December 30, 2021

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Gladys Lucy Pomazongo Levano!

430 years ago
1591

Died on this date
Innocent IX. Roman Catholic Pope, 1591. Innocent IX, born Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti, became a priest in 1544 and was made a cardinal in 1583. He succeeded Gregory XIV on thee papal throne, and was crowned on November 3, 1591. He died after less than two months in office, and was succeeded by Clement VIII.

180 years ago
1841

Died on this date
Vitus Bering, 60. Danish explorer. Commander Bering was a cartographer served in the Russian Navy and led the First Kamchatka Expedition (1725-1731), which explored the Asian Pacific Coast, and the Great Northern Expedition (1733-1743), which explored the Arctic coast of Siberia and parts of the North American coastline. He died of scurvy on an uninhabited island, later named in his honour, near the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Bering Strait and Bering Sea are among the things named in Commander Bering's honour.

170 years ago
1851

Born on this date
Asa Candler. U.S. businessman and politician. Mr. Candler founded the Coca-Cola Company in 1892, and managed the company until 1917, when he took office as Mayor of Atlanta, serving until 1919. He died on March 12, 1929 at the age of 77, three years after suffering a stroke.

160 years ago
1861

Defense
As a result of the "Trent Affair" (the seizure of two Confederate diplomats from a British vessel on the high seas), 6,000 British troops from the 62nd Wiltshire Regiment landed at St. Andrews, New Brunswick with orders to march overland to Canada to defend against a possible American invasion.

125 years ago
1896

Born on this date
Tom Keene. U.S. actor. Mr. Keene, whose real name was George Duryea, also acted under the name Richard Powers. He appeared in more than 120 movies and television programs, mainly low-budget Westerns. Mr. Keene's movies included Our Daily Bread (1934) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959). He died of cancer on August 4, 1963 at the age of 66.

Died on this date
José Rizal, 35. Filipino writer and polymath. Dr. Rizal, an ophthalmologist by profession, was a Philippine nationalist who was a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement, which advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain. His writings were blamed by Spanish authorities for helping to incite the Philippine Revolution in 1896. While en route to Cuba via Spain to minister to victims of yellow fever. Dr. Rizal was arrested and charged with rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy. Despite disavowing the revolution in its present state, he was convicted by a court martial and was executed by a Spanish firing squad in Manila. Dr. Rizal is regarded as a national hero in the Philippines.

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Montreal Victorias 6 @ Winnipeg Victorias 5 (1-game challenge)

Ernie McLea scored 3 goals, including the winner on a breakaway with less than 2 minutes remaining, to give Montreal the Cup over defending champion Winnipeg at Granite Rink in the first challenge to be played outside Montreal. Mr. McLea became the first player to score a hat trick in a Stanley Cup game. Winnipeg took an early 3-0 lead and led 4-2 at halftime.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Jeanette Nolan. U.S. actress. Miss Nolan appeared in numerous radio and television programs and in movies such as Macbeth (1948) and The Big Heat (1953). She was nominated for four Emmy Awards, and died on June 5, 1998 at the age of 86.

Politics and government
Sun Yat-sen was elected the first President of the Republic of China.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Rashid Karami. Prime Minister of Lebanon, 1955-1956; 1958-1960; 1961-1964; 1965-1966; 1966-1968; 1969-1970; 1975-1976; 1984-1987. Mr. Karami, an independent politician, had a political career of more than 30 years, and was Lebanon's Prime Minister 10 times. He advocated increased political power for the country's Muslim population, and was known as a man that Lebanon's President could call on in a crisis, despite political differences. Mr. Karami was killed on June 1, 1987 at the age of 65 and the country’s interior minister and several other people were injured when a bomb exploded in his helicopter during a flight to Beirut from his home town of Tripoli. It was believed that the bomb had been placed in his briefcase or under his seat. The co-pilot made an emergency landing. Mr. Karami had submitted his resignation on May 4, but President Amin Gemayel had not yet formally accepted it.

90 years ago
1931

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Hindoo in the Wicker Basket

80 years ago
1941

Movies
The New York Film Critics Circle Awards for 1941 were presented. The winners were: Picture--Citizen Kane; Director--John Ford (How Green was My Valley); Actor--Gary Cooper (Sergeant York); Actress--Joan Fontaine (Suspicion).

Diplomacy
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the Canadian parliament in Ottawa, where he delivered his "Some chicken...some neck" speech, and then posed for a famous photograph by Yousuf Karsh. Go here to see the full text of the speech.



U.K. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden returned to London from his conference in Moscow with U.S.S.R. dictator Josef Stalin.

War
The U.S.S.R. announced that Soviet troops on the Caucasian front had landed on the Crimean peninsula, occupying the town and fortress of Kerch. Dispatches from Manila reported that Japanese troops were within 100 miles of the city. U.S. aviator Charles Lindbergh was revealed to have volunteered for active serice in the U.S. Army Air Forces. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that there were 25,829,788 men in the continental United States aged 20-44 who could be drafted for military service.

Space
Dr. Edwin Hubble of the Mount Wilson Observatory in California said that as a result of six years of observation through the observatory's 100-inch telescope, he doubted the theory that the universe was expanding.

Politics and government
Philippine President Manuel Quezon and Vice President Sergio Osmena were inaugurated into their second terms in a wartime ceremony near U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters.

Lieutenant General A.E. Percival declared martial law in Singapore, following four Japanese air raids the previous night.

Crime
Seven people were indicted in New York on charges of sending vital information to Germany.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that plans were underway to boost U.S. war production to 50% of the national income, or about $50 billion in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1942.

U.S. federal Price Administrator Leon Henderson froze wholesale cigarette prices at the levels prevailing on December 26, and fixed maximum retail prices for automobile tires and tubes at the level in effect on November 25.

Labour
Greyhound companies agreed to arbitrate the strike of 1,800 bus drivers.

75 years ago
1946

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Old Lamp-Lighter--Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye (Vocal refrain by Billy Williams and Choir)
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
--Hal Derwin
2 Ole Buttermilk Sky--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra (vocal chorus by Michael Douglas and the Campus Kids)
--Hoagy Carmichael
--Helen Carroll and the Satisfiers
--Paul Weston and his Orchestra with Matt Dennis
3 Rumors are Flying--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra
--The Andrews Sisters with Les Paul
--Betty Rhodes
--Tony Martin
4 (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons--King Cole Trio
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
5 A Gal in Calico--Tex Beneke with the Glenn Miller Orchestra
--Bing Crosby with the Calico Kids
--Johnny Mercer
6 The Things We Did Last Summer--Frank Sinatra
--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
7 Huggin' and Chalkin'--Hoagy Carmichael
--Johnny Mercer
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
8 The Whole World is Singing My Song--Les Brown and his Orchestra
9 Passe--Tex Beneke with the Glenn Miller Orchestra
--Margaret Whiting
10 Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were the version of (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons by Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra That's the Beginning of the End, with versions by Perry Como; and the King Cole Trio (#32).

On the radio
The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Elliott Lewis and Howard McNear, on MBS
Tonight`s episode: The Payoff

Died on this date
Charles Wakefield Cadman, 65. U.S. composer and critic. Mr. Cadman was appointed music editor and critic for the Pittsburgh Dispatch in 1908, and was regarded as a leading expert on American Indian music, writing and lecturing on the subject, and allowing it to influence his compositions. He moved to Los Angeles in the 1920s, helping to found the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, performing there as a piano soloist, and composing scores for motion pictures in the early years of sound movies. Mr. Cadman wrote music in various genres, but was best known for his 40-year collaboration with lyricist Nelle Richmond Eberhart, who wrote librettos for his operas and words for his songs. He died six days after his 65th birthday.

Movies
The New York Film Critics Circle Awards for 1946 were presented. The winners were: Picture--The Best Years of Our Lives; Director--William Wyler (The Best Years of Our Lives); Actor--Laurence Olivier (Henry V); Actress--Celia Johnson (Brief Encounter); Foreign Language Film--Open City.

War
After conferring with French officials in Indochina, French Overseas Territories Minister Marius Moutet reiterated France's determination to re-establish "order" in the territory before resuming negotiations with nationalist guerrillas.

Politics and government
Republican Party U.S. congressional leadership filled majority posts in the new Senate: Arthur Vandenberg (Michigan)--President pro tempore; Wallace White, Jr. (Maine)--Majority floor leader; Robert Taft (Ohio)--steering committee chairman; Kenneth Wherry (Nebraska)--Majority whip; Eugene Milliken (Colorado)--Republican conference chairman.

Science
University of California physicist Glenn Seaborg, co-discoverer of plutonium, americium, and curium, was named "chemist of the year" in an American Chemical Society poll.

Energy
Despite Soviet objections, the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission appoved a U.S.-sponsored nuclear control plan recommending the creation of a strong international inspection agency not subject to a great power veto.

Argentina and Uruguay signed a pact allowing Argentina to receive electric power from the Uruguay River power project.

Economics and finance
Venezuela became the 40th nation to join the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

The Allied Control Council in Berlin announced the adoption of a law forbidding Germany to manufacture, possess, import, or export any equipment that may be used to wage war.

Labour
A U.S. federal circuit court of appeals in Chicago upheld the right of a union in a closed shop to force the discharge of a member for joining a rival union.

70 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Out There, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Bus to Nowhere, starring Leonard Barry, Arthur Batanides, and Whit Bissell

War
Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command General Matthew Ridgway announced that the Japanese government would be given custody of 1,300 Japanese war criminals still serving sentences by March 21, 1952.

Diplomacy
Foreign ministers of six Western European countries agrred in Paris on most details of the European Army plan and recommended creating a supranational Parliament of Europe by 1955.

In a year-end speech, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson admitted that "we have lost some ground" in the Middle East because of the Iranian and Suez disputes, but viewed Greece and Turkey as "bright spots."

Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded the $1,000 Newcomb Cleveland Prize to Columbia University oceanographer J. Laurence Kulp for developing a technique to measure the age of water through the radioactive carbon content of suspended organic matter.

Economics and finance
Iran banned foreign travel by its citizens, due to lack of foreign exchange.

Baseball
The Sporting News named Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals as major league player of the year for 1951 and Leo Durocher of the New York Giants as major league manager of the year. "Stan the Man" batted .355 with 32 home runs and 108 runs batted in, leading the National League in batting average, runs (124); triples (12); and total bases (355). "Leo the Lip" led the Giants to the National League pennant as they came back from a 14½-game deficit in August to defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers in a 3-game playoff.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): My Boomerang Won't Come Back--Charlie Drake (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: Nata per me--Adriano Celentano (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Tanze mit mir in den Morgen--Gerhard Wendland

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door--Eddie Hodges (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Tower of Strength--Frankie Vaughan (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens (4th week at #1)
2 The Twist--Chubby Checker
3 Walk on By--Leroy Van Dyke
4 Run to Him--Bobby Vee
5 Please Mr. Postman--The Marvelettes
6 Can't Help Falling in Love--Elvis Presley
7 Peppermint Twist - Part I--Joey Dee & the Starliters
8 Moon River--Jerry Butler
--Henry Mancini, His Orchestra and Chorus
9 Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen--Neil Sedaka
10 When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart)--Connie Francis

Singles entering the chart were Lost Someone by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#90); That's My Pa by Sheb Wooley (#95); I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song) by the Ikettes (#96); Fever by Pete Bennett and the Embers (#98); and I Told the Brook by Marty Robbins (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Norman--Sue Thompson (2nd week at #1)
2 The Wanderer--Dion
3 Run to Him--Bobby Vee
4 Hey! Little Girl--Del Shannon
5 Walkin' with My Angel--Bobby Vee
6 The Twist--Chubby Checker
7 Multiplication--Bobby Darin
8 Walkin' Back to Happiness--Helen Shapiro
9 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens
10 Please Mr. Postman--The Marvelettes

Singles entering the chart were Bonnie B by Jerry Lee Lewis (#24); Bandit of My Dreams by Eddie Hodges (#28); My Boomerang Won't Come Back by Charlie Drake (#31); Patti Ann by Johnny Crawford (#36); I Know (You Don't Love Me No More) by Barbara George (#39); Baby it's You by the Shirelles (#45); and Lonely Sixteen by Janie Black (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Norman--Sue Thompson
2 Dear Ivan--Jimmy Dean
3 The Twist--Chubby Checker
4 The Wanderer/The Majestic--Dion
5 Peppermint Twist--Joey Dee & the Starliters
6 A Little Bitty Tear--Burl Ives
7 Multiplication--Bobby Darin
8 Walkin' with My Angel/Run to Him--Bobby Vee
9 When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart)--Connie Francis
10 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens

Singles entering the chart were Dear Lady Twist by Gary (U.S.) Bonds (#26); The Ballad of Thunder Road by Robert Mitchum (#30); Young Love by Sonny James (#34); I Could Have Loved You by Ray Peterson (#36); Mugmates/Bandit of My Dreams by Eddie Hodges (#39); and Little Altar Boy by Vic Dana (#40).

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Gray 9 Blue 7

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Pop Concerto--Pop Concerto Orchestra

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): O Holy Night--Tommy Drennan (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Jo Cals, 57. Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1965-1966. Mr. Cals, a member of the Roman Catholic State Party until 1945 and the Catholic People's Party thereafter, was a member of the House of Representatives (1948-1950, 1952, 1956, 1959, 1963-1965), and was State Secretary/Minister for Education, Arts and Sciences (1950-1961) before serving as Prime Minister from April 1965-November 1966. He left politics after his government fell after losing a vote involving the budget. Mr. Cals died of a brain tumour.

World events
Iraq announced that it had expelled 60,000 Iranian men, women, and children over the past few days; Iraq had severed diplomatic relations with Iran earlier inthe month.

30 years ago
1981

Hockey
NHL
Philadelphia (22-13-1) 5 @ Edmonton (25-8-6) 7

Wayne Gretzky scored 5 goals--his 46th through 50th of the season--to lead the Oilers past the Flyers at Northlands Coliseum. Mr. Gretzky's last goal, into an empty net, gave him the distinction of reaching the 50-goal mark in one season in the fewest games; it was just the Oilers' 39th game of the season.



30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Sore ga Daiji (それが大事)--Daiji-man Brothers Band

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Live and Let Die--Guns N' Roses (2nd week at #1)

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

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Child--Mark Owen (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Don't Speak--No Doubt (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Time to Say Goodbye--Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Canada (RPM): Head Over Feet--Alanis Morissette (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Lew Ayres, 88. U.S. actor. Mr. Ayres had a career that spanned 65 years, but was best known for his starring role in the movie All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and for playing Dr. Kildare in a series of nine films from 1938-1942. He died two days after his 88th birthday.

Juan Antonio Canta, 30. Spanish musician. Mr. Canta, whose real name was Juan Antonio Castillo Madico, was a singer-songwriter and guitarist who co-founded the pop group Pabellَn psiquiلtrico, who recorded four albums from 1987-1991. He then became a solo artist, and was best known for the single La danza de los 40 limones, which reached number one on the PROMUSICAE chart for five weeks in May-June 1996. Mr. Canta suffered from constant depression, and committed suicide by hanging himself at his home in Cَrdoba.

Protest
250,000 workers in Israel shut down services in protest against proposed budget cuts by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

20 years ago
2001

Terrorism
Pakistani authorities arrested Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, founder of one of the Muslim groups believed to be behind the December 13, 2001 attack on India's Parliament House in New Delhi. 12 people had been killed in the five-man attack.

Politics and government
Adolfo Rodriguez Saa resigned as interim President of Argentina, just a week after taking office.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Ronald Searle, 91. U.K.-born artist. Mr. Searle worked in various genre, but was mainly known as a cartoonist. He created and the comic strip St. Trinian's School (1946-1952), which inspired a series of comic films. Mr. Searle also illustrated the Molesworth novels written by Geoffrey Willans in the 1950s. He moved to France in 1961, and lived the rest of his life there.

Oddities
Samoa and Tokelau skipped this date, as they changed their time zones and jumped to the other side of the International Date Line, moving directly from December 29 to December 31, 2011.

December 28, 2021

370 years ago
1651

Born on this date
Johann Krieger. German musician and composer. Mr. Krieger, the younger brother of organist and composer Johann Philipp Krieger, was also an organist, and was one of the most important keyboard composers of his day, publishing collections containing harpsichord suites, organ toccatas, fugues, and ricercars. He also composed sacred and secular vocal music, as well as works for the stage. Mr. Krieger died at the age of 83 on July 18, 1735, the day after playing the organ at a church service.

175 years ago
1846

Americana
Iowa was admitted to the Union as the 29th state.

100 years ago
1921

At the movies
Orphans of the Storm, directed by D.W. Griffith, and starring Lillian and Dorothy Gish, opened in theatres in Boston.



Born on this date
Johnny Otis. U.S. musician and producer. Mr. Otis, born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes, was a drummer and bandleader who began performing with rhythm and blues artists in the late 1930s. He was a disc jockey, talent scout, producer, impresario, and television host in a career spanning more than 60 years, and has been called the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues." Mr. Otis achieved his greatest success from 1948-1952 when the Johnny Otis Orchestra, with various featured vocalists, released 16 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard rhythm and blues chart, reaching #1 with Double Crossing Blues (1948); Mistrustin' Blues (1948); and Cupid's Boogie (1950). His orchestra was billed as the Johnny Otis Show when Willie and the Hand Jive reached #1 on the rhythm and blues chart and #9 on the pop singles chart. In addition to his musical activities, Mr. Otis founded and pastored a church in Santa Rosa California. He died on January 17, 2012, 20 days after his 90th birthday.

80 years ago
1941

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Gloria Scott

War
Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate high-ranking Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, commenced. Reports stated that German troops were retreating in Serbia following a series of defeats by guerrillas. Japanese planes, unchallenged by anti-aircraft batteries or pursuit craft, bombed Manila for two hours in the afternoon. Japanese pressure increased southeast of Manila. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt pledged that "the entire resources, in men and in material, of the United States stand behind" the Philippines.

Diplomacy
The British government announced that U.K. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden had been in Moscow since mid-December conferring with U.S.S.R. dictator Josef Stalin regarding conduct of the war.

Academia
The American Association of University Professors issued a formal statement assailing Georgia Governor Eugene Talmadge for "political interference" in ousting Dean Walter D. Cocking of the University of Georgia on charges of advocating racial equality in education.

Economics and finance
The Brookings Institution issued a report urging the reduction of federal non-defense expenditures by $2.085 billion without curtailing essential social services.

75 years ago
1946

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Old Lamp-Lighter by Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye (Vocal refrain by Billy Williams and Choir) (Best Seller--1st week at #1; Juke Box--2nd week at #1; Honor Roll of Hits (2nd week at #1); I Love You (For Sentimental Reasons) (Airplay--1st week at #1)

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

Died on this date
Carrie Jacobs-Bond, 84. U.S. songwriter. Mrs. Bond was a parlor singer and pianist who experienced much personal hardship, but achieved success by writing songs such as I Love You Truly (1901); Just Awearyin' for You (1901); and A Perfect Day (1910). She was the most successful female songwriter of her time, reportedly earned more than $1 million in royalties before the end of 1910, at a time when royalties were earned in sales of sheet music. Mrs. Bond died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Politics and government
A new Syrian cabinet was named by Jamil Mardam Bey, with Naim Antaki as Foreign Minister.

Charles de Gaulle refused to run for the French presidency, declaring that he could not be a "guarantor" of the present constitution.

Economics and finance
The Soviet Council of Ministers ordered increased concentration on the production of consumer goods, especially clothing.

Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly passed a bill providing for a progressive tax on corporate profits up to 28%.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Gray 20 Blue 13

70 years ago
1951

On television today
The last episode of the soap opera Miss Susan, starring Susan Peters, aired on NBC after a run of 9½ months.

World events
Two hours after the U.S. legation in Budapest paid $120,000 in fines, Hungary released four American fliers imprisoned at the Austro-Hungarian border since being forced down and captured on November 19.

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department banned travel in Hungary by U.S. citizens, and ordered immediate closure of the Hungarian consulates in New York and Cleveland.

War
The French National Assembly rejected a proposal by former Prime Minister Edouard Daladier that the United Nations be asked to arrange a truce in the Indochinese war.

Defense
The U.S. Army announced the development of a submachine gun that could shoot around corners.

Economics and finance
Yugoslavian Finance Minister Milentije Popovic announced plans to devalue the dinar from 50 to 300 to the American dollar.

Tennis
Australia retained the Davis Cup in Sydney as Frank Sedgman, Mervyn Rose, and Ken McGregor defeated Vic Seixas, Ted Schroeder, and Tony Trabert of the United States 3-2 in men's finals competition.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade): Moon River--Jerry Butler (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Moon River--Danny Williams

At the movies
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, directed by José Quintero, and starring Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty, opened in theatres.



Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Heather Pick!

Defense
Royal Canadian Air Force Squadron No.446, at North Bay, Ontario, formed Canada's first BOMARC Surface to Air Missile Squadron for defence against Soviet ICBMs.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Kvällstoppen): Mamy Blue--Pop-Tops (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Akropolis adieu--Mireille Mathieu (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Max Steiner, 83. Austrian-born composer and conductor. Mr. Steiner, a native of Vienna, was a child prodigy as a pianist and composer, and conducted an operetta when he was 12. He worked in theatrical productions in continental Europe and Britain in the years leading to World War I, but was interned in England as an enemy alien when World War I began in 1914. Mr. Steiner was allowed to emigrate to the United States, and spent 15 years on Broadway in New York before going to Hollywood in 1929, and sound was coming into motion pictures. He composed over 300 film scores for RKO Pictures and Warner Brothers Pictures from 1929-1965 and received 24 Academy Award nominations, winning for The Informer (1935); Now, Voyager (1942); and Since You Went Away (1944). Mr. Steiner's most famous scores included Gone with the Wind (1939) and A Summer Place (1959). He died of congestive heart failure after years of declining health and poor eyesight.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Gray 27 Blue 15

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Down Under--Men at Work (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Sailor Fuku to Kikanjū--Hiroko Yakushimaru (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Ma Quale Idea--Pino D'Angio (14th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Polonäse Blankenese--Gottlieb Wendehals (a.k.a. Werner Böhm) (4th week at #1)

Born on this date
Elizabeth Jordan Carr. U.S. woman. Miss Carr, America's first "test-tube baby," was born in Norfolk, Virginia.

Died on this date
Allan Dwan, 96. Canadian-born U.S. movie director. Mr. Dwan, a native of Toronto, moved to the United States with his family at the age of 7. He began working in the motion picture industry in Chicago and New York; he spent his winters in California and, like many others, moved there to work full-time. Mr. Dwan directed 125 movies from 1911-1961; he directed Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in several silent films, and directed eight movies starring Gloria Swanson. Mr. Dwan's movies included Robin Hood (1922); The Iron Mask (1929); and Sands of Iwo Jima (1949).

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Black or White--Michael Jackson (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Black or White--Michael Jackson (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Black or White--Michael Jackson (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Black or White--Michael Jackson (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Black or White--Michael Jackson (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Qui a le droit...--Patrick Bruel (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Kon ik maar even bij je zijn--Gordon (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (CIN): Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are the Days of Our Lives--Queen (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Black or White--Michael Jackson (4th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Black or White--Michael Jackson
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 Set Adrift on Memory Bliss--P.M. Dawn
8 Blowing Kisses in the Wind--Paula Abdul
9 Broken Arrow--Rod Stewart
10 Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me--George Michael/Elton John

Singles entering the chart were Forever My Lady by Jodeci (#75); Blinded by Love by Rythm Syndicate (#77); There's No Other Way by Blur (#78); The Rush by Luther Vandross (#83); and I Want You by Jody Watley (#89); and The Unforgiven by Metallica (#90).

Football
NFL
AFC Wild Card Playoff
Los Angeles Raiders 6 @ Kansas City 10



NFC Wild Card Playoff
Atlanta 27 @ New Orleans 20

See video.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Wannabe--Spice Girls (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): One & One--Robert Miles featuring Maria Nayler (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): One & One--Robert Miles featuring Maria Nayler (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Aïcha--Khaled (9th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Freed from Desire--Gala (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Don't Speak--No Doubt

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): 2 Become 1--Spice Girls

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Un-Break My Heart--Toni Braxton (4th week at #1)
2 I Believe I Can Fly--R. Kelly
3 Don't Let Go (Love)--En Vogue
4 No Diggity--BLACKstreet (featuring Dr. Dre)
5 Nobody--Keith Sweat featuring Athena Cage
6 Mouth--Merril Bainbridge
7 I Believe in You and Me--Whitney Houston
8 It's All Coming Back to Me Now--Celine Dion
9 I'm Still in Love with You--New Edition
10 I Finally Found Someone--Barbra Streisand/Bryan Adams

Singles entering the chart were I Believe in You and Me; God Bless the Child by Shania Twain (#80); Friends by John Michael Montgomery (#89); That's How it Is (It's Like That) by Redman featuring K-Solo (#95); and Ain't Nobody by LL Cool J (#98). I Believe in You and Me was from the movie The Preacher's Wife (1996). Ain't Nobody was from the movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996).

Football
NFL
AFC Wild Card Playoff
Jacksonville 30 @ Buffalo 27



NFC Wild Card Playoff
Minnesota 15 @ Dallas 40



10 years ago
2011

War
Acting on information that Kurdish militants were crossing the border from Iraqi territory, two Turkish F-16 jets fired at a group of villagers, killing 34 people.

Sport
Figure skater Patrick Chan was named Canadian Press male athlete of the year; he had an undefeated season and won his first world men's title, setting three world scoring records.

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 25, 2021

975 years ago
1046

Europeana
Henry III was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Clement II.

560 years ago
1461

Born on this date
Christina of Saxony. Queen consort of Denmark (1481-1513); Norway (1483-1513); and Sweden (1497-1501). Christina married the future King Hans in 1478, and became Queen consort when he acceded to the Danish throne upon the death of his father. Hans was subsequently elected King of Norway and conquered Sweden. Queen Christina accompanied her husband to Sweden, but he began an adulterous affair in 1501, and was removed as king, while Queen Christina was taken into custody, and wasn't permitted to return to Denmark until 1503, where she lived separately from King Hans until her death on December 8, 1521, 17 days before her 60th birthday.

310 years ago
1711

Born on this date
Jean-Joseph de Mondonville. French musician and composer. Mr. Mondonville was a classical violinist who was associated with the Chapelle royale and chamber, performing 100 concerts. He wrote grands motets, light operas, oratorios, and works for violin. Mr. Mondonville died on October 8, 1772 at the age of 60.

200 years ago
1821

Born on this date
Clara Barton. U.S. nurse. Miss Barton was a schoolteacher and self-taught nurse who aided Union Army soldiers in the American Civil War and ran the Office of Missing Soldiers after the war, identifying soldiers killed or missing in action. She founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and was its president until her retirement in 1904. Miss Barton died on April 12, 1912 at the age of 90.

190 years ago
1831

Protest
Baptist preacher Samuel Sharpe began the 11-day Great Jamaican Slave Revolt; up to 20% of Jamaica's slaves mobilized in an ultimately unsuccessful fight for freedom.

160 years ago
1861

Born on this date
Madan Mohan Malaviya. Indian educator, journalist, and politician. Mahamana Malaviya, a lawyer by profession, co-founded Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1916, and was its vice chancellor from 1919-1938. He founded the English-language newspaper The Leader in 1909, and was chairman of the Hindustan Times (1924-1936). Mahamana Malaviya was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council/Central Legislative Assembly (1912-1926) while being a moderate advocate of Indian independence, and served three terms as president of the Indian National Congress. He was one of the founders of the Bharat Scouts and Guides, and died on November 12, 1946 at the age of 84.

130 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Kenneth Anderson. Indian-born U.K. military officer and politician. General Sir Kenneth served in both world wars, and was best known for commanding the British First Army during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa and the subsequent Tunisian Campaign. He served as Governor of Gibraltar from 1947-1952. General Sir Kenneth died of pneumonia on April 29, 1959 at the age of 67.

120 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. U.K. royal family member. Princess Alice was the daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch, Scotland's largest landowner, and married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V, in 1935. She served with the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)/Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF), and held official positions with a dozen British Army regiments. The Duchess of Gloucester carried out public functions until she was 98, and died on October 29, 2004 at the age of 102.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Steve Otto. Polish-born Canadian politician. Mr. Otto, a Liberal, represented the Ontario riding of York East in the Canadian House of Commons (1962-1972). He was 22 days past his 67th birthday when he disappeared and was presumed dead when his sailboat hit a rock and capsized off the coast of Cuba on January 16, 1989.

Died on this date
Hans Huber, 69. Swiss composer. Mr. Huber wrote eight symphonies, five operas, four piano concertos, and other orchestral, chamber, and choral works.

Vladimir Korolenko, 68. Russian journalist and author. Mr. Korolenko wrote fiction and non-fiction expressing criticism of Russia's czarist regime; his best-known work was the short novel The Blind Musician (1886). Mr. Korolenko suffered from progressive heart disease in later years, and died of pneumonia.

90 years ago
1931

Radio
The shortwave station HCJB, "The Voice of the Andes," began broadcasting from Quito, Ecuador.

80 years ago
1941

Died on this date
Richard S. Aldrich, 57. U.S. politician. Mr. Aldrich, a son of U.S. Senator Nelson Aldrich and a cousin of the Rockefellers, was a Republican, and a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives (1914-1916) and Senate (1916-1918). He represented Rhode Island's 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1923-1933).

War
British forces surrendered Hong Kong to invading Japanese forces; 290 members of the Royal Rifles of Canada (a Quebec unit) and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were dead, and 493 wounded. Major John Crawford and 1,975 Canadian soldiers were captured and incarcerated at the Sham Shui Po prison camp at Kowloon for 44 months. Japanese soldiers continued their destruction of St. Stephen's College hospital in Hong Kong, killing over 100 British, Canadian and Indian wounded soldiers, as well as a number of doctors and nurses. Manila and Tokyo dispatches reported that Japanese troops had advanced at three points on the Phillipine island of Luzon despite strong resistance. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to assume command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

World events
Reuters reported from Bhagalpur, India that 320 Hindu leaders, including Dr. Syamprosad Mookerjee, finance minister of the Bengal government, had been arrested for trying to attend a conference that had been banned.

Communications
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Australian Prime Minister John Curtin formally opened a 7,420-mile direct radio-telegraph communications system between the two countries.

Politics and government
The male population of Saint Pierre voted by more than 98% for association with Free French forces, as opposed to collaboration with the Axis.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Jesse Jones announced the creation of a Small Business Unit in the Commece Department under William Shepardson.

Economics and finance
The U.S. Congressional-Executive Joint Committee on Non-Essential Expenditures, headed by Senator Harry F. Byrd (Democrat--Virginia), recommended total savings of $1.7 billion in non-defense expenditures.

Labour
Representatives of Air Associates, Inc. and the Congress of Industrial Organizations United Auto Workers of America reached an agreement in Bendix, New Jersey on a one-years contract, providing wage increases and a modified union shop.

75 years ago
1946

Died on this date
W.C. Fields, 66. U.S. actor. Mr. Fields, born William Claude Dukenfield, was famous (and beloved by this blogger) for his misanthropic persona, side-of-the-mouth vocal delivery, large nose, juggling skill, and fondness for alcohol. His movies included It's a Gift (1934); You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939); and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). He died as a result of years of heavy drinking.

Emir Mohammed Zeinati. Palestinian crime victim. Mr. Zeinati, an Arab landowner, was slain in Haifa by unknown assassins, apparently for selling land to Jews.

Asiatica
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands proclaimed the Provisional State of East Indonesia, including all of the former Dutch East Indies east of Java and Borneo except New Guinea.

Diplomacy
The U.K. and France signed an agreement eliminating visa requirements and other restrictions on citizens of one country travelling in the other.

Politics and government
Boycotted by Communists, China's Constitutional Assembly passed a new constitution, based on British and American models, which would go into effect on January 1, 1947. Communist spokesmen called the charter "illegal' and said that it would not be recognized in Communist-held areas.

French High Commissioner for Indonesia Admiral Thierry d'Argenlieu issued a Christmas message stating, "France does not intend in the present stage of evolution of the Indochinese people to give them total and unconditional independence."

Chile's Socialist Party rejected a proposed alliance with the Communists.

Energy
The first European self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated within the U.S.S.R.'s F-1 nuclear reactor.

Nuclear scientist C. Rogers McCullough revealed that researchers were constructing the world's first atomic power pile for peacetime use at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Gas for industrial use was cut off in six New Jersey counties, following a strike at the Jersey City and Piscataway Township plants of the Public Service and Electric Company.

70 years ago
1951

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Lonely Place, starring Judith Evelyn, Boris Karloff, and Robin Morgan

Died on this date
Harry T. Moore, 46. U.S. civil rights leader. Mr. Moore was a schoolteacher who founded, in 1934, the first branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Brevard County, Florida, and was president of the state chapter of the NAACP. His activities included registration of Negro voters in Florida and and working for equal pay for Negro teachers in public schools. Mr. Moore and his wife Harriette, 49, were at their home in Mims, Florida on Christmas night when a bomb planted under the bedroom floor exploded. The local hospital in Titusville refused to treat Negroes, and Mr. Moore died while being transported by ambulance to the closest one where he could receive treatment. Mrs. Moore was seriously injured, and died nine days later, on January 3, 1952. The murders were investigated in 1951-1952, but no one was prosecuted then or in later decades when subsequent investigations took place. A state investigation in 2005-2006 named four Ku Klux Klan members, by then long dead, as the likely murderers.

Diplomacy
Cuba and the Dominican Republic signed in Washington a declaration of peaceful intentions, as D.R. President Rafael Trujillo pardoned five Cuban sailors of plotting to overthrow the Dominican government.

Crime
The Stone of Destiny, a British royal family heirloom, was stolen from Westminster Abbey in London.

Oil
Iran nationalized the Khanaquin and Rafidian oil companies, subsidiaries of the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Moliendo Café--Lucho Gatica (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): L'Auto-circulation--Henri Tisot (8th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 The Lion Sleeps Tonight--The Tokens (2nd week at #1)
2 Run to Him--Bobby Vee
3 The Twist--Chubby Checker
4 Goodbye Cruel World--James Darren
5 Walk on By--Leroy Van Dyke
6 Peppermint Twist - Part I--Joey Dee & the Starliters
7 Please Mr. Postman--The Marvelettes
8 Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen--Neil Sedaka
9 Let There Be Drums--Sandy Nelson
10 Can't Help Falling in Love--Elvis Presley

Singles entering the chart were She's Everything (I Wanted You to Be) by Ral Donner (#76); Please Come Home for Christmas by Charles Brown (#85); Go on Home by Patti Page (#91); Tuff by Ace Cannon (#92); I Told the Brook by Marty Robbins (#94); Smoky Places by the Corsairs featuring the voice of Jay "Bird" Uzzell (#95); Tears from an Angel by Troy Shondell (#96); Free Me by Johnny Preston (#97); I Need Some One by the Belmonts (#98); Santa & the Touchables by Dickie Goodman (#99); and Ev'rybody's Cryin' by Jimmie Beaumont (#100). Santa & the Touchables was a "break-in" record, a comedy record featuring excerpts from recent hits, and was Mr. Goodman's third such single in 1961, after The Touchables and The Touchables in Brooklyn.

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, on BBC
Tonight's episode: The Blue Carbuncle

On television tonight
Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Portrait Without a Face, starring Jane Greer, Robert Webber, and George Mitchell



Died on this date
Otto Loewi, 88. German-born pharmacologist. Dr. Loewi shared the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sir Henry Dale "for their discoveries relating to chemical transmission of nerve impulses." He emigrated to Austria in 1903 and became an Austro-Hungarian citizen two years later, but spent three months in custody after the German Anschluss of Austria in 1938. Dr. Loewi was released on condition that he relinquish all his possessions, including his research, to the Nazis. He went to Britain, Belgium, and eventually the United States in 1940, becoming an American citizen in 1946.

Owen Brewster, 73. U.S. politician. Mr. Brewster was Governor of Maine (1925-1929); member of the United States House of Representatives from Maine (1935-1941); and United States Senator from Maine (1941-1952). As chairman of a special Senate committee investigating defense procurement during World War II, Mr. Brewster attacked the commercial interests of Howard Hughes, but his reputation suffered when Mr. Hughes responded with accusations of his own.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Pensiero--Pooh (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)--Benny Hill (3rd week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Maggie May/Reason to Believe--Rod Stewart (3rd week at #1)
2 Banks of the Ohio--Olivia Newton-John
3 Peace Train--Cat Stevens
4 Mammy Blue--Joel Dayde
5 Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves--Cher
6 Imagine--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
7 Love is a Beautiful Song--Dave Mills
8 Speak to the Sky--Ricky Springfield
9 Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey--Paul & Linda McCartney
10 Freedom Come, Freedom Go--The Fortunes

Singles entering the chart were Hi Honey Ho by Daddy Cool (#26); Captain Zero by the Mixtures (#31); Walking the Floor on My Hands by Johnny Farnham (#33); and Superstar by the Carpenters (#37).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 How Do You Do--Mouth & MacNeal (2nd week at #1)
2 Non, Non, Rien N'a Changé--Poppys
3 Pappie Loop Toch Niet Zo Snel--Herman Van Keeken
4 I Will Return--Springwater
5 Coz I Luv You--Slade
6 Out of Sight, Out of Mind--Shocking Blue
7 Schön ist es auf der Welt zu sein--Roy Black + Anita
8 Without a Worry in the World--Rod McKuen
9 Soley Soley--The Middle of the Road
10 Des Chansons Pop--Poppys

Singles entering the chart were Hoog Daar Aan de Hemel by Corry en de Rekels (#15); Tightrope Ride by the Doors (#31); Family Affair by Sly & the Family Stone (#33); and Lovin' and Hurtin' by Jojo (#34).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Brand New Key--Melanie
2 Family Affair--Sly & the Family Stone
3 American Pie - Parts I and II--Don McLean
4 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
5 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
6 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
7 All I Ever Need is You--Sonny & Cher
8 Scorpio--Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band
9 Cherish--David Cassidy
10 Hey Girl/I Knew You When--Donny Osmond

Singles entering the chart were Black Dog by Led Zeppelin (#67); Fire and Water by Wilson Pickett (#79); Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night (#81); What am I Living For by Ray Charles (#87); Under My Wheels by Alice Cooper (#88); Son of Shaft by the Bar-Kays (#92); Love Gonna Pack Up (And Walk Out) by the Persuaders (#96); Do the Funky Penguin Part II by Rufus Thomas (#97); and Pain (Part 1) by the Ohio Players (#99).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Brand New Key-Melanie
2 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
3 Family Affair--Sly & the Family Stone
4 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
5 Cherish--David Cassidy
6 American Pie - Parts I and II--Don McLean
7 All I Ever Need is You--Sonny & Cher
8 Scorpio--Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band
9 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
10 Respect Yourself--Staples Singers

Singles entering the chart were Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night (#60); Together Let's Find Love by the 5th Dimension (#75); Fire and Water by Wilson Pickett (#76); Slippin' Into Darkness by War (#83); Ain't Understanding Mellow by Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager (#85); What am I Living For by Ray Charles (#86); Son of Shaft by the Bar-Kays (#87); Those were the Days by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton (as the Bunkers) (#89); Ajax Airlines by Hudson and Landry (#90); The Lion Sleeps Tonight by Robert John (#93); Come on Over to My House by Layng Martine (#96); Love Potion Number Nine by the Coasters (#97); and Jungle Fever by Chakachas (#99).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 Brand New Key-Melanie
2 Family Affair--Sly and the Family Stone
3 American Pie--Don McLean
4 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
5 Have You Seen Her--Chi-Lites
6 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
7 Cherish--David Cassidy
8 All I Ever Need is You--Sonny & Cher
9 Respect Yourself--The Staple Singers
10 Stones--Neil Diamond

Singles entering the chart were Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night (#66); Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison (#77); That's the Way I Feel About Cha by Bobby Womack and Peace (#79); Stay with Me by Faces (#82); Keep on Keeping On by N.F. Porter (#83); Footstompin' Music by Grand Funk Railroad (#85); Joy by Apollo 100 (#87); What am I Living For by Ray Charles (#89); Open the Door by Judy Collins (#92); If I Could See the Light by the 8th Day (#95); Keep Playin' that Rock 'n' Roll by Edgar Winter's White Trash (#96); Long Time to Be Alone by the New Colony Six (#98); Precious and Few by Climax (#99); and What's Going On by Quincy Jones (#100).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 Family Affair--Sly & the Family Stone (2nd week at #1)
2 An Old Fashioned Love Song--Three Dog Night
3 Got to Be There--Michael Jackson
4 The Desiderata--Les Crane
5 Theme from Shaft--Isaac Hayes
6 Brand New Key--Melanie
7 Cherish--David Cassidy
8 Devil You--Stampeders
9 Lonesome Mary--Chilliwack
10 All I Ever Need is You--Sonny & Cher

Singles entering the chart were Happy Xmas (War is Over) by by John Lennon/Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir (#75); Don't Say You Don't Remember by Beverly Bremers (#92); Me and Bobby McGee by Jerry Lee Lewis (#93); Keep on Movin' by Aaron Space (#95); Footstompin' Music by Grand Funk Railroad (#96); Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night (#97); Drowning in the Sea of Love by Joe Simon (#98); Mexican Lady by Steel River (#99); and Let's Stay Together by Al Green (#100).

Football
NFL
NFC Divisional Playoff
Dallas 20 @ Minnesota 12

The Cowboys led 6-3 at halftime on 2 field goals by Mike Clark to 1 by Fred Cox of the Vikings, and took a 20-3 lead after 3 quarters on a 13-yard touchdown rush by Duane Thomas and a 9-yard touchdown pass from Roger Staubach to Bob Hayes, both converted by Mr. Clark. Alan Page tackled Mr. Staubach in his own end zone for a Minnesota safety touch in the 4th quarter, and the Vikings closed the scoring on a 6-yard pass from quarterback Gary Cuozzo to Stu Voigt, converted by Mr. Cox. 47,307 were in attendance at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.



AFC Divisional Playoff
Miami 27 @ Kansas City 24 (2 OT)

Garo Yepremian's 37-yard field goal at 7:40 of the 2nd overtime period ended the longest game in professional football history to date (see video).

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Ooa hela natten--Attack (6th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Je chante avec toi, liberté--Nana Mouskouri

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Going Back to My Roots--Odyssey
2 It's You, It's You, It's You--Joe Dolan
3 Endless Love--Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
4 It's My Party--Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin
5 Urgent--Foreigner
6 Prince Charming--Adam & the Ants
7 Dancing on the Floor (Hooked on Love)--Third World
8 Under Pressure--Queen & David Bowie
9 Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do)--Christopher Cross
10 Start Me Up--Rolling Stones

Singles entering the chart were Action Man by the Village People (#18); and Abacab by Genesis (#19).

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Blue 21 Gray 9

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Black or White-- Michael Jackson (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Wilbur Snyder, 62. U.S. football player and wrestler. Mr. Snyder was a tackle and kicker who joined the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Interprovincial Football Union during the 1952 season. He scored just 3 points in the regular season, but scored 29 points in 5 playoff games; with the Eskimos facing elimination in the best-of-three WIFU finals, Mr. Snyder scored 13 points on a touchdown, 2 converts, and 2 field goals to help the Eskimos to an 18-12 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and added 7 points in a 22-11 win in the third game as the Eskimos advanced to the Grey Cup. Mr. Snyder kicked a convert for the Eskimos in their 22-11 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in the 1952 Grey Cup, and began wrestling professionally in the off-season in western Canada. Mr. Snyder scored 51 points in the 1953 regular season and 15 points in 3 playoff games as the Eskimos lost the WIFU finals to the Blue Bombers. He retired from football to wrestle full-time, holding various regional championship belts in National Wrestling Alliance territories until his retirement in 1984. Mr. Snyder was often referred to as "The World's Most Scientific Wrestler," and was particularly known for pioneering the abdominal stretch.

Diplomacy
Canada recognized the independent statehood of 11 member republics of the former U.S.S.R.; Canada had recognized Ukraine on December 2.

Politics and government
As the U.S.S.R. was dissolving, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev announced his resignation.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Gray 20 Blue 12

25 years ago
1996

Died on this date
Bill Hewitt, 68. Canadian sportscaster. Mr. Hewitt, the son of legendary hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt, began working with his father on Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts in the mid-1950s, and eventually succeeded Foster Hewitt as the television voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs, retiring in 1981. Bill Hewitt died of heart failure 17 days after his 68th birthday.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Blue 44 Gray 34

20 years ago
2001

Baseball
Outfielder Hideki Matsui became the highest-paid player in Japanese baseball when he signed a contract with the Yomiuri Giants for the equivalent of U.S.$4.7 million.

Football
NCAA
Blue-Gray Game @ Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Blue 28 Gray 10