February 11, 2021

1,380 years ago
641

Died on this date
Heraclius, 65 (?). Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, 610-641. Heraclius came to the throne as the result of a revolt that he and his father Heraclius the Elder led against the usurper Flavius Phocas. Emperor Heraclius built up his military and achieved success against Persian forces, but lost many newly-regained lands to Muslim forces. He became aware of a power struggle in his last years, and devised in his will that Constantine III and Heraklonas, his sons by different mothers, should rule jointly with Empress Martina, Heracius' second wife.

1,290 years ago
731

Died on this date
Gregory II, 61 or 62. Roman Catholic Pope, 715-731. Gregory II, born Gregorius Sabellus, was born into a noble Roman family and advanced through the ranks of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy before being elected to succeed Pope Constantine. Pope Gregory expanded missionary activity and mandated certain practices within the Church, but spent much of the 720s in conflict with Byzantine Emperor Leo III, who issued an edict condeming possession of icons of any of the saints. Gregory II was succeeded as pope by Gregory III.

160 years ago
1861

Politics and government The United States House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state.

140 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Carlo Carrà. Italian artist. Mr. Carrà was a leadin painter in the Futurist movement in Italy in the early 20th century. He died on April 13, 1966 at the age of 85.

120 years ago
1901

Died on this date
Milan I, 45. Prince of Serbia, 1868-1882; King of Serbia, 1882-1889. Milan Obrenovic IV acceded to the throne upon the assassination of his cousin Prince Mihailo Obrenović III, and became King Milan I when Serbia changed from a principality to a kingdom. King Milan's economic development program made him unpopular, and he abdicated in favour of his 12-year-old son Alexander I. Milan became a private citizen in Paris, but was restored as a member of the Serbian royal family in 1894, and was commander-in-chief of the Serbian Army from 1897-1900. His death was unexpected.

Labour
In the First Annual Report of the Bureau of Labour, Canadian Deputy Labour Minister Mackenzie King deplored the employment of children under the age of 12.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Lloyd Bentsen. U.S. politician. Mr. Bentsen, a Democrat, served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross, and eventually rising to the rank of colonel in the United States Air Force. He represented Texas' 15th District in the United States House of Representatives from 1948-1955 and in the Senate from 1971-1993, winning his first Senate election against Republican candidate and future U.S. President George H.W. Bush. Mr. Bentsen was the Democratic Party's candidate for Vice President of the United States in 1988 as the running mate to Michael Dukakis, and served as Secretary of the Treasury in the administration of President Bill Clinton from 1993-1994. He died on May 23, 2006 at the age of 85.

Law
Sheriff Tibbits of Victoria County, New Brunswick was flooded with applications for the job of hangman; Newman Clark was waiting execution on March 1 for the murder of Phoebe Bell in Grand Falls. Price quotes for the service ranged from $75-$1,000.

90 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Charles Algernon Parsons, 76. U.K. engineer. Sir Charles invented the compound steam turbine, and founded C. A. Parsons and Company in Newcastle in 1889 to produce turbo generators to his design. He also invented the Auxetophone, an early compressed air gramophone. Sir Charles died of neuritis aboard the steamship Duchess of Richmond in Kingston Harbour, Jamaica, while on a cruise with his wife.

80 years ago
1941

Defense
1940 Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate Wendell Willkie, who had just returned from a visit to the United Kingdom, testified before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in favour of the Lend-Lease bill, predicting war if Britain fell.

Politics and government
The Vichy French regime published a constitutional act announcing the appointment of Admiral Darlan as next in line of succession to Marshal Philippe Petain as chief of state.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to extend the Committee on Un-American Activities' probing for 15 months.

The United States Secret Service began fingerprinting and photographing reporters and other people who regularly visited the White House.

Economics and finance
The Paraguayan government took control of the foreign exchange held in the Bank of the Republic.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor executive council denounced all anti-strike legislation now before the United States Congress.

75 years ago
1946

Hit parade
1 Symphony--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra with Clyde Rogers (4th week at #1)
--Bing Crosby
--Jo Stafford
--Benny Goodman and his Orchestra
2 Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra with Vaughn Monroe and the Norton Sisters
--Woody Herman and his Orchestra
3 I Can't Begin to Tell You--Bing Crosby with Carmen Cavallaro
--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Andy Russell
4 It Might as Well Be Spring--Dick Haymes
--Paul Weston and his Orchestra with Margaret Whiting
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
5 Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief--Betty Hutton
6 Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba)--Perry Como and the Satisfyers
7 I'm Always Chasing Rainbows--Perry Como
--Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest
8 Personality--Johnny Mercer
9 Waitin' for the Train to Come In--Peggy Lee
--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Johnny Long and his Orchestra and Dick Robertson
10 It's Been a Long Long Time--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby with Les Paul and his Trio
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
--Stan Kenton and his Orchestra

The only single entering the chart was Day by Day by Frank Sinatra (#13); it was the other side of Oh! What it Seemed to Be, charting at #17 with the version by Frankie Carle and his Orchestra.

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

Abominations
The New Testament of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the first serious challenge to the popularity of the King James Version, was published. The copyright was held by the International Council of Religious Education, which merged with the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America in 1950 to form the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.

War
Japanese Army Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma was convicted in Manila by a U.S. military tribunal of ordering the "Bataan death march," and was sentenced to death. The United Nations Security Council unanimously defeated Ururguay's proposal that Nazi war criminals convicted at their trial in Nuremberg not be sentenced to death. Testifying at Nuremberg, General Friedrich von Paulus, the German commander at Stalingrad, charged Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel, and Generaloberst Alfred Jodl with planning the attack on Russia. U.S. combat engineers and intelligence officers recovered the complete records of the German occupation of Czecholslovakia.

Defense
The smallest French military force in recent history, with an army of only 400,000 men, was agreed on by the country's military leaders.

U.S. Navy Captain R.H. Lavender disclosed that the U.S. government had a patent on the atomic bomb filed in a special safe in the U.S. Patent Office.

Diplomacy
At the United Nations Security Council, the U.S. led successful opposition to a Soviet proposal for an international investigation into the issue of British troops in the Netherlands East Indies.

The U.S.A. and U.K. published the secret text of the 1945 Yalta agreement.

The Arab Higher Committee decided to allow Palestinian Arabs to appear before the Palestine inquiry hearings in Jerusalem.

Transportation
An Anglo-American air travel treaty was signed in Bermuda for cooperation in the development of international airlines.

Economics and finance
The Allied Control Council in Berlin enacted a 1946 tax program for Germany designed to raise 15-20 billion marks.

The United States Commerce Department reported that 1945 income payments to individuals had hit an unprecedented high of $160.7 billion.

Labour
Tugboat operators in New York City voted to continue their strike, virtually shutting the city down. With fuel supplies low, Mayor Bill O'Dwyer ordered the closing of most schools and places of business.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that newspapers were engaged in interstate commerce and were thus subject to the Wage-Hour Law.

The American Federation of Labor Building and Construction Trades Council signed a five-year contract in New York, stabilizing wages for at least 1½ years.

70 years ago
1951

War
South Korean troops pushed north of the 38th Parallel for the first time since the previous fall's withdrawal in the face of Chinese intervention.

World events
More than 200 refugees from 10 Soviet-bloc countries met at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and endorsed a "Declaration of the Aims and Principles of Liberation of the Central and Eastern European Peoples." The group also advocated a European federation modelled after the United States.

Sport
Hjalmar Andersen of Norway won the men's world speed skating championship in Davos, Switzerland, clinching his triumph by winning the 10,000-metre race, the last event on the two-day program.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: 24.000 baci--Adriano Celentano

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ramona--Blue Diamonds (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): Save the Last Dance for Me--The Drifters (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Calcutta--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra
2 Will You Love Me Tomorrow--The Shirelles
3 Shop Around--The Miracles
4 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher
--[Mantovani & his Orchestra]
5 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
6 Emotions--Brenda Lee
7 There's a Moon Out Tonight--The Capris
8 Wonderland By Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
--[Louis Prima]
--[Anita Bryant]
9 Angel Baby--Rosie and the Originals
10 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
--[Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra]

Singles entering the chart were Think Twice by Brook Benton (#68); Lazy River by Bobby Darin (#71); I Don't Want to Cry by Chuck Jackson (#85); A Texan and a Girl from Mexico by Anita Bryant (#90); Please Love Me Forever by Cathy Jean and the Roommates (#94); The Touchables by Dickie Goodman (#95); I Pity the Fool by Bobby Bland (#96); Asia Minor by Kokomo (#98); Charlena by the Sevilles (#99); Cerveza by Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra (#100); and The Misfits by Don Costa, his Orchestra & Chorus (also #100). The Misfits was a version of the theme from the movie.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
2 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers
3 Baby Sittin' Boogie--Buzz Clifford
4 Apache--Jorgen Ingmann and his Guitar
5 Oh Joan--The Beau-Marks
6 Valley of Love--Johnny Ferguson
7 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
8 Shop Around--The Miracles
9 Good Time Baby--Bobby Rydell
10 There's a Moon Out Tonight--The Capris

Singles entering the chart were Three Wheels on My Wagon by Dick Van Dyke (#31); Happy Birthday Blues by Kathy Young with the Innocents (#34); Surrender by Elvis Presley (#36); I'm Tired by Ray Peterson (#37); Top Forty, News, Weather and Sports by Mark Dinning (#41); Little Miss Stuck-Up by the Playmates (#42); Storm (Came to Town) by Donnie Owens (#44); Asia Minor by Kokomo (#45); Ram-Bunk-Shush by the Ventures (#47); Utopia by Frank Gari (#48); Think Twice by Brook Benton (#49); and Lazy River by Bobby Darin (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers
2 Baby Sittin' Boogie--Buzz Clifford
3 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
4 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
5 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
6 Shop Around--The Miracles
7 Oh Joan--The Beau-Marks
8 Apache--Jorgen Ingmann and his Guitar
9 The Exodus Song--Pat Boone
10 A Scottish Soldier (Green Hills of Tyrol)--Andy Stewart

Singles entering the chart were Surrender by Elvis Presley (#24); Battle of Gettysburg by Fred Darian (#33); Reet Petite by Jackie Wilson (#36); A Texan and a Girl from Mexico by Anita Bryant (#37); Lazy River by Bobby Darin (#38); Don't Worry by Marty Robbins (#39); and You Can Have Her by Roy Hamilton (#40).

On television tonight
The Roaring 20's, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Black Saturday

Space
The mission of the Discoverer 5 capsule that had been launched by the United States on August 13, 1959 ended.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (5th week at #1)

Defense
At ceremonies in Washington, London, and Moscow, representatives of 63 nations signed the Seabed Arms Control Treaty, prohibiting installation of nuclear weapons on the seabed beyond any nation’s 12-mile coastal zone.

Hockey
NHL
Minnesota 2 @ Montreal 6

Jean Beliveau scored 3 goals, including the 500th of his NHL career, to help the Canadiens defeat the North Stars at the Montreal Forum. Phil Roberto and Frank Mahovlich assisted on Mr. Beliveau's 500th goal.



40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 9 to 5--Dolly Parton
2 The Tide is High--Blondie
3 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
4 The Winner Takes it All--ABBA
5 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
6 I Love a Rainy Night--Eddie Rabbitt
7 Keep on Loving You--REO Speedwagon
8 Looking for Clues--Robert Palmer
9 Turn Me Loose--Loverboy
10 Woman--John Lennon

The only single entering the chart was Giving it Up for Your Love by Delbert McClinton (#18).

Diplomacy
In response to a U.S. charge that Nicaragua was permitting Cuba to use its territory for shipment of arms to El Salvador, the Sandanista government of Nicaragua urged the Salvadoran rebels to seek a political settlement with the Salvadoran government of President Jose Napoleon Duarte.

American freelance journalist Cynthia Dwyer was on her way home to Buffalo after being freed by Iran after 10 months in captivity. She had gone to Iran in April 1980 to write articles about the situation there, but had been arrested on May 5 and charged with spying for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

War
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Robert Mugabe vowed to take action against warring Negro guerrilla troops in his country.

Edmontonia
Beatrix Bohm was chosen Miss Teen Edmonton 1981. This blogger picked her at the beginning of the show, which was televised on CFRN.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ai wa Katsu--(愛は勝つ)--Kan (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter--Iron Maiden (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Beinhart--Torfrock (3rd week at #1)

Diplomacy
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization was established in The Hague to represent the interests of indigenous peoples, minorities, occupied nations, and other areas lacking international recognition.

Defense
U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev notified the Warsaw Pact that the military side of the alliance would disband on April 1. Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria had already indicated that they would withdraw from the alliance if it did not disband.

War
Allied officials reported that 39 Iraqi planes had been shot down and that 142 had now flown to Iran.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): How Bizarre--OMC (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Scotland (OCC): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Kebby Musokotwane, 49. Prime Minister of Zambia, 1985-1989. Mr. Musokotwane was a member of the United National Independence Party and a close ally of former President Kenneth Kaunda, and replaced Mr. Kaunda as president of the UNIP in 1992.

Terrorism
17 people were killed and 90 wounded when two car bombs exploded in Algeria.

20 years ago
2001

Americana
Three Rivers Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers since 1970, was imploded, with thousands of people watching from several locations.



Technology
Dutch programmer Jan de Wit, 20, launched the Anna Kournikova worm, infecting millions of emails via a trick photo of the tennis star.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Chuck Tanner, 82. U.S. baseball player and manager. Mr. Tanner played left field with the Milwaukee Braves (1955-1957); Chicago Cubs (1957-1958); Cleveland Indians (1959-1960); and Los Angeles Angels (1961-1962), batting .261 with 21 home runs and 105 runs batted in in 396 games. On April 12, 1955, he hit a home run on the first pitch he ever faced in the major leagues. Mr. Tanner managed in the Angels' organization from 1963-1970, leading the Hawaii Islanders to a Pacific Coast League divisional title in 1970 before being hired to manage the Chicago White Sox for the last 16 games of the season. He managed the White Sox through 1975, and the Oakland Athletics in 1976. Mr. Tanner was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 1976 season for catcher Manny Sanguillen; he managed the Pirates from 1977-1985, leading them to the World Series championship in 1979. He managed the Atlanta Braves from 1986 until he was fired 39 games in to the 1988 season, finishing his major league managerial career with a career record of 1,352-1,381 (.495). Mr. Tanner served in the front offices of the Indians and Pirates in later years, and died after a long illness.

Politics and government
The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminated in the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 17 days of protests.