February 4, 2021

1,810 years ago
211

Died on this date
Septimius Severus, 55. Emperor of the Roman Empire, 193-211. Septimius Severus, a native of Africa, advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, and seized power after the death of Emperor Pertinax during the Year of the Five Emperors, killing incumbent Emperor Didius Julianus. He achieved military success, enlarging the borders of the Empire. Emperor Severus travelled to Britain in 208, strengthening Hadrian's Wall, reoccupying the Antonine Wall, and invading Caledona (Scotland). He fell fatally ill with an infectious disease late in 210. Severus was succeeded by his sons Caracalla and Geta, beginning the Severan dynasty.

220 years ago
1801

Law
John Marshall was sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States; he replaced Oliver Ellsworth, who had resigned on December 15, 1800.

160 years ago
1861

Politics and government
Delegates from the southern states that had voted to secede from the Union--South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana--met in Montgomery, Alabama and organized a provisional government for the Confederate States of America. Texas had also voted to secede, but their delegates were delayed in arriving.

150 years ago
1871

Born on this date
Friedrich Ebert. Chancellor of Germany, 1918-1919; 1st President of Germany, 1919-1925. Mr. Ebert, leader of the Social Democratic Party, became Chancellor as Kaiser Wilhelm II was fleeing for the Netherlands, and took office as provisional President on February 11, 1919, and retained the position after the new constitution came into effect in August 1919. He cooperated with nationalist groups in suppressing worker uprisings, which made him a figure of controversy. Mr. Ebert died of septic shock after an emergency appendectomy on February 28, 1925, 24 days after his 54th birthday.

140 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Eulalio Gutiérrez Ortiz. President of Mexico, 1914-1915. Mr. Gutiérrez was a general from Coahuila in the Mexican Revolution, and was elected President by the Aguascalientes Convention after the ouster of President Victoriano Huerta. President Gutiérrez moved the capital from Mexico City to San Luis Potosi, but he was unsuccessful in attempting to control the two main generals of the revolution, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. Mr. Gutiérrez resigned as President and made peace with the revolution's "Primer Jefe" ("First Chief"), Venustiano Carranza. Mr. Gutiérrez went into exile in the United States, but returned to Mexico in 1920, and was elected Senator and Governor of Coahuila in 1928. He supported the rebellion of José Gonzalo Escobar in 1929, but was forced into exile in San Antonio, Texas when the rebellion failed. Mr. Gutiérrez returned to Mexico again in 1935, and died in Saltillo on August 12, 1939 at the age of 58.

130 years ago
1891

Died on this date
Pelagio Antonio de Labastida y Dávalos, 74. Mexican clergyman. Rev. Labastida, known for his conservative views, was named Roman Catholic Bishop of Puebla in 1855. When Liberals returned to power in Mexico in 1857, Rev. Labastida went into exile in Europe. He was recalled to Mexico in 1859 after Conservatives regained power, but was later exiled to Europe again. Rev. Labastida met Archduke Maximilian of Austria in 1862, and in 1863 visited Pope Pius IX, who appointed him Archbishop of Mexico. After French forces invaded Mexico in 1862 and a Council of Notables was convened in 1863 to discuss the founding of an empire, Archbishop Labastida proposed that Maximilian should be made Emperor, and was named by the Council of Notables to the Regency of the Empire prior to Maximilian's acceptance of the offer. Archbishop Labastida was removed from the Council of Notables in November 1863 because of differences with French commander François Achille Bazaine, and returned to Euope after the triumph of the Republic in 1867, but without resigning his office. Archbishop Labastida attended the First Vatican Council (1870-1871), and was permitted by Mexican President Benito Juarez to return to the country, which he did.

125 years ago
1896

Born on this date
Friedrich Glauser. Austro-Hungarian-born Swiss author. Mr. Glauser, a native of Vienna, moved to Switzerland with his family in 1910, and served in the French Foreign Legion from 1921-1923. He was best known for the Sergeant Studer series of detective novels in the 1930s, which made references to current European history. Mr. Glauser was a morphine and opium addict for most of his life, and died of a stroke on December 8, 1938 at the age of 42.

120 years ago
1901

Popular culture
Québec City revived its Winter Carnival.

100 years ago
1921

Born on this date
Betty Friedan. U.S. author and feminist activist. Mrs. Friedan, born Betty Goldstein, was the author of The Feminine Mystique (1963); co-founded in 1966 and served as the first president of the National Orgnization for Women (NOW); and was responsible more than anyone else for creating the modern feminist movement and its associated evils. She provided ample evidence for Rush Limbaugh's statement that the feminist movement was created to give unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society. Mrs. Friedan died on February 4, 2006, her 85th birthday.

Economics and finance
Germans of all classes were united in rejecting Allied demands for $55 billion in Great War reparations.

80 years ago
1941

War
Japanese troops made a surprise landing in the Chinese province of Kwantung in an effort to cut supply lines into free China.

Defense
U.S. Army General Robert E. Wood, acting chairman of the America First Committee, claimed the the United Kingdom had enough assets in the United States to finance war orders for another 12-18 months.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the extension of the export licensing system to the U.S.S.R. in an effort to prevent shipments from reaching Germany through Russia.

Popular culture
The United Service Organizations (USO) was incorporated in New York to provide recreational opportunities for U.S. armed forces personnel on leave.

75 years ago
1946

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Symphony--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra with Clyde Rogers (3rd week at #1)
--Bing Crosby
--Jo Stafford
--Benny Goodman and his Orchestra
2 Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra with Vaughn Monroe and the Norton Sisters
--Woody Herman and his Orchestra
3 I Can't Begin to Tell You--Bing Crosby with Carmen Cavallaro
--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Andy Russell
4 It Might as Well Be Spring--Dick Haymes
--Paul Weston and his Orchestra with Margaret Whiting
--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
5 Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief--Betty Hutton
6 Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba)--Perry Como and the Satisfyers
7 Chickery Chick--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra with Nancy Norman, Billy Williams and the Kaye Choir
--Evelyn Knight and the Jesters
8 Personality--Johnny Mercer
9 Waitin' for the Train to Come In--Peggy Lee
--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Johnny Long and his Orchestra and Dick Robertson
10 It's Been a Long Long Time--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby with Les Paul and his Trio
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
--Stan Kenton and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were the version of Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! by Woody Herman and his Orchestra; Slowly, with versions by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra and Dick Haymes (#14); Money is the Root of All Evil (Take it Away, Take it Away, Take it Away) by the Andrews Sisters and Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (#17); One More Dream (And She's Mine) by Johnnie Johnston (#32); Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin', with versions by Stan Kenton and his Orchestra, and the Delta Rhythm Boys (#33); Everyone Knew But Me, with versions by Helen Forrest with Les Paul and his Trio, and Louis Prima and his Orchestra (#37); All I Owe Ioway by Dick Haymes (#38); 9:20 Special by Harry James and his Orchestra (#39); and Warsaw Concerto by Carmen Cavallaro and his Orchestra (#42). One More Dream (And She's Mine) was the other side of As Long as I Live, charting at #28 with the version by Frankie Carle and his Orchestra. The version of Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin' by Stan Kenton and his Orchestra was the other side of Artistry Jumps, charting at #25.

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Indiscretion of Mr. Edwards

Theatre
Born Yesterday, starring Judy Holliday, Paul Douglas, and Gary Merrill, opened at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway in New York.

War
Testimony at the trial in Nuremberg of accused Nazi war criminals revealed that German counter-intelligence chief Admiral Wilhelm Canaris had refused to carry out General Keitel's orders to seize and immobilize the French fleet six months before the Allied landing in north Africa. In other testimony, Belgian professor Dr. Leon van der Essen claimed that two German batteries had destroyed the famous University of Louvain library in May 1940, an incident the Nazis had later tried to blame on Britain. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the legality of the U.S. military tribunal which had sentenced Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita to death.

Diplomacy
The Argentine Foreign Office informed the United States that it had no evidence to substantiate Argentine presidential candidate Juan Peron's claim that the U.S. embassy had engaged in arms smuggling.

Defense
The U.S. War, Navy, and State Departments announced the organization of a college for high-ranking officials in Washington to emphasize problems of national security.

Economics and finance
Argentina reported its ratification of the Bretton Woods agreement.

Labour
About 3,500 tugboat workers of the American Federation of Labor International Longshoremen's Association went on strike in New York for a 40-hour work week.

70 years ago
1951

Theatre
The Rose Tattoo, written by Tennessee Williams, directed by Daniel Mann, and starring Maureen Stapleton, Phyllis Love, and Eli Wallach, opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway in New York.

Agriculture
Italian Agriculture Minister Antonio Segni disclosed details of the government's land reform program, involving distribution of 3.75 million acres to peasants between mid-1951 and 1953.

Labour
The U.S.S.R. said that the World Federation of Trade Unions would move its international headquarters from Paris to Warsaw.

Health
The Soviet Health Ministry publication Medical Worker reported that the oldest man in the U.S.S.R. ad probably the world was Masmir Kiut, 154, a Caucasian peasant.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra

#1 single in Italy: What a Sky (Su nel cielo)--Nico Fidenco (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ramona--Blue Diamonds (6th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (Dutch Top 40): Save the Last Dance for Me--The Drifters (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Will You Love Me Tomorrow--The Shirelles (2nd week at #1)
2 Calcutta--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra
3 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher
--[Mantovani & his Orchestra]
4 Shop Around--The Miracles
5 Wonderland By Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
--[Louis Prima]
--[Anita Bryant]
6 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
7 Angel Baby--Rosie and the Originals
8 Emotions--Brenda Lee
9 Are You Lonesome To-Night?--Elvis Presley
10 Rubber Ball--Bobby Vee

Singles entering the chart were Ebony Eyes (#65)/Walk Right Back (#89) by the Everly Brothers; Dedicated to the One I Love by the Shirelles (#77); Little Boy Sad by Johnny Burnette (#85); Ginnie Bell by Paul Dino (#88); The Watusi by the Vibrations (#95); Stayin’ In by Bobby Vee (#97); You're the Boss by Lavern Baker & Jimmy Ricks (#98); I Remember by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs (#99); Ram-Bunk-Shush by the Ventures (#100); Close Together by Jimmy Reed (also #100); and Ja-Da by Johnny and the Hurricanes (also #100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Baby Sittin' Boogie--Buzz Clifford (2nd week at #1)
2 Shop Around--The Miracles
3 Oh Joan--The Beau-Marks
4 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers
5 Apache--Jorgen Ingmann and his Guitar
6 Take Time Out--Carl Dobkins, Jr.
7 Emotions--Brenda Lee
8 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
9 Corinna, Corinna--Ray Peterson
10 Calcutta--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were Havin' Fun by Dion (#37); Pony Time by Chubby Checker (#40); Dream Boy by Annette with the Afterbeats (#43); Tomorrow by the Shirelles (#44); Model Girl by Johnny Maestro (#46); A Scottish Soldier (Green Hills of Tyrol) by Andy Stewart (#47); More than I Can Say by Bobby Vee (#49); and At Last by Etta James (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Baby Sittin' Boogie--Buzz Clifford
2 Ebony Eyes--The Everly Brothers
3 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
4 Emotions--Brenda Lee
5 Wheels--The String-A-Longs
6 Where the Boys Are--Connie Francis
7 Shop Around--The Miracles
8 Corinna, Corinna--Ray Peterson
9 Wings of a Dove--Paul Clayton
10 Calcutta--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were A Scottish Soldier (Green Hills of Tyrol) by Andy Stewart (#24); The Touchables by Dickie Goodman (#28); There's a Moon Out Tonight by the Capris (#33); Little Boy Sad by Johnny Burnette (#34); Pony Time by Chubby Checker (#37); Little Sad Eyes by the Castells (#39); and Top Forty, News, Weather and Sports by Mark Dinning (#40). The Touchables was a "break-in" record, a comedy record featuring excerpts from recent hits.

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched Sputnik 7, whose purpose was to test life-support systems. The satellite weighed 14,292 pounds, making it the heaviest object yet sent into orbit by man. The Soviet announcement said that the satellite had been sent aloft by an "improved, multi-stage rocket." It was indicated that the project was aimed at testing the power of Soviet propulsion systems and increasing the weight of objects hurled into space as part of the Soviet plan to put a man into orbit. Sputnik 7 went into an orbit ranging from 138-203 miles above the Earth.



On television tonight
The Roaring 20's, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Two a Day

War
The Angolan War of Independence and the greater Portuguese Colonial War began.

World events
The Cuban government of Fidel Castro seized the company that supplied water to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but the water supply, sent to the naval base through an aqueduct of the Yateras Water Company, was not immediately affected. It was said that the government seized the company because its owners, members of the families that owned the Bacardi rum concern, had fled Cuba. The U.S. State Department said that the Navy had prepared for an emergency by developing a de-salting plant, adding reservoir capacity, and keeping water tankers stationed in the Caribbean Sea.

Terrorism
The drama that had begun on January 22 when pirates led by former Portuguese army captain Hecor Galvao hijacked the Portuguese cruise ship Santa Maria and held almost 1,000 people hostage in the Atlantic Ocean ended when Brazil returned the ship, at the request of the Portuguese government, to the Colonial Navigation Company of Lisbon. The crew and passengers had been debarked at Recife two days earlier, and Mr. Galvao and his 29 followers had been given asylum by Brazil.

Medicine
The journal Radiation Research published A Direct Measurement of the Radiation Sensitivity of Normal Mouse Bone Marrow Cells by Canadian Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch, their groundbreaking work proving the existence of stem cells in the blood, able to differentiate themselves into red or white cells or platelets.

Boxing
Joey Archer (30-0) won a 10-round majority decision over Don Fullmer (25-4-1) in a middleweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York. On the undercard, Wilf Greaves (33-16-1) of Edmonton won an 8-round majority decision over Obdulio Nunez (15-3) in another middleweight bout.

50 years ago
1971

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

War
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat agreed to extend the Middle East cease-fire for 30 days, but at the same time proposed that Israel should pull back its troops, and that Egypt would then begin clearing the Suez Canal for navigation.

Business
Rolls-Royce Ltd., the U.K.’s 14th-largest industrial firm, collapsed into receivership. The crash was attributed to a two-year deal with Lockheed Aircraft Corp. for 540 engines for its new triStar jet airbus at a fixed price of US$840,000. The actual cost of each engine rose to more than $1 million, putting the company over the brink. Rolls-Royce supplied engines for 110 airlines and 32 air forces. The motor car division, which accounted for only 5% of the firm, was due to be sold, while the British government of Prime Minister Edward Heath slated nationalization of the division held to be vital to national defense.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon (9th week at #1)
2 The Tide is High--Blondie
3 Looking for Clues--Robert Palmer
4 9 to 5--Dolly Parton
5 I Love a Rainy Night--Eddie Rabbitt
6 Celebration--Kool & The Gang
7 Turn Me Loose--Loverboy
8 De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da--The Police
9 The Winner Takes it All--ABBA
10 Passion--Rod Stewart

Singles entering the chart were Stealin' the Night by J.C. Stone (#18); I Ain't Gonna Stand for It by Stevie Wonder (#19); and Treat Me Right by Pat Benatar (#20).

World events
Iran released Mohi Sobhani, one of three Americans still being held in Iran.

Energy
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget announced that President Ronald Reagan intended to eliminate five large synthetic fuel development projects and to slash federal support to Synthetic Fuels Corporation by about 1/3, or $5.3 billion.

Oil
Exxon, Texaco, and Shell announced price increases averaging 9c per gallon on heating oil.

Hockey
NHL
Edmonton 3 @ Chicago 6

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Ai wa Katsu--(愛は勝つ)--Kan (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter--Iron Maiden

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Beinhart--Torfrock (2nd week at #1)

War
Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani made a surprise offer to hold peace talks directly with Iraq and the United States.

Economics and finance
U.S. President George Bush presented a $1.446-trillion budget to Congress for the 1992 fiscal year. The deficit was forecast at $280.9 billion, the second-highest ever. The figures reflected neither the full cost of the Gulf War nor of the savings and loan bailout.

Football
CFL
The Edmonton Eskimos named Ron Lancaster as their head coach, replacing the departed Joe Faragalli. "The Little General" had a 19-year Hall of Fame career as a quarterback with the Ottawa Rough Riders (1960-1962) and the Saskatchewan Rough Riders (1963-1978) before serving as the Roughriders' head coach in 1979-1980. After compiling a record of just 4 wins and 28 losses, Mr. Lancaster was let go by the Roughriders, but joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where he was an outstanding colour commentator on telecasts of CFL games from 1981-1990.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): How Bizarre--OMC (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (9th week at #1)

#1 single in Scotland (OCC): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (3rd week at #1)

Weather
A major snowstorm paralyzed the midwestern United States. Milwaukee tied its record low temperature at −26° F (−32.2° C).

Football
NFL
Pro Bowl @ Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
NFC 15 AFC 11

The National Football Conference scored 3 points in the 1st quarter and 17 in the 2nd as they held on to defeat the American Football Conference before 50,034 fans. Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers caught 6 passes for 82 yards and was named the game's most valuable player.

20 years ago
2001

Terrorism
Canadian Bill Sampson, who had been working in Riyadh for a Saudi government agency, and two other men--a Briton and a Belgian--appeared on television in Saudi Arabia and explained how they carried out two bombings in Riyadh in November 2000, which had killed one Briton and injured four others. If sentenced according to Sharia law, the men risked execution by beheading.

Football
NFL
Pro Bowl @ Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
AFC 38 NFC 17

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Martial Célestin, 97. Prime Minister of Haiti, 1988. Mr. Célestin was Haitian Ambassador to France (1953-1956), but his career suffered under the dictatorships of Presidents François (1957-1971) and Jean Claude (1971-1986) Duvalier. Mr. Célestin became a law professor, and was named Prime Minister by President Leslie Manigat on February 9, 1988, and took office as Justice Minister three days later. He was deposed on June 20, 1988 in the coup led by Henri Namphy that also deposed Mr. Manigat, and returned to his position as a law professor, retiring in 2005.

February 3, 2021

860 years ago
1161

Died on this date
Inge I, 24 or 25. King of Norway, 1136-1161. Inge I, nicknamed "Inge the Hunchback," acceded to the throne upon the murder of his father Harald IV by Sigurd Slembe, a pretender to the throne. Inge became a hunchback after being dropped during infancy, and was unable to walk unaided. He was an illegitimate son of King Harald, and the kingdom was divided among Inge and Harald's three legitimate sons. Inge was the last remaining brother, but was killed in battle against the forces of King Haakon the Broadshouldered, a son of Siburd Slembe. King Inge was succeeded by Haakon II and Magnus V.

570 years ago
1451

Died on this date
Murad II, 46. Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, 1421-1444, 1446-1451. Murad II acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Mehmed I. Murad II achieved military and economic success before abdicating in 1844 in favour of his son Mehmed II, but a revolt of the janissaries (elite infantry units) forced his return, and he remained on the throne until his death, whereupon he was once again succeeded by Mehmed II.

360 years ago
1661

War
Maratha forces under Chattrapati Shivaji defeated the Mughals in the Battle of Umberkhind in India.

240 years ago
1781

War
British forces seized the Dutch-owned Caribbean island Sint Eustatius.

210 years ago
1811

Born on this date
Horace Greeley. U.S. journalist and politician. Mr. Greeley supported numerous progressive and utopian causes before and after founding the New-York Tribune in 1841. He was a Whig when he was elected to fill the last three months of a term in the U.S. House of Representatives (1848-1849), representing New York's 6th District. Mr. Greeley was one of the founders of the Republican Party in 1854, and may have named the party. He became disenchanted with the Republicans during Reconstruction after the American Civil War, and in 1872 was the U.S. presidential candidate of the new Liberal Republican Party. Despite obtaining the support of the Democratic Prty, Mr. Greeley suffered a lopsided loss to incumbent President U.S. Grant. Mr. Greeley's wife died a week before the election; he was plunged into despair, and his own health declined. Mr. Greeley died on November 29, 1872 at the age of 61; the Electoral College hadn't yet voted, and his 66 electoral votes were split among other candidates. Mr. Greeley has been credited, perhaps erroneously, with saying, "Go west, young man..." When Mr. Greeley visited the western United States, he didn't like it at all, and was glad to get back to New York.

200 years ago
1821

Born on this date
Elizabeth Blackwell. U.K.-born physician. Dr. Blackwell moved with her family to New York at the age of 11, and was a schoolteacher before deciding to pursue a medical career. She was accepted by Geneve Medical College in New York state, and in 1849 became the first woman in the United States to earn a medical degree. Dr. Blackwell practiced in Europe and the United States, organizing nurses during the American Civil War, and moving back to England in 1869. She retired from medicine in 1877, and spent the rest of her life promoting various social reforms. Dr. Blackwell was seriously incapacitated by a bad fall in 1907, and suffered a serious stroke three years later, which caused her death on May 31, 1910 at the age of 89.

190 years ago
1831

Law
U.S. President Andrew Jackson extended copyright law to the use of music, creating for the first time income for the songwriter and making possible a publishing and licensing industry.

90 years ago
1931

Disasters
A earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's worst natural disaster, killing 258 people.

80 years ago
1941

War
German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler approved the final version of Operation Barbarossa, the plan for the German invasion of Russia.

Politics and government
Cuban President Fulgencio Batista took ove personal command of Cuba's armed forces and suspended civil rights for 15 days.

U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt refused to speak to the American Youth Congress because of its opposition to the military draft and aid to the United Kingdom.

Economics and finance
Officials said that Japan would not abandon her program of economic penetration of the Netherlands East Indies despite Dutch protests.

Labour
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, the wage-hours law. The U.S. Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the National Labor Relations Board lacked the legal right to police relations between an employer and his employees under a collective bargaining agreement.

Football
NFL
Elmer Layden resigned as head coach at the University of Notre Dame in order to accept a five-year contract as Commissioner of the National Football League.

75 years ago
1946

Died on this date
E. Phillips Oppenheim, 79. U.K. author. Mr. Oppenheim wrote more than 100 novels from 1887-1943; the only one I've read is The Zeppelin's Passenger (1918).

Television
The Columbia Broadcasting System demonstrated colour broadcasting, and claimed that the system would be available to the public by 1947.

Abominations
At the trial in Nuremberg of accused Nazi war criminals, SS leader Heinrich Himmler's secret papers revealed that he had ordered his former lover and her physician husband murdered in order to conceal medial experiments that had been performed on Jews and Roman Catholic priests.

Diplomacy
U.K. special envoy Sir Archibald Clark Kerr conferred in Batavia, Netherlands East Indies with NEI Prime Minister Sjahrir and Dutch Governor van Mook.

Greek Public Order Minister Stamatis Mercuris denied Soviet charges of right-wing excesses in Greece.

Protest
Residents of Westchester County, New York and Fairfield County, Connecticut protested to U.S. President Harry Truman and the Governors of New York and Connectiut against plans to locate the United Nations in their communities.

Politics and government
Acting Chilean President Alfredo Duhalde formed a new centrist cabinet, which legalized two unions in an attempt to avert a renewed general strike called by the Labour Federation.

Law
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan General Douglas MacArthur named Massachusetts Chief Justice John Higgins as the American representative on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.

Defense
The United States Army Air Force revealed development of a plane with automatic devices controlling takeoff, flight, and landing, leaving the crew only to monitor equipment.

Aviation
A Trans World Airlines Constellation set a commercial record by flying from Burbank, California to New York City in 7 hours 52 minutes.

Medicine
The Journal of the American Medical Association charged that indiscriminate use of foot remedies resulted in "chemical abuse," and that most were worthless.

Sport
Bob Fitzgerald won the men's title and Elaine Gordon won the women's title at the U.S. speed skating championships in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Golf
Jimmy Demaret won the Tucson Open.

70 years ago
1951

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Bewitched--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra; Doris Day (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page (Best Seller--6th week at #1; Disc Jockey--5th week at #1; Jukebox--5th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page (6th week at #1)
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Les Paul and Mary Ford
--Jo Stafford
2 My Heart Cries for You--Guy Mitchell
--Dinah Shore
--Vic Damone
--Jimmy Wakely
3 The Thing--Phil Harris
4 Harbor Lights--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby
5 Be My Love--Mario Lanza
6 A Bushel and a Peck--Perry Como and Betty Hutton
--Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely
7 Nevertheless (I’m in Love with You)--Paul Weston and his Orchestra
--The Mills Brothers
--Ralph Flanagan and his Orchestra
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
8 Thinking of You--Don Cherry
--Eddie Fisher
9 If--Perry Como
10 You’re Just in Love--Perry Como

Singles entering the chart were Marrying for Love by Guy Mitchell and Rosemary Clooney (#24); I Still Feel the Same About You by Georgia Gibbs with Owen Bradley (#31); I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat by Mel Blanc (#33); and Life is So Peculiar, with versions by Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan; and Frank Sinatra (#34).

At the movies
Cry Danger, directed by Robert Parrish, and starring Dick Powell and Rhonda Fleming, opened in theatres.





War
Communist Chinese Premier Chou En-lai declared that the passage of a United Nations resolution charging the People's Republic of China with aggresion in Korea had "blocked the path to a peaceful settlement."

Economics and finance
East and West Germany signed a $19.6-million trade agreement in Berlin.

The U.S. National Production Authority ordered further cuts in civilian use of aluminum and rubber.

Horse racing
Great Circle, with Bill Shoemaker up, won the Santa Anita Maturity in Arcadia, California.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: A Penny for Your Thoughts, starring Dick York, June Dayton, Dan Tobin, and Cyril Delevanti

The script was the first of four teleplays for The Twilight Zone by George Clayton Johnson, who also had four of his stories adapted for the series by others.

Died on this date
William Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil, 67. Governor-General of Australia, 1960-1961. Mr. Morrison, a native of Scotland, was a Conservative who represented Cirencester and Tewkesbury in the British House of Commons. He held several cabinet posts, and served as Speaker of the House (1951-1959), retiring for health reasons. Mr. Morrison was made Viscount Dunrossil in 1959, and was appointed Governor-General of Australia, taking office on February 2, 1960. His health problems continued; he died from a pulmonary embolism, and was succeeded as Governor-General by Viscount De L'Isle.

Anna May Wong, 56. U.S. actress. Miss Wong, born Wong Liu Tsong, was a popular star of movies in the 1920s and '30s, despite industry discrimination against Oriental performers, and typecasting in stereotypical roles. Her movies included The Thief of Bagdad (1924); Piccadilly (1929); and A Study in Scarlet (1933). Miss Wong starred in The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong (1951), a detective show that was the first television series to star an Asian-American. Her health declined through the 1950s, and she died of a heart attack, preventing her from taking up a supporting role in the movie Flower Drum Song (1961).

Defense
The United States Air Forces began Operation Looking Glass, and over the next 30 years, a "Doomsday Plane" was always in the air, with the capability of taking direct control of the United States' bombers and missiles in the event of the destruction of the Strategic Air Command's command post.

Economics and finance
The Canadian Bank of Commerce merged with Imperial Bank of Canada; to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

U.S. President John F. Kennedy ordered a $4-million program of federal assistance for Cuban refugees in the United States, bringing to $5 million the total of foreign aid funds allocated to Cuban refugees, whose number was estimated at 66,000, including 32,000 in the Miami area.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (2nd week at #1)

Crime
New York Police Officer Frank Serpico was shot during a drug bust in Brooklyn; he survived to later testify against police corruption.

Business
Bombardier acquired Industries Bouchard, located in La Pocatière, as well as MS Distribution and Saint-Hyacinthe Sport, distributors for Moto-Ski in Quebec and in the Maritime provinces.

Disasters
A fire and explosion in a chemical plant in Woodbine, Georgia killed 25 and hospitalized 33.

40 years ago
1981

War
It was reported that Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries had been cooperating in the shipment of arms, including tanks, to Iraq in its war against Iran.

Politics and government
The Manitoba Court of Appeal ruled the federal government's constitutional proposals and amendments to be legal.

Business
Petro-Canada offered to acquire control of Petrofina Canada Ltd. from foreign owners at $120 per share, or $1.46 billion.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 3 @ Detroit 5



30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): I'll Be Your Baby Tonight--Robert Palmer and UB40

#1 single in Switzerland: Sadeness Part I--Enigma (8th week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers
2 Keep on Running--Milli Vanilli
3 Sadeness Part I--Enigma
4 Hello Afrika--Dr. Alban featuring Leila K.
5 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight--Robert Palmer and UB40
6 Fantasy--Black Box
7 Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice
8 To Love Somebody--Jimmy Somerville
9 The Joker--Steve Miller Band
10 Justify My Love--Madonna

Singles entering the chart were A Better Love by Londonbeat (#22); It's a Shame (My Sister) by Monie Love featuring True Image (#26); and Being Boring by Pet Shop Boys (#30).

Died on this date
Nancy Kulp, 69. U.S. actress. Miss Kulp was best known for playing Jane Hathaway in the television comedy series The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971). She died of cancer.

Politics and government
The Israeli cabinet of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir approved admitting the Modelet (Homeland) party to the government’s ruling coalition. Modelet advocated expelling all Palestinians from the occupied territories.

Football
NFL
Pro Bowl @ Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
AFC 23 NFC 21

The American Football Conference outscored the National Conference 17-7 in the 4th quarter to win before 50,345 fans (see video). New Orleans Saints' kicker Morten Andersen's field goal attempt in the final seconds was blocked, preserving the win for the AFC. Quarterback Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills was named the game's most valuable player.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Boombastic--Shaggy

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Knockin'--Double Vision (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (10th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): I Got 5 on It--Luniz

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (10th week at #1)
2 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
3 Missing--Everything But the Girl
4 One of Us--Joan Osborne
5 Hey Lover--LL Cool J
6 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
7 Breakfast at Tiffany's--Deep Blue Something
8 Be My Lover--La Bouche
9 Before You Walk Out of My Life/Like This and Like That--Monica
10 Nobody Knows--The Tony Rich Project

Singles entering the chart were Everyday and Everynight by Yvette Michele (#69); Who Do U Love by Deborah Cox (#74); Leflaur Leflah Eshkushka by Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C. as the Fab Five (#80); and Daughter/Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam (#97).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (8th week at #1)
2 Missing--Everything But the Girl
3 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
4 Hey Lover--LL Cool J
5 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
6 Nobody Knows--The Tony Rich Project
7 One of Us--Joan Osborne
8 Be My Lover--La Bouche
9 Breakfast at Tiffany's--Deep Blue Something
10 Tonite's Tha Night--Kris Kross

Singles entering the chart were Feels So Good (Show Me Your Love) by Lisa Santiago (#61); All Cried Out by Denine with Collage’s Adam Marano (#83); and Who Do U Love by Deborah Cox (#90).

Died on this date
Audrey Meadows, 73. U.S. actress. Miss Meadows, born Audrey Cotter, appeared in numerous television programs, but was best known for playing Alice Kramden in The Honeymooners, a series of sketches in The Jackie Gleason Show in the 1950s and '60s, and a series on its own in 1955-1966, as well as several specials in the late 1970s. Miss Meadows married her second husband, Continental Airlines president Bob Six, in 1961; she was an advisory director of the airline (1961-1981), and was director of First National Bank in Denver for 11 years. Miss Meadows was a longtime smoker, and died from lung cancer, five days before her 74th birthday.

Disasters
An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck the Chinese province of Yunna, killing 250 people, injuring 15,000, and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

20 years ago
2001

Politics and government
Roger Grimes was elected leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador after winning the second ballot at the party's leadership convention; he succeeded Brian Tobin as party leader and Premier.

Sport
Catriona LeMay Doan of Canada won gold medals in the 500-metre and 1,000-metre speed skating races at Heerenveen, Netherlands.

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Maria Schneider, 58. French actress. Miss Schneider appeared in more than 40 movies and several television programs in a career spanning almost 40 years, but was primarily known for co-starring with Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris (1972). The experience of acting in that film so scarred Miss Schneider that she developed multiple substance addictions, and refused thereafter to do nude scenes, and advocated for better treatment of women in movies. She died of breast cancer.

Protest
Tens of thousands of protesters staged unprecedented demonstrations against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key U.S. ally in battling Islamic terrorists.

February 2, 2021

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Sandy Ting and Simon O’Byrne!

880 years ago
1141

War
Angevin forces, loyal to former Holy Roman Empress Matilda, defeated the Blesevins, the forces of King Stephen, in the Battle of Lincoln. King Stephen was captured and taken to Bristol, where he was imprisoned.

560 years ago
1461

Died on this date
Owen Tudor, 60-61 (?). Welsh-born English nobleman. Sir Owen was the second husband of Catherine of Valois, the widow of King Henry V of England, and the grandfather of King Henry VII. He was killed leading Lancastrian troops in the Battle of Mortimer's Cross.

War
Yorkist forces defeated Lancastrian forces in the Battle of Mortimer's Cross at Kingsland, Hertfordshire in the Wars of the Roses.

370 years ago
1651

Born on this date
William Phips. American politician. Sir William, a native of Maine, moved to Boston in 1673, and was a treasure hunter in the 1680s, recovering a large treasure from a sunken Spanish galleon off the island of Hispaniola in 1686. He led successful naval campaigns against New France in 1690, and was appointed Governor of Massachusetts Bay in 1692. Sir William signed the order creating the court that heard the Salem witch trials in 1692, but became dissatisfied, and disbanded the court after five months. He was recalled to London in 1694 to face charges of conspiring to withhold customs monies, but fell ill with a fever and died on February 18, 1695, 16 days after his 44th birthday, before the charges could be heard.

160 years ago
1861

Born on this date
Solomon Guggenheim, 88. U.S. businessman and philanthropist. Mr. Guggenheim worked in his family's mining business, eventually retiring to pursue a full-time avocation as an art collector. He established the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, and died on November 3, 1949 at the age of 88.

140 years ago
1881

Born on this date
Orval Overall. U.S. baseball pitcher. Mr. Overall played with the Cincinnati Reds (1905-1906) and Chicago Cubs (1906-1910, 1913), compiling a record of 108-71 with an earned run average of 2.23 in 218 games. His best season was 1907, when he was 23-7 with a 1.68 ERA, leading the National League with 8 shutouts, helping the Cubs to their first World Series championship. Mr. Overall won a game in the 1907 World Series and 2 in the 1908 World Series, including the fifth and final game as the Cubs repeated as champions. Mr. Overall was a successful banker after his baseball career ended, and died on July 14, 1947 at the age of 66.

Died on this date
Henry Parker, 72. U.K.-born Australian politician. Sir Henry joined the British East India Company as a young man, and settled in Sydney in 1838. He was nominated to the Legislative Council in 1846, and served as chairman of committees until the coming of responsible government in 1856. Sir Henry took office as Premier of New South Wales in October 1856, but resigned in September 1857 after his government was defeated on an electoral bill. He returned to England in 1858, and apparently never again visited Australia.

120 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Jascha Heifetz. Lithuanian-born U.S. musician. Mr. Heifetz was considered one of the greatest violinists in history from his public debut at the age of 7 in his native Lithuania until a shoulder operation forced his retirement in 1972. He died on December 10, 1987 at the age of 86.

110 years ago
1911

Born on this date
Jack Pizzey. Australian politician. Mr. Pizzey, a member of the Country Party, represented Isis in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1950-1968, and held various cabinet posts before taking office as Premier of Queensland on January 17, 1968. He died of a heart attack on July 31, 1968 at the age of 57 after just 6½ months as Premier, and was succeeded by Deputy Premier Gordon Chalk for a week until Joh Bjelke-Petersen was chosen as the Country Party's new leader.

90 years ago
1931

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

80 years ago
1941

On the radio

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 4

War
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King announced that Canada would double her overseas armed forces.

Protest
Peace was restored in Johannesburg after three days of rioting between soldiers and anti-British civilians.

Labour
American Federation of Labor President William Green claimed that the majority of workers at the Ford Motor Company plants in River Rouge and Lincoln wanted to join the AFL. The Congress of Industrial Organizations disputed the claim, and appealed to the National Labor Relations Board.

Sport
Ken Bartholomew won the 1941 North American men's speed skating championship.

75 years ago
1946

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!--Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra with Vaughn Monroe and the Norton Sisters (Best Seller--2nd week at #1; Airplay--3rd week at #1); I Can't Begin to Tell You--Bing Crosby with Carmen Cavallaro (Juke Box--6th week at #1); Symphony--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra with Clyde Rogers (Honor Roll of Hits--5th week at #1)

Died on this date
Rondo Hatton, 51. U.S. actor. Mr. Hatton was a handsome teenager who became afflicted with acromegaly as a young man, leading to severe pain and facial disfigurement. He was working as a newspaper reporter in Tampa, Florida when he was discovered, and accepted the invitation to move to Hollywood, California, where he was cast in bit parts in movies. Mr. Hatton played "The Creeper" in the Sherlock Holmes movie The Pearl of Death (1944), in which his face wasn't seen until near the end of the movie, in a scene that this blogger considers the scariest he's ever seen. Mr. Hatton signed a contract with Universal Studios to star in more "Creeper" movies, but died of a heart attack after completing The Spider Woman Strikes Back (1946); House of Horrors (1946); and The Brute Man (1946), all of which were then sold by Universal to a "poverty row" studio for release after his death.

Diplomacy
The United Nations General Assembly installed Trygve Lie of Norway as the UN's first Secretary-General. The UN site subcommittee chose the North Stamford-North Greenwich area comprising 42 square miles in Westchester County, New York and Fairfield County, Connecticut as its first choice for the permanent headquarters of the United Nations.

Politics and government
The Venezuelan government granted all political parties the right to hold public meetings, and announced that a constitutional assembly would soon be called to draw up new election laws.

The Republican Party chairmen of 14 Midwestern states issued a 14-point "declaration of principles" to be included in the party platform, calling for a drastic change in the foreign and domestic policies of U.S. President Harry Truman.

Economics and finance
The Allied Control Council ordered the elimination of nine key German industries, including aluminum; synthetic gasoline; rubber; magnesium; and heavy machine tools.

Defense
German physicists Otto Hahn and Werner Heisenberg claimed that they had completed an "atomic energy machine" in Leipzig at the end of 1941, but had been unable to produce a bomb because of a lack of money and facilities.

Communications
A magnetic storm on the Sun covering 3.5 billion square miles disrupted shortwave communications between the United States and Europe.

70 years ago
1951

On the radio
Hear it Now, hosted by Douglas Edwards and Charles Collingwood, on CBS

Tonight's program included reports on Supreme Commander of NATO--Europe General Dwight D. Eisenhower's visit to Europe, and a special report on Detroit. Messrs. Edwards and Collingwood substituted for Edward R. Murrow, who was suffering from laryngitis.

At the movies
Víctimas del Pecado, directed by Emilio Fernández, and starring Ninón Sevilla and Tito Junco, opened in theatres in Mexico.



War
U.S. forces in Korea began a "kill Communists" offensive, probing Chinese defenses around Seoul.

Defense
In an address broadcast throughout the United States on radio and television, General Eisenhower urged "unity in spirit and action" to enable the West to build a "wall of security" against the U.S.S.R.

The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, in Operation Ranger, set off the fourth in a series of atomic explosions at an Air Force testing range in Nevada.

Crime
Seven Negroes were executed in Martinsville, Virginia for the rape two years earlier of Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman. The executions took place despite over 10,000 protests from all over the world.

Health
The British Health Ministry reported severe outbreaks of influenza and pneumonia in the major cities of England and Wales, causing 7,989 deaths in December and January.

Economics and finance
U.S. President Harry Truman asked Congress for an immediate $10-billion tax increase as the first step toward balancing his $71.6-billion budget and forestalling an anticipated $16.5-billion deficit.

60 years ago
1961

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade): As Long as He Needs Me--Shirley Bassey

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley (2nd week at #1)

On television tonight
The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack, on ABC
Tonight's episode: The Jamaica Ginger Story

At the movies
Constantino il grande (Constantine and the Cross), directed by Lionello de Felice, and starring Cornel Wilde, Belinda Lee, and Massimo Serato, received its premiere screening in Rome.



Terrorism
Under an agreement that he had negotiated with Brazilian authorities, Hector Galvao--a former Portuguese army captain who had led a band of pirates in hijacking the Portuguese cruise ship Santa Maria in the Atlantic Ocean on January 22, with almost 1,000 people held hostage--debarked the 607 passengers at Recife, and permitted the 350-man crew to leave the ship. Mr. Galvao and his 29 followers were granted asylum by Brazil.

Politics and government
Ministers from the ousted cabinet of former Laotian Premier Souvanna Phouma who had allied themselves with the pro-Communist Pathet Lao rebels announced the formation of an interim government to rule rebel-held areas of Laos until Mr. Phouma could return from exile in Cambodia.

Economics and finance
U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered a special message to Congress on the economy, saying that the nation "has been falling further and further short of its economic capabilities." To reverse the downward trend, he offered "a program that goes well beyond anti-recession measures." His proposals included an increase in minimum monthly Social Security benefits; increases in taxes on both employers and employees; temporary extension of unemployment insurance for the long-term jobless; and an increase in the minimum wage to $1.15 per hour immediately and $1.25 per hour within two years. Mr. Kennedy also announced the establishment of a pilot food-stamp program for needy families in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan.

Disasters
A special Pennsylvania Railroad train carrying 300 passengers from Philadelphia to the race track at Bowie, Maryland was derailed three miles from the race track, killing 6 people and injuring more than 90.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Kvällstoppen): Candida--Dawn (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
Idi Amin replaced President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.

Defense
The United States launched NATOSAT-II, a military communications satellite placed into a stationary equatorial orbit by NASA for NATO.

Environment
The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands was signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Koi wa Do!--Toshihiko Tahara (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon

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

War
Iran estimated that its army had killed more than 200 in major counterattacks against Iraqi troops and Kurdish insurgents in Kurdistan and Azerbaijan in the previous two days. Iraq claimed that 166 Iranian soldiers had been killed and two helicopters and a Phantom jet had been shot down.

Foreign ministers of the Organization of American States held an emergency meeting to consider the border conflict between Peru and Ecuador. Both countries had called a cease-fire in the Amazon jungle region on the border because of appeals from the United States, Pope John Paul II, and other Latin American countries. Ecuador asked the OAS to condemn Peru for aggression, and Peru asked for a committee to be sent to investigate an invasion of a border that had been set by a treaty in 1942. Both sides had claimed heavy losses to the other side, but Ecuador claimed that only two of its soldiers had been killed, while Peru admitted to the loss of one man.

Law
The reformed Québec Civil Code went into effect.

Education
U.S. Secretary of Education T.H. Bell barred proposed regulations that would have required public schools to teach foreign-speaking students in their native languages. The plans would have forced to provide instruction in both the foreign language and English. Mr. Bell estimated that the costs of these programs over the next five years would have been about $1 billion, and that there were about 3.5 million children in the United States who spoke little or no English, 70% of them Hispanic Americans.

30 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): I Touch Myself--Divinyls

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Sadeness Part I--Enigma

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Sadeness Part I--Enigma (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Alle Børnene--2 X Kaj (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Sadeness Part I--Enigma

#1 single in the U.K. (CIN): 3 A.M. Eternal--The KLF featuring the Children of the Revolution

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice (7th week at #1)
2 Knockin' Boots--Candyman
3 Maar Vanavond Heb Ik Hoofdpijn--Hanny
4 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C&C Music Factory
5 Mary Had a Little Boy--Snap!
6 To Love Somebody--Jimmy Somerville
7 All Together Now--The Farm
8 Don't Worry--Kim Appleby
9 Go for It! (Heart and Fire)--Joey B. Ellis and Tynetta Hare
10 Crazy--Seal

Singles entering the chart were Love Let Love by Tony Scott (#29); Liefde Voor Muziek by Raymond v/h Groenewoud (#30); Cry for Help by Rick Astley (#31); Gaode Vanaovond Mee Stappe by Gaode Vanaovond Mee Stappe (#33); Someday by Mariah Carey (#34); and Give Peace a Chance by Peace Choir (#36).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 The First Time--Surface (2nd week at #1)
2 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
3 Love Will Never Do (Without You)--Janet Jackson
4 Sensitivity--Ralph Tresvant
5 Play That Funky Music--Vanilla Ice
6 After the Rain--Nelson
7 I'm Not in Love--Will to Power
8 All the Man that I Need--Whitney Houston
9 Just Another Dream--Cathy Dennis
10 High Enough--Damn Yankees

Singles entering the chart were I'll Be by Your Side by Stevie B (#81); Who Said I Would by Phil Collins (#83); Mother's Pride by George Michael (#87); My Side of the Bed by Susanna Hoffs (#88); Secret by Heart (#89); Together Forever by Lisette Melendez (#92); Ride the Wind by Poison (#93); and Rico Suave by Gerardo (#96). Mother's Pride was the B-side of Waiting for that Day, charting at #43.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 The First Time--Surface
2 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)--C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
3 Love Will Never Do (Without You)--Janet Jackson
4 Sensitivity--Ralph Tresvant
5 High Enough--Damn Yankees
6 Play That Funky Music--Vanilla Ice
7 I’m Not in Love--Will to Power
8 After the Rain--Nelson
9 All the Man that I Need--Whitney Houston
10 Just Another Dream--Cathy Dennis

Singles entering the chart were My Side of the Bed by Susanna Hoffs (#72); Ride the Wind by Poison (#89); and I’ll Be by Your Side by Stevie B (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Justify My Love--Madonna
2 You Gotta Love Someone--Elton John
3 Love Will Never Do (Without You)--Janet Jackson
4 Til I Am Myself Again--Blue Rodeo
5 Disappear--INXS
6 Freedom--George Michael
7 Because I Love You (The Postman Song)--Stevie B
8 After the Rain--Nelson
9 I’m Not in Love--Will to Power
10 For You--The Outfield

Singles entering the chart were King of the Hill by Roger McGuinn (#50); Give it Up by ZZ Top (#57); You're in Love by Wilson Phillips (#64); Headlong by Queen (#65); Cry of Love by Gino Vannelli (#73); Only the Lonely by World on Edge (#75); Crying in the Rain by A-Ha (#84); Rescue Me by Madonna (#95); and Maybe Next Time by Sue Medley (#98).

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Gene Kelly, 83. U.S. dancer and actor. Mr. Kelly was one of the most talented dancers ever to appear in motion pictures, starring in such movies as Anchors Aweigh (1945); An American in Paris (1951); Singin' in the Rain (1952); and Invitation to the Dance (1956). He achieved an honourary Academy Award in 1952 for his career achievements.

Politics and government
Canadian Governor General Roméo LeBlanc signed into law a bill giving five provinces and regions--British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada--a veto over major constitutional changes.

Protest
Soldiers in Guinea mutinied, demanding pay raises and improved working conditions.

Labour
500,000 miners in Russia were on strike to protest unpaid wages.

Disasters
120 people were killed and 400 injured when a cache of illegally stored dynamite exploded and destroyed a suburban street in the Chinese city of Shaoyang.

Football
CFL
It was announced that the Grey Cup champion Baltimore Stallions were moving to Montreal to become the Alouettes, ending the Canadian Football League's experiment of expansion to the United States. The CFL's other U.S.-based teams in San Antonio, Shreveport, Memphis, and Birmingham had folded.

20 years ago
2001

Diplomacy
Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila told the United Nations Security Council that he would seek to end Congo’s civil war, but that first the "armies of aggression" from Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda would have to leave his country.

The Canadian government banned the importation of Brazilian beef as a precaution against mad cow disease. Brazil claimed that there was no danger of the disease, and that the ban was a political one.

Scandal
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said that he and his wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, would return $86,000 worth of gifts they had received in 2000. However, he said they would keep $104,000 in gifts received prior to 2000. Mr. Clinton also announced that his Presidential Library Foundation would pay about half the rent on his office in a penthouse in Manhattan. The rent would cost $650,000 or more per year, a record for a former president.

Politics and government
Ontario Minister of Finance Ernie Eves quit to become vice-chair and senior adviser at Credit Suisse First Boston Canada.

Health
Canada began banning imports of beef and beef products from Brazil due to concerns of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BES or mad cow disease).

10 years ago
2011

Died on this date
Margaret John, 84. U.K. actress. Miss John, a native of Wales, appeared in plays and radio programs, but was mainly a television actess, best known for playing Doris O'Neill in the comedy series Gavin & Stacey (2007-2010). She was given a lifetime achievement BAFTA Award in 2009. Miss John died of liver cancer.

Protest
Supporters of President Hosni Mubarak charged into Cairo's central square on horses and camels brandishing whips while others rained firebombs from rooftops in what appeared to be an orchestrated assault against protesters trying to topple Egypt's leader of 30 years.

February 1, 2021

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Snejka!

610 years ago
1411

War
The First Peace of Thorn, ending the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War, was signed in Thorn (Toruń), Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia).

330 years ago
1691

Died on this date
Alexander VIII, 80. Roman Catholic Pope, 1689-1691. Alexander VIII, born Pietro Vito Ottoboni, succeeded Pope Innocent XI. He served for just 16 months, and was succeeded by Innocent XII.

320 years ago
1701

Born on this date
Johan Agrell. Swedish-born German composer. Mr. Agrell was a violinist and baroque composer who wrote at least 22 symphonies, vocal works, and harpsichord concertos and sonatas. He died on January 19, 1765, 13 days before his 64th birthday.

225 years ago
1796

Canadiana
Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe transferred the capital of Upper Canada from Niagara (Newark) to York for greater security in the event of an American invasion.

170 years ago
1851

Died on this date
Mary Shelley, 53. U.K. authoress. Mrs. Shelley, the second wife of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, was best known for her novel Frankenstein (1818). She died after a long battle with a brain tumour.

160 years ago
1861

Americana
Texas voted to secede from the Union, becoming the seventh state to do so.

150 years ago
1871

Died on this date
Alexander Serov, 51. Russian composer and critic. Mr. Serov, a lawyer by trade, was one of Russia's most important music critics of the 1850s and '60s. He was known for composing operas, particularly Judith (1863). Mr. Serov died of a heart attack, nine days after his 51st birthday.

Economics and finance
The Dominion Bank opened its first branch in temporary premises above a paint store at 40 King Street East in Toronto.

125 years ago
1896

Opera
La bohème by Giacomo Puccini received its premiere performance, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, at the Teatro Regio in Turin.

120 years ago
1901

Born on this date
Clark Gable. U.S. actor. The "King of Hollywood," most famous for his starring roles in Gone With the Wind (1939), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), and It Happened One Night (1934)--for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor--died of a heart attack on November 16, 1960 at the age of 59, shortly after finishing work on The Misfits, which was released to theatres three months later.

Frank Buckles. U.S. soldier. Corporal Buckles served with the U.S. Army in World War I, driving ambulances and motorcycles near the front lines. He was working in the shipping business in the Philippines when Japanese forces invaded in 1942, and spent three years as a civilian prisoner. Mr. Buckles was the last surviving American combat veteran of World War I, and died on February 27, 2011, 26 days after his 110th birthday.

110 years ago
1911

Defense
Post offices across Canada displayed the first recruiting posters for the Royal Canadian Navy.

80 years ago
1941

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Frenesi--Artie Shaw and his Orchestra (7th week at #1)

At the movies
Freedom Radio, directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Clive Brook, Diana Wynyard, and Raymond Huntley, opened in theatres in the United Kingdom. It opened in the United States three days later under the title A Voice in the Night.

Died on this date
William Gibbs McAdoo, 77. U.S. politician. Mr. McAdoo, a Democrat, was Secretary of the Treasury in the administration of President Woodrow Wilson from 1913-1918, after serving as his campaign manager in 1912. Mr. Gibbs was largely responsible for the creation of the Federal Reserve and financing the American war effort in World War I. He represented California in the United States Senate from 1933-1938.

Mohammed Mahmoud Pasha, 58. Egyptian politician. Mr. Mahmoud was Egypt's defense minister and leader of the nationalist movement.

War
French General Maxime Weygand rejected Free French General Charles de Gaulle's appeal to liberate Libya from Italian control. U.S. Navy Secretary Frank Knox told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he was worried that the United Kingdom may be defeated by the Axis powers, and he was positive that the Axis would then invade the Western Hemisphere.

Defense
The U.S. Conference of Mayors urged development of a civil defense program for cities that may be exposed to attack. Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza invited the United States to establish air and naval bases in Nicaragua.

Politics and government
The German government reported the creation of the National Popular Assembly in Paris for the reconstruction of France in collaboration with Germany.

Economics and finance
The Japanese government announced that rice would be rationed.

75 years ago
1946

At the movies
Terror by Night, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, opened in theatres.



War
At the trial in Manila of accused Japanese war criminals, General Hikotaro Tajima was sentenced to hang for the execution of American fliers on Bataan. At the hearings of the United States Senate committee on the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Admiral P.N.L. Bellinger, naval air wing commander at Pearl Harbor in 1941, Captain L.F. Stafford, assistant director of naval communications for cryptography in 1941, testified that a Japanese "winds code" message had been deciphered in Washington on December 4, 1941.

Diplomacy
At the United Nations Security Council, Soviet delegate Andrey Vyshinsky demanded the withdrawal of British troops from Greece.

Arab League spokesman Faiz al-Khoury told the Palestine Inquiry in London that Arabs would not accept partition of Palestine or continued Jewish immigration.

On instructions from Secretary of State James Byrnes, U.S. Charge d'Affaires John Moors Cabot asked Argentine Foreign Minister Juan Cooke to repudiate presidential candidate Juan Peron's charges of U.S. arms smuggling.

Abominations
The Parliament of Hungary abolished the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaims the Hungarian Republic, with Premier Zoltan Tildy as the first President.

Space
Dr. Nicholas Wagman announced that he had used a new photographic filter to locate a star similar to the sun, previously hidden by the brilliant Ophiucus constellation.

Aviation
A Trans World Airlines Lockheed Constellation set a New York-Los Angeles commercial record of 10 hours 49 minutes.

Politics and government
Testifying before the United States Senate Naval Affairs Committee on President Harry Truman's nomination of Edwin Pauley as undersecretary of the Navy, Interior Secretary Harold Ickes claimed that Mr. Pauley had urged him in 1945 to cancel a government suit for title to tidelands oil fields in order to help raise Democratic Party campaign funds from oilmen.

American Legion National Commander John Stelle claimed that the U.S. Veterans Administration had suffered a "tragic breakdown" and must be headed by "a seasoned businessman, not a soldier." VA Administrator General Omar Bradley defended the agency and claimed that Mr. Stelle's criticism did not represent general opinion in veterans' organizations.

Technology
The creation of Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC), the first electronic digital computer, was announced at the University of Pennsylvania.

Energy
Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Karl Compton urged the United States Senate Atomic Energy Commission to set up separate policy-making and administrative bodies for atom control.

70 years ago
1951

War
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jack McFall, in a letter to Representative Horace Seely-Brown (Republican--Connecticut), said that the United States had not backed Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces in an invasion of the Chinese mainland because they would be greatly outnumbered and were needed to defend Taiwan.

Defense
The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, in Operation Ranger, set off the third in a series of atomic explosions at an Air Force testing range in Nevada. It was the first atomic blast to be televised.

Supreme Commander of NATO--Europe General Dwight D. Eisenhower, reporting on his European tour, urged the U.S. Congress not to limit the number of troops or the amount of equipment the U.S. could send to Europe.



Politics and government
The Yugoslavian government abolished the State Control Commission, a supervisory organ with powers to regulate political and economic affairs.

Medicine
Dr. Russell Morgan of Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore demonstrated an X-ray motion picture process by which pictures of body organs could be taken over an extended period of time without danger of overexposure to radiation.

Economics and finance
A United Nations General Assembly committee reported that it had obtained pledges totalling $882,000 from 12 countries (excluding the U.S.A. and U.K.) toward a $55-million fund sought for relief of Palestinian Arab refugees.

Labour
The strike of railroad switchmen in the United States spread to 30 cities and 42 lines, causing a serious nationwide rail tie-up.

60 years ago
1961

At the movies
The Misfits, starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift, opened in theatres. Mr. Gable had died three months earlier, shortly after the completion of filming; the film was released on what would have been his 60th birthday.



Defense
The solid-fuelled three-stage Minuteman missile, intended to become the number one weapon of the United States Air Force, was fired in a successful test at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This was the first time that a major missile had been tested as a complete unit on its first launching, with all stages firing and a full guidance system in operation. The first stage was the largest solid fuel rocket ever fired in the Western world. The 60-foot missile, weighing 70,000 pounds before launching, reached a top speed of more than 15,000 miles per hour and travelled 4,600 miles to its target area in the South Atlantic Ocean. Eventually, the missile’s range was to be 6,300 miles.

Politics and government
U.S. President John F. Kennedy held his second weekly news conference.



Environment
Representatives of the governments of the U.S.A. and the states of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania signed in Philadelphia a pact "to create a regional administrative agency which shall act for and be responsible to the signatory parties in the planning, development and control of the water resources of the Delaware River Basin." The pact, subject to ratification by the U.S. Congress and the four state legislatures, would end a lengthy dispute among the states as to rights of the Delaware River water.

50 years ago
1971

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Bōkyō--Shinichi Mori (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Te Quiero, Te Quiero--Nino Bravo (7th week at #1)

Died on this date
Bob Hilliard, 53. U.S. songwriter. Mr. Hilliard, born Hilliard Goldsmith, wrote lyrics for songs such as In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning; Any Day Now; and Our Day Will Come. The composers he worked with included Burt Bacharach, Jule Styne, and Mort Garson. Mr. Hilliard died of a heart attack, four days after his 53rd birthday.

Abominations
Canada and the People's Republic of China opened diplomatic relations. Hsu Chung-fu and a 10-man delegation arrived in Ottawa to set up the Communist Chinese embassy in Canada.

Protest
More than 600 people gathered in front of a Montreal courthouse to protest the "preventive arrest" and one-year prison sentence of Michel Chartrand, president of the Conseil central de la Confédération des syndicats nationaux (Central Council of the Confederation of National Trade Unions) (CSN).

Communications
The Canadian Post Office started the "assured mail program" of next-day delivery in most major Canadian cities of letters posted before 11 A.M.

Journalism
The Québec Press Council was founded in Montreal out of four news organizations representing more than 700 reporters; it was the first of its kind in Canada or the United States.

40 years ago
1981

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Shaddap You Face--Joe Dolce Music Theatre (7th week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon (3rd week at #1)

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Angel of Mine--Frank Duval & Orchestra
2 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
3 Some Broken Hearts Never Mend--Telly Savalas
4 Super Trouper--ABBA
5 Woman in Love--Barbra Streisand
6 What You're Proposing--Status Quo
7 The Tide is High--Blondie
8 More than I Can Say--Leo Sayer
9 Santa Maria--Oliver Onions
10 Another One Bites the Dust--Queen

Singles entering the chart were More than I Can Say; Felicidad (Margherita) by Boney M. (#11); and Pas pleurer (Please No More Crying) by Saragossa Band (#19).

Died on this date
Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., 88. U.S. engineer and aviation executive. Mr. Douglas founded the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1921, which became one of the major firms in the aircraft industry, achieving tremendous success with the Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST) and the DC-3 in the mid-late 1930s. He was president of the company until he retired in favour of his son Douglas, Jr. in 1957, but remained as Chairman of the Board, approving a merger with McDonnell Aircraft Corporation in 1967 to become McDonnell Douglas. Mr. Douglas was honourary chairman of the board with McDonnell Douglas until his death.

Geirr Tveitt, 72. Norwegian composer. Mr. Tveitt was a pianist who wrote at least five piano concertos and other orchestral, instrumental, and choral works. He incorporated Norwegian folk music into his works, and was an apparent believer in Norse paganism. Four-fifths of Mr. Tveitt's scores were destroyed in a house fire in 1970, although a few have been reconstructed in recent years. The disaster contributed to his depression and inability to compose, and Mr. Tveitt eventually drank himself to death.

Football
NFL
Pro Bowl @ Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
NFC 21 AFC 7

30 years ago
1991

Society
In an address to Parliament in Cape Town, South African President F.W. de Klerk said he would seek the repeal of the laws on which the country’s apartheid system was based, citing the Land Acts of 1913 and 1936 that reserved 87% of the nation’s land for the white minority, the Group Areas Act of 1966 and the Black Communities Act of 1984 that segregated residential areas, and the Population Registration of 1950 that separated South Africans into four races--whites, blacks, Indians, and mixed race. Mr. de Klerk also proposed a multiparty conference to consider a new constitution, but rejected African National Congress demands for an elected constituent assembly. ANC deputy president Nelson Mandela welcomed the proposals, but pointed out that blacks were still not allowed to vote and that Mr. de Klerk had made no mention of the freeing of political prisoners or the repeal of security laws. Mr. Mandela urged the maintenance of international sanctions against South Africa until "there is fundamental change in the living conditions of the majority."

War
U.S. soldier Melissa Rathbun-Nealy’s vehicle got stuck in sand during a supply mission, and she became the Gulf War’s first female prisoner of war.

Labour
Striking nurses in Manitoba began returning to their jobs after voting to accept a two-year contract calling for a pay hike of up to 14%. Canada’s longest nurses’ strike had begun on January 1.

Disasters
1,200 were reported killed after an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale struck Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The collision of two planes on a runway at Los Angeles International Airport killed 34 people and injured 24. A USAir jet that was landing struck a SkyWest plane that was taxiing for takeoff. Two days later, federal investigators reported that the crash may have been caused by an air traffic controller giving both planes clearance to be on the runway at the same time.

25 years ago
1996

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo

#1 single in Denmark (Nielsen Music Control & IFPI): Spaceman--Babylon Zoo

Law
The Communications Decency Act--the first notable attempt by the United States Congress to regulate pornographic material on the Internet--was passed by the U.S. Congress.

20 years ago
2001

Diplomacy
President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo met in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Mr. Kabila said he wanted to reinstitute the Lusaka accords, the cease-fire agreement that would permit foreign troops to leave Congolese soil. Mr. Kabila met the same day with Rwandan President Paul Kagale, who had troops in Congo that had opposed the government of Mr. Kabila’s father and predecessor, Laurent Kabila.

Defense
The Timor Leste Defence Force was established from the erstwhile anti-Indonesian independence movement Falintil.

Scandal
The parliament of Indonesia voted 393-4 to accept a commission report concluding that President Abdurrahman Wahid had probably been involved in embezzling US$3.7 million from a food distribution agency and had testified falsely about his personal misuse of a $2 million gift from the Sultan of Brunei.

Politics and government
The United States Senate voted 58-42 to approve John Ashcroft as Attorney General to complete the cabinet of President George W. Bush. All the opposing votes came from Democratic Senators.

Energy
California Governor Gray Davis signed a bill passed in the state legislature that day permitting the state to issue bonds to fuel the purchase of power through long-term contracts. The plan would cost $10 billion. Mr. Davis also proposed to increase funding for energy conservation programs.

10 years ago
2011

Politics and government
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced that he would not run for a new term, but rejected protesters' demands that he step down immediately.