March 5, 2013

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Olivia Mananquil!

1,650 years ago
363

War
Roman Emperor Julian, with an army of 90,000, moved from Antioch to attack the Sassanid Empire in Persia.

160 years ago
1853

Born on this date
Howard Pyle. U.S. author and illustrator. Mr. Pyle wrote and illustrated children's novels, including The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (1883) and Men of Iron (1891). He has been credited with creating the modern stereotype of pirate dress. Mr. Pyle founded the Howard Pyle School of Illustration Art in the early 1900s, and influenced many subsequent artists. He moved to Florence in 1910, but suffered from poor health, and died from Bright's disease on November 9, 1911 at the age of 58.

80 years ago
1933

Politics and government
National elections were held in Germany, just 6 days after the Reichstag fire. The Nazis increased their share of the vote to 44%, up from 33% in the most recent election. The German National People's Party, allies of the Nazis, got 8% of the vote. The result gave the Nazis a working majority in the Reichstag. They were the last free parliamentary elections in Germany until after World War II.

Economics and finance
The day after taking office as President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a "bank holiday," closing all U.S. banks and freezing all financial transactions.

70 years ago
1943

Defense
The Gloster Meteor, Great Britain's first jet fighter, made its first flight from RAF Cranwell.

60 years ago
1953

Died on this date
Josef Stalin, 73. U.S.S.R. dictator. Mr. Stalin, who had won a power struggle to take power in the Soviet Union after the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924 and had gone on to become one of the most evil people in history, died of a heart attack four days after suffering a stroke.

Sergei Prokoviev, 61. Russian composer. Mr. Prokofiev, who had to put up with interference and restrictions imposed by Mr. Stalin's regime, wrote seven symphonies, five piano concertos, nine piano sonatas, and other compositions such as Peter and the Wolf and the score for the movie Alexander Nevsky (1938).

Herman J. Mankiewicz, 55. U.S. screenwriter. Mr. Mankiewicz, the older brother of film director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, co-wrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane (1941) with Orson Welles, and the two men shared the Academy Award for original screenplay for 1941.

50 years ago
1963

On television tonight
The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Man in the Cooler

Died on this date
Patsy Cline, 30; Cowboy Copas, 49; Hawkshaw Hawkins, 41. U.S. singers. Miss Cline was one of the most popular female singers in the history of country music, with hit singles such as Walkin' After Midnight (1957); I Fall to Pieces (1961); and Crazy (1961). Mr. Copas was popular in the late 1940s and early '50s, with hits such as Filipino Baby (1946); The Tennessee Waltz (1946); and Tis Sweet to Be Remembered (1952). His biggest hit was Alabam (1960). Mr. Hawkins was also popular in the late '40s and early '50s, recording such hits as Pan American (1948); Dog House Boogie (1948); Slow Poke (1951); and Lonesome 7-7203 (1963), which reached #1 on the Billboard country chart several weeks after his death. The three performers were on a small plane flying from Kansas City, Kansas to Nashville, Tennessee when it crashed in a forest near Camden, Tennessee, 90 miles from Nashville. Mr. Copas' son-in-law, Randy Hughes, was the pilot, and he and his three passengers were killed instantly.

Popular culture
Five years after Wham-O introduced the hula hoop, the device was patented by Arthur "Spud" Melin, the company's co-founder.

40 years ago
1973

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): You're So Vain--Carly Simon (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Les gondoles à Venise--Sheila & Ringo

Society
New York Yankees' pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich, at spring training in Florida, announced that they had permanently traded wives, children, and dogs. The announcement was made after another player tipped off the media.

Disasters
68 people were killed when two Spanish planes collided in midair over France, where air traffic controllers were on strike.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Chante--Les Forbans

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Billie Jean--Michael Jackson

#1 single in the U.K.: Billie Jean--Michael Jackson

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Billie Jean--Michael Jackson

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club (2nd week at #1)
2 Billie Jean--Michael Jackson
3 Stray Cat Strut--Stray Cats
4 Down Under--Men at Work
5 Shame on the Moon--Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
6 You Are--Lionel Richie
7 Hungry Like the Wolf--Duran Duran
8 Baby, Come to Me--Patti Austin (with James Ingram)
9 All Right--Christopher Cross
10 Back on the Chain Gang--Pretenders

Singles entering the chart were Swingin' by John Anderson (#78); Minimum Love by Mac MacAnally (#84); Welcome to Heartlight by Kenny Loggins (#85); Sex (I'm a...) by Berlin (#86); Love My Way by Psychedelic Furs (#88); Outstanding by the Gap Band (#89); You are in My System by System (#90); Smiling Islands by Robbie Patton (#97); and Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life by Indeep (#99).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club
2 Sexual Healing--Marvin Gaye
3 Baby, Come to Me--Patti Austin (with James Ingram)
4 Africa--Toto
5 Goody Two Shoes--Adam Ant
6 Hungry Like the Wolf--Duran Duran
7 Stray Cat Strut--Stray Cats
8 Shame on the Moon--Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
9 When I'm with You--Sheriff
10 Pass the Dutchie--Musical Youth

Singles entering the chart were Always Something There to Remind Me by Naked Eyes (#44); She Blinded Me with Science by Thomas Dolby (#45); Who Knows How to Make Love Stay by Doug and the Slugs (#47); Jeopardy by the Greg Kihn Band (#48); Danseparc (Every Day it's Tomorrow) by Martha and the Muffins (#49); and I Love it Loud by Kiss (#50).

Politics and government
The Labour Party, led by Bob Hawke, captured about 60% of the seats in the House of Representatives to win the Australian general election, defeating the coalition of the Liberal and National parties and ending the eight-year reign of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. Mr. Hawke had blamed Mr. Fraser for the country's 10% unemployment rate and 11% inflation rate.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Sì, la vita è tutta un quiz--Renzo Arbore (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (5th 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 (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Boys (Summertime Love)--Sabrina (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Beat Dis--Bomb the Bass

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Father Figure--George Michael (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Father Figure--George Michael (2nd week at #1)
2 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
3 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
4 Could've Been--Tiffany
5 I Get Weak--Belinda Carlisle
6 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
7 Seasons Change--Exposé
8 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
9 Endless Summer Nights--Richard Marx
10 Can't Stay Away from You--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine

Singles entering the chart were Pink Cadillac by Natalie Cole (#76); Two Occasions by Deele (#82); Yes by Merry Clayton (#86); Savin' Myself by Eria Fachin (#87); Samantha (What You Gonna Do?) by Cellarful of Noise (#89); and I Want to Be Your Property by Blue Mercedes (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S (2nd week at #1)
2 Crying--Roy Orbison and k.d. lang
3 Could've Been--Tiffany
4 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
5 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
6 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
7 Need You Tonight--INXS
8 Father Figure--George Michael
9 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
10 Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)--Sway

Singles entering the chart were When We was Fab by George Harrison (#70); (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay by Michael Bolton (#72); Where Do Broken Hearts Go by Whitney Houston (#76); I Saw Him Standing There by Tiffany (#79); Rock of Life by Rick Springfield (#85); Thinkin' About the Years by Haywire (#90); Fire by Platinum Blonde (#92); Winter Games by David Foster (#94); and Angel by Aerosmith (#96).

Hockey
NHL
Winnipeg 10 @ Toronto 1

On the national Hockey Night in Canada telecast, Dale Hawerchuk scored just 9 seconds into the game to set the pace as the Jets whipped the Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens. Those of us who were Maple Leaf fans turned it off early.

Football
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame added builder Ralph Sazio and players Royal Copeland, Ed McQuarters, and Tony Pajaczkowski.

20 years ago
1993

At the movies
Swing Kids, directed by Thomas Carter, and starring Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale, Frank Whaley, and Barbara Hershey, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Mac Speedie, 73. U.S. football player and coach. Mr. Speedie, who lived up to his name, was an end with the Cleveland Browns (1946-1952); Saskatchewan Roughriders (1953-1954); and British Columbia Lions (1955). He helped the Browns win the championship of the All-America Football Conference in every season of that league's existence (1946-1949) and in their first year in the National Football League (1950). In seven years of American professional football, Mr. Speedie caught 349 passes for 7,006 yards and 45 touchdowns, and was an All-Pro in every year except 1951. He jumped to the Western Interprovincial Football Union in 1953, to the chagrin of Cleveland coach Paul Brown. In two seasons with Saskatchewan, Mr. Speedie caught 93 passes for 1,393 yards and 12 touchdowns, making the WIFU offensive All-Star team in both seasons. He suffered a career-ending knee injury in his first game with B.C. Mr. Speedie went into coaching, and eventually became head coach of the Denver Broncos from 1964-1966, but experienced limited success, resigning early in the 1966 season after posting a record of 6-19-1. He continued to serve the Broncos as a scout until his retirement in 1982. Mr. Speedie should probably be in the Professional Football Hall of Fame, but his conflict with Mr. Brown is believed to be the reason he has never been elected.

Scandal
Jamaican-born Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who had been stripped of a gold medal and world record in the men's 100-metre run after testing positive for a banned substance at the 1988 Summer Olympic games in Seoul, was banned from athletics for life after failing another drug test.

Disasters
77 people were feared dead after a Pal Air Fokker 100 exploded while taking off from Skopje, Macedonia's airport in a snowstorm.

10 years ago
2003

Terrorism
17 Israeli civilians in Haifa were killed when a suicide bomber came onto a bus.