February 1, 2020

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Snejka!

1,170 years ago
850

Died on this date
Ramiro I, 60 (?). King of Asturias, 842-850. Ramiro I, the son of King Bermudo I, was away from Asturias (a kingdom in the Iberian peninsula) when he was chosen by King Alfonso II as his successor. King Alfonso's son-in-law Nepotian claimed the throne in Ramiro's absence, but Ramiro defeated him in battle, and had him blinded and interned in a monastery. King Ramiro I had to fend off attacks from Vikings and Moors during his reign. He was succeeded on the throne by his son Ordoño I.

330 years ago
1690

Born on this date
Francesco Maria Veracini. Italian composer. Mr. Veracini was a violinist who was best known for his violin sonatas. He also wrote violin concertos, recorder sonatas, and orchestral suites, and has been described as heralding the end of the Baroque era. Mr. Veracini died on October 31, 1768 at the age of 78.

270 years ago
1750

Died on this date
Bakar, 50. Georgian royal family member. Prince Bakar, the son of King Vakhtang VI of Kartli (eastern Georgia), was regent of Kartli from 1716-1719 while his father was absent at the Safavid court of Persia. Prince Bakar followed his father into exile in Russia in 1724, serving in the Russian diplomatic service and rising to the rank of lieutenant-general in the Army. He died in Moscow.

230 years ago
1790

Law
The Supreme Court of the United States convened for the first time, in New York City.

150 years ago
1870

Born on this date
Erik Adolf von Willebrand. Finnish physician. Dr. von Willebrand, head of medicine at Deaconess Hospital in Helsinki from 1908-1933, made major contributions to hematology. He identified a bleeding disorder that was distinct from hemophilia, which became known as von Willebrand disease. The disease was caused by a a deficiency of a protein, now known as von Willebrand factor. Dr. von Willebrand died on September 12, 1949 at the age of 79.

130 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Nikolai Reek. Estonian military officer and politician. Lieutenant General Reek was the Estonian military commander during the Estonian War of Independence (1918-1920) and Minister of War from 1939-1940 until Estonia was conquered and occupied by the U.S.S.R. He was arrested and imprisoned by Soviet authorities in 1941, and was executed at Ussolye, Perm Oblast on May 8, 1942 at the age of 52.

125 years ago
1895

Born on this date
Conn Smythe. Canadian hockey executive and military officer. Mr. Smythe served with the Canadian Army in both word wars, winning the Military Cross in World War I and rising to the rank of acting major in World War II. He bought the Toronto St. Patricks of the National Hockey League in 1927, changed their name to Maple Leafs, and coached the team for the next three seasons and a few games afterward, compiling a regular season record of 58-57-20 and a playoff record of 2-2. The Maple Leafs won eight Stanley Cup championships during his years as owner. After selling his shares in the Maple Leafs to his son Stafford, Harold Ballard, and John Bassett, Mr. Smythe served as chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame until 1971, and was inducted into the Hall in 1958. He was a successful owner of racehorses, including two Queen's Plate winners, and was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1977. Mr. Smythe died on November 18, 1980 at the age of 85, after several years of declining health.

Frank Lane. U.S. football player and sports official and executive. "Trader" Lane played guard with the Cincinnati Celts with the professional Ohio League in the 1910s, and umpired baseball and refereed college basketball and football games before entering professional baseball with the Cincinnati Reds in 1933 as business manager, running their farm system by 1937. After serving with the U.S. Navy in World War II, he managed the Kansas City Blues of American Association and supervised the New York Yankees' farm system in 1946, and was President of the American Association from November 1946 until becoming the general manager of the Chicago White Sox after the 1948 season. Mr. Lane was general manager of the White Sox (1948-1955); St. Louis Cardinals (1956-1957); Cleveland Indians (1958-1960); Kansas City Athletics (1961); and Milwaukee Brewers (1971-1972), trading almost 700 players in more than 400 transactions. He made more than 200 trades during his years with the White Sox, building the team into a contender and laying the foundation for the team that won the American League pennant in 1959. Mr. Lane had less success with his trades in his later GM positions, often seeming to make trades for the sake of making trades. He was fired in Kansas City after less than eight months on the job, and his dispute with Athletics' owner Charlie Finley over his compensation dragged on for several yers, and he eventually won. While in forced inactivity from baseball during his dispute with Mr. Finley, Mr. Lane was general manager of the Chicago Zephyrs of the National Basketball Association (1962-63), but stayed behind when the team moved to Baltimore to become the Bullets. He served as a scout with the Baltimore Orioles from the mid-1960s until joining the Brewers. After two years as general manager, Mr. Lane was demoted to a scouting job with the Brewers; he then served as a scout with the Texas Rangers and California Angels, and was a consultant for the San Diego Padres in 1980 before he fell and broke his hip. He died on March 19, 1981 at the age of 86.

Environment
Fountains Valley, Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, was proclaimed by President Paul Kruger.

120 years ago
1900

Politics and government
Raymond Préfontaine was re-elected Mayor of Montréal. After winning by acclamation in 1898, he received 6,217 votes to 3,095 for challenger William Doran.

100 years ago
1920

Born on this date
Mike Scarry. U.S. football player and coach. Mr. Scarry was a center and tackle at Waynesburg College before playing with the Cleveland Rams (1944-1945), helping them to win the National Football League championship in 1945. When the Rams moved to Los Angeles in 1946, he elected to remain in Cleveland, and joined the Browns of the new All-America Football Conference. Mr. Scarry played with the Browns in 1946 and 1947, helping them win the first two of their four straight AAFC championships. He then went into coaching, as an assistant coach at three different universities, and head coach at Western Reserve University (1948-1949); Loras College (1952-1953); and Waynesburg College (1963-1965). Mr. Scarry was defensive line assistant coach with the Washington Redskins (1966-1968), and was a scout for various professional teams in 1969. He then joined the Miami Dolphins, serving as defensive line coach under head coach Don Shula (1970-1985), helping the Dolphins to consecutive Super Bowl championship seasons in 1972 and 1973. Mr. Scarry was a volunteer assistant coach with the Dolphins after his retirement, and died on September 9, 2012 at the age of 92.

80 years ago
1940

Died on this date
Philip Francis Nowlan, 51. U.S. author. Mr. Nowlan was a science fiction writer who created the character Buck Rogers in his novella Armageddon 2419 A.D. (1928). The Buck Rogers comic strip ran from 1929-1967. Mr. Nowlan died from a stroke.

War
Soviet forces launched a large assault against Finnish defenses along the Mannerheim Line. Kyosti Kollio, Finnish parliament President, stated his country's willingness to reach a peace agreement with the U.S.S.R. United Mine Workers of American President John L. Lewis claimed that American labour would oppose any U.S. war participation.

Defense
The United States Army tested a new cannon-carrying pursuit plane, travelling up to 400 miles per hour, at Bolling Field, near Anacostia, Maryland.

Economics and finance
The Japanese Diet received a record budget request of 10.282 billion yen, of which 4.460 billion were for the military.

U.S. Senators Robert Wagner (Democrat--New York) and Walter George (Democrat--Georgia) introduced legislation seeking $10 million for rural hospital construction.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jerome Frank urged the creation of a private agency, federally funded, to make loans for small business expansion.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent the nominations of Marriner Eccles and Chester Davis to the Senate for renomination to the Federal Reserve Board.

75 years ago
1945

Literature
The Thurber Carnival by James Thurber was published.

Abominations
A Communist "People's Tribunal" in Bulgaria executed former Prince Regent Kiril, 49; former Prime Minister and Regent Professor Bogdan Filov; General Nikola Mikhov; and 22 former cabinet ministers, 9 royal advisers, and 67 members of parliament.

War
The U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate the May-Bailey bill providing "limited national service" for men aged 18-45. U.S. forces in Germany found little resistance on the Siegfried Line, recording advances of up to 2 miles. Soviet troops in eastern Germany gained 12 miles, reaching Liebenow.

Politics and government
The United States Senate passed the George bill separating lending agencies from the Commerce Department.

70 years ago
1950

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Ben Wright and Eric Snowden, on ABC
Tonight’s episode: The Case of the Frightened Matriarch

The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Jackson Beck, on ABC

At the movies
La liga de las muchachas, directed by Fernando Cortés, and starring Elsa Aguirre, Miroslava, and numerous others, opened in theatres in Mexico.



War
The U.S.S.R. accused Emperor Hirohito of Japan of responsibility for germ warfare in World War II, and demanded that he be tried by an international war crimes court. The Western Allies refused.

Politics and government
John Bowlen was installed as Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta, succeeding John Bowen.

The United Kingdom informed the United Nations Trusteeship Council that it had established a provincial council in its trust territory of Tanganyika, and allowed the creation of local governments there for the first time.

The U.S. Senate voted 64-27 to adopt a constitutional amendment to elect presidents and vice presidents by dividing the electoral votes of a state among candidates in proportion to their popular votes in that state.

Earl Warren announced that he would run for an unprecedented third term as Governor of California.

Defense
Israel ordered all men aged 18-49 and women aged 15-34 to register as military reservists.

USS Missouri, the only remaining active battleship in the U.S. fleet, was towed free from a sandbar in Chesapeake Bay after being grounded for two weeks.

Transportation
U.S. President Harry Truman asked Congress to authorize unification of Panama Canal operations under the Panama Canal Company, as urged by the Hoover Commission on Executive Organization.

Society
Yale University anthropologist George Murdock, addressing a meeting of the American Social Hygiene Association in New York, predicted that "within three generations" society would accept pre-marital sexual experimentation as a valuable aid in picking a mate. He urged the Protestant church to take the lead in such a "reform."

Economics and finance
The Organization for European Economic Cooperation asked member countries to abolish quotas on 60% of their imports within two months and on 75% of their imports by July 1950. Britain's opposition prevented the Council from completing an agreement on a system of free exchange of European currencies.

Labour
New York State ordered coal rationing to public utilities and other large users as the miners' strike continued.

Economist Arthur Lipsett concluded a survey of U.S. labour strength by estimating the net worth of the nation's unions at $3 billion-$4 billion.

60 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La Montaña--Lucho Gatica (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Le marchand de bonheur--Les Compagnons de la chanson (12th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Running Bear--Johnny Preston (3rd week at #1)
2 Teen Angel--Mark Dinning
3 El Paso--Marty Robbins
4 Where or When--Dion and the Belmonts
5 Go, Jimmy, Go--Jimmy Clanton
6 Why--Frankie Avalon
7 Handy Man--Jimmy Jones
8 The Big Hurt--Miss Toni Fisher
9 Way Down Yonder in New Orleans--Freddie Cannon
10 Pretty Blue Eyes--Steve Lawrence

Singles entering the chart were Country Boy by Fats Domino (#61); China Doll by the Ames Brothers (#70); Lady Luck by Lloyd Price and his Orchestra (#71); Wild One (#72)/Little Bitty Girl (#86) by Bobby Rydell; Let it Rock by Chuck Berry (#81); Time and the River by Nat King Cole (#83); That Old Feeling by Kitty Kallen (#85); Sixteen Reasons by Connie Stevens (#89); (There was a) Tall Oak Tree by Dorsey Burnette (#92); Money (That's What I Want) by Barrett Strong (#95); Peace of Mind by Teresa Brewer (#96); Fannie Mae by Buster Brown (#97); (Baby) Hully Gully by the Olympics (#98); and The Whiffenpoof Song by Bob Crewe (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Running Bear--Johnny Preston (2nd week at #1)
2 El Paso--Marty Robbins
3 First Name Initial--Annette with the Afterbeats
4 He'll Have to Go--Jim Reeves
5 Hound Dog Man/This Friendly World--Fabian
6 Not One Minute More/You're My Love--Della Reese
7 Pretty Blue Eyes--Steve Lawrence
8 Lonely Blue Boy--Conway Twitty
9 Way Down Yonder in New Orleans--Freddie Cannon
10 Among My Souvenirs--Connie Francis

Singles entering the chart were Darling Lorraine by the Knockouts (#36); Baby (You've Got What it Takes) by Dinah Washington & Brook Benton (#37); Mashed Potatoes by Nat Kendrick (#47); Lady Luck by Lloyd Price and his Orchestra (#53); Outside My Window by the Fleetwoods (#56); Cry Me a River by Janice Harper (#57); Eternally/You're My Baby by Sarah Vaughan (#58); Beatnik Fly by Johnny and the Hurricanes (#59); and On the Beach/Paris Valentine by Frank Chacksfield and his Orchestra (#60).

Protest
Four Negro college students began a series of sit-ins at a white-only lunch counter in Woolworth’s department store, Greensboro, North Carolina. The four--Franklin McCain; Joseph McNeil; Ezell Blair, Jr.; and David Richmond--were freshmen at North Carolina A&T State University. They took seats at the segregated lunch counter of F. W. Woolworth's, were refused service, and sat peacefully until the store closed. They returned the next day, along with about 25 other students, and their requests were again denied.



40 years ago
1970

Religion
In his first direct response to a request by a Dutch Roman Catholic council that celibacy for priests be made optional, Pope Paul VI said that the principle of celibacy was so fundamental that it could not be questioned, let alone dropped. He said that abandoning the doctrine would violate Christ’s injunction to hid disciples to leave all else and follow Him.

Education
The deadline for total desegregation of southern U.S. schools set by the Supreme Court was defied by officials of 20 districts in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. While two Alabama districts ignored the order, other administrators closed the schools temporarily and others supported boycotts by white parents and students.

Disasters
An Argentine express train rammed a stalled commuter train near Buenos Aires, killing 136 and injuring 179.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 6 @ Boston 7



Pittsburgh 0 @ New York 6

Terry Sawchuk got a rare start in goal for the Rangers and recorded his first shutout in two years, and his 103rd and final career regular season NHL shutout as the Rangers blanked the Penguins at Madison Square Garden.

40 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): No More Tears (Enough is Enough)--Donna Summer/Barbra Streisand (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Video Killed the Radio Star--The Buggles (12th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough--Michael Jackson (4th week at #1)
2 The Part of Me that Needs You Most--Exile
3 Rise--Herb Alpert
4 Crazy Little Thing Called Love--Queen
5 She's in Love with You--Suzi Quatro
6 If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body (Would You Hold it Against Me)--Bellamy Brothers
7 Video Killed the Radio Star--The Buggles
8 Caravan Song--Barbara Dickson
9 Great Balls of Fire--Nightmare
10 Friday on My Mind--Chilly

Singles entering the chart were Another Brick in the Wall (Part II) by Pink Floyd (#12); Babe by Styx (#17); and Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) by ABBA (#18).

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Video Killed the Radio Star--The Buggles (5th week at #1)
2 I Have a Dream--ABBA
3 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)--ABBA
4 Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)--Pink Floyd
5 Confusion--Electric Light Orchestra
6 Tusk--Fleetwood Mac
7 Don't Bring Me Down--Electric Light Orchestra
8 Todesengel--Frank Duval & Orchestra
9 I'm Born Again--Boney M.
10 Babe it's Up to You--Smokie

Singles entering the chart were Another Brick in the Wall (Part II) and The Ballad of Lucy Jordan by Marianne Faithfull (#12).

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 9 Winnipeg 2

30 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Get Up! (Before the Night is Over)--Technotronic

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Peter Fricker, 69. U.K. composer. Mr. Fricker composed more than 160 works, including five symphonies, and other instrumental, chamber, and choral pieces. He moved to the United States in 1964 and taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara until his death from throat cancer on February 1, 1990.

World events
East German Premier Hans Modrow, addressing a press conference in East Berlin, outlined a plan for reunifying East and West Germany. He described an approach for integrating economic and governmental institutions into a country that would become militarily neutral. West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl said he would not begin any negotiations until after East German elections in March.

Politics and government
Bulgarian Premier Georgi Atanasov and his cabinet resigned. The Communist Party of Bulgaria ratified a manifesto that endorsed democratic ideals but kept its Marxist-Leninist ideology.

The National Salvation Front agreed to a power-sharing arrangement prior to elections in Romania. It was agreed that the interim legislative body would be increased in size and would include representatives of 30 registered political parties.

Scandal
Albert Hakim was sentenced to two years’ probation and fined $5,000 for illegally supplementing the salary of former U.S. National Security Council staff member Oliver North.

U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh recommended that an independent counsel be appointed to investigate Samuel Pierce, Jr. and other former high officials in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In compliance with procedures established by law, Mr. Thornburgh made his recommendations to a special three-judge panel. He said that the counsel would investigate charges that Mr. Pierce, a former secretary of HUD, and other officials had awarded grants to developers backed by well-known Republicans.

Business
Humanitas publishing house was founded in Bucharest by philosopher Gabriel Liiceanu.

25 years ago
1995

On television today
Front Page Challenge, on CBC

This was the last broadcast of the panel show after 38 seasons; it was officially cancelled on April 13, 1995.

Law
The United States House of Representatives voted 360-74 in favour of a bill making it difficult for Congress to pass laws that required action by states and cities but did not provide federal funds for implementation. The Senate had passed such legislation five days earlier.

Labour
Major league baseball club owners and representatives of major league players met for the first time in 1995, in Washington, D.C. The players had gone on strike on August 11, 1994, ending the season unfinished.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board increased the federal funds rate (the interest rate banks charged each other for overnight loans) by 0.5% to 6%, and increased the discount rate (the interest rate charged by the Federal Reserve on loans to commercial banks) 0.5% to 5.25%. Both rates were at their highest levels in three years. In response to these increases, most major banks raised their prime rate from 8.5%-9.0%.

The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had increased 0.1% in December 1994.

20 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Dick Rathmann, 76. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Rathmann, born James Rathmann, drove in the AAA Championship Car Series in 1949-1950 and the USAC Championship Series from 1956-1964. He raced in the Indianapolis 500 nine times, with a best finish of fifth in 1956. He won the pole position for the race in 1958, but was one of several cars involved in a crash in the first lap that put them out of the race. Mr. Rathmann's best finish was at Daytona in 1959, when he finished second. He raced with the NASCAR circuit from 1951-1955. Mr. Rathmann's younger brother was named Dick, but the two switched first names in 1946 so that the younger brother could enter a race while underage; the name change stuck for life. Jim won the 1960 Indianapolis 500. Dick died 26 days after his 76th birthday.

War
Rebel forces in Chechnya announced that they were pulling out of the capital city of Grozny after sustaining heavy losses fighting against Russian forces.

Politics and government
Austrian People’s Party leader Wolfgang Schussel announced that his party and the Freedom Party would form a coalition government. The Freedom Party was led by Joerg Haider, who in the past had made remarks that had been widely interpreted as showing Nazi sympathies, though he later apologized for them. Mr. Schussel, who would become chancellor in the new government, deplored the threat by the European Union to impose sanctions if the Freedom Party joined the coalition.

The first primary votes took place in the contests for the Democratic and Republican Party nominations for President of the United States. Vice-President Al Gore defeated U.S. Senator Bill Bradley in the Democratic primary 50% to 46%. Sen. John McCain won the Republican primary with 48%, defeating Texas Governor George W. Bush, who took 30%, by a surprisingly large margin. Publisher Steve Forbes captured 13% of the vote; Alan Keyes took 6%, and Gary Bauer 1%.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Bill Clinton cited several reasons for the longest peacetime boom in American history, 107 consecutive months of economic expansion dating back to March 1991: the anti-inflationary policies of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board; his administration’s success in reducing and eliminating federal budget deficits; advances in technology, and free-trade policies supported by himself and Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush.

Disasters
Search teams found the remains of four victims of the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, which had gone down off the California coast the previous day, killing all 88 people aboard.