Sunday 28 February 2021

March 1, 2021

1,030 years ago
991


Died on this date
En'yū, 31
. Emperor of Japan, 969-984. En'yū, born Morihira-shinnō, succeeded his uncle Reizei on the Chrysanthemum Throne. He abdicated at the age of 26, and became a Buddhist priest.

240 years ago
1781


Politics and government
The U.S. Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation.

210 years ago
1811

World events

Muhammad Ali Pasha, Wali of the Ottoman province of Egypt, killed the leaders of the Mamluk Sultanate to seize power, founding a dynasty that would last until 1952.

140 years ago
1881


Politics and government
Hayter Reed appointed Canadian Indian Agent at Battleford, Northwest Territories.

Business
Henry Birks opened a larger jewellery store on St. James Street in Montreal.

125 years ago
1896


War
An Ethiopian army defeated an outnumbered Italian force in the Battle of Adwa, ending the First Italo-Ethiopian War.

Science
Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity.

120 years ago
1901


Defense
The Australian Army was formed.

110 years ago
1911


Died on this date
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Jr., 58
. Dutch-born chemist. Dr. van 't Hoff taught at the University of Amsterdam for 18 years, and eventually moved to Germany. He was regarded as one of the founders of physical chemistry, and was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1901 "[for his] discovery of the laws of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions." Dr. van 't Hoff died of tuberculosis.

100 years ago
1921


Born on this date
Terence Cooke
. U.S. Roman Catholic cardinal. Rev. Cooke was Archbishop of New York from 1968 until his death; he was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969. Cardinal Cooke was a strong pro-life advocate, and was especially forceful in expressing such views while dying of leukemia. He died on October 6, 1983 at the age of 62.

Died on this date
Nikola I, 79
. Prince of Montenegro, 1860-1910; King of Montenegro, 1910-1918. Nikola I succeeded his uncle Danilo I as Prince of Montenegro. He carried out various reforms, and Montenegro's independence was recognized by the Congress of Berlin in 1878. Nikola took the title King of Monenegro in 1910 and sided with the Allies in World War I, but was deposed at the end of World War I, and Montenegro was merged into the country that became known as Yugoslavia. King Nikola I went into exile in France, where he died.

Protest
Following mass protests in Petrograd demanding greater freedom in the Russia, the Kronstadt rebellion began, with sailors and citizens taking up arms against the Bolsheviks.

90 years ago
1931


At the movies
Dracula, directed by George Melford, and starring Carlos Villarías and Lupita Tovar, opened in theatres in Havana.

80 years ago
1941


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Frenesi--Artie Shaw and his Orchestra (11th week at #1)

Radio
W47NV began operations in Nashville, Tennessee, becoming the first FM radio station in the United States.

War
German troops occupied Varna and Sofia. German military authorities fined the city of Amsterdam $8 million as a penalty for disorders against the Nazi occupation. The Soviet Navy newspaper Red Fleet reported that Japan had been secretly building a fleet to be used in the event of a war against the United States.

Defense
Bulgarian Prime Minister Bogdan Philov signed the Tripartite Pact in Vienna, allying Hungary with the Axis powers.

The United States Senate approved a $15,000 appropriation for a seven-man committee, to be led by Sen. Harry Truman (Democrat--Missouri), to probe the defense spending program.

Communications
Overseas and transcontinental shortwave circuits and telephone communications were disrupted by sunspot activity in the worst magnetic storm since April 1940.

Horse racing
Bay View, a 58-1 longshot, won the $100,000 Santa Anita Handicap, earning $89,360.

75 years ago
1946


War
Ferenc Szalasy, leader of the Hungarian fascist "Arrow Cross" movement, was sentenced to death with six of his former cabinet members in Budapest for treason. U.S.S.R. forces prevented Iranian troops from occupying three towns in eastern Iran that the Soviets had supposedly evacuated.

Politics and government
Panama adopted a new constitution, replacing the one introduced by former President Arnulfo Arias.

Indonesian Nationalist Premier Sutan Sjahrir resigned in a dispute with President Sukarno over broadening the cabinet, but was renamed by the central committee to form a new cabinet.

Diplomacy
U.S. delegate to the United Nations John Foster Dulles said in a speech in Philadelphia, "It is particularly hard to find ways of working together with the Soviet Union, for it seems not to want cooperation."

The U.S. State Department revealed that the United Kingdom had accepted its proposals on Spain.

Economics and finance
The Bank of England Act 1946 came into force, a measure by the Labour Party government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee to nationalize the bank.

Business
The New York State Supreme Court awarded Donald Flamm $350,000 for being coerced by the United States Commerce Department to sell a radio station.

70 years ago
1951


At the movies
Fourteen Hours, directed by Henry Hathaway, and starring Paul Douglas, Richard Basehart, Barbara Bel Geddes, Debra Paget, and Agnes Moorehead, opened in theatres in London.





Diplomacy
The United Nations Palestine Conciliation Commission set up a Jerusalem office under Holgar Andersen of Denmark to handle questions affecting the rights and property of Palestinian refugees.

India opposed United Nations plans for appointing a new Kashmir mediator, saying that peace plans already adopted would work if Pakistan stopped menacing Kashmir with threats of an Islamic holy war.

Protest
The Brazilian Army put down rioting in Sao Luis, where political opponents attempted to prevent the inauguration of Eugenio de Barros was Governor of Marannao State.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Commerce Department barred all shipments to Soviet bloc nations without a license.

Labour
Representatives of the U.S.A.'s railroads and 15 unions agreed on a 12½c hourly pay raise plus cost-of-living adjustments after workers ended their wildcat strike.

60 years ago
1961


Politics and government
Uganda became self-governing; the first direct elections to the Legislative Council were held on March 23.

U.S. President John F. Kennedy addressed various issues at a news conference in Washington.



Americana
U.S. President Kennedy signed an executive order establishing, on a temporary pilot basis, the Peace Corps, which he described as "a pool of trained men and women sent overseas by the United States Government or through private institutions and organizations to help foreign countries meet their urgent needs for skilled manpower." On the same day, Mr. Kennedy sent a message to Congress urging the establishment of a permanent Peace Corps. He said at a press conference, "It is our hope to have between 500 and 1,000 people in the field by the end of this year, " and noted that the cost of the program for fiscal 1961 would be paid from funds already appropriated for foreign aid.

Education
At the same press conference where he spoke about the Peace Corps, U.S. President John F. Kennedy addressed the denial of federal government aid to parochial and other sectarian schools, saying, "There isn’t any room for debate on that subject. It is prohibited by the Constitution, and the Supreme Court has made that very clear." Members of the U.S. Roman Catholic hierarchy, meeting in Washington, decided to oppose the school aid program unless it included aid to parochial schools. They pressed for an amendment to provide long-term low-interest federal loans to private schools, which they held would be "strictly within the framework of the Constitution."



50 years ago
1971


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Shiretoko Ryojō--Tokiko Kato

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison

Terrorism
A bomb exploded in the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. that caused $300,000 in damage but injured no one. The Weather Underground terrorist movement claimed credit for the bombing, supposedly to protest the U.S. invasion of Laos. U.S. President Richard Nixon said the Capitol would remain open to the public.

Defense
In a reversal of party policy, the U.K. Conservative government of Prime Minister Edward Heath announced that it would withdraw from the Persian Gulf in 1971, in line with the preceding Labour government’s plan to leave the area as part of Britain’s east-of-Suez Canal troop withdrawal.

Politics and government
Bill Davis was sworn in as Premier of Ontario, succeeding John Robarts as head of the province's Progressive Conservative government.

Pakistani President Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan indefinitely postponed the pending national assembly session because of disagreement over a proposed new constitution, precipitating massive civil disobedience in East Pakistan.

10 days of voting began in India’s parliamentary elections. The New Congress Party, led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was the incumbent government.

Labour
As many as 1.5 million workers in the U.K. walked off the job for the day to protest the government’s new industrial relations bill.

40 years ago
1981


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Woman--John Lennon

#1 single in Switzerland: Life is for Living--Barclay James Harvest

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Stop the Cavalry--Jona Lewie
2 Angel of Mine--Frank Duval & Orchestra
3 Some Broken Hearts Never Mend--Telly Savalas
4 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
5 Super Trouper--ABBA
6 Felicidad (Margherita)--Boney M.
7 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
8 Love Will Tear Us Apart--Chuzpe
9 Lies--Status Quo
10 More than I Can Say--Leo Sayer

Singles entering the chart were Love Will Tear Us Apart; Lies; and Never Knew Love Like This Before by Stephanie Mills (#19).

Crime
Irish Republican Army member and convicted terrorist Bobby Sands began a hunger strike in Maze Prison, near Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Oil
Alberta cut oil production to protest the energy policy of the federal government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The federal government replied by a compensation charge as Energy Minister Marc Lalonde matched Alberta cutbacks by the so-called Lougheed Levy to subsidize imports.

Economics and finance
The government of Poland cut sugar rations by half and announced that it would institute meat rationing on April 1.

30 years ago
1991


Died on this date
Edwin Land, 81
. U.S. inventor. In 1932, Mr. Land co-founded the company that became Polaroid Corporation. He was best known for inventing a camera that processed photographs within the camera and delivered the prints within 60 seconds.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had declined 0.4% from January. With revisions in previous data, this marked the sixth straight monthly decline.

Business
Maclean-Hunter sold CHCH-TV in Hamilton to WIC Western International Communications for $46 million.

Labour
Nearly 200,000 coal miners went on strike in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Russia, demanding higher pay. The strike spread and soon included a demand by the miners that Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resign.

Disasters
More than 160 Somali refugees, fleeing their war-torn country, drowned when their overcrowded dhow ran aground several hundred yards from shore off Kenya.

25 years ago
1996


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): How Deep is Your Love--Take That

Basketball
NBA
Dallas 119 @ Vancouver 111

The Mavericks set an NBA record for 3-point field goal attempts in a game, attempting 44 (16 successful) in their victory over the Grizzlies before 15,656 fans at Pacific Coliseum.

20 years ago
2001


Terrorism
Nearly five months after being abducted, seven foreign oil workers--four Americans, and one each from New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina--were freed in a jungle region of Ecuador. The seven men had been taken from an oilfield owned by the Spanish-Argentinian company Repsol YPF. Their employers paid a ransom of $13 million.

Economics and finance
The U.S. unemployment rate in February stood at 4.2%. Consumer prices had increased 0.3% over January, while producer prices had increased 0.1%. The index of leading economic indicators had declined 0.2% from January.

Saturday 27 February 2021

February 29 (2021)

225 years ago
1796


Diplomacy
The Jay Treaty, negotiated November 19, 1794, came into force, defining the boundary in North America between Loyalist and American territories. Both parties had free use of the Great Lakes.

125 years ago
1896


Born on this date
William A. Wellman
. U.S. movie director. Mr. Wellman was known for movies such as Wings (1927); The Public Enemy (1931); A Star is Born (1937); Beau Geste (1939); The Ox-Bow Incident (1943); and The High and the Mighty (1954). He won an Academy Award for his story for A Star is Born. Mr. Wellman died on December 9, 1975 at the age of 79.

Morarji Desai. Prime Minister of India, 1977-1979. Mr. Desai was affiliated with several parties and held several positions before leading the Janata Party to victory and becoming India's first Prime Minister from a party other than the Congress Party. He died on April 10, 1995 at the age of 99.

25 years ago
1996


Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Sinclair Ross, 88
. Canadian author. Mr. Ross, a native of Shellbrook, Saskatchewan, was known for The Lamp at Noon and Other Stories (1968), and the novels As For Me and My House (1941); The Well (1958); Whir of Gold (1970); and Sawbones Memorial (1974).

Ralph Rowe, 71. U.S. baseball player and coach. Mr. Rowe was an outfielder in various minor leagues from 1942-1961, batting .296 with 89 home runs. He made it as high as the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League (1949) and the Springfield Cubs of the International Leauge (1952). Mr. Rowe managed in the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins organization from 1959-1971, winning four league championships. He served as the Twins' third base coach from 1972-1975 and as the batting coach with the Baltimore Orioles from 1981-1984; he was with the Orioles when they won the World Series in 1983.

Wes Farrell, 56. U.S. songwriter and record producer. Mr. Farrell was one of the most prolific songwriters in pop music in the 1960s and early '70s, co-writing such songs as Boys and Hang On Sloopy, and numerous songs for the Partridge Family. He died of cancer.

War
The siege of Sarajevo officially ended, four years to the day since Bosnian Muslims and Croats had voted in a referendum to break away from Yugoslavia.

World events
A Greek warship and a Turkish naval vessel collided in Greek waters. The countries were in a dispute over an island in the Aegean Sea, and Turkey had recalled her ambassador from Greece a week earlier. Greece had rejected an offer from the United States to mediate the dispute.

Defense
The United Nations extended the mandate of its mission in Haiti, although the United States indicated that it would pull out as scheduled. Canada took command of the mission.

Economics and finance
The Venezuelan government of President Rafael Caldera Rodriguez suspended talks with the International Monetary Fund, following demonstrations by students, professors, and civil servants protesting IMF-enforced changes. The suspension delayed the release of a $7.5-billion rescue package.

Disasters
Faucett Flight 251, a Boeing 737-200 jet, crashed on approach to Rodríguez Ballón International Airport at Arequipa, Peru while making its first stop on a flight from Lima to Tacna. All 123 passengers and crew were killed.

February 28, 2021

775 years ago
1246


War
The siege of Jaén ended in the context of the Spanish Reconquista, resulting in the Castilian takeover of the city from the Taifa of Jaen.

470 years ago
1551


Died on this date
Martin Bucer, 59
. French-born German religious reformer. Rev. Bucer joined the Dominican Order in 1507, and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1516, based in Heidelberg. After meeting Martin Luther in 1518, he arranged for his monastic vows to be annulled, and joined the Protestant Reformation. Mr. Bucer attempted to reform the church in Wissembourg, but he was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, and was forced to flee to Strasbourg. He acted as a mediator between Mr. Luther and Huldrych Zwingli, who differed on the doctrine of the Eucharist, and tried to unite Protestants and Catholics in a national German church separate from Rome. In 1549, Mr. Bucer was ultimately forced into exile in England, where he influenced the second revision of the Book of Common Prayer. He died in Cambridge.

160 years ago
1861


Americana
U.S. President James Buchanan signed an act creating the territory of Colorado.

130 years ago
1891


Died on this date
George Hearst, 70
. U.S. magnate and politician. Mr. Hearst became wealthy through mining activities in the western United States, especially with silver in Utah. A Democrat, he represented California in the United States Senate from March-August 1886 and 1887 until his death. Mr. Hearst was the son of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst.

125 years ago
1896


Born on this date
Philip Showalter Hench
. U.S. physician. Dr. Hench was the head of the Department of Rheumatic Diseases at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He shared the 1950 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology with Mayo Clinic colleague Calvin Kendall and Swiss chemist Tadeus Reichstein "for their discoveries relating to the hormones of the adrenal cortex, their structure and biological effects." In particular, they won for the discovery of the hormone cortisone. Dr. Hench died of pneumonia while on vacation in Jamaica on March 30, 1965 at the age of 69.

120 years ago
1901


Born on this date
Linus Pauling
. U.S. chemist. Dr. Pauling was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the elucidation of the structure of complex substances" and the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize "for his campaign against nuclear weapons testing". He lost a libel suit against National Review when the magazine, in 1962, accused him of being a "fellow traveller" in sympathy with Soviet Communism. Dr. Pauling received his reward, however, when he was one of seven winners of the 1968-1969 International Lenin Peace Prize from the U.S.S.R. In his later years, Dr. Pauling was a prominent advocate of the use of large amounts of vitamin C for health and longevity. He died on August 19, 1994 at the age of 93.

100 years ago
1921


Born on this date
Marah Halim Harahap
. Indonesian military officer and politician. Major General Harahap held various military positions from 1945-1966, and was Governor of North Sumatra from 1967-1978, presiding over an economic recovery. He died on December 3, 2015 at the age of 94.

90 years ago
1931


Football
CRU
The Canadian Rugby Union adopted the forward pass; it had been used in the Western Canada Rugby Football Union since 1929.

80 years ago
1941


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Woodpecker Song--Kate Smith; Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (4th month at #1)

Died on this date
Alfonso XIII, 54
. King of Spain, 1886-1941. Alfonso XIII was King from birth, his father Alfonso XII having died the previous year. Alfonso XIII's mother Maria Christina of Austria served as regent until Alfonso XIII's 16th birthday in 1902. King Alfonso XIII supported the government of dictator Le Marqués de Estella from 1923-1930, but fled the country in 1931 when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. Living in exile in Rome,Alfonso XIII maintained his claim to the throne until six weeks before his death, when abdicated in favour of his third son Juan.

War
A Japanese spokesman said that France must accept Japan's mediation proposal in the Thailand-Indochina dispute today or face the consequences.

Diplomacy
U.S. consulates in the Italian cities of Naples and Palermo were closed on the Italian government's request, and their staffs were transferred to the consulate general in Rome.

Defense
A U.S. federal grand jury in Honolulu indicted 80 people, most of them Japanese, for conspiring to violate laws on registration of sampans, which were frequently seen in the area when the U.S. fleet was maneuvering.

Weather
A blizzard resulting in 12-foot snowdrifts swept the eastern U.S. seaboard from Maine to Virginia.

Economics and finance
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission member Gerhard Gesell and commissioner Sumner Pike recommended to the Temporary National Economic Committee (TNEC) that a federal insurance advisory council be created.

Labour
U.S. Office of Production Management Director William Knudsen submitted a three-point plan to curb strikes in defense industries, providing for federal mediation; a 60% strike vote; and a 40-day delay for OPM to investigate and report.

Boxing
World lightweight champion Lew Jenkins (48-16-5) scored a technical knockout of former champion Lou Ambers (91-8-7) at 2:26 of the 7th round of a non-title fight at Madison Square Garden in New York. Mr. Jenkins knocked Mr. Ambers down twice in the 7th round. Mr. Jenkins had scored a 3rd-round TKO on May 10, 1940 to win the championship from Mr. Ambers. This was Mr. Ambers' last professional fight.

75 years ago
1946


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Rum and Coca-Cola--The Andrews Sisters (1st month at #1)

Died on this date
Béla Imrédy, 54
. Prime Minister of Hungary, 1938-1939. Mr. Imrédy, a member of the Unity Party, originally had a pro-British foreign policy, but turned increasingly pro-German and pro-Italian. He founded the Party of Hungarian Renewal in 1940, and was executed by a firing squad after being convicted by a People's Tribunal in 1945 of war crimes and collaboration with the Nazis.

War
At the trial in Nuremberg of accused Nazi war criminals, chief U.S. prosecutor Robert H. Jackson demanded that 2,040,155 members of six Nazi orgnizations be found guilty of war crimes. Former Governor of Bessarabia General Constantin Voiculescu and 10 Romanian officers were sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against Jews.

Diplomacy
The French government accepted the U.S. proposal to condemn the Spanish regime of Generalissimo Francisco Franco for the execution of 10 Spanish veterans of the French resistance movement, but revealed that it had asked for U.S.-U.K.-U.S.S.R. support of its plan to submit the Spanish issue to the United Nations Security Council on March 21.

France signed a treaty with the Chinese government in Chungking ending French extraterritorial rights in Peking, Amoy, Shanghai, Tientsin, Hankow, and Canton.

U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes told the Overseas Press Club that the United States wanted friendship with the U.S.S.R., but warned that it "cannot show aggression to be accomplished by coercion or pressure or by subterfuge."

Defense
The U.S. Army Air Forces revealed that they had been experimenting with radar detection of captured German V-2 bombs to find a defense against atomic bomb raids.

Transportation
United Air Lines revealed that it had ordered a jet plane for commercial use.

Labour
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that 1.4 million workers were on strike in January, a record high for any single month.

70 years ago
1951


Music
Composer Igor Stravinsky was awarded the Gold Medal for Music by the National Institute and American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Politics and government
The French cabinet of Prime Minister Rene Pleven resigned when it failed to agree on single-ballot or runoff elections for the National Assembly.

Crime
The U.S. Senate Crime Investigating Committee said that at least two major crime syndicates operated in the United States: one run by Frank Costello and Joe Adonis between New York and Miami, and the other by Tony Acardo, Rocco and Charles Fischetti, and Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik between Chicago and Miami.

Health
The American Cancer Society revealed that more men than women were dying of cancer for the first time since statistics on all causes of death had been kept.

Labour
Organized labour in the United States withdrew its representatives from all mobilization agencies in protest against the 10% ceiling on wage raises, alleged domination of the defense effort by big business, and Defense Mobilization Director Charles Wilson's "arrogant seizure of control over manpower."

60 years ago
1961


Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Seemann--Lolita (7th week at #1)

On television tonight
Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, hosted by John Newland, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Stranger, starring Bill Nagy, Peter Dynely, and Patrick McAlinney



Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Throwback, starring

Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Well of Doom, starring Ronald Howard, Henry Daniell, and Torin Thatcher



Diplomacy
The three major groups in the Congo that were opposed to the faction loyal to recently-deposed and assassinated Premier Patrice Lumumba signed a pact establishing a "common bloc against the danger of UN trusteeship, Communist tyranny and a Korean-style war." The leaders were newly-installed Congolese Premier Joseph Ileo; Moise Tshombe, president of the secessionist province of Katanga; and Albert Kalonji of the province of South Kasai. They said they had invited Antoine Gizenga, recognized by 20 Communist and neutral countries as the leader of Congo’s "legitimate" government, and his associates to a meeting of all factions to take place in March in Tananarive, Malagasy Republic.

50 years ago
1971


Music
The Beach Boys performed at Symphony Hall in Boston. David Marks, who had been a member of the group from 1962-1963 and was currently studying music in Boston, rejoined the group for an encore.



World events
Ecuador had seized, fined, and released seven U.S. tuna boats on charges of fishing within Ecuadorian territorial waters since February 10.

Golf
Jack Nicklaus won the Professional Golfers Association Championship for the second time, becoming the first golfer to win each of the four major tournaments at least twice. The 1971 PGA Championship was held at the PGA National Golf Club course at North Palm Beach, Florida.



40 years ago
1981


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Woman in Love--Barbra Streisand

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Shine Up--Doris D and the Pins

#1 single in Ireland: Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Stars on 45--Stars on 45 (2nd week at #1)
2 Shine Up--Doris D and the Pins
3 Amoureux Solitaires/Dis Moi que Tu M'aimes--Lio
4 If You Could Read My Mind - Special U.S. Disco-Mix--Viola Wills
5 Embarrassment--Madness
6 Flip Fluitketel/Er Staat Een Paard in de Gang--André Van Duin
7 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
8 Rock this Town--Stray Cats
9 Ik Wil Op M'n Kop Een Kamerbreed Tapijt--Barry Hughes & De Kwaffeurs
10 While You See a Chance--Steve Winwood

Singles entering the chart were It's a Love Thing by the Whispers (#25); Don't Stop the Music by Yarbrough & Peoples (#28); I Can Dance by Sugar and the Lollipops (#31); My Girl by Rod Stewart (#32); Hokie Pokie (All Over the World) by Big John Russel (#34); and Leila (The Queen of Sheba) by Dolly Dots (#37).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 I Love a Rainy Night--Eddie Rabbitt
2 9 to 5--Dolly Parton
3 Woman--John Lennon
4 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
5 Keep on Loving You--REO Speedwagon
6 The Best of Times--Styx
7 The Tide is High--Blondie
8 Giving it Up for Your Love--Delbert McClinton
9 Same Old Lang Syne--Dan Fogelberg
10 The Winner Takes it All--ABBA

Singles entering the chart were I Can't Stand It by Eric Clapton and his Band (#63); The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love) by Journey (#73); Mister Sandman by Emmylou Harris (#83); Hold on Loosely by 38 Special (#85); Hold On by Badfinger (#86); Lovers After All by Melissa Manchester and Peabo Bryson (#88); and Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me) by the Gap Band (#95).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 9 to 5--Dolly Parton
2 I Love a Rainy Night--Eddie Rabbitt
3 Keep on Loving You--REO Speedwagon
4 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
5 Woman--John Lennon
6 The Tide is High--Blondie
7 The Best of Times--Styx
8 Same Old Lang Syne--Dan Fogelberg
8 Rapture--Blondie
10 Giving it Up for Your Love--Delbert McClinton

Singles entering the chart were I Can't Stand It by Eric Clapton and his Band (#63); The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love) by Journey (#84); Ch Ch Cherie by the Johnny Average Band featuring Nikki Wills (#86); Walking on Thin Ice by Yoko Ono (#88); and Hold On by Badfinger (#90).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 9 to 5--Dolly Parton (2nd week at #1)
2 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
3 I Love a Rainy Night--Eddie Rabbitt
4 Keep on Loving You--REO Speedwagon
5 Woman--John Lennon
6 The Tide is High--Blondie
7 Keep on Loving You--REO Speedwagon
8 Hello Again--Neil Diamond
9 Same Old Lang Syne--Dan Fogelberg
10 Rapture--Blondie

Singles entering the chart were I Can't Stand It by Eric Clapton and his Band (#72); I Love You by Climax Blues Band (#87); The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love) by Journey (#88); Bon Bon Vie (Gimme the Good Life) by T.S. Monk (#89); and Thighs High (Grip Your Hips and Move) by Tom Browne (#97).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 The Tide is High--Blondie (4th week at #1)
2 Keep on Loving You--REO Speedwagon
3 Hey Nineteen--Steely Dan
4 Passion--Rod Stewart
5 The Best of Times--Styx
6 Woman--John Lennon
7 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
8 Tell it Like it Is--Heart
9 Games People Play--Alan Parsons Project
10 He Can’t Love You--Michael Stanley Band

Singles entering the chart included Crying by Don McLean (#48); and Banana Republic by the Boomtown Rats (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Turn Me Loose--Loverboy
2 Wasn't That a Party--The Rovers
3 I Love a Rainy Night--Eddie Rabbitt
4 9 to 5--Dolly Parton
5 Every Woman in the World--Air Supply
6 Teacher Teacher--Rockpile
7 Miss Sun--Boz Scaggs
8 Stealin' the Night--J.C. Stone
9 The Best of Times--Styx
10 Hey Nineteen--Steely Dan

Singles entering the chart were Giving it Up for Your Love by Delbert McClinton (#27); and Cover Girl by Prism (#30).

War
A high-level diplomatic mission including the presidents of Bangladesh, Gambia, Guinea, and Pakistan, as well as high-ranking officials from Malaysia, Senegal, Turkey, and the Palestine Liberation Organization arrived in Tehran to attempt to end the war between Iran and Iraq. The mission was scheduled to have talks with Iranian President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Defense
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher promised her nation’s support for U.S. president Ronald Reagan’s blocking of Soviet encroachment in El Salvador, Africa, and the Persian Gulf.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 3 @ Montreal 5

30 years ago
1991


Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Do the Bartman--The Simpsons (6th week at #1)

War
Just before the Gulf War cease-fire went into effect, 800 U.S. tanks clashed with 300 Iraqi tanks north of Kuwait. Iraq reportedly lost 200 tanks and the U.S. lost none. According to a U.K. white paper issued in July 1991, allied combat deaths in the war were as follows: U.S.A., 147; Saudi Arabia, 33; U.K., 24; Egypt, 10; United Arab Emirates, 6; France, 2; Kuwait, 1, for a total of 223. A U.S. Defense Department spokesman said on July 17 that the U.S. had suffered 148 combat deaths and 120 non-combatant deaths during the war, and another 13 after the cease-fire. U.S. personnel wounded in combat totalled 458. 11 U.S. women were killed in combat and 4 in non-combat situations, according to the spokesman.

25 years ago
1996


Music
At the 38th annual Grammy Awards presentation in Los Angeles, Ottawa native Alanis Morissette won four Grammys: best rock song and best female rock vocal for You Oughta Know, and album of the year and rock album of the year for Jagged Little Pill. Canadians picked up a total of 11 Grammys, including two by Joni Mitchell for her album Turbulent Indigo.

Law
The Supreme Court of Canada restored former Alberta teacher Jim Keegstra's conviction for promoting anti-Semitism.

20 years ago
2001


War
Soldiers from Rwanda and Uganda began withdrawing from front-line positions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Economics and finance
U.S. President George W. Bush submitted a budget to Congress for fiscal 2002 of $1.96 trillion, projecting surpluses for the next 10 years of $5.6 trillion. Defense spending was to increase by $14.2 billion to $310.5 billion, but the departments of Transportation, Energy, Interior, and Agriculture would have their budgets cut. The overall budget called for an increase in spending of 4%.

Disasters
10 people were killed and more than 70 injured when a high-speed passenger train travelling from Newcastle to London collided with a goods engine on the East Coast Main Line in North Yorkshire.

250 people were injured when an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale whose epicentre was near Olympia, Washington damaged buildings and pavement in Seattle, with tremors being felt in Vancouver, British Columbia and Salt Lake City. Damage, at $3 billion, was considered modest.



10 years ago
2011


Died on this date
Jane Russell, 89
. U.S. actress and singer. Miss Russell, known for her ample bosom, was known for her appearances in movies such as The Outlaw (1943); The Paleface (1948); and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). She made several recordings, and was a nightclub singer in the late 1950s. Miss Russell died of a respiratory-related illness.

Annie Girardot, 79. French actress. Miss Girardot appeared in almost 150 movies, often playing strong-willed and independent women. She won César Awards for her starring performances in Docteur Françoise Gailland (1976) and her supporting performances in Les Misérables (1995); and La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher) (2001). Miss Girardot won two Molière Awards for her theatre work. She died after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

February 27, 2021

330 years ago
1691


Born on this date
Edward Cave
. English publisher and editor. Mr. Cave founded The Gentleman's Magazine, the first general interest magazine, which was published in London from 1731-1922. He died on January 10, 1754 at the age of 62.

220 years ago
1801


Politics and government
Pursuant to the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Washington, D.C. was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.

140 years ago
1881


Born on this date
Sveinn Björnsson
. Regent of Iceland, 1941-1944; 1st President of Iceland, 1944-1952. Mr. Björnsson was a public prosecutor before entering politics. He was a member of Reykjavik City Council (1912-1920) and was its chairman (1918-1920). Mr. Björnsson represented the city in the Althing (1914-1915, 1919-1920), and was twice Icelandic Ambassador to Denmark (1920-1924, 1926-1940). He was Regent of Iceland during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, and being elected President after the country became a republic. Mr. Björnsson took Iceland into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949, and in 1951 allowed American troops into the country as the Iceland Defence Force. Mr. Björnsson died in office on January 25, 1952 at the age of 70, after several years of poor health.

Died on this date
George Colley, 45
. U.K. military officer. Major General Sir George joined the British Army in 1852 and served in South Africa, and was named Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Natal and High Commissioner for South Eastern Africa in April 1880. He was killed leading his troops against Boer forces in the Battle of Majuba Hill.

War
Transvaal forces commanded by General Nicolaas Smit defeated British forces led by Major General Sir George Colley in the Battle of Majuba Hill in South Africa. It was the final and decisive battle of the First Boer War.

130 years ago
1891


Born on this date
David Sarnoff
. Belarusian-born U.S. broadcasting executive. Mr. Sarnoff founded Radio Corporation of America in 1919, and led RCA until his retirement in 1970. He was a major figure in the development of radio and television. Mr. Sarnoff died on December 12, 1971 at the age of 80.

100 years ago
1921


Born on this date
Theodore Van Kirk. U.S. military officer. Major Van Kirk was a navigator with the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He was the navigator of the Enola Gay when it dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. He left the Army in 1946, obtained a master's degree in chemical engineering, and worked in research and marketing for DuPont for 35 years. He was the last survivor of the Enola Gay's famous mission, dying on July 28, 2014 at the age of 93.

Politics and government
The International Working Union of Socialist Parties was founded in Vienna.

90 years ago
1931


Died on this date
Chandra Shekhar Azad, 24
. Indian revolutionist. Chandra Shekhar, who took the name Azad ("Free"), led the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA) in resistance against British rule. He died in Allahabad, killing three policemen in a shootout and then shooting himself when his situation became hopeless.

80 years ago
1941


Died on this date
William D. Byron, 45
. U.S. politician. Mr. Byron, a Democrat, served in local and state politics in Maryland before representing Maryland's 6th District in the United States House of Representatives from 1939 until his death as one of the passengers of Eastern Air Lines Flight 21 when the Douglas DC-3 crashed while preparing to land in Atlanta.

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1940 were presented at the Biltmore Bowl at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. The winners included: Best Picture--Rebecca; Best Director--John Ford (The Grapes of Wrath); Best Actor--James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story); Best Actress--Ginger Rogers (Kitty Foyle); Best Supporting Actor--Walter Brennan (The Westerner); Best Supporting Actress--Jane Darwell (The Grapes of Wrath).



Politics and government
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill challenged his opponents in the House of Commons, demanding a vote of confidence and receiving unanimous support.

Thomas Miller was installed as Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan.

Defense
U.S. Senator Robert Taft (Republican--Ohio) accused President Franklin D. Roosevelt of "deliberately holding back aid to England in order to put pressure on Congress" to pass Lend-Lease. William Bullitt, former U.S. Ambassador to France and the U.S.S.R., told the Overseas Press Club in New York that a national emergency should be proclaimed, if necessary, to speed up defense preparations.

Diplomacy
A German businessman in Bulgaria filed legal charges against U.S. Minister to Bulgaria George Earle, claiming that Mr. Earle had hit him with a bottle.

World events
Venezuelan police raided a secret Communist radio station near Caracas.

Crime
A U.S. grand jury in Pittsburgh indicted 71 people under the postal law on charges of operating a lottery ring in eight eastern states with a total income of millions of dollars.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Reconstruction Finance Corporation bought $136,330,557 worth of state of Arkansas tax-exempt highway refunding bonds, because the 3½% interest rate demanded by a bank syndicate was considered too high.

Disasters
8 of 16 people aboard Eastern Air Lines Flight 21, a Douglas DC-3 flying from New York to Atlanta via Washington, were killed when the plane crashed while preparing to land at Candler Field in Atlanta. U.S. Representative William D. Byron (Democrat--Maryland) was among the dead, and Eastern Air Lines President Eddie Rickenbacker was seriously injured.

75 years ago
1946


At the movies
Road to Utopia, starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour, opened in theatres.



Theatre
Truckline Cafe, written by Maxwell Anderson, directed by Harold Clurman, and co-produced by Mr. Clurman and Elia Kazan, opened at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway in New York City. The cast included Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Kevin McCarthy, and Virginia Gilmore.

War
U.S. authorities in Frankfurt announced the arrest of Friedrich Flick, 62, head of a $400-million armaments combine called the "greatest single power behind the Nazi war machine."

Diplomacy
Spain closed part of the Franco-Spanish border and sent up a contingent of Moorish troops in response to the previous day's decision by the French cabinet to close the border and virtually suspend commercial relations with Spain in protest against the execution by the regime of Generalissimo Francisco Franco of 10 Spanish veterans of the French resistance movement. The United States sent a note to the United Kingdom and France calling for cooperation in ousting Generalissimo Francisco Franco from power in Spain.

Defense
The U.S.S.R. and Mongolia signed a military alliance in Moscow.

Abominations
The University of Texas barred Negroes from its law school.

Energy
Manhattan Project Director U.S. Army General Leslie Groves told the U.S. Senate Atomic Energy Committee that he favoured a federal nuclear control commission of nine members, including several assigned by the military.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Senate reduced Office of Price Administration funds for the next four months to $927,000, and voted to cut Civilain Production Administration funds to $750,000.

70 years ago
1951


On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Margin for Safety, starring Francis Bethencourt, Denholm Elliott, and Una O'Connor

War
Chinese Communist forces fell back under heavy U.S. pressure in east-central Korea between Hoengsong and Pangnim.

Defense
Canada posted an army officer to the staff of Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower; it was the first step in providing Canadian ground troops in Europe for NATO.

World events
The Czechoslovakian government announced the arrest of former Foreign Minister Vladimir Clementis in connection with an abortive pro-Western coup attempt. Gustav Husak, former head of he Slovak Board of Commissioners, was expelled from the Communist Party on the same charges.

Politics and government
The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect when Minnesota became the 36th state to ratify it. It reads:

Amendment XXII
(The proposed amendment was sent to the states Mar. 21, 1947, by the Eightieth Congress. It was ratified Feb. 27, 1951.)

Section 1
[Limit to number of terms a president may serve.]

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section 2
[Ratification.]

This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.
Journalism
Armed thugs and police thwarted efforts by employees of the anti-Peronist Buenos Aires newspaper La Prensa to resume publication. One worker was killed and four injured in the assault.

Law
The American Bar Association House of Delegates, meeting in Chicago, approved the expulsion of Communists from the organization.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Office of Price Stabilization imposed a new price control system covering 200,000 retail items and affecting an estimated 233,000 retail stores.

Labour
Troops were sent onto the wharves of Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand to unload ships, while thousands of waterfront workers remained on strike.

60 years ago
1961


Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): The Green Leaves of Summer--The Brothers Four

#1 single in France (IFOP): Non, je ne regrette rien--Édith Piaf (7th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Pony Time--Chubby Checker
2 Calcutta--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra
3 There's a Moon Out Tonight--The Capris
4 Surrender--Elvis Presley
5 Don't Worry--Marty Robbins
6 Dedicated to the One I Love--The Shirelles
7 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
8 Shop Around--The Miracles
9 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers
10 Wheels--The String-A-Longs

Singles entering the chart were Please Love Me Forever by Cathy Jean and the Roommates (#71); Lonely Man by Elvis Presley (#84); Ja-Da by Johnny and the Hurricanes (#86); All of Everything by Frankie Avalon (#91); Bewildered by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#94); Won't Be Long by Aretha Franklin with the Ray Bryant Combo (#95); More than I Can Say by Bobby Vee (#96); Tunes of Glory by Mitch Miller with his Orchestra & Chorus (#97); A Lover's Question by Ernestine Anderson (#98); Cherry Berry Wine by Charlie McCoy (#99); and Battle of Gettysburg by Fred Darian (#100). Lonely Man was the B-side of Surrender, and was written for, but eventually cut from, the movie Wild in the Country (1961).

Diplomacy
Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru told his country’s parliament that he was opposed to any plan to reorganize the United Nations’ Secretary-General’s office "at the present moment," and that he approved continuation of the UN’s Congo operation.

Labour
The first congress of the Spanish Trade Union Organisation was inaugurated.

50 years ago
1971


Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Vent'anni--Massimo Ranieri (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (5th week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 The Pushbike Song--The Mixtures
2 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison
3 Knock Three Times--Dawn
4 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
5 Eleanor Rigby--Zoot
6 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
7 Band of Gold--Freda Payne
8 My Baby's Gone--Axiom
9 Lonely Days--Bee Gees
10 Gypsy Woman--Brian Hyland

Singles entering the chart were Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#27); Rose Garden by Lynn Anderson (#33); Woodstock by Matthews Southern Comfort (#37); Throw a Little Loving My Way by Tadpole (#40); Your Song by Elton John (#49); The Prophet by Ronnie Burns (#53); Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix (#54); San Bernadino by Christie (#57); When I'm Dead and Gone by McGuinness Flint (#59); and I Really Don't Want to Know/There Goes My Everything by Elvis Presley (#60).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Nothing Rhymed--Gilbert O'Sullivan (5th week at #1)
2 Du--Peter Maffray
3 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
4 Bridget the Midget--Ray Stevens
5 Hup Daar is Willem!--Ed en Willem Bever
6 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
7 Holy Holy Life--Golden Earring
8 Butterfly--Danyel Gerard
9 Mother--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
10 Silver Moon--Michael Nesmith & the First National Band

Singles entering the chart were Ard Die Heeft De Wereld Cup/Heya Ard Schenk/Ra ta ta by De Specials (#21); Huilen is Voor Jou te Laat by Klaas en Peter (#26); Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep by Lally Stott (#29); Proud Mary by Ike & Tina Turner (#31); Everybody Tries by the Rob Hoeke Rhythm & Blues Group (#32); Zomer in Zeeland by Saskia & Serge (#33); and Everything is Allright by Nanda (#34).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds (3rd week at #1)
2 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5
3 Knock Three Times--Dawn
4 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
5 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
6 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
7 Sweet Mary--Wadsworth Mansion
8 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
9 Mr. Bojangles--Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
10 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin

Singles entering the chart were What is Life by George Harrison (#66); No Love at All by B.J. Thomas (#68); Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes by the 5th Dimension (#69); Soul Power (Part 1) by James Brown (#84); Ain't Got Time by the Impressions (#85); After the Fire is Gone by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn (#86); Bell Bottom Blues by Derek and the Dominoes (#91); Beginning to Feel the Pain by Mac Davis (#92); Don't Make Me Pay for His Mistakes by Z.Z. Hill (#94); One Man's Leftovers (Is Another Man's Feast) by 100 Proof Aged in Soul (#96); Wild World by the Gentrys (#97); and Celia of the Seals by Donovan (#98).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds (3rd week at #1)
2 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5
3 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
4 Have You Ever Seen the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
5 Sweet Mary--Wadsworth Mansion
6 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
7 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
8 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
9 Mr. Bojangles--Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
10 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed

Singles entering the chart were Tongue in Cheek by Sugarloaf (#78); Ain't Got Time by the Impressions (#86); One Man's Leftovers (Is Another Man's Feast) by 100 Proof Aged in Soul (#89); Tulsa by Billy Joe Royal (#91); Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go by Marion Williams (#93); Give it to Me by the Mob (#94); Funky by the Chambers Brothers (#96); If it's Real What I Feel by Jerry Butler featuring Brenda Lee Eager (#97); Stop the World and Let Me Off by the Flaming Ember (#98); and Bad Water by the Raeletts (#99).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds (2nd week at #1)
2 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5
3 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
4 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
5 Sweet Mary--Wadsworth Mansion
6 Mr. Bojangles--Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
7 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
8 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
9 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
10 Theme from Love Story--Henry Mancini, his Orchestra and Chorus

Singles entering the chart were What is Life/Apple Scruffs by George Harrison (#43); Another Day/Oh Woman, Oh Why by Paul McCartney (#53); What's Going On by Marvin Gaye (#82); Snow Blind Friend by Steppenwolf (#84); Soul Power by James Brown (#86); No Love at All by B.J. Thomas (#88); Bell Bottom Blues by Derek and the Dominoes (#89); Tulsa by Billy Joe Royal (#92); The Pushbike Song by the Mixtures (#93); Hot Pants by Salvage (#95); Do Me Right by the Detroit Emeralds (#96); and Maria (You were the Only One) by Jimmy Ruffin (#97).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
2 Mr. Bojangles--Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
4 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
5 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
6 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
7 Sweet Mary--Wadsworth Mansion
8 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
9 Hang on to Your Life--The Guess Who
10 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5

Singles entering the chart were Oye Como Va by Santana (#60); What is Life by George Harrison (#85); Chairman of the Board by Chairmen of the Board (#87); A Stranger in My Place by Anne Murray (#94); Bed of Rose's by the Statler Brothers (#95); I was Wondering by the Poppy Family (#96); Rosaline by Russell Thornberry (#97); No Love at All by B.J. Thomas (#98); Sundown by Chilliwack (#99); and Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life) by the Four Tops (#100).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson (4th week at #1)
2 Stay Awhile--The Bells
3 Theme from Love Story--Henry Mancini, his Orchestra and Chorus
4 I was Wondering--The Poppy Family
5 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
6 1900 Yesterday--Liz Damon's Orient Express
7 Born to Wander--Rare Earth
8 Have You Ever Seen the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
9 Fresh as a Daisy--Emitt Rhodes
10 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
Pick hit of the week: Woodstock--Matthews' Southern Comfort

Abominations
Doctors in the first Dutch abortion clinic (the Mildredhuis in Arnhem) started performing artificially-induced abortions.

40 years ago
1981


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): När vi två blir en--Gyllene Tider (12th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Reality--Richard Sanderson (5th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Can You Feel It--The Jacksons (2nd week at #1)
2 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
3 Passion--Rod Stewart
4 Lady--Kenny Rogers
5 Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre
6 I'm Alright--Kenny Loggins
7 Stop the Cavalry--Jona Lewie
8 Love on the Rocks--Neil Diamond
9 A Lot of Things--Peach
10 The Tide is High--Blondie

Singles entering the chart were Give Me Back My Love by Maywood (#14); Rome by Dschinghis Khan (#18); and De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by the Police (#19).

Personal
This blogger began a job as a busboy/waiter at Mr. Mike’s Steak House in Edmonton for the minimum wage of $3.50 per hour.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher continued her visit to Washington, declaring that the free world was counting on the U.S. administration of President Ronald Reagan to restore faith in the U.S. dollar. She cautioned Mr. Reagan not to be too quick to accept a Soviet proposal for a summit between himself and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

Protest
More than one million people marched through the centre of Madrid in support of King Juan Carlos of Spain and in condemnation of the attempted coup by members of the Civil Guard several days earlier.

Religion
Pope John Paul II departed Anchorage and flew back to Rome, ending his tour of east Asia and Alaska.

Economics and finance
It was announced that U.S. President Ronald Reagan had decided on an additional budget cut of $10 billion-$13 billion to achieve his goal of reducing the growth of federal spending and to offset the budgetary miscalculation on spending in the next fiscal year.

Business
Chrysler Corporation reported a loss of $1.71 billion for 1980, the largest loss in American corporate history. Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors lost a combined total of $4.06 billion in 1980.

30 years ago
1991


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Crazy--Seal (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight’s episode: Buster

War
The first U.S. military convoy entered Kuwait City. Iraq agreed to a cease-fire in the Gulf War, and agreed to almost all of the allies’ terms. U.S. President George Bush announced at 9 P.M. Eastern Standard Time that, "Kuwait is liberated, Iraq’s army defeated. Our military objectives are met," and that the allies would cease fire at midnight EST. Iraq informed the United Nations that it would accept the 12 Security Council resolutions against it, which included payment of reparations. The cease-fire took effect only 100 hours after the beginning of the ground war. Total allied combat fatalities were listed at 141. Estimates of Iraqis killed and injured numbered as high as 100,000, and the allies held 175,000 prisoners. It was the first war that Canada fought in without incurring a single fatality.

Scandal
The U.S. Senate Ethics Committee reported on its investigation of the so-called "Keating Five,"--U.S. Senators Alan Cranston (Democrat--California); Dennis DeConcini (Democrat--Arizona); Donald Riegle (Democrat--Michigan); John Glenn (Democrat--Ohio); and John McCain (Republican--Arizona)--who were suspected of improper activities on behalf of Charles Keating, chairman of the failed Lincoln Savings and Loan Association in California, the 1989 collapse of which had cost the U.S. government $2 billion. The report found "substantial credible evidence" of misconduct by Sen. Cranston. The committee said that Sen. Cranston or his staff members had on at least four occasions contacted regulators on Mr. Keating’s behalf in close juxtaposition to receiving or soliciting money from Mr. Keating. Sen. Cranston faced the possibility of disciplinary action by the Senate, but the committee issued only mild reprimands to the other four Senators.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 2 @ Calgary 4

25 years ago
1996


War
UNITAS rebels in Angola were accused of downing a commercial plane bringing food into the country.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council lifted sanctions against the Bosnian Serbs.

Popular culture
The multimedia franchise Pokémon was launched with the release of the video games Pocket Monsters: Red and Green.

Hockey
NHL
The Los Angeles Kings traded centre Wayne Gretzky to the St. Louis Blues for centre Patrice Tardif; centre Roman Vopat; left wing Craig Johnson; and two draft choices (Peter Hogan and left wing Matt Zultek). Mr. Gretzky, holder of every important leaague scoring record, was in his eighth season with the Kings after 10 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. In 62 games with Los Angeles in 1995-96, Mr. Gretzky scored 81 points on 15 goals and 66 assists. Mr. Tardif scored 3 goals and no assists in 23 games with St. Louis, while Mr. Vopat had 2 goals and 3 assists in 25 games and Mr. Johnson had 8 goals and 7 assists in 49 games with the Blues in 1995-96.

20 years ago
2001


Crime
Police in Seattle used tear gas to break up a rampage of vandalism by Mardis Gras "celebrants." 70 people were injured.

Economics and finance
George W. Bush delivered his first major address as President of the United States, speaking to a joint session of Congress. He strongly advocated his 10-year $1.6-trillion tax cut, contending that budget surpluses would permit this cut plus additional funding of his education reforms and a prescription drug benefit for old people. Democratic Party Senator Tom Daschle (South Dakota) and Representative Dick Gephardt (Missouri) argued that the U.S. could not afford Mr. Bush’s tax cut, and advocated a tax cut of about half as much, and less weighted toward the wealthy.



10 years ago
2011


Movies The Academy Awards for 2010 were presented at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The winners included: Picture--The King's Speech; Director--Tom Hooper (The King's Speech); Actor--Colin Firth (The King's Speech); Actress--Natalie Portman (Black Swan); Supporting Actor--Christian Bale (The Fighter); Supporting actress--Melissa Leo (The Fighter).

Died on this date
Frank Buckles, 110
. U.S. soldier. Corporal Buckles served with the U.S. Army in World War I, driving ambulances and motorcycles near the front lines. He was working in the shipping business in the Philippines when Japanese forces invaded in 1942, and spent three years as a civilian prisoner. Mr. Buckles was the last surviving American combat veteran of World War I, and died 26 days after his 110th birthday.

Duke Snider, 84. U.S. baseball player. Edwin Donald Snider played center field with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1947-1962); New York Mets (1963); and San Francisco Giants (1964), batting .295 with 407 home runs and 1,333 runs batted in in 2,143 games. He led the National League in home run in 1956 (43) and in runs batted in in 1955 (136), and led the league in runs three times and in slugging twice. Mr. Snider helped the Dodgers win seven NL pennants and two World Series, batting .286 with 11 home runs and 26 RBIs in 36 World Series games. He was a colour commentator on broadcasts of games of the San Diego Padres (1969-1971) and Montreal Expos (1973-1986). Mr. Snider was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980, and died after suffering from diabetes, hypertension, and other ailments.

Necmettin Erbakan, 84. Prime Minister of Turkey, 1996-1997. Dr. Erkaban was an engineering professor who founded several political parties. He represented Konya in the Grand Assembly (1969-1980, 1991-1998), and served three terms as Deputy Prime Minister. Dr. Erkaban became Prime Minister of a coalition government, and adopted a pro-Islamist foreign policy. He was forced to resign by the military, was banned from politics, and served time in prison in an embezzlement scandal. Dr. Erkaban died of heart failure.

Economics and finance
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that Canada would place new sanctions against Libya beyond the United Nations ones, including asset freezes and a ban on financial transactions with the country.

Friday 26 February 2021

February 26, 2021

160 years ago
1861


Born on this date
Ferdinand I
. Czar of Bulgaria, 1908-1918; Knyaz of Bulgaria, 1887-1908. Ferdinand I, a German prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, was elected Knyaz (ruling prince) of Bulgaria by the Grand National Assembly. He proclaimed Bulgaria's de jure independence from the Ottoman Empire on October 5, 1908, and assumed the title of Czar. Bulgaria sided with the Central Powers in World War I, and in an effort to save the monarchy, Ferdinand abdicated in favour of his son Boris III on October 3, just two days short of 10 years as Czar. Ferdinand I lived the rest of his life in exile in Coburg, Germany, and died on September 10, 1848 at the age of 87.

120 years ago
1901

Died on this date
Chi-hsui; Hsu Cheng-yu
. Chinese rebels. Leaders of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, the two were beheaded.

100 years ago
1921


Born on this date
Betty Hutton
. U.S. actress and singer. Miss Hutton, born Elizabeth Thornburg, appeared in plays, films, radio, and television programs from the late 1930s through the late '50s; her movies included The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944); Annie Get Your Gun (1950); and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). Miss Hutton starred in the first colour television variety special, Satins and Spurs (1954), and the comedy series The Betty Hutton Show (1959-1960). She recorded six songs that reached the top 10 of the Billboard pop singles chart, reaching #1 in 1946 with Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief. Miss Hutton struggled with depression and pill addiction, but converted to Roman Catholicism in the early 1970s and obtained a master's degree in psychology. She occasionally worked in show business until 1983, and died of complications from colon cancer on March 12, 2007, two weeks after her 86th birthday.

90 years ago
1931


Died on this date
Otto Wallach, 83
. German chemist. Dr. Wallach taught at the Universities of Bonn (1870-1889) and Göttingen (1889–1915). He was awarded the 1910 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "[for] his services to organic chemistry and the chemical industry by his pioneer work in the field of alicyclic compounds." Dr. Wallach died 29 days before his 84th birthday.

80 years ago
1941


War
The United Kingdom announced the first clash between British and German motorized patrols in Libya. Japan presented a "final mediation plan" for settlement of the border dispute between Thailand and French Indochina. U.S. Senator Burton K. Wheeler (Democrat--Montana) challenged the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to let the American people vote on the issue of American entry into the European war.

Society
The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reported that the Congregation of the Holy Office had placed the German book Race, Culture and Christianity by P. Koltz on the list of forbidden works for advocating compulsory sterilization and euthanasia for the unfit.

Scandal
U.S. Justice Department official Maurice Milligan reported that the special Washington grand jury investigating alleged violations of federal election laws during the 1940 campaign returned no indictments.

Business
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission officials Gerhard Gesell and Ernest Howe reported that the tremendous assets of the insurance companies were available only for big business.

75 years ago
1946


Diplomacy
The French cabinet ordered the Franco-Spanish border closed and commercial relations virtually suspended in protest against the execution by the regime of Generalissimo Francisco Franco of 10 Spanish veterans of the French resistance movement.

Terrorism
British troops in Palestine seized 5,000 Jews in a search for terrorists who had wrecked 22 Royal Air Force planes at Quastina, Petah Tikvah, and Lydda the previous night.

Politics and government
With the U.S.S.R. represented for the first time, the Allied Far Eastern Commission met in Washington, D.C. at its permanent headquarters in the Japanese embassy.

U.S. President Harry Truman nominated Julius Krug as Secretary of the Interior.

The United States Congress passed a $100-million national school lunch bill and a $250-million emergency housing bill for military veterans.

Defense
The U.S. War and Navy Departments asked Congress for a 20% pay increase for all men in the armed services to meet higher living costs and provide recruitment incentive. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ships sale bill, giving U.S. shipping lines priority in the purchase or leasing of 50 million tons of shipping built during World War II.

Protest
Indian independence activist Jawaharlal Nehru told a rally in Bombay that every Indian in the armed forces should refuse to shoot or harm fellow Indians on British orders.

Crime
State militia seized 300 weapons in a house-to-house search in Columbia, Tennessee after 10 people were injured in race riots.

Oddities
Finnish observers reported the first of many thousands of sightings of ghost rockets.

Economics and finance
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King named Finance Minister J.L. Ilsley as its representative in the International Monetary Fund and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The U.S. Office of Price Administration approved a 1.5% retail price increase for meat after March 11, 1946.

Labour
Ford and Congress of Industrial Organizations United Auto Workers signed an agreement calling for an 18c hourly wage increase and stringent action against workers who began wildcat strikes.

The U.S. Wage Stabilization Board orderd a 16c hourly wage increase for packing house workers.

Mediation efforts by Congress of Industrial Organizations President Philip Murray and RCA chief David Sarnoff averted a strike by transport workers in New York City.

70 years ago
1951


On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Dispossessed, starring June Dayton, Jeffrey Lynn, and Stefan Schnabel

Literature
The novel From Here to Eternity by James Jones was published in New York by Charles Scribners' Sons.

Diplomacy
Reports from India said that General Ngaboo, a Tibetan official captured by Chinese Communist forces at Chamdo in eastern Tibet, had gone to Peking to negotiate with the Chinese Communist government on Tibet's future.

Israel and the United States concluded negotiations for a technical aid agreement.

Politics and government
Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco agreed to French demands that he withdraw support from nationalist politicians in his cabinet and administration, who wanted complete independence from France.

Italian Communist Party leader Palmiro Toglatti returned to Rome from Moscow.

Labour
The U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a Wisconsin law prohibiting public utility strikes and requiring conpulsory arbitration of such disputes, ruling that it conflicted with the Taft-Hartley Act.

60 years ago
1961


Died on this date
Mohammed V, 51
. Sultan of Morocco, 1927-1953, 1955-1957; King of Morocco, 1957-1961. Mohammed V acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Yusef. He helped to protect Jews during World War II, and supported Moroccan nationalism after the war. On August 20, 1953 Sultan Mohammed was forced into exile in Corsica by French forces that were occupying Morocco. He returned from exile on November 16, 1955 and was again recognized as Sultan after active opposition to the French protectorate. Mohammed successfully negotiated Morocco’s independence from France in 1956, and took the title of King in 1957. He died after unspecified surgery, and was succeeded by his son Hassan II.

Space
The mission of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 7, launched on February 4, ended. Meanwhile, the Communist Party newspaper Pravda published a picture of the probe Venera 1, launched toward Venus from Sputnik 8 on February 12, describing the probe as a heavily-instrumented airtight cylindrical body with two bulges containing scientific equipment and chemical battery blocks. Exclusive of four aerials and solar batteries, it was 80 inches long and 41 inches in diameter. It was stated that equipment aboard Venera 1 was turned on and off by radio command from the ground and that measurements were radioed to large new aerials set up at various sites of the "outer space radio communications centre" of the U.S.S.R.

50 years ago
1971


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Knock Three Times--Dawn

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (5th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 No Matter What--Badfinger
2 Knock Three Times--Dawn
3 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
4 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
5 Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow--The Dealians
6 Gypsy Woman--Brian Hyland
7 Mango Mango--Tidal Wave
8 See Me, Feel Me--The Who
9 Mendocino--Michael Holm
10 Sailing--Fuzz

Singles entering the chart were Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin (#17); and A Summer Prayer for Peace by the Archies (#18).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson (2nd week at #1)
2 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
3 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
4 Stay Awhile--The Bells
5 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
6 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
7 Put Your Hand in the Hand--Ocean
8 Amazing Grace--Judy Collins
9 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
10 Temptation Eyes--The Grass Roots

Singles entering the chart were Oh What a Feeling by Crowbar (#25); Cried Like a Baby by Bobby Sherman (#26); One Toke Over the Line by Brewer and Shipley (#29); and Free by Chicago (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
2 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
3 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
4 Woodstock--Matthews' Southern Comfort
5 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
6 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
7 Born to Wander--Rare Earth
8 Hang on to Your Life--The Guess Who
9 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
10 Amazing Grace--Judy Collins

Singles entering the chart were Eighteen by Alice Cooper (#26); What is Life by George Harrison (#27); Whole Lotta Love by King Curtis and the Kingpins (#28); Oye Como Va by Santana (#29); and Put Your Hand in the Hand by Ocean (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson (4th week at #1)
2 Bridget the Midget (The Queen of the Blues)--Ray Stevens
3 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
4 Wild World--Cat Stevens
5 Stay Awhile--The Bells
6 Knock Three Times--Dawn
7 Put Your Hand in the Hand--Ocean
8 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
9 Your Song--Elton John
10 Mother--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

On television tonight
The Interns, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Heart Trouble

Diplomacy
United Nations Secretary-General U Thant signed the UN proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.

Defense
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau began a program to raise the percentage of Francophones in the Canadian Armed Forces to at least 28%.

Crime
The U.S. Army ordered a court-martial for Colonel Oran K. Henderson, former commander of the 11th Brigade, Americal Division, on charges of failing to conduct a "proper and thorough" investigation of the alleged massacre of civilians in the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai on March 16, 1968. The legal action against Col. Henderson, on specific charges of dereliction of duty; failure to obey regulations; making a false statement; and false swearing, made him the only officer to be tried, out of 14 originally accused of suppressing information about the incident. The Army at the same time announced that charges had been dropped against Captain Dennis H. Johnson, one of the original 14 officers charged. Capt. Johnson had been accused of failure to obey regulations while attached to an intelligence unit.

Politics and government
The first convention of the Parti québécois opened in Quebec City.

Disasters
A flood that swept through Rio de Janeiro killed more than 130 people and left thousands homeless.

40 years ago
1981


Died on this date
Howard Hanson, 84
. U.S. composer. Mr. Hanson was a Neo-Romantic composer who wrote seven symphonies, as well as orchestral, choral, and other works. His Symphony No. 4 (1943) won the Pulitzer Prize, but his Symphony No. 2 "Romantic" (1930) is his most famous work. Mr. Hanson directed the Eastman School of Music (1924-1964), and founded the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra in 1939.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher paid her first visit to U.S. President Ronald Reagan at the White House, where she said that the two leaders were determined "to sweep away the restrictions that hold back enterprise."

Economics and finance
After being informed that his advisers had underestimated the growth of federal spending for fiscal 1982, U.S. President Ronald Reagan ordered further cuts in his proposed budget of $3 billion-$6 billion.

Protest
450 students occupied the rector’s offices at a teachers’ college in Olsztyn, Poland, protesting inadequate accommodations.

Religion
Pope John Paul II met with atomic bomb victims and conducted mass in Nagasaki before departing for Anchorage, Alaska, where he conducted mass and met with clergy.

Hockey
NHL
Minnesota 1 @ Boston 5

Rick Middleton scored 2 goals and 2 assists to help the Bruins beat the North Stars at Boston Garden. The teams combined for 409 minutes in penalties--205 for Minnesota, 197 for Boston--in setting a National Hockey League record for a single game that stood for 23 years. The eventual winning goal was scored by Jean Ratelle in the 1st period; it was his 491st and last regular season NHL goal.



30 years ago
1991


War
Kuwait City was liberated by the allies after 208 days of Iraqi occupation. American forces scored a decisive victory over Iraqi forces in the Battle of Al Busayyah. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein announced on Baghdad radio that he had ordered his forces to withdraw from Kuwait.

Politics and government
Republican Party candidate J. Fife Symington III defeated Democratic Party candidate Terry Goddard 52%-48% in a runoff election to become Governor of Arizona. Neither candidate had obtained the required majority of votes necessary to win in the November 1990 election.

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister Michael Wilson tabled the budget for 1991-1992 to the House of Commons, describing it as "the most difficult" of the seven budgets he had presented. Though total government spending was increased by 5.1% from the previous year, the budget would restrain public servant wages; raise cigarette taxes; increase unemployment insurance premiums; and squeeze federal payments to the provinces. Mr. Wilson projected that the federal budget deficit would be limited to $30.5 billion, the same as the previous fiscal year.

25 years ago
1996


Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Children--Robert Miles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Lemon Tree--Fools Garden

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Missing--Everything But the Girl (2nd week at #1)
2 Time--Hootie & the Blowfish
3 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
4 One of Us--Joan Osborne
5 The World I Know--Collective Soul
6 I Want to Come Over--Melissa Etheridge
7 Wonderwall--Oasis
8 Wildest Dreams--Tom Cochrane
9 You'll See--Madonna
10 1979--Smashing Pumpkins

Singles entering the chart were Faithfully by Peter Cetera (#77); You're O.K. by k.d. lang (#78); Right Hand Man by Joan Osborne (#79); I Cry by Bass is Base (#82); A Common Disaster by Cowboy Junkies (#84); Lucky Love by Ace of Base (#87); Aeroplane by Red Hot Chili Peppers (#92); Oh Virgins by Blessid Union of Souls (#94); Glycerine by Bush (#95); and Real Love by the Beatles (#96).

Space
A U.S.-Italian satellite system failed when a 20-kilometre cable snapped and a ½-tonne ($443 million) satellite was lost in space.

Law
Outrage over the February 24 downing by Cuba of two American civilian aircraft prompted U.S. President Bill Clinton to support the Helms-Burton law, without the clause allowing lawsuits against citizens of other countries. The Cuban government claimed that the American planes had violated Cuban air space.

Labour
Provincial civil servants in Ontario walked off the job to protest the handling of proposed spending cuts by the Progressive Conservative government of Premier Mike Harris.

20 years ago
2001


Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell continued his visit to the Middle East with meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabian foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. In Kuwait, Mr. Powell, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, and U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf participated in a ceremony observing the 10th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait City from Iraqi occupation in the Gulf War.

Crime
The three-man international war crimes tribunal meeting at The Hague sentenced Dario Kordic, an ally of the late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, and Mario Cerkez, a former brigade commander of Croatians in Bosnia, to 25 years and 15 years in prison, respectively, for crimes against humanity. The charges related to the killings of hundreds of Muslims in central Bosnia in 1992 and 1993.

Politics and government
The Israeli Labour Party’s governing body voted to join a unity government.

10 years ago
2011


Died on this date
Arnošt Lustig, 84
. Czech author. Mr. Lustig was a Jew who was interned in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, and escaped in 1945 from a train that was carrying him to the Auschwitz death camp in Poland. He worked as a journalist in Czechoslovakia, Israel, and the United States, and wrote novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays, often about the Holocaust. Mr. Lustig's books included Dita Saxová (1962); A Prayer For Katerina Horowitzowa (1974); and The Unloved: From the Diary of Perla S. (1979). He died after a long battle with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Roch Thériault, 63. Canadian cult leader and criminal. Mr. Thériault, a native of Saguenay, Quebec, was raised in Thetford Mines, Quebec as a Roman Catholic, but converted to Seventh-day Adventism, claimed to be a prophet named Moïse, and founded a small doomsday cult called the Ant Hill Kids in 1977 in Sainte-Marie, Quebec. The cult moved to a location near Burnt River, Ontario in 1984. Mr. Thériault had just a dozen adult followers, but had multiple wives and concubines, and fathered 26 children. He dissolved the cult after being arrested for assault in 1989, and was convicted in 1993 of the murder of one of his followers, Solange Boilard. Mr. Thériault had previously killed an infant named Samuel Giguère, while two of his disciples, Geraldine Gagné Auclair and Gabrielle Nadeau, had died following homeopathic treatments that he had administered to them. He was serving a life sentence at Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick when he was stabbed to death by fellow inmate Matthew MacDonald, a convicted murderer.

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station as part of mission STS-133; they were welcomed by the crew of Expedition 26.



Politics and government
Former Deputy Premier Christy Clark defeated former Health Minister Kevin Falcon 52%-48% on the third ballot to win the leadership of the British Columbia Liberal Party at the party's convention at the Vancouver Convention Centre. She succeeded Premier Gordon Campbell, who was resigning.