December 7, 2019

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Elena!

200 years ago
1819

Politics and government
U.S. President James Monroe delivered his State of the Union message to Congress.

150 years ago
1869

Crime
American outlaw Jesse James committed his first confirmed bank robbery, in Gallatin, Missouri.

140 years ago
1879

Born on this date
Rudolf Friml. Czech-born U.S. musician and composer. Mr. Friml was a pianist who moved to the United States in 1906. He was best known for composing music for operettas, especially Rose-Marie (1924); The Vagabond King (1925); and The Three Musketeers (1928). Mr. Friml died on November 12, 1972, 25 days before his 93rd birthday.

Died on this date
Jón Sigurðsson, 68. Icelandic politician. Mr. Sigurðsson led the movement for Icelandic independence from Denmark in the 19th century. He represented Ísafjörður in the Althing from 1844 until his death, served several terms as President of the Althing, and was Speaker of the Althing from 1875-1877. Mr. Sigurðsson's birthday, June 17, is Iceland's national holiday.

125 years ago
1894

Died on this date
Ferdinand de Lesseps, 89. French diplomat. Mr. de Lesseps, the son of a diplomat, had a career in the French diplomatic service from the mid-1820s to the mid-1850s. He was best known for initiating the development of the Suez Canal, which opened in 1869. Mr. de Lesseps was unsuccessful in an attempt to develop the Panama Canal; he died 12 days after his 89th birthday.

110 years ago
1909

Politics and government
U.S. President William Howard Taft delivered his State of the Union message to Congress.

90 years ago
1929

At the movies
Glorifying the American Girl, directed by John W. Harkrider and Millard Webb, and starring Mary Eaton, Dan Healy, and Kaye Renard, opened in theatres.



Football
NFL
New York (11-1-1) 12 @ Frankford (9-3-5) 0

75 years ago
1944

War
The U.S. War Department disclosed revised plans that now permitted 18-year-olds to enter combat zones. On the Saar front in Germany, U.S. forces entered Forback; the Saarbrucken and Saarlautern bridgeheads were merged; and other units moved into the Pachtener-Buchwald woods. British and Greek forces cleared ELAS resistance from about 3 square miles of Athens, and British naval units shelled ELAS positions at Piraeus. U.S. forces in the Philippines split the Japanese forces on the west coast of Leyte Island with an amphibious landing 3 miles south of Ormoc. As Saipan-based U.S. B-29 bombers struck at Tokyo, other U.S. planes based in China struck at Mukden, Manchuria.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King won a non-confidence vote in the House of Commons in the wake of the measure to send conscripted troops overseas.

Italian Prime Minister Ivanoe Bonomi formed a new cabinet.

U.S. Secretary of State Edward Stettinius stated that the U.S. was in agreement with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill that the Greek people should determine their own form of government.

Chinese Communist leader Chou En-lai reported that Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek had rejected the Communist proposal for a coalition government.

Aviation
The International Civil Aviation Conference concluded in Chicago with agreements setting up a permanent committee to regulate international air traffic. The interim agreement was to become effective for three years once it was accepted by 26 nations.

Economics and finance
The U.S. War Production Board ordered civilian production for the first quarter of 1945 to be held at present levels.

Football
NCAA
The Maxwell Memorial Football Club in Philadelphia elected U.S. Military Academy halfback Glenn Davis as the outstanding player of 1944 in U.S. college football.

70 years ago
1949

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Ben Wright and Eric Snowden, on ABC

Died on this date
Rex Beach, 72. U.S. author. Mr. Beach known for his adventure novels, especially The Spoilers (1906) and The Silver Horde (1909). He was a member of the American team that won the silver medal in water polo at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. Mr. Beach committed suicide by shooting himself after suffering from throat cancer for three years.

Chinatica
The government of the Republic of China moved from Nanking to Taipei, Taiwan.

World events
The espionage trial of former Bulgarian Deputy Premier Traicho Kostov and 10 co-defendants began in Sofia as Mr. Kostov maintained his innocence of all but minor charges.

Defense
Former Manhattan Project director Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, testifying before a U.S. House of Representatives Un-American Activities subcommittee, denied former Major George Jordan's claim from the previous day that uranium shipments to the U.S.S.R. during World War II had been made over his objections.

Labour
17,000 United Steel Workers of America members ended their 52-day strike against the Aluminum Company of America after the firm agreed to bear the entire cost of workers' pension and insurance programs.

60 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Lonely Boy--Paul Anka

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Mack the Knife--Bobby Darin (9th week at #1)
2 Heartaches by the Number--Guy Mitchell
3 Mr. Blue--The Fleetwoods
4 Don't You Know--Della Reese
5 In the Mood--Ernie Fields Orchestra
6 We Got Love--Bobby Rydell
7 So Many Ways--Brook Benton
8 Be My Guest--Fats Domino
9 Oh! Carol--Neil Sedaka
10 Danny Boy--Conway Twitty

Singles entering the chart were A Year Ago Tonight by the Crests (#71); What About Us by the Coasters (#77); The Happy Reindeer by Dancer, Prancer and Nervous (#83); Lucky Devil by Carl Dobkins, Jr. (#93); Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop by Little Anthony and the Imperials (#96); Go, Jimmy, Go by Jimmy Clanton (#98); How About That by Dee Clark (#99); and Uh! Oh! Part 1 by the Nutty Squirrels (#100). Uh! Oh! Part 1 was the A-side of Uh! Oh! Part 2, which had peaked at #50 on November 23 and was no longer on the chart.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Heartaches by the Number--Guy Mitchell (4th week at #1)
2 In the Mood--Ernie Fields Orchestra
3 Living Doll--Cliff Richard and the Drifters
--David Hill
4 Mack the Knife--Bobby Darin
5 Teen Beat--Sandy Nelson
6 Marina--Willy Alberti
--Rocco Granata and the International Quintet
7 Deck of Cards--Wink Martindale
8 Don't You Know--Della Reese
9 Just Ask Your Heart--Frankie Avalon
10 Mr. Blue--The Fleetwoods

Singles entering the chart were Come Into My Heart by Lloyd Price (#30); God Bless America by Anita Bryant (#33. charting with its other side, Among My Souvenirs); Not One Minute More by Della Reese (#53); Starry Eyed by Gary Stites (#54); We Told You Not to Marry by Titus Turner (#57); If I Had a Girl by Rod Lauren (#58); Just Come Home by Hugo & Luigi, Their Orchestra and Chorus (#59); and Tiny Tim by LaVern Baker (#60).

On television tonight
The Philadelphia Story, on NBC

This made-for-television movie was directed by Fielder Cook, and starred Gig Young, Diana Lynn, Christopher Plummer, Ruth Roman, and Mary Astor.

Law
In a decision upholding the President's power to close certain areas to travel by Americans, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review lower court decisions confirming the State Department's refusal to permit U.S. Representative Charles Porter (Democrat--Oregon) and two others to visit the People's Republic of China.

Politics and government
Ceylonese Prime Minister Wijayanande Dahanayake resigned from the ruling Sri Lanka Party after it refused to give him the party leadership, generally held by the Prime Minister.

The Communist-backed cabinet of Sicilian President Silvio Milazzo resigned after the regional parliament rejected his 1960 budget.

Former U.S. President Harry Truman, addressing a New York fund-raising dinner honouring former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, said that the Democratic Party needed as its 1960 U.S. presidential candidate "a vigorous, fighting, genuine liberal and not a hot-house liberal who talks the game but doesn't play it."

Business
The U.S. Senate Anti-trust and Monopoly subcommittee headed by Sen. Estes Kefauver (Democrat--Tennessee) began an inquiry into charges of profiteering and price markups by drug manufacturers.

50 years ago
1969

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Consuelo!

Died on this date
Lefty O'Doul, 72. U.S. baseball player and manager. Francis Joseph O'Doul was an outfielder and pitcher with the New York Yankees (1919-1920, 1922); Boston Red Sox (1923); New York Giants (1928, 1933-1934); Philadelphia Phillies (1929-1930); and Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers (1931-1933), batting .349 with 113 home runs and 542 runs batted in in 970 games, and helping the Giants win the World Series in 1933. He led the National League in batting in 1929 and 1932, hitting .398 in 1929, when he also led the NL with 254 hits. Mr. O'Doul pitched in 34 games, posting a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 4.67. He played in 1,090 games in 16 seasons in the minor leagues from 1917-1956, batting .352 with 99 home runs, while compiling a record of 53-32 and a 3.41 ERA in 134 games as a pitcher. Mr. O'Doul managed in the Pacific Coast League with the San Francisco Seals (1935-1951); San Diego Padres (1952-1954); Oakland Oaks (1955); Vancouver Mounties (1956); and Seattle Rainiers (1957), compiling a record of 1,539-1,467 (.512), leading the Seals to PCL pennants in 1935 and 1943-1946. He made numerous off-season visits to Japan from 1931-1937 and 1949 through the early 1960s, helping to lead tours of American players and coach Japanese players. Mr. O'Doul helped to restore friendly relations between the United States and Japan after World War II, and became the first American member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 2002. He died several weeks after suffering a stroke.

Eric Portman, 68. U.K. actor. Mr. Portman appeared in plays and films from 1924-1969, with his career peaking in the 1940s when he starred in movies such as 49th Parallel (1941); One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942); and We Dive at Dawn (1943). Mr. Portman died of heart disease.

Football
NFL
Washington (6-4-2) 34 @ Philadelphia (4-7-1) 29
Green Bay (6-6) 7 @ Cleveland (9-2-1) 20
Dallas (9-2-1) 10 @ Pittsburgh (1-11) 7
New Orleans (4-8) 17 @ Atlanta (4-8) 45
Detroit (7-4-1) 17 @ Baltimore (7-4-1) 17
St. Louis (4-7-1) 6 @ New York (4-8) 49
Minnesota (11-1) 20 @ Los Angeles (11-1) 13

AFL
Cincinnati (4-8-1) 17 @ Oakland (11-1-1) 37
Denver (4-8-1) 24 @ Miami (3-9-1) 27
Buffalo (4-9) 19 @ Kansas City (11-2) 22
Boston (4-9) 18 @ San Diego (7-6) 28

40 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Oh! Susie--Secret Service (8th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Maybe--Thom Pace (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Video Killed the Radio Star--The Buggles (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, 79. U.K.-born U.S. astronomer and astrophysicist. Dr. Payne-Gaposchkin moved to the United States in 1923 to conduct graduate research at Harvard University. In her 1925 doctoral thesis, she proposed that stars were composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Her conclusion challenged the scientific orthodoxy of the time, but was eventually proved correct. Dr. Payne-Gaposchkin wrote several books on high-magnitude and variable stars, and helped pave the way for other women to enter the fields of astronomy and astrophysics.

Weather
A cold December in Edmonton got more miserable when the snow came to stay for the winter.

Politics and government
Lord Soames was named transitional Governor of Rhodesia to oversee its progress into legal independence.

U.S. President Jimmy Carter fired Joseph Hendrie as chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in response to the report of the President’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island which was released on October 30. Among the recommendations of the report was the abolition of the NRC and its replacement by an agency within the executive branch headed by one executive rather than by a five-man commission. Mr. Carter decided to retain the NRC, but he promised to send to Congress early in 1980 a reorganization plan to strengthen the role of its chairman.

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): Another Day in Paradise--Phil Collins

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): When You Come Back to Me--Jason Donovan

Died on this date
Haystack Calhoun, 55. U.S. wrestler. William Dee Calhoun, who earned his nickname by throwing haystacks around with ease, was one of the most popular professional wrestlers of the 1950s and '60s. He stood 6'4" and weighed 640 pounds.

Politics and government
Czechoslovakian Premier Ladislav Adamec resigned, and President Gustav Husak named Marian Calfa to replace him. The new cabinet announced that day had only 10 Communists among its 21 members.

The Lithuanian parliament voted overwhelmingly to adopt a multiparty political system, the first time any republic in the U.S.S.R. had taken such a step. The vote was to remove Article 6 of the republic’s constitution guaranteeing the Communist Party a monopoly on power.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 5 St. Louis 2

25 years ago
1994

Died on this date
J.-C. Tremblay, 55. Canadian hockey player. Jean-Claude Tremblay was a defenceman with the Montreal Canadiens (1959-72) and Quebec Nordiques (1972-79). He played on five Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Canadiens and one Avco World Trophy championship team with the Nordiques. Mr. Tremblay died of kidney cancer.

Economics and finance
U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan warned Congress that continued economic expansion would bring on inflationary pressures, which the Fed would seek to suppress.

20 years ago
1999

Movies
Filming for Double Frame, starring Daniel Baldwin and Peter Outerbridge, had moved to Edmonton from Calgary, and this blogger was hired as an extra. Filming took place in the Federal Building, which had been abandoned 11 years earlier. The basement of the building was turned into a mock police station, and I played a policeman in a couple of scenes. Unfortunately, the building had no heat, and it was a cold (and very long and boring) day.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright continued her Middle East tour by meeting with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in Damascus. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak announced a moratorium on the construction of Israeli settlements on the West Bank.

Protest
Seattle police chief Norm Stamper resigned amid many complaints that the police had been unprepared for the tens of thousands of protesters outside the meeting of the World Trade Organization several days earlier, had been unable to cope with the violence and vandalism that erupted, and had overreacted by using rubber bullets and tear gas on crowds of peaceful protesters.