January 5, 2017

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Laura-Belle Robinson!

300 years ago
1717

Born on this date
William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington. U.K. politician. Viscount Barrington, a Whig, held several cabinet posts, but was best known for serving as Secretary at War during the Seven Years' War and again during the American War of Independence. He died on February 1, 1793, 27 days after his 76th birthday.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Jane Wyman. U.S. actress. Miss Wyman, born Sarah Jane Mayfield, won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Johnny Belinda (1948). Her other movies included So Big (1953) and Magnificent Obsession (1954). Miss Wyman co-starred in the television soap opera Falcon Crest from 1981-1990. She was married to actor and future U.S. President Ronald Reagan from 1940-1949, and died on September 10, 2007 at the age of 90.

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Just Walking in the Rain--Johnnie Ray (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Smoky--Die Sieben Raben (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Singing the Blues--Guy Mitchell

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Singing the Blues--Guy Mitchell (Best Seller--5th week at #1; Disc Jockey--5th week at #1; Jukebox--4th week at #1; Top 100--5th week at #1);

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Singing the Blues--Guy Mitchell (6th week at #1)
2 Love Me Tender--Elvis Presley
3 The Green Door--Jim Lowe
4 Blueberry Hill--Fats Domino
5 Just Walking in the Rain--Johnnie Ray
6 True Love--Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly
7 A Rose and a Baby Ruth--George Hamilton IV
8 Hey! Jealous Lover--Frank Sinatra
9 Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody--Jerry Lewis
10 Cindy, Oh Cindy--Eddie Fisher
--Vince Martin with the Tarriers

Singles entering the chart were What's the Reason I'm Not Pleasing You by Fats Domino (#43) and Love is Strange by Mickey and Sylvia (#47). What's the Reason I'm Not Pleasing You was the B-side of Blue Monday, charting at #34.

Defense
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in a speech to the United States Congress, outlined the "Eisenhower Doctrine," under which a Middle Eastern country could request American economic assistance or aid from U.S. military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression.

Baseball
Jackie Robinson, 37, announced his retirement from baseball, two months after being traded from the Brooklyn Dodgers to the New York Giants for pitcher Dick Littlefield. In 10 seasons with the Dodgers, Mr. Robinson, the first Negro to play in the major leagues in the 20th century, batted .311 with 137 home runs and 734 runs batted in 1,382 games with the Dodgers, while playing first base, second base, third base, and the outfield. Mr. Robinson retired in order to accept a position with Chock full o'Nuts coffee company.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Green, Green Grass of Home--Tom Jones (6th week at #1)

At the movies
A Countess from Hong Kong, written, scored, directed, and co-produced by Charlie Chaplin, and starring Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren, received its premiere screening in London.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K (New Musical Express): When a Child is Born--Johnny Mathis (3rd week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Vancouver 1 @ Atlanta 4

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

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Funkytown--Pseudo Echo (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Herman Smith-Johanssen, 111. Norwegian-born Canadian skier. "Jackrabbit" Johanssen immigrated to Canada in 1907, and helped to introduce the country to cross-country skiing. He remained active until a very advanced age.

Dale Mitchell, 65. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Mitchell was a left fielder and leadoff hitter with the Cleveland Indians (1946-1956) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1956), batting .312 with 41 home runs and 403 runs batted in in 1,127 games. His best season was probably 1949, when he batted .317, leading the American League in at bats (640); hits (203); and triples (23). Mr. Mitchell is best remembered for taking a called third strike for the final out of Don Larsen's perfect game in the fifth game of the 1956 World Series; Mr. Mitchell, who came to bat just once after that in his major league career, maintained that the pitch was really a ball. Mr. Mitchell, in fact, rarely struck out--just 119 times in 3,984 regular season at bats, while drawing 346 bases on balls.

Margaret Laurence, 60. Canadian author. Mrs. Laurence, a native of Neepawa, Manitoba, was one of the most famous Canadian authors of the 20th century. She was best known for the novels The Stone Angel (1964) and The Diviners (1974). Mrs. Laurence died of lung cancer.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Black or White--Michael Jackson (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Let's Talk About Sex--Salt-n-Pepa (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Black or White--Michael Jackson (6th week at #1)

Football
NFL
AFC Divisional Playoff
Kansas City 14 @ Buffalo 37

NFC Divisional Playoff
Dallas 6 @ Detroit 38

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Wannabe--Spice Girls (10th week at #1)

#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Thug Devotion--Mo Thugs (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)--Backstreet Boys (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Un-Break My Heart--Toni Braxton

Died on this date
Burton Lane, 84. U.S. songwriter. Mr. Lane, born Morris Hyman Kushner, wrote songs for Broadway musicals, most notably Finian's Rainbow (1947) and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965).

Football
NFL
AFC Divisional Playoff
Pittsburgh 3 @ New England 28

NFC Divisional Playoff
Dallas 17 @ Carolina 26