February 5, 2021

875 years ago
1146

Died on this date
Ahmad III, aka Zafadola. Emir of Zaragoza, 1130-1131. Ahmad III, known to Christians as Zafadola, succeeded his father as Emir of the Taifa (Principality) of Zaragoza in what is now part of Spain, and was the last ruler of the Huddid dynasty. He paid homage to King Alfonso VII of León in exchange for territory in the Kingdom of Toledo. Zafadola took part in several battles, and was captured in the Battle of al-Luŷŷ; he was taken to the Christian camp of Los Pardos and assassinated by some soldiers. His ally Abd Allah ibn Sa`d ibn Mardanís, Governor of Valencia, was killed with him.

War
Castilian forces commanded by Abd Allah ath-Thagri, lord of Cuenca, defeated Zaragozan forces led by Zafadola in the Battle of al-Luŷŷ at Chinchilla de Montearagón in Spain.

390 years ago
1631

Americana
Puritan leader and Rhode Island founder Roger Williams landed near Boston aboard the ship Lyon.

210 years ago
1811

Britannica
The Prince of Wales, the future King George IV, was named Prince Regent after King George III was declared insane.

140 years ago
1881

Died on this date
Thomas Carlyle, 85. U.K. writer and mathematician. Mr. Carlyle, a native of Scotland, was a historian who espoused the "great man" theory of history in books such as his three-volume The French Revolution: A History (1837); On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History (1841); and the 6-volume History of Friedrich II of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great (1858-1865). He was known in mathematics for the Carlyle circle, a certain circle in a coordinate plane associated with a quadratic equation.

Americana
The city of Phoenix, Arizona was incorporated.

110 years ago
1911

Aviation
Vivian "Vee" Walsh took to the skies over South Auckland in a plane named Manurewa for the first successful powered flight in New Zealand.

90 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Athanasios Eftaxias, 81 or 82. Prime Minister of Greece, 1926. Mr. Eftaxias was first elected to Parliament in 1893, and held several cabinet posts. In 1926, President and Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos decided to resign as Prime Minister; no one wanted the office, so Mr. Pangalos called on Mr. Eftaxias, who agreed to serve on condition that political exiles in Naxos be released and that elections be held. Mr. Pangalos accepted the conditions, and Mr. Eftaxias was sworn in as Prime Minister on July 19. His government lasted just over a month, as a coup led by Giorgios Kondylis seized power on August 22.

80 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Otto Strandman, 65. Prime Minister of Estonia, 1919; State Elder of Estonia, 1929-1931. Mr. Strandman was a member of several parties as he moved from radical socialist to centrist, holding several cabinet and diplomatic posts before and after serving as Prime Minister from May-November 1919 and head of state from 1929-1931. The U.S.S.R. occupied Estonia in 1940, and Mr. Strandman was summoned to appear before the Soviet secret police force NKVD. He chose instead to commit suicide by shooting himself.

Mineo Ōsumi, 64. Japanese military officer and politician. Admiral Baron Ōsumi had a distinguished career in the Imperial Japanese Navy before serving as Minister of the Navy from 1931-1932 and 1933-1936, and as Naval Councillor from 1936 until his death, when the plane that he and six naval officers were aboard that was travelling from Guangzhou to Japanese-occupied Hainan was shot down by Chinese guerrillas soon after takeoff.

War
In their heaviest raids in two weeks, British bombers struck Brest, Dunkerque, Bordeaux and Dusseldorf.

Defense
The U.S. House of Representatives ended the three-day debate on the Lend-Lease bill in an unusual night session.

Diplomacy
1940 Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate Wendell Willkie departed the United Kingdom for New York after recording an anti-Nazi radio message for broadcast to Germany.

Economics and finance
New York State Supreme Court Justice Morris Eder signed a writ of attachment in New York, tying up $260 million in finds of the Bank of France in the United States.

Business
A U.S. federal antitrust suit began in Washington against the American Medical Association; Medical Society of Washington; Washington Academy of Surgery; and the Harris County (Texas) Medical Society.

Labour
U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt told strikers at Leviton Manufacuring Company in Brooklyn that every worker "should join a labor organization."

The U.S. Justice Department filed suit against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), charging that it was an unlawful combination in restraint of trade.

Football
NFL
Three club owners protested as "illegal" the appointment two days earlier of Elmer Layden as National Football League Commissioner.

75 years ago
1946

Died on this date
George Arliss, 77. U.K. actor. Mr. Arliss, born Augustus Andrews, won the 1929-30 Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Disraeli (1929), becoming the first British actor to win an Oscar.

War
At the trial in Manila of accused Japanese war criminals, Japanese Army Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma admitted witnessing part of the Bataan "death march," but denied that he had seen any bodies.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King appointed Supreme Court of Canada justices Robert Taschereau and R.L. Kellock to head a Royal Commission to examine allegations of a Soviet spy ring operating in Canada, as a result of revelations in 1945 by U.S.S.R. cipher clerk and embassy defector Igor Gouzenko.

The United States and United Kingdom recognized Romania, in accordance with the recent agreement in Moscow with the U.S.S.R.

A joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. communique indicated an agreement permitting railroad, motor, and water transportation between the two Korean zones; exchange of mail; establishment of radio braodcasting frequencies within the country; and return of refugees to their homes.

In a note to the United Nations Security Council, Syria and Lebanon demanded the total evacuation of British and French troops from their territory.

Former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt introduced a resolution before the United Nations Social, Economic and Humanitarian Committee recommending that the refugee problem be referred to the Economic and Social Council and that refugees not be forced to return to their homelands against their will.

Politics and government
The National Committee of the Communist Party U.S.A. recommended the expulsion of former Chairman and General Secretary Earl Browder for conducting a publishing business "along a political line that coincides with the interest of...American imperialism." Mr. Browder had been Chairman from 1934-1945 and General Secretary from 1930-1945.

U.S. President Harry Truman put the Civil Service on a peace-time basis, ordering competitive exams for 1.6 million war service appointees.

Labour
U.S. President Truman ordered the Office of Defense Transportation to seize 91 tugboat companies in New York City where strikes were taking place.

A month-long strike against Cleveland's three daily newspapers ended as the publishers and the American Federation of Labor Pressmen's union agreed to arbitration of their wage dispute.

70 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The House of Dust, starring Nina Foch and Anthony Quinn

Diplomacy
U.S. President Harry Truman appointed National Sugar Refining Company chairman Ellsworth Bunker as U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, succeeding Stanton Griffis.

Defense
Canadian Defence Minister Brooke Claxton asked Parliament to pass a $5-billion, three-year defense program, providing for a 100-ship navy, a 40-squadron air force, and an army of over one full division.

Scandal
A U.S. federal grand jury in Washington indicted "five percenter" James Hunt on charges of taking fees to get government contracts for businessmen while serving with the War Assets Administration.

Labour
A royal decree from King Farouk outlawed strikes in Egypt after a series of walkouts and strike threats by groups of teachers, physicians, and engineers.

U.S. Defense Mobilization Director Charles Wilson asked striking railroad workers to fulfill their "responsibility to our fighting men in Korea" by returning to work.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (2nd week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
2 Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow--The Dealians
3 Knock Three Times--Dawn
4 Gypsy Woman--Brian Hyland
5 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
6 Looky Looky--Giorgio
7 No Matter What--Badfinger
8 Zanzibar--Wanda Arletti
9 Cracklin' Rosie--Neil Diamond
10 San Bernadino--Christie

Singles entering the chart were Rose Garden by Lynn Anderson (#16); Mendocino by Michael Holm (#17); and River Deep--Mountain High by the Supremes and the Four Tops (#20).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
2 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
3 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
4 Knock Three Times--Dawn
5 Lonely Days-- Bee Gees
6 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
7 Love the One You're With--Stephen Stills
8 Born to Wander--Rare Earth
9 Sweet Mary--Wadsworth Mansion
10 Your Song--Elton John

Singles entering the chart were Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin (#26); Amazing Grace by Judy Collins (#28); and She's a Lady by Tom Jones (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 Your Song--Elton John
2 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
3 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
4 Amazing Grace--Judy Collins
5 Sing High, Sing Low--Anne Murray
6 Apeman--The Kinks
7 If I were Your Woman--Gladys Knight & the Pips
8 Remember Me--Diana Ross
9 Born to Wander--Rare Earth
10 Lonely Days-- Bee Gees

Singles entering the chart were Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin (#27); Blue Money by Van Morrison (#29); and She's a Lady by Tom Jones (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
2 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison
3 Knock Three Times--Dawn
4 Your Song--Elton John
5 Put Your Hand in the Hand--Ocean
6 Amazing Grace--Judy Collins
7 Stay Awhile--The Bells
8 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
9 For the Good Times--Ray Price
9 Sing High, Sing Low--Anne Murray
10 Bridget the Midget (The Queen of the Blues)--Ray Stevens

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

Space
Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell landed on the moon in the lunar module Antares while Stuart Roosa orbited in the command module Kitty Hawk. The landing took place in the Fra Mauro region, which had been the scheduled landing and exploration area for Apollo 13 in April 1970 before that landing was cancelled because of the near-fatal service module explosion.



40 years ago
1981

Died on this date
Ella T. Grasso, 61. U.S. politician. Mrs. Grasso, a Democrat, was Connecticut's Secretary of State (1959-1971); represented the state's 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1971-1975); and serve as Governor of Connecticut from 1975-1980, becoming the first woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state without being the wife or widow of a former governor. She was known for fiscal responsibility and her effective handling of cleanup efforts of a major snowstorm in 1978. Mrs. Grasso resigned on December 31, 1980, and died of ovarian cancer.

Crime
Toronto police arrested over 300 men in raids on Toronto sodomite bathhouses.

30 years ago
1991

Died on this date
Dean Jagger, 87. U.S. actor. Mr. Jagger had a lengthy career as a character actor, and was best known for his starring role in Brigham Young (1940) and his supporting performance in Twelve O'Clock High (1949), for which he won an Academy Award.

Economics and finance
Canadian Minister of International Trade John Crosbie announced that Canada would join scheduled talks between the United States and Mexico aimed at creating a free trade zone in North America. Talks were to begin in April, with the aim of striking an agreement by the end of the year. If successful, the plan would create a market encompassing 360 million people and $7 trillion per year in commerce.

Politics and government
The governments of Québec and Canada signed an immigration accord giving Québec exclusive responsibility for selecting immigrants who wished to live in the province.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 5 @ Boston 6 (OT)

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Jesus to a Child--George Michael (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Missing (Todd Terry Remix)--Everything but the Girl

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 One of Us--Joan Osborne
2 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
3 Time--Hootie & the Blowfish
4 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
5 Better Off as We Are--Blue Rodeo
6 Beautiful Life--Ace of Base
7 Wildest Dreams--Tom Cochrane
8 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
9 You'll See--Madonna
10 When Love and Hate Collide--Def Leppard

Singles entering the chart were Twenty Foreplay by Janet Jackson (#82); Peaches by the Presidents of the United States of America (#88); Brain Stew by Green Day (#91); Pray by Take That (#95); Naked by Goo Goo Dolls (#96); Thugs by the Tragically Hip (#98); Not a Dry Eye in the House by Meat Loaf (#99); and Hey Lover by LL Cool J (#100).

Agriculture
British supermarket chains Safeway and Sainsbury announced that they would begin stocking genetically modified tomato puree--the first GM food to be sold in the United Kingdom.

20 years ago
2001

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien arrived in Washington as the first foreign leader to visit newly-inaugurated U.S. President George W. Bush.

Terrorism
Four disciples of Osama bin Laden went on trial in New York for the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Peggy Rea, 89. U.S. actress. Miss Rea was a character actress who appeared in numerous television programs from the 1950s through the 1990s, often in matronly roles. She played Jean Kelly in 51 episodes of the comedy series Grace Under Fire (1993-1998). Miss Rea died of heart failure.

Brian Jacques, 71. U.K. author. Mr. Jacques was an author of children's novels, most notably the Redwall and Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. He died of a heart attack after being admitted to hospital for treatment of an aortic aneurysm.