February 11, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Maria Nastas!

1,770 years ago
244

Died on this date
Gordian III, 19. Roman Emperor, 238-244. Gordian III, the grandson of Gordian I and nephew of Gordian II, was proclaimed sole Caesar at the age of 13, following the murders of joint Caesars Pupienus and Balbinus by the Praetorian Guard. Aristocratic families controlled Rome through the Senate during Gordian III's reign. Emperor Gordian III died under uncertain circumstances, with accounts varying from death in battle to murder. He was succeeded as Emperor by Philip the Arab.

220 years ago
1794

Politics and government
The first session of the United States Senate opened to the public.

125 years ago
1889

Politics and government
The Meiji Constitution of Japan, creating the first parliamentary government in Asia, was promulgated by Emperor Meiji, but didn't come into effect until November 29, 1890.

100 years ago
1914

Baseball
The New York Giants and Chicago White Sox were in Rome to continue their post-season exhibition tour, but their game was rained out.

75 years ago
1939

Aviation
A Lockheed P-38 Lightning flew from California to New York in 7 hours and 2 minutes.

70 years ago
1944

War
Soviet Red Army troops captured Shepetovka, junction of the railways 25 miles east of the Polish border.

Defense
The U.S. Navy reported that the battleship USS Oklahoma, capsized during the December 7, 1941 attack upon Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, had been repaired, modernized, and set afloat.

Politics and government
Three reported pro-Axis members of the Bolivian cabinet--Alberto Taborga, Augusto Cespedes, and Carlos Montenegro--were dismissed in La Paz.

Chicago Tribune publisher Robert McCormick withdrew his name from the Illinois Republican Party U.S. 1944 U.S. presidential primary, leaving only U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur on the ballot. Democratic Party committees in Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin announced that President Franklin D. Roosevelt would be entered as a candidate in those states' presidential primaries.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Senate voted to end most food subsidies to Europe as of June 30, 1944.

Labour
The Japanese government extended labour conscription to include males agd 12-60 years and unmarried females aged 12-40.

50 years ago
1964

On television tonight
The Fugitive, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Bloodline, with guest stars Nancy Malone, John Considine, George Voskovec, and Parley Baer

War
Fighting between ethnic Turks and Greeks in Limassol, Cyprus left 21 people dead, and resulted in the Greeks ousting the Turks from their last remaining strongholds.

Diplomacy
Haiti expelled eighteen Canadian Jesuits on grounds that their activities were subversive.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Sorrow--David Bowie (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): 48 Crash--Suzi Quatro

War
Heavy shelling of the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh by rebels killed nearly 200 civilians and wounded as many.

Iran accused Iraq of aggression in the previous day's clashes between forces of the two countries on their border near Badra, and reported 41 Iranians killed and 81 wounded, with 22 Iraqis killed. Iran demanded compensation for the Iranian victims and punishment for those responsible.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): La Donna Cannone--Francesco De Gregori (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT Top 30): Love of the Common People--Paul Young (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Love of the Common People--Paul Young (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Radio Ga Ga--Queen

#1 single in the U.K.: Relax--Frankie Goes to Hollywood (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Karma Chameleon--Culture Club (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Karma Chameleon--Culture Club (2nd week at #1)
2 Owner of a Lonely Heart--Yes
3 Jump--Van Halen
4 Joanna--Kool & The Gang
5 I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues--Elton John
6 Break My Stride--Matthew Wilder
7 Think of Laura--Christopher Cross
8 Talking in Your Sleep--The Romantics
9 Running with the Night--Lionel Richie
10 That's All--Genesis

Singles entering the chart were Livin' in Desperate Times by Olivia Newton-John (#72); Fields of Fire by Big Country (#80); Hold Me Now by Thompson Twins (#83); Strip by Adam Ant (#85); Don't Let Go by Wang Chung (#86); Encore by Cheryl Lynn (#88); Look at That Cadillac by the Stray Cats (#89); and Joystick by Dazz Band (#95).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Talking in Your Sleep--The Romantics
2 Karma Chameleon--Culture Club
3 Red Red Wine--UB40
4 Owner of a Lonely Heart--Yes
5 Break My Stride--Matthew Wilder
6 Nobody Told Me--John Lennon
7 Major Tom (Coming Home)--Peter Schilling
8 Say Say Say--Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
9 I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues--Elton John
10 Twist of Fate--Olivia Newton-John

Singles entering the chart were Thriller by Michael Jackson (#29); Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper (#46); Only You by the Flying Pickets (#48); and Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart (#50).

Space
The five-member crew of U.S. space shuttle mission STS-41-B ended their eight-day mission by landing the space shuttle Challenger at John F. Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida, marking the first time that a space shuttle had landed at its launching base.



War
Iraqi missiles hit the Iranian city of Dizful in what might have been the first deliberate bombardment of a civilian centre during the war between the countries.

Olympics
Men's hockey
Group A
Yugoslavia (0-3) 1 U.S.S.R. (3-0) 9
Italy (1-2) 6 Poland (0-3) 1
West Germany (2-0-1) 1 Sweden (2-0-1) 1

Group B
Austria (0-3) 0 C.S.S.R. (3-0) 13
Norway (0-2-1) 3 U.S.A. (0-2-1) 3
Canada (3-0) 4 Finland (2-1) 2

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 1 @ Boston 4
Buffalo 4 @ Montreal 3
Toronto 5 @ Quebec 2

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Kokomo--The Beach Boys (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Pour toi Arménie--Charles Aznavour and various artists

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): 051/222525--Fabio Concato

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Tonight--Tina Turner and David Bowie (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart--Marc Almond featuring Gene Pitney (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Straight Up--Paula Abdul
2 When I'm with You--Sheriff
3 Wild Thing--Tone Loc
4 Born to Be My Baby--Bon Jovi
5 When the Children Cry--White Lion
6 All This Time--Tiffany
7 The Lover in Me--Sheena Easton
8 I Wanna Have Some Fun--Samantha Fox
9 She Wants to Dance with Me--Rick Astley
10 Walking Away--Information Society

Singles entering the chart were The Look by Roxette (#50); Second Chance by Thirty Eight Special (#78); Can You Stand the Rain by New Edition (#82); End of the Line by the Traveling Wilburys (#83); A Shoulder to Cry On by Tommy Page (#91); and Imagine by Tracie Spencer (#96).

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Straight Up--Paula Abdul
2 When I'm with You--Sheriff
3 Born to Be My Baby--Bon Jovi
4 When the Children Cry--White Lion
5 Wild Thing--Tone Loc
6 The Way You Love Me--Karyn White
7 Armageddon It--Def Leppard
8 All This Time--Tiffany
9 The Lover in Me--Sheena Easton
10 She Wants to Dance with Me--Rick Astley

Singles entering the chart were The Look by Roxette (#67); Thinking of You by Sa-Fire (#73); Fading Away by Will to Power (#80); Your Mama Don't Dance by Poison (#84); and Sincerely Yours by Sweet Sensation (#86).

Died on this date
George O'Hanlon, 76. U.S. actor. Mr. O'Hanlon played the title character in the Joe McDoakes series of short comedy films (1942-1956), and provided the voice for George Jetson in the animated television series The Jetsons (1962-1963, 1985-1987). He died after a series of strokes, and while recording dialogue for Jetsons: The Movie (1990).

Edmontonia
Danielle Piche was named Miss Teen Edmonton in the pageant that was held in the afternoon at Edmonton Centre.

Abominations
The Boston diocese of the Episcopal Church U.S.A. consecrated Barbara Harris as the church's first woman bishop.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Return to Innocence--Enigma

Died on this date
William Conrad, 73. U.S. actor. Born John William Cann, Jr., Mr. Conrad was a familiar voice as a character actor on American radio programs in the 1940s and 1950s. He served as host and frequent actor in the CBS series Escape (1947-1954) and achieved greater stardom as Marshal Matt Dillon in the western series Gunsmoke (1952-1961). Mr. Conrad was passed over for the role of Matt Dillon--probably because of his heavyset physique--when Gunsmoke became a television series in 1955. In the 1960s, Mr. Conrad narrated the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons (1959-1964) and the dramatic series The Fugitive (1963-1967). He achieved television stardom with the detective series Cannon (1971-1976); Nero Wolfe (1981); and Jake and the Fatman (1987-1992). Mr. Conrad was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997.

Sorrell Booke, 64. U.S. actor. Mr. Booke was best known for playing the character "Boss" Hogg in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985). Among his many other projects, he narrated To the Moon (1969), released by Time-Life as a 6-record album and companion book.

Neil Bonnett, 47. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Bonnett was a stock car driver on the NASCAR circuit, winning 18 races in an 18-year career. He was killed when his car crashed during the first practice session for the 1994 Daytona 500.

Music
Bryan Adams joined Sting and Australian stars in a benefit concert at Sydney's Football Stadium to aid victims of bush fires; the show raised about $600,000.

Politics and government
This blogger attended question period in Canada's House of Commons in Ottawa, during which Edmonton Strathcona MP Hugh Hanrahan (Reform) asked a question from an ordinary Canadian.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Bill Clinton, at a joint news conference in Washington with Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, announced that trade talks between the countries had failed to reach an agreement. The U.S. had wanted Japan to set target domestic market shares for foreign products, but Japan had rejected that approach as "managed trade" involving inappropriate intervention b the government.

The United States Labor Department reported that the index of prices charged by producers for finished goods had risen 0.2% in January.

Scandal
The trial of U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (Republican--Texas) on charges of misusing state funds and employees for political purposes while serving as Texas state treasurer began and ended in Fort Worth. Mrs. Hutchison's attorneys argued that any evidence from documents seized in a raid on her office in 1993 was inadmissible because investigators had not had a search warrant. Before the trial, Judge John Onion had refused to rule on the admissibility of the evidence, but after Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle refused to open his case, Judge Onion directed the jury to acquit Mrs. Hutchison, and the jury did so.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Shirley Strickland, 78. Australian runner. Miss Strickland won a silver medal in the women's 4 x 100-metre relay event in the 1948 Summer Olympic games in London, and won bronze medals in the 100-metre run and 80-metre hurdles. She won 3 gold medlals and 2 silver medals at the British Empire Games in Auckland in 1950, and won the gold medal in the 80-metre hurdles and bronze in the 100-metre run at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. In 1956, Miss Strickland won gold medals in the 4 x 100-metre relay and 80-metre hurdles. Her 7 Olympic medals are the greatest of any Australian runner.

Society
The French National Assembly overwhelmingly approved a ban on the wearing of Muslim headscarves and other supposedly ostentatious religious symbols.

Terrorism
A suicide bombing in Baghdad killed 47 people who were seeking jobs with Iraq's new army.

Politics and government
Retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark withdrew from the contest for the Democratic party nomination for President of the United States in the November 2004 election.

Oil
Meeting in Austria, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries made a surprise decision to cut output by 10% by lowering quotas, even though the price of oil was considerably more expensive than OPEC's target of $22-28 per barrel.