February 3, 2011

850 years ago
1161

Died on this date
Inge I, 24 or 25. King of Norway, 1136-1161. Inge I, nicknamed "Inge the Hunchback," acceded to the throne upon the murder of his father Harald IV by Sigurd Slembe, a pretender to the throne. Inge became a hunchback after being dropped during infancy, and was unable to walk unaided. He was an illegitimate son of King Harald, and the kingdom was divided among Inge and Harald's three legitimate sons. Inge was the last remaining brother, but was killed in battle against the forces of King Haakon the Broadshouldered, a son of Siburd Slembe. King Inge was succeeded by Haakon II and Magnus V.

560 years ago
1451

Died on this date
Murad II, 46. Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, 1421-1444, 1446-1451. Murad II acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Mehmed I. Murad II achieved military and economic success before abdicating in 1844 in favour of his son Mehmed II, but a revolt of the janissaries (elite infantry units) forced his return, and he remained on the throne until his death, whereupon he was once again succeeded by Mehmed II.

350 years ago
1661

War
Maratha forces under Chattrapati Shivaji defeated the Mughals in the Battle of Umberkhind in India.

230 years ago
1781

War
British forces seized the Dutch-owned Caribbean island Sint Eustatius.

200 years ago
1811

Born on this date
Horace Greeley. U.S. journalist and politician. Mr. Greeley supported numerous progressive and utopian causes before and after founding the New-York Tribune in 1841. He was a Whig when he was elected to fill the last three months of a term in the U.S. House of Representatives (1848-1849), representing New York's 6th District. Mr. Greeley was one of the founders of the Republican Party in 1854, and may have named the party. He became disenchanted with the Republicans during Reconstruction after the American Civil War, and in 1872 was the U.S. presidential candidate of the new Liberal Republican Party. Despite obtaining the support of the Democratic Prty, Mr. Greeley suffered a lopsided loss to incumbent President U.S. Grant. Mr. Greeley's wife died a week before the election; he was plunged into despair, and his own health declined. Mr. Greeley died on November 29, 1872 at the age of 61; the Electoral College hadn't yet voted, and his 66 electoral votes were split among other candidates. Mr. Greeley has been credited, perhaps erroneously, with saying, "Go west, young man..." When Mr. Greeley visited the western United States, he didn't like it at all, and was glad to get back to New York.

190 years ago
1821

Born on this date
Elizabeth Blackwell. U.K.-born physician. Dr. Blackwell moved with her family to New York at the age of 11, and was a schoolteacher before deciding to pursue a medical career. She was accepted by Geneve Medical College in New York state, and in 1849 became the first woman in the United States to earn a medical degree. Dr. Blackwell practiced in Europe and the United States, organizing nurses during the American Civil War, and moving back to England in 1869. She retired from medicine in 1877, and spent the rest of her life promoting various social reforms. Dr. Blackwell was seriously incapacitated by a bad fall in 1907, and suffered a serious stroke three years later, which caused her death on May 31, 1910 at the age of 89.

180 years ago
1831

Law
U.S. President Andrew Jackson extended copyright law to the use of music, creating for the first time income for the songwriter and making possible a publishing and licensing industry.

70 years ago
1941

War
German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler approved the final version of Operation Barbarossa, the plan for the German invasion of Russia.

Politics and government
Cuban President Fulgencio Batista took ove personal command of Cuba's armed forces and suspended civil rights for 15 days.

U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt refused to speak to the American Youth Congress because of its opposition to the military draft and aid to the United Kingdom.

Economics and finance
Officials said that Japan would not abandon her program of economic penetration of the Netherlands East Indies despite Dutch protests.

Labour
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, the wage-hours law. The U.S. Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the National Labor Relations Board lacked the legal right to police relations between an employer and his employees under a collective bargaining agreement.

Football
NFL
Elmer Layden resigned as head coach at the University of Notre Dame in order to accept a five-year contract as Commissioner of the National Football League.

60 years ago
1951

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Bewitched--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra; Doris Day (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page (Best Seller--6th week at #1; Disc Jockey--5th week at #1; Jukebox--5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page (6th week at #1)
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Les Paul and Mary Ford
--Jo Stafford
2 My Heart Cries for You--Guy Mitchell
--Dinah Shore
--Vic Damone
--Jimmy Wakely
3 The Thing--Phil Harris
4 Harbor Lights--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby
5 Be My Love--Mario Lanza
6 A Bushel and a Peck--Perry Como and Betty Hutton
--Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely
7 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
8 Thinking of You--Don Cherry
--Eddie Fisher
9 If--Perry Como
10 You’re Just in Love--Perry Como

Singles entering the chart were Marrying for Love by Guy Mitchell and Rosemary Clooney (#24); I Still Feel the Same About You by Georgia Gibbs with Owen Bradley (#31); I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat by Mel Blanc (#33); and Life is So Peculiar, with versions by Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan; and Frank Sinatra (#34).

At the movies
Cry Danger, directed by Robert Parrish, and starring Dick Powell and Rhonda Fleming, opened in theatres.





War
Communist Chinese Premier Chou En-lai declared that the passage of a United Nations resolution charging the People's Republic of China with aggresion in Korea had "blocked the path to a peaceful settlement."

Economics and finance
East and West Germany signed a $19.6-million trade agreement in Berlin.

The U.S. National Production Authority ordered further cuts in civilian use of aluminum and rubber.

Horse racing
Great Circle, with Bill Shoemaker up, won the Santa Anita Maturity in Arcadia, California.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: A Penny for Your Thoughts, starring Dick York, June Dayton, Dan Tobin, and Cyril Delevanti

The script was the first of four teleplays for The Twilight Zone by George Clayton Johnson, who also had four of his stories adapted for the series by others.

Died on this date
William Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil, 67. Governor-General of Australia, 1960-1961. Mr. Morrison, a native of Scotland, was a Conservative who represented Cirencester and Tewkesbury in the British House of Commons. He held several cabinet posts, and served as Speaker of the House (1951-1959), retiring for health reasons. Mr. Morrison was made Viscount Dunrossil in 1959, and was appointed Governor-General of Australia, taking office on February 2, 1960. His health problems continued; he died from a pulmonary embolism, and was succeeded as Governor-General by Viscount De L'Isle.

Anna May Wong, 56. U.S. actress. Miss Wong, born Wong Liu Tsong, was a popular star of movies in the 1920s and '30s, despite industry discrimination against Oriental performers, and typecasting in stereotypical roles. Her movies included The Thief of Bagdad (1924); Piccadilly (1929); and A Study in Scarlet (1933). Miss Wong starred in The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong (1951), a detective show that was the first television series to star an Asian-American. Her health declined through the 1950s, and she died of a heart attack, preventing her from taking up a supporting role in the movie Flower Drum Song (1961).

Defense
The United States Air Forces began Operation Looking Glass, and over the next 30 years, a "Doomsday Plane" was always in the air, with the capability of taking direct control of the United States' bombers and missiles in the event of the destruction of the Strategic Air Command's command post.

Economics and finance
The Canadian Bank of Commerce merged with Imperial Bank of Canada; to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

U.S. President John F. Kennedy ordered a $4-million program of federal assistance for Cuban refugees in the United States, bringing to $5 million the total of foreign aid funds allocated to Cuban refugees, whose number was estimated at 66,000, including 32,000 in the Miami area.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (2nd week at #1)

Crime
New York Police Officer Frank Serpico was shot during a drug bust in Brooklyn; he survived to later testify against police corruption.

Business
Bombardier acquired Industries Bouchard, located in La Pocatière, as well as MS Distribution and Saint-Hyacinthe Sport, distributors for Moto-Ski in Quebec and in the Maritime provinces.

Disasters
A fire and explosion in a chemical plant in Woodbine, Georgia killed 25 and hospitalized 33.

30 years ago
1981

War
It was reported that Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries had been cooperating in the shipment of arms, including tanks, to Iraq in its war against Iran.

Politics and government
The Manitoba Court of Appeal ruled the federal government's constitutional proposals and amendments to be legal.

Business
Petro-Canada offered to acquire control of Petrofina Canada Ltd. from foreign owners at $120 per share, or $1.46 billion.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 3 @ Detroit 5



25 years ago
1986

Disasters
U.S. President Ronald Reagan named an independent commission to investigate the January 28 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger that had killed all 7 aboard. The commission’s chairman was former Secretary of State William Rogers, and the vice-chairman was former astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.

Religion
Pope John Paul II visited Mother Teresa in Calcutta and visited her refuge for the sick and dying.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): I'll Be Your Baby Tonight--Robert Palmer and UB40

#1 single in Switzerland: Sadeness Part I--Enigma (8th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers
2 Keep on Running--Milli Vanilli
3 Sadeness Part I--Enigma
4 Hello Afrika--Dr. Alban featuring Leila K.
5 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight--Robert Palmer and UB40
6 Fantasy--Black Box
7 Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice
8 To Love Somebody--Jimmy Somerville
9 The Joker--Steve Miller Band
10 Justify My Love--Madonna

Singles entering the chart were A Better Love by Londonbeat (#22); It's a Shame (My Sister) by Monie Love featuring True Image (#26); and Being Boring by Pet Shop Boys (#30).

Died on this date
Nancy Kulp, 69. U.S. actress. Miss Kulp was best known for playing Jane Hathaway in the television comedy series The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971). She died of cancer.

Politics and government
The Israeli cabinet of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir approved admitting the Modelet (Homeland) party to the government’s ruling coalition. Modelet advocated expelling all Palestinians from the occupied territories.

Football
NFL
Pro Bowl @ Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
AFC 23 NFC 21

The American Football Conference outscored the National Conference 17-7 in the 4th quarter to win before 50,345 fans (see video). New Orleans Saints' kicker Morten Andersen's field goal attempt in the final seconds was blocked, preserving the win for the AFC. Quarterback Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills was named the game's most valuable player.

10 years ago
2001

Politics and government
Roger Grimes was elected leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador after winning the second ballot at the party's leadership convention; he succeeded Brian Tobin as party leader and Premier.

Sport
Catriona LeMay Doan of Canada won gold medals in the 500-metre and 1,000-metre speed skating races at Heerenveen, Netherlands.