February 17, 2011

640 years ago
1371

Died on this date
Ivan Aleksandǎr. Czar of Bulgaria, 1331-1371. Ivan Aleksandǎr, a nephew of Czar Michael Asen III, acceded to the throne as a result of a coup d'état that deposed Czar Ivan Stefan. Ivan Aleksandǎr dealt with internal problems and external threats posed by the Byzantine Empire and Serbia, and led the Second Bulgarian Empire into a period of economic recovery and cultural and religious renaissance, but in the later years of his reign, he divided Bulgaria between his sons Ivan Sracimir and Ivan Šišman, leaving the country weaker in the face of imminent Ottoman invasion.

390 years ago
1621

Defense
Myles Standish was appointed as first military commander of the English Plymouth Colony in North America.

230 years ago
1781
Born on this date
René Laennec. French physician. Dr. Laennec was a flautist in addition to being a physician, and he used his skill at carving flutes to aid in his invention of the stethoscope in 1816. He also contributed to the understanding of peritonitis, cirrhosis, and tuberculosis, the latter of which caused his death at the age of 45 on August 13, 1826.

210 years ago
1801

Politics and government
Thomas Jefferson was elected President of the United States on the 36th ballot in the House of Representatives.

200 years ago
1801

Politics and government
Thomas Jefferson was elected President of the United States on the 36th ballot in the House of Representatives.

180 years ago
1821

Born on this date
Lola Montez. U.K.-born dancer. Miss Montez, born Eliza Gilbert in Ireland, began using her stage name in 1843, and achieved success on stage in Europe. She arrived in Munich in 1846 and became the mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her Countess of Landsfeld in 1847. Miss Montez exercised considerable influence over King Ludwig until he was forced to abdicate in March 1848. She spent a brief time in Switzerland and then in London before moving to the United States in 1851. Miss Montez's theatrical career declined, and by 1857 she was delivering lectures on morality. She engaged in rescue work among women before tertiary effects of syphilis led to her death in Brooklyn, New York on January 17, 1861, a month before her 40th birthday. Miss Montez has been the subject of numerous works in popular culture.

170 years ago
1841

Died on this date
Ferdinando Carulli, 71. Italian composer. Mr. Carulli was a classical guitarist who composed more than 400 works for the instrument, including chamber works and several concertos. He died eight days after his 71st birthday.

140 years ago
1871

War
The victorious Prussian Army paraded through Paris after the end of the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.

100 years ago
1911

Defense
Glenn Curtiss landed his plane on the deck of the U.S. Navy battleship USS Pennsylvania in San Diego Bay and had lunch with the ship's captain and crew. His plane was lowered into the water afterward, and he departed. The Navy immediately ordered three of Mr. Curtiss's model "E" planes in what is regarded as the birth of U.S. naval aviation.



70 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Juvenal Viegas Silva. Brazilian politician. Mr. Viegas, the leader of the Brazilian Communist Party, was killed by police in Porto Alegre while resisting arrest.

Diplomacy
Bulgaria and Turkey signed a declaration of friendship and non-aggression.

Defense
U.S. Senator Alben Barkley (Democrat--Kentucky) began debate in the Senate on the Lend-Lease bill by saying that the only way to stop German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler was to defeat him.

Politics and government
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Communist Party USA General Secretary Earl Browder's appeal of his four-year prison sentence and $2,000 fine for using a falsely-obtained passport.

Economics and finance
U.S. Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles rejected former U.S. President Herbert Hoover's multinational plan to feed three million people in Belgium, saying that it was Germany's obligation to feed the population she had conquered.

Labour
The American Federation of Teachers executive council urged that charters of teachers' locals in New York City and Philadelphia be revoked because of Communist influence.

Boxing
Joe Louis (46-1) retained his world heavyweight title with a knockout of Gus Dorazio (51-10-1) at 1:30 of the 2nd round before 15,903 fans at Convention Hall in Philadelphia.

60 years ago
1951

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Bewitched--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra; Doris Day (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page (Best Seller--8th week at #1; Disc Jockey--7th week at #1; Jukebox--7th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Bewitched--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra; Doris Day (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page (Best Seller--8th week at #1; Disc Jockey--7th week at #1; Jukebox--7th week at #1)

1 My Heart Cries for You--Guy Mitchell (2nd week at #1)
--Dinah Shore
--Vic Damone
--Jimmy Wakely
2 If--Perry Como
3 Be My Love--Mario Lanza
4 The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Les Paul and Mary Ford
--Jo Stafford
5 You’re Just in Love--Perry Como
6 The Roving Kind--Guy Mitchell
--The Weavers
7 The Thing--Phil Harris
8 Harbor Lights--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby
9 Nevertheless (I’m in Love with You)--Paul Weston and his Orchestra
--The Mills Brothers
--Ralph Flanagan and his Orchestra
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
10 Thinking of You--Don Cherry
--Eddie Fisher

Singles entering the chart were Jet by Nat King Cole (#23); John and Marsha by Stan Freberg (#25); Would I Love You (Love You, Love You) by Patti Page (#31); and In Your Arms by Dinah Shore and Tony Martin (#32).

War
The 900-man 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry arrived at the front as a component of the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade of the IX Corps in the 8th U.S. Army, becoming the first Canadian infantry unit to see combat in the Korean War.

Defense
In a reply to U.S.S.R. charges of treaty violation, the United Kingdom presented its rearmament effort as a legitimate response to the presence of vastly superior Soviet forces in Europe, designed to "undermine the independence of the free nations of West Europe."

Economics and finance
A U.S. Senate investigating subcommittee that had scrutinized United Nations operations since 1948 issued a report warning that the organization and its specialized agencies were spending themselves into deep trouble. It urged stringent budget control over outgoing programs to alleviate the threat to the UN's financial structure.

The U.S. National Production Authority ordered an extension of existing rubber controls, banning white sidewall tires and placing limitations on the style and colour of many industrial rubber goods.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Nita Naldi, 66. U.S. actress. Miss Naldi, born Mary Nonna Dooley, began her career in vaudeville in New York, and performed in the Ziegfeld Follies (1918-1919) before becoming famous as a "vamp" in silent movies. Her films included Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920); Blood and Sand (1922); and The Ten Commandments (1923). Miss Naldi retired from movies in the late 1920s, and returned to occasional stage acting through the 1950s. She lived in poverty and suffered from heart disease in her later years, and her body wasn't discovered until two days after her death in her room at the Wentworth Hotel in New York City.

Space
The United States launched Discoverer 20, the largest and heaviest of the Discoverer satellites so far, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The satellite, 25 feet long and weighing 2,450 pounds--including a 300-pound re-entry capsule--was sent aloft by an improved 81-foot-tall Thor-Agena B rocket. The plan was to eject the capsule after four days and try to capture it in the air, but a malfunction in the satellite caused the plan to be abandoned.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (4th week at #1)

Scandal
Former U.S. Army Sergeant Major William Woolridge and seven others were indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles on charges of conspiring to defraud servicemen's clubs in Vietnam from 1965-1969 by monopolizing sales to the clubs and inflating the prices of the various items they controlled.

30 years ago
1981

Religion
Pope John Paul II arrived in Manila, and was greeted at the airport by church leaders and by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda.

Business
General Motors and Ford Motor Company announced that they would institute the largest rebate plans in their histories. GM’s rebates were to run from $500-$700, and Ford was to rebate 10% on its mid-size and large cars.

25 years ago
1986

Diplomacy
U.S. envoy Philip Habib met separately in Manila with incumbent Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and challenger Corazon Aquino in an attempt to resolve the dispute over the result of the February 7 presidential election.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Do the Bartman--The Simpsons (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Sadeness Part I--Enigma (10th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers (3rd week at #1)
2 Hello Afrika--Dr. Alban featuring Leila K.
3 Sadeness Part I--Enigma
4 Keep on Running--Milli Vanilli
5 To Love Somebody--Jimmy Somerville
6 Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice
7 Fantasy--Black Box
8 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight--Robert Palmer and UB40
9 Justify My Love--Madonna
10 Kränk di net--Jazz Gitti & her Disco Killers

Singles entering the chart were Beinhart by Torfrock (#27); and All the Man that I Need by Whitney Houston (#29).

Died on this date
Travis Williams, 45. U.S. football player. Mr. Williams, nicknamed "The Roadrunner," was a running back and kick returner at Arizona State University before playing with the Green Bay Packers (1967-1970) and Los Angeles Rams (1971-1972). His best season in the National Football League was his first, whe rushed 35 times for 188 yards (5.4 per carry) and 1 touchdown; caught 5 passes for 80 yards (16.0 average) and 1 touchdown; and returned 18 kickoffs for 739 yards and record 4 touchdowns, setting NFL records for kickoff return average and TDs in a season as he helped the Packers win the Super Bowl. Mr. Williams spent the entire 1972 season on the injured list with a knee injury, which finished his career. In 62 games he rushed 289 times for 1,166 yards (4.0 average) and 6 touchdowns; caught 52 passes for 598 yards (11.5 average) and 5 TDs; returned 13 punts for 213 yards (16.4 average) and a touchdown; and returned 102 kickoffs for 2,801 yards (29.7 average) and 6 TDs, scoring 108 points on 18 touchdowns. Mr. Williams fell on hard times with drinking, poverty, and homelessness after his playing career, and died of heart failure.

Theatre
This blogger attended a performance of William Shakespeare's Richard III at Thrust Theatre in the University of Alberta's fine arts building. I enjoyed the play, but found the Thrust Theatre to be a most uncomfortable place to sit.