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March 27th
1350 - While besieging Gibraltar, Alfonso XI of Castile, died of the black death. 1416 - Born this day, Antonio Squarcialupi, composer. 1512 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sighted Florida. 1536 - Swiss Protestants in Strassbourg and Constance signed the First Helvetic Confession. It became the first major document setting forth the common faith of the Swiss Protestant churches. 1554 - Born this day, Everhardus van Bronchorst, Dutch lawyer. 1614 - The Netherlands passed the Ordinance of 1614 to encourage exploration and colonisation efforts by the Dutch. 1625 - Charles I, king of England, Scotland and Ireland, ascended to throne. 1665 - Born this day, Benjamin Neukirch, German poet (Herrn von Hofmannswaldau). 1702 - Born this day, Johann Ernst Eberlin, composer. 1703 - Tzar Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg by jabbing his thumb on a map on this day. Builders had to contend with the fact that he'd chosen water-logged terrain. 1710 - Born this day, Joseph Marie Clement dall' Abaco, composer. 1746 - Born this day, Augustin Ullinger, composer. 1746 - Born this day, Carlo Bonaparte, Corsican attorney, father of emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. 1757 - Born this day, Richard John Samuel Stevens, composer. 1760 - Born this day, Ishmail Spicer, composer. 1760 - Born this day, M. J. Auguste Vestrius, French ballet dancer. 1765 - Born this day, Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher, theologist. 1772 - Born this day, Giovanni Liverati, composer. 1780 - Born this day, August L. Crelle, German inventor, mathematician (1st Prussian Railway). 1787 - Born this day, Louis XVII, pretender to the throne during the French Revolution. (1793-95). 1794 - The United States Navy was formed. US Congress authorised the US president to provide a navy. 1797 - Born this day, Alfred V. Comte de Vigny, poet, novelist, French musketeer, writer (Moďse, Chatterton). Died in 1863. 1802 - The Treaty of Amiens was signed by Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands - the "Peace of Amiens," as it was known, brought a temporary peace of 14 months during the Napoleonic Wars - one of its most important cultural effects was that travel and correspondence across the English Channel became possible again. 1802 - Pallas, an asteroid, was discovered by Heinrich Olbers. 1802 - The Treaty of Amiens is signed, ending the French Revolutionary War. 1804 - The US Navy Yard ws established in Washington, DC. 1809 - Born this day, Georges-Eugene Haussmann, French town planner, designed modern-day Paris. 1810 - Born this day, A. Glabbrenner, writer. 1813 - Born this day, Nathaniel Currier, printmaker, lithographer for Currier and Ives. Died in 1888. 1814 - US troops under General Andrew Jackson inflicted a crushing defeat on the Creek Indians at Horshoe Bend in northern Alabama. 1816 - Born this day, George Elvey, composer. 1818 - Born this day, Jakob Axel Josephson, composer. 1823 - Born this day, Samuel Kosciusko Zook, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers). 1835 - The Mexican army massacred Texan rebels at Gohad. 1836 - The first Mormon temple was dedicated in Kirtland, Ohio. 1840 - Scottish clergyman Robert Murray McCheyne wrote in a letter, 'No person can be a child of God without living in secret prayer; and no community of Christians can be in a lively condition without unity in prayer.' 1841 - The first steam fire engine was tested in New York City. 1844 - Born this day, Adolphus Washington Greely, US Arctic explorer, US Army General. Greely was a Medal of Honor recipient, decorated by Great Britain and France to acknowledge his numerous contributions to telecommunications. General Greely was an outstanding soldier and communicator to whom Greely Hall, Fort Huachuca, Arizona was rededicated in a bicentennial year observance on 21 June 1976. His nineteen year service as Chief Signal Officer (1887-1906) represents the longest continuous period an incumbent has occupied. 1845 - Born this day, Wilhelm Konrad Von Rontgen, German physicist/scientist who accidentally discovered X-rays. Nobel (1901) Prize-winner. Died in 1923. 1847 - Born this day, Otto Wallach, in Germany, chemist (Nobel 1910). 1851 - Born this day, Paul-Marie-Theodore-Vincent d'Indy, Paris, France, composer (Symphonie Cévenole). 1851 - Born this day, Ruperto Chapi y Lorente, composer. 1854 - Born this day, Edgar Tinel, Flemish composer (Le Chant Grégorien). 1855 - Abraham Gesner patented kerosene. 1857 - Born this day, Karl Pearson, in London, England, mathematician. 1858 - Born this day, Peter Christian Lutkin, composer. 1859 - Born this day, George Giffen, cricketer (one of Australia's greatest all-rounders). 1860 - M. L. Byrn of New York, did wine drinkers a favour and patented the corkscrew. 1861 - Black demonstrators in Charleston, South Carolina, staged ride-ins on street cars. 1863 - Born this day, Sir Henry Royce, co-founder of the Rolls Royce Motor Co. was born in Alwalton, near Peterborough, the son of a miller. 1866 - President Andrew Johnson vetoed the civil rights bill, which later becomes the 14th amendment. 1867 - Born this day, Edyth Walker, US singer. 1868 - Born this day, Patty Smith Hill, author, songwriter (Happy Birthday To You). Died in 1946. 1871 - In the first international rugby match, in Edinburgh on this day, Scotland defeated England by one goal to nil. 1871 - Born this day, Heinrich Mann, in Germany, novelist, essayist (Blue Angel); brother of Thomas. 1871 - Born this day, Petrus J. M. Aalberse, Dutch minister of Labor (1918-25). 1879 - Born this day, Edward Steichen, artist, pioneer of American photographer. Died in 1973. 1883 - Born this day, Jan Kunc, composer. 1884 - Born this day, James Cruze, actor, director. 1884 - The first long-distance telephone call was made from Boston to New York. 1886 - Born this day, Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, German born US architect (Bauhaus). 1889 - Born this day, Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu, Turkish writer, diplomat. 1891 - Born this day, Lajos Zilahy, Hungarian/US author (Ararát/Süd a nap). 1892 - Born this day, Ferde [Ferdinand Rudolf von] Grofé, in New York, NY, composer. 1892 - Born this day, Thorne Smith, author (Topper, Rain in the Doorway, Stray Lamb). Died in 1934. 1893 - The American Bell Telephone Company made the first long distance telephone call to its branch office in New York. 1893 - Born this day, Dragoljub 'Draza' Mihailovic, Yugoslavian General, Nazi collaborator. 1893 - Born this day, Karl Mannheim, Hungarian/German/British sociologist (Ideology & Utopia). 1893 - Born this day, William Harrigan, in New York, NY, actor (Affair of Three Nations, Cabaret) 1897 - Born this day, Carlo Mierendorff, German politician, anti-fascist. 1897 - Born this day, Douglas Rayner Hartree, mathematician. 1899 - Born this day, Gloria Swanson [Gloria Josephine Mae Swenson], in Chicago, Illinois, actress, Sadie Thomson (1928), The Trespasser (1929), Queen Kelly (1929), Sunset Boulevard (1950). Died in 1983. 1899 - The Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi achieved the first international radio transmission between England and France. 1900 - The London Parliament passed the War Loan Act, which gave 35 million pounds to the Boer War cause. 1901 - Born this day, Carl Barks, Disney animator, cartoonist. Died in 2000. 1901 - Born this day, Albert Henneberg, composer. 1901 - Born this day, Erich Ollenhauer, German politician (SPD). 1901 - Born this day, Sato Eisaku, (Liberal) Japanese Prime Minister (1964-72) (Nobel 1974). 1902 - Born this day, Mary Armour, artist. 1903 - Born this day, Walt Kiesling, NFL guard, coach (Hall of Fame). 1905 - Born this day, László Kalmár, in Edde, Hungary, mathematician, promoted the development of computer science in Hungary. 1906 - Born this day, Pee Wee Russell, jazz clarinetist. 1907 - Born this day, Mary Treen, in St Louis, Missouri, actress (Emily-Willy). 1908 - Born this day, Jacques [Izaäk] den Haan, Dutch writer (Dangerous Book). 1909 - Born this day, [Benjamin F] Ben Webster, US tenor saxophonist. 1909 - Born this day, Golo Mann [Gottfried], German/US historian (Antisemitism). 1910 - Born this day, Rudi Ball, in Germany, Jewish ice hockey star (Olympics bronze 1932). 1910 - Born this day, John Robinson Pierce, the father of comunications satellites. 1912 - Born this day, (Leonard) James Callaghan, former Labour Prime Minister and MP, now Lord Callaghan of Cardiff. Educated at Portsmouth Northern Secodary School. He joined the staff of the inland revenue department in 1929. In 1945 he was elected Labour MP for South Cardiff and from 1950 represented South-east Cardiff. One of the chief contenders for the leadership after the death of Gaitskell, in 1964 he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in Harold Wilson's government. In this capacity he introduced some of the most controversial taxation measures in British fiscal history, including the corporation and selective employment taxes. He was home secretary (1967-70) and foreign secretary (1974-76). In April 1976 he was elected Prime Minister on Harold Wilson's resignation, remaining in office until the general election of 1979. He resigned as leader of the opposition in 1980 and was made a life peer in 1987. His autobiography Time and Chance was published in 1987. 1912 - The first cherry blossom trees, a gift from Japan, were planted in Washington, DC. 1912 - Born this day, Reuel Lahmer, composer. 1912 - Born this day, Robert Watson Hughes, composer. 1913 - Born this day, Godfrey Turner, composer. 1914 - Born this day, Budd Schulberg, in New York, NY, journalist, novelist, screenwriter (What Makes Sammy Run, On the Waterfront). 1914 - Born this day, Richard Denning [Denninger], in Poughkeepsie, New York, actor (Steve-Karen, Hawaii Five-0). Died in 1998. 1914 - The first successful blood transfusion was performed in a Brussels hospital. 1914 - Born this day, Snooky Lanson [Roy Landman], in Memphis, Tennessee, singer. Died in 1990. (Your Hit Parade, 5 Star Jubilee). 1915 - Born this day, Richard Sharp, civil servant. 1917 - Born this day, Cyrus R. Vance, US Secretary of State (1977-80). 1917 - Born this day, Harry West, Unionist party leader (Unionist). 1917 - The Seattle Metropolitans, of the Pacific Coast League of Canada, defeated the Montreal Canadiens to become the first US hockey team to win the Stanley Cup. 1919 - Born this day, Julian Amery, conservative minister. 1919 - Born this day, Simon van Collem, Dutch journalist, TV host (Amsterdamned). 1920 - Born this day, Richard Hayman, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, musician, harmonica player, conductor, bandleader, pianist (Theme of 3 Penny Opera, Vaughn Monroe Show). 1921 - Born this day, Harold Nicholas, dancer. Died in 2000. 1921 - The first Southern Baptist church to be constituted in the state of Arizona was organised in Phoenix formed principally of churchmen who protested the doctrinal views held by leaders of the Northern Baptist Convention. 1921 - Born this day, Tom Bevill (Representative-Democrat-Alabama, 1967- ). 1922 - Born this day, Margaret Stacey, sociologist. 1923 - Born this day, Louis Simpson, Jamaican/US Pultizer Prize-winning poet (Good News of Death). 1923 - Born this day, Shusaku Endo, writer. 1923 - Born this day, Victor Hochhauser, British impresario (Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra). 
1923 - Died this day, Sir James Dewar, chemist and physicist, who invented the vacuum flask, died this day in London. 1924 - Born this day, [Lois] Sarah Vaughan, jazz singer, was born in Newark, New Jersey. (Broken Hearted Melody). Both of her parents were musicians, her father, a carpenter played the guitar and sang folk music; her mother, a laundress, played the piano and sang in the Mount Zion Baptist Church Choir. Died 3 April 1990. 1924 - Born this day, Harold Nicholas, US actor (Tap, 5 Heartbeats, Stormy Weather). 1925 - Born this day, Lord Plumb, MEP. 1925 - Born this day, Robert P. Cohan, artistic director, choreographer (Contemporary Dance Trust). 1926 - Born this day, Louis Blom-Cooper QC, press arbiter. 1927 - Born this day, Anthony Lewis, newspaper columnist (New York Times), author (Gideon's Trumpet). 1927 - Born this day, Cecil Bödker writer 1927 - Born this day, Lord Fanshawe of Richmond MP 1927 - Born this day, Mstislav Leopold Rostropovich, in Baku, USSR, cellist, conductor, teacher (Moscow Conservatory). 1928 - Born this day, Douglas Applegate (Representative-Democrat-Ohio, 1977- ). 1930 - Born this day, Bob den Uyl, Dutch journalist, writer (Bird Watching). 1930 - Born this day, David Janssen [Meyer], in Naponee, Nebraska, actor (Fugitive, Harry O). Died in 1980. 1931 - Born this day, Burt Collins, jazz trumpeter, flugel horn player. 1931 - Actor Charlie Chaplin, 'The Little Tramp', received France's distinguished Legion of Honor decoration. 1931 - From the 'Put Foot in Mouth Department', John McGraw told reporters that night baseball would never supplant baseball in its natural setting, under a warm sun. 1931 - Born this day, R. P. Bauman, CEO (British Aerospace). 1931 - Born this day, Yoriaki Matsudaira, composer. 1932 - Born this day, Junior Parker, blues musician (Driving Wheel, Outside Man). 1932 - Born this day, Wes [John Wesley] Covington, baseball player (Philadelphia Phillies). 1933 - Japan announced it would leave the League of Nations after being found guilty of aggression in Manchuria. 1933 - Some 55,000 people staged a protest against Hitler in New York. 1933 - The Farm Credit Administration is authorised. 1933 - Born this day, D. R. G. Andrews, CEO (Land Rover-Leyland). 1933 - Born this day, Frank Taylor, Chief Constable (Durham). 1933 - Born this day, J. Geoffrey Parker, high master (Manchester Grammar School). 1934 - Born this day, Arthur Mitchell, choreographer (Dance Theater of Harlem). 1934 - Born this day, Sarah Vaughan, jazz singer, 1954 US No.6 single Make Yourself Comfortable plus 8 other US Top 30 hits. Died 3 April 1990. 1934 - Born this day, David Hancock, secretary (British Department of Education & Science). 1935 - Born this day, Earl of Suffolk & Berkshire. 1935 - Born this day, Julian Glover, in London England, actor (QED, Heat & Dust, Mandela). 1936 - Born this day, Jerry Lacy, in Sioux City, Iowa, actor (Play it Again Sam, Reverend Trask-Dark Shadows). 1936 - Born this day, Malcolm Goldstein, composer. 1937 - Born this day, Johnny 'Clyde' Copeland, US blues guitarist, singer (Lion's Den). 1938 - Born this day, A. J. Bellingham, president (Royal College of Pathologists). 1938 - Born this day, Jock Slater, admiral. 1938 - Born this day, P. Daubeny, CEO (Electricity Association). 1939 - Born this day, Jay C. Kim, (Representative-Republican-California). 1939 - Born this day, Lord Lyell. 1939 - Born this day, Ruth Ashton, general secretary (Royal College of Midwives). 1939 - Born this day, Judy Carne [Joyce Betterill], comedienne, actress. (Laugh-In, Love on a Rooftop). 1940 - Born this day, Austin Pendleton, actor. 1940 - Born this day, William Caleb [Cale] Yarborough, auto racer. (Won Daytona 500 4 times-1968, 1977, 1983, 1984). 1940 - Born this day, Austin Pendleton, in Warren, Ohio, actor (Short Circuit, Simon, Hello Again). 1940 - Born this day, June Wilkinson, in Eastbourne, England, actress (Absolutely Glamorous, Pajama Tops). 1941 - Born this day, Charles Pashayan Jr., (Representative-Republican-California, 1979- ). 1941 - Born this day, Liese Prokop, in Austria, pentathlete (Olympics silver 1968). 1941 - Prince Paul of Yugoslavia was deposed in a coup d'etat following his pact with Adolf Hitler. 1941 - Britain leased defense bases in Trinidad to the United States for 99 years. 1941 - Tokeo Yoshikawa arrived in Oahu, Hawaii, to begin spying for Japan on the US fleet at Pearl Harbor. 1942 - During World War II (WWII), British commandoes raided and destroyed the Nazi U-boat submarine base at St. Nazaire, France. German gunners sank their own ship trying to cut them off as the commandoes escaped in fast launches. (Another source says 28 March). 1942 - Born this day, Michael York [Johnson], in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, England, actor (Cabaret, Logan's Run, 3 Musketeers). 1942 - Born this day, Raymond J. McGrath (Representative-Republican-New York, 1981- ). 1943 - Born this day, M. Robert Carr, (Representative-Democrat-Michigan, 1975-81, 83- ). 1943 - Blue Ribbon Town was first heard on CBS radio. The show lasted only a year, but it became widely known as the program that introduced audiences to the one, the only, Groucho Marx. 1944 - 1,000 Jews left Drancy, France for Auschwitz concentration camp. 1944 - Thousands of Jews were murdered in Kaunas, Lithuania. The Gestapo shot forty Jewish policemen in the Riga, Latvia ghetto. 1945 - Ella Fitzgerald and the Delta Rhythm Boys recorded It's Only a Paper Moon for Decca Records. 1945 - Germany launched its last V2 rocket from the Hague in the Netherlands, crashing in Orpington, southeast of London. 1945 - Argentina declared war on Germany and Japan. 1945 - General Dwight Eisenhower declared the German defenses on the Western front broken. 1945 - Born this day, Briton Selby, NHLer. 1946 - Born this day, Carl Weintraub, actor (Harry-Executive Suite). 1946 - Members of Baptist congregations in Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks met at Anchorage to form the Alaska Southern Baptist Convention. 1946 - Born this day, Bill [William Paul] [Suds] Sudakis, baseball. 1947 - Born this day, Tom Sullivan, singer, composer, in Boston, Massachusetts, blind actor (If You Could See What I Hear). 1947 - Born this day, Doug Wilkerson, American football. 1947 - Born this day, Daphne Todd, president (Royal Society of Portrait Painters). 1949 - Born this day, Patrick Deuchar, CEO (Albert Hall). 1950 - Born this day, Maria Ewing, opera singer. 1950 - Born this day, [Victor Lanier] Vic Harris, baseball. 1950 - Jazz pianist, Erroll Garner became one of the first jazz instrumentalists to give a solo concert. He played the Music Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1954, Garner would gain international applause for writing and recording a standard that has been presented many times since, Misty. Johnny Mathis and Sarah Vaughan are but two of many recording artists to offer vocal renditions of this renowned Garner composition. Play Misty for me. 1950 - Born this day, Tony Banks, UK rock musician, keyboards, in East Heathly, Sussex, UK, Genesis, 1986 US No.1 and UK No.15 single Invisible Touch, 1992 UK No.7 single I Can't Dance plus over 15 other UK top 40 hit singles and 6 UK No.1 albums. 1951 - Frank Sinatra recorded I'm a Fool to Want You for Columbia. This was one of the last songs Sinatra recorded for Mitch Miller, who had taken over as head of recording for the label. 1951 - Born this day, Bobby Lalonde, NHL hockey. (Boston Bruins). 1952 - Born this day, Chick Vennera, in Herkimer, New York, actor (High Risk, Milagro Beanfield War). 1952 - Born this day, Rocky Maffit, rock musician (Champaign). 1952 - Elements of the US Eighth Army reached the 38th parallel in Korea, the original dividing line between the two Koreas. 1952 - Born this day, Maria Schneider, in Paris, France, actress (Last Tango in Paris, Crime of Honor). 1952 - Hollywood came up with the best spoof of itself in Singin' in the Rain. The scene in which Gene Kelly tap-dances his way through a downpour is a production classic. And in the best Tinseltown style - it has nothing at all to do with the story. 1952 - Sun Records of Memphis, Tennessee, began releasing records. 1953 - Born this day, Annemarie Moser-Proell, in Austria, downhill skier (Olympics gold 1980). 1953 - Born this day, Walter Stocker, Air Supply, 1980 UK No.11 single All Out Of Love, 1981 US No.1 single The One That You Love. 1953 - Born this day, Pamela Roylance, in Seattle, Washington, actress (Sarah-Little House on Prairie). 1955 - Born this day, Kim Brassey, racehorse trainer. 1955 - Born this day, Patrick McCabe, novelist. 1955 - Steve McQueen made his network TV debut - on Goodyear Playhouse. McQueen starred in The Chivington Raid. In 1958, McQueen was starred in his own TV series, Wanted Dead or Alive, on NBC. 1955 - The first US coast-to-coast colour television broadcast was shown from New York to California. 1956 - Born this day, Brian Kelly, CFL wide receiver (Edmonton Eskimos). 1956 - Born this day, Thomas Wassberg, in Sweden, 15K/50K cross country skier (Olympics gold 1980). 1957 - Born this day, Nicholas Hawkins, MP. 1957 - Born this day, Duncan Goodhew, in England, swimmer, 100 metre breast stroke swimmer (Olympics Gold 1980). 1957 - Born this day, Billy McKenzie, The Associates, 1982 UK No.9 single Party Fears Two, committed suicide 23 January 1997. 1958 - The United States announced a plan to explore space near the moon. 1958 - Born this day, Neil Finn, pop singer, (Crowded House). 1958 - Nikita Khrushchev became Soviet premier and first secretary of the Communist Party. He ousted Prime Minister Bulganin to take power in the Soviet Union. 1958 - CBS Laboratories announced a new stereophonic record that was playable on ordinary LP phonographs, meaning, monaural. In stereo, on the proper equipment, a new rich and fuller sound was heard. It eventually became a standard for record and equipment buyers. 1958 - Born this day, Bart Connor, gymnast, sportscaster (Olympics gold 1984). 1958 - Born this day, 1958 Michael O'Leary, in St. Paul, Minnesota, actor (Guiding Light, Fatal Games). 1958 - Born this day, Shaun Cassidy, rock musician, actor (Hardy Boys, Texas Guns). 1958 - Born this day, Susan Molinari (Representative-Republican-New York). 1959 - Born this day, Andrew Farriss, musician, keyboards, INXS, 1988 UK No.2 and US No.1 single Need You Tonight. 1988 US No.3 and world-wide hit album Kick. 1960 - Born this day, Clare Lucy Madeleine Evans, historian. 1960 - Born this day, Jennifer Grey, actress (Dirty Dancing); Joel Grey's daughter. 1960 - Born this day, Steve Jarvin, Australian soloing yachter (Olympics 1996). 1961 - Born this day, Ellery Hanley, rugby league player. 1961 - Filming began on Oahu's Waikiki Beach for Elvis's new movie, Blue Hawaii. 1962 - In Louisiana, Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel ordered all Roman Catholic schools in the New Orleans diocese to end segregation. 1962 - Born this day, Derrick McKenzie, drums, Jamiroquai, 1996 UK No.3 single Virtual Insanity. 1998 UK No.1 single Deeper Underground. 1963 - Savage cuts in the rail network were proposed in a report published by British Railways chairman Dr. Beeching. He wanted to close 2,128 stations, scrap 8,000 coaches and axe 67,700 jobs, cutting the network by a quarter. Brought in from ICI, he was determined to improve efficiency. The Beeching Axe fell, and the railways were never the same. 1963 - Born this day, Quentin Tarantino, film director, Academy Award-winning screenwriter. (Pulp Fiction). 1963 - Born this day, Randall Cunningham, American football, NFL QB (Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings). 1963 - Born this day, Dave Koz, saxophonist. 1963 - Born this day, Ed Pinckney, NBA forward (Philadelphia 76ers). 1963 - Born this day, Todd Graves, in Laurel, Mississippi, skeet (Olympics 1992, 1996). 1963 - Born this day, Xuxa [Maria da Graca Meneghel], in Brazil, actress (Xuxa Park). 1964 - On this date, at 5.36pm (local time), the strongest earthquake in American history, measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale, hit southern Alaska, killing one hundred and twenty-five people and injuring thousands. The massive earthquake had its epicenter 20-30 km under Northern Prince William Sound (latitude 61.04 N longitude 147.73 W), about eight miles northeast of Anchorage, although approximately 300,000 square miles of US, Canadian, and international territory were affected. Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, sustained the most property damage and initial loss of life, with about thirty blocks of dwellings and commercial buildings damaged or destroyed in the downtown area. Although only fifteen people died or were fatally injured during the duration of the three-minute quake, the ensuing tsunami killed another one hundred and ten people. The tidal wave, which measured over a hundred feet at certain points, devastated towns along the Gulf of Alaska, and caused serious damage in British Columbia, Canada, in Hawaii, and along the West Coast of the United States, where fifteen people died. Property damage was estimated in excess of four hundred million dollars. The next day, US President Lyndon B. Johnson declared Alaska an official disaster area. 1964 - Born this day, Clark Datchler, vocals, Johnny Hates Jazz, 1987 UK No.5 single Shattered Dreams. 1964 - The ten Great Train robbers who were caught were sentenced to 307 years in jail on this day. 1964 - The British Invasion continued to make it's way around the world with The Beatles having the top six positions on the Australian pop chart. 1965 - Jeff Beck joined the Yardbirds as a replacement for Eric Clapton. 1965 - The Supremes had their 4th US No.1 single with Stop! In The Name Of Love. 1965 - Born this day, Johnny April, bass, Staind, 2001 US No.1 album Break The Cycle, 2001 US No.7 and UK No.15 single It’s Been A While. 1965 - Roger Miller's King of the Road hit No.1 on the US country-western charts. 1966 - During a UK tour, Roy Orbison fell off a motorbike while scrambling at Hawkstone Park, Birmingham fracturing his foot. He played the remaining dates sat on a stool and walking on crutches. 1966 - Football's World Cup Jules Rimet trophy, was found in a garden by a dog called Pickles after it had been stolen the week before from a stamp collection exhibition in Westminster Hall. 1966 - Born this day, Kate Donahoo, in Las Vegas, Nevada, US judoka (Olympics 1992). 1967 - Born this day, Jaime Navarro, in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, pitcher (Chicago Cubs). 1967 - Born this day, Talisa Soto [Miriam], in Brooklyn, New York, actress (License to Kill). 1967 - Fats Domino played his first ever UK date at London's Saville Theatre, supported by The Bee Gees and Gerry And The Pacemakers. 1967 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney were awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello award for Michelle, the most performed song in the UK in 1966. 1967 - The Young Rascals recorded Groovin'. 1967 - Born this day, Tom Hammonds, NBA forward (Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets). 1968 - Born this day, Irina Belova, Russian pentathlete (world record 1992). 1968 - Flights to offshore oil rigs were commenced on this by KLM Airlines helicopters. The discovery of oil under the North Sea prompted the flights. 1968 - The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Lady Madonna, it was the group's 14th UK No.1 and their final No.1 on the Parlophone label. 1968 - Playing at London's Royal Albert Hall, The Bee Gees, Foundations and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich. 1968 - Died this day, Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, when his MIG trainer jet crashed. He was 34. 1969 - Born this day, Tom Beer, NFL running back (Detroit Lions). 1970 - Born this day, Anthony Prior, NFL cornerback, safety (New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings). 1970 - Born this day, Corey Page, actor (Richard Wilkins-Loving/City). 1970 - Born this day, Ed Philion, NFL nose tackle (Buffalo Bills). 1970 - Born this day, Mariah Carey, Grammy Award-winning singer, named after They Call The Wind Mariah from the musical Paint Your Wagon. Born in New York. She worked as a waitress and a coat check girl. 1994 UK No.1 single Without You, plus over 20 other UK top 40 hits, 12 US No.1 singles. 1971 - UCLA became the first team ever to win five consecutive NCAA basketball titles. The Bruins defeated Villanova 68-62. UCLA, under coaching legend John Wooden, dominated NCAA tournament play until 1974, when North Carolina State won the tournament. The Bruins roared back in one season to win the championship once more. 1971 - New York radio station WNBC banned the song One Toke Over the Line by Brewer and Shipley, because of its alleged drug references. Other stations around the country soon followed. 1971 - Three Dog Night's superhit single Joy To The World, debuted on Billboard's pop charts. It was on the charts for 15 weeks, was No.1 for 6 weeks, and was later certified gold. 1971 - Janis Joplin started her second (and final) week at the top of the pop music charts with the hit, Me and Bobby McGee, written by Kris Kristofferson. 1972 - Tom Batiuk launched his comic strip Funky Winkerbean. 1972 - Adolph Rupp, of the the University of Kentucky, retired after 42 years of coaching the Wildcats. During his long tenure at Kentucky, Rupp won 874 games for a winning average of 82.1 percent. Rupp was second only to Clair Bee who coached at Rider College in New Jersey and at Long Island University. 1972 - Born this day, Kirby Dar Dar, wide receiver (Miami Dolphins). 1972 - Grand Funk fired their manager, Terry Knight, who promptly sued them. 1972 - Elvis Presley recorded what would be his last major hit, Burning Love. It made No.2 on the US chart and No.7 in the UK. 1972 - Born this day, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Chelsea footballer. 1973 - Born this day, Serge Tremblay, in La Malbaie, Québec, Canada, weightlifter (Olympics 1996). 1973 - At the Academy Awards ceremony held in Los Angeles, the Best Actor award-winner was Marlon Brando for his role in The Godfather. Brando had already turned down his Golden Globe award, saying it was because there "is a singular lack of honour in this country today...and to accept an honour, however well-intended, is to subtract from the meager amount left". Instead of personally declining the Oscar, he sent a young Apache woman named Sacheen Littlefeather as a proxy. She delivered a speech that Brando would not accept the award because of the poor treatment of American Indians by the film industry and at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. The message stunned and upset the audience, and Brando was greatly criticised by critics and members of the Academy. Brando was considered a coward for making the young woman take the brunt of negative reaction from the Oscar audience. Actor Michael Caine was heard to remark that Brando, who had received $2 million for his Mafia film role, should give half of the money to the Indians. Also, Tatum O'Neal became the youngest person, at age 10, to win an Academy Award for acting. She received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Paper Moon. Her father, Ryan O'Neal, starred in the movie with her. Diana Ross (for Lady Sings The Blues) lost out on the Best Actress Academy Award to Liza Minelli (for Cabaret). 1973 - Jerry Garcia was arrested after being busted for speeding in New Jersey, when police found cocaine and LSD in his car. 1973 - Rolling Stone magazine reported that after becoming a disciple of Sri Chinmoy, Carlos Santana had changed his name to 'Devadip', which means 'the lamp of the light of the Supreme'. 1974 - Appearing at Sheffield Poly, were Cockney Rebel. 1974 - Born this day, Rosanna Gimenez, Miss Paraguay-Universe 1997. 1975 - Born this day, B.J. Gallis, CFL linebacker (British Columbia Lions). 1975 - Born this day, Gregory DuBois, hockey defenseman (Team France 1998). 1976 - Paul McCartneyand Wings were forced to postpone a forthcoming US tour for three weeks after guitarist Jimmy McCulloch fell in his hotel bathroom and broke a finger. 1976 - Born this day, Danny Fortson, NBA forward (Denver Nuggets). 1976 - Born this day, Roberta Alma Anastase, Miss Romania-Universe 1996. 1976 - Washington, DC opened its subway system. 1976 - The Brotherhood Of Man started a 6 week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Save Your Kisses For Me. 1977 - Two Boeing 747 jumbo jets, collided on the ground at foggy Tenerife airport, in the Canary Islands. Both planes exploded in flames on the foggy runway killing 577 people in the worst aviation disaster in history. 1977 - Born this day, Tom van der Leegte, Dutch soccer player (PSV Eindhoven). 1978 - The Beatles parody All You Need Is Cash featuring The Rutles was shown on BBC- TV. 1979 - Eric Clapton married Patti Harrison (the ex wife of George) at Temple Bethel, Tucson, Arizona. Patti applied for a divorce in 1988. 1980 - Mount St. Helens in Washington state became active after 123 years. 1980 - 147 people died when the Alexander Kielland, a floating platform for off-duty oil workers, capsized in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. 1982 - Died this day, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, author of many children's books, including those of Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Jr., and the Bobbsey Twins, at the age of 89 of a heart attack. Adams wrote books for more than 50 years under many pseudonyms, as did other authors of the popular children mysteries. Although Adams did not write all of the books in any one series, as senior partner in the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a group of writers who wrote books for the series, she retained editorial control over their content. 1982 - Ex Small Faces and Faces bass player Ronnie Lane was admitted to hospital for treatment for multiple sclerosis (he died in 1997). 1982 - The Goombay Dance Band had the No.1 UK single with Seven Tears. 1984 - Born this day, Emily Ann Lloyd, actress (Sarah Kramer-Something So Right). 1984 - Born this day, J.P. Steur, actor (Grace Under Fire). 1984 - Metallica made their UK live debut at the Marquee, London. 1985 - Billy Dee Williams received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. His place, for those looking to visit, is located between Joan Davis and Harry Carey. 1986 - Born this day, Melissa Stern aka "Baby M" aka Sara Whitehead, surrogate baby, awarded to her dad William Stern. 1987 - President Reagan announced that he would place a 100% duty on a wide range of Japanese electronic products. 1987 - U2 performed from the roof of a store in downtown Los Angeles to make the video for Where The Streets Have No Name, attracting thousands of spectators and bringing traffic to a standstill. The police eventually stop the shoot. 1988 - Born this day, Kerri Ann Darling, actress (Alli Fowler-Another World). 1989 - Militant Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini prompted the resignation of his moderate successor-designate, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. 1989 - Easter Monday was the warmest for 37 years with the Midlands hotter than the Costa Brava and the Canary Islands. 1989 - The first elections for the Soviet Duma (parliament) dealt a devastating blow to the Soviet old guard - defeat for the Moscow Communist Party leader and deputy. 1990 - Soviet soldiers dragged Lithuanian army deserters from a hospital in Vilnius and took over the headquarters of Lithuania's independent Communist Party in an effort to reassert Moscow's control over the dissident Baltic republic. 1990 - Daniel Day Lewis won a Best Actor Oscar for My Left Foot. 1990 - The Stone Roses played at Spike Island, Widnes, Cheshire to a capacity crowd of 30,000. 1991 - New Kids On The Block's Donnie Wahlberg was arrested after setting fire to carpets at The Seelbach Hotel, Louisville. 1991 - David Icke, former goalkeeper and BBC sports presenter, announced that he had been 'chosen' to save the world. 1992 - An appeals court in West Palm Beach, Florida, refused to declare dead a baby girl born without a brain, despite her parents' anguished plea to allow her vital organs to be donated to help save other infants. 1992 - A Philadelphia man was arrested and charged with maliciously spreading AIDS to over 100 other people. 1993 - Hot Chocolate went to No.1 on the UK album chart with Their Greatest Hits album. 1995 - Forrest Gump won six Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor for Tom Hanks. 1996 - An Israeli court convicted Yigal Amir of assassinating Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and sentenced him to life in prison. 1996 - The European Commission banned the sale of British beef and cattle to the rest of the world because of mad cow disease but tried to ease London's pain with an offer of help for its battered industry. 1996 - Yigal Amir received a life sentence for assassinating Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in November 1995. 1997 - The Spice Girls had the UK No.1 single with Mama / Who Do You Think You Are, while Will Smith held the US No.1 position with Gettin' Jiggy With It. 1998 - Russia got a new premier when President Boris Yeltsin nominated Sergei Kiriyenko, 35, to replace fired Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin. 2000 - The film, American Beauty, the debut film of British film-maker Sam Mendes, won five Oscars, including the prized best picture award. 2000 - Died this day, Ian Dury, singer, songwriter, poet and actor, after a long battle with cancer aged 57. Ian Dury and the Blockheads. 1978 UK No.9 single What A Waste, 1979 UK No.1 single Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, 1979 UK No.3 single Reasons To Be Cheerful (Part 3). Dury, who had been disabled by polio as a child, formed the group Kilburn and the High Roads during the 70’s. His first album, UK 1977 No.5, New Boot’s And Panties, became a punk classic, and featured Dury's 1979 UK No.1 single Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick. 2001 - Dundee City Council were considering erecting statues of Dandy characters Minnie the Minx and Desperate Dan, in City Square, Dundee. 
2001 - A consortium of leading airlines was chosen by the Government to run air traffic control services under a controversial part-privatisation plan. 2001 - Christina Aguilera signed an US sponsorship deal with Cola-Cola, only a month after Britney Spears signed a deal to promote Pespi. 2002 - Died this day, Dudley Moore, actor, comedian. He was aged 66. 2002 - Model Naomi Campbell won her court action against the Daily Mirror. She was awarded damages of Ł3,500. 2002 - ITV Digital's co-owners applied to the High Court for the ailing channel to be placed in administration. 2002 - President Bush signed a campaign finance reform bill into law. 2002 - A suicide bomber killed himself and 19 Israelis attending a Passover meal at a hotel in Netanya. More than 100 others were injured. 2003 - War leaders Tony Blair and George Bush held talks at Camp David and vowed to hound Saddam Hussein for 'as long as it takes' to drive him from power. 2003 - The boyhood home John Lennon in Liverpool was opened to the public. |
Trivia
Trivia - petty details or considerations, matters or things that are very unimportant, inconsequential, or nonessential; trifles; trivialities.
Trivial - of very little importance or value; insignificant: "Don't bother me with trivial matters." Trivially - unimportant, nugatory, slight, immaterial, inconsequential, frivolous, trifling.