January 5, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Laura-Belle Robinson!

230 years ago
1781

War
A British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burned Richmond, Virginia.

140 years ago
1871

Born on this date
Frederick Converse. U.S. composer. Mr. Converse wrote five symphonies and four operas, but is best known for works such as the symphonic poems The Mystic Trumpeter (1904) and Flivver Ten Million (1927). He died on June 8, 1940 at the age of 69.

100 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Jean-Pierre Aumont. French actor. Mr. Aumont, born Jean-Pierre Salomons, appeared in plays, films, and television programs in France and the United States in a career spanning 65 years, with time out for service with Free French Forces in World War II. His movies included Maria Chapdelaine (1934); The Cross of Lorraine (1943); Lili (1953); and The Seven Deadly Sins (1962). Mr. Aumont died of a heart attack on January 30, 2001, 25 days after his 90th birthday.

Academia
Kappa Alpha Psi, the world's third oldest and largest Negro fraternity, was founded at Indiana University.

80 years ago
1931

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Musgrave Ritual

70 years ago
1941

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Mazarin Stone

Died on this date
Amy Johnson, 37. U.K. aviatrix. Miss Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia in 1930, and set numerous distance records in the '30s, some in partnership with her husband Jim Mollison. She went off course in adverse weather conditions over the Thames Estuary, and bailed out as her aircraft crashed into the Thames Estuary near Herne Bay. A convoy of ships saw Miss Johnson coming down and saw her alive in the water, but HMS Haslemere, captained by Lieutenant Commander Walter Fletcher, was unsuccessful in attempting to rescue her. It has been rumoured that Miss Johnson's plane was hit by friendly fire, and that she was sucked into the rescue ship's propellers.

War
Three days of fighting in Libya concluded with a decisive victory by Australian and British forces over Italian forces in the Battle of Bardia. The British Air Ministry reported the bombing of Hamburg and Brest, while German bombers struck Bristol.

Diplomacy
Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka said that Japan must establish the "Greater East Asia Sphere" as a step toward peace.

Defense
U.S. oil magnate William R. Davis denied funding Verne Marshall's No Foreign Wars Commission.

Economics and finance
The Bogota newspaper La Razon said that Germany had smuggled counterfeit pesos and dollars into Colombia.

Labour
The executive board of the Congress of Industrial Organizations Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilders barred Nazis, Communists, and Fascists from national or local office.

60 years ago
1951

On the radio
Hear it Now, hosted by Edward R. Murrow, on CBS

Tonight's program included news about the fall of Seoul to Communist forces, and the new United States Congress.

War
A U.S. Defense Department spokesman estimated that there were 950,000 enemy troops in Korea, with 500,000 on or near the front. U.S. Senator Robert Taft (Republican--Ohio) opened the 82nc Congress' foreign policy debate by accusing President Harry Truman of violating the Constitution by sending troops to Korea without advance congressional approval.

Politics and government
Somaliland's Italian administration opened a school to train natives to serve in a future independent Somali government.

Economics and finance
Argentina concluded a $300-million trade agreement with France, providing grain, oil, and other raw materials in exchange for coal and steel.

Labour
Brotherhoods of U.S. railroad trainmen and firemen rejected the agreement negotiated at the White House in December 1950, instructing their representatives to bargain for better terms.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade): Save the Last Dance for Me--The Drifters

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I Love You--Cliff Richard and the Shadows (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Big Train: Part 1

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council rejected in effect a Cuban charge that the United States was planning a military invasion of Cuba. In asking for the Council session, Cuba had warned that a U.S. invasion might occur "within a few hours." In refuting accusations by Cuban Foreign Minister Raul Roa, U.S. Ambassador James J. Wadsworth denied that the U.S. had planned an invasion and denied that the U.S. had sought to isolate Cuba among Latin American states. The Cuban charges were supported by Soviet delegate Valerian Zorin. In what amounted to a rejection of the Cuban charges, the Security Council adjourned without taking any action.

The Council of the Organization of American States recommended in Washington that OAS members cut off exports of oil, trucks, and spare parts to the Dominican Republic. The vote was 14-1, with only the Dominican Republic opposed, but with abstentions by Argentina, Brazil, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The action had been proposed by OAS foreign ministers in 1960 when they recommended that OAS nations sever diplomatic relations with the Dominican government of Generalissimo Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina because of its "aggression" against Venezuela.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Kvällstoppen): Cracklin' Rosie--Neil Diamond (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): San Bernadino--Christie (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Douglas Shearer, 71. Canadian-born U.S. engineer. Mr. Shearer, a native of Westmount, Quebec, was the older brother of actress Norma Shearer. He moved to Hollywood in 1924 and went to work at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios as a sound engineer, becoming a pioneer in the use of sound in films. Mr. Shearer was nominated for 21 Academy Awards for sound, visual effects, and special effects from 1930-1951, winning five Oscars for sound and two for visual effects.

Discovered dead on this date
Sonny Liston, 38 (?). U.S. boxer. The discovery of the body of Charles Liston, world heavyweight champion from 1962-1964, was made by his wife Geraldine, who arrived home after a Christmas vacation to visit relatives. The date of Mr. Liston’s death was estimated at December 30, 1970.

Terrorism
FLQ terrorist Paul Rose was sentenced to two life terms in prison for the October 1970 kidnapping and non-capital murder of Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte. FLQ terrorist Claude Simard was given a life sentence, and Bernard Lortie received 20 years.

Diplomacy
After a suspension of more than four months, Middle East peace talks under United Nations mediator Gunnar Jarring resumed at the UN’s New York headquarters.

Peking radio announced that the governments of China and Chile were establishing diplomatic relations. The new tie, in line with Marxist Chilean President Salvador Allende’s campaign promise, made Chile the 57th nation and the second in Latin America--after Cuba--to recognize Communist China.

Law
U.S. Federal Judge Richard Austin, ruling that the U.S. Army was within its rights, dismissed a suit in Chicago brought to stop surveillance of private citizens by the military. Accusations had also been levelled that the Army had also been snooping on prominent political figures. Judge Austin called the Army activity "typical Washington bureaucratic boondoggling" and the investigators "an assemblage of Keystone Kops."

Basketball
The Harlem Globetrotters lost 100-99 to the New Jersey Reds. Their next loss didn’t occur until September 1995, after winning 8,829 consecutive games.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Sneaker Blues--Masahiko Kondō (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Woman in Love--Barbra Streisand (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Woman in Love--Barbra Streisand

Died on this date
Harold Urey, 87. U.S. chemist. Dr. Urey was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his discovery of heavy hydrogen." During World War II, he worked on the Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb. Dr. Urey took an interest in space science in later years, and examined rocks brought back from the Moon by the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

Diplomacy
U.S. President-elect Ronald Reagan met with Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo to discuss the establishment of a personal relationship to ease tensions and renew the friendship between the countries. They met on the Bridge of Friendship between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, clasped arms, and left for a 70-minute meeting in the Juarez Museum of Art and History. Details of the meeting were withheld, but it was predicted that the two would meet again between May and July.

War
Iranian President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr announced that the Iranian army had mounted a counteroffensive against Iraq. It was claimed that 200 Iraqis had been killed and 500 captured near Ahwaz, and 100 others had been killed in the Gilan region of Iran. U.S. military analysts dismissed the Iranian announcement.

The Salvadoran army claimed to have killed 27 leftist guerrillas in El Salvador’s civil war.

Defense
The second round of U.S. draft registration was conducted, with about 1.9 million men born in 1962 required to register with the Selective Service System. 95% of those born in 1960 and 1961 had complied with the requirement in the first period of registration.

Crime
Peter Sutcliffe of Bradford, England appeared in court after being arrested as the suspect in the Yorkshire Ripper murders of 13 women in the previous five years.

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Nikita--Elton John (5th week at #1)

Diplomacy
The Arab League "vigorously condemned" U.S. threats against Libya.

Football
NFL
NFC Divisional Playoff
New York Giants 0 @ Chicago 21

The Chicago defense sacked quarterback Phil Simms 6 times and limited the New York offense to 181 yards as the Bears blanked the Giants before 65,670 fans at Soldier Field. The winning touchdown scored in the 1st quarter when New York punter Sean Landeta had the ball go off the side of his foot, and Shaun Gayle returned it 5 yards for the shortest punt return touchdown in NFL history.

AFC Divisional Playoff
New England 27 @ Los Angeles Raiders 20

The Patriots scored 10 points in two plays in the 3rd quarter and held on to defeat the Raiders before 87,163 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With Los Angeles leadiing 20-17, Tony Frankilin kicked a field goal to tie the game, and his kickoff was fumbled by Los Angeles returner Sam Seale and recovered in the Raiders' end zone by New England special teams player Jim Bowman for the winning touchdown, converted by Mr. Franklin. New England running back Craig James rushed fo 104 yards and a touchdown, caught 3 passes for 48 yards, and completed a pass for 8 yards.



20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): I've Been Thinking About You--Londonbeat

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): I've Been Thinking About You--Londonbeat (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Alle Børnene--2 X Kaj (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Sadeness Part I--Enigma (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Petit Frank--François Feldman (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (CIN): Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter--Iron Maiden

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice (3rd week at #1)
2 Sadeness Part I--Enigma
3 Pray--MC Hammer
4 Justify My Love--Madonna
5 Mary Had a Little Boy--Snap!
6 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers
7 Don't Worry--Kim Appleby
8 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight--Robert Palmer and UB40
9 Unbelievable--EMF
10 It Takes Two--Rod Stewart & Tina Turner

Singles entering the chart were All the Man that I Need by Whitney Houston (#30); Knockin' Boots by Candyman (#32); Falling by Julee Cruise (#33); Sucker DJ (A Witch for Love) by Dimples D (#34); Mamma 'k Wil Een Man He! by Jody Singers (#37); Are You Dreaming? by Twenty 4 Seven featuring Capt. Hollywood (#39); and Parachute by Something Happens (#40). Falling was the theme from the television series Twin Peaks.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Justify My Love--Madonna
2 Because I Love You (The Postman Song)--Stevie B
3 From a Distance--Bette Midler
4 High Enough--Damn Yankees
5 Tom's Diner--DNA featuring Suzanne Vega
6 Impulsive--Wilson Phillips
7 Love Will Never Do (Without You)--Janet Jackson
8 Sensitivity--Ralph Tresvant
9 The First Time--Surface
10 I'm Your Baby Tonight--Whitney Houston

Singles entering the chart were Here Comes the Hammer by M.C. Hammer (#85); Signs by Tesla (#89); Remember My Name by House of Lords (#91); I've Been Waiting for You by Guys Next Door (#93); Don't Hold Back Your Love by Daryl Hall John Oates (#95); and Power of Love by Deee-Lite (#96).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Cash Box)
: Justify My Love--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Tõnis Kint, 95. Prime Minister of Estonia in exile, 1970-1990. Mr. Kint was an agriculture bureaucrat who was director of Estonia's Department of Agriculture (1938-1940) and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1938. He worked with the puppet Estonian government under Nazi occupation during World War II, but escaped to Sweden in 1944. Mr. Tint was an agriculture bureaucrat in Sweden (1945-1975), while also holding the offices of Minister of Agriculture (1953-1970); acting Prime Minister (1964-1970); and Prime Minister in duties of the President (1970-1990) in the Estonian government in exile.

World events
U.S. and Italian forces began separate operations to rescue foreigners from Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Helicopters and 40 U.S. Marines evacuated 61 people, 23 of them Americans, who had gathered at the U.S. embassy. Italy, the former colonial ruler in Somalia, rescued about 200 Italian citizens and flew them to Nairobi. Somalia was beset by civil war, as rebel groups were attempting to end the 21-year rule of President Mohamed Siad Barre.

War
Georgian forces entered the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali, opening the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department expressed concern over Israel's use of force against Arab demonstrators.

Economics and finance
The day after the Bank of New England Corporation announced a loss of $450 million for the fourth quarter of 1990, worried investors withdrew $1 billion.

Hockey
NHL
Los Angeles 4 @ Toronto 2

Football
NFL
NFC Wild Card Playoff
Washington 20 @ Philadelphia 6

Mark Rypien threw touchdown passes to Art Monk and Gary Clark as the Redskins came back from a 6-0 2nd-quarter deficit to defeat the Eagles before 65,287 fans at Veterans Stadium.



AFC Wild Card Playoff
Kansas City 16 @ Miami 17

Dan Marino completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Tony Paige with 12 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter and a 12-yard TD pass to Mark Clayton with 3:28 remaining, and Pete Stoyanovich converted both as the Dolphins came back from a 16-3 3rd-quarter deficit to edge the Chiefs before 67,276 fans at Joe Robbie Stadium. Mr. Stoyanovich set a playoff record in the 2nd quarter with a 58-yard field goal.



10 years ago
2001

Health
Australia banned the importation of beef products from 30 European countries, adding to growing anxiety over the spread of Mad Cow Disease, formally called bovine spongiform encephalopothy (BSE) in cows.

Environment
U.S. President Bill Clinton issued an executive order banning road-building and timber-cutting in 58.5 million acres of federally-owned forest land, nearly 1/3 of the total. Large areas in the western states and Alaska were protected.

Crime
A British Department of Health report suggested that Dr. Harold Shipman, convicted in January 2000 of 15 murders, may have murdered more than 300 of his patients.