Sunday, July 27, 1997
Today's events
The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional forum takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Members of Japan's Democratic Party, led by Yukio Hatomana and Naoto Kan, visits the U.S. for talks with U.S. government officials and legislators on defense issues.
The International Conference on Science Fiction opens in Beijing.
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On the horizon
On Monday, July 28, the Pan African Women's Organization is scheduled
to discuss improving the status of women in Africa.
On Tuesday, July 29, the biennial meeting of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children is scheduled in Seattle. The group is dedicated to the advocacy
and education of gifted and talented kids.
On Wednesday, July 30, the Baalbek Festival, once Lebanon's leading
cultural event, resumes with a performance by cellist Mstislav Rostropovich; the festival was last held in 1974.
On Thursday, July 31, a Beirut court issues a verdict in the case of five Japanese Red
Army guerrillas charged with forgery and other offenses carrying maximum sentences of 10 years in prison.
On Friday, August 1, Lima, Peru's, Latin American film festival opens.
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On this day
In 1054, Siward of Northumbria and Malcolm defeated Macbeth at Dunsinane.
In 1214, Philip II of France beat an allied English, Flemish
and German army under Otto IV, the Holy Roman Emperor, at the
Battle of Bouvines. This broke up the coalition and secured
Philip's position.
In 1540, Thomas Cromwell, principal adviser to King Henry VIII of England, was executed for treason.
In 1742, the Peace of Berlin between Empress Maria Theresa of
Austria and Prussia ended the first Silesian War.
In 1789, the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs, forerunner of the State Department, was established by an act of Congress.
In 1866, a trans-Atlantic cable laid by the steamer Great
Eastern established reliable communication by telegraph between the United States and England.
In 1921, Canadians Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best
isolated insulin for the first time. It proved an effective
treatment for diabetes.
In 1949, the British De Havilland Comet, the first jet-propelled airliner, made its maiden flight.
In 1953, the Korean armistice was signed at Panmunjom, ending
the three-year Korean War in which 1.6 million North Koreans and Chinese and over 118,000 United Nations troops died.
In 1954, Britain and Egypt initialed an agreement to end British occupation of the Suez Canal Zone.
In 1955, Austria regained its sovereignty after 17 years of
occupation by international troops.
In 1976, after four years of intermittent tension, Britain
broke off diplomatic relations with Uganda, the first time in 30 years that a British government had taken such a drastic step against another country.
In 1980, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi died of cancer while in exile
in Egypt. Former Shah of Iran from 1941, he lost control of his country and fled in 1979. Ayatollah Khomeini succeeded him.
In 1989, Christer Pettersson, a Swede with 63 previous
criminal convictions, was found guilty and jailed for the 1986 murder of Swedish prime minister Olof Palme.
In 1990, Belarus declared its independence from the Soviet
Union.
In 1992, voters in the Seychelles gave Socialist President
Albert Rene an overwhelming victory in the island's first
multi-party poll in 16 years.
In 1996, during the Olympic Games in Atlanta, a bomb exploded
in an entertainment park killing two and wounding 110.
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Newslink
Football legend Don Shula was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame today. Most of us were not invited to the ceremony, but the Hall's Web sit is open to the public. Go take a look!
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Holidays and more
Belarus celebrates Independence Day.
Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrate People's Uprising Day.
The Maldives celebrate Independence Day.
Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 49.
Singer Bobbie Gentry is 55.
Television producer Norman Lear is 75.
Singer Maureen McGovern is 48.
Actress Betty Thomas is 49.
Actor James Victor is 58.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1997, J.P. Morgan
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