January 31, 2015

150 years ago
1865

War
General Robert E. Lee became General-in-Chief of Confederate States forces.

Law
The United States House of Representatives passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, more than nine months after it had been passed by the Senate.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Thomas Merton. French-born U.S. Roman Catholic monk. Mr. Merton joined the Roman Catholic Church in 1938 and became a Trappist monk in 1941. He was a mystic who became increasingly interested in Eastern religions and promoting interfaith understanding. Mr. Merton's books included The Seven Storey Mountain (1948) and Seeds of Contemplation (1949). He was attending an interfaith conference in suburban Bangkok when he died suddenly, reportedly by accidental electrocution from a fan while stepping out of the bathtub, on December 10, 1968 at the age of 53.

Garry Moore. U.S. television personality. Mr. Moore, born Thomas Garrison Morfit III, worked in radio in the 1930s and '40s, but was best known as the host of several television programs, most notably the game shows I've Got a Secret (1952-1964) and To Tell the Truth (1969-1976). He hosted several versions of his own variety program, The Garry Moore Show, from 1950-1958; 1958-1964; and 1966-1967. The Garry Moore Show helped to launch the careers of performers such as Carol Burnett, Jonathan Winters, Alan King, and Don Adams. Mr. Moore died on November 28, 1993 at the age of 78.

War
Germany became the first nation to make large-scale use of poison gas in warfare in the Battle of Bolimów against Russia in Poland.

90 years ago
1925

Europeana
Albania declared itself a republic, with Ahmet Zogu as President.

75 years ago
1940

Defense
The first of 100 planes ordered from the United States arrived in the Australian capital of Canberra.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain asked the nations of the world to be tolerant of U.K. interference with their trade because of the war.

The United States Labor Department modified its deportation order against 68 Czech nationals working for the Bata Shoe Company, permitting them to stay in the U.S. until June 30, 1940.

Economics and finance
Japanese Foreign Minister Hachiro Arita said that his nation did not intend to block the legitimate trading rights of third parties in Asia.

The first U.S. social security cheque was issued to Ida Fuller for $22.54.

Disasters
A blizzard struck north-central Japan, causing 78 deaths.

Tennis
Australia announced that it would retain possession of the Davis Cup until competition was resumed.

70 years ago
1945

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Lili Marlene--Geraldo; Lale Andersen (1st month at #1)

Died on this date
Eddie Slovik, 24. U.S. soldier. Private Slovik was executed in France by firing squad for deserting his infantry unit in October 1944. It was the first such execution of an American soldier since the Civil War.

War
U.S. forces in Germany drove into the Monschau Forest and completed the capture of Rocherath, Andler, Schonberg, Amelscheid, Heuem, and Alzerath. Soviet troops captured Beyersdorf and were within 63 miles of Berlin. U.S. forces in the Philippines went ashore on the west coast of the province of Batangas, thus outflanking Manila to the south. The British 3rd Commando Brigade repulsed a Japanese counterattack on their positions and precipitated a general retirement from the Arakan Peninsula, ending the Battle of Hill 170 during the Burma Campaign.

Abominations
About 5,000 inmates from the Stutthof concentration camp in Poland were forcibly marched into the Baltic Sea at Palmnicken (now Yantarny, Russia) and machine-gunned to death by Nazis, six days after being evacuated from the camp.

Law
The United Nations War Crimes Commission elected Lord Wright of Australia as chairman.

Four days after U.S. Federal Judge Philip Sullivan ruled in Chicago that the U.S. Army's seizure of Montgomery Ward & Company properties in seven localities was illegal, the U.S. government took its case to the Circuit Court of Appeals.

Defense
The United States and Canada reached an agreement whereby Canada would not pay for defense facilities established in Canada that would not be removed at war's end.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that exports in 1943, including Lend-Lease, broke all records with a value of $14,065 billion.

Scandal
Five Brooklyn College basketball players--Robert Leder, Lawrence Pearlstein, Stanley Simon, Jerome Greene, and Bernard Barret--admitted accepting a $1,000 bribe to throw the game in Boston that night against the University of Akron.

60 years ago
1955

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



Died on this date
John R. Mott, 89. U.S. religious leader. Mr. Mott supported Protestant ecumenical missionary work, and especially supported efforts that promoted peace. He was a longtime leader of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). Mr. Mott shared the 1946 Nobel Peace Prize with Emily Balch, Honorary International President of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Mr. Mott was known for the slogan "The Evangelization of the World in this Generation."

Labour
Ford Motor Company workers in the Ontario cities of Windsor, Oakville, and Etobicoke began a 109-day strike.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Lovely Lady--John Hanlon (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Tränen Lügen Nicht--Michael Holm (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: I Can Help--Billy Swan

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

30 years ago
1985

Died on this date
Reginald Baker, 88. U.K. film producer. Mr. Baker and his brother Leslie founded Ealing Studios in 1930, which was a major studio, known especially for comedies, until 1959. His son Peter became a Conservative Member of Parliament, but was expelled for forgery, and Mr. Baker was a creditor for many of Peter's companies. Reginald Baker retired to Australia, where he died.

Music
The Beach Boys, with k.d. lang and the reclines as the opening act, performed at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton. This blogger was in attendance, and enjoyed the company of a lovely lady. I paid $15.75 for my ticket.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins (6th week at #1)

Politics and government
U.S. President George Bush delivered his annual State of the Union address to Congress. He proposed a ceiling of 225,000 on the number of U.S. and Soviet troops that could be deployed in Europe. Under his plan, no more than 195,000 could be deployed by each side in the central zone of Europe. At present, the U.S. had 300,000 troops in Europe and the U.S.S.R. had 565,000.



Popular culture
The first McDonald's restaurant in the U.S.S.R. was opened by George Cohon in Moscow's Pushkin Square.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had risen 0.8% in December 1989.

Hockey
NHL
Detroit 7 Edmonton 5

20 years ago
1995

Died on this date
George Abbott, 107. U.S. theatre producer, director, and playwright. Mr. Abbott was active on Broadway for more than 80 years, beginning in 1913 as an actor. As a playwright and director, his works included Broadway (1926); Three Men on a Horse (1935); The Pajama Game (1954); and Damn Yankees (1955). Mr. Abbott also produced and directed the movie versions of The Pajama Game (1957) and Damn Yankees (1958). He remained active to the end of his life.

George Stibitz, 90. U.S. physicist. Dr. Stibitz was a Bell Labs researcher in the 1930s and '40s who became known as one of the fathers of the modern digital computer.

John Smith, 63. U.S. actor. Mr. Smith, born Robert Errol Van Orden, starred in the Western television series Cimarron City (1958-1959) and Laramie (1959-1963). He died of cirrhosis of the liver and heart problems, likely brought on by heavy drinking.

Crime
The prosecution began presenting its case in the Los Angeles murder trial of former football star O.J. Simpson, charged with the June 12, 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Bill Clinton used his emergency powers to authorize a $20-billion loan to Mexico to stabilize its economy. The loan consisted of short-term loans and longer-term loan guarantees. As collateral, buyers of oil from the Mexican national oil company would deposit part of their payments into a U.S. Federal Reserve Bank fund. The U.S. also obtained pledges of support from the International Monetary Fund and the Bank for International Settlements. Canada, Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia were other donors, bringing the overall commitment to Mexico of $49.5 billion.