March 18, 2016

775 years ago
1241

War
Mongols overwhelmed Polish armies in Kraków and plundered the city in the Battle of Chmielnik.

520 years ago
1496

Born on this date
Mary Tudor. Queen consort of France, 1514-1515. Mary was the fourth child of King Henry VII of England, and the sister of King Henry VIII. She became queen consort of France when she became the third wife of King Louis XII, but he died on January 1, 1515, less than three months into the marriage. Two months later, Mary married Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, to the displeasure of her brother, who subsequently relented and allowed the marriage, albeit levying a heavy fine on the couple. Mary suffered from poor health for her entire life, and died on June 25, 1533 at the age of 38.

275 years ago
1741

Protest
New York Governor George Clarke's complex at Fort George was burned in an arson attack, starting the New York Conspiracy of 1741--a supposed plot by slaves and poor white people to revolt and level New York City with a series of fires.

250 years ago
1766

Law
After months of protest by Americans, the British Parliament passed the American Colonies Act 1766 aka the Declaratory Act, to justify the repeal of the Stamp Act and save face. The act stated that Parliament's authority was the same in America as in Britain and asserted Parliament's authority to pass laws binding on the American colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”

125 years ago
1891

Politics and government
The Newfoundland Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) presented petitions at the Colonial Building in St. John's, requesting the vote for women in municipal elections; the measure was debated twice and refused.

110 years ago
1906

Aviation
Traian Vuia of Romania flew a heavier-than-air aircraft near Paris for 36-39 feet (11 metres) at an altitude of one metre.

90 years ago
1926

At the movies
Die letzte Droschke von Berlin (The Last Horse Carriage in Berlin), directed by Carl Boese, and written by and starring Lupu Pick, received its premiere screening in Berlin.



80 years ago
1936

Died on this date
Eleftherios Venizelos, 71. Prime Minister of Greece, 1917-1920; 1924; 1928-1932; 1932; 1933. Mr. Venizelos, the leader of the Liberal Party, was known as the "maker of modern Greece."

75 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Henri Cornet, 56. French cyclist. Mr. Cornet raced professionally from 1904-1912 before health problems curtailed his career. He won the 1904 Tour de France, 10 days before his 20th birthday, and remains the event's youngest winner. Mr. Cornet died after a heart operation.

War
Official British figures disclosed that German bombers had killed more than 25,000 people and wouned at least 35,000 since the mass air raids on England had started in September 1940. German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler rejected a secret request by Admiral Raeder to attack American warships escorting British convoys west of Iceland. Japanese bombers and pursuit planes raided the Chinese capital of Chungking for the first time since October 1940.

Defense
The Yugoslavian government reported that excessive German demands had postponed the signing of a non-aggression pact between Yugoslavia and Germany. The U.S. House of Representatives began debate on the $7-billion Lend-Lease appropriations bill.

Diplomacy
U.S. Army Colonel William J. Donovan, personal representative of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, returned to the United States after a 14-week tour of Europe and the Near East.

Politics and government
Japan's new Imperial Rule Assistance Association, a Fascist-like party, received Army support.

Academia
New York City District Attorney Thomas Dewey ordered the arrest of suspended City College of New York English tutor Morris Schnappes on a grand jury indictment of four counts of perjury arising from his alleged misstatements before the Rapp-Coudert committee investigating Communist activity on New York campuses.

70 years ago
1946

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Oh! What it Seemed to Be--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra
--Frank Sinatra
--Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
2 Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief--Betty Hutton
--Les Brown and his Orchestra
3 Symphony--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra with Clyde Rogers
--Bing Crosby
--Jo Stafford
--Benny Goodman and his Orchestra
4 Personality--Johnny Mercer
5 Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra with Vaughn Monroe and the Norton Sisters
--Woody Herman and his Orchestra
6 You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)--Les Brown and his Orchestra
--Perry Como
7 I'm Always Chasing Rainbows--Perry Como
--Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest
8 I Can't Begin to Tell You--Bing Crosby with Carmen Cavallaro
--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Andy Russell
9 Day by Day--Frank Sinatra
10 Shoo Fly Pie (And Apple Pan Dowdy)--Stan Kenton and his Orchestra
--Dinah Shore

Singles entering the chart were Patience and Fortitude, with versions by the Andrews Sisters and Count Basie and his Orchestra (#21); I'm a Big Girl Now by Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra (#30); and One-zy, Two-zy (I Love You-zy) by Freddy Martin and his Orchestra (#34).

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Blarney Stone

War
French colonial forces occupied Hanoi, capital of the newly-recognized Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Scandal
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King told the House of Commons that Igor Gouzenko, a cipher clerk in the Soviet embassy who hed defected to Canada several months earlier, had disclosed that Canada was "being used" to gather intelligence for the U.S.S.R.

World events
Iraqi politician Mujad Bey Mustafa said that Kurds in southern Azerbaijan, Iran had established an "independent Kurdish state."

Diplomacy
Diplomatic relations between Switzerland and the U.S.S.R. were established.

Defense
U.S. President Harry Truman asked Congress to extend the Selective Service Act for one year.

Politics and government
Communist Chinese leader Chou En-lai denounced the governing Kuomintang party as seeking to retain one-party rule of China, contrary to the decisions of the Political Consultative Conference.

Radio
The British Broadcasting Corporation announced plans to start daily Russian-language broadcasts to the U.S.S.R. because of Soviet censorship and curtailment of British news.

Energy
U.S. President Truman named Bernard Baruch as U.S. repsresentative to the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.

Medicine
Drs. Phyllis Harroun and F.E. Beckert of the University of California Medical School reported that a combination of nitrous oxide and curare had made possible the use of the electric knife in chest operations without the danger of sparks causing explosions in the patient's lungs.

Academia
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill received an honourary LL.D. degree from Columbia University.

Economics and finance
The International Monetary Conference ended in Wilmington Island, Georgia with the election of seven executive directors each for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Retiring United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration chief Herbert Lehman called for the creation of an international food control board, including the U.S.S.R., and urged the World Bank to take over relief costs when UNRRA ended.

U.S. National Association of Manufacturers President Robert Wason charged that the Office of Price Administration was inflationary, and urged its termination by June 30, 1946.

60 years ago
1956

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: There Was an Old Woman, starring Estelle Winwood, Charles Bronson, and Norma Crane

Died on this date
Louis Bromfield, 59. U.S. author and conservationist. Mr. Bromfield won the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for his novel Early Autumn; his other novels incuded The Rains Came (1937) and Mrs. Parkington (1943). He operated a farm in Ohio, and was one of the first modern champions of organic and self-sustaining farming.

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Nowhere Man--The Beatles
2 These Boots are Made for Walkin'--Nancy Sinatra
3 19th Nervous Breakdown--The Rolling Stones
4 Listen People--Herman's Hermits
5 The Ballad of the Green Berets--SSgt Barry Sadler
6 Homeward Bound--Simon & Garfunkel
7 Batman Theme--The Marketts
8 Daydream--The Lovin' Spoonful
9 I Fought the Law--Bobby Fuller Four
10 Sure Gonna Miss Her--Gary Lewis and the Playboys
Pick hit of the week: Frankie and Johnny--Elvis Presley
New this week: It's Too Late--Bobby Goldsboro
Love Me with All Your Heart--The Bachelors
Sloop John B--The Beach Boys
Nighttime Girl--Modern Folk Quintet
Jamaica Farewell--Ray Conniff and the Singers

30 years ago
1986

Died on this date
Bernard Malamud, 71. U.S. author. Mr. Malamud was best known for his novels The Natural (1952) and The Fixer (1966).

Politics and government
The New Democratic Party, led by Premier Howard Pawley, narrowly won re-election in Manitoba, taking 30 of 57 seats in the legislature to 26 for the Progressive Conservatives and 1 for the Liberals. The NDP and PCs each took 41% of the vote.

Former U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson III was nominated by Illinois Democrats to run for governor against Republican incumbent James Thompson. Primary voters chose two little-known supporters of conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche as the Democratic party nominees for lieutenant governor and secretary of state. Mr. Stevenson said he would not run on the same ticket as "these bizarre and dangerous extremists."

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the balance of payments on current account--the broadest measure of trade with other countries--showed a record deficit of $117.66 billion in 1985, nearly 10% more than in 1984.

Hockey
NHL
Winnipeg 2 @ Edmonton 6

Wayne Gretzky scored his 50th goal of the season to help the Oilers beat the Winnipeg Jets at Northlands Coliseum.

Football
CFL
Hugh Campbell was named general manager of the Edmonton Eskimos, succeeding Norm Kimball, who had resigned on March 3 to become president of the Montreal Alouettes. Mr. Campbell had been head coach of the Eskimos from 1977-1982, leading the team to six Western Football Conference championships in as many years, and a record five straight Grey Cup championships in his last five seasons. He was head coach of the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League in 1983 and the Houston Oilers of the National Football League in 1984-1985.

25 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Oh! Yeah!/Love Story wa Totsuzen ni--Kazumasa Oda (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Se mustamies--Hausmylly

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Vilma Bánky, 90. Hungarian-born U.S. actress. Miss Bánky, born Vilma Koncsics, began her career in silent films in Hungary in 1919, moving to Hollywood in 1925, where she was best-known for co-starring with Rudolph Valentino in The Eagle (1925) and The Son of the Sheik (1926). Miss Bánky married actor Rod La Rocque in 1927 and made few movies thereafter, retiring to domestic life. She died from cardiopulmonary failure.

20 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Jesus to a Child--George Michael (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Velvet--Savoy (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Lemon Tree--Fools Garden (4th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Want to Come Over--Melissa Etheridge
2 Missing--Everything But the Girl
3 1979--Smashing Pumpkins
4 Ironic--Alanis Morissette
5 One of Us--Joan Osborne
6 The World I Know--Collective Soul
7 Don't Cry--Seal
8 Wonderwall--Oasis
9 Follow You Down--Gin Blossoms
10 So Far Away--Rod Stewart

Singles entering the chart were Fear of Falling by the Badlees (#88); Make it Up as You Go by Hemingway Corner (#91); A List of Things by Damhnait Doyle (#93); The Things We Do for Love by Amy Grant (#94); and Incarnate by the Watchmen (#95).

Died on this date
Odysseas Elytis, 84. Greek poet and critic. Mr. Elytis was awarded the 1979 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his poetry, which, against the background of Greek tradition, depicts with sensuous strength and intellectual clear-sightedness modern man's struggle for freedom and creativeness."

Disasters
A fire at the Ozone Disco Club in Quezon City, Philippines killed 162 people.

10 years ago
2006

Died on this date
Dan Gibson, 84. Canadian cinematographer and sound recorder. Mr. Gibson was known for his recordings of wildlife sound, which were released on a series of albums titled Solitudes. He produced the television series Audubon Wildlife Theatre (1968-1974) and To the Wild Country (1972-1975).

Politics and government
Former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin resigned the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, handing the post to Bill Graham until a new leader could be chosen at a leadership convention.