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Historical Context for January 18, 1997

In 1997, the world population was approximately 5,924,787,816 people[†]

Notable Births

1997Emil Audero, Indonesian footballer[†]

Emilio Audero Mulyadi is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie B club Palermo, on loan from Serie A club Como and the Indonesia national team.

1997Denis Malgin, Swiss ice hockey player[†]

Denis Malgin is a Swiss professional ice hockey centre for the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). Malgin was selected by the Florida Panthers in the fourth round, 102nd overall, of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Notable Deaths

1997Paul Tsongas, American lawyer and politician (born 1941)[†]

Paul Efthemios Tsongas was an American politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1979 until 1985 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 until 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, he ran for president in 1992. He won eight contests during the presidential primaries but ultimately lost the nomination to Bill Clinton, who later won the general election.

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Headlines from January 18, 1997

PANEL, CITING PATTERN OF ETHICS FLAWS, SEEKS A GINGRICH REPRIMAND

By Adam Clymer

House ethics subcommittee declares that Speaker Newt Gingrich's misuse of tax-exempt funds for politically tinged college course reflects pattern of years of 'disregard and lack of respect for the standards of conduct' a Congressman should follow; report prepared by subcommittee and its outside counsel, James M Cole, is more damning than most Republicans had expected; it makes clear that panel backed off from accusing Gingrich of lying so it could settle case quickly; full committee votes, 7 to 1, to recommend that House impose $300,000 penalty and formally reprimand Speaker; investigators and Gingrich agree that he will pay House $300,000, which he may take from campaign funds; fine is intended to compensate House for money it had to spend because he misled it; Gingrich does not comment on matter; he is greeted with standing ovation when he appears before Republican National Committee at its winter meeting; photo (L)

National Desk1498 words

Wintry Air Blows Into New York And Makes Everyone Take Notice

By Matthew Purdy

Bitter cold weather blasts into New York region for first time this winter; temperature in Central Park dips to 11 degrees, and wind chill factor drops to 10 degrees below zero; day's highest reading is 16 degrees; record for day is 2 degrees, set in 1977; hardest hit are homeless, who seek refuge in shelters or heated subway trains; photo; chart (M)

Metropolitan Desk1323 words

COURT TO CONSIDER REVERSING DECISION ON PAROCHIAL AID

By Linda Greenhouse

Supreme Court says it will consider overruling 1985 precedent that bars teachers in public schools from traveling to parochial schools to teach federally financed remedial classes; Court's action does not commit Justices to decide constitutional merits of case; they will do that only if Justices agree that case is properly before them; Clinton Administration is supporting request to reconsider case; appeal was made by New York City and parents' group from parochial schools; New York City spends over $10 million a year to hold special classes in vans parked near religious schools; debate about state aid to religious schools is more heated in recent years, given efforts by some communities to provide vouchers that parents can use for parochial school tuition (M)

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Drama Over 3 States, Then a Fatal Plane Crash

By Robert D. McFadden

Small plane from Long Island flies over three states and crashes in woods of New Hampshire after pilot apparently became overcome by engine fumes; chase plane and ground controllers tried unsuccessfully to talk down his 71-year-old mother, who was drowsy and inexperienced in cockpit; plane was registered to David A Riach; he and his mother, Dorothy Riach, died in crash; investigators of National Transportation Safety Board open inquiry at site of crash near Alton, NH; photos; map (M)

Metropolitan Desk1297 words

INSIDE

By Unknown Author

A Polite Young Man As people on the Upper East Side remembered Ennis Cosby as a very considerate person, the Los Angeles police worked around the clock to find a suspect in his murder. Page 7. Israelis Turn Over Hebron With tension and celebration, hundreds of Palestinian policemen claimed control of Hebron, occupied by Israeli forces for 30 years. Page 3. Turnover at Port Authority George J. Marlin, the executive director of the Port Authority, said he would leave the job in April. Page 25. Rodman Banned 11 Games For kicking a photographer, Chicago's Dennis Rodman received the second harshest penalty in N.B.A. history. Page 31.

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Corrections

By Unknown Author

A Critic's Notebook article in Weekend yesterday about long-running Broadway musicals misspelled the surname of a co-director of ''Les Miserables.'' He is John Caird, not Laird.

Metropolitan Desk26 words

Corrections

By Unknown Author

Correction of Market Indicators chart on Jan 17, regarding Nasdaq composite index

Metropolitan Desk31 words

Corrections

By Unknown Author

A map yesterday with an article about the Israeli-Palestinian deal on the West Bank city of Hebron mislabeled the region in some editions. The West Bank is not part of Israel.

Metropolitan Desk31 words

White House Picks a Slow Path To World Ban on Land Mines

By Clifford Krauss

Clinton Administration announces that it will seek to negotiate worldwide ban on antipersonnel mines, but choses to take slower of two diplomatic tracks; US will push for ban at Conference on Disarmament, which could take years, rather than join Canada on faster track in negotiating ban; US also commits itself to capping and eventually eliminating military's inventory of seven million land mines (M)

Foreign Desk352 words

Corrections

By Unknown Author

A front-page picture caption in some editions yesterday about Bill and Camille Cosby's departure from their Manhattan apartment misstated their destination. They did not head for Los Angeles, where their son, Ennis, was shot to death.

Metropolitan Desk36 words

I was wondering if anything interesting on the news was going on when I was born, and decided to create this website for fun. The purpose is to show people what was going on when they were born. With this website I've found out that it was a pretty slow news day on my birthday, but I bet it would feel cool to know a historical event happened on your birthday.

The data used in this project is provided by the New York Times API. They have by far the best API I was able to find, with articles dating back to the 1950s. There weren't any other major newspapers that had an API with close to as much data. The closest was the Guardian API, but theirs only went back to the 1990s. I decided to only use articles from the New York Times because their API was by far the best. This tool works if you have a birthday after the 1950s or so.

Some important dates in history I'd recommend looking up on this website are:

  • 9/11/2001: The September 11 Attacks happened on this day, the news articles from this date provide great context to the tragedy our nation suffered and the immediate response from the American people. The headlines capture the shock, confusion, and unity that emerged in the aftermath of this devastating event.
  • 7/20/1969: The historic Apollo 11 moon landing, when humans first set foot on another celestial body. The articles from this date showcase humanity's greatest achievement in space exploration and the culmination of the space race.
  • 11/9/1989: The fall of the Berlin Wall, marking the beginning of the end of the Cold War. The coverage provides fascinating insights into this pivotal moment in world history and the emotions of people as decades of division came to an end.
  • 1/20/2009: Barack Obama's inauguration as the first African American President of the United States, a watershed moment in American history that represented a major milestone in the ongoing journey toward racial equality.
  • 8/15/1969: The Woodstock Music Festival began, marking a defining moment in American counterculture and music history. The coverage captures the spirit of the era and the unprecedented gathering of young people.

These historical events are just a few examples of the fascinating moments in history you can explore through this tool. Whether you're interested in your own birthday, significant historical dates, or just curious about what was making headlines on any given day, this website offers a unique window into the past through the lens of contemporary news coverage.

You can read more on our blog.