December 17, 2012

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Ken Thiessen!

1,070 years ago
942

Died on this date
William I "Longsword," 42 (?). Count (Duke) of Normandy, 927-942. William was given the fiefdom of Normandy by his father, Robert I (Rollo). William's forces battled for several years with those of Arnulf I, Count of Flanders. A peace conference took place at Picquigny on the Somme; William attended, and was ambushed and killed by followers of Arnulf. He was succeeded as Duke of Normandy by his son Richard the Fearless.

200 years ago
1812

War
In the War of 1812, U.S. forces attacked a friendly Lenape Indian village in Indiana and took 42 prisoners in the Battle of the Mississinewa.

150 years ago
1862

Abominations
U.S. Army General U.S. Grant issued General Order No. 11, expelling Jews suspected of Civil War profiteering from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi, areas occupied by the Union Army. The order was rescinded several days later after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln heard the news and expressed his disapproval.

90 years ago
1922

Died on this date
Arthur Garvey, 37. Canadian journalist. Mr. Garvey, a native of Brandon, Manitoba, moved to Vancouver as an infant. He became one of western Canada's best-known sportswriters, and was sports editor of the Vancouver Province when he died several days after developing a cold, complicated by diabetes.

Diplomacy
Deskaheh, chief of the 5,000-member Six Nations tribe, announced in New York that he had presented a petition in Washington to Dr. J.B. Hubrecht, charge d'affaires for the Netherlands, to be presented to the Dutch government and then to the League of Nations, claiming that his people, who had lived near Grand River, Ontario since 1874, were a sovereign nation, and thus not accountable in any way to the government of Canada. Members of the chief's party stated that they were presenting their petition to the Dutch representative because the Dutch had been the first white people to settle near their land.

75 years ago
1937

Born on this date
John Kennedy Toole. U.S. author. Mr. Toole wrote the novel A Confederacy of Dunces, which wasn't published until 1980. Mr. Toole committed suicide on March 26, 1969 at the age of 31.

70 years ago
1942

Abominations
British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden informed the House of Commons about the mass executions of Jews being carried out by Nazis in occupied Europe, and read out an Allied declaration condemning the atrocities.

60 years ago
1952

On the radio
I Was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews
Tonight’s episode: Treason Comes in Cans

50 years ago
1962

Died on this date
Thomas Mitchell, 70. U.S. actor. Mr. Mitchell was one of the best-known character actors of the 20th century, appearing in such movies as Lost Horizon (1937); The Hurricane (1937); Stagecoach (1939); Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939); Gone with the Wind (1939); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939); It's a Wonderful Life (1946); High Noon (1952); While the City Sleeps (1956); and Pocketful of Miracles (1961). He appeared in many television programs beginning in the early 1950s, and was also an experienced stage actor. Mr. Mitchell was the first actor to win the "triple crown" of an Oscar (Best Supporting Actor for Stagecoach, 1939); an Emmy (Best Lead Actor in a drama for Desk of Matthew Day, an episode of the series The Doctor, 1953); and a Tony (Best Actor in a Musical for Hazel Flagg, 1953). Mr. Mitchell's last role was on stage, playing the part of the detective Columbo, a role that Peter Falk made famous on television many years later.

40 years ago
1972

Space
Apollo 17 Command Module Pilot Ron Evans conducted a 1 hour, 7 minute spacewalk to retrieve exposed film from the instrument bay on the exterior of the command/service module America.



30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Homer Ferguson, 94. U.S. politician. Mr. Ferguson, a Republican, represented Michigan in the United States Senate from 1943-1955.

Leonid Kogan, 58. U.S.S.R. violinist. Mr. Kogan was considered one of the Soviet Union's best violinists. He toured Europe, South America, and the U.S.A., and many composers dedicated works to him. Mr. Kogan died of a heart attack on a train from Moscow to Yaroslavl, where he was to perform a concert with his son.

25 years ago
1987

Music
Guitarist Ellen McIlwaine performed at The Firehall in downtown London, Ontario. This blogger was one of several students at the University of Western Ontario's School of Library and Information Science in attendance.

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Dana Andrews, 83. U.S. actor. Mr. Andrews was one of the most prominent, if underrated, actors of the 1940s, appearing in such movies as The Ox-Bow Incident (1943); Laura (1944); State Fair (1945); A Walk in the Sun (1945); The Best Years of Our Lives (1946); Boomerang! (1947); The Iron Curtain (1948); Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950); While the City Sleeps (1956); Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956); Night of the Demon (1957); The Fearmakers (1958); and Hot Rods to Hell (1967). He also starred as Matt Cvetic in the radio series I Was a Communist for the FBI (1952-1953).

Diplomacy
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed by representatives of the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico.

10 years ago
2002

Died on this date
K. W. Devanayagam, 92. Sri Lankan politician. Kanapathipillai William "Bill" Devanayagam, a member of the United National Party, represented Kalkudah in the Ceylonese/Sri Lankan Parliament from 1965-1989. He was Minister of Justice (1977-1980) and Minister of Home Affairs (1980-1989).

War
The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue signed the Global and All-Inclusive Agreement, marking the formal end of the Second Congo War.