February 29 (2014)

510 years ago
1504

Exploration
Christopher Columbus, stranded in Jamaica during his fourth voyage to the West, used a correctly predicted lunar eclipse to frighten hostile natives into providing food for his crew.

310 years ago
1704

War
In Queen Anne's War, 200-300 French soldiers and their American Indian allies raided and captured the frontier settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts.

130 years ago
1884

Born on this date
Richard S. Aldrich. U.S. politician. Mr. Aldrich, a son of U.S. Senator Nelson Aldrich and a cousin of the Rockefellers, was a Republican, and a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives (1914-1916) and Senate (1916-1918). He represented Rhode Island's 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1923-1933). Mr. Aldrich died on December 25, 1941 at the age of 57.

110 years ago
1904

Born on this date
Nish Williams. U.S. baseball player. Vinicius J. Williams was primarily a catcher, although he played other positions, with seven Negro League teams (1928-1939), batting .273 with 6 home runs and 42 runs batted in. He was the stepfather of major league first baseman Donn Clendenon. Mr. Williams died of cancer on September 2, 1968 at the age of 64.

Americana
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed a seven-member commission to facilitate completion of the Panama Canal.

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): You'll Never Know--Vera Lynn and Joe Loss and his Orchestra (1st month at #1)

Died on this date
P.E. Svinhufvud, 82. Prime Minister of Finland, 1930-1931; President of Finland, 1931-1937. Mr. Svinhufvud was a leader of the movement for Finnish independence and was the country's first head of state, as Chairman of the Senate from 1917-1918 and Regent from May 18-December 12, 1918. He was a conservative known for his opposition to Communism.

Literature
Lillian Smith's novel Strange Fruit, a story of inter-racial prejudice in Georgia, was published in New York by Reynal & Hitchcock.

War
The U.S.S.R. offered peace terms to Finland if Finland would break with Germany, withdraw her troops to the 1940 borders, and intern Nazi troops and equipment. In their drive on Pskov, Soviet troops captured 250 more inhabited places and, with the capture of Pogorelka and Podlipye, moved to within six miles of the city. In a new offensive designed to wipe out the Allies' beachhead at Anzio, German units attacked between Aprilia and Cisterna. In Operation Brewer, U.S. troops commanded by General Douglas MacArthur landed on Los Negros Island in the Admiralty Islands, 300 miles north of Rapaul, and quickly secured Momote airfield. British and Indian troops, with some Canadians, finally drove the Japanese invaders from Burma.

Politics and government
A conference of the United States Senate and House of Representatives reached a compromise on the issue of votes by military personnel in the November 1944 national elections. Use of a federal ballot would be permitted for residents of states that had not provided for absentee voting.

Mrs. Dorothy Vredenburgh was named secretary of the U.S. Democratic National Committee, becoming the first woman to hold the post.

Society
The South Carolina House of Representatives adopted and sent to the state Senate a resolution reaffirming "belief and allegiance to established white supremacy" and warning "damned agitators of the North to leave the South alone."

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that one of every three American families now had an annual income of more than $3,000, as compared with only one in ten between 1935 and 1940.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I Saw Her Standing There/Love Me Do--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Et Pourtant--Charles Aznavour (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Una lacrima sul viso--Bobby Solo (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Anyone Who Had a Heart--Cilla Black (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles (5th week at #1)

Italy's Top 10 (Hit Parade Italia)
1 Una lacrima sul viso--Bobby Solo (4th week at #1)
2 Ogni volta--Paul Anka
3 Quando vedrai la mia ragazza--Gene Pitney
4 Non ho l'età (per amarti)--Gigliola Cinquetti
5 Sabato sera--Bruno Filippini
6 Città vuota--Mina
7 Stasera no no no--Remo Germani
8 Un bacio piccolissimo--Robertino
9 Quando vedrai la mia ragazza--Little Tony
10 Che me ne importa a me--Domenico Modugno

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles (6th week at #1)
2 She Loves You--The Beatles
3 Dawn (Go Away)--The 4 Seasons
4 Java--Al Hirt
5 You Don't Own Me--Lesley Gore
6 California Sun--The Rivieras
7 Navy Blue--Diane Renay
8 Stop and Think it Over--Dale & Grace
9 Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um--Major Lance
10 Please Please Me--The Beatles

Singles entering the chart were My Heart Belongs to Only You by Bobby Vinton (#60); (That’s) What the Nitty Gritty Is by Shirley Ellis (#79); Needles and Pins by the Searchers (#80); The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) by Betty Everett (#81); I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man by Dion Di Muci (#86); I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now by Bobby Darin (#91); Nadine (Is It You?) by Chuck Berry (#93); Run, Run, Run by the Supremes (#96); Suspicion by Terry Stafford (#97); Always in My Heart by Los Indios Tabajaras (#98); and Crooked Little Man by the Serendipity Singers (#100).

Born on this date
Queen Elizabeth II's cousin Princess Alexandra and her husband Angus Ogilvy became the parents of James Robert Bruce Ogilvy, believed to be the first member of the British royal family to be born on February 29.

Died on this date
Frank Albertson, 55. U.S. actor. Mr. Albertson was a character actor whose movies included It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Psycho (1960).

Swimming
In Sydney, Australian Dawn Fraser set a world record in the 100-metre freestyle competition of 58.9 seconds.

30 years ago
1984

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announced that he would be resigning after more than 15 years in office. Saying that it was time "for someone else to assume this challenge," he said he would stay on as Prime Minister until after a Liberal Party leadership convention in late June 1984. When asked why he chose February 29th to announce his retirement, Mr. Trudeau replied, "Well, because it's a good day. It's the first day of the rest of my life - it seemed like a good day to have a last day." In typical Trudeau fashion, the Prime Minister made the announcement on February 29, enabling Canadians to celebrate the anniversary only every fourth year.

United States Senator Alan Cranston (California) withdrew from the contest for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States in the November 1984 election after a poor showing in the previous day's New Hampshire primary.

War
The U.S.S.R. vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution, proposed by France, that would have sent an international peacekeeping force to Beirut.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the Index of Leading Economic Indicators had risen 1.1% in January, and that the U.S. merchandise trade deficit had increased by a record $9.47 billion.

Hockey
NHL
Philadelphia 5 Edmonton 3

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Harold Bernard "Bree" St. John, 72. Prime Minister of Barbados, 1985-1986. Mr. St. John was leader of the Barbados Labour Party from 1970-1971 and 1985-1987.

Movies
The Academy Awards for 2003 were presented at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture of 2003, and Best Director (Peter Jackson), tying the record shared by Ben-Hur (1959) and Titanic (1997).



Politics and government
Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned as President of Haiti and fled into exile in the Central African Republic. Haiti's Chief Justice, Boniface Alexandre, was sworn in as Mr. Aristide's replacement.