June 12, 2012

50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: First Class Honeymoon, starring Robert Webber and Jeremy Slate

Crime
Three prisoners escaped from California's prison on Alcatraz Island.

40 years ago
1972

Died on this date
Saul Alinsky, 63. U.S. social activist. A community organizer and writer, Mr. Alinsky was known for his books Reveille for Radicals (1946) and Rules for Radicals (1971), the latter of which has been cited as a major influence on current U.S. White House occupant B. Hussein Obama.

War
Major General John Lavelle, fired in March as commander of the U.S. 7th Air Force in Vietnam, told a House of Representatives Armed Services subcommittee that he had ordered 20 unauthorized air raids against targets in North Vietnam between November 1971 and March 1972. He said he had made a “very liberal interpretation” of Air Force directives because of a North Vietnamese military buildup after he had failed to gain authorization for what he had later reported to his superiors as “protective reaction missions.” Gen. Lavelle, who had been ousted after disclosure of the raids, was retired and demoted from 4-star rank to the 3-star rank of Lieutenant General.

Disasters
Radio reports in India put the death toll in the month-long heat wave at 676.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: Goody Two Shoes--Adam Ant

#1 single in the U.S.A.: (Billboard): Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (4th week at #1)
2 The Other Woman--Ray Parker, Jr.
3 Don't You Want Me--The Human League
4 I've Never Been to Me--Charlene
5 Rosanna--Toto
6 Heat of the Moment--Asia
7 Always on My Mind--Willie Nelson
8 Crimson and Clover--Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
9 Don't Talk to Strangers--Rick Springfield
10 Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me--Juice Newton

Singles entering the chart were Keep the Fire Burnin' by REO Speedwagon (#55); Even the Nights are Better by Air Supply (#57); Going to a Go-Go by the Rolling Stones (#67); Out of Work by Gary U.S. Bonds (#68); Landslide by Olivia Newton-John (#84); Loveline by Dr. Hook (#86); No One Like You by the Scorpions (#87); Six Months in a Leaky Boat by Split Enz (#69); and So Fine by Oak Ridge Boys (#90). Out of Work was written and co-produced by Bruce Springsteen.

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (4th week at #1)
2 I've Never Been to Me--Charlene
3 867-5309/Jenny--Tommy Tutone
4 Body Language--Queen
5 Heat of the Moment--Asia
6 I Love Rock 'N' Roll--Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
7 Six Months in a Leaky Boat--Split Enz
8 Don't You Want Me--The Human League
9 Rosanna--Toto
10 Crimson and Clover--Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Singles entering the chart were Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band (#39); Your Daddy Don't Know by Toronto (#43); Going to a Go-Go by the Rolling Stones (#49); and I Ran (So Far Away) by A Flock of Seagulls (#50).

Weather
The temperature hit 85 F. in Edmonton.

War
Heavy casualties on both the Argentine and British sides were reported from a major battle near the Falkland Islands’ capital of Stanley.

Salvadoran soldiers killed a reported 135 rebels in a search-and-destroy mission in the mountains of El Salvador’s province of Chalatenango. It was the first combat operation for Salvadoran soldiers who had been trained in the United States. The operation involved at least 3,000 government troops, 960 of whom had been trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and 500 who had been trained at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Israel declared a cease-fire for the Beirut area, but warned the Palestine Liberation Organization to expect heavy retaliation if they continued fighting.

Protest
An estimated 500,000 people crowded into New York’s Central Park to protest against nuclear arms. The demonstration—mainly against U.S. nuclear arms—was led by Communists and fellow travellers and concluded with 1,600 arrests.

Diplomacy
At the conclusion of his two-day visit to Argentina, Pope John Paul II acknowledged the principle of Latin American unity on the issue of the Falkland Islands, but appealed to bishops throughout the hemisphere to prevent the world from dividing into two separate blocs.

Football
CFL
Pre-season
Ottawa (0-1) 5 @ Hamilton (1-0) 11

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)--Whitney Houston

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald Reagan, speaking at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”

Politics and government
Former Central African Republic dictator Jean-Bedel Bokassa was convicted and sentenced to death for involvement in at least 20 murders. He was tried and sentenced in absentia after being deposed in 1979 and fleeing to France. Mr. Bokassa returned to the C.A.R. in 1986 in an attempt to clear his name, but was arrested and retried. The court found that he had ordered real or imagined opponents put to death in prison. Mr. Bokassa was also convicted of ordering the arrest of 100 children who had objected to wearing uniforms produced in a factory owned by his wife. Many of the children had been subsequently killed in prison.

Protest
A number of people were injured when a melee broke out in Gdansk, Poland between police and demonstrators who had attended a mass conducted by Pope John Paul II.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that prices charged by producers for finished goods had risen 0.3% in May. The Commerce Department reported that the U.S. deficit on merchandise trade had fallen slightly to $13.3 billion in April.

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Rhythm is a Dancer--Snap! (4th week at #1)

Diplomacy
U.S. President George Bush addressed the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. He said that the U.S. environmental record was “second to none,” and he called for an “action plan” to avert global warming. Mr. Bush was one of 117 heads of state and government at the summit, possibly the greatest number to attend any meeting.

Business
The Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission ended the long-standing monopoly of phone companies, ruling that the long distance telephone market must be open to competition.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that consumer prices had risen 0.1% in May.

10 years ago
2002

Religion
The World Council of Religious Leaders began a peace conference in Bangkok seeking ways to reduce sectarian conflict. The conference, attended by more than 100 leaders of different religions, was an outgrowth of the Millennium World Peace Summit that took place in 2000.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 113 @ New Jersey 107 (Los Angeles won best-of-seven series 4-0)

The Lakers became the fifth team in history to win three straight NBA championships. Phil Jackson, the winning head coach, had also coached the Chicago Bulls to three straight titles twice in the 1990s (1991-1993; 1996-1998).

Football
CFL
Pre-season
British Columbia (0-1) 8 @ Calgary (1-0) 24