February 14, 2013

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Liliya!

110 years ago
1903

Politics and government
The United States Department of Commerce and Labor was established.

100 years ago
1913

Born on this date
Mel Allen. U.S. sportscaster. Mr. Allen, born Melvin Allen Israel, was known as the radio--and later, television--voice of the New York Yankees from 1939-1964 (except for several years during World War II) and 1976-1985. He also broadcast home games of the New York Giants (1939-1940, 1942); Milwaukee Braves (1965); and Cleveland Indians (1968), and hosted the syndicated television program This Week in Baseball from its beginning in 1977 until his death on June 16, 1996 at the age of 83.

Woody Hayes. U.S. football coach. Mr. Hayes was head coach at Denison University (1946-1948), Miami University (1949-1950), and Ohio State University (1951-1978), compiling a career record of 238-72-10, and leading Ohio State to five national championships (1954; 1957; 1961; 1968; 1970). His career ended when he punched Clemson linebacker Charlie Bauman on the sidelines at the conclusion of Mr. Bauman's return of an interception late in the 1978 Gator Bowl. The Buckeyes lost by two points, and Mr. Hayes was fired the next day. He died on March 12, 1987 at the age of 74.

Jimmy Hoffa. U.S. labour leader. Mr. Hoffa was president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1958-1971. He was convicted of jury tampering, attempted bribery, and fraud in 1964, and was imprisoned in 1967. Mr. Hoffa was pardoned by U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1971, and resigned his presidency of the union as part of the pardon agreement. On July 30, 1975, Mr. Hoffa was seen in the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restuarant in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, and was never seen again. Theories as to his whereabouts abound.

James Pike. U.S. clergyman. Mr. Pike was Episcopal Bishop of California from 1958-1966, and attracted much controversy because of his liberal, heretical views. He died in September 1969 at the age of 56, when, while on a trip to Israel with his third wife, wandered into a desert area after their car broke down, and was found dead. He became the first U.S. Episcopal bishop whose funeral was attended by three surviving wives.

90 years ago
1923

On the radio
CFCA in Toronto broadcast the game between the Toronto St. Patricks and Ottawa Senators at Arena Gardens in Toronto. It was the first radio broadcast of a National Hockey League game.

75 years ago
1933

Died on this date
Ernie Schaaf, 24. U.S. boxer. Mr. Schaaf was a heavyweight contender who died four days after being knocked out in the 13th round by Primo Carnera at Madison Square Garden, New York. Mr. Schaaf's death was largely attributed to damage received in a loss to Max Baer on August 31, 1932; Mr. Baer knocked Mr. Schaaf out cold with a punch that he landed with two seconds left in the fight, and Mr. Schaaf was saved by the bell from being officially knocked out. However, some reports indicate that in the months between the fights, Mr. Schaaf had suffered from a bad case of influenza, resulting in meningitis. In less than six years as a professional boxer, Mr. Schaaf compiled a record of 54-13-2; his loss to Mr. Carnera was his only defeat by knockout.

75 years ago
1938

Journalism
Hedda Hopper's first gossip column appeared in the Los Angeles Times. The column ran until her death in 1966.

70 years ago
1943

Died on this date
Dora Gerson, 43. German singer and actress. A popular cabaret singer and motion picture actress in the 1920s, Miss Gerson, along with her husband Max Sluizer, 36, daughter Miriam, 5, and son Abel, 2, were murdered in the death camp at Auschwitz in Nazi-occupied Poland.

War
Soviet forces liberated the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don after seven months of Nazi occupation. General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim's 5th Panzer Army launched a concerted attack against Allied positions in Tunisia.

60 years ago
1953

Hit Parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): You Belong to Me--Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and his Orchestra; Dean Martin (5th week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Till I Waltz Again with You--Teresa Brewer (Best seller--1st week at #1, Jukebox--1st week at #1; Disc Jockey--1st week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Till I Waltz Again with You--Teresa Brewer (2nd week at #1)
2 Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes--Perry Como
3 Have You Heard--Joni James
4 Why Don't You Believe Me--Joni James
5 Tell Me You're Mine--The Gaylords
6 Oh Happy Day--Don Howard
--Lawrence Welk and his Champagne Music
--[The Four Knights]
7 Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me--Karen Chandler
9 Keep it a Secret--Jo Stafford
8 Even Now--Eddie Fisher
10 The Glow-Worm--The Mills Brothers

Singles entering the chart were Oh Happy Day by Lawrence Welk and his Champagne Music (the version by the Four Knights, although currently available, had not yet charted); Pretend by Nat "King" Cole (#11, charting with the version by Ralph Marterie and his Orchestra); (Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I by Tommy Edwards (#18, charting with the version by Jo Stafford); Wild Horses by Perry Como (#19); Downhearted by Eddie Fisher (#25); I Believe by Frankie Laine (#27); Your Cheatin' Heart by Joni James (#28); Say it with Your Heart by Bob Carroll (#34); and Hello Sunshine by Norman Brooks (#40). Downhearted was the B-side (or A-side) of How Do You Speak to an Angel?, charting at #33.

50 years ago
1963

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Diamonds--Jet Harris and Tony Meehan (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
Twilight Zone, hosted by Rod Serling, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Jesse-Belle, starring Anne Francis, James Best, and Laura Devon

Space
The United States launched Syncom I, an experimental synchronous communications satellite.

Hockey
NHL
Eddie Powers resigned as a National Hockey League referee, one day after NHL president Clarence Campbell had fined Montreal Canadiens' coach Toe Blake $200 for questioning the integrity of the league's officials. Mr. Powers had been an NHL referee for seven years.

Football
AFL
Pop Ivy signed a new two-year contract to continue as head coach of the Houston Oilers. Mr. Ivy was also given the position of general manager.

40 years ago
1973

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (41-1) won a unanimous 12-round decision over European champion Joe Bugner (43-5-1) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. On the undercard, John Conteh (17-1) scored a knockout over Terry Daniels (28-10-1) in the 7th round of their heavyweight bout.



30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Gloria--Laura Branigan (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Lina Radke, 79. German athlete. Miss Radke won the gold medal in the women's 800-metre run in the 1928 Summer Olympic games in Amsterdam.

Lloyd "Sonny" Dove, 37. U.S. basketball player. Mr. Dove was a star with St. John's University from 1964-67, then played for the Detroit Pistons in the NBA from 1967-69, and the New York Nets of the ABA from 1969-72. He was killed in a car accident.

Scandal
United American Bank of Knoxville, Tennessee collapsed. The bank's president, Jake Butcher, was convicted of fraud in 1985 and served seven years in prison.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S

Died on this date
Frederick Loewe, 86. German born U.S. composer. Mr. Loewe collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady (1956) and Camelot (1960).

Movies
The Garbo/Dietrich film festival at the University of Western Ontario concluded with screenings of two silent films: Gosta Berling's Saga, a Swedish Greta Garbo feature from 1924, and Die Frau, a German film starring Marlene Dietrich, from 1929. The print of Die Frau, with German titles, was from the collection of American film historian William K. Everson, who hosted the festival. According to Professor Everson, this was one of just two prints of the film known to exist. When Die Frau was released in the United States, it was under the title of Three Loves.

Olympics
Canada defeated Poland 1-0 in men's hockey at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary. Speed skater Dan Jansen of the United States fell in his event at the Speed Skating Oval in Calgary, hours after learning of the death of his 27-year-old sister Jane from leukemia.

Auto racing
Bobby Allison, 50, became the oldest driver to win the Daytona 500, holding off a challenge from his son Davey, 26, to win NASCAR's biggest event.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Would I Lie to You?--Charles & Eddie (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): This Time/Life Without You--Christy Moore (4th week at #1)

Crime
The body of 2-year-old James Bulger was found two days after he had been kidnapped froma shopping centre in Bootle, near Liverpool, and murdered by two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables.

Auto racing
Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500, giving former Washington Redskins' football coach Joe Gibbs his first win as a NASCAR owner.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Johnny Longden, 96. U.K.-born U.S. jockey. Mr. Longden was a native of England who moved as a boy to Taber, Alberta with his family before making his name in horse racing in the United States. In a career that spanned four decades he won 6,032 races, a record at the time of his retirement. Mr. Longden was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1958.

Dolly, 6. U.K. sheep. Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned, by scientists in Scotland. She died of lung cancer.