December 4, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Marina Kosan!

1,240 years ago
771

Died on this date
Carloman I, 20. King of the Franks, 768-771. Carloman I inherited half of the Kingdom of the Franks with his older brother Charlemagne upon the death of their father Pepin the Short. The brothers were opposed to each other, and seemed to be on the verge of war when Carloman suddenly died, perhaps from a severe nosebleed. Carloman I's death allowed Charlemagne to take all of Francia and begin his expansion into other kingdoms.

880 years ago
1131

Died on this date
Omar Khayyam, 83. Persian polymath. Mr. Khayyam was a mathematician, astronomer, historian, philosopher, and poet. He was notable for his work on the classification and solution of cubic equations, where he provided geometric solutions by the intersection of conics. As an astronomer, Mr. Khayyam designed the Jalali calendar, a solar calendar with a very precise 33-year intercalation cycle that provided the basis for the Persian calendar that is still in use after nearly a millennium. In 1079 he accurately calculated the length of a year. Quatrains attributed to Mr. Khayyam were collected and published in an English translation as Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (1859).

220 years ago
1791

Journalism
The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, published its first edition in London.

150 years ago
1861

Born on this date
Hannes Hafstein. Minister for Iceland, 1904-1909, 1912-1914. Mr. Hafstein, the son of Governor of North and East Iceland Pétur Havstein, was the first Icelander to be appointed to the Danish Cabinet while being responsible to the Icelandic Althing. He was managing director of the Bank of Iceland after both his terms as Minister, resigning as director of the Bank in 1917 because of declining health. Mr. Hafstein died on December 13, 1922, nine days after his 61st birthday.

Politics and government
The 109 Electors of the several states of the Confederate States of America unanimously elected Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice President.

140 years ago
1871

Politics and government
U.S. President U.S. Grant delivered his third annual State of the Union message to Congress. Subjects included foreign relations and defense.

130 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Erwin von Witzleben. German military officer. Generalfeldmarschall Witzleben joined the Prussian Army in 1901, and served in both World Wars, winning numerous decorations. He was one of the officers involved in the conspiracy to assassinate German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944; after the plot failed, he was arrested on July 21. Generalfeldmarschall Witzleben was convicted by the Volksgerichtshof (People's Court) in a show trial on August 7, and executed on August 8, 1944 at the age of 62 by hanging with a meat hook and piano wire.

Journalism
The first edition of the Los Angeles Times was published.

90 years ago
1921

Football
APFA
Akron (8-3-1) 7 @ Chicago Cardinals (3-3-1) 0
Buffalo (9-1-2) 7 @ Chicago Staleys (8-1) 10
Columbus (1-8) 6 @ Louisville (0-2) 0

The Staleys' win over the All-Americans at Cubs Park was Buffalo's second game in as many days.

70 years ago
1941

War
Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and Polish Prime Minister Wladyslaw Sikorski signed a declaration in Moscow stating that the U.S.S.R. and Poland would continue the war until Germany was defeated. A bill to empower the British government to conscript all British men and women aged 18½-51 passed its first test in the House of Commons after a Labour Party amendment urging the government to seize transport, coal mining, and munitions factories was defeated 336-40. A conference in Washington adopted a resolution urging the creation of a 200,000-man Jewish army, to be recruited in the U.S.A. and Palestine to fight the Nazis. Chesley Manly of the Chicago Tribune reported that the U.S. Army and Navy Joint Board had prepared a confidential report for President Franklin D. Roosevelt on how the United States could defeat Germany and her allies. Mr. Manly said the report envisioned an expeditonary force of five million men.
Diplomacy
A Japanese news agency criticized U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull's November 26 position on American-Japanese relations, declaring, "It is utterly impossible for Japan to accept the stipulations of the American document."

Defense
The U.S. National Association of Manufacturers urged that a single agency with a single head be created to supervise defense production.

Law
Under the Indian government's new policy of freeing all civil disobedience political prisoners "whose offenses have been formal or symbolic in character," 500 members of the Indian National Congress Party were released from prisons.

Terrorism
A bomb destroyed the Detroit home of Patrick J. Currier, head of a lumber company involved in a labour dispute.

Academia
The Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools dropped 10 state colleges of Georgia from its accredited list, effective September 1, because of "unprecedented and unjustfiable political interference" by Georgia Governor Eugene Talmadge.

Journalism
The Chicago Sun published its first edition.

Medicine
The U.S. National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis announced its approval of the polio treatment that had been developed by Australian nurse Elizabeth Kenny, consisting of massage, movement, and re-education of paralyzed muscles as soon as possible after the disease was discovered.

Labour
American Federation of Labor President William Green and Congress of Industrial Organizations President Philip Murray denounced the defense anti-strike bill passed the previous day by the U.S. House of Representatives.

60 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Far-Off House, starring Kathleen Comegys, Henry Jones, and Allen Tower



War
Clashes between British forces and Egyptian civilians and police in the Suez continued, causing 65 deaths. The Egyptian government placed the nation under a state of emergency.

World events
The U.S.A. demanded the immediate release of the C-47 transport plane and crew forced down over Hungary on November 19.

Politics and government
United Nations headquarters in New York disclosed that Nobel Prize-winning British biochemist Ernest Chain had twice been barred from entering the United States in 1951 under the 1950 Internal Security Act.

Labour
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board ruled that a large Christmas bonus paid annually for 12 years by the Niles-Benent-Pond Company of West Hartford, Connecticut had become part of the wage structure and was therefore subject to collective bargaining. The NLRB asked the company to negotiate with the United Auto Workers of America on its plan to slash the bonus.

Disasters
Hibok Hibok volcano on Camiguin Island in the Philippines erupted for the second time in two years, causing 209 deaths, with 500 inhabitants reported missing.

Football
NCAA
An Associated Press poll of sportswriters listed Tennessee, Michigan State, Maryland, Illinois, and Georgia Tech as the top U.S. college teams. Princeton Univesity halfback Dick Kazmaier was named the 1951 winner of the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding college football player in the United States.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Moliendo Café--Lucho Gatica (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): L'Auto-circulation--Henri Tisot (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Big Bad John--Jimmy Dean (5th week at #1)
2 Please Mr. Postman--The Marvelettes
3 Goodbye Cruel World--James Darren
4 Runaround Sue--Dion
5 Fool #1--Brenda Lee
6 The Twist--Chubby Checker
7 Walk on By--Leroy Van Dyke
8 Tower of Strength--Gene McDaniels
9 I Understand (Just How You Feel)--The G-Clefs
10 Crazy--Patsy Cline

Singles entering the chart were Can't Help Falling in Love (#57)/Rock-A-Hula Baby (#62) by Elvis Presley; The Peppermint Twist by Danny Peppermint and the Jumping Jacks (#59); The Majestic (#64)/The Wanderer (#79) by Dion; Lonesome Number One by Don Gibson (#66); I Hear You Knocking by Fats Domino (#67); Turn on Your Love Light by Bobby Bland (#81); Small Sad Sam by Phil McLean (#86); Unsquare Dance by the Dave Brubeck Quartet (#87); Norman by Sue Thompson (#94); (How Can I Write on Paper) What I Feel in My Heart by Jim Reeves (#95); Pop Goes the Weasel by Anthony Newley (#96); She Really Loves You by Timi Yuro (#98); and Walkin' Back to Happiness by Helen Shapiro (#100). Danny Peppermint and the Jumping Jacks were a British group; The Peppermint Twist was a different song from Peppermint Twist by Joey Dee & the Starlites, charting at #29. I Hear You Knocking was the other side of Jambalaya (On the Bayou), which had yet to chart. (How Can I Write on Paper) What I Feel in My Heart was the other side of Losing Your Love, charting at #90.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Music Vendor)
1 Big Bad John--Jimmy Dean
2 Please Mr. Postman--The Marvelettes
3 Goodbye Cruel World--James Darren
4 Walk on By--Leroy Van Dyke
5 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens
6 Run to Him--Bobby Vee
7 Moon River--Henry Mancini, his Orchestra and Chorus
--Jerry Butler
8 Let There Be Drums--Sandy Nelson
9 Tonight--Ferrante and Teicher
--Eddie Fisher
--Jay and the Americans
10 Peppermint Twist--Joey Dee & the Starliters

Singles entering the chart were Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley (#51); Jambalaya (On the Bayou) by Fats Domino (#59); Funny How Time Slips Away by Jimmy Elledge (#71); Twistin' U.S.A. by Chubby Checker (#75); Small Sad Sam by Phil McLean (#76); Little Altar Boy by Vic Dana (#79); Searching by Jack Eubanks (#80); What a Walk by Bobby Lewis (#84); A Kiss for Christmas by Joe Dowell (#86); You Don't Have to Be a Tower of Strength by Gloria Lynne (#87); Clap Hands, Here Comes Charley by Ella Fitzgerald (#88); Baby, it's You by the Shirelles (#91); He's Not Just a Soldier by Little Richard (#96); Sweet Water by the Stereos (#97); Three Steps from the Altar by Shep and the Limelites (#98); Let's Go Trippin' by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones (#99); and Norman by Sue Thompson (#100). You Don't Have to Be a Tower of Strength was an "answer" to Tower of Strength by Gene McDaniels, charting at #20.

On the radio
Macabre, on USAFRS Far East Network
Tonight's episode: The House in the Garden

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, on BBC
Tonight's episode: The Reigate Squires

On television tonight
Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Dialogues with Death, starring Boris Karloff, Estelle Winwood, and Ed Nelson



Society
U.K. Health Minister Enoch Powell announced that women who wanted to obtain oral contraception would be able to get it through the National Health Service.

Boxing
Sonny Liston (33-1) knocked out Albert "Quick Fall" "Westphal (24-9-3) at 1:58 of the first round of a heavyweight bout before 2,432 fans at Convention Hall in Philadelphia. This bout and the subsequent heavyweight championship fight between Floyd Patterson and Tom McNeeley were shown on closed-circuit television as a doubleheader--the first time that had happened with fights in different cities. Among the interested viewers was U.S. President John F. Kennedy, watching in the White House.



Floyd Patterson (38-2) retained his world heavyweight championship by knocking down Tom McNeeley (23-1) 8 times and finally out at 2:51 of the 4th round before a crowd of 7,813 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Former world heavyweight champion Jersey Joe Walcott was the referee for the first world heavyweight title fight to take place in Canada.



40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Mammy Blue--Charisma (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Mamy Blue--Pop Tops (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Coz I Luv You--Slade (4th week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Banks of the Ohio--Olivia Newton-John (4th week at #1)
2 Maggie May/Reason to Believe--Rod Stewart
3 Mammy Blue--Joel Dayde
4 Love is a Beautiful Song--Dave Mills
5 The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down--Joan Baez
6 Signs--Five Man Electrical Band
7 Speak to the Sky--Ricky Springfield
8 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
9 Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey--Paul & Linda McCartney
10 Peace Train--Cat Stevens

Singles entering the chart were Imagine by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (#34); and Free the People by Sherbet (#36).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Non, Non, Rien N'a Changé--Poppys
2 Without a Worry in the World--Rod McKuen
3 Soley Soley--The Middle of the Road
4 Pappie Loop Toch Niet Zo Snel--Herman Van Keeken
5 How Do You Do--Mouth & MacNeal
6 Reason to Believe/Maggie May--Rod Stewart
7 Schön ist es auf der Welt zu sein--Roy Black + Anita
8 Kom Van Dat Dak Af [Maxi Single]--Peter en Zijn Rockets
9 Mama Oh Mama--George Baker Selection
10 I Will Return--Springwater

Singles entering the chart were Theme from Shaft by Isaac Hayes (#20); Coz I Love You by Slade (#29); Als Ik Jou Kus by De Twee Pinten (#30); Fireball by Deep Purple (#32); and Jeepster by T. Rex (#33).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Family Affair--Sly & the Family Stone
2 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
3 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
4 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
5 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
6 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
7 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
8 The Desiderata--Les Crane
9 Rock Steady--Aretha Franklin
10 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

Singles entering the chart were I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) by the New Seekers (#61); Let's Stay Together by Al Green (#68); Day After Day by Badfinger (#74); Lay Lady Lay by the Isley Brothers (#82); Once You Understand by Think featuring Lou Stallman (#86); Looking for a Love by J. Geils Band (#87); Carolyn by Merle Haggard and the Strangers (#88); No Sad Song by Helen Reddy (#90); George Jackson by Bob Dylan (#93); The Girl Who Loved Me When by the Glass Bottle featuring Gary Criss (#96); Devil You by the Stampeders (#98); and Daisy Mae by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Family Affair--Sly and the Family Stone (2nd week at #1)
2 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
3 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
4 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
5 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
6 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
7 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
8 Rock Steady--Aretha Franklin
9 Cherish--David Cassidy
10 Two Divided by Love--The Grass Roots

Singles entering the chart were George Jackson by Bob Dylan (#70); Day After Day by Badfinger (#78); Anticipation by Carly Simon (#81); Me and Bobby McGee by Jerry Lee Lewis (#88); Truckin' by the Grateful Dead (#93); Devil You by the Stampeders (#94); I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again by Buffy Sainte-Marie (#95); Tightrope Ride by the Doors (#96); Pain (Part 1) by the Ohio Players (#98); and Way Back Home (Vocal) by Jr. Walker and the All-Stars (#99). Way Back Home had the vocal version on the A-side in mono, and the instrumental on the B-side in stereo.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Family Affair--Sly and the Family Stone (2nd week at #1)
2 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
3 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
4 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
5 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
6 Rock Steady--Aretha Franklin
7 Peace Train--Cat Stevens
8 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
9 Everybody's Everything--Santana
10 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night

Singles entering the chart were American Pie by Don McLean (#59); Daisy Mae by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds (#74); Let's Stay Together by Al Green (#75); Anticipation by Carly Simon (#78); Lay Lady Lay by the Isley Brothers (#86); Me and Bobby McGee by Jerry Lee Lewis (#89); I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again by Buffy Sainte-Marie (#91); Treat Me Like a Good Piece of Candy by Dusk (#93); Tightrope Ride by the Doors (#94); and After All this Time by Merry Clayton (#99).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (2nd week at #1)
2 Two Divided by Love--The Grass Roots
3 Everybody's Everything--Santana
4 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
5 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
6 Peace Train--Cat Stevens
7 The Desiderata--Les Crane
8 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
9 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
10 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson

Singles entering the chart were American Pie, Parts I and II by Don McLean (#67); Day After Day by Badfinger (#68); Scorpio by Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band (#75); Love Me, Love Me, Love by Frank Mills (#78); I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) by the Hillside Singers (#83); One Monkey Don't Stop No Show by the Honey Cone (#85); Looking for a Love by J. Geils Band (#92); Tightrope Ride by the Doors (#93); Where did Our Love Go by Donnie Elbert (#94); I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) by the New Seekers (#96); Have You Seen Her by the Chi-Lites (#97); Take it Slow (Out in the Country) by Lighthouse (#98); Daisy Mae by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds (#99); and I Knew You When by Donny Osmond (#100).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 The Desiderata--Les Crane (2nd week at #1)
2 Lonesome Mary--Chilliwack
3 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
4 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
5 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
6 Bow Down to the Dollar--Joshua
7 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
8 Stones--Neil Diamond
9 I Don't Need No Doctor--Humble Pie
10 Two Divided by Love--The Grass Roots
Pick hit of the week: Do I Love You--Paul Anka

Personal
This blogger and his father became the first people to move into the the new Mattonabee area of Yellowknife. The new house had no address at the time, but it later became 5 Albatross Court.

War
The Indian Navy attacked the Pakistan Navy and Karachi. PNS Ghazi, a submarine belonging to the Pakistan Navy, was sunk.

Terrorism
15 people, including 2 children and 3 women, were killed when a bomb exploded in a crowded pub in Belfast.

Football
NFL
New York Jets (4-8) 10 @ Dallas (9-3) 52

30 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Ooa hela natten--Attack (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Chi Mai--Ennio Morricone (2nd week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Endless Love--Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (2nd week at #1)
2 Urgent--Foreigner
3 Going Back to My Roots--Odyssey
4 Green Door--Shakin' Stevens
5 It's My Party--Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin
6 Wired for Sound--Cliff Richard
7 Start Me Up--Rolling Stones
8 Queen of Hearts--Juice Newton
9 Hold on Tight--Electric Light Orchestra
10 It's You, It's You, It's You--Joe Dolan

The only single entering the chart was Under Pressure by Queen & David Bowie (#20).

Died on this date
Jeanne Block, 58. U.S. psychologist. Dr. Block was an expert on child development who conducted research into sex-role socialization and, with her husband Jack Block, created a person-centered personality framework, examining personality in terms of two variables: ego-resiliency (the ability to respond flexibly to changing situations) and ego-control (the ability to suppress impulses). Dr. Jeanne Block died of cancer.

Africana
South Africa grants independence to the Ciskei "homeland" in a move that was not recognized by any government outside South Africa.

25 years ago
1986

On television tonight
Our World, hosted by Linda Ellerbee and Ray Gandolf, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Together and Apart: 1943



The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Toys of Caliban, starring Richard Mulligan, Anne Haney, and David Greenlee

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Black or White--Michael Jackson (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Dinner Out

Terrorism
Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson was released by his Islamic captors after spending more than six years as a hostage in Lebanon.

Business
Pan American World Airways ceased operations after 64 years, and 11 months after declaring bankruptcy. The last Pan Am flight took place that afternoon: Flight 436, a Boeing 727-200 from Bridgetown, Barbados to Miami, piloted by Captain Mark Pyle.

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Ed Whalen, 74. Canadian broadcaster. Mr. Whalen, a native of Saskatoon, began his broadcasting career there before moving to Calgary in 1955 to work with the fledgling television station CHCT (later CFAC). He became internationally known as the host of Stampede Wrestling (1958-1983), quitting on the air in protest against the promotion's increasing violence. Mr. Whalen returned to the program in 1985, hosting it until 1989. He also served as the television voice of the Calgary Flames from the team's move from Atlanta in 1980 until his retirement in 1999. In addition to his other duties, Mr. Whalen was CFAC's news director, and provided editorial comments at the end of evening newscasts. His wife Nomi was a Calgary alderwoman in the 1970s. The Whalens were visiting friends in Florida when Ed suddenly had a heart attack and "melted away in his chair."

Economics and finance
The United States froze the financial assets of organizations allegedly linked to the terrorist group Hamas.