December 11, 2014

225 years ago
1789

Academia
The University of North Carolina was chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly.

170 years ago
1844

Technology
Nitrous oxide was used for the first time in dentistry.

75 years ago
1939

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Musgrave Ritual

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Trolley Song--The Pied Pipers
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
2 Dance with a Dolly (With a Hole in Her Stocking)--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
--Evelyn Knight with Camarata and his Orchestra
--Tony Pastor and his Orchestra
3 I'm Making Believe--The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald
4 I'll Walk Alone--Dinah Shore
--Martha Tilton
--Mary Martin
5 Don't Fence Me In--Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
6 Together--Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
7 You Always Hurt the One You Love--The Mills Brothers
8 Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That’s an Irish Lullaby)--Bing Crosby
9 Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall--The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald
10 It Had to Be You--Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest
--Betty Hutton
--Artie Shaw and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were the version of The Trolley Song by Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra; I Dream of You (#12)/Magic is the Moonlight (#41) by Andy Russell; Always, with versions by Jack Smith; and Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra (#19); Moon on My Pillow by Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra (#20); Ten Days with Baby by the Merry Macs (#29); Helpless by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (#30); and Linda Mujer (You Never Say Yes! You Never Say No!) by Xavier Cugat and the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra (#32).

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

War
The greatest single fleet of bombers of World War II--1,600 Fortresses and Liberators--attacked German military targets. Under steady American pounding, the Germans evacuated several defense positions on the west bank of the Roer River. Germany threw in fresh troops south of Faenza in an effort to check the British forces in Italy. Japanese forces were reported to have been completely cleared from the Chinese province of Kweichow.

Diplomacy
A delegation representing many Greek-American organizations visited the U.S. State Department in Washington to protest British intervention in Greece and to urge American mediation.

Politics and government
The British Labour Party decided that its ministers should remain in Prime Minister Winston Churchill's government until the war was won, but that the party should fight as a political entity again in the next general election.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the resignation of Rural Electrification Administration (REA) Administrator Harry Slattery, resulting from Mr. Slattery's feud with Agriculture Secretary Claude Wickard.

Defense
The United States Senate passed and sent to President Franklin D. Roosevelt a bill authorizing the appointment of 4 five-star generals and 4 five-star admirals.

60 years ago
1954

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Sh-Boom--The Crew-Cuts (2nd week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Mr. Sandman--The Chordettes (Best Seller--2nd week at #1; Disc Jockey--3rd week at #1); I Need You Now--Eddie Fisher (Jukebox--2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Mr. Sandman--The Chordettes (2nd week at #1)
--The Four Aces
2 I Need You Now--Eddie Fisher
3 Let Me Go Lover--Joan Weber
4 Papa Loves Mambo--Perry Como
5 Hey There--Rosemary Clooney
--Sammy Davis, Jr.
6 This Ole House--Rosemary Clooney
7 Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)--Eddie Fisher
8 Teach Me Tonight--The DeCastro Sisters
9 Hold My Hand--Don Cornell
10 If I Give My Heart to You--Doris Day
--Denise Lor
--Connee Boswell

Singles entering the chart were The Four Aces' version of Mr. Sandman and Ready, Willing and Able by Doris Day (#31).

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Down Came The Rain--Butch Moore

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 I Feel Fine--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)
2 Run, Run, Run--The Gestures
3 Slaughter on Tenth Avenue--The Ventures
4 The Wedding--Julie Rogers
5 Alone and Lonely--Bobby Curtola
6 Mr. Lonely--Bobby Vinton
7 Love Potion No. 9--The Searchers
8 Dance, Dance, Dance--The Beach Boys
9 I'm Into Something Good--Herman's Hermits
10 Mountain of Love--Johnny Rivers
Pick hit of the week: Boom Boom--The Animals
New this week: If You Don't Want My Love--Jack London
Paper Tiger--Sue Thompson
This Old Train--Doug Hudson
Meadowlands--The Chessmen
Down the Road I Go--The New Christy Minstrels
Little by Little--The Pickwicks

Died on this date
Alma Mahler, 85. Austrian-born U.S. composer. Mrs. Mahler, born Alma Schindler in Vienna, was married to composer Gustav Mahler from 1902 until his death in 1911. She was married to novelist Franz Werfel from 1929 until his death 1945, and fled Austria after the Anschluss in 1938, eventually moving to the United States. Mrs. Mahler-Werfel composed piano and chamber works, and 17 of her songs survive.

Percy Kilbride, 76. U.S. actor. Mr. Kilbride was best known for portraying Pa Kettle in the Ma and Pa Kettle movie comedies in the 1940s and '50s. He died three months after being run over by a car while crossing the street and suffering serious injuries.

Sam Cooke, 33. U.S. singer and songwriter. Mr. Cooke was the lead singer of the gospel group The Soul Stirrers from 1950-1957, and achieved widespread popularity and influence as a secular pop singer from 1957 until his death. His first pop hit, You Send Me, reached #1 on the Billboard singles chart in 1957 and was his biggest hit. Many of Mr. Cooke's hits, such as Wonderful World (1960), Cupid (1961), and Bring it on Home to Me (1962), have become popular standards, earning Mr. Cooke as one of the best popular singers ever. Mr. Cooke founded his own record label and management firm, becoming one of the first Negro artists to exercise such control over his career. He died at the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles after being shot and clubbed over the head by Bertha Franklin, the motel's manager, who claimed to have acted in self-defense. A coroner's jury returned a verdict of justifiable homicide, a verdict that remains disputed to this day.

Space
The United States launched AC-4, the fourth flight of the Atlas-Centaur engineering test vehicle, from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Kennedy, Florida. Because the ullage rockets--fired prior to main engine ignition--had been reduced in size for this mission in order to save weight, they proved insufficient to settle the propellants in the tanks, and venting hydrogen caused the vehicle to tumble out of control, re-entering the Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean after just 10 orbits.



Diplomacy
Che Guevara, leader of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations, addressed the UN General Assembly in New York. He criticized the United Nations' inability to do anything about South Africa's racial policy of apartheid, and denounced the U.S.A.'s treatment of its Negro population.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: I'm Leaving It (All) Up to You--Donny and Marie Osmond (6th week at #1)

30 years ago
1984

Died on this date
George Waggner, 90. U.S. film and television director. Mr. Waggner, born George Waggoner, acted in films such as The Sheik (1921) and The Iron Horse (1924), but eventually moved into directing. He was known for directing Western, horror, and war films, including The Wolf Man (1941); The Fighting Kentuckian (1949); and Red Nightmare (1957). Mr. Waggner directed episodes of numerous television programs in the 1950s and '60s, with his name usually appearing in the credits as "george waGGner." He wrote screenplays and songs for many of his films and television programs.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): If I Could Turn Back Time--Cher (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Pump Up the Jam--Technotronic featuring Felly

Protest
200,000 people in Leipzig, East Germany demonstrated in support of German reunification.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: George--Headless Chickens

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Cotton Eye Joe--Rednex (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Cotton Eye Joe--Rednex (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Stay Another Day--East 17 (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Thomas Mosser. U.S. advertising executive. Mr. Mosser, who had recently been promoted to general manager of the public relations firm Young and Rubicam, Inc. Worldwide, was killed when a mail bomb exploded in the kitchen of his home in North Caldwell, New Jersey. Federal Bureau of Investigation officials believed the killing to be the work of the as-yet-unknown Unabomber, who had been linked to 14 other bombings since 1978, and who was apparently protesting against modern technology.

War
Russian President Boris Yeltsin ordered Russian troops into the rebellious province of Chechnya.

Terrorism
A bomb exploded on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, en route from Manila to Tokyo, killing one person. The captain was able to safely land the plane.