December 9, 2012

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Mary Ann Murphy and Maria Mercedes Forero Hernandez!

90 years ago
1922

Politics and government
Poland's National Assembly elected former Foreign Minister Gabriel Narutowicz to be the country's first President. Mr. Narutowicz had no party affiliation, but was widely believed to represent left-wing views.

60 years ago
1952

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Girl who Saw Tomorrow, starring Thomas Coley and Lois Wheeler

Weather
The Great Smog of 1952, four days of dense fog in England, finally cleared. 4,000 deaths were blamed on the smog.

40 years ago
1972

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K.: My Ding-A-Ling--Chuck Berry (3rd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Popcorn--Hot Butter (5th week at #1)
2 Burning Love--Elvis Presley
3 Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me--Mac Davis
4 Garden Party--Rick Nelson & the Stone Canyon Band
5 Rock Me Baby--Johnny Farnham
6 Sugar Me--Lynsey De Paul
7 You Wear it Well--Rod Stewart
8 Boppin' the Blues--Blackfeather
9 Breaking Up is Hard to Do--The Partridge Family
10 Too Young--Donny Osmond

Singles entering the chart were You're a Lady by Peter Skellern (#28) and One's on the Way by Loretta Lynn (#31).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Am Woman--Helen Reddy

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Papa was a Rollin' Stone--The Temptations
2 I Am Woman--Helen Reddy
3 Me and Mrs. Jones--Billy Paul
4 You Ought to Be with Me--Al Green
5 I'd Love You to Want Me--Lobo
6 If You Don't Know Me by Now--Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes
7 Summer Breeze--Seals and Crofts
8 Clair--Gilbert O'Sullivan
9 It Never Rains in Southern California--Albert Hammond
10 Ventura Highway--America

Singles entering the chart were Crocodile Rock by Elton John (#64); The Relay by the Who (#70); Jambalaya by the Blue Ridge Rangers (#72); Looking Through the Eyes of Love by the Partridge Family (#73); Remember (Christmas) by Nilsson (#74); The Red Back Spider by Brownsville Station (#91); Didn't We by Barbra Streisand (#92); The Jean Genie by David Bowie (#93); Slipping into Christmas by Leon Russell (#94); More Power to You by Tommy Tate (#95); I Can't Stand to See You Cry by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (#96); We Need Order by the Chi-Lites (#98); Harry Hippie by Bobby Womack and Peace (#99); and On and Off (Part 1) by Anacostia (#100). The Blue Ridge Rangers were really John Fogerty recording as a one-man band. I Can't Stand to See You Cry was the last single released by the Miracles with Smokey Robinson before he embarked on a career as a solo artist.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 I'd Love You to Want Me--Lobo
2 I Am Woman--Helen Reddy
3 I Can See Clearly Now--Johnny Nash
4 Listen to the Music--The Doobie Brothers
5 Sunny Days--Lighthouse
6 Summer Breeze--Seals and Crofts
7 Clair--Gilbert O'Sullivan
8 Ventura Highway--America
9 Running Back to Saskatoon--The Guess Who
10 It Never Rains in Southern California--Albert Hammond

Singles entering the chart were If You Don't Know Me by Now by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (#72); Danny's Song by Anne Murray (#79); Keeper of the Castle by the Four Tops (#85); Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul (#88); Everybody Loves a Love Song by Mac Davis (#90); Don't Let Me be Lonely Tonight by James Taylor (#91); I Wanna Be with You by Raspberries (#92); Blue Suede Shoes Again by Mike Hugg (#96); Oh Babe, What Would You Say by Hurricane Smith (#97); Rocky Mountain High by John Denver (#98); Reelin' and Rockin' by Chuck Berry (#99); and Your Mama Don't Dance by Loggins & Messina (#100).

Calgary’s Top 10
1 Ben--Michael Jackson (3rd week at #1)
2 Last Song--Edward Bear
3 Something's Wrong with Me--Austin Roberts
4 It Never Rains in Southern California--Albert Hammond
5 Clair--Gilbert O'Sullivan
6 I'd Love You to Want Me--Lobo
7 I'm Stone in Love with You--The Stylistics
8 I Am Woman--Helen Reddy
9 Julia Get Up--Rich Dodson
10 I Believe in Music--Gallery
Pick hit of the week: Keeper of the Castle--The Four Tops

Died on this date
Louella Parsons, 91. U.S. journalist. Miss Parsons wrote the first newspaper gossip column in the United States with the Chicago Record Herald
from 1914-1918, but made her name as a movie and gossip columnist from the mid-1920s until the mid-1960s with newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst.

Disasters
Gateway Aviation pilot Martin Hartwell was found alive in the Northwest Territories, 31 days after crashing 180 miles off course while on a medical emergency flight from Cambridge Bay to Yellowknife. Judy Hill, a 27-year-old British nurse who had pleaded with Mr. Hartwell to make the flight, was killed on impact. Neemee Nulliayok, a pregnant Inuit woman experiencing labour problems, died several hours later. David Kootook, a 14-year-old Inuit boy with appendicitis, had survived until December 1, when he finally succumbed. He had fetched food for himself and Mr. Hartwell, who had been immobilized by fractures to broken ankles, his left knee, and his nose. Mr. Hartwell had also eaten parts of Miss Hill; Mr. Kootook had refused to participate in cannibalism.

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Whenever You Need Somebody--Rick Astley

Protest
The Palestinian intifada ("shaking off") began in the Gaza Strip with thousands taking to the streets to protest the deaths of four Palestinians the previous day when their station wagon had been hit by an Israeli truck.

Sport
England's cricket tour of Pakistan was interrupted when umpire Shakoor Rana refused to take the field for the second test match when English captain Mike Gatting refused to apologize to him after a heated exchange the previous day.

20 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): House of Love--East 17 (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Vincent Gardenia, 72. U.S. actor. Mr. Gardenia was born in Naples but moved with his family to Brooklyn at an early age. He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1972) and was nominated for Best Actor for the musical Ballroom (1979). Mr. Gardnenia was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) and Moonstruck (1987).

World events
U.S. Marines landed in Somalia as part of an effort to prevent local warlords from preventing distribution of humanitarian aid to starving people.

Britannica
British Prime Minister John Major announced the formal separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.