February 19, 2017

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Lee Morrow!

200 years ago
1717

Born on this date
David Garrick. English actor. Mr. Garrick was the most prominent actor of his time; his realistic style of performance was a marked contrast from the bombastic style that was in vogue when he began his career. Mr. Garrick died on January 22, 1779 at the age of 61.

210 years ago
1807

Politics and government
Former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested for treason in Wakefield, Alabama, and confined to Fort Stoddert.

170 years ago
1847

Americana
The first group of rescuers reached the Donner Party, which had departed Missouri for California in May 1846.

130 years ago
1887

Died on this date
Multatuli, 66. Multaluli, whose real name was Eduard Douwes Dekker, was a civil servant in the Dutch East Indies, and drew on his experiences for his best-known work, the satirical novel Max Havelaar, of de koffi-veilingen der Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappy (Max Havelaar: Or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company) (1860), which criticized Dutch colonial policy. Multatuli wrote other works of fiction and non-fiction; he spent his last 10 years in Germany, dying there 11 days before his 67th birthday.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Carson McCullers. U.S. authoress. Miss McCullers, born Lula Carson Smith, was a Southern Gothic writer, known for the novels The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1940); Reflections in a Golden Eye (1941); and The Member of the Wedding (1946). She died of a stroke on September 29, 1967 at the age of 50, after years of declining health.

80 years ago
1937

World events
During a public ceremony at the Viceregal Palace (the former Imperial residence) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two Ethiopian nationalists of Eritrean origin attempted to assassinate viceroy Rodolfo Graziani with a number of grenades.

75 years ago
1942

War
Nearly 250 Japanese warplanes bombed the northern Australian city of Darwin, killing 243 people.

Law
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, allowing the U.S. military to relocate thousands of Americans of Japanese ancestry on the west coast to internment camps.

60 years ago
1957

Died on this date
Maurice Garin, 85. Italian-born French cyclist. Mr. Garin moved to France by his mid-teens and opened a cycle shop in Roubaix with his brothers in 1895. He won his first race in 1893, and won the first Tour de France in 1903. Mr. Garin won the 1904 Tour de France, a race that involved violence by spectators, and was suspended for two years, virtually ending his career. He ran a garage in Lens until his death, after years of dementia, 21 days before his 86th birthday.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Honky Tonky Train Blues--Keith Emerson

#1 single in Switzerland: Living Next Door to Alice--Smokie (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Living Next Door to Alice--Smokie (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Julie Covington (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K (BMRB): When I Need You--Leo Sayer

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Blinded by the Light--Manfred Mann's Earth Band

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Torn Between Two Lovers--Mary MacGregor (2nd week at #1)
2 New Kid in Town--Eagles
3 Fly Like an Eagle--Steve Miller Band
4 Enjoy Yourself--The Jacksons
5 Love Theme from "A Star is Born" (Evergreen)--Barbra Streisand
6 I Like Dreamin'--Kenny Nolan
7 Year of the Cat--Al Stewart
8 Night Moves--Bob Seger
9 Weekend in New England--Barry Manilow
10 Blinded by the Light--Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Singles entering the chart were All Strung Out on You by John Travolta (#69); Tryin' to Love Two by William Bell (#80); "Roots" Medley by Quincy Jones (#91); Sometimes by the Facts of Life (#92); Southern Nights by Glen Campbell (#94); and Race Among the Ruins by Gordon Lightfoot (#100). "Roots" Medley was from the television miniseries.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Blinded by the Light--Manfred Mann's Earth Band
2 Torn Between Two Lovers--Mary MacGregor
3 Car Wash--Rose Royce
4 New Kid in Town--Eagles
5 Enjoy Yourself--The Jacksons
6 Fly Like an Eagle--Steve Miller Band
7 I Wish--Stevie Wonder
8 Lost Without Your Love--Bread
9 Weekend in New England--Barry Manilow
10 Year of the Cat--Al Stewart

Singles entering the chart were Daddy Cool by Boney M. (#50); Do Ya by Electric Light Orchestra (#85); So In to You by Atlanta Rhythm Section (#86); Winter Melody by Donna Summer (#91); Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!) by Elton John (#92); Maybe I'm Amazed by Wings (#93); I Can't Say No to You by Parker McGee (#94); At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up) by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (#95); The First Cut is the Deepest by Rod Stewart (#96); Here is Where Your Love Belongs by the Sons of Champlin (#97); Dedication by the Bay City Rollers (#98); Up Your Nose by Gabriel Kaplan (#99); and Do it To My Mind by Johnny Bristol (#100).

Died on this date
Mike González, 86. Cuban baseball player. Mr. González was a catcher with the Boston Braves (1912); Cincinnati Reds (1914); St. Louis Cardinals (1915-1918, 1924-1925, 1931-1932); New York Giants (1919-1921); and Chicago Cubs (1925-1929), batting .253 with 13 home runs and 263 runs batted in in 312 games. He managed the Cardinals briefly in 1938 and 1940, compiling a 9-13 record. Mr. González played and managed in Cuba during the winter from 1910-1936, and was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

Anthony Crosland, 58. U.K. politician. Mr. Crosland, a member of the Labour Party, sat in the House of Commons from 1950-1955 and 1959-1977. He held several offices, including the post of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in the government of Prime Minister James Callagahan from 1976 until his death, six days after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.

Joe Roth, 21. U.S. football player. Mr. Roth was a quarterback with the University of California Golden Bears in 1975-1976. He led the team to an 8-3 record in 1975, but had a poor season in 1976. Unbeknownst to his teammates, Mr. Roth was battling melanoma during the 1976 season, and the cancer proved fatal. If Mr. Roth had been healthy, he may have been a first-round National Football League draft choice.

Hockey
NHL
Philadelphia 2 @ Montreal 5

30 years ago
1987

On television tonight
Our World, hosted by Linda Ellerbee and Ray Gandolf, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Gone with the Wind: 1939



Economics and finance
The Dow Jones industrial average hit another record high, 2244.09.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Justified & Ancient--The KLF (featuring Tammy Wynette) (3rd week at #1)

20 years ago
1997

Died on this date
Deng Xiaoping, 92. Chinese politician. Mr. Deng, a Communist, held several positions as China's primary leader from 1978-1989.

Leo Rosten, 88. Polish-born U.S. writer. Mr. Rosten, who moved to the United States with his family at the age of 3, wrote novels and screenplays, but was best known for humourous short stories about a character named Hyman Kaplan. He was also known for compiling collections of Jewish humour.

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Peter Aduja, 86. Philippine-born U.S. politician. Mr. Aduja moved to Hawaii with his family at the age of 8. A Republican, Mr. Aduja was a member of the Hawaiian Territorial House of Representatives (1954-1956) and the 23rd District of the Hawaiian State House of Representatives (1966-1974), becoming the first Filipino native to be elected to public office in Hawaii and the United States. He died while on vacation in Las Vegas.

Janet Blair, 85. U.S. actress and singer. Miss Blair, born Martha Janet Lafferty, sang with Hal Kemp's orchestra before acting in films such as My Sister Eileen (1942), and television series such as The Smith Family (1971-1972).

Celia Franca, 85. U.K.-born Canadian dancer. Miss Franca, born Celia Franks, was a successful ballerina with the Sadler's Wells company before she moved to Toronto in 1950, and founded the National Ballet of Canada in 1951, serving as its artistic director for 24 years. She co-founded the National Ballet School of Canada in 1959.

Abominations
New Jersey became the third U.S. state to offer civil unions to sodomite and lesbian couples.