March 31, 2012

520 years ago
1492

Abominations
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain expelled Jews who would not convert to Christianity.

50 years ago
1962

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Quando, Quando, Quando--Tony Renis (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Wonderful Land--The Shadows (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Don't Break the Heart that Loves You--Connie Francis

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Hey! Baby--Bruce Channel (4th week at #1)
2 Don't Break the Heart That Loves You--Connie Francis
3 Let Me In--The Sensations
4 Slow Twistin'--Chubby Checker (with Dee Dee Sharp)
5 Midnight in Moscow--Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen
6 Twistin' the Night Away--Sam Cooke
7 Good Luck Charm--Elvis Presley
8 Love Letters--Ketty Lester
9 Dream Baby--Roy Orbison
10 Young World--Rick Nelson

Singles entering the chart were What'd I Say (Part 1) by Bobby Darin (#71); Tra La La La La by Ike and Tina Turner (#74); Hide 'Nor Hair (#76)/At the Club (#81) by Ray Charles; P.T. 109 by Jimmy Dean (#79); You are Mine by Frankie Avalon (#86); Caterina by Perry Como (#87); I Wish that We Were Married by Ronnie and the Hi-Lites (#90); Funny Way of Laughin' by Burl Ives (#94); Ev'rybody's Twistin' by Frank Sinatra (#95); There's Nothing Like Love by Jackie Wilson and Linda Hopkins (#96); I Found a Love by the Falcons (#97); Uptown by the Crystals (#98); Twistin' Matilda by Jimmy Soul (#99); and (What a Sad Way) To Love Someone by Ral Donner (#100).

40 years ago
1972

Crime
Tony Boyle, president of the United Mine Workers of America, was convicted by a U.S. federal jury in Washington on all 13 counts of illegally spending union funds on political contributions. Mr. Boyle was the first major labour leader to be convicted under the Corrupt Practices Act, a law which had been in force since 1925.

Protest
More than 500 people attended a rally in Trafalgar Square in London four days in advance of a larger demonstration led by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Disasters
At least 38 were killed and 174 injured when a South African train derailed on a bridge near Potgietersus.

25 years ago
1987

World events
At least 69 Salvadoran soldiers were killed by leftists in a raid on El Paraiso, headquarters of El Salvador’s military, in an attempt to overthrow the government. All those killed were enlisted men, as the officers reportedly fled to an underground bunker. At least 60 defenders were reported to be wounded, while only 8 guerrillas were killed in the nighttime strike that included mortar and rocket fire. Among the victims was a U.S. adviser, Staff Sergeant Gregory Fronius.

Crime
U.S. Marine Corporal Arnold Bracy, a guard at the United States embassy in Moscow, was charged with providing Soviet agents with access to sensitive areas of the embassy, including the room where secret messages were coded and decoded. Another guard, Sergeant Clayton Lonetree, had been arrested on March 24 on 24 charges. Military prosecutors said that the two had been enticed by Soviet women into working for the KGB, the Soviet secret police.

Economics and finance
The value of the U.S. dollar hit a post-World War II low against the Japanese yen.

The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had risen 0.7% in February.

Two leading U.S. banks, Citibank and Chase Manhattan, raised their prime lending rate from 7.5% to 7.75%, the first increases by major banks since 1984.

20 years ago
1992

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council voted to impose sanctions on Libya if they failed by April 15 to turn over to representatives of the Arab League the two men who had been indicted in the U.S.A., U.K., and France in connection with the terrorist bombings of airliners over Scotland in 1988 and Niger in 1989.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had risen 0.8% in February.

10 years ago
2002

Terrorism
After a suicide bomber blew himself and 14 others—many of them Israeli Arabs—in a Haifa restaurant, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared that Israel was at war.

Basketball
NCAA
Women’s championship
Final
Connecticut 82 Oklahoma 70