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.