Monday, February 9, 1998
Today's events
Russian President Boris Yeltsin is scheduled to visit Rome and meet with Pope John Paul II.
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On the horizon
On Tuesday, February 10, nominations are announced for the 70th Academy Awards.
Wednesday, February 11, is the deadline for Attorney General Janet Reno to decide whether
an independent counsel is needed to look at Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt's role in his department's rejection of an Indian casino.
On Thursday, February 12, the European Union Rio Group meets in Panama.
On Friday, February 13, the U.S.-Latin America Resort and Tourism Development Conference ends.
On Saturday, February 14, Cupid sharpens his bow. Will you find your true love on this Valentine's Day?
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On this day
In 1540, the first-recorded horse race in England was
held at Roodeye Fields, Chester.
In 1674, Charles II of England signed the Treaty of
Westminster, ending the war with the Dutch.
In 1801, France and Austria signed the Peace of Luneville,
effectively ending the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1849, Giuseppe Mazzini proclaimed Rome a republic.
In 1861, Jefferson Davis was chosen as president of the Confederate States
of America, and Alexander Stephens as vice-president.
In 1881, Feodor Dostoevski, Russian novelist whose works
included "Crime and Punishment," "The Idiot" and "The
Brothers Karamazov," died.
In 1893, "Falstaff," the last opera by Italian composer
Giuseppe Verdi, was first performed in Milan.
In 1904, at the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, the
Russian ships Variag and Korietz were sunk off Korea.
In 1909, France and Germany reached agreement over Morocco,
with Germany recognizing French special interests there in
return for economic concessions.
In 1923, Dobrolet, the Soviet state airline, was formed. It
was renamed Aeroflot in 1932.
In 1929, the Litvinov protocol, a pact for the renunciation of
war, was signed in Moscow between Russia, Poland, Romania,
Estonia and Latvia.
In 1934, the Balkan Pact to prevent encroachment by the great
powers was signed by Romania, Greece, Yugoslavia and Turkey.
In 1941, in a speech directed at the United States, Winston
Churchill said: "Put your confidence in us...give us the tools
and we will finish the job."
In 1942, the French passenger liner Normandie burned and sank
at its pier in New York City.
In 1943, U.S. troops reached Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, and
discovered that the Japanese had evacuated.
In 1950, U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy said he had evidence
there were individuals in the State Department who were
card-carrying members of the Communist Party.
In 1969, the first test flight of the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet
took place.
In 1972, the British government declares a state of emergency
over a miners' strike.
In 1977, Spain established diplomatic relations with the
Soviet Union.
In 1978, Canada announced it was expelling 13 Soviet diplomats
who it said had tried to recruit a Royal Canadian Mounted Police
officer.
In 1983, the racehorse Shergar, the 1981 English Derby winner,
was stolen from his stable in Ireland.
In 1984, Soviet leader Yuri Andropov died. A former KGB chief,
he succeeded Leonid Brezhnev in late 1982 and was in power for
less than 15 months.
In 1991, Lithuanians voted by a huge majority to restore the
Soviet republic's pre-World War II independence.
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Newslink
Nearly 100 years ago, the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor claiming the lives
of 267 crewmen and beginning what would later become known as the Spanish-American War. Learn
more about the vessel at USS Maine
Centennial Celebration.
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Holidays and more
Lebanon marks St. Maron's Day
Actress Mia Farrow is 53.
Singer Carole King is 56.
Former baseball star John Kruk is 37.
Actress Judith Light is 49.
Actor Joe Pesci is 55.
Actress Janet Suzman is 59.
Country singer Travis Tritt is 35.
Author Alice Walker is 54.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1997, J.P. Morgan
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