Friday, June 20, 1997
Today's events
The Summit of the Eight, an annual gathering of leading industrialized countries, plus Russia, opens in Denver.
Carlos Westendorp, the newly appointed High Representative to Bosnia by the international community, formally takes over from outgoing envoy Carl Bildt.
The appeal trial of Vu Xuan Truong and 20 others opens in Hanoi; the group was sentenced last month in Vietnam's biggest drug scandal to date.
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On the horizon
On Saturday, June 21, dragon boat competition is held in
Beijing.
On Sunday, June 22, the Nome River Raft Race takes place on a 1-2 mile stretch of Alaska's Nome River; the winner earns a one-year stewardship of the race's fur-lined Honey Bucket.
On Monday, June 23, EU economic and finance ministers meet in
Luxembourg.
On Tuesday, June 24, the three-day World Food Conference opens in Jakarta, Indonesia.
On Wednesday, June 25, ballgowns and evening dresses belonging to Britain's Princess Diana are to be auctioned in New York for the benefit of selected cancer and AIDS charities; the 80 gowns are expected to raise more than $6 million.
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On this day
In 1597, William Barents, the Dutch explorer who tried to search for the north-east passage, died in the Arctic in the attempt when his ship became trapped in ice.
In 1624, France and the United Provinces (Netherlands) signed a treaty of non-aggression at Compiegne.
In 1756, over 140 people who were defending Calcutta were imprisoned by the Nawab of Bengal in the East India Company's
jail; 23 survived this imprisonment in what later became known as the Black Hole of Calcutta.
In 1782, the Great Seal of the United States government,
designed by William Barton, was adopted on this day.
In 1789, the newly proclaimed National Assembly in France met
on the Jeu de Paume tennis court in Paris.
In 1792, a huge crowd of at least 20,000 stormed the
Tuilieries in Paris and tried to negotiate with King Louis XVI.
In 1819, the 320-ton paddle-wheel steamship Savannah became
the first steamship to cross the Atlantic. It arrived in Liverpool after a journey from Savannah, Georgia, of 27 days 11 hours.
In 1837, with the accession of Queen Victoria to the British
throne, Hanover was automatically separated from Great Britain as its law forbade women to accede to the throne.
In 1863, West Virginia was admitted to the Union as the 35th
state.
In 1900, the German ambassador in Peking, Baron von Ketteler,
was assassinated by Chinese troops setting off the Boxer Rebellion which sought to remove foreign influence in China.
In 1923, Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary leader, was
assassinated on his farm.
In 1944, the battle of the Philippine Sea ended with Japan
losing almost all its remaining trained pilots and at least 4,000 seamen.
In 1963, Russia and the United States agreed to establish a
hot-line telephone link; it was opened on August 30.
In 1994, a bomb tore through Muslim worshippers at the Imam
Reza mausoleum in Mashhad, northeast Iran, killing at least 25 people and wounding 70.
In 1995, after mounting pressure from the environmental group
Greenpeace and government ministers in Germany, Sweden, Denmark and elsewhere, Shell oil company decided not to dump the disused oil rig Brent Spar in the North Atlantic.
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Newslink
The Summit of the Eight descends on Denver today. The first thing most of theses international visitors are likely to see of their host city is the newly minted Denver International Airport. It is described as dramatic, groundbreaking, a technological marvel. Others, however, label it a boondoggle, a white elephant. Either way, it's a worthy Web site for the average Web surfer.
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Holidays and more
Sweden and Finland celebrate Midsummer Eve.
Sri Lanka celebrates Poson Full Moon Poya Day.
Actor Danny Aiello is 64.
Musician Chet Atkins is 73.
Actress Olympia Dukakis is 66.
Actor John Goodman is 45.
Actor Martin Landau is 66.
Singer Cyndi Lauper is 44.
Singer Anne Murray is 52.
Singer Lionel Richie is 48.
Actor James Tolkan is 66.
Musician Andre Watts is 51.
Singer Brian Wilson is 55.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1997, J.P. Morgan
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