Wednesday, August 13, 1997
Today's events
The crayfish season opens in Sweden.
The Boulder County, Colorado, Coroner's Office is scheduled
to release the complete Jon Benet Ramsey autopsy report.
Veterans of India's freedom struggle are scheduled to lead a
parade in New Delhi, India, marking the 50th anniversary of
independence from Britain.
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On the horizon
On Thursday, August 14, the parliaments of India and Pakistan
meet in their respective capitals to mark the 50th
anniversary of independence from British colonial rule.
On Friday, August 15, the Japanese government holds a
memorial service to mark the 52nd anniversary of the end of
World War II.
On Saturday, August 16, President Suharto is scheduled to
give the state-of-the-nation Independence Day address in
Jakarta.
On Sunday, August 17, scheduled launching of "first-ever
Elvis Conference cruise" of the Caribbean, hosted by the
International Conference on Elvis Presley.
On Monday, August 18, the first female cadets are scheduled
to arrive at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington,
Virginia.
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On this day
In 1521, Hernando Cortes, Spanish conqueror, captured and
destroyed Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) after a three month
siege.
In 1624, Cardinal Richelieu was appointed Chief Minister of
France by Louis XIII.
In 1704, French and Bavarian forces were routed by a combined
British, German and Dutch army at Blenheim, Germany. The
victors lost 6,000 soldiers compared with 21,000 French and
Bavarian troops.
In 1788, Prussia joined an Anglo-Dutch alliance to form the
Triple Alliance to prevent the spread of the Russo-Swedish
War of 1788-90.
In 1792, revolutionaries imprisoned the French royal family.
In 1814, the Cape of Good Hope was formally ceded to the
British by the Dutch.
In 1868, beginning of a series of earthquakes in Peru and
Ecuador which killed about 25,000.
In 1898, U.S. forces under George Dewey captured Manila
during the Spanish-American war after a three-month blockade
of Manila Bay.
In 1914, France declared war on Austria-Hungary, leading to
World War I.
In 1923, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was elected President of
Turkey.
In 1961, the border between East and West Berlin was closed
at
the Brandenburg Gate, heralding the construction of the
Berlin Wall.
In 1964, the last hangings in Britain took place when two men
were executed for murder at Liverpool and Manchester.
In 1993, over 120 people died in a hotel collapse in
Thailand.
In 1996, data sent back by the Galileo space probe indicated
there may be water on one of Jupiter's moons, heightening the
possibility it could support a primitive life form.
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Newslink
Celebrate the great art of American poets by clicking here. The Academy of
American Poets, founded in 1934, even has a listening booth
where you can hear poems read by the author's themselves.
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Holidays and more
Today is Brisbane Show Day in Australia.
It's Independence Day in the Central African Republic.
Today is Women's Day in Tunisia.
President of Cuba Fidel Castro is 70.
Actress Quinn Cummings is 30.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders is 64.
Composer Dan Fogelberg is 46.
Singer Don Ho is 67.
Actor Kevin Tighe is 53.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1997, J.P. Morgan
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