January 23, 2015

220 years ago
1795

War
After an extraordinary charge across the frozen Zuiderzee River, the French cavalry captured 14 Dutch ships and 850 guns, in a rare occurrence of a battle between ships and cavalry.

210 years ago
1805

Died on this date
Václav Pichl, 63. Bohemian musician and composer. Mr. Pichl was a violinist in Vienna in the 1760s and '70s, and lived in Italy from 1777-1796 before returning to Vienna. He composed almost 400 works, including 89 symphonies, 40 concertos, 30 masses, and 20 operas. Mr. Pichl died after suffering a stroke while playing a violin concerto.

160 years ago
1855

Transportation
The first bridge over the Mississippi River opened in what is now Minneapolis, a crossing made today by the Hennepin Avenue Bridge.

Disasters
As many as 9 people were killed an earthquake measuring 8.1-8.3 on the Richter scale struck along the Wairarapa Fault in New Zealand, generating a tsunami.

120 years ago
1895

Technology
Romaine Callender, an inventor from Brantford, Ontario, demonstrated his automatic telephone in New York City.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Potter Stewart. U.S. judge. Mr. Stewart was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1954-1958 before being appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States by President Dwight Eisenhower. He served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court from 1958-1981. Justice Stewart was known for his moderate opinions, and was best known for his statement in the case of Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964): "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description ["hard-core pornography"], and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that." Justice Potter later recanted this view. He died on December 7, 1985 at the age of 70.

Arthur Lewis. Saint Lucian economist. Sir Arthur shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Theodore Schultz "for their pioneering research into economic development research with particular consideration of the problems of developing countries." Sir Arthur died on June 15, 1991 at the age of 76.

80 years ago
1935

Weather
The thermometer at Iroquois Falls hit -76 F. (-60 C.), the lowest temperature ever recorded in Ontario.

75 years ago
1940

War
Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek accused Japan of planning the conquest of Malaya and the Philippines.

Diplomacy
A conference opened at Tsingtao, China between Wang Ching-wei--projected leader of the Japanese-sponsored government in central China--and Japanese representatives.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed a three-man interdepartmental commission chaired by Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau to coordinate the purchase of military supplies in the United States by foreign nations.

Politics and government
Ignace Jan Paderewski was chosen President of the Polish National Council-in-exile in Paris.

Joseph E. Davies resigned as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium to become a special assistant to U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull.

Economics and finance
A British-French purchasing board was created with headquarters in New York City.

70 years ago
1945

War
U.S. troops captured St. Vith, Belgium as the German salient in the Ardennes was compressed to a 5-mile strip. German Admiral Karl Dönitz launched Operation Hannibal, the evacuation by sea of German troops from Courland, East Prussia, and the Polish Corridor. Soviet unites reached the Oder River in Silesia along a 37-mile front in the vicinity of Breslau. The capture of Tost and Bischofstal to the south cut off the Silesian coal basin.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt secretly left Newport News, Virginia aboard the USS Quincy to attend the Yalta Conference in Crimea with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Guatemala severed diplomatic relations with Spain on the ground that the Spanish Falange was a threat to the Americas.

60 years ago
1955

Disasters
17 people were killed and 43 injured when an express train travelling from York to Bristol, England derailed and overturned at Sutton Coldfield station.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I Feel Fine/She's a Woman--The Beatles (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Sacré Charlemagne--France Gall (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Non son degno di te--Gianni Morandi (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Pretty Woman--Roy Orbison (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): I Feel Fine--The Beatles (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Go Now!--The Moody Blues

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Downtown--Petula Clark

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Downtown--Petula Clark
2 Love Potion No. 9--The Searchers
3 You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'--The Righteous Brothers
4 I Feel Fine--The Beatles
5 Come See About Me--The Supremes
6 The Name Game--Shirley Ellis
7 Hold What You've Got--Joe Tex
8 Mr. Lonely--Bobby Vinton
9 Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow the Sun)--Del Shannon
10 How Sweet it Is (To Be Loved by You)--Marvin Gaye

Singles entering the chart were Bye, Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye) by the 4 Seasons (#59); For Lovin' Me by Peter, Paul and Mary (#81); I've Got a Tiger by the Tail by Buck Owens (#82); Red Roses for a Blue Lady by Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra (#84); Married Man by Richard Burton (#88); My Heart Would Know by Al Martino (#89); Break Away (From That Boy) by the Newbeats (#90); I Love You Baby by Dottie and Ray (#92); I Wanna Be (Your Everything) by the Manhattans (#94); I Want My Baby Back by Jimmy Cross (#97); and The Birds and the Bees by Jewel Akens (#98).

Vancouver's Top 50 (CFUN)
1 You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'--The Righteous Brothers (2nd week at #1)
2 Downtown--Petula Clark
3 All Day and All of the Night--The Kinks
4 Come See About Me--The Supremes
5 I Feel Fine/She's a Woman--The Beatles
6 Love Potion No. 9--The Searchers
7 I'll Be There--Gerry and the Pacemakers
8 The "In" Crowd--Dobie Gray
9 The Name Game--Shirley Ellis
10 Give Him a Great Big Kiss--The Shangri-Las
11 Boom Boom--The Animals
12 Big Brother--Dickey Lee
13 No Arms Can Ever Hold You--The Bachelors
14 Look of Love--Lesley Gore
15 Break Away (From That Boy)--The Newbeats
16 Willow Weep for Me--Chad & Jeremy
17 You'll Always Be the One I Love/You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You--Dean Martin
18 Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)--Jay and the Americans
19 Heart of Stone--The Rolling Stones
20 Laugh, Laugh--The Beau Brummels
21 Shaggy Dog--Mickey Lee Lane
22 Is it Because--The Honeycombs
23 Promised Land--Chuck Berry
24 I Go to Pieces--Peter and Gordon
25 Tell Her No--The Zombies
26 Mr. Lonely--Bobby Vinton
27 Lovin' Place--Gale Garnett
28 Amen--The Impressions
29 Goin' Out of My Head--Little Anthony and the Imperials
30 Bucket "T"--Ronny and the Daytonas
31 This Diamond Ring--Gary Lewis and the Playboys
32 Have You Looked Into Your Heart--Jerry Vale
33 Shakin' All Over--Chad Allan and the Expressions (Guess Who?)
34 Smile--Betty Everett & Jerry Butler
35 Hey-Da-Da-Da-Dow--The Dolphins
36 Somewhere--P.J. Proby
37 Hold What You've Got--Joe Tex
38 That Weepin' Willow Tree--Ray Griff
39 Bye, Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye)--The 4 Seasons
40 Do-Wacka-Do--Roger Miller
41 Come On Do the Jerk--The Miracles
42 It's About Time--Bobby Curtola
43 Wild One--Martha and the Vandellas
44 Saturday Night at the Movies--The Drifters
45 Anyway You Want It--Dave Clark Five
46 The Crying Game--Brenda Lee
47 Leave Me Be--The Zombies
48 Say it Again--Terry Black
49 Don't Forget I Still Love You--Bobbi Martin
50 Shake/A Change is Gonna Come--Sam Cooke
Pick hits of the week: 1 What Have They Done to the Rain--The Searchers
2 It's Gotta Last Forever--Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas

Protest
Students of conscription age and Buddhists in South Vietnam began demonstrating against the government of Prime Minister Tran Van Huong.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Streets Of London--Ralph McTell (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Clarence "Heinie" Mueller, 75. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Mueller was an outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals (1920-1926); New York Giants (1926-1927); Boston Braves (1928-1929); and St. Louis Browns (1935), batting .282 with 22 home runs and 272 runs batted in in 693 games. He was known for his mental mistakes while running the bases.

Crime
The two-day siege at the Thamesford, Ontario home of Mr. and Mrs. George Field ended peacefully with the release of Robert, 12, the oldest of four children who had been taken hostage by escaped convict and former neighbour Donald Cline, 22, who was accompanied by his girlfriend Gail Guest. Three younger children, aged 4-11, had been released the day before. Mr. and Mrs. Field were outside the house in the company of police.

Economics and finance
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau ended the policy of extending tax breaks to Canadian companies advertising in Canadian editions of foreign magazines.

Hockey
WHA
The Michigan Stags, fifth and last in the West Division with a record of 13-27-3, officially moved to Baltimore, to be known as the Baltimore Blades. The team played as the Los Angeles Sharks from 1972-1974, then moved to Michigan, where they played their home games at Cobo Arena in Detroit before sparse crowds.

AHL
The Baltimore Clippers, in their 13th season in the American Hockey League, disbanded upon the arrival of the former Michigan Stags of the World Association. After 46 games of the 1974-75 season their record was 14-22-10. The Blades wore the Clippers' uniforms, replacing the Clippers' logo with the Blades' logo.

Football
NFL
Paul Wiggin, who had spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers, was named as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. Mr. Wiggin had been a defensive end with the Cleveland Browns from 1957-1967. He was just the second coach in the history of the Chiefs; the first, Hank Stram, had been fired on December 27, 1974, after the Chiefs had posted a 5-9 record in 1974, the worst in the 15-year history of the team.

Baseball
Ralph Kiner, who hit 369 home runs in a 10-year major league career as an outfielder from 1946-1955, was the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Mr. Kiner received 273 of 362 votes cast, just 1 over the minimum of 75% necessary for election. Former Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher Robin Roberts was next with 263 votes, followed by former Cleveland Indians' pitcher Bob Lemon with 233. Mr. Kiner, who played most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, led or tied for the National League lead in home runs in each of his first seven seasons.

25 years ago
1990

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Powers That Be

Died on this date
Allen Collins, 37. U.S. musician. Mr. Collins was a guitarist with the rock groups Lynyrd Skynyrd in the 1970s and the Rossington-Collins Band in the 1980s. He was paralyzed from the waist down in a 1986 car accident that took the life of his girlfriend and resulted in a charge of vehicular manslaughter against Mr. Collins. He died from chronic pneumonia, a result of the paralysis.

War
Three days after Soviet forces had invaded the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, the death toll stood at 93.

Hockey
NHL
New York Rangers 4 Edmonton 3

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: All I Need is Love--Indiana (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Dancing with Tears in My Eyes--Cabballero

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Cotton Eye Joe--Rednex (16th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Tears Don't Lie--Mark 'Oh (2nd week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men (3rd week at #1)
2 Insensitive--Jann Arden
3 You Don't Know How it Feels--Tom Petty
4 Take a Bow--Madonna
5 Bang and Blame--R.E.M.
6 Newborn Friend--Seal
7 Always--Bon Jovi
8 The Sweetest Days--Vanessa Williams
9 House of Love--Amy Grant and Vince Gill
10 Greasy Jungle--The Tragically Hip

Singles entering the chart were The Man Who Sold the World by Nirvana (#64); The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead by Crash Test Dummies (#68); Gel by Collective Soul (#72); Bridge by Queensryche (#73); Let Her Cry by Hootie & the Blowfish (#75); Love Spreads by the Stone Roses (#85); O Siem by Susan Aglukark (#90); Practice What You Preach by Barry White (#91); Lost for Words by Pink Floyd (#92); Learn to Be Still by the Eagles (#93); Don't Tell Me by Van Halen (#94); and As I Lay Me Down by Sophie B. Hawkins (#96). The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead was from the movie Dumb and Dumber (1994). Gel was from the movie The Jerky Boys (1995).

Music
This blogger attended an enjoyable concert by Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Myer Horowitz Theatre in Edmonton.

Diplomacy
Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau began a visit to France, marking the resumption of alternating visits between the Premier of Quebec and Prime Minister of France.

Scandal
Canadian Defence Minister David Collenette disbanded the Canadian Airborne Regiment after some of its soldiers were found to be involved in the death of a Somali youth during a United Nations mission, and revelations of illegal hazing rituals.

Crime
The Ontario Court of Appeal acquitted Guy-Paul Morin of the 1984 sex-slaying of his nine-year-old neighbour Christine Jessop of Queensville, Ontario. The ruling was made on the basis of new DNA evidence.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Johnny Carson, 79. U.S. television personality. Mr. Carson was a comedian and magician who hosted numerous television programs in the 1950s and early '60s before becoming famous as host of the late-night talk show Tonight on NBC from 1962-1992.

Football
NFL
NFC Championship
Atlanta 10 @ Philadelphia 27

AFC Championship
New England 41 @ Pittsburgh 27