February 19, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Lee Morrow and Jackie Strip!

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
Louis Calhern. U.S. actor. Mr. Calhern, born Carl Henry Vogt, appeared in numerous Broadway plays and in movies such as Notorious (1946); The Asphalt Jungle (1950); The Magnificent Yankee (1950); and Julius Caesar (1953). He died of a sudden heart attack in Japan on May 12, 1956 at the age of 71 while filming The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956); his scenes were refilmed, with Paul Ford taking his place.

100 years ago
1915

War
The first Allied naval attack on the Dardanelles began when a strong Anglo-French task force bombarded Ottoman artillery along the coast of Gallipoli.

75 years ago
1940

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Blanched Soldier

War
King Gustav V of Sweden publicly announced that Sweden could not provide Finland with any official assistance in her war against the U.S.S.R. A communique from Moscow reported Soviet occupation of the Rijonsaari and Revonsaari Islands in the Gulf of Finland. France reported the loss of 29 men to a German ambush while on a scouting mission east of the Nied River. Japanese military authorities denied that their forces had been routed in the Chinese province of Kwangsi.

Diplomacy
U.S. State Department officials indicated that the U.S.A. would reject Norway's suggestion that President Franklin D. Roosevelt arbitrate the February 16 Altmark incident.

Economics and finance
The Japanese Foreign Office abandoned as futile an effort to reopen trade negotiations with the United States.

The U.S. House of Representatives Banking Committee delayed action on the Finnish aid bill pending advice from the State Department.

U.S. Army Colonel Philip B. Fleming was sworn in as wage-hour administrator in Washington, D.C.

Society
A Gallup Poll reported that 55% of Americans approved the proposed federal anti-lynching law.

Law
U.S. Labor Secretary Frances Perkins urged modifications of immigration law to provide for quicker naturalization of aliens.

Football
NFL
Ernie Nevers resigned as head coach of the Chicago Cardinals. Mr. Nevers had played for the team from 1929-1931 and coached them in the latter two seasons before retiring. In 1939 he was rehired as coach, but the team finished fifth and last in the West Division with a record of 1-10.

70 years ago
1945

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Rum and Coca-Cola--The Andrews Sisters
2 Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive--Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers with Paul Weston and His Orchestra
--Artie Shaw and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
3 Don't Fence Me In--Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Kate Smith
--Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights
4 I Dream of You (More than You Dream I Do)--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
--Andy Russell
--Frank Sinatra
--Perry Como
5 I'm Making Believe--The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald
6 Sleigh Ride in July--Dinah Shore
--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby
7 Cocktails for Two--Spike Jones and his City Slickers
8 Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night in the Week)--Frank Sinatra
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
9 There Goes that Song Again--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
10 Confessin' (That I Love You)--Ella Fitzgerald and the Song Spinners
--Perry Como

No singles entered the chart.

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Mystery of the Surrey Inn

War
30,000 U.S. Marines invaded Iwo Jima, 750 miles south of Tokyo, suffering 2,400 casualties as a result of resistance from the 20,000-man Japanese garrison. By nightfall the Marines had advanced across the southern part of the island, cutting off Japanese defenders on Mount Suribachi from forces in the north. U.S. troops in the Philippines took Fort McKinley and forced the Japanese into a one-square-mile pocket in southern Manila.

Diplomacy
Declaring that the present government had fulfilled requirements of international law, the United States announced its recognition of the new regime in El Salvador.

Energy
U.S. Director of War Mobilization and Reconversion James Byrnes requested that all places of entertainment in the country observe a midnight curfew beginning February 26, 1945 to conserve energy.

Boxing
Willie Pep (86-1) retained New York State Athletic Commission recognition as world featherweight champion with a 15-round unanimous decision over Phil Terranova (36-12-9) at Madison Square Garden in New York.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Hold My Hand--Don Cornell; Nat "King" Cole (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Give Me Your Word--Tennessee Ernie Ford

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Sincerely--The McGuire Sisters (Best Seller--2nd week at #1; Disc Jockey--2nd week at #1); Hearts of Stone--The Fontane Sisters (Jukebox--2nd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Melody of Love--Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)
--David Carroll and his Orchestra
--The Four Aces
2 Hearts of Stone--The Fontane Sisters
--The Charms
3 Sincerely--The McGuire Sisters
4 Mr. Sandman--The Chordettes
--The Four Aces
5 Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)--Perry Como
--The Crew-Cuts
6 Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)--The Penguins
--The Crew-Cuts
7 Let Me Go Lover--Joan Weber
8 The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane--The Ames Brothers
--Archie Bleyer
9 Tweedlee Dee--Georgia Gibbs
--LaVern Baker and the Gliders
10 That's All I Want from You--Jaye P. Morgan

Singles entering the chart were How Important Can it Be? by Sarah Vaughan (#12, charting with the version by Joni James); (I’m Always Hearing) Wedding Bells by Eddie Fisher (#20); Smiles by Crazy Otto (#33); and Paths of Paradise by Johnnie Ray (#50). Smiles was the other side of Glad Rag Doll, charting at #34.

Hockey
NHL
Montreal 10 New York 2

Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion scored 5 goals as the Canadiens routed the Rangers.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 This Diamond Ring--Gary Lewis and the Playboys (4th week at #1)
2 Love Potion No. 9--The Searchers
3 King of the Road--Roger Miller
4 Little Things--Bobby Goldsboro
5 Look of Love--Lesley Gore
6 Ferry Cross the Mersey--Gerry & the Pacemakers
7 Eight Days a Week--The Beatles
8 The Jolly Green Giant--The Kingsmen
9 Paper Tiger--Sue Thompson
10 I Go to Pieces--Peter and Gordon
Pick hit of the week: I Must Be Seeing Things--Gene Pitney
New this week: The Boy from New York City--The Ad Libs
Find My Way Back Home--The Nashville Teens
Don't Be Scared--The Rip Chords
Do You Wanna Dance?--The Beach Boys
Moon Shot--Duane Eddy
I Can't Explain--The Who

Music
The Beatles were at EMI Studios in London, where they recorded the song You're Gonna Lose That Girl.

World events
Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and a communist spy of the North Vietnamese Viet Minh, along with Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Trần Thiện Khiêm attempted a coup against the military junta of Nguyễn Khánh.

25 years ago
1985

On television today
The BBC soap opera EastEnders broadcast its first episode.

Weather
It hit 47 F. in Edmonton.

Medicine
William J. Schroeder of Jasper, Indiana became the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave hospital alive.

Disasters
Iberia Airlines Flight 610, a Boeing 727 jet, crashed into Mount Oiz in Spain, killing 148 people.

Football
CFL
Canadian College Draft
Round 1
1 Ottawa--Nick Benjamin, OL, Concordia U.
2 Calgary--Randy Ambrosie, OL, Manitoba
3 British Columbia (from Saskatchewan)--John Ulmer, DE, North Dakota
4 Montreal--Tony Johns, TB, Henderson State
5 Edmonton--Peter Emsky, OL, Washington State
6 Winnipeg (from Toronto)--Pat Langdon, TE, Tennessee
7 British Columbia--Rick Ryan, DB, Weber State
8 Hamilton--Jed Tommy, RB, Guelph
9 Winnipeg--Bob Molle, DE, Simon Fraser

The draft went 9 rounds, with 81 players drafted. This draft was the first since 1972 in which the CFL teams weren’t allowed to claim any players as territorial exemptions. My friend Harold Riemer, an offensive tackle with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, was chosen in the sixth round, #50 overall. Peter Emsky joined the Eskimos for training camp in 1986, but never played a regular season game in the Canadian Football League.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kōya no Megaroporisu (荒野のメガロポリス)--Hikaru Genji

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Pump ab Das Bier--Werner Wichtig (2nd week at #1)

Albertana
The provincial holiday known as Family Day was observed for the first time.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Tomorrow--Silverchair (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Old Pop in an Oak--Rednex (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Cotton Eye Joe--Rednex (13th week at #1)

Diplomacy
Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic rejected a request by the nations of the so-called Contact Group--France, Germany, Russia, U.K., U.S.A.--that he recognize the international borders of Bosnia and Croatia, and accept a partition that would give 49% of Bosnia's territory to Bosnian Serbs, who already held 70% of the country's territory. The contact group had offered to lift international sanctions against Yugoslavia in return for Mr. Milosevic's support of the partition plan.