Wednesday 28 February 2018

February 29 (2018)

1,550 years ago
468


Died on this date
Hilarius
. Roman Catholic Pope, 461-468. Hilarius, a native of Sardinia, succeeded Leo I, and continued his predecessor's policy of increasing the power of the Holy See. Pope Hilarius was succeeded by Simplicius.

550 years ago
1468


Born on this date
Paul III
. Roman Catholic Pope, 1534-1549. Paul III, born Alessandro Farnese, was appointed a cardinal in 1493, and acceded to the papacy following the death of Clement VII. Pope Paul apparently had difficulty living up to his vow of celibacy, as he had a mistress by whom he had five children. Pope Paul III initiated the Counter-Reformation with the Council of Trent in 1545, recognized new religious orders such as the Jesuits and Barnabites, and patronized the arts and sciences, while using nepotism to advance his family interests. He died on November 10, 1549 at the age of 81, and was succeeded by Julius III.

250 years ago
1768


Politics and government
Polish nobles formed Bar Confederation.

150 years ago
1868


Died on this date
Ludwig I
. King of Bavaria, 1825-1848. Ludwig I succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father Maximilian I. Ludwig I initially had a liberal regime, but became more repressive with the passage of time, and during the revolutions of 1848 was forced to abdicate in favour of his son Maximilian II. Ludwig I remained influential, and was known for his support of the arts.

110 years ago
1908


Born on this date
Dee Brown
. U.S. author. Mr. Brown was a librarian, novelist, and historian. His best-known book was Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970), which told the history of Native Americans from the perspective of the Indians. He died on December 12, 2002 at the age of 94.

Died on this date
Pat Garrett, 57
. U.S. lawman. Mr. Garrett was the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, who was credited with fatally shooting Billy the Kid in 1881. Mr. Garrett was killed near Las Cruces, New Mexico while was travelling with another man to a meeting to discuss a land dispute. Mr. Garrett was fatally shot when he stopped in the desert for a few minutes to urinate.

90 years ago
1928


Music
Paul Whiteman and his Concert Orchestra were at Liederkranz Hall in New York, where they recorded Sea Burial.

70 years ago
1948


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Anniversary Song--Al Jolson; Bing Crosby (4th month at #1)

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring John Stanley and Alfred Shirley, on MBS
Tonight's episode: King Philip's Golden Salver

Died on this date
Rebel Oakes, 64
. U.S. baseball player. Ennis Telfair Oakes was a center fielder with the Cincinnati Reds (1909); St. Louis Cardnals (1910-1913); and Pittsburgh Rebels (1914-1915), batting .279 with 15 home runs and 397 runs batted in in 986 games.

Terrorism
Stern Gang members blew up a Haifa-bound British train near Rehoveth, killing 28 British soldiers and wounding 35.

Defense
Colonel Kenneth Nichols was appointed head of the U.S. Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, following the retirement of General Leslie Groves.

Religion
Richard Wurmbrand, pastor of an underground church in Romania, was arrested by secret police as he walked to church, was taken to their headquarters and later put in a solitary cell where he was designated as Prisoner Number 1. He remained imprisoned for his faith for the next 8 1/2 years. His wife Sabrina, who served 3 years in prison herself during this period, was told a number of times that her husband had died. She was suspicious of these reports, and rightly so. The two were reunited when Richard was released in 1956. Upon Richard's release, he and Sabrina resumed their activities; Richard was returned to prison, and wasn't released until 1964. He survived brutality that many did not, and told his story in a best-selling memoir titled Tortured for Christ. In 1965, western churches ransomed Richard for $10,000. He and Sabrina (and son Mihai) came to America, where Richard testified about his experiences before the U.S. Senate. The Wurmbrands devoted themselves to speaking out on behalf of Christians being persecuted behind the Iron Curtain. In 1969 Pastor Wurmbrand founded Jesus to the Communist World, an organization which is known today as Voice of the Martyrs. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, VOM has broadened its ministry to aiding the cause of persecuted Christians around the world, not just those in Communist countries. URLs for international VOM sites can be found at http://www.persecution.com/internationalOffice/index.cfm. Sabrina Wurmbrand died in 2000; Richard died in Whittier, California on February 17, 2001 at the age of 91. He was undoubtedly met by the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Economics and finance
Czechoslovakian Prime Minister Klement Gottwald announced plans to break up estates of more than 125 acres, but denied that a collective farm system on the Soviet model would be established.

50 years ago
1968


On television tonight
Dragnet 1968, starring Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Suicide Attempt



At the movies
The Secret War of Harry Frigg, directed by Jack Smight and starring Paul Newman, opened in theatres.

Died on this date
Lena Blackburne, 81
. U.S. baseball player, coach and manager. Russell Aubrey Blackburne was an infielder with the Chicago White Sox (1910, 1912, 1914-1915, 1927, 1929); Cincinnati Reds (1918); Boston Braves (1919); and Philadelphia Phillies (1919), batting .214 with 4 home runs and 139 runs batted in in 550 games. He coached with the White Sox (1927); St. Louis Browns (1930); and Philadelphia Athletics (1933-1938, 1940, 1942-1943), and managed the White Sox from 1928-1929, posting a record of 99-133. Mr. Blackburne was best known for marketing his Baseball Rubbing Mud, which he discovered in the 1930s, and is still used today to rub baseballs with before each game.

Music
Up, Up and Away won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. It had been a hit for The 5th Dimension. Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, by the Beatles, won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

The Beach Boys recorded the song Little Bird at Brian Wilson's home studio in Los Angeles.

Space
The discovery of the first pulsar--a neutron star or white dwarf which emits regular radio waves--was announced by Dr. Jocelyn Bell Burnell in Cambridge, England. Dr. Burnell actually made the discovery on November 28, 1967.

Politics and government
Archbishop Makarios was inaugurated into his second five-year term as President of Cyprus, four days after being re-elected.

Leopold Sedar Senghor was inaugurated into his third term as President of Senegal, four days after being re-elected.

Romania walked out of a Communist Party conference in Budapest, in a dispute over the People's Republic of China.

Society
The President’s National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, an 11-member body headed by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, released a 426-page summary of its 1,400-page report on the summer riots of 1967. The commission was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson on July 27, 1967 to investigate the nature of the riots, discover the causes, and determine how future riots could be avoided. In the summer of 1967, 164 "civil disorders" were reported in 128 American cities. The most notorious took place in Newark, New Jersey and Detroit, Michigan. In Newark, 23 people were killed and $10 million in property damage occurred from July 14-17. The Detroit riots resulted in 43 deaths, 7,231 arrests, 2,500 businesses burned or looted, and $22 million in property damage from July 23-28. Other cities affected by violence that summer included Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Buffalo and Syracuse, New York. This blogger passed through downtown Syracuse with his family in August, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. It seems the Summer of Love was restricted to San Francisco. The commission’s major findings were:
--The U.S. "is moving toward 2 societies, one black, one white--separate and unequal," but it is still possible to head off the division.
--White racism is the chief cause of the Negro violence and riots.
--To reverse the situation calls for unprecedented levels of "funding and performance" but "there can be no higher priority for national action and no higher claim on the nation’s conscience." The commission found that the riots were not organized or part of any conspiracy, but happened because of an accumulation of social ills such as unemployment, inadequate housing, discriminatory police practices, and various complex social processes. The underlying factor in the cause of the riots was found to be "...the racial attitude and behavior of white Americans toward black Americans." The commission made more than 150 specific recommendations for removing the causes of racial unrest, including:
--Creation of 2 million new jobs in the next 3 years.
--Decentralization of city governments to make them more responsive to the needs of their people.
--A national system of income supplements based on need.
--New low- and moderate-income housing.
The commission report received the backing of most of the civil rights leaders in the United States, but there was much adverse reaction, especially to the central finding of the commission that white racism was the root cause of the riots. In short, the report reflected typical liberal American views of the 1960s, still believed by some today: Whitey is the cause of all evil; black people are basically just children who shouldn’t be held morally accountable for their behaviour, and need the help of white liberals in order to improve their lot in life; and social problems can best be solved by throwing money at them.

Boxing
Roberto Davila (18-10) scored a technical knockout of Brian London (37-16) in the 6th round of their heavyweight bout at the Stadium in Liverpool.

30 years ago
1988


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

Died on this date
Sidney Harmon, 80
. U.S. screenwriter and producer. Mr. Harmon was nominated for an Academy Award for his story for The Talk of the Town (1942).

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

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

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

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

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

10 years ago
2008


Died on this date
Buddy Dial, 71
. Gilbert Leroy Dial was a wide receiver who was an All-American at Rice University (1956-1958), and was drafted in the second round of the 1959 NFL draft by the New York Giants. He was put on waivers just before the start of the regular season, and was claimed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mr. Dial played with the Steelers from 1959-1963, catching 229 passes for 4,723 yards and 42 touchdowns. He was named an All-Pro in 1963, but was traded to the Dallas Cowboys on January 1, 1964. Mr. Dial played with the Cowboys from 1964-1966, but his career was shortened by injuries, and he caught just 32 passes for 713 yards and 2 touchdowns in 3 seasons with Dallas. He had a good singing voice and released several singles and an album; the single Baby was a local hit in Dallas in 1966-67. Mr. Dial became addicted to painkillers as a result of his football injuries, and had a kidney removed, but received treatment in the 1980s. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993, and died of cancer and pneumonia.

Canadiana
A woman from Surrey, British Columbia gave birth to rare identical triplets; the chance of having naturally conceived identical triplets is estimated at one in 200 million.

Scandal
Misha Defonseca admitted to fabricating her memoir Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, in which she claimed to have lived with a pack of wolves in the woods during World War II.

February 28, 2018

380 years ago
1638


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

290 years ago
1728


War
Peshwa Bajirao I of the Maratha Empire defeated Asaf Jah I in the Battle of Palkhed near the city of Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India.

180 years ago
1838


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

160 years ago
1858


Born on this date
Tore Svennberg
. Swedish actor and director. Mr. Svennberg was best known in his native country for acting in and directing plays, and was known internationally for his co-starring role in the movie A Woman's Face (1938). He died on May 8, 1941 at the age of 83.

130 years ago
1888


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

125 years ago
1893


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

100 years ago
1918


Economics and finance
The Canadian government of Prime Minister Robert Borden enforced the War Tax Act, allowing the government to raise the tax rate of any person subject to regular tax. The federal government hoped to withdraw $15-$20 million.

90 years ago
1928


At the movies
The Crowd, directed and co-written by King Vidor, and starring James Murray and Eleanor Boardman, received its premiere screening in New York City.

80 years ago
1938


Academia
L'Université Laval opened its School of Social and Political Sciences under the direction of Father Georges-Henri Lévesque.

75 years ago
1943


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

War
German forces recaptured Lozovaya and Kramatorsk, south of Kharkov. U.K. forces repulsed Axis assaults in northern Tunisia and recaptured Fort McGregor and Tally-Ho Corner.

Politics and government
The New York Herald Tribune reported that 1940 Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate Wendell Willkie had decided to run for the nomination again in 1944.

Track and field
U.S. pole vaulter Cornelius Warmerdam was awarded the James E. Sullivan Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship.

70 years ago
1948


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover--Art Mooney and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Ballerina--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (10th week at #1)
--Bing Crosby with the Rhythmaires
--Buddy Clark
2 I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover--Art Mooney and his Orchestra
--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
--Uptown String Band
--The Three Suns
3 Serenade of the Bells--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Jo Stafford
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
4 Golden Earrings--Peggy Lee
5 Now is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song)--Bing Crosby
--Gracie Fields
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Margaret Whiting
6 How Soon (Will I Be Seeing You)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby and Carmen Cavallaro
--Jack Owens
--Dinah Shore
7 I'll Dance at Your Wedding--Ray Noble and his Orchestra with Buddy Clark
--Peggy Lee
8 Beg Your Pardon--Francis Craig and his Orchestra
--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra
--Larry Green and his Orchestra
9 Manana (Is Soon Enough for Me)--Peggy Lee
10 Too Fat Polka (I Don’t Want Her) (You Can Have Her) (She’s Too Fat for Me)--Arthur Godfrey

Singles entering the chart were Because by Perry Como (#20); Matinee, with versions by Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra, and Buddy Clark (#24); Barnyard Boogie by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five (#31); If I Only Had a Match, with versions by Frank Sinatra, and Al Jolson (#38); and The Dickey-Bird Song by Freddy Martin and his Orchestra (#39). Mr. Sinatra's version of If I Only Had a Match was the other side of But Beautiful, charting at #16 with the version by Margaret Whiting.

Died on this date
Cornelius Frederick Adjetey
; Odartey Lamptey; Mr. Attipoe. Gold Coast soldiers. Sergeant Adjetey, Private Lamptey, and Corporal Attipoe were among World War II veterans from the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force who had marched on the colonial government seat of Christianborg Castle to demand payment of gratuities they had been promised. They refused to disperse, and when government forces refused to fire on the unarmed men, Police Superintendent Colin Imray shot and killed the three. The leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention sent a cable to London, blaming Governor Sir Gerald Creasy for the killings, and demanding a change in the colonial government.

Music
Eight-year-old Ferruccio Burco made his American conducting debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Diplomacy
Argentina and Uruguay announced an agreement to submit all future disputes to arbitration.

Politics and government
Czechoslovakian Communist Party leader Rudolf Slansky was named head of a government committee authorized to purge all parties of "reactionaries."

Peruvian President Jose Bustamante Rivero appointed an all-military cabinet.

World events
Greek police arrested 800 suspected Communists and other "subversives" in Athens and Piraeus.

Academia
The American Association of University Professors, meeting in St. Louis, announced that it would defend college teachers accused of being Communists.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Harry Truman signed a bill extending wartime export-import controls on scarce raw materials and increasing the pensions of 1.5 million federal employees.

Horse racing
Talon, with Eddie Arcaro up, won the Santa Anita Handicap in Arcadia, California.

60 years ago
1958


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Magic Moments--Perry Como

On television tonight
Harbor Command, starring Wendell Corey
Tonight's episode: Killer on My Doorstep

Diplomacy
U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko handed messages to Western diplomats in Moscow accepting Western conditions for a meeting of foreign ministers to prepare for an East-West summit conference.

World events
Former Iranian Army intelligence chief General Vali Gharani was arrested with 33 other suspects on charges of plotting with "a foreign power" against the Iranian government.

Crime
Convicted U.S. rapist and death-row inmate Caryl Chessman lost his appeal for a new trial when Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that the transcript of Mr. Chessman's 1948 trial were not in error.

Economics and finance
The European Coal and Steel Community met in Strasbourg for a final session prior to its absorption into the European Legislative Assembly, formed to control Euratom and the Common Market.

South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem announced the approval of private foreign investments in textile, sugar, glass, pharmaceutical, and fishing projects.

Disasters
A school bus driver and 26 children were killed near Prestonburg, Kentucky when the bus hit a wrecker truck and plunged down an embankment into the rain-swollen Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River. 22 children survived.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Cinderella Rockefella--Esther and Abi Ofarim

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)--Johnny Farnham (5th week at #1)
2 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
3 Tin Soldier/I Feel Much Better--Small Faces
4 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
5 Daydream Believer--The Monkees
6 Hello Goodbye/I Am the Walrus--The Beatles
7 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
8 You Only Live Twice/Oh Lonesome Me--Nancy Sinatra/Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
9 Monterey--Eric Burdon & the Animals
10 She (EP)--The Monkees

Singles entering the chart were Green Tambourine by the Lemon Pipers (#23); Words/Sinking Ships by the Bee Gees (#33); and Darlin' by the Beach Boys (#39).

Died on this date
Juanita Hall, 66
. U.S. actress. Mrs. Hall was best known for playing Bloody Mary in the stage musical (1949) and movie (1958) South Pacific, winning both a Tony Award and a Donaldson Award for her supporting performance in the former. She played Madam Liang in the stage musical (1958) and movie (1961) Flower Drum Song. Mrs. Hall developed diabetes in later years, which resulted in blindness, and eventually caused her death.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson's Liberal government survived a non-confidence motion by a vote of 138-119, nine days after a major Liberal tax measure had been defeated in the House of Commons.

Michigan Governor George Romney, speaking in Washington, surprised observers by announcing he was withdrawing from the race for the Republican Party U.S. presidential nomination, just 12 days before the New Hampshire primary. Mr. Romney said that he'd failed to achieve the broad support that he needed. There was speculation that private polls indicated that he would do poorly in N.H., and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller's announcement four days earlier that he would be available for a draft was also thought to be a factor in Mr. Romney's decision.

U.S. President Lyndon Johnson presented the Medal of Freedom to outgoing Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in a White House ceremony. Mr. McNamara had been named to head the World Bank.

40 years ago
1978


On television tonight
Family, on ABC
Tonight's episode: A Friend of the Family's

Died on this date
Zara Cully, 86
. U.S. actress. Miss Cully was best known as Mother Jefferson on the television situation comedy series The Jeffersons, a role she originated on All in the Family in 1974, and continued when the spinoff series was created in 1975. She played the role until a few months before her death from cancer. Miss Cully appeared in several movies, including The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970) and WUSA (1970).

30 years ago
1988


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

#1 single in Switzerland: Heaven is a Place on Earth--Belinda Carlisle (5th week at #1)

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

War
Iran bombed the city of Basra in southern Iraq.

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

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

25 years ago
1993


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

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

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

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

Died on this date
Ruby Keeler, 83
. Canadian-born U.S. dancer and actress. A native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Miss Keeler became a dancer on Broadway, married Al Jolson, and moved to Hollywood. Her most notable movies were her first three: 42nd Street (1933); Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933); and Footlight Parade (1933).

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

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

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

20 years ago
1998


Died on this date
Arkady Shevchenko, 67
. U.S.S.R. diplomat. Mr. Shevchenko was a career diplomat who served as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs from 1973-1978. He passed Soviet secrets to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, and defected to the United States in 1978, becoming the highest-ranking Soviet official to defect to the West. Mr. Shevchenko died of cirrhosis of the liver, presumably brought on by heavy drinking.

War
Serbian police began the offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army in Kosovo.

Defense
The RQ-4 Global Hawk, the first unmanned aerial vehicle certified to file its own flight plans and fly regularly in U.S. civilian airspace, made its first flight.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 4 Montreal 0
Ottawa 4 @ Vancouver 6

Mark Messier of the Canucks became the 4th National Hockey League player to score 1,600 career points as his team scored 4 goals in the 3rd period to defeat the Senators at Pacific Coliseum. The others to reach the 1,600-point mark were Mr. Messier's former teammate Wayne Gretzky; Gordie Howe; and Marcel Dionne.

Tuesday 27 February 2018

February 27, 2018

180 years ago
1838


War
In the Lower Canada Rebellion, a body of Frères Chasseurs raided Potton in the Eastern Townships, while a group of 600 patriotes gathered at Plattsburg, New York and crossed frozen Lake Champlain to Alburg, Vermont.

120 years ago
1898


World events
King George I of Greece survived an assassination attempt. Returning from a trip to the beach at Phaleron in an open carriage, King George and his daughter Princess Maria were shot at by two riflemen. The King tried to shield his daughter; both were unhurt, although the coachman and a horse were wounded. The gunmen (an Athens clerk named Mr. Karditzis and his assistant) fled into the Hymettus hills, but they were spotted and arrested. Both were beheaded at Nauplia.

90 years ago
1928

War

In Nicaragua, U.S. Marines were ambushed by Sandanista rebels; five Marines were killed, and eight wounded.

Crime
A report made to the National Crime Commission stated that the vastness of the crime problem in the United States was due largely to the inefficiency of the police, and that their inefficiency was due largely to "the lack of average intelligence in the police force, particularly in the supervisory branches."

Oil
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill transferring to the Secretary of the Navy jurisdiction over oil and gas leases issued by the Secretary of the Interior on lands in naval petroleum reserves. This was a result of the Teapot Dome scandal of 1923, the trials from which were still taking place in 1928. Albert B. Fall had been the Secretary of the Interior in 1923, and had become the first member of a U.S. cabinet to go to prison.

Disasters
Commander Theodore G. Ellyson, executive officer of the new aircraft carrier Lexington, and two other naval airmen, Lieutenant Commander Hugo Schmidt and Lt. Rogers S. Ransehouse, disappeared while making a flight from Hampton Roads to Annapolis, where Cdr. Ellison's daughter was ill.

75 years ago
1943


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

War
In heavy fighting, Soviet troops made advances west of Rostov; southwest of Voroshilovgrad; southwest of Kramatorsk; and west of Kharkov. German troops opened several attacks against British positions in northern Tunisia, while continuing to retreat in the central sector.

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

Politics and government
A Gallup Poll reported that 51% of American voters questioned said that they would vote for the re-election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt if World War II was still going on, but that 50% said they would oppose him if the war was over.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Treasury issued a zinc-coated steel penny in order to save 4,600 tons of copper.

Labour
The U.S. War Manpower Commission released regulations for enforcing the 48-hour work week in 32 local labour shortage areas, and extended their provisions to the lumber and nonferrous metal mining industries.

Crime
Novelist Ursula Parrott, 42, was acquitted in Miami by an all-male jury of charges of aiding jazz guitarist Private Mike Bryan, 26, to escape from the Miami Beach Army stockade in December 1942.

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

70 years ago
1948


War
Chinese Communist forces reported capturing the Manchurian port of Yingkow, frustrating Nationalist plans to land relief units in Manchuria.

Politics and government
Czechoslovakian President Eduard Benes swore in Prime Minister Klement Gottwald's new cabinet, with 8 Communists and 2 Social Democrats among 17 ministers. Commenting on the Communist seizure of power in Czechoslovakia, former U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace, currently running for President as the candidate of the Progressive Party, said that "the men in Moscow, from their viewpoint, would be utter morons if they failed to respond [to U.S. foreign policy] with actos of pro-Russian consolidation."

Economics and finance
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate-approved $2.5-billion cut in President Harry Truman's budget request.

60 years ago
1958


Theatre
Blue Denim, written by James Leo Herlihy and William Noble, directed by Joshua Logan, and starring Warren Berlinger, Carol Lynley, Burt Brinckerhoff, and Chester Morris, opened at the Playhouse Theatre on Broadway in New York.

Died on this date
Harry Cohn, 66
. U.S. motion picture executive. Mr. Cohn was the co-founder, president, and production director of Columbia Pictures Corporation from 1919 until his death from a heart attack. Columbia was known for making low-budget movies, but also produced such films as It Happened One Night (1934) and All the King's Men (1949), both of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, among other Oscars. Mr. Cohn was known as perhaps the most dictatorial of the Hollywood moguls, and often sought to have sex with various actresses in return for employment.

War
The Indonesian Army announced that government troops had landed in northern Celebes, 125 miles from insurgent headquarters in Menado.

Condemning French plans to create a no-man's land between Algeria and Tunisia as an "insult to humanity," Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba renewed appeals for U.S. pressure on France to end the war in Algeria.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles named Deputy U.S. Representative to the United Nations James Wadsworth to replace Harold Stassen as chief U.S. disarmament negotiator and presidential disarmament adviser.

Politics and government
U.S. Representatives A.L. Miller (Republican--Nebraska) and Whit Weaver (Republican--Nebraska) warned President Dwight D. Eisenhower that Agriculture Secretary Ezra Taft Benson and his policies were so repugnant to farmers that his retention in the cabinet could cost the Republican Party 25 seats in the House of Representatives and five state governorships in the November 1958 elections.

Economics and finance
The Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee approved First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev's plans to break up the state-owned machinery and tractor station system.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band (4th week at #1)

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

Wojeck, starring John Vernon, on CBC
Tonight's episode: The Names of the Games People Play

This episode, about an injured football player, was written by former Toronto Argonaut Gerry O'Flanagan, and featured footage of the Continental Football League's Toronto Rifles, who folded in September 1967, five months before the episode was broadcast.



Died on this date
Frankie Lymon, 25
. U.S. singer. Mr. Lymon, lead singer of the Teenagers, was the first teenage rock and roll star, and one of that lifestyle's first casualties. At the age of 13, his soprano lead vocal propelled Why Do Fools Fall in Love to #1 on the U.S. rhythm and blues chart and #6 on the pop chart in the first half of 1956. The follow-up single, I Want You to Be My Girl, hit #13 on the pop chart. The group hit the R&B chart a few more times before splitting up in 1957. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000. Mr. Lymon had a sporadic and commercially unsuccessful recording career, which wasn't helped when his voice changed with puberty. He became a heroin addict at the age of 15; he eventually kicked the habit, but had a relapse and died of an overdose just as he was resuming his recording career. His final single, I'm Sorry/Seabreeze, recorded shortly before his death, was released later in 1968.

War
U.S. President Lyndon Johnson, speaking in Dallas, declared that the North Vietnamese Tet offensive had failed, and told his audience: "There must be no weakening of will that would encourage the enemy and prolong the bloody conflict." The President said that U.S. and South Vietnamese forces had "answered aggression's onslaught with one strong voice," declaring "'No retreat.'" "That must be our answer, too, here at home. No retreat from the responsibility of the hour and the day."

Boxing
Lionel Rose (28-2), an Australian aborigine, won a 15-round unanimous decision over Fighting Harada (50-4) at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo to win the world bantamweight title.



40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Canada Kara no Tegami--Masaaki Hirao & Yōko Hatanaka

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Te Amo--Umberto Tozzi

Died on this date
Robert Sobukwe, 53
. South African political activist. An opponent of Apartheid, Mr. Sobukwe formed the Pan Africanist Congress, and was elected its first president in 1959. On March 21, 1960, Mr. Sobukwe led a march to the local police station at Orlando, Soweto in protest against the Pass Law, which required blacks to carry a pass book at all times. Mr. Sobukwe deliberately made himself guilty under the law by being in a place that wasn't allowed for in his papers. The same day in Sharpeville, 69 PAC supporters were killed in what became known as the Sharpeville Massacre. Mr. Sobukwe was convicted of incitement and sentenced to three years in prison. After serving his sentence, he was kept in prison, without trial, on Robben Island. The new General Law Amendment Act, popularly known as the "Sobukwe clause," was passed, allowing the Minister of Justice to renew Mr. Sobukwe's imprisonment annually at his discretion. Mr. Sobukwe was the only person ever imprisoned under this clause. Mr. Sobukwe was released to house arrest (and banned from political activity) in 1969, but was able to complete a law degree in 1975 and begin practicing. He died of lung cancer.

Hockey
CHL
Tulsa 2 @ Salt Lake City 5

30 years ago
1988


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

War
Iraqi jets bombed Iranian oil refineries.

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







25 years ago
1993


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Singles entering the chart were Freak Me by Silk (#49); I See Your Smile by Gloria Estefan (#73); Bad Girl by Madonna (#75); If I Ever Lose My Faith in You by Sting (#76); Come in Out of the Rain by Wendy Moten (#80); Knock-N-Boots by Wreckx-N-Effect (#82); Stop the World by Extreme (#83); So Alone by Men at Large (#90); Hope of Deliverance by Paul McCartney (#91); and Beautiful Girl by INXS (#92).

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

Singles entering the chart were Don't Tear Me Up by Mick Jagger (#57); Kiss That Frog by Peter Gabriel (#66); Informer by Snow (#70); That's What Love Can Do by Boy Krazy (#72); Bad Girl by Madonna (#74); Who Do You Think You Are by Sass Jordan (#77); The Right Kind of Love by Jeremy Jordan (#81); Colder than You by the Waltons (#84); Won't Get Fooled Again by Van Halen (#87); and Pride & Joy by Coverdale (#88).

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

10 years ago
1998


Died on this date
George Hitchings, 92
. U.S. pharmacologist. Dr. Hitchings shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sir James Black and Gertrude Elion "for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment," Dr. Hitchings specifically for his work on chemotherapy.

J.T. Walsh, 54. U.S. actor. Mr. Walsh was a versatile character actor who appeared in nearly 60 movies, often playing white-collar villains. He played John Ehrlichman in Oliver Stone's film Nixon (1995). Mr. Walsh died of a heart attack.

Canadiana
J.J. Harper Day was observed throughout Manitoba for the first time.

Scandal
Canadian Governor General Roméo LeBlanc announced that former National Hockey League Players Association President Alan Eagleson had been expelled from the Order of Canada because of his conviction for fraud.

10 years ago
2008


Died on this date
William F. Buckley, Jr., 82
. U.S. author and journalist. Mr. Buckley was probably the most prominent voice of American conservatism in the latter half of the 20th century, expressing his opinions in the magazine National Review---which he founded in 1955--and on the television talk show Firing Line, which he hosted from 1966-1999. His books included God and Man at Yale (1951); McCarthy and his Enemies (with L. Brent Bozell, Jr.) (1954, 1961); and numerous spy novels. Mr. Buckley's speech and mannerisms were widely imitated. He died of a heart attack after years of declining health.

Myron Cope, 79. U.S. sportswriter and sportscaster. Mr. Cope, born Myron Kopelman, was a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh. He wrote for various newspapers and magazines, but was best known as the radio voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1970-2004. In 1975, Mr. Cope conceived the promotional gimmick "The Terrible Towel," in which fans were encouraged to wave gold towels at Steelers' home games; it remains a tradition to this day.

Monday 26 February 2018

February 26, 2018

1,075 years ago
943


Died on this date
Muirchertach mac Néill
. King of Ailech, 938-943. Muirchertach mac Néill was the son of Niall Glúndub, High King of Ireland, and became King of Ailech--in modern-day County Donegal in Ireland--while his uncle Donnchad Donn mac Flainn served as High King. Muirchertach mac Néill was killed in battle by Blácaire mac Gofrith, King of Dublin.

180 years ago
1838


War
In the Upper Canada Rebellion, Rensselaer Van Rensselaer invaded Pelee Island in Lake Erie with 500 American sympathizers of the Canadian Republican rebels (Hunters Lodges); the occupation lasted until March 3, 1838. In the Lower Canada Rebellion, Robert Nelson gathered between 600-700 rebel volunteers, the Société des frères Chasseurs (Hunters' Lodges), in an attempt to invade Lower Canada. He pledged to liberate the Canadian provinces from British rule and join the United States.

170 years ago
1848


Franciana
The Second French Republic was proclaimed.

110 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Tex Avery
. U.S. animator. Frederick Bean Avery was credited with the creation of Daffy Duck, and played a key role in the development of the characters of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. He died of lung cancer on August 26, 1980 at the age of 72.

100 years ago
1918

Disasters

An estimated 604 spectators were killed when the grandstand of the Hong Kong Jockey Club collapsed and burned; it was the deadliest disaster in sports history.

90 years ago
1928


Aviation
The United States Navy dirigible Los Angeles left Lakehurst, New Jersey at 6:15 A.M., flew over New York City, then headed south.

Disasters
A transcontinental air mail plane from New York to San Francisco, carrying 29 sacks of mail and one passenger, was wrecked at daylight near Marquette, Nebraska. The passenger, S.N. Craig of Beaver, Pennsylvania, was killed.

75 years ago
1943


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

War
Soviet forces advanced west of the Kharkov-Kursk line and captured Anglinsk and Staronizhe-Steblievsk. Under continued bombardment, Axis troops retreated along the entire central Tunisian front. Yemeni leader Imam Yahya ordered the arrest of 40 Italians and 2 Germans, effectively silencing two pro-Axis radio stations.

Diplomacy
Praising the Spanish regime of President Francisco Franco, U.S. Ambassador to Spain Carlton Hayes said that the United States had been suppplying Spain with foodstuffs, textiles, and oil.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered War Production Board Chairman William Nelson to undertake a program to stimulate the sagging production of lumber.

70 years ago
1948


Theatre
Me and Molly, written by and starring Gertrude Berg, and based on the radio series The Goldbergs, opened at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway in New York.

Diplomacy
The U.S.A., U.K., and France issued a joint protest against the Communist coup in Czechoslovakia, engineered "by means of a crisis artificially and deliberately instigated."

Politics and government
The United Nations General Assembly's Interim Committee on Peace and Security voted to advise the UN Korean Commission to proceed with plans for elections in Korea despite the U.S.S.R.'s refusal to cooperate.

Society
Southern U.S. Congressmen blocked House of Representatives action on an anti-lynching law, which had already been approved by the House Judiciary Committee.

60 years ago
1958


Space
U.S. State Secretary John Foster Dulles, in closed House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearings, said that the U.S.S.R. was more likely than the U.S.A. to be the first country on the Moon because "they have a good big start on us" and because "spectacular things" that "use up human labor in useless ways" are "the products of despotisms...not of a democratic way of life."

Diplomacy
United Arab Republic President Gamal Nasser denounced the Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan as a "false federation" aimed against the U.A.R.

Labour
The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Improper Labor-Management Activities opened hearings in Washington on the 46-month-old United Auto Workers strike against the Kohler Company of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the nation's longest major walkout.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Koi no Shizuku--Yukari Itō

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Cállate Niña--Pic-Nic (8th week at #1)

Economics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister Mitchell Sharp repatriated U.S. $426 million currency and gold deposited with the International Monetary Fund, with the aim of driving up the value of the Canadian dollar.

Disasters
21 female patients died in a fire that swept through a wing of the Shelton Mental Hospital near Shrewsbury, England.

Eight people were killed and 70 injured when a gas tank truck exploded in Mexico City.

40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Mull of Kintyre--Wings (5th week at #1)

Golf
Jack Nicklaus won the Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a score of 276; first prize money was $50,000.

Nancy Lopez earned her first win on the LPGA tour in the Bent Tree Classic in Sarasota, Florida, with a score of 289; first prize money was $15,000.

Hockey
CHL
Dallas 3 @ Kansas City 5

30 years ago
1988


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

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

25 years ago
1993


At the movies
Falling Down, directed by Joel Schumacher, and starring Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall, opened in theatres.

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

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

20 years ago
1998


Died on this date
Theodore Schultz, 95
. U.S. economist. Dr. Schultz was chairman of the Economics school at the University of Chicago from 1946-1961, and shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Arthur Lewis "for their pioneering research into economic development research with particular consideration of the problems of developing countries."

Sunday 25 February 2018

February 25, 2018

1,880 years ago
138


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

1,525 years ago
493


War
King Flavius Odoacer of Italy surrendered Ravenna after a three-year siege and agreed to a mediated peace with Theoderic the Great, King of the Ostrogoths.

375 years ago
1643


Born on this date
Ahmed II
. Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, 1691-1695. Ahmed II, the son of Sultan Ibrahim, succeeded his brother Suleiman II. During Sultan Ahmed II's reign, Ottoman military forces suffered military defeats to the Habsburgs. Ahmed II died on February 6, 1695, 19 days before his 52nd birthday, and was succeeded by Mustafa II.

180 years ago
1838


War
Canadian militia routed American republican sympathizers on Fighting Island, in the Detroit River.

175 years ago
1843


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

150 years ago
1868


Politics and government
The Earl of Derby retired as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Conservative Party leader on the advice of his doctor, and was succeeded by Benjamin Disraeli.

110 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Frank G. Slaughter
. U.S. surgeon and novelist. Dr. Slaughter was practicing at Riverside Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida when he began writing novels that drew on his medical experience. His novels, which sold 60 million copies, included That None Should Die; Surgeon, U.S.A.; and The Scarlet Cord. Several of Dr. Slaughter's novels were made into movies, including The Warrior (released on film as Seminole in 1953); Sangaree; and Doctors' Wives. Dr. Slaughter's last novel, No Greater Love, was published in 1985. He died on May 17, 2001 at the age of 93.

Canadiana
St. Boniface, Manitoba was incorporated as a city.

100 years ago
1918


Born on this date
Bobby Riggs
. U.S. tennis player. Mr. Riggs was the number one-ranked player in the world as an amateur in 1939 and as a professional in 1946 and 1947. He was known as a hustler and a gambler, and became famous to a younger generation when he came out of retirement in 1973 to bait the feminist movement, easily beating Margaret Court and then losing to Billie Jean King in what was more of a television event than a legitimate tennis match. Mr. Riggs died on October 25, 1995 at the age of 77.

Barney Ewell. U.S. athlete. Mr. Ewell was a long jumper, but was best known as one of the world's best sprinters in the 1940s, winning numerous championships while at Pennsylvania State University from 1940-1942. He interrupted his athletic and academic career to serve in the military in World War II, but returned to Penn State after the war to finish his education and resume his athletic career. Mr. Ewell won silver medals--barely falling short of gold medals--in the men's 100 and 200 metre runs, and was a member of the gold medal-winning American team in the 4 x 100 metre relay at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. He competed professionally in Australia and New Zealand in the early 1950s and eventually returned to Pennsylvania, whre he died on April 4, 1996 at the age of 78.

90 years ago
1928


Died on this date
Harry Brooks
. U.S. aviator. Mr. Brooks, from Detroit, was flying a Ford one-man airplane from Titusville, Florida to Miami when he fell into the sea off Melbourne, Florida, and was drowned.

Television
Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, D.C. became the first holder of a broadcast license for television from the Federal Radio Commission.

Crime
Mail robbers got away with $133,000 in currency when they blew open the door of a Grand Trunk Railway car at Evergreen Park in Chicago.

75 years ago
1943


War
U.S. Army Chief of Staff Major General Idwal Edwards said that the Army Air Forces would total 900 squadrons and 2,450,000 men by the end of 1943. Soviet forces recaptured Mingrelsk, 30 miles west of Krasnodar, in their drive on the German Black Sea base at Novorossiisk. U.S. and U.K. troops reoccupied the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia with little Axis resistance. Japanese columns in China were repulsed in their attempt to cross the Yangtze River in Hupeh Province.

Diplomacy
U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace accepted invitations to visit Peru and Chile in March.

Education
The U.S. National Education Association's Department of Higher Education was organized, and asked Congress to appropriate $100 million to "save scores of educational institutions from bankruptcy because of the war."

Labour
Members of the American Federation of Labor International Association of Machinists halted work on Flying Fortresses in the Boeing Aircraft Corporation plants in Seattle and Renton, Washington for three hours to demand National War Labor Board action on wage increases.

70 years ago
1948


Died on this date
John Sorrells, 51
. U.S. journalist. Mr. Sorrells was executive editor of the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain.

Politics and government
Czech President Eduard Benes agreed to Prime Minister Klement Gottwald's demand for the creation of a Communist-dominated cabinet after the Czech Social Democratic Party signed an agreement to cooperate with the Communists. The action marked the end of the Third Republic.

Academia
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Austin ruled that Negro student Heman Sweatt could not be admitted to the University of Texas law school because the state provided equal segregated facilities.

Economics and finance
A nine-member group of Western European states began work in Rome on a tariff agreement for nations participating in the Marshall Plan.

60 years ago
1958


On television tonight
Telephone Time, hosted by Frank C. Baxter, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Vestris, starring Boris Karloff

This episode served as an unofficial pilot for the series The Veil.



Married on this date
U.S. actress Paulette Goddard and German novelist Erich Maria Remarque were married in Branford, Connecticut.

War
The Saharan Liberation Army charged that poison gas dropped by Spanish and French aircraft had killed 600 civilians in Western Sahara. King Mohammed V of Morocco declared that Morocco intended to recover "our Sahara" from Spanish forces.

Cuban guerrilla leader Fidel Castro, in an interview with Homer Bigart of The New York Times, demanded the evacuation of government troops from Oriente Province as a condition for ending his revolt.

Defense
U.S. Army General Lauris Norstad, Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, claimed that the creation of West German nuclear-armed forces was "absolutely indispensable" for the effective defense of Western Europe. He rejected Polish proposals for the creation of a nuclear-free zone in central Europe.

Politics and government
U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon endorsed Senator William Knowland for the 1958 California Republican Party gubernatorial nomination.

50 years ago
1968


Abominations
135 unarmed citizens of Hà My village in South Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province were killed and buried en masse by South Korean troops in what came to be known as the Hà My massacre.

Politics and government
Archbishop Makarios was re-elected to a second five-year term as President of Cyprus.

Leopold Sedar Senghor was re-elected to a third term as President of Senegal.

Golf
George Knudson won the Tucson Open with a score of 273; first prize money was $20,000.

40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): E Dirsi Ciao--Matia Bazar

#1 single in Switzerland: Mull of Kintyre--Wings (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Take a Chance on Me--ABBA

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Take a Chance on Me--ABBA (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees (4th 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 (5th week at #1)
2 Take a Chance on Me--ABBA
3 She's Not There--Santana
4 Black Betty--Ram Jam
5 It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler
6 Mull of Kintyre--Wings
7 Big City--Tol Hansse
8 I Can't Stand the Rain--Eruption featuring Precious Wilson
9 Daddy Cool - The Girl Can't Help It--The Darts
10 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees

Singles entering the chart were Denis by Blondie (#14); Fantasy by Earth, Wind & Fire (#28); City to City by Gerry Rafferty (#33); and It's Only a Matter of Time by Breeze (#34).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees (4th week at #1)
2 Emotion--Samantha Sang
3 (Love Is) Thicker than Water--Andy Gibb
4 Just the Way You Are--Billy Joel
5 Sometimes When We Touch--Dan Hill
6 Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)--Chic
7 Short People--Randy Newman
8 What's Your Name--Lynyrd Skynyrd
9 We are the Champions--Queen
10 Peg--Steely Dan

Singles entering the chart were We'll Never have to Say Goodbye Again by England Dan & John Ford Coley (#73); Love is Like Oxygen by Sweet (#85); Put Your Head on My Shoulder by Leif Garrett (#86); Fantasy by Earth, Wind & Fire (#87); Let's All Chant by the Michael Zager Band (#88); and It Amazes Me by John Denver (#100).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees (2nd week at #1)
2 Short People--Randy Newman
3 We are the Champions--Queen
4 Sometimes When We Touch--Dan Hill
5 Just the Way You Are--Billy Joel
6 (Love Is) Thicker than Water--Andy Gibb
7 Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)--Chic
8 Baby Come Back--Player
9 Emotion--Samantha Sang
10 Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood--Santa Esmeralda

Singles entering the chart were Hot Legs by Rod Stewart (#86); California by Debby Boone (#87); The Closer I Get to You by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway (#91); Thank You for Being a Friend by Andrew Gold (#92); Running on Empty by Jackson Browne (#93); Fooling Yourself by Styx (#94); Baby Hold On by Eddie Money (#98); You Really Got Me by Van Halen (#99); and Disco Inferno by the Trammps (#100).

Hockey
NHL
New York Rangers 6 @ Montreal 3

Hardy Astrom was in goal for the Rangers as they upset the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum on the national Hockey Night in Canada telecast to end the Canadiens' league-record 28-game unbeaten streak. The game proved to be the high point in the NHL career of Mr. Astrom, whose play for the Colorado Rockies two years later led Colorado head coach Don Cherry to dub Mr. Astrom "The Swedish Sieve," and helped to end Mr. Cherry's coaching career.

CHL
Dallas 3 @ Fort Worth 2
Tulsa 6 @ Salt Lake City 5

30 years ago
1988


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

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

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

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

Business
Toronto-based Osler Inc investment dealers were "deemed to be insolvent as of the opening of business" today.

25 years ago
1993


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

Died on this date
Eddie Constantine
, 75. U.S.-born French actor. Mr. Constantine, born Edward Constantinowsky, settled in Europe in the 1950s, where he made his name playing secret agent Lemmy Caution in a series of French films. Perhaps his best-known performance was in Alphaville (1965).

Toy Caldwell, 45. U.S. musician. Mr. Caldwell was the lead guitarist and main songwriter with the Marshall Tucker Band rock group from its founding in 1972 until 1983. He died of cardio-respiratory failure resulting from cocaine ingestion.

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

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

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

20 years ago
1998


Died on this date
Joe Gallagher, 83
. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Gallagher was an outfielder with the New York Yankees (1939); St. Louis Browns (1939-1940); and Brooklyn Dodgers (1940), batting .273 with 16 home runs and 73 runs batted in 165 games. He spent all of the 1941-1945 seasons in the military during World War II, and finished his career with 6 games with the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1946. He also played in the minor leagues from 1936-1939, batting .321 with 54 home runs in 420 minor league games. Mr. Gallagher's best season was 1938, when he played in 152 games with the Kansas City Blues of the American Association, batting .343 with 200 hits, including 24 home runs. Mr. Gallagher made his major league debut with the Yankees against the Boston Red Sox on April 20, 1939, playing right field and batting 0 for 3, reaching first base on an error and making 3 putouts in the same game in which Ted Williams began his Hall of Fame major league career with the Red Sox. Mr. Gallagher coached at Stephen F. Austin and Rice Universities, and died 10 days before his 84th birthday.

W.O. Mitchell, 83. Canadian writer. William Ormond Mitchell, a native of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, was best known for the novel Who Has Seen the Wind (1947) and the radio series Jake and the Kid (1950-1956). He spent his later years in Calgary, and died there 16 days before his 84th birthday.

Music
Sarah McLachlan won the Grammy Award for best female pop vocal for her song Building a Mystery.

10 years ago
2008


Died on this date
Hans Raj Khanna, 95
. Indian judge and politician. Mr. Khanna was a judge on the Supreme Court if India from 1971-1977, but resigned from the bench after being passed over for the post of Chief Justice for authoring a lone dissenting opinion that even a state of emergency didn't entitle the government to abrogate by decree the right to life and liberty. Mr. Khanna served as Minister of Law and Justice in 1979, but resigned after just three days; he campaigned unsuccessfully for President of India in 1982.

Saturday 24 February 2018

February 24, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Kavis Reed!

480 years ago
1538


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

170 years ago
1848


World events
Louis-Philippe I, King of France since 1830, of France abdicated the throne, two days after the outbreak of the French Revolution of 1848.

150 years ago
1868

Politics and government

The United States House of Representatives voted 128-47 to impeach President Andrew Johnson on 11 counts, mainly related to his refusal to implement the Tenure of Office Act, a law passed in 1867 which forbade the President to remove civil officials, including members of his cabinet, without the consent of the Senate. Mr. Johnson had suspended Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, intending to secure a test case of the law in the Supreme Court. The larger issue surrounding the impeachment was Mr. Johnson's opposition to the attempt by radical Republicans to impose their agenda of Reconstruction on the southern states in the years following the Civil War (see also here).

100 years ago
1918


Europeana
The Estonian Declaration of Independence was printed and distributed in the capital city of Tallinn, after having been proclaimed the previous night in Pärnu.

75 years ago
1943


Literature
The novel The Human Comedy by William Saroyan was published in New York by Harcourt.

War
Soviet forces continued to make gains in the Rostov, Kramatorsk, Kharkov, Malo Archangelsk, and Krasnodar sectors, but German resistance in Ukraine began to stiffen. The Axis offensive in central Tunisia was halted and turned around, as Axis forces retreated under the heaviest Allied air assault of the Tunisian campaign.

70 years ago
1948


Diplomacy
U.S. delegate Warren Austin addressed the United Nations Security Council on the Palestine question, avoiding firm commitment to partition or the sending of a UN peacekeeping force to the area.

Politics and government
Czech Communists began forming "action committees" to oust anti-Communist officials in all levels of government, while leftist Zdenek Fierlinger took contol of the Czech Social Democratic Party from conservative socialist Bohumil Lauschmann.

Earl Long defeated Sam Houston Jones in the Louisiana Democratic Party gubernatorial run-off primary, virtually assuring his election in November.

Protest
Workers in Prague held large pro-Communist demonstrations as the Czech Federation of Labour began seizing factories for nationalization.

Economics and finance
The British government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee froze the prices of 9,000 consumer goods at their mid-winter levels, effective March 15.

Boxing
Willie Pep (123-1-1) retained his world featherweight title with a technical knockout of Humberto Sierra (38-8-3) 22 seconds into the 10th round in a heavy rain before 10,000 fans at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

60 years ago
1958


Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Don't/I Beg of You--Elvis Presley (Best Seller--3rd week at #1); Sugartime--The McGuire Sisters (Disc Jockey--2nd week at #1); Get a Job--The Silhouettes (Top 100--1st week at #1)

Politics and government
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Khalil charged that Egypt had interfered in the current Sudanese election campaign "in cooperation with the Communists."

Disasters
25 people were killed when an ammunition train exploded while being unloaded at the Pathankot military post on the India-Kashmir border.

50 years ago
1968


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)--Johnny Farnham (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Riquita--Georgette Plana (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Canzone--Don Backy

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Mary from Dungloe--Emmet Spiceland

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Everlasting Love--The Love Affair (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Mien Waar Is M'n Feestneus?--Toon (4th week at #1)
2 Words--The Bee Gees
3 Nights in White Satin--The Moody Blues
4 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
5 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
6 Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed
7 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
8 Baby, Come Back--The Equals
9 It's the End--The Buffoons
10 Tin Soldier--Small Faces

Singles entering the chart were Pictures of Matchstick Men by the Status Quo (#21); I Get So Excited by the Equals (#33); Turn Around and Start Again by the Cats (#34); (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding (#38); Don't Stop the Carnival by the Alan Price Set (#39); and Back on My Feet Again by the Foundations (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)
2 Spooky--The Classics IV
3 I Wish it Would Rain--The Temptations
4 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
5 Nobody But Me--The Human Beinz
6 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
7 I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite--Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
8 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
9 Baby, Now that I've Found You--The Foundations
10 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs

Singles entering the chart were If You Can Want by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (#55); Jealous Love by Wilson Pickett (#57); Will You Love Me Tomorrow by the 4 Seasons (#59); Hey, Hey Bunny by John Fred and his Playboy Band (#78); The Ten Commandments of Love by Peaches and Herb (#79); That's a Lie by Ray Charles (#83); Unchain My Heart by Herbie Mann (#84); Dottie I Like It by Tommy Roe (#88); Looking for a Fox by Clarence Carter (#91); Suddenly You Love Me by the Tremeloes (#92); Little Green Apples by Roger Miller (#96); I Say Love by the Royal Guardsmen (#98); Show Time by the Detroit Emeralds (#99); and L. David Sloane by Michele Lee (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Spooky--The Classics IV
2 Zabadak!--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
3 I Can Take or Leave Your Loving--Herman's Hermits
4 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
5 Baby, Now that I've Found You--The Foundations
6 We Can Fly--The Cowsills
7 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
8 Words--The Bee Gees
9 Nobody But Me--The Human Beinz
10 Strawberry Shortcake--Jay and the Techniques

Singles entering the chart were Maybe Just Today by Bobby Vee and the Strangers (#67); The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) by Manfred Mann (#69); I Say Love by the Royal Guardsmen (#71); I'm Gonna Make You Love Me by Madeline Bell (#74); Love is All Around by the Troggs (#79); Playboy by Gene and Debbe (#83); Lovey Dovey by Otis and Carla (#85); Dance to the Music by Sly and the Family Stone (#87); Walker Street by the Staccatos (#90); Cab Driver by the Mills Brothers (#92); Dr. Lollipop by the Magic Cycle (#93); Summertime Blues by Blue Cheer (#94); People World by Jim and Jean (#96); At the Top of the Stairs by the Formations (#97); Unchain My Heart by Herbie Mann (#98); For Your Precious Love by Jackie Wilson and Count Basie (#99); and (Mama Come Quick, and Bring Your) Lickin' Stick by George Torrence and the Naturals (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Everything that Touches You--The Association
2 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
3 Nobody But Me--The Human Beinz
4 Words--The Bee Gees
5 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
6 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
7 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
8 1941--Tom Northcott
9 Mr. Soul Satisfaction--Timmi Willis
10 Walk Away Renee--Four Tops

Singles entering the chart were Simon Says by the 1910 Fruitgum Company (#23); Country Girl--City Man by Billy Vera and Judy Clay (#24); Kiss Me Goodbye by Petula Clark (#28); Springfield Plane by Kenny O'Dell (#29); and There Is by the Dells (#30).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (3rd week at #1)
2 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
3 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
4 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus
5 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
6 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
7 Words--The Bee Gees
8 Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed
9 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band
10 Skip a Rope--Henson Cargill
Pick hit of the week: My, What a Shame--Dino, Desi and Billy

War
South Vietnamese forces celebrated the recapture of the city of Hue after a battle lasting three weeks, essentially ending the Tet Offensive.

Politics and government
New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller announced that he would be available for a draft for the Republican Party U.S. presidential nomination for 1968.

40 years ago
1978


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Ti amo--Umberto Tozzi

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Mull of Kintyre--Wings (7th week at #1)

#1 single in France: Ça plane pour moi--Plastic Bertrand

Disasters
At least 53 passengers were killed and about 100 injured when a passenger train crashed into a trailer truck and derailed in northern Argentina.

21 people were killed and 145 injured when a derailed railroad tanker car loaded with liquid propane exploded in Waverly, Tennessee.

Hockey
CHL
Tulsa 3 @ Fort Worth 4
Dallas 4 @ Salt Lake City 1

30 years ago
1988


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

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

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

25 years ago
1993


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

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

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

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

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

20 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Henny Youngman, 91
. U.K.-born U.S. comedian. Mr. Youngman, nicknamed "The King of the One-Liners," was born in London but as a child moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York. He was known for delivering one-line jokes, punctuated with interludes of violin playing. Mr. Youngman's most famous line was "Take my wife--please!" When the New York Telephone Company started its Dial-a-Joke line in 1974, over three million people called in one month to hear 30 seconds of Mr. Youngman's material—the most ever for a comedian.

Antonio Prohías, 77. Cuban-born U.S. cartoonist. Mr. Prohias was the foremost cartoonist in Cuba in the 1940s and '50s, but ran afoul of Fidel Castro shortly after Mr. Castro seized power in 1959. Mr. Prohias went to New York in 1960, and found work with Mad magazine, writing and drawing the Spy vs. Spy feature from 1961-1986.

Econommics and finance
Canadian Finance Minister Paul Martin brought in a $151-billion budget, the Canadian government's first balanced budget in 30 years. It included a new $2.5-billion education fund.

Education
An international study was released showing Canadian students placing fifth in science in the world, but only average in mathematics; male students far outperformed female students.

10 years ago
2008


Movies
The Academy Awards for 2007 were presented at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The winners included: Picture--No Country for Old Men; Director--Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men); Actor--Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood); Actress--Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose); Supporting Actor--Javier Bardom (No Country for Old Men); Supporting Actress--Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton).

Died on this date
Larry Norman, 60
. U.S. musician. Mr. Norman, a singer-songwriter, has been credited with being the "father of Christian rock." He was a member of the group People, whose single I Love You was a major hit in the spring of 1968. Mr. Norman then left the group and began a solo career, achieving success with albums such as Upon This Rock (1969); Only Visiting This Planet (1972); and In Another Land (1976). His style of music was criticized by churches at the time, but it would have been more appropriate to criticize Mr. Norman's lifestyle, which included two divorces and allegations that he had fathered an illegitimate son. Mr. Norman experienced serious health problems over the years, including a severe heart attack in 1992 that left lasting effects and shortened his life.

Politics and government
Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro the country's new President, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel, who remained as leader of Cuba's Communist Party.