January 18, 2014

1,540 years ago
474

Died on this date
Leo I, 72 (?). Byzantine Emperor, 457-474. Leo the Thracian succeeded Marcian as Emperor and was succeeded by his 6-year-old grandson Leo II, who died before the year was out.

175 years ago
1839

Died on this date
Pierre-Theophile Decoigne; François-Xavier Hamelin; Joseph Robert; Ambroise Sanguinet; Charles Sanguinet. Canadian rebels. Messrs. Decoigne (notary), Hamelin (farmer and Lieutenant of Militia), Robert (farmer and Captain of Militia), and the brothers Sanguinet (farmers), were publicly hanged at the Prison du Pied-du-courant at the corner of Rue Notre-Dame and Rue de Lorimier in Montreal for their roles in the 1837-38 Lower Canada Rebellion.

120 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Toots Mondt. U.S. wrestler and promoter. Joseph Raymond Mondt wrestled from 1912-1942, and was a pioneer, as both wrestler and promoter, in promoting professional wrestling as entertainment. He and Vince McMahon, Sr. founded the World Wide Wrestling Federation in 1963, but Mr. Mondt's influence in the operation declined, and he died virtually penniless on June 11, 1976 at the age of 82, after a long illness. Mr. Mondt was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008.

75 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Cliff Heathcote, 40. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Heathcote was an outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals (1918-1922); Chicago Cubs (1922-1930); Cincinnati Reds (1931-1932); and Philadelphia Phillies (1932), batting .275 with 42 home runs and 448 runs batted in in 1,415 games. He and Max Flack were traded for each other between games of a doubleheader between the Cardinals and Cubs at Cubs Park on May 30, 1922. Both players appeared in both games. Mr. Heathcote died of a pulmonary embolism.

70 years ago
1944

Music
The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosted its first jazz concert. The performers were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge, and Jack Teagarden.

War
In two new northern offensives, Soviet troops broke the German lines 25 miles west of Leningrad and on the Volkhov front north of Novgorod. British troops crossed the Garigliano River at the southern end of the Italian front, and despite strong opposition, managed to establish bridgeheads at three points. Allied forces opened a new offensive in the Kyankshaw area of northern Burma. Australia and New Zealand concluded an agreement for cooperative action in the South Pacific theatre.

Politics and government
William T. Cosgrove announced his resignation, because of poor health, as leader of the United Irish, the opposition party in the Dail Eirann.

Economics and finance
Dr. Herbert Lehman announced the appointment of Alekseyovich Menshikov, a member of the U.S.S.R. delegation, as deputy director of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.

The U.S. Federal Economic Administration reported that American Lend-Lease shipments to the U.S.S.R. had reached a record $338 million in November 1943.

Business
U.S. War Secretary Henry Stimson returned the railroads to private operation after U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced agreements calling for wage increases of 1%-5%.

60 years ago
1954

Died on this date
Sydney Greenstreet, 74. U.K.-born U.S. actor. Mr. Greenstreet spent many years as a stage actor before making his movie debut in The Maltese Falcon (1941). His movies included Across the Pacific (1942); Casablanca (1942); Passage to Marseille (1944); The Mask of Dimitrios (1944); Three Strangers (1946); The Hucksters (1947); Ruthless (1948); and Flamingo Road (1949). Many of these movies also featured Peter Lorre in the cast. Mr. Greenstreet starred as the title character of the radio series The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe (1950-1951), and died from complications of diabetes and Bright's disease, 22 days after his 74th birthday.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Si Je Chante--Sylvie Vartan (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): O mio signore--Edoardo Vianello

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Rote Lippen soll man küssen--Cliff Richard and the Shadows (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Glad All Over--The Dave Clark Five

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): There! I've Said it Again--Bobby Vinton (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Music Vendor): Popsicles and Icicles--The Murmaids

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Louie Louie--The Kingsmen (2nd week at #1)
--[Paul Revere and the Raiders]
2 There! I've Said it Again--Bobby Vinton
3 Popsicles and Icicles--The Murmaids
4 Surfin' Bird--The Trashmen
5 Forget Him--Bobby Rydell
6 Dominique--The Singing Nun
7 The Nitty Gritty--Shirley Ellis
8 Hey Little Cobra--The Rip Chords
9 Since I Fell for You--Lenny Welch
10 Drag City--Jan & Dean

Singles entering the chart were Gonna Send You Back to Georgia (A City Slick) by Timmy Shaw (#80); Come On by Tommy Roe (#84); California Sun by the Rivieras (#87); Who Do You Love by the Sapphires (#92); See the Funny Little Clown by Bobby Goldsboro (#93); I Only Want to Be with You by Dusty Springfield (#94); That Girl Belongs to Yesterday by Gene Pitney (#95); I Wish You Love by Gloria Lynne (#96); Little Boxes by Pete Seeger (#98); Puppy Love by Barbara Lewis (#99); and (It's No) Sin by the Duprees (#100).

U.S.A. Top Ten (Music Reporter)
1 There! I've Said it Again--Bobby Vinton (4th week at #1)
2 Surfin' Bird--The Trashmen
3 Forget Him--Bobby Rydell
4 Midnight Mary--Joey Powers
5 Popsicles and Icicles--The Murmaids
6 The Nitty Gritty--Shirley Ellis
7 Talk Back Trembling Lips--Johnny Tillotson
--Ernest Ashworth
8 As Usual--Brenda Lee
9 Pretty Paper--Roy Orbison
10 Since I Fell for You--Lenny Welch

Singles entering the chart included I Want to Hold Your Hand by the Beatles (#39); Going Going Gone by Brook Benton (#63); Come On by Tommy Roe (#65); Bye Bye Barbara by Johnny Mathis (#66); Southtown U.S.A. by the Dixiebelles with Cornbread and Jerry (#67); You'll Never Walk Alone by Patti LaBelle and her Blue Belles (#69); See the Funny Little Clown by Bobby Goldsboro (#70); I Wish You Love by Gloria Lynne (#71); 442 Glenwood Avenue by Pixies Three (#73); I Only Want to Be with You by Dusty Springfield (#76); Billie Baby by Lloyd Price (#78); Harlem Shuffle by Bob and Earl (#81); Baby, What You Want Me to Do by Etta James (#82); Wow Wow Wee (He’s the Boy for Me) by the Angels (#89); Tribute by Anthony Newley (#94); Son Won't You Come Back by Freddy (#97); He Says the Same Things to Me by Skeeter Davis (#98); Everybody Knows by Bobby Charles (#99); and Welcome to My World by Jim Reeves (#100).

On the radio
Sherlock Holmes, starring Fridtjof Hansen Mjoen and Arne Bang-Hansen, on Norsk Rikskringkasting (Norwegian State Broadcasting Corporation)
Tonight's episode: Det tomme huset (The Empty House)

This was the last episode of the series.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Photograph--Ringo Starr (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): I'd Love You to Want Me--Lobo (10th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top Ten (Radio & Records)
1 The Way We Were--Barbra Streisand
2 The Joker--Steve Miller Band
3 You're Sixteen--Ringo Starr
4 Love's Theme--The Love Unlimited Orchestra
5 Show and Tell--Al Wilson
6 Time in a Bottle--Jim Croce
7 Smokin' in the Boy's Room--Brownsville Station
8 Let Me Be There--Olivia Newton-John
9 The Most Beautiful Girl--Charlie Rich
10 Spiders & Snakes--Jim Stafford

War
On the Cairo-Suez road, Egyptian and Israeli chiefs of staff signed the previous day's agreement to separate their forces along the Suez Canal, thus putting the agreement into effect. The agreement called for Israeli forces to abandon their bridgehead on the western bank of the Suez Canal and to withdraw forces to a 5-7 1/2-mile zone 14-20 miles east of the canal and west of Gidi and Mitla Passes, while calling for Egyptian forces to remain on the east bank in a 5-7 1/2-mile zone. The United Nations Emergency Force would patrol a buffer zone 3 1/2-5 miles wide between the Egyptian and Israeli forces. The disengagement was to be completed within 40 days.

In the Paracel Islands--long the subject of dispute bewteen China and South Vietnam--30 South Vietnamese Navy commandos forced Chinese fishermen off Robert Island. The fishermen had landed several days earlier and planted a Chinese flag. The Paracel Islands were a desolate archipelago believed to contain oil deposits.

30 years ago
1984

Died on this date
Malcolm H. Kerr. U.S. academic. Mr. Kerr, the president of the American University of Beirut, was shot to death near his office by two gunmen. The pro-Islamic guerrilla group Islamic Holy War claimed responsibility.

Diplomacy
In a speech to delegates at the 35-nation Conference on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures and Disarmament in Europe in Stockholm, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko attacked the United States as a threat to world peace, and rejected as propaganda U.S. President Ronald Reagan's January 16 call for the resumption of arms reduction talks.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that housing starts in 1983 had increased 60.3%, to 1,703,100, over the 1982 total.

Disasters
A fire in an undersea coal mine 550 miles southwest of Tokyo killed 83 miners.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Vingar--Mikael Rickfors (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Just Between Me and You and Kirk and Paul and Carla and Becky

Died on this date
Bruce Chatwin, 48. U.K. author. Mr. Chatwin was known for his novels On the Black Hill (1982) and Utz (1988). He was a sodomite who died of AIDS.

World events
The Central Committee of the United Workers' (Communist) Party in Poland called for the eventual legalization of the trade union movement Solidarity. Party leader General Wojciech Jaruzelski allied himself with party moderates during the debate in the committee, saying "times have changed" and "We are aiming for new solutions." His resolution passed by a vote of 228-32. Under its provisions, Solidarity would undergo a two-year trial period during which it would not strike and would cooperate with Polish authorities.

Health
A whooping cough (diptheria) epidemic hit the Indian community of Hobbema, Alberta.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the merchandise trade deficit had widened to $12.51 billion in November 1988.

Business
The Hudson's Bay Company announced the merger of the Simpsons and The Bay stores in the region of Montreal; 900 employees were laid off.

A merger of the Canadian breweries Molson and O'Keefe was announced.

20 years ago
1994

Died on this date
Lee Roy Caffey, 52. U.S. football player. Mr. Caffey was a linebacker at Texas A&M University (1960-1962) before playing in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles (1963); Green Bay Packers (1964-1969); Chicago Bears (1970); Dallas Cowboys (1971); and San Diego Chargers (1972). He played with NFL championship teams in 1965-1967 and 1971, the last three of which won Super Bowls. Mr. Caffey died after a long battle with colon cancer.

World events
An explosion of uncertain origin near the village of Cando, Galicia, Spain resulted in damage to terrain and trees. Witnesses reported seeing a fireball in the sky lasting almost a full minute.

Scandal
Lawrence Walsh, the independent counsel who had headed the investigation of the 1980s Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages scandal, issued his final report, most of which summarized facts and evidence already known. In his report, Mr. Walsh said he had found evidence of complicity in the affair and subsequent cover-up among President Ronald Reagan, Secretary of State George Shultz, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, Attorney General Edwin Meese, and Central Intelligence Agency Director William Casey. Of these, only Mr. Weinberger had faced charges, and he had been pardoned by President George Bush. At a press conference, Mr. Walsh rebuked Mr. Bush for pardoning Mr. Weinberger and five others, and said that his investigation--which took 6 1/2 years and cost $37 million--had been handicapped by Congress, which had granted immunity from prosecution to key witnesses for their testimony in Congressional hearings.

Politics and government
U.S. Navy Admiral Bobby Ray Inman (retired) withdrew as President Bill Clinton's nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, asserting that elements of the media and political leadership would rather destroy reputations than work effectively to govern the country. Four days earlier, Mr. Inman had contended that U.S. Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (Republican--Kansas) was planning to make the nomination, which required Senate approval, a politically partisan issue.

The Mexican government of President Carlos Salinas de Gortari said that it would address concerns raised by Zapatista National Liberation Army rebels in the state of Chiapas.

Hockey
NHL
Ottawa 4 Edmonton 3 (OT)

10 years ago
2004

Music
This blogger was in attendance at the Winspear Centre for Music in Edmonton to see the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in concert. Pianist Scott Meek was the guest soloist.

Terrorism
A suicide bomber attacked the Coalition Provisional Authority headquarters in Baghdad, killing at least 25 people, most of them Iraqis.

Football
NFL
AFC Championship
Indianapolis 14 @ New England 24

NFC Championship
Carolina 14 @ Philadelphia 3