December 17, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Ken Thiessen!

140 years ago
1874

Born on this date
William Lyon Mackenzie King. Prime Minister of Canada, 1921-1926; 1926-1930; 1935-1948. Dr. King, who received his doctorate in political economy from Harvard University, was Canada's Deputy Minister of Labour (1900-1908) before entering federal politics as a member of the Liberal Party, representing Waterloo North (1908-1911); Prince (1919-1921); York North (1921-1925); Prince Albert (1925-1945); and Glengarry (1945-1948) in the House of Commons. He served as Canada’s Minister of Labour (1909-1911) in the cabinet of Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, and assumed the party’s leadership upon Sir Wilfrid's death in 1919. Dr. King’s book Industry and Humanity (1918) is said to be an excellent cure for insomnia, capable of putting the reader into deep slumber for hours. Dr. King led the Liberals to victory in the 1921 federal election, leading a minority government. The Conservative party, led by Arthur Meighen, achieved a plurality of seats in the 1925 federal election, but Dr. King's Liberals maintained power with the support of the Progressive Party. The Liberals briefly lost power to the Conservatives in 1926 in the "King-Byng Affair," but the resulting election returned a Liberal majority. When the Depression set in in 1930, Dr. King's Liberals were unseated by R.B. Bennett's Conservatives, but regained power in a landslide electoral victory in 1935, and were never seriously threatened during the remainder of his time in office, which ended with his retirement in November 1948. Dr. King, who died on July 22, 1950 at the age of 74, led the Canadian government through the later years of the Depression and World War II, overseeing a tremendous mobilization for the war, and adjustment to postwar conditions. He advocated greater Canadian independence from Britain in foreign policy; some of his policies, such as restrictive immigration and internment of Japanese-Canadians during World War II, remain controversial. Dr. King's 22 years as Prime Minister set a British Empire/Commonwealth record for longevity. He wouldn’t recognize the country today; what he knew as Canada is today more accurately called, in Mark Steyn’s word, Trudeaupia. Dr. King made a speech in London in 1941 in which he said that Canada was fighting World War II to reserve Christian and democratic ideals. He wrote in his diary in 1945 that he was grateful that the atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese instead of on the white races of Europe. The country that Mackenzie King governed and left behind was a white, mostly English speaking nation that used imperial measurements and flew the Red Ensign and Union Jack, that executed murderers, and prohibited abortion and sodomy. Dr. King and his immediate successor, Louis St. Laurent, did nothing to change this. They would be considered far-right extremists today and would be unwelcome in what passes for the Liberal Party of Canada in 2014.

120 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Patrick Flynn. U.K.-born U.S. runner. Mr. Flynn, a native of Ireland, won the Irish Four Mile championship in 1912, and moved to the United States a year later. He was wounded in the arm while serving in World War I, but recovered, and competed in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, winning the silver medal in the men’s 3,000-metre steeplechase. Mr. Flynn retired from competitive running in 1925, and died on January 5, 1969 at the age of 74.

Wim Schermerhorn. Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1945-1946. Professor Schermerhorn taught civil engineering, and was a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II. He led the Netherlands’ first postwar government, and sat in the House of Representatives as a member of the Labour Party from June-September 1946 and 1948-1951 before sitting in the Senate from 1951-1963. Mr. Schermerhorn died on March 10, 1977 at the age of 82.

Arthur Fiedler. U.S. orchestra conductor. Mr. Fiedler was a violinist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and founded the Boston Sinfonietta chamber orchestra in 1924, but was best known as conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1930 until his death on July 10, 1979 at the age of 84, after a period of failing health.

100 years ago
1914

Born on this date
Raymond Fernandez. U.S. criminal. Mr. Fernandez and his partner Martha Beck were serial killers who murdered as many as 20 women between 1947-1949, and became known as the "Lonely Hearts Killers" from meeting their victims through "lonely hearts" advertisements. They were both executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York on March 8, 1951. Mr. Fernandez was 36 at the time of his death; Ms. Beck was 30.

90 years ago
1924

Society
The British Columbia Iegislature adopted a resolution opposing continued Oriental immigration.

75 years ago
1939

War
The first contingents of the Canadian First Division started arriving in England for service in World War II. Canada signed the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, a $1.281-billion program to train pilots, navigators, wireless operators and gunners from the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, heavily damaged from the Battle of the River Plate four days earlier and unable to safely depart Montevideo, left Montevideo harbour at 1815 hours and was scuttled by her crew just outside the harbour on orders of Captain Hans Langsdorff in order to avoid risking the lives of the crew in what the captain expected to be a losing battle. Uruguayan authorities had adhered to international treaties and had granted the Admiral Graf Spee a stay of 72 hours beyond the required 24 hours, but had ordered the ship to depart by 2000 hours on December 17 or be interned for the remainder of World War II.

70 years ago
1944

Abominations
German troops massacred 115 American prisoners of war near Malmedy, Belgium, as 15 escaped to freedom.

The U.S.S.R. and Finland signed an agreement on Finnish deliveries to fulfill Soviet demands for $300 million in war damages, although the Soviets had been the aggressors in the war, attacking Finland in 1939.

War
German troops moved through Belgium and Luxembourg as they gained ground against the southern flank of U.S. troops. ELAS troops in Greece renewed their shelling of Athens. For the first time since May, U.S. troops were reported active in Burma, fighting against Japanese forces northeast of Mandalay.

Defense
U.S. Western Defense Command chief Major General H. Conger Pratt proclaimed that effective January 2, 1945, all persons of Japanese ancestry who had been proved loyal to the United States could return to their former homes on the Pacific coast.

Football
NFL
Championship @ Polo Grounds, New York
Green Bay 14 @ New York 7

Ted Fritsch scored 2 touchdowns in the 2nd quarter--the first on a 1-yard rush and the second on a 28-yard pass from Irv Comp--as the Packers held on to defeat the Giants before 46,016 fans. Don Hutson converted both touchdowns. Ward Cuff rushed 1 yard for the New York touchdown in the 4th quarter, converted by Ken Strong.



60 years ago
1954

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Let's Have Another Party--Winifred Atwell (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Billy Noble, 24. U.S. boxer. Mr. Noble was a heavyweight who compiled a record of 21-2 in a professional career from 1951-1953. He scored a technical knockout of Larry Watson in 1952 to win the Nebraska state heavyweight title. Mr. Noble hadn't fought in 19 months when he, his wife, and 5-year-old son were killed in the crash of a small plane near Phillips, Nebraska.

Boxing
Bob Baker (37-5-1) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Coley Wallace (22-5) at Madison Square Garden in New York. Mr. Baker had also won a 10-round unanimous decision over Mr. Wallace on October 1 in Cleveland.



50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Little Red Rooster--The Rolling Stones

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I Feel Fine--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Victor Francis Hess, 81. Austrian-born U.S. physicist. Dr. Hess was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1936 "for his discovery of cosmic radiation." Dr. Hess was a Jew who fled Austria in 1938 when the Nazis marched in, and moved to the United States, becoming an American citizen in 1944.

Abominations
Two days after the Canadian House of Commons had voted to adopt a new national flag of Canada based on a Royal Military College design suggested by George Stanley, the Senate voted its approval. The House of Commons voted to keep flying the Union Jack as a symbol of Canada's membership in the Commonwealth.

Baseball
Six weeks after the Columbia Broadcasting System had bought controlling interest in the New York Yankees, they fired Mel Allen, who had called Yankees' games on radio, and later, television, since 1939. Mr. Allen had made "How about that!" and the home run call of "Going, going, gone!" familiar to listeners, but he had temporarily lost his voice during the 1963 World Series, and CBS believed that he talked too much on television. The Yankees had won the American League pennant in 19 of the 26 seasons in which Mr. Allen had broadcast their games and had posted a winning record in every season, but the team posted a losing record in their first season without him, and didn't win another pennant until 1976.

40 years ago
1974

Scandal
Four years after being kidnapped and murdered by FLQ terrorists, Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte was cleared by the Quebec Commission on Organized Crime of charges linking him with organized crime.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Like a Virgin--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): ¿Cómo Pudiste Hacerme Esto a Mí?--Alaska y Dinarama

Football
NFL
Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins capped the most spectacular single-season passing display in history when he threw 4 touchdown passes in a 28-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Mr. Marino, in his second year as a pro, finished the regular season with a record 48 touchdown passes and 5,084 yards passing.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Escaping--Margaret Urlich (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, on Fox

This Christmas special marked the beginning of the long-running animated series The Simpsons.

War
U.S. troops in Panama were placed on high alert. There were already 12,000 military personnel in the country, their primary duty being to guard the Panama Canal.

Protest
Romanian Securitate (internal security) troops shot a large number of people to death at a pro-democracy demonstration in Timisoara, Transylvania.

Politics and government
Fernando Collor de Mello defeated Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically-elected President in almost 30 years.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Zombie--The Cranberries

#1 single in Italy: Stay With Me--Da Blitz

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Hypnose--Scorpia (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Cotton-Eyed Joe--Rednex (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Always--Bon Jovi (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Can You Feel the Love Tonight--Elton John (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Dromen zijn bedrog--Marco Borsato (12th week at #1)

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

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Here Comes the Hotstepper--Ini Kamoze
2 On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men
3 Another Night--Real McCoy
4 Always--Bon Jovi
5 Creep--TLC
6 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men
7 Secret--Madonna
8 All I Wanna Do--Sheryl Crow
9 I Wanna Be Down--Brandy
10 You Want This/'70s Love Groove--Janet Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Take a Bow by Madonna (#45); In the House of Stone and Light by Martin Page (#87); You Suck by the Murmurs (#89); She Don't Use Jelly by the Flaming Lips (#91); and Till You Love Me by Reba McEntire (#94).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men (3rd week at #1)
2 Another Night--Real McCoy
3 Always--Bon Jovi
4 Here Comes the Hotstepper--Ini Kamoze
5 I'm the Only One--Melissa Etheridge
6 Secret--Madonna
7 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men
8 You Want This/70's Love Groove--Janet Jackson
9 I Wanna Be Down--Brandy
10 Never Lie--Immature

Singles entering the chart were Take a Bow by Madonna (#32); Tootsee Roll by 69 Boyz (#54); Doll Parts by Hole (#71); Buddy Holly by Weezer (#78); I Miss You by N II U (#82); Bring the Pain by Method Man (#86); and Supernova by Liz Phair (#88).

War
North Korea shot down a U.S. reconnaissance helicopter that was flying over its territory. Chief Warrant Officers David Hilemon and Bobby Hall were the helicopters only occupants; CWO Hilemon died of his injuries, while CWO Hall was taken prisoner. North Korea conducted an investigation, while declining to discuss the matter with the United States.

Crime
Two months after a gunman had fired shots from a semiautomatic rifle at the White House, a similar incident occurred. In the early hours of the day, at least four small-calibre bullets were fired at the White House, one of which went through the window of a state dining room. U.S. President Bill Clinton and his family were asleep at the time. No one was injured in the shooting.

10 years ago
2004

Defense
U.S. President George W. Bush signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence-gathering in 50 years.