February 18, 2017

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Paul Jelley and Ezra Levant!

470 years ago
1547

Born on this date
Bahāʾ al-dīn al-ʿĀmilī. Persian scholar. Shaykh Baha' was one of the main founders of the Isfahan School of Islamic philosophy, and was one of the earliest astronomers in the Islamic world to suggest the possibility of the Earth's movement prior to the spread of the Copernican theory. He wrote over 100 treatises and books in different topics, in Arabic and Persian. Shaykh Baha' died on August 30, 1621 at the age of 74.

220 years ago
1797

War
Sir Ralph Abercromby and a fleet of 18 British warships invaded Trinidad, which was then under Spanish control.

125 years ago
1892

Born on this date
Wendell Willkie. U.S. politician. Mr. Willkie, a corporate lawyer, was the Republican party candidate for President of the United States in 1940, winning the nomination as a dark horse candidate. He opposed parts of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal economic program that he regarded as inefficient, but agreed with Mr. Roosevelt's internationalist foreign policy. Mr. Roosevelt won election to an unprecedented third term, capturing 449 electoral votes to 82 for Mr. Willkie, winning the popular vote by a margin of 27.3 million-22.3 million. Mr. Willkie remains the only major party nominee for President to have never held elective office or high military rank. After the election, Mr. Willkie acted as Mr. Roosevelt's personal representative in visits to the U.K., U.S.S.R., and China. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the 1944 Republican presidential nomination, and began working with the Liberal Party of New York to launch a new national party. While travelling on a train from Indianapolis to New York City, Mr. Willkie suffered a major heart attack while the train was in Ohio, but refused to disembark until reaching New York; he made it, but died in hospital two days later, on October 8, 1944, at the age of 52.

Politics and government
The cabinet of French Prime Minister Charles de Freycinet fell because of a hostile vote on M. de Freycinet's bill against religious associations. M. de Freycinet was replaced as Prime Minister on February 27 by Émile Loubet.

Crime
In Yokohama, Japan, United States Navy Lieutenant James Hetherington shot and killed British businessman George Gower Robinson, supposedly because Mr. Robinson was too persistent in his admiration of Lt. Hetherington's wife, Elizabeth. Lt. Hetherington's trial in Yokohama began in March. The conduct of Mrs. Hetherington was the subject of much gossip.

In Cannes, France, U.S. banker Edward P. Deacon shot and killed Emile Abeille, a Frenchman and erstwhile friend of Mr. Deacon, who was in bed with Mrs. Deacon at the Hotel Splendide when Mr. Deacon interrupted.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Dona Massin. Canadian-born U.S. choreographer. Miss Massin, a native of Winnipeg, moved with her family to Los Angeles at the age of 8. She began her career as a child singer, but eventually became a choreographer for movie musicals. Miss Massin was best known for her choreography for The Wizard of Oz (1939). She died on May 26, 2001 at the age of 84.

75 years ago
1942

Died on this date
Albert Payson Terhune, 69. U.S. author. Mr. Terhune was known for writing about dogs, especially his collie Lad, in books such as Lad: A Dog (1919).

Abominations
The Imperial Japanese Army began the systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore.

70 years ago
1947

War
French forces gained complete control of Hanoi after forcing the Viet Minh to withdraw to mountains.

60 years ago
1957

At the movies
Daughter of Horror, co-produced, directed, and written by John Parker, and starring Adrienne Barrett, Bruno Ve Sota, and Ben Roseman, opened in theatres. The film originally received a brief release under the title Dementia in 1953 before being banned by the New York State Film Board. It was re-released on December 22, 1955 with edits demanded by the censors, and finally released as Daughter of Horror, after narration by Ed McMahon was added.



Died on this date
Henry Norris Russell, 79. U.S. astronomer. Dr. Russell spent more than 40 years at Princeton University; he co-developed the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram and the Russell-Saunders coupling.

Walter James Bolton, 68. N.Z. criminal. Mr. Bolton was hanged at Mount Eden Prison in Auckland for the July 1956 poisoning of his wife Beatrice. He was the last person executed in New Zealand, which unfortunately, later abolished capital punishment.

Dedan Kimathi, 36. Kenyan rebel leader. Mr. Kimathi, born Kimathi wa Waciuri, was a leader of the Mau Mau uprising against British colonial rule in the mid-1950s. He was captured in October 1956 and executed by hanging at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.

Boxing
World middleweight champion Gene Fullmer (40-3) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Ernie Durando (46-23-4) in a non-title bout at City Auditorium in Denver.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Snoopy vs. the Red Baron--The Royal Guardsmen

#1 single in France: Inch Allah--Salvatore Adamo (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Cuore matto--Little Tony

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): I'm a Believer--The Monkees (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Het Land van Maas en Waal--Boudewijn de Groot (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): This is My Song--Petula Clark

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Kind of a Drag--The Buckinghams

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

Singles entering the chart were No Milk Today by Herman`s Hermits (#66); Ups and Downs by Paul Revere and the Raiders (#70); The Love I Saw in You was Just a Mirage by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (#74); One More Mountain to Climb by Ronnie Dove (#81); Girl Don't Care by Gene Chandler (#83); Sweet Maria by the Billy Vaughn Singers (#85); Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye by Lainie Kazan (#86); Why Not Tonight by Jimmy Hughes (#88); Hold On I'm Coming by Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown (#94); Baby, Help Me by Percy Sledge (#96); Morningtown Ride by the Seekers (#99); The Dark End of the Street by James Carr (#100); and One, Two, Three by Ramsey Lewis (also #100). No Milk Today was the B-side of There's a Kind of Hush, charting at #44. The B-side of The Love I Saw in You was Just a Mirage was Come Spy with Me, #21 on the Looking Ahead chart, and title song of the movie.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Kind of a Drag--The Buckinghams
2 Georgy Girl--The Seekers
3 I'm a Believer--The Monkees
4 Knight in Rusty Armour--Peter and Gordon
5 (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet--The Blues Magoos
6 98.6--Keith
7 Nashville Cats--The Lovin' Spoonful
8 Tell it Like it Is--Aaron Neville
9 Hello Hello--The Sopwith "Camel"
10 Stand by Me--Spyder Turner

Singles entering the chart were Canada by the Young Canada Singers (#81); Someday Fool by M.G. and the Escorts (#84); The Dis-Advantages of You by the Brass Ring (#86); No Fair at All by the Association (#87); Darling Be Home Soon by the Lovin' Spoonful (#88); There's a Kind of Hush by Herman`s Hermits (#89); One More Mountain to Climb by Ronnie Dove (#92); Gotta Try by Three Deuces (#94); Let's Fall in Love by Peaches and Herb (#95); Tiny Bubbles by Don Ho and Aliis (#96); I'm Losing Tonight by Passing Fancy (#98); Raise Your Hand by Eddie Floyd (#99); and California Nights by Lesley Gore (#100).

Died on this date
J. Robert Oppenheimer, 62. U.S. physicist. Dr. Oppenheimer was best known as one of the major figures in the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II. Because of Communist associations, his security clearance was revoked in 1954, robbing him of much of his influence, although he continued to warn of the dangers of atomic weapons. Dr. Oppenheimer died of cancer.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Living Next Door to Alice--Smokie (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France: À toi--Joe Dassin

Died on this date
Andy Devine, 71. U.S. actor. Mr. Devine was a character actor in radio, films, and television in a career that spanned 50 years. He was known for his wheezy voice, which he often employed while playing sidekicks in Westerns. Mr. Devine played Jingles in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok on radio (1951-1956) and television (1951-1958). He died of leukemia.

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Enterprise test vehicle was carried on its maiden "flight" from Edwards Air Force Base, California, on top of a Boeing 747.

Hockey
WHA
Cincinnati 3 @ Calgary 5

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Caravan of Love--The Housemartins (2nd week at #1)

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 2 @ Edmonton 9

As a Maple Leafs' fan, I made the mistake of buying a ticket to the game from a scalper--albeit just slightly above the ticket price--and was not impressed when the Oilers led 8-0 after 2 periods. The Maple Leafs finally broke the shutout with 2 goals by Mike Allison in the last 3 minutes of the game.

25 years ago
1992

Olympics
Men's hockey
Canada 4 Germany 3 (double shootout)

20 years ago
1997

Died on this date
Emily Hahn, 92. U.S. writer. Miss Hahn was a journalist and novelist whose works included numerous accounts of her travels in the Orient.

10 years ago
2007

Terrorism
Bombs exploded on the Samjhauta Express in Panipat, Haryana, India, killing 68 people.