January 11, 2016

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Kristi!

225 years ago
1791

Died on this date
William Williams Pantycelyn, 73. U.K. composer and poet. Mr. Pantycelyn, aka William Williams, was an Anglican deacon who became a Calvinist Methodist pastor, and a leader of the Methodist revival in Wales. He wrote poetry and prose, but was best known as Wales' premier hymnist. Some of Mr. Pantycelyn's lyrics were in English, but most were in his native Welsh. He died about a month before his 74th birthday.

170 years ago
1846

War
The Battle of Ruapekapeka in New Zealand concluded with Ruapekapeka pā occupied by British and Māori forces, ending the Northern War.

150 years ago
1866

Disasters
The English steampship SS London, travelling from Gravesend, England to Melbourne, Australia, sank in the Bay of Biscay, killing 220 of 239 people aboard.

75 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Frenesi--Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Emanuel Lasker, 72. German chess player. Mr. Lasker was world champion from 1894-1921, and is regarded as one of the greatest players ever. He fled Gemany after Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933; Mr. Lasker and his wife lived in the U.S.S.R. before moving to the U.S.A. Mr. Lasker died in New York City.

Defense
U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull announced that a final agreement had been reached with Great Britain on sites for eight American naval and air bases in the Atlantic and Caribbean areas under the destroyers-for-bases trade. U.S. Senator Warren Austin (Republican--Vermont) said that he favoured the Lend-Lease bill, but urged a two-year limit on presidential authority under the bill.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department announced that the American legation in Uruguay had been raised to embassy status, with Minister Edwin C. Wilson named Ambassador.

Politics and government
Swedish newspapers reported that Vidkun Quisling, leader of Norway's pro-Nazi puppet regime, had appealed for German help to quell opposition.

U.S. Senator Guy Gillette (Democrat--Iowa) said that both the Democratic and Republican parties had evaded the $3-million limit on campaign expenditures in the 1940 elections.

Journalism
The Brazilian government of President Getúlio Vargas said that newspaper attacks agaist the United States would not be tolerated.

70 years ago
1946

Movies
The Motion Picture Commission for the city of Milwaukee banned Scarlet Street (1945) as part of a new policy encouraged by police for "stricter regulation of undesirable films."

War
Vietnamese nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh claimed in Hanoi that un undisclosed source had offered him $285,000 to give up his fight for Indochinese independence. French officials denied any bribe attempt.

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, evidence was presented of a charge made by Admiral Husband Kimmel in 1944 that he and General Walter Short, the officers in charge of American defenses at Pearl Harbor, were targets of a "deliberate smear campaign."

World events
The Albanian Constituent Assembly, led by Enver Hoxha, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Albania, declared the People's Republic of Albania, with Mr. Hoxha as Prime Minister. King Zog I, currently in exile in London, wasn't mentioned.

Haitian President Elie Lescot was ousted by a military coup led by Army Chief of Staff Colonel Frank Levaud, Major Antoine Levelt, and Major Paul Magloire.

Diplomacy
Professor Albert Einstein told the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Palestine that he preferred United Nations trusteeship to British colonial policy and saw no need for a Jewish commonwealth advocated by Zionist organizations.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Export-Import Bank granted a $25-million loan to Greece to buy essential supplies.

The Allied Control Council fixed German steel production at 5.8 million tons per year.

Labour
General Motors rejected the U.S. government fact-finding board's recommendation of a 19½c hourly wage increase for United Auto Workers employees.

Football
NFL
Elmer Layden resigned as Commissioner of the National Football League two months before his five-year contract was set to expire; he was replaced by Pittsburgh Steelers' co-owner Bert Bell, who was given a three-year contract. The league offices were moved from Chicago to New York. The NFL also instituted two rule changes: substitutions were limited to no more than three players at one time; and forward passes were ruled to be automatically incomplete upon striking either team's goal post. The latter change resulted from a play in the 1945 championship game, when a pass by Washington Redskins' quarterback Sammy Baugh from his own end zone was blown by the wind and hit the post; under the rules then in place, a safety touch was awarded to the Cleveland Rams, and that turned out to be the difference in the game as the Rams won 15-14.

60 years ago
1956

Music
Elvis Presley and his band were at RCA Studios in Nashville, where they recorded the song I Was the One.

50 years ago
1966

On television tonight
The Fugitive, starring David Janssen, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Wife Killer, with guest stars Janice Rule and Kevin McCarthy

Died on this date
Alberto Giacometti, 64. Swiss sculptor and painter. Mr. Giacometti was known for his sculptures of human figures that were tall and extremely thin.

Lal Bahadur Shastri, 61. Prime Minister of India, 1964-1966. Mr. Shastri, a member of the Indian National Congress party, held several positions before succeeding Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister. He died in Uzbekistan of a reported heart attack the day after signing the Tashkent Declaration that brought a cease-fire to hostilities with Pakistan over Kashmir. Gulzarilal Nanda succeeded Mr. Shastri as acting Prime Minister.

40 years ago
1976

World events
A three-man military junta in Ecuador deposed General Guillermo Rodriguez Lara as President in a bloodless coup, after his cabinet had already resigned. The junta was led by Vice-Admiral Alfredo Poveda Burbano, and included Army General Guillermo Duran Arcentales and Air Force General Luis Leoro Franco.

Hockey
NHL
Super Series '76
U.S.S.R. Central Red Army (2-1-1) 1 @ Philadelphia 4

In a game that was interrupted by a walkout of the Central Red Army in the 1st period, the defending Stanley Cup champions outplayed the Soviets by a wide margin before 17,007 fans at the Spectrum. The Flyers had just killed two consecutive minor penalties when the CRA expressed their displeasure with the officiating of referee Lloyd Gilmour by leaving the ice at 11:21 of the 1st period, with the score tied 0-0. Bob Cole, calling the play-by-play for Hockey Night in Canada on CBC, denounced the Soviets' action in no uncertain terms. The Central Red Army team returned from the dressing room after being informed that they would not receive their share of the proceeds from the series of exhibition games if they refused to continue. When the CRA did return to action, they were penalized for delay of game, and Reg Leach opened the scoring 17 seconds later. Rick MacLeish scored at 17:38 to make it 2-0. Philadelphia defenseman Joe Watson scored shorthanded at 2:44 of the 2nd period to give the Flyers a 3-0 lead, but Mr. Kutyergin scored at 10:48 to get the Soviets on the scoreboard. Larry Goodenough scored another powerplay goal at 4:01 of the 3rd period to close the scoring. The Flyers outshot the CRA 17-2 in the 1st period, 18-3 in the 3rd period, and 49-13 in the game. Vladislav Tretiak made 45 saves in the Central Red Army goal to keep the game respectable; Wayne Stephenson was in goal for Philadelphia.



Canadian senior
Exhibition
Edmonton Oldtimers 9 @ Yellowknife Huskies 6

With coach Ray Kinasewich entertaining the crowd by scoring into his own net, the Oldtimers defeated the Huskies in the second of two games at Gerry Murphy Arena.

30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Take on Me--A-Ha

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Nikita--Elton John (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Nikita--Elton John (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Thank You Very Much Mr Eastwood--Dermot Morgan (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K.: West End Girls--Pet Shop Boys

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Say You, Say Me--Lionel Richie (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Cash Box) : Say You, Say Me--Lionel Richie (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Canada (RPM): Say You, Say Me--Lionel Richie (3rd week at #1)

Australiana
The Gateway Bridge in Brisbane was officially opened.

25 years ago
1991

Died on this date
Carl David Anderson, 85. U.S. physicist. Dr. Anderson was awarded a share of the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his discovery of the positron" in 1932. He also discovered the muon in 1936.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that prices paid to producers for finished goods had declined 0.6% in December 1990 but that the index for the entire year of 1990 had risen 5.6%.

Track and field
A drug-free Ben Johnson, running his first race in two years, finished a close second in a 50-metre race in Hamilton, Ontario. His time was 5.77 seconds; Daron Council of the United States won in a time of 5.75 seconds. It was Mr. Johnson’s first race after a two-year suspension after being stripped of an Olympic gold medal after testing positive for an illegal anabolic steroid after the men’s 100-metre run at Seoul in 1988.

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Jesus to a Child--George Michael

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (10th week at #1)

Died on this date
Roger Crozier, 53. Canadian-born U.S. hockey goaltender. Mr. Crozier played with the Detroit Red Wings (1963-70); Buffalo Sabres (1970-76); and Washington Capitals (1976-77), posting a record of 206-197-70 with 30 shutouts and a goals-against average of 3.04 in 518 regular season games, and 14-16 in 32 Stanley Cup games with 1 shutout and a 2.75 GAA. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the National Hockey League's outstanding rookie in 1964-65, becoming the last goalie to start all his team's games in a season, and posting a 40-22-7 record with 6 shutouts and a 2.42 GAA. Mr. Crozier won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1966, posting a 6-5 record with 1 shutout and a 2.34 GAA in 12 games as the Red Wings lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the finals. Mr. Crozier's career was frequently interrupted by pancreatitis and ulcers, and he died after a battle with cancer.

Politics and government
Tomiichi Murayama, who had been Prime Minister of Japan since June 30, 1994, resigned and was succeeded by Ryutaro Hashimoto. Mr. Murayama's Socialist Party had lost seats in the 1995 parliamentary elections.

Bloc Québecois Leader Lucien Bouchard was chosen as leader of the Parti Québecois, and Premier-designate of Québec.

Crime
A leader of the Cali, Colombia drug cartel escaped from a maximum security prison in Bogota, prompting more charges of lax security and corruption.