February 15, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Arlene Carlstrom!

1,425 years ago
590

Asiatica
Khosrau II was crowned king of Persia.

870 years ago
1445

Died on this date
Lucius II, 65. Roman Catholic Pope, 1144-1145. Lucius II, born Gherardo Caccianemici dal Orso, became a cardinal in 1124, and succeeded Celestine II as pope. Much of his reign consisted of dealing with the Roman Commune, an attempt by Senators to erect a revolutionary republic. Pope Lucius II marched against the Senatorial positions on the Capitol with a small army, but was driven back and seriously injured when hit a thrown rock, and didn't recover. He was succeeded as pope by Eugene III.

325 years ago
1690

War
Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire signed a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire.

180 years ago
1835

Law
The first constitutional law in modern Serbia was adopted.

160 years ago
1855

Born on this date
Frank Harris. U.K.-born U.S. writer. Mr. Harris, a native of Ireland, he emigrated to the United States as a young man. He was a journalist and author of novels and short stories, but was best known for his four-volume autobiography My Life and Loves (1922-1927), which was banned in many countries, including the United States, for many years because of its explicit depictions of sexual activity. He died in Nice of a heart attack on August 27, 1931 at the age of 76.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Robert Ley. German politician. Dr. Ley, a food chemist, joined the Nazi Party in the mid-1920s. He was head of the Deutsche Arbeitsfront (German Labour Front) from 1933-1945, and committed suicide on October 25, 1945 at the age of 55, hanging himself in his prison cell in Nuremberg three days after being indicted for war crimes.

110 years ago
1905

Died on this date
Lew Wallace, 77. U.S. military officer, politician, and author. Major General Wallace served with the United States Army in the Mexican-American War and with the Union Army in the U.S. Civil War. He served as Governor of New Mexico Territory (1878-1881) and as U.S. Minister to the Ottoman Empire (1881-1885). Mr. Wallace is best known today as the author of the historical novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880).

90 years ago
1925

At the movies
The Midnight Girl, co-written and directed by Wilfred Noy, and starring Lila Lee, Gareth Hughes, and Bela Lugosi, opened in theatres.



80 years ago
1935

At the movies
Shadow of Doubt, directed by George B. Seitz, and starring Ricardo Cortez, Virginia Bruce, and Constance Collier, opened in theatres.



75 years ago
1940

War
Soviet forces in Finland were reportedly within 15 miles of Viborg. The United Kingdom offered to convey all neutral vessels regardless of destination. China claimed, and Japan admitted, the retreat of Japanese troops in the Chinese province of Kwangsi and Inner Mongolia.

World events
Brazil ordered the German merchant ship Koenigsberg to return to Paraguay or sail outside territorial waters.

Politics and government
Petitions to put U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's name in nomination for the Democratic presidential nomination again in 1940 were filed in Nebraska and Oregon. U.S. Vice President John Nance "Cactus Jack" Garner appointed a five-man committee headed by U.S. Senator Guy Gillette (Democrat--Iowa) to police the Democratic Party presidential primaries.

Olympics
Despite advances of Soviet troops along the Finnish border, the International Olympic Committee continued to plan for the 1940 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki.

70 years ago
1945

Died on this date
Helmut Möckel, 35. German activist. Mr. Möckel joined the Nazi Party in 1930 and was a leader in the Hitler Youth organization. He was reporedly killed in a car accident in Darmstadt, but there were unsubstantiated rumours that he faked his death and fled to Spain.

War
Soviet troops crossed from Silesia into Brandenburg to threaten Berlin from the south and drive a wedge between Berlin and Dresden. U.S. troops in the Philippines landed at several places around Mariveles Bay on the southern side of Bataan, 7 miles from Corregidor. The government of China announced plans to draft 500,000 men into its army.

Diplomacy
The United States government reported that United Nations membership had reached 40 nations with the addition of Peru, Paraguay, Chile, and Ecuador.

Politics and government
Alfred Aleman, President of the Panamanian National Assembly-in-exile at Curundu in the Canal Zone, swore in Jeptha Duncan as President of Panama. Mr. Duncan said that he was designated First Vice President by the Assembly and that he was now the legal successor to President Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia under the 1941 Constitution. Mr. Duncan also named a cabinet.

Economics and finance
Bills were introduced in both houses of the United States Congress seeking approval of the Bretton Woods financial and monetary agreements.

The United States Treasury Department announced that the Baltic zone was no longer under German control and thus would not be considered "enemy territory," thus ending bans on business and communications in that area.

Scandal
New Jersey Attorney General Walter Van Riper was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in Trenton on black market charges involving gasoline.

Medicine
Lederle Laboratories in New York announced that Dr. Raymond Libby of the American Cyanamid Company had developed a method for orally administering penicillin. The medicine was suspended in cottonseed oil and placed in a gelatin capsule for consumption.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La Yenka--Johnny & Charley

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Hucklebuck--Brendan Bowyer (5th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 The Jolly Green Giant--The Kingsmen
2 Laugh, Laugh--The Beau Brummels
3 It's Alright--Adam Faith
4 I Understand--Freddie and the Dreamers
5 When a Teenager Cries--Reparata and the Delrons
6 The Boy from New York City--The Ad Libs
7 Little Things--Bobby Goldsboro
8 For Lovin' Me--Peter, Paul and Mary
9 My Girl--The Temptations
10 Bye, Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye)--The 4 Seasons

Singles entering the chart were Can't You Hear My Heartbeat by Herman's Hermits (#14); Goldfinger by John Barry and his Orchestra (#25); King of the Road by Roger Miller (#27); Think About Me by Pat Hervey (#31); At the Club by the Drifters (#32); Twine Time by Alvin Cash and the Crawlers (#36); Diana by Bobby Rydell (#37); What Have They Done to the Rain by the Searchers (#38); Ferry Cross the Mersey by Gerry & the Pacemakers (#39); and Don't Say Goodbye by the Townsmen (#40).

On television tonight
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on NBC
Tonight's episode: An Unlocked Window, starring Dana Wynter, T.C. Jones, Louise Latham, and John Kerr

At the movies
The Greatest Story Ever Told, directed by George Stevens and starring Max von Sydow and many others, received its premiere screening at the Warner Cinerama Theatre in New York City.



Died on this date
Nat King Cole, 45. U.S. musician. Mr. Cole, born Nat Coles, was a renowned jazz pianist before achieving fame as a singer. He was one of the most popular performers in the United States and internationally from the mid-1940s until his death from lung cancer. The list of Mr. Cole's hits is too lengthy to mention here.

Music
The singles Do You Wanna Dance?/Please Let Me Wonder by the Beach Boys and Eight Days a Week/I Don't Want to Spoil the Party by the Beatles were released in North America on Capitol Records.

The Beatles were at EMI Studios in London, where they recorded the song Ticket to Ride and began recording the songs I Need You and Another Girl.

Abominations
The maple leaf officially became the flag of Canada, replacing the Canadian Red Ensign.

World events
Indonesia seized the United States Information Service library in Djakarta, the third since August 1964.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Un corpo e un'anima--Wess & Dori Ghezzi (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir (Lady Marmalade)--Labelle (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: January--Pilot (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): You're No Good--Linda Ronstadt

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 You're No Good--Linda Ronstadt
2 Fire--Ohio Players
3 Pick Up the Pieces--Average White Band
4 Best of My Love--The Eagles
5 Black Water--The Doobie Brothers
6 Boogie On Reggae Woman--Stevie Wonder
7 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
8 My Eyes Adored You--Frankie Valli
9 Have You Never Been Mellow--Olivia Newton-John
10 Get Dancin'--Diso Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes

Singles entering the chart were Harry Truman by Chicago (#82); Love Finds its Own Way by Gladys Knight and the Pips (#83); Killer Queen by Queen (#93); Turn to Stone by Joe Walsh (#94); Givin' it All Up by J. Geils Band (#95); I'll Be Holding On by Big Al Downing (#97); I Just Can't Say Goodbye by Philly Devotions (#98); Before the Next Teardrop Falls by Freddy Fender (#99); and Linda on My Mind by Conway Twitty (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Doctor's Orders--Carol Douglas
2 Mandy--Barry Manilow
3 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters
4 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
5 Bungle in the Jungle--Jethro Tull
6 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
7 Never Can Say Goodbye--Gloria Gaynor
8 Morning Side of the Mountain--Donny and Marie Osmond
9 Boogie On Reggae Woman--Stevie Wonder
10 Crazy Talk--Chilliwack

Singles entering the chart were Express by B.T. Express (#95); I Fought the Law by Sam Neely (#96); Let the Phone Ring by Jim Mancel (#97); Please Mr. President by Paula Webb (#98); and Powerful People by Gino Vannelli (#99).

Winnipeg's Top 30 (CFRW)
1 Changes--David Bowie
2 Mandy--Barry Manilow
3 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
4 Dream On--The Righteous Brothers
5 Bungle in the Jungle--Jethro Tull
6 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters
7 Morning Side of the Mountain--Donny and Marie Osmond
8 You're No Good--Linda Ronstadt
9 Boogie On Reggae Woman--Stevie Wonder
10 You're the First, the Last, My Everything--Barry White
11 Black Water--The Doobie Brothers
12 Lonely People--America
13 Never Can Say Goodbye--Gloria Gaynor
14 Have You Never Been Mellow--Olivia Newton-John
15 Doctor's Orders--Carol Douglas
16 Roll on Down the Highway--Bachman-Turner Overdrive
17 Junior's Farm--Paul McCartney & Wings
18 Get Dancin'--Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes
19 Lady--Styx
20 Best of My Love--The Eagles
21 Only You--Ringo Starr
22 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
23 Pick Up the Pieces--AWB
24 You Beat Me to the Punch--Charity Brown
25 California Jam--Klaatu
26 Mother Earth--Ian Thomas
27 My Eyes Adored You--Frankie Valli
28 Sally G--Paul McCartney & Wings
29 She's My Lady--Jayson Hoover
30 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas

Winnipeg's Top 30 (CKRC)
1 Mandy--Barry Manilow (5th week at #1)
2 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters
3 Morning Side of the Mountain--Donny and Marie Osmond
4 Bungle in the Jungle--Jethro Tull
5 Never Can Say Goodbye--Gloria Gaynor
6 My Eyes Adored You--Frankie Valli
7 Roll on Down the Highway--Bachman-Turner Overdrive
8 You Beat Me to the Punch--Charity Brown
9 Black Water--The Doobie Brothers
10 Best of My Love--The Eagles
11 You're No Good--Linda Ronstadt
12 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
13 Doctor's Orders--Carol Douglas
14 Changes--David Bowie
15 Boogie On Reggae Woman--Stevie Wonder
16 Lady--Styx
17 Have You Never Been Mellow--Olivia Newton-John
18 Lady Marmalade--LaBelle
19 Pick Up the Pieces--AWB
20 Sweet Surrender--John Denver
21 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
22 Lady Ellen--James Leroy
23 Mother Earth--Ian Thomas
24 Fire--Ohip Players
25 You're the First, the Last, My Everything--Barry White
26 (Make Me Do) Anything You Want--A Foot in Coldwater
27 Don't Call Us, We'll Call You--Sugarloaf/Jerry Corbetta
28 Can You Give it All to Me--Myles and Lenny
29 Poetry Man--Phoebe Snow
30 Powerful People--Gino Vannelli

Calgary's Top 10
1 Mandy--Barry Manilow
2 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters
3 Ride 'Em Cowboy--Paul Davis
4 Best of My Love--The Eagles
5 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
6 Bungle in the Jungle--Jethro Tull
7 Sally G--Paul McCartney & Wings
8 If--Telly Savalas
9 You're No Good--Linda Ronstadt
10 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas
Pick hit of the week: Black Water--The Doobie Brothers

Track and field
Francie Larrieu of the United States set a world record for women in the mile, running the distance in 4 minutes 29 seconds in San Diego. Just 24 hours earlier, Miss Larrieu had set a world record in the women's 1,500-metre run at a meet in Toronto--3,500 miles away.

Hockey
NHL
Chicago 3 @ Montreal 12

Yvan Cournoyer scored 5 goals to lead the Canadiens in their rout of the Black Hawks at the Montreal Forum in the national Hockey Night in Canada telecast.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Shout--Tears for Fears (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): I Want To Know What Love Is--Foreigner (4th week at #1)

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Get Up! (Before the Night is Over)--Technotronic (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (4th week at #1)

At the movies
Das schreckliche Mädchen (The Nasty Girl) , directed by Michael Verhoeven, and starring Lena Stolze, opened in theatres in West Germany.



World events
Government and Communist Party leaders in the Soviet republic of Tajikistan resigned after 18 people had been killed in rioting.

Diplomacy
The presidents of the United States, Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru signed an accord in Cartagena, Colombia to work together in the fight against illegal drug traffic. The presidents agreed to the need for encouraging trade and investment in the three South American countries. The presidents also recognized that reducing demand in the U.S.A. was as important as reducing supply. The meeting was held under tight security. U.S. President George Bush had been under some pressure not to attend because of the danger of violence from drug traffickers.

Eight years after fighting a war over the Falkland Islands, Argentina and Great Britain restored diplomatic relations.

Protest
Up to 20,000 conservative whites protested in Pretoria against the legalization of the African National Congress and the freeing from prison on February 11 of anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela.

Abominations
Responding to anti-bilingual action by a number of Ontario municipalities, the Canadian House of Commons reaffirmed "its commitment to support, protect and promote linguistic duality in Canada." The motion was introduced by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney after 40 cities and towns in Ontario had passed resolutions declaring themselves English-only.

Scandal
Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of cocaine possession and three counts of perjury. The perjury counts related to testimony he had given to a grand jury in January 1989. Meanwhile, Mr. Barry had entered an alcohol treatment program in Florida. He had denied having a drug problem, and called the indictments "a continuation of the political lynching and excesses of the Justice Department."

20 years ago
1995

Crime
Kevin Mitnick, the most wanted computer hacker in the United States, was arrested at his apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina and charged with computer fraud and wire fraud.

Politics and government
Unionists in Northern Ireland who favoured continued ties with the United Kingdom protested a plan between British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Prime Minister John Bruton that would give the Republic of Ireland a say in governing Northern Ireland. The plan had not yet been presented.

Economics and finance
China announced that government authorities had raided factories and seized illegal copies of U.S. music recordings that were intended for export to foreign countries.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Pierre Bachelet, 60. French singer and composer. Mr. Bachelet had several hit singles in the 1970s and '80s, and wrote music for films, including Emmanuelle (1974) and its sequels.

Sam Francis, 57. U.S. journalist. Mr. Francis was an editorial writer and columnist with the Washington Times from 1986-1995. He espoused a paleoconservative philosophy, opposing modern capitalism (although what he was criticizing as "capitalism" could more accurately be termed "corporatism") and many other trends in modern American society. Mr. Francis opposed multiculturalism and racial intermarriage, views which led him to be labelled as a racist, and led to his dismissal from the Washington Times. Mr. Francis achieved new popularity in later years through publishing his material on the Internet before he died of complications from an aortic aneurysm.

Abominations
Defrocked Roman Catholic priest Paul Shanley was sentenced in Boston to 12-15 years in prison on child rape charges.