Thursday 28 February 2013

February 29 (2013)

25 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (5th week at #1)

War
Iran and Iraq began firing missiles at each other's capital.

Protest
A strike against the regime of Gen. Manuel Noriega began in Panama. It was widely supported, at least in Panama City.

South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu was among 100 clergymen who were arrested during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.

Society
New Democratic Member of Parliament Svend Robinson (Burnaby) became the first member of Canada's House of Commons to come out of the closet and admit his homosexuality.

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 2071.62, its highest level since prices had plunged on October 19, 1987.

February 28, 2013

375 years ago
1638


Britannica
The Scottish National Covenant was signed by a large gathering in the kirkyard of Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh. The covenanters pledged to maintain Presbyterianism as it had existed in 1580 as Scotland's official religion, rejecting any innovations introduced since that time. They also pledged loyalty to the king of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

175 years ago
1838


Canadiana
Robert Nelson, leader of the insurrectionist Patriotes, proclaimed the independence of Lower Canada and distributed a declaration of independence while he was encamped with 300 men at Alburg, Vermont. They were soon arrested by the U.S. Army for violating the law of neutrality of the United States.

130 years ago
1883


Popular culture
The first vaudeville theatre opened in Boston.

125 years ago
1888


Music
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Pezzo capriccioso for Cello & Orchestra received its premiere performance.

120 years ago
1893


Defense
The USS Indiana, the first battleship of the United States Navy that was comparable to foreign battleships of the time, was launched at Philadelphia. A crowd of 10,000 people was in attendance, including Benjamin Harrison, who had just one week remaining in his term as President of the United States.

100 years ago
1913


Died on this date
George Finnegan, 31
. U.S. boxer. Mr. Finnegan won the gold medal in the flyweight division at the 1904 Summer Olympic Games in St. Louis, and then gained enough weight in several days to fight in the bantamweight division, where he defeated fellow American Oliver Kirk to win the silver medal.

80 years ago
1933


Abominations
The day after fire gutted the German Reichstag in Berlin, German President Paul von Hindenburg issued the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State--commonly known as the Reichstag Fire Decree--that suspended many of the civil liberties of German citizens until further notice.

70 years ago
1943


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia: I Don't Want to Walk Without You--Harry James and his Music Makers (1st month at #1)

60 years ago
1953


Hit Parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Because You're Mine--Mario Lanza; Nat "King" Cole

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Till I Waltz Again with You--Teresa Brewer (Best seller--3rd week at #1, Jukebox--3rd week at #1; Disc Jockey--3rd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Till I Waltz Again with You--Teresa Brewer (4th week at #1)
2 Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes--Perry Como
3 Tell Me You're Mine--The Gaylords
4 Have You Heard--Joni James
5 Oh Happy Day--Don Howard
--Lawrence Welk and his Champagne Music
--[The Four Knights]
6 The Doggie in the Window--Patti Page
7 Anywhere I Wander--Julius LaRosa
8 Why Don't You Believe Me--Joni James
9 Side by Side--Kay Starr
10 Keep it a Secret--Jo Stafford

Singles entering the chart were New Juke Box Saturday Night by the Modernaires (#23); Kaw-Liga, with versions by Hank Williams and the Drifting Cowboys, and Dolores Gray with the Commanders (#30); and No Help Wanted, with versions by Rusty Draper, and the Carlisles (#38).

Science
Cambridge University scientists James Watson and Francis Crick announced that they had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule containing human genes.

50 years ago
1963


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): The Wayward Wind--Frank Ifield (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
Twilight Zone, hosted by Rod Serling, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Printer's Devil, starring Burgess Meredith, Robert Sterling, and Pat Crowley

Died on this date
Rajendra Prasad, 78
. 1st President of India, 1950-1962. Mr. Prasad was one of the leaders in India's independence movement.

Music
Sam Cooke recorded the song Another Saturday Night at RCA Studios in Los Angeles.

40 years ago
1973


Politics and government
A coalition of Fine Gael and Labour parties won the Irish national elections, defeating the governing Fianna Fail party, led by Prime Minister John Lynch. Fiana Fail had held power for 16 years.

Figure skating
At the world championships in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, Janet Lynn of the United States, who was in second place after the compulsory figures portion of the women's competition, fell twice during the short program and finished 12th, all but ending her chances of winning the world championship over Karen Magnussen of Canada, who was leading with the long program scheduled for the following night.

30 years ago
1983


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Gloria--Laura Branigan (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
M*A*S*H, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen

This special 2 1/2-hour episode was the series' last after an 11-season, 251-episode run as one of the most popular series in history. 77% of the viewing audience (125 million viewers) tuned in, making it the most-watched episode of any television series ever, and the most-watched television broadcast until the 2010 Super Bowl.

25 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Heaven is a Place on Earth--Belinda Carlisle

Abominations
At least 32--Armenians claimed as many as 300--Armenians were killed during disorders in the city of Sumgait, Azerbaijan.

War
Iran bombed the city of Basra in southern Iraq.

Politics and government
In the contest for the U. S. presidential nominations, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis won the Democratic party caucuses in Maine, while Vice President George Bush won the Republican caucuses.

Olympics
Closing ceremonies for the Winter Olympics were held at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

20 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): No Limit--2 Unlimited

Died on this date
Ruby Keeler, 82
. Canadian-born U.S. dancer and actress. A native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Miss Keeler became a dancer on Broadway, married Al Jolson, and moved to Hollywood. Her most notable movies were her first three: 42nd Street (1933); Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933); and Footlight Parade (1933).

Ishiro Honda, 81. Japanese film director. Mr. Honda was known for directing Japanese monster movies, which achieved worldwide popularity in the 1950s and '60. His films included Godzilla (1954); Mosura (aka Mothra) (1961); Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964); Monster of Monsters: Ghidorah (aka Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster) (1964); Kingu Kongu no gyakushû (aka King Kong Escapes!) (1967).

Crime
Four agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were killed along with eight residents of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas when the BATF raided the cult's compound in an attempt to arrest Branch Davidian leader David Koresh, who was sustpected of illegally stockpiling weapons.

World events
Three U.S. C-130 transport planes, flying from a base in Germany, began airdrops of aid packages to Bosnia.

10 years ago
2003


Died on this date
Fidel Sánchez Hernández, 85. President of El Salvador, 1967-1972. General Sánchez Hernández became a cabinet minister in the government of Julio Adalberto Rivera, which had taken power in a military coup two years earlier, and succeeded to the presidency. He led the Salvadoran armed forces in the brief Soccer War against Honduras in 1969.

Dinos Dimopoulos, 81. Greek film director. Mr. Dimopoulos directed 47 movies from 1953-1993; his films included Astero (1959); Madalena (1960); and The Asphalt Fever (1967).

Politics and government
The Knesset voted to approve the new government of Israel, a four-party coalition under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Former Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus defeated his old rival and incumbent Vaclav Havel to win the country's presidency. In a combined vote of parliament, Mr. Klaus won 141-139.

Wednesday 27 February 2013

February 27, 2013

100 years ago
1913


Born on this date
Irwin Shaw. U.S. author. Mr. Shaw, born Irwin Shamforoff, was best known for his novels The Young Lions (1948) and Rich Man, Poor Man (1970). His screenplays included The Talk of the Town (1942); Easy Living (1949); and Desire Under the Elms (1958). Mr. Shaw died on May 16, 1984 at the age of 71.

80 years ago
1933


World events
In Berlin, the German Reichstag burned down that night. A Dutch Communist named Marinus van der Lubbe, a recent arrival in Germany, was arrested inside the building. Three Bulgarians were subsequently arrested and charged as part of the conspiracy to burn the Reichstag. Mr. van der Lubbe was the only one convicted, and he was beheaded on January 10, 1934. The extent to which others may have been involved is still debated by historians. The most significant result of the fire was a dramatic increase in the political power of Adolf Hitler, who had become Chancellor of Germany less than a month earlier. With elections coming up on March 5, Mr. Hitler asked for, and received from President Paul von Hindenburg, the Reichstag Fire Decree, which Mr. Hindenburg signed into law under section 48 of the Weimar constitution. The decree suspended most civil liberties in Germany, and was used by the Nazis in banning "unfriendly" publications. Thousands of Communists were arrested in the next several days. The Nazis, with their allies in the German National People's Party were able to obtain a majority in the Reichstag, and pass the Enabling Act, giving Mr. Hitler the right to rule by decree. A month after the fire, Mr. Hitler had achieved dictatorial power. You may have noticed that this wasn't the last time that a terrorist act was used as a pretext for suspending civil liberties and giving dictatorial powers to the executive branch of government in a Western "democracy." And of course, those liberties didn't come back anytime soon.

70 years ago
1943


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): There are Such Things--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra (5th week at #1)

Protest
Gentile wives and relatives of 1,800 Jewish men who had been arrested by the Nazis and scheduled for deportation marched in Rosenstrasse (Rose Street) in Berlin.

Disasters
74 coal miners were killed in an explosion at Smith Mine #3 in Bearcreek, Montana.

60 years ago
1953


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes--Perry Como (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Lonesome Village, starring Raymond Bailey and Heywood Hale Broun

Education
A bill to simplify spelling in the United Kingdom passed second reading in the House of Commons by a vote of 65-53.

50 years ago
1963


World events
Former French Army Colonel Antoine Argoud was charged with an assassination attempt on President Charles de Gaulle which had occurred two years earlier.

Politics and government
Juan Bosch took office as the 44th President of the Dominican Republic and the first to be democratically elected since the 25-year dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo had ended with Generalissimo Trujillo's assassination on May 30, 1961.

40 years ago
1973


Protest
Members of the American Indian Movement led the way as 200 Sioux Indians occupied Wounded Knee, South Dakota, taking 11 members of the Oglala Sioux settlement hostage.

30 years ago
1983


On the radio
The Stories of Sherlock Holmes, on Springbok Radio
Tonight's episode: Tragedy at Nettlebed

Track and field
Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland set a world record for the indoor mile at 3:49.78 at the Vitalis/U.S. Olympic Invitational meet in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Mr. Coghlan's record stood until 1997.

25 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Sì, la vita è tutta un quiz--Renzo Arbore (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Boys (Summertime Love)--Sabrina (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Father Figure--George Michael

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Father Figure--George Michael
2 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
3 Could've Been--Tiffany
4 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
5 Seasons Change--Exposé
6 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
7 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
8 I Get Weak--Belinda Carlisle
9 Need You Tonight--INXS
10 Don't Shed a Tear--Paul Carrack

Singles entering the chart were Where Do Broken Hearts Go by Whitney Houston (#49); I Saw Him Standing There by Tiffany (#61); One Step Up by Bruce Springsteen (#67); Are You Sure by So (#82); Wait by White Lion (#86); Kiss and Tell by Bryan Ferry (#87); Naughty Girls (Need Love Too) by Samantha Fox (#89); and Don't Make a Fool of Yourself by Stacey Q (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S
2 Crying--Roy Orbison and k.d. lang
3 Could've Been--Tiffany
4 Need You Tonight--INXS
5 Hazy Shade of Winter--Bangles
6 When a Man Loves a Woman--Luba
7 Candle in the Wind--Elton John
8 The Way You Make Me Feel--Michael Jackson
9 Tell it to My Heart--Taylor Dayne
10 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)

Singles entering the chart were Out of the Blue by Debbie Gibson (#90); Heaven Knows by Robert Plant (#93); Breakfast at the Circus by David Wilcox (#97); and Big Big World by Parachute Club (#98).

Abominations
In the seaside town of Sumgait in the Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, ethnic Azeris attacked and killed Armenians in what became known as the Sumgait Massacre or Sumgait Pogrom.

War
Iraqi jets bombed Iranian oil refineries.

Olympics
Elizabeth Manley of Ottawa, representing Canada, became the latest woman to become "Canada's Sweetheart" when she surprised everyone with the performance of her life in the long program in the women's figure skating event at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary. Miss Manley won the long program, and almost won the overall title. The favourite, Katarina Witt of East Germany, held on to win the gold medal; Miss Manley won the silver, and American Debi Thomas won the bronze, becoming the first Negro athlete ever to win a medal in the Winter Olympics.







20 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): You Don't Treat Me No Good--Sonia Dada

#1 single in Italy: If I Ever Lose My Faith in You--Sting

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): I Feel You--Depeche Mode

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Mockin' Bird Hill--Roots Syndicate (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): No Limit--2 Unlimited (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (14th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (13th week at #1)
2 A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)--Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle
3 Ordinary World--Duran Duran
4 Saving Forever for You--Shanice
5 Mr. Wendal--Arrested Development
6 I'm Every Woman--Whitney Houston
7 7--Prince and the New Power Generation
8 Hip Hop Hooray--Naughty By Nature
9 If I Ever Fall in Love--Shai
10 Here We Go Again--Portrait

Singles entering the chart included Freak Me by Silk (#49); I See Your Smile by Gloria Estefan (#73); Bad Girl by Madonna (#75); If I Ever Lose My Faith in You by Sting (#76); Come in Out of the Rain by Wendy Moten (#80); Hope of Deliverance by Paul McCartney (#91); and Beautiful Girl by INXS (#92).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Steam--Peter Gabriel
2 Ordinary World--Duran Duran
3 No Mistakes--Patty Smyth
4 I'm Every Woman--Whitney Houston
5 Bed of Roses--Bon Jovi
6 A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)--Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle
7 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston
8 Deeper and Deeper--Madonna
9 Little Bird--Annie Lennox
10 Man on the Moon--R.E.M.

Singles entering the chart included Don't Tear Me Up by Mick Jagger (#57); Kiss That Frog by Peter Gabriel (#66); Bad Girl by Madonna (#74); Who Do You Think You Are by Sass Jordan (#77); Colder than You by the Waltons (#84); and Won't Get Fooled Again by Van Halen (#87).

Died on this date
Lillian Gish, 99
. U.S. actress. Miss Gish began appearing in motion pictures in 1912, and was one of the biggest stars of the silent movie era. Her films included The Birth of a Nation (1915); Intolerance (1916); Hearts of the World (1918); Broken Blossoms (1919); Way Down East (1920); Orphans of the Storm (1921); The Scarlet Letter (1926); The Wind (1928); Duel in the Sun (1946); The Night of the Hunter (1955); and The Whales of August (1987).

10 years ago
2003


Died on this date
Fred Rogers, 74
. U.S. television host. Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister who decided to explore the potential of television programming for children. Beginning his career in Pittsburgh, he spent several years in Canada in the 1960s with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation before returning to the United States, where Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began airing on the Eastern Educational Network in 1968 before moving to the Public Broadcasting Service in 1969, where it remained until Mr. Rogers' retirement in 2001.

World events
Former Bosnian President Biljana Plavsic was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the persecution of thousands of Muslims and Croats in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995. She was the only woman indicted for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.

Diplomacy
Iraq agreed to begin destroying their al-Samoud 2 rockets in order to comply with a deadline imposed by the United Nations.

Terrorism
The United States Administration of President Geroge W. Bush reduced the national terrorist alert level from orange (high risk) to yellow (elevated risk), the second highest of five levels. The level had been raised to orange on February 7 as a result of an increased amount of "chatter" in terrorist communications.

Religion
Rowan Williams, an honourary Druid, was installed as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.

Monday 25 February 2013

February 26, 2013

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Fats Domino!

200 years ago
1813


Died on this date
R.R. Livingston, 66. U.S. politician. Mr. Livingston, leader in the American Revolution, represented Provincial Congress of New York at the Continental Congress in 1776. He helped to draft the Declaration of Independence, but returned to New York before he could sign it. Mr. Livingston was the U.S. secretary for foreign affairs under the Articles of Confederation from 1781-1783, and was Chancellor of New York (a Federalist delegate to the Constitution ratification convention) from 1777-1801.

175 years ago
1838


World events
Hundreds of Americans sympathetic with the rebels in Upper Canada captured Pelee Island in Lake Erie.

130 years ago
1883


Died on this date
Alexandros Koumoundouros, 65 or 66
. Prime Minister of Greece, 1877-1878; 1878-1880; 1880-1882. Mr. Koumoundouros spent 50 years in politics, and survived three assassination attempts.

110 years ago
1903


Died on this date
Richard Gatling, 84
. U.S. inventor. Dr. Gatling was best known for inventing the Gatling gun, the first successful machine gun, during the U.S. Civil War.

100 years ago
1913


Died on this date
Felix Draeseke, 77
. German composer. Mr. Draeseke, a composer of the "New German School," wrote eight operas and four symphonies.

80 years ago
1933


Born on this date
Godfrey Cambridge
. U.S. actor and comedian. Mr. Cambridge was born in New York to parents who emigrated to from British Guiana, but spent some of his school years in Nova Scotia before returning to New York to finish his education. He received a scholarship to study medicine, but opted for an acting career instead. Mr. Cambridge made his Broadway debut in 1957 in Nature's Way. His other Broadway appearances came in Ossie Davis's Purlie Victorious (1961-1962) (where his co-stars included Alan Alda); and How To Be a Jewish Mother (1967-1968), which closed after just 20 performances. An off-Broadway appearance in The Blacks earned him an Obie award in 1961. During these years he began to appear on television, often as a guest on Tonight, when Jack Paar was the host. Mr. Cambridge made guest appearances in such series as Car 54, Where Are You?; The Dick Van Dyke Show; and I Spy. Among Mr. Cambridge's movie credits were The President's Analyst (1967); Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970); and his best-known role, as star of Watermelon Man, where he played a white bigot who woke up one day to discover that he'd turned black. Mr. Cambridge was cast as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the made-for-television movie Victory at Entebbe, but suffered a fatal heart attack on the set on November 29, 1976. Mr. Amin declared that Mr. Cambridge's act was punishment from God; a more prosaic explanation is that his death was caused more by overeating and yo-yo dieting.

70 years ago
1943


Died on this date
Theodor Eicke, 50
. German SS officer. SS Obergruppenführer Eicke was a commander of the Waffen SS and was one of the key figures in the establishment of concentration camps in Nazi Germany. He was killed when he was shot down while performing a battlefield reconnaissance during the Third Battle of Kharkov.

50 years ago
1963


On television tonight
The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Junk Man

40 years ago
1973


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): You're So Vain--Carly Simon (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Crazy Horses--The Osmonds (5th week at #1)

30 years ago
1983


Hit parade
#1 single in France: Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Too Shy--Kajagoogoo

#1 single in the U.K.: Too Shy--Kajagoogoo (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Baby, Come to Me--Patti Austin (with James Ingram) (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club
2 Down Under--Men at Work
3 Stray Cat Strut--Stray Cats
4 Billie Jean--Michael Jackson
6 Shame on the Moon--Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
6 Baby, Come to Me--Patti Austin (with James Ingram)
7 You Are--Lionel Richie
8 Hungry Like the Wolf--Duran Duran
9 Africa--Toto
10 All Right--Christopher Cross

Singles entering the chart were Change of Heart by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (#68); Take the Short Way Home by Dionne Warwick (#75); Little Red Corvette by Prince (#76); Some Kind of Friend by Barry Manilow (#83); Beat It by Michael Jackson (#86); Land of a Thousand Dances by the J. Geils Band (#87); Come Give Your Love to Me by Janet Jackson (#88); Please Mr. Postman by Gentle Persuasion (#89); and Shoppin' from A to Z by Toni Basil (#90).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Sexual Healing--Marvin Gaye (2nd week at #1)
2 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club
3 Baby, Come to Me--Patti Austin (with James Ingram)
4 Africa--Toto
5 Goody Two Shoes--Adam Ant
6 Pass the Dutchie--Musical Youth
7 Stray Cat Strut--Stray Cats
8 Shame on the Moon--Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
9 Hungry Like the Wolf--Duran Duran
10 When I'm with You--Sheriff

Singles entering the chart were Everytime I See Your Picture by Luba (#41); Twilight Zone by Golden Earring (#45); You and I by Eddie Rabbitt with Crystal Gayle (#47); and Should I Stay or Should I Go by the Clash (#48).

25 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): My Love is a Tango--Guillermo Marchena (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
The Panamanian National Assembly ousted President Eric Arturo Delvalle from office, a day after Mr. Delvalle had sought to fire dictator Gen. Manuel Noriega. The pro-Noriega majority installed Education Minister Manuel Solis Palma as minister in charge of the presidency. Mr. Delvalle denounced the assembly's actions, and called for a general strike. He then responded to a military ultimatum to leave the country by going into hiding. The main anti-Noriega newspaper in Panama was shut down. The United States said that it supported Mr. Delvalle, but had no plans to intervene militarily.

20 years ago
1993


Died on this date
Constance Ford, 69
. U.S. actress. Miss Ford tended to play shrewish women in movies such as A Summer Place (1959), but appeared mainly on television. Her best known role was as the character Ada Hobson in the soap opera Another World from 1967-1992.

Terrorism
Five people were killed and over 1,000 injured when a car bomb exploded under the World Trade Center in New York City (see also here).

February 25, 2013

1,875 years ago
138


Politics and government
Roman Emperor Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor.

300 years ago
1713


Died on this date
Friedrich I, 55
. King in Prussia, 1701-1713. Friedrich (or Frederick) was the first King in Prussia and was the paternal grandfather of Frederick the Great.

290 years ago
1723


Died on this date
Christopher Wren, 90
. U.K. architect. Sir Christopher was responsible for building 52 churches after the Great Fire of London in 1666, most notably S. Paul's Cathedral. A mathematician, physicist, and astronomer, he was a founder of the Royal Society.

170 years ago
1843


Britannica
Lord George Paulet, a Royal navy officer, obtained the Provisional Cession of the Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands, as King Kamehameha III of Hawaii agreed to cede the islands to the British government.

140 years ago
1873


Born on this date
Enrico Caruso
. Italian singer. Mr. Caruso was one of the most famous operatic tenors in history, playing 74 roles in Europe and North America in a career spanning 25 years. He was also one of the first recording stars, making almost 250 recordings from 1902-1920. Mr. Caruso's health seriously declined in his last year, and he died in a hotel in Naples on August 2, 1921 at the age of 48, reportedly from peritonitis arising from a burst subphrenic abscess.

100 years ago
1913


Born on this date
Gert Frobe. German actor. Mr. Frobe appeared mostly in German movies, but was best known for playing the title role in Goldfinger (1964). He also appeared in Mr. Arkadin (1955) and The Longest Day (1962). Mr. Frobe died on September 5, 1988 at the age of 75.

Jim Backus. U.S. actor. Mr. Backus starred with Joan Davis in the television comedy series I Married Joan (1952-1955), but was best known for providng the voice for the cartoon character Mr. Magoo and as millionaire Thurston Howell III in the television comedy series Gilligan's Island (1964-1967). He appeared in many movies, the best known of which was Rebel Without a Cause (1955). He died on July 3, 1989 at the age of 76.

80 years ago
1933


Defense
The USS Ranger, the first United States Navy ship to be built solely as an aircraft carrier, was launched at Newport News, Virginia.

70 years ago
1943


Born on this date
George Harrison. U.K. musician. Mr. Harrison, the lead guitarist and youngest member (and this blogger's favourite) of the Beatles was born in Liverpool. He died of cancer on November 29, 2001 at the age of 58.

60 years ago
1953


On the radio
I Was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews
Tonight’s episode: The Red Ladies

50 years ago
1963


Boxing
Leotis Martin (5-0) won a 6-round decision over Buddy Moore (2-4) in Philadelphia.

30 years ago
1983


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Sexual Healing--Marvin Gaye (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Major Tom (Völlig Losgelöst)--Peter Schilling (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Tennessee Williams, 71
. U.S. playwright. Mr. Williams was one of the best-known playwrights of the 20th century. A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) andCat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) each won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Rose Tattoo (1951) won the Tony for Best Play, and The Glass Menagerie (1944) and The Night of the Iguana (1961) each won awards from the New York Drama Critics' Circle. Many of his works, including all of those mentioned above, were made into movies. These included Summer and Smoke; Suddenly, Last Summer; Sweet Bird of Youth; Period of Adjustment; and Orpheus Descending (released on film as The Fugitive Kind). Mr. Williams wrote the screenplay for Baby Doll (1956), and his novella The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone was made into a movie in 1961. Mr. Williams went into a long decline after the early 1960s, and was never able to recapture his earlier success. For example, The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore (1963) closed after just 69 performances on Broadway, and a reworked version a year later lasted just 5 performances. The movie version, titled Boom!, was one of the biggest critical and box office flops of 1968. Mr. Williams died from choking on a plastic bottle cap in his room at the Hotel Elysee in New York. He was apparently in the habit of putting the cap in his mouth while he tilted his head back to put drops in his eyes.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index had risen 0.2% in January.

World events
The Statute of Autonomy was approved for the Balearic Islands, declaring the islands to be one nationality of Spain.

25 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Heatseeker--AC/DC (3rd week at #1)

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz began a week of meetings with leaders in Middle Eastern capitals.

Politics and government
Roe Tae-woo took office as President of South Korea.

20 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): I Feel You--Depeche Mode (2nd week at #1)

Music
This blogger, along with a lovely lady from Ottawa, attended a concert at the National Arts Centre in the nation's capital. The National Arts Centre Orchestra was conducted by Franz-Paul Decker, with violinist Scott St. John the featured soloist.

Politics and government
Kim Young Sam took office as President of South Korea, becoming the country's first civilian leader in more than three decades. He promised to end the "dark political night" of corruption and economic blight.

Protest
More than 1,000 Hindu nationalists were arrested in India by riot police while they were demanding the resignation of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.

Sunday 24 February 2013

February 24, 2013

1,710 years ago
303


Abominations
Galerius Caesar, commander of legions in the eastern Roman Empire, issued an edict calling for the persecution of Christians in his area of the Empire.

710 years ago
1303


War
Scottish forces led by John Comyn and Simon Fraser defeated English forces led by Sir John Segrave in the Battle of Roslin in the First War of Scottish Independence.

475 years ago
1538


Diplomacy
Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and John Zápolya, King of Hungary, signed the Treaty of Nagyvárad in Grosswardein/Várad (modern-day Oradea, Romania), dividing the medieval Kingdom of Hungary.

210 years ago
1803


Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Marbury v. Madison that any act of Congress that conflicted with the Constitution was null and void.

150 years ago
1863


Americana
Arizona, formerly part of the Territory of New Mexico, became a separate territory within the United States.

60 years ago
1953


On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: They Haven't Killed Me Yet, starring Harry Lowe, Jr.

Died on this date
Bob La Follette, Jr., 58
. U.S. politician. Mr. La Follette, the son of prominent politician Bob La Follette, Sr., represented Wisconsin in the United States Senate from 1925-1947. He was first elected as a Republican to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his father, and supported the cause of organized labour. Mr. La Follette and his brother Philip formed the Wisconsin Progressive Party in 1934, and he won re-election as a Progressive in 1934 and 1940. He was one of the Senate's leading isolationists, and helped found the America First Committee in 1940. When the Wisconsin Progressive Party dissolved, Mr. La Follette returned to the Republican Party, but was narrowly defeated in his state's Senate primary that year by Joseph McCarthy, who went on to win election to the Senate. He then warned of Communist infiltration into the U.S. government, and acted as an economic consultant to large corporations. Mr. La Follette committed suicide by shooting himself, 18 days after his 58th birthday. Some believed that he feared exposure by Sen. McCarthy's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations regarding Communists who had served on Sen. La Follette's subcommittee staff, while others believed that his suicide was the result of anxiety and depression that had long plagued him.

40 years ago
1973


Hit parade
Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Ben--Michael Jackson (6th week at #1)
2 I'd Love You to Want Me--Lobo
3 You're So Vain--Carly Simon
4 I Am Woman--Helen Reddy
5 Crocodile Rock--Elton John
6 Nights in White Satin--The Moody Blues
7 Happy Xmas (War is Over)--John Lennon and Yoko Ono
8 I've Got to Have You--Carly Simon
9 Mad About You--Bruce Ruffin
10 You're a Lady--Peter Skellern

Singles entering the chart were Crazy Horses by the Osmonds (#29); Hi, Hi, Hi by Wings (#31); It's Never Really Over by Gary Travers (#33); Living in the Past by Jethro Tull (#36); Looking Through the Eyes of Love by the Partridge Family (#39); and Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul (#40).

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Killing Me Softly with His Song--Roberta Flack

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Could it Be I'm Falling in Love--The Spinners
2 Crocodile Rock--Elton John
3 Dueling Banjos--Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell
4 Oh Babe, What Would You Say?--Hurricane Smith
5 Killing Me Softly with His Song--Roberta Flack
6 Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend--Lobo
7 Love Train--O'Jays
8 Last Song--Edward Bear
9 Do it Again--Steely Dan
10 Rocky Mountain High--John Denver

Singles entering the chart were One Man Parade by James Taylor (#76); If You Gotta Break Another Heart by Albert Hammond (#83); Step by Step by Joe Simon (#85); Wildflower by Skylark (#88); Armed and Extremely Dangerous by First Choice (#92); Keep Me in Mind by Lynn Anderson (#94); I'm Doin' Fine Now by New York City (#95); Let Your Yeah Be Yeah by Brownsville Station (#97); Rainbow Man by Looking Glass (#98); I' Been Watchin' You by Southside Movement (#99); and Why Do Fools Fall in Love by Summer Wine (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Crocodile Rock--Elton John (2nd week at #1)
2 Danny's Song--Anne Murray
3 You Are What I Am/That Same Old Obsession--Gordon Lightfoot
4 Oh Babe, What Would You Say--Hurricane Smith
5 Last Song--Edward Bear
6 Why Can't We Live Together--Timmy Thomas
7 Jambalaya (On the Bayou)--The Blue Ridge Rangers
8 Gypsy--Abraham's Children
9 Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend--Lobo
10 Do it Again--Steely Dan

Singles entering the chart were Also Sprach Zarathustra by Deodato (#60); My Blue Heaven by Chief Dan George (#88); Sing by the Carpenters (#90); Sandman by the Lettermen (#94); Pardon Me Sir by Joe Cocker (#95); Magic Woman Touch by the Hollies (#96); Dream Me Home by Mac Davis (#98); Master of Eyes by Aretha Franklin (#99); and Drift Away by Dobie Gray (#100).

Calgary’s Top 10
1 Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend--Lobo
2 Crocodile Rock--Elton John
3 You're So Vain--Carly Simon
4 Dancing in the Moonlight--King Harvest
5 Killing Me Softly with His Song--Roberta Flack
6 Groundhog--Chilliwack
7 Superfly--Curtis Mayfield
8 Pieces of April--Three Dog Night
9 Why Can't We Live Together--Timmy Thomas
10 Superstition--Stevie Wonder
Pick hit of the week: Dueling Banjos--Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Kavis Reed! The head coach of the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos was born in Georgetown, South Carolina.

30 years ago
1983


Hit parade
Canada's Top 10 (The Record)
1 Goody Two Shoes--Adam Ant
2 Shame on the Moon--Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
3 Allentown--Billy Joel
4 We've Got Tonight--Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton
5 When I'm With You--Sheriff
6 Stray Cat Strut--The Stray Cats
7 You Are--Lionel Richie
8 Baby, Come to Me--Patti Austin (with James Ingram)
9 Crazy--Supertramp
10 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club

War
A special commission of the United States Congress issued a reporte condemning the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Politics and government
Veteran Edmonton alderman Ed Leger announced his candidacy for Mayor in the election scheduled for October 17, 1983.

Football
CFL
The Edmonton Eskimos named Pete Kettela as their head coach, replacing Hugh Campbell, who had become the head coach of the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League. Mr. Kettela, 42, was an assistant coach in charge of running backs with the Green Bay Packers when the Eskimos hired him. Despite a mediocre resume, Mr. Kettela was hired by general manager Norm Kimball because he was the only man who had applied to fill the large shoes of Mr. Campbell, with training camp only three months away. Mr. Campbell had led the team to six straight West Division titles from 1977-1982 and Grey Cup championships in the last five of those seasons.

25 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Allt som jag känner--Tone Norum and Tommy Nilsson (2nd week at #1)

World events
The South African government of President P.W. Botha took sweeping actions against its black opponents, curtailing the activities of 17 groups and barring the country's largest labour federation from any political involvement. The government also restricted the activities and movements of 18 anti-apartheid leaders. The moves came a week in advance of state elections in Transvaal, where right-wing opponents of Mr. Botha accused his government of coddling opposition blacks. Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu denounced the measures as "rule with the jackboot."

Olympics
Matti Nykanen of Finland became the first person to win three gold medals in ski jumping in a single Winter Olympic games when Finland won the 90-metre men's team event. Mr. Nykanen had previously won the 70-metre and 90-metre men's events at Lake Louise, Alberta.

20 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): No Limit--2 Unlimited

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Nose

Died on this date
Danny Gallivan, 75
. Canadian sportscaster. Mr. Gallivan, a native of Sydney, Nova Scotia, was the voice of the Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada from 1952-1984, and is fondly remembered as one of of the best--maybe the best--play-by-play broadcasters in hockey history. His colourful use of the English language included such descriptions as "There is, cascading and emanating from the benches and pews occupied by Canadiens' supporters, a groundswell of discontent." Mr. Gallivan was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.

Bobby Moore, 51. U.K. soccer player. Mr. Moore, a defender, played professional soccer from 1958-1978. He was with West Ham United from 1958-1974 and was captain of the English team that won the World Cup in 1966. Mr. Moore ended his career with the independent professional club Edmonton Black Gold. He died of liver and bowel cancer.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced that he would be resigning from office after the Progressive Conservative party selected a new leader in June. This blogger was in the national capital region that day, and there were reports of federal government buildings hosting office parties in honour of Mr. Mulroney's announcement. If it hadn't been February, there probably would have been parades in the streets and fireworks. Mr. Mulroney had led his party since June 11, 1983 and had been Prime Minister since September 17, 1984.

10 years ago
2003


Died on this date
Walter Scharf, 92
. U.S. composer. Mr. Scharf began working on Broadway in New York City and moved to Hollywood in 1933. He was head of music for Republic Pictures (1942-1946), and worked on more than 100 movies, specializing in comedies, and receiving 10 Academy Award nominations. Mr. Scharf composed for numerous television programs--mainly dramas--and was best known for his scores for The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau documentaries, winning Emmy Awards for them in 1970 and 1974. He died of heart failure.

Diplomacy
Two days after the U.S.A., U.K., and Spain had submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council calling for the authorization of military action against Iraq, a counter-resolution was submitted by France, Germany, and Russia, who were seeking intensified and extended inspections of Iraq's weapons facilities.

Disasters
An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale flattened thousands of houses and other buildings in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China. By the following day, the death toll had reached 260 and many survivors had been left homeless.

Friday 22 February 2013

February 23, 2013

1,710 years ago
303


Abominations
Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered the destruction of the Christian church in the Turkish city of Nicomedia, beginning an eight-year period of persecution of Christians.

130 years ago
1883


Born on this date
Karl Jaspers
. German-born Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher. Dr. Jaspers practiced as a psychiatrist before turning to philosophy in 1921, remaining in Germany--often under threat from arrest by the Nazis--until moving to Switzerland in 1948. He wrote the book General Psychopathology (1913), advocating the diagnosis of symptoms of mental illness by their form rather than by their content. As a philosopher, Dr. Jaspers was associated with existentialism, although he rejected the label. He drew on the work of Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, and wrote on themes of individual freedom, arguing that as individuals question reality, they reach a point that the scientific method cannot transcend, and therefore make a leap of faith toward transcendence, experiencing authentic "Existenz." Dr. Jaspers died on February 26, 1969, three days after his 86th birthday.

Business
Alabama became the first state in the U.S.A. to enact an antitrust law.

110 years ago
1903


Diplomacy
Cuba leased Guantanamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity."

75 years ago
1938


Boxing
Joe Louis (34-1) successfully defended his world heavyweight title, knocking Nathan Mann (40-5-3) down 3 times before knocking him out at 1:56 of the 3rd round at Madison Square Garden in New York.



70 years ago
1943


Disasters
36 children and an adult died in a fire at St. Joseph's Orphanage in County Cavan, Ireland.

50 years ago
1963


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Walk Right In--The Rooftop Singers

#1 single in France: Tous les Garçons et les Filles--Françoise Hardy (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: La partita di pallone--Rita Pavone (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Junge, komm bald wieder--Freddy Quinn (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Please Please Me--The Beatles; The Wayward Wind--Frank Ifield

This was the first time the Beatles reached #1 on any national singles chart.

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Hey Paula--Paul and Paula (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Hey Paula--Paul and Paula (3rd week at #1)
2 Walk Like a Man--The 4 Seasons
3 Ruby Baby--Dion
4 Rhythm of the Rain--The Cascades
5 Walk Right In--The Rooftop Singers
6 From a Jack to a King--Ned Miller
7 You've Really Got a Hold on Me--The Miracles
8 You're the Reason I'm Living--Bobby Darin
9 Wild Weekend--The Rebels
10 Blame it on the Bossa Nova--Eydie Gorme

Singles entering the chart were Days of Wine and Roses (#49, charting with the version by Henry Mancini, his Orchestra and Chorus)/Can't Get Used to Losing You (#97) by Andy Williams; That's All (#72)/I'm in Love Again (#88) by Rick Nelson; Laughing Boy by Mary Wells (#75); Don't Set Me Free by Ray Charles (#76); Do the Bird by Dee Dee Sharp (#87); He's So Fine by the Chiffons (#89); Don't Be Cruel by Barbara Lynn (#91); Boss by the Rumblers (#93); Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo by Richard Chamberlain (#94); The Dog by Rufus Thomas (#95); They Remind Me Too Much of You by Elvis Presley (#96); Yakety Sax by Boots Randolph and his Combo (#98); and My Foolish Heart by the Demensions (#100). They Remind Me Too Much of You, from the movie It Happened at the World's Fair, was the B-side of One Broken Heart for Sale, which charted at #18.

Technology
A British farmer named Peter Hicks was stopped by police, who were trying to decide what, if anything, to charge him with after finding that his car contained an electronic device to ward off traffic wardens.

40 years ago
1973


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: You're So Vain--Carly Simon

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Block Buster--The Sweet

Died on this date
Dickinson Richards, 77
. U.S. physician. Dr. Richards shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1956 with Andre Cournand and Werner Forssmann for the development of cardiac catheterization and the characterization of a number of cardiac diseases.

War
At the request of the Royal Laotian Army, U.S. B-52 bombers made raids on Communists in Laos. The raids occurred within 24 hours of a cease-fire between the Laotian government and Communist-led Pathet Lao guerrillas going into effect.

30 years ago
1983


Died on this date
Herbert Howells, 90
. U.K. composer. Mr. Howells was known for his large output of Anglican church music.

Football
USFL
The New Jersey Generals, the United States Football League franchise owned by Donald Trump, signed University of Georgia running back Herschel Walker, a junior, for a reported $1.5 million per year, making him the highest-paid player in football at the time.

25 years ago
1988


Hit parade
Canada's Top 10 (The Record)
1 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S
2 Could've Been--Tiffany
3 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
4 Tell it to My Heart--Taylor Dayne
5 Pop Goes the World--Men Without Hats
6 The Way You Make Me Feel--Michael Jackson
7 Got My Mind Set on You--George Harrison
8 Faith--George Michael
9 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
10 Hazy Shade of Winter--Bangles

Politics and government
Representative Dick Gephardt (Missouri) won the South Dakota primary in the contest for the 1988 Democratic party nomination for President of the United States, while Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis won the Minnesota caucuses. U.S. Senator Bob Dole (Kansas) won the Republican contests in both states.

Disasters
275 people were reported to have died in Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil after a week of heavy rainstorms.

20 years ago
1993


World events
Iraqis aimed guns at two helicopters carrying United Nations inspectors who were seeking Scud missiles.

Law
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, ruled that adding to the prison terms of criminals because they had given false testimony in court did not violate their constitutional rights.

10 years ago
2003


Died on this date
Robert K. Merton, 92. U.S. sociologist. Dr. Merton was known as the founder of the sociology of science. He developed and popularized terms such as "role model," "self-fulfilling prophecy," "reference group," and "unintended consequences."

Howie Epstein, 47. U.S. musician. Mr. Epstein played bass guitar with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1982 until his death, which was reportedly due to the results of drug use.

Defense
The X-47A Pegasus, a U.S. Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV), made its first flight at U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake, California.

February 22, 2013

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Laura Pereverzoff Ong!

610 years ago
1403


Born on this date
Charles VII
. King of France, 1422-1461. Charles "the Victorious" was the 11th child and fifth son of King Charles VI, but was the oldest son to live long enough to succeed his father. He presided over the military victory at Orléans in 1529, recovered Paris in 1536, and reconquered Normandy in the 1540s. King Charles VII's last years were marked by conflict with his son, who succeeded him as King Louis XI. Charles VII took ill in 1458, and his health declined until he finally starved to death on July 22, 1461 at the age of 58.

225 years ago
1788


Born on this date
Arthur Schopenhauer
. German philosopher. Mr. Schopenhauer believed that the world was driven by a will continually seeking satisfaction. His best-known book was Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung (The World as Will and Representation) (1819). Those influenced by Mr. Schopenhauer included Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wagner, Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Leo Tolstoy, and Joseph Campbell. Mr. Schopenhauer died on September 21, 1860 at the age of 72.

160 years ago
1853


Academia
Washington University in St. Louis was founded as Eliot Seminary.

125 years ago
1888


Born on this date
Owen Brewster
. U.S. politician. Mr. Brewster was Governor of Maine (1925-1929); member of the United States House of Representatives from Maine (1935-1941); and United States Senator from Maine (1941-1952). As chairman of a special Senate committee investigating defense procurement during World War II, Mr. Brewster attacked the commercial interests of Howard Hughes, but his reputation suffered when Mr. Hughes responded with accusations of his own. Mr. Brewster died on December 25, 1961 at the age of 73.

110 years ago
1903


Died on this date
Hugo Wolf, 42
. Austrian composer. Mr. Wolf was known for his lieder (art songs). He died of syphilis after years of insanity.

100 years ago
1913


Born on this date
Buddy Tate
. U.S. musician. Mr. Tate was a saxophonist and clarinetist who performed with Count Basie's orchestra from 1939-1948 before leading his own band. He died on February 10, 2001 at the age of 87.

90 years ago
1923


On the radio
The Winnipeg Falcons defeated Port Arthur 4-1 in a hockey game that was broadcast live on CJCG. This is credited with being the first broadcast of a complete hockey game.

Died on this date
John Jenkins, 71
. U.S.-born Australian politician. Mr. Jenkins, a native of Pennsylvania, went to Australia as a representative of a publishing company, and remained there. He represented East Adelaide (1886-1887) and Sturt (1887-1901) in the South Australia House of Assembly, serving as Commissioner for Public Works for much of the 1890s. Mr. Jenkins was Premier of South Australia (1901-1905), resigning in March 1905 to take up the post of Agent-General for South Australia in London. He served in that capacity until 1908, and remained in London, where he was often referred to as "Australia's Unofficial High Commissioner." Mr. Jenkins ran unsuccessfully for the British House of Commons in 1918 as a candidate of the National Party. He died in London.

80 years ago
1933

On the radio

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Her Majesty's Wine Cellar

70 years ago
1943


Died on this date
Christoph Probst, 24; Hans Scholl, 24; Sophie Scholl, 21
. German resistance leaders. Leaders of the White Rose youth resistance movement, the Scholls--brother and sister--and Mr. Probst were convicted of high treason and executed by guillotine in Munich, four days after being arrested for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets on the campus of the University of Munich.

50 years ago
1963


Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland: Diamonds--Jet Harris and Tony Meehan

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 Rhythm of the Rain--The Cascades (2nd week at #1)
2 Hey Paula--Paul and Paula
3 Wild Weekend--The Rebels
4 Walk Like a Man--The 4 Seasons
5 One Broken Heart for Sale--Elvis Presley
6 From a Jack to a King--Ned Miller
7 Molly--Bobby Goldsboro
8 Not in Your Dreams--Vik Armen
9 Walk Right In--The Rooftop Singers
10 Alice in Wonderland--Neil Sedaka

Vik Armen was an Edmonton artist who, in later years, performed and recorded under his real name, Brian Fustukian.

40 years ago
1973


Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland: Block Buster--The Sweet (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Katina Paxinou, 72
. Greek-born U.S. actress. Miss Paxinou won the Academy Award for her supporting performance in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943).

Jean-Jacques Bertrand, 56. Canadian politician. Mr. Bertrand, a member of the Union Nationale, was elected to the Quebec National Assembly in 1948, and represented Missisquoi until his death. After Premier Daniel Johnson died in 1968, Mr. Bertrand succeeded him, and remained in office until the UN lost power to the Liberals in the provincial election in the spring of 1970.

War
The cease-fire between the government of Laos and the Communist-led Pathet Lao guerrilla movement that had been signed the previous day went into effect at noon Vientiane time.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan referred to the previous day's downing of a Libyan airliner that had strayed over Israeli-occupied Egyptian territory, with the loss of 108 lives, as a "tragedy," but placed the blame on the Libyan pilot. The Cairo airport produced a tape indicating that the pilot, having lost his way due to instrument failure, had believed he was over Egyptian territory, was being pursued by Egyptian MiGs, and was unaware of instructions to land until he was being shot down.

Diplomacy
The U.S.A. and the People's Republic of China announced that they would soon set up liaison offices in each other's capitals. It was also announced that two U.S. military prisoners in China would shortly be released and that the case of John Downey, a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency representative shot down in China in 1952, would be reviewed in the latter half of 1973.

Disasters
200 people were feared dead when a ferry collided with a Japanese freighter in the Rangoon River in Burma.

Hockey
WHA
Danny Lawson of the Philadelphia Blazers scored his 50th goal of the season in a game against the Ottawa Nationals at Ottawa Civic Centre, becoming the first World Hockey Association player to reach the milestone.

30 years ago
1983


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Our House--Madness (3rd week at #1)

Theatre
Moose Murders, a play written by someone named Arthur Bicknell, opened and closed at the Eugene O’Neill Theater in New York City, and quickly became notorious as one of the biggest flops in Broadway history. Frank Rich, whose original review in The New York Times can be found here, still considers Moose Murders to be the worst play he’s ever seen. The reader can have fun doing a Google search on this one.

Died on this date
Adrian Boult, 93
. U.K. orchestra conductor. Sir Adrian was chief conductor of the City of Birmingham Orchestra from 1924-1930, returning to that position in 1959-1960. He became Director of Music for the British Broadcastng Corporation in 1930, and became chief conductor when the BBC decided to form a symphony orchestra. After being forced into retirement by the BBC in 1949, Mr. Boult moved on to the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which he led until 1957. Mr. Boult was known for his association with the works of Ralph Vaughan Williams; he conducted recordings of all of Mr. Vaughan Williams’ symphonies, all of which are still available. Mr. Boult also conducted performances of other English composers such as Gustav Holst and Edward Elgar. His final recording, of music by Hubert Parry, was completed in December 1978. Mr. Boult was knighted in 1937, and made a Companion of Honour in 1969.

Diplomacy
Sudanese President Mohammed Gaafar el-Nimeiry charged that Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar el-Gaddafi had moved his military forces in a way that was threatening to Sudan, and that he had planned to strike on February 18, but had then postponed the attack. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, speaking at a joint news conference in Khartoum with Mr. Nimiery, said that two Libyan planes had violated Egyptian air space. Libya criticized the United States for sending four Airborne Warning and Control System surveillance planes (AWACS) to Egypt and for moving the aircraft carrier Nimitz to waters off Libya.

Politics and government
U.S. Congressman Harold Washington defeated incumbent Jane Byrne to win the Democratic party nomination for mayor of Chicago in the election to be held later in the year. The Republicans nominated former state legislator Bernard Epton.

25 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (4th week at #1)

Scandal
Leaders of the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana barred Rev. Jimmy Swaggart from the pulpit for three months and imposed a two-year period of rehabilitation after seeing photographic evidence that the Assemblies of God pastor had been less than faithful in living up to his marriage vows. The announcement was made the day after Mr. Swaggart had publicly asked his congregation for forgiveness for an unspecified sin.

Politics and government
U.S. Secretary of the Navy James Webb resigned after less than a year in office. Mr. Webb wrote to President Ronald Reagan and complained about Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci's decision to retire 16 small ships as an economic move.

Olympics
Bonnie Blair of the United States set a world record of 39.10 seconds to win the gold medal in the women's 500-metre speed skating event in Calgary. Karen Percy of Banff, Alberta won her second bronze medal of the games, in the women's super giant slalom ski event in her hometown. Canada and Sweden tied 2-2 in men's hockey at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary.

20 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Jean Lecanuet, 72
. French politician. Mr. Lecanuet was a member of three different centrist parties during a political career lasting almost 50 years, and held several cabinet posts, including Minister of Justice (1974-1976). He served three terms in the Senate (1959-1973, 1977-1986, 1986-1993); ran unsuccessfully for President in 1965; and was a Deputy in the European Parliament (1979-1988), while serving as Mayor of Rouen from 1968 until his death from cancer, 10 days before his 73rd birthday.

10 years ago
2003


Died on this date
Daniel Taradash, 90
. U.S. screenwriter. Mr. Taradash won the Academy Award for his screenplay adaptation of From Here to Eternity (1953).

Diplomacy
United Nations Chief Inspector Hans Blix told Iraq to dismantle its al-Samoud 2 missiles. In a draft resolution submitted to the UN Security Council, the U.S.A., U.K., and Spain stated that "Iraq has failed to take the final opportunity" to disarm, and that it was time to authorize the use of military force against Iraq.

Wednesday 20 February 2013

February 21, 2013

500 years ago
1513


Died on this date
Julius II, 69
. Roman Catholic Pope, 1503-1513. Julius II, born Giuliano della Rovere, was known for an activist foreign policy, rebuilding St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and hiring Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

470 years ago
1543


War
Led by Emperor Galawdewos of Ethiopia, a combined army of Ethiopian and Portuguese troops defeated the Somali-Ottoman army led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi in the Battle of Wayna Daga east of Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

400 years ago
1613


World events
Mikhail I was unanimously elected Czar of Russia by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty.

90 years ago
1923


Winnipegana
Harry Houdini escaped from a straitjacket 30 feet above the parking lot of the Manitoba Free Press Building on Carlton Street before 5,000 onlookers.

75 years ago
1938


Died on this date
George Ellery Hale, 69
. U.S. astronomer. Professor Hale was known for his study of the sun and for his invention of the spectrohelioscope, a type of solar telescope that allows the sun to be viewed in a selected wavelength of light.

60 years ago
1953


Hit Parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): You Belong to Me--Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and his Orchestra; Dean Martin (6th week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Till I Waltz Again with You--Teresa Brewer (Best seller--2nd week at #1, Jukebox--2nd week at #1; Disc Jockey--2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Till I Waltz Again with You--Teresa Brewer (3rd week at #1)
2 Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes--Perry Como
3 Oh Happy Day--Don Howard
--Lawrence Welk and his Champagne Music
--[The Four Knights]
4 Why Don't You Believe Me--Joni James
5 Tell Me You're Mine--The Gaylords
6 Have You Heard--Joni James
7 Keep it a Secret--Jo Stafford
8 Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me--Karen Chandler
9 The Doggie in the Window--Patti Page
10 Pretend--Nat "King" Cole
--Ralph Marterie and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were I Don't Know by Buddy Morrow and his Orchestra (#23); Rachel, with versions by Artie Wayne, and Al Martino (#32); My Jealous Eyes by Patti Page (#33); and John, John, John by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (#36). My Jealous Eyes was the B-side of The Doggie in the Window.

50 years ago
1963


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): The Wayward Wind--Frank Ifield

On television tonight
Twilight Zone, hosted by Rod Serling, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Miniature, starring Robert Duvall, Pert Kelton, Barbara Barrie, and William Windom

At the movies
The Mind Benders, directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Dirk Bogarde, Mary Ure, John Clements, and Michael Bryant, received its premiere screening in London.





40 years ago
1973


War
Israeli amphibious and airborne forces attacked two Palestinian refugee camps, El Badawi and Nahal el Bard, near Tripoli, Lebanon. Palestinian sources claimed that 30 Arabs had been killed, including 13 civilians, while 8 Israelis were reported wounded in counterattacks. Israel claimed that the attacks were for the purpose of forestalling a number of planned Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israelis overseas.

Israeli fighter planes shot down a Libyan civilian jetliner that had strayed over Israeli-occupied Egyptian territory in the Sinai Desert on a routine flight from Benghazi, Libya to Cairo. The final death toll was 108. Israeli officials claimed that they had intercepted the plane as a last resort after the French pilot had ignored instructions to land. Libyan Foreign Minister Mansur Kikhia condemned the downing as a "criminal act."

After 20 years of civil war, the Laotian government and the Communist-led Pathet Lao guerrilla movement announced a cease-fire agreement effective noon Vientiane time on February 22. The agreement provided for the immediate cessation of all military activities by all forces, including American and North Vietnamese, in Laos; a new provisional coalition government to be formed within 30 days; a mixed political council to work out the details of future elections and form of government; and removal of all foreign troops within 60 days after the establishment of the government.

World events
The body of Marshal Henri Petain, the French military hero of the Battle of Verdun in World War I who had sullied his reputation by collaborating with the Nazis as head of the French government in World War II, was discovered near Paris and returned to its tomb on the Ile d'Yeu off the French Atlantic coast, whence it had been stolen two days earlier. Ther robbery was found to have been the work of extreme rightists who were seeking to absolve Mr. Petain and all others who had collaborated with the Nazis during the war of the official verdict of treason.

30 years ago
1983


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Gloria--Laura Branigan (3rd week at #1)

25 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S (2nd week at #1)

Scandal
Speaking to an audience of 6,000 at his Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rev. Jimmy Swaggart resigned from his ministry, admitted an unspecified sin and asked for forgiveness.



Mr. Swaggart had loudly (and correctly) denounced the sin of televangelist Jim Bakker when his ministry had been brought down in a sex scandal the previous year. Mr. Swaggart had also accused fellow Assemblies of God pastor Marvin Gorman of adultery. Mr. Gorman responded by hiring a private detective, who obtained photographs of Mr. Swaggart at a motel frequently used by prostitutes. Mr. Gorman handed the evidence over to Assemblies of God leaders.

Olympics
West Germany defeated the United States 4-1 in men's hockey at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary.

20 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): This Time/Life Without You--Christy Moore (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Harvey Kurtzman, 68
. U.S. cartoonist and editor. Mr. Kurtzman worked as a cartoonist on comic books and newspapers before joining E.C. Comics in 1949. He wrote and edited the first 23 issues of Mad (1952-1955), when it was a comic book. Mad changed its format to that of a magazine in 1955, and Mr. Kurtzman left the following year in a financial dispute with publisher William M. Gaines. Mr. Kurtzman prmomptly went to work for Hugh Hefner, editing the satirical magazines Trump (1957) and Help! (1961-1965), as well as the self-published Humbug (1957-1958). He created and wrote the cartoon feature Little Annie Fanny (1962-1988) for Playboy magazine. Mr. Kurtzman reconciled with Mr. Gaines in the mid-1980s, and contributed several articles to Mad before his death from liver cancer.

Television
CBS bought the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City in order for David Letterman to continue hosting his late-night talk show from there. Mr. Letterman was scheduled to leave NBC several months hence to join CBS.

10 years ago
2003


Died on this date
Harry "Kid" Matthews, 80
. U.S. boxer. Mr. Matthews began as a welterweight and gradually became a heavyweight, compiling a record of 90-7-6 in a professional career from 1937-1956. He had difficulty securing bouts against top fighters, but recorded a win and a draw against former world middleweight champion Al Hostak in 1942, and defeated heavyweight contenders Freddie Beshore in 1951 and Rex Layne in 1952. Mr. Matthews was knocked out in 2 rounds by Rocky Marciano in a world heavyweight title elimination bout in 1952, but recorded a win and a draw against Mr. Beshore in 1953 before losing three times to British and British Empire champion Don Cockell (1953-1954). In his second-last fight, Mr. Matthews won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles.

Tuesday 19 February 2013

February 20, 2013

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Maza Sellars!

240 years ago
1773


Died on this date
Charles Emmanuel III, 71
. King of Sardinia, 1730-1773. Charles Emmanuel took the throne upon the abdication of his father Victor Amadeus II of Savoy.

200 years ago
1813


War
In the Argentine War of Independence, the Army of the North under General Manuel Belgrano defeated the royalist troops under General Pío de Tristán in the Battle of Salta.

160 years ago
1853


Born on this date
Amanda Röntgen-Maier
. Swedish-born musician and composer. Mrs. Röntgen-Maier was a successful concert violinist who married pianist and composer Julius Röntgen, her violin teacher's son. The couple settled in Amsterdam, and she quit performing, but composed works for violin and piano. Mrs. Röntgen-Maier died on July 15, 1894 at the age of 41, after a long battle with tuberculosis.

120 years ago
1893


Died on this date
P.G.T. Beauregard, 74
. U.S. and C.S. military officer. Mr. Beauregard achieved the rank of Brevet Major in the United States Army, and was named a Brigadier General in the army of the Confederate States of America in 1861. He led the C.S.A. to victory in the First Battle of Bull Run in Virginia in 1861, and saved Charleston, South Carolina from Union attacks in 1863 and did the same for Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia in 1864.

100 years ago
1913


Born on this date
Tommy Henrich. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Henrich was an outfielder with the New York Yankees from 1937-1942 and 1946-1950, batting .282 with 183 home runs and 795 runs batted in 1,284 games. He was a member of seven World Series championship teams, led the American League in triples in 1947 and 1948 and runs in 1948, and acquired the nickname "Old Reliable" for his ability to come through with key hits in clutch situations. Mr. Henrich died on December 1, 2009 at the age of 96.

80 years ago
1933


Law
The United States Congress proposed the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution, intended to repeal the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture, sale, or transportation of liquor.

Politics and government
German Chancellor Adolf Hitler met secretly with German industrialists to arrange for financing for the Nazi party's upcoming election campaign.

70 years ago
1943


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Had the Craziest Dream--Harry James and his Music Makers with Helen Forrest (2nd week at #1)

Movies
Hollywood studio executives agreed to allow the U.S. Office of War Information to censor movies.

Journalism
The Saturday Evening Post published the first of Norman Rockwell's paintings of Four Freedoms, in support of the theme of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address.

60 years ago
1953


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes--Perry Como (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
Tales of Tomorrow, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Great Silence, starring Burgess Meredith, Lilia Skala, and Paul Ford



30 years ago
1983


On the radio
The Stories of Sherlock Holmes, starring Graham Armitage and Kerry Jordan, on Springbok Radio
Tonight's episode: The Missing Inventor

Protest
1,000-3,000 people were killed in election-related violence in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.

25 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Sì, la vita è tutta un quiz--Renzo Arbore (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (5th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Boys (Summertime Love)--Sabrina (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car--Billy Ocean

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Seasons Change--Exposé

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
2 Could've Been--Tiffany
3 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
4 Seasons Change--Exposé
5 Father Figure--George Michael
6 Need You Tonight--INXS
7 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
8 Say You Will--Foreigner
9 Don't Shed a Tear--Paul Carrack
10 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley

Singles entering the chart were What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong (#73); Give Me All Your Love by Whitesnake (#81); I Want You so Bad by Heart (#82); Winter Games by David Foster (#83); Magic Carpet Ride by Bardeux (#84); Prove Your Love by Taylor Dayne (#85); Pamela by Toto (#86); Fishnet by Morris Day (#87); Going Back to Cali by LL Cool J (#88); Ever Since the World Began by Tommy Shaw (#89); and All Right Now by Pepsi and Shirlie (#90). It's a Wonderful World had originally been released in 1967; it hadn't charted in the U.S.A., but had spent 4 weeks at #1 in the U.K. in the spring of 1968. It was re-released as a single after being featured in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). Winter Games was the theme of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Could've Been--Tiffany (3rd week at #1)
2 Need You Tonight--INXS
3 Hazy Shade of Winter--Bangles
4 Crying--Roy Orbison and k.d. lang
5 Candle in the Wind--Elton John
6 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S
7 The Way You Make Me Feel--Michael Jackson
8 Pop Goes the World--Men Without Hats
9 Got My Mind Set on You--George Harrison
10 When a Man Loves a Woman--Luba

Singles entering the chart were Devil Inside by INXS (#94); Check it Out by John Cougar Mellencamp (#97); Never Give Up by Blvd. (#99); and Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car by Billy Ocean (#100).

Died on this date
Bob O'Farrell, 91
. U.S. baseball player and manager. Mr. O'Farrell was a catcher with the Chicago Cubs (1915-1925, 1934); St. Louis Cardinals (1925-1928, 1933, 1935); New York Giants (1928-1932); and Cincinnati Reds (1934), batting .273 with 51 home runs and 549 runs batted in in 1,492 games. He was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1926, when he hit .293 with 7 homers and 68 RBIs in 147 games, helping the Cardinals win their first World Series championship. Mr. O'Farrell batted 0 for 3 in 3 games with the Cubs in their 1918 World Series loss to the Boston Red Sox, and hit .304 with no homers and 2 RBIs in 7 games in the 1926 World Series, for a total of .269 in 10 games. He managed the Cardinals in 1927, leading them to a 92-61 record and a second-place finish, 1½ games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. Mr. O'Farrell managed the Reds in 1934, but was fired on July 26 with the team in last place with a record of 30-60-1, and rejoined the Cubs 11 days later. He finished his playing career in the minor leagues in 1938, and operated a recreation hall in Waukegan, Illinois.

World events
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, an administrative unit within Azerbaijan, voted to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia.

Olympics
Brian Boitano of the United States edged Brian Orser of Canada to win the gold medal in men's figure skating at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary. In men's hockey, Canada defeated France 9-5 at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary. The French team was so bad that they were popularly known as "Les Miserables."

20 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Gli Spari Sopra--Vasco Rossi (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Mockin' Bird Hill--Roots Syndicate

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): No Limit--2 Unlimited (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (13th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (12th week at #1)
2 A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)--Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle
3 Saving Forever for You--Shanice
4 If I Ever Fall in Love--Shai
5 Ordinary World--Duran Duran
6 In the Still of the Nite--Boyz II Men
7 7--Prince and the New Power Generation
8 Mr. Wendal--Arrested Development
9 Rump Shaker--Wreckx-N-Effect
10 I'm Every Woman--Whitney Houston

Singles entering the chart included Sweet Thing by Mary J. Blige (#50); Cat's in the Cradle by Ugly Kid Joe (#72); and Passionate Kisses by Mary Chapin Carpenter (#87).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (10th week at #1)
2 Deeper and Deeper--Madonna
3 Steam--Peter Gabriel
4 No Mistakes--Patty Smyth
5 Harvest Moon--Neil Young
6 A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)--Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle
7 Ordinary World--Duran Duran
8 Little Bird--Annie Lennox
9 Love Can Move Mountains--Celine Dion
10 Faithful--Go West

Singles entering the chart included Simple Life by Elton John (#64); If This is Love by Barney Bentall (#66); Cigarette Dangles by The Pursuit of Happiness (#81); Love Is by Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight (#91); and Gypsy Honeymoon by Kim Carnes (#93).

Died on this date
Ferruccio Lamborghini, 76
. Italian industrialist. Mr. Lamborghini was a prominent manufacturer of agricultural equipment, but was best known for founding, in 1963, the automobile company bearing his name.

Radio
U.S. President Bill Clinton announced plans to shut down Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty and merge them into the United States Information Agency, which would result in a saving of millions of dollars.

Crime
Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10 years of age, were charged with the kidnapping and murder of 2-year-old James Bulger, who had been abducted on February 12 from a shopping centre in Bootle, near Liverpool.

10 years ago
2003


Died on this date
Harry Jacunski, 87. U.S. football player. Mr. Jacunski was an end with the Fordham University Rams in the 1930s, and was one of the linemen known as "Seven Blocks of Granite." He was a defensive end with the Green Bay Packers from 1939-1944, playing on NFL championship teams in his first and last seasons.

Orville Freeman, 84. U.S. politician. Mr. Freeman was Governor of Minnesota from 1955-1961 and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961-1969. He was one of the founding members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

War
The Pentagon announced that 1,700 U.S. troops would be sent to the Philippines to fight the extremist Muslim group Abu Sayyaf, operating in the south. About 750 ground troops would participate, supported as needed by about 1,000 Marines aboard two ships.

Crime
12 years after Neil Stonechild, 17, was found dead in a frozen field outside Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Justice Minister Eric Cline announced a judicial inquiry to provide a "public airing" into police actions involving the Cree teen on the day he died.

Brian Doyle of St. John's, Newfoundland, who had killed his friend's mother in 1991 and remained silent while another man had gone to prison for the crime, pled guilty to the murder, and was to spend at least the next 18 years in prison

Disasters
100 people died and more than 200 more were injured when a pyrotechnics display went awry and started a fire during an appearance by the heavy metal group Great White at the Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island.