December 17, 2011

140 years ago
1871

Diplomacy
Grand Duke Alexei, a son of Czar Aleksandr II of Russia, arrived in Montreal by train after more than three weeks in the United States as the head of a delegation of the Imperial Russian Navy. He had breakfast with Montreal Mayor Charles-Joseph Coursol and then visited Lachine, Quebec. Grand Duke Alexei spent the next few days visiting Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, and Niagara Falls before returning to the United States on December 23.

120 years ago
1891

Died on this date
José María Iglesias, 68. President of Mexico, 1876-1877. Mr. Iglesias, a lawyer and law professor by profession, was first elected to Congress in 1852, and held several posts, including Secretary of Justice in the Liberal cabinet of President Benito Juárez. He served on the Mexican Supreme Court in the late 1850s, and was President of the Chamber of Deputies in the late 1860s, retiring for health reasons in 1871. Mr. Iglesias was elected President of the Supreme Court in 1873, and ruled the election of Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada as President in 1876 illegal because of fraud. Mr. Iglesias claimed the presidency under the constitution, holding the office from October 31, 1876-January 2, 1877. His presidency was disputed by General Porfirio Díaz, whose forces defeated those of Mr. Iglesias and forced him to flee to the United States on January 16, 1877. He returned to Mexico without incident and declined all invitations for public office, choosing to edit various journals. Mr. Iglesias died 19 days before his 69th birthday.

Economics and finance
The Canadian Bankers Association was founded in Ottawa.

90 years ago
1921

Economics and finance
The maple leaf design of the new nickel Canadian 5¢ coin was proclaimed; it was originally silver, but soon changed to pure nickel.

75 years ago
1936

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Louis Hector and Harry West, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 5

70 years ago
1941

Movies
The U.S. Roman Catholic National Legion of Decency announced in New York its approval of Two-Faced Woman, starring Greta Garbo, after the elimination of "objectionable scenes."

War
In the Battle of Hong Kong, Japan repeated her demand for surrender of the colony, but it was summarily refused by Governor Mark Young. The garrison, which included 450 Canadians, had no hope of relief, with the sinking of two British battleships off Singapore, and the crippling of the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; invasion came the following day. Chinese troops attacked at Tamshui, Shawan, and Shumchun, to the rear of the Japanese forces besieging Hong Kong. Japanese forces landed in the state of Sarawak in northern Borneo. A Soviet communique reported that Alexin and Zukino, south of Moscow, had been recaptured. The U.S. Army and Navy commanders in Hawaii who were in charge at the time of the December 7 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor were ousted. U.S. Navy Admiral Husband Kimmel was replaced by Admiral Chester Nimitz, while U.S. Army Lieutenant General Walter Short was replaced by Lt. Gen. Delos Emmons. The U.S. House of Representatives amended the Selective Service Act by voice vote to provide for the registration of all men aged 18-64 and to make those aged 21-44 subject to military service. Dr. Fritz Hansgirg, German-born inventor of a new method of manufacturing metallic magnesium, was arrested as an enemy in the offices of Permanente Corporation in Los Altos, California, despite company protests that he was needed for defense work.

Diplomacy
The governing board of the Pan American Union set January 15, 1942 as the date of the Pan American Conference in Rio de Janeiro, at which hemispheric defense would be discussed.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated Spruille Braden as Ambassador to Cuba to succeed George Messersmith.

Defense
U.S. President Roosevelt wrote a letter "to the President of the United States in 1956," urging an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for Colin Kelly III, the 18-month-old son of Colin Kelly, Jr., the U.S. Navy pilot who had been killed at the age of 26 in the successful bombing on December 10 of the Japanese battleship Haruna.

Americana
The U.S. Census Bureau revealed that the foreign-born population of New York City on April 1, 1940 totalled 2,080,020, of whom 62.4% were naturalized citizens.

Technology
Eastman Kodak announced a new film process called Kodacolor, enabling anyone to get full-colour prints from negatives in the shades of the original object. The film was to be offered to the public in six sizes in January 1947.

Economics and finance
U.S. Price Administrator Leon Henderson placed all tire sales under a consumer coupon rationing system, effective January 4, 1942.

Labour
U.S. President Roosevelt told 24 labour and management representatives that "you must reach an agreement" on war labour policy under which all work stoppages would be eliminated.

Disasters
Japan announced that 319 people had been killed and 437 injured in an earthquake in southern Formosa.

Baseball
The Associated Press poll of sportswriters named New York Yankees' center fielder Joe DiMaggio as the U.S.A.'s outstanding athlete of 1941. Mr. DiMaggio batted .357 with 30 home runs and 125 home runs in leading the Yankees to the World Series championship, and thrilled the nation by hitting safely in 56 straight games, a major league record that still stands.

60 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Perchance to Dream, starring William Eythe, Logan Ramsey, Louanna Gardner, and David White



Movies
The U.S. National Board of Review of Motion Pictures named A Place in the Sun as the year's outstanding film and Rashomon as the best foreign film.

Diplomacy
The U.S. Civil Rights Congress presented the document We Charge Genocide to the United Nations Genocide Convention, charging the United States government with genocide against African Americans. The CRC was supported by the Communist Party U.S.A.

Africana
Sudan's National Front informed the Untied Nations that it favoured a plebiscite on Sudanese union with Egypt.

Defense
The U.S. Selective Service headquarters announced that aliens who had been working in the United States since last summer were now subject to the draft.

Politics and government
The U.S. Civil Service Commission's Loyalty Review Board ordered federal agencies to review the cases of 565 employees under a new policy permitting dismissal on the basis of "reasonable doubt" of the employee's loyalty.

Aviation
U.S. President Harry Truman presented the Collier Trophy for outstanding achievement in aviation to the helicopter industry and the armed forces for "development and use of rotary-wing aircraft."

Economics and finance
The United Kingdom ended the Bank of England's monopoly on currency exchange transactions, which had been in effect since the start of World War II.

Labour
The Congress of Industrial Organizations United Steelworkers of American wage policy committee, meeting in Pittsburgh, ordered a nationwide strike of 700,000 members for January 1, 1952 unless employees granted a 15¢ hourly wage increase and other benefits.

Disasters
A train derailment near Carneiro, Brazil caused 53 deaths.

50 years ago
1961

Disasters
Fire broke out during a performance by the Gran Circus Norte-Americano in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing more than 500 people.

Football
NFL
Cleveland (8-5-1) 7 @ New York (10-3-1) 7
Dallas (4-9-1) 24 @ Washington (1-12-1) 34
Green Bay (11-3) 24 @ Los Angeles (4-10) 17
Minnesota (3-11) 35 @ Chicago (8-6) 52
Philadelphia (10-4) 27 @ Detroit (8-5-1) 24
Pittsburgh (6-8) 0 @ St. Louis (7-7) 20



AFL
Boston (9-4-1) 41 @ San Diego (12-2) 0
Houston (10-3-1) 47 @ Oakland (2-12) 16
New York (7-7) 24 @ Dallas (6-8) 35

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey--Paul & Linda McCartney (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Mamy Blue--Pop Tops (7th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Mammy Blue--Charisma (9th week at #1)
2 Get Me Some Help--Neville Whitmill
3 Amen--Peanutbutter Conspiracy
4 Butterfly--Danyel Gerard
5 Cousin Norman--Marmalade
6 The Desiderata--Les Crane
7 Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast--Daniel Boone
8 Never Ending Song of Love--The New Seekers
9 You--Peter Maffay
10 I Believe (in Love)--Hot Chocolate

The only single entering the chart was Imagine by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (#14).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Brand New Key--Melanie
2 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
3 Hey Girl--Donny Osmond
4 The Desiderata--Les Crane
5 Two Divided by Love--The Grass Roots
6 Devil You--Stampeders
7 No Good to Cry--The Poppy Family
8 Wild Night--Van Morrison
9 I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)--The New Seekers
10 Family Affair--Sly & the Family Stone

Singles entering the chart were George Jackson by Bob Dylan (#26); One Monkey Don't Stop No Show by the Honey Cone (#28); Hey Big Brother by Rare Earth (#29); and Behind Blue Eyes by the Who (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 Brand New Key--Melanie
2 Family Affair--Sly & the Family Stone
3 Can I Get a Witness--Lee Michaels
4 (I Know) I'm Losing You--Rod Stewart with Faces
5 I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)--The New Seekers
6 Devil You--Stampeders
7 Day After Day--Badfinger
8 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
9 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
10 No Good to Cry--The Poppy Family

Singles entering the chart were I Can Smell that Funky Music by Eric Mercury (#27); Fly Across the Sea by Edward Bear (#28); Bless the Beasts and Children by the Carpenters (#34); Sugar Daddy by the Jackson 5 (#35); Give Us One More Chance by Pagliaro (#38); and If Santa were My Daddy by Little Jimmy Osmond (#39).

On television tonight
The Dick Cavett Show, on ABC

California Governor Ronald Reagan was one of Mr. Cavett's guests.



Abominations
U.S. Army Colonel Oran Henderson was acquitted of charges that he had covered up the massacre by U.S. forces of more than 100 civilians in the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai on March 16, 1968. Col. Henderson was the last to be tried for having a role in the massacre.

Politics and government
Steps were begun to set up the government of the new nation of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Congress temporarily extended the current foreign aid program.

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Young Turks--Rod Stewart (3rd week at #1)
2 Physical--Olivia Newton-John
3 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
4 Leather and Lace--Stevie Nicks with Don Henley
5 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham
6 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
7 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
8 Private Eyes--Daryl Hall & John Oates
9 My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)--Chilliwack
10 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross

Singles entering the chart were Town Without Pity by Wildroot Orchestra (#18); and Oh No by the Commodores (#20).

Edmonton's Top 15 (CHED)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John
2 Working for the Weekend--Loverboy
3 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
4 Leather and Lace--Stevie Nicks with Don Henley
5 Oh No--Commodores
6 Take Off--Bon and Doug McKenzie
7 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
8 Lunatic Fringe--Red Rider
9 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham
10 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
11 Under Pressure--Queen & David Bowie
12 Here I Am--Air Supply
13 My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)--Chilliwack
14 Every Little Thing She Does is Magic--The Police
15 No Reply at All--Genesis

Edmonton's Top 10 (CFRN)
1 Hooked on Classics--The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
4 Yesterday's Songs--Neil Diamond
5 Physical--Olivia Newton-John
6 Take Off--Bob and Doug McKenzie
7 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
8 Wired for Sound--Cliff Richard
9 Come Go with Me--The Beach Boys
10 Leather and Lace--Stevie Nicks with Don Henley

Died on this date
Antiochos Evangelatos, 77. Greek composer and conductor. Mr. Evangelatos taught composition and counterpoint at the Hellenic Conservatory of Athens (1933-1974); chief musician of the National Opera (1940-1972); and music director of the National Radio Foundation (1954-1959). His compositions included symphonic works, chamber music, and stage music for ancient tragedies. Mr. Evangelatos died six days before his 79th birthday.

Terrorism
U.S. Army Brigadier General James L. Dozier was abducted by the Red Brigades in Verona, Italy.

25 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): The Way You Are--Agnetha Fältskog and Ola Håkansson (5th week at #1)

10 years ago
2001

World events
Armed men stormed the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in an unsuccessful coup attempt.

Politics and government
The new parliament of the Solomon Islands chose Sir Allan Kemakeza as the new Prime Minister.