Sunday, 6 March 2011

March 6, 2011

1,050 years ago
961


War
The siege of Chandax ended in a victory for Byzantine Empire forces led by Nikephoros Phokas, resulting in the end of the Emirate of Crete.

490 years ago
1521


Exploration
Ferdinand Magellan arrived at Guam.

480 years ago
1531


Died on this date
Pedro Arias Dávila, 90 or 91
. Spanish military officer and politician. Colonel Arias, aka Pedrarias, served in several wars in the first decade of the 16th century. In 1514, he took office as Governor and captain general of Castilla de Oro, which included territories of the present countries of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the northern part of Colombia, serving until 1526. Captain General Arias founded Panama City in 1519, and moved his capital there in 1524. He was Governor of Nicaragua from 1528 until his death. Pedrarias has not been kindly remembered by history; his harsh treatment of both natives and Spaniards under his command earned him the nickname "Furor Domini" ("Wrath of God").

180 years ago
1831


Born on this date
Philip Sheridan
. U.S. military officer. General Sheridan claimed to have been born in Albany, New York, but he may have been born on a ship carrying his parents from Ireland. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1853, and served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, rising rapidly to the rank of major general and being closely associated with General U.S. Grant. Gen. Sheridan's forces defeated Confederate foces in the Battle of Shenandoah Valley in 1864, and were instrumental in forcing the surrender of General Robert E. Lee in 1865. Gen. Sheridan fought in the Indian Wars on the Great Plains in later years, and was instrumental in the protection of Yellowstone National Park. He died of heart failure on August 5, 1888 at the age of 57.

175 years ago
1836

War

The Alamo at San Antonio, Texas fell to Mexican forces under the command of General Santa Anna after 11 days of resistance.

140 years ago
1871


Born on this date
Afonso Costa
. Prime Minister of Portugal, 1913-1914, 1915-1916, 1916, 1917. Mr. Costa was the leader of the Portuguese Republican Party and the subsequent Democratic Party faction. Following the proclamation of the First Republic in 1910, he was Minister for Justice in the provisional government of President Teófilo Braga. He served four brief terms as Prime Minister during a period of political instability, and was known for taking measures to establish a separation of church and state. Mr. Costa went into exile in Paris following a military coup d'état led by Sidónio Pais in December 1917, and never again lived in Portugal, although he led the Portuguese delegation at the Paris Peace Conference from March-June 1919, and signed the Treaty of Versailles on behalf of Portugal. He refused subsequent offers to lead the Portuguese government, and died in Paris on May 11, 1937 at the age of 66.

120 years ago
1891


Born on this date
Lidia Quaranta
. Italian actress. Miss Quaranta appeared in more than 70 movies, but was best known for her starring role in Cabiria (1914). She died of pneumonia on March 5, 1928, the day before her 37th birthday.

90 years ago
1921


At the movies
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, produced and directed by Rex Ingram, and starring Pomeroy Cannon, Josef Swickard, Bridgetta Clark, Rudolph Valentino, Wallace Beery, and Alice Terry, received its premiere screening in New York City.



70 years ago
1941


Died on this date
Gutzon Borglum, 73
. U.S. sculptor. Mr. Borglum was best known for designing the sculpture of four American presidents at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota. The work was unfinished at the time of Mr. Borglum's death from surgical complications, but was completed under the supervision of his son Lincoln.

Diplomacy
Regent Prince Paul of Yugoslavia called a conference to decide the country's course, which the government said would be to try to compromise with the Axis. U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull asked the Italian government to close its consulates in Detroit and Newark for national policy reasons.

Americana
The U.S. National Refugee Service estimated that about 130,000 European refugees were in the United States.

Protest
5,000 members of the Congress of Industrial Organizations attended an anti-war rally in New York City, where the Lend-Lease bill was denounced as "imperialistic."

Academia
William Canning, a history instructor at City College of New York, testifed before the Rapp-Coudert state legislative committee that 40-50 faculty members were present or former members of the Communist Party.

Law
A new law promulgated by the Vichy regime in France stipulated that Roman Catholic Church properties confiscated by the government at the time of the separation of church and state would be restored by 1943.

Transportation
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to establish a committee to probe civil airline crashes, which had killed 55 people in the last eight months.

Labour
The U.S. National Industrial Conference Board estimated the numboer of unemployed in January at 7,664,000, up more than 700,000 from December 1940.

Boxing
Lou Transparenti (27-17) won a 10-round unanimous decision over world bantamweight champion Lou Salica (52-5-12) in a non-title bout at Baltimore Arena.

Baseball
New York Yankees' center fielder Joe Dimaggio ended his holdout, signing his 1941 contract for $35,000, $2,500 more than he'd made in 1940, when he had wonn his second straight batting title.

60 years ago
1951


On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring Pat Hingle and Basil Rathbone

Died on this date
Volodymyr Vynnychenko, 70
. Prime Minister of Ukrainian People's Republic, 1917-1918. Mr. Vynnychenko was a modernist writer who wrote short stories, novels, and plays, reflecting his involvement in the Ukrainian revolutionary milieu. He led the first government of independent Ukraine, serving as Chairman of the Directory from December 1918-February 1919. Mr. Vynnychenko resigned and spent the remainder of his life elsewhere in Europe, resuming his writing career. He died in France.

Ivor Novello, 58. U.K. entertainer. Mr. Novello, born David Ivor Davies, first achieved success as a songwriter, with his most popular composition being Keep the Home Fires Burning (1914). He then achieved success as an actor on stage and in movies such as The Lodger (1927) and Downhill (1927). Mr. Novello returned to writing stage musicals in the 1930s and 1940s, such as Glamorous Night (1935) and Perchance to Dream (1945). He died of a heart attack, hours after completing a performance in King's Rhapsody (1949).

War
Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command General Douglas MacArthur warned that Chinese Communist forces were massing tanks and 120,000 men in the area just below the 38th Parallel for a spring offensive.

Crime
The espionage trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg began in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, with Judge Irving Kaufman presiding. Assistant U.S. Attorney Irving Saypol led the prosecution and criminal defense lawyer Emmanuel Bloch represented the Rosenbergs.

Diplomacy
Western and Soviet representatives in Paris clashed over he topics to be discussed, with U.S.S.R. Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko insisting that the meeting focus on the questions of German unity and rearmament.

Politics and government
The U.S.A., U.K., and France allowed West Germany to establish a foreign ministry in return for a West German promise to assume responsibility for pre-World War II German debts.

Health
Haven Emerson, honourary president of the Association on American Indian Affairs, announced that the tuberculosis death rate of most Indian groups in the United States and Alaska was 9-14 times that of surrounding white populations.

Basketball
NCAA
An Associated Press poll of sportswriters named the University of Kentucky, Oklahoma A&M University, Columbia University, Kansas State University, and the University of Illinois as the top teams in the U.S.A.

50 years ago
1961


Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): The Green Leaves of Summer--The Brothers Four (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Non, je ne regrette rien--Édith Piaf (8th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Pony Time--Chubby Checker (2nd week at #1)
2 Surrender--Elvis Presley
3 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
4 Don't Worry--Marty Robbins
5 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
6 Calcutta--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra
7 Baby Sittin' Boogie--Buzz Clifford
8 Dedicated to the One I Love--The Shirelles
9 There's a Moon Out Tonight--The Capris
10 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers

Singles entering the chart were On the Rebound by Floyd Cramer (#51); Baby Blue by the Echoes (#66); That's It - I Quit - I'm Movin' On by Sam Cooke (#66); One Mint Julep by Ray Charles (#70); Find Another Girl by Jerry Butler (#74); Portrait of My Love by Steve Lawrence (#76); Runaway by Del Shannon (#77); It's Unbelievable by the Larks (#78); Hide Away by Freddy King (#81); The Second Time Around by Frank Sinatra (#86); Blue Moon by the Marcels (#87); Blue Moon by Herb Lance and the Classics (#89); Little Miss Stuck-Up by the Playmates (#92); Tonight I Fell in Love by the Tokens (#93); Milord by Edith Piaf (#95); Ling-Ting-Tong by Buddy Knox (#97); I Lied to My Heart by the Enchanters (#99); and Apache by Sonny James (#100).

Died on this date
George Formby, Jr., 56
. U.K. entertainer. Mr. Formby, born George Hoy Booth, was the son of music hall performer George Formby, Sr., and followed his father into show business. Mr. Formby, Jr. was Britain's most popular entertainer in the 1930s and '40s on stage, screen, and recordings, singing comical songs while playing a ukulele. His health began to decline in the late 1940s, and he performed less frequently. Mr. Formby died of a heart attack, and was mourned throughout England.

Society
U.S. President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order "to insure that Americans of all colors and beliefs will have equal access to employment within the Government, and with those who do business with the Government." The order replaced two old presidential committees, one on government employment policy and the other on government contracts, with the new President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. Mr. Kennedy named Vice-President Lyndon Johnson as chairman of the new committee and Labor Secretary Arthur Goldberg as vice-chairman. The committee was given wide powers of investigation and enforcement.

Economics and finance
The Netherlands revalued the guilder upward by 4.75%, chiefly to maintain stability of trade with West Germany, which had revalued the mark upward by 5% two days earlier. The revaluations were expected to ease pressure on the U.S. dollar.

Boxing
Alex Miteff (23-7-1) won a 10-round unanimous decision over Alonzo Johnson (18-7) in a heavyweight bout at St. Nicholas Arena in New York.

40 years ago
1971


Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Vent'anni--Massimo Ranieri (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Baby Jump--Mungo Jerry

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (4th week at #1)
2 The Pushbike Song--The Mixtures
3 Knock Three Times--Dawn
4 Eleanor Rigby--Zoot
5 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
6 Band of Gold--Freda Payne
7 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
8 Lonely Days--Bee Gees
9 Apeman--The Kinks
10 My Baby's Gone--Axiom

Singles entering the chart were Blame it on the Pony Express by Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon (#55); Black and Blue by Chain (#56); and Bonnie Please Don't Go by Kevin Johnson (#60).

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Du--Peter Maffray
2 Nothing Rhymed--Gilbert O'Sullivan
3 Butterfly--Danyel Gerard
4 Hup Daar is Willem!--Ed en Willem Bever
5 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
6 Bridget the Midget--Ray Stevens
7 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
8 Holy Holy Life--Golden Earring
9 Silver Moon--Michael Nesmith & the First National Band
10 Your Song--Elton John

Singles entering the chart were Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Middle of the Road (#12); Shocking You by Shocking Blue (#16); Don't Waste Your Time by the Cats (#19); Invitation by Earth and Fire (#22); Spanish Rose by Van Morrison (#29); We'll Fly You to the Promised Land by the Les Humphries Singers (#32); The War Will Soon Be Over (My Love) by Cobra (#33); The Pushbike Song by the Mixtures (#39); and Hold on to What You've Got by Bill & Buster (#40).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds (4th week at #1)
2 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5
3 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
4 Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)--The Temptations
5 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
6 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
7 For All We Know--Carpenters
8 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
9 Mr. Bojangles--Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
10 Sweet Mary--Wadsworth Mansion

Singles entering the chart were Another Day/Oh Woman, Oh Why by Paul McCartney (#55); When There's No You by Engelbert Humperdinck (#67); If it's Real What I Feel by Jerry Butler featuring Brenda Lee [Eager] (#72); Tongue in Cheek by Sugarloaf (#73); Woodstock by Matthews' Southern Comfort (#83); Pushbike Song by the Mixtures (#84); Snow Blind Friend by Steppenwolf (#85); Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It) by Daddy Dewdrop (#87); Spinning Wheel (Part 1) by James Brown (#90); I Pity the Fool by Ann Peebles (#92); Stay Awhile by the Bells (#99); and What About Me by Quicksilver Messenger Service (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5
2 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
3 Have You Ever Seen the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
4 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
5 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
6 Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted--The Partridge Family
7 Sweet Mary--Wadsworth Mansion
8 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
9 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
10 Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You--Wilson Pickett

Singles entering the chart were Another Day (#48)/Oh Woman, Oh Why (#58) by Paul McCartney; Sit Yourself Down by Stephen Stills (#60); When There's No You by Engelbert Humperdinck (#70); Where Did They Go, Lord by Elvis Presley (#71); Joy to the World by Three Dog Night (#73); Snow Blind Friend by Steppenwolf (#74); Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) by Glen Campbell (#76); Baby Let Me Kiss You by King Floyd (#79); Don't Make Me Pay for His Mistakes by Z.Z. Hill (#84); Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It) by Daddy Dewdrop (#85); I Don't Know How to Love Him by Helen Reddy (#86); Too Many Lovers by Shack (#87); Don't Change on Me by Ray Charles (#88); Hot Pants by Salvage (#89); Celia of the Seals by Donovan (#93); Pushbike Song by the Mixtures (#94); Could I Forget You by Tyrone Davis (#97); Woodstock by Matthews' Southern Comfort (#98); I Believe in Music by Marian Love (#99); and Stay Awhile by the Bells (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds (3rd week at #1)
2 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5
3 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
4 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
5 Sweet Mary--Wadsworth Mansion
6 Mr. Bojangles--Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
7 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
8 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
9 Theme from Love Story--Henry Mancini, his Orchestra and Chorus
10 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin

Singles entering the chart were Ain't Got Time by the Impressions (#75); Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) by Glen Campbell (#78); Tongue in Cheek by Sugarloaf (#80); Sit Yourself Down by Stephen Stills (#83); When There's No You by Engelbert Humperdinck (#84); I Pity the Fool by Ann Peebles (#91); One Man's Leftovers (Is Another Man's Feast) by 100 Proof Aged in Soul (#93); I Don't Know How to Love Him by Helen Reddy (#94); Don't Make Me Pay for His Mistakes by Z.Z. Hill (#96); and I'll Be Home by Vikki Carr (#98).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds (2nd week at #1)
2 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
3 Mr. Bojangles--Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
5 Sweet Mary--Wadsworth Mansion
6 Hang on to Your Life--The Guess Who
7 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
8 If You Could Read My Mind--Gordon Lightfoot
9 Mama's Pearl--The Jackson 5
10 Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted--The Partridge Family

Singles entering the chart were Another Day by Paul McCartney (#72); You're All I Need to Get By by Aretha Franklin (#73); Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes by the 5th Dimension (#78); When There's No You by Engelbert Humperdinck (#79); Tongue in Cheek by Sugarloaf (#80); Pushbike Song by the Mixtures (#83); Wild World by the Gentrys (#84); Snow Blind Friend by Steppenwolf (#87); Walk by the River by Steel River (#92); Fuddle Duddle by Antique Fair (#95); Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) by the Temptations (#96); Do the Fuddle Duddle by the House of Commons (#97); Tulsa by Billy Joe Royal (#99); and Angel Baby by Dusk (#100).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
2 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
3 Woodstock--Matthews' Southern Comfort
4 Stay Awhile--The Bells
5 Theme from Love Story--Henry Mancini, his Orchestra and Chorus
6 Have You Ever Seen the Rain--Creedence Clearwater Revival
7 Carry Me--Stampeders
8 I was Wondering--The Poppy Family
9 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
10 1900 Yesterday--Liz Damon's Orient Express
Pick hit of the week: What is Life--George Harrison

Died on this date
Blair Richardson, 30
. Canadian boxer. Mr. Richardson, a native of Sydney, Nova Scotia, won the Canadian middleweight title with an 8-round technical knockout over Wilf Greaves in 1962. He fought Gomeo Brennan for the Commonwealth title in September 1965, but was knocked out in 11 rounds. Six months later, he won the title from Mr. Brennan in a 13-round split decision, and still held both titles when he decided to retire from boxing in 1967 because he had "lost his viciousness." Mr. Richardson, who retired with a professional record of 45-5-2, died of a brain tumour.

War
Reinforced South Vietnamese troops pushed into Sepone after seizing the heights overlooking the deserted town.

Disasters
28 elderly patients suffocated when fire swept through the University of Zurich's psychiatric clinic at Burgholzli, Switzerland.

Curling
In a three-way playoff to determine the winner of the Brier at Pavilion de la Jeunesse in Quebec City, Bill Tetley's Northern Ontario rink edged Bob Pickering of Saskatchewan 10-9 in the semi-final after defending champion Don Duguid of Manitoba had drawn a bye. In the final, Mr. Duguid defeated Mr. Tetley 11-6 to win his second straight Brier.

Baseball
Denny McLain started and pitched 4 strong innings to earn the win as the Washington Senators defeated the Montreal Expos 3-1 in a spring training game in West Palm Beach, Florida. Steve Renko started on the mound for the Expos and was relieved by Howie Reed, who took the loss.

30 years ago
1981


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): När vi två blir en--Gyllene Tider (13th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Reality--Richard Sanderson (6th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre
2 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
3 Lady--Kenny Rogers
4 Can You Feel It--The Jacksons
5 Passion--Rod Stewart
6 Stop the Cavalry--Jona Lewie
7 Never Knew Love Like This Before--Stephanie Mills
8 A Lot of Things--Peach
9 I'm Alright--Kenny Loggins
10 Give Me Back My Love--Maywood

The only single entering the chart was Cry to Me by Precious Wilson & Sky Train (#18).

On television tonight
CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite

Mr. Cronkite delivered his last broadcast as the anchorman of the program after 18 years in the position. He was succeeded by Dan Rather.



Terrorism
Three political dissidents who had hijacked a Pakistani jetliner with 117 people aboard to Kabul, Afghanistan on March 2 killed one of the hostages--a Pakistani diplomat--and set a deadline for the next day to release 90 Pakistanis who were being held in Karachi as political prisoners.

Judge Jean Keable concluded that there was undue interference by the police following the October Crisis in 1970; the Keable Report was commissioned by the government of Québec to look into police wrongdoing.

Politics and government
U.S. President Ronald Reagan held his second news conference as President, announcing reductions in the size of the federal government as part of his budget. He also answered questions on other subjects, such as abortion.



Environment
In New Delhi, delegates from 37 countries attending the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora voted to outlaw trade in the products of three species of whale. Japan voted against the measure, while the U.S.A., U.S.S.R., and several other countries abstained. The trade affected by the ban was the oil, meat, and bones of the sperm, sei, and fin whales, virtually the only species of whale still hunted commercially. Under the provisions of the treaty, customs officials would now confiscate any products made from the protected wildlife.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that producer prices had risen 0.8% in February, probably caused by price increases announced by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in December and January.

25 years ago
1986


On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CITV
Tonight’s episode: Profile in Silver, starring Lane Smith; Button Button, starring Mare Winningham and Brad Davis

Space
The Soviet probe Vega 1 came within 5,600 miles of the nucleus of Halley’s Comet. The comet was making its closest approach to Earth in 75 years.

Politics and government
The 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union concluded with more personnel changes reflecting the influence of general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. More than 1/3 of the 307-member Central Committee was changed. Lev Zaikov, supervisor of the U.S.S.R.’s military-industrial complex, became the 12th member of the Politburo. Five new party secretaries--the individuals who implement policies approved by the Politburo--were named. They included Anatoly Dobrynin, who had been U.S.S.R. Ambassador to the U.S.A. for 24 years; it was assumed that he would now have a major role in carrying our foreign policy. The other new secretaries included Aleksandra Biryukova, the first woman in 25 years to rise so high in the leadership ranks.

Defense
U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum (Republican--Kansas) said that the issue of aiding the Contras in Nicaragua who were opposing that country’s Sandanista government was not "a simple choice between good freedom fighters and evil Marxists." U.S. President Ronald Reagan suggested that some members of Congress were being duped by Communists.

Crime
The second report of the U.S. President’s Commission on Organized Crime charged that the Teamsters Union was the union most controlled by organized crime. Two former Teamsters’ presidents, Jimmy Hoffa and Roy Williams, were said to be "direct instruments of organized crime." The report also said that organized crime had great influence over the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union; the Laborers’ International Union of North America; and the International Longshoremen’s Association. The commission said that entire segments of some industries, including construction, meat processing, trucking, garbage collection, and waterfront trade, were under the control of organized crime.

Terrorism
A commission appointed by Philadelphia mayor Wilson Goode to investigate the May 1985 fatal bombing by police of the headquarters of the terrorist group MOVE concluded that Mr. Goode had been "grossly negligent." The barricaded radicals were in the midst of an armed confrontation when a bomb dropped down the chimney of their headquarters building exploded and started a fire, killing 11 people--including 5 children--and destroyed 61 homes in the neighbourhood. The investigators found the planned attack "reckless" and "ill-conceived," and the amount of explosives used excessive. They also found the fire commissioner and former police commissioner primarily responsible for the deaths, and called for a grand jury investigation. The panel said that Mr. Goode had erred in not participating actively in the preparation, review, and oversight of the planned attack.

Health
A study published in the March 6 issue of New England Journal of Medicine found that moderate exercise could significantly diminish the risk of death from all causes. The study followed 16,936 male Harvard University alumni from 1962-1978 and found that those who expended 2,000 calories a week in walking, climbing stairs, and sports had death rates that were ¼ -1/3 lower than those who were more sedentary. The researchers found that exercise could partly counter the damaging effects of cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and a hereditary tendency toward early death. College athletes who later became sedentary had higher death rates than men who maintained moderate activity through life.

Disasters
Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space and a member of the U.S. presidential panel investigating the January 28 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, said that she was "not ready to fly again."

20 years ago
1991


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Crazy--Seal (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight’s episode: Road Trip

War
U.S. President George Bush, in an address to Congress, said that the allies, in achieving victory in the Gulf War, had passed the first test under the new world order.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 1 @ Minnesota 5

10 years ago
2001


Labour
The United States Senate voted 56-44 to defeat a bill introduced by then-President Bill Clinton to introduce regulations that would have required employers to provide a work environment that would protect them from repetitive stress injuries.

Disasters
More than 40 schoolchildren, some as young as 8, were killed when an explosion ripped through their primary school, demolishing several classrooms. The school had used the children to assemble fireworks to help raise money.

Saturday, 5 March 2011

March 5, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Olivia Mananquil!

200 years ago
1811


War
In the Battle of Barrosa during the Peninsular War between France and the allied powers of Spain, a French attack on a larger Anglo-Portuguese-Spanish force attmempting to lift the siege on the Spanish city of Cadiz failed. A single British division defeated two Frendh divisions and captured a regimental eagle.

140 years ago
1871


Born on this date
Rosa Luxemburg, 47
. German political activists. Miss Luxemburg was a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), but split from the SPD and co-founded the Spartacist League and the Communist Party of Germany. She was 47 when she and comrade Karl Liebknecht were executed by the Freikorps on January 15, 1919 when the Spartacist uprising was crushed.

120 years ago
1891


Politics and government
Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald led his governing Conservatives to victory in the seventh Canadian federal election, and his last. The Conservatives won 97 seats, which, combined with 20 seats for Liberal-Conservatives, gave them a majority of the 215 seats in the House of Commons. The Liberals, led by Wilfrid Laurier, won 90 seats. Three independent conservatives were elected, along with 2 independents, one Nationalist, one independent Liberal, and one Nationalist Conservative. The Conservatives and Liberal-Conservatives combined to captured 48.6% of the popular vote, running under the slogan, "The old flag, the old policy, the old leader". In the 1887 election, the Conservatives and Liberal-Conservatives had won 122 seats to 80 for the Liberals, who were then led by Edward Blake.

100 years ago
1911


Born on this date
Subroto Mukerjee
. Indian military officer. Air Marshal Mukerjee began his career with the British Royal Air Force, and became of the first members of the Indian Air Force in 1932. He was a squadron commander and station commander in World War II, and was appointed Deputy Air Commander of the Royal Indian Air Force upon India's independence in 1947. Air Marshal Mukerjee was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the IAF in 1954, and was known as the "Father of the Indian Air Force." He was 49 when he died on November 8, 1960; he was having dinner with a friend at a restaurant in Tokyo, and choked to death on a piece of food that lodged in his windpipe.

80 years ago
1931


Politics and government
Viceroy of India Lord Irwin and Indian independence activist Mohandas Gandhi signed a pact at the Viceroy's house in Delhi regarding the demands of the civil disobedience movement.

75 years ago
1936


Movies
The Academy Awards for 1935 were presented at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. The winners included: Best Picture--Mutiny on the Bounty; Best Director--John Ford (The Informer); Best Actor--Victor McLaglen (The Informer); and Best Actress--Bette Davis (Dangerous).



Defense
The prototype of the British advanced monoplane fighter aircraft Supermarine Spitfire made its first flight from Eastleigh Aerodrome, near Southampton, England, with Captain Joseph "Mutt" Summers at the controls.

70 years ago
1941


War
The United Kingdom announced that Ethiopian forces had routed an Italian army of 20,000 in the province of Gojjam and captured the fort of Burye. A German court martial in Amsterdam sentenced 18 Dutch resisters to death and 19 others to prison for espionage and sabotage.

Diplomacy
The United Kingdom severed diplomatic relations with Bulgaria.

Defense
Panamanian President Arnulfo Arias announced that the United States had been given permission to establish air and anti-aircraft bases on Panamanian soil to protect the Panama Canal. The U.S. Senate passed seven amendments to the Lend-Lease bill, ending powers conferred on the President on June 30, 1943, and requiring congressional appropriations for additional aid.

Economics and finance
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King announced that Bulgaria and Hungary would be subject to "trading with the enemy" regulations.

New York Stock Exchange President William McC. Martin attacked Securities and Exchange Commission members as "ignorant" and partially responsible for the decline in exchange business.

60 years ago
1951


On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Man with the Astrakhan Hat, starring James Bender, Peter Capell, Ross Martin, and Paul Stewart

War
The U.S. House of Representatives heard a letter from Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command General Douglas MacArthur urging a U.S.-supported Nationalist invasion of the Chinese mainland to open a "second front" against the Communists. The American administration of President Harry Truman opposed this policy.

Diplomacy
U.S. Ambassador-at-large Philip Jessup, U.S.S.R. Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, U.K. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernest Davies, and French Foreign Office chief Alexandre Parodi opened discussions in Paris on the agenda of another foreign ministers conference.

Politics and government
Socialist author Ignazio Silone said in Rome that the Italian Communist and left Socialist Parties had lost 10,000 members during recent conflicts over adherence to the Soviet policy line.

Radio
U.S. President Truman urged Congress to give Voice of America $97.5 million immediately to complete a network of transmitters sending American propaganda into Communist countries.

Journalism
Argentine Federal Judge Miguel Vignola ordered criminal proceedings brought against La Prensa publisher Alberto Gainza Paz, and police announced that they had shut down the newspaper's plant as urged by the pro-government General Confederation of Labour.

50 years ago
1961


On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley, on BBC Light Programme
Tonight's episode: The Adventure of Black Peter

Defense
King Hassan II of Morocco announced that France had agreed to speed up the evacuation of its six military training schools and air bases in Morocco. Evacuation of the schools and bases had been scheduled to be completed by the end of 1963, but the new agreement set the date for October 1, 1961.

40 years ago
1971


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Knock Three Times--Dawn (2nd week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Knock Three Times--Dawn (3rd week at #1)
2 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
3 No Matter What--Badfinger
4 I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds
5 Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow--The Dealians
6 Do It--Neil Diamond
7 See Me, Feel Me--The Who
8 Mendocino--Michael Holm
9 Sailing--Fuzz
10 Gypsy Woman--Brian Hyland

Singles entering the chart were My Sweet Lord by George Harrison (#11); Understanding by Peanutbutter Conspiracy (#18); Just Because I'm a Woman by Dolly Parton (#19); and The Pushbike Song by the Mixtures (#20).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival
2 Stay Awhile--The Bells
3 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson
4 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
5 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
6 Put Your Hand in the Hand--Ocean
7 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
8 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
9 Temptation Eyes--The Grass Roots
10 Woodstock--Matthews' Southern Comfort

Singles entering the chart were Blue Money by Van Morrison (#27); I was Wondering by the Poppy Family (#28); No Love at All by B.J. Thomas (#29); and Timothy by the Buoys (#30).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 Have You Ever Seen the Rain/Hey Tonight--Creedence Clearwater Revival (2nd week at #1)
2 Woodstock--Matthews' Southern Comfort
3 One Bad Apple--The Osmonds
4 Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
5 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
6 She's a Lady--Tom Jones
7 Oh What a Feeling--Crowbar
8 Hang on to Your Life--The Guess Who
9 Proud Mary--Ike & Tina Turner
10 Chairman of the Board--Chairmen of the Board

Singles entering the chart were Another Day by Paul McCartney (#23); One Toke Over the Line by Brewer and Shipley (#26); Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) by the Temptations (#27); Anthem by Homestead (#28); I was Wondering by the Poppy Family (#29); and Free by Chicago (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson (5th week at #1)
2 Stay Awhile--The Bells
3 Watching Scotty Grow--Bobby Goldsboro
4 Amos Moses--Jerry Reed
5 Mother--John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
6 Amazing Grace--Judy Collins
7 Bridget the Midget (The Queen of the Blues)--Ray Stevens
8 Like an Eagle--Miguel Rios
9 Your Song--Elton John
10 Children of the Sun--Mashmakhan

On television tonight
The Interns, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Guardian

Died on this date
Allan Nevins, 80
. U.S. journalist and historian. Professor Nevins wrote for various newspapers and The Nation, before teaching at Columbia University from 1928-1958, becoming best known for his works of American history and biography. He won Pulitzer Prizes for Biography or Autobiography for Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage (1932) and Hamilton Fish (1936). Prof. Nevins' major work was Ordeal of the Union (1947-1971), an eight-volume history of the Civil War.

Protest
An intensive search at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara by police who were looking for four U.S. airmen who had been kidnapped the previous day by Turkish leftist terrorists touched off student disorders.

Economics and finance
The government of Canada announced a grant of $5 million to the mining industry. The grant came on top of Noranda Mines' decision to invest $ 19 million in Murdochville, Quebec, which would create 280 permanent jobs.

30 years ago
1981


Died on this date
Yip Harburg, 84
. U.S. songwriter. Mr. Harburg, born Isidore Hochberg, was best known for his work in the 1930s, writing the lyrics for songs such as Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?; April in Paris; and It's Only a Paper Moon. He wrote the lyrics for the songs in the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939), and shared the Academy Award with composer Harold Arlen for Best Original Song (Over the Rainbow).

Crime
U.S. President Ronald Reagan announced that the federal government would give nearly $1 million in grants to finance mental health and social programs relating to the case of the missing and murdered Negro boys in Atlanta, 19 of 21 of whom had been found dead in recent months. Two missing children were found safe that day.

25 years ago
1986


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Brother Louie--Modern Talking

World events
Philippines President Corazon Aquino, fulfilling a campaign promise, freed two leading Communists who were among more than 500 political prisoners who were being freed.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Ronald Reagan said that unless U.S.S.R. leader Mikhail Gorbachev came to the United States in 1986, he (Mr. Reagan) would not go to the Soviet Union in 1987.

Politics and government
The 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ratified new economic and political programs.

20 years ago
1991


War
Iraq concluded two days of releasing prisoners of war, releasing 45, and said that no more were held. The Red Cross said that at least 7,000 Kuwaitis were unaccounted for. Baghdad radio reported that the annexation of Kuwait had been voided. Israel announced that Scud missiles had killed 2 of its citizens and injured 239. Meanwhile, Shiite Muslims in southern Iraq had rebelled against government control, and fighting in Basra, a major city, was reported. Kuwaiti oil officials said that Iraq had sabotaged Kuwait’s oil refineries; eliminated all above-ground oil storage facilities; and destroyed about half of the centres where oil, gas, and water were separated.

Environment
Canadian Environment Minister Robert de Cotret announced a $25-million plan to cut toxic discharges into the Great Lakes as part of the Green Plan.

Health
259 people were reported to have died since January in an outbreak of cholera in Peru, the first epidemic of the disease in the western hemisphere since the early 19th century.

10 years ago
2001


Crime
Charles Andrew Williams, 15, was arrested after having allegedly shot 15 people, 2 fatally, at a high school in Santee, California. Both of those killed were students, and the wounded included 11 students, a security guard, and a student teacher.

Disasters
35 people were trampled to death during a symbolic ritual in which pilgrims throw stones at pillars representing Satan, part of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca made by Muslims who were retracing the footsteps of the prophet Muhammad.

Thursday, 3 March 2011

March 4, 2011

1,450 years ago
561


Died on this date
Pelagius I
. Roman Catholic Pope, 556-561. Pelagius I, a member of a noble family, was appointed apocrisiarius--a legate from the Pope to the Emperor--and acquired great influence with Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Justinian arranged Pelagius I's election as pope to succeed Vigilius, a move that was unpopular in the Western church. Pelagius I was rumoured to have caused his predecessor's death, and was suspected of supporting monophysitism, but he worked to maintain public order in Rome and to correct abuses among the clergy. Pope Pelagius I was succeeded by John III.

640 years ago
1371


Died on this date
Jeanne d'Évreux, 60 or 61
. Queen consort of France and Navarre, 1324-1328. Jeanne d'Évreux was the third wife of King Charles IV/I; she was queen consort until his death on February 1, 1328.

550 years ago
1461


Britannica
House of Lancaster King Henry VI was deposed by his House of York cousin, who then became King Edward IV.

330 years ago
1681


Americana
King Charles II of England granted a charter to William Penn for an area of land that later became Pennsylvania.

220 years ago
1791

Americana

Vermont entered the Union as the 14th state, and the first to join the U.S.A. after the original 13 colonies.

Canadiana
The Constitutional Act of 1791, which envisaged the separation of Canada into Lower Canada (Quebec) and Upper Canada (Ontario), was introduced by the British House of Commons.

210 years ago
1801

Politics and government

Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated for his first term as the 3rd President of the United States of America.

200 years ago
1811


Died on this date
Mariano Moreno, 32
. Argentine journalist, lawyer, and politician. Mr. Moreno began his career as a lawyer in Buenos Aires in the early 1800s, and founded the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres on June 7, 1810, earning recognition as Argentina's first journalist. He was Secretary of War and Government with the Prima Junta, which deposed Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros in May 1810. Mr. Moreno was given a diplomatic mission to Britain, but he took ill aboard ship and died shortly after being given an emetic. He suspected he had been poisoned, but that popular view has been questioned more recently.

190 years ago
1821


Politics and government
James Monroe was inaugurated for his second term as the 5th President of the United States of America.

170 years ago
1841


Politics and government
William Henry Harrison was inaugurated as the 9th President of the United States of America. At age 68, Mr. Harrison was the oldest president so far. It was a drizzly day in Washington, and Mr. Harrison chose to deliver a two-hour inaugural address without wearing a hat or overcoat. He spurned the closed carriage offered him, and rode on horseback instead.

160 years ago
1851


Died on this date
James Richardson, 41
. U.K. explorer. Mr. Richardson was educated for evangelical Christian ministry, and wanted to eradicate the slave trade. He made an expedition in 1845 to the Sahara Desert, and led another expedition in 1850 into Sudan and to Lake Chad. Mr. Richardson died in Nigeria from an unknown illness; he recounted his travels and discoveries in several books.

150 years ago
1861

Politics and government

Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated for his first term as the 16th President of the United States of America. In his inaugural address, he appealed for national unity.

Americana
The first national flag of the Confederate States of America was adopted.

130 years ago
1881

Politics and government

James A. Garfield was inaugurated as the 20th President of the United States of America.

120 years ago
1891


Born on this date
Dazzy Vance
. U.S. baseball pitcher. Charles Arthur Vance had brief trials with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees in 1915 and 1918, but a chronically sore arm kept him in the minor leagues. In 1920, while pitching for the New Orleans Pelicans, Mr. Vance banged his arm on a table while playing poker, producing excruciating pain. The resulting emergency surgery removed the pain, and Mr. Vance made the major leagues to stay when he joined the Brooklyn Robins in 1922. He then led the National League in strikeouts from 1922-1928, while leading the league in wins twice (1924; 1925); shutouts four times (1922; 1925; 1928; 1930); earned run average three times (1924; 1928; 1930); and complete games twice (1924; 1927). Mr. Vance’s best season was probably 1924, when he was 28-6 with a 2.16 ERA, 30 complete games, and 262 strikeouts. His 2.61 ERA in 1930 was more than a run per game better than his closest NL competitor and more than 2 runs per game better than the National League average. His only World Series game was a relief appearance with the champion St. Louis Cardinals in 1934. Mr. Vance ended his major league career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1935. He won 197 games and lost 140 in his 16-year career, with all his wins coming after reaching the age of 31. Mr. Vance died of a heart attack on February 16, 1961, 16 days before his 70th birthday.

110 years ago
1901


Born on this date
Jean-Joseph Rabearivel
. Malagasian poet. Mr. Rabearivel, whose year of birth may have been 1903, wrote two novels, an opera, and literary critiques, but was primarily regarded as Africa's first modern poet. He became an opium addict, and committed suicide by cyanide poisoning on June 22, 1937 at the age of 36 or 34.

Wilbur R. Franks. Canadian inventor. Dr. Franks, a native of Weston, Ontario, was a cancer researcher at the University of Toronto's Banting and Best Medical Research Institute, where he invented the anti-gravity suit, or G-suit. He died on January 4, 1986 at the age of 84.

Charles Goren. U.S. bridge player and author. Mr. Goren was a leading bridge player from the 1920s through the 1950s, and became famous as the leading expert on the game, writing several bestselling books and a widely-syndicated newspaper column. He died on April 3, 1991, 30 days after his 90th birthday.

Politics and government
William McKinley was inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States of America.



100 years ago
1911


Born on this date
Charles Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick
. U.K. actor. Mr. Greville, the nephew of Prime Minister Anthony Eden, inherited his earldom in 1928; he became the first British aristocrat to be offered a Hollywood contract, and was known as the "Duke of Hollywood." His only notable film was The Dawn Patrol (1938), in which he acted under the name Michael Brooke. The Earl of Warwick was a Conservative member of the House of Lords, and supported his uncle. He eventually moved to Rome to avoid British taxes, and died on January 20, 1984 at the age of 72.

90 years ago
1921

Politics and government

Warren G. Harding was inaugurated as President of the United States of America.



70 years ago
1941


Died on this date
Ludwig Quidde, 82
. German activist and politician. Mr. Quidde, a pacifist was known for his criticism of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He and Ferdinand Buisson of France were awarded the 1927 Nobel Peace Prize "[For] contributions to Franco-German popular reconciliation." Mr. Quidde died 19 days before his 83rd birthday.

War
The United Kingdom launched Operation Claymore on the Lofoten Islands off Norway, the first large-scale British commando raid. Fish and whale oil processing plants were destroyed, 10 ships were sunk, and 215 Germans were captured. Greek leaders said they would fight to the end even if Germany invaded Greece.

Diplomacy
Yugoslavian Prince Regent Paul secretly visited German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler. A Nazi mission arrived in Turkey.

A U.S. federal grand jury indicted Dr. Friedrich Ernst Auhagen, founder of the American Fellowship Forum, for failing to register as a paid publicity agent for the German government.

A Gallup Poll estimated that eight million American voters supported some sort of postwar international federation of countries.

Defense
The U.S. State Department announced that the United States and Mexico were discussing mutual defense assistance.

U.S. Senator Gerald Nye (Republican--North Dakota) made the last set speech against the Lend-Lease bill, urging its defeat and attacking the United Kingdom as the greatest aggressor in all modern history.

Society
All Japanese-Canadians were registered by the federal government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King.

Labour
U.S. Congress of Industrial Organizations President Philip Murray protested the proposed creation of a labour mediation board for defense industries.

60 years ago
1951


Diplomacy
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Edward Miller, Jr. told Argentine President Juan Peron that his policies aroused so much public condemnation in the United States that it was increasingly difficult for the U.S. government to cooperate with Argentina.

Politics and government
The U.S. State Department claimed that Communism was losing strength in Western Europe on the basis of figures which showed declining party membership over a five-year period.

Labour
A U.S. Senate Labor subcommittee majority report charged that Southern employers, law enforcemnt officers, and churches had conducted a large campaign to destroy textile workers unions "in shocking violation" of the Taft-Hartley Act.

Golf
Jim Ferrier won the St. Petersburg (Florida) Open.

50 years ago
1961


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Rubber Ball--Bobby Vee (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy: 24.000 baci--Adriano Celentano (4th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ramona--Blue Diamonds (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): Wooden Heart--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Walk Right Back--The Everly Brothers (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Calcutta--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra (4th week at #1)
2 Pony Time--Chubby Checker
3 Surrender--Elvis Presley
4 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
--[Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra]
5 Don't Worry--Marty Robbins
6 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
7 Shop Around--The Miracles
8 Will You Love Me Tomorrow--The Shirelles
9 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher
--[Mantovani & his Orchestra]
10 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka

Singles entering the chart were Find Another Girl by Jerry Butler (#76); Pony Express by Danny and the Juniors (#78); More than I Can Say by Bobby Vee (#81); I Don't Know Why aka But I Do by Clarence "Frogman" Henry (#82); To Be Loved (Forever) by the Pentagons (#93); Early Every Morning (Early Every Evening Too) by Dinah Washington (#96); Take Good Care of Her by Adam Wade (#97); Lonely Blue Nights by Rosie (#99); On the Rebound by Floyd Cramer (#100); Bumble Boogie by B. Bumble and the Stingers (also #100); and Hide Away by Freddy King (also #100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Surrender--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)
2 "D" in Love--Cliff Richard and the Shadows
3 Three Wheels on My Wagon--Dick Van Dyke
4 Little Miss Stuck-Up--The Playmates
5 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers
6 Top Forty, News, Weather and Sports--Mark Dinning
7 Model Girl--Johnny Maestro
8 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
9 Happy Birthday Blues--Kathy Young with the Innocents
10 Asia Minor--Kokomo

Singles entering the chart were Lonely Blue Nights by Rosie (#41); Portrait of My Love by Steve Lawrence (#44); I've Told Every Little Star by Linda Scott (#45); Age for Love by Jimmy Charles (#47); Call Me Anytime by Frankie Avalon (#48); I Told You So by Jimmy Jones (#49); and A Night with Daddy "G" by the Church Street Five (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Surrender--Elvis Presley
2 Three Wheels on My Wagon--Dick Van Dyke
3 A Scottish Soldier (Green Hills of Tyrol)--Andy Stewart
4 The Touchables--Dickie Goodman
5 Ebony Eyes/Walk Right Back--The Everly Brothers
6 Model Girl--Johnny Maestro
7 Two--Del Erickson
8 Top Forty, News, Weather and Sports--Mark Dinning
9 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
10 Donald, Where's Your Troosers?--Andy Stewart

Singles entering the chart were Walk Right Back; Green Grass of Texas by the Texans (#28); I Don't Know Why by Clarence "Frogman" Henry (#29); Ling-Ting-Tong by Buddy Knox (#30); Be My Boy by the Paris Sisters (#33); A Hundred Pounds of Clay by Gene McDaniels (#35); Orange Blossom Special by Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (#36); Love or Money by the Blackwells (#37); Think Twice by Brook Benton (#38); Dedicated to the One I Love by the Shirelles (#39); and I Told You So by Jimmy Jones (#40).

On television tonight
The Roaring 20's, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Vamp

Diplomacy
John Diefenbaker began a three-day visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Dublin, Ireland, becoming the first Canadian Prime Minister to officially visit Ireland.

Americana
U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced that he had designated his brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver, as the director of the newly-formed Peace Corps, an agency created to send Americans abroad to help foreign countries meet their needs for manpower. Mr. Shriver, a Chicago business and civic leader, had directed the planning of the Peace Corps.

Economics and finance
West Germany increased the value of the mark by 5% to halt inflation and to defend the mark’s value. The revaluation was expected to ease pressure on the U.S. dollar, but West Germany denied that the mark’s revaluation had been urged by the United States.

Labour
Jean Marchand was elected president of the Canadian Confédération des syndicats nationaux (Confederation of National Trade Unions) (CSN), following the resignation of Roger Mathieu.

Boxing
Gene Fullmer (53-4-2) retained his National Boxing Association world middleweight title with a 15-round unanimous decision over former champion Sugar Ray Robinson (143-9-3) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The two had fought a 15-round draw in Los Angeles three months earlier. Mr. Fullmer had won the title from Mr. Robinson with a 15-round decision in January 1957, only to lose it to Mr. Robinson on a 5-round knockout in the rematch four months later.



40 years ago
1971


Hit parade
#1 single in France (IFOP): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (8th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (6th week at #1)

Married on this date
Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 52, and Margaret Sinclair, 22
. The Canadian Prime Minister surprised the country by marrying the daughter of James Sinclair, who had been Canada’s Minister of Fisheries in the Liberal Party government of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent from 1952-1957. 12 people attended the private ceremony at a church in North Vancouver. The bride’s relatives thought they were gathering for a family portrait, while the Prime Minister’s aides thought the couple were skiing.

Terrorism
Turkish leftist kidnapped four U.S. airmen and threatened to kill them unless they received a ransom of $400,000.

War
U.S. President Richard Nixon said in a press conference that U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam would "go forward at the present rate" and that the offensive in Laos that had begun on February 8 was going well. Meanwhile, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong delegates boycotted the Paris peace talks to protest U.S. bombing and what they said were U.S. "threats of war."

Boxing
Hiroshi Kobayashi (61-8-4) retained his World Boxing Association world super featherweight title with a unanimous 15-round decision over Ricardo Arredondo (54-5) at Nihon University Auditorium in Tokyo.



30 years ago
1981


Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Woman--John Lennon (2nd week at #1)
2 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
3 Turn Me Loose--Loverboy
4 A Little in Love--Cliff Richard
5 9 to 5--Dolly Parton
6 The Best of Times--Styx
7 Living in a Fantasy--Leo Sayer
8 The Tide is High--Blondie
9 Keep on Loving You--REO Speedwagon
10 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon

Singles entering the chart were Rapture by Blondie (#12); Just Between You and Me by April Wine (#15); and Fade Away by Bruce Springsteen (#20).

Died on this date
Karl-Jesko von Puttkamer, 80
. German military officer. Konteradmiral Puttkamer joined the Imperial German Navy in 1917 and served on two ships in World War I. He was the naval adjutant to Fuehrer Adolf Hitler during World War II, and was at Mr. Hitler's Berghof home in Bavaria, obeying the Fuehrer's order to destroy his private papers and belongings, when Mr. Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. Konteradmiral Puttkamer was arrested after the German surrender to Allied forces, and was in captivity until 1947. He died 20 days before his 81st birthday.

Torin Thatcher, 76. U.K. actor. Mr. Thatcher began his career on stage in 1927 and in movies in 1934, often playing flashy villains. His movies included Blackbeard the Pirate (1952); The Robe (1953); and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958). Mr. Thatcher moved to Hollywood in the 1950s, and died of cancer.

Labour
The Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled that Westroc Industries in Mississauga had the right to lock out employees in July.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 5 @ New York Rangers 5
Winnipeg 3 @ Montreal 9

Guy Lafleur scored his 1,000th career National Hockey League point for the Canadiens in their rout of the Jets at the Montreal Forum.



25 years ago
1986


Died on this date
Howard Greenfield, 49
. U.S. songwriter. Mr. Greenfield was known for his collaboration with Neil Sedaka. He wrote the lyrics to songs such as Love Will Keep Us Together.

World events
South African President P.W. Botha, speaking in parliament, announced that he would end the state of emergency that had been imposed on many black areas in July 1985. He said that violence in the areas had eased, although the daily death toll had risen in recent months. Mr. Botha also said that South Africa was prepared to implement a United Nations plan for the independence of Namibia, or South-West Africa, a territory controlled by South Africa over UN objections.

Scandal
The New York Times reported that Kurt Waldheim. United Nations Secretary-General from 1972-1982 and current Austrian presidential candidate, had been a member of a Nazi student union and the Nazi paramilitary organization known as the SA, or brownshirts. The Times said that Mr. Waldheim had served on the staff of General Alexander Loehr, an Austrian who had been executed as a war criminal in 1947.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had fallen 0.6% in January, but the decline was not seen as significant after December’s sharp increase.

20 years ago
1991


Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Oh! Yeah!/Love Story wa Totsuzen ni--Kazumasa Oda (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Bad Boys--Inner Circle

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams

War
Iraq began releasing allied prisoners of war. Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah returned to his country for the first time since Iraq's invasion.

10 years ago
2001


Died on this date
Harold Stassen, 93
. U.S. politician. Mr. Stassen, a Republican, was Governor of Minnesota (1939-1943), interrupting his career to serve with the U.S. Navy in World War II. He ran for the Republican Party U.S. presidential nomination nine times from 1944-1992, but didn't come close to winning after 1952, eventually becoming a national joke. Mr. Stassen was president of the American Baptist Convention in the 1960s, and was known for supporting Negro civil rights.

Jim Rhodes, 91. U.S. politician. Mr. Rhodes, a Republican, was a businessman before entering politics, holding various offices, including Mayor of Columbus (1944-1952), before serving four terms as Governor of Ohio (1963-1971, 1975-1983). He attracted notoriety in 1970 when he sent National Guard troops on to the campus of Kent State University, where, on May 4, they opened fire on protesters, killing four people and wounding nine.

Fred Lasswell, 84. U.S. cartoonist. Mr. Lasswell began apprenticing under Billy DeBeck on the comic strip Barney Google and Snuffy Smith in 1934, and took over the strip upon Mr. DeBeck;s death in 1942, writing and drawing it until he died in his sleep. He was awarded the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in 1963 as the year's outstanding cartoonist.

Terrorism
A bomb exploded outside the main news centre of the British Broadcasting Corporation in London. The bomb, said by police to be the work of an Irish dissident group called the Real IRA, killed no one, but a London Underground worker suffered deep cuts to one eye.

War
Three Macedonian soldiers were killed during fights with ethnic Albanian rebels.

Wednesday, 2 March 2011

March 3, 2011

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Sherry and Irishka!

180 years ago
1831


Born on this date
George Pullman
. U.S. engineer and businessman. Mr. Pullman, a native of Brocton, New York, moved to Chicago in 1857. He built his first Pullman sleeping car in 1864, founded the company bearing his name, and founded Pullman, Illinois as a company town in 1880. Mr. Pullman cut wages and increased working hours during an economic downturn in 1894, leading to a violent strike. In 1898, the Supreme Court of Illinois forced the Pullman Company to divest itself of the town of Pullman, which became part of Chicago. Mr. Pullman died of a heart attack on October 19, 1897 at the age of 66.

170 years ago
1841


Born on this date
John Murray
. Canadian-born U.K. oceanographer and naturalist. Sir John, a native of Coburg, Canada West, completed his education in Edinburgh, and remained in Scotland for the rest of his life. He participated in the Challenger Expedition (1872-1876) and a four-month expedition in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1910. Sir John was the first person to note the existence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and of oceanic trenches. He was killed in a car accident on March 16, 1914, 13 days after his 73rd birthday.

150 years ago
1861


Society
Czar Alexander II of Russia signed the Emancipation Manifesto, freeing serfs.

140 years ago
1871


Born on this date
Maurice Garin
. Italian-born French cyclist. Mr. Garin moved to France by his mid-teens and opened a cycle shop in Roubaix with his brothers in 1895. He won his first race in 1893, and won the first Tour de France in 1903. Mr. Garin won the 1904 Tour de France, a race that involved violence by spectators, and was suspended for two years, virtually ending his career. He ran a garage in Lens until his death, after years of dementia, on February 19, 1957, 21 days before his 86th birthday.

Canadiana The House of Commons approved British Columbia's terms to join Canada, negotiated by George-Etienne Cartier.

120 years ago
1891


Environment
Shoshone National Forest was established as the first national forest in the United States and the world.

110 years ago
1901


Died on this date
George Gilman, 74 or 75
. U.S. businessman. Mr. Gilman founded The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company--better known as A&P--in 1859. He retired in 1878, and died of nephritis. Mr. Gilman left no will, leading to a battle among his heirs.

Politics and government
Winston Churchill, Conservative member of the British House of Commons for Oldham, gave a speech at at Massey Hall in Toronto, recounting his adventures in the Boer War.

100 years ago
1911


Born on this date
Jean Harlow
. U.S. actress. Miss Harlow, born Harlean Harlow Carpenter, was one of the biggest stars of the 1930s, in movies such as Hell's Angels (1930); Platinum Blonde (1931); and Dinner at Eight (1933). She was most of the way through the filming of Saratoga (1937) when she collapsed on the set, and died of kidney failure nine days later, on June 7, 1937, at the age of 26.

Hugues Lapointe. Canadian politician. Mr. Lapointe, a native of Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, was the son of federal Liberal cabinet minister Ernest Lapointe, and followed his father into politics. Hugues represented the Quebec riding of Lotbinière (1940-1957), holding three cabinet posts. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (1966-1978), and died in Sainte-Foy, Quebec on November 13, 1982 at the age of 71.

90 years ago
1921


Medicine
University of Toronto doctors Frederick Banting and Charles Best officially announced their team's discovery of insulin.

80 years ago
1931


Americana
The Star Spangled Banner was officially adopted as America’s national anthem. While the song had been in common use since the War of 1812, it had never been the official national anthem. In 1929, the newspaper cartoon feature Ripley’s Believe it or Not! had published a cartoon with the title America has no national anthem!, which received so much reaction that it inspired legislative action.

80 years ago
1941


War
Japanese troops landed along 240 miles of the Kwangtung coast in southern China.

Diplomacy
The U.S.S.R. rebuked Bulgaria over allowing occupation by German troops. Turkey was reported to have "nullified" its non-aggression and friendship pact with Bulgaria.

Education
The executive council of the American Federation of Teachers reported that Local 5 of the New York teachers union followed the Communist Party line.

Music
Noted German conductor Otto Klemperer was released from jail in Morristown, New Jersey after being detained overnight following a Rye, New York police broadcast charging that he was "dangerous and insane." Mr. Klemperer was known to be manic-depressive.

Labour
U.S. Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson, testifying before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, urged that an agency similar to the National War Labor Board of 1918 be created to mediate labour disputes in defense industries.

60 years ago
1951


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): The Thing--Phil Harris; Les Welch

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): If--Perry Como (Best Seller--1st week at #1; Disc Jockey--1st week at #1; The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page (Jukebox--9th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Be My Love--Mario Lanza
2 If--Perry Como
3 My Heart Cries for You--Guy Mitchell
--Dinah Shore
--Vic Damone
--Jimmy Wakely
4 You’re Just in Love--Perry Como
5 The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Les Paul and Mary Ford
--Jo Stafford
6 The Roving Kind--Guy Mitchell
--The Weavers
7 So Long (It’s Been Good to Know You)--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra and the Weavers
8 A Penny a Kiss--Tony Martin and Dinah Shore
9 A Bushel and a Peck--Perry Como and Betty Hutton
--Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely
10 Harbor Lights--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby

Singles entering the chart were Mockin’ Bird Hill, with versions by Patti Page; and Les Paul and Mary Ford (#21); and Velvet Lips by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (#39).

Music
Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm recorded Rocket 88, often cited as "the first rock and roll record," at Sam Phillips' recording studios in Memphis. Jackie Brenston sang the vocal, and when the record was released on Chess Records, it was credited to Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats.



Politics and government
A nonpartisan Vietnamese cabinet with a narrow political base, headed by Prime Minister Tran Van Huu, took office in Saigon.

Horse racing
Moonrush, with Johnny Longden up, won the Santa Anita Handicap in Arcadia, California.

50 years ago
1961


On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: Mr. Dingle, the Strong, starring Burgess Meredith

Died on this date
Paul Wittgenstein, 73
. Austrian-born musician. Mr. Wittgenstein, the older brother Ludwig Wittgenstein, was a concert pianist who lost his right arm after being wounded in the elbow while fighting in World War I. He continued to play with his left hand, and commissioned works from numerous composers, most notably Concerto for the Left Hand by Maurice Ravel (1932). Mr. Wittgenstein had the habit of altering the works commissioned for him, which often resulted in strained relations with the composers. He moved to New York in 1941, and became an American citizen in 1946.

Space
A solid-fuelled four-stage Blue Scout II, known as the "poor man’s rocket" because it could be built for $500,000, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and carried a 172-pound package of instruments to an altitude of 1,580 miles. During its 40-minute flight, data on radiation and other scientific information were radioed back to Earth; the instruments were destroyed as planned as the rocket plunged into the atmosphere. The test proved that the Blue Scout was capable of its planned role of carrying U.S. Air Force satellites and space probes.

Economics and finance
Statistics revealed that Canada had 693,000 unemployed people. Geographically, their distribution was: 84,000 in the Atlantic provinces; 249,000 in Quebec; 202,000 in Ontario; 81,000 in the Prairies; and 77,000 in British Columbia. Quebec therefore accounted for 36% of unemployed Canadians. A few seasonal factors were at the root of this economic slowdown. For example, cold weather had slowed down the construction industry and related fields. It was generally young people aged 14 to 20, 16% of whom are unemployed, who formed the largest demographic of unemployed.

40 years ago
1971


Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (6th week at #1)

World events
The Apollo, the world's largest fishing boat, was seized, bringinging to eight the number of U.S. tuna boats seized by Ecuador since February 10, and 25 since the beginning of the year, on charges of fishing within Ecuadorian territorial waters. It was the second time the Apollo had been seized and the fine was $157,340. At the time of her seizure, the last member of the U.S. military mission had left Ecuador, having been ordered to leave in retaliation for U.S. suspensio of arms sales because of Ecuador's seizure of the tuna boats.

30 years ago
1981


Space
Astronomers at the Lick Observatory in California reported that they had discovered a galaxy estimated to be 10 billion light years away. The furthest galaxy previously detected was 8 billion light years away. The new galaxy had been observed for a total of 40 hours over a period of three years. Over the same time, three other galaxies were observed that were almost as distant from Earth.

Defense
U.S. President Ronald Reagan asserted that there was no likelihood that U.S. armed forces would be sent to El Salvador.

25 years ago
1986


Canadiana
Lisa Sawka, representing Winnipeg, was chosen Miss Teen Canada 1986 at the annual pageant in Toronto, which was televised on CTV.

Crime
The U.S. President’s Commission on Organized Crime issued its first in a series of reports, this one dealing with drug trafficking said to be "the most serious problem presented by organized crime." The government estimated that 20 million Americans used marijuana at least once per month; 500,000 used heroin; and 5-6 million used cocaine at least once per month. The commission recommended prosecution for even small amounts of drugs; required courses in schools warning against drugs; and military participation in the defense against smugglers. Its most controversial proposal was that most working Americans be tested for drug use. Some organizations denounced that as an invasion of privacy, but U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese argued that an employee would consent to drug testing as a condition of employment. Advocates of testing said that even off-duty usage of drugs would reduce an employee’s efficiency; increase absenteeism; and add to the employer’s health program costs.

The Philippines government of President Corazon Aquino initiated legal action in Hawaii to recover assets illegally taken to Hawaii by departed former President Ferdinand Marcos and his entourage when they had fled the Philippines the previous week.

Disasters
Astronaut Harry Hartsfield, commander of two U.S. space shuttle missions, said he was angry that he had not known that the seals used in connecting the segments of the rocket "had been causing trouble for some time" before the January 28 Challenger explosion that had killed all 7 aboard.

20 years ago
1991


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers (5th week at #1)
2 Hello Afrika--Dr. Alban featuring Leila K.
3 Sadeness Part I--Enigma
4 Keep on Running--Milli Vanilli
5 Fantasy--Black Box
6 Kränk di net--Jazz Gitti & her Disco Killers
7 To Love Somebody--Jimmy Somerville
8 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C & C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
9 Don't Worry--Kim Appleby
10 A Better Love--Londonbeat

Singles entering the chart were Sucker DJ (A Witch for Love) by Dimples D (#16); 3 A.M. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.) by the KLF (#17); Mercy Mercy Me/I Want You by Robert Palmer (#20); and Cry for Help by Rick Astley (#27).

Died on this date
Arthur Murray, 95
. Austro-Hungarian-born U.S. dance instructor. Mr. Murray, born Moses Teichman, immigrated to the United States in 1897, and began teaching ballroom dancing while still a teenager. In the 1920s he began the business that eventually became the dance studio franchise that bears his name.

Music
The Juno Awards for 1990, recognizing the best in recorded music in Canada, were presented in Vancouver. The winners included: Céline Dion --Best Album and Best Female Vocalist; George Fox--Best Male Country Vocalist; Colin James--Best Single and Top Male Vocalist; Rita McNeil--Best Female Country Vocalist; Prairie Oyster--Best Country Group; Blue Rodeo--Best Group; and the Tragically Hip--Entertainer of the Year.

World events
74% of voters in Latvia and 83% in Estonia voted in favour of independence from the U.S.S.R. in non-binding plebiscites. The results were considered more significant than the February pro-independence vote in Lithuania because Estonia and Latvia had substantial minority populations--mainly ethnic Russians--who had been thought to be loyal to the Soviet central government.

War
Iraq agreed to "fulfill its obligations," while allied and Iraqi commanders met to arrange a cease-fire in the Gulf War. U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf said that allied forces, which controlled about 20% of Iraq, would pull back upon the signing of a cease-fire.

Crime
Los Angeles resident George Holliday videotaped the last two minutes of an incident from his window that showed police beating Rodney King, a Negro who had been stopped while driving his car and forced to lie on the pavement. The tape was shown on local, national, and international television, prompting outrage from civil rights groups. No charges were filed against Mr. King, but he remained hospitalized with skull fractures, a broken leg, an injured eye, and other injuries. Another man who was with Mr. King was arrested and placed in the police car without violence, but the videotape didn't show that, nor did the tape show Mr. King resisting arrest before the police began beating him.



Disasters
United Airlines Flight 585, a Boeing 737-200 jetliner en route from Denver to Colorado Springs, crashed on approach into Colorado Springs, killing all 25 passengers and crew.

10 years ago
2001


Died on this date
Louis Edmonds, 77
. U.S. actor. Mr. Edmonds was best known for playing several characters in the television soap opera Dark Shadows (1966-1971) and playing Langley Wallingford/Lenny Wlasuk in the soap opera All My Children (1979-1992). He died of respiratory failure.

Weather
It was so nice in Edmonton that this blogger wore shorts outside.

Politics and government
Bernard Landry was formally named leader of the Parti Québecois, succeeding Lucien Bouchard, who had resigned. Mr. Landy succeeded Mr. Bouchard as Premier of Québec on March 8.

Health
Two farms in France and Belgium were quarantined because it was feared that they harboured foot-and-mouth disease.

Disasters
At least 70 people perished when a bridge over the Doura River in Portugal collapsed, sending a tour bus and three cars into the water. Portuguese Minister of Public Works Jorge Coelho resigned after the disaster.

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

March 2, 2011

220 years ago
1791


Died on this date
John Wesley, 87
. English theologian. Rev. Wesley was an Anglican minister who, with his brother Charles and George Whitefield, founded the evangelical movement known as Methodism. John Wesley believed that it was possible for Christians to achieve sinless perfection in this life, but never believed that he had achieved such perfection. The Holiness movement, which came along in later years and was influenced by Mr. Wesley, started to go astray when some of its adherents claimed to achieved sinless perfection. John and Charles Wesley also composed numerous hymns.

Communications
Claude Chappe and his brothers sent the message “si vous réussissez, vous serez bientôt couverts de gloire” (If you succeed, you will soon bask in glory) between Brulon and Parce, a distance of 16 kilometres (9.9 miles), marking the introduction of the semaphore line.

200 years ago
1811


War
A royalist fleet defeated a small flotilla of revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate in the Argentine War of Independence.

175 years ago
1836

Americana

Texas declared its independence from Mexico.


110 years ago
1901


Politics and government
The U.S. Congress passed the Platt Amendment as part of the 1901 Army Appropriations Bill, limiting the autonomy of Cuba as a condition of the withdrawal of American troops.

Transportation
The government of Ontario started a $1-million highways program.

Business
United States Steel Corporation was founded as a result of a merger between Carnegie Steel Company and Federal Steel Company which became the first corporation in the world with a market capital over $1 billion.

90 years ago
1921


Died on this date
Champ Clark, 70
. U.S. politician. Mr. Clark, a Democrat, represented Missouri's 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives (1893-1895, 1897-1921), serving as House Minority Leader (1909-1911) and Speaker (1911-1921). In 1911, Mr. Clark delivered a speech suggesting that the recent Canadian–American Reciprocity Treaty would lead to the incorporation of Canada into the United States; he thus inadvertently helped to defeat the treaty, and influence the outcome of that year's Canadian federal election. Mr. Clark ran for the Democratic Party U.S. presidential nomination in 1912 and had a majority of delegates at the party convention, but was unable to secure the two-thirds needed to capture the nomination, and lost to Woodrow Wilson, who went on to win the election. Mr. Clark supported most of Mr. Wilson's legislation, but opposed the creation of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913, and split the party when he opposed American entry into World War I in 1917. Mr. Clark was defeated in the 1920 congressional election, and died five days before his 71st birthday, and two days before the expiration of his term in office.

80 years ago
1931


On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Blanched Soldier

70 years ago
1941


On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Speckled Band

War
Advance units of the German Wehrmacht reached the Greek border through Bulgaria. British shipping losses for the previous week totalled 29 ships and 148,038 tons, the third highest for any week of the European war.

Diplomacy
U.K. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden arrived in Athens to confer with Greek leaders.

French Ambassador to Japan Charles Arsene-Henry indicated that the Vichy regime accepted virtually all of the Japanese demands for the cession of Indochinese territory to Thailand.

Science
Drs. Emilio Segre and Gleen Seaborg announced that they had split uranium and thorium into equal parts, using the University of California's cyclotron.

Society
After the Delaware state legislature refused to abolish Sunday blue laws, Delaware Attorney General James Morford ordered the arrest of every person violating them, in order to prove that the laws were unenforceable.

Sport
Torger Tokle won the U.S. national ski-jumping championship on Olympian Hill near Hyak, Washington, with a 288-foot jump, breaking the North American record by 31 feet.

60 years ago
1951


On the radio
Hear it Now, hosted by Edward R. Murrow, on CBS

Tonight's program included news about congressional hearings on various subjects, including organized crime.

At the movies
Native Son, directed and co-written by Pierre Chenal, based on the novel by Richard Wright, and co-written and starring Mr. Wright, opened in theatres in Argentina.





War
The Department of National Defence published the first Canadian casualty list from Korea, with six soldiers killed.

Diplomacy
Veteran U.S. diplomat John Carter Vincent, accused by Senator Joe McCarthy (Republican--Wisconsin) of advocating appeasement in the Far East, was shifted from his post as minister to Switzerland to become chief of the U.S. mission in Tangier, Morocco.

Journalism
Washington Post columnist Drew Pearson sued Sen. McCarthy, broadcaster Fulton Lewis, syndicated columnist Westbrook Pegler, and the Washington Times-Herald for $3.6 million in damages as a result of his fight with Sen. McCarthy at the Sulgrave Club in Washington on December 12, 1950.

Labour
The Chilean Army took control of Antofagasta Province to quell disorders arising from a strike of white collar workers. The government charged that Communists were exploiting the strikes.

Basketball
NBA
All-Star Game @ Boston Garden
East 110 West 94

Ed Macauley of the hometown Celtics led all scorers with 20 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, added an assist, and was named the game's most valuable player in helping the Eastern Conference win before 10,094 fans in the first National Basketball Association All-Star Game. The game was created by Boston Celtics’ founder Walter Brown and NBA publicist Haskell Cohen.



50 years ago
1961


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade): Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Walk Right Back/Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers

Defense
Evacuation of French regular military forces from bases in Morocco was completed in accordance with a 1960 agreement between the countries.

Disasters
22 miners were killed in a coal mine explosion at Terre Haute, Indiana.

Curling
The Joyce McKee rink of Saskatoon won the first National Canadian Women's Bonspiel.

40 years ago
1971


Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Kvällstoppen): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Butterfly--Danyel Gérard (2nd week at #1)

Politics and government
The non-socialist Norwegian government of Prime Minister Per Borten resigned after Mr. Borten admitted showing a confidential report on European Common Market negotiations to opponents of Norway’s membership.

Crime
Tony Boyle, president of the U.S. United Mine Workers of America, was indicted on charges of conspiracy, embezzlement, and making a total of $49,250 in illegal political contributions from the union’s treasury. Named in the indictment with him were UMW secretary-treasurer John Owens, as well as James Kmetz, director of Labor’s Non-Partisan League, described in the indictment as the union’s "political arm." A "Salute to [U.S. Senator Hubert] Humphrey" dinner was named as a major recipient of the alleged political contributions.

Terrorism
American agronomist Claude Fly, held captive for nearly seven months by Tupamaro guerrillas in Uruguay, was left on the doorstep of the British hospital in Montevideo after suffering a heart attack.

Transportation
The Canadian Transport Commission ordered Canadian National Railways to continue the Super Continental passenger service despite financial losses.

Boxing
Bob Foster (42-5) retained his World Boxing Council light heavyweight title with a knockout of Hal "TNT" Carroll (25-5) at 2:32 of the 4th round at the Catholic Youth Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Hockey
NHL
The Detroit Red Wings traded defenceman Dale Rolfe to the New York Rangers for left wing Jim Krulicki. Mr. Rolfe had 3 goals and 9 assists in 44 games with Detroit in 1970-71, while Mr. Krulicki had no goals and 2 assists in 27 games with New York in 1970-71.

30 years ago
1981


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Counting the Beat--The Swingers

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Cherry Blossom--Seiko Matsuda (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): What's in a Kiss--Gilbert O'Sullivan (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Angel of Mine--Frank Duval & Orchestra (5th week at #1)

Terrorism
Three political dissidents, carrying what appeared to be hand grenades, hijacked a Pakistani jetliner with 117 people aboard and forced it to land in Kabul, Afghanistan. The hijackers demanded the release of 90 Pakistanis being held in Karachi as political prisoners.

Politics and government
Concerned that the British Labour Party was becoming too left-wing, 12 Labour members of Parliament resigned from the party and announced that they would form a new party, to be called the Social Democrats. The new party immediately became the third-highest contingent in the House of Commons, ahead of the 11-member Liberal Party caucus.

Defense
The U.S. State Department announced that it would expand military assistance to El Salvador by sending 20 additional military advisers and $25 million in military equipment to the government of President Jose Napoleon Duarte.

25 years ago
1986


Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: West End Girls--Pet Shop Boys (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Jeanny--Falco (7th week at #1)

20 years ago
1991


Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): I've Been Thinking About You--Londonbeat (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Sadeness Part I--Enigma (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Sadeness Part I--Enigma (6th week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): 3 A.M. Eternal--The KLF

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Wicked Game--Chris Isaak (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Sadeness Part I--Enigma (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (CIN): Do the Bartman--The Simpsons (3rd week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Crazy--Seal (2nd week at #1)
2 Knockin' Boots--Candyman
3 Liefde Voor Muziek--Raymond v/h Groenewoud
4 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C&C Music Factory
5 Because I Love You (The Postman Song)--Stevie B.
6 Wicked Game--Chris Isaak
7 Innuendo--Queen
8 Can't Help Myself--2 Brothers On The 4th Floor & Da Smooth Baron MC
9 Love Let Love--Tony Scott
10 3 A.M. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.)--The KLF

Singles entering the chart were Heal the Pain by George Michael (#24); No Woman No Cry by Londonbeat (#27); Papa by Stef Bos (#28); My Side of the Bed by Susanna Hoffs (#33); Satisfaction by M.C. Juice (#35); I Believe by EMF (#37); and Think by Information Society (#39).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 All the Man that I Need--Whitney Houston (2nd week at #1)
2 Someday--Mariah Carey
3 One More Try--Timmy -T-
4 Where Does My Heart Beat Now--Celine Dion
5 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
6 Wicked Game--Chris Isaak
7 Show Me the Way--Styx
8 All This Time--Sting
9 Around the Way Girl--LL Cool J
10 Coming Out of the Dark--Gloria Estefan

Singles entering the chart were Rescue Me by Madonna (#15); Touch Me (All Night Long) by Cathy Dennis (#78); Here We Go by C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams (#82); In Your Arms by Little Caesar (#89); That's Why by the Party (#96); and Made Up My Mind by SaFire (#98).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 All the Man that I Need--Whitney Houston (2nd week at #1)
2 One More Try--Timmy -T-
3 Someday--Mariah Carey
4 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
5 Where Does My Heart Beat Now--Celine Dion
6 The First Time--Surface
7 Show Me the Way--Styx
8 All This Time--Sting
9 Coming Out of the Dark--Gloria Estefan
10 Disappear--INXS

Singles entering the chart were Rescue Me by Madonna (#20); Joyride by Roxette (#52); Don't Treat Me Bad by Firehouse (#83); Stone Cold Gentleman by Ralph Tresvant (#84); I Love You by Vanilla Ice (introducing Riff) (#87); All True Man by Alexander O'Neal (#88); Call it Rock N' Roll by Great White (#89); and Touch Me (All Night Long) by Cathy Dennis (#90).

Canada’s Top 10 (RPM)
1 All the Man that I Need--Whitney Houston
2 All This Time--Sting
3 Wicked Game--Chris Isaak
4 Show Me the Way--Styx
5 Someday--Mariah Carey
6 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
7 Waiting for Love--Alias
8 Disappear--INXS
9 How Long Can a Man Be Strong--The Jeff Healey Band
10 Don’t Hold Back Your Love--Daryl Hall John Oates

Singles entering the chart were I’ve Been Thinking About You by Londonbeat (#67); Just the Way it Is, Baby by the Rembrandts (#77); The Modern Age by Murray McLauchlan (#83); How Much is Enough by the Fixx (#86); This House by Tracie Spencer (#91); Proof by Paul Simon (#95); That's the Way by Jack de Keyser (#96); Being Boring by Pet Shop Boys (#97); and Taken the Pain by Haywire (#99).

Died on this date
Serge Gainsbourg, 62
. French musician and actor. Mr. Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg, was a pianist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the most influential figures in French popular music from the late 1950s until his death from a heart attack. His songs often dealt with sexual themes. Mr. Gainsbourg appeared in about 50 movies.

Terrorism
At least 19 people, including Sri Lanka's Deputy Defence Minister, Ranjan Wijeratne, were killed in a car bomb explosion in the capital city of Colombo. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), better known as the Tamil Tigers, were suspected of planting the bomb in a parked car.

War
The United Nations Security Council approved terms governing the end of hostilities with Iraq. Iraq was requested to rescind its annexation of Kuwait; release all prisoners of war; return all Kuwaiti property; and end all military action.

Hockey
NHL
Montreal 3 @ Edmonton 1

10 years ago
2001


World events
The Taliban began destroying Buddhist statues in Afghanistan.

Politics and government
Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, regarded as a hawk on Middle East issues, was chosen by the Labour Party, now a partner in the prospective coalition government under Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon, as Israel’s new defense minister.