January 29, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Ken Dies!

175 years ago
1843

Born on this date
William McKinley. 25th President of the United States, 1897-1901. Mr. McKinley, a Republican, represented various Ohio districts in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1877-1891, and was chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from 1889-1891. He was Governor of Ohio from 1892-1896, and won a close election for President in 1896. He was known for promoting tariffs to protect the American economy and for an imperialist foreign policy, which included victory in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Mr. McKinley died at the age of 58 on September 14, 1901, eight days after being shot in the stomach by anarchist Leon Czolgosz while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. He was succeeded in office by Vice-President Theodore Roosevelt, who became, at 42, the youngest president in American history.

140 years ago
1878

Born on this date
Barney Oldfield. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Oldfield was one of the major figures in the early days of auto racing, becoming, in 1903, the first man to drive at 60 miles per hour. He set other speed records, and was barred by the American Automobile Association for much of his career for participating in "outlaw" events, but the ban was lifted, and Mr. Oldfield raced in the Indianapolis 500 in 1914 and 1916, finishing fifth both times. He died of a heart attack on October 4, 1946 at the age of 68.

100 years ago
1918

Born on this date
John Forsythe. U.S. actor. Mr. Forsythe, born Jacob Freund, appeared in movies such as The Trouble with Harry (1955) and Topaz (1969), but was better known for his roles in television series such as Bachelor Father (1957-1962); Charlie's Angels (1976-1981); and Dynasty (1981-1989). He died on April 1, 2010 at the age of 92.

War
The Bolshevik Red Army, on its way to besiege Kiev, was met by a small group of military students at the Battle of Kruty. An armed uprising organized by the Bolsheviks in anticipation of the encroaching Red Army began at the Kiev Arsenal; it was put down six days later.

90 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, 66. U.K. military officer. Field Marshal Earl Haig served in the Mahdist War and the Boer War, but was best known for commanding the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until the end of World War I in 1918. His offensives at the Somme (1916) and Passchendaele (1917) resulted in tremendous numbers of casualties, earning him the nickname "Butcher" Haig. Earl Haig died of a heart attack, and his funeral was a day of national mourning. His reputation among historians is divided between those who regard him as a butcher and those who regard him as a great commander.

Aviation
French aviators Dieudonne Costes and Joseph Lebrix flew from Guatemala City to Mexico City as they resumed their transatlantic flight.

75 years ago
1943

Literature
Farrar & Rinehart received the Carey-Thomas Award for "good publishing" for its series of books The Rivers of Amarica, edited by Carl Carmer and Stephen Vincent Benet.

War
The Soviet Red Army routed German forces on the Voronezh front and captured Kropotkin in the Caucasus. The Battle of Rennell Island, part of the Guadalcanal campaign between Japanese and American forces, began. The Australian government stated that the Japanese were massing troops to the north for a large-scale invasion of the continent. U.S. Navy Captain Henry Nelson of the liner SS President Coolidge, which had struck two mines while entering the harbour of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides on October, 26 1942 and sunk with the loss of all but 4 of 4,000 troops aboard, revealed in San Francisco that a Navy court-martial had acquitted him of any blame. The Commission of Inquiry determined that Merchant Marine vessels had not been given all available tactical information, most notably regarding the placement of mines.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. and Uruguay revealed that they would resume diplomatic relations, which had been severed in 1934.

Politics and government
The German government announced that Austrian Nazi Ernst Kaltenbrunner had been appointed head of the Gestapo (German security police) and special secret service, succeeding Reinhard Heydrich, who had been assassinated in 1942.

70 years ago
1948

Divorced on this date
U.S. actor Johnny Weismuller divorced Beryl Scott in Reno, Nevada.

Married on this date
U.S. actor Johnny Weismuller married Arlene Gates in Reno, Nevada.

Politics and government
Mohammed el Sadr, an opponent of the recently-concluded defense pact with the United Kingdom, took office as Prime Minister of Iraq, replacing Sayyid Salih Jabr.

U.S. Senator James O. Eastland (Democrat--Mississippi) urged southerners to protest "anti-Southern" legislation sponsored by the national Democratic Party, while 48 Democractic legislators in South Carolina protested that the national party no longer represented the South.

Economics and finance
The French cabinet invalidated all 5,000-franc banknotes, reducing currency circulation by 35%.

Labour
The American Federation of Musicians withdrew its ban on FM radio duplication of AM musical programs.

60 years ago
1958

Married on this date
U.S. actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married in Las Vegas.

Crime
The hunt for fugitives Charlie Starkweather and Caril Fugate ended in Wyoming, almost 500 miles from its beginning several days earlier in Lincoln, Nebraska. 12 miles outside of Douglas, Wyoming, Mr. Starkweather spotted a Buick pulled over at the side of the road, and decided that it would be an excellent opportunity to change cars (he had been driving a 1956 Packard stolen from Lincoln businessman C. Lauer Ward, one of Mr. Starkweather's murder victims). Shoe salesman Merle Collison was sleeping in the Buick, and Charlie shot him 9 times (he later claimed that Caril had finished Collison off). An oil company worker named Joe Sprinkle came upon the Buick, intending to offer help, and met Mr. Starkweather pointing a rifle at him. Mr. Sprinkle decided to go down fighting, and rushed forward, wrestling for the gun. As they scuffled, a deputy sheriff just happened to arrive, and Caril ran to the deputy, screaming, "It's Starkweather! He's going to kill me!" The deputy fired at Charlie's boots when Mr. Starkweather refused to raise his hands. In the confusion, Mr. Starkweather ran back to the Packard and took off. In a chase that reached speeds of up to 110 miles per hour, Charlie crashed a roadblock, but finally stopped when his windshield was shattered by a police bullet, and his face was cut by the flying glass. Charlie's explanation to the deputy was "I shot all those people in self-defense. People kept coming at me and I had to shoot. What else would you do?" Charlie Starkweather was extradited to Nebraska, and went to the electric chair on June 25, 1959. Caril Fugate went to prison, and was paroled in 1976. The crime spree has inspired several movies, including Badlands (1973); Natural Born Killers (1994); and Starkweather (2004).

Diplomacy
Three Japanese frigates and a destroyer arrived at the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on a ceremonial visit; they were the first Japanese warships to visit Hawaii in 19 years.

Defense
The Western European Council, meeting in London, approved British plans to withdraw an additional 8,500 men from West Germany during fiscal 1958-59, reducing its North Atlantic Treaty Organization contingent to 65,000 men.

The Thai government announced an agreement with the new Laotian government on elimination of the 25-mile demilitarized buffer zone on the border between the countries.

Politics and government
General Jose Cruz Salazar, runner-up to Gen. Miguel Ydigoras Fuentes in the recent Guatemalan presidential election, released his congressional supporters from their pledge to vote for him as President in return for a promise that the National Democratic Movement would get three ministries in the new cabinet.

Sumatran regional leaders adopted an ultimatum calling for Indonesian President Sukarno to dismiss Prime Minister Djuanda's cabinet and oust Communists from the government.

U.S. Representative Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. charged in a telegram to President Dwight D. Eisenhower that administration leaders had broken their promises to Negroes, failing to meet with Negro leaders to investigate alleged job discrimination by government contractors.

Economics and finance
U.S.S.R. and Egyptian officials signed an agreement in Moscow providing for a 12-year, $175-million loan at 2 1/2% and for increased Soviet technical assistance to Egypt.

Oil
The French government disclosed that a new field in the Edjele area of Algeria, near the Libyan border, was producing 400 tons of crude oil daily.

Boxing
Wayne Bethea (17-7-2) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Young Jack Johnson (15-10-1) in a heavyweight bout at Chicago Stadium. On the undercard, Sonny Liston (15-1) scored a technical knockout of Billy Hunter (11-5-2) in the 2nd round of another heavyweight bout. It was the first fight for Mr. Liston in almost two years, having been in prison for much of that time.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Cállate Niña--Pic-Nic (5th week at #1)

War
The United States unilaterally cancelled a cease-fire agreement with North Vietnam that covered South Vietnam's five northern provinces. The cease-fire was to have taken effect for the lunar new year, better known as Tet.

40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Mull of Kintyre--Wings

Golf
Jay Haas won the Andy Williams-San Diego Open with a score of 278; first prize money was $40,000.

Hockey
WHA
Quebec 4 Edmonton 3

CHL
Salt Lake City 3 @ Dallas 4

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys (4th week at #1)

Business
Canadian Pacific acquired nine hotels from Canadian National for $260 million.

Track and field
Ben Johnson broke his own world record of 5.15 seconds in the 50-yard dash.

25 years ago
1993

At the movies
Matinee, directed by Joe Dante and starring John Goodman, opened in theatres.

Died on this date
Adetokunbo Ademola, 86. Nigerian jurist. Omoba Sir Adetokunbo, a Yoruba prince, began practicing law in 1934. He became a magistrate in 1939 a puisne judge in 1949, and Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1958-1972. Omoba Sir Adetokunbo died three days before his 87th birthday.

20 years ago
1998

Terrorism
A bomb exploded at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, killing an off-duty policeman and severely wounding a nurse. The bomber, Eric Rudolph, was captured in May 2003, and is serving a life sentence.

10 years ago
2008

Died on this date
Margaret Truman Daniel, 83. U.S. singer and author. Mrs. Daniel, the daughter of U.S. President Harry Truman, attempted an operatic career in the late 1940s-early '50s, which was best known for receiving a negative review in the Washington Post in 1950 that prompted President Truman to threaten critic Paul Hume with a severe beating. She had more success as an author, writing biographies of her parents and being credited as as the authoress of a series of murder mystery novels set in Washington, D.C. The novels were reportedly ghostwritten.