December 20, 2017

1,800 years ago
217

Died on this date
Zephyrinus. Bishop of Rome, 199-217. Zephyrinus succeeded Victor I, and was known for combating heresies. Zephyrinus was succeeded by Callixtus I.

825 years ago
1192

World events
King Richard I "The Lion Heart" of England was captured by Leopold V, Duke of Austria, while on his way back to England after signing the Treaty of Ramla with Egyptian and Syrian Sultan Saladin, ending the Third Crusade.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Audrey Totter. U.S. actress. Miss Totter was known for appearing in films noir such as The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946); Lady in the Lake (1947); and The Set-Up (1949). She played Nurse Eve Wilcox in the television series Medical Center (1969-1976). Miss Totter died on December 12, 2013, eight days before her 96th birthday.

Died on this date
Lucien Petit-Breton, 35. French cyclist. Mr. Petit-Breton, born Lucien Mazan, won the Tour de France in 1907 and 1908. He was serving in the French Army in World War I as a driver when he was killed in a crash with a horse-driven cart near the front.

90 years ago
1927

Americana
The bodies of former U.S. President Warren G. Harding and his wife Florence were placed in the Harding Memorial in Marion, Ohio.

Crime
A jury of 10 men and 2 women in Cincinnati acquitted lawyer and "Bootleg King" George Remus of murder in the October 6, 1927 death of his wife. The jury found Mr. Remus insane at the time he shot Mrs. Remus because he thought she had betrayed him to a Prohibition agent.

80 years ago
1937

Died on this date
Erich Ludendorff, 72. German military officer. General Ludendorff was, with Chief of the General Staff Paul von Hindenburg, the chief engineer of Germany's effort in World War I from August 1916-October 1918.

75 years ago
1942

War
Spain and Portugal agreed to maintain their neutrality in World War II. Soviet Red Army troops reportedly drove to within 20 miles of Millerovo on the Moscow-Rostov front. Japanese planes bombed Calcutta.

Economics and finance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau said that the December Victory Fund Drive had passed the $9-billion goal, and reset the figure at $11 billion.

The Brazilian government announced that all income tax payers must subscribe to the war bond issue starting January 1, 1943.

Disasters
An earthquake in north central Anatolia, Turkey killed 474 people and injured 605.

70 years ago
1947

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Ballerina--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Ballerina--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Buddy Clark
2 Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo)--Danny Kaye and the Andrews Sisters
--Louis Prima and his Orchestra
--Jack Smith and the Clark Sisters
--Ray McKinley and his Orchestra
3 You Do--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby and Carmen Cavallaro
--Margaret Whiting
--Dinah Shore
--Vic Damone
4 Near You--Francis Craig and his Orchestra
--Larry Green and his Orchestra
--The Andrews Sisters
--Alvino Rey and his Orchestra
--Elliot Lawrence and his Orchestra
5 Too Fat Polka (I Don’t Want Her) (You Can Have Her) (She’s Too Fat for Me)--Arthur Godfrey
6 I Wish I Didn't Love You So--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Dinah Shore
--Dick Haymes
--Betty Hutton
7 Serenade of the Bells--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Jo Stafford
8 How Soon (Will I Be Seeing You)--Jack Owens
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby and Carmen Cavallaro
--Dinah Shore
9 Whiffenpoof Song--Bing Crosby with Fred Waring and the Glee Club
10 --And Mimi--Art Lund
--Dick Haymes

Singles entering the chart were White Christmas by Bing Crosby (#15); The Dum Dot Song (I Put the Penny in the Gum Slot) by Frank Sinatra with the Pied Pipers (#20); Two Loves Have I (J’ai Deux Amours), with versions by Ray Noble and his Orchestra with Buddy Clark; Perry Como; and Frankie Laine (#21); and I Still Get Jealous, with versions by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians, and Harry James and his Orchestra (#22). White Christmas was a new recording of the song that had been a major hit for Mr. Crosby in 1942.

War
Haganah forces in Palestine conducted a reprisal raid against the Arab village of Qazaza, killing one habitant and wounding two.

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Only You (And You Alone)--The Platters (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Mary's Boy Child--Harry Belafonte (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
Harbor Command, starring Wendell Corey
Tonight's episode: Ransom at Sea

At the movies
Raintree County, starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Eva Marie Saint, and Lee Marvin, opened in theatres.



Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles visited Madrid for talks with Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco, who reportedly made preliminary requests for an additional $30 million in U.S. aid.

Defense
The U.K. House of Commons approved a program for the establishment of nuclear missile bases in Japan.

Aviation
The initial production version of the Boeing 707 jet made its first flight.

Crime
A jury in New York deadlocked in the wiretapping trial of Teamsters union President-elect James Hoffa, professional wiretapper Bernard Spindel, and Teamsters Local 337 President Owen Brennan.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Hello Goodbye--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 The Last Waltz--Engelbert Humperdinck (8th week at #1)
2 (The Lights Went Out In) Massachusetts--The Bee Gees
3 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
4 The Two of Us--Jackie Trent and Tony Hatch
5 My Prayer/Don't Let Your Left Hand Know--The Vibrants
6 Snoopy's Christmas--The Royal Guardsmen
7 The Letter--The Box Tops
8 Gimme Little Sign--Brenton Wood
9 There's Always Me/Judy--Elvis Presley
10 Alternate Title--The Monkees

The only single entering the chart was All My Love by Cliff Richard (#40).

At the movies
The Ambushers, directed by Henry Levin, and starring Dean Martin, Senta Berger, and Janice Rule, received its premiere screening in Chicago. It was the third of four films in which Mr. Martin starred as secret agent Matt Helm.



Transportation
A Pennsylvania Railroad Budd Metroliner exceeded 155 miles per hour on their New York Division.

40 years ago
1977

Disasters
An earthquake devastated 16 villages in southeastern Iran, killing 589 people, injuring 700, and leaving thousands homeless.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Faith--George Michael (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: China in Your Hand--T'Pau

#1 single in France: La Bamba--Los Lobos (10th week at #1)

Disasters
Nearly 4,000 people were killed in the worst maritime disaster in peacetime history when the overcrowded passenger ferry Dona Paz collided with the oil tanker Vector near Manila. Only 24 survivors were found, half of them crewmen from the Vector.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Die da--Die Fantastischen Vier (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Die da--Die Fantastischen Vier (2nd week at #1)

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Breathe--Midge Ure (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): En Navidad--Rosana

#1 single in France (SNEP): Savoir aimer--Florent Pagny (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Barbie Girl--Aqua (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Savoir aimer--Florent Pagny

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"--Teletubbies (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight--Elton John (11th week at #1)

Died on this date
Dawn Steel, 51. U.S. movie producer. Ms. Steel was President of Columbia Pictures from 1987-1989, becoming the first woman to lead a major studio. She later formed her own company, and died after a long battle with brain cancer.

Hockey
NHL
Phoenix 2 @ Toronto 3

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Tommy Byrne, 87. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Byrne played with the New York Yankees (1943, 1946-1951, 1954-1957); St. Louis Browns (1951-1952); Chicago White Sox (1953); and Washington Nationals (1953), compiling a record of 85-69 with an earned run average of 4.11 in 281 games, while batting .238 with 14 home runs and 98 runs batted in in 377 games. He drove New York manager Casey Stengel to distraction with his wildness, and led the American League in bases on balls for three straight seasons (1949-1951) and in hit batsmen four times in five years (1948-1952). Mr. Byrne led the AL in winning percentage in 1950 (16-5, .762), and helped the Yankees win World Series championships in 1949, 1950, and 1956. He was Mayor of Wake Forest, North Carolina from 1973-1987. Mr. Byrne died 11 days before his 88th birthday.

Britannica
Queen Elizabeth II became the oldest monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days.