @ St. Louis 2
Boston 1 @ Toronto 2

Bobby Rousseau scored 2 goals to help the Canadiens defeat the Blues at St. Louis Arena. Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, John Ferguson, and Mickey Redmond scored the other Montreal goals. Jim Roberts and Phil Goyette scored for the Blues.

Paul Henderson's powerplay goal at 6:10 of the 3rd period broke a 1-1 tie as the Maple Leafs edged the Bruins at Maple Leaf Gardens. Floyd Smith opened the scoring for Toronto 4:14 into the game, and Johnny Bucyk tied the score on a powerplay about 3 minutes later. Bruce Gamble was named the game's first star, winning the goaltending duel over Ed Johnston.



30 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Himmel No. 7/Flickorna på TV2--Gyllene Tider (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): One Step Beyond--Madness

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

Singles entering the chart were Sara by Fleetwood Mac (#18); and Coward of the County by Kenny Rogers (#20).

Died on this date
Mohammad Hatta, 77. Prime Minister of Indonesia, 1948-1949; Vice President of Indonesia, 1945-1956. Mr. Hatta, known as "The Proclamator" was a leading Javanese advocate of Indonesian independence from Dutch colonial rule from the 1920s until independence was obtained in 1945. In addition to serving as Prime Minister, he was Minister of Defense (1948-1949) and Foreign Minister (1949-1950). Mr. Hatta became increasingly disenchanted with the rule of President Sukarno, and became increasingly critical of him after resigning as Vice President. Shortly after Suharto succeeded Sukarno as President in 1970, Mr. Hatta was appointed to head a commission of inquiry into corruption in Indonesia; the results, when leaked in July 1970, showed widespread corruption, but Suharto disbanded the commission a month later. Mr. Hatta became increasingly critical of President Suharto's regime in later years.

Allard Lowenstein, 51. U.S. politician. Mr. Lowenstein, a Democrat, was a law professor before becoming a political activist, leading a movement within the Democratic Party to prevent the renomination of President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. He represented New York's 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969-1971, but was defeated in his re-election bid in 1970 after his riding was gerrymandered. Mr. Lowenstein conducted unsuccessful Congressional election campaigns in 1972, 1974, and 1978. He was shot and killed in his office by Dennis Sweeney, a former colleague in the civil rights movement. Mr. Sweeney apparently blamed Mr. Lowenstein for family problems that had led to the death of Mr. Sweeney’s stepfather after a heart attack in February.

Economics and finance
After a three-week review of economic policies, U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced a five-point anti-inflation package. The five major elements were: $13 billion in federal spending cuts to balance the 1981 budget combined with $2 billion in cuts for the present year; controls on unsecured loans and other forms of consumer credit, as well as restraints on banks and money market mutual funds; a new voluntary pay standard of 7½-9½%, and an expansion of the staff monitoring wages and prices; a $4.62 fee on each barrel of imported oil, translating to a 10-cent-per-gallon increase in gasoline prices; and measures to increase productivity, savings, and research. Separately, the Federal Reserve announced an additional surcharge of 3 percentage points on the discount rate to large banks borrowing from the Fed on a frequent basis. This move raised the total rate to 16%.

Disasters
LOT Flight 7, an Ilyushin Il-62 jetliner carrying a 22-member American amateur boxing team, crashed after an engine failed minutes before landing at Warsaw. All 87 on board were killed.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 6 Chicago 4

20 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (4th week at #1)

Personal
This blogger began a job as a researcher with Treaty & Aboriginal Rights Research with the Indian Association of Alberta.

Politics and government
The Soviet Congress of People’s Deputies voted to begin popular elections for the presidency beginning in 1995.

The Central Committee of the People’s Revolutionary (Communist) Party in Mongolia voted to drop its monopoly on power as guaranteed by the constitution. Gombojavyn Ochirbat, a reformist leader who had been living in Czechoslovakia, was selected to replace Communist general secretary Jambyn Batmunh, and an all-new Politburo was chosen.

Diplomacy
Representatives from West Germany, East Germany, France, U.K., U.S.S.R., and U.S.A. began talks in Bonn on German reunification.

Sport
Susan Butcher won her fourth Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in the past five years, covering the 1,158 miles from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska in 11 days, 1 hour, 53 minutes, 23 seconds.

10 years ago
2000

Politics and government
Voting in primaries and caucuses gave U.S. Vice President Al Gore enough delegates to ensure a first-ballot victory in the contest for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. The same was true for the Republican Party, where Texas Governor George Bush clinched the nomination.

Economics and finance
Quebec announced that it would cut personal income taxes by $4.5 billion over three years.