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Saturday, October 4, 1997

  • Today's Events
  • On Horizon
  • On This Day
  • Newslink
  • Holidays & more
  • Almanac archive
  • "When October comes, it's my month. There's nobody I trust more than myself. When I get in the car, I want to drive. When I put on the uniform, I want to pitch."

    -- Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz





    Today's events


  • The youngest daughter of Spanish King Juan Carlos marries Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin in Barcelona, Spain.

  • Israel's President Ezer Weizman visits the United States.

  • The Beijing International Marathon takes place in China's capital city.

  • Oktoberfest on the River, in Savannah, Georgia, draws a crowd of about 200,000 over the weekend to celebrate the city's German heritage.

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    On the horizon


  • On Sunday, October 5, French President Jacques Chirac visits Mexico.

  • On Monday, October 6, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine is scheduled to be announced by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

  • On Tuesday, October 7, Britain's Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh visit Pakistan.

  • On Wednesday, October 8, Maurice Papon, the former official in German-occupied France, goes on trial for crimes against humanity over deportation of Jews to Nazi death camps in Bordeaux, France.

  • On Thursday, October 9, the Falkland Islands hold general elections.

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    On this day


  • In 1209, Otto IV was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Within three years he had invaded Tuscany, Sicily and southern Italy.

  • In 1582, today was the last day of the Julian Calendar in the Papal states, Spain and Portugal. Pope Gregory's Gregorian calendar took effect the next day, which became 15 October to allow for the 10-day error which the Julian system had accumulated.

  • In 1777, forces under George Washington attacked British forces at Germantown but were repulsed.

  • In 1830, Belgium formed itself into an independent state, having been part of the Netherlands since 1815.

  • In 1853, after Russia refused to withdraw from the Danubian principalities, Turkey declared war thus starting the conflict in the Crimea.

  • In 1878, the first Chinese embassy opened in the United States when Chen Lan-Pin presented his papers as envoy to President Hayes.

  • In 1918, Boris III took over as Czar of Bulgaria after Ferdinand abdicated.

  • In 1930, a revolution began in Brazil which lasted into November, when Getulio Vargas became president.

  • In 1940, Adolf Hitler, Mussolini and their foreign ministers held a summit meeting on an armored train at the Brenner Pass.

  • In 1943, Free French forces completed the liberation of Corsica.

  • In 1952, the first pacemaker to control the body's heartbeat, developed by Dr. Paul Zoll of Harvard University, was fitted externally to David Schwartz.

  • In 1957, the Soviet Union became the first nation to go into space when it launched the man-made satellite Sputnik-I into orbit 500 miles above the Earth.

  • In 1965, Pope Paul VI became the first Pope to visit the United States and address the United Nations.

  • In 1966, Lesotho, formerly the British colony of Basutoland, achieved its independence and became a member of the Commonwealth.

  • In 1969, Reuters correspondent Anthony Grey was freed from house arrest after being held by the Chinese for 26 months.

  • In 1970, Janis Joplin, noted blues and rock singer, was found dead of a drugs overdose.

  • In 1976, U.S. agriculture secretary Earl Butz was forced to resign after making racist remarks.

  • In 1990, former Colonel Alexander Noble launched a separatist insurrection in the southern Philippines and took over the cities of Butuan and Caqayan de Oro.

  • In 1992, the Mozambique government and rebel leaders signed a cease-fire to end the 16-year civil war.

  • In 1993, Boris Yeltsin crushed a hardline Communist rebellion. After a 10-hour tank assault on the White House parliament building, he sacked vice-president Alexander Rutskoi and other opposition leaders were herded into Lefortovo jail.

  • In 1995, mercenary Bob Denard freed Comoran President Said Mohamed Djohar, ending a six-day coup.

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    Newslink


    As with much of the rest of the country, historic Savannah, Georgia, is hosting an Oktoberfest festival this weekend. The Savannah Morning News on the Web is one of many sites with detailed information on the festival and other goings on in this beautiful coastal city.


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    Holidays and more


  • Sportscaster Mike Adamle is 48.

  • Actor Armand Assante is 48.

  • Singer Clifton Davis is 52.

  • Actor Charlton Heston is 75.

  • Singer Patti LaBelle is 53.

  • Comedian Jan Murray is 80.

  • Actress Susan Sarandon is 51.

  • Author Alvin Toffler is 69.

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



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