February 2, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Simon O’Byrne and Sandy Ting!

370 years ago
1645

War
In the Scottish Civil War, a Royalist force of Highlanders and Confederate Irish troops under the overall command of James Graham, Lord Montrose routed and largely destroyed the pursuing forces of Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, in the Battle of Inverlochy.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Charles Correll. U.S. actor. Mr. Correll co-starred with Freeman Gosden in the radio comedy series Sam 'n' Henry 1926-1928 and played Andy Brown in that series' successor, Amos 'n' Andy (1928-1960). Mr. Correll died on September 26, 1972 at the age of 82.

Music
Antonin Dvorak's 8th Symphony received its premiere performance in Prague, with the composer conducting the orchestra.



120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
George Halas. U.S. baseball player, and football player, coach, and executive. Mr. Halas was a right fielder with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association in 1919, batting .274 with no home runs in 39 games. He played 12 games with the New York Yankees in 1919, batting .091 (2 for 22) with no homers or runs batted in. Mr. Halas was best known for his football achievements; he was an end with the Hammond All-Stars (1919) and Decatur Staleys/Chicago Staleys/Chicago Bears (1920-1929), coaching the latter team from its founding, and taking control of the franchise in 1921. "Papa Bear" attended the meeting in 1920 that resulted in the founding of the American Professional Football Association, which changed its name to the National Football League in 1922. Mr. Halas coached the Bears for 40 years (1920-1929, 1933-1942, 1946-1955, 1958-1967), compiling a record of 318-148-31, and leading the team to NFL championships in 1921, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1946, and 1963. Mr. Halas was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1963. After retiring as head coach, he remained the Bears' principal owner, and was the last surviving participant from the APFA's founding meeting. Mr. Halas died of pancreatic cancer on October 31, 1983 at the age of 88.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Abba Eban. South African-born Israeli politician and diplomat. Mr. Eban was born in Cape Town, grew up in England, served as a diplomat in the United States, and moved to Israel in 1959. He was Israel's first Ambassador to the United Nations before entering politics, where he held several cabinet posts from 1959-1974, including Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1966-1974. Mr. Eban died on November 17, 2002 at the age of 87.

Stan Leonard. Canadian golfer. Mr. Leonard, a native of Vancouver, won 42 professional tournaments, almost all of them in Canada. He joined the PGA tour at the age of 39 in 1954, and won the 1957 Greater Greensboro Open; the 1958 Tournament of Champions; and the 1960 Western Open. Mr. Leonard tied for eighth place in the Masters in 1955, tied for fourth in 1958 and 1959, and tied for ninth in 1960. He was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1964 and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1972. Mr. Leonard died on December 15, 2005 at the age of 90.

90 years ago
1925

World events
Dog sleds reached Nome, Alaska with diphtheria antitoxin, covering 674 miles in 5 1/2 days. The event inspired the annual Iditarod race.

80 years ago
1935

Died on this date
Marau, 74. Queen consort of Tahiti, 1877-1880. Marau, the daughter of Jewish English merchant Alexander Salmon and Princesss Oehau, married future King Pōmare V in 1875, and became queen consort when he acceded to the throne upon the death of his mother, Queen Pōmare IV. King Pōmare V gave Tahiti to France and abdicated the throne in 1880; he and Queen Marau were divorced in 1887.

Technology
Leonarde Keeler tested the first polygraph machine on two criminals in Portage, Wisconsin.

75 years ago
1940

War
Former U.S. President Herbert Hoover urged the United States to stay out of the European war. Japanese military sources reported the capture of Pinyang, a strategic city in the Chinese province of Kwangsi.

Civil disorders in the northeast Indian frontier area were reported.

Diplomacy
Foreign ministers of the Balkan Entente countries--Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia--met in Belgrade.

The Japanese Foreign Office explained that its adherence to the Anti-Comintern Pact "involves no question of antagonizing" the U.S.S.R.

Politics and government
U.S. Vice President John Nance "Cactus Jack" Garner announced that he would enter the Georgia Democratic primary, if one was held, to challenge the New Deal economic policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Economics and finance
The U.S. House of Representatives voted a $66.9-million cut in the Agriculture Department bill despite pressure from farmers and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

A New York Stock Exchange seat was sold for $48,000, the lowest price since 1918.

Medicine
Dr. J.B. Collip of McGill University reported the discovery of an oral substance to be used in combating diabetes.

Chess
Isaac Kashdan won the international tournament in Havana.

70 years ago
1945

Died on this date
Karl Goerdeler, 60. German politician. Mr. Goerdeler was Mayor of Leipzig from 1930-1937 and served as Reich Price Commissioner in the Nazi government from 1934-1937, but eventually turned against the Nazis. He was involved in the July 20, 1944 attempt to assassinate Fuehrer Adolf Hitler and would have become Chancellor of Germany if the plot had succeeded. Mr. Goerdeler was arrested, and hanged at Plötzensee Prison in Berlin.

Alfred Delp, 37. German clergyman. Mr. Delp, a Jesuit Roman Catholic priest, was implicated in the July 20, 1944 assassination plot against German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler and was hanged at Plötzensee Prison in Berlin.

War
Soviet forces in East Prussia took Petershagen, Domnau, and Germau, gaining control of most of the province. U.S. forces in the Philippines established a bridgehead across the Angat River at Bustos, pushing to within 15 miles of Manila, as other units advanced halfway across the Bataan Peninsula.

Diplomacy
The Malta Conference ended after U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill discussed Allied Supreme Commander General Dwight Eisenhower's plans for driving up to and across the Rhine River, and agreed to withdraw two divisions from Greece and three from Italy to reinforce northwestern Europe. The two leaders then proceeded to Crimea for the Yalta Conference with Soviet Dictator Josef Stalin.

Science
The American Institute of Chemists reported that it had awarded its gold medal to John M. Thomas for his contributions to synthetic rubber.

Energy
Due to the tight fuel situation, the U.S. War Production Board ordered the cutting off of natural gas in amusement parks in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, the District of Columbia, and parts of Maryland and Virginia.

Business
A commission investigating utility company concessions in Argentina recommended the dissolution of virtually all the Argentine subsidiaries of the American & Foreign Power Company.

Labour
At its meeting in London, the general council of the International Federation of Trade Unions shelved future consideration of a report proposing the entry of the Congress of Industrial Organizations and Soviet trade unions.

60 years ago
1955

Weather
The temperature at Sisson Dam, New Brunswick reached -53 F. (-47.2 C.), the coldest ever recorded in the province.

50 years ago
1965

On television tonight
The Fugitive, starring David Janssen, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Scapegoat, with guest stars Dianne Foster, John Anderson, and Harry Townes

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Do They Know it's Christmas?--Band Aid (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): One Night in Bangkok--Murray Head (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Easy Lover--Philip Bailey (with Phil Collins) (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Want to Know What Love Is--Foreigner (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: I Want to Know What Love Is--Foreigner (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Want to Know What Love Is--Foreigner

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I Want to Know What Love Is--Foreigner
2 Like a Virgin--Madonna
3 Easy Lover--Philip Bailey (with Phil Collins)
4 You're the Inspiration--Chicago
5 Careless Whisper--Wham! featuring George Michael
6 All I Need--Jack Wagner
7 Run to You--Bryan Adams
8 The Boys of Summer--Don Henley
9 Loverboy--Billy Ocean
10 I Would Die 4 U--Prince and the Revolution

Singles entering the chart were Save a Prayer by Duran Duran (#49); Somebody by Bryan Adams (#60); This is Not America by David Bowie and the Pat Metheny Group (#67); Holyanna by Toto (#84); Restless Heart by John Waite (#86); The Word is Out by Jermaine Stewart (#88); and If I Had a Rocket Launcher by Bruce Cockburn (#89). This is Not America was from the movie The Falcon and the Snowman (1985).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Careless Whisper--Wham! featuring George Michael (2nd week at #1)
2 Easy Lover--Philip Bailey (with Phil Collins)
3 All I Need--Jack Wagner
4 Run to You--Bryan Adams
5 I Want to Know What Love Is--Foreigner
6 Like a Virgin--Madonna
7 Do They Know it's Christmas?--Band Aid
8 You're the Inspiration--Chicago
9 Smalltown Boy--Bronski Beat
10 Ti Amo--Laura Branigan

Singles entering the chart were Just Another Night by Mick Jagger (#72); Can't Fight this Feeling by REO Speedwagon (#91); This is My Night by Chaka Khan (#93); Ooh Ooh Song by Pat Benatar (#94); A Criminal Mind by Gowan (#95); We Run by Strange Advance (#96); and Do it Again by the Kinks (#97).

25 years ago
1990

World events
South African President F.W. de Klerk lifted the 30-year ban on the African National Congress and announced that convicted terrorist Nelson Mandela would soon be freed from prison.

The U.S. Justice Department announced that deposed Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega and one of his co-defendants would be treated as prisoners of war. The department noted, however, that the Geneva Convention provides that "prisoners of war may be prosecuted in the civilian courts of the detaining country."

A military court in Romania convicted four former top aides to deposed President Nicolae Ceausescu of complicity to commit genocide. Those convicted included Emil Bobu, third-ranking figure in the government. The men were sentenced to life in prison.

Politics and government
Alexander Lilov was elected as leader of the Bulgarian Communist Party, succeeding Petar Mladenov. Mr. Lilov was seen as a compromise candidate, who was not identified with the ousted hard-line regime of President Todor Zhivkov, and who could better lead the party in upcoming elections.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate had fallen to 5.2% in January.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 2 @ Detroit 5
Pittsburgh 6 @ Edmonton 3

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Kourin, kourin--Sikaduo (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Fred Perry, 85. U.K.-born U.S. tennis player. Mr. Perry was the top men's amateur player in the world from 1934-1936. His major tournament wins included the men's singles championships at Wimbledon (1934-1936) and the United States Open (1933-1934, 1936). Mr. Perry, who became a United States citizen in 1938, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1975.

Donald Pleasence, 75. U.K. actor. Mr. Pleasence was a distinguished stage and television actor in Britain before working in the United States. His notable movies included The Great Escape (1963); You Only Live Twice (1967); and Halloween (1978) and its various sequels.

Diplomacy
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and King Hussein of Jordan met at a summit in Cairo and condemned recent instances of violence that had imperiled the peace process in the region.

World events
The Israeli municipal government in Jerusalem approved 6,500 housing units in a suburb for West Bank settlers, drawing swift protests from Palestinians and some Israelis.

Politics and government
U.S. President Bill Clinton nominated Dr. Henry Foster to succeed the departed Joycelyn Elders as Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Foster was the former chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Meharry Medical College, a predominantly Negro school in Nashville, Tennessee, and had gained recognition for a program that encouraged teenagers to delay becoming sexually active.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Max Schmeling, 99. German boxer. Mr. Schmeling, nickamed "The Black Uhlan," compiled a professional record of 56-10-4, and was world heavyweight champion from 1930-1932. The title had been vacant for two years since the retirement of Gene Tunney when Mr. Schmeling fought Jack Sharkey on June 12, 1930 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Mr. Sharkey appeared to have the upper hand in the early rounds, but in the 4th inning, he landed a low blow, and Mr. Schmeling was awarded the title on a foul. The two fought a rematch on June 21, 1932, and Mr. Schmeling appeared to get the better of the fight, but Mr. Sharkey was awarded the 15-round decision and the championship belt. Mr. Schmeling's career declined over the next few years, but he appeared to be on the comeback trail when he fought the number one contender, undefeated Joe Louis, on June 19, 1936. Mr. Schmeling pulled off a huge upset with a 12-round knockout of "The Brown Bomber," and he was regarded as a national hero, receiving congratulations from Fuehrer Adolf Hitler. On June 22, 1938, Mr. Schmeling and Mr. Louis fought again at Madison Square Garden, but Mr. Louis, who had defeated Jim Braddock to win the title in 1937, destroyed Mr. Schmeling and delivered a blow to the idea of German supremacy by knocking out the former champion in just 2 minutes and 4 seconds of the 1st round. Mr. Schmeling was no longer treated as a hero, and was drafted into the Luftwaffe during World War II. Mr. Schmeling became an executive with the Coca-Cola Company in Germany after the end of his boxing career.