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Friday, August 8, 1997

  • Today's Events
  • On Horizon
  • On This Day
  • Newslink
  • Holidays & more
  • Almanac archive
  • "We are suspicious of their two-sided acts: whether they are prepared for peace, or preparing for the northward invasion behind the screen of the four-party talks."

    -- North Korean diplomat Choe Han Chun





    Today's events


  • Britain's Princess Diana visits Bosnia as a part of her international anti-landmine campaign.

  • The Bosnian Serb parliament holds its 11th session to discuss law on refugees and displaced persons and the law on order and strikes.

  • The 80th plenary session of India's Congress party opens in Calcutta on the 55th anniversary of the party's "Quit India resolution" that set in train India's independence from Britain in 1947.

  • Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong delivers his National Day address to the people of Singapore.

  • The annual 1997 report on HIV/AIDS in Australia is released in Sydney.

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    On the horizon


  • On Saturday, August 9, the annual parade of the Apprentice Boys in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, is scheduled to take place. The parade celebrates the victory over Roman Catholics who besieged the city after 13 apprentice boys shut the gates on the advancing army of King James II.

  • On Sunday, August 10, hundreds of Rastas from around the world are expected at the 3rd annual Rastafari Gathering in Christiansted, St. Croix.

  • On Monday, August 11, Elvis Week is scheduled to begin in Memphis, Tennessee.

  • On Tuesday, August 12, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is scheduled to visit Finland to meet President Martti Ahtisaari, Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen and Foreign Minister Tarja Halonen.

  • On Wednesday, August 13, the crayfish season opens in Sweden, annually the second Wednesday in August.

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    On this day


  • In 1570, the Third Civil War in France ended with the peace of St. Germain-en-Laye, granting the Huguenots an amnesty and giving them La Rochelle and Cognac as places of refuge.

  • In 1786, the first ascent of Mont Blanc was completed by Dr. Michel-Gabriel Paccard and his porter, Jacques Balmat.

  • In 1900, the first Davis Cup tennis competition, named after Dwight Filley Davis, began at the Longwood Cricket Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, and was won by the United States two days later.

  • In 1918, the Battle of Amiens began in World War I; Allied forces advanced on a 10-mile front against 20 German divisions and took 16,000 prisoners in two hours.

  • In 1919, a peace conference between Afghanistan and India resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Rawalpindi.

  • In 1942, six Germans became the first saboteurs to be executed in America during World War II; they were electrocuted in a District of Colombia jail having landed on Long Island in June.

  • In 1963, Britain's "Great Train Robbery" took place when a gang held up the Glasgow to London mail train and stole 2.6 million pounds.

  • In 1967, a declaration in Bangkok, Thailand, signed by foreign ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand led to the formation of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

  • In 1974, Richard Nixon announced on TV he was resigning for his part in the Watergate scandal, effective midday on August 9; he was the first U.S. president to resign office.

  • In 1988, U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar announced that a cease-fire in the eight-year-old Gulf war between Iran and Iraq was to begin at 0300 GMT on August 20,

  • In 1990, Iraq announced that it had annexed Kuwait as its 19th province and President Bush sent U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia as part of a multi-national force to defend the kingdom.

  • In 1991, Islamic Jihad freed Briton John McCarthy after holding him hostage in Lebanon since April 17 1986.

  • In 1994, the leaders of Jordan and Israel opened their countries' first border crossing, cementing an end to 46 years of hostilities.

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    Newslink


    The Shuttle/Mir program may be on the rocks after the Russian space station's continuing run of unplanned and unwanted special events. But you couldn't tell from the tone of NASA's cheerful Shuttle-Mir Web site. Visit it for the space agency's take on its dealings with the Mir, and some pretty pictures.


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    Holidays and more


  • Iraq celebrates Victory Day.

  • Tanzania celebrates Peasant's Day.

  • Beatrice, Princess of York, is 9.

  • Actor Keith Carradine is 47.

  • Musician The Edge, David Evans, is 36.

  • Actor Dustin Hoffman is 60.

  • Author Joan Adams Mondale is 67.

  • Actress Connie Stevens is 59.

  • Singer Mel Tillis is 65.

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



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