Wednesday, January 1, 1997
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Today's Events
Most of the world celebrates the beginning of a new year.
Pope John Paul celebrates Mass at the Vatican on the 30th
annual World Peace Day.
A National Park Service ranger gives an interpretive
presentation of the Emancipation Proclamation, issued on
January 1, 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, at Ford's
Theater in Washington, D.C.
College Football's Outback, Gator, Citrus, Fiesta, Cotton and
Rose Bowls are held.
The Netherlands takes over rotating six-month presidency of
the European Union.
African-American employees of Texaco receive a 10-percent
salary increase as part of that company's response to a
recent racial discrimination flap and associated law suits.
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On the horizon
On Thursday, January 2, the Congo begins census of voters
in preparation for a July presidential election.
On Friday, January 3, the London International Boat Show
opens.
On Saturday, January 4, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl is
due to meet with Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
On Sunday, January 5, the African nation of Chad holds
parliamentary elections.
On Monday, January 6, more than 1,000 scientists gather
in Mohe, China, to observe a total eclipse of the sun.
On Tuesday, January 7, the 105th session of the U.S. Congress
begins.
On Wednesday, January 8, Monaco's Grimaldi dynasty celebrates
its 700th anniversary of rule.
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On this day
In 1502, Portuguese navigators landed at a harbor on the
coast of South America and named the site Rio de Janeiro
(River of January).
In 1515, Francis, Duke of Angouleme, became Francis I of
France on the death of Louis XII.
In 1785, the Times newspaper was first published in Britain
as the Daily Universal Register.
In 1801, the union between Great Britain and Ireland became
effective, creating the United Kingdom.
In 1804, after helping to lead a rebellion against the
French, Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared Haiti independent.
In 1808, the United Kingdom made Sierra Leone a crown colony.
In 1833, the United Kingdom claimed sovereignty over the
Falkland Islands.
In 1863, the U.S. Emancipation Proclamation became law,
formally freeing the enslaved.
In 1877, Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India.
In 1886, the United Kingdom annexed Upper Burma.
In 1895, J. Edgar Hoover, founder and head of the U.S.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (1924-72), was born.
In 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was established with
Edmund Barton as prime minister.
In 1912, Harold "Kim" Philby, the British double agent, was
born; he defected to Russia in 1963 and died in 1988.
In 1914, Britain established a West African colony it called
Nigeria.
In 1919, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was
established.
In 1923, a confederation of Russia, Byelorussia, Ukraine and
Transcaucasia was established; the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics came into effect the following July.
In 1925, the capital city of Norway, known as Christiana or
Kristiana since 1674, resumed its name of Oslo.
In 1942, 26 nations signed the "Declaration of the
United Nations," affirming opposition to Axis powers.
In 1956, Sudan became an independent republic.
In 1958, the European Economic Community, known as the Common
Market, came into being.
In 1959, Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba after dictator
Fulgencio Batista fled to the Dominican Republic.
In 1960, Cameroon achieved independence from France.
In 1962, the Beatles auditioned for Decca records, only to be
rejected because the company felt "groups of guitars are on
the way out."
In 1972, the popular French singer Maurice Chevalier died.
In 1973, Britain, Ireland and Denmark became members of the
EEC.
In 1975, John Ehrlichman, H.R. Haldeman and John Mitchell
were found guilty of obstruction in the Watergate
investigation.
In 1979, the United States and China established diplomatic
relations, 30 years after the foundation of the People's
Republic.
In 1981, Greece was admitted as the 10th member of the
European Economic Community.
In 1984, Brunei became an independent state.
In 1992, a peace accord to end the El Salvador civil war was
reached at the United Nations.
In 1992, Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt succeeded Javier
Perez de Cuellar of Peru as U.N. secretary-general.
In 1993, Czechoslovakia ceased to exist, splitting into
separate Czech and Slovak republics.
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Newslink
Popular wisdom says that you can't know your future if you
don't know your past. So, as the world looks forward to a new
year, it might be profitable to also take a look back at what
the world has accomplished during its 4-plus billion year
history. For such insight, visit the U.N. World Heritage
project's home page. And Happy New Year!
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Holidays and more
Just about every country on the planet celebrates New Year's Day.
Sudan celebrates Independence Day.
Actress Valentina Cortese is 72.
Musician Milt Jackson is 74.
Architect Helmut Jahn is 57.
Economist Elliot Janeway is 84
Actor Don Novello, a k a Father Guido Sarducci, is 54.
Author J.D. Salinger is 78.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1996, J.P. Morgan
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