December 1, 2014

190 years ago
1824

Politics and government
The U.S. presidential election was turned over to the House of Representatives due to the lack of an electoral vote majority. The Democratic-Republican Party had four candidates running for President; Andrew Jackson, who led with 99 electoral votes (and 41.4% of the popular vote); John Quincy Adams (84 electoral votes, 30.9% of the popular vote); William H. Crawford (41 electoral votes, 11.2% of the popular vote); and Henry Clay (37 electoral votes, 13.0% of the popular vote). 131 electoral votes were needed in order to win the election. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice President, taking 182 electoral votes.

180 years ago
1834

Society
Slavery was abolished in the Cape Colony (now part of South Africa) in accordance with the Slavery Abolition Act 1833.

170 years ago
1844

Born on this date
Alexandra of Denmark. Queen consort of the Union Kingdom and the British Dominions; Empress consort of India, 1901-1910. Alexandra, the daughter of the future King Christian IX of Denmark, married the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, in 1863, and became queen consort when Edward acceded to the throne upon the death of his mother Queen Victoria. The couple had six children; upon Edward VII's death in 1910, their second son succeeded his father as King George V. Their fifth child and youngest daughter, Maud, became queen consort of Norway. As queen mother, Alexandra supported her son during World War I, and greatly distrusted her nephew Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Queen Mother Alexandra died of a heart attack on November 20, 1925, 11 days before her 81st birthday.

150 years ago
1864

Disasters
Much of the central business district of Brisbane, Australia was destroyed in the Great Fire of Brisbane.

100 years ago
1914

Died on this date
Alfred Thayer Mahan, 74. U.S. military officer and historian. Captain Mahan served in the United States Navy for more than three decades, but had far greater influence as a military historian. His book The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660–1783 (1890) promoted the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater influence.

Literature
The December 1914 issue of The Strand Magazine contained the fourth segment of The Valley of Fear, the fourth and last Sherlock Holmes novel by A. Conan Doyle.
In this issue: Part I: The Tragedy of Birlstone: Chapter VI. A Dawning Light; Chapter VII. The Solution.

90 years ago
1924

Hockey
NHL
Montreal Maroons 1 @ Boston 2

The Bruins' victory over the Maroons at Boston Arena was the first National Hockey League game played in the United States.

80 years ago
1934

Died on this date
Sergei Kirov, 48. Soviet politician. Mr. Kirov, the head of the Communist Party in Leningrad, was shot dead by expelled Party member Leonid Nikolayev at his offices in the Smolny Institute, as Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a huge purge that ended up claiming tens of millions of lives.

Boxing
Joe Louis (11-0) knocked out Charley Massera (32-10-4) in the 3rd round of a heavyweight bout at Chicago Coliseum.

75 years ago
1939

War
The first naval battle of the Winter War took place near the island of Russarö, 5 kilometres (3 mi) south of Hanko, Finland. Finnish guns damaged the Soviet cruiser Kirov, which suffered casualties totalling 17 dead and 30 wounded.

Politics and government
The day after Soviet forces invaded Finland to start the Winter War, the U.S.S.R. formed a puppet government intended to rule Finland once the war was over. Called the Finnish Democratic Republic, it was headed by O. W. Kuusinen. The government was also called "The Terijoki Government," named after the village of Terijoki, the first place captured by the advancing Soviet army.

70 years ago
1944

War
U.S. War Secretary Henry Stimson and Navy Secretary James Forrestal announced that Army and Navy investigations of the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii had disclosed no evidence to justify courts martial of Admiral Husband Kimmel and General Walter Short. The government of Brazil reported that 19 people would receive a total of 254 years at hard labour upon conviction for being Nazi spies. U.S. forces in Germany driving at the Saar Basin engaged the main German defenses in the region. The Soviet drive through southwestern Hungary gained 15 miles, placing Soviet troops within 91 miles of the Austrian border. Japanese forces in Burma fell back toward Mandalay, yielding the railroad town of Pinwe without resistance to British forces.

Politics and government
Former Italian Prime Minister Ivanoe Bonomi, who, with his cabinet, had resigned on November 26, announced that he would try to form another government. Chinese Communist leader Chou En-lai left Chungking for Yenan with Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek's suggestions for solving political differences.

Economics and finance
U.S. officials halted reconversion to civilian production in 126 cities for 90 days.

Society
The World Jewish Congress concluded in Atlantic City with the adoption of a program calling for the Jewish people to seek peace, freedom, and equality.

The Utah Supreme Court upheld the convictions of 15 Mormon polygamists, who said that they would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Football
NCAA
Ohio State back Leslie Horvath was named the winner of the Heisman Trophy for 1944 as the outstanding college football player in the United States. He rushed for 669 yards and amassed 1,200 yards in combined yardage in helping the Buckeyes post a 9-0 record.

60 years ago
1954

Died on this date
Fred Rose, 56 or 57. U.S. songwriter and music publisher. Mr. Rose was active in the field of country music, writing or co-writing such songs as Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain and Kaw-Liga. He and country singer Roy Acuff founded Acuff-Rose Music, one of country music's most prominent publishing companies. Mr. Rose was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1961.

Boxing
Charley Norkus (26-12) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Roland LaStarza (53-6) in a heavyweight bout at Cleveland Arena.



50 years ago
1964

On television tonight
The Fugitive, starring David Janssen, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Cry Uncle, with guest stars Edward Binns, Brett Somers, Ronny Howard, and Steve Ihnat

Died on this date
J. B. S. Haldane, 72. U.K.-born Indian geneticist, biologist, and mathematician. Professor Haldane was the leading popularizer of Darwinian evolution of his time, and was the first to promote the idea that life originated in a "primordial soup." He was an atheist and admirer of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Diplomacy
Malawi, Malta and Zambia joined the United Nations.

War
U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and his top advisers met to discuss plans to bomb North Vietnam.

Technology
A patent for an intermittent windshield wiper system on motor vehicles was filed by U.S. inventor Robert Kearns.

40 years ago
1974

Died on this date
Lajos Zilahy, 83. Hungarian writer. Mr. Zilahy wrote several dozen novels, including the trilogy A Dukay család (1949-1965). He also wrote plays and screenplays, directing the filmed versions of some of his works at the film studio he founded. Mr. Zilahy oppsoed both Fascism and Communism, and fled into exile in the United States in 1947. He died in Serbia.

Disasters
TWA Flight 514, a Boeing 727 en route from Indianapolis and Columbus, crashed into Mount Weather, Virgina, northwest of Washington, D.C.'s Dulles International Airport, killing all 85 passengers and 7 crew members on board.

Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231, another Boeing 727, crashed in Harriman State Park near Stony Point, New York, killing all three crew members aboard. The flight had been chartered, and was on its way from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Buffalo to pick up the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League, who had just finished losing 6-0 to the Bills in Buffalo. The plane that had originally been scheduled to pick up the Colts had been grounded in Detroit.

Football
NFL
Baltimore (2-10) 0 @ Buffalo (9-3) 6
Green Bay (6-6) 14 @ Philadelphia (5-7) 36
Houston (6-6) 13 @ Pittsburgh (8-3-1) 10
Kansas City (5-7) 17 @ St. Louis (9-3) 13
New England (7-5) 26 @ Oakland (10-2) 41
New Orleans (4-8) 9 @ Minnesota (8-4) 29
New York Giants (2-10) 13 @ Chicago (4-8) 16
San Diego (3-9) 14 @ New York Jets (5-7) 27
San Francisco (4-8) 0 @ Cleveland (4-8) 7
Los Angeles (9-3) 30 @ Atlanta (2-10) 7

There were only 18,802 occupied seats and 36,951 empty seats at Soldier Field to see the Bears edge the Giants.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): I Just Called To Say I Love You--Stevie Wonder (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT Top 30): When The Rain Begins To Fall--Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): When The Rain Begins To Fall--Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Should Have Known Better--Jim Diamond

#1 single in the U.K.: I Should Have Known Better--Jim Diamond

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Wake Me Up Before You Go Go--Wham! (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Wake Me Up Before You Go Go--Wham! (2nd week at #1)
2 I Feel for You--Chaka Khan
3 Purple Rain--Prince and the Revolution
4 Strut--Sheena Easton
5 Out of Touch--Daryl Hall John Oates
6 The Wild Boys--Duran Duran
7 Better Be Good to Me--Tina Turner
8 All Through the Night--Cyndi Lauper
9 Cool it Now--New Edition
10 No More Lonely Nights--Paul McCartney

Singles entering the chart were Loverboy by Billy Ocean (#57); Love Light in Flight by Stevie Wonder (#62); In Neon by Elton John (#68); Tonight by David Bowie (#77); Operator by Midnight Star (#85); Big in Japan by Alphaville (#86); Missing You by Diana Ross (#87); I Wanna Go Back by Billy Satellite (#89); and Eat My Shorts by Rick Dees (#90). Love Light in Flight and its B-side, It's More than You, were from the movie The Woman in Red (1984).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Wake Me Up Before You Go Go--Wham! (4th week at #1)
2 I Just Called to Say I Love You--Stevie Wonder
3 Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)--Billy Ocean
4 Purple Rain--Prince and the Revolution
5 The Wild Boys--Duran Duran
6 Better Be Good to Me--Tina Turner
7 Out of Touch--Daryl Hall John Oates
8 Desert Moon--Dennis DeYoung
9 Strut--Sheena Easton
10 The Glamorous Life--Sheila E.

Singles entering the chart were The Boys of Summer by Don Henley (#74); Catch My Fall by Billy Idol (#79); Easy Lover by Philip Bailey with Phil Collins (#82); Careless Whisper by Wham! featuring George Michael (#88); and The Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (#92).

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli
2 Lambada--Kaoma
3 If Only I Could--Sydney Youngblood
4 Pump Up the Jam--Technotronic featuring Felly
5 The Best--Tina Turner
6 Trag meine Liebe wie einen Mantel--Boris Bukowski
7 That's What I Like--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
8 Swing the Mood--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
9 This One--Paul McCartney
10 French Kiss--Lil Louis

Singles entering the chart were Listen to Your Heart by Roxette (#11); I Just Don't Have the Heart by Cliff Richard (#24); and Dançando Lambada by Kaoma (#25).

World events
Rebels within the Philippine army attacked military positions in suburban Manila and planes dropped a few bombs in the sixth coup attempt so far against President Corazon Aquino. One of the bombs struck the presidential palace, but Mrs. Aquino was unhurt. Responding to a request from Mrs. Aquino, U.S. President George Bush authorized two U.S. F-4 jet fighters from Clark Air Force Base to provide air support for the Philippine government. There were no reports that the U.S. planes fired any shots.

Diplomacy
U.S. President George Bush arrived in the Maltese capital of Valletta the day before the beginning of his first summit with U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev, scheduled to take place aboard ship in Marsaxlokk Bay. Mr. Bush met with Maltese leaders before boarding the U.S.S. Belknap in the bay. Mr. Gorbachev, meanwhile, visited Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. The pope endorsed Mr. Gorbachev’s reforms in the Soviet Union, and the two agreed to work toward establishing diplomatic relations. In a statement, Mr. Gorbachev called the meeting "extraordinary," and promised a law that would guarantee to Soviet citizens the right to "satisfy their spiritual needs."

Politics and government
The East German parliament revoked a clause in the constitution guaranteeing the Communists a "leading role" in society.

Vishwanath Pratap Singh, a former minister in the cabinet of outgoing Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was chosen as leader of the National Front coalition.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that its leading economic indicators had declined 0.4% in October.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Old Pop in an Oak--Rednex (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon took office as President of Mexico.

Society
U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, speaking at a United Nations-sponsored conference in New York, said that masturbation was "something that should be taught" to schoolchildren as part of the effort to curb the spread of AIDS.

Economics and finance
Two days after the United States House of Representatives had voted in favour of the tariff-setting proposals of the so-called Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the Senate voted 76-24 in favour.

10 years ago
2004

On television tonight
NBC Nightly News, with Tom Brokaw

This was Mr. Brokaw's farewell broadcast after 22 years as the program's anchorman.



Died on this date
Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, 93. Prince consort of the Netherlands, 1948-1980. Prince Bernhard, a member of the princely House of Lippe, married the future Queen Juliana in 1937, and becams prince consort when she acceded to the throne in 1948. The couple had four children, and he fathered two illegitimate children with other women. Prince Bernhard was a member of the Nazi Party before World War II, but fought against German occupation of the Netherlands, and fled to England, serving as a Wing Commander in the Royal Air Force. He co-founded the globalist Biderberg Group in 1954, and helped found the World Wildlife Fund, serving as its first president in 1961. Prince Bernhard accepted more than $1 million in bribes from the U.S. aircraft firm Lockheed Corporation in the 1970s, but escaped prosecution. Queen Juliana abdicated in 1980 in favour of their daughter Beatrix, and died on March 20, 2004. Prince Bernhard died of lung cancer just over eight months later.