January 7, 2015

170 years ago
1845

Born on this date
Ludwig III. King of Bavaria, 1913-1918. Ludwig III, the son of Prince Regent Luitpold, was an Oberleutnant in the Army and a member of the Bavarian Senate before becoming regent upon the death of his father in 1912, while King Otto was regarded as mentally unfit to reign. A constitutional amendment passed a year later allowed a regent to depose the monarch if the regency had lasted for more than 10 years, with no hope of the monarch being able to reign. Prince Regent Ludwig promptly deposed King Otto and proclaimed himself King Ludwig III. He was loyal to Prussia during World War I, and became increasingly unpopular as the war went on. King Ludwig was dethroned on November 13, 1918, two days after the Armistice, and briefly fled to Hungary, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland out of fear and assassination, returning to Bavaria in 1920. He was at his castle in Hungary when he died on October 18, 1921 at the age of 76, but his body was returned to Bavaria for burial. King Ludwig's son Crown Prince Rupprecht declined to restore the monarchy by force.

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
Hudson Fysh. Australian aviator and aviation executive. Sir Hudson was a soldier and later a pilot during World War I. In 1920 he became one of the founders of the Australian airline Qantas. He eventually became the airline's managing director and chairman, retiring in 1966. Mr. Fysh died on April 6, 1974 at the age of 79.

90 years ago
1925

Hockey
NHL
Hamilton 2 @ Montreal Maroons 6

Punch Broadbent scored 5 goals for the Maroons in their victory over the Tigers. Vernon Forbes was the losing goalie.

80 years ago
1935

Diplomacy
Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval signed the Franco-Italian Agreement.

75 years ago
1940

Movies
The New York Film Critics Circle announced its awards for 1939: Best Picture--Wuthering Heights; Best Director--John Ford (Stagecoach); Best Actor--James Stewart (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington); Best Actress--Vivien Leigh (Gone with the Wind).

War
The Finnish 9th Division stopped and completely destroyed the overwhelming Soviet forces on the Raate-Suomussalmi road.

Diplomacy
The U.S.A. and Australia announced establishment of diplomatic relations on the ambassadorial level. Clarence Gauss was appointed U.S. Minister to Australia.

Reports from India indicated that efforts to solve the nation's Hindu-Muslim rift had broken down.

Politics and government
276 members of the Japanese Diet signed a declaration of non-confidence in the administration of Prime Minister Noboyuki Abe.

A Gallup Poll indicated that 60% of registered Republicans favoured New York Governor Thomas Dewey as their party's nominee for President of the United States in the November 1940 election.

Former Republican U.S. Congressman John O'Connor hinted that a third party, the Andrew Jackson Party, might be formed should Franklin D. Roosevelt seek an unprecedented third term as President of the United States in 1940.

Health
Drs. Raymond Pearl and Edwin Moffett of Johns Hopkins University reported that the length of a person's life was probably linked to the heartbeat rate.

70 years ago
1945

Died on this date
Thomas McGuire, Jr., 24. U.S. military officer. Major McGuire was a leading U.S. air ace of World War II, credited with 38 kills. He was killed in action on a fighter sweep over northern Negros Island in the central Philippines, when his plane stalled and crashed.

War
British General Bernard Montgomery held a press conference in which he claimed credit for Allied victory in the Battle of the Bulge. German forces opened a new counteroffensive against the U.S. 7th Army along the French-German border. German forces captured the key Danube River fortress city of Esztergom, 19 miles northwest of Budapest.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): The Finger Of Suspicion--Dickie Valentine with the Stargazers

At the movies
Bad Day at Black Rock, starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, and Anne Francis, opened in theatres.

Opera
Contralto Marian Anderson became the first Negro to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, in Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera.

Politics and government
The speech from the Throne and the opening ceremonies of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa were broadcast live on television (on CBC) for the first time.

Boxing
Floyd Patterson (19-1) scored a technical knockout of Willie Troy (30-3) at the end of the 5th round of a heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.



50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I Feel Fine--The Beatles (5th week at #1)

Music
The Beach Boys were at Western Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, where they recorded the song Please Let Me Wonder.

Diplomacy
Indonesian President Sukarno announced that his country was leaving the United Nations, "...since Malaysia has become a Security Council member."

Politics and government
Mwami (King) Mwambutsa IV of Burundi dismissed the government of Prime Minister Albin Nyamoya and called on former Prime Minister Pierre Ngendandumwe to form a new government.

Crime
British identical twins Ronald and Reginald Kray were arrested in connection with running a protection racket.

40 years ago
1975

War
North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces captured Phuoc Binh, the first South Vietnamese provincial capital to fall to the Communists since 1972.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Like a Virgin--Madonna (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): The Stardust Memory--Kyōko Koizumi (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Ghostbusters--Ray Parker, Jr.

Space
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched Sakigake, Japan's first interplanetary spacecraft and the first deep space probe to be launched by any country other than the U.S.A. or U.S.S.R.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Escaping--Margaret Urlich (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli (6th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 All Around the World--Lisa Stansfield
2 Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli
3 Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins
4 Listen to Your Heart--Roxette
5 Pump Up the Jam--Technotronic featuring Felly
6 The Road to Hell (Part 2)--Chris Rea
7 Lambada--Kaoma
8 Leave a Light On--Belinda Carlisle
9 That's What I Like--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
10 We Didn't Start the Fire--Billy Joel

Singles entering the chart were Leave a Light On; Street Tuff by Double Trouble & Rebel MC (#13); Steamy Windows by Tina Turner (#18); I Feel the Earth Move by Martika (#19); Bakerman by Laid Back (#22); Don't Know Much by Linda Ronstadt featuring Aaron Neville (#23); and Higher Ground by Jennifer Rush (#27).

Died on this date
Horace Stoneham, 86. U.S. baseball executive. Mr. Stoneham inherited the New York Giants from his father Charles in 1936, in time to see the team win National League pennants in each of his first two seasons as owner. The Giants were usually a pennant contender during Mr. Stoneham's four decades as owner, but won subsequent NL pennants only in 1951, 1954, and 1962, and a National League West Division pennant in 1971. Their only World Series win during the era came in 1954; just over three years later, Mr. Stoneham, faced with declining attendance and revenue, moved the Giants to San Francisco, at the same time that the rival Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Mr. Stoneham was one of the last major league owners for whom the baseball club was his only business, and when attendance declined in the mid-1970s, he sold the team prior to the 1976 season.

Bronko Nagurski, 81. Canadian-born U.S. football player and wrestler. Mr. Nagurski, a native of Rainy River, Ontario, moved with his family to International Falls, Minnesota at the age of 5. He played fullback and defensive tackle with the University of Minnesota from 1927-1929 and the Chicago Bears from 1930-1937, helping the Bears win National Football League championships in 1932 and 1933. Mr. Nagurski wrestled professionally in his off-seasons, holding the National Wrestling Association world heavyweight title from 1939-1940. In 1943, Mr. Nagurski came out of retirement to play tackle with the Bears; in the last quarter of the last game of the season, he was moved to fullback, and rushed 16 times for 84 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for another touchdown a week later as the Bears beat the Washington Redskins 41-21 to win the NFL championship in his final game. Mr. Nagurski was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1963 as a charter member; his son Bronko, Jr. was an offensive tackle with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League from 1959-1966.

Abominations
President Alfredo Cristiani of El Salvador said that the military had been involved in the murder of six Jesuit priests and two other people in San Salvador in November. The Jesuits had criticized human rights abuses by the government and had supported a negotiated settlement of the civil war with Communist guerrillas.

Protest
Thousands of Romanians demonstrated nationwide against the prominence of Communists in the provisional regime.

Italiana
The Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed to the public for the first time in its history amid safety fears.

Hockey
NHL
Calgary 3 Edmonton 1

Football
NFL
NFC Divisional Playoff
Los Angeles Rams 19 @ New York Giants 13 (OT)

Jim Everett's 30-yard touchdown pass to Willie "Flipper" Anderson in the 1st overtime period gave the Rams their win over the Giants before 76,325 fans at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

See video.

AFC Divisional Playoff
Pittsburgh 23 @ Denver 24

See video.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Zombie--The Cranberries (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Old Pop in an Oak--Rednex

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Dromen zijn bedrog--Marco Borsato (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Can You Feel the Love Tonight--Elton John (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): I Will Survive--Hermes House Band (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Stay Another Day--East 17 (5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men (2nd week at #1)
2 Creep--TLC
3 Here Comes the Hotstepper--Ini Kamoze
4 Another Night--Real McCoy
5 Always--Bon Jovi
6 I Wanna Be Down--Brandy
7 Before I Let You Go--BLACKstreet
8 Tootsee Roll--69 Boyz
9 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men
10 You Want This/'70s Love Groove--Janet Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Candy Rain by Soul for Real (#71); The Santa Claus Boogie by the Tractors (#91); and (She's Got) Skillz by All-4-One (#93).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Cash Box): On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Murray Rothbard, 68. U.S. economist. Dr. Rothbard was an economist of the Austrian School who was one of the leading figures of modern libertarianism. He coined the term "anarcho-capitalism" to describe his belief in ownership of private property owners to choose among private protection agencies in order to end the state's monopoly on the use of force.

Football
NFL
AFC Divisional Playoff
Cleveland 9 @ Pittsburgh 29

See video.

NFC Divisional Playoff
Chicago 15 @ San Francisco 44