February 18, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Paul Jelley and Ezra Levant!

230 years ago
1781

War
Captain Thomas Shirley opened his British expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa (present-day Ghana).

220 years ago
1791

Americana
The United States Congress passed a law admitting the state of Vermont to the Union, effective March 4, 1791, after that state had existed for 14 years as a de facto independent largely unrecognized state.

150 years ago
1861

Italiana
With Italian unification almost complete, Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia assumed the title of King of Italy.

Politics and government
Jefferson Davis was sworn in as provisional President of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Alabama.

140 years ago
1871

Born on this date
Harry Brearley. U.K. metallurgist. Mr. Brearley, a native and resident of Sheffield, England, was researching how to reduce erosion of the internal surfaces of gun barrels in 1912, nd noticed that adding chromium to steel raised the alloy's melting point; the result became known as "stainless steel," and was first manufactured in 1913, bringing affordable cutlery to the greater population while increasing Sheffield's cutlery trade. Mr. Brearley died on July 14, 1948 at the age of 77.

110 years ago
1901

Politics and government
Four days after taking his seat as the Member of Parliament for Oldham, 26-year-old Winston Churchill delivered his first speech in the British House of Commons, consisting largely of a survey of the problems and prospects of South Africa resulting from the Boer War. He received congratulations from both sides of the House (see Blood, Toil, Tears & Sweat: The Speeches of Winston Churchill, edited by David Cannadine, 1989.

Aviation
The first official flight with airmail took place from Allahabad, India when Henri Pequet, 23, delivered 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away.

Transportation
The Interprovincial Bridge, built by the Ottawa Interprovincial Bridge Company, was officially inaugurated; the name was changed in September 1901 to the "Royal Alexandra Bridge" to honour the new Queen during the visit of her son, the Duke of Cornwall and York, later King George V. Designed primarily to carry Canadian Pacific Railways trains, the bridge also had a track for electric trolley service between Ottawa and Hull, Quebec, and a lane for carriage traffic. In 1966, with the closure of Ottawa Union Station, it became exclusively a vehicular-pedestrian bridge.

100 years ago
1911

Skiing
Competitors from Montreal won both events in a ski-jumping championship before 4,000 fans at the Montreal Ski Club. Participants also came from Ottawa, Sherbrooke, and New Hampshire.

90 years ago
1921

Politics and government
Henry William Newlands took office as Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan.

80 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Louis Wolheim, 50. U.S. actor. Mr. Wolheim appeared in plays such as The Hairy Ape (1922) and What Price Glory? (1924), but was best known for his performances in movies such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920); Two Arabian Knights (1927); The Racket (1928); and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). He was preparing to act in the movie The Front Page (1931) when he died of apparent stomach cancer.

70 years ago
1941

War
Japanese spokesman Koh Ishii said that Japan was ready to mediate both the European and Far Eastern wars. Australian troops landed in Singapore and manned already-prepared defense positions on the Malayan peninsula.

Defense
U.S. Senator Hiram Johnson (Republican--California) submitted the minority report of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, listing seven objections to the Lend-Lease bill. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Averell Harriman as special defense "expediter" in London.

Politics and government
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 210-143 to reapportion itself in accordance with the 1940 United States census, using the "equal proportions" formula instead of the "major fractions" method.

Oil
Mexican Interior Minister Miguel Aleman announced that after the settlement of the expropriation question, foreign capital would be permitted to "participate" in the development of new oil fields.

Scandal
Robert Boltz pled guilty in Philadelphia to embezzlement and fraud.

60 years ago
1951

War
Chinese Communist forces abandoned their attempt to break through the United Nations front in central Korea.

Philippine President Elpidio Quirino offered amnesty and a chance to buy their own farms to peasants who quit the Hukbalahap guerrilla army.

Defense
A U.S. Senate Preparedeness subcommittee accused the Air Force of accepting more enlistments than it could handle.

Scandal
The biggest point-shaving scandal in U.S. college basketball history began when three players--Eddie Roman, Alvin Roth, and Ed Warner--from City College of New York, the defending national champion, were charged with accepting bribes to fix games. They eventually admitted their involvement, as did 29 other players from six schools, including the powerhouse University of Kentucky.

50 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: 24.000 baci--Adriano Celentano (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ramona--Blue Diamonds (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): Save the Last Dance for Me--The Drifters (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Calcutta--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)
2 Will You Love Me Tomorrow--The Shirelles
3 Shop Around--The Miracles
4 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher
--[Mantovani & his Orchestra]
--[The Medallion Strings]
5 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
6 Emotions--Brenda Lee
7 There's a Moon Out Tonight--The Capris
8 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
--[Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra]

9 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
10 Pony Time--Chubby Checker

Singles entering the chart included For My Baby by Brook Benton (#75); Havin’ Fun by Dion (#77); Happy Birthday Blues by Kathy Young with the Innocents (#96); Hearts of Stone by Bill Black's Combo (#97); Bewildered by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#99); Show Folk by Paul Evans (#100); and Teenage Vows of Love by the Dreamers (also #100). For My Baby was the B-side of Think Twice, charting at #54. Main Theme from Exodus by the Medallion Strings was listed with the versions by Ferrante and Teicher; and Mantovani and his Orchestra, but not charted.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers
2 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
3 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
4 Baby Sittin' Boogie--Buzz Clifford
5 There's a Moon Out Tonight--The Capris
6 Apache--Jorgen Ingmann and his Guitar
7 Good Time Baby--Bobby Rydell
8 A Scottish Soldier (Green Hills of Tyrol)--Andy Stewart
9 The Story of My Love--Paul Anka
10 Oh Joan--The Beau-Marks

Singles entering the chart were Gone from Me by Eddie Carroll (#34); Just for Old Time's Sake by the McGuire Sisters (#40); Take Good Care of Her by Adam Wade (#42); Honky Tonk (Part 2) by Bill Doggett (#44); Pony Express by Danny and the Juniors (#46); "D" in Love by Cliff Richard (#48); Pledge of Love by Curtis Lee (#49); and Not Me by U.S. Bonds (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers (2nd week at #1)
2 A Scottish Soldier (Green Hills of Tyrol)--Andy Stewart
3 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
4 Baby Sittin' Boogie--Buzz Clifford
5 Surrender--Elvis Presley
6 Apache--Jorgen Ingmann and his Guitar
7 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
8 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
9 The Touchables--Dickie Goodman
10 The Exodus Song--Pat Boone

Singles entering the chart were Three Wheels on My Wagon by Dick Van Dyke (#24); Asia Minor by Kokomo (#28); Two by Del Erickson (#32); Happy Birthday Blues by Kathy Young with the Innocents (#38); Hard Rock Mine by Dorsey Burnette (#39); and Donald, Where's Your Troosers? by Andy Stewart (#40).

On television tonight
The Roaring 20's, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Lucky Charm

Space
The United States launched Discoverer 21 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, by means of a Thor-Agena B rocket. The satellite carried instruments to chart infrared radiation information to aid the Midas early-warning satellite system. The engine of the rocket’s second stage was restarted by a radio signal from the ground while in orbit after it had coasted powerless on its first orbit of Earth.

40 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (6th week at #1)

Society
A report issued by the United States Census Bureau showed that many Negroes were rising economically. The median income of Negro families in northern and western states was "more comparable to that of white families than was the case in the south," according to the study. The 532,000 young Negro couples under the age of 35 living outside the southern states had made the biggest gains, while the economic lot of all Negro families with both parents living in the home made substantial gains. The biggest problem of Negro families, however, was not geographical location, but the broken home. The report indicated that almost 1/3 of the Negro families in the U.S. were headed by only one parent. These broken families, usually headed by the mother--with the father missing--had made virtually no income gain in the previous decade, and more than half had incomes below the officially recognized "poverty" line.

30 years ago
1981

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

The only single entering the chart was Living in a Fantasy by Leo Sayer (#20).

Died on this date
Jack Northrop, 85. U.S. aviation executive. Mr. Northrop worked with Lockheed Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft before founding Avion Corporation in 1929, which he was forced to sell to United Aircraft and Transport Corporation in 1930. In 1932, he founded Northrop Corporation, which became a subsidiary of Douglas several years later. Mr. Northrop founded another Northrop Corporation in Hawthorne, California in 1939. He promoted the flying wing as the next major step in aircraft design, but it wasn't adopted as the next generation bomber platform after World War II, and the disappointment led Mr. Northrop to retire from aviation in 1952. He suffered severe financial and health setbacks in later years, but was encouraged shortly before his death to find out that the company now known as Northrop Grumman had used the flying wing design for a stealth bomber.

Politics and government
Four Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MPs said that they would oppose the federal government's constitutional package.

Protest
The government of Poland negotiated and end to a 26-day student sit-in at the University of Lodz, granting the students the right to have a student union that could not be controlled by the Communist Party.

Society
According to the results of a survey of high school seniors, the use of illicit drug use by young people in the United States ceased to rise in 1980. This was the first year since the beginning of the survey in 1975 that the upward climb had levelled off, and the number of students admitting to the use of marijuana had declined. A similar trend had been reported by the military.

Health
Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee announced that marijuana contains a common household fungus that could lead to allergic reactions or lung damage when smoked, and could also cause lung-threatening infections. The fungus belongs to the aspegillus family and its spores are not damaged by burning.

Religion
Pope John Paul II, on his second day in Manila, celebrated the beatification of 16 martyrs killed for their faith in Japan in the 1630s, and spoke to the people in one of Manila’s slums.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Ronald Reagan proposed a budget of $695.5 billion for fiscal 1982, with a $45-billion deficit. The cuts he recommended, which would total $41.4 billion, would affect 83 major programs plus an annual tax cut for individuals of about 10% over the next three years. Only the military budget was to be increased, by $7.2 billion.

Labour
The British government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher withdrew plans to close 23 coal pits, averting a series of national miners’ strikes. The National Union of Miners called off unofficial work stoppages two days later.

Hockey
NHL
St. Louis 2 @ Edmonton 9

Wayne Gretzky scored 5 goals--4 in the 3rd period--and added 2 assists to lead the Oilers over the Blues at Northlands Coliseum. Mike Liut started in goal for the Blues and gave up the first 3 of Mr. Gretzky’s goals, and backup Ed Staniowski gave up The Great One’s last 2 goals.

25 years ago
1986

Politics and government
Viktor Grishin, former head of the Communist Party in Moscow, was removed from the Soviet Politburo.

Disasters
NASA officials said that temperatures as low as 7-9 F. had been measured on the surface of the right-hand booster rocket near O-ring seals on January 28, the day the U.S. space shuttle Challenger blew up 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

20 years ago
1991

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

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

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Beinhart--Torfrock (4th week at #1)

War
U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev offered a new peace proposal for the Gulf War after meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz in Moscow. The proposal called for an unconditional Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, but U.S. President George Bush said that other conditions needed to be met and the U.S. would continue the war.

Terrorism
The Irish Republican Army exploded bombs in the early morning at Paddington station and Victoria station in London.

Economics and finance
U.S.S.R. Premier Valentin Pavlov submitted to parliament a plan for raising prices on most goods and services by an average of 60%. Wages and pensions would be increased to cover most of the added costs.

Business
Algoma Steel Corporation escaped bankruptcy after receiving a $60-million loan from the Royal Bank of Canada and $15 million in loan guarantees from the governments of Canada and Ontario and Algoma’s parent company, Dofasco Inc.

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Eddie Mathews, 69. U.S. baseball player, coach, and manager. Mr. Mathews played third base for the Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1952-1966); Houston Astros (1967); and Detroit Tigers (1967-1968), batting .271 with 512 home runs and 1,453 runs batted in in 2,391 games. He led the National League in home runs in 1953 (47) and 1959 (46), and led the NL four times in bases on balls. Mr. Mathews was the only man to play with the Braves in all three of their home cities, helping the Milwaukee Braves to the World Series championship in 1957 and the NL pennant in 1958. He ended his playing career with the Tigers when they won the World Series. Mr. Mathews coached with the Braves in 1971, and managed ghem from mid-season 1972 to mid-season 1974, compiling a record of 149-161 (.481). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978, and was a coach and scout with the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Oakland Athletics in later years. Mr. Mathews died of complications from pneumonia.

Dale Earnhardt, Sr., 49. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Earnhardt was a stock car driver on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit (1975-2001), winning 76 races and posting 428 top ten finishes, and winning the season championship seven times. He was in third place on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 when his car hit the retaining wall after making contact with the cars of Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader. An independent examination found that Mr. Earnhardt's death was the result of his inadequately restrained head and neck snapping forward.

War
Inter-ethnic violence between Dayaks and Madurese broke out in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, ultimately resulting in more than 500 deaths and 100,000 Madurese displaced from their homes.

Crime
Veteran U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Robert Hanssen was arrested and accused of spying for the U.S.S.R. for more than 15 years. He eventually pleaded guilty, and is serving 15 life sentences in prison without possibility of parole.

Auto racing
NASCAR
Michael Waltrip won the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finishing second and Rusty Wallace third. Dale Earnhardt, Sr., who was killed in a crash on the last lap, placed 12th. For Mr. Waltrip, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., it was his first NASCAR win, coming in his 463rd race, setting a record for the greatest number of races before finally winning.