March 23, 2020

620 years ago
1400

World events
The Trần dynasty of Vietnam ended after 175 years when Emperor Thiếu Đế, 5, was deposed by his grandfather Hồ Quý Ly.

590 years ago
1430

Born on this date
Margaret of Anjou. Queen consort of England, 1445-1461, 1470-1471. Margaret, a daughter of René, King of Naples, and Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine, married King Henry VI in 1445, and frequently ruled the kingdom during his bouts of insanity. She supported the Lancastrians during the Wars of the Roses, and was forced to flee to Wales and then Scotland with her husband after he was deposed by Edward IV. King Henry VI was restored to the throne in 1470, but the royal couple were imprisoned after losing to the forces of King Edward IV in the Battle of Tewksbury in 1471. King Henry died in a possible regicide; Queen Margaret was placed in the custody of her former lady-in-waiting in 1472, and was ransomed by King Louis XI of France in 1475. She remained in France until her death on August 25, 1482 at the age of 52.

480 years ago
1540

Religion
Waltham Abbey was surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; it was the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

270 years ago
1750

Born on this date
Johannes Matthias Sperger. Austrian musician and composer. Mr. Sperger was a contrabassist who wrote at least 44 symphonies; numerous instrumental concertos--including 18 contrabass concertos; sonata; rondos and dances; cantatas; choral works; and airs. He died on May 13, 1812 at the age of 62.

140 years ago
1880

Born on this date
Heikki Ritavuori. Finnish politician. Mr. Ritavuori, born Henrik Rydman, was a member of the Kansallinen Edistyspuolue (National Progressive Party) and represented southern Turku in the Finnish Parliament (1914-1917, 1919-1922). He was instrumental in Finland's acceptance of a republican form of government, and was Minister of the Interior in the cabinet of Prime Minister J.H. Vennola (1919-1920, 1921-1922), following the Finnish Civil War. Mr. Ritavuori pardoned left-wing prisoners of war, thus attracting the enmity of right-wing activists. He was shot dead at his home on February 14, 1922 at the age of 41 by Ernst Tandefelt, a member of a noble family who claimed to have acted alone, but who may have been supported by other right-wing activists. Mr. Tandefelt was initially sentenced to life imprisonment, but was later declared partially insane, and was transferred to a mental institution.

130 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Cedric Gibbons. U.S. art director and production designer. Mr. Gibbons worked at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios from 1924-1956, and was credited with work on over 1,500 movies. He was one of the founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and designed the Oscar statuette. Mr. Gibbons was nominated for 39 Academy Awards, and won 11; he was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 2005. Mr. Gibbons died after a long illness on July 26, 1960 at the age of 70.

120 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Erich Fromm. German-born psychologist and philosopher. Dr. Fromm was a psychoanalytic and social psychologist and humanistic philosopher who was associated with Frankfurt University's Institute of Social Research--popularly known as the "Frankfurt School." He received his doctorate in sociology before training in psychoanalysis in Heidelberg in the 1920s. Dr. Fromm joined the Frankfurt School in 1930, but, as a Jew, was forced to flee Germany after the Nazis took power in 1933, and settled in the United States. In 1946, he became one of the founders of The William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis and Psychology in New York City. Dr. Fromm was influenced by the Talmud and Hasidic Judaism, but described his belief as "nontheistic mysticism," and believed that the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was a fall in the direction of evolution into conscious human beings, thus turning the message of the Bible on its head. He believed that embracing freedom of will was healthy, whereas escaping freedom was the source of psychological conflicts. Dr. Fromm postulated eight basic needs: transcendence; rootedness; sense of identity; frame of orientation; excitation and stimulation; unity; and effectiveness. He promoted democratic socialism and the early theories of Karl Marx. Dr. Fromm's books included Escape from Freedom (1941) and Man for Himself (1947). He died in Switzerland on March 18, 1980, five days before his 80th birthday.

100 years ago
1920

Born on this date
Neal Smith. U.S. politician. Mr. Smith, a Democrat, represented Iowa's 5th (1959-1973) and 4th (1973-1995) Districts in the U.S. House of Representatives. He's best known for sponsoring a law, passed in 1967, barring public officials from appointing any relative to head an executive agency.

Jimmy Edwards. U.K. comedian. Mr. Edwards was a writer and actor in radio and television, starring in radio programs such as Take it from Here (1948-1960) and Does the Team Think? (1957-1976), and television programs such as Whack-O! (1956-1960). He died of pneumonia on July 7, 1988 at the age of 68.

Ken Whitlock. U.S. football player. Mr. Whitlock was a halfback and punter at Virginia State College (1939-1941), earning Negro All-American honours in 1940. He served with the U.S. Marines during World War II, and continued his education before playing professionally with the Toronto Argonauts (1948). Mr. Whitlock was the team's first Negro player and their only American player at the time. He punted for a single in his first game and scored a touchdown and single in the next game, but suffered a shoulder injury in that game. There was no injured list in those days, and if a player got hurt, he could lose his job. Refusing surgery, Mr. Whitlock played in the next 2 games, but played poorly, and was released, never to return. He obtained a master's degree in education and was a principal at various schools in Richmond, Virginia until his retirement in 1980. Mr. Whitlock died on January 31, 2012 at the age of 91.

Tetsuharu Kawakami. Japanese baseball player and manager. Mr. Kawakami was a first baseman with the Tokyo Kyojin/Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Central League (1938-1942, 1946-1958), batting .313 with 181 home runs and 1,319 runs batted in 1,979 games. He led the Central League in batting five times; in hits six times; in home runs twice; and in runs batted in three times. Mr. Kawakami was the first player in Nippon Professional Baseball to amass 2,000 career hits, finishing with 2,351. He was named NPB's Most Valuable Player in 1941, 1951, and 1955, and was the MVP in the Nippon Series in 1953. Mr. Kawakami managed the Giants from 1961-1974, leading them to 11 Nippon Series championships (1961, 1963, 1965-1973). He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1965, and died on October 28, 2013 at the age of 93.

80 years ago
1940

Politics and government
A slate of candidates supporting U.S. Vice President John Nance "Cactus Jack" Garner for the 1940 Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States was filed in California, challenging the slate filed in favour of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The New Zealand Labour Party began a meeting in Wellington to determine its stance toward the European war.

Economics and finance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau ruled that Allied money advanced to U.S. industry for expansion was a gift, and thus not taxable.

Hockey
NHL
Kilby MacDonald, a left wing with the New York Rangers, was named the winner of the Calder Trophy as the top rookie for the 1939-40 season after scoring 15 goals and 13 assists in 44 games.

75 years ago
1945

War
The United States House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate a bill to extend the Selective Service Act for one year beyond May 15, 1945. Soviet troops reached the Baltic coast between Danzig and Gdynia, splitting the German forces defending the two ports. U.S. forces in the Philippines advanced to within 10 miles of Baguio, the summer capital of Luzon.

Politics and government
The French cabinet said that French Indochina would get partial self-government after the end of World War II, and that its citizens would be declared citizens of the "French Union," which would include France and all parts of "the imperial community."

The United States Senate rejected the nomination of Aubrey Williams as Rural Electrification Administration administrator after a heated debate over his alleged Communist connections, particularly his service with the Southern Conference for Human Welfare.

Medicine
Dr. Norbert Fell of Parke, Davis, & Company secured a patent on a method to control hay fever, asthma, and similar allergies by use of an antigen for building resistance to allergic reactions.

Health
The United States Census Bureau reported that the death rate from cancer in the U.S. had more than doubled since 1900.

70 years ago
1950

On television tonight
Escape, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Sound Machine, starring Hanna Landy and Jack Lescoulie

At the movies
House by the River, directed by Fritz Lang, and starring Louis Hayward, Lee Bowman, and Jane Wyatt, received its premiere screening in Los Angeles.



Movies
The Academy Awards for 1949 were presented at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California. The winners included: Best Picture--All the King's Men; Director--Joseph L. Mankiewicz (A Letter to Three Wives); Actor--Broderick Crawford (All the King's Men); Actress--Olivia de Havilland (The Heiress); Supporting Actor--Dean Jagger (Twelve O'Clock High); Supporting Actress--Mercedes McCambridge (All the King's Men); Foreign Language Film--The Bicycle Thief.



Died on this date
Luis Negreiros Vega. Peruvian politician. Mr. Negreiros, a leader of the outlawed Partido Aprista Peruano (Peruvian Aprista Party), was shot and killed by police. His son Luis Negreiros Criado became a prominent member of the party, and was elected to office when the party was legally recognized.

Diplomacy
Brazil and Spain resumed diplomatic relations.

Defense
Columbia University President Dwight David Eisenhower, speaking at the university, said that the United States had disarmed on its own initiative "beyond the extent that I could possibly advise."

Politics and government
Sophocles Venizelos took office as Prime Miniser of Greece, leading a minority Liberal government.

U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (Republican--Wisconsin) charged that President Harry Truman's "arrogant refusal to release all necessary [loyalty] files" was delaying the Senate investigation of the State Department, and endangering the nation's security. President Truman refused comment.

World events
Venezuela's governing military junta ordered $21 million worth of confiscated assets returned to former Presidents Eleazar López Contreras and Isaías Medina Angarita.

Labour
Reacting to a strike of dock workers in Brisbane, Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies invoked the Emergency Crimes Act, giving the government power to combat treason and sabotage by deporting alien agitators and jailing offenders.

The U.S. Labor Department reported that average weekly wages had risen 130% over the past 10 years, but that a worker's pay bought only 35% more.

60 years ago
1960

Died on this date
Franklin P. Adams, 78. U.S. journalist and author. Mr. Adams was a newspaper humour columnist who began his career in Chicago before moving to New York. His column The Conning Tower was published in several New York newspapers from 1913-1941, and often featured contributions from members of the Algonquin Round Table, of which Mr. Adams was a member. He was a panelist on the radio program Information Please (1938-1948), but his health declined in the 1950s, and he died after a long illness. Mr. Adams may be best remembered for his poem Baseball's Sad Lexicon (1910), celebrating the Chicago Cubs' double play combo of Tinker to Evers to Chance.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Detroit 2 @ Toronto 1 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Goals by Gordie Howe and Len Haley in the 1st period held up for the Red Wings as they edged the Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens. Carl Brewer spoiled Terry Sawchuk's bid for a shutout with 3:56 remaining in regulation time.

50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Whole Lotta Love--Led Zeppelin

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Shiroi Chō no Samba--Kayoko Moriyama (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Venus--The Shocking Blue (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Joe Pyne, 45. U.S. television and radio host. Mr. Pyne, originally based in Wilmington, Delaware and then in Los Angeles, was the most outspoken and controversial talk show host of his time, expressing conservative views on most issues, while confronting guests, audience members and callers. His popularity peaked in the mid-1960s, as The Joe Pyne Show, originating from KTTV in Los Angeles, was syndicated throughout the United States and Canada on television and radio. Mr. Pyne was a heavy smoker, and quit broadcasting in 1969 after developing lung cancer, which killed him.

Defense
U.S. Secretary of State William Rogers said at a news conference that the United States felt that Israel’s military air capacity to be sufficient for the present, and would "hold in abeyance for now" any decision on Israel’s request to buy 125 jets.

Labour
U.S. President Richard Nixon declared a state of emergency in the spreading postal strike, ordering troops to move essential mail in New York City.

40 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): I Got You--Split Enz (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)--Pink Floyd (8th week at #1)

World events
The deposed shah of Iran left Panama the day before the revolutionary government of Iran was to present Iran with a formal request for his extradition.

Energy
In a non-binding referendum, Swedish voters voted in favour of the limited expansion of nuclear power. The two proposals that backed the expansion of nuclear power received 58.1% of the vote.

Hockey
NHL
Montreal 6 New York Rangers 1

30 years ago
1990

At the movies
Pretty Woman, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, opened in theatres.



Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. government ordered Western diplomats to leave Lithuania and restricted entry of foreigners into that country.

World events
The Nicaraguan Contras agreed to dismantle their camps in Honduras; those in Nicaragua would gather in United Nations-supervised security zones until they were absorbed into civilian life.

Politics and government
Manitoba Premier Gary Filmon said that he would not ask his province’s legislature to approve the Meech Lake Canadian constitutional accord until its "flaws" had been addressed. In Quebec, Premier Robert Bourassa reiterated his refusal to negotiate any other constitutional changes until Meech Lake was ratified, adding that any attempt by the other provinces to discuss a companion agreement without Quebec’s participation would be "an anti-Quebec strategy."

Environment
The day after being found guilty in an Alaska court of negligent discharge of oil when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez dumped 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in 1989, the ship’s captain, Joseph Hazelwood, was sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service and ordered to make a "token restitution" of $50,000 over time.

25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Poison--The Prodigy

Died on this date
Jerry Lester, 85. U.S. entertainer. Mr. Lester was a nightclub comic and singer who briefly replaced Jack Carter as host of the television variety program Cavalcade of Stars in 1950, and soon became the first host of the late-night talk and variety show Broadway Open House. He left the program in 1951, and appeared and hosted various shows until he retired from show business in 1975 after developing Alzheimer's disease.

20 years ago
2000

Diplomacy
Pope John Paul II continued his tour of Israel with visits to the chief rabbis in Hechal Shlomo; Israeli President Ezer Weizman; and Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. He also presided over an inter-religious meeting at Notre Dame Pontifical Institute in Jerusalem.

10 years ago
2010

Politics and government
U.S. President Barack Obama signed the $938-billion Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. It was the most sweeping piece of federal legislation since Medicare was passed in 1965.