February 8, 2015

750 years ago
1265

Died on this date
Hulagu Khan, 46. Ilkhan Emperor of Mongolia, 1256-1265. Hulagu Khan was a grandson of Genghis Khan, son of Tolui Khan, and brother of Kublai Khan. Hulagu laid siege to Baghdad in 1258, and conquered Syria in 1260. He was succeeded as Emperor by his son Abaqa Khan.

425 years ago
1590

World events
Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva, Spanish colonial Governor of Nuevo Reino de León who was accused of several offenses, was tortured by the Inquisition in Mexico City. He was convicted 16 days later in an auto-da fe of concealing that his relatives secretly practiced Judaism, and sentenced to six years in exile. Admiral Carvajal died in the jail of the court on February 13, 1591.

325 years ago
1690

War
During King William's War, the Comte de Frontenac organized a surprise attack by Canadien troops and Indians--mostly Ojibwe and Algonquin warriors--against Schenectady, New York. 62 people--11 of them African slaves--were killed and 27 captured, including 5 African slaves. The raid was in retaliation for the August 5, 1689 raid by Mohawk warriors on Lachine, New France.

160 years ago
1855

Oddities
Sets of hoof marks popularly known as "The Devil's Footprints" reportedly appeared in snow around the Exe Estuary in East Devon and South Devon, England.

150 years ago
1865

Law
Delaware voters rejected the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and voted to continue the practice of slavery. Delaware finally ratified the amendment on February 12, 1901.

130 years ago
1885

Society
Hawaii admitted its first government-approved Japanese immigrants.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Ray Bates. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Bates was a third baseman with the Cleveland Naps (1913) and Philadelphia Athletics (1917), batting .233 with 2 home runs and 70 runs batted in in 154 games. He played at least 950 games in at least 9 seasons in the minor leagues (1911-1923), hitting at least 30 homers, playing first base in his later years. Mr. Bates died on August 15, 1970 at the age of 80.

110 years ago
1905

Politics and government
James Pliny Whitney took office as Premier of Ontario, leading the province's first Conservative government since 1872.

100 years ago
1915

At the movies
The Birth of a Nation, the longest and most expensive film yet made in the United States, received its premiere screening at Clune Auditorium in Los Angeles.



Died on this date
François Langelier, 76. Canadian politician. Sir François held offices in municipal, provincial, and federal politics before serving as Lieutenant Governor of Quebec from 1911 until his death.

75 years ago
1940

War
Soviet forces reported the capture of 13 forts on the Mannerheim Line in Finland.

Diplomacy
The League of Nations meeting at The Hague announced that a 32-member committee on economic and social problems would be created.

The Pan-American Neutrality Committee resolved that submarines of belligerents should be barred from neutral ports.

Politics and government
Chilean President Pedro Aguire Corda announced his new cabinet, which continued as a Popular Front coalition.

Delegates supporting a third term for Franklin D. Roosevelt as President of the United States filed for the Wisconsin Democratic Party primary race.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt met the heads of the State, War, and Navy Departments to discuss supplying raw materials to European nations.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee approved President Franklin D. Roosevelt's nomination of Marriner Eccles and Chester Davis to the Federal Reserve Board.

Business
Despite a 54-day strike, Chrysler Corporation announced a doubling of profits for 1939 to $36, 879,829, or $8.47 per share.

Olympics
Werner Klingsberg of Germany was elected secretary-general of the International Olympic Committee at Lausanne, Switzerland.

70 years ago
1945

Died on this date
Karl Marthinsen, 48. Norwegian bureaucrat. Mr. Marthinsen joined the Nasjonal Samling (Norwegian Fascist Party) in 1933, and was put in command of the National Mobile Police Service--later renamed Sikkerhetspolitiet (Secret Police). He was assassinated by the Norwegian resistance group Milorg as part of Operation Buzzard, acting on orders from the government in exile.

War
The First Canadian Army attacked German positions in the Reichswald as part of Allied offensive into Germany, west of the Rhine River, north of the Ruhr Valley. British and Canadian troops in the Netherlands opened an offensive against the northern end of the Siegfried Line south of Nijmegen. Russian forces took Berstein and Reetz in their drive on Stettin on the Baltic Sea.

Politics and government
Prime Minister Pieter Gerbrandy of the Netherlands government-in-exile and his cabinet resigned.

Connecticut Governor Raymond Baldwin named U.S. Navy Admiral Thomas Hart (Republican) to fill the unexpired Senate term of the late Francis Maloney (Democrat).

Diplomacy
New York Governor Thomas Dewey urged a strong role for the United States in world affairs and backed Sen. Arthur Vandenberg's demand for an immediate Allied pact on postwar treatment of the Axis.

Economics and finance
The U.S. State Department completed a Lend-Lease and reciprocal trade agreement with Jean Monnet of France.

The first private loan to be made by New York banks to a foreign country outside of Lend-Lease--for $100 million--was made to the Netherlands by a group of 14 banks headed by Chase Manhattan.

Football
AAFC
U.S. Army Lieutenant Paul Brown was signed to a five-year contract, effective upon leaving the Army, as the coach of the newly-proposed Cleveland team in the All-America Football Conference.

60 years ago
1955

On the radio
Lux Radio Theatre, on CBS

Tonight's episode: The War of the Worlds, starring Dana Andrews, Pat Crowley, and William Conrad

Listeners may want to compare this version of H.G. Wells' novel to the famous broadcast on the Mercury Theater on the Air of October 30, 1938, starring Orson Welles.

Politics and government
Georgy Malenkov was removed from office as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Premier) of the Soviet Union, a position he had held since the death of Josef Stalin in March 1953. Mr. Malenkov was involved in a power struggle with Communist Party First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, and was replaced as Premier by Nikolai Bulganin. Mr. Malenkov remained a member of the Presidium, and the next day was demoted to Deputy Premier.



Law
The Government of the Pakistani province of Sindh abolished the Jagirdari (feudal) system of land ownership. One million acres (4000 square kilometres) of land thus acquired was to be distributed among the landless peasants.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): A Hard Day's Night--The Beatles

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Hucklebuck--Brendan Bowyer (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on NBC
Tonight's episode: One of the Family, starring Lilia Skala, Jeremy Slate, Kathryn Hays, and Olive Deering

Died on this date
Wayne Estes, 21. U.S. basketball player. Mr. Estes was a forward with the Utah State University Aggies from 1963-1965, and was second in the nation in scoring in his second season. He had just scored 48 points in a home game against the University of Denver to reach 2,001 points in his Utah State career. After the game, Mr. Estes and some friends stopped near the scene of a car accident near the campus. While on his way to get a closer look, Mr. Estes accidentally brushed against a downed power line and was electrocuted. He was certain to have been a high draft choice in the National Basketball Association in 1965, and the Los Angeles Lakers intended to draft him in the first round.

Music
The single Stop! In the Name of Love/I'm in Love Again by the Supremes was released on the Tamla label.

Disasters
Eastern Air Lines Flight 663, a DC-7 bound from Boston to Atlanta with serveral stops on the way, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Jones Beach State Park, New York, just after taking off from John F. Kennedy Airport, and exploded, killing all 79 passengers and 5 crew members aboard.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Un corpo e un'anima--Wess & Dori Ghezzi (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir (Lady Marmalade)--Labelle (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: January--Pilot (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Fire--Ohio Players

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Boogie On Reggae Woman--Stevie Wonder
2 You're No Good--Linda Ronstadt
3 Fire--Ohio Players
4 Pick Up the Pieces--Average White Band
5 Best of My Love--The Eagles
6 Laughter in the Rain--Neil Sedaka
7 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters
8 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
9 Black Water--The Doobie Brothers
10 Doctor's Orders--Carol Douglas

Singles entering the chart were No No Song by Ringo Starr (#76); Once You Get Started by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (#88); Dance the Kung Fu by Carl Douglas (#89); The Bertha Butt Boogie (Part 1) by the Jimmy Castor Bunch (#90); Shoeshine Boy by Eddie Kendricks (#93); Jackie Blue by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (#95); Walking in Rhythm by the Blackbyrds (#96); Wolf Creek Pass by C.W. McCall (#97); Love Corporation by the Hues Corporation (#99); and Shining Star by Earth, Wind & Fire (#100).

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

Singles entering the chart were Have You Never Been Mellow by Olivia Newton-John (#88); Never Let Her Go by David Gates (#90); Up in a Puff of Smoke by Polly Brown (#92); She's My Lady by Jayson Hoover (#93); You are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker (#95); Poetry Man by Phoebe Snow (#96); Tied On by Alan Gerber (#99); and Pledging My Love by Tom Jones (#100).

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

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

Calgary's Top 10
1 Please Mr. Postman--Carpenters (2nd week at #1)
2 Mandy--Barry Manilow
3 Bungle in the Jungle--Jethro Tull
4 Ride 'Em Cowboy--Paul Davis
5 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds--Elton John
6 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
7 Best of My Love--The Eagles
8 Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas
9 Boogie On Reggae Woman--Stevie Wonder
10 Promised Land--Elvis Presley
Pick hit of the week: Doctor's Orders--Patsy Gallant

Died on this date
Robert Robinson, 88. U.K. chemist. Sir Robert won the 1947 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his investigations on plant products of biological importance, especially the alkaloids."

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Shout--Tears for Fears (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): I Want To Know What Love Is--Foreigner (3rd week at #1)

At the movies
Witness, starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, and Danny Glover, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
William Lyons, 83. U.K. automobile executive. Sir William and William Walmsley co-founded the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, and began manufacturing cars in the late 1920s. The first Jaguar model was offered in 1935, and the company was renamed Jaguar Cars Limited in 1945.

Marvin Miller, 71. U.S. actor and announcer. Mr. Miller, born Marvin Mueller, appeared in numerous movies and radio and television programs, but was best known as the voice of Robby the Robot in the movie Forbidden Planet (1956) and as Michael Anthony, the man handing out cheques in the television series The Millionaire (1955-1960).

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Get Up! (Before the Night is Over)--Technotronic (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Del Shannon, 55. U.S. musician. Mr. Shannon, known for his falsetto voice, was born Charles Westover in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His first single, Runaway, spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and was the #5 single of the year. Additional hits included Hats Off to Larry (#5, 1961); Little Town Flirt (#12, 1963); and Keep Searchin’ (#9, 1964-1965). The Swiss Maid (1962) only reached #64 in the U.S.A., but hit #2 in Britain, and helped to boost the career of its composer, Roger Miller. Another single from 1962, Cry Myself to Sleep (#99 U.S.; #29, U.K.) reportedly served as the inspiration for Elton John’s falsetto refrain on Crocodile Rock (1972-1973). Mr. Shannon became the first artist to cover a Beatles’ composition when he recorded From Me to You, which went to #77 in the U.S.A. in the late summer-early fall of 1963, several months before Beatlemania hit America. On November 14, 1963, Mr. Shannon appeared with Bobby Vinton and Gene Pitney in the first rock and roll concert to be held at the Jasper Place Arena in Jasper Place, Alberta (then a suburb of Edmonton). He produced Brian Hyland’s version of Gypsy Woman, which hit #3 on the Hot 100 in late 1970. Mr. Shannon worked with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in the early 1980s, and the album Drop Down and Get Me produced the single Sea of Love, which hit #33 in 1982, Mr. Shannon’s first top 40 hit in the U.S. since 1965. A collaboration with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne led to the single Walk Away in 1989, which failed to chart. Mr. Shannon had been prescribed Prozac for depression, and became another apparent victim of the drug when he shot himself. His last interview, given a short time before, gave no hint that he was about to commit suicide. He had just finished the vocals for an album, consisting mainly of new songs that he’d written. The album--Rock On--included Walk Away, and was released in the fall of 1991. It’s well worth listening to, and proved that Del Shannon still had talent. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Politics and government
The day after former Prime Minister John Turner had announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, former cabinet minister Jean Chretien announced that he would seek the leadership.

Crime
U.S. District Court Judge William Hoeveler ruled that former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega had to stand trial in Miami, Florida on drug-trafficking charges.

Science
Montréal Mayor Jean Doré inaugurated l'Insectarium de Montréal (Montreal Insectarium) in the presence of several hundred visitors. The $4.1-million insectarium included the gift of 250,000 insects from entomologist Geoges Brossard.

20 years ago
1995

War
After resisting Russian military power for six weeks, Dzhokhar Dudayev, President of the separatist republic of Chechnya, announced that he and his commanders were pulling out of the capital city of Grozny. Most civilians had already left the city.

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to send 7,000 peacekeepers to Angola to maintain the peace there, three months after the Angolan government and UNITA rebels had signed a peace treaty to end a civil war that had taken 500,000 lives. The UN force was expected to remain in Angola for as long as two years.

Politics and government
Former federal cabinet minister Roméo LeBlanc took office as Governor General of Canada, succeeding Ray Hnatyshyn. Mr. LeBlanc, the first Governor General of Acadian heritage, had been an active Liberal Party politician when Prime Minister Jean Chretien announced his appointment on November 22, 1994, and his appointment to the vice-regal office had been criticized as political patronage. Reform Party leader Preston Manning and Bloc Bloc Québécois leader Lucien Bouchard refused to attend LeBlanc's installation ceremony in Ottawa.

U.S. President Bill Clinton nominated U.S. Air Force General (retired) Michael Carns as Director of Central Intelligence, succeeding James Woolsey, who had resigned in January. Mr. Carns had participated in 200 combat missions during the Vietnam War and had also served as vice chief of staff of the Air Force.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Jimmy Smith, 79. U.S. musician. Mr. Smith was a prominent jazz organist who recorded dozens of albums from 1955-2001.

Keith Knudsen, 56. U.S. musician. Mr. Knudsen was a drummer with the Doobie Brothers from 1974-1982 and 1993 until his death from pneumonia, 10 days before his 57th birthday. He co-founded the group Southern Pacific, who recorded four albums from 1985-1989.

Diplomacy
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, declared a truce to end four years of violence.