Wednesday 31 January 2018

January 31, 2018

170 years ago
1848


Politics and government
U.S. Army Major John C. Frémont, popularly admired for his mapmaking expeditions to the West, was court-martialed on grounds of mutiny and disobeying orders. General Stephen Kearny brought charges against Frémont when a dispute arose over who held governing authority in California.

150 years ago
1868


Born on this date
Theodore W. Richards
. U.S. chemist. Dr. Richards became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, winning in 1914 "in recognition of his exact determinations of the atomic weights of a large number of the chemical elements." He reportedly suffered from chronic respiratory problems and a profound depression, and died on April 2, 1928 at the age of 60.

125 years ago
1893


Died on this date
James McCulloch, 73
. U.K.-born Australian politician. Sir James, a native of Glasgow, moved to Australia in 1853, and sat in the Legislative Council (1854-1856) and the Legislative Assembly (1856-1878), serving four terms as Premier of Victoria (1863-1868, 1868-1869, 1870-1871, 1875-1877). He was regarded as a "cautious liberal," becoming more conservative over time.

100 years ago
1918


Born on this date
Sid Peterson
. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Peterson played with the St. Louis Browns (1943), posting a 2-0 record with an earned run average of 2.70 in 3 games, despite allowing 15 hits in 10 innings. He was 114-95 with a 3.61 ERA in 304 games in 10 seasons in the minor leagues (1940-1950), winning 19 games with the Wichita Falls Spudders of the Class B Big State League in 1948 and 20 with the Spudders in 1950. Mr. Peterson worked with the Wichita Falls, Texas police department after his baseball career ended. He died on August 29, 2001 at the age of 83.

Disasters
A series of accidental collisions on a misty Scottish night led to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines and 104 lives, and damage to another five British warships.

90 years ago
1928


World events
The U.S.S.R. exiled Leon Trotsky to Alma Ata, Kazakhstan. Mr. Trotsky was a leader in the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and in he early 1920s, but lost a power struggle with Josef Stalin within the Communist Party, and was gradually removed from various positions until his exile. He and his family were expelled to Turkey in February 1929.

75 years ago
1943


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Deep in the Heart of Texas--Gene Autry; Horace Heidt and his Orchestra (2nd month at #1)

War
German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrendered to Soviet forces at Stalingrad, followed 2 days later by the remainder of his 6th Army. The Soviets claimed the virtual destruction of the German 4th Tank Army at Stalingrad, and the capture of 14 German generals. General Vittorio Ambrosio replaced Marshal Ugo Cavallero as chief of the Italian general staff.

Diplomacy
Chile detained Japanese Minister to Chile Kiyoshi Yamagata and 27 staff members in Santiago in reprisal for the detention in Tokyo of the Chilean Minister to Japan.

Politics and government
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt returned to Washington by special train from Miami after completing a 13,823-mile trip in 23 days.

Swimming
Alan Ford of Yale University set a world record for the 100-yard freestyle of 50.7 seconds in New Haven, Connecticut.

70 years ago
1948


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Anniversary Song--Al Jolson; Bing Crosby (3rd month at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Ballerina--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (8th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Ballerina--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (6th week at #1)
--Bing Crosby with the Rhythmaires
--Buddy Clark
2 How Soon (Will I Be Seeing You)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby and Carmen Cavallaro
--Jack Owens
--Dinah Shore
3 Too Fat Polka (I Don’t Want Her) (You Can Have Her) (She’s Too Fat for Me)--Arthur Godfrey
4 Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo)--Danny Kaye and the Andrews Sisters
--Louis Prima and his Orchestra
--Jack Smith and the Clark Sisters
--Ray McKinley and his Orchestra
--Woody Herman and his Orchestra
5 Golden Earrings--Peggy Lee
6 Serenade of the Bells--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Jo Stafford
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
7 I'll Dance at Your Wedding--Ray Noble and his Orchestra with Buddy Clark
--Peggy Lee
8 Near You--Francis Craig and his Orchestra
--Larry Green and his Orchestra
--The Andrews Sisters
--Alvino Rey and his Orchestra
--Elliot Lawrence and his Orchestra
9 You Do--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby and Carmen Cavallaro
--Margaret Whiting
--Dinah Shore
--Vic Damone
10 Pass That Peace Pipe--Margaret Whiting
--Beryl Davis

Singles entering the chart were My Old Flame by Spike Jones and his City Slickers (#20); Ooh! Look-a There, Ain't She Pretty by Buddy Greco and the Three Sharps (#22); Now is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song), with versions by Bing Crosby; Gracie Fields; Eddy Howard and his Orchestra; and Margaret Whiting (#38); and I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover, with versions by Art Mooney and his Orchestra, and the Three Suns (#39).

At the movies
Open Secret, directed by John Reinhardt, and starring John Ireland, Jane Randolph, Roman Bohnen, and Sheldon Leonard, received its premiere screening in New York City.



Defense
The Greek government removed General Constantin Ventiris as commander-in-shief of Army units fighting Communist guerrillas, and placed all military forces under the general staff.

Politics and government
Indonesian nationalists formed a new cabinet for the Indonesian Republic in Jakarta, with Mohammed Hatta as Prime Minister.

Economics and finance
U.S.S.R. Finance Minister Arzeny Zverev submitted to the Supreme Soviet a record budget of 387.9 billion rubles ($77.58 billion).

Academia
The University of Delaware followed the University of Arkansas law school in allowing Negro students to enter graduate courses which were unavailable in state Negro schools.

60 years ago
1958


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Jailhouse Rock--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
Harbor Command, starring Wendell Corey
Tonight's episode: Gold Smugglers

Space
The United States entered the space race with the successful launch of the Explorer 1 satellite atop an Army Jupiter C rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The event made a household name of rocket wizard Wernher von Braun, and to a lesser extent, physicist James Van Allen (the satellite's instrument package discovered that the earth was surrounded by radiation belts, which were promptly named the Van Allen belts). The launch came almost four months after the Soviet Union had begun the space race with the launch of Sputnik 1. The first American attempt, a Vanguard satellite atop a Navy rocket (but under civilian management), ended in embarrassment, as the rocket collapsed in flames on the launch pad on live television on December 6, 1957.





Politics and government
James Gladstone,70, an Alberta Blood, took his seat as Canada's first aboriginal Senator; he was appointed by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, and sat as a Progressive Conservaitve.

People's Republic of China President Mao Tse-tung dismissed Communications Minister Chang Po-chun; Timber Industry Minister Lo Lung-chi; and Food Minister Chag Nai-chi (all non-Communists) from their cabinet posts for criticizing the government.

Labour
Staff investigator Pierre Salinger presented a memo to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Improper Labor-Management Activities claiming that William Maloney's rise to the presidency of the International Union of Operating Engineers was aided by the murder of three oppositional union officials.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Everlasting Love--Love Affair

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)--Johnny Farnham
2 Hello Goodbye/I Am the Walrus--The Beatles
3 Daydream Believer--The Monkees
4 The Rain, The Park and Other Things--The Cowsills
5 World/Sir Geoffrey Saved the World--The Bee Gees
6 Snoopy's Christmas--The Royal Guardsmen
7 The Last Waltz--Engelbert Humperdinck
8 Cathy Come Home/The Way They Play--The Twilights
9 You've Not Changed--Sandie Shaw
10 All My Love--Cliff Richard

Singles entering the chart were Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) by John Fred and his Playboy Band (#11); You Only Live Twice/Oh Lonesome Me by Nancy Sinatra/Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood (#34); That's Life by the Wild Cherries (#37); and Neon Rainbow by the Box Tops (#40).

War
The American command in Vietnam reported over 5,000 fatalities after two days of heavy fighting in the Tet Offensive, which included an attack by Viet Cong guerrillas against the United States embassy in Saigon and other attacks in the early hours.

World events
The Republic of Nauru, formerly a United Nations trust territory in the South Pacific administered by Australia and New Zealand, was proclaimed.

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. Premier Aleksei Kosygin concluded his week-long visit to India. He and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi issued a joint statement urging an "unconditional stoppage" to the bombing of North Vietnam, saying that a halt in the bombing would "create conditions for negotiations aimed at a political settlement."

West Germany and Yugoslavia resumed diplomatic relations, which had been broken by West Germany in 1957.

40 years ago
1978


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

Politics and government
The Northeastern Québec Agreement was signed in Ottawa as an amendment to the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement; it incorporates the Naskapi of Northern Québec, who received funds, lands and rights equal to those obtained by the Cree and Inuit peoples who had signed the original agreement with the government of Canada in 1975.

Hockey
CHL
Salt Lake City 3 @ Kansas City 1

30 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): I Think We're Alone Now--Tiffany (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Heaven is a Place on Earth--Belinda Carlisle

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

This was broadcast after the Super Bowl telecast.

Football
NFL
Super Bowl XXII @ Jack Murphy-San Diego Stadium
Washington 42 Denver 10

The Redskins, behind 10-0 after the first quarter, stormed back to rout the Broncos before 73,302 fans (see video). Washington quarterback Doug Williams was voted the game's Most Valuable Player, as he became the first Negro to quarterback a team to the NFL championship, completing 18 of 29 passes for 349 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Deion Sanders caught 9 passes for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Redskins. Denver quarterback John Elway completed just 14 of 38 passes for 257 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions.

25 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): This Time/Life Without You--Christy Moore (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
John Mandarich, 31
. Canadian football player. Mr. Mandarich, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, played at Kent State University before being drafted by the Edmonton Eskimos in the first round of the 1984 CFL draft. He began his CFL career as an offensive lineman, but was switched to the defensive line after a few games, where, except for one game, he played the rest of his career. Mr. Mandarich played 6 seasons with the Eskimos, and was a member of their Grey Cup championship team in 1987. He signed with the Ottawa Rough Riders as a free agent in 1990. He was moved back to the offensive line in 1991, but was cut after the pre-season. In 7 seasons in the CFL, Mr. Mandarich played 93 regular season games, 9 playoff games, and 2 Grey Cups. He developed cancer shortly after the end of his football career, resulting in the amputation of a finger in 1992. He continued to battle cancer, but died after a sudden turn for the worse. His younger brother Tony, an offensive tackle, was a high draft choice of the Green Bay Packers in 1988 and was a legendary bust before making a comeback in the mid-1990s with the Indianapolis Colts.

Football
NFL
Super Bowl XXVII @ Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Dallas 52 Buffalo 17

Troy Aikman completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Cowboys routed the Bills before 98,374 fans (see video).

Tuesday 30 January 2018

January 30, 2018

1,000 years ago
1018


War
Ottonian Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and Piast duke of the Polans Bolesław I Chrobry concluded the Peace of Bautzen, ending a series of Polish-German wars over the control of Lusatia and Upper Lusatia, as well as Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia.

380 years ago
1648


War
The Treaty of Münster and Osnabrück was signed, ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain.

160 years ago
1858


Music
The first Hallé concert was given in Manchester, England, marking the official founding of The Hallé Orchestra as a full-time, professional orchestra.

150 years ago
1868


Politics and government
The Nova Scotia Legislature opened its first session after Confederation.

130 years ago
1888


Died on this date
Asa Gray, 77
. U.S. botanist. Dr. Gray had a medical degree, but was more interested in botany, which he taught at Harvard University from 1842-1873. He was instrumental in unifying the taxonomic knowledge of the plants of North America, with his most notable work being his Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States, from New England to Wisconsin and South to Ohio and Pennsylvania Inclusive. Dr. Gray was a friend of Charles Darwin and a promoter of theistic evolution. He died two months after suffering a stroke.

110 years ago
1908


World events
Indian Hindu nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi was released from prison by South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts after being tried and sentenced to two months in jail earlier in the month.

Sport
This was the first evening of the contest organized by Dr. Joseph-Paul Gadbois, sports columnist with the Montreal newspaper La Presse. The test was to lift a wheelbarrow loaded with weight over a distance of 25 feet. The contest, aimed at the general public, attracted several participants; it lasted several weeks, and drew enthusiastic crowds to Sohmer Park. The event ended on March 4 with the victory of Moses Charbonneau, a colossus of 6 feet 4 inches and 275 pounds, who managed to move 3,246 pounds.

100 years ago
1918


Born on this date
David Opatoshu
. U.S. actor. Mr. Opatoshu, born David Opatovsky, was a character actor in films and television for more than 50 years. His movies included The Naked City (1948); Exodus (1960); and Torn Curtain (1966). Mr. Opatoshu died on April 30, 1996 at the age of 78.

90 years ago
1928


Died on this date
Johannes Fibiger, 60
. Danish physician and pathologist. Dr. Fibiger was awarded the 1926 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discovery of the Spiroptera carcinoma," which reportedly caused cancer in mice and rats. This result was later disproven.

Forrest Winant, 39. U.S. actor. Mr. Winant appeared in various Broadway productions from 1907-1920, including Kick In (1914), which starred John Barrymore. Winant was in four movies: The Brink (1915); New York (1916); The Iron Heart (1917); and His Woman (1919). He died of a heart attack in his hotel room in Alameda, California.

Theatre
Strange Interlude, written by Eugene O'Neill and starring Tom Powers, Glenn Anders, Philip Leigh, Lynn Fontanne, and Helen Westley, opened at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway in New York.

75 years ago
1943


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): There are Such Things--Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra with Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers (3rd week at #1)

War
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on his way home from the Casablanca Conference, stopped briefly in Trinidad and inspected U.S. defense installations there. Admiral Karl Doenitz, commander of the German submarine fleet, replaced Grand Admiral Erich Raeder as commander of all German naval forces. The U.K. Royal Air Force observed the tenth anniversary of Adolf Hitler's accession to power in Germany by launching a daytime bombing raid on Berlin. Soviet forces occupied the northwestern Caucasus oil centre of Maikop and the important railroad junction of Tikhoretsk, 85 miles south of Rostov. German forces broke thorugh French lines at Faid Pass, Tunisia and advanced 6 1/2 miles. Japanese torpedoes sank the cruiser USS Chicago and heavily damaged an American destroyer in the second day of the Battle of Rennell Island in the Guadalcanal campaign. Japanese attacks on Australian troops west of Mubo in northeastern New Guinea were repulsed, and the Japanese were pursued.

Politics and government
U.S. Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish quit his post as assistant director of the Office of War Information "to devote full time to his duties as a librarian."

Economics and finance
The New York Herald Tribune reported that U.S. Economic Stabilization Director James Byrnes had given Rubber Administrator William Jeffers top priority ratings for the completion of plants to produce 452,000 tons of synthetic rubber per year.

70 years ago
1948


Died on this date
Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi, 78
. Indian independence activist. Mr. Gandhi, whose nickname means "high-souled" in Sanskrit, was the leading Hindu nationalist in India and advocate for independence from British rule, with a resume too lengthy to list here. He lived long enough to see India gain her independence in 1947. At Birla House in Delhi, the "great soul" emerged from his quarters to conduct a prayer meeting in the gardens. He was weak from a fast and was supported by a grandniece on each side. As the crowd parted for him, a man in a green pullover and khaki jacket rushed up to Mr. Gandhi, bowed briefly, and shot him once in the abdomen and twice in the chest. Mr. Gandhi shouted "Hai Rama! Hai Rama!", collapsed and died. The assassin, 37-year-old newspaper editor Nathuram Godse, was the ringleader of an 8-man conspiracy to kill Mr. Gandhi. He was a dedicated member of Hindu Mahasabha, an anti-Muslim organization that hated Gandhi for his tolerance of non-Hindu religions. Mr. Godse was afraid that Mr. Gandhi's policies would lead to a Muslim takeover of India. Winston Churchill, in a speech to his constituency association on February 23, 1931, had Mr. Gandhi pegged:

It is alarming, and also nauseating, to see Mr. Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir of a type well known in the East, striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceregal palace, while he is still organizing and conducting a defiant campaign of civil disobedience, to parley on equal terms with the representative of the King-Emperor...this malignant, subversive fanatic and the Viceroy of India.

Orville Wright, 76. U.S. aviator. Mr. Wright and his older brother Wilbur made the first powered flight of a heavier-than-air craft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903, beginning the age of aviation. The brothers co-founded the Wright Company in their hometown of Dayton, Ohio in 1909. Wilbur died of typhoid fever in 1912 at the age of 45; Orville sold the company in 1915, and made his last flight as a pilot in 1918. He spent his remaining years as an adviser with various aviation organizations. Orville Wright died of a heart attack.

Herb Pennock, 53. U.S. baseball pitcher and executive. Mr. Pennock played with the Philadelphia Athletics (1912-1915); Boston Red Sox (1915-1917, 1919-1922, 1934); and New York Yankees (1923-1933), compiling a record of 241-162 with an earned run average of 3.60 in 617 games, and batted .191 with 4 home runs and 103 runs batted in in 620 games. He was a member of five World Series championship teams, and posted a 5-0 record with a 1.95 ERA in 10 World Series games. Mr. Pennock was the Red Sox' pitching coach from 1936-1939 and was an executive in the Red Sox' farm system until becoming general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in December 1943, holding that position until his death from a cerebral hemorrhage, 11 days before his 54th birthday. Mr. Pennock was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame a few weeks after his death.

Arthur Coningham, 53. Australian-born U.K. military officer. Air Marshal Sir Arthur was an ace with the British Royal Flying Corps in World War and was a senior officer with the Royal Air Force in World War II, as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Flying Training Command. He was known as the "architect of modern air power doctrine regarding tactical air operations," based on the principles of air superiority as the first priority; centralized command of air operations co-equal with ground leadership; and innovative tactics in support of ground operations. Air Marshal Sir Arthur retired in 1947, and was among those aboard the British South American Airways plane Star Tiger when it disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle, 11 days after his 53rd birthday.

War
U.S. State Secretary George Marshall threatened to revoke the passports of Americans fighting on either side of the conflict in Palestine.

Diplomacy
The United Kingdom rejected a resolution of the United Nations Security Council's Palestine Committee urging the establishment of a Jewish militia in Palestine before the end of the British mandate.

Crime
Former McGill University professor Raymond Boyer received a two-year prison sentence in Montreal for conspiring to reveal Canadian war secrets to the U.S.S.R.

Energy
The U.S. Congressional Joint Committee on Atomic Energy approved the priority of weapons development over civilian research in the U.S. atomic energy program.

Disasters
The British South American Airways Avro Tudor IV Star Tiger, with 25 passengers and 6 crew members aboard, disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle. The disappearance remains unexplained.

Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games opened in St. Moritz, Switzerland, with 27 nations participating.

60 years ago
1958


Died on this date
Ernst Heinkel, 70
. German engineer. Dr. Heinkel founded the Heinkel-Flugzeugwerke company in 1922. The company produced the Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet aircraft and jet plane, and the Heinkel He 176, the first rocket aircraft. Dr. Heinkel was a member of the Nazi Party, and used Jewish forced labour in his factories during World War II. He died six days after his 70th birthday.

War
U.K. troops and aircraft clashed with Yemeni forces on the Aden border after Yemenis fired on a British frontier patrol.

World events
The South African government ordered 17 whites, 18 Indians, and 58 Africans prosecuted on charges of high treason for opposing the government racial policy of apartheid.

Defense
U.S. State Secretary John Foster Dulles told the Baghdad Pact Council that American commitments under the Eisenhower Doctrine constituted a guarantee of U.S. involvement equal to full American membership in the pact.

Labour
A general strike ended in the Bahamas ended as strikers returned to work without achieving any of their objectives.

Baseball
Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick abolished fan voting for players in the Major League All-Star Game in favour of a poll of major league managers, coaches, and players. Mr. Frick's decision was a reaction to the stuffing of ballot boxes by Cincinnati Redlegs' fans in 1957, severl of whose choices for the 1957 National League starting lineup were overruled. Fan voting for All-Star Game starting lineups returned in 1970.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Monja--Roland W. (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Invaders, starring Roy Thinnes, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Organization

Wojeck, starring John Vernon, on CBC
Tonight's episode: Give Until it Hurts and Then Some



War
Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces, believed to number 50,000, struck at 30 provincial capitals in South Vietnam in violation of a mutually agreed-upon ceasefire for Tet, the lunar new year. The attacks, which became known as the Tet offensive, caught Allied forces off guard. Saigon and Hue became major battlefields, and Communist forces occupied buildings of the U.S. embassy in Saigon for 6 hours before being wiped out. North Vietnam claimed that the attacks were being launched "to punish the American aggressors" for unilaterally cancelling the ceasefire in South Vietnam's five northern provinces the day before.

Israeli and Egyptian forces exchanged gunfire across the Suez Canal, leading to the cancellation of an agreement to clear up the southern part of the canal.

Politics and government
The United States Senate unanimously confirmed Clark Clifford as Secretary of Defense, succeeding Robert McMamara.

Disasters
Seven people were feared dead in an explosion at a shopping centre in Ingraham, Pennsylvania.

40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Mull of Kintyre--Wings (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): UFO--Pink Lady (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Credo--Elsa Baeza (5th week at #1)

Diplomacy
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 14-1 to approve treaties that would hand the Panama Canal to Panama by 2000.

Scandal
Francis Fox resigned as Canada's Solicitor-General, days after admitting to an affair with a married woman which had resulted in her pregnancy, followed by Mr. Fox forging the signature of the woman's husband on a hospital document in order to obtain an abortion for the woman. The incident was a typical example of Quebec morality.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Commerce Department announced a record trade deficit of $26.7 billion, more than four times the 1976 deficit and the largest in U.S. history. Increased imports of oil, machinery, cars, coffee, adnd sugar accounted for a total increase of 22%, while U.S. exports increased by only 4.6%.

30 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: La Bamba--Los Lobos (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): China in Your Hand--T'Pau (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Étienne--Guesch Patti (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Think We're Alone Now--Tiffany

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Heaven is a Place on Earth--Belinda Carlisle (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Think We're Alone Now--Tiffany

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Need You Tonight--INXS

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Need You Tonight--INXS
2 Could've Been--Tiffany
3 The Way You Make Me Feel--Michael Jackson
4 Hazy Shade of Winter--Bangles
5 Got My Mind Set on You--George Harrison
6 Seasons Change--Exposé
7 Candle in the Wind--Elton John
8 I Want to Be Your Man--Roger
9 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
10 I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man--Prince

Singles entering the chart were Out of the Blue by Debbie Gibson (#61); Never Let Me Down Again by Depeche Mode (#81); Save Your Love by Great White (#83); All I Want is You by Carly Simon (#84); Never Can Say Goodbye by the Communards (#85); Angel by Aerosmith (#86); Never Knew Love Like This by Alexander O'Neal featuring Cherrelle (#87); You Don't Know by Scarlett & Black; Coming Up You by the Cars (#89); and It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by R.E.M. (#90).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Got My Mind Set on You--George Harrison (3rd week at #1)
2 Could've Been--Tiffany
3 Pop Goes the World--Men Without Hats
4 Faith--George Michael
5 Cherry Bomb--John Cougar Mellencamp
6 Candle in the Wind--Elton John
7 Need You Tonight--INXS
8 Hazy Shade of Winter--Bangles
9 The Way You Make Me Feel--Michael Jackson
10 When a Man Loves a Woman--Luba

Singles entering the chart were Hot Hot Hot by Buster Poindexter and Banchees of Blue (#86); Endless Summer Nights by Richard Marx (#90); 853-5937 by Squeeze (#94); Magic (In Your Eyes) by FM (#96); and Run with Us by Lisa Lougheed (#97).

25 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Gli Spari Sopra--Vasco Rossi (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Exterminate!--Snap!

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (3rd week at #1)

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

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (10th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (9th week at #1)
2 If I Ever Fall in Love--Shai
3 In the Still of the Nite--Boyz II Men
4 Rump Shaker--Wreckx-N-Effect
5 Saving Forever for You--Shanice
6 Rhythm is a Dancer--Snap!
7 Good Enough--Bobby Brown
8 Deeper and Deeper--Madonna
9 When She Cries--Restless Heart
10 7--Prince and the New Power Generation

Singles entering the chart were Comforter by Shai (#60); That's What Love Can Do by Boy Krazy (#78); Bed of Roses by Bon Jovi (#79); Little Bird by Annie Lennox (#82); Feels Like Heaven by Peter Cetera with Chaka Khan (#87); I'm Gonna Get You by Bizarre Inc. featuring Angie Brown (#89); Love Is by Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight (#90); and Tell the Truth by Jude Cole (#95).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (7th week at #1)
2 Love Can Move Mountains--Celine Dion
3 Faithful--Go West
4 Steam--Peter Gabriel
5 Deeper and Deeper--Madonna
6 When She Cries--Restless Heart
7 Harvest Moon--Neil Young
8 To Love Somebody--Michael Bolton
9 No Mistakes--Patty Smyth
10 Never a Time--Genesis

Singles entering the chart were Eileen by Keith Richards (#71); Two Princes by Spin Doctors (#82); Bed of Roses by Bon Jovi (#90); Stand by Poison (#96); Waiting for the Sun by the Jayhawks (#97); Forever in Love by Kenny G (#98); and The Devil You Know by Jesus Jones (#99).

Environment
The government of Canada and the Haida Nation signed the Gwaii Haanas Agreement after outstanding claims were settled. The agreement designated Gwaii Haanas, the southernmost third of Haida Gwaii, a National Park and Haida Heritage Site, cooperatively managed by the Archipelago Management Board (AMB), made up of an equal number of representatives from the Council of Haida Nation and the Government of Canada (Parks Canada). Protests against clear-cut logging had led to the 1988 creation of the South Moresby National Park Reserve.

Tennis
Monica Seles defeated Steffi Graf in the finals to win the women's singles competition at the Australian Open for the third straight year. It was Miss Seles' eighth Grand Slam title.

20 years ago
1998


At the movies
Zero Effect, written and directed by Jake Kasdan, and starring Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller, opened in theatres.

10 years ago
2008


Died on this date
Jim Evenson, 61
. U.S.-born football player. Mr. Evenson was a fullback with the University of Oregon Ducks in 1967, but was academically ineligible to play after that year, and turned professional, joining the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League. He played with the Lions (1968-1972) and Ottawa Rough Riders (1973-1974), and the Portland Thunder (1975) of the World Football League. Mr. Evenson made the Western Football Conference All-Star team from 1968-1971 and the Eastern Football Conference All-Star team in 1973, earning All-Canadian honours in 1970 and 1971. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons with B.C., leading the CFL in rushing yardage in 1971 with 1,237 to win the Eddie James Memorial Trophy. Mr. Evenson was traded to the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1973 and helped the Rough Riders win the Grey Cup; he rushed 11 times for 53 yards in the Grey Cup game itself, and his 18-yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter provided the winning margin in the Rough Riders' 22-18 win over the Edmonton Eskimos. A knee injury ended Mr. Evenson's 1974 season after 9 games, at the time he left the CFL he ranked 6th in career rushing yardage with 7,060, with 37 touchdowns in 100 games. He caught 116 yards for 1,147 yards and 6 touchdowns, and returned 33 kickoffs for 761 yards, including a 97-yard return in 1970. Mr. Evenson rushed 99 times for 439 yards and 1 touchdown with the Thunder, and caught 18 passes for 108 yards. Unfortunately, Mr. Evenson reportedly became a drunkard living on the streets of Portland, Oregon, where he died, three weeks after his 61st birthday. He was added to the B.C. Lions' Wall of Fame in July 2008.

Monday 29 January 2018

January 29, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Ken Dies!

175 years ago
1843


Born on this date
William McKinley
. 25th President of the United States, 1897-1901. Mr. McKinley, a Republican, represented various Ohio districts in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1877-1891, and was chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from 1889-1891. He was Governor of Ohio from 1892-1896, and won a close election for President in 1896. He was known for promoting tariffs to protect the American economy and for an imperialist foreign policy, which included victory in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Mr. McKinley died at the age of 58 on September 14, 1901, eight days after being shot in the stomach by anarchist Leon Czolgosz while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. He was succeeded in office by Vice-President Theodore Roosevelt, who became, at 42, the youngest president in American history.

140 years ago
1878


Born on this date
Barney Oldfield
. U.S. auto racing driver. Mr. Oldfield was one of the major figures in the early days of auto racing, becoming, in 1903, the first man to drive at 60 miles per hour. He set other speed records, and was barred by the American Automobile Association for much of his career for participating in "outlaw" events, but the ban was lifted, and Mr. Oldfield raced in the Indianapolis 500 in 1914 and 1916, finishing fifth both times. He died of a heart attack on October 4, 1946 at the age of 68.

100 years ago
1918


Born on this date
John Forsythe
. U.S. actor. Mr. Forsythe, born Jacob Freund, appeared in movies such as The Trouble with Harry (1955) and Topaz (1969), but was better known for his roles in television series such as Bachelor Father (1957-1962); Charlie's Angels (1976-1981); and Dynasty (1981-1989). He died on April 1, 2010 at the age of 92.

War
The Bolshevik Red Army, on its way to besiege Kiev, was met by a small group of military students at the Battle of Kruty. An armed uprising organized by the Bolsheviks in anticipation of the encroaching Red Army began at the Kiev Arsenal; it was put down six days later.

90 years ago
1928


Died on this date
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, 66
. U.K. military officer. Field Marshal Earl Haig served in the Mahdist War and the Boer War, but was best known for commanding the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until the end of World War I in 1918. His offensives at the Somme (1916) and Passchendaele (1917) resulted in tremendous numbers of casualties, earning him the nickname "Butcher" Haig. Earl Haig died of a heart attack, and his funeral was a day of national mourning. His reputation among historians is divided between those who regard him as a butcher and those who regard him as a great commander.

Aviation
French aviators Dieudonne Costes and Joseph Lebrix flew from Guatemala City to Mexico City as they resumed their transatlantic flight.

75 years ago
1943


Literature
Farrar & Rinehart received the Carey-Thomas Award for "good publishing" for its series of books The Rivers of Amarica, edited by Carl Carmer and Stephen Vincent Benet.

War
The Soviet Red Army routed German forces on the Voronezh front and captured Kropotkin in the Caucasus. The Battle of Rennell Island, part of the Guadalcanal campaign between Japanese and American forces, began. The Australian government stated that the Japanese were massing troops to the north for a large-scale invasion of the continent. U.S. Navy Captain Henry Nelson of the liner SS President Coolidge, which had struck two mines while entering the harbour of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides on October, 26 1942 and sunk with the loss of all but 4 of 4,000 troops aboard, revealed in San Francisco that a Navy court-martial had acquitted him of any blame. The Commission of Inquiry determined that Merchant Marine vessels had not been given all available tactical information, most notably regarding the placement of mines.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. and Uruguay revealed that they would resume diplomatic relations, which had been severed in 1934.

Politics and government
The German government announced that Austrian Nazi Ernst Kaltenbrunner had been appointed head of the Gestapo (German security police) and special secret service, succeeding Reinhard Heydrich, who had been assassinated in 1942.

70 years ago
1948


Divorced on this date
U.S. actor Johnny Weismuller divorced Beryl Scott in Reno, Nevada.

Married on this date
U.S. actor Johnny Weismuller married Arlene Gates in Reno, Nevada.

Politics and government
Mohammed el Sadr, an opponent of the recently-concluded defense pact with the United Kingdom, took office as Prime Minister of Iraq, replacing Sayyid Salih Jabr.

U.S. Senator James O. Eastland (Democrat--Mississippi) urged southerners to protest "anti-Southern" legislation sponsored by the national Democratic Party, while 48 Democractic legislators in South Carolina protested that the national party no longer represented the South.

Economics and finance
The French cabinet invalidated all 5,000-franc banknotes, reducing currency circulation by 35%.

Labour
The American Federation of Musicians withdrew its ban on FM radio duplication of AM musical programs.

60 years ago
1958


Married on this date
U.S. actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married in Las Vegas.

Crime
The hunt for fugitives Charlie Starkweather and Caril Fugate ended in Wyoming, almost 500 miles from its beginning several days earlier in Lincoln, Nebraska. 12 miles outside of Douglas, Wyoming, Mr. Starkweather spotted a Buick pulled over at the side of the road, and decided that it would be an excellent opportunity to change cars (he had been driving a 1956 Packard stolen from Lincoln businessman C. Lauer Ward, one of Mr. Starkweather's murder victims). Shoe salesman Merle Collison was sleeping in the Buick, and Charlie shot him 9 times (he later claimed that Caril had finished Collison off). An oil company worker named Joe Sprinkle came upon the Buick, intending to offer help, and met Mr. Starkweather pointing a rifle at him. Mr. Sprinkle decided to go down fighting, and rushed forward, wrestling for the gun. As they scuffled, a deputy sheriff just happened to arrive, and Caril ran to the deputy, screaming, "It's Starkweather! He's going to kill me!" The deputy fired at Charlie's boots when Mr. Starkweather refused to raise his hands. In the confusion, Mr. Starkweather ran back to the Packard and took off. In a chase that reached speeds of up to 110 miles per hour, Charlie crashed a roadblock, but finally stopped when his windshield was shattered by a police bullet, and his face was cut by the flying glass. Charlie's explanation to the deputy was "I shot all those people in self-defense. People kept coming at me and I had to shoot. What else would you do?" Charlie Starkweather was extradited to Nebraska, and went to the electric chair on June 25, 1959. Caril Fugate went to prison, and was paroled in 1976. The crime spree has inspired several movies, including Badlands (1973); Natural Born Killers (1994); and Starkweather (2004).

Diplomacy
Three Japanese frigates and a destroyer arrived at the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on a ceremonial visit; they were the first Japanese warships to visit Hawaii in 19 years.

Defense
The Western European Council, meeting in London, approved British plans to withdraw an additional 8,500 men from West Germany during fiscal 1958-59, reducing its North Atlantic Treaty Organization contingent to 65,000 men.

The Thai government announced an agreement with the new Laotian government on elimination of the 25-mile demilitarized buffer zone on the border between the countries.

Politics and government
General Jose Cruz Salazar, runner-up to Gen. Miguel Ydigoras Fuentes in the recent Guatemalan presidential election, released his congressional supporters from their pledge to vote for him as President in return for a promise that the National Democratic Movement would get three ministries in the new cabinet.

Sumatran regional leaders adopted an ultimatum calling for Indonesian President Sukarno to dismiss Prime Minister Djuanda's cabinet and oust Communists from the government.

U.S. Representative Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. charged in a telegram to President Dwight D. Eisenhower that administration leaders had broken their promises to Negroes, failing to meet with Negro leaders to investigate alleged job discrimination by government contractors.

Economics and finance
U.S.S.R. and Egyptian officials signed an agreement in Moscow providing for a 12-year, $175-million loan at 2 1/2% and for increased Soviet technical assistance to Egypt.

Oil
The French government disclosed that a new field in the Edjele area of Algeria, near the Libyan border, was producing 400 tons of crude oil daily.

Boxing
Wayne Bethea (17-7-2) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Young Jack Johnson (15-10-1) in a heavyweight bout at Chicago Stadium. On the undercard, Sonny Liston (15-1) scored a technical knockout of Billy Hunter (11-5-2) in the 2nd round of another heavyweight bout. It was the first fight for Mr. Liston in almost two years, having been in prison for much of that time.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Cállate Niña--Pic-Nic (5th week at #1)

War
The United States unilaterally cancelled a cease-fire agreement with North Vietnam that covered South Vietnam's five northern provinces. The cease-fire was to have taken effect for the lunar new year, better known as Tet.

40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Mull of Kintyre--Wings

Golf
Jay Haas won the Andy Williams-San Diego Open with a score of 278; first prize money was $40,000.

Hockey
WHA
Quebec 4 Edmonton 3

CHL
Salt Lake City 3 @ Dallas 4

30 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys (4th week at #1)

Business
Canadian Pacific acquired nine hotels from Canadian National for $260 million.

Track and field
Ben Johnson broke his own world record of 5.15 seconds in the 50-yard dash.

25 years ago
1993


At the movies
Matinee, directed by Joe Dante and starring John Goodman, opened in theatres.

Died on this date
Adetokunbo Ademola, 86
. Nigerian jurist. Omoba Sir Adetokunbo, a Yoruba prince, began practicing law in 1934. He became a magistrate in 1939 a puisne judge in 1949, and Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1958-1972. Omoba Sir Adetokunbo died three days before his 87th birthday.

20 years ago
1998


Terrorism
A bomb exploded at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, killing an off-duty policeman and severely wounding a nurse. The bomber, Eric Rudolph, was captured in May 2003, and is serving a life sentence.

10 years ago
2008


Died on this date
Margaret Truman Daniel, 83
. U.S. singer and author. Mrs. Daniel, the daughter of U.S. President Harry Truman, attempted an operatic career in the late 1940s-early '50s, which was best known for receiving a negative review in the Washington Post in 1950 that prompted President Truman to threaten critic Paul Hume with a severe beating. She had more success as an author, writing biographies of her parents and being credited as as the authoress of a series of murder mystery novels set in Washington, D.C. The novels were reportedly ghostwritten.

Sunday 28 January 2018

January 28, 2018

450 years ago
1568


Law
Delegates of the Three Nations of Transylvania adopted the Edict of Torda, which prohibited the persecution of individuals on religious ground in John Sigismund Zápolya's Eastern Hungarian Kingdom.

200 years ago
1818


Born on this date
George S. Boutwell
. U.S. politician. Mr. Boutwell began his career as a Democrat, serving two terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1842-1844, 1847-1850) and a term as Governor of Massachusetts (1851-1853). His support for the abolition of slavery and for Negro rights led him to become one of the founders of the Republican Party in 1855. He represented Massachusetts' 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863-1869, and served as United States Secretary of the Treasury in the administration of President U.S. Grant from 1869-1873 before representing Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 1873-1877. As a Congressman, Mr. Boutwell was one of the leaders in the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson; as Treasury Secretary, he reformed the Treasury Department and pursued a policy of reducing the national debt. Mr. Boutwell died on February 27, 1905 at the age of 87.

140 years ago
1878


Journalism
Yale Daily News became the first daily college newspaper in the United States.

110 years ago
1908


World events
Members of the Portuguese Republican Party failed in their attempted coup d'état against the administrative dictatorship of Prime Minister João Franco.

Academia
Author and activist Julia Ward Howe, famous for her composition The Battle Hymn of the Republic, became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

100 years ago
1918


Died on this date
John McCrae, 45
. Lieutenant Colonel McCrae was a Canadian Army physician from Guelph, Ontario, and commandant of No. 3 Canadian General Hospital (McGill) at Boulogne, France during World War I. He was known for writing the poem In Flanders Fields. Dr. McCrae died of pneumonia after an illness of five days, and was buried in Wimereaux Cemetery in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.

Abominations
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba passed An Act to amend The Manitoba Election Act (Statutes of Manitoba 1916, c. 36), becoming the first province in Canada to grant women the right to vote and to hold provincial office.

90 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, 60
. Spanish novelist. Mr. Blasco IIbáñez was best known for novels including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1916); Blood and Sand (1908); and Mare Nostrum (1918). The first two of these were made into movies in 1921, and helped propel Rudolph Valentino to stardom. Mare Nostrum was made into a movie in 1926. Mr. Blasco IIbáñez was an activist on behalf of Republican politics in Spain in his younger days, and made many enemies. He eventually became so disenchanted with Spanish politics that he moved to Paris just before the start of World War I. He supported the Allies. Mr. Blasco Ibáñez died the day before his 61st birthday.

80 years ago
1938


Died on this date
Bernd Rosemeyer, 28
. German auto racing driver. Mr. Rosemeyer was one of the top drivers in Europe in the mid-1930s, and won the European driving championship in 1936. While competing with Rudolf Caracciola on the Autobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt in an attempt to set the world land speed record, Mr. Rosemeyer was killed when his car became airborne, striking a bridge embankment, and he was thrown out of the car, dying at roadside.

Auto racing
The world land speed record on a public road was broken by Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes-Benz W195 at a speed of 432.7 kilometres per hour (268.9 miles per hour) on the Autobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt.

75 years ago
1943


War
After crossing the Atlantic Ocean by clipper, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt conferred with Brazilian President Getulio Vargas at Natal to discuss problems in general and Axis submarine attacks in particular. U.K. and U.S. military leaders conferred at their North African headquarters to finalize plans to drive German forces out of Tunisia and attack southern Europe. British forces drove close to Zuara, 60 miles west of Tripoli and only 30 miles from the Libyan border. The Russian Army took Kastornoye, 83 miles west of German-held Kursk on the Voronezh front. German and Romanian troops were reported to be surrendering en masse. U.S. planes bombed two Japanese destroyers, a cargo ship, and a tanker off Kolombangara, and shot down nine enemy planes approaching Guadalcanal. U.S. War Secretary Henry Stimson announced that the Army would accept enlistments by American-born Japanese--many of whom were now in concentration camps--and train them as a separate Army unit. The U.S. Selective Service System announced a joint system of drafting men for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

Diplomacy
Japanese Foreign Minister Masayuki Tani said that the neutrality pact with the U.S.S.R. had not and would not be modified. Plans were announced for Bolivian President Enrique Penaranda del Castillo to visit the United States in April at the request of U.S. President Roosevelt.

Defense
Chile banned the use of codes in foreign or domestic communications and prohibited the publication or broadcasting of weather reports.

Medicine
68 physicians from the U.K., U.S.A., Canada, and Norway met in New York to pool their knowledge of combat fatigue.

Hockey
NHL
New York 1 @ Chicago 10

Max Bentley tied the National Hockey League record for points in a game with 7, scoring 4 goals and 3 assists to lead the Black Hawks over the Rangers at Chicago Stadium.

70 years ago
1948


Died on this date
Hans Aumeier, 41
. German war criminal. SS Sturmbannführer Aumeier was deputy commandant at the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz in Poland from 1942-1943, and was responsible for mass executions. He was tranferred after being found guilty of corrupt practices, and served as commandant of three other concentration camps before being arrested by British authorities at the end of World War II. Mr. Aumeier was convicted of war crimes on December 16, 1947, and was hanged at Montelupich Prison in Kraków, Poland.

Diplomacy
The British government threatened to withdraw its annual L2-miillion subsidy from the Transjordan Arab Legion if the Legion attacked Jewish settlements following the British withdrawal from Palestine.

Defense
The U.S. Senate confirmed President Harry Truman's nomination of General Omar Bradley to succeed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower as Army chief of staff.

Politics and government
Newfoundland's advisory national convention voted against union with Canada, forcing a referendum on the issue.

The Argentine government imposed censorship on all radio speeches in the current congressional campaign.

Former U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace, running for President as a third-party candidate, named a six-member National Wallace for President Committee, singer Paul Robeson and economist and former Puerto Rico Governor Rexford Tugwell.

Journalism
The Chicago Sun merged with the Chicago Daily Times to form the Chicago Daily Sun and Times.

Economics and finance
The Soviet military government in Berlin announced plans to take over direction of industry in the Soviet zone, claiming that German officials were unable or unwilling to meet requirements.

A Gallup Poll reported that 51% of the American public favoured rationing and price controls to stop inflation, with farmers the only significant group opposed.

60 years ago
1958


Defense
The United Nations comfirmed the arrival in South Korea of American tactical nuclear weapons.

Politics and government
The United States recognized the provisional Venezuelan government of Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal, the junta that had deposed President General Marco Perez Jimenez on January 23.

Terrorism
An Israeli district court in Tel Aviv acquitted Yaacov Heruti of charges of plotting to organize an anti-government terrorist group. Mr. Heruti was implicated in the November 20, 1957 murder of Rudolf Kastner, a Hungarian Jewish leader accused of betraying Jews to the Nazis during World War II.

Society
The Italian Chamber of Deputies ratified a law abolishing legal prostitution.

Business
The Danish toy company Lego Group patented the design of its Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today.

Baseball
Los Angeles Dodgers' catcher Roy Campanella, 36, was paralyzed below the neck when his car skidded off a slippery road while he was driving to his home in Glen Cove, New York. After a long career in the Negro leagues, Mr. Campanella had a sensational 10-year career with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1948-1957. He was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1951, 1953, and 1955. His best season was probably 1953, when he hit .312 with 41 home runs and a league-leading 142 runs batted in, and 103 runs scored. Mr. Campanella played in 5 World Series from 1949-1956, but the Dodgers' only win came in 1955.

50 years ago
1968


Disasters
24 people were killed in a train crash near General Camara, Brazil.

20 people were reported killed in avalanches in the Swiss Alps.

Golf
Billy Casper won the Los Angeles Open with a total score of 274; first prize money was $20,000.

Boxing
Chartchai Chionoi (47-10-2) retained his World Boxing Council world flyweight title with a technical knockout of Efren Torres (53-5-1) at 1:15 of the 13th round at El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos in Mexico City. The fight was stopped because of a severe cut over Mr. Torres' left eye.



40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Solo Tu--Matia Bazar (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Mull of Kintyre--Wings

#1 single in Ireland: Mull of Kintyre--Wings (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Mull of Kintyre/Girls' School--Wings (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Baby Come Back--Player (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 If I Had Words--Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley with the St. Thomas More School Choir
2 Mull of Kintyre--Wings
3 Egyptian Reggae--Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers
4 Singin' in the Rain--Sheila B. Devotion
5 It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler
6 Tingelingeling--Andre Van Duin Presenteert Ome Joop en Het Dik Voormekaar Koor
7 The Floral Dance--The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
8 Smurfenbier--Vader Abraham
9 Lailola - No Ablas Mas--José e Los Reyes
10 Only a Fool--The Mighty Sparrow with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires

Singles entering the chart were Take a Chance on Me by ABBA (#15); For a Few Dollars More by Smokie (#22); Darling by Baccara (#23); Kayuta Hill by Partner (#26); and The House of the Rising Sun by Santa Esmeralda (#29).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Short People--Randy Newman
2 Baby Come Back--Player
3 We are the Champions--Queen
4 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
5 You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)--Rod Stewart
6 Just the Way You Are--Billy Joel
7 Here You Come Again--Dolly Parton
8 How Deep is Your Love--Bee Gees
9 Desiree--Neil Diamond
10 Sometimes When We Touch--Dan Hill

Singles entering the chart were Dust in the Wind by Kansas (#75); Poor Poor Pitiful Me by Linda Ronstadt (#76); Silver Dreams by the Babys (#82); Ebony Eyes by Bob Welch (#90); Feels So Good by Chuck Mangione (#91); Baby Hold On by Eddie Money (#97); I Can't Hold On by Karla Bonoff (#98); You Brought the Woman Out of Me by Hot (#99); and Never Had a Love by Pablo Cruise (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 How Deep is Your Love--Bee Gees (6th week at #1)
2 (Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again--L.T.D.
3 Slip Slidin' Away--Paul Simon
4 You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)--Rod Stewart
5 Sometimes When We Touch--Dan Hill
6 Baby Come Back--Player
7 We are the Champions--Queen
8 Here You Come Again--Dolly Parton
9 Come Sail Away--Styx
10 Sentimental Lady--Bob Welch

Singles entering the chart were (You're My) Soul and Inspiration by Donny and Marie Osmond (#94); Dreamer by Supertramp (#95); Donna by Andre Gagnon (#96); Galaxy by War (#97); Our Love by Natalie Cole (#98); and Storybook Children (Daybreak) by Bette Midler (#99).

World events
Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle imposed emergency rule, hoping to end the nationwide strike aimed at forcing him to resign.

Hockey
NHL
Los Angeles 3 @ Montreal 6

Football
NFL
New Orleans Saints' owner John Mecom, Jr. fired Hank Stram just 2 years into a 10-year contract as head coach. The Saints had gone 4-10 in 1976, and had followed that with a 3-11 record in 1977. Perhaps the low point of Mr. Stram's coaching reign in New Orleans came in the second last game of the season, when the Saints lost 33-14 at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers, in their second season in the NFL, had lost their first 26 games going into that game. Mr. Stram coached the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs franchise in the AFL and NFL from 1960-1974, winning American Football League titles in 1962, 1966, and 1969. His 1969 team finished the season with a victory over the NFL champion Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl.

30 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Never Can Say Goodbye--The Communards (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Klaus Fuchs, 76
. German physicist. Dr. Fuchs was a socialist who became a Communist while still a student in Germany. He fled to the United Kingdom shortly after the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, and went to the United States during World War II, where he worked on the Manhattan Project, which produced the first atomic bombs. Dr. Fuchs worked as a spy with the U.S.S.R., and illegally transferred nuclear information to the Soviets. In January 1950 he confessed to being a spy, and was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment for espionage. Dr. Fuchs was released in 1959 after serving 9 1/3 years, and emigrated to East Germany, where he spent the rest of his life. He died 30 days after his 76th birthday.

Abominations
The Supreme Court of Canada, in the case of Her Majesty the Queen v Henry Morgentaler et al, voted 5-2 to strike down section 251 of the Criminal Code of Canada, outlawing abortion unless performed for "therapeutic" reasons. 30 years later, Canada still has no law regarding abortion. Bertha Wilson, showing the mental and moral retardation that characterized her dismal feminist career, sided with the majority. Ted Byfield, writing in Alberta Report, stated that "her so-called judgement...reads like something you'd be handed on a street corner." I've read "Madam Justice" Wilson's judgement, and Mr. Byfield was right.

25 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Nahkatakkinen tyttö--Dingo (2nd week at #1)

Football
CFL
In the biggest trade in Canadian Football League history, the Edmonton Eskimos traded quarterback Tracy Ham, slotback Craig Ellis, defensive back Enis Jackson, running back Chris Johnstone, defensive back Travis Oliver, linebacker John Davis, wide receiver Ken Winey, and defensive lineman Cam Brosseau to the Toronto Argonauts for quarterback Rickey Foggie, wide receiver Eddie Brown, slotback Darrell K. Smith, slotback J.P. Izquierdo, defensive lineman Leonard Johnson, defensive back Don Wilson, cornerback Ed Berry, and linebacker Bruce Dickson.

10 years ago
2008


On television today
Canada AM, on CTV

Canada AM added a second hosting team in western Canada, expanding the program to six hours and becoming the first morning television program in North America to air live in all time zones.

Friday 26 January 2018

January 27, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Irina!

675 years ago
1343


Religion
Pope Clement VI issued his papal bull Unigenitus Dei Filius, in which he elaborated for the first time the power of the pope in the use of indulgences. This document was used by Cardinal Cajetan in the examination of Martin Luther and his 95 Theses in his trial at Augsburg in 1518.

425 years ago
1593


Religion
The Vatican opened the heresy trial of mathematician and astronomer Giordano Bruno. The trial lasted seven years, and ended with Mr. Bruno being burned at the stake.

150 years ago
1868


War
The Battle of Toba–Fushimi between forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and pro-Imperial factions began in Japan; it ended four days later in defeat for the shogunate, and was a pivotal point in the Meiji Restoration.

130 years ago
1888


Science
The National Geographic Society was founded in Washington, D.C.

100 years ago
1918


Born on this date
Elmore James
. U.S. musician. Mr. James was a blues musician and singer who was known for playing slide guitar, as a session musician or leading his own band. His best-known song was Dust My Broom (1951). He died of a heart attack in Chicago on May 24, 1963 at the age of 45.

Died on this date
Skitch Henderson
. U.S. musician. Lyle Russel Henderson served as music director for various NBC radio and television programs, most notably Tonight in the 1950s and '60s. He founded the New York Pops Orchestra in 1983 and conducted it until his death on November 1, 2005 at the age of 87.

80 years ago
1938


Disasters
An ice dam crushed the foundations of the Honeymoon Bridge across the Niagara River at Niagara Falls, Ontario, causing the bridge to collapse.

75 years ago
1943


War
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt flew from Casablanca to Liberia as Soviet dictator Josef Stalin received a joint note from Mr. Roosevelt and U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the results of the Casablanca Conference, pledging maintenance and extension of the initiative won late in 1942 and all possible aid to the U.S.S.R. and assistance for the Chinese armies. The 8th U.S. Army Air Force bombers, flying from England, conducted the first American bombing raid on Germany, against the port of Wilmshaven. 53 of 64 planes reached their target, and they shot down 22 German planes while losing only 3. Soviet troops recaptured 15 points on the south Russian and Caucasian fronts, and took 3,350 German prisoners on the Stalingrad front.

Diplomacy
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 13-10 to confirm Edward J. Flynn as U.S. minister to Australia.

Health
The U.S. Office of War Information announced that 13 hospitals had been established by U.S. Public Health Services to treat women for venereal disease and to reduce infection among military men.

Football
NFL
Green Bay Packers' end Don Hutson was voted by Chicago sportswriters as the National Football League's most valuable player. Mr. Hutson had set league single-season records in 1942 for pass receptions (74); yards receiving (1,211); touchdowns receiving (17); and points (138), in an 11-game season.

70 years ago
1948


Aviation
A Trans-World Airlines Constellation flew from Chicago to New York in 1 hour 40 minutes at a cruising speed of 482 miles per hour, a commercial record.

World events
The Bolivian government of President Enrique Hertzog imposed a state of siege to frustrate an alleged military coup plot.

The Soviet Council of Ministers decreed criminal penalties for U.S.S.R. citizens attempting to communicate with foreigners without official authorization.

Politics and government
The Iraqi cabinet of Prime Minister Sayyid Salih Jabr resigned in the face of protests over the recently-concluded defense pact with the United Kingdom.

Alabama Governor Jim Folsom announced that he would challenge U.S. President Harry Truman's renomination by the Deomcratic Party as its presidential candidate for 1948, claiming that Mr. Truman was dominated by "monopolists."

Economics and finance
U.S. President Truman nominated Thomas McCabe as chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, succeeding Marriner Eccles, who was demoted to vice-chairman. Observers viewed the move as a victory for the conservative monetary views of Treasury Secretary John Snyder.

Labour
Detroit automobile plants laid off 200,000 workers due to gas shortages as a severe cold wave struck the midwestern United States.

60 years ago
1958


Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): At the Hop--Danny and the Juniors (Best Seller--4th week at #1; Disc Jockey--1st week at #1; Top 100--4th week at #1)

War
200 Cuban guerrillas attacked small military outposts in the mountains between Trinidad and Sancti Spiritus, opening a second front against government forces.

Diplomacy
The U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. signed a compromise agreement in Washington calling for the establishment of a program of increased cultural, educational, technical, and sports exchanges.

Politics and government
Janos Kadar resigned as Prime Minister of Hungary, but told the Hungarian Parliament that he would retain his post as Communist Party First Secretary.

Crime
Charlie Starkweather and Caril Fugate left Lincoln, Nebraska, six days after Mr. Starkweather had murdered Caril’s mother, stepfather, and sister. A note taped to the front door of the house where the murders took place warned visitors that the residents had the flu, but Caril’s grandmother got suspicious and called police. By the time they arrived, Charlie and Caril were heading for Bennet in Charlie’s rebuilt 1949 Ford, carrying a .38, a .22 rifle, and a .410-gauge shotgun. Arriving early in the evening at the farmhouse of 70-year-old August Meyer, a Starkweather family friend, Charlie shot Meyer (ostensibly for his guns and ammunition), but the couple abandoned their car when it got stuck in the mud on the way out. Robert Jensen and Carol King, two local teenagers out on a date, picked them up, but Charlie forced them to drive to an abandoned storm cellar. Robert and Carol were shot to death; Mr. Starkweather later admitted shooting Mr. Jensen, but claimed that Caril had shot King. The killers then made off with their victims’ car, a more recent model Ford. Charlie and Caril returned to Lincoln, and drove to the wealthy residential area on the southeast side of the city. They entered the home of C. Lauer Ward, 48-year-old president of Capital Steel Works, who at that moment was downtown in conference with Nebraska governor Victor Anderson. Mr. Ward’s wife Clara and maid Lillian Fencl were stabbed to death. When Ward arrived home, Charlie shot him, and he and Caril filled Mr. Ward’s black 1956 Packard with loot from the house and hit the highway, in the direction of Wyoming.

Defense
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Lewis Strauss, in a letter to the Joint Congressional Atomic Energy Committee, asked for revision of the 1954 Atomic Energy Act to permit President Dwight D. Eisenhower to make nuclear weapons available to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Education
U.S. President Eisenhower sent Congress a special message urging enactment of an "emergency" four-year program to improve education, particularly in science and engineering.

Disasters
Seven ships were lost, with 271 deaths, in storms along the southern and eastern coasts of Japan.

Tennis
Ashley Cooper of Australia and Angela Mortimer of England won the Australian men's and women's singles titles, respectively, in Sydney.

Football
CFL
Sam Lyle was named to succeed the departed Pop Ivy as head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos. Lyle, like Ivy, was an assistant to Bud Wilkinson at the University of Oklahoma when approached by the Eskimos. Perry Moss was also interviewed for the Eskimo job, and impressed the directors, but they wished to continue their "Oklahoma Connection."

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)--Johnny Farnham (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: La Dernière Valse--Mireille Mathieu (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): L'ora dell'amore--I Camaleonti (7th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Der letzte Walzer--Peter Alexander (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Hello Goodbye--The Beatles (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 World--The Bee Gees (3rd week at #1)
2 Nights in White Satin--The Moody Blues
3 2000 Light Years from Home/She's a Rainbow--The Rolling Stones
4 Hello Goodbye--The Beatles
5 Mien Waar Is M'n Feestneus?--Toon
6 Daydream Believer--The Monkees
7 Magical Mystery Tour (EP)--The Beatles
8 Dear Eloise--The Hollies
9 Tin Soldier--Small Faces
10 Little Bird--Tielman Brothers

Singles entering the chart were Walk Away Renee by the Four Tops (#32); The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde by Georgie Fame (#34); Celestial Dreams by Dragonfly (#36); Bend Me, Shape Me by the American Breed (#38); and Sleep, Sleep, Sleep by Ro-d-Ys (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
2 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
3 Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed
4 Chain of Fools--Aretha Franklin
5 Woman, Woman--The Union Gap
6 I Heard it Through the Grapevine--Gladys Knight & the Pips
7 Hello Goodbye--The Beatles
8 Susan--The Buckinghams
9 Spooky--The Classics IV
10 Darlin'--The Beach Boys

Singles entering the chart were I Thank You by Sam & Dave (#61); (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding (#63); Simon Says by 1910 Fruitgum Company (#67); Guitar Man by Elvis Presley (#76); Everything that Touches You by the Association (#79); Get Out Now by Tommy James and the Shondells (#82); (You’ve Got) Personality & Chantilly Lace by Mitch Ryder (#86); Carpet Man by the 5th Dimension (#88); Stop by Howard Tate (#92); Try It by the Ohio Express (#93); Birds of a Feather by Joe South (#94); Toyland by Alan Bown (#97); and Love Explosion by Troy Keyes (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
2 Baby, Now that I've Found You--The Foundations
3 Next Plane to London--The Rose Garden
4 Chain of Fools--Aretha Franklin
5 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
6 Who Will Answer?--Ed Ames
7 Susan--The Buckinghams
8 Woman, Woman--The Union Gap
9 I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite--Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
10 Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed

Singles entering the chart were (You’ve Got) Personality & Chantilly Lace by Mitch Ryder (#81); Malayisha by Miriam Makeba (#83); (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls by Dionne Warwick (#84); Hey Little One by Glen Campbell (#90); Thank U Very Much by the Scaffold (#93); Never Ever by Peter and Gordon (#94); She Says by the 49th Parallel (#96); Guitar Man by Elvis Presley (#97); There was a Time by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#98); Love Never Changes by Brian Foley (#99); and There Is by the Dells (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite--Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
2 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
3 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
4 Spooky--The Classics IV
5 Money--The Lovin' Spoonful
6 Tomorrow--Strawberry Alarm Clock
7 Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You--The Lettermen
8 I Can Take or Leave Your Loving--Herman's Hermits
9 Love Me Two Times--The Doors
10 Some Velvet Morning--Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood

Singles entering the chart were Mr. Soul Satisfaction by Timmi Willis (#24); Everything that Touches You by the Association (#25); Sunday Mornin' by Spanky and Our Gang (#28); No Sad Songs by Joe Simon (#29); and Explosion in My Soul by the Soul Survivors (#30).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed
2 Woman, Woman--The Union Gap
3 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
4 (Alone) In My Room--Willie & the Walkers
5 Different Drum--Stone Poneys
6 She Says--The 49th Parallel
7 Love of the Common People--Wayne Newton
8 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
9 Nobody But Me--The Human Beinz
10 Hello Goodbye--The Beatles
Pick hit of the week: I Can Take or Leave Your Loving--Herman's Hermits

Disasters
The French submarine Minerve, with 52 aboard, was reported missing in the Mediterranean Sea, two days after the Israeli submarine INS Dakar had disappeared in bad weather, 100 miles west of Cyprus.

40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): 2-4-6-8 Motorway--Tom Robinson Band

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Mull of Kintyre--Wings (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Belfast--Boney M. (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Monte Pearson, 69
. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Pearson played with the Cleveland Indians (1932-1935); New York Yankees (1936-1940); and Cincinnati Reds (1941), compiling a record of 100-61 with an earned run average of 4.00 in 224 games, and batted .228 with 2 home runs and 62 runs batted in in 225 games. He led the American League in earned run average (2.33) as a rookie in 1933, and led the AL in winning percentage (.731) in 1936, when he was 19-7. Mr. Pearson was a member of World Series championship teams from 1936-1939, winning a game in each of those World Series. He pitched just 5 shutouts in the major leagues, but the fourth, on August 27, 1938, was the first no-hitter pitched at the original Yankee Stadium. A shoulder injury in 1940 hastened the end of Mr. Pearson's career.

30 years ago
1988


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys (2nd week at #1)

25 years ago
1993


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Ladies and Gentlemen...The Rolling Stones

Died on this date
André Roussimoff (André the Giant), 46
. French wrestler. Mr. Roussimoff, who stood 7' 4" and weighed from 475-540 pounds during his career, wrestled as a professional from 1964-1992. He also appeared in several movies and television programs, most notably The Princess Bride (1987). Mr. Roussimoff died of congestive heart failure while in Paris to attend his father's funeral.

10 years ago
2008


Died on this date
Gordon B. Hinckley, 97
. U.S. religious leader. Mr. Hinckley, a career official in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, served as the Mormon Church's President from 1995 until his death, by which time he was the oldest President in the church's history. During Mr. Hinckley's presidency, the number of Mormon temples worldwide increased from 47 to 124. He was succeeded in office by Thomas Monson.

Suharto, 86. 2nd President of Indonesia, 1968-1998. Muhammad Suharto was a career military officer, rising to the rank of General of the Army. He succeeded in wresting power from President Sukarno in 1967, and was acting President until winning an election a year later. President Suharto was known for his opposition to Communism, but his authoritarian "New Order" administration eventually led to his resignation.

January 26, 2018

230 years ago
1788


Australiana
Captain Arthur Philip guided 11 ships of the British First Fleet loaded with convicts into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) in New South Wales, effectively founding Australia. The date is annually celebrated as Australia Day.

210 years ago
1808


World events
The New South Wales Corps under the command of Major George Johnston, working closely with civilian settler leader John Macarthur, deposed New South Wales Governor William Bligh in what became known as the Rum Rebellion, the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of a government in Australian history.

180 years ago
1838


Society
The first prohibition law in the United States was passed in Tennessee, making it a misdemeanour to sell liquor in taverns and stores.

125 years ago
1893


Died on this date
Abner Doubleday, 73
. U.S. military officer. Mr. Doubleday was a general in the Union army in the U.S. Civil War who fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, South Carolina in 1861, and had a major role in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. He was erroneously credited with having created the game of baseball in Cooperstown, New York in 1839.

110 years ago
1908


Born on this date
Percy Beard
. U.S. hurdler and coach. Mr. Beard set a world record time of 1.2 seconds in the 120-metre hurdles in 1931, and tied the record in 1934. He won a silver medal in the men's 110-metre hurdles at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Mr. Beard was track and field coach of the University of Florida Gators from 1937-1964, and used his civil engineering background to design all-weather tracks. He was inducted into the U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1981, and died on March 27, 1990 at the age of 82.

100 years ago
1918


Born on this date
Nicolae Ceaușescu
. 1st President of Romania, 1974-1989. Mr. Ceaușescu General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party in 1965, President of the State Council in 1967, and President of the Republic in 1974. He was one of the most ruthless and oppressive Communist dictators in eastern Europe, and when the Romanian Revolution occurred in December 1989, he and his wife Elena were arrested, convicted of economic sabotage and genocide, and executed by firing squad. Mr. Ceaușescu was 71 at the time of his death.

Philip José Farmer. U.S. author. Mr. Farmer was a science fiction writer who wrote almost 60 novels and over 100 short stories and novellas. He frequently worked sexual and religious themes into his work. Mr. Farmer died on February 25, 2009 at the age of 91.

War
A group of Red Guards hung a red lantern atop the tower of Helsinki Workers' Hall to symbolically mark the start of the Finnish Civil War.

90 years ago
1928


Died on this date
Guido Nardini, 46
. Italian military aviator. Maresciallo Nardini was an air ace during World War I, recording six combat victories from 1916-1918. He continued to serve in the armed forces after the war, and was killed when he bailed out of an aircraft in trouble over the Ciampino airfield, and his parachute malfunctioned.

Aviation
French aviators Dieudonne Costes and Joseph Lebrix flew from Colon, Panama to Guatemala City, Guatemala, the latest stop on their transatlantic flight.

80 years ago
1938


Journalism
The last issue of the Saskatchewan Herald, the province's first newspaper, was published.

75 years ago
1943


Died on this date
Harry H. Laughlin, 62
. U.S. eugenicist. Mr. Laughlin was director of the Eugenics Record Office from 1910-1939, and was a key figure in influencing the passage of legislation requiring compulsory sterilization of people deemed "unfit" to have children. The Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring passed by Germany's Nazi regime shortly after assuming power in 1933 was based on the model devised by Mr. Laughlin. Ironically, Mr. Laughlin would have qualified for sterilization according to his own standards--he was an epileptic.

War
Russian troops drove German forces out of Voronezh, 10 miles east of the Don River. Soviet sources claimed that 40,000 Germans had been killed and 28,000 captured since January 10 in fighting around Stalingrad. French troops captured Fort Saint, Tunisia and marched across the border and occupied Gadames, Libya. U.S. Senator Happy Chandler (Democrat--Kentucky) reported that service plans called for 10,420,000 men and women in the armed services by the end of 1943.

Labour
15,000 members of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union walked off their jobs in New York after wage negotiations broke down.

Baseball
The New York Yankees sold pitcher Lefty Gomez to the Boston Braves. He had compiled a record of 189-101 with the Yankees from 1930-1942; in 1942 he was 6-4 with an earned run average of 4.28 in 13 games.

70 years ago
1948


War
Communist Chinese forces, renewing their Manchurian offensive, took the rail junction of Sinlitun west of Mukden. The attacks left Communists in control of 95% o Manchuria's food-producing land and 85% of its population.

Defense
U.S. President Harry Truman nominated General Omar Bradley to succeed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower as Army chief of staff following Gen. Eisenhower's retirement.

Politics and government
Alabama's Democratic Executive Committee adopted a resolution warning national party leaders not to support anti-segregation policies in the coming presidential campaign.

Society
Mrs. Ada Fisher returned her case to the U.S. Supreme Court after refusing to accept admission to an all-Negro law school established for her by the University of Oklahoma.

Economics and finance
16 European states participating in the Marshall Plan began a conference in Rome to coordinate use of their resources.

Poland and the U.S.S.R. signed a five-year trade agreement providing for exchange of goods worth $1 billion.

The U.S. State Department resumed negotiations in Washington on settlement of the U.S.S.R.'s Lend-Lease account.

Labour
International Ladies Garment Workers Union President David Dubinsky announced the expulsion of union officials who refused to sign affidavits required by the Taft-Hartley Act, swearing that they were not Communists.

Disasters
A hurricane struck Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, causing 300 deaths.

60 years ago
1958


On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Motive, starring Skip Homeier, William Redfield, and Carl Betz

World events
U Seinda, Burmese Buddhist monk and anti-government leader since 1946, surrendered with 1,000 Arakan guerrillas in Mibya.

Politics and government
Israeli General Moshe Dayan resigned as Army chief of staff, reportedly at Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion's insistence, to take an active role in the dominant Mapai (Labor) Party.

Swiss voters rejected a constitutional amendment to outlaw cartels and monopolies.

Auto racing
Guy Monraisse and Jacques Feret of France, driving a Renault Dauphine, won the 1,900-mile Monte Carlo Rally from Oslo to Monte Carlo.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Hello Goodbye--The Beatles (2nd week at #1)

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
2 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
3 Susan--The Buckinghams
4 I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite--Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
5 Woman, Woman--The Union Gap
6 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
7 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
8 Dear Eloise--The Hollies
9 Jezebel--The Witness Inc.
10 Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed
Pick of the Week: Sunday Mornin'--Spanky and Our Gang
New this week: Tomorrow--Strawberry Alarm Clock
Lollipop Train--Barry McGuire
1941--Tom Northcott
Get Out Now--Tommy James and the Shondells
Strawberry Shortcake--Jay and the Techniques

On television tonight
Off to See the Wizard, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Alexander the Great, starring William Shatner, Adam West, Joseph Cotten, and John Cassavetes

This episode was a pilot for a proposed series, filmed in 1963. The series was rejected by ABC, and the network kept the program in its vaults until broadcasting it as part of the family-oriented anthology series.



40 years ago
1978


On television tonight
James at 15, starring Lance Kerwin, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Star-Crossed Lovers



Class of '65, starring Tony Bill, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Class Clown

Television
It was announced that Frank Rigney, longtime colour analyst on CBC telecasts of Canadian Football League games, would be taking his telestrator with him to join the CTV broadcast crew for CFL games.

Died on this date
Leo Genn, 72
. U.K. actor. Mr. Genn trained as a barrister, and practiced law when he wasn't acting, assisting the prosecution at the Nuremberg war crimes trials. His movie credits included The Velvet Touch; Mourning Becomes Electra; Quo Vadis (1951); Moby Dick; and 55 Days at Peking.

Scandal
South Korean rice dealer Tongsun Park reportedly gave U.S. Justice Department investigators in Seoul evidence that 15-18 current members of the United States Congress may have received cash gifts in violation of ethical standards. Acting Deputy Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti said that about $1 million had been given to American officials. Two days earlier, Mr. Park had told investigators that he had made financial contributions to at least five U.S. Senators, including the recently-deceased Hubert Humphrey (Democrat--Minnesota).

Disasters
A snowstorm swept the midwestern United States, with 15-inches of snow in Michigan and Indiana, killing more than 70 people and stranding thousands of motorists. In Ohio, about 150,000 homes were without heat or electricity when the storm knocked out power lines. In West Virginia, rivers overflowed their banks and forced at least 3,000 people to flee.

Hockey
NHL
Pittsburgh @ Detroit (postponed, snow)
Toronto 2 @ New York Islanders 4
Minnesota 2 @ Buffalo 1
Cleveland 0 @ Chicago 5
St. Louis 1 @ Los Angeles 5

A major snowstorm caused the postponement of the Red Wings' vs. the Penguins at Olympia Stadium. The storm also battered Chicago, and it was expected that the Black Hawks' home game that night against the Cleveland Barons would also be postponed. To the surprise of just about everybody, the game went ahead. Only 537 fans were on hand in the 17,000-seat Chicago Stadium to watch the Black Hawks win 5-0. Tony Esposito stopped 26 shots for the shutout, and the Black Hawks got goals from Ivan Boldirev, Stan Mikita, John Marks, Alain Daigle, and Phil Russell. Paul Harrison made 34 saves to outduel Buffalo goalie Don Edwards for his first NHL win as the North Stars upset the Sabres at War Memorial Auditorium. Glenn Goldup scored twice and Marcel Dionne scored his 250th career NHL goal as the Kings beat the Blues at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

Football
CFL
In Edmonton, Vic Rapp of the British Columbia Lions was awarded the Annis Stukus Trophy as the CFL's Coach of the Year for 1977. Mr. Rapp had coached the Lions to a 10-6 record and second place in the Western Football Conference, the Lions' best season since their Grey Cup championship year of 1964.

30 years ago
1988


Theatre
The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber opened at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway in New York. As of January 2018, the show is still running, and is Broadway's longest-running show.

Business
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce bought 65% of investment dealer Wood Gundy for $190 million, mostly in shares; the bank annunced that it would also provide $100 million in subordinated loans.

25 years ago
1993


Died on this date
Jan Gies, 87
. Dutch resistance leader. Mr. Gies and his wife Miep helped hide Anne Frank and her family from Nazi persecution in Amsterdam during World War II.

Jeanne Sauvé, 70. Governor General of Canada, 1984-1990. Mme. Sauvé, a native of Prud'homme, Saskatchewan, was a journalist in both English and French with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation before entering federal politics as a Liberal, representing the Montreal riding of Ahuntsic from 1972-1979, and Laval-des-Rapides from 1979-1984. Mme. Sauvé was appointed Governor-General by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau,and proved to be a terrible choice. She occupied the position of the Queen's representative in Canada, but said that she hated the monarchy. Mme. Sauvé also closed Rideau Hall, her official residence, to the public. Mme. Sauvé died after a long battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Politics and government
Former Czechoslovakian President Vaclav Havel was elected President of the new Czech Republic.

20 years ago
1998


Died on this date
Hogan "Kid" Bassey, 65
. Nigerian boxer. Mr. Bassey was world featherweight champion from 1957-1959, the first world champion to come from Nigeria. He compiled a record of 59-13-2 in a professional career running from 1949-1959.

Scandal
On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denied having had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.



Business
TransCanada Pipelines and Nova Corporation announced a $14-billion merger, the largest to date in Canada's energy sector.

10 years ago
2008


Americana
Kirsten Haglund, representing Michigan, was named Miss America 2008; the pageant took place at the Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, only the third time it had been held outside Atlantic City.