January 1, 2017

310 years ago
1707

Europeana
John V was crowned King of Portugal at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon.

150 years ago
1867

Born on this date
Lew Fields. U.S. comedian. Mr. Fields, born Moses Schoenfeld, teamed with Joe Weber to form the comedy team Weber and Fields, who were popular from the 1880s to the 1900s. He died on July 20, 1941 at the age of 74.

140 years ago
1877

Indianica
Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India.

125 years ago
1892

Americana
Annie Moore, a 15-year-old Irish girl, became the first immigrant to enter the Ellis Island Immigration Station.

100 years ago
1917

Society
Prohibition went into effect in Newfoundland; the banning of the selling and consumption of alcohol was due to the efforts of churches, the Dominion Alliance for the Total Suppression of the Liquor Traffic, and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.

Law
The Royal Northwest Mounted Police was relieved of provincial policing duties in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with the creation of their own Provincial Police forces.

90 years ago
1927

War
The Cristero War began in Mexico.

80 years ago
1937

Technology
Safety glass in vehicle windscreens became mandatory in the United Kingdom.

75 years ago
1942

At the movies
The Man Who Came to Dinner, starring Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, and Monty Woolley, received its premiere screening in New York City.



Diplomacy
Representatives of 26 nations signed the Declaration by United Nations.

Football
NCAA
Rose Bowl @ Duke Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
Oregon State 20 @ Duke 16

Because of fears of a Japanese invasion of the west coast of the United States in the first few weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Rose Bowl was moved to Duke University. Oregon State quarterback Bob Dethman threw touchdown passes of 31 yards to George Zellick and 68 yards to Gene Gray in the 3rd quarter. Attendance was estimated at 56,000.



70 years ago
1947

Canadiana
The Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 went into effect, converting British subjects into Canadian citizens. Prime Minister Mackenzie King became the first Canadian citizen.

Europeana
The American and British occupation zones in Germany merged to form the Bizone, which later (with the French zone) became part of West Germany.

60 years ago
1957

Asiatica
George Town, Penang, Malaysia became a city by a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth II.

War
The first Canadian peacekeepers arrived in Egypt after the Suez Crisis.

50 years ago
1967

Died on this date
Moon Mullican, 57. U.S. musician. Aubrey Wilson Mullican was a country singer whose hillbilly boogie piano playing influenced rockabilly artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis. Mr. Mullican's popularity was centred in the southeastern United States, although he had eight top 10 hits on the Billboard country chart, with I'll Sail My Ship Alone reaching #1 in 1950. He died the day after suffering a heart attack.

Lindsay Brown, 55. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Brown played shortstop with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937), batting .270 with no home runs and 6 runs batted in in 48 games. He played at least 1,269 games in 12 seasons in the minor leagues (1935-1949).

Canadiana
Prime Minister Lester Pearson ignited the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill in Ottawa at midnight to mark the centenary of Confederation. Several hours later, Madame Pauline Vanier, on behalf of her husband Governor General Georges Vanier, dedicated the Confederation Train at Ottawa Station.

Torontonia
Several municipalities such as Forest Hill and Swansea were merged into Toronto.

Football
CFL
Senator Keith Davey officially took office as Canadian Football League Commissioner, replacing the retiring G. Sydney Halter, who had held the position since the league's inception on January 17, 1958. One of the reasons Sen. Davey accepted the position was that he didn't make enough money as a Senator, and the salary of $25,000 per year would help him to pay the mortgage on his house.

NFL
Championship
Green Bay 34 @ Dallas 27

Bart Starr threw 4 touchdown passes and the Packers withstood a late Dallas rally to defeat the Cowboys before 74,152 fans at the Cotton Bowl, winning their second consecutive National Football League championship, and advancing to the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game in Los Angeles two weeks hence (see video).



AFL
Championship
Kansas City 31 @ Buffalo 7

Len Dawson passed to Fred Arbanas and Otis Taylor for touchdowns and handed off to Mike Garrett for 2 more TDs as the Chiefs defeated the Bills before 42,080 fans at War Memorial Stadium, ending the Bills' two-year championship reign. It was the Chiefs' first American Football League championship since moving to Kansas City in 1963 after winning the title as the Dallas Texans in 1962.



40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Sei forte papà--Gianni Morandi (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): If You Leave Me Now--Chicago (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: When a Child Is Born (Soleado)--Johnny Mathis

#1 single in the U.K (BMRB): When a Child Is Born (Soleado)--Johnny Mathis (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Canada (RPM): Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)--Rod Stewart (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)--Rod Stewart (8th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)--Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.
2 You Make Me Feel Like Dancing--Leo Sayer
3 Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)--Rod Stewart
4 Car Wash--Rose Royce
5 I Wish--Stevie Wonder
6 After the Lovin'--Engelbert Humperdinck
7 Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word--Elton John
8 Dazz--Brick
9 Stand Tall--Burton Cummings
10 Hot Line--Sylvers

Singles entering the chart were The Things We Do for Love by 10 C.C. (#82); Baby, You Look Good to Me Tonight by John Denver (#93); Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll! by Starland Vocal Band (#96); and Happier by Paul Anka (#100).

Died on this date
Danny Frisella, 30. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Frisella was a relief pitcher with the New York Mets (1967-1972); Atlanta Braves (1973-1974); San Diego Padres (1975); St. Louis Cardinals (1976); and Milwaukee Brewers (1976), compiling a record of 34-40 with an earned run average of 3.32 and 57 saves in 351 games. He was killed in a freak accident while a passenger in a dune buggy less than 100 feet from his home in Phoenix.

Abominations
Jacqueline Means became the first woman to be ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church of the United States.

Environment
Canada extended Canadian fishing limits from 12 miles to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) to try and manage the Atlantic groundfish industry.

Hockey
WHA
International Series (exhibition)
U.S.S.R. (3-1) 5 @ Indianapolis 2

Football
NCAA
Sugar Bowl
Pittsburgh 27 Georgia 3

Cotton Bowl
Houston 30 Maryland 14

Rose Bowl
Southern California 14 Michigan 6

Orange Bowl
Ohio State 27 Colorado State 10

30 years ago
1987

On television tonight
Our World, hosted by Linda Ellerbee and Ray Gandolf, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Secrets and Surprises: Autumn 1948



Canadiana
Iqaluit changed its name from Frobisher Bay in keeping with the Northwest Territories government's decision to restore indigenous names; Iqaluit means the place where the fish are.

Law
The Law Society of Upper Canada allowed Ontario lawyers to advertise their services.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Black or White--Michael Jackson (7th week at #1)

Europeana
Russia officially became a nation, the day after the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Darrent Williams, 24. U.S. football player. Mr. Williams was a cornerback at Oklahoma State University before joining the Denver Broncos in 2005. He returned an interception 82 yards for a touchdown in his rookie season with Denver, and made 4 more interceptions, returning 1 for a touchdown, in 2006. Mr. Williams was killed at 2:10 A.M. in a drive-by shooting outside a Denver nightclub, less than 12 hours after playing with the Broncos in the final game of the season.

Disasters
Adam Air Flight 574 disappeared over Sulawesi Strait, Indonesia, with 102 people on board.