March 29, 2015

1,170 years ago
845

War
Viking raiders, possibly led by Ragnar Lodbrok, plundered and occupied Paris, holding the city for a large ransom.

225 years ago
1790

Born on this date
John Tyler. 10th President of the United States, 1841-1845. Mr. Tyler, a native of Charles City County, Virginia, was elected Vice-President of the United States in 1840 as the running mate to Whig party candidate William Henry Harrison. When Mr. Harrison died just one month after taking office in 1841, Mr. Tyler became the first vice-president to assume the presidency upon the death of the president. He stood against much of the Whig platform while president, which led to him being the first president to face impeachment proceedings, which were unsuccessful. Mr. Tyler's most notable accomplishments as president included two vetoes of legislation calling for a national banking act, and the annexation of Texas. When Virginia voted to secede from the union in 1861, Mr. Tyler was elected to the House of Representatives of the Confederate Congress, but took ill in Richmond and died on January 18, 1862 at the age of 71, shortly before the session of Congress began. Since he was a Confederate at the time of his death, he was the only U.S. President not to be officially mourned by the U.S. government.

170 years ago
1845

Business
The London & Gore Railroad was incorporated as the Great Western Railway of Canada.

150 years ago
1865

War
In the U.S. Civil War, Union forces under Major General Philip Sheridan moved to flank Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee as the Appomattox Campaign began.

120 years ago
1895

Born on this date
Ernst Jünger. German author. Mr. Jünger fought in the German Army during World War I, and was wounded several times; his experiences inspired his best-known book, the memoir In Stahlgewittern (Storm of Steel) (1920, with seven revisions through 1978). He became a prominent entomologist, but was better known for his views on war and politics. Mr. Jünger portrayed war as a mystical experience that revealed the nature of existence; he was critical of democracy and the Weimar Republic, but refused offers from the Nazi Party, and opposed the Nazis. Mr. Junger was a captain in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and was assigned to an administrative position near Paris. He was peripherally involved with the July 20, 1944 assassination plot against Fuehrer Adolf Hitler, and was dismissed from the Wehrmacht. After the war, Mr. Jünger was initially put under suspicion by Allied authorities, and was banned from publishing for four years because he refused to undergo denazification. He resumed his career, and became one of West Germany's most honoured writers. Mr. Jünger experimented with hallucinogenic drugs, which likely influenced novels such as Eumeswil (1977), which featured the Anarch, an ideal figure of a sovereign individual. He died on February 17, 1998 at the age of 102.

Society
A Canadian Royal Commission on the sale of liquor--appointed in 1892--concluded that restrictive laws did not decrease sales of liquor.

80 years ago
1935

Boxing
Joe Louis (17-0) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Natie Brown (28-17-7) at Olympia Stadium in Detroit.

75 years ago
1940

War
The German government issued a White Paper of 16 documents, allegedly captured in Warsaw, revealing American promises to prevent the fall of Poland to Germany.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles' trip to Europe had shown that peace prospects were scant at this time.

Economics and finance
New York District Attorney Thomas Dewey, speaking in Milwaukee, charged that President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal economic policies had prolonged the Depression.

Boxing
Joe Louis (42-1) retained his world heavyweight title with a knockout of Johnny Paychek (38-4-2) 44 seconds into the 2nd round at Madison Square Garden in New York.



70 years ago
1945

War
It was the last day of German V-1 flying bomb attacks on England. Soviet troops almost destroyed the German 4th Army, and reached the Austrian border at a point 52 miles south of Vienna. Allied forces drove to within 10 miles of Paderborn in an effort to isolate the Ruhr. A ceremony in Ottawa marked the end of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), which trained 130,000 Allied pilots. U.S. troops in the Philippines landed on the east coast of Negros Island and quickly pushed to the outskirts of the capital, Bacolod.

Diplomacy
A White House announcement said that the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. would seek three votes each instead of one in the assembly of the proposed world security organization to equalize the votes of the "Big Three," since the British Empire would have six votes, including those of the dominions. The U.S.S.R. had raised the question at the recent Yalta Conference.

Politics and government
Palestinian Arab leaders rejected a proposal which would rotate the office of Mayor of Jerusalem among Muslim, Jewish, and Christian officials. The proposal, advocated by British High Commissioner Viscount John Gort, was accepted with reservations by Jewish leaders.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that Army Major General Lucius Clay was resigning as deputy director of war mobilization to become General Dwight Eisenhower's deputy in charge of civilian affairs in occupied Germany.

Labour
The United Mine Workers of America accepted, and coal operators rejected, a compromise suggested by U.S. Labor Secretary Frances Perkins calling for a seven-hour workday, time-and-a-half for overtime, and $75 yearly vacation pay.

Basketball
NCAA
Men's Championship @ Madison Square Garden, New York
Final
Oklahoma A&M 52 DePaul 44

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La Yenka--Johnny & Charley (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): If I Didn't Have A Dime--Tom Dunphy (2nd week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Shakin' All Over--Chad Allan and the Expressions (Guess Who?) (2nd week at #1)
2 What Have They Done to the Rain--The Searchers
3 Girl Don't Come--Sandie Shaw
4 Stranger in Town--Del Shannon
5 Goodnight--Roy Orbison
6 I Must Be Seeing Things--Gene Pitney
7 Come and Stay with Me--Marianne Faithfull
8 Bluebirds Over the Mountain--Ronnie Hawkins
9 (Here They Come) From All Over the World--Jan & Dean
10 Do the Clam--Elvis Presley

Singles entering the chart were The Race is On by Jack Jones (#17); Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter by Herman's Hermits (#21); I'm Tellin' You Now by Freddie & the Dreamers (#26); I Know a Place by Petula Clark (#27); I'll Never Find Another You by the Seekers (#29); Baby the Rain Must Fall by Glenn Yarbrough (#32); Tired of Waiting for You by the Kinks (#33); Double-O-Seven by the Detergents (#35); Game of Love by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders (#37); Be My Baby by Dick and DeeDee (#38); Not Too Long Ago by the Uniques (#39); and I Could Easily Fall in Love with You by Cliff Richard (#40).

On television tonight
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Completely Foolproof, starring J.D. Cannon, Patricia Barry, and Geoffrey Horne

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Un'altra donna--I cugini di campagna

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Shame, Shame, Shame--Shirley (And Company) (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Bye Bye Baby--Bay City Rollers (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Lady Marmalade--LaBelle

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Lovin' You--Minnie Riperton
2 Lady Marmalade--LaBelle
3 Have You Never Been Mellow--Olivia Newton-John
4 You are So Beautiful--Joe Cocker
5 No No Song--Ringo Starr
6 My Eyes Adored You--Frankie Valli
7 Poetry Man--Phoebe Snow
8 Shame, Shame, Shame--Shirley (and Company)
9 Philadelphia Freedom--The Elton John Band
10 Express--B.T. Express

Singles entering the chart were Bad Luck (Part 1) by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (#77); Only Yesterday by the Carpenters (#78); Shakey Ground by the Temptations (#80); Rainy Day People by Gordon Lightfoot (#83); Growin' by Loggins and Messina (#84); Hang on Sloopy by Rick Derringer (#87); You Brought the Woman Out of Me by Evie Sands (#88); Rescue Me by Cher (#95); My First Day Without Her by Dennis Yost and Classics IV (#96); I'm Not Lisa by Jessi Colter (#97); The Last Farewell by Roger Whittaker (#98); Spider Jiving by Andy Fairweather (#99); and Love Won't Let Me Wait by Major Harris (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Lady Marmalade--LaBelle
2 Have You Never Been Mellow--Olivia Newton-John
3 Shame, Shame, Shame--Shirley (and Company)
4 No No Song--Ringo Starr
5 My Eyes Adored You--Frankie Valli
6 Roll on Down the Highway--Bachman-Turner Overdrive
7 Fire--Ohio Players
8 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
9 Don't Call Us, We'll Call You--Sugarloaf/Jerry Corbetta
10 You are So Beautiful--Joe Cocker

Singles entering the chart were Tangled Up in Blue by Bob Dylan (#67); He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) by Tony Orlando and Dawn (#78); Love Corporation by the Hues Corporation (#79); The South's Gonna Do It by the Charlie Daniels Band (#83); What am I Gonna Do with You by Barry White (#84); 99 Miles from L.A. by Albert Hammond (#85); Love Finds its Own Way by Gladys Knight and the Pips (#86); The Bertha Butt Boogie by the Jimmy Castor Bunch (#87); Shoeshine Boy by Eddie Kendricks (#88); Living a Little, Laughing a Little by the Spinners (#89); Who's Sorry Now by Marie Osmond (#90); Hush I'm Alive by Blue Swede (#91); Stand by Me by John Lennon (#92); Cum Hear the Band by April Wine (#93); Satin Soul by the Love Unlimited Orchestra (#94); Killer Queen by Queen (#95); Don't Let Go by Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen (#96); Walking in Rhythm by the Blackbyrds (#97); Linda on My Mind by Conway Twitty (#98); Before the Next Teardrop Falls by Freddy Fender (#99); and What an Animal by Fludd (#100).

Winnipeg's Top 30 (CFRW)
1 Black Water--The Doobie Brothers
2 Don't Call Us, We'll Call You--Sugarloaf/Jerry Corbetta
3 Have You Never Been Mellow--Olivia Newton-John
4 Lady Marmalade--LaBelle
5 Roll on Down the Highway--Bachman-Turner Overdrive
6 Lonely People--America
7 No No Song--Ringo Starr
8 Changes--David Bowie
9 Lady--Styx
10 (Make Me Do) Anything You Want--A Foot in Coldwater
11 Shaving Cream--Benny Bell
12 You're No Good--Linda Ronstadt
13 Mandy--Barry Manilow
14 She's My Lady--Jayson Hoover
15 Philadelphia Freedom--The Elton John Band
16 You are So Beautiful--Joe Cocker
17 Best of My Love--The Eagles
18 Pick Up the Pieces--AWB
19 Shame, Shame, Shame--Shirley (and Company)
20 Lovin' You--Minnie Riperton
21 Some Kind of Wonderful--Grand Funk
22 In the Mood--Rush
23 My Eyes Adored You--Frankie Valli
24 Chevy Van--Sammy Johns
25 Judy Played the Jukebox--The Crescent Street Stompers
26 I Don't Like to Sleep Alone--Paul Anka
27 (Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song--B.J. Thomas
28 Poetry Man--Phoebe Snow
29 Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)--Leo Sayer
30 Dancin' (On a Saturday Night)--Bond

Winnipeg's Top 30 (CKRC)
1 Have You Never Been Mellow--Olivia Newton-John (3rd week at #1)
2 Black Water--The Doobie Brothers
3 Don't Call Us, We'll Call You--Sugarloaf/Jerry Corbetta
4 Lady Marmalade--LaBelle
5 No No Song--Ringo Starr
6 (Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song--B.J. Thomas
7 Lovin' You--Minnie Riperton
8 Poetry Man--Phoebe Snow
9 Changes--David Bowie
10 Roll on Down the Highway--Bachman-Turner Overdrive
11 Sad Sweet Dreamer--Sweet Sensation
12 Fire--Ohip Players
13 You are So Beautiful--Joe Cocker
14 My Eyes Adored You--Frankie Valli
15 Can You Give it All to Me--Myles and Lenny
16 Philadelphia Freedom--The Elton John Band
17 Mandy--Barry Manilow
18 I Can Dance--Shooter
19 Nightingale--Carole King
20 Part of the Plan--Dan Fogelberg
21 Butter Boy--Fanny
22 Emma--Hot Chocolate
23 Up in a Puff of Smoke--Polly Brown
24 Shame, Shame, Shame--Shirley (and Company)
25 Powerful People--Gino Vannelli
26 Back Up (Against Your Persuasion)--Black & Ward
27 Uproar--Anne Murray
28 Best of My Love--The Eagles
29 He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)--Tony Orlando and Dawn
30 In the Mood--Rush

Economics and finance
U.S. President Gerald Ford signed a $22.8-billion tax cut bill aimed at spurring American recovery from recession.

Hockey
NHL
Kansas City 1 @ Montreal 4
Boston 1 @ Toronto 1

Guy Lafleur's 50th goal of the season with 5:56 remaining in the 1st period was the winner as the Canadiens defeated the Scouts before 17,708 fans at the Montreal Forum in the Quebec and French Hockey Night in Canada telecast. Pete Mahovlich, Steve Shutt, and Mario Tremblay scored the other Montreal goals, while Guy Charron broke up Ken Dryden's bid for a shutout with 11:47 remaining in the game.

Ken Hodge of the Bruins and Clare Alexander of the Maple Leafs each scored powerplay goals in the 2nd period of their tie before 16,485 fans at Maple Leaf Gardens in the national Hockey Night in Canada telecast. Boston goalie Gilles Gilbert made 40 saves, while Toronto goalie Gord McRae made 34 saves.

WHA
Toronto 5 @ Quebec 4 (OT)
Winnipeg 9 @ New England 3
Minnesota 2 @ Houston 8
San Diego 7 @ Vancouver 3

Frank Mahovlich's 36th goal of the season with 2:05 remaining in overtime gave the Toros their win over the Nordiques before 11,630 fans at Le Colisee, moving the Toronto into a first-place tie with Quebec in the Canadian Division.

Bobby Hull scored his 73rd, 74th, and 75th goals of the season to lead the Jets over the Whalers before 10,507 fans at Hartford Civic Center.

Gordie, Mark, and Marty Howe each scored a goal as the Aeros beat the Fighting Saints before 7,979 fans at Sam Houston Coliseum.

Rick Sentes scored 3 goals and Andre Lacroix had 3 assists as the Mariners beat the Blazers before 7,597 fans at Pacific Coliseum. The loss was the seventh straight for the Blazers, eliminating Vancouver from playoff contention.

Basketball
ABA
New York 95 @ Kentucky 126
St. Louis 130 @ Denver 140

Dan Issel scored 38 points to lead the Colonels over the Nets before 11,874 fans at Freedom Hall in Louisville. Mr. Issel got into a fight with former teammate Wendell Ladner in the 4th quarter.

Marvin Barnes scored 40 points, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Spirits from losing to the Nuggets before 7,224 fans at Denver Auditorium Arena.

Baseball
The New York Yankees released pitcher Mel Stottlemyre, ending his career. Mr. Stottlemyre joined the Yankees midway through the 1964 season and pitched in that year's World Series. The Yankees declined after that season, but Mr. Stottlemyre performed well, compiling a record of 164-139 with an earned run average of 2.97 through 1974, and reaching the 20-win plateau in 1965, 1968, and 1969. Shoulder problems shortened Mr. Stottlemyre's season in 1974, and he was unable to pitch in any spring training games in 1975.

The Boston Red Sox traded first baseman Danny Cater to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Danny Godby. Mr. Cater had played with five teams in 10 years from 1965-1974, batting .276 with 66 home runs and 517 runs batted in. In 1974, his third season with Boston, Mr. Cater had batted .246 with 5 homers and 20 RBIs in 56 games. Mr. Godby had batted .344 with Tulsa of the American Association in 1974 before being called up to the Cardinals, batting .154 (2 for 13) in 13 games. He was assigned to the Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League.

The Detroit Tigers traded first baseman Reggie Sanders to the Atlanta Braves for first baseman Jack Pierce. Mr. Sanders had batted .292 with 14 home runs and 88 runs batted in for Evansville of the American Association in 1974 before being called up to Detroit, where he batted .273 with 3 homers and 10 RBIs in 26 games, including a home run in his first major league plate appearance. Mr. Pierce had played briefly with the Braves in 1973 and 1974, batting .069 (2 for 29) in 17 games. He spent most of the 1974 season with Jalisco in the Mexican League, batting .306 with 28 homers and 87 RBIs. The Tigers assigned Mr. Pierce to Evansville, while the Braves assigned Mr. Sanders to the Richmond Braves of the International League.

Earl Stephenson allowed 14 hits but was credited with the win in his Mexican League debut as the Monterrey Sultans beat the Coahuila Miners 5-3. Juan Martinez aided the Monterrey cause with a 2-run home run.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): You're My Heart, You're My Soul--Modern Talking (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): I Want To Know What Love Is--Foreigner (10th week at #1)

Died on this date
Luther Terry, 73. U.S. physician. Dr. Terry was Surgeon General of the United States from 1961-1965. He was best known for Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States, released on January 11, 1964, which concluded that lung cancer and chronic bronchitis were causally related to cigarette smoking.

Jeanne Deckers, aka Sœur Sourire and The Singing Nun, 61. Belgian nun and musician. Miss Deckers, who took the name Sister Luc-Gabrielle when she became a Dominican nun in 1959, wrote and performed songs under the name Sœur Sourire (The Singing Nun in English-speaking countries). Her album Dominique became an international bestseller in 1962, and the title song, sung in French, was a major international hit in 1963. Miss Deckers left the Dominican order several years later, continuing as a lay Dominican. Her subsequent musical career was mostly unsuccessful, and she and Annie Pécher, with whom she had lived for almost 20 years, both committed suicide with overdoses of barbiturates and alcohol, citing financial difficulties.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 7 @ Hartford 8

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Oi beibi/Tuhansien sulojen maa--Raptori (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): That Sounds Good to Me--Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
The Czechoslovak parliament was unable to reach an agreement on what to call the country after the fall of Communism, sparking the so-called Hyphen War.

Society
Canada’s best-known abortionist, Henry Morgentaler, who was in the process of opening a clinic in Edmonton, was speaking in the Tory Lecture Theatre at the University of Alberta. A pro-life rally was held on campus before the event, and even the local media had to admit that the pro-life crowd was considerably larger than the pro-abortion crowd. This blogger was at the pro-life rally, and I noticed that some of the abortion supporters were the same ones who had been wearing blue jeans on campus in support of sodomite rights eight days earlier.

Environment
Canadian Environment Minister Lucien Bouchard released a Green Plan working paper to clean up the environment.

Hockey
NHL
Chicago 4 Toronto 2

20 years ago
1995

Died on this date
Terry Moore, 82. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Moore was a center fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals (1935-1942, 1946-1948), batting .280 with 80 home runs and 513 runs batted in in 1,298 games. He was with the Cardinals when they won World Series championships in 1942 and 1946, and was considered one of the best defensive center fielders of his time. Mr. Moore was a coach with the Cardinals from 1949-1952 and 1956-1958, and managed the Philadelphia Phillies for the final half of the 1954 season, compiling a record of 35-42.

Academia
University of Alberta students Ezra Levant and David Malmo-Levine debated capitalism vs. anarchism, with Mr. Levant, a law student, speaking on behalf of capitalism, and Mr. Malmo-Levine, an arts student, speaking on behalf of anarchism. This blogger was among the 150 or so in attendance in the Alumni Room of the Students' Union Building.

World events
Authorities in Moscow seized the Russian offices of the religious sect Aum Shinrikyo, which claimed 30,000 members in Russia. The Japanese-based movement had killed 12 people in Tokyo on March 20 by releasing nerve gas into the subway system.

Politics and government
Four versions of a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would limit members of the House of Representatives and Senate to 12 years service or less were rejected by Congress, with none coming close to the two-thirds majority required for approval.

Scandal
Canadian Armed Forces Colonel Geof Haswell told The Globe and Mail that Defence Department officials, up to Minister Kim Campbell, had approved a plan to shred documents relating to the Somalia Affair, in which Somali teenager Shidane Arone had been tortured to death in 1993 after breaking into the Canadian compound.

Labour
The Major League Baseball Players Association, on strike since August 11, 1994, voted unanimously to return to the playing field in Federal District Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor were to grant an injunction and reinstate the contract that had been in effect before the strike.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Johnnie Cochran, 67. U.S. lawyer. Mr. Cochran practiced in Los Angeles, and was best known for leading the defense team of former football star O.J. Simpson, winning an acquittal in 1995 on the charges of murdering Mr. Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. He died of a brain tumour.