March 11, 2012

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Aurora!

125 years ago
1887

Born on this date
Raoul Walsh. U.S. actor and director. Mr. Walsh, born Albert Edward Walsh, acted in silent movies in the 1910s and '20s, and began his directing career while still acting. His best-known performance was as John Wilkes Booth in The Birth of a Nation (1915). Mr. Walsh directed The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and other silent films, and was supposed to direct and act in In Old Arizona (1928), but lost his right eye in a car accident while driving on location, ending his acting career. He continued his career as a director with movies such as The Big Trail (1930), and numerous films for Warner Brothers Pictures starring Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and Errol Flynn, such as The Roaring Twenties (1939); They Died with Their Boots On (1941); and White Heat (1949). Mr. Walsh died of a heart attack on December 31, 1980 at the age of 93.

75 years ago
1937

Died on this date
Joseph S. Cullinan, 66. U.S. oil magnate. Mr. Cullinan worked with Standard Oil for 13 years before founding the J.S. Cullinan Company in Texas in 1900. He co-founded The Texas Company in 1902, serving until 1913 as president of the company, which became Texaco Incorporated in 1959.

60 years ago
1952

Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Four Days to Kill, starring Joseph Buloff, Robert Emhardt, and Brian Keith



50 years ago
1962

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Tim Sproule!

40 years ago
1972

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: Without You--Nilsson

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 American Pie, Parts I and II--Don McLean
2 Ranger's Waltz--The Mom and Dads
3 Brand New Key--Melanie
4 Cherish--David Cassidy
5 Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)--Benny Hill
6 My World--The Bee Gees
7 Day by Day--Colleen Hewitt
8 Captain Zero--The Mixture
9 Cos I Love You--Slade
10 I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)--The New Seekers

Singles entering the chart were Soley Soley by Middle of the Road (#23); Without You by Nilsson (#24); Brandy by Scott English (#27); Day After Day by Badfinger (#28); Family Affair by Sly and the Family Stone (#30); and Softly Whispering I Love You by Johnny Farnham and Allison Durbin (#39).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Without You--Nilsson (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Without You--Nilsson (2nd week at #1)
2 Hurting Each Other--Carpenters
3 Down by the Lazy River--The Osmonds
4 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--Robert John
5 Heart of Gold--Neil Young
6 Everything I Own--Bread
7 Precious and Few--Climax
8 Mother and Child Reunion--Paul Simon
9 A Horse with No Name--America
10 Puppy Love--Donny Osmond

Singles entering the chart were Day Dreaming by Aretha Franklin (#64); Doctor My Eyes by Jackson Browne (#72); Give Ireland Back to the Irish by Wings (#73); Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin (#80); Josie by Kris Kristofferson (#82); My Honey and Me by the Emotions (#91); Your Precious Love by Linda Jones (#92); Chantilly Lace by Jerry Lee Lewis (#93); You are the One by the Sugar Bears (#96); Money Runner by Quincy Jones (#97); Everyday by John Denver (#98); Why Not Start All Over Again by the Counts (#99); and Living Without You by Manfred Mann's Earth Band (#100).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Without You--Nilsson
2 Hurting Each Other--Carpenters
3 Down by the Lazy River--The Osmonds
4 Cotton Jenny--Anne Murray
5 Everything I Own--Bread
6 Precious and Few--Climax
7 Love Me, Love Me, Love--Frank Mills
8 Stay with Me--Faces
9 Heart of Gold--Neil Young
10 Good Friends?--The Poppy Family

Singles entering the chart were Tiny Dancer by Elton John (#72); Bloodshot Eyes by Lucifer (#74); Rockin' Robin by Michael Jackson (#78); We're Together by the Hillside Singers (#79); Ain't Understanding Mellow by Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager (#86); Saskatchewan Sunrise by Rick Jones (#87); Up in Heah by Ike and Tina Turner (#91); Be My Lover by Alice Cooper (#92); Do Your Thing by Isaac Hayes (#94); Taxi by Harry Chapin (#96); Tell 'Em Willie Boy's Comin' by Tommy James (#97); and The Wizard by Uriah Heep (#100).

Calgary's Top 10
1 Life in the Bloodstream--The Guess Who
2 Down by the Lazy River--The Osmonds
3 Mozart Serenade No. 13--Manuel de Falla Orchestra, conducted by Waldo De Los Rios
4 My Love Sings--Joey Gregorash
5 Hurting Each Other--Carpenters
6 Without You--Nilsson
7 Mother and Child Reunion--Paul Simon
8 Precious and Few--Climax
9 Country Wine--Raiders
10 Never Been to Spain--Three Dog Night
Pick hit of the week: Arrividerci Girl--The Guess Who

Arrividerci Girl was the B-side of Heartbroken Bopper.

Died on this date
Zach Wheat, 83. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Wheat, who was of half-Cherokee ancestry, was the regular left fielder for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and Robins from 1909-1926 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1927. He batted .317 in 2,410 games, leading the National League with a .335 percentage in 1918. Mr. Wheat led the NL in slugging percentage in 1916 and fielding percentage for outfielders in 1922. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1959.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
Edmonton's top 10 (CFRN)
1 Should I Do It--Pointer Sisters
2 Open Arms--Journey
3 Tainted Love--Soft Cell
4 My Guy--Sister Sledge
5 Through the Years--Kenny Rogers
6 Just Can't Win 'Em All--Stevie Woods
7 Key Largo--Bertie Higgins
8 You Could Have Been with Me--Sheena Easton
9 Sweet Dreams--Air Supply
10 That Girl--Stevie Wonder

Weather
One of the biggest dumps of snow in the memory of this blogger began in Edmonton early in the afternoon and continued through the night.

Scandal
United States Senator Harrison Williams (Democrat—New Jersey), facing probable expulsion from the Senate, resigned his seat after 23 years in office. Mr. Williams had been convicted on nine counts of bribery and conspiracy in the Abscam investigation, where Federal Bureau of Investigation agents disguised themselves as Arab sheiks and offered bribes to various U.S. politicians. In his resignation speech, Sen. Williams maintained that he did not feel that he had violated any code of ethics. He became the first senator in more than 50 years to resign his office in the face of allegations of misconduct.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Caravan of Love--The Housemartins (5th week at #1)

Edmonton’s Top 30 (CHED)
1 Livin’ on a Prayer—Bon Jovi
2 Jacob’s Ladder—Huey Lewis and the News
3 Respect Yourself—Bruce Willis
4 The Final Countdown—Europe
5 Big Time—Peter Gabriel
6 Mandolin Rain—Bruce Hornsby and the Range
7 Will You Still Love Me?—Chicago
8 Let’s Wait Awhile—Janet Jackson
9 Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now—Starship
10 Brand New Lover—Dead or Alive
11 I Wanna Go Back—Eddie Money
12 C’est la Vie—Robbie Nevil
13 Don’t Dream it’s Over—Crowded House
14 Keep Your Hands to Yourself—Georgia Satellites
15 I’ll Be All Right Without You—Journey
16 Tonight, Tonight, Tonight—Genesis
17 You Got it All—The Jets
18 At this Moment—Billy Vera and the Beaters
19 Somewhere Out There—Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram
20 Fight for Your Right (To Party)—The Beastie Boys
21 Ain’t No Cure for Love—Jennifer Warnes
22 Nothing Could Stand in Your Way—Alfie Zappacosta
23 Ballerina Girl—Lionel Richie
24 Lean on Me—Club Nouveau
25 I Knew You were Waiting (For Me)—Aretha Franklin and George Michael
26 Love You Down—Ready for the World
27 Let’s Go—Wang Chung
28 Dancing with My Mirror—Corey Hart
29 You’re What I Look For—Glass Tiger
30 With or Without You—U2

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): You--Ten Sharp (2nd week at #1)

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

Died on this date
Richard Brooks, 79. U.S. film director and screenwriter. Mr. Brooks was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958); The Professionals (1966); and In Cold Blood (1967). He was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay for Blackboard Jungle (1955), and for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Elmer Gantry (1960); The Professionals; and In Cold Blood, winning for Elmer Gantry.

Politics and government
British Prime Minister John Major asked Queen Elizabeth II to dissolve parliament and announced April 9 as the date of the general election.

Environment
Environment Canada began adding ozone warnings to weather report data.

10 years ago
2002

Died on this date
Rudolf Hell, 100. German engineer. Dr. Hell demonstrated a photo-electric image splitting tube for television in 1925 that worked in principle but was useless for practical use. In 1929, he founded his own company and received a patent for the Hellschreiber, an early forerunner to impact dot matrix printers and faxes. Dr. Hell developed a new type of Morse code machine in 1931, and in 1951 invented a printing machine known as the Klischograph. In 1963, he introduced a scanner called the Chromograph, and in 1965 he introduced the Digiset, a digital typesetting machine. Dr. Hell retired in 1972.

James Tobin, 84. U.S. economist. Mr. Tobin was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1981 for his portfolio selection theory, a theoretical formulation of investment behaviour that offered valuable insights into financial markets.