July 18, 2021

630 years ago
1391

War
Timur defeated Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde in the Battle of the Kondurcha River in present-day southeastern Russia.

520 years ago
1501

Born on this date
Isabella of Austria. Queen consort of Denmark and Norway (1515-1523). Isabella, the daughter of King Philip I and Queen Joanna of Castile, was married by proxy to King Christian II of Denmark in 1513; the marriage was ratified in 1513. Christian II took the throne of Sweden in 1520, and Queen Isabella acted as regent until King Christian was deposed in 1521. He was deposed from his other thrones in 1523, and the couple lived in exile in several countries. Queen Isabella became seriously ill in the spring of 1525, and she died on January 19, 1526 at the age of 24.

430 years ago
1591

Died on this date
Jacobus Gallus, 40-41. Slovenian composer. Mr. Gallus represented the Counter-Reformation, and wrote as many as 500 sacred and secular works, most notably the six-part Opus musicum (1587), a collection of 374 motets that would eventually cover the liturgical needs of the entire ecclesiastical year.

300 years ago
1721

Died on this date
Jean-Antoine Watteau, 36. French artist. Mr. Watteau was a painter who revitalized the Baroque style, shifting it to Rococo. He was credited with inventing the genre of fêtes galantes, scenes of bucolic and idyllic charm, suffused with a theatrical air. Mr. Watteau long suffered from poor health, and died from what may have been tuberculous laringytis.

210 years ago
1811

Born on this date
William Makepeace Thackeray. Indian-born U.K. author. Mr. Thackeray wrote fiction and non-fiction, and was best known for his novels The Luck of Barry Lyndon (1844) and Vanity Fair (1848). He died from a stroke on December 24, 1863 at the age of 52.

180 years ago
1841

Braziliana
Pedro II was acclaimed, crowned, and consecrated Emperor of Brazil.

140 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Larry McLean. Canadian-born U.S. baseball player. Mr. McLean, a native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, grew up in the Boston area. He was a catcher with the Boston Americans (1901); Chicago Cubs (1903); St. Louis Cardinals (1904, 1913); Cincinnati Reds (1906-1912); and New York Giants (1913-1915), batting .262 with 6 home runs and 298 runs batted in in 862 games. Mr. McLean batted .500 (6 for 12) with 2 runs batted in the Giants' 5-game loss to the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1913 World Series. He was a heavy drinker, and his career ended in a mid-season hotel brawl with Giants' manager John McGraw and scout Dick Kinsella. Mr. McLean was 39 when he was fatally shot in a speakeasy in Boston on March 24, 1921 by a bartender who claimed that Mr. McLean was attempting to attack him. Mr. McLean was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

War
Sitting Bull and about 200 Sioux crossed the Saskatchewan border and surrendered to the U.S. Army at Fort Buford, Dakota Territory, after living in Canada for over four years.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Hume Cronyn. Canadian-born U.S. actor. Mr. Cronyn, a native of London, Ontario, was known for his stage and screen appearances with his wife Jessica Tandy. His movies included Shadow of a Doubt (1943); Lifeboat (1944); The Seventh Cross (1944); The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946); The Beginning or the End (1947); Brute Force (1947); and Cocoon (1985). Mr. Cronyn won an Emmy Award for his performance in the made-for-television movie Age-Old Friends (1989). He died of prostate cancer on June 15, 2003 at the age of 91.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Richard Leacock. U.K. film producer and director. Mr. Leacock produced, directed, and photographed documentaries in a career spanning more than 50 years, and was a pioneer of direct cinema and cinéma vérité. He and fellow documentarian D.A. Pennebaker formed a production company in 1966. Mr. Leacock moved to Paris in 1989, and died there on March 24, 2011 at the age of 89.

Heinz Bennent. German-born actor. Mr. Bennent appeared in almost 120 movies and television programs in a career spanning almost 50 years. He was nominated for a César Award for his supporting performance in The Last Metro (1980). Mr. Bennent moved to Switzerland in the 1970s, and died in Lausanne on October 12, 2011 at the age of 90.

John Glenn. U.S. astronaut and politician. Colonel Glenn served with the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II and the Korean War, earning six Distinguished Flying Crosses and eighteen Air Medals. In 1957, he made the first supersonic transcontinental flight across the United States. Col. Glenn was one of the first seven astronauts selected in 1959 for Project Mercury, and on February 20, 1962, became the third American to go into space and the first to orbit the Earth in his Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, popularly known as "Friendship 7." The mission made Col. Glenn a national hero; he left the space program in January 1964. He conducted two abortive campaigns for the Democratic Party nomination to represent Ohio in the United States Senate, but was finally elected in 1974; he was unsuccessful in campaigns for his party's vice presidential (1976) and presidential (1984) nominations. Sen. Glenn served in the Senate from 1975-1999, and was Chair of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee (1987-1995). He became interested in the effects of space on aging, and was assigned to U.S. space shuttle mission STS-95 as a payload specialist; the mission lasted from October 29-November 7, 1998, and Sen. Glenn, 77, became the oldest person ever to go into space. He died on December 8, 2016 at the age of 95.

Aaron T. Beck. U.S. psychiatrist. Dr. Beck is regarded as the father of both cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. He developed self-report measures of depression and anxiety, notably the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), which became one of the most widely-used instruments for measuring depression severity. Dr. Beck is President Emeritus of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which he and his daughter Judith founded in 1994.

Politics and government
The United Farmers of Alberta won 38 of 61 seats in the Legislative Assembly in the Alberta provincial election, unseating the governing Liberals of Premier Charles Stewart. The UFA were led by party president Henry Wise Wood, who wasn't running for a seat. Their total was an increase of 36 from their total in the most recent election in 1917. The Liberals dropped from 32 seats to 15, while the Dominion Labour Party won 4 seats, the Conservatives won 1, and 3 independent candidates were elected. UFA candidate Irene Parlby was elected in Lacombe, becoming the first woman elected to the Legislature.

Scandal
The trial of the "Black Sox," the Chicago White Sox baseball players accused of conspiring fix the 1919 World Series, began in Chicago.

90 years ago
1931

Politics and government
J.W.F. Johnson was appointed Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia; he took office on August 1.

80 years ago
1941

War
U.S.S.R. dictator Josef Stalin wrote U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, urging the establisment of a second front in France and Norway.

Defense
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that the United States would keep the sea lanes open against attack or threat of attack not only to Iceland but to all other American bases in the Atlantic and Caribbean.

Diplomacy
Czechoslovakian Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk and U.S.S.R. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia Ivan Maisky signed an agreement in London under which both governments exchanged ministers and gave mutual aid against Germany.

Five accused spies pled guilty in Brooklyn for conspiring to transmit defense information to Germany. 23 others pled not guilty.

Politics and government
Japanese Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro Konoye ousted Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka and replaced him with Admiral Teijiro Toyoda. Prime Minister Konoye and Adm. Toyoda were pro-American and pro-Britain, and were trying to avoid war with those countries, while Mr. Matsuoka was very anti-American in his views.

Weather
Alberta's highest recorded termperature was reached at Fort Macleod: 110 F (43.3 C).

75 years ago
1946

Diplomacy
U.S. Senator Warren Austin (Republican--Vermont) was appointed to head the five-man U.S. delegation to the United Nations General Assembly.

Politics and government
Belgian Prime Minister Achille van Acker refused to form a new government when Socialists rejected a cabinet coalition.

The British Parliament approved the cabinet mission report on India, but Conservative Party and opposition leader Winston Churchill said that the mission went too far in offering India independence outside the Commonwealth.

Trailing in the popular vote, Eugene Talmadge won enough electoral votes to clinch the Georgia Democratic Party gubernatorial nomination for 1946 despite the oppositon of 100,000 newly-registered Negro voters.

U.S. President Harry Truman promised his aid to Democratic Party nominees in the November 1946 congressional elections, but opposed the renomination of Representative Roger Slaughter (Missouri), who had voted against all administration measures in the most recent session of Congress.

Protest
Palestinian Jews ended a 15-hour general strike protesting alleged police brutality in the Rafa and Latrun detention camps.

Energy
The New York State Board of Regents announced that a federally-financed nuclear physics laboratory would be set up in New York with the participation of nine universities under the supervision of Manhattan Project physicists.

Science
The University of Illinois announced the development of a 22-million volt betatron, capable of producing an electron beam which could "penetrate the core of an atom."

Economics and finance
The U.K. House of Commons voted to uphold bread rationing, after Mr. Churchill accused the Labour government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee of being "panic stricken," and described the move as "futile."

Labour
The Congress of Industrial Organizations executive board named Jack Kroll to succeed Sidney Hillmand as head of the CIO's Political Action Committee.

70 years ago
1951

On the radio
Pete Kelly's Blues, starring Jack Webb, on NBC

Died on this date
Joe Klugmann, 56. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Klugmann played second base with the Chicago Cubs (1921-1922); Brooklyn Robins (1924); and Cleveland Indians (1926), batting .251 with no home runs and 17 runs batted in in 77 games. He played more than 1,320 games in 14 seasons in the minor leagues (1914, 1921-1933), and managed the Nashville Volunteers of the Southern Association (1931-1932). Mr. Klugmann was a police officer and state official in Missouri in later years.

War
U.S. truce negotiators reported from Kaesong that the issue of United Nations troop withdrawal from Korea remained unresolved after six sessions.

Defense
U.K. Foreign Secretary Herbert Morrison told the House of Commons that the government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee now favoured the admission of Greece and Turkey to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Press reports said that U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Forrest Sherman and Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco had agreed in principle on American use of sea and air bases in Spain. U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson responed to British and French protests by pointing out that military reports considered Spain to be "of strategic importance to the general defense os Western Europe."

Society
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that U.S. farm population had fallen to 24.3 million in the 1950 census, the lowest total since 1910.

Oil
Communist China took over the properties of three American-owned oil companies after forcing the firms to sell all their stock to the government.

Boxing
Jersey Joe Walcott (50-16-2), at 37 years of age, became the oldest man to date to win the world heavyweight title when he knocked out defending champion Ezzard Charles (69-6-1) 55 seconds into the 7th round at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.



Baseball
Ralph Kiner hit 3 home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in 7 runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they edged the Brooklyn Dodgers 13-12 before 7,083 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Carl Furillo drove in 4 runs for the Dodgers. Dan Bankhead, the second of three Brooklyn pitchers, allowed 8 hits and 6 runs--all earned--in 4 innings, walking 3 batters and striking out 2, striking out in his only plate appearance in the 62nd and last game of his 3-year major league career.

Grady Hatton and Joe Adcock hit consecutive run-scoring singles with 2 out in the top of the 1st inning to provide all the scoring as the Cincinnati Reds shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader before 15,810 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Willie Ramsdell (8-9) pitched a 4-hitter to outduel Bubba Church (10-5). Eddie Pellagrini reached first base on an error by Connie Ryan to lead off the bottom of the 3rd inning and scored on a 1-out single by Eddie Waitkus for the game's only run as the Phillies won the second game 1-0. Ken Johnson (1-1) pitched a 5-hitter to outduel Herm Wehmeier (1-4), who allowed just 3 hits and no earned runs in 7 innings.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Hello Mary Lou/Travelin' Man--Ricky Nelson (2nd week at #1)

Space
The Mercury-Redstone 4 mission, with Gus Grissom aboard, was scrubbed until the following day.

Canadiana
John Diefenbaker began a tour of northern Canada, visiting Prince Albert and Uranium City before arriving in Yellowknife. He thus became the first sitting prime minister to visit the modern Northwest Territories.

50 years ago
1971

Asiatica
Six persian Gulf Emirates announced that they would merge into a single federation in 1971.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Enola Gay--OMD (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Only Crying--Keith Marshall

#1 single in Ireland: When You were Sweet Sixteen--The Fureys and Davy Arthur

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Ghost Town--The Specials

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Ghost Town--The Specials (2nd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 How 'bout Us--Champaign (8th week at #1)
2 Chequered Love--Kim Wilde
3 Only Crying--Keith Marshall
4 You Drive Me Crazy--Shakin' Stevens
5 Rio--Maywood
6 One Day in Your Life--Michael Jackson
7 Going Back to My Roots--Odyssey
8 Stand & Deliver--Adam and the Ants
9 Caribbean Disco Show--Lobo
10 I've Seen That Face Before--Grace Jones

Singles entering the chart were More Stars by Stars on 45 (#19); A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do) by Ray Parker, Jr. & Raydio (#26); Tick-A-Thumps My Heart by Babe (#29); and Slow Hand by the Pointer Sisters (#34).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes (9th week at #1)
2 All Those Years Ago--George Harrison
3 The One that You Love--Air Supply
4 Jessie's Girl--Rick Springfield
5 You Make My Dreams--Daryl Hall & John Oates
6 Elvira--The Oak Ridge Boys
7 Theme from "Greatest American Hero" (Believe it or Not)--Joey Scarbury
8 I Don't Need You--Kenny Rogers
9 Slow Hand--The Pointer Sisters
10 Boy from New York City--The Manhattan Transfer

Singles entering the chart were Fire and Ice by Pat Benatar (#64); Who's Crying Now by Journey (#70); Medley II by Stars on 45 (#82); Love Light by Yutaka (#85); Jolé Blon by Gary U.S. Bonds (#87); and Pay You Back with Interest by Gary O' (#90).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The One That You Love—Air Supply
2 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes
3 Elvira--The Oak Ridge Boys
4 Jessie's Girl--Rick Springfield
5 Theme from "Greatest American Hero" (Believe it or Not)--Joey Scarbury
6 Medley--Stars on 45
7 You Make My Dreams--Daryl Hall & John Oates
8 I Don't Need You--Kenny Rogers
9 All Those Years Ago--George Harrison
10 Slow Hand--The Pointer Sisters

Singles entering the chart were Fire and Ice by Pat Benatar (#57); Who's Crying Now by Journey (#60); Jolé Blon by Gary U.S. Bonds (#85); Pay You Back with Interest by Gary O' (#88); Square Biz by Teena Marie (#89); Love Light by Yutaka (#90); and I was Country When Country Wasn't Cool by Barbara Mandrell (#97).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Theme from "Greatest American Hero" (Believe it or Not)--Joey Scarbury
2 The One that You Love--Air Supply
3 Elvira--The Oak Ridge Boys
4 Bette Davis Eyes--Kim Carnes
5 Jessie's Girl--Rick Springfield
6 I Don't Need You--Kenny Rogers
7 Medley--Stars on 45
8 You Make My Dreams--Daryl Hall & John Oates
9 All Those Years Ago--George Harrison
10 Boy from New York City--The Manhattan Transfer

Singles entering the chart were Fire and Ice by Pat Benatar (#41); Who's Crying Now by Journey (#49); That Old Song by Ray Parker, Jr. & Raydio (#57); Jolé Blon by Gary U.S. Bonds (#88); Square Biz by Teena Marie (#89); and Breaking Away by Balance (#94).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Gemini Dream--The Moody Blues
2 Arc of a Diver--Steve Winwood
3 You Make My Dreams--Daryl Hall & John Oates
4 Winning--Santana
5 Sukiyaki—A Taste of Honey
6 A Life of Illusion--Joe Walsh
7 Boy from New York City--The Manhattan Transfer
8 The Waiting--Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
9 Jessie's Girl--Rick Springfield
10 Modern Girl--Sheena Easton

Singles entering the chart were Don't Let Him Go by REO Speedwagon (#26); and Fire and Ice by Pat Benatar (#28).

Protest
A march in Dublin in support of hunger strikers in Northern Ireland's Maze Prison turned violent, and 200 people ended up in hospital--in other words, it was a typical Irish social event.

Baseball
Joe Gates hit the first inside-the-park home run in Edmonton Trappers' history as the Trappers edged the Portland Beavers 2-1 before 3,216 fans on a sunny Saturday night at Renfrew Park in Edmonton in a Pacific Coast League game. Edmonton manager Gord Lund, coaching at third base, signalled for Mr. Gates to stop, but he ignored the sign and slid safely into home plate for his 5th home run of the season. Reggie Patterson (9-7) gave up 7 hits as he pitched a complete game for the Trappers; Santo Alcala (6-8) went the distance for the Beavers, giving up 5 hits in 8 innings. The game was over in just 1 hour and 40 minutes.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): (Everything I Do) I Do it for You--Bryan Adams (3rd week at #1)

Edmontonia
This blogger attended the annual parade to open Klondike Days.

Politics and government
Rita Johnston won the British Columbia Social Credit Party leadership, edging Grace McCarthy 941-881 on the second ballot. Mrs. Johnston had been Minister of Transportation and Highways at the time she had succeeded Bill Vander Zalm as Premier on April 2, 1991, becoming British Columbia's first female Premier. A provincial election was due to be held in October 1991.

Scandal
Newfoundland Roman Catholic Archbishop Alphonsus Penny offered his resignation after the release of a report blaming church officials for covering up sexual abuse by Catholic priests at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in St. John's.

Economics and finance
Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney told U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev in London that Canada would lift a freeze on $150 million in food credits imposed during the Baltic crackdown. He also offered a $10-million technical assistance package.

Football
CFL
Hamilton (0-2) 18 @ Toronto (2-0) 41



Saskatchewan (0-2) 28 @ Calgary (2-0) 48

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Killing Me Softly--The Fugees (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Killing Me Softly--The Fugees

War
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam captured the Sri Lanka Army's base in the Battle of Mullaitivu, killing over 1,200 soldiers.

Disasters
Storms provoked severe flooding on the Saguenay River, beginning one of Quebec's costliest natural disasters ever.

20 years ago
2001

Died on this date
Barry Shetrone, 63. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Shetrone was an outfielder with the Baltimore Orioles (1959-1962) and Washington Senators (1963), batting .205 with 1 home run and 7 runs batted in in 60 games. He played 1,157 games in 11 seasons in the minor leagues (1956-1967). Mr. Shetrone worked as an insurance agent in later years, and died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 12 days after his 63rd birthday.

Mimi Fariña, 56. U.S. musician. Mrs. Fariña followed her older sister Joan Baez as a folksinger, songwriter, and guitarist. She married fellow folk musician Richard Fariña in 1964, and they performed and recorded together until his death in a motorcycle accident in 1966. Mrs. Fariña performed on her own and with others, supporting the usual fashionable causes, until her death from neuroendocrine cancer.

Baseball
Jeff Bagwell hit for the cycle, scoring 4 runs and driving in 5 for the Houston Astros, as they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 17-11 before 33,016 fans at Enron Field in Houston.

The New York Yankees, helped by home runs by Alfonso Soriano and Tino Martinez, scored 3 runs in the 6th inning and 2 in the 7th as they overcame a 5-3 deficit and defeated the Detroit Tigers 8-5 before 14,800 fans in the first of two games at Comerica Park in Detroit. Roger Cedeno batted 4 for 5 with 2 home runs, a double, triple, 4 runs, and 6 runs batted in to help the Tigers win the second game 12-4 before 33,216 fans.

March 29, 2019

470 years ago
1549

Braziliana
The city of Salvador da Bahia, the first capital of Brazil, was founded.

250 years ago
1769

Born on this date
Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia. Prime Minister of France, 1832-1834, 1839-1840, 1840-1847. Marshal of the Empire Soult served in the Revolutionary Wars in the 1790s and the Penisular War against Portugal (1808-1812), engaging in large-scale looting in the latter. Marshal Soult fought in Germany and in the Battle of Waterloo (1815), suffering several defeats by Allied forces under the Duke of Wellington. Marshal Soult went into exile in Germany until being recalled to France in 1819. He created the French Foreign Legion in 1831, and served three terms as Prime Minister, also serving as Minister of War (1830-1834, 1840-1845). Marshal Soult died on November 26, 1851 at the age of 82.

220 years ago
1799

Born on this date
Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1852, 1858-1859, 1866-1868. The Earl of Derby led the Conservative Party from 1846-1868, and remains the party's longest-serving leader. He held several cabinet posts before becoming Conservative Party leader, including Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1833-1834, 1841-1845). Lord Derby has been credited by creating the modern Conservative Party, derived from the Whig Party, which dissolved in 1859. He retired from politics on the advice of his doctor, and was succeeded as Prime Minister by Benjamin Disraeli. Lord Derby died on October 23, 1869 at the age of 70.

210 years ago
1809

World events
King Gustav IV of Sweden abdicated after a coup d'état. At the Diet of Porvoo, Finland's four Estates pledged allegiance to Czar Aleksandr I of Russia, commencing the secession of the Grand Duchy of Finland from Sweden.

170 years ago
1849

Britannica
The United Kingdom annexed the Punjab.

140 years ago
1879

War
British forces defeated 20,000 Zulus in the Battle of Kambula in South Africa.

Soccer
English FA Cup
Final @ Kennington Oval, London
Old Etonians 1 Clapham Rovers 0

Charles Clerke scored in the 59th minute.

130 years ago
1889

Born on this date
Warner Baxter. U.S. actor and inventor. Mr. Baxter won the 1928-29 Academy Award for Best Actor for playing the Cisco Kid in In Old Arizona (1928), becoming the first to win the award for a sound film. He starred in the Crime Doctor series of 10 detective movies from 1943-1948. Mr. Baxter co-invented a revolving searchlight for use in law enforcement, and helped to develop a radio device to allow emergency vehicles to alter traffic signals from two blocks away. He died of pneumonia on May 7, 1951 at the age of 62.

Howard Lindsay. U.S. playwright, actor, and producer. Mr. Lindsay, born Herman Nelke, teamed with Russel Crouse to write Broadway plays from 1935-1962, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for State of the Union (1946). Mr. Lindsay also wrote and acted with his wife Dorothy Stickney, and the two co-starred in Life with Father on Broadway in New York in 1939. Mr. Lindsay died on February 11, 1968 at the age of 78.

120 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Lavrentiy Beria. U.S.S.R. politician. Mr. Beria was chief of the Soviet security and secret police apparatus (NKVD) under dictator Josef Stalin during World War II, serving as Minister of Internal Affairs (1938-1945), and Deputy Premier from 1941. He was responsible for organizing the Katyn Forest massacre of Polish military officers in 1940, and was known as a sexual predator, getting away with numerous rapes and perhaps murders of women. Upon the death of Mr. Stalin in March 1953, Mr. Beria resumed the office of Minister of Internal Affairs, and was also First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers. He soon lost a power struggle with Nikita Khrushchev, and was arrested for treason in June. He and six co-defendants were convicted in a secret trial, and on December 23, 1953, at the age of 54, Mr. Beria was executed by General Pavel Batitsky, who shot him through the forehead after stuffing a rag in Mr. Beria's mouth to stifle the pleas for his life.

110 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Moon Mullican. U.S. musician. Aubrey Wilson Mullican was a country singer whose hillbilly boogie piano playing influenced rockabilly artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis. Mr. Mullican's popularity was centred in the southeastern United States, although he had eight top 10 hits on the Billboard country chart, with I'll Sail My Ship Alone reaching #1 in 1950. He died at the age of 57 on January 1, 1967, the day after suffering a heart attack.

Defense
George Foster, M.P. (Conservative--Toronto North) introduced a resolution in the House of Commons to establish a Canadian Naval Service.

100 years ago
1919

Born on this date
Eileen Heckart. U.S. actress. Miss Heckart, born Anna Eileen Herbert, had a career spanning nearly 60 years, usually playing supporting roles in plays, movies, and television programs. She won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for her supporting performance in Butterflies are Free (1972); two Emmy Awards; and a Tony Award in 2000 for lifetime achievement. Miss Heckart died of lung cancer on December 31, 2001 at the age of 82.

Labour
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba passed the Industrial Conditions Act, setting up a joint council to settle labour disputes.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Finals
Montreal 4 @ Seattle 3 (OT) (Best-of-five series tied 2-2-1)

In a game played under National Hockey League rules, Frank Foyston and Jack Walker scored in the 1st period and Mr. Walker scored in the 2nd to give the Metropolitans a 3-0 lead, but Odie Cleghorn and Newsy Lalonde scored for the Canadiens, and Mr. Lalonde scored again with 2:55 remaining in regulation time to tie the score. Jack McDonald scored in overtime to enable the Canadiens to avoid elimination, necessitating a sixth and deciding game at Seattle Ice Arena. The influenza epidemic was having such an effect on the teams that some players had to be hospitalized after the game, and others carried home. It was the last game for Montreal defenceman Joe Hall, who died from influenza-related pneumonia a week later.

90 years ago
1929

On the radio
Musician Don Messer made his first radio appearance, with the New Brunswick Lumberjacks, on CFBO in Saint John.

Died on this date
Hugh John Macdonald, 79. Canadian politician and magistrate. Sir Hugh John, a native of Kingston and the only surviving son of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, moved to Winnipeg in 1872 to set up a law practice. A Conservative, he represented Winnipeg in the Canadian House of Commons from 1891-1893, serving with his father until Sir John A.'s death on June 6, 1891. Sir Hugh John resigned from politics in 1893, but was appointed Minister of the Interior and Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs by Prime Minister Sir Charles Tupper in 1896. Sir Hugh John was elected to the House of Commons for Winnipeg again in 1896, but his election was voided in 1897, and he didn't contest the subsequent by-election. He led the Conservative Party of Manitoba to an upset victory in the 1899 Manitoba provincial election, serving as Premier of Manitoba from December 1899-October 1900, when he resigned to again enter federal politics. Sir Hugh John was defeated by Interior Minister Clifford Sifton in Brandon in the 1900 federal election, and never ran for office again. He was appointed Police Magistrate of Winnipeg in 1911, and was in office during the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, ordering the internment of immigrants who'd been arrested. Sir Hugh John died 16 days after his 79th birthday.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Finals
Boston 2 @ New York Rangers 1 (Boston won best-of-three series 2-0)

Bill Carson scored with 1:58 remaining in regulation time to break a 1-1 tie as the Bruins edged the defending champion Rangers to win their first Stanley Cup championship and became the first American team in the National Hockey League to win the Stanley Cup.

75 years ago
1944

War
Allied forces withdrew from the eastern slopes of Mount Cassino in Italy, leaving the Nazis in control of all heights dominating the highway entering the Liri Valley. Nazi assaults at the Anzio beachhead were driven off. Soviet troops crossed the Prut River and reached the outskirts of Cernauti, capital of northern Bukovina. The U.S. Pacific Fleet attacked Japanese positions on the Palau Islands, 550 miles east of the Philippines, and Woleai and Yap Islands, east of the Palaus, destroying all enemy ships.

Politics and government
A report from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities said that the Congress of Industrial Organizations' Committee for Political Action was Communist-dominated and that Sidney Hillman had replaced Earl Browder "as the Communist political leader in the United States."

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill authorizing American participation in the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.

The U.S. Office of Price Administration announced the end of rationing for all frozen fruits and vegetables effective April 2.

Labour
Montgomery Ward & Company labour relations manager John Barr told the U.S. National War Labor Board that the firm would not obey a board directive to renew a contract with the Congress of Industrial Organizations United Retail, Wholesale and Warehouse Workers Union because it had pending a court decision to declare the directive illegal.

70 years ago
1949

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis, on MBS

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: Cabin B-13, starring Charles Korvin and Eleanor Lynn

Literature
Their Finest Hour, the second volume of Winston Churchill's history of the Second World War, was published by Houghton Mifflin.

World events
The Czechoslovakian government announced the conviction of U.S. soldiers George Jones and Clarence Hill on espionage charges, following a secret trial. Mr. Jones was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and Mr. Hill received a 12-year sentence.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department denied permission for a tour of the United States to 18 Soviet and Eastern European delegates to the Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace in New York, directing them to leave the U.S.A. within a "reasonable time."

Defense
Marshal Vasili Sokolovsky, head of the Soviet military administration in Germany, was named First Deputy Armed Forces Minister; he was succeeded in his German position by General Vasili Chuikov, leader of the defense of Stalingrad during World War II and Soviet military governor in Thuringia.

U.S. Defense Secretary Louis Johnson named General Joseph McCartney as his chief assistant in supervising armed forces unification.

Energy
The University of Rochester dedicated the world's second-largest cyclotron, costing $1.5 million and capable of accelerating protons to speeds of 250 million volts.

Business
Westinghouse announced a 20%-50% decrease in radio prices, while Jones & Laughlin and Inland Steel dropped prices of several semi-finished products.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Detroit 3 @ Montreal 1 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
Boston 1 @ Toronto 3 (Toronto led best-of-seven series 3-1)

60 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): La marche des gosses--Annie Cordy (3rd week at #1)

On television tonight
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Kind Waitress, starring Rick Jason, Olive Deering, and Celia Lovsky

At the movies
Some Like it Hot, written, directed, and produced by Billy Wilder, and starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon , opened in theatres.

Died on this date
Johnny Allen, 54. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Allen pitched in 352 games for five teams during a 13-year major league career from 1932-1944. His winning percentage of .654 (142 wins, 75 losses) included a 17-4 record for an American League-leading .810 in his rookie season with the World Series champion New Yankees; 13-6, .684 with the Yankees in 1935; 20-10, .667 with the Cleveland Indians in 1936; and 15-1, .938 with the Indians in 1937. Mr. Allen was known for his hot temper, and opposition players enjoyed taunting him. His only loss of 1937 came in his last game of the season, and he attempted to slug teammate Odell "Bad News" Hale after the game, blaming Mr. Hale's error for the loss. An injury suffered during the 1938 All-Star Game break shortened Mr. Allen's career. He became a minor league umpire after his playing days, eventually becoming umpire-in-chief of the Carolina League, retiring in 1953. Mr. Allen died of a heart ailment.

Barthélemy Boganda, 48. Prime Minister of the Central African Republic, 1958-1959. Rev. Boganda, a Roman Catholic priest, was first elected to the French National Assembly in 1946, opposing the French colonial regime in what was then known as Oubangui-Chari. He left the priesthood to get married, remaining active in politics. On December 1, 1958, the Central African Republic was declared as an autonomous region within the French Community, and Mr. Boganda took office as Prime Minister a week later, with the intention of becoming the C.A.R.'s first President. He and everyone else aboard a plane en route from Berbérati to Bangui were killed when it exploded in mid-air; sabotage was widely suspected, and traces of explosives were reportedly discovered in the wreckage. Suspects included the French secret service and Mrs. Boganda, from whom Mr. Boganda had become estranged. Mr. Boganda, who was killed six days before his 49th birthday, was succeeded as Prime Minister by his cousin, Interior Minister David Dacko.

Politics and government
The Panchen Lama informed Communist Chinese leaders that he would serve as Tibetan ruler only until the return to Lhasa of the Dalai Lama.

The U.S. government reported that at least 22 relatives of 17 Senators were on the Senate payroll and that two other Senators had employed relatives within the past year.

Health
Chemist Linus Pauling charged that new fallout data multiplied by five his estimate that each 20 megatons of nuclear fission detonations would cause 15,000 defective births and 15,000 cases of leukemia and bone cancer in people now living.

50 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da/While My Guitar Gently Weeps--The Beatles (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Casatchok--Rika Zaraï

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Ma che freddo fa--Nada (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Atlantis--Donovan

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Wages of Love--Muriel Day

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?--Peter Sarstedt (4th week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Why--The Cats (2nd week at #1)
2 First of May--The Bee Gees
3 Don Juan--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
4 Sorry Suzanne--The Hollies
5 Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)--Peter Sarstedt
6 Atlantis--Donovan
7 Spooky's Day Off--Swinging Soul Machine
8 Love is Love--Barry Ryan
9 Baby Won't You Leave Me Alone--The Web (with John L. Watson)
10 To Love Somebody--Nina Simone

Singles entering the chart were The Walls Fell Down by the Marbles (#20); Azzurro by Adriano Celentano (#34); Daydream by the Wallace Collection (#36); Ensemble by Mireille Mathieu (#39); and The Last Seven Days by Gloria (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Dizzy--Tommy Roe (3rd week at #1)
2 Traces--Classics IV
3 Time of the Season--The Zombies
4 Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)--The 5th Dimension
5 Proud Mary--Creedence Clearwater Revival
6 Run Away Child, Running Wild--The Temptations
7 Indian Giver--1910 Fruitgum Co.
8 Galveston--Glen Campbell
9 My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)--David Ruffin
10 Only the Strong Survive--Jerry Butler

Singles entering the chart were My Way by Frank Sinatra (#69); Mini-Skirt Minnie by Wilson Pickett (#76); Mercy by Ohio Express (#77); Wishful Sinful by the Doors (#79); There Never was a Time by Jeannie C. Riley (#86); Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin (#94); One Eye Open by Maskman and the Agents (#95); Zazueira by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (#96); Something's on Her Mind by the 4 Seasons (#98); and I Love My Baby by Archie Bell & the Drells (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Time of the Season--The Zombies
2 Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)--The 5th Dimension
3 Dizzy--Tommy Roe
4 Traces--Classics IV
5 Proud Mary--Creedence Clearwater Revival
6 Indian Giver--1910 Fruitgum Co.
7 Galveston--Glen Campbell
8 Run Away Child, Running Wild--The Temptations
9 You've Made Me So Very Happy--Blood, Sweat & Tears
10 My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)--David Ruffin

Singles entering the chart were Wishful Sinful by the Doors (#60); In the Bad, Bad Old Days (Before You Loved Me) by the Foundations (#63); To Know You is to Love You by Bobby Vinton (#72); When You Dance by Jay and the Americans (#78); I Love My Baby by Archie Bell & the Drells (#85); I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I’ll Get it Myself) by James Brown (#88); Tricia Tell Your Daddy by Andy Kim (#92); It's a Groovy World! by the Unifics (#93); With Pen in Hand by Vikki Carr (#94); Rhythm of the Rain by Gary Lewis and the Playboys (#95); Emmaretta by Deep Purple (#97); More Today than Yesterday by the Spiral Starecase (#98); and A Million to One by Brian Hyland (#100).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Things I'd Like to Say--The New Colony Six
2 Indian Giver--1910 Fruitgum Co.
3 Dizzy--Tommy Roe
4 Build Me Up Buttercup--The Foundations
5 Proud Mary--Creedence Clearwater Revival
6 Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)--The 5th Dimension
7 Galveston--Glen Campbell
8 Rock Me--Steppenwolf
9 Something's Happening--Herman's Hermits
10 Johnny One Time--Brenda Lee
Pick hit of the week: In the Bad, Bad Old Days (Before You Loved Me)--The Foundations

Defense
The New People's Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, was formed.

Americana
The body of former President Dwight Eisenhower was put on public view in Washington National Cathedral after a brief service for the immediate family and close friends.

Disasters
Two earthquakes hit the Danakil depression of Ethiopia, killing 20 and injuring more than 150.

Hockey
IIHF World Championships
Group A @ Stockholm
Canada (4-5) 6 Finland (1-8) 1
Sweden (7-2) 10 U.S.A. (0-9) 4

Steve King, Ken Stephanson, Bill Heindl, Gary Begg, Morris Mott, and Fran Huck scored for Canada, while Lauri Mononen scored for Finland in what turned out to be Canada's last win in world championship competition until 1977.

Kjell-Rune Milton and Lars-Göran Nilsson each scored 3 goals for the Swedes as they beat the Americans. Sweden led 6-2 after the 1st period.

CHL
Adams Cup
Quarter-Finals
Kansas City 4 @ Omaha 1 (Best-of-five series tied 1-1)
Dallas 3 @ Houston 1 (Dallas led best-of-five series 2-0)

Semi-Finals
Tulsa 1 @ Oklahoma City 6 (Best-of-seven series tied 1-1)

40 years ago
1979

Died on this date
Ray Ventura, 70. French musician. Mr. Ventura was a jazz pianist who began performing with the Collegiate Five combo in 1925, later known as the Collegians on recordings from 1928 through the 1930s. Mr. Ventura eventually led the band, and led a big band in South America and France in the 1940s. He was the uncle of singer Sacha Distel, and died 18 days before his 71st birthday.

Luke Easter, 63. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Easter, a first baseman, stood 6'4½" and weighed 240 pounds. He played in the Negro leagues in the late 1940s; with the Homestead Grays in 1948, he hit .363 in 58 games, helping the Grays win the last Negro World Series. The Cleveland Indians signed him in 1949 and assigned him to the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. He hit .363 with the Padres, with 25 home runs and 92 runs batted in in just 80 games. Mr. Easter was called up to the Indians later in the season, hitting just .222 with no home runs in 21 games. From 1950-1952 Mr. Easter averaged just under 29 home runs and just over 102 RBIs per season; his 31 home runs in 1952 were just one behind teammate Larry Doby for the American League lead, and his ratio of home runs per at bats was the AL's best. An ankle injury that slowed him down ended his major league career, but he spent many productive years in the International League, leading the IL in home runs and RBIs with the Buffalo Bisons in 1955 and 1956, when he was over 40 years of age. With the Rochester Red Wings, he hit 15 home runs and drove in 60 runs in 249 at bats at the age of 46. In 1957, Mr. Easter became the first batter to hit a home run over the scoreboard in center field at Buffalo's Offermann Stadium, doing it twice that year. He played 491 games with the Indians from 1949-1954, batting .274 with 93 home runs and 340 runs batted in; he batted .270 with 5 homers and 26 RBIs in the Negro National League (1947-1948), and .299 with 247 home runs and 843 RBIs in 1,327 games in the minors (1949-1964). Mr. Easter was carrying the payroll for a construction company that he worked for in Euclid, Ohio, when he was shot to death by two robbers after refusing to hand over the money. He was elected to the International League Hall of Fame in 2008.

World events
Argentina's military regime allowed the Inter-American Human Rights Commission to investigate charges that it had violently repressed suspected "subversives,' indicating a letup in the general crackdown against leftists.

Environment
The radiation leak continued at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, releasing unspecified levels of radiation over a four-county area, and prompting anti-nuclear protests and demands by public officials that emergency steps be taken to safeguard the public.

30 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Like a Prayer--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Did I Tell You--Jerry Williams (6th week at #1)

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1988 were presented at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Rain Man won for Best Picture (Mark Johnson, Producer); Director (Barry Levinson); Actor (Dustin Hoffman); and Original Screenplay (Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow). Other awards included: Actress--Jodie Foster (The Accused); Supporting Actor--Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda); Supporting Actress--Geena Davis (The Accidental Tourist); Original Song--Let the River Run (Working Girl); Original Score--Dave Grusin (The Milagro Beanfield War); and Foreign Language Film--Pelle the Conqueror.

Music
The New Zealand/Australian pop group Crowded House played a gig for 80 people in the basement of Grant Harvey's home in Calgary. The 23-year-old film student won a MuchMusic contest that asked contestants what their house would look like if Crowded House paid a visit; his 4-minute, $87 video production won out over hundreds of other contestants.

Terrorism
The leader of Belgium's Muslim community and a colleague were shot to death in Brussels. Two days later, a pro-Iranian terrorist group claimed that it had killed the leader because he had criticized the fatwa (legal judgment) of Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini against British author Salman Rushdie, whose novel The Satanic Verses (1988) was regarded as disrespectful toward the prophet Muhammad.

Environment
Five days after the U.S. tanker Exxon Valdez had spilled 240,000 barrels of oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska, the spill had extended to 45 miles.

Scandal
Michael Milken, head of the so-called "junk bond" division of the Wall Street investment firm Drexel Burnham Lambert, was indicted along with his brother and a third DBL employee on 98 counts of racketeering, mail fraud, securities fraud, and other criminal charges. The indictment charged that Mr. Milken had led a conspiracy to defraud DBL clients, shareholders, and the investing public. Mr. Milken, who had received $550 million in compensation from the firm in 1987, said that he would plead not guilty to all charges.

Former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese concluded two days of testimony at the trial of former National Security Council member Oliver North, who was facing 12 charges in relation to his involvement with the mid-1980s Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages scandal. Mr. Meese testified that as the scandal unfolded, the administration of President Ronald Reagan had feared the possibility that Mr. Reagan would be impeached.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the Index of Leading Economic Indicators had declined 0.3% in February.

Hockey
NHL
Sergei Priakin, the first Soviet player allowed to play in North America by the U.S.S.R. Ice Hockey Federation, signed with the Calgary Flames.

25 years ago
1994

Died on this date
Bill Travers, 62. U.K. actor. Mr. Travers was known for his starring roles in movies such as Bhowani Junction (1956) and Born Free (1966), the latter of which inspired him to spend the rest of his life as an animal welfare advocate.

Abominations
Evangelical and Roman Catholic leaders signed the joint declaration Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the 3rd Millennium. Dave Hunt provided an excellent commentary on the event in The Berean Call's May 1994 newsletter, The Gospel Betrayed.

War
Bosnian Serbs stepped up their bombardment of Gorazde, 35 miles southeast of Sarajevo, which they had first surrounded in May 1993. Gorazde had been intended to be one of six "safe areas" established under a United Nations agreement in May 1993, but few steps had been taken to protect the city.

Politics and government
Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon, who had served as Mexico's secretary of the budget and then as secretary of education, was chosen as the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)'s candidate in the upcoming presidential election, six days after the assassination of the PRI's previous candidate, Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta. A second suspect was arrested by Mexican federal agents in Tijuana.

Football
NFL
Jimmy Johnson, who had led the Dallas Cowboys to Super Bowl championships after the 1992 and 1993 seasons, resigned as the team's head coach. Mr. Johnson and team owner Jerry Jones had differing opinions over who was more responsible for the team's recent success.

20 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Joe Williams, 80. U.S. musician. Mr. Williams, born Joseph Goreed, was a jazz pianist and singer who performed as a soloist and with bands such as those of Count Basie and Lionel Hampton in a performing career that spanned more than 60 years until his death. His best-know recording was Every Day I Have the Blues (1955), during his seven-year period (1954-1961) as lead singer with the Count Basie Orchestra.

World events
Former Paraguayan President Raul Cubas Grau went to Brazil, where he was granted political asylum. Luis Angel Gonzalez Macchi, President of the Senate, was sworn in as his successor.

Crime
United States Marine Captain Joseph Schweitzer, navigator on a plane that had snapped a ski-lift cable above a valley in Italy in 1998, causing 20 deaths, pled guilty to obstruction and conspiracy for destroying a videotape that had recorded part of the flight.

The case of James Hanratty was sent back to the U.K. Court of Appeal, 37 years after he had been hanged for the notorious A6 murder in Bedfordshire. Mr. Hanratty was hanged in Bedford Prison in April 1962 after being convicted of the murder of government scientist Michael Gregsten, 36, and assaulting Valerie Storie, 22, his laboratory assistant and mistress. DNA evidence subsequently indicated that Mr. Hanratty was the killer, and the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction in 2002.

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 10,000 for the first time. The final charge saw the Dow jump 184.54 points to rise slightly above the barrier at 10,006.78. The average of 30 large companies had been advancing steeply over the past several years, although it had skidded badly, almost 20% at one point in 1998 because of fears about the Asian financial crisis. The rebound left many smaller companies behind, and they were still showing declines in 1999.

Disasters
The strongest earthquake to hit the foothills of the Himalayas in more than 90 years--magnitude 6.8--killed 103 people in the Chamoli district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (now in Uttarakhand).

Hockey
NHL
Wayne Gretzky of the New York Rangers scored his 894th and last career National Hockey League goal, in a game against the New York Islanders.

Basketball
NCAA
Men's Championship
Final
Connecticut 77 Duke 74

The Huskies upset the Blue Devils to win their first National Collegiate Athletic Association men's title. Heavily-favoured Duke carried a 32-game winning streak into the game. Richard Hamilton, named the most valuable player in the finals, scored 27 points for Connecticut.

10 years ago
2009

Died on this date
Andy Hallett, 33. U.S. actor and singer. Mr. Hallett played Lorne in the television series Angel (2000-2004), and often sang on the show. He developed a heart condition in 2004 as a result of a dental infection, and died of congestive heart failure.

Crime
Researchers at the University of Toronto discovered GhostNet, a cyber spying network largely based in the People's Republic of China.

February 4, 2018

260 years ago
1758

Braziliana
The city of Macapá was founded by Sebastião Veiga Cabral.

160 years ago
1858

Canadiana
Gold was discovered along British Columbia's Fraser River at Langley, leading to a gold rush.

100 years ago
1918

Born on this date
Ida Lupino. U.K.-born U.S. actress and director. Miss Lupino appeared in movies such as The Light that Failed (1939) and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939), but was perhaps better known as one of the first women to become successful as a director in Hollywood. She directed numerous television programs, and movies such as Outrage (1950); The Hitch-Hiker (1953); and The Bigamist (1953). The movies that Miss Lupino directed usually dealt with controversial topics such as unwanted pregnancy, rape, and bigamy--topics that major Hollywood studios preferred to avoid. She died on August 3, 1995 at the age of 77.

Died on this date
Akiyama Saneyuki, 49. Japanese military officer. Vice Admiral Saneyuki was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy who was famous for planning the Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. He was in ill health when he assumed the command of the 2nd Fleet in October 1917, and died of peritonitis.

90 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Hendrik Lorentz, 74. Dutch physicist. Dr. Lorentz, regarded as the greatest Dutchman of his time, shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Pieter Zeeman "in recognition of the extraordinary service they rendered by their researches into the influence of magnetism upon radiation phenomena." Dr. Lorentz also derived the transformation equations underpinning Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity.

Aviation
French aviators Dieudonne Costes and Joseph Lebrix, after spending some time in Central America and South America, arrived in the United States. They flew from Mexico City to New Orleans, a distance of 1,000 miles, in 10 hours and 8 minutes. The United States was the last country the two would visit on their transatlantic adventure.

75 years ago
1943

Died on this date
Frank Calder, 65. Canadian hockey executive. Mr. Calder was the first President of the National Hockey League, serving from 1917 until his death. He was succeeded in his office by Red Dutton. The Calder Memorial Trophy is given annually to the NHL's top rookie player, and the Calder Cup is awarded annually to the winners of the American Hockey League championship.

War
The U.S.S.R. reported that in fighting since January 27, 17,000 Asis troops had been killed and 27,000 taken prisoner on the Voronezh front. U.K. Royal Air Force bombers struck Hamburg for the 95th time, starting large fires. The Cuban government announced that about 200 Japanese suspected of sabotage had been arrested and were being sent to the Isle of Pines concentration camp.

Defense
The South African House of Assembly approved a motion for voluntary military service abroad.

Society
The U.S. Labor Department reported that juvenile delinquency had increased 31% among girls and 7.5% among boys in 1942.

Labour
German Economy Minister Walther Funk ordered the retail, arts and crafts professions, and eating establishments to release all dispensable labour for war or military work service. U.S. War Manpower Commission Chairman Paul McNutt announced plans to supply labour in 32 shortage areas on a priority basis.

70 years ago
1948

Asiatica
Ceremonies were held in Colombo to mark the change in status of Ceylon - now Sri Lanka - from a British colony to an independent dominion within the British Commonwealth.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. and Romania signed a 20-year friendship and mutual aid treaty in Moscow.

Defense
U.S. Defense Secretary James Forrestal consolidated the Navy and Air Force air transport systems into the Military Air Transport Service, under the command of Air Force General Laurence Kuter.

Iraq denounced its recently-concluded defense treaty with the United Kingdom.

Politics and government
The Supreme Soviet ended its winter session after approving the dismissal of Justice Minister Nikolai Rychkov for tolerating laxity and graft among his subordinates. Arts Committee Chairman Mikhail Khrapchenko was also removed for approving art and music works that lacked the "correct direction" determined by the Communist Party.

Bulgaria's Fatherland Front, consisting of Communists and four other groups, was merged into a single party.

Crime
Former German-American Bund leader Fritz Kuhn escaped from an internment camp in Dachau.

Agriculture
Prices of wheat and other grains began a sharp plunge on U.S. commodity markets, attributed by observers to the decreasing world cereal shortage.

Labour
The British government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee called on unions to accept a voluntary wage freeze, warning that prices must be kept down for the sake of exports.

The Arizona Supreme Court upheld an amendment to the state constitution banning the closed shop.

60 years ago
1958

Died on this date
Henry Kuttner, 42. U.S. author. Mr. Kuttner wrote science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels, often in collaboration with his wife C.L. Moore, and often under various pseudonyms. He died of a heart attack.

Music
The Grand Ole Opry show, featuring Ferlin Husky and Faron Young, was at the Edmonton Gardens. Ticket prices ranged from $1.50-$2.00.

Space
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower directed his science adviser, James Killian, Jr., to study and report on whether a civilian or a military agency should head U.S. space activities.

Defense
Contradicting earlier announcements that British-based U.S. bombers flew regular patrols with nuclear weapons, Acting U.K. Prime Minister R.A. Butler told Parliament that U.S. jets carried nuclear weapons over Britain only in "special operational exercises."

World events
41 Communists were sentenced to life imprisonment in Jerusalem on charges of spying for Syria and plotting to overthrow the Jordanian government.

Politics and government
The Japanese Diet defeated a Socialist resolution calling for the dissolution of Parliament and new elections. Socialist deputies began a boycott of the Diet and its committees.

Religion
The U.S. National Lutheran Council convention in Atlantic City adopted a resolution saying that racial integration of congregations could not be prevented without committing a "sin against God and man."

Transportation
Justice Roy Kellock issued the report of the Kellock Royal Commission, which ruled that a fireman was unnecessary on Canadian Pacific Railway diesel railway engines.

Labour
The Mexican police strike ended after the police were informed that a bill to raise their salaries had been sent to Congress.

50 years ago
1968

Died on this date
Neal Cassady, 41. U.S. writer. Mr. Cassady was a novelist and poet who was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s, and served as the model for Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road (1957). He was a bisexual and heavy drug user, and died in Mexico, four days before his 42nd birthday, after attending a wedding party and passing out next to railroad tracks on a cold and rainy night.

World events
96 more Indians and Pakistanis from Kenya arrived in Britain, the latest in a wave of thousands fleeing discrimination.

Disasters
Nine people were killed and 15 injured in a hotel fire in Boston.

Golf
Arnold Palmer won the Bob Hope Desert Classic in Palm Springs, California in a playoff after shooting a 5-round score of 348; first prize money was $20,000.

40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Solo Tu--Matia Bazar (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Mull of Kintyre--Wings (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Mull of Kintyre--Wings (9th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Uptown Top Ranking--Althia & Donna

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 If I Had Words--Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley with the St. Thomas More School Choir (2nd week at #1)
2 Mull of Kintyre--Wings
3 Singin' in the Rain--Sheila B. Devotion
4 It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler
5 Smurfenbier--Vader Abraham
6 Tingelingeling--Andre Van Duin Presenteert Ome Joop en Het Dik Voormekaar Koor
7 Lailola - No Ablas Mas--José e Los Reyes
8 Take a Chance on Me--ABBA
9 Is Je Moeder Niet Thuis--Nico Haak
10 Egyptian Reggae--Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers

Singles entering the chart were Love is Like Oxygen by Sweet (#22); Ti Amo by Umberto Tozzi (#25); I Go to Rio by Peter Allen (#29); Daddy Cool/The Girl Can't Help It by the Darts (#30); and Stop Still by Allan Jeffers (#32).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
2 Short People--Randy Newman
3 Baby Come Back--Player
4 Just the Way You Are--Billy Joel
5 We are the Champions--Queen
6 You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)--Rod Stewart
7 Sometimes When We Touch--Dan Hill
8 Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)--Chic
9 Desiree--Neil Diamond
10 Emotion--Samantha Sang

Singles entering the chart were Night Fever by the Bee Gees (#71); Can't Smile Without You by Barry Manilow (#74); It's You that I Need by Enchantment (#83); Boogie Shoes by K.C. and the Sunshine Band (#86); If I Can't Have You by Yvonne Elliman (#87); Sweet, Sweet Smile by the Carpenters (#88); Love Me Right by Denise LaSalle (#96); Baby, Baby My Love's All for You by Deniece Williams (#97); Hollywood by Boz Scaggs (#99); and What's Your Name, What's Your Number by the Andrea True Connection (#100). Night Fever and If I Can't Have You were from the movie Saturday Night Fever (1977).

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

Singles entering the chart were Always and Forever by Heatwave (#76); Wonderful World by Art Garfunkel with James Taylor & Paul Simon (#81); The Way You Do the Things You Do by Rita Coolidge (#84); Rock n' Roll is a Vicious Game by April Wine (#86); Lady Love by Lou Rawls (#90); Rocky Mountain Way by Triumph (#91); Everybody Loves a Rain Song by B.J. Thomas (#96); Theme Song from "Which Way is Up?" by Stargard (#97); Oh, Pretty Lady by Trooper (#99); and I Need Somebody Tonight by Fosterchild (#100).

Golf
Hubert Green won the Hawaiian Open in Honolulu with a score of 274; first prize money was $50,000.

Hockey
NHL
Chicago 5 @ Vancouver 1

The Black Hawks defeated the Canucks at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver in the national Hockey Night in Canada telecast. Murray Bannerman made his NHL debut, playing the third period in goal for the Canucks and holding the Black Hawks scoreless.

CHL
Fort Worth 4 @ Dallas 3
Tulsa 5 @ Kansas City 4

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys (5th week at #1)

Crime
U.S. federal grand juries in Miami and Tampa returned indictments against Panamanian dictator Gen. Manuel Noriega, accusing him of protecting and otherwise helping international drug traffickers, and allowing the laundering of drug profits through Panamanian banks. Gen. Noriega denied the charges. He and 15 others were named in the Miami indictments, which charged that he had assisted the Medellin drug cartel, which was linked to 80% of the cocaine smuggled into the United States.

Labour
Thousands of British seamen continued a strike after their union had called an end to the action.

25 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): No Limit--2 Unlimited

20 years ago
1998

Disasters
At least 4,000 people were killed and thousands left homeless when an earthquake struck Afghanistan.

10 years ago
2008

Died on this date
Augusta Dabney, 89. U.S. actress. Miss Dabney appeared in numerous television programs, especially soap operas, from 1949-2001.

Stefan Meller, 65. Polish diplomat and politician. Professor Meller, a historian, was Poland's Ambassador to France from 1996-2001, and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz from 2005-2006.

December 12, 2017

230 years ago
1787

Americana
Pennsylvania became the 2nd state to ratify the United States Constitution.

200 years ago
1817

Died on this date
Tekle Giyorgis I, 66 (?). Emperor of Ethiopia, 1779-1784; 1788-1789; 1794-1795; 1795-1796; 1798-1799; 1800. Tekle Giyorigs I, the youngest son of Emperor Yohannes II, was deposed five times; his last term as Emperor lasted three months, and he spent the rest of his life in the provinces of Waldebba and Tigré.

180 years ago
1837

War
In the Upper Canada Rebellion, Colonel Allan MacNab's militia troops skirmished with the first of Dr. Charles Duncombe's rebel force at Sodom; the news had spread of William Lyon Mackenzie's defeat at Toronto, and Dr. Duncombe's body of 300 rebels prepared to disperse. In the Lower Canada Rebellion, Dr. Wolfred Nelson was captured and jailed after leading the rebels at the Battle of St-Denis.

125 years ago
1892

Politics and government
Joseph-Adolphe Chapeau was installed as Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, serving until January 29, 1898.

120 years ago
1897

Popular culture
The Katzenjammer Kids, the pioneering comic strip by Rudolph Dirks, made its first appearance, in the New York Journal Sunday supplement American Humorist.

Braziliana
Belo Horizonte, the first planned city in Brazil, was founded.

100 years ago
1917

Society
Father Edward J. Flanagan founded Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska as a farm village for wayward boys.

90 years ago
1927

Politics and government
In Oklahoma City, troops called out by Oklahoma Governor H.S. Johnston held the state Capitol under arms and barred from its halls the State legislators called to hear impeachment charges against Mr. Johnston. The Assembly meeting outside the Capitol voted charges against the Governor.

80 years ago
1937

War
During the Sino-Japanese War, the gunboat USS Panay was sunk by Japanese warplanes in Chinese waters.

Football
NFL
Championship @ Wrigley Field, Chicago
Washington 28 @ Chicago Bears 21

Rookie quarterback Sammy Baugh completed threw touchdown passes of 55 and 78 yards to Wayne Millner and 35 yards to Ed Justice in the 3rd quarter as the Redskins won their first NFL title before 15,878 fans. Cliff Battles of the Redskins opened the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown rush in the 1st quarter, but Chicago’s Jack Manders scored 2 touchdowns in 3 minutes and 13 seconds later in the quarter, on a 10-yard rush and a 37-yard pass from Bernie Masterson. Riley Smith converted all Washington touchdowns, while Mr. Manders did the same for the Bears. There was no scoring in the 2nd and 4th quarters. Mr. Baugh completed 17 of 34 passes for 358 yards; Mr. Masterson and Ray Buivid shared the Bears’ quarterbacking and combined to complete just 7 of 28 passes for 172 yards and 3 interceptions. Mr. Manders led all rushers with 64 yards on 10 carries, while Mr. Millner led all receivers with 181 yards on 8 receptions.



75 years ago
1942

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): White Christmas--Bing Crosby (7th week at #1)

War
German troops began Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad. Soviet authorities claimed that 169,000 German soldiers had been killed and 74,500 taken prisoner in the Russian offensive around Stalingrad.

Crime
An arsonist, reputedly a German agent, set a fire in the Knights of Columbus hostel in St. John's, Newfoundland during the live radio broadcast of Uncle Tim's Barn Dance, killing 99 people and seriously injuring another 109, mostly military personnel and their dates. The hall was a firetrap with doors that opened inward; while the fire station was just 180 metres away, the fire did its damage in just nine minutes.

Labour
For the second time, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt directed Montgomery Ward and Company of Chicago to obey a National War Labor Board order and sign a maintenance-of-member contract with the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

Horse racing
Whirlaway, with Wendell Eads up, won the Louisiana Handicap in New Orleans.

Tennis
The United States Lawn Tennis Association ranked Frederick Schroeder and Pauline Betz as the top male and female players, respectively, in the annual rankings.

70 years ago
1947

Politics and government
The United Nations Trusteeship Council on Jerusalem reached agreement on a police force for the city and a balance of power between Jewish and Arab factions.

Protest
200,000 workers ended a one-day general strike in Rome after the Italian government agreed to provide an additional $18 million for public works and release 400 strikers who had been arrested for disorder.

Police clashed with students in Panama City who were demonstating against the recent agreement on defense installations concluded between the American and Panamanian governments.

Economics and finance
India and Pakistan reached an agreement on the division of British India's assets, giving Pakistan $227 million of the colony's treasury balance, 17.5% of its liabilities, and one-third of its military supplies.

Labour
United Mine Workers of America President John L. Lewis withdrew the union from the American Federation of Labor in a dispute over observance of the Taft-Hartley Act--which Mr. Lewis opposed--and influence on the AFL board.

60 years ago
1957

Aviation
U.S. Air Force Major Adrian Drew established a world speed record for manned aircraft of 1,207.6 miles per hour, flying an F101A Voodoo fighter-bomber over a 10-mile course at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Americana
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the U.S. population at 172,327,000.

Politics and government
Labour Party leader Walter Nash took office as Prime Minister of New Zealand following his party's recent victory in the recent general election.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations convention re-elected George Meany as President and William Schnitzler as Secretary-Treasurer.

50 years ago
1967

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

Politics and government
A month after defeating former movie star Shirley Temple Black for the Republican Party nomination, Paul McCloskey was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in California's 11th District.

40 years ago
1977

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

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Wakareuta--Miyuki Nakajima

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Oxygène (Part 4)--Jean Michel Jarre

Died on this date
Frank Boucher, 76. Canadian hockey player and coach. Mr. Boucher, a native of Ottawa, was one of four brothers who played in the National Hockey League. Frank played centre with the Ottawa Senators in 1921-22 before playing with the Vancouver Maroons of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and then the Western Canada Hockey League from 1922-26. He then returned to the NHL with the New York Rangers (1926-38, 1943-44), where he achieved his greatest success, playing on Stanley Cup championship teams in 1928 and 1933, and centring the "Bread Line" between brothers Bill and Bun Cook. Mr. Boucher won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player seven times in eight seasons from 1927-35, and the league finally gave him the original trophy to keep. Mr. Boucher played 660 regular season professional games, scoring 513 points on 217 goals and 296 assists, with 17 goals and 21 assists in 59 playoff games. He coached the Rangers from 1939-49 and 1953-54, compiling a regular season record of 181-263-83 in 527 games. Mr. Boucher coached the Rangers to the Stanley Cup championship in 1940, their last championship until 1994. He served as the Rangers' general manager from 1946-55, with diminishing success as the years went on. Mr. Boucher was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958; he died of cancer.

Health
Chicago-based Velsicol Chemical Corporation and six of its present and past employees were indicted on charges of conspiring to hide test data that allegedly showed that two of its pesticides could produce cancer in humans. It was the first time that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had sought action over the alleged failure of a company to report adverse product information.

Hockey
NHL
Montreal 1 @ Cleveland 2

The Barons edged the Canadiens before a large crowd at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio in what was undoubtedly the high point in the 2-year history of the Barons in the National Hockey League.

CHL
The Phoenix Roadrunners, who were in their first season in the Central Hockey League, folded, leaving the league with five teams. The Roadrunners, affiliated with both the Cleveland Barons and Colorado Rockies of the National Hockey League, compiled a record of 4-20-3.

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: La Bamba--Los Lobos (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Faith--George Michael (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Faith--George Michael (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Fairytale of New York--The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): China in Your Hand--T'Pau (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): China in Your Hand--T'Pau (5th week at #1)

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

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Faith--George Michael
2 Heaven is a Place on Earth--Belinda Carlisle
3 (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
4 Should've Known Better--Richard Marx
5 Is This Love--Whitesnake
6 Shake Your Love--Debbie Gibson
7 We'll Be Together--Sting
8 So Emotional--Whitney Houston
9 Don't You Want Me--Jody Watley
10 The One I Love--R.E.M.

Singles entering the chart were What Have I Done to Deserve This by Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield (#71); Because of You by Cover Girls (#88); and Reason to Live by Kiss (#89).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
2 I Think We're Alone Now--Tiffany
3 Faith--George Michael
4 Heaven is a Place on Earth--Belinda Carlisle
5 Mony Mony (Live)--Billy Idol
6 Got My Mind Set on You--George Harrison
7 Try--Blue Rodeo
8 Pop Goes the World--Men Without Hats
9 We'll Be Together--Sting
10 I've Been in Love Before--Cutting Crew

Singles entering the chart were Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac (#85); In God's Country by U2 (#88); Motortown by the Kane Gang (#91); Once Upon a Long Ago by Paul McCartney (#92); Only the Strong Survive by Bryan Adams (#95); Closer Every Day by the Jitters (#96); and Rain in the Summertime by the Alarm (#97).

Defense
During a visit to Denmark, U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz called on America's North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies to sharply increase their defense spending.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): End of the Road--Boyz II Men (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Kurisumas ukyaroru no koroni ha--Junichi Inagaki (3rd week at #1)

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

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Because the Night--Co.Ro featuring Tarlisa (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Sweat (A La La La La Long)--Inner Circle (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Dur dur d'être bébé!--Jordy (9th week at #1)

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

#1 single in the U.K. (Chart Information Network): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The (Elvis) Letter--Wayne Newton
2 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston
3 If I Ever Fall in Love--Shai
4 Rump Shaker--Wreckx-N-Effect
5 How Do You Talk to an Angel--The Heights
6 I'd Die Without You--PM Dawn
7 Rhythm is a Dancer--Snap!
8 Good Enough--Bobby Brown
9 Real Love--Mary J. Blige
10 To Love Somebody--Michael Bolton

Singles entering the chart were Deeper and Deeper by Madonna (#35); Give it Up, Turn it Loose by En Vogue (#53); Everything's Gonna Be Alright by Father MC (#77); Baby, I Believe in You by George LaMond (#79); I Love You Period. by Dan Baird (#83); and Quality Time by Hi-Five (#90). The presence of The (Elvis) Letter at #1 should probably be headlined under "Scandal." According to this blog post and this forum post, Cash Box was accused of rigging its country charts in a late-1980s version of payola. A new chart director, Kevin Hughes, who was apparently going to expose and clean up the operation, was murdered by former chart director Richard D'Antonio (see here, and the court record of Mr. D'Antonio's unsuccessful appeal here). As for The (Elvis) Letter, it topped the Cash Box pop and country charts, while not even appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 or Adult Contemporary charts. It also failed to chart in Canada, as far as I've seen. The (Elvis) Letter appeared as a track on an album by Mr. Newton; as a single, it was released as a cassette single that was shipped to media outlets, and was never commercially available. I was still listening to the radio in 1992, and I never heard the song; in fact, I never heard of it until I saw it listed on the Cash Box chart.

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Song Instead of a Kiss--Alannah Myles (4th week at #1)
2 How Do You Talk to an Angel--The Heights
3 Layla--Eric Clapton
4 To Love Somebody--Michael Bolton
5 Do You Believe in Us--Jon Secada
6 Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses--U2
7 Drive--R.E.M.
8 Keep the Faith--Bon Jovi
9 I Will Always Love You--Whitney Houston
10 Love Can Move Mountains--Celine Dion

Singles entering the chart were Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) by Def Leppard (#61); Deeper and Deeper by Madonna (#76); 7 by Prince (#82); Paper Doll by Fleetwood Mac (#84); Stop the World by Extreme (#87); Soul Drifter by Lindsey Buckingham (#88); The Mind of Love (Where is...) by k.d. lang (#89); and Ignoreland by R.E.M. (#91).

Married on this date
Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence. The small family ceremony in Scotland was the second marriage for the Princess Royal and the first for the Royal Navy Commander.

20 years ago
1997

Hit parade
#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Barbie Girl--Aqua (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): I Will Come to You--Hanson

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Perfect Day--Various Artists (3rd week at #1)

At the movies
Deconstructing Harry, written and directed by, and starring Woody Allen, opened in theatres.

10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Ike Turner, 76. U.S. musician. Mr. Turner was a guitarist and pianist who was one of the influential figures of early rock and roll as leader of the Kings of Rhythm; their single Rocket 88 (1951), credited to Jackie Brenston and the Kings of Rhythm, is considered by some to be the first rock and roll record. Mr. Turner achieved his greatest success in the 1960s and early '70s with his wife Tina, performing as the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. The couple broke up in 1976, and Mr. Turner's later years were plagued by drug addiction and legal problems. He died of a cocaine overdose, and he was also suffering from emphysema.