January 13, 2015

200 years ago
1815

War
British troops captured Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, the only battle of the War of 1812 to take place in the state.

175 years ago
1840

Born on this date
Nicholas Flood Davin. U.K.-born Canadian politician and journalist. Mr. Davin, a native of Ireland, moved to Toronto in 1872 and wrote for The Globe before moving west, founding and editing the Regina Leader in 1883. A Conservative, he represented Assiniboia West in the Canadian House of Commons (1887-1900), advocating for provincial status for what eventually became Saskatchewan. In 1878 he was sent by the federal government to the United States to investigate education of Indians. He returned with praise for the American system of concentrating Indians on reservations and giving them industrial education, and in 1879 issued the Davin Report, recommending what became Canada's system of Indian residential schools. Mr. Davin never achieved his goal of becoming a cabinet minister; with his personal and political fortunes on the decline, he fatally shot himself in Winnipeg on October 18, 1901 at the age of 61.

Disasters
The steamship Lexington burned and sank four miles off the coast of Long Island, with the loss of 139 lives.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Jüri Uluots. Prime Minister of Estonia, 1939-1940; Prime Minister in the duties of the President, 1940-1945. Mr. Uluots, a lawyer and law professor by trade, sat in the Riigikogu (Parliament) from 1920-1926 and 1929-1932. He was Speaker of the Riigivolikogu (lower chamber) from 1938 until taking office as Prime Minister. When Soviet forces invaded and occupied Estonia in 1940 and deported President Konstantin Päts, Mr. Uluots assumed the office of Prime Minister in the duties of the President. He opposed both German and Soviet occupation of Estonia, and proclaimed a new government in September 1944. Soviet forces soon moved back in to occupy the country, and much of the government fled into exile in Stockholm. Mr. Uluots died on January 9, 1945, four days before his 55th birthday and shortly after his arrival in Stockholm, and was succeeded as Prime Minister in the duties of the President by August Rei.

Ballet
Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty was performed for the first time, at the Mariensky Theatre in St. Petersburg.

Boxing
Torpedo Billy Murphy (69-15-14-16) knocked out Ike Weir (17-1-6) in the 14th round at California Athletic Club in San Francisco to win the world featherweight title. When Mr. Murphy returned to New Zealand, he was deemed to have forfeited the title.

110 years ago
1905

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Dawson City Klondikers 2 @ Ottawa Silver Seven 9 (1st game of 2-game total goals series)

In order to challenge the champion Silver Seven for the Cup, the Klondikers travelled 125 miles by dog sled to Skagway, Alaska, took a boat to Seattle, went to Vancouver, and travelled across Canada by train. They held Ottawa star Frank McGee to 1 goal.

100 years ago
1915

Disasters
29,800 people were killed when an earthquake struck Avezzano, Italy.

80 years ago
1935

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Louis Hector and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Armchair Solution

Politics and government
A plebiscite in Saarland shows that 90.3% of those voting wished to join Nazi Germany.

75 years ago
1940

War
A Soviet spokesman claimed that Finnish troops were not near the Soviet border and that the Murmansk railroad was functioning normally. British planes scattered propaganda leaflets over Germany.

Diplomacy
British Member of Parliament Sir Stafford Cripps arrived in Chungking, China for a month-long stay to study the war situation.

Economics and finance
The Argentine government of President Roberto María Ortiz openly blamed the United States for causing the breakdown of recent trade negotiations by being unwilling to make concessions at the expense of American producers.

Society
U.S. Immigration Commissioner James Houghteling reported that the United States had admitted 82,998 immigrants during the fiscal year of 1939, the alrgest number since 1931.

Medicine
Harvard Medical School Professor Hans Zinsser announced the development of a method to mass produce a vaccine to combat European typhus.

70 years ago
1945

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Don't Fence Me In--Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters with Vic Schoen and his Orchestra (Best Seller--4th week at #1; Juke Box--5th week at #1)

War
In an effort to cut off the western German forces from Germany, U.S. troops opened a drive on the northern flank in Belgium. Soviet troops opened a winter offensive in south-central Poland under the command of Marshal Ivan Konev. U.S. forces on Luzon Island in the Philippines advanced another 20 miles against little opposition. Allied forces landed on the west coast of Burma, 32 miles below Akyab, getting behind Japanese forces retreating down the coast.

Society
U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle said that 5,000 Japanese-Americans in the Tule Lake, California relocation camp had applied for repatriation to Japan.

Labour
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the U.S. Army to seize the plants and facilities of Cleveland Illuminating Company to end a strike of 400 coal passers and maintenance men that had hampered war production in the area.

50 years ago
1965

Music
The Beach Boys were at Western Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, where they began recording the songs Good to My Baby and In the Back of My Mind, as well as the interview Bull Session with the "Big Daddy" with Earl Leaf, all of which appeared on the album The Beach Boys Today!

Diplomacy
Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato concluded two days of talks in Washington with U.S. President Lyndon Johnson.

Disasters
An avalanche killed 7 people at Ocean Falls, British Columbia.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): You're My World--Daryl Braithwaite (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Fuyu no Iro--Momoe Yamaguchi (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Todo El Tiempo Del Mundo--Manolo Otero (4th week at #1)

Politics and government
The National People's Congress in China began its first conference in 10 years.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in France (SNEP): Besoin de rien, envie de toi--Peter and Sloane (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Do They Know It's Christmas?--Band Aid (2nd week at #1)

On the radio
The Stories of Sherlock Holmes, starring Graham Armitage and Kerry Jordan, on Springbok Radio
Tonight's episode: A Friend in Need

Disasters
In Africa's worst railroad disaster, a passenger train plunged into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 people.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Love Shack--The B-52's (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Lambada--Kaoma (16th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): That's What I Like--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Hélène--Roch Voisine (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (CIN): Hangin' Tough--New Kids on the Block

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 All Around the World--Lisa Stansfield (2nd week at #1)
2 Homely Girl--UB40
3 Eleni--Cees Tol & Thomas Tol
4 Dançando Lambada--Kaoma
5 Lily was Here--David A. Stewart and featuring Candy Dulfer
6 Don't Know Much--Linda Ronstadt featuring Aaron Neville
7 Got to Get--Rob 'n' Raz featuring Leila K
8 Sit and Wait--Sydney Youngblood
9 Get a Life--Soul II Soul
10 Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins

Singles entering the chart were Inna City Mamma by Neneh Cherry (#24); In Private by Dusty Springfield (#26); Git on Up by Fast Eddie featuring Sundance (#29); When You Come Back to Me by Jason Donovan (#33); Volare by Gipsy Kings (#34); and The Wall Came Tumbling Down by Bolland & Bolland (#36).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins (5th week at #1)
2 Rhythm Nation--Janet Jackson
3 Pump Up the Jam--Technotronic featuring Felly
4 How am I Supposed to Live Without You--Michael Bolton
5 Don't Know Much--Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)
6 Everything--Jody Watley
7 This One's for the Children--New Kids on the Block
8 Just Like Jesse James--Cher
9 With Every Beat of My Heart--Taylor Dayne
10 Just Between You and Me--Lou Gramm

Singles entering the chart were I Go to Extremes by Billy Joel (#67); Sacrifice by Elton John (#87); All Nite by Entouch featuring Keith Sweat (#88); Timeless Love by Saraya (#91); and Figure of Eight by Paul McCartney (#92). Timeless Love was from the movie Shocker (1989).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Cash Box): Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins (5th week at #1)

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins (5th week at #1)
2 We Didn't Start the Fire--Billy Joel
3 Downtown Train--Rod Stewart
4 Blame it on the Rain--Milli Vanilli
5 With Every Beat of My Heart--Taylor Dayne
6 Don't Know Much--Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)
7 Just Between You and Me--Lou Gramm
8 Rhythm Nation--Janet Jackson
9 Just Like Jesse James--Cher
10 Angelia--Richard Marx

Singles entering the chart were Little Salvation by Luba (#80); Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul (Duet with the Wild Pair) (#82); Bring it All Back by Grayson Hugh (#85); Two to Make it Right by Seduction (#88); In the 21st Century by Men Without Hats (#91); and Here We Are by Gloria Estefan (#93).

Politics and government
Before ending his visit to Lithuania, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev expressed a willingness to accept a multiparty system in the U.S.S.R.

Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, became the first elected Negro to take office as Governor of a U.S. state as he took the oath of office in Richmond.

Crime
Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani announced that a colonel, two lieutenants, and five other soldiers had been arrested for the murders of six Jesuit priests and two others in San Salvador in November 1989.

In Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, youths went on a rampage through the Armenian section of town, and 30 people, mostly Armenians, were reported killed.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 6 Calgary 5

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Stay Another Day--East 17 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Love Me for a Reason--Boyzone (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
Italian President Oscar Scalfaro declined to call new elections, and asked Lamberto Dini to form a cabinet. Mr. Dini had served as treasury minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who had resigned on December 22, 1994.

War
The lower house of the Russian Parliament recommended that President Boris Yeltsin seek a political solution in Chechnya, where Russian troops were fighting those from the rebel province.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Earl Cameron, 89. Canadian broadcaster. Mr. Cameron, a native of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, was with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1944-1976, first on radio and then on television. He was anchorman of the CBC Television National News from 1959-1966, and later hosted Viewpoint, a five-minute program that appeared after the newscast.