March 4, 2017

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Olivia Mananquil!

220 years ago
1797

Politics and government
John Adams was inaugurated as the 2nd President of the United States of America, becoming the first President to be inaugurated on March 4.

200 years ago
1817

Born on this date
Edwards Pierrepont. U.S. politician. Mr. Pierrepont was originally a Democrat, but eventually switched his allegiance to the Republican Party. He was a member of the Committee of Seventy that investigated the corruption of Tammany Hall in New York under Boss William Tweed in 1871, and was Attorney General of the United States in 1875-1876 in the administration of President U.S. Grant. Mr. Pierrepont died on March 6, 1892, two days after his 75th birthday.

Politics and government
James Monroe was inaugurated as the 5th President of the United States of America.

180 years ago
1837

Politics and government
Martin Van Buren was inaugurated as the 8th President of the United States of America.

Americana
The Illinois state legislature granted a city charter to Chicago.

160 years ago
1857

Politics and government
James Buchanan was inaugurated as the 15th President of the United States of America.

140 years ago
1877

Politics and government
Rutherford B. Hayes took the oath of office as the 19th President of the United States of America. Because March 4 was a Sunday, Mr. Hayes took the oath of office privately on that day, with the public ceremonies on March 5.

120 years ago
1897

Born on this date
Lefty O'Doul. U.S. baseball player and manager. Francis Joseph O'Doul was an outfielder and pitcher with the New York Yankees (1919-1920, 1922); Boston Red Sox (1923); New York Giants (1928, 1933-1934); Philadelphia Phillies (1929-1930); and Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers (1931-1933), batting .349 with 113 home runs and 542 runs batted in in 970 games, and helping the Giants win the World Series in 1933. He led the National League in batting in 1929 and 1932, hitting .398 in 1929, when he also led the NL with 254 hits. Mr. O'Doul pitched in 34 games, posting a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 4.67. He played in 1,090 games in 16 seasons in the minor leagues from 1917-1956, batting .352 with 99 home runs, while compiling a record of 53-32 and a 3.41 ERA in 134 games as a pitcher. Mr. O'Doul managed in the Pacific Coast League with the San Francisco Seals (1935-1951); San Diego Padres (1952-1954); Oakland Oaks (1955); Vancouver Mounties (1956); and Seattle Rainiers (1957), compiling a record of 1,539-1,467 (.512), leading the Seals to PCL pennants in 1935 and 1943-1946. He made numerous off-season visits to Japan from 1931-1937 and 1949 through the early 1960s, helping to lead tours of American players and coach Japanese players. Mr. O'Doul helped to restore friendly relations between the United States and Japan after World War II, and became the first American member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 2002. He died on December 7, 1969 at the age of 72, several weeks after suffering a stroke.

Politics and government
William McKinley was inaugurated as the 25th President of the United States of America.

110 years ago
1907

Born on this date
Edgar Barrier. U.S. actor. Mr. Barrier appeared on radio, stage, and screen in a career spanning more than 30 years. He was a member of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre, appearing in Mr. Welles' short film Too Much Johnson (1938) and the feature film Macbeth (1948). Mr. Barrier spoke with a German accent, which made him an effective villain in Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942), where he was unseen, but appeared as the title voice. He played The Saint on radio in 1945. Mr. Barrier died of a heart attack on June 20, 1964 at the age of 57.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Clyde McCullough. U.S. baseball player and coach. Mr. McCullough was a catcher with the Chicago Cubs (1940-1943, 1946-1948, 1953-1956) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1949-1952), batting .252 with 52 home runs and 339 runs batted in in 1,098 games. He was a coach with the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins (1960-1961); New York Mets (1963) and San Diego Padres (1982). As an instructor in the Mets' farm system in the 1960s, he helped to develop young pitchers such as Tug McGraw, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Jerry Koosman. Mr. McCullough was the Padres' bullpen coach when he died of a heart attack in his hotel room in San Francisco on September 18, 1982 at the age of 65.

Politics and government
Woodrow Wilson took the oath of office for his second term as the 28th President of the United States of America. Because March 4 was a Sunday, Mr. Wilson took the oath of office privately on that day, with the public ceremonies on March 5.

Jeannette Rankin (Republican--Montana) became the first female member of the United States House of Representatives.

80 years ago
1937

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1936 were presented at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. The winners included: Picture--The Great Ziegfeld; Director--Frank Capra (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town); Actor--Paul Muni (The Story of Louis Pasteur); Actress--Luise Rainer (The Great Ziegfeld); Supporting Actor--Walter Brennan (Come and Get It); Supporting Actress--Gale Sondergaard (Anthony Adverse). It was the first time Oscars were presented for supporting performances.

60 years ago
1957

On television tonight
Westinghouse Studio One, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Defender: Part Two, starring Ralph Bellamy, Martin Balsam, Steven McQueen, William Shatner, and Ian Wolfe

This two-part courtroom drama served as the inspiration for the later series The Defenders (1961-1965).



50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Snoopy vs. the Red Baron--The Royal Guardsmen (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Hey Joe--Johnny Hallyday

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Cuore matto--Little Tony (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): I'm a Believer--The Monkees (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever--The Beatles

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): This is My Song--Petula Clark (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)--Engelbert Humperdinck

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Ruby Tuesday--The Rolling Stones

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Love is Here and Now You're Gone--The Supremes
2 Ruby Tuesday--The Rolling Stones
3 Georgy Girl--The Seekers
4 Kind of a Drag--The Buckinghams
5 Gimme Some Lovin'--The Spencer Davis Group
6 Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye--The Casinos
7 The Beat Goes On--Sonny and Cher
8 I'm a Believer--The Monkees
9 Sock it To Me--Baby!--Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
10 Baby I Need Your Lovin'--Johnny Rivers

Singles entering the chart were Beggin' by the 4 Seasons (#65); This is My Song by Petula Clark (#66); The Loser (With a Broken Heart) by Gary Lewis and the Playboys (#68); I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) by Aretha Franklin (#73); Soul Time by Shirley Ellis (#79); Travelin' Man by Stevie Wonder (#81); Dry Your Eyes by Brenda and the Tabulations (#88); I Don't Want to Lose You by Jackie Wilson (#96); and Western Union by the Five Americans (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Gimme Some Lovin'--The Spencer Davis Group
2 Ruby Tuesday--The Rolling Stones
3 Love is Here and Now You're Gone--The Supremes
4 Kind of a Drag--The Buckinghams
5 Green, Green Grass of Home--Tom Jones
6 Pretty Ballerina--The Left Banke
7 The Beat Goes On--Sonny and Cher
8 Music to Watch Girls By--Al Hirt
9 I'm a Believer--The Monkees
10 Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye--The Casinos

Singles entering the chart were Dedicated to the One I Love by the Mamas and the Papas (#48); The Love I Saw in You was Just a Mirage by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (#64); The Return of the Red Baron by the Royal Guardsmen (#91); Lovin' Sound by Ian and Sylvia (#92); Soul Time by Shirley Ellis (#93); I'm Aware by the Knack (#94); Jimmy Mack by Martha and the Vandellas (#95); Break on Through by the Doors (#96); Dry Your Eyes by Brenda and the Tabulations (#97); Who Do You Love by the Woolies (#98); With this Ring by the Platters (#99); and Richard Cory by the Chicago Loop (#100).

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Shenandoah--Jan Lindblad (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Living Next Door to Alice--Smokie (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Sunny--Boney M.

Died on this date
Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, 89. German policitian. Count Schwerin von Krosigk, a non-partisan conservative, was Minister of Finance from 1932-1945, and Leading Minister (Chancellor) from May 1-23, 1945 and Minister for Foreign Affairs from May 2-23, 1945, after the death of Fuehrer Adolf Hitler, and during the three weeks of the Flensburg Government. Count Schwerin von Krosigk was convicted of war crimes in 1949, but was granted amnesty in 1951 after serving two years of a 10-year prison sentence.

Disasters
The 1977 Vrancea earthquake in eastern and southern Europe killed more than 1,500 people, mostly in Bucharest.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Caravan of Love--The Housemartins (4th week at #1)

Edmonton’s top 19 (CHED)
1 Livin’ on a Prayer—Bon Jovi
2 Jacob’s Ladder—Huey Lewis and the News
3 Respect Yourself—Bruce Willis
4 Will You Still Love Me?—Chicago
5 C’est la Vie—Robbie Nevil
6 Keep Your Hands to Yourself—Georgia Satellites
7 You Got it All—The Jets
8 At this Moment—Billy Vera and the Beaters
9 Big Time—Peter Gabriel
10 The Final Countdown—Europe
11 Ballerina Girl—Lionel Richie
12 Brand New Lover—Dead or Alive
13 I Wanna Go Back—Eddie Money
14 Love You Down—Ready for the World
15 I’ll Be All Right Without You—Journey
16 You’re what I Look For—Glass Tiger
17 Mandolin Rain—Bruce Hornsby and the Range
18 Let’s Wait Awhile—Janet Jackson
19 Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now--Starship

Scandal
U.S. President Ronald Reagan addressed the nation on the Iran-Contra affair, acknowledging that his overtures to Iran had "deteriorated" into an arms-for-hostages deal.

Crime
Jonathan Pollard, convicted in 1986 of spying for Israel against the United States, was sentenced to life in prison, and his wife was sentenced to five years in prison as an accessory.

Religion
As part of Christian Awareness Week at the University of Alberta, speakers from Probe Ministries began three days of lectures and debates. Kerby Anderson spoke on the topic of sex ethics in a noon hour talk at SUB Theatre, and drew a large audience.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): You--Ten Sharp

Died on this date
Art Babbitt, 84. U.S. animator. Mr. Babbitt, born Arthur Babitsky, worked with the Walt Disney studio in the 1930s and '40s; he developed the character Goofy, and worked on such movies as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Fantasia (1940). Mr. Babbitt joined United Productions of America (UPA) in 1951, and later joined Hanna-Barbera; he won more than 80 awards.

Allan Roth, 74. Canadian-born U.S. sports statistician. A native of Montreal, Mr. Roth worked with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League before convincing the Brooklyn Dodgers of baseball’s National League that the use of statistics would improve the team’s performance. Mr. Roth edited the annual publication Who’s Who in Baseball for many years.

Mary Osborne, 70. U.S. musician. Miss Osborne was a jazz guitarist who played with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Art Tatum, Coleman Hawkins, and Thelonious Monk from the 1940s through the 1960s. She and her husband founded the Osborne Guitar Company in Bakersfield, California in 1968, and she played at jazz festivals until her death from chronic leukemia.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 5 @ Edmonton 2

This blogger attended the game at Edmonton Coliseum. A highlight was a fight between Wendel Clark of the Maple Leafs and David Maley of the Oilers. Not only did Mr. Clark win the fight handily, but Mr. Maley suffered a knee injury.

20 years ago
1997

Society
U.S. President Bill Clinton barred the spending of federal money on human cloning.

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Thomas Eagleton, 77. U.S. politician. Mr. Eagleton, a Democrat, was Attorney General of Missouri from 1961-1965 and Liuetenant Governor of Missouri from 1965-1968, before representing the state in the United States Senate from 1968-1987. When Sen. George McGovern (South Dakota) was selected as the Democratic Party's U.S. presidential candidate in 1972, he chose Sen. Eagleton as his vice presidential running mate. It was soon revealed that Sen. Eagleton had suffered from depression and had checked himself into hospitals three times in the 1960s, twice receiving electroshock therapy. Sen. McGovern said that he backed Sen. Eagleton "1,000%," but Sen. Eagleton resigned from the ticket on August 1, 1972 at Sen. McGovern's request, and was replaced by Sargent Shriver.