March 8, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Linda Woodhams!

725 years ago
1293

Born on this date
Beatriz of Castile. Queen consort of Portugal, 1325-1357. Beatriz, the daughter of King Sancho IV of Castile, married the future King Afonso IV of Portugal in 1309, and served as Queen consort from his accession to the throne in 1325 until his death in 1357. She died on October 25, 1359 at the age of 66.

400 years ago
1618

Space
Johannes Kepler discovered the third law of planetary motion: The square of the orbital period of a planet is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.

360 years ago
1658

War
The Treaty of Roskilde ended the Second Northern War between Sweden and Denmark-Norway, requiring Denmark-Norway to give up a third of her territory to save the rest, as well as her claims to Holland.

180 years ago
1838

War
In the Upper Canada Rebellion, government forces commanded by Colonel John Maitland gained a victory over the republican rebels at Pelee Island, Lake Erie.

170 years ago
1848

Born on this date
LaMarcus Adna Thompson. U.S. inventor. Mr. Thompson was known as the "Father of the Roller Coaster," obtaining nearly 30 patents in roller coaster technology. He died on May 8, 1919 at the age of 71.

150 years ago
1868

World events
Japanese samurai killed 11 French sailors from the corvette Dupleix in the port of Sakai, near Osaka.

140 years ago
1878

Politics and government
Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, a Liberal, took office as Premier of Quebec, succeeding Sir Charles-Eugène de Boucherville.

125 years ago
1893

Crime
Emmet Dalton, the lone survivor of the Dalton Gang's attempt to rob two Kansas banks, began serving a life sentence in the Kansas State Penitentiary.

75 years ago
1943

Died on this date
Bill Peyto, 74. U.K.-born Canadian mountaineer. Mr. Peyto, a native of England who moved to Canada in 1887, was a guide, outfitter, and a warden of Banff National Park from 1913-1936. Peyto Glacier and Peyto Lake in Banff National Park are named in his honour.

War
Soviet forces recaptured Sychevka, 34 miles northwest of Gzhatsk, claiming to have killed 8,000 Germans. Axis forces in Tunisia, after losing 33 tanks, retreated toward the hills north of Medenine, near the Mareth Line.

Politics and government
The Turkish National Assembly unanimously re-elected President Ismet Inonu to a second four-year term.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in the case of Jamison v. Texas that a city ordinance in Dallas prohibiting the distribution of handbills on the street violated violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution because the material being distributed was religious in its nature. In the similar case of Largent v. Texas, the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that a city ordinance in Paris, Texas that required a permit in order to solicit orders for books was unconstitutional as applied to the distribution of religious publications. The plaintiffs in both cases were Jehovah's Witnesses.

Economics and finance
The U.S. government announced that it had been unable to obtain sufficient meat to cover the requirements of the armed forces and the Lend-Lease program during the last two months.

Business
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill permitting the merger of Western Union and Postal Telegraph and Cable System.

70 years ago
1948

War
The Palestinian Zionist militia Haganah and terrorist organization Irgun Zvai Leumi agreed to coordinate their actions, though maintaining separate commands.

Politics and government
The Hungarian Social Democratic Party voted to merge with the Communist Party.

Democratic National Committee Chairman J. Howard McGrath announced President Harry Truman's intention to run for election in 1948, ending rumours that dissatisfaction over his administration's civil rights program and foreign policy would force his withdrawal from the race.

Law
In a case brought by atheist parent Vashti McCollum against the school board of Champaign, Illinois, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that public school teaching of religion was unconstitutional.

Scandal
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the convictions of U.S. Gypsum, The National Gypsum Company, and four other firms for price-fixing.

60 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): April Love--Pat Boone (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Der lachende Vagabund--Fred Bertelmann (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Gondolier--Dalida (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Magic Moments/Catch a Falling Star--Perry Como (2nd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Get a Job--The Silhouettes (2nd week at #1)
2 Don't--Elvis Presley
3 Catch a Falling Star--Perry Como
4 Sail Along Silvery Moon--Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra
5 Short Shorts--The Royal Teens
6 Oh Julie--The Crescendos
7 Sweet Little Sixteen--Chuck Berry
8 Tequila--The Champs
9 26 Miles (Santa Catalina)--The Four Preps
10 Sugartime--The McGuire Sisters

Singles entering the chart were Lollipop, with versions by the Chordettes, and Ronald and Ruby (#43); Lazy Mary (Luna Mezzo Mare) by Lou Monte (#50); Gigi, with versions by Vic Damone, Charles Margulis, and Billy Eckstine (#52); Don't You Know I Love You by Fats Domino (#54); Billy by Kathy Linden (#59); and Bop-A-Lena by Ronnie Self (#60). Gigi was the title song of the movie. Don't You Know I Love You was the other side of Yes, My Darling, which had charted the previous week at #53.

Died on this date
Robert Grimm, 76. Swiss politician. Mr. Grimm founded the Swiss Socialist Party. He was the main organizer of the Zimmerwald movement of socialists who opposed World War I, and he made a futile attempt to negotiate a separate peace between Germany and revolutionary Russia. He served as President of the Swiss National Council from 1945-1946.

Mabel Gilmore Reinecke. U.S. bureaucrat. Mrs. Reinecke became the first woman to be appointed to a U.S. federal government executive position, serving as Collector of Internal Revenue during the administrations of Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge in the 1920s.

Politics and government
U.A.R. President Gamal Nasser and Yemeni Crown Prince Saif-al-Islam Mohammed al-Badr signed an accord in Damascus linking the United Arab Republic and Yemen in a federation, to be known as the United Arab States.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Thank U Very Much--The Scaffold

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (5th week at #1)
2 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
3 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Co.
4 The Unicorn--The Irish Rovers
5 Words--Bee Gees
6 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
7 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
8 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
9 Spooky--The Classics IV
10 Too Much Talk--Paul Revere and the Raiders
Pick of the Week: Ways--The Candymen
New this week: Valleri--The Monkees
Thinkin' it Over--Del Shannon
If You Can Want--Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
You've Gotta Be Loved--The Montanas
Cotton Candy Sandman (Sandman's Coming)--Harpers Bizarre

At the movies
Stay Away, Joe, starring Elvis Presley, Burgess Meredith, Joan Blondell, Katy Jurado, and Thomas Gomez, opened in theatres.

Defense
U.S. Air Force Captain Dale Noyd, 34, was convicted in a court-martial in Clovis, New Mexico of disobeying an order to train pilots for duty in Vietnam. Capt. Noyd, a 12-year veteran, said that he conscientiously opposed the war in Vietnam but was not a pacifist. He had attempted to resign his commission, but the Air Force refused to accept the resignation.

Protest
University of Warsaw students began two days of demonstrations, expressing support for the liberalizing currently going on in Czechoslovakia, and denouncing the lack thereof in Poland.

Religion
Pope Paul VI appointed Most Rev. Terence Cooke as auxiliary bishop and vicar general of the Roman Catholic diocese of New York, succeeding the late Francis Cardinal Spellman.

Disasters
150 people were freared dead in a mountain slide that buried Luhonga, Congo.

Curling
In Kelowna, British Columbia, Ron Northcott of Calgary, representing Alberta, defeated Herb Pile's Northern Ontario rink 13-9 to clinch the Brier championship. Mr. Northcott's victory gave him a record of 9 wins and 1 loss; Bob Pickering of Saskatchewan finished second at 8-2, while Prince Edward Island, skipped by Alan Smith of Charlottetown, finished third with a record of 7-3, P.E.I.'s best record ever.

Hockey
NHL
The Detroit Red Wings sold defenceman Doug Barrie to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had begun the season with the Kansas City Blues of the Central Professional Hockey League, scoring no goals and 6 assists in 32 games before joining the Omaha Knights and scoring 1 goal and 6 assists in 23 games. Mr. Barrie was now transferred to the Tulsa Oilers of the CPHL.

40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush

On the radio
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, on BBC 4

This was the first broadcast of the program, which was later adapted into novels, a television series, and other media formats.

Politics and government
The Chinese People's Political and Consultative Conference, meeting for the first time since 1964, closed its conference in Peking, and approved the new constitution which had been adopted two days earlier by the National People's Congress. In addition to Communist Party members, the conference was attended by representatives of China's 40 million minority group members, including the Tibetan Panchen Lama. The women's federation, religious groups, unions, scientists, artists, writers, and overseas Chinese were also represented. The convening of the conference, which opened on February 24, was thought to indicate a desire for unity by the national government and an attempt to return to the relative tranquility of the pre-Cultural Revolution period.

Hockey
NHL
Vancouver 3 @ Atlanta 8

Guy Lafleur of the Montréal Canadiens scored his 50th goal of the season in a win over the Washington Capitals at the Montreal Forum.

CHL
Dallas 7 @ Tulsa 3
Fort Worth 3 @ Salt Lake City 2

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
Canada's top 10 (The Record)
1 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S (3rd week at #1)
2 Could've Been--Tiffany
3 Tell it to My Heart--Taylor Dayne
4 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
5 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
6 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
7 Need You Tonight--INXS
8 Father Figure--George Michael
9 Hazy Shade of Winter--Bangles
10 I Get Weak--Belinda Carlisle

25 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): All that She Wants--Ace of Base

Died on this date
Billy Eckstine, 78. U.S. singer and bandleader. Mr. Eckstine formed the first bebop big band in the U.S.A. in 1944, but decided to become a solo singer in 1946. He was one of the most popular male vocalists in the United States from 1946-1954, with hits such as I Apologize; My Foolish Heart; Caravan; and Everything I Have is Yours. He and Hank Williams were MGM Records' major artists during this period.

20 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Ray Nitschke, 61. U.S. football player. Mr. Nitschke was the middle linebacker for the Green Bay Packers from 1958-1972, and anchored the defense of the teams coached by Vince Lombardi that won five National Football League championships (1961-1962; 1965-1967). He was the Most Valuable Player in the 1962 title game, and was voted to the All-Pro team from 1964-1966. Mr. Nitschke played in 190 games and made 25 interceptions for 385 yards and two touchdowns. Mr. Nitschke was voted the greatest linebacker in NFL history in 1969; in 1999 The Sporting News placed him third, behind Lawrence Taylor and Dick Butkus. He was elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1978. Mr. Nitschke made cameo appearances in two movies: Head (1968) and The Longest Yard (1974). He died of a heart attack while visiting family and friends in Venice, Florida.

Jim McDougal, 57. U.S. banker. A former friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton in Arkansas, Mr. McDougal helped to spark the investigation into their Whitewater real estate dealings. Mr. McDougal, experienced in the ways of the Clintons, predicted that he would die in prison. He suffered cardiac arrest, and what normally would have been a 5-minute ambulance trip to the hospital took 28 minutes, conveniently too late to save Mr. McDougal. Mr. McDougal thus joined Vince Foster and others who met foul play after crossing the liar, war criminal and serial rapist Bill Clinton.

10 years ago
2008

Abominations
U.S. President George W. Bush vetoed a bill that would have banned the Central Intelligence Agency from using simulated drowning and other coercive interrogation methods on suspected terrorists.