March 9, 2018

130 years ago
1888

Died on this date
Wilhelm I, 90. Kaiser of Germany, 1871-1888; King of Prussia, 1861-1888. Kaiser Wilhelm was the first emperor after the unification of Germany in 1871. He was succeeded by his son Friedrich III, who died of cancer after just 99 days on the throne and was succeeded by his son Wilhelm II.

110 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Myril Hoag. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Hoag was an outfielder with the New York Yankees (1931-1932, 1934-1938); St. Louis Browns (1939-1941); Chicago White Sox (1941-1942, 1944); and Cleveland Indians (1944-1945), batting .271 with 28 home runs and 401 runs batted in in 1,020 games, and played 11 seasons in the minor leagues (1926-1930, 1933, 1946-1951). He helped the Yankees win World Series in 1932, 1937, and 1938, batting .320 with 1 homer and 3 RBIs in 8 World Series games. Mr. Hoag died of emphysema on July 28, 1971 at the age of 63.

100 years ago
1918

Born on this date
Mickey Spillane. U.S. author. Mr. Spillane was known for creating the detective Mike Hammer in more than a dozen novels, beginning with I, the Jury (1947). The novels, featuring more sex and violence than was common at the time, helped to popularize the sale of paperback books. The first six Mike Hammer novels were published between 1947-1952, and at one time, Mr. Spillane had seven of the top ten bestselling books in the United States. He died on July 17, 2006 at the age of 88.

Died on this date
Frank Wedekind, 53. German playwright. Mr. Wedekind was best known for his two-play "Lulu" cycle--Erdgeist (Earth Spirit) (1895) and Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora's Box) (1904)--centred on a young dancer/adventuress of mysterious origin. His works were known for their criticism of bourgeois attitudes toward sex, which isn't surprising, since Mr. Wedekind was a whoremonger who contracted syphilis and was said to have tendencies toward homosexuality and sadism. He died of complications from surgery for a hernia.

80 years ago
1938

Politics and government
In a last attempt to prevent his country from losing its independence to Nazi Germany, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg scheduled a referendum for March 13. Mr. Schuschnigg set the minimum voting age at 24 in order to exclude younger voters, who were generally sympathetic to Nazi ideology.

75 years ago
1943

War
German and Italian forces in Tunisia continued to retreat to high ground near Hailouf on the Mareth line, and further north were repulsed in their attack upon Tamera. French collaborationist Marcel Deat escaped unharmed when gunmen attempted to assassinate him at his home in Arbouse, southeast of Paris.

Politics and government
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to amend the organic law of Puerto Rico to permit the people there to elect their own government.

Labour
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations peace committees, which had agreed on December 2, 1942 to arbitrate jurisdictional disputes, were reported to have signed a secret clause stating that the pact would not interfere with the legal rights of union affiliates.

70 years ago
1948

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis, on MBS

At the movies
I Remember Mama, directed and co-produced by George Stevens and starring Irene Dunne, opened in theatres.

Defense
Finnish President Juho Paasikivi named a seven-member commission to negotiate a mutual security agreement with the U.S.S.R.

Politics and government
Japanese Prime Minister Hitoshi Ashita announced the formation of a new cabinet drawn mainly from the Democratic and right Socialist parties.

Dutch officials in Batavia installed a new interim government for the Netherlands East Indies under acting Governor General Hubertus Van Mook.

The Chilean cabinet removed all Communists from government jobs.

New York Governor Thomas Dewey won the New Hampshire primary in the contest for the 1948 Republican Party U.S. presidential nomination, winning six delegates to two for Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen. U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur declared in Tokyo that he would accept a draft for the Republican presidential nomination, but had "no plans for leaving my post in Japan."

The U.S. House of Representatives voted a $200,000 appropriation for the Un-American Activities Committee.

Scandal
National Hockey League President Clarence Campbell suspended New York Rangers' centre Billy Taylor for life and Boston Bruins' centre Don Gallinger indefinitely for betting on games. Mr. Taylor, who had spent most of his seven-year NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, had started the season with the Bruins and had scored 4 goals and 16 assists in 39 games before being dealt to the Rangers because of his suspiciously poor play. He didn't score a point in 2 games with New York. Mr. Gallinger was in his fifth NHL season, all with Boston, and had 10 goals and 21 assists in 54 games in 1947-48. On September 28, 1948, Mr. Gallinger was also banned for life. Mr. Campbell lifted the suspensions in 1970.

60 years ago
1958

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Right Kind of House, starring Robert Emhardt and Jeanette Nolan

Transportation
An 11,245-foot undersea tunnel linking Japan's main islands of Honshu and Kyushu was opened to traffic.

Hockey
The Whitby Dunlops, representing Canada, won the world championship in Oslo, winning all seven of their games in the round-robin tournament.

Basketball
NBA
George Yardley of the Detroit Pistons scored 26 points in a loss to the Syracuse Nationals and became the first National Basketball Association player to score 2,000 points in a season, finishing with 2,001.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Nights in White Satin--The Moody Blues (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Canzone--Don Backy (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (5th week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Words--The Bee Gees (2nd week at #1)
2 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
3 Mien Waar Is M'n Feestneus?--Toon
4 It's the End--The Buffoons
5 Pictures of Matchstick Men--The Status Quo
6 Nights in White Satin--The Moody Blues
7 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
8 De Kat Van Ome Willem--Wim Sonneveld with Hetty Blok, Leen Jongewaard, De Jonkies, and the Orchestra of Harry Bannink
9 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
10 Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed

Singles entering the chart were Prikkebeen by Boudewijn De Groot en Elly Nieman (#28); L'amour est Bleu by Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (#31); Delilah, with versions by Tom Jones, and Gert Timmerman presenteert: Fred Jasper (#33); Golden Earrings by Frans Krassenburg (#34); No Money for Roses by the Shoes (#36); Corriamo, with versions by Isabella Iannetti, and Patricia (#37); and The Holy City by John Woodhouse and his Magic Accordion met Strijkorkest (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (5th week at #1)
2 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
3 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
4 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
5 I Wish it Would Rain--The Temptations
6 Spooky--The Classics IV
7 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
8 Walk Away Renee--Four Tops
9 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
10 I Thank You--Sam & Dave

Singles entering the chart were Valleri (#36)/Tapioca Tundra (#81) by the Monkees; Jennifer Juniper by Donovan (#64); Rice is Nice by the Lemon Pipers (#71); Back on My Feet Again by the Foundations (#75); Take Time to Know Her by Percy Sledge (#80); Jennifer Eccles by the Hollies (#83); If This World were Mine by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#88); It's Time to Say Goodbye by the Third Rail (#90); Nights in White Satin by the Moody Blues (#94); The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus (#95); Sweet Inspiration by the Sweet Inspirations (#96); Till by the Tokens (#97); Springfield Plane by Kenny O'Dell (#98); and A Fool of Fools by Tony Bennett (#100). If This World were Mine was the B-side of If I Could Build My Whole World Around You, which had peaked at #18 on January 13, 1968.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Words--The Bee Gees
2 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
3 I Can Take or Leave Your Loving--Herman's Hermits
4 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
5 Walk Away Renee--Four Tops
6 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
7 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
8 Spooky--The Classics IV
9 We're a Winner--The Impressions
10 I Wish it Would Rain--The Temptations

Singles entering the chart were Valleri by the Monkees (#63); Everlasting Love by the Love Affair (#68); (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone by Aretha Franklin (#72); Cry Like a Baby by the Box Tops (#74); Scarborough Fair (/Canticle) by Simon and Garfunkel (#76); The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp by O.C. Smith (#78); Sound Asleep by the Turtles (#81); In the Midnight Hour by the Mirettes (#83); Jennifer Juniper by Donovan (#84); Green Light by the American Breed (#85); Back on My Feet Again by the Foundations (#86); Dottie I Like It by Tommy Roe (#87); Security by Etta James (#89); Soul Serenade by Willie Mitchell (#91); Dr. Jon by Jon & Robin and the In Crowd (#92); Hey, Hey Bunny by John Fred and his Playboy Band (#94); Cotton Candy Sandman (Sandman's Coming) by Harpers Bizarre (#96); That's a Lie by Ray Charles (#97); Something I'll Remember by Sandy Posey (#98); Rice is Nice by the Lemon Pipers (#99); and Jennifer Eccles by the Hollies (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
2 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
3 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
4 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
5 Words--The Bee Gees
6 Walk Away Renee--Four Tops
7 Tell Mama--Etta James
8 Everything that Touches You--The Association
9 Skip a Rope--Henson Cargill
10 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs

Singles entering the chart were The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp by O.C. Smith (#24); Little Green Apples by Roger Miller (#25); Hey, Hey Bunny by John Fred and his Playboy Band (#26); A Question of Temperature by Balloon Farm (#28); Cry Like a Baby by the Box Tops (#29); and La-La - Means I Love You by the Delfonics (#30).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
2 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
3 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus
4 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
5 Too Much Talk--Paul Revere and the Raiders
6 My, What a Shame--Dino, Desi and Billy
7 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
8 Words--The Bee Gees
9 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
10 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
Pick hit of the week: Summertime Blues--Blue Cheer

Defense
U.S. Air Force Captain Dale Noyd was sentenced to a year at hard labor and dismissed from the Air Force, a day after being convicted in Clovis, New Mexico of disobeying an order to train pilots for duty in Vietnam. Mr. Noyd, 34, a 12-year veteran, said that he wasn't a pacifist, but that he conscientously opposed the war in Vietnam. He had attempted to resign his commission, but the Air Force had refused to accept his resignation.

Protest
Two days of student rioting at the University of Warsaw, apparently inspired by the liberalizing trend in Czechoslovakia, concluded. The students clashed with police and shouted, "Down with censorship!" and "Long live Czechoslovakia!" Presumably, they shouted in Polish.

Disasters
19 people were killed when a DC-6 crashed at Saint-Denis, Reunion Island.

A storm in northern Congo killed 10 people.

9 people were killed and 44 injured when an express train hit a bus in Hyderabad, India.

Five people were killed in a fire in an apartment house in Meriden, Connecticut.

40 years ago
1978

On television tonight
James at 16, starring Lance Kerwin, on NBC
Tonight's episode: An Hour Before Midnight

Class of '65, starring Tony Bill, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Misfit

War
U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced that Somalia had agreed to withdraw its troops from Ethiopia's Ogaden region, following a swift Ethiopian advance through Ogaden that had included the recapture of the town of Jijiga, the most vital point that the Somalis had been able to take in earlier fighting. In agreeing to withdraw its troops, the Somali government requested the withdrawal of all foreign powers from the Horn of Africa, an apparent reference to Soviet and Cuban forces aiding the Ethiopians.

Transportation
Indonesian President Suharto inaugurated Jagorawi Toll Road, the first toll highway in Indonesia, connecting Jakarta, Bogor and Ciawi, West Java.

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Allt som jag känner--Tone Norum & Tommy Nilsson (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Kurt Kiesinger, 83. Chancellor of West Germany, 1966-1969. Mr. Kiesinger was a Nazi from 1933-1945, but was largely inactive in the party. He joined the Christian Democratic Union in 1946, and was first elected to the Bundestag in 1949. Mr. Kiesinger was Minister President of Baden-Württemberg from 1958-1966, and then succeeded Ludwig Erhard as Chancellor. He was replaced as Chancellor by Willy Brandt after the 1969 general election, when the Social Democratic Party opted for a coalition government with the Free Democratic Party. Mr. Kiesinger was Chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1967-1971. He retired from politics in 1980, and died four weeks before his 84th birthday.

War
The Soviet foreign ministry acknowledged that it had supplied short-range missiles to Iraq in that country's war against Iran.

Politics and government
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and other Politburo members reportedly agreed to form a commission to consider uniting the Armenian Republic of the U.S.S.R. with a region of the Azerbaijan Republic of the U.S.S.R. that contained an Armenian majority.

25 years ago
1993

Died on this date
C. Northcote Parkinson, 83. U.K. historian. Professor Parkinson was a naval historian who wrote 60 books. He was most famous for devising Parkinson's Law: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."

Bob Crosby, 79. U.S. bandleader and singer. Mr. Crosby, the younger brother of singer and actor Bing Crosby, sang with the Delta Rhythm Boys in the early 1930s before becoming a bandleader. His band, the Bob-Cats, was a popular Dixieland swing band in the 1940s and '50s.

Politics and government
The Inuit of Labrador presented a proposal to Newfoundland Premier Clyde Wells that would settle a 15-year-old land claim and protect their cultural survival. The claim covered a huge part of northern Labrador and part of the Labrador Sea and would allow the residents to trap, fish, and hunt in their traditional area. The Inuit had also asked for a role in ocean management and land conservation and a share of royalties from economic development. The second stage of the proposal would cover self-government, education, housing, and health care issues.

Scandal
Investigators in Japan found hundreds of pounds of gold bars and $50 million in cash and securities in the home and office of Shin Kanemaru, 78, a political power broker who was under arrest on tax evasion charges.

20 years ago
1998

War
More than 80 people were reported dead in Kosovo as Serbian police renewed their counter-insurgency action. The United States and allies decided to impose modest diplomatic and economic sanctions on Yugoslavia for "unacceptable" use of force.