Tuesday, August 19, 1997
Today's events
U.S. President Bill Clinton celebrates his 51st birthday.
Second Lady Tipper Gore celebrates her 49th birthday.
Today is the 52nd anniversary of Vietnam's August Revolution.
The space shuttle Discovery is rescheduled to land at Kennedy
Space Center in Florida.
The National Transportation Safety Board is scheduled to
release its final report on last year's ValuJet crash, which
killed 110 people.
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On the horizon
On Wednesday, August 20, Morocco's King Hassan addresses the
nation ahead of legislative elections scheduled for October.
On Thursday, August 21, the International Stamp Show opens in
Beijing, China.
On Friday, August 22, the foreign ministers of the Rio Group
meet in Asuncion, Paraguay.
On Saturday, August 23, the Rio Group summit is scheduled to
take place in Asuncion.
On Sunday, August 24, the 10th World Conference on Tobacco on
Health is scheduled to take place in Beijing.
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On this day
In 1477, Maximilian I, son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick
III, married Mary of Burgundy and acquired the Burundian
possessions in the Netherlands and France.
In 1561, Mary Queen of Scots arrived in Scotland to assume
the throne after spending 13 years in France.
In 1587, Sigismund III, son of John of Sweden, was elected
King of Poland. He sought a union of Poland with Sweden but
instead created hostility and war between the two.
In 1601, Michael the Brave, Romanian national hero, was
assassinated.
In 1772, Gustav III seized effective control of the Swedish
government and restored the full power of the monarchy which
had been subordinate to parliament since 1720.
In 1812, in the Anglo-American war of 1812, the U.S. warship
Constitution defeated the British frigate Guerriere.
In 1839, details of Louis Daguerre's first practical
photographic process were released in Paris.
In 1934, Germans voted to give Adolf Hitler the presidency in
addition to being Chancellor.
In 1940, Italian troops forced the British to withdraw from
Somaliland.
In 1942, British and Canadian troops launched a disastrous
attack on German-held Dieppe. Of the 6,000 troops involved,
only about 2,500 returned; the rest were killed or captured.
In 1953, Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq was overthrown in a
coup in Persia. Gen. Zahedi took over and the Shah returned
from exile in Italy.
In 1960, the Soviet Sputnik 5 satellite was launched into
Earth orbit carrying two dogs named Belka and Strelka.
In 1960, Gary Powers, the U.S. spy plane pilot shot down by
the Russians over Soviet territory, was sentenced to 10 years
detention.
In 1966, a severe earthquake in Turkey killed over 2,000.
In 1973, George Papadopoulos was sworn in as president of
Greece as the monarchy came to an end. He lifted martial law,
in effect since 1967, but was overthrown in a coup in
November.
In 1974, Roger Davis, U.S. ambassador to Cyprus, was shot
dead during anti-American demonstrations in Nicosia.
In 1978, a fire in a theater set by Muslim extremists in
Abadan, Iran, killed over 400 people.
In 1979, Soviet Cosmonauts Vladimir Lyakov and Valery Ryumin
returned to Earth aboard Soyuz 34 after a record 175 days in
space.
In 1980, 301 people died when fire swept through a Saudi
Arabian airliner as it made an emergency landing at Riyadh
airport.
In 1987, in Britain's worst mass killing, gunman Michael Ryan
shot dead 16 people during a rampage through Hungerford.
In 1991, an abortive coup by hard-liners against Soviet
President Gorbachev began; it collapsed two days later.
In 1995, U.S. peace envoy Robert Frasure and three others
were killed when their vehicle plunged off a road near
Sarajevo.
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Newslink
Did you know the Little League World Series is going on right
now? Check out all the latest action by clicking here.
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Holidays and more
Today is Independence Day in Afghanistan.
Actor Adam Arkin is 41.
U.S. President Bill Clinton is 51.
Actor Kevin Dillon is 32.
Actor Peter Gallagher is 42.
Actor Gerald McRaney is 49.
Actress Diana Muldaur is 59.
Actress Kyra Sedgwick is 32.
Actress Jill St. John is 57.
Actor John Stamos is 34.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1997, J.P. Morgan
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