March 19, 2015

225 years ago
1790

Died on this date
Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha, 76 or 77. Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, 1790. Hasan Pasha was a Georgian slave who rose through the ranks of the Ottoman military, serving as a Grand Admiral and general from 1770-1790. He led a successful campaign in Egypt in 1786, and was de facto Ottoman governor of Egypt for about a year. Hasan Pasha became Grand Vizier on January 2, 1790; he died from an illness, and was possibly poisoned.

150 years ago
1865

War
In the U.S. Civil War, the Battle of Bentonville began in North Carolina.

130 years ago
1885

Protest
Louis Riel declared a Provisional Government in Saskatchewan, beginning the Northwest Rebellion.

120 years ago
1895

Movies
Auguste and Louis Lumière recorded their first footage using their newly patented cinematograph.

110 years ago
1905

Born on this date
Albert Speer. German architect and politician. Mr. Speer joined the Nazi Party in 1931 and designed structures such as the Reich Chancellery and the Nazi Party rally grounds in Nuremberg. He became a member of Fuehrer Adolf Hitler's inner circle, and served as Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production (1942-1945) and Minister of Industry and Production (May 2-23, 1945). Mr. Speer narrowly avoided a death sentence when he was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and served his full sentence of 20 years at Spadau Prison in Berlin. He wrote two volumes of memoirs, and successfully propagated the myth that he had been responsible for an "armaments miracle" that prolonged German involvement in World War II, and that he hadn't had firsthand knowledge of the Holocaust of the Jews. It was revealed in the years following his death that the increase in armaments under Mr. Speer's supervision was largely the result of systems devised by his predecessor, Fritz Todt, and that Mr. Speer had been intimately involved in the Holocaust, including the use of slave labour. Mr. Speer died of a stroke on September 1, 1981 at the age of 76.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Patricia Morison! The U.S. actress and singer was born in New York City. Miss Morison was best known for her starring role in the musical Kiss Me, Kate on Broadway in New York (1948-1951) and later in the West End in London. Her movies included Dressed to Kill (1946) and Song of the Thin Man (1947).

75 years ago
1940

War
U.K. airplanes bombed the German air base at Hoernum on the North Sea Isle of Sylt, off the German coast.

Politics and government
Despite a vote of confidence from the Chamber of Deputies, Edouard Daladier resigned as Prime Minister of France, and Paul Reynaud formed a new cabinet.

The Mexican Communist Party accused the United States of plotting a revolt by supporters of General Juan Andreu Almazan for purposes of imperialism.

Diplomacy
In a speech in Toronto, U.S. Minister to Canada James Cromwell chided American isolationists for being unrealistic.

Economics and finance
The League of Nations reported a marked increase of German trade with neutral nations.

70 years ago
1945

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Rum and Coca-Cola--The Andrews Sisters (4th week at #1)
--Abe Lyman and his Orchestra
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
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 Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night in the Week)--Frank Sinatra
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
5 I'm Beginning to See the Light--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra
6 My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time--Les Brown and his Orchestra (vocal chorus by Doris Day)
--Phil Moore Four
7 Candy--Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford and the Pied Pipers with Paul Weston and His Orchestra
--Dinah Shore
8 More and More--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
--Perry Como
9 Cocktails for Two--Spike Jones and his City Slickers
10 I Dream of You (More than You Dream I Do)--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
--Andy Russell
--Frank Sinatra
--Perry Como

Singles entering the chart were Freddy Martin and his Orchestra's version of Dream (#13, charting with the version by the Pied Pipers); I Should Care, with versions by Martha Tilton, Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra, and Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra (#24); and Sentimental Journey, with versions by Les Brown and his Orchestra (vocal chorus by Doris Day); and Hal McIntyre and his Orchestra (#27).

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

War
German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler issued his "Nero Decree," ordering all industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities and communications facilities in Germany to be destroyed. The American bridgehead on the east bank of the Rhine River near Remagen was extended to a depth of 8 miles and a length of 18 miles. The Soviet Red Army drove to within 1-3 miles of the East Prussian cities of Braunsberg and Heligensbeil. Off the coast of Japan, a Japanese dive bomber hit the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Franklin, killing 724 of her crew. The badly-damaged ship was able to return to the U.S. under her own power. U.S. carrier planes attacked the Japanese cities of Kobe and Kure, and the Japanese fleet in the Inland Sea. Americans shot down 200 enemy planes and sank six small freighters in addition to destroying shore installations.

World events
An attempt by two Peruvian non-commissioned officers and a small group of men to seize Air Minister General Fernando Melgar at the Ancon air base was stopped.

Law
New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia's unauthorized curfew extension from midnight-1 A.M. drew sharp criticism from U.S. Office of War Mobilization Director James Byrnes, other mayors, and several Congressmen.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Committee for Economic Development, a national postwar planning group, endorsed the Bretton Woods financial plan.

The U.S. Office of Price Administration announced that retailers' markups for clothing, textiles, furniture, and house furnishings would be frozen at March 19, 1945 levels.

Disasters
Residents of La Prairie, Quebec and the South Shore of the St. Lawrence River were affected by floods that caused major damage.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I Need You Now--Eddie Fisher (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Give Me Your Word--Tennessee Ernie Ford (4th week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Sincerely--The McGuire Sisters (Best Seller--6th week at #1; Disc Jockey--6th week at #1; Jukebox--3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Melody of Love--Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (7th week at #1)
--David Carroll and his Orchestra
--The Four Aces
2 Sincerely--The McGuire Sisters
3 The Ballad of Davy Crockett--Bill Hayes
4 Tweedlee Dee--Georgia Gibbs
--LaVern Baker and the Gliders
5 The Crazy Otto--Johnny Maddox and the Rhythmasters
6 Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)--Perry Como
--The Crew-Cuts
7 Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)--The Penguins
--The Crew-Cuts
8 Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)--Cowboy Church Sunday School
9 Hearts of Stone--The Fontane Sisters
--The Charms
10 How Important Can it Be?--Joni James
--Sarah Vaughan

Singles entering the chart were Where Will the Dimple Be? by Rosemary Clooney (#21); Make Yourself Comfortable by Andy Griffith (#28, charting with the version by Sarah Vaughan); Young and Foolish by Dean Martin (#34); Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White by Perez Prado and his Orchestra (#37); Give Me Your Love by Don Cornell (#43); Sweet Brown-Eyed Baby by the Ames Brothers (#46); Just a Man by Tony Martin (#48); and I Got a Sweetie by Jo Stafford (#49). Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White was from the movie Underwater! (1955).

At the movies
Tight Spot, starring Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, and Brian Keith, opened in theatres.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 The Birds and the Bees--Jewel Akens
2 Eight Days a Week--The Beatles
3 Ferry Cross the Mersey--Gerry & the Pacemakers
4 Can't You Hear My Heartbeat--Herman's Hermits
5 King of the Road--Roger Miller
6 Goldfinger--Shirley Bassey
7 Little Things--Bobby Goldsboro
8 Stop! In the Name of Love--The Supremes
9 Easy Come, Easy Go--Barry Allen
10 Do You Wanna Dance?--The Beach Boys
Pick hit of the week: The White Cliffs of Dover--Sir Raleigh
New this week: Why Did I Choose You--Barbra Streisand
Little Miss Go-Go--Gary Lewis and the Playboys
Truly Truly True--Brenda Lee
The Birds are for the Bees--The Newbeats
Yes I Will--The Hollies
Dream On Little Dreamer--Perry Como

Little Miss Go-Go was the B-side of Count Me In.

Space
The Soviet mission Voskod 2, with the crew of Commander Alexei Leonov and Pilot Pavel Belyayev, returned to Earth, the day after launching into orbit.

40 years ago
1975

At the movies
Tommy, based on the 1969 rock opera album of the same name by the Who, opened in theatres in North America.



Hockey
NHL
Toronto 7 @ Atlanta 8
Boston 1 @ Montreal 2

Curt Bennett scored 2 goals in a 16-second span, and Tim Ecclestone scored his second goal of the game with 51 seconds remaining as the Flames scored 5 goals in the 3rd period and held on for the win over the Maple Leafs before 11,877 fans at the Omni. Keith McCreary, Eric Vail, Tom Lysiak, and Gerry Meehan scored the other Atlanta goals. Errol Thompson scored twice for Toronto, with Rod Seiling, Blaine Stoughton, Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald, and Borje Salming also scoring. Mr. Salming scored with 20 seconds remaining, but the Maple Leafs were unable to tie the game. Atlanta goalie Phil Myre made only 25 saves, while Toronto goalie Doug Favell stopped only 21 shots.

Jacques Lemaire scored in the 1st period and Yvon Lambert scored in the 2nd as the Canadiens held on to edge the Bruins before 18,266 fans at the Montreal Forum in the Wednesday Hockey Night in Canada telecast on CTV. Bobby Schmautz broke the shutout at 1:30 of the 3rd period. Ken Dryden made 25 saves in goal for Montreal, while Ken Broderick made 16 saves in one of his few games in a Boston uniform.

WHA
Vancouver 3 @ Winnipeg 8

Bobby Hull scored his 67th and 68th goals of the season and linemates Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg also scored as the Jets beat the Blazers before 9,899 fans at Winnipeg Arena. The linemates scored 11 points in the game to set a league record for points by a line in a season, with 311.

Basketball
NBA
Buffalo 115 @ Houston 122

Rudy Tomjanovich and Calvin Murphy each scored 22 points in the 2nd half as the Rockets defeated the Braves before 8,627 fans at the Summit. Mr. Tomjanovich scored 34 points in the game and Mr. Murpy 30, offsetting a brilliant performance by Buffalo's Bob McAdoo, who made 22 of 31 field goal attempts and amassed 51 points.

ABA
New York 119 @ Indiana 110

Julius Erving made 17 of 26 field goal attempts and finished with 42 points to lead the Nets over the Pacers before 7,943 fans in Terre Haute. George McGinnis led Indiana with 30 points.

Baseball
Buddy Bradford batted 5 for 5 with 2 home runs--including a grand slam--a double, 4 runs, and 6 runs batted in, to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 14-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in a spring training game before 2,157 fans in Sarasota, Florida. The White Sox scored 4 runs in each of the first 2 innings. Jerry Hairston also homered for Chicago, while Luis Melendez and Ron Hunt hit home runs for St. Louis. It was the final home run for Mr. Hunt, who hadn't hit one in a regular season game since 1971.

Lee Lacy singled home pinch runner Glenn Burke with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 4-3 win over the Montreal Expos in a spring training game before 1,718 fans in Vero Beach, Florida.

Larry Cox singled home Don Hahn with 2 out in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox in a spring training game before 3,929 fans in Clearwater, Florida.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): 1990--Complex

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (3rd week at #1)

World events
The Lithuanian government ignored the deadline imposed by U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev to rescind the country’s declaration of independence of March 11.

War
The ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureș began in Transylvania, Romania.

Politics and government
In local elections in Russia, opposition groups scored many victories over Communists. It was reported that insurgents won 281 of 498 seats on Moscow City Council, and Communists also lost control of city councils in Kiev and Leningrad. Nationalist opposition movements continued to gain in voting for various local and republic offices in Estonia, Latvia, and Ukraine.

Abominations
at a 2 day Caribbean Commonwealth leaders' conference in Bridgetown, Barbados, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney forgave $182 million of debt owed to Canada by Caribbean countries; $93 million of Jamaica's debt to Canada was also forgiven.

Hockey
The first world hockey tournament for women was held in Ottawa.

Football
CFL
The British Columbia Lions traded defensive lineman James Parker, a former winner of the league’s outstanding defensive player award and a future member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, to the Toronto Argos for the negotiation rights to former West Virginia University quarterback Major Harris.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Cotton Eye Joe--Rednex (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Old Pop in an Oak--Rednex (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Conquest of Paradise--Vangelis (3rd week at #1)

Diplomacy
In a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister John Major, U.S. President Bill Clinton said that the U.S. would ensure that no money raised in the United States by the Irish Republican Army would be used to buy weapons. Mr. Clinton had entertained IRA terrorist Gerry Adams at the White House two days earlier.

Basketball
NBA
One day after issuing a press release saying "I'm back" from his 1993 retirement, Michael Jordan--wearing #45 instead of his usual 23--scored 19 points for the Chicago Bulls in a 103-96 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers. Mr. Jordan had retired from basketball after leading the Bulls to three straight championships in order to pursue a career in professional baseball.

CIAU
Men's Championship @ Metro Centre, Halifax
Alberta 84 Concordia 66

The Golden Bears defeated the Stingers to win their second straight national championship.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
John DeLorean, 80. U.S. automobile executive. Mr. DeLorean worked with several U.S. auto manufacturers, but made his mark at General Motors, where he designed the Pontiac GTO; Pontiac Firebird; Pontiac Grand Prix; and Chevrolet Vega. He founded the DeLorean Motor Company in 1973, but production delays prevented the release of the trademark car DMC-12 until 1981. DeLorean Motor Company was beset by serious financial problems, and Mr. DeLorean was arrested in 1982 for agreeing to a transaction involving the sale of cocaine. Mr. DeLorean argued that he was a victim of entrapment, and won acquittal in 1984. By this time, DeLorean Motor Company was hopelessly bankrupt, and Mr. DeLorean was never able to revive the company or his career.