December 31, 2014

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Mike Matson!

130 years ago
1889

Died on this date
George Kerferd, 58. U.K.-born Australian politician. Mr. Kerferd, a native of Liverpool, emigrated to Victoria in 1853, and became a beer and wine merchant. He represented Ovens in the Victoria Legislative Assembly from 1864-1886, and held several cabinet posts, including several terms, totalling eight years, as Attorney General. Mr. Kerferd was Premier of Victoria from 1874-1875. He was a judge on the Supreme Court of Victoria from January 1, 1886 until his death.

120 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Ernest John Moeran. U.K. composer. Mr. Moeran was English, but partly of Irish extraction, whose work was strongly influenced by English and Irish folk music. He wrote two symphonies and other orchestral, vocal, and chamber works, as well as works for piano. Mr. Moeran's life and work were interrupted by periods of heavy drinking. He had a fatal cerebral hemorrhage and fell into water near his cottage in Ireland on December 1, 1950, 30 days before his 56th birthday.

110 years ago
1904

Born on this date
Basil Adlam. U.K.-born U.S. musician and composer. Mr. Adlam, a native of England, grew up in Canada, and then moved to the United States, where he became a saxophonist with the bands of Phil Harris and Ozzie Nelson, and worked as conductor and arranger with the Horace Heidt orchestra. He composed scores for several radio series, including The Six Shooter (1953-1954), while his work in television included composing for The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1961). Mr. Adlam's film scores included those for the documentaries A Free People (1965) and One Giant Leap (1970). He died on November 9, 1974 at the age of 69.

War
In the Russo-Japanese War, Japanese forces captured the Manchurian city of Wantai.

70 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): A Lovely Way to Spend An Evening-The Ink Spots; Frank Sinatra (1st month at #1)

War
Hungary declared war on Germany. Operation Nordwind, the last major German offensive on the Western Front, began. After a 48-hour battle, U.S. forces seized Rochefort on the western end of the German salient in Belgium. U.S. troops attacked north of Bastogne, while other units advanced against the Germans between Bastogne and St. Hubert. Remagen was captured. U.S. forces on the west coast of Italy advanced 1 1/2 miles north of Barga and captured Sommocolonia. U.S. aircraft under the command of General Douglas MacArthur made their first daylight raid on Formosa.

Politics and government
The Polish Committee of National Liberation, operating from Lublin with the cooperation of the U.S.S.R., proclaimed itself Poland's provisional government.

The Greek government of Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou left office, as Archbishop Damaskinos was sworn in as Regent of Greece. ELAS forces accepted the development as the basis for truce negotiations in the civil war.

In his New Year's message, Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek promised the Chinese people a constitutional government before the end of World War II.

Society
Columbia University President Nicholas Murray Butler said in a year-end message in New York that unless the world was rebuilt on a moral foundation the end of all that had been accomplished in 5,000 years would not be far off.

Disasters
48 people were killed and more than 80 injured when the second section of the Southern Pacific Railroad's Pacific Limited rammed into the rear of the first section, 18 miles west of Ogden, Utah.

60 years ago
1954

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Am 30. Mai ist der Weltuntergang--Golgowski-Quartett (1st month at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Let's Have Another Party--Winifred Atwell (5th week at #1)

At the movies
Black Tuesday, directed by Hugo Fregonese, and starring Edward G. Robinson, Peter Graves, and Jean Parker, received its premiere screening in New York City.



50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: She's Not There--The Zombies

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I Feel Fine--The Beatles (4th week at #1)

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 I Feel Fine--The Beatles (5th week at #1)
2 Love Potion No. 9--The Searchers
3 Amen--The Impressions
4 The Wedding--Julie Rogers
5 Downtown--Petula Clark
6 Run, Run, Run--The Gestures
7 Alone and Lonely--Bobby Curtola
8 Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow the Sun)--Del Shannon
9 Anyway You Want It--Dave Clark Five
10 I'll Be There--Gerry and the Pacemakers
Pick hit of the week: This Diamond Ring--Gary Lewis and the Playboys
New this week: Undecided--Rene and Rene
Heart of Stone--The Rolling Stones
Do Anything You Wanna (Part II)--Harold Betters
Fancy Pants--Al Hirt
Hello Pretty Girl--Ronnie Dove

Died on this date
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, 83. U.K. military officer. Field Marshal "Jumbo" Wilson served with the British Army (1900-1947), participating in the Second Boer War and both World Wars. He held several commands in North Africa and the Middle East in World War II, including Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean (1944-1945). Field Marshal Wilson launched Operation Compass (1940-1941), achieving success against Italian forces in Egypt and Libya. He was Chief of the British Joint Mission in Washington (1945-1947), and was aide-to-camp to King George VI. Field Marshal Wilson was created Baron Wilson in 1946, and was Constable of the Tower of London (1955-1960).

Ólafur Thors, 72. Prime Minister of Iceland, 1942; 1944-1947; 1949-1950; 1953-1956; 1959-1961; 1962-1963. Mr. Thors, who was a member of parliament from 1926 until his death, was leader of the Independence Party from 1934-1961. He led his last government with the Social Democrats.

Terrorism
The al-Fatah guerrillas of Yasser Arafat launched their first terrorist raid on Israel.

Sport
Donald Campbell of Great Britain reached an average speed of 276.33 miles per hour (444.71 kilometres per hour) in his speedboat Bluebird on Lake Dumbleyung in Perth, Western Australia, becoming the first man to break speed records on land and water in the same year. On July 17 he had broken the land speed record for wheel-powered vehicles at Lake Eyre salt flat in central Australia, driving his car Bluebird CN7 at a speed of 403.10 mph (648.72 km/h).

40 years ago
1974

Economics and finance
Private U.S. citizens were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years.

Baseball
The New York Yankees signed pitcher Catfish Hunter, who had been declared a free agent on December 15 because Oakland Athletics' owner Charlie Finley was ruled to have violated Mr. Hunter's contract by not making deferred payments as per the contract. Mr. Hunter signed for $3.75 million over five years, triple the salary of any other player. From 1971-1974 Mr. Hunter had posted a record of 88-35, and had been a major reason the Athletics had won the World Series in each of the past three seasons. In 1974 he had tied for the American League lead in wins with 25 and had led the AL with an earned run average of 2.49. With the signing of Mr. Hunter and the recent acquisition of outfielder Bobby Bonds from the San Francisco Giants in a trade for outfielder Bobby Murcer, New York owner George Steinbrenner wasn't alone in thinking that the Yankees were a good bet to win a pennant in 1975. Without Messrs. Hunter and Bonds, the Yankees had finished second in the AL Eastern Division in 1974, just 2 games behind the Batimore Orioles. The bidding war for Mr. Hunter's services gave other players an idea of what kind of salaries were possible for star players should free agency ever come about for players in general.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Like a Virgin--Madonna (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): ¿Cómo Pudiste Hacerme Esto a Mí?--Alaska y Dinarama (3rd week at #1)

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Escaping--Margaret Urlich (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli (5th week at #1)

Hockey
Winnipeg 3 Edmonton 2

NHL-U.S.S.R. (exhibition)
Super Series ‘90
Moscow Dynamo 7 @ Toronto 4 (exhibition)

See video.

Football
NFL
NFC Wild Card Playoff
Los Angeles Rams 21 @ Philadelphia 7



AFC Wild Card Playoff
Pittsburgh 26 @ Houston 23 (OT)



20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Zombie--The Cranberries (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Strange Love--Kina (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Kaña de España--J. Rapallo

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Cotton-Eyed Joe--Rednex (13th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Dromen zijn bedrog--Marco Borsato

#1 single in France (SNEP): Can You Feel the Love Tonight--Elton John (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): I Will Survive--Hermes House Band (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Stay Another Day--East 17 (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men
2 Here Comes the Hotstepper--Ini Kamoze
3 Another Night--Real McCoy
4 Creep--TLC
5 Always--Bon Jovi
6 I Wanna Be Down--Brandy
7 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men
8 Before I Let You Go--BLACKstreet
9 Tootsee Roll--69 Boyz
10 I'm the Only One--Melissa Etheridge

Singles entering the chart were Sympathy for the Devil by Guns N' Roses (#62); Get Down by Craig Mack (#73); Strong Enough by Sheryl Crow (#81); Don't Say Goodbye Girl by Tevin Campbell (#85); and I Apologize by Anita Baker (#87). Sympathy for the Devil was from the movie Interview with the Vampire (1994).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Cash Box): On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Woody Strode, 80. U.S. football player, wrestler, and actor. Mr. Strode was a decathlete and football player at the University of California at Los Angeles in the late 1930s. After serving in World War II, he played with the Los Angeles Rams in 1946 and the Calgary Stampeders from 1948-1950, making the Western Interprovincial Football Union All-Star team at end in each of his first two seasons in Calgary and playing a major role in the Stampeders' 1948 Grey Cup championship. Mr. Strode wrestled professionally from the 1940s until the early 1960s. He began acting in movies in the early 1940s in bit parts, and played major supporting roles in later years in movies such as The Ten Commandments (1956); Spartacus (1960); and The Professionals (1966). He was known for working with director John Ford in such films as Sergeant Rutledge (1960) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).

War
In a settlement negotiated primarily by Lieutenant General Sir Michael Rose, United Nations commander in Bosnia, the warring factions in Bosnia signed a cease-fire agreement effective January 1, 1995, under which they were to withdraw from the front line and allow UN peacekeepers to occupy the ground between them.

Russian forces launched a full air and ground attack on Grozny, capital of the rebel province of Chechnya. Although the presidential palace was in flames, Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev refused to surrender.

Oddities
This date was skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands changed time zones from UTC−11:00 to UTC+13:00 and UTC−10:00 to UTC+14:00, respectively.

Football
NFL
NFC Wild Card Playoff
Detroit 12 @ Green Bay 16

See video.

AFC Wild Card Playoff
Kansas City 17 @ Miami 27



10 years ago
2004

Died on this date
Gérard Debreu, 83. French-born U.S. economist and mathematician. Mr. Debreu was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences "for having incorporated new analytical methods into economic theory and for his rigorous reformulation of the theory of general equilibrium."

Asiatica
Taipei 101, which at 1,670 feet (509 metres) was then the tallest skyscraper in the world, officially opened.