January 5, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Laura-Belle Robinson and Nadia!

150 years ago
1865

Born on this date
Ban Johnson. U.S. baseball executive. Mr. Johnson became President of the minor Western League in 1893, and improved its financial position in succeeding years. In 1900, Mr. Johnson expanded the league into eastern cities and changed its name to the American League. The AL began competing as a major league in 1901, and raided National League teams of their players until a peace agreement between the leagues in 1903 resulted in the establishment of a three-man National Commission, with Mr. Johnson as the dominant figure. Mr. Johnson served as President of the American League until 1927, but was forced to resign after years of strained relations with Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis and owners of several AL clubs. Mr. Johnson died on March 28, 1931 at the age of 66; he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.

120 years ago
1895

Abominations
French Army Captain Alfred Dreyfus was stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.

90 years ago
1925

Politics and government
Nellie Tayloe Ross, a Democrat, took office as Governor of Wyoming, becoming the first woman to become Governor of a U.S. state. She had been elected on November 4, 1924 to fill the remainder of the term of her husband William Bradford Ross, who had died on October 2.



75 years ago
1940

War
The United Kingdom warned Norway that "illegal" use of Norwegian territorial waters by Germany to ship iron ore would make it necessary for the Royal Navy to enter Norwegian waters. The Swedish government demanded that the U.S.S.R. investigate the shelling of a Swedish steamer in the Gulf of Bothnia.

The China Affairs Board in Tokyo approved the peace proposals of Wang Ching-wei, who was scheduled to head the Japanese-sponsored Chinese government in Nanking.

Politics and government
Oliver Stanley succeeded Leslie Hore-Belisha as Secretary of State for War in the British cabinet of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

Defense
Sir Charles Burnett took charge of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Diplomacy
The U.S.A. and Canada agreed to discuss a possible accord on completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway project.

70 years ago
1945

War
U.S. and U.K. forces advanced another 1-3 miles against the northern German flank in Belgium.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. recognized the provisional government of Poland that had been set up under Soviet sponsorship.

Business
Montgomery Ward & Company filed court papers charging that the U.S. Army's seizure of company property was unconstitutional.

Science
The American Section of the Society of Chemical Industry awarded the Perkin Medal for applied chemistry to Dr. Elmer Bolton for his work with synthesis of neoprene, the first general purpose synthetic rubber.

Boxing
Former world welterweight champion Fritzie Zivic (142-44-6) won a controversial majority decision over Billy Arnold (26-1-1) at Madison Square Garden in New York.

50 years ago
1965

On television tonight
The Fugitive, starring David Janssen, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Brass Ring, with guest stars Angie Dickinson, Robert Duvall, and Phillip Pine

40 years ago
1975

Died on this date
Don Wilson, 29. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Wilson played with the Houston Astros from 1966-1974, compiling a record of 104-92 with an eared run average of 3.15. He pitched no-hitters in 1967 and 1969, with the first, at the Astrodome on June 18, 1967 against the Atlanta Braves, being the first no-hitter to be pitched indoors or on artificial turf. In 1974, Mr. Wilson was pitching another no-hitter after 8 innings, but the Astros were trailing the Cincinnati Reds 2-1, and Houston manager Preston Gomez lifted Mr. Wilson for a pinch hitter, and Tony Perez broke up the no-hitter with a single off relief pitcher Mike Cosgrove. Mr. Wilson pitched a 5-0 shutout against the Braves on September 28, 1974 in what turned out to be his last game, almost exactly eight years to the day after he had pitched 6 innings of relief to win his major league debut against the Reds. He was found in his garage, sitting dead in his car with the motor running, dead of carbon monoxide poisoning. The carbon monoxide spread to the adjoining house, killing Mr. Wilson's son, Alexander, 5. Mr. Wilson's 9-year-old daughter was in critical condition and in a coma and his wife had a broken jaw and was in fair condition. The official statement reported Mr. Wilson's death was accidental, although it was later said to be a suicide.

Jeff Wright, 22. U.S. skier. Mr. Wright, a member of the U.S. Nordic team, was killed in a practice jump at Brattleboro, Vermont. He was a junior at the University of Minnesota and a member of the Golden Gophers' soccer team. Mr. Wright was a former holder of the U.S. ski flying record of 476 feet.

Scandal
U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller was appointed to head an eight-member commission to investigate charges of illegal domestic spying by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Disasters
The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania was struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, killing 12 people.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)--Billy Ocean (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Careless Whisper--George Michael

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Do They Know it's Christmas?--Band Aid

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Do They Know it's Christmas?--Band Aid

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Do They Know it's Christmas?--Band Aid (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Do They Know it's Christmas?--Band Aid (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Like a Virgin--Madonna (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Cash Box) Like a Virgin--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Do They Know it's Christmas?--Band Aid
2 I Feel for You--Chaka Khan
3 Sea of Love--The Honeydrippers
4 Like a Virgin--Madonna
5 The Wild Boys--Duran Duran
6 I Just Called to Say I Love You--Stevie Wonder
7 Wake Me Up Before You Go Go--Wham!
8 Ti Amo--Laura Branigan
9 Valotte--Julian Lennon
10 We Belong--Pat Benatar

Singles entering the chart were Do They Know it's Christmas?; The Old Man Down the Road by John Fogerty (#75); The Heat is On by Glenn Frey (#91); and Call to the Heart by Giuffria (#95).

Died on this date
Robert Surtees, 78. U.S. cinematographer. Mr. Surtees was nominated for 16 Academy Awards, winning for King Solomon's Mines (1950); The Bad and the Beautiful (1952); and Ben-Hur (1959).

World events
Press leaks forced the Israeli government to admit that about 8,000 Ethiopians fleeing their famine-struck country had arrived in Israel. Operation Moses, which had been taking place in secret since November 21, 1984, was suspended when news of the covert airlift became public.

Hockey
NHL
Vancouver 4 @ Toronto 1

This match between two terrible teams may have been the worst NHL game ever televised (it gets my vote). It was the national Hockey Night in Canada telecast, and at the end Dave Hodge said "Thanks for watching" in a way that sounded as if he wondered why or if anyone still would be watching.

25 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Arthur Kennedy, 75. U.S. actor. Mr. Kennedy was a dependable supporting actor who usually played morally upright characters. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the supporting actor category for Champion (1949); Trial (1955); Peyton Place (1957); and Some Came Running (1958). Mr. Kennedy was nominated in the Best Actor category for one of his few starring roles, in Bright Victory (1951). He also enjoyed a fine career on Broadway, earning a Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) for Death of a Salesman (1949).

War
General Colin Powell, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that with Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega in custody, American troops could be withdrawn from Panama within a few weeks.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate had held steady in December at 5.3%.

Politics and government
Many parties had declared their intention to run candidates in Romanian elections scheduled for April. Today was the deadline that had been imposed by the government for declaring such intentions.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Super Gut--Mo-Do (3rd week at #1)

Law
The United States House of Representatives voted 429-0 in favour of a bill requiring both houses of Congress to abide by a number of civil rights and labour statutes that applied to other Americans.

10 years ago
2005

Space
Eris, the largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System, was discovered by the team of Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz using images originally taken on October 21, 2003, at the Palomar Observatory in California.