January 3, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Gulbahar!

125 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Iris Calderhead. U.S. suffragist. Miss Calderhead was an English teacher who was an organizer in the National Woman's Party, advocating for women's suffrage in the United States until it was granted in 1920. Miss Calderhead advocated for women's suffrage within the League of Nations in the early 1930s. She died on March 6, 1966 at the age of 77.

100 years ago
1914

Baseball
The New York Giants and Chicago White Sox continued their post-season exhibition tour, with the White Sox defeating the Giants 5-4, and the White Sox defeating New South Wales 10-1 in Sydney.

75 years ago
1939

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Bobby Hull! The Hockey Hall of Famer was born in Pointe Anne, Ontario.

Politics and government
Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, running unopposed, was re-elected President of El Salvador, while his National Pro Patria Party won all 42 seats in the Constitution Assembly.

70 years ago
1944

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Incredible Mystery of Mr. James Phillimore

War
In their second attack within 24 hours, U.K. planes dropped 1,100 tons of bombs on Berlin, reporting that the Chancellery building had been virtually destroyed. British troops in Italy improved their positions along the Adriatic coast and linked the cities of Villa Grande and Miglianico. Advance units of the Soviet Red Army west of Kiev reached the od Polish border after capturing Olevsk. U.S. planes completed two days of raids on the Burmese oil centre of Yenagyaung, dropping more than 130 tons of bombs.

Diplomacy
The Argentine Foreign Office announced the recognition of the revolutionary government of Bolivia.

Defense
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a draftee who objected to his classification must report for duty before taking court action.

Crime
A U.S. federal grand jury in Washington indicted 30 people on charges of attempting to incite mutiny in the armed forces and set up a Nazi republic in the United States.

Americana
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt deeded his Hyde Park, New York home and 30 acres of land to the U.S. government as a national historic site, retaining the rite of occupancy during the lifetimes of his immediate family.

Scandal
U.S. Rep. James Curley (Democrat--Massachusetts) and five associates of the Engineers' Group Inc. were indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in Washington for fraud.

Labour
U.S. President Roosevelt named Walter Stacy as chairman of a committee to study alleged racial discrimination against Negroes by Southern railroads and three unions.

Disasters
Unexplained internal explosions sank the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Turner in New York Bay, with 15 officers and 123 men killed, and 163 survivors rescued.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): There's Always Me--Dickie Rock

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 Move Over--Bobby Curtola (4th week at #1)
2 Johnny Liar--Molly Bee
3 Daisy Petal Pickin'--Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
4 Judy Loves Me--Johnny Crawford
5 Shindig--The Shadows
6 Sugar and Spice--The Searchers
7 Forget Him--Bobby Rydell
8 Dominique--The Singing Nun
9 It's All in the Game--Cliff Richard
10 I Want to Stand Up on the Mountain--Loreen Church
Pick hit of the week: You Don't Own Me--Lesley Gore
New this week: Baby, I Love You--The Ronettes
Widow Maker--Kirk Hansard
The First Time--Adam Faith
How Much Can a Lonely Heart Stand--Skeeter Davis
That Girl Belongs to Yesterday--Gene Pitney

That Girl Belongs to Yesterday was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

On television tonight
Twilight Zone, hosted by Rod Serling, on CBS
Tonight's episode: You Drive, starring Edward Andrews

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Three Wives Too Many, starring Teresa Wright, Dan Duryea, Linda Lawson, and Jean Hale

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Merry X'mas Everybody--Slade (3rd week at #1)

Hockey
WHA
All-Star Game @ St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
East 8 West 4

Mike Walton of the hometown Minnesota Fighting Saints scored 3 goals for the Western Division in a losing cause before 13,196 fans and was named the game's most valuable player.

Joseph Schwartz bought the New Jersey Knights.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Bang Your Head (Metal Health)--Quiet Riot

Diplomacy
Rev. Jesse Jackson, a candidate for the 1984 Democratic party nomination for President of the United States who was in Syria in an attempt to win the freedom of U.S. Navy Lieutenant Robert Goodman, who had been shot down near Beirut on December 4, 1983, met with Syrian Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam. Rev. Jackson told the press that "our prayers have been answered," and that Lt. Goodman was to be released that morning on the orders of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. Mr. Khaddam said that the release of Mr. Goodman was in response to Rev. Jackson's personal appeal and the demands of the U.S. government, and suggested that the release would "facilitate the withdrawal of American troops from Lebanon." Rev. Jackson and his entourage and Lt. Goodman left Syria for Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

Politics and government
Major General Mohammed Buhari, who had taken power in a military coup three days earlier, announced the formation of a Supreme Military Council to run the government of Nigeria under his leadership.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced that 48 federally insured banks had failed in 1983, the highest total since 1939.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)--Meat Loaf (7th week at #1)

Africana
More than seven million people from the former Apartheid Homelands received South African citizenship.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Des Corcoran, 75. Australian politician. Mr. Corcoran, a member of the Australian Labour Party, was Premier of South Australia from February 15-September 18, 1979. He took office upon the resignation of Premier Don Dunstan and also assumed the positions of Treasurer and Minister of Ethnic Affairs. Mr. Corcoran, without informing party brass in advance, called a snap election in an attempt to win a mandate on his own, but Labour lost to the Liberal Party, and Mr. Corcoran blamed some in his own party for the loss.

Leon Wagner, 69. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Wagner, nicknamed "Daddy Wags," was a left fielder with the San Francisco Giants (1958-1959, 1969); St. Louis Cardinals (1960); Los Angeles Angels (1961-1963); Cleveland Indians (1964-1968); and Chicago White Sox (1968), batting .272 with 211 home runs and 669 runs batted in in 1,352 games. On April 12, 1960, Mr. Wagner hit the first home run in Candlestick Park in San Francisco. His best season was 1962, when he hit .268 with 37 homers and 107 runs batted in, and was the most valuable player in the second All-Star Game that year. Mr. Wagner owned a clothing store in Los Angeles, advertising the business with the slogan "Get your rags from Daddy Wags." He reportedly hated to leave Los Angeles, and never got over the hurt of being traded to Cleveland, although he played well for the Indians. Mr. Wagner finished his playing career in the Pacific Coast League with the Phoenix Giants (1969-1970) and Hawaii Islanders (1971). He was regarded as a terrible defensive outfielder; according to historian Bill James, a great many fans who followed baseball in the 1960s named Mr. Wagner as the worst outfielder they ever saw. Mr. Wagner appeared in the movies A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976), but, as is so often the case, he had difficulty adjusting to life after his playing career was over. He became addicted to drugs and drink, and eventually homeless, despite efforts of former players to help him. He converted a small electrical shed next to a dumpster in Los Angeles into a home, and that's where he was found dead of natural causes. Mr. Wagner's odd batting stance inspired the song Leon Wagner Wiggle by Joyce Sage and the Twilighters, B-side of The Wiggle Wiggle by Wendy Cole and the Twilighters (1962):



Space
The NASA rover Spirit landed on Mars.

Disasters
Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashed into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it the deadliest aviation accident in Egyptian history. Most of the dead were French tourists.

Football
NFL
NFC Wild Card playoff
Dallas 10 @ Carolina 29

AFC Wild Card playoff
Tennessee 20 @ Baltimore 17