February 17, 2009

175 years ago
1834

Politics and government
Augustin-Norbert Morin and Louis-Joseph Papineau drafted Ninety-Two Resolutions demanding responsible government, which were adopted by a vote of 56-32 in the Lower Canada Assembly in Quebec City.

270 years ago
1739

War
The Battle of Vasai commenced as the Marathas moved to invade Portuguese-occupied territory in India.

The first group of New Brunswick militia were called-up for defense in the Aroostook War with Maine.

190 years ago
1819

Politics and government
In an attempt to deal with the issue of slavery, the United States House of Representatives passed the Missouri Compromise for the first time.

150 years ago
1859

War
The French Navy captured the Citadel of Saigon, a fortress that was manned by 1,000 Nguyễn dynasty soldiers, en route to conquering Saigon and other regions of southern Vietnam.

140 years ago
1869

Society
The Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; today's Humane Society, was founded in Toronto.

100 years ago
1909

Died on this date
Geronimo, 79. U.S. Indian leader. Geronimo was an Apache leader from New Mexico who carried out numerous raids against U.S. authorities from 1850-1886. He escaped from custody three times, but surrendered for the final time in 1886. Geronimo became a celebrity in his later years but died of pneumonia as a prisoner of war in Oklahoma, reportedly regretting that he had ever surrendered.

90 years ago
1919

Died on this date
Wilfrid Laurier, 77. Prime Minister of Canada, 1896-1911. Sir Wilfrid, a native of Saint-Lin, Canada East, was the sort of person who no longer exists: an honest federal Liberal politician from Quebec. He represented Drummond-Arthabaska in the Quebec Legislative Assembly from 1871-1874, and then moved into federal politics, representing Quebec East in the House of Commons for a record span of almost 45 years. Sir Wilfrid succeeded Edward Blake as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada in 1887, serving as Leader of the Opposition and gradually building up his party's support until they won a majority in the House of Commons in the 1896 federal election. Sir Wilfrid became Canada's first French-Canadian Prime Minister, and went on to serve 15 uninterrupted years as Prime Minister while leading the Liberals to four consecutive electoral majorities--Canadian records that still stand. He served as a conciliator, managing differences between Canada's French-speaking Roman Catholic minority and the English-speaking, mainly Protestant majority. Sir Wilfrid presided over the creation of Yukon Territory in 1898, the creation of Alberta and Saskatchewan as provinces in 1905, and the creation of the Naval Service of Canada in 1910. The Liberals supported trade reciprocity with the United States and campaigned on the issue in the 1911 federal election, but the Conservatives, led by Robert Borden, opposed reciprocity, and won the election, ending the Liberals' 15 years in power. Sir Wilfrid continued as Leader of the Opposition, most notably opposing military conscription in World War I. The Liberals were handily defeated by Prime Minister Borden's Unionist coalition of Conservatives and pro-conscription Liberals in the 1917 federal election, but Sir Wilfrid's stand led to Quebec becoming an almost perpetual Liberal stronghold. Sir Wilfrid died of a stroke, ending his Canadian record term of 31 years and 8 months as leader of his party. He was succeeded as Liberal Party leader by Mackenzie King, who went on to lead the Liberals for almost 30 years, and governed as Prime Minister for a record 22 years, although not consecutively.

War
The Ukrainian People's Republic asked the Entente and the U.S.A. for help in fighting the Bolsheviks.

75 years ago
1934

Died on this date
Albert I, 58. King of the Belgians, 1909-1934. Albert I succeeded to the throne upon the death of his uncle King Leopold II. During his reign reforms were initiated in the Belgian Congo, and Belgium was invaded and occupied by German troops. King Albert was the first European monarch to visit the United States. He was killed in a mountaineering accident while climbing alone on the Roche du Vieux Bon Dieu at Marche-les-Dames, in the Ardennes region of Belgium near Namur. Albert I was succeeded on the throne by his son Leopold III.

70 years ago
1939

At the movies
You Can't Cheat an Honest Man, directed by George Marshall and Eddie Cline, and starring W.C. Fields, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Constance Moore, and others, received its premiere screening.



60 years ago
1949

War
Siam declared a state of emergency and closed its Malayan border to hinder the movement of Communist guerrillas.

Egyptian and Israeli negotiators in Rhodes reached a tentative agreement to demilitarize Auja, a transit centre near the Egyptian border.

Politics and government
The Israeli Constituent Assembly adopted an interim constitution limiting presidential authority and making the Prime Minister and his cabinet answerable to the parliament. The Assembly also confirmed President Chaim Weizmann in his office.

Crime
The defense of Mildred Gillars, popularly known as "Axis Sally" for her anti-Allied radio propaganda broadcasts from Germany during World War II, opened at her trial in Washington for treason. The defense argued that treason could not be committed by "mere words."

Americana
U.S. President Harry Truman asked Congress for $5.4 million to strengthen and rebuild the interior of the White House.

50 years ago
1959

On television tonight
Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Twelve Hours to Live, starring Paul Richards and Jean Allison



Space
The U.S.A. launched the satellite Vanguard 2 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. As the first weather satellite, its mission was to measure cloud-cover distribution.

Diplomacy
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev warned for the first time that the U.S.S.R. would sign a separate peace agreement with East Germany if the Western powers failed to accept Soviet proposals for a conference to draw up an all-German peace treaty.

Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba warned France to take steps toward "recognition of nationalist aspirations" in Algeria or face liquidation of the Bizerte naval base, the last French military installation in Tunisia.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry announced that Indonesia would pay compensation for nationalized Dutch enterprises only after settlement of the West Irian dispute and other Dutch-Indonesian problems.

Labour
The American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations Executive Council called for a federal minimum wage of $1.25 per hour.

Disasters
A plane carrying Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes from Gatwick Airport crashed on its way to London Airport, killing 12 of 22 people aboard. Mr. Menderes, who was on his way to London for talks on Cyprus with U.K. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and Greek Prime Minister Constantin Karamanlis, survived. At about the time of the accident, the plane carrying Mr. Karamanlis landed safely at Gatwick Airport. The conference scheduled for the next day was cancelled.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Blue Light Yokohama--Ayumi Ishida (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Eloise--Barry Ryan (5th week at #1)

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Worst that Could Happen--Brooklyn Bridge
2 Everyday People--Sly & the Family Stone
3 Build Me Up Buttercup--The Foundations
4 Touch Me--The Doors
5 Can I Change My Mind--Tyrone Davis
6 You Showed Me--The Turtles
7 This Magic Moment--Jay and the Americans
8 Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells
9 Games People Play--Joe South
10 I've Gotta Be Me--Sammy Davis, Jr.

Singles entering the chart were Lovin' Things by the Grassroots (#69); Hot Smoke & Sasafrass by the Bubble Puppy (#70); No Not Much by the Smoke Ring (#71); Tear Drop City by the Monkees (#75); Who's Making Love by Young-Holt Unlimited (#76); Run Away Child, Running Wild by the Temptations (#82); Try a Little Tenderness by Three Dog Night (#83); Am I the Same Girl by Barbara Acklin (#84); It Never Rains on Maple Lane by Five Man Electrical Band (#86); A Lover's Question by Otis Redding (#87); Do Your Thing by Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (#93); I've Got to Have Your Love by Eddie Floyd (#94); Switch it On by Cliff Nobles & Co. (#97); Cloud Nine by Mongo Santamaria (#98); The Letter by the Arbors (#99); and Foolish Fool by Dee Dee Warwick (#100).

War
U.S. and South Vietnamese forces ended their 24-hour Tet ceasefire. Although the Vietcong had declared a unilateral ceasefire for the period of February 15-22, the Communists initiated 196 incidents during the February 16-17 ceasefire.

Diplomacy
A simmering dispute between France and the other five nations of the European Economic Community led the French government to announce that she would stop all participation in the activities of the Western European Union, a consultative body consisting of Great Britain and the six EEC members. France had accused Britain of trying to use the organization as a back door to force entry into the common market. The French action, on the eve of a regular meeting at the EEC's headquarters in London, apparently came after the British had revealed details of a meeting on February 4 between French President Charles de Gaulle and Christopher Soames, British Ambassador to France, to the other five WEU members.

World events
Pakistani President Mohammad Ayub Khan lifted the national state of emergency that had been in place since September 1965.

Oil
U.S. Interior Secretary Walter Hickel amended federal oil regulations to make oil companies responsible for pollution caused by their offshore wells, whether or not they were proved responsible. It was the first major government action since the leak began off Santa Barbara, California.

Academia
University of Notre Dame president Rev. Theodore Hesburgh warned students that demonstrators would face instant suspension or expulsion.

Economics and finance
Peru signed her first trade agreement with the U.S.S.R., breaking her tradition of economic dependence on the United States.

Disasters
20 were killed in the collision between a crowded passenger train and a gasoline tanker train near Johannesburg, South Africa.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): I Can't Stop Loving You (Though I Try)--Leo Sayer (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Mi scappa la pipì, papà--Pippo Franco (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Chiquitita--ABBA (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Heart of Glass--Blondie (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 (You Gotta Walk) Don't Look Back--Peter Tosh (support vocals: Mick Jagger) (2nd week at #1)
2 Chiquitita--ABBA
3 Le Freak--Chic
4 You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)--Meat Loaf
5 Y.M.C.A.--Village People
6 'k Heb Hele Grote Bloemkoole--André Van Duin (als Meneer De Bok)
7 Now that We Found Love--Third World
8 How You Gonna See Me Now--Alice Cooper
9 I Love the Night Life (Disco Round)--Alicia Bridges
10 Every Time I Think of You--The Babys

Singles entering the chart were Fire! by the Pointer Sisters (#18); Heart of Glass by Blondie (#21); Lay Your Love on Me by Racey (#30); Don't Stop Me Now by Queen (#33); and A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On by Renée (#36).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?--Rod Stewart (2nd week at #1)
2 Y.M.C.A.--Village People
3 A Little More Love--Olivia Newton-John
4 Fire--Pointer Sisters
5 I Will Survive--Gloria Gaynor
6 Every 1's a Winner--Hot Chocolate
7 Le Freak--Chic
8 Lotta Love--Nicolette Larson
9 Somewhere in the Night--Barry Manilow
10 I was Made for Dancin'--Leif Garrett

Singles entering the chart were Sinner Man by Sarah Dash (#81); Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) by the Jacksons (#82); Heart of Glass by Blondie (#84); Keep on Dancin' by Gary's Gang (#85); Wheels of Life by Gino Vannelli (#86); Don't Stop Me Now by Queen (#87); The Man with the Child in his Eyes by Kate Bush (#88); Souvenirs by Voyage (#89); and I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get it Girl) by Instant Funk (#90).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?--Rod Stewart (3rd week at #1)
2 Fire--Pointer Sisters
3 Le Freak--Chic
4 A Little More Love--Olivia Newton-John
5 I Will Survive--Gloria Gaynor
6 Y.M.C.A.--Village People
7 Too Much Heaven--Bee Gees
8 Lotta Love--Nicolette Larson
9 Soul Man--Blues Brothers
10 Shake It--Ian Matthews

Singles entering the chart were Just One Look by Linda Ronstadt (#81); Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) by the Jacksons (#84); Watch Out for Lucy by Eric Clapton and his Band (#85); It Hurts So Bad by Kim Carnes (#86); Keep on Dancin' by Gary's Gang (#87); I'm Not Gonna Cry Anymore by Nancy Brooks (#95); and Souvenirs by Voyage (#99).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Too Much Heaven--Bee Gees (3rd week at #1)
2 Y.M.C.A.--Village People
3 My Life--Billy Joel
4 A Little More Love--Olivia Newton-John
5 Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?--Rod Stewart
6 Le Freak--Chic
7 Every 1's a Winner--Hot Chocolate
8 Lotta Love--Nicolette Larson
9 Fire--Pointer Sisters
10 Shake It--Ian Matthews

Singles entering the chart were Tragedy by the Bee Gees (#85); No Time to Cry by Christopher Ward (#86); Dog + Butterfly by Heart (#81); All the Time in the World by Dr. Hook (#93); Big Shot by Billy Joel (#94); You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) by Sylvester (#95); For You and I by 10cc (#96); Wheels of Life by Gino Vannelli (#97); Run Home Girl by Sad Cafe (#99); and Whispering Rain by Murray McLauchlan (#100).

Died on this date
Opal Morrow, 84. U.S.-born Canadian woman. Mrs. Morrow, a native of Virginia, was the paternal grandmother of this blogger, and is still missed.

William Gargan, 73. U.S. actor. Mr. Gargan was a character actor in numerous films, often playing stereotypical Irish characters, and receiving an Academy Award nomination for his supporting performance in They Knew What They Wanted (1940). He played the title role in the radio and television series Martin Kane, Private Eye (1949-1951) and the subsequent The New Adventures of Martin Kane (1957-1958), and played the title character in the radio series Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator (1951-1955). Mr. Gargan developed throat cancer in 1958 and had his larynx removed in 1960; he learned to speak through an artificial voice box, and warned against the dangers of smoking as a spokesman for the American Cancer Society. Mr. Gargan died aboard a plane flying from New York to San Diego.

War
The Sino-Vietnamese War began, as Chinese forces invaded Vietnam in response to what the Chinese government called "incessant encroachments" on its territory. In the United Nations General Assembly, Vietnam accused China of aggression, and asked the UN to take steps to force China's withdrawal.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Maggie--Foster and Allen

War
Sporadic fighting began across the line separating Muslim and Christian sections of Beirut.

Diplomacy
U.S. envoy to Central America Richard Stone resigned, reportedly because of differences with Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Langhorne Motley. Harry Shlaudeman, former U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, was chosen to succeed Mr. Stone. Meanwhile, U.S. President Ronald Reagan submitted legislation to Congress calling for new outlays to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, saying that aid would be provided under conditions aimed at fostering human rights and political and economic development.

Olympics
The U.S.S.R. defeated Canada 4-0 in men's hockey at the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): First Time--Robin Beck (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Lefty Gomez, 80. U.S. baseball pitcher. Born Vernon Gomez, "Lefty" pitched with the New York Yankees (1930-1942) and Washington Nationals (1943), compiling a record of 189-102 in 368 games, for an outstanding winning percentage of .649. He led the American League in wins, earned run average, and strikeouts in both 1934 and 1937. Mr. Gomez was a member of 6 World Series championship teams, and was 6-0 in World Series competition. He was the winning pitcher in the first All-Star Game in 1933 and drove in the winning run. Mr. Gomez was a popular speaker after his playing days were over, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

Abominations
Three days after Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had issued a fatwa--a legal judgment--against British author Salman Rushdie because his novel The Satanic Verses (1988) was considered disrespectful toward the prophet Muhammad, the Canadian government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney temporarily blocked importation of the novel into Canada.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the U.S. merchandise trade deficit had declined from $170.32 billion in 1987 to $137.34 billion, the first drop in eight years.

Hockey
NHL
Washington 8 Edmonton 2

10 years ago
1999

War
Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos said that he wanted United Nations peacekeepers to leave his country, as fighting between Angolan rebels and the government continued.

Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, leader of the rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), said that he was resuming the offensive against the government of President Laurence Kabila. Mr. Wamba complained that Mr. Kabila had not negotiated directly with the rebels. It was reported that the rebels, supported by troops from neighbouring Rwanda, would seek to gain control of the diamond-rich province that provided the government's main source of income.

The United States ordered 51 more planes to Europe for use in possible air strikes on the Serbian province of Kosovo.

World events
Israeli troops killed four Kurds when Kurdish protesters stormed the Israeli consulate in Berlin. The protesters suspected Israel of complicity in the arrest in Turkey two days earlier of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, a major group fighting for Kurdish independence.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 3 Buffalo 2 (OT)

February 16, 2009

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Veronica Jones and Anna!

730 years ago
1279

Died on this date
Afonso III, 68. King of Portugal, 1248-1279. Afonso III succeeded his older brother Sancho, and enacted political and economic reforms that enable him to enjoy a peaceful internal reign, with military campaigns against the Moors and Castilians. Afonso III was succeeded on the throne by his brother Denis.

430 years ago
1579

Died on this date
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, 69-83. Spanish explorer. Mr. Jiménez de Quesada was a conquistador who explored New Granada, the part of northern South America that today is known as Colombia. His first expedition, from 1536-1539, resulted in a high death toll, and in Mr. Jiménez de Quesada serving as Mayor of Bogotá from 1538-1539. After a decade back in Europe, he returned to New Granada in 1550 and settled down to life as a colonist, interrupted by an unsuccessful attempt to conquer the Llanas to the east of the Colombian cordillera from 1569-1572. Mr. Jiménez de Quesada developed leprosy and eventually died from its effects.

175 years ago
1834

Born on this date
Ernst Haeckel. German zoologist, naturalist, and eugenicist. Dr. Haeckel discovered, described and named thousands of new species, mapped a genealogical tree relating all life forms, and connected many terms in biology, including ecology, phylum, and phylogeny, but was primarily known for promoting and popularizing in Germany Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Dr. Haeckel was especially known for advocating the recapitulation theory--summed up by the phrase "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"--which postulates that the development of the embryo of an animal, from fertilization to gestation or hatching (ontogeny), goes through stages resembling or representing successive adult stages in the evolution of the animal's remote ancestors (phylogeny). Dr. Haeckel published embryological drawings in support of the recapitulation theory which were heavily criticized by fellow academics as inaccurate. His work and views influenced the optimistic nationalism of the German Empire. Dr. Haeckel died on August 9, 1919 at the age of 85.

125 years ago
1884

Born on this date
Robert Flaherty. U.S. film producer and director. Mr. Flaherty was a pioneer in making documentaries, and was known for films such as Nanook of the North (1922); Moana (1926); Man of Aran (1934); Louisiana Story (1948); and The Titan: Story of Michelangelo (1950). His wife Frances worked with him on several films. Mr. Flaherty died on July 23, 1951 at the age of 67.

110 years ago
1899

Died on this date
Félix Faure, 58. 7th President of France, 1895-1899. Mr. Faure, a moderate republican, was first elected to the National Assembly in 1881, and held various cabinet posts before being elected President following the resignation of Jean Casimir-Perier. He granted amnesty to anarchist movements, but refused to intervene in the treason conviction of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, thus attracting criticism from French intellectuals and others. President Faure died in office, 17 days after his 58th birthday, of a fit of apoplexy while having sex with his mistress, sparking much ribald humour. He was succeeded as President by Émile Loubet.

Soccer
Iceland's first football club, Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, was founded.

100 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Hugh Beaumont. U.S. actor. Mr. Beaumont played private eye Michael Shayne in five movies from 1946-1947, but was best known for playing Ward Cleaver, the father in the television comedy series Leave it to Beaver (1957-1963). He died of a heart attack on May 14, 1982 at the age of 73.

Jeffrey Lynn. U.S. actor. Mr. Lynn, born Ragnar Godfrey Lind, played a romantic love interest in Warner Brothers movies such as Four Daughters (1938) and several sequels, and had supporting roles in films such as The Roaring Twenties (1939). He interrupted his career to serve with the U.S. Army in World War II in Italy and Austria, winning a Bronze Star. Mr. Lynn worked mainly in television and on stage in his later years; he died on November 24, 1995 at the age of 86.

Richard McDonald. U.S. restaurateur. Mr. McDonald and his brother Maurice co-founded the first McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino, California. They partnered with Ray Kroc in 1954 and were eventually bought out by him. Richard McDonald died on July 14, 1998 at the age of 89.

90 years ago
1919

Died on this date
Vera Kholodnaya, 25. Ukrainian actress. Mrs. Kholodnaya, born Vera Levchenko, was the first star of Russian silent cinema, appearing in 50-100 films from 1914-1918. She was at the peak of her popularity when she died, officially a victim of the influenza epidemic, although conspiracy theories abound.

Defense
The American Legion was founded at a dinner at the Allied Officers Club in Paris.

75 years ago
1934

War
The Austrian Civil War ended with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republican Schutzbund.

Politics and government
David Murray Anderson began presiding over the Newfoundland Commission; the Commission, appointed by Great Britain to govern Newfoundland, consisted of three Newfoundlanders and three non-Newfoundlanders.

60 years ago
1949

Canadiana
The Canadian Parliament approved a bill admitting Newfoundland to Confederation as a province.

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council refused to consider North Korea's membership application, after agreeing to consider the application of South Korea.

World events
General Lucius Clay of the U.S. military government in Germany ordered the Soviet refugee repatriation mission to leave the American zone, claiming that it had had enough time to process all refugees who wanted to return to the U.S.S.R.

Politics and government
Following his Democratic Liberal Party's victory in the January 23 general election, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida named his third cabinet, appointing himself as Foreign Minister.

The Dutch government announced its acceptance "in principle" of the United Nations plan for granting independence to Indonesia.

Leaders from Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland met in Livingston, Northern Rhodesia to plan the creation of a South-Central African federation within the British Commonwealth.

Health
Russia, Ukraine, and White Russia withdrew from the World Health Organization, charging that its work in disease control and dissemination of medical knowledge was unsatisfactory.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Mariquilla--José Luís y su Guitarra

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Stagger Lee--Lloyd Price (2nd week at #1)
2 16 Candles--The Crests
3 Donna--Ritchie Valens
4 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--The Platters
5 The All American Boy--Bill Parsons
6 My Happiness--Connie Francis
7 Lonely Teardrops--Jackie Wilson
8 Goodbye Baby--Jack Scott
9 Gotta Travel On--Billy Grammer
10 Manhattan Spiritual--Reg Owen and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were Anthony Boy by Chuck Berry (#65); Alvin's Harmonica by David Seville and the Chipmunks (#70); Please Mr. Sun by Tommy Edwards (#73); When the Saints Go Marching In (#76)/Telling Lies (#81) by Fats Domino; Miss You by Jaye P. Morgan (#87); Since I Don't Have You by the Skyliners (#94); Pink Shoe Laces by Dodie Stevens (#96); and I Don't Need You Anymore by the Teddy Bears (#98). Miss You was the other side of Are You Lonesome Tonight, charting at #75.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 The All American Boy--Bill Parsons (2nd week at #1)
2 Goodbye Baby--Jack Scott
3 Petite Fleur (Little Flower)--Chris Barber's Jazz Band
4 Gotta Travel On--Billy Grammer
5 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--The Platters
6 Stagger Lee--Lloyd Price
7 My Happiness--Connie Francis
8 The Children's Marching Song (Nick Nack Paddy Whack)--Cyril Stapleton and his Orchestra
--Mitch Miller and his Orchestra
9 The Hawaiian Wedding Song--Andy Williams
10 With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair/Good Rockin' Tonight--Pat Boone

Singles entering the chart were Alvin's Harmonica by David Seville and the Chipmunks (#33); When the Saints Go Marching In by Fats Domino (#51); Sea Cruise by Frankie Ford (#55); Frankenstein '59 by Buchanan and Goodman (#57); Midnight Oil by Charlie Blackwell (#59); and Please Mr. Sun by Tommy Edwards (#60).

Politics and government
Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro took office as the country's youngest-ever Prime Minister, with his brother Raul becoming commander of the armed forces.

The U.K. House of Commons gave final approval to a bill revoking the Maltese constitution and placing the island under the rule of an appointed governor's council.

Protest
Africans demanding self-rule and the linking of Nyasaland with Kenya and Tanganyika began anti-government demonstrations in the Central African Federation.

40 years ago
1969

War
A 24-hour truce by South Vietnamese and American forces went into effect at 6 P.M., marking the the beginning of Tet, or Lunar New Year, holiday.

World events
In Istanbul, at least two people were killed when about 10,000 right-wing supporters of the Turkish government charged at 10,000 demonstrators protesting a visit by part of the United States Sixth Fleet.

Golf
Gene Littler won the Phoenix Open, with a top prize of $20,000.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Y.M.C.A.--Village People (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Y.M.C.A.--Village People (10th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Tragedy--Bee Gees (3rd week at #1)

World events
Four generals loyal to the Shah of Iran were executed after trial by a "revolutionary Islamic court."

Diplomacy
U.S. Ambassador to Iran William H. Sullivan requested a meeting with Iran's new premier, Mehdi Bazargan, implying that the United States would maintain relations with the provisional government.

U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo agreed to state-to-state negotiations for American purchase of Mexican natural gas, after two days of talks covering trade and immigration problems that had strained U.S.-Mexican relations for the past two years.

Crime
A General Accounting Office report to U.S. Senator Alan Cranston's inquiry into the Jonestown massacre on November 18, 1978 revealed that as many as 17 of the children placed in People's temple foster homes by California authorities died in the Guyana commune.

Labour
New Orleans police voted to resume a strike that had ended earlier in the month, threatening cancellation of Mardi Gras festivities. A court barred the walkout by 1,350 unionized police officers.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Only You--The Flying Pickets

Diplomacy
Lebanese President Amin Gemayel said that he would cancel the May 17, 1983 agreement with Israel providing for the withdrawal of Israeli and Syrian troops from Lebanon if opposition groups entered peace talks, but all other Muslim and Christian factions rejected that proposal. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Arens said that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon for security reasons.

War
Iran claimed that it had begun a new offensive on the central front of her war against Iraq, which Iraq claimed to be containing.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that housing starts had risen 15% in January and that personal income had risen 1.1% in January.

Olympics
Bill Johnson of the United States became the first American to win a gold medal in downhill skiing, winning the event at the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugolsavia and upsetting favourites such as Franz Klammer and Peter Mueller. Gaetan Boucher of Canada won his second gold medal of the games in speed skating, and Brian Orser of Canada won a silver medal in the men's figure skating competition.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Finnish Singles Chart): Like a Yo-Yo--Sabrina (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Belfast Child--Simple Minds

World events
Major anti-apartheid organizations in South Africa formally disowned Winnie Mandela, wife of imprisoned anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, in the wake of the abduction and murder of four black youths by members of the United Mandela Football Club, who acted as Mrs. Mandela's bodyguards. A doctor who had examined one of the youths while he was being held at Mrs. Mandela's home was himself murdered by unknown assailants shortly thereafter.

Economics and finance
Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez devalued the bolivar in order to satisfy the International Monetary Fund, with which Venezuela had been negotiating on a loan.

10 years ago
1999

World events
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder announced that a fund, calculated at U.S. $1.7 billion would be set aside to compensate Holocaust victims, including those who were forced by the Nazis into slave labour for German companies before and during World War II. The fund would be financed by German companies. A second fund would educate people about the Holocaust.

Kurdish protesters took hostages at Greek and Kenyan diplomatic facilities in reprisal for the previous day's seizure in Nairobi by Turkish agents of Kurdistan Workers' Party leader Abdullah Ocalan. All hostages were freed unharmed.

Politics and government
Northern Ireland's legislature voted 77-29 to approve the structure for a new executive government--a major step in the implementation of a peace agreement reached in 1998. The structure included a Northern Ireland Executive consisting of 10 departments whose heads would constitute a cabinet. These departments would be responsible for taxation, law enforcement, and other local matters. Sinn Fein, the political arm of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, would get the other two cabinet slots.

February 15, 2009

490 years ago
1519

Born on this date
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. Spanish explorer and politician. Admiral Menéndez was known for planning the first convoys across the Atlantic Ocean. He founded the city of St. Augustine, Florida, and served as its first Governor from 1565-1574. He returned to Spain and died on September 17, 1574 at the age of 55, shortly after being appointed as Governor of Cuba.

200 years ago
1809

Born on this date
Cyrus McCormick. U.S. inventor and businessman. Mr. McCormick patented a design for a mechanical reaper in 1834. He and his brother Leander founded the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company after moving to Chicago in 1847; the company merged with several others in 1902 to become International Harvester Company. Cyrus McCormick died at the age of 75 on May 13, 1884, four years after suffering a serious stroke.

170 years ago
1839

Died on this date
François Chevalier de Lorimier, 35; Pierre-Remi Narbonne; François Nicolas; Amable Daunais; Charles Hindenlang, 28. Canadian rebels. The five men were the last of the 12 leaders of the Frères Chasseurs (Hunters Lodges) to be hanged for their roles in the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837-1838. The men were hanged at Prison du Pied-du-courant in Montréal. Previous hangings of rebels had taken place on December 21, 1838 and January 18, 1839.

130 years ago
1879

Law
U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes signed a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.

110 years ago
1899

Born on this date
Georges Auric. French composer. Mr. Auric, a member of Les Six, wrote avant garde classical music in the 1920s and film scores from the 1930s through the 1960s. His best known score is probably that of Moulin Rouge (1952), the title song of which was the biggest-selling single in the United States in 1953 in a version by Percy Faith and his Orchestra. Mr. Auric died on July 23, 1983 at the age of 84.

Gale Sondergaard. U.S. actress. Miss Sondergaard, born Edith Sondergaard, won an Academy Award for her supporting performance in her first movie, Anthony Adverse (1936), the first year in which supporting performances were so honoured. Her other movies included The Life of Emile Zola (1937); The Letter (1940); The Spider Woman (1944); The Spider Woman Strikes Back (1946); and Anna and the King of Siam (1946). Miss Sondergarrd's career in movies was virtually finished when she supported her husband, director Herbert Biberman, when he was accused of being one of the "Hollywood Ten" Communists in the late 1940s. Miss Sondergaard appeared in numerous television programs from the late 1960s through the '70s, and died on August 14, 1985 at the age of 86.

Hockey
Stanley Cup @ Montreal Arena
Winnipeg Victorias 1 @ Montreal Victorias 2 (First game of 2-game, total goals series)

Graham Drinkwater and Bob MacDougall scored for the defending champion Montreal Victorias as they edged their Winnipeg counterparts. Tony Gingras scored for Winnipeg. Winnipeg forward Dan Bain suffered an eye injury that kept him out of the second game.

100 years ago
1909

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Miep Gies!
Mrs. Gies is the last survivor of those who helped Anne Frank and her family when they were hiding from the Nazis in the Netherlands, and saved Miss Frank's papers when the family was captured. Mrs. Gies told her story in her autobiography Anne Frank Remembered (1987) and was interviewed for the documentary film Anne Frank Remembered (1995).

Disasters
250 people died in a fire at the Flores Theater in Acapulco, Mexico.

90 years ago
1919

Died on this date
André Prévost, 58. French tennis player. Mr. Prévost was the losing finalist in the men's singles competition at the French Championships in 1900, and teamed with Georges de la Chapelle to win the bronze medal in the men's doubles event at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris.

60 years ago
1949

Scandal
Chinese acting President Li Tsung-jen appealed for an end to embezzlement of public funds by government officials and army officers, claiming that the Nationalist regime would otherwise be "ruined."

Archaeology
Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux began excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves in Palestine, where the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls had been discovered two years earlier.

Weather
The temperature in New York City reached 71 F., a record high for February 15.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): Guitare et tambourin--Dalida

At the movies
Ride Lonesome, the fifth of seven Western collaborations between director Budd Boetticher and star Randolph Scott, opened in theatres. The other Boetticher-Scott westerns were Seven Men From Now (1956); The Tall T (1957); Decision at Sundown (1957); Buchanan Rides Alone (1958); Westbound (1959); and Comanche Station (1960). Ride Lonesome, written by Burt Kennedy, was about a bounty hunter who attracted unwanted companions while bringing in a wanted criminal. The cast included Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts, James Best, Lee Van Cleef, and, in his movie debut, James Coburn.

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Arlene Carlstrom!

Died on this date
Owen Richardson, 79. U.K. physicist. Dr. Richardson was awarded the 1928 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his work on the thermionic phenomenon and especially for the discovery of the law named after him."

Politics and government
Italian Prime Minister-designate Antonio Segni announced the formation of a new cabinet drawn entirely from the Christian Democratic Party.

Society
Indian Health Minister D.P. Karmarkar told the Indian Family Planning Board that state-owned hospitals would be equipped to provide free voluntary sterilization of males in an effort to reduce population growth.

Crime
In raids throughout New York, narcotics agents and police smashed what was described as a major U.S. heroin ring led by Philip Orlandino.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Lily the Pink--The Scaffold (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da--The Marmalade (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Casatchok--Dimitri Dourakine and his Orchestra (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Scende la pioggia--Gianni Morandi (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Eloise--Barry Ryan (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Lonely Woods of Upton--Sean Dunphy (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Albatross--Fleetwood Mac (3rd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Ob La Di Ob La Da--The Marmalade
2 Es geht eine Träne auf Reisen--Adamo
3 Sometimes--Mireille Mathieu
4 Eloise--Barry Ryan
5 My Little Lady--The Tremeloes
6 Little Arrows--Leapy Lee
7 Hey Jude--The Beatles
8 A Minute of Your Time--Tom Jones
9 Softly, Softly--The Equals
10 Those were the Days--Mary Hopkin

Singles entering the chart were Ob La Di Ob La Da; Softly, Softly; Only One Woman by the Marbles (#14); Race with the Devil by the Gun (#15); A Day Without Love by the Love Affair (#17); I'm the Urban Spaceman by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (#19); and Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf (#20).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Ain't Got No--I Got Life--Nina Simone (4th week at #1)
2 Hair--Zen
3 Atlantis--Donovan
4 I Started a Joke--The Bee Gees
5 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da--The Beatles
6 Albatross--Fleetwood Mac
7 Spooky's Day Off--Swinging Soul Machine
8 Kiele, Kiele, Kiele...--Toon Hermans en De Driedonken Blaaskapel
9 Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells
10 Antoinette--Leo Den Hop

Singles entering the chart were Casatchok by Ria Valk (#30); Ring of Fire by Eric Burdon and the Animals (#31); Frank Mills by Bojoura (#32); Capital Punishment by Sandy Coast (#36); Ik Weet Dat Jij Niet Nee Kan Zeggen by Confetti Combo (#37); and Every Day I Have to Cry by BZN (#38). Frank Mills was originally from Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Everyday People--Sly & the Family Stone
2 Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells
3 Touch Me--The Doors
4 Build Me Up Buttercup--The Foundations
5 Worst that Could Happen--Brooklyn Bridge
6 Can I Change My Mind--Tyrone Davis
7 You Showed Me--The Turtles
8 I Heard it Through the Grapevine--Marvin Gaye
9 Hang 'em High--Booker T. & the M.G.'s
10 I'm Gonna Make You Love Me--Diana Ross and the Supremes & the Temptations

Singles entering the chart were My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) by David Ruffin (#50); Run Away Child, Running Wild by the Temptations (#70); I Don't Know Why by Stevie Wonder (#77); Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon by Paul Revere and the Raiders (#82); Lovin' Things by the Grassroots (#83); Hot Smoke & Sasafrass by the Bubble Puppy (#84); Maybe Tomorrow by the Iveys (#86); Hello it's Me by the Nazz (#87); No Not Much by the Smoke Ring (#89); Anything You Choose by Spanky and Our Gang (#95); Switch it On by Cliff Nobles & Co. (#97); I Like What You're Doing (To Me) by Carla Thomas (#98); I Don't Want to Cry by Ruby Winters (#99); and Twenty-Five Miles by Edwin Starr (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Everyday People--Sly & the Family Stone
2 Touch Me--The Doors
3 Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells
4 Build Me Up Buttercup--The Foundations
5 Worst that Could Happen--Brooklyn Bridge
6 Can I Change My Mind--Tyrone Davis
7 You Showed Me--The Turtles
8 This Magic Moment--Jay and the Americans
9 I Started a Joke--The Bee Gees
10 I'm Livin' in Shame--Diana Ross and the Supremes

Singles entering the chart were Run Away Child, Running Wild by the Temptations (#57); A Lover's Question by Otis Redding (#67); Lovin' Things by the Grassroots (#68); Try a Little Tenderness by Three Dog Night (#79); Tear Drop City by the Monkees (#80); Am I the Same Girl by Barbara Acklin (#82); I've Got to Have Your Love by Eddie Floyd (#85); When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters) by Peaches and Herb (#86); Cloud Nine by Mongo Santamaria (#89); The Letter by the Arbors (#93); Do Your Thing by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (#95); and Baby Make Me Feel So Good by the Five Stairsteps + Cubie (#99). On the Looking Ahead chart, Lady Samantha by Elton John charted at #45, his first entry on an American chart.

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells (5th week at #1)
2 Build Me Up Buttercup--The Foundations
3 Touch Me--The Doors
4 Sweet Cream Ladies--The Box Tops
5 Feelin' So Good--The Archies
6 Cruel War--Sugar n' Spice
7 This Magic Moment--Jay and the Americans
8 Condition Red--The Goodees
9 Baby Let's Wait--The Royal Guardsmen
10 Games People Play--Joe South
Pick hit of the week: Star Crossed Lovers--Neil Sedaka

Music
The album Instant Replay by the Monkees was released on Colgems Records in the United States and on RCA Victor Records elsewhere. It was their first album to be released after the departure of Peter Tork from the group.

Politics and government
Willie May Rogers, appointed less than a week before as U.S. President Richard Nixon's adviser on consumer affairs, resigned because of conflict-of-interest accusations concerning her ties with the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Adventure
Four aquanauts began 60 days of living underwater in a capsule off the coast of Saint John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
Austria's top 10 (Ö3)
1 Y.M.C.A.--Village People
2 You're the Greatest Lover--Luv'
3 Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord--Boney M.
4 Ballade pour Adeline--Richard Clayderman
5 The Devil Sent You to Lorado--Baccara
6 Stumblin' In--Chris Norman & Suzi Quatro
7 Darlin'--Frankie Miller
8 Trojan Horse--Luv'
9 Catch the Cat--Cherry Laine
10 Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?--Rod Stewart

Singles entering the chart were Darlin'; Trojan Horse; Too Much Heaven by the Bee Gees (#13); Kreuzberger Nächte by Gebrüder Blattschuss (#15); Dreadlock Holiday by 10cc (#18); Blue Bayou by Paola (#19); Le Freak by Chic (#21); Baby Make Love by La Bionda (#22); Andrea by Fabrizio de André (#23); and You've Got All of Me by Clout (#25).

Americana
Lori Heeren, representing Sioux City, Iowa, was named Miss Teenage America 1979. Miss Teenage Columbia, South Carolina was the first runner-up. The pageant, which took place at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, wasn't televised on a single network, but was shown on 64 stations over 13 different nights. This was the last year in which the Miss Teenage America pageant existed in its original form.

Diplomacy
Acting U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher protested to U.S.S.R. Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin "in the strongest terms the shock of the United States Government over the role played by Soviet advisers" in the previous day's murder in Kabul of U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Adolph Dubs. U.S. advisers claimed that Soviet advisers had provided weapons for the hotel at which Mr. Dubs had been killed during a shootout between police and Mr. Dubs' kidnappers, and had been involved in directing the attack.

World events
Iran's provisional government accused leftist People's Fedayeen guerrillas of attacks on government installations and foreign embassies in an attempt to destabilize the regime.

Politics and government
Don Dunstan resigned as Premier of South Australia because of poor health, ending almost a decade of sweeping social liberalization under his Labour Party government. He was succeeded by Deputy Premier Des Corcoran.

Crime
At least 32 people were killed in an explosion at a crowded bank in Warsaw.

25 years ago
1984

Died on this date
Ethel Merman, 76. U.S. actress and singer. Born Ethel Zimmerman, Miss Merman was known for her booming voice, which made her a star in musical comedy plays on Broadway. Her signature song was There's No Business Like Show Business, which was also the title song of a movie in which she starred. Miss Merman was married four times; her fourth marriage, to actor Ernest Borgnine, was one of the strangest couplings in Hollywood history, and lasted just a few weeks, fortunately producing no children.

War
U.S. President Ronald Reagan formally notified Congress of his plan to remove most U.S. Marines from Beirut "within 30 days." Advancing Muslim forces had virtually surrounded the Marines. Many defeated Lebanese soldiers fled south to the Israeli lines in southern Lebanon. Lebanese President Amin Gemayel had reportedly decided to abandon the May 17, 1983 treaty with Israel providing for the withdrawal of Israeli and Syrian forces from Lebanon. Syria had said that the cancellation of the treaty was essential if Mr. Gemayel was to survive in office. Mr. Gemayel had reportedly accepted this and other provisions of a Saudi Arabian peace plan, which also included a simultaneous phased withdrawal of Israelis and Syrians; power-sharing talks between the Lebanese government and its Muslim opponents; and the replacement of Western peacekeepers with neutral United Nations troops.

Business
The U.S. Justice Department announced that it would sue to block the proposed merger of LTV and Republic Steel Corporation--the nation's third- and fourth-largest steel companies--on antitrust grounds. The announcement also cast doubt on plans announced on February 1 by America's largest steel maker, United States Steel, to buy National Steel Corporation, the nation's seventh-largest steel company.

Olympics
Czechoslovakia defeated Canada 4-0 in men's hockey at the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

Hockey
NHL
Winnipeg 4 @ Edmonton 7

The Oilers ended a five-game losing streak with their win over the Jets at Northlands Coliseum.

20 years ago
1989

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

#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Buffalo Stance--Neneh Cherry (2nd week at #1)

Austria's top 10 (Ö3)
1 First Time--Robin Beck (3rd week at #1)
2 Twist in My Sobriety--Tanita Tikaram
3 Das Phantom der Oper--Alexander Goebel & Luzia Nistler
4 Put a Little Love in Your Heart--Annie Lennox and Al Green
5 Tango Korrupti--Rainhard Fendrich
6 Stop!--Sam Brown
7 Patrona Bavariae--Original Naabtal Duo
8 Orinoco Flow--Enya
9 Kiss--The Art of Noise featuring Tom Jones
10 Listen to the Voices--Labi Siffre

Singles entering the chart were Des Phantom der Oper; Listen to the Voices; In The Air Tonight ('88 Remix) by Phil Collins (#15); Silent Water by Blue System (#16); Skin to Skin by Harry Belafonte (#22); When a Girl Cries by Bilgeri (#28); and Buffalo Station by Neneh Cherry (#29).

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Hiroshima, Mon Frere

War
The U.S.S.R. officially announced that all of its troops had left Afghanistan, crossing a bridge from Heiratan to Termez, in the Soviet Union. The last Soviet soldier to cross the bridge was Lieutenant General Boris Gromov, the Soviet commander. Soviet figures indicated that 15,000 of their soldiers had been killed and 37,000 wounded in fighting against Muslim rebels. It was estimated that 250 Soviet diplomats, spies, and military advisers remained in Afghanistan. The Soviet-backed Afghan army numbered about 140,000 soldiers. The Afghan government held the cities of Kabul and Jalalabad, outside of which, respectively, 30,000 and 15,000 mujahadeen rebels were massed.

World events
The day after Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had issued a fatwa--a legal judgment--encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of the novel The Satanic Verses (1988), for being disrespectful to the prophet Muhammad, one of the Ayatollah's aides offered $1 million for the death of Mr. Rushdie, prompting the author to go into hiding.

Hockey
NHL
Calgary 6 Winnipeg 1

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
Henry Way Kendall, 72. U.S. physicist. Dr. Kendall shared the 1990 Nobel Prize in Physics with Jerome Isaac Friedman and Richard E. Taylor "for their pioneering investigations concerning deep inelastic scattering of electrons on protons and bound neutrons, which have been of essential importance for the development of the quark model in particle physics." Dr. Kendall was also a mountaineer and photographer; he was diving in a cave at Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, Florida as a part of the Wakulla 2 Project when he neglected to turn on the oxygen supply to his rebreather, lost consciousness, and drowned.

Michael Morgan, 39. U.S. actor. Mr. Morgan, the son of stuntman Bob Morgan and actress Yvonne De Carlo, appeared as a guest star in various television programs in the 1970s and '80s, and was a regular member of the cast of Sons and Daughters (1974). He was in a halfway house in Los Angeles, dealing with addiction, at the time of his death; his older brother Bruce reportedly believed that Michael was murdered by a drug dealer. Bob Morgan died just a week later at the age of 82.

World events
Turkish agents captured Abdullah Ocalan, head of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, a major group fighting for Kurdish independence in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. Mr. Ocalan was seized in Nairobi, Kenya after he left the Greek embassy there, where he had sought refuge.

Politics and government
Nunavut, which was two months away from officially becoming a territory separate from the Northwest Territories, held its first territorial election. 19 candidates were elected to the territory's first Legislative Assembly, with Paul Okalik being chosen among them to become Nunavut's first Premier.

February 14, 2009

1,140 years ago
869

Died on this date
Cyril, 41-43. Greek missionary. Cyril, born Constantine, and his brother Methodius were Christian missionaries to the Slavs of Great Moravia, and were credited with devising the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet used to transcribe Old Church Slavonic. Both are venerated in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

660 years ago
1349

Abominations
Several hundred Jews were burned to death by mobs while the remaining Jews were forcibly removed from Strasbourg, France.

230 years ago
1779

Died on this date
James Cook, 50. U.K. explorer. Captain Cook was a Royal Navy officer who served in the Seven Years' War, and mapped much of British North America. He made three voyages from 1768-1779, recording the first European contact with Hawaii and the east coast of Australia, as well as the first circumnavigation of New Zealand. Capt. Cook was visiting Hawaii when one of his small boats was taken by natives. In an attempt to have the boat returned, Capt. Cook tried to kidnap Hawaiian king Kalaniʻōpuʻu, but was clubbed on the head and stabbed to death by natives.

War
An American Patriot militia force commanded by Colonel Andrew Pickens decisively defeated a Loyalist force led by Lieutenant Colonel John Boyd in the Battle of Kettle Creek, in Georgia.

190 years ago
1819

Born on this date
Christopher Latham Sholes. U.S. journalist, politician, and inventor. Mr. Sholes published the Southport Telegraph--later known as the Kenosha Telegraph-- in Wisconsin. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate as a Democrat (1848-1849) and as a Republican (1856-1857), and in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a member of the Free Soil Party (1852-1853). He co-invented a numbering machine in 1866, and co- invented the typewriter in 1868, as well as the QWERTY keyboard. Mr. Sholes died on February 17, 1890, three days after his 71st birthday, after a long battle with tuberculosis.

160 years ago
1849

Americana
In New York City, James K. Polk became the first sitting President of the United States to have his photograph taken.

150 years ago
1859

Born on this date
George Ferris, Jr. U.S. engineer. Mr. Ferris invented the Ferris Wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. He died of typhoid fever on November 22, 1896 at the age of 37.

Americana
Oregon was admitted to the Union as the 33rd state.

Canadiana
Governor James Douglas proclaimed the capital of the new Crown Colony of British Columbia to be at New Westminster; he had wanted it to be at Fort Langley, but bowed to commercial pressure.

140 years ago
1869

Born on this date
Charles Thomson Rees Wilson. U.K. physicist and meteorologist. Mr. Wilson was awarded a share of the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his method of making the paths of electrically charged particles visible by condensation of vapour," i.e., his invention of the cloud chamber. He died on November 15, 1959 at the age of 90.

130 years ago
1879

War
The War of the Pacific broke out when Chilean forces occupied the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.

120 years ago
1889

Technology
In Saint John, New Brunswick, James T. Lipsett patented the rotary ventilator, which uses wind power to increase the updraft in chimneys or roof vents. This type of ventilator remains popular today for use in residential air exchange systems.

110 years ago
1899

Politics and government
Voting machines were approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.

90 years ago
1919

War
The Polish–Soviet War began near the towns of Manevychi and Biaroza in Belarus.

80 years ago
1929

Crime
Six members of the Bugs Moran gang and another man were lined up against the rear inside wall of the garage of the SMC Cartage Company at 2122 North Clark Street in the Lincoln Park neighbourhood of Chicago's North Side, and were killed by machine gun fire in what became known as the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre." The killers were possibly members of Al Capone's South Side gang, "outside talent," or a combination of both. For more details, go here.

60 years ago
1949

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring John Stanley and George Spelvin (Wendell Holmes), on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Guest in the Coffin

Literature
Fear, War and the Bomb, a study by U.K. physicist P.M. Blackett of the military and political consequences of nuclear weapons, was published in London by Whittlesey.

World events
U.S.S.R. authorities arrested pro-Soviet writer Anna Louise Strong, publisher of the former English-language Moscow Daily News, on charges of espionage. Some Westerners who were familiar with Ms. Strong's long history of dishonesty sent congratulatory telegrams to the Soviet government.

Politics and government
Israel's Constituent Assembly was sworn in by acting President Chaim Weizmann in Jerusalem. Western states boycotted the ceremony, protesting that Jerusalem was, by United Nations declaration, an international city.

Labour
The United States demanded that the United Nations Economic and Social Council investigate Soviet labour camps, claiming that 8-14 million prisoners were held there under conditions of slavery.

Australia became the first nation to ratify the International Labor Organization convention on wages and hours of seamen that had been drawn up in 1946.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--The Platters

#1 single in Italy: Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)--Domenico Modugno

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Tom Dooley--Nilsen Brothers (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): One Night/I Got Stung--Elvis Presley (4th week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Stagger Lee--Lloyd Price
2 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--The Platters
3 16 Candles--The Crests
4 Donna--Ritchie Valens
5 The Children's Marching Song (Nick Nack Paddy Whack)--Cyril Stapleton and his Orchestra
--Mitch Miller and his Orchestra
6 Lonely Teardrops--Jackie Wilson
7 The Hawaiian Wedding Song (Ke Kali Nei Au)--Andy Williams
8 My Happiness--Connie Francis
9 Petite Fleur (Little Flower)--Chris Barber's Jazz Band
10 The All American Boy--Bill Parsons

Singles entering the chart were Venus by Frankie Avalon (#69); Frankenstein of '59 (Part 1) by Buchanan and Goodman with Count Dracula (#82); Lost by Jerry Butler (#86); The Hanging Tree by Marty Robbins (#92); Alvin's Harmonica by David Seville and the Chipmunks (#95); When the Saints Go Marching In by Fats Domino (#96); Since I Don't Have You by the Skyliners (#98); Fried Eggs by the Intruders (#99); and The 'ole Mummers' Strut by the Nu Tornados (#100).

Died on this date
Baby Dodds, 60. U.S. musician. Warren Dodds, the younger brother of clarinetist Johnny Dodds, was one of the most influential jazz drummers before the Big Band era. He was from New Orleans, and played with prominent New Orleans bands such as those of King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton. Baby Dodds died after a series of strokes.

War
Tunisia formally protested a reported strafing attack by three Algerian-based French warplanes on Tunisian territory.

Politics and government
Doctors announced that U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles had cancer.

Society
Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru told the sixth International Conference on Planned Parenthood in New Delhi that Indian government family control efforts had not succeeded in curbing population growth.

Economics and finance
Bulgarian Communist Party First Secretary Todor Zhivkov issued economic development orders compressing the current five-year plan into a three-year plan.

40 years ago
1969

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Eloise--Barry Ryan

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Touch Me--The Doors
2 Mendocino--Sir Douglas Quintet
3 Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells
4 Long Line Rider--Bobby Darin
5 Build Me Up Buttercup--The Foundations
6 Sweet Cream Ladies--The Box Tops
7 To Susan on the West Coast Waiting--Donovan
8 Proud Mary--Creedence Clearwater Revival
9 But You Know I Love You--The First Edition
10 Crossroads--Cream

Singles entering the chart were Hang 'em High by Booker T. & the M.G.'s (#24); River Deep--Mountain High by Deep Purple (#27); This Girl's in Love with You by Dionne Warwick (#28); Dizzy by Tommy Roe (#29); and Indian Giver by 1910 Fruitgum Co. (#30).

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 Crimson and Clover--Tommy James and the Shondells (2nd week at #1)
2 Electric Stories--The 4 Seasons
3 Hooked on a Feeling--B.J. Thomas
4 Sweet Cream Ladies--The Box Tops
5 Proud Mary--Creedence Clearwater Revival
6 You Showed Me--The Turtles
7 I Started a Joke--Bee Gees
8 Magic Carpet Ride--Steppenwolf
9 This Magic Moment--Jay and the Americans
10 Games People Play--Joe South

Died on this date
Vito Genovese, 71. Italian-born U.S. gangster. Mr. Genovese moved to New York with his family at the age of 15. He became involved in organized crime in the early 1920s, ruthlessly rising through the ranks of the Mafia. Mr. Genovese became an American citizen in 1936, but fled to Italy in 1937 to avoid prosecution for the 1934 murder of mobster Ferdinand Boccia. He supported the Fascist government of Duce Benito Mussolini, but when the government fell in 1943, Mr. Genovese switched sides and worked with the Allies. He was arrested in 1944 by U.S. military police on suspicion of running a black market ring, and was returned to New York in 1945, where he was charged with the murder of Mr. Boccia. The prosecution witnesses were murdered, the case collapsed, and Mr. Genovese was freed in 1946. He resumed his criminal activities, reaching his peak as Boss of All Bosses from 1957-1959. Mr. Genovese was convicted in 1959 of selling heroin, and was sentenced to 15 years at Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. He continued to control his criminal operations from prison until his death from a heart attack.

World events
Tensions between Peru and the United States increased when a Peruvian Navy boat attacked two American tuna boats fishing 26 miles offshore, damaging one and capturing another. The captured ship was later released, after the captain paid a fine of $2,000 for fishing without a Peruvian license. Other boats fled into Ecuadorian waters.

Pakistani President Mohammad Ayub Khan conceded two of three opposition demands on the first day of a violent general strike in which at least three people were killed. He freed a number of political prisoners and lifted the state of emergency that had been declared in 1965.

Diplomacy
Heinz Felfe, who in 1963 had been revealed to have been a high-level Soviet spy in the West German intelligence organization headed by General Gehlen, was exchanged for three West German students who had been imprisoned by the Soviet Union as spies. The exchange took place in Bonn.

Economics and Finance
The United States Department of Commerce revised its Gross National Product figures downward for the fourth quarter of 1968, indicating a genuine slowdown for the economy.

Labour
Port of New York dock workers ended their record 57-day dock strike with a vote of 9,328 to 3,213 for a new 3-year contract. Although the settlement brought 22,000 members of the AFL-CIO International Longshoremen's Association back to work, about 43,000 other ILA dock workers continued to strike in 20 other ports along the East and Gulf Coasts.

30 years ago
1979

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Chiquitita--ABBA

Died on this date
Adolph Dubs, 58. U.S. diplomat. Mr. Dubs was a career diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan from June 27, 1978 until he was kidnapped by Muslim terrorists and slain in a shootout between the kidnappers and government security forces in Kabul. The murder of Mr. Dubs was regarded by the U.S. State Department as a "Significant Terrorist Incident," and significantly negatively affected relations between the two countries.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Jimmy Carter arrived in Mexico for three days of talks with Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo.

Terrorism
Guerrillas attacked the American Embassy in Tehran, trapping Ambassador William H. Sullivan and staff inside. Pro-Ayatollah Khomeini forces freed the captives after a brief gun battle. The United States announced the evacuation of 7,000 Americans remaining in Iran.

Crime
Alvin Ross Diaz and Guillermo Novo Sampol, Cuban anti-Communist exiles, were convicted in Miami of murder in the 1976 slaying in Washington, D.C. of Orlando Letelier, a former official in the Chilean government of Salvador Allende, and a leading opponent of Chile's subsequent military regime.

A 2,500-year-old Greek marble head valued at $150,000 was found in a locker at Grand Central Terminal in New York City after an anonymous tip to police, five days after it had been stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The sculpture had a small Valentine-like heart tattooed over its right eye; according to a museum official, "It matched a graffiti heart that had been carved over its left eye before we acquired it."

Torontonia
North York officially became a city.

Labour
U.K. Prime Minister James Callaghan announced an agreement with the Trades Union Congress to work toward an annual inflation rate of no more than 5% within three years. The "concordat" also called for a joint assessment of national economic prospects, consultation on picketing practices, and the maintenance of supplies essential to public safety and welfare.

Hockey
NHL
Minnesota 8 Vancouver 1

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): My Oh My--Slade (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
Celebrity: Part III

Diplomacy
At the funeral for Yuri Andropov in Moscow, Konstantin Chernenko, who had replaced Mr. Andropov as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, met with foreign dignitaries, including U.S. Vice President George Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Mr. Bush later said that the mood and spirit of the meeting were good and that he had delivered a letter from U.S. President Ronald Reagan conveying his interest in productive talks with the new Soviet leadership.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan concluded two days of talks in Washington with King Hussein of Jordan and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Mr. Reagan reaffirmed his commitment to his 1982 peace initiative proposing Palestinian self-government in the occupied West Bank and Gaza "in association with Jordan." After the three men met, Mr. Mubarak contraindicated U.S. policy; he called for talks with the Palestine Liberation Organization, saying there was no substitute for "a direct dialogue" with the Palestinian people through "their chosen representatives."

Olympics
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean of the United Kingdom received unanimously perfect scores for quality--an unprecedented achievement--and were awarded the gold medal in the ice dancing competition at the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

20 years ago
1989

Died on this date
James Bond, 89. U.S. ornithologist. Mr. Bond was curator of ornithology at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He was expert on Caribbean birds, and wrote the book Birds of the West Indies (1936). British writer Ian Fleming was a birdwatcher, and came across Mr. Bond's book while working in Jamaica. He obtained Mr. Bond's approval to use his name for the main character of Mr. Fleming's spy novels. Mr. Bond won several awards in ornithology.

Vincent Crane, 45. U.K. musician. Mr. Crane was a pianist and organist with the rock acts The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (1967-1969) and Atomic Rooster (1969-1983). He suffered from bipolar disorder from 1968 on, and committed suicide with a deliberate overdose of Anadin tablets.

World events
Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa--a legal judgment--encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of the novel The Satanic Verses (1988), accused of being disrespectful to the prophet Muhammad.

Diplomacy
Presidents of five Central American countries signed an agreement in El Salvador that would disarm and repatriate Contra rebels based in Honduras who were opposing Nicaragua's Sandanista regime. The Contras could be relocated in other countries, along with their families. Nicaragua agreed to hold an election by February 1990 and to allow outside observers to monitor it. Nicaragua also agreed to free Contra prisoners as well as former members of the National Guard under the late and deposed dictator Anastasio Somoza. U.S. President George Bush, whose administration had been taken by surprise by the announcement of the accord, said that the U.S. should be wary of any promises made by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

Disasters
The Supreme Court of India ordered Union Carbide Corporation to pay $470 million to victims of the 1984 leak of methyl isocyanate gas in Bhopal, India that had killed 3,329 people and had caused lasting effects to 20,000 more. The court issued the order after the company and the government agreed to a proposal by the chief justice. Union Carbide was to pay the amount in a lump sum by March 31, 1989. All other civil and criminal charges relating to the incident would be dropped. The court did not consider the question of liability for the disaster.

10 years ago
1999

Died on this date
John Ehrlichman, 73. U.S. political aide. Mr. Ehrlichman was White House Counsel from January-November 1969 and Domestic Affairs Advisor in the administration of U.S. President Richard Nixon from November 1969-April 1973. He was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury resulting from his involvement in the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and served 18 months in prison. Mr. Ehrlichman became a business executive, writer, and commentator after his release from prison, and died from complications of diabetes.

Joe Shea, 73. U.S. aerospace engineer. Dr. Shea worked at Bell Labs before joining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1961. He was Deputy Director of NASA's Office of Manned Space Flight, and later head of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, playing a major role in the development of Project Apollo. Dr. Shea was regarded as a brilliant systems engineer, but has been criticized as a poor administrator. When the Apollo 1 crew of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee died in a fire on the launch pad on January 27, 1967, Dr. Shea took the disaster personally, and suffered a nervous breakdown. He soon left NASA, worked with Raytheon Technologies Corporation (1968-1990), and was a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Shea died after years of declining health.

Buddy Knox, 65. U.S. musician. Mr. Knox was a rockabilly performer from Texas who led the group the Rhythm Orchids, and was best known for his first and biggest hit single, Party Doll, which reached #1 on the Billboard Best Seller and Cash Box charts. His other hits included Hula Love (1957); Somebody Touched Me (1958); and Lovey Dovey (1960). Mr. Knox lived and performed in western Canada from the 1970s through the '90s, but eventually settled in Bremerton, Washington, where he died of lung cancer.

February 13, 2009

410 years ago
1599

Born on this date
Alexander VII. Roman Catholic Pope, 1655-1667. Alexander VII, born Fabio Chigi, succeeded Innocent X. Pope Alexander initially opposed nepotism, but later gave positions to his relatives. Alexander VII died on May 22, 1667 at the age of 68, and was succeeded by Clement IX.

320 years ago
1689

Politics and government
The English Convention Parliament named William III and Mary II co-sovereigns of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

270 years ago
1739

War
The army of Iranian ruler Nadir Shah defeated the forces of the Mughal emperor of India, Muhammad Shah in the Battle of Karnal.

160 years ago
1849

Born on this date
Randolph Churchill. U.K. politician. Lord Randolph, a member of the Conservative Party, sat in the British House of Commons from 1874 until his death. He was a cabinet minister in the government of Prime Minister the Marquess of Salisbury, serving as Secretary of State for India from 1885-1886; Chancellor of the Exchequer from August-December 1886; and Leader of the House of Commons from 1886-1887. His life and career were shortened by a debilitating illness, popularly believed to be syphilis, an explanation that now seems unlikely. Lord Randolph was the father of future Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and died at the age of 45 on January 24, 1895, 70 years to the day before the death of his more famous son.

Diplomacy
The delegation headed by Metropolitan bishop Andrei Șaguna handed to Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria the General Petition of Romanian leaders in Transylvania, Banat and Bukovina, which demanded that the Romanian nation be recognized.

150 years ago
1859

Defense
A detachment of marines from Hong Kong arrived at Esquimalt naval base to help British Columbia Governor James Douglas maintain order during the Fraser gold rush, which saw an influx of 30,000 gold seekers, mostly from the U.S.A.

70 years ago
1939

Music
In Martinez, California, Mario Olmeda recorded six Italian folk songs for folk music collector Sidney Robertson Cowell.

60 years ago
1949

On the radio
Pat Novak For Hire, starring Jack Webb, on ABC
Tonight's episode: John Singer

This marked the revival of Pat Novak For Hire, a crime show set in San Francisco, on ABC, reaching the west coast of the United States. The program, with scripts written by Mr. Webb's friend Dick Breen, began as a local program in the fall of 1946, broadcast on ABC affiliate KGO in Oakland. In the spring of 1947, Mr. Breen left to do a similar show on MBS called Johnny Modero, Pier 23, and took Mr. Webb with him. Ben Morris then took over the role of Pat Novak for the remaining episodes in 1947. When ABC brought Messrs. Webb and Breen back in 1949, they installed Raymond Burr as Inspector Hellmann, and Tudor Owen as Pat Novak's hard-drinking confidant Jocko Madigan. Pat Novak For Hire is known (and loved) for its hilarious one-liners, a sampling of which may be found here. Go here for free downloads of available episodes.

Diplomacy
Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent concluded three days of talks in Washington on defense and economic problems.

Politics and government
The Portuguese presidential election resulted in an unopposed victory for General Antonio de Fragoso Carmona, a supporter of Prime Minister Antonio Salazar.

Labour
At midnight, 2,000 miners from Canadian Johns-Manville in Asbestos, Quebec called a spontaneous illegal strike. Shortly after, 3,000 other miners in Thetford Mines followed suit. The strike, which pitted miners affiliated with the Canadian Confederation of Catholic Workers (CCLC) against three mainly American-owned mining companies, closed mines for the next four months, and became a cause for the progressive elements of society (see also here).

The Congress of Industrial Organizations Transport Workers Union ended a four-day strike against the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad, an important commuter line, after failing to gain union recognition.

Sport
Maria Isakova of the U.S.S.R. retained her women's singles title at the world speed skating championships in Kongsberg, Norway.

Golf
Dave Douglas won the Texas Open in San Antonio.

50 years ago
1959

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): I Got Stung/One Night--Elvis Presley (3rd week at #1)

Diplomacy
Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba appealed for a personal meeting with French President Charles de Gaulle to seek relaxation of growing French-Tunisian friction.

The Japanese cabinet approved plans to permit some of Japan's 600,000 Koreans to be repatriated voluntarily to North Korea.

Politics and government
Romulo Betancourt took office as Venezuela's first freely-elected President in 10 years.

Cuban Prime Minister Jose Miro and his cabinet resigned.

Admiral Sir Guy Grantham was appointed to succeed General Sir Robert Laycock as British Governor of Malta.

Six days after its formation, France's extremist Nationalist Party was dissolved, and five of its leaders were indicted on charges of endangering state security.

Contrary to tradition that questions be submitted in writing to the House of Assembly several days in advance, Liberal Party leader Louis J. Robichaud issued a direct verbal question to the government, changing the nature of political debate within New Brunswick.

40 years ago
1969

On television tonight
Dragnet 1969, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Joy Riders

War
The fourth plenary session of the Vietnam War peace talks met in Paris for more than six hours. Old charges were reiterated, and no progress was made.

Diplomacy
U.K. Prime Minister Harold Wilson and West German Chancellor Kurt Kiesinger concluded a two-day meeting in Bonn with a joint statement pledging British-West German solidarity for the goal of European unity and security. The two men stressed the importance of the U.K. becoming a member of the European Economic Community.

Terrorism
FLQ terrorists exploded a bomb on the floor of the Montréal Stock Exchange, injuring 27.

Academia
Massachusetts state troopers arrested 33 students who were conducting a sit-in in the administration building at the University of Massachusetts.

Labour
Demands of major unions in Italy for higher pensions were met when government and union negotiators reached an agreement that would cost Italy almost $13 billion over the next 10 years.

Disasters
Rescue teams reported that all 19 aboard a Philippine Air Force C-47 were killed when it crashed on Mindanao.

Boxing
Ralph McCoy (10-2) won a 12-round unanimous decision over Charlie Austin (33-30-5) at Oakland Auditorium to win the vacant California state middleweight title.

30 years ago
1979

On television tonight
The Paper Chase, on CBS
Tonight's episode: A Matter of Anger



Religion
A conference of Roman Catholic bishops in Puebla, Mexico ended with calls for increased social activism on behalf of Latin America's poor, and a plea for the peaceful resolution of inter-American disputes.

Disasters
An intense windstorm struck western Washington, sinking a half-mile-long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.

25 years ago
1984

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Love Is a Battlefield--Pat Benatar

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Thriller--Michael Jackson

On television tonight
Celebrity: Part II

Died on this date
Andre Stander, 37 (?). South African criminal. Mr. Stander was a police captain in South Africa who turned to crime in the 1970s and began robbing banks as leader of the "Stander Gang." He and fellow criminal Lee McCall escaped from custody in August 1983, and Mr. Stander made his way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to arrange for the sale of the gang's newly-purchased yacht. He was shot by police there while attempting to flee his apartment complex.

Politics and government
At a meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Soviet Premier Nikolai Tikhonov nominated Konstantin Chernenko to succeed Yuri Andropov as General Secretary of the Communist Party. Mr. Tikhonov said that Mr. Chernenko had been the unanimous choice of the Politburo. Mr. Chernenko had been a close ally of Leonid Brezhnev for many years, serving as chief of staff for the Supreme Soviet and head of administration and security for the Central Committee. He was believed to be Mr. Brezhnev's choice as a successor, but had been passed over in favour of Mr. Andropov, who had died on February 9. At 72, Mr. Chernenko was the oldest man to assume leadership of the U.S.S.R. In accepting the nomination, he seemed conciliatory toward the West, but warned that no one would be permitted to upset the "military equilibrium that had been achieved."

War
Iran announced that two days earlier it had launched a major offensive into southeastern Iraq. Iraq denied any invasion.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald Reagan began two days of talks in Washington with King Hussein of Jordan and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Olympics
Canada defeated Norway 8-1 in men's hockey at the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

20 years ago
1989

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): Teardrops--Womack & Womack

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Kiss--The Art of Noise featuring Tom Jones

Died on this date
Wayne Hays, 77. U.S. politician. Mr. Hays, a Democrat, represented Ohio's 18th District in the United States House of Representatives from 1949-1976. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Administration, but his career ended when it was revealed that Elizabeth Ray, who had been Mr. Hays' secretary and had also been put on staff with the House Committee on Administration, had merely been his mistress, and possessed no secretarial skills.

Protest
Police in India killed three people who were protesting Salman Rushdie's recently-published novel The Satanic Verses, which was accused of being disrespectful toward the prophet Muhammad.

10 years ago
1999

War
U.S. President Bill Clinton announced that United States troops would participate in a NATO mission in the Serbian province of Kosovo.

Hockey
NHL
Chicago 6 @ Toronto 2

The Blackhawks defeated the Maple Leafs on the national Hockey Night in Canada telecast in the last National Hockey League game played at Maple Leaf Gardens. It was a fitting result, since the Blackhawks had won 2-1 in the first game at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931.