January 29, 2011

1,350 years ago
661

Died on this date
Ali, 59. Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, 656-661. Ali, a native of Mecca and the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, was the first male who accepted Islam under Muhammad, and became the 1st Imam of Shia Islam in 632. Ali died three days after being attacked with a poisoned sword wielded by Kharijite Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam, while Ali was praying in the Great Mosque of Kufa. Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam was executed three days later. Ali is regarded by Shia Muslims as the rightful successor to Muhammad as caliph. Upon his death, Kufi Muslims pledged allegiance to his eldest son Hasan without dispute.

300 years ago
1711

Born on this date
Giuseppe Bonno. Austrian composer. Mr. Bonno composed a number of operas and oratorios, largely forgotten today. He died on April 15, 1788 at the age of 77.

250 years ago
1761

Born on this date
Albert Gallatin. Swiss-born U.S. politician and diplomat. Mr. Gallatin, a native of Geneva, moved to the United States in the 1780s and settled in Pennsylvania. He was an ethnologist and linguist who, as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate (1793-1794) and represented the state's 12th District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1795-1801). He was United States Secretary of the Treasury (1801-1814), taking the last nine months of his time in office off to go to St. Petersburg as one of four American commissioners who were trying to negotiate an end to the War of 1812. Mr. Gallatin was U.S. Minister to France (1816-1823) and the United Kingdom (1826-1827). He became president of the National Bank of New York in 1829, and helped to found New York University in 1831. Mr. Gallatin died on August 12, 1849 at the age of 88.

160 years ago
1861

Born on this date
Florida Ruffin Ridley. U.S. civil rights activist and journalist. Mrs. Ridley was active in supporting Negro civil rights in Boston. She wrote about civil rights in New England, and contributed to various publications; she edited The New Era, the first American newspaper published by and for Negro women. Mrs. Ridley died on February 25, 1943, 27 days after her 82nd birthday.

Americana
Kansas entered the Union as the 34th state; it entered as a free state at a time when slave states in the south were threatening secession.

125 years ago
1886

Transportation
Karl Benz received a patent for the first successful gasoline-driven car. Mr. Benz, a German engineer, had driven the three-wheeled car in Mannheim in 1885. The car had an electric ignition and differential gears and was water-cooled.

120 years ago
1891

World events
Liliuokalani was proclaimed the last monarch and only queen regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

110 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Allen B. DuMont. U.S. engineer and television magnate. Mr. DuMont invented several electronic devices, but was best known for devising improvements to the cathode ray tube for use in television sets. Mr. DuMont issued the Model 180 in June 1938, which was the first all-electronic television set available to the public. He founded the DuMont Television Network, which broadcast from 1942-1956. Mr. DuMont became television's first millionaire; he died on November 14, 1965 at the age of 64.

E.P. Taylor. Canadian businessman and horse breeder. Edward Plunket Taylor, a native of Ottawa, was successful in developing businesses and getting others to buy them; he was particularly known as a brewery magnate. Mr. Taylor founded Argus Corporation in 1945, which became Canada's largest holding company in the 1960s and '70s. He began breeding horses in the 1950s, and purchased the property in Oshawa, Ontario that eventually became Windfields Farm. Mr. Taylor's horses won 15 Queen's Plates, with Northern Dancer winning that race in 1964 as well as the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Mr. Taylor was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1974. He moved to the Bahamas in 1963, and died on May 14, 1989 at the age of 88.

Hockey
Stanley Cup challenge
Winnipeg Victoria 4 @ Montreal Shamrocks 3 (Winnipeg led best-of-three series 1-0)

The Shamrocks were the defending champions.

100 years ago
1911

War
Mexicali was captured by forces of the Mexican Liberal Party led by José María Leyva, igniting the Magonista rebellion of 1911.

70 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Ioannas Metaxas, 69. Prime Minister of Greece, 1936-1941. Lieutenant General Metaxas was a member of the Freethinkers' Party from 1922-1936; he governed constitutionally for the first four months of his tenure, but governed after that as the dictator of the 4th of August regime. He was succeded as Prime Minister by Alexandros Koryzis.

War
Japanese, French, and Thai representatives began armistice negotiations to stop border hostilities between Thailand and Indochina.

Diplomacy
Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka stated his hope that the appointment of Nobumasa Nomura as Japanese Ambassador to the United States would improve relations between the countries.

Defense
Secret U.S.-U.K. military staff talks began in Washington. The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee adopted amendments to the Lend-Lease bill limiting the bill to June 30, 1943, and barring convoying by the U.S. Navy. The Senate passed the $909-million authorization for Navy expansion, and sent the bill to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Politics and government
The Vichy French government announced the creation of a 40-man national committee called Rassemblement National to replace the old political parties.

Law
Cuban President Fulgencio Batista signed a decree making totalitarian propaganda in Cuba illegal.

Labour
A third International Harvester Company plant working on U.S. defense orders was closed by the Congress of Industrial Organizations Farm Equipment Workers strike. U.S. Representative Carl Vinson (Democrat--Georgia) introduced a bill to bar strikes and closed shops on naval defense projects.

60 years ago
1951

On the radio
Sherlock Holmes, read by Laidman Browne, on BBC
Tonight's episode: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 2

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Masque of the Red Death, starring Hurd Hatfield, Berry Kroeger, and Monica Lang

Died on this date
José Gómez Mena. Cuban businessman. Mr. Gómez was a wealthy sugar planter and society leader. He was shot to death in Havana by a former sugar mill foreman.

Divorced on this date
Actress Elizabeth Taylor, 18, divorced hotel heir Nicky Hilton, 24, in Hollywood.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Harry Truman and French Prime Minister Rene Pleven began two days of talks in Washington, concentrating on European defense problems and Indochina.

Defense
U.K. Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced an increase in Britain's defense budget for the next three years, raising total military expenditures to $13.1 billion.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Price Stabilization Office opened 13 regioal and 42 district branch offices throughout the country to begin local administration of price controls.

Boxing
Rocky Marciano (32-0) scored a technical knockout over Keene Simmons (8-9-1) at 2:54 of the 8th round of a heavyweight bout at Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence.

50 years ago
1961

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Ken Dies!

Terrorism
Brazilian President-elect Janio Quadros, scheduled to take office two days later, said that he would grant asylum to the pirates led by former Portuguese army captain Hector Galvao who had been holding almost 1,000 people hostage aboard the Portuguese cruise ship Santa Maria in the Atlantic Ocean for a week.

Track and field
Valery Brumel of the U.S.S.R. set a world record in the high jump at 7 feet 4½ inches at a meet in Leningrad. John Thomas of the United States held the previous record of 7 feet 2½ inches. Mr. Thomas was at a meet in Boston when he got word of Mr. Brumel’s feat; Mr. Thomas then jumped 7 feet 3 inches.

Figure skating
Laurence Owen won the gold medal in the women's singles competition at the U.S.Championships at World Arena in Colorado Springs. Stephanie Westerfeld won the silver medal, and Rhode Lee Michelson won the bronze medal.







40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow--The Dealians (3rd week at #1)
2 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
3 Looky Looky--Giorgio
4 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
5 Gypsy Woman--Brian Hyland
6 Cracklin' Rosie--Neil Diamond
7 Zanzibar--Wanda Arletti
8 Knock Three Times--Dawn
9 San Bernadino--Christie
10 No Matter What--Badfinger

The only single entering the chart was There's a Light, There's a Way by the Invaders (#20).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Lonely Days-- Bee Gees (2nd week at #1)
2 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
3 Love the One You're With--Stephen Stills
4 Your Song--Elton John
5 Knock Three Times--Dawn
6 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
7 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
8 Knock Three Times--Dawn
9 Sing High, Sing Low--Anne Murray
10 Bridget the Midget (The Queen of the Blues)--Ray Stevens

Singles entering the chart were Hang on to Your Life/Do You Miss Me Darlin' by the Guess Who (#26); Watching Scotty Grow (#27); Temptation Eyes (#28); and Dickens by Leigh Ashford (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds (2nd week at #1)
2 Lonely Days-- Bee Gees
3 Your Song--Elton John
4 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
5 Sing High, Sing Low--Anne Murray
6 Love the One You're With--Stephen Stills
7 Apeman--The Kinks
8 If I were Your Woman--Gladys Knight & the Pips
9 Remember Me--Diana Ross
10 Amazing Grace--Judy Collins

Singles entering the chart were Woodstock by Matthews' Southern Comfort (#24); Mama Pearl by the Jackson 5 (#27); Do You Know What You are Doing? by Terry Bush (#28); and Fresh as a Daisy by Emitt Rhodes (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (6th week at #1)
2 Knock Three Times--Dawn
3 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
4 Your Song--Elton John
5 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
6 For the Good Times--Ray Price
7 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
8 Amazing Grace--Judy Collins
9 Sing High, Sing Low--Anne Murray
10 Silver Moon--Michael Nesmith & the First National Band

On television tonight
The Interns, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Tasha

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau returned home after a 24-day Asian tour, which included his participation in the Singapore conference of Commonwealth heads of government.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Richard Nixon submitted an "expansionary but not inflationary" budget of $229.2 billion to Congress for fiscal 1972.

30 years ago
1981

Politics and government
Ronald Reagan held, in Washington, his first press conference as President of the United States. He ordered a 60-day freeze on pending government regulations and announced the elimination of the Council on Wage and Price Stability, the federal agency that had monitored wage and price increases for six years. He repeated his support for a 30% cut in personal tax rates and the elimination of the federal departments of energy and education.



25 years ago
1986

World events
Yoweri Museveni, leader of the National Resistance Army, was sworn in as President of Uganda, two days after his predecessor, General Tito Okello, had fled to Sudan. Mr. Museveni said that a fundamental change in Ugandan politics had taken place, and he promised to return the country to civilian rule.

Diplomacy
Jonas Savimbi, leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)--a rebel force opposing the Communist-supported government of Angola--met with U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger in Washington.

20 years ago
1991

War
Iraqi troops seized the Saudi Arabian town of Al Khafji. In his State of the Union speech, U.S. President George Bush emphasized that the liberation of Kuwait was the purpose of the Gulf War, not to being about "the destruction of Iraq, its culture, or its people." U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and Soviet Foreign Minister Aleksandr Bessmertnykh issued a statement in Washington which held out the possibility of a cease-fire if Iraq left Kuwait.

Politics and government
U.S. President George Bush delivered his annual State of the Union address to Congress.



A Quebec Liberal Party committee headed by Quebec City lawyer Jean Allaire issued its report, demanding that Quebec be given far-reaching powers and exclusive control over a wide range of areas, including communications, energy, the environment, agriculture, and regional development. The report also called for the abolition of Canada’s Senate and a new constitution with an amending formula that would include a veto for Quebec. Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa accepted the thrust of the report. Ontario Premier Bob Rae expressed concern that a call for such a transfer of federal powers represented a "dismantling of the country." Separatist leaders reacted negatively to the report, while Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was cautious in his reaction, calling the report a "working document." Mr. Bourassa had created the committee in February 1990 in anticipation of the rejection of the Meech Lake accord.

Diplomacy
African National Congress Deputy President Nelson Mandela and Inkatha Freedom Party President Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi met for the first time in 30 years in an attempt to end the violence between the South African anti-apartheid groups that had claimed 5,000 lives since they had split in 1979.

10 years ago
2001

Protest
Thousands of student protesters in Indonesia stormed Parliament and demanded that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign because of alleged involvement in corruption scandals.

Politics and government
The United States Senate approved Elaine Chao as Secretary of Labor in the administration of President George W. Bush.

Peter Milliken (Liberal--Kingston and the Islands) was elected the new Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons after five rounds of voting.

Economics and finance
The Toronto Stock Exchange allowed stocks greater than $5 in value to trade at 1-cent increments instead of at 5-cent increments.

Business
Canada 3000 announced that it would acquire and merge with rival Royal Aviation in an $82-million all-stock deal; the new Canada 3000 Airlines would continue low-fare domestic and international routes.

Winnipeg-based Investors Group announced that it would acquire Toronto-based Mackenzie Financial Corporation for $4.15 billion, creating Canada's largest mutual fund company.