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Friday, April 25, 1997

  • Today's Events
  • On Horizon
  • On This Day
  • Newslink
  • Holidays & more
  • Almanac archive
  • "A lot of investors are coming from outside. And, for your information, Sierra diamond is one of the best."

    -- Lebanese diamond dealer in Sierra Leone





    Today's events


  • Japan's Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto holds summit with President Bill Clinton in Washington.

  • Pope John Paul II visits the Czech Republic.

  • The Lantau Link bridge connecting Hong Kong with Lantau Island officially opens. The bridge provides a highway and railway link to the new Chek Lap Kok airport off Lantau Island.

  • The Subic Bay Freeport holds its first "Dive Fiesta" to promote it as safe haven for scuba diving; the three day fiesta is aimed at making it a complete watersports center and to attract more tourists.

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    On the horizon


  • On Saturday, April 26, a preview of the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition "Living Bridges" is scheduled in Hong Kong. The exhibition will present a spectacular array of scale models of famous bridges and proposed bridges. Exhibits include Hong Kong's Lantau Link, the world's longest combined road and rail suspension bridge.

  • On Sunday, April 27, President Clinton, former Presidents Bush and Carter, retired Gen. Colin Powell and Nancy Reagan are scheduled to attend the Presidents' Summit for the American Future in Philadelphia.

  • On Monday, April 28, Turkey's President Suleyman Demirel is scheduled to visit Cairo for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

  • On Tuesday, April 29, the official campaign period begins for Indonesian general elections.

  • On Wednesday, April 30, French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette visits Washington.

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    On this day


  • In 1792, Jacques Pelletier, a highwayman, became the first person to be guillotined in France, on the Place de Greve in Paris.

  • In 1850, Paul Julius Reuter, founder of the news agency that bears his name, used 40 pigeons to carry stock market prices between Brussels and Aachen.

  • In 1859, work began on the construction of the Suez Canal, under the direction of Ferdinand de Lesseps. It was opened 10 years later Nov. 16, 1869.

  • In 1862, New Orleans fell to the Union fleet of Adm. David Farragut in the American Civil War.

  • In 1898, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution declaring war on Spain over Cuba.

  • In 1925, Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg became the second president of Germany's postwar Weimar Republic.

  • In 1926, Arturo Toscanini conducted the first performance of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot" at La Scala, Milan.

  • In 1945, the U.S. and Soviet armies met in the east German city of Torgau as World War II drew to a close in Europe.

  • In 1971, 200,000 anti-Vietnam War protesters marched on Washington.

  • In 1974, Portugal's authoritarian ruler Marcelo Caetano was overthrown in a military coup, surrendering to Gen. Antonio de Spinola who became president the following month.

  • In 1975, Portugal held its first free elections for 50 years, the Socialist Party under Mario Soares won most seats.

  • In 1976, elections took place in Vietnam for a National Assembly to reunite the two halves of the country.

  • In 1980, a U.S. commando mission to rescue 53 American embassy hostages in Iran was abandoned in the desert with the loss of eight American lives when a helicopter collided with a tanker aircraft.

  • In 1982, British troops recaptured South Georgia, part of the Falkland Islands, from occupying Argentine forces.

  • In 1989, Japanese Premier Noboru Takeshita announced his resignation over the Recruit Affair, the country's biggest political scandal in decades.

  • In 1990, Violeta Chamorro was sworn in as president of Nicaragua having defeated Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega.

  • In 1996, a court in Gdansk, Poland, dropped proceedings against Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski over the 1970 fatal shootings of 44 protesters by security forces when he was defense minister.

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    Newslink


    The Army reports two of its trucks, possibly filled with munitions, are missing in Texas. It sounds like someone may be procuring military merchandise through unofficial channels. The right channels for the purchase of military products, for official use only, of course, can be found at the Army's Procurement Network site. Visit it for a heart pounding look at military bureaucracy.


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    Holidays and more


  • Australia, the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Tonga and Western Samoa celebrate Anzac Day.

  • Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Lebanon and Ethiopia celebrate Good Friday.

  • Egypt celebrates Sinai Liberation Day.

  • Italy celebrates Liberation Day.

  • Macau celebrates Portuguese Liberation Day.

  • Portugal celebrates Liberty Day.

  • Swaziland celebrates National Flag Day.

  • The Virgin Islands celebrate Carnival.

  • Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan is 91.

  • Former basketball player Dave Corzine is 41.

  • Former Basketball player Meadowlark Lemon is 65.

  • Director Paul Mazursky is 67.

  • Actor Al Pacino is 57.

  • Actress Talia Shire is 51.

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



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