March 12, 2008

1,470 years ago
538

War
Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths, ended his siege of Rome and retreated to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.

120 years ago
1888

Labour
China approved a treaty barring Chinese labourers from entering the United States for 20 years. The treaty was in accord with a policy approved six years earlier by the U.S. Congress.

100 years ago
1908

Hockey
Stanley Cup
Winnipeg Maple Leafs 3 @ Montreal Wanderers 9 (Montreal won 2-game total goals challenge series 20-8)

Moose Johnson and Bruce Stewart each scored 4 goals as the defending champion Wanderers routed the Maple Leafs at Montreal Arena to retain the cup. Hamby Shore scored 2 goals for the Maple Leafs.

90 years ago
1918

At the movies
Hearts of the World, produced, directed, and written by D.W. Griffith, and starring Lillian and Dorothy Gish, opened in theatres.

Russiana
Moscow became the capital of Russia again, after St. Petersburg had held the position for 215 years.

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
S.M. Kinkead, 38. British aviator. Flight Lt. Kinkead, a competitor in the previous year's Schneider Trophy seaplane race, was killed off the Salshot (Southampton) air station when he crashed into the sea at 150 miles per hour.

70 years ago
1938

World events
The German 8th Army crossed the border into Austria in the morning, facing no military opposition. The German troops were greeted by cheering Austrians with Hitler salutes, Nazi flags, and flowers. One term used to describe this invasion was Blumenkrieg (War of Flowers). It marked the first big test of machinery for the Wehrmacht under the rule of the Nazis. That afternoon, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler crossed the border in his car at Braunau, his birthplace. He arrived at Linz that evening, and the reception for him at city hall was so enthusiastic that even the Nazis themselves were surprised.

40 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade): Words--The Bee Gees

On television tonight
The 20th and final episode of Wojeck, one of the best series ever produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, was broadcast. The series starred John Vernon as Toronto coroner Steve Wojeck. The character was inspired by Dr. Morton Shulman, known as the "Crusading Coroner." Wojeck often dealt with serious social issues, such as abortion, homosexuality, or the plight of urban Indians, at a time when such issues were rarely depicted on television. Patricia Collins played Wojeck's wife Marty; Ted Follows played Crown Prosecutor Arnie Bateman; and Carl Banas was Detective Sergeant Byron James. The first 10 episodes were made in black and white, and were broadcast in the fall of 1966. The 10 episodes of the second season were made in colour. The pilot episode, titled Tell Them the Streets are Dancing, aired in the United States on Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater on NBC on March 9, 1966. A made-for-television reunion movie, Wojeck: Out of the Fire, was shown on CBC on March 15, 1992, and is the only episode available on DVD (so far).

Politics and government
The New Hampshire primaries for the U.S. presidential nominations were held. Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy, an outspoken opponent of President Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam War policy, took 42% of the vote in the Democratic primary; President Johnson took 48% on an organized write-in campaign. Former Vice-President Richard Nixon polled 79% of the vote in the Republican primary; New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller took 11% on a write-in.

30 years ago
1978

Golf
Tom Weiskopf won the Doral-Eastern Open in Miami with a score of 272. First prize money was $40,000.

Hockey
CHL
Salt Lake City 5 @ Tulsa 1

25 years ago
1983

Hockey
In a game against the Washington Capitals, Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders scored his 50th goal of the season, becoming the first National Hockey League player to score 50 or more goals in each of his first 6 seasons.

20 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy: Perdere l'Amore--Massimo Ranieri

#1 single in Flanders (Ultratop 50): (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (6th 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 (8th week at #1)

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

#1 single in Ireland (IRMA): Together Forever--Rick Astley

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): Beat Dis--Bomb the Bass (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): I Should Be So Lucky--Kylie Minogue (4th week at #1)

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

U.S.A. top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Father Figure--George Michael (3rd week at #1)
2 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
3 I Get Weak--Belinda Carlisle
4 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
5 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
6 Endless Summer Nights--Richard Marx
7 Man in the Mirror--Michael Jackson
8 Out of the Blue--Debbie Gibson
9 Just Like Paradise--David Lee Roth
10 Can't Stay Away from You--Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine

Singles entering the chart were Dreaming by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (#84); Anything for You by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine (#85); Strange But True by Times Two (#87); and Love in the First Degree by Bananarama (#90).

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Pump Up the Volume--M/A/R/R/S (3rd week at #1)
2 Hungry Eyes--Eric Carmen
3 What Have I Done to Deserve This?--Pet Shop Boys (with Dusty Springfield)
4 Father Figure--George Michael
5 She's Like the Wind--Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser)
6 Never Gonna Give You Up--Rick Astley
7 Could've Been--Tiffany
8 Need You Tonight--INXS
9 Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)--Sway
10 Crying--Roy Orbison and k.d. lang

Singles entering the chart were What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstong (#78); One Step Up by Bruce Springsteen (#83); Electric Blue by Icehouse (#90); Push It by Salt 'N' Pepa (#92); I Won't Cry by Paul Janz (#93); I Want Her by Keith Sweat (#95); Some Kind of Lover by Jody Watley (#96); and Pamela by Toto (#97).

Politics and government
In the contest for the U.S. presidency, Jesse Jackson won the Democratic primary in South Carolina.

Disasters
In Katmandu, Nepal, more than 90 people died when a hailstorm at a soccer game caused fans to stampede toward the exits.

Hockey
The Toronto Maple Leafs kept their playoff hopes alive with a 6-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Hockey Night in Canada action at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.