December 29, 2021

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Christine Gotaas!

1,300 years ago
721

Died on this date
Genmei, 61. Empress of Japan, 707-715. Genmei, born Abe-hime, acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne upon the death of her son Monmu. She moved the seat of government to Nara, and abdicated in favour of her daughter Genshō.

175 years ago
1846

Died on this date
Alexander Barrow, 45. U.S. politician. Mr. Barrow, a Whig, spent several years in the Louisiana House of Representatives before representing the state from 1841 until his death. He was the older half-brother of Washington Barrow, who represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

170 years ago
1851

Americana
The first Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in the United States opened in Boston.

140 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Jess Willard. U.S. boxer. Mr. Willard, nicknamed the Pottawatomie Giant, stood 6' 6 1⁄2" and didn't start boxing professionally until he was 29. He knocked out Jack Johnson in the 26th round in Havana on April 5, 1915 to win the world heavyweight title, thereby accomplishing what a host of "White Hopes" had failed to achieve since Mr. Johnson had won the title more than six years earlier. Mr. Willard fought just one title bout after that (a 10-round newspaper decision over Frank Moran in 1916) before being knocked out in 3 rounds by Jack Dempsey in Toledo, Ohio on July 4, 1919. Mr. Willard came out of retirement for two fights in 1923, and then retired permanently after compiling a professional record of 25-7-2. He died on December 15, 1968, two weeks before his 87th birthday.

120 years ago
1901

Politics and government
Arthur Peters was sworn in as Premier of Prince Edward Island, succeeding Donald Farquharson as head of the province's Liberal government. Lieutenant Governor Peter McIntyre had asked Mr. Peters to take office as Premier after Mr. Farquharson resigned to enter federal politics.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Klaus Fuchs. 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 on January 28, 1988, 30 days after his 76th birthday.

Asiatica
Mongolia gained its independence from China's Qing dynasty, enthroning the 8th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu as Khagan of Mongolia.

Politics and government
In Nanking, Sun Yat-sen was elected provisional President of the Republic of China.

Canadiana
A proclamation restored the words Dei Gratia to Canada's coins; the Latins phrase means King (or Queen) by the grace of God.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Dobrica Ćosić. 1st President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 1992-1993. Mr. Ćosić, a Serb, joined the Communist Party in 1939, and had a successful career as a novelist. He increasingly expressed concern for the Serbian population of Yugoslavia, and supported the Serbian cause in the Yugoslavian Civil War. Mr. Ćosić became the president of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, but was removed from office after turning against Serbian nationalist leader Slobodan Milošević. He died on May 18, 2014 at the age of 92.

Politics and government
Canada's new Liberal government, under Prime Minister Mackenzie King, took office, 23 days after winning a plurality in the federal election. For Mr. King, it was the beginning of more than two decades as Canada's Prime Minister, and he eventually became the longest-serving prime minister in the history of the British Commonwealth.

90 years ago
1931

Transportation
The new Jubilee Dock was moored in Wellington Harbour in Wellington, New Zealand.

80 years ago
1941

War
A London communique reported a successful six-hour raid on December 27 on the German-occupied islands of Vaagsoe and Maaloy off the Norwegaian coast. Tokyo reports claimed that Japanese troops the previous day had captured Ipoh, the tin mining centre 290 miles north of Singapore. Japanese planes bombed the island fortress of Corregidor, about 30 miles south of Manila guarding the entrance to Manila Bay.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King returned to Ottawa from Washington with U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was beginning a visit to the Canadian capital.

The Argentine Foreign Ministry announced that it was recalling the country's Ambassador to Germany.

Politics and government
Mohandas Gandhi resigned as leader of the All-India Congress Party because, he said, the party's working committee had abandoned his principles of civil disobedience and non-violence.

Business
The U.S. Army formally returned the Bendix, New Jersey plant of Air Associates, Inc. to private management after operating it since October 31.

Labour
American Federation of Labor boilermakers routed picketing welders at the California Ship Building Corporation in Los Angeles.

Disasters
Portland, Oregon was shaken by a short, sharp earthquake at 10:30 A.M.

Sport
New York University miler Leslie MacMitchell was named the 1941 winner of the Amateur Athletic Union's James E. Sullivan Memorial Trophy as the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.

Auto racing
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Eddie Rickenbacker announced the cancellation of the Indianapolis 500 for 1942 because of American involvement in World War II. The speedway wasn't reopened, and the Indianapolis 500 wasn't held again, until 1946, the year after the war ended.

75 years ago
1946

At the movies
Duel in the Sun, directed by King Vidor, and starring Gregory Peck, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, and many others, received its premiere screening in Van Nuys, California.





Terrorism
Irgun Zvai Leumi members kidnapped and flogged four British soldiers in retaliation for the British flogging of an imprisoned Zionist arrested for bank robbery.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. returned to Finland Helsinki's Malm Airport, occupied since the 1944 armistice.

Defense
The U.S. Navy announced the development of the Mark 3 Toss Director, a new bombsight that permitted dive-bombers to project bombs after they had pulled out of their dives.

Politics and government
Delegates from 10 liberal political action groups voted in New York to merge into a new organization, Progressive Citizens of America, with Frank Kingdon and Jo Davidson as co-chairmen.

Labour
The Italian Confederation of Labour called off a general strike in the southern Italian city of Bari after the government agreed to a 3,000-lira weekly subsidy for the unemployed.

70 years ago
1951

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Sweet Violets--Dinah Shore; Jane Turzy (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Cry--Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads (Best Seller--1st week at #1); It's No Sin--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra (Disc Jockey--7th week at #1; Jukebox--1st week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 (It's No) Sin--The Four Aces (8th week at #1)
--Eddy Howard
2 Cold, Cold Heart--Tony Bennett
3 Down Yonder--Del Wood
--Joe "Fingers" Carr
--Champ Butler
4 Undecided--The Ames Brothers and Les Brown and his Band of Renown
5 Because of You--Tony Bennett
--Les Baxter and his Orchestra
6 Charmaine--Mantovani and his Orchestra
7 Shrimp Boats--Jo Stafford
8 Jealousy (Jalousie)--Frankie Laine
9 Slow Poke--Pee Wee King and his Golden West Cowboys
10 Cry--Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads

There were no singles entering the chart.

World events
At a news conference in Erding, West Germany, four American fliers released the previous day by Hungary claimed that they had flown off course on November 19 in murky skies while transporting a diplomatic cargo from Munich to Belgrade.

Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion denounced U.S. Zionist leaders for not moving to Israel.

War
In an effort to rescue stalled armistice talks, U.S. negotiators at Panmunjom offered to forego aerial inspection of Communist positions during a cease-fire. Disagreement remained over construction of new military airports, which the Americans wanted banned.

Defense
The $44-million, 540-foot U.S. Navy destroyer leader USS Norfolk, the largest destroyer in the world, was launched in Camden, New Jersey.

Politics and government
Colombian opposition leader Carlos Augusto Noriega, President of the House of Representatives, was removed from office and physically ejected from the chamber for trying to block debate.

The U.S. House of Representatives Un-American Activities Committee urged the adoption of the death penalty for peacetime espionage in the United States.

Energy
The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission announced the first use of an atomic reactor to generate electric power in the United States, near Arco, Idaho.

Health
U.S. President Harry Truman created a 15-member President's Commission on the Health Needs of the Nation, with Dr. Paul Magnuson as chairman.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Gray 20 Blue 14

Baseball
New York baseball writers named New York Yankees' pitcher Allie Reynolds as the 1951 winner of the Sid Mercer Memorial Award as "player of the year." He was 17-8 with an earned run average of 3.05 in 40 games, leading the American League with 7 shutouts, batting .184 with no home runs and 11 runs batted in in 43 games. Mr. Reynolds was 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA in 2 World Series games as the Yankees defeated the New York Giants in 6 games for their third straight World Series championship.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Take Good Care of My Baby--Bobby Vee (2nd week at #1)

Los Angeles's Top 40 (KFWB)
21 Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night--Kenny Dino
22 Town Without Pity--Gene Pitney
23 Unchain My Heart--Ray Charles and his Orchestra
24 Moments to Remember--Jennell Hawkins
25 Jingle Bell Rock--Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker
26 I Don't Know Why--Linda Scott
27 Surfer Stomp--The Marketts
28 When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart)--Connie Francis
29 Small Sad Sam--Phil McLean
30 Pocketful of Miracles--Frank Sinatra
31 Just Out of Reach--Solomon Burke
32 Big Bad John--Jimmy Dean
33 Surfin'--The Beach Boys
34 And Then Came Love--Ed Townsend
35 Jambalaya (On the Bayou)--Fats Domino
36 Tonight--Ferrante & Teicher
37 The Wanderer--Dion
38 Crazy--Patsy Cline
39 Revenge--Brook Benton
40 Dear Ivan--Jimmy Dean

Surfer Stomp,Surfin', Jambalaya (On the Bayou), The Wanderer, and Dear Ivan were entering the chart. Surfin' was the Beach Boys' first single, and this was their first entry on any chart.

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight's episode: A Quality of Mercy, starring Dean Stockwell, Albert Salmi, and Jerry Fujikawa

Boxing
Alejandro Lavorante (19-2) knocked out Von Clay (16-6-2) at 1:10 of the 2nd round of a heavyweight bout at Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. It proved to be the last win for Mr. Lavorante.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)--Benny Hill (5th week at #1)

On television tonight
Rod Serling's Night Gallery, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Different Ones, starring Dana Andrews and Jon Korkes; Tell David..., starring Sandra Dee and Jared Martin; Logoda's Heads, starring Patrick Macnee, Brock Peters, Denise Nicholas, and Tim Matheson

War
U.S. Air Force and Navy planes concluded three days of heavy bombing raids on military installations in North Vietnam; it was the first time since 1968 that a series of attacks against North Vietnam had lasted more than two days.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Black or White--Michael Jackson (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Let's Talk About Sex--Salt-N-Pepa (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Black or White--Michael Jackson (5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Susan Wright, 44. Miss Wright, a native of Calgary, grew up in Saskatoon, where she began her career. She was best known as a stage actress, appearing frequently at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, and winning two Dora Mavor Moore Awards and an ACTRA Award. Miss Wright appeared in several films and television programs. She and her parents were staying in a house in Stratford owned by actor Brent Carver, who was absent when the others died in a fire.

Football
NFL
NFC Wild Card Playoff
Dallas 17 @ Chicago 13



AFC Wild Card Playoff
New York Jets 10 @ Houston 17



25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Thug Devotion--Mo Thugs (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)--Backstreet Boys (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Verpiss' dich--Tic Tac Toe (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Scotland (OCC): 2 Become 1--Spice Girls (2nd week at #1)

War
The Guatemalan government and leaders of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity signed a peace accord, ending a 36-year civil war.

Football
NFL
AFC Wild Card Playoff
Indianapolis 14 @ Pittsburgh 42



NFC Wild Card Playoff
Philadelphia 0 @ San Francisco 14

See video.

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Takashi Asahina, 93. Japanese orchestra conductor. Mr. Asahina founded the Kansai Symphonic Orchestra (today the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra) in 1947, and was its principal conductor until his death. He specialized in the music of Anton Bruckner.

Crime
Magloire Poissant murdered his ex-wife Colette Harnois, her two sons Mathieu MacDonald, 18, and Michael MacDonald, 15, and their friend Francis Mongrain, age 17, at Ms. Harnois' home in Lavaltrie, Quebec.

Weather
Five days of snow in Buffalo, New York ended with a record total of 6 feet 9 inches.

Disasters
Nearly 300 people were killed when a firecracker ignited fireworks stands lining narrow streets in Lima, Peru.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Robert Lee Dickey, 72. U.S. singer. Mr. Dickey was the original Bobby Purify in the rhythm and blues duo James & Bobby Purify, who achieved several charted singles from 1966-1969; their biggest hit was their first, I'm Your Puppet (1966), which reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart and #5 on the Rhythm and Blues chart. Mr. Dickey left the duo in 1971 for health reasons, and worked as a city maintenance supervisor in Tallahassee, Florida, and performing as an amateur singer and guitarist. James Purify performed as a solo artist until 1974, when Ben Moore joined him and took the name Bobby Purify.

Sport
Downhill skier Jennifer Heil was named the Canadian Press female athlete of the year for 2011. She ended her career with a sweep of the moguls and dual moguls gold medals at the World Championships.

December 26, 2021

540 years ago
1481

War
Hollander forces defeated troops of Utrecht in the Battle of Westbroek.

270 years ago
1751

Born on this date
George Gordon. U.K. military officer and politician. Lord Gordon, a member of a noble family in Scotland, represented Ludgershall in the House of Commons, and was known for his criticism of all political factions. He founded the Protestant Association in 1778 and led it in opposition to limited rights for Roman Catholics. On June 2, 1780, Lord Gordon led a crowd of 50,000 in London opposed to Catholic emancipation; their actions, initially peaceful, descended into anti-Catholic violence, and became known as the "Gordon riots." Lord Gordon was charged with high treason, but was acquitted in 1781 for lack of treasonable intent. He was excommunicated from the Church of England in 1786, and converted to Orthodox Judaism in 1787, the year he was convicted of defaming Marie Antoinette, French Ambassador to Great Britain Jean-Balthazar d'Adhémar, and the administration of justice in England. Lord Gordon died from typhoid fever in Newgate Prison on November 1, 1793 at the age of 41.

230 years ago
1791

Born on this date
Charles Babbage. U.K. mathematician and engineer. Mr. Babbage was a polymath who has been called the "father of the computer" for devising the Difference Engine, the first mechanical computer, in the 1820s, and the Analytical Engine in 1837. He died of cystitis and kidney failure on October 18, 1871 at the age of 79.

Politics and government
The Constitutional Act 1791, passed by the British Parliament on June 19, went into effect, dividing the Province of Québec along the Ottawa River into Upper Canada and Lower Canada, each with a Lieutenant-Governor and a Legislature. Lower Canada kept the French civil law (Code civil). The so-called Canada Act gave the colonies their first powers to pass duties for revenue, a form of responsible government, but the governors and council retain the right to control revenue from the sale of Crown Lands, letting them bypass the Assembly. Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester, was sworn in as Governor of Lower Canada. Members of the Legislative Council were: Chief Justices William Smith and Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry; Hugh Finlay; François-Marie Picoté de Belestre; Thomas Dunn; Paul-Roch de Saint-Ours; Edward Harrison; François Baby; John Collins; Joseph-Dominique-Emmanuel Le Moyne de Longueuil; Adam Mabane; Charles-Louis Tarieu de Lanaudière; George Pownall; René-Amable Boucher de Boucherville; and John Fraser. The Executive Council consisted of: William Smith; Paul-Roch de Saint-Ours; Hugh Finlay; François Baby; Thomas Dunn; Joseph de Longueuil; Adam Mabane; Pierre Panet; and Adam Lymburner.

210 years ago
1811

Died on this date
Abraham B. Venable, 53. U.S. politician. Mr. Venable, a Democratic-Republican, represented Virginia's 6th (1791-1793) and 7th (1793-1799) Districts in the U.S. House of Representatives, and represented Prince Edward County in the Virginia House of Delegates (1800-1803). He represented Virginia in the U.S. Senate (1803-1804), filling a vacancy, and resigned to serve as president of the Bank of Virginia. Mr. Venable was one of the victims of the Richmond Theatre fire.

George William Smith, 49. U.S. politician. Mr. Smith, a Democratic-Republican, represented Essex County and then Richmond (1802-1808) in the Virginia House of Delegates, and was Lieutenant Governor and served two brief terms as acting Governor before being elected in his own right. He had been in office for less than nine months when he died in the Richmond Theatre fire.

Disasters
A fire at the Richmond Theatre in Richmond, Virginia killed 72 of the 598 people in attendance. In addition to Messrs. Venable and Smith, the victims included many members of Richmond's high society. The fire was the worst urban disaster in American history to that date.

160 years ago
1861

Diplomacy
Confederate diplomatic envoys James Murray Mason and John Slidell were freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and the United Kingdom.

150 years ago
1871

Opera
Thespis, the first collaboration between lyricist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, received its premiere performance at the Gaiety Theatre in London.

130 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Henry Miller. U.S. writer and artist. Mr. Miller wrote travel memoirs and literary criticism, and painted watercolours, but was primarily known for his novels Tropic of Cancer (1934) and Tropic of Capricorn (1939), which weren't published in the United States for many years on grounds of obscenity. He died from circulatory problems on June 7, 1980 at the age of 88.

120 years ago
1901

Radio
Two weeks after receiving the first transatlantic radio signal at Signal Hill in St. John's Newfoundland, Guglielmo Marconi arrived in North Sydney, Nova Scotia. The Anglo-American Telegraph Company, owner of the undersea cable and holder of a monopoly of telegraphy in the province, notified him that it would take legal action unless he immediately ceased his wireless experiments and removed his equipment from Newfoundland. Mr. Marconi conferred with Nova Scotia Premier George Murray, William Smith of the Canadian Post Office, Mayor Mckenzie of North Sydney, and the Honourable J.N. Armstrong, a prominent local politician and member of the Nova Scotia cabinet. They urged him to set up shop in Cape Breton, and sent him on to Ottawa two days later.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Steve Allen. U.S. broadcaster, author, songwriter, comedian. Mr. Allen, a man of many talents, was the original host of the Tonight show on NBC from 1954-1957. He then moved into prime time on Sunday nights with a comedy and variety show on NBC that ran at the same time that Ed Sullivan's program was on CBS; The Steve Allen Show (1956-1960) drew respectable ratings. He conceived and hosted a program on PBS called Meeting of Minds (1977-1981), where actors portraying historical characters would discuss various issues. Mr. Allen wrote several thousand songs, the best-known of which is This Could Be the Start of Something. His books included The Funny Men (1956); Funny People (1981); More Funny People (1982); and Vulgarians at the Gate (2000). Mr. Allen died on October 30, 2000 at the age of 78, several hours after suffering a ruptured blood vessel caused by chest injuries received in a traffic accident.

John Severin. U.S. artist. Mr. Severin was an illustrator with Marvel Comics and E.C. Comics in a career spanning more than 60 years. He was particularly known for his work in war comics, and for his keen eye for historical detail. Mr. Severin was one of the first artists to work with Mad magazine (1952-1954), but left in a dispute with the magazine's founder, Harvey Kurtzman. Mr. Severin spent more than 40 years with Cracked, Mad's main rival, and was regarded by many as the only talented individual steadily working with Cracked. He died on February 12, 2012 at the age of 90.

90 years ago
1931

Died on this date
Melvil Dewey, 80. U.S. librarian. Mr. Dewey founded The Library Journal in 1876; he was one of the founders of the American Library Association, and was its secretary (1876-1891) and president (1891-1893). He was chief librarian of Columbia University Libraries (1883-1888); director of the New York State Library (1888-1906); and secretary and executive officer of the University of the State of New York (1888-1900). Mr. Dewey established the standard dimensions for catalogue cards, but was best known for creating the Dewey Decimal System of classification system, first published in 1876. He had a reputation for sexually harassing women, which finally forced his resignation as N.Y. State Library director and from active participation in the ALA. Mr. Dewey founded the Lake Placid Club as a resort in 1895, with a policy that barred Jews, Negroes, and other minorities from membership. He died from a stroke, 16 days after his 80th birthday.

80 years ago
1941

Diplomacy
Winston Churchill became the first British Prime Minister to address a joint session of the United States Congress.



Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King arrived in Washington to participate in the U.S.-U.K. military and naval conference.

War
The U.S.S.R. announced that Naro Fominsk, about 50 miles southeast of Moscow, had been recaptured together with other towns. U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur declared Manila to be an open city, and ordered all troops and anti-aircraft guns to be withdrawn. The British War Office announced that Lieutenant General Sir Henry Pownall had arrived in Singapore to assume command of British forces in the Far East, replacing Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham. The British embassy in Chungking announced that a U.K.-U.S.-Chinese Military Council had been created there.

Americana
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

Science
Dr. Paul J. Kolachov reported that the Russian dandelion plant known as kok-sagyz could produce crude rubber and may be grown virtually in any soil.

Labour
Striking welders withdrew their picket lines at defense plants and shipyards in the San Francisco area.

75 years ago
1946

At the movies
The Man I Love, directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Ida Lupino, Robert Alda, Andrea King, and Bruce Bennett, opened in theatres in New York City.





Died on this date
Max Warburg, 79. German banker. Mr. Warburg, scion of a Hamburg banking family, was director of M. M. Warburg & Co., was a member of the Hamburg parliament, and began advising Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1903. He served on the board of the German Reichsbank under governor Hjalmar Schach (1933-1935), but sold the bank after the Nazis passed the anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws, and emigrated to the United States in 1938. Mr. Warburg died in New York City.

Movies
Motion Picture Herald's poll reported that the top box office attractions in the United States in 1946 were: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Van Johnson, Gary Cooper, Bob Hope, Humphrey Bogart, and Greer Garson.

Diplomacy
U.S. State Department spokesman Lincoln White affirmed that Soviet authorities in Manchuria were within their rights in ordering an American ship out of Dairen harbour on December 20.

Defense
Mohammed Nimer el Huwari, commander of the Arab underground army Najada, announced the merger of his forces with the Arab youth organization Futuwah for joint operations under the Arab Higher Committee in Palestine.

Exploration
Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl announced that he would sail 4,000 miles in a wooden raft from Peru to Tahiti in an attempt to prove that Polynesia had been settled by inhabitants of South America.

Economics and finance
Colombia became the 39th nation to join the World Bank.

The French cabinet raised telephone tolls, subway fares, and other public service charges by up to 150% in an anti-inflation move.

Business
Gangster Bugsy Siegel opened The Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Labour
Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities Ernie Adamson issued an unauthorized report claiming that 17 Congress of Industrial Organizations unions were dominated by Communists; that Communists were plotting a general strike to provoke revolution; and that the Library of Congress was a "haven for foreign-minded Americans."

70 years ago
1951

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department announced that it would pay Hungary $120,000 in fines to secure the release of four U.S. fliers who had been captured on November 19.

Oil
Czech spokesmen in Tehran announced that Czechoslovakia would buy 500,000 tons of refined oil from Iran and "large" additional quantities of crude oil for refining in Czech plants.

Economics and finance
Retail prices in the U.S.A. hit a record 234.5% of the 1935-1939 average, 15% above the pre-Korean War level.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): When the Girl in Your Arms is the Girl in Your Heart--Cliff Richard and the Norrie Paramor Orchestra (6th week at #1)

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: A Jury of Her Peers, starring Ann Harding, Philip Bourneuf, and Frances Reid

50 years ago
1971

War
U.S. Air Force and Navy planes began several days of heavy bombing raids on military installations in North Vietnam.

Crime
An Air Canada jet en route from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Toronto was hijacked to Cuba.

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (34-1) knocked out Jürgen Blin (27-10-6) at 2:12 of the 7th round of their bout in an unusually small ring at Hallenstadion Arena in Zurich. On the undercard, Mac Foster (28-1) knocked out Italian heavyweight champion Bepi Ros (30-8) in the 8th round.



Football
NFL
AFC Divisional Playoff
Baltimore 20 @ Cleveland 3

Don Nottingham rushed 23 times for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Jim O'Brien kicked 2 converts and 2 field goals as the defending Super Bowl champion Colts defeated the Browns at Municipal Stadium.



NFC Divisional Playoff
Washington 20 @ San Francisco 24

John Brodie completed touchdown passes of 78 yards to Gene Washington and 2 yards to Bob Windsor as the 49ers defeated the Redskins in the first NFL playoff game to be played at Candlestick Park.



40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Cicale--Heather Parisi (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross

#1 single in Ireland: One of Us--ABBA

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express):

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Don't You Want Me--The Human League (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross (2nd week at #1)
2 Annie--Miggy
3 One of Us--ABBA
4 Wünderbar--Tenpole Tudor
5 Under Pressure--Queen & David Bowie
6 I Go to Sleep--Pretenders
7 They Don't Play Our Lovesong Anymore--Anita Meyer
8 Let's Start II Dance Again--Bohannon
9 Spirits in the Material World--The Police
10 It's Raining--Shakin' Stevens

Singles entering the chart were Je Loog Tegen Mij by Drukwerk (#24); I Won't Let You Down by Ph.D. (#29); Bensonhurst Blues by Oscar Benton (#31); Lobo's Gospel Show by Lobo (#34); Op Een Onbewoond Eiland by Kinderen Voor Kinderen (#35); Perhaps Love by Placido Domingo & John Denver (#36); and Cambodia by Kim Wilde (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (6th week at #1)
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 Let's Groove--Earth, Wind & Fire
4 I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates
5 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
6 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
7 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
8 Leather and Lace--Stevie Nicks with Don Henley
9 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
10 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham

Singles entering the chart were Abacab by Genesis (#71); Southern Pacific by Neil Young & Crazy Horse (#80); Through the Years by Kenny Rogers (#82); Crazy (Keep on Falling) by John Hall Band (#83); Tonight Tonight by Bill Champlin (#85); and Can't Hold Back (Your Loving) by Kano (#91).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (6th week at #1)
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 Let's Groove--Earth, Wind and Fire
4 I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates
5 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
6 Oh No--Commodores
7 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
8 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
9 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
10 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham

Singles entering the chart were Through the Years by Kenny Rogers (#60); Abacab by Genesis (#76); Crazy (Keep on Falling) by John Hall Band (#83); Let the Feeling Flow by Peabo Bryson (#84); Pac-Man Fever by Buckner and Garcia (#87); You Can by Madleen Kane (#88); Seasons of Gold by Gidea Park featuring Adrian Baker (#89); and Tonight Tonight by Bill Champlin (#90).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (6th week at #1)
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 Let's Groove--Earth, Wind & Fire
4 I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates
5 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
6 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
7 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
8 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham
9 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
10 Hooked on Classics--The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were Through the Years by Kenny Rogers (#50); Pac-Man Fever by Buckner & Garcia (#79); Could it Be Love by Jennifer Warnes (#82); You're My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration by Teddy Pendergrass (#86); Those Good Old Dreams by the Carpenters (#89); and If You Think You're Lonely Now by Bobby Womack (#94).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (2nd week at #1)
2 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
3 Oh No--Commodores
4 Under Pressure--Queen & David Bowie
5 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
6 My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)--Chilliwack
7 Trouble--Lindsey Buckingham
8 The Friends of Mr. Cairo--Jon and Vangelis
9 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
10 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash

Singles entering the chart were Flying High Again by Ozzy Osbourne (#42); The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known) by Juice Newton (#44); You Could Have Been with Me by Sheena Easton (#46); She's Got a Way by Billy Joel (#47); There's No One Quite Like Grandma by Leliah and Jeordie (#48); Take it Easy on Me by Little River Band (#49); and Letting Go by Straight Lines (#50).

Died on this date
Suat Hayri Ürgüplü, 78. Prime Minister of Turkey, 1965. Mr. Ürgüplü was a judge of the Istanbul Commercial Court (1939-1942). A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Kayseri in the Chamber of Deputies (1939-1946, 1950-1952), serving as Minister of Customs and Public Monopolies (1947-1948). Mr. Ürgüplü was Turkey's Ambassador to West Germany (1952-1955); U.K. (1955-1959); U.S.A. (1959-1960); and Spain (1960-1961). As a member of the Justice Party, he was elected to the Senate in 1961, serving as Prime Minister of a non-partisan caretaker cabinet from February-October 1965 after the collapse of the government of Prime Minister İsmet İnönü. Mr. Ürgüplü remained in the Senate until his death from heart disease.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are the Days of Our Lives--Queen (2nd week at #1)

World events
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union met and formally dissolved the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War.

Business
The U.S. airline Northwest Airlines bought 20 Dash 8 Series 100 aircraft for $190 million from Toronto-based de Haviland, a division of Boeing Canada.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Breathe--The Prodigy (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Anna mulle piiskaa--Apulanta (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
JonBenét Ramsey, 6. U.S. crime victim. Miss Ramsey, a child beauty contestant, died from strangulation and a fractured skull at her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. The crime resulted in a U.S. media obsession, and the case is still officially open.

Labour
The Federation of Korean Trade Unions called on its 1.2 million members to refuse to work, beginning the largest organized strike in South Korean history.

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Nigel Hawthorne, 72. U.K. actor. Sir Nigel had a distinguished career on stage, screen, and television spanning 50 years, winning numerous awards. He won a Tony Award for his starring performance in Shadowlands (1990), and won six Laurence Olivier Awards, four for his starring performances in the television comedy series Yes Minister (1980-1984) and Yes, Prime Minister (1986-1988). Sir Nigel won a Laurence Olivier Award for his starring performance in the play The Madness of George III (1991), and a BAFTA and two other British awards for starring in its film adaptation, The Madness of King George (1994), receiving an Academy Award nomination for the film. Sir Nigel died of a heart attack after suffering from pancreatic cancer.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Sarekoppa Bangarappa, 78. Indian politician. Mr. Bangarappa was a member of several parties in a political career spanning more than 40 years. He represented Soraba in the Karnataka Assembly (1967-1996), and was Chief Minister of Karnataka (1990-1992). Mr. Bangarappa represented Shimoga in the Lok Sabha (1999-2005, 2005-2009). He died from multiple causes after suffering from diabetes; his funeral required police intervention because of disputes between factions involving his sons Kumar and Madhu.

Houston Antwine, 72. U.S. football player. Mr. Antwine played defensive tackle at Southern Illinois University and with the Boston/New England Patriots (1961-1971) and Philadelphia Eagles (1972). He made the American Football League's First All-Star Team in 1963, and the Second Team five times (1964, 1966-1969), earning recognition on the all-time All-AFL Team.

Pedro Armendáriz, Jr., 71. Mexican-born actor. Mr. Armendáriz, the son of actor Pedro Armendáriz, Sr., appeared in movies and television programs in Mexico and the United States in a career spanning 45 years. His movies included Tombstone (1993) and Amistad (1997). Mr. Armendáriz died in New York while being treated for eye cancer, and was buried in Mexico City.

Joe Bodolai, 63. U.S.-born screenwriter and producer. Mr. Bodolai fled to Canada in the late 1960s to avoid the military draft, and spent much of his life in Canada as a comedy writer and producer; he was a frequent guest of Peter Gzowski's on his CBC radio program This Country in the Morning (1970-1974). He returned to the United States in 1981 and wrote more than 20 episodes of Saturday Night Live before returning to Canada and producing television programs such as Comics! and The Kids in the Hall. Mr. Bodolai co-founded the Canadian cable channel The Comedy Network in the mid-1990s, but returned to the U.S. after the Comedy Network's owners declined to hire him to run the network. He was unable to conquer a drinking habit, and committed suicide by drinking a mixture of Gatorade and antifreeze. Mr. Bodolai's blog Say It Ain't So, Joe! remains online; its last entry, dated December 23, 2011, reads like a suicide note.

December 20, 2021

180 years ago
1841

Born on this date
Ferdinand Buisson. French politician. Mr. Buisson was a member of the Radical-Socialist party who was president of the French Human Rights League from 1913-1926. He and Ludwig Quidde of Germany shared the 1927 Nobel Peace Prize "[for] contributions to Franco-German popular reconciliation." Mr. Buisson died on February 16, 1932 at the age of 90.

160 years ago
1861

Born on this date
Ferdinand Bonn. German actor. Mr. Bonn began his career on stage in 1885, and in 1905 founded Ferdinand Bonn's Berlin Theater, which collapsed after just two years. He frequently played detectives, including Sherlock Holmes in several plays. Mr. Bonn appeared in 80 films from 1912-1932, and died on September 24, 1933 at the age of 71.

Defense
The British War Office ordered 18 transport ships loaded with men, arms and supplies to Canada. 16 batteries of Royal Artillery were earmarked, with 4 companies of Royal Engineers and 11 battalions of infantry, for a total of over 11,000 men. 50,000 rifles and 2¼ million rounds of ammunition were also sent for the defense of Canada in case the "Trent Affair" was not settled without war.

150 years ago
1871

Born on this date
Henry Kimball Hadley. U.S. composer and conductor. Mr. Hadley conducted various orchestras, and was the first conductor of the San Francisco Symphony. In 1933 he founded the National Association for American Composers and Conductors, and a year later, founded the summer festival known today as Tanglewood. Mr. Hadley wrote five symphonies, five operas, as well as symphonic poems, and numerous choral, orchestral, and chamber works. He conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra for the soundtrack of the movie Don Juan (1926--the first motion picture with synchronized sound--and composed the first original motion picture score, for When a Man Loves (1927). Mr. Hadley was one of the most-performed composers of his time, but has largely been forgotten since his death after a long battle with cancer on September 6, 1937 at the age of 65.

Politics and government
Edward Blake was sworn in as Premier of Ontario, beginning 34 straight years of Liberal rule in the province. He replaced Liberal-Conservative John Sandfield Macdonald, who was gravely ill and had resigned after an inconclusive election that was followed by the desertion of a few coalition Reformers.

140 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Branch Rickey, 83. U.S. baseball player, manager, and executive. Mr. Rickey, nicknamed "The Mahatma," was a catcher with the St. Louis Browns (1905-1906, 1914) and New York Highlanders (1907), batting .239 with 3 home runs and 39 runs batted in in 120 games. He managed the Browns from 1913-1915 and the St. Louis Cardinals from 1919-1925, compiling a record of 597-664-16. Mr. Rickey was also the Browns' general manager from 1913-1915 and 1919 before moving to the Cardinals, holding the same position from 1919-1942. With the Cardinals, Mr. Rickey developed the idea of a farm system of minor league teams feeding the major league club; the Cardinals won six pennants under his leadership, and World Series championships in 1926, 1931, 1934, and 1942. Mr. Rickey then moved on to the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming part-owner and putting together the team that won National League pennants in 1947 and 1949, before selling his share of the club in 1950. His most famous act was signing Jackie Robinson, who, in 1947, became the first Negro player in modern major league baseball. Mr. Rickey served as president of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1950-1955, but had no success at all. He came out of retirement to rejoin the Cardinals as an executive after the 1962 season, and the team won the World Series in 1964. Mr. Rickey died on December 9, 1965, 26 days after suffering a stroke while delivering a speech in Columbia, Missouri, and 11 days before his 84th birthday. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967.

130 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Erik Almlöf. Swedish athlete. Mr. Almlöf specialized in the triple jump, winning bronze medals at the 1912 Olympic Games in Oslo and the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. He had a business career divided between Sweden and the United States, and died in Pennsylvania on January 18, 1971, 29 days after his 79th birthday.

120 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Robert Van de Graaff, 65. U.S. engineer. Mr. Van de Graaff was known for the design and construction of the Van de Graaff generators. He died on January 16, 1967, 27 days after his 65th birthday.

Communications
Canadian Finance Minister William Fielding assured Guglielmo Marconi of a warm welcome in Nova Scotia to continue his experiments in wireless telegraphy, and offered Canadian government assistance. The Anglo-American Telegraph Company, with its underseas cable to Europe, had a monopoly in Newfoundland, and threatened to sue Mr. Marconi, who then set up shop in Cape Breton.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Hortense Calisher. U.S. authoress. Miss Calisher was a New York feminist who wrote more than 20 novels and collections of short stories, and was nominated three times for the National Book Award. She died on January 13, 2009, 24 days after her 97th birthday.

Politics and government
U.S. President William Howard Taft delivered the third part of his four-part annual State of the Union message to Congress. Part III dealt with the tariff on wool.

Energy
The Albert County natural gas pipeline from Stoney Creek, New Brunswick commenced service to Moncton, although a temporary disruption occurred when a gas explosion on Main Street destroyed four buildings.

Transportation
Alberta adopted its Highways Act.

100 years ago
1921

Died on this date
Julius Richard Petri, 69. German physician. Dr. Petri was a hospital and military physician who was assisting bacteriologist Robert Koch at the Imperial Health Office in Berlin (1877-1879) when he invented the Petri dish, a shallow transparent lidded dish that biologists use to hold growth medium in which cells can be cultured.

80 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Elmer's Tune--Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (Vocal refrain by Ray Eberle and the Modernaires)

War
A Soviet communique reported the recapture of Volololamsk on the central front and Voibokala on the northern front. Japanese troops landed from four transports at Davao on the Philippine island of Mindanao, 60 miles southeast of Manila; heavy fighting was reported. The 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, better known as the "Flying Tigers," saw their first action in Kunming, China, when aircraft of the 1st and 2nd squadrons intercepted 10 unescorted Kawasaki Ki-48 "Lily" bombers of the 21st Hikōtai attacking Kunming. The bombers jettisoned their loads before reaching Kunming. Three of the Japanese bombers were shot down near Kunming and a fourth was damaged so severely that it crashed before returning to its airfield at Hanoi. Two American tankers were attacked by submarines off the Pacific coast of the United States; one ship escaped, but the 6,912-ton Emidio was abandoned off Cape Mendocino after being shelled and torpedoed. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt named Admiral Ernest King, current commander of the Atlantic Fleet, as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Fleet. The Cuban government ordered the internment of all Japanese in Cuba.

Labour
Scores of welders went on strike in shipyards and defense plants in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas in protest against alleged American Federation of Labor discrimination.

75 years ago
1946

War
French forces recaptured parts of Hanoi that had been seized the day before by Vietnamese nationalists, who took refuge west of the city near Ha Dong.

British authorities in Hamburg ordered immediate trials for 27,000 members of the SS and other Nazi organizations condemned for war crimes at Nuremberg.

World events
Soviet occupation authorities ordered a U.S. courier ship out of the Manchurian port of Dairen after a two-day stay, creating an international incident.

Defense
Commanding general of U.S. ground forces General Jacob Devers announced plans for an increase in the size and firepower of fighting units to meet the requirements of the "atomic age."

Politics and government
The United Kingdom offered Burma independence on the same terms extended to India, and invited a Burmese delegation to London for negotiations.

Boxing
Sugar Ray Robinson (74-1-1) won a 15-round unanimous decision over Tommy Bell (39-11-2) before 15,670 fans at Madison Square Garden in New York to win the National Boxing Association and New York State Athletic Commission world welterweight titles, which had been vacant since the retirement of Marty Servo three months earlier.

70 years ago
1951

At the movies
Death of a Salesman, directed by László Benedek, and starring Fredric March, Mildred Dunnock, Kevin McCarthy, and Cameron Mitchell, opened in theatres.



Theatre
Antony and Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Michael Benthall, and starring Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway in New York. It ran in repertory with Caesar and Cleopatra, which had opened the previous night.

Mexicana
Following Senate approval, Baja California became Mexico's 29th state.

Diplomacy
The United Nations General Assembly chose Greece to succeed Yugoslavia on the Security Council despite the Soviet bloc's contention that an Eastern European country was entitled to the seat under an informal agreement dating from 1945.

Defense
The U.S. Selective Service headquarters announced that 300,000 4-Fs rejected for mental reasons would be reexamined for possible induction under reduced admission standards.

Politics and government
The New York Times reported that four U.S. federal agencies--the Central Intelligence Agency, Atomic Energy Commission, and State and Defense Departments)--were using lie detectors as part of their security programs.

Energy
The Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR)-I in Arco, Idaho became the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity. The electricity powered four light bulbs.

60 years ago
1961

Died on this date
Earle Page, 81. Prime Minister of Australia, 1939. Sir Earle, a physician by trade, represented Cowper in the Australian Parliament (1919-1961). He joined the Country Party in 1920, and led it from 1921-1939. Sir Earle held various cabinet posts including Treasurer (1923-1929); Minister for Commerce (1932-1939, 1940-1941); and Minister for Health (1937-1938, 1949-1956). He was Prime Minister from April 7-26, 1939, between the death in office of Joseph Lyons and the election of Robert Menzies as leader of the United Australia Party and Prime Minister in the UAP-Country coalition. Sir Earle refused to serve in Mr. Menzies' cabinet and withdrew the Country Party from the coalition, which led to his resignation as party leader in September 1939. Sir Earle was suffering from lung cancer in 1961, but still campaigned for re-election in Cowper. He went into a coma several days before the December 9 election and was defeated, four days before the 42nd anniversary of his assumption of his seat. Sir Earle never regained consciousness.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Maggie May--Rod Stewart (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ame no Midōsuji--Ouyang Fei Fei (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Mammy Blue--Pop-Tops (9th week at #1)

At the movies
Harold and Maude, directed by Hal Ashby, and starring Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Roy Disney, 78. U.S. motion picture executive. Mr. Disney was the older brother of motion picture producer Walt Disney, and the two co-founded Walt Disney Productions. While Walt was the creative genius of the company, Roy looked after the financial interests of the studio. Roy Disney retired shortly after the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971.

Diplomacy
The international aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) was founded in Paris by Bernard Kouchner and a group of journalists.

Politics and government
Pakistani Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto took office as President and martial law administrator, returning the nation to civilian rule for the first time since 1958. His predecessor, Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan, was forced to resign following Pakistan's defeat by India in the recent war.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Richard Nixon announced that the 10% surcharge on goods imported into the United States had been terminated.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): How Great Thou Art--Howard Morrison

#1 single in Switzerland: Physical--Olivia Newton-John (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Dimitris Rontiris, 82. Greek theatre director. Mr. Rontiris was an actor before becoming a director. He was appointed director of the Royal Theatre in Athens in 1933, directed the National Theatre of Greece (1946-1950, 1953-1955), and founded the Piraeus Theatre (1957). Mr. Rontiris directed 11 plays by William Shakespeare, classical tragedies, and modern works.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Radio & Records)
1 Black or White--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)
2 All 4 Love--Color Me Badd
3 Can't Let Go--Mariah Carey
4 It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday--Boyz II Men
5 Keep Coming Back--Richard Marx
6 No Son of Mine--Genesis
7 Wildside--Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch
8 Finally--Ce Ce Peniston
9 Broken Arrow--Rod Stewart
10 Blowing Kisses in the Wind--Paula Abdul

Singles entering the chart were I Love Your Smile by Shanice (#22); Save Up All Your Tears by Cher (#23); I Can't Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt (#30); Addams Groove by MC Hammer (#31); Keep it Comin' by Keith Sweat (#35); I'll Get By by Eddie Money (#37); and There Will Never be Another Tonight by Bryan Adams (#40).

Edmontonia
A year after it had closed, the Garneau Theatre reopened as a second-run movie theatre. The theatre, located at 8712 109 St., was built in 1940.

Defense
The U.S. Navy announced plans to close its Argentia, Newfoundland base in 1994; 500 personnel would leave what was once the largest U.S. base on foreign soil.

Abominations
A Missouri court sentenced Palestinian terrorist Zein Isa and his wife Maria to death for the "honour killing" of their daughter Palestina.

Hockey
NHL
National Hockey League governors granted membership to the new Ottawa and Tampa Bay teams; the Ottawa group was led by real estate investor Bruce Firestone.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Un-Break My Heart--Toni Braxton

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): 2 Become 1--Spice Girls

At the movies
My Fellow Americans, directed by Peter Segal, and starring Jack Lemmon, James Garner, and Dan Aykroyd, opened in theatres.



Died on this date
Carl Sagan, 62. U.S. astronomer. Dr. Sagan was known within science for his research into planetary atmospheres, especially that of Venus, but was best known as a popularizer of astronomy and science. He wrote and hosted the PBS documentary series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980). Dr. Sagan promoted investigation of unidentified flying objects, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and nuclear disarmament. He died of pneumonia after a battle with cancer.

10 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Léopold Sédar Senghor, 95. 1st President of Senegal, 1960-1980. Professor Senghor was a poet and linguistics professor who was the major theoretician of Négritude, aimed at raising and cultivating "Black consciousness" across Africa and its diaspora; unlike many of its proponents, Prof. Senghor was not a Marxist. He served with the French Colonial Army in World War II, and survived internment in a German prison camp. Prof. Senghor co-founded the Bloc démocratique sénégalais (Senegalese Democratic Bloc) in 1948, and held various offices until taking office as President upon Senegal's independence from France in 1960. He wrote the Senegalese national anthem, and adopted a three-party system--socialist, Communist, and liberal--for the country. Prof. Senghor also served as Senegal's Foreign Minister, and unlike the leaders of most post-colonial African regimes, maintained close relations with France. He retired on December 31, 1980, and was succeeded by Prime Minister Abdou Diouf. Prof. Senghor was a member of the Académie française from 1983 until his death.

Foster Brooks, 89. U.S. comedian. Mr. Brooks was best known for playing the character of a "Loveable Lush" in nightclub and television appearances in the 1960s and '70s. He frequently appeared on The Dean Martin Show and The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, receiving an Emmy Award nomination for the former in 1974. Mr. Brooks died of heart failure.

Politics and government
Fernando de la Rua resigned as President of Argentina amidst several days of rioting throughout the nation.

Law
The Quebec provincial government announced that motorists would be allowed to turn right at most red lights, starting August 18, 2002, with the island of Montreal excepted. Quebec and New York City were the last North American jurisdictions to ban such turns.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Barry Reckord, 85. Jamaican playwright. Mr. Reckford was one of the first Caribbean writers to achieve success in Britain, where he spent most of his adult life. His plays included Della (1953); You in Your Small Corner (1961); and Skyvers (1963). Mr. Reckford often worked with his younger brother Lloyd, an actor and director. Barry Reckford spent his last years back in Jamaica, where he died after years of declining health.

December 12, 2021

200 years ago
1821

Born on this date
Gustave Flaubert. French author. Mr. Flaubert was a leading proponent of literary realism and was known for his exacting style, looking for "just the right word." His best-known work was the novel Madame Bovary (1857). Mr. Flaubert died of a cerebral hemorrhage on May 8, 1880 at the age of 58, after suffering from venereal disease for years.

190 years ago
1831

Politics and government
William Lyon Mackenzie was expelled from the Upper Canada Assembly by a Tory majority vote of 24-15 for calling the assembly a “sycophantic office,” in his newspaper The Colonial Advocate. A mob of several hundred then entered the Assembly, demanding that Lieutenant Governor John Colborne dissolve parliament; he refused. Mr. Mackenzie was re-elected in a by-election several weeks later.

120 years ago
1901

Radio
Using a 500-foot (150-metre) kite-supported antenna for reception, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic radio signal at Signal Hill in St. John's, Newfoundland, from his company's wireless station at Poldhu, Cornwall, England.

90 years ago
1931

Football
NCAA
Army 17 Navy 7 @ Yankee Stadium, New York

80 years ago
1941

Died on this date
César Basa, 26. Filipino military aviator. Lieutenant Basa was shot down in a battle against numerically superior Japanese forces, and was the first Filipino fighter pilot to be killed in World War II; he was awarded a posthumous Silver Star.

War
Hungary and Romania declared war on the United States. The United Kingdom declared war on Bulgaria. India declared war on Japan. Panama, Honduras, Haiti, and El Salvador declared war on Germany and Italy. 54 Japanese A6M Zero fighters raided Batangas Field, Philippines; Jesْs Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fended them off, while César Basa was killed. The U.S. War Department claimed that Japanese landings at several points on the Philippine island of Luzon had been repulsed. Japanese troops advanced in northwest Malaya, while Japanese bombers raided Penang. The U.S.S.R. claimed that the German armies besieging Moscow had been routed. The British command reported that its troops had pushed 40 miles west of Tobruk, Libya and had surrounded El Gazala. The United States Coast Guard seized 14 French ships in American ports, including the luxury liner SS Normandie at New York; it was subsequently renamed USS Lafayette. A U.S. federal jury in New York convicted 14 men on charges of espionage and failure to register as agents of Germany; 19 others had already pled guilty. U.S. aviator Charles Lindbergh was scheduled to address an America First Committee in Boston, but, because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor five days earlier, the America First Committee dissolved, and his speech, titled What Do We Mean by Democracy and Freedom?, was never delivered. The U.S. Senate passed and sent to conference a $10,572,350,705 defense appropriation bill, increasing the House of Representatives measure by $2,328,511,774.

Abominations
German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler declared the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery in Berlin.

Politics and government
Three days after taking office as Premier of British Columbia, John Hart formed a Liberal/ Conservative coalition government in order to prevent the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from forming the government.

Religion
Three Protestant women's organizations merged under a single constitution as the National Council of Churchwomen at a meeting in Atlantic City.

Business
Ford Motor Company began a 24-hour day, 7-day week for all defense projects.

75 years ago
1946

Died on this date
Charles B. Thwing, 86. U.S. physicist. Dr. Thwing devised Thwing's law of inductivity.

War
Greek Prime Minister Constantin Tsaldaris accused Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and Albania of creating a state of "undeclared war" in border clashes against Greece.

Diplomacy
The United Nations General Assembly passed a compromise resolution on Spain, urging member nations to recall their ministers from Spain, barring the country from participation in UN agencies, and calling on the UN Security Council to take up the issue again if Spain did not establish a democratic government "within a reasonable time."

The Council of Foreign Ministers ended its New York meetings after agreeing to set up special committees to study the Austrian and German peace treaties.

Defense
The Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, and Royal Canadian Air Force were reintegrated into one central command.

Politics and government
Socialist Léon Blum was elected by the French National Assembly to serve as President of the Provisional Government, effective December 16. He had served as Prime Minister from 1936-1937 and March 13-April 10, 1938.

Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King announced a cabinet shuffle, resulting in Paul Martin assuming the office of Minister of National Health and Welfare, replacing Brooke Claxton, who was named Minister of National Defence. Mr. Claxton replaced Douglas Abbott, who was named Minister of Finance and Receiver General. Mr. Abbott replaced J.L. Ilsley, who was named Minister of Justice, replacing Louis St. Laurent, who had recently been named Secretary of State for External Affairs.

South Korea's first occupation legislature opened in Seoul, boycotted by the rightist Han Kook Party because of the invalidation of elections in two provinces.

U.S. President Harry Truman created an office of Temporary Controls, headed by General Philip Fleming, to take over and liquidate the Office of Price Administration, Civilian Production Administration, Office of Economic Stabilization, and Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion.

Technology
Dr. Luis W. Alvarez was awarded the Robert J. Collier Aviation Trophy for his work on radar.

Journalism
Allied authorities in Tokyo issued requirements for the licensing of news media in Japan to control "propaganda" from Soviet and other sources.

Energy
U.S. President Truman named nine scientists as advisers to the Atomic Energy Commission, including Manhattan Project workers Enrico Fermi, Glenn Seaborg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Scandal
The U.S. Senate War Investigating Committee heard Army engineers testify that Sen. Theodore Bilbo (Democrat--Mississippi) was active in securing over $25 million in contracts to build war installations in his state.

Labour
The government of Guatemala temporarily banned strikes and slowdowns in the face of threatened protests against United Fruit Company and International Railways of Central America.

Disasters
A fire at an ice plant in Hudson Heights, Manhattan, New York City, spread to an adjacent tenement, killing 37 people.

70 years ago
1951

Died on this date
Mildred Bailey, 44. U.S. singer. Mrs. Bailey was a jazz singer who was popular in the 1930s and '40s, performing and recording with the bands of artists such as Paul Whiteman and Red Norvo, and frequently appearing on radio. She was the older sister of musician Al Rinker, who teamed up with Bing Crosby and Harry Barris in the Rhythm Boys in the 1920s. Mrs. Bailey suffered from diabetes in later years, and died of heart failure.

War
The latest U.S. Defense Department reports placed U.S. casualties in the Korean War at 102,576 (17,441 dead).

Protest
3,000 South Koreans demonstrated in Pusan against any armistice agreement that would leave Korea divided.

Aviation
The de Havilland DHC-3 Otter made its first test flight.

Transportation
The Canadian Parliament voted to set up the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority as the Canadian project manager in cooperation with the United States.

Oil
Iran threatened to shift its oil sales to Soviet-bloc countries if former customers of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company did not place orders on Iranian terms within 10 days.

Boxing
Former world heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles (73-6-1) won a 12-round unanimous decision over world light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim (77-18-4) at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California. Mr. Charles had won a 15-round unanimous decision over Mr. Maxim on May 30, 1951, when Mr. Charles was still heavyweight champion.

Baseball
Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement from the New York Yankees. The outfielder batted .325 with 361 home runs and 1,537 runs batted in in 1,736 games in 13 seasons (1936-1942, 1946-1951), leading the American League in batting twice, home runs twice, runs batted in twice, slugging twice, and runs once, while being named as the AL's Most Valuable Player three times. He was one of the best defensive center fielders in history, and helped the Yankees win 10 AL pennants and 9 World Series, batting .271 with 8 homers and 30 RBIs in 51 World Series games. He hit safely in 56 consecutive games in 1941, a record that still stands.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): When the Girl in Your Arms is the Girl in Your Heart--Cliff Richard and the Norrie Paramor Orchestra (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Services Rendered, starring Stephen Dunne and Hugh Marlowe

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Robb Findlay!

Space
The U.S.A. launched the satellite OSCAR 1, whose mission was "radio propagation." It was the first amateur radio satellite.

Economics and finance
Tickets went on sale for New Zealand’s new national Golden Kiwi lottery. All 250,000 tickets sold within 24 hours, with the £12,000 top prize (equivalent to nearly $550,000 today) four times that offered in previous lotteries.

Boxing
The Edward J. Neil Memorial Trophy, awarded annually by the Boxing Writers' Association of New York to the person doing the most for boxing in the previous year, was awarded to Gene Fullmer, National Boxing Association world middleweight champion.

50 years ago
1971

Died on this date
David Sarnoff, 80. Belarusian-born U.S. broadcasting executive. Mr. Sarnoff founded Radio Corporation of America in 1919, and led RCA until his retirement in 1970. He was a major figure in the development of radio and television.

Hockey
NHL
Minnesota 3 @ Chicago 5

Bobby Hull scored his 1,000th career point with an assist on Chico Maki's goal at 7:59 of the 1st period, and scored the winning goal at 12:21 as the Black Hawks scored all their goals in the 1st period of their win over the North Stars at Chicago Stadium. Dennis Hull scored 2 goals for the Black Hawks.

Football
NFL
Cleveland (8-5) 21 @ New Orleans (4-7-2) 17
Chicago (6-7) 10 @ Green Bay (4-7-2) 31
Dallas (10-3) 42 @ New York Giants (4-9) 14
St. Louis (4-8-1) 7 @ Philadelphia (5-7-1) 19
Atlanta (6-6-1) 3 @ San Francisco (8-5) 24
Pittsburgh (6-7) 21 @ Cincinnati (4-9) 13
Oakland (7-4-2) 14 @ Kansas City (9-3-1) 16
Denver (4-8-1) 17 @ San Diego (6-7) 45
Houston (3-9-1) 20 @ Buffalo (1-12) 14
New England (5-8) 6 @ New York Jets (5-8) 13

See video.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Cicale--Heather Parisi

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Pretend--Alvin Stardust

#1 single in Ireland: Begin the Beguine (Volver a Empezar)--Julio Iglesias (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Begin the Beguine (Volver a Empezar)--Julio Iglesias

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Don't You Want Me--The Human League

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Under Pressure--Queen & David Bowie
2 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
3 Pretend--Alvin Stardust
4 Annie--Miggy
5 Wünderbar--Tenpole Tudor
6 Let's Start II Dance Again--Bohannon
7 It's Raining--Shakin' Stevens
8 Physical--Olivia Newton-John
9 Should I Do It--Pointer Sisters
10 Your Love Still Brings Me To My Knees--Marcia Hines

Singles entering the chart were One of Us by ABBA (#18); Spirits in the Material World by the Police (#29); We Kill the World (Don't Kill the World) by Boney M. (#34); Saturday Nights by Patricia Paay (#37); and I'm a Rocking Machine by Babe (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (4th week at #1)
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 Every Little Thing She Does is Magic--The Police
4 Oh No--Commodores
5 Let's Groove--Earth, Wind & Fire
6 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
7 Here I Am (Just When I Thought I was Over You)--Air Supply
8 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
9 Harden My Heart--Quarterflash
10 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey

Singles entering the chart were Sweet Dreams by Air Supply (#74); All Our Tomorrows by Eddie Schwartz (#80); Sea of Love by Del Shannon (#81); Keeping Our Love Alive by Henry Paul Band (#88); A World Without Heroes by Kiss (#92); Every Home Should Have One by Patti Austin (#93); and Titles (Chariots of Fire) by Vangelis (#94).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (4th week at #1)
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 Let's Groove--Earth, Wind and Fire
4 Oh No--Commodores
5 Private Eyes--Daryl Hall & John Oates
6 Every Little Thing She Does is Magic--The Police
7 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
8 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
9 Here I Am--Air Supply
10 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey

Singles entering the chart were Sweet Dreams by Air Supply (#78); All Our Tomorrows by Eddie Schwartz (#84); Keeping Our Love Alive by Henry Paul Band (#85); A World Without Heroes by Kiss (#86); Could it Be Love by Jennifer Warnes (#88); and Titles (Chariots of Fire) by Vangelis (#89).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Physical--Olivia Newton-John (4th week at #1)
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 Private Eyes--Daryl Hall & John Oates
4 Let's Groove--Earth, Wind & Fire
5 Oh No--Commodores
6 Why Do Fools Fall in Love--Diana Ross
7 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
8 Every Little Thing She Does is Magic--The Police
9 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
10 Here I Am (Just When I Thought I was Over You)--Air Supply

Singles entering the chart were Sweet Dreams by Air Supply (#74); Falling in Love by Balance (#84); Sea of Love by Del Shannon (#87); All Our Tomorrows by Eddie Schwartz (#88); Love in the First Degree by Alabama (#89); Call Me by Skyy (#90); Closer to the Heart by Rush (#97); Better Things by the Kinks (#98); and Blue Jeans by Chocolate Milk (#99).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 The Friends of Mr. Cairo--Jon and Vangelis (5th week at #1)
2 Waiting for a Girl Like You--Foreigner
3 My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)--Chilliwack
4 Physical--Olivia Newton-John
5 Young Turks--Rod Stewart
6 Under Pressure--Queen & David Bowie
7 Oh No--Commodores
8 Every Little Thing She Does is Magic--The Police
9 No Reply at All--Genesis
10 Don't Stop Believin'--Journey

Singles entering the chart were Wind Him Up by Saga (#43); Comin' In and Out of Your Life by Barbra Streisand (#45); and Waiting on a Friend by the Rolling Stones (#46).

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Mysterious Ways--U2

Europeana
The Russian Federation gained its independence from the U.S.S.R.

Law
Canadian Justice Minister Kim Campbell introduced into the House of Commons a new rape shield law that defined consent, allowing case questioning only when crucial to the defendant. The new bill restored protections lost by a court ruling the previous August.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Breathe--The Prodigy

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Breathe--The Prodigy (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Vance Packard, 82. U.S. journalist. Mr. Packard wrote for newspapers and magazines from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s, but was best known for his books critiquing trends in modern society. His books included The Hidden Persuaders (1957); The Status Seekers (1959); The Waste Makers (1960); The Pyramid Climbers (1962); The Naked Society (1964); The Sexual Wilderness (1968); A Nation of Strangers (1972); and The People Shapers (1977).

Radio
The government of Canada decided to take over operation of Radio Canada International, reversing Canadian Broadcasting Corporation President Perrin Beatty's earlier decision to close it down.

Politics and government
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien named Lise Thibault as Lieutenant Governor of Québec, with her appointment to take effect January 30, 1997. Mrs. Thibault was the first woman and first person with a disbility to hold the post.

Baseball
Outfielder Moises Alou signed with the Florida Marlins as a free agent. Mr. Alou, the son of Montréal Expos' manager Felipe Alou, had been with the Expos since 1990, and batted .281 with 21 home runs and 96 runs batted in in 143 games in 1996.

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Jean Richard, 80. French actor and businessman. Mr. Richard appeared in movies and television programs in a career spanning more than 40 years. He was best known for starring in the television detective series Les Enquêtes du Commissaire Maigret (1967-1990). Mr. Richard owned and managed three major circuses, two theme parks, and a private zoo.

World events
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat closed the offices of the organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Environment
Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Văn Khải announced the decision on upgrading the Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng nature reserve to a national park, providing information on projects for the conservation and development of the park and revised maps.

10 years ago
2011

Environment
Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent announced that Canada was withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 2002. Mr. Kent stated that the Kyoto Protocol's targets of greenhouse gas emiission reduction were unrealistic.

December 11, 2021

1,660 years ago
361

Politics and government
A month after succeeding Constantius II, Julian entered Constantinople as sole Emperor of the Roman Empire.

1,160 years ago
861

Died on this date
Al-Mutawakkil, 39. Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, 847-861. Al-Mutawakkil ʽalà Allāh succeeded his older half-brother al-Wathiq. The Abbasid Empire reached its territorial height under Al-Mutawakkil's reign, and he ended the persecution of many Islamic scholars, while being less tolerant toward non-Muslims. Al-Mutawakkil had his Turkic commander-in-chief killed, which contributed to his unpopularity. He was assassinated along with his secretary, Al-Fath ibn Khaqan, 43-44 (?), by the Turkish guard, who raised Al-Mutawakkil's eldest son al-Muntasir to the throne, beginning the period of civil strife known as "Anarchy at Samarra."

780 years ago
1241

Died on this date
Ögedei Khan, 55 (?). Emperor of the Mongol Empire, 1229-1241. Ögedei Khan, the third son of Genghis Khan, acceded to the throne upon the death of his father. He continued his father's expansion of the empire, which reached its farthest extent west and south during the Mongol invasions of Europe and conquests of China. Ögedei Khan's wife Töregene Khatun succeeded him as regent until the election of their son Güyük Khan in 1246.

130 years ago
1891

Diplomacy
Two months after the brawl between American sailors and Chilean nationals outside the True Blue Saloon in Valparaiso, Chilean Foreign Minister Manuel Matta declared that the U.S. government was insincere, wrong, and bellicose.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Val Guest. U.K. film director and screenwriter. Mr. Guest, born Valmond Grossman, began writing comedy films in the mid-1930s, and began directing them in 1942. He began working with Hammer Films in the mid-1950s, and the success of The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) influenced Hammer in the direction of horror films. Mr. Guest and Wolf Mankowitz share the BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay for The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), which Mr. Guest directed and co-produced. He was one of five directors of Casino Royale (1967), and worked in television as well as cinema in later years, retiring in the mid-1980s. Mr. Guest died of prostate cancer on May 10, 2006 at the age of 94.

Naguib Mahfouz. Egyptian author. Mr. Mahfouz wrote 34 novels and over 350 short stories. He was awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature as a writer "who, through works rich in nuance - now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous - has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind." Mr. Mahfouz died on August 30, 2016 at the age of 94.

Politics and government
Premier James Whitney led his governing Conservative Party to a third consecutive majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly in the Ontario provincial election. The Conservatives won 82 of 106 seats, a decline of 4 from before the election. The Liberal Party, led by Newton Rowell, took 22 seats, an increase of 3. The Labour Party and Liberal-Conservative Party each elected 1 candidate.

Law
Alberta brought in its first Motor Vehicles Act. The law set speed limit in towns and cities at 15 miles per hour, and at 20 mph in less settled areas; outside urban areas, drivers were required to slow down to 6 mph when approaching or passing pedestrians and horses, and to assist any horseman who required assistance. Drivers were required to take out a license, must be over 16 years of age if a boy, or over 18 if a young lady.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Liz Smith. U.K. actress. Miss Smith, whose real name was Betty Gleadle, was a character actress in numerous television comedy series and several movies from 1969-2013. She died on December 24, 2016, 13 days after her 95th birthday.

Football
APFA
Canton (4-2-3) 0 @ Chicago Staleys (9-1) 10
Cleveland (3-5) 0 @ Washington (1-1) 7

90 years ago
1931

Law
King George V gave royal assent to the Statute of Westminster, establishing legislative equality for self-governing dominions within the British Empire. A noticeable effect of the statute was that countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand would decide for themselves whether to go to war rather than having that decided for them by Great Britain.

Religion
Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve, 48, succeeded Monsignor Félix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau as Roman Catholic Archbishop of Quebec. He remained in office until January 17, 1947.

80 years ago
1941

Died on this date
John Gillespie Magee, Jr., 19. U.K. military aviator and poet. Pilot Officer Magee, born in Shanghai to Anglican missionary parents, grew up in England, and was visiting the United States when World War II began. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, and was sent to England after training in Ontario. P.O. Magee took part in four convoy patrols in November and December 1941 before being killed in an accidental collision with an Airspeed Oxford trainer flying out of RAF Cranwell, piloted by Leading Aircraftman/Pilot Under-Training Ernest Aubrey Griffin, 19, who was also killed in the collision. P.O. Magee is best known for his poem High Flight (1941), which has been frequently quoted on the occasion of disasters; U.S. President Ronald Reagan recited the poem after the explosion of the U.S. space shuttle Challenger in 1986.

War
Germany and Italy declared war on the United States (hear audio here, here, and here), while Italian Duce Benito Mussolini told a crowd of 150,000 at the Piazza Venezia in Rome that Italy was at war with the United States. The text of the Axis pact among Germany, Italy, and Japan was disclosed by German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler; it committed the three Axis powers to a joint war against the United States and United Kingdom, and precluded a separate peace. The U.S. Congress responded in kind, unanimously declaring war on Germany and Italy. The U.S. Congress amended the Selective Service Act to permit sending troops outside the Western Hemisphere and to extend the terms of all soldiers until six months after the end of the war. U.S. Senator Charles Tobey (Republican--New Hampshire) demanded that Navy Secretary Frank Knox be removed from office after the "unspeakable disaster" at Pearl Harbor. The America First Committee announced that it was dissolving and urged its supporters "to give their full support to the war effort...until peace is attained." Poland declared war on the Empire of Japan, while Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic declared war on Germany and Italy. Australian Prime Minister John Curtin announced in Melbourne that all single men aged 18-45 and married men aged 18-35 would be required to register for military service under the new draft laws. In the Battle of Hong Kong, D Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers was dispatched to the mainland to strengthen the Gin Drinkers' Line against the Japanese invaders and saw some action, thus becoming the First Canadian Army unit to fight in the Far East. At midday, General Maltby ordered the mainland troops to withdraw to the island; the Winnipeg Grenadiers covered the Royal Scots' withdrawal down the Kowloon Peninsula. The Imperial Japanese Navy suffered its first loss of surface vessels during the Battle of Wake Island.

Politics and government
Democratic National Committee Chairman Edward J. Flynn and Republican National Committee Chairman Joseph Martin pledged to call off politics in the United States for the duration of the war.

Religion
A plan to merge eight of the largest Protestant interdenominational agencies in the United States and Canada was presented at the Conference on the Cooperation of Interdenominational Agencies.

Economics and finance
Trading in German, Italian, and Japanese securities on the New York Stock Exchange was suspended "until further notice."

75 years ago
1946

War
Iranian forces occupied Mianeh in Azerbaijan, ending the province's autonomy. Azerbaijani nationalist leader Jaafar Pishevari ordered his forces to surrender, and fled to Russia.

World events
Venezuelan President Romulo Betancourt announced that a day-old military revolt against the government had been crushed and that there would be no executions.

Diplomacy
Speaking at the World Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, Vice President Emanuel Neumann of the Zionist Organization of America rejected negotiations with the United Kingdom and said that Zionists must depend on American influence and the armed strength of Palestinian Jews.

A four-day All-Slav Congress ended in Belgrade after adopting a resolution to create a cultural alliance of five Slavic nations: Russia; Bulgaria; Czechoslovakia; Poland; and Yugoslavia.

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established.

Law
The United States Army in Germany announced a lifting of the ban against marriage of American soldiers to German girls.

Economics and finance
The U.S. House of Representatives Special Committee on Post-War Economic Policy and Planning issued its final report, recommending lower income taxes, continued rent controls, and "constructive, but not punitive" labour legislation. Former U.S. Office of Price Administration head Paul Porter was named leader of a State Department economic mission to Greece.

Labour
The U.S. Congress of Industrial Organizations released a market analysis report stating that "total corporate business can support a 25% increase in wages" without raising prices. CIO President Philip Murray said that unions would use the report as a "guidepost" in wage talks.

70 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Mediation in Mexico

War
Communist negotiators at Panmunjom agreed to start discussing a prisoner exchange.

Defense
Big Four representatives at the United Nations General Assembly reached agreement on the formation of a new Atomic Energy and Conventional Armaments Commission, to be drawn from Security Council members plus Canada with the task of considering arms control plans.

The European Consultative Assembly in Strasbourg endorsed plans for a supranational authority to control the proposed European Army.

Politics and government
The Argentine government ordered the arrest of oppositional Radical Party leader Ricardo Balbin for failing to appear in court to answer charges of showing disrespect to President Juan Peron during the recent presidential election campaign.

East Germany opposed proposals for a United Nations study on the possibility of holding all-German elections as a step toward German reunification.

Alabama adopted a state constitutional amendment giving county registrars authority to determine who may vote. Negroes charged that the measure would curb their voting rights.

Economics and finance
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees urged the General Assembly to approve a $250-million land development program intended to make Arab refugees from Israel self-sufficient by 1954.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Moliendo Café--Lucho Gatica (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): L'Auto-circulation--Henri Tisot (6th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Please Mr. Postman--The Marvelettes
2 Big Bad John--Jimmy Dean
3 Goodbye Cruel World--James Darren
4 The Twist--Chubby Checker
5 Walk on By--Leroy Van Dyke
6 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens
7 Run to Him--Bobby Vee
8 Tonight--Ferrante & Teicher
9 Let There Be Drums--Sandy Nelson
10 Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen--Neil Sedaka

Singles entering the chart were Jambalaya (On the Bayou) by Fats Domino (#63); Dear Lady Twist by Gary (U.S.) Bonds (#65); Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker (#71); Baby's First Christmas by Connie Francis (#73); Twistin' U.S.A. by Chubby Checker (#78); Maria by Roger Williams (#86); Just Got to Know by Jimmy McCracklin (#88); But on the Other Hand Baby by Ray Charles and his Orchestra (#94); Irresistible You by Bobby Darin (#95); Letter Full of Tears by Gladys Knight & the Pips (#99); and Flying Circle by Frank Slay & his Orchestra (#100). But on the Other Hand Baby was the B-side of Unchain My Heart, charting at #26.

On the radio
Macabre, on USAFRS Far East Network
Tonight's episode: The Midnight Horseman

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, on BBC
Tonight's episode: The Resident Patient

On television tonight
The Mike Douglas Show, on KYW

This was the first broadcast of the long-running talk and music program, which was originally just broadcast locally in Cleveland.

Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Return of Andrew Bentley, starring John Newland, Antoinette Bower, Philip Bourneuf, and Terence de Marney



World events
Adolf Eichmann, head of the Nazi Jewish Bureau in Germany during World War II, was convicted in an Israeli court on all 15 counts. He had been kidnapped and spirited out of Argentina in 1960, and had been charged with 7 "crimes against humanity," 4 "crimes against the Jewish people," 3 based on his membership in the Nazi party, and 1 classified as a "war crime." The charges were:

1/Causing the enslavement, deportation and murder of Jews;
2/Causing the deaths of millions of Jews;
3/Putting millions of Jews in ghettos, labour and concentration camps with the aim of destroying them (the Jews, that is);
4/Sending thousands of Gypsies to extermination camps;
5/Causing the inhuman treatment, deportation and murder of Jews in Axis-occupied areas;
6/Inflicting physical and mental harm on millions of Jews;
7/Planning a program for sterilization of Jews;
8/Deporting 100 Czechoslovakian children from Lidice to Poland, where they were killed;
9/Persecuting Jews on religious, racial, political and national grounds;
10/Appropriating Jewish property by force;
11/Deporting over 500,000 Poles;
12/Deporting 14,000 Slovenes;
13/Being a member of the SS;
14/Being a member of the Nazi Security Police;
15/Being a member of the Gestapo.

The trial in Jerusalem, one of the most publicized trials in history, had lasted from April 11-August 14, 1961.

Americana
Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was awarded the Freedom Foundation's Patriot's Medal.

Diplomacy
An assistant military attaché at the U.S.S.R.'s Canadian Embassy was expelled for receiving secret Canadian documents.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Mammy Blue--Charisma (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Pensiero--Pooh

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)--Benny Hill

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Maggie May/Reason to Believe--Rod Stewart
2 Banks of the Ohio--Olivia Newton-John
3 Mammy Blue--Joel Dayde
4 Love is a Beautiful Song--Dave Mills
5 Speak to the Sky--Ricky Springfield
6 Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey--Paul & Linda McCartney
7 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
8 The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down--Joan Baez
9 Peace Train--Cat Stevens
10 Signs--Five Man Electrical Band

Singles entering the chart were Freedom Come, Freedom Go by the Fortunes (#22); Baby Without You by Johnny Farnham and Allison Durbin (#27); Daddy Cool (EP) by Daddy Cool (#28); Me and Bobby McGee by Charley Pride (#34); Till by Tom Jones (#34); and Love is a Beautiful Song by Barry Crocker (#40).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Non, Non, Rien N'a Changé--Poppys (2nd week at #1)
2 How Do You Do--Mouth & MacNeal
3 Without a Worry in the World--Rod McKuen
4 Pappie Loop Toch Niet Zo Snel--Herman Van Keeken
5 Soley Soley--The Middle of the Road
6 Schِn ist es auf der Welt zu sein--Roy Black + Anita
7 I Will Return--Springwater
8 Reason to Believe/Maggie May--Rod Stewart
9 Mama Oh Mama--George Baker Selection
10 Out of Sight, Out of Mind--Shocking Blue

Singles entering the chart were Student Demonstration Time by the Beach Boys (#27); Johnny Reggae by the Piglets (#31); Des Chansons Pop by the Poppys (#34); Let's See Action by the Who (#36); and De Mosterdpot by Tony Bass (#37).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Family Affair--Sly & the Family Stone (2nd week at #1)
2 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
3 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
4 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
5 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
6 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
7 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
8 All I Ever Need is You--Sonny & Cher
9 Brand New Key--Melanie
10 The Desiderata--Les Crane

Singles entering the chart were Anticipation by Carly Simon (#61); Sugar Daddy by the Jackson 5 (#72); Those were the Days by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton (as the Bunkers) (#73); After All this Time by Merry Clayton (#84); Way Back Home (Vocal) by Jr. Walker and the All-Stars (#85); Everybody Knows About My Good Thing Pt 1 by Little Johnny Taylor (#86); Love Potion Number Nine by the Coasters (#88); Take it Slow (Out in the Country) by Lighthouse (#89); That's the Way I Feel About Cha by (The Preacher) Bobby Womack (& Peace) (#91); Get Up and Get Down by the Dramatics (#92); Five Hundred Miles by Heaven Bound with Tony Scotti (#94); No Good to Cry by the Poppy Family (#96); Ain't Understanding Mellow by Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager (#97); Long Time to Be Alone by the New Colony Six (#99); and The Harder I Try (The Bluer I Get) by the Free Movement (#100). Those were the Days was the opening theme from the television comedy series All in the Family.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Family Affair--Sly and the Family Stone (3rd week at #1)
2 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
3 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
4 Brand New Key-Melanie
5 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
6 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
7 Rock Steady--Aretha Franklin
8 Cherish--David Cassidy
9 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
10 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher

Singles entering the chart included Sugar Daddy by the Jackson 5 (#60); It's One of Those Nights by the Partridge Family (#65); Make Me the Woman that You Go Home To by Gladys Knight and the Pips (#71); No Sad Song by Helen Reddy (#80); You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth by the Undisputed Truth (#84); Love Gonna Pack Up (And Walk Out) by the Persuaders (#86); Without You by Nilsson (#87); Take it Slow (Out in the Country) by Lighthouse (#88); The Harder I Try (The Bluer I Get) by the Free Movement (#91); No Good to Cry by the Poppy Family (#94); and Once You Understand by Think (#95).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
2 Family Affair--Sly and the Family Stone
3 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
4 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
5 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
6 Rock Steady--Aretha Franklin
7 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
8 Cherish--David Cassidy
9 Brand New Key-Melanie
10 All I Ever Need is You--Sonny & Cher

Singles entering the chart were It's One of Those Nights by the Partridge Family (#65); Levon by Elton John (#72); Men are Getting Scarce by Chairmen of the Board (#76); Devil You by the Stampeders (#78); Make Me the Woman that You Go Home To by Gladys Knight & the Pips (#82); George Jackson by Bob Dylan (#84); So Many People by Chase (#85); Everybody Knows About My Good Thing Pt 1 by Little Johnny Taylor (#87); Truckin' by the Grateful Dead (#88); You Make Your Own Heaven and Hell Right Here on Earth by the Undisputed Truth (#89); Take it Slow (Out in the Country) by Lighthouse (#90); Way Back Home (Vocal) by Jr. Walker and the All-Stars (#95); You Keep Me Holding On by Tyrone Davis (#96); Number Wonderful by Rock Flowers (#98); and Don't Say You Don't Remember by Beverly Bremers (#99).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
2 Family Affair--Sly and the Family Stone
3 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
4 The Desiderata--Les Crane
5 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
6 Two Divided by Love--The Grass Roots
7 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
8 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
9 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
10 Peace Train--Cat Stevens

Singles entering the chart were I Can Smell that Funky Music by Eric Mercury (#75); George Jackson by Bob Dylan (#77); Levon by Elton John (#89); It's One of Those Nights by the Partridge Family (#90); An American Trilogy by Mickey Newbury (#91); Anticipation by Carly Simon (#93); Fly Across the Sea by Edward Bear (#94); Treat Me Like a Good Piece of Candy by Dusk (#95); Little Old Rock 'N' Roll Band by Billy Mysner (#97); Pain (Part 1) by Ohio Players (#98); and I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again by Buffy Sainte-Marie (#99).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Lonesome Mary--Chilliwack
2 The Desiderata--Les Crane
3 Baby I'm-A Want You--Bread
4 Do I Love You--Paul Anka
5 Everybody's Everything--Santana
6 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
7 Questions 67 and 68--Chicago
8 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
9 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
10 Bow Down to the Dollar--Joshua
Pick hit of the week: Take it Slow (Out in the Country)--Lighthouse

Died on this date
Maurice McDonald, 69. U.S. businessman. Mr. McDonald and his brother Richard founded the fast-food chain McDonald's, opening their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California in 1940, and franchising their system beginning in 1953. They hired Ray Kroc as their franchise agent in 1954, and sold the business to him in 1961. Maurice McDonald died of heart failure.

Football
NFL
Miami (9-3-1) 3 @ Baltimore (10-3) 14
Detroit (7-5-1) 10 @ Minnesota (10-3) 29

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Ooa hela natten--Attack (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Chi Mai--Ennio Morricone (3rd week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Endless Love--Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (3rd week at #1)
2 Urgent--Foreigner
3 Going Back to My Roots--Odyssey
4 It's My Party--Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin
5 It's You, It's You, It's You--Joe Dolan
6 Start Me Up--Rolling Stones
7 Green Door--Shakin' Stevens
8 Wired for Sound--Cliff Richard
9 Queen of Hearts--Juice Newton
10 Dancing on the Floor (Hooked on Love)--Third World

Singles entering the chart were Japanese Boy by Aneka (#19); and Young Turks by Rod Stewart (#20).

Abominations
Armed forces in El Salvador massacred an estimated 900 civilians around the village of El Mozote in an anti-guerrilla campaign during the Salvadoran Civil War.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council chose Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru to be its fifth Secretary-General.

Boxing
Canadian heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick (20-2-1) won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (56-5) at Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre in Nassau, Bahamas. For Mr. Ali, 39, it was his first fight since losing to current champion Larry Holmes 14 months earlier, and was the last fight in a professional career stretching back to 1960. A regular bell wasn't available for the fight, so a cowbell was used. The bout was broadcast on radio in Edmonton on CJCA, with Don Chevrier calling the blow-by-blow. Among the judges was former Canadian welterweight champion Clyde Gray.



30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Black or White-- Michael Jackson (4th week at #1)

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

Died on this date
Robert Q. Lewis, 70. U.S. radio and television personality. Mr. Lewis, born Robert Goldberg, was known for his many appearances on radio and television quiz and game shows from the 1950s through the 1970s, sometimes as host, often as panelist. He died from emphysema.

Business
Miller Ayre announced the closing of the 60-store St. John's, Newfoundland-based Ayres retail chain, blaming the Goods and Services Tax imposed at the beginning of 1991 by the Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The company was 142 years old.

25 years ago
1996

Died on this date
Willie Rushton, 59. U.K. humourist. Mr. Rushton was a cartoonist and satirist who co-founded the magazine Private Eye in 1961. He was part of the cast of the satirical television program That Was the Week That Was (1962-1963), and was a panelist on the radio game show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (1974-1996), among many other credits. Mr. Rushton died of a heart attack.

Labour
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio-Canada President Perrin Beatty announced new cuts of $5.5 million and 378 employees.

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Mainza Chona, 71. Prime Minister of Zambia, 1973-1975, 1977-1978. Vice President of Zambia, 1970-1973. Mr. Chona, born Sikaye Chingula Namukamba, became the first president of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) in 1959, stepping down in favour of Kenneth Kaunda when Mr. Kaunda was released from prison in 1960. Mr. Chona served as National Secretary of UNIP (1961-1969); following Zambian independence in 1964, he held various cabinet posts until the constitution of the Second Republic came into effect in 1973. Mr. Chona served two terms as Prime Minister, but was removed from UNIP's central committee in 1981, and refused an appointment as Amassador to China. He changed his mind in 1984, and served as Zambian Ambassador to China (1984-1989) and Amassador to France (1989-1992). Mr. Chona died while undergoing dialysis in Johannesburg.

War
The government of Canada issued a statement of regret over the execution of 23 volunteer soldiers for cowardice or desertion during the First World War, and allowed the soldiers' names to be added to the Book of Remembrance on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Economics and finance
China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Labour
Consignia, the company which ran the U.K. Post Office, announced that up to 30,000 Post Office workers could lose their jobs over the next 18 months.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Susan Gordon, 62. U.S. actress. Miss Gordon, the daughter of director Bert I. Gordon, began appearing in television commercials at the age of 2, and appeared in numerous television programs as a child and teenager. She retired from acting in 1967, and died of thyroid cancer.

Politics and government
Economist Daniel Paillé was elected leader of the Bloc québécois, receiving 61.28% of the vote on the second ballot of the party's leadership convention in Quebec City. Maria Mourany, MP for Ahuntsic, finished second in the voting.