December 14, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Wendy Welt!

Married on this date
Happy Anniversary, Eileen and Leo Sasakamoose!

225 years ago
1789

Born on this date
Maria Szymanowska. Polish-born musician and composer. Mrs. Szymanowska was a prominent concert pianist, touring Europe from 1815 through the 1820s before settling in St. Petersburg. She wrote about 100 piano pieces, as well as songs and small chamber works. Mrs. Szymanowska died of cholera on July 25, 1831 at the age of 41, during an epidemic in St. Petersburg.

200 years ago
1814

War
In the War of 1812, the British Royal Navy seized control of Lake Borgne, Louisiana.

100 years ago
1914

Born on this date
Karl Carstens. German politician. Mr. Carstens was a lawyer, professor, and diplomat who was a Nazi in the 1940s before joining the Christian Democratic Party in 1955. He held variou positions before serving as President of West Germany from 1979-1984. Mr. Carstens died on May 30, 1992 at the age of 77.

Politics and government
Lisandro de la Torre and others founded the Partido Demócrata Progresista (Democratic Progressive Party) at the Hotel Savoy in Buenos Aires.

80 years ago
1934

Boxing
Joe Louis (12-0) scored a technical knockout of Lee Ramage (40-9-5) at 2:51 of the 8th round of a heavyweight bout at Chicago Stadium. Mr. Ramage was knocked down 4 times in the 8th round.

75 years ago
1939

Diplomacy
In its last important act, the League of Nations expelled the U.S.S.R. from its ranks because of her invasion of Finland.

War
A British observer surveyed the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, damaged in the Battle of the River Plate the day before, and now docked in Montevideo. The observer reported that the port midship 6" gun was unserviceable; the starboard anti-aircraft guns appeared out of action; rangefinders were out of action; the aircraft was wrecked; and there were shell holes in the control tower and two holes below the waterline. In total, there was evidence of 30–60 hits. British Minister Millington-Drake officially requested that the Uruguayan government intern the ship if she stayed in port longer than 24 hours, on grounds that she was still seaworthy. The Uruguayan government obliged, announcing that if the Graf Spee did not sail within 72 hours of its arrival, she would be interned.

70 years ago
1944

At the movies
National Velvet, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp, and Anne Revere, opened in theatres in New York City.



War
The U.S. Navy reported that the Coast Guard had, during the past four months, dispersed three German expeditions to establish weather reporting stations on the northeastern coast of Greenland. U.S. forces in Germany reached Scheibenhard and Eberbach, close to the southern Franco-German border. Soviet troops in Hungary made gains a long a 50-mile front. Chinese troops in Burma captured Tonkwa, 129 miles north of Mandalay.

Labour
The U.S. National War Labor Board ordered Montgomery Ward to comply with its wage directives at the company's four stores in the Detroit area.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed a three-man board under the Railway Labor Act to investigate a dispute involving the Seaboard Air Line Railway and 800 firemen threatening to strike.

60 years ago
1954

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, on BBC Light Programme
Tonight's episode: The Blue Carbuncle

Died on this date
Ed Sanders, 24. U.S. boxer. "Big Ed" won the gold medal in the heavyweight division in the 1952 Summer Olympic games in Helsinki, winning the final when future world heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson of Sweden was disqualified for not being aggressive enough. Mr. Sanders compiled a record of 6-2-1 as a professional, but died of a blood clot on the brain two days after being knocked out in the 11th round of his bout at Boston Garden against Willie James.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Ma Vie--Alain Barriere (5th week at #1)

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Mr. Lonely--Bobby Vinton
2 Ringo--Lorne Greene
3 I'm Gonna Be Strong--Gene Pitney
4 Mountain of Love--Johnny Rivers
5 Big Man in Town--The 4 Seasons
6 Come See About Me--The Supremes
7 (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me--Sandie Shaw
8 Everything's Alright--The Newbeats
9 Dance, Dance, Dance--The Beach Boys
10 I Feel Fine--The Beatles

Singles entering the chart were I Feel Fine; Thou Shalt Not Steal by Dick and DeeDee (#30); Dear Heart by Andy Williams (#34); Amen by the Impressions (#35); Hey-Da-Da-Dow by the Dolphins (#37); Ain't Love a Funny Thing by Robbie Lane (#38); and Leader of the Laundromat by the Detergents (#40).

On television tonight
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Triumph, starring Ed Begley and Jeanette Nolan

Died on this date
William Bendix, 58. U.S. actor. Mr. Bendix was best known for playing Chester A. Riley, the title character of The Life of Riley, a comedy series on radio (1944-1951) and television (1953-1958). His movies included Wake Island (1942); The Glass Key (1942); Lifeboat (1944); and The Blue Dahlia (1946). Mr. Bendix suffered from a stomach ailment that brought on death from malnutrition combined with lobar pneumonia. It's not known if his last words were, "What a revoltin' development this is!"

Law
In Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Congress could use the Constitution's Commerce Clause to fight discrimination.

Boxing
Joey Giardello (97-24-8) retained his world middleweight title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Rubin `Hurricane`Carter (20-5) at Convention Hall in Philadelphia.



40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)--Leo Sayer

#1 single in the U.K.: You're the First, the Last, My Everything--Barry White (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas
2 Angie Baby--Helen Reddy
3 Cat's in the Cradle--Harry Chapin
4 I Can Help--Billy Swan
5 When Will I See You Again--The Three Degrees
6 Do It (’Til You’re Satisfied)--B.T. Express
7 Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)--Al Green
8 Junior's Farm--Paul McCartney & Wings
9 You're the First, the Last, My Everything--Barry White
10 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John

Singles entering the chart were Some Kind of Wonderful by Grand Funk (#77); Lady by Styx (#80); Look in My Eyes Pretty Woman by Tony Orlando and Dawn (#84); Can't Get it Out of My Head by Electric Light Orchestra (#85); A Woman's Story by Cher (#86); To the Door of the Sun (Alle Porte Del Sole) by Al Martino (#88); My Main Man by the Staple Singers (#93); Happy People by the Temptations (#97); Dont Cha Love It by the Miracles (#98); As Long as He Takes Care of Home by Candi Staton (#99); and Fire by the Ohio Players (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 My Melody of Love--Bobby Vinton (3rd week at #1)
2 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas
3 I Can Help--Billy Swan
4 So You are a Star--The Hudson Brothers
5 Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)--Reunion
6 When Will I See You Again--The Three Degrees
7 You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet--Bachman-Turner Overdrive
8 Longfellow Serenade--Neil Diamond
9 Whatever Gets You Thru the Night--John Lennon with the Plastic Ono Nuclear Band
10 Junior's Farm--Paul McCartney & Wings

Singles entering the chart were Doctor's Orders by Carol Douglas (#82); I Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Love by April Wine (#90); You Beat Me to the Punch by Charity Brown (#92); Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd (#94); Hallelujah Freedom by Keith Hampshire (#95); Let's Live Together by Thundermug (#96); Get Into the Wind by Steppenwolf (#97); Time by Mighty Clouds of Joy (#98); Do It, Do It by the Peppers (#99); and Dance with Me Darlin' (Insanity Samba) by Blue Heaven (#100).

Calgary's Top 10
1 Angie Baby--Helen Reddy
2 Cat's in the Cradle--Harry Chapin
3 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas
4 Ramona--Stampeders
5 I Can Help--Billy Swan
6 Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)--Reunion
7 When Will I See You Again--The Three Degrees
8 Wishing You were Here--Chicago
9 Longfellow Serenade--Neil Diamond
10 So You are a Star--The Hudson Brothers
Pick hit of the week: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John

Died on this date
Walter Lippmann, 85. U.S. journalist. Mr. Lippmann was one of the founders of The New Republic magazine in 1913, and won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1958 for his syndicated newspaper column, Today and Tomorrow. His books included Public Opinion (1922); The Phantom Public (1925); and The Public Philosophy (1955).

Hockey
NHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins traded centre Ron Lalonde to the Washington Capitals for right wing Lew Morrison. Mr. Lalonde had scored no goals and 3 assists in 24 games with Pittsburgh in 1974-75, while Mr. Morrison, a penalty-killing specialist, had scored no goals and 4 assists in 18 games with Washington in 1974-75.

Football
NFL
Cincinnati (7-7) 3 @ Pittsburgh (10-3-1) 27
Minnesota (10-4) 35 @ Kansas City (5-9) 15
Dallas (8-6) 23 @ Oakland (12-2) 27

The Chiefs' loss to the Vikings at Arrowhead Stadium was the last game for Hank Stram after 15 seasons as Kansas City's head coach, going back to the beginning of the team as the Dallas Texans in 1960.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)--Billy Ocean (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): The Wild Boys--Duran Duran (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): The Never Ending Story--Limahl (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Vicente Aleixandre, 86. Spanish poet. Mr. Aleixandre won the 1977 Nobel Prize for Literature "for a creative poetic writing which illuminates man's condition in the cosmos and in present-day society, at the same time representing the great renewal of the traditions of Spanish poetry between the wars."

Labour
British mine workers’ union leader Arthur Scargill was fined £250 and ordered to pay £750 in costs after being convicted on two charges of obstruction following a scuffle outside Orgreave Coal Works, near Sheffield, Yorkshire, on May 30. Mr. Scargill was arrested as he led about 80 pickets to the plant on the fifth consecutive day of the strike action by miners in protest over feared pit closures.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Ryyd-joulu--Bat & Ryyd

#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): Pump Up the Jam--Technotronic

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Do They Know It's Christmas?--Band Aid II

Edmonton's Top 5
1 Blame it on the Rain--Milli Vanilli
2 Swing the Mood--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
3 We Didn't Start the Fire--Billy Joel
4 When I See You Smile--Bad English
5 Back to Life--Soul II Soul

Died on this date
Jock Mahoney, 70. U.S. actor. Mr. Mahoney, born Jacques Joseph O'Mahoney, starred in the television western series The Range Rider (1951-1953) and Yancy Derringer (1958-1959), and played Tarzan in two movies in the 1960s. He died of a stroke, two days after being involved in a car accident.

Andrei Sakharov, 68. U.S.S.R. physicist and political activist. Dr. Sakharov helped to develop the Soviet hydrogen bomb from 1948-1956, but in the 1960s he became a critic of the arms race and Soviet repression. In 1975 Dr. Sakharov became the first citizen of the Soviet Union to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1980 he was exiled to Gorky, and his wife Yelena Bonner followed in 1984, which brought much international criticism upon the U.S.S.R. The couple were freed in 1986 and were both pardoned. Dr. Sakharov was elected to the Duma in 1989 and briefly served. In the days before his death he was among those who were imploring Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to allow a debate on the leading role played by the Communist Party in the Soviet Union.

Politics and government
Opposition leader Patricio Aylwin received 55% of the vote in Chile’s first presidential election since 1970. A more conservative candidate, Hernan Buchi, got 29%. Mr. Buchi had been a finance minister with the regime of General Augusto Pinochet and that association hurt his campaign. The election result appeared to signal the end of General Pinochet’s domination of the country--he had taken power in a coup in 1973--although he would remain chief of the armed forces.

20 years ago
1994

Died on this date
Orval Faubus, 84. U.S. politician. Mr. Faubus, a Democrat, was Governor of Arkansas from 1955-1967. He was best known for refusing to obey an order from the United States Supreme Court to desegregate the Little Rock School District in 1957. He ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent Negro students from attending Little Rock Central High School. U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower then ordered elements of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to enforce the court order and protect the Negro students.

War
The Russian Duma voted 289-4 against President Boris Yeltsin's use of force in the separatist republic of Chechnya.

Politics and government
The Northern League, a partner in Italy's governing coalition, deserted Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party on a key issue.

Energy
Construction began on the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that the consumer price index had risen 0.3% in November.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Rod Kanehl, 70. U.S. baseball player. "Hot Rod" was a utility infielder and outfielder with the New York Mets from 1962-1964, batting .241 with 6 home runs and 47 runs batted in in 340 games. He hit the first grand slam in franchise history, on July 6, 1962, against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Polo Grounds in New York.

Franciana
The Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, was formally inaugurated near Millau.