March 19, 2014

120 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Moms Mabley. U.S. comedienne. Jackie "Moms" Mabley, born Loretta Aiken, was one of the most popular entertainers on the "Chitlin' circuit" for several decades, eventually becoming known to white audiences through numerous television appearances. She died on May 23, 1975 at the age of 81.

100 years ago
1914

Born on this date
Fred Clark. U.S. actor. Mr. Clark played ill-tempered characters in such movies as The Unsuspected (1947); Ride the Pink Horse (1948); Flamingo Road (1949); White Heat (1949); Sunset Blvd. (1950); How to Marry a Millionaire (1953); The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956); and Auntie Mame (1958). He was perhaps best known for his regular television role as Harry Morton, the next door neighbour, in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show from 1951-1953. Mr. Clark died of hepatitis on December 5, 1968 at the age of 54.

Jay Berwanger. U.S. football player. Mr. Berwanger was a halfback with the University of Chicago who, in 1935, became the first winner of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy--renamed the Heisman Trophy the following year--as the most outstanding player in U.S. college football. He followed that achievement with another first, becoming the first player ever drafted in the National Football League's draft of college players. Mr. Berwanger was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1936, but the Eagles, doubtful of meeting his salary demands, traded him to the Chicago Bears. Mr. Berwanger and the Bears were unable to agree on a salary, and he retired from football permanently, eventually disappearing from sports completely. He died on June 26, 2002 at the age of 88.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Victoria Capitals 1 @ Toronto Blueshirts 2 (Toronto won best-of-five series 3-0)

75 years ago
1939

Disappeared on this date
Lloyd Gaines, 27 or 28. U.S. student and civil rights activist. Mr. Gaines, a Negro, filed suit against the University of Missouri after being denied admission to its law school because of his race. The U.S. Supreme Court, in Gaines v. Canada (1938), ruled in his favour, deciding that the "separate but equal" doctrine required the university either admit Mr. Gaines or set up a separate law school for Negroes. The state of Missouri responded by creating Lincoln University School of Law. Mr. Gaines, while waiting for classes to begin, travelled to various cities, working at odd jobs and making speeches. He was last seen leaving a fraternity house in Chicago, ostensibly to buy stamps. Mr. Gaines' disappearance wasn't immediately reported, since he was in the habit of travelling by himself for long periods of time without informing anyone. Mr. Gaines was never seen again, although rumours persist that he ended up in Mexico.

70 years ago
1944

Died on this date
William "Big Bill" Thompson, 74. U.S. politician. Mr. Thompson was mayor of Chicago from 1915-1923 and 1927-1931. He was the last Republican Party politician to serve as Chicago's mayor (so far). Mr. Thompson won the 1927 election with the support of gangster Al Capone, and was in office when the St. Valentine's Day Massacre took place in 1929.

War
The Soviet Red Army swept across the Dniester River on a 31-mile front and captured more than 40 localities in Bessarabia. After five days of attacks, an entire Japanese convoy of three corvettes and two transports was destroyed off the northeast coast of New Guinea. Japanese troops opened a major offensive from Burma's Chindwin River toward the Indian state of Manipur.

Politics and government
The U.S. administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt made public the responses from the governors of 41 states concerning their positions on the legislation providing for absentee votes by armed services personnel. The responses indicated that 5 states would accept the legislation, 14 were likely to accept, and 18 would probably reject it.

60 years ago
1954

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I See the Moon--The Stargazers (2nd week at #1)

Boxing
Joey Giardello (54-11-6) scored a technical knockout of Willie Troy (26-2) at 39 seconds of the 7th round of a middleweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York in the first fight ever televised in colour.

Sport
Willie Mosconi set a world record that still stands by running 526 consecutive balls without a miss during a straight pool exhibition at East High Billiard Club in Springfield, Ohio.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: I Saw Her Standing There--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Little Children--Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas

Canadiana
Sergeant Major Walter Leja was awarded George Medal for heroic conduct while dismantling FLQ bombs in Montreal on May 17,1963, resulting in serious permanent injuries.

Aviation
Jerrie Mock, flying her single-engine Cessna 180 Spirit of Columbus, departed Columbus, Ohio in an attempt to become the first woman to fly solo around the world.

Weather
Over 100 centimetres of snow fell at Cape Whittle, Quebec in that province's greatest one-day snowfall.

Britannica
Three new cities were proposed for southeastern England as part of the largest regional expansion plan. They became known as Milton Keynes, Havant, and Basingstoke.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Titi à la neige--Tweety & Sylvester (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Edward Platt, 58. U.S. actor. Mr. Platt trained as an opera singer and was scheduled to make his professional debut in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado in Baltimore, but in a classic example of bad timing, the show opened--and closed--on December 8, 1941. The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7 probably had something to do with the show's cancellation. Mr. Platt hosted the children's television program Uncle Eddie's Birthday Party in Midland, Texas in the early 1950s before appearing as a character actor in movies such as Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and North by Northwest (1959), and in numerous television programs. He became famous for playing the Chief of Control in the television comedy series Get Smart (1965-1970). Mr. Platt's death was reported as a heart attack, but more recently, his son said that the cause of death was suicide, resulting from depression exacerbated by financial reversals and an inability to find steady work in recent years.

Oil
The day after the end of the Arab oil embargo against the United States, U.S. President Richard Nixon announced that he was easing some restrictions on energy consumption, including the ban on Sunday gasoline sales. He flatly ruled out compulsory rationing of gasoline, and also said that he had ordered Federal Energy Office Administrator William Simon to increase fuel allocations to the industrial and agricultural sectors to insure they would have "the necessary energy to operate at full capacity."

Politics and government
U.S. Senator James Buckley (Conservative--New York), a longtime supporter of President Richard Nixon, asked for Mr. Nixon's resignation as the "one way and one way only by which the crisis can be resolved, and the country pulled out of the Watergate swamp."

Boxing
Ron Lyle (27-1-1) won a 12-round unanimous decision over Oscar Bonavena (51-9-1) in a heavyweight bout at Denver Coliseum.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Girls Just Want to Have Fun--Cyndi Lauper

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): All Night Long (All Night)--Lionel Richie


Weather
It hit 48 F in Edmonton, the most beautiful day of the year so far.

Music
The Edmonton Public School Board's Annual Night of Music took place at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. The final work presented was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (minus real cannons).
Economics and finance
Major U.S. banks raised their prime lending rates from 11% to 11.5%, the first increase in the rate since August 1983.

The United States Commerce Department reported that the U.S. balance of payments showed a record deficit of $40.78 billion in 1983. Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldridge said that the gap could double in 1984.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): She Drives Me Crazy--Fine Young Cannibals (3rd week at #1)

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

Died on this date
Alan Civil, 59. U.K. musician. Mr. Civil played horn in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and BBC Symphony Orchestra. He performed the horn solo in the song For No One by the Beatles on their album Revolver (1966), and was one of the musicians playing in the crescendo of the song A Day in the Life on the Beatles' album Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967).

World events
The Egyptian flag was raised at Taba, marking the end of Israeli occupation since the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the peace negotiations in 1979.

Politics and government
Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) candidate Alfredo Cristiani won the El Salvador presidential election, taking 53.8% of the vote in the first round of voting. Christian Democratic Party candidate Fidel Chávez Mena was second with 36.5%. It marked the first time in Salvadoran history that power was transferred from one democratically elected president to another.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): It's Alright--East 17 (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: The Rhythm of the Night--Corona (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): The Sign--Ace of Base

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): La solitudine--Laura Pausini (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Je danse le Mia--IAM (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Move on Baby--Cappella (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Doop--Doop

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 The Sign--Ace of Base (2nd week at #1)
2 The Power of Love--Celine Dion
3 Without You/Never Forget You--Mariah Carey
4 Whatta Man--Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue
5 Bump n' Grind--R. Kelly
6 So Much in Love--All-4-One
7 Now and Forever--Richard Marx
8 Breathe Again--Toni Braxton
9 Gin and Juice--Snoop Doggy Dogg
10 Because of Love--Janet Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Somethin' to Ride To (Fonky Expedition) by the Conscious Daughters (#72); Electric Relaxation (Relax Yourself Girl) by A Tribe Called Quest (#76); The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get by Morrissey (#80); I Want You by Juliet Roberts (#89); Completely by Michael Bolton (#91); Dream On Dreamer by the Brand New Heavies (#95); and You by Candlebox (#99).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Sign--Ace of Base
2 The Power of Love--Celine Dion
3 So Much in Love--All-4-One
4 Without You--Mariah Carey
5 Whatta Man--Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue
6 Now and Forever--Richard Marx
7 Bump n' Grind--R. Kelly
8 Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)--Us3
9 All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting
10 Gin and Juice--Snoop Doggy Dogg

Singles entering the chart were The Most Beautiful Girl in the World by The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (Love Symbol) (#22); Baby, I Love Your Way by Big Mountain (#38); Hey D.J. by Lighter Shade of Brown (#43); Mother by Danzig (#46); Indian Outlaw by Tim McGraw (#47); I'm Outstanding by Shaquille O'Neal (#48); And Our Feelings by Babyface (#50); You Know How We Do It by Ice Cube (#51); I'm Ready by Tevin Campbell (#54); Sweet Lullaby by Deep Forest (#57); Zunga Zeng/Body Rock by K7 (#66); and Just Another Day by Queen Latifah (#77).

War
Bosnian Serbs lifted their five-month siege of Maglaj, a Muslim enclave in north-central Bosnia.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Mitchell Sharp, 92. Canadian politician. Mr. Sharp was an economist who served as a Liberal member of the House of Commons from 1963-1978. Her served as Minister of Finance in the government of Prime Minister Lester Pearson from 1965-1968 and Secretary of State for External Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau from 1968-1974, where he was known for "deploring" various international situations. Typical of the dishonesty of the federal Liberals, Mr. Sharp revealed in his memoirs in 1994 that he was a republican. He had kept his opposition to the monarchy to himself while accepting cabinet posts, which require an oath of loyalty to the queen.

Crime
Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu were shot while campaigning in Tainan, the day before the country's presidential election. Neither suffered life-threatening injuries.

World events
A Swedish DC-3 shot down by a Russian MiG-15 in 1952 over the Baltic Sea was finally recovered after years of work. The remains of the three crewmen were left in place, pending further investigations.

Politics and government
Former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna turned down Prime Minister Paul Martin's invitation to be a "star candidate" in the Liberal government of Canada.

Disasters
24 people were killed and 13 injured when a semi-trailer truck and a bus crashed head-on in Äänekoski, Finland.