March 18, 2014

700 years ago
1314

Died on this date
Jacques de Molay, 70 (?). French crusader. Mr. De Molay was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the most powerful of Roman Catholic military orders from 1292-1307, when the order was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V, who was under the threat of military action by King Philip IV. Mr. De Molay and other leading Knights Templar were arrested and accused of various crimes, to which they confessed after torture. Mr. DeMolay and Preceptor of Normandy Geoffroi de Charney retracted their confessions and were burned at the stake upon a scaffold on an island in the River Seine in Paris. Mr. De Molay's last words included a declaration that those who had condemned them to death would soon be hit by calamity; King Philip IV and Pope Clement V were both dead before the end of the year. The Freemasonic youth organization DeMolay International, founded in 1919, was named in honour of Jacques de Molay.

370 years ago
1644

War
The Third Anglo-Powhatan War, between English settlers and Indians of the Powhatan Confederacy, began in Virginia.

180 years ago
1834

Labour
Six farm labourers from Tolpuddle, Dorset, England were sentenced to be transported to Australia for forming a trade union.

170 years ago
1844

Born on this date
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Russian composer. Mr. Rimsky-Korsakov, a member of the group of composers known as The Five, was best known for his orchestral works Capriccio Espagnol (1887); Russian Easter Festival Overture (1888); and Scheherazade (1888). He believed in developing a nationalistic Russian style of music inspired by Russian folkore and folk songs. Mr. Rimsky-Korsakov died on June 21, 1908 at the age of 64, after suffering from angina for several years.

140 years ago
1874

Economics and finance
Hawaii signed a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trade rights.

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Bésame Mucho (Kiss Me Much)--Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra with Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen (Best Seller--3rd week at #1); Mairzy Doats--The Merry Macs (Jukebox--1st week at #1)

War
Soviet troops fought their way to the west bank of the Dniester River and took Yampol on the Bessarabian border. In the Polish offensive, Soviet units reached Khotyn, 60 miles northeast of Lvov. U.S. troops took the town of Lorengau on the eastern end of Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands.

Journalism
The government of Argentina closed United Press International's news gathering and distribution facilities, and charged UPI with violations of terms of its concessions.

Disasters
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy killed 26 people and caused thousands to flee their homes.

Track and field
Gil Dodds broke the world indoor record for the mile, running the distance in 4:06.4 in Chicago.

50 years ago
1964

Died on this date
Sigfrid Edström, 93. Swedish businessman. Mr. Edstrom was president of the International Olympic Committee from 1942-1952.

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched the satellite Cosmos 26.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): My Coo Ca Choo--Alvin Stardust (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La Distancia--Roberto Carlos

Oil
At a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countried (OPEC) in Vienna, seven of the nine Arab nations agreed to lift the embargo they had imposed on the United States in October 1973 in retaliation for U.S. support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War against Egypt and Syria. Libya and Algeria did not vote with the majority. Algeria said she was lifting the embargo provisionally until June 1, the date scheduled for a meeting of Arab oil ministers in Cairo to review the situation. The embargo would continue against Denmark and the Netherlands, designated as "unfriendly" nations. Saudi Arabia immeidately pledged to increase production by 1 million barrels per day, all of which would go to the U.S. market.

War
Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three wounded in shelling by Syrian forces along the Golan Heights.

Scandal
U.S. District Court Judge John Sirica ordered that the sealed grand jury report and accompanying material reportedly dealing with President Richard Nixon's acts "in his public capacity" related to the June 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. and the subsequent cover-up be given to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee for its inquiry into the possible impeachment of Mr. Nixon.

Crime
Three days after being kidnapped from her home, the wife of Gunnar Kronholm, a bank president in St. Paul, Minnesota, was released unharmed after payment of a $200,000 ransom. James William Johnson, a local contractor, was arrested and charged with the kidnapping.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Street Dance--Break Machine (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Relax--Frankie Goes to Hollywood (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Charlie Lau, 50. U.S. baseball player and coach. Mr. Lau was a catcher with the Detroit Tigers (1956, 1958-1959); Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves (1960-1961, 1967); Baltimore Orioles (1961-1963, 1964-1967); and Kansas City Athletics (1963-1964), batting .255 with 16 home runs and 140 runs batted in in 527 games. He was a hitting coach with five major league teams, and had tremendous success with the Kansas City Royals in the 1970s, where his pupils included George Brett (American League batting champion, 1976, 1980, 1990) and Willie Wilson (AL batting champion, 1982). Mr. Lau was with the Chicago White Sox when he died of cancer during spring training.

Weather
It was a beautiful day in Edmonton, hitting 42 F.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Esatto--Francesco Salvi (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): You Got It--Roy Orbison (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Belfast Child--Simple Minds (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Pour toi Arménie--Charles Aznavour and various artists (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Too Many Broken Hearts--Jason Donovan (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Lost in Your Eyes--Debbie Gibson (3rd week at #1)
2 The Living Years--Mike + the Mechanics
3 Roni--Bobby Brown
4 Girl You Know it's True--Milli Vanilli
5 Paradise City--Guns 'N' Roses
6 Eternal Flame--Bangles
7 My Heart Can't Tell You No--Rod Stewart
8 The Look--Roxette
9 You Got It (The Right Stuff)--New Kids on the Block
10 Don't Tell Me Lies--Breathe

Singles entering the chart were Like a Prayer by Madonna (#38); Real Love by Jody Watley (#73); Everlasting Love by Howard Jones (#77); Somebody Like You by Robbie Nevil (#81); I Only Wanna Be with You by Samantha Fox (#86); Hearts on Fire by Steve Winwood (#87); Rock On by Michael Damian (#89); Do You Believe in Shame? by Duran Duran (#91); and Livin' Right by Glenn Frey (#92). Rock On was from the movie Dream a Little Dream (1989).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Living Years--Mike + the Mechanics
2 Lost in Your Eyes--Debbie Gibson
3 Roni--Bobby Brown
4 Paradise City--Guns 'N' Roses
5 Eternal Flame--Bangles
6 You Got It (The Right Stuff)--New Kids on the Block
7 My Heart Can't Tell You No--Rod Stewart
8 Girl You Know it's True--Milli Vanilli
9 Walk the Dinosaur--Was (Not Was)
10 You're Not Alone--Chicago

Singles entering the chart were Like a Prayer by Madonna (#40); Somebody Like You by Robbie Nevil (#75); Everlasting Love by Howard Jones (#78); Hearts on Fire by Steve Winwood (#85); Run to Paradise by the Choirboys (#87); Russian Radio by Red Flag (#89); Dear God by Midge Ure (#90); and Real Love by Jody Watley (#92).

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Discovery and its five-member crew commanded by Michael Coats landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, concluding the five-day mission STS-29.

Hockey
CIAU
University Cup
York 5 Wilfrid Laurier 2

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Sleeping in My Car--Roxette

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Without You--Mariah Carey (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
William Bergsma, 72. U.S. composer and teacher. Professor Bergsma wrote two symphonies, two oeras, and instrumental, orchestral, and choral works. He taught at the Juilliard School (1946-1963) and then at the University of Washington. Prof. Bergsma died of a heart attack, two weeks before his 73rd birthday.

Diplomacy
Bosnia's Bosniaks and Croats signed the Washington Agreement, ending war between the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and establishing the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The United Nations Security Council called for protective measures for Palestinians in Israel and urged Israel to disarm Jewish settlers in occupied territories.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Harrison McCain, 76. Canadian businessman. Mr. McCain, a native of Florenceville, New Brunswick, co-founded McCain Foods Limited with his brothers in 1956.

Space
A small asteroid made the closest approach to Earth ever recorded, about 26,500 miles away.

War
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization deployed 1,000 peacekeeping troops in Serbia to boost the force of 18,000 already there.