January 24, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Diana Ganske!

180 years ago
1835

Protest
Slaves in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, staged a revolt, which was instrumental in ending slavery in that country 50 years later.

140 years ago
1875

Born on this date
Maynard Dixon. U.S. artist. Mr. Dixon was known for his paintings of the American West in the early decades of the 20th century, and paintings of social realism in the 1930s. He died on November 11, 1946 at the age of 71.

130 years ago
1885

Communications
The Canadian Pacific Railway telegraph reached Vancouver from Halifax, and was now operating in Canada from coast to coast.

120 years ago
1895

Died on this date
Randolph Churchill, 45. U.K. politician. Lord Randolph, a member of the Conservative Party, sat in the British House of Commons from 1874 until his death. He was a cabinet minister in the government of Prime Minister the Marquess of Salisbury, serving as Secretary of State for India from 1885-1886; Chancellor of the Exchequer from August-December 1886; and Leader of the House of Commons from 1886-1887. His life and career were shortened by a debilitating illness, popularly believed to be syphilis, an explanation that now seems unlikely. Lord Randolph was the father of future Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Robert Motherwell. U.S. artist. Mr. Motherwell was a member of the "New York School" of abstract expressionism. He died on July 16, 1991 at the age of 76.

75 years ago
1940

At the movies
The Grapes of Wrath, directed by John Ford, and starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, and John Carradine, received its premiere screening in New York City.



Diplomacy
The British Ministry of Economic Warfare said that about 17,000 of the 25,000 packages of mail coming from the U.S. to Europe that had been intercepted and examined by British authorities contained contraband.

Politics and government
United Mine Workers of America President John L. Lewis urged his followers not to endorse Franklin D. Roosevelt for a third term as President of the United States in 1940.

U.S. Senator Gerald Nye (Republican--North Dakota) was named to fill the vacancy on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that had been created by the death of James Borah (Republican--Idaho) on January 19.

Economics and finance
The January 1940 issue of the League of Nations bulletin pointed to an increase in world economic activity, owing primarily to the war situation.

70 years ago
1945

War
The May-Bailey bill providing "limited national service" for men aged 18-45 was approved and reported out by the U.S. House of Representatives Military Affairs Committee. U.K. forces took Weerd, Aandenberg, and Montfort in the Netherlands, and Heinsberg in Germany. U.S. forces captured Aldringen and Moderscheid. Soviet units took Oppein, Silesia and advanced to within 4 miles of Breslau.

Politics and government
U.S. President asked Labor Secretary Frances Perkins to remain in her post, quashing rumours that she would quit the cabinet.

Economics and finance
Outgoing U.S. Commerce Secretary Jesse Jones announced his support for the separation of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation from the Commerce Department because of Henry Wallace's "untried ideas and idealistic schemes." Mr. Jones had been asked by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to surrender his position to Mr. Wallace, who had served as Vice President of the United States from January 20, 1941-January 20, 1945. On January 22, 1945, Mr. Roosevelt nominated Mr. Wallace to succeed Mr. Jones.

60 years ago
1955

On television tonight
Sherlock Holmes, starring Ronald Howard and H. Marion Crawford
Tonight's episode: The Case of the Singing Violin



Died on this date
Ira Hayes, 32. U.S. Marine. Mr. Hayes, a Pima Indian, was one of six United States Marines who became famous in an iconic photograph for raising the American flag at the top of Mount Suribachi on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945, near the end of World War II. Mr. Hayes was never comfortable with his status as a celebrity, and became a heavy drinker. He was found dead near his home in Sacaton, Arizona, on the Gila River reservation; his death was ruled to be a combination of exposure and alcohol poisoning, although there were suspicions that an altercation he had been involvedin the previous night had contributed to his death.

Energy
The first Canadian nuclear power plant began operation at Des Joachims, Ontario.

50 years ago
1965

Died on this date
Winston Churchill, 90. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1940-1945; 1951-1955. Sir Winston's accomplishments as one of the most notable people of the 20th century are too great to be mentioned here. He died nine days after lapsing into unconsciousness after a stroke, and died 70 years to the day after the death of his father, Lord Randolph Churchill. Sir Winston had predicted years earlier that he would die on January 24; somehow, he managed it. For more, see The Churchill Centre.

Energy
India dedicated the Sharavati Hydroelectric Project at Jog, as the Linganamakki and Talakalale dams and Sharavati power station had been completed.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Lovely Lady--John Hanlon (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet--Bachman-Turner Overdrive

#1 single in Switzerland: I'm Leaving It (All) Up to You--Donny and Marie Osmond (12th week at #1)

Ottawa's Top 30 (CFGO)
1 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John (2nd week at #1)
2 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas
3 Mandy--Barry Manilow
4 Cat's in the Cradle--Harry Chapin
5 Angie Baby--Helen Reddy
6 You're the First, the Last, My Everything--Barry White
7 Never Can Say Goodbye--Gloria Gaynor
8 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters
9 Doctor's Orders--Carol Douglas
10 When Will I See You Again--The Three Degrees
11 Morning Side of the Mountain--Donny and Marie Osmond
12 Ride 'Em Cowboy--Paul Davis
13 Linda Put the Coffee On--Ray Materick
14 Bungle in the Jungle--Jethro Tull
15 Changes--David Bowie
16 Only You--Ringo Starr
17 Dancin' Fool--The Guess Who
18 One Man Woman/One Woman Man--Paul Anka with Odia Coates
19 Get Dancin'--Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes
20 If--Telly Savalas
21 Ramona--Stampeders
22 Boogie On Reggae Woman--Stevie Wonder
23 I Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Love--April Wine
24 (Make Me Do) Anything You Want--A Foot in Coldwater
25 Best of My Love--The Eagles
26 You're No Good--Linda Ronstadt
27 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
28 Black Water--The Doobie Brothers
29 Pick Up the Pieces--AWB
30 Lonely People--America

Died on this date
Larry Fine, 72. U.S. actor. Mr. Fine, born Louis Feinberg, was an aspiring violinist who became a member of the Three Stooges comedy team, appearing in over 200 films before being forced into retirement in 1970 by the first of a series of strokes that eventually killed him.

Law
Gary Thornton, 19, of Prince George, British Columbia, was awarded $1,534,058.93 in damages by the British Columbia Supreme Court as the result of becoming a quadriplegic in a gymnastics accident at Kelly Road Junior Secondary School in 1971. The Prince George School District was held liable for the injury, as was teacher David Edomura. Mr. Thornton was attempting a vault with a somersault, and was not being supervised. Mr. Edomura had his back turned to Mr. Thornton and was watching a floor hockey game at the time of the accident.

Baseball
The Kansas City Royals signed designated hitter and first baseman Harmon Killebrew, eight days after his release from the Minnesota Twins. In 21 seasons with the Washington Nationals and Senators--who moved to Minnesota in 1961--Mr. Killebrew played in 2,329 games, batting .258 with 559 home runs and 1,540 runs batted in. He was the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1969.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Madge Bellamy, 90. U.S. actress. Miss Bellamy, born Margaret Derden Philpott, starred in such movie as Love Never Dies (1921); Lorna Doone (1922); The Iron Horse (1924); and White Zombie (1932).

Space
Japan launched Hiten, the country's first lunar probe. It was the first robotic lunar probe since the U.S.S.R.'s Luna 24 in 1976, and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States.

Protest
The Romanian government outlawed unauthorized demonstrations.

Abominations
The Canadian federal government introduced its Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the House of Commons. The GST, which would replace the existing 13.5% manufacturing sales tax with a 9% tax on most goods and services, had been widely criticized since Finance Minister Michael Wilson had announced it as part of the previous year’s budget. Both the Liberal and New Democratic opposition parties vowed to fight the GST, which the governing Progressive Conservatives said would take effect on January 1, 1991.

20 years ago
1995

War
Russian forces in the rebel republic of Chechny renewed their attack within the capital city of Grozny, but the Chechens still held ground inside the city. The residents of Grozny had no water or electricity and only limited heat and food.

Politics and government
U.S. President Bill Clinton presented his annual State of the Union address to Congress, calling for a federal government that was smaller and more efficient, noting that he had eliminated hundreds of programs and cut 100,000 positions from the federal work force. He said that nearly 6 million jobs had been created since he had taken office two years earlier, and that the combined rate of unemployment and inflation was at a 25-year low. Mr. Clinton called for tax cuts to stimulate savings, backed an increase in the minimum wage, and renewed his support for health-care and welfare reform. He also vowed to thwart any attempt to repeal the ban on assault weapons that had been passed in 1994.



Crime
Deputy District Attorneys Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden delivered their opening statements in the Los Angeles murder trial of former U.S. football star O.J. Simpson, accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman on June 12, 1994.

Tennis
Pete Sampras defeated Jim Courier 6-7, 4-7, 6-7, 3-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in a 3-hour, 58-minute quarter-final match at the Australian Open.