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Friday, October 17, 1997

  • Today's Events
  • On Horizon
  • On This Day
  • Newslink
  • Holidays & more
  • Almanac archive
  • "His loss will be great not only the literary scene but to the many colleges he has nurtured through the years and the many thousands of people who feel he is their friend."

    -- James Michener's longtime friend and assistant John Kings





    Today's events


  • German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel meets Baltic foreign ministers for one day of talks in Riga, Latvia.

  • Philippines' President Fidel Ramos visits Laos.

  • A demonstration called by the French Communist Party in support of Algerian people takes place in Paris.

  • The five candidates in Ireland's presidential race hold a television debate in Dublin.

  • The 21st International Film Exhibition begins in Sao Paolo, Brazil, with over 150 films expected to be screened.

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    On the horizon


  • On Saturday, October 18, the "Fairy Queen," India's oldest steam locomotive, is scheduled to leave for Alwar in Rajasthan.

  • On Sunday, October 19, U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey is scheduled to visit Bogota, Colombia.

  • On Monday, October 20, European Commission President Jacques Santer is expected to meet with Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa in Brussels.

  • On Tuesday, October 21, Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali is scheduled to visit France at the invitation of French President Jacques Chirac.

  • On Wednesday, October 22, Paris celebrates the 200th anniversary of the world's first parachute jump.

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    On this day


  • In 1346, David II of Scotland, in attempting a military diversion on behalf of Philip VI to relieve the siege of Calais, was wounded and captured by Edward III.

  • In 1777, English commander General John Burgoyne surrendered to the Americans under General Horatio Gates after the Battle of Saratoga during the American War of Independence.

  • In 1797, a peace settlement between France and Austria was agreed to when the Treaty of Campo Formio was signed.

  • In 1902, the first Cadillac motor car was made in Detroit.

  • In 1941, a German submarine torpedoed the U.S. destroyer Kearney off the coast of Iceland, killing 11 members of the crew.

  • In 1945, Colonel Juan Peron addressed 300,000 people in Buenos Aires after being released from custody. He had been relieved of his posts in the military government a few days earlier but an uprising by the underprivileged "Shirtless ones" forced an about turn. He went on to become president the following year.

  • In 1956, Britain's Queen Elizabeth opened the country's first nuclear power station at Calder Hall in Cumbria as power was transferred to the national grid.

  • In 1961, Algerians demonstrating in Paris against colonial rule were confronted by riot police. The authorities say only three people died but human rights groups have insisted the figure was over 240.

  • In 1966, Botswana and Lesotho were admitted to the United Nations.

  • In 1970, President Anwar Sadat was sworn in as president of Egypt in succession to Gamal Abdel Nasser.

  • In 1973, Arab oil producers increased oil prices and cut back production in response to U.S. support of Israel in the Yom Kippur war.

  • In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Concorde could use New York's Kennedy Airport.

  • In 1989, the biennial conference of the 103-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) decided on a world-wide ban on ivory trading.

  • In 1989, Deadliest U.S. quake since 1906 shook entire San Francisco Bay area. Centered near Santa Cruz, 50 miles (80 km) south of San Francisco, it measured 6.9 on the Richter scale, killed 67 people and injured more than 600.

  • In 1994, Jordan and Israel initialled an historic peace treaty, cementing an end to their 46-year state of war.

  • In 1996, Russian President Boris Yeltsin sacked his security czar Alexander Lebed after only four months in office.

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    Newslink


    It's time for fans of college hoops to go mad. College basketball officially returns to the sports scene Friday night with the annual tradition of Midnight Madness. And one of the maddest in the college coaching ranks, Jerry Tarkanian, has his own official Web site for hoops fans.


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    Holidays and more


  • Haiti celebrates Dessalines Day.

  • Actress Beverly Garland is 71.

  • Scientist Mae Jemison is 41.

  • Actress Margot Kidder is 49.

  • Motorcycle stunt performer Evel Knievel is 59.

  • Actor Michael McKean is 50.

  • Steve Douglas McMichael is 40.

  • Dramatist Arthur Miller is 82.

  • Actor George Wendt is 49.

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



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