February 13, 2011

1,290 years ago
721

Died on this date
Chilperic II, 48-49 (?). King of Neustria, 715-718; King of the Franks, 718-721. Chilperic II, the youngest son of King Childeric II, spent most of his life in a monastery before being summoned to lead the Neustrians, achieving military success before suffering defeats at the hands of Charles Martel. He was succeeded by Theuderic IV.

990 years ago
1021

Died on this date
Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, 35. Caliph of the Fatimid dynasty, 996-1021. Al-Hakim succeeded his father Abu Mansur Nizar al-Aziz Billah as caliph at the age of 11. He persecuted Christians and Jews, earning the nickname "The Mad Caliph," while he had admirers who regarded him as a just and righteous ruler. In 1018, Druze founder ad-Darazi proclaimed Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah as the incarnation of God. Caliph Al-Hakim became an ascetic in his later years, regularly withdrawing from public life to go on meditation journeys. He went on such a journey one night to the Mokattam hills outside of Cairo, and never returned. All that was found was his donkey and bloodstained garments, and Al-Hakim's disappearance remains a mystery. Al-Hakim was succeeded as caliph by his son Al-Zahir li-i'zaz Din Allah.

870 years ago
1141

Died on this date
Béla II, 31-32 (?). King of Hungary and Croatia, 1131-1141. Béla the Blind was a young child when he was blinded on the orders of his uncle King Coloman. Béla II acceded to the throne about two months after the death of his cousin István II. King Béla carried out two purges of his enemies to strengthen his rule, and adopted an active and expansionist foreign policy. He became a drunkard in his later years, and was succeeded by his son Géza II.

440 years ago
1571

Died on this date
Benvenuto Cellini, 70. Italian artist. Mr. Cellini was a sculptor, draftsman, painter, musician, and poet who was known for his gold, silver, and bronze sculptures, and his autobiography. He was one of the most important figures of Mannerism.

270 years ago
1741

Died on this date
Johann Joseph Fux, 80-81 (?). Austrian composer. Mr. Fux was a Baroque composer whose works included 19 operas, 29 partitas, 10 oratorios, and about 80 masses. He was also a music theorist who wrote the pedagogical book Gradus ad Parnassum (Steps or Ascent to Mount Parnassus) (1725).

180 years ago
1831

Born on this date
John Aaron Rawlins. U.S. military officer and politician. Mr. Rawlins was associated with U.S. Grant, serving as a brevet major general in the Union Army in the American Civil War, and serving in General Grant's presidency as United States Secretary of War. Major General Rawlins, suffered from tuberculosis, and died on September 6, 1869 at the age of 38, just five months into his term.

170 years ago
1841

Politics and government
The first Parliament of the Province of Canada held its first meeting in a converted hospital in Kingston. The members of the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly were sworn in, after which the House of Assembly elected Austin Cuvillier as speaker. William Draper and Charles Odgen formed the Draper-Ogden Ministry.

150 years ago
1861

War
The Siege of Gaeta ended with the capitulation of the defending fortress, effectively bringing an end of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Journalism
The first issue of the British Columbian newspaper was published in New Westminster.

130 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Eleanor Farjeon. U.K. authoress and poet. Miss Farjeon wrote fiction and non-fiction, but was primarily known for her children's literature. Her poetry included the lyrics to the hymn Morning Has Broken. Miss Farjeon long suffered from poor health, but lived to the age of 84, dying on June 5, 1965.

120 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Grant Wood. U.S. artist. Mr. Wood, a native of rural Iowa, was known for his paintings of the rural Midwestern United States. His best known work was American Gothic (1930), one of the most famous paintings in American history. Mr. Wood died of pancreatic cancer on February 12, 1942, the day before his 51st birthday.

Kate Roberts. U.K. author. Miss Roberts, a Welsh nationalist, wrote novels and short stories in Welsh. She died on April 4, 1985 at the age of 94.

110 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Paul Lazarsfeld. Austro-Hungarian-born U.S. sociologist. Dr. Lazarsfeld, whose doctorate was in mathematics, moved to the United States in 1933. He became known as the "founder of modern empirical sociology," and was the founder of Columbia University's Bureau of Applied Social Research, which grew out of the Radio Research Project, the first scientific survey of radio listeners. Dr. Lazarsfeld died on August 30, 1976 at the age of 75.

100 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Jean Muir. U.S. actress. Miss Muir, born Jean Muir Fullarton, appeared in plays, as well as 28 movies from 1933-1943, and several television programs. She was cast as Mrs. Aldrich in the second season of the television comedy series The Aldrich Family (1949-1953), but was dropped from the series after being mentioned in the pamphlet Red Channels (1950) as having Communist Party associations, thus becoming the first Hollywood actor to be blacklisted for that reason. Miss Muir was reportedly a heavy drinker in the mid-1950s, but made guest appearances in four television programs from 1958-1962, and died on July 23, 1996 at the age of 85.

90 years ago
1921

Law
Judge Edward Brown prohibited the public exhibition of moving pictures on Sundays in Manitoba.

80 years ago
1931

Politics and government
The British Raj completed its transfer from Calcutta to New Delhi.

70 years ago
1941

Diplomacy
Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco and Vichy French Prime Minister Marshal Philippe Petain conferred in Montpelier, France.

Europeana
King Alfonso XIII of Spain renounced all claims to the throne in favour of his son Don Juan.

Defense
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 15-8 in favour of the Lend-Lease bill.

Scandal
Robert J. Boltz, an investment counsellor from Philadelphia, was arrested in Rochester, New York on charges of embezzling more than $2.5 million.

Law
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated Jerome Frank for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Economics and finance
The New York Stock Exchange declined to extend trading hours after a survey showed more than half the members opposed to the change.

60 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Double Entry, starring Robert Emhardt, Virginia Gilmore, and Royal Dano



Died on this date
Lloyd C. Douglas, 73. U.S. clergyman and author. Rev. Douglas, born Doya C. Douglas, was ordained a Lutheran minister in 1903, eventually pastoring a Congregational church in the U.S. and a United Church congregation in Montreal. He wrote several non-fiction books, but didn't write his first novel until he was 50. Rev. Douglas was known for novels such as Magnificent Obsession(1929); The Robe (1942); and The Big Fisherman (1948), all of which were made into movies.

War
The Battle of Chipyong-ni, which represented the "high-water mark" of the Chinese incursion into South Korea, commenced.

Defense
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs George W. Perkins , the highest American official to visit Yugoslavia since World War II, conferred with Yugoslavian President Marshal Josip Broz Tito and Foreign Minister Eduard Kardelj in Belgrade about Yugoslavia's defense against Soviet attack.

Politics and government
South Carolina and Tennessee abolished the poll tax, which remained in effect in five states.

Medicine
American Medical Association statistician Frank Dickinson predicted that the present increase in "productivity" of doctors would cause a "surplus" in the 1960s.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley

#1 single in France (IFOP): Non, je ne regrette rien--Édith Piaf (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Calcutta--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra
2 Will You Love Me Tomorrow--The Shirelles
3 Shop Around--The Miracles
4 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
5 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher
6 Angel Baby--Rosie and the Originals
7 Emotions--Brenda Lee
8 Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
9 Pony Time--Chubby Checker
10 There's a Moon Out Tonight--The Capris

Singles entering the chart were Stayin' In by Bobby Vee (#69); Think Twice by Brook Benton (#73); You're the Boss by Lavern Baker & Jimmy Ricks (#87); Theme from Tunes of Glory by the Cambridge Strings and Singers (#90); Cherié by Bobby Rydell (#97); A Texan and a Girl from Mexico by Anita Bryant (#98); and What About Me by Don Gibson (#100). Theme from Tunes of Glory, as the title indicates, was a version of the theme from the movie.

World events
Officials in the secessionist Congolese province of Katanga announced that deposed Congolese Premier Patrice Lumumba, Youth Minister Maurice Mpolo, and former Senate Vice-President Joseph Okito had been massacred the previous day by residents of an unnamed village in Katanga after escaping from police custody.

Oddities
Geode prospectors near Olancha, California discovered what they claimed to be a 500,000-year-old rock with a 1920s-era spark plug encased within.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Candida--Dawn

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Vent'anni--Massimo Ranieri (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (3rd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (2nd week at #1)
2 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
3 The Pushbike Song--The Mixtures
4 Eleanor Rigby--Zoot
5 Knock Three Times--Dawn
6 A Song of Joy--Miguel Rios
7 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
8 Band of Gold--Freda Payne
9 Fire and Rain--James Taylor
10 Mr. America--Russell Morris

Singles entering the chart were Light Across the Valley by Hans Poulsen (#46); Paranoid by Black Sabbath (#47); Every Time You Touch Me by Tony Pantano (#52); Reflections of My Life by Flake (#53); and Black Magic Woman by Santana (#56).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Nothing Rhymed--Gilbert O'Sullivan (3rd week at #1)
2 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
3 Bridget the Midget--Ray Stevens
4 Rozie die Bloeien--Corry en de Rekels
5 Holy Holy Life--Golden Earring
6 Du--Peter Maffray
7 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison
8 Knock Three Times--Dawn
9 Peace Planet (Badinerie from suite no. 2 - J.S.Bach)--Ekseption
10 Geef Mij de Liefde En....--De Twee Pinten

Singles entering the chart were Mother by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (#17); Hup Daar is Willem! by Ed en Willem Bever (#23); Little Queenie by the Rolling Stones (#24); I'm Going Home by Ten Years After (#32); Lieve Heer, Doe Mijn Een Lol by Leen Jongewaard (#34); and If/Arnold Layne by Pink Floyd (#36).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
2 Knock Three Times--Dawn
3 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
4 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
5 Lonely Days--Bee Gees
6 My Sweet Lord/Isn't it a Pity--George Harrison
7 Groove Me--King Floyd
8 Your Song--Elton John
9 If I were Your Woman--Gladys Knight & the Pips
10 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5

Singles entering the chart were Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted by the Partridge Family (#57); Cried Like a Baby by Bobby Sherman (#59); Chairman of the Board by Chairmen of the Board (#71); Wild World by Cat Stevens (#83); One Toke Over the Line by Brewer and Shipley (#84); Cherish What is Dear to You (While it's Near to You) by Freda Payne (#85); Ain't it a Sad Thing by R. Dean Taylor (#87); Lonely Teardrops by Brian Hyland (#88); The Morning of Our Lives by Arkade (#90); My Sweet Lord by Billy Preston (#94); The Look of Love by Isaac Hayes (#97); Super Highway by Ballin' Jack (#98); Maria (You were the Only One) by Jimmy Ruffin (#99); and Ask Me No Questions by B.B. King (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
2 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
3 Knock Three Times--Dawn
4 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
5 Lonely Days--Bee Gees
6 If I were Your Woman--Gladys Knight & the Pips
7 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5
8 Remember Me--Diana Ross
9 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
10 Groove Me--King Floyd

Singles entering the chart were Chairman of the Board by Chairmen of the Board (#71); Spinning Wheel (Part 1) by James Brown (#80); Wild World by Cat Stevens (#82); Didn't it Look So Easy by the Stairsteps (#89); Wild World by the Gentrys (#93); Bell Bottom Blues by Derek and the Dominoes (#96); and My Sweet Lord by Billy Preston (#99).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
2 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
3 Lonely Days--Bee Gees
4 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
5 Knock Three Times--Dawn
6 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5
7 My Sweet Lord/Isn't it a Pity--George Harrison
8 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
9 If I were Your Woman--Gladys Knight & the Pips
10 Remember Me--Diana Ross

Singles entering the chart were Cherish What is Dear to You (While it's Near to You) by Freda Payne (#83); Lonely Teardrops by Brian Hyland (#84); Chairman of the Board by Chairmen of the Board (#87); (Where Do I Begin) Love Story by Andy Williams (#91); Ain't it a Sad Thing by R. Dean Taylor (#93); San Bernadino by Christie (#94); Angel Baby by Dusk (#96); Help for My Waiting by the Dorians (#97); Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom) by the Staple Singers (#98); and Medley from "Superstar" by the Assembled Multitude (#99).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
2 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
3 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
4 Knock Three Times--Dawn
5 Lonely Days--Bee Gees
6 Sing High, Sing Low--Anne Murray
7 Stoney End--Barbra Streisand
8 Isn't it a Pity--George Harrison
9 I Really Don't Want to Know/There Goes My Everything--Elvis Presley
10 Love the One You're With--Stephen Stills

Singles entering the chart were For All We Know by the Carpenters (#68); Help Me Make it Through the Night by Sammi Smith (#69); Ain't it a Sad Thing by R. Dean Taylor (#70); Do You Know What You're Doing by Terry Bush (#92); Tuneful Spoonful by Fitzpatrick (#93); Country Road by James Taylor (#94); Chelsea Morning by Sergo Mendes & Brasil '66 (#95); You've Got to Know by Perth County Conspiracy (#96); To the Family by Ellie (#97); It's Been a Long Time by Green & Stagg (#98); Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted by the Partridge Family (#99); and Lonely Teardrops by Brian Hyland (#100).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson (2nd week at #1)
2 Your Song--Elton John
3 Stay Awhile--The Bells
4 1900 Yesterday--Liz Damon's Orient Express
5 Sweet Mary--Wadsworth Mansion
6 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
7 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
8 Born to Wander--Rare Earth
9 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison
10 Knock Three Times--Dawn
Pick hit of the week: Fresh as a Daisy--Emitt Rhodes

World events
Lon Nol, who had resigned as Premier of Cambodia on February 10--two days after suffering a paralyzing stroke--was flown to Hawaii for treatment at a U.S. Army hospital.

Golf
U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew apologized profusely after he hit three spectators with his first two shots, upstaging Arnold Palmer and other pros in the Bob Hope Desert Classic in California. One woman was taken to a hospital for ankle X-rays before being released.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): När vi två blir en--Gyllene Tider (10th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Reality--Richard Sanderson (3rd week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Passion--Rod Stewart (2nd week at #1)
2 Can You Feel It--The Jacksons
3 Love on the Rocks--Neil Diamond
4 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
5 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
6 The Tide is High--Blondie
7 I'm Alright--Kenny Loggins
8 Lady--Kenny Rogers
9 A Lot of Things--Peach
10 Man on the Moon--Ballyhoo

Singles entering the chart were Never Knew Love Like This Before by Stephanie Mills (#18); and If You've Got Nothing on Tonight by Clive Bruce (#20).

War
Guerrillas loyal to former Zimbabwean Minister of Internal Affairs Joshua Nkomo were crushed by troops loyal to Prime Minister Robert Mugabe after about a week of fighting. More than 300 people had been killed.

Disasters
70 Soviet military officers, including as many as 24 admirals and generals, were killed in a plane crash on the outskirts of Leningrad.

Sewer explosions caused by the ignition of hexane vapors destroyed more than 13 miles (21 kilometres) of streets in Louisville, Kentucky.

25 years ago
1986

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CITV
Tonight’s episode: Gramma, starring Barret Oliver; Personal Demons, starring Martin Balsam; Cold Reading, starring Larry Poindexter

Personal
This blogger won $89 on St. Albert radio station CKST, but I don't remember what for.

War
Iran claimed that 17 of its soldiers had died as a result of poisoning used by chemical weapons used by Iraq.

Scandal
Chrysler Corporation chairman Lee Iacocca, dismissed the previous day as chairman of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Centennial Commission, alleged that he had been removed from his position because the U.S. administration of President Ronald Reagan wanted him out because he opposed plans for a hotel and conference centre on Ellis Island that Mr. Iacocca said would be developed by "the sale of tax shelters to the rich."

Disasters
A photograph released by NASA of the rocket carrying the space shuttle Challenger on January 28 showed that the plume of fire previously observed had been pinpointed at or near the bottom seam that was supposed to have been sealed by the O-rings. A failure of the O-rings was being investigated as the prime cause of the explosion that killed all seven astronauts just 73 seconds after liftoff.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Crazy--Seal

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight’s episode: Courage

War
Up to 500 Iraqi civilians were killed, including many sleeping women and children, when U.S. planes dropped two bombs on an underground shelter. Coalition forces said the target was a military control centre and blamed Iraq for placing civilians there. The building was in a residential area and across the street from a school.

Economics and finance
U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev said the nation was not yet ready to give up central economic controls.

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Massoud Ayyad. Palestinian official and alleged terrorist. Mr. Ayyad, who was regarded by Israel as a terrorist, was killed when two Israeli helicopter gunships fired four missiles at his car.

Politics and government
Roger Grimes became Premier of Newfoundland, replacing Brian Tobin, who had resigned to run for the Liberal Party in the 2000 federal election.

Crime
In a case believed to be the first of its kind in Scotland, a man went on trial in Glasgow for knowingly infecting a woman with the HIV virus.