March 15, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Walker Morrow!

700 years ago
1311
War
In the Battle of Halmyros, the Catalan Company defeated Walter V, Count of Brienne to take control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece.

160 years ago
1851

Born on this date
John Sebastian Little. U.S. politician. Mr. Little, a Democrat, represented Arkansas in the United States House of Representatives from 1894-1907. He took office as Governor of Arkansas on January 8, 1907, but suffered a nervous breakdown shortly thereafter, and was succeeded by interim Governor John Isaac Moore on February 15, 1907. Mr. Little never recovered, and died in the Arkansas State Hospital for Nervous Diseases on October 29, 1916 at the age of 65.

William Mitchell Ramsay. U.K. archaeologist. Sir William, a native of Glasgow, was educated in the Tübingen school of thought which doubted the accuracy of the New Testament. However, Sir William's work led him to write numerous works defending the accuracy of the New Testament. He became the foremost authority of his day on the history of Asia Minor and Christianity in the erly Roman Empire. Sir William was elected as a founding fellow of the British Academy in 1902, and was knighted in 1906 for his contribution to scholarship. He died on April 20, 1939 at the age of 88.

Transportation
New Brunswick enacted a law to begin construction of the European and North American Railroad. The proposed route is to extend from the Nova Scotia border in Westmorland County, south, to Bangor and Portland Maine.

140 years ago
1871

Politics and government
Lieutenant Governor Adams Archibald opened the first meeting of the Manitoba Legislature in the house of A.G.B. Bannatyne in Winnipeg, since no public building is available; his ceremonial guard was provided by the Ontario Rifles. Elected members came from 12 English and 12 French electoral districts; an appointed legislative council and an appointed executive council advised the lieutenant governor.

100 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Wilhelm Mohnke. German military officer. SS-Brigadeführer Mohnke joined the Nazi Party in 1931, and was one of the original members of the SS-Stabswache (Staff Guard) "Berlin" formed in March 1933. He commanded a regiments in the Battle for Caen (1944); in the Battle of Berlin (1945), he commanded the Kampfgruppe Mohnke and was charged with defending the Berlin government district, including the Reich Chancellery and the Reichstag. SS-Brigadeführer Mohnke was investigated after the war for war crimes, including allegations that he had been responsible for the murder of prisoners of war, but he was never charged. He dealt in small trucks and trailers after the war, and died on August 6, 2001 at the age of 90.

Labour
United Mine Workers began a six-month srike in the Crowsnest Pass area of British Columbia.

90 years ago
1921

Died on this date
Talaat Pasha, 46. Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, 1917-1918. Mehmed Talaat, commonly known as Talaat Pasha, was one of the leaders of the Young Turks, serving as Minister of the Interior (1913-1918) and Minister of Finance (1914-1917); in the former position, he initiated the genocide of Armenians in 1915. Talaat Pasha and Young Turk leader Enver Pasha fled the Ottoman Empire on the night of November 2-3, 1918, and were taken to Berlin aboard a German battleship. The Ottoman Military Tribunal sentenced Talaat Pasha to death in absentia for his role in the genocide; he was assassinated in Berlin by Soghomon Tehlirian, 23, as part of Operation Nemesis, a campaign by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) of revenge against perpetrators of the Armenian genocide. Talaat Pasha is regarded in Turkey as a founding father of the country.

80 years ago
1931

Disasters
The sealing ship SS Viking exploded off Newfoundland, killing 28 of the 147 men on board.

70 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Song of the Volga Boatmen--Glenn Miller and his Orchestra

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Mike Love! The lead singer of the Beach Boys and cousin of Beach Boys brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne, California. When Brian quit touring with the group late in 1964, it was Mr. Love's ability as a showman that helped the group maintain its popularity as a live act. He and Bruce Johnston remain the only "real" members still performing under the Beach Boys' name. In addition to singing lead on the fast songs, Mr. Love plays saxophone, although his playing rarely made it to record (the honking break on Shut Down is the best-known example. For a rare example of an extended sax solo by Mike Love, look for the Beach Boys' version of the Ray Charles hit What'd I Say, which was recorded during a live appearance in Sydney in January 1964. It was released as a track on the album Beach Boys/Brian Wilson Rarities, released on Capitol Records in Australia in 1981.

War
Greek Chief of Staff Field Marshal Alexander Papagos proclaimed that his troops had smashed the Italian spring offensive in Albania tha had begun seven days earlier.

Defense
The Ankara newspaper Aksam said that Turkey would adhere firmly to her military alliance with the United Kingdom. Turkish President Ismet Inonu informed Germany that Turkey had no territorial ambitions, but was determined to maintain her independence and integrity. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said in a radio address that aid to the Allies would be increased until total victory had been won. Brazilian Foreign Minister Oswaldo Aranha said that in defense of American territorial integrity, Brazil stood firm in her obligations assumed with other American republics.

Journalism
United Press Berlin reporter Richard C. Hotelet was arrested by the Gestapo on "suspicion of espionage."

Law
U.S. Attorney General Robert H. Jackson said that 8,091 warrants of deportation had been issued against aliens, but 6,249 of them could not be executed because of the European war.

Transportation
Philippine Airlines, the flag carrier of the Philippines made its first flight between Manila (from Nielson Field) to Baguio City with a Beechcraft Model 18, making the airline the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name.

Business
The government of Bolivia refused to consider the claims of Standard Oil Company (New Jersey) for properties confiscated in 1937.

60 years ago
1951

War
U.S. President Harry Truman said that Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command General Douglas MacArthur had the right to make tactical decisions on crossing the 38th Parallel in Korea. Gen. MacArthur denied in a press statement that the 38th Parallel had any geographical features which permitted the creation of a stable defensive line along it.

Diplomacy
U.S., U.K., U.S.S.R., and French representatives meeting in Paris clashed over West German rearmament, which the Soviets described as a violation of the 1945 Potsdam agreement.

Defense
West German representatives told a Paris conference on the formation of the Atlantic pact defense force that German units should have 10,000-12,000 men each in order to be effective.

Politics and government
Argentine President Juan Peron called a special session of Congress, charging that "international capitalism" was raising a false issue of freedom of the press and using the La Prensa case "to damage Argentina's international prestige and the indestructible union of the people with their government."

Crime
New York gambler Frank Costello, described in a U.S. Senate report as the head of a crime syndicate, walked out of a Senate Crime Investigating Committee hearing in New York, saying that he was too sick to continue.



Oil
In a movement led by Mohammad Mosaddegh, the lower house of the Iranian Parliament voted unanimously to nationalize the country's oil industry and eliminate foreign interests from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Truman nominated Assistant Treasury Secretary William McChesney Martin, Jr. as Federal Reserve Board chairman, following the resignation of Thomas McCabe.

Labour
The New York state legislature passed a controversial emergency act authorizing conscription of workers and seizure of private property in the event of an atomic attack.

50 years ago
1961

Diplomacy
At the 10th post-World War II Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference in London, South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd announced that his country would withdraw from the Commonweatlh of Nations upon becoming a republic on May 31, 1961. The announcement came after the other 10 heads of government at the conference denounced South Africa's apartheid policy of racial separation. British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan had been unsuccessful in trying to reach a compromise which would allow South Africa to remain within the Commonwealth as a republic, while being censured for apartheid.

Politics and government
U.S. President John F. Kennedy addressed various issues at a news conference in Washington.



40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Pushbike Song--The Mixtures

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Shiretoko Ryojō--Tokiko Kato (3rd week at #1)

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

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison
2 Apeman--The Kinks
3 Hier ist ein Mensch--Peter Alexander
4 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
5 Bridget The Midget (The Queen Of The Blues)--Ray Stevens
6 Cracklin' Rosie--Neil Diamond
7 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
8 Knock Three Times--Dawn
9 Have You Ever Seen the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
10 Oh, wann kommst du?--Daliah Lavi

Singles entering the chart were Bridget The Midget (The Queen Of The Blues); Knock Three Times; Have You Ever Seen the Rain; Mother by John Lennon (#13); and Für dich allein (Du kannst nicht alles haben) by Roy Black (#15).

Died on this date
Jean-Pierre Monseré, 22. Belgian cyclist. Mr. Monseré participated in the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, and turned professional in 1969. He won the world omnium championship in Leicester, England in 1970, but was killed while riding the Grote Jaarmarktprijs in Retie, Belgium when he collided with a car that had driven onto the course.

Defense
The fourth round of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R., aimed at reducing nuclear weapons, began in Vienna.

Diplomacy
The U.S. government discontinued the requirement that all American citizens obtain specially validated passports for travel to China.

Boxing
World welterweight champion Billy Backus (32-10-4) won a 10-round majority decision over Robert Gallois (42-5-1) in a non-title bout at the Palais des Sports in Paris. Mr. Backus was knocked down in the 5th round, but he responded by knocking down Mr. Gallois in each of rounds 7, 8, and 10.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Woman--John Lennon (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Life is for Living--Barclay James Harvest (3rd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Angel of Mine--Frank Duval & Orchestra
2 Stop the Cavalry--Jona Lewie
3 Some Broken Hearts Never Mend--Telly Savalas
4 Woman--John Lennon
5 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
6 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
7 Super Trouper--ABBA
8 De Do Do Do De Da Da Da--The Police
9 Love Will Tear Us Apart--Chuzpe
10 Lies--Status Quo

Singles entering the chart were Woman; The Gold Bug by the Alan Parsons Project (#15); and Ye-si-ca by Secret Service (#20).

Died on this date
René Clair, 82. French film director and writer. Mr. Clair, born René-Lucien Chomette, began his career in silent movies in 1924, but became known for directing some of France's earliest sound films, including Sous les toits de Paris (Under the Roofs of Paris) (1930); Le Million (1931); and À nous la liberté (1931). He worked in England in the mid-late 1930s and then in Hollywood until 1946, with his biggest success coming wih And Then There were None (1945). Mr. Clair returned to France in 1947 and directed films until 1965, but he was seen as out of touch with the times. He increasingly turned to writing, producing journal articles and the occasional work of fiction.

War
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein offered to arm dissident Iranian rebels, indicating that his cease-fire proposals had been rejected.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 3 @ Calgary 3

Wayne Gretzky scored his 50th goal of the season for the Oilers in their tie against the Flames at the Stampede Corral.

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Sara--Starship
2 These Dreams--Heart
3 Kyrie--Mr. Mister
4 Secret Lovers-Atlantic Starr
5 Silent Running--Mike & the Mechanics
6 How Will I Know--Whitney Houston
7 R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.--John Cougar Mellencamp
8 Rock Me Amadeus--Falco
9 King for a Day--Thompson Twins
10 Life in a Northern Town--The Dream Academy

Singles entering the chart were Harlem Shuffle by the Rolling Stones (#39); Why Can’t This Be Love by Van Halen (#47); American Storm by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (#51); Take Me Home by Phil Collins (#79); Whisper in the Dark by Dionne Warwick (#83); and Twist My Arm by the Pointer Sisters (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Kyrie--Mr. Mister (2nd week at #1)
2 How Will I Know--Whitney Houston
3 Conga--Miami Sound Machine
4 Sara--Starship
5 When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going--Billy Ocean
6 Nikita--Elton John
7 Living in America--James Brown
8 Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)--Glass Tiger
9 That’s What Friends are For--Dionne and Friends (with Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder)
10 These Dreams--Heart

Singles entering the chart included Bad Boy by Miami Sound Machine (#72); Why Can’t This Be Love by Van Halen (#75); Great Gosh A’Mighty by Little Richard (#77); The Captain of Her Heart by Double (#80); For America by Jackson Browne (#93); and Something About You by Level 42 (#96).

20 years ago
1991

Died on this date
Bud Freeman, 84. U.S. musician. Lawrence Freeman was a tenor saxophonist who played with the big bands of musicians such as Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman, and also led his own orchestra in a career that stretched from the 1920s to the 1980s. He was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1992.

Germanica
The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany came into effect, granting full sovereignty to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Politics and government
Yugoslavian President Borislav Jovic, an ally of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, resigned after the federal executive body voted against declaring a national state of emergency so that the Yugoslav army could intervene in Serbia. Western observers believed Mr. Milosevic wanted martial law in Yugoslavia in order to safeguard his regime and bolster his power. Two more members of the executive body--one each from Montenegro and Vojvodina--who had voted in favour of martial law also resigned, reducing the collective presidency to five members.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that producer prices for finished goods had declined 0.6% in February.

Track and field
Sergei Bubka of the U.S.S.R. became the first person to pole vault 20 feet when he cleared 20 feet ¼ inch at an international meet in San Sebastian, Spain. The vault bettered the world indoor record of 19 feet 11¼ inches he had set one month before.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 3 @ Winnipeg 4

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Ann Sothern, 92. U.S. actress. Miss Sothern, born Harriette Arlene Lake, was known for her comic performances in numerous movies and television programs. She starred as the title character in the Maisie film series (1939-1947) and the radio program The Adventures of Maisie (1945-1953). Miss Sothern starred in the television comedy series Private Secretary (1953-1958), and The Ann Sothern Show (1958-1961). She was nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting performance in The Whales of August (1987), her final film. Miss Sothern died of heart failure.

Terrorism
A Russian plane en route from Istanbul to Moscow was hijacked to Medina, Saudi Arabia by three Chechen terrorists who sought to have all Russian troops removed from the breakaway province of Chechnya.

War
The United Nations brokered a deal to withdraw multinational forces from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and for rebel combat to cease within two weeks. UN personnel would be sent to monitor the process.

Law
The Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled that parents were liable if their teenage children’s party guests drove after drinking too much. A family in Enderby, B.C. was ordered to pay part of the $2.5 million in damages awarded to a teenage boy who was seriously injured in a 1998 car crash after leaving a party.