TODAY IN HISTORY: “Right makes right”

In 1860, former Illinois Congressman Abraham Lincoln delivered a widely acclaimed speech in which he argued against the expansion of slavery into the western territories, telling listeners at Cooper Union in New York that “right makes might.”

In 1977, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones was arrested at the Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto on heroin possession charges. He was eventually found guilty. In lieu of a jail sentence for Richards, the Stones played two benefit CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) concerts at the civic auditorium in Oshawa, east of Toronto, in April 1979.

In 1980, Herb Alpert’s No. 1 instrumental smash, “Rise” won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental performance. “Music Box Dancer” by Canadian Frank Mills was nominated in the same category. The Album of the Year and Best Pop Male Vocal went to Billy Joel for “52nd Street.”

In 1986, Van Halen released “Why Can’t This Be Love,” their first single since Sammy Hagar replaced David Lee Roth as lead singer. It would rise to No. 3 on the Billboard chart. Hagar left the group for good in 2005 following a dispute with lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen.

In 1991, U.S. President George H. Bush declared Gulf War allies had defeated Iraq’s army and that the allies would suspend combat operations at midnight.

In 1992, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously upheld Canada’s anti-pornography law. It ruled sexually explicit material is obscene and not protected by the freedom of expression guarantee in the Charter of Rights. The law had been criticized as too vague. But there were fears that overturning it would open Canada to a flood of sexually explicit, violent and degrading material.

In 1998, Alan Eagleson became the first person expelled from the Order of Canada. The former head of the NHL players’ union had pleaded guilty to fraud the previous month and was fined and sentenced to prison. In 1998, Indiana’s 124-59 victory over Portland marked the first time in NBA history that one team scored more than twice as many points as the other.

In 2009, Denver’s “Rocky Mountain News,” a daily newspaper that won multiple awards for its photojournalism, published its last edition, just shy of its 150th anniversary.

In 2015, the Ontario Securities Commission permanently banned former media baron Conrad Black and his ex-colleague, former Hollinger International Inc. CFO John Boultbee, from acting as a corporate director or officer of a public company in Ontario.