December 28, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Heather Pick!

850 years ago
1164

Born on this date
Rokujō. Emperor of Japan, 1165-1168. Rokujō succeeded his father Nijo as Emperor, but because of his youth, the Japanese government was run by his grandfather, Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa. Rokujō was deposed in 1168 and succeeded by his uncle Takakura. Rokujō died on August 23, 1176 at the age of 11.

320 years ago
1694

Died on this date
Mary II, 32. Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1689-1694. Mary II, the daughter of King James II, married her cousin, the Dutch Protestant William of Orange--the future King William III--in 1677. They came to power after the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and reigned as joint sovereigns until her death from smallpox.

225 years ago
1789

Born on this date
Catharine Sedgwick. U.S. authoress. Miss Sedgwick was popular from the 1820s through the 1850s, writing novels and short stories featuring heroines who combined American patriotism with rebellion against Puritan conventions. She died on July 31, 1867 at the age of 77.

190 years ago
1824

War
Windradyne, leader of the Wiradjuri nation, surrendered, giving victory to the British in the Bathurst War in New South Wales, Australia.

70 years ago
1944

Movies
Motion Picture Herald announced that Bing Crosby was the biggest box office attraction of 1944.

War
The German offensive stood still as U.S. forces registered gains in counter-drives at several points along the perimeter in Belgium, and successfully repelled the final German effort to take Elsenborn. On the western fort of the Italian line, Germans forced an American retreat of 3 miles and took the villages of Barga and Gallicano. Soviet troops moved westward along a 90-mile front from Budapest toward Austria.

Literature
In Boston, Judge Elijah Adlow ruled that the novel Tragic Ground by Erskine Caldwell was not obscene, and dismissed police charges against a bookseller for distributing the book.

Economics and finance
The United States and Brazil agreed that the U.S. would supply 2,500 tons of synthetic rubber annually in return for Brazil's reduction of natural rubber by a similar amount.

Labour
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the Army to seize the executive offices and other facilities of Montgomery Ward in Chicago and Detroit for its refusal to obey National War Labor Board orders.

Hockey
NHL
Detroit 1 @ Montreal 9

Maurice "Rocket" Richard set a league record for a single game with 8 points, scoring 5 goals and 3 assists as the Canadiens routed the Red Wings at the Montreal Forum.

60 years ago
1954

Music
The single Milkcow Blues Boogie/You're a Heartbreaker by Elvis Presley was released on Sun Records.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): A Hard Day's Night--The Beatles

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 I Feel Fine--The Beatles
2 Goin' Out of My Head--Little Anthony and the Imperials
3 (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me--Sandie Shaw
4 Mr. Lonely--Bobby Vinton
5 I'm Gonna Be Strong--Gene Pitney
6 Everything's Alright--The Newbeats
7 Dance, Dance, Dance--The Beach Boys
8 Come See About Me--The Supremes
9 As Tears Go By--Marianne Faithfull
10 Anyway You Want It--Dave Clark Five

Singles entering the chart were Downtown by Petula Clark (#28); I'll Be There by Gerry and the Pacemakers (#31); Oh No Not My Baby by Maxine Brown (#32); Wild One by Martha and the Vandellas (#33); Bucket "T" by Ronny and the Daytonas (#36); Ringo Deer by Garry Ferrier (#37); Smile by Betty Everett & Jerry Butler (#38); and If You Don't Want My Love by Jack London (#39).

On television tonight
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Consider Her Ways, starring Barbara Barrie, Gladys Cooper, and Robert H. Harris

Theatre
The musical Baker Street by Marion Grudeff and Ray Jessel received its United States premiere in Boston after revisions and a two-week run in Toronto.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Lonely This Christmas--Mud (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Lonely This Christmas--Mud (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Angie Baby--Helen Reddy

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Cat's in the Cradle--Harry Chapin
2 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
3 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas
4 You're the First, the Last, My Everything--Barry White
5 Junior's Farm--Paul McCartney & Wings
6 Angie Baby--Helen Reddy
7 Only You--Ringo Starr
8 Laughter in the Rain--Neil Sedaka
9 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters
10 Boogie On Reggae Woman--Stevie Wonder

Singles entering the chart were #9 Dream by John Lennon (#66); Sweet Surrender by John Denver (#74); I Am I Am by Smokey Robinson (#77); Nightingale by Carole King (#80); Don't Take Your Love by the Manhattans (#83); Part of the Plan by Dan Fogelberg (#92); Don't Call Us, We'll Call You by Sugarloaf/Jerry Corbetta (#93); Never Let Her Go by David Gates (#94); Up in a Puff of Smoke by Polly Brown (#95); Ain't That Peculiar by Diamond REO (#96); You Can't Do it Right (With The One You Love) by Deep Purple (#97); Should Anybody Ask by Garry Bonner (#98); Crazy Talk by Chilliwack (#99); and Hot Dawgit by Ramsey Lewis and Earth, Wind & Fire (#100).

Canada's Top 10 singles of 1974 (RPM)
1 Seasons in the Sun--Terry Jacks
2 The Streak--Ray Stevens
3 Sundown--Gordon Lightfoot
4 You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet--Bachman-Turner Overdrive
5 The Loco-Motion--Grand Funk
6 Bennie and the Jets--Elton John
7 (You're) Having My Baby--Paul Anka with Odia Coates
8 The Way We Were--Barbra Streisand
9 Rock the Boat--The Hues Corporation
10 My Melody of Love--Bobby Vinton

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas (2nd week at #1)
2 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
3 My Melody of Love--Bobby Vinton
4 I Can Help--Billy Swan
5 One Man Woman/One Woman Man--Paul Anka with Odia Coates
6 Cat's in the Cradle--Harry Chapin
7 When Will I See You Again--The Three Degrees
8 You're the First, the Last, My Everything--Barry White
9 Laughter in the Rain--Neil Sedaka
10 Junior's Farm--Paul McCartney & Wings

Singles entering the chart were Renaissance by Valdy (#85); California Jam by Klaatu (#89); Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd (#90); Lonely People by America (#91); One Tear by Eddie Kendricks (#93); You're No Good by Linda Ronstadt (#94); Fire by the Ohio Players (#95); Look in My Eyes Pretty Woman by Tony Orlando and Dawn (#96); Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne by Jim Stafford (#97); Ruby Baby by Billy "Crash" Craddock (#98); Don't Cha Love It by the Miracles (#99); and Let's Put the Fun Back in Rock and Roll by Jason (#100).

Calgary's Top 10
1 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas
2 Angie Baby--Helen Reddy
3 I Can Help--Billy Swan
4 When Will I See You Again--The Three Degrees
5 Cat's in the Cradle--Harry Chapin
6 Wishing You were Here--Chicago
7 Longfellow Serenade--Neil Diamond
8 Junior's Farm--Paul McCartney & Wings
9 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
10 Crazy Talk--Chilliwack
Pick hit of the week: Laughter in the Rain--Neil Sedaka

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)--Billy Ocean (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): The Wild Boys--Duran Duran (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Forever Young--Alphaville (2nd week at #1)

On television today
The Edge of Night, the only soap opera that this blogger ever regularly watched, was broadcast for the last time on ABC. The show had its origin with the Perry Mason radio series; when the move was made to television, it split into two shows. Perry Mason emphasized the legal and crime-solving aspects of the show, while The Edge of Night which made its television debut on April 2, 1956, remained as a soap opera, although with more of an emphasis on crime and mystery than the usual soap opera. The show moved to ABC on December 1, 1975. From 1968-1983 the head writer was Henry Slesar, who had written scripts for Alfred Hitchcock’s TV shows, as well as stories for Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Mr. Slesar won an Emmy Award for his efforts in 1974. The series was carried for many years in Canada on CBC, but that network broadcast its last episode on September 10, 1982. If I’m not mistaken, The Edge of Night was the last soap opera to occupy a half-hour time slot.

Died on this date
Sam Peckinpah, 59. U.S. film director. Mr. Peckinpah was known for directing violent movies such as The Wild Bunch (1969); Straw Dogs (1971); The Getaway (1972); Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973); and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974). Less violent movies that he directed included the Westerns Ride the High Country (1962) and Junior Bonner (1972). Mr. Peckinpah was known for a lifestyle of heavy drinking and cocaine use, which probably contributed to his death from heart failure.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Ryyd-joulu--Bat & Ryyd (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): Pump Up the Jam--Technotronic (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Do They Know It's Christmas?--Band Aid II (3rd week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 singles of 1989
1 Straight Up--Paula Abdul
2 She Drives Me Crazy--Fine Young Cannibals
3 The Look--Roxette
4 Like a Prayer--Madonna
5 Wild Thing--Tone Loc
6 Buffalo Stance--Neneh Cherry
7 On Our Own--Bobby Brown
8 Wind Beneath My Wings--Bette Midler
9 Cold Hearted--Paula Abdul
10 You Got It--Roy Orbison

Canada's Top 10 albums of 1989
1 The Raw & the Cooked--Fine Young Cannibals
2 Forever Your Girl--Paula Abdul
3 Girl You Know it's True--Milli Vanilli
4 Like a Prayer--Madonna
5 Volume One--Traveling Wilburys
6 Don't be Cruel--Bobby Brown
7 Appetite for Destruction--Guns 'n' Roses
8 Full Moon Fever--Tom Petty
9 Alannah Myles--Alannah Myles
10 Mystery Girl--Roy Orbison

Died on this date
Hermann Oberth, 95. Austro-Hungarian born German physicist and engineer. Dr. Oberth was one of the founders of modern rocketry, with his short book Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen (By Rocket into Planetary Space) (1923) one of the most influential works in the field. A young Wernher von Braun was one of his assistants in the early 1930s.

Politics and government
The Parliament of Czechoslovakia elected Alexander Dubcek as its speaker.

Disasters
An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale struck Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, killing 13 people.

20 years ago
1994

At the movies
The Madness of King George, directed by Nicholas Hytner, and starring Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, and Ian Holm, opened in theatres in North America.



Politics and government
R. James Woolsey resigned as Director of the U.S. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. He had been criticized for his handling of the case of Aldirch Ames--the CIA agent who had been spying for Russia--and for not dealing sternly with oofficers who had failed to discover Mr. Ames' espionage more quickly Mr. Woolsey had also been criticized for not revamping the CIA in light of the end of the Soviet Union.

Scandal
U.S. Federal District Court Judge Susan Weber ruled that a lawsuit for sexual harassment filed by Paula Jones against U.S. President Bill Clinton could not be tried until Mr. Clinton left office. Judge Weber wrote that the president's responsibilities justified a temporary and limited immunity from trial, but she held that Ms. Jones' attorneys could gather facts in the case that could include interviewing Mr. Clinton.

10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Susan Sontag, 71. U.S. author. Ms. Sontag, born Susan Rosenblatt, was a liberal New York Jew whose writings, which included the collections of essays Against Interpretation (1966) and On Photography (1977), were of interest mainly to other liberal New York Jews.

Jerry Orbach, 69. U.S. actor. Mr. Orbach was a New York stage actor and singer who became best known for his starring role in the television series Law & Order (1992-2004). He died after a ten-year battle with prostate cancer.