December 23, 2015

1,075 years ago
940

Died on this date
Ar-Radi, 31. Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, 934-940. Ar-Radi, the son of Caliph al-Muqtadir, was imprisoned by his uncle al-Qahir from 932-934, but was raised to power when al-Qahir was deposed, and served as a largely figurehead ruler until his death, which marked the end of the caliph's political power. He was succeeded by his brother Al-Muttaqi.

325 years ago
1690

Born on this date
Pamheiba. King of Manipur, 1709-1751. Meidingu Pamheiba, who took the name Gharib Nawaz after converting to Hinduism, succeeded his father Pitambar Charairongba. Pamheiba extended the boundaries of his kingdom, and conducted a successful invasion of Burma. He died in 1751 at the age of 60 and was succeeded by his grandson Guarisiam.

220 years ago
1795

Died on this date
Henry Clinton, 65 (?). U.K. military officer and politician. General Sir Henry, a native of Newfoundland, was the son of New York Governor George Clinton, and obtained a captain's commission in the British Army in 1746. He served in the Seven Years' War, and sat in the House of Commons, first for Boroughbridge and subsequently for Newark-on-Trent, from 1772-1784. Gen. Sir Henry began serving during the American War of Independence in 1775, and succeeded Major General William Howe as Commander-in-Chief of North America (1778-1782). He was appointed Governor of Gibraltar in July 1794, but died before he was able to assume the office. Opinion on Gen. Sir Henry's competence as a commander remains divided.

200 years ago
1815

Died on this date
Jan Potocki, 54. Polish adventurer and author. Count Potocki, a Captain of Engineers in the Polish Army, was a polymath who was an adventurer who travelled widely, knew eight languages, and used his skills to become a pioneer in the fied of ethnology. His best-known book was the novel Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse (The Manuscript Found in Saragossa) (1805/1810). Count Potocki committed suicide by shooting himself, reportedly out of fear that he was turning into a werewolf.



160 years ago
1855

Transportation
The Grand Trunk Railway line from Lévis to St. Thomas, Québec opened.

75 years ago
1940

On the radio



Radio
CBS President William Paley announced plans for a network, to begin operation about September 1, 1941, covering 18 of the 20 Latin American countries.

NBC, following the lead of CBS and MBS, dropped all music controlled by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

War
Greek troops seized the Italian coastal base of Khimara, Albania.

Diplomacy
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral William Leahy and his wife sailed from Norfolk, Virginia aboard the cruiser Tuscaloosa en route to Vichy, where Adm. Leahy would assume his new post as U.S. Ambassador to France. U.S. Senator Warren Austin (Republican--Vermont) told reporters in Washington that he favoured amending the Neutrality Act to restore "freedom of the seas to U.S. shipping."

Defense
Congress of Industrial Organizations President Philip Murray presented U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a plan for the mass production of 500 all-metal pursuit planes daily by using idle facilities of automobile plants.

Crime
Syliva Ageloff, a New York woman held in connection with the August 21, 1940 assassination of former Soviet Communist politician Leon Trotsky, was given her freedom.

70 years ago
1945

War
Indonesians agreed to help British forces disarm the Japanese and get them to Javanese ports for evacuation.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes, U.S. Ambassador to the U.S.S.R. Averell Harriman, and U.S. State Department official Charels Bohlen conferred in Moscow with Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and then with Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov and U.K. Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin.

U.S. Army General George Marshall conferred in China with Communist leaders Chou En-lai, Yeh Chieh-ying, and Tung Pih-wu.

Former U.S. Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles said that the United Nations Trusteeship Council should be given responsibility for establishing a Jewish Commonwealth in Palestine.

Protest
Clashes in Cuernavaca and nearby towns between supporters of former Mexican Foreign Minister Ezequiel Padilla and Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) presidential candidate Miguel Alemán Valdés resulted in three deaths and 86 injuries.

Religion
Pope Pius XII named 32 prelates from 19 countries as members of the College of Cardinals. Archbishop James McGuigan of Toronto became Canada's first non-French Cardinal.

60 years ago
1955

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Christmas Alphabet--Dickie Valentine (2nd week at #1)

50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

At the movies
Blindfold, starring Rock Hudson and Claudia Cardinals, opened in theatres in West Germany.

The Slender Thread, starring Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft, opened in theatres.

40 years ago
1975

Died on this date
Jim McGlothlin, 32. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. McGlothlin played for the California Angels (1965-1969); Cincinnati Reds (1970-1973); and Chicago White Sox (1973), posting a record of 67-77 with an earned run average of 3.61 in 256 games. He was 12-8 with a 2.96 ERA with the Angels in 1967, tying for the American League lead in shutouts with 6. Mr. McGlothlin was 14-10 in 1970 with the Reds as they won the National League pennant. He pitched in the 1970 and 1972 World Series. Mr. McGothlin's career ended when he was released by the White Sox on March 29, 1974. He died of cancer.

Labour
In a landmark decision, Peter Seitz, a labour arbitrator hearing baseball's case against pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally, ruled that they were no longer bound to their contracts with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Montreal Expos, respectively, and therefore could sell their services to the highest bidder. Mr. Seitz, who a year earlier had granted pitcher Catfish Hunter his free agency after his contract had been violated by Oakland Athletics' owner Charlie Finley, ruled that the reserve clause--the clause in a player's contract allowing the team to renew the contract for one year if agreement on a new contract hadn't been reached--meant one year and only one year, not one year, and then one year, and on ad infinitum. The ruling quickly had a marked effect on the movement of players between teams and the salaries they were paid, but didn't begin to take effect on a large scale until after the 1976 season. Mr. Messersmith signed with the Atlanta Braves for 1976, while Mr. McNally, who had retired in mid-season but allowed his name to stand in the case, remained in retirement.

30 years ago
1985

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Species Deceases (EP)--Midnight Oil (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kamen Butōkai--Shonentai

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Part-Time Lover--Stevie Wonder (8th week at #1)

Defense
U.S. President Ronald Reagan notified Congress of his intention to continue to observe the SALT-II arms limitation agreement, charging a "continuing pattern of Soviet non-compliance" with arms-control agreements. He cited the deployment of SS-25 missiles; the construction of a radar station; the temporary basing of long-range bombers in the Arctic; and the development of mobile anti-ballistic missile radars and rapid-fire ABM launchers.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald Reagan wrote a letter to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in which he indicated an interest in implementing a plan for mutual on-site inspection of nuclear test facilities.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Sadeness (Part I)--Enigma (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Sadeness (Part I)--Enigma (2nd week at #1)

Europeana
In a referendum, 88.5% of Slovenia's overall electorate voted for independence from Yugoslavia.

20 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (3rd week at #1)

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

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Earth Song--Michael Jackson (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (3rd week at #1)
2 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
3 Hey Lover--LL Cool J
4 Diggin' on You--TLC
5 You'll See--Madonna
6 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
7 Fantasy--Mariah Carey
8 You Remind Me of Something--R. Kelly
9 Before You Walk Out of My Life/Like This and Like That--Monica
10 Beautiful Life--Ace of Base

Singles entering the chart were Free as a Bird by the Beatles (#39); No One Else by Total (#54); Get Together by Big Mountain (#57); and Incarcerated Scarfaces by Chef Raekwon (#70). Incarcerated Scarfaces was the B-side of Ice Cream; the songs charted together.

Died on this date
Patric Knowles, 84. U.K.-born U.S. actor. Mr. Knowles, born Reginald Lawrence Knowles, appeared in movies such as The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936); The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938); and The Wolf Man (1941) in a career that spanned four decades.

Disasters
A fire in Mandi Dabwali, Haryana, India killed 400-540 people, including 170 children, during a year-end party being held near the children's school.