January 29, 2019

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Ken Dies!

1,100 years ago
919

Born on this date
Shizong. Emperor of China, 947-951. Shizong, born Wuyu, was the grandson of Emperor Tazu, founder of the Liao Dynasty. Shizong succeeded his uncle Taizong on the throne, and ruled until his death at the age of 32 on October 7, 951, when he was assassinated by an officer after a battle, and was succeeded by Muzong.

900 years ago
1119

Died on this date
Gelasius II, 54-59. Roman Catholic Pope, 1118-1119. Gelasius II, born Giovanni Caetani, succeeded Paschall II, but spent much of his papacy in exile as a result of a dispute with Holy Roman Emperor Henry V over the issue of investiture. Gelasius II fled Rome in March 1118, but excommunicated Emperor Henry and Antipope Gregory VII, and returned to Rome in July 1118. He held a synod at Vienne in January 1119 and was planning to hold a general council to decide the issue of investiture when he died, one year and five days after taking office. Gelasius II was succeeded by Callixtus II.

270 years ago
1749

Born on this date
Christian VII. King of Denmark and Norway, 1766-1808. Christian VII succeeded his father Frederick V on the throne, but was beset by severe mental problems--perhaps schizophrenia--and was king in name only for most of his reign. He died of a stroke on March 13, 1808 at the age of 59, and was succeeded by his son Frederick VI.

200 years ago
1819

Britannica
Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen Stamford Raffles made a brief survey of the Karamun Islands before landed on the island of Singapore, establishing a post at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.

190 years ago
1829

Academia
McGill University, built with the legacy and property from fur trader James McGill, opened in Montréal.

120 years ago
1899

Died on this date
Alfred Sisley, 59. French-born U.K. artist. Mr. Sisley, born in Paris to English parents, was an Impressionist landscape painter who spent most of his life in France, and died there of throat cancer.

75 years ago
1944

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart?)--Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra with Eugenie Baird (Best Seller--1st week at #1); Shoo-Shoo Baby--The Andrews Sisters with Vic Schoen and his Orchestra (Jukebox--3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
William Allen White, 75. U.S. journalist and author. Mr. White bought the Emporia Gazette in Emporia, Kansas in 1895, and edited the paper until his death, 12 days before his 76th birthday. He became nationally known as a representative of the views of small-town middle America, and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for an editorial in defense of free speech.

War
The last German hold on the Moscow-Leningrad railway was broken by the capture of Chudovo by Soviet forces. A 14-man British expedition departed the Falkland Islands aboard the minesweeper HMS William Scoresby and HMS Fitzroy for Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands as part of Operation Tabarin. U.S. troops in Italy fought their way to a point one mile north of Cassino. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities reported that Japan had been carrying out an organized and systematic espionage plan in the United States since World War I.

Abominations
Approximately 38 civilian men, women, and children died in the Koniuchy massacre in Poland at the hands of Soviet and Jewish partisans.

Defense
The world's most powerful battleship, the USS Missouri, was launched at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Oswaldo Aranha announced that air bases in Brazil built by the United States "are ours 100% and will always be ours."

Diplomacy
Mexico and Canada announced that they would establish diplomatic relations and exchange ministers in the near future.

Politics and government
Wayne Morse resigned his position with the U.S. National War Labor Board and announced his candidacy for the 1944 Republican Party nomination for the United States Senate in Oregon.

Society
American Legion commander Warren Atherton said in a speech in Boston that all Japanese nationals in the United States should be deported "as soon as possible" because "50 years of trial has proved that they can never be assimilated."

Labour
R.J. Thomas and George Meany, Congress of Industrial Organizations and American Federation of Labor members, respectively, of the Presidential Committee on the Cost of Living, issued a statement claiming that living costs had increased 43.5% since January 1, 1941 instead of the 23.4% increase reported by the government.

70 years ago
1949

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Buttons and Bows--Dinah Shore and the Happy Valley Boys; Gene Autry (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): A Little Bird Told Me--Evelyn Knight and the Stardusters (2nd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Buttons and Bows--Dinah Shore and the Happy Valley Boys (12th week at #1)
--The Dinning Sisters
2 A Little Bird Told Me--Evelyn Knight and the Stardusters
--Blue Lu Barker
--Paula Watson
3 On a Slow Boat to China--Kay Kyser Orchestra
--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra
--Benny Goodman and his Orchestra
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Art Lund
4 My Darling, My Darling--Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae with the Starlighters
--Doris Day and Buddy Clark
5 Far Away Places--Margaret Whiting and the Crew Chiefs
--Bing Crosby
--Perry Como
6 You were Only Fooling (While I was Falling in Love)--Blue Barron and his Orchestra
--The Ink Spots
--Kay Starr
7 Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Dinah Shore
8 Cuanto la Gusta--Carmen Miranda and the Andrews Sisters
9 The Pussy Cat Song (Nyow! Nyot Nyow!)--Patty Andrews and Bob Crosby
--Perry Como with the Fontane Sisters
10 Maybe You'll Be There--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were Red Roses for a Blue Lady, with versions by Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra; and Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (#23); Wabash Blues by Pee Wee Hunt and his Orchestra (#29); and Tarra Ta-Larra Ta-Lar by Bing Crosby (#35).

On the radio
Tales of Fatima, starring Basil Rathbone, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Frozen Forest

War
The Greek government rejected the peace discussion offer of Communist guerrillas.

Defense
The U.S. Navy's fastest and most powerful cruiser, the USS Newport News, was commissioned in Newport News, Virginia.

Labour
The administration of U.S. President Harry Truman issued its proposed National Labor Relations Act of 1949, to replace the Taft-Hartley Act. The measure eliminated several provisions of the existing law, including prohibition of the closed shop and affidavit requirements for union officials.

60 years ago
1959

Died on this date
Winifred Brunton, 78. U.K. artist. Mrs. Brunton, the wife of Egyptologist Guy Brunton, accompanied him on his archaeological digs, and painted portraits of Egyptian monarchs, which were published in the books Kings and Queens of Ancient Egypt (1926) and Kings and Queens of Ancient Egypt (1926). She died in South Africa.

Music
The first Melodifestivalen, an annual Swedish music competition that determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, was held in Stockholm.

Diplomacy
Liberia proposed the formation of a loosely-connected organization of independent African nations, to be known as the Associated States of Africa.

Politics and government
In the wake of the National Council's refusal to approve his 1959 budget, Prince Rainier III suspended the Monacan constitution and resumed full personal power.

Ignoring a suggestion by Rep. James Roosevelt that the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities be abolished, the House voted $327,000 for the committee's continued work.

Weather
Dense fog - the worst in seven years - brought road, rail, and air transport in many parts of England and Wales to a virtual standstill.

Agriculture
Arguing in a special message to Congress that "the price-support and production-control program has not worked," U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower disclosed plans for the United States and "other surplus-producing nations" to seek ways of "using [surplus] food for peace."

Business
Following a meeting in Washington with Canadian Justice Minister E. Davie Fulton, U.S. Attorney General William Rogers announced U.S. agreement to consult with the Canadian government before bringing anti-trust actions against American firms operating in Canada.

Basketball
NCAA
Adolph Rupp, who had been coach at the University of Kentucky since 1930, won his 600th game there, then an NCAA record. He coached until 1972, and retired with 876 victories and four national titles.

50 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Albatross--Fleetwood Mac

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Eloise--Barry Ryan
2 Going Up the Country--Canned Heat
3 Lily the Pink--The Scaffold
4 White Room--Cream
5 Hey Jude/Revolution--The Beatles
6 I Started a Joke/Kilburn Towers--The Bee Gees
7 Love Child--Diana Ross and the Supremes
8 Chewy Chewy--Ohio Express
9 Son-of-a Preacher Man--Dusty Springfield
10 Scarborough Fair--Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66

Singles entering the chart were Just Lovin' You by Lynn Rodgers (#33); I am the Urban Spaceman by the Bonzo Dog Doodah Band (#37); I'm Gonna Make You Love Me/A Place in the Sun by Diana Ross and the Supremes & the Temptations (#38); and A Minute of Your Time by Tom Jones (#39).

Died on this date
Allen Dulles, 75. U.S. diplomat and spymaster. Mr. Dulles, the younger brother of U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, held various diplomatic posts before joining the office of Strategic Services at the beginning of World War II. The OSS eventually became the Central Intelligence Agency, and Mr. Dulles served as Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (1951-1953) and Director of Central Intelligence (1953-1961). He and other CIA officials were forced to resign on November 29, 1961, amid increasing criticism of the agency's performance. Mr. Dulles served on the Warren Commission (1963-1964) that investigated the November 22, 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, and died of influenza and pneumonia.

Protest
Canadian and West Indian students occupied the computer centre of Sir George Williams University (today part of Concordia University) in Montreal to protest alleged racism on campus by a biology professor. The protest ended on February 11, 1969, but not until computers had been vandalized.

Boxing
Zora Folley (77-10-6) scored a technical knockout of Sonny Moore (21-31-2) at 2:54 of the 4th round of a heavyweight bout at the Silver Slipper in Las Vegas when referee Harold Krause stopped the fight because of a cut inside Mr. Moore's mouth. Mr. Moore was a last-minute substitute for Tommy Fields.

Jose Gonzalez (35-14-2) won a 10-round decision over Tito Marshall (37-20-8) in a light heavyweight fight at Sunnyside Garden, Queens, New York.

40 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?--Rod Stewart

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Champion--Alice

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Tú--Umberto Tozzi (9th week at #1)

Diplomacy
U.S. President Jimmy Carter welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to the White House to begin two days of talks.

Religion
Pope John Paul II continued his Latin American visit, visiting a children's hospital and addressing representatives of Roman Catholic organizations in Mexico City, and holding mass in Oaxaca.

Labour
The strike of British truckers ended when an arbitration panel recommended a pay increase of 20.75%, amid government fears of the inflationary precedent of such a wage settlement.

Football
NFL
Pro Bowl @ Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
NFC 13 AFC 7

Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to fellow Cowboy Tony Hill in the 3rd quarter to give the NFC its win before 38,333 fans. Mr. Staubach completed 9 of 15 passes for 125 yards.

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Angel of Harlem--U2

#1 single in Switzerland: Bring Me Edelweiss--Edelweiss (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Mandel Kramer, 72. U.S. actor. Mr. Kramer appeared in numerous radio programs, but was perhaps best known as the lat actor to play the title character in Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (1961-1962). He played police chief Bill Marceau in the television soap opera The Edge of Night (1959-1979).

Diplomacy
Hungary became the first Eastern Bloc nation to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea.

Baseball
The game-winning run batted in was dropped as a statistic, after 9 seasons. The career leader in game-winning RBIs was Keith Hernandez, with 129.

25 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Saturday Night--Whigfield (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Please Forgive Me--Bryan Adams (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Please Forgive Me--Bryan Adams (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Ik wil niet dat je liegt/Waarheen waarvoor--Paul de Leeuw (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Things Can Only Get Better--D: Ream (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting (2nd week at #1)
2 Hero--Mariah Carey
3 Breathe Again--Toni Braxton
4 The Power of Love--Celine Dion
5 Again--Janet Jackson
6 Said I Loved You...But I Lied--Michael Bolton
7 All that She Wants--Ace of Base
8 Please Forgive Me--Bryan Adams
9 Shoop--Salt-n-Pepa
10 Can We Talk--Tevin Campbell

Singles entering the chart were Because of Love by Janet Jackson (#29); Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through by Meat Loaf (#48); Everyday by Phil Collins (#49); Without You/Never Forget You by Mariah Carey (#53); Loser by Beck (#75); Gin and Juice by Snoop Doggy Dogg (#77); Zunga Zeng by K7 (#86); Boom Shak A-Tack by Born Jamericans (#88); Come Clean by Jeru the Damaja (#89); Runaway Love by Johnny O (#90); and Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm by Crash Test Dummies (#91).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Cash Box): All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Ulrike Maier, 26. Austrian skier. Miss Maier won the gold medal in the Super G event at the world championships in 1989 and 1991, and the silver medal in the giant slalom in 1991. She died after breaking her neck in a crash during the downhill race in the women's World Cup at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Politics and government
Both houses of the Japanese Diet overwhelmingly approved a political reform compromise devised by Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa and the opposition Liberal Democrats. The proposal provided for a 500-member lower house in which 300 members would be elected from single-seat districts, with the rest of the seats allocated according to the share of the vote obtained by each party. Representation from urban areas would be increased. Corporate contributions to individual candidates would be limited to 500,000 yen (about $4,500) per year, with state subsidies making up for the reduction in private donations.

20 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Lili St. Cyr, 80. U.S. stripper. Miss St. Cyr, born Willis Marie Van Schaack, was a popular burlesque performer from the late 1930s through the mid-'60s, achieving her greatest fame in the 1940s and '50s, when she was based in Montreal. Miss St. Cyr's act resulted in a couple of highly-publicized criminal trials, but she was acquitted both times of violating public morals.

10 years ago
2009

Politics and government
The Illinois Senate voted to remove Governor Rod Blagojevich (Democrat) from office, following his conviction of several corruption charges, including the alleged solicitation of personal benefit in exchange for an appointment to the United States Senate as a replacement for then-U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.

Law
The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt ruled that people who did not adhere to one of the three government-recognized religions were also eligible to receive government identity documents.

Labour
A strike at York University in Toronto by Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903, the union representing contract professors, teaching assistants, and graduate assistants, ended after members voted 42-8 to end the strike.