Thursday 30 March 2017

March 31, 2017

525 years ago
1492


Abominations
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain expelled Jews who would not convert to Christianity.

100 years ago
1917


Died on this date
Emil von Behring, 63
. German physiologist. Dr. Behring was awarded the 1901 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine--the first ever awarded--"for his work on serum therapy, especially its application against diphtheria, by which he has opened a new road in the domain of medical science and thereby placed in the hands of the physician a victorious weapon against illness and deaths." He was accused of cheating Dr. Paul Ehrlich of his share of the prize.

Americana
After paying Denmark $25 million, the United States took formal possession of the Danish West Indies, renaming them the United States Virgin Islands.

90 years ago
1927


Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Montreal Canadiens 1 @ Montreal Maroons 0 (OT)

Howie Morenz scored at 12:05 of the 1st overtime period as the Canadiens edged the Maroons at the Montreal Forum.

80 years ago
1937


Transportation
Construction began on the Lions Gate Bridge to and from Stanley Park in Vancouver and North Vancouver, British Columbia. The bridge opened for two-way traffic on November 14, 1938, after 1 1/2 years' construction at a cost of $5.8 million, and was officially opened on May 29, 1939 by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during a royal visit to Canada.

75 years ago
1942


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): In the Mood--Glenn Miller and his Orchestra; Joe Loss and his Orchestra (3rd month at #1)

War
Japanese forces invaded Christmas Island, then a British possession. Heavy Japanese assaults against Bataan forced Allied troops to retreat. In Burma, Japanese troops captured Toungoo--which Chinese forces had abandoned--and crossed the Irrawaddy River wst of the city to attack Shwedaung, blocking British forces from the south.

Defense
Reports from Washington stated that no military or naval equipment would be sold to Argentina, which had failed to break off diplomatic relations with the Axis.

Politics and government
Dispatches from New Delhi and London indicated that both the All India Congress Party and the Moslem League opposed the British plan for Indian self-government, because the United Kingdom would maintain control over the country's defense, while Muslims feared that Hindus would dominate the nation.

70 years ago
1947


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Prisoner of Love--The Ink Spots; Perry Como (2nd month at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Anniversary Song--Al Jolson (3rd week at #1)
--Dinah Shore
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Tex Beneke with the Glenn Miller Orchestra
--Andy Russell
2 Heartaches--Ted Weems and his Orchestra
--Harry James and his Orchestra
3 Managua, Nicaragua--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
4 How are Things in Glocca Morra--Dick Haymes
--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
--Buddy Clark
--Martha Tilton
5 Guilty--Margaret Whiting
--Johnny Desmond
6 Linda--Ray Noble and his Orchestra with Buddy Clark
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
7 I'll Close My Eyes--Andy Russell
--Johnny Desmond
8 (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons--King Cole Trio
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Dinah Shore
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
9 Sonata--Perry Como
--Jo Stafford
10 Jalousie (Jealousy)--Billy Butterfield and his Orchestra
--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Herbie Fields and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were Roses in the Rain by Frankie Carle and his Orchestra (#15); Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed by Freddy Martin and his Orchestra (#17); Easter Parade, with versions by Perry Como, and Bing Crosby (#18); and You Can't See the Sun When You're Cryin' by the Charioteers (#23).

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce, on ABC
Tonight's episode:

The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis and Howard McNear, on MBS
Tonight`s episode: Where There's a Will

Died on this date
Qazi Muhammad, 53 or 54
. President of the Kurish Republic of Mahabad, 1946. Mr. Muhammad founded the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, and was President of the breakaway Kurdish Republic of Mahabad from January 22-December 15, 1946. After the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Iran, the Kurdish Republic was crushed by Iranian forces. Mr. Muhammad and two of his associates were convicted by a military court of treason, and the three were hanged in Chwarchira Square, in the center of the city of Mahaba. Their bodies were left hanging for two days.

Terrorism
Zionist terrorists dynamited the U.K.-owned Shell-Mex oil tanks in Haifa, causing over $1 million in damage.

Politics and government
The United Kingdom returned the 12 Dodecanese Islands to Greek control.

A U.S. federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. returned a contempt of Congress indictment against 16 Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee officials for failing to supply the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities with requested records.

Spanish Premier Francisco Franco announced the formation of a Regency Council under a new law that provided for the enthronement of a Spanish king if Mr. Franco died or became incapacitated.

Japan's 92nd Diet, the last under the pre-World War II constitution, adjourned after passing a government plan for parliamentary elections on April 25.

In response to widespread anger over his criticism of the French constitution, General Charles de Gaulle agreed to avoid discussing politics when he appeared in public as a war hero.

Crime
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the life sentence of convicted Nazi agent Maz Haupt, whose son had been executed as a saboteur in 1942.

Technology
General Electric began shipping the first commercially-produced betatron--a type of cyclic particle accelerator-- to Oak Ridge.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Harry Truman signed two control bills passed by Congress: one extended sugar controls to October 31, 1947; the other renewed controls on scarce commodities deemed essential to U.S. foreign commitments.

Business
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the U.S. government's challenge of the sale of the Pullman sleeping car company to 43 railroads.

60 years ago
1957


On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: I Killed the Count: Part 3, starring John Williams and Alan Napier

Music
Elvis Presley performed at Olympia Stadium in Detroit.



Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. Foreign Ministry issued a statement charging the U.S.A. and U.K. with initiating "direct preparations for an atomic war" during recent talks in Bermuda between U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower and U.K. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.

The government of Saudi Arabia declared that use of the Gulf of Aqaba by ships visiting the Israeli port of Elath would be an "encroachment on the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia and a threat to its territorial security."

Politics and government
Elections to the Territorial Assembly of the French colony Upper Volta were held, resulting in the Unified Democratic Party (PDU) (an alliance of the Voltaic Democratic Union-African Democratic Rally and the Social Party for the Emancipation of the African Masses) winning 33 of the 70 seats, with the Voltaic Democratic Movement (MDV) second with 24. The two parties formed a government.

Transportation
The first regular convoy of ships to pass through the Suez Canal since its closure in November 1956 entered the waterway at Port Said, Egypt.

Society
A Gallup Poll reported that the proportion of American adults admitting to use of alcoholic beverages had dropped from 67% in 1945 to 58% in 1957.

Health
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission issued complaints against three national distributors of arthritis and rheumatism medicines on charges of falsely advertising that their products--Mentholatum Rub, InfraRub, Heet, and Omega Oil--were "adequate, effective or reliable treatment for...arthritis, rheumatism and related diseases."

Basketball
NBA
Finals
St. Louis 99 @ Boston 119 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Frank Ramsey and Bob Cousey each scored 22 points and five teammates each scored at least 11 as the Celtics routed the Hawks at Boston Garden. Ed Macauley led the Hawks with 19 points.

50 years ago
1967


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Penny Lane--The Beatles

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 There's a Kind of Hush/No Milk Today--Herman's Hermits
2 Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever--The Beatles
3 The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)--Harpers Bizarre
4 Baby I Need Your Lovin'--Johnny Rivers
5 Morningtown Ride--The Seekers
6 A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You--The Monkees
7 Dedicated to the One I Love--The Mamas and the Papas
8 Darling Be Home Soon--The Lovin' Spoonful
9 This is My Song--Petula Clark
10 Western Union--The Five Americans
Pick hit of the week: Don't Do It--Micky Dolenz
New this week: Happy Jack--The Who
You Got What it Takes--The Dave Clark Five
Music to Watch Girls By--Andy Williams
I'm a Man--The Spencer Davis Group
I'll Try Anything--Dusty Springfield

Music
Gordon Lightfoot performed the first of his annual series of concerts at Massey Hall in Toronto.

Diplomacy
The U.S.-U.S.S.R. consular treaty which had been approved by the United States Congress on March 16 was signed by President Lyndon Johnson.

Defense
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization completed its withdrawal from France, and opened its Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Casteau, Belgium.

Boxing
Gypsy Joe Harris (18-0) won a 10-round unanimous decision over world welterweight champion Curtis Cokes (45-9-3) in a non-title bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Hockey
CPHL
Adams Cup
Semi-Finals
Memphis 5 @ Omaha 4 (OT) (Memphis led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Lou Marcon scored 12:35 into the 1st overtime period to give the Wings their win over the Knights.

40 years ago
1977


Politics and government
The United States Congress voted to give President Jimmy Carter authority to reorganize the executive branch of the government.

30 years ago
1987


On television tomight
Max Headroom, starring Matt Frewer, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Blipverts

This was the first episode of the series, which originated in the United Kingdom with the Channel 4 television film Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future (1985), followed by The Max Headroom Show (1985-1987), which also aired on Channel 4.

World events
At least 69 Salvadoran soldiers were killed by leftists in a raid on El Paraiso, headquarters of El Salvador’s military, in an attempt to overthrow the government. All those killed were enlisted men, as the officers reportedly fled to an underground bunker. At least 60 defenders were reported to be wounded, while only 8 guerrillas were killed in the nighttime strike that included mortar and rocket fire. Among the victims was a U.S. adviser, Staff Sergeant Gregory Fronius.

Crime
U.S. Marine Corporal Arnold Bracy, a guard at the United States embassy in Moscow, was charged with providing Soviet agents with access to sensitive areas of the embassy, including the room where secret messages were coded and decoded. Another guard, Sergeant Clayton Lonetree, had been arrested on March 24 on 24 charges. Military prosecutors said that the two had been enticed by Soviet women into working for the KGB, the Soviet secret police.

Economics and finance
The value of the U.S. dollar hit a post-World War II low against the Japanese yen.

The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had risen 0.7% in February.

Two leading U.S. banks, Citibank and Chase Manhattan, raised their prime lending rate from 7.5% to 7.75%, the first increases by major banks since 1984.

25 years ago
1992


Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council voted to impose sanctions on Libya if they failed by April 15 to turn over to representatives of the Arab League the two men who had been indicted in the U.S.A., U.K., and France in connection with the terrorist bombings of airliners over Scotland in 1988 and Niger in 1989.

Defense
USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, was decommissioned in Long Beach, California.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had risen 0.8% in February.

20 years ago
1997


Hit parade
Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 One Headlight--The Wallflowers
2 Every Day is a Winding Road--Sheryl Crow
3 A Long December--Counting Crows
4 Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)--Aerosmith
5 You were Meant for Me--Jewel
6 Discotheque--U2
7 Dark Horse--Amanda Marshall
8 Lovefool--The Cardigans
9 Abuse Me--Silverchair
10 Resurrection--Moist

Singles entering the chart included Volcano Girls by Veruca Salt (#87); Tumble in the Rough by Stone Temple Pilots (#88); Until I Find You Again by Richard Marx (#89); Raspberry by I Mother Earth (#90); In My Bed by Dru Hill (#96); Say Goodbye by Cheap Trick (#99); and Sign of the Times by Queensryche (#100).

Wednesday 29 March 2017

March 30, 2017

175 years ago
1842


Medicine
Ether anesthesia was used for the first time, in an operation by the American surgeon Dr. Crawford Long.

150 years ago
1867


Americana
U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. Critics referred to the purchase as "Seward's folly."

75 years ago
1942


War
British and Indian troops trapped below Shwedaung in southern Burma cut their way throug Japanese lines and rejoined the main British force south of Prome. China claimed that Japanese forces were using poison gas in the battle around Toungoo, Burma. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the creation of the Pacific War Council, composed of representatives of the U.S.A.; U.K.; Canada; Australia; New Zealand; and the Netherlands, to meet in Washington.

Diplomacy
U.K. Lord Privy Seal Sir Stafford Cripps, in a radio broadcast, appealed to the people of India, saying that if the British offer of independence was refused by India's leaders, "there will be neither the time nor the opportunity to reconsider this matter till after the war." Sir Stafford had been sent to India by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Secretary of State for India Leo Amery to secure India's full cooperation in the war effort.

70 years ago
1947


War
Paraguayan rebel planes attacked Campo Grande barracks outside Asuncion.

Politics and government
After winning elections for trade union representatives in Berlin, the Socialist Unity Party gained a majority of 37 seats on the city's Free Trade Union Organization managing board.

Americans for Democratic Action concluded its Washington conference with an endorsement of the "Truman Doctrine" and U.S. aid to Greece and Turkey.

Basketball
BAA
The Washington Capitols and Chicago Bruins won, respectively, the Eastern and Western Division titles in the first season of the Basketball Association of America.

60 years ago
1957


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Singing the Blues--Guy Mitchell (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Cindy, Oh Cindy--Margot Eskens

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Young Love--Tab Hunter (6th week at #1)

#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Party Doll--Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids (Best Seller--1st week at #1); Butterfly--Andy Williams (Disc Jockey--1st week at #1; Top 100--1st week at #1); Young Love--Tab Hunter (Jukebox--4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Young Love--Tab Hunter (4th week at #1)
--Sonny James
2 Party Doll--Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids
--Steve Lawrence
3 Round and Round--Perry Como
4 Butterfly--Charlie Gracie
--Andy Williams
5 Teen-Age Crush--Tommy Sands
6 I'm Walkin'--Fats Domino
7 Marianne--Terry Gilkyson and the Easy Riders
--The Hilltoppers
8 Little Darlin'--The Diamonds
9 Banana Boat (Day-O)--Harry Belafonte
10 Too Much--Elvis Presley

Singles entering the chart were Empty Arms, with versions by Teresa Brewer, and Ivory Joe Hunter (#37); First Date, First Kiss, First Love by Sonny James (#40); Mangos by Rosemary Clooney (#44); Forty Cups of Coffee by Bill Haley and his Comets (#47); and Wind in the Willow by Jo Stafford (#49).

Diplomacy
Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba and Moroccan officials signed a treaty of friendship in Rabat, pledging their countries to economic cooperation and foreign policy coordination.

Defense
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Supreme Commander General Lauris Norstad urged in Bonn that "the bare minimum" of NATO forces currently available be equipped with tactical atomic weapons.

Disasters
Mount Bezymianny, a Kamchatka Peninsula volcano, erupted in a gigantic explosion recorded by Soviet barographs 625 miles away.

Horse racing
General Duke, with Bill Hartack up, won the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, equaling the world record time of 1:46 4/5 for 1 1/8 miles.

Basketball
NBA
Finals
St. Louis 125 @ Boston 123 (2 OT) (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Bob Pettit scored 37 points and Ed Macauley and Slater Martin each scored 23 to help the Hawks edge the Celtics at Boston Garden. Bill Sharman of the Celtics led all scorers with 36 points, while teammates Tom Heinsohn and Bob Cousy each added 26.

50 years ago
1967


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)--Engelbert Humperdinck (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
Dragnet 1967, starring Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Shooting



Communications
SEACOM--Southeast Asia Commonwealth Cable--a 25,000-mile link among Britain, Canada and Australia--opened.

Boxing
Gabe LaMarca (13-1) won an 8-round unanimous decision over Henry Wickham (13-9-4) and Pedro Agosto (13-0) scored a technical knockout of Al Brown (0-1) in the 2nd round of heavyweight bouts at City Hall Auditorium in Portland, Maine.

Former world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson (46-5) knocked out Bill McMurray (24-17-2) at 2:37 of the 1st round at Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

Former world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston (38-3) knocked out Dave Bailey (14-17-3) at 2:22 of the 1st round at Masshallen in Gothenburg, Sweden.



40 years ago
1977


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Knowing Me, Knowing You--ABBA (2nd week at #1)

Diplomacy
The latest Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) ended after three days without progress.

Politics and government
French Prime Minister Raymond Barre shuffled his cabinet in response to his government's poor showing in recent elections.

30 years ago
1987


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): I Knew You were Waiting for Me--Aretha Franklin and George Michael (3rd week at #1)

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1986 presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, and Platoon was named Best Picture, with its director, Oliver Stone, also winning. Paul Newman, a regular, but unsuccessful nominee for Best Actor, finally won for The Color of Money, while Marlee Matlin was named Best Actress for Children of a Lesser God. Michael Caine and Diane Wiest won Oscars for their supporting performances in Hannah and her Sisters, while Woody Allen won for his original screenplay for that picture. Take My Breath Away, from Top Gun, won in the category of original song, and The Assault, from the Netherlands, was named the year’s best foreign language film.

Died on this date
Clint Murchison, Jr., 63
. U.S. businessman and football magnate. Mr. Murchison was the founder and owner of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League from 1960-1984. He filed for personal bankruptcy in 1985, suffered from a nerve disease, and died from pneumonia.

Art
Vincent Van Gogh’s painting Sunflowers (1889) sold for the equivalent of U.S. $39.9 million, the highest amount yet paid at auction for a work of art. It sold in just 4 minutes and 20 seconds at Christie’s in London, and was won by an anonymous telephone bidder.

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who was guest of honour at a banquet in Moscow, used the opportunity to call on the U.S.S.R. to withdraw their armed forces from Afghanistan and to make progress on human rights. She made public a plan to break the U.S.A.-U.S.S.R. deadlock over the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative, in effect supporting U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s broad interpretation of the 1972 anti-ballistic missile treaty, which, in turn, would facilitate SDI research. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev rejected Mrs. Thatcher’s ABM proposal as “unrealistic” and suggested that the debate over human rights be broadened to include millions of unemployed and homeless people in the west.

Basketball
NCAA
Men's championship
Final @ Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans
Indiana 74 Syracuse 73

Keith Smart popped in a 17-foot jump shot from the corner with 4 seconds left in regulation time to give the Hoosiers their third NCAA title under coach Bobby Knight.

25 years ago
1992


Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): En rakkauttas saa--Kurre

Died on this date
Theresa Ann Campo Pearson, 9 days
. U.S. infant. The girl was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida without a complete brain or skull. Although her parents knew of her condition while she was a fetus, they had decided that she should be born so that her organs could be donated to other babies. The parents sought to have Theresa declared brain-dead, but on March 26, Florida Circuit Court Judge Estella Moriarty ruled that the baby had a functioning brain stem and could not be declared brain-dead. Two other courts also rejected the parents’ appeals. By the time Theresa died, her organs had deteriorated too much to still be viable for transplant.

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1991 were presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The Silence of the Lambs became the third film, after It Happened One Night (1934) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), to sweep the "Big Five": Picture; Director (Jonathan Demme); Actor (Anthony Hopkins); Actress (Jodie Foster); and Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally). Other winners were: Supporting Actor--Jack Palance (City Slickers); Supporting Actress--Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King); and Foreign Language Film--Mediterraneo.

20 years ago
1997


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Don't Speak--No Doubt (8th week at #1)

#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Break My Stride--Unique II (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): When I Die--No Mercy (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Warum?--Tic Tac Toe

10 years ago
2007


Died on this date
John Roberts, 73
. Canadian politician. Mr. Roberts, a Liberal, represented the Toronto-area ridings of York-Simcoe (1968-1972) and St. Paul's (1974-1979, 1980-1984), and held several cabinet posts under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He died of a heart attack.

March 29, 2017

225 years ago
1792


Died on this date
Gustav III, 46
. King of Sweden, 1771-1792. King Gustav III succeeded his father Albert Fredrik on the throne. Gustav III opposed the abuse of political privileges by the nobility, and supported religious freedom and other social reforms. He died 16 days after being shot by Jacob Johan Anckarström at midnight at a masked ball in Stockholm, and was succeeded by his son Gustav Adolf.

170 years ago
1847


War
United States forces led by General Winfield Scott took the Mexican city of Veracruz, after a siege.

160 years ago
1857


War
Sepoy Mangal Pandey of the 34th Regiment, Bengal Native Infantry mutinied against the British East India Company's rule in India, inspiring the protracted Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny.

150 years ago
1867


Born on this date
Cy Young
. U.S. baseball pitcher. Denton True Young ("Cy" was short for "Cyclone") played with the Cleveland Spiders (1890-1898); St. Louis Perfectos (1899-1900); Boston Americans and Red Sox (1901-1908); Cleveland Naps (1909-1911); and Boston Rustlers (1911), compiling a record of 511-316 with an earned run average of 2.63 in 906 games. His 511 career wins in the major league record by a wide margin. Mr. Young also holds the career records for innings pitched (7,356); starts (815); complete games (749); and losses (316). Mr. Young pitched 3 no-hitters, including a perfect game in 1904. He threw the first pitch in modern World Series history, and posted a 2-1 record as the Americans defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 5 games to 3 in the 1903 World Series. Mr. Young was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937, and died on November 4, 1955 at the age of 88. The Cy Young Award was created a year after his death, and is given to the outstanding pitcher in each major league after each season.

Canadiana
The British North America Act was proclaimed to establish the Dominion of Canada, uniting Canada West (Ontario), Canada East (Québec), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, effective July 1, 1867.

125 years ago
1892


Born on this date
József Mindszenty
. Hungarian clergyman. Cardinal Mindszenty was leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary from October 2, 1945-December 18, 1973. He opposed Nazism and then Communism, and spent eight years of a life sentence in prison before being freed during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Cardinal Mindszenty was granted political asylum by the United States and lived in the American embassy in Budapest until 1971, when he was finally allowed to leave Hungary. He died in exile in Vienna on May 6, 1975 at the age of 83.

Diplomacy
The United States Senate ratified, without opposition, the Bering Sea arbitration treaty.

110 years ago
1907


Died on this date
Cozy Dolan, 34
. U.S. baseball player. Patrick Henry Dolan played right field and pitched with the Boston Beaneaters (1895-1896, 1905-1906); Chicago Orphans (1900-1901); Brooklyn Superbas (1901-1902); Chicago White Sox (1903); and Cincinnati Reds (1903-1905), batting .269 with 10 home runs and 315 runs batted in in 830 games, and compiling a record of 12-13 with an earned run average of 4.45 in 35 games. He fell ill and died of typhoid fever during spring training with the Boston Braves.

100 years ago
1917


Born on this date
Man o'War
. U.S. racehorse. Man o'War was one of the greatest racehorses in history; he raced only in 1919 and 1920, but won 20 of 21 races, including the 1920 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. His final race took place on October 12, 1920, when he won a match race against 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton. Man o'War had a successful career as a sire from 1921-1943; he was retired from stud after a heart attack, and died after another apparent heart attack on November 1, 1947 at the age of 30.

Tommy Holmes. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Holmes was an outfielder with the Boston Braves (1942-1951) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1952), batting .302 with 88 home runs and 581 runs batted in in 1,320 games. His best season was 1945, when he was second in the National League in batting average (.345), and led the NL in hits (224), home runs (28), and doubles (47). Mr. Holmes might have been the most popular player the Boston Braves ever had, and he managed them in 1951-1952, compiling a record of 61-69. He died on April 14, 2008 at the age of 91.

90 years ago
1927


Society
Provincial government control of liquor sales replaced prohibition in Ontario, marking the origin of Liquor Control Board of Ontario and Brewers Retail stores.

75 years ago
1942


War
The bombing of Lübeck was the first major success for the British Royal Air Force Bomber Command against Germany and a German city. The Soviet Red Army claimed victory in a five-day battle against German forces in the Kalinin sector north of Moscow, inflicting 2,400 casualties.

Diplomacy
U.K. Lord Privy Seal Sir Stafford Cripps continued his mission in New Delhi, where he announced that the British government was prepared to give India dominion status after World War II, with the right of secession. Sir Stafford had been sent to India by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Secretary of State for India Leo Amery to secure India's full cooperation in the war effort.

70 years ago
1947


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Heartaches--Ted Weems and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)

The most popular song on the CBS Hit Parade was Anniversary Song; other favourites included How are Things in Glocca Morra; Managua, Nicaragua; and Heartaches.

War
The Malagasy Uprising of nationalist guerrillas in Madagascar began with attacks against French colonial forces, killing 20 soldiers in the Moramanga garrison and five other posts.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Economic and Social Council completed its fourth session after creating economic commissions for Europe and Asia; establishing a committee to draft an international bill of rights; and forming two subcommittees on freedom of information and on prevention of discrimination.

Politics and government
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities ended its hearings on Communist organizations in the United States, without recommending the banning of the Communist Party.

Americans for Democratic Action, meeting in Washington, elected Wilson Wyatt president and Leon Henderson vice president, while banning Communists from membership in the organization.

60 years ago
1957


Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Será, Será)--Doris Day (12th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Young Love--Tab Hunter (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Joyce Cary, 68
. U.K. author. Mr. Cary was known for novels such as Mister Johnson (1939); A House of Children (1941); and The Horse's Mouth (1944). He died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Defense
U.S.S.R. Premier Nikolai Bulganin warned Danish Prime Minister Hans Hansen against establishing North Atlantic Treaty Organization bases in Denmark.

West German Social Democratic Party leader Erich Ollenhauer criticized recent proposals for equipping West Germany with atomic weapons as "increasing the danger to Germany's security."

Politics and government
Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was re-elected Indian National Congress Party leader in Parliament.

U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower and Attorney General Herbert Brownell proposed to congressional leaders at a White House meeting that the Consitution be amended to provide for the Vice President to temporarily assume presidential duties if the President became disabled. Mr. Eisenhower's concern was likely the result of having suffered a heart attack in 1955. The situation was eventually addressed by the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which went into effect in 1967.

Transportation
The New York, Ontario and Western Railway made its final run after being ordered liquidated by a bankruptcy judge, becoming the first major U.S. railroad to be abandoned in its entirety. The railroad had begun in 1868 as the New York and Oswego Midland Railroad.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations Executive Council suspended Teamsters President Dave Beck as a Council member and as vice president of the AFL-CIO. The Executive Council also instructed its Ethical Practices Committee to determine whether the Teamsters union was "substantially dominated or controlled by corrupt influences."

50 years ago
1967


Hit parade
Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Georgy Girl--The Seekers
2 Snoopy vs. the Red Baron--The Royal Guardsmen
3 I'm a Believer--The Monkees
4 Ruby Tuesday/Let's Spend the Night Together--The Rolling Stones
5 Colour My World--Petula Clark
6 Happy Jack--The Who
7 Gimme Some Lovin'--The Spencer Davis Group
8 Green, Green Grass of Home--Tom Jones
9 Pamela Pamela--Wayne Fontana
10 Words of Love/Dancing in the Street--The Mamas and the Papas

Singles entering the chart were The Return of the Red Baron by the Royal Guardsmen (#30); Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beatles (#33); Movin' Man by Buddy England (#35); Niki Hoeky by P.J. Proby (#37); Dedicated to the One I Love by The Mamas and the Papas (#39); and No One Really Loves a Clown by Robbie Snowden (#40).

Music
The Beatles were in studio two at Abbey Road in London, where they began recording the song With a Little Help from My Friends.

Politics and government
Roland Michener was named by Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of Prime Minister Lester Pearson, as Governor General of Canada, replacing Georges Vanier, who had died in office on March 5. Mr. Michener, a Progressive Conservative, had represented the Toronto riding of St. Paul's in the House of Commons from 1953-1962, serving as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1957-1962. Mr. Pearson appointed him as Canadian High Commissioner to India in 1964, an office he held at the time of his vice-regal appointment. Mr. Michener was installed as Governor General on April 17.

Defense
France launched her first nuclear submarine--the 7,900-ton Redoubtable--at Cherbourg.

Business
The Dominion Bank sold its first debentures, the first in Canadian banking history.

Environment
The Liberian-registered oil tanker Torrey Canyon, which had run aground between Land's End and the Scilly Isles 11 days earlier, was proving resistant to attempts to sink her by bombing. It finally sank the next day.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board announced that William M. Martin, Jr. would remain as chairman until January 31, 1970.

40 years ago
1977


On television tonight
Family, on ABC
Tonight's episode: ...More Things in Heaven and Earth



Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Maria Alexandra Dueñas Mejia!

Hockey
WHA
Phoenix 5 @ Calgary 9

30 years ago
1987


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Funkytown--Pseudo Echo (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Reality--Richard Sanderson (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France: On se retrouvera--Francis Lalanne (5th week at #1)

Politics and government
A national referendum in Haiti resulted in the approval of a new constitution that created a power-sharing arrangement among a president as head of state, a premier as head of government, and a legislature to which the premier would be responsible.

25 years ago
1992


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): To Be with You--Mr. Big (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Das Boot--U 96 (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Das Boot--U 96 (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Paul Henreid, 84
. Austro-Hungarian-born U.S. actor and film director. Mr. Henreid, born Paul von Hernreid, was best known for his supporting role in Casablanca (1942) and his starring role in Now, Voyager (1942).

Scandal
Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, leading candidate for the 1992 Democratic party nomination for President of the United States, admitted smoking marijuana “a time or two” while studying at Oxford University in England more than 20 years earlier, but said he didn’t like it and “didn’t inhale.”

Hockey
NHL
Los Angeles 2 Edmonton 2

20 years ago
1997


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): From Disco to Disco--Whirlpool Productions (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Your Woman--White Town

#1 single in France (SNEP): Con te partirò--Andrea Bocelli (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Let a Boy Cry--Gala

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Let a Boy Cry--Gala (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Mama/Who Do You Think You Are--Spice Girls (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Mama/Who Do You Think You Are--Spice Girls (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Can't Nobody Hold Me Down--Puff Daddy featuring Mase (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Gaius de Gaay Fortman, 85. Dutch politician. Mr. de Gaay Fortman was a civil servant before working as a law professor at Free University Amsterdam (1947-1973). He was a member of the Anti-Revolutionary Party (1934-1980) and its successor, the Christian Democratic Appeal. Mr. de Gaay Fortman was a member of the Senate (1960-1973, 1977-1981), holding various cabinet posts and serving as parliamentary leader in the Senate (1971-1973), with a reputation as a skilled negotiator and consensus builder. He was a member of the European Parliament (1978-1979).

Hockey
NHL
Colorado 2 @ Toronto 3

Tuesday 28 March 2017

March 28, 2017

220 years ago
1797


Technoology
Nathaniel Briggs of New Hampshire patented a washing machine.

175 years ago
1842


Music
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nikolas Lenau, performed its first concert.

130 years ago
1887


Politics and government
Hugh Nelson was installed as Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.

75 years ago
1942


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Moonlight Cocktail--Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (5th week at #1)

War
A British combined force permanently disabled the Louis Joubert Lock in Saint-Nazaire, France in order to keep the German battleship Tirpitz away from the mid-ocean convoy lanes.

Politics and government
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the second war powers bill, which extended executive seizure power; established penalties for priority violations; and provided free postage for the armed forces.

Business
The White House disclosed that U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a letter dated March 20, accepted recommendations that antitrust suits that may interfere with war production be dropped for the duration of World War II.

Basketball
NCAA
Men's championship @ Kansas City
Final
Stanford 53 Dartmouth 38

70 years ago
1947


Died on this date
Johnny Evers, 65
. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Evers was a second baseman with the Chicago Orphan and Cubs (1902-1913); Boston Braves (1914-1917, 1929); Philadelphia Phillies (1917); and Chicago White Sox (1922), batting .270 with 12 home runs and 538 runs batted in in 1,784 games. He was a member of the Cubs' first two World Series championship teams in 1907 and 1908, and the Braves' first World Series championship team in 1914. Mr. Evers, shortstop Joe Tinker, and first baseman Frank Chance comprised the famous "Tinker to Evers to Chance" double play combo. Mr. Evers, who was known as "The Human Crab" because of his disposition, managed the Cubs in 1913 and 1921, and the White Sox in 1924, compiling a record of 180-192. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946, and died five years after suffering a crippling stroke.

War
The U.K., France, and U.S.A. rejected the U.S.S.R.'s proposed definition of German assetes in Austria at the Moscow Foreign Ministers Conference, claiming that no property taken from Austrians by "force or duress" during the Nazi occupation of Austria should be used for reparations.

Defense
The United States Senate passed and sent to President Harry Truman a bill ending Selective Servie on March 31, but preserving draft records throug an Office of Selective Service Records.

Protest
Over 50,000 Germans demonstrated against food shortages in the British-occupied cities of Dusseldorf, Solingen, Essen, and Wetter.

Economics and finance
The Argentine Chamber of Deputies passed a budget providing for a 29% increase in defense spending, and approved President Juan Peron's five-year plan for industrial development.

Labour
At the United Steel Workers of America conference in Pittsburgh, Philip Murray was re-elected union president. Harry Lundeberg was re-elected president of the American Federation of Labor Seafarers International Union.

60 years ago
1957


Died on this date
Gheorghe Tătărescu, 70
. Prime Minister of Romania, 1934-1937, 1939-1940. Mr. Tătărescu was a member of the National Liberal Party before helping to establish the National Renaissance Front. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from October 2-9, 1934; February 11-March 29, 1938; and 1945-1947. Mr. Tătărescu resigned as Prime Minister in 1940 after accepting the cession of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the U.S.S.R. He initially favoured Romania's pro-Nazi government during World War II, but eventually aligned himself with Communists, who proclaimed the People's Republic of Romania late in 1947. Mr. Tătărescu was imprisoned in 1950 and released in 1955; he died of tuberculosis.

Christopher Morley, 66. U.S. writer. Mr. Morley wrote non-fiction, novels, and poetry. His best-known novel was Kitty Foyle (1939), which was made into a successful movie a year later. Mr. Morley was a fan of Sherlock Holmes, and was one of the founders of the New York City Sherlockian society The Baker Street Irregulars; he also wrote In Memoriam Sherlock Holmes (1930), a brief introduction to the omnibus collection The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Mr. Morley died after a series of strokes.

World events
The British government ordered Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus released from detention in the Seychelles Islands. Upon his release, Archbishop Makarios urged pro-Greek terrorists "to declare the cessation of all operations."

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. warned the U.K. and France that a new attack on Egypt "would create the direct threat of a broad military conflict, with heavy consequences for the cause of peace."

Canadiana
The Canadian Parliament established the Canada Council for the Arts as a funding agency to encourage the arts and social sciences in Canada.

Disasters
40 passengers drowned when a ferry capsized in the flooding Tjitarum River near Jakarta, Indonesia.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Montreal 3 @ New York 4 (OT) (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

Andy Hebenton scored the winning goal for the Rangers at 13:38 of the 1st overtime period; it was the first game at Madison Square Garden since 1940 to go into overtime.

50 years ago
1967


On television tonight
The Fugitive, starring David Janssen, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Dossier on a Diplomat, with guest stars Ivan Dixon, Diana Sands, and Diana Hyland

The Invaders, starring Roy Thinnes, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Betrayed

Ironside, starring Raymond Burr, Geraldine Brooks, and Wally Cox, on NBC

This made-for-television movie was the pilot for the subsequent series, which aired its first regular episode on September 14, 1967.

Boxing
Henry Clark (12-3-2) won a 12-round unanimous decision over Eddie Machen (50-10-3) in a heavyweight bout at Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento.

40 years ago
1977


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Torn Between Two Lovers--Mary MacGregor (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Carmen '77--Pink Lady

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Daddy Cool--Boney M. (6th week at #1)

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1976 were presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The winners included: Picture--Rocky; Director--John G. Avildsen (Rocky); Actor--Peter Finch (Network); Actress--Faye Dunaway (Network); Supporting Actor--Jason Robards (All the President's Men); Supporting Actress--Beatrice Straight (Network); Foreign Language Film--Black and White in Color. Mr. Finch became the first posthumous winner of an acting Oscar, as he had died of a heart attack on January 14, 1977.

Basketball
NCAA
Men's championship
Final
Marquette 67 North Carolina 59

30 years ago
1987


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Si può dare di più--Gianni Morandi, Enrico Ruggeri, Umberto Tozzi (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): The Final Countdown--Europe (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Respectable--Mel and Kim

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Respectable--Mel and Kim (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Everything I Own--Boy George (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Respectable--Mel and Kim

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Respectable--Mel and Kim

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Lean on Me--Club Nouveau (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Lean on Me--Club Nouveau (2nd week at #1)
2 Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now--Starship
3 Let's Wait Awhile--Janet Jackson
4 Mandolin Rain--Bruce Hornsby and the Range
5 Somewhere Out There--Linda Ronstadt with James Ingram
6 Tonight, Tonight, Tonight--Genesis
7 Jacob's Ladder--Huey Lewis and the News
8 Livin' on a Prayer--Bon Jovi
9 Come Go with Me--Expose
10 The Final Countdown--Europe

Singles entering the chart were Heat of the Night by Bryan Adams (#48); Big Love by Fleetwood Mac (#50); Se La by Lionel Richie (#68); Get That Love by Thompson Twins (#77); Always by Atlantic Starr (#87); Same Ole Love (365 Days A Year) by Anita Baker (#88); You Keep Me Hangin' On by Kim Wilde (#89); and Fascinated by Company B (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now--Starship
2 Livin' on a Prayer--Bon Jovi
3 Somewhere Out There--Linda Ronstadt with James Ingram
4 Touch Me (I Want Your Body)--Samantha Fox
5 At this Moment--Billy Vera and the Beaters
6 Montego Bay--Amazulu
7 The Final Countdown--Europe
8 Keep Your Hands to Yourself--Georgia Satellites
9 Will You Still Love Me?--Chicago
10 Respect Yourself--Bruce Willis

Singles entering the chart were Everything I Own by Boy George (#90) What's Going On by Cyndi Lauper (#92); Can'tcha Say/Still in Love by Boston (#93); Come as You Are by Peter Wolf (#95); I Got the Feelin' (It's Over) by Gregory Abbott (#96); and Real Wild Child (Wild One) by Iggy Pop (#98).

Died on this date
Maria von Trapp, 82
. Austrian singer. Mrs. Trapp was the leader of the Trapp Family Choir, who inspired the musical The Sound of Music.

Patrick Troughton, 67. U.K. actor. Mr. Troughton had a 40-year career in theatre, films, and television, but was best known for playing the second incarnation of the doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who (1966-1969, 1973, 1983, 1985). While attending a science fiction convention in Columbus, Georgia, he died of a heart attack, three days after his 67th birthday.

Diplomacy
Margaret Thatcher arrived in Moscow to begin her first visit to the U.S.S.R. as British Prime Minister.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 2 @ Toronto 4

25 years ago
1992


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Saltwater--Julian Lennon (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kanashimi hayuki no yoni--Shogo Hamada (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Human Touch---Bruce Springsteen

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Human Touch---Bruce Springsteen (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Remember the Time--Michael Jackson

#1 single in France (SNEP): Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me--George Michael/Elton John (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Twilight Zone--2 Unlimited (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): Stay--Shakespears Sister (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Save the Best for Last--Vanessa Williams (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Remember the Time--Michael Jackson
2 To Be with You--Mr. Big
3 I Can't Dance--Genesis
4 Save the Best for Last--Vanessa Williams
5 Masterpiece--Atlantic Starr
6 Missing You Now--Michael Bolton featuring Kenny G
7 Good for Me--Amy Grant
8 What Becomes of the Brokenhearted--Paul Young
9 Justified & Ancient--The KLF (featuring Tammy Wynette)
10 Too Much Passion--Smithereens

Singles entering the chart were Money Don't Matter 2 Night by Prince and the New Power Generation (#74); Baby Hold on to Me by Gerald Levert (with Eddie Levert) (#79); All Woman by Lisa Stansfield (#81); My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) by En Vogue (#87); We Will Rock You by Warrant (#91); and It's Not a Love Thing by Geoffrey Williams (#95).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 To Be with You--Mr. Big (4th week at #1)
2 Remember the Time--Michael Jackson
3 Tears in Heaven--Eric Clapton
4 Hazard--Richard Marx
5 Good for Me--Amy Grant
6 What Becomes of the Brokenhearted--Paul Young
7 I Can't Dance--Genesis
8 Again Tonight--John Mellencamp
9 Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven--Bryan Adams
10 Missing You Now--Michael Bolton

Singles entering the chart were Sinking Like a Sunset by Tom Cochrane (#71); Constant Craving by k.d. lang (#77); Weather with You by Crowded House (#82); Nothing Else Matters by Metallica (#93); Poison Girl by Chris Whitley (#94); You are Everything by Rod Stewart (#97); Love Like Candy by World on Edge (#98); and Everything About You by Ugly Kid Joe (#99).

Music
This blogger attended a performance of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.

Politics and government
Percival Patterson was elected leader of Jamaica’s ruling People’s National Party and replaced Michael Manley, who had resigned because of ill health, as Prime Minister.

Basketball
NCAA
East Regional Men's Final
Duke 104 Kentucky 103 (OT)

Christian Laettner beat the final buzzer with a 17-foot jump shot to give the Blue Devils their win over the Wildcats in Philadelphia.

20 years ago
1997


Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Warum?--Tic Tac Toe (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Vänner--Together (5th week at #1)

Sunday 26 March 2017

March 27, 2017

150 years ago
1867


Politics and government
The British House of Lords passed the British North America Act. The BNA Act provided for a Senate of 72 life members: 24 each for Ontario and Québec, and 12 each for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The date of Confederation to be announced shortly; the BNA Act received royal assent on March 29.

125 years ago
1892


Born on this date
Thorne Smith
. U.S. author. Mr. Smith wrote humourous supernatural fantasy fiction, and was best known for the novels Topper (1926) and Topper Takes a Trip (1932), both of which were made into popular movies. Mr. Smith died on June 21, 1934 of a heart attack at the age of 42.

Ferde Grofé. U.S. musician and composer. Mr. Grofé, a native of New York City, trained as a pianist and violinist and joined Paul Whiteman’s orchestra in 1917 as a pianist. From 1920-1932 he was employed by Mr. Whiteman as pianist, assistant conductor, orchestrator, and librarian. Mr. Grofé moved to the National Broadcasting Company as staff conductor in 1932, and joined the faculty of the Juilliard School in 1939. His best-known composition, Grand Canyon Suite, was first performed by Mr. Whiteman and his orchestra on November 22, 1931 at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago. Mr. Grofé's other compositions included Mississippi Suite (1926); Tabloid Suite (1932); Hollywood Suite (1935); Death Valley Suite (1949); Hudson River Suite (1955); and Niagara Falls Suite (1961). He died after a series of heart attacks on April 3, 1972, a week after his 80th birthday.

100 years ago
1917


Born on this date
Cyrus Vance
. U.S. politician. Mr. Vance was U.S. Secretary of the Army in the administrations of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson from 1962-1964, and Deputy Secretary of Defense in the administration of President Johnson from 1964-1967. He was Secretary of State in the administration of President Jimmy Carter from 1977-1980, and was known to prefer negotiation over conflict. Mr. Vance resigned in April 1980 in protest against Operation Eagle Claw, a failed attempt to rescue hostages from the U.S. embassy in Iran. He died on January 12, 2002 at the age of 84.

90 years ago
1927


Died on this date
Joe Start, 84
. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Start, nicknamed "Old Reliable," was a first baseman with the Enterprise of Brooklyn (1860-1861) and Brooklyn Atlantics (1862-1870) in the National Association of Base Ball Players; the New York Mutuals (1871-1875) in the National Association; and the Mutuals (1876); Hartford Dark Blues (1877); Chicago White Stockings (1878); Providence Grays (1879-1885) and Washington Nationals (1886) in the National League, batting .295 with 8 home runs and 187 runs batted in in 272 games in the NA, and .300 with 7 homers and 357 RBIs in 798 games in the NL. He has been credited with originating the modern positioning of the first baseman.

75 years ago
1942


War
Philippine President Manuel Quezon and members of his war cabinet joined U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur in Australia after fleeing the Philippines as a result of invasion and occupation by Japanese forces.

Defense
The United States and Mexico signed a Lend-Lease agreement by which Mexico would receive planes, anti-aircraft guns, trucks, and locomotives.

Diplomacy
U.K. Lord Privy Seal Sir Stafford Cripps continued his mission in New Delhi, where he conferred with Mohandas Gandhi and two other Indian representatives of four million Hindu Sikhs. Sir Stafford had been sent to India by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Secretary of State for India Leo Amery to secure India's full cooperation in the war effort.

Politics and government
After three weeks of debate, the United States Senate voted to permit William Langer (Republican--North Dakota) to retain his seat, rejecting Privileges and Elections Committee charges that he was guilty of moral turpitude.

Economics and finance
The Canadian Parliament passed the War Appropriation (United Kingdom) Finance Act; $700 million of British debt was written off, at a cost to each Canadian of $87.

Business
U.S. Assistant Attorney General Arnold told the Senate Defense Investigating Committee that Standard Oil Company had sought to deal in occupied France in 1941 and to establish Japanese connections in 1939 in case of U.S.-Japanese trade breakdowns.

Boxing
Joe Louis (53-1) retained his world heavyweight title with a knockout of Abe Simon (36-10-1) at 16 seconds of the 6th round at Madison Square Garden in New York. It was Mr. Louis’s 21st successful defense of his championship, his second against Mr. Simon, and his last before entering the United States Army. For Mr. Simon, it was his last professional fight.



70 years ago
1947


War
Reports from Nanking said that the Chinese Communists had established their headquarters in the Shansi city of Kolan, following the Nationalist capture of Yenan.

The U.S. State Department announced a worldwide search for Martin Bormann--deputy to German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler--amid rumours that he had escaped Berlin at the end of World War II.

Defense
The U.S. Navy reported that only the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Panama had returned any of the 4,795 naval vessels sent to U.S. allies under the Lend-Lease program in World War II.

Politics and government
Georgia Governor Melvin Thompson vetoed the "white primary" law, which he had earlier promised to support. The law had been sponsored by then-Governor Eugene Talmadge, who died in office on December 21, 1946. Mr. Thompson had taken office on March 18, after the Georgia Supreme Court had ruled in his favour in a dispute over who was the proper successor to Mr. Talmadge.

Economics and finance
Italy established its first post-World War II tie with Germany by signing a $4-million trade agreement with the French occupation zone.

Sweden accused the U.S.S.R. of violating the two countries' mutual trade agreement by demanding payment in dollars for Soviet good.

Labour
Despite protests from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, New York Governor Thomas Dewey signed a state law barring strikes by public employees.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Boston 1 @ Montreal 2 (OT)

Ken Mosdell scored at 5:38 of the 1st overtime period as the Canadiens edged the Bruins at the Montreal Forum.

60 years ago
1957


At the movies
The Strange One, directed by Jack Garfein, and starring Ben Gazzara, Julie Wilson, Mark Richman, George Peppard, and Pat Hingle, recieved its premiere screening in Los Angeles.





Movies
The Academy Awards for 1956 were presented at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The winners included: Picture--Around the World in 80 Days; Director--George Stevens (Giant); Actor--Yul Brynner (The King and I); Actress--Ingrid Bergman (Anastasia); Supporting Actor--Anthony Quinn (Lust for Life); Supporting Actress--Dorothy Malone (Written on the Wind); Foreign Language Film--La Strada.



Defense
French Foreign Minister Christian Pineau told the National Assembly that France would back Israel's right to answer with force any Egyptian attack in the Gulf of Aqaba or from the Gaza Strip.

U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower charged that Soviet threats against construction of NATO bases in Norway were "completely indefensible."

Economics and finance
The U.S. Senate special foreign aid committee released a report in which Chamber of Commerce Chairman Clement Johnston charged that the governments of South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand were using American aid "to build and equip armed forces" to keep themselves in power."

U.S. President Eisenhower urged Congress to end "the Post Office deficit," claiming he had made "zero progress" in the area during the past four years.

Scandal
Teamsters union President Dave Beck invoked the 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution more than 80 times in refusing to tell the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Field of Labor-Management Relations whether he took more than $300,000 from the Teamsters' treasury in Seattle for his personal use.

50 years ago
1967


Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Good Vibrations--The Beach Boys

Died on this date
Jaroslav Heyrovský, 76
. Czech chemist. Dr. Heyrovský was awarded the 1959 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his discovery and development of the polarographic methods of analysis."

Music
Fats Domino topped the bill as he began his first concert tour of England with a week-long engagement at the Saville Theatre in London. Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Bee Gees, and Rick Dane were the other acts.

Diplomacy
U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey arrived in Geneva to begin a mission to seven Western European countries.

Politics and government
Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Juxon-Smith became chairman of the the National Reformation Council (NRC) in Sierre Leone, four days after a bloodless military coup.

40 years ago
1977


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Don't Give Up on Us--David Soul (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Diana Hyland, 41
. U.S. actress. Miss Hyland, born Diana Gentner, appeared in several plays and films, but was best known for guest appearances in numerous television programs and regular roles in the soap operas Young Doctor Malone (1958-1963) and Peyton Place (1968-1969). She had a supporting role in the made-for-television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976), for which she won a posthumous Emmy Award. The film starred John Travolta, and the two became romantically involved, and remained so until her death from cancer.

Disasters
The worst aviation accident in history took place on the ground when a KLM Boeing 747 and a Pan Am Boeing 747 collided on a runway in fog at Los Rodeos Airport in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, killing 583 people (all 248 on KLM and 335 on Pan Am). 61 people on the Pan Am flight survived.

Boxing
In the United States Boxing Championships, John Dino Denis (29-1-1) won an 8-round decision over Leroy Jones (18-1-1) in a heavyweight bout; Vonzell Johnson (14-0) scored a technical knockout of Tony Greene (17-6-4) at 2:18 of the 3rd round of a light heavyweight bout; Bobby "Boogaloo" Watts (32-3-1) scored a technical knockout of David Love (28-13) at 1:41 of the 4th round of a middleweight bout; Floyd Mayweather (11-1) won an 8-round unanimous decision over Miguel Barreto (30-9-5) in a welterweight bout; Greg Coverson (10-0) won an 8-round decision over Jerry Kornele (15-5) in a lightweight bout; and James Martinez (33-4-1) won an 8-round split decision over Warren Matthews (17-4-2) in a featherweight bout. The card took place at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, and was televised on ABC. This turned out to be the last card for the U.S. Boxing Championships, as the tournament, promoted by Don King and co-sponsored by The Ring, became enmeshed in scandal, with accusations of fixed fights and false records and inflated rankings for fighters. The tournament was cancelled on April 10.

Hockey
WHA
Phoenix 4 @ Calgary 5

This blogger was in attendance at the Stampede Corral to see Lynn Powis score the winning goal in the last minute as the Cowboys edged the Roadrunners in an entertaining game.

30 years ago
1987


Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Stay--Pierre Cosso & Bonnie Bianco (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
William Bowers, 71
. U.S. writer. Mr. Bowers was a reporter for Life magazine before embarking on a career as a screenwriter, often writing humourous Westerns. He was nominated for Academy Awards for his screenplays for The Gunfighter (1950) and The Sheepman (1958).

Abominations
Two days of massacres of Dinka civilians by government forces in southern Sudan concluded with approximately 1,500 fatalities.

War
Chad announced that its army had taken the town of Faya-Largeau, the last major Libyan stronghold in Chad, without a fight. The Libyans had been reported withdrawing from Faya-Largeau two days earlier.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Ronald Reagan, citing Japan’s failure to abide by a 1986 agreement forbidding Japanese companies from selling semiconductor chips in the United States for less than “fair market value” (as determined by the U.S.), announced that the United States would impose duties that would double the import prices of many electronic products imported from Japan.

The United States Labor Department reported that consumer prices had risen 0.4% in February.

25 years ago
1992


Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Das Boot--U96 (10th week at #1)

Died on this date
James E. Webb, 85
. U.S. bureaucrat. Mr. Webb held several positions in a long career in government, but was best known as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 1961-1968. During his time as NASA Administrator the United States commenced putting men in space with Project Mercury (1961-1963) and Project Gemini (1965-1966), and prepared for Project Apollo. Mr. Webb left office four days before the liftoff of Apollo 7, the first manned mission of Project Apollo.

Protest
Fishermen in Newfoundland left idle by shutdowns and cutbacks in the Newfoundland fishery began a four-day protest, targeting foreign vessels that continued to fish on the Grand Banks, outside Canada’s 200-mile limit.

Energy
The government of New York State decided not to sign a $17-billion contract with Quebec Hydro for the $12.6- billion Great Whale Project.

20 years ago
1997


Hit parade
#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Ring-A-Ling--Tiggy (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): C'mon baby yeah--Tehosekoitin (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Lane Dwinell, 90
. U.S. politician. Mr. Dwinell, a Republican, was Governor of New Hampshire from 1955-1959.

10 years ago
2007


Died on this date
Paul Lauterbur, 77
. U.S. chemist. Dr. Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging."

Football
NFL
Club owners voted to make the use of instant replay a permanent officiating tool.

March 26, 2017

320 years ago
1697


War
The Safavid Empire began a four-year occupation of the Ottoman city of Basra on the Persian Gulf.

125 years ago
1892


Died on this date
Walt Whitman, 72
. U.S. poet. Mr. Whitman was one of the most influential poets in American history, and has been called the "father of free verse." He was best known for the collection Leaves of Grass, which was published in several editions from 1855-1891. Mr. Whitman died of bronchial pneumonia.

Diplomacy
An extradition treaty between France and the United States was signed in Paris.

100 years ago
1917


Born on this date
Rufus Thomas
. U.S. entertainer. Mr. Thomas was a Memphis blues singer, songwriter, dancer, and disc jockey who had a career spanning more than 60 years. He was best known for his novelty dance hits such as Walking the Dog (1963); Do the Funky Chicken (1969); and (Do the) Push and Pull (1970). Mr. Thomas often performed duets with his daughter Carla. He died of heart failure on December 15, 2001 at the age of 84.

War
British troops were halted after 17,000 Turks blocked their advance in the First Battle of Gaza.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Finals @ Seattle Ice Arena
Montreal Canadiens (NHA) 1 @ Seattle Metropolitans (PCHA) 9 (Seattle won best-of-five series 2-1)

Bernie Morris scored 6 goals for the Metropolitans as they defeated the Canadiens to become the first American team to win the Stanley Cup. Jack Laviolette scored the Montreal goal in the 3rd period to break up Hap Holmes' bid for a shutout. The game was played under National Hockey Association rules, where the teams used six players per side. It was the last game ever for a team from the NHA, as it dissolved and was reconstituted as the National Hockey League later in the year.

80 years ago
1937


Movies
Producer Alexander Korda announced that the London Films production I, Claudius, directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Charles Laughton, Flora Robson, Emlyn Williams, and Merle Oberon, was being abandoned. Miss Oberon had been injured in a car accident several days earlier, but it was soon reported that there were major differences between Mr. Korda and Mr. Laughton over the latter's interpretation of the title character. Footage of the film still exists, some of which was included in the BBC television documentary The Epic that Never Was (1965).

75 years ago
1942


Died on this date
Jimmy Burke, 67
. U.S. baseball player, coach, and manager. Mr. Burke was a third baseman with the Cleveland Spiders (1898); St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals (1899, 1903-1905); Milwaukee Brewers (1901); Chicago White Sox (1901); and Pittsburgh Pirates (1902), batting .244 with 1 home run and 187 runs batted in in 550 games. He was with the Brewers in 1900 when the American League was a minor league, and was a member of the Pirates' National League championship team in 1902. Mr. Burke managed the Cardinals in 1905 and the St. Louis Browns from 1918-1920, compiling a record of 206-236. He coached with the Detroit Tigers (1914-1917); Boston Red Sox (1921-1923); Chicago Cubs (1926-1930); and New York Yankees (1931-1933), and was with the Yankees when they won the World Series in 1932.

War
The British Royal Air Force conducted heavy raids on the Ruhr industrial centre of Germany and on the docks of St. Nazaire, France. German bombers subjected Malta to its heaviest mass raid in a week, losing four planes. Japanese planes subjected Corregidor in Manila Bay to "almost continuous bombardment." Chinese defenders beat back Japanese assault troops attacking Toungoo from all sides.

Abominations
The first female prisoners arrived at Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland.

World events
Police in Rio de Janeiro smashed a German spy ring, arresting more than 200 people and capturing four secret radio stations.

Business
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order giving the Army, Navy, and Maritime Commission power to make or guarantee loans to small businesses in order to increase war production.

Labour
American Federation of Labor President William Green and Congress of Industrial Organizations President Philip Murray pledged that they would oppose all strikes for any cause for the duration of World War II.

70 years ago
1947


Religion
The Italian Constituent Assembly approved a constitutional provision making the Roman Catholic Church the tax-supported state religion of the Republic of Italy.

Politics and government
The Paraguayan government ended martial law in order to deny military rebels belligerent status in the eyes of other countries.

U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover stated before the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities that U.S. Communists are "a fifth column if there ever was one," but advised against outlawing the party.

The United States Senate Rules Committee issued a favourable report on President Harry Truman's request that the Speaker of the House of Representatives follow the Vice President in the presidential succession.

Economics and finance
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King ended meat rationing, but retained price controls on meat products.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Detroit 2 @ Toronto 3 (OT)

Howie Meeker scored 3:05 into the 1st overtime period to give the Maple Leafs their win over the Red Wings at Maple Leaf Gardens.

60 years ago
1957


Died on this date
Édouard Herriot, 84
. Prime Minister of France, 1924-1925, 1926, 1932. Mr. Herriot was a member of the Radical Party, and served three terms as Prime Minister, all for less than a year (his second term lasted just from July 20-23, 1926). He also held other offices, including President of the Chamber of Deputies (1925-1926, 1936-1940). While serving in federal politics, Mr. Herriot also served as Mayor of Lyon from 1905-1942 and 1945-1957 (he was exiled from 1942-1945 for opposing the Vichy French regime during World War II).

Max Ophüls, 54. German-born film director. Mr. Ophüls, born Maximillian Oppenheimer, began his career in Germany, but moved to France after the Nazi takeover of Germany in 1933, and worked in Hollywood from 1947-1950. His films, which were known for elaborate camera movements and tracking shots, included Liebelei (1933); Caught (1949); The Reckless Moment (1949); Le Plaisir (1952); and Lola Montès (1955). Mr. Ophüls died from rheumatic heart disease.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and U.K. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan issued a communique following two days of talks in Bermuda reaffirming "the close and continuous cooperation" between their countries, and revealing terms of a contract for British purchase of $115 million worth of Canadian uranium during the next five years.

Transportation
The government of Egypt presented to the United States and seven other countries a draft declararation on the operation of the Suez Canal, reasserting demands that the waterway "be operated and managed by the autonomous [Egyptian] Suez Canal Authority."

Defense
U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower nominated Air Force Chief of Staff General Nathan Twining to succeed Admiral Arthur Radford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for a two-year term, while also naming Air Force Secretary Donald Quarles to succeed Reuben Robertson, Jr. as Deputy Defense Secretary.

Economics and finance
U.S. and Tunisian officials signed an agreement in Tunis under which Tunisia would receive a gift of $5 million in American goods and $500,000 to be used for training Tunisian technicians abroad.

Protest
A U.S. federal grand jury in New York indicted folk singer Pete Seeger and actors Elliot Sullivan and George Tyne on contempt of Congress charges for refusing to answer questions before the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities during a 1955 investigation of Communism in entertainment.

50 years ago
1967


Protest
An estimated 10,065 people attended a "Be-In" at Sheep Meadow in Central Park, New York City, to protest against the Vietnam War and whatever else they felt like protesting or supporting.

40 years ago
1977


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Honky Tonky Train Blues--Keith Emerson (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Living Next Door to Alice--Smokie (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Veronica Top 40): Go Your Own Way--Fleetwood Mac

#1 single in Ireland: Chanson D'Amour--The Manhattan Transfer (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K (BMRB): Chanson D'Amour--The Manhattan Transfer (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Rich Girl--Daryl Hall and John Oates

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Rich Girl--Daryl Hall and John Oates
2 Love Theme from "A Star is Born" (Evergreen)--Barbra Streisand
3 Dancing Queen--ABBA
4 Don't Give Up on Us--David Soul
5 Don't Leave Me this Way--Thelma Houston
6 The Things We Do for Love--10 C.C.
7 Carry On Wayward Son--Kansas
8 Torn Between Two Lovers--Mary MacGregor
9 I Like Dreamin'--Kenny Nolan
10 So In to You--Atlanta Rhythm Section

Singles entering the chart were Feels Like the First Time by Foreigner (#77); Cinderella by Firefall (#85); Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett (#91); Slow Dancin' Don't Turn Me On by the Addrisi Brothers (#92); I'll Be Standing By by Foghat (#95); Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman) by Joe Tex (#96); Six Packs a Day by Billy Lemmons (#99); and It Ain't Easy Comin' Down by Charlene (#100).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Love Theme from "A Star is Born" (Evergreen)--Barbra Streisand (3rd week at #1)
2 Fly Like an Eagle--Steve Miller Band
3 Dancing Queen--ABBA
4 I Like Dreamin'--Kenny Nolan
5 The Things We Do for Love--10 C.C.
6 Carry On Wayward Son--Kansas
7 Rich Girl--Daryl Hall and John Oates
8 Year of the Cat--Al Stewart
9 Don't Leave Me this Way--Thelma Houston
10 Long Time--Boston

Singles entering the chart were Can't Stop Dancin' by Captain and Tennille (#95); Tie Your Mother Down by Queen (#96); Whodunit by Tavares (#97); Cherry Baby by Starz (#98); Old Fashioned Boy (You're the One) by Stallion (#99); and Hello Stranger by Yvonne Elliman (#100).

Hockey
NHL
Boston 7 @ Toronto 5
Detroit 0 @ Montreal 4

30 years ago
1987


Died on this date
Walter Abel, 88
. U.S. actor. Mr. Abel was a character actor who appeared in plays, radio and television programs, and more than 200 movies from 1918 through the 1980s, including The Three Musketeers (1935); Fury (1936); and Holiday Inn (1942).

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones industrial average posted another record high of 2,372.59.

Hockey
NHL
Boston 4 Edmonton 1

25 years ago
1992


Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Stay--Shakespears Sister (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Barbara Frum, 54
. Canadian journalist. Mrs. Frum co-hosted the CBC radio show As it Happens from 1971-1982 and then moved to television to host the news program The Journal from 1982-1992 until her death from cancer.

Crime
A judge in Indianapolis sentenced former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson to six years in prison for the July 1991 rape of Desiree Washington, 18, who was representing Rhode Island in the Miss Black America pageant.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the gross domestic product had grown at an annual rate of 0.4% during the fourth quarter of 1991, and that the GDP had declined 0.7% for all of 1991.

20 years ago
1997


Abominations
Police officers in the San Diego–area community of Rancho Santa Fe, California found the bodies of 39 members of the unidentified flying objects cult Heaven's Gate in the mansion which they rented. The dead included the movement's founder and leader, Marshall Herff Applewhite, 65. The people who committed suicide--consuming a combination of phenobarbitol and apple sauce, washed down with vodka, followed by securing plastic bags around their heads in order to cause asphyxiation--did so in order to reach what they believed was an extraterrestrial spacecraft following Comet Hale–Bopp, which was then clearly visible from Earth.



10 years ago
2007


Politics and government
The Liberals, led by Premier Jean Charest, dropped from 76 seats to 48 in the Quebec provincial election, but maintained power, leading Quebec's first minority government in over 125 years. The Parti Action Democratique, led by Mario Dumont, became the official opposition with 41 seats--an increase of 37 from the most recent election in 2003--with the Parti Quebecois, led by André Boisclair, falling to third with 36 seats, a loss of 9.

Saturday 25 March 2017

March 25, 2017

1,300 years ago
717


Politics and government
Emperor Theodosius III, who had reigned for two years, resigned the throne of the Byzantine Empire to enter the clergy; he was succeeded by Leo III.

720 years ago
1297


Born on this date
Andronikos III
. Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, 1328-1341. Andronikos III acceded to the throne after the deposition of his grandfather Andronikos II. Andronikos III achieved mixed results in wars, but succeeded in implementing judicial reforms. His death on June 15, 1341 at the age of 44 may have been from chronic malaria, and he was succeeded by his 9-year-old son John V.

250 years ago
1767


Born on this date
Joachim Murat
. King of Naples, 1808-1815. Mr. Murat was an Admiral of France under Napoleon Bonaparte. His forces were defeated in the Battle of Tolentino in May 1815 and fled to Corsica, but fomented an insurrection in Calabria in an attempt to regain power in Naples. Mr. Murat was unsuccessful, and was executed by firing squad on October 13, 1815 at the age of 48.

210 years ago
1807


Society
King George III proclaimed the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the British Empire; the abolition campaign had been led by British MP William Wilberforce. The Royal Navy was to set up the West Africa Squadron (or Preventative Squadron) to enforce the law.

Transportation
The Swansea and Mumbles Railway in Wales, then known as the Oystermouth Railway, became the first railway in the world to carry passengers.

150 years ago
1867


Born on this date
Gutzon Borglum
. U.S. sculptor. Mr. Borglum was best known for designing the sculpture of four American presidents at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota. The work was unfinished at the time of Mr. Borglum's death from surgical complications on March 6, 1941 at the age of 73, but was completed under the supervision of his son Lincoln.

Arturo Toscanini. Italian orchestra conductor. Mr. Toscanini was one of the most famous conductors of the 20th century. His many achievements included service as the first director of the NBC Symphony Orchestra (1937-1954). Mr. Toscanini died on January 16, 1957 at the age of 89.

110 years ago
1907


Hockey
Stanley Cup
Challenge series @ Winnipeg Auditorium
Kenora Thistles 6 Montreal Wanderers 5 (Montreal won 2-game total goals series 12-8)

Fred Whitecroft scored 2 goals, and Tommy Phillips, Alf Smith, Roxy Beaudro, and Si Griffis each scored 1, but it wasn't enough to overcome Montreal's 7-2 lead after the first game as the Wanderers held on to recapture the Cup, which they had lost to the Thistles two months earlier. Moose Johnson scored 2 goals for the Wanderers, with Lester Patrick, Pud Glass, and Ernie Russell also scoring for Montreal.

100 years ago
1917


Religion
The Georgian Orthodox Church restored its autocephaly, which had been abolished by Imperial Russia in 1811.

80 years ago
1937


Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Montreal Maroons 0 @ Boston 4
Toronto 1 @ New York Rangers 2

Montreal defenceman Lionel Conacher took the first penalty shot in Stanley Cup play, and was stopped by goalie Tiny Thompson, who recorded the shutout for the Bruins at Boston Garden.

Babe Pratt scored 13:05 into the 1st overtime period to give the Rangers their win over the Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden.

75 years ago
1942


War
Japanese troops cut the Toungoo-Mandalay road at Kyungon, Burma. Japanese bombers raided the harbour defenses of Manila Bay, including Corregidor and Bataan.

Diplomacy
U.K. Lord Privy Seal Sir Stafford Cripps was in New Delhi, where he presented to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Mohammed Ali Jinnah a secret British plan to settle the issue of Indian self-government. Sir Stafford had been sent to India by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Secretary of State for India Leo Amery to secure India's full cooperation in the war effort.

Society
U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle announced that the Justice Department would take steps to revoke U.S. citizenship of foreign-born persons on clear proof that they were disloyal at the time they took their oath of allegiance.

Business
In a consent agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey, all patents of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey for manufacture of synthetic rubber and gasoline were made available to American industry for the duration of World War II without payment of royalties.

Basketball
NCAA
NIT @ Madison Square Garden, New York
Final
West Virginia 47 Kentucky 45

70 years ago
1947


Politics and government
Indonesian and Dutch representatives in Batavia signed the Cheribon Agreement, granting de facto recognition to the Republic of Indonesia and providiing for Indonesian sovereignty effective January 1, 1949.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department reported that the U.S.S.R. had indicated willingness to hand the port of Darien over to Nationalist Chinese forces as provided for in the Sino-Soviet Treaty of August 14, 1945.

The United States Senate passed a bill authorizing U.S. membership in the International Refugee Organization.

Health
The U.S. Atomic Bomb Casualty Committee reported some abnormalities among children recently born to atomic bomb victims in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Disasters
111 miners were killed an explosion at a coal mine in Centralia, Illinois; it was the worst such disaster in the United States since 1928.

Flooding from a broken dam on the Oder River near Kustrin caused several deaths and left more than 17,000 Poles and Germans homeless.

Basketball
NCAA
Men's championship @ New York
Final
Holy Cross 58 Oklahoma 47

60 years ago
1957


Literature
United States Customs officials seized copies of Allen Ginsberg's poem Howl (1956) on grounds of obscenity.

Diplomacy
Envoys from France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands signed the Treaty of Rome, establishing the European Economic Community and the European Community of Atomic Energy.

Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent began a two-day meeting with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in Bermuda.

Energy
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Lewis Strauss testified before the Joint Congressional Atomic Energy Committee that the chances against anyone being killed in a U.S. atomic plant explosion under current conditions were 50 million to 1.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that U.S. payments to foreign countries had exceeded recepits by $1 billion this fiscal year.

50 years ago
1967


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Georgy Girl--The Seekers

#1 single in France: Hey Joe--Johnny Hallyday (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Cuore matto--Little Tony (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Dear Mrs. Applebee--David Garrick (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever--The Beatles (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)--Engelbert Humperdinck

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)--Engelbert Humperdinck (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Happy Together--The Turtles

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Penny Lane--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)
2 Happy Together--The Turtles
3 There's a Kind of Hush--Herman's Hermits
4 Dedicated to the One I Love--The Mamas and the Papas
5 Ruby Tuesday--The Rolling Stones
6 Sock it To Me--Baby!--Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
7 Baby I Need Your Lovin'--Johnny Rivers
8 Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye--The Casinos
9 My Cup Runneth Over--Ed Ames
10 For What It's Worth--Buffalo Springfield

Singles entering the chart were A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You by the Monkees (#32); Pipe Dream by the Blues Magoos (#73); I'm a Man by the Spencer Davis Group (#76); Can't Get Enough of You, Baby by ? and the Mysterians (#80); Sunday for Tea by Peter and Gordon (#81); I'll Try Anything by Dusty Springfield (#88); Lonely Again by Eddy Arnold (#93); Matthew and Son by Cat Stevens (#97); Hip Hug-Her by Booker T. and the M.G.'s (#99); Nothing Takes the Place of You by Toussaint McCall (#100); and Dead End Street by Lou Rawls (also #100). Pipe Dream was the other side of There's a Chance We Can Make It, charting at #92.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Penny Lane--The Beatles
2 Happy Together--The Turtles
3 Sock it To Me--Baby!--Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
4 Baby I Need Your Lovin'--Johnny Rivers
5 Canada--The Young Canada Singers
6 Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye--The Casinos
7 Dedicated to the One I Love--The Mamas and the Papas
8 For What it's Worth--Buffalo Springfield
9 A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You--The Monkees
10 There's a Kind of Hush--Herman's Hermits

Singles entering the chart were Somethin' Stupid by Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra (#58); Pipe Dream by the Blues Magoos (#79); Hold On I'm Coming by Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown (#86); Because of You by Chris Montez (#90); Laudy Miss Claudy by the Buckinghams (#91); Mercy, Mercy, Mercy by Marlena Shaw (#93); For He's a Jolly Good Fellow by Bobby Vinton (#96); Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got by Jimmy Ruffin (#98); and Lonely Again by Eddy Arnold (#100).

40 years ago
1977


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Shenandoah--Jan Lindblad (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Living Next Door to Alice--Smokie (8th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Do it for Me--Jennifer (2nd week at #1)

On the radio
CBS Radio Mystery Theater
Tonight's episode: A Study in Scarlet, starring Kevin McCarthy and Court Benson

Politics and government
Jacques Chirac was formally elected Mayor of Paris, becoming the first person to hold the office since it was abolished in 1871.

Crime
An all-white jury in New Brunswick, New Jersey convicted Joanne Chesimard, a Negress, of two counts of first-degree murder and six counts of assault and related charges in the 1973 slaying of a New Jersey state trooper and the wounding of another in a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike. Ms. Chesimard denounced the jury as "racist," charging "You have convicted a woman who had her hands in the air." On the stand, Ms. Chesimard contended that she had never handled a gun and had been shot by one of the troopers while she was emerging from her car, which had been stopped for a defective tail light.

Disasters
30 people were reported dead in an earthquake that struck the mountainous Turkish province of Elazig.

30 years ago
1987


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Caravan of Love--The Housemartins (7th week at #1)

25 years ago
1992


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Stockholm--Orup (2nd week at #1)

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

Died on this date
Nancy Walker, 69
. U.S. actress. Miss Walker, born Anna Myrtle Swoyer, was a comic actress who achieved success on Broadway, but was best-known for her television appearances in the 1970s, especially as Ida Morgenstern in the series Rhoda (1974-1978). She died of lung cancer.

Space
Russian Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev returned to Earth from the Mir space station after a 10-month stay, during which his native country, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, had ceased to exist. Flight Engineer Krikalev was part of the five-man crew of Soyuz TM-12, which lifted off on May 18, 1991. When the remaining crew members returned to Earth on October 10, Mr. Krikalev agreed to stay on board Mir for the next mission, Soyuz TM-13 which lifted off on October 2. Soyuz TM-13 was commanded by Aleksandr Volkov, who returned to Earth with Mr. Krikalev.

Defense
United Nations weapons experts in Baghdad began destroying Iraq’s SCUD missile production and repair facilities.

Business
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced that it would lift restrictions on foreign ownership in Canada's oil and gas industry.

Hockey
NHL
Montreal 2 Winnipeg 2

10 years ago
2007


Died on this date
Andranik Margaryan, 55
. Prime Minister of Armenia, 2000-2007. Mr. Margaryan, a member of the Republican party, took office as Prime Minister after Aram Sargsyan was dismissed by President Robert Kocharyan. Mr. Margaryan died in office from a heart attack, and was succeeded by Serzh Sargsyan.

Figure skating
Brian Joubert of France won the gold medal in the men's competition at the world championships at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Daisuke Takahashi of Japan won the silver medal, and Stéphane Lambiel of Switzerland won the bronze medal.