February 10, 2014

200 years ago
1814

War
French forces commanded by Emperor Napoleon I defeated Russian and Prussian forces led by General Olssufiev in the Battle of Champaubert, east of Paris.

120 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Harold Macmillan. Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1957-1963. Mr. Macmillan, a Conservative, sat in the House of Commons from 1924-1929 and 1931-1964. He held various cabinet posts, including Minister of Defence (1954-1955); Foreign Secretary (April-December 1955); and Chancellor of the Exchequer (1955-1957. Mr. Macmillan succeeded Anthony Eden as Prime Minister in 1957 and led his Conservative Party to an easy election win in 1959, but resigned in the wake of a scandal involving a relationship between Defense Secretary John Profumo and call girl Christine Keeler. He accepted a peerage as 1st Earl of Stockton in 1984, sitting in the House of Lords until his death on December 29, 1986 at the age of 92.

110 years ago
1904

War
War between Russia and Japan was formally declared.

100 years ago
1914

Born on this date
Larry Adler. U.S. musician. Mr. Adler was one of the foremost harmonica players in history. Composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arthur Benjamin, Darius Milhaud, Cyril Scott, and Malcolm Arnold wrote pieces for him. He died on August 6, 2001 at the age of 87.

75 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Pius XI, 81. Roman Catholic Pope, 1922-1939. Born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, Pius XI succeeded Benedict XV as pope in 1922. During his pontificacy, Fascists took power in Italy and Nazis took power in Germany, and Pope Pius XI signed concordats with these and other regimes. As a result of the Lateran Treaty in 1929, Vatican City became an independent state, and Pope Pius XI was its first sovereign. He embraced technology, and founded Vatican Radio, officially opening the station on December 13, 1931. Pius XI issued encyclicals on issues and social and economic justice, and was working on the encyclical Humani Generis Unitas (The Unity of the Human Race) at the time of his death, but the encyclical, which denounced racism, anti-Semitism, colonialism, and violent nationalism, was never promulgated. Pius XI was succeeded as pope by Pius XII.

War
In the Spanish Civil War, Nationalist forces concluded their conquest of Catalonia and sealed the border with France.

70 years ago
1944

Literature
The Book of the Month Club's poll of outstanding books of 1943 was led by So Little Time by John P. Marquand for fiction and One World by Wendell Willkie for non-fiction.

War
Repeated German counterattacks slowed the Allied advance in heavy fighting 18 miles south of Rome. As a result of daily bombing by Allied planes, Japanese warships were withdrawn from Rapaul, New Britain. Frenchmen in the pay of the Germans were reported to have parachuted into Morocco with the intention of stirring up an Arab rebellion.

World events
The Colombian government released Senator Laureano Gomez, who had been arrested for refusing to testify in a case involving the Conservative Party's manifesto claiming that the country was on the brink of revolution.

Politics and government
The Allies announced that civil control of Sardinia, Sicily, and southern Italy would revert to the government of Prime Minister Marshal Pietro Badoglio on February 11.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated Joseph Nunan, Jr. as U.S. Commissioner of Internal Revenue.

Labour
Local 56 of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butchers Workers of North America asked 25c weekly dues from 165 German prisoners of war working under U.S. Army guard at the Seabrook Farms, Bridgeton, New Jersey.

60 years ago
1954

War
U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower warned against United States intervention in Vietnam.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): If I Had a Hammer--Trini Lopez (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Outer Limits, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Bellero Shield, starring Martin Landau, Sally Kellerman, Neil Hamilton, Chita Rivera, and John Hoyt

Disasters
The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne collided with the destroyer HMAS Voyager off the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, killing 82.

40 years ago
1974

War
Baghdad radio reported that Iranian forces backed by armour and artillery had provoked clashes with Iraqi forces on their mutual border near Badra. Iraq reported 70 Iranians killed and 1 Iraqi dead, with 22 wounded in the clashes. The Iraqis claimed that the Iranians were amassing more troops near the border and flying jet fighters deep into Iraqi air space.

Labour
British coal miners began a nationwide strike, two days after rejecting Prime Minister Edward Heath's plea for them not to go on strike during a general election campaign.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Waterfront--Simple Minds (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
David Von Erich, 25. U.S. wrestler. Born David Adkisson, Mr. Von Erich was a professional wrestler from 1977 until his death while on tour in Japan. His family claimed that Mr. Von Erich died from a heart attack, but other theories exist.

War
Israel resumed its bombing of suspected Palestinian guerrilla positions in Lebanon, as evacuation of U.S. and U.K. civilians from Lebanon began.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that prices paid by producers for finished goods had risen 0.6% in January. The increase was attributed to an increase in food prices.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): First Time--Robin Beck (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Dan Kelly, 52. Canadian-born sportscaster. Mr. Kelly, a native of Ottawa, broadcast football and hockey in Canada and the United States. He was best known as the radio voice of the St. Louis Blues for their first 21 seasons (1967-88). Mr. Kelly died of lung cancer, and was soon posthumously awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for service to hockey in the United States.

Diplomacy
U.S. President George Bush made his first foreign trip as president, meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in Ottawa. The discussed trade, defense, the environment, Central America, and East-West relations. Mr. Bush said that he told Mr. Mulroney that he would introduce legislation aimed at reducing acid rain and that a bilateral accord would follow.

Politics and government
Ron Brown, a lawyer from Washington, D.C., was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first Negro to lead a major American political party. Mr. Brown was elected by acclamation after four other candidates withdrew. He succeeded Paul Kirk, Jr. as chairman.

Economics and finance
Leading U.S. banks raised their prime lending rate from 10.5% to 11%, the highest rate since 1984.

The United States Labor Department reported that prices paid by producers for finished goods had risen 1.0% in January.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Right in the Night--Jam & Spoon (2nd week at #1)

Music
This blogger and enjoyable female company were in attendance at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa to see Trevor Pinnock conduct the National Arts Centre Orchestra in concert.

Scandal
The United States Navy announced that Lieutenant Paula Coughlin, whose report of an assault against her at the Tailhook convention in Las Vegas in 1991 had begun an investigation into sexual assault and misconduct at the convention, had resigned from the Navy. In her letter of resignation, Lt. Coughlin said that the attacks on her and the "covert attacks" that had followed prevented her from serving in the Navy. Admiral Frank Kelso, Chief of Naval Operations, angrily denied the testimony against him that had been presented at the court martial of three Navy officers, and also denied the assertions of Navy Judge Captain William Vest that Adm. Kelso had used "unlawful command influence" to "manipulate" the investigation "in a manner designed to shield his personal involvement." Witnesses had testified that Adm. Kelso had observed misbehaviour at the Tailhook convention.

10 years ago
2004

Terrorism
Suicide bombings outside a police station in Iskandariyah, Iraq killed at least 53 people, most of them civilians lined up to apply for jobs.

Scandal
Canadian Auditor General Sheila Fraser released a report criticizing the Liberal government of former Prime Minister Jean Chretien for the "blatant misuse" of public money during a $250-million publicity campaign to promote federalism in Quebec between 1997-2003.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator John Kerry (Massachusetts) won primaries in Virginia and Tennessee in the contest for the Democratic party nomination for President of the United States in the November 2004 election.

Law
The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the firing of two Montreal paramedics who had refused to help a dying man because they were on a break.

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister Ralph Goodale announced that the federal government's budgetary surplus could reach $7 billion in 2004, much higher than originally anticipated.