January 1, 2016

240 years ago
1776

War
Norfolk, Virginia was burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action.

210 years ago
1806

Franciana
The French Republican Calendar was abolished.

130 years ago
1886

Law
The Chinese Immigration Act, passed in July 1885, came into effect in Canada. Each person of Chinese origin coming into Canada was required to pay $50 at the point of entry; vessels from China carrying prospective immigrants were also restricted to one immigrant per 50 tons of tonnage.

125 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Charles Bickford. U.S. actor. Mr. Bickford was a character actor in plays, movies, and television programs in a career spanning 56 years. He was nominated for Academy Awards for his supporting performances in The Song of Bernadette (1943); The Farmer's Daughter (1947); and Johnny Belinda (1948). Mr. Bickford died of pneumonia and a blood infection on November 9, 1967 at the age of 76.

110 years ago
1906

Movies
Léo Ouimet opened his Ouimetoscope, Montreal's first specially built movie theatre, and the first permanent film theatre in Canada.

Asiatica
British India officially adopted Indian Standard Time.

100 years ago
1916

War
German troops abandoned Yaoundé and their Kamerun colony to British forces and began the long march to Spanish Guinea.

75 years ago
1941

Radio
The news division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Radio-Canada was founded, headed by Dan McArthur, with Lorne Greene appointed as the first announcer in the new national news service.

War
The British Royal Air Force bombed Bremen for 3½ hours. South African Prime Minister Jan Christaan Smuts predicted that the United States would enter the European war in order to save Britain from defeat. U.S. Senator Arthur Vandenberg (Republican--Michigan) was quoted as saying that he would back President Franklin D. Roosevel't policies, "even though I know it is bound to lead us into war," if the United States first exhausted all avenues of peace.

Defense
The National Herrerista Party withdrew its opposition to construction of Pan-American defense bases in Uruguay.

Economics and finance
The French government in Vichy announced a provisional budget of approximately 40 billion francs for the next four months.

The U.S. Federal Reserve presented Congress with a monetary plan to forestall inflation and improve monetary organization.

Americana
The U.S. Census Bureau announced that the population of the United States in 1940 was 131,669,275, a gain of nearly 9 million since 1930.

Football
NCAA
Cotton Bowl
Texas A&M 13 Fordham 12

Orange Bowl
Mississippi State 14 Georgetown 7

Rose Bowl
Stanford 21 Nebraska 13

Sugar Bowl
Boston College 19 Tennessee 13

70 years ago
1946

Movies
The New York Film Critics Circle announced their awards for 1945: Best Picture--The Lost Weekend; Best Director--Billy Wilder (The Lost Weekend); Best Actor--Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend); Actress--Ingrid Bergman (Spellbound; The Bells of St. Mary's). Miss Bergman also received a Special Award.

War
At his war crimes trial in Nuremberg, former German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop revealed that a week before his April 30, 1945 suicide, German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler had said that his spirit would rise again and "one will see that I have been right." At the hearings of the United States Senate committee on the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, U.S. Army Major General Walter Short, U.S. commander in Hawaii at the time of the attack, revealed that he expected the War Department to "let me know of a crisis." The United Kingdom and India signed a peace treaty with Siam, ending the state of war that had existed since January 25, 1942.

Diplomacy
Upon returning from his fact-finding trip on behalf of U.S. President Harry Truman, Mark Ethridge said that the U.S.S.R. had "made great concessions to the American viewpoint at Moscow," but that neither Bulgaria nor Romania had representative governments in "the Yalta sense."

The United States Senate ratified extension of the U.S.-Mexico sanitation and coffee pacts.

Japanica
In a New Year's Day rescript, Emperor Hirohito declared that he was not a god.

Britannica
In his annual New Year's honours list, King George VI named Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery a viscount and awarded the Order of Merit to former Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Politics and government
In legislations for the Indian Central Legislative Assembly, the All-India Congress Party captured 59.6% of the vote, to 27.6% for the Moslem League.

Society
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that birth rates tended to decline with the advance in educational status of husband or wife.

Science
Sun Oil Company and Houdry Process Corporation announced plans for quantity production of the rare Carbon 13, an isotope which could trace "intricate chemical reactions" in the body.

Economics and finance
The French Constituent Assembly approved the national budget for 1946 after President General Charles de Gaulle had threatened to resign over proposed cuts in defense spending.

Football
NCAA
Cotton Bowl
Texas 40 Missouri 27

Orange Bowl
U of Miami 13 Holy Cross 6

Sugar Bowl
Oklahoma A&M 33 St. Mary's 13

Rose Bowl
Alabama 34 Southern California 14

60 years ago
1956

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: A Bullet for Baldwin, starring John Qualen and Sebastian Cabot

Died on this date
Red Baldwin, 61. U.S. baseball player. Earl Phillips Baldwin was a catcher in the minor leagues for 15 seasons from 1916-1931, batting .261 with at least 32 home runs in more than 1,339 games. He spent his entire playing career in the western United States, playing his last 13 seasons among four teams in the Pacific Coast League after having an unsuccessful tryout with the New York Yankees in 1919. Mr. Baldwin's brother-in-law William Lawrence Plummer was a pitcher who was his teammate with the Seattle Indians (1924-1925), and Mr. Baldwin's nephew William Francis Plummer was a catcher for 10 seasons in the major leagues (1968-1978), mostly with the Cincinnati Reds.

Africana
Sudan achieved independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.

Disasters
A New Year event caused panic and stampedes at Yahiko Shrine, Yahiko, Niigata, Japan, killing at least 124 people.

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Carnival is Over--The Seekers (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Le Folklore Américain--Sheila (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Plip!--Rita Pavone (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Get Off My Cloud--The Rolling Stones

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): We Can Work it Out/Day Tripper--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out--The Beatles (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Sounds of Silence--Simon & Garfunkel

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 We Can Work It Out--The Beatles
2 I Got You (I Feel Good)--James Brown and the Famous Flames
3 Over and Over--The Dave Clark Five
4 The Sounds of Silence--Simon & Garfunkel
5 Ebb Tide--The Righteous Brothers
6 Taste of Honey--Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
7 As Tears Go By--The Rolling Stones
8 England Swings--Roger Miller
9 Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)--The Byrds
10 Don't Think Twice--The Wonder Who?

Singles entering the chart were Recovery by Fontella Bass (#71); Tell Me Why by Elvis Presley (#78); Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? by Bob Dylan (#85); Don't Mess with Bill by the Marvelettes (#86); Snow Flake by Jim Reeves (#88); Black Nights by Lowell Fulsom (#94); Little Boy (In Grown Up Clothes) by the 4 Seasons (#98); Good Time Music by the Beau Brummels (#99); and California Dreamin' by the Mamas and the Papas (#100).

World events
After a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa assumed power as President of the Central African Republic.

Canadiana
The British Columbia communities of Castlegar and Creston were incorporated as towns.

Economics and finance
The Canada Pension Plan went into operation, as did the Québec Pension Plan.

Football
NCAA
Cotton Bowl
Louisiana State 14 Arkansas 7

Orange Bowl
Alabama 39 Nebraska 28

Rose Bowl
California at Los Angeles 14 Michigan State 12

Sugar Bowl
Missouri 20 Florida 18

40 years ago
1976

Canadiana
Former Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker was appointed a Companion of Honour by Queen Elizabeth II.

Oil
Venezuela, chief supplier of oil to the United States, officially nationalized its oil industry.

Football
NCAA
Cotton Bowl
Arkansas 31 Georgia 10

Orange Bowl
Oklahoma 14 Michigan 6

Rose Bowl
California at Los Angeles 23 Ohio State 10

Sugar Bowl
Alabama 13 Pennsylvania State 6

30 years ago
1986

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald Reagan and U.S.S.R. leader Mikhail Gorbachev exchanged New Year’s greetings in televised addresses. Mr. Reagan noted the "good beginning" toward better relations in the November 1985 summit, and he said that the American system was "founded on the belief in the sanctity of human life and the rights of the individual." Mr. Gorbachev said that the Soviet people cherished the idea of peace, having suffered so badly during World War II. He said that both nations had a "duty to all mankind" to create a climate conducive to the preservation of peace, and proposed that all nuclear weapons be banned by 2000.

Terrorism
Libyan leader Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi warned that any U.S. or Israeli attempt to retaliate for the December 27 raids on airports in Roe and Vienna would bring war to the Mediterranean Sea region.

Caribbeana
Aruba became independent of Curaçao, though it remained in free association with the Netherlands.

Economics and finance
Spain and Portugal were admitted into the European Community.

Health
A Canadian federal law banning all tobacco advertising in newspapers and magazines went into effect.

Weather
It was a beautiful, sunny day in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Football
NCAA
Cotton Bowl @ Dallas
Texas A&M 36 Auburn 16

Rose Bowl @ Pasadena
UCLA 45 Iowa 28

Orange Bowl @ Miami
Oklahoma 25 Pennsylvania State 10

Sugar Bowl @ New Orleans
Tennessee 35 Miami (Florida) 7

25 years ago
1991

Abominations
The 7% Goods and Services Tax went into effect in Canada.

Canadiana
Oliver, British Columbia was incorporated as a town.

Hockey
NHL-U.S.S.R. exhibition
Moscow Dynamo 4 @ Toronto 7

This was the first appearance of a Soviet team at Maple Leaf Gardens. Harold Ballard, who had died the previous spring, had always refused to permit any team from the Soviet Union to play there as long as he owned the Maple Leafs.

Football
NCAA
Cotton Bowl @ Dallas
Miami (Florida) 46 Texas 3

Rose Bowl @ Pasadena
Washington 46 Iowa 34

Orange Bowl @ Miami
Colorado 10 Notre Dame 9

Sugar Bowl @ New Orleans
Tennessee 23 Virginia 22

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Die reise--Fraktal 2

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (12th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Earth Song--Michael Jackson (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Canada (RPM): Hand in My Pocket--Alanis Morissette (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Arleigh Burke, 94. U.S. military officer. Admiral Burke had a distinguished record of service with the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War, and served as Chief of Naval Operations under Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy from 1955-1961.

Arthur Rudolph, 89. German-born U.S. rocket engineer. Mr. Rudolph played a key role in the development of the V-2 rocket in Germany during World War II. He was brought to the United States after the war as part of Operation Paperclip, and worked on projects such as the development of the Pershing missile and the Saturn V moon rocket. In the early 1980s, Mr. Rudolph was accused of war crimes in World War II, and he agreed to move to West Germany and renounce his U.S. citizenship in return for not being prosecuted.

Caribbeana
Curaçao gained limited self-government, though it remained within free association with the Netherlands.

10 years ago
2006

Politics and government
The Quebec government reconstituted 30 cities across the province as the result of a referendum held on June 20, 2004.

December 31, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Mike Matson and Erica Levine!

240 years ago
1775

Died on this date
Richard Montgomery, 37. Irish-born American military officer. Major General Montgomery served in the British Army before embracing the Patriot cause and joining the Continental Army. He was killed while leading a Continental Army attack on the Lower Town of Quebec.

War
British forces led by General Guy Carleton and his aide Colonel Allan Maclean repulsed an attack on the Lower Town of Quebec, after three weeks of bombardment, by Continental Army forces commanded by Major General Richard Montgomery, assisted by General Benedict Arnold. Of the 900 Americans who participated in the attack, 60 were killed and wounded, and over 400 captured; the remaining Patriot forces retreated across the St. Lawrence River.

225 years ago
1790

Journalism
Efimeris, the oldest Greek newspaper of which issues still survive, was published for the first time.

75 years ago
1940

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Woodpecker Song--Kate Smith; Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (2nd month at #1)

Married on this date
U.S. actress Bette Davis and Boston businessman Arthur Farnsworth were married at a ranch in Rimrock, Arizona.

War
In his New Year's proclamation to the German armed forces, German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler declared: "The year 1941 will bring consummation of the greatest victory in our history."

Politics and government
In contrast to Mr. Hitler's message, New Year's messages from the Japanese government were gloomy. Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka said, "I fear the coming year will prove most tragic and unfortunate for all mankind."

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt characterized as "silly" a suggestion that the United States accept British islands in the Atlantic Ocean in exchange for material aid.

Scandal
Howard Hopson, 58, who had obtained control of Associated Gas and Electric Company in 1922 for $48,000 and had built it into a billion-dollar utilities empire, was convicted by a U.S. federal jury in New York on 17 counts of defrauding investors of nearly $20 million.

Labour
Ford Motor Company appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court from a lower court ruling upholding a National Labor Relations Board order that the company cease "unfair" labour practices. Ford accused the board of "bias and prejudice."

70 years ago
1945

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): (Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral) That's an Irish Lullaby--Bing Crosby (1st month at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Chickery Chick--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra with Nancy Norman, Billy Williams and the Kaye Choir
--Evelyn Knight and the Jesters
2 It Might as Well Be Spring--Paul Weston and his Orchestra with Margaret Whiting
--Dick Haymes
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
3 It's Been a Long Long Time--Harry James and his Orchestra with Kitty Kallen
--Bing Crosby with Les Paul and his Trio
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
--Stan Kenton and his Orchestra
4 I Can't Begin to Tell You--Bing Crosby with Carmen Cavallaro
--Andy Russell
--Harry James and his Orchestra
5 Symphony--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra
--Benny Goodman and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby
--Jo Stafford
6 Waitin' for the Train to Come In--Peggy Lee
--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Johnny Long and his Orchestra and Dick Robertson
7 That's for Me--Dick Haymes
--Jo Stafford
8 Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba)--Perry Como and the Satisfyers
9 Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief--Betty Hutton
10 I'll Buy that Dream--Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes
--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Hal McIntyre and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were the version of It Might as Well Be Spring by Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra; the version of Symphony by Jo Stafford; Coffee Time, with versions by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra and Shep Fields and his New Music (#20); and You Always Hurt the One You Love by Spike Jones and his City Slickers (#49).

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

Swing Around the Clock, on USAFRS

17 big bands, playing at various venues across the United States, combined in this salute to victorious American troops around the world. The broadcast was recorded in May 1945, and it went on the air late on the evening of December 31.



War
U.S. and U.K. intelligence experts declared that they were convinced that German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler and his wife Eva Braun had died in the Reichschancellery bunker in Berlin on April 30, 1945. At the hearings of the United States Senate committee on the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, U.S. Navy Admiral Harold Stark testified that 11 "specific warnings" of possible hostile Japanese actions had been sent to the Pacific commanders between October 16-December 6, 1941.

The Chinese government in Chungking responded to the Communist truce proposal with a plan of its own, proposing U.S. Army General George Marshall as mediator.

Diplomacy
The Soviet press agency TASS reported that the Polish Council in Warsaw had ratified the pact establishing the Russo-Polish border along the old Curzon line, with a few deviations "in Poland's favour."

France officially recognized the Yugoslavian republic.

Politics and government
New Zealand Prime Minister Peter Fraser offered to place the country's mandate of western Samoa under United Nations trusteeship.

Education
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan General Douglas MacArthur ordered the suspension of all courses in Japanese history, geography, and morals after a survey showed them to be interwoven with state Shinto and militarism.

Economics and finance
The U.S.S.R. relinquished its rights to original membership in the International Monetary Fund by failing to sign the Bretton Woods agreements on time. Mexico signed the Bretton Woods agreement.

The Bermuda Legislative Council voted to end curbs on the use of automobiles.

Labour
U.S. President Harry Truman teminated the National War Labor Board by executive action and created a National Wage Stabilization Board to succeed it.

U.S. President Truman named a three-man fact-finding board to avert the scheduled January 14, 1946 steel strike, and ordered the Office of Price Administration to review ceiling prices for steel.

Arbitrator William Davis announced a 20% wage increase to $1.50 per hour for New York City longshoremen, with a work week reduction to 40 hours, and a week's vacation pay.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Ballad of Davy Crockett--"Tennessee" Ernie Ford; Fess Parker (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Der Mond hält seine Wacht--Peter Alexander (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock--Bill Haley and his Comets (8th week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Sixteen Tons--"Tennessee" Ernie Ford (Best Seller--6th week at #1; Disc Jockey--6th week at #1; Jukebox--5th week at #1; Top 100--5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Sixteen Tons--"Tennessee" Ernie Ford (6th week at #1)
2 Memories are Made of This--Dean Martin
3 I Hear You Knocking--Gale Storm
4 He--Al Hibbler
--The McGuire Sisters
5 Nuttin' for Christmas--Art Mooney and his Orchestra with Barry Gordon
--Ricky Zahnd and the Blue Jeaners
--Joe Ward
6 Autumn Leaves--Roger Williams
7 Moments to Remember--The Four Lads
8 Love and Marriage--Frank Sinatra
9 It's Almost Tomorrow--The Dream Weavers
10 The Great Pretender--The Platters

Singles entering the chart were the version of Nuttin' for Christmas by Joe Ward; Rock and Roll Waltz by Kay Starr (#29); Lullaby of Birdland by the Blue Stars (#44); My Treasure, with versions by the Hilltoppers and Connie Francis (#46); I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life (#48)/Take Me Back to Toyland (#50) by Nat "King" Cole; and A Good Man is Hard to Find by Teresa Brewer (#49).

At the movies
The Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies cartoon One Froggy Evening opened in theatres.

On television tonight
The Honeymooners, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Man from Space

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Day Tripper/We Can Work it Out--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)
2 The Sounds of Silence--Simon & Garfunkel
3 Flowers on the Wall--The Statler Brothers
4 She's Just My Style--Gary Lewis and the Playboys
5 Over and Over--The Dave Clark Five
6 England Swings--Roger Miller
7 One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)--Barry Young
8 You Didn't Have to Be So Nice--The Lovin' Spoonful
9 Hang on Sloopy--The Ramsey Lewis Trio
10 Sunday and Me--Jay & the Americans
Pick hit of the week: Barbara Ann--The Beach Boys
New this week: Elusive Butterfly--Bob Lind
Everybody Loves Saturday Night--The New Christy Minstrels
A Well Respected Man--The Kinks
Some Sunday Morning--Wayne Newton

At the movies
Moment to Moment, starring Jean Seberg, Honor Blackman, Sean Garrison, and Arthur Hill, received its premiere screening in Finland.

World events
Jean-Bédel Bokassa, leader of the Central African Republic army, and his military officers began a coup d'état against the government of President David Dacko.

40 years ago
1975

Economics and finance
The cost of mailing a letter in the United States increased from 10c to 13c.

Hockey
NHL
Super Series '76
U.S.S.R. Central Red Army (1-0-1) 3 @ Montreal 3

The Canadiens beat the Red Army everywhere but the scoreboard in a memorable game at the Montreal Forum (see video). Steve Shutt and Yvon Lambert scored to give Montreal a 2-0 lead after the 1st period. Boris Mikhailov scored for the Red Army at 3:54 of the 2nd period, but Yvan Cournoyer scored a powerplay goal at 9:39 to make it 3-1, before Valery Kharlamov scored for the CRA at 16:21. Boris Aleksandrov scored the tying goal at 4:04 of the 3rd period. The Canadiens outshot the CRA 38-13, but Montreal goalie Ken Dryden, who was never known for playing well against the Soviets, had a terrible game, allowing 2 goals on just 3 shots in the 2nd period. Central Red Army goalie Vladislav Tretiak made 35 saves.



30 years ago
1985

Died on this date
Sam Spiegel, 84. Austro-Hungarian-born U.S. movie producer. Mr. Spiegel worked in Germany before emigrating to Mexico in 1933 and the United States in 1938. He was an independent movie producer, using the alias S.P. Eagle until 1954, and winning Academy Awards for Best Picture for On the Waterfront (1954); The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957); and Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Mr. Spiegel was a notorious sexual degenerate.

Rick Nelson, 45. U.S. musician. The son of bandleader Ozzie Nelson and his wife Harriet Hilliard Nelson, Eric Hilliard Nelson began acting on his parents’ radio show at the age of 9 and remained with the program when it moved to television in 1952. He had his first hit record, the two-sided hit I’m Walkin’/A Teenager’s Romance in 1957. Poor Little Fool reached #1 on the Billboard Best Seller and Hot 100 charts in 1958, and Travelin’ Man (1961) hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. From 1957-1964 Mr. Nelson had 26 top-40 hits on the Billboard pop chart, 17 of which reached the top 10. 11 of his singles were records that had both sides in the top 40. He also showed promise as an actor with fine performances in the movies Rio Bravo (1959) and The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960). After the hits diminished, Mr. Nelson began writing and performing his own songs, and was a pioneer in the genre known as country-rock with albums such as Bright Lights and Country Music (1966). He returned to the top 40 singles chart in late 1969-early 1970 with She Belongs To Me, and had a major comeback hit with Garden Party, which reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the RPM 100 Singles chart in Canada in the fall of 1972. Mr. Nelson was on his way to a New Year’s Eve engagement in Dallas when a fire began in the cabin of the vintage DC-3 carrying him and his band, and the plane crashed while making a forced landing in DeKalb, Texas. Mr. Nelson, his fiancee, and five members of his band were killed.

Radio
Springbok Radio, South Africa’s first commercial radio station, went off the air for the last time, ending more than 35 years of broadcasting.

Economics and finance
The failure of a bank in Brooklyn, New York brought the number of bank failures for the year in the United States to 120.

The U.S. dollar ended 1985 well below the record levels set in March. The decline against other currencies had been slow during the summer and greater in the fall.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ai wa Katsu--(愛は勝つ)--Kan (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Justify My Love--Madonna (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Sadeness Part I--Enigma (8th week at #1)

Died on this date
George Allen, 72. U.S. football coach. After years in the college ranks, Mr. Allen joined the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League as an assistant coach in 1957, moving on to the Chicago Bears in 1958 under head coach George Halas. Mr. Allen masterminded the defense that gave up an average of 10 points per game as the Bears won the NFL championship in 1963. He became head coach of the Los Angeles Rams in 1966; from 1966-1970 the Rams compiled a regular season record of 49-17-4, but were unable to get past the first round of the playoffs. Mr. Allen was fired after the 1970 season and was promptly hired to be the head coach of the Washington Redskins, where he served from 1971-1977. Mr. Allen’s teams in Washington were known as the "Over-the-Hill Gang" because of his habit of trading away draft choices for proven veterans. The Redskins’ best season under Mr. Allen was 1972, when they led the National Football Conference with a record of 11-3, and won the NFC championship, only to lose 14-7 to the undefeated Miami Dolphins in the 1973 Super Bowl. Mr. Allen rejoined the Rams as head coach in 1978, but was fired after just two pre-season games. He joined CBS as a commentator on football telecasts. Mr. Allen joined the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League as general manager after the 1981 season, but departed after just a few weeks in which he accomplished nothing except large long-distance telephone bills. In 1983 Mr. Allen was head coach of the Chicago Blitz in the first season of the United States Football League, where he compiled a 12-6 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs. In 1984 he became head coach of the Arizona Wranglers when the owners of the Wranglers and the Blitz swapped the two franchises almost completely. In 1984 the Wranglers were 10-8, and won two playoff games to become Western Conference champions before losing 23-3 to the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL championship game. Mr. Allen left coaching after that, but returned in 1990 as head coach at California State University, Long Beach. He led CSULB to its first winning record in many years, but died six weeks after the last game. CSULB won the game and the players awarded Mr. Allen a Gatorade shower, but he procrastinated in changing out of wet clothes, and his health declined until he died of ventricular fibrillation. According to his son George, the heart arryhtmia, and not the Gatorade shower, was the cause of death.

Vasily Lazarev, 62. U.S.S.R. physician and cosmonaut. Dr. Lazarev became a military physician upon graduating from high school in 1951, qualified as a fighter pilot in 1954, participated in stratospheric balloon flights in 1962, and became a cosmonaut in 1966. He commanded the two-man Soyuz 12 mission in 1973 and the aborted Soyuz 18a mission in 1975, suffering injuries in the hard landing of the latter from which he never fully recovered, leading to his dismissal from military service and the cosmonaut corps on medical grounds in 1985.

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 1990 at 2633.66, down 119.54 points, or 4.3%, for 1990.

Chess
Garry Kasparov of the U.S.S.R. retained his world championship in Lyon against countryman and former world champion Anatoly Karpov. Mr. Kasparov won 4 games to Mr. Karpov’s 3, with 17 draws. The final score of the match was 12.5-11.5 for Mr. Kasparov. Mr. Kasparov’s victory earned him U.S.$1.7 million and a diamond-studded sculpture valued at $1 million. Mr. Karpov took home $1.3 million.



20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): One Sweet Day--Maria Carey and Boyz II Men (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Earth Song--Michael Jackson (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Scotland (OCC): Earth Song--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)

Football
NFL
NFC Wild Card Playoff
Atlanta 20 @ Green Bay 37





AFC Wild Card Playoff
Indianapolis 35 @ San Diego 20

December 30, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Gladys Lucy Pomazongo Levano!

190 years ago
1825

Born on this date
Samuel Newitt Wood. U.S. politician. Mr. Wood, a member of the Liberty Party, and later the Republican Party, held various offices in state politics in Kansas. He advocated that his hometown of Woodsdale be made the seat of Stevens County instead of rival Hugoton, and the dispute led to his assassination by James Brennen outside the courthouse in Hugoton. Mr. Brennen was never prosecuted. Mr. Wood died on June 23, 1891 at the age of 65.

Diplomacy
The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation was proclaimed, having been signed on November 7, 1825 between William Clark on behalf of the United States and delegates from the Shawnee Nation.

150 years ago
1865

Born on this date
Rudyard Kipling. Indian-born U.K. author. Mr. Kipling was probably the best-known literary representative of British imperialism in the late 19th century. His works included The Jungle Book (1894); Kim (1901); and numerous short stories and poems. Mr. Kipling was awarded the 1907 Nobel Prize in Literature "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author." Mr. Kipling died on January 18, 1936, 19 days after his 70th birthday.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Adolfo Ruiz Cortines. 47th President of Mexico, 1952-1958. Mr. Ruiz, a member of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) (Institutional Revolutionary Party), served as Governor of Veracruz from 1944-1948, and was elected President in 1952. Mr. Ruiz's presidency included economic, educational, and health reforms, and women were allowed to vote in presidential elections. Mr. Ruiz died on December 3, 1973, 27 days before his 83rd birthday.

War
The day after the Wounded Knee Massacre, the Drexel Mission Fight took place in South Dakota between the 7th U.S. Cavalry, aided by the 9th Cavalry, and Lakota warriors.

110 years ago
1905

Died on this date
Frank Steunenberg, 44. U.S. politician. Mr. Steunenberg, a candidate representing both the Democratic and Populist parties, was Governor of Idaho from 1897-1901. He was assassinated outside his home in Caldwell, Idaho by a bomb rigged to the side gate.

90 years ago
1925

At the movies
Ben-Hur, directed by Fred Niblo, and starring Ramon Novarro and Francis X. Bushman, opened in theatres.



75 years ago
1940

At the movies
Mr. & Mrs. Smith, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery, received a sneak preview screening in New Rochelle, New York, with the director in attendance.



Died on this date
C. Harold Wills, 62. U.S. automotive engineer and executive. Mr. Wills began working with Henry Ford in 1899, and was the chief contributor to the design of the Model T. He left Ford Motor Company in 1919, and founded and led the automotive firm Wills Sainte Claire, which was in business from 1921-1927. Mr. Wills died shortly after suffering a stroke.

War
Associated Press estimated the total of dead, wounded, and missing for the first 15 months of the European war at 3-4 million.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was reported by the White House to be "tremendously pleased" by the response to his radio address the night before, urging complete aid to the United Kingdom. U.S. Senator D. Worth Clark (Democrat--Idaho) said that Mr. Roosevelt's address was "a trick speech, calculated to lead the American people into war and ruin." Sen. Burton K. Wheeler (Democrat--Montana) criticized "warmongers," opposed aid to Britain that might involve the United States in War, and offered an eight-point peace program.

Politics and government
Representative Ramon Vina of the National Herrerista Party, which opposed the establishment of Pan-American bases in Uruguay, tried to shoot Socialist Rep. Emilio Frugoni on the floor of the Chamber of Representatives in Montevideo during a debate on the bases.

The National Student Federation of America voted to withdraw from the American Youth Congress, which it had helped to found, because of the AYC's alleged radical tendencies.

Transportation
California’s first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena, was officially opened.

70 years ago
1945

War
At the trial of Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg, the United States 3rd Army headquarters released German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler's "political testament," which named Admiral Karl Doenitz head of the German state, and predicted that Nazism would be reborn. Hiroshima Mayor Shichiro Kihara told Allied reporters that Americans should rebuild the city because "we were sacrificed to end the war;" he listed casualties at 139,000 killed out of a population of 310,000.

Diplomacy
League of Nations acting Secretary-General Sean Lester issued that body's final report and stated that the United Nations was in many respects a continuation of the League.

Politics and government
U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes said that Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan General Douglas MacArthur's authority in Japan would not be obstructed in any way by the Far Eastern Commission.

The Argentinian Radical Party named Dr. Jose Tamborini as its presidential candidate, and got pledges of support from the Socialists, Communists, and Progressive Democrats.

Defense
Republic Aviation Corporation revealed development of a four-engine flying photographic laboratory, named the XF-12, for the U.S. Air Technical Service.

Economics and finance
The Egyptian cabinet of Prime Minister Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha approved a boycott of goods produced by Zionists in Palestine.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Christmas Alphabet--Dickie Valentine (3rd week at #1)

At the movies
The Square Jungle, directed by Jerry Hopper, and starring Tony Curtis, Pat Crowley, and Ernest Borgnine, received its premiere screening in New York City.





50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
Ferdinand Marcos took office as President of the Philippines.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Species Deceases (EP)--Midnight Oil (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Koi ni Ochite: Fall in Love--Akiko Kobayashi (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Part-Time Lover--Stevie Wonder (9th week at #1)

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had increased 0.1% in November. The administration of President Ronald Reagan predicted that real growth in the U.S. economy would be 4% in 1986.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Sadeness Part I--Enigma (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Sadeness Part I--Enigma (3rd week at #1)

Diplomacy
In response to demands and threats from U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev, the Moldavian parliament said that it would review a law that made Moldavian the republic’s official language, and also agreed not to form a special defense force in Moldavia.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Ademnood--Linda, Roos & Jessica (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Earth Song--Michael Jackson (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (5th week at #1)
2 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
3 Hey Lover--LL Cool J
4 Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V.
5 Diggin' on You--TLC
6 Fantasy--Mariah Carey
7 Before You Walk Out of My Life/Like This and Like That--Monica
8 Breakfast at Tiffany's--Deep Blue Something
9 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
10 Free as a Bird--The Beatles

Singles entering the chart were Free as a Bird; Sittin' Up in My Room by Brandy (#46); Fu-Gee-La by the Fugees (#89); Cold World by Genius/GZA featuring Inspektah Deck (#97); and You Put a Move on My Heart by Quincy Jones introducing Tamia (#98). Sittin' Up in My Room was from the movie Waiting to Exhale (1995).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (4th week at #1)
2 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
3 Hey Lover--LL Cool J
4 Diggin' on You--TLC
5 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
6 You'll See--Madonna
7 Fantasy--Mariah Carey
8 Before You Walk Out of My Life/Like This and Like That--Monica
9 Breakfast at Tiffany's--Deep Blue Something
10 Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V.

Singles entering the chart were Just Tah Let U Know by Eazy-E (#54) and I Got ID/Long Road by Pearl Jam (#55).

Died on this date
Ralph Flanagan, 81. U.S. musician. Mr. Flanagan, born Ralph Flenniken, was a pianist who became an arranger for a number of big bands and led a band of his own in the late 1940s and 1950s, having hit singles with songs such as Hot Toddy and Singing Winds.

Football
NFL
AFC Wild Card Playoff
Miami 22 @ Buffalo 37



NFC Wild Card Playoff
Detroit 37 @ Philadelphia 58



10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Rona Jaffe, 73. U.S. author. Miss Jaffe was best known for her novels The Best of Everything (1958) and Mazes and Monsters (1981), and her articles in Cosmopolitan magazine in the late 1960s. She eventually settled in London, where she died of cancer.

Weather
Tropical Storm Zeta formed in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin.

December 29, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Christine Gotaas!

180 years ago
1835

War
The Treaty of New Echota was signed in New Echota, Georgia by officials of the United States government and the Cherokee Treaty party, ceding all the lands of the Cherokee east of the Mississippi River to the United States.

170 years ago
1845

Americana
In accordance with International Boundary delimitation, the United States annexed the Republic of Texas, following the manifest destiny doctrine. The Republic of Texas, which had been independent since the Texas Revolution of 1836, was thereupon admitted to the Union as the 28th state.

125 years ago
1890

War
Almost 200 Sioux Indian men, women, and children were shot by members of the U.S. 7th Cavalry in a massacre at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. It was the last major action in the various U.S. Indian wars.

Albertana
The Town of Lethbridge was incorporated.

120 years ago
1895

War
The botched Jameson Raid, an attack on the Transvaal Republic led by British Administrator of Rhodesia Leander Starr Jameson, began in Johannesburg.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
Robert Ruark. U.S. author. Mr. Ruark was best known for his novel Something of Value (1955), based on his experiences as a big game hunter in Africa. He drank himself to death in London on July 1, 1965 at the age of 49.

Bill Osmanski. U.S. football player. Mr. Osmanski was a fullback with College of the Holy Cross from 1936-1938 and was the first draft choice of the Chicago Bears in 1939, playing with the Bears from 1939-1943 and 1946-1947. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973. Mr. Osmanski died on December 25, 1996, four days before his 81st birthday.

75 years ago
1940

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Missing Three-Quarter

Movies
The New York Film Critics Circle named its award winners for 1940, which included: Best Picture--The Grapes of Wrath; Best Director--John Ford (The Grapes of Wrath); Best Actor--Charlie Chaplin (The Great Dictator); and Best Actress--Katharine Hepburn (The Philadelphia Story).

War
In the Second Great Fire of London, the German Luftwaffe fire-bombed London, killing almost 200 civilians. The United Kingsom announced that an unidentified German "powerful surface warship" had been routed in the North Atlantic Ocean on December 25 by the British cruiser Berwick.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared in a "fireside chat" radio broadcast that the United States must become the "arsenal of democracy," and that full aid must be given to the United Kingdom on a war basis. He added that no threats by dictators could weaken American determination to give Britain all the aid she needed.

Law
Mexican President Manuel Avila Camacho sent a bill to the Chamber of Deputies granting amnesty for political offenders during the recent presidential election campaign.

Labour
Congress of Industrial Organizations United Auto Workers President R.J. Thomas said that the U.S. War Department contract awarded to Ford Motor Company for 1,500 scout cars would "seriously undermine the morale of labor engaged in defense work."

Football
NFL
All-Star Game @ Los Angeles
Chicago Bears 28 NFL All-Stars 14

Sid Luckman won the quarterbacking duel over Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins as the champion Bears defeated the All-Stars at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

70 years ago
1945

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Chickery Chick--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra with Nancy Norman, Billy Williams and the Kaye Choir (Best Seller--3rd week at #1; Juke Box--2nd week at #1); White Christmas--Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra (Airplay--1st week at #1); It's Been a Long, Long Time--Harry James and His Orchestra with Kitty Kallen; Bing Crosby with Les Paul and his Trio (Honor Roll of Hits--7th week at #1)

At the movies
Hitler Lives, an adaptation of the previously released documentary short film Your Job in Germany, opened in theatres.

War
The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) released World War II's casualty statistics: 41,371 Canadians in service killed; 43,178 wounded; 10,844 made prisoners of war; 32 missing in action.

U.S. Army Lieutenant General Albert Wedemeyer announced that American troops would help Nationalist Chinese forces move into Manchuria.

British troops in Indonesia disarmed all Indonesian police on the ground that they had not been able to maintain law and order.

Defense
The United States Army and Navy created a joint advisory board to work with Major General Leslie Groves on the atomic bomb.

Energy
The American Association of Scientific Workers issued a statement supporting the Moscow Agreement for United Nations control of atomic energy.

Politics and government
Brazilian President-elect Eurico Dutra pledged to restore full deomocracy; maintain close ties with the United States; ease immigration laws; and encourage the flow of foreign capital into Brazil.

Labour
The bitter United Auto Workers strike against Ford Motor Company of Canada, which had started on September 12, 1945 when 17,000 workers walked off the job in Windsor, Ontario ended, as both sides agreed to binding arbitration by Justice Ivan Rand.

U.S. National Federation of Telephone Workers President Joseph Beirne appealed to U.S. President Harry Truman to intervene in the dispute between Western Electric and its Employees Association to avert a strike by January 3, 1946.

The U.S. National War Labor Board recommended weekly wage increases of $3 and $4 for 11,500 employees of Northwestern Bell Telephone Company in five states.

Hockey
NHL
Montréal Canadiens' right winger Maurice Richard scored his 100th career National Hockey League goal in his 134th game.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Montgomery, Alabama
North 26 South 0

50 years ago
1965

Music
The single My World is Empty Without You/Everything is Good About You by the Supremes was released on Motown Records.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Mamma Mia--ABBA (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ano Hi ni Kaeritai--Yumi Arai (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Amor, amor--Lolita (4th week at #1)

Terrorism
A bomb exploded at La Guardia Airport in New York City, killing 11 people and injuring 74. The culprits were never identified, although Croatian nationalists were suspected.

Society
The Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts, radical new legislation introducing a woman's right to equal pay and status, came into force in the United Kingdom.

Hockey
NHL
Super Series '76
Soviet Wings 7 @ Pittsburgh 4

Yuri Liapkin scored 2 goals and 2 assists as the Soviet Wings, playing their first game of the U.S.S.R. exhibition series against National Hockey League teams, defeated the Penguins at Civic Arena. The Wings led 4-0 after the 1st period and made it 5-0 early in the 2nd period before the Penguins scored. Pierre Larouche, Ron Schock, Barry Wilkins, and Lew Morrison scored the Pittsburgh goals.

30 years ago
1985

Terrorism
Libya’s official press agency praised the December 27 terrorist attacks on airports in Rome and Vienna, which had resulted in the deaths of 20 civilians, as heroic.

Football
NFL
NFC Wild Card Playoff
San Francisco 3 @ New York Giants 17

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Aihakatsu--KAN (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Attenti Al Lupo--Lucio Dalla

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): I've Been Thinking About You--Londonbeat (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Sadeness (Part 1)--Enigma

#1 single in France (SNEP): Petit Frank--François Feldman

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Saviour's Day--Cliff Richard

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Because I Love You (The Postman Song)--Stevie B (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Justify My Love--Madonna
2 Because I Love You (The Postman Song)--Stevie B
3 Impulsive--Wilson Phillips
4 Tom’s Diner--D.N.A. featuring Suzanne Vega
5 High Enough--Damn Yankees
6 Love Will Never Do (Without You)--Janet Jackson
7 Sensitivity--Ralph Tresvant
8 From a Distance--Bette Midler
9 I’m Your Baby Tonight--Whitney Houston
10 The First Time--Surface

Singles entering the chart were It Never Rains (In Southern California) by Tony! Toni! Tone! (#54); Go for It! (Heart and Fire) by Joey B. Ellis and Tynetta Hare (#63); Don’t Hold Back Your Love by Daryl Hall John Oates (#66); I've Been Waiting for You by Guys Next Door (#76); One More Try by Timmy -T- (#79); Caroline by Concrete Blonde (#85); and Pick Up the Pace 1990 by Young M.C. (#88).

Politics and government
A week after taking office as President of Poland, Lech Walesa named economist Jan Krzysztof Bielecki as Premier.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio feauring L.V. (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Father and Son--Boyzone (5th week at #1)

At the movies
Mr. Holland's Opus, directed by Stephen Herek, and starring Richard Dreyfuss and Glenne Headly, opened in theatres in limited release.



Died on this date
Lita Grey, 87. U.S. actress. Miss Grey, born Lillita MacMurray, was married to Charlie Chaplin from 1924-1927, and appeared in his movies The Kid (1921) and The Idle Class (1921).

Politics and government
An agreement was signed to begin the transfer of some civil powers in Hebron from Israel to the Palestinian Authority.

Another member of the British House of Commons defected from the government of Prime Minister John Major, reducing the Conservative majority to 3 seats.

Economics and finance
Canadian Minister of International Trade Art Eggleton announced that Canada and Chile would pursue a free trade agreement without the participation of the United States.

Skiing
Edi Podivinsky of Canada won the bronze medal in the FIS World Cup Bormio downhill race at Bormio, Italy.

Hockey
NHL
Detroit 2 @ Dallas 1

Scotty Bowman coached his 1,607th career game, becoming the National Hockey League's career leader in games coached, as his Red Wings edged the Stars 2-1 at Reunion Arena. Mr. Bowman passed former St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders coach Al Arbour.

December 28, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Heather Pick!

950 years ago
1065

Britannica
Westminster Abbey in London was consecrated.

220 years ago
1795

Torontonia
Construction of Yonge Street began in York, Upper Canada (present-day Toronto).

180 years ago
1835

War
Osceola led his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army.

130 years ago
1885

Politics and government
The Indian National Congress party was founded in Bombay Presidency, British India.

125 years ago
1890

War
A band of Sioux Indians led by Big Foot, who had fled to the badlands, were captured by the U.S. 7th Cavalry and brought to Wounded Knee creek in South Dakota.

120 years ago
1895

At the movies
The Lumière brothers put on a first movie screening for their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, marking the debut of the cinema.

Born on this date
Carol Ryrie Brink. U.S. authoress. Mrs. Brink wrote more than 30 novels for children and adults. Her novel Caddie Woodlawn won the 1936 Newbery Medal. Mrs. Brink died of heart failure on August 15, 1981 at the age of 85.

Science
Wilhelm Röntgen published the paper Über eine neue Art von Strahlen (On a New Kind of Rays), detailing his discovery on November 8, 1895 of what became known as X-rays.

110 years ago
1905

Sport
The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, forerunner of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, was founded in New York City.

80 years ago
1935

Died on this date
Clarence Day, 61. U.S. author. Mr. Day was best known for his memoir Life with Father (1935), which was published shortly before his death from pneumonia.

75 years ago
1940

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Frenesi--Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Christian Deetjan, 77. U.S. physician. Dr. Deetjan, a pioneer in X-ray treatment who had lost fingers and a forearm in 1930 as a result of his work, died in Baltimore from burns received during research.

War
It was reported that Germany had massed more than a division of troops in Romania within 13 miles of the Yugoslavian border. The Japanese government denied that one of its ships had shelled Nauru; Australian sources speculated that the ship concerned was a disguised German raider. A vote of confidence in the cabinet of Prime Minister Hussein Sirri Pasha by the Egyptian parliament barred the way to Egypt's active participation in the European war.

Defense
According to a preliminary audit by the United States Treasury, the United Kingdom would have no cash left to pay for U.S. arms and munitions by the early autumn of 1941. A Gallup Poll reported that 60% of American voters now favoured aiding Britain even at the risk of war, as compared with 36% in May 1940.

Edward Stettinius of the U.S. National Defense Advisory Commission reported that there were no serious shortages in aluminum supplies.

Universal military training was established in Ecuador, beginning in January 1941 with pre-military instruction in all schools, colleges, and universities.

World events
The Guatemalan government of President Jorge Ubico announced that 12 people who had tried to start a rebellion on December 24 at Fort Metamoros had been executed this day by firing squads.

Law
The American Student Union in New York accused the U.S. administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt with attempting to sabotage progressive legislation and civil liberties under the guise of national defense.

Labour
A U.S. House of Representatives committee which had spent 17 months investigating the National Labor Relations Board urged its complete reorganization to eliminate those employees who had shown bias and a partisan attitude as well as those who had indicated opposition to "the American system of government."

Science
University of California professors Joseph Kaplan and Dr. S.M. Ruben described a new device called a "cosmic Jacob's ladder" which provided them with evidence that the upper atmosphere contains helium.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Montgomery, Alabama
North 14 South 12

70 years ago
1945

At the movies
Scarlet Street, starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Theodore Dreiser, 74. U.S. author. Mr. Dreiser was best known for his novels Sister Carrie (1900) and An American Tragedy (1925). In his later years he wrote non-fiction works praising the Soviet Union, and joined the Communist Party four months before his death.

Paul Joseph Hoffmann. German war criminal. Mr. Hoffmann was convicted for ordering the deaths of two million prisoners while he was commandant of the Majdanek concentration camp in Poland during World War II. He was hanged outside the camp crematorium.

War
More than 10,000 holdout Japanese troops surrendered to Chinese General Li Yen-nien in the Shantung area of China. A Canadian military court in Aurich, Germany found German SS Major-General and Hitler Youth Division Commander Kurt Meyer guilty of war crimes for the assassination of Canadian prisoners of war in Normandy after the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944.

Diplomacy
A United Nations interim committee narrowed the choice for the UN's permanent headquarters to Boston or New York.

A British-Dutch Conference on Indonesia ended in London with a statement that the situation there should be settled, but there was no agreement on how this should be done.

Lebanese Prime Minister Sami Soih said that the United Nations would be pressed to ask that British and French troops be removed from the country.

Americana
Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.

Law
U.S. President Harry Truman signed the liberalized GI Bill of Rights.

Economics and finance
The Panamanian Constitutional Congress voted a budget of more than $30 million, the highest in the country's history to date.

The U.S. Office of Price Administration raised the retail price ceiling 10c per ton on coal, coke, and other solid fuels as of January 2, 1946.

Business
A U.S. federal district court in Chicago enjoining further monopoly restraint of competition and rate-fixing by Allied Van Lines.

Labour
General Motors officials walked out of U.S. President Truman's fact-finding board hearing, objecting to union demands that wages be related to prices and company profits.

U.S. Office of Price Administration Administrator Chester Bowles protested to the White House for a second time that certain officers in federal agencies discriminated against Negroes seeking employment.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): L'Homme et l'Enfant--Eddie & Tania Constantine (4th week at #1)

Aviation
A BOAC Comet III flew from London, England to Montreal in a record time of 6 hours and 18 minutes.

50 years ago
1965

On television tonight
The Fugitive, starring David Janssen, on ABC
Tonight's episode: When the Wind Blows, with guest stars Harry Townes, Georgann Johnson, and Johnny Jensen

40 years ago
1975

Hockey
NHL
Super Series '76
U.S.S.R. Central Red Army (1-0) 7 @ New York Rangers 3

Vladimir Petrov scored 2 goals and 2 assists and Valery Kharlamov added a goal and 3 assists as the Central Red Army scored 7 straight goals to beat the Rangers before 17,500 fans at Madison Square Garden in the first game ever played between a Soviet club team and a National Hockey League club. Steve Vickers of the Rangers opened the scoring just 21 seconds into the game, but New York didn't score again until Rod Gilbert and Phil Esposito scored in the last 4 1/2 minutes of the game. CRA goalie Vladislav Tretiak made 38 saves, while New York goalie John Davidson stopped only 22 of the 29 shots he faced.



Football
NFL
NFC Divisional Playoff
Dallas 17 @ Minnesota 14

Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach said a "Hail Mary" immediately before completing a 50-yard touchdown bomb to Drew Pearson with 24 seconds remaining in regulation time to give the Cowboys the win over the Vikings before 48,050 shocked fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. Mr. Pearson pushed off on Minnesota defensive back Nate Wright on the play and should have been penalized for offensive pass interference, but field judge Armen Terzian refused to call the penalty. The outrage from the Vikings and their fans was to no avail, and one fan made a better throw than Mr. Staubach, throwing a whiskey bottle from the stands that hit Mr. Terzian in the back of the head and knocked him out. Mr. Terzian left the field with a large bandage around his head.



AFC Divisional Playoff
Cincinnati 28 @ Oakland 31

Ken Stabler completed 17 of 23 passes for 199 yards and touchdowns to Mike Siani, Bob Moore, and Dave Casper to lead the Raiders over the Bengals before 53,030 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Oakland led 31-14 in the 4th quarter before Cincinnati quarterback Ken Anderson rallied the Bengals with touchdown passes to Charlie Joiner and Isaac Curtis. The Bengals recovered a Raider fumble on the Oakland 38-yard line with just over 2 minutes remaining, but the Oakland defense forced a turnover on downs, and the offense ran out the clock. It was the final game for Cincinnati head coach Paul Brown, who had coached the Cleveland Browns from 1946-1962 before becoming the Bengals' first head coach in 1968.



30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Election Day--Arcadia (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Nikita--Elton John (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Nikita--Elton John (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Thank You Very Much Mr Eastwood--Dermot Morgan

#1 single in the U.K.: Merry Christmas Everyone--Shakin' Stevens

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Say You, Say Me--Lionel Richie (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Say You, Say Me--Lionel Richie (2nd week at #1)
2 Party All the Time--Eddie Murphy
3 Alive and Kicking--Simple Minds
4 Broken Wings--Mr. Mister
5 That’s What Friends are For--Dionne and Friends (with Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder)
6 Small Town--John Cougar Mellencamp
7 Election Day--Arcadia
8 Separate Lives--Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin
9 Talk to Me--Stevie Nicks
10 Perfect Way--Scritti Politti

Singles entering the chart were Sara by Starship (#59); Own the Night by Chaka Khan (#78); Secret Lovers by Atlantic Starr (#85); Don't Say No Tonight by Eugene Wild (#89); and Baby Talk by Alisha (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Say You, Say Me--Lionel Richie (2nd week at #1)
2 Everything in My Heart--Corey Hart
3 Broken Wings--Mr. Mister
4 Separate Lives--Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin
5 We Built This City--Starship
6 Tarzan Boy--Baltimora
7 That’s What Friends are For--Dionne and Friends (with Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder)
8 Live is Life--Opus
9 Election Day--Arcadia
10 Sun City--Artists United Against Apartheid

Singles entering the chart were Kyrie by Mr. Mister (#75); Conga by Miami Sound Machine (#87); If I Was by Midge Ure (#89); Somebody Somewhere by Platinum Blonde (#91); He'll Never Love You (Like I Do) by Freddie Jackson (#92); and Didn't You Kill My Brother? by Alexei Sayle (#95).

Defense
The United States tested an X-ray laser, a component of the Strategic Defense Initiative anti-missile defense system, by detonating a hydrogen bomb under the Nevada desert. An X-ray laser would convert the energy released by a nuclear explosion into a burst of X-rays.

Transportation
The SkyTrain light rail transit system began operating in the metro Vancouver, British Columbia area.

Football
NFL
AFC Wild Card Playoff
New England 26 @ New York Jets 14



25 years ago
1990

Died on this date
Kiel Martin, 46. U.S. actor. Mr. Martin, born Kiel Mueller, was best known for playing Detective J.D. LaRue in the television series Hill Street Blues (1981-1987). This blogger remembers him from The Edge of Night in the late 1970s. Mr. Martin died of lung cancer.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department said that the index of leading economic indicators had declined 1.2% in November. The index had now dropped for five consecutive months, with a decline of three straight months generally regarded as indicating a recession.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
Clyde Wells, Premier of Newfoundland since May 1989, announced his resignation as soon as a successor could be chosen.

Sport
Speedskater Susan Auch was named Canada's female Athlete of the Year by Canadian Press.

10 years ago
2005

Scandal
Former top Enron Corporation accountant Richard Causey pled guilty to securities fraud, and agreed to help pursue convictions against Enron founder Kenneth Lay and former Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling.

December 27, 2015

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Marilyn Draper!

170 years ago
1845

Americana
John L. O'Sullivan, writing in his newspaper the New York Morning News, argued that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon Country "by the right of our manifest destiny".

Medicine
Ether anesthetic was used for childbirth for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia.

100 years ago
1915

Born on this date
William Masters. U.S. gynecologist. Dr. Masters and his second wife, Virginia Masters, were known for their research into human sexual response, and worked as a research team from 1957 until their divorce in the 1990s. Dr. Masters died of Parkinson's disease on February 16, 2001 at the age of 85.

75 years ago
1940

Divorced on this date
Entertainers Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler were divorced in New York after 12 years of marriage.

Movies
After a protest by Italian Ambassador to Argentina Raffaele Biscarelli, screenings of The Great Dictator were prohibited in Buenos Aires.

War
The unofficial three-day "Christmas truce" ended when German bombers attacked London. Germany accused Britain of violating the truce by bombing French and German cities on December 26. The United Kingdom reported that a captured Italian officer claimed that Italian Duce Benito Mussolini had ordered the 20,000 Italian troops surrounded in Bardia, Libya to defend the base "at all costs." Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced that a sea raider flying Japanese colours had recently shelled the island of Nauru in the western Pacific Ocean; Nauru, undefended under the terms of the League of Nations mandate, was jointly administered by the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. U.S. Senator Burton K. Wheeler (Democrat--Montana) defined the "just" peace he urged President Franklin D. Roosevelt to try to bring about as one whose terms the belligerents would be willing to accept in preference to continuing the European war. The New York Chapter of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies, which had 16,000 members, said in a statement, "Peace is possible for us only if Britain wins."

Defense
The U.S. Federal Register disclosed that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had ordered an additional 42,000 National Guardsmen into active service between January 6-17, 1941. Mr. Roosevelt said that he had turned over the Congress of Industrial Organizations proposal to produce 500 planes daily by using unused atomobile plant space and equipment to the new defense council.

Diplomacy
British High Commissioner Sir Harold MacMichael announced that no quota for immigration to Palestine would be set for the period of October 1940 through March 1941.

Economics and finance
The Japanese cabinet approved an expanded domestic steel production scheme to meet the U.S. scrap iron embargo.

Transportation
Mexican President Manuel Avila Camacho's program to establish government management of the nation's railroads was completed when the Senate unanimously endorsed the legislation.

Religion
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes received the Inter-Faith Award of the National Council of Christians and Jews in Washington, and said that sacred basic individual rights must be upheld regardless of race or creed in order to preserve liberty.

70 years ago
1945

Movies
The annual poll of the Motion Picture Herald named Bing Crosby as the top box office attraction for 1945.

War
Chinese Communist leader Chou En-lai submitted a written proposal for an immediate truce in the Chinese civil war. Greece rejected as inadequate the reparations award proposed for her by the Allied Reparations Commission.

Politics and government
Representatives of the U.S., U.S.S.R., and U.K., meeting in Moscow, concluded an agreement providing for establishment of a Far Eastern Commission; a Four-Power Allied Council for Japan; a provisional democratic government in Korea; and unification of China under the Nationalist regime.

The Turkish National Assembly voted confidence in Prime Minister Sukru Saracoglu after he declared that Turkey would follow a policy of international independence.

The top campaign manager for Mexican President Miguel Aleman said that there had never been any U.S. support, private or official, for Mexican opposition presidential candidate Ezequiel Padilla.

Terrorism
Jewish terrorists killed eight people in bomb blasts and gun battles in Jaffa and Tel Aviv.

World events
Mulla Mustafa Albarazani, his brother Sheikh Ahmad Albarazani, and 33 of their followers were sentenced to death in absentia in Baghdad for the Kurdish revolt in northern Iraq in August 1945.

Economics and finance
The World Bank and International Monetary Fund were created with the signing of an agreement by 28 nations.

U.S. President Harry Truman abolished the Smaller War Plants Corporation as of January 28, 1946, and transferred its functions to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

Labour
The U.S. Wage Stabilization Board approved an average 25c hourly wage increase for 200,000 building trades members in the New York City area.

60 years ago
1955

Died on this date
Alfred Carpenter, 74. U.K. military officer. Vice-Admiral Carpenter served with the Royal Navy from 1898-1934. He earned the Victoria Cross with his actions on April 22-23, 1918 with his display of courage as commanding officer of HMS Vindictive during the landing of a force of 200 Royal Marines on the mole at Zeebrugge, Belgium at the start of the Zeebrugge Raid. Vice-Admiral Carpenter commanded the Wye Valley section of the Gloucestershire Home Guard during World War II.

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): El Mundo (Il Mondo)--Jimmy Fontana (11th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Over and Over--The Dave Clark Five
2 I Can Never Go Home Anymore--The Shangri-Las
3 Puppet on a String--Elvis Presley
4 I'm a Man--The Yardbirds
5 Crawling Back--Roy Orbison
6 Poor Little Fool--Terry Black
7 Flowers on the Wall--The Statler Brothers
8 Princess in Rags--Gene Pitney
9 The Sounds of Silence--Simon & Garfunkel
10 The Little Girl I Once Knew--The Beach Boys

Singles entering the chart were Thunderball by Tom Jones (#31); It's Good News Week by Hedgehoppers Anonymous (#32); I've Got to Be Somebody by Billy Joe Royal (#33); It was a Very Good Year by Frank Sinatra (#34); She's Just My Style by Gary Lewis and the Playboys (#35); Crystal Chandelier by Vic Dana (#36); Soldier Boy by Debbie Lori Kaye (#37); A Must to Avoid by Herman's Hermits (#38); As Tears Go By by the Rolling Stones (#39); and My Love by Petula Clark (#40).

Died on this date
Frank Readick, 68 or 69. U.S. actor. Mr. Readick appeared in radio programs from the 1930s to the '50s. He played the Shadow in Detective Story Hour (1930-1931) and subsequent series (1931-1932), and provided the introductory commentary that opened each episode eaven after he left the series. Mr. Readick worked with Orson Welles, playing reporter Carl Phillips in the Mercury Theatre on the Air's presentation of The War of the Worlds (October 30, 1938), and appearing in Mr. Welles' film Journey Into Fear (1943). Mr. Readick's son Bob also became a radio actor.

Disasters
Four men were dead and nine missing after the Sea Gem, Britain's first North Sea drilling rig, capsized.

40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Profondo rosso--Goblin (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Mississippi--Pussycat (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: Bohemian Rhapsody--Queen (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Let's Do it Again--The Staple Singers

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Saturday Night--Bay City Rollers
2 I Write the Songs--Barry Manilow
3 Do You Know Where You're Going To--Diana Ross
4 Convoy--C.W. McCall
5 Let's Do it Again--The Staple Singers
6 Love Rollercoaster--Ohio Players
7 That's the Way (I Like It)--K.C. and the Sunshine Band
8 Fox on the Run--Sweet
9 Fly Away--John Denver
10 I Love Music (Part 1)--O'Jays

Singles entering the chart were Sweet Thing by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (#77); Break Away by Art Garfunkel (#79); Back to the Island by Leon Russell (#81); December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) by the Four Seasons (#84); Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (#85); Love Hurts by Jim Capaldi (#98); Once You Hit the Road by Dionne Warwick (#99); and One Woman Band by Carol Chase (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 That's the Way (I Like It)--K.C. and the Sunshine Band (3rd week at #1)
2 Saturday Night--Bay City Rollers
3 Sky High--Jigsaw
4 The Way I Want to Touch You--Captain & Tennille
5 Fly, Robin, Fly--Silver Convention
6 Eighteen with a Bullet--Pete Wingfield
7 Nights on Broadway--Bee Gees
8 Fox on the Run--Sweet
9 Do You Know Where You're Going To--Diana Ross
10 Island Girl--Elton John

Singles entering the chart were Let it Shine by Olivia Newton-John (#20); General Hand Grenade by Trooper (#75); Oh Mama by Downchild (#78); Paloma Blanca by the George Baker Selection (#80); Love to Love You Baby by Donna Summer (#81); All by Myself by Eric Carmen (#83); Fire on the Mountain by the Marshall Tucker Band (#84); Golden Years by David Bowie (#85); Theme from S.W.A.T. by Rhythm Heritage (#86); Play on Love by Jefferson Starship (#87); Christmas for Cowboys by John Denver (#88); Tracks of My Tears by Linda Ronstadt (#91); Love or Leave by the Spinners (#96); Let's Live Together by Road Apples (#97); This Old Man by Purple Reign (#98); I'm on My Way by Fludd (#99); and Inseparable by Natalie Cole (#100).

Football
NFL
AFC Divisional Playoff
Baltimore 10 @ Pittsburgh 28

Franco Harris rushed for 153 yards and the game's first touchdown in the 1st quarter, and linebacker Andy Russell returned a fumble by Baltimore quarterback Bert Jones 93 yards for the final touchdown in the 4th quarter, as the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers defeated the Colts before 49,557 fans at Three Rivers Stadium.





NFC Divisional Playoff
St. Louis 23 @ Los Angeles 35

Lawrence McCutcheon rushed for 202 yards on 37 carries and Jack Youngblood and Bill Simpson returned interceptions for touchdowns as the Rams beat the Cardinals before 73,459 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.





30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Nikita--Elton John (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Take on Me--A-Ha (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Jean Rondeau, 39. French auto racing driver. Mr. Rondeau, with Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1980, becoming the first--and still only--driver to win the event in a car of his own design and bearing his name. Mr. Rondeau was killed when he was following a police car across train tracks--with the gates down--and he was struck by a train.

Terrorism
18 people were killed and 120 injured in simultaneous attacks at airports in Rome and Vienna.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Christmas No 1--Zig and Zag (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
The fourth session of the Congress of People’s Deputies, the overall Soviet parliament, closed with only a partial victory for President Mikhail Gorbachev. Though the deputies approved his proposed reorganization of the central government’s executive branch and accepted in principle his union treaty, the Congress denied Mr. Gorbachev some new powers he had sought.

Canadian Immigration Minister Barbara McDougall announced a five-year, $332-million agreement to give Québec control of cultural integration of immigrants to the province.

20 years ago
1995

Defense
Israeli troops completed their withdrawal from six towns in the West Bank.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Bill Doody, 74. Canadian politician. Mr. Doody, a Progressive Conservative, held several cabinet posts in the Newfoundland provincial government from 1972-1979 until he was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister Joe Clark. He died two months before he was due to retire from the Senate.

War
Indonesia's Aceh rebels formally abolished their 30-year armed struggle for independence under a peace deal born out of the 2004 tsunami.