March 27, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Beth Nyambura!

220 years ago
1801

Born on this date
Alexander Barrow. U.S. politician. Mr. Barrow, a Whig, spent several years in the Louisiana House of Representatives before representing the state from 1841 until his death on December 29, 1846 at the age of 45. He was the older half-brother of Washington Barrow, who represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

170 years ago
1851

Born on this date
Ruperto Chapí. Spanish composer. Mr. Chapí wrote a symphony, as well as choral and chamber works, but was best known for his many operas and zarzuelas (traditional Spanish works alternating between spoken and sung scenes). He co-founded Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers) in 1893, and died on March 25, 1909, two days before his 58th birthday.

Vincent d'Indy. French composer and teacher. Mr. d'Indy wrote more than 100 works, including three symphonies, symphonic poems, and instrumental and choral works. He co-founded the Schola Cantorum de Paris in 1894, and taught there and at the Paris Conservatoire until his death on December 2, 1931 at the age of 80.

150 years ago
1871

Born on this date
Heinrich Mann. German-born author. Mr. Mann, the older brother of novelist Thomas Mann, was also a novelist. He was best known for Der Untertan (1905) and Professor Unrat (1905), the latter of which was adapted into the movie Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) (1930). He was one of the public figures who signed the "Urgent Call for Unity" in 1932, asking German voters to reject the Nazi Party. Mr. Mann fled Germany shortly after the Nazis came to power in 1933, moving first to France, and eventually settling in the United States. He died in Santa Monica, California on March 11, 1950, 16 days before his 79th birthday and several months before he was scheduled to move to East Germany to become president of the German Academy of Arts.

Piet Aalberse. Dutch politician. Mr. Aalberse, a member of the Catholic People's party and then the Roman Catholic State Party, represented Almelo in the House of Representatives from 1903-1916 and served as the Netherlands' first Minister of Labour (1918-1922) and Minister of Labour, Trade and Industry (1922-1925). He later led the Catholic group in the House of Representatives, and was Speaker of the House from 1936-1937 before ending his career as a member of the Council of State from 1937-1946. Mr. Aalberse died on July 5, 1948 at the age of 77.

Sport
Scotland defeated England 2 tries and a goal to 1 try in the first international rugby football match, before 4,000 fans at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh.

140 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Arkady Averchenko. Russian author. Mr. Averchenko was a liberal satirist whose work was published in about 20 books. He fled Russia in November 1920, and settled in Prague in 1922. Mr. Averchenko took ill after an eye operation and died on March 12, 1925, 15 days before his 44th birthday.

130 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Lajos Zilahy. Hungarian writer. Mr. Zilahy wrote several dozen novels, including the trilogy A Dukay család (1949-1965). He also wrote plays and screenplays, directing the filmed versions of some of his works at the film studio he founded. Mr. Zilahy oppsoed both Fascism and Communism, and fled into exile in the United States in 1947. He died in Serbia on December 1, 1974 at the age of 83.

120 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Erich Ollenhauer. German politician. Mr. Ollenhauer joined the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in 1929, but fled Germany after the Nazis came to power in 1933. He returned to Germany in 1946, and was first elected to the Bundestag in 1949. Mr. Ollenhauer led the SPD from 1952 until his death from a pulmonary embolism on December 14, 1963 at the age of 62.

Eisaku Satō. Prime Minister of Japan, 1964-1972. Mr. Satō entered the Diet in 1949 as a member of the Liberal Party, which merged with the Japan Democratic Party in 1955 to form the Liberal Democratic Party. Mr. Satō became Prime Minister upon the resignation of Hayato Ikeda; he decided not to seek a fourth term and retired shortly after negotiating the return of Okinawa to Japan from United States control. He was awarded a share of the 1974 Novel Peace Prize "for his renunciation of the nuclear option for Japan and his efforts to further regional reconciliation." Mr. Satō died on June 3, 1975 at the age of 74, 15 days after suffering a severe stroke.

Carl Barks. U.S. cartoonist. Mr. Barks had a career spanning six decades, but was best known as an animator with Disney Studios and a writer and artist with Disney comic books from the mid-1930s through the mid-'60s. He wrote and drew the first Donald Duck stories in comic books, and created Duck family characters such as Scrooge McDuck. Mr. Barks was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1987, and died at the age of 99 on August 25, 2000, after a long battle with leukemia.

100 years ago
1921

Died on this date
Harry Barron, 73. U.K. military officer and politician. Major General Barron was Governor of Tasmania (1909-1913) and Governor of Western Australia (1913-1917).

90 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Arnold Bennett, 63. U.K. author and playwright. Mr. Bennett wrote 34 novels, more than 100 short stories, and 13 plays, many of them set in a fictionalized version of his native Staffordshire Potteries. He believed that literature should be accessible to ordinary people, which led his work to be dismissed by many critics. Mr. Bennett also wrote newspaper articles, and directed the British Ministry of Information during the final weeks of World War I in 1918. He died of typhoid fever after drinking tap water on a visit to France.

70 years ago
1941

World events
Yugoslav Air Corps chief Dusan Simovitch overthrew the regency of Prince Paul and the pro-Axis government of Premier Dragisha Cvetkovitch in a bloodless coup d'etat, and restored King Peter II to the throne. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill promised aid for the new Yugoslav government.

Diplomacy
German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler met Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka in Berlin and secretly urged an attack on Singapore.

U.S. Senator Robert Wagner (Democrat--New York) announced the formation of the American Palestine Committee to support the movement to develop and colonize Palestine with Jewish refugees.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the $7-billion Lend-Lease appropriations bill.

Economics and finance
The Japanese government announced that beginning in April the country would have one meatless day per week.

Labour
The U.S. National Defense Mediation Board succeeded in achieving settlements of defense strikes at International Harvester Company, Vanadium Steel Corporation, Universal Cyclops Steel Company, and Condenser Corporation of America. U.S. Representative Hatton Sumners (Democrat--Texas) declared that he would not hesitate for "one split second" to recommend "the electric chair" for enemies of the defense program "in factories or elsewhere."

60 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: The Three of Silence, starring Robert Emhardt, Betty Garde, and Walter Slezak



War
U.S. Defense Secretary George Marshall, in his first formal news conference, said that Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command General Douglas MacArthur's troops had the authority to cross the 38th Parallel "to safeguard the security of his comand," but denied that they could also push all the way to Manchuria. He also warned the United States to expect 10 years of tense relations with the U.S.S.R.

General Manton Eddy, U.S. 7th Army commander in Germany, warned that there was a "critical" danger of Soviet aggression in Germany during the next six months.

Politics and government
Khaled el Azam succeeded Populist leader Nazem el Kodsi as Prime Minister of Syria, ending an 18-day cabinet crisis.

Brazil banned Communist gatherings after a meeting in Belo Horizonte, the first of a series planned by Communists in several cities, resulted in a riot.

Basketball
NCAA
Men's Championship Final @ Williams Arena, Minneapolis
Kentucky 68 Kansas State 58

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Quince Años Tiene Mi Amor--Dúo Dinámico (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Non, je ne regrette rien--Édith Piaf (11th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Surrender--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)
2 Pony Time--Chubby Checker
3 Dedicated to the One I Love--The Shirelles
4 Apache--Jorgen Ingmann and his Guitar
5 Don't Worry--Marty Robbins
6 Blue Moon--The Marcels
7 Walk Right Back--The Everly Brothers
8 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
9 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
10 Gee Whiz (Look at his Eyes)--Carla Thomas

Singles entering the chart were Mother-in-Law by Ernie K-Doe (#55); You Can Depend on Me by Brenda Lee (#62); Brass Buttons by the String-A-Longs (#80); Funny by Maxine Brown (#83); Ain't It, Baby by the Miracles (#85); Tenderly by Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra (#87); Daddy's Home by Shep and the Limelites (#88); Sleepy-Eyed John by Johnny Horton (#89); Bumble Boogie by B. Bumble and the Stingers (#90); I'm in the Mood for Love by the Chimes (#92); I Told You So by Jimmy Jones (#93); Like, Long Hair by Paul Revere & the Raiders (#94); Triangle by Janie Grant (#96); Where I Fell in Love by the Capris (#97); Little Pedro by the Olympics (#98); and Green Grass of Texas by the Texans (#100).

Diplomacy
U.S. President John F. Kennedy and U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko met at the White House to discuss Laos, where Communist-supported forces were rebelling against the government. Both men expressed hope for a peaceful solution, but there was no indication that they agreed on the means.

Boxing
Chico Vejar (92-20-4) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Edmonton’s Wilf Greaves (33-17-1) in a middleweight bout at St. Nicholas Arena in New York City. After the fight, Mr. Vejar made a brief speech to the crowd announcing his retirement from professional boxing, and he kept his word.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Il cuore e' uno zingaro--Nicola Di Bari (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Hot Love--T. Rex (2nd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 The Pushbike Song--The Mixtures
2 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison
3 Knock Three Times--Dawn
4 Eleanor Rigby--Zoot
5 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
6 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
7 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
8 Apeman--The Kinks
9 Band of Gold--Freda Payne
10 I'll Be Gone--Spectrum

Singles entering the chart were Like an Eagle by Miguel Rios (#41); Valley to Pray by Arlo Guthrie (#55); Love the One You're With by Stephen Stills (#58); and Stoney End by Barbra Streisand (#59).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Du--Peter Maffray (3rd week at #1)
2 Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep--Middle of the Road
3 Butterfly--Danyel Gerard
4 Mozart - First Movement Symphony No. 40--Waldo De Los Rios
5 There's No More Corn on the Brasos--The Walkers
6 Invitation--Earth and Fire
7 What is Life--George Harrison
8 Another Day--Paul McCartney
9 Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep--Lally Stott
10 Silver Moon--Michael Nesmith & the First National Band

Singles entering the chart were Waarheen, Waarvoor... by Mieke Telkamp en De Hi-Five (#16); Those Words by Sandra & Andres (#21); Oh What a Day by Cloverleaf (#29); Blue Money by Van Morrison (#34); and Rozen voor Sandra by Ronnie Tober (#38). Waarheen, Waarvoor... was a Dutch-language version of Amazing Grace.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin (2nd week at #1)
2 Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)--The Temptations
3 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
4 Proud Mary--Ike & Tina Turner
5 For All We Know--Carpenters
6 Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted--The Partridge Family
7 What's Going On--Marvin Gaye
8 Help Me Make it Through the Night--Sammi Smith
9 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
10 What is Life--George Harrison

Singles entering the chart were I Am...I Said/Done Too Soon by Neil Diamond (#45); I Play and Sing by Dawn (#71); If by Bread (#72); Someone Who Cares by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (#81); Sweet and Innocent by Donny Osmond (#88); Love Makes the World Go Round by Kiki Dee (#89); C'mon by Poco (#97); Layla by Derek and the Dominos (#98); I Wish I Were by Andy Kim (#99); and The Animal Trainer and the Toad by Mountain (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 She’s a Lady--Tom Jones
2 Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted--The Partridge Family
3 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
4 Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)--The Temptations
5 Proud Mary--Ike and Tina Turner
6 For All We Know--Carpenters
7 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
8 What is Life--George Harrison
9 What’s Going On--Marvin Gaye
10 Cried Like a Baby--Bobby Sherman

Singles entering the chart were Warpath by the Isley Brothers (#80); Stop! In the Name of Love by Margie Joseph (#81); Oh, Singer by Jeannie C. Riley (#82); Me and My Arrow by Nilsson (#83); I'm Girl Scoutin' by the Intruders (#87); Me and You and a Dog Named Boo by Lobo (#91); Freedom by Jimi Hendrix (#93); Nickel Song by the New Seekers (#96); Cool Aid by Paul Humphreys & his Cool Aid Chemists (#99); and Here Comes the Sun by Richie Havens (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)--The Temptations
2 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
3 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
4 For All We Know--Carpenters
5 Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted--The Partridge Family
6 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
7 Proud Mary--Ike & Tina Turner
8 Help Me Make it Through the Night--Sammi Smith
9 (Where Do I Begin) Love Story--Andy Williams
10 What is Life/Apple Scruffs--George Harrison

Singles entering the chart were Power to the People by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (#79); I Think of You by Perry Como (#81); Nickel Song by the New Seekers (#83); I Won't Mention it Again by Ray Price (#85); Me and My Arrow by Nilsson (#89); Booty Butt by the Ray Charles Orchestra (#90); Me and You and a Dog Named Boo by Lobo (#91); Toast and Marmalade for Tea by Tin Tin (#92); Lucky Man by Emerson, Lake & Palmer (#94); Sweet and Innocent by Donny Osmond (#96); C'mon by Poco (#98); Adrienne by Tommy James (#99); and Give it to Me by the Mob (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted--The Partridge Family
2 She’s a Lady--Tom Jones
3 Stay Awhile--The Bells
4 What is Life--George Harrison
5 For All We Know--Carpenters
6 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
7 Oye Como Va--Santana
8 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
9 (Where Do I Begin) Love Story--Andy Williams
10 Carry Me--Stampeders

Singles entering the chart were I Am...I Said by Neil Diamond (#76); If by Bread (#87); Freedom by Jimi Hendrix (#94); Friends by Elton John (#95); A Country Boy Named Willy by Spring (#96); Timothy by the Buoys (#97); Train by Soma (#98); Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom) by the Staple Singers (#99); and Patricia by Ronnie Hawkins (#100).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Where Evil Grows--The Poppy Family
2 Have You Ever Seen the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
3 Woodstock--Matthews' Southern Comfort
4 Temptation Eyes--The Grass Roots
5 What is Life--George Harrison
6 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
7 Carry Me--Stampeders
8 Theme from Love Story--Henry Mancini, his Orchestra and Chorus
9 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
10 Blue Money--Van Morrison
Pick hit of the Week: Joy to the World--Three Dog Night

Disasters
The oil tanker Texas Oklahoma, with 44 men aboard, split in half and quickly sank 120 miles of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Within two days, only 13 survivors had been picked up within the resulting 100-mile oil slick.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade #1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): När vi två blir en--Gyllene Tider (16th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Stop the Cavalry--Jona Lewie

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre (4th week at #1)
2 Give Me Back My Love--Maywood
3 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
4 Never Knew Love Like This Before--Stephanie Mills
5 De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da--The Police
6 Stop the Cavalry--Jona Lewie
7 Lady--Kenny Rogers
8 Fashion--David Bowie
9 A Lot of Things--Peach
10 Can You Feel It--The Jacksons

Singles entering the chart were I am the Beat by Look (#18); Some Broken Hearts Never Mend by Telly Savalas (#19); and Woman by John Lennon (#20).

Terrorism
Four men hijacked a Honduran airliner and forced it to fly from Nicaragua to Panama City. The hijackers demanded that Honduras free 16 imprisoned Salvadoran leftists. Honduras refused to co-operate, and the hijackers surrendered to Panamanian officials, requesting asylum in Cuba.

Labour
The Solidarity movement in Poland staged a warning strike, the largest in the history of the Eastern Bloc, in which at least 12 million Poles walked off their jobs for four hours.

The United Mine Workers of America membership rejected a tentative agreement from the Bituminous Coal Operators Association and went on strike; scattered non-union mines were also shut down. The coal companies had offered a pay increase of 36% over three years, but had eliminated the royalties that they would pay to the union when they bought non-union coal.

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
Edmonton's Top 17 (CHED)
1 Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)--Glass Tiger
2 Kiss--Prince and the Revolution
3 Secret Lovers--Atlantic Starr
4 Nikita--Elton John
5 How Will I Know--Whitney Houston
6 These Dreams--Heart
7 R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.--John Cougar Mellencamp
8 Sara--Starship
9 This Could Be the Night--Loverboy
10 Eurasian Eyes--Corey Hart
11 Sanctify Yourself--Simple Minds
12 What You Need--INXS
13 Manic Monday--Bangles
14 Let's Go All the Way--Sly Fox
15 Feel it Again--Honeymoon Suite
16 West End Girls--Pet Shop Boys
17 People See Through You--Bruce Cockburn

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CITV
Tonight’s episode: Take My Life...Please!, starring Tim Thomerson and Xander Berkeley; Devil’s Alphabet, starring Ben Cross and Hywel Bennett; The Library, starring Frances Conroy

Defense
The United States Senate voted 53-47 to approve $100 million in aid for the Contras in Nicaragua who were opposing the Sandanista government of President Daniel Ortega. $25 million would go to the Contras immediately, and $75 million would be held for 90 days while diplomats sought a settlement.

Crime
A car bomb exploded at Russell Street Police Headquarters in Melbourne, injuring 21 people and fatally injuring Constable Angela Taylor, 21, who died from her injuries on April 20, 1986.

Politics and government
Adlai Stevenson III, who had been nominated on March 18 as the Democratic candidate for Governor of Illinois in the fall election, said that he would seek to run as an independent rather than be associated with the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor and secretary of state, both of whom were supporters of conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche.

Disasters
Augustine Volcano, rising 4,025 feet above sea level in Cook Inlet in Alaska, 175 miles southwest of Anchorage, erupted for the first time in 10 years. The spreading ash forced cancellation of flights into and out of Anchorage International Airport and posed breathing problems for residents of towns along Kenai Peninsula to the east.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Joyride--Roxette (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Aldo Ray, 64. U.S. actor. Mr. Ray, born Aldo DaRe, was usually cast in "tough guy" roles, because of his gravelly voice and husky build, but he occasionally played other kinds of characters. His movies included Battle Cry (1955); We're No Angels (1955); Men in War (1957); The Naked and the Dead (1958); God's Little Acre (1958); Four Desperate Men (1959); and The Green Berets (1968). Mr. Ray's career declined in later years, and he became good friends with the notoriously awful director and writer Ed Wood.

Ralph Bates, 51. U.K. actor. Mr. Bates starred in the television comedy series Dear John (1986-1987) and appeared in several horror movies made by Hammer Studios, including Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970). He died of pancreatic cancer.

War
Iran denied that it was aiding Iraqi rebels, including the Kurds, who were reported to be gaining ground in the northern part of Iraq. U.S. President George Bush said he would adopt a "wait and see" attitude toward internal revolts in Iraq and that he thought the regime of dictator Saddam Hussein would fall without U.S. intervention.

Politics and government
Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa tabled the previous day’s Belanger-Campeau Commission report, which recommended legislation providing for a referendum on Quebec sovereignty by October 1992. Mr. Bourassa made it clear that his government would make the final decision on how to proceed, whether it be toward sovereignty or federalism.

Hockey
Coach Scotty Bowman and former Toronto Maple Leaf' captain George Armstrong were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Mr. Bowman led the Montreal Canadiens to five Stanley Cup championships in the 1970s, while Mr. Armstrong led the Maple Leafs to four Stanley Cup championships in the 1960s. Mr. Bowman subsequently led the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings to Stanley Cup championships in the 1990s.

10 years ago
2001

Environment
U.S. President George W. Bush removed the United States from the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 treaty on global warming that called for the U.S. to cut carbon dioxide emissions by one-third by 2012.

Academia
A U.S. federal judge ruled that the University of Michigan’s affirmative action policy was invalid, a ruling that later would be reversed in an appeal.