Friday, July 18, 1997
Today's events
ASEAN Secretary-General Ajit Singh holds a news conference in Jakarta ahead of the forthcoming annual foreign ministerial meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
The European Commission and South Africa are expected to hold talks in Brussels on a future bilateral agreement.
An Islamic conference organized by Pakistan's Religious
Affairs Ministry marks the birthday of the prophet Mohammed.
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On the horizon
On Saturday, July 19, Liberia is scheduled to hold
presidential and parliamentary elections to end seven years
of civil war.
On Sunday, July 20, national elections are scheduled for
Vietnam's National Assembly.
On Monday, July 21, the 34th World Father Christmas Congress is scheduled to open in Copenhagen.
On Tuesday, July 22, the annual UNICEF report is scheduled to be issued in London.
On Wednesday, July 23, Laos and Burma are admitted to ASEAN during a special ceremony held by the Asian trade group in Kuala Lumpur.
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On this day
In 64, the great fire of Rome destroyed two-thirds of the
city. The emperor Nero suspected Christians of causing it and
they were subsequently persecuted.
In 1536, the authority of the Pope was declared void in
England by an act of Parliament.
In 1915, the Second Battle of Isonzo began in World War I. A
series of battles on this river were fought during the year with no gain for the Italians and the loss of 280,000 men.
In 1925, Adolf Hitler published the first volume of his
personal manifesto "Mein Kampf."
In 1936, the Spanish Civil War began in the early hours of the morning with a revolt at Melilla in Spanish Morocco.
In 1951, Jersey Joe Walcott defeated Ezzard Charles to become world heavyweight boxing champion, at 37 the oldest to do so.
In 1969, Sen. Edward Kennedy crashed his car off the Chappaquidick Island bridge; his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne,
died in the accident.
In 1971, six Trucial States, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm
al-Quwain, Ajman & Fujeirah, decided to form the Union of Arab Emirates.
In 1972, Egypt demanded the Soviet Union remove its 20,000
advisers from the country, accusing it of failing to supply
promised arms.
In 1976, the 21st Olympic Games opened in Montreal, with
Taiwan being refused entry and 19 nations withdrawing in protest against New Zealand's rugby tour of South Africa.
In 1984, a gunman massacred 20 people at a McDonald's restaurant in California saying "I don't like Mondays" -- even though it was a Wednesday.
In 1990, the rebel Soviet republic of Lithuania passed a new
provisional law on local military service, challenging Moscow's right to conscript its young men.
In 1994, 96 people were killed when a bomb ripped through a Buenos Aires Jewish community center.
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Newslink
Rome may have been mostly destroyed by fire almost 2000 years ago, and sacked many times since, but today it is being rebuilt at UCLA. The California's school of Architecture has worked to recreate the empire's seat of power through the magic of virtual-reality computing. Take a look at Rome Reborn to see the results.
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Holidays and more
Papua New Guinea celebrates Provincial Government Day.
Uruguay celebrates Constitution Day.
Olympic gold medal figure skater Richard Button is 68.
Singer Dion Di Mucci is 58.
Former U.S. astronaut John Glenn is 76.
Basketball player Penny Hardaway is 25.
Actress Elizabeth McGovern is 36.
Golfer Calvin Peete is 54.
Singer Martha Reeves is 56.
Musician Ricky Skaggs is 43.
Journalist, author Hunter S. Thompson is 58.
Poet Yevgeny Alelesandrovich Yevtushenko is 64.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1997, J.P. Morgan
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