December 26, 2015

225 years ago
1790

Law
King Louis XVI of France gave his public assent to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.

210 years ago
1805

War
Austria and France signed the Treaty of Pressburg as a result of recent military victories at Ulm and Austerlitz by French forces commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte.

190 years ago
1825

Protest
Advocates of liberalism in Russia rose up against Czar Nicholas I and were put down in the Decembrist revolt in St. Petersburg.

150 years ago
1865

Technology
James H. Nason of Franklin, Massachusetts received a patent for a coffee percolator.

125 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Percy Hodge. U.K. runner. Mr. Hodge won a gold medal in the men's 3000-metre steeplechase event at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp. He died on December 27, 1967, the day after his 67th birthday.

Konstantinos Georgakopoulos. Prime Minister of Greece, 1958. Mr. Georgakopoulos was a law professor who joined the People's Party in 1928 and was Minister for Education (1936-1938) in the cabinet of Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas. Mr. Georgakopoulos was Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior from March 5-May 17, 1958, leading a caretaker government prior to the 1958 general election. He died on July 26, 1973 at the age of 82.

Died on this date
Heinrich Schliemann, 68. German-born archaeologist. Dr. Schliemann was a businessman who lived in several countries, including the United States and Russia, and made enough money to retire at the age of 36 and pursue an interest in archaeology. He has been called the "father of pre-Hellenistic archaeology" for his attempts to unveil the physical remains of the cities mentioned in Homer's epic tales, but he's been criticized for his methods. His use of dynamite at Hisarlik--now believed to be the site of Troy--destroyed layers of archaeological material, and modern archaeologists say that he misidentified the location of Troy. Dr. Schliemann died in Naples several weeks after an operation for a chronic ear infection.

110 years ago
1905

Born on this date
William Loeb III. U.S. journalist. Mr. Loeb published the Manchester Union Leader from 1946 until his death on September 14, 1981 at the age of 75, dominating newspaper publishing in New Hampshire. He was known for his conservative views, attracting national attention every four years during the New Hampshire primaries early in presidential election years.

90 years ago
1925

At the movies
Lady Windermere's Fan, produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Ronald Colman, Irene Rich, May McAvoy, and Bert Lytell, opened in theatres.



Europeana
Turkey adopted the Gregorian calendar.

Hockey
NHL
Pittsburgh 1 @ New York 3

The Pirates and Americans combined for a record 141 shots on goal as the Americans defeated the Pirates at Madison Square Garden. New York goalie Jake Forbes stopped 67 of 68 Pittsburgh shots to get the win over Ray Waters, who stopped 70 of 73 New York shots.

80 years ago
1935

Canadiana
Boxing Day became a holiday for the cities and towns of Saskatchewan.

75 years ago
1940

On the radio



At the movies
The Philadelphia Story, directed by George Cukor, and starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart, opened in theatres.



Forty Thousand Horsemen, produced, directed, and co-written by Charles Chauvel, and starring Grant Taylor, Chips Rafferty, and Pat Twohill, opened in theatres in Australia.



Theatre
My Sister Eileen, starring Effie Afton, Michael Ames, and Shirley Booth, opened at the Biltmore Theatre in New York. The play was written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, based on stories by Ruth McKenney. Eileen McKenney, 26, the inspiration for her sister's stories, was to have been at the opening, but she and her husband, author Nathanael West, had been killed in a car accident in California on December 22.

Died on this date
Augustus Staley, 73. U.S. businessman. Mr. Staley founded A. E. Staley Manufacturing in Decatur, Illinois, a cornstarch processing company. In 1919 he founded the Decatur Staleys football team, which joined the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League) in 1920. In 1921 George Halas acquired the team and moved them to Chicago, changing the team's name to Bears a year later.

War
According to reports from Belgrade, three German divisions had moved into Italy on troop trains from Austria.
U.S. Senator Arthur Vandenberg (Republican--Michigan) urged the United States government to send an "inquiry" to belligerents regarding the possibilities of peace.

Defense
The Mexican Senate passed a bill permitting U.S. Army planes to use either the Tejeria or Minatitlan airports for stopovers on flights between the Panama Canal Zone and the United States. The White House released a telegram from 169 prominent educators, clergymen, industrialists, writers, newspapermen, and others pledging "unqualified support" of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's proposal to send munitions to the United Kingdom.

Business
U.S. Attorney General Robert Jackson authorized criminal proceedings under the Sherman Antitrust Act against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), NBC, and CBS, charging them with illegally pooling copyighted music to eliminate competition; illegal discrimination against non-member composers; illegal price-fixing; and mutual boycotts.

Disasters
30 people were killed, 5,000 people were left homeless, and $5 million in damage was caused by a flood in Juiz de Fora Brazil, resulting from torrential rains.

70 years ago
1945

Diplomacy
A delegation of the 10-nation Far Eastern Commission left Washington for Japan.

U.S. President Harry Truman named New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia as his personal representative with ambassadorial rank at the inauguration of General Eurico Dutra as President of Brazil. Mr. La Guardia's 12 years in office as Mayor were about to end on December 31, 1945.

Crime
A Netherlands Eurasian soldier failed in an assassination attempt against Indonesian Republic Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir.

Economics and finance
The French Constituent Assembly voted its approval of the Bretton Woods agreements, the U.S. Import-Export Bank credit, and devaluation of the franc against the U.S. dollar.

60 years ago
1955

Football
NFL Championship
Cleveland 38 @ Los Angeles 14

Otto Graham passed for 2 touchdowns and rushed for 2 more as he ended his 10-year Hall of Fame career by leading the Browns to their second straight National Football League championship, defeating the Rams before 87,695 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mr. Graham's touchdown passes were for 50 yards to Dante Lavelli in the 2nd quarter and 35 yards to Ray Renfro in the 4th quarter. The other Cleveland touchdown, the game's first, came on a 65-yard interception return by Don Paul. Los Angeles quarterback Norm Van Brocklin threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Skeets Quinlan in the 2nd quarter an handed off to Ron Waller for a 4-yard TD rush with less than 3 minutes remaining in the game, but completed just 11 of 25 passes for 166 yards and 6 interceptions in what he said was the worst game of his Hall of Fame career. Mr. Graham, who led the Browns to appearances in the championship games of the All-America Football Conference and the National Football League in each of his 10 years, completed 14 of 25 passes for 209 yards and 3 interceptions, while rushing 9 times for 21 yards. It was the Rams' last appearance in an NFL championship game until the 1980 Super Bowl.



50 years ago
1965

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

Football
NFL Western Conference Playoff
Baltimore 10 @ Green Bay 13 (OT)

Don Chandler kicked a 27-yard field goal with 1:58 remaining in regulation time to tie the game and a 25-yard field goal at 13:39 of overtime as the Packers edged the Colts at City Stadium to win the Western Conference championship. The teams had both finished with regular season records of 10-3-1, necessitating a playoff. Many observers claimed that the game-tying field goal had gone wide (and it looks that way on the film), but the officials signalled that it was good. The Colts, using running back Tom Matte at quarterback in place of injured starter Johnny Unitas and backup Gary Cuozzo, had a chance to win the game in overtime, but Lou Michaels was wide on a 47-yard field goal attempt. The Colts scored their only touchdown on the Packers' first play from scrimmage when Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr completed a pass to tight end Bill Anderson, but he fumbled, and Baltimore linebacker Don Shinnick returned it 25 yards for a touchdown, converted by Lou Michaels. Mr. Starr suffered injured ribs on the play and was replaced by Zeke Bratkowski for the remainder of the game. Mr. Michaels kicked a 15-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter to give the Colts a 10-0 halftime lead. In the 3rd quarter, Baltimore punter Tom Gilburg bobbled a snap and was tackled short of first down yardage deep in his own end of the field. The Packers took possession of the ball and Paul Hornung rushed 1 yard for a touchdown, with Mr. Chandler's convert making the score 10-7. Mr. Chandler's game-tying field goal was set up by a penalty to Baltimore defensive tackle Billy Ray Smith for roughing the passer when Mr. Bratkowski had been sacked on third down.



AFL
Championship
Buffalo 23 @ San Diego 0

Jack Kemp completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ernie Warlick and Butch Byrd returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter as the Bills took a 14-0 halftime lead before 30,361 fans at Balboa Stadium and coasted to their second straight American Football League championship win over the Chargers. Pete Gogolak converted both touchdowns and kicked 3 field goals in the 2nd half to complete the scoring in the last AFL Championship game to be played before the era of Super Bowls.



40 years ago
1975

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Dolannes-Melodie--Jean-Claude Borelly

#1 single in Switzerland: Dolannes-Melodie--Jean-Claude Borelly (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Paloma Blanca--George Baker Selection (7th week at #1)

30 years ago
1985

Died on this date
Jackie Ormes, 74. U.S. journalist and cartoonist. Mrs. Ormes, born Zelda Mavin Jackson, was a journalist with the Pittsburgh Courier and later the Chicago Defender, but was better known as the first Negro female cartoonist in the U.S.A., writing and drawing the comic strip Torchy Brown (1937-1954) and comic panel Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger (1945-1956). She died from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Dian Fossey, 53. U.S. zoologist. After many years of work among mountain gorillas in central Africa, she was found murdered, presumably by poachers, at her camp in Rwanda. Her book Gorillas in the Mist was published in 1983.

25 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Lassie--Ainbusk (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Nancy Cruzan. U.S. medical patient. Miss Cruzan had suffered permanent brain damage in a car accident in Missouri in 1983, and had been fed through a tube while being hospitalized in a "permanent vegetative state." On June 25, 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, voted 5-4 to reject an appeal from her parents to remove the tube an allow her to die, but a probate court judge in Jasper County, Missouri ruled on December 14 that they had a right to remove the tube because three of Miss Cruzan's co-workers had testified in November that she had once said that she would never want to live under such circumstances. The tube was removed two hours after the court ruling, and it took Miss Cruzan 12 dies to die from court-ordered starvation.

World events
Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei announced that the fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, who had angered Muslims two years earlier with his novel The Satanic Verses, would remain in place.

Americana
The United States Census Bureau released its final figures for the year and reported that the U.S. population in 1990 was 249,632,692--10% higher than the total for 1980. The west, up 22%, led the nation in growth since 1980. The south was up 13.5%, the northeast 3.4%, and the midwest up 1.3%. California would gain seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, while Florida would gain four seats and Texas three. Among states losing seats, New York led with three.

10 years ago
2005

Died on this date
Vincent Schiavelli, 57. U.S. actor. Mr. Schiavelli was a character actor in numerous films and television programs. His films included The Great Gatsby (1974) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Mr. Schiavelli died of lung cancer.

Jane Creba, 15. Canadian crime victim. Miss Creba was standing on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto when she was killed and six other people wounded in a shootout involving Negro drug gangs; eight people were arrested on June 13, 2006 in connection with the killing.