March 1, 2016

1,025 years ago
991

Died on this date
En'yū, 31. Emperor of Japan, 969-984. En'yū, born Morihira-shinnō, succeeded his uncle Reizei on the Chrysanthemum Throne. He abdicated at the age of 26, and became a Buddhist priest.

120 years ago
1896

War
An Ethiopian army defeated an outnumbered Italian force in the Battle of Adwa, ending the First Italo-Ethiopian War.

Science
Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity.

80 years ago
1936

Energy
The Hoover Dam was completed.

Labour
A three-day sitdown strike began aboard the American ocean liner S.S. California as it was docked in San Pedro, California, leading to the demise of the International Seamen's Union and the creation of the National Maritime Union.

75 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Frenesi--Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (11th week at #1)

Radio
W47NV began operations in Nashville, Tennessee, becoming the first FM radio station in the United States.

War
German troops occupied Varna and Sofia. German military authorities fined the city of Amsterdam $8 million as a penalty for disorders against the Nazi occupation. The Soviet Navy newspaper Red Fleet reported that Japan had been secretly building a fleet to be used in the event of a war against the United States.

Defense
Bulgarian Prime Minister Bogdan Philov signed the Tripartite Pact in Vienna, allying Hungary with the Axis powers.

The United States Senate approved a $15,000 appropriation for a seven-man committee, to be led by Sen. Harry Truman (Democrat--Missouri), to probe the defense spending program.

Communications
Overseas and transcontinental shortwave circuits and telephone communications were disrupted by sunspot activity in the worst magnetic storm since April 1940.

Horse racing
Bay View, a 58-1 longshot, won the $100,000 Santa Anita Handicap, earning $89,360.

70 years ago
1946

War
Ferenc Szalasy, leader of the Hungarian fascist "Arrow Cross" movement, was sentenced to death with six of his former cabinet members in Budapest for treason. U.S.S.R. forces prevented Iranian troops from occupying three towns in eastern Iran that the Soviets had supposedly evacuated.

Politics and government
Panama adopted a new constitution, replacing the one introduced by former President Arnulfo Arias.

Indonesian Nationalist Premier Sutan Sjahrir resigned in a dispute with President Sukarno over broadening the cabinet, but was renamed by the central committee to form a new cabinet.

Diplomacy
U.S. delegate to the United Nations John Foster Dulles said in a speech in Philadelphia, "It is particularly hard to find ways of working together with the Soviet Union, for it seems not to want cooperation."

The U.S. State Department revealed that the United Kingdom had accepted its proposals on Spain.

Economics and finance
The Bank of England Act 1946 came into force, a measure by the Labour Party government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee to nationalize the bank.

Business
The New York State Supreme Court Justice awarded Donald Flamm $350,000 for being coerced by the United States Commerce Department to sell a radio station.

60 years ago
1956

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Chanson pour l'Auvergnat--Georges Brassens

Defense
The East German Nationale Volksarmee was formed.

Aviation
The International Air Transport Association finalized a draft of the Radiotelephony spelling alphabet for the International Civil Aviation Organization.

50 years ago
1966

On television tonight
The Fugitive, starring David Janssen, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Chinese Sunset, with guest stars Laura Devon, Paul Richards, Ned Glass, and Wayne Rogers

Space
The U.S.S.R. probe Venera 3, launched November 16, 1965, crashed on Venus, becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet's surface.

Politics and government
The Ba'ath Party took power in Syria.

Jack Hood Vaughn was named to succeed Sargent Shriver as director of the U.S. Peace Corps.

Economics and finance
British Chancellor of the Exchequer James Callaghan confirmed the "historic and momentous" decision to change over to decimal coinage; the change took place in 1971.

40 years ago
1976

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Convoy--C.W. McCall

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun--Masato Shimon (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Hoy Tengo Ganas de Ti--Miguel Gallardo

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Moviestar--Harpo (3rd week at #1)

Music
The single Sweet Blindness (Music You Can Ride On) by Sweet Blindness was released on Quality Records.

Journalism
The March 1, 1976 issue of Time was the last Canadian edition of the magazine; it decided to stop publishing a Canadian edition after the federal government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau changed the tax laws. The cover of the last Canadian edition had a photograph of Joe Clark, who had been elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada on February 22.

Economics and finance
The Alberta government of Premier Peter Lougheed founded the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund with windfall oil royalties.

30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Adesso Tu--Eros Ramazzotti (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going--Billy Ocean (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going--Billy Ocean (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Chain Reaction--Diana Ross

#1 single in the U.K.: When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going--Billy Ocean (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Kyrie--Mr. Mister

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Kyrie--Mr. Mister
2 How Will I Know--Whitney Houston
3 When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going--Billy Ocean
4 Sara--Starship
5 Living in America--James Brown
6 Life in a Northern Town--The Dream Academy
7 Silent Running--Mike + the Mechanics
8 The Sweetest Taboo--Sade
9 These Dreams--Heart
10 Burning Heart--Survivor

Singles entering the chart were So Far Away by Dire Straits (#64); West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys (#69); For America by Jackson Browne (#71); All the King's Horses by the Firm (#83); Shelter Me by Joe Cocker (#88); and In My Dreams by Dokken (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 How Will I Know--Whitney Houston
2 Conga--Miami Sound Machine
3 When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going--Billy Ocean
4 Kyrie--Mr. Mister
5 Living in America--James Brown
6 That’s What Friends are For--Dionne and Friends (with Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder)
7 Life in a Northern Town--The Dream Academy
8 Rock Me Amadeus--Falco
9 I Miss You--Klymaxx
10 Sara--Starship

Singles entering the chart were Kiss by Prince (#73); Let's Go All the Way by Sly Fox (#87); I Touch Roses by Rock of Love (#88); Yeh Yeh by Matt Bianco (#91); Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) by Scritti Politti (#94); No Easy Way Out by Robert Tepper (#96); Le Bel Age by Pat Benatar (#97); and X-Ray Eyes by Jim Foster (#98).

Hockey
NHL
Detroit 6 @ Toronto 4
Vancouver 2 @ Calgary 3

25 years ago
1991

Died on this date
Edwin Land, 81. U.S. inventor. In 1932, Mr. Land co-founded the company that became Polaroid Corporation. He was best known for inventing a camera that processed photographs within the camera and delivered the prints within 60 seconds.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had declined 0.4% from January. With revisions in previous data, this marked the sixth straight monthly decline.

Business
Maclean-Hunter sold CHCH-TV in Hamilton to WIC Western International Communications for $46 million.

Labour
Nearly 200,000 coal miners went on strike in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Russia, demanding higher pay. The strike spread and soon included a demand by the miners that Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resign.

Disasters
More than 160 Somali refugees, fleeing their war-torn country, drowned when their overcrowded dhow ran aground several hundred yards from shore off Kenya.

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): How Deep is Your Love--Take That

Basketball
NBA
Dallas 119 @ Vancouver 111

The Mavericks set an NBA record for 3-point field goal attempts in a game, attempting 44 (16 successful) in their victory over the Grizzlies before 15,656 fans at Pacific Coliseum.

10 years ago
2006

Died on this date
Harry Browne, 72. U.S. investment analyst. Mr. Browne was best known for his books How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation (1970) and You Can Profit from a Monetary Crisis (1974). He was the Libertarian Party candidate for President of the United States in 1996 and 2000.

Johnny Jackson, 54. U.S. musician. Mr. Jackson played drums on records by the Jackson 5; he was no relation to the members of the group. Mr. Jackson was stabbed to death by his girlfriend two days before his 55th birthday.

Jack Wild, 53. U.K. actor. Mr. Wild was best known for his supporting role in the movie Oliver! (1968), and his starring role in the television series H.R.Pufnstuf (1969). He was a heavy smoker and drinker from an early age, which destroyed his career and led to his death from mouth cancer.