February 7, 2014

140 years ago
1874

Protest
Several hundred people marched into the British Columbia legislature in Victoria to demand the resignation of Premier Amor de Cosmos for delaying the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

110 years ago
1904

Disasters
Fire destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in downtown Baltimore.

100 years ago
1914

Baseball
The New York Giants and Chicago White Sox arrived at Naples aboard the German liner SS Prinz Heinrich, prior to leaving for Rome to continue their post-season exhibition tour.

70 years ago
1944

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: Death at Cornwall

Literature
The novel A Bell for Adano by John Hersey was published by Alfred A. Knopf.

War
In Anzio, Italy, German forces launched a counteroffensive during the Allied Operation Shingle.

Politics and government
A ticket of 56 Democratic National Convention delegates supporting the renomination of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was filed in California.

Music
The first Canadian Kiwanis Music Festival opened in the Eaton Auditorium in Toronto; it attracted almost 7,000 participants, including 11-year old piano prodigy Glenn Gould, who won his competition.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Agriculture Department reported that January food prices were 37% higher than prewar levels.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Glad All Over--The Dave Clark Five (2nd week at #1)

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)
2 She Loves You--The Beatles
3 Roll Over Beethoven--The Beatles
4 Don't Talk to Him--Cliff Richard and the Shadows
5 Puppy Love--Barbara Lewis
6 Surfin' Bird--The Trashmen
7 Navy Blue--Diane Renay
8 Who Needs It--Gene Pitney
9 I Only Want to Be with You--Dusty Springfield
10 Shindig--The Shadows
Pick hit of the week: Worried Guy--Johnny Tillotson
New this week: Bird Dance Beat--The Trashmen
After the Dance--Dion Di Muci
Fun, Fun, Fun--The Beach Boys
Girl from Spanish Town--Marty Robbins
Lonely Me--The Crickets
Blue Train (Of the Heartbreak Line)--John D. Loudermilk

On television tonight
Twilight Zone, hosted by Rod Serling, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Night Call, starring Gladys Cooper and Nora Marlowe

This episode was scheduled to be broadcast on November 22, 1963, but was one of many programs pre-empted by coverage of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Evil of Adelaide Winters, starring Kim Hunter, John Larkin, and Gene Lyons

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Sherri Pierce!

Died on this date
Sofoklis Venizelos, 69. Prime Minister of Greece, 1944; 1950; 1950-1951. Mr. Venizelos, a Liberal, was Prime Minister of the Greek government in exile in Cairo from April 13-26, 1944, and led two short-lived Liberal governments after becoming leader of the party in 1948.

Music
The single Dead Man's Curve/The New Girl in School by Jan & Dean was released on Liberty Records.

Popular culture
4,000 fans were at Heathrow Airport in London to see the Beatles depart for their first visit to the United States. 3,000 fans were at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to celebrate their arrival.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Tiger Feet--Mud (2nd week at #1)

World events
Grenada gained its independence from the United Kingdom.

Politics and government
British Prime Minister Edward Heath called a snap general election and urged the nation's miners to suspend their planned strike.

Crime
The Symbionese Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst from her Berkeley, California apartment three days earlier.

Scandal
The United States Senate Special Committee on Campaign Activities, which was investigating the June 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., voted unanimously to turn over all its investigative files to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which was pursuing an inquiry into the possible impeachment of President Richard Nixon.

Labour
Negotiators representing independent truck drivers in the United States who were protesting high fuel costs reached an agreement with the U.S. government. The agreement, which included a 6% surcharge on freight rates to cover increased fuel costs, was immediately approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): My Oh My--Slade (3rd week at #1)

Space
As part of the STS-41-B mission aboard the U.S. space shuttle Challenger, astronauts Bruce McCandless and Robert Stewart made the first untethered space walks using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). They got as far away as 320 feet from the spacecraft and travelled at 17,500 miles per hour.





War
U.S. President Ronald Reagan ordered the beginning of the withdrawal of the 1,400-man contingent of U.S. Marines from Lebanon, and authorized U.S. military commanders to launch bombardments and air strikes against Syrian positions that fired on Beirut. Mr. Reagan said he was "concentrating our forces," but that after Lebanon reorganized and broadened its government, the U.S. would again train and supply the Lebanese army. The withdrawal was to proceed "shortly" and in stages.

Economics and finance
U.S. Federal Reserve Board chairman Paul Volcker warned the House of Representatives Banking Committee that federal budget deficits "pose a clear and present danger" to economic growth. His comments helped trigger a sharp drop in the Dow-Jones industrial average.

Business
General Motors reported profits of $3.73 billion for 1983 and total sales of almost $75 billion, leading all U.S, auto manufacturers. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, reported profits totalling $6.3 billion.

Olympics
Men's hockey
Group A
Sweden (1-0) 11 Italy (0-1) 3
U.S.S.R. (1-0) 12 Poland (0-1) 1
West Germany (1-0) 8 Yugoslavia (0-1) 1

Group B
U.S.A. (0-1) 2 Canada (1-0) 4
Austria (0-1) 3 Finland (1-0) 4
C.S.S.R. (1-0) 10 Norway (0-1) 4

At the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, Carey Wilson scored 27 seconds into the game and added 2 more goals as Canada upset the United States 4-2 in the opening game of men's hockey competition for both teams. The result was a disaster for not only head coach Lou Vairo and the U.S. team, but for the American Broadcasting Company, which had paid a hefty fee for U.S. television broadcasting rights for the games, hoping for a repeat of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" gold medal in men's hockey.



25 years ago
1989

World events
The U.S. State Department's annual review of human rights problems around the world criticized the conduct of the Israeli army in the occupied territories, noting that 366 Palestinians had been killed and more than 20,000 injured in 1988. The report found that the Israelis often used excessive force, "causing many avoidable deaths and injuries," and also criticized mass detentions without trial, arbitrary arrests, and deportations. Israeli officials rejected the conclusions of the report. The Palestinian intifada (uprising) against Israeli rule had begun in 1987.

Oil
Mobil Oil Canada and the federal Department of Industry, Science and Technology participated in a seminar in Montreal on a $5-billion drilling project in the Hibernia Basin off Newfoundland.

Hockey
NHL
All-Star Game @ Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton
Clarence S. Campbell Conference 9 Prince of Wales Conference 5

Wayne Gretzky of the Los Angeles Kings, playing his second game in Edmonton since being traded by the Edmonton Oilers, scored a goal and 2 assists and was named the game's most valuable player before 17,503 fans, including this blogger. Walt Poddubny of the Quebec Nordiques scored 2 goals for the Prince of Wales Conference.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): The Sign--Ace of Base (3rd week at #1)

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting (4th week at #1)
2 The Power of Love--Celine Dion
3 Found Out About You--Gin Blossoms
4 Amazing--Aerosmith
5 Linger--The Cranberries
6 Mary Jane's Last Dance--Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
7 Breathe Again--Toni Braxton
8 Said I Loved You...But I Lied--Michael Bolton
9 Hero--Mariah Carey
10 Distant Sun--Crowded House

Singles entering the chart were Without You by Mariah Carey (#65); Stay by Eternal (#68); High Road Easy by Sass Jordan (#69); In Your Eyes by Dan Hill and Rique Franks (#73); Something in the Air by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (#74); Miracles Happen by Lost and Profound (#77); Teardrops by Elton John and k.d. lang (#80); If I were a Carpenter by Robert Plant (#81); Today by Smashing Pumpkins (#82); and Return to Innocence by Enigma 2 (#83).

Died on this date
Arnold Smith, 79. Canadian diplomat. Mr. Smith was Canadian Ambassador to Egypt from 1958-1961 and Ambassador to the U.S.S.R. from 1961-1963 before becoming the first Commonwealth Secretary-General from 1965-1975.

Stephen Milligan, 45. U.K. politician. Mr. Milligan, a Conservative, was elected to the House of Commons in 1992 representing the London-area riding of Eastleigh. Seven months later, he was named Parliamentary Private Secretary to Defence Minister Jonathan Aitken. His naked body, hanging by a noose around his neck, was found in his home after he had failed to keep an appointment the previous day. Mr. Milligan's death was apparently the result of autoerotic asphyxiation, and a coroner's inquest returned a verdict of "death by misadventure."

War
The European Union backed the use of air strikes to relieve Sarajevo, which was under siege by Serbians.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Bill Clinton presented a budget to Congress for fiscal 1985--with the fiscal year beginning October 1, 1984--of $1.52 trillion, with a deficit of $165.1 billion, assuming that his health care plan was passed. He proposed increases in spending for education, job training, and other social programs, but called for cutbacks elsewhere, including the elimination of 115 programs. His only proposed change in taxes was an increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes from 24c to 99c per pack.