March 13, 2019

400 years ago
1619

Died on this date
Richard Burbage, 52. English actor. Mr. Burbage was an associate of William Shakespeare, and was one of the most famous actors of the Globe Theatre and of his time, often working with older brother and fellow actor Cuthbert Burbage.

380 years ago
1639

Academia
New College in Cambridge, Massachusetts was renamed Harvard College in honour of clergyman John Harvard.

125 years ago
1894

Technology
J.L. Johnstone invented the horse racing starting gate in England.

120 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Pancho Vladigerov. Bulgarian musician and composer. Mr. Vladigerov was a pianist who became perhaps the most influential Bulgarian composer ever, although his works are largely unknown outside his own country. Mr. Vladigerov composed in various genres, with his best-known works being Vardar Rhapsody and his symphony Jewish Poem (1950). He died on September 8, 1978 at the age of 79.

J. H. Van Vleck. U.S. physicist and mathematician. Dr. John Hasbrouck Van Vleck shared the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physics with Philip Anderson and Nevill Mott "for their fundamental theoretical investigations of the electronic structure of magnetic and disordered systems." He died on October 27, 1980 at the age of 81.

110 years ago
1909

Hockey
ECHA
Exhibition @ St. Nicholas Rink, New York
Ottawa 8 Montreal Wanderers 8

This was the second of two exhibition games played between the top two teams in the Eastern Canadian Hockey Association. Ottawa Hockey Club had finished first to win the Stanley Cup from the defending champion Wanderers.

100 years ago
1919

Economics and finance
Junnosuke Inoue, head of the Yokohama Specie Bank, became Governor of the Bank of Japan.

Labour
Western International Labour Conference delegates, meeting in Calgary, voted to form "One Big Union" (OBU); OBU, with members from all four western Canadian provinces, went on to lead the Winnipeg General Strike and the Drumheller strike later in 1919.

90 years ago
1929

Died on this date
Lee Bible, 41. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Bible was a garage owner and mechanic who was hired by Jim White, owner of the Triplex Special, to drive the car in an attempt to set the land speed record, which had been set by British driver Major Henry O. D. Segrave at 231.44 miles per hour on March 11, 1929. Driver Ray Keech had turned down the opportunity to drive the Triplex Special, regarding the car as too dangerous, but Mr. Bible, his mechanic, took the opportunity. His first run at Ormond Beach, Florida was at 186 mph, and the return run was at 202 mph, but his car swerved, crashed into the dunes, and rolled, killing newsreel photographer Charles Traub and throwing Mr. Bible onto the beach. He tried to sit up and then fell back dead.



75 years ago
1944

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Peculiar Persecution of John Vincent Harding

War
Soviet forces climaxed a week's drive by taking Kherson, 15 miles up the Dnieper River from the Black Sea. American troops made a new landing on the island of New Britain at the base of Willaumex Peninsula in the Marshall Islands. The U.S. Army announced that it would cancel draft deferments for all except a few of its 8,500 civilian workers in the 22-25 age bracket "as an example to Selective Service boards."

Diplomacy
The Italian government of Marshal Badoglio announced that the U.S.S.R. had agreed to a resumption of diplomatic relations and an exchange of ambassadors.

Society
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for an investigation of the status of the American Indian.

70 years ago
1949

On the radio
Pat Novak For Hire, starring Jack Webb, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Reuben Calloway's Pictures

War
South Korean security forces began a spring campaign against Communist-led guerrilla bands.

Transportation
The United Nations Economic Committee for Europe announced a 14-nation agreement for construction of a modern network of European highways, including an Italian-French tunnel under Mont Blanc.

Economics and finance
Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg signed a protocol in The Hague making the economic union effective in mid-1950.

Figure skating
Dick Button and Yvonne Sherman of the United States won the men's and women's singles titles, respectively, at the North American championships in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

60 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): As I Love You--Shirley Bassey with Wally Stott and his Orchestra (4th week at #1)

Protest
Chinese Communist troops fired on Tibetan crowds demonstrating in Lhasa to affirm their loyalty to the Dalai Lama.

Bolivian Foreign Minister Victor Andrade expressed regret over anti-American riots, blaming them on "extremists influenced by international Communism."

War
Greek Cypriot guerrillas began surrendering their weapons to Cypriot police.

Politics and government
The Chadian cabinet of Prime Minister Gontchome Sahoulba resigned and was replaced by a coalition government headed by Socialist leader Ahmed Koula.

Oil
U.S. Interior Secretary Fred Seaton announced a quota of 968,100 barrels per day for imports of crude and unfinished oil and petroleum products.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower urged Congress to approve his full $3.93-billion foreign aid program for fiscal 1960, calling it the minimum needed to strengthen the free world against the Communist threat of "nuclear destruction."

Disasters
Snowstorms caused 40 deaths in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New England.

50 years ago
1969

On television tonight
Dragnet 1969, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Vice: DR-30



At the movies
Charro!, directed, produced, and co-written by Charles Marquis Warren, and starring Elvis Presley, Ina Balin, and Victor French, opened in theatres.

Space
The Apollo 9 crew of Jim McDivitt, David Scott, and Rusty Schweickart concluded their 10-day mission with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean at 12:01 P.M. EST just one mile from the target point about 360 miles northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico.



War
During a debate in the British House of Commons, it was announced that Prime Minister Harold Wilson would visit Nigeria. Foreign Minister Michael Stewart, explaining his country's support of the Nigerian government with arms shipments as an outgrowth of the British government's view of the secession of Biafra from Nigeria as a "disastrous error," said that a cutoff of arms would have increased Soviet influence there and endangered British interests.

The Nigerian government rejected the previous day's proposal from Biafran military leader Colonel Chuckwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu of a month's truce as "propaganda."

At the second plenary session of the Vietnam War peace talks in Paris, United States Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge charged that the purpose of the post-Tet Communist attacks was "to terrorize the civilian population into submission." U.S. Command revealed that casualties for the second week of the attacks brought the number of Americans killed since January 1, 1961 to 32,712, and the number of wounded to 206,182. Communist deaths for the same eight-year period were estimated at 461,256.

Three days of artillery fire across the Suez Canal between Egyptian and Israeli forces concluded.

Defense
The United States Senate approved a treaty to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, ending a five-year effort for approval.

Disasters
Between 22 and 25 Russian seamen were missing after their fishing trawler collided with a Panamanian-registered tanker and sank in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina.

40 years ago
1979

World events
The New Jewel Movement, headed by Maurice Bishop, ousted Prime Minister Sir Eric Gairy in a nearly bloodless coup d'état in Grenada.

Diplomacy
In Cairo, U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced Egypt's approval of the bulk of the treaty provisions with Israel.

Energy
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ordered five nuclear power plants closed within 48 hours because of a deficient analysis of their ability to withstand earthquakes.

Labour
Teachers in St. Louis ended an 8-week strike after approving a new contract; makeup classes were scheduled to run through July 20.

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)--The Proclaimers (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Like a Prayer--Madonna

Died on this date
Fahrettin Özdilek, 90 or 91. Prime Minister of Turkey, 1961. General Özdilek was Commander of the First Army of Turkey (1958-1960), and became Defense Minister, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister after a military coup d'état overthrew the government of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes in May 1960. Gen. Özdilek served as interim Prime Minister from October 30-November 20, 1961, until civilian rule was restored. He later served in the Senate and Grand National Assembly.

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Discovery, with a five-man crew commanded by Michael Coats, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and deployed a tracking and data relay satellite six hours later.

Politics and government
Deborah Grey became the Reform Party of Canada's first Member of Parliament as she won a federal by-election in the Alberta riding of Beaver River, after finishing fourth in the general election of November 21, 1988. Progressive Conservative candidate John Dahmer had won the seat, but had died of cancer just five days after the election.

Energy
A geomagnetic storm in northern Quebec caused by a solar coronal mass ejection hit the Hydro-Québec power grid, causing a nine-hour blackout across Quebec, affecting six million people; it also hit the transmission lines that fed Quebec-produced energy to New York City.

25 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Hip Hop Holiday--The Hard Way (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Move on Baby--Cappella

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Doop--Doop

World events
The Israeli cabinet banned extremist groups that called for the expulsion of Arabs from "the biblical Land of Israel."

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher met in Beijing with Chinese President Jiang Zemin. No progress was reported on American concerns about human rights abuses in China, and the links between this issue and the continuation of most-favored-nation status for China in trade with the United States.

Politics and government
Lucas Mangope was deposed as President of the South African "homeland" of Bophuthatswana by the government of South Africa, the African National Congress, and the Transitional Executive Committee, and South Africa imposed direct rule on the homeland. Mr. Mangope had been changing his mind almost daily on whether Bophuthatswana would be participating in South Africa's first unversal-suffrage election, scheduled for late April.

Curling
Rick Folk's British Columbia rink defeated Russ Howard's Ontario rink 8-5 to win the Brier. It was the second win for Mr. Folk, who had skipped Saskatchewan to the Canadian men's championship in 1980.

Hockey
CIAU
University Cup
Final
Lethbridge 5 Guelph 2

20 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Lee Falk, 87. U.S. cartoonist, director, and producer. Mr. Falk, born Leon Gross, was best known for creating the comic strips Mandrake the Magician and The Phantom. He produced about 300 plays, and directed about 100.

Garson Kanin, 86. U.S. director, playwright, and screenwriter. Mr. Kanin had his greatest success on Broadway, writing and directing Born Yesterday (1946), and directing The Diary of Anne Frank (1955) and Funny Girl (1964). While serving with the U.S. Army in World War II, he and Carol Reed directed The True Glory (1945), which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Mr. Kanin and his wife Ruth Gordon co-wrote the screenplays for A Double Life (1947), Adam's Rib (1949), and Pat and Mike (1952).

Boxing
Evander Holyfield (36-3-1) and Lennox Lewis (34-1-1), who between them held three world heavyweight titles recognized by leading organizations, fought at Madison Square Garden in New York, with Mr. Holyfield defending his International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association title, and Mr. Lewis defending his World Boxing Council title. The vacant International Boxing Organization title was also on the line. The fight was declared a draw, although most fans and boxing officials thought that Mr. Lewis had clearly won. One judge voted in favour of Mr. Holyfield, another in favour of Mr. Lewis, and a third ruled it a draw. The result led to calls for open scoring in bouts.



Hockey
NHL
Montreal 2 Toronto 1

10 years ago
2009

Died on this date
Alan W. Livingston, 91. U.S. recording and television executive. Mr. Livingston, born Alan Levison, was the younger brother of songwriter Jay Livingston. Alan Livingston was an executive with Capitol Records in the 1940s and '50s and again in the 1960s, and has been credited with greatly increasing the company's profits. He created the character Bozo the Clown in 1946 for a series of record albums and accompanying read-along books. Mr. Livingston spent several years with NBC in the late 1950s as Vice-President in charge of Programming, and oversaw the development of the Western series Bonanza. Mr. Livingston died after a series of small strokes.

Betsy Blair, 86. U.S.-born U.K. actress. Miss Blair, born Elizabeth Boger, achieved some success as a stage actress and played small roles in several movies before she was blacklisted from Hollywood for several years in the early 1950s because of her interest in Marxism, although she never joined the Communist Party. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting performance in Marty (1955). Miss Blair moved to Europe in the mid-1950s, and was mainly based in London, where she died of cancer.