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Wednesday, February 12, 1997

  • Today's events
  • On the horizon
  • On this day
  • Newslink
  • Holidays & more
  • Almanac archive
  • "I wouldn't miss it for nothin', darlin'. We've been doing this since my grandpa was knee-high to a crawfish."

    -- Mardi Gras reveler Edith Danapales



    Today's events


  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the United States.

  • The inauguration of Aslan Maskhadov as Chechnya's new president takes place in Grozny.

  • An international conference to ban landmines begins in Vienna, Austria.

  • The annual Nashville Music Awards are presented in Nashville, Tennessee.

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    On the horizon


  • On Thursday, February 13, the Berlin International Film Festival opens in Germany.

  • On Friday, February 14, Valentine's Day is celebrated in several countries.

  • On Saturday, February 15, a refurbished British Army World War II underground operations center, known as the "Battle Box," opens at Fort Canning Hill in Singapore.

  • On Sunday, February 16, the Laurence Olivier Theater Awards are announced in London.

  • On Monday, February 17, more than 250 magicians from around the world, including 28 international stars, convene in Bogota, Colombia, for the International Magic Congress.

  • On Tuesday, February 18, Korea's outlawed Confederation of Trade Unions says it will start a series of nationwide strikes.

  • On Wednesday, February 19, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visits Russia.

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    On this day


  • In 1554, Lady Jane Grey, queen of England for nine days in 1553, was executed for high treason.

  • In 1733, led by English philanthropist James Edward Oglethorpe, the first Georgia colonists arrived at what is now Savannah.

  • In 1809, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president (1861-65), was born. He was assassinated at Ford's Theater in Washington in 1865.

  • In 1818, Chile's independence from Spain was proclaimed in Santiago.

  • In 1851, Edward Hargraves discovered gold at Summerhill Creek in New South Wales, triggering the Australian gold rush.

  • In 1895, China surrendered at the Battle of Weihaiwei, ending the Sino-Japanese War.

  • In 1899, Germany bought the Pacific islands of Marianas, Caroline and Pelew from Spain.

  • In 1912, the Manchu dynasty abdicated in China and a provisional republic was established.

  • In 1950, the European Broadcasting Union was founded.

  • In 1953, the Soviet Union broke off diplomatic relations with Israel after a bomb exploded at the Soviet Legation in Tel Aviv.

  • In 1973, the first group of U.S. prisoners of war were freed from North Vietnam.

  • In 1979, in Rhodesia, 59 people died when an Air Rhodesia civilian plane was shot down by nationalist guerrillas.

  • In 1986, the Channel Tunnel treaty between Britain and France was signed.

  • In 1992, thousands of people celebrated as Mongolia's new non-communist constitution took effect.

  • In 1994, more than 100 people trekked the 31-mile (50 km) subterranean Channel Tunnel in a sponsored walk for charity. They became the first humans to walk from France to Britain since the Ice Age.

  • In 1996, Yasser Arafat took office as the first Palestinian president.

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    Newslink


    The arrival of James Edward Oglethorpe in 1733 on the site of modern-day Savannah, Georgia, turned out to be a momentous occasion for tourists and history buffs alike. For, today, Savannah, founded and designed by Oglethorpe, is a cultural and historical mecca. Savannah Online quenches America's need for a tangible past and entertaining present with its site dedicated to the pride of the Georgia coast. Savannah Online even offers a short history of the city's founding father.


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    Holidays and more


  • Much of the Christian world observes Ash Wednesday.

  • Nepal celebrates Basanta Panchamee.

  • The Union of Myanmar celebrates Union Day.

  • Actress Maud Adams is 52.

  • Actor Joe Don Baker is 61.

  • Author Judy Blume is 59.

  • Sportscaster Joe Garagiola is 71.

  • Comedian Arsenio Hall is 42.

  • Actress Joanna Kerns is 44.

  • Basketball Hall of Fame Center Bill Russell is 63.

  • Film director Franco Zeffirelli is 74.

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    Sources: Reuters,
    Chase's Calendar of Events 1997, J.P. Morgan



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