January 4, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Angela Ieriti, Agness Nyambe, and Aydee Ramirez!

190 years ago
1825

Died on this date
Ferdinand I, 73. King of the Two Sicilies, 1816-1825. Ferdinand I became King Ferdinand IV of Naples and King Ferdinand III of Sicily in 1759 when his father Charles VII of Naples/Charles V of Sicily abdicated his Neapolitan and Sicilian titles; King Ferdinand's minority ended in 1767. He was deposed briefly by the Parthenopaean Republic (1799-1800), and again by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1805. Ferdinand was restored in 1816 to the throne of the united Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, but was subservient to Austria until his death, eight days before his 74th birthday. He was succeeded by his on Francesco I.

150 years ago
1865

Economics and finance
The New York Stock Exchange opened its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street in New York City.

130 years ago
1885

Medicine
Dr. William W. Grant of Davenport, Iowa, performed what is thought to be the first appendectomy.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. U.S. publisher. Mr. Wheeler-Nicholson was a writer for pulp magazines who founded National Allied Publications and created the comic book New Fun in 1935, pioneering the publication of comic books that contained all original material rather than reprints of comic strips from newspapers. In 1937 NAP published the first issue of Detective Comics, which eventually became the new name of the company. Mr. Wheeler-Nicholson was soon forced out of his position with Detective Comics, Inc. because of financial difficulties, and returned to writing, spending his later years writing on military-related topics. He died in 1965 at the age of 75.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Meg Mundy! The U.S. actress was born in London and emigrated to the United States with her family at the age of 6. Miss Mundy is best known as an actress on stage and in television soap operas; she played a supporting role in the movie Ordinary People (1980).

80 years ago
1935

Boxing
Joe Louis (13-0) knocked down Patsy Perroni (41-8-2) three times on the way to a 10-round decision over Mr. Perroni in a heavyweight bout at Olympia Stadium in Detroit.

75 years ago
1940

Died on this date
Flora Finch, 72. U.K.-born U.S. actress. Miss Finch was born into a theatrical family in England and moved to the United States as a child. She worked in theatre and vaudeville, but made her mark in cinema, appearing in more than 300 silent films, including more than 200 with Vitagraph Studios. Miss Finch teamed up with John Bunny to star in 160 short comedy films from 1910-1915, and they became the first popular comedy team in movie history. Mr. Bunny died in 1915, and Miss Finch was never able to recapture her former popularity. She died of blood poisoning, after accidentally cutting her arm.

Diplomacy
British Ambassador to the United States Lord Lothian said in Chicago that a federation of European states must follow the war if peace were to be maintained.

Brazil protested French seizure of Brazilian mail addressed to Germany.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed James Cromwell as Minister to Canada; George Messersmith as Ambassador to Cuba; John Cudahy as Ambassador to Belgium; and Henry Norweb as Ambassador to Peru.

Politics and government
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated Solicitor General Robert H. Jackson to be Attorney General.

Law
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated Attorney General Frank Murphy as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to approve a budget of $8.424 billion for fiscal 1941 and to legislate $460 million in new taxes.

70 years ago
1945

War
U.S. forces gained up to 3 1/2 miles in their offensive against the northern German flank in Belgium.

Politics and government
It was reported from Athens that Greek Prime Minister General Nikolaos Plastiras had appealed to the leftist ELAS organization to lay down its arms, pledging that his government would eliminate their fear of dictatorship.

Religion
Right Reverend Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, Bishop of London, was named the 98th Archbishop of Canterbury.

Scandal
A mistrial was declared in the Los Angeles paternity case against movie comedian and director Charlie Chaplin.

Sport
Swimmer Ann Curtis was named winner of the James E. Sullivan Award as the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States for 1944.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): The House Of The Rising Sun--The Animals

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Feel Fine--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Goin' Out of My Head--Little Anthony and the Imperials
2 I Feel Fine--The Beatles
3 As Tears Go By--Marianne Faithfull
4 (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me--Sandie Shaw
5 Mr. Lonely--Bobby Vinton
6 Come See About Me--The Supremes
7 Anyway You Want It--Dave Clark Five
8 Dance, Dance, Dance--The Beach Boys
9 Amen--The Impressions
10 The Jerk--The Larks

Singles entering the chart were You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' by the Righteous Brothers (#34); All Day and All of the Night by the Kinks (#37); The Name Game by Shirley Ellis (#38); Dusty by the Rag Dolls (#39); and Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key) by Jay and the Americans (#40).

On television tonight
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Crimson Witness, starring Peter Lawford, Martha Hyer, Joanna Moore, Julie London, and Alan Baxter

Died on this date
T.S. Eliot, 76. U.S.-born U.K. poet, playwright, and author. Mr. Eliot, a native of St. Louis who moved to England at the age of 25, was known for poems such as The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915); The Waste Land (1922); and The Hollow Men (1925) and for plays such as Murder in the Cathedral (1935). He was awarded the 1948 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry."

Politics and government
The 89th United States Congress convened in Washington, with the Democratic Party holding majorities in both houses. U.S. President Lyndon Johnson delivered his State of the Union address to Congress, outlining his vision of a "Great Society" for the United States.

Journalism
The Montreal newspaper La Presse resumed publishing after a seven-month strike.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): E la vita, la vita--Cochi e Renato

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Lonely This Christmas--Mud (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Lonely This Christmas--Mud (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
2 You're the First, the Last, My Everything--Barry White
3 Mandy--Barry Manilow
4 Junior's Farm--Paul McCartney & Wings
5 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters
6 Only You--Ringo Starr
7 Laughter in the Rain--Neil Sedaka
8 Boogie On Reggae Woman--Stevie Wonder
9 Cat's in the Cradle--Harry Chapin
10 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas

Singles entering the chart were Christmas Dream by Perry Como (#91); Guava Jelly by Barbra Streisand (#94); Let Me Start Tonite by Lamont Dozier (#96); Future Shock by Hello People (#98); and Ms. Grace by the Tymes (#100).

#1 single in Canada (RPM): Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas (3rd week at #1)

Winnipeg's Top 30 (CFRW)
1 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas
2 When Will I See You Again--The Three Degrees
3 One Man Woman/One Woman Man--Paul Anka with Odia Coates
4 Junior's Farm--Paul McCartney & Wings
5 Angie Baby--Helen Reddy
6 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
7 Laughter in the Rain--Neil Sedaka
8 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters
9 My Melody of Love--Bobby Vinton
10 I Can Help--Billy Swan
11 Fairytale--The Pointer Sisters
12 Cat's in the Cradle--Harry Chapin
13 Only You--Ringo Starr
14 Fire, Baby I'm on Fire--Andy Kim
15 Back Home Again-John Denver
16 Ain't Too Proud to Beg--Rolling Stones
17 Bungle in the Jungle--Jethro Tull
18 So You are a Star--The Hudson Brothers
19 Morning Side of the Mountain--Donny and Marie Osmond
20 Mandy--Barry Manilow
21 Changes--David Bowie
22 Dream On--The Righteous Brothers
23 Dancin' Fool--The Guess Who
24 You're the First, the Last, My Everything--Barry White
25 You Beat Me to the Punch--Charity Brown
26 Longfellow Serenade--Neil Diamond
27 Never Can Say Goodbye--Gloria Gaynor
28 Ramona--Stampeders
29 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
30 Doctor's Orders--Carol Douglas

Winnipeg's Top 30 (CKRC)
1 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas
2 My Melody of Love--Bobby Vinton
3 Angie Baby--Helen Reddy
4 Cat's in the Cradle--Harry Chapin
5 Junior's Farm--Paul McCartney & Wings
6 I Can Help--Billy Swan
7 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
8 When Will I See You Again--The Three Degrees
9 Laughter in the Rain--Neil Sedaka
10 One Man Woman/One Woman Man--Paul Anka with Odia Coates
11 Fairytale--The Pointer Sisters
12 Longfellow Serenade--Neil Diamond
13 Morning Side of the Mountain--Donny and Marie Osmond
14 Sha La La (Make Me Happy)--Al Green
15 Bungle in the Jungle--Jethro Tull
16 Mandy--Barry Manilow
17 Crazy Talk--Chilliwack
18 Everlasting Love--Carl Carlton
19 Fire, Baby I'm on Fire--Andy Kim
20 Ramona--Stampeders
21 Dancin' Fool--The Guess Who
22 Six Feet Under Water--Hans Staymer Band
23 Ride 'Em Cowboy--Paul Davis
24 So You are a Star--The Hudson Brothers
25 Good Feeling (To Know)--Octavian
26 You're the First, the Last, My Everything--Barry White
27 Only You--Ringo Starr
28 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters
29 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
30 My Eyes Adored You--Frankie Valli

Calgary's Top 10
1 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas (2nd week at #1)
2 Angie Baby--Helen Reddy
3 I Can Help--Billy Swan
4 When Will I See You Again--The Three Degrees
5 Cat's in the Cradle--Harry Chapin
6 Wishing You were Here--Chicago
7 Longfellow Serenade--Neil Diamond
8 Junior's Farm--Paul McCartney & Wings
9 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
10 Crazy Talk--Chilliwack
Pick hit of the week: Rock 'N Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)--Terry Jacks

Died on this date
Bob Montana, 54. U.S. cartoonist. Mr. Montana created the Archie comic strip and comic book series in the early 1940s. He died of a heart attack while cross-country skiing near his home in Meredith, New Hampshire.

Hockey
NHL
Washington 0 @ Montreal 10
Chicago 3 @ Toronto 6
New York Rangers 5 @ New York Islanders 3
Boston 8 @ Minnesota 0

Guy Lafleur scored 3 goal and 2 assists for the Canadiens as they routed the Capitals at the Montreal Forum in the Hockey Night in Canada telecast. Bunny Larocque made 17 saves to get the shutout in goal.

Dave Keon scored 2 goals and an assist to help the Maple Leafs defeat the Black Hawks at Maple Leaf Gardens on the Hockey Night in Canada telecast.

Rick Middleton scored on a powerplay with 2:51 remaining in the game and Pete Stemkowski scored into an empty net with 15 seconds left as the Rangers scored 3 unanswered goals in the 3rd period to defeat the Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale.

Ken Hodge and Gregg Sheppard each scored 2 goals and an assist, Phil Esposito added a goal and 4 assists, and Bobby Orr scored 4 assists for the Bruins as they scored 5 powerplay goals and a shorthanded goal in their rout of the North Stars at Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington. Ken Broderick made 26 saves in goal to get his only National Hockey League shutout. The game was marred by an ugly incident at 15:54 of the 1st period when Boston forward Dave Forbes butt-ended Minnesota forward Henry Boucha near the eye. Mr. Boucha suffered a cracked bone near his eye and blurred vision, shortening his career. Mr. Forbes was assessed a match penalty for deliberate attempt to injure, and was later suspended for 10 games by NHL President Clarence Campbell. Mr. Forbes was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, and his trial resulted in a hung jury, deadlocked 9-3 in favour of conviction.



30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Do They Know it's Christmas?--Band Aid

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Forever Young--Alphaville (3rd week at #1)

Crime
Scotland Yard began investigating a surrogate mother in London following reports she was to receive £6,500 for her baby from a childless couple.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Ryyd-joulu--Bat & Ryyd (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Do They Know It's Christmas?--Band Aid II (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Harold Eugene Edgerton, 86. U.S. engineer. Dr. Edgerton, a professor of electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was credited with transforming the stroboscope from an obscure laboratory instrument into a common device. He was also involved with the development of sonar and deep-sea photography, devising equipment that was used by oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. Dr. Edgerton died of a heart attack while having lunch at the MIT Faculty Club.

Henry Bolte, 81. Australian politician. Sir Henry, a Liberal, represented Hampden in the Victorian Parliament from 1947-1972 and was Governor of Victoria from 1955-1972.

Chuck Stuart, 30. U.S. murder suspect. Mr. Stuart jumped to his death from a bridge in Boston Harbor after learning he had become the prime suspect in the murder of his wife. In October 1989, Mr. Stuart called from a phone in his car to report that his pregnant wife Carol had been shot and that he had been shot. The tapes of his pleas for help were played on radio and television stations, and attracted widespread sympathy. Mr. Stuart recovered from a serious wound but Carol died in hospital. Her baby, delivered prematurely, also died. Mr. Stuart said that a Negro man was their assailant; the Stuarts were white. On January 3, Mr. Stuart’s brother Matthew told investigators that he had driven to the neighbourhood where the shooting occurred and that Charles had given him his wife’s bag and a gun, which Matthew threw into the Pines River. Matthew said he had decided to come forward after his brother had identified a Negro man in a police lineup as resembling the gunman. Based on Matthew’s information, police divers recovered both the handbag and a .38 calibre revolver from the river. It was reported that Charles Stuart had taken out large insurance policies on his wife. Some Negro leaders objected to the intensity with which police had conducted investigations in Negro neighbourhoods when it was believed that a Negro was the culprit.

Abominations
A rebel radio broadcast in Sudan reported that a pro-government Arab militia had killed 2,000 Negro villagers at the end of December 1989. Reportedly, two members of the Shilok tribe killed their Muslim employer in a dispute, and local militiamen armed with machine guns then destroyed the entire village. Western diplomats and relief officials put the death toll at 300-1,500. The Muslim central government of Sudan was in a sustained war against Negro Christians and animists.

Disasters
A passenger train crashed into a stopped freight train in Sangi, Pakistan, killing 307 people and injuring 700 others.

Hockey
World Junior Championships
Final
Canada 2 Czechoslovakia 1

20 years ago
1995

Died on this date
Harry Gumbert, 85. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Gumbert played with the New York Giants (1935-1941); St. Louis Cardinals (1941-1944); Cincinnati Reds (1944, 1946-1949); and Pittsburgh Pirates (1949-1950), compiling a record of 143-113 with an earned run average of 3.68 and 46 saves in 508 games, batting .184 with 5 home runs and 45 runs batted in in 512 games. He led the National League in saves in 1948 (17), and played on four NL pennant-winning teams, including the 1942 World Series champions. Mr. Gumbert managed the Galveston White Caps of the Class B Gulf Coast League in 1951-1952, compiling a record of 151-157, while finishing his playing career with them in his first season.

War
Russian President Boris Yeltsin ordered an end to the bombing of the Chechen capital of Grozny, but reports of bombing continued.

Politics and government
The 104th United States Congress convened in Washington, the first time since 1953 that the Republican Party held a majority of seats in both houses. The Republicans had a majority in the Senate of 53-47, with Bob Dole of Kansas the Senate Majority Leader. In the House of Representatives, there were 230 Republicans, 204 Democrats, and 1 independent. Rep. Newt Gingrich (Republican--Georgia) was formally elected Speaker of the House. There were 11 new Senators--all Republicans--and 86 new members of the House, 73 of them Republicans.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Robert Heilbroner, 85. U.S. economist and historian. Dr. Heilbroner was best known for his book The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers (1953, and several revisions through 1999).

Bud Poile, 80. Canadian hockey player, coach, and executive. Mr. Poile played right wing for five NHL teams from 1942-1950, and was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup championship team of 1946-47. He finished his playing career in the minor leagues, joining the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League in 1952-53. Mr. Poile was a playing coach with the Flyers for two years before retiring, and continued to coach the team until 1962. Mr. Poile was named general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers when they joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1967, and named the Flyers after his former team in Edmonton. Mr. Poile was fired in December 1969, and named general manager of the Vancouver Canucks when they joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1970, serving there for three years. He later held executive positions with the World Hockey Association, Central Hockey League, and International Hockey League. Mr. Poile was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 1990.