December 13, 2021

980 years ago
1041

Politics and government
Michael V was proclaimed Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, three days after the death of his uncle Michael IV.

500 years ago
1521

Born on this date
Sixtus V. Roman Catholic Pope, 1585-1590. Sixtus V, born Felice Piergentile, was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1547 and was made a cardinal in 1570. He succeeded Gregory XIII and launched a rebuilding project in Rome, financing it with heavy taxation. Pope Sixtus also rooted out corruption and lawlessness in Rome, and excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England and King Henri IV of France. Sixtus V died on August 27, 1590 at the age of 68, three days after taking ill with malarial fever, and was succeeded by Urban VII.

Died on this date
Manuel I, 52. King of Portugal, 1495-1521. Manuel I, the grandson of King Duarte and nephew of King Afonso V, succeeded his first cousin João II on the throne. King Manuel I oversaw an era of prosperity and Portuguese imperial expansion. He was succeeded by his son João III.

400 years ago
1621

Died on this date
Katarina Stenbock, 86. Queen consort of Sweden, 1552-1560. Katarina, the niece of King Gustav I's second wife, Queen Margaret, became Queen consort when she became his thrid wife in 1552. The couple had no children, but Queen Katarina served as a mediator of disputes between King Gustav and his children. Gustav I died in 1560, and was succeeded by Erik XIV, his son from his first marriage. Katarina spent the rest of her life as a Dowager Queen.

150 years ago
1871

Born on this date
Emily Carr. Canadian artist. Miss Carr, a native of Victoria, was known for her paintings of aboriginal themes and landscapes, especially forest scenes. She died on March 2, 1945 at the age of 73.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Kenneth Patchen. U.S. poet and artist. Mr. Patchen was a pacifist whose poetry often dwelt on the loss of innocence in society and the corrupted human spirit. Collections of his poems were accompanied by his paintings and drawings, and his public readings were acompanied by jazz music. Mr. Patchen attracted just a cult following in his lifetime, but he influenced the San Francisco Renaissance and the Beat Generation. He long suffered from health problems deriving from a back injury in 1937, and died on January 8, 1972 at the age of 60.

Trygve Haavelmo. Norwegian econometrician. Dr. Haavelmo was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences "for his clarification of the probability theory foundations of econometrics and his analyses of simultaneous economic structures." He died on July 28, 1999 at the age of 87.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Turgut Demirağ. Turkish film producer, director and screenwriter. Mr. Demirağ produced 64 movies, directed 19, and wrote 19 from 1947-1974. He produced and directed Evvel zaman içinde (1951), Turkey's first full-length animated feature film; unfortunately, the negatives of the film were lost when they were sent to MGM Studios in California for colour printing, and have never been found. Mr. Demirağ died on January 14, 1987 at the age of 65.

90 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Gustave Le Bon, 90. French polymath. Dr. Le Bon was a psychologist, sociologist, and anthropologist who was best known for his book Psychologie des Foules (The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind) (1895). He believed that crowds developed their own new psychological entity, the characteristics of which are determined by the "racial unconscious" of the crowd. Dr. Le Bon influenced people such as Theodore Roosevelt, Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Lenin, and Sigmund Freud.

Football
NFL
New York (7-6-1) 25 @ Chicago Bears (8-5) 6 The season ended with the Green Bay Packers winning their third straight National Football League championship, with a 12-2 record and a winning percentage of .857. The Portsmouth Spartans finished second at 11-3 (.786).

80 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Chattanooga Choo Choo--Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (Vocal refrain by Tex Beneke and the Four Modernaires) (3rd week at #1)

War
The governments of Hungary and Bulgaria announced that a state of war existed between their respective countries and the United States. Russian armies reportedly continued their advance against German forces. U.S.S.R. Ambassador to the United States Maxim Litvinov said in Washington that the Soviet Union intended to concentrate on defeating Germany, and would not join the war against Japan at the moment. British Governor of Hong Kong Mark Young rejected a Japanese demand for the surrender of the island, as defense of the island was organized into a West Brigade, commanded by Brigadier J. K. Lawson, and including the Winnipeg Grenadiers; and an East Brigade, under Brigadier C. Wallis, including the Royal Rifles of Canada. Major-General Christopher Maltby deployed both Canadian units to defend the southern beaches against a seaborne attack, as heavy Japanese artillery fire and air raids began. The Venezuelan embassy in Washington announced that Venezuela had opened her ports to ships of all American nations fighting the Axis. Argentina issued a decree recognizing the United States as a non-belligerent, and declaring Argentine neutrality toward Germany and Italy. The U.S. Navy conceded that Guam had apparently been captured by Japanese forces, while U.S. Army Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters claimed that Filipino troops had wiped out a Japanese landing party in the Lingayen area of Luzon.

World events
German authorities in Paris announced that 100 "Jews, Communists, and anarchists" would be executed as a result of attacks on German soldiers.

Economics and finance
In a move to prevent hoarding or speculation, the U.S. Office of Production Management froze sugar stocks and limited new deliveries by importers and refiners to 1940 levels.

Labour
The Administration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the selection of 12 industry representatives and 12 labour leaders to draft a basic war labour policy.

Disasters
More than 500 people were killed in a mud and rock slide in Huaraz, Peru.

Tennis
The United States Lawn Tennis Association announced its annual rankings, with Bobby Riggs as the top men's player, and Sarah Palfrey Cooke as the top women's player.

75 years ago
1946

War
U.S. Reparations Commissioner Edwin Pauley charged that Soviet forces had done $850 million in damage by dismantling industrial facilities during their occupation of Manchuria.

Politics and government
The British House of Commons ended a two-day debate by endorsing the government policy on Indian independence.

Defense
U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes told the United Nations General Assembly that the United States had 550,000 troops stationed aborad, mainly in Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea.

Americana
Abilene, Kansas announced that the boyhood home of U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower would be preserved as the centre of a $1-million memorial to him and the U.S. armed forces.

Protest
The National Negro Congress in New York picketed screenings of the Walt Disney movie Song of the South as "an insult to the Negro."

Crime
A grand jury in Atlanta indicted white supremacist organization Columbians, Inc. President Emory Burke and Secretary Homer Loomis on charges of conspiracy to riot, and illegal possession of dynamite.

Football
AAFC
Brooklyn (3-10-1) 20 @ Miami (3-11) 31

70 years ago
1951

War
U.S. Sabrejet pilots reported their biggest one-day kill of Communist MiG-15s, 13 to 15, in dogfights over North Korea.

Diplomacy
The Charter of the Organization of American States, signed in Bogota on April 30, 1948, went into effect as Colombia became the 14th of the 21 signatories to ratify it.

France, supported by the U.S.A. and U.K., won indefinite postponement of a United Nations General Assembly debate on Arab charges of oppression in French Morocco.

The U.S. State Department dismissed Far Eastern policy adviser John Stewart Service after the Civl Service Loyalty Review Board found "reasonable doubt" of his loyalty. Mr. Service had been cleared six times on disloyalty charges by a grad jury and the State Department's Loyalty Security Board.

Politics and government
The South African delegation to the United Nations withdrew from the General Assembly sessions to protest the Trusteeship Commission's decision to hear testimony fro tribal chiefs of South-West Africa on the question of UN trusteeship for the territory.

Crime
A U.S. federal grand jury in Chicago indicted seven local officials on charges of violating the civil rights of Negroes in the race riot in Cicero, Illinois the previous July.

Academia
A panel of college presidents chosen by the American Council on Education recommended five steps to prevent future college sports scandals, including the elimination of football bowl games; grade requirements for athletes; and barring freshmen from varsity teams to discourage recruiting of high school stars.

Economics and finance
The French National Assembly ratified the European Coal and Steel Community plan 377-233 as Prime Minister Rene Pleven succeeded in overcoming the opposition of Communists and Gaullists.

Labour
Brazilian President Getulio Vargas ordered the seizure of all commercial aircraft in Brazil and drafted 16,000 striking airline employees into the Air Force to end a five-day strike for higher wages.

60 years ago
1961

At the movies
The Phantom Planet, directed by William Marshall, and starring Dean Fredericks, Coleen Gray, and Tony Dexter, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Grandma Moses, 101. U.S. artist. Anna Mary Robertson Moses was a folk artist who began painting scenes of rural America when she was young, but produced most of her paintings after she turned 78, achieving tremendous popularity.

Music
The Beatles--John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best--performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. Mike Smith, an artists and repertoire representative of Decca Records, was in attendance; he didn't think they were good enough to be offered a recording contract, but he invited them to come to London on January 1, 1962 for an audition.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Maggie May--Rod Stewart (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ame no Midōsuji--Ouyang Fei Fei (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Mammy Blue--Pop-Tops (8th week at #1)

Politics and government
Montreal journalist Pierre Vallières, who had gone underground three months earlier, announced that he was breaking from the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), and now advocated the use of democratic means to achieve the liberation of Quebec workers.

Football
NFL
Washington (9-3-1) 38 @ Los Angeles (7-5-1) 24



40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Physical--Olivia Newton-John (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Physical--Olivia Newton-John (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Pigmeat Markham, 77. U.S. entertainer. Dewey Markham was a comedian, singer, dancer, and actor who had a career spanning more than 60 years, performing mainly for Negro audiences on the "Chitlin' Circuit" of theatres and nightclubs. He was best known for his "Here Comes the Judge" routine, which became a hit record for him in 1968, and which he performed on the television program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In during the 1968-69 season, exposing him to white audiences. Mr. Markham died from a stroke.

World events
Poland's Communist government imposed martial law in an attempt to suppress the Solidarity trade union movement.

30 years ago
1991

Diplomacy
The Organización de Estados Centroamericanos (ODECA) countries signed the Protocol of Tegucigalpa, extending earlier cooperation for regional peace, political freedom, democracy and economic development.

Health
The Quebec Superior Court ruled that "there is nothing to identify miuf (urea formaldehyde foam) as the cause (of) health problems" experienced by those who used this product, which had been approved by the government of Canada, to insulate their homes between 1977-1979. 80,000 Canadians insulated their homes with the foam, and the plaintiffs rejected the government's offer of $5,000 to have it removed, demanding greater compensation. The ruling was a bitter result for these people since it did not recognize the federal government's responsibility to grant compensation greater than the amounts previously offered.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Don't Speak--No Doubt

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Breathe--The Prodigy (2nd week at #1)

At the movies
The Preacher's Wife, starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance, opened in theatres.



Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council chose Kofi Annan of Ghana to be the UN's seventh Secretary-General.

Baseball
Pitcher Roger Clemens signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays. Mr. Clemens had been an outstanding pitcher with the Boston Red Sox from 1984-1996, but had had an off-season in 1996, posting a record of 10-13 with an earned run average of 3.63 in 34 games.

20 years ago
2001

Terrorism
At least 12 people were killed and 22 injured when Kashmiri terrorists broke through security and attacked the Indian parliament building in New Delhi.

The Pentagon released a captured videotape of Osama bin Laden in which the al-Qaeda leader said the deaths and destruction achieved by the September 11 attacks exceeded his "most optimistic" expectations.

Defense
U.S. President George W. Bush served formal notice that the United States was pulling out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.

Business
Bombardier, the world's leading equipment supplier in the rail sector, signed its largest rail contract ever, a $2.3-billion deal with the French National Railways Company (SNCF) for 500 high-capacity railcars.

10 years ago
2011

Crime
After murdering a woman at his home, Nordine Amrani, 33, threw grenades and fired a rifle at crowds in Liège, Belgium, killing 6 people and injuring 125 others, before committing suicide.

Sport
World men's figure skating champion Patrick Chan was named the winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's outstanding athlete of 2011.