February 2, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Simon O'Byrne!

580 years ago
1438

World events
Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt were executed at Torda.

170 years ago
1848

War
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in the Mexican village of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican-American War and extending the boundaries of the United States west to the Pacific Ocean.

150 years ago
1868

World events
Pro-Imperial forces captured Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burned it to the ground.

125 years ago
1893

Died on this date
François Reichenbach, 71. French film director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Mr. Reichenbach directed 40 movies and numerous television programs from 1954-1992.

100 years ago
1918

Died on this date
John L. Sullivan, 58. U.S. boxer. Mr. Sullivan, nicknamed the "Boston Strongboy," is generally recognized as the first world heavyweight champion, holding the title from 1882-1892. He was the last bare-knuckle heavyweight champion under London Prize Ring rules, defeating Paddy Ryan to win the title in 1882 and successfully defending the title against Charley Mitchell in 1888 and Jake Kilrain in 1889. Mr. Sullivan won more than 450 fights in his career, the vast majority being officially regarded as exhibitions. He posted an official professional record of 40-1-2 from 1879-1892; his only loss occurred in his last fight, when he was knocked out by "Gentleman Jim" Corbett in 21 rounds in New Orleans on September 7, 1892 in the first world heavyweight title fight to take place under Marquess of Queensbury rules, with the fighters wearing gloves. Mr. Sullivan drank and ate heavily for many years, but gave up drinking in later years and became a temperance lecturer. The damage to his body was done, however, and that, combined with the effects from boxing, eventually contributed to his death from heart disease. Mr. Sullivan was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as a member of the charter class in 1990.

Hockey
NHL
Joe Malone of the Montréal Canadiens scored 5 goals in a game against the Toronto Arenas.

75 years ago
1943

War
The German 6th Army surrendered to Soviet forces at Stalingrad, 5 1/2 months after attacking the southern Russian port (see also here and here). The Battle of Stalingrad cost German forces an estimated 503,650 men since its beginning on August 22, 1942. Japanese Prime Minister General Hideki Tojo denied that Japan had any territorial ambitions toward the United States or South America.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Office of Price Administration announced that effective March 1, canned dried, frozen, and dehydrated fruits, vegetables, and suits would be rationed.

70 years ago
1948

Died on this date
Thomas W. Lamont, 77. U.S. banker. Mr. Lamont joined of the board of directors of J.P. Morgan & Co. in 1911, and served as Chairman of the Board from 1943 until his death. He was one of the U.S.A.'s most influential bankers, drawing up the Dawes and Young Plans for German World War I reparations Mr. Lamont was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a supporter of Italian Fascism. He bequeathed $5 million to his alma mater, Harvard University; $1 million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and $4 million to other educational institutions.

Literature
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, a story of racial discrimination in South Africa, was published in New York by Scribners.

Politics and government
In the wake of the January 30 assassination of Hindu nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi, the Indian government outlawed all private armies, as well as militant Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh organizations, including the Mahasabha society.

U.S. President Harry Truman sent Congress a 10-point civil rights program, with measures against lynching, poll taxes, and segregation in interstate transport. His message also urged home rule for the District of Columbia and creation of a permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission. Southern Democrats immediately attacked the proposals, accusing the President of "stabbing the South in the back."

An Order-in-Council from the Saskatchewan government created the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the first agency of its kind in North America.

Diplomacy
The United States and Italy signed a friendship treaty granting reciprocal use of seaports.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Michigan anti-discrimination statute under which the Bob-Lo Excursion Company of Detroit was fined for refusing a Negro passage to Canada.

U.S. immigration officials arrested accused Communist agent Gerhard Eisler in New York on a deportation warrant.

Economics and finance
The U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate the Knutson bill, which lowered 1948 income taxes by $6.3 billion.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor Executive Council announced its opposition to the third-party U.S. presidential campaign of former U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace, charging that he was a "front, spokesman and apologist" for the Communist Party.

60 years ago
1958

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Miss Bracegirdle Does her Duty, starring Mildred Natwick and Gavin Muir

Died on this date
Bertrand Snell, 87. U.S. politician. Mr. Snell, a Republican, represented New York's 31st District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1915-1939, and was House Minority Leader from 1931-1939. He favoured isolationism and low taxes, and opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal economic programs in the 1930s.

Married on this date
U.S. actress Rita Hayworth and writer and producer James Hill were married in Beverly Hills, California.

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. Premier Nikolai Bulganin, in a letter to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, accepted Western views that lower-level diplomatic contacts should pave the way for an East-West summit meeting.

Politics and government
The Mexican government suspended consitutional guarantees for 30 days in the wake of widespread police strikes.

The day after the United Arab Republic had been proclaimed, Egyptian and Syrian cabinets ended a meeting in Cairo after discussing measures to unite the two countries' governments.

Conservative National Union candidate Mario Echandi Jimenez won the Costa Rican presidential election, carried out under United Nations supervision.

Protest
100,000 Sikhs paraded silently in New Delhi in protest against alleged Hindu desecration of Sikh shrines in India.

Economics and finance
The West German government offered to help the United Kingdom meet foreign currency shortages by depositing $280 million with the Bank of England to cover projected German arms purchases in Britain during 1958-59.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Hello Goodbye--The Beatles (3rd week at #1)

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
2 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
3 I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite--Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
4 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
5 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
6 Susan--The Buckinghams
7 Love is Blue--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
8 Woman, Woman--The Union Gap
9 Jezebel--The Witness Inc.
10 Skip a Rope--Henson Cargill
Pick of the Week: Tomorrow--The Strawberry Alarm Clock
New this week: Guitar Man--Elvis Presley
Walk Away Renee--The Four Tops
Make it Easy--The Collectors
Dottie I Like It--Tommy Roe
Maybe Just Today--Bobby Vee and the Strangers

Music
Simon & Garfunkel were at Columbia Studios in New York, where they recorded the song Mrs. Robinson. They had earlier recorded a shorter version of the song that had been included in the movie The Graduate (1967).

Calgaryana
Barbara MacGougan, 17, was named at a dance as Western Canada High School's Queen for 1968.

Canadiana
The Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton was founded, effective January 1, 1969; it included the cities of Ottawa and Eastview (now known as Vanier); the County of Carleton; and the Township of Cumberland.

40 years ago
1978

Defense
U.S. Defense Secretary Harold Brown told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee that the Pentagon needed to increase its budgets from $116.8 billion for fiscal 1978 to $172.7 billion by fiscal 1983 in order to maintain the present nuclear balance with the U.S.S.R.

Labour
In Buffalo, U.S. District Court Judge John Elfvin ruled that the American Hockey League had violated New York human rights law, as well as the constitutional rights, of Greg Neeld by denying him employment because he'd lost the vision in his left eye as the result of an injury in junior hockey.

Football
CFL
Cal Murphy, who had been an assistant coach with the Montreal Alouettes team that had recently demolished the Edmonton Eskimos 41-6 in the 1977 Grey Cup, joined the Eskimos as offensive line coach.

The Toronto Argonauts announced the signing of former Winnipeg Blue Bombers' assistant coach Del Wight as an assistant coach under head coach Leo Cahill.

NFL
One former Montreal Alouettes' head coach hired another when Marv Levy, who had just become head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs after leading the Alouettes to the 1977 Grey Cup championship, hired Kay Dalton as one of his assistants. Mr. Dalton had joined the Alouettes as an assistant under Darrell Mudra in 1966, and was head coach of the Alouettes from 1967-1969.

30 years ago
1988

Hockey
NHL
Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins scored his 50th goal of the season in a game against Washington Capitals.

10 years ago
2008

Died on this date
Barry Morse, 89. U.K.-born actor. Mr. Morse was born and died in London, but moved to Canada in 1951, appearing in radio and television programs with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He was best known for his work in television series in the United States, playing police Lieutenant Philip Gerard in The Fugitive (1963-1967) and Professor Victor Bergman in Space: 1999 (1975-1976).

Ed Vargo, 79. U.S. baseball umpire. Mr. Vargo was a catcher who played briefly in the minor leagues before turning to umpiring. He served in the National League from 1960-1983, working in 3,555 regular season games, four World Series, four National League Championship Series, and four Major League All-Star Games. Mr. Vargo worked as an umpiring supervisor from 1984-1997.

Married on this date
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and former supermodel Carla Bruni were married at the presidential Elysee Palace.