March 17, 2016

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Natalya!

275 years ago
1741

Died on this date
Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, 69. French poet and playwright. Mr. Rousseau was more successful as a poet than as a playwright, but was best known for his cynical epigrams, which were directed at those in his literary circle. He was prosecuted for defamation of character in 1712, failed to appear in court, and was condemned to perpetual exile, dying in Brussels, 20 days before his 70th birthday.

240 years ago
1776

War
British forces commanded by William Howe evacuated Boston, ending the Siege of Boston, after George Washington and Henry Knox seized Dorchester Heights in a night attack with cannon brought down from Ticonderoga and placed artillery in positions overlooking the city.

175 years ago
1841

Economics and finance
U.S. President William Henry Harrison scheduled a special session of Congress for May 31, 1841 to deal with the nation’s continuing financial distress.

150 years ago
1866

Economics and finance
The United States unilaterally ended the Canadian-American Reciprocity Treaty, operating since June 5, 1854, after Canadian fishing concessions to Americans ended. The end of free trade started a recession in Canada, and influenced public opinion in the Maritimes to move toward Confederation.

125 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Ross McLarty. Australian politician. Sir Ross was the son of a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, and represented Murray-Wellington in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (1930-1962) as a member of the Nationalist and then the Liberal Party, holding several cabinet posts as well as the office of Premier of Western Australia (1947-1953). He resigned his seat in March 1962 because of poor health, and died on December 22, 1962 at the age of 71.

Disasters
The British liner SS Utopia collided with the battleship HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar and sank, killing 562 of the 880 passengers on board.

110 years ago
1906

Born on this date
Brigitte Helm. German actress. Miss Helm, born Brigitte Schittenhelm, was best known for playing two roles in the silent film Metropolis (1927). She retired from acting in 1935 and moved to Switzerland with her husband. Miss Helm died on June 11, 1996 at the age of 90.

Hockey
Stanley Cup challenge
Montreal Wanderers 3 @ Ottawa Silver Seven 9 (Montreal won 2-game total goals series 12-10)

Lester Patrick scored the winning goal as the Wanderers ended the Silver Seven's three-year reign as Stanley Cup champions.

75 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Marguerite Nichols, 49. U.S. actress. Miss Nichols appeared in 21 silent movies from 1915-1918. She was married to producer Hal Roach from 1915 until her death from pneumonia.

War
British colonial troops captured Jijiga, Ethiopia, while the United Kingdom announced that British troops had recaptured the port of Berbera in British Somaliland, which had been taken by Italian forces on August 19, 1940. No. 6 Air Observer School of the British Commonwealth Air Training program, in Saskatchewan, was opened to New Zealand students.

Diplomacy
Prince Regent Paul of Yugoslavia received an ultimatum from German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler to join the Tripartite Pact or face occupation.

Defense
Republican Party members of the U.S. House of Representatives, in a three-hour conference, decided to abandon opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's $7-billion Lend-Lease appropriations bill. U.S. Office of Production Management Director General William Knudsen said that defense production must rise 60% to handle the Lend-Lease program. The Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies urged that U.S. Navy ships be used to convoy goods to the United Kingdom, and recommended that American volunteers be permitted to join Allied armies.

Art
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. was officially opened by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Society
The National Committee for Planned Parenthood, sponsored by the Birth Control Federation of America, began a nationwide campaign in the United States to have birth control included in state and national public health programs.

Academia
The New York Board of Higher Education voted to make membership in a Communist, Fascist, or Nazi group sufficient cause for dismissal of faculty members in any city college.

70 years ago
1946

Died on this date
Dai Li, 48. Chinese military officer. Lieutenant General Dai Li, born Dai Chunfeng, was the head of Nationalist leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's militray intelligence service. He was killed in a plane crash that was possibly arranged by Kang Sheng, his Communist counterpart.

Radio
The George Foster Peabody Awards were presented to Edgar Bergen and Arch Oboler (drama); America's Town Meeting of the Air (education); CBS (news); and Paul White.

Defense
The London Observer reported that 75% of the Soviet occupation forces in eastern Europe had been replaced by a small Soviet military police force and that the rest of the troops were to leave soon.

The U.S. Navy cancelled plans for a Mediterranean cruise by the 8th Fleet at the request of the State Department, which explained that the cruise might be construed as anti-Soviet.

Agriculture
The Combined Food Board submitted a report to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration stating that the world food supply was down 40% from pre-World War II years and that the grain crisis would continue into 1947.

Politics and government
The Wisconsin Progressive Party voted to rejoin the Republican Party.

Economics and finance
A U.S. Federal Reserve Board report said that production was now above the level of any previous peacetime period.

Disasters
Seven people were killed as tornadoes swept Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia.

Track and field
Gunder Haegg and Arne Andersson of Sweden, the world's fastest milers, were ruled to be professionals and were barred for life from amateur competition by the Swedish Athletic Association.

60 years ago
1956

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Sixteen Tons--"Tennessee" Ernie Ford; Frankie Laine (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Eventuell, eventuell--Peter Alexander & Caterina Valente (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): It's Almost Tomorrow--The Dream Weavers

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Lisbon Antigua--Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra (Best Seller--4th week at #1); The Poor People of Paris--Les Baxter, his Chorus and Orchestra (Disc Jockey--1st week at #1); Rock and Roll Waltz--Kay Starr (Jukebox--3rd week at #1; Top 100--3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Lisbon Antigua--Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)
2 The Poor People of Paris--Les Baxter, his Chorus and Orchestra
3 No, Not Much!--The Four Lads
4 Rock and Roll Waltz--Kay Starr
5 The Great Pretender--The Platters
6 I'll Be Home--Pat Boone
--The Flamingos
7 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--The Teenagers
--Gale Storm
--The Diamonds
8 See You Later, Alligator--Bill Haley and his Comets
9 Moritat (A Theme from “The Three Penny Opera”)--Dick Hyman Trio
--Richard Hayman and Jan August
10 Memories are Made of This--Dean Martin

Singles entering the chart were 11th Hour Melody by Lou Busch and his Orchestra (#21, charting with the version by Al Hibbler); Mr. Wonderful by Peggy Lee (#23, charting with the versions by Teddi King and Sarah Vaughan); Theme from "The Man with the Golden Arm", with versions by Richard Maltby and his Orchestra, Dick Jacobs and his Orchestra, and Billy May and his Orchestra (#33); To You, My Love, with versions by Nick Noble and Georgie Shaw (#36); Rock Right by Georgia Gibbs (#37); Lovely One by the Four Voices (#41); and Madeira by Mitch Miller and His Orchestra (#42). Theme from "The Man with the Golden Arm", as the title indicates, were versions of the title theme from the movie (1955).

On television tonight
Stage Show, hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, on CBS

Elvis Presley was the guest on this night's program, making his fifth appearance on the show in recent weeks. The program was produced by Jackie Gleason, and aired immediately prior to The Honeymooners.



The Honeymooners, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Pardon My Glove



Died on this date
Fred Allen, 61. U.S. comedian. Mr. Allen, born John Florence Sullivan, was one of the biggest names of the golden age of radio, starring in The Fred Allen Show from 1932-1949. He was known for his comedic feud with Jack Benny, his habit of aiming barbs at network executives, and the segment of his program where he would stroll down "Allen's Alley" talking to a regular assortment of colourful characters. Mr. Allen suffered from high blood pressure for years, and died of a heart attack while out for a walk on a snowy night in New York City.

Irène Joliot-Curie, 58. French physicist and chemist. Mrs. Joliot-Curie, the daughter of Pierre and Marie Curie, shared the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with her husband Frédéric Joliot-Curie "[for] their synthesis of new radioactive elements." She died of leukemia, caused by years of exposure to radiation.

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore--The Walker Brothers

Died on this date
Don Eagle, 41. Canadian wrestler. Mr. Eagle, born Carl Donald bell, was a Mohawk from the Kahnawake reserve in Quebec. He was one of the most popular attractions in the early days of televised professional wrestling in the 1950s. For a brief time in 1950, he held oneof the regional versions of the American Wrestling Alliance world heavyweight title. Mr. Eagle, who was devoted to the betterment of his fellow Indians, died of a gunshot wound, reportedly self-inflicted.

Defense
Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea, the submarine DSV Alvin was used to locate a submerged 1.45-megaton hydrogen bomb lost in a United States Air Force midair accident over Palomares, Spain. The bomb, found resting nearly 910 metres (2,990 feet) deep, was raised intact on April 7, 1966.

40 years ago
1976

Died on this date
Luchino Visconti, 69. Italian movie director and screenwriter. Luchino Visconti di Modrone was known for films such as Il gattopardo (The Leopard) (1963); La caduta degli dei (The Damned) (1969); and Morte a Venezia (Death in Venice) (1971).

Terrorism
Four civilians were killed when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) detonated a car bomb outside a pub crowded with people celebrating Saint Patrick's Day in Dungannon, Northern Ireland.

30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going--Billy Ocean (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Say You, Say Me--Lionel Richie (4th week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Michel Goulet of the Quebec Nordiques scores his 50th goal of the season in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

25 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Crazy--Seal (2nd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Hello Afrika--Dr. Alban featuring Leila K.
2 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers
3 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C & C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
4 Kränk di net--Jazz Gitti & her Disco Killers
5 Fantasy--Black Box
6 Crazy--Seal
7 3 A.M. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.)--The KLF 8 To Love Somebody--Jimmy Somerville
9 Sister Soul & Mr. Beat--Beat 4 Feet featuring Kim Cooper
10 Keep on Running--Milli Vanilli

Singles entering the chart were Secret Love by the Bee Gees (#17); Joyride by Roxette (#25); and The Grease Megamix by John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John (#28).

World events
With only 9 of 15 republics participating in a referendum, 77% of 105 million voters reportedly voted in favour of a treaty to preserve the Soviet Union. In an apparent boost for Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Russian voters approved direct election of their president.

Politics and government
The government of Kuwait announced that parliamentary elections would be held in six months to a year.

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Mysterious Girl--Peter Andre featuring Bubbler Ranx

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Lemon Tree--Fool's Garden

#1 single in Switzerland: Children--Robert Miles (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Scotland (OCC): Children--Robert Miles (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
René Clément, 82. French movie director and screenwriter. Mr. Clément's movies included Jeux interdits (Forbidden Games) (1952); Plein soleil (Purple Noon) (1960); and Paris brûle-t-il? (Is Paris Burning?) (1966). He died the day before his 83rd birthday.

Lisl Handl, aka Poldi Dur, 78. Austrian-born U.S. actress. Miss Handl, a native of Vienna, was a dancer and appeared in minor roles in several Austrian films before emigrating to the United States in 1937 and adopting her stage name. She appeared in several anti-Nazi propaganda movies, including They Came to Blow Up America (1943); Margin for Error (1943); and The Hitler Gang (1944).

Terry Stafford, 54. U.S. singer. Mr. Stafford was best known for his single Suspicion, which reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1964. He had slight success as a country singer and songwriter in the 1970s.

Hockey
NHL
Vancouver 2 @ Toronto 4

Mike Gartner scored his 30th and 31st goals of the season to help the Maple Leafs defeat the Canucks at Maple Leaf Gardens, extending his NHL record of 30 goal seasons to 15.

10 years ago
2006

Died on this date
Oleg Cassini, 92. French-born U.S. fashion designer. Mr. Cassini, born Oleg Loiewski, designed costumes for numerous films, but was best known for designing fashions for U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Ray Meyer, 92. U.S. basketball coach. Mr. Meyer coached at DePaul University from 1942-1984, compiling a record of 724–354, with 21 post-season appearances. In his early years, Mr. Meyer was largely responsible for the development of center George Mikan, who became the National Basketball Association's biggest star in its first decade.