January 16, 2017

525 years ago
1492

Literature
The first grammar of the Spanish language was presented to Queen Isabella I.

310 years ago
1707

Britannica
The Scottish Parliament ratified the Act of Union, paving the way for the creation of Great Britain.

200 years ago
1817

Died on this date
Alexander Dallas, 57. Jamaican-born U.S. politician. Mr. Dallas, a native of Kingston, grew up in Britain, and moved to Philadelphia in 1783. He was U.S. Supreme Court Reporter from 1790-1800, and served as Secretary of the Treasury in the administration of President James Madison from 1814-1816. His son George was Vice President under President James Polk (1845-1849).

170 years ago
1847

Politics and government
John C. Frémont was appointed Governor of the new California Territory.

90 years ago
1927

Football
AFL-NFL
Exhibition
New York Yankees (AFL) (2-2-1) 6 @ Los Angeles Buccaneers (NFL) (1-0) 30

20,000 fans were in attendance at Wrigley Field.

75 years ago
1942

Died on this date
Carole Lombard, 33. U.S. actress. Born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Miss Lombard was known for her roles in screwball comedy movies such as Twentieth Century (1934); My Man Godfrey (1936); Nothing Sacred (1937); Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) and To Be or Not to Be (1942). She was killed in a plane crash while flying back to Hollywood after visiting Indiana in a drive to sell war bonds.

Boxing
Sugar Ray Robinson (27-0) scored a technical knockout of Fritzie Zivic (113-28-6) at 31 seconds of the 10th round of their welterweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.

60 years ago
1957

At the movies
Four Girls in Town, starring George Nader, Julie Adams, Marianne Cook, Elsa Martinelli, and Gia Scala, opened in theatres in New York City.

Died on this date
Arturo Toscanini, 89. Italian orchestra conductor. Mr. Toscanini was one of the most famous conductors of the 20th century. His many achievements included service as the first director of the NBC Symphony Orchestra (1937-1954).

Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, 82. U.K. military officer. Governor-General of South Africa, 1924-1930; Governor General of Canada, 1940-1946. Major-General Cambridge, a cousin and brother-in-law of King George V, served with distinction in military campaigns in Africa and in World War I. He was popular in both of his viceregal positions, and supported the Canadian effort during World War II.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Black is Black--Los Bravos (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Green, Green Grass of Home--Tom Jones (7th week at #1)

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, on BBC Light Programme
Tonight's episode: The Final Problem

Died on this date
Robert Van de Graaff, 65. U.S. engineer. Mr. Van de Graaff was known for the design and construction of the Van de Graaff generators. He died 27 days after his 65th birthday.

Politics and government
The first all-Negro government in the Bahamas took office, with Lynden O. Pindling as the Bahamas' first Negro Prime Minister.

Alan Stephenson Boyd took office in the administration of President Lyndon Johnson as the first United States Secretary of Transportation.

Disasters
McCormick Place, a mutlimillion-dollar lakefront exposition centre in Chicago, burned down.

40 years ago
1977

Basketball
Marquette 78 Notre Dame 65

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)--Mel and Kim

World events
Ecuadorean President Leon Febres Cordero and about 30 members of his military staff were seized and held for 12 hours by air force troops at a base near Guyaquil until the president met the captors’ demands and ordered the release of General Frank Vargas Pazzos, who had been imprisoned after a rebellion attempt in 1986. The air force troops, all but two of whom were enlisted men, opened fire on the president’s party during a military review, killing two bodyguards and wounding seven other people. Mr. Febres was freed after Gen. Vargas came to the base. The president claimed to have been beaten by his captors, but promised not to punish them.

Politics and government
After a meeting of China’s ruling politburo, a communiqué was issued stating that Hu Yaobing, 71, had resigned as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee and had been succeeded as acting secretary by Premier Zhao Ziyang. The communiqué said that Mr. Hu had been accused of “mistakes on major issues of political principle.” The communiqué endorsed supreme leader Deng Xiaoping’s reforms and approaches to Western nations.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board announced that the nation’s output from factories, mines, and utilities had declined 0.9% in 1986.

Disasters
At least 50 people died when a boat carrying passengers to a Roman Catholic festival sank near Abugan Island in the central Philippines.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are the Days of Our Lives--Queen (5th week at #1)

War
12 years of civil war in El Salvador formally ended when the government signed the Chapultepec Peace Accords with guerrilla leaders.

Diplomacy
Several days of peace talks in Washington between Israeli and Arab representatives ended with little apparent progress. The issues had included Israel's plan to construct 5,000 houses in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian desires for self-government.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that consumer prices had risen 3.1% in 1991, the lowest annual increase since 1986.

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Roses are Red--Aqua (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Breathe--The Prodigy (5th week at #1)

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Benny Parsons, 65. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Parsons was a stock car driver on the NASCAR circuit from 1964-1988, and won the Winston Cup championship in 1973. Mr. Parsons died of lung cancer; he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Barack Obama (Democrat--Illinois) launched his campaign for the 2008 Democratic Party U.S. presidential nomination.