Thursday, May 29, 1997
Today's events
Indonesia is scheduled to hold its general elections.
Culture and Education ministers join government officials from 30 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss joint issues of cultural patrimony and national identity in Cartagena, Colombia.
Rounds Four, Five and Six of the annual Scripps Howard National Spelling are scheduled to be held in Washington.
Closing arguments are scheduled in the Oklahoma City bombing trial in Denver.
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On the horizon
On Friday, May 30, presidential and parliamentary
elections are scheduled to be held in Liberia.
On Saturday, May 31, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is scheduled to visit Sarajevo for talks with political leaders.
On Sunday, June 1, the second round of French parliamentary elections is scheduled to begin.
On Monday, June 2, Canada is scheduled to hold its general elections.
On Tuesday, June 3, it will be the eighth anniversary of China's crackdown on dissidents in Tiananmen Square.
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On this day
In 1167, Frederick Barbarossa was defeated by the combined
cities of the Lombard League at the Battle of Legnano.
In 1453, an army of 12,000 Turkish Janissary infantrymen
captured Constantinople in a furious battle after a long siege.
In the melee, Emperor Constantine XI was killed.
In 1790, Rhode Island became the 13th state of the United
States. It was the last of the original colonies to ratify the
constitution.
In 1848, Wisconsin became the 30th state of the United States.
In 1914, the liner Empress of Ireland carrying 1,477
passengers and crew collided with the Norwegian freighter
Storstadt in the St. Lawrence River in Canada. At least 1,012
people died in one of the worst maritime disasters ever.
In 1940, in World War II, German forces captured Ostend and
Ypres in Belgium and Lille in France.
In 1953, Sir Edmund Hilary and Tensing, a Sherpa, reached the
summit of Mount Everest, the first team to reach the summit of
the world's tallest mountain. The feat was not reported until
June 1.
In 1968, the United Nations Security Council passed a
resolution imposing mandatory sanctions on white-minority-ruled
Rhodesia.
In 1974, Northern Ireland was brought under direct rule from
Westminster one day after the collapse of the Northern Ireland
executive. The crippling general strike in the province also
ended.
In 1979, in Salisbury, Bishop Abel Muzorewa sworn in as
Zimbabwe Rhodesia's first black prime minister.
In 1982, Pope Paul II, in the first papal visit to Britain
since 1531, prayed alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, head
of the Church of England, in Canterbury Cathedral.
In 1985, 39 fans, mostly Italian, were crushed or trampled to
death in rioting involving Liverpool and Juventus supporters at
the European Cup Final at Brussels Heysel stadium. Over 400
people were injured.
In 1994, Erich Honecker, who ruled East Germany with an iron
fist for 18 years and supervised the creation of the Berlin
Wall, died in exile in Chile. He was 81.
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Newslink
The final rounds of the 70th annual Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee are under way today in Washington. To learn everything you'd ever want to know about the competition, click here.
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Holidays and more
Today is Corpus Christi in Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Seychelles, St. Lucia, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Vatican City State.
Actress Annette Bening is 39.
Actor Kevin Conway is 55.
Actor Anthony Geary is 49.
Comedian Bob Hope is 94.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1997, J.P. Morgan
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