February 20, 2013

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Maza Sellars!

240 years ago
1773

Died on this date
Charles Emmanuel III, 71. King of Sardinia, 1730-1773. Charles Emmanuel took the throne upon the abdication of his father Victor Amadeus II of Savoy.

200 years ago
1813

War
In the Argentine War of Independence, the Army of the North under General Manuel Belgrano defeated the royalist troops under General Pío de Tristán in the Battle of Salta.

160 years ago
1853

Born on this date
Amanda Röntgen-Maier. Swedish-born musician and composer. Mrs. Röntgen-Maier was a successful concert violinist who married pianist and composer Julius Röntgen, her violin teacher's son. The couple settled in Amsterdam, and she quit performing, but composed works for violin and piano. Mrs. Röntgen-Maier died on July 15, 1894 at the age of 41, after a long battle with tuberculosis.

120 years ago
1893

Died on this date
P.G.T. Beauregard, 74. U.S. and C.S. military officer. Mr. Beauregard achieved the rank of Brevet Major in the United States Army, and was named a Brigadier General in the army of the Confederate States of America in 1861. He led the C.S.A. to victory in the First Battle of Bull Run in Virginia in 1861, and saved Charleston, South Carolina from Union attacks in 1863 and did the same for Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia in 1864.

100 years ago
1913

Born on this date
Tommy Henrich. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Henrich was an outfielder with the New York Yankees from 1937-1942 and 1946-1950, batting .282 with 183 home runs and 795 runs batted in 1,284 games. He was a member of seven World Series championship teams, led the American League in triples in 1947 and 1948 and runs in 1948, and acquired the nickname "Old Reliable" for his ability to come through with key hits in clutch situations. Mr. Henrich died on December 1, 2009 at the age of 96.

80 years ago
1933

Law
The United States Congress proposed the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution, intended to repeal the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture, sale, or transportation of liquor.

Politics and government
German Chancellor Adolf Hitler met secretly with German industrialists to arrange for financing for the Nazi party's upcoming election campaign.

70 years ago
1943

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Had the Craziest Dream--Harry James and his Music Makers with Helen Forrest (2nd week at #1)

Movies
Hollywood studio executives agreed to allow the U.S. Office of War Information to censor movies.

Journalism
The Saturday Evening Post published the first of Norman Rockwell's paintings of Four Freedoms, in support of the theme of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address.

60 years ago
1953

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes--Perry Como (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Great Silence, starring Burgess Meredith, Lilia Skala, and Paul Ford



30 years ago
1983

On the radio
The Stories of Sherlock Holmes, starring Graham Armitage and Kerry Jordan, on Springbok Radio
Tonight's episode: The Missing Inventor

Protest
1,000-3,000 people were killed in election-related violence in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Sì, la vita è tutta un quiz--Renzo Arbore (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Boys (Summertime Love)--Sabrina (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car--Billy Ocean

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Seasons Change--Exposé

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
2 Could've Been--Tiffany
3 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
4 Seasons Change--Exposé
5 Father Figure--George Michael
6 Need You Tonight--INXS
7 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
8 Say You Will--Foreigner
9 Don't Shed a Tear--Paul Carrack
10 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley

Singles entering the chart were What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong (#73); Give Me All Your Love by Whitesnake (#81); I Want You so Bad by Heart (#82); Winter Games by David Foster (#83); Magic Carpet Ride by Bardeux (#84); Prove Your Love by Taylor Dayne (#85); Pamela by Toto (#86); Fishnet by Morris Day (#87); Going Back to Cali by LL Cool J (#88); Ever Since the World Began by Tommy Shaw (#89); and All Right Now by Pepsi and Shirlie (#90). It's a Wonderful World had originally been released in 1967; it hadn't charted in the U.S.A., but had spent 4 weeks at #1 in the U.K. in the spring of 1968. It was re-released as a single after being featured in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). Winter Games was the theme of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Could've Been--Tiffany (3rd week at #1)
2 Need You Tonight--INXS
3 Hazy Shade of Winter--Bangles
4 Crying--Roy Orbison and k.d. lang
5 Candle in the Wind--Elton John
6 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S
7 The Way You Make Me Feel--Michael Jackson
8 Pop Goes the World--Men Without Hats
9 Got My Mind Set on You--George Harrison
10 When a Man Loves a Woman--Luba

Singles entering the chart were Devil Inside by INXS (#94); Check it Out by John Cougar Mellencamp (#97); Never Give Up by Blvd. (#99); and Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car by Billy Ocean (#100).

Died on this date
Bob O'Farrell, 91. U.S. baseball player and manager. Mr. O'Farrell was a catcher with the Chicago Cubs (1915-1925, 1934); St. Louis Cardinals (1925-1928, 1933, 1935); New York Giants (1928-1932); and Cincinnati Reds (1934), batting .273 with 51 home runs and 549 runs batted in in 1,492 games. He was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1926, when he hit .293 with 7 homers and 68 RBIs in 147 games, helping the Cardinals win their first World Series championship. Mr. O'Farrell batted 0 for 3 in 3 games with the Cubs in their 1918 World Series loss to the Boston Red Sox, and hit .304 with no homers and 2 RBIs in 7 games in the 1926 World Series, for a total of .269 in 10 games. He managed the Cardinals in 1927, leading them to a 92-61 record and a second-place finish, 1½ games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. Mr. O'Farrell managed the Reds in 1934, but was fired on July 26 with the team in last place with a record of 30-60-1, and rejoined the Cubs 11 days later. He finished his playing career in the minor leagues in 1938, and operated a recreation hall in Waukegan, Illinois.

World events
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, an administrative unit within Azerbaijan, voted to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia.

Olympics
Brian Boitano of the United States edged Brian Orser of Canada to win the gold medal in men's figure skating at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary. In men's hockey, Canada defeated France 9-5 at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary. The French team was so bad that they were popularly known as "Les Miserables."

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Gli Spari Sopra--Vasco Rossi (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Mockin' Bird Hill--Roots Syndicate

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): No Limit--2 Unlimited (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (13th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (12th week at #1)
2 A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)--Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle
3 Saving Forever for You--Shanice
4 If I Ever Fall in Love--Shai
5 Ordinary World--Duran Duran
6 In the Still of the Nite--Boyz II Men
7 7--Prince and the New Power Generation
8 Mr. Wendal--Arrested Development
9 Rump Shaker--Wreckx-N-Effect
10 I'm Every Woman--Whitney Houston

Singles entering the chart included Sweet Thing by Mary J. Blige (#50); Cat's in the Cradle by Ugly Kid Joe (#72); and Passionate Kisses by Mary Chapin Carpenter (#87).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (10th week at #1)
2 Deeper and Deeper--Madonna
3 Steam--Peter Gabriel
4 No Mistakes--Patty Smyth
5 Harvest Moon--Neil Young
6 A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)--Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle
7 Ordinary World--Duran Duran
8 Little Bird--Annie Lennox
9 Love Can Move Mountains--Celine Dion
10 Faithful--Go West

Singles entering the chart included Simple Life by Elton John (#64); If This is Love by Barney Bentall (#66); Cigarette Dangles by The Pursuit of Happiness (#81); Love Is by Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight (#91); and Gypsy Honeymoon by Kim Carnes (#93).

Died on this date
Ferruccio Lamborghini, 76. Italian industrialist. Mr. Lamborghini was a prominent manufacturer of agricultural equipment, but was best known for founding, in 1963, the automobile company bearing his name.

Radio
U.S. President Bill Clinton announced plans to shut down Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty and merge them into the United States Information Agency, which would result in a saving of millions of dollars.

Crime
Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10 years of age, were charged with the kidnapping and murder of 2-year-old James Bulger, who had been abducted on February 12 from a shopping centre in Bootle, near Liverpool.

10 years ago
2003

Died on this date
Harry Jacunski, 87. U.S. football player. Mr. Jacunski was an end with the Fordham University Rams in the 1930s, and was one of the linemen known as "Seven Blocks of Granite." He was a defensive end with the Green Bay Packers from 1939-1944, playing on NFL championship teams in his first and last seasons.

Orville Freeman, 84. U.S. politician. Mr. Freeman was Governor of Minnesota from 1955-1961 and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961-1969. He was one of the founding members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

War
The Pentagon announced that 1,700 U.S. troops would be sent to the Philippines to fight the extremist Muslim group Abu Sayyaf, operating in the south. About 750 ground troops would participate, supported as needed by about 1,000 Marines aboard two ships.

Crime
12 years after Neil Stonechild, 17, was found dead in a frozen field outside Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Justice Minister Eric Cline announced a judicial inquiry to provide a "public airing" into police actions involving the Cree teen on the day he died.

Brian Doyle of St. John's, Newfoundland, who had killed his friend's mother in 1991 and remained silent while another man had gone to prison for the crime, pled guilty to the murder, and was to spend at least the next 18 years in prison

Disasters
100 people died and more than 200 more were injured when a pyrotechnics display went awry and started a fire during an appearance by the heavy metal group Great White at the Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island.