February 13, 2016

875 years ago
1141

Died on this date
Béla II, 31-32 (?). King of Hungary and Croatia, 1131-1141. Béla the Blind was a young child when he was blinded on the orders of his uncle King Coloman. Béla II acceded to the throne about two months after the death of his cousin István II. King Béla carried out two purges of his enemies to strengthen his rule, and adopted an active and expansionist foreign policy. He became a drunkard in his later years, and was succeeded by his son Géza II.

275 years ago
1741

Died on this date
Johann Joseph Fux, 80-81 (?). Austrian composer. Mr. Fux was a Baroque composer whose works included 19 operas, 29 partitas, 10 oratorios, and about 80 masses. He was also a music theorist who wrote the pedagogical book Gradus ad Parnassum (Steps or Ascent to Mount Parnassus) (1725).

250 years ago
1766

Born on this date
Thomas Robert Malthus. U.K. clergyman and economist. Rev. Malthus, an Anglican cleric, was best known for An Essay on the Principles of Population, which went through six editions from 1798-1826. Rev. Malthus argued that human population increased faster than food supply; the last edition of his work influenced evolutionists Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Rev. Malthus died on December 29, 1834 at the age of 68.

175 years ago
1841

Politics and government
The first Parliament of the Province of Canada held its first meeting in a converted hospital in Kingston. The members of the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly were sworn in, after which the House of Assembly elected Austin Cuvillier as speaker. William Draper and Charles Odgen formed the Draper-Ogden Ministry.

150 years ago
1866

Crime
The gang that included Jesse James and Cole Younger committed their first bank robbery in Liberty, Missouri.

125 years ago
1891

Born on this date
Grant Wood. U.S. artist. Mr. Wood, a native of rural Iowa, was known for his paintings of the rural Midwestern United States. His best known work was American Gothic (1930), one of the most famous paintings in American history. Mr. Wood died of pancreatic cancer on February 12, 1942, the day before his 51st birthday.

Kate Roberts. U.K. author. Miss Roberts, a Welsh nationalist, wrote novels and short stories in Welsh. She died on April 4, 1985 at the age of 94.

75 years ago
1941

Diplomacy
Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco and Vichy French Prime Minister Marshal Philippe Petain conferred in Montpelier, France.

Europeana
King Alfonso XIII of Spain renounced all claims to the throne in favour of his son Don Juan.

Defense
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 15-8 in favour of the Lend-Lease bill.

Scandal
Robert J. Boltz, an investment counsellor from Philadelphia, was arrested in Rochester, New York on charges of embezzling more than $2.5 million.

Law
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated Jerome Frank for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Economics and finance
The New York Stock Exchange declined to extend trading hours after a survey showed more than half the members opposed to the change.

70 years ago
1946

War
At the trial in Nuremberg of accused Nazi war criminals, the Soviet prosecution accused the Germans of murdering and mistreating uncounted numbers of U.S.S.R. prisoners. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Spruille Braden said that evidence captured in Germany indicated that Argentina had been guilty of supporting the Nazi cause during World War II.

Diplomacy
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution rejecting Soviet demands for forced repatriation of refugees; the U.S.S.R. also lost her bids to gain Albania's admission to the UN and to have the Security Council examine the situation in the Netherlands East Indies. The United Nations Permanent Headquarters Committee voted to locate the organization in New York City, and named a nine-man commission to choose a final site.

According to an official census taken by the Vienna Jewish Community Organization, 3,028 Jews remaining in the city intended to leave Europe, and 1,065 wished to go to Palestine. More than half were willing to go anywhere.

Defense
U.S. military authorities in Germany announced that Yugoslavian nationals employed by the Army would be dismissed immediately, after raids on refugee camps uncovered documents of an underground "Royal Yugoslav Army."

Politics and government
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes resigned because of his dispute with President Harry Truman over Mr. Truman's appointment of Edwin Pauley as Undersecretary of the Navy.

The Communist Party USA expelled former leader Earl Browder for factional activity and violation of party discipline, and warned members against "Browderism."

Crime
A U.S. federal court in Washington, D.C. ruled that poet Ezra Pound was mentally unsound and could not stand trial on treason charges. Mr. Pound had made broadcasts in Italy during World War II on behalf of the Axis powers.

Labour
The 10-day strike of tugboat operators in New York City ended as International Longshoremen's Association workers agreed to arbitration of their dispute, permitting normal fuel supplies to reach New York City.

The U.K. House of Commons voted to repeal the Trade Disputes Act (1927), which banned general strikes.

Disasters
275 people were killed when an earthquake struck Algeria.

15 people were injured and 200 left homeless when a tornado struck Ardmore, Oklahoma.

40 years ago
1976

Hit parade
#1 single in New Zealand: Convoy--C.W. McCall (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Moviestar--Harpo (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in Switzerland: Mamma Mia--ABBA (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Lily Pons, 77. French-born U.S. singer. Miss Pons, born Alice Joséphine Pons, was a pianist before she took up singing, performing as a soprano in an operatic career that lasted for more than 40 years. She moved to the United States in the early 1930s, and became an American citizen in 1940. Miss Pons performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City over 300 times.

Murtala Muhammed, 37. 4th Head of State of Nigeria, 1975-1976. General Muhammed became haed of state on July 30, 1975 after a military coup overthrew Yakubu Gowon. Gen. Muhammad and aide-de camp Lieutenant Akintunde Akinsehinwa were killed in an abortive attempt at a coup led by Lieutenant Colonel Buka Suka Dimka, when their car was ambushed en route to Gen. Muhammed's office in Lagos. The coup leaders held the radio station in Lagos for several hours, but the government had regained control by nightfall. Gen. Muhammed was succeeded as head of state by Chief of Staff Olusegun Obasanjo.

Personal
This blogger attended a morning pep rally at Sir John Franklin Territorial High School in Yellowknife, and then the Valentine's Day dance at the school gym that night--an event that was ruined by the sight of a certain girl necking in the corner with a certain boy who wasn't this blogger; and a more offensive spectacle I cannot recall.

Olympics
Kathy Kreiner of Canada won the gold medal in the women's Giant Slalom at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria; it was Canada's only gold medal at the games. Dorothy Hamill of the United States won the women's figure skating gold medal, wowing judges with her signature spin--dubbed the Hamill Camel--and creating a new North American hairstyle almost overnight.

30 years ago
1986

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CITV
Tonight’s episode: Gramma, starring Barret Oliver; Personal Demons, starring Martin Balsam; Cold Reading, starring Larry Poindexter

Personal
This blogger won $89 on St. Albert radio station CKST, but I don't remember what for.

War
Iran claimed that 17 of its soldiers had died as a result of poisoning used by chemical weapons used by Iraq.

Scandal
Chrysler Corporation chairman Lee Iacocca, dismissed the previous day as chairman of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Centennial Commission, alleged that he had been removed from his position because the U.S. administration of President Ronald Reagan wanted him out because he opposed plans for a hotel and conference centre on Ellis Island that Mr. Iacocca said would be developed by "the sale of tax shelters to the rich."

Disasters
A photograph released by NASA of the rocket carrying the space shuttle Challenger on January 28 showed that the plume of fire previously observed had been pinpointed at or near the bottom seam that was supposed to have been sealed by the O-rings. A failure of the O-rings was being investigated as the prime cause of the explosion that killed all seven astronauts just 73 seconds after liftoff.

25 years ago
1991

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Crazy--Seal

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

War
Up to 500 Iraqi civilians were killed, including many sleeping women and children, when U.S. planes dropped two bombs on an underground shelter. Coalition forces said the target was a military control centre and blamed Iraq for placing civilians there. The building was in a residential area and across the street from a school.

Economics and finance
U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev said the nation was not yet ready to give up central economic controls.

20 years ago
1996

Died on this date
Martin Balsam, 76. U.S. actor. Mr. Balsam had a lengthy career as a supporting actor in television programs and movies such as 12 Angry Men (1957); Psycho (1960); and Little Big Man (1970). He won an Academy Award for his supporting performance in A Thousand Clowns (1965).

Charlie Conerly, 74. U.S. football player. Mr. Conerly played quarterback at the University of Mississippi (1942, 1946-1947), earning All-American honours in his senior year. He also played baseball at Ole Miss, and was offered a professional contract after batting .467 in 1948. Mr. Conerly played with the New York Giants (1948-1961), setting numerous franchise records and quarterbacking the team to the National Football League championship in 1956 and earning Second Team All-Pro recognition in 1959. He played in three other NFL Championship games, ending his career in the Giants' 37-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the 1961 NFL Championship game. Mr. Conerly portrayed the Marlboro Man in cigarette advertisements, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

Politics and government
This blogger attended the "Speech to the Throne," the response by Grant Mitchell, leader of the official opposition Liberal Party, to the Speech from the Throne of the Alberta provincial government of Premier Ralph Klein. Mr. Mitchell spoke at Mackay Avenue School.