March 25, 2013

790 years ago
1223

Died on this date
Afonso II, 37. King of Portugal, 1212-1223. King Afonso "The Fat" succeeded his father Sancho I on the throne. He died the day before the eleventh anniversary of his succession, and was in turn succeeded by his 15-year-old son, who became King Sancho II.

180 years ago
1833

Theatre
Edmund Kean, regarded in his time as the greatest actor ever, was playing Othello at Covent Garden, with his son Charles as Iago. At the words "Villain, be sure," in scene 3 of act iii, he suddenly broke down, and crying in a faltering voice, "O God, I am dying. Speak to them, Charles," fell insensible into his son’s arms. It turned out to be Edmund Kean's last performance; he died on May 15 at the age of 44.

110 years ago
1903

Diplomacy
The Anglo-American Convention defined the Alaska-Canada border as it is today. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt had threatened to send in troops if the boundary was not fixed in the way desired by the U.S.A. Canada wasn't involved in the talks because the government of the United Kingdom had jurisdiction over such matters. Canada ended up with no seaports in northern British Columbia or the Yukon Territory, and the resulting anti-British sentiment in Canada led to the creation of the Department of External Affairs in 1909.

80 years ago
1933

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Toronto 1 @ Boston 2 (OT) (Boston led best-of-five series 1-0)

Marty Barry scored at 14:14 of overtime to give the Bruins their win over the Maple Leafs at Boston Garden. Tiny Thompson won the goaltending duel over Lorne Chabot.

75 years ago
1938

Music
The Ink Spots recorded the song That Cat is High.

70 years ago
1943

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Boston 3 @ Montreal 2 (OT)

Busher Jackson scored 3:20 into overtime to give the Bruins the win over the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum.

60 years ago
1953

On the radio
I Was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews
Tonight’s episode: Trial by Fear

50 years ago
1963

Died on this date
Davey Moore, 29. U.S. boxer. Mr. Moore compiled a record of 59-7-1-1 in a professional career that began in 1953. He knocked out Hogan "Kid" Bassey to win the world featherweight title on March 18, 1959, and held it until he suffered a technical knockout by Sugar Ramos on March 21, 1963. Mr. Moore was knocked down in the 10th round, and suffered an injury to his brain stem when the back of his neck hit the bottom rope. He got up and finished the round, but took a beating in the final seconds of the round, and referee George Latka stopped the fight while Mr. Moore was on his stool between rounds. Mr. Moore was able to give an interview for television immediately after the fight, and joked with reporters in the dressing room, but lapsed into a coma after they left, and never regained consciousness.

40 years ago
1973

Died on this date
Edward Steichen, 93. Luxembourg-born U.S. painter and photographer. Mr. Steichen moved to New York with his family as an infant. He was a skilled drawer, lithographer, and painter, but became one of the most famous photographers of the 20th century, often in partnership with Alfred Stieglitz. His photograph The Pond--Moonlight (1904), in which he applied layers of light-sensitive gums to simulate colour, sold at auction in 2006 for a record $2.9 million. Mr. Steichen directed the Academy Award-winning documentary The Fighting Lady (1944), and created the travelling museum exhibit The Family of Man (1955). He died two days before his 94th birthday.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Twisting by the Pool--Dire Straits (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): 99 Luftballons--Nena

At the movies
The Outsiders, a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based on S.E. Hinton’s novel about troubled teenagers in Oklahoma in the 1960s, opened in theatres . It’s a rather strange movie; Mr. Coppola directed it as though he were making a Douglas Sirk 1950s melodrama, but that approach didn’t fit the setting. The most remarkable feature of the movie is the young cast, which included Matt Dillon; Ralph Macchio; Patrick Swayze; Rob Lowe; Emilio Estevez; and Leif Garrett. Those who saw the film in the spring of 1983 forecast a great career for C. Thomas Howell, who played Ponyboy, the central character. Few would have predicted (in fact, I don’t know if anybody did predict) that the cast member with the most successful career would turn out to be Tom Cruise, whose part in The Outsiders was so small as to be almost invisible. A few months after this movie came out, Mr. Cruise hit it big with Risky Business, and he’s been a big star ever since. C. Thomas Howell’s career, on the other hand, quickly tanked. He made a few forgettable (and forgotten) movies, and was best-known for marrying Rae-Dawn Chong. The Outsiders remains Mr. Howell’s most (only?) memorable movie--a fate that would have amazed moviegoers and critics in the spring of 1983.

Died on this date
Bob Waterfield, 62. U.S. football player. Mr. Waterfield was a quarterback with the University of California at Los Angeles Bruins before joining the U.S. Army in World War II. He was drafted by the Cleveland Rams in 1944 and joined them in 1945, leading them to the NFL championship, and winning the Joe F. Carr Trophy--by unanimous vote--as the league's Most Valuable Player. The Rams moved to Los Angeles in 1946, and Mr. Waterfield played with them through 1952, starring as a kicker and punter, and sharing quarterbacking duties with Norm Van Brocklin in his last four seasons. The Rams were West Division champions in 1949 and 1950, and won the NFL championship in 1951. Mr. Waterfield was known for his ability to throw the deep ball, and finished his career with 97 touchdown passes. He also kicked 315 extra points and 60 field goals, while punting for a 42.6-yard average and making 20 interceptions. Mr. Waterfield married actress Jane Russell in 1943, and he became a movie producer after his football career ended; the couple were divorced in 1968. Mr. Waterfield was named head coach of the Rams in 1960, but resigned after 8 games of the 1962 season after compiling a record of just 9-24-1. He was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

War
Nicaragua claimed that it had driven back an intrusion into her territory by Honduran troops. Honduras denied any incursion, but rebel leaders in Tegucigalpa claimed to have 10,000 guerrillas inside Nicaragua who controlled rural areas in seven provinces.

Economics and finance
The French government of Premier Pierre Mauroy unveiled a package of austerity measures, including tax increases, aimed at eliminating the country's trade deficit.

The U.S. administration of President Ronald Reagan revised its economic forecast upward and predicted faster growth and less inflation and unemployment.

The United States Senate passed a compromise and bipartisan bill to rescue the Social Security System from bankruptcy, hoping that the provision would keep the system solvent for at least 75 years. The House of Representatives had passed the bill the day before.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Tell it to My Heart--Taylor Dayne (4th week at #1)

Crime
A sensational murder trial ended in New York City when the defendant, Robert Chambers, Jr., admitted that he had caused the death of his victim, Jennifer Levin. Miss Levin, 18, had been found strangled in Central Park in 1986 and Mr. Chambers, then 19, had been charged with second-degree murder. The two had left a bar at 4:30 A.M. and gone to the park. Mr. Chambers told police that he had killed Miss Levin unintentionally during a session of "rough sex" in which she had tied his hands with her panties and hurt him. He said that he had responded in a frenzy and had strangled her accidentally. During the ninth day of jury deliberations, Mr. Chambers pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter, admitting that he had intended to injure Miss Levin. Under the plea bargain, Mr. Chambers would have to serve at least five years in prison. Don’t you just love plea bargaining? It makes things easier for the legal profession, but it’s hard to see how it helps the cause of justice.

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): What is Love--Haddaway (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
The leader of Bosnian Muslims agreed to a map dividing Bosnia and Herzegovina into 10 autonomous provinces.

10 years ago
2003

War
A sandstorm impeded the progress of U.S. 3rd Infantry soldiers in Iraq as they were moving toward Baghdad. The 7th Cavalry reportedly killed Iraqis near Najaf, another city leading to Baghdad. British forces claimed to have captured the Gulf port city of Umm Qasr, but nearby Basra had not fallen. Its one million residents were reported to be in desperate need of water.

Scandal
The United States Air Force announced that it was replacing the four top officers at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs as a result of allegations by more than 50 female cadets and former cadets that they had been raped or sexually assaulted during the past decade. The women claimed the academy had failed to protect them and had infact investigated those who were filikng complaints. An investigation into the charges was continuing.

Economics and finance
The United States Senate voted 51-48 in favour of a bill that reduced President George W. Bush's proposal for $726 billion in tax cuts to $350 billion. The reduction in tax cuts resulted partly from concerns over the cost of the war in Iraq. The day before, the Bush administration had said it would ask Congress for $74.7 billion to pay for the war, and seek additional funds for foreign aid and domestic security.

Environment
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Jean Chretien pledged to establish 10 new national parks over the next five years, at a cost of $220 million.