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Tuesday, August 19, 1997

  • Today's Events
  • On Horizon
  • On This Day
  • Newslink
  • Holidays & more
  • Almanac archive
  • "A year ago, we were a little scared of what the future had for us. Now, we're more excited."

    -- Virginia Military Institute upperclassman Conor Powell





    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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