December 27, 2020

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Marilyn Draper and Ana!

670 years ago
1350

Born on this date
John I. King of Aragon, Valencia, and Majorca, 1387-1396. John I "the Hunter" acceded to the throne upon the death of his father Peter IV. King John abandoned his father's Anglophile foreign policy in favour of a Francophile policy, and supported Avignon Pope Clement VII. John I died when he fell from his horse while hunting on May 19, 1396 at the age of 45, and was succeeded on the throne by his younger brother Martin.

175 years ago
1845

Americana
John L. O'Sullivan, writing in his newspaper the New York Morning News, argued that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon Country "by the right of our manifest destiny".

Medicine
Ether anesthetic was used for childbirth for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia.

150 years ago
1870

Politics and government
Manitoba, which had become a province of Canada on July 15, 1870, held its first provincial election. The coalition government of Lieutenant Governor Adams George Archibald took 17 of 24 seats in the Legislative Assembly, with the opposition Canadian Party, led by John Christian Schultz, winning 5, and 2 independent candidates being elected.

120 years ago
1900

Society
Prohibition activist Carrie Nation arrived in Wichita, Kansas, and used her hatchet to smash the bar at the Carey Hotel.

110 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Charles Olson. U.S. poet. Mr. Olson worked in the Foreign Language Division of the U.S. Office of War Information during World War II before beginning his career in poetry. He advocated a poetic metre based only on the poet's breathing rather than syntax and logic, and coined the term "postmodern" in 1951. Mr. Olson was influenced by various sources and cultures in his poetry, and he in turn influenced many avant-garde poets, especially in the 1950s. He drank and smoked heavily, which led to his death from liver disease on January 10, 1970, two weeks after his 59th birthday. Mr. Olson's best-known work was the multi-volume The Maximus Poems (1953-1983), which he was attempting to complete at the time of his death.

80 years ago
1940

Divorced on this date
Entertainers Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler were divorced in New York after 12 years of marriage.

Movies
After a protest by Italian Ambassador to Argentina Raffaele Biscarelli, screenings of The Great Dictator were prohibited in Buenos Aires.

War
The unofficial three-day "Christmas truce" ended when German bombers attacked London. Germany accused Britain of violating the truce by bombing French and German cities on December 26. The United Kingdom reported that a captured Italian officer claimed that Italian Duce Benito Mussolini had ordered the 20,000 Italian troops surrounded in Bardia, Libya to defend the base "at all costs." Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced that a sea raider flying Japanese colours had recently shelled the island of Nauru in the western Pacific Ocean; Nauru, undefended under the terms of the League of Nations mandate, was jointly administered by the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. U.S. Senator Burton K. Wheeler (Democrat--Montana) defined the "just" peace he urged President Franklin D. Roosevelt to try to bring about as one whose terms the belligerents would be willing to accept in preference to continuing the European war. The New York Chapter of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies, which had 16,000 members, said in a statement, "Peace is possible for us only if Britain wins."

Defense
The U.S. Federal Register disclosed that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had ordered an additional 42,000 National Guardsmen into active service between January 6-17, 1941. Mr. Roosevelt said that he had turned over the Congress of Industrial Organizations proposal to produce 500 planes daily by using unused atomobile plant space and equipment to the new defense council.

Diplomacy
British High Commissioner Sir Harold MacMichael announced that no quota for immigration to Palestine would be set for the period of October 1940 through March 1941.

Economics and finance
The Japanese cabinet approved an expanded domestic steel production scheme to meet the U.S. scrap iron embargo.

Transportation
Mexican President Manuel Avila Camacho's program to establish government management of the nation's railroads was completed when the Senate unanimously endorsed the legislation.

Religion
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes received the Inter-Faith Award of the National Council of Christians and Jews in Washington, and said that sacred basic individual rights must be upheld regardless of race or creed in order to preserve liberty.

75 years ago
1945

Movies
The annual poll of the Motion Picture Herald named Bing Crosby as the top box office attraction for 1945.

War
Chinese Communist leader Chou En-lai submitted a written proposal for an immediate truce in the Chinese civil war. Greece rejected as inadequate the reparations award proposed for her by the Allied Reparations Commission.

Politics and government
Representatives of the U.S., U.S.S.R., and U.K., meeting in Moscow, concluded an agreement providing for establishment of a Far Eastern Commission; a Four-Power Allied Council for Japan; a provisional democratic government in Korea; and unification of China under the Nationalist regime.

The Turkish National Assembly voted confidence in Prime Minister Sukru Saracoglu after he declared that Turkey would follow a policy of international independence.

The top campaign manager for Mexican President Miguel Aleman said that there had never been any U.S. support, private or official, for Mexican opposition presidential candidate Ezequiel Padilla.

Terrorism
Jewish terrorists killed eight people in bomb blasts and gun battles in Jaffa and Tel Aviv.

World events
Mulla Mustafa Albarazani, his brother Sheikh Ahmad Albarazani, and 33 of their followers were sentenced to death in absentia in Baghdad for the Kurdish revolt in northern Iraq in August 1945.

Economics and finance
The World Bank and International Monetary Fund were created with the signing of an agreement by 28 nations.

U.S. President Harry Truman abolished the Smaller War Plants Corporation as of January 28, 1946, and transferred its functions to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

Labour
The U.S. Wage Stabilization Board approved an average 25c hourly wage increase for 200,000 building trades members in the New York City area.

70 years ago
1950

Movies
The New York Film Critics Circle announced its awards for 1950. The winners were: Picture--All About Eve; Director--Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve); Actor--Gregory Peck (Twelve O'Clock High); Actress--Bette Davis (All About Eve); Foreign Language Film--L'Amore.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Harry Truman appointed Stanton Griffis as U.S. Ambassador to Spain, reversing his repeated refusals to exchange envoys with Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco. Spain named former Foreign Minister Jose Lequerica as her Ambassador to the United States.

Defense
U.S. High Commissioner for Occupied Germany John McCloy said that he had been instructed to press for an agreement on the use of German troops "as a matter of urgency."

Politics and government
A 23-day conference in The Hague ended with Dutch and Indonesian negotiators failing to agree on the future political status of Western New Guinea.

Crime
U.S. federal authorities in New York freed Mrs. Carmen Torresola, widow of the Puerto Rican nationalist slain in his November 1, 1950 assassination attempt on President Truman, for lack of evidence that she was implicated in the assassination conspiracy.

Economics and finance
Defense activity pushed New York Stock Exchange prices up to their highest levels since March 1931.

60 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): It's Now or Never--Elvis Presley (4th week at #1)

On television tonight
Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, hosted by John Newland, on ABC
Tonight's episode: Rendezvous, starring Georgann Johnson and H.M. Wynant



Alfred Hitchcock Presents, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Man Who Found the Money, starring Arthur Hill and Rod Cameron

Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Cheaters, starring Mildred Dunnock, Harry Townes, Jack Weston, Paul Newlan, and Henry Daniell



Defense
France completed its third test of a nuclear device, exploding a bomb at Reggan in southwestern Algeria.

Boxing
Cassius Clay (2-0) scored a technical knockout of Herb Siler (5-2) exactly 1 minute into the 4th round of a heavyweight bout at Miami Beach Auditorium. The bout had been scheduled for a maximum of 8 rounds.

50 years ago
1970

Theatre
The musical Hello, Dolly! closed at the St. James Theatre on Broadway in New York after a run of 2,844 performances since January 16, 1964.

War
An Israeli airborne force attacked a major Palestinian commando base in the village of Yater, four miles inside Lebanon.

Disasters
25 were killed and 25 injured when two Brazilian trains collided and plunged into a ravine near Belo Horizonte.

Football
NFL
NFC Divisional Playoff
San Francisco 17 @ Minnesota 14

San Francisco quarterback John Brodie completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dick Witcher in the 1st quarter and rushed 1 yard for a touchdown in the 4th quarter as the 49ers held off the Vikings before 45,103 fans at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington for the first playoff win in their 25-year history. The Vikings scored first on a 22-yard fumble return by Paul Krause, and scored last on a 24-yard pass from Gary Cuozzo to Gene Washington, both converted by Fred Cox. Bruce Gossett converted both San Francisco touchdowns and added a 40-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter, which turned out to be the difference in the game. Ken Willard led the 49ers with 27 carries for 85 yards, and caught 1 pass for 18. Clint Jones led the Vikings with 15 carries for 60 yards, while teammate John Henderson led all receivers with 5 catches for 80 yards. Mr. Cuozzo completed just 9 of 27 passes for 146 yards and 2 interceptions.





AFC Divisional Playoff
Miami 14 @ Oakland 21

Daryle Lamonica completed touchdown passes of 22 yards to Fred Biletnikoff in the 2nd quarter and 82 yards to Rod Sherman in the 4th quarter, and defensive back Willie Brown returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter as the Raiders held off the Dolphins before 52,594 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. George Blanda converted all 3 Oakland touchdowns. The Dolphins opened the scoring in the 2nd quarter on a 16-yard pass from Bob Griese to Paul Warfield and closed the scoring on a 7-yard pass from Mr. Griese to Willie Richardson, both converted by Garo Yepremian. Mr. Lamonica completed just 8 of 16 passes for 187 yards, while Mr. Griese was 13 for 27 for 155 yards and 2 interceptions. For the Dolphins, it was the first playoff game in their 5-year history, and concluded their first season under head coach Don Shula.

40 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): You and Me--Spargo (5th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): Super Trouper--ABBA (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: There's No-one Quite Like Grandma--St Winifred's School Choir (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): There's No One Quite Like Grandma--St Winifred's School Choir

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40)
: Santa Maria--Roland Kaiser (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
2 More than I Can Say--Leo Sayer
3 Love on the Rocks--Neil Diamond
4 Lady--Kenny Rogers
5 Hungry Heart--Bruce Springsteen
6 Every Woman in the World--Air Supply
7 Guilty--Barbra Streisand (Duet with Barry Gibb)
8 The Tide is High--Blondie
9 Hit Me with Your Best Shot--Pat Benatar
10 Tell it Like it Is--Heart

Singles entering the chart were United Together by Aretha Franklin (#81); Merry Christmas in the NFL by Willis "The Guard" & Vigorish (#82); (Ghost) Riders in the Sky by the Outlaws (#83); Don't Want No-Body by the Outlaws (#88); and Got to Rock On by Kansas (#90).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
2 Lady--Kenny Rogers
3 More Than I Can Say--Leo Sayer
4 Master Blaster (Jammin’)--Stevie Wonder
5 Another One Bites the Dust--Queen
6 Love on the Rocks--Neil Diamond
7 Hit Me with Your Best Shot--Pat Benatar
8 Hungry Heart--Bruce Springsteen
9 Guilty--Barbra Streisand (Duet with Barry Gibb)
10 The Tide is High--Blondie

Singles entering the chart were Seven Bridges Road by the Eagles (#58); United Together by Aretha Franklin (#88); Hold On, Hold Out by Jackson Browne (#89); Seasons by Charles Fox (#95); Theme from "Ordinary People" by Marvin Hamlisch (#96); and Watching You by Slave (#98). Theme from "Ordinary People", was, as the title indicates, from the movie.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Record World)
1 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
2 Another One Bites the Dust--Queen
3 Love on the Rocks--Neil Diamond
4 Lady--Kenny Rogers
5 More than I Can Say--Leo Sayer
6 Guilty--Barbra Streisand (Duet with Barry Gibb)
7 Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)--Waylon
8 Every Woman in the World--Air Supply
9 Hit Me with Your Best Shot--Pat Benatar
10 Hungry Heart--Bruce Springsteen

Singles entering the chart were Seven Bridges Road by the Eagles (#59); Back in Black by AC/DC (#92); Watching You by Slave (#93); Breakfast in America by Supertramp (#94); Fantastic Voyage by Lakeside (#99); and Too Tight by Con Funk Shun (#100).

#1 single in Canada (RPM): (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon (2nd week at #1)

Winnipeg’s Top 10 (CKY)
1 Wasn’t That a Party--The Rovers
2 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
3 Love on the Rocks--Neil Diamond
4 Guilty--Barbra Streisand (Duet with Barry Gibb)
5 The Tide is High--Blondie
6 Every Woman in the World--Air Supply
7 More Than I Can Say--Leo Sayer
8 Passion--Rod Stewart
9 Suddenly--Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard
10 Tell it Like it Is--Heart

Winnipeg’s Top 10 (CFRW)
1 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
2 Love on the Rocks--Neil Diamond
3 More Than I Can Say--Leo Sayer
4 Guilty--Barbra Steisand (Duet with Barry Gibb)
5 Hungry Heart--Bruce Springsteen
6 The Tide is High--Blondie
7 De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da--The Police
8 Passion--Rod Stewart
9 Wasn’t That a Party--The Rovers
10 Lady--Kenny Rogers

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon
2 More than I Can Say--Leo Sayer
3 Hungry Heart--Bruce Springsteen
4 Whip It--Devo
5 Don't Stand So Close to Me--The Police
6 Generals and Majors--XTC
7 Ashes to Ashes--David Bowie
8 Johnny and Mary--Robert Palmer
9 Passion--Rod Stewart
10 Sometimes a Fantasy--Billy Joel

Singles entering the chart were I Ain't Gonna Stand for It by Stevie Wonder (#29); and Stealin' the Night by J.C. Stone (#30).

War
Leftist guerrillas in El Salvador mounted an offensive against government troops in the northern area of the country, and heavy fighting was under way. Estimates of the guerrilla strength ranged from 2,500-10,000 trained troops.

Protest
Afghans living in Iran stormed the U.S.S.R. embassy in Tehran, protesting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan on the first anniversary of the event. The protesters broke into the compound, burned a Soviet flag, and were then dispersed by Iranian police.

Disasters
It was reported that floods in the Pacific Northwest of the United States had washed away more than a dozen homes in Washington and killed two people in Oregon.

30 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): The Christmas No 1--Zig and Zag (3rd week at #1)

Politics and government
The fourth session of the Congress of People’s Deputies, the overall Soviet parliament, closed with only a partial victory for President Mikhail Gorbachev. Though the deputies approved his proposed reorganization of the central government’s executive branch and accepted in principle his union treaty, the Congress denied Mr. Gorbachev some new powers he had sought.

Canadian Immigration Minister Barbara McDougall announced a five-year, $332-million agreement to give Québec control of cultural integration of immigrants to the province.

25 years ago
1995

Defense
Israeli troops completed their withdrawal from six towns in the West Bank.

20 years ago
2000

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 0 @ Pittsburgh 5

Playing his first game in more than 3½ years, Mario Lemieux scored a goal and 2 assists to lead the Penguins over the Maple Leafs before a capacity crowd of 17,148 at Mellon Arena.

December 26, 2020

230 years ago
1790

Law
King Louis XVI of France gave his public assent to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.

160 years ago
1860

Soccer
The first ever inter-club English association football match took place between Hallam and Sheffield football clubs in Sheffield.

130 years ago
1890

Born on this date
Percy Hodge. U.K. runner. Mr. Hodge won a gold medal in the men's 3000-metre steeplechase event at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp. He died on December 27, 1967, the day after his 67th birthday.

Konstantinos Georgakopoulos. Prime Minister of Greece, 1958. Mr. Georgakopoulos was a law professor who joined the People's Party in 1928 and was Minister for Education (1936-1938) in the cabinet of Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas. Mr. Georgakopoulos was Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior from March 5-May 17, 1958, leading a caretaker government prior to the 1958 general election. He died on July 26, 1973 at the age of 82.

Died on this date
Heinrich Schliemann, 68. German-born archaeologist. Dr. Schliemann was a businessman who lived in several countries, including the United States and Russia, and made enough money to retire at the age of 36 and pursue an interest in archaeology. He has been called the "father of pre-Hellenistic archaeology" for his attempts to unveil the physical remains of the cities mentioned in Homer's epic tales, but he's been criticized for his methods. His use of dynamite at Hisarlik--now believed to be the site of Troy--destroyed layers of archaeological material, and modern archaeologists say that he misidentified the location of Troy. Dr. Schliemann died in Naples several weeks after an operation for a chronic ear infection.

120 years ago
1900

Oddities
A relief crew arrived at the Flannan Isles Lighthouse in Scotland and discovered that the previous crew had disappeared.

110 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Marguerite Churchill. U.S. actress. Miss Churchill appeared in plays on Broadway in New York in the 1920s and '30s, and in two dozen movies from 1929-1936. She was best known as the leading lady in the Western The Big Trail (1930), John Wayne's first starring role. She died on January 9, 2000, two weeks after her 89th birthday.

Imperio Argentina. Argentine-born Spanish actress and singer. Miss Argentina, whose real name was María Magdalena Nile del Río, began her career in her native land in 1916, and was successful on stage and screen there before emigrating to Spain in 1935, where she adopted her professional name as a tribute to her "other country." She continued to perform until the late 1990s, and died on August 22, 2003 at the age of 92.

Aviation
Arch Hoxsey set an altitude record of 11,474 feet before 75,000 spectators in Pasadena, California. He was killed five days later while attempting to break his record.

80 years ago
1940

At the movies
The Philadelphia Story, directed by George Cukor, and starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart, opened in theatres.



Forty Thousand Horsemen, produced, directed, and co-written by Charles Chauvel, and starring Grant Taylor, Chips Rafferty, and Pat Twohill, opened in theatres in Australia.



Theatre
My Sister Eileen, starring Effie Afton, Michael Ames, and Shirley Booth, opened at the Biltmore Theatre in New York. The play was written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, based on stories by Ruth McKenney. Eileen McKenney, 26, the inspiration for her sister's stories, was to have been at the opening, but she and her husband, author Nathanael West, had been killed in a car accident in California on December 22.

Died on this date
Augustus Staley, 73. U.S. businessman. Mr. Staley founded A. E. Staley Manufacturing in Decatur, Illinois, a cornstarch processing company. In 1919 he founded the Decatur Staleys football team, which joined the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League) in 1920. In 1921 George Halas acquired the team and moved them to Chicago, changing the team's name to Bears a year later.

War
According to reports from Belgrade, three German divisions had moved into Italy on troop trains from Austria.
U.S. Senator Arthur Vandenberg (Republican--Michigan) urged the United States government to send an "inquiry" to belligerents regarding the possibilities of peace.

Defense
The Mexican Senate passed a bill permitting U.S. Army planes to use either the Tejeria or Minatitlan airports for stopovers on flights between the Panama Canal Zone and the United States. The White House released a telegram from 169 prominent educators, clergymen, industrialists, writers, newspapermen, and others pledging "unqualified support" of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's proposal to send munitions to the United Kingdom.

Business
U.S. Attorney General Robert Jackson authorized criminal proceedings under the Sherman Antitrust Act against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), NBC, and CBS, charging them with illegally pooling copyighted music to eliminate competition; illegal discrimination against non-member composers; illegal price-fixing; and mutual boycotts.

Disasters
30 people were killed, 5,000 people were left homeless, and $5 million in damage was caused by a flood in Juiz de Fora Brazil, resulting from torrential rains.

75 years ago
1945

Diplomacy
A delegation of the 10-nation Far Eastern Commission left Washington for Japan.

U.S. President Harry Truman named New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia as his personal representative with ambassadorial rank at the inauguration of General Eurico Dutra as President of Brazil. Mr. La Guardia's 12 years in office as Mayor were about to end on December 31, 1945.

Crime
A Netherlands Eurasian soldier failed in an assassination attempt against Indonesian Republic Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir.

Economics and finance
The French Constituent Assembly voted its approval of the Bretton Woods agreements, the U.S. Import-Export Bank credit, and devaluation of the franc against the U.S. dollar.

70 years ago
1950

On television tonight
Suspense, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Tip, starring Stanley Ridges and Felicia Montealegre



Defense
The U.S. Army announced the mass production of a new jeep-mounted recoilless rifle capable of destroying any known foreign tank.

Journalism
Full censorship of news dispatches from the U.S. 8th Army in Korea took effect.

Politics and government
32 prominent Americans, including Nobel Prize winners Emily Greene Balch and Thomas Mann, announced the formation of a national committee to work for the repeal of the Internal Security Act of 1950.

60 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Greenfields--The Brothers Four

#1 single in France (IFOP): Itsy Bitsy Petit Bikini--Dalida (8th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley (5th week at #1)
2 Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
3 Last Date--Floyd Cramer
4 A Thousand Stars--Kathy Young with the Innocents
5 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher
6 North to Alaska--Johnny Horton
7 Many Tears Ago--Connie Francis
8 You're Sixteen--Johnny Burnette
9 Sailor (Your Home is the Sea)--Lolita
10 Corinna, Corinna--Ray Peterson

Singles entering the chart were You are the Only One by Ricky Nelson (#63); How to Handle a Woman by Johnny Mathis (#75); (Let's Do) The Hully Gully Twist by Bill Doggett (#80); Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White by Jerry Murad's Harmonicats (#82); Talk to Me Baby by Annette with the Afterbeats (#92); Someday You'll Want Me to Want You by Brook Benton (#93); Angel on My Shoulder by Shelby Flint (#94); Child of God by Bobby Darin (#95); We Have Love by Dinah Washington (#96); Make Someone Happy by Perry Como (#97); There She Goes by Jerry Wallace (#98); Oh, How I Miss You Tonight by Jeanne Black (#99); and Spoonful by Etta and Harvey (#100). Etta and Harvey were Etta James and Harvey Fuqua.

U.S.A. Top 10 (Music Vendor)
1 Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
--Louis Prima
2 Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley
3 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher
--Mantovani & his Orchestra
4 A Thousand Stars--Kathy Young with the Innocents
5 Last Date--Floyd Cramer
--Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra
6 North to Alaska--Johnny Horton
7 You're Sixteen--Johnny Burnette
8 He Will Break Your Heart--Jerry Butler
9 Sailor (Your Home is the Sea)--Lolita
10 Many Tears Ago--Connie Francis

Diplomacy
Yugoslavian President Tito, addressing the Yugoslav parliament in Belgrade, said that Yugoslavia and the U.S.S.R. had identical views on "the most important issues of the day." He said that present world discord was the fault of "certain bellicose people, especially in the West, who still adhere to the position of power policy in the settlement of international problems and are therefore against the easing of international tension." Marshal Tito brushed aside the charges against Yugoslavia in the recent Moscow Communist manifesto as "a series of the harshest untruths," for which he blamed the Chinese Communists.

Football
NFL
Championship
Green Bay 13 @ Philadelphia 17

67,325 fans at Franklin Field saw the Eagles win their third NFL title and their first in 11 years. Ted Dean rushed 5 yards for the winning touchdown, converted by Bobby Walston, at 5:21 of the 4th quarter to conclude a drive that had begun with his 58-yard return of a kickoff after the Packers had scored their only touchdown of the game on a 7-yard pass from Bart Starr to Max McGee. Paul Hornung gave the Packers a 6-0 lead on field goals of 20 yards in the 1st quarter and 23 yards in the 2nd. Philadelphia quarterback Norm Van Brocklin, playing his final game, connected with Tommy McDonald for a 35-yard touchdown at 8:08 of the 2nd quarter. Mr. Walston converted and added a 15-yard field goal at 11:48 to give the Eagles a 10-6 lead, which held up until the Packers scored their touchdown at 1:53 of the 4th quarter. Green Bay twice passed up chances for field goals--in the 1st and 3rd quarters--and was stopped on fourth-down gambles. The game ended with the Packers scrimmaging from the Eagles’ 22-yard line. Mr. Starr completed a pass to Jim Taylor, but he was stopped on the 9-yard line by Bobby Jackson and Chuck Bednarik. For winning head coach Buck Shaw, it was the final game and the only league championship of his 13-year career as a head coach in professional football. For losing head coach Vince Lombardi, it was the beginning of a string of 6 appearances in the NFL championship game in the next 8 years, and his only loss.





50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in Rhodesia (Lyons Maid): Cracklin' Rosie--Neil Diamond (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Noël 70--Les Poppys (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): Anna--Lucio Battisti (5th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Paranoid--Black Sabbath (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds (5th week at #1)

Australia's Top 10 (Go-Set)
1 It's Only Make Believe--Glen Campbell
2 Lookin' Out My Back Door/Long as I Can See the Light--Creedence Clearwater Revival
3 Cracklin' Rosie--Neil Diamond
4 A Song of Joy--Miguel Rios
5 Look What They've Done to My Song Ma--The New Seekers
6 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
7 Julie, Do Ya Love Me--Bobby Sherman
8 Joanne--Michael Nesmith & the First National Band
9 Montego Bay--Bobby Bloom
10 (They Long to Be) Close to You--Carpenters

Singles entering the chart were Can't Wait for September by Pyramid featuring Erl Darby (#51); Mr. America by Russell Morris (#53); You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Elvis Presley (#55); The Pushbike Song by the Mixtures (#57); and Mr. President by the Strangers (#60).

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40)
: She Likes Weeds--Tee-Set (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 My Sweet Lord/Isn't it a Pity--George Harrison
2 One Less Bell to Answer--The 5th Dimension
3 The Tears of a Clown--Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
4 Knock Three Times--Dawn
5 Black Magic Woman--Santana
6 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
7 Stoned Love--The Supremes
8 Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?--Chicago
9 Gypsy Woman--Brian Hyland
10 No Matter What--Badfinger

Singles entering the chart were I Really Don't Want to Know/There Goes My Everything by Elvis Presley (#56); Temptation Eyes by the Grass Roots (#68); Remember Me by Diana Ross (#74); If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot (#76); 1900 Yesterday by Liz Damon's Orient Express (#78); Watching Scotty Grow by Bobby Goldsboro (#79); Holly Holy by Jr. Walker & the All Stars (#87); I Hear You Knocking by Dave Edmonds (#90); Shoes by Brook Benton with the Dixie Flyers (#96); Sweet Mary by Wadsworth Mansion (#98); Way Back Home by the Jazz Crusaders (#99); and I Got to Tell Somebody by Betty Everett (#100).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (2nd week at #1)
2 One Less Bell to Answer--The 5th Dimension
3 The Tears of a Clown--Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
4 Knock Three Times--Dawn
5 Black Magic Woman--Santana
6 Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?--Chicago
7 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
8 Stoned Love--The Supremes
9 No Matter What--Badfinger
10 Gypsy Woman--Brian Hyland

Singles entering the chart were Remember Me by Diana Ross (#53); I Really Don't Want to Know (#57)/There Goes My Everything (#64) by Elvis Presley; Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved Pt. 1 by James Brown (#63); If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot (#69); Goin' Home (Sing a Song of Christmas Cheer) by Bobby Sherman (#70); Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano (#71); He Called Me Baby by Candi Staton (#73); Let Your Love Go by Bread (#76); When I'm Dead and Gone by McGuinness Flint (#77); Problem Child by Mark Lindsay (#83); Holly Holy by Jr. Walker & the All Stars (#85); Church Street Soul Revival by Tommy James (#86); Fresh as a Daisy by Emitt Rhodes (#91); D.O.A. by Bloodrock (#94); One Bad Apple by the Osmonds (#95); (I Can Feel Those Vibrations) This Love is Real by Jackie Wilson (#97); I Dig Everything About You by the Mob (#98); Black Night by Deep Purple (#99); and Fly Little White Dove, Fly by the Bells (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Isn't it a Pity--George Harrison (2nd week at #1)
2 Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?--Chicago
3 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
4 He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother--Neil Diamond
5 Knock Three Times--Dawn
6 Black Magic Woman--Santana
7 No Matter What--Badfinger
8 Be My Baby--Andy Kim
9 Stoned Love--The Supremes
10 Beautiful Second Hand Man--Ginette Reno

Singles entering the chart were Apeman by the Kinks (#74); Santa Claus is Comin' to Town by the Jackson 5 (#76); Watching Scotty Grow by Bobby Goldsboro (#82); (Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go by Curtis Mayfield (#84); Rose Garden by Lynn Anderson (#85); Flesh and Blood by Johnny Cash (#86); Groove Me by King Floyd (#93); Amazing Grace by Judy Collins (#94); 1900 Yesterday by Liz Damon's Orient Express (#95); Bridget the Midget (The Queen of the Blues) by Ray Stevens (#96); Band Bandit by Tundra (#98); and Dickens by Leigh Ashford (#99).

Died on this date
Lillian Board, 22. U.K. athlete. Miss Board, who died of cancer, was a middle distance runner, twice winning a European Gold Medal, and winning a Silver Medal in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City in the women’s 400-metre run.

Canadiana
The Québec City suburb of Ste-Foy was incorporated.

Disasters
The Finnish tanker MT Ragny split in half during a storm in the Atlantic Ocean, 600 miles off Cape May, New Jersey, while en route from Freeport, Bahamas to Trondheim. The front of the ship, which had 6 crew members, disappeared in the storm. The stern, with 31 crew members, remained afloat for a few days, and the U.S. Coast Guard vessel USCGC Escanaba rescued those left there from the morning of December 28th. During the rescue operation, one member of the crew of the merchant ship SS Plate, which had reached the scene of the accident for the first time, also drowned when a lifeboat unloaded from Plate crashed in a storm.

21 members of the Panamanian tanker Chryssi’s crew were missing after the sinking ship was abandoned in heavy seas off the U.S. south Atlantic coast.

Football
NFL
AFC divisional playoff
Cincinnati 0 @ Baltimore 17

Baltimore quarterback Johnny Unitas completed touchdown passes of 45 yards to Roy Jefferson in the 1st quarter and 53 yards to Eddie Hinton in the 4th quarter before 49,694 fans at Memorial Stadium. Jim O’Brien added 2 converts and a 44-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter. Mr. Unitas completed just 6 of 17 passes for 145 yards, but Norm Bulaich picked up the slack for the Colts by rushing 25 times for 116 yards. The Colts’ defense limited the Bengals to 7 first downs and 139 yards net offense. It was Cincinnati’s first playoff appearance, having finished first in the Central Division of the American Football Conference in just their third year of play.



NFC divisonal playoff
Detroit 0 @ Dallas 5

Mike Clark kicked a 26-yard field goal with 6:18 remaining in the 1st quarter and George Andrie sacked Detroit quarterback Greg Landry for a safety touch with 4:45 remaining in the 4th quarter as the Dallas defense limited the Lions to 7 first downs and 156 yards in net offense before 69,613 fans at the Cotton Bowl. The Cowboys managed just 231 yards in net offense themselves, but had a superior rushing attack, as Duane Thomas carried 30 times for 135 yards and Walt Garrison added 72 yards on 17 carries. Dallas quarterback Craig Morton, playing with a sore arm, completed just 4 of 18 passes for 38 yards, while Mr. Landry and Bill Munson combined to complete just 7 of 20 for 92 yards. The Detroit rushing attack totalled just 76 yards on 27 attempts.



40 years ago
1980

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): När vi två blir en--Gyllene Tider (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in France (IFOP): Woman in Love--Barbra Streisand (5th week at #1)

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Woman in Love--Barbra Streisand (6th week at #1)
2 Man on the Moon--Ballyhoo
3 Don't Stand So Close to Me--The Police
4 Another One Bites the Dust--Queen
5 Upside Down--Diana Ross
6 Give Me the Night--George Benson
7 The Wanderer--Donna Summer
8 Shine On--Spirits Rejoice
9 Rock Hard--Suzi Quatro
10 Love on the Rocks--Neil Diamond

Singles entering the chart were (Just Like) Starting Over by John Lennon (#19); and There's a Band Playing on the Radio (Oh Yeah) by Roxy Music (#20).

War
Iraq announced that her forces had invaded Iran’s northwestern province of Kurdistan, which extended the front of the war to the full length of the border between the countries.

A cease-fire was declared in the fighting in Lebanon between Syrian and Jordanian troops.

Disasters
Flooding along the Squamish River in British Columbia after a week of heavy rains caused $13 million in damage; residents were evacuated.

30 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Lassie--Ainbusk (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Nancy Cruzan. U.S. medical patient. Miss Cruzan had suffered permanent brain damage in a car accident in Missouri in 1983, and had been fed through a tube while being hospitalized in a "permanent vegetative state." On June 25, 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, voted 5-4 to reject an appeal from her parents to remove the tube an allow her to die, but a probate court judge in Jasper County, Missouri ruled on December 14 that they had a right to remove the tube because three of Miss Cruzan's co-workers had testified in November that she had once said that she would never want to live under such circumstances. The tube was removed two hours after the court ruling, and it took Miss Cruzan 12 dies to die from court-ordered starvation.

World events
Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei announced that the fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, who had angered Muslims two years earlier with his novel The Satanic Verses, would remain in place.

Americana
The United States Census Bureau released its final figures for the year and reported that the U.S. population in 1990 was 249,632,692--10% higher than the total for 1980. The west, up 22%, led the nation in growth since 1980. The south was up 13.5%, the northeast 3.4%, and the midwest up 1.3%. California would gain seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, while Florida would gain four seats and Texas three. Among states losing seats, New York led with three.

20 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Jason Robards, Jr., 78. U.S. actor. Mr. Robards, the son of actor Jason Robards, Sr., began his acting career after serving with the U.S. Navy in World War II. He was known for playing real-life characters and for interpreting the works of Eugene O'Neill on stage and screen, and was nominated for eight Tony Awards, winning for his starring performance in The Disenchanted (1958). He won consecutive Academy Awards for his supporting performances in All the President's Men (1976) and Julia (1977), and was nominated for five Emmy Awards, winning for his starring performance in the made-for-television movie Inherit the Wind (1988). Mr. Robards was a heavy drinker for many years, but eventually overcame the habit. He died of lung cancer.

Crime
Michael McDermott, 42, an employee of an Internet consulting firm in Malden, Massachusetts, went on a rampage, shooting and killing 7 co-workers with a semi-automatic rifle, a semi-automatic pistol, and a shotgun, before sitting in the lobby awaiting arrest.

10 years ago
2010

Died on this date
Salvador Jorge Blanco, 84. President of the Dominican Republic, 1984-1986. Dr. Blanco, whose doctorate was in international law, joined the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) in 1964, and held various offices before succeeding Jacobo Majluta Azar as President. Dr. Blanco initiated democratic reforms, but declining economic conditions hurt his efforts, and he was charged with corruption. Dr. Blanco fled to the Venezuelan embassy in 1987, but Venezuela declined his request for asylum. He was interned in a clinic in Santo Domingo after a heart spasm, and was allowed to go to the United States for treatment. Dr. Blanco was convicted in absentia and sentenced to 23 years in prison and a large fine, but the conviction was quashed in 2001 by the Supreme Court, which ruled that his rights had been violated. Dr. Blanco maintained his innocence, and claimed that his prosecution was political persecution by his successor as President, Joaquín Balaguer. Dr. Blanco fell out of bed, hit his head, and suffered a severe internal hemorrhage, which put him into a coma for 37 days before he died of a heart attack.

Edward Bhengu, 76. South African activist. Mr. Benghu, nicknamed "Sonnyboy," was a founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, and was imprisoned numerous times for anti-apartheid activities. He died of liver complications.

Teena Marie, 56. U.S. musician. Teena Marie, born Mary Christine Brockert, played several instruments, and known for her soprano soul vocals in a career spanning more than 30 years. Her biggest hit was Lovergirl (1984), which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Ooo La La La reached #1 on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart in 1988. Teena Marie suffered a severe concussion in 2004 when hit on the head by a large picture frame in a hotel room, and was prone to seizures thereafter. She died a month after suffering a seizure.

December 25, 2020

1,225 years ago
795

Died on this date
Adrian I, 95. Roman Catholic Pope, 772-795. Adrian I, the son of a Roman nobleman, succeeded Stephen III as Pope. He enjoyed friendly relations with Charlemagne, and encouraged him to wage war against Muslims in Spain. Adrian I was succeeded on the papal throne by Leo III.

1,220 years ago
800

Europeana
Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III at St. Peter’s basilica in Rome.

1,200 years ago
820

Died on this date
Leo V, 65 (?). Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, 813-820. Leo V "the Armenian", the son of a patrician, was a senior general who seized the throne when he forced Michael I to abdicate. Emperor Leo ended the decade-long war with the Bulgars and initiated the second period of Byzantine Iconoclasm, but was assassinated in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople by supporters of one of his most trusted generals, Michael the Amorian, who succeeded him as Emperor Michael II.

1,020 years ago
1000

Europeana
Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom under Stephen I.

920 years ago
1100

Asiatica
Baldwin I was crowned the first king of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

890 years ago
1130

Italiana
Ruggero II was crowned King of Sicily by Antipope Anacletus II in Palermo.

190 years ago
1830

Transportation
The Best Friend of Charleston became the first regularly scheduled steam locomotive passenger train in the United States, making its initial run on the first six miles of track of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company.

140 years ago
1880

Died on this date
Fridolin Anderwert, 52. President-elect of the Swiss National Council, 1880. Mr. Anderwert was a district judge (1853-1856) before serving on the Thurgau Grand Council and the National Council, holding the presidency of the latter (1870-1871). He was regarded as a radical of the left, and was significantly involved in the total revision of the Swiss Federal Constitution. Mr. Anderwert became a member of the Swiss Federal Council in 1875, served as Minister of Justice, and on December 7, 1880, was elected President of the National Council for 1881. Immediately upon his election, Mr. Anderwert was subjected to attacks in the press, which included allegations that he was a regular guest at brothels. Mr. Anderwert committed suicide by shooting himself; according to the autopsy, a significant enlargement of the heart had seriously affected his health, probably triggering severe depression.

80 years ago
1940

Died on this date
Agnes Ayres, 48. U.S. actress. Miss Ayres, born Agnes Eyre Henkel, achieved popularity in silent movies from the late 1910s through the mid-'20s. Her career was aided by her affair with Paramount Pictures founder Jesse Lasky, and declined after the relationship ended in 1923. Miss Ayres was best known for playing Lady Diana Mayo in The Sheik (1921) and The Son of the Sheik (1926). She died from a cerebral hemorrhage.

War
General Andrew McNaughton organized the First Canadian Corps with two divisions in Aldershot, England. Reports from Hungary indicated that more than 150,000 German troops had been transported by train through Hungary to Romania in the past two days. British officials estimated that Malta had withstood 203 Italian air attacks, and that 35 Italian bombers had been shot down there since Italy had entered the war in June 1940. Verne Marshall of the U.S. No Foreign Wars Committee said that war would not have broken out in Europe were it not for "unwritten" foreign commitments made by the U.S.A.

Defense
Official estimates placed the world's current combatant naval strength at 1,600 units, exceeding 5 million tons, with the United States building 329 craft--more than Germany, Italy, and Japan combined. U.S. Senator Burton K. Wheeler (Democrat--Montana) said that President Franklin D. Roosevelt should make a determined effort to bring peace to Europe before additional aid was granted to the United Kingdom, and criticized plans to send equipment to Britain as "an evasion of our Neutrality Act."

Law
Panamanian President Arnulfo Arias issued a decree abrogating the 1904 constitution, replacing it with the new one adopted by the National Assembly in November 1940 and accepted in a plebiscite on December 15.

Business
American Magnesium Corporation denied that the German I.G. Farbenindustrie A.G. controlled magnesium patents in the United States, and was thus able to restrict production.

Football
NCAA
Earl "Red" Blaik, head coach at Dartmouth College since 1934, was named head coach at the United States Military Academy.

75 years ago
1945

War
Nationalist Chinese forces under General Tu Li-ming began a drive to clear the province of Jehol west of Liaconing of Communist troops, and was moving in on Mukden. A U.S. Naval court sentenced 11 Japanese officers to hang for the mass execution of 96 American airmen on Kwajalein in October 1943.

Diplomacy
The Chinese government gave its assent to the proposed peace treaties between the Allies and Axis states as agreed upon in Moscow by U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes, U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, and U.K. Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin.

Defense
General Damaso Arenas was named commander in chief of the Bolivian Army.

Economics and finance
The French finance ministry announced a devaluation of the franc to 119.107 to the U.S. dollar.

70 years ago
1950

On television tonight
Lights Out, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Jasper, starring Janis Carter, Johnny Johnston, Meg Mundy, and Howard Freeman



World events
Tibet reported that the Dalai Lama had left Lhasa for India with a caravan guarded by 600 soldiers in a trip that would take several weeks.

The Paraguayan government put down an attempted Christmas revolt by a dissident "red banner" faction of the ruling Colorado Party.

Politics and government
The South Korean National Assembly voted to move from Seoul to Pusan, but President Syngman Rhee said that the government was confident that Seoul could be held, and the government intended to remain there.

Britannica
Four Scottish university students removed the Stone of Scone, used in the coronations of Scottish and British monarchs, from Westminster Abbey in London.

Boxing
World welterweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson (121-1-2), fighting as a middleweight, concluded a series of five bouts in Europe within a month by scoring a technical knockout of Hans Stretz (30-3-5) in the 5th round at Haus der Technik in Frankfurt.

50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Joanne--Michael Nesmith & the First National Band

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): I Hear You Knocking--Dave Edmunds

South Africa's Top 10 (Springbok Radio)
1 Looky Looky--Giorgio (2nd week at #1)
2 Cracklin' Rosie--Neil Diamond
3 Indiana Wants Me--R. Dean Taylor
4 Zanzibar--Wanda Arletti
5 Paranoid--Black Sabbath
6 Woodstock--Matthews Southern Comfort
7 You Can Get it if You Really Want--Desmond Dekker
8 Yo Yo--Chris Andrews
9 Burning Bridges--The Mike Curb Congregation
10 Cha-La-La, I Need You--Shuffles

Singles entering the chart were San Bernadino by Christie (#17); and See Me, Feel Me by the Who (#18).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKVN)
1 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison (3rd week at #1)
2 Black Magic Woman--Santana
3 He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother--Neil Diamond
4 Immigrant Song--Led Zeppelin
5 Domino--Van Morrison
6 Be My Baby--Andy Kim
7 Stoned Love--The Supremes
8 One Less Bell to Answer--The 5th Dimension
9 Pay to the Piper--The Chairmen of the Board
10 Love the One You're With--Stephen Stills

Singles entering the chart were If I were Your Woman by Gladys Knight & the Pips (#27); Apeman by the Kinks (#28); Rose Garden by Lynn Anderson (#29); and The Green Grass Starts to Grow by Dionne Warwick (#30).

Terrorism
The Basque nationalist guerrillas who had kidnapped West German businessman and diplomat Eugen Biehl in San Sebastian on December 1 released him. They had kidnapped Mr. Biehl in protest against the court-martial of 16 fellow Basques.

40 years ago
1980

Died on this date
Fred Emney, 80. U.K. actor and comedian. Mr. Emney was a music hall entertainer before appearing in his first movie in 1935. He played character roles as the "posh fat bloke," usually gruff and wearing a monocle, in films such as Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines (1965); Oliver! (1968); and The Italian Job (1969). Mr. Emney also had his own television show in the 1950s.

30 years ago
1990

At the movies
Alice, written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Mia Farrow, Joe Mantegna, William Hurt, Blythe Danner, and Keye Luke, opened in theatres.



Technology
British computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee introduced WorldWideWeb, the world's first web browser and WYSIWYG HTML editor.

25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): Me and You--Alexia

#1 single in Norway (VG-lista): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (11th week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Earth Song--Michael Jackson (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Canada (RPM): Hand in My Pocket--Alanis Morissette (4th week at #1)

Died on this date
Dean Martin, 78. U.S. singer and actor. Mr. Martin, born Dino Paul Crocetti and nicknamed the "King of Cool," was one of the most popular entertainers in the United States from the 1950s through the 1970s. He first became prominent as the straight man in a comedy duo with Jerry Lewis in the late 1940s, and Martin and Lewis became the most popular comedy team of the early 1950s, splitting up in 1956. Mr. Martin achieved success in movies such as The Young Lions (1958); Some Came Running (1958); Rio Bravo (1959); The Sons of Katie Elder (1965); and The Silencers (1966), in addition to several films he co-starred in as part of the Hollywood "Rat Pack." Mr. Martin hosted The Dean Martin Show, a comedy-variety program that had a successful run on NBC from 1965-1974. While he was performing with Mr. Lewis and acting in movies and television, Mr. Martin had a successful career as a recording artist, with hit singles such as That's Amore (1953); Memories are Made of This (1955); and Everybody Loves Somebody (1964).

Football
NFL
Dallas (12-4) 37 @ Arizona (4-12) 13

Dallas running back Emmitt Smith rushed for his 25th touchdown of the season, breaking the league record set by John Riggins of the Washington Redskins in 1983, as the Cowboys defeated the Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

20 years ago
2000

Russiana
Russian president Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill officially adopting a new national anthem, with music by Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov originally composed for the anthem of the Soviet Union.

10 years ago
2010

Died on this date
Carlos Andrés Pérez Rodríguez, 88. President of Venezuela, 1974-1979, 1989-1993. Mr. Pérez, nicknamed "El Gocho," was one of the founders of Acción Democrática, the dominant party in Venezuela in the second half of the 20th century. He represented Táchira in the Chamber of Deputies (1947-1948, 1958-1960, 1964-1968), and was Minister of Home Affairs (1962-1963) before winning the presidential election in December 1973. His first term as President was known as "Saudi Venezuela," as the country benefited from high oil prices as a result of the Arab embargo imposed after the Yom Kippur War. Mr. Pérez's administration was accused of excessive spending, debt, and corruption, and AD was a Senator (1974-1994, 1999-2000). Mr. Pérez was re-elected President in 1988, and survived two coup attempts in 1992 led by Lieutenant-Colonel Hugo Chávez. Mr. Pérez was forced to resign by the Supreme Court in May 1993 for embezzling 250 million bolívars (approximately U.S. $2.7 million) from a presidential discretionary fund. He was sentenced in 1996 to 28 months in prison, and lost his Senate seat when the 1999 Constitution abloished the Senate. Mr. Pérez was in the Dominican Republic in 2001 when a court ordered his arrest on charges of embezzlement of public funds. A formal extradition request was made in 2002, but he fled to Miami. Mr. Pérez suffered a partially-disabling stroke in 2003, and died in Miami of respiratory failure.

December 24, 2020

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Hilary Hahn!

1,380 years ago
640

Religion
John IV was consecrated as Roman Catholic Pope, following a vacancy of more than four months after the death of Severinus.

520 years ago
1500

War
A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captured the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia.

220 years ago
1800

World events
Five people were killed and 26 injured in the Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise, aka Machine infernale, an unsuccessful assassination attempt in Paris against First Consul of France Napoleon Bonaparte.

175 years ago
1845

Born on this date
George I. King of the Hellenes, 1863-1913. King George was assassinated in Thessaloniki just 12 days short of marking 50 years on the throne. He was planning to abdicate in favour of his son Constantine after golden jubilee celebrations in October 1913. While on an afternoon walk near the White Tower on March 18, 1913 at the age of 67, King George was shot in the back by Alexandros Schinas, said to be a member of a Socialist organization. When arrested, Mr. Schinas claimed he had shot the monarch because King George had refused to give him money. Thessaloniki had been liberated from Turkish forces in November 1912 in the First Balkan War.

140 years ago
1880

Born on this date
Johnny Gruelle. U.S. author and illustrator. Mr. Gruelle was an editorial cartoonist with the Indianapolis Star and other newspapers, but was best known for creating the Raggedy Ann doll in 1915 and Raggedy Andy in 1917. He created the comic strip Brutus in 1929, writing and drawing the strip until his death from heart failure on January 9, 1938, 16 days after his 57th birthday.

120 years ago
1900

Born on this date
Joey Smallwood. Canadian journalist and politician. Mr. Smallwood, a native of Gambo, Newfoundand, worked as a newspaper and radio journalist in Newfoundland who opposed continued British rule of Newfoundland, and supported confederation with Canada. He led the Confederate Association that supported that option in two referenda, which resulted in a narrow and controversial vote in favour of joining Canada. Mr. Smallwood led the Newfoundland Liberal Party, and became Premier upon Confederation in 1949, representing varous ridings in the House of Assembly from 1949-1972. He pursued policies of industrial and educational modernization and usually led the Liberals to lopsided electoral victories, but was often accused of governing as a despot. The 1971 provincial election resulted in a hung parliament, and Mr. Smallwood was forced by hs own caucus to resign in January 1972, turning the government over to the Progressive Conservatives. He lost the Liberal Party leadership soon afterward and failed in an attempt to regain it in 1974. Mr. Smallwood then founded the Newfoundland Reform Liberal Party, and was one of four members elected to the House of Assembly in 1975. He resigned his seat in 1977, and died in St. John's on December 17, 1991, a week before his 91st birthday.

110 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Ellen Braumüller. German athlete. Miss Braumüller won a gold medal in the triathlon at the 1930 Women's World Games in Prague, and competed in relay, high jump, discus, and javelin at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, winning a silver medal in the javelin. She died on August 10, 1991 at the age of 80.

Fritz Leiber, Jr. U.S. author. Mr. Leiber, the son of actor Fritz Leiber, wrote fantasy, horror, and science fiction, and coined the term "sword and sorcery" fantasy to describe the kind of fiction he wrote. He wrote numerous short stories, novels, and novellas in a career spanning almost 60 years, and was perhaps best known for creating the characters Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Mr. Leiber died of a stroke on September 5, 1992 at the age of 81.

100 years ago
1920

Born on this date
Yevgeniya Rudneva. U.S.S.R. military aviatrix. Senior Lieutenant Rudneva, a Ukrainian, served as a navigator in the Soviet Air Force during World War II, flying 645 bombing missions in a Polikarpov Po-2 biplane before she and pilot Panna Prokofyeva were killed when they were shot down over Crimea on April 9, 1944, when she was 23.

Music
Italian singer Enrico Caruso gave his last public performance, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

World events
Gabriele D'Annunzio surrendered the Italian Regency of Carnaro in the city of Fiume to Italian armed forces.

Politics and government
W.C. Nichol was commissioned as Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

80 years ago
1940

War
British planes bombed the Libyan capital of Tripoli and reported sinking two Italian ships, weighing 3,000 and 6,000 tons. U.S. Senator Millard Tydings (Democrat--Maryland) urged the United States to ask the warring powers for a statement on the conditions under which they would be willing to end the European war.

Diplomacy
The Japanese government formally announced the December 6 signing of a pact between Japan and Thailand in which both countries agreed to respect each other's territorial integrity and consult on all questions of common interest.

Defense
The government of Ecuador decreed that military and naval forces must learn English in connection with hemispheric defense measures.

Labour
A three-judge U.S. Federal Court in Tacoma, Washington ruled the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) to be an illegal combination in restraint of trade and in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

75 years ago
1945

Hit parade
U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 It's Been a Long Long Time--Harry James and his Orchestra (6th week at #1)
--Bing Crosby with Les Paul and his Trio
--Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra
--Stan Kenton and his Orchestra
2 It Might as Well Be Spring--Paul Weston and his Orchestra with Margaret Whiting
--Dick Haymes
3 Chickery Chick--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra with Nancy Norman, Billy Williams and the Kaye Choir
--Evelyn Knight and the Jesters
4 I Can't Begin to Tell You--Bing Crosby with Carmen Cavallaro
--Andy Russell
--Harry James and his Orchestra
5 I'll Buy that Dream--Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes
--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Hal McIntyre and his Orchestra
6 Symphony--Freddy Martin and his Orchestra
--Benny Goodman and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby
7 That's for Me--Dick Haymes
--Jo Stafford
8 Waitin' for the Train to Come In--Peggy Lee
--Harry James and his Orchestra
--Johnny Long and his Orchestra and Dick Robertson
9 Till the End of Time--Perry Como
--Dick Haymes
--Les Brown and his Orchestra
10 Tampico--Stan Kenton and his Orchestra

Singles entering the chart were the version of Symphony by Bing Crosby; Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! by Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra (#18); and The Frim Fram Sauce by the King Cole Trio (#26).

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, on MBS
Tonight's episode: The Night Before Christmas

Died on this date
Josephine Sabel, 79. U.S. singer and comedienne. Mrs. Sabel was a vaudeville performer in the 1890s and 1900s, known as "The Queen of Song," popularizing such songs as A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight, Somebody Loves Me, and Bicycle Built for Two.

War
The War Crimes Investigation Commission compiled a list of Japanese atrocities in Java during World War II, resulting in the arrests of 43 people.

Diplomacy
U.S. State Secretary James Byrnes, U.K. Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, and U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, meeting in Moscow, agreed, subject to French and Chinese approval, on drawing up peace treaties with Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Finland.

Politics and government
New Zealand Prime Minister Peter Fraser told reporters in Washington that the United States should surrender ultimate authority over Japan to a commission representing all nations that fought in the Pacific theatre in World War II.

Economics and finance
The U.S. government reported that per capita income in the United States in 1944 reached a new high of $1,117.

Labour
U.S. Conciliation Director Edgar Warren invited representatives of General Electric, Westinghouse, and the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America to Washington for a post-Christmas conference to avert a threatened strike.

American Federation of Musicians President James Petrillo barred American radio stations from broadcasting musical progrms originating in any foreign country except Canada, beginning December 31, 1945.

Disasters
Five of the nine children of George and Jenny Sodder were missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, burned down, and the five were never found.

70 years ago
1950

Died on this date
Frédéric Bastiat, 49. French economist and politician. Mr. Bastiat didn't become an economic theorist until the mid-1840s, but was a classical economist responsible for the concept of opportunity cost and the parable of the broken window. His best-known book was The Law (1850), which was written shortly before his death from tuberculosis. Mr. Bastiat was a member of the French National Assembly from 1848 until his death.

Music
Canadian pianist Glenn Gould made his Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio debut on Sunday Morning Recital.

Quebec ballad singer Félix Leclerc appeared at the Théâtre ABC in Paris, with the Compagnons de la chanson; booked to sing for three weeks, he was kept on for 14 months at the cabaret de Canetti Aux trois baudets, followed by two years touring in France, Europe and the Middle East.

War
United Nations forces completed their withdrawal from northeastern Korea by evacuating the port of Hungnam. Taiwan's National Assembly asked U.S.President Harry Truman to lift his ban on Nationalist Chinese operations against the Chinese mainland.

Politics and government
Bolivian President Mamerto Urriolagoitía delivered a Christmas address to the nation, promising free general elections in 1951, and urging all revolutionary parties to declare a truce.

Football
NFL
Championship
Los Angeles 28 @ Cleveland 30

Lou Groza’s 16-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining in regulation time gave the Browns the championship before 29,751 fans at Cleveland Stadium in their first year in the National Football League after winning the All-America Football Conference title in all four years of that league’s existence. The Rams were making their first appearance in the championship game since winning the title in 1945 in their last game as the Cleveland Rams.





60 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Are You Lonesome To-night?/I Gotta Know--Elvis Presley

#1 single in Italy: Il cielo in una stanza--Mina (11th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Ein Schiff wird kommen--Lale Andersen (10th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (Record Mirror): It’s Now or Never--Elvis Presley (8th week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley (5th week at #1)
2 Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
--Louis Prima
--Anita Bryant
3 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher
--Mantovani & his Orchestra
4 Last Date--Floyd Cramer
5 A Thousand Stars--Kathy Young with the Innocents
6 North to Alaska--Johnny Horton
7 He Will Break Your Heart--Jerry Butler
8 Sailor (Your Home is the Sea)--Lolita
9 Many Tears Ago--Connie Francis
10 You're Sixteen--Johnny Burnette

Singles entering the chart were the versions of Wonderland by Night by Louis Prima and Anita Bryant; Calcutta by Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra (#67); I Count the Tears by the Drifters (#73); Calendar Girl by Neil Sedaka (#74); Christmas Auld Lang Syne by Bobby Darin (#75); Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, with versions by David Seville and the Chipmunks; the Melodeers; and Paul Anka (#76); You are the Only One by Ricky Nelson (#77); What Would I Do by Mickey & Sylvia (#82); My Last Date (With You) by Skeeter Davis (#88); We Have Love by Dinah Washington (#89); Pepe by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#90); Dance by the Light of the Moon by the Olympics (#91); Wings of a Dove by Ferlin Husky (#95); The Puppet Song by Frankie Avalon (#96); Flamingo Express by the Royaltones (#97); and First Taste of Love by Ben E. King (#100).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
2 Lonely Teenager--Dion
3 Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley
4 Rubber Ball--Bobby Vee
5 Lovey Dovey--Buddy Knox
6 Corinna, Corinna--Ray Peterson
7 Doll House--Donnie Brooks
8 Happy, Happy Birthday Baby--Wanda Jackson
9 Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
10 Wings of a Dove--Ferlin Husky

Singles entering the chart were Try Me by Margie Rayburn (#38); Sad Mood by Sam Cooke (#40); (Ghost) Riders in the Sky by the Ramrods (#41); Theme from The Young Ones by Dave Appell and his Orchestra (#43); Dance by the Light of the Moon by the Olympics (#44); You're the One by the Spiders (#46); The Hoochi Coochi Coo by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters (#48); Walk Slow by Little Willie John (#49); and Cool Operator by Sandy Nelson (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKWX)
1 Wonderland by Night--Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra
(2nd week at #1) --Anita Bryant
2 Are You Lonesome To-night?--Elvis Presley
3 Rubber Ball--Bobby Vee
4 Doll House--Donnie Brooks
5 Lovey Dovey--Buddy Knox
6 North to Alaska--Johnny Horton
7 Lonely Teenager--Dion
8 Calendar Girl--Neil Sedaka
9 The Sock--The Valentines
10 Exodus--Ferrante and Teicher

Singles entering the chart were Pepe by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (#28); Is There Something on Your Mind by Jack Scott (#34); Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread) by Brook Benton (#35); C'est Si Bon by Conway Twitty (#39); and We Have Love by Dinah Washington (#40).

50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 My Sweet Lord/Isn't it a Pity--George Harrison (3rd week at #1)
2 Knock Three Times--Dawn
3 No Matter What--Badfinger
4 One Less Bell to Answer--The 5th Dimension
5 Be My Baby--Andy Kim
6 Immigrant Song--Led Zeppelin
7 Black Magic Woman--Santana
8 Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?--Chicago
9 The Tears of a Clown--Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
10 Lonely Days--The Bee Gees

Singles entering the chart were Amos Moses by Jerry Reed (#26); It's Impossible by Perry Como (#28); I Hear You Knocking by Dave Edmunds (#29); and Born to Wander by Rare Earth (#30).

Edmonton's Top 10 (CJCA)
1 My Sweet Lord--George Harrison
2 Knock Three Times--Dawn
3 Most of All--B.J. Thomas
4 I Think I Love You--The Partridge Family
5 Gypsy Woman--Brian Hyland
6 Sing High, Sing Low--Anne Murray
7 He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother--Neil Diamond
8 Domino--Van Morrison
9 For the Good Times--Ray Price
10 No Matter What--Badfinger

40 years ago
1980

Died on this date
Karl Dönitz, 89. President of Germany, 1945. Großadmiral Dönitz began his career in the Imperial German Navy before World War I, and eventually became Commander-in-Chief of the Navy from 1943-1945. He was perhaps best known for commanding the U-boat fleet during World War II. When German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945 and Josef Goebbels did likewise the following day, Großadmiral Dönitz became President, and he held the office until the government was dissolved by the Allies on May 23, 1945. Großadmiral Dönitz was convicted at Nuremberg of war crimes and spent 10 years in Spandau Prison. He lived in obscurity after his release.

World events
Jiang Qing, widow of Chairman Mao Zedong, and on trial as one of China’s "Gang of Four," reiterated her plea of innocence in the 1967 deaths by torture of two teachers, claiming that she had committed the alleged persecution of Communist Party officials during the Cultural Revolution on the orders of her husband. She then dared the court to sentence her to death in a public execution.

Oddities
Witnesses reported the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, an incident called "Britain's Roswell."

30 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Justify My Love--Madonna (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Germany (Media Control): Sadeness Part I--Enigma (7th week at #1)

Baseball
The Montréal Expos traded left fielder Tim Raines to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Ivan Calderon and pitcher Barry Jones. Mr. Raines, who had been with the Expos since 1979 and had won the National League batting title in 1986, batted .287 with 9 home runs, 62 runs batted in, and 49 stolen bases in 130 games with the Expos in 1990. Mr. Calderon hit .273 with 14 homers, 74 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases with the White Sox in 1990, while Mr. Jones was 11-4 with an earned run average of 2.31 and 1 save in 65 games--all in relief--with Chicago.

25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men

#1 single in Austria (Ö3): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Earth Song--Michael Jackson (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
John Cooper, 77. U.K. automobile executive. Mr. Cooper and his father Charles co-founded the Cooper Car Company in 1948. They designed a rear-engine chassis that revolutionized auto racing, and the Mini Cooper became popular in rally and road racing.

10 years ago
2010

Died on this date
Elisabeth Beresford, 84. French-born U.K. authoress. Miss Beresford, the daughter of science fiction author J.D. Beresford, wrote children's books, and was best known for five novels and a short story collection featuring characters known as the Wombles (1968-1976). She died of heart failure.

Eino Tamberg, 80. Estonian composer. Mr. Tamberg wrote four symphonies, the opera Cyrano de Bergerac (1974), and concertos for various instruments, most notably the Trumpet Concerto (1972).

Orestes Quércia, 72. Brazilian journalist and politician. Mr. Quércia was a newspaper and radio journalist before entering politics in the 1960s. A member of the Movimento Democrático Brasileiro (Brazilian Democratic Movement) (MDB), he was Councillor (1963-1967) and Mayor (1969-1973) of Campinas; State Deputy of São Paulo (1967-1969); Senator for São Paulo (1975-1983); Vice Governor of São Paulo (1983-1986); and Governor of São Paulo (1987-1991). Mr. Quércia was accused of corruption, but was never convicted. He failed to get elected after leaving office as Governor of São Paulo, despite numerous attempts through 2006. Mr. Quércia was going to campaign for nomination to the Senate in 2010, but he was struck by prostate cancer, which proved fatal.

December 23, 2020

1,080 years ago
940

Died on this date
Ar-Radi, 31. Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, 934-940. Ar-Radi, the son of Caliph al-Muqtadir, was imprisoned by his uncle al-Qahir from 932-934, but was raised to power when al-Qahir was deposed, and served as a largely figurehead ruler until his death, which marked the end of the caliph's political power. He was succeeded by his brother Al-Muttaqi.

790 years ago
1230

Died on this date
Berengaria of Navarre, 59-65 (?). Queen consort of England, 1191-1199. Berengaria, the eldest daughter of King Sancho VI of Navarre, married King Richard I shortly after his coronation in 1191, and was crowned the day of their wedding. It's unknown if the marriage was ever consummated, as it was a political union, and King Richard spent less than six months of their marriage in England. After he died in 1199, Berengaria settled in Le Mans as queen dowager, serving as a benefactress of religious works.

330 years ago
1690

Born on this date
Pamheiba. King of Manipur, 1709-1751. Meidingu Pamheiba, who took the name Gharib Nawaz after converting to Hinduism, succeeded his father Pitambar Charairongba. Pamheiba extended the boundaries of his kingdom, and conducted a successful invasion of Burma. He died in 1751 at the age of 60 and was succeeded by his grandson Guarisiam.

225 years ago
1795

Died on this date
Henry Clinton, 65 (?). U.K. military officer and politician. General Sir Henry, a native of Newfoundland, was the son of New York Governor George Clinton, and obtained a captain's commission in the British Army in 1746. He served in the Seven Years' War, and sat in the House of Commons, first for Boroughbridge and subsequently for Newark-on-Trent, from 1772-1784. Gen. Sir Henry began serving during the American War of Independence in 1775, and succeeded Major General William Howe as Commander-in-Chief of North America (1778-1782). He was appointed Governor of Gibraltar in July 1794, but died before he was able to assume the office. Opinion on Gen. Sir Henry's competence as a commander remains divided.

120 years ago
1900

Radio
Canadian physicist and inventor Reginald Fessenden, a wireless expert working for the U.S. Weather Service, broadcast the world's first voice communications by AM (amplitude modulation) radio wave for a distance of 1 mile between two 43-foot towers. He asked his assistant, "Is it snowing where you are, Mr. Thiessen?"

110 years ago
1910

Born on this date
Kurt Meyer. German SS officer. SS-Brigadeführer Meyer joined the Nazi Party in September 1930, and joined the SS in October 1931. He participated in numerous campaigns in World War II, and several times ordered the mass murders of civilians and prisoners of war, receiving a death sentence for ordering the murders of Canadian POWs in the Ardenne Abbey massacre in 1944. SS-Brigadeführer Meyer's sentence was commuted to 14 years, and he was released on good behaviour in 1951. He became active in Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit der Angehِrigen der ehemaligen Waffen-SS (HIAG), a lobby group dedicated to rehaibilitating the reputation of the SS. SS-Brigadeführer Meyer suffered from heart and kidney disease in later years, and died on December 23, 1961, his 51st birthday, after a series of strokes.

80 years ago
1940

Radio
CBS President William Paley announced plans for a network, to begin operation about September 1, 1941, covering 18 of the 20 Latin American countries.

NBC, following the lead of CBS and MBS, dropped all music controlled by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

War
Greek troops seized the Italian coastal base of Khimara, Albania.

Diplomacy
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral William Leahy and his wife sailed from Norfolk, Virginia aboard the cruiser Tuscaloosa en route to Vichy, where Adm. Leahy would assume his new post as U.S. Ambassador to France. U.S. Senator Warren Austin (Republican--Vermont) told reporters in Washington that he favoured amending the Neutrality Act to restore "freedom of the seas to U.S. shipping."

Defense
Congress of Industrial Organizations President Philip Murray presented U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a plan for the mass production of 500 all-metal pursuit planes daily by using idle facilities of automobile plants.

Crime
Syliva Ageloff, a New York woman held in connection with the August 21, 1940 assassination of former Soviet Communist politician Leon Trotsky, was given her freedom.

75 years ago
1945

War
Indonesians agreed to help British forces disarm the Japanese and get them to Javanese ports for evacuation.

Diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes, U.S. Ambassador to the U.S.S.R. Averell Harriman, and U.S. State Department official Charels Bohlen conferred in Moscow with Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and then with Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov and U.K. Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin.

U.S. Army General George Marshall conferred in China with Communist leaders Chou En-lai, Yeh Chieh-ying, and Tung Pih-wu.

Former U.S. Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles said that the United Nations Trusteeship Council should be given responsibility for establishing a Jewish Commonwealth in Palestine.

Protest
Clashes in Cuernavaca and nearby towns between supporters of former Mexican Foreign Minister Ezequiel Padilla and Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) presidential candidate Miguel Alemán Valdés resulted in three deaths and 86 injuries.

Religion
Pope Pius XII named 32 prelates from 19 countries as members of the College of Cardinals. Archbishop James McGuigan of Toronto became Canada's first non-French Cardinal.

70 years ago
1950

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): Goodnight Irene--Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra and the Weavers (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): The Thing--Phil Harris (Best Seller--4th week at #1; Disc Jockey--4th week at #1; Jukebox--1st week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Harbor Lights--Sammy Kaye and his "Swing and Sway" Orchestra with Tony Alamo and the Kaydets (6th week at #1)
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Ray Anthony and his Orchestra
--Bing Crosby
2 The Thing--Phil Harris
3 The Tennessee Waltz--Patti Page
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Jo Stafford
4 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
5 All My Love (Bolero)--Patti Page
--Percy Faith and his Orchestra
--Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
--Bing Crosby
6 Thinking of You--Don Cherry
--Eddie Fisher
7 A Bushel and a Peck--Perry Como and Betty Hutton
--Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely
8 Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer--Gene Autry and the Pinafores
--Bing Crosby
--Spike Jones and his City Slickers
9 Oh, Babe!--Kay Starr
--Louis Prima and Keely Smith
10 Orange Colored Sky--Nat "King" Cole and Stan Kenton

Singles entering the chart that week were Lucky, Lucky, Lucky Me by Evelyn Knight (#28); Christmas in Killarney by Dennis Day (#33); and Let’s Do it Again by Frankie Carle and his Orchestra (#38).

Died on this date
Vincenzo Tommasini, 72. Italian composer. Mr. Tommasini wrote several operas, and was a key figure in the revival of orchestral music in Italy in the 20th century.

Walton Walker, 61. U.S. military officer. General Walker joined the U.S. Army in 1912 and served in both World Wars. He was given command of the Eighth United States Army in Japan in 1948, and led that army in the early months of the Korean War, encountering much difficulty. Gen. Walker was killed when the jeep he was riding in was involved in a collision with a South Korean military vehicle that had veered out of its lane.

War
Italy signed an agreement to pay Yugoslavia $30 million for reparations and other war claims.

Politics and government
French representatives in Saigon signed a treaty recognizing Vietnam as a sovereign state within the French Union and granting the Bao Dai government control of its own domestic affairs and foreign trade.

Crime
Former Silver Shirt leader William Dudley Pelley won his final release from prison in Noblesville, Indiana when a court ruled that he did not have to serve an additional sentence in North Carolina.

Religion
Pope Pius XII confirmed that the tomb of St. Peter had been discovered beneath St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. In a worldwide Christmas radio broadcast, he also reminded capitalist leaders that they must satisfy the world's "thirst for social security."

60 years ago
1960

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): It's Now or Never--Elvis Presley (8th week at #1)

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight’s episode: Night of the Meek, starring Art Carney

Defense
United Arab Republic President Gamal Nasser warned that any attempt by Israel to build an atomic bomb would mean war with the U.A.R.

50 years ago
1970

Hit parade
#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): When I'm Dead and Gone--McGuinness Flint

On television tonight
Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, on NBC
Tonight’s episode: Room with a View, starring Joseph Wiseman, Diane Keaton, and Angel Tompkins; The Little Black Bag, starring Burgess Meredith and Chill Wills; The Nature of the Enemy, starring Joseph Campanella

Died on this date
Charlie Ruggles, 84. U.S. actor. Mr. Ruggles was a character actor in almost 100 movies in a 60-year career. He starred in the television series The Ruggles (1949-1952) and The World of Mr. Sweeney (1954-1955), and won a Tony Award for his featured performance in The Pleasure of His Company (1958). Mr. Ruggles died of cancer.

Aleksander Warma, 80. Prime Minister of Estonia in exile, 1963-1970. Mr. Warma held several administrative positions in the Estonian government before and after the 1940 takeover of Estonia by the U.S.S.R. He died in Stockholm.

Politics and government
Premier Jozef Cyrankiewicz replaced Marian Spychalski as President of Poland, while Pyotr Jaroszewicz succeeded Mr. Cyrankiewicz as Premier. Edward Gierek, who had become first secretary of the Communist party on December 20, announced a freeze on food prices for two years, and said that those prices that had already been increased would probably be kept at that level. Mr. Gierek also noted that a multi-million dollar fund had been set up to aid low-income families and others hurt by the recent dramatic rise in food prices, which had sparked riots in major cities. Premier Jaroszewicz promised to "strive for a full normalization with the [Roman Catholic] Church."

Americana
The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York was topped out at 1,368 feet (417 metres), making it the tallest building in the world.

Abominations
Law 70-001 went into effect in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, officially making the country a one-party state; the party was the Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR), led by President Joseph Mobutu.

Disasters
Two vessels collided in the Java sea, killing 27 oil workers en route to Jakarta for Christmas.

40 years ago
1980

Hit Parade
Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 (Just Like) Starting Over--John Lennon (3rd week at #1)
2 Hungry Heart--Bruce Springsteen
3 Passion--Rod Stewart
4 Wasn't That a Party--The Rovers
5 The Tide is High--Blondie
6 I Got You--Split Enz
7 More than I Can Say--Leo Sayer
8 De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da--The Police
9 Every Woman in the World--Air Supply
10 Looking for Clues--Robert Palmer

The only single entering the chart was I Love a Rainy Night by Eddie Rabbitt (#18).

World events
Jiang Qing, widow of Mao Zedong and on trial as one of China’s "Gang of Four," was charged with contempt of court after she shouted at a panel of judges and prosecutors, calling them "fascists" and Chinese Nationalist agents.

Economics and finance
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that consumer prices had risen 1% during November. According to the Labor Department, during November it took $25.62 to buy goods and services that could have been purchased for $10 in 1967.

Hockey
NHL
Colorado 4 @ Winnipeg 5

Willy Lindstrom scored with 1:50 remaining in the game at Winnipeg Arena to end the Jets’ 30-game winless streak, which remains the NHL record. The Jets jumped to a 3-0 lead, with the third goal coming shorthanded by Doug Smail, but allowed the Rockies to score 2 goals in the last 15 seconds of the 2nd period. This was the first National Hockey League game I ever went to, and the last puck used is on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame.



30 years ago
1990

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand (RIANZ): Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice (4th week at #1)

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

Austria's Top 10 (Ö3)
1 Sadeness Part I--Enigma (3rd week at #1)
2 Unchained Melody--The Righteous Brothers
3 Ice Ice Baby--Vanilla Ice
4 Crazy for You--David Hasselhoff
5 I've Been Thinking About You--Londonbeat
6 The Joker--Steve Miller Band
7 I'm Your Baby Tonight--Whitney Houston
8 Keep on Running--Milli Vanilli
9 The Invisible Man--Dance with a Stranger
10 The Anniversary Waltz (Part One)--Status Quo

Singles entering the chart were It Takes Two by Rod Stewart & Tina Turner (#19); and Freedom! '90 by George Michael (#27).

Europeana
In a referendum, 88.5% of Slovenia's overall electorate voted for independence from Yugoslavia.

25 years ago
1995

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (ARIA): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (10th week at #1)

#1 single in Flanders (VRT): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Wallonia (Ultratop 40): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (4th week at #1)

#1 single in France (SNEP): Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V. (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): Ademnood--Linda, Roos & Jessica (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Earth Song--Michael Jackson (3rd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Billboard)
1 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (4th week at #1)
2 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
3 Hey Lover--LL Cool J
4 Gangsta's Paradise--Coolio featuring L.V.
5 Fantasy--Mariah Carey
6 Diggin' on You--TLC
7 I Got Id/Long Road--Pearl Jam
8 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
9 You'll See--Madonna
10 Breakfast at Tiffany's--Deep Blue Something

Singles entering the chart were I Got Id/Long Road; Just Tah Let U Know by Eazy-E (#51); Gold by Prince (#88); It Matters to Me by Faith Hill (#96); Sometimes I Miss You So Much (Dedicated To The Christ Consciousness) by P.M. Dawn (#97).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 One Sweet Day--Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (3rd week at #1)
2 Exhale (Shoop Shoop)--Whitney Houston
3 Hey Lover--LL Cool J
4 Diggin' on You--TLC
5 You'll See--Madonna
6 Name--Goo Goo Dolls
7 Fantasy--Mariah Carey
8 You Remind Me of Something--R. Kelly
9 Before You Walk Out of My Life/Like This and Like That--Monica
10 Beautiful Life--Ace of Base

Singles entering the chart were Free as a Bird by the Beatles (#39); No One Else by Total (#54); Get Together by Big Mountain (#57); and Incarcerated Scarfaces by Chef Raekwon (#70). Incarcerated Scarfaces was the B-side of Ice Cream; the songs charted together.

Died on this date
Patric Knowles, 84. U.K.-born U.S. actor. Mr. Knowles, born Reginald Lawrence Knowles, appeared in movies such as The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936); The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938); and The Wolf Man (1941) in a career that spanned four decades.

Disasters
A fire in Mandi Dabwali, Haryana, India killed 400-540 people, including 170 children, during a year-end party being held near the children's school.

20 years ago
2000

Died on this date
Victor Borge, 91. Danish-born U.S. musician and comedian. Mr. Borge, born Børge Rosenbaum, began his career as a concert pianist in his native Denmark. He was performing in Sweden when German forces occupied Denmark in 1940, and managed to escape to Finland and then to the United States. He was famous for mixing music and comedy into his performances, and continued performing until his death, 11 days before his 92nd birthday.

Billy Barty, 76. U.S. actor. Mr. Barty, born William Bertanzetti, stood 3' 9" and appeared in more than 200 movies and television programs in a career spanning almost three-quarters of a century. He was best known for comic roles, but was also adept in dramatic roles. Mr. Barty died of heart failure.

Politics and government
The Democratic Opposition of Serbia, an 18-party coalition, won more than 2/3 of the seats in parliamentary elections. The same coalition had backed Vojislav Kostunica, the successful candidate for President of Yugoslavia, against incumbent Slobodan Milosevic in September.

Diplomacy
U.S. President Bill Clinton set forth principles for a Middle East peace plan that provided for Palestinian control over the Gaza Strip; Arab neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem; and 95% of the West Bank, with partial control of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. The principles were accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, but not by the Palestinian Authority.

Crime
Thieves stole a Rembrandt self-portrait and two paintings by Renoir from the National Museum in Stockholm, later demanding U.S.$1 million each for their return.

Health
A new Canadian federal law went into effect that required tobacco manufacturers to dedicate half of the front panels of cigarette packages to grisly photos of diseased organs.

10 years ago
2010

Died on this date
K. Karunakaran, 92. Indian politician. Kannoth "K." Karunakaran, a member of the Indian National Congress Party, held numerous offices in a political career spanning 50 years, including four terms as Chief Minister of Kerala from 1977-1995.