December 22, 2019

1,950 years ago
69

Died on this date
Vitellius, 54. Roman Emperor, 69. Vitellius succeeded Otho as Emperor on April 16, 69. His position was challenged by Vespasian, and Vitellius was preparing to abdicate when he was executed by Vespasian's soldiers.

1,775 years ago
244

Born on this date
Diocletian. Emperor of the Roman Empire, 284-305. Diocletian, a native of Croatia, was a cavalry commander who was proclaimed Emperor after the deaths of Emperor Carus and Carus's son Numerian during a campaign in Persia. Diocletian governed as an autocrat, but succeeded in delegating responsibility and bringing stability to the government. He was best known for his persecution of Christians (303-312), which was the largest and bloodiest persecution of Christians by Roman authorities. As with other persecutions, it failed to eradicate Christianity within the Empire. Diocletian voluntarily abdicated in 305 because of illness, and died on December 3, 311 or 312, 19 days before his 67th or 68th birthday.

600 years ago
1419

Died on this date
John XXIII, 49 (?). Roman Catholic Antipope, 1410-1415. John XXIII, born Baldassarre Cossa, obtained doctorates in civil and canon law, and entered the service of Pope Boniface IX during the Western Schism, when there were rival claimants to the papacy in Rome and Avignon. Dr. Cossa was one of seven cardinals who deserted Pope Gregory XII in 1408, and became the leader of the Council of Pisa, which was convened with followers of Antipope Benedict XIII. In an attempt to end the schism, the Council deposed both Gregory XII and Benedict XIII and elected Alexander V as antipope, resulting in three rival claimants to the papacy. Alexander V died soon thereafter, and Dr. Cossa became Antipope John XXIII on May 25, 1410, having been ordained a priest just the day before. John XXIII was recognized as pope by France, England, Bohemia, Portugal, parts of the Holy Roman Empire, and northern Italian city states including Florence and Venice. The Council of Constance was convened in 1413 as another attempt to end the schism; Antipope John escaped down the Rhine River to Freiburg im Breisgau, but was returned to Constance, and was imprisoned in Germany after being convicted by the Council of various charges. He was freed in 1418 after a heavy ransom was paid by the Medici Bank, and died in Florence, where he had been made Cardinal Bishop of Frascati by Pope Martin V. When Angelo Roncalli acceded to the papacy in 1958, there was some confusion concerning the numbering, but he took the name John XXIII.

250 years ago
1769

War
Having been soundly defeated in battle, China's Qing dynasty agreed to terms of truce, ending the Sino-Burmese War.

200 years ago
1819

Born on this date
Franz Abt. German composer and conductor. Mr. Abt wrote about 3,000 works, mainly of vocal music. He spent much of his last 30 years as a guest conductor of choirs throughout Europe and the United States. Mr. Abt died on March 31, 1885 at the age of 65.

180 years ago
1839

Born on this date
John Nevil Maskelyne. U.K. magician and inventor. Mr. Maskelyne worked as a stage magician for more than 40 years, inventing illusions that are still used today. He was skeptical of claims of supernatural powers, and founded the Occult Committee in 1914 to expose those he regarded as frauds. Mr. Maskelyne's book Sharps and Flats: A Complete Revelation of the Secrets of Cheating at Games of Chance and Skill (1894) is still considered a standard work. He invented the pay toilet and other devices of the Victorian era. Mr. Maskelyne died on May 18, 1917 at the age of 77.

150 years ago
1869

Born on this date
E. A. Robinson. U.S. poet. Edward Arlington Robinson won three Pulitzer Prizes for his work in the 1920s. His best-known poem is probably Richard Cory (1897). Mr. Robinson died on April 6, 1935 at the age of 65.

130 years ago
1889

Born on this date
George Hutson. U.K. runner. Mr. Hutson won bronze medals in the men's 5000-metre run and the 3000-metre team race at the 1912 Summer Olympic Games in Stockholm. He died on September 14, 1914 at the age of 34 when he was killed in the Battle of the Marne while serving as a sergeant with the Royal Sussex Regiment.

Carroll Reece. U.S. politician. Mr. Reece, a Republican, represented Tennessee's 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1921-1931, 1933-1947, 1951-1961), and was chairman of the Republican National Committee (1946-1948). He led the House's Reece Committee (1954),, originally the Cox Committee (1952-1953), which investigated the use of funds by tax-exempt organizations (non-profit organizations) to see if they were being used to support Communism. Mr. Reece's commission concluded, "Some of the larger foundations have directly supported 'subversion' in the true meaning of that term--namely, the process of undermining some of our vitally protective concepts and principles. They have actively supported attacks upon our social and governmental system and financed the promotion of socialism and collectivist ideas." Mr. Reece died of lung cancer on March 19, 1961 at the age of 71, shortly after beginning his 18th term as a Congressman.

Minor Watson. U.S. actor. Mr. Watson was a character actor who appeared in 113 movies from 1913-1956. He died on July 28, 1965 at the age of 75.

125 years ago
1894

Abominations
French Army Captain Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial that triggered worldwide charges of anti-Semitism.

Golf
The United States Golf Association, which sets the rules for the game in addition to administering the United States Open, was founded in New York City at a meeting of delegates from five clubs: Newport (Rhode Island) Golf Club; St. Andrew's Golf Club in Yonkers, New York; The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts; Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York; and Chicago Golf Club.

120 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Gustaf Gründgens. German actor and director. Mr. Gründgens was one of Germany's most famous actors of the 20th century, in plays and in movies such as M (1931) and Faust (1960). He was able to continue his career during the Nazi regime in Germany, and whether he collaborated with the Nazis remains a matter of dispute. While travelling around the world, Mr. Gründgens died on October 7, 1963 at the age of 63 of an internal hemorrhage, apparently caused by an overdose of sleeping pills, which may have been accidental.

Died on this date
D.L. Moody, 62. U.S. evangelist. Dwight Lyman Moody was raised as a Unitarian, but came to saving faith in Jesus Christ in 1855. He became a widely-known evangelist, preaching throughout the United States, and making several tours of the United Kingdom. Mr. Moody became associated with the Plymouth Brethren and the Holiness Movement, and founded what is now Moody Church in Chicago, as well as Moody Bible Institute and Moody Press. He died, perhaps of congestive heart failure, just over a month after taking ill during another preaching tour.

110 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Patricia Hayes. U.K. actress. Miss Hayes appeared in numerous radio and television comedy programs, and won a BAFTA Award in 1971 for starring in the title role of the Play for Today drama Edna, the Inebriate Woman. She died on September 19, 1998 at the age of 88.

90 years ago
1929

Politics and government
A referendum in Germany on a "Law against the Enslavement of the German People" received approval from 94.5% of those who voted. The "Liberty Law," proposed by German nationalists, would formally renounce the Treaty of Versailles and make it a criminal offense for German officials to co-operate in the collecting of reparations. However, only 14.5% of eligible voters participated, well below the 50% threshold necessary for the measure to become law. The referendum followed the proposed law's rejection in the Reichstag by a margin of 318-82 vote. The bill was rejected by centrist, centre-left, and centre-right parties, who favoured the Young Plan of loosening the burden of reparations payments. The "Liberty Law" was supported by the Nazi Party, German National People's Party (DNVP), and Pan-German League.

80 years ago
1939

Died on this date
Ma Rainey, 53 or 57. U.S. singer. Mrs. Rainey was billed as the "Mother of the Blues," and was one of the first blues singers to record, making over 100 recordings from 1923-1928, including Bo-Weevil Blues (1923); See See Rider Blues (1924); and Black Bottom (1927). She recorded with Louis Armstrong and toured until her retirement in 1935. Mrs. Rainey died of a heart attack.

Protest
Indian Muslims observed a "Day of Deliverance" to celebrate the resignations of members of the Indian National Congress over their not having been consulted over the decision to enter World War II with the United Kingdom.

75 years ago
1944

Died on this date
Harry Langdon, 60. U.S. actor. Mr. Langdon was one of the most popular comedy performers of the silent film era, starring in movies such as The Strong Man (1926); Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926); and Long Pants (1927). His career began to decline after he took over the directing chores for his own pictures, and most of his performances took place in short and low-budget movies. Mr. Langdon was one of the writers of the Laurel and Hardy movies Block-Heads (1938); The Flying Deuces (1939); A Chump at Oxford (1940); and Saps at Sea (1940), and co-starred with Oliver Hardy in Zenobia (1939). Mr. Langdon died from a cerebral hemorrhage.

War
The office of U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that 250,000 more fighting men would have to be found for Britain's armies in 1945. During the Battle of the Bulge, Germany demanded the surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium; U.S. Army Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe reportedly replied: "Nuts!" The U.S.S.R. threw about 240,000 troops into battle in Latvia. Japanese troops retreating through the Chinese province of Kwangsi stiffened their resistance at Hochih, 95 miles northwest of Liuchow. The Vietnam People's Army was formed to resist Japanese occupation of Indochina.

70 years ago
1949

At the movies
Captain Carey, U.S.A., directed by Mitchell Leisen, and starring Alan Ladd and Wanda Hendrix, received its premiere screening in London.



The Blonde Bandit, directed by Harry Keller, and starring Dorothy Patrick, Robert Rockwell, and Gerald Mohr, opened in theatres.



Diplomacy
The Japanese government refused to accept the 1945 Yalta agreement as binding on Japan, maintaining its claim to southern Sakhalin, the southern Kuriles, Okinawa, and Iwo Jima.

Aviation
The U.S. National Aeronautics Association's Collier Trophy for the year's greatest aviation achievement was awarded to the Radio Technical Commission for its development of a bad-weather flight system used in the Berlin airlift.

Politics and government
Patrick Malin was chosen to succeed Roger Baldwin as director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Health
A U.S.-Mexican agricultural commission reported the successful conclusion of a three-year campaign against foot and mouth disease in Mexico.

The U.S. Public Health Service announced the creation of a radiological health branch to plan for protection against atomic radiation in case of a nuclear attack.

Economics and finance
Japan and the United Kingdom completed a $360-million trade agreement.

The U.S. Commerce Department tightened restrictions on shipments to Communist countries containing non-secret technical information of military importance.

The U.S. Agriculture Department ended price support purchases of eggs.

Labour
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board ruled that farm workers were not covered by the Taft-Hartley Act, in a case involving a strike by the American Federation of Labor National Farm Labor Union against the Di Giorgio Fruit Corporation in Bakersfield, California.

60 years ago
1959

On television tonight
Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, hosted by John Newland, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Make Me Not a Witch, starring Patty McCormack, Robert Emhardt, Eileen Ryan, and Leo Penn



Died on this date
Gilda Gray, 58. Polish-born U.S. actress and dancer. Miss Gray, born Marianna Michalska, was orphaned at an early age, and moved with her foster parents to Milwaukee in 1909. She became popular in vaudeville in the early 1920s for dancing the "shimmy," and appeared in movies such as Cabaret (1927) and Piccadilly (1929). Miss Gray suffered from poor health in later years, and died of a heart attack.

War
Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru told the Lok Sabha that India would not use police or troops to expel Communist Chinese forces from disputed border areas, but warned that he would oppose further Chinese incursions with force.

Diplomacy
U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and other cabinet members greeted President Dwight D. Eisenhower as he landed at Andrews Air Force Base, Virginia after completing his 11-nation tour of Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Defense
North Atlantic Council foreign ministers meeting in Paris pledged full support to the negotiating position adopted by the U.S.A., U.K., France, and West Germany in the Western summit talks.

U.S. Defense Department officials confirmed a Canadian-U.S. agreement for construction of 52 new radar stations to fill gaps in the Pinetree warning system across Canada.

Politics and government
Algerian sources in Cairo reported that Prime Minister Ferhat Abbas's provisional government in Algeria had been replaced by a military cabinet led by Belkacem Krim, deputy prime minister and defense minister under Mr. Abbas.

U.S. Senator Wayne Morse (Democrat--Oregon) announced that he had agreed to enter Oregon's Democratic Party primary for the U.S. presidential nomination in 1960 at the urging of his backers.

Labour
U.S. District Court Judge F. Dickinson Letts, acting on the request of court-appointed monitors, ordered the Teamsters union to prepare for elections to free 12 Teamsters locals from trusteeship.

50 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kuroneko no Tango--Osamu Minagawa (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Sugar, Sugar--The Archies (6th week at #1)

On the radio
The Challenge of Space, on Springbok Radio
Tonight’s episode: Where was Atlantis?

Died on this date
Enrique Peñaranda del Castillo, 77. 45th President of Bolivia, 1940-1943. General Peñaranda commanded his country's forces during the second half of the Chaco War against Paraguay (1932-1935), and was elected President in 1940 as the candidate of the Concordance, an alliance of traditionalist and right-wing parties. He supported the Allies during World War II, but was unpopular at home, and was deposed by a coup of reformist military officers. Gen. Peñaranda lived the rest of his life in exile, and died in Madrid.

Diplomacy
The Middle East peace plan proposed by U.S. Secretary of State William Rogers on December 9 that called for Israeli withdrawal from occupied Egyptian territory, a peace treaty between the two and establishment of a demilitarized zone, and a "unified" Jerusalem shared by Israel and Jordan was rejected at an emergency meeting of the Israeli cabinet. Prime Minister Golda Meir termed the plan an appeasement of the Arabs.

Economics and finance
The way for talks on British entry into the European Economic Community was paved when EEC ministers, meeting in Brussels, reached agreement on how to finance their farm policy. France had insisted that such an accord would have to be reached before it would reconsider its veto on U.K. entry.

Terrorism
A Swiss court at Winterthur convicted three members of the Palestine Liberation Front charged with a machine gun attack in February on an Israeli plane at the Zurich airport, and sentenced them to 12 years in jail for the murder of the co-pilot. The Israeli guard who had shot and killed the fourth raider was acquitted.

Bernadette Devlin, 22, member of the British House of Commons for Mid-Ulster, was sentenced to six months in jail and was released on bail for her role in Londonderry’s Bogside riots earlier in the year.

Economics and finance
The Supreme Court agreed with the Quebec Court of Appeal in declaring illegal the “voluntary tax” of $2 collected by the City of Montreal from its taxpayers and other participants. The "tax," a form of lottery, had been introduced by Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau in May 1968 as a way of paying for the Expo 67 world's fair and other projects.

Disasters
A crippled U.S. Navy jet crashed into a Miramar Naval Air station hangar, killing 14 and injuring 11.

40 were killed and at least 50 missing after a South Vietnamese passenger plane crashed near Nha Trang air base.

40 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Southern Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Is She Really Going Out with Him?--Joe Jackson (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Remi, Le Sue Avventure--Ragazzi Di Remi (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)--Pink Floyd (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)--Pink Floyd (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Weekend--Earth and Fire (2nd week at #1)
2 Love and Understanding--Mac Kissoon and Family
3 Get Up and Boogie--Freddie James
4 Crazy Little Thing Called Love--Queen
5 Ooh, Yes I Do--Luv'
6 Please Don't Go--KC and the Sunshine Band
7 Gonna Get Along Without You Now--Viola Willis
8 Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)--Pink Floyd
9 Thema Uit "De Verlaten Mijn" - Einsamer Hirte--Gheorghe Zamfir met Orkest o.l.v. James Last
10 We Got the Whole World in Our Hands--Nottingham Forest with Paper Lace

Singles entering the chart were Fly Too High by Janis Ian (#28); What's a Matter Baby by Ellen Foley (#33); Can We Still Be Friends by Robert Palmer (#35); Het Leven is Goed in M'n Brabantse Land by Oh Sixteen-Oh Seven met zang van Thijs v.d. Molen (#38); and Tell Everybody by Herbie Hancock (#39).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Escape (The Pina Colada Song)--Rupert Holmes
2 Please Don't Go--KC and the Sunshine Band
3 Babe--Styx
4 Send One Your Love--Stevie Wonder
5 Still--Commodores
6 Do That to Me One More Time--Captain & Tennille
7 You're Only Lonely--J.D. Souther
8 No More Tears/Enough is Enough--Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer
9 Ladies Night--Kool & The Gang
10 Take the Long Way Home--Supertramp

Singles entering the chart were Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen (#58); Fool in the Rain by Led Zeppelin (#64); September Morn' by Neil Diamond (#66); Daydream Believer by Anne Murray (#67); Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar (#76); Star by Earth, Wind & Fire (#81); Can We Still Be Friends by Robert Palmer (#82); I Don't Want to Talk About It by Rod Stewart (#84); 99 by Toto (#85); I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) by Bonnie Pointer (#86); Don't Make Me Over by Jennifer Warnes (#87); Shooting Star by Dollar (#88); Volcano by Jimmy Buffett (#89); Let Me Sleep Alone by Cugini (#90); and Holdin' on for Dear Love by Lobo (#93).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Escape (The Pina Colada Song)--Rupert Holmes
2 No More Tears/Enough is Enough--Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer
3 Please Don't Go--KC and the Sunshine Band
4 Ladies Night--Kool & The Gang
5 Send One Your Love--Stevie Wonder
6 Babe--Styx
7 Jane--Jefferson Starship
8 We Don't Talk Anymore--Cliff Richard
9 Do That to Me One More Time--Captain & Tennille
10 Rock with You--Michael Jackson

Singles entering the chart were Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen (#54); Fool in the Rain by Led Zeppelin (#69); September Morn' by Neil Diamond (#78); Daydream Believer by Anne Murray (#79); Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar (#84); I Don't Want to Talk About It by Rod Stewart (#86); 99 by Toto (#87); I'm Alive by Gamma (#90); I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) by Bonnie Pointer (#98); and Holdin' on for Dear Love by Lobo (#99).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Babe--Styx (4th week at #1)
2 Still--Commodores
3 Heartache Tonight--Eagles
4 Take the Long Way Home--Supertramp
5 Dreaming--Blondie
6 No More Tears/Enough is Enough--Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer
7 Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough--Michael Jackson
8 I Don't Like Mondays--The Boomtown Rats
9 Dream Police--Cheap Trick
10 Pop Muzik--M

Singles entering the chart were Damned if I Do by the Alan Parsons Project (#84); Last Train to London by Electric Light Orchestra (#86); Third Time Lucky by Foghat (#96); Roller Skatin' Mate by Peaches & Herb (#98); Rotation by Herb Alpert (#99); and Cruisin' by Smokey Robinson (#100).

Died on this date
Darryl F. Zanuck, 77. U.S. motion picture executive. Mr. Zanuck worked with Warner Brothers Pictures before co-founding 20th Century Pictures, Inc. in 1933 and buying out Fox Film Corporation, combining them as 20th Century Fox in 1935. Mr. Zanuck ran the studio for most of the next four decades, eventually being forced out in a power struggle with his son Richard in 1971. Darryl Zanuck was nominated for 16 Academy Awards, winning for Best Picture for How Green Was My Valley (1941); Gentleman's Agreement (1947); and All About Eve (1950). He died of pneumonia.

Protest
Three days of violence in the Baluchistan-Seistan province of Iran concluded with at least 12 dead and 80 wounded.

Football
NCAA
Sun Bowl
U of Washington 14 Texas 7

Hockey
NHL
Montreal 4 Vancouver 2
Los Angeles 9 Edmonton 3

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Samuel Beckett, 83. Irish-born French playwright and novelist. Mr. Beckett’s works included Waiting for Godot (1952) and Krapp’s Last Tape (1959). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for 1959. I’ve never bothered reading any of his stuff, because I have no interest in whiny Europeans who spend their time complaining about the God they say doesn’t exist.

World events
As up to 150,000 pro-democracy protesters massed to defy Securitate forces in Romania, it was reported that the defense minister had committed suicide, though it was later determined that he had been shot for refusing to order the army to fire on the demonstrators. Military units joined the rebels. President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena, his chief deputy in the government, fled Bucharest by helicopter. They landed and seized a car, but were in turn captured by insurgents near Tirgoviste. A coalition of former Communist officials, military officers, students, and others formed the National Salvation Front to run the country.

Germanica
Berlin’s most famous landmark, the Brandenburg Gate, opened for the first time in nearly 30 years.

War
The Organization of American States condemned the U.S.A.’s invasion of Panama.

25 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Super Gut--Mo-Do

Diplomacy
North Korean officials returned the body of U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer David Hilemon to U.S. officials, five days after the reconnaissance helicopter carrying CWO Hilemon and CWO Bobby Hall had been shot down over N.K. territory, resulting in the death of CWO Hilemon and the capture of CWO Hall.

Politics and government
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose governing coalition in parliament was falling apart, submitted his resignation to President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro. Mr. Berlusconi would lead a caretaker government until elections were held.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the gross domestic product had grown at an annual rate of 4% in the third quarter of 1994.

20 years ago
1999

Space
The moon appeared 14% brighter than it did when furthest away from Earth. Astronomers said that the moon wouldn’t be this close again for more than a century. This blogger went for a walk in the North Saskatchewan River valley in Edmonton, and it was indeed bright, with the moonlight reflecting off the snow.

Diplomacy
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat concluded two days of talks in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Terrorism
Ahmed Ressam of Algeria, arrested at Port Angeles, Washington on December 14 after bomb-making materials were found in his car, was indicted in Seattle.

Scandal
Canadian porn star Kathryn Gannon, aka Marylin Star, was accused of illegally profiting from inside information gained from an intimate relationship with an influential Wall Street executive.

Disasters
Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509, a Boeing 747-200F en route from Seoul to Milan via Tashkent and London, crashed shortly after take-off from London Stansted Airport due to pilot error. All four crew members were killed.

10 years ago
2009

Died on this date
Luis Francisco Cuéllar Carvajal, 69. Colombian politician. Mr. Cuéllar, a member of the Movimiento Alianza Social Independiente (Movimiento Alianza Social Independiente) (ASI) until 2003, was Mayor of Morelia (1996-1998), and Deputy Governor of Caquetá (2000-2003). He joined the Partido Popular Colombiano (Colombian People's Party) in 2003, and took office as Governor of Caquetá on January 1, 2008. Mr. Cuéllar survived five kidnappings at the hands of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia—Ejército del Pueblo (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) (FARC), and was still in office when he was murdered by FARC forces the day after being kidnapped a fifth time.