December 8, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Michael O'Byrne!

490 years ago
1521

Died on this date
Christina of Saxony, 59. Queen consort of Denmark (1481-1513); Norway (1483-1513); and Sweden (1497-1501). Christina married the future King Hans in 1478, and became Queen consort when he acceded to the Danish throne upon the death of his father. Hans was subsequently elected King of Norway and conquered Sweden. Queen Christina accompanied her husband to Sweden, but he began an adulterous affair in 1501, and was removed as king, while Queen Christina was taken into custody, and wasn't permitted to return to Denmark until 1503, where she lived separately from King Hans until her death, 17 days before her 60th birthday.

320 years ago
1691

Died on this date
Richard Baxter, 76. English clergyman. Mr. Baxter was a Nonconformist and Puritan who wrote over 140 books. He was persecuted by the Church of England and served time in prison for operating a conventicle (a gathering of lay people not authorized by the state church).

210 years ago
1801

Politics and government
U.S. President Thomas Jefferson delivered his first annual State of the Union message to Congress. Subjects included war with the Barbary States.

120 years ago
1891

Economics and finance
Canada imposed a duty on fish imported from Newfoundland, to retaliate for a Newfoundland law restricting bait for Canadian fishermen.

100 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Lee J. Cobb. U.S. actor. Mr. Cobb, born Leo Jacoby, was known for his starring role in the original Broadway production of Death of a Salesman (1949) and his supporting roles in movies such as On the Waterfront (1954); 12 Angry Men (1957); Our Man Flint (1966); and In Like Flint (1967). He died of a heart attack on February 11, 1976 at the age of 64.

80 years ago
1931

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

70 years ago
1941

War
The day after the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the United States Congress followed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's advice, and voted to declare war on Japan. The only dissenting vote was cast by Rep. Jeannette Rankin (Republican--Montana), who had also voted against U.S. entry into World War I. The Royal Rifles of Canada and Winnipeg Grenadiers, under command of Brigadier J. K. Lawson, were caught by the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong. They had not received training as front-line troops, and as the first Canadian units to fight in World War II had almost no air or naval defences. At 8 A.M., Japanese aircraft destroyed all six Royal Air Force planes at Kai Tak airport; two men of the Royal Canadian Signals were wounded--the first Canadian casualties--in the camp at Sham Shui Po, as the Japanese 38th Division moved across the frontier of the New Territories. Governor General the Earl of Athlone announced that Canada was officially at war with Japan. Several dozen Japanese-Canadians suspected of subversion were arrested; the government of Canada began to impound all fishing boats owned by Japanese-Canadians and shut down Japanese language schools and newspapers. The governments of the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Netherlands, Greece, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Panama, and the Free French Committee declared war on Japan. Japanese forces simultaneously invaded Shanghai International Settlement, Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Netherlands East Indies. San Francisco underwent a 2½-hour blackout upon a report that two formations of enemy planes had flown to within 20 miles of the city. A German spokesman in Berlin said that winter weather had halted the German offensive against Moscow and that its capture was not expected before the end of 1941.



Crime
U.S. Federal Judge M.M. Joyce in Minneapolis sentenced 12 of the 18 Socialist Workers Party members convicted in the recent sedition trial to 16-month prison terms, and the other six to terms of a year and a day.

Horse racing
Whirlaway, the Triple Crown winner, was named horse of the year in a poll conducted by Turf & Sports Digest.

60 years ago
1951

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): My Truly, Truly Fair--Guy Mitchell; Donald Peers (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Cold, Cold Heart--Tony Bennett (Best Seller--6th week at #1; Jukebox--1st week at #1); It's No Sin--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra (Disc Jockey--4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 (It's No) Sin--The Four Aces (6th week at #1)
--Eddy Howard
2 Because of You--Tony Bennett
--Les Baxter and his Orchestra
3 Down Yonder--Del Wood
--Joe "Fingers" Carr
--Champ Butler
4 Cold, Cold Heart--Tony Bennett
5 I Get Ideas--Tony Martin
--Louis Armstrong
6 And So to Sleep Again--Patti Page
7 Undecided--The Ames Brothers and Les Brown and his Band of Renown
8 Charmaine--Mantovani and his Orchestra
9 Domino--Tony Martin
10 Jealousy (Jalousie)--Frankie Laine

Singles entering the chart were Cry (#23)/The Little White Cloud that Cried (#27) by Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads; and Never by Dennis Day (#39).

Diplomacy
Yugoslavia agreed to establish diplomatic relations with West Germany.

Czechoslovakia sent the U.S.A. a note of protest against alleged American aid to anti-Communist undergrounds in eastern Europe.

Egypt recalled its ambassador to the United Kingdom to protest British actions in the Suez.

U.S. Senator William Knowland (Republican--California) reported that 32 Americans were in jail in Communist China.

Defense
United Press reported that membership in U.S. veterans' organizations had dropped to a post-World War II low.

Business
Guatemala accused the United Fruit Company of systematically understating the value of bananas shipped from the country to reduce export tax payments.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Tower of Strength--Frankie Vaughan (2nd week at #1)

Basketball
NBA
Los Angeles (20-7) 147 @ Philadelphia (13-11) 151 (3 OT)

Wilt Chamberlain scored 78 points to lead the Warriors over the Lakers, while Elgin Baylor, who had set the single-game scoring record the previous year with 71 points, scored 63 for the Lakers.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)--Benny Hill (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
Rod Serling's Night Gallery, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Cool Air, starring Barbara Rush and Henry Darrow; Camera Obscura, starring Rene Auberjonois and Ross Martin; Quoth the Raven, starring Marty Allen

30 years ago
1981

Died on this date
Walter Horton, 60. U.S. musician. "Big Walter" was known as one of the best blues harmonicists in history. He had a performing and recording career spanning more than 40 years, mainly as a sideman for various artists. Mr. Horton drank heavily, and died of heart failure.

Politics and government
The Senate of Canada voted 59-23 in favour of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's package to patriate the Constitution, and signed a joint resolution with the House of Commons. The package, to end Canada's last colonial and legal tie with Britain, was now sent to the British Parliament for final approval.

20 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Black or White--Michael Jackson (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Black or White--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Let's Talk About Sex!--Salt-N-Pepa (4th week at #1)
2 (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams
3 Do the Limbo Dance--David Hasselhoff
4 Any Dream Will Do--Jason Donovan
5 Black or White--Michael Jackson
6 Jambo--Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung
7 The Fly--U2
8 Always Look on the Bright Side of Life--Monty Python
9 Something Got Me Started--Simply Red
10 Bacardi Feeling (Summer Dreamin')--Kate Yanai

Singles entering the chart were No Son of Mine by Genesis (#25); and Change by Lisa Stansfield (#29).

Died on this date
Buck Clayton, 80. U.S. musician. Wilbur Dorsey Clayton was a jazz trumpeter and arranger who worked with various bands, but was best known for playing with Count Basie.

Kimberly Bergalis, 23. U.S. medical patient. Miss Bergalis died of AIDS, which she contracted from her dentist, Dr. David Acer, a bisexual. It was the first known case of clinical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Politics and government
The heads of state of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine met at Minsk, Belarus to sign a treaty creating the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Romanian Constitution was adopted in a referendum.