Friday 19 February 2010

February 19, 2010

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Lee Morrow!

410 years ago
1600


Disasters
The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina exploded in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America. The eruption
wiped out vegetation and buried the surroundings with 6.6 feet (2 metres) of volcanic rock, while also damaging infrastructure and economic resources. The eruption had significant effects on Earth's climate, decreasing temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, causing floods, famines and cold waves in numerous places, and depositing several million tons of acid.

380 years ago
1630


Born on this date
Shivaji I
. Chhatrapati (Emperor) of the Maratha Empire, 1674-1680. Shivaji I was a warrior-king who formed the Maratha Empire in India from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur. He both fought and allied with the Mughal Empire, Sultanate of Golkonda, and Sultanate of Bijapur, as well as European colonial powers. Shivaji I was a Hindu, but practiced religious toleration toward Muslims. He died on April 3-5, 1680 at the age of 50 after a week-long attack of fever and dysentery, and was succeeded by his son Sambhaji. Chhatrapati Shivaji I was regarded as a hero by Indian independence advocates in the 20th century.

130 years ago
1880

Born on this date
Álvaro Obregón Salido
. President of Mexico, 1920-1924; President-elect of Mexico, 1928. General Obregón was a leader in the Mexican Revolution in 1910, and lost his right arm in battle against the forces of Pancho Villa in 1915. Gen. Obregón participated in a revolution that ousted President Adolfo de la Huerta in 1920, and took office as President after the assassination of Venustiano Carranza, who had led the revolt against Mr. de la Huerta. Gen. Obregón oversaw economic and educational reforms, and was successful, with U.S. help, in crushing a revolt led by Mr. de la Huerta in 1923-1924. Gen. Obregón left office after one term, and his handpicked successor, Plutarco Elías Calles, was elected President. Gen. Obregón had been moderately opposed to the Roman Catholic Church during his presidency, but Mr. Calles was more anti-clerical in his policies, earning him the enmity of Roman Catholics. Gen. Obregón, 48, came out of retirement and was elected on July 1 to a six-year term as President and was due to take office on December 1. On July 17, 1928, he was attending a lunch in his honour presented by President Calles at a restaurant in San Angel, 12 miles south of Mexico City, when he was assassinated by Jose de Leon Toral, a cartoonist who concealed a pistol under his hat and claimed that he was motivated by his hatred of the anti-Catholic policies of President Calles and Gen. Obregón. President Calles blamed Roman Catholic machinations for the assassination.

70 years ago
1940


On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Blanched Soldier

War
King Gustav V of Sweden publicly announced that Sweden could not provide Finland with any official assistance in her war against the U.S.S.R. A communique from Moscow reported Soviet occupation of the Rijonsaari and Revonsaari Islands in the Gulf of Finland. France reported the loss of 29 men to a German ambush while on a scouting mission east of the Nied River. Japanese military authorities denied that their forces had been routed in the Chinese province of Kwangsi.

Diplomacy
U.S. State Department officials indicated that the U.S.A. would reject Norway's suggestion that President Franklin D. Roosevelt arbitrate the February 16 Altmark incident.

Economics and finance
The Japanese Foreign Office abandoned as futile an effort to reopen trade negotiations with the United States.

The U.S. House of Representatives Banking Committee delayed action on the Finnish aid bill pending advice from the State Department.

U.S. Army Colonel Philip B. Fleming was sworn in as wage-hour administrator in Washington, D.C.

Society
A Gallup Poll reported that 55% of Americans approved the proposed federal anti-lynching law.

Law
U.S. Labor Secretary Frances Perkins urged modifications of immigration law to provide for quicker naturalization of aliens.

Football
NFL
Ernie Nevers resigned as head coach of the Chicago Cardinals. Mr. Nevers had played for the team from 1929-1931 and coached them in the latter two seasons before retiring. In 1939 he was rehired as coach, but the team finished fifth and last in the West Division with a record of 1-10.

60 years ago
1950


Died on this date
Carlos de la Torre y Huerta, 91
. Cuban naturalist and politician. Dr. de la Torre was best known for his study of Cuban fossil fauna, and was an expert in the filed of malacology (the study of mollusks). He supported Cuban independence, was elected Mayor of Havana in 1902, and was President of the Chamber of Deputies (1903-1904). Dr. de la Torre opposed the dictatorship of Cuban President Gerardo Machado in the late 1920s, and spent several years in exile in the United States, returning to Cuba after the 1933 Sergeants' Revolt that forced Mr. Machado to resign. Dr. de la Torre received many international honours from scientific societies.

War
Airplanes scattered leaflets over Chinese coastal cities, carrying Nationalist Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's New Year's message that Nationalists would soon launch a mainland offensive.

Defense
U.S. Army General Stephen Chamberlain, commander of the subarctic Exercise Sweetbriar, said that the defense of Alaska would require 15,000 properly trained men, as opposed to the 1,500 combat troops presently maintained there.

Journalism
The Moscow Bolshevik, 30-year-old newspaper of the Moscow city Communist Party, changed its name to the Moscow Pravda.

50 years ago
1960


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Why--Anthony Newley (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Why--Anthony Newley (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: Elegy, starring Cecil Kellaway, Kevin Hagen, Jeff Morrow, and Don Dubbins

The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: Elegy, starring Cecil Kellaway, Jeff Morrow, Kevin Hagen, and Don Dubbins

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Jackie Strip!

Space
The People's Republic of China successfully launched the T-7, its first sounding rocket, in Shanghai; the rocket reached an altitude of 5 miles. An earlier launch attempt of a T-7 had been unsuccessful.

40 years ago
1970


On television tonight
Dragnet 1970, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Narco: Pill Maker



Space
The U.S.S.R. launched Molniya 1/13, the first of two telecommunications satellites launched in 1970 to form part of the Soviet international communications satellite network.

Abominations
Five members of a U.S. Marine combat patrol were arrested on charges of murdering 11 Vietnamese civilians at Refugee Hamlet 4 of Sonthang village. All members of Company B of the 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, they were Lance Corporal Randell D. Herrod, 20, leader of the patrol; Pfc. Thomas R. Boyd, 19; Pfc. Michael S. Krichten, 19; Pfc. Samuel G. Green, 18; and Pvt. Michael A. Schwartz, 21.

Society
The United States Senate and House of Representatives approved education appropriation bills containing amendments introduced by southern opponents of school desegregation. The House bill contained three anti-busing and "freedom of choice" amendments designed to restrict federal power to enforce desegregation. The Senate bill contained an amendment designed to halt busing of children to achieve racial balance.

Baseball
Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended Detroit Tigers’ ace pitcher Denny McLain indefinitely for his "involvement in 1967 bookmaking activities" in Detroit.

30 years ago
1980


Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (Hot Press): Brass in Pocket--Pretenders (2nd week at #1)

25 years ago
1985


Weather
It hit 47 F in Edmonton.

Football
CFL
Canadian College Draft
Round 1
1 Ottawa--Nick Benjamin, OL, Concordia U.
2 Calgary--Randy Ambrosie, OL, Manitoba
3 British Columbia (from Saskatchewan)--John Ulmer, DE, North Dakota
4 Montreal--Tony Johns, TB, Henderson State
5 Edmonton--Peter Emsky, OL, Washington State
6 Winnipeg (from Toronto)--Pat Langdon, TE, Tennessee
7 British Columbia--Rick Ryan, DB, Weber State
8 Hamilton--Jed Tommy, RB, Guelph
9 Winnipeg--Bob Molle, DE, Simon Fraser

The draft went 9 rounds, with 81 players drafted. This draft was the first since 1972 in which the CFL teams weren’t allowed to claim any players as territorial exemptions. My friend Harold Riemer, an offensive tackle with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, was chosen in the sixth round, #50 overall. Peter Emsky joined the Eskimos for training camp in 1986, but never played a regular season game in the Canadian Football League.

20 years ago
1990


Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kōya no Megaroporisu (荒野のメガロポリス)--Hikaru Genji

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Pump ab Das Bier--Werner Wichtig (2nd week at #1)

Albertana
The provincial holiday known as Family Day was observed for the first time.

10 years ago
2000


Politics and government
Texas Governor George W. Bush won the South Carolina Republican Party U.S. presidential primary with 53% of the vote. U.S. Senator John McCain (Arizona) took 42% of the vote.

Hockey
NHL
Montreal 2 Toronto 1

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