Timeline 1997 April - June
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1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 1,
The US Library of Congress began its “Today in History” web site:
www.loc.gov.
   (SFEC, 7/20/97, Par p.8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 1, Federal authorities
cautioned that thousands of schoolchildren across the nation might
have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus by eating frozen
strawberries imported from Mexico and processed in the U.S.
   (AP, 4/1/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 1, In Russia Yeltsin
signed an agreement with Belarus for limited economic, military and
political integration.
   (WSJ, 4/1/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 1, Grigory
Chkhartishvili, Russian philologist and essayist, conceived of a
project to write Russian historical detective novels. The 1st novel
of his B. Akunin project was printed in 1998 and introduced Erast
Fandorin, a turn of the 20th century ambassador-detective.
   (WSJ, 5/30/06, p.D5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 1, A bomb in Moscow
destroyed the statue of Nicholas II, the city’s only monument
to the last czar of Russia. It was erected in 1996 to mark the
centenary of his coronation.
   (WSJ, 4/2/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 1, In Zaire Etienne
Tshisekedi was appointed prime minister. The next day he annulled
the constitution, dissolved parliament and offered 6 Cabinet seats
to the rebels. He planned a new transitional parliament and new
multiparty elections.
   (SFC, 4/4/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 2, The White House
released documents showing how eager it had been to exploit the
money-drawing powers of President Clinton and Vice President Gore
during the 1996 campaign while coordinating with the Democratic
Party's fund-raising machine.
   (AP, 4/2/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 2, An Air Force A-10
Thunderbolt jet with four 500- pound bombs was lost over the
Colorado Rockies. It was piloted by Capt. Craig Button (32).
Wreckage of the plane was found Apr 20 on the sheer face of New York
Mountain [Gold Dust Peak], 15 miles from Vail. It was later
suspected that he committed suicide due to a possible revelation of
homosexuality. A 1998 official report cited unrequited love for a
former girlfriend and his mother's Christian pacifist faith.
   (SFE, 4/9/97, p.A16)(SFC, 4/21/97, p.A1)(WSJ,
4/21/97, p.A1)(SFC, 5/3/97, p.A3)(SFC, 12/25/98, p.A3)(SFC, 8/26/99,
p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 2, Tomoyuki Tanaka
(86), producer (Godzilla), died of a stroke.
   (MC, 4/2/02)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 3, About 2,000
youngsters in California and Georgia lined up for shots to protect
them against hepatitis from a contaminated shipment of frozen
strawberries.
   (AP, 4/3/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 3, In Tennessee 6
chained prisoners burned to death when their transport vehicle
caught fire.
   (WSJ, 4/4/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 4, It was reported
that US psychologist Edward Larson followed a 1916 procedure by
psychologist James Leuba in a random poll of selected scientists to
inquire if they believed in God. Leuba had predicted that disbelief
would spread as education expanded. Both polls produced similar
results whereby 40% said that they believed in God.
   (SFC, 4/4/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 4, Space shuttle
Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on what was supposed
to have been a 16-day mission. However, a defective power generator
forced the shuttle's return four days later.
   (WSJ, 4/9/97, p.A1)(AP, 4/4/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 4, In Zaire rebel
forces captured Mbuji-Mayi, capital of Eastern Kasai province and
home of Zaire’s diamond industry. Departing government troops looted
the city and 100 people were killed in clashes between the
retreating soldiers and locals.
   (SFC, 4/5/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 5 Allen Ginsberg
(b.1926), the counterculture guru who shattered conventions as poet
laureate of the Beat Generation, died in New York City at age 70.
His last book of poems "Death and Fame: Last Poems 1993-1997" was
edited by Bob Rosenthal, Peter Hale and Bill Morgan following his
death. In 2000 Bill Morgan edited "Deliberate Prose: Selected Essays
1952-1995." In 2001 David Carter edited "Allen Ginsberg: Spontaneous
Mind, The Selected Interviews, 1958-1996." In 2006 Bill Morgan
authored “I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen
Ginsberg.”
   (SFEC, 4/6/97, p.A11)(AP, 5/5/97)(WSJ, 4/2/99,
p.W6)(SFEC, 5/9/99, BR p.3)(SFEC, 3/5/00, DB p.4)(SSFC, 4/8/01, BR
p.2)(SSFC, 11/5/06, p.M1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 5, Regional police
reported the arrest of 7 men in Novosibirsk, Russia, who officials
said planned to smuggle 11 pounds (5.2kg) of enriched uranium to
Pakistan or China. The uranium was reportedly stolen from a plant in
the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan.
   (AP, 11/29/07)(http://tinyurl.com/3cydhn)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 5, From Serbia it was
reported the Pres. Milosevic might step down from Serbian presidency
at the end of his 2 terms and try to assume the ceremonial post of
president of all of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro).
   (SFC, 4/5/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 5, In Zaire the rebels
agreed to allow a UN airlift of some 80,000 Rwandan refugees back to
their homeland.
   (SFEC, 4/6/97, p.A17)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 6, NASA officials
announced they were cutting short the 16-day mission of space
shuttle Columbia by 12 days because of a deteriorating and
potentially explosive power generator.
   (AP, 4/6/02)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 6, A blizzard shut
down much of the northern Plains.
   (AP, 4/6/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 6, Jack Kent Cooke
(84), owner of the Washington Redskins, died. Settlement of his will
took 7 years and cost $64 million in professional fees.
   (AP, 4/6/98)(WSJ, 7/9/04, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 6, In Algeria
attackers massacred 90 villagers at various sites over the last 2
days. 52 people had their throats slit near Medea by about 50
killers; 15 were killed in Amroussa and their bodies were burned
with gasoline.
   (SFC, 4/7/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 6, In Burma a bomb
exploded at the Rangoon home of Lt. Gen’l. Tin Oo and killed his
daughter, Cho Lei Oo (34).
   (WSJ, 4/8/97, p.A1)(SFC, 4/8/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 6, In Peru Leonor
LaRosa revealed her torture and beatings to a television station.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 7, The Pulitzer Prize
for fiction went to Steven Millhauser for "Martin Dressler: The Tale
of an American Dreamer," but no award was given for drama. The
Times-Picayune of New Orleans won two journalism Pulitzers,
including the public service prize, for a series examining how
overfishing and pollution are devastating the oceans.
   (AP, 4/7/97)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 7, In Colombia
prisoners took over a 1,200 inmate facility in Bucaramanga, the 3rd
prison to be seized in a week.
   (WSJ, 4/8/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 7, In Zaire deserting
government soldiers of the 21st Brigade donned white scarves and
declared themselves on the side of the rebels as the rebels
approached Lubumbashi, the capital of the copper and cobalt rich
Shaba province.
   (SFC, 4/8/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 8, The Vatican chose
Archbishop Francis George of Portland, Ore., to head the Archdiocese
of Chicago, succeeding the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.
   (AP, 4/8/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 8, Lawmakers returned
from a visit to North Korea and announced that the people there were
subsisting on 5 ounces of rice per day and eating grass and tree
bark.
   (WSJ, 4/9/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 8, Microsoft Corp
released Internet Explorer 4.0.
   (http://tinyurl.com/dax6p)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 8, The Columbia space
shuttle landed with its mission shortened by 12 days due to a faulty
fuel cell [a defective generator].
   (WSJ, 4/9/97, p.A1)(AP, 4/8/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 8, Singer and
songwriter Laura Nyro (b.1947) died in Danbury, Conn., at age 49 of
ovarian cancer. In 2012 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame.
   (SFC, 4/10/97, p.A23)(AP, 4/8/98)(SSFC, 4/15/12,
p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 8, In Mexico Raul
Gutierrez, director of the capital’s nine prisons, resigned. More
resignations in light of corruption and special privileges for
imprisoned powerful drug traffickers followed.
   (SFC, 4/10/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 9, Amid privacy
concerns, Social Security officials pulled the plug on an Internet
site that provided records of individual earnings and retirements.
   (AP, 4/9/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 9, The CIA announced
that its own errors may have led to demolition of an Iraqi
ammunition bunker filled with chemical weapons at Kamisiyah in 1991.
The CIA apologized to Gulf War veterans for failing to do a better
job in supplying information to U.S. troops who blew up an Iraqi
bunker later found to contain chemical weapons.
   (SFC, 4/10/97, p.A1)(AP, 4/9/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 9, New images of
Jupiter’s moon Europa confirmed the 1996 revealed surface of massive
icebergs floating on an ocean more than 50 miles deep.
   (SFC, 4/10/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 9, UNICEF, the WHO,
and the UN Population Fund called for a global ban on female genital
mutilation.
   (SFC, 4/10/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 9, In Ecuador the
Supreme Court ordered the arrest of former president Abdala Bucaram
and his aide Marco Albuja on charges of misusing presidential
funds.
   (SFC, 4/10/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 9, In Hong Kong the
future government unveiled plans to restrict political ties with
foreigners, require police approval for protests, allow political
parties to be banned and prohibit political groups from forming
links with foreign organizations.
   (SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 9, A war-era bomb
exploded on the grounds of a school in central Vietnam and killed 7
children. A teacher and 33 other children were wounded.
   (WSJ, 4/10/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 9, In Zaire Mobuto
dismissed prime minister Etienne Tshisekedo and installed a military
commander as prime minister.
   (SFC, 4/10/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 10, A US federal judge
struck down as unconstitutional the Line-Item Veto Act, a law that
lets the president strike specific items from bills passed by
Congress. The president said he would appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court later set aside the judge's ruling. The Supreme
Court ultimately struck down the veto as unconstitutional in 1998.
   (SFC, 4/11/97, p.A3)(AP, 4/10/02)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 10, Onetime fighter
pilot and former POW Pete Peterson was confirmed by the Senate as
the first postwar U.S. ambassador to Vietnam.
   (AP, 4/10/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 10, Michael Dorris
(52), writer, committed suicide. His books included “The Broken
Cord” (1989), an account of his life raising adopted son Abel, who
was diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome.
   (http://www.hotink.com/72997.html)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 11, The Air Force
announced that that despite an intensive nine-day search, it
couldn't find a bomb-laden A-10 warplane that had disappeared with
its pilot during a training mission over Arizona. Wreckage was later
found on a Colorado mountainside.
   (AP, 4/11/02)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 11, Some 25,000 people
marched in Watsonville, Ca., to support the UFW drive to organize
farm workers. Their focus was to begin with the state’s $576 million
strawberry industry.
   (SFC, 4/14/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 11, In Angola a
national reconciliation governing body was formed that united the
MPLA under president Jose Eduardo dos Santos and UNITA under Jonas
Savimbi.
   (SFC, 4/12/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 11, The EU postponed
for 6 months a WTO case that charged the US with unfair trade
practices.
   (WSJ, 4/14/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 11, In India
Parliament rejected Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, head of the
10-month-old coalition government by a vote of 292 to 158 in the
lower house, the Lok Sabha. He was rejected after the Congress Party
withdrew it support. The Congress Party, which has ruled for 45 of
the 50 years since independence, complained that Gowda failed to
halt gains by the BJP (Bharatriya Janata Party).
   (SFC, 4/12/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 11, In Italy, fire
damaged the 500-year-old San Giovanni Cathedral, home of the Shroud
of Turin, which some consider Christ's burial cloth.
   (AP, 4/11/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 11, In Serbia minister
Radovan Stojicic (aka Badza or "Big Man" in Serbian) was shot and
killed by a masked assailant at a Belgrade restaurant. He was the
commander of Milosevic’s security police and was expected to take
over the Interior Ministry.
   (SFC, 4/12/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 12, Undaunted by a
cache of explosives found on his travel route, Pope John Paul II
plunged into a peace mission to Sarajevo, wading into crowds and
declaring, "Never again war."
   (AP, 5/9/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 12, The new $38.4
million Museum of African American History was scheduled to open in
Detroit at 315 E. Warren Ave. with a 16,000-sq.-foot core exhibit.
The building was paid for by a city-backed bond issue but the
collection was started by Dr. Charles Wright.
   (Sky, 4/97, p.28)(SFEC, 2/23/97, p.T7)(WSJ,
9/30/97, p.A20)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 12, George Wald (80),
US scientist (Nobel Prize, vitamin A in retina), died.
  Â
(http://nobelprize.org/medicine/laureates/1967/wald-bio.html)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 12, In Honduras
Candido Amador, a Chorti tribal leader, was shot to death near the
ruins of Copan after a meeting with local landowners. He had
demanded that the government turn over 35,000 acres of land that was
promised to the indigenous peoples in an agreement with the Spanish
colonial government in the 18th century. Another leader, Ovidio
Perez, was gunned down less than a month later.
   (SFC, 9/30/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 12, In Italy the
Shroud of Turin was recovered from a fire that began in the Guarini
chapel of the city’s 15th century cathedral.
   (WSJ, 4/14/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 12, From Madagascar it
was reported that a plague of locusts was poised to sweep over the 5
million acres of rich farmland in the south of the nation.
   (SFC, 4/12/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 13, Tiger Woods won
golf’s Masters Tournament by 12 strokes for a record 18-under-par
270 total score. He was the youngest (21) and first black winner of
the Masters.
   (WSJ, 4/14/97, p.A1)(AP, 4/13/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 13, It was reported
that scientists had developed memory-retentive chips that preserve
data even with power shut off. The chips were expected to be
available in 2 years.
   (SFEC, 4/13/97, p.B8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 13, With tanks,
sharpshooters and thousands of police deployed to protect him, Pope
John Paul II preached forgiveness during a mass in Sarajevo.
   (AP, 4/13/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 13, In Turkey a
military modernization program for $31 billion was announced to
reduce dependence on Western suppliers. Turkey’s standing army
numbered 639,000 men, 4,000 tanks, and 400 combat aircraft.
   (WSJ, 4/14/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 14, In SF the winners
of the 1997 Goldman Environmental Prize were: Alexander Nikitin of
Russia who helped to expose the danger of radioactive fuel from
Russian submarines stored in the Arctic waters; Terri Swearingen of
the US for fighting against a toxic waste incinerator on the Ohio
River; Samoan chieftain Fuiono Senio and ethnobotonist Paul Cox for
establishing forest preserves; Juan Pablo Orrego of Chile for his
battle to stop the damming of the Bio Bio River; Nick Carter of
England for helping to create Africa’s inter-governmental force to
fight illegal wildlife trade; and Loir Botor Dingit, Indonesian
tribal chief, for struggling to protect ancestral rain forest from
logging.
   (SFC, 4/14/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 14, Clyde Barrow’s
bullet-ridden shirt was auctioned off to a Nevada casino for
$85,000. His largest theft was estimated at $4,000. On May 23,1934,
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot some 4 dozen times by
police after the pair had spent the previous 2 years killing and
robbing banks in the Midwest.
   (SFC, 4/3/97, p.A13)(SFC, 4/15/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 14, A US presidential
task force released guidelines for a code-of-conduct to curb
sweatshop abuses amongst apparel worldwide manufacturers.
   (SFC, 4/15/97, p.A5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 14, James B. McDougal,
former partner of Pres. Clinton in the White-water land venture, was
sentenced to three years in prison. He was convicted on 18 accounts
of conspiracy and fraud but volunteered new information for a
reduced sentence.
   (SFC, 4/15/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 14, Some 500 black
demonstrators marched in the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia in
response to a Feb 23 beating of Annette Williams, her son and nephew
by a mob of white men. In March two black men shot and killed the
16-year-old son of a white police officer in a drugstore robbery.
   (SFC, 4/15/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 14, In Ethiopia a
grenade attack wounded 33 in the largest supermarket of Addis Ababa.
Two similar attacks over the weekend killed one person and injured
41 at a restaurant and hotel in the capital.
   (WSJ, 4/15/97, p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 15, Jackie Robinson's
number 42 was retired 50 years after he became the first black
player in major league baseball.
   (AP, 4/15/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 15, The Justice
Department inspector general reported that FBI crime lab agents
produced flawed scientific work or inaccurate testimony in major
cases such as the Oklahoma City bombing.
   (AP, 4/15/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 15, The US military
said it would allow American Indian soldiers to use peyote in their
religious services.
   (SFC, 4/16/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 15, MCI put up a Web
site in mid-April and held the "Great American Net Test."
Participants were asked to search for answers to 5 multiple-choice
trivia questions.
   (SFC, 7/3/97, p.D4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 15, Craig Tate (51),
chief technical officer for Colgate-Palmolive, was killed in a
helicopter crash in New York’s East River.
   (WSJ, 9/22/98, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 15, In Bosnia the
joint presidency agreed on a new currency, a coupon with a value
equal to one German mark, or about 57 cents.
   (SFC, 4/16/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 15, China blocked a UN
resolution criticizing its human-rights record for the 7th year in a
row.
   (WSJ, 4/16/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 15, In Saudi Arabia at
least 343 Muslim pilgrims died in a fire on a plain outside the holy
city of Mecca and injured 1290. The fires stemmed from cooking gas
canisters. Aid workers and diplomats said the death toll was at
least 500.
   (SFC, 4/16/97, p.A1)(WSJ, 4/16/97, p.A1)(WSJ,
4/17/97, p.A1)(AP, 4/15/98)(AP, 2/1/04)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 16, African leaders of
7 nations eased their embargo on Burundi to alleviate local
suffering.
   (SFC, 4/16/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 16, Police in Israel
recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for breach
of trust in an influence-trading scandal. Prosecutors later decided
not to pursue charges against Netanyahu, citing a lack of proof.
   (AP, 4/16/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 16, In Portugal gunmen
burst into the Mea Culpa topless bar in Amarante and set it on fire
killing 12 people.
   (SFC, 4/16/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 17, House Speaker Newt
Gingrich announced he would borrow $300,000 from retired Senate
Majority Leader Bob Dole to pay a sanction imposed for violation of
House rules.
   (AP, 4/17/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 17, The Red River in
Fargo, North Dakota, was to have crested at 39.5 feet, surpassing
the 1897 record. The Weather Service said that it crested on Apr 21
at 54.
   (SFC, 4/16/97, p.A3)(SFC, 4/21/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 17, In Brazil some
1500 peasants marched 750 miles to Brasilia for land reform and were
joined by some 25,000 trade-union members.
   (SFC, 4/18/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 17, In Israel Chaim
Herzog, former president (1983-1993), soldier, spymaster, barrister
and author, died at age 78 in Tel Aviv. His books included "The War
of Atonement," about the 1973 war, and "Israel’s Finest Hour," about
the 1967 Six-Day war.
   (SFC, 4/18/97, p.E2)(AP, 4/17/98)(MC, 4/17/02)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 18, President Clinton
held a news conference in which he warned Republicans that a
balanced-budget deal may not come quickly, while reassuring nervous
Democrats that he would not abandon the party's prized social
programs.
   (AP, 4/18/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 18, American Rivers
Inc., a national conservation group, listed this year’s ten most
endangered rivers. Included were the Potomac, San Joaquin, the lower
Colorado and the Hudson Rivers.
   (SFC, 4/21/97, p.A7)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 18, Scientists
reported the discovery of a fusion protein that governed the ability
of the HIV virus to fuse with the protective membranes of immune
system cells.
   (SFC, 4/18/97, p.A4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 18, It was reported
that measurements by scientists suggest that the universe may have
an "up" and a "down." "This axis of orientation is not a physical
entity, but rather defines a direction of space that somehow
determines how light travels through the universe." The measurements
were later considered flawed because the scientists examined
polarized radio waves, which oscillate in only one direction.
   (SFC, 4/18/97, p.A1,13)(SFC, 4/26/97, p.A5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 19, In Newton, New
Jersey, Giorgio Gallara, a Pizza shop owner, and employee Jeremy
Giordano, were killed after being lured to an abandoned house. [see
Apr 21]
   (SFC, 12/23/99, p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 19, In North Dakota
the Red River overran sandbags and broke dikes in Grand Forks and
floods sent nearly half of the 50,000 population into evacuation.
Damages were estimated at over $1.5 billion.
   (AP, 4/19/97)(SFEC, 4/20/97, p.A1)(Econ, 4/4/09,
p.39)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 19, The British
drought was now two years old and London was the driest it had been
in 200 years.
   (SFC, 4/19/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 19, In Bulgaria the
United Democratic Forces (UDF) under Ivan Kostov won elections with
52% of the vote. The former Communist’s renamed Socialist Party won
19%.
   (SFC, 4/21/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 19, In India Inder
Kumar Gujral was chosen to lead the United Front Coalition
government. The Tamil Manila Congress withdrew from the coalition.
   (SFEC, 4/20/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 19, In Spain a
Barcelona court found Jose Puignero, factory owner, guilty of
illegally dumping chemical dyes into a river in the town of Sant
Bartomeu del Grau. This was the first punishment for crimes against
the environment ever handed out.
   (SFEC, 4/20/97, p.A17)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 20, In Atlanta, Ga.,
Timmie Sinclair (27) was beaten by police officers in a scene that
was captured on videotape and showed excessive use of force and
baton beating.
   (SFC, 5/13/97, p.A6)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 20, An article in the
Astrophysics Journal identified some of the missing matter (dark
matter) of the universe as ionized hydrogen and helium gas spread
out between the galaxies. The atoms were stripped of their electrons
early in the formation of the universe.
   (SFEC, 4/21/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 20, Lameck Aguta of
Kenya won the Boston Marathon with a time of 2:10:34. Ethiopia’s
Fatuma Roba won the women’s best time at 2:26:24.
   (WSJ, 4/22/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 20, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escaped indictment in an
influence-peddling scandal, with prosecutors saying they lacked
evidence.
   (AP, 4/20/97)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 20, Hwang Jang Yop,
the highest-ranking North Korean to defect, arrived in South Korea,
ending a 67-day odyssey that began in China.
   (AP, 4/20/97)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 21, Pres. Clinton
approved a ban on new American investment in Burma due to human
rights abuses. It also banned visas for senior Burmese government
officials.
   (SFC, 4/22/97, p.A6)(WSJ, 3/25/04, p.A15)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 21, Police in
Franklin, N.J., arrested 2 teen-agers they say lured two pizza
deliverymen on April 19 to an abandoned house before opening fire,
killing both men. Thomas Koskovich and Jayson Vreeland were
convicted in 1999 of murdering Jeremy Giordano and Giorgio Gallara.
Thomas Koskovich and Jayson Vreeland were later convicted of
murdering Jeremy Giordano and Giorgio Gallara and sentenced to life
in prison.
   (AP, 4/21/07)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 21, A federal court
blocked Oregon’s 1994 approved law on doctor assisted suicide.
   (SFC, 4/22/97, p.A15)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 21, A report on the
new Digital Versatile Disks indicated a price of $19.99 for the
disks and a DVD player for as low as $500.
   (WSJ, 4/21/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 21, Some 12,500
workers for Goodyear Tire went on strike.
   (WSJ, 4/21/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 21, The swollen Red
River, which had flooded 75 percent of Grand Forks, N.D., reached a
projected crest of 54 feet -- or 26 feet above flood stage.
   (AP, 4/21/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 21, The ashes of
Timothy Leary, Gene Roddenberry and 22 others were fired into space
aboard a rocket that carried the first Spanish satellite,
MINI-SAT-01, into orbit. This marked the beginning of the space
funeral industry.
   (SFC, 4/22/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 21, In Algeria rebels
butchered 93 people including 43 women and girls in the Baouch
Boukhelef-Khemisti farming community.
   (SFC, 4/23/97, p.A5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 21, In Japan drilling
on the world’s longest stretch of undersea highway (about 6 miles)
was completed across Tokyo Bay to link the cities of Kawasaki and
Kisarazu.
   (SFC, 4/22/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 21, Andres Rodriguez
(b.1923), Paraguayan president (1989-93), died.
  Â
(www.britannica.com/eb/article-9114869?tocId=9114869)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 22, President Clinton
flew over the flooded town of Grand Forks, N.D.
   (AP, 4/22/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 22, A jury of seven
men and five women was chosen in Denver to hear the Oklahoma City
bombing trial of Timothy McVeigh.
   (AP, 4/22/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 22, In Peru on day 126
of the hostage crises government commandos stormed the home of the
Japanese envoy in Lima and freed 71 hostages. Two soldiers, all 14
Tupac Amaru rebels and one hostage, Justice Carlos Giusti,
died in the assault. Later reports indicated that some rebels were
killed while trying to surrender and that their bodies may have been
mutilated. The government planned to bury them in scattered unmarked
graves. In 2002 forensic evidence indicated that 8 of 14 rebels were
shot from behind after they surrendered at the end of the siege. A
prosecutor then filed charges against 18 army officers for executing
3 rebels after they surrendered. On Oct 15, 2003, a secret military
court dismissed charges against 140 commandos accused of summarily
executing three leftist rebels during the 1997 hostage rescue at the
Japanese ambassador's residence.
   (WSJ, 4/2397, p.A1)(SFC, 4/23/97, p.A1,8)(SFC,
4/25/97, p.A12)(AP, 4/22/98)(WSJ, 5/20/02, p.A1)(SFC, 6/7/02,
p.A12)(AP, 11/14/03)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 22, Gunmen in Moscow
killed the head of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation in what
appeared to be a gangland slaying.
   (WSJ, 4/2397, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 22, A 6.5 earthquake
hit Tobago. There were no reported injuries.
   (SFC, 4/23/97, p.A4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 23, Golfer Fuzzy
Zoeller, again apologizing for racial comments about Masters winner
Tiger Woods, withdrew from the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic.
   (AP, 4/23/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 23, Doctors at the
University of Southern California announced that a child was born in
late 1996 to a 63-year-old woman on hormone therapy.
   (AP, 4/23/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 23, The military
confirmed that two pieces of wreckage found on a snowy Rocky
Mountain peak were from the Air Force warplane that vanished on a
training mission over Arizona.
   (AP, 4/23/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 23, N. Korean
defector, Hwang Jang Yop, claimed that North Korea has nuclear
weapons and that the 1.2 million man army was prepared for war.
   (SFC, 4/23/9, p.A4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 24, The US ratified
the UN Chemical Weapons ban. It came into force on April 29. The
Senate voted 74-26 to approve the chemical weapons treaty, five days
before the pact was to take effect. It was the 75th country to
ratify the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention ban signed by 164
states. The signing obliges members to destroy all chemical weapons
and production facilities by 2007.
   (SFC, 4/26/97, p.A10)(AP, 4/24/98)(Econ, 8/31/13,
p.20)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 24, The trial of
Timothy McVeigh, prime suspect of the bombing of the Oklahoma City
federal building, began in Denver. The prosecution and defense
presented opening statements.
   (WSJ, 4/25/97, p.A1)(AP, 4/24/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 24, Scientists
reported the discovery of a giant, Jupiter-like planet in the
constellation Northern Crown. It appeared to be in a 40-day orbit
around the star Rho Coronae Borealis about 50 light-years away.
   (SFC, 4/25/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 24, Pat Paulsen (69),
comedian, died in Mexico. In 1968 on the Smothers Brothers TV show
he announced that he was running for president and actually got his
name on the ballot in 1972. He built the Pat Paulen Winery in Asti,
Ca., and proclaimed himself mayor in 1986.
   (SFC, 4/26/97, p.A22)(AP, 4/24/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 24, A Bosnian Serb
court sentenced 3 Muslims to 20 years in prison on murder charges
for killing 4 Serb civilians in Krusev Dol, near Srebrenica, in May
1996. The men claimed to have been tortured into confessing and
denied the charges with scant defense representation.
   (SFC, 4/25/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 24, In Japan the lower
house of parliament voted to make heart transplants possible by
recognizing the concept of brain death.
   (SFC, 4/25/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 24, In Mexico forty
specially trained soldiers of the Special Forces (GAFE) were
assigned to the int’l. airport to question and search passengers for
drugs. In 1998 they and 15 civilians were withdrawn on suspicion of
drug and immigrant smuggling.
   (SFC, 9/10/98, p.C3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 24, In Zaire rebels
were accused of having killed many refugees and burying them in a
mass grave. Large amounts of airlift supplies intended to return
Rwandan refugees were seized by rebels.
   (SFC, 4/25/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, The Clinton
administration extended the area over which the northwest coast
silvery Coho salmon is considered a "threatened" species.
   (SFC, 4/26/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, The prosecution
began calling witnesses in Timothy McVeigh's Oklahoma City bombing
trial.
   (AP, 4/25/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, In the US a
federal judge ruled that cigarettes are drug delivery systems and
that the FDA has the right to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco
products -- but said it couldn't restrict cigarette advertising..
   (SFC, 4/26/97, p.A1)(AP, 4/25/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, In Algeria a bomb
killed some 21 passengers and injured 20 near Algiers.
   (SFC, 4/26/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, Angola was
supporting Kabila’s rebels. The government of Zaire claimed that
Angolan troops had invaded near Cabinda.
   (SFC, 4/26/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, In China police
opened fire on a crowd in Xinjiang province and killed 2 people.
Protestors had tried to block the execution of 3 people convicted
during the February unrest.
   (WSJ, 4/29/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, In England the IRA
set off explosions near the M6 highway and caused chaos in Britain’s
morning commute.
   (SFC, 4/26/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, In Indonesia some
5,000 demonstrators protested wage policies at the Nike shoe
factory. They said Nike was not paying a $2.50 per day minimum wage.
A 10.7% wage increase was negotiated the next day.
   (SFEC, 4/27/97, p.T7)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, In Israel soldiers
found the bodies of 2 teenage girls stabbed to death in the Wadi
Kelt ravine near Jerusalem.
   (SFC, 4/26/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, In the Philippines
a fire at the New Imperial Hotel in Cotabato City killed at least 24
people and scores were injured.
   (SFC, 4/26/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 25, Russia refused to
sign the chemical arms ban. They claimed insufficient funds to
destroy the 40,000 tons of stored chemical weapons. The Duma did
pledge intent to endorse the accord later this year.
   (SFC, 4/26/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 26, In his Saturday
radio address, President Clinton prepared for the opening of a
community service summit by asking Congress to pay for a literacy
drive for third-graders.
   (AP, 4/26/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 26, Peng Zhen (95),
former Communist Party secretary and Mayor of Beijing, died.
   (SFEC, 4/27/97, p.B8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 27, President Clinton,
along with former presidents George Bush and Jimmy Carter, helped
polish gritty city streets in Philadelphia as they launched the
Summit for America's Future, a three-day gathering on community
service.
   (AP, 4/27/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 27, A Texas militia
group, called Republic of Texas, took 2 hostages at the Davis
Mountain Resort community. They advocated independence for the
state. The hostages were released later the next day in exchange for
a jailed comrade, but the standoff continued. Richard McLaren and
Robert Otto were later captured, convicted and sentenced to 99 and
50 years in prison. Acquittal on kidnapping charges against McLaren
and Otto were handed down by an Appeals court in 1999.
   (WSJ, 4/29/97, p.A1)(SFC, 4/29/97, p.A1)(SFC,
8/28/99, p.A5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 27, In Hong Kong the
Tsing Ma Bridge that connects the mainland part of Hong Kong with
the islet of Chek Lap Kok was opened. It was hailed as the longest
road-and-rail suspension bridge in the world.
   (SFC, 4/28/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 27, In Mexico two
federal police agents, Roberto Espinoza and Marco Vasquez, were
found shot dead with signs of torture in Mexico city. They had been
investigating Amado Carrillo, Mexico’s most powerful drug lord.
   (SFC, 4/28/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 28, "Jekyll &
Hyde" opened at Plymouth Theater NYC.
   (www.mtishows.com/show_home.asp?id=000181)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 28, In Philadelphia,
President Clinton and three predecessors -- George Bush, Jimmy
Carter and Gerald Ford -- began drafting a national army of
community service volunteers during the Presidents' Summit for
America's Future.
   (AP, 4/28/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 28, It was reported
that a type of Mad Cow Disease was killing deer and elk in the Fort
Collins region of Colorado and Wyoming. The "spongiform
encephalopathies" riddled the brain with holes and it was wondered
if the disease might be transmitted to humans as the fatal
Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease.
   (SFC, 4/28/97, p.A5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 28, It was reported
that millions of tons of smog-causing pollution were being spewed
from coal-burning power plants from Atlanta to Boston.
   (SFC, 4/28/97, p.A5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 28, A bomb in southern
Russia killed one person and injured 17 at a train station in
Pyatigorsk. It was the 2nd bombing in a week and Chechen rebels were
blamed.
   (WSJ, 4/29/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 28, In South Africa a
newborn girl was kidnapped from a Cape Town hospital. On Feb 26,
2015, she was re-united with her parents for the first time after
DNA tests confirmed she was the child kidnapped from the Groote
Schuur Hospital.
   (AP, 2/27/15)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 29, Staff Sgt. Delmar
Simpson, a drill instructor at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland,
was convicted of raping six female trainees. He was sentenced to 25
years in prison and dishonorably discharged.
   (AP, 4/29/07)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 29, Astronaut Jerry
Linenger and cosmonaut Vasily Tsibliyev went on the first
U.S.-Russian space walk.
   (AP, 4/29/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 29, It was reported
that a monster fountain of antimatter was discovered erupting from
the core of the Milky Way. Observations from the Compton Gamma Ray
Observatory launched by NASA in 1991 made the observations since
last November.
   (SFC, 4/29/97, p.A5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 29, Newspaper
columnist Mike Royko died in Chicago at age 64.
   (WSJ, 4/30/97, p.A1)(AP, 4/29/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 29, In Brazil a court
injunction stopped the privatization of the Companhia Vale do Rio
Doce, the huge state-owned mining company. Some 1,000 demonstrators
protested the attempted privatization in downtown Rio de Janeiro.
   (SFC, 4/30/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 29, In China at
Rongjiawan in Hunan province a train crash killed at least 67 and
injured 260 people.
   (WSJ, 4/30/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 29, In Indonesia
police broke up a demonstration and 5 activists were given 7-13 year
prison terms on charges of subversion.
   (SFC, 4/29/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 29, The UN ban on
chemical weapons went into effect. The Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was formed this year to
enforce the Chemical Weapons convention.
   (http://tinyurl.com/owskts7)(AP, 4/29/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 30, ABC aired the
"coming out" of the title character in the sitcom "Ellen," played by
Ellen DeGeneres.
   (AP, 4/30/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 30, President Clinton
reopened the newly renovated Thomas Jefferson Building of the
Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
   (AP, 4/30/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 30, The US Senate
approved the nomination of Alexis Herman to be labor secretary.
   (AP, 4/30/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 30, The US GAO
announced that problem disbursements from May 1996 amounted to some
$43 billion. Checks were cut without bookkeeping entries showing
authorization.
   (SFC, 5/1/97, p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 30, Sarah Patterson
(11) was sexually assaulted and murdered with her throat slit near
Fort Worth, Texas. Her brother was beaten, but survived and later
testified against Bobby Wayne Woods. Woods (44) was executed on Dec
3, 2009.
   (SFC, 12/4/09,
p.A18)(www.prodeathpenalty.com/Pending/08/jan08.htm)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 30, A huge blast
killed 22 Albanians in the village of Selize. They were stripping
the bronze casings of mortar shells stored in a cave.
   (SFC, 5/1/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, The US Illegal
Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act went into effect and began
creating border crossing problems for Canadian business travelers.
   (WSJ, 6/4/98, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, In New Orleans a
toddler died in a hot van while his baby sitter played video poker
for hours in a cafe.
   (SFC, 12/3/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, In Australia Pauline
Hanson published her book "Pauline Hanson: The Truth." In it she
warned that Australia’s president in 2050 will be "Poona Li Hung," a
"lesbian of Indian and Chinese background...a part
machine...produced by a joint Korean-Indian-Chinese research team."
   (SFC, 5/9/97, p.E3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, In Brazil 2 MST
farmers (Landless Rural Worker’s Movement) were killed while tending
fields on the property of the 442,000 acre Giacometti lumber
company. The next day the government announced that the lumber
company would turn over 38,000 acres to 6,000 families. The richest
20% of the people own 88% of the land. The poorest 40% hold only 1%
of the land.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, In Canada the Toronto
Stock Exchange closed in favor of automated trading.
   (WSJ, 9/15/97, p.B1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, In Colombia some
10,000 inhabitants fled paramilitary violence in Riosucio.
   (SFC, 1/5/98, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, In Hong Kong shops
sold out of the Tamagochi cyber pet in ten minutes on the first day
of sale.
   (SFC, 6/17/97, p.D2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, In San Pedro Sula,
Honduras, Santos Padilla and his four brothers kidnapped 25-year-old
Ricardo Maduro Andreu as he left his home. The kidnappers opened
fire on a vehicle carrying Maduro Andreu and his bodyguard, Henry
Rivas. Rivas was killed and the gang grabbed a wounded Maduro
Andreu, whose lifeless body was discovered a short time later.
Maduro Andreu's father, Ricardo Maduro, was elected president of
Honduras in 2002. Three of the Padilla brothers were killed in May
1998 during a shootout with police in Tegucigalpa. The fourth died a
year later in another gunbattle with authorities.
   (AP, 6/7/06)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, Japan raised its
national consumption tax from 3% to 5%. It was later seen as a move
that wrecked economic confidence and sparked the beginning of a
recession.
   (WSJ, 8/13/98, p.A14)(Econ, 7/22/06, p.67)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, In Northern Ireland
police officer Alice Collins of the Protestant-dominated Royal
Ulster Constabulary was shot in the back by an IRA gunman.
   (SFC, 12/1/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Apr, In South Africa Eugene
Terre'Blanche was convicted of attempted murder and assault in 1996
incidents. He led the radical wing of the Afrikaner nationalists
that set off bombs in 1994 that killed 21. In 1997 he was sentenced
to 6 years in prison.
   (SFC, 6/18/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, The Taiwanese drama
film “The River” was shown at the SF Film Festival.
   (SFC, 4/23/97, p.D3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr, In Taiwan Pai
Hsiao-yen, the daughter of TV star Pai Ping-ping, was kidnapped and
killed. A wave of crime in Taiwan led to mass demonstrations in
July. Chen Chin-hsing was sought in this case and for the killing a
plastic surgeon and 2 nurses. His wife and brother-in-law were
arrested in the case.
   (SFEC, 7/27/97, Par p.9)(SFC,11/19/97, p.C3)
1997Â Â Â Â Apr – 1997 Sep, In Cuba terrorist
bombings during this period were carried out by a ring of Salvadoran
car thieves hired by Cuban exiles in Miami for $15,000. The money
was raised by Luis Posada Carriles. Posada at first acknowledged and
then denied a role in the attacks.
   (SFC,11/17/97, p.A14)(SFC, 5/18/05, p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr – 1997 Nov, In Nepal
an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis has claimed at least one
hundred lives over this period. The flu-like disease is an
inflammation of the brain and is spread by mosquitoes.
   (SFEC,11/2/97, p.T14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 1, The TV show Ellen
captured 42 million viewers to hear the Ellen character, played by
Ellen DeGeneres, announce that she was a lesbian.
   (SFC, 5/2/97, p.C1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 1, John and Patsy
Ramsey, the Colorado parents of slain child beauty queen JonBenet,
declared their innocence, and asked for the public's help in finding
her killer.
   (AP, 5/1/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 1, In Oakland, Ca., an
armored car flipped in an accident and released some 27 bags of
money claimed to be substantially less than $500,000. People in the
vicinity grabbed much of the cash though some 20% was returned
within 2 days. A total of $106,000 was recovered and $445,000 was
still missing when an amnesty for returning cash ended on May 5.
   (SFC, 5/3/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 1, In Colorado Ron
Cole was arrested by the FBI at the Aurora House of Pancakes on
charges of possession of illegal firearms and bomb materials.
   (Wired, 2/99, p.93)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 1, Virtual Pets began
to be marketed by Tiger Electronics and Bandai Ltd. of Japan. The
egg-sized gadgets played out the lives of various animals on a
liquid crystal display.
   (WSJ, 5/2/97, p.B1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 1, An Int’l. committee
agreed to create 7 new (WWW) World Wide Web domains. The new
suffixes would be: .firm, .store, .web, .arts, .rec, .info and .nom
for individuals.
   (SFC, 5/2/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 1, In Belarus the
government imposed a $3 million tax fine on the Soros Foundation for
alleged currency exchange violations. Soros called it a blatant
attempt to suppress the independent sector.
   (SFC, 5/2/97, p.A16)
1997      May 1, Under the
leadership of Tony Blair Britain’s Labour Party ended its 18 years
in opposition, and won the general election with a landslide
victory, winning 418 seats, the most seats the party has ever held.
  Â
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_1997)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 1, Romania apologized
for deporting tens of thousands of ethnic Germans to labor camps
during Communist rule or "selling" them by demanding cash from the
Bonn government for emigration permits.
   (SFC, 5/2/97, p.A17)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 2, President Clinton
and congressional Republicans came to terms on a plan to balance the
budget over five years.
   (SFC, 5/3/97, p.A1)(AP, 5/2/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 2, A new national
memorial honoring Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt was officially opened
in Washington, D.C., and was dedicated by Pres. Clinton.
   (SFC, 5/3/97, p.A3)(AP, 5/2/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 2, In Texas Robert
Scheidt surrendered to police and left behind 7 people of the
Republic of Texas under the leadership of Richard McLaren. The
number of separatists was reduced to 7 from an earlier estimate of
13.
   (SFC, 5/3/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 2, In Bulgaria the
average salary was reported as $30 a month and the average pension
$4 a month.
   (SFC, 5/2/97, p.A18)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 2, Tony Blair, whose
new Labor Party crushed John Major's long-reigning Conservatives,
became at age 44 Britain's youngest prime minister in 185 years.
   (AP, 5/2/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 2, In Zaire the Tenke
Mining Corp. of Vancouver, Canada, signed a $250 million contract
with the rebels to develop copper and cobalt deposits.
   (SFC, 5/10/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 3, California state
prepared to file charges against the Bank of America for mismanaging
tens of billions of dollars of municipal bond funds.
   (SFC, 5/3/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 3, The Kentucky Derby
was won by Silver Charm ridden by Gary Stevens.
   (WSJ, 5/5/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 3, The standoff in
Texas with the Republic of Texas ended. Two militia members fled
into the Davis mountains while 5 surrendered peacefully.
   (SFEC, 5/4/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 3, Narciso Yepes,
Spanish classical guitarist, died at age 69. His interpretation of
Rodrigo’s "Concert of Aranjuez" was one of his greatest
achievements. He designed a 10-string guitar suited to Baroque
music.
   (SFC, 5/5/97, p.A20)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 4, IBM's Deep Blue
computer defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov, evening their
six-game series at one game apiece.
   (AP, 5/4/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 4, Pope John Paul
beatified the first Gypsy Jimenez Malla, killed by Republican forces
in the 1936 Spanish Civil War. Also beatified were Florentino
Asensio Barroso, bishop of Barbastro, Spain, where Malla died;
Enrico Rebuschini, a northern Italian priest who died in 1938; and
Maria Encarnacion Rosal, a 19th century Guatemalan nun.
   (SFC, 5/5/97, p.A8)(AP, 5/4/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 4, In Zaire more than
100 [91] Rwandan refugees died on an overcrowded train after rebel
troops packed them aboard for delivery to an airstrip for flights to
Rwanda. Peace talks onboard the South African naval vessel Outeniqua
between Pres. Mobutu and Laurent Kabila failed to produce
anticipated results.
   (WSJ, 5/5/97, p.A1)(SFC, 5/6/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 5, President Clinton
arrived in Mexico for his first Latin American trip while in office.
   (AP, 5/5/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 5, A jury in
Jacksonville, Fla., found R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. was not
responsible for the death of lifelong smoker Jean Connor.
   (AP, 5/5/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 5, American Airlines'
pilots ratified a contract, ending nearly three years of
negotiations.
   (AP, 5/5/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 5, Police in Texas
killed, Michael Matson, one of the escaped secessionists. [He was
reported on TV to have fired on a police helicopter and police dogs.
Richard Keyes was still being sought.
   (WSJ, 5/6/97, p.A1)(SFC, 5/7/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 5, In Cuba farmers in
Loma del Gato founded a work cooperative named Transicion and
announced that they would no longer do business with the government.
The government responded with harassing tactics.
   (SFC, 1/5/99, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 5, In Palestine
Arafat’s justice minister said he would impose the death penalty on
Palestinians who sell land to Israelis to prevent Israel’s
expansion.
   (WSJ, 5/6/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 5, In Peru the 24
miners who dug tunnels for the commandos in Lima had still not
returned home and their families feared for their lives. Two men
were killed or injured in the digging operation.
   (SFC, 5/6/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 5, In Poland 12 people
were killed in a train crash in Reptowo.
  Â
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Poland_disasters_by_death_toll)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 5, In Zaire the rebels
nationalized the Sizarail rail system, a consortium that belonged to
South African, Belgian and Zairean interests.
   (WSJ, 5/6/97, p.A18)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 6, The New York Drama
Critics’ Circle picked "How I Learned to Drive" as the best play for
the ‘96-’97 season. "Violet" was selected as the best musical, and
"Skylight" by David Hare was the best foreign play.
   (SFC, 5/8/97, p.A20)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 6, World chess
champion Garry Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue computer played to a
draw in game three of their six-game match.
   (AP, 5/6/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 6, Pres. Clinton made
a state visit to Mexico and spent some time meeting with the leaders
of Mexico’s main opposition parties. Clinton and Mexican President
Ernesto Zedillo pledged closer cooperation on immigration and drug
smuggling.
   (SFC, 5/7/97, p.c3)(AP, 5/6/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 6, Sergeant Delmar
Simpson received a 25 year sentence for raping 6 female trainees at
the Aberdeen (Md.) Proving Ground Army base.
   (SFC, 5/7/97, p.A3)(AP, 5/6/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 6, A car bomb in
Algiers killed 4 students and injured 25 people.
   (SFC, 5/7/97, p.C3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 6, British PM Tony
Blair, on the first full working day of the new Labor government,
gave the Bank of England the right to set interest rates. Labor had
won power pledging that it would by the party of welfare reform. The
party had campaigned on the anthem “Things can only get better.” In
October the Bank of England lost its supervisory powers over banks
to the new Financial Services Authority.
   (SFC, 5/7/97, p.C2)(Econ, 3/25/06, p.63)(Econ,
3/10/07, p.52)(Econ, 6/14/08, p.70)(Econ, 5/1/10, p.27)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 6, It was reported
that Syrian missiles were tipped with VX, a lethal chemical that
kills on contact with the skin. The Syrian chemical weapons program
was assisted by Anatoly Kuntsevich, former head of the Russian
Army’s Chemical Troops. The existing stockpile of Sarin, the nerve
gas used by the terrorists in Tokyo, was hoped to be upgraded to VX.
   (WSJ, 5/6/97, p.A22)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 6, In Zaire Pres.
Mobutu Sese Seko left Zaire for a 3-day visit to Gabon. He was not
expected to return.
   (SFC, 5/7/97, p.C2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 7, This date was
established as the cut off day for sales and exchanges in a planned
US capital gains tax cut.
   (WSJ, 5/8/97, p.C1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 7, The US Army accused
its top enlisted man, Army Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney, of sexual
misconduct. At his court-martial, McKinney was acquitted of sexual
misconduct, but found guilty of obstruction of justice.
   (AP, 5/7/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 7, Chrysler Corp. and
United Auto Workers agreed to a new contract, ending a damaging
28-day engine-plant strike.
   (AP, 5/7/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 7, Brazil’s state
mining Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD), incorporated in 1942, was
privatized. In 2006 it acquired Inco, a Canadian nickel producer,
and became the world’s 2nd largest mining company.
   (Econ, 4/14/07, SR
p.9)(http://tinyurl.com/2ay9h5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 7, Chadrel Rinpoche, a
senior Tibetan monk, was sentenced to 6 years in prison for plotting
to split China and leaking state secrets. He led the Beijing
approved search for the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama and
was suspected to have leaked the information to the Dalai Lama.
   (SFC, 5/8/97, p.C3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 8, President Clinton
assured Central American leaders during a summit in Costa Rica that
they need not fear mass deportations of immigrants who had sought
refuge in the United States during U.S.-backed conflicts.
   (AP, 5/8/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 8, After months of
railing against US Democrats for taking foreign money, the
Republican Party announced it had returned $122,400 in contributions
from a Hong Kong company.
   (AP, 5/8/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 8, In Washington DC
Jacqueline Thompson (32) gave birth to sextuplets. One was
stillborn. No fertility drugs were used but both she and her husband
Linden had a family history of multiple births.
   (SFEC,11/23/97, p.A7)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 8, In Japan a law was
passed to preserve the culture of the aboriginal Ainu people who
have inhabited northern Japan since prehistoric times.
   (SFC, 5/9/97, p.E3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 8, In Zaire rebels
were meeting increased resistance from French mercenaries and
Angolan UNITA forces. A shortage of cash was also hindering their
advance on Kinshasa.
   (WSJ, 5/9/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 9, During a visit to a
rain forest in Costa Rica, President Clinton urged nations not to
sacrifice their environment in pursuit of economic gain.
   (AP, 5/9/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 9, HUD announced a
suit against A. Bruce Rozet, a prominent SF property owner, for
kickbacks on inflated management fees. Rozet and partner Deane Earl
Ross had holdings that included 21,851 housing units that received
annual federal subsidies of $71.6 million.
   (SFC, 5/10/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 9, The California
state Environmental protection Agency issued a report that linked
lung cancer to diesel exhaust fumes.
   (SFC, 5/10/97, p.A17)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 9, A pesticide plant
burned after an explosion in West Helena, Ark. The chemical
Azinphosmethyl was not supposed to have exploded unless it was
heated and decomposed. A levee was built to keep poison-laden
rainwater from entering the Mississippi River. Three firefighters
were killed.
   (SFC, 5/10/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 9, Australian
scientists reported in the journal Radiation Research that prolonged
exposure of cellular phone radiation in the 900 megahertz range
increased the risk of lymphoma cancer in mice.
   (SFC, 5/9/97, p.A1,11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 9, In Hong Kong a
3-year-old boy became ill with the flu. He died May 21 and the flu
was identified as subtype H5N1, a bird flu.
   (SFC, 2/26/01, p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 9, In Italy 8 Venetian
separatists took over the bell tower at St. Mark’s Square. They were
overpowered by police after 7 1/2 hours.
   (SFC, 5/10/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 9, Marco Ferreri
(b.1928), Italian film director, died. His work included "The
Wheelchair" (El Cochecit 1960), "Le Lit Conjugal" (The Conjugal Bed
1963), "Dillinger Is Dead" (1969), "La Grande Bouffe" (1973), "La
Derniere Femme" (1976), and "Bye Bye Monkey’ (1978).
   (SFC, 5/10/97, p.A20)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 9, In Russia Pres.
Yeltsin approved a new security doctrine that stipulated that right
to use nuclear weapons if it was attacked.
   (SFC, 5/10/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 10, President Clinton
signed modest drug-fighting and trade agreements with Caribbean
leaders in Barbados.
   (AP, 5/10/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 10, Physicists at UC
Berkeley first listened to the sound from superfluid helium atoms
oscillating between overlapping quantum states.
   (SFC, 7/31/97, p.A2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 10, From Bolivia it
was reported that more than one-fifth of the population was infected
with Chagas disease. The ailment is transmitted by triatomine
insects that carry the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite. T. Cruzi can
enter the bloodstream through scratched skin and causes nerve damage
and swelling of the heart and colon that can lead to death after
years of infection.
   (SFC, 5/10/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 10, In Britain
Jennifer Murray and co-pilot Quentin smith began a round-the-world
helicopter trip in an effort to become the first woman to pilot the
globe in a helicopter. She completed her flight on Aug 15.
   (SFC, 7/23/97, p.A3)(SFC, 8/16/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 10, A 7.1 earthquake
hit in northeastern Iraq centered on the town of Qaen. More than
2,400 people were reported killed. The death toll was reduced to
1,560 with 60,000 left homeless.
   (SFEC, 5/11/97, p.A1)(WSJ, 5/12/97, p.A1)(SFC,
5/14/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 10, It was reported
that Iceland would resume whaling. Whaling had stopped there in
1989.
   (SFC, 5/10/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 10, Lebanese of all
faiths welcomed Pope John Paul II on his first visit to their
country.
   (AP, 5/10/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 10, From Niger it was
reported that recent sandstorms caused the death of some 36 people
when the driver of a truck lost his way.
   (SFC, 5/10/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 10, In Zaire Pres.
Mobutu returned to Kinshasa from Gabon.
   (SFEC, 5/11/97, p.A7)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 11, The IBM Deep Blue
computer defeated Garry Kasparov in the 6th and deciding chess match
in 19 moves that took just 88 minutes in New York.
   (SFC, 5/12/97, p.A1)(AP, 5/11/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 11, In South Africa
some 8,000 people filed for amnesty to meet the deadline of the
commission for the investigation of apartheid-era crimes.
   (WSJ, 5/12/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 12, At the Oklahoma
City bombing trial of Timothy McVeigh, star prosecution witness
Michael Fortier testified that McVeigh had been bent on triggering a
"general uprising in America."
   (AP, 5/12/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 12, Susie Maroney,
Australian swimmer, became the first woman to swim the 105 mile swim
from Cuba to Key West, Fla., in 24 hours and 31 min. AP says
118-mile distance in 24 1/2 hours.
   (SFC, 5/13/97, p.A3)(AP, 5/12/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 12, Russia and
Chechnya signed a peace treaty. The treaty refers to Chechnya as the
"Chechen Republic of Ichkeria," and says that it is subject to
international law.
   (SFC, 5/13/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 13, At the Oklahoma
City bombing trial, prosecutors showed jurors the key to the Ryder
truck used to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah federal building,
alleging Timothy McVeigh left it behind in the same alley he picked
to stash his getaway car.
   (AP, 5/13/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 13, Baseball's Exec
Council suspended NY Yankee owner George Steinbrenner.
   (http://tinyurl.com/bjbgt)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 13, In Burundi an
outbreak of Typhus was reported. Some 20,000 cases in 3 northwest
provinces were reported by March, mostly in Hutu regroupment camps
set up by the Tutsi-led military.
   (WSJ, 5/13/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 13, In the Congo rebel
troops reached Wendji and Mbandaka and proceeded to kill Hutu
refugees. Estimates of deaths varied from 550-2000.
   (WSJ, 6/6/97, p.A11)(SFC, 9/23/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 13, From Ethiopia it
was reported that 6 teenage girls had committed suicide over the
last 9 months in order to avoid traditional marriages to elderly
cousins as old as 80.
   (SFC, 5/13/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 13, The pension crises
in Poland was described. One-fifth of the GDP was being used for
pensions and the state social security office, ZUS, was feared to be
facing bankruptcy without quick reforms.
   (SFC, 5/13/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 14, Jurors at the
Timothy McVeigh trial in Denver saw chilling black-and-white
surveillance pictures of a Ryder truck moving toward the Oklahoma
City federal building minutes before a bomb blew the place apart.
   (AP, 5/14/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 14, Negotiators agreed
on a pact to create a Russia-NATO advisory council. NATO agreed not
to base nuclear weapons or substantial combat forces in countries
that were recently under Moscow’s control.
   (SFC, 5/15/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 14, There was an
explosion at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Wash. state.
Plutonium and other hazardous chemicals were released and emergency
response procedures broke down almost completely.
   (SFC, 7/26/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 14, Margaret Lesher
(64), inheritor of the Lesher media empire, was reported missing by
her new husband, T.C. Thorstenson (39), at Bartlett Lake near
Phoenix. She was found drowned.
   (SFEM, 9/14/97, p.12,33)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 14, Harry Blackstone
Jr. (62), magician, died of cancer.
  Â
(http://psychcentral.com/psypsych/Harry_Blackstone_Jr.)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 14, In Vietnam the
Supreme People’s Court sentenced 8 state police officials to death
after convicting them of drug smuggling.
   (SFC, 5/15/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 14, Princess
Caradja-Kretzulesco (76), descendant of Prince Dracula, died. Prior
to hear death Princess Kretzulesco stepped inside the second-hand
book-shop of Ottomar Berbig in Berlin to look for rare books, and
ever since the two because inseparable. On her deathbed the princess
rewarded Ottomar Berbig’s various services with a title: Ottomar -
Prince Kretzulesco.
  Â
(http://dpsinfo.com/dps/cnames.html)(www.cesnur.org/2002/dracula/01.htm)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 15, Attorney General
Janet Reno requested the death penalty for Unabomber suspect
Theodore Kaczynski. However, under an arrangement in which he
admitted his guilt, Kaczynski later agreed to be sentenced to life
in prison without possibility of parole.
   (AP, 5/15/02)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 15, In Louisiana Hayes
Williams (49) was released after 30 years from the State
Penitentiary at Angola after new evidence confirmed his innocence in
the 1967 murder of a white service station owner. He had filed a
lawsuit against the state (Williams vs. Governor John McKeithen)
that led to a 25-year overhaul of Louisiana’s prison system along
with federal oversight.
   (SFC, 12/1/97, p.A3)
1997 Â Â Â Â Â Â May 15, Space shuttle
Atlantis blasted off on a mission to deliver urgently needed repair
equipment and a fresh American astronaut to Russia's orbiting Mir
station.
   (AP, 5/15/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 15, It was reported
that scientists at Cal Tech identified the source of mysterious
gamma rays as coming from behind a large intergalactic cloud some 2
billion light-years from Earth.
   (SFC, 5/15/97, p.A6)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 15, Amazon.com, an
online book seller founded by Jeff Bezos, went public at $18 per
share.
  Â
(https://ir.aboutamazon.com/faqs/default.aspx)(Econ, 6/21/14, p.26)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 15, In Algeria armed
men massacred 30 villagers, 17 of them children, in Chebli, 15 miles
south of the capital.
   (SFC, 5/16/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â cMay 15, In the Congo in
mid May Kabila’s soldiers were reported to have killed as many as
275 people in Uvira on Lake Tanganyika.
   (SFC, 7/26/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 15, In Hungary the
government approved the payment of $553.8 million to the Roman
Catholic Church for assets lost under Communist rule.
Negotiations on a concordat with the Vatican were in the final
stages. Physical assets would be gradually returned through 2011.
   (WSJ, 5/16/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 15, Pres. Fidel Ramos
of the Philippines visited California and planned to announce a pact
with Oracle Corp. to wire the country for long-distance phone
service.
   (SFC, 5/15/97, p.A21)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 15, Saadallah Wannous,
Syrian playwright, died in Damascus. His plays included "A Night
Party for July 5," "Rituals of Signs and Changes," "The King Is the
King," and "The Rape," an adoption of a Spanish play that was
banned.
   (SFC, 5/19/97, p.A24)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 16, Pres. Clinton
spoke an apology for the government’s Tuskegee syphilis study from
1932-1972, in which 399 black men were kept untreated by government
scientists in order to study the progression of the disease.
   (WSJ, 5/16/97, p.A1)(AP, 5/16/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 16, The space shuttle
Atlantis docked with Russia's Mir station.
   (AP, 5/16/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 16, It was reported
that researchers have found the gene that controls the sleep/wake
cycles in mammals.
   (USAT, 5/16/97, p.1A)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 16, Some 2,500 barrels
of oil leaked near a coastal marsh in Louisiana at lake Barre in
Terrebonne Parish.
   (SFC, 5/20/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 16, In Croatia
southwest of Zagreb mobs of Croat refugees rampaged through at least
4 Serbian villages during the week and forced dozens of Serbs to
flee. A campaign was growing to drive out of the country some
100,000 Serbs who have remained since the end of the Balkan war and
to block returning Serbs from re-settling.
   (SFC, 5/17/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 16, The new 60-story,
Commerzbank in Frankfurt, Germany, by English architect Sir Norman
Foster opened.
   (WSJ, 5/14/97, p.B1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 16, From Hong Kong Fei
Long (Fat Dragon) was described as a local celebrity for his
articles on prostitution on Portland St., the heart of the red-light
district. His columns have been compiled as the "Fat Dragon
Handbook."
   (WSJ, 5/16/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 16, In Italy Giuseppe
De Santis, film director, died at 80. His films included "Bitter
Rice" (1949), "Obsession," "Tragic Hunt," "Under the Olive Tree,"
and "Rome 11 O’Clock."
   (SFC, 5/19/97, p.A24)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 16, In Zaire,
President Mobutu Sese Seko ended 32 years of autocratic rule, giving
control of the country to rebel forces.
   (SFC, 5/17/97, p.A1)(AP, 5/16/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 17, Silver Charm won
the Preakness, two weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby. However,
he failed to win the Belmont Stakes.
   (AP, 5/17/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 17, The first flight
of NASA’s subscale remotely piloted X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility
Research Aircraft took place.
   (www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/Photo/X-36/index.html)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 17, Russia's Mir space
station received a new oxygen generator and a fresh American
astronaut, courtesy of space shuttle Atlantis.
   (AP, 5/17/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 17, From Gabon it was
reported that controlled logging in the tropical forests has led to
savage territorial wars among the native chimpanzees. The population
was estimated to have dropped from 50,000 to 30,000.
   (SFC, 5/17/97, p.A4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 17, In Zaire rebel
forces entered Kinshasa and Laurent Kabila declared himself
president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kabila requested
Swiss authorities to block Mobuto Sese Seko’s access to his Swiss
villa. The house was seized and searched and documents were found
that related to his wealth. The seizure was declared legal Aug 7.
   (SFEC, 5/18/97, Z1 p.6)(SFC, 8/8/97, p.E3)(AP,
5/17/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 18, "King David"
opened at New Amsterdam Theater in NYC.
   (SC, 5/18/02)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 18, The 50th Cannes
Film Festival awarded Golden Palms to Japanese director Shohei
Imamura for "The Eel" and Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami for
"The Taste of Cherry."
   (AP, 5/18/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 18, President Clinton
announced creation of a research center at the National Institutes
of Health devoted to the goal of developing an AIDS vaccine within
the next decade, but offered no new federal spending.
   (WSJ, 5/19/97, p.A1)(AP, 5/18/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 18-1997 May 19, In
Bangladesh a cyclone pounded the country and 50,000 people were
evacuated from the flat coastal region. As many as 350 people were
reported killed.
   (SFC, 5/19/97, p.A13)(SFC, 5/20/97, p.A12)(SFC,
5/21/97, p.A8)(SFC, 5/22/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 18, From London it was
reported that new self-cooling cans would soon hit the soft-drink
market. The cans would use HFC 134a as the coolant and scientist and
environmentalists feared the impact on global warming. The coolant
was developed to replace CFCs and there was no int’l. control on its
use.
   (SFEC, 5/18/97, p.A2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 18, In Indonesia as
elections approached thousands of anti-government partisans have
crowded the streets of Jakarta to reflect their disillusionment in
the government.
   (SFC, 5/19/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 18, In Mongolia
Natsagiin Bagabandi of the (MPRP) People’s Revolutionary Party, the
former Communist Party, won elections with 60% support.
   (SFC, 5/19/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 18, In Sri Lanka
security forces claimed to have killed some 250 separatist Tamil
Tigers and to have captured the northern town of Nedunkeni.
   (SFC, 5/19/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 18, In Tajikistan
Rakhmonov’s neo-Communist government agreed to legalize major
Islamist opposition parties. Pres. Rakhmonov signed with opposition
leader Sayid Abdullo Nuri.
   (SFC, 5/19/97, p.A14)(SSFC, 9/23/01, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 18, In Turkey on the
5th day of a military offensive, the military reported 1,081
guerillas killed as 25-50 thousand Turkish troops crossed the Iraqi
border to attack rebels of the Kurdistan workers Party (PKK).
   (SFC, 5/19/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 19, An indictment was
filed against NBC sportscaster Marv Albert for biting a woman in an
Arlington, Va., hotel on Feb 12 as many as 15 times and forcing her
to perform oral sex. At trial, Albert ended up pleading guilty to
assault and battery; he served no jail time.
   (AP,
5/19/07)(www.eonline.com/News/Court/0597.albert.html)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 19, The Univ. of
Calif. at Berkeley created the first professorship dedicated to the
study of how knowledge is created within businesses. Japanese
scholar Ikujiro Nonaka was named as head of the post with a grant
from Xerox and Fuji Xerox Co.
   (SFC, 5/20/97, p.C2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 19, In China’s Inner
Mongolia a gas explosion in Wuhai city killed at least 28 miners.
   (SFEC, 5/25/97, p.C16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 20, Marine Corporal
Clemente Banuelos shot and killed the goat herder Esequiel Hernandez
on the Mexican border at El Paso while on border patrol. The marine
claimed self-defense after Hernandez fired 2 shots from a
.22-caliber rifle. A grand jury later declined to indict Banuelos.
In 1998 the US government agreed to pay the family of Hernandez $1.9
million with no admission of wrongdoing.
   (SFC, 8/15/97, p.A8)(SFC, 8/12/98, p.A4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 20, In Venezuela it
was reported that a plan was approved to allow the country’s 4,000
jaguars to be legally hunted. Proceeds of hunting licenses would be
used to move remaining jaguars to protected areas.
   (SFC, 5/20/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 21, Prosecutors at the
Oklahoma City bombing trial of Timothy McVeigh rested their case.
   (AP, 5/21/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 21, The space shuttle
Atlantis undocked from the Russian Mir space station.
   (AP, 5/21/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 21, In Afghanistan
faction leader Gen. Abdurrashid Dostum, an ethnic-Uzbek, was up
against mutineers in 6 of his 8 northern provinces.
   (SFC, 5/22/97, p.C2)(SFC, 10/10/01, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 21, In Bulgaria Ivan
Kostov was elected the new premiere by the parliament. He planned
reforms for the economy, cleanup of corruption, and gaining
admission to the EU and NATO.
   (SFC, 5/22/97, p.C3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 21, In India an
earthquake killed at least 27. Its epicenter was near Jabalpur City,
about 400 miles southeast of New Delhi.
   (SFC, 5/22/97, p.C4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 21, In Mexico a
half-ton of cocaine was stolen from a police station in Sonora.
Seven government employees were later charged with the theft.
   (SDUT, 6/6/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 21, The UN approved an
agreement for equitable use of waters that flow through more than
one country. Only China and Turkey refused to sign the key UN
convention on transnational rivers.
   (SFC, 5/22/97, p.C2)(AP, 4/16/11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 22, The US Postal
Service released a Bugs Bunny commemorative stamp, the first
animated character on a US stamp.
   (SFC, 5/22/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 22, Kelly Flinn, the
US Air Force's first female bomber pilot certified for combat,
accepted a general discharge, thereby avoiding court-martial on
charges of lying, adultery and disobeying an order.
   (AP, 5/22/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 22, The defense began
presenting its case in the Oklahoma City bombing trial of Timothy
McVeigh.
   (AP, 5/22/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 22, The Christian
Coalition began a campaign for a proposed "religious liberty"
constitutional amendment.
   (SFC, 5/23/97, p.A5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 22, In Algeria a car
bomb killed 15 people in Boufarik south of the capital.
   (SFC, 5/23/97, p.A18)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 22, In Italy the Grand
Princess was launched at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard. It was
the world’s largest passenger cruise ship at 109,000 gross tons and
was scheduled for interior completion in the spring of 1998.
   (SFEC, 5/26/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 22, In Russia Pres.
Yeltsin fired defense minister Gen’l. Igor Rodionov and Viktor
Samsanov, head of the general staff, for lack of military reforms.
   (SFC, 5/23/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 23, The defense at the
Oklahoma City bombing trial suffered an embarrassing setback when
one of its own witnesses provided testimony damaging to defendant
Timothy McVeigh.
   (AP, 5/23/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 23, The US Senate
decisively approved a carefully constructed deal to balance the
budget and cut taxes.
   (AP, 5/23/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 23, In Algiers 2 car
bombs exploded and killed 7 people and wounded 12 in the town of
Tlemcen.
   (SFC, 5/24/97, p.C1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 23, In Indonesia
thousands rampaged the streets of Jakarta after a confrontation
between the rival United Development Party and the ruling Golkar
Party. A 5-day cooling off period was declared. On Borneo as many as
130 people died in a shopping complex fire set by rioters during a
political clash.
   (SFEC, 5/26/97, p.A10)(SFC, 5/24/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 23, In Iran
presidential elections put conservative speaker Ali Akbar Nateq
Nouri against left-leaning cleric Mohammad Khatami (54). Former
Culture Minister Mohammad Khatemi won in a landslide over
hard-liners in the ruling Muslim clergy.
   (WSJ, 3/20/97, p.A12)(AP, 5/23/98)(SFEC,
5/25/97, p.1)  Â
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 23, Russia and Belarus
signed a union charter for economic, military and political
cooperation.
   (SFC, 5/24/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 23, From Russia it was
reported that huge forest fires near Lake Baikal had consumed more
than 400,000 acres of Siberian woodland and killed 20 people over
the last 2 months.
   (SFC, 5/23/97, p.A18)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 24, Amid indications
that Monica Lewinsky was indiscreet, Pres. Clinton terminated their
relationship.
   (SFC, 9/12/98, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 24, The space shuttle
Atlantis returned to Earth, bringing with it NASA astronaut Jerry
Linenger, who had spent four months aboard the Russian Mir space
station.
   (AP, 5/24/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 24, Edward Mulhare
(74), Irish-born actor (Ghost & Mrs. Muir), died of lung cancer.
   (www.imdb.com/name/nm0611811/)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 24, In Afghanistan
forces of the Taliban swept into Mazar-E-Sharif, the last opposition
stronghold.
   (SFEC, 5/25/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 24, In the Ukraine the
first McDonald’s restaurant opened.
   (SFEC, 5/25/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 25, Sen. Strom
Thurmond, R-S.C., became the longest-serving senator in U.S.
history, marking 41 years and 10 months of service.
   (AP, 5/25/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 25, In Las Vegas
Jeremy Strohmeyer (20) raped and killed 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson
in the Primadonna Casino. Strohmeyer’s friend, David Cash, saw the
initial struggle, but failed to stop it. Cash was later plagued by
fellow students in Berkeley for his non-action. Strohmeyer admitted
his guilt in 1998 in exchange for life in prison. He was sentenced
to life in prison in Oct, 1998.
   (SFC, 8/26/98, p.A14)(SFC, 8/27/98, p.A17)(SFC,
9/9/98, p.A1)(SFC, 10/15/98, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 25, In the first round
of parliamentary elections, French voters gave the leftist
opposition the biggest share of votes in a surprising setback for
President Jacques Chirac's conservatives. The Socialist Party and
allies claimed 42.8% of the popular vote in elections.
   (SFC, 5/26/97, p.A10)(AP, 5/25/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 25, Muhammad Fadhel,
PM of Iraq (1953-54), died.
   (SC, 5/25/02)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 25, The Palestinian
Center for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment issued
a report that claimed the government lost $326 million to corruption
and mismanagement last year.
   (SFEC, 5/26/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 25, Poland adopted a
new constitution to replace the 1952 communist-era charter. It was
committed a market economy, private ownership, personal freedoms and
civilian control of the military.
   (SFEC, 5/26/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 25, In Sierra Leone
rebellious soldiers seized power. Pres. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah fled to
Guinea. Exiled rebel leader Foday Sankoh, leader of the
Revolutionary Unite Front and held in a Nigerian jail, was invited
by Major Johnny Paul Koroma to join a new government. Some 15 people
were killed and 40 injured in the coup.
   (SFEC, 5/26/97, p.A8)(SFC, 5/27/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 26, President Clinton
left for Paris to sign a new agreement between NATO and Russia.
   (AP, 5/26/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 26, In Ferryville,
Wisconsin the 8th annual Weedstock Festival, a pro-marijuana event,
had 3,500 people with 60 arrests.
   (SFC, 5/27/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 26, It was reported
that the Hearst Corp. planned to develop some 400 of its 83,000
acres in the California San Simeon-Cambria coastline. It was opposed
by environmentalists.
   (SFEC, 5/26/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 26, France's deeply
unpopular prime minister, Alain Juppe, announced he would resign, a
day after the country's governing center-right coalition suffered
major losses in first-round parliamentary elections.
   (SFC, 5/27/97, p.A1)(AP, 5/26/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 26, It was reported
that Galway, Ireland, had become Europe’s fastest growing city with
a rate of 12.3%.
   (SFEC, 5/26/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 26, In Venezuela the
jaguar hunting plan was dropped.
   (SFC, 5/27/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 26, In Yemen it was
announced that 21 children died after being injected with insulin
rather than inoculations against fatal diseases.
   (SFC, 5/27/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 27, Arie Luyendyk won
the Indianapolis 500 for the second time.
   (AP, 5/27/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 27, The Cathedral and
the Bazaar, an essay by Eric S. Raymond on software engineering
methods, was first presented by the author at the Linux Kongress and
was published as part of a book of the same name in 1999. It was
based on his observations of the Linux kernel development process
and his experiences managing an open source project, fetchmail.
  Â
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cathedral_and_the_Bazaar)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 27, The Supreme Court
ruled that Paula Jones may pursue her sexual harassment lawsuit
against Pres. Clinton while he is in office. The suit was based on
an incident in 1991 when Clinton was governor of Arkansas.
   (SFC, 5/28/97, p.A1)(AP, 5/27/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 27, Marv Albert, NBC
sportscaster, was arrested on charges of sexual assault [see May
19].
   (www.rotten.com/library/bio/sports/marv-albert/)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 27, A tornado hit
Jarrell, Texas, and left 27 people dead. It cut a swath from Austin
to Waco.
   (SFC, 5/28/97, p.A1)(SFC, 5/29/97, p.A3)(AP,
5/27/07)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 27, In Paris, Russian
President Boris Yeltsin joined 16 NATO leaders, including President
Clinton, to sign a historic agreement giving Moscow a voice in NATO
affairs. Boris Yeltsin joined Bill Clinton and the leaders of the 15
other NATO member states in signing the "Founding Act on Mutual
Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian
Federation."Â Â Â
   (AP, 5/27/98)(www.armscontrol.org/act/1997_05/jm)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 27, In Kobe, Japan,
11-year-old Jun Hase was beheaded by a killer who left the note:
"So, this is the beginning of the game. I desperately want to see
people die. Nothing makes me more excited than killing." [see Jun
28]
   (SFC, 6/5/97, p.C2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 27, In Mbabane,
Swaziland, health authorities were shocked by chief Jameson
Ndznatabantfu Maseko who banned the use of condoms on the basis of
biblical law.
   (SFC, 5/28/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 28, President Clinton
paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan with a
speech in the Netherlands in which he urged today's leaders to
revive economies in the former Soviet bloc.
   (AP, 5/28/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 28, In Denver, Timothy
McVeigh's attorneys rested their case in the Oklahoma City bombing
trial.
   (AP, 5/28/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 28, Kurt Adler
(b.1905), therapist, writer, died.
  Â
(http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/hstein/kurt-90.htm)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 28, John Sengstacke
(84), publisher of the Chicago Defender, died.
   (http://tinyurl.com/cgwbf)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 28, The Taliban was
forced out of Mazar-e-Sharif by Uzbek forces. Many Taliban fighters
were killed as they were forced out of Mazar-e-Sharif. Rashid Dostum
later was reported to have witnessed the graves of some 700 Taliban
fighters and another 1,300 dead at other sites. Later reports put
the Taliban dead at 2-3,000. Uzbek Gen. Malik Pahlawan killed some
1,250 Taliban by leaving them in closed container trucks in the
desert sun.
   (SFC, 5/29/97, p.A10)(SFC,11/18/97, p.B2)(SFC,
11/6/98, p.A16)(NW, 8/26/02, p.26)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 28, From Burundi it
was reported that the Tutsi-led army killed more than 40 Hutu rebels
that included Hutu students kicked out of Bujumburu Univ. in 1995.
   (SFC, 5/29/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 28, In Piraeus,
Greece, Constantine Peratikos (42), ship-owner, was killed by armed
men. His family owned the Aran Shipping and Trading Co. and Pegasus
Ocean Services. The left-wing November 17 group were linked to the
killing.
   (SFC, 5/29/97, p.A12)(SFC, 7/5/02, p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 28, Francisca
Cervantes (b.1879), the oldest lady in Mexico, died in Chiapas at
age 118.
   (SFC, 5/30/97, p.A26)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 29, In closing
arguments, Timothy McVeigh's attorney urged jurors not to be swayed
by sympathy for the Oklahoma City bombing victims, after a
prosecutor delivered a wrenching summation that portrayed McVeigh as
a terrorist who killed children in the warped belief he was a
patriot.
   (AP, 5/29/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 29, George Fenneman
(77), announcer (You Bet Your Life), died.
   (www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0762997.html)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 29, In Algeria armed
men attacked a home in Djebabra and slit the throats of 6 men and 2
women.
   (SFC, 5/30/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 29, In Angola troops
overran the northern part of the country held by the former Unita
movement.
   (WSJ, 5/30/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 29, In China
authorities executed 8 Muslim separatists in Xinjiang.
   (SFC, 5/30/97, p.16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 29, In Peru the
congressional majority of Pres. Fujimori fired 3 constitutional
court judges who had ruled against his bid for a 3rd consecutive
term.
   (SFC, 6/17/97, p.D1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 29, Spanish scientists
announced a new human species in 780,000 year old fossil.
   (www.anomalous-images.com/news/news049.html)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 30, Child molester
Jesse K. Timmendequas was convicted in Trenton, N.J., of raping and
strangling a 7-year-old neighbor, Megan Kanka. The 1994 murder
inspired "Megan's Law," requiring that communities be notified when
sex offenders move in. Timmendequas was later sentenced to death.
   (AP, 5/30/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 30, Jonathan Levin,
31-year-old Bronx high-school teacher, was killed by a former
student, Corey Arthur (19). Arthur and Montoun Hart had withdrawn
$800 withdrawn from an ATM on Mr. Levin’s card. In 1998 Arthur was
sentenced 25 years to life.
   (WSJ, 6/25/97, p.A22)(SFC, 12/11/98,
p.D6)(www.cnn.com/US/9810/20/levin.trial/)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 30, Canada's 8-mile
long Confederation Bridge, connecting New Brunswick to Prince Edward
Island, was scheduled to be opened. It cost C$1 billion.
   (WSJ, 2/14/97, p.A1)(Econ, 11/29/03, p.34)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 30, The Swiss based
World Fund for Nature said that the few thousand remaining tigers in
the world were dying off at a rate of one per day.
   (SFC, 5/31/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 31, Rosie Will Monroe
(77), aka Rosie the Riveter, died in Indiana. During WW II she
worked as a riveter at the Willow Run Aircraft Factory in Ypsilanti,
Michigan, building B-29 and B-24 bombers for the Air Force. She
appeared in films and poster used by the U.S. government to
encourage women to go to work in support of the war effort.
   (www.yvonnesplace.net/news/rosemonroe.htm)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 31, Pope John Paul II
began an 11-day tour of his native Poland, his seventh visit since
assuming the papacy.
   (AP, 5/31/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 31, It was reported
that more than 60 monk seals were killed from eating fish that had
ingested a toxic algae off of Mauritania’s Atlantic coast. It was
estimated that only some 350 of the monk seals were left worldwide.
   (SFC, 5/31/97, p.A17)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 31, From Argentina it
was reported that high joblessness (17.3%) was causing riots in
various provinces outside the capital. Neuquin, Jujuy, Salta and
Santa Fe had all experienced riots.
   (SFC, 5/31/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 31, The 7-member ASEAN
alliance, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, met in Kuala
Lumpur and agreed to allow Burma to become a member in July. Laos
and Cambodia were also to be admitted. The members were Thailand,
Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.
   (SFEC, 6/1/97, p.D3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 31, From the
Philippines it was reported that torrential rains from Tropical
Storm Levi killed at least 53 people.
   (SFC, 5/31/97, p.A17)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 31, Russia and the
Ukraine signed a friendship treaty. Boris Yeltsin traveled to Kiev
to sign the treaty.
   (SFEC, 6/1/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May 31, In Spain thousands
of olive oil workers protested in Madrid against the EU plan to
force a cut in olive oil production and to lower subsidies.
   (SFEC, 6/1/97, p.D1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, In California the
Berkeley Regional Exchange and Development (BREAD), an alternative,
local currency and barter system, was begun.
   (SFEC, 9/20/98, p.C1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, The El Nino weather
pattern was noticed to have begun earlier that usual. It was later
reported that trade winds on the equator had turned around as a
result.
   (SFC, 10/7/97, p.A5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, In Afghanistan many
Taliban fighters were killed as they were forced out of
Mazar-e-Sharif. Rashid Dostum later was reported to have witnessed
the graves of some 700 Taliban fighters and another 1,300 dead at
other sites.
   (SFC,11/18/97, p.B2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, In Australia the
Cadbury Schweppes company launched Yowies. They were miniature
plastic bush animals covered in chocolate with names such as Boof,
Rumble and Ditty that quickly became the champion in pester power.
   (WSJ, 8/21/98, p.B1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, In Indonesia Ahmad
Suradji was arrested following the discovery of a body in a field
close to this house in Lubukpakan, a village in North Sumatra
province. Forty-one other corpses were later found nearby. Suradji
was later convicted of murder and executed in 2008.
   (AP, 7/11/08)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, In Japan Shioro
Takashima, head of the Japan Harbor Transportation Association and
known as "The Emperor," died. He was succeeded by Mitsuo Masunaga.
   (WSJ, 10/21/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, In Peru a military
court sentenced 4 army officers to 8 years in prison for the torture
of Leonor LaRosa.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, Michael Jackson, pop
star, returned to Poland and signed a letter of intent to build a
$500 million World of Childhood amusement park under the direction
of US entrepreneur Jacques Tourel.
   (SFEC, 3/22/98, p.A18)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, In Sri Lanka the
government army began its "Sure of Victory" campaign and moved to
open the Kandy-Jaffna Road.
   (SFC, 8/8/98, p.B1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, In Sudan in the
village of Marial Bai, raiders killed 23 people and stole livestock.
67 women and children were missing and believed to have been
abducted.
   (SFC, 7/31/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May, Turkish commando
units took control of the Bikhayr mountains used by Kurdish rebels
as an escape route into Syria.
   (SFC, 10/4/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â May-Jun, Some 2,300 Rwanda
civilians, mostly refugees from the former Zaire, were killed in
operations by the Tutsi-led army against Hutu rebels.
   (WSJ, 8/8/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 1, The "General
Hospital" soap opera spin-off "Port Charles" debuted as a movie on
ABC, then joined the ABC daytime lineup the following day.
   (www.answers.com/topic/port-charles)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 1, At the Tony Awards
in New York "Titanic," "Chicago" and "A Doll’s House" won 15 of the
21 awards. "Titanic" won five Tony Awards, including best musical.
   (SFC, 6/2/97, p.D1)(AP, 6/1/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 1, The Chicago Tribune
published a column by Mary Schmich which urged the graduating class
of 1997, among other things, to "wear sunscreen." The
tongue-in-cheek essay ended up being wrongly attributed to author
Kurt Vonnegut on the Internet.
   (AP, 6/1/07)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 1, Betty Shabazz (61),
the widow of Malcolm X, was severely burned in a fire set by her
grandson (12) in her Yonkers, N.Y., apartment. She died of the burn
wounds on Jun 23.
   (SFC, 6/24/97, p.A3)(SFC, 6/26/97, p.A15)(AP,
6/1/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 1, In Bolivia, the
former right-wing gen’l. and president, Hugo Banzer won the popular
vote in elections with 25% [22%] but failed to get a majority.
Former Pres. Jaime Paz Zamora was 2nd with 17.5%. Congress will
choose from among the 2 top contenders on Aug 4.
   (SFC, 6/2/97, p.A6)(WSJ, 6/19/98, p.A15)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 1, China banned leaded
gasoline in 8 of 18 districts and counties.
   (SFC, 1/1/98, p.A17)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 1, In France the
Socialists won control of the government and party leader Lionel
Jospin was expected to become prime minister. New conditions for
creating the new European Union and new common currency were
expected. Value added taxes on common purchases were expected to be
slashed; plans to privatize France Telecom were expected to be
abolished and the legal workweek was expected to be reduced to 35
hours without paycuts to provide more jobs.
   (SFC, 6/2/97, p.A1,9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 2, Timothy McVeigh was
convicted on 11 counts in the Apr 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P.
Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. McVeigh was executed in
June 2001.
   (SFC, 6/3/97, p.A1)(SFC,12/24/97, p.A4)(AP,
6/2/07)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 2, The NASDAQ Stock
Exchange began trading in 1/16th-point increments.
   (WSJ, 5/30/97, p.C1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 2, A federal election
on this date was called by Prime Minister Jean Chretien. He called
for a mandate to decide Canada’s priorities now that the federal
deficit was tamed. Voters returned Chretien and his centrist Liberal
Party to power with a slight parliamentary majority.
   (SFC, 4/28/97, p.10)(SFC, 6/3/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 2, Conservative
President Jacques Chirac of France, forced to share power with
Socialists who had routed his party in national elections, handed
the premiership to former opposition leader Lionel Jospin.
   (SFC, 6/3/97, p.A12)(AP, 6/2/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 2, Nigerian naval
vessels opened fire on Sierra Leone. Ships, planes and troops went
action against the rebels in Freetown.
   (SFC, 6/2/97, p.A8)(SFC, 6/3/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 3, The United States
banned most slaughtered-animal parts from livestock feed because of
concerns over "mad cow disease."
   (AP, 6/3/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 3, Harvey Johnson
became the first black mayor of Jackson, Miss., the state capital.
He took his oath of office on Jul 7.
   (SFC, 6/4/97, p.A3)(SFC, 7/8/97, p.A4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 3, The "Pillar of
Shame," a sculpture symbolizing oppression by Jans Galschiot of
Denmark was erected in Victoria Park, Honk Kong.
   (SFC, 6/4/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 3, Reinforcements from
a peace-keeping force in Liberia were sent in to help Nigerian
troops against the insurrectionist troops of Sierra Leone. After a
bloody coup, 1,200 foreigners fled Sierra Leone aboard an American
warship.
   (SFC, 6/4/97, p.A10)(AP, 6/3/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 4, At the Oklahoma
City bombing trial, prosecutors urged the jury to sentence Timothy
McVeigh to death, calling relatives of victims to testify about
agonizing losses.
   (AP, 6/4/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 4, In Lubbock, Texas,
Michael Rosales, a parole violator, beat and used kitchen tools to
kill Mary Felder (67) during a robbery at her apartment. Rosales
(35) was executed on April 16, 2009.
   (SFC, 4/16/09,
p.A6)(www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=2917)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 4, The 53-nation
Organization of African Unity unanimously condemned the coup in
Sierra Leone. The 16-member Nigerian-led Economic Community of West
African states pledged not to tolerate military coups on the
continent a day after it approved the use of force to restore the
government of Sierra Leone.
   (SFC, 6/5/97, p.C3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 4, Brazil’s Senate
approved a constitutional revision to allow office-holders to run
for re-election. this will allow Pres. Cardoso to seek a 2nd term.
   (WSJ, 6/5/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 4, China signed a $660
million deal to develop an Iraqi oil field.
   (WSJ, 6/5/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 4, In France PM Lionel
Jospin appointed women to 6 of 16 ministerial positions.
   (SFC, 6/5/97, p.C2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 4, In Germany some
600,000 chemical union workers agreed to allow wage cuts by up to
10% by financially strapped companies. Record unemployment stood at
11% and the government asked unions for some flexibility.
   (SFC, 6/6/97, p.E2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 4, In Drammen, Norway,
a car bomb destroyed the headquarters of the Bandido motorcycle
gang. One passerby was killed and 4 people were injured.
   (SDUT, 6/6/97, p.A26)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, Harold J.
Nicholson, the highest-ranking CIA officer ever caught spying
against his own country, was sentenced to 23 1/2 years in prison for
selling defense secrets to Russia after the Cold War. Officials
later claimed that he and his son continued to make contact with
Russian operatives. In 2009 Nicholson and his son were arraigned on
charges of money laundering and acting as agents of a foreign
government.
   (AP, 6/5/98)(WSJ, 1/30/08, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, The cremated
remains of some 2,000 people were found in a California Discovery
Bay storage facility. They were stored by a flying service that was
supposed to have disposed the remains at sea or over the Sierras for
mortuaries.
   (SFC, 6/6/97, p.A23)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, Astronomers
reported a miniplanet beyond Pluto that is about 300 miles across,
with a surface area about the size of Texas. Jane Luu with
colleagues discovered the object named 1996TL66. It was considered
an extension of the Kuiper Belt, a body of objects that circle the
sun from beyond Neptune.
   (SFC, 6/5/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, The New York Stock
Exchange voted to report stock prices in decimals rather than
fractions.
   (SDUT, 6/6/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, Reporter J. Anthony
Lukas (64), winner of 2 Pulitzer prizes, committed suicide.
   (SFC, 6/7/97, p.A19)(MC, 6/5/02)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, An accord was
signed to protect the 620-mile Caribbean coral reef system by
Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.
   (SFC, 6/6/97, p.E3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, In Algeria
parliamentary elections were scheduled. In a 65% turnout
pro-government forces took the largest share of votes. Two Islamist
parties picked up 1/4th of the parliament seats. Monitors were not
allowed to inspect some 5,000 portable voting booths.
   (SFC, 5/16/97, p.A8)(SFC, 6/10/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, China announced
that diplomat Ma Yuzhen would be its top civilian representative in
Hong Kong beginning July 1. Domestic affairs will be run by Hong
Kong residents but foreign affairs will be under the central
government.
   (SFC, 6/6/97, p.E2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, In the Republic of
the Congo government troops began an attack on the residence of
former leader Denis Sassou-Nguesso. He was able to flee and rally
his forces for a counterattack.
   (SFC, 6/10/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, In Spain the
parliament approved a labor reform pact to reduce the 22%
unemployment.
   (SFC, 6/6/97, p.E2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, The Taiwan film
“Mahjong” by Edward Yang was an Int’l. film festival award winner.
   (SFC, 6/5/97, p.E3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, In Turkey
parliamentary elections were scheduled. In a 65% turnout
pro-government forces took the largest share of votes. Two Islamist
parties picked up 1/4th of the parliament seats.
   (SFC, 5/16/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 6, Timothy McVeigh's
lawyer pleaded with a jury to spare the life of the convicted
Oklahoma City bomber, holding up his dress uniform and portraying
him as a model soldier deeply disturbed by his government's role in
the disaster at Waco, Texas.
   (AP, 6/6/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 6, Eric Lyons and Eric
Gullichsen went live with an automated web site that allowed people
to register Web sites with the .to domain, the country-code letters
of Tonga.
   (WSJ, 12/8/97, p.B21E)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 7, Kentucky Derby and
Preakness winner Silver Charm failed to win horse racing's Triple
Crown, losing the Belmont Stakes to Touch Gold.
   (AP, 6/7/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 7, An 18-member US
presidential commission approved a report saying that cloning a
human being was "morally unacceptable," but adding that research
using cells of humans and animals should be allowed.
   (AP, 6/7/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 7, The last US Mail
special delivery letter was sent. The service cost was $9.95. It was
phased out and replaced by Express Mail for $10.75.
   (SFC, 6/7/97, p.A6)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 7, In southern India
dozens died and 90 were injured in a fire during a religious
festival at Thanjavur.
   (WSJ, 6/9/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 8, Jon Nakamatsu of
San Jose, Ca., won the Van Cliburn Int’l. Piano Competition in
Texas.
   (SFC, 6/10/97, p.D1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 8, Reid Shelton (71),
actor (Daddy Warbucks-Annie), died of stroke.
  Â
(http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hc&id=1800041047&cf=gen&intl=us)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 8, Prime Minister John
Bruton was defeated in elections. Opposition leader Bertie Ahern of
Fiana Fail, a populist Dubliner, was expected to be asked to form a
new government. Fiana Fail was Ireland’s largest and traditionally
most anti-British party.
   (SFC, 6/9/97, p.A10)(SFC, 4/11/98, p.A8)(AP,
6/8/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 8, In Nigeria Amos
Tutuola, folk writer, died at age 77. Born in Abeokuta his novels
included "The Palmwine Drinkard" and "My Life in the Bush of
Ghosts."
   (SFC, 6/14/97, p.C2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 8, In the Republic of
Congo a private militia of 5,000 loyal to former leader Denis
Sassou-Nguesso fought to gain control of Brazzaville. Soldiers loyal
to Pres. Pascal Lissoubax were arming the citizens and looting
homes.
   (SFC, 6/9/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 9, US Air Force Gen.
Joseph Ralston gave up his fight to become chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, his candidacy doomed by the clamor over his
admission that he'd had an adulterous affair years ago.
   (AP, 6/9/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 9, BankAmerica Corp.
announced that it would acquire the investment banking firm
Robertson Stephens & Co. for $540 million in cash.
   (SFC, 6/9/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 9, A California state
commission decided to raise the salary of Gov. Wilson to $131,040.
It would make him the highest paid governor in the nation.
   (SFC, 6/10/97, p.A19)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 9, The 1898 British
lease of Hong Kong's New Territories from China for 99 years
expired.
  Â
(www.info.gov.hk/yearbook/2003/english/chapter21/21_03.html)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 9, In Chechnya Pres.
Aslan Maskhadov dissolved secular courts and left only Islamic
tribunals in charge of the legal system. Islamic banks were
scheduled as well as a conversion from a Latin to Arabic letters.
   (SFC, 6/10/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 9, The Chinese film
"The Opium War" premiered in Beijing.
   (SFC, 6/10/97, p.D4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 9, Danish violinist
Nikolai Znaider won the Queen Elizabeth int’l. music prize.
   (SFC, 6/10/97, p.D4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 9, In Haiti Premier
Rosny Smarth resigned over differences in the legislative voting of
Apr 6 that many observers say was rigged. At stake was an int’l.
austerity plan supported by Smarth and opposed by Aristide.
   (SFC, 6/10/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 9, In Lebanon five
Japanese Red Army guerillas went on trial on charges of passport
forgery and illegal entry. The light charges prevented their
extradition to Japan.
   (SFC, 6/10/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 10, In California
former Black Panther Geronimo Pratt was released on bail after 27
years behind bars on what he says were trumped-up murder charges.
Authorities decided against retrying him.
   (AP,
6/10/02)(www.cnn.com/US/9706/10/pratt.release/)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 10, Pope John Paul II
bade farewell to his native Poland as he ended an 11-day pilgrimage.
   (AP, 6/10/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 10, The US endorsed a
$13 million loan to Croatia.
   (SFC, 6/11/97, p.C2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 10, From the
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands it was reported that Gov.
Froilan Tenorio and Rep. Heinz Hofschneider had proposed a Parental
Choice Scholarship Program that would be implemented in the fall.
Every student would get a $1500 scholarship for the school of their
choice.
   (WSJ, 6/10/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 11, Pres. Clinton
announced that the US would only support Poland, Hungary and the
Czech Republic for NATO membership for now.
   (SFC, 6/12/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 11, The parents of
Timothy McVeigh pleaded for their son's life during the penalty
phase of the Oklahoma City bombing trial.
   (AP, 6/11/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 11, In Cambodia Pol
Pot ordered the killing of the former Khmer Rouge defense minister
Son Sen (67) and his powerful wife, Yun Yat (63), and 9 relatives.
   (SFC, 6/14/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 11, The leaders of the
militias ravaging Brazzaville, Congo, called for a cease-fire, but
fighting continued unabated.
   (AP, 6/11/03)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 11, In Nepal Prakash
Chandra Lohani, the foreign minister, resigned and accused the
ruling coalition of Communists of cheating in last month’s
elections.
   (SFC, 6/12/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 11, From Russia it was
reported the Pres. Yeltsin planned to remove Yevgeny Nazdratenko,
governor of the far-eastern Primorsky region, due to extensive crime
and corruption.
   (SFC, 6/11/97, p.C3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 11, In Sri Lanka a
Tamil Tiger rebel raid claimed 300 soldiers dead vs. 50 guerrillas.
The government said 97 soldiers were killed at Thandikulam and
Nochchimoddai.
   (SFC, 6/12/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 12, Baseball began
interleague play, ending a 126-year tradition of separating the
major leagues until the World Series.
   (AP, 6/12/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 12, A US
administration accord adopted a UN payment schedule. The US would
pay $819 million over 3 years conditioned on a UN cut in spending,
job reduction, and a lowering of US costs from 25% to 20%.
   (WSJ, 6/12/97, p.1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 12, The Republicans
removed riders and Clinton signed the emergency aid bill for the
April Red River flood victims.
   (SFC, 6/12/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 12, Timothy McVeigh
was sentenced to death for the Apr 19, 1995 bombing of the federal
office building in Oklahoma.
   (SFC, 6/14/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 12, The US Treasury
Dept. unveiled its new $50 bill. It was meant to be more
counterfeit-resistant and to replace the old bill design in use
since 1929.
   (SFC, 6/13/97, p.B2)(AP, 6/12/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 12, A new computer,
speech-recognition program by dragon Systems was touted. It used a
30,000 word vocabulary and cost $695.
   (WSJ, 6/12/97, p.B1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 12, It was reported
that a gene may be responsible for advanced social skills in girls.
The results were derived from a study of Turner’s syndrome, related
an abnormal x chromosome.
   (SFC, 6/12/97, p.A7)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 12, Mary Robinson,
Pres. of Ireland, was named the top human rights official for the
United Nations.
   (SFC, 6/12/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 13, The Chicago Bulls
captured their fifth professional basketball championship in seven
years with a 90-86 victory over the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the NBA
finals.
   (SFC, 6/14/97, p.B1)(AP, 6/13/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 13, A jury voted
unanimously to give Timothy McVeigh the death penalty for his role
in the Oklahoma City bombing.
   (AP, 6/13/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 13, In Bangladesh a
ferry on the Dhanu River northeast of Dhaka capsized in a whirlpool
and at least 50 people were drowned.
   (SFEC, 6/15/97, p.D3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 13, The leaders of
France, Germany and Canada insisted that Romania and Slovenia be
allowed to join NATO next month.
   (SFC, 6/14/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 13, In India a fire in
a New Delhi theater killed 60 and injured over 200 people.
   (SFC, 6/14/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 13, Under pressure it
was announced that Turkey’s PM Erbakan, leader of the Welfare Party,
would turn his post over to Tansu Ciller, who would lead until
elections Jun 18. Turkey’s first Islamist-led government was ejected
after it began investigating links between the army and organized
crime.
   (SFC, 6/14/97, p.A12)(SFC, 11/26/98, p.B2)(Econ,
3/22/08, p.61)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 14, President Clinton
opened a year-long campaign against racism with a commencement
address at the University of California at San Diego, in which he
defended affirmative action and pleaded with Americans to confront
deeply held prejudices.
   (AP, 6/14/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 14, A 1939 comic book
featuring the first appearance by Batman was auctioned off for
$68,500 at Sotheby's in New York City.
   (AP, 6/14/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 14, In Hong Kong the
provisional legislature voted to give police broad powers to ban
even peaceful demonstrations and to outlaw foreign donations to
political parties.
   (SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 14, From Russia it was
announced that there were over 9,000 organized crime groups
employing some 100,000 people.
   (SFC, 6/14/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 14, In the Ukraine it
was reported that flash flooding and an underground river caused a
huge sinkhole in Dnepropetrovsk that swallowed houses, schools and a
9-story apartment.
   (SFC, 6/14/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 15, In Colombia FARQ
released 70 soldiers held as prisoners. FARQ regional commander
Gen’l. Manuel Jose Bonett read a communiqué that set preconditions
for the start of peace talks to end 30 years of civil war.
   (SFC, 6/16/97, p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 15, In Croatia voting
irregularities occurred as Franjo Tudjman led low-turnout elections
with 59%.
   (SFC, 6/16/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 15, Israel's Supreme
Court rejected an appeal to charge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
with fraud in an influence-peddling scandal that had threatened to
topple his government.
   (AP, 6/15/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 15, Kim Casali,
English cartoonist, died.
   (HT, 6/15/00)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 16, The Dow Jones
Industrial Average climbed above 8,000 for the 1st time.
   (SSFC, 2/2/03, p.I4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 16, Intel introduced
its Net PC.
   (SFC, 6/17/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 16, Motorola planned a
new satellite system called Celestri to deliver data and video to
int’l. organizations. This system would run in addition to the
iridium project (66 satellites) and M-Star (72 satellites). It will
compete with Teledesic, a 288-satellite plan, and an Alcatel-Loral
venture called SkyBridge with 64 satellites. Service was planned to
begin in 2002.
   (WSJ, 6/17/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 16, In Algeria in
post-election violence more than 50 people were slain in recent
days. Blame was place on the Armed Islamic Group.
   (SFC, 6/17/97, p.D2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 16, The British
government broke off contacts it had just renewed with Sinn Fein
after the Irish Republican Army killed two Protestant policemen in
Lurgan, Northern Ireland.
   (AP, 6/16/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 16, The IRA killed 2
police officers in Lurgan, a small town in County Armagh near
Belfast.
   (SFC, 6/17/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 16, Israeli soldiers
wounded 38 Palestinians in the 3rd day of protests at Hebron.
   (WSJ, 6/17/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 16, In Japan Sue Sumii
died at age 95 working on the 8th volume of her novel "The River
With No Bridge." It was about the plight of the burakumin (the
untouchables) of Japan. She published the first volume in 1958.
   (SFC, 6/24/97, p.A19)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 17, Mir Aimal Kasi,
suspected in the shooting deaths of two CIA employees outside agency
headquarters in January 1993, was brought to Fairfax, Va., to face
trial after being arrested in Pakistan. He was later convicted and
sentenced to death.
   (AP, 6/17/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 17, In Cambodia
fighting broke out in Phnom Penh between the 2 competing prime
ministers. Security troops of Prince Ranariddh faced troops of the
national police under Hok Lundy, a supporter of Hun Sen.
   (SFC, 6/18/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 17, The Corsican
National Liberation Front announced a truce in their 22-year bombing
campaign. Negotiations with France were to follow.
   (SFC, 6/18/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 17, In Japan lawmakers
rewrote the definition of death to allow life-saving transplants of
body parts. Brain death rather than heart death would be the new
criteria and would take effect in 3 months.
   (SFC, 6/18/97, p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 17, In Sierra Leone
Major Johnny Paul Koroma was sworn in as head of state and pledged
to work to restore democracy.
   (SFC, 6/18/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 18, The Southern
Baptist Convention called for a boycott of the Walt Disney Co.,
protesting what the convention called "gay-friendly" policies.
   (AP, 6/18/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 18, Sirhan Sirhan
failed in his 10th bid for parole in the assassination of Sen.
Robert F. Kennedy.
   (AP, 6/17/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 18, Irineo Montoya, a
Mexican laborer, was executed by the state of Texas for a 1985
killing despite protests by the Mexican government.
   (AP, 6/17/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 18, In Cambodia Pol
Pot surrendered with 15 followers.
   (SFC, 6/19/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 18, In China in Yunnan
province 27 drug traffickers were executed.
   (SFC, 6/20/97, p.A22)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 18, It was reported
that Japan was paying 5 Caribbean nations extensive aid and
investment in order to gain support to block protections for
endangered species. Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent, St.
Lucia and Dominica were all reported to have been bribed.
   (SFC, 6/18/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, President Clinton
welcomed world leaders to Denver on the eve of an economic summit.
   (AP, 6/19/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, McDonald's won a
libel case in London against two vegetarian activists, even though
the judge said he agreed with some of the defendants' sharpest
criticisms of the fast-food giant.
   (AP, 6/19/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, In Michigan three
teenagers from Highland Township and Davisburg hopped a train and
got off in Flint. They ran into some strangers who shot, raped and
robbed them. One boy (15) was killed. Six people were later
arrested.
   (SFC, 6/24/97, p.A2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, In New Orleans 2
men, identified as the "Assault Poetry Unit," delivered unmarked
boxes of manifestos, poems and innocuous objects to 14 prominent
people. The targets feared for bombs and the 2 men were arrested for
terrorizing.
   (SFC, 8/18/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, In Algeria a bomb
in an Algiers movie theater killed 2 and wounded 20.
   (WSJ, 6/20/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, From Cambodia the
report of Pol Pot’s surrender was rescinded.
   (SFC, 6/20/97, p.A19)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, China executed 38
people. In Sichuan 24 died for drug dealing and 14 were executed in
Beijing.
   (SFC, 6/20/97, p.A22)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, In Russia the
legislature gave a preliminary nod to a new tax code.
   (SFC, 6/20/97, p.A20)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, In the Ukraine
Pres. Kuchma removed prime minister Pavlo Lazarenko under pressure
from Western donors who saw him as an opponent to free-market
policies.
   (SFC, 6/20/97, p.A22)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, In Zimbabwe
delegates to the UN Convention on Int’l. Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES) approved the applications by Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana
to sell an annual quota of their collective 55 tons of ivory
stockpile, but only to Japan. Trade in ivory was shut down in 1989
due to extensive poaching.
   (SFC, 6/20/97, p.A20)(SFC, 4/18/00, p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 20, US tobacco
negotiators announced a settlement that would require cigarette
companies to pay $368.5 billion over the next 25 years to compensate
states for smoking-related illnesses, to finance anti-smoking
programs, and to underwrite health care for millions of uninsured
children in exchange for major relief from mounting lawsuits and
legal bills.
   (SFC, 6/21/97, p.A1)(AP, 6/20/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 20, The summit of
industrialized nations opened in Denver, with Russia taking its
place as the new eighth partner.
   (AP, 6/20/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 20, A jury in Trenton,
N.J., ordered the death penalty for Jesse K. Timmendequas, whose
rape and strangling of his 7-year-old neighbor, Megan Kanka, led to
the creation of "Megan's Laws" requiring that communities be
notified of sex offenders in their midst.
   (AP, 6/20/07)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 20, In Cambodia
government sources announced that former Khmer Rouge troops had
captured Pol Pot.
   (SFC, 6/21/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 20, In Mexico
authorities announced the discovery of 53 properties, 36 bank
accounts and 4 aliases for Raul Salinas.
   (SFC, 6/21/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 20, In Spain former
prime minister Felipe Gonzalez quit as the leader of the Spanish
Socialist Party. He was succeeded by Joaquin Almunia.
   (WSJ, 6/23/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 20, In Turkey Pres.
Demirel asked Mesut Yilmaz, leader of the Motherland Party, to form
a new government.
   (SFC, 6/21/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 21, The WNBA made its
debut as the New York Liberty defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 67-57.
   (AP, 6/21/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 21, The G-7 Summit
became the G-8 with the addition of Russia at its meeting in Denver.
Moscow was admitted to the Paris Club of creditors. Summit leaders
meeting in Denver wrestled with a list of global challenges.
   (SFC, 6/20/97, p.A16)(WSJ, 6/23/97, p.A1)(AP,
6/21/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 21, A terrorist bomb
rocked Belfast. Three people were slightly injured and pro-British
loyalist forces were suspected to be responsible.
   (SFEC, 6/22/97, p.D1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 21, Palestinian riots
spread to Nablus on the West Bank protesting Jewish settlements.
   (SFEC, 6/22/97, p.D3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 21, From Thailand it
was reported that operators of illegal logging ventures in northern
Thailand were feeding their elephants amphetamine-laced bananas to
speed up work before the rainy season. The practice began a few
years ago and 10 animals have died of overwork and exhaustion.
   (SFC, 6/21/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 22, Dr. Nancy W.
Dickey was named the first female president of the American Medical
Association.
   (AP, 6/22/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 22, It was reported
that 34 million acres of forest are lost each year around the world
due to cutting and burning.
   (SFEC, 6/22/97, p.D3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 22, World leaders
concluded a historic summit in Denver with Russia's full
participation for the first time.
   (AP, 6/22/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 22, Iran and Iraq
opened their border after 17 years and asked the UN for an
inspection post there, giving Iraq a 4th exit point for its goods.
   (WSJ, 6/27/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 22, In Russia it was
reported that the newspaper Top Secret published a story that
exposed Valentin Kovalev, justice minister, cavorting with nude
women in a sauna in a secret Sep 1995 video. The video was shot at
the nightclub hangout of the Solntsevo crime gang in Sep. 1995. The
video was acquired from the vault of banker Arkady Angelevich,
arrested Apr 17 on suspicion of embezzlement.
   (SFEC, 6/22/97, p.D8)(SFC, 6/23/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 23, The San Francisco
Food Bank, the largest distributor of food for the needy in the
city, opened a new storage facility on Potrero Hill with cold
storage capability.
   (SFC, 6/23/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 23, Three brand new
Municipal Railway cars crashed in San Francisco. Three MUNI
employees were injured.
   (SFC, 6/24/97, p.A15)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 23, Kristen Modafferi
(18) was last seen after she finished her shift at Spinelli’s
coffeehouse at the Crocker Galleria in San Francisco. She had just
moved to the Bay Area from Charlotte, N.C., lived in Oakland and
worked in SF. In 2015 a cadaver dog picked up a scent of human
remains at her former home near Lake Merritt in Oakland.
   (SFEC, 1/31/99, p.D1,3)(SFC, 6/26/15, p.D2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 23, Two freight trains
collided in Texas near San Antonio and 4 people were killed.
   (SFC, 6/24/97, p.A2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 23, Betty Shabazz
(61), the widow of Malcolm X, died in New York of burn wounds
inflicted by a fire set on Jun 1 by her 12-year-old grandson.
Malcolm Shabazz pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months at a
Massachusetts facility specializing in young arsonists.
   (SFC, 6/24/97, p.A3)(SFC, 6/26/97, p.A15)(AP,
6/23/02)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 23, From Vietnam it
was reported that worker strikes were increasing in factories
controlled by foreign investors. The minimum wage in shoe factories
that produce Adidas, Fila, Nike and All-Star shoes was about .20
cents an hour.
   (SFC, 6/23/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 24, In Freehold, N.J.,
18-year-old Melissa Drexler, who gave birth during her prom, was
charged with murder in the death of her baby. In 1998 she was
sentenced to 15 years in prison in a plea bargain with parole
possible in less than 3 years. Drexler later pleaded guilty to
aggravated manslaughter, and served three years in prison.
   (SFC, 10/30/98, p.A3)(AP, 6/24/07)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 24, The Air Force
released a report on the so-called "Roswell Incident," suggesting
the alien bodies witnesses reported seeing in 1947 were actually
life-sized dummies.
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 24, Actor Brian Keith
(75) committed suicide in his Malibu, Calif., home.
  Â
(www.franksreelreviews.com/shorttakes/briankeith/briankeith.htm)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 24, A federal judge in
Miami gave 40,000 Nicaraguans and other immigrants a 7-month
reprieve from deportation.
   (SFC, 6/25/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 24, It was reported
that a defective gene that makes leptin, a hormone that helps in the
body’s weight-control system, caused obesity. A 2nd gene was also
identified as a weight-control agent.
   (SFC, 6/24/97, p.A9)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 24, In Ireland David
Trible of the main Protestant party said he would accept an
Anglo-Irish recommendation to set up an int’l. commission to oversee
the gradual disarmament of the IRA and pro-British paramilitary
gangs as wider negotiations progress.
   (SFC, 6/25/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 24, In Israel Prime
Minister Netanyahu survived a no-confidence vote in parliament
through some last minute deals.
   (SFC, 6/25/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 24, At the UN Pres.
Abdul Gayoom of the Republic of the Maldives said that the survival
of the island nation was dependent on halting the process of global
warming. The 42-member Alliance of Small Island States called on the
industrial nations to cut emissions 20% from 1990 levels by the year
2010.
   (SFC, 6/25/97, p.A2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 25, It was reported
that a man from Rio Vista, Ca., was doing a good business selling
the moon’s real estate. Dennis Hope was charging $15.99 for 1,777
acres of lunar land plus tax and shipping.
   (SFC, 6/25/97, p.A15)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 25, The US Supreme
Court struck down the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It
said Congress had intruded on the authority of local officials. The
legislation had instructed government officials to bend the rules
for persons whose actions are based on their religion.
   (SFC, 6/26/97, p.A3)(AP, 6/25/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 25, An unmanned cargo
vessel crashed in the Russian Mir space station during a docking
practice knocking out half of the station's power and rupturing a
pressurized laboratory. The area was sealed off and the situation
was considered serious for the 3 astronauts onboard. Commander
Vasily Tsibliev later faced a risky repair mission and complained of
heart irregularities.
   (SFC, 6/26/97, p.A1)(SFC, 7/15/97, p.A10)(AP,
6/25/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 25, An auction of
Princess Diana’s 79 cocktail and evening dresses brought in $3.26
million.
   (SFC, 6/26/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 25, Oceanographer
Jacques-Yves Cousteau (b.1910) died in Paris. In 2009 Brad Matsen
authored “Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King.”
   (AP, 6/25/98)(Econ, 10/31/09, p.97)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 25, In the Republic of
the Congo the truce ended in a ferocious battle for the Brazzaville
airport. Former president Nguesso appeared to have begun an assault
on the airport.
   (SFC, 6/26/97, p.A7)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 25, In Indonesia East
Timor rebel leader, Alex, died of gunshot wounds in Dili. Rebels
charged that he was only slightly wounded and died under
interrogation.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 25, On the island of
Montserrat the Soufriere Hills volcano spewed rock and hot ash and
killed 9 people while 17 were reported missing.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A11,12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 26, The US Supreme
Court struck down a congressional attempt to keep pornography off
the Internet, saying it violated the First Amendment; the court also
let stand the president's line-item veto authority without
addressing its constitutionality.
   (AP, 6/26/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 26, The US Supreme
Court ruled that terminally ill Americans had no constitutional
right to doctor-assisted suicide, but did nothing to bar states from
legalizing the process.
   (SFC, 6/27/97, p.A1)(AP, 6/26/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 26, It was reported
that there was a sharp decline of Antarctic krill, the basic food of
many fish, whales and penguins. An explosion of tiny marine animals
called salps that love warmer waters was also observed.
   (SFC, 6/26/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 26, In Albania gunmen
fired at the presidential motorcade of Pres. Berisha, who was on a
campaign rally. Three guards were wounded. Nearly 1500 people have
been killed since March when protests over the failed pyramid
schemes turned into armed rebellion.
   (SFC, 6/27/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 26, After years of
rejection letters, British author J.K. Rowling finally published the
first volume of the Harry Potter saga. "Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone" was the first of seven novels that spawned an
empire comprising eight movies, a play, theme parks in the United
States and Japan, a sightseeing tour in Scotland and a permanent
exhibition at London's Warner Bros Studios.
   (AFP, 6/25/17)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 26, In the Congo
soldiers seized Etienne Tshisekedi after he gave a speech accusing
the Kabila regime of establishing a new dictatorship.
   (WSJ, 6/27/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 26, In Ireland Bertie
Ahern became the prime minister and appointed Mary Harney, leader of
the right-wing Progressive Democrats, as his assistant.
   (SFC, 6/27/97, p.A3)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 26, Turkey announced
the end of the 10-week Operation Hammer, its cross-border operation
against the Kurds. The Turks reported to have lost 113 men and it
was estimated that 3,000 guerrillas of the PKK were killed.
   (WSJ, 6/27/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, The US announced
agreements with Vietnam to expand ties.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, The US Supreme
Court threw out a key part of the Brady gun-control law, saying the
federal government could not make local police decide whether people
are fit to buy handguns. However, the court left intact the five-day
waiting period for gun purchases.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A1)(AP, 6/27/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, It was reported
that researchers have discovered the first defective gene that
causes Parkinson’s disease. The mutated gene produces a defective
version of the brain protein alpha synuclein.
   (WSJ, 6/27/97, p.B6)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, It was reported
that some 42 dead seals were washed ashore at Point Reyes National
Seashore in California in a ten day window in late May and early
June. Cause of death was unknown but new deaths seemed to have
stopped.
   (SFC, 6/27/97, p.A24)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, China announced
that it would send 4,000 troops into Hong Kong six hours after the
former colony is handed over to Chinese control.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, In China a major
fire at a petrochemical plant outside Beijing caused many deaths and
injuries. News of the fire was restricted to maintain an official
tone of celebration for the Hong Kong transfer.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, In the Congo
Etienne Tshisekedi was released.
   (WSJ, 6/30/97, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, In Russia an
explosive device was set off on a train as it approached Torbino,
140 miles southeast of St. Petersburg, and 3 people were killed.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, A Tajikistan
formal peace accord was signed in Moscow that was brokered by Russia
and Iran. A power sharing arrangement was foreseen between Pres.
Emomali Rakhmanov and opposition leader Said Abdullo. The opposition
led by the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRPT) was guaranteed 30% of
government positions. Up to 150,000 people had been killed in
the 5-year civil war.
   (WSJ, 6/30/97, p.A11)(SFC, 11/3/00, p.D2)(Econ,
11/11/06, p.50)(Econ., 3/14/15, p.42)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 28, In a wild rematch,
Mike Tyson was disqualified in the 3rd round in the boxing
heavyweight title for biting Evander Holyfield's ear in Las Vegas.
Tyson complained of head buts by Holyfield. His $30 million purse
was withheld pending a hearing. Tyson was suspended and his purse
withheld pending a decision on his punishment. His Nevada state
boxing license was taken away and he was fined $3 million. The state
license could be re-applied for in a year.
   (SFEC, 6/29/97, p.C1)(WSJ, 7/2/97, p.A1)(SFC,
7/10/97, p.A7)(AP, 6/28/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 28, President Clinton,
unable to meet his own July 4 deadline for campaign finance reform,
blamed the inaction on Congress in his weekly radio address.
   (AP, 6/28/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 28, Robert Schuller,
TV evangelist, attacked a flight attendant.
  Â
(www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/schuller/general.htm)
1967Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 28, The body of Che
Guevara was found in a common grave in Vallegrande, Bolivia.
   (SFEC, 7/13/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 28, Japanese police
announced the arrest of a 14-year-old boy for the murder and
beheading of an 11-year-old on May 27. The 15-year-old boy was
convicted and sentenced to a juvenile prison, where he would be
treated for mental illness. He could be kept there until age 26. In
2015 the killer published a detailed memoir, which quickly became a
bestseller.
   (SFEC, 6/29/97, p.D1)(SFC,10/18/97, p.A11)(Econ,
8/1/15, p.37)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 29, William Hickey
(68), acting teacher, actor (Prizzi's Honor), died of emphysema.
   (www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0763413.html)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 29, In Albania the
rival ex-Communists claimed to have beaten Pres. Berisha in the
elections. Gunmen menaced voters, burned ballots and pressured
polling officials, marring parliamentary elections meant to steer
the country toward recovery after months of chaos. Socialist Party
leader Fatos Nano claimed his leftist coalition had won 73 of 115
contested seats. Early returns on a referendum showed voters
favoring the return of would-be-king Leka Zogu. Later results showed
that the referendum was defeated by a 2:1 margin.
   (WSJ, 6/30/97, p.A1)(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A10)(SFC,
7/4/97, p.A12)(AP, 6/29/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 29, In Iraq in the
Asian Group 9 World Cup soccer qualifying competition the Iraqi team
was beaten a 2nd time by Kazakstan. This inflamed Odai Hussein, son
of Saddam and head of the Iraqi soccer federation. He had the team
imprisoned and tortured. It was also reported that Odai had killed
woman after an abortive attempt at having sex.
   (SFC, 7/26/97, p.A13)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 30, In Hong Kong, the
Union Jack was lowered for the last time over Government House as
Britain prepared to hand the colony back to China after ruling it
for 156 years. The 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland
Regiment) became the last British unit to leave Hong Kong.
   (AP,
6/30/98)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_British_Army#1990-present)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 30, North Korea agreed
to hold talks with South Korea in NYC beginning Aug 5.
   (SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 30, This day marked
the deadline on passage of a new law that withdraws recognition of
non-Orthodox conversions performed in Israel. Orthodox parties
threatened to withdraw from the government if the law was not
passed.
   (SFEC, 6/1/97, p.D1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, The Detroit Red Wings
won the hockey Stanley Cup in 4 games against the Philadelphia
Flyers.
   (WSJ, 6/12/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, Earth Summit Two met
at the UN in New York.  Â
   (SFC, 5/9/97, p.A4)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, At a UN meeting Pres.
Clinton announced an effort to install photovoltaic panels on 1
million rooftops in the US by 2010.
   (SFEC, 9/28/97, p.B1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In California the
Lake Tahoe Regional Planning Agency adopted a plan to ban jet skis,
specifically 2-stroke engines that propel personal watercraft,
effective in June 1999. The jet ski industry filed a suit against
the ban in Oct.
   (SFC,10/31/97, p.A18)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, Danny Pang (b.1966),
a Taiwan born entrepreneur, was fired from a US venture capital firm
for stealing $3 million from an escrow account. He later helped form
the Private Equity Management Group (PEMGroup) in California to buy
life insurance from the elderly collect money as they died. In 2007
the enterprise became engaged in a Ponzi scheme.
   (WSJ, 4/15/09, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In Washington State
voters narrowly approved a huge public subsidy for Paul Allen,
co-founder of Microsoft, for a new $425 million football stadium.
Mr. Allen would pay 25% and the rest would come from taxpayers.
   (WSJ, 6/25/97, p.A22)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In Albania Ali Uka, a
journalist who criticized the Kosovo Liberation Army, was murdered.
Uka was brutally disfigured with a bottle and a screwdriver. Hashim
Thaci was his roommate at this time.
   (Econ, 1/29/11, p.50)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In Brazil police
strikes began in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais over low
pay. Though the strikes were illegal they spread by July to 15 of
Brazil’s 27 states.
   (SFC, 7/23/97, p.A10)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In Canada the Supreme
Court ruled that lap dancing violates standards of decency.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.E5)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In Chile storms
killed at least 19 people and left 51,000 homeless.
   (SFC, 6/28/97, p.A12)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, Ding Lei founded
NetEase, a Chinese Internet technology company providing online
services centered on content, community, communications and
commerce.
   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetEase)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In El Salvador a
Credi Club bank scandal involved the disappearance of $11 million in
depositor’s savings.
   (SFEC, 7/20/97, p.A18)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In Guatemala a feud
erupted between neighboring Maya villages near Totonicapan and 10
people were massacred and 10 homes were burned down.
   (SFC, 9/8/97, p.A8)
1997 Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In Kenya the IMF
froze $30 million in direct aid after the Moi administration dropped
charges against a group of KANU businessmen accused of defrauding
the state of about $500 million.
   (SFC, 7/12/97, p.A11)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In Lesotho protestors
in Maseru marched against the formation of a new ruling party by
Prime Minister Ntsu Mokhehle.
   (LVRJ, 11/1/97, p.14A)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, Terms of the Baltnet
Group, an Air Surveillance System for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia,
were established in Oslo, Norway.
   (http://tinyurl.com/a6o2n)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, In Papua New Guinea
elections the government of Sir Julius Chan was swept out of office.
   (WSJ, 3/18/98, p.A1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun, Papua New Guinea PM
Bill Skate formed a shaky coalition government: “...if I tell my
gang members to kill, they kill... there’s no other godfather. I’m
the godfather...” He later claimed to be drunk using the described
“Johnny Walker defense.” Skate resigned in 1999 after serving 18
months as prime minister.
   (WSJ, 4/14/98,
p.A19)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Skate)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun-Nov, In Kenya a
cholera epidemic in Kisumu and other towns around Lake Victoria
killed 200 people over this period due to contaminated drinking
water. The disease peaked in January after some 3,000 deaths across
East Africa.
   (SFEC,11/2/97, p.T14)(SFC, 1/22/98, p.E4)
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