February 25, 2021

370 years ago
1651

Politics and government
Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour regained his position as Governor of Acadia.

180 years ago
1841

Born on this date
Pierre Auguste Renoir. French painter and sculptor. Initially known as an Impressionist, Mr. Renoir achieved great fame for his paintings of women, children, and summer landscapes. Among his most celebrated paintings are Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881); Dance at Bougival (1883); and Bather (1917–18). Mr. Renoir died on December 3, 1919 at the age of 78.

Died on this date
Philip Pendleton Barbour, 57. U.S. politician. Mr. Barbour, a member of the Democratic-Republican and Democratic Parties, represented Virginia's 11th District in the United States House of Representatives from 1814-1825 and 1827-1830, and served as Speaker of the House from 1821-1823. He was an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1836 until his death, which occurred from a coronary thrombosis during arguments presented by former U.S. President John Quincy Adams in the case of the slave ship Amistad. Justice Barbour advocated for a strict reading of the Constitution and limitations on federal government power.

160 years ago
1861

Scandal
James Tibbits, with support from Albert J. Smith, introduced a motion in the New Brunswick House of Assembly to establish a committee to investigate the Crown Lands Office. Charles Fisher was blamed for the resulting scandal and removed from council.

140 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Alexei Rykov. U.S.S.R. politician. Mr. Rykov joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1898; after it split into the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks, he joined the Bolsheviks, and participated in the 1905 revolution. He was one of the more moderate members of the Bolsheviks who seized power in 1917, and held various offices in the regime, most notably Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (Premier) of Russia (1924-1929) and the Soviet Union (1924-1930). Mr. Rykov served as People's Commissar of Communications on the Council of People's Commissars (1931-1937), but fell afoul of Josef Stalin, and was executed on March 15, 1938, 18 days after his 57th birthday, and two days after being convicted of treason in a show trial.

William Z. Foster. U.S. labour leader and politician. Mr. Foster, born William Edward Foster, joined the Socialist Party of America in 1901; he worked with the Industrial Workers of the World and was a union organizer in the national steel strike of 1919, joining the Communist Party USA during the 1920s. Mr. Foster was General Secretary of the party (1929-1932), resigning after suffering a heart attack. He returned as Chairman of the Communist Party USA (1945-1957), faithfully parroting the party line coming from the U.S.S.R. Mr. Foster was indicted for subversive activity under the Smith Act in 1948, but wasn't tried because he was in poor health. He died in Moscow on September 1, 1961 at the age of 80.

120 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Zeppo Marx. U.S. comedian, actor, and inventor. Herbert Marx was the youngest of the Marx Brothers comedy team. He joined their stage act in 1918, replacing Gummo, who was drafted into the U.S. Army and preferred a role behind the scenes in show business. Zeppo was reportedly as funny as any of the other brothers when required to replace one, but otherwise played the role of a bland romantic lead and comic foil. He appeared in their first five films, but left after Duck Soup (1933), and, like Gummo, became a theatrical agent. Zeppo also invented several devices, including a wristwatch that monitored the pulse rate of cardiac patients and gave off an alarm if the heartbeat became irregular. He was the last surviving Marx brother, and died of lung cancer on November 30, 1979 at the age of 78.

Vince Gair. Australian politician. Mr. Gair was a member of the Labour Party when he represented South Brisbane in the Queensland Parliament (1932-1960), holding several offices and serving as Premier (1952-1957). Conflict with labour unions led to the defeat of Mr. Gair's government and expulsion from the Labour Party, so he and two dozen defectors formed the Queensland Labour Party, which he led until it merged with the Democratic Labour Party in 1962. Mr. Gair went into federal politicsm and represented Queensland in the Senate (1965-1974), where he was known for his strong anti-Communist stand. In 1974, Mr. Gair accepted an appointment as Australian Ambassador to Ireland in an attempt by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam to gain a majority of seats for the Labour Party in the upcoming federal election. Mr. Whitlam's plan was foiled by Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Mr. Gair proved unfit for diplomacy, and was recalled on January 21, 1976; he died on November 11, 1980 at the age of 79.

Business
J.P. Morgan incorporated United States Steel Corporation, the world’s first billion-dollar corporation.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Pierre Laporte. Canadian politician and journalist. Mr. Laporte, a native of Montreal, wrote for the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir from 1945-1961, and was known for articles critical of the Union Nationale government of Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis. Mr. Laporte joined the Quebec Liberal Party and was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1961, representing Chambly. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the leadership of the party in 1970, but after Robert Bourassa won the Quebec Liberal leadership and led the party to victory in the provincial election, Mr. Laporte was named Deputy Premier, Parliamentary Leader, Minister of Immigration, and Minister of Labour and Manpower. He was 49 when he was kidnapped from the lawn outside his suburban Montreal home by Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) terrorists on October 10, 1970. An anonymous phone call on October 17 led police to the body of Mr. Laporte, strangled with the chain of a religious medal around his neck, stuffed in the trunk of a car. It was the first political assassination in Canada since the death of Thomas D’Arcy McGee in 1868.

Andy Pafko. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Pafko was an outfielder with the Chicago Cubs (1943-1951); Brooklyn Dodgers (1951-1952); and Milwaukee Braves (1953-1959), batting .285 with 213 home runs and 976 runs batted in in 1,852 games. He played on four National League pennant-winning teams, and was with the Braves when they won the 1957 World Series, batting .222 with no home runs and 5 RBIs in 24 World Series games. Mr. Pafko coached with the Braves (1960-1962), managed in the Braves' farm system for four years, and scouted for the Montreal Expos in the late 1960s. Mr. Pafko died on October 8, 2013 at the age of 92.

Abominations
The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, with a Moscow-directed Communist government led by Georgian Bolshevik Filipp Makharadze, was established when the Red Army entered the capital city of Tbilisi after the Georgian army had been defeated and had fled the country. On July 21, 2010, the Georgian government declared February 25 to be Soviet Occupation Day to recall the event.

80 years ago
1941

War
British forces in Italian Somaliland captured Mogadishu. U.S. Senator Burton K. Wheeler (Democrat--Montana) declared that the United Kingdom expected the United States to get into the European war between April and June 1941 through the "back door" of the Orient.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King announced that Leighton McCarthy had been appointed as Canada's Ambassador to the United States.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and General Sir John Dill arrived in Turkey for discussions on a possible German attack on Greece.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka said he believed that the white race must cede Oceania to the Asiatics.

Defense
The Supreme Soviet voted a 26% increase in Russia's military budget, and doubled the peasants' income tax to pay for arms production and defense measures.

Protest
In occupied Amsterdam, a general strike was declared in response to increasing anti-Jewish measures instituted by the Nazis.

Law
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that the pending Hobbs bill to permit wiretapping by federal officials in felony cases "goes entirely too far."

Religion
The U.S. Protestant Digest Associates awarded citations for combating racial and religious intolerance to U.S. Interior Secretary Harold Ickes; Ralph Ingersoll; Dr. Ruth Benedict; Rev. Samuel Howie; and Lester Granger.

Hockey
NHL
New York Rangers 2 @ Boston 0

The Rangers' shutout of the Bruins at Boston Garden ended the Bruins' league record unbeaten streak at 23 games.

75 years ago
1946

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Symphony--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra with Clyde Rogers (6th 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 Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief--Betty Hutton
--Les Brown and his Orchestra
5 Personality--Johnny Mercer
6 It Might as Well Be Spring--Dick Haymes
--Paul Weston and his Orchestra with Margaret Whiting
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
7 Oh! What it Seemed to Be--Dick Haymes
--Paul Weston and his Orchestra with Margaret Whiting
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
8 I'm Always Chasing Rainbows--Perry Como
--Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest
9 Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba)--Perry Como and the Satisfyers
10 You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)--Les Brown and his Orchestra
--Perry Como

No new singles entered the chart.

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

Nigel Bruce was ill and unable to perform in this episode, so Eric Snowden took his place. Mr. Snowden went on to play Dr. Watson during the 1949-50 season of the series, with Ben Wright as Sherlock Holmes.

Died on this date
René Le Grevès, 35. French cyclist. Mr. Le Grevès won a silver medal in the team pursuit at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and competed professionally from 1933-1939. He died after a skiing accident.

War
Pope Pius XII told diplomats and Roman Catholic Church officials that he had refrained from approving the Axis war against the U.S.S.R. in 1941 in the hope that it could be stopped.

Defense
A long-debated agreement to unify the Communist and Nationalist Chinese armies was signed in Chungking.

Iranian Prime Minister Ahmad Gavam Saltaneh was told in Moscow that Soviet troops would remain in northwestern Iran "until the situation has been elucidated."

Politics and government
The Japanese cabinet postponed Diet elections to April 10 to enable closer screening of the 2,850 candidates.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that military courts set up under martial law in Hawaii had no power to try civilians.

Music
Dr. Wilhelm Furtwaengler's invitation to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was withdrawn by an Austrian investigating committee on the grounds of possible Nazi affiliation.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Harry Truman issued a directive re-establishing the Office of Economic Stabilization with former Office of Price Administration director Chester Bowles as its head.

70 years ago
1951

Diplomacy
A five-day World Peace Council congress in East Berlin, attended by delegates from 40 nations, ended with a demand that the U.S.A., U.S.S.R., U.K., France, and Communist China begin peace negotiations to allay "the growing danger of a third world war."

Defense
Press reports said that Western Allied officials were "deeply concerned" that the Communist campaign for the unification and "neutralization" of Germany was gaining considerable support among West Germans.

Sport
The first Pan American Games were officially opened in Buenos Aires by Argentine President Juan Perón and his wife Eva.

Golf
Marty Furgol shot a 3-under-par 69 in the final round to win the Houston Open with an 11-under-par total score of 277, 1 stroke ahead of Jack Burke, Jr. It was Mr. Furgol's first Professional Golfers' Association win.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Rubber Ball--Bobby Vee

#1 single in Italy: 24.000 baci--Adriano Celentano (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ramona--Blue Diamonds (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): Wooden Heart--Elvis Presley

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Walk Right Back--The Everly Brothers

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Calcutta--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)
2 Shop Around--The Miracles
3 Will You Love Me Tomorrow--The Shirelles
4 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
5 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher
--[Mantovani & his Orchestra]
6 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
--[Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra]
7 Pony Time--Chubby Checker
8 There’s a Moon Out Tonight--The Capris
9 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
10 Emotions--Brenda Lee

Singles entering the chart were Surrender by Elvis Presley (#37); Once Upon a Time by Rochell and the Candles (#72); All of Everything by Frankie Avalon (#85); Let’s Go Again (Where We Went Last Night) by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters (#86); Theme From Tunes of Glory, with versions by Cambridge Strings and Singers and Mitch Miller and his Orchestra (#88); Little Miss Stuck-Up by the Playmates (#93); Top Forty, News, Weather and Sports by Mark Dinning (#94); The Second Time Around by Frank Sinatra (#99); Model Girl by Johnny Maestro (#100); Banned in Boston by Merv Griffin (also #100); and Sparklin’ Eyes by Dean Martin (also #100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Surrender--Elvis Presley
2 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers
3 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
4 Three Wheels on My Wagon--Dick Van Dyke
5 A Scottish Soldier (Green Hills of Tyrol)--Andy Stewart
6 Little Miss Stuck-Up--The Playmates
7 Model Girl--Johnny Maestro
8 Apache--Jorgen Ingmann and his Guitar
9 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
10 Top Forty, News, Weather and Sports--Mark Dinning

Singles entering the chart were The Touchables by Dickie Goodman (#34); Memphis by Donnie Brooks (#36); Green Grass of Texas by the Texans (#40); Searching for Love by the DeVilles (#41); Walk Right Back by the Everly Brothers (#44); Star-Crossed Lovers by Eddy and Teddy (#45); Mother-in-Law by Ernie K-Doe (#47); Ling-Ting-Tong by Buddy Knox (#48); Wild One by the Renowns (#49); and Orange Blossom Special by Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 A Scottish Soldier (Green Hills of Tyrol)--Andy Stewart
2 Surrender--Elvis Presley
3 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers
4 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
5 The Touchables--Dickie Goodman
6 Apache--Jorgen Ingmann and his Guitar
7 Three Wheels on My Wagon--Dick Van Dyke
8 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
9 Good Time Baby--Bobby Rydell
10 Two--Del Erickson

Singles entering the chart were "D" in Love by Cliff Richard and the Shadows (#30); Stayin' In/More than I Can Say by Bobby Vee (#35); Honky Tonk (Part 2) by Bill Doggett (#36); Little Miss Stuck-Up by the Playmates (#37); The World is Waiting for the Sunrise by Don Gibson (#39); and Memphis by Donnie Brooks (#40).

On television tonight
The Roaring 20's, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Pie in the Sky

Space
The mission of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 8, which had been launched on February 12 in order to launch the probe Venera 1 toward Venus, ended when it burned up in Earth's atmosphere.

War
Congolese Prime Minister Joseph Ileo demanded immediate United Nations action to halt the advance of the troops of Antoine Gizenga, who was recognized by more than 20 Communist and neutral nations as the leader of the "legitimate" government of the Congo. Mr. Gizenga’s troops had penetrated nearly 50% of the Congo. Sporadic clashes between troops of the central Congolese government and UN forces were reported.

Weather
The Montreal area experienced the first day of a two-day ice storm--one of the worst ice storms in the city's history--with 30 millimetres of freezing rain, accompanied by gusts of wind sometimes reaching 130 kilometres per hour. Storm damage was estimated at $ 7 million; electricity service wasn't restored for several days.

Boxing
Gaspar Ortega (58-21-2) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Benny "Kid" Paret (34-9-3) in a middleweight bout at Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Theodor Svedberg, 86. Swedish chemist. Dr. Svedberg taught at Uppsala University for more than 40 years, and was known for his research on colloids and proteins using the ultracentrifuge. He was awarded the 1926 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his work on disperse systems."

Diplomacy
600 delegates from Jewish groups from many nations, gathered in Brussels to "affirm solidarity with our Jewish brothers in the Soviet Union," urged Soviet leaders to permit Jewish citizens to leave for Israel or allow them to practice their religion freely in the U.S.S.R.

Crime
Chapin Scott Paterson, an American citizen, hijacked a US Boeing 747 en route to Vancouver, British Columbia; he was turned over to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation the same day.

Hockey
NHL
Vancouver 3 @ Boston 8

Boston left wing Johnny Bucyk, centre Ed Westfall, and defenceman Ted Green scored 3 goals in 20 seconds in their win over the Canucks at Boston Garden, beating the National Hockey League record of 3 goals in 21 seconds by Billy Mosienko of the Chicago Black Hawks against the New York Rangers in 1952. The Bruins' record still stands as a team record for the fastest 3 goals, while Mr. Mosienko still holds the individual record.



40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Woman--John Lennon
2 9 to 5--Dolly Parton
3 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
4 A Little in Love--Cliff Richard
5 Turn Me Loose--Loverboy
6 The Tide is High--Blondie
7 Keep on Loving You--REO Speedwagon
8 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
9 The Winner Takes it All--ABBA
10 The Best of Times--Styx

Singles entering the chart were Crying by Don McLean (#11); Hello Again by Neil Diamond (#14); and (Ghost) Riders in the Sky by the Outlaws (#20).

Music
The Grammy Awards for 1980 were presented at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Christopher Cross became the first artist to win all four general-field awards: Record of the Year and Song of the Year (Sailing); Album of the Year (Christopher Cross); and Best New Artist.



Religion
Pope John Paul II became the first world leader to visit the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki since they had been struck by atomic bombs in August 1945. While in Nagasaki, the pontiff asked that Vatican aides examine the possibilities of opening diplomatic relations with and resuming pastoral work in China.

Environment
An international meeting of conservationists and animal traders began in New Delhi, to discuss restrictions on the international traffic in endangered animals and plants. The discussion centred on revision of the lists of those species whose exports were controlled. The discussion especially centred on parrots and whales. Naturalists favoured putting all parrots, rather than just a few species, on one list or the other; they also wanted to end all commercial whaling.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that consumer prices had risen 0.7% in January.

Disasters
15 people were killed and 53 injured when a series of earthquakes hit Athens and the surrounding area.

Hockey
NHL
Philadelphia 2 @ Edmonton 6
New York Islanders 4 @ Calgary 11

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Oh! Yeah!/Love Story wa Totsuzen ni--Kazumasa Oda (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): 3 A.M. Eternal--The KLF (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Beinhart--Torfrock (5th week at #1)

War
28 soldiers--including three women--were killed and 90 injured when a Scud missile struck a U.S. barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Hours later, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered his forces to withdraw from Kuwait. Roads leading to Basra were jammed with retreating Iraqi forces. U.S. Marines bombed the road north of Kuwait City.

Terrorism
U.K. Director of Public Prosecution Alan Green announced that the Birmingham Six, convicted in 1975 in connection with Irish Republican Army bombings of two pubs in Birmingham in November 1974 that had killed 21 people, could be free within weeks because their convictions could no longer be considered safe and satisfactory.

Football
CFL
Harry Ornest sold the Toronto Argos to American rare coin speculator Bruce McNall, hockey star Wayne Gretzky, and entertainer John Candy.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Let's Groove--CDB (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Children--Robert Miles (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Scotland (OCC): Don't Look Back in Anger--Oasis

Died on this date
Haing S. Ngor, 55. Cambodian-born U.S. physician and actor. Dr. Ngor was a gynecologist and surgeon who was imprisoned in a concentration camp after the Khmer Rouge took over the country in 1975. When the regime fell, he made his way to Thailand, and eventually the United States. Dr. Ngor was unable to resume his medical practice, but was cast as Dith Pran in the movie The Killing Fields (1984), for which he won the Academy Award for his supporting performance. Dr. Ngor was shot to death outside his home in Chinatown in Los Angeles by members of a street gang.

Terrorism
Suicide bomb attacks in Jerusalem and Ashkelon killed 23 Israelis, 2 American civilians, and 2 Palestinian bombers, and wounded 90 people. Confusion over responsibility for the attacks heightened divisions within the Palestinian community.

20 years ago
2001

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with King Abdullah of Jordan in Amman, and then met separately with Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Messrs. Sharon and Arafat were adamant that violence must end before peace talks could take place.