March 13, 2014

1,390 years ago
624

War
In what has been called the turning point of Islam, followers of Muhammad defeated forces from the Quraish tribe of Mecca in the Battle of Badr in the Hefaz region of what is now Saudi Arabia.

375 years ago
1639

Academia
New College in Cambridge, Massachusetts was renamed Harvard College in honour of clergyman John Harvard.

250 years ago
1764

Born on this date
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1830-1834. Earl Grey, a member of the Whig Party, backed significant reform of the British government and was Prime Minister when slavery was abolished in the British Empire. Earl Grey tea was named after him. He died on July 17, 1845 at the age of 81.

130 years ago
1884

Born on this date
Hugh Walpole. N.Z.-born U.K. author. Sir Hugh wrote 36 novels, five volumes of short stories, two original plays, and three volumes of memoirs from 1909 until his death from a heart attack on June 1, 1941 at the age of 57. His best-known works may have been the tetralogy of novels collectively known as The Herries Chronicle.

War
Mahdist forces led by Muhammad Ahmad began the Siege of Khartoum against British forces commanded by General Charles Gordon.

Americana
Standard Time was adopted throughout the United States.

120 years ago
1894

Technology
J.L. Johnstone invented the horse racing starting gate in England.

110 years ago
1904

South Americana
A bronze statue of Christ was dedicated on the Argentine-Chilean border.

100 years ago
1914

Born on this date
Edward "Butch" O'Hare. U.S. aviator. Lieutenant Commander O'Hare became the United States Navy's first air ace on February 20, 1942 when he single-handedly attacked and shot down or disabled several Japanese bombers approaching his aircraft carrier. He was awarded the Medal of Honor two months later, becoming the USN's first recipient of the award. Lt. Cdr. O'Hare was killed at the age of 29 when he was shot down by a Japanese torpedo bomber on the night of November 26, 1943. In 1949, Orchard Depot Airport near Chicago was renamed O'Hare International Airport.

W. O. Mitchell. Canadian author. Mr. Mitchell, a native of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, was best known for his novel Who Has Seen the Wind (1947) and the radio series Jake and the Kid, which was broadcast on CBC from 1950-1956 and adapted into a collection of short stories in 1961. He spent his later years in Calgary, where he died on February 25, 1998 at the age of 83.

75 years ago
1939

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Neil Sedaka! The singer-songwriter was born in Brooklyn, New York.

70 years ago
1944

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Peculiar Persecution of John Vincent Harding

War
Soviet forces climaxed a week's drive by taking Kherson, 15 miles up the Dnieper River from the Black Sea. American troops made a new landing on the island of New Britain at the base of Willaumex Peninsula in the Marshall Islands. The U.S. Army announced that it would cancel draft deferments for all except a few of its 8,500 civilian workers in the 22-25 age bracket "as an example to Selective Service boards."

Diplomacy
The Italian government of Marshal Badoglio announced that the U.S.S.R. had agreed to a resumption of diplomatic relations and an exchange of ambassadors.

Society
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for an investigation of the status of the American Indian.

60 years ago
1954

Hit Parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Rags to Riches--Tony Bennett (3rd week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Make Love to Me--Jo Stafford (Best Seller--1st week at #1; Jukebox--1st week at #1); Secret Love--Doris Day (Disc Jockey--2nd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Secret Love--Doris Day (2nd week at #1)
2 Stranger in Paradise--Tony Bennett
--The Four Aces
--Tony Martin
3 From the Vine Came the Grape--The Gaylords
--The Hilltoppers
4 Make Love to Me--Jo Stafford
5 That's Amore--Dean Martin
6 Oh, Mein Papa (Oh! My Pa-Pa)--Eddie Fisher
--Eddie Calvert
7 I Get So Lonely (When I Dream About You)--The Four Knights
8 Changing Partners--Patti Page
8 The Gang that Sang "Heart of My Heart"--The Four Aces
-- Don Cornell, Alan Dale, and Johnny Desmond
9 Darktown Strutters' Ball (Italian Style)--Lou Monte
10 Till We Two are One--Georgie Shaw

Singles entering the chart were Pine Tree, Pine Over Me by Johnny Desmond, Eileen Barton and the McGuire Sisters (#27); South by Les Paul (#29); Angela Mia by Don, Dick and Jimmy (#32); and Melancholy Me, with versions by Eddy Howard and the Smith Brothers (#38).

War
Viet Minh forces led by General Vo Nguyen Giap attacked French Union forces in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, beginning the climactic action in the First Indochina War.

50 years ago
1964

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Bits and Pieces--The Dave Clark Five

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 All My Loving--The Beatles
2 She Loves You--The Beatles
3 I Want to Hold Your Hand--The Beatles
4 Twist and Shout--The Beatles
5 Kissin' Cousins--Elvis Presley
6 Please Please Me--The Beatles
7 White on White--Danny Williams
8 Young and in Love--Chris Crosby
9 Navy Blue--Diane Renay
10 One Minute to One--Rick Nelson
Pick hit of the week: We Love You Beatles--The Carefrees
New this week: All My Loving--The Beatles
Make Me Forget--Bobby Rydell
The Kid's a Dreamer (The Kid From Fool’s Paradise)--Tony Bennett
It's Gonna Be Cloudy--Pierre Lalonde
The Wonder of You--Ray Peterson
What am I Gonna Do--Billy Fury

On television tonight
Twilight Zone, hosted by Rod Serling, on CBS
Tonight's episode: What's in the Box, starring Joan Blondell, William Demarest, and Sterling Holloway

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Anyone for Murder?, starring Barry Nelson, Patricia Breslin, Richard Dawson, and Edward Andrews

Died on this date
Kitty Genovese, 28. U.S. murder victim. Miss Genovese, a bar manager, was raped and stabbed to death in three separate attacks near her home in Queens, New York City, by a Negro named Winston Mosely between about 3:15-3:45 A.M. It was widely reported at the time that 38 of her neighbours had witnessed the attack and/or heard Miss Genovese's screams but had done nothing, leading to questions about what kind of society could produce such apathy and callousness. Those reports have been criticized as highly inaccurate. None of the witnesses saw the attacks in their entirety; none directly saw the final attack; and there were claims that some neighbours had called police, but the police hadn't responded.

Defense
Canada agreed to contribute to a United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus.

40 years ago
1974

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland: Kansas City--Les Humphries Singers (4th week at #1)

Scandal
California Superior Court Judge Gordon Ringer dropped charges in California against John Ehrlichman, David Young, and G. Gordon Liddy, former members of the U.S. administration of President Richard Nixon, in connection with th 1971 break-in at the Beverly Hills, California office of Dr. Lewis Fielding, psychiatrist to former U.S. Defense Department employee Daniel Ellsberg, who had leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press, revealing secreats about U.S. involvement in Vietnam. A perjury charge against Mr. Ehrlichman before a Los Angeles grand jury was allowed to stand.

Oil
Canadian Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Jean Chrétien banned off-shore drilling in the Beaufort Sea until the summer of 1976 in order to conduct environmental studies.

30 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Radio Ga Ga--Queen (2nd week at #1)

War
Participants in reconciliation talks in Lebanon announced a nationwide cease-fire and the revival of a military committee to enforce it.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald Reagan addressed a Jewish group and appealed for support for his proposal to sell 1,600 antiaircraft missiles to Jordan, describing his policy toward Jordan as "crucial to the peace process."

Politics and government
On "Super Tuesday," U.S. Senator Gary Hart (Colorado) won primaries in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Florida in the contest for the Democratic party nomination for President of the United States in the November 1984 election. Former Vice President Walter Mondale won primaries in Georgia and Alabama. U.S. Senator John Glenn (Ohio) and former Senator (and 1972 Democratic presidential nominee) George McGovern (South Dakota) withdrew from the race after poor showings. Rev. Jesse Jackson ran well in southern states, finishing third in Georgia and Florida, and vowed to remain in the race as the "conscience" of the campaign.

25 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)--The Proclaimers (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Like a Prayer--Madonna

Died on this date
Fahrettin Özdilek, 90 or 91. Prime Minister of Turkey, 1961. General Özdilek was Commander of the First Army of Turkey (1958-1960), and became Defense Minister, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister after a military coup d'état overthrew the government of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes in May 1960. Gen. Özdilek served as interim Prime Minister from October 30-November 20, 1961, until civilian rule was restored. He later served in the Senate and Grand National Assembly.

Space
The U.S. space shuttle Discovery, with a five-man crew commanded by Michael Coats, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and deployed a tracking and data relay satellite six hours later.

Politics and government
Deborah Grey became the Reform Party of Canada's first Member of Parliament as she won a federal by-election in the Alberta riding of Beaver River, after finishing fourth in the general election of November 21, 1988. Progressive Conservative candidate John Dahmer had won the seat, but had died of cancer just five days after the election.

Energy
A geomagnetic storm in northern Quebec caused by a solar coronal mass ejection hit the Hydro-Québec power grid, causing a nine-hour blackout across Quebec, affecting six million people; it also hit the transmission lines that fed Quebec-produced energy to New York City.

20 years ago
1994

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Hip Hop Holiday--The Hard Way (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): All for Love--Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Move on Baby--Cappella

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Doop--Doop

World events
The Israeli cabinet banned extremist groups that called for the expulsion of Arabs from "the biblical Land of Israel."

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher met in Beijing with Chinese President Jiang Zemin. No progress was reported on American concerns about human rights abuses in China, and the links between this issue and the continuation of most-favored-nation status for China in trade with the United States.

Politics and government
Lucas Mangope was deposed as President of the South African "homeland" of Bophuthatswana by the government of South Africa, the African National Congress, and the Transitional Executive Committee, and South Africa imposed direct rule on the homeland. Mr. Mangope had been changing his mind almost daily on whether Bophuthatswana would be participating in South Africa's first unversal-suffrage election, scheduled for late April.

Curling
Rick Folk's British Columbia rink defeated Russ Howard's Ontario rink 8-5 to win the Brier. It was the second win for Mr. Folk, who had skipped Saskatchewan to the Canadian men's championship in 1980.

Hockey
CIAU
University Cup
Final
Lethbridge 5 Guelph 2