February 24, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Kavis Reed!

300 years ago
1711

Opera
Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel, the first Italian opera written for the London stage, received its première performance at the Queen's Theatre.

290 years ago
1721

Born on this date
John McKinly. U.K.-born U.S. politician. Dr. McKinly, a physician, emigrated to Delaware in 1742. He served in the militia during the French and Indian War, and represented New Castle County in the Assembly of the Delaware or Lower Counties (1771-1777). Dr. McKinly was elected by the Assembly as its first President, serving from February-September 1777, when he was captured by British forces. He was eventually taken to Flatbush, New York, and was returned to Delaware in August 1778 in exchange for Benjamin Franklin's son William, the Loyalist Governor of New Jersey. Dr. McKinly never sought political office again, and died on August 31, 1796 at the age of 75.

225 years ago
1786

Born on this date
Wilhelm Grimm. German author. Mr. Grimm and his older brother Jacob wrote Grimms' Fairy Tales, first published in 1812. Wilhelm Grimm died on December 16, 1859 at the age of 73.

200 years ago
1811

Born on this date
Edward Dickinson Baker. U.K.-born U.S. military officer and politician. Colonel Baker, a native of London, moved with his family to the United States in 1816, settling in Philadelphia and eventually in Illinois. He was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1837-1840) and Senate (1840-1844), served with volunteer militia in Illinois, and with the U.S. Army in the U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1847). As a Whig, Col. Baker represented Illinois' 7th (1845-1847) and 6th (1849-1851) Districts in the U.S. House of Representatives. He moved to San Francisco in 1852, but failed to win political office in several attempts through 1859. Col. Baker then moved to Oregon, and as a Republican, was elected to the United States Senate, taking his seat on December 5, 1860. He was a longtime friend of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and an opponent of secession; he joined the Union Army shortly after the beginning of the Civil War, and on May 8, 1861 was authorized to command the California Regiment. Col. Baker was killed at the age of 50 on October 21, 1861 by a volley of shots while leading his troops in the Battle of Ball's Bluff, and remains the only U.S. Senator ever killed in a military engagement.

190 years ago
1821

Mexicana
Mexico declared its independence from Spain.

180 years ago
1831

Born on this date
Leo von Caprivi, 67. Chancellor of Germany, 1890-1894. General Caprivi served as Chief of the Imperial Admiralty from 1883-1888 despite being an Army officer, and was an effective administrator. He succeeded Otto von Bismarck as Chancellor, also serving as Minister President of Prussia (1890-1892. Gen. Caprivi pursued a "new course" in both domestic and foreign policy, achieving some social and economic reforms at home while pursuing friendly relations with the United Kingdom. He increasingly clashed with Kaiser Wilhelm II as well as Conservatives, National Liberals, and Progressives, and was eventually forced to resign. Gen. Caprivi died on February 6, 1899, 18 days before his 68th birthday.

Diplomacy
The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, was proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi ceded land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West.

130 years ago
1881

Diplomacy
China and Russia signed the Treaty of Saint Petersburg aka the Sino-Russian Ili Treaty, providing for the return to China of the eastern part of the Ili Basin region aka Zhetysu, which had been occupied by Russia since 1871 during the Dungan Revolt.

100 years ago
1911

Defense
The Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Indefatigable was commissioned. The ship saw action in World War I, and was sunk in the Battle of Jutland on May 31, 1916.

60 years ago
1951

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Bewitched--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra; Doris Day (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page (Best Seller--9th week at #1; Disc Jockey--8th week at #1; Jukebox--8th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 My Heart Cries for You--Guy Mitchell (3rd week at #1)
--Dinah Shore
--Vic Damone
--Jimmy Wakely
2 Be My Love--Mario Lanza
3 If--Perry Como
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 Harbor Lights--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby
7 So Long (It’s Been Good to Know You)--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra and the Weavers
8 The Roving Kind--Guy Mitchell
--The Weavers
9 A Bushel and a Peck--Perry Como and Betty Hutton
--Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely
10 Zing Zing--Zoom Zoom--Perry Como

Singles entering the chart were I Apologize by Billy Eckstine (#30); Sentimental Music, with versions by Patti Page and Bing Crosby (#31); Boutonniere by Mindy Carson (#34); and Down in Nashville, Tennessee by Dinah Shore (#35).

War
In a report to the United Nations Security Council, Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command General Douglas MacArthur said that at least 25,000 enemy guerrillas were operating behind UN lines in Korea.

Agriculture
An African economic study issued by the United Nations Economic Affairs Department said that improvement of the continent's food production was vital because 75% of Africa's population made a living in agriculture. The report recommended "heavy and sustained" foreign investments in Africa.

Economics and finance
Lawyers representing Ruhr industrialists, including former U.S. Secretary of War Robert Patterson, urged the Western Allies to refrain from dismembering West German coal and steel combines "so they can contribute to Europe's protection."

U.S. Office of Price Stabilization Director Dr. Michael DiSalle said in Cleveland that his month-old program of price controls had begun to slow the rate of increase in the cost of living.

50 years ago
1961

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: The Odyssey of Flight 33, starring John Anderson

World events
The regime of Antoine Gizenga--loyal to recently-deposed and murdered Congolese Premier Patrice Lumumba--that was recognized by more than 20 Communist and neutral nations as the legitimate government of Congo--seized control of Luluabourg, capital of the province of Kasai.

Economics and finance
The government of Cuba decreed a reorganization of administrative departments and the creation of a new Ministry of Industry. Major Ernesto "Che" Guevara, president of the National Bank of Cuba, was named director of the new ministry, charged with directing all industry and with carrying out an industrialization program from 1962-1966. The National Bank of Cuba was reorganized to conduct the country’s entire banking operations; a new Ministry of Foreign Trade was given direction of all imports and exports; and a Ministry of Interior Commerce was created to control distribution of products and prices and the management of all nationalized commercial firms.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (5th week at #1)

Society
Under the terms of a new immigration bill to become effective in 1972, Commonwealth citizens would lose the automatic right to remain in the United Kingdom and would face the same restrictions as any other people applying to live and work in Britain.

Politics and government
The All India Forward Bloc held an emergency central committee meeting, three days after the murder of its chairman, Hemantha Kumar Bose. P.K. Mookiah Thevar was appointed as the party's new chairman on February 28.

Crime
Raids by U.S. federal narcotics agents against drug wholesalers and distributors in six major cities, including New York, Chicago, and New Orleans, resulted in the arrests of 54 major dealers and the seizure of $13 million worth of drugs. The arrests followed a five-month investigation--code-named Flanker--described by U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell as "the largest federal crackdown ever on narcotics distribution by organized crime," in which 143 top echelon arrests were made.

Oil
Algerian President Houari Boumedienne announced that Algeria was taking a 51% interest in French oil firms and was nationalizing natural gas production, along with an extensive French-financed pipeline network.

30 years ago
1981

World events
The attempted coup in Spain by 200 members of the Civil Guard collapsed 18 hours after it began. Much of the credit for the coup’s collapse was given to King Juan Carlos, who appeared on television after the station was liberated by loyal troops, denouncing the coup attempt and pledging his faith in democracy. The Civil Guard released the members of the Cortes whom they were holding, and then were imprisoned, while their leaders surrendered. The general in Valencia was relieved of his post, as was the army’s deputy chief of staff.

War
U.S. President Ronald Reagan reiterated his support for the junta in El Salvador, although he had no intention of involving the U.S. in the junta’s civil war against Marxist guerrillas.

Britannica
Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

Crime
Jean Harris was convicted in White Plains, New York of second-degree murder in the death of her lover of 14 years, Dr. Herman Tarnower, on March 10, 1980. Dr. Tarnower, creator of the famed Scarsdale Diet, had been shot numerous times; Mrs. Harris’s defense was that she had intended the gun to be used for her own suicide and that Dr. Tarnower had been killed in a struggle over possession of the gun. She was also convicted on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

Religion
Pope John Paul II continued his visit to Tokyo with a meeting with Japanese Emperor Hirohito.

Disasters
The 6.7 Ms Gulf of Corinth earthquake affected Central Greece with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). 22 people were killed, 400 were injured, and damage totaled $812 million.

25 years ago
1986

World events
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of emergency, while Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who, along with armed forces chief of staff Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos, had seized control of the defense ministry headquarters two days earlier, formed a provisional government led by Corazon Aquino, who had challenged Mr. Marcos in the disputed February 7 presidential election.

Diplomacy
U.S. negotiators at the Geneva arms talks presented U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s proposal to eliminate U.S. and Soviet medium-range missiles within three years. Mr. Reagan tied the total elimination of nuclear weapons to a reduction in Warsaw Pact conventional forces; full Soviet compliance with treaties; and the peaceful resolution of regional conflicts.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers

#1 single in Switzerland: Sadeness Part I--Enigma (11th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers (4th week at #1)
2 Hello Afrika--Dr. Alban featuring Leila K.
3 Keep on Running--Milli Vanilli
4 Fantasy--Black Box
5 Sadeness Part I--Enigma
6 Kränk di net--Jazz Gitti & her Disco Killers
7 To Love Somebody--Jimmy Somerville
8 Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice
9 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight--Robert Palmer and UB40
10 Don't Worry--Kim Appleby

Singles entering the chart were In the Ghetto by Midwork (#28); and Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) by C&C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams (#30).

Died on this date
John Daly, 77. S.A.-born U.S. broadcaster. Mr. Daly, a native of Johannesburg who moved to Boston with his mother after his father died, was a news correspndent for NBC and CBS radio before moving to television, where he hosted the quiz show What's My Line? from 1950-1967. Mr. Daly died of cardiac arrest, four days after his 77th birthday.

George Gobel, 71. U.S. actor and comedian. Mr. Gobel starred in the television program The George Gobel Show (1954-1960), where his homespun style of humour made him an instant star. He made many guest appearances in television programs in later years.

Webb Pierce, 69. U.S. musician. Mr. Pierce was a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the major figures of the "honky-tonk" style of country music from 1951 to the mid-1960s. He had 51 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard country chart, reaching #1 13 times. Mr. Pierce's biggest hit was In the Jailhouse Now, which spent 21 weeks at number one. He became known in later years for his lavish lifestyle, which reportedly included heavy drinking. Mr. Pierce died of pancreatic cancer, 10 years before his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

War
200,000 allied troops participated in the ground offensive against Iraq, which began at about dawn. The attacks began across a 300-mile area west from the Persian Gulf. U.S. Marines and Army airborne and armoured units were joined by units from the U.K., France, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries. Some allied forces struck directly into Kuwait, but others crossed from Saudi Arabia into Iraq far to the west, beyond the Iraqi defensive lines. U.S. and U.K. armoured units moved first north, then northeast, and outflanked elite Iraqi Republican Guard forces dug in north of Kuwait. U.S. Marines and Arab forces striking directly into Kuwait achieved a quick breakthrough, and were joined in Kuwait by allied armoured forces entering from the west. Meanwhile, Canadian warplanes saw their first bombing missions since World War II.

Hockey
NHL
Quebec 3 @ Edmonton 6

This blogger was in attendance at Edmonton Coliseum to see Guy Lafleur play with the Nordiques.

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Claude Shannon, 84. U.S. mathematician, cryptographer, and engineer. Dr. Shannon was known as "the father of information theory." He founded digital circuit design theory in 1937, and worked with Bell Labs during World War II. Dr. Shannon invented numerous devices, and received numerous honours. He died of Alzheimer's disease.

Edmontonia
13-month-old Erika Nordby wandered outside into sub-zero (C) temperatures wearing only a diaper. By the time her mother found her, Erika was frozen almost solid and her heart had stopped beating for nearly two hours. When she arrived at hospital, Erika’s body temperature was only 16 C (37 C is normal). Erika was revived in hospital, and staff speculated that she would suffer only minor damage to her fingers and toes. The incident inspired a song by Stompin' Tom Connors.

Diplomacy
Colin Powell arrived in the Middle East to being his first trip as U.S. Secretary of State. He met separately in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. Both agreed with him that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to build weapons of mass destruction, but Mr. Mubarak contended that allied sanctions were harming only the Iraqi people, not Mr. Hussein. Mr. Powell and Mr. Ivanov explored differences on U.S. plans to build a missile shield, and on Russia’s conduct of her war against rebels in the province of Chechnya.

World events
Over 7,000 Madurese immigrants had fled the island of Borneo for Java after members of the indigenous Dayak tribe had killed 469 of the Madurese during a week of violence.