February 11, 2017

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Maria Nastas!

170 years ago
1847

Born on this date
Thomas Edison. U.S. inventor. Mr. Edison's many inventions included the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, and motion pictures. He died on October 18, 1931 at the age of 84. It's been said that when Mr. Edison first turned on his light bulb, he leaned over it and said, "Hello? Hello?" See the Edison Museum for more information.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Sidney Sheldon, 89. U.S. writer. Mr. Sheldon, born Sidney Schechtel, was a screenwriter from the 1940s through the 1970s, and won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947). He later became a novelist, with bestsellers that included The Other Side of Midnight (1973) and Bloodline (1977). Mr. Sheldon died on January 30, 2007, 12 days before his 90th birthday.

80 years ago
1937

Labour
A sit-down strike against General Motors ended with the company agreeing to recognize the United Automobile Workers of America.

75 years ago
1942

War
The Ligue pour la défense du Canada (Canadian Defense League) held its first large assembly in Montreal. The League was founded to put pressure on the federal government to prevent the adoption of compulsory conscription for all Canadians. The assembly attracted a huge crowd that marched to the Saint-Jacques market. The speakers included Jean Drapeau and Gerard Fillion.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): I'm a Believer/(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone--The Monkees

#1 single in France: Inch Allah--Salvatore Adamo (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Se perdo anche te--Gianni Morandi (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): I'm a Believer--The Monkees (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Het Land van Maas en Waal--Boudewijn de Groot

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I'm a Believer--The Monkees (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I'm a Believer--The Monkees (7th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I'm a Believer--The Monkees (8th week at #1)
2 Georgy Girl--The Seekers
3 Kind of a Drag--The Buckinghams
4 Tell it Like it Is--Aaron Neville
5 Snoopy vs. the Red Baron--The Royal Guardsmen
6 Ruby Tuesday--The Rolling Stones
7 98.6--Keith
8 (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet--The Blues Magoos
9 Love is Here and Now You're Gone--The Supremes
10 Music to Watch Girls By--The Bob Crewe Generation

Singles entering the chart were There's a Kind of Hush by Herman's Hermits (#65); Darling Be Home Soon by the Lovin' Spoonful (#77); When Something is Wrong with My Baby by Sam and Dave (#82); The People in Me by the Music Machine (#84); Every Day I Have the Blues by Billy Stewart (#85); I Think We're Alone Now by Tommy James and the Shondells (#86); California Nights by Lesley Gore (#88); Happy Together by the Turtles (#89); Hung Up in Your Eyes by Brian Hyland (#93); Trouble Down Here Below by Lou Rawls (#94); This Precious Time by Terry Knight and the Pack (#98); Another Page by Connie Francis (#99); People Like You by Eddie Fisher (#100); and Gonna Get Along Without Ya' Now by Trini Lopez (also #100). Darling Be Home Soon was from the movie You're a Big Boy Now (1966).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Georgy Girl--The Seekers (2nd week at #1)
2 Nashville Cats--The Lovin' Spoonful
3 I'm a Believer--The Monkees
4 (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet--The Blues Magoos
5 Knight in Rusty Armour--Peter and Gordon
6 98.6--Keith
7 Kind of a Drag--The Buckinghams
8 Snoopy vs. the Red Baron--The Royal Guardsmen
9 Tell it Like it Is--Aaron Neville
10 Tell it to the Rain--The 4 Seasons

Singles entering the chart were Cry Baby by Lennie Richards and the Nomads (#71); Wish You Didn't Have to Go by James and Bobby Purify (#72); Tramp by Lowell Fulsom (#76); The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game by the Marvelettes (#79); Give Me Time by Last Words (#82); Sit Down, I Think I Love You by the Mojo Men (#83); Girl in the Window by the Eternals (#84); Love You So Much by the New Colony Six (#87); Oh Yeah by the Joe Cuba Sextet (#89); It May Be Winter Outside (But in My Heart it’s Spring) by Felice Taylor (#90); Epistle to Dippy by Donovan (#91); Everybody Needs Somebody to Love by Wilson Pickett (#92); Save Me by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich (#93); Happy Together by the Turtles (#94); Daddy`s Little Girl by Al Martino (#95); Baby I Need Your Lovin' by Johnny Rivers (#96); Sunrise, Sunset by Roger Williams (#97); Our Winter Love by the Lettermen (#98); and I'll Take Care of Your Cares by Frankie Laine (#100).

Economics and finance
The Tanzanian government of President Julius Nyerere implemented new socialist policies, resulting from a political conference in Arusha from January 26-29. The Arusha Declaration provided for the end of "feudalism and capitalism" by government control of banks, food factories, insurance companies, and several export-import companies, and other means of production. The government acquired majority holdings in breweries and several factories. Foreign banks were told to replace European employees with Africans.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Living Next Door to Alice--Smokie (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Voici les clefs--Gérard Lenorman (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Louis Beel, 74. Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1946-1948, 1958-1959. Mr. Beel, a member of the Catholic People`s Party (KVP), held several positions in a political career that spanned a quarter-century. After his second term as Prime Minister, he served as Vice President of the Council of State from 1959-1972.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, 71. 5th President of India, 1974-1977. Mr. Ahmed, a member of the India National Congress Party, served in the Assam Legislative Assembly from 1957-1967 before entering national politics, and sat in the Lok Sabha from 1967 until accepting the appointment to the presidency by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He died of a heart attack in his office, and was succeeded by acting President Basappa Danappa Jatti.

Hockey
WHA
Edmonton 1 @ Calgary 3

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Caravan of Love--The Housemartins

Edmontonia
Kari Montgomery was chosen Miss Teen Edmonton. The pageant was televised on CFRN.

Crime
Party planner Cynthia Payne was acquitted of nine charges of controlling prostitutes from her home in southwest London.

20 years ago
1997

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Discovery, carrying a seven-man crew commanded by Kenneth Bowersox, lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida to begin mission STS-82, a nine-day mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.