Sunday, May 3, 1998
Today's events
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The National Cable Television Association opens its annual convention in Atlanta.
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On the horizon
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On Monday, May 4, the Kent State Students Memorial Day will be observed.
On Tuesday, May 5, NATO chiefs of staff meet in Brussels.
On Wednesday, May 6, the Children and the Media conference will be held in Los Angeles to examine the media's portrayals of race and class and their impact on children.
On Thursday, May 7, the special Whitewater grand jury -- the second empaneled at Little Rock since 1994 -- is scheduled to expire. Its term cannot be extended.
On Friday, May 8, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit Brandeis University as part of his five-state tour of the United States.
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On this day
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In 1469, Niccolo dei Machiavelli, Italian author and statesman, born. He wrote "The Prince," a guide to the use of power. "Machiavellian" has come to mean cunning and unscrupulous.
In 1494, Christopher Columbus first sighted the island later to be named Jamaica.
In 1500, the Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral landed in Brazil and claimed it for his country. The land had been visited by Spanish navigator Vicente Yanes Pinzon in January but the discovery was not followed up.
In 1616, the Second Civil War in France ended with the signing of the Treaty of Loudun, granting an amnesty to the rebellious Prince of Conde.
In 1747, in the War of Austrian Succession, the British roundly defeated the French at the first Battle of Cape Finisterre.
In 1791, King Stanislaw Augustus signed a liberal bill of rights reforming gentry-ruled Poland and setting up a constitutional monarchy. It was only the second written constitution in the world after that of the United States.
In 1826, Charles XV, King of Norway and Sweden, born.
In 1841, New Zealand was formally proclaimed a British colony.
In 1844, Richard D'Oyly Carte born. An operatic impresario, he founded the Savoy Theatre in London, home of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.
In 1874, Francois Coty, French industrialist and perfume manufacturer, was born. One of the wealthiest men in France, he acquired several newspapers, including Le Figaro, to advance his views.
In 1895, the territories owned by the British South Africa Company south of the Zambezi were given the name of Rhodesia.
In 1898, Golda Meir, politician who became Israeli prime minister in 1969 at the age of 70, was born as Golda Mabovitch in Kiev.
In 1906, U.S. film star Mary Astor, who played in "The Maltese Falcon" and "Don Juan," was born as Lucille Vasconcellos Langhanke.
In 1939, Maxim Litvinov was removed as Soviet foreign minister and replaced by Vyacheslav Molotov.
In 1951, in Britain, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth inaugurated the Festival of Britain on London's South Bank.
In 1965, Cambodia broke off diplomatic relations with the United States after a weekly magazine carried an article felt to be derogatory to the royal family.
In 1968, French students and police clashed violently in Paris, the start of a month of disturbances and strikes that threatened the rule of General Charles De Gaulle.
In 1971, in East Germany, Walter Ulbricht retired as First Secretary of the Communist Party and was succeeded by Erich Honecker.
In 1972, Bruce Cabot, U.S. film actor who appeared in "King Kong" and later in countless western films, died.
In 1996, delegates from 55 countries agreed at a U.N. conference in Geneva on new rules for landmine use, but rejected an all-out ban.
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Newslink
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Dutchman will head the bank that oversees the euro. To learn more about Europe's single currency, click here.
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Notable
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Japan marks Constitution Memorial Day.
Korea celebrates Lord Buddha's Birthday.
It's Constitution Day in Poland.
Ukraine marks Labor Day.
Entertainer James Brown is 65.
Musician Christopher Cross is 47.
NBA guard Jeff Hornacek is 35.
Singer Frankie Valli is 61.
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Sources: Associated Press,
Chase's Calendar of Events 1998, J.P. Morgan
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