March 11, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Tim Sproule and Aurora B.G.!

310 years ago
1708

Politics and government
Queen Anne withheld Royal Assent from the Scottish Militia Bill, marking the last time a British monarch vetoed legislation.

200 years ago
1818

Economics and finance
The petition of Saint John, New Brunswick bakers to prohibit the importing of hard bread from the United States was refused by the Executive Council.

175 years ago
1843

Space
During a period of activity known as the Great Eruption, Eta Carinae briefly became the second brightest star in the night sky.

170 years ago
1848

Politics and government
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine took office as Premier of the Province of Canada, with Robert Baldwin as Deputy Premier, the first to be democratically elected under a system of responsible government.

130 years ago
1888

Disasters
The Great Blizzard of 1888 struck the northeastern United States, killing more than 400 people, dumping as much as 55 inches of snow in some areas, and producing winds that reached 85 miles per hour in New York City.

120 years ago
1898

Died on this date
William Rosecrans, 78. U.S. military officer, politician, and diplomat. Mr. Rosecrans was best known as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He achieved success in Western Theater battles, but a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863 effectively ended his military career. Mr. Rosecrans served as United States Minister to Mexico (1868-1869) and as a Democrat represented California's 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1881-1885).

110 years ago
1908

Died on this date
Benjamin Waugh, 69. U.K. clergyman and social activist. Rev. Waugh was a Congregationalist minister and hymnist who was best known for his opposition to workhouses and the Poor law, which led him to co-found the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in 1884. He died 20 days after his 69th birthday.

100 years ago
1918

Born on this date
Lyman Bostock, Sr. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Bostock was a first baseman with the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1938); Birmingham Black Barons (1940-1942, 1946); Chicago American Giants (1947); New York Cubans (1948); and Chicago American Giants (1949) in the Negro Leagues. He was the father of Lyman Bostock, Jr., an outfielder with the Minnesota Twins (1975-1977) and California Angels (1978), who may have made the Hall of Fame if he hadn't been murdered on September 23, 1978 at the age of 27. Lyman Bostock, Sr. died on June 24, 2005 at the age of 87.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
NHL
O'Brien Cup
Finals
Montreal 3 @ Toronto 7 (First game of 2-game total goals series)

PCHA
Finals
Seattle 2 @ Vancouver 2 (First game of 2-game total goals series)

80 years ago
1938

At the movies
Dangerous to Know, directed by Robert Florey, and starring Gail Patrick, Akim Tamiroff, Anna May Wong, and Lloyd Nolan, opened in theatres.



World events
Kurt Schuschnigg resigned as Chancellor of Austria in a radio broadcast that evening, after failing to receive support from either France or the United Kingdom to maintain Austrian independence from Nazi Germany. Mr. Schuschnigg announced that he was allowing the Nazis to take over the Austrian government in order to avoid bloodshed. Earlier in the day, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler had sent an ultimatum to Mr. Schuschnigg, demanding that he hand over all power to the National Socialists or face an invasion. The ultimatum was set to expire at noon, but was extended by two hours. However, Mr. Hitler signed an order at 1 P.M. for troops to invade Austria, and gave the order to Hermann Goering several hours later. Austrian President Wilhelm Miklas resisted the Nazis, refusing to appoint pro-Nazi Interior Minister Arthur Seyss-Inquart as Chancellor, and instead asking other Austrian politicians to assume the position. However, the Nazis seized control of many parts of Vienna (including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which controlled the police). While Mr. Miklas stalled, Mr. Hitler became furious, and he and Hermann Goering published a forged telegram asking the German government to send troops into Austria to preserve order. By midnight, a well-organized Nazi machine was in control of almost all of the critical government buildings and had arrested the main political party members of the old government. Mr. Miklas finally capitulated and appointed Mr. Seyss-Inquart Chancellor.

75 years ago
1943

War
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt promoted both Major General George Patton, commander of the 1st Armored Corps in North Africa, and Major General Carl Spaatz, commander of the U.S. Army Air Force in Northwest Africa, to lieutenant general. German forces claimed to have driven back Soviet forces in fierce fighting around Kharkov. British and Free French forces in Tunisia drove around the southern end of the Mareth Line to Ksar Rhilane. A 70,000-man Japanese force in China attacked southwest across the Yangtze River, capturing Hwajung in northern Hunan Province.

Radio
Argentine Postmaster General Horacio Rivarola banned five U.S. shortwave broadcasts on the grounds that they were political propaganda.

Crime
Sydney Leibrandt was sentenced to death in Pretoria for sabotage.

Economics and finance
A U.S. Congressional resolution extending Lend-Lease for another year was passed by the Senate and signed by President Roosevelt. U.S. Lend-Lease Administrator Edward Stettinius reported to Congress that U.S. aid during the two years ended February 28, 1943 totalled $9.632 billion. U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau announced that the department would borrow a record $13 billion in April.

Hockey
NHL
The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs to clinch first place for the fourth time in the past 10 years.

70 years ago
1948

Died on this date
Stub Brown, 77. U.S. baseball pitcher. Richard P. Brown pitched in 11 games with the Baltimore Orioles in 1893 and 1894, and 2 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1897, winning 4 games (all in 1894) and losing 1, with an earned run average of 4.90. Mr. Brown played at least 5 seasons in the minor leagues, as late as 1899. He's not to be confused with Three Finger Brown, who died on February 14, 1948, 26 days before Stub Brown.

War
The U.S. Aid Mission in Greece criticized government forces for failing to start a major offensive against Communist guerrillas despite superiority in manpower and weapons.

World events
Burmese police arrested Communist Party leader Thakin Soe on charges of plotting against the government.

Politics and government
The Czechoslovakian Parliament began its first session since the Communist coup by passing a vote of confidence in the cabinet of Prime Minister Klement Gottwald. It also approved nationalization of all factories with more than 50 workers, and a 123.5-acre limit on the size of farms.

Labour
Leaders of 19 American Federation of Labor building trades unions, meeting in Washington, approvd the creation of an arbitration board to settle jurisdictional disputes.

The United Electrical, Radio and Machine workers left the Congress of Industrial Organizations Political Action Committee in protest against CIO opposition to the third-party U.S. presidential candidacy of former U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace.

60 years ago
1958

Died on this date
John J. Dempsey, 78. U.S. politician. Mr. Dempsey, a Democrat, represented New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1935-1941 and 1951 until his death. He was Governor of New Mexico from 1943-1947, and unsuccessfully campaigned for his party's nomination for U.S. Senator in 1940 and 1946.

Ole Kirk Christiansen, 66. Danish businessman. Mr. Christiansen founded the Lego toy company in 1932. He died of a heart attack 27 days before his 67th birthday, and was succeeded by his son Godtfred.

War
Indonesian Army headquarters in Jakarta reported that government forces had landed in Sumatra and had seized Bengkalis, Selatpanjang, and Paking.

Politics and government
Unofficial results from Sudan's first general election gave Prime Minister Abdullah Khalil's Umma (People's) Party a plurality of 69 seats in the House of Representatives.

Labour
The U.S. Labor and Commerce Departments reported that unemployment had reached a 16-year record of 5,173,000.

Boxing
Sonny Liston (16-1) scored a 4-round technical knockout of Ben Wise (8-8-1) in a heavyweight bout at Midwest Gymnasium in Chicago. On the undercard, Ernie Terrell (8-0) scored a 1-round TKO of Johnny Harper (6-9) in another heavyweight bout, and Lou Bailey (4-6-2) won a 5-round split decision over James Beard (3-3) in a light heavyweight bout.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Koi no Shizuku--Yukari Itō (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Pata Pata--Miriam Makeba

Protest
Two days after student riots in Warsaw concluded, office and factory workers clashed with police and militia men in downtown Warsaw. The Communist party blamed the riots on Zionists. Polish Communist anti-Jewish sentiment had reportedly been increasing since the Six-Day War in June 1967.

40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Gianna--Rino Gaetano

#1 single in Switzerland: Mull of Kintyre--Wings (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: The Rare Auld Times--Danny Doyle (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (Love Is) Thicker than Water--Andy Gibb (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 If I Had Words--Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley with the St. Thomas More School Choir (7th week at #1)
2 She's Not There--Santana
3 Denis--Blondie
4 Big City--Tol Hansse
5 I Can't Stand the Rain--Eruption featuring Precious Wilson
6 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
7 Daddy Cool - The Girl Can't Help It--The Darts
8 Black Betty--Ram Jam
9 Red Hot--Robert Gordon with Link Wray
10 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll--Ian Dury

Singles entering the chart were Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush (#26); U.O. Me (You Owe Me) by Luv' (#29); Lovely Day by Bill Withers (#31); (The Night the Lights Went Out In) New York City by the Trammps (#32); Einman Wenn du Gehst by Udo Jürgens & Judy Cheeks (#33); and Und Das Alles Nur Weil Wir Uns Lieben by Hein Simons (#35).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Emotion--Samantha Sang
2 (Love Is) Thicker than Water--Andy Gibb
3 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
4 Night Fever--Bee Gees
5 Sometimes When We Touch--Dan Hill
6 Lay Down Sally--Eric Clapton
7 What's Your Name--Lynyrd Skynyrd
8 Peg--Steely Dan
9 Just the Way You Are--Billy Joel
10 I Go Crazy--Paul Davis

Singles entering the chart were Count on Me by Jefferson Starship (#75); Let Me Party with You (Party, Party, Party) (part 1) by Bunny Sigler (#81); This Time I'm in it for Love by Player (#82); Watching the Detectives/Alison by Elvis Costello (#84); Rumour Has It by Donna Sumer (#86); Sitting in Limbo by Don Brown (#90); I Love My Music by Wild Cherry (#95); and Woman to Woman by Barbara Mandrell (#97).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees (4th week at #1)
2 Sometimes When We Touch--Dan Hill
3 (Love Is) Thicker than Water--Andy Gibb
4 Just the Way You Are--Billy Joel
5 Emotion--Samantha Sang
6 What's Your Name--Styx
7 Peg--Steely Dan
8 I Go Crazy--Paul Davis
9 Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)--Chic
10 Night Fever--Bee Gees

Singles entering the chart were We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again by England Dan & John Ford Coley (#82); I'm Gonna Take Care of Everything by Rubicon (#95); Love is Like Oxygen by Sweet (#97); Shout it Out by B.T. Express (#99); and To Love Somebody by Jackie DeShannon (#100).

Died on this date
Claude François, 39. Egyptian-born French musician. Mr. François, the son of an executive with the Suez Canal Company, was an orchestra drummer before achieving success in France as a popular singer in the 1960s. He remained popular through the '70s, mainly in French-speaking areas. Mr. François achieved international success as a songwriter with the songs Comme d'habitude (As Usual) (1967) and Parce que je t'aime, mon enfan" (Because I Love You My Child) (1971). Paul Anka wrote English lyrics for the former, which became famous as My Way; English lyrics were also written for the latter song, which was a hit in 1975 for Elvis Presley under the title My Boy. Mr. François was accidentally electrocuted when he was taking a shower, and tried to straighten a light fixture that was crooked; he received a Darwin Award--posthumously, of course. His single Alexandrie Alexandria was released on the day of his burial.

Terrorism
At least 37 Israeli civilians were killed and more than 70 wounded when Fatah terrorists hijacked an Israeli bus on the Haifa-Tel Aviv road, prompting Israel's Operation Litani.

Hockey
NHL
Los Angeles 3 @ Montreal 5

CHL
Fort Worth 5 @ Dallas 2
Tulsa 4 @ Kansas City 9

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Tell it to My Heart--Taylor Dayne (2nd week at #1)

Economics and finance
The United States said that a $7 million payment to the Panama Canal Commission would be put into escrow. Panama's government announced the indefinite deferment of wages to 140,000 government employees, which sparked street demonstrations against the regime. Professional people and union members joined work slowdowns.

25 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Sad But True--Metallica (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
Janet Reno obtained unanimous confirmation (98-0) from the United States Senate to become the country's first female Attorney General.

Scandal
Police in Milan arrested three leaders of subsidiaries of the Italian state-owned energy corporation who were linked to an investigation of bribery and corruption.

10 years ago
2008

Music
The album When We were Spies by Ann Vriend was released.