February 2, 2017

150 years ago
1867

Died on this date
Washington Hunt, 55. U.S. politician. Mr. Hunt, a Whig, represented New York's 34th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1843-1849, and was Governor of New York from 1851-1852.

130 years ago
1887

Americana
The first gathering of people at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to see the groundhog's shadow occurred.

125 years ago
1892

Crime
Six days after being convicted in New York of murdering his wife with poison, Carlyle W. Harris was sentenced to death.

110 years ago
1907

Died on this date
Dmitri Mendeleev, 72. Russian chemist. Dr. Mendeleev formulated the Periodic Law and created an early version of the periodic table of the elements. He died of influenza, six days before his 73rd birthday; element 101--mendelevium--is named in his honour, as is the lunar crater Mendeleev.

75 years ago
1942

Died on this date
Ado Birk, 58. Prime Minister of Estonia, 1920. Mr. Birk, a veteran politician and diplomat, was Prime Minister for just two days--July 28-30, 1920. After the 1940 Soviet invasion and occupation of Estonia, he was put in a prison camp in Russia and sentenced to death, but died before the sentence could be carried out.

War
The Osvald Group was responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the previous day's inauguration of Vidkun Quisling as Minister President of Norway.

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Just Walking in the Rain--Johnnie Ray (9th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Sei zufrieden--Lukas-Trio

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): The Garden of Eden--Frankie Vaughan

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Singing the Blues--Guy Mitchell (Best Seller--9th week at #1; Disc Jockey--9th week at #1; Jukebox--8th week at #1; Top 100--9th week at #1);

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Young Love--Sonny James
--Tab Hunter
2 Singing the Blues--Guy Mitchell
3 Don't Forbid Me--Pat Boone
4 Too Much--Elvis Presley
5 The Banana Boat Song--The Tarriers
6 Moonlight Gambler--Frankie Laine
7 Banana Boat (Day-O)--Harry Belafonte
8 Blue Monday--Fats Domino
9 The Green Door--Jim Lowe
10 Love Me Tender--Elvis Presley

Singles entering the chart were Marianne by Terry Gilkyson and the Easy Riders (#34); The Party's Over by Doris Day (#47); Bad Boy by the Jive Bombers (#49); Stashu Pandowski (She’s Not Very Much Good for Pretty), with versions by Russ Carlyle and the Coachmen, and Julius LaRosa (#50); and Roman Guitar (Chitarra Romana) by Lou Monte (also #50).

Died on this date
Grigory Landsberg, 67. U.S.S.R. physicist. Professor Landsberg was a co-discoverer of inelastic combinatorial scattering of light used now in Raman spectroscopy. He died 11 days after his 67th birthday.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): I'm a Believer--The Monkees (3rd week at #1)

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K (New Musical Express): Don't Give Up on Us--David Soul (3rd week at #1)

Diplomacy
United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim began a 10-day tour of the Middle East.

Politics and government
U.S. President Jimmy Carter, in a fireside chat, urged Americans to solve common problems through "joint efforts and mutual sacrifices."

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Funkytown--Pseudo Echo (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Alistair MacLean, 64. U.K. author. Mr. MacLean, a native of Scotland, was known for adventure and suspense novels such as The Guns of Navarone (1957); Ice Station Zebra (1963); and Where Eagles Dare (1967). He also used the pseudonym Ian Stuart. Mr. MacLean reportedly drank himself to death.

Terrorism
Church of England envoy Terry Waite was kidnapped in Beirut by members of the group Islamic Jihad.

Politics and government
After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacted a new constitution.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had risen 2.1% in December 1986.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Live and Let Die--Guns N' Roses (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Let's Talk About Sex--Salt-n-Pepa (12th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me--George Michael/Elton John (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Bert Parks, 77. U.S. radio and television announcer. Born Bertram Jacobson, Mr. Parks hosted several radio and television game shows, but was best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955-1979.

Football
NFL
Pro Bowl @ Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
NFC 21 AFC 15

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Freak--Silverchair (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): I Believe I Can Fly--R. Kelly

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò)--Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò)--Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli (3rd week at #1)

Football
NFL
Pro Bowl @ Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
AFC 26 NFC 23

Died on this date
Sanford Meisner, 91. U.S. acting teacher. Mr. Meisner was known for teaching the "Meisner technique," in which the actor "gets out of their head," and behaves instinctively toward the surrounding environment.

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Johnny Scruggs, 66. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Scruggs was an outfielder who played 1,136 games in 11 seasons in the minor leagues (1961-1971) with the organizations of the Baltimore Orioles (1961-1967); Cleveland Indians (1968-1971); and Atlanta Braves (1971). He hit at least 118 home runs and batted in at least 496 runs. Mr. Scruggs played at the AAA level for 5 seasons (1966-1970), with his best season being 1969, when he hit .263 with 16 homers and 66 RBIs in 127 games with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League.