December 23, 2021

250 years ago
1771

Died on this date
Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, 70. Canadian nun. Mrs. d'Youville, a native of Varennes, Quebec, was a widow who suffered the death of her husband and four of her six children before the age of 30, but experienced a religious revival, and in 1737 with three other women founded an association that ministered to the poor in Montreal. The association became the Roman Catholic order The Sisters of Charity of Montreal--popularly known as the Grey Nuns--in 1744, and was granted an order in 1747 to operate Montreal General Hospital. Mrs. d'Youville died in Montreal, and was canonized in 1990 by Pope John Paul II.

125 years ago
1896

Born on this date
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. Italian nobleman and author. Don Giuseppe Tomasi, the last Prince of Lampedusa, served with the Italian Army in World War I, and was an Austro-Hungarian prisoner of war; he inherited his title upon the death of his father in 1934. Don Giuseppe Tomasi died of lung cancer on July 23, 1957 at the age of 60, but didn't become widely known until the posthumous publication of his novel Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) (1958), which was made into a movie in 1963.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Niels Kaj Jerne. U.K.-born Danish immunologist. Dr. Jerne, whose Danish parents moved to London the year before his birth, moved to the Netherlands with his family in 1914, and eventually settled in Denmark. He shared the 1984 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Georges J.F. Köhler and César Milstein "for theories concerning the specificity in development and control of the immune system and the discovery of the principle for production of monoclonal antibodies." Dr. Jerne died on October 7, 1994 at the age of 82.

James Gregory. U.S. actor. Mr. Gregory was a character actor on stage, screen, and television in a career spanning more than 45 years. He was known for his gravelly voice and playing detectives, and starred as New York Police Detective Barney Ruditsky in the television series The Lawless Years (1959-1961), and Inspector Frank Luger in the comedy series Barney Miller (1975-1982). Mr. Gregory's best-known movie role was probably as the Joe McCarthy-like Senator Johnny Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). He died on September 16, 2002 at the age of 90.

90 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Wilson Bentley, 66. U.S. meteorologist and photographer. "Snowflake" Bentley, a lifelong resident of Jericho, Vermont, was the first known person to take detailed photographs of snowflakes and record their features, catching flakes on black velvet in such a way that their images could be captured before they either melted or sublimated. He took the first of more than 5,000 photos of snowflakes in 1885. Mr. Bentley died of pneumonia.

80 years ago
1941

War
At a joint press conference in Washington with U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that their meetings were being devoted to the immediate question of achieving complete unanimity of action in the Pacific. The first meeting of the U.S.-U.K. War Council was held in the White House. The U.S. oil tanker SS Montebello was sunk by Japanese submarine I-21 off the coast of California; 33 survivors were rescued. After 15 days of fighting, the Imperial Japanese Army occupied Wake Island. Japanese planes carried out a heavy raid on Rangoon. The Battle of Lingayen continued "with increasing intensity" on Luzon. The British command announced that Imperial forces in Libya reached the coastal plain of the Gulf of Sidra south of Bengazi the previous day.

Politics and government
Chinese Prime Minister Chiang Kai-shek appointed T.V. Soong as Foreign Minister.

Crime
A U.S. federal grand jury in Washington indicted aviatrix Laura Ingalls on a charge of failing to register as a German agent.

Religion
Pope Pius XII authorized Roman Catholic bishops throughout the world to permit Catholics in their dioceses to eat meat on Fridays and omit certain fast days for the duration of World War II.

Labour
U.S. President Roosevelt accepted a three-point war labour peace plan agreed upon by the 24-man labour-industry conference board in Washington. The plan called for "no strikes or lockouts;" settlement of all disputes "by peaceful means;" and establishment of "a proper War Labor Board to handle these disputes."

70 years ago
1946

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Ole Buttermilk Sky--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra (vocal chorus by Michael Douglas and the Campus Kids) (2nd week at #1)
--Hoagy Carmichael
--Helen Carroll and the Satisfiers
--Paul Weston and his Orchestra with Matt Dennis
2 Rumors are Flying--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra
--The Andrews Sisters with Les Paul
--Betty Rhodes
--Tony Martin
3 The Old Lamp-Lighter--Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye (Vocal refrain by Billy Williams and Choir)
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
--Hal Derwin
4 (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons--King Cole Trio
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
5 The Whole World is Singing My Song--Les Brown and his Orchestra
6 This is Always--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Jo Stafford
7 The Things We Did Last Summer--Frank Sinatra
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
8 Five Minutes More--Frank Sinatra
--Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra
--The Three Suns
9 Huggin' and Chalkin'--Hoagy Carmichael
--Johnny Mercer
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
10 To Each His Own--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra with Eddy Howard and Trio
--The Ink Spots
--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra with Stuart Wade
--Tony Martin
--The Modernaires with Paula Kelly

Singles entering the chart were Years and Years Ago by Les Brown and his Orchestra (#26) and Hoodle-Addle by the Ray McKinley Quartet (#28).

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis and Howard McNear, on MBS
Tonight`s episode: The Spirit of Christmas

Diplomacy
The United Kingdom rejected a Soviet request for a "further exchange of views" on control of the Dardanelles.

Defense
U.S. President Harry Truman set up a three-man board to review the cases of draft violators and make recommendations for executive clemency.

Politics and government
French Prime Minister Leon Blum reiterated France's recognition of Vietnam's independence within the French Union, but insisted that order be restored before negotiations could begin on the composition of the Vietnamese government.

Crime
Three men were indicted in Atlanta for arson in the December 7, 1946 fire at the Winecoff Hotel, in which 119 people perished.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a suit on the constitutionality of Tennessee's poll tax on the grounds that Congress had jurisdiction in such matters.

Religion
The U.S. Supreme Court ordered new trials for two Jehovah's Witnesses sentenced to five years in prison as conscientious objectors, stating that they were not allowed to challenge draft classifications which barred their deferment as ministers.

Health
The U.S. Office of Temporary Controls dropped distribution control of penicillin.

Agriculture
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization reported that a food crisis still confronted the world, with food production still below pre-World War II levels.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that collection of federal social security taxes from bankrupt companies had priority over state taxes.

General Lucius Clay, deputy U.S. military governor in Germany, protested a French decision to set up a customs barrier between the Saar and the rest of Germany.

The U.K. announced that it would send a Treasury delegation to India to negotiate the settlement of India's wartime debt of $5.2 billion.

Sport
An Associated Press poll of sportswriters named Babe Didrikson Zaharias as the outstanding female athlete of 1946 in the United States.

70 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Out There, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Man, starring Florence Anglin, Philip Bourneuf, and Stewart Bradley

World events
A Hungarian military court imposed fines totalling $120,000 on four U.S. fliers shot down in November in a C-47 transport plane.

Bolivia exiled 15 right-wing extremists arrested for participating in a recent revolutionary plot.

Labour
Hungary denied a British Broadcasting Corporation report that 80 Hungarian coal miners had been shot for organizing a work slowdown in the Tatabanya mines.

Football
NFL
Championship
Cleveland 17 @ Los Angeles 24

Just 25 seconds after Ken Carpenter's 5-yard touchdown rush, converted by Lou Groza, had brought the Browns into a 17-17 tie midway through the 4th quarter, Rams' quarterback Norm Van Brocklin completed a 73-yard touchdown pass to Tom Fears, converted by Bob Waterfield, to provide the winning margin before 59,475 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. After a scoreless 1st quarter, Dick Hoerner of the Rams opened the scoring in the 2nd quarter with a 1-yard touchdown rush, converted by Mr. Waterfield. Mr. Groza got Cleveland on the scoreboard with a 52-yard field goal, a record length for an NFL championship game. The Browns took a 10-7 halftime lead on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Otto Graham to Dub Jones, converted by Mr. Groza. In the 3rd quarter, Mr. Graham fumbled when hit by the Rams' Larry Brink, and Andy Robustelli returned the ball from the Cleveland 24-yard line to the 2. Three plays later, Dan Towler rushed 1 yard for a touchdown, and Mr. Waterfield's convert gave Los Angeles a 14-10 lead going into the 4th quarter. The lead became 17-10 when Mr. Waterfield kicked a 17-yard field goal. It was the first NFL championship game to be televised from coast-to-coast in the United States. It was broadcast on the DuMont network (which had paid $95,000 to the NFL for the rights), with Harry Wismer and Earl Gillespie as the announcers.



60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): My Boomerang Won't Come Back--Charlie Drake (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: La ballata della tromba--Nini Rosso

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Weiße Rosen aus Athen--Nana Mouskouri (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door--Eddie Hodges (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Tower of Strength--Frankie Vaughan (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens (3rd week at #1)
2 Please Mr. Postman--The Marvelettes
3 Walk on By--Leroy Van Dyke
4 Run to Him--Bobby Vee
5 The Twist--Chubby Checker
6 Goodbye Cruel World--James Darren
7 Can't Help Falling in Love--Elvis Presley
8 Peppermint Twist - Part I--Joey Dee & the Starliters
9 Moon River--Jerry Butler
--Henry Mancini, his Orchestra and Chorus
10 Let There Be Drums--Sandy Nelson

Singles entering the chart were Irresistible You (#76)/Multiplication (#80) by Bobby Darin; Pocketful of Miracles by Frank Sinatra (#92); Do-Re-Mi by Lee Dorsey (#93); and But on the Other Hand Baby by Ray Charles and his Orchestra (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Norman--Sue Thompson
2 The Wanderer--Dion
3 The Twist--Chubby Checker
4 Walkin' with My Angel--Bobby Vee
5 Run to Him--Bobby Vee
6 Hey! Little Girl--Del Shannon
7 Jingle Bell Rock--Bobby Helms
--Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker
8 Peppermint Twist--Joey Dee & the Starliters
--Danny Peppermint and the Jumping Jacks
9 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens
10 Walkin' Back to Happiness--Helen Shapiro

Singles entering the chart were Dear Ivan by Jimmy Dean (#16); Percolator (Twist) by Billy Joe & the Checkmates (#32); Well I'm Your Man by Johnny Tillotson (#40); Lucky Star by Gene Vincent (#44); and What are You Doing New Year's Eve by Dante and the Evergreens (#50). Well I'm Your Man was the B-side of Dreamy Eyes, charting at #27.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 The Twist--Chubby Checker (2nd week at #1)
2 The Wanderer/The Majestic--Dion
3 Peppermint Twist--Joey Dee & the Starliters
4 Walkin' with My Angel/Run to Him--Bobby Vee
5 Six White Boomers--Rolf Harris
6 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens
7 Norman--Sue Thompson
8 Jingle Bell Rock--Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker
--Bobby Helms
9 Gypsy Rover--The Highwaymen
10 Multiplication--Bobby Darin

Singles entering the chart were Memories of Maria by Jerry Byrd and his Guitar (#19); Dear Ivan by Jimmy Dean (#26); Walkin' Back to Happiness by Helen Shapiro (#28); Percolator (Twist) by Billy Joe & the Checkmates (#30); Let Me Down Easy by the Glaser Brothers (#33); Just a Little Bit Sweet by Charlie Rich (#38); Milk and Honey by Eddie Fisher (#39); and Love is the Sweetest Thing by Saverio Saridis (#40).

Died on this date
Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, 86. U.S. authoress. Miss Bailey wrote short stories and novels for children in a career spanning more than 40 years. Her novel Miss Hickory (1946) was awarded the 1947 Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature.

Kurt Meyer, 51. German SS officer. SS-Brigadeführer Meyer joined the Nazi Party in September 1930, and joined the SS in October 1931. He participated in numerous campaigns in World War II, and several times ordered the mass murders of civilians and prisoners of war, receiving a death sentence for ordering the murders of Canadian POWs in the Ardenne Abbey massacre in 1944. SS-Brigadeführer Meyer's sentence was commuted to 14 years, and he was released on good behaviour in 1951. He became active in Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit der Angehörigen der ehemaligen Waffen-SS (HIAG), a lobby group dedicated to rehaibilitating the reputation of the SS. SS-Brigadeführer Meyer suffered from heart and kidney disease in later years, and died on his 51st birthday, after a series of strokes.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Le rire du sergent--Michel Sardou (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): O Holy Night--Tommy Drennan

Died on this date
Glenn Wallichs, 61. U.S. businessman. Mr. Wallichs opened several radio stores and two recording studios in the Los Angeles area before opening Wallichs Music City at the corner of Sunset and Vine in Hollywood in 1940. It became the largest record store in southern California and the world's largest specialty record store. On February 7, 1942, Mr. Wallichs and songwriters Johnny Mercer and Buddy DeSylva founded Capitol Records. Mr. Wallichs left the record store in 1946 in charge of his brother Clyde, and eventually became chairman of Capitol Industries. He died after a long illness.

Politics and government
Nationalist China's governing Kuomintang announced that the first national elections since 1947 would be held in May 1972. President Chiang Kai-shek had always refused to hold elections pending his government's return to mainland China, when all Chinese could participate.

Health
U.S. President Richard Nixon signed a bill to implement a much-expanded research attack on cancer. 137 guests, including many research scientists, were at the White House for the occasion.

Economics and finance
The Canadian Parliament passed the Capital Gains Tax, effective January 1, 1972, Valuation Day.

Quebec Finance Minister Raymond Garneau announced to the National Assembly a provincial tax policy aimed at harmonizing Quebec's tax laws with those of Canada.

40 years ago
1981

Politics and government
Historian George Francis Gillman Stanley of Sackville took office as Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, succeeding Hédard Robichaud.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Piece of My Wish--Miki Imai (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Live and Let Die--Guns N' Roses

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Let's Talk About Sex--Salt-N-Pepa (6th week at #1)

Politics and government
A Gallup Poll reported that support for sovereignty-association in Québec has dropped to 47% from 61% in May 1990.

Business
Toronto-based Grafton-Fraser announced its intention to close 221 Jack Fraser, George Richards, Grafton & Co, Madison, and Bimini stores, eliminating 1,700 full-time and part-time jobs.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Child--Mark Owen (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Don't Speak--No Doubt

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Time to Say Goodbye--Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Canada (RPM): Head Over Feet--Alanis Morissette (6th week at #1)

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Bola Ige, 71. Nigerian politician. Mr. Ige, a Yoruba, was a lawyer before entering politics; he was Commissioner for Agriculture (1967-1970) in the Western Region of Nigeria in the military government of General Yakubu Gowon. Mr. Ige joined the Unity Party of Nigeria in the late 1970s, and was Governor of Oyo State (1979-1983). He was defeated in his bid for re-election, successfully challenged the result, but was deposed by a coup led by Generals Muhammadu Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon. Mr. Ige was accused of enriching himself with party funds and was detained for two years, but was released in 1985 and resumed his law practice. When democracy was returned to Nigeria in 1999, Mr. Ige returned to politics as a member of the Alliance for Democracy, serving as Nigeria's Minister of Power and Steel (1999-2000) in the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo. He was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney in January 2000; in November 2001 he declared that the Sokoto State government would not be allowed to enforce the death penalty by stoning against Safiya Hussaini, a woman convicted of adultery. Mr. Ige was entangled in squabbles within the Alliance for Democracy, which resulted in the murder of Osun State legislator Odunayo Olagbaju, the week before Mr. Ige was gunned down at his home in Ibadan. All those charged in Mr. Ige's murder were acquitted.

Politics and government
Adolfo Rodriguez Saa was sworn in as interim President of Argentina, and immediately announced the suspension of payment on the external debt in the biggest debt default in history.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Bill Hall, 65. U.S. broadcaster. Mr. Hall was a weatherman and anchorman with Nashville television station WSMV from 1974-2005.