December 12, 2012

225 years ago
1787

Americana
Pennsylvania became the 2nd state to ratify the United States Constitution.

150 years ago
1862

War
The Union ship USS Cairo sank on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armoured ship to be sunk by an electrically detonated mine.

75 years ago
1937

War
During the Sino-Japanese War, the gunboat USS Panay was sunk by Japanese warplanes in Chinese waters.

Football
NFL
Championship @ Wrigley Field, Chicago
Washington 28 @ Chicago Bears 21

Rookie quarterback Sammy Baugh completed threw touchdown passes of 55 and 78 yards to Wayne Millner and 35 yards to Ed Justice in the 3rd quarter as the Redskins won their first NFL title before 15,878 fans. Cliff Battles of the Redskins opened the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown rush in the 1st quarter, but Chicago’s Jack Manders scored 2 touchdowns in 3 minutes and 13 seconds later in the quarter, on a 10-yard rush and a 37-yard pass from Bernie Masterson. Riley Smith converted all Washington touchdowns, while Mr. Manders did the same for the Bears. There was no scoring in the 2nd and 4th quarters. Mr. Baugh completed 17 of 34 passes for 358 yards; Mr. Masterson and Ray Buivid shared the Bears’ quarterbacking and combined to complete just 7 of 28 passes for 172 yards and 3 interceptions. Mr. Manders led all rushers with 64 yards on 10 carries, while Mr. Millner led all receivers with 181 yards on 8 receptions.



70 years ago
1942

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): White Christmas--Bing Crosby (7th week at #1)

War
German troops began Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad. Soviet authorities claimed that 169,000 German soldiers had been killed and 74,500 taken prisoner in the Russian offensive around Stalingrad.

Crime
An arsonist, reputedly a German agent, set a fire in the Knights of Columbus hostel in St. John's, Newfoundland during the live radio broadcast of Uncle Tim's Barn Dance, killing 99 people and seriously injuring another 109, mostly military personnel and their dates. The hall was a firetrap with doors that opened inward; while the fire station was just 180 metres away, the fire did its damage in just nine minutes.

Labour
For the second time, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt directed Montgomery Ward and Company of Chicago to obey a National War Labor Board order and sign a maintenance-of-member contract with the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

Horse racing
Whirlaway, with Wendell Eads up, won the Louisiana Handicap in New Orleans.

Tennis
The United States Lawn Tennis Association ranked Frederick Schroeder and Pauline Betz as the top male and female players, respectively, in the annual rankings.

60 years ago
1952

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Here in My Heart--Al Martino (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Fatal Flower, starring Victor Jory and Don Hanmer



40 years ago
1972

Space
Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt continued their exploration of the moon, spending 7 hours and 37 minutes in their second lunar excursion.

30 years ago
1982

On the radio
The Stories of Sherlock Holmes, starring Graham Armitage and Kerry Jordan, on Springbok Radio
Tonight’s episode: The Porter Muse Mystery

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: La Bamba--Los Lobos (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Faith--George Michael (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Faith--George Michael (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Fairytale of New York--The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): China in Your Hand--T'Pau (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): China in Your Hand--T'Pau (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Faith--George Michael

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Faith--George Michael
2 Heaven is a Place on Earth--Belinda Carlisle
3 (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
4 Should've Known Better--Richard Marx
5 Is This Love--Whitesnake
6 Shake Your Love--Debbie Gibson
7 We'll Be Together--Sting
8 So Emotional--Whitney Houston
9 Don't You Want Me--Jody Watley
10 The One I Love--R.E.M.

Singles entering the chart were What Have I Done to Deserve This by Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield (#71); Because of You by Cover Girls (#88); and Reason to Live by Kiss (#89).

Canada’s top 10 (RPM)
1 (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
2 I Think We're Alone Now--Tiffany
3 Faith--George Michael
4 Heaven is a Place on Earth--Belinda Carlisle
5 Mony Mony (Live)--Billy Idol
6 Got My Mind Set on You--George Harrison
7 Try--Blue Rodeo
8 Pop Goes the World--Men Without Hats
9 We'll Be Together--Sting
10 I've Been in Love Before--Cutting Crew

Singles entering the chart were Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac (#85); In God's Country by U2 (#88); Motortown by the Kane Gang (#91); Once Upon a Long Ago by Paul McCartney (#92); Only the Strong Survive by Bryan Adams (#95); Closer Every Day by the Jitters (#96); and Rain in the Summertime by the Alarm (#97).

Defense
During a visit to Denmark, U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz called on America's North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies to sharply increase their defense spending.

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): End of the Road--Boyz II Men (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kurisumas ukyaroru no koroni ha--Junichi Inagaki (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Because the Night--Co.Ro featuring Tarlisa (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Sweat (A La La La La Long)--Inner Circle (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Dur dur d'être bébé!--Jordy (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The (Elvis) Letter--Wayne Newton
2 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston
3 If I Ever Fall in Love--Shai
4 Rump Shaker--Wreckx-N-Effect
5 How Do You Talk to an Angel--The Heights
6 I'd Die Without You--PM Dawn
7 Rhythm is a Dancer--Snap!
8 Good Enough--Bobby Brown
9 Real Love--Mary J. Blige
10 To Love Somebody--Michael Bolton

Singles entering the chart were Deeper and Deeper by Madonna (#35); Give it Up, Turn it Loose by En Vogue (#53); Everything's Gonna Be Alright by Father MC (#77); Baby, I Believe in You by George LaMond (#79); I Love You Period. by Dan Baird (#83); and Quality Time by Hi-Five (#90). The presence of The (Elvis) Letter at #1 should probably be headlined under "Scandal." According to this blog post and this forum post, Cash Box was accused of rigging its country charts in a late-1980s version of payola. A new chart director, Kevin Hughes, who was apparently going to expose and clean up the operation, was murdered by former chart director Richard D'Antonio (see here, and the court record of Mr. D'Antonio's unsuccessful appeal here). As for The (Elvis) Letter, it topped the Cash Box pop and country charts, while not even appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 or Adult Contemporary charts. It also failed to chart in Canada, as far as I've seen. The (Elvis) Letter appeared as a track on an album by Mr. Newton; as a single, it was released as a cassette single that was shipped to media outlets, and was never commercially available. I was still listening to the radio in 1992, and I never heard the song; in fact, I never heard of it until I saw it listed on the Cash Box chart.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Song Instead of a Kiss--Alannah Myles (4th week at #1)
2 How Do You Talk to an Angel--The Heights
3 Layla--Eric Clapton
4 To Love Somebody--Michael Bolton
5 Do You Believe in Us--Jon Secada
6 Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses--U2
7 Drive--R.E.M.
8 Keep the Faith--Bon Jovi
9 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston
10 Love Can Move Mountains--Celine Dion

Singles entering the chart were Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) by Def Leppard (#61); Deeper and Deeper by Madonna (#76); 7 by Prince (#82); Paper Doll by Fleetwood Mac (#84); Stop the World by Extreme (#87); Soul Drifter by Lindsey Buckingham (#88); The Mind of Love (Where is...) by k.d. lang (#89); and Ignoreland by R.E.M. (#91).

Married on this date
Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The small family ceremony in Scotland was the second marriage for the Princess Royal and the first for the Royal Navy Commander.

10 years ago
2002

Died on this date
Dee Brown, 94. U.S. author. Mr. Brown was a librarian, novelist, and historian. His best-known book was Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970), which told the history of Native Americans from the perspective of the Indians.