January 7, 2011

560 years ago
1451

Died on this date
Amadeus VIII of Savoy a.k.a. Felix V, 67 (?). Roman Catholic Antipope, 1439-1449. Amadeus VIII was elected Antipope in opposition to Pope Eugene IV, and is regarded as the last historical antipope.

120 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Zora Neale Hurston. U.S. folklorist. Miss Hurston was known for studying and writing about the people of the Negro town of Eatonville, Florida and the surrounding area. Her best-known book was the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). Miss Hurston died on January 28, 1960, three weeks after her 69th birthday.

100 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Butterfly McQueen. U.S. actress. Thelma McQueen was best known for her supporting role as a maid in the movie Gone with the Wind (1939). She also played a maid in the radio (1945-1954) and television series (1950-1952) Beulah. Miss McQueen died on December 22, 1995, 16 days before her 85th birthday. She was a professing atheist, but she isn't now.

80 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Edward Channing, 74. U.S. historian. Dr. Channing taught at Harvard University (1883-1829), training many future historians. He was best known for his six-volume A History of the United States (1905-1926), for which he won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for History.

Aviation
Guy Menzies made the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman (Australia -New Zealand) flight in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand's west coast.

70 years ago
1941

War
British troops in Libya captured El Adem airport, 15 miles south of Tobruk.

Diplomacy
Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka protested the British seizure of Japanese funds in Bermuda.

Law
A judge in New Jersey upheld the state's "race hatred" statutes by overrruling objections of nine convicted German-American Bund leaders.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Office of Production management (OPM), with William Knudsen as director general. Sidney Hillman was appointed associate director general with equal powers.

Labour
19 American unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor's Building Trades Department adopted a no-strike policy on defense construction.

60 years ago
1951

Movies
Egypt banned Samson and Delilah (1949), charging that it represented "an episode of Israeli life and power."

Asiatica
The Nepalese government announced that its Parliament and hereditary Prime Minister Maharajah Mohan Shumshere Jung Bahadur Rana had agreed to the return of King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, who had been deposed on November 7, 1950 in favour of his three-year-old grandson Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah and had fled to India.

War
A major Communist attack drove the U.S. 2nd Division from the road centre of Wonju and penetrated United Nations positions east of Seoul.

Defense
France and the United Kingdom rejected Soviet notes that they had violated treaties with the U.S.S.R. by joining the Atlantic Pact and backing the use of West German troops.

Labour
The Order of Railway Conductors joined the brotherhoods of trainmen and firemen in rejecting the U.S. railroad labour agreement negotiated the previous month.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Are You Lonesome To-night?/I Gotta Know--Elvis Presley (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Il cielo in una stanza--Mina

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ramona--Blue Diamonds (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): It's Now Or Never--Elvis Presley (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Poetry in Motion--Johnny Tillotson

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
--[Louis Prima]
--[Anita Bryant]
2 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher
--[Mantovani & his Orchestra]
3 Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley
4 Will You Love Me Tomorrow--The Shirelles
5 Last Date--Floyd Cramer
6 Rubber Ball--Bobby Vee
7 You're Sixteen--Johnny Burnette
8 Corinna, Corinna--Ray Peterson
9 North to Alaska--Johnny Horton
10 Angel Baby--Rosie and the Originals

Singles entering the chart were Yes, I'm Lonesome Tonight by Dodie Stevens (#85); Spoonful by Etta and Harvey (#88); Baby Sittin' Boogie by Buzz Clifford (#91); Emotions by Brenda Lee (#94); Don't Read the Letter by Patti Page (#95); My Empty Arms by Jackie Wilson (#98); What am I Gonna Do by Jimmy Clanton (#99); Wheels by the String-A-Longs (#100); If I Didn't Care by the Platters (also #100); and (Ghost) Riders in the Sky by the Ramrods (also #100). The version of Yes, I'm Lonesome Tonight by Thelma Carpenter was listed with the version by Dodie Stevens, but not charted.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka (3rd week at #1)
2 Corinna, Corinna--Ray Peterson
3 Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley
4 Lonely Teenager--Dion
5 Pepe--Duane Eddy and the Rebels
6 Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
7 Rubber Ball--Bobby Vee
8 Lovey Dovey--Buddy Knox
9 (I Wanna) Love My Life Away--Gene Pitney
10 Angel Baby--Rosie and the Originals

Singles entering the chart were Calcutta by Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra (#11); Tell the World by the String-A-Longs (#25); Emotions/I'm Learning by Brenda Lee (#31); Take Time Out by Carl Dobkins, Jr. (#35); Oh Joan by the Beau-Marks (#37); Don't You Dare Let Me Down by Conway Twitty (#39); Shop Around by the Miracles (#40); If I Didn't Care by the Platters (#43); Dance by the Light of the Moon by the Olympics (#44); Once in Awhile by the Chimes (#45); (Little Sparrow) His True Love Said Goodbye by Johnny Tillotson (#47); Muskrat Ramble by Freddy Cannon (#48); I Idolize You by Ike & Tina Turner (#49); and Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White by Jerry Murad's Harmonicats (#50). Tell the World was the other side of Wheels, which had yet to chart.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
2 Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
--Anita Bryant
3 Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley
4 Corinna, Corinna--Ray Peterson
5 Lonely Teenager--Dion
6 Doll House--Donnie Brooks
7 Rubber Ball/Everyday--Bobby Vee
8 Wings of a Dove--Paul Clayton
9 Angel Baby--Rosie and the Originals
10 North to Alaska/The Mansion You Stole--Johnny Horton

Singles entering the chart were Everyday; Emotions by Brenda Lee (#25); Sound Off by Titus Turner (#35); Theme from The Young Ones by Dave Appell and his Orchestra (#37); Shop Around by the Miracles (#38); and My Empty Arms by Jackie Wilson (#39).

On television tonight
The Roaring 20's, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Maestro

Crime
Special Branch Detective Superintendent George Gordon Smith arrested Harry Houghton, Ethel Gee, Gordon Lonsdale in London. Det. Supt. Smith and two colleagues then went to Ruislip, Middlesex and arrested Peter and Helen Kroger, the core members of the Portland Spy Ring, a spy ring operating on behalf of the U.S.S.R. The five were charged with espionage two days later.



Defense
A four-day conference in Casablanca concluded with five African heads of state--King Mohamed V of Morocco; President Gamal Nasser of the United Arab Republic; President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana; President Sekou Toure of Guinea; and President Modibo Keita of Mali--announcing plans for a NATO-type of African organization to insure common defense and coordinate policies. In an African Charter of Casablanca, they proclaimed their "determination to liberate the African territories still under foreign domination" and to "liquidate colonialism and neo-colonialism in all their forms." Participating in the talks but not in the proclamation were Premier Ferhat Abbas of the provisional Algerian government; Libyan foreign minister Abdelkader el-Allam; and Ceylonese Ambassador to the U.A.R. Alwin Perera.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department issued a White Paper defending the legality of American aid extended to Laos and calling upon other free nations to join with the U.S. "to support and maintain the independence of Laos through whatever measures seem most promising." The statement said that the U.S. had no intention or desire to establish a military base in Laos, and that U.S. aid had been extended only at the request of the Royal Lao government and in accordance with agreements with that government. In contrast, the White Paper called attention to the "Soviet Union’s recent illegal deliveries of munitions and military supplies to pro-Communist rebels." The White Paper warned: "If Laos should be seized by the Communists, the effects could be far-reaching and the implication for other small and vulnerable states all too evident."

Boxing
Former world middleweight champion Carmen Basilio (55-15-7) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Gaspar Ortega (57-21-2) in a middleweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.



40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): J'habite en France--Michel Sardou (2nd week at #1)

Environment
In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered the federal government to issue immediate notices of cancellation of all uses of DDT and to determine whether the insecticide was an "imminent hazard" to public health.

War
The stalemate continued at the Paris peace talks between the U.S. and South Vietnam on one side and North Vietnam and Viet Cong on the other side.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon (5th week at #1)
2 The Tide is High--Blondie
3 Passion--Rod Stewart
4 Looking for Clues--Robert Palmer
5 I Got You--Split Enz
6 Hungry Heart--Bruce Springsteen
7 De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da--The Police
8 Wasn't That a Party--The Rovers
9 Every Woman in the World--Air Supply
10 Teacher Teacher--Rockpile

Singles entering the chart were Teacher Teacher; and Hey Nineteen by Steely Dan (#20).

Died on this date
Alvar Lidell, 72. U.K. broadcaster. Mr. Lidell was a newsreader for the British Broadcasting Corporation for most of the period from 1939-1969, and was particularly known for announcing key events during World War II. He also narrated over 230 books for the blind.

Eric Robinson, 51. Australian politician. Mr. Robinson, a Liberal, represented McPherson in the Australian Parliament (1972-1981), and held several cabinet posts, including Minister for Finance (1977-1980). He resigned in February 1979, saying that he could no longer offer "unqualified support" to Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, but returned to his position four days later, affirming "no significant differences" with Mr. Fraser. Mr. Robinson wasn't appointed to cabinet after the 1980 general election, and died of a heart attack, 11 days before his 52nd birthday.

Politics and government
U.S. President-elect Ronald Reagan completed his cabinet selections by naming T.H. Bell as Secretary of Education. He also announced that he would retain former U.S. Senate majority leader Mike Mansfield as U.S. Ambassador to Japan.

Labour
Delegates of the Polish independent trade union movement Solidarity proclaimed a five-day work week with Saturdays off and no increase in workloads, no cuts in salaries, and no curtailment of other days off. First Deputy Prime Minister Mieczyslaw Jagielski suggested an alternate plan of just two Saturdays off per month or that workloads be increased to compensate for the five-day week.

Hockey
NHL
Washington 3 @ Edmonton 6
Hartford 3 @ Los Angeles 5

Dave Parro played his first National Hockey League game in goal for the Capitals in their loss to the Oilers at Northlands Coliseum.

Marcel Dionne scored his 1,000th career NHL point with a goal in the Kings' victory over the Whalers at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

25 years ago
1986

Terrorism
U.S. President Ronald Reagan, speaking at a press conference, said that there was "irrefutable evidence" that Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi was a supporter of Abu Nidal, believed to be behind the December 27 bombings at airports in Rome and Vienna. Mr. Reagan said that Libya’s actions constituted a threat to the national security of the United States, and that he had signed an executive order banning trade with Libya, banning travel to and from the country, and ordering Americans in Libya to leave. Mr. Reagan said that Gen. Gaddafi was "not only a barbarian, but he’s flaky." Mr. Reagan said that the U.S.A. had aborted 126 "terrorist missions" in the past year, including 23 in the United States.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ai wa Katsu--(愛は勝つ)--Kan (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Raptori--Debi Gibson

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Sadeness Part I--Enigma (9th week at #1)

Music
Paul Simon performed show at the Edmonton Coliseum, beginning with The Obvious Child--his current single--and finishing with American Tune. I paid $33.75 for my ticket for a seat behind the stage, but the sound quality was excellent, as was the performance of Mr. Simon and his band. It was such a good show that Bridge Over Troubled Water might have been the "low" point. I haven’t been to a concert at the Coliseum since.

World events
Nine hours after Roger Lafontant and his private militia had stormed the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince, forced the resignation of Haitian President Ertha Pascal Trouillot, and announced that Mr. Lafontant had assumed the provisional presidency, loyalist troops stormed the second-storey presidential offices, freeing Ms. Trouillot and capturing Mr. Lafontant and his followers. They were to be held for trial by civilian authorities.

War
The Soviet defense ministry said that it would send thousands of troops to seven republics to seize draft dodgers and enforce conscription. Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis said the U.S.S.R. was "looking for bloodshed."

Defense
U.S. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney announced that he was cancelling the Navy’s A-12 Stealth attack-plane project. The A-12 Avenger was being developed by McDonnell Douglas Corporation and General Dynamics Corp. The Navy had planned to pay $52 billion for 620 of the planes. Mr. Cheney said that the companies had not been able to "design, develop, fabricate, assemble, and test the A-12 aircraft within the contract schedule," and that it was not in the national interest to bail the companies out. The companies denied defaulting on the contract. The Pentagon had never previously cancelled such an expensive program.

Politics and government
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Clayton Yeutter was named by the White House to become chairman of the Republican National Committee, replacing the ailing Lee Atwater, who had resigned in 1990 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

10 years ago
2001

Terrorism
It was reported that an investigation by the U.S. Navy into the October 2000 bombing of the destroyer Cole in Yemen concluded that neither the captain of the ship nor the crew should be punished for security lapses.