March 19, 2016

125 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Earl Warren. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1953-1969. Mr. Warren, a Republican, was Governor of California from 1943-1953 until being appointed Chief Justice by President Dwight Eisenhower. During Mr. Warren's years as Chief Justice, the Supreme Court became known for liberal activism, in such decisions as Brown v. Board of Education (1954); Engel v. Vitale (1962) ; Griswold v. Connecticut (1963); and Miranda v. Arizona (1966). Chief Justice Warren chaired the commission appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to investigate the November 22, 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The commission's report, issued in September 1964, concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating President Kennedy. The report and its conclusion remain controversial. Mr. Warren died on July 9, 1974 at the age of 83.

100 years ago
1916

Born on this date
Irving Wallace. U.S. writer. Mr. Wallace wrote novels such as The Chapman Report (1960); The Prize (1962); and The Word (1972), and collaborated with his son David Wallechinsky on three volumes of The People's Almanac (1975-1981) and with his daughter Amy Wallace and Mr. Wallechinsky on three volumes of The Book of Lists (1977-1983). He died on June 29, 1990 at the age of 74.

75 years ago
1941

Diplomacy
French authorities in Indochina protested to Japanese military officials that Thailand had violated the March 11 peace agreement.

Defense
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the $7-billion Lend-Lease appropriation bill by a vote of 336-55 and sent it to the Senate. U.S. Navy Secretary Frank Knox revealed that the United Kingdom had asked the United States to repair an undisclosed number of British warships. The 99th Pursuit Squadron, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-Negro unit of the U.S. Army Air Forces, was activated.

Transportation
Representatives of the United States and Canada signed an agreement in Washington for the immediate development of a $266,170,000 Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River seaway and power project.

Labour
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created an 11-man National Defense Mediation Board (NDMB) "to assure that all work necessary for national defense shall proceed without interruption." Dr. Clarence Dykstra was named chairman.

The Congress of Industrial Organizations Amalgamated Clothing Workers won 10%-13% pay increases for 135,000 garment workers.

70 years ago
1946

Diplomacy
Following a formal Iranian appeal, United Nations Secretary-General Trygve Lie put the Iran-U.S.S.R. dispute on the Security Council agenda.

World events
American authorities in Berlin reported Soviet reactivation of the Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen concentration camps to house Germans who opposed the Communist-Social Democratic Party merger.

Defense
More than 4,200 New Zealand troops under the command of Brigadier Keith Stewart, known as Jayforce, arrived in Japan to serve in the 36,000-strong British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF).

U.S. Selective Service Commissioner Lewis Hershey called for indefinite extension of the draft, with service limited to 18 months.

The U.S. Senate Military Affairs Committee approved a bill for federal funds for scientific research.

Scandal
Dr. Alan Nunn May pled not guilty in London to charges that he had disclosed atomic bomb information to the U.S.S.R.

Franciana
French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion became overseas départements of France.

Politics and government
Mikhail I. Kalinin, President of Russia since 1919, retired because of ill health, and the Supreme Soviet elected Nikolai M. Shvernik to succeed him.

Democrats and Republicans in the United States Senate and House of Representatives attacked former Vice President Henry Wallace for proposing that Congressmen who defied the party line on major issues be denied party support in elections.

Former U.S. War Production Board aide Edwin Locke, Jr. was named a special presidential assistant to plan reorganization of the government.

Economics and finance
The U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate a bill taking all farm credit agencies from the Agriculture Department and placing them under a seve-man independent board.

Labour
The Congress of Industrial Organizations United Auto Workers notified General Motors that 154,400 members had ratified the wage agreement, but the commany said that it would remain closed and assume that the strike was continuing until 20 more locals voted to return.

50 years ago
1966

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): These Boots are Made for Walkin'--Nancy Sinatra (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Une Mèche de Cheveux--Salvatore Adamo (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Nessuno mi può giudicare--Caterina Caselli (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ganz in Weiß--Roy Black (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): These Boots are Made for Walkin'--Nancy Sinatra

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I Can't Let Go--The Hollies (2nd week at #1); The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore--The Walker Brothers

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Ballad of the Green Berets--SSgt Barry Sadler (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Ballad of the Green Berets--SSgt Barry Sadler (3rd week at #1)
2 These Boots are Made for Walkin'--Nancy Sinatra
3 19th Nervous Breakdown--The Rolling Stones
4 California Dreamin'--The Mamas and the Papas
5 Nowhere Man--The Beatles
6 Listen People--Herman's Hermits
7 Elusive Butterfly--Bob Lind
8 Daydream--The Lovin' Spoonful
9 Homeward Bound--Simon & Garfunkel
10 Lightnin' Strikes--Lou Christie

Singles entering the chart were A Sign of the Times by Petula Clark (#69); Frankie and Johnny by Elvis Presley (#75); Somewhere by Len Barry (#82); Sippin' 'n Chippin' by the T-Bones (#84); Kicks by Paul Revere and the Raiders (#86); Gloria by the Shadows of Knight (#87); Got My Mojo Working (Part 1) by Jimmy Smith (#88); Helpless by Kim Weston (#89); No Man is an Island by the Van Dykes (#97); The Phoenix Love Theme (Senza Fine) (#98); Darling Baby by the Elgins (#99); Young Love by Lesley Gore (#100); She Blew a Good Thing by the Poets (also #100); and I Can't Let Go by the Hollies (also #100).

Politics and government
Paul Vanden Boeynants, leader of the Christian Social Party, took office as Prime Minister of Belgium, heading a coalition government. The new government replaced that of Pierre Harmel, who had resigned, along with 12 Socialist cabinet ministers, in a dispute over the issue of health care fees, after just six months in office. King Baudouin I had then asked former Prime Minister Achille Van Acker to act as constututional adviser; the result was the new coalition.

Basketball
NCAA
Men's Championship Final @ Cole Field House, College Park, Maryland
Texas Western 72 Kentucky 65

The Texans made history in their win over the Wildcats by being the first team to start a lineup composed entirely of Negro players. Don Haskins won the coaching matchup against Adolph Rupp, whose team was composed entirely of white players.





40 years ago
1976

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Mississippi--Pussycat

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Mississippi--Pussycat (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Moviestar--Harpo (5th week at #1)

Education
Sir John Franklin Territorial High School in Yellowknife took the afternoon off from classes in order to alow students and teachers to participate in game day. This blogger skipped a curling rink, with Ken Powless, Campbell Milton, and Bob Cargill as the other members. We lost our first game 4-3 on a tie-breaking draw; won the second game 2-1; and lost the third game 7-0, with all games going 3 ends. The afternoon was fun for all.

Britannica
Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Margaret would separate from Lord Snowdon after 16 years of marriage.

30 years ago
1986

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Brother Louie--Modern Talking (3rd week at #1)

Environment
U.S. President and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney concluded two days of talks in Washington on acid rain. Mr. Reagan endorsed a report prepared by Canadian and American envoys in January that called on U.S. government and industry to spend $5 billion to develop means of burning coal more cleanly.

Space
In addition to their agreement on acid rain, Mr. Reagan and Mr. Mulroney announced that Canada would join a U.S. program to put a space station in permanent orbit by 1995.

Scandal
Sondra Gotlieb, wife of Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.A. Alan Gotlieb, slapped an aide in public during a reception for Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that corporate profits had declined 2.2% in 1985, and that based on revised figures, real (after inflation) growth in the gross national product had been only 2.2% in 1985.

25 years ago
1991

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that consumer prices had increased 0.2% in February.

The U.S. Senate voted to approve a $78-billion package to help bail out insolvent savings and loan associations.

Society
National Football League owners voted to take the 1993 Super Bowl away from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe and give it to the Rose Bowl because Arizona had not approved a ballot proposition to recognize Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday.

20 years ago
1996

World events
Sarajevo became a united city again after four years when Moslem-Croat authorities took control of the last district held by Serbs.

10 years ago
2006

Politics and government
Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected President of Belarus, taking 84.4% of the vote in an election that Western observers deemed to be rigged.