Wednesday, February 12, 1997
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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