Sunday, October 5, 1997
Today's events
British Prime Minister Tony Blair visits Russia for
talks with President Boris Yeltsin.
Roman Catholic peace group the Community of Sant'Egidio holds its annual international inter-religious gathering in Padua and Venice, Italy, culminating in a prayer for peace.
French President Jacques Chirac visits Mexico.
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On the horizon
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.
On Friday, October 10, The 2nd Pusan International Film
Festival opens in South Korea.
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On this day
In 1285, Philip III of France died of the plague and was
succeeded by Philip IV (the Fair).
In 1511, Pope Julius II formed the Holy League between Aragon, Venice and the Papacy. Its stated aim was to defend the unity of the church but it also sought to drive the French out of Italy.
In 1796, Spain declared war on Britain in the Napoleonic Wars.
In 1813, an American force defeated the British and their
Indian allies at the Battle of Thames River, Ontario.
In 1877, American Indian Chief Joseph surrendered to
government forces in the U.S. northwest, ending the short Nez
Perce Indian War.
In 1908, Bulgaria proclaimed its independence from the Ottoman Empire.
In 1910, Portugal was declared a republic after a successful
revolt against King Manuel II.
In 1930, the British airship R101 crashed on its first flight
at Allonne, near Beauvais, France, killing 48 of its 54
passengers.
In 1938, Dr. Eduard Benes resigned the presidency of Czechoslovakia and fled abroad.
In 1947, at a Warsaw conference, COMINFORM (Communist
Information Bureau) was established to co-ordinate the
activities of European communist parties.
In 1954, Britain, Italy, the U.S. and Yugoslavia agreed on the division of Trieste into Yugoslav and Italian zones.
In 1964, 57 East German refugees sheltered in West Berlin after tunneling under the Berlin Wall; it was the largest mass escape since the wall was built.
In 1969, the BBC transmitted the first episode of "Monty
Python's Flying Circus," the comedy show which gained a cult
status worldwide.
In 1970, Anwar Sadat was nominated to succeed Gamal Abdel
Nasser as president of Egypt.
In 1983, solidarity leader Lech Walesa was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize.
In 1988, a radical new constitution came into effect in
Brazil, replacing one imposed by the military during their
1964-85 rule.
In 1989, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1991, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev pledged to match
the United States in scrapping tactical nuclear weapons.
In 1994, almost 50 members of the Order of the Solar Temple
sect died in two suicide fires in Switzerland.
In 1995, after two months shuttling around the Balkans, U.S.
envoy Richard Holbrooke clinched a cease-fire agreement among the warring factions in Bosnia.
In 1996, 50 countries adopted a declaration calling for the
earliest possible agreement on a global ban on anti-personnel
land mines.
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Newslink
The Promise Keepers, who flooded Washington this weekend, are but one of a long line of groups who have used the National Mall to parade their ideals before the nation. Visit the National Park Service's National Mall Homepage for a look at the history and continuing use of this national treasure.
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Holidays and more
Israel observes the Gedalyahu Fast.
Portugal and Macau celebrate Republic Day.
Vanuatu celebrates Constitution Day.
Actress Karen Allen is 46.
Actor Jeff Conaway is 47.
Actor Bill Dana is 73.
Singer Bob Geldof is 46.
Playwright and Czech politician Vaclav Havel is 61.
Actress Glynis Johns is 74.
Musician Steve Miller is 54.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1997, J.P. Morgan
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