Monday, October 27, 1997
Today's events
Representatives of Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific countries are scheduled to open a joint assembly with European Union representatives in Lome, Togo.
African leaders are to meet in London for an international conference to mark the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the decolonization of Black Africa.
Farmer Robert Latimer is scheduled to face retrial in Battleford, Saskatchewan, on the charge that he murdered his handicapped daughter Tracy, in case that highlighted euthanasia debate.
The Church of Scientology is to hold a demonstration in Berlin to protest at what they call German discrimination against their organization.
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On the horizon
On Tuesday, October 28, Britain's Prince Charles and son Prince Harry
are scheduled to leave for a week-long visit to Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa.
On Wednesday, October 29, Swiss banks will publish the second list of thousands of dormant accounts opened right before World War II in an effort to locate the rightful owners.
On Thursday, October 30, Ireland holds a presidential election.
On Friday, October 31, U.S. first lady Hillary Clinton expected to deliver an inaugural lecture at the University of Belfast for a chair honoring Joyce McCartan, a voluntary worker she met in Belfast in 1995.
On Saturday, November 1, the scheduled opening in Medellin, Colombia, of a three-day meeting on eating disorders sponsored by group known as Compulsive Eaters Anonymous
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On this day
In 1505, Ivan III, Tsar of Russia, died. Known as Ivan the
Great, he became tsar in 1462 and strengthened the authority of the monarchy and laid the foundations for a centralized state.
In 1644, the battle of Newbury took place when 9,000 Royalists under English King Charles I held out against the Parliamentary army of 17,500.
In 1662, Charles II of England sold Dunkirk to France for
2.5 million livres.
In 1795, Pinckney's Treaty between Spain and the United States was signed. It established the former southern boundary of the United States at the 31st parallel and gave Americans the right to send goods down the Mississippi without paying duty to Spain.
In 1806, following their victory at the battle of Jena earlier in the month, Napoleon's troops entered Berlin.
In 1807, the Treaty of Fontainebleau was signed by Napoleon
and Charles IV of Spain which provided for the division of
Portugal into three parts.
In 1871, the diamond fields of Kimberley in South Africa were annexed by Britain.
In 1900, after four years of work, the first section of the
New York subway was opened.
In 1901, the first known use of a "getaway car" occurred in
Paris when thieves drove off after holding up a shop.
In 1918, in Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II accepted the
resignation of General Erich Ludendorff after the failure of his offensive on the Western Front.
In 1922, the Italian government resigned under increasing
pressure from the fascist movement of Benito Mussolini.
In 1942, an indecisive two-day air and sea battle around the
Solomon Islands ended with severe damage to both U.S. and
Japanese fleets.
In 1961, Mongolia and Mauritania were admitted as members of
the United Nations.
In 1966, the U.N. General Assembly voted to end South Africa's mandate over South West Africa.
In 1971, the government of Congo announced that the country
would change its name to the Republic of Zaire.
In 1975, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, on his first trip to
the U.S., arrived in Washington for talks with President Ford.
In 1978, Menachem Begin of Israel and Anwar Sadat of Egypt
were named winners of the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1979, St. Vincent and the Grenadines became independent from Britain.
In 1986, the "Big Bang" took place on the London Stock
Exchange with the introduction of computerized dealing and
deregulation of many controls.
In 1987, a referendum in South Korea approved constitutional
reforms, including direct elections to the presidency.
In 1990, New Zealand's voters ousted the Labor Party of Mike
Moore, giving the National Party under James Bolger the biggest election victory in more than 50 years.
In 1991, Turkmenistan's Supreme Soviet passed a law
establishing its independence from the Soviet Union.
In 1994, President Clinton ended a visit to Syria, the first
by a U.S. leader in 20 years, reporting substantive progress in his efforts to restart Syrian- Israeli peace talks.
In 1995, France set off the third in a series of nuclear tests in the south Pacific at Mururoa atoll.
In 1995, a court in Milan sentenced two former Italian prime
ministers, Bettino Craxi and Arnaldo Forlani to jail terms on
corruption charges.
In 1996, an apartment block in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis
collapsed, killing 64. The owner was later sentenced to a
seven-year prison term for manslaughter.
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Newslink
Ever wonder what the history of Halloween actually is? Click here to find out all the background on its Celtic origins.
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Holidays and more
Today is Hallowe'en Holiday in Ireland.
It's Angam Day in Nauru.
Today is Labor Day in New Zealand.
It's Independence Day in St. Vincent and the Grenadine.
It's the Anniversary of the Country's Name Change in Zaire.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher is 72.
Actor John Cleese is 58.
Musician Floyd Cramer is 64.
Actress Ruby Dee is 73.
Actress Nanette Fabray is 77.
Singer Simon LeBon is 39.
Actress Carrie Snodgrass is 51.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1997, J.P. Morgan
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