March 22, 2008

1,770 years ago
238

Politics and government
Gordian I and his son Gordian II were proclaimed Roman Emperors.

370 years ago
1638

Religion
Anne Hutchinson was expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony and excommunicated from the Boston church for religious dissent, even after she had read a recantation of her alleged heresies during her church trial. With her children and some followers, Mrs. Hutchinson walked for six days until reaching Providence, Rhode island.

100 years ago
1908

Born on this date
Jack Crawford. Australian tennis player. Mr. Crawford was one of the top players in the world in the 1930s. He was ranked number one in the world in 1933, when he won the Australian, French, and Wimbledon men's singles title, and was runner-up in the U.S. national championships. He also won the men's singles title in the Australian Championships in 1931, 1932, and 1935, and won 11 men's and mixed Grand Slam doubles titles from 1929-1935. Mr. Crawford was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979, and died on September 10, 1991 at the age of 83.

80 years ago
1928

At the movies
Spione (Spies), directed and co-written by Fritz Lang, and starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge and Gerda Maurus, opened in theatres in Germany.



Law
The Quebec Legislative Assembly passed a law restricting admission to motion pictures to people 16 years of age or older. The law was passed almost seven months after the report of Judge Louis Boyer, who conducted an investigation into the January 9, 1927 fire at Laurier Palace in Montreal, in which 77 children perished.

75 years ago
1933

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Mr. Pattle's Secret Profession

70 years ago
1938

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-finals
New York Americans 2 New York Rangers 1 (2OT) (Americans led best-of-three series 1-0)

Johnny Sorrell scored the winning goal at 1:25 of the 2nd overtime period at Madison Square Garden to give the Americans their win.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): April Love--Pat Boone (6th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Der lachende Vagabund--Fred Bertelmann (9th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Hello, le soleil brille--Annie Cordy (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Magic Moments/Catch a Falling Star--Perry Como (4th week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Tequila--The Champs (2nd week at #1)
2 Sweet Little Sixteen--Chuck Berry
3 Catch a Falling Star--Perry Como
4 26 Miles (Santa Catalina)--The Four Preps
5 Lollipop--The Chordettes
--Ronald and Ruby
6 Who's Sorry Now--Connie Francis
7 It's Too Soon to Know--Pat Boone
8 Short Shorts--The Royal Teens
9 Sail Along Silvery Moon--Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra
10 Oh Julie--The Crescendos

Singles entering the chart were Arrividerci, Roma by Mario Lanza (#38, charting with the version by Roger Williams); There's Only One of You by the Four Lads (#45); Book of Love by the Monotones (#49); A Very Precious Love by the Ames Brothers (#53); The Marching Saints by Harry Belafonte (#57); We Belong Together by Robert and Johnny (#58); I Met Him on a Sunday (Ronde-Ronde) by the Shirelles (#60); and Been So Long by the Pastels (also #60).

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed (2nd week at #1)

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 Playboy--Gene and Debbe
2 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
3 The Unicorn--The Irish Rovers
4 Too Much Talk--Paul Revere and the Raiders
5 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
6 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
7 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
8 Thank U Very Much--The Scaffold
9 Valleri--The Monkees
10 Lady Madonna--The Beatles
Pick of the Week: Hey Joe--The Nomads
New this week: Forever Came Today--Diana Ross and the Supremes
I Will Always Think About You--New Colony Six
Red Red Wine--Neil Diamond
A Hundred Men--Glenn Yarbrough
The Importance of the Rose--Rod McKuen

The Nomads were an Edmonton group who recorded on the Damon label (for education students, that's nomad spelled backwards). Hey Joe was a staple of 1960s bands--although the lyrics are politically incorrect by 2000s standards. The B-side, The Letter, was one of the biggest hits of the '60s, having been a huge hit the previous fall for the Box Tops. It was a hit again for The Arbors in 1969, and yet again (as a B-side, at that) for Joe Cocker in 1970.

War
U.S. President Lyndon Johnson named General William Westmoreland to the post of Army chief of staff. Contingent upon confirmation by the Senate, General Westmoreland was scheduled to give up his command in Vietnam and assume his new duties in Washington on July 2.

Politics and government
Antonin Novotny resigned as President of Czechoslovakia, the day after a National Assembly committee had demanded his resignation. The ouster of Mr. Novotny was viewed by many as marking the end of Stalinism in Czechoslovakia.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Sonora Dodd, 96. U.S. activist. Mrs. Dodd’s suggestion for a "Father’s Day" was adopted in 1910, and was first observed in Spokane, Washington on June 19 that year. Mrs. Dodd wanted to honour her father, William Smart, a U.S. Civil War veteran who had raised his six children as a widower when his wife died giving birth to Sonora, the youngest child. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a National Father’s Day, but it wasn’t until 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation declaring the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Mrs. Dodd died in Spokane.

Karl Wallenda, 73. German-born acrobat. Mr. Wallenda was the founder of The Flying Wallendas, an internationally known daredevil circus act famous for performing death-defying high-wire stunts without a safety net. Mr. Wallenda started performing at age six with his family. He founded his own four-person act in 1922; the act moved to the United States in 1928 and began an association with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus. Later they performed as freelancers, and in 1947 they developed the unequalled three-tier 7-Man Pyramid. The pyramid collapsed during a performance in Detroit in 1962, killing two members of the act and seriously injuring two others. However, in keeping with show business tradition, the Flying Wallendas continued performing, despite the loss of other members in subsequent accidents.
On March 22, 1978, Mr. Wallenda attempted a walk between the two towers of the ten-story Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on a wire stretched 37 metres (121 feet) above the pavement; he fell to his death when winds exceeded 48 kilometres per hour (30 miles per hour). The Wallenda family attributed the tragedy to "several misconnected guy ropes along the wire" and not the windy conditions. A film crew from WAPA-TV in San Juan filmed the fall, and the video, featuring anchorman Guillermo Jose Torres' anguished narration of the fall, circled the world.

War
A vanguard of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), about 100 men, arrived in Lebanon to begin enforcing a ceasefire between Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists. French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing announced that France would be part of the force because of traditional French links with the Lebanese people. France had traditionally avoided participation in peacekeeping activities.

Hockey
CHL
Tulsa 5 @ Dallas 4
Fort Worth 6 @ Salt Lake City 2

25 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Blanton Collier, 76. U.S. football coach. Mr. Collier was head coach of the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League from 1963-1970, and led the Browns to the NFL championship in 1964. Mr. Collier began his professional coaching career as an assistant under Paul Brown when the Browns began play in the All-America Football Conference in 1946. The Browns won the AAFC championship in all four years of the league’s existence, then moved into the NFL, where they won the title in 1950, and made it to the championship game in each of the next three seasons. Mr. Collier left the Browns after the 1953 season to become head coach at the University of Kentucky; in eight seasons (1954-1961) he produced a record of 41 wins, 36 losses, and 3 ties, but was fired in January 1962. No Kentucky head coach since Mr. Collier has left the school with a winning record. Paul Brown welcomed Mr. Collier back as an assistant with the Browns in 1962; when Mr. Brown was fired after posting a 7-6-1 record that season, Mr. Collier was chosen as his replacement by owner Art Modell, but wouldn’t accept the job until he had first discussed it with Mr. Brown. Mr. Collier allowed his players, such as quarterback Frank Ryan, more input into play selection, and the results paid off with a string of winning records. Running back Jim Brown, who had failed to win the NFL rushing title in 1962 for the first time in his 6-year career, came back in 1963 with a then-record 1,863 yards. The Browns improved to 10-4 that year, and posted a 10-3-1 record in 1964, capping the season with a 27-0 win at home over the heavily-favoured Baltimore Colts in the championship game. From 1965-1969 the Browns never won fewer than 9 games in each season (they played 14-game seasons then), but always fell just short of the title. They played in the NFL championship games in 1965, 1968, and 1969. In 1970 the Browns dropped to 7-7, and missed the playoffs. Mr. Collier had been growing increasingly deaf, and he decided after that season that the hearing loss was making it too difficult for him to continue coaching. Mr. Collier managed one achievement in 1970 that served as a footnote in the history books: He became the winning coach in the first game ever played on Monday Night Football when the Browns defeated the New York Jets in their season opener on September 21. Mr. Collier retired with a professional head coaching record of 76-34-2. He continued with the Browns organization as a college scout. According to one of his players, defensive end Paul Wiggin, "We had the greatest teacher in football in Blanton Collier. He was a gentleman, he was a great coach...There were no flaws. He could have run for president. If someone put together a committee to find holes in his life, they wouldn’t have found any. He was a good human being." In the words of Browns’ owner Art Modell, "God never created a finer human being than Blanton Collier."

20 years ago
1988

On television tonight
The Wonder Years, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Swingers

10 years ago
1998

Oil
Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Mexico announced a cut in oil production, a move which was expected to reverse a sharp drop in world prices.

March 21, 2008

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Edward Walter Maunder, 76. U.K. astronomer. Mr. Maunder worked at the Royal Observatory, where he was known for his study of sunspots and the solar magnetic cycle that led to his identification of the period from 1645-1715 that is now known as the Maunder Minimum. Mr. Maunder was one of the founders of the British Astronomical Association in 1890; he was the first editor of its journal, and was succeeded in that position by his wife and colleague Annie. Mr. Maunder died 22 days before his 77th birthday.

"Diamond Joe" Esposito, 55. U.S. politician and gangster. Mr. Esposito was a Republican Party boss of the 19th Ward in Chicago, and a political rival of Al Capone. He was gunned down at home in front of his wife and daughter in a murder contract arranged by his fellow former gang member Paul "The Waiter" Ricca.

Diplomacy
Afghan King Amanullah Khan flew over London, becoming the first royal personage to view the English capital from the air. The king described the event as the "greatest thrill the West has yet given me."

Americana
In Washington, President Calvin Coolidge presented Colonel Charles Lindbergh with the Congressional Medal of Honor. Col. Lindbergh took more Congressmen for airplane rides, and then spoke before the Military Committee of the Senate and House in support of pending bills that proposed higher pay for men and officers who would undergo the hazards of service in the Army Air Corps.

Politics and government
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, through his secretary Everett Sanders, notified the Republican State Central Committee of Wyoming that he must decline their request of March 10 to "waive his personal preferences and continue for an additional four years that leadership which has brought honor and prosperity to this country."

In a straight party vote, the Republican-controlled New York State Senate defeated Democratic Governor Al Smith’s motion to extend the gubernatorial term to four years by a vote of 26-24.

Nicaraguan President Adolfo Diaz issued an executive decree investing the United States with full authority to supervise the Nicaraguan national elections scheduled for the following October.

Disasters
13 tourists died in an Alpine avalanche near Salzburg, Austria.

60 years ago
1948

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring John Stanley and Alfred Shirley, on MBS
Tonight's episode: Death is a Golden Arrow

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Magic Moments--Perry Como (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
Harbor Command, starring Wendell Corey
Tonight's episode: Rendezvous at Sea

40 years ago
1968

On television tonight
Dragnet 1968, starring Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Big Gambler

At the movies
The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, a musical starring Walter Brennan, Buddy Ebsen, Lesley Ann Warren, and John Davidson, received its premiere screening at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Died on this date
Gerhart Eisler, 71. German-born politician and propagandist. Mr. Eisler was active in the German Communist party during the Weimar Republic before emigrating to the United States. He acted as a liaison between Communist parties of the United States and China. In 1948 he was described by Newsweek as the Number One Red Agent in the U.S. Despite being accused of espionage, Mr. Eisler was charged only with misrepresenting his Communist party affiliation on his emigration application. He fled the country by stowing away on a Polish freighter bound for London, was discovered by the crew while at sea, and was arrested at Southampton. The British authorities allowed Mr. Eisler to go to the German Democratic Republic, where he became head of East German radio and a leading propagandist on behalf of the Communist government.

War
An Israeli force of 15,000 men crossed into Jordan and wiped out guerrilla bases used in staging raids against Israel.

Politics and government
A committee of the National Assembly of Czechoslovakia unanimously recommended that President Antonin Novotny resign his post.

30 years ago
1978

War
Israeli Defense Miniser Ezer Weizman issued a unilateral ceasefire edict after Israeli forces had completed the takeover of most of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, except for the port of Tyre.

Politics and government
Bishop Abel Muzorewa, Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole, and Senator Jeremiah Chirau were sworn in as co-leaders of the provisional government of Rhodesia along with Prime Minister Ian Smith, 18 days after the four had signed an agreement to transfer power to the country’s black majority by the end of the year.

20 years ago
1988

Died on this date
Edd Roush, 94. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Roush played 18 years in the major leagues from 1913-1931, most of them (1916-1926, 1931) with the Cincinnati Reds. He led the National League in batting in 1917 (.341) and 1919 (.321), in doubles in 1923 (41) and triples in 1924 (21). Mr. Roush retired with a lifetime batting average of .323. After breaking into the major leagues with a brief stint with the Chicago White Sox in 1913, he spent two years in the Federal League with the Indianapolis Hoosiers (1914) and Newark Peppers (1915). Mr. Roush joined the New York Giants in 1916, joining the Reds later that season. He rejoined the Giants for three seasons from 1927-1929. Mr. Roush played all 8 games for the Reds in the 1919 World Series vs. the White Sox, batting just .214 as the Reds won 5 games to 3. Former teammate Heinie Groh described Mr. Roush as "far and away the best center fielder I ever saw." On June 8, 1920, Mr. Roush was ejected from a game for falling asleep in the outfield. Cincinnati manager Pat Moran got into an argument with the umpire, and the argument dragged on so long that Mr. Roush decided to have a nap. He was so difficult to wake up that he was ejected for delaying the game. Mr. Roush was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

March 20, 2008

180 years ago
1828

Born on this date
Henrik Ibsen. Norwegian playwright. Mr. Ibsen was often referred to as the "father of modern drama." He took a critical view of Victorian values and morality, and his plays showed that surface propriety often hid a dark underside. Among Mr. Ibsen’s works were Brand (1865); Peer Gynt (1867); A Doll’s House (1879); Ghosts (1881);An Enemy of the People (1882); The Wild Duck (1884); Hedda Gabler (1890); and The Master Builder (1892). He died on May 23, 1906 at the age of 78. Henrik Ibsen is not to be confused with Henry Gibson, who recited poetry on the 1960s television comedy show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.

120 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Amanda Clement. U.S. baseball umpire. Miss Clement played various sports, and sometime during the period 1903-1905, became the first woman to be paid to umpire a game, when she substituted for an absent umpire in a semi-professional game in Hawarden, Iowa. She umpired regularly for six years and occasionally for many years thereafter, and may have been the first woman to referee a high school basketball game. Miss Clement worked at several occupations, and was a social worker in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for 25 years until her retirement in 1966. She died on July 20, 1971 at the age of 83.

Opera
Children of the Forests, the first Romani-language operetta, received its premiere performance in Moscow.

80 years ago
1928

Aviation
Colonel Charles Lindbergh embarked on his program of making members of Congress "air minded" by taking two Senators and 40 Representatives and members of their families and friends in a series of eight flights over Washington, D.C.

Born on this date
Fred Rogers. U.S. clergyman and television personality. Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister who became one of the major names in children’s television. After several years hosting local children’s programs in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mr. Rogers moved to Toronto, hosting MisteRogers on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1963-1966. He then moved his show to educational television in Pittsburgh; the title was changed to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in 1968. In 1969 the show moved to the Public Broadcasting Service, where it continued running until 2001. Mr. Rogers died on February 27, 2003.

75 years ago
1933

Died on this date
Dan Burke, 64. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Burke was a catcher, outfielder, and first baseman with the Rochester Broncos (1890); Syracuse Stars (1890); and Boston Beaneaters (1892), batting .175 with no home runs and 9 runs batted in in 42 games. He played in the minor leagues--mainly in the New England League--from 1886-1897.

Giuseppe Zangara, 32. U.S. assassin. Mr. Zangara, a native of Italy who had become a United States citizen in 1929, was executed in "Old Sparky," the electric chair at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Florida, for the February 15, 1933 shooting in Miami of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. Mr. Cermak had died of peritonitis on March 6. Five others had also been shot by Mr. Cermak, although U.S. President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, who may have been Mr. Zangara's target, was unharmed. Mr. Zangara spent only 10 days on death row.

Abominations
German Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler ordered the creation of Dachau Concentration Camp and appointed Theodor Eicke as the camp commandant.

60 years ago
1948

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard) (Best Seller): Manana (Is Soon Enough for Me)--Peggy Lee (2nd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover--Art Mooney and his Orchestra (2nd week at #1)
--Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
--The Three Suns
--Uptown String Band
2 Now is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song)--Bing Crosby
--Gracie Fields
--Margaret Whiting
--Eddy Howard and his Orchestra
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
3 Beg Your Pardon--Francis Craig and his Orchestra
--Frankie Carle and his Orchestra
--Larry Green and his Orchestra
4 Manana (Is Soon Enough for Me)--Peggy Lee
5 Golden Earrings--Peggy Lee
6 Ballerina--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby with the Rhythmaires
--Buddy Clark
7 Serenade of the Bells--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra
--Jo Stafford
--Kay Kyser and his Orchestra
8 How Soon (Will I Be Seeing You)--Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby and Carmen Cavallaro
--Jack Owens
--Dinah Shore
9 I'm My Own Grandpaw--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
10 I'll Dance at Your Wedding--Ray Noble and his Orchestra with Buddy Clark
--Peggy Lee

Singles entering the chart were the version of Now is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song) by Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra; The Big Brass Band of Brazil, with versions by Art Mooney and his Orchestra; and Danny Kaye and the Andrews Sisters (#27); Haunted Heart by Perry Como (#30); Lover, with versions by Stan Kenton and his Orchestra; and Gene Krupa and his Orchestra (#37); Teresa, with versions by Vic Damone; and Dick Haymes and the Andrews Sisters (#38); King Size Papa by Julie Lee and the Boy Friends (#39); Sabre Dance Boogie by Freddy Martin and his Orchestra (#40).

Movies
The Academy Awards for 1947 were presented at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The winners included: Picture--Gentleman's Agreement; Director--Elia Kazan (Gentleman's Agreement); Actor--Ronald Colman (A Double Life); Actress--Loretta Young (The Farmer's Daughter); Supporting Actor--Edmund Gwenn (Miracle on 34th Street); Supporting Actress--Celeste Holm (Gentleman's Agreement).

Born on this date
Happy birthday, Bobby Orr!
One of the greatest hockey players ever (the greatest, according to some), Mr. Orr revolutionized the game in the 1960s. The term "offensive defenseman" had usually been an oxymoron until Mr. Orr came along. He could control the tempo of the game by controlling the puck. Mr. Orr is still the only defenseman to win a scoring title, which he did in 1969-1970 and 1974-75. After winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s outstanding rookie in 1966-67, Mr. Orr won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s top defenseman for eight straight seasons from 1967-68 through 1974-75. He also won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player from 1969-70 through 1971-72. He led the Boston Bruins to Stanley Cup championships in 1969-70 and 1971-72. Mr. Orr scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal 41 seconds into overtime in the fourth game of the finals at the Boston Garden vs. the St. Louis Blues on May 4, 1970. He was tripped by Blues’ defenseman Noel Picard as he shot the puck, and the image of Mr. Orr flying through the air with his stick raised is one of the most memorable in hockey history. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy that year as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and won it again in 1972, when the Bruins defeated the New York Rangers in six games in the finals. The only question concerning Mr. Orr’s greatness is what he might he might have done if a series of knee injuries (beginning in his second NHL season) hadn’t interrupted and prematurely ended his career. The 1974-75 season was his last full season; he played just 10 games the following season, and then signed with the Chicago Black Hawks as a free agent. Mr. Orr played just 20 games in 1976-77, took the next season off, and retired in the fall of 1978 after playing in 6 games at the start of the 1978-79 season. His last moment of glory occurred in the inaugural Canada Cup tournament in September 1976. He’d been unable to play in the 1972 series vs. the Soviet Union, but was the Canada Cup’s most valuable player for the victorious host nation.

Politics and government
Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, director of the Jewish Agency's U.S. office, attacked the "shocking reversal" in American policy in Palestine announced the previous day. Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben-Gurion rejected "any sort of trusteeship, permanent or temporary." U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall disclosed that he had originated the U.S. shift in Palestine policy, recommending trusteeship to President Harry Truman as the best way to preserve peace in the area.

The U.S.A., U.K., and France jointly proposed abandoning United Nations trusteeship of Trieste and returning the city to Italian control. The statement cited difficulties in choosing a governor for the international zone and frequent clashes between Yugoslavian and Allied troops as reason for the change.

The U.S.S.R. Communist Party Central Committee sent a secret message to the Yugoslavian Communist Party, accusing it of deviating from the "internationalist" line laid down for European Communists in Moscow, and attempting to follow a separate path of economic and political development for Yugoslavia.

Tennis
Bill Talbert won the men's singles title at the U.S. indoor championships in New York, while Pat Todd won the women's singles title.

50 years ago
1958

Born on this date
Holly Hunter. U.S. actress. Miss Hunter won the Academy Award for Best Actress for 1993 for her performance in The Piano, one of the decade’s most overrated movies. Miss Hunter’s other Oscar nominations were for Broadcast News (Actress, 1987); The Firm (Supporting Actress, 1993); and Thirteen (Supporting Actress, 2003).

World events
U.S., U.K., and Dutch nationals left Medan in northern Sumatra for Singapore.

Politics and government
The Sudanese House of Representatives voted to retain Prime Minister Abdullah Khalil as head of a new coalition cabinet.

Union Party candidates retained their pro-British majority in the Northern Irish House of Commons, winning 34 seats in the general election.

A Gallup Poll reported that U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's public approval was down to 52%, "the lowest point ever recorded since he took office" on January 20, 1953.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (Record Retailer): The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich

Australia's top 10 (Go-Set)
1 Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)--John Fred and his Playboy Band (3rd week at #1)
2 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
3 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
4 Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)--Johnny Farnham
5 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
6 Tin Soldier/I Feel Much Better--Small Faces
7 Woman, Woman--The Union Gap
8 Green Tambourine--The Lemon Pipers
9 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
10 Different Drum--Stone Poneys

Singles entering the chart were Delilah by Tom Jones (#29); Everlasting Love by the Love Affair (#39); and Suddenly You Love Me by the Tremeloes (#40).

Died on this date
Charles Chaplin, Jr., 42. U.S. actor. Mr. Chaplin, the son of Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey, died of a blood clot. His movie appearances included Limelight (with his father) (1952); The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955); High School Confidential! (1958); The Beat Generation (1959); Girls Town (1959); and Sex Kittens Go to College (1960).

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Hohoemi Gaeshi--The Candies (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Te Amo--Umberto Tozzi (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Jacques "Toto" Brugnon, 82. French tennis player. Mr. Brugnon was one of the "Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He was primarily a doubles specialist who won 10 Grand Slam doubles titles in the French, American, Australian and British championships. He was also a fine singles player but never won a major title. Along with the other Musketeers (Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet, and René Lacoste), Mr. Brugnon was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1976.

Politics and government
French Socialist leader Francois Mitterand blamed the Communists for the left’s defeat in the national elections the day before; the Communists had repeatedly attacked the Socialists during the campaign.

Law
The Florida State Supreme Court ruled that acknowledgment of homosexual preference was not in itself grounds to deny a qualified applicant the right to practice law in the state.

20 years ago
1988

Politics and government
In the contest for the presidential nominations, Jesse Jackson won the Democratic preference vote in Puerto Rico; Vice President George Bush won the Republican vote.

Jose Napoleon Duarte’s centrist party lost ground in elections in El Salvador. The right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) won about half the seats in the National Assembly. ARENA had called for a more vigorous war against leftist rebels and had criticized the Duarte government for corruption and various economic problems. The rebels called for a boycott of the vote.
ARENA won in about 80% of the municipalities--including San Salvador--that voted. A preliminary report from the ruling party said that ARENA had won 31 of the 60 seats in the assembly.

World events
Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze arrived in Washington to meet with U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz in order to work out details of a summit between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to take place in Moscow from May 29-June 2.

Hockey
CIAU
The York University Yeomen won the national men’s hockey championship with a 5-2 win over the University of Western Ontario Mustangs in the final.

10 years ago
1998

Scandal
U.S. President Bill Clinton invoked executive privilege and attorney-client confidentiality in order to block testimony by senior White House aides in the grand jury investigation of the president’s alleged affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

March 19, 2008

160 years ago
1848

Born on this date
Wyatt Earp. U.S. lawman. He was a police officer in Wichita and Dodge City, Kansas, before making his way (with his older brothers Jim and Virgil) to Tombstone, Arizona in December 1879, where he became an armed guard for Wells Fargo and Company. Younger brothers Morgan and Warren arrived in Tombstone the following summer. Wyatt Earp is best remembered for his participation in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which took place on October 26, 1881, and pitted Marshals Virgil and Morgan Earp, along with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday (deputized by Virgil for the occasion) against Ike and Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury, and Billy Claiborne. The McLaurys and Bill Clanton were killed, while Morgan and Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday were wounded. The Earps and Holliday were charged with murder, but all were acquitted. Over the next several decades, Mr. Earp moved on to various jobs and adventures, eventually settling in Hollywood. He died in Los Angeles on January 13, 1929.

125 years ago
1883

Born on this date
Joseph Stilwell. U.S. military officer. General Stilwell, nicknamed "Vinegar Joe" because of his personality, was a United States Army officer mainly known for commanding Allied forces in the China-Burma-India theatre during World War II, where he preferred ground troops to air power. He had difficult relationships with British commanders, and had an especially poor relationship with Nationalist Chinese leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, which eventually led to Gen. Stilwell's recall from command in October 1944. Gen. Stilwell continued to serve the Army in other capacities until his death on October 12, 1946 at the age of 63, after an operation for stomach cancer.

80 years ago
1928

Americana
Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh was presented with the Woodrow Wilson medal and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation’s $25,000 peace award at a dinner in New York City.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Music Vendor)
1 Tequila--The Champs
--Eddie Platt and his Orchestra
2 Who's Sorry Now--Connie Francis
3 26 Miles--The Four Preps
4 Sweet Little Sixteen--Chuck Berry
5 Are You Sincere--Andy Williams
6 Lollipop--The Chordettes
--Ronald & Ruby
--Vince Edwards
7 Catch a Falling Star--Perry Como
8 It's Too Soon to Know--Pat Boone
9 Sugartime--The McGuire Sisters
10 Don't--Elvis Presley

At the movies
South Pacific, directed by Joshua Logan and starring Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr, and France Nuyen, opened in theatres.



Asiatica
The Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan was formally proclaimed, with King Faisal of Iraq as head of the new state and commander of its united armed forces.

Politics and government
Representatives of six European nations met in Strasbourg for the opening session of the European Parliamentary Assembly, governing organ of the European Economic Community and Euratom.

Law
General Hernando Hernandez, criticized for dealing too softly with rebels, was replaced as Cuba's national police chief by General Pilar Garcia.

Economics and finance
The Nationalist Chinese government broke off trade relations with Japan and cancelled all Japanese contracts in protest against the recent Japanese trade agreement with the People's Republic of China.

Disasters
A blaze at the Monarch Underwear Company, an old loft building in New York City, left 24 dead and 15 injured.

Basketball
NBA
Eastern Division Finals
Philadelphia 98 @ Boston 107 (Boston led best-of-seven series 1-0)

Western Division Finals
Detroit 111 @ St. Louis 114 (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 1-0)

30 years ago
1978

Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council voted 12-0 to adopt a United States-sponsored resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, and establishing a 4,000-man U.N. force to enforce a ceasefire in the area.

Terrorism
The Italian government decided to continue the trial in Turin of 15 Red Brigade terrorists, despite the vow of the kidnappers of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro to kill him if the guerrillas weren't freed.

Politics and government
The government centre-right coalition defeated the socialists and Communists in national elections in France. The government emerged with a 90-seat majority in the 491-seat Chamber of Deputies.

Scandal
Former United States Budget Director Bert Lance made a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding charges that he and nine others, including four wealthy Arabs, had violated federal law in failing to disclose their attempted takeover of Financial Bankshares, Inc., Washington's second-largest bank-holding company.

Golf
Jack Nicklaus won the Tournament Players Championship in Pointe Vedra Beach, Florida with a score of 289. First prize money was $60,000.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 4 @ Boston 6

Six different players scored for the Bruins as they defeated the Maple Leafs at Boston Garden.



CIAU
Men's Championship
Final @ Varsity Arena, Edmonton
Alberta 6 Toronto 5

The Golden Bears took an early 3-0 lead as they avenged their loss to the Varsity Blues in the 1977 championship final.

25 years ago
1983

Hit parade
#1 single in France: Chante--Les Forbans (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler

#1 single in the U.K.: Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Billie Jean--Michael Jackson (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Billie Jean--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)
2 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club
3 You Are--Lionel Richie
4 Hungry Like the Wolf--Duran Duran
5 Stray Cat Strut--Stray Cats
6 Back on the Chain Gang--Pretenders
7 Down Under--Men at Work
8 Shame on the Moon--Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
9 One on One--Daryl Hall & John Oates
10 We've Got Tonight--Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton

Singles entering the chart were Solitaire by Laura Branigan (#71); So Wrong by Patrick Simmons (#74); Photograph by Def Leppard (#80); Every Home Should Have One by Patti Austin (#84); Mornin' by Jarreau (#85); Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel (#87); Mexican Radio by Wall of Voodoo (#88); Carrie's Gone by Le Roux (#89); and Don't Run (Come Back to Me) by KC & the Sunshine Band (Duet with Teri DeSario) (#90).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Hungry Like the Wolf--Duran Duran
2 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me--Culture Club
3 Stray Cat Strut--Stray Cats
4 We've Got Tonight--Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton
5 Billie Jean--Michael Jackson
6 Sexual Healing--Marvin Gaye
7 Shy Boy--Bananarama
8 When I'm with You--Sheriff
9 You Are--Lionel Richie
10 Baby, Come to Me--Patti Austin (with James Ingram)

Singles entering the chart were Midnight Blue by Louise Tucker (#42); Little Red Corvette by Prince (#43); Poison Arrow by ABC (#47); Human Race by Red Rider (#48); and It Might Be You by Stephen Bishop (#49). Midnight Blue, based on Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique, featured accompanying vocals by Charlie Skarbek, although he was credited only on the picture sleeve of the 45.

Football
USFL
The hometown Arizona Wranglers defeated the Los Angeles Express 21-14 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. The loss was the first for the Express after two wins to start the season, and the first as a head coach for Hugh Campbell in 13 games, going back to 1982 when he was coaching the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Perdere l'Amore--Massimo Ranieri (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (7th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (9th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You--Glenn Medeiros (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Feet on the Ground--Hothouse Flowers

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Together Forever--Rick Astley

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
2 Father Figure--George Michael
3 I Get Weak--Belinda Carlisle
4 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson
5 Endless Summer Nights--Richard Marx
6 Out of the Blue--Debbie Gibson
7 Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car--Billy Ocean
8 Just Like Paradise--David Lee Roth
9 I Want Her--Keith Sweat
10 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)

Singles entering the chart were Shattered Dreams by Johnny Hates Jazz (#70); I Don't Want to Live Without You by Foreigner (#76); Say it Again by Jermaine Stewart (#83); One Good Reason by Paul Carrack (#85); Ritual by the Dan Reed Network (#86); Hot Hot Hot!!! by the Cure (#87); Play that Funky Music by Roxanne (#88); and My Girl by Suave (#89).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
2 Father Figure--George Michael
3 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S
4 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
5 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
6 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
7 I Get Weak--Belinda Carlisle
8 Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)--Sway
9 Could've Been--Tiffany
10 Just Like Paradise--David Lee Roth

Singles entering the chart were Rocket 2 U by the Jets (#73); Love Overboard by Gladys Knight and the Pips (#86); You Don't Know by Scarlet and Black (#89); Walk on the Wire by Diamond in the Rough (#93); I Want You So Bad by Heart (#94); Say This to Me by NEO A4 (#96); and Lake of Fire by Jale (#97).

Died on this date
Bun Cook, 83. Canadian hockey player. Mr. Cook was a left wing with the Saskatoon Crescents of the Western Canada Hockey League (1924-25); Saskatoon Sheiks of the Western Hockey League (1925-26); New York Rangers (1926-36) and Boston Bruins (1936-37) of the National Hockey League; and Providence Reds of the International-American (later American) Hockey League (1937-43). In 473 NHL games, he scored 158 goals and 144 assists. Mr. Cook, his brother Bill, and Frank Boucher comprised the "Bread Line" with the Rangers, leading the team to their first two Stanley Cup championships in 1927-28 and 1932-33. In the AHL, Mr. Cook coached the Reds for 6 seasons and then coached the Cleveland Barons through 1955-56, winning a record seven Calder Cup championships--2 with the Reds and 5 with the Barons. His 636 wins as a head coach remains the AHL record. Mr. Cook was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.

Politics and government
In the race for the 1988 U.S. Democratic Party U.S. presidential nomination, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis won the Kansas caucuses.

10 years ago
1998

Politics and government
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a Hindu nationalist, was sworn in as Prime Minister of India, an event that alarmed Muslims and moderate Hindus.

Economics and finance
Zhu Rongji, the new premier of China, outlined a sweeping 3-year program for changes to make state-owned industries solvent, overhaul the banking system, and redesign the government.

March 18, 2008

580 years ago
1438

Europeana
Albert the Magnanimous, King of Hungary and Croatia, was chosen "King of the Romans" at Frankfurt, becoming King Albert II of Germany.

150 years ago
1858

Politics and government
Jan Jacob Rochussen, Conservative, took office as Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

70 years ago
1938

Oil
Mexico nationalized all foreign-owned oil properties within its borders.

Baseball
The Washington Nationals traded first baseman Joe Kuhel to the Chicago White Sox for first baseman Zeke Bonura. Mr. Kuhel, who spent 8 seasons in Washington, hit .283 with 6 home runs and 61 runs batted in in 1937, while Mr. Bonura, in his fourth season with the White Sox, had batted .345 with 19 home runs and 100 RBIs in 116 games in 1937. Mr. Kuhel was regarded as a much better defensive first baseman than Mr. Bonura.
40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Koi no Shizuku--Yukari Itō (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Soul Finger--The Bar-Kays

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Gianna--Rino Gaetano (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Mull of Kintyre--Wings (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Night Fever--Bee Gees

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Denis--Blondie
2 Big City--Tol Hansse
3 She's Not There--Santana
4 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
5 If I Had Words--Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley with the St. Thomas More School Choir
6 I Can't Stand the Rain--Eruption featuring Precious Wilson
7 Red Hot--Robert Gordon with Link Wray
8 Only a Fool--The Mighty Sparrow with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires
9 Fantasy--Earth, Wind & Fire
10 Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush

Singles entering the chart were Argentina by Conquistador (#21); Jack and Jill by Raydio (#27); Spaceman by Bolland & Bolland (#29); Same Old Song by Pussycat (#33); and Winter Song by Angel with the California Boys Choir (#34).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Night Fever--Bee Gees
2 Emotion--Samantha Sang
3 (Love Is) Thicker than Water--Andy Gibb
4 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
5 Lay Down Sally--Eric Clapton
6 Sometimes When We Touch--Dan Hill
7 Can't Smile Without You--Barry Manilow
8 I Go Crazy--Paul Davis
9 What's Your Name--Lynyrd Skynyrd
10 Thunder Island--Jay Ferguson

Singles entering the chart were Two Doors Down by Dolly Parton (#75); On Broadway by George Benson (#80); Don't Cost You Nothing by Ashford & Simpson (#82); Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) by Billy Joel (#83); Too Much, Too Little, Too Late by Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams (#84); Dance with Me by Peter Brown with Betty Wright (#90); Kings and Queens by Aerosmith (#91); (Any Way that You Want It) I'll Be There by Starz (#96); Am I Losing You by the Manhattans (#97); Never Get Enough of Your Love by L.T.D. (#98); and Do I Love You (Yes in Every Way) by Donna Fargo (#99).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Sometimes When We Touch--Dan Hill
2 (Love Is) Thicker than Water--Andy Gibb
3 Emotion--Samantha Sang
4 Just the Way You Are--Billy Joel
5 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
6 What's Your Name--Styx
7 Peg--Steely Dan
8 I Go Crazy--Paul Davis
9 Night Fever--Bee Gees
10 Lay Down Sally--Eric Clapton

Singles entering the chart were Count on Me by Jefferson Starship (#83); Rocket Ride by Kiss (#85); Like I've Never Been Gone by Fran McKendree (#93); Let's All Chant by the Michael Zager Band (#98); Your Love is So Good for Me by Diana Ross (#99); and It Amazes Me by John Denver (#100).

World events
In Pakistan, former President and Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was sentenced to death for conspiracy to murder a political opponent, Ahmed Raza Kasuri, three years earlier. In 1974, Mr. Kasuri's family had been ambushed, and Mr. Kasuri's father, Nawab Mohammad Ahmad Khan, had been killed. The younger Kasuri insisted that he had been the real target. The trial and verdict were heavily criticized amid accusations of bias and manufactured evidence.

Hockey
In the national Hockey Night in Canada game, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 at Maple Leaf Gardens. The Penguins' first goal was scored by former Boston Bruins' star Derek Sanderson, attempting a comeback after several years of decline.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Tell it to My Heart--Taylor Dayne (3rd week at #1)

Died on this date
Billy Butterfield, 71. U.S. musician. Mr. Butterfield was a jazz trumpeter who performed with a number of big bands, including those of Bob Crosby, Artie Shaw, Les Brown, and Benny Goodman.

Economics and finance
The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 2087.37, the highest level since the collapse of stock prices on October 19, 1987.

10 years ago
1998

Religion
Regional bodies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to maintain a ban on sodomite clergy. They voted against replacing existing law with a broader one that would be open to individual interpretation.

March 17, 2008

1,000 years ago
1008

Died on this date
Kazan, 39 or 41. Emperor of Japan, 984-986. Kazan, born Morosada-shinnō, was the eldest son of Emperor Reizei, and succeeded his uncle En'yu on the throne. Emperor Kazan faced strong opposition from the Fujiwara family, and was manipulated into abdicating in 986. Kazan then became a Buddhist monk, and went on numerous pilgrimages.

120 years ago
1888

Born on this date
Paul Ramadier. Prime Minister of France, 1947. Dr. Ramadier was a jurist and a Socialist who served as Mayor of Decazeville (1919-1941, 1944-1959) and also represented Aveyron in the Chamber of Deputies (1928-1942, 1945-1951, 1956-1958), holding several cabinet posts. He served with the French Resistance during World War II. Dr. Ramadier was Prime Minister from January 22-November 24, 1947, and forced Communists out of the government in May, ending the "tripartisme" coalition of Communists, Socialists, and Christian Democrats. Mr. Ramadier died on October 14, 1961 at the age of 73.

70 years ago
1938

Born on this date
Rudolf Nureyev. Russian ballet dancer. Mr. Nureyev became a soloist with the Kirov Ballet in 1958 and defected from the Soviet Union while on tour in Paris in 1961. The leading classical ballet dancer of his generation, he was known for his overpowering stage presence and athletic skill and grace. Major roles included the lead in Les Sylphides; Giselle; Swan Lake; Romeo and Juliet; and Sleeping Beauty. He was ballet director of the Paris Opera from 1983-1989. Mr. Nureyev also starred in the movie Exposed in 1983, where he was teamed with Nastassia Kinski. The film was considered one of the year's worst, with particular criticism going to the performances of the two stars. Rudolf Nureyev died in 1993 at the age of 55.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Tequila--The Champs (Best Seller--1st week at #1; Top 100--1st week at #1); Don't--Elvis Presley (Disc Jockey--1st week at #1)

Space
The United States launched the Vanguard 1 satellite into earth orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The satellite carried two radios and a temperature sensor and was the first orbiting vehicle to be powered by solar energy. Photovoltaic silicon solar cells provided the electrical power to the 6.4-inch, 3.5-pound satellite until its experiments and transmitter fell silent in 1964. Vanguard 1 achieved the highest altitude of any man-made vehicle to that time and confirmed geologists' suspicions that the earth is pear-shaped. Vanguard 1 is the first artificial satellite to have been in space for 50 years.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Nora--Johnny McEvoy

Economics and finance
The London Gold Pool members met in Washington to address the crisis of their rapidly dwindling reserves, and agreed that all gold transactions between governments would continue to be made at $35 U.S. per ounce, but that they would no longer sell gold to private investors. The crisis was believed by many to be the result of two factors: a $3.572 billion deficit in the U.S. balance of payments for 1967; and the devaluation of the British pound on November 18, 1967, which was followed by speculation in U.S. dollars. Some governments (such as France, which openly wanted a return to the gold standard) were believed to be behind much of the buying.

Golf
Dan Sikes won the Florida Citrus Open in Orlando with a score of 274. First prize money was $23,000.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): It's a Heartache--Bonnie Tyler (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Mull of Kintyre--Wings (10th week at #1)

#1 single in France: How Deep is Your Love--Bee Gees

War
Thousands of Palestinian civilians in southern Lebanon fled a third day of Israeli attacks.

Economics and finance
U.S. Treasury Secretary W. Michael Blumenthal and Charles L. Schultze, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, warned President Jimmy Carter that inflation had replaced unemployment as the nation's worst economic problem.

Environment
The supertanker Amoco Cadiz broke in two after running aground in heavy seas off the Brittany coast in France, spilling more than 1.3 million of its cargo of 1.6 million barrels of crude oil into the sea.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Always on My Mind--Pet Shop Boys (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Sleepy Sleepers--Nykäsen Matti (3rd week at #1)

War
Honduran jets bombed a Nicaraguan army position in the border area; Nicaragua claimed that the bombs had fallen in its own territory. Local Nicaraguan commanders said that the offensive along the border had been ended. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Jim Wright said that he knew of no reasons to send U.S. troops to Honduras.

In the Eritrean War of Independence, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front circled an Ethiopian force and gained a decisive victory in the Battle of Afabet.

World events
The government of Panama announced that it had retired five senior military officials sympathetic to the officers who had attempted to seize military headquarters the day before.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the U.S. deficit on merchandise trade had edged upward to $12.4 billion in January.

Disasters
A Colombian Avianca Boeing 727 airliner crashed into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border three minutes after taking off from Cucuta, killing all 143 aboard.

10 years ago
1998

Health
Researchers in Finland announced that Vitamin E reduced the incidence of prostate cancer by one third, and the death rate by 41% in a study of thousands of smokers. Vitamin A was found to have no effect.

March 16, 2008

130 years ago
1878

Born on this date
José Carlos da Maia. Portuguese military officer. Mr. da Maia was a Navy officer who was elected to the National Constituent Assembly in 1911, and served as Governor of Macau (1914-1916), among other offices. He was no longer involved in active politics when he was assassinated at the age of 43 on October 19, 1921 as part of the military insurrection known as Bloody Night.

70 years ago
1938

Basketball
NCAA
National Invitational Tournament @ New York
Final
Temple 60 Colorado 36

This was the first year for the NIT, the first post-season tournament, played at Madison Square Garden. The NCAA championship playoffs began a year later.

60 years ago
1948

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

50 years ago
1958

On television tonight
Tonight's episode: The Foghorn, starring Barbara Bel Geddes, Michael Rennie, and Bartlett Robinson

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra

#1 single in France: Nights in White Satin--The Moody Blues (4th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): La tramontana--Antoine (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Bleib bei mir--Roy Black

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Cinderella Rockefella--Esther and Abi Ofarim

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Words--The Bee Gees (3rd week at #1)
2 De Kat Van Ome Willem--Wim Sonneveld with Hetty Blok, Leen Jongewaard, De Jonkies, and the Orchestra of Harry Bannink
3 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
4 Pictures of Matchstick Men--The Status Quo
5 It's the End--The Buffoons
6 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
7 Mien Waar Is M'n Feestneus?--Toon
8 The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
9 Nights in White Satin--The Moody Blues
10 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame

Singles entering the chart were Kom Uit De Bedstee Mijn Liefste by Egbert Douwe (#15); Cinderella Rockefella by Esther and Abi Ofarim (#16); Storybook Children, with versions by Sandra & Andres; Billy Vera and Judy Clay; and Nancy and Lee (#36); Roosmarie, with versions by John Lamers; and Peter Orloff (#37); and Drinking on My Bed by the Rob Hoeke Rhythm & Blues Group (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra (6th week at #1)
2 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
3 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
4 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
5 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
6 Valleri--The Monkees
7 I Wish it Would Rain--The Temptations
8 I Thank You--Sam & Dave
9 (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone--Aretha Franklin
10 La-La - Means I Love You--The Delfonics

Singles entering the chart were Forever Came Today by Diana Ross & the Supremes (#54); I Got the Feelin' by James Brown and the Famous Flames (#58); Stay Away (#67)/U.S. Male (#78) by Elvis Presley; In Need of a Friend by the Cowsills (#72); Sit with the Guru by Strawberry Alarm Clock (#74); Funky Street by Arthur Conley (#75); I'll Say Forever My Love by Jimmy Ruffin (#76); Our Corner of the Night by Barbra Streisand (#80); Delilah by Tom Jones (#81); The Impossible Dream by the Hesitations (#82); Up on the Roof by the Cryan' Shames (#84); I Will Always Think About You by the New Colony Six (#87); Turn on Your Love Light by the Human Beinz (#94); Tin Soldier by Small Faces (#98); Master Jack by Four Jacks and a Jill (#99); The Unicorn by the Irish Rovers (#100); and Cinderella Rockefella by Esther and Abi Ofarim (also #100). Stay Away was from the movie Stay Away, Joe (1968).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
2 Walk Away Renee--Four Tops
3 Words--The Bee Gees
4 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
5 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
6 Everything that Touches You--The Association
7 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
8 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
9 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
10 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition

Singles entering the chart were Lady Madonna by the Beatles (#59); Cinderella Rockefella by Esther and Abi Ofarim (#66); The Legend of Xanadu by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich (#75); Fire Brigade by the Move (#76); Tin Soldier by Small Faces (#78); U.S. Male by Elvis Presley (#78); Take Time to Know Her by Percy Sledge (#84); Candy Rainbow by the Lords of London (#85); Nights in White Satin by the Moody Blues (#87); Do What You Gotta Do by Al Wilson (#91); Just for Tonight by the Chiffons (#93); Me, the Peaceful Heart by Lulu (#95); Brown Eyed Handsome Man by Jerry Jaye (#96); If This World were Mine by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#97); In Need of a Friend by the Cowsills (#98); It's Time to Say Goodbye by the Third Rail (#99); and Kitty by Cat Stevens (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
2 The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde--Georgie Fame
3 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
4 Skip a Rope--Henson Cargill
5 Bottle of Wine--The Fireballs
6 (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls--Dionne Warwick
7 Tell Mama--Etta James
8 Kiss Me Goodbye--Petula Clark
9 Country Girl - City Man--Billy Vera and Judy Clay
10 Dear Delilah--Grapefruit

Singles entering the chart were Lady Madonna/The Inner Light by the Beatles (#27); The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) by Manfred Mann (#28); Suddenly You Love Me by the Tremeloes (#29); and Ain't Love Wonderful by Night Train (#30).

Calgary's Top 10 (Glenn's Music)
1 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly--Hugo Montenegro, his Orchestra and Chorus
2 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)--Manfred Mann
3 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
4 Summertime Blues--Blue Cheer
5 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
6 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
7 Too Much Talk--Paul Revere and the Raiders
8 My, What a Shame--Dino, Desi and Billy
9 (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
10 Words--The Bee Gees
Pick hit of the week: Valleri--The Monkees

Abominations
Several hundred unarmed Vietnamese civilians, mainly women and children, were massacred by members of Charlie Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division (the Americal Division), United States Army, in the South Vietnamese hamlets of My Lai and My Khe, in what became known as the My Lai Massacre. The number of those killed was anywhere from 347 (official U.S. estimate) to 504 (number of names on the memorial at the site). The first reports claimed that "128 Vietcong and 22 civilians" were killed in the village during a "fierce fire fight". As related at the time by the Army's Stars and Stripes magazine, "U.S. infantrymen had killed 128 Communists in a bloody day-long battle." News of the massacre didn't start to get out until a former member of Charlie Company, Ron Ridenhour, wrote to President Richard Nixon, the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the State Department, and numerous members of Congress in March 1969, detailing the events at My Lai. Mr. Ridenhour learned about the massacre secondhand from other members of Charlie Company while he was still enlisted. Congressman Morris Udall of Utah was one of the few recipients of the letter who wanted to pursue the matter. Second Lieutenant William Calley, who had led a platoon, was charged in September 1969 with the murder of 109 civilians, and 25 others were charged with lesser offenses. Freelance reporter Seymour Hersh received a phone tip about the court martial on October 22, and after completing his investigation, he filed his story with the Dispatch News Service (after Life and Look magazines had passed on it), and the report was published on November 13 in 36 major newspapers, including the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and San Francisco Chronicle. Mr. Hersh's report earned him the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. Time, Life, and Newsweek then covered the story, and when the Cleveland Plain Dealer published graphic photos of the bodies taken by Army photographer Ronald Haeberle, further cover-up became impossible. On March 17, 1970, 14 officers, including Americal Division's commanding officer, Major General Samuel Koster, were charged with suppressing information relating to the massacre. Most of the charges were later dropped. The sordid details of the massacre, cover-up, and legal proceedings take up too much space to be included in this blog, so the reader is encouraged to look these up for himself. Lt. Calley, who stated that he was following the orders of Capt. Ernest Medina, was the only one of the 26 men charged in the massacre to be convicted. The sentence, initially life imprisonment, was later reduced to 10 years. Lt. Calley served just 3 1/2 years before federal judge J. Robert Elliott ruled in in his favour and granted his immediate release on a habeus corpus motion.

Politics and government
Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York officially announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination for 1968, challenging President Lyndon Johnson. Mr. Kennedy's candidacy enraged Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy, who was already a candidate, and who appealed to the same demographics--Irish Catholics, the young, and liberals who were opposed to the war in Vietnam.

30 years ago
1978

Terrorism
In Rome, Red Brigade terrorists kidnapped Aldo Moro, former Italian Prime Minister and likely future President. The terrorists killed all five of Mr. Moro's bodyguards, and announced that Mr. Moro would be killed unless 15 guerrilla leaders on trial in Turin were freed. The Italian government deployed up to 50,000 policemen and troops to search for Mr. Moro.

Politics and government
The United States Senate voted 68-32 to approve the treaty guaranteeing the neutrality of the Panama Canal after 2000.

25 years ago
1983

Died on this date
Arthur Godfrey, 79. U.S. radio and television star. Arthur Godfrey was the biggest money-producing star the Columbia Broadcasting System has ever had, and the biggest television star CBS ever had. In terms of ratings and hours on the small screen, he was television's biggest star in the 1950s, and maybe the biggest TV star ever. Which is to say, he was a big star.
Mr. Godfrey began his broadcasting career in radio in the 1920s, but it was after being seriously injured in a car accident in the early 1930s that he began to make an impact. While recuperating, he noticed that the formal announcing style employed by radio announcers was unsuitable for home listening. Mr. Godfrey decided that when he returned to the airwaves, he would speak as though he were talking to a friend at home. This style led to a position as morning announcer for CBS-owned WJSV in Washington, D.C., where President Franklin D. Roosevelt was among his listeners. Mr. Godfrey's informal style extended to commercials; his kidding of sponsors and looseness with scripts only helped sales of the products he was pitching, and gave the impression that he wouldn't endorse a product that he didn't use himself. He's been credited as being the man who taught radio and television how to sell. In addition to pitching commercial products, Mr. Godfrey became an aviator, and was credited by Eddie Rickenbacker with doing more to boost air travel than anyone since Charles Lindbergh. He got into trouble a couple of times in the 1950s for buzzing control towers. Mr. Godfrey's emotional broadcast of President Roosevelt's funeral in April 1945 was picked up by the national CBS network, and he was given his own national Monday-Friday morning show called Arthur Godfrey Time. In 1946 he added to his workload with a prime time show titled Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts; this show ran on radio for 10 years, and was supplemented by a television version of the show that began running in December 1948 for a half hour on Monday nights. Among the acts that were boosted to stardom on this show were Steve Lawrence, the Smothers Brothers, the McGuire Sisters, Vic Damone, Beverly Sills, Lenny Bruce, Don Adams, Tony Bennett, Eddie Fisher, Connie Francis, Patsy Cline, Pat Boone, Marilyn Horne, Roy Clark, and Lesley Uggams. Wally Cox and the Chordettes were both signed to recording contracts after appearing on the same show in 1948. However, Mr. Godfrey rejected Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and the Orioles. Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts was in the top 10 in the ratings through 1954, and was the #1 show in the 1951-52 season. It remained in the top 20 through 1956-57, and slipped badly just at the end, due largely to changing audience tastes. The show went off the air in 1958. As if that wasn't enough, Arthur Godfrey and his Friends, another prime time show, went on TV in January 1949, running for an hour on Wednesday nights until June 1957, and for a half hour on Tuesday nights from September 1958-April 1959. This show was also a top 10 ratings success for years, peaking at #3 for the 1952-53 season. One of the "friends" was pop singer Julius LaRosa, who's remembered today mainly for the fact that Mr. Godfrey fired him on the air on October 19, 1953, subsequently claiming that Mr. LaRosa "lacked humility." This incident attracted much criticism for Mr. Godfrey, putting his folksy public image at odds with his private controlling personality. A TV writer named Al Morgan wrote a novel called The Great Man, a thinly-veiled book about Arthur Godfrey that was made into a successful movie in 1956, starring Jose Ferrer. All this time, Arthur Godfrey Time had continued on radio and (since 1948) on television. The radio version ran for three hours; the TV version ran for an hour, later expanded to 90 minutes. That adds up to 15 1/2 hours per week on radio, and 9 hours per week on television, with big ratings. In 1959 Mr. Godfrey was diagnosed with lung cancer, and gave up his shows while undergoing surgery and radiation. Treatment was successful, but his time as a TV star was over. Arthur Godfrey Time returned, but only on radio; the show ended its run in April 1972. Mr. Godfrey appeared in a few television specials for CBS, the last of which aired on March 28, 1973. He promoted environmental causes, and continued to do commercials. The only thing I can remember seeing him in was an ad in his last year or so for an insurance company aimed at senior citizens ("Get some peace of mind!"). I don't remember the name of the company. The Sunday after Mr. Godfrey's death, Andy Rooney, one of his former writers, delivered a moving tribute to him in his 60 Minutes segment. In his 1999 book Sincerely, Andy Rooney, Mr. Rooney made the following comment:

For reasons I don't understand, some people make the history books and others don't. It has no direct relation to accomplishment. Fame has a life of its own. Some people become legends, known long after they've departed. Others, equally famous in life, are all but forgotten shortly after they die. Godfrey is destined to be one of those. He'd hate it.

Film critic Roger Ebert recently echoed that opinion in a recent movie review when he said that one can go within a 200-mile radius of Chicago and not meet anyone who's ever heard of Arthur Godfrey.

20 years ago
1988

World events
The Panamanian government reported that five officers had been arrested for attempting to seize military headquarters that morning.

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir met with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, but made no concessions concerning the occupied territories. Mr. Shamir had met in Washington the day before with U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz.

War
White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater announced that up to 2,000 Sandanista troops had crossed the border from Nicaragua into Honduras to attack a Contra camp in Honduras. Mr. Fitzwater said that President Reagan had received a letter from Honduran President Jose Azcoma asking for aid, although he had not specified what kind of aid was wanted. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega denied that Nicaraguan troops had crossed the border.

Iraq attacked the town of Halabja, a stronghold of Kurdish separatists which Iran claimed to have taken the day before, with explosives and chemical weapons, killing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of its own citizens. The attack was seen as punishment to the Kurds for supporting the Iranians. Iranian doctors said that mustard gas and cyanide gas were used in the attack.

10 years ago
1998

Religion
The Vatican issued an "act of repentance," admitting the failure of the Roman Catholic Church to deter the mass killings of Jews during World War II.

Scandal
California businessman Johnny Chung pled guilty on charges of bank fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy in connection with $20,000 in illegal contributions to the Bill Clinton-Al Gore re-election campaign of 1996.

The White House released correspondence indicating that former White House assistant Kathleen Willey had maintained a cordial relationship with President Clinton in the four years since Mr. Clinton had allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward Ms. Willey.

March 15, 2008

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Walker Morrow!

170 years ago
1838

Born on this date
Karl Davydov. Russian musician and composer. Mr. Davydov was nicknamed the "czar of cellists" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and composed several dozen works, mainly for cello. He died on February 26, 1889, 17 days before his 51st birthday.

120 years ago
1888

War
The Anglo-Tibetan War began when Tibet refused to withdraw its troops from Sikkim according to the ultimatum imposed by Great Britain.

90 years ago
1918

Died on this date
Lili Boulanger, 24. French composer. Miss Boulanger, the younger sister of composer Nadia Boulanger, wrote symphonic poems and choral works, but was dogged by illness throughout her life, and died of "intestinal tuberculosis" (perhaps Crohn's disease).

80 years ago
1928

World events
General Macario Gaxiola, Secretary of the "Obregon for President" organization in the Mexican state of Sinaloa and himself a candidate for governor of that state, escaped assassination at the Obregon headquarters in Culiacan.

Politics and government
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, in a letter (made public) to Puerto Rico Governor Horace Towner, responded to the demand by the Puerto Rican legislature that Puerto Rico be constituted a "Free State" by declaring that the island now had greater liberty than ever befoe in its history, and its residents enjoyed all the rights and privileges of citizens of the United States.

Europeana
In Oslo, King Haakon VII opened Norway's Ibsen Exposition and centenary of the birth of playwright Henrik Ibsen.

75 years ago
1933

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Death at Stonehedge

70 years ago
1938

Died on this date
Nikolai Bukharin, 49. U.S.S.R. revolutionary and politician. Mr. Bukharin was a leading figure in the Bolshevik revolution and the Soviet government who eventually opposed dictator Josef Stalin's economic policies and was executed after one of the "Show Trials" of Mr. Stalin's opponents within the Communist Party.

Genrikh Yagoda, 46. U.S.S.R. bureaucrat. Mr. Yagoda, born Yenokh Gershevich Iyeguda, was a Bolshevik official who moved up through the ranks of the Soviet secret police organization Cheka, and was director of the NKVD (1934-1936). He supervised arrests, show trials, and executions of the Old Bolsheviks Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev, and also supervised construction of the White Sea–Baltic Canal with Naftaly Frenkel, using slave labor from the GULAG system, during which 12,000–25,000 laborers died. Soviet dictator Josef Stalin became disenchanted with Mr. Yagoda, and in September 1936 demoted him to People's Commissar for Posts and Telegraphs. In April 1937, Mr. Yagoda was removed from that post, and ultimately fell victim to the very system he used against others. He was a defendant in the Trial of the Twenty-One, the last of the major Soviet show trials of the 1930s. Mr. Yagoda confessed under torture, and after his conviction, was summarily shot. He was the only defendant not to be posthumously rehabilitated.

60 years ago
1948

War
Nationalist Chinese forces reported losing Kinn and Szepingkai in Manchuria and the former Communist capital of Yenan in Shensi Province.

Defense
U.S. State Secretary George Marshall testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urging an additional $275 million in military aid to Greece and Turkey.

Politics and government
The British government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee barred Communists and suspected sympathizers from civil service positions affecting national security.

Japanese rightist groups merged into a single conservative party--the Democratic Liberal Party--with 251 members in Parliament. Former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida was named party president.

Crime
A U.S. federal court in Washington sentenced General Bennett Meyers, second-ranking Air Force procurement officer during World War II, to 20 months-5 years in prison for persuading an employee to lie in testimony before the Senate War Investigating Committee.

Labour
A U.S. federal court in Washington ruled the Taft-Hartley Act's ban on union political activity unconstitutional, dismissing charges against Congress of Industrial Organizations President Philip Murray for violating the ban.

206,000 coal miners in 11 U.S. states struck in a dispute with operators over the miners' welfare fund.

Hockey
The University of Toronto defeated Dartmouth College 5-0 to win the Alexis Thompson international collegiate trophy.

50 years ago
1958

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): April Love--Pat Boone (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Der lachende Vagabund--Fred Bertelmann (8th week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Hello, le soleil brille--Annie Cordy

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): Magic Moments/Catch a Falling Star--Perry Como (3rd week at #1)

U.S. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Tequila--The Champs
2 Catch a Falling Star--Perry Como
3 Sweet Little Sixteen--Chuck Berry
4 26 Miles (Santa Catalina)--The Four Preps
5 Get a Job--The Silhouettes
6 Sail Along Silvery Moon--Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra
7 Oh Julie--The Crescendos
8 Who's Sorry Now--Connie Francis
9 Don't--Elvis Presley
10 Sugartime--The McGuire Sisters

Singles entering the chart were Dinner with Drac (Part 1) by John Zacherle (#42); Wishing for Your Love by the Voxpoppers (#46); Now and for Always by George Hamilton IV (#47); Lonely Island by Sam Cooke (#50); He's Got the Whole World (In His Hands) by Laurie London (#51); Don't You Just Know It by Huey (Piano) Smith and the Clowns (#55); I'm Gonna Love You Too by Buddy Holly (#56); Corrido Rock (Part 1) by "Handsome" Jim Balcom (#59); Uh-Huh, Oh Yeah by Steve Lawrence (#60); and Wiggle-Tail (Parts 1 and 2) by Googie Rene (also #60).

Diplomacy
The U.S. State Department rejected as "wholly unacceptable" U.S.S.R. proposals linking international control of outer space with elimination of U.S. overseas bases.

Politics and government
Egyptians and Palestinian refugees inaugurated a 30-member Gaza Legislative Council to advise the Egyptian Governor General of the Gaza Strip.

French Communist Party Secretary Maurice Thorez proposed a Socialist-Communist alliance to seek a truce in Algeria and fight "fascism" in France.

A Gallup Poll reported that 65% of Republicans surveyed wanted U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon to head the party ticket in the U.S. presidential election in 1960.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Bend Me, Shape Me--The American Breed

Edmonton's top 10 (CJCA)
1 The Unicorn--The Irish Rovers
2 Playboy--Gene and Debbe
3 Love is Blue (L'Amour est Bleu)--Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
4 Too Much Talk--Paul Revere and the Raiders
5 Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was In)--The First Edition
6 (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding
7 Simon Says--1910 Fruitgum Company
8 Words--The Bee Gees
9 Itchycoo Park--Small Faces
10 Everything that Touches You--The Association
Pick of the Week: Valleri--The Monkees
New this week: One Hundred Years--Nancy Sinatra
One--Nilsson
The Impossible Dream--Hesitations
Hey Joe--The Nomads
The Legend of Xanadu--Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich

Politics and government
U.K. Foreign Minister Michael Stewart resigned in a dispute over the gold market; he was replaced by George Brown.

Economics & finance
Speculation drove the price of gold on the Paris market to an all-time high of $44.36 U.S. per ounce.

Disasters
26 people were killed and 80 injured when a trolley and train collided in Santa Maria De La Alameda, Spain.

30 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush (2nd week at #1)

War
Representatives of Somalia and Ethiopia signed a truce to end the Ethio-Somali War.

World events
The Soviet Union announced that it had revoked the citizenship of cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife, former Bolshoi Opera soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. The couple had been living abroad since 1974, not intending to return to the U.S.S.R. until full artistic freedom was achieved there.

Hockey
NHL
Pittsburgh 4 @ Vancouver 6

20 years ago
1988

Politics and government
United States Vice President George Bush defeated Senator Bob Dole 55%-36% in the Illinois Republican primary for his party's presidential nomination. In the Democratic primary, Illnois Senator Paul Simon won his home state with 43% of the vote; Jesse Jackson took 31%, and Michael Dukakis 17%.

World events
Soviet deputy prosecutor general Alexander Katusev was quoted in an Azerbaijani newspaper as saying that the mistreatment of Armenians in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait constituted a pogrom. As many as 300 had been killed during disturbances on February 28.

Panamanian troops stormed the country's largest hospital, firing tear gas and bird shot, after doctors and nurses demonstrated against the regime of Gen. Manuel Noriega.

War
Iran claimed to have taken the Iraqi town of Halabja, a stronghold of Kurdish separatists.

10 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Benjamin Spock, 94. U.S. pediatrician. Dr. Spock's book Baby and Child Care, published in 1946 just as the post-World War II baby boom was beginning, became one of the best-selling books ever. The permissive approach to parenting favoured by Dr. Spock has been blamed for creating a generation of spoiled brats. In his later years, Dr. Spock admitted that he'd been wrong in a lot of his advice; it's unfortunate that he'd ever given such advice in the first place.

Scandal
Former White House Assistant Kathleen Willey, 51, stated in a television interview that she had been the victim four years earlier of an unwanted sexual advance by President Bill Clinton.

Curling
The Ontario rink, skipped by Wayne Middaugh, defeated Guy Hemmings of Quebec 7-4 in the final of the Brier at Winnipeg Arena. The game was interrupted by a power blackout; when power was restored, the Winnipeg crowd was amused to see that Mr. Hemmings had changed the scoreboard. I think this may have been the last major sporting event to take place at the Winnipeg Arena, which closed in November 2004, and was torn down in March 2006.

March 14, 2008

110 years ago
1908

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Toronto Maple Leafs 4 @ Montreal Wanderers 6 (Montreal won sudden-death challenge)

Moose Johnson and Bruce Stuart scored late in the game to enable the defending champion Wanderers to defeat the Maple Leafs at Montreal Arena and retain the cup. Pud Glass scored 2 goals for Montreal, and Ernie Russell and Cecil Blachford each scored 1. Newsy Lalonde scored 2 goals for the Maple Leafs, champions of the Ontario Professional Hockey League. Rowley Young and Bruce Ridpath scored the other Toronto goals.

60 years ago
1948

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on MBS, starring John Stanley and Alfred Shirley
Tonight's episode: The Adventure of the Serpent God

40 years ago
1968

Space
The U.S.S.R. launched Cosmos 206, a weather satellite gathering cloud-cover photos by day and (using infrared cameras) night.

Politics and government
The National Assembly of Panama voted to impeach President Marco Robles for interfering in the political campaign for a scheduled May 12 election. The Assembly accused Robles of dismissing public employees and misusing state funds on behalf of National Liberation Party candidate David Samudio and against opposition leader Dr. Arnulfo Arias.

Economics and finance
225 tons of gold were sold in London.

30 years ago
1978

War
Israeli ground forces (estimated at between 10,000 and 22,000 men), supported by air and naval forces, invaded southern Lebanon in Operation Litani to "root out terrorist bases" used by Palestinian guerrillas for attacks within Israel.

Labour
Statistics Canada reported that unemployment had passed the 1-million mark in February for the first time.

Hockey
CHL
Dallas 6 Tulsa 1

25 years ago
1983

Oil
For the first time in its 23-year history, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to cut the prices of its crude oil. The decision, made in London, reflected the reality of falling worldwide demand for OPEC products. The price of light Arabian crude was pegged at $29 U.S. per barrel, down from $34. The OPEC countries also set an overall production quota of 17.5 million barrels per day, and every country except Saudi Arabia had a specified quota.

Authorities on the oil industry doubted that even the price of $29 could be maintained. Mexico, not an OPEC member, also cut its price to $29.

Football
USFL
At the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the hometown Express defeated the Washington Federals 20-3. Mike Rae threw two touchdown passes to Ricky Ellis just a few minutes apart in the second quarter, and Vince Abbott chipped in with two field goals and two converts. The Federals got on the scoreboard early with a field goal by Obed Ariri, but never came close again. Like most USFL games, this one was pretty dull. Most of the scoring came in the first half; about the only thing of interest in the second half was the insertion of former University of Southern California star (and CFL washout) Anthony Davis into the Express lineup late in the game, which brought some cheers from the rather small crowd of 22,453. The Los Angeles radio broadcast was carried in Edmonton on CFRN AM, the first of a number of Express games carried on that station in 1983, because of the Express being coached by Hugh Campbell, who had recently left the Edmonton Eskimos. The Express' opponents in this game were led by Mr. Campbell's predecessor as Eskimos' head coach, Ray Jauch. Both teams had a number of former CFL players on their rosters, and it sounded strange to hear these names playing for American teams in another league. The Los Angeles broadcasting crew consisted of Tom Kelly handling play-by-play, with Rich Marotta providing analysis.

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue

War
Chinese forces defeated Vietnamese forces in Johnson South Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands.