February 8, 2017

430 years ago
1587

Died on this date
Mary, Queen of Scots, 44. Queen of Scots, 1542-1567; Queen Consort of France, 1559-1560. Mary, a Roman Catholic, had been forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in favour of her 1-year-old son, King James I, and had fled to England to seek the protection of her cousin, once removed, Queen Elizabeth I. However, Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, regarded Mary as a threat, and after more than 18 years of imprisonment, Mary was beheaded at Fotheringay Castle, Northamptonshire.

210 years ago
1807

War
French forces commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte won a tactical victory over Russian forces commanded by Count von Benningsen in the Battle of Eylau in East Prussia.

200 years ago
1817

War
Juan Gregorio de las Heras crossed the Andes with an army to join José de San Martín and liberate Chile from Spain.

180 years ago
1837

Politics and government
Democratic Party candidate and current Vice President Martin Van Buren was confirmed as 8th President of the United States of America, receiving 170 electoral votes as a result of the 1836 election. Mr. Van Buren's running mate, Richard Johnson, received only 147 electoral votes, one short of the required majority, because Virginia's 23 "faithless" electors refused to vote for him. The vote was immediately referred to the Senate, which voted along party lines. Mr. Johnson received 36 votes to 16 for Whig Party candidate Francis Granger, becoming the first Vice President to be chosen by the Senate.

130 years ago
1887

Law
U.S. President Grover Cleveland signed the Dawes Act, which authorized the President of the United States to survey Native American tribal land and divide it into individual allotments.

75 years ago
1942

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Adventure of the Voodoo Curse

Died on this date
Fritz Todt, 50. German engineer and politician. Mr. Todt was a civil engineer who joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and the SA in 1931, achieving the rank of SA-Obergruppenführer in 1938. He was appointed Inspector General of German Roadways in July 1933, a position he held for the rest of his life, directing the construction of the German autobahns. Mr. Todt was appointed as General Plenipotentiary for Regulation of the Construction Industry in 1938; Reichsminister for Armaments and Munitions in 1940; and Inspector General for Water and Energy in 1941. In May 1938, he initiated Organisation Todt, a military-engineering company that supplied industry with forced labour and administered construction of Nazi concentration camps. Mr. Todt was killed in a plane crash after departing the "Wolf's Lair," Fuehrer Adolf Hitler's residence in Rastenburg, East Prussia. Mr. Todt had recently inspected the Eastern Front and concluded that Germany couldn't win the war there. He had visited Mr. Hitler to recommend that he sue for peace with the U.S.S.R. Mr. Hitler rejected his proposal, leading to suspicion that the plane crash was an assassination ordered by Mr. Hitler; that has never been confirmed. Mr. Todt was succeeded as Reichsminister for Armaments and Munitions by Albert Speer.

War
Japanese forces invaded Singapore. The Dutch Colonial Army General Destruction Unit (AVC, Algemene Vernielings Corps) burned Banjarmasin, South Borneo to avoid Japanese capture.

70 years ago
1947

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Old Lamp-Lighter--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra (8th week at #1)

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Será, Será)--Doris Day (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): The Garden of Eden--Frankie Vaughan (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Walther Bothe, 66. German physicist. Professor Bothe wan a share of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics "for the coincidence method and his discoveries made therewith."

John von Neumann, 53. Austro-Hungarian born U.S. mathematician and physicist. Dr. von Neumann was a polymath who worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II, and whose accomplishments in other areas are too numerous to mention here. He died of cancer.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Green, Green Grass of Home--Tom Jones (3rd week at #1)
2 It's Not Easy--Normie Rowe
3 Ooh La La--Normie Rowe
4 Knight in Rusty Armour--Peter and Gordon
5 Single Girl--Sandy Posey
6 Friday on My Mind--The Easybeats
7 Good Vibrations--The Beach Boys
8 When Will I Be Loved?/Kiss Me Now--Johnny Young
9 I'm a Believer--The Monkees
10 Coalman--Ronnie Burns

Singles entering the chart were River Deep - Mountain High by Ike and Tina Turner (#38); Save Me by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich (#39); and A Love Like Yours by Ike and Tina Turner (#40).

Died on this date
Victor Gollancz, 73. U.K. publisher. Sir Victor founded Victor Gollancz Ltd in 1927, using his publishing house chiefly to promote pacifist and socialist non-fiction.

Music
The Beatles were in studio two at Abbey Road in London, where they began recording the song Good Morning Good Morning.

War
A four-day truce began in the Vietnam War.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Daddy Cool--Boney M. (11th week at #1)

On television tonight
Family, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Someone's Watching

Died on this date
Einar Groven, 75. Norwegian composer. Mr. Groven wrote two symphonies, a piano concerto, songs and choral music. He played the hardanger fiddle, and collected 2,000 fiddle tunes throught Norway, becoming the country's leader collector of folk music. Mr. Groven was afficted with Parkinson's disease in 1964, and the effects of medicines eventually caused his death from heart problems.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Good Times--Jimmy Barnes featuring INXS (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: C'est la Vie--Robbie Nevil

#1 single in France: T'en va pas--Elsa (6th week at #1)

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Let's Talk About Sex--Salt-n-Pepa (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kanashimi hayuki no yoni--Shogo Hamada

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me--George Michael/Elton John (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Black or White--Michael Jackson (12th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me--George Michael/Elton John (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Song of Ocarina--Jean-Philippe Audin & Diego Modena (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me--George Michael/Elton John (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Goodnight Girl--Wet Wet Wet (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I'm Too Sexy--Right Said Fred

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Diamonds and Pearls--Prince and the New Power Generation
2 Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me--George Michael/Elton John
3 Mysterious Ways--U2
4 I Love Your Smile--Shanice
5 The Way I Feel About You--Karyn White
6 Smells Like Teen Spirit--Nirvana
7 Can't Let Go--Mariah Carey
8 I Can't Make You Love Me--Bonnie Raitt
9 To Be with You--Mr. Big
10 There Will Never Be Another Tonight--Bryan Adams

Singles entering the chart were Save the Best for Last by Vanessa Williams (#80); Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton (#83); Hazard by Richard Marx (#85); and Mama, I'm Coming Home by Ozzy Osbourne (#86). Tears in Heaven was from the movie Rush (1991).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Mysterious Ways--U2 (2nd week at #1)
2 Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me-George Michael/Elton John
3 There Will Never Be Another Tonight--Bryan Adams
4 No Regrets--Tom Cochrane
5 Can't Let Go--Mariah Carey
6 Black or White--Michael Jackson
7 Diamonds and Pearls--Prince and the New Power Generation
8 Rescued (By the Arms of Love)--Glass Tiger
9 Go Back to Your Woods--Robbie Robertson
10 Change--Lisa Stansfield

Singles entering the chart were Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton (#58); Peace of Mind (Love Goes On) by One 2 One (#61); Missing You Now by Michael Bolton (#63); The Bug by Dire Straits (#64); Diamonds by Joel Feeney (#74); Shake Your Spirit by Frozen Ghost (#79); Paper Doll by PM Dawn (#80); Every Road Leads Back to You by Bette Midler (#82); She Takes my Breath Away by Eddie Money (#90); Ghost of a Chance by Rush (#92); International Bright Young Thing by Jesus Jones (#96); and What Becomes of the Brokenhearted by Paul Young (#97).

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Let a Boy Cry--Gala

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Madonna (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Madonna (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Freed from Desire--Gala (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Freed from Desire--Gala (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Discothèque--U2

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Ain't Nobody--LL Cool J

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Un-Break My Heart--Toni Braxton (10th week at #1)

Died on this date
Corey Scott, 28. U.S. motorcyclist. Mr. Scott was a stunt rider who was killed while attempting a jump at the Orange Bowl in Miami. He was supposed to grab onto a net after letting go of his motorcycle, but failed to get a good grip on the net, and fell 60 feet to his death.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 4 Vancouver 2

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Anna Nicole Smith, 39. U.S. model. Miss Smith, born Vickie Lynn Hogan, appeared in Playboy and modeled for several companies, but was better known for her marriage in 1994 to Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall, when she was 26, and he was 89. Mr. Marshall died a year later, and disputes over his will dragged on for a decade. Miss Smith was a frequent subject of tabloid magazines and television programs; she was addicted to prescription drugs, an overdose of which caused her death.