February 5, 2016

870 years ago
1146

Died on this date
Ahmad III, aka Zafadola. Emir of Zaragoza, 1130-1131. Ahmad III, known to Christians as Zafadola, succeeded his father as Emir of the Taifa (Principality) of Zaragoza in what is now part of Spain, and was the last ruler of the Huddid dynasty. He paid homage to King Alfonso VII of León in exchange for territory in the Kingdom of Toledo. Zafadola took part in several battles, and was captured in the Battle of al-Luŷŷ; he was taken to the Christian camp of Los Pardos and assassinated by some soldiers. His ally Abd Allah ibn Sa`d ibn Mardanís, Governor of Valencia, was killed with him.

War
Castilian forces commanded by Abd Allah ath-Thagri, lord of Cuenca, defeated Zaragozan forces led by Zafadola in the Battle of al-Luŷŷ at Chinchilla de Montearagón in Spain.

150 years ago
1866

Born on this date
Domhnall Ua Buachalla. Governor-General of the Irish Free State, 1932-1936. Mr. Ua Buachalla was a member of Sinn Féin and then Fianna Fáil before being appointed Governor-General by President Éamon de Valera. Mr. Ua Buachalla lost his position when Mr. de Valera abolished the monarchy and the position of Governor-General. Mr. Ua Buachalla died on October 30, 1963 at the age of 97.

110 years ago
1906

Born on this date
John Carradine. U.S. actor. Mr. Carradine, born Richmond Reed Carradine, was known for his rich, deep voice, and acted in Shakespearean roles on stage, but was better known as a character actor in several hundred movies and television programs, especially horror movies and Westerns in a career spanning about 60 years. His sons David, Keith, and Robert became actors. Mr. Carradine died on November 27, 1988 at the age of 82.

90 years ago
1926

Abominations
The Ku Klux Klan began organizing in Saskatchewan, with the arrival of J.J. Maloney in Saskatoon.

80 years ago
1936

At the movies
Modern Times, produced, written, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin, recieved its premiere screening in New York City.





75 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Otto Strandman, 65. Prime Minister of Estonia, 1919; State Elder of Estonia, 1929-1931. Mr. Strandman was a member of several parties as he moved from radical socialist to centrist, holding several cabinet and diplomatic posts before and after serving as Prime Minister from May-November 1919 and head of state from 1929-1931. The U.S.S.R. occupied Estonia in 1940, and Mr. Strandman was summoned to appear before the Soviet secret police force NKVD. He chose instead to commit suicide by shooting himself.

Mineo Ōsumi, 64. Japanese military officer and politician. Admiral Baron Ōsumi had a distinguished career in the Imperial Japanese Navy before serving as Minister of the Navy from 1931-1932 and 1933-1936, and as Naval Councillor from 1936 until his death, when the plane that he and six naval officers were aboard that was travelling from Guangzhou to Japanese-occupied Hainan was shot down by Chinese guerrillas soon after takeoff.

War
In their heaviest raids in two weeks, British bombers struck Brest, Dunkerque, Bordeaux and Dusseldorf.

Defense
The U.S. House of Representatives ended the three-day debate on the Lend-Lease bill in an unusual night session.

Diplomacy
1940 Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate Wendell Willkie departed the United Kingdom for New York after recording an anti-Nazi radio message for broadcast to Germany.

Economics and finance
New York State Supreme Court Justice Morris Eder signed a writ of attachment in New York, tying up $260 million in finds of the Bank of France in the United States.

Business
A U.S. federal antitrust suit began in Washington against the American Medical Association; Medical Society of Washington; Washington Academy of Surgery; and the Harris County (Texas) Medical Society.

Labour
U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt told strikers at Leviton Manufacuring Company in Brooklyn that every worker "should join a labor organization."

The U.S. Justice Department filed suit against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), charging that it was an unlawful combination in restraint of trade.

Football
NFL
Three club owners protested as "illegal" the appointment two days earlier of Elmer Layden as National Football League Commissioner.

70 years ago
1946

Died on this date
George Arliss, 77. U.K. actor. Mr. Arliss, born Augustus Andrews, won the 1929-30 Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Disraeli (1929), becoming the first British actor to win an Oscar.

War
At the trial in Manila of accused Japanese war criminals, Japanese Army Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma admitted witnessing part of the Bataan "death march," but denied that he had seen any bodies.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King appointed Supreme Court of Canada justices Robert Taschereau and R.L. Kellock to head a Royal Commission to examine allegations of a Soviet spy ring operating in Canada, as a result of revelations in 1945 by U.S.S.R. cipher clerk and embassy defector Igor Gouzenko.

The United States and United Kingdom recognized Romania, in accordance with the recent agreement in Moscow with the U.S.S.R.

A joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. communique indicated an agreement permitting railroad, motor, and water transportation between the two Korean zones; exchange of mail; establishment of radio braodcasting frequencies within the country; and return of refugees to their homes.

In a note to the United Nations Security Council, Syria and Lebanon demanded the total evacuation of British and French troops from their territory.

Former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt introduced a resolution before the United Nations Social, Economic and Humanitarian Committee recommending that the refugee problem be referred to the Economic and Social Council and that refugees not be forced to return to their homelands against their will.

Politics and government
The National Committee of the Communist Party U.S.A. recommended the expulsion of former Chairman and General Secretary Earl Browder for conducting a publishing business "along a political line that coincides with the interest of...American imperialism." Mr. Browder had been Chairman from 1934-1945 and General Secretary from 1930-1945.

U.S. President Harry Truman put the Civil Service on a peace-time basis, ordering competitive exams for 1.6 million war service appointees.

Labour
U.S. President Truman ordered the Office of Defense Transportation to seize 91 tugboat companies in New York City where strikes were taking place.

A month-long strike against Cleveland's three daily newspapers ended as the publishers and the American Federation of Labor Pressmen's union agreed to arbitration of their wage dispute.

60 years ago
1956

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Derelicts, starring Robert Newton, Philip Reed, and Peggy Knudsen

Olympics
The 7th Winter Olympic games closed at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Canada failed to win any gold medals, and the U.S.S.R. took away Canada's crown in hockey. The Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen brought home bronze medals, while Frances Dafoe and Norris Bowden won a silver medal in pairs figure skating, and Lucille Wheeler won the bronze in the women's downhill skiing event.

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): We Can Work it Out/Day Tripper--The Beatles (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Michelle--The Beatles

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Dio come ti amo--Domenico Modugno

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Yesterday Man--Chris Andrews

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): We Can Work it Out/Day Tripper--The Beatles (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Michelle--The Overlanders

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): My Love--Petula Clark

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Barbara Ann--The Beach Boys
2 Lightnin' Strikes--Lou Christie
3 No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)--The T-Bones
4 My Love--Petula Clark
5 The Sounds of Silence--Simon & Garfunkel
6 We Can Work it Out--The Beatles
7 Uptight (Everything's Alright)--Stevie Wonder
8 Five O'Clock World--The Vogues
9 She's Just My Style--Gary Lewis and the Playboys
10 A Well Respected Man--The Kinks

Singles entering the chart were Since I Lost the One I Love by the Impressions (#81); It Won't Be Wrong by the Byrds (#84); I Want to Go with You by Eddy Arnold (#87); Red Hot by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs (#88); We Got the Winning Hand by Little Milton (#89); The Answer to My Prayer by Neil Sedaka (#93); This Golden Ring by the Fortunes (#96); The Pain Gets a Little Deeper by Darrow Fletcher (#98); Rib Tip's (Part 1) by Andre Williams (#99); I Dig You Baby by Lorraine Ellison (#100); S.O.S. (Heart in Distress) by Christine Cooper (also #100); and I Confess by the New Colony Six (also #100).

40 years ago
1976

Died on this date
Rudy Pompilli, 51. U.S. musician. Mr. Pompilli was a jazz clarinetist and saxophonist who joined Bill Haley and his Comets in September 1955 and played tenor saxophone, most notably on the instrumental tunes Rudy's Rock and Calling All Comets. He remained with Mr. Haley as musician and friend for the rest of his life. Mr. Pompilli died of lung cancer, although he was not a smoker; he possibly contracted the disease through inhaling second-hand smoke.

Health
The 1976 swine flu outbreak began at the United States Army base at Fort Dix, New Jersey when Private David Lewis reported that he felt tired and weak.

Olympics
Hometown hero Franz Klammer won the men's downhill ski event on an icy course at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. He defeated the defending champion, Bernhard Russi of Switzerland by one-third of a second in a remarkable 1:45.73.

30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Say You, Say Me--Lionel Richie (5th week at #1)

World events
Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier invoked an emergency decree imposing fines or prison terms on owners of shops or factories who had closed their doors as part of the protest against his regime. Several countries had refused a request by Mr. Duvalier for political asylum.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Ronald Reagan submitted his budget for the 1987 fiscal year, containing a deficit of $143.6 billion. Mr. Reagan proposed to increase defense spending by 12% and to eliminate or cut back 40 domestic programs. He called for no new taxes.

25 years ago
1991

Died on this date
Dean Jagger, 87. U.S. actor. Mr. Jagger had a lengthy career as a character actor, and was best known for his starring role in Brigham Young (1940) and his supporting performance in Twelve O'Clock High (1949), for which he won an Academy Award.

Economics and finance
Canadian Minister of International Trade John Crosbie announced that Canada would join scheduled talks between the United States and Mexico aimed at creating a free trade zone in North America. Talks were to begin in April, with the aim of striking an agreement by the end of the year. If successful, the plan would create a market encompassing 360 million people and $7 trillion per year in commerce.

Politics and government
The governments of Québec and Canada signed an immigration accord giving Québec exclusive responsibility for selecting immigrants who wished to live in the province.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 5 @ Boston 6 (OT)

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Jesus to a Child--George Michael (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Missing (Todd Terry Remix)--Everything but the Girl

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 One of Us--Joan Osborne
2 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
3 Time--Hootie & the Blowfish
4 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
5 Better Off as We Are--Blue Rodeo
6 Beautiful Life--Ace of Base
7 Wildest Dreams--Tom Cochrane
8 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
9 You'll See--Madonna
10 When Love and Hate Collide--Def Leppard

Singles entering the chart were Twenty Foreplay by Janet Jackson (#82); Peaches by the Presidents of the United States of America (#88); Brain Stew by Green Day (#91); Pray by Take That (#95); Naked by Goo Goo Dolls (#96); Thugs by the Tragically Hip (#98); Not a Dry Eye in the House by Meat Loaf (#99); and Hey Lover by LL Cool J (#100).

Agriculture
British supermarket chains Safeway and Sainsbury announced that they would begin stocking genetically modified tomato puree--the first GM food to be sold in the United Kingdom.

10 years ago
2006

Died on this date
Franklin Cover, 77. U.S. actor. Mr. Cover was best known for playing Tom Willis, the self-conscious white liberal married to a black woman in the television comedy series The Jeffersons (1975-1985).

Football
NFL
Super Bowl XL @ Ford Field, Detroit
Pittsburgh 21 Seattle 10

Willie Parker rushed 75 yards for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter and Antwaan Randle El completed a 43-yard touchdown pass to fellow receiver Hines Ward in the 4th quarter to lead the Steelers over the Seahawks before 68,206 fans. Mr. Ward caught 5 passes for 123 yards and rushed once for 18 yards to win the Pete Rozelle Trophy as the game's most valuable player. It was the fifth Super Bowl championship for the Steelers, but their first in 26 years.