March 20, 2012

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Cliff Lander!

410 years ago
1602

Business
The Dutch East India Company was established.

200 years ago
1812

Died on this date
Jan Ladislav Dussek, 52. Czech musician and composer. Mr. Dussek was one of the most widely-travelled concert pianists of the late 18th-early 19th century, and composed numerous works for piano and harp, with some of the traits associated with Romanticism. He died of gout, perhaps hastened by heavy drinking.

160 years ago
1852

Literature
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was published.

125 years ago
1887

Music
Vincent D'Indy's Symphony on a Mountain Air received its premiere performance in Paris.

120 years ago
1892

Died on this date
Arthur Goring Thomas, 41. U.K. composer. Mr. Thomas wrote over 100 songs and duets, severl operas, and a ballet suite for orchestra. He began to show signs of mental distress in 1891, and committed suicide.

70 years ago
1942

War
Three days after arriving in Australia following his departure from the Philippines, U.S. Major General Douglas MacArthur, spoke in the small town of Terowie, saying, "I came out of Bataan and I shall return."

50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Apex, starring Patricia Breslin, Vivienne Segal, and Mark Miller

Died on this date
C. Wright Mills, 45. U.S. sociologist. A professor at Columbia University and a forerunner of "New Left" figures of the 1960s, Mr. Mills was known for his books White Collar (1951) and The Power Elite (1956).

Boxing
Rip Randall (28-8-5) won a unanimous 10-round decision over former world welterweight champion Virgil Akins (60-31-2) in Houston. Mr. Akins suffered a detached retina in his left eye, forcing his retirement from boxing.

40 years ago
1972

Died on this date
Marilyn Maxwell, 51. U.S. actress. A radio singer whose real first name was Marvel, Miss Maxwell's movies included Lost in a Harem (1944); Champion (1949); The Lemon Drop Kid (1951); New York Confidential (1955); and Critic's Choice (1963). She died of an apparent heart attack.

Boxing
Henry Clark (23-6-3) won a 10-round decision over James J. Woody (16-10-1) in a heavyweight bout at Garden City Boxing Club in San Francisco.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: The Lion Sleeps Tonight--Tight Fit (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A.: (Billboard): I Love Rock 'N' Roll--Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

U.S.A. Top 10 (Chttp://98.130.35.56/archives/80s_files/19820320.htmlash Box)
1 I Love Rock 'N' Roll--Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
2 That Girl--Stevie Wonder
3 Centerfold--J. Geils Band
4 Open Arms--Journey
5 We Got the Beat--Go-Go's
6 Shake it Up--The Cars
7 I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates
8 Pac-Man Fever--Buckner & Garcia
9 Make a Move on Me--Olivia Newton-John
10 Mirror, Mirror--Diana Ross

Singles entering the chart were Did it in a Minute by Daryl Hall & John Oates (#54); The Other Woman by Ray Parker, Jr. (#77); Hang Fire by the Rolling Stones (#80); Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) by Elton John (#82); I'll Drink to You by Duke Jupiter (#84); Lonely Nights by Bryan Adams (#85); Sleepwalk by Larry Carlton (#86); Don't Stop Me Baby (I'm on Fire) by Boys Band (#87); Memories of Days Gone By by Fred Parris and the Five Satins (#88); Fantasy by Aldo Nova (#89); Make Up Your Mind by Aurra (#90); and Sea of Heartbreak by Poco (#96).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Love Rock 'N' Roll--Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
2 Tonight I'm Yours--Rod Stewart
3 Tainted Love--Soft Cell
4 Centerfold--J. Geils Band
5 Open Arms--Journey
6 I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates
7 Our Lips are Sealed--Go-Go's
8 Johnny are You Queer?--Josie Cotton
9 Make a Move on Me--Olivia Newton-John
10 Pretty Woman--Van Halen

Singles entering the chart were Don't Turn Me Away by 10 CC (#45); Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks (#49); and I'll Fall in Love Again by Sammy Hagar (#49).

Crime
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak approved the death sentences of 5 of the 22 Muslim fundamentalists who had been convicted of charges in the assassination of Mr. Mubarak’s predecessor, Anwar Sadat, on October 6, 1981. Mr. Mubarak also approved the prison sentences for the other 17 who had been convicted. The death penalties involved execution by firing squad for the two military officers convicted, and hanging for the other three.

Science
A team of scientists led by William Zinsmeister of Ohio State University announced that they had found the fossil remains of the first land mammal ever discovered in Antarctica. The bones were of a small marsupial about the size of a rat, giving evidence for the theory that marsupials, most of which are in Australia, had arrived there from South America by using Antarctica as a land bridge before the continents had separated and drifted apart.

Disasters
An express passenger train rammed into a bus in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, killing 40 people and seriously injuring 25.

Hockey
NHL
Minnesota 1 @ Montreal 5

25 years ago
1987

Medicine
The United States government approved the use of azidothymidine (AZT), a drug that had proved successful in clinical tests in inhibiting the ability of the AIDS virus to duplicate inside body cells. The drug, manufactured by Burroughs Wellcome Company, would be marketed under the brand name Retrovir.

Hockey
NHL
Calgary 6 Edmonton 3

20 years ago
1992

Society
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department issued guidelines to federally-funded family planning clinics on what advice could be offered on abortion. Under the new, more relaxed rules, doctors could discuss the subject of abortion, but nurses and other medical professionals would not be permitted to discuss abortion, and doctors could not refer patients to a facility whose primary business was performing abortions.

Auto racing
Kenny Bernstein, the National Hod Rod Association champion in the top fuel division, became the first dragster to exceed 300 miles per hour, reaching 301.70 mph in a qualifying heat at the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida.