March 12, 2020

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Aurora!

310 years ago
1710

Born on this date
Thomas Arne. U.K. composer. Mr. Arne, whose surname frequently appears in crossword puzzles, was a spinetist, organist, and violinist who wrote music for about 90 stage works from 1733-1776, and was best known for writing the songs Rule, Britannia! and A-Hunting We Will Go. He died on March 5, 1778, a week before his 68th birthday.

225 years ago
1795

Born on this date
George Tyler Wood. Texas and U.S. politician. Mr. Wood, a Democrat, represented Liberty County in the Texas House of Representatives (1841-1845) when Texas was a republic. After Texas joined the Union in 1845, he represented District 7 in the Texas Senate (1846-1847) and served as Governor of Texas (1849-1858). Mr. Wood campaigned unsuccessfully for Governor in 1853 and 1855, and died on September 3, 1858 at the age of 63.

William Lyon Mackenzie. U.K.-born Canadian journalist and politician. Mr. Mackenzie, a native of Scotland, moved to Lower Canada and then to Upper Canada in the early 1820s. He founded the weekly newspaper Colonial Advocate in 1824, using the newspaper to attack Tory politicians and express admiration for American institutions. Mr. Mackenzie was a Reform politician, and represented York County in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada from 1827-1834; he was expelled three times, and re-elected three times. Mr. Mackenzie was elected an alderman and then as Mayor of Toronto, serving from 1834-1835. While Mayor of Toronto in 1834, he was re-elected to the Legislative Assembly, which repealed his previous expulsions. Mr. Mackenzie lost his seat in the 1836 election, the year he founded another newspaper, the Constitution. His attempts at obtaining constitutional reforms were unsuccessful, and led him to favour armed rebellion against British authority. Mr. Mackenzie led the unsuccessful Upper Canada Rebellion in December 1837, and fled to Buffalo, New York, where he declared himself the President of the "Republic of Canada." An attempt to invade Canada from Navy Island failed, and Mr. Mackenzie founded other newspapers, and also served a year in prison in New York for violating U.S. neutrality laws. He worked as a journalist in New York before returning to what was now Canada West after responsible government was enacted, and an amnesty was granted to the 1837 rebels. Mr. Mackenzie returned permanently to Toronto in 1850, and represented Haldimand County in the Parliament of the Province of Canada (1851-1858), pursuing further reform. He retired in 1858 because of declining health, and died in Toronto after an apoplectic seizure on August 28, 1861 at the age of 66.

160 years ago
1860

Born on this date
Eric Stenbock. U.K. poet and author. Count Stenbock, the son of an English cotton heiress and a Swedish count, grew up in England, and inherited the family estate in Estonia upon his father's death in 1885. He returned to England in 1887, and lived an eccentric drug-and alcohol-fuelled lifestyle. Count Stenbock published three books of poetry and a collection of short stories, mainly of macabre fantasies. He drank himself to death on April 26, 1895 at the age of 35.

130 years ago
1890

Born on this date
William Dudley Pelley. U.S. writer and political activist. Mr. Pelley was a journalist and writer of novels, short stories, and screenplays, who claimed to have a near-death experience in 1928 in which he saw God and Jesus Christ and received a commission to undertake the spiritual transformation of America. His travels in Russia as a correspondent during the Russian Civil War had left him with a hatred of Communism, and the beginning of the Depression in 1929 and Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany in 1933 led Mr. Pelley to create the Silver Legion of America, also known as "Silver Shirts," an extremist organization whose ideology included anti-Semitism, isolationism, pyramidology, and British Israelism. Mr. Pelley founded the Christian Party and ran as its candidate for President of the United States in 1936. Mr. Pelley's criticism of the U.S. administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, especially in the aftermath of the December 7, 1941 attack by Japanese forces on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, led to charges of high treason and sedition against Mr. Pelley. The Silver Legion disappeared into obscurity as Mr. Pelley was imprisoned until being granted parole in 1952. Mr. Pelley himself became an increasingly obscure figure until his death at the age of 75 on June 30, 1965.

Evert Taube. Swedish musician. Mr. Taube was a singer-songwriter and lutanist who was regarded as the foremost troubadour of the Swedish ballad tradition in the 20th century, with a career spanning almost 60 years. He died on January 31, 1976 at the age of 85.

120 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla. 19th President of Colombia, 1953-1957. General Rojas was Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and came to power in a military coup that toppled President Laureano Gómez Castro. He imposed martial law and a dictatorship, while giving women the right to vote, and modernizing the country's technology and infrastructure. Gen. Rojas resigned in the face of widespread public opposition, and conducted unsuccessful campaigns for President in democratic elections in 1962 and 1970; his narrow defeat in 1970 amid accusations of fraud led to the formation of the 19th of April Movement, a guerrilla movement that subsequently became a political party. Gen. Rojas died of a heart attack on January 17, 1975 at the age of 74.

David Croll. Russian-born Canadian politician. Mr. Croll immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 5. He served as Mayor of Windsor, Ontario from 1931-1934 and 1939-1940. A Liberal, Mr. Croll was a Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament from 1934-1943. He then entered federal politics, and represented the Toronto riding of Spadina from 1945-1955. He was denied a cabinet post because of anti-Jewish prejudice in Quebec, as Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent thought the appointment of a Jew to a cabinet post would cost the Liberal Party seats in that province. Mr. St. Laurent appointed Mr. Croll to the Senate in 1955, making him the first Jewish member of the Upper House. Mr. Croll was the author of the Report of the Special Senate Committee on Poverty (1971), and also chaired the Senate's special committee on aging. Mr. Croll was appointed at a time when Senators were appointed for life, and he died at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa on June 10, 1991 at the age of 91, several hours after attending an afternoon session.

110 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Masayoshi Ōhira. Prime Minister of Japan, 1978-1980. Mr. Ōhira, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1952, and held various cabinet posts, including Minister for Foreign Affairs (1962-1964, 1972-1974) and Minister of Finance (1974-1976) before succeeding Takeo Fukuda. The Liberal Democrats fell just short of a majority of seats in the 1979 general election, but obtained the support of enough independent members of the Diet to retain power. A non-confidence motion passed on May 16, 1980; Mr. Ōhira declined to resign, and called an election instead. He was hospitalized for exhaustion on May 31, and died of a heart attack on June 12, 1980 at the age of 70.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Berlin Dutchmen 3 @ Montreal Wanderers 7

The Ottawa Hockey Club, champions of the Canadian Hockey Association, had retained the Stanley Cup after two challenges in January. The CHA folded, and the Cup went to the Wanderers, champions of the National Hockey Association in its first regular season. Berlin had won the championship of the Ontario Professional Hockey League. Ernie Russell scored 4 goals and Harry Hyland 3 as the Wanderers became the first NHA team to win a Stanley Cup playoff. Berlin goals were scored by Earl Seibert, Harvey Corbeau, and Oren Frood.

100 years ago
1920

Politics and government
King Ferdinand of Romania dissolved the National Party government of Prime Minister Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, and replaced it with a government of the People's Party, led by General Alexandru Averescu. King Ferdinand thought that the land reforms of Mr. Vaida-Voevod's government were too radical.

90 years ago
1930

Protest
Mohandas Gandhi began his 200-mile, 24-day Salt March in India to protest the British salt tax.

80 years ago
1940

War
Finland and the U.S.S.R. signed the Moscow Peace Treaty to end the Winter War, with Finland ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia and the shores of Lake Ladoga to the U.S.S.R. Finnish troops and the remaining population were immediately evacuated. French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier states that the Allies had agreed on February 6 to send troops to aid Finland if publicly asked.

Diplomacy
Japanese Prime Minister Mitsumasa Yonai announced his government's intention to recognize and support the Wang Ching-wei regime in China. Mr. Wang, who was based in central China, was the longtime rival of Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek.

Politics and government
The Country Party accepted Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies' offer to create a coalition cabinet.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt won the New Hampshire primary in the contest for the 1940 Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States.

The U.S. House of Representatives Census Committee approved a congressional reapportionment bill that could exclude the counting of alien residents in determining the number of House members from each state.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported an increase in business inventories and an 8% decrease in industrial orders for the first two months of 1940.

75 years ago
1945

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Rum and Coca-Cola--The Andrews Sisters (3rd week at #1)
--Abe Lyman and his Orchestra
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
2 Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive--Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers with Paul Weston and His Orchestra
--Artie Shaw and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
3 Don't Fence Me In--Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Kate Smith
--Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights
4 Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night in the Week)--Frank Sinatra
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
5 I Dream of You (More than You Dream I Do)--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
--Andy Russell
--Frank Sinatra
--Perry Como
6 I'm Beginning to See the Light--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra
7 Cocktails for Two--Spike Jones and his City Slickers
8 Candy--Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford and the Pied Pipers with Paul Weston and His Orchestra
--Dinah Shore
9 More and More--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
--Perry Como
10 A Little on the Lonely Side--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians

Singles entering the chart were Just a Prayer Away, with versions by Bing Crosby and Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra (#38); and He's Home for a Little While by Dinah Shore (#40). He's Home for a Little While was the B-side of Candy.

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Erratic Windmill

War
Soviet troops in Germany captured Kuestrin, the Oder River fortress 38 miles east of Berlin.

Society
New York Governor Thomas Dewey signed the Ives-Quinn Act, making New York the first U.S. state to set up a permanent commission to eliminate discrimination in employment on the basis of race or creed.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the suit of the Shoshone Indians for $15 million in damages because of occupation by white settlers of lands in Idaho, Utah, and Nevada, on the grounds that the Box Elder Treaty left them no cause for claiming the land.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the U.S. government's appeal for any early review of the Montgomery Ward case, pending circuit court action. On January 27, U.S. Federal Judge Philip Sullivan had ruled in Chicago that the U.S. Army seizure of Montgomery Ward and Company properties in seven localities was illegal. The Army had acted on directions of President Franklin D. Roosevelt after Montgomery Ward had refused to obey National War Labor Board orders.

Business
Three judges of the U.S. Circuit Court of New York declared Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to be a participant in a monopolistic aluminum conspiracy, violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.

70 years ago
1950

Diplomacy
The Vatican recognized the pro-French governments of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

Europeana
Belgians voted in an advisory plebiscite to allow for the return of King Leopold III from exile in Switzerland.

Defense
Italy registered all doctors aged 29-49 in the Army reserve.

Technology
Corning Glass Works announced the development of an oxide-coated glass that conducted electricity and could be used in transparent heaters or stoves.

Disasters
The Llandow air disaster killed 80 people when the charted Avro Tudor they were travelling in crashed near Sigingstone, Wales. At the time this was the world's deadliest air disaster.

60 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?--Emile Ford and the Checkmates

#1 single in Italy: Romantica--Tony Dallara (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Banjo Boy--Jan & Kjeld (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Running Bear--Johnny Preston

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Theme from "A Summer Place"--Percy Faith and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)
2 He’ll Have to Go--Jim Reeves
3 Handy Man--Jimmy Jones
4 Wild One--Bobby Rydell
5 Baby (You’ve Got What it Takes)--Dinah Washington & Brook Benton
6 What in the World’s Come Over You--Jack Scott
7 Beyond the Sea--Bobby Darin
8 Teen Angel--Mark Dinning
9 Harbor Lights--The Platters
10 Puppy Love--Paul Anka

Singles entering the chart were Don't Throw Away All Those Teardrops by Frankie Avalon (#67); Teenage Sonata by Sam Cooke (#74); Caravan by Santo & Johnny (#77); Night by Jackie Wilson (#86); Just a Little Bit by Roscoe Gordon (#89); Ruby by Adam Wade (#90); Chattanooga Choo Choo by the Ernie Fields Orchestra (#95); The Way of a Clown by Teddy Randazzo (#97); Mountain of Love by Harold Dorman (#99); The Old Lamplighter by the Browns (#100); and You Don't Know Me by Lenny Welch (also #100).

50 years ago
1970

On television tonight
Dragnet 1970, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Forgery: The Ranger



Terrorism
Bombs in New York City caused extensive damage to the three skyscraper headquarters of Socony Oil, International Business Machines, and General Telephone and Electronics. In less than 24 hours, more than 400 bomb threats sent workers scurrying out of 12 other Manhattan buildings. A blast in Pittsburgh damaged 23 stores. In Washington, D.C., 5 federal buildings, including the Justice Department, were evacuated, although no bombs were found. Parked police cars in Chicago were damaged by black powder bombs. In Appleton, Wisconsin, a college classroom and a high school conference room were fire-bombed.

Politics and government
U.S. President Richard Nixon sent Congress a reorganization plan to modernize the functioning of the Executive Office.

40 years ago
1980

Crime
Clown-faced sodomite John Wayne Gacy was convicted of 33 counts of murder, more than any mass killer in American history. He was also convicted of taking indecent liberties with a minor and of deviant sexual assault. The bodies of 28 of his victims were found in the crawl space under his house in Des Plaines, Illinois after he was arrested on December 22, 1978 and charged with the murder of a 15-year-old youth.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 6 Quebec 3

30 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Miss Me! (見逃してくれよ！)--Kyōko Koizumi

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Nothing Compares 2 U--Sinéad O'Connor (2nd week at #1)

Diplomacy
The United States refused to grant diplomatic recognition to Lithuania, which had declared independence from the U.S.S.R. the previous day. Soviet Politburo member Yegor Ligachev called for a peaceful solution, adding, "Tanks will not help in this matter."

Outgoing Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, meeting with U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle in Santiago, Chile, assured Mr. Quayle that his government would surrender control of the military and the security police to the new administration of Violetta Chamorro.

Nelson Mandela, recently named Deputy President of the African National Congress, met with ailing President Oliver Tambo in Sweden; it was their first visit in 28 years.

Politics and government
Jambyn Batmunh, general secretary of the Communist Party of Mongolia, said that the Communists would work with opposition forces to make needed political changes.

Scandal
Testifying at the trial of former U.S. national security adviser Admiral John Poindexter, Oliver North, a former aide to Adm. Poindexter admitted that he had seen Adm. Poindexter destroy an order signed by then-President Ronald Reagan authorizing U.S. participation in arms sales to Iran in the mid-1980s.

25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Cotton Eye Joe--Rednex (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Old Pop in an Oak--Rednex (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Conquest of Paradise--Vangelis (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Rick Muther, 59. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Muther won the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) National Championship runoffs at Riverside, California in 1964. He raced in the USAC (1967-1975) and CART (1980) championship car series, participating in 46 races, with best finishes of 5th at Riverside in 1968 and Milwaukee in 1972. Mr. Muther drove in the Indianapolis 500 in 1970, 1971, and 1974, with a best finish of 15th in 1970. He died in his sleep of heart failure.

Juanin Clay, 45. U.S. actress. Born Juanin Clay de Zalduondo in Los Angeles, Miss Clay played Raven Alexander in the CBS television soap opera The Edge of Night in the mid-1970s, and married Joe Lambie, who played Logan Swift in the same show. She appeared in the movies The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) and WarGames(1983), as well as various television programs before dying of natural causes.

War
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, meeting with U.S. Vice President Al Gore in Copenhagen, agreed to let 5,000 United Nations peacekeepers--down from the current 15,000--remain in Croatia to patrol its borders with Serbia and Bosnia.

Curling
Brier @ Metro Centre, Halifax
Final
Manitoba (Kerry Burtnyk) 10 Saskatchewan (Brad Heidt) 8

20 years ago
2000

Politics and government
In the Spanish general election, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar’s conservative Popular Party increased its majority in the 350-seat Congreso from 156 to 183 seats. The Socialist and Communist parties suffered declines, while Basque separatists garnered little support.

Religion
Pope John Paul II apologized for any past abuses by the Roman Catholic Church against Jews, other Christians, women, the poor, and ethnic minorities.

Curling
Brier @ Saskatchewan Place, Saskatoon
Final
British Columbia (Greg McAulay) 9 New Brunswick (Russ Howard) 5



10 years ago
2010

Died on this date
Lesley Duncan, 66. U.K. singer-songwriter. Miss Duncan wrote songs in the 1960s and '70s and sang backing vocals for singers such as Dusty Springfield, but her own recordings failed to achieve commercial success, mainly because of stage fright and a lack of desire to achieve stardom. Her best-known composition was Love Song, which she recorded herself and was recorded by Elton John for his album Tumbleweed Connection (1970). Miss Duncan largely dropped out of the music business after the 1970s, and died of cerebrovascular disease.