Tuesday, April 7, 1998
Today's events
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A special election for Sonny Bono's congressional seat will
be held. His widow, Mary Bono, and actor Ralph Waite are the
announced candidates.
Today is World Health Day.
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On the horizon
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On Wednesday, April 8, the final episode of the NBC sitcom
"Seinfeld" will be filmed in Los Angeles.
On Thursday, April 9, the Dogwood Arts Festival begins in
Maryville, Tennessee.
On Friday, April 10, most of the Christian world marks Good
Friday.
On Saturday, April 11, Russian President Boris Yeltsin travels to Japan.
Sunday, April 12, is Easter Sunday.
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On this day
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In 1118, Pope Gelasius II excommunicated Henry V, Holy Roman
Emperor, at Capua.
In 1348, Prague University, the first in central Europe, was
founded by Charles IV, King of Bohemia.
In 1506, St. Francis Xavier, Spanish Jesuit missionary, was born.
One of the best known Roman Catholic missionaries, he brought
Christianity to Japan and India.
In 1739, Dick Turpin, English highwayman, was hanged for
murder at York. Before turning into a highwayman, he was a
butcher's apprentice.
In 1770, William Wordsworth, English poet, was born. The English
Lake District supplied the inspiration for much of his best
poetry.
In 1823, French forces under Louis de Bourbon invaded Spain,
beginning the Franco-Spanish war.
In 1831, Pedro I of Brazil abdicated in favor of his son
Pedro II in order to return to Portugal.
In 1862, in the U.S. civil war, the Federal army under Ulysses
S. Grant defeated the Confederates under Albert Johnston at the
Battle of Shiloh.
In 1891, Phineas T. Barnum, U.S. showman, died. Famed for his
amusements and spectacular circuses, he also brought Swedish
operatic soprano Jenny Lind to tour America in 1850.
In 1927, the first successful long-distance demonstration of
television took place in the United States. Secretary of
Commerce Herbert Hoover made a speech in Washington, which was
seen and heard on a television in New York.
In 1934, in India, Mahatma Gandhi suspended his campaign of
civil disobedience.
In 1939, Italian troops began their invasion of Albania.
In 1939, Francis Ford Coppola, U.S. film director and Oscar
winner for "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now," was born.
In 1943, the drug LSD was first produced at Sandoz Laboratorie
in Basel, Switzerland, by Albert Hofman.
In 1943, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met for an Axis
conference in Salzburg.
In 1945, U.S. navy aircraft sank Japan's largest battleship,
the Yamato.
In 1947, Henry Ford, U.S. motor manufacturer, died. He
pioneered the assembly line mass production technique.
In 1948, the constitution of the World Health Organization
came into force.
In 1953, Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden was elected Secretary
General of the United Nations by 57 votes to one.
In 1955, Theda Bara (Theodosia Goodman), U.S. silent film
actress, died. In films from 1915, she was best known for her
exotic roles in films notably "Carmen" and "Cleopatra."
In 1956, a declaration signed by Morocco and Spain recognized
the independence of Morocco.
In 1963, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was
established with Marshall Tito as its president for life.
In 1970, a U.S. federal court confirmed it had closed the
investigation of Sen. Edward Kennedy over the car crash in
which Mary Jo Kopechne died at Chappaquiddick in 1969.
In 1972, Sheikh Abeid Karume, Tanzanian vice president and
ruler of Zanzibar, was assassinated.
In 1976, after unprecedented riots in Peking, Deng Xiaoping
was removed as a deputy prime minister and Hua Guofeng was
promoted to full premier.
In 1980, U.S. President Jimmy Carter broke off diplomatic
relations with Iran and ordered out all Iranian embassy staff
because of the detention of U.S. embassy hostages in Tehran.
In 1981, voters approved a new constitution in the
Philippines, giving President Marcos sweeping powers.
In 1990, the Scandinavian Star, a Bahamas-registered ferry
operated by the Da No Line, caught fire while on a journey
between Norway and Denmark; 158 people were killed.
In 1994, Rwandan Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana was
killed as troops, presidential guards, police and gangs of
youths rampaged through the capital Kigali in a chaotic orgy of
bloodletting.
In 1994, Israel sealed off the occupied West bank and Gaza
Strip, banning Palestinians from entering Israel and East
Jerusalem after two Arab guerrilla attacks.
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Newslink
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What are young people thinking about these days? Visit the Diary Project and read their words for yourself.
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Holidays and more
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The hajj continues for Muslims around the world.
Mozambique observes Women's Day.
It is National Mourning Day in Rwanda.
Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather") is 59.
Interviewer David Frost is 59.
Actor James Garner ("The Rockford Files") is 70.
Singer John Oates (of Hall & Oates) is 50.
Actor Wayne Rogers ("M*A*S*H") is 65.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1998, J.P. Morgan
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