December 17, 2019

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Ken Thiessen!

1,100 years ago
919

Europeana
Romanos I was crowned senior Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

600 years ago
1419

Died on this date
William Gascoigne, 69 (?). Lord Chief Justice of England, 1400-1413. Sir William was appointed Lord Chief Justice by King Henry IV, and earned a reputation for asserting the principle that even the head of state was subject to the law, and that the voice of Parliament rather than the will of the monarch should guide the courts.

400 years ago
1619

Born on this date
Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland. German and English royal family member. Prince Rupert, a son of King Frederick V of the Palatinate, King of Bohemia, and a grandson of King James I, was born in Prague. He fled with his parents to the Hague as a child, and moved to England as a teenager. Prince Rupert served as a cavalry general in various countries, and was a prominent Cavalier in the English Civil War. He served abroad during the Interregnum, but returned to England after the restoration, eventually heading the Royal Navy. Prince Rupert was a scientist and co-founder of the Royal Society, and became the first Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1670. He died of pleurisy on November 29, 1682, 18 days before his 63rd birthday. The British North American territory of Rupert's Land and the city of Prince Rupert, British Columbia were named in his honour.

320 years ago
1699

Born on this date
Charles-Louis Mion. French composer. Mr. Mion wrote motets and operas, including Nitétis (1741) and L'année galante (1747). He died on September 12, 1775 at the age of 75.

270 years ago
1749

Born on this date
Domenico Cimarosa. Italian composer. Mr. Cimarosa was a Neapolitan composer of 80 operas, mainly comedies. His best-known opera was Il matrimonio segreto. (1792). Mr. Cimarosa also wrote instrumental works and sacred music. He died of possible stomach cancer on January 11, 1801, 23 days after his 51st birthday.

200 years ago
1819

South Americana
Simón Bolívar declared the independence of Gran Colombia in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela).

125 years ago
1894

Born on this date
Patrick Flynn. U.K.-born U.S. runner. Mr. Flynn, a native of Ireland, won the Irish Four Mile championship in 1912, and moved to the United States a year later. He was wounded in the arm while serving in World War I, but recovered, and competed in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, winning the silver medal in the men’s 3,000-metre steeplechase. Mr. Flynn retired from competitive running in 1925, and died on January 5, 1969 at the age of 74.

Wim Schermerhorn. Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1945-1946. Professor Schermerhorn taught civil engineering, and was a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II. He led the Netherlands’ first postwar government, and sat in the House of Representatives as a member of the Labour Party from June-September 1946 and 1948-1951 before sitting in the Senate from 1951-1963. Mr. Schermerhorn died on March 10, 1977 at the age of 82.

Arthur Fiedler. U.S. orchestra conductor. Mr. Fiedler was a violinist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and founded the Boston Sinfonietta chamber orchestra in 1924, but was best known as conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1930 until his death on July 10, 1979 at the age of 84, after a period of failing health.

110 years ago
1909

Died on this date
Leopold II, 74. King of the Belgians, 1865-1909. Leopold II acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Leopold I. He oversaw a number of public works and some social and political reforms. The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 granted the Congo Free State to King Leopold II as his own personal fiefdom. In the early 1900s, King Leopold began to attract criticism for using extreme brutality to extract wealth from the Congo Free State, resulting in the deaths of a large percentage of the Congolese people. King Leopold was finally forced to cede the Congo Free State to Belgium in 1908. He reigned for 44 years, still the record for a Belgian monarch. Leopold II had no surviving sons, and was succeeded on the throne by his nephew Albert I.

100 years ago
1919

Law
Uruguay became a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.

90 years ago
1929

Died on this date
Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa, 66. 10th President of Portugal, 1926; Prime Minister of Portugal, 1926. General Gomes da Costa served in colonial wars and in World War I. He was a monarchist who was chosen to lead the May 28, 1926 coup that toppled the Portuguese First Republic. He took office as Prime Minister on June 17 and President on June 29, but his government was toppled by another coup on July 9. Gen. Gomes da Costa was exiled to the Azores, but was allowed to return to the mainland in September 1927, when he was already very ill.

80 years ago
1939

War
The first contingents of the Canadian First Division started arriving in England for service in World War II. Canada signed the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, a $1.281-billion program to train pilots, navigators, wireless operators and gunners from the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, heavily damaged from the Battle of the River Plate four days earlier and unable to safely depart Montevideo, left Montevideo harbour at 1815 hours and was scuttled by her crew just outside the harbour on orders of Captain Hans Langsdorff in order to avoid risking the lives of the crew in what the captain expected to be a losing battle. Uruguayan authorities had adhered to international treaties and had granted the Admiral Graf Spee a stay of 72 hours beyond the required 24 hours, but had ordered the ship to depart by 2000 hours on December 17 or be interned for the remainder of World War II.

75 years ago
1944

Abominations
German troops massacred 115 American prisoners of war near Malmedy, Belgium, as 15 escaped to freedom.

The U.S.S.R. and Finland signed an agreement on Finnish deliveries to fulfill Soviet demands for $300 million in war damages, although the Soviets had been the aggressors in the war, attacking Finland in 1939.

War
German troops moved through Belgium and Luxembourg as they gained ground against the southern flank of U.S. troops. ELAS troops in Greece renewed their shelling of Athens. For the first time since May, U.S. troops were reported active in Burma, fighting against Japanese forces northeast of Mandalay.

Defense
U.S. Western Defense Command chief Major General H. Conger Pratt proclaimed that effective January 2, 1945, all persons of Japanese ancestry who had been proved loyal to the United States could return to their former homes on the Pacific coast.

Football
NFL
Championship @ Polo Grounds, New York
Green Bay 14 @ New York 7

Ted Fritsch scored 2 touchdowns in the 2nd quarter--the first on a 1-yard rush and the second on a 28-yard pass from Irv Comp--as the Packers held on to defeat the Giants before 46,016 fans. Don Hutson converted both touchdowns. Ward Cuff rushed 1 yard for the New York touchdown in the 4th quarter, converted by Ken Strong.



70 years ago
1949

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): A Little Bird Told Me--Evelyn Knight; The Joe Loss Orchestra (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Mule Train--Frankie Laine and the Muleskinners (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Mule Train--Frankie Laine and the Muleskinners (3rd week at #1)
--Bing Crosby
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Tennessee Ernie
2 I Can Dream, Can't I?--The Andrews Sisters
3 Don't Cry, Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go)--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra
4 Slipping Around--Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely
5 Jealous Heart--Al Morgan
6 That Lucky Old Sun--Frankie Laine
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
7 I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts--Freddie Martin and his Orchestra
8 Dear Hearts and Gentle People--Dinah Shore
--Bing Crosby
9 A Dreamer's Holiday--Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters
--Buddy Clark with the Girl Friends
10 You're Breaking My Heart--Vic Damone
--Buddy Clark
--The Ink Spots

Singles entering the chart were Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane) by Gene Autry (#34); Merry Christmas Polka by the Andrews Sisters and Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (#35); and The Merry Christmas Waltz by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (#38).

Theatre
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, directed by Elia Kazan, closed at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway in New York after 855 performances in two years. The play, which starred Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, and Kim Hunter when it opened, had Ralph Meeker, Uta Hagen, and Carmelita Pope in the starring roles when it closed.

War
The U.S. State Department declared Shanghai a "danger zone" due to the Nationalist blockade, and warned American ships to stay away from the port.

Diplomacy
Burma became the first non-Communist nation to recognize the Communist Chinese government.

The United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan reported its inability to resolve disagreements between the two countries over a plebiscite to determine the status of Kashmir. The commission recommended the appointment of a single UN arbiter to work out a settlement.

Defense
U.S. Defense Secretary Louis Johnson urged a three-year extension of the draft, claiming that conscription boosted voluntary enlistment and helped convince allies of American determination "to maintain the strength of the free world."

Crime
A U.S. federal court in Rome, Georgia declared a mistrial in the case of 10 whites, including Dade County Sheriff John Lynch, accusing of arresting and beating seven Negroes without cause.

Economics and finance
The United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark agreed to work toward a British-Scandinavian economic union.

Golf
The Professional Golfers Association awarded Sam Snead the Vardon Trophy for the lowest average 18-hole score (69.37).

Football
AAFC
All-Star Game @ Rice Field, Houston
All-Stars 12 Cleveland 7

All the scoring took place in the 1st half as the All-Stars defeated the champion Browns in the last game of the All-America Football Conference, which had recently agreed to a merger with the National Football League. Only about 10,000 fans braved a rainstorm to witness the game, also known as the Shamrock Bowl. Chet Mutryn of the Buffalo Bills rushed 2 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring for the All-Stars in the 1st quarter; Frankie Albert of the San Francisco 49ers missed the convert, leaving the All-Stars ahead 6-0. Otto Graham passed 40 yards to Dub Jones for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter, and Lou Groza's convert gave the Browns a 7-6 lead. Mr. Albert passed 23 yards to Al Baldwin of the Bills for the eventual winning touchdown, with Mr. Albert again missing the convert.

60 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Travellin' Light--Cliff Richard and the Shadows (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Lawless Years, starring James Gregory, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Sonny Rosen Story

The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Dutch Schultz Story, with guest stars Lawrence Dobkin and Robert Carricart

At the movies
On the Beach, produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, and starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, and Anthony Perkins, opened in theatres.



Diplomacy
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower met with Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba in Marsa, Tunisia, near Tunis, for a brief talk.



Communist Chinese Premier Chou En-lai, in a note to Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, suggested that the two leaders meet in China or Burma to seek “some agreements of principle as guidance to...settlement of the boundary question.”

World events
United Arab Republic ships halted the Greek freighter Astypalea at the Port Said entrance to the Suez Canal after the ship’s captain rejected orders to unload 400 tons of Israeli cement before entering the canal.

Defense
The North Atlantic Council meeting of defense ministers in Paris agreed to plan a 10-year program of objectives "in the political, military, scientific and economic fields, and in regard to arms control.”

Politics and government
A joint session of the Swiss Parliament in Bern elected Foreign Minister Max Petitpierre as President of the Swiss Federal Council for 1960.

Haitian President Francois Duvalier's fourth cabinet resigned.

50 years ago
1969

On television tonight
Then Came Bronson, starring Michael Parks, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Spitball Kid

Tonight, hosted by Johnny Carson, on NBC
Mr. Carson hosted one of his most unusual (and highest-rated) programs, featuring the wedding of pop singer Tiny Tim and "Miss Vicki" Budinger. Tiny Tim (real name Herbert Khaury) was 37 at the time of the wedding, 20 years older than his bride. Nick Lucas, whose 1929 version of Tiptoe Thru' the Tulips with Me inspired Tiny Tim's 1968 version, was a guest on the show.



Defense
The United States Air Force announced the end of Project Blue Book, its 21-year study of unidentified flying objects. In a check of 12,618 UFO sightings reported, Air Force Secretary Robert Seamans said that no evidence had been found that any of them were extraterrestrial spaceships or were a threat to national security.

40 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Video Killed the Radio Star--The Buggles (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ihōjin--Sayuri Kume (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Sin Amor (Dghingis Khan)--Iván

World events
The International Red Cross reported that little of the 33,000 tons of supplies it had delivered to Cambodia had been distributed, and warned that it would discontinue its relief if the delay did not end.

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Escaping--Margaret Urlich (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Girl I'm Gonna Miss You--Milli Vanilli (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, on Fox

This Christmas special marked the beginning of the long-running animated series The Simpsons.

War
U.S. troops in Panama were placed on high alert. There were already 12,000 military personnel in the country, their primary duty being to guard the Panama Canal.

Protest
Romanian Securitate (internal security) troops shot a large number of people to death at a pro-democracy demonstration in Timisoara, Transylvania.

Politics and government
Fernando Collor de Mello, candidate of the National Reconstruction Party (PRN), defeated Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party (PT) 53%-47% in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the country's first democratically-elected President in almost 30 years.

25 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Zombie--The Cranberries

#1 single in Italy: Stay With Me--Da Blitz

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Hypnose--Scorpia (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Cotton-Eyed Joe--Rednex (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Always--Bon Jovi (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Can You Feel the Love Tonight--Elton John (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Dromen zijn bedrog--Marco Borsato (12th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Stay Another Day--East 17 (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Here Comes the Hotstepper--Ini Kamoze
2 On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men
3 Another Night--Real McCoy
4 Always--Bon Jovi
5 Creep--TLC
6 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men
7 Secret--Madonna
8 All I Wanna Do--Sheryl Crow
9 I Wanna Be Down--Brandy
10 You Want This/'70s Love Groove--Janet Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Take a Bow by Madonna (#45); In the House of Stone and Light by Martin Page (#87); You Suck by the Murmurs (#89); She Don't Use Jelly by the Flaming Lips (#91); and Till You Love Me by Reba McEntire (#94).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 On Bended Knee--Boyz II Men (3rd week at #1)
2 Another Night--Real McCoy
3 Always--Bon Jovi
4 Here Comes the Hotstepper--Ini Kamoze
5 I'm the Only One--Melissa Etheridge
6 Secret--Madonna
7 I'll Make Love to You--Boyz II Men
8 You Want This/70's Love Groove--Janet Jackson
9 I Wanna Be Down--Brandy
10 Never Lie--Immature

Singles entering the chart were Take a Bow by Madonna (#32); Tootsee Roll by 69 Boyz (#54); Doll Parts by Hole (#71); Buddy Holly by Weezer (#78); I Miss You by N II U (#82); Bring the Pain by Method Man (#86); and Supernova by Liz Phair (#88).

War
North Korea shot down a U.S. reconnaissance helicopter that was flying over its territory. Chief Warrant Officers David Hilemon and Bobby Hall were the helicopters only occupants; CWO Hilemon died of his injuries, while CWO Hall was taken prisoner. North Korea conducted an investigation, while declining to discuss the matter with the United States.

Crime
Two months after a gunman had fired shots from a semiautomatic rifle at the White House, a similar incident occurred. In the early hours of the day, at least four small-calibre bullets were fired at the White House, one of which went through the window of a state dining room. U.S. President Bill Clinton and his family were asleep at the time. No one was injured in the shooting.

20 years ago
1999

Died on this date
C. Vann Woodward, 91. U.S historian. Dr. Woodward specialized in the American South and race relations, and argued that racial segregation in the South was a 19th century invention rather than a historical standard. He was known for his books Origins of the New South, 1877–1913 (1951); The Strange Career of Jim Crow (1955/1965/1974); and Mary Chesnut's Civil War (1981), winning the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for History for the latter.

Rex Allen, 78. U.S. musician and actor. Mr. Allen, nicknamed “The Arizona Cowboy,” was a country and western singer who had several hit singles from 1949-1968 and appeared in several Western movies, but was perhaps better known for narrating numerous Walt Disney films and television programs. He died two weeks before his 79th birthday when he was accidentally run over in his driveway by his caregiver.

Grover Washington Jr., 56. U.S. musician. Mr. Washington was a jazz saxophonist who performed with other bands and led his own band, achieving commercial and critical success in the 1970s and ‘80s. He was best known for the album Winelight (1980), from which the single Just the Two of Us, with vocal by Bill Withers, became a major hit in 1981, winning Grammy Awards for both the album and the single. Mr. Washington suffered a fatal heart attack just after performing four songs for the television program The Saturday Early Show.

Politics and government
U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Senator Bill Bradley, candidates for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States in 2000, disagreed over health care policy in a debate in Nashua, New Hampshire. Senator Bradley noted that he was the only candidate who favoured mandatory licensing and registration of all handguns.

Disasters
Three days of heavy rains in Venezuela produced floods and mudslides that claimed at least 9,000 lives. Unofficial estimates were as high as 30,000, and many of the victims were from densely populated slums. More than 100,000 were left homeless.

10 years ago
2009

Died on this date
Jennifer Jones, 90. U.S. actress. Miss Jones, born Phyllis Isley, won the Academy Award for The Song of Bernadette (1943), her first starring role. She also received Oscar nominations for her supporting performance in Since You Went Away (1944), and her starring performances in Love Letters (1945); Duel in the Sun (1946); and Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955). Miss Jones was married to actor Robert Walker from 1939-1945, but began an affair with producer David O. Selznick in 1944, and was married to him from 1949 until his death in 1965. Miss Jones suffered from emotional problems for many years, and became a mental health advocate.

Alaina Reed Hall, 63. U.S. actress. Mrs. Hall was best known for playing Olivia Robinson in the children’s television program Sesame Street (1976-1988) and playing Rose Lee Holloway in the comedy series 227 (1985-1990). She died of breast cancer.

Chris Henry, 26. U.S. football player. Mr. Henry was a wide receiver with the West Virginia University Mountaineers (2003-2004), amassing 1,006 yards receiving in his first season. He played with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2005-2009, catching 119 passes for 1,826 yards and 21 touchdowns. Mr. Henry had numerous off-field incidents, criminal and otherwise, resulting in several suspensions. He died the day after an argument with his fiancee; she drove away in a moving van, and he jumped in the back, but fell out while the truck was in motion, and hit his head on the road, resulting in blunt force trauma. A post-mortem exam found that Mr. Henry was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease that often affects football players who have played many games and suffered multiple concussions. Mr. Henry hadn’t played for a long time, and had never been diagnosed with a concussion; the discovery that he had CTE led to further study of the condition, and may have explained his off-field behaviour.

Disasters
The livestock transport ship MV Danny F II capsized and sank in bad weather off the coast of Lebanon, resulting in 43 human and more than 28,000 sheep and cattle deaths.

Football
CFL
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers fired head coach Mike Kelly, hours after he was arrested and charged with assault and harassment following an domestic dispute at his home in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Blue Bombers denied that the criminal charges had anything to do with his firing. Mr. Kelly had achieved success as the Blue Bombers' offensive coordinator from 1992-1996, but the team finished third in the East Division in 2009 with a record of 7-11, missing the playoffs. He had frosty relations with the local media, and was a frequent target of their criticism. The charges against Mr. Kelly--who claimed that he was the victim of the assault and had been the one who called police--were dropped after he took an anger management course.