December 10, 2017

700 years ago
1317

World events
King Birger of Sweden treacherously seized his two brothers-- Valdemar, Duke of Finland and Eric, Duke of Södermanland--who were subsequently starved to death in the dungeon of Nyköping Castle.
230 years ago
1787

Born on this date
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. U.S. educator. Mr. Gallaudet trained as a clergyman, but declined offers of pastorates because of concerns for his health, and instead made his name as a teacher of deaf students, using manual communication instead of the oral method of communication then in vogue in America. In 1817, he founded what became the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. Mr. Gallaudet resigned as his school's director in 1830, but continued to teach in Hartford, and in 1838 became chaplain to the Connecticut Retreat for the Insane. He died on September 10, 1851 at the age of 64. Gallaudet University, a private university for deaf and hearing-impaired students founded in 1864, was renamed in Mr. Gallaudet's honour in 1894.


200 years ago
1817

Americana
Mississippi was admitted to the Union as the 20th state.

140 years ago
1877

War
The Russian Army captured Plevna after a five-month siege, as the garrison of 25,000 surviving Turks surrendered. The Russian victory was decisive for the outcome of the Russo-Turkish War and the Liberation of Bulgaria.

110 years ago
1907

Protest
Years of protests over vivisection reached a climax when 1,000 medical students in London clashed with 400 police officers in Trafalgar Square over the existence of a memorial for animals that had been vivisected.

100 years ago
1917

Died on this date
Mackenzie Bowell, 93. Prime Minister of Canada, 1894-1896. Sir Mackenzie, a native of Rickinghall, England, moved with his family to Belleville, Ontario when he was young. He apprenticed at the Belleville Intelligencer and eventually owned the paper. A Conservative, Mr. Bowell sat in the House of Commons from 1867-1892, holding various cabinet posts. He was appointed to the Senate in 1892, and was named Government Leader in the Senate in 1893. When Sir John Thompson died suddenly in December 1894, Sir Mackenzie was appointed to succeed him, becoming, after Sir John Abbott, the second and last Prime Minister to hold the office while in the Senate. Sir Mackenzie was faced with the issue of Manitoba's abolition in 1890 of public funding for Roman Catholic Schools. He proved unequal to the challenge of dealing with the Manitoba Schools Question, and in 1895 it was said that weeks went by without any government business being done at all. Several members of Sir Mackenzie's cabinet tried to force his resignation, prompting him to denounce them as "a nest of traitors." He finally did resign in favour of Sir Charles Tupper in 1896, remaining as Government Leader in the Senate until 1906 and then as a regular Senator until his death, 17 days before his 94th birthday.

90 years ago
1927

Americana
American aviator Charles Lindbergh was welcomed by the United States Congress, which voted to give him the Congressional Medal of Honor.

75 years ago
1942

War
German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler shook up his high command, appointing younger and lesser-known men: General Kurt Zeitzler as chief of the Wehrmacht general staff; Colonel General Hans Jesschonnek as chief of the Luftwaffe general staff; and Admiral Kurt Fricke as chief of the naval general staff. German forces spearheaded by 60 tanks attacked the Russian lines between Rzhev and Velikiye Luki and made a slight advance. The British Foreign Office announced that about 1,400 German prisoners "shackled" in October in reprisal for similar German action would be "unshackled" on December 12. Allied forces completed the occupation of Gona, New Guinea.

Politics and government
The U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee agreed to postpone action on the second war powers bill, permitting the President to suspend trade and immigration laws until the new Congress convened in January 1943.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that Ethiopia was now eligible for Lend-Lease aid since it had pledged itself to the United Nations Declaration.

The Canadian government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King cut output of spirits by 30%, wine by 20% and beer by 10% under wartime powers; there was some opposition, to the cry of "No Beer, No Bonds."

Religion
The Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America, meeting in Cleveland, approved a plan for the establishment of a North American Council of Churches to include Canada.

Technology
Chemists with Berwind White Coal Mining Company demonstrated a "colloidal fuel" of 55% fuel oil and 45% pulverized bituminous coal, which they claimed gave the same heat as pure fuel oil.

70 years ago
1947

War
Jewish and Arab farmers in the Jaffa-Tel Avia area arranged a truce in civil strife--which had claimed 30 lives in the past three days--in order to save the orange harvest.

Defense
Representatives of the United States and Panama signed an agreement for a five-year American lease on the Rio Hato air base and 13 other military installations outside the Canal Zone.

Politics and government
Iranian Prime Minister Ahmad Ghavam resigned after failing to receive a vote of confidence in Parliament on issues of domestic reform.

Aviation
The U.S. National Aeronautics Association awarded the Collier Trophy--the highest award in American aviation--to Lewis Robert for his work on ice-prevention systems.

Business
The Japanese Diet passed the government-sponsored economic decentralization bill, which allowed the government to split corporations into smaller units.

60 years ago
1957

World events
51 Dutch nationals, the first group to be evacuated under Indonesia's program of expulsion, arrived in Singapore aboard a chartered airliner.

The Panamanian government freed former President Jose Ramon Guizado from prison after a court found him innocent of complicity in the 1955 assassination of President Jose Antonio Remo.

Diplomacy
Prince Wan Waithayakon of Thailand reported to the United Nations General Assembly that Hungarian and Soviet authorities had refused him permission to investigate conditions in Hungary.

In a letter delivered to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S.S.R. Premier Nikolai Bulganin renewed appeals for an end to nuclear weapons tests and for a new summit conference to outlaw war and attempt to settle East-West political differences.

Defense
U.S. Air Force General Donald Putt, deputy chief for development, established a Directorate of Astronautics within the service despite Defense Department opposition.

U.S. federal officials and the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey signed a $20.9-million contract for construction of the N.S. Savannah, the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship.

50 years ago
1967

Died on this date
Otis Redding, 26. U.S. singer-songwriter. Mr. Redding was a soul singer who achieved popularity in the mid-1960s with singles such as I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now); Respect; and Try a Little Tenderness. His popularity increased with his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and he and his band the Bar-Kays went on tour. Mr. Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays--Carl Cunningham, 29; Phalon Jones, 29; Ronnie Caldwell, 28; and Jimmy King, 28-- along with valet Matthew Kelly and pilot Richard Fraser were killed when their plane crashed into Lake Monona, Wisconsin, four miles from their destination of Madison. Ben Cauley of the Bar-Kays was the only survivor. They were scheduled to play at the Factory nightclub in Madison, near the University of Wisconsin campus, on December 10. Mr. Redding had performed his final recording session for the song (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay in Memphis three days earlier; it was released as a single a month later, and became his biggest hit.

Defense
The United States detonated a thermonuclear device in the San Juan Basin in New Mexico, 4,000 feet underground. It was the first such blast in the government-industry Plowshare program.

Football
Continental League
Championship @ Anaheim Stadium
Orlando 38 @ Orange County 14

Don Jonas threw 5 touchdown passes to lead the Panthers over the Ramblers before 8,730 fans.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Solo Tu--Matia Bazar

#1 single in Switzerland: Belfast--Boney M. (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): 't Smurfenlied--Vader Abraham (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Mull of Kintyre--Wings

#1 single in the U.K (BMRB): Mull of Kintyre/Girls' School--Wings (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): You Light Up My Life--Debby Boone (9th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue--Crystal Gayle (2nd week at #1)
2 How Deep is Your Love--Bee Gees
3 You Light Up My Life--Debby Boone
4 Baby, What a Big Surprise--Chicago
5 Blue Bayou--Linda Ronstadt
6 We're All Alone--Rita Coolidge
7 Heaven on the 7th Floor--Paul Nicholas
8 Isn't it Time--The Babys
9 You Make Lovin' Fun--Fleetwood Mac
10 It's So Easy--Linda Ronstadt

Singles entering the chart were Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees (#72); Long, Long Way from Home by Foreigner (#77); I Love You by Donna Summer (#82); Ffun by Con Funk Shun (#85); Easy to Love by Leo Sayer (#90); If it Don't Fit, Don't Force It by Kellee Patterson (#96); You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night) by Meat Loaf (#77); Until Now by Bobby Arvon (#99); and Goodbye Girl by David Gates (#100). Stayin' Alive was from the movie Saturday Night Fever (1977). Goodbye Girl was from the movie The Goodbye Girl (1977).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue--Crystal Gayle
2 You Light Up My Life--Debby Boone
3 How Deep is Your Love--Bee Gees
4 Baby, What a Big Surprise--Chicago
5 We're All Alone--Rita Coolidge
6 Sometimes When We Touch--Dan Hill
7 Boogie Nights--Heatwave
8 Just Remember I Love You--Firefall
9 Blue Bayou--Linda Ronstadt
10 You Make Lovin' Fun--Fleetwood Mac

Singles entering the chart were Desiree by Neil Diamond (#79); What's Your Name by Lynyrd Skynyrd (#80); Tried to Love by Peter Frampton (#83); Peg by Steely Dan (#88); Emotion by Samantha Sang (#91); Still the Lovin' is Fun by B.J. Thomas (#94); Don't Let the Flame Burn Out by Jackie DeShannon (#95); You Really Got Me Needing You by Peter Pringle (#96); Falling by LeBlanc & Carr (#97); Street Corner Serenade by Wet Willie (#98); Lovely Day by Bill Withers (#99); and The Next Hundred Years by Al Martino (#100).

Died on this date
Adolph Rupp, 76. U.S. basketball player and coach. Mr. Rupp was a reserve with the University of Kansas Jayhawks from 1920-23, playing on national championship teams in his last two seasons. He was best known for coaching the University of Kentucky Wildcats from 1930-72, winning 27 Southeast Conference championships and National Collegiate Athletic Association championships in 1948, 1949, 1951, and 1958. He was an innovator with the fast break and set offense, and was named national Coach of the Year five times. While coaching at Freeport High School in Freeport Illinois from 1926-30, Mr. Rupp had William "Mose" Mosely, the school's first Negro player, as one of his starters, but he was criticized in his later years at Kentucky for not having any Negro players. It wasn't until 1970 that the Wildcats had a Negro player; by that time, it was believed by some that Mr. Rupp was going senile, and the assistant coaches were doing most of the coaching. Mr. Rupp compiled a record of 876-190 at Kentucky; the 876 wins were the NCAA record until broken by Dean Smith in 1997, and his winning percentage of .822 is second to Clair Bee's .824. Mr. Rupp was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He died of spinal cancer.

Politics and government
The Liberal Party-National Country Party coalition led by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser won the Australian federal election, taking 86 of the 124 seats in the House of Representatives to 36 for the Labour Party, led by former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. The coalition won 18 seats in the Senate, giving them a total of 34 of the 64 seats. Labour won 14 Senate seats for a total of 27, and the Democrats won the remaining 2 seats being contested, giving them their entire representation in the upper house. Their was already one independent Senator.

World events
The government of the U.S.S.R. observed United Nations Human Rights Day by placing 20 prominent dissidents under house arrest, cutting off telephones, and threatening to break up a planned silent demonstration in Moscow's Pushkin Square. The demonstration, marking the 29th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, was held anyway, when 25 people gathered silently at the statue of Aleksandr Pushkin without interference.

Hockey
NHL
Vancouver 2 @ Montreal 7

CHL
Fort Worth 3 @ Dallas 2
Phoenix 1 @ Salt Lake City 6
Kansas City 1 @ Tulsa 2

Football
NCAA
Pioneer Bowl
Lehigh 33 Jacksonville State 0

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Jascha Heifetz, 86. Lithuanian-born U.S. musician. Mr. Heifetz was considered one of the greatest violinists in history from his public debut at the age of 7 in his native Lithuania until a shoulder operation forced his retirement in 1972.

Health
The first recorded death in Canada from eating tainted mussels took place.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (2nd week at #1)

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Ashley Aston Moore, 26. U.S.-born Canadian actress. Miss Moore, born Ashley Rogers, was a child actress who was best known for appearing in the Canadian television series The Odyssey (1992-1994) and the movie Now and Then (1995). She quit acting professionally in 1997 and died of an alleged drug overdose in Richmond, British Columbia.

Aqsa "Axa" Parvez, 16. Canadian crime victim. Miss Parvez was a member of a Muslim family of Pakistani origin. She was strangled to death by her father Muhammad and brother Waqas to save him and his father "family embarrassment;" they performed the "honour killing" when Aqsa refused to wear a hijab scarf covering her head. A week before her death, she had moved in with the family of a neighbour to escape tension with her family.

Politics and government
Cristina Fernandez was sworn in as Argentina's first elected female President.

Crime
Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson in Richmond, Virginia for bankrolling a dogfighting operation and killing dogs that underperformed.

In Chicago, U.S. District Court Judge Amy St. Eve sentenced Canadian-born publisher Conrad Black to 78 months in prison and fined him $125,000 for misappropriation of funds from his former newspaper empire, Hollinger, Inc.