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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:37:48 GMT -5
Devastating Earthquake Hits Armenia - December 1988 A severe earthquake struck the Soviet republic of Armenia, December 7. A government estimate put the death toll at 25,000, and some 500,000 persons were homeless. The city of Leninakan, population 290,000, was nearly leveled; at least 32 mountain villages were destroyed. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife, having cut short a foreign tour, visited the ruined areas, December 10 and 11. At least 60 countries provided relief supplies, and several sent search-and-rescue experts and medical teams. Much of the damage was blamed on the flimsiness of buildings. Pravda reported that buildings constructed within the past 15 years had suffered the most damage.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:38:00 GMT -5
Inflation Fears Ease - July 1989 Figures released by the government in July eased concerns about inflation. The Labor Dept. reported, July 7, that the unemployment rate has risen 0.1 percentage point in June to 5.2 percent. The department reported, July 14, that producer prices for finished goods had declined 0.1 percent in June and that the annual rate of advance (5.1 percent) in the second quarter had been only half of the advance reported for the first quarter. The Commerce Dept. said, July 18, that the merchandise trade deficit had widened to $10.24B in May. An increase in consumer prices of 0.2 percent in June, reported by the Labor Dept., July 19, was the smallest in 16 months. The Commerce Dept. reported, July 27, that the gross national product grew at an annual rate of 1.7 percent in the second quarter, its slowest rate of expansion in 3 years.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:38:39 GMT -5
23 Dead in Yugoslav Riots - March 1989 Clashes between police and ethnic Albanians left at least 23 people dead in Kosovo province, in Yugoslavia. Kosovo, which had an Albanian majority, was an autonomous region of the republic of Serbia. On March 23, Kosovo's legislature voted to give Serbia direct control over the province's courts and police. Demonstrations, which began immediately, quickly turned violent and spread to several cities.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:38:52 GMT -5
Hurricane Causes Wide Devastation - September 1989 Hurricane Hugo swept through the Caribbean and struck the mainland in South Carolina, taking a heavy human toll and causing immense property damage. Moving northwest, the hurricane struck Guadeloupe, September 16, Montserrat, September 17, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, September 18. On Montserrat, the most devastated island, 80 percent of the buildings were destroyed and 99 percent of its 12,000 inhabitants were homeless. On St. Thomas and St. Croix in the Virgins, it was estimated that 80 percent of the buildings were damaged. Several small towns on the east coast of Puerto Rico were virtually destroyed. Following 2 days of looting, Pres. George Bush, September 20, sent 1,100 military police to the Virgin Islands. With winds of 135 miles an hour, the center of the storm hit Charleston, South Carolina on the night of September 21-22. High tides and torrential rains soaked the barrier islands and the coast, damaging private and commercial property as well as many of the city's historical buildings. The death toll was put at 51, including 24 in the U.S. Congress, September 28, approved $1.1B in emergency aid, but many complained that the government was slow to respond effectively to the destruction.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:39:03 GMT -5
Trial Focuses Attention on Child Abuse - January 1989 A former criminal lawyer, Joel Steinberg, was found guilty of 1st-degree manslaughter in New York City, January 30, in the death of beating of his 6-year-old illegally adopted daughter, Lisa. Damaging testimony against had been given by Hedda Nussbaum, Steinberg's lover. Steinberg was found not guilty of 2nd-degree murder, which would had required a conclusion that he had acted with a depraved indifference to human life. The shocking details of Steinberg's behavior as described in the trial drew nationwide attention to the problem of child abuse. Steinberg, March 24, received a maximum sentence of 8 1/2 to 25 years in prison.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:39:19 GMT -5
"Junk-Bond King" Is Indicted - March 1989 Michael Milken, the head of the so-called junk-bond department at Drexel Burnham Lambert, was indicted, March 29, along with his brother and a 3rd Drexel employee, on 98 counts of racketeering, mail fraud, securities fraud, and other criminal charges. The indictment charged that Milken had led a conspiracy to defraud Drexel clients, shareholders, and the investing public. Milken's use of high-risk securities to finance corporate takeovers and leveraged buyouts had added a chapter to Wall Street history and had made Milken very rich: in 1987 alone he had received $550M in compensation from Drexel. Milken said he would plead not guilty to the charges.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:39:30 GMT -5
North sentenced in Iran-Contra Case - July 1989 Former National Security Council aide Oliver North, who had been convicted in May in the Iran-Contra arms scandal, received his sentence in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., July 6. Before sentencing, North acknowledged to Judge Garland Gesell that he grieved over what happened and that he had made "many mistakes." Gesell gave North a 3-year suspended prison sentence, put him on probation for 2 years, ordered him to perform 1,200 hours of community service, and fined him $150,000. The judge said, "I do not think in this area you were a leader at all, but really a low-ranking subordinate working to carry out initiatives of a few cynical superiors."
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:40:03 GMT -5
Chicago Voters Back Daley - February 1989 Richard M. Daley, the Cook County State's Attorney, who won the Democratic Party primary for mayor of Chicago, February 28. He defeated acting mayor, Eugene Sawyer, Chicago's second black mayor, who had been named to his office in 1987 following the death of Mayor Harold Washington. The voting divided largely along racial lines. In the general election, April 4, Daley was elected mayor with 55.5 percent of the vote. Timothy Evans, an independent candidate, won 41 percent.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:40:17 GMT -5
Huge Oil Spill Fouls Alaskan Waters - March 1989 The largest oil spill in U.S. history occured after a tanker struck a reef in Alaska's Prince Edward Sound, March 24. The Exxon Valdez struck Blight Reef, about 25 miles from the town of Valdez, the southern terminus of the pipeline that carried oil from northern Alaska. The tanker, which was off course, was being piloted by the third mate instead of by the captain, Joseph Hazelwood. Exxon Corporation announced, March 25, that it accepted full financial responsiblility for the spill, which was initially estimated at 240,000 barrels. The 987-foot tanker had been carrying 1,260,000 barrels of crude oil, some of which was being siphoned into another ship. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, the oil-company consortium that operated the pipeline, had said that there would be a spill containment team at Valdez, but that turned out to consist only of a barge that happened to be in drydock with a hold in its side. A skimming technique removed only a small portion of the oil. Exxon announced, March 26, it was ready to deploy a dispersant, but winds up to 73 miles and hour, March 27, thwarted that effort. The economic and environmental dimensions of the disaster grew daily. The fishing industry was temporarily wiped out, and the pictures on television of dying birds and otters, soaked with oil, stunned the nation. Exxon said, March 28, that it was impossible to contain the spill. Valdez Mayor John Devens said, March 28, that his community felt betrayed by Exxon. By March 29, the spill extended 45 miles. On hearing a report from federal officials after their return to Alaska, Pres. George Bush called the spill "a major tragedy," but the administration decided not to take over the cleanup. Having tested Capt. Hazelwood, the Coast Guard announced, March 30, that he had an unacceptably high level of alcohol in his blood. The FBI opened an investigation into the spill, March 31.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:40:54 GMT -5
Shuttle Deploys Craft to Venus - May 1989 The shuttle Atlantis, with 5 crew members aboard, lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., May 4. Later that day the crew deployed the Magellan spacecraft of a 15-month, 800M-mile trip to Venus. The Magellan's mission was to utilize radar to map 90 percent of the surface of Venus. The shuttle landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., May 8.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:41:06 GMT -5
Raises Proposed for U.S. Leaders - December 1988 The president's Commission on Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Salaries proposed, December 13, that salaries of U.S. government leaders be increased by at least 50 percent. Members of Congress, for example, would go from $89,500 to $135,000 and the president from $200,000 to $350,000. Judges and cabinet officers would be among others getting similar increases. By law, the increases would take effect within a month after the president approved the recommendations, unless rejected by both houses of Congress. Pres. Ronald Reagan gave his approval to the commission's recommendations, January 5.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:41:26 GMT -5
Mexico Agrees to Reduce Debt - July 1989 Pres. Carlos Salinas announced, July 23, that negotiations between Mexico and a committee representing some 500 creditor banks had resulted in an agreement that would reduce the nation's $54B commercial bank debt. The agreement marked the first success for the Bush administration's strategy to head off the debt crisis in developing countries, and the first time commercial bank creditors had agreed to significant reduction of debt during the crisis. Under the plan, creditors could choose one of 3 broad options---reducing the principal, reducing interest, or extending more credit.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:41:36 GMT -5
95 Soccer Fans Die in Crush - April 1989 Ninety-five persons attending a soccer game in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England were killed, April 15, when fans pushing into the stadium crushed the victims crowded in front of them. Some 200 others injured. Just before the game started, some 4,000 fans were massed at an entrance eager to enter the stadium. When it appeared they could not enter easily through the turnstiles, an exit was opened and they flooded in. Those in front of them were pushed, and many of those who died were crushed against metal fences.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:42:32 GMT -5
Pete Rose Banned from Baseball - August 1989 Pete Rose, a baseball legend, was banned from the game for life on August 24, by the commissioner of major league baseball, A. Bartlett Giamatti. In making the announcement, Giamatti said he had concluded that Rose had gambled on baseball games, including games involving the Cincinnati Reds, the team Rose managed. Rose, a hero in Cincinnati where he had spent most of his career, had more base hits than any other player in the history of the game. An investigation of Rose had continued for several months, and the gambling charges were supported in a 225-page report prepared for the commissioner by John Dowd, a Washington, D.C. lawyer. Major League Rule 21 provides for the lifetime suspension of anyone who bets on a game in which his team is involved. Rose vehemently denied that he bet on baseball games. In announcing his suspension, Giamatti said that a signed agreement with Rose affirmed that nothing in it could be deemed as either an admission or denial by Rose that he had bet on baseball games. Giamatti said his decision was based on the Dowd report. Rose had declined to participate in a hearing. He would be eligible to apply for reinstatement after one year. On September 1, 8 days after banning Rose, Giamatti, 51, died of a heart attack.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:42:44 GMT -5
Producer Prices Jump - October 1989 Producer prices rose after declining for 3 months. The Labor Dept. reported, October 6, that the nation's unemployment rate had inched up 0.1 percentage point in September to 5.2 percent. The 0.9 percent surge in September in the Producer Price Index for finished goods, reported by the department, October 13, sparked worries that the rate of inflation might soon increase.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:42:59 GMT -5
George Bush Elected President - November 1988 George Herbert Walker Bush, whose long record of public service had included 8 years as vice president under Pres. Ronald Reagan, was elected the 41st president of the U.S. on November 8. The election was the first since 1928 in which a presidential candidate was elected to succeed a president of his own party. Bush became the first vice president since Martin Van Buren in 1836 to be elected directly to the presidency. His running mate, Sen. Dan Quayle of Indiana, was elected vice president. They defeated the Democratic presidential and vice-presidential nominees, Gov. Michaek Dukakis of Mass. and Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. Bush and Quayle carried 40 states with 426 electoral votes and Dukakis and Bentsen won 10 states and the District of Columbia collecting 112 electoral votes. One of the Dukakis electors actually cast his presidential vote for Bentsen. The nationwide popular vote was closer, about 54 to 46 percent in Bush's favor. In other voting on November 8, the Democrats gained one seat in the U.S. Senate for a margin of 55 to 45, and they added 2 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives for a margin of 260 to 175. The Democrats gained a governorship for a nationwide advantage of 28 to 22, and they also gained a little ground in state legislatures.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:43:16 GMT -5
Mulroney Keeps Power in Canada - November 1988 Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney won a second term in parliamentary elections, November 21. The dominant issue in the campaign was free trade, specifically whether the U.S.-Canada trade accord should be approved. Mulroney's government had negotiated the agreement. Opposition leaders, former Liberal Prime Minister John Turner and Edward Broadbent of the new Democratic Party, warned that the concept of free trade embodied in the agreement would prove disadvantageous to Canada's economic and cultural interests. Final approval of the free-trade bill turned on the outcome of the voting. Mulroney's Progressive Conservative Party, which had trailed in the polls for much of the campaign, won a decisive victory, taking 170 of 295 seats in the House of Commons. The Liberals won 82 seats and the NDP 43. The nationwide popular vote was closer: PC 43 percent, Liberals 32 percent, NDP 20 percent. Turner said, Novemeber 22, that his party would no longer seek to prevent approval of the free-trade agreement.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:43:28 GMT -5
Colombian Presidential Candidate Slain - August 1989 The assassination of a Colombian presidential candidate prompted a new crackdown on illegal drug traffickers. The candidate, Luis Carlos Galán, was shot fatally at a rally in a suburb of Bogotá, August 18. Galán, a senator, was a vocal opponent of the drug dealers and exporters. A judge and a police chief were also slain within a 3-day period. Some 4,500 judges went on strike and threatened to resign unless the government provided more protection. Pres. Virgilio Barco, August 19, reinstated a decree that permitted drug figures to be extradited to the U.S. for trial. Colombian police and army units confiscated more than $125M in property, including hundreds of planes and houses as well as helicopters and yachts, from the traffickers. Pres. George Bush said, August 22, that Barco had told him that additional financial aid was needed, but that sending in U.S. troops would not be necessary. On August 24, the drug barons issued a communiqué vowing "total and absolute war" on the government, and in fact began a new wave of bombings and arson. The Extraditables, a paramilitary group, said, August 24, that 10 judges would be killed for every Colombian extradited to the United States. Bush, August 25, announced a $65M military-aid package for Colombia. The U.S. State Department, August 30, advised U.S. citizens to consider leaving Colombia. Some 11,000 persons had been arrested after the Galán assassination, and 3,000 remained in custody as of the end of the month.
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Post by colinouchou on Apr 30, 2024 15:43:38 GMT -5
House Speaker Jim Wright to Resign - May 1989 Speaker of the House Jim Wright, who faced serious ethical charges, announced that he would resign as speaker and from the House. On May 26, a few days before Wright's announcement, the Democratic majority in the House suffered another shock when Rep. Tony Coelho (Cal.) announced that he would resign as majority whip and from the House. Coelho, who ranked third in the Democratic leadership ranks, had hoped to move up a notch in the event that Wright resigned. But then he, too, had become a potential subject of ethical inquiries concerning the possible use of $100,000 in campaign funds to buy junk bonds underwritten by Drexel Burnham Lambert, Inc. In announcing his impending resignations, Coelho denied using campaign funds for that purpose, but he said he had nor reported a $50,000 loan used to cover half of the bond purchase on his financial disclosure forms. Wright's announcement of resignation came in a long, impassioned speech to the House, May 31. He defended himself against 69 charges brought in April by the House Ethics Committee, and he urged an end to the "period of mindless cannibalism" that prevailed in the House. In recent months, partisan animosities had run high, and many unflattering rumors members, mostly unsubstantiated, had been circulating.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 17:59:02 GMT -5
Clinton Prepares to Assume Presidency - November 1992 Pres.-elect Bill Clinton announced, November 6, that his transition team would be headed by Vernon Jordan, a Washington, D.C. attorney and former president of the National Urban League, and by Warren Christopher, a deputy secretary of state under Pres. Jimmy Carter. On November 12, Clinton named 48 people to conduct the transition. Their principal task would be to help Clinton assemble his cabinet.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 18:00:00 GMT -5
Nations Act Again on Ozone Threat - November 1992 Delegates from 87 nations met in Copenhagen and agreed to accelerate their schedules for phazing out on chemicals that damaged the Earth's ozone layer. Under the agreement of November 25, some chemicals would be regulated for the first time. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chemicals thought to be most harful to the ozone, would be phased out by 1996 rather than 2000.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 18:00:24 GMT -5
Owner of Baseball Team Suspended - February 1993 Marge Schott, the only woman who owned a major league baseball team, was suspended for one year, February 3, by baseball's executive council. Schott, owner of the Cincinnati Reds, had been accused of making racist and anti-Semitic remarks. She was fined $25,000 and barred from the team's day-to-day operations for one year. She would continue as general partner of the Reds.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 18:00:38 GMT -5
Ex-Dissident Wins Korean Presidency - December 1992 Kim Young Sam, a longtime opponent of Korean governments, won the presidency of South Korea, December 18, as the candidate of the ruling Democratic Liberal Party. He won with 42 percent in a large field. His principal challenger, Kim Dae Jung, was also a prominent dissident. Kim Young Sam would succeed Pres. Roh Tae Woo in February.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 18:00:53 GMT -5
President of Brazil Resigns - December 1992 Pres. Fernando Collor de Mello of Brazil resigned in December. Vice Pres. Itamar Franco had been serving as acting president since October, pending outcome of a Senate trial of Collor on corruption charges. Collor resigned, December 29, within hours after the Senate convened an impeachment trial. Franco was sworn in as president. At the trial, witnesses testified that they had to pay large bribes to win government contracts. The Senate voted, December 30, 76-3 to convict Collor. Collor and some of his relatives also faced criminal charges that they had received millions of dollars illegally.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 18:01:07 GMT -5
Czech, Slovak States Established - January 1993 On January 1, 2 independent states---the Czech Republic and Slovakia---were founded as a result of the division of Czechoslovakia. Slovaks generally celebrated, but Czechs were reported to have mixed feelings about the amicable divorce. Vaclav Havel, a former president of Czechoslovakia, was elected president of the Czech Republic, January 26. Michal Kovac, an economist, was elected president of Slovakia, February 15.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 18:02:11 GMT -5
Guidelines Announced on Food Labels - December 1992 Implementation of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 advanced, December 2, when the Bush administration announced guidelines for the manufacturers of packaged foods. The rules, to be fully in effect by May 1994, required that the amount of fat, sodium, protein, cholesterol, and carbohydrates be printed on the packaging for every product. A number of terms used in advertising, such as "light" and "low fat," could only be used if certain criteria were met.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 18:02:33 GMT -5
Letterman Accepts $16M From CBS - December 1992 David Letterman, host of NBC's popular "Late Night with David Letterman" show, announced, December 8, he would leave NBC to accept an offer from CBS to host a show beginning at 11:30p Eastern time each week night and would have receive and annual salary of $16M. He also said he would give NBC until January 15 to make another offer; however, NBC, January 14, announced that Letterman would not return next season.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 18:02:46 GMT -5
Macedonia Joins U.N. - April 1993 On April 8, Macedonia became a member of the U.N. under the formal, but temporary, designation as The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A permanent name would be the subject of negotiations with Greece, which had expressed concerns that the use of the name "Macedonia" indicated that the new country was eyeing the territory of the Greek province of Macedonia.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 18:02:58 GMT -5
Congress Approves 'Motor-Voter' Bill - May 1993 The House, May 5, and the Senate, May 11, approved a bill establishing new opportunities for citizens to register to vote. Under the bill, often called the "motor-voter" bill, citizens would be able, in any state, to register to vote when applying for a driver's license. They could also register at welfare and disability benefits offices, and could obtain registration forms at military recruitment stations. Registration by mail would be allowed in any state. Clinton signed the bill May 20.
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Post by colinouchou on May 3, 2024 18:03:10 GMT -5
Ginsburg Sworn In as Justice - August 1993 The Senate, August 3, approved the nomination of Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 96-3. She was sworn in, August 10, as the court's 107th justice.
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