December 25, 2013

1,000 years ago
1013

Britannica
Sweyn I "Forkbeard" was declared King of England after leading a successful raid on the country and driving King Ethelred the Unready into exile in Wessex. Sweyn I became the first of England's Danish kings.

75 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Karel Čapek, 48. Czech author and playwright. Mr. Čapek wrote fiction and non-fiction, in which he expressed his opposition to both Fascism and Communism. He was best known for his science fiction, especially the play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) (1921), which introduced the word "robot." Mr. Čapek suffered from fragile health, and died of pneumonia.

70 years ago
1943

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Paper Doll--The Mills Brothers (8th week at #1)

War
Allied forces in Italy captured Mount Sammucro, 6 miles east of Cassino. U.S.S.R. troops captured 200 more inhabited places in their drive on Vitebsk. U.S. Marines made two landings at points east and west of Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island. Chinese troops occupied Kungan, forcing the Japanese across the Hutu River in an eastward retreat.

Diplomacy
The Ecuadorian government ordered German and Italian nationals held incommunicado, and notified all Axis subjects to leave the country.

Disasters
A fire razed the waterfront area of Wildwood, New Jersey, destroying three theatres, an amusement pier, and other buildings, causing $1 million in damage.

60 years ago
1953

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Answer Me--Frankie Laine (7th week at #1)

50 years ago
1963

At the movies
Love with the Proper Stranger, starring Steve McQueen and Natalie Wood, opened in theatres.

40 years ago
1973

At the movies
The Sting, starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Robert Shaw, premiered in New York and Los Angeles.

Oil
Arab oil producers announced an increase in production to begin in January 1974.

30 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Come Back and Stay--Paul Young (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Joan Miró, 90. Spanish artist. Mr. Miró was a painter, sculptor, and ceramicist whose work has been described as surrealistic, and an attack on established styles of art.

25 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Orinoco Flow--Enya (3rd week at #1)

20 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Please Forgive Me--Bryan Adams (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Penso Positivo--Jovanotti (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Saturday Night--Whigfield

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): The Sign--Ace of Base (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Please Forgive Me--Bryan Adams (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Living on My Own (1993)--Freddie Mercury (12th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Het pizzalied (Effe wachte...)--André van Duin (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Mr Blobby--Mr Blobby (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Hero--Mariah Carey

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box):
1 Again--Janet Jackson (2nd week at #1)
2 Hero--Mariah Carey
3 Please Forgive Me--Bryan Adams
4 All That She Wants--Ace of Base
5 Breathe Again--Toni Braxton
6 All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting
7 I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)--Meat Loaf
8 Can We Talk--Tevin Campbell
9 Said I Loved You...But I Lied--Michael Bolton
10 Shoop--Salt-N-Pepa

Singles entering the chart were Daughter by Pearl Jam (#23) and Stay (Faraway, So Close!) by U2 (#67).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Please Forgive Me--Bryan Adams (4th week at #1)
2 Both Sides of the Story--Phil Collins
3 Hero--Mariah Carey
4 I'll Always Be There--Roch Voisine
5 Said I Loved You...But I Lied--Michael Bolton
6 All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting
7 Again--Janet Jackson
8 5 Days in May--Blue Rodeo
9 All That She Wants--Ace of Base
10 All About Soul--Billy Joel

Singles entering the chart were You're Coming Home by the Jeff Healey Band (#71); Tones of Home by Blind Melon (#83); The Bottle by the Christians (#87); Crying in the Rain by Art Garfunkel and James Taylor (#95); Bless the World by David Wilcox (#96); Run Baby Run by Sheryl Crow (#97); Bad Thing by Cry of Love (#98); and I'm in Love by Lisa Keith (#99).

10 years ago
2003

Space
Scientists failed to make contact with the British-built Mars probe Beagle 2, which should have landed on the planet early in the day.

Terrorism
11 days after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had escaped an assassination attempt by the detonation of a car bomb, Mr. Musharraf's motorcade was attacked again by two suicide bombers. Mr. Musharraf escaped unharmed, but 14 people were killed.